A Good Time with Little Boys

This has a been a wonderful holiday season to be a grandma.

On December 16th, Andrew and Lindsay had a healthy baby boy.

He weighed in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. and was 22 inches long. They are naming him

Riley Thomas Briscoe.

On Dec. 19th,  Lisa and Cameron and Benjamin came to visit. 

They spent 5 days and we had so much fun.

Benjamin loves anything electronic and understands the uses for most of them. One day while we were traveling to Kaysville, he was upset because no one would share their ipod or ipad with him.

He loves his blanket and his mom and dad.

Benjamin was a pro at opening gifts and was willing to help everyone else.

When Cameron climbed in Benjamin's tunnel, Benjamin tried to get him out. We got many laughs from watching their antics.

Having fun with grandpa

Benjamin helped Aunt Jessica get packed.

He was amazingly quick on the stairs.

it was fun to get all the kids old toys out and watch him enjoy them.

Benjamin found the baby and tried to feed it. The mustard bottle was the closest thing to a bottle he could find. I thought it was fun to see that he knew that the baby needed a bottle. 

On the 27th, I flew to Pittsburgh to meet Riley, spend time with Andrew and Lindsay and see a few of the sights in Pittsburgh.

Riley in the rocker his Great-Grandparents Hatch gave him and the giraffe that his aunt Mindy made for him.

Andrew with his little buddy.

Riley made for a very special Christmas.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

I decorated a bit more simply this year than in some years. I only put up 4 nativities. There are no lights on the roof and we didn't put up the biggest tree. 

Quite often as I'm setting things up, I wish I had pictures from the previous year especially if I was pleased with how things turned out. The planter by the front door was one of those 
things. I think it turned out okay this year but I know it's not the same.

This is a really slim Christmas tree I bought last year and it is perfect for the space that is available in the parlor. It is decorated in glass ornaments.

The gingerbread corner of the kitchen.

We added a mistletoe crystal to the swag this year but it isn't lighted.

My Christmas Cactus is blooming like crazy. It is so pretty.

It makes me smile to see my bougenvilla blooming and the poinsettia in color at the same time.

The Santa tree in the loft.

We did our first holiday puzzle of the season, well actually Alyna and her friends did it but we provided the goodies and got a couple of pieces put together.

Just a few of our international Santa's.

Dominican Republic and Brazil

Sinterklaas - the Netherlands

There are 8 nutcrackers in the transition, in and amongst all the plants.

I love Christmas. The music, the smells, the good food, all the opportunities to remember Christmas' past and look forward to the surprises and joy of this holiday season.

Tis the Season

I was talking to Mindy this morning and we were talking about how we had decorated for Christmas. We thought it would be fun if everyone in our family did a blog showing some of their holiday decor. 

I didn't get around to that yet, but I had to spend some time at Macey's this morning while I was waiting for photo's and prescriptions and they had 62 amazing gingerbread houses on display. I hurried home and grabbed my camera  so I could share some of the joy.

While I was looking at these gingerbread houses, I reminisced about the many years that we had fun making graham cracker gingerbread houses when the kids were small. We had so much fun using our creativity and skills to make cute little houses and scenes and the kids loved all the candy. Even though we made gingerbread houses for several years, our skill level never quite equaled that of the buildings on display at Macey's.

Gotta love the talents of those in our community 

and their willingness to share.

 I love this time of year!

A Day with Carlo and Armanda

Our good friends, Carlo and Armanda, from Holland are here in Utah visiting family and friends. Dennis and I were able to go down and spend a day with them. We have so many similar interests and have so much fun when we are together. When we visit the Netherlands, we stay with them and when they come to the states, we  have been able to get together for a day or two each time.

This time we went and picked them up in Pleasant Grove and then headed up American Fork Canyon. It was really beautiful. The leaves are starting to change change colors and there is snow on the mountain tops so the contrast is really spectacular.

We went up to Cascade Springs and took a walk.

We dropped the guys off at Vivian Park so that they could ride the bike trial down to Utah Lake.

Armanda and I did a little shopping and then picked up the guys. We ended the evening with a nice dinner at Olive Garden.

What a blessing good friends are!

Till next time.

Fall - Love it or Hate it?

I've been meaning to write this post for several weeks now. I have been wrestling with my attitude about the changing of the season. I am mourning that summer is gone and the cold dark winter is just around the corner. I have enjoyed the cooler temperatures and nice weather that comes with Autumn but....

I Love Summer!

I so enjoy being able to walk at 6 in the morning without reflective vests and flashlights - not to mention all the jackets, gloves, and hats.

I love the ability to visit people at 8:00 PM and not think I should be in bed (which happens quite often for me when it gets dark at 5:00). Along with that is the joy of visiting and playing that takes place in the backyards of our neighborhood.

I love sitting out on the patio; swinging on my swing with a nice tall glass of ice water, looking at the yard and admiring all the work that I've gotten done or planning all the work that needs done, reading a good book,  chillin' with my family and friends.

 

I love flowers and watching new flowers bloom, and picnics, and drives up the canyon, and the sound of the kids playing in the neighborhood.

A new little vine I tried this year. Unfortunately I don't know the name of it but the flowers have been  beautiful.

And, Alyna's favorite, getting into a really warm car.
These things I will miss.


But, in Autumn's corner - there is the beauty of the changing leaves, football games and the garden work finally winding up. There is the joy of being able to pull out favorite sweaters and jackets. There is the opportunity to finally start looking at all the "indoor" projects that need to be done but have been put on hold while we enjoy all the outdoor fun.

We went up the canyon Sunday looking for fall colors.

This autumn has been perfect weather wise thus far; nice warm, sunny days and cool nights. That looks like it is coming to an end in a hurry. This morning it was dark and rainy and the high temperature for the week is suppose to drop 30 degrees from yesterday's high of 77.

I almost missed this beautiful rainbow.

So, do I love or hate fall? the answer is definitely "yes."
 

Alyna Makes Me Laugh

Yesterday, Alyna came home in the afternoon to help me cook. Jessica and 10 of her friends were coming for dinner and to spend the night so that they could go hear April Atkin speak before leaving on her mission. They decided to come up early enough to watch the Relief Society Broadcast here so I invited them to come early enough for dinner. Then I had the delema of what to feed them - my choices were Taco bar, Hamburgers and hot dogs, soup, or lasagna. I finally decided on taco soup, cornbread and cookies. So Alyna and I spent the afternoon baking. Once, Alyna disappeared for a bit and this is what I saw when I found her:

Relaxing and reading a magazine

It was the title on the magazine that got me.

 We then had a great discussion about who "my favorite" child was. Luckily, there are so many things I like/love about each of my children that there isn't really a FAVORITE, Favorite. One thing that Alyna is very good at is knowing what will make me laugh.