Merry Christmas from the Brimhall's

Ok, so we got a little carried away at posting pics but these were some of the best pics we have had of our family since Tatum. The snow has been beautiful here in Denver and we just got some snow tires so that should help us from sliding around. One more week and we get to go to AZ to see my (Jeff's) family for Christmas which I am excited about. I get to stay away from work for a while and watch a few Suns games with my bro. I keep telling Annie that I am going to get her a pony for Christmas and I think she believes me so don't tell her that I'm just playin.

Happy 2nd Anniverisary to us!!!!!

Happy Birthday to my hubby!

So I dropped the ball and am now posting a belated Happy Birthday message to my better half. Jeff reached the big 27 this last thursday, AKA Dec. 13th, and to celebrate he had a church outing with the youth while I stayed home sick. However my husband is never one to complain and just being able to call him mine has meant the world to me. He has surpassed any and all expectations in my ideal dream man. All of you who know him will agree that he is a joy to be around always making the most of any given situation and will go to great lengths to make those around him have a good time. He is a hard worker and wonderful provider and I can now official put him in greatest Dad catagory as well, or I should say Tatum can! We love you Jeff and wish you many more wonderful years to come!!!!

We just can't get enough of our little Tate!

Tatum was having a very hard time in the beginning getting her days and nights straight, which was hard on my internal clock. Jeff has been such a big help. After each feeding he would take over so I could catch up on some sleep. The next morning I found the two of them bonding on the couch....heart-melting moment!

Before she had a belly button Tate was not fond of bath time, rather sponge bath time, but now that she can actually get in the water she doesn't want to get out. However we cannot say the same for her new swing that Grandma and Grandpa Smoot bought her for an early Christmas present (we thought it would help save our tired arms since she loves to be rocked) to our dismay she only last about ten minutes at a time before she begins to exercise her lungs! We tried!

Happy Turkey Day!

My entire family, thanks to my Dad, flew in from around the country to spend Thanksgiving here in Denver. It was very exciting to have my family dote over our little girl.

Grandma Pam

Grandma Pam came into town right before Thanksgiving to lend a helping hand. I don't know who had a harder seeing the grandmas go...Tatum or me!

Tatum Jill Brimhall has arrived....!

Our little girl came right on time! I went into labor on November 10th, which just so happened to be my scheduled due date. She came bright eyed at 5:05 Am on 11/11/2007, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds 1 oz reaching 20 inches long! All went well and she arrived a happy healthy baby. It has been a bit of an adjustment this last week (hence the delay in blogging), but thanks to the help of Tatum's Grandmas and her wonderful Daddy I was able to tackle the little to no sleep and non stop feedings. She has been well worth the wait and we are so happy to be a family of three. I'll do my best to keep every one updated, but as all you Moms know, baby's needs come first!


I was so greatful my Mom was able to catch the last flight of the day to make it in time to help me through the delivery. Little Tate is named after her sweet Grandma Jill who I adore and love. Thanks again Mom for being my example! Jeff has also been the best spouse anyone could ask for. He has taken on the role of being a Dad with ease and his natural abilities never fail to amaze me. Couldn't have done it without you my dear...really!

We love presents!

We received gifts of all shapes and sizes. One of our favorites were these little backpacks that could also be used as a harness to hold on to your active toddlers. The best part is they never know their little unicorn or monkey are really a leash of sorts! When we lived in Hong Kong my Mom loved these since she had three kids in diapers. Thanks Mom!
I know what you are thinking...yes it snowed during the shower so by the time we decided to take more pictures the ground was covered with fresh powder! Cute Heather and her friend from California drove all the way from Colorado to join in the fun.
Since we live out of state I rarely get to see my ranch as much as I would like, so I had to take advantage of these beautiful moments!

Here come babies...

Jeff and I decided one more road trip wouldn't hurt, so off to Utah we went.
My sweet Mother and Aunts threw Lindsay and I a joint baby shower. Yes, for those of
you who couldn't tell Lindsay is expecting a little boy a few months after our little girl is
due to arrive. I decided to pack on the baby pounds for the both of us. The shower was held
up at our ranch so we couldn't help but stop along the way to pose for some pictures...
When we drove up the tops of the mountains were dusted with a light snow and
the leaves were beatiful, as i have mentioned before I LOVE the fall!
We had 30+ relatives come to help us celebrate on both my Mom and Dad's side of the family. We played games and enjoyed wonderful food complimentary of all the women.

Sevilla, Southern Spain

We took a 3 hour train ride south to visit Sevilla. This was what I had pictured Spain to look like.
They had the ivy covered alley-ways, cute little shops, and the buildings were beautiful. This is the main plaza in downtwon sevilla. The tile work was amazing! We were able to take a horse and buggy ride around the city and see what southern Spain had to offer.
Jeff served his mission in Bilboa, Spain so we had to make sure to find it on the map so he knew we were thinking of him while he was back home in the states.
Our last stop before flying home was the Madrid Temple. This was a very sentimental moment for my Mom, because they didn't even have an official church building to meet in when they arrived back in the day. It is such a blessing to be able to see the church growth world wide and it was also very wonderful to know that Jeff had also been here some years ago. It was such a wonderful experience and one I will never forget! Thanks Mom and Dad for making it possible!
(I couldn't help but post this picture. . .I know she makes an appearance on all of my family members blogs, but she is to cute not to post! She was such a good traveler and so fun to have on the trip. She only had a few moments where she was bored, but this picture shows she quickly found ways to keep herself entertained !)

Flamanco Dancing!!!

My Mom treated us to a dinner and a show... a flamaco show that is!
The food was delicious and the entertainment even better. This place
was famous for having the best dancers in all of Madrid. The wall, in fact, was covered with photos of celebrities who had come to see previous shows. We were all a little worried Ashley would get bored after a while, however she was entertained and at one point, while dancing in her own chair, became the entertainer. The rest of the trip she would break out in "manco" as she called it.



The women danced as though warning men not to mess with them... here is a sneak peak at what we were able to enjoy.
The country of Spain, at least in the big cities, had quite a night life. The streets were full of people until about 4 in the morning or later, which meant that shops didn't even open until noon the next day. I loved the streets full of little shops and places to eat on every corner. People would be out playing different instuments to crowds and it was just beautiful.
This is the Largest cathedral in all of spain... from a distance I could not fit even half of the structure in the picture.

Toledo, Spain

An hour outside of Madrid is the oldest city in spain. It was a city
built by the Romans back in 112 B.C. However most of the surviving architecture
was built by the conquering Arabs. This is a view of the city, which is built on the highest
hill in the surrounding landscape. It is famous for its gold jewelry and artwork.
Yes, I am still VERY pregnant. In fact my feet at the end of the trip were about
twice their regular size, but it was well worth all the walking!












The cathedrals in spain are breath-taking! This one took over 200
years to complete and is still functioning to this day.
This is one of the oldest surviving bridges in all of spain, which dates back hundreds of years. It is a bit scary to think they still let buses and other large vehicles drive over it!

Spain...

My Mom and her family lived in spain for three years while my
Grandpa served as the second mission president in all of spain.
We flew into Madrid the first few days to look at my Mom's old
stomping grounds.
When in Spain due as the spanish due...eat lots of shelfish?
We ordered an authentic plate called Paella which is a rice dish
full of everything you can imagine...including these little guys! I admit that
I didn't dig in, but was brave enough to at least try most of the food on the trip!
This is one of my favorite pictures of my Mom
who use to hang out in the Plaza Mayor as a teen...
she still looks great all these years later!
We went to Retiro park, which is a giant park in the center of madrid...
it is a place of great romance. This was also where my hubby Jeff use to
practice his espanol while in the madrid MTC. To this day they still send out
missionaries to hand out Book of Mormons to those passing by!

Off to new places....

Our trip began in Baltimore where Jenny, Steve and Ashley
are currently living. Being so close to our nations capital we made a few
stops to museums, monuments ets.



We happen to witness one of the largest
anti-war protest as well, which we didn't stick around for very long since the
atmosphere was a little intense.

Our final stop before leaving the country was over looking the bay where
the star spangled banner was written, it was a very patriotic moment! (if you notice
Ashley's hands in her pocket...she would not take them out the entire time)