THE NYGREN'S

Princess Tea Party

2011-04-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

My adorable niece Madeleine turned three last month. For her birthday party she invited us all to the big castle downtown (The Grand America) for a real princess tea party! It was so much fun! We all enjoyed tea, raspberry hot chocolate, and delicious little sandwiches and treats...the kind you would expect to find at tea in London! Here are some pics of our royal adventure!

All the pretty princesses

Me and baby as Belle from Beauty and the Beast

Me, Mom, Lu, and Grandma

Madeleine pouring her tea

The Princess Cake

Princess Madeleine taking the first bite

Nana and baby

Taking a walk with Uncle Kel

You cant go to the Grand America dressed as a princess without doing a photo shoot of course!

Lindsay was Cinderella

Happy Thanksgiving Christmas New Years...and everything in between

2011-01-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

Our life has been insane since the holidays, so I thought I would give you a snapshot of what we have been up to the past few months:

Norm always has to be by Addie, they are best buds!

Addie even shares her toys with him

This is where we usually end up after a play date with Norm :) She loves her ducky tub!

Addie and her boyfriends Nui and Owen...lucky girl eh!

Go Utes! Ok we lost, but her bum is still cute!

Welcome to the world baby Benson! Andrew's brother Alan and his wife Christina welcomed their first baby on Dec. 6th! He is so handsome!

Dicken's Festival 2010 - When I was about 11 I used to be in the plays at the Dickens Festival. It was so much fun. I had to talk in an English accent all night every night for a week. They stopped holding the festival in SLC for years, and it just started back here again this year!

All I can say is REALLY!!!

And just because she is dressed modestly, does she have to look like a frump? They could at least be more stylish modest clothes dont you think!

Kurt Bestor 2010 - Our yearly date with Kurt. This was his best concert yet!

Dancing with the snowmen at grandma and grandpa Nygren's

Thornton Family Christmas Party - BINGO! We won a sandwich maker!

Aunt Betsy was the biggest winner of all with this beautifl puff paint Mexico shirt!

I tried to buy it from her but she would not give it up!

Playing on the rocking horse

Belle and Nixon playing on the indoor slide. I think everyone needs an indoor slide in their home!

Its even for big kids too!

Welcome to the world baby Savannah! My sister Melissa and Chris had their baby girl on Dec. 23rd weighing in at a whopping 5lbs 14 oz....she was a little bean! So beautiful!

We have a tradition where we open one gift on Christmas Eve...Addie got to open her fluffy dog and she was so excited! I did not expect to get such a great reaction for her. This was probably our favorite Christmas memory of the year!

Christmas Eve party with the Nydegger family at Grandma Nydegger's ward house. This is the whole Nygren family. We are so happy to have Alyse and her family living back here now. And yes that is the new momma Christina with baby Benson. She does not look like she just had a baby two weeks ago. She does not even look like she has the holiday bloat....not fair! You look great Christina and are such a great mom!

All the cousins in their new PJ's

Addie lovcd our tree

Christmas morning...Addie with her stocking

Our house after the Christmas morning festivities

Christmas day at Nana Chris's. She loves this doggy...thanks mom!

Cousins playing with their new toys

Kel...really tired

Dad's and their daughters

See...he was really tired

In our Christmas outfits ready for church

Norman was ready too

Our first sledding excursion with baby on New Years Eve...it was FREEZING, but she had fun!

Norman had fun too! He looks like he has a beard!

Happy New Years everyone!

Just a fun photo shoot...I love that smile!

Look everyone, I can crawl!

Cutest bum in the world!

And this concludes my longest post ever. I hope you enjoyed your holidays as much as we did!

Family Halloween Parties

2010-11-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

We went from one Halloween party to the next this year, and had so much fun at all of them. It was such a fun first Halloween for Addie! Here are pics from our family Halloween Parties:

The Nygren Bunch...my favorite part of this picture is that Fred is the only in costume!

The cousins...what a cute group!

Just a fun pic of baby :)

Brynn's nieces and nephews...minus Nixon, Beckham, Jace and Weston

The girl cousins! Cant wait for Savannah to join the group!

Probably the coolest Halloween costume I saw this year! Viva Nacho Libre!

Pumpkin decorating time

Fun with frosting

COOKIES!!!

He just wanted the M&M's

Baby can sit up now all on her own, we are so proud! Here she is being able to sit and play with her cousin Beckham for the first time. They started playing tug of war with a toy and it was hilarious to see Addie getting frustrated!

This is what happened when she got frustrated...sorry Beckham :)

Halloween Parties with Friends

2010-11-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for the fabulous parties this year! Here are a few snapshots of the fun!

The Flintstones! Cutest Pebbles in the world!

The group shot

A party is not a party without two pink unicorns!

Best Mad Hatter costume in the world!

Avatarians...or whatever you call them :)

The fellas...and new baby Nui! New baby Owen was sleeping!

The Ladies

Birthday Fun on the Trail

2010-11-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year, Andrew arranged a babysitter, and took me on an adventure for the day. We headed up to Park City for some good old mountain biking...something we have not been able to do for over a year now (so please keep that in mind later in this post). Andrew heard that the Spirro trail at Park City Mountain Resort was a fun trail and good for an easy afternoon ride. Well, all I can say is that person lied!!! It kicked my butt...literally! First of all, I had to walk my bike up half the trail cause I was so tired. It was a pretty steady incline the entire way, and I have not worked out like this in about a year! But, the beautiful leaves made the trudge uphill worth it. I was so looking forward to the easy ride down, but apparently I cannot turn right on the switchbacks and I ate it... more than once! I have some nice big bruises on my hips as battle wounds. Even though the trail and I got into a fight, I still had a blast. Then we went to Main Street and walked around for a bit, and then had dinner at Wasatch Brewery. It was so nice to get out and enjoy the day...thanks love for a great birthday! Oh, and in my defense, I talked with my friend a few days later, who is an avid mountain biker, and she told me that Spirro is a pretty hard trail...so that made me feel better about things :)

The only pic of us together...I know the shadows make us look like we are wearing war paint!

Riding down just fine....Happy happy happy....

Just fell down...sad sad sad!

Now thats balance...why cant I have that!

Farnsworth Farms Fall Festival

2010-10-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I have not been able to get into the Fall spirit...I just do not want to let go of Summer this year. But, while looking thru the mail last week I found a flyer for the Farnsworth Farms Fall Festival, and I figured this might help a bit. I have never been to Farnsworth Farms before, a local apple orchard, but everytime I drive by it on 7th east, I always want to stop and try their apple cider. Anyway, we decided to try and round up the family and go to the festival that night. My dad was in town and we were able to get pretty much all the family that lives here to come. It was such a fun night, and a fun new tradition! We went on a hay ride, played games, had caramel apples, walked around the booths, and watched a bit of the movie they had projected. So fun! Oh, and I have to give a mention to my friend Jenny B. for the adorable hat she crocheted for Addie...I had so many compliments on it, and it kept her toasty warm! Thanks!

Our Baby Girl

2010-10-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

Baby Addie is growing up so fast, and we are loving every minute of it. She changes and grows everyday, and we are just trying to capture it all. Here are some fun pics to share!

Working on sitting up

Tummy time with ducky

Cuddling mommy...I love this!

BUMBO! We are starting her on rice cereal and figured a bumbo was needed to help with the feeding process. The first time she ate was hilarious, she was quite talented and somehow sucked it up her nose! She is doing much better now and keeping it in her mouth.

She found her feet!

Addie loves her changing table!

We tried this for Halloween, but it was too big. It pretty much swallowed her up, but it was hilarious!

Just doing some work on the computer

Swiss Days

2010-09-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

I have never been to Swiss Days before, but I think I am going to have to make this a yearly tradition! My mom and I made the trek up to Midway with baby girl, and we had a blast! What a fun festival...so many great booths, great food, and fun entertainment! Oh, and the homemade donuts...to die for! Thank you Swiss Days for such a fun night! Cant wait till next year!

Blessing Day

2010-09-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

Addie's blessing day was such a wonderful day and we are so grateful we had so many of our family and friends there to support us...and to bring such fabulous treats! Thank you Thank you! Here are a few pics from her special day...

I just love her blessing dress!

Our little family

Nana Chris and baby

Papa Ken was able to be here for the festivities...thank you so much for making the trip dad!

Playing with Aunt Amy's pretty ring

The delicious spread of treats!

Photo Shoot Montage

2010-07-18T23:37:00.001-07:00

Our fabulous friend Gianne took Addie's newborn pictures, ok she was 4 weeks old, but who is counting. It was quite hilarious trying to get her to do some of the positions we wanted...and keeping her asleep was near impossible. But we had a blast and got some beautiful shots of her. Here is one of my favorite pics of her, and a funny montage she put together! More to come soon. Thanks Gianne!!!

Addie's First Bath

2010-07-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

It is a tradition in my family for my mom to give the babies their first real bath at home after their cords fall off, so here are a few pics of this fun event! Addie loved every minute of it.

Our Little Lady

2010-06-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

Our little lady finally made her debut on June 6th, three days past her due date. She made quite an entrance into the world! We were at the wedding of our fabulous friends Brian and Hannah at La Caille when Addie decided it was time to come. We had just finished dinner and the reception was about to start. I was feeling a bit achey and crampy so I was going to leave early and let Andrew stay for the rest of the festivities, but this little lady had plans of her own. I said good bye to the bride and groom and had to make a bathroom stop...typical prego bladder. This was a much different bathroom break in that my water decided to break! Now, I have heard that if it does break on its own it will most likely be a slow trickle...well not mine. It was like the flood gates opened...it was gushing! I ran out in a panic and grabbed Andrew and let him know that the time had finally come! You always wonder when this moment is going to happen, and pray that it is not somewhere in public, but these little bundles of joy have a mind of their own and will come whenever and wherever they please! We rushed out and Andrew ran to the valet guy screaming, "My wife is in labor, I need my car!!!" This put the valet guy in a bit of a panic and he could not find our car, so Andrew grabbed the keys from him and pushed the panic button, and lucky enough, our car was parked on the front row so we were able to get out of there pretty quickly.

We rushed to the hospital, and lucky for us we had a blanket in the car for me to sit on cause I was still gushing! We got to the hospital and I had pre registered so I thought I would be able to just go straight to a room. But the lady checking us in said that I had a few things I needed to sign. I said "Mam, I am leaking all over your floor, are you ok with that? Can I sign this stuff once I get in the bed?" She did not think it was a big deal and said no, I should just finish up at the registration desk. When we were all checked in she showed us to our room. My sandals were all full of baby fluid and they squished as I walked...so gross! The nurse was like "man you really are gushing"...my thoughts were "did you think I was lying?" We got all situated in the room and then the contractions started. At first they were managable, but then they started in my back as well as the tummy, and they started coming more quickly, and that is when they hurt so bad! Plus I felt so bloody hot, I wanted to rip my gown off, and Andrew had to put cold wash cloths all over my arms and face, as well as an extra fan in the room! Then the nurse told me I could have my epidural any time, and I thought "You are just telling me this now...bring it on!" I had always been terrified of getting the epidural, but it did not hurt one bit, and once it started working I was a completely different person...it was a dream!

I was in labor for about 9 hours and around 4am the nurse told me I was at a 10 and it was time to push. About an hour and a half later Addison joined our family! It was the most amazing experience and feeling when they put her on my chest, it is truly indescribable. Andrew and I just cried...and I am crying right now as I write this just thinking about it! Babies truly are miracles and amazing gifts from our Heavenly Father!

She is now three and a half weeks old, I cant believe how fast the time flys. She is already getting so big and chubby...she loves to eat, and I love her chubby arms and double chin! She is such a great baby and I am enjoying every minute with her. Andrew had two weeks paternity leave which was a dream. We were in our own little world for those two weeks...nothing else seemed to matter but this little piece of heaven in our home. Now we are adjusting to real life, and figuring things out as a party of three! I can never be anywhere on time...as soon as I think we are ready to get out the door, she spits up all over both of us, or poops! But, we are getting the hang of things. We love being parents, and cannot get enough of this little lady. We love her so much!!!

At the hospital, they had a photographer that took some beautiful pictures of her when she was two days old, so I thought I would share them!

Everyone, I am pleased to introduce you to Addison Nygren!

The Nursery

2010-04-19T22:15:00.001-07:00

Andrew has been very busy these past few weeks getting the nursery ready...well, busy pretty much doing everything actually. I am pretty useless these days, and he is so wonderful to get all our pre-baby projects finished in the house. Here are a few before and after pictures of Addie's room so far...

From this....

to this!!!

Norman loves the new nursery!

There still is work to be done, but it is just about there. Andrew and his dad did such a great job, I am so proud of their hard work! In six weeks our little lady will be living in here!

Babymoon

2010-03-26T17:11:00.001-07:00

Andrew and I had the wonderful opportunity to take one last big trip before the baby comes. We took a week off and headed down to Mazatlan! This was our last true "vacation" for a long time. Trips with kids are great, but they are just that...a trip...not a relaxing vacation. So, we took full advantage of this time and did absolutely nothing all week! Our days were spent laying out, reading, taking long walks on the beach, and eating...a lot! I am so grateful we had this time, just the two of us!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!

2010-01-11T10:20:00.001-08:00

Andrew and I are happy to report that we will be adding a little baby girl to our family this coming June! We are so excited and are getting busy on preparing her room. Any ideas, tips, suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We found out it was a girl the week of Christmas, but we had another ultrasound on Friday that confirmed she was still a girl :) Everything is going well so far. I was sick the first few months but am doing much better now....just expanding! We are exactly half way there this Wednesday...so weird! My sister is due on Valentines Day and my sister in law is due in April, so baby cousins all around! WE CANT WAIT!!!

Girls Weekend

2009-09-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago Mom and I hit the road for a fabulous weekend of sun, hiking, and Shakespeare plays! We stayed in Zions and spent our days hiking and laying out, and our nights in Cedar City watching plays..."Comedy of Errors" and "As you Like It".Both were phenomenal but we liked "Comedy of Errors" best. Here are some highlights of our adventure...

Out in front of the Sweet's Shop...of course we went there!

The theater we saw both plays in...it is meant to resemble the Globe Theater where Shakespeare's plays were performed in his day

The "grueling" hike to the Court of the Patriarchs

I liked this rock...I am in it!

The Emerald Pools

Summer Adventures...So Far!!!

2009-07-26T21:16:00.001-07:00

Our summer has been so jam packed, and sooo much fun! Here is a quick run down of what we have been up to...

JACKSON HOLE

The famous antler photo...you can't go there without getting one!

Mountain biking in the Tetons! I am addicted!!!

Top of the mountain...a morning hike!

NEVER TRUST THE GROOMER!!!

Handsome Norman and his glorious coat of hair....and now...

BOBBLE HEAD DOG!!!

Next time you take your dog to the groomers, do not let them do this! Who would ever think that a golden retreiver should be shaved...and that this looks good! Poor Norman...but at least he is cooler in the heat!

SAND VOLLEYBALL

Andrew, Levi, Makai, Kofoed, Alexis, and I played in a sand volleyball league at

The Sports Mall...sand volleyball in Utah, who would have thought!

Soooo FUN!!!

MOUNTAIN MANIA

Hiking with Norman...pre hair cut!

He LOVES the water...and getting all dirty!

Hiking with Lu and the boys

Packin the little one

BBQ in the Canyons

Mom and the girls

BOATING AND THE DRIVE-IN

Jumping the wake...

Aaaggghhh...the wake!

Boaters steer clear...underage driver at the helm!

Me and Mom

First drive in ever...this is what summers are made of!

4TH OF JULY

Fireworks at Aunt Jill's house

Sisters...and little guy

Sparkler fun!

The display

Family BBQ in the yard

CAMPING AT SMITH AND MOREHOUSE

What a tree!

Family Hike - I love the lake in the background

Fishing fun! We caught a total of 16 fish that day!

Marriage Is What Brings us Together Today

2009-07-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Alan and Christina were married on May 29th, 2009 and it was a glorious day! The weather was gorgeous, the ceremony beautiful, and the reception was picture perfect. They are perfect for each other, and we are so excited to have Christina in the family! Congrats you two, we love you!

First appearance as husband and wife

9 of the 11 nieces and nephews...what a cute bunch! Alyse, Justin and the girls were in town and it was so fun to spend the week with them.

I love tents at weddings!

TUX!!!

The Boys

Hannah Montana Fever

2009-07-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but Isabel is 6! I cant believe she is so old...she does not look like a little girl anymore. She wanted a Hannah Montana birthday party, and Melissa put on quite the party. We turned the backyard into a stage for the performance and dancing. Microphone cupcakes, a pinata, and a visit from Hannah herself... what could be better! The little girls were going crazy! Ok, and I partook of the festivities as well!

Viva Mexico!!! - Mazatlan 2009

2009-03-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

We just got back from 10 glorious days in Mazatlan, Mexico...our annual trip with my whole extended family. This was our last year that everyone could all be there at the same time so we were able to round up 51 of us to be there, almost the entire family! Some of you may find spending 10 days on vacation with your WHOLE family boring and uneventful, but to me is was a dream! I actually wish I could live in a hotel with all my family so I that I could see them everyday, and all the kids could play and grow up with each other. I loved that every where I looked I always saw a family member, and I had a lot of time to catch up with relatives that live out of state. There is no way I could tell you all of the funny moments and crazy events of the trip since there are so many to choose from, so here is a quick list of my favorites:

1. Mango/Strawberry Daquiris (our new favorite drink of choice...without alcohol of course) at Happy Hour every day (and the fabulous Mexican popcorn)

2. Surfing at Playa Bruja...I thought I had some coordination, but man I ate it almost every time! Even though I only actually stood up three times, my new goal in life is to become a professional surfer!

3. The King of the Lizards, aka, the Iguana, that Kel bought off of his caddy. Pretty sure they drugged it for the ride back to the hotel, cause at first it looked dead. Which actually was a good thing, so all the kids could hold it. But, when it came too...it went crazy!!! It even climbed up the wall of the 2nd floor balcony and flew off down to the first floor! His new name is Superman. We figured it was time to release him to the wild with the olther iguanas running around the resort grounds.

4. Getting a massage, and Andrew's confusion with the very short robe.

5. Spending time with my grandma - My grandma is such an amazing woman. She so graciously made it possible for everyone of us to go to Mexico, for arranging it all, and taking care of the costs.

6. Shopping and bargaining with the beach vendors (and at O'hoolahoops :)...thats for you JJ)

7. Beach volleyball - we dominated!

8.Eating WAY too much all day long! I never got sick of the nachos, peaches flambe, and the amazing mexican oatmeal!

9. Stunning Mexico sunsets, and only can occur in Mazatlan

10. My family - It is a rare occasion when my whole family is all able to be together, with JJ and Allie living in Texas. But to spend a whole week with my mom and all my brothers and sisters was too wonderful for words. I am so blessed to have the most amazing family in the world!

And now...onto the pictures!!!

Family Pics on the Catamaran

Surfing at Playa Bruja(and a shout out to our camera woman, Ash, who could not surf with us this year because she is prego!!! Congrats cuz)!!!

Isn't this breathtaking! It looks like a Monet Painting!

The Cousins - Megan, Brynn, Ash, Tara. We have a picture of all of us just like this in front of the fountain when we were all about 8-10 years old. So we thought a new one was needed!

Beach Volleyball Games...sweet set for Andrew to spike!

The King of the Lizards

The Transportation in Mexico

Running from the waves

We do a foot picture every year, so here is this years :)

Four Hours of Fun

2009-02-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

From the day we moved into our house, we have been looking for the perfect corner hutch in the kitchen. It had to be at least 5.5 feet tall, an actual corner hutch, not just a flat back one, just the right color, and have the cute paneling on the back. No wonder it took us 9 months to find it! But, after many trips to mainstream stores, and shabby chic shops, we found our PERFECT corner hutch! I will have you know that we put it together by ourselves, and it took 4 HOURS! This thing was ridiculous, and the directions were anything but simple. But, we prevailed, and we love our new labor of love!

This was the first time we have put anything big together, and it was quite interesting. I have always been stumped when people ask me my advice on getting married. I have always wanted to have something profound and different to say. And now I have found something I think is really good advice. Build something together...you learn a lot of interesting things about each other. Who will take the lead...who can do different aspects of the task better...who will be the first to drop a four letter word when your had gets smashed! It was quite a hilarious learning experience.

Our masterpiece!

Wedding Bells on Valentines Day

2009-02-24T18:56:00.001-08:00

On February 14th, 2009, our dear friend Ashley Engar tied the knot! She and Dennis were married in the Salt Lake Temple and then had their reception at The Gathering Place. I loved spending the day of love with all my dear friends and being in the temple watching Ash get sealed...what a great day! She looked stunning!

You're invited to a Gala at Nordstrom Fashion Place benefiting United Way of Salt Lake Women's Philanthropic Network

2009-02-04T10:52:00.001-08:00

As you may know, I work at United Way of Salt Lake, and we are very fortunate to have been chosen by Nordstrom to be the recipient of all proceeds from the Nordstrom Grand Opening Gala of their new store in Murray on Tuesday March 3rd ! Below is an invitation with more of the details. Please email me at brynnbills@hotmail.com if you have any questions or are interested in getting a ticket! It is going to be AMAZING!!!

There is a cap on the number of people that can attend so get your tickets NOW!!!

Snow Day Part 2

2009-02-01T15:46:00.001-08:00

Here are a few more pics of our snow day...which might I add, Norman LOVED!!!

This one is my favorite...our cute little family!

I love snowmobiling!

Snow Day

2009-02-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

We spent a Saturday with Ash and Jake up at the house in Park City....I love it up there! Here are a few pics of our day...

Soaking in some rays in our lawn chairs!

Look closely and you will see Norman on top of us! His first sledding experience. He was not sure about it at first, but after his first ride, we could not keep him off the tube!

Normans new favorite toy!

These are the COOLEST snow toys ever. They were my grand fathers but they still work like a charm. They are a bit squirrly, but you get the hang of it, and they get going pretty fast!

Soap Gifts

2008-12-30T09:54:00.001-08:00

Here is another little gift that we made for Christmas, these ones were for family. We got one of these from a neighbor last year and loved it so much, we still use ours! We just get the softsoap refills and keep using it. It is SUPER easy to do:

Create the words you want to say on the insert in a Word document, with the last name of the family at the top, ex. NYGREN HANDS. Then get some acetate paper (overhead paper) and print it out. You can get at least two on a page. Then cut it out with the edges and sides rounded a bit so it fits nicely into the bottle. Roll it up and stick it into the soap bottle and use the dispenser wand to push it up against the front of the bottle. The soap will help it stick to the front.

Youc an buy the bottles of soap anywhere and just use a blow dryer to heat up the sticker covering and just peel it off. Make sure you heat it up long enough to get it all off when you peel because if you dont, it is hard to get the excess glue off.

It is an inexpensive and unique gift that people will love, especially because it is personal. This is a great Christmas gift, but can be given at anytime really. Have fun!

The Candy Factory!!!

2008-12-30T09:20:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas I turn my kitchen into a candy factory with my sisters and mom. We always make chocolate and caramel covered pretzels. It is so easy to do, and so much fun! And may I add, delicious! By the time we are done, I am full because I cant stop testing out everything we dip! We get all of our supplies at Orson Gygi to do this project. They have this great block of caramel and these big bags of chocolate disk/chips. I love these things and they make great gifts, so I thought I would share how we do it:

You start with the caramel: cut off a good sized chunk into a microwave safe bowl and add a spalsh of water. Then melt it in one minute increments until the caramel is nice and smooth...almost a bit runny. Then stick the pretzel rod in the bowl and with a spoon or spatula, pull the caramel up the pretzel, leaving enough room at the end to hold onto when you eat it.
Let them dry and harden completely on parchment paper. Depending on how warm it is in the house, we will sometimes stick them outside on a cookie sheet to cool off faster.

Next comes the chocolate. Pour about a cup or so into another microwave safe bowl and add a small spoonful of regular Crisco to it. Then microwave in one minute increments, stirring throughout. Take the caramel pretzel and do the same thing, stick it in the bowl and pull the chocolate up the sides and completely cover the caramel. For our oreo, butterfinger, candy cane, cinnamon sugar, etc. toppings, we add those on right after we dip the chocolate so the toppings stick. But if you want just a regular stick then let it dry, and you can add a drizzle of chocolate of another color to add a nice touch. We also like to dip cinnamon bears as well. Then, we get those cute, decorated celophane bags and fill em up with deliciousness. ENJOY!

Back to Bethlehem

2008-12-30T08:54:00.001-08:00

For our ward Christmas party this year, Andrew and I were asked to be on the Activities committee...the decorating team. We always get asked to do these things. So, we are thinking that we will need to get some colored table cloths, some fun entertainment, and a ham or turkey type dinner. Boy were we wrong. Our ward decided to go all out and transform the gym into Bethlehem! With only $100 we got really creative and did our best. Here is how it turned out...

All the families were asked to dress up and bring blankets to sit on to eat dinner. They were also asked to bring canned food (their tax) to enter the city. There were some great outfits!

A couple in our ward just had a baby boy so they did our nativity scene. The "stable" was put together by our bishop. Now, when I say put together, I dont mean with nails or anything...it was literally just leaning against each other. During the prayer, "Mary" accidentally moved her foot and the whol thing came crashing down on them! They were all ok, and it was hilarious!

One of our main duties was to make all the signs. Here is our beautiful artwork!

Our dinner was very simple, just like it would have been back then...pitas and bagels, some meats and cheeses, olives, relish trays, hummus, etc. But we did throw in a few modern delicious Christmas desserts :)

We borrowed pop up tents from people in the ward and covered them with sheets for the shops. Then we strung lights across the top for a nice added touch. It was a lot of work, but it turned out great, and it was fun doing something different!

CHRISTMAS AT LAST!!!

2008-12-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is my favorite, and always seems to be a busy time for everyone, and this year is no different for us. We are constantly on the go with something different planned every day! And, now that it snowed, well dumped, it really feels like Christmas! Here is a glimpse of what we have done so far this month...

For those of you that do not know, the Kurt Bestor concert is a tradition in my family, and is also an important part of mine and Andrew's life, whether he likes it or not! The Kurt Bestor concert in 2005 was our first date! I did not think it odd at the time to ask Andrew to come with me, I had just met him again three days earlier and I wanted to have him come, so I got an extra ticket and invited him. I think I forgot to mention to him that my whole family would be there, even my Grandma and Rex! I do not think he even knew he Kurt Bestor was until that night, but he came anyway, and apparently that sealed the deal cause here we are three years later, and three concerts later, and happily married and in love. Anyone that wants to get married...go to the Kurt Bestor concert!!! Andrew is such a good sport and comes every year, even though his love for Kurt is not as strong as mine...yet :)

The girls...and the crazy red statue thing at Abravanel Hall

We get a picture in front of this odd thing every year

Our tree! This is our favorite one yet! We went with a country theme this year, I love it! And our house smells divine!

Norman and the tree! When we first go it, he was so confused at why there was this large outside object in our living room, but he is used to it now. Luckily he does not try to pee on it!

Our Annual Ugly Sweater Party! We had it at Amber's again this year...she is such a great host. We did breakfast for dinner...crepes - thanks to our reborn French friend January, cinnamon french toast, egg casserole, orange rolls (Cassidy made our DG house mom's recipe - SO GOOD!), yes it was pretty much gourmet!

Oh,in case you were wondering about the mountain man standing next to me...Andrew and the other managers at work are doing a beard/mustache contest! Kinda cute, eh!

The Group! January won the contest this year with her international christmas sweater and ornament earrings! We played a few intense rounds of mafia and I discovered that I am a horrible liar and cant ever be mafia because I always get caught!

Silly Norman

2008-12-13T16:51:00.001-08:00

Our crazy pup always has to be in the same room as us no matter what we are doing...except vacuuming...he is deathly afraid of the vacuum and Andrew likes to torment him with it. I have to admit, it is really funny. When I am getting ready in the bathroom Norman loves to sit in the bathtub! Sometimes he will hang out in there even without me. On this particular day I could not find him. I heard a peculiar sound coming from the bathroom, so I snuck in and found him lounging in the tub!

When he is not freshening up in the bathroom, we are likely to find him playing about in the blinds. He likes to run through them and then watch them swing around. He really is like a little kid. By the way...look at how BIG he is getting!!!

Babies All Around!

2008-12-13T16:31:00.001-08:00

My good friend Jenny is pregnant with a little girl so we had a shower for her a few weekends ago. Erin as pregnant as well so here are the two mothers to be as well as a few other shots

from that day! I am so excited that everyone is having babies! Its weird how we have moved from wedding showers to baby showers...time goes by way too fast! Good thing we are enjoying it!

2008-12-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

Hi All! I am now a rep for Scentsy. I love their fabulous candle warmers and use them everyday so I figured it would only be natural that I become a rep for them. So if anyone is interested in getting one, or already have one and want some new scents, shoot me an email at brynnbills@hotmail.com. To see some ideas of what they have to offer, visit www. scentsy.com or give me a call and I can let you smell all the different scents they have!

UNITED WAY'S NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR RESPONSE

2008-11-29T21:02:00.001-08:00

As you may know, I work for United Way, and this is a new campaing we have launched to help those in our community that may be struggling and in need due to the current economic crisis.

United Way of Salt Lake is taking a proactive role in response to the serious challenges presented by the current economic crisis by coordinating donations of cash and products to distribute to our community's frontline nonprofit service providers. These increased resources will not only shore up those families and individuals who are struggling during this difficult time, but also create hope for a brighter future for us all. We are calling on individuals and organizations to get involved to help our neighbors from falling into further crisis.

If anyone is interested in helping or would like to contribute, you can click on the picture above and it will take you to the United Way website, or just let me know and I can direct you where to go. We are trying to reach our goal of 5 million dollars in cash and goods by December 15. You can help by organizing a product drive in your family, church, neighborhood, school, social group, office, etc., or by making a financial contribution. It is so easy to get involved, and the effects will reach more than you will ever know.

In my job, I have seen the effects of this crisis more closely, and it is just heartbreaking. It makes me realize how blessed I am in all aspects of my life!

A Look Back at Fall

2008-11-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

My life has been a whirlwind lately, and I realized that now that Christmas is around the corner, I never posted anything about our Fall activities. But, now that I am home ridden with a nasty cold, I finally have some much needed time to rest, and blog! I have not had a cold this bad ever in my life, but that did not stop me from doing my Black Friday shopping at the outlets in Park City! Which is probably why I am not getting any better :) The plan was to go at midnight with my sisters (a new tradition we are starting) but i did not even get to attend! I had to go the next morning. Halloween and Thanksgiving were wonderful...both full of family, friends, and FOOD! My waistline can attest to that! But hey, its the holidays, who cares!Here is a look back at the past few months...

The cutest niece and nephews in the world!!!

Juno and Bleeker at my friends party...being pregnant is going to be so weird!!!

Polygamists at Andrew's friends party...so ulgy!!!

My first attempt ever at making a pie...including the crust! It was a peach streusel pie and I have to admit that it was fantastic! We ate the whole thing in one day! For thanksgiving I made a berry streusel pie, also pretty delicious. I love baking!!!

Pumpin seeds, with a cajun twist!

Our happy pumpkin

GO UTES!!! What a great game by the way! I was the only U fan in my home the day of the game, but I prevailed!!!

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!

2008-11-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

This past month has been insane for Andrew and I...with the market flip flopping everyday, and my big event at work, The Power of Your Purse, we needed a break from everything. So we packed up and headed to Las Vegas with my friend Cassidy and her husband Matt for a few days. The weather was gorgeous and we were able to really relax and enjoy! We layed out, did too much shopping, and ate A LOT! But for some reason we were never able to get ourselves to a nice restaurant. We planned on it and even made reservations, but for one reason or another we never quite made it and ended up eating at places like Taco Bell and CPK...places we have here in Salt lake City...We are very original. One thing I love about Las Vegas is seeing all the fabulous hotels. After working for a hotel I have a better appreciation for them. Some of my favorites are New York New York, The Venetian, and Mandalay Bay!

New York New York

That's amore!

M&M World...Andrew and Matt really wanted to buy these jackets :) Hot stuff!

We went to the aquarium at Mandalay Bay and it is awesome!!! If you are even remotely interested in fish and the ocean, you have to go. There were so many crazy sharks, gigantic turtles, and this big tuge thing full of jellyfish! Did you know that jellyfish do not have a heart or brain?

Check out the shark above our heads!

Cassidy petting a stingray!

It's a Boy!!!

2008-08-31T21:04:00.001-07:00

I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of our family...NORMAN!!! Or Stormin' Norman as he is sometimes called. We got him about two weeks ago and he is already growing so fast! He is about 10 weeks old and loves to bite/chew everything in sight. He hates his leash but is learning to love his daily walks, and he is learning to conquer stairs. Sometimes he will do the Superman down them on his stomach when he gets going too fast, but his clumsly legs are starting to catch up to his body and he is getting much better at it. We now have a small glimpse of what being parents is like! Here are a few of the pictures so far...

Brand new puppy!

Learning how to deal with his leash

First bath! He actually really likes the water. I cant wait to take him swimming!

Isabel and Norman

I love this look, his little face is so cute!

All tuckered out and taking a nap with dad

Angel's Landing - Zion's 2008

2008-08-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Andrew and took a much needed weekend getaway to Zion's National Park. It is GORGEOUS! We climbed Angel's Landing which took us about 4 hours round trip. It was not just your nice saturday stroll, it is quite intense, but worth every step. There is one point where it is so steep and narrow that you have to hold onto a chain to get up...I know I know, I live dangerously!

View from the top!

The view was amazing from every direction... from one angle it is red rock,
and the other it is white.

Once we got to the top I did not wan to come down!

These two show the narrow section where you have to hold onto the chain

The city of Sprindale is known for their magical berry...the bumble berry. So how could we visit without having a slice of bumbleberry pie and vanilla ice cream? Quite world famous!

Wedding Bells and Fireworks in St. George

2008-07-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July weekend we went to St. George for Andrew's friend Cade's wedding. There were about 20 of us that made the trek down and stayed at his friends place in Leeds. Never a dull moment with this bunch of boys! It was blasted hot so most of our days were spent in the pool . Cade and Kim were married on the 5th in the St. George temple. It was my first time in that temple and it is so gorgeous. It is a smaller temple and has so much history and character. Here are a few snapshots of the trip...

The St. George Temple, Levi and his Uke! , BBQ!!!

A few of the girls , All the boys...except the groom!

Volleyball in the pool, The boys at the temple

Smith & Morehouse...Adventures in the Woods!

2008-07-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Andrews family goes camping every year at Smith & Morehouse. They have been going there for 30 years now with a few families from their neighborhood. This year we were only able to go up for a night and day but it was worth it! We went fishing early in the morning and I caught five fish (dont worry...we let them go)! I was also able to show off my incredible canoeing skills, seeing that I was a canoe instuctor...ha ha I know, funny huh...but I really was! I have a mad J Stroke! Andrew's niece and I caught fish at the exact same time and his brother snapped this shot right before my fish freaked out and tried to get in the canoe!

Andrew is quite the mountain man. He is great at chopping wood. Me on the other hand, well lets just say I should stick to my day job. I barely made a dent in the log...and the ax swung back and almost chopped my leg off!

Lagoon...Its Where Fun Is!

2008-07-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

I love Lagoon...the smell of cotton candy and pop corn, and the sound of the rickety white roller coaster always make me feel like a little kid again. My mom, me, Melissa, Isabel, and Jenny and her crew all went to Lagoon for an evening of non stop rides and food! Isabel is not quite tall enough for some of them so she had a hard time not being able to go on all the rides Mitchell could. But, they have some great new kids rides that she loved! My mom and I went on the Rocket (the one that takes you up slowly and just drops you)...it was awesome! I swear my stomach almost flew out my mouth! It was awesome!

Nixon is Here!!!

2008-07-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

My handsome nephew has arrived! Ok, so I have been a slacker and he arrived about a month ago, but here he is! Nixon Tee Black was born Monday June 2nd. Everything went smoothly, and mom and baby are doing great! Lindsay is such a cute mom, and watching her through this process has really been great for me and has made me more excited to have a little bug of our own!

Belle loves holding him and giving him loves

Mexico Memories

2008-06-05T10:21:00.001-07:00

We went to Mexico again this Spring for 10 days...it was a dream! These are just a few pics from the trip. (Jace in the Ocean)

The Resort

Just Us

Dinner

Four Generations... Nixon was still in Lu's Tummy

Playa Bruja

Nana and Belle

Our hike to the lighthouse. After all the years I have been there I had never gone to the Lighthouse. Pregnant Lindsay was a champ!

REAL Soccer Game

2008-06-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the REAL soccer game this last weekend, and they won! Cassie, the seats were sweet, thanks so much! We went to dinner before with Jenny and Nate to Red Butte Cafe - I have not been there since college...the dessert is AWESOME!

Summer Has Begun

2008-06-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

It is here...Summer! That wonderful time of the year where the nights are long and warm, and the weekends are full of adventurous getaways. It is also the time of year where your thumb turns green and you spend hours in the yard. With a new house we now get the opportunity to finally plant flowers! I would not have any idea how to start the process on my own, so it is a good thing Andrew's family are professionals in this area. Who knew yards were so time consuming...and expensive...but worth it! This last weekend we helped my mom in her yard, what a project, but it looks great! My fabulous niece who just turned five was all about helping us out. She brought out her pint sized gardening tools and dug right in. When it came time to open the bags of soil/fertilizer she could not wait to get it open...that is until she got a whiff it! This is the dialog that occured:

I: B, this stuff really stinks!
B: Thats cause it has poop in it. Its good for the flowers.
I: But B, who pooped in the bag!?!

I was laughing so hard! She made the job a lot more entertaining. When we finished, we decided the pool was just what we needed. So we spent a few hours playing and laying out for the first time of the year! What a way to start summer!

New Beginnings

2008-06-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have finally made it into the wonderful world of blogging! After months of blog stalking, I have decided to create my own, so I dont feel as bad looking into the lives of everyone else. Now everyone and can look into mine as well! I would like to thank Jenny for implanting the idea into my head...and for the little reminders that I need to get it started! So here it is...enjoy the ride!