Summer Days Drifting Away!

August is almost over and I can't believe fall is almost here. This past month has been very busy and full of lots of big decisions. Brandon has been getting ready to teach seminary at Logan High as well as job searching for some other part time work. Even with all the craziness, we have enjoyed spending time together with family and friends before the start of the school year. We had Grandma Nilson here for a visit a little over a week ago. She came down to help Aunt Kate move and to spend some time hanging out with us. Grandma and Brenna had a blast playing with a box of bows and ribbons. It sure is true that the simple things can bring the greatest joy. Kati has left Logan and moved to Twin Falls. We will miss having her around.












Brenna is growing up so fast and it is so fun to see what she discovers and what new funny things she learns to do. Every week Brenna has some funny quirk she does all the time. One week she was making low grunting noises at everything, another week she was constantly making a fish face, and recently she has been sticking out her tongue all the time. She is getting more and more mobile. She hasn't started crawling, but she can roll across the room in a flash. Now you see her, now you don't. She is the happiest baby, always laughing and smiling at everything. She is such a joy!

A First Time for Everything!

This month has been a month of firsts for our little Brenna. It is so fun to see her take in the world around her with so much curiosity and excitement. So to update the past month here are some firsts that we have enjoyed!

Brenna's First Swim

We took Brenna to the Logan Aquatic Center for her first swim. She was a little upset at first but once she got used to the water she was laughing and kicking like crazy. She is a little fish!

Monson Family Reunion to Lagoon and Mirror Lake

We took Brenna to Lagoon for the first time with Brandon's family for our annual reunion. We had a lot of fun on the carousel and trying out the new Wicked roller coaster. Brenna and her cousin Rachel were so cute in their little hats and strollers. The next day we took a drive up to Mirror Lake for a picnic. We saw some beautiful waterfalls and enjoyed a walk around the lake.

Brenna's First Temple Visit and First Rodeo!

We took a trip up to visit Mandee's family in Twin Falls, Idaho this past week. We had the privilege of attending the open house for the new Twin Falls LDS Temple. It was beautiful! Each room was incredible especially the mural of the Shoshone Falls. We loved the feeling of peace we always feel in the temple and loved being there with our family. We also went to the Oakley Idaho Pioneer Day Rodeo. It was Brenna's first rodeo. We had a good time together with Aunt Kati, Grandma Nilson, Great Grandma Barton, and Grandpa Nilson! We also got to see Brenna's great Aunt Bonnie and her family and her great Aunt Peg who she met for the first time.

Brenna's Other Firsts
Brenna has also discovering all kinds of new foods this month. She loves eating all kinds of fruits and veggies. She doesn't like bananas yet, but she is eating most things like a pro. She also sat on her own for the first time earlier this month and now she sits on the floor to play and is getting close to crawling.

God Bless America!

Happy 4th of July! We had fun celebrating our country's freedom this weekend. We went to the fireworks show at the USU stadium. We sat up on the hill on our little blanket and enjoyed the show toegther. Brenna was a little scared of the fireworks at first, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of them by the end. She was very tired, but we were impressed with how well she handled her first fireworks show. On Friday we made homemade apple and cherry pie. It just felt like the perfect treat to celebrate. We lit some sparklers and flew our flag proudly. We had a great holiday!

Girls Camp 2008

Mandee spent the past week having a blast at our ward's Girls Camp. The theme was B.O.O.T Camp (Building On Our Testimonies) so everything had kind of an army theme. We camped up Logan Canyon and enjoyed hiking, playing games, making crafts, obstacle courses, giggling and sharing the gospel with each other. Brenna spent most of the time up there with us too. She loved being outside. Brandon even got to come up for a few days to help out. It was a wonderful week for our whole family!

Hiking Logan Canyon Windcaves

Last week we hiked up to the Windcaves in Logan Canyon.  It was Brenna's first hike and she did awesome.  We hiked to the cave and enjoyed the view and some apples, granola bars, and water.  It was a fun family adventure to enjoy the summertime!  

Mary Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

We got our little garden growing about a week or so ago.  We put in a few tomato plants and 3 rows of peas!  We hope they do well!  We love garden peas and fresh tomatoes!  

Um Umm Good!  

Brenna's First Solid Foods

A few days after the new year we were blessed with a beautiful little girl who we named Brenna Marie Monson.  She is so cute!  We just started her on solid foods and she loves rice cereal.  She is also now getting more into mouth than on her shirt, so we are excited about that.  She sure is growing up fast!