IT'S SNOWING IN CEDAR PARK!!! So here's what it looked like an hour ago...

Emma has already left for school (hopefully the teachers let them out on the playground for a quick romp in the, um,"powder"), but Natalie and Dani were totally excited about these HUGE flakes! These flakes definitely rivaled some of the best I've seen growing up in Utah!! But, to be fair I heard that this storm came from Utah - Greatest snow on earth!!!

It was fun to see the snow since it's so rare in these parts, but I still don't miss it. I guess 20 years in the stuff does that to you. But seeing the happy, red faces of the girls made me realize how different my childhood was from theirs. I grew up with snow every winter in a rural mountain valley, skiing every weekend. They're growing up in the typically warm Texas suburbs of Austin, where the A/C doesn't usually get turned off until Thanksgiving! And we can go camping in March without freezing!

It's all good!! Hope everyone is staying warm, though!!

Ironmaiden Jen

So on November 20, the girls, my mom and I pointed our car westward and headed to Tempe, AZ for my sister Jen's second Ironman triathalon. Fortunately, Jen's triathalon was scheduled during the week break the girls had off for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, it was still a workweek for Jeremy, so he couldn't come with us. I'm so grateful, though, that my mom flew to San Antonio to meet up with us and be our second driver for the 2-day drive.

It was a very rainy start to our drive, but by the middle of the day, the clouds had cleared and so had most signs of life. There really isn't much between Austin and El Paso, just lots and lots of road! After driving all day and stopping only for gas and lunch we stopped for the night in Las Cruces, NM. For dinner we bought some yummy tamales from a family selling them at a rest stop.

After a good rest, we got breakfast and a chilly start (it was around freezing when we woke up) for the rest of the drive to Tempe/Phoenix. Keeping entertained during the drive, we listened to books on tape and watched DVDs. Still there was plenty of time for the girls to get bored and annoy each other. We were more than happy to get out of the car for lunch in Tucson at our favorite cheap lunch spot - Costco!!

We arrived at our hotel in Tempe mid-afternoon. We, of course, got turned around a bit, but after taking a driving tour of the Sky Harbor Airport, we somehow managed to pull up behind Jen's car on some random street and follow her to the hotel. We all laughed when we realized she was in front of us and gave her a surprise "look who's behind you" call. Jen had just picked up Rob from the airport.

After hugs and getting settled into our rooms. Jen surprised the girls with backpacks filled with fun stuff to keep them entertained and not hungry during the race the next day. It was super cute that Jen was so thoughtful of them while she was training so hard for her race. The kids even made posters with their new markers to cheer her on. So with all of us in our yellow "Ironmaiden Jen" t-shirts and our posters and cow bells we were hard to miss the next day!

Ryanne, Kristin (my cousin and Rye's right hand woman) and the boys arrived later that evening from St. George, UT, just shortly after my Dad drove in from San Diego. We all had pizza for dinner and just hung out at the hotel, letting the kids swim in the pool.

The next day was an early start for everyone, especially Jen! The 2.4 miles swim started at 7am, but Jen was there around 6am to get ready. Around 7:30 we got the kids out the door and up the block from our hotel to the bridge that the swimmers went under in Tempe Town Lake. The lake was crowded with black wetsuits and white swimcaps. It was impossible for us to find Jen in the "sea" of swimmers, but SHOCKER, Jen saw US on the bridge and stopped swimming long enough to shout out to us! It was awesome to be able to cheer her on her swim when we didn't think we'd even get a glimpse of her. She completed her swim in 1:25:33 (hh:mm:ss).

After we saw Jen swim by, the long day of waiting to see her pass by on her bike and run began. We found a good place to stake our claim while we waiting for Jen to pass by us a total of six times on her bike route of 112 miles. It was just on the other side of the bridge we'd been standing on to see her swim. The day was beautiful and a perfect temperature. Plus, this race course worked great for all of us to watch for her. And it was within 10 minutes walking distance of the hotel, so we could take the kids back for food, naps, pool etc. Jen biking was pretty uneventful - no bike or health problems. We were able to snap a few pics of her coming and going and she looked great! She completed her bike portion in 6:53:21.

Just as evening was coming on, Jen began the 26.2 mile run. To say she was spent from the swim and the run would be an understatement. The run course was 3 loops on a dirt run/walk path near Town Lake. Once again we could cheer Jen on multiple times as she passed us on both sides of the bridge. Unfortunately, the dust kicked up from the trail set off Jen's asthma. She had her inhaler, but combined with some pretty intense stomach problems, Jen was having a tough time walking let alone running. Her morale was pretty low on several of her earlier passes by us all. We all did our best to encourage her, but it still brought tears to my eyes to watch her struggle and know there wasn't much I could do to help. Jen's no quitter though, and with strong encouragement and a few friends and family taking time to walk/run with her, she finally managed to pull the last bit of strength she had from somewhere and run for the finish. Overall her run took her 6:20:07. It was pretty late when she was rounding the corner for the finish. I volunteered to stay at the hotel with the little ones who were sacked out. Everyone else, including Natalie, rushed to the finish from their watching spot to be there in time to see Jen cross the finish line. It was a close race to know who got there first - family or Jen, but Jen crossed the finish line and everyone was there to congratulate her. Her total time was 14:56:14 - about 9 minutes faster than her first Ironman finish!

Jen did spend some time at the medical tent, just making sure she was going to be okay after such a grueling day. She was exhausted and pretty sore the next day, but our Jen Jen's an Ironman - Maiden, two times around! We're so happy that she acheived such an incredible goal, not just once, but TWICE!!!

Tomorrow: the adventure continues as we head out for Thanksgiving in Cali!

Baptism, Birthdays and Christmas, Oh My!!!

...and Thanksgiving, and an Ironman, and an anniversary, and New Years. Well I think that's everything I'm supposed to blog about. Seems kinda daunting (no wonder I've been putting it off), so maybe I'll take it in chunks. An event a day until I'm caught up.

Let's start with Emma's Baptism:

Wow, that was over two months ago, already! She was baptized on November 7, 2009. She wore the same baptism dress that I made for Natalie. And her Nana Linda gave her a beautiful white dress to wear afterward. She was baptized and confirmed by her dad, Jeremy, at our Stake Center in Round Rock. There were quite a few baptisms that day, but part of what made it extra special was that she was baptized the same day as one of her best friends, Brayden Watson.

Other people who came for the baptism were: Natalie, Dani, Mom and Dad, Nana Linda, the Checketts, Paul and Elizabeth, Lane, LaDonna, and Maggie and Grandpa Doran and Grandma Susan. Two of Emma's Primary teachers, Sis. North and Sis. Weston also came.

President Oldroyd presided over the baptisms and encouraged all the kids to write down their feelings and memories of this day. Of course, Emma and I got so swept up in everything that we didn't write anything down until now. Here is what Emma remembers:

"The water was warm. I was a little nervous and when I got out it was freezing. I remember Sis. Weston and the Primary President and the Bishop were there."

Natalie played a Primary song (Popcorn Popping) on the piano while we were waiting to begin the confirmation. Nana Linda told Emma that she noticed when Emma came out of the water, that she squirted some water out of her mouth, just like a fishy. Nana thought it was cute, but I think Emma was a little embarassed.

After the baptism and confirmation, everyone came back to our house for lunch. We had Chinese Chicken Salad and rolls and cheesecake (Emma's pick - yummy!)

We're happy that Emma decided to be baptized. She looked so pretty in both of her white dresses. It makes me so happy to have children following in the footsteps of Christ. I am so grateful for my Savior. I know that He loves us so much and has blessed us beyond our understanding. I'm especially grateful for the family He's given me and I'm glad to know that we will be together forever.

Tomorrow: Ironmaiden Jen...

Time's a flyin'!!!!

So I just realized my last blog was the end of August, and considering we've had Emma's birthday and Halloween since then I am definitely behind!

So let's jump right in and see how much I can remember of the last couple months. Well first of all, Dani has still been entertaining us with her "isms"!
Luckily, Jeremy has been noting them down on his phone so we could remember! Here's what he had:
What's a motor mouth?
When I swallow food side to side it hurts my throat.
Baby-throw is my favorite game.
Your exercise ball smells like balls.
That noise scared me and made my mouth waddle like a penguin.
When you get a new shirt at the store that means you can't tuck it in.
Do I need to buy a Monster Energy drink?
I'm getting taller except for my pinky finger.
That shirt has skidmarks all over it.
I like Stu. That's a pretty name.
Let's play chewy cheese checkers.
I love getting pumpkins - my mom calls me a punk.
That noise is making me get blisters in my ears.
Dad you're not a person, you're a boy.
Let's play that board game where you hit really hard. You hold the board and I chop it. You can't use paper. That's not hard enough. I need a board.
Boys always have eyelashes to blink.
Don't flick water at my face. It frightens my eyes out.
A slice is when the golf ball curves right. It's like curry. That's not my favorite.

Okay... pause here for those of you that may be about to pee your pants because you were laughing so hard!

Now on to the Birthday! So Emma turned the BIG 8 on October 8th! We partied hard around these parts. For the day of her birthday, Jeremy spent the morning at her school as a WatchDog (Dads/Males who volunteer to spend some or all of the day at the school being an extra set of hands and eyes.) It's pretty fun for the kids' when their dads come and Jeremy loves all the attention the kids give him when he volunteers. Then after lunch I brought cupcakes to Emma's class to celebrate her birthday. THEN after school Emma got an extra surprise from Grandma Linda who had just flown in from San Diego. I picked her up at the airport and we hurried home to make it before school got out. Our timing ended up being perfect for us to pull up next to Emma as she was walking home and then Grandma jumped out of the car to give her a HUGE hug!! I took a "mental picture" (The Office, anyone...?) of that moment! Emma had been a little down before we pulled up, but after the shock and surprise of see Grandma jump from the car and tackle her, Emma had this look of pure joy!! Don't you love family who can do that!!!? Anyway, we had a great birthday afternoon and finished the evening off at our favorite barbeque joint, Rudy's! They have the best Texas barbeque hands down!!
The next day, Friday, Grandma and I spent the day preparing for Emma's SpongeBob birthday party on Saturday. We most of the day shopping, baking cookies and frosting the SpongeBob cake.
Saturday morning was a bit chilly and overcast, but we braved the weather for family pictures with our favorite photographer. Grandma got some great shots of us and the Checketts family. They're included in the slideshow on the right with the pics from the birthday and Halloween.
Then we hurried back to get ready for the party. Emma's friends: Braeden, Brooke, Berkeley, Lennon, Camilla, Julia and Bailey all came. We had fun doing Mr. Krabs' treasure hunt (put on by Natalie), decorating Patrick Star sugar cookies, Jellyfishing (a modified version of pin-the-tail) and a SpongeBob pinata. We all had Krabby Patties for dinner and of course SpongeBob cake for dessert. Emma's friends were very generous with their gifts. She got clothes, gift cards and craft kits. Her Grandma Susan also gave her a sterling silver charm bracelet which she'll get new charms for on her birthdays.
Sunday was birthday dinner at Grandma Susan's. Yummy stew, more cake and more gifts!! Grandma Linda was able to stay until Monday and we spent the day off of school spending Emma's gift cards at Target and Old Navy.
I'd say Emma knows how to party when it comes to birthdays! I hope this one lives long in her memory.

For Halloween Natalie suggested that we all go as M&M's. It turned out to be a great idea because it was easy, cheap and cute! We bought colored t-shirts at Hobby Lobby and then put big white M's on our chests made out of contact paper. Natalie was yellow, Emma blue, Dani purple, Jeremy red and me Green (yes, I do know what they say about the green ones!) The shirts worked awesome for the multiple parties and activities we had. Natalie and Emma wore theirs to Activity Days, two ward parties (yeah we crashed Walsh Ranch's), our block party and of course, trick-or-treating. Jer and I looked "cute" when we went to a couples Halloween party. And Dani, well we got her to wear her shirt to most of the activities, but she'd had enough of being the purple M&M by Halloween and at the last minute decide to go as a witch. She just dug the witch costume from the dress-ups and headed out to trick-or-treat. She's already informed that she'll be an M&M next year - sigh, whatever!

Hopefully, I'm pretty much caught up on the big events now. But more are a comin'! Emma's baptism is this Saturday and we're heading to Phoenix on the 20th to cheer Aunt Jen on in her 2nd Ironman race! Hopefully, I'll get those blogged before Christmas!!!

Brain Juice and Other Tidbits from the Brysons

Here are more "wacky-saurus" words from our favorite three-year-old comedian:
Jer's collection:
Mom is an adult. We don't talk about her age.
My brain doesn't want me to talk normal.
Pickles taste like fruit.
Do you know what color brain juice is?
How do you suck the juice out of a meatball?
When I was chomping my food I bit my tongue and it really really, really, really, hurt! - a little.
Dad your head is as big as the sky.

Kellie's collection:
As we are casually sitting around waiting for something, Dani conversationally turns to me and says: "I'm a little impressed that it's not true."
"What's not true?" I ask.
"Just everything."

Find these names in a baby name book...
One night Dani had her small stuffed bear collection out and was busy telling me and her sisters all about them.
"This one," she says pointing to one that looks like it's holding a piece of candy, "is named Afervent. And this one that is dressed for the beach is named Afergo Princess. The one in the pajamas is Afervoe Texas. The ballet girl is called Sparkle. And the one dressed like a rock star is called Rock Star, but he is not very good at teaching the children to sing!"

Last week we watched the second Harry Potter movie "The Chamber of Secrets." Dani wasn't scared at all of the big basilik and enjoyed telling Emma (who refuses to watch them because they are too scary for her) all about how the bird clawed out the snake's eyes. Anyway, after the movie ended, Dani turned to me and asked, "So what happens in Harry Potter 19?" Guess we have another Harry Potter fan at our house.

Family Happenings:
Natalie and Emma both started school this week. Emma is in second grade in her brand new elementary school a couple blocks away. She got a new bike as an early birthday present and has been riding to and from school with me (Kellie) every day. It's still 100 degrees every afternoon so even going a couple blocks on the bikes works up a sweat, but it's exciting to see her becoming a good bicyclist. She really likes her new teachers Mrs. Azios and Mrs. Thomason and is anxious to make some more friends since many of hers moved or stayed at the old elementary school.

Natalie is now in 6th grade at Henry Middle School. She has a full schedule with advanced language arts, advanced math, science, social studies, dance class and of course band. She got her French Horn a few days ago and has already been banished to her bedroom for practice time. Horns are very LOUD!! The case is big and bulky and she has banged up her ankles walking home with it. I just ordered her a luggage cart to transport it so hopefully that will help. She is very happy to have it to play, so we're happy too! Middle school seems to be suiting Natalie great. We just wonder how long it will be though until she has nightmares about not being able to remember her locker combination or find the right classroom - you had those too, huh?!

Dani, Kellie and Jeremy miss having the girls all home during the day and, of course, miss the sleeping in. But we're glad to be back into a routine and doing great!!