Easter 2016

It was my first Easter this year! My brother, Henry told me about Easter and how much fun it is to hunt for eggs. He said the Easter bunny fills them with candies and prizes! Mostly, I'm just excited to play with the eggs.

On Saturday, Nana had her special Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. There were SO many kids! That was a lot of fun. Henry ran around gathering eggs. Mama brought some to me so I could play with them on the grass. I loved chewing on them and knocking them together. I also liked seeing Nana's friend, Sister Baird--she dressed up like the Easter Bunny!

It was a fun hunt, but we were all really tired when it was over. 

On Sunday, we woke up to find the Easter Bunny left us a trail of eggs to some new books! Henry got a Franklin book, Franklin's Blanket, and I got The Giving Tree. It was so fun to follow the eggs! 

For church, we wore our matching outfits to church. Nana bought them for us and Caleb. I liked the bow tie the best. Henry was really excited, because Nana made him a green bow tie--that's his favorite color. Mama and Aunt Sam tried to get us to take some pictures in our outfits. We didn't want to do that. 

After church, we took naps while Mama and Daddy had their Easter Egg hunt with everybody. Aunt Chelsey got the golden egg this year! But Daddy found the most eggs, Mama said. 

Henry, Caleb and I had our own Easter Egg Hunt after we woke up. Henry hunted for green eggs, mine were blue, and Caleb's were orange. I really like playing with eggs! I think we should have Egg Hunts every day!

The best part about Easter was being with our family. Uncle Dallon came down from Logan, Chelsey and Jeremy came from Salt Lake, and Greg, Sam, and Caleb came over from Springville. It was so great to all be together.

--Little John

Update on the Boys

Henry:

* Just turned 3! He's 30 pounds and 38.5 inches tall. 

* Still likes to play with cords, but no where near where he was at Christmas. Lately, it's been all about his Thomas Trains, which isn't really anything new, only now he's creating stories with them. He has a few trains that are Thomas, one which is a little mini thing. He likes to pretend his "Big Thomas" is "Little Thomas's" daddy. Daddy goes to work on the other side of the ottoman, and then Little Thomas is sad. It's quite sweet.

* Potty trained! Henry did SO well with potty training, I can hardly believe it. He really only had accidents for two days, and then a few night accidents for about a week. We started potty training on the 10th of February, and by his birthday, he was already telling us when he needed to go with only a few tiny accidents. We are so proud of him!

* Still loves wearing his Wellies all over the place. 

Johnny:

* Trying to crawl! He gets up high on his arms and almost onto his knees. Mostly he pushes himself backwards and spins around in a circle. 

* Saying a few words! So far, clear words that he only uses for specific things are: Edie (Nana's dog), kitty, Mama, Dada, Baba, Yay (with clapping usually), and some sort of  "heh heh" for Henry. Mostly Henry gets a lot of smiles and excitement. 

* Mama's boy! 100% It's kind of hilarious and sad all at the same time. He'll be totally fussing, crying, and Derek will try everything he can to soothe him. As soon as I pick him up, he lays his head on my shoulder, stops crying, and relaxes. Like, presto! 

* Cuddler. Like I said, he loves to lay his head on my shoulder and cuddle lately. After every bottle, before bed, and usually right after he wakes up, he lays his head on my right shoulder and sighs, then cuddling. 

* 2 1/2 teeth! His two bottom teeth are all the way out, and one of the top has finally poked through. You can barely see it, so I only count it as 1/2 a tooth. :) But any day now, we'll see white when he smiles. 

* Loves the sandbox just like his brother. He wasn't quite sure the first time I put him in, but as soon as Henry got in and John saw him digging around, Johnny was so excited. He loves to play in it now, especially with the trucks. 

Mid-November Update

What we 4 Brutons are up to:

Derek:
Work, work, work. Actually, he's away on business as I write this, in Vernal. Yes, not super exotic, but far enough away that the boys didn't get to kiss him goodnight last night. We're certainly grateful for our hardworking Daddy.
He and Jared are working on some new-fangled idea that I really hope will work out. For purposes of security, I will only refer to it by it's prototype name: chirp. I know, very cryptic, but I don't know that they want their idea out there for anybody and everybody to see.

Jen:
Mommying and working. I'm working nights still, whenever I get a half our to get an episode mostly written or something. But mostly I'm absorbed in my the rearing and cuddling of my two boys.

Henry:
His favorite thing to do lately is "play cords." He has a white extension cord, my old grey phone charger, and old razor charger that he loves to play with. He is constantly asking Derek and I to "play cords" with him, but we're really not sure how to do that. But man, his imagination is incredible! Henry uses his cords as vacuums, lights, "shavers," tools, anything and everything. He also uses our external DVD drive as "his computer." He tells us usually once a day that he's going to watch Cars on his computer, which just cracks me up.
Speaking of Cars, Henry really does like that movie. and Toy Story.  Those are his two favorites lately, and we watch them at least once a week. We still try to limit his screen time, but sometimes you just need a movie. He likes to have popcorn and "cuddle up" on the love sac with either Derek or me and watch it. He doesn't usually last more than 15-20 minutes at a time, but it is still fun to watch it with him. Every couple of minutes he says "What happened?" Even if he knows, just because he likes the conversation, I think.
Besides "what happened," Henry's other favorite question is "What's that, Mommy?" He CONSTANTLY asks that. Oh, and "What you doin' Mommy?" Or Daddy, or Nana, or whoever. He asks me that question at least 500 times a day, usually 4 times in a row about the same activity. It makes me laugh, but it can get tiresome, too. I guess it's just preparation for the Why days that I know are coming.
For a few weeks, Henry called everybody silly. Like, "what you doing silly Mommy?" Everyone was "silly nana," or "silly Daddy," or "Silly Johnny." After Derek and I talked to him a couple times about how people don't really like being called silly he stopped. He does catch himself before he says it here and there, which is very sweet.
As for sharing toys with people, Henry is so up and down with that. Some days, he is all about letting people use his things and sharing. The next, he doesn't want anybody to touch anything or even look at it. I feel like I have to say "Henry, you need to share" a bajillion times on those days. I definitely prefer when he's in a giving mood.
Henry is still a picky, picky, picky eater. It's probably one of my biggest trials as a Mommy so far. I get so frustrated, worried that he's not getting all the food and nutrients that he needs. Thank goodness he likes to take his vitamins, though. His favorite food right now, by far, is bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. He likes to use "cold bread" (just regular white bread, but we keep it in the fridge so he calls it cold bread), and lately has been eating all the bread out of the middle first before eating he crust.
Henry is still a champ about going to bed, mostly. He has started trying to come up with all sorts of excuses to stay up with us. His favorite is "My hungry again, Mommy" or "I need to take a bath, I'm dirty." It makes me laugh, but when it comes down to it, he really does go to bed when we say it's time. It's interesting, though, because he will stay awake in his bed for an hour or so before actually falling asleep. He usually has a stuffed animal or two (his favorite is his bus right now) and his phone (my old cell) and I know he plays quietly with them. I kind of feel bad that he's not out with us, but he does need the quiet and the rest, so I think it's ok.

Johnny
John actually rolled over for the first time today! It was pretty fun to watch his face. I had to help him get his arm out just a little bit, but then once he had that figured out, he rolled a few times. When Derek got home, he needed help with his arm again. I think a few more days and he'll have it.
Johnny also tried baby food for the first time this week! On Sunday, we gave him peaches, which he really didn't like. It was what we gave Henry first, and he loved that, but I forget that Henry is unusual for a kid and loves strong flavors. We tried applesauce tonight and he seemed to like that. Still make lots of faces, but he ate quite a bit and didn't protest like he did with the peaches.
John really likes to play with rattles right now. He chews on them, but he gets really excited about the noise, especially when he shakes it himself. He also likes a little Ernie doll that I found at the DI (and washed, don't worry). It's EXACTLY like a little Ernie doll I had growing up. It's so fun to see him playing with it.
He still loves to read, too. He loves to put his hand on the book, an when I am reading with him on my lap he grabs one side of the book and holds on to it really tight. Sometimes, I have to pry his fingers off one by one so I can turn the page.
John LOVES Henry. He laughs and laughs at him, and always gives him the biggest smiles. Henry likes to stand on the edge of Johnny's crib and look in at him and say, "Johnny, Johnny, it's your Henry brother!" I love it. They just crack me up.
John is sleeping pretty well, though the last week or so he's started getting up several times in the night to eat again. I'm hoping that the baby food will help with that, as I think he's just still hungry. He takes great naps though. All I have to do is wrap him up, give him a binky, and put him in his bed. Sometimes he's asleep before I even close the door. He's taking 2 (sometimes 3) naps a day right now, which is great because I get time with Henry in the morning and then he sleeps during Henry's nap time in the afternoon. He usually wakes up before Henry, however, so I do get one on one time with him, too.


We're still missing Cambridge so much. More than we can bear, some days. We've talked more and more about moving back across the pond, but then we have a great day with cousins and then I rethink that. It's so great to be close to our family. It started snowing this week, and we are looking forward to the holidays and enjoying all that the snow has to offer us this winter.

The PumpkinTrain

This last Saturday, we went with our whole Bruton family on the Pumpkin Train! Heber Valley Historic Railroad does a special train for Halloween each year, where you can ride the train to the Charleston station and back, then choose your very own pumpkin to take home!

When we arrived, it was right smack dab in the middle of nap time. We were a little nervous about how the kids were going to handle that, but they were all happy and very well behaved the whole time. Except for John, who got quite tired. But we forgive him. :)

First thing the kids wanted to do was go on the Haunted Train car. They each got a sticker (Henry's was a green ghost he called "Blobby.") They had glow sticks for a ring toss and they got to shoot a big spider with a Nerf gun (Henry drilled it!). So obviously not too haunted, but a ton of fun for the kiddos.

We boarded the train just a couple minutes following the haunted train car, and boy, were the kids excited! We all sat together, the kids switching seats every couple of minutes to be with Grandpa and Grandma, Mom or Dad, or a different aunt or uncle. Johnny was really only happy with either me or Daddy, but Uncle Jared sure tried. Henry was happiest when he was with Grandpa, so he spent most of his time on Grandpa's bench by the window. He got really tired about 3/4 of the way through, and cuddled up next to Grandpa with his blankie. I thought for sure he was going to fall asleep, but apparently he was just too excited.

For most of the ride, we just enjoyed the beautiful scenery out our window. The mountains are beautiful right now, and we had PERFECT weather to enjoy the ride with the windows down. The kids liked dancing to Thriller, eating snacks (Allyson especially enjoyed the pumpkin cookies they gave out), and playing musical chairs, as mentioned before.

The highlight of the trip was probably when the engine switched from the front to the rear end of the train at Charleston Station. All the kids leaned their heads out the windows to watch the train and the conductor go by. It was so fun to hear and see their excitement as they watched.

When we got back to the station, we got our pumpkins, attempted to take some photos of the kids and our little family on the caboose (disaster), and then headed back to our cars.

But guess what? Our truck had a flat tire! Derek and Jared got it changed quickly (luckily we had a full sized spare) while Grandpa supervised. After getting that changed, we headed over to Dairy Keen for burgers and French fries. It was so much fun, and we are certainly looking forward to the pumpkin train again next year!

--Jen

St. George with the Schofield Family

This last weekend, Nana and Papa treated us to a vacation in St. George. After a good long drive down (Johnny screamed for about 90 minutes of it), we made it to a really nice town home just a little ways outside of Zion's National Park. Nana and Papa greeted us at the door in Mickey and Minnie Jammies! Which was pretty hilarious.

We spent the next couple of days enjoying time together and the lovely weather in Southern Utah. The first day, we lounged around and relaxed. It was Sam's birthday, and Caleb, Henry, Johnny and I had made her a special sign the day before. Henry was really excited to present it to her on the morning of her birthday! We had cake and ice cream that night, which was delicious. Papa bought trick candles, Bwahaha! It took Sam quite a while to get them all blown out, and even then we needed a bowl of water. Henry really liked the "green ice cream" (mint chocolate chip) he got to have after.

Papa took Henry fishing down at the catch/release pond at the opening of the little town home community, which Henry was pretty excited about. For a few minutes, anyway! At 2, he wasn't really up to sitting and waiting for the fish to bite. But he has talked about fishing with Papa since we got home, so it definitely made an impression!

After fishing, everybody headed down to the pool. It was SO nice! The pool was heated and it wasn't blazing hot, so it was just perfect. Henry loved swimming around with Nana, Daddy, and me, and was particularly interested in a little shark toy that we found at the town house. It was Johnny's first time swimming! He really liked the water, but quickly tired out. He took a good nap on the lounge chair while we continued swimming. Caleb, of course, adored the water and was grinning and splashing around with his mama, too.

After swimming, we went home and napped and enjoyed just chilling around the house. They had a pin ball machine, which everybody enjoyed. Henry wanted to play it all the time, and kept asking to go upstairs to play "that ball game." The older boys played video games, watched football, and we ate delicious food prepared by Nana. That night, Derek, Jeremy, Dallon and I played Lord of the Rings Risk, which was a lot of fun. Derek and I won. YAY!

Saturday, our second day, we got up at a not too early hour and headed in to Zion's National Park for some hiking. We decided to hike to the Emerald Pools, as it was an easy hike, and we had 3 kiddos to lug about. It was PERFECT weather for hiking. Overcast, not too hot, and absolutely beautiful. Henry even got out of the tummy pack and hiked for a while! He was very proud of himself for that.

When we reached the upper pool, Caleb was stripped to his diaper and crawled around happy as can be. He LOVED it! Henry scampered around, too, and even fell in the water. We were so proud of him for not freaking out when his shorts got all wet! He just wanted to have fun. He loved eating the trail mix that Nana had packed for us, and munched and munched with Uncle Dallon while I fed John. One of the funniest moments on the trip was on the hike back to the shuttle bus. Henry spotted a man standing up on a big rock and he (quite loudly) said "Jump down, sir!"

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 It really was a great hike--just perfect for us that day. When we got home, Papa, Greg, Derek, Jeremy, and Chelsey went golfing, while the rest of us stayed home and had naps, read, and watched T.V. That evening, we watched more football and lounged about. Some of us (including Henry) watched Hotel Transylvania, too.

Sunday, we got up and got ready in time to attend Sacrament Meeting at the local ward before heading back up to Provo.

It was a really fun weekend! I wish we could do it again; it was so nice to be able to just relax, get away from everything at home, and spend time together in a beautiful place.

--Jen

Brothers

I love watching Henry and John interact. As John gets more responsive and active, Henry finds him a lot more interesting. But even more than that, John LOVES watching Henry. On Friday, I had Johnny on the love sack taking pictures of him in a new outfit (Thanks Aimee and Jonathan!), and Henry wanted to get up next to him. And then he said "My want to read to Johnny." So, he grabbed one of his books (his London book! Perfect) and climbed back onto the love sack (with his Blankie, of course) and began reading to John. It was just so unbelievably sweet. John looked up at the pictures, cooed at them a little, and watched Henry while he read. These little moments, these sweet brotherly moments, are what I live for every day. I can't wait to watch as their bond strengthens and their relationship deepens.

Hastening His Work

Yesterday, Sunday, we had a special regional conference for church. 235 Stakes participated in the meeting, via satellite or (the lucky few thousand people) in the Marriott Center at BYU. There were some fantastic talks, all of them made me think about things I can do to improve my life and my home. Since then, however, one concept has kept coming back to me: Hastening the Work.

Elder Hallstrom gave a wonderful talk about how the Lord is hastening His work in our day. He spoke of Missionary Work, Temple Work, Family History Work, and Teaching in the church. All of these things have surely fulfilled the Lord's command to hasten His work among His people. But I feel that Elder Hallstrom missed something. Perhaps it was because he wanted to focus on other things, perhaps because there wasn't enough time to address everything. Either way, I have felt that I needed to write about one other way the Lord wants us to assist in hastening His work.

When Derek and I knelt across the altar in the Provo, Utah Temple on Friday, July 10, 2009, we were hastening God's work among His children. Every day we read our scriptures, pray together, fast together, go to church, and try to share our testimonies, we hasten His work. When we welcomed Henry into our family in 2013 and John into our arms just a few months ago, we were Hastening God's work. Every time we pull out the Nursery manual and have a Family Home Evening lesson full of giggles, running around and "Henry, are you listening?" we are hastening His work. Whenever we sing "I am a Child of God," "I Love to See the Temple," even "Popcorn Popping" with our boys, we are hastening His work.

But how, you may ask, is that hastening God's work? Well, here is what I understand of that statement: God is hastening His work to bring more souls into the fold of Zion. To seal more families together across generations so that we may be welcomed into the Celestial Kingdom and enjoy eternal life, the greatest of all God's gifts. And central to that plan, to that hastening, is the concept of families. Families who work together and play together. Families who worship together and learn together.

Sometimes, I look back on my day and think "what did I accomplish today?" Well, I played trains. I played cars. I talked to a plastic snake (heaven help me). I helped Henry stack up blocks and knock them over about 50 times. I rocked Johnny to sleep when he was tired. I colored a picture with Henry, drawing green triangles and purple squares. I sang songs. I changed what felt like a million diapers. I wiped noses, I dried tears. I kissed my boys on their foreheads before they went to sleep, and snuck in kisses even after they were asleep. At the end of day, when teeth are brushed, jammies on, I've finally picked up all the toys, and all is quiet, it doesn't seem like I did much. But all of this, all those noses and bums that were wiped, all those kisses and laughs, all those blocks and crayons, were part of hastening God's work.

Now, perhaps you think  "you're just saying that to make yourself feel better since you didn't serve a mission, you don't index for three hours a day, and you don't go to the temple every week." Maybe that is so. Perhaps I am just saying it to make myself feel better, but I believe it to be true.

I know that God is happy with my decision to be a mother. I know He is pleased with my efforts to teach my children about His plan and about His son, Jesus Christ. I believe that He looks at our little family, cuddled up on the love sack reading stories and is grateful that we are doing what we can to start His children on the path to eternal life. I know He is pleased that we are trying to have FHE every week, even when it is a fiasco half the time. I know that my work as a mother is part of the hastening of His work.

As the world turns away from the traditional family and many are scorned for having children so young, or so many, I look to the Prophet and to the Scriptures, God's word, and am reminded that I am doing His work as a mother in Zion. Hasten is a word that imply's hurrying, it implies a quickening of pace. I'm not sure that what I do is quick or that it is hurrying His work along. But I know that Jesus Christ looks after the One. I know that Heavenly Father looks at my two boys, my two perfect boys, and sees them as His Children. He looks at them and the work I put in every day to talk of Christ and to preach of Christ and knows that I am trying to hasten His work in my own home. Perhaps this process is slow, letter by letter, Book of Mormon story by Book of Mormon story, but it is good. It is good work. It is hard work, but it is good.

When I peeked in and saw my two sleeping boys tonight, I saw my life's work: the life's work that is ahead of me. I pray that I will be equal to the task of raising these boys to be great priesthood holders, just as their father is. I hope that I can teach them to be kind, hard working, charitable, polite. I pray that Derek and I will be able to teach them the doctrines of the gospel and instill their hearts a testimony of Jesus Christ, just as our parents did for us. For that is my part, at least right now, in hastening God's work. His glorious work, of "bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life" of His children, including the two boys that He has placed in my care and, hopefully, the children yet to come.

Now, when I look back on today, I remember each time I tried to teach Henry to share, to be kind, to be polite, to help others, and to remember Jesus. In other words, I look back on my day and remember every moment I participated in the Hastening of God's Work. And I look forward to doing it again tomorrow.