October 2009

Not that I can remember too much from October (seeing that it is now JULY), but I do remember that one morning I took the kids outside for a chocolate chip muffin picnic for breakfast. I also remember that they really loved it!

This is Jonathan, eating his muffin at the kid picnic table. And here is William (and yes, they are still in their pajama tops! I did put some jeans on them, though!). I don't remember what day this was, but I think that Emma just looks so darn cute in the Cozy Coupe- and I love the colors of the car and her shirt. In October, Emma participated in her first ever Primary Program. She wore this dress that her BB bought for her, and she looked so pretty! She also memorized her part for the program and several of the primary teachers commented on how well she did!And of course, October means Halloween. Here is William digging in the "scary hand candy bowl" at the ward Trunk or Treat (that was held in the gym). The boys had gotten flu shots the day before and didn't feel that great. That didn't stop them from eating candy, though! (A note about the bowl: My dad got the bowl at one of his "auction" trips and it scared Emma to death. The hand moves and it makes noises. Anytime anyone would come over to our house, Emma would lead them to the closet where we kept the bowl and tell them to get it out, take it home with them, and throw it away!) Here is Jonathan- unhappy about his costume, and not feeling well. I felt like I totally scored on the costumes, though. I waited till the day of Halloween, went to the Walgreens down the street, and got each dog costume for $2.50. I think they were regularly $10 or $15 each! Emma wanted to be Woody from "Toy Story" for Halloween, but most older people didn't know who Woody was when we went Trick or Treating. So, she was pretty frustrated by the end of the day since everyone kept telling her she was a pretty cowgirl!

Slacking

How did I let another month slip by without posting a single thing? I made a resolve to blog more often...and I didn't follow through! I don't know why, I just didn't. There was a time when I made sure to keep this thing updated, with pictures, each and every month. If you look back to the first few years of blogging, I think I only missed one, maybe two months. Lately, I have been getting further and further behind. I feel like my life is full of chaos and I feel totally unorganized when it comes to things that require some attention (other than feeding, clothing, or diaper changing!) from me. So, this is my ramble, along with a new, slightly more determined resolve to keep blogging.

September Stuff

Our month of September was full of fun, fun and more fun! Here are some of the highlights:

We went to Tennessee for a little visit and Emma got to go around and pick raspberries with her Jefe (that is what we call my dad- it was his special request.) at the farm. Dad has expanded his plant operation to include lots of berry plants. He has raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. (Pictures of his strawberry set up will follow!) Later on in the month, Aaron had a training for work in Miami. Since I have never been, his hours would be managable, we got our Moms to take turns keeping the kids, and I went to Miami for a few days.

This is the pool that I lounged by all day, reading books and working on my tan. These are the palm trees that I lounged under, while reading books and working on my tan. While we were in Miami, we went to a mall area that was at the edge of the ocean called Bayside. We found a little stand that was selling Latin foods, and Aaron had to have some of the things he had on his mission. We ate arepas and choclo, and Aaron was even able to score his mission drink- Colombiana. We also took a boat tour around the bay. Here is a picture of us on that tour. In September, there was also a storm system that came through the Atlanta area and dumped quite a bit of water on us. The neighborhood drainage creek runs through our yard and it overflowed into the yard. I have never seen this much water in that area. The area just beyond the lower "trees" is the place where the water runs under the road. It was so full of debris and the water turned into a huge swirling mess as it tried to get under the road. You can see where the water goes under the road, and then follows the "creek" into my neighbor's yard across the street. It was truly amazing to see the power of the water. It was also a little scary too. We got a little bit of water in the basement, but nothing really to worry about. It was enough to soak some cardboard boxes, but I got to it all quickly enough that we didn't have to throw anything away. We learned our lesson, and went to all plastic boxes, and bought a dehumidifier! And finally, here are a few pictures of the boys. This one is William. And this is Jonathan. We had a little muffin picnic outside on their table. Fun times!

So Many Things to Show You...

It has been quite some time since I have done a real blog post. I blame life for being so hectic and out of control. I just realized that I haven't posted pictures of the kids since August. Oops! I am hoping to update over the next few days to get caught up to now! Here is the rest of August (for the first part of August, you can go here.

Emma started Preschool in August. Her preschool is run by one of the local Baptist churches, and I (and she) have loved the school and the teachers. By the way, that is her favorite shirt, and I love those shoes! Remember the dance move called Running Man? She totally looks like she is doing it here! I don't remember when or why, but at some point we went up to Tennessee for a visit. Here are the boys trying to figure out how to drive Jefe's 4 wheeler. (That is Jonathan in the front, and William riding in the back.) This is a close up of William, courtesy of Emma's photography! And Jonathan, again, taken by Emma.

A Shameless Plug for Erin Summerill Photography

My dear friend Erin, Erin Summerill Photography, is having a give away on her photography blog. She is an awesome photographer in the Utah Valley area. You may remember some of the pictures she took of us when she was just starting out in photography. Now, she has built quite the photography business and I am so proud of her!

The other great thing about Erin, is her house remodeling, desk building, handyman- husband, Mark. Mark has started making some beautiful frames for Erin's pictures, and you can see them here. (I am begging Aaron to get me the corkboard in the frame. I love that thing!)

So, head on over to her photography site, check out her pictures and the blog area of her site. And while you are there, leave her a message saying that you came from my blog so I can win her contest!

Just some funny stuff

I know I haven't done a good post in, like, FOREVER, and that there are some of you who just want to see pictures of the kids, but I will get to that a little later. Emma has said some funny things lately, and I want to post them while I remember them.

Emma keeps asking me questions about the things that happened in "Allison Wonderland." She keeps referring to Alice as Allison.

We recently watched the movie "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." (Cute movie, by the way.) Emma keeps referring to the main character, Flint Lockwood, as "Flip Flop Wood." We also watch the Disney Channel show, "Sonny With a Chance," on occasion. She gets the movie and the show titles mixed up which results in "Cloudy With Meatballs of Chance."

And last, today, she was asking about the "Cat corner" in our yard. Long story, but when we moved to our house, the previous owners had buried their pet cats in the back corner of the yard. When the previous owners finished building their new house, they came back and dug the cats up and took them to their new house. (Note: The story is much more detailed and disgusting, but I am not putting that on the blog! Ask me about it sometime...) ANYWAY, we call that part of the yard the cat corner since that is where the cats were. Today, when Emma asked why we called it that, I explained it to her. That it was kind of a cemetery. She said, "Oh, you mean like a greatyard?" Yeah...I guess...

Law

You've heard of Murphy's Law, right? Its the one that says, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." It's one of my Dad's favorites.

Which brings me to some of my Dad's Laws:

• No good deed goes unpunished.
• If you keep doing what you're doing, you will keep getting what you're getting.
• I'm not going to say I told you so, but I previously informed you. (I don't know that that one is a law per say, but the law is that when we do something dumb, he will say that...)

After an incident this morning, I decided to come up with MY own laws, "Mommy Laws" if you will:

• Clean carpets will be puked on. (Aaron and I spent last night cleaning all the carpets/rugs in the house. Upon returning home from taking Emma to preschool this morning, Jonathan puked all over the place. Luckily, it was outside and in the van a little. But now I won't let him get on the carpets.)
• Clean diapers will get pooed in (within 5 minutes of clean diaper being put on). (This one is a no fail around here. I have given the boys a fresh diaper, only to have to change it 5 minutes later, more times than I can count.)
• Mommy's black shirts will get snotted. (Probably serves me right for wearing a black shirt. BUT it seems that every time I wear a black shirt, my kids wipe their noses on it. I have learned to lovingly refer to the snot streaks as "slug trails.")
• Slobbery kisses are the best. (Nothing melts my heart like a big slobbery, sometimes open mouthed, kiss from my boys. They are so sweet, and rarely ever turn down my request for a little lovin'.)
• Nothing is better than being a "Momma." (Do I really need to explain?)

While life as a mommy isn't always glamorous, easy, or even clean, I can tell you that there is nothing else I would rather do with my life. My life as a mom, even with the "Mommy Laws," could not be any sweeter. And I try, every day, to remember that. I have heard so many people say, "They grow up so fast," or "This is just a phase." I know they do, and I know it is. And I also know that when its gone, it is gone. One day my carpets will stay clean, my black shirts won't have a shimmery trail, and my boys won't want to kiss me, and my kids will be embarrassed by their Momma.

Love your life, live by its laws, and learn to throw your hands up and say, "Oh, well!" Enjoy it while its here.

Hello, Old Friends!

Hello, old friends (since you are the only ones left that check my blog anymore)! I hope that you are all well and that you had a nice Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc., etc. It has been that long since I have posted anything that required much effort!

We have been pretty busy around here, with the holidays, hosting Christmas for ourselves and our families, and entertaining the various viruses that seem to think our family is hospitable. I am ready to be done with tissues, barf bowls, and repetitive sheet washing. But something tells me that this will be part of my life for the next few years and that I better just get used to it!

I am thinking of making it a habit to share more of my inner thoughts and funny "mommy moments" here. Is anyone interested in reading them? (Emma just says the funniest things, and the boys are developing such fun little personalities that I can't bear to keep it all to myself. And I am experiencing some things that I think only the mom of twins (or multiple boys) can fully appreciate. Like, for instance, when I found the boys dumping water by the cup full out of the toilet (which, luckily, had been flushed prior to the incident). Where did they get the cups you ask? They are the cups we use to bathe them with-you know, the rinsing cups.) So give me some feed back!

Seven Years

Seven years ago, I skipped my college graduation to get married. I remember thinking the graduation ceremony paled in comparison to the sealing ceremony. It was an easy decision. It was by far, one of the best decisions I have ever made!

Miami-September 2009

(Looking through my pictures from this year, I realized that I only have 2 pictures of us together. Well, I have more than one version of each picture, but these are the ones that are the best of both of us!)

Braves game-April 2009

Life together has been happy...and good...and sweet. I am such a happy girl!

We're Still Here...

I don't know if anyone comes to my blog these days. It seems like facebook has pretty much taken over. But, we are still here.

We have been pretty busy lately, as I just finished out the ward activities for the year with a big Christmas party last night. Aaron has done some traveling for work, we have been sick with colds and general yuckiness, and we have been busy with our callings at church. Just so you know, I plan to update soon with a few marathon posts-complete with pictures, of course!

Sandra, this one is for YOU!

There seems to be some debate, as of my last few posts, as to whether or not I should keep posting "dumb face pictures" (I am quoting Aunt Sandra) of Aaron. Since Aunt Sandra thinks he needs a nice face picture, this is for her. BUT, if you do enjoy a good "dumb face picture," it isn't Aaron, but I think this will do: Love ya, Dad!

Missing U

For the last two fall seasons, a little ache has filled my heart. I have been missing U. As in Utah. We lived in Utah for 5 years, moving there very shortly after we were married. At first, I had a difficult time adjusting-you know, Southern farm girl moving to the big mountain West. It didn't take me too long to realize the beauty of the mountains, the Quaking Aspen trees, and to realize how blessed I was to be a new member in a family so full of love.

So now I post-with a few tears and an ache in my heart...missing Utah. I miss BYU football games. I miss hiking up to the top corner-to watch the game with all the Jones family. I miss going to see who is in the Hale seats during half time. I miss sneaking in bottled waters and eating kettle corn. I miss driving the Alpine Loop in American Fork Canyon and stopping to take our yearly family picture. I miss the vibrant yellow of the aspens mixed with the deep, dark green of the pine trees. I miss the mountains. Oh, how I miss those mountains. They were so hard to get used to at first...so large and immovable. But then I learned to love them. I learned to see the beauty that they held... ...Like beautiful, open meadows. I miss this face. SO MUCH.

I miss this yard-the raspberries, grapes, and all the games of bocci and tether ball. I miss laying in the hammock and sitting on the steps. I miss family gatherings here and eating till I can't eat anymore, and then eating some more. I miss playing 5 Crowns and Rummikub. I miss this man, and all of his practical wisdom and gardening knowledge. I miss these two and watching the away BYU football games at their house. I miss their garden and their backyard. I miss watching the birds with Emma from their sliding glass door.

Although it took me a little getting used to, I learned to love things that are different. I learned to appreciate a regions natural beauty. I learned to love other people, and learned to allow myself to be loved by others. I leaned about the heritage and the ancestors of Aaron's family and began to love those who went before us and paved the way.

So, for right now, I am going to let myself be a little homesick. Yes, I said homesick. Isn't there a saying, "Home is where the heart is?" No matter where we live, no matter where we go, a good piece of my heart will always be in Utah.

August

The month of August has been a lot of fun for us. I am starting this post with some of my favorite pictures from this month:

I love this of the boys! They were having so much fun with the cordless phone and the headset that goes with it. I tried to get a picture of William with the headset on, but he kept taking it off. However, Jonathan would not put the phone down!

Jonathan looks so puzzled here!

The boys got their first sink bath after we had lasagna for dinner one night. As I was washing them up, I wondered why this was their first sink bath. I could have been saving myself so much back ache if I had been doing things this was all along! (William on the left, Jonathan on the right)

And then they showed me why we probably shouldn't be doing sink baths at this point. They kept trying to crawl out on to the counters!

My mom found this awesome water table on Amazon.com and got it for Emma's birthday-for all the kids to play with. They have had so much fun with it!

More of the boys in the water table.

If you read my last post, you know that Emma turned 4 this year! Since her birthday fell on a Monday, we had a little family dinner with cake and family present opening. We let Emma choose her birthday dinner, and she requested steak and smashy potatoes. We were thinking that she would ask for hot dogs or pizza or something, but it was steak!

Here is Emma, accompanying us while we sang "Happy Birthday."

This is Jonathan with his slice of cake... And William after devouring his slice!

On the following Saturday, we had a birthday party for Emma. She invited 4 friends and their families over for a barbecue, cake, pinata, and fun in the back yard!

Here is Emma with her pinata spoils-boxes of Dots candy, stuffed in her pockets and lining the cuffs of her jeans. Well done, Emma! This is Emma's birthday cake. Cinderella-her favorite!

And just for fun, I am leaving you with the latest picture of Aaron!

Emma is Four!

Today is Emma's fourth birthday. My, how the years have gone by! I have so many memories with this girl. I could go on forever, with memories of her growing up, but I will focus on the "now."

Emma's body seems to finally be growing into her personality. She has always known what she wants and how she wants it, she is just so vocal about it these days. She is fun, sassy, sweet, all at the same time. Emma is also very smart, and inquisitive.

She also keeps us laughing non-stop. Just this morning, she came out of my bedroom and said, "Mom, I am getting ready for my birfday. I putted on your pineapple lotion all over my legs and I put some dusting (loose powder) on my cheeks. Do I look beau-ty-full?" Yes, baby girl, you do!

Here are some things Emma has done over the past year: First trip to the ER, complete with scan of noggin.

Last minute family trip to "Florida Destin." Emma loved it so much there and asks to go back all the time. She loves the beach! Emma also went on her first "date." With her daddy. And her Jefe. She had so much fun! Emma finds my camera and then runs and hides. Then she takes lots of pictures. Some, like this one, are keepers! She loves to help cook. And it {obviously} doesn't even matter if anyone is really cooking. She started riding dirt bikes...with her dad, of course! She has been missing her Uncle Russell. She has been finding her own "style." Emma has been teaching her brothers all the things she knows. She is such a great big sister!

Emma, I am so pleased with the little person you are. You bring me such happiness and joy every single day of my life! I am so blessed to be your mommy! I love you!