Salt Lake with Grandma & Papa

My parents came down to Salt Lake to go to a Jazz game so we decided to head down to see them while they were so close. Brinley was so excited to go to Salt Lake to see them! We had a great time! We stayed at a hotel, Trail loved exploring it, he loved the mirror and kept kissing his image. Super cute!! We spent a lot of time at Temple Square and had some really neat experiences. Brinley tried going under the ropes of the Christus. She was so upset because she wanted to give Jesus a hug. What a precious girl! We walked out one day and Clint said wow it is noisy! There is such a amazing difference after you walk out the doors of Temple Square. They are doing TONS of construction right across the street, it always amazes me that you can't hear noise inside of Temple Square. It is such a peaceful place!!! We did a little shopping too, but the most important thing was spending time as a family. Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful time!!!! It is always great to be together!!!

Brinley is 3!!!!

I can't believe that Brinley is 3, it seems so much older than 2. I got out the video from when she was born and teared up remembering how special that day was. Looking back Clint and I were so young, it is amazing how much we have grown since that day! Brinley is such a blessing in our life! She is learning and saying so much! A few of my favorite things she has said lately are, "We're best friends huh Mom?" "I have an idea...." "Mom I'm helping remind Trail not to poop his pants." "Let's go back to the Hoytel" She is such a Joy in our life! We are so thankful for her! She shares a birthday with Mark Kremin one of our good friends. All day on her birthday we would say, "Who's birthday is it?" She would quickly reply, "It's Mark's" She loved helping decorate her Princess birthday cake and playing with her friends that came to her party. Wow, we have a 3 year old!

It's Snow Much Fun Sledding!!!!

I took the kids sledding with our friends Larry and Kari. I wasn't sure how they would do. Brinley & Trail loved it! Brinley wasn't apprehensive at all! She hoped right on and down she went! Trail laughed the first time he went down, but he got snow in his eyes with me and he wasn't quite sure about it! He would laugh when other people went down though. Brinley would run down the hill after the other kids that were taking a turn in the sled! Needless to say, it is a great way to wear her out! It was super entertaining to watch their little hats bob up and down as they went down the hill. I couldn't help but laugh! That is some awesome entertainment!

We love babies!!!

I just started watching a friend's baby 2 days a week. She just had to go back to work after maternity leave. We are lucky to get to have baby Kallie come play with us. She is 3 months old and super cute! I was a little nervous to see how the kids would handle her. I have been amazed to watch Brinley as her motherly instincts have kicked in! We fight over who gets to hold her! Other than the first day and a scratch on her face, Trail has done well. He will hold out his arms to hold her and he gives her loves. He also had to get in on feeding her too! Brinley loves to feed her too! When she wakes up they both run to get to her first! It has been such a joy and has filled some of the baby hunger I was feeling! The other night we were at Family Home Evening with a group of friends. Brinley apparently told one of our friends that we were going to have a baby at our house! We do have one come, but just in case if Brinley tells you we have a baby at our house or one is coming. No we aren't keeping anything from you, it is KALLIE! I thought these pictures were so precious I just had to share!!!!

Caught ya Trail...

Trail is always on the go or into something. You know your in trouble when you haven't heard him for a while. The other day I got a feeling he was up to something and went into the bathroom and found him sitting in our sink with books, toothbrushes and toothpaste. I don't know why but he loves to hang out in the bathroom. He will stand on the toilet and put things in the sink. Thank goodness our faucet is hard to turn on or I would be in a lot more trouble than I am now. I couldn't reset sharing these adorable pictures. It is amazing the things that will keep them entertained. I was worried about him falling out, so between him figuring out how to open the toilet seat and climbing into the sink, we keep the door shut now! I was telling my Mom today that he was actually sitting on my lap for more than one minute. I can't remember the last time he did that. He keeps me on my toes! Thank goodness he is so cute! He is starting to talk, his favorite word in Ball, the other day at Walmart he said Ball and I looked around and sure enough they had football on the TV. He can say duck, horse and Been Been for Brinley and of course Dad, but to this day he will not say Mom for me if I ask him to. Luckily my Mom boosted my self esteem about the situation by telling me that when I'm not around he will say Mom! When he is upset though he will say Mom. The other day Brinley was upset and he went up to her and patted her on the back and gave her a hug! So sweet! Those times are erreplacable! He is such a treasure in our home!

Ms Claus at the Library

Can I say I love our library here!!! They have Story Time every Tuesday. Ms Melinda is a wonderful lady who loves the kids and does so many fun projects with them. The best part is that it is free. She is so creative and it gives Brinley and opportunity to be in a learning environment. A few months ago I started taking Brinley's friend Easton and then we finally convinced Kendyl to come too. They are so cute together. They always hold hands. One day we were walking to the car and this man saw us and just smiled. He said it looked like a bunch of ducks following their Mom. They are pretty fun! Yesterday they had Ms Claus come. She gave them each an orange (Trail wouldn't let go of his for the next hour) Then they were able to make a Christmas card, they had so many different things for them to choose from. Luckily for me Clint was able to come with us! He said he enjoyed watching all the kids work on their projects. They are so creative! Then we were having so much fun we decided to come home and make cookies and donuts! It was crazy but fun. I'm so glad Brinley has such cute little friends to play with. They are actually all in the same nursery class which makes it even better!

Hubby Tag

1. Where did you meet? A blind date when I was a senior in High School. My friend moved to Pleasant Grove, so I flew down for Spring Break and she set us up. Good pick!

2. How long did you date before you got married? 3 years - 2 of which he was on his mission (Yes we wrote each other while he was on his mission)

3. How long have you been married? We just hit 5 years in July

4. What does he do to surprise you? He likes to send me flowers! I am very lucky!

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His height and muscles (Cheesy I know, but I know he will protect me)

6. Does he have a nickname for you? Nope! Tina is it!

7. What is your favorite quality? He is very calming and easy going about things. I will stress about talking to him about something and when I finally do he will say "it will be fine." It is amazing how you can equal each other out.

8. What is his favorite food? He loves pretty much anything, which makes my job easier. His favorite would be steak though!

9. What is his favorite sport? That would have to be FOOTBALL, but he loves pretty much any sport!

10. When and where did you first kiss? We kissed on our first date. I swore I would never do that, but Clint just planted one on me when we were at the movie. He says it was too boring. It was Mission to Mars. He said I was egging him on. The rest is history!

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We love to watch TV and relax together. We also like to cook together.

12. Do you have children? We have a precious little girl, Brinley and little boy Trail.

13. Does he have any hidden talents? I can't think of any! He is pretty willing to share his talents!

14. How old is he? 27 (It's hard to keep track)

15. Who said I love you first? He did. I doubt he would admit that. But he told me before we hung up the phone. I was smitten!

16. What is his favorite music? He loves Johnny Cash and the old boys. He also likes the hard rock music too!

17. What else do you admire about him? He has an amazing ability to make friends wherever he goes.

18. What is his favorite color? Blue all the way!!!

19. Will he read this? I doubt it! I don't think he has ever looked. I guess I can say whatever I want to about him that way!

20. What side of the bed does he sleep on? The right. It used to be the left but when I was pregnant our bed was against the wall and I couldn't get out in the middle of the night, so thus we switched!

I tag Jaycie & Jennilynn