Flashback to Summer

A few nights ago, I was rooting around in the dark corners of my laptop's hard drive looking for some wayward track photos. While I did (eventually) find the shots the yearbook kidlets needed, I also found a few unposted photos from my summer adventures. Those photos brought back some warm memories on a chilly evening.

I know I should be a little embarrassed that I took so many photos of snow cones but, in my defense, they were the most amazing snow cones on the face of the earth. And even though I wasn't as brave as Jenny, who tried flavors like rose, basil, or roasted pepper, I still dream about the cucumber and Juneberry.

And since my dear sweet older sister managed to procure some extra peach and lime syrups for me when Yuki closed for the summer, I will get to relive some of those delicious moments a few more times.

And from mouth-watering sweets, we go a sweetie with a very watery mouth: Alton.

I don't know how I made it though the whole summer without posting about his serious drooling issues. If Jenny would have let him play outside during the summer, Utah's drought problems would have been solved in a week.

I also found some fun reminders of a trip to the big city rodeo with my Idaho niblets. Kenna and Kylie are big rodeo fans...

... and Bubba loves rodeo nachos!

I even found evidence of some summertime craftiness: Max had a summer homework assignment to make a puppet he could use to introduce himself on the first week of school. He requested my help to make a Doctor Who themed puppet, and this is what I came up with: A dalek!

Who says summer homework is a horrible idea?

And how did I never get around to posting this year's fair winnings?

And then there was my fair and rodeo, which my two newest sisters-in-law were able to attend for the first time. They didn't mind the big, smelly animals at all...

...which shouldn't have been such a surprise considering they willingly married them.

And then there was this photo...which probably should have stayed buried in the dark corners of my laptop's hard drive.

Even though it was fun spend a little time basking in the glow of summer memories, I am very contented to settle into fall... Because this fall, Alton stopped drooling long enough to learn to make THIS FACE:

The changing of the seasons is a wonderful thing.

I can't wait to see what tricks Al learns this winter. 

The Ballad of Greggie and Kristina

 One bright day in the month of June,

Two cute kids knelt in a sealing room.

There  they said, “Yes,” to eternity,

And became their own little family.

But before they could embark on their brand new life,

They made two trips as a Man and Wife.

The honeymoon came first, of course.

Three days of camping, but no divorce!

The second trip was twice as long,

And proved their marriage was super strong.

 No, this stanza’s not a joke,

They took this trip with the groom’s own folks.

Over 1800 hundred miles, there and back

In a van with the in-laws…  how fun was that?

If not for the sweetness of this bride,

The week might have ended with a groom-i-cide.

 Across Nevada and to the coast,

With family members playing host,

They met relatives both young and old,

Some upstanding, some paroled.

With his parents, they toured the sites

And then slept right next door at night.

And six days later, they returned

Exhausted , wrinkled, and sunburned.

But while that six day-trip seemed ill-advised,

It turned out to be rather wise.

Their apartment that might have seemed too small?

Compared to the mini van, it’s the Taja Mahal!

The Bride will be thankful ever more

There’s only one Haws in their home who snores.

Having survived all that, they have no doubt

It will be smooth sailing from here on out!

So we won’t mention just quite yet

The vote we took when last we met.

Greg and Kristina pasted the test

Homely and Joyce love them best!

When the parents independent days are through,

Greg: They’re coming to live with you!

Wedding Day

A wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of a girl's life, and it was... for Ruby.


 Ruby got to leave extra early in the morning to ride to Temple Square with Grandpa, Grandma, and me. While the grandparents were in the temple giving Greggie oxygen, Ruby got to have pancakes and hot chocolate in a mall, while her brothers ate Kix at home.

Then she pretended to fall into every single fountain on and around Temple Square...

...flirted her way into the visitors center before it was actually open...

... and played with her Idaho cousins.

The highlight of the day was helping the Bride with her wedding dress. All in all, the day was a dream-come-true for little Rubistar.

Oh, and speaking of the Bride, I think she had a pretty good day too.

It's a shame little Ruby doesn't get to attend the reception in Monterrey this weekend. She would have a blast posing for photos  pretending to fall into the ocean.

I guess I will have to play in the ocean for her.
Am I a good aunt, or what?

My Audition Tape

So this post is mostly for my family... who I'm pretty sure are the only folks interested in watching a six minute video about Gregory Bryce.

Thanks to my recent successes with the 6th grade orientation video, the Spring 2013 "figurative language in music" video, and a whole lot of BJHS Harlem Shakes, I am feeling very confident in my video-making abilities.

I am feeling so confident, in fact, that I offered to make the requisite photo-montage-video to play at the wedding reception of my most baby-est brother.

But since I have little-to-no experience with wedding reception videos, I thought I should make a little audition tape to showcase my skills.

The bride and groom need to know that this was a rush job and, if I get the gig, I would do a much better job of cropping the photos and adding transitions.

I would also, you know,  include photos of the bride. Since I didn't have access to any of Kristina's baby photos, the video is Greg/Groom-Centric, but I think it is pretty good for a first try.

Enjoy!

An Open Letter to the Girlfriends of My Baby Brothers

Hello ladies.

After spending a week at my parents' home with your significant others (a.k.a. my brothers Greg and Mikey), I thought I should drop you a line.

First of all, allow me to express my appreciation for your willingness to hang out with my two favorite dorks. I have never met the two of you, but I have met my brothers (on several occasions), and can therefore assume that you are both very patient and exceptionally charitable.
But thanking you for dating my brothers isn't the only reason that I am writing to you today. I also wanted to take this opportunity to point out some of their good qualities and useful talents that you may not have had an opportunity to experience during your interactions with Mikey and Greg there at BYU.

I'm sure Greg has demonstrated his wonderful non-alcoholic bar tending skills on more than one occasion. And you might have seen his dedicated work ethic at the BYU bookstore.

I know that you have witnessed Mikey's magnificent musical skills as he played with the cougar bands. And his most obvious talent, being tall, is kind of hard to miss.

You must have noticed their ability to focus on video games for super-human lengths of time. And I also think it is a pretty safe bet that their roommates have filled you in on their other impressive skill: Snoring at levels that can be measured by the Richter Magnitude Scale.

But wait... there's more!
Greg is a diligent worker even when a paycheck isn't involved. The week before Christmas he willingly shoveled snow so his exhausted father wouldn't have too. (Yes Mom, he is wearing your sweatshirt.)

While his little brother was shoveling, Mikey was doing dishes so that his mother would come home from a long day of teaching to a clean kitchen. (Yes, Dad, he is wearing a golf shirt with basketball shorts. No, I don't know why.)

They also spent a lot of time helping their eldest brother work on the new family room in his basement. I bet you didn't realize just how helpful and manly they can be. But I think the real selling point for both boys is their childcare skills. Mike and Greg have some real fatherhood potential.

Greg was so great to wrestle with Bubba over the break. He even swallowed his pride and let Bubba win. Probably.

And Mikey is always willing to provide Ruby with free transportation. Of course, she has to take altitude sickness pills before and after each ride, but it is the thought that counts, right?

How many guys do you know who can paint nails? Greg has been practicing his mani-pedi skills on Kylie and Kenna. If you ask him nicely, he may even hook you up with French tips.

Mikey may be a trombone whiz, but (with the help of his very dedicated teacher Milo) he is also developing his guitar skills. One day he may even be able to sing Justin Bieber songs as well as Milo.

So ladies, I hope you realize what "catches" you have landed. I may be a little biased, but I do think they are pretty decent guys. Let me know if you have any other questions about either boy. I can also provide you with medical records and a list of references, if needed.

Sincerely,

Your Boyfriends' Second Favorite Sister

P.S. Forget what I said about the snoring. I was probably just exaggerating. And there have been amazing advancements in recent years in the field of ear plug technology. And there is no rule that says ear plugs and/or nasal strips can't be added to a gift registry.

Just saying.

Zoology

Shortly after Greg's triumphant return to the States, he and I took a little trip to the zoo with Becky , Kenna, Kylie, and Bubba.

Becky and Warren buy a zoo membership every year so that Becky and the girls can have a fun escape while Wo is working.

But as the girls have gotten older (and faster), it has become kind of difficult for Becky to take the kids on her own. Besides increasing their personal MPH's, the girls tend to run in opposite directions. Plus, even though kid's TV can teach valuable lessons, shows like Sesame Street fail to convey the important message that, not matter how cute and fuzzy nature may appear, it still wants to eat you.

Since Greg and I share an affinity for Becky, her kids, and the zoo, we were more than happy to tag along, see the sights, and help snatch the girls from the jaws of death every few minutes.

Greg was excited to visit the zoo because, 1) he didn't have to wear a suit, 2) he is a big fan of the animal sciences, 3) they have conveniently placed hand sanitizing stations scattered across the grounds, and 4) most of the animals come in pairs or other even numbers.

It was a perfect day for a trip to the zoo. The sun was out, the air was warm, and there was just enough of a wind to keep that "special" zoo fragrance at a minimum.

Everyone had a blast... except Baby Bubba. He found the zoo to be a bit boring. I'm sure that the poor little guy would have preferred to be napping comfortably in his home, where any off-putting smells were his own. Yep. Poor, poor Bubba.

The girls, either unaware or unconcerned with their brother's "suffering", had a blast reacquainting Greg with their favorite animals.

And they were super excited to show their Uncle Greggie his beloved penguins. Greg's affection for penguins is well known in our family. If anything, his two year LDS mission has only deepened his kinship with the only other critters on earth (besides maitre'ds and morticians) to sport the formal look longer than a Mormon Elder.

But on this trip to the zoo, Greg's favorite critters weren't the penguins. Nope. The animals he loved best were more colorful and talkative and didn't smell at all like rotten fish.

Good thing their cuteness isn't diminished by their sharp little chompers.

Reunited, and it Feels so Good!

We got to the airport a little early Tuesday night so, to pass the time until Greg's flight was due to land, I decided to take photos of the other zillion missionaries who flew into the SLC airport that night. So every time a plane landed and missionaries ventured forth into the arrivals area, I would snap a few random photos.

I snapped one of those "random photos" about 10 minutes before Greg's plane was due to land.
Imagine my surprise when I looked at the photo preview and recognized our very own Greggie. I suppose that makes the official "arrival photo" below an accident... a very happy accident.
He's Baaaaaaack!

Now that Greg is home, our family's next big reunion will be over the 4th of July... maybe.

If the NFL keeps Moose and company locked out, he and Brianna will be able to come for a visit, and then we would have all four dorks together for an updated brothers photo.

For now, we are all very, very happy that Greg has returned with honor... and without parasites.

Welcome home, Ninja Bunny. We love you!