Brenda & Family Update

Hello family! Brenda's family has been very busy this summer!

Jaden & Krissie welcomed sweet baby Karson on 8/31/2011 weighing in at a slim 9 lbs 5 oz. He's got lots of blonde hair and blue eyes...about the only thing he inherited from Jaden besides his sheer size was his dimples. He's a sweet baby with a nice set of lungs on him. He has lots of Grandparents and aunties that fight over who gets to hold him next. Our family almost has a basketball team. I'm sure Karson will be the tallest team member. :)

Amber & the boys came down this summer and we all had fun playing minute to win it games, going to the nearly every kid attraction in the Wasatch Valley and just participating in the 4th of July parade at Warren Park. It was so much fun to hang out as a family and spend time playing games with the boys. There's an epic photo (that we couldn't get uploaded in time) of Jaden making a short-stop type throw (up on one leg throwing across his body). The best part of the picture is that he is throwing a kickball at Mom at point blank range. We're a family who plays hard I guess! Because Mom would have done the same thing to Jaden. It was fun to play with the boys and spend time together as a family.

It was a busy summer for me (Mand'e) - splitting my time between nephews in Utah and friends in California. My best friend, Michele, got married in Mendocino in June. It was a very fun trip meandering through traffic and/or Redwood trees. The car rental place "lost" my reservation, so they were kind enough to give me the last rental available in San Francisco - a pumpkin spice latte mini van. At first I cried...I wanted the hot little car so that I looked cool driving up the coast. Then I realized there was a DVD player and a few plugs so that I could charge my phone (or plug in a microwave for popcorn) and I was fine with that. It worked out well when we drove to the ceremony. Michele drove to her wedding in a 'pumpkin'. I had a blast hanging out with the nephews...Logan I think still believes my name is "Manny".

Brenda has been keeping herself busy with work and taking on projects from the many yard sales she and Margene visit each week. She also doesn't think she's been working hard enough, so she's looking into picking up a second job. She still "chuggs" each day with the dogs and even started throwing them into the canal to cool off - then worried about their ability to swim. She makes us laugh with her (cheating) ways while playing Settlers of Catan. "You don't want to build your house there, it's a better strategy to go towards the coast. You've always wanted to live on the coast." She also grinds her own oat flour and makes lots of tasty treats with her food storage.

Jarek has spent most of the year in Afghanistan. He is eager to get home and meet his nephew and spend time with family and friends. He is scheduled to be in the states next month and will likely be here for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will, I'm sure, be planning a HUGE party for his return. He works in communications (I'm sure there's a very technical acronym for his position) and has managed to set up a TV in his unit so they can watch Sports Center and assured me that the email and phone lines are "secure" because he is the one that set them up. He works out every day in the prison because that's where he can get the best tan. He spends lots of time wishing that he had more chili to mix with his MRE's and can't wait for a home cooked meal when he gets here. We're so proud of him for all his hard work and dedication. God Bless Our Troops!

Amber should be uploading what her little family has been up to...

Hope everyone is doing well! Can't wait to see everyone this summer!

Here's a mini slide show with just a few of the hundreds and hundreds of pictures that we couldn't upload in time. :)