"Work is play..."

I was going through pictures on my mom's computer today and I found this gem. This was taken at our Driscoll family reunions this year at Steadman's. This family turned their back yard into a hillside of water slides. we convinced my grandparents to give it a try. I hope that when I am their age I have that sense of adventure. My poor dad was very nervous while my grandparents made their way up the hill and even mroe nervous while they were coming down but all went well and their posterity got the memory of a lifetime. My grandpa always reminds us of a saying his dad Bus Driscoll would day, "Work is play and play is work. And don't forget it because you are going to be doing it 95% of your life, so you better start enjoying it." I am so grateful for the rich heritage I have on both sides of my family and that the importance of hard work has been instilled in me.

We love Harvest Time!

We've tried taking Breckyn in the tractor a few times while Tanner runs the digger. It isn't very easy. She is every where and wants to be into every thing! When tanner would be filling a truck she would lunge for the steering wheel and we are just lucky nothing ever happened as a result of that. As crazy as it was, it was always fun :)

We love the time that we get to go out and hang out with Tanner. I love this time of year. I love the cooler weather!

I had to include this picture. Tanner had this gune specially made and how he thinks he is G.I. Joe :)

11 (all to quick) months

I can't believe this crazy girl is one month away from being 1! The picture above was taken yesterday after she got her stitches out. Yay! Tanner's cousin Becky is a nurse and took them out. I was so glad that I didn't have to go back to the ER.

Like I have said before, she is always on the go and we are constanly trying to keep up with her, She started walking at 10.5 months and I am really nervous for what the next few years have in store for us running around and chasing after her.

Remember last month when I said she sleeps like an angel...ya i spoke too soon. We think she may be teething because a couple nights a week she will just wake up crying and then not want to go back to sleep. One night she woke up at 5am and tanner brought her in our bed and she just started talking to us and playing with the headboard...it was a rough day. But I love her sleeping pictures :)

She loves to walk around with her books! She is definitely a daddy's girl. If he is around she usually doesn't want me. But I love seeing them together! She says mama, dada, baby, hi and bye! We love this girl!

Stitches!

This is definitely an experience that I did not want to go through and now that it has happened I don't want to go through it again...but that is life. On Friday I was heading up to Idaho Falls for the State DYW program and I get a phone call from Tanner asking me if I had talking to my mom(who was watching Breckyn). He said that Breckyn had tripped and hit her head on the coffee table and was going to need stitches. I thought he was joking(wish he had been). I quickly turned around and met them in AF. We made our way to the ER and they had to strap her this board and cover her face. I understand that it is necessary but It was the saddest thing. I had to leave the room. I felt sick to my stomach. Tanner tried to be strong but he ended up in the corner and it made him cry :( I could hear her from down the hall. It just broke my heart. My mom was the tough one for all of us. She told us that she had to be. My poor my felt so bad and I don't think she will ever let Breckyn walk around her house again. Poor mom. If it didn't happen at her house and I know it would have eventually happened at ours. The doctor did say it was the cut to have. It is clean and straight and is right in her frown line. Breckyn got three stitches and the nurse gave her a teddy bear to take home. She loves it! Even with her stitches she is still the happiest girl I know :) I don't know if I will be able to relax with her walking around now. Tanner said that this is what I get for always saying I was scared about having crazy kids because I was that way when I was young and had stitches three times, but not at 11 months!

Walking, Bruises, and Shopping

Yes that is right WALKING! Breckyn is now unstoppable. For a few weeks she has been taking a couple of steps and then falling and then last Saturday she officially got it! She is all over the place. Sacrament meeting is officially impossible to sit through. The look on Breckyn's face in the picture above is how I am feeling these days as I am chasing her around. But to be perfectly honest...I don't mind too much :)

Along with walking comes the possibilities of injuries. Sunday morning she was walking around with one of her books. Well she dropped the book and landed on the corner of it. So this week we have been sporting that lovely scab on her chin. You can't see it very well in this picture either but she also had a small bruise next to her left eye from a little spill she took in her crib.

We have also discovered that she loves to shop :) My mom and I were in Idaho Falls last week and When we would stop at the racks she would starts to go through the clothes. My mom and I thought it was hilarious!

Divine Nature

Since becoming a mother I have become even more away of God's calling to women to raise and nurture children. I recently was pondering over the young women values and my mind kept coming back to Divine Nature. I have always known that I wanted to be a mom, but through this past year I know with out a doubt it is my calling and there is nothing else I would rather be doing.
Being a wife and mother is the greatest blessing I could ask for. I know that I have a great responsibility to my family and the children that will join our family in the future. I have been thinking a lot about how I will begin to teach Breckyn about the church and Christ. I know that a lot is done by example and Family Home Evening is very important. I feel like I have been striving even more and more this past year to get to know my Savior on a different level and striving harder in my calling. How can I teach my children to live the gospel if I do not live my life in great accordance with the gospel? I am reminded about Alma 56:47-48 and the Strippling Warriors. "They had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them...We do not doubt our mothers new it." That is such a strong example to me. I want my children to not doubt that I know that the gospel of Christ is true!
I was reading Elder Cook's talk from April last year. It is entitled LDS Women are Incredible! Every woman needs to read that talk every once in a while. It gave me such a boost of energy and an even greater desire to strive higher for my potential as a woman, wife, and mother. One thing he said that really stuck out to me was when he said "God placed within women divine qualities of strength, virtue, love, and the willingness to sacrifice to raise future generations of His spirit children...Sisters have key roles in the Church, in family life, and as individuals that are essential in Heavenly Father's plan. Many of these responsibilities do not provide economic compensation but do provide satisfaction and are eternally significant." That is such a powerful statement to me. I can't remember the number but in an article recenlty someone added up what a stay at home mom would make if she were paid. I think it was about $100 grand a year. I have heard some mother's joke about that, but I must be honest...that has never once occured to me. (although one things that has is that when I worked out of the home I did get sick days ;) but not as a mom). I truly find it an incredible blessing and calling of God that I get to stay home and be a mother. I find joy in every day. Maybe not at the moment of different trials during the day but at the end of it all I am beyond grateful. What a powerful calling myself, and other women, have been given. The opportunity to raise generations of our Father's spirit children. It is not a task I take lightly. I am so grateful for Breckyn and the future children that Tanner and I will be able to welcome in our home and the blessings that will fill our home. I love my Heavenly Father and Savior. I love this gospel and the joy and purpose that it brings into my life!

Breckyn is ten months...where has this year gone.

Once again I can't believe how fast Breckyn is grwoing! She is so sweet, sassy and bubbly! We love having her sweet spirit in our home. She makes every day worth it! We took a few photos out in Grandma Dayna's yard the other day. We had a lot of fun! Breckyn had a few milestones this month...

• She now has two teeth. A couple of weeks ago a felt one tooth one day and then two days later I felt one coming up right next to it So we now how our two front bottom teeth.
• She stands up and uses the couch, or anything, to walk all day long.
• She is into everything. We have had to baby proof our entertainment system and lots of other things around the house.
• She sleeps like an angel. And I am loving it.

The other day I had a primary meeting and my friend Heather's boy Camden is two months other than Breckyn and he can go up stairs and walks and I think that put Breckyn's brain into high gear because she tried to figure the stairs out(didn't work). And she now she balances alot and will take three or four steps on her own...I am not ready for her to walk.

She climbs in and out of her saucer all day long. At least she is entertained by it :)

I love her sweet smile! I have to watch her very closely these days!!

Breckyn got to experience her first South Eastern Idaho State Fair :) We walked through the livestock and saw tons of animals. I think she was in awe of everything around her. What a different world!

She LOVES the piano! I canned pears and peaches at my mom's the other day and she kept crawling into the piano room. We would find her one her tip toes reaching to the keys. So we decided to help her out :) I love how she is turning the pages.