IT'S ABOUT TIME!

Okay. So I'm not exactly the best blogger. Here's an update.

Ken has been humoring me with my depression over having no flowers. We have been landscaping with castle rock, and I am really pleased with how it's looking. We have no stucco, but we have flowers! I've included a picture.

Aubree's wedding in Idaho was wonderful. She looked so lovely and it was fun to see all of Jayne and Rob's family. I especially liked the sealer's story about President David O. McKay. He said that he and his wife never had cross words but that wasn't to say that they didn't come close occasionally. When they were having a "difficult" discussion, President McKay would put on his hat and walk around the block. When he got back, he would open the door and toss his hat inside. If they hat stayed in there, it was OK to go in and everything would be resolved. BUT if the hat came back out the door, he would put it on and go around the block again!

I'm also including some pictures from the Holden July 24th celebration. This year the ward members were encouraged to do family floats so I'm including some of them.

Gunner is Changing

Natalie and I stopped to see Philip and Aubrey and the kids after Aubree's bridal shower on Saturday. I couldn't believe how much he had grown and how much he had changed. His eyes have gone completely brown, and his hair is coming in really dark like Aubrey's. He is really tall. Addie talked about a mile a minute. She was telling Natalie all kinds of things. My favorite was when she was looking at a picture at Philip's graduation from SUU. She said it was a picture of him at his "mission."

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. I absolutely loved the Brian Regan show. It was fun to get together with alot of our family. Adrian's family gave me a gift certificate for Tai Pan (which I love!). Eric gave me some lovely flowers. (He was hilarious. I sent him this picture so he could see what they looked like. I get this text: "H-m-m-m. Who sent you those beautiful flowers??????") The other kids gave me two huge music books. I haven't bought myself music for a VERY long time. I was thrilled with everything. Dad bought me some roses and some new summer shirts. We spent Mother's Day with Brooke's family in Washington.

GRADUATION!

Congratulations to Philip and Aubrey on Philip's graduation from SUU on Saturday, May 2, 2009!

We had a lovely day with Philip and Aubrey and their family. President Monson spoke at commencement, and it was wonderful. Brooke and Dan's family and Aubrey's parents and some of her extended family were also there. We had a yummy dinner after at Winger's.

WE ARE PROUD OF YOU, PHILIP!

After graduation, Brooke and Dan and the kids came and stayed with us so they could attend Gunner's blessing on Sunday. We had everyone there except for Nathan. It was a lovely day.

Con Man's Song

Hey Fam,
We thought this was so cute, so we decided to show you all.
What a cute kid. Love you all,
Brooke

SHOCKING!!

Philip and Aubrey's little Addie loves the trampoline!

GUNNER'S GRINNING II

LOVE THOSE DIMPLES! Gunner is grinning because he is Grandpa and Grandma Tuttle's #100 family member!

GUNNER'S GRINNING

KUDOS FOR PHIL!!

Just a note to let you all know that Philip was accepted into the Master's program at Utah State University! A lady from the department just called him and said that his grades / scores were so good that she thought he might want to apply for a program that also had a doctorate degree. She said that he could just attend this fall and get acquainted with the professors and then make the move if he wanted to. He is thinking about it all.

CONGRATULATIONS, PHIL!! We are so proud of you!

SECOND MILER!

Ken received the Boys Scouts of America Second Miler Award Friday night at the Scout Recognition Banquet!

He has worked off and on with the youth for over 30 years. His first church job after we were married was with the Young Men. He has worked tirelessly for years to fulfill his callings with all different ages of scouts. Sometimes it is kind of nice to hear a "THANK YOU" for your efforts.

Kerry Watson presented the award and said it was long overdue.

Way to go, Ken! I'm proud of you!

Little Gunner

Little Gunner is growing and doing better. He is now out from under the jaundice lights and is improving every day. Isn't he a cutie?

EYES OPEN

HERE ARE A FEW MORE PICTURES!

PROUD GRANDMA AND GRANDPA! Gunner has a really good dimple on the right side, but we aren't sure about the left yet! We think his eyes are dark, but he wasn't awake when we got to see him.

Welcome Gunner Philip Tuttle!!!!

I am SO pleased to announce that Philip & Aubrey had their baby boy this morning at 5:30 am!!! As the title announced, they are naming him Gunner Philip Tuttle!! He weighed 7 lb. 12 oz. & was 21 inches long! He is doing WONDERFUL!! We are so THRILLED!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS Phil & Aubs!!! We are all SO happy for you!!!

PS...Congrats, Addie-- You're a BIG sister!!!!!!! =D

Here is his debut photo! Doesn't he look JUST like Addie?!?!?!? What a cutie!!

Mom....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I've been thinking about what I should write about Mom for the past few weeks. I just want her to know how important she is to me and her birthday just gives me the excuse to jot some things down about her.

First, she cares. She's the type of Mom that will listen even if it's about something silly. She cares about each one of us. She worries like crazy (I wish she wouldn't), but she does. It shows us all how much she cares.

She's very smart. She thinks about the "bigger" picture. Whenever she gets quiet, I can just hear her mind working. She's already thought about whatever is going to happen, and something tells me she's thought ten steps further into the "what ifs". :)

She's NEVER late. She always tells us about Grandpa M. not wanting to be late to church, and she definitely got that gene. WE ALL DRIVE HER NUTS! Note to Mom, being an hour early to an event is a little crazy. :)

She's EXTREMELY talented. She's the type of person that can do ANYTHING, and do it BETTER than you. I can't think of a better FUTURE relief society president. I'm not kidding.

She's got an amazing alto voice. I love listening to her sing. Her musical abilities are so awesome. I love to hear her play the piano too.

She wants us all to be happy, and if she can help us in any way, she will. She has taken countless "non-paid" days to help us girls when we've had babies. I hope she knows how much this helps us. I know I personally could not have done it with out her.

She's a fabulous public speaker. She's one of those "WOW" people that just blows every talk out of the water.

She understands when we can't be at her house for EVERY holiday, and only expects us every other year. I've talked to countless friends whose Mom just can't understand this. It honestly made holidays a lot easier from the get go after I got married. I have friends who fight EVERY year about whose house they will be at. I appreciate her willingness to "share" us all.

She's got the most beautiful blue eyes. I've forever wished that one of my kids would get dark hair and blue eyes like hers. I guess we'll see if I ever get my wish.

She taught us well. I have a feeling that Dad was asleep on the couch snoring (from exhaustion) when she taught us at lot of life lessons. :) I remember sitting on a chair A LOT! I'm sure she was ready to give me away when I was little.

She was a great example. I remember walking past her bedroom to find her kneeling in prayer. She also got us all up for early morning scripture study. Oh, and who can forget all of her wacky FHE lessons. "One, two, quick, quick, one, two!" (I mean wacky in a good way).

She's great at writing. I can't even tell you the COUNTLESS (hundreds and hundreds) of pages that she has proof-read for me when I was in college. She's meticulous, and is a WIZZ at Microsoft Word. She's my go-to girl.

She spoils us rotten. Whenever we go home, she always loads her fridge with a million pounds of yummy food. She makes lemon cake by the sheet, and we all LOVE IT!

She (and Dad) supported our every move when we were involved in school extracurricular activities. They drove ALL over the state to be there at 99.9% of our games, dance competitions, track meets...etc. I always felt special that my parents were there when a lot of the other kids' parents had skipped out. She even drove all the way to Cedar City just to see me defend my thesis. This was a huge deal to me, and she knew how big it was, therefore she was there.

She's a wonderful mother whose intentions are always pure. I hope she knows how great she really is, because "great" is an understatement!

I LOVE YOU,
Brooke

My Birthday

Some of the kids came down and surprised me on Sunday for my birthday. Courtney and Liz picked up Philip, Aubrey, and Addie on their way down and Natalie and Jason and the boys came over. It was great to see them. Someone asked me at work if I feel as old as I am . . . I said ABSOLUTELY!

As you can see, Ashie loved the birthday cake that Nat brought! I'm not sure how Philip got out of the picture. Sorry, Phil!

Love you all!

Christmas Note

The kids got us a digital camera for Christmas and we are so excited! I took two pictures of some of our nativities. HELLO! I wish I had thought to take everyone's pictures while they were there! Oh well. Thank you everyone!

2008 Christmas names

I thought that we could keep track of who we all had by posting them on the blog. This way, we'll be able to change it up next year.

Mom and Dad:
Phil and Aubrey were in charge and got them a sweeeeeet digital camera!

Siblings:
Nat-Adrian
Court-Brooke
Adrian-Phil
Brooke-Jason
Phil-Nathan
Eric-Nat
Jason-Court
Nathan-Aubrey
Dan-Eric
Aubrey-Dan

GRANDKIDS:
]Bracken-Connelly
Hayden-Morgan
Ashton-Kaitlyn
Morgan-Oaklyn
Marcie-Hayden
Wyatt-Ashton
Kaitlyn-Bracken
Oaklyn-Wyatt
Connelly-Marcie
Londyn-Addie
Addie-Londyn

Love you,
Brooke

New Calling

Hey guys. Sorry I fell off the face of the planet for a few weeks. I have a new calling. I'm Relief Society Secretary. I'm really excited. Love you all.
-Brooke

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Everyone loved the white chicken chili that I made the night we went caroling. I got the recipe from Aunt Tracie (who got it from Melanie Wright). It made a ton and we all loved it.

Here's the recipe:

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
Melanie Wright / Tracie Larsen

6 cans (15 ½ oz.) white great northern beans, undrained
(NOTE: If serving in bread bowls, drain the beans)
2 small onions, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 ½ tsp. chopped garlic
Simmer for 15 minutes. Add:
4 cups chopped cooked chicken (can use canned chicken)
2 cans chopped green chilies (I used mild)
2 tsp. cumin
1 ½ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. white pepper (or regular if you don’t have white)
1 ½ tsp. salt
24 ozs. sour cream
Simmer

OR DUMP EVERYTHING IN THE CROCKPOT AND COOK IT FOR
1 ½ HRS. !!

This recipe makes a TON of soup – probably close to a gallon.

Sledding Photos!!

All the kids had a BLAST sledding at Grandma Tuttle's house over Christmas!! I had PLANNED on posting all the pictures here AND at my blog, but there's just too many!! SO, I'm gonna post some here & I've posted a bunch on my blog, too so go check them out if you haven't already!!! Wasn't it SO GREAT?!?!? What a fun time!!! Thanks Aunt Brooke & Aunt Nat for taking all the kids on Christmas Eve!!!!!

CHRISTMAS TAG

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? It depends on how many "snoops" are around! I like the convenience of bags but they aren't SAFE if the kids are around!
2. Real tree or Artificial? For the first time this year, artificial. I love our tree that we got at a second hand store. When the kids were little, I loved to go with Dad and Dave and his family. The kids would sleigh ride and we would find a tree. I'm quite excited to not have to clean up pine needles for three months. I'm also excited to be able to plug it in whenever I want to without thinking I'm going to burn the house down.
3. When do you put up the tree? As early as possible! I took a lot of guff this year for putting it together before Thanksgiving. I WANTED THE KIDS TO HELP ME DECORATE!!! I HAD to make sure the lights worked! Hello!
4. When do you take the tree down? I used to take the real one down the day after Christmas. I may leave this one up a little longer . . .
5. Do you like eggnog? I love eggnog. I really like Dan's idea of eggnog with sprite!
6. Do you have a stocking? We have stockings but I always forget to fill them. I loved the cross stitched stockings I made for the kids when they were little (that I accidentally threw out with the trash!!). I miss them.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Ken's Mom and Dad. ERIC! I shop but he doesn't like what I buy.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Grandkids! I can find lots of things I want to buy. TOO MANY, in fact.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I love nativity scenes. I have a lot of them. I hate to put them away after Christmas.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Always mail. I love to send out our yearly newsletter. I start on it in the spring! I imagine how things MIGHT be in December. Sometimes my wishes come true - sometimes NOT! It's the only time we communicate with some of our friends and family all year. It's getting more expensive, though. This year it was a challenge to pay the money.
11. Most memorable Christmas gift you ever received? I'll have to think about this one.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try to shop a little right after Christmas some times. This year I've been the slowest I have ever been in getting my shopping done. I hope I make it!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas brunch.
16. Lights on the tree? White and red this year.
17. Favorite Christmas song? I love all the songs at Christmas.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I used to want to travel because I felt like we were here all year and I wanted to go to Springville for Christmas. Now, I just want to stay home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, & Rudolph!!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. I can't reach the top and since me and the grandkids are the "decorators" there isn't one. I'm lucky if there are decorations at the top!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We used to let the kids each open one (PAJAMAS, OF COURSE) on Christmas Eve. I must admit that once before I was married Dave and I opened everything on Christmas Eve so we could sleep in!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Worrying about the shopping and financial aspect . . . wanting to do more than I can afford.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I just love Christmas. I tell Ken that I'm the biggest kid he has when it comes to Christmas.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I like to have things that we don't have at any other time.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To have our kids come home. AND GO CAROLING!!!
26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Probably the girls.
27. Favorite Christmas Tradition? My favorite was Christmas caroling. I felt like we should "give something back" for all of the blessings that we have. It was funny, too, because we became part of other family's traditions. It touched me to see the happy tears when we would sing to people. One year Carolyn Stevens said that one of the twins asked when we were coming because it didn't feel like Christmas until we did. I've missed it the last few years when I couldn't get anyone to go. WE ARE GOING ON DEC. 23 AT 7:00 FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERESTED!!! BRING WARM CLOTHES!!

Just Relaxin'

Mom and Dad are packing boxes, and I'm just relaxin'!! Dad's almost done with school (just finishing his finals) and we are moving to Nephi until Dad starts graduate school in the fall.

Shingles and Sheeting

Well, it's been a little while since I've posted any pictures. We have got the large porch portion sheeted and shingled (except for one half of the ridge cap since we ran out). The little roof section right above the door into the porch will hopefully be shingled today and tomorrow. We will be completely finished with the shingles after that is finished. We also got the sheeting on the west side. Now people can come to the door and be out of the weather. HOORAY!