Kitchen Klan

Playing Catch Up

2010-09-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

I finally did it...I updated our blog. I am such a slacker. Sorry about all the posts (11 of them!). Now on to those scrapbooks...

Vernon Bow Hunt...done

2010-09-02T15:32:00.001-07:00

Wyatt helped Brandon follow the blood trail. He was son excited when they found it.The pack out crew.

Our New (to us) Toy

2010-09-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

Call us crazy, but we bought a new toy. I didn't think we would ever own a boat bigger than the yellow RC boat...but never say never, right?!?

In one day we went from that (above) to this (below). Our new boat is very similar to the boat my dad had several years ago. His was a 1983, ours is a 1985 270 Sea Ray Sundancer. We are going to spend some time this winter cleaning it and making it ours. We can't wait to float it on Strawberry next spring and camp on the lake.

Brynnli for President

2010-09-02T15:09:00.001-07:00

Brynnli ran for A-Track Student Body President. She didn't win, but that is OK. I think she had a great time trying and I think she learned a lesson, too. Even though she didn't win the president post, she still gets to participate in some the the president duties because she is vice president. It was a whirlwind week preparing "stuff" for her campaign, but it was alot of fun. I hope she continues to be involved in school.

The 50 Miler

2010-09-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

Brandon is an assistant scoutmaster. During the last week in July they went on a 50 mile, week long backpacking trip from Mirror Lake to Moon Lake in the High Uintas. He took a GPS tracker, so we were able to follow his journey on the internet. We pretty much knew where he was the whole time. I think he was a little worried about it but he did it and he had a great time.

The Biggest Catch of His Life

2010-09-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

One of the weekends that we spent at Strawberry, my youngest brother Wes proposed to his girlfriend Sharon. It was really cute, and I don't think she suspected a thing. It was really cool that we were able to catch the moment on film.

The bait was in the bait.

Chillin' at Strawberry

2010-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

During the months of May, June and July we spent several weekends at Strawberry. Here are just a few pictures from our time spent there.

The Big One

The ice is just coming off the lake, but the fishing wasn't that great.
Our long term camp site

Finally, we get to play with our boat.The dogs are worried about Brynnli and Wyatt......who are rescuing the RC boat in the fishing boat.

Happy Birthday Wyatt...

the birthday boy with a birthday cake prepared in the dutch oven.Wyatt and his bow. Luckily it didn't come with arrows.Another great catch, but not a keeper.Snoozin'Catching crawdads on Grandpa Lloyd's boat. They caught hundreds.Always a DIVA!

Dance, Dance, Dance & another Break

2010-09-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Another year of dance competitions and recitals. Brynnli danced in four dances this year...Candy Man - Jazz, Dream Big - Lyrical, The One - Hip Hop, and Aladdin - Production. Here are just a few pictures. You will notice that she has a cast on her arm at the recital. Yes, another broken arm. This is a yearly thing for her...

Happy Anniversay

2010-09-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 15 year anniversary on May 19th. Since it was during the week and we went on a cruise a few month earlier, we decided to go out to dinner...and we took our kids. I know that isn't the normal thing to do on your anniversary, but we were OK with it. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Tepanyaki. We had a great dinner and even splurged a little since we were celebrating. But here is the fun part of the story. If you have ever been to Tepanyaki, you will know that there are 8 seats at each grill, since there is only 4 of us, they sat another family with us. They were celebrating their daughter-in-laws birthday. We told them why we were there, too. Anyway, when the check came, the gentleman that we sat with said he wanted to pick up our check, too. We were SHOCKED! We tried to pay the tip, but he insisted on paying the entire bill. So we left, feeling strange because we didn't pay for this really nice dinner - remember we splurged, Brandon had lobster. I hope that someday we can do that for a total stranger, too.

Got Dunes?

2010-09-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

One of Brandon's friends (Brandon Mortensen) invited us to go the Sand Dunes with them. Since we have never been there before, we decided it might be fun. It was a quick trip, we left and were back home within 24 hours, but it was fun to go somewhere new.

Easter Camp

2010-09-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Our annual Easter Camp in the Desert. It was cold and it snowed the morning we came home, but we always have a great time.

Students of the Week

2010-09-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

Since both Brynnli and Wyatt have now been the "Student of the Week" here are the pictures of them with their posters that hung in the office at the school.

NASCAR Baby

2010-03-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Brandon and Wyatt (along with Collin, Brandon's friend, and Buddy, my brother) went to the NASCAR race in Las Vegas at the end of February. We have a neighbor that buys tickets every year, but couldn't go this year. The timing wasn't the best (we just got home from a week long cruise 10 days earlier), but they decided to go anyway. We are not NASCAR fans, we don't follow all the races and the drivers, but Brandon and Wyatt had a great time anyway and have possibly picked up a new hobby. Waiting for the race to start - it was warm. You will notice that they purchased new, white T-shirts before the race was over.
My favorite candy, err, I mean car !?!

Detour to the Hoover Dam Bridge - what an amazing site! It is almost complete.

Getting ready for the race.

Decked out in new (cooler) shirts and listening to the scanner. They could tune in to conversations between the drivers and the pit crew.

The Best Vacation Ever!!!!!!

2010-02-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

February 7 - 14, we went on the best vacation ever. We went on a Mexican Riviera cruise. We stopped at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. We visited the rain forest, played in the ocean and spotted several whales. On the days at sea we relaxed and ate and ate and ate. We all agreed that this will not be our last cruise - we can't wait to go again. Here are just a few of our pictures...we took over 500!

Benson Thomas Brown

2010-02-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

Brynnli's "Golden" Birthday

2010-02-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

Brynnli turned 11 on the 11th of January. She invited 5 friends to go swimming. I think all the girls had a great time.

Christmas 2009

2010-02-21T17:39:00.000-08:00

I am so behind in posting these pictures - better late than never...

For Christmas this year, we decided to give something to Brynnli and Wyatt that they will remember for a long time. I wrapped up 3 clues in a big box.

The first clue was a puzzle - they are so smart. They figured out the "gift" with just 4 puzzle pieces.

We are going on a cruise!!!!!!!

Going along with the boat theme. We also got a gas powered RC boat. We can't wait for the summer time to try it out.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-06T14:45:00.001-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year. Brandon and I decided to get "into" Halloween a little bit more this year (and we spent way to much money in doing so). But, we had so much fun. I do wish that Halloween was on Saturday every year - why can't a bill be passed declaring Halloween on the last Saturday of October? Who is with me on this? Anywho - just check out our fun pictures. They are in no particular order...

Carving the Great Pumpkin

2009-11-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

One of Lloyd's friends invited us to his house to watch him carve a pumpkin. Ray did an amazing job - and so creative.

The great pumpkin and the grandkids - Alayna, Brynnli, Gabe, Joey, Wyatt and Owen.

Trunk or Treat

2009-11-06T14:36:00.001-08:00

This year we went to a trunk or treat at my mom's church. The kids (and adults) had alot of fun.

Big Bubba

2009-10-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Brandon had to dress up for a youth activity. He was "Bubba". Since pictures speak louder than words, just take a look...

Missing Teeth

2009-10-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Wyatt - FINALLY - lost one of his two front teeth last night. Since alot of his friends have already lost their teeth and have their permanent teeth in, he was so excited to loose it. Now (as you can see by this picture) he is missing 3 teeth, one on top - two on bottom. Hopefully those permanent teeth will take as much time as they need and come in straight.

Early Halloween Witch

2009-10-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Call me a sucker - but I decided to make Halloween cosumes this year. Actually, I really enjoy making them - picking the fabric is my favorite part. I got an early start (late August)-so, Brynnli's costume has been done for a while. She has been dying to wear her costume. Luckily she had a Halloween party last week, we just had to take some pictures. Isn't she just the cutest witch you have ever seen?

Reading Camp

2009-10-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Is this what reading camp will do? I don't think Brynnli has ever fallen asleep while reading. I just couldn't pass up the chance to snap a couple pictures.

Hunting Maniacs

2009-10-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Brandon and Wyatt are hunting maniacs! They have been hunting/camping so much in the past few months that I have lost track how many times they have been gone. It all started in September at Diamond Mountain. My dad drew a limited entry elk tag. He filled his tag a mere 6 hours after we arrived. Since we had planned on a week, we decided to stay a few more days and just camp - It was alot of fun. (These pictures are out of order - the pictures at the bottom were supposed to be first.)

Then Brandon had an elk tag - he took Wyatt out a couple of times but never found the right bull.

Then finally the deer hunt. They didn't get a deer - but did manage to bag a few coyotes. (WARNING - if you have a weak stomach, scroll through the pictures quickly) Even though the hunt was unsuccessfull, they still had alot of fun camping with family and friends. Isn't that what it is all about anyway?

C-O-R-N (c-o-r-n) B-E-L-L-Y-S

2009-10-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

If you have been to Cornbelly's, then you will understand my post title. They play that song over and over and over. When you leave, the song is permantley stuck in your head (probably for life). Anyway, here are a few pictures from the day we went - the kids had a blast. They thought it was really cool that we could text to get clues in the maze.

So Long Strawberry (well until next year)

2009-08-14T14:30:00.001-07:00

We have had alot of fun at Strawberry this year - the following are some pictures from our last weekend. Thanks to everyone that came with us this year - we are looking forward to spending more weekends at the lake next year.

Brynnli and the kokanee salmon she caught - she couldn't wait to eat it, a girl after my own heart. The best part about about fishing is eating the catch.

Brynnli & Cydney messing around on the Taylor's boat.

Wyatt taking advantage of the 360 degree boys restroom facilities.

Having a party in party cove on the Maverick.

Wyatt really wanted to swim, but was to chicken to jump into the cold water.

Our boat...

...the Taylor's boat!

First Day of School

2009-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Brynnli and Wyatt are back in school. Here they are on the first day of school - they were so excited to ride their bikes to school. They are becoming more and more independant.

Summer at Strawberry

2009-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

We have spent several weekends (and plan on several more) at Strawberry reservior this year. Here are some of the fun things we have done so far.

Swimming in the cold murky waters - notice it is all the kids and just one crazy adult.

Uncle Eric helping Brynnli "swim".

Wyatt's catch using the pole popper. It wasn't a keeper, we had to let it go.

Brynnli helping Wyatt reel in the big one.

Brandon teaching Brynnli the finer points of fishing at dusk.

Brynnli, Wyatt, Honda (ears up) and Rancho resting after a busy day.

Guard Dog!

Brandon teaching Brynnli and Wyatt how to catch the crawdads.

Honda hunting for popguts.

A boy and his bike - he put a lot of miles on his bike riding around and around and around the loop.

Brynnli's Third Break

2009-07-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

Yup - that is right. Break number 3. Let's recap. Her first broken bone (her leg) was a day before Wyatt was born. She was bounced on the neighbor's trampoline. Looking back, I'm sure that had something to do with Wyatt coming a week early. Her second break was her left arm/wrist almost two years ago. She fell off her scooter. And her third (and at this rate, not her last) break was her left arm/wrist. She fell off the zip line (kind of like the monkey bars) at the park. Here she is moments before getting her cast removed.

And here she is worrying that she is going to get her arm cut off. Look at the expression on her face.

Brynnli was so happy to get that cast off. The first thing she did was scrub her arm and hand really, really good.

4 Month Wrap-Up continued

2009-07-22T14:35:00.001-07:00

So I found some more pictures that go with my previous post. I need about 4 hours of uninterrupted time to organize all my digital photos.

Last dance competition at Skyline High School. This dance was one of the first dances in the morning - we had to be there ready to go. Can't you see the tiny toothpicks holding Brynnli's eyes open?

Tiffany, Brynnli's dance teacher, is awesome. Before each competition the dance team gets in a circle and has a word of prayer, then a team chant.

Show Time!!! Puttin on the Ritz...

During Wyatt's last game (I think) he decided he wanted to play catcher. Uncle Eric helped him suit up.

Ready to go...

Notice the padding isn't in all the proper places. Wyatt didn't make it through the first batter. One of the balls (from the machine) hit him right on his little thigh. He took the catcher equipment off and went out in the field.

Wyatt and his "friend" birthday party. This was the first "friend" birthday party that Wyatt has ever had. We usually go out of town for his birthday, but he decided that he needed a party with his friends. We just invited everyone over for a water party-thanks to Joey for letting us borrow his slide. They had so much fun - a few friends didn't want to leave when the party was over. I guess that means it was a success.

4 Month Wrap Up

2009-07-10T15:23:00.001-07:00

Wow - it has been far too long since I added anything to the blog. Alot has happened, here is a snipit

Dance Competition Season - done!

Brynnli competed in 4 competitions this year, 4 dances each competition. Here are a few pictures of her favorite dance "Can't Touch This" - don't you just love the MC Hammer pants.

Baseball Season - Done! (well until August)

Wyatt (& his cousin Joey) played baseball again this year. Wyatt was so excited that he got to play machine pitch this year. He is such a good little ball player. I think he is the fastest runner on the team - and he can hit the ball when he watches the ball closely (and the machine is consistent). He needs to start working on throwing and catching.

Wyatt's 7th Birthday

Since Wyatt's birthday fell right after Memorial Day, we decided to celebrate with the family at one of our favorite camping spots. My brother, Cody, has the same birthday as Wyatt, so my mom made a Lego cake for both of them. The kids had such a great time just playing around in the dirt. At least this year we didn't have to take Grandma Linda to the hospital!!!

Viva Las Vegas

2009-02-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a quick family vacation to Las Vegas over Presidents' Day weekend. We spent a night at Brad & Kelli's house, a night at Grandpa & Grandma Peterson's house and the last three nights in Vegas. I wish the weather had been a little warmer, but it was still nice to get away from the daily grind. Here are some of the fun things we did.

SWIMMING AT G & G Peterson's in AZ - we were only there for the night, the kids managed to go swimming twice, as usual, they had the entire pool all to theirselves.

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY - we visited for a few minutes, you could tell they are gearing up for the race.

NASCAR CAFE - well sort of, it was closed so the kids just had fun looking at all the cars.

NEW YORK-NEW YORK -the hotel that we wanted to stay at, but it was too expensive.

THE TITANIC EXHIBIT - This was really cool for Brandon and I, the kids didn't have as much fun looking at all the neat stuff that was retrieved from the bottom of the ocean as we hoped. Maybe someday they will think it was cool.

HOOVER DAM - again, something that we thought was neat - but it was lost on the kids. I don't think they quite understood what we were looking at and how far down in the dam we were. However, they were quite impressed with the Hoover Dam bridge and so were we. It is amazing what people can do.

SWIMMING AT THE LAS VEGAS HILTON - the only thing the kids begged us to do was go swimming (we could have stayed home and done that for a lot less money!) It was chilly, but they still wanted to go - we were the only people (idiots) in the pool. Needless to say, Brynnli ansdWyatt only lasted in the pool for a few mintues then they wanted to go in the hot tub. Since they were the only people in the hot tub, they just "swam" in there.

LANCE BURTON MAGIC SHOW - the last thing we did in Vegas (and the most expensive) was go to a magic show. We all had so much fun - over and over we said "how did he do that" - Brynnli and Wyatt bought their own magic tricks from the store, they need alot of practice.

Hunter Education - Passed

2009-01-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Brynnli and Wyatt - they both passed Hunter Education. Brandon is such a great dad, he took the kids to all the classes, studied with them and helped them at the shooting range. Wyatt was the youngest kid in the class, and he passed! Now, Brandon has decided that he wants to help others out with Hunter Education so he is taking the classes to become an instructor. The following are a few pictures from the shooting range - Wyatt did so great, inspite of the cold weather.

Happy Birthday Brandon & Brynnli

2009-01-26T19:55:00.001-08:00

Since Brandon & Brynnli were in Nevada for their birthday, we just celebrated together as a family. It was a little wierd not to have a big family party like we usually do, but it was still nice.

Happy New Year

2009-01-26T19:51:00.001-08:00

We invited a few friends over for New Year's Eve. The kids had so much fun playing dress-up and whatever Brynnli could come up with. Brynnli got a camera for Christmas, I can't believe she got all the kids to look at the camera.

Christmas - finally

2009-01-26T19:30:00.001-08:00

So - I realize that I am way behind in posting pictures, better late than never. I also realize that these pictures are blurry, I don't know why.

Luminary

2009-01-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

On the Saturday before Christmas, we had the opportunity to go see the luminary at Wasatch Lawn Cemetary. It was so beautiful. We tried to take a few pictures, but they really don't do it justice. We plan on making this an annual family activity - if you can go, do it. You will not regret it.

Rancho is (dirty) WHITE!!

2008-11-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

When Honda had her puppies, we were really hoping that she would have a white one (we bred her with a white schnauzer). Rancho is the runt of the litter and the lightest of all the puppies, so we decided to keep him. The vet told us he would probably be a very light silver color. Well, he got his first official schnauzer cut yesterday and he is almost white - dirty white. He blends in with the carpet really well, because he still has a few speaks of dark gray. He looks like a completely different dog. And by getting rid of all the puppy fur - he is now so soft and silky. Donna, the groomer, apologized because she thought he looked wierd. She said she has never seen a schnazer that is SO brown. Depending on the light, he is almost a champagne color.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

Since it is hard to tell who all these monsters are I will list their names, left to right. Wyatt (Skeleton Zombie), Baby Gabe(Yoda), Brynnli(Monster Bride), Owen(Skeleton with Flashing Eyes), Karson (Skeleton), Joey (Skeleton Rocker), Kole (Swamp Skeleton). Does anyone else see a pattern here?

I am finally posting the pictures from Halloween, 2008. They look alot like my pictures from last year because my kids wore the same costumes two years in a row. I will never do that again. I felt bad that I made my kids wear the same thing, even though I was a witch (complete with an itchy wig, green face paint, warts and black fingernails) for most every Halloween. Brynnli and Wyatt already know what they want to be next year and part of their costumes have been purchased - thanks to the "Day After Halloween Sale" at Walmart.

The kids had fun trick-or-treating with Brandon and they brought home loads of candy. Based on how much candy Wyatt is consuming - I better make a dentist appointment soon.

High School Musical 3

2008-10-27T12:32:00.001-07:00

Alyssa & Brynnli

Wyatt & Miranda

Miranda, Wyatt, Brynnli & Alyssa

Call me crazy, but I took 4 kids to opening night of High School Musical 3. Normally, I wouldn't do something like this, but when a theater has reserved seating, how can you go wrong. I am just glad that I bought the tickets when I did - so that I had somewhat of a seating selection. All the kids loved the movie, and I have to admit that it was quite entertaining for me too. Disney does not disappoint. I think we all agreed that our favorite part of the movie was the "Boys are Back" musical number with Troy and Chad in the junkyard.

Here we go...

2008-10-24T12:19:00.001-07:00

OK - so I am going to try out this blogging thing. I have been meaning to do this for several months now - I just haven't done it. Acutally, I picked out our blog title (Kitchen Klan) way back in June and set it up, I just haven't posted anything, so I guess now is a good time to start. Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for me - let me know. I am way new at this.