8 is GREAT!

Happy 8th Birthday Brooklyn!

So excited that we got to celebrate this day with your baptism.  You are such a special girl and we are so proud of your choice to get baptized. The bishop said that we've never had this many people come to a baptism.  We had 2 overflows open.  You are such a great missionary!

Here are a few of the guests:  Mimi, Rachel, Nanette & Shelby, and myself.

Brooklyn by her refreshment table.  

 Brooklyn's Aunt Liz made this cupcake cake that looked like a white baptism dress.  It was so cute.  I wish I'd taken a picture closer up.

 

Merry Christmas!

Britni had one of her photos used in a video that the church made for Christmas.  It's a picture she took last year of her kids acting out the nativity.  I think they are around 1:08 in the video.
http://www.lds.org/topics/service/create/spread-the-word?lang=eng#videos

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

2012 Annual Witches Cafe

 We made slap bracelets...a bat and a jack-o-lantern.  They turned out really cute.

 Because I don't believe in carving pumpkins (sharp knives, children, and gooey guts are just not for me, at least not when I am the lone adult) we decorated our pumpkins with stickers.

 They were so serious as they did this.  They decided that they wanted to do both sides.

  Side 1...Brooklyn did a girl side, Jack did an alien.

 Side 2...Brooklyn did a boy side and Jack did a crazy pumpkin.

 Brooklyn saw this great art idea, on Barney.  She assured me that she wasn't watching Barney, but Perri and our friend Brinley were, but she still saw this great way of making a spider.  We decided to give it a try.  They traced their hand and then cut it out and decorated.  They turned out very cute, but required major concentration. 

 Jack went with a red spider and Brooklyn's was black and white check!

 Next we played a game of Build your own Jack-o-lantern on sugar cookies.  They frosted their cookies and then rolled a dice to see what piece of the face they got to put on.  They ate their 1st cookie and then decorated a plate full to take to some friends. 

 The finished product of jack-o-lantern cookies.  I think they turned out pretty great.

 This was the menu for our witches cafe.  We had Jack-o-lantern Quesadillas, Frankenstein krispie treats, banana eyeballs, bloody band-aides.  While making their plates I asked if there was anything that they didn't want.  Jack immediately said, "I don't want those band-aides."  I asked him if he knew what they were and he didn't.  Once I explained he was all for having some.  We also had ginger ale with brain ice cubes.  Those are always a big hit.

Another great year, just 3 things were missing...Kate, Clair, and Bowen.  Perri will join us next year and hopefully one day we will all be close enough to have a FULL witches cafe. 

A week in the life of Anne of Green Gables

My mom as we are getting ready to land in Halifax

 This past July my mom and I took an amazing trip to Canada!  It's been my dream to visit Prince Edward Island and thankful I had my mom to enjoy it with me. 

Our 1st Lighthouse in Peggy's Cove.

The view from the lighthouse.

My from Peggy's Cove lighthouse.

 Me and my mom waiting on the ferry as we cross to Prince Edwards Island.  We are so excited we can hardly wait.

 Cows Creamery was a great place and smelled so great.  We might have stopped there every day that we were on PEI.

 You can't live the life of Anne without drinking some Raspberry Cordial.  Yummy.

Yummy ice cream from the best creamery in Canada!

 Don't call either of us "Carrots" or we will break our slate on your head.

 In front of the house that inspired L.M. Montgomery's fabulous Anne of Green Gables series.  It was hard to remember that it's fiction when you are there.

 On the coast of PEI.  It was so gorgeous and the weather was amazing.

 I not only ate lobster for the 1st time, I kind of turned into one...for a moment.

 On the beaches near the Anne of Green Gables museum.  These were the red beaches of from Anne of Avonlea.

 A tiny lighthouse we stumbled upon and fell in love with.

 The Halifax temple. It was Monday, so it was closed, but the grounds keeper was there and let us on the grounds. 

 The last thing we did before we left Canada was to go whale watching.  It was AMAZING!  We saw 10 whales.  8 fin whales and 2 humpback.  There were 2 babies, 1 fin and one humbback.  They surrounded our boat and gave us an amazing show.  My pictures don't do it justice. 

Summer Fun with Cousins

I finally synced my camera with my computer and found these great photos from this summer.  It was great having the Brights in Texas.  I loved seeing all the kids together.  They always have a great time together.  I didn't get lots of pictures, I need to be better about that, but I did get some.  Seeing these cousins together and having fun reminded me of all the fun we had with our cousins.  It's now a new generations turn to play, have fun, and love each other.  Sorry for all the pictures, but I wanted to get them all in, but I don't want to write a caption for them all.  ENJOY!