Thanksgiving

It is a rare occasion that my siblings and I are all together with our parents and this past Thanksgiving was one of those times. What a wonderful day to have more than 50 of the Kirkhams crammed into my parents' home for dinner. The house was pretty warm (that's probably an understatement), but the food and company were exceptional. I am so grateful to have them all in my life. Thanks to Adam and Emily for taking care of our photo op.

Another Wedding

We have had the good fortune to have another wedding take place in our family. Melissa married Kyle Smith last Friday and in the process we have gained four more grandchildren. Welcome to the family to all of you Smiths! May you find much joy in your lives together.

Officer Brown aka Mr. Jeremy

Birthday greetings go out today to Jeremy--one of our favorite people--who also happens to be an important member of our family. He's passionate about Valerie, law enforcement, politics, hunting, his tent trailer, and the list could go on and on. I believe he's also vying for the title of "Favorite Uncle". We're glad he belongs to us. Happy birthday, Jeremy, and many more!

Celebrate!

Last night we held our annual birthday bonfire celebration for my dad. What a perfect autumn evening to get together and pay tribute to a great man in a place that means so much to him. It's always fun to be with family members that we don't get to see very often, too.

Gardner Village Here We Come!

Yesterday we made our traditional October jaunt to Gardner Village, getting us in the mood for Halloween. It was so crowded again this year, but we still made it to our favorite spots--I came home with some yummy fudge and some cute baby boy quilt kits. Almost the entire family got together for dinner at Archibald's restaurant (Adam was working and Jeremy was camping with the Boy Scouts) and this year we added Melissa's friend, Kyle and his four children. Altogether we made quite a group!

Fall Fun

It's definitely time for me to catch up on some of the fun things we have been doing lately. My camera didn't do justice to the beautiful fall scenery we saw on our drive through Sardine Canyon yesterday while we listened to conference. Between sessions we hit the Bluebird Cafe in Logan for lunch (neither of us had ever been there--delicious food, fun atmosphere) and the cheese factory for some fresh cheese and butter. Listening to conference is a great way to spend a weekend--refreshment for the soul.


The weekend after Labor Day we held our second annual family and friends bonfire where we have our kids invite their in-laws to join with us. The weather was great--we were worried that it might be too hot--and we all enjoyed ourselves and the food immensely.

Can't believe Danny was brave enough to wear his lederhosen! He took a little ribbing for it, but he's a good sport.

For our anniversary this year our kids gave us tickets to some of the Utah Symphony concerts. We have already been to our first one, An Evening of Beethoven. What great music and very well performed. I did have Beethoven's 5th stuck in my head for a few days though.

Emily Rose

Today is Emily's birthday and we wish her a happy day and coming year. A lot has changed for her since we celebrated this occasion the first time. We have loved watching her grow into from a baby to a child, a teenager, a young wife, and now a mother with the addition of little Ben to her family. We love you Rosie!

Three Days

Our Labor Day weekend was full of good times with the family. Saturday a lot of us went to see the Bees play and win their baseball game courtesy of a friend of Emily and Adam's. Not only were our tickets free (great seats, too!), but he gave us vouchers for free food as well. I had not been to see the Bees play since I was a child so it was a lot of fun. The weather was perfect and the game was followed by a spectacular fireworks show.

Sunday was little Ben's blessing day, with a wonderful brunch following the meeting. It is such a wonderful thing to have these little children join our family. Monday we had a barbecue at my parents' home. The crowd was a little smaller this year, but still the food and the company were great.

First Born

Happy birthday to Jenny, our first born child and the perfect one to train first time parents. We learned how to do so many new things with her and our success gave us the confidence to give her siblings. She is smart, talented, generous, and loves her family. We love her back!