How to catch a hummingbird

Time with Grandpa

Most of you know Rod as the man behind the camera. Here are a few shots of Rod with some of his favorite little people.



He is in the very center of this picture



PILE ON GRANDPA!!





And what can we say about his fishing and cooking skills?!

New little cousins

Just a quick update- Rachael & Charlotte are here-- Gio comes in a few weeks. Rod is off to catch some big fish and everyone is doing well and growing

Ava Lyn

Just a quick update on Ava- She is doing well. Hopefully she will pass all of her tests like sitting in the car seat, eating her dinner and breakfast and adding the grams-- so she can come home soon. She is so beautiful and grandma's little sweet heart.

Little Baby Ava joins the family

Ava was born about 9PM tonight. She is 5 lbs 7 oz. She is so beautiful and her family is so glad to have her here. More to come later----

Little Sparkler

Our Fourth of July started with a parade for the kids with Rory & Jennine's ward. The kids rode their bikes around the park. Even RoriAna got in the action riding in the back of their friends Rhino that lead the way. Most kids did one loop. Some kids did 2. Chanel loved the challenge so much that even though her little legs were aching, she decided to go for a 3rd round. Coming down to the finish line, there is a pretty steep hill. On her 3rd round her little legs finally gave out and she crashed. A little road rash but she was OK. Last year she had a misadventure wile holding a sparkler and came away with a fairly significant burn. This year we thought she would stay far away, but after a few minutes she got very brave and I helped her hold a sparkler. On the next round she said, "I can do it by myself Grandma, so she is growing up and overcoming her fears. We were so proud of her-- Little Oliver met little Olivia-- both only about a week old. And what can we say about the "Cul-de-sac of Fire?" It was AWESOME!! Rory and his playmates (I mean all of the other dads in the neighborhood) really put on a great show. We all loved it! Topping it off today in RS a neighbor whose son serves in the Marines Special Forces came and discussed our freedoms. I was deeply moved, especially considering the state of the world at this time. We are so grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy and for those who keep us safe.

Sweet Little Oliver

June 28, 2009- Little Oliver Mitchell Brinkerhof made his grand appearance.
After a rather uncomfortable past 8 3/4 months, Rebekah and Curtis went to Jordan Valley and after a few drips of pitocin and epidural, Little Oliver was almost laughed into the world. He is beautiful and so aware of his new surroundings. We are so proud of Rebekah and Curtis and are so excited to see how Jack reacts. It is so amazing to me how we can have so much love for this little guy. Even though he is our 6th grandchild, his arrival is so very important to us. Every one of these little lives is so amazing to be part of. From Jameson and his adventures into the world of sports, Chanel and her love of dolls and dancing and riding her bike, Emerson and his exploration of the world, RoriAna and watching her develop new aspects of her personality , Charlotte and her joy with life and now little Ollie. What a sweet beautiful personality. Yesterday as Oliver started to meet his little cousins, there were some cute things that occurred. Emerson wanted so badly to hold him. He kept holding out his arms and wagging his fingers, then signing for "baby". Jameson asked me" Is he a boy?" and we said yes-- and started listing all of the fun things the boy cousins could do together. Like go fishing, ride bikes, play soccer. The Jameson said, "But I play real soccer." Chanel wanted to see his fingers. She apparently thought he was only a head. And little Rori just took it all in. And today Charlotte will get to meet Oliver on Skype. We are so excited and so blessed that this little guy is here safe and sound and all is well.