Elena Rebecca is here!

Sam here - say hello to our sweet little girl, Elena Rebecca Bright. She was born Sunday, April 26, at 12:30 pm. 7 pounds, 2 ounces - NO epidural - Jenny was tough! More to come later.

IMPORTANT POLL: NAMES

It's almost go-time! We're down to the final week, Baby Girl Bright is almost here! One problem - we are decidedly undecided on what her name shall be. We have been thinking middle name Rebecca for quite some time, but perhaps it could be bumped up to first name, and we would call her Becca for short. Our other popular short name is Ellie, which we could take from Elena or Isabelle. Let us know what you think by participating in our poll! :)

"Of three things I was sure...

One, Edward was a vampire.
Two, part of him thirsted for my blood.
Three, I was irrevocably in love with him."

What a brilliant line to feature on the back cover of the book, haha :) I finished this fabulous novel last night, and of three things I'm sure:

One, this book was written for teenage girls.
Two, it was awesome.
Three, I want MORE!!!

Yeah, the romance was sappy - but come on, wasn't it fun? I'm a sucker for stuff like this. Vampires mixed with a chick flick - how could it miss? The main characters were very likable and the vampire rules are fantastically fun, I'm excited to learn more. What a great conflict - vampire must overcome his natural passions to protect the girl he loves. The hilarious thing is going to be when Jen and I start saying, "it's like in Twilight" during Young Men's/Young Women's lessons, haha :) 5 Stars to this book. Well done, fellow BYU alumnus Stephenie Meyer.

Third Set, Tie Breaker...When will I break it?...the water I mean...

Maybe this post should be read just by the ladies...

Doc's Appt today- The baby is progressing, 2cm, 70% effaced. Due date in 13 days. She's already 6lbs 4 oz.

Optimal Places to break my water- Shower & The Toilet, Ok....and since you're only there for a few minutes a day (shower more than toilet hopefully)..here are more practical optimal places---In the middle of the street- alone with Will- playing ball while it is raining, On a walk with Will in my grungy clothes, driving home...leather seats-easy to clean,

Not-so Optimal Places to break my water- The hospital (that's where my water broke last time...i want a little more adventure this time around), The pulpit at church while singing, while sitting on our sofa (I wouldn't let guests sit on our sofa again...), At the Mall- shopping, etc., Teaching Tennis- oh dear-- please no! I only have two more clinics to teach! Don't let it happen...the kids and other instructors would give me the hardest time., hmmm...i could think of a few more

All in all we are very excited- I have a couple more material things to round up- diapers/wipes/onesies, but this next week I want to focus on spiritually/mentally preparing for her-- One scripture I found today: Alma 32:23--

"And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned."

just precious.....gotta go....Will is throwing things from his crib- how I love him too!

happy easter

Easter was a little different this year- our first year without family/friends over, but it was very relaxing. After a full and fulfilling day at church, we came home for snacks and naps all around. We listened to general conference talks and took a walk around the mink shoals elementary school play ground. It turned out to be beautiful spring weather- thanks for all the gorgeous creations heavenly father!

I love the tulips, but the purple bushes are beastly...yes that is a word. Their thorns poke right through any garden glove! The time has come that Will cannot sit still

He just barely fits!

You should have been there to see how fast he went down on his belly....

Will's First Egg Hunt- let the races begin!

One day a week I go take Will to Playgroup, so I can socialize with fabulous moms and he can play- this week we did an egg hunt!

It's amazing how fast kids learn- Will just watched what the other kids were doing and then decided to pick up and egg and put it in his basket. However, I guess he's a humble guy, because once he found his second egg he had to empty out the first egg in order to put another egg in! Will found a total of 3 eggs- that's my boy.

Go go go!

Yummy "Nest with Eggs" Treat made by Martha, aka Mary

Sam's Analysis of the Jay Cutler Trade

So as you may know, my dad and I love the Denver Broncos. The Broncos recently traded their young stud QB, Jay Cutler, to the Bears for Kyle Orton and some draft picks. While Orton isn't about to land on People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" list anytime soon, I think he could do allright for himself in Denver. I thought we'd take a short break from the usual Will-picture blogs for some hard-hitting sports analysis. Here are my thoughts:

A. Cutler's an idiot. He blew a chance to play for the mentor of Brady and Cassell with two young, MITB* receivers (though I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Marshall pull a Plaxico and end up in jail at some point). He could've gone to the Pro Bowl every year in Denver.

B. The new coach could have been a little bit more accomodating, but you can't expect to have a happy football career if you dis the coach AND the owner.

C. I'm glad we got the deal done this year. You hate to lose Cutler, but better be done with it than suffer through a season of the camera zooming in on Cutler's dopey, frowny face while the commentators talk about how him and the coach don't like each other.

D. Very interesting that the Broncos chose Orton over Jason Campbell / Brady Quinn / other guys that they could have had. I think the ugly neck beard is a great fit with Denver and I'm excited to see how he does.

E. Downgrade at QB for a huge potential upgrade on D. That's a solid trade right there I think. Teams can and DO win with a slightly above average QB and great D. (Giants, Steelers) I vote we give Orton a year - or even Chris Simms instead of spending a first or second-rounder on a QB.

So I'm optimistic for the next season. The Broncos done took lemons and made them some lemonade. Booya.

Kyle Orton - Attractive? No. A good quarterback for the Broncos? Absolutely.

*Note: MITB stands for Money in the Bank, which means "good".

Videos of Grandparent weekend

This is just to show what we did all Saturday and half of Sunday. We walked and walked! (Don't worry the baby is still very (too) secure inside at 37 weeks) Ben pushed the stroller pretty regularly...while Will wanted to play.

Will and Pam- yes, the black piano is for sale if anyone wants it!

Bright fam visit! DC!

Will with grandpa and grandma at George Washington's home.

The Music Teacher starting Will early (back in WV)
In DC- we drove from WV and met Ben (sam's bro) there!..The Capitol


Very tired at the hotel...we walked all day- he strolled, but I guess it still takes work


Air and Space Museum! Spirit of St.Louis, woo hoo! Yes, there's an airport in st.louie called after this plane.

Havin fun at Mt Vernon

Will's favorite part about Mt. Vernon, the sheep.

Lincoln Memorial, very cool

It's bigger than I thought!

Our first experience of the DC "Meeeetro," as Matt would call it:)

Sam, do you want to add some highlights of the trip?.... stay tuned....