Fun in the Sun

We just got back from a super fun vacation at the Amelia Islands Plantation Resort in Florida! Aaron got to attend a National Orthopaedic Conference where he presented some reasearch he's been working on. And well...he took me with him. It was AMAZING!

It felt weird to leave Hallie and Peyton behind, but it was so great. My mom said, "When you get on the airplane, you are going to feel like you forgot to put your pants on," and she was right (thanks for the analogy mom :)). I kept feeling like I heard Peyton crying and I'd reach for a binky. It was so nice to be able to do things for myself and spend time with Aaron. Aaron thought I was funny about how excited I would get over little things like being able to read a book and have a drink on the plane and concluded by saying, "I think you needed this trip alot more than I did."

So...you get that it was great! Aaron presented his poster and actually won $500! He was completely surprised. Totally awesome though. He works so hard and I really appreciate all the sacrifice's he does for our family. Aside from why we actually went down there, we enjoyed sleeping in every morning, playing tennis, hanging out at the pool and beach, going out to eat, shopping, walks, and just spending time together. We don't get much of that without kids. We concluded that we need to do something like this once a year. Any takers on child care and funding? just kidding.

My sweet sweet sister Chelsey watched the girls here while we went. And oh...do I love her. I think I gave her enough birth control for awhile after being thrown up on in the face and having to take care of poor little Hallie who got a nasty bug. Cho, you are the best! If you ever decide to have kids after that, I will gladly return the favor :).

This is the view from our deck in our room

Aaron's Poster





My good lookin hubby!


Now..it's back to reality. I need to get my butt in gear. Aaron will be graduating soon. We found a house! And we'll be moving soon. More to come. I will do catch up soon.

A Portion of My Thoughts

Life has been full of so many emotions lately. It's been crazy. I will post more later about other events (because there are many), but for now, I will write what has been most on my mind. My sweet Grandpa.

Grandpa passed away on March 27. A few hours after landing in Texas to go house hunting, I got the phone call from my mom. Being far away at times like this is REALLY hard. Especially when I was supposed to be in house hunting mode, make some huge decisions and meet all these people for the first time (most probably thought I was crazy). And also being really sad that my trip I'd planned to see Grandpa again would actually be to go to his funeral instead. Death is a hard thing for me. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the after live but it is still hard for me and still sad. It's so great that he didn't have to suffer long, and that he is with Grandma again. It was hard to see him without his other half. It makes me smile to think of the sweet reunion they had. It will just be so different going home now. They moved in with my family when I was 1o and were a huge part of my daily life. It will be a new change for all of us. It was nice to be able to go home for a bit and be with family. What a great example both him and my Grandma have been to me. They definitely have been a big influence in my life and helped shape who I am.

Each set of Grandkids spoke at the funeral. For some reason I was the designated speaker :). Here's what we came up with:

What it meant to live with Grandpa Dick for 16 years:
· Never coming home to an empty house, because Grandpa was always there and ready for a visit.
· Always having our tummies full of licorice and pockets full of change.
· If by chance you happen to get a staple stuck in your finger, Grandpa would remove it with his pliers, even if he had to chase you down.
· Having someone to sit on the back porch with and have a drink.
· Having a constant example of what it really means to be green. He understood the concept to reduce, reuse and recycle: finding your old car mats with holes as a new welcome mat for Grandpa’s shop, finding newly washed saran wrap hanging in the kitchen, or saving the string from the water softener salt bags.
· Hearing cheerful whistling as Grandpa built his latest problem solving invention, most of which were to make Grandma’s life easier.
· Being proud to introduce him to our friends
· Having another parent to meet and approve our dates.
· Learning the proper order of dining at chuck-a-rama.
· Learning there’s always something to be happy about. Even on the gloomiest days you could expect to see Grandpa with a cheerful smile pointing out an interesting cloud formation.
· Learning that you are never too old to start a new hobby. At the age of 80, Grandpa bought himself a sewing machine, and took great pleasure in hemming his pants (even if one leg ended up 4 inches shorter than the other). This added a new benefit to us as we’d pick up on the latest fashion trends. Such as the blue leopard printed neckerchief Grandpa proudly handcrafted himself.
· Knowing it wouldn’t be long after you walked in the door before Grandpa would hear your footsteps and be up to give you a big hug and a loving hello.
· Learning that golf is a serious game, even when played on a miniature course.
· Watching Jazz games and hearing the phrase “That Kirilenko is a great player. I sure do like him.”
· Having late nights on the couch watching the rodeos.
· Waking up Grandpa, and having him act as if he had never been asleep.
· Seeing a bright pink bird house in your backyard.
· Learning that material possessions are not the most important thing. Like if you happen to wreck your car by hitting a bus or rolling it in the canyon, you could expect Grandpa to calm you down, reminding you it is just a piece of metal.
· Playing Cribbage on the kitchen table.
· Always hearing the phrases “ oh just have a little more” or “Can I get ya anything?” “Do ya need any money?” or “Oh a little licorice never hurt anyone”
· Going on trecks to DI, feeding the ducks, trips to Honks and WalMart.
· Receiving phone calls to inform us about the weather.
· Knowing that if there was a fire in the middle of the night, Grandpa would make a mad dash to get dressed and come running upstairs to help.
· Living with a constant reminder of how marriage was meant to be.
· Hearing, “isn’t she an angel?” when you’re only half way up the stairs.
· Being proud that your Grandpa named you, even if your middle name is Dawn.
· Having an extra hand to help with school projects.
· Hearing over and over that our Mom has never said an unkind word to him.
· Realizing that old age isn’t an excuse to stop learning something new. 90 years old is a great age for your first digital camera.
· Banging pots on New Year’s Eve.
· Seeing a pumpkin on your porch with a cute little sketch of a horse drawn on it.
· Eating Donuts on Saturdays with Grandpa Dick and Grandpa Danny.
· Eating your breakfast with Grandpa by your side reading the newspaper.
· Being able to find a solution to every problem. Like putting up a fence down the middle of the yard so we could have a dog and he could still have his garden.
· Having home-made picture frames
· Remembering that “Once a cowboy, always a cowboy.” Even at the age of 91 he made sure he was equipped with his cowboy hat and boots before ever leaving the house.
· Knowing that even though you could expect him to say he wasn’t hungry at supper time, he always found room to finish everything on his plate.
· Hearing stories about the good ol’ times on the ranch, and very rarely hearing the same one twice.
· Having someone to appreciate your cooking even through the learning years.
· Seeing our parents take tender care of Grandma and Grandpa.
· Pulling up to see Grandpa watering the dry spot on the lawn- and wondering why it only gets bigger every day.
· Learning from him to always make good use of your time. We’d often hear him say “What should I do? What could I be doing?” It was a common occurrence to see him out back smashing pop cans, planting flowers, feeding the birds, working in his shop. And after a snow storm it was always a race to see if you could beat Grandpa outside to shovel the walks.
· Hearing, “Knock Knock is anybody home?” each morning.
· Listening through the monitor to hear the sweet interactions of Grandma and Grandpa.
· Having the opportunity to play in a 4 man scramble golf tournament together and winning a trophy that could be seen on his mantle.
· Buying cinnamon rolls thinking “about others” to share.
· Sharing Christmas mornings with Grandpa.
· Receiving many phone calls wondering where mom was or if we think she’d be home soon.
· Playing games with Grandpa. Even bowling and golfing on the Wii.
· Helping us realize that actions speak louder than words
· Learning that there’s no such thing as too many marigolds.
· Being thanked for every little thing.
· Showing us he believed in people and treated them accordingly.

We count it as one of our biggest blessings to have grown up with Grandpa and Grandma as a part of our home. He has been a great example to us and has changed our lives forever. We will miss him dearly.

While I was in Utah, my sisters and I made my mom a blanket with some of my grandparents memorable clothes and we surprised her with it the day we left. We had so much fun doing this. It for sure was a learning experience seeing that none of us really knew what we were doing. We had a good time reminiscing and spending time together.

Grandpa Dick

Leland Richard "Dick" Briggs

August 6, 1917 -March 27, 2009

Leland Richard "Dick" Briggs passed away at his home, surrounded by his loving family, on Friday, March 27, 2009. He was born on August 6, 1917, son of John and Florence Emma Briggs, at Burnt Fork, Wyoming. He attended high school in Ogden, Utah. He married his high school sweetheart, Gladys Benson, on February 14, 1940 in Manila, Utah. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Idaho Falls Temple on October 21, 1960.

Dick lived most of his adult life ranching with his father, three brothers, and son, Boyd, south of Dillon, Montana. During his life in Montana, he was a master stockman, a member of the Montana Wool Growers Association and Montana Cattlemen's Association. He created many memories with family and friends while hunting and fly fishing on the Red Rock River. In his younger years he was an outstanding calf roper in the rodeo circuit in Montana.

After many years of ranching, he retired to Kalispell, Montana near his daughter, Dicksy. In 1986 they moved to Orem, Utah, and later lived with his daughter, Robin. He loved golfing, playing until he was 90 years of age. He also enjoyed gardening, bird feeding, and caring for his sweetheart, Gladys. He dearly loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren and lived for their phone calls and visits. Dick's greatest attributes were his Christ-like personality, his unmatched hospitality and his selfless acts of kindness.

He is survived by his children, Harold Boyd (Diane) Briggs, Dillon, Montana; Dicksy (Bob) Rhoads, Provo, Utah; Robin (Danny) Olsen, Orem, Utah; and Teena (Jim) Ploeger, Gilbert, Arizona; 17 grandchildren, 39 great grandchildren; brothers, Jack (Allowee) Briggs, and Hugh (LaRue) Briggs; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his spouse, Gladys; and brother, George Harold.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. in the Lakeview 6th Ward chapel, 2168 South 140 West, Orem. Friends may call at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, on Wednesday evening from 6 until 8, or at the church on Thursday morning from 9:30 until 10:45. Interment will be in the Eastlawn Memorial Hills Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to info@bergmotuary.com.

Match Day Has Arrived...

Where is the O'Brien family's next new adventure? Where will we spend the next 5 years? The highly anticipated Match Day has finally arrived!

And we are going to...

~ SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS ~

The letter in hand. Hallie's big concern: "Will they have a playground there? Can I bring my toys and my books?"


All the people going into Orthopaedics decided it would be great fun to grow some sweet staches! WOW! I have one good lookin hubby. I'm trying to convince him to keep it :). J/K

The M4's from our LDS church. It's so crazy that when we moved here, there was only one teeny tiny baby amongst us all. We are all going different places across the country and I will surely miss them.

The soon to be orthopaedic surgeons of the class of 2009 (7 for 7)

And Peyton is quite excited too!

I am SO proud of Aaron and all his accomplishments. He has worked SO HARD to get to this point and I know it is a big relief to him to know he's done it! HOORAY!

What season is it?

It's been such crazy weather here. One day the high is in the low 20's the next day it's in the high 50's. Hallie can't quite figure it out.

Exhibit A (a warm day)

Hallie: "Yook Mommy! I got dressed all by my's self."
Me: "Wow! You look so cool."

Hallie: "Mommy, I ready to go. Oh..wait! I be right back. I go get my's purse!"

Me: "Where are we going?
Hallie: "To the playground. It's warmer outside. It not winter no more."Come on Mommy! Come on Peyton! Let's go."

How could you say no to this? he he. P.S. This is the patient look she gave me when I told her I had to take her picture before we left.

Exhibit B (a cold day)

Hallie decided that she had a "swimming pool" in her house. She went swimming all afternoon. Then realized it was raining...
No big deal, she'll just get those rainboots on and she's good to go again! (she played this for over an hour).

We did have a SUPER nice day last week and went to the park. The kids loved it.

Where Are We Going?

We turned in our rank list for Residency today! Ahhhh....so crazy to think that it is done! Aaron and I are SO indecisive, which made it difficult to decide the order to rank the places. So many factors in deciding. Good Orthopedic program, cost of living, family friendly, school systems, weather, outdoors, ShOpPiNg, safety, ease of traveling to family, etc.

It feels good to finally not have to stress about it anymore though. I think every time I started researching places on the internet, I'd get anxiety because I would read all these comments of people's "opinions". I decided that I may just like it more going blind wherever we go. I did that with Iowa and I've absolutely loved it here (except the blasted winters :)) Anyways, it's out of our hands now and I know that we will end up wherever we as supposed to be. I'm not worried. I know that I can enjoy wherever we end up. March 19th is the big Match Day!! SO crazy.

We are going to leave you in some suspense and not tell you the exact order of our rank list but some of the top programs we like are: Oregon, San Antonio, New Mexico, Grand Rapids, Iowa and Wisconsin. Almost all the programs we are looking at would be fine to go to, so where ever we end up, we'll be happy.

I LOVE MY GIRLS

I feel like I have been so emotional lately, but I just am so thankful for my sweet little girls. They bring me so much joy and I'm so lucky to have them. This all probably sounds more like one of my journal entries but I don't care. I'm just going to write it all so I don't forget it. Hallie has been cracking me up with some of the things she's been doing/saying. Here's some of my fav's:

• "WAY COOL" is her favorite saying. It started when she got a package from Grandma. She opened it up and said, "My present is way cool!" Now she says it about everything. "Mom, you're WAY cool!" (Glad someone thinks I am. So what if it's a 2 year old!) "Mama Rodin's (grandma Robin) toys are WAY cool." "Peyton is WAY cool."
• "Mommy, guess what! I know my's numbers! 1..2..3..4..5..6..!.7..8..9..10! yeah! " She probably tells me this 3-10 times a day.
• If I ever tell her she's going to go to TIME out, her reply is always the same, "No, I don't want to go to NUMBER out!"
• The other day I looked out the window and said, "oh...it's snowing again!" Hallie said all concerned, "Oh mommy, don't dy (cry). It's otay (okay)." Guess I should be more discreet about how I feel :).
• I love that she is always asking me to "snuggle" lately.
• She loves pretending. Basically loves to mimick me with the way I take care of Peyton. Everyday she has something new (a baby, stuffed animal, zebra, elmo) and it is always "baby Peyton". She's the mother and it comes with us and does everything we do throughout the whole day (eats, goes potty, gets buckled in the carseat, has stinky diapers,....). Luckily "baby Peyton" like to take naps in the car while we go inside places :).
  

Waiting to decorate cookies at a church activity. Chels, she still LOVES the jacket. Wants to wear it all the time. Thanks!

This picture makes me smile. Hallie talks to Peyton like a little mother. She is so sweet to her. She's trying to get her to smile. Displayed is her "WAY COOL" zebra. Grandma Robin told Hallie she'd send her a present for being such a big girl and using the potty. Here's their conversation:
GRANDMA: Hallie, what do you want Grandma to send you?
Hallie: a aminal (animal)
GRANDMA: What kind of animal?
HALLIE: ummm.....a yebra (zebra)!!!
GRANDMA: oh crap! (Not my fault you were so specific mom! j/k. Were you thinking she'd say something easier to find? ha ha)



Then, there is this little cutie...
who is growing up way too fast! She's our little mobile mover. At 5 months she was sitting up, and now at 6 1/2 months, she is seriously so close to crawling. She scoots and rolls all over the place. She says, "mamamama" and "dadadada" all the time. She LOVES attention. Completely opposite than Hallie in this area. Hallie likes to sit back and watch and Peyton smiles at everything and stares at you, just waiting for you to look back at her so she can smile. She adores Hallie and they are so cute together. I love my girls.


Valentines was fun. We made our yummy Valentine's sugar cookies. I love how excited Hallie gets to make cookies with me. It's so fun. And Aaron and I were able to go out on a date! That's always exciting. I love my husband!

Chelsey & Jared's

Aaron had to take the Clinical Skills Step 2 Boards in Chicago, so the girls and I tagged along with an excuse to go see Chelsey and Jared. It was so fun and I was so glad to see my adorable sister (and bro-in-law). Hallie just absolutely LOVES Chelsey and was so excited to see her. Of course, she carried her suitcase around the house for a few days and packed it all by herself (tinkibell pillow and sleeping bag, phone, panties, and Peyton's pj's). It was a quick trip but so much fun. I forgot my camera but had my little one in my purse, so not too many pics. Here's what I enjoyed though:

• Seeing their cute apartment with the most amazing view and feeling like I was in a hotel.
• Getting a taste of their yummy homemade ice cream and delicious dinner.
• Watching how sweet Chelsey was to the girls. She had presents waiting, checked books out at the library for Hallie, made waffles and cookies with Hallie, painted nails, played at the park, etc. etc. When we left Aaron said, "Chelsey is going to be a great mom."
• Meeting Marteen. Seriously...there's no way to describe it. He's the best.
• Having an "ultimate smack-down" of pacman. Too bad Jared totally wasted my trash and got the high score. He's been practing way too much. Are you sure you study Jared?
• Talking with my sista. I LOVE her.

Thanks Chels and Jared for letting us come stay! Can't wait to see you again.

Painting the nails. I don't know why, but for some reason whenever we're going to see Chelsey, Hallie talks about how "maymee (maybe) Chelsey will paint my's nails, mommy!" She gets so excited for this event.

Here We Go Again

Oh Aaron...thinks he is SO funny. I have alot of catching up to do! I think I'm a seasonal blogger. I hate winter. Anyways...after being in Utah for a month, having 2 sick kids (Hallie had a bilateral ear infection, with one rupturing, and a respitory infection~Peyton had a viral rash all over and the beginnings of Hallie's), me being super sick with the flu and potty training Hallie (is that enough excuses :)), I think I am ready to begin the good old blogging again. So...here we go again...

As a disclaimer..I know that nobody really cares about December in mid February, but I have to post it all for my record. So I'm starting where I left off and will work my way up. Stay tuned. And P.S. I am going to be THE BEST blogger ever now. Just you wait and see. P.P.S. Happy Love Day tomorrow!

Other Highlights

There was alot more things we did that I don't have pictures of. But here were some more of my favorite parts of our trip:

• Playing cards/games with our families.
• Having a Rock Band/ Wii party. I am seriously the BEST singer. j/k.
• Drinking all the Diet Dr. Pepper I wanted and having my morning fix all ready for me when I woke up (thanks Dad!).
• Spending lots of time with Aaron.
• Seeing my Grandpa and spending time with him.
• Going to lunch with some of my friends.
• Learning to knit. Someday I will finish my scarf. How's yours coming Cho?
• Going to Stockton's wrestling match.
• Seeing Aaron's family.
• Shopping New Years Day sales.
• Taking Hallie over to play with Grandma Gayla and Grandpa Bill and seeing all the fun things she'd done when we'd come to get her.
• Taking Hallie and Nat's kids the the Aquarium with my mom.
• Having endless people to hold Peyton and pay attention to her. She was spoiled. And we are paying for it now :0.
• Hanging out with my sisters. They are the best. I love them
• Going to Body World with my family~DUSTIN included :). It was way cool.

Hallie's Sleepover & Baby Kate

My mom, Chels and I babysat Nat's kids while she had her baby. Hallie was SO excited for them to sleep over. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy. They ate popcorn in bed, watch movies, read stories with Grandma and then TRIED (tried is the key word here) to go to bed. Where Grandma fit with all these kiddies in bed, I'm not quite sure. Everyone was sound asleep except Hallie. She was just too excited she couldn't sleep. I tried to come in a few times to peek at her and she'd say, "Mommy, go out!" It was so fun.

Welcome Baby Kate to the world! She is SO adorable. Natalie is such an amazing mother. I can't believe she has 4 kids! I need to step it up a notch (no, I'm not announcing anything :)). I have so much to learn from her. She was laughing at me because I was literally taking notes on how she does everything and stays sain. Seriously...



I took some pictures of Kate while I was in Utah with my NEW camera! I am so excited to be able to finally start pursuing my hobby (yes I know I am a very beginner). Isn't she just ADORABLE? Oh I love her. Her and Peyton will be such good buds. They are only 5 months apart.

Christmas Day

Peyton pretty much slept through her whole first Christmas. We saved her presents though and Hallie helped her open them later. She is such a cutie.

Anytime Hallie was asked what she wanted for Christmas, the reply was "a choo choo". She's been having so much fun with her 2 trains she got. Lucky duck! Thanks Grandma's and Grandpa's. They all spoiled the girls rotten. We are so thankful for everyone!

Hallie and Carter having some ice cream. This was the first year they sorta played together and they were so cute. Hallie loves Carter because he likes Swiper from Dora and goes around saying, "Oh, man!".

We had a wonderful Christmas. My mom made a huge yummy breakfast, and we just hung out together. Then Gayla and Bill made a wonderful dinner and we spent the evening with them. We missed Brandon, Nate and Nichole's family this year though. I just love spending time with family. It's the best.

Olsen/Briggs Christmas Parties

Hallie (Wisemen) and Peyton (baby Jesus) at the Briggs Party

I love my brothers! Jordan is SO sweet during Christmas. He is so thoughtful and loves to give so generously to everyone. And he's so cute to the girls. This is us playing Bingo at our anual Christmas Party. He makes sure to remind us that the game is called "SANTA" not Bingo. I love that he is the one to always get this game going and make it fun.



Jenny and Matt were so nice to plan the Olsen Christmas party. It was so much fun. We had it up at the Conrad Ranch. It is always fun getting together with family you don't see that often. Family is the best, and I'm so lucky to have so much.

Bowling

It is a very rare occurance when my entire family (brothers included) get together to do something. We had so much fun bowling. This was Hallie's first time. And I'm sad to say that she beat me!

Snowman & Sledding

Aaron and I babysat my sister's kids one day and we "attempted" to build a snowman. The snow would NOT pack! But we were going to get a snowman. So heck, it may be a wiener one, but we built it :).

My cute mom with Peyton watching from the car.

It was so fun to be able to go sledding this year. Every Christmas it seems like I'm pregnant. Guess that didn't stop Natalie from going at like a week before she's due :). Hallie had fun. She hesitated to get on the sled everytime, but once she got to the bottom she would always want to go again.