Top 10 of 2011

Darrington family Top 10 of 2011

-*Bryker was born on Feb. 3^rd*

-Terry reached the half way mark with OT school

-We got to get together with the whole Haney clan to

celebrate Grandpa Haney’s 90^th birthday

-We were able to go to Jill & Kade and Kaci & Ryan’s sealing

-Sarah and Bryke got to party all day long every day

-We got a brand spankin’ new bed and are now

in sleeping heaven after 2 years on a rock

-Bryker got 3 new cousins: Hunter, Jaxson and Rebecca

-Terry’s brother Cody came home from his mission

and we all partied in SLC

-Terry took hunter’s Ed and caught the hunting bug

-Sarah crafted her little heart out all year long

We have had such a great year and can’t wait to see

what next year has in store for us! We hope you are

all doing well! Happy holidays from the Darringtons!

Merry Christmas!

 Christmas lasted the whole month long for us this year and we loved it! It started with the annual Webb Christmas party where we tackled a giant family picture-the entire Webb family was there! Then we headed to Filer for our Haney Christmas. While we were there Jill and I got to play in an alumni basketball game. We definitely didn’t play like we used to but it was so fun to just be able to play together again. The whole family came out and we exchanged sibling and cousin gifts and then we had our own little Christmas with my parents before we took off-thanks for such a great visit and making our Christmas bright Mom and Dad! And finally we got to spend Christmas at Terry’s parent’s house. Terry says he can’t wait until Bryke is bigger and gets excited for Christmas because then it will be more fun but I already think it’s pretty great! I love the excitement of Christmas morning! Our holiday season was a great one and more important than where we were or what we got we are so thankful for the true reason for the season-our Savior’s birth. Merry Christmas!

craft fair left overs!

Check out my facebook pictures to see pictures of all my craft fair leftovers! I have a quilt, 2 pillows, wipescases, magnets, book marks, lucky penny key chains, paper ornaments, I-spy bags and bean bags. Go take a look and make me an offer if you see something you like!
(here's a link to the first picture)   (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=507049932962&set=a.507049927972.3685.225100184&type=1&theater

$17

$4

$10 each

$1

large $5 small $4

$3

$1

just right

Today I went to get Bryke out of his crib and as he reached his little arms up to me I had one of those moments where everything just clicks. You know when you know you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. Some days staying at home all day with my little monster is pretty tough but then I have little moments like this and it makes it all worth it. It’s in these little moments that I realize that my life is truly blessed. Yes I have horrible green carpet, Ter always leaves his shoes right in front of the door and Bryke has started to bite but if I look a little deeper I see whats at the core of those silly complaints; that I have a warm house on a cold day, a loving husband and a happy, healthy baby boy. For every little thing that I could complain about I have 100 more to be thankful for. I just had a great day today and wanted to remember the feeling. 

10 months

Where does time go? And how does it go so fast? No way can by baby be 10 months old he was just born yesterday! I look back at pictures from the week he was born and it really just boggles my mind. My not so little baby is now almost a year old! Lots of first for our little man this month:

o   tried black licorice for the first time (and much to my dismay and Grandpa’s liking he loved it!)

o   took his first steps at Grandma D’s house on November 27^th. He is getting braver everyday and starting to let go of things and take a few steps all on his own. I’m pretty sure he’ll be a pro by Christmas.

o   turned into a little biter! ahh!

o   has quite the little attitude. We tell him no and he tells us just what he thinks about that

o  started to get a little bit shy with stangers but is still quick to smile

o   will eat anything and everything

o   has started to snuggle and we love it

o   SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! (thank heavens!)

o   says mama when he wants me, gives big open-mouthed kisses and waves

o   has a 6^th sense for when people are in the kitchen and will be there as quickly as he can

o   started to learn how to go down the stairs

o   has 7 teeth

o   My most favorite thing that he does is reach up for me. I don’t why but I just love it :)

We love you Brkye!

change

             Isn’t it funny how in life sometimes when you get what you’ve wanted so badly and for so long your not so sure you want it anymore. This last week I’ve gotten a taste of this. Ter has been doing one of his fieldworks here in Pocatello. Our whole married life Ter has been in school. It’s been homework, study, study more and then more homework, while squeezing in some work whenever he could and on top of all that being the best dad and husband a little man and wife could ask for. Needless to say he has been a very busy guy for a pretty long time. So what I have wanted so badly is for him to be done with school and finally get a break and just have to work and get to spend more time with us. Well now that I’ve got it {even if just for a few short weeks} I’m not so sure that it’s all I thought it would be.

               His school schedule has always been a little crazy but there has always been breaks or a day when he didn’t have class at all. This last semester he didn’t start before 1. A lot of times during these breaks he was studying but at least he was home and we could pop in make him take a break. But now, while he’s doing his fieldwork he’s gone from 7:30 until after 6. He’s so busy that it’s hard to even get a text in. 
               This probably just sounds like complaining but it’s not it’s just me trying to wrap my head around all the changes that will be coming our way when Ter is done in a year and a half. Change is hard, even good changes.But maybe time could slow down a bit so we don't have to be real grown-ups so soon. But on the other hand being .real. grown ups has so many opportunities for us! Moving somewhere closer to home, a house of our own, a puppy!, an actual income and so much more. Like I said change is a little rough no matter what the kind but this change even with the tough spots is going to be great. Thanks for working so hard for us Ter and I guess this whole rambling post could be summed up in one little sentence-I miss you {a whole lot} during the day!

Thanksgiving

We started our week at Terry’s parents on Tuesday night and then went to Twin on Wednesday morning. I got my crown all finished (woo-hoo!) and then we I hung out with my Mom and Laura and the kids in town while Ter went fishing with his brother Brett. My Grandma and her husband Jay came up that night and we enjoyed just hanging out. Thursday morning the Thanksgiving festivities and my dad’s birthday began bright and early at 4:30 when the guys got up to go hunting-and they think we’re crazy for black Friday shopping! At least we bring back cute things! Us girls spent the morning cooking and getting everything ready. We had both sets of grandparents, all my family and the Barnes family this year for dinner and it was great. Ter has always said that Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday and I can see why. It’s just laid back and filled with great food and even better company (although his list of reasons has football in there somewhere). After dinner we started to plan our shopping attack. We started at 10 Thursday night and ended at 9 the next morning with only a few hours of sleep in between! This is by far one of our craziest traditions but one of my very favorites. I love just getting to spend time with my sisters and mom!

After a few more hunting trips for Ter we headed to Raft River on Saturday morning and met up with Nicole and Jordan and Brett and Vanessa to go Christmas tree hunting at Pomerelle. We found a cute little one and now are all ready to go for Christmas. We all went back to Ter's parents and enjoyed the chaos of 6 little crazy kiddos. Our family sure has been blessed over the last 2 years! Happy Holidays!

thankful

The other night we were watching TV and a special about Congresswoman Gabby Giffords came on. At first it was kind of just background noise to Bryke playing, Ter doing homework and me reading. But then I started to watch and really listen and I am so glad I did.

Gabby was shot in the head while giving a speech and I think13 other people were injured and 6 people died that day. She went from being ‘the most positive person in congress’ to someone who had to relearn to do every little thing that we take for granted. Watching what she was like before the accident made me feel like she was unstoppable. In almost every picture she had a smile on her face. She was charismatic, determined and forging ahead in the world of politics. And then that fateful day happened and her world was turned upside down. But through her ordeal she has remained positive. She is now doing her best to forge ahead in a new world, the world of recovery and fighting to regain what was taken from her.

I had never heard of Congresswoman Giffords before her accident and now I will never forget her. I don’t really know anything about her political agenda but politics isn’t what makes her a woman that I look up to. It is her determination and her unfailingly positive attitude in the face of tremendous trials. It’s hard to convey what I felt while watching that special in words. It made me determined to be thankful for every little thing that I have and am able to do. It made me thankful for my healthy body and all of its capabilities. I need to be more positive and not the little things get me down. Gabby made me realize that if I had a chance to throw my trials in a hat with everyone else’s and choose a new set I would run the other way and hold on to mine for dear life. I have been blessed with such a wonderful life and I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me all that I have. 

busy trip home

November has had a great start! Bryke and I took off for Filer on Wednesday and got to stay and play with Grandma Kris and Grandpa until Sunday. While we sure busy while we were there! We surprised Grandma at work on Wednesday by coming a day early, Thursday I got a temporary crown put on, Friday we tried to go to the Gold Mine in Hailey but it was closed {which we found out when we were all loaded up in the truck and on the road}, Saturday I went to Maureena and KC’s sealing and then later we went to the reception, after the reception my Mom stayed with Bryke and I went to Kiwi Loco with Trent and Dustin and Madye {so fun to catch up with them!} and finally on Sunday we got to see Daddy again at Rebecca’s blessing. Whoo! Busy trip but so much fun!

 Meena and KC’s sealing was amazing! Meena and I have been friends since the 8^th grade and it was such a neat experience to be able to be with her in the temple on her special day. She is the sweetest girl and KC is the luckiest guy!  I love you Meena!

It was great to be able to visit with all the friends who came to support Meena-I'm really thankful for the good friends that I had in high school and that we're still friends today.

 Sunday was Rebecca’s blessing and it was the first time that Ter’s family has all been together since Cody got home in August. It was great to be able to be with everyone and we even managed to get all the grandkids in one place for a picture. 6 grandkids in less than 2 years-holy smokes!

9 months

weighs 19 lbs 9 oz -25%

is 29 inches-76%

and is in the 90% for his big head :)

is a stair climbing machine

I can’t emphasize this enough, has the HIGHEST scream I’ve probably ever heard {and really likes to let us hear it}

waves goodbye

upgraded to a big boy car seat and loves it

says mama, which makes my heart melt every time

walks like a pro behind his lion walker toy

tries to stand on top of everything (if he is standing up to the table and there is a cup on the floor he has to try and stand on top of it, or the wipes case or your toes)

still doesn’t understand that night time is for sleeping, crazy boy!

thinks that old people on tv are hilarious

is a little man baby and eats as much as we do!

Is so much fun! Mama and Daddy love you Bryke!

 

Happy Halloween!

October has been pretty low key for us. Ter has kept super busy with school and me and Bryke have been super busy with hangin out and playin :) We did get a fun visit from my mom, Laur, Macey bug, Carson and Jill.  We spent the day thrifting and found some great treasures-thanks for making the trek to P-town! Other than that October was all about costumes! I'm pretty sure I was at DI and some other second-hand stores 3 times a week trying to find all the different parts for our costumes-but it paid off! 

 Poodle skirt from a sheet for Bunco night-love that game!

Bunco girls

 Princess of the Prairie to Princess Peach-thank you DI! 

 We threw a Halloween party at Nicole and Jordan's house and had all the Pocatello cousins over for it. It was so fun to get together all dressed up. We ate yummy treats and a played a mean game of Ticket to Ride. Thanks for partyin' with us everyone!

 Cutest Mario and Luigi that I have ever seen-{love} my boys! Happy 1st Halloween baby boy!

8 months old

-has a new face and sound everyday (right now he sucks in his top lip and makes the cutest little kiss noise)

-is a pro-crawler

-obsessed with cords
-best little clapper you've ever seen

-wants to try everything that we are eating…its getting a lot harder to feed him baby food

 

Raining Babies

    On Thursday September 1^st Jordan and Nicole welcomed Jaxson and Hunter into the world 2 months early! They were each right around 3 lbs and are the cutest tiniest little guys! Then we got a surprise when almost a week later on September 7^th we got a text message from Brett at 6 in the morning and they were holding a baby. At first I thought whose baby are they holding? They were holding their little lady, Rebecca, who decided to come a month early! She is just beautiful!

    We’ve been able to go up to the hospital quite a bit with Jordan and Nicole to love on the boys-we feel so lucky to be able to go! They are doing so great! They have both gained weight, are off their oxygen and have moved on to bottles. We haven’t been able to meet Rebecca yet but we can’t wait!

    Its pretty crazy that when Ter and I were married 2 years ago there weren’t any grandkids on his side yet and now there are 6 under 2!

Go Bengals!

On Saturday we took Bryke to his first football game. We went with our friends the Soderquists and the Bakers to an ISU game. It was a pretty good game and we had a lot of fun! Bryke loved it and did pretty good for most of the game-but we didn’t make through the end of the game…not because of Bryke though! We left so Ter could see every second of the BYU game! He has a love/hate relationship with those cougars. He was raised on them but oh my goodness sometimes I think he is going to have a heart attack while watching them! Being a life-long fan is stressful-I wouldn’t know I’m more of the bandwagon type and proud of it :)

I always liked football but being married to a total football loving man has upped my exposure to the longest game in sports :) and I’m ok with that. Here’s to many more memories watching the game with my boys!

Eastern Idaho State Fair

On Monday we went to Blackfoot for the Eastern Idaho State fair. It was Bryke’s first time at a fair and my first time at a fair other than the Twin Falls fair. This one was huge! Bryke loved all the animals and but I think was more interested in all the people-the fair brings out an interesting bunch. It was a little overwhelming and I’m going to have to say that I’m still a pretty big fan of the Twin fair. We got a yummy drink and by the time we were ready for a treat Bryke was way ready to go so I didn’t get my fair food but we came home and had Navajo tacos and scones and then peaches and ice cream the next night so I think I’m covered til next year :)

Labor Day 2011

   We got to spend the day being spoiled by my parents! Ter has class on Saturdays this semester so we hung out until he was done and then drove to Idaho Falls to go to the Bodies Exhibit. It was amazing and just crazy! My favorite part was the blood vessel section. They injected this dye stuff (very official term I know) into the vessels which then hardened and then the rest of the body was dissolved away. You wouldn’t believe the amount of blood vessels in our body!

     After the exhibit we went out to lunch at Famous Dave’s where we got our fill of the most amazing bbq off a trash can lid! When we couldn’t possibly eat anymore we headed home and then the guys started watching football so my Mom and I snuck away and I got some quality mama time in. It was so much fun to be able to spend the day with my parents! We are so lucky that they live close enough to drive over for the day. Thanks for such a great day Mom and Dad!

                 

7 month updates

At 7 months:

I have two teeth, that were awful to get!

I sit up all by myself

I reach for people now, sometimes people I don't even know which kinda freaks my mom out

I got sick for the first time with a fever and that wasn’t fun for me or my mama and papa

I babble bababa and mamama all the time

I love to move my hand against my mouth and go ahhhhh   

              We love you Bryker man!!

Welcome home Elder Darrington!

On August 19^th around 10 pm Elder Darrington got home from the Czech Republic! It was a little crazy “meeting” Cody again. Ter and I got married only a couple weeks before he left so I didn’t really get to know him. He pretty much came home to a completely different family. He didn’t have any nieces or nephews when he left and he came home to 2 nephews and 1 niece and 2 nephews and 1 niece on the way! We are so proud of Cody and know that he was a great missionary-welcome home cody!

While we were in SLC we all went to the Hogle Zoo. It was Bryke’s first zoo experience and he did really good although I think he was more interested in all the different people than the animals.

Ter and his brother Brett went fishing and came home with these whoppers!