Brinley and Easton

Kilee took these pictures of Brinley and Easton together and I just had to post them on our blog. Kilee and I have decided that if arranged marriages were still in place, Brinley and Easton would be betrothed. So, needless to say, we wanted to take some pictures of them together... and boy are they classic! Brinley had just woken up from a nap and was hungry... and Easton is playing the typical role of a confused male.. Haha! I love it!

Looks like Brinley is going in for a big smooch!

Enjoying our little one

Mike and I are enjoying Brinley TONS! She has grown so much since birth. Brinley had her two week appointment last Friday and weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz and measured 21.5 inches long! Sometimes I wonder if she has grown so much in length because she stretches out her little legs so much! I have been making small attempts at light runs with Brinley. Jogging strollers take some getting used to and obviously the jogs are a slow start. Mike has still been training for the St. George marathon that is coming up in October. His poor toes are in pretty bad shape with blood blisters forming underneath his nails from the long runs. Is there any prevention for that? Anyways he will be finishing up summer term here in about a week and I am super excited! We might be heading up to MT for a visit or maybe just hanging around here. But at least Brinley and I will be able to spend more time with him... like cooking meals together! :)

Other good news: Mike's sister, Krista, is scheduled for a c-section tomorrow. So, Brinley will have a new cousin! We hope everything goes well for her.

Here are a couple of new things that Brinley enjoys:

*Taking a bath in the tub and moving her legs like a little frog.. so cute!

*Peeing in her towel after she gets out of the tub

*Mike or I taking her for a nightly walk... (someone NEEDS to be holding her, it NEEDS to be outside and ALWAYS past 10 pm).. our funny little kid!

Brinley is not a big fan of:

*Getting out of the tub

*Vibrating chairs

*Not being held

Brinley's First Week of Life!!

Well, Brinley has had a fairly eventful first week in our home. Friends and family have come to see her and she is continuing to develop a regular eating/sleeping routine. She is just amazing, truly a blessing in our lives. She has been so patient with both Mike and I as we continue to learn and become more efficient in nurturing her. I feel she is so close to the spirit, and on more than one occasion, she has been an answer to my prayers. Anyways, here are some highlights this week!

Brinley and I took my parent's dog, Sarg, out to go to the bathroom. Then Sarg nearly attacked and chased down the mailman. I had to quickly give Brinley to the girls upstairs and run down the dog. Luckily, Sarg wasn't hit by a car on the way back. The rest of the afternoon Sarg continued to bark. Brinley, the champ, slept through the whole thing! I wished I could have done the same.

Brinley discovered that sunlight is much to bright for her little eyes, but she still enjoys going outside.

Brinley's first bath. She got a little cold and shivered a bit. My dad said she would cry.. but Brinley proved him wrong! :)

Brinley after her first bath.

Grandpa Brumbaugh holding Brinley.

Brinley's first time at church! She did great! :)

Grandpa and grandma Brumbaugh holding Brinley.

Welcome Brinley Ann Duthrie!!

We checked into the hospital around 3:30 in the afternoon Saturday. Later on she was born Sunday morning at 2 am. She weighed seven pounds two ounces, and 18.5 inches long. Brinley was a little conehead at first, but her head has really rounded out. We are so happy to finally have her here. She is such a wonderful little blessing in our lives. Even though she has only been here for two days, it feels like she has been here forever. She is perfect.

My parents are staying with us for the next week or so. My last prenatal appointment was on Friday, and it was looking like I was going to have to be induced... which was when my parents would be leaving. However, she ended up coming virtually the next day and on my dad's birthday! (I know he is excited for such a wonderful new granddaughter!) We are so very grateful for their company and all of their help.

Growing garden and belly!

First, Happy Father's Day to Mike and fathers everywhere! We celebrated with a delicious huckleberry pancake and bacon breakfast. Mike is my hero in so many different ways. He is so patient and understanding. He brings so much happiness into my life and I know he will just love and be adored by our little girl too. I mean can't you just see how close she likes to be to him?? ;)

Here are some pictures of our garden. Last week we had a FHE weeding and thinning out some of the veggies with the Pickups. It was fun the first time, but I'm not enjoying it as much since I am getting bigger. In the picture below you can see our corn, squash plants, onions and peas.

This one includes our zealous tomato plants (back right), string beans (with the strings), pepper plants (front middle) and carrots (middle back.) Mike and Brian came up with the ingenious string method for the string beans to grow up on. It is looking promising so far, and was definitely the most economical idea. We had planted radishes earlier and they have actually already been harvested. Do you like radishes? Call me or leave a comment if you are interested because Mike and I have a few too many for our liking.

Lastly, another belly shot of me nearing 37 weeks... close to full term! Hurray!

So... how about a name!

BRINLEY... BRINLEE.... BRYNLEY... BRYNLEE... or BRYNLEIGH??!!

I think we have finally found the right name! The name came to me and kind of just stuck one Sunday morning. I was sitting in church and "Brinley" popped into my head. I had a good feeling about it, and I think our little girl liked it too. What the biggest surprise was that Mike actually approved of it! :) So, now how to spell it. I think my personal favorite is Brynlee, but I have a feeling that might not go over well with Mike. His favorite spelling is Brinley. I guess we'll see which spelling wins!... Stay tuned... the results will be posted!

Life is wonderful

The past couple of weeks have been by going so quickly! I can't believe that I'm already 31 weeks and that I only have 3 weeks of school left! It has definitely been a lot of fun. Mike has started going to school spring term and is looking into some other job opportunities and he is hoping to get drawn for the St. George Marathon.

This last week was testing week for my students. I don't know if they were stressed at all, but it definitely nice to have that out of the way. On Friday one of my room moms threw a baby shower for me and it was fun to watch my students play games and to open all of the gifts that they gave to me. The boys got sick of hearing all the "ooos" and "awhhs" from the girls and it turned out to be a competition towards the end of the party. I was very grateful that opening the gifts didn't last that long. My class is so wonderful. They are a big reason why choosing not to teach next year was difficult.

Anyways, Mike and I are enjoying the nice weather by planting a garden and spending time outside. The flowers Heather and JJ planted last year are looking beautiful. I am excited for the irises that are starting to bloom. We are looking forward to the arrival of our little girl with each passing day. And I look forward to losing some of the weight I have gained!

Oh and thanks to Kris for doing my hair! I love it! :)