Gavin Brigham Greer

Gavin Brigham joined our family November 2nd

 8 lbs 5 oz and 20 1/4 inches

Photos by Catherine Grandy

Chuck E Cheese

Benson turned 5 this week!  He has been so excited about his birthday for months now.  When he woke up, we heard him utter the word "Finally!"while still in bed.  It was finally HIS day! I loved watching all his excitement. I let Benny chose whatever he wanted to do on his birthday and what kind of party he wanted.  I gave him several options and there was no question in his mind, he wanted to take friends to Chuck E. Cheese!  There are three cute girls that live right on our row of town homes that Benson runs around with EVERY day.  So he invited Paige, Nyah and Miya to come with us to Chuck E. Cheese.  We had a blast.  They played, ate pizza, and played some more.  We loaded all 5 kids in our Yukon and as soon as we got in the car, it was constant giggles and screams of excitement.  These kids were so funny and crazy.

Benson, Paige and Miya

Silly faces

 Eating pizza!!

 Posing in the jeep.

 Best Day EVER!

Prayer

Two stories about Benson and prayer that happened this week that I don't want to forget.

The other day, Benson was really tired, we got home super late the night before, and he was just having a hard day!  He was crying about something, I don't even remember what, but it was something silly, and he just couldn't stop!  I invited him to go into his bedroom until he could settle down and stop crying. He was able to stop and came out after a bit. About an hour later, while playing with Nash, he told me that while he was in his room earlier, he said a prayer.  He asked Heavenly Father to help him stop crying, and thanked him for being safe, and asked that his mom would buy him lots and lots of toys.  He giggled as he told me the last part.  It nearly brought me to tears to hear that my little 4 year old offered a prayer in time of need, and then recognized that Heavenly Father had helped him to be calm.  I hope that he will always remember to pray in times of need as he grows older.

Today we were on our way home from the grocery store, and headed to a BBQ outside.  The sky looked cloudy as if it could rain.  I told Benson, "I sure hope it won't rain so we can still go to the BBQ."  A few minutes later he said,  "Mom it won't rain. You know why?  Cuz I just said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to make it not rain."  

I am so thankful for the power of prayer, and for the example of a child's perfect faith.

LEGOS at the Zoo

Utah's Hogle Zoo now has several LEGO animals on display.  Some of them are quite impressive!  We sure have loved living a mile from the zoo, and will miss our weekly trips.

 Nash playing with the water feature.

 This is a picture, that was made of LEGOS.

 The polar bear was our favorite and most impressive.

Another monkey LEGO picture.

Less than a month...

This will be my kitchen in less than a month...

And my kids will have a jungle themed playhouse in our basement...

I am super excited to move to Omaha Nebraska!  I can't believe we will be there for three whole years, we have never lived anywhere for very long.  I am ready to buy this place and be settled for awhile.

Zumba

For the last 7 months I have been teaching Zumba at my church for all the women in my stake.  I teach a class Tuesday night and Friday morning.  It has been awesome!

I started taking Zumba classes about 3 years ago, and just immediately fell in love with it.  I smiled for an hour straight. I came home in such a good mood, and it felt fun, not like a work out!  I didn't grow up dancing, I played sports.  But I caught on, fell in love with Latin tunes and figured out how to shake it.  I have attended classes 2-3 times a week for the past few years.  While living in Orlando last summer I found an instructor in my ward and went faithfully.  She always told me I needed to become an instructor and gave me some extra confidence!  I love Alicia. When I moved to the University of Utah student housing, I had the perfect opportunity.  My stake has an awesome exercise program.  Every morning at 9 am classes are offered for free. Sisters volunteer to teach something they are good at.  Circuit training Monday, step aerobics Tuesdays, weight training Wednesday, yoga Thursday, and free for all Friday. There was a girl who was leaving a month after I got here, so I spent that time compiling music and choreography to teach.  It was perfect, I jumped right in and did it!  In the back of my mind, for the past couple years I have really wanted to get my certification, but I was never sure how much I would enjoy teaching.  It was a little intimidating. This was THE perfect situation for me, to test it out.  I have really enjoyed teaching, and because of it, I have gotten to know so many girls in my stake, made good friends, burned lots of calories, shared my talents, and helped others attain their physical fitness goals.  I typically have anywhere between 15-27 girls come to my classes. It is a party!  I have loved this opportunity and will miss it, as we are moving in 3 short weeks. By request I have even put together a workout DVD for the girls after I leave!

Certification is a little expensive and only lasts a year unless you pay a monthly fee.  Because of this, I want to certify and get a job teaching right away to make it worth it.  So....after this baby, you bet I will be certifying and continuing on with this passion I have developed!  Here is a picture from one of my morning classes.

Questions

Benson has been asking all kinds of questions lately. 

How are babies made?

Will you have a hole in your tummy when the baby comes out?

Can I feed the baby?

Does the baby cry?

Nash everyday, asks me..

Do you still have the baby in your tummy?

These boys are excited to have a new baby early November.  I am 12 weeks.  We are super excited.  I will be happy with either gender, but I'm not going to lie, I would be thrilled to have a little girl!!  Would she look like me??