Halloween!

Today was an amazing day!

This morning, I got to go to story time at the library with Mama and Aunt Sam. The best part: I got to wear my costume! I am a green dragon for Halloween this year. At story time, they celebrated the letter "H," so they sang a song just for me because my name starts with an H.

Later this afternoon, I got to help Nana frost some cupcakes. Nana frosted, Mama did the sprinkles, and I licked the beaters. Mama said I was so helpful! When I asked, Nana even squirted some of the frosting in to my mouth. Mmm! It was so yummy. And orange, just for Halloween.

Mama and Daddy got all dressed up to go trick-or-treating with me. Mama was a pink princess and Daddy was her knight/prince. He had a really cool sword that he made. Nana made his boots and Mama made his tunic. I think we looked really cool!

We went trick-or-treating to Nana and Papa first. They set up a fire pit outside and made root beer for the grown ups.

Here is my first ever Halloween Candy! From Nana!

At first, I just wanted to eat the candy that Nana and other people gave me. But then I figured out that if we went to more houses, they would give me more candy! At one house, a nice lady in our ward gave me a whole Snickers! Just for me! I was so excited about that, I wanted to eat it right away. But Mama said I had to wait because I was going to get even more candy. She was right!

Here I am trying to beg Mama to open the Snickers. 

We went to quite a few houses. Mama and Daddy helped me say "trick-or-treat," but I said "please" and "thank you" all by myself, every time. Mama said that I was very polite and nice.

I wanted to keep trick-or-treating all night, but we went and visited our friends the Wadsworths for a few minutes.


Once I got home, Mama and Daddy let me look at all the candy I collected! They even let me eat one of the mini-Milky Ways. That was delicious!

I think Halloween will be one of my favorite holidays. It was so fun to go trick-or-treating and see all the other kids dressed up. I wonder what we'll be next year...

--Little Brute

Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins today!


First, Mama and Daddy took all the guts out of the pumpkins. I didn't really like that part--it was slimy and gross, and I felt sad for my pumpkin. I was glad Daddy cleaned mine for me!

The Bruton Pumpkins! Daddy's is the biggest, then mine, then Mama's is the smallest. 

I was so excited to help carve my pumpkin. Mama and Daddy gave me a pen and let me draw a picture on it for Daddy to carve. I drew lots of lines, and Daddy said it looked just like a ghost! I drew everything except for one arm, the eyes, and the mouth. Daddy connected what I drew and helped me make it a perfect ghost.

Daddy let me help carve my pumpkin! I had my own little knife and everything. He let me do a hole in the back and help with the eyes in the front.  Daddy did the other carving, though, helping me turn it in to a ghost.  I think it looks awesome!

Mama's pumpkin says "Boo!" on it. It goes perfect with my pumpkin! Daddy spent lots of time on his pumpkin. He did three stained glass windows--very creepy ones!

I love carving pumpkins and I can't wait to do it again next year!

--Little Brute


Video of pumpkin carving is included in the Halloween post. 

Rowley's Red Barn: Pumpkin Patch!

Mama and Daddy took me to a pumpkin patch today! We drove down to Santaquin, to the Rowley's Red Barn. We got to ride behind a tractor all the way to the pumpkin patch, where there was lots of fun waiting for us!

First thing we did, was go down the slide a couple of times. I went with Daddy a few times, and then Mommy and I went down the big slide! It was so fun, I wanted to do all day. I'm lucky that every time I say "gen" (again) Mommy let me do it! Well, almost--at the end she said it was time to try something else. 

There was a really cool old truck there, that had pumpkins on the back! I climbed up and took a look at the pumpkins to see if maybe one of them was the one I wanted to take home. It wasn't on there, but Mama made us take some pictures. I guess that's ok--I like it when we take family pictures!

After that, I convinced Mama and Daddy to let me play in the sandbox. There were some tools and some trucks to play with, but I just wanted to use the little rakes. They're like the ones in Nana's sandbox at home!

Daddy took me around on a really fun pedal cart. We went all around the track, so fast! I felt just like the other big kids. 

Once we were done with that and Mama said no more sandbox, we rode behind another tractor through the apple orchards. I liked sitting on Daddy's lap and looking out at all the trees. 

Finally, Mama and Daddy said I could choose my pumpkin! Daddy helped me the most--he found the coolest pumpkin with an awesome stem! We knew that was the one for us to take home! Thanks for helping me find it, Daddy!

We had lots of fun, but I was tired and hungry so we loaded our pumpkin up in the buggy and walked back to our car. Pumpkin patches are so fun, though! I hope we can go to another one!

--Little Brute

At first, I thought this was the right pumpkin. But then I decided the other one would be better. 

This wasn't the real big barn--they just had a small one so I could look at it. So cool!

BYU Homecoming 2014

It was rather fortuitous that Homecoming at BYU happened just a little more than two weeks after we got home from England. We decided to do as much as we could with Henry, which ended up being quite a bit.

Tuesday, was the Hike and Light! It was absolutely beautiful that night, lots of sun, gorgeous colors on the mountains, the whole autumn she-bang.

We were lucky enough to have Papa come with us (Nana had sewing lessons). The hike up there was great, but I actually struggled a little bit with the elevation. Legs felt great and all that, but it was obvious I haven't been back here in the Mountainwest for at least three weeks yet. Henry rode in the backpack the whole way up on Daddy, eating treats and having a great time. We reached the bottom of the Y about 20 minutes before the actual lighting. Henry and Papa scampered around the Y for a minute, before we chose a couple of lights at the bottom-ish of the Y and waited. Just so happens our friends the Lees sat right next to us! We haven't seen them since Chelsey's wedding in May. That was a welcome surprise.

Finally, the countdown, and we got to turn our lightbulb and the Y was all aglow! Henry was so excited about "ights" and wanted to turn it and spin it over and over again. It was getting late, though, so we didn't hang out up at the Y for very long. We headed back down the dark trail, using our cell phones as flash lights (which Henry loved, of course). Hike and Light was a total success for our family this year--Henry looks up at the lit Y all the time now. "Ights! Ights!" he says.

The rest of the week we went about our routine. Until Saturday!

Saturday morning, Nana came with us to the Parade! The Parade went down 9th East, which is just down the street and through the park. We got all decked in our BYU gear. Henry was in his new BYU track suit (not the jacket, too warm) and we painted his hair blue! He really liked that, actually. Edie even dressed up! Nana made her a super cool cape with Y on it. We painted her hair blue, but it was petted away by the end the parade.

The parade was really fun! Henry wasn't sure about all the people at first, though. He just sat on my lap and collected the candy that I caught--holding as much of it in two hands as possible (he loved all the taffy). He gave a few high fives--to Cosmo, the Cougarettes ("he's so cute! I love his hair!"), and the Folk Dancers (he especially liked the guy dressed as a cowboy). We stayed about an hour, but then it was getting warm, so we grabbed our candy and headed back home.

We helped Nana get the food ready for Spooky Dinner (which happened today, Sunday--more on that later), then Henry took a nap while Derek and I went and bought a car (yes! again, more on that later. :D )

We got home in time to play for an hour, have chili with Jared and Ariel, then we headed to the game!

Kickoff was at 8:25, so we were a little nervous that Henry was going to be grumpy and cry. But, as usual, Henry surprised us with his awesomeness. He was so excited. He cheered, clapped, ate his treats, and enjoyed looking at the numbers on the bleachers. In the last few months, he's started doing the "Ra ra ra!" during the fight song, so he did that a few times, very enthusiastically.

A bit blurry, but you can tell he's doing the "Ra Ra Ra!"

We bought him a foam cougar paw, which he was SO excited about. He rawred, clawed everybody with it, and even used it as a pillow.

Cougar ROAR!

Also--I LOVE this photo. One of my favorites of Henry EVER. 

When he started acting a little tired, I took him for a walk. We actually ran in to Cosmo for a second, he his way to the other side of the stadium. Henry gave him a big smile and high five. I wish I would have had the camera with me!

We had a really great time at the game. The outcome wasn't what we had hoped, BYU lost by a touchdown, but we all had so much fun that it was fine. I couldn't believe Henry stayed awake and as happy as he did the whole time, but he didn't fall asleep until we started walking home. He's such a trooper!

We put him to bed in his sweats, blue hair and all. I glanced at the clock right after--12:45am. Yup. He was one tired puppy. He didn't even wake up as I laid him down, and slept until almost 9:30. Thank goodness!

Overall, despite BYU's loss, Homecoming was a great success and a blast this year. And, sheesh--we had the cutest little cougar with us!

Autumn in Provo

Our first week back, the colors on the mountains suddenly burst into an absolutely gorgeous riot of color. It was amazing! We took advantage of our little time left before Derek started work and our drive to Duchesne to enjoy hiking in Provo Canyon. Both times we stopped it was gorgeous!

Henry, of course, enjoyed gathering sticks and using them to write in the dirt. Derek and I reveled in the fresh mountain air, the colors, and the quiet time in the mountains.

Henry surprised us, however, with knowing his colors! Derek and I were discussing how blue the sky was, when he looked down at Derek's shirt (he was riding on Derek's shoulders) and said: "Boo! Boo!" pointing at the bright blue stripe that crossed Derek's chest. After that, he also showed his cleverness by remembering yellow and red when we handed him leaves. What a clever boy we have!

Yes, sometimes I am freaked out by how high Derek throws him. But mostly, I trust this Daddy to take care of my baby. 

Derek decided to spin us both around. WHEEE!!! (freak out!!)

"Ed" and "eh-yo" leaves. 

Edie Dog in Rock Canyon

Our first weekend back, Derek, Henry and I took Edie (pronoucned E D. Yes, two letters) for a walk in Rock Canyon. The colors were pretty, it was a beautiful day, and Henry was in heaven taking the dog for a walk. He LOVES her.

Not much else to say except that we took our awesome buggy up the canyon and it did great. Not only can it handle cobblestones and dozens of European stairs, but also huge rocks (seriously) and 3-wheeling it in the rough terrain of the Wasatch Mountains.

So sweet...

...and so mischievous! 

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy Jig

Well, we've been back in Provo for almost a week. A week tomorrow, actually. Things are going well, and we're finally starting to recover from jet lag.


Henry hasn't adjusted to the craziness as quickly as he did when we visited in May, but he's getting there. The last 3 nights he's slept his normal schedule (8pm - 7:30am) and had normal naps. Poor little guy -- I don't think he really understood why he wanted to sleep during the day and wanted to be up playing in the middle of the night.

As we expected, he's absolutely in love with the dog. Poor Edie has taken to hiding under the kitchen table or between the piano and the bench--the only places she can really get away from him. He gets SO excited when he sees her, no matter the time of day. I love it, but I think Edie's a bit tired of it. Luckily, she is the most patient and sweet dog with him. It only makes him love her more, though.

He's also loving how big Nana and Papa's house is! He runs around it like it's a racetrack, trying to get anyone in sight to chase him. The backyard is so much fun, complete with swing and sandbox, but he still points to every playground we walk by.



Derek starts his job on Monday. I know--I haven't said anything anywhere on Social Media, because he wanted to wait until he signed a contract. I figured everyone who will actually read this already knows, so there you go. :) He'll be working at GDA, a civil engineering company based out of Cody, Wyoming. They just opened a new office in Heber, Utah, which is where Derek will be. He actually received the offer the morning we moved out of Number 4 Panton Street--a very welcome surprise that morning! I'm so proud of him and we feel so incredibly blessed.

When we were trying to decide where we wanted to end up, both Derek and I felt the Holy Ghost confirm that Utah was the place for us. Which was convenient, since a big part of us wanted to end up here anyway. There are moments when I wish we had headed somewhere a little more adventurous, but I think Utah holds lots of adventures for our family. Heber is one of the places Derek and I have always talked about buying a house and settling down there. Knowing that we have a job there is just so exciting to us.

We'll be living with Nana and Papa until January, though, and then we'll be moving in to the apartment that is in their basement. Their current tenants have a contract until then, so we've taken over the two basement rooms for now. It's great, but I am looking forward to getting all of our things out and getting our house decorated. :)



I started back at work this Monday. I'll be in the office 4 days a week for just a few hours, and Nana will have Little Brute while I'm away. Already I'm struggling with not being with my boy all day. I was so lucky to have been able to be with him all day while we were in Cambridge, and I miss our routine and all the fun we had together. But it is great to be back in the office. I'm much more productive and I really do appreciate having "grown up time," but I sure miss my Little Brute.



So, that's us for now. We're looking forward to going to Homecoming next week--our first football game back in the stadium! It's wonderful to be here in Utah as the mountains are changing. We have absolutely GORGEOUS views of Y-Mountain and the Wasatch Mountains in Utah Valley from where we live. While I am aching for Cambridge, it is wonderful to be back in our Mountain Home.

27 Years

Well, I'm 27 years old now. Strange. I can't seem to remember getting that old, but suddenly here I am, almost 30. OK, let's not talk about that--I'm closer to 25 than 30.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about my life and what I've done in the past 27 years. I have so much to be grateful for! I mean, really, my life has been awesome.

I decided to put together a list of 27 things that I'm grateful for. Things I'm glad I did, people I love, things I've learned to appreciate. In no particular order, of course--just what comes to mind.

Here goes:

1.  I couldn't start this list with anything but my husband. He is my very best friend, my white knight, my favorite comedian, my favorite travel companion, and my very best partner in all things. 
2. My parents. Gosh, I'm so lucky to have two very supportive, fantastic parents. I see so much of them in myself, that I couldn't possibly list anything I'm proud of doing without crediting them a bit, too. 
3. Henry. I don't even know where to go with this, because he is just the perfect child for me. He is pure joy, pure goodness, pure wonderful. And just so darn hilarious.
4. I'm glad I went to BYU. That decision totally changed my life, in so many ways. Not the least of which is meeting my eternal companion. I'm so glad I chose to attend a school where the gospel goes hand in hand with academia. 
5. I'm glad I was married in the Temple. Today, for my birthday, we went to the Provo Temple, where Derek and I were sealed together. That decision has brought such focus in my life, reminding me of what is most important: God, my marriage, and my family. 
6. I appreciate the beauty of God's creations. All of them. The mountains, the valleys, the deserts, the green valleys. The stars in the sky, the flowers in the fields, the animals that bring variety to our world. 
7. I'm glad I studied history teaching. It combines two things I love: history, and teaching others about that history. 
8. I'm glad I taught for a year and a half. I still think back on those times with fondness. Even when it was hard, and I did things I shouldn't have, I still think of my students as some of my favorite people. 
9. I'm glad I finished my degree. I think about where my life would be if I hadn't. I wouldn't have had the adventures I have or even some of the self-confidence I do. I know it's not for everyone, but for me--it was pivotal. 
10. I appreciate sitting and reading. You know, since I became a Mom, that time is really diminished. And when I do finally have time to sit and read, I'm so tired, I find myself taking a nap so I can keep up with school, work, house stuff, and my Little Brute. I truly appreciate that time, though, so when I can, I try to read at least a little bit. 
11.  I appreciate having the Holy Ghost with me at all times. I can't even remember life without his constant companionship, and I am so grateful to have the Spirit with me to help me make decisions, to prompt me when I need to be careful, and to guide me as a mother. 
12. My siblings. They are so awesome. I hope my kids have the same relationship with their siblings as I do with mine.
1. Corinne: the older sister I followed, learned from. I've said it before, but besides my parents, I give her credit for teaching me to read and to love doing it. Something I could never thank her enough for. 
2. Samantha: my best partner in crime--good crimes and bad. Almost every good memory of my childhood includes her. 
3. Dallon: my favorite brother. I know if I had 50, he'd still be my favorite. I hope my son grows up to be as kind, as brave, and as wonderful as Dallon. 
4. Chelsey: I admire so much about this girl, but especially the way she works. Oh, and I hope to be as funny as she is someday. 
13. I'm glad I did study abroad. That semester set so many things in motion for my life. I left my family thinking I would like England and have a good time, but I had no idea how much! And how much a part of my life England would become. 
14. I'm glad Derek and I did PKP. That gave us a taste of Cambridge, but even more than that. In our first year of marriage, it gave us some time just the two of us, far from family, to figure ourselves out. 
15. I'm glad we moved to England for a year. I would like to elaborate on this, but I might cry. Perhaps later. 
16. I appreciate a good glass of cold root beer. Being in England for a year, where Root Beer is available but expensive, I learned to appreciate sitting down with a glass of A&W. We've been home less than a week and we've already had 4 liters go through our fridge--most of it consumed by me. 
17. I appreciate having a Temple nearby. Only getting to attend once while we were in England was hard--it was expensive and far away. But having two in the same city (well, almost 2) where I live, that is amazing. 
18. I'm glad I worked hard in school. All my life, really. Even when I was a kid, I tried. Not as hard as I had to in university, but still. I'm glad I didn't ever give up. 
19. I appreciate that my parents let us have pets. I learned so much from having dogs and cats growing up, and how they really can become part of the family. 
20. I appreciate the differences between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Sometimes, I prefer what the other countries are doing. But I also recognize that those difference make us unique. They give us a chance to improve, goals to work towards. 
21. I'm glad my parents instilled a sense of patriotism in me. You will hear me talk about how much I love England every day, probably. But I am so proud to be an American. I am so proud to claim the Stars and Stripes as my own. 
22. I'm glad I work for Ancestry.com. I have learned so much at this job, and I love it. I'll always be grateful for how flexible they have been with my move to England, my family situation, and my desire to work fewer hours. 
23. I appreciate long drives in the car with Derek. I really did miss our drives out to Duchesne, through such beautiful country, when we could talk and talk and talk about anything and everything. With Henry, there is a new dynamic, but I still love a good drive where we can talk about our dreams. 
24. I appreciate the mountains. I really did miss the towering majesty of Utah's mountains while we were abroad. Going in to the canyons this week, I realized just how lucky I am to live near these--God's handmade cathedrals. 
25. I appreciate modern technology. Even just writing this blog post, I'm feeling so grateful for computers and keyboards. But this includes hot water, manufacturing, etc. I am so grateful we were able to skype with family every week while we were gone--to actually see them while we chatted! That is amazing. 
26. I'm glad I chose to marry Derek. Maybe this is going back to #1, but really--I think about this all the time. No matter what people say, thinking they influenced me, it was MY choice. I chose. and I am so glad I chose the right man. :)
27. I appreciate the challenges that come my way. Some people claim that Derek and I live charmed lives; and we do have pretty awesome lives, but we've chosen to keep our challenges private. And I appreciate that God has enough confidence in me to overcome them and to become a better person because of them. 

So---27. I realize that there are a million more things I could add to this list. But these are the first 27 that came to mind. 

I'm excited for the next year, the next decades, the next century maybe. I am so blessed and I know that I will continue to see and recognize even more blessings in my life. So here's to more amazing years in this mortal life!