The Hinckley Challenge

Beloved Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley

I will greatly miss this man, he has always been there as "my" Prophet for as long as I have a vivid recolection of the Prophets during my lifetime. I am so thankful for his example and many words of encouragement to the youth and church members. I am so thankful for the inspiration that he received to start building small temples. Because of this we are blessed to have the Spokane Temple nearby. We love having the opportunity to attend on a regular basis. Thank you to all of my leaders, teachers, friends, and family that have shared their testimonies of Pres. Hinckley and the church with me through the years. Each and everyone of you have helped strengthen mine. Though I will miss him terribly I am so happy to know that he is back with his sweet Marjorie and other family. I am also happy to know that we are now so blessed to have Pres. Monson as our Prophet, Seer and Revelator.

I am blessed to be a ward missionary in our ward currently, because of that I was invited to attend a young women's activity on Wednesday night. It was a great experience. I can hardly believe that it has been almost 10 years since I graduated from Laurels, I loved that time in my life, it was a great reminder to see the excitment and love in those girls eyes of how important the gospel really is and what an example that we each can be. One of the girls mentioned a challange that has been started to honor Pres. Hinckley, and challenged each of us to check it out and do it as well. So, for any of you who haven't heard about it ,the challange is to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days (that is 5 pages a day for those who started on Feb. 4). Here is the link to join/check out the challange for any that are interested. http://www.hinckleychallenge.com/ good luck to any of you who challange yourselves to this. It will tell you how many pages a day you need to read to meet the challange and allows you to track you progress. I struggled with the challange that Pres. Hinckley gave us a couple of years ago. So I'm going to be posting my progress on our blog to be accountable - so that I might complete the challange.

Looking Back

Kathryn thank you for this tag. It has been a lot of fun to think back to those times of "young love" thanks for the trip down memory lane.

How long have you been together? We met in high school, you looked great in that grass skirt Brit! We ran into each other again October 2002 at a friend's farewell. Our first date was November 23, 2002. July 22 will be...5 years, it's hard to believe it, it has gone so fast. 5 wonderful years! How long did you date? We dated for 4 months and were engaged for 4. So much for both of us thinking that we had wanted to date someone for at least a year before we got married. Oh well, it has worked out for us!

How old is he? 28, He's got me by three months and 6 days. Who eats more? He definatly did when we first got married, but now, especially while I'm breastfeeding I can keep up (sometimes). A little embaressing huh? Who said "I love you" first? I did! He said it back, he'd been trying to decide how he felt and apparently that nugged him over the edge.

Who is taller? Brit, by 11 1/4 inches he is 5' 11" I'm 4' 11 3/4" Who sings better? In my opinion Brit, though we both love singing, and love participating in our ward choir. I prefer choir's, Brit doesn't mind smaller groups.

Who is smarter? Which subject are you talking about. I can do math faster in my head because Brit needs a calculator, but I can't even attempt to do some of the higher level math that he can do. If it is medical, or household it might be me, if it is most anything else it's Brit! Sasha seems to have his engineering mind as well. Who does the laundry? That would be me, Brit is a white (or almost white) and everything else kind of guy. He is great to help with the folding when I ask, and even puts some of it away.

Who does the dishes? Supposedly whoever didn't cook, but we both work on them. Though neither of us likes doing dishes, I guess that is part of growing up? Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? It changes, I sleep on the side that makes it easier for me to get up frequently through the night. Braden will sleep more than 2 hour stretches some day, we are hoping.

Who pays the bills? Brit takes care of any that get paid online, I get anything that comes in the mail. Who mows the lawn? Oh how grateful Brit is that we don't have a lawn right now. He will have that fabulous job when we are lucky enough to have a yard. (His dream is to do it with a riding mower)

Who cooks dinner? If it is Mac n' Cheese, cereal... it's Brit (he is actually doing much better with his cooking skills), and he is great on the grill; he can hardly wait for a "nice" grill. 99% of the time I'm the one cooking, and I am actually enjoying it a little now. It has been quite the learning experience...a Glad appetite vs. an Andersen appetite, anything goes vs. "What can we feed Sasha?" Who is more stubborn? We both have our stubborn streaks, but seem to compramise fairly well (if it's my way - j/k)

Who kissed who first? I waited for him to make the move, but it was definatly a mutual thing. Who asked who out? Brit asked me out through an e-mail, "I have two questions for you: 1. What is your number 2. Do you want to go out this Saturday?" Oh how I was regreting accepting that blind date. Oh well. So I had to turn him down, luckly for me there was a big dance coming up that I needed a date for, so with a bit of a fib I told him that there was a group of us that were going and I was wondering if he would like to come (I found a group later). It turned out to be a good thing that I had an alternate date to suggest, he told me later that he just really wasn't ready to be dating (he had just ended a long relationship), but needed a date for a PHI date night and thought that it might be fun to go together. Our first date was one of the best dates that I have ever been on. The rest is history.

Who proposed? Brit!!! There isn't enought space to tell the whole story here, so here is the very condenced version...He took me to Moab, his car got totalled, we hiked to Delicate Arch, we were talking, I answered "YES!!!!" before he could finish "popping the question", he gave me the one-of-a-kind ring that he had designed. It was a complete surprise, I had always wanted that. Thanks sweetheart. Who is more sensitive? Me, I cry over the most rediculous things, thanks for letting me soak your shirts Brit.

Who has more friends? Brit probably, but we are fairly close on that one. Who has more siblings? Brit has one sister and one brother, I was raised with two sisters and... if pets count as siblings I win hands down. Actually if memory serves us correctly I have him by 3 (pets that we had at least 2 weeks, and I didn't get to count my fish (there were two that he let me count...a hand fed one and one that liked to be petted) : ) we loved strays. Mom & Dad, apparently I brought home bigger "strays" - Brit liked the snakes, lizards, horney toads. Oh the joys of childhood and parenthood. Sorry about the yard and gardening supplies...

Who wears the pants in the relationship? The kids, j/k-only sometimes, our life has definately changed, we do things around their nap and bedtime schedules, so much for nights out for a while, oh well. Between Brit and I we both have a leg in the pants. Who are you tagging? Amy, Ashley, Jamie, Jen, Jess, Kim, Leslie, Lisa, Shaunell, Paige & anyone else that would like to think back to times of "young love"

Here are a couple of videos that we took of Sasha. First and foremost: Sasha saying her own name (which, I might add, is one of the cutest things in the world!!!). I just can't get enough of it!




And last week we talked about going sledding out in the backyard. Here is a video of the little trail we made for Sasha to go sledding down our little hill/slope in the back of our apartment. We found a cookie sheet for her to use because we really didn't have anything else. But it was just the right size for Sasha. I apologize for the video being sideways. I can't figure out how to rotate it.

Smart Little One

...So, lately Sasha has been resisting laying down in bed at bedtime. We'll do the bedtime routine, lay her down and turn the lights of; then we here her talking and singing to her stuffed animals, opening and closing her dresser drawers, and even turning her music on and off, and the volume up and down. The other day, we heard some little noises coming from her room and didn't really think about it until I heard a tap on her door. I knew she was out of bed, so I opened her door to encourage her to stay in her bed, when what did I find? She had several books open, right next to the door because she was using the light from under her door to read. What a smart little girl! She sure loves her books!

Today marks another milestone in her development. She is able to say her own name! It is so cute!!! The last couple of days she started saying Yeah in place of yes. It is so much better than her No, which was her favorite word over Christmas.

Braden is still smiling and jabbering. He slept a little better last night. We think it may have something to do with the fact that he had a couple of really good naps yesterday. It was a good birthday present for Hilary. It made her day so much better. That and the fact that Sasha was very helpful in cleaning the house, which allowed Hilary to get some cleaning done. We went out to dinner last night to Twigs, a nice little restaurant nearby. It was nice to go out. Ashley and Justin watched Sasha for us so that we didn't have to wrestle with her at the restaurant. Thank you guys. Braden slept nearly the entire time. Good times.

This morning we woke up to 5-6 more inches of snow! School was cancelled for the second time this week. Brit is enjoying that. Unfortunately, that just means more make-up days. But, oh well, a break is always good to shake things up a bit.

Belated Holiday Wishes From The Glad's

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

A belated holiday greeting from The Glad's

As a family we have been very blessed. It has been a good year, full of adventure. It is great to look back and see how much Sasha has changed, how much I have grown (and shrunk - hopefully still shrinking), and we are so thankful to have had Braden join our family. We started the year with our Family Christmas, following a wonderful time with our families for the 2006 Christmas season. A short time later got the wonderful news that our family was growing. We were a bit nervous though very excited. We also began to discover several allergies that Sasha was developing. This has started us on a much more healthy diet (at least when she is around). I have spent a lot more time shopping at health food stores as she can only eat something with a label (not processed in plants that process dairy, peanuts or tree nuts), or fresh. This has prompted me in learning quite a bit about some of the benefits of organic foods, since these are a rather prominent part of her diet. Thankfully her allergies haven't proven too severe as of yet, but we are doing everything within our power to give her the best chance of outgrowing them.

It is such a wonderful experience to be able to rediscover the joys that are part of this world through Sasha's eyes. Looking back at pictures throughout this past year we can hardly believe how quickly she has grown up. We are truly blessed to have her as part of our family. She is so independent, without which I don't know how I would have survived the first trimester of this pregnancy. Each and everyday brings with it new discoveries, she learns so quickly. We are proud to be her parents. It has been refreshing to be reminded of how wondrous the world around us really is. As you can see in many of the pictures we have had a plethora of fabulous experiences to look back on.

Though initially a little disappointing it turned out to be a blessing that Brit was unable to find an internship this summer. He had the opportunity to focus on and pass the Patent Bar Exam. This has proven beneficial in job hunting. He has been studying hard, spending many, many hours at school, and doing his best. He has made some great friends through school who I am thankful have helped keep him sane in his many academic endeavors. Brit has been a great father, it is wonderful to see how excited Sasha is to see him everyday, and absolutely loves spending time with her "mawie" whether reading, playing, or just hanging out with him it is the highlight of each of their days.

We have been blessed to have Braden join our family. As we take the time to look back it is hard to remember what life was like before four (and especially as two), we wouldn't trade it for anything (maybe a good nights rest occasionally :) j/k). Having Grandma Andersen come as we welcomed him home was a very much needed and appreciated extra set of hands. We loved having our families join us for his blessing in November and to be able to spend a little time with them. It is always a wonderful time to be with family. It has been great to see what a great little brother he (and big sister Sasha) has been, we are thankful that they are such great friends, and take such good care of each other.

As difficult as pregnancy can be at times it truly is a blessing. I am thankful we are able to participate in bringing a couple of our Father's spirits into this world. Though it is difficult to be away from family it has been a wonderful experience for me. I have been blessed with some of the greatest friends that anyone could ask for (near and far). I am learning how important a ward family is, and am so thankful to those who have reached out to us, and helped take such great care of us.

We are looking forward to this year and all of the excitement that it will bring. Especially watching our kids as they continue to learn and grow.

~Love~
Brit, Hilary, Sasha and Braden

Winter Wonderland

So the forecast was for 5-7" and this is what came!

Mommy is feeling a little better (migraines wipe you out)

so out to the snow to play, wearing Brit's boots!

Daddy and Braden "playing" in the snow.

Oh how we want to join in the fun.

"It sticks to my gloves"

I'm having fun playing in this stuff!

My first snowball

The good stuff is out here.

I got a little braver to venture out after a bit -

enjoying myself on the porch in just a little snow

Stroller Dilemma

We are having a stroller dilemma. As we have been looking for the "perfect" stroller (yes I know that one doesn't actually exist) these are the closest that we can find. Unfortunately there aren't any stores around us that carry them so we can't try them out with the kids in them to see if they like them. Some great friends of ours let us wheel their Phil & Ted's around over Christmas. It was a little to cold to get the kids out to try them out in it though. So I am posting this to see if anyone might be able to offer us any insight. Does anyone have either of these, and what do you think. If you looked at both why did you choose one over the other, or neither at all? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This is the Valco Tri Mode, with a toddler seat and without.

This is the Phil & Ted's Sport Double (though we like the orange, we would probably go with black to keep down on the dirt). The toddler seat on the back is removable.

We like both of these strollers because they can be both a single or a double. They are both supposed to be easy to maneuver. They are also supposed to be quite versatile, outings, off road (as much as you do with a stroller), shopping (great turning radius for getting around tight spots...)

We Are Still Alive

Taking a break from driving to talk on her "calculator phone"



Sorry that I haven't been blogging since we have been back. We made it back in one piece (relatively speaking) and have gotten sort of settled in. Braden came down with bronchitis while we were in Salt Lake. Thank you to our family and friends for taking care of us, and helping get him better. When we got back we found out that he had also developed an ear infection...and he has finished his antibiotics. He is such a happy baby, you wouldn't even know that he wasn't feeling well. We are very blessed by his great disposition. One day he will nap well, sleep through the night (or at least longer than two hour stretches), and be able to fall asleep on his own we hope.


Braden at the park. Please keep me covered, it is cold out here and I'm sleeping.



Brit is back at it, studying hard, doing what he needs to. Though it appears to be a difficult semester ahead of him I know that he will do well. Even if that necessitates us being out of his hair so we aren't too distracting again. Thankfully he has been great to let Braden continue to share our room. The original plan had been to start him out in the crib in Sasha's room, but with her on quarantine he got to join us (our room is a little cramped with the extra furniture)we haven't stubbed to many toes. When the kids are better we may get a little more space again.
Sasha has had a bit of a cold for a while, nothing big. A couple of days ago she started with a "barking" cough, today we were off to the doctor because her fever spiked to 102.5. We are blessed to have some wonderful friends that were able to get us down to the doctors, thanks for the car seat, and the ride, (sorry about your nap Brennan). We have her medicine, and hopefully it gets better, and doesn't turn into croup.


Sasha, Braden, and Great Grandma Corey It was so much fun to come see you!



I am trying to keep up with the kids. They are fairly good about napping at the same time in the afternoon, as long as I'm holding Braden. So someday when he will go down in his bed I might be able to get some housework done during the day. Sorry Brit.


Lest you think that flying is for the birds. Thanks Daddy



Though it might sound a bit grim life really is great. We had a great Stake conference Sat & Sun. We had the opportunity to spend some time with another couple in our ward Sunday getting to know them a little better. Although we miss our families, and look forward to seeing them we are loving it here. We love all of the opportunities, and experiences that we have had. And especially all of the wonderful friends that we have made.




Braden enjoying "Squeeze Rock" thanks for holding me Auntie Em, you are a great babysitter

A Quick Christmas Memoir

Thank you to my wonderful children for letting me sleep in this morning. It was such an exciting time to see how excited Sasha was with each and everything that she was given. It is great to know that it was all appreciated (not just the boxes). Thank you to Emily and Matt, she loves her dolly, he has been napping and gone to bed with her tonight, I think she is very excited to have her own "little baby brother" (a name isn't decided on yet, that we are aware of). Grandma and Grandpa the stroller will always be in tow as well. Sorry for the track that is being etched in the floor upstairs.

This being Braden's first Christmas he wasn't too into all of the toys or clothes, his favorite thing of all was the attention and time that everyone wanted to spend with him. His ideal and favorite place to be is in someones arms. Thank you to everyone willing to give mine a little rest.

We are especially blessed to have the chance to be with our family at this Christmas Season. Thank you for all of the love that you share with each of us. It is particularly special to see how much excitement there is to see each of our kids. They are so very precious to us and it means so much to know how important they are to others as well.

I have been given the best gifts that anyone could ever ask for: a wonderful grandmother, the two most amazing parents, two great sisters, two of the sweetest children, the most caring husband, and a family that did a great job bringing him up to be who he is today, an aunt and uncle that have always been there for me, how could I ever go without including The Gospel, it has always been, and always will be counted amongst the most counted blessings in my life. I don't know where I would be without all of you. Thank you for being so wonderful to me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

How Do You Jump?

This is one of Sasha's favorite things to do right now. We thought that you would all enjoy seeing this as much as we do. She is doing even better now, this was just so funny that we wanted to share it with you. We took this video a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I hope you all enjoy.

THANKSGIVING PIE NIGHT

Amy and Marshall hosted the 2nd annual pie night a couple of days before Thanksgiving. That way we can really enjoy the pies, without being too stuffed from all of the other wonderful things there are to eat on Thanksgiving. It's great to have such great friends to get together with, we love spending time with them all. We did get a bit of teasing for bringing veggies, but that is all that Sasha could eat. And they got finished off, I guess everyone needed something that wasn't quite so sweet.

Comments about the pictures:

Sasha has started carrying around her baby, or one of her stuffed animals in the sling (Mommy uses it to carry Braden sometimes) or one of my shirts as you can see. She is a great big sister.

Brit has offered several times to put a child lock on this cupboard, I don't want him to because this is how Sasha reminds me that it it time to feed her sometimes. For those of you who know me well know my concept of time. I apparently tell time like Dad, by the calendar not the clock. Sorry to everyone for always running late, I really am working on that. Brit is trying to help me.

What would we do without a LCD screen on the back of the camera? Every time we take a picture Sasha comes running "see, see, see..." she loves pictures, and cameras. So there are plenty of pictures of her running towards the camera, because she can't sit still long enough for the camera to take the picture.

Here are a few pictures of us at the pie night. Thank you again Amy and Marshall for hosting it again.


My "thanks"giving
I have such a beautiful family. A very handsome husband and adorable kids. I am so thankful for the blessing it is to have each of them in my life, and each of you. Thank you so much for taking such good care of us Brit, and for working so hard to do well in school. I am thankful to have a daughter that teaches me everyday how to be a better mom. Also a son who is so good natured and patient with me as I am learning. I am so greatful for a husband who is so understanding, he doesn't expect me to be perfect, I need that to balance me. He is everything that I need. Thanks for raising a great man. I am so blessed to have been raised by such wonderful parents, thanks for always being there, and for your examples, and all of the advice (even though you have probably had to give me more than you ever wanted), growing up and now. I love you, I know I will always need you. Thank you to my sisters, for all of the late night talks and great times, I love you both. Thank you for your examples.