Are you excited?

Matt and I are PUMPED. Go BYU!!

Our Weekend... In pictures

Friday and Saturday Morning Braden and Matt worked on changing the breaks on the Malibu. It was tricky and turns out that we needed new calipers as well as rotors and pads...took a few hours to figure it out and a neighbor friend who is a mechanic to tell us that. The pistons were stuck on both... Yeah, next time we'll know.

Matt and Braden were test driving after they changed them, Matt thought he better wear a helmet just in case. Later that Day we went to Seven Peaks the boys had a blast and Ty finally fits his swim suit :)

If I knew how to edit I would zoom in on this one, their faces are priceless. They were trying to tip in the Cave In. Bradens first time on the Free Fall...Matt and Braden coming off Shotgun FallsMatt thought he would test out his goggles.The biggest and BEST news this weekend is our newest nephew was born to Matt's younger brother Jordan and his wife Michaela. Little Calin was born 7 lbs 15 oz. on Saturday with chubby little cheeks :). I tried to steel a picture of Michaela holding him too but their blog wouldn't let me steal it. Check out their blog for more info. Micheala you look AWESOME by the way, I looked like I got ran over by a semi for a few weeks after I had Ty. We'll have to go visit them soon! Sunday we went to the Wu's for dinner then went to my uncles house for a good ole fashioned marshmallow roast. It was great to hang out with the family :)

Sunday evening we gave Ty a bath, I was trying to switch him off the Similac Sensitive Soy formula to regular milk based so I could use the Kirkland Costco brand. No such luck, he's been spitting up and puking ALL weekend. So back to Soy we go...we have a SOY snob on our hands... arg.

Ty loves baths now, so when you take him out he's not a happy camper.

We've had Braden here since Wednesday and he has been great to have around. He is really good with Ty, and has even babysat for us! Ty loves his uncle Braden. It will be another 2 years after Braden's mission that Ty will get to spend a lot of time with Braden again. So it's good they are getting in some good bonding time now.

Happy Friday

Dear Mr. Sun

Please shine down on me,

These little Spence's are asking you,

To please come out so we can play with you.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun

Please shine down on me.

I get a feeling this weekend will be the last summer weekend. Only in the low 90's. Where did this summer go! I was way too cold for far too long just to mull over into fall. Don't get me wrong I LOVE the fall but I could take another month of 90's and higher...

Tonight we'll go swimming, tomorrow we'll go swimming and Saturday is another Seven Peaks day I think. Gotta catch those last summer rays.

(Today I go to the dentist and get 4 fillings done, when Matt switched jobs we lost our dental ins. so we haven't been for a year and a half... arg 4 cavities! Matt teased me I told him he probably has more! I guess we'll have to wait and see, his appointment is next week)

Classic Disney

Yesterday one of my co-workers was listening to music on her computer, every so often I would hear what sounded like Berl Ives singing the "Ugly Bug Ball" or "Bibbity Boppity Bo" or a big "YYYOOOOO WHOOOOO" from Minnie Mouse. I kept thinking to myself you are making it up I dont think she is listening to just Disney music, (She had it on really quietly). Then I knew it was Disney music when I walked by her desk and as I sat down at mine I started singing, "chim chimeree chim chimeree chim chim charoooo" So I went back over to her desk and I asked her how she got such a good mix of Disney music. She showed me on her flash drive she had all five of the "Classic Disney" Cd's! I was ecstatic! I LOVED those growing up, we had all five and I knew every word to every song! My mom still has them I think but I have missed them! So I had my co-worker load all of the Cd's on to my laptop. This morning Ty and I have been dancing and singing to the music. I Love it! I am sharing it with my sisters as well. :) Gotta love those Disney tunes. They make the day happy and bright.

P.S. Yes Matt, Ty will be listening to a lot of Disney music most likely know all the words by the time he's two! :)

Tender Mercies Tuesday

This last week was a bit of a roller coaster for me, with out going into a whole bunch of detail, my tender mercy this week is Matt's mother Holly. Even after death she still is able to touch our lives tremendously and help us in ways no one will ever know but us. I get a bit jealous when I think that my children will have known Holly before I have had the chance to meet her. I get a feeling that she is taking care of allll of her grandchildren right now and when the time comes she sends them down to her sons to take care of here. Matt and I went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication on Sunday it was amazing. We were reminded numerous times of the Temple blessings that we can enjoy and to not take them for granted. I am so glad my husband is sealed to Holly and that we can be a family forever, even after death. He feels especially close to his mom while listening to spiritual music and can feel her spirit sometimes so strongly it brings us both to tears. I am eternally thankful for her example on my husband. Especially this week, as she keeps throwing out life preservers to Matt, Ty and I. I hear she was an angel in life, I am SURE that hasn't changed one bit.

Bumbo and Tummy Time

Yesterday I noticed Ty's head being a little tiny bit squished in the back... his Occipital bone separating a tiny bit from the Parietal bones. YUCK! I don't want a flat head baby! I thought I was doing a good job sitting him up and rotating his noggin from side to side when he sleeps. It may be inevitable but today I decided it was time to get him to sit in his Bumbo. I don't think he knows what to think about it... "Mom do you realize how heavy my head is??" "Pacifier please, this is tough work""Look Mom No hands! I can do it!"Hopefully Bumbo time mixed with Tummy time will improve my flat head child. Okay it's not EVEN that bad. (Don't worry I am sitting right next to him just in case he tries to wiggle off the couch.) Does anyone have any tips to improve tummy time? He usually just fusses for about 15 minutes then falls asleep. No trying to push up on his hands at all. Isn't that the point? To help them hold up their head and strengthen their arms? I give him at least 20 minutes a day most of the time longer because he just sleeps on his tummy. Lastly Will claims Ty has a Source of Power... Which is his arm... if he gets just one arm out of his burrito wrap he's happy. I got a picture of him, I heard him grunting and grunting for forever the other day. I wrapped him REALLY tight. Whelp he managed to get his little arm out and then fell asleep because it took so much effort. :) I swear Ty is growing like a weed! Some of his clothes he is growing out of, I think next week I'll pack up all the 0-3 month and start putting him in his 3-6 month clothes. It's about time though he is just shy of 11 weeks. My little newborn is long gone, he's now a full blown BABY Boy! :)

Old to you? Well it's new to me

I totally dig this song! I just barely heard it a few weeks ago while in Oregon. Totally sappy, but it's how I feel about my husband, he's great and I am so LUCKY!

Cougar Kickoff

Yesterday was the cougar kickoff! Yeah.. It was great, the best year yet! Well we didn't get ALLL the signatures we wanted but we would have had to wait a whole lot longer. Ty got his first BYU shirt signed, on the front is Dennis Pitta #32 TE and Max Hall #15 QB on the back all the rest of the guys. They had tons of free stuff there, powerades, vitamin waters, t-shirts, golf balls, posters and little give away prizes. Here is a picture of our loot!

Matt and I also hit up the sale there where they sell the gently used player stuff. Matt got brand new football gloves for 5 bucks and both of us got rolling travel duffles for $20.

Kristin and I got our picture with Max Hall.

Here is Ty and Matt sporting the True Blue Spirit. (Ty is in his freshly signed shirt :)

We can't wait for football season to begin. Sept 5th against Oklahoma... yeah Go Cougs.

Tender Merices Tuesday

Recap on what Tender mercies are "I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ." Elder David A. Bednar

There are quite a few tender mercies that are jumbling around in my head that I have been thinking about the last week.

1: While going through all our baby bills it's pretty depressing (background we did have insurance but turns out the insurance we got didn't cover pregnancy, labor, delivery, or newborn care. Yes we applied for any and all aide but were denied by all so now we are up to our eyeballs in hospital bills. Don't worry we are on payment plans) Yesterday while trying to figure out how we would pay a certain bill that required payment in full immediately, they called me (weird), and asked how I was going to pay for it... yeah who has a couple grand just laying around... anyways I told them that my insurance didn't pay for any so I would think about it and get back to them. The gal said hold on one second then put me on hold after a few moments she said, "Since your insurance didn't pay for any then the Dr. told us to give you a 30% discount." I said "Are you serious?" She said yes... so it cut $500 off our bill. We still had to pay it in full but I think that the Lord knew how tough all this is an urged the Dr. to give us (probably not the only people who have ever received this kindness but none the less) a little break in our bills.

2. In Sunday School last week our lesson was on Marriage. Matt Brown is always a funny guy and It was a great lesson. At the end he said that he and his wife had been listening to the "5 love languages" book and decided every day to do 3 things. Show each other they love one another by touch meaning a kiss a hug or holding hands, by verbalizing it, and by writing something down and giving it to one another. He gave everyone a pencil and paper and said to try it. Well me feeling a little under appreciated the last week or so (not that Matt is a bad husband by any means I blame it on the crazy hormonal changes that happen after you have a baby) Matt wrote me a note and it was EVERYTHING that I needed to hear. It even brought a little tear to my eye when I read it and recharged my wife and mother battery. (Yes men our batteries do need recharging once in a while, daily preferably)

3: Laughing, there isn't a day that goes by where Matt and I aren't laughing at something. More often then not we are laughing so hard we almost cry. It's about little things like saying "I'm a hound dog" like the hound from Fox and the Hound or our Ty being funny... here is the series of pictures.

"Dad you are so funny!" ( Ty smiling, caught on camera )

"Whoa is this on camera!""Look lady I all ready told you no pictures please"

Matt and I laughed stinking hard at those. It's always good to laugh, soon I am sure Ty will be joining us in our laughter, especially when Matt does things like this: (Disclaimer what you are about to see is a series of actual events please do not try to reenact these as they are done by a trained professional under the influence of percocet. Ladies: each of your husbands have concealed identities that only you and maybe your children know about, this makes it hard to describe to others what he does. This is a rare glimpse into Matt's TRUE identity Super Hero"Wet Man" this of course has no reference to his wetting the bed well into his teenage years , I'm not talking about soaking the sheets come on we've all had an accidental dribble) <-- word for word Matt told me to write this.

SO I would say if you read/watched this post, jot a quick note down for a loved one (or make a super hero video), whether it's funny sweet or just say why you love them. Do it! You may not know that they need a little recharging. What wonderful Tender Mercy you could be. :)

Yo Ho Yo Ho

A Pirates Life for me...

On Saturday night Kristin, Will, Jason and Sierra joined Matt, myself, Kelly, Tanner and Dallin for dinner before Kelly and the boys' departure to Rexburg. We had yummy Beef Stroganoff! Tanner and Jason always have a great time with one another and Sierra was playing along too. Dallin is so close to walking, I have a feeling that once he gets it down he wont be just walking but RUNNING to keep up with Tanner. :)

When we left to drop off Kelly +2 at the Shuttle, (minor disaster incurred but we got her and the boys on a later shuttle) Kristin and Will babysat Ty for the evening. Matt and I had a date night and went to the Off Broadway Theatre in downtown SLC for a play, "Pirates of Penzance". It was a pretty funny play, this theatre does the funny parody type plays.

My boss Jeff is cast as "Pirate #4" and boy was he the best "Pirate #4" I have ever seen!!

(Yes that is is real hair and beard, he hasn't shaved since before Ty was born to be ready for the part!) Thanks for the tickets Jeff and Thanks Will and Kristin (or should I thank Jason?) for babysitting :) It was a great date night!

What do you do...

Ohhhh What do you do in the summer time while visiting uncle Matt

Do you ride on a bike


Or swing a golf club

or scoot on a two by four,

Is that what you dooooo so does Tanner.


Tanner can't get enough of uncle Matt. With the time difference it was about 10 o clock at night when he was playing with Matt. He didn't want to go to sleep so Matt took him to the store and played with him longer to try and wear him out... Tanner can keep up pretty well considering he woke up at 4 am his time with only a 20 minute nap on the way home from the airport. With Uncle Matt there is always an adventure to be had no time for sleep... Next year Dallin will be tagging along I bet! :)

Follow Up

At the Herriman Reservoir they had a clinic last night for the Daybreak Tri swimmers. Notice everyone else with wetsuits? Yeah... Matt was FREEEEEEZING. It was a chilly day! It was raining all around Herriman, eventually they got out of the water because lighting was striking fairly close. Our friend Jared (same friend that drove me around when I had kidney stones) told us about it. (He's the one in the full body wet suit with the yellow cap standing next to Matt in just goggles and swim trunks haha)

We are so glad Jared did tell us though! Matt said he learned some good stuff about Tri etiquette that he didn't know about. As well as some good technique tips on swimming around the buoys.

Our S.I.L Kelly and her two boys Tanner and Dallin are coming to visit today before they have to go up to Pocatello for school. Ty is excited to meet his cousins! :)

Time to Train

Matt has decided it's time to take up Triathlons (okay with a little pressure from me, I think he is BUILT for this sort of thing) So he is doing his first one September 19th at Daybreak Utah.

In order to prepare he has started swimming in the Herriman Reservoir. Which is a totally AWESOME place where families can go to hang out, its like the beach! Matt says it's way cold, but once his body goes numb it's okay. Ha ha

Matt is doing the sprint not the full so he has to swim 1/2 mile, bike a 10k then run a 5k. I want to do it too, but I freak out in open water... if it was a pool back and forth I could do it. Maybe next year I'll over come that fear for now I'll go with the "I just had a baby" excuse.

(This is Matt's "It's harder to swim that far then you think it would be" look)
I think it's awesome that he is doing it though, i think he'll have a blast!
(This is what Ty does while we are there... he's so excited to watch Matt swim!)

Here is the latest color of glitter toes, they sure were sparkly! Its Orange for Suzanne and Prestons wedding.

Will Kristin Jason Sierra Preston and Suzanne came over for dinner last night, Here is proof that Ty responds more the men then women. Will gets a good smile from him everytime!

Tender Mercies Tuesday: VACATION :)

Matt had to take his Finals a week early, frequently this is how I found Matt studying. Check out that focus! Suzanne and Preston were married in the Salt Lake Temple on Aug 1st. It was really a pretty day, Suzanne was gorgeous and Preston was handsome. A very happy day! (I stole these pictures from our friend Lucy who wasn't running around crazy and had time to enjoy the temple grounds with the couple)

Here are a BUNCH of pictures from their open house in Preston's Parents backyard. It was a lovely backyard with pictures like this hung up all around. The fam munching on the treats.

All Jason and Sierra wanted was BROWNIES!

Of course KK couldn't miss a photo op, she is so cute though, I couldn't resist. Matt was teasing her of course.

My Aunt and Uncle, who didn't know before hand that those were the colors... they came in just the right clothes!

My Ty guy in his wedding shirt, he and Jason matched! Thanks again for that shirt mom, he was so cute!

I kept finding Sierra in the dirt....

Same with Baylee...

All Oregon pictures now.... we beat everyone by about 40 minutes and we were locked out of the house. This is Matt waiting in the front yard...

Pretty much the entire week this is what Jason was doing. "Baby Ty is crying!" or "Baby Ty is sleeping!" or "Where is Baby Ty!?" or " I can't go to bed I haven't given Baby Ty a Kiss yet!!!" It was cute.

One of Ty's many faces...

Jason wanted me to take his picture, this is how he posed for the camera.

Here are a few just hanging out. Nice Face Kristin.

MINI GOLF!

Matt had good technique.

BUT my Grandpa came out with the winning score! This was after a hole in one!

Sierra found the water.

Will and Kristin are always good to keep score for us all.

Guess who got a hole in one on the TRICKIEST hole in the whole place!!!

They gave Jason a kiddie putter which he LOVED.

My handsome husband.

No vacation would be complete unless DISC GOLF was involved!
Dad

Will

Matt

The park was so pretty! The air was fresh and it had a nice Oregon feel to it, complete with a river flowing by.

Matt my Dad and Will found some wild Blackberries. YUMMMM. We ended up going to pick a ton and making some homemade Blackberry jam for everyone. :)

JACKPOT!

SWIMMING!!! We swam quite a few times while there. It was SO nice to get some fun in the sun!

hmmm here is our little fish. Okay he has a way to go before he is a "fish" but he'll get there. For now he just wanted to RELAX...

Jason always had to have his "Wobble" goggles on... so he could see under water...
Quite frequently in the morning this is what everyone woke up too, All the kids watching "Disneyland fun Sing-a-long songs"

BOWLING!!! Will and the kiddos

Matt got a Strike!

Way to go Grandma show us how it's done.

Jason was instructing me how to bowl...

Suzanne also had an Open House in Medford... I didnt take any pictures... but this is how Ty fell asleep that night. Plum tuckered out.

Driving home on Sunday we had to stop more frequently to feed and change Ty. He enjoyed his time out of the car seat.

Whelp thats all of them... tons of pictures!

It was such a nice break to have with family! Now back to the grind while I think up our next vacation :)