1: I am the only SAHM who lives in Utah County and doesn't know how to use a fancy camera. Or Photoshop.

2: Emmett can't sit on his own.

3: Owen can't sit still.

4: Samuel can't smile without looking like he's in pain.

And thusly, 5: It is impossible to get three children looking decent in one picture.

It sure was an adventure trying, though!

We almost might have gone with one of these, but that leads me to number 6: I'm too lazy.

Merry Christmas from the Briggs!

Warmest wishes to you and yours, from us and ours.

September 25, 2011

It took me a long time to finally make it back to church.  Erik had been taking the boys for the last 2 hours.  I finally decided it was time, so I got myself out of bed at 6:30 to start the morning.  Erik leaves every Sunday at 7:30 for bishopric meeting.  The boys got up right after he left.  So I finished getting myself ready, got the two boys ready, then woke up Emmett to feed him and get him ready.  Erik came home at 8:50 and we were only about 5 minutes late for 9:00 church.  And they might have been wearing cute coordinating shirts.  Totally worth documenting.  Except that once we were back home, no one really wanted to be documented.  Oh well.  Such is our life.  That's why these pictures still make me smile. 

Sam tells me regularly that he doesn't like Owen.  Owen can often be heard shouting, "No, Sam, I not like that!"  They fight, they don't share, they push each others' buttons and know just what it takes to get the other mad.  But they're brothers.  And Erik tells me that's all normal.  They also make each other laugh and giggle, they play so well together, they're best buddies, and you can see how much they adore each other.

I was so afraid adding another boy to the mix would change their relationship.  Would Sam be as close with him as he is with Owen?  Would Owen and he become best buddies while Sam became the odd man out?  I still wonder what's going to happen as they get older, but right now I couldn't be more pleased to see these three boys of mine . . . three sweet little brothers who love each other mucho. 

Erik was working late one night, so while I grilled up some bratwurst outside, I told they boys they could come out in their rain boots and play in the puddles.  Which was apparently very loosely interpreted to mean, "Come out in your rain boots, but then take them off, and don't forget to get nakey, too!"

A vanilla ice cream cone is definitely the boys' favorite treat.  Usually I get kiddie sizes.  So it was a special treat at the zoo the other week when they got full sized cones.  And they both devoured them.  When they were finished, the only thing left was four messy hands and two very sticky faces.

Samuel and I went outside one sunny (but chilly) afternoon while Owen napped.  I decided to move the sandbox off the patio, and we discovered a whole world of worms under there from the last several rains.  Samuel thought it his duty to rescue all of them, and without any reservations, he started picking up handfuls and relocating them to a muddy spot by the fence.  He spent a long time doing this, until all of the worms were rescued and safe in their new home.  Well, all of them but one.  There was a gigantic worm, a good 7 inches at least, that Sam started to pick up, but it squirmed away really fast and startled him.  So Sam concluded, “That’s a super big worm just for grownups to rescue.”

When I first announced I was expecting another boy, I was pretty surprised at the general response.  “Oh dang, maybe next time.”  “Well the most important thing is that you have a healthy baby.”  “That’s too bad, I’m so sorry.”  And it kind of baffled me.  I can honestly say not one bit of me is disappointed in having three mud loving, worm rescuing, ant squishing, rough housing, boy buddies.  I am so in love with these little stinks of mine, and I am thrilled to add another one into the mix.  It’s gonna be a blast.  I wouldn’t want it any other way.

My camera has been missing for a while.  It turned up on top of the fridge.  Which surprisingly, is where I keep it.  I guess I should’ve thought to check there.  Anyway, a few old pictures I thought I’d blog for the sake of memory.  My memory.  Which is SHOT!  What is wrong with me?  I have no brain.  I sat for like a full minute yesterday trying to think of what the stupid toy in front of me was called.  DOG.  A big dumb fuzzy stuffed dog.  I was looking for the word DOG.  Sigh.  I digress . . .

December 7, 2010

Evening with Santa.  We were invited to a special event with fun games, donuts, prizes, and a meeting with Santa.  This was Samuel’s first time to meet Santa.  He was through the roof giddy.  With about 3 people in front of us left, he started bouncing.  When it was finally his turn, he literally jumped the whole way to Santa’s lap.  Samuel told him he was a very good boy and when asked, replied he wanted EVERYTHING for Christmas!  Then it was Owen’s turn.  We very specifically planned for Erik to do the hand off.  O definitely didn’t scream or cry.  But he still wasn’t very excited about it.  Afterwards, he had no problem smiling and waving to Santa.  And when we left, Owen had learned a new word.  “Bye bye Danta!!” 

December 15, 2010 

When gymnastics ended, we started going to the library with our friends on those mornings instead.  We would go for a 30 minute music time, then check out some books and read for 30 minutes, and then have 30 minute story time.  On the last day before the Christmas Break, I figured it was time to bring my camera.  (Mediocre point and shoot + Awful awful flourescent lighting = These pictures.)  We had been promised the week before there would be a special visitor from the North Pole, but it wasn’t Santa.  I’m going to be honest, the whole thing was a bit lame.  Sam was bored with it.  But he still wanted to wait in line for his candy cane.  Then he went back and got one for O.

Sometimes I let my child dress himself.  I usually regret it later.  Like when I look at pictures.

Buddies Gavin and Nathan.

December 22, 2010

Owen has started throwing some awesome tantrums.  He had a particularly nasty one that for some reason he felt needed to happen under the table.  I figured I could sit there and pull my hair out.  Or I could get out the camera.

December 26, 2010

Just helping himself to some cheese and crackers.  Funny kid.

Christmas seems like it was a lifetime ago.  I’ve been putting off this post.  The camera died so we took maybe 6 pictures total.  But it needs to be done.  Our Christmas was very mild and oh so low key.  It was just the 4 of us here at home.  And it was just what we needed.  We’d all been pretty sick (and most of us still are/are again) and just weren’t up for a big hooplah this year.  What we did do was intimate, cozy, and still very special.  So here is the rundown . . .

Christmas Eve is kind of the big day for me.  While Owen and I napped, Erik and Sam went to the dollar store to finish some shopping.  Sam picked out presents for both me and Owen.  (Naps and dollar store, sure sounds like a pretty big day!)  I planned to make a semi-traditional Danish dinner.  I started slowly in the morning with the intention that I could have it together by dinner time.  Almost.  I screwed up the cranberry salad, and never made it to the candied potatoes or rolls.  But we were all still happy and full after a pork roast and gravy, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, green beans, red cabbage, and a bottle of snow cold Martinellis.  All served in my most fancy dishes.  When it’s just the four of us, all sick, I have a hard time putting on a show.

We got out the Christmas jammies and the boys ran around crazy for a few minutes before calming down with the scripture story of Christ’s birth from the New Testament reader.  The boys each chose a gift to open.  We had to talk Sam out of choosing the giant bags that came from Colorado.  Then I put sick O to bed and the other two made some peanut butter cookies for Santa.  Sam came to the realization for the first time that we didn’t have a chimney, and he asked how Santa would get in.  We suggested we could leave the door open for him, but Samuel was very concerned about the cats getting in if we did that.  So he suggested we leave a note on the door that said, “Come in Santa, but please don’t let any cats in.”  Erik and I stayed up till about 10 getting everything finished up and waiting for Santa.  It was totally a record being done that early, but I was still just throwing things into boxes and slapping on a dumb bow by that point. 

So Christmas morning came early with O waking up crying at 6:20.  I gave him some milk and crossed my fingers he just might go back to sleep, but he didn’t.  So I brought him into bed with us and turned on the tv.  Erik was starting to get antsy by that point.  It was pretty cute.  I could hear the wheels in his brain cranking, deciding if he could go in and wake up Sam. 

Samuel came out on his own pretty soon, though, and by 7 we were all waiting behind the upstairs gate ready to go see if Santa had found our house.  The first thing Sam saw were the stockings, and he headed right over.  It took him a few minutes before he noticed the other stuff.  Classic moment. 

We spent the morning slowly opening presents and playing with them before moving on to the next gift.  I was pleased with how calm and mellow it all was.  The castle and dragons were a huge hit, and so was Owen’s policeman Helmet Hero.  (Samuel has the racecar driver, and the two fight over it like crazy.)  Grandpa W and Mormor totally scored major points with the Pillow Pets, since Erik and I had told Sam countless times that we would never buy him one, and as parents, we had the power to tell Santa not to bring one, too.  We had a mighty fine haul from Grandma and Grandpa B, too!  Santa was smart and labeled most of the gifts to Samuel AND Owen in hopes of alleviating too many Gimmes and Mines.  Erik got to build himself a brand new computer for his present a week or so earlier, I made him a desk calendar from Shutterfly, and Sam got him a huge plastic trumpet.  Because apparently, “Dad NEEDS one of these!  So he can go ‘Doo doo dooo’ and say ‘Saaaaaaaaaamuuuuuuuuuuuel’ really loud!”  Sam got me a stamp, and I also got a bigger and faster camera card.  After presents, we had a yummy breakfast of monkey bread, bacon, and sausage.  And a few apple slices for good measure.

The rest of the day was for eating, playing, resting, and watching movies.  We stayed in our pjs until after a dinner of leftovers.  Then we changed into clean pajamas.  And went to bed.  At least those were the highlights.  It was different to do Christmas completely and entirely by ourselves.  We missed being with family and other special traditions, but we also really enjoyed the quiet time at home.  Merry Christmas!