Anchors Away, my boys....

We're in the Navy now.

Brigham commission in October to be an attorney in the Navy. He went to officer training in November and goes to JAG training in January and then we move to Lemoore, CA (the middle of nowhere, three hours away from many places).

Brigham in his dress blues and James in the classic enlisted uniform.

A Compliment

Today was our 5th wedding anniversary. Sometimes I cannot believe it has been five years already and other times I cannot believe that it has only been five years. And Brigham, being Brigham, paid me a compliment that is still making me giggle.

We were sitting on the couch snuggling drinking a chocolate peanut butter banana milkshake when Brigham said, "I realized the other day that in the 5 years we have been married we have never run out toilet paper. You are amazing!"

"What?!" I burst out laughing. Amazing because of toilet paper?

"You do a great job taking care of the house, of me, of the kids. If I was in charge we would always run out toilet paper. But in five years we never have."

"Thank you." Still laughing at a compliment that only Brigham could give.

Thank Heaven...

For Little Girls who don't need a special occasion to wear a pretty dress

For Little Boys with mischievous smiles

And Little Babies who love to snuggle.

A Hint

I hope its not too subtle.

James's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for mommy and daddy and James and Curious George and Curious George mommy and Curious George Daddy and Jesus and mommy and daddy and James and Nana and Curious George and Seth.
Name Jesus Christ, Amen!

Dairy Free

I have been (mostly) dairy-free for the last six weeks. I never realized how difficult it would be to not eat dairy. Sometimes when I pour a cup of milk for James or Anna I have an overwhelming urge to just guzzle it out of the carton. It is only the thought of being up with a colicky baby that helps me overcome the urge. But giving up dairy is so much more than not drinking milk; it is cheese, yogurt, pizza, butter, sour cream, ice cream, cream cheese, cream cheese frosting on carrot cake, most baked goods, and (gulp) chocolate. I know there some non-dairy chocolates but they can be hard to find and expensive, and as it turns out, chocolate also irritates dear Seth so I can't even eat the non-dairy variety. Having to avoid dairy has made me realize how much dairy I eat and how much I like it.

When I first stop eating dairy I though ice cream would be what I missed the most. It's not—I miss butter more. Butter is used in cookies, cakes, pies, and many other yummy things that I cannot eat. I know there are butter substitutes but I try not eat things with the word "hydrogenated" in the ingredient list. I did find a butter substitute the other day that does not contain hydrogenated oil that I will attempt to make an apple pie with tomorrow. I know that giving up dairy does have benefits, not just for Seth but for me as well. I am not eating as many goodies as I usual which should help me lose the baby weight quicker (I really hope this is the case). But it has also made me more conscious about how and what I eat. For example, going out to eat. Do you know how difficult it is to go out to eat when you have no idea what is used the food preparation and the server is no help? Helpful hint: do not go out to Italian or Mexican—everything has cheese on it. Asian restaurants are much safer choice. Japanese, Korean, and Chinese food very rarely contains dairy. I also have to plan ahead when I run errands with the kids and bring a snack or even a lunch for myself since just grabbing something as I go about my business is not a safe option.

It is getting easier the longer I go without dairy but I must confess I am getting apprehensive about Thanksgiving. I will be at my parents' house for the holiday and know how my mother cooks. As I think about all the yummy food she prepares for Thanksgiving I keep thinking, I can't eat the green bean and mushroom dish (my favorite side dish that my mother makes) it has butter; nope can't eat the candied sweet potatoes, they have butter; no I can't eat the apple pie, the pumpkin pie, the pecan pie, or the banana cream pie (my favorite); no mash potatoes either. I'll be able to eat the turkey, the veggie platter, the fruit, maybe the rolls depending on how they are made, and stuffing. Those are all good things but I cannot eat my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. I hope the non-dairy apple pie that I am making tomorrow turns out well then at least I can eat at least one dessert on Thanksgiving. But on the bright side, not being able eat dairy should help me resist the temptation of all the fattening things my parent have around the house.

Seth at one month

Seth is now one month old. At his two week check up he had gained a pound from birth and grew 1.5 inches. In the last two weeks I am sure that he has gained at least 2 pounds (judging by the clothes that drowned him two weeks ago that now fit) and he has probably grown another inch. At least I hope he has, he certainly eats enough. It is amazing how quickly babies grow and change at this age. He loves to be held, to look at people and bright colored objects. He loves being undressed and taking baths. James and Anna fascinate him and thankfully Anna has not dropped him yet, she tries to pick him every time I turn my back for a second. Even if I am another room she instinctively knows when I put him down. At the moment he also has the worst case of baby acne I have ever seen. I hope it is not a prediction of his teenage years to come.

I love how cubby his check has become.

Holding her living dollie.


Watching Cars with his brother, or at least James is watching Cars, Seth is looking out the window.

Random but cute picture of Anna.

James surprised my one day by cleaning up all his toys off the floor and putting them in the basket. Then he sat on the them like a dragon guarding his horde and demanded Anna push him around.

Seth Brady

It is hard for me to believe that Seth is almost a month. It seems like I was pregnant yesterday yet at the same time it feels like he should be older than a month. He is such a sweet baby, so happy and contented for the most part. He puts up with his overly affectionate sister remarkable well, even when she is practically laying on top of him giving him hugs and kisses. James likes him too; he is just more restrained in how he shows his affection.


Seth was born five days early on Tuesday September 21. I hoped he would come even earlier than that especially since I was having frequent contractions for almost a week (they were slightly uncomfortable but not painful). I got to the point that I stopped telling Brigham I was having contractions since it panicked him so much. Brigham had good reason to be panicked. First of all, despite having two kids already, Brigham had never had to take me to the hospital while in labor. I was induced with James and he was Afghanistan when Anna was born. Second, I have quick labors. Anna was only three hours. Thirds, he had to worry about getting James and Anna taken care of while I had the baby and getting me from Lehi to Orem (with all the construction on I-15) in time to have the baby.

When I went to bed on the 20th I had little hope the baby would come that night or even the next day. After a week of having contractions every 8-30 minutes they had stopped completely that Monday. Someone told that no contraction is wasted and that was certainly true when I was waked a little after four by a strong contraction that Tuesday morning. Ten minutes later when the next one came, I knew I was in labor. I did not need to time them or even wait for the next one to come, I knew. I woke up Brigham who was very disoriented and a little bit panicked. We called a friend who lives one apartment building over from ours. He came within five minutes and carried James and Anna, still sleeping, over to his apartment where waking up a few hours later in a strange apartment did not seem to distress them. (I find it distressing that they were not distressed, we need to work on stranger anxiety with both of them). We got in the car and I started to time my contractions, they were three minutes apart (see, I knew!). We arrived at the hospital around 5 am, my doctor arrived at 5:30 and Seth arrived at 5:59. Yes, that means I was in labor a little less than two hours and yes, it was natural. He weighed 7 pounds 14 oz, and 19.5 inches. He was perfect.

After Seth arrived, I looked over at Brigham who was holding the baby. He looked utter exhausted, even more than I felt. When I told him this, he replied, “You just don’t know what it is like to married to woman in labor.”

“Well, at least it was quick.”


“Next time I think we should camp out at the hospital.”

“Or you could learn to deliver a baby.”
You just don’t understand …”

The proud big brother

Equally proud sister (she always wants to hold the baby)

My little pumpkin

My pumkin patch



Anna built a "temple" for the baby

Seth at 3 weeks. How he has grown. At his 2 week check up had gained a pound and grew an inch and half since birth. In the last week I think he has gained another pound and grown an inch, judging my his clothes. The 0-3 month size almost fits!


The culprits who always steal Seth's pacifer and then steel it from each other.

My Pumpkin Patch

About a week ago, I decided I should make a hat for the baby. I haven't had time to make anything yet for him, so I thought a hat would be quick to crochet. I had hoped to crochet him a blanket but I hadn't found a pattern I liked (I actually found one the other day, so now I am hurrying to finish it before he decides to come). When I saw this hat I knew I had to make it. My sister gave me some beautiful orange yarn for my birthday that I knew would be perfect for the hat. But since the pattern was for a preemie, I made it a little larger. I made it too large (I forget how small a newborn head is). The hat, with a few minor alterations fit Anna. She loved it and James asked for one too. So I ended up making three hats.

So now I have a pumpkin patch.

The newborn hat is graciously modeled by Maggie-dollie.

James had a little too much fun with the markers. His hands, arms and feet are even more decorated.

I can't wait until Maggie-dollie no longer has to stand in as a model. Hopefully within a week, I'll have a picture of all three of my pumpkin heads.

My Anna

On Tuesday, Anna turned two.

It is still hard for me to believe that she has only been in my life for two years. It seems so much shorter and yet so much longer.

It is also amazing to see how much she has grown in the last year. And how her personality has developed.

I love her mischievous, playful personality. It gets her out of a lot of trouble. I love how independent she is. "I do it!" is her most common phrase, followed by "I did it!"

I love that she will only go to bed with her menagerie of stuffed animals: a puppy, two kitties, a turtle, Maggie-dollie, and blankets. I also love that she makes Brigham kiss them all goodnight and he must kiss them in the order she tells him otherwise he has to start all over (some nights he is even required to kiss her pillow and sippy cup).

I love watching her pick out her clothes for the day and how she loves dress.

I love watching her set the table and the care she takes in making sure the colors match or at least coordinate.

I love that she loves the temple and is never happier than when she is walking around the temple grounds.

Of course, for her birthday we had to give her a picture of the temple. She was so excited. Since Brigham hasn't had a chance to hang it yet, she walks around the house carrying it and singing her temple song. I also love to hear her sing songs, especially at night when she sings lullabies to her menagerie.

I love watching James and Anna play together. He is a wonderful older brother and so kind and gentle to her. It makes me sad that she sometimes bullies him but he takes it in stride. I also love to watch him when Anna does gets in trouble for hitting, pushing, pinching or otherwise tormenting her brother. After he gets over his hurt he always tries to comfort her while she serves out her timeout. If she is in the bedroom, he'll lay down on the floor and look under the door and say "Its alright, Nana." Then he'll put his hand under the door to hold her hand. If she is buckled into her booster seat, he'll come over and kiss her. Usually he apologizes to her (even though she is the one who should apologize) and tell me that Nana is sorry and she can get off time out now.

I love to watch her wrap her father and brother tightly around her little finger. And how happy both are to bask in her loving attention and her teasing.

I love her expressive little face.

I just love my Anna

The difference between a 2 year old and a 3 year old

Cupcakes with lots of frosting


An almost 3 1/2 year old eating a cupcake with lots of frosting.

An almost 2 year old eating a cupcake with lots of frosting

I am glad James has learned to be a neater eater but I miss the messy faces.

Sometimes I make frosting for no other reason than I think she looks adorable with chocolate all over her face.

I love to see the temple

When I became a mother, I was overwhelmed by everything I thought I needed to teach my children and how to teach it. I was especially concerned about teaching them the gospel in a way that would help them to truly believe, and how to feel the Holy Ghost. I mean, how do you teach a toddler to feel and recognize the Holy Ghost? Both James and Anna quickly let me know they do not need any help feeling and recognizing the Holy Ghost, He seems to be their constant companion.

Anna, for example, loves the temple. I cannot convey how much she loves it. She instinctive knows where every temple is between Salt Lake City and Provo, and when we drive she will screech and point her little finger at the temple (even if it is just a speck) and shout "Temple." When pass it, she will crane her neck and continually "Where's the temple? Where is it?" If I drive within five blocks of the temple her excitement is uncontainable and if I don't stop at the temple and let her walk around the grounds, she lapses into tears and (occasionally) near hysterics. The only way to console her is my by singing "I Love To See the Temple" repeatedly.

The first few times Anna lapsed into tears, I thought she was just tired; it was late, we did not have time to stop. Unfortunately, that was always my excuse, I don't have time to stop. I don't have time to get both kids out of the car and walk around. I have errands to run, a house to clean, dinner to cook, etc. One Saturday as I was driving on the freeway back from Provo to Lehi, Anna was excitedly pointing at the temple, then she started singing her own version of "I love to see the temple," which basically goes like this: "Temple, mommy, daddy, Dames (James), Nana (Anna), Temple, Jesus, Temple." As she sang I realized, she truly loves the temple, that she feel the spirit when she merely glimpes it. And I also realized that I had to take her to the temple. My job as a parent was not teach James and Anna to feel the spirit; they already know and recongize it. My job was to recongize when they were feeling and to help them heed it. If I kept driving passed the temple, to busy to stop, eventually Anna would stop pointing at it and singing her temple song. Eventually she would stop feeling the spirit because I had taught her to ignore it.

That following Monday we took James and Anna to the temple for FHE and they loved running around the temple ground, smelling the flowers, and touching the building. Now I find myself taking James and Anna to at least one temple every week (with six between Provo and Salt Lake there is a lot choices). If I find myself within five blocks of a temple, even if I did not plan it, I stop. When either child is tired or needs a rest, I go the church website and show them pictures of the temples around the world. This always calms them down and they will sit for 30 minutes or more (no small feat for two active kids) just to look at pictures of the temples. But it has also helped me. On days when I am tired and cranky, going to the temple or looking at temple pictures rejuvenates me and helps me restore my patience. And I remember how much I love to see the temple as well.

Family Outings

One of the best things about Brigham finally being done with law school and the Bar, is that we can finally plan family outings. Before, if took a family outing, it had to be short, local and was usually infrequent. For the last several weekends we have actually been able to plan all day activities with kids. One weekend we went up to Temple Square in Salt Lake City (I forgot my camera that day). A couple Saturdays ago, we went up to the Temple Quarry in Sandy and then went up Little Cottonwood canyon to the Albion Basin.

Anna and James loved climbing on the rocks throughout the quarry. It has a small paved path that loops around. (I can't believe that Anna's hair is long enough to put in french braids and that she actually let put her hair in braids.)

James also loved walking through the tall grass at the quarry.

The Albion Basin is one of the beautiful places I have been in Utah. It is at the very end of Little Cottonwood Canyon and at this time of year, is a vibrant blanket of wild flowers. I wish I was not so pregnant so that we could have hiked a little bit more.

As we were coming down from a short hike, a couple passed us and asked if we had seen any wildflowers up ahead. Both Brigham and I looked around us, yes, there were wild flowers up ahead but, um, there are wild flowers EVERYWHERE. We wondered if they were looking a specific flower because this picture above is what the entire basin looked like.

James and Anna loved the basin and walking through all the flowers. Next time we go, we will plan to go a little earlier, bring more food and water, and not go on Saturday (parking is very limited in the basin and fills up quickly on the weekend). But we had a great time.

Something is missing

I try to eat healthy. I try to buy lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. I try to buy in season as much as I can. And I try to buy local produce not because it is more "sustainable" but the produce tastes better when it was picked the day before than a week or more. The problem I have is finding local produce. There are road side stands and I stop at them but they seem limited to corn and watermelon (at least right now). I want garden fresh zucchini, summer squash, lettuce, and onion and hopefully (soon) tomatoes. To that end I have gone to three different farmer's markets in the last few weeks and one thing was missing at all of them: the farmer!

There are plenty of art and homemade craft stands, food stands, pastry and artisan bread stands, local honey, locally raised beef and local canned goods but very few farmers (or in one case, none). And the produce that they offer seems limited to small beets, expensive and wilted lettuce, tasteless peaches, and potted herbs. Not what I was hoping for.

Anna Screams

For ice cream....

She really is screaming in this photo

She chose the biggest spoon she could find.

Getting every last drop.