Kyle Whittingham

This weekend while we were in Salt Lake, We stayed at the University Park Marriott. As We were eating breakfast, there were a bunch of people all wearing Utah apparel in the corner. We all thought they were football players, but none of them looked familiar to us. As We were leaving Breakfast, Jeff looked behind us and said, "That's Kyle Whittingham walking right behind us!" It was pretty cool. I guess they were doing some recruiting. We all went out to the car to head home and I realized I had left some of Carter's stuff on the table. Colby went with Me and I took my Camera just in case I had enough nerve to ask for a photo. I got Carter's stuff and as I was heading out, He noticed Colby's sweater and gave him a thumbs up, so I decided to ask if it was ok for a pic. He was so COOL and more than generous to snap a couple of pics with Colby. He talked to Colby for a few minutes and asked Him if He was going to be watching the Big game. He said that they love to take a timeout for their fans and take pictures. He was so polite and congenial. He made sure that I looked at the pictures to make sure they were good. He even said, "I'll take some more if We need too!" What a great guy and a great experience for Colby. I hope they waste Alabama in the Sugarbowl. Go Utes!!!

Berlin Family Christmas Party

This weekend we had our annual Berlin Family Christmas party. It was so much fun. The kids all had a great time playing with cousins and visiting. They all go to sit on Santa's lap and give him their christmas lists. Cooper was so thrilled to see Santa that he just sat and smiled at him when He finally got to sit on his lap. Carter was very intrigued with Santa, especially the beard. But He was our first baby that didn't cry on His first visit with Santa. Colby didn't waste anytime, and was the first on Santa's lap. And then Chase seems to act like Santa is just a really good old friend as they get caught up on the times. It was a fun and memorable evening.

Missing Ornaments

Does anyone else have a problem with ornaments disappearing from their tree? We have lately. I honestly didn't think I would have to worry about Carter this year with the ornaments but He has proven me wrong. Where ever I lay him on the floor, He finds a way to roll Himself over to the tree. I actually think He is quite proud of Himself to tell you the truth.

Easy Mac - Not So Easy

The other night the kids were bawling for a bedtime snack and decided they would each have an Easy Mac n Cheese, since they are so easy and they can fix them themselves:) Well Chase was hurrying to get His into the microwave first and somehow forgot to add the water. Well 2 minutes into the cooking Colby goes to see how much longer it's going to be and finds smoke and fire inside the microwave. We stopped the cooking/burning and opened the door to find this wonderful rendition of BBQ Mac-n-Cheese. All in all it was kinda funny and kinda scarey. Here are a few photos...

Pour Some Sugar On ME!!!!

Well it's official, the Utes are headed to the Sugarbowl to whip up on Bama!! It definitely wasn't my first choice for Utah in Bowl games but it'll work. Way to go UTAH!!!

Blogger Update

Well I have been neglecting my blog for the past month (as you all already know) It has been so busy around our house lately and I have had no time for blogging. But tonight Brian said that I needed to update our blog (Actually I don't think He wanted to hear me complain while He watched the BCS Bowl Show) so here it goes... This weekend Brian and I were going to go to the city and leave the three older boys with Grandma and Grandpa. We needed to do some finish up Christmas shopping. The kids have been balling to stay at Grandma's for weeks, actually I think they were looking forward to our weekend getaway as much as we were - maybe more. Anyway, We were planning on leaving early Saturday morning so the kids got their stuff all ready and headed home with Grandma after Colby's Party. Well Kathy called around 10:30 and said She thought Chase might have a fever. All week He has had such a bad cough and cold, so I went over to pick Him up (Him and Cooper that is - Coop always balls to stay but once everyone starts settling down for bed, He needs his Mom (and to be honest, I love it)) anyway Chase definitely had a fever. I brought him home, gave him some medicine, and He slept like a baby. Well to make a long story short, We decided We had better stay home and take care of Chase instead of going to the city. I was planning on taking him to the doctor on Monday, but I decided that I would take him to the ER today. Well low and behold, He has pneumonia! I couldn't believe it. They gave him his own inhaler (Which He thinks is pretty awesome) and antibiotics. Tommorow he has to go back to the doctor to see if there is any improvement. Please keep Him in your prayers! on a lighter note, He is pretty excited about the 3-5 days of school that he HAS to miss, Doctor's orders ya know:)

Thanksgiving 2008

Here are a few pictures of Thanksgiving. We had it at our house this year with my Parents and Grandparents, and plenty of cousins for the kids. We had tons of delicious food. Everyone raved over Brian's Turkey. My Grandpa loved it and even said, "I've never liked turkey, and turns out the reason why is because nobody's ever cooked it the right way!" It was a fun day.

Thanksgiving!!

For Family Home Evening (The week of Thanksgiving) We talked about the first Thanksgiving. Then We made feathers and wrote things on the feathers that we are thankful for. Then we put the feathers on cupcakes and made turkeys with nutter butters. It was so much fun and the boys had a blast.

Happy Birthday Colby!

Today, Colby turned 7 years old! I can not believe He is already 7! He is growing up so fast. I thought I would tell a little bit about the night that Colby was born. I was not due until Christmas eve and I had been having some complications, (Surprise, Surprise:) Colby wanted to come way too early so I was taking medicine to stop my contractions. The night before December 5th 2001 We got into bed and I was having contractions, but I was fairly use to them because I had been having them for months, anyway I couldnt sleep at all that night. I tossed and turned all night. I decided I would go lay on the couch and try to sleep there. So I got up but just didn't feel right. I thought maybe I better go to the hospital to check things out. I didn't think I was in labor so I told Brian to stay with Chase (I didn't want to wake them up for nothing) When I got to the hospital they asked if I needed a wheelchair? I said, No I'm not in labor or anything I just feel sick. So I walked all the way to the OB, which felt like a mile hike! when I got there they got me in the stress test room and I was dilated to an 8. The nurse said you better get the dad here quick. So I called Brian to come down. He called Kathy to come and sit with Chase and He rushed down to the hospital. Colby was born about an hour later, He was such a doll! I was so excited to finally have him here. He is such a wonderful blessing in our family. He is so adventureous. He never sits still, He has always got to be doing something. I know that when He's quiet, He's doing something He probably shouldn't (like taking apart the bikes in the garage or letting the air out of tires with a screwdriver when He was only 2 years old) He is so much fun I am so thankful for Colby. He is such a wonderful brother, He helps me out so much when I'm cooking dinner or cleaning the house and Carter is fussy, He'll come up and say, "Mom give me Carter, I will go play with him."
We love you so much Colby! You are so special to me. You make life so much fun. I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Colby got a new fridge for his birthday. Colby has wanted a mini fridge ever since Brad got one for Christmas last year. He thinks it is so cool to get a coke out of Brad's fridge when they are downstairs! So He got some Coke and some goodies to go in it. Brian made him some Broncos stickers for it. He also got an air hog (a little RC helicopter) and Brian had a special Broncos jersey made for him with his name on it. It is so awesome! tonight we are having a party with everyone. It should be fun - HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLB!!

Happy Birthday Kathy!

Well I have been meaning to post somthing for the past week. I have so many things to tell about, but no time to tell them. However I want to post this because I am already a day short anyway; I just wanted to tell Kathy Happy Birthday!!! She is such an amazing woman. She is a wonderful mom and a fabulous Grandmother. Her grandchildren adore her! We love you so much and hope you had a great day, You deserve it! Thanks for all you do for all of us. Here are some pictures of her birthday. We went over and had pie and the kids decorated Kathy's tree. We had such a great time!

Disneyland 2008

We had such a fabulous time in Disneyland this past week. The weather was so nice and warm. We had 4-day hopper passes which allowed us to have 2 full days at each park. Chase and Colby rode almost everything that they were tall enough for. Colby was so proud of himself when He went on the Tower of Terror. He loved it. We were also lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and all received Dream Fastpasses. We were able to get right on all of the busiest rides, it was really cool. It was a great vacation and can't wait to go again.

My glow worm! Carter's first halloween

I could hardly wait for halloween, so Carter could wear his Glow Worm costume. It was so cute. He was the most adorable little bug ever, so snuggly!! I love it!! He was such a good sport all night as well. He didn't throw a single fit when I made him wear it all night.

My little football fanatic! Go Broncos!

Well this is Coop in his 3rd costume for the day. He couldn't make up his mind about what He wanted to be, but in the end the Bronco costume won! I wish I would have taken pictures of Him in the human torch and mummy costumes because He looked so adorable in everything He tried on!

Human Torch- FLAME ON!

Colby was on Fire in his human torch costume. He looked so HOT!

I wanna be a ROCKSTAR!

Chase looked so good. He was an awesome rockstar! I think we rock!

Halloween Night!

On Halloween night, We went trunk or treating at the Church House and then went to my Grandparents for homemade bread and chili, and chocolate cake to go with. (thanks Gram) Then we took the boys trick or treating around the neighborhood. We had so much fun! The boys had a great time eating their candy and playing with their cousins!

Googly Eyes! oooooooohhhhhh!

Tonight we Had a little Halloween Party. It was Frightfully fun as you can see. We ate dinner and it was so yummy. We had Hot links and little smokies. Jeff & Lorraine brought homemade Oreos, Glen & Kathy Brought potato salad and a Jello dessert, and Michael and Shaurie brought an awesome bubbling cauldron with a delicious witches brew inside for the drink. There was a face and hands in the brew for ice, it was cool. We all Bobbed for Apples, and everyone that tried got one out, Even Cooper. It was so funny. We carved pumpkins in the Garage and everybody had a great time carving and visiting. Cooper carved a house out of his pumpkin and made sure everyone knew he didn't want any help. He actually did a great job carving it by himself. It was alot of fun. The kids got some little gag toys in their halloween bags and there were some funny Googly eye glasses inside. What do you think of the googly eye pics?

Our Halloween Bash!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The simplest things remind Us of all We have to be Thankful for!

Lately I have been thinking about how very blessed I am. I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father and for everything that he has done for me. These past few weeks I have been reminded of the importance of eternal families and I am so grateful for my eternal family. I often wonder what I have done to be blessed with so many wonderful blessings and hope that I am doing everything to be worthy of them. I have the most wonderful Husband who means the world to Me. He loves Me dearly and I know it. (And honestly, it sometimes gets annoying when He makes sure I know) He loves our children to no end and He is so patient with them when they make mistakes. He is such a fun Dad and our kids are so lucky to have Him. He loves spending time with them as much as they love spending time with Him. He is everything and more than I could have ever asked for. Together We have the cutest, most sweetest boys in the world. Sometimes I wonder if they have any idea of how much I love them and how I would do anything for them? The thought that one day they will no longer be my little boys could honestly make me cry. As I was going through and downloading pictures off my camera, I came across these pictures of Brian reading to the boys. I guess it just made me realize how truly blessed I am. These pictures are just priceless. Carter sat so still through the whole book and just listened til the end! I love the looks on their faces, they are so adorable!

I hope Brian still loves me after He sees these pictures. He's not a huge fan of being in pictures with his shorts on.

Making Carmel Apples!

Thanks to Jenny's post on carmel apples, We had to copy Her and make some for ourselves! One of our favorite things to do in Park City is to go and get carmel apples at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, they are so delicious. So when I bought stuff to do carmel apples, We decided We would try to make them like they do. We bought Butterfingers and Oreos (and sprinkles). The kids had a ball trying to decide what to roll their apples in. We had fun making them, but an even better time gobbling them up! Yum Yum:)

Carmel Apples!

Best Friends - Cooper & JJ!

Coop And JJ got along so well this weekend. They were so cute together, they couldn't leave each others site the entire weekend. Til late at night and starting early the next morning they played constantly. Cooper was so upset when he realized that JJ was heading home, in fact he pouted most of the night, it was so sad. We miss you JJ, come and visit again soon.

A Corny Weekend

What a fun filled weekend we have had with Jackson and Heather and Family. It was so much fun having you guys come and we are already talking about our next visit with you guys. We went to the corn maze on Saturday and then 4 wheeling later that afternoon (As you could tell from the last post) We all watched the football game and made Jackson feel bad for being a BYU fan - GO UTES!! How 'bout them Utes anyway. :) It was so much fun just talking and visiting until 2 am as well. You can never visit too much (or too long) with relatives can you. anyways thanks again guys and please come again as soon as you get a spare weekend.

Jackson's Mud Boggin' Adventures!

We went 4 wheeling on Saturday after we finished the corn maze. We went up to the cedars by our house and went riding in the sand. We were all having such a great time, especially the kids. As we were on our way back, there was this great big mud puddle. We all stoped by it to wait for everyone to catch up before going on the highway. While we were there, Brian dared Jackson to go through the mud on the 4 wheeler. He assured him that the Grizzly could make it through. So, Heather jumps off and Jackson took off (On a dead run literally) We all thought he would chicken out before getting to the mud, but He proved us all wrong. He hit the mud full bore. Under the mud it was all rutted up and ended up throwing Jackson over the handle bars. In all reality it was the most gracious dive any of us had ever seen. At first we were all worried He got hurt, but our concerns quickly turned into laughter, and alot of it.(I'm laughing my head of right now, 24 hrs later) He was covered in mud. But knowing Jackson, He was not going to loose to a mud puddle, so after he gathered his thoughts, He got back on and made it all the way through the mud. Heather rode home with someone else and then we gave Jackson and the 4wheeler a nice cold shower with the hose. Check out the Collage below!

Grandpa & Grandma Blanchard

My Grandpa turned 88 this past week! He is the best Grandpa Ever and I love him to death. He has always been very close to Me. The most memorable story He always tells is how He was born in a tent in Neola, Utah. It's a story I never tire of hearing. He served in World War Two and received a Bronze Star. He married My Grandma, Wilma Ruth Warren on October 25th, 1942 and in April of 1943 He left for the Army. The End of this Month marks their 65th wedding anniversary. My Grandma and Him have 4 Boys, just like we do. He loves fishing, and enjoys spending time with his Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. I'm so thankful that I have such Great Grandparents that I have such wonderful memories of.
My Grandma and Grandpa came to visit the other day and they brought us some home grown tomatoes from his garden. I took these pictures of Grandpa Carl holding Carter Carl (Who We named after him.) I love this picture! (He had to make sure His baby got in the photo too -His dog Sassy)!
This is my Gram. She is the sweetest lady and is such a wonderful Grandma. She has always been there for me and been such an important part in my life. She makes the best homemade bread in the whole world. she has always been there for me, I remember when I was little how She would read me my favorite stories (like little black sambo) and sing songs (like three little fishes). She would make play dough for Me and my sisters and she never worried about us making a mess. We could play with anything we could find. We could even use her nice dishes to play tea party. Sunday We went over to visit them and Cooper wanted her to help him build puzzles. She got right down on the floor and started to help Cooper. He loves going to visit them! In fact my Grandpa even nicknamed him Curly (Back when He actually had long curly hair) and He still calls him that to this day. (Actually He is the only one who can call Cooper that without Cooper quickly correcting them of his real name - He's so funny.)
I love you guys, you're the best!!!

Cooper and the Flies!

With the cooler fall weather, we have been leaving the doors open more, thus allowing tons of flies to enter the house. I absolutely hate fly swatters, actually I never really hated them until I married Brian. I swear He either thinks that Fly killing is some type of sport or that it was his calling in life to brutally murder all things that eat poop. He hits the flies so hard that the fly pretty well disappears, leaving a smear of blood and guts. It is so disgusting, Hence the reason we no longer own fly swatters. I still catch him from time to time trying to sneak one into the shopping cart but they always get put back when we get to the checkout (surely i'm not the only person who stashes all the crap we picked up in the store at the check stand am I?). Anyway, I found these fly strips, which I love, and they work great with no mess , and it's very entertaining to a 3 year old. Coop loves to watch the flys land on it and try to get away. He could sit and watch them all day! I can only imagine his excitement when Brian tells him about the good ol' days of "Fly Catching/Killing"!Ha Ha that will teach 'em to come in our house!

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it!

Why boys love dirt so much, I will never know, But I'm sure glad they do. I love having boys! They are so much fun! They are into everything and they are dirty all the time, but I wouldn't trade them for any girl in the world! I love raising my Boys! We have a spot in the field with sandy dirt and that is where my kids spend most of their time. Coop affectionately calls it "The Dunes." You should have seen our tub when bathtime came!

Good Things come in 3's

What a fun, fast, and easy little quiz to fill out. Thanks Holly for the tag (I'll get even later:))Here are the rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts, and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged. Here we go…………

3 joys

1-Brian- My best Friend

2-My four wonderful boys

3-Being a wife and mother (I guess that's kinda like 1 & 2 isn't it?)

3 Fears

1- I absolutely hate grasshoppers. I am scared to death of them. They are the freakiest insect on the planet, I hate them. Brian tells Colby to throw them on me all the time.

2-I have a fear of germs. I have to wash my hands constantly, I cannot go into a store without washing off the handle on the cart and then using germ x on Me and the kids when we get out of the store. I buy lots of germ x!

3-I fear my boys growing up. I want them to stay little forever. I've told Brian I'm going to have to keep having children so there will always be kids living with us.

Current obsessions

1- I'm obsessed with decorating my house, I have to have my house looking as cute as I can get it!

2- I'm obsessed with exercising. I get up every morning at 6:00 to run for 45 minutes!

3- I'm obsessed with clothes. I love new clothes!


suprising facts

1-I love snowmobiling and fourwheeling. I hate to be left home when the guys go. I have to tag along and I will not be outdone by a guy, I will climb and jump anything to prove that!

2- I love playing geo trax with my boys. It is the greatest toy set ever made. I buy the new sets, not because my kids want them, but because I love them. Its so much fun to play and set up new tracks. I especially love the new geo-air!

3-I worry about everything. I worry myself sick. I realize it doesn't help but I do it anyway, I hate it!

I tag Kris, Allison, Jenny, Kathy, & Lorraine

A Pirate's Life For Me!!!

We have been busy decorating, painting, & putting together Chase's new bedroom. He thought that by being the oldest that He should have his own bedroom. He spends a lot of time in the new room,(Except when it comes to sleeping, He doesn't mind sharing too much when it's dark) Not to mention, I don't like Him sleeping on the other end of the house away from all the other bedrooms. Here are a few pics of the new Pirate Bedroom.

Chase put together this model of the Black Pearl all by himself. It took him a few nights to finally get it, but He did it all on his own.
The boat bed has a little cabinet in the hull. So we appropriately named the cabinet area Davy Jones Locker, Pretty clever huh

Here is the Dead Mans Chest, another clever labeling by my Husband. Isn't it cool. I found this old trunk at an estate sale a few years ago. It was caked in oil and grease. We actually took it to the car wash to clean it. Then I ruffed it up a bit using some dark scratch cover and a blow torch to make it look old. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out.