It Stimulates the Mind!

I finally have proof that I'm not wasting my time on the internet! Scientist have validated my hours upon hours of surfing the web.

If you don't want to read the article, basically it says that more of the brain is used while surfing the web than reading a book. Now if you just read a book online, you'd be using all those brain cells. I would like to see if there is a difference in brain waves depending on what is being viewed online. My afternoon break which is a great mindless game is the Daily Puzzle, I can't imagine that taking many brain cells. While on the other hand, writing a blog takes about all of my brain power!

Props to the Dads

So we had a sleepover at our house. Four girls and Cody makes for lots and lots of squealing and giggling, but they had a blast!!! Kiara told Brad that she wasn't at all tired but five minutes after they all stopped talking they were all out. I thought it was realy cute that Kiara and Kayli were cuddling!!

From Bryten & Cody

I just wanted to congratulate the dads of all the girls. They were arguing about who's dad was the smartest. Drum roll please!! First place goes to Chad, he can count to 50!! Brad a close second, he can count to 30!! Sorry Jeremy you came in last place. Peyton was so excited that Bryten's dad could count to 30 that she didn't enter you into the competition. It was a very exciting competition!!!

Wednesday Tunes

So I have been supper slacking in my bloging. Will try to do better.

U2 - Vertigo


Watch u2--VERTIGO in Music Videos  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Conference Weekend

Conference weekend in October is also our anniversary weekend. Believe it or not we have been married for 7 years. I know what your thinking, "how could anyone stay married to T for longer then 4 years let alone 7?" I know, it's difficult at times and she does a lot of apologizing. I manage and thank you for your concern. We considered our weekend get away last week as our anniversary date, so we didn't do much this weekend.



I don't remember the last time I was able to actually listen to conference, oh yeah, it was before I had kids! I guess if I could have heard Pres. Monsons talk I suppose I wouldn't be complaining, he did tell us to enjoy the time with our kids because when they're old and gone we will miss everything about them. I'm sure I will miss aspects of having young children and babies but I'm not sure what aspects. Guess I'll have to wait until I miss it. I'll have to ask my parents what if anything they miss about having young children in the house. I'm sure not much, they have their grandkids over all the time and they still have a teenager.

One overall theme that I did get from what I heard was, living with-in our means, staying out of debt and not wasting our money. I don't know if it was as prevalent as I think it was or if I just made it up but that's what I got out of it. I don't remember who it was but I think one of my favorite lines was about living simple and simple living. I need to pay heed to that bit.



We did go for a drive up to Mirror Lake on Sunday. We were hoping that we could listen to conference. The first three hours were very enjoyable. All the kids were sleeping. It was actually a very nice drive and the kids enjoyed it. Once awake, Cody didn't stop talking, I'm not sure that he knows what it means to be quite. We missed the last hour of conference, I'm sure we'll live, it comes out in print in a month and we can listen to it online. Cody was so excited to be in the mountains, he wanted to walk around more, but it was sooo cold and snowing that we lasted maybe ten minutes out side the car. We did take pants for b but she refused to wear them, after a summer of skirts, she wants nothing to do with pants. They bug her privates, not the word she uses, but this is a family blog. Cody has a new nick name - kong fu cody! Just in case you were wondering.

Elk Festival

On October 11th the Hardware Ranch is having their Elk Festival. It is free and offers some fun activities. I have never been to the Hardware Ranch but have always wanted to visit the ranch. We are planning on going, doesn't necessarily mean that we'll make it. Cody loves grandpa b's elk that is hanging in the garage and all the elk statues that grandpa b has around the house. They have free wagon rides and pellet gun shooting. Maybe cody can get a pellet gun for that big bad wolf that follows him everywhere.

Wednesday Tunes

Santogold, Julian Casablancas, N.E.R.D - My Drive Thru

Masonic Temple

The Salt Lake Masonic Temple has an open house about once a year. The Temple will be open to the public again October 25th from 9 am to 12 pm. The Masonic Temple is at 650 East South Temple.

Thanks Advanced Windows!

I don't know if I should really thank Advanced Windows or not. They did set us up with some sweet windows and a free night at the Little America but they also took a truck load of money. We are very happy with our windows and glad that we got them, it was a year ago and we just used our free night. Advanced did a great job of installing them. Now if they would just come and wash them! We spent a great night with only one kid, the one that doesn't move or ask us for things, just cries when he's hungry, which only requires T to do something. We were able to sleep in and not woken up by someone yelling at us for milk. We even had gift certificates to Red Robin! Can't complain about a cheap date!


Not the best picks but I they work. Most of the old windows were the originals, sometimes it felt as though we had left the window open!

Times are getting busier! I know what you're thinking! "But Brad, how could your life get any busier?" School is kicking my butt!! So if I'm slacking off on the blogging, that is why. T will have to step her bloggin' game up a notch and pick up the slack. I do have Wednesday Tunes for years! I could do everyday tune day. So if nothing else come back every Wednesday to see what might be my only updates.

We had a great busy weekend. Saturday after we got home from our stay, I stayed home and read while watching Jonas and T went to get the other kids then straight to the circus. They loved the circus, Cody loved the elephants, they went up to see them before the show started and he thought they were great. The poor boy feel asleep right before the elephants came out to do their tricks, they couldn't' get him to wake up for anything. Right after the circus, T brought the kids home only to take them right over to Haeli's so we could go to my friend, Amy's baby shower. By the time we got home from that it was late and the kids were sleeping. Sunday right after church we headed to Ts moms for buzz's b-day dinner, where cash money and I finally got caught up on some much needed ZZZZ's. Right after some delicious peach cobbler we headed back home for P-pods birthday! I thought that weekends were suppose to be a nice, relaxfull time to recoup from the week? I need a weekend to recoup from the weekend.


Sorry about the play by play commentary of our weekend, it was just so crazy and I feel I have been running around for the last two or three weeks. Cody gave a play by play commentary of the sacrament at church, loud enough for everyone to hear. If Cody can do it then I can!

Wednesday Tunes

Audioslave - Doesn't Remind Me

Audioslave - Doesn't Remind Me
Uploaded by NedDorsey

Harvest!

I'm loving the late August-September period, all the yummy yummy veggies! We have so many cherry tomatoes it's wonderful. It's hard to keep up with them, seems like I'm hardly home 'cept on the weekends and now it gets dark earlier (BOO!) Forget to pick the zucs until they weigh 20lbs. and then it's hard to do much with them. We have been making zuc bread, yummy!

Here's a recipe we've been using for our zucs, it actually calls for squash but we don't have any of those


1 medium yellow squash (about 8 oz.), quartered, sliced
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1/3 cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, divided
1/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
2-1/4 cups cavatappi pasta or other small pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
3/4 cup small fresh basil leaves, divided
1/4 tsp. each: salt and black pepper



PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Toss squash and red peppers with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing. Spread onto baking sheet.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until crisp-tender; cool.

MIX mayo and remaining dressing in large bowl. Add pasta, roasted vegetables, 1/2 cup of the basil and the seasonings; mix lightly. Serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with the remaining basil just before serving.


I get it all from my garden with some help from my bro-n-laws garden. I make my own balsamic vinaigrette dressing, which is much better then the junk in the stores. I don't know what Im going to eat this winter after being soo spoiled!

Balsamic vinaigrette

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2/3 cup Olive Oil
some salt some pepper
some garlic

Mix together

BOO!

Today was the Primary Program. We have been practicing for weeks! By "we" I mean T has been working with b on her line and the songs. We had a cd of all the songs they sang in the program, we have been listening to it in the car and singing the songs around the house for the last two months or so. This morning, when we got to church b went up on the stage, cody just about came unglued! He wanted to go up with his sister and kept trying to sneak up there all during church. He spent most of the time with his grandparents and aunt marcee on the other side of the chapel, we could still hear him. B said her line nice and perfect, loud and clear, all by herself, "I will follow the Prophet". Cody who was sitting with marcee then says, "oh, bryten is going to follow the Prophet!" Cody listens pretty good when it's not his parents telling him to do or not to do something. As the kids were singing "Im going to the Temple" he told us "they're going to the temple, we're not going to the temple, they're going to the temple" and he would repeate some of the words in other songs, "JOY!" It was a good program, it went a little long but the best part was when one of the boys got up on the tallest stand, so he was about two feet above the mic said his line really loud and as he was getting down he turned back to the mic and shouted "BOO!"

Body World @ The Leonardo

Going on right now at The Leonardo is a crazy cool looking exhibit, Body World. I don't know if it's "art" as some people call it. I think of it more as science, showing what the body looks like doing different activities without any skin. This is a huge exhibit and it's amazing that Salt Lake City was able to get it.

Part of my job for the last year or so has been working with SLC on providing a grant for the old library to retrofit it. It's a "historical" building, using the term historical only in that it is old, I suppose some people enjoy the architecture. The historical part makes it really difficult to retrofit, because retrofitting usually requires new walls, beams and other forms of demolition/construction to make sure the building is still standing after an earthquake. Being a historical building makes all of this difficult and requires collaboration with all sorts of people. Any way, long story longer, they told us about body world some time ago and made us take blood oaths not to tell anyone. They are pretty excited about the exhibit and SLC is very lucky to get something like this.

Body World is open until December or January so you have plenty of time to visit. People who I have talked to it who have been to the exhibit say that it is a must see. I don't know when we will go, maybe some time in the next month or so, I will let you know what I think about it.