Uncle Brad comes to town

Brad and his wonderful nieces and nephew.

Brad hangs out with Amy.

Bradley came down for dinner yesterday and we really enjoyed having him here. He took the kids for a walk and played "catch" with them. He later lamented that none of his nieces or nephews can catch a ball. He also entertained them with his piano playing abilities and let them hang all over him. They were in heaven. It is always nice to have one of my brothers drop by. The best part of the afternoon for me was having Brad meet Amy. He held her for a while and eventually got her to go to sleep. Emily and Peter Gordon borrowed his Utah hat while they cheered "Go BYU." It was pretty funny. I don't think Brad made any converts to his cause.

Homecoming weekend

Mom, Amy, Becca, and Emily anxiously await the first parade entry. Notice how Emily has co-opted Amy's carseat.


Hannah and Peter Gordon ham it up for the camera.

Dad hangs out with his five wonderful kids.



This past week was Homecoming at BYU and it is always fun to celebrate with the Cougars. Tuesday Chantel and Amy came up to campus to attend a luncheon with me at the new Hinckley Building. The food was good and the company was even better. Saturday we took the kids to the pancake breakfast and parade. They thought that the blue pancakes were awesome and had fun dancing on the hill while we waited for the parade. They cheered the Cougar Marching Band, the International Folkdancers, the Young Ambassadors, and Cosmo. They also cheered for the library's entry in the parade. Their favorite thing, though, was scavenging for candy as the parade participants tossed it into the stands. It was cold and snow flurries swirled here and there but we had a great time. Enjoy the pictures from our outing to the parade.

Fall has arrived

Ready for the rain.

Bundled up and strapped in. Here we go.

The weather has turned and it has been quite a bit cooler the last couple of days. In fact it rained most of yesterday and was drizzling when we got up this morning. The sun has come out but it is still pretty chilly outside. We went for a nice long walk between Conference sessions in the rain and the kids thought it was great. Emily stood on the back of Amy's stroller and gave marching directions. She is a funny little girl.

Soccer days

Peter Gordon headed for the goal.


Hannah makes another save.

Hannah and Peter Gordon have spent the last two months playing soccer and have really enjoyed themselves. Hannah is the goalie of choice on her team and is getting to be really good. She had her last soccer game on Wednesday and they won 4-0. Peter Gordon has the potential to be a good forward. He is quick and fast with ball as long as he is going in a straight line. He will be really good when he figures out how to turn with the ball and pass it. His last game is Tuesday. He will be sad that soccer is over.

Happy Birthday

We celebrated my birthday by attending Peter Gordon's soccer game and then came home for a great spaghetti dinner and raspberry cream pie. The pie was quite good. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I don't feel any older but when I think about how old my kids are it is obvious that I am.

Blessing baby Amy

We blessed Amy on Sunday and it was a neat experience. It is always interesting to get a glimpse of what Heavenly Father has in store for our children. It is also fun to get together with family. Mom and Dad came down on Friday and the kids were in heaven because Grandpa Pete took them out to dinner at Red Robin. They also thought it was great that Grandma and Grandpa came to their soccer games. Dad and I went to the BYU football game on Saturday and watched a rather lopsided beat down of the UCLA Bruins (59-0). Chantel's parents came down Sunday morning and stayed through Monday afternoon. It was good to see them. Here are a couple of pictures from Amy's blessing. Enjoy.

Amy in her blessing dress.

The Daines clan.

A New School

Becca, Hannah, and Peter Gordon all started school this week. They got into a charter school that is near our home and so far they have all loved it. Chantel likes it because the classes are smaller and they have a uniform policy. Peter Gordon is in kindergarten and really likes his teacher. He comes home excited each day. Hannah is in the same class as one of her really good friends and is having a great deal of fun. Becca has surprised us all and has really enjoyed school so far. Twice this week she has told me that "I love school" which is a vast improvement over last year. Emily is not sure what to do with her siblings gone in the morning. She is always happy when Peter Gordon comes home from kindergarten.