One year and Brinlee

This month marks one year since I've graduated college. ONE YEAR! it's crazy how quickly time passes. When we found out we were pregnant, we both wondered how we were going to juggle everything, but honestly we didn't worry too much about it. We prayed a lot that we would be able to figure out how to start our family and a way for both of us to finish school. We felt like we received comfort about it and knew that things would work out. This meant that I took 17 credits one semester with her being born towards the end of it and then had a couple more semester til graduation. I really felt like it was important for me to go to school and get my degree, but I also felt like we were supposed to start a family. So why not do both! It was a crazy time in our life, but I am so happy that we did it! One plus side to it was that Brinlee transitioned into Nursery pretty easy. I am so grateful for all the people who helped us out, we couldn't of done it without them. Honestly, I really miss school and sometimes think about going back, but love being able to be with Brinlee and feel like right now this is where I need to be.

We just love our Brinners! I can't imagine life without her!

She adores her daddy. A few weeks ago during McKay's break she learned to call our names when she doesn't want to be in bed. First she started calling my name. McKay told me to be strong and don't get her. (I wasn't worried, I am able to resist). McKay was too, until Brin started calling "daddy"! I promise it only took 2 times before McKay ran in there. He can't resist. : ) 

The other day Brin found a mission pic of daddy and carried it everywhere with her! She even slept with it during her nap.

 Hugs

 and kisses

 

 This pic above is a very typical look of Brins. This look means I have attitude so deal with it! She likes to practice.

 Another typical look of hers. This pic is her claiming she's queen of the house and if she wants to put her feet on the table she will! Honestly though while she is getting into those wonderful twos she is still a big sweetheart.

 Peek-

 A-

 Boo!

 A lot of these pics were taken during lunch time. more and more lunchtime turns into playtime.

Ok mom I'll eat my food!

 Just kidding!

 Mom you've got to warn me you're going to take pictures!

 I've got to suck in my tummy!

Silly girl!

 I'm the Bear Den Leader in Boy Scouts and Brinlee loves looking through my scout book.

 She may have even colored in it a little! : ]

 Brin loves getting shoes and lining them up. If I leave the closet door open it's a guarantee she will pull all of my shoes out, line them up, and be wearing a pair of the high heels.

 Brin eating some yogurt. And this is the only way we survive shopping trips. She has always hated being in the cart buckled up.

A few pics of us with Brin

F

 Enjoying frozen yogurt on the porch with daddy

 Today in church someone commented to us about how much personality Brinlee has and that she beats to the sound of her own drum. We have also gotten comments about how "beautiful" her singing is! She loves singing, especially church songs. Yes I wouldn't call Brin shy.

We love her soooo much! Every night when we know she is sleeping we go into her room to look at her and talk about how cute and precious she is! I'm sure every parent does this. I honestly don't think I could go a day or night without her near.

Love you Brinners!

I love General Conference!

I am so grateful for General Conference! I feel like I get so much out of it. When I pray and really prepare myself, I feel like all the talks are for me or that I am able to get something out of it to better myself. I love watching general conference, but my favorite part is rereading them. It's amazing what you miss the first time around, especially when you have a child. And I can't even imagine what that situation is like with more than one! For probably many reasons Conference last fall, to me, seemed to be a lot about death. I thought of a lot of people when listening to the conference last fall. And a lot of them have blogs listed on my side bar.
As most of my family and friends know I am into stocking reading other people's blogs. I don't really know them, but if I saw them on the street I would probably go right up to them and talk with them like we are old friends without even thinking about it. (Though I was in the same zumba class as Ashley Sullenger and really just felt like I was seeing a celebrity and wasn't able to say a word). All these blogs that I follow are of families who have had a really hard trial of losing a loved one. My blog following started when I would get an e-mail from the school informing us that a class mate or professor had passed away. Most of the time they wouldn't give any more information than that. It would really bug me. And I can't just make up some story in my mind about who they were or what happened. Were they engaged or newly married like me? Did they have children? Did they have cancer and know they were going to die? I am horrible with make believe or using my imagination. I do not like sci-fi or fiction books. I feel like I am wasting my time.  After getting one of these e-mails I would always try and google this person to see if I could figure out more about who they were and what happened. That's when I learned about Ashley Sullenger. She was a young wife just like me, a mother to a little blonde hair, blue eyed girl just like me and attended BYU-I just like me. Except she lost her little girl to a drowning accident when her daughter was only 18 months old. I found that she had a blog where she would write about updates on how her little girl was doing and then when she passed on she wrote about how they were dealing with their loss. I would cry every time I would read her blog. If McKay comes home and can tell I have been crying, he doesn't even ask. He just says, "are you reading blogs!" But I just can't understand how a mother could lose a child or my husband in any sense of that word. She talks a lot about the gospel and how even though this trial of hers feels unbearable at times it's the gospel and the knowledge of her savoir that helps her get through it. I love General Conference for that reason. I love that we have apostles and prophets called of God and inspired by God to guide the church!
A few months after they lost their little girl they found out they were expecting and were due the exact same day as we were expecting Brinlee. It was fun to read her blog to see how she was feeling and doing with her pregnancy knowing that she was at the same point that I was.
The sullengers have been an amazing example of how to grow and become better people through a difficult trial. Her posts are always so uplifting and honest. I know that there have been people, more than she or anyone will ever know, that have been introduced and have accepted the gospel because she was willing to share with the world the heartache they are going through. I hope that one day I can be that awesome! Soon after being a regular visitor on her blog I realized that there were many families that had blogs where they would pour out there heart about a similar situation. So now I follow many blogs. I have friends who have tried reading through my list of blogs I follow and don't understand how I can read this stuff. And I totally understand why. But for me, I feel like I have become a much better person for it. I have gained a little bit of a different perspective on my life, especially as a wife and mother. I know I was supposed to live at this day and age. I am so grateful for technology and for people being willing to share their life and how they deal with struggles. So if your like me and like to stock read about other people's lives, a list of some of the ones I follow are under my blog list titled Inspirational. But not all of them are of families blogging about their trials.

as of lately

This is what we have been up to lately...
I signed Brin and I up for a few classes.  Bri is doing Swimming lessons and She LOVES it!

 Here is my cute cheesy smile! Let's go mom!

For Easter Monday we got together with a bunch of other dental student families and did a bbq and easter egg hunt. My camera was dying so I didn't get every many pics.

 Brinlee is in the black row with the black shirt with hearts. I don't think this was even all the kids. There were a lot of them!

Brin L.O.V.E.S the girl in the purple zip up. (As you can see she follows her wherever she goes.) The feelings are somewhat mutual...some times.

During McKay's break we went to a blazers game with some friends.

 To prepare for a game you of course have to watch a few games before going to one right?

 Got to sport the blazer shirt!

At the game!

driving range.

 A few weeks ago we went on a bike ride around Willamette river.

 This is the new Dental School that McKay will move into after his second year. If they get done in time that is.

 And this is just a crazy bridge to me! I remember going on it with my family when I was younger and how confusing it was.

 The trees in the background were so pretty. Hard to tell in this photo. We also passed a lot of interesting people on our bike ride. I don't think Brin and I will come down this way without McKay.

I love Brinlee! She is so much fun! I am thankful she is allowing me to ease my way in the motherhood. It does make me nervous for my next child. I feel like Brinlee is so easy that I am bound to get a "real" child at some point. But I have noticed that the wonderful twos are coming quickly!

Bri is really into pretending to read.

I don't know what you call these but you take the numbers out and put them back in. At first Brin had a hard time doing it, but now she can do it in a minute flat! 

Brin some times will forget what her toilet is for....

 Now that you grossed out. I'll mention that I had just sterilized it.