A CLOSE FAMILY

Definitely saying something...

2012-01-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

Reese loves talking and it's SOOO cute. I just have no idea what she's saying :). But listen to this video....she's definitely saying something.

Love my girls!

2012-01-23T14:43:00.001-08:00

I love being a mom of girls! Is there sometimes a lot of drama? You betcha! But girls are SO much fun and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Emma is such a girly-girl. I mean if I'm going to have girls, I'm glad they like girl things :). She LOVES purses, painting her toes, playing with dolls, and putting on her own play make-up. She is also crazy, but it makes it fun! She loves being thrown around and loves getting a thrill out of it. So even though she is a girly-girl, Daddy still gets to wrestle with her and throw her around the room (until she gets hurt or cries over something little :)).

I carry Reese around in a pack so Emma wanted to as well :)

Emma is pretty good about sitting still while I cut her hair. My favorite now is her bangs with the pigtails. So cute!

She is so Cade's daughter. He would organize toys and things at a very young age too!

Emma's favorite parts in Enchanted and Sleeping Beauty is the dragon. Most toddlers are probably scared of that part, but it's Emma's FAVORITE! We pretend to be scared of the dragon that lives in our basement. She loves running away from the dragon and hiding :).

Emma also loves to wear my shoes. The boots are hilarious though...they go up to the top of her legs.

Reese is such a darling baby girl. The last couple weeks has been SO much better- she is starting to sleep more and I am starting to understand her cues more. Reese is a whole lot like Emma was as a baby, but it's just getting through the first few months of sleep deprivation and then things begin to be so much fun! Last night she ate at 10, 2 and 6!!! So every 4 hours I can definitely handle! During the day, she is a very happy baby. She wakes up, eats, plays on the floor for about and hour or two and then gets cranky and is ready to sleep again. She also is VERY social. Whenever she is on the floor by herself she'll talk and when I come over and talk with her, she immediately smiles and coos. It is so cute! However, Reese also lets you when she is hungry or tired. She'll be smiling away and in a matter of a second be screaming. It's pretty funny. She is a bundle of joy :).

Emma is learning to love Reese more and more. She is getting better with spliting the attention with someone else. I love my girls so much and am excited for them to be best buds as they get older!

Blessing Reese Marie Close

2012-01-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a wonderful day. We had the opportunity to give Reese a name and a blessing. It was a beautiful blessing given by her daddy and it was so wonderful to have Cade’s family and mine there to share the special day with. Cade’s parents and Tara and Johnny and their 2 boys flew in for the weekend to share this day with us. It was so awesome to see them and have all of us together. We also got to meet Taft for the first time! He is a DARLING little baby!

The day of the blessing, we had over 30 people there to share in the event. During Sacrament meeting, Cade gave Reese the beautiful blessing and then he actually got to speak that day too! I heard he did an incredible job :)…unfortunately I have a toddler who didn’t allow me to pay attention to it. I was pretty upset but what do you do? Of course last Sunday Emma was a perfect angel and then yesterday she was a complete defiant monkey! Yes, not my favorite meeting, but the rest of the day was wonderful! Cade reassures me that he can give the talk to me anytime…it’s just not the same though. At least I got to listen to the first 5 minutes :).

After the meeting, we had everyone over to our house for dinner and it was a little crazy, but wonderful to have so many people we love in our house at the same time!

We had so much fun being able to spend time with the Close side! It was way too short but loved it! Here are some great pics with all the grandbabies on that side:

I LOVE this picture of Emma and Ashur!!

We also got to celebrate Tara's birthday!

It was such a wonderful weekend. We missed having Kristen, Andrew and Jaxon with us! Two weeks earlier, however, we got to participate in Jaxon's blessing while they were still in Utah. Here are some pics from his big day:

Cousins just 2 months apart :):

This is a great shot!!! Aren't his rolls so adorable?!

Cute videos of Reese

2012-01-13T23:08:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite videos of Reese. This is only one month old:

Reese is growing so fast! At two weeks: smiling. Three weeks: cooing. One month: rolling side to side and lifting her head up 90 degrees. Six weeks: rolling tummy to back. Developmentally she is on a roll. Phisically, we hope she starts getting bigger! She may be right on track, but after having a premie the first time, we just hope that Reese can stay on the charts and continue to grow! She'll have her 2 month check-up in a couple weeks and we'll see!

Reese's Newborn Pics

2012-01-03T10:23:00.001-08:00

I forgot to put Reese's Newborn pictures on here. So here they are! In the hospital, a photography company sends photographers around and takes pictures of newborns. She was only a day and 1/2 old. I can't believe how much she's already changed after a month! And I'm sure the next year will go by quickly!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so great this year! Cade and I will definitely admit that it was very different this year- having 2 kiddos now! Things are more complicated than years past, but still wonderful.

On Friday evening we drove up to Bountiful where ALL of my siblings were able to be together! It is so wonderful to have us all together. Who knows how many Christmas's will be like that. The weekend started with Emma getting sick...which was sad but not surprising. Without fail, Emma has gotten sick every single holiday this year. We were, however, VERY blessed. Usually her cold/cough turns into a fever and gets worse. But luckily she just stuck with the cough and a little cold and nothing more! Friday night we just hung out and ate pizza together. Saturday I went out to shop for one more item (went to 7 stores and didn't find what I wanted for Emma). Then the rest of the day was just being together and getting ready for Christmas Eve night. On Christmas Eve we always have a nice cordon bleu dinner and after dinner we gather in the family room and read the Christmas story in Luke, sing Christmas carols, and open our "gift from the hearts". This year we acted out the story in Luke and we'll just say that it wasn't the most reverent nativity scene :). We gave our gift from the hearts to each other which is always SO much fun to see what everyone gave. Kristen gave me a DVD of a slideshow she put together of our 2001 Africa trip. It was so neat and I loved it! The highlight was Steph and I giving our quiet book to Kristen (on the post just before this one). It was so great to see her face and give something that took countless numbers of hours to work on. After our evening together, we got ready for Santa to come and watched the Disney/Jim Carrey Christmas Carol.

Christmas morning, since it fell on a Sunday, we woke up and got ready for church. It was a very memorable one because President Eyring (member of the 1st presidency of the church) spoke in our ward. Not many people get to have that wonderful privilege, but since he is in our ward we got to hear from him that morning. Definitely a morning to remember! Both Reese and Emma were VERY good during church!!! I shouldn’t act surprised…but am :).

After church we went back to the house and got to bring Emma into the living room where all of the presents and her new pink kitchen was! Christmas is just SO exciting now that we have a toddler to give to. It is amazing to see the joy in her eyes! After breakfast, my whole family gathered in the living room and opened presents together. My wonderful husband surprised me with a Cricut! I LOVE making crafts, so I was extremely excited for this surprise! I had NO idea he was getting that for me. I have been wanting one for a while and he got it for me :). Christmas day was a happy day for everyone!

Some of my absolute favorite times with my family are when we stay up playing games and laughing and talking. Christmas night we all gathered in the basement and played the game "Things" together. It is a hilarious game especially when it's late at night :). We had SO much fun laughing at each other. After playing that game, we got out old pictures from when we were little and looked at tons of hilarious pictures. I was crying from I was laughing so hard at some very funny pictures and memories. It was one of those times with my family that are precious and bring us closer together. Then it started getting really late and the video at the bottom of this post shows how goofy and tired we all got!

Here are some highlights from the weekend:

Bryan in the past many years has given homemade pies as his gift from the heart. So as part of Cade's gift to Bryan, he gave a pie with 6 different slices together:

Kristen being the "star" for the nativity :)

Christmas morning:

This video I'm sure is hilarious to only me and those that were there. There was a possessed toy that we could not stop the aweful sound coming from it. And since it was about midnight things just kept getting more and more and more funny!

Lovely Christmas Sweaters :)

2011-12-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas I had posted pictures from our Fishbowl Christmas party with Cade and I and Bryan and Jennie with our ugly Christmas sweaters. Well, this year after seeing our wonderful attire, the Fishbowl party was dedicated to tacky holiday clothing. Cade and I found our "ugly Christmas sweaters" on ebay. We thought we picked out amazing sweaters....until we showed up at the Fishbowl party and man were there some incredibly ugly and tacky clothing!!! It was so fun to see so many people dress up. Here are some pictures from the party:

We also used the sweaters for our family Christmas card this year. It was fun! Emma's I have to say was the ugliest. But we kept telling her it was cute so anytime we got it out she'd yell, "Cute! Cute!" There's nothing wrong with telling her that, right? :)

My quiet book!

2011-12-30T12:37:00.001-08:00

[WARNING: this post is solely for me to remember the making of this book. It may be boring to most. If so, just look at the pictures :)]

I have been wanting to post this for a while, but had to wait until Stephanie and I gave Kristen hers. Now that we gave it to her on Christmas Eve, I can post about it!

This is the Quiet Book that Stephanie and i made over the period of about 6 months! We did some research about our favorite quiet books and made a list of all of our favorite pages. Then we divided out the pages and started to work! We made 3 of each page- one for Steph and I and one for Kristen. Each page took a large amount of time and a lot of Tylenol. Some pages were easier than others, but some took hours and hours just for one page!!!

I really wanted to get this huge project done before Reese came so Emma could have something to do during church to keep her busy. Well, I was able to finish the middle of November with my pages and then Steph and I got together to sew the pages together (she had had her pages done for a while). It was SOOOO exhilarating finishing those last steps together! We discussed what our price would be if anyone ever asked if we'd make them one and we both agreed that no amount of money would be worth it :). Steph did go to the Primary Children's Festival of Trees and found a book similar to ours that sold for $1400! See what I mean? Hours and hours and hours of headaches can't have a price tag on it :). Granted that is a charity event, but still! It gives you an idea of the amount of work.

Now that it is finished, it is totally worth it! Emma has played with it for 4 Sunday's in a row and has not gotten tired of any of it. Last Sunday, she played with the note pad and mail box for at least 30-40 minutes alone! I am very, VERY happy to have it done, but am happy that Steph and I tag teamed it. I knew I could count on Steph to do an amazing job and put forth just as much time and effort as I did. Now we have a wonderful book that will hopefully keep our children entertained for years to come!

Now for the book!

All of my pages:

All of Steph's pages:

The beauties all together:

These 4 pages definitely took the longest and gave me a run for my money. I learned a lot of things (mostly the hard way).

My machine would NOT do button holes no matter how many times I read and re-read the instructions. So I had to go over to Steph's and use her machine. Then after hand-sewing a blanket stitch around the flowers on my page, I didn't for the other ones...WAY too time consuming! But I think this page turned out cute. I love the bright colors.

The shapes page seemed like it'd be really easy! Nope, after trying the snap fastener (the easy way), the snaps were extremely hard to get on and off. So I went to go buy smaller ones, but all they had in the tiny snaps were hand-sew snaps. So here I go again...doing it by hand. It wasn't hard, just took lots of time.

This car/road page I was really excited about! My mom had one like it in her quiet book and I always loved that page. All of the pieces took so long to sew on to the page, so eventually I just started hot-gluing :). I love how it turned out though!

This is one that I started first but finished last. I wanted it to look just the way I pictured in my head. It ended up being more difficult than I thought (surprise, surprise :)), but I love the little finger puppets.

One of my very favorite pages is the fishing one Steph did. It has a fishing pole and each fish has velcro on it so you can "catch" the fish. Not to mention, it turned out darling!

For the most part the book was enjoyable to make. Am I happy I am finished? DEFINITELY! But the best part about projects is seeing the finished product. Thank you Steph for putting forth SO much work too! It was fun to do it with you!

My happy newborn

2011-12-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

Reese is only 3 weeks old and smiles for us already! This video is pretty dang cute too. She is cooing some as well! Next week we're going to work on crawling :).

Update on Reese's condition:

As you can hear on the video, Reese's breathing condition makes her a very loud breather! Sometimes it's a lot louder than the video too. I took her in to the ENT and she indeed has Laryngomylacia (floppy throat) and it is something she will grow out of in about a year. This condition has caused acid reflux which has made her pretty uncomfortable at times, but she's been on prevacid for 5 days now and we think she's feeling better already. Poor thing...it just sounds like she can't breathe! Cade and I are getting used to sleeping through it at night listening to her. Reese is a pretty good baby. I told my sister that Reese is a perfect angel...as long as I am holding her all day long :). We're working on it. Luckily at night she sleeps in her bassinet. During the day she just wants to be held and cuddled.

Definitely sisters :)

2011-12-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

Do you think they look alike? For the first week of Reese's life, I kept thinking we'd gone back in time 2 years and had Emma again. It felt really weird :). But now I'm getting used to the fact that Reese is not just an Emma with hair.

Emma's newborn picture:

Reese as a newborn:

I know they change so quickly, but it will be fun to see if they continue looking alike or at least like sisters. I love my girls!

Going from 1 to 2

2011-12-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Emma really has been a trooper so far. She loves to wake up in the morning and go see Reese and say "good morning." But that's about the extent of her interaction with Reese right now :). Emma is such a social bug that she craves attention from everyone she is around. And mommy currently has to give lots of attention to her new baby sister. I can imagine it would be pretty hard to have your whole world turned around in just a day. Emma can be pretty needy right now, but overall it's not too bad. The nursery leader last Sunday said Emma was all of a sudden so possessive over toys and very needy. I told her to be patient as we'd be working on helping her :).

This has been my first 3 days with just me and the girls. Last week was HEAVEN having my mom here all week! I really enjoyed having her here to clean, cook, and especially play with Emma ALL DAY LONG. But so far, these 3 days haven't been as bad as I was expecting :). I have been surviving just fine! The first couple hours in the day are hard because of lack of sleep it takes a couple hours to wake up and not be grumpy :). For the most part, things are great so far! Reese is a good baby and eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I took her in to the doctor yesterday and she is almost 8 1/2 lbs. She is around the 50%ile for all 3 categories...it is so wonderful to have a baby that is average and that we don't have to stress out about her gaining weight!

Reese does have a condition (at least we think) called laryngo-mylasia (sp?). We are taking her into a specialist Friday to get things checked up and have an appointment already schedule for Primary Children's for right after Christmas if she needs to have a more extensive check-up and possible surgery. Her airway is "floppy" and keeps her from being able to breath easily. It sounds like she is snoring/grunting all the time. Usually newborns will grow out of it, but sometimes surgery is needed. Her pediatrician hasn't been too alarmed because her oxygen levels are good so it's just something we have to look into more with an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist. Poor thing. Last night was a rough night. She was breathing SO loud and then coughing and it kept Cade and I up a lot because we were so worried about her. We pray Friday will bring some answers.

Well, before this little bundle of joy came into our lives, it was just Emma (if that isn't obvious). But here are some pictures before Reese came of some good times with her.

One of Emma's absolute FAVORITE places to go is Kangaroo Zoo. She talks about it almost daily. She is just a climber and dare devil that this place was made just for her :). She even attempts the biggest and tallest slides (and almost gives me a heart attack).

We visited the "Up House" in Herriman where they made this house looked just like Disney/Pixar's house on "UP". It is SO cute! Cade and I are big fans of Disney and had a blast seeing this amazing house.

Emma sure loves her Auntie Boose! She is coming Friday to play with Emma and I am very happy :).

Belated Thanksgiving week

2011-12-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

The week of Thanksgiving was a bit of an unknown for us. We had no idea if I would have a newborn by then or be in the hospital or still large with child! Cade's parents came for the week and it was so fun to have them there! Kristen and Andrew also drove from California to be there that week. Unfortunately, Reese did not make her appearance by the time they all had to travel back home. So they will just have to wait until Reese is older to meet her :(....sorry guys...nothing I could do about it!

The week, however, was very enjoyable and I was able to catch up on some rest and get lots of things done around the house. Having my mother-in-law here was a life-saver! She helped out so much! Especially just giving Emma the attention she wanted.

On actual Thanksgiving day, I was still feeling really good and no contractions, so we headed up to Bountiful (after picking up Dale at the airport) and all had a wonderful day together with both sides of our family. We had lots of fun playing games, talking, and of course eating amazing food!

A few days shy of 40 weeks...yes, I have a basketball stuffed up my shirt. At least that's what I got asked all the time!

Lookin' good Bryan! I don't think I have mentioned on here and congratulated Bryan and Jennie! They are expecting a baby boy the middle of May. We are SO happy for them!

This is Emma's prego picture :). She would stick out HER belly and say, "BABY!"

I also got to meet baby Jaxon for the first time!!! He (as you can see in the pictures at 2 months old) is growing like crazy still! He'll probably pass Emma on weight by 6 months old and she is 2 years older than he is! He is such a cute, cute baby and it was so fun to be able to finally meet.

That week we also went to the aquarium and Emma absolutely LOVED it! My favorite was when she looked at an orange, black, and white snake and said enthusiastically, "NEMO SNAKE!!!" Very clever :).

This picture, Emma was trying to copy Boose and give a thumbs up...almost Emma...almost :).

We also got our house lights up and turned them on the day after Thanksgiving. It took a lot of research and time to customize the colors, but Cade did a great job and next year will be a whole lot quicker now! Good job, Cade!!! I LOVE decorating for Christmas, turning on the Christmas music and lights...I just love the holidays!

Reese Marie Close has arrived!

2011-12-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

Reese Marie Close is finally with us! She was born Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 5:35 p.m. She weighed a healthy 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. We are elated to have a healthy baby that we could take home with us from the hospital!

The night before it all began I was beginning to think I was going to be pregnant forever. The 4 other girls due the same week as me had their babies a week to 4 weeks previous. Also having Emma 6 weeks early made the last 6 weeks of this pregnancy VERY long :). I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment that morning and decided that if I wasn't dilated still, I was going to schedule a C-section. I have been praying and hoping that I could have a vaginal birth this time (VBAC) so when Tuesday morning at 3 a.m. I started having contractions, I was so excited! My water broke a little after 4 a.m. and I woke Cade up at 5 to say we needed to go to the hospital. My contractions were about 6-7 min apart and I said to Cade, "I've never been so happy to be in pain!"

So one of our neighbors came over at 5:30 a.m. to stay at our house and watch Emma for a few hours until my mom came. We checked in at the hospital at 6 and they checked to see if my water indeed had broke. They confirmed it had and admitted me into the hospital! We were happy we didn’t have to be sent home. I was in labor from 3 in the morning until about 10 when I decided to get an epidural. It definitely was heavenly! As the anesthesiologist was in the process of putting it in, he said, “do you feel that pressure?” I said, “yes” and he replied, “THAT is what we call happiness.” And indeed it was! After getting the epidural, however, I did not progress very fast. At about 2 p.m. I was still a 5 and they gave me a very small dose of pitocin to kick things in. Two hours later I had progressed from a 5 to a 10! I was so happy! At 4:20 I started pushing and I pushed for one hour and 15 minutes. It was completely draining, but not too bad…until the last 15 minutes. For the most part, the whole labor and delivery was better than I expected and not too painful or hard. But those last 15 minutes were definitely painful and hard (even though I had an epidural) and then I had to get an episiotomy. When she finally arrived, I just started crying hard cause it was such a relief and joy to finally be done and finally have her in my arms! And she was twice what Emma was at birth so she looked so big and healthy when they showed her to me. It was such a great moment! I can’t describe the joy that I felt.

First getting to the hospital:

That joyous moment of first getting to hold her:

When Emma came to visit the second day I was in the hospital, she had just woken up from a nap in the car and was NOT a happy camper! She was very needy and seemed just so confused and unsettled about the new arrival. She was very clingy to her Daddy. I got a little worried because I've heard about a lot of horror stories about 1st children and the way they react to their younger siblings...

But the next day, Cade brought Emma in the morning back to the hospital and it was a completely different story...luckily!!! She was very interested in Reese and wanted to look at her all the time and was very happy! I was relieved :). So far after having Reese home for over a week, Emma has been a trooper! We have had, however, my Mom here all week, so Emma has had all the attention she's needed. We'll see how next week goes when it's just me and the girls :).

Cade and my Mom were both such great supports for me and I was so happy to have them there helping me! I was so happy to be able to deliver Reese vaginally and experience that. If I needed to have a C-section again, it would have been fine. We just wanted both she and I to be healthy. But I am grateful to Heavenly Father for helping and answering our prayers. I have had some people ask me, “okay, which is better?” Well, everybody’s experience is different, but for ME I preferred this delivery over a c-section. I was up and about quickly after delivery and overall the recovery was much easier this time around.

Cade and I are so happy to have our 2 girls! Yes, it brings twice the poopy diapers, twice the sleep deprivation, twice the crying…but it brings twice the joy and happiness and I wouldn’t change it for the world! I LOVE being a Mom. It is the best job in the world and I can’t imagine not having these wonderful girls in my life. I love my family and especially my incredible husband who is such a great support to me. Life is wonderful!

2 year old Pictures!

2011-11-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

Well, Emma has definitely gotten a lot of personality since the last time we did pictures :). I took her to the mall to do some 2 year shots and they turned out great! Of course it took 3 workers and I dancing around with Winnie the Pooh and bribing her with a sucker (that was the real trick). But after a whole lot of effort...they turned out great! I love my crazy, full-of-energy little toddler. She has grown so much over the last year and is in such a fun stage of life right now.

I took her to the doctor this last week and her stats are:

Weight: 4th percentile
Height: 93rd percentile

Still skinny, but getting so tall! Here are the darling pics from the photo shoot:

Taft LeRoy Young

2011-11-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yay! We have a new cousin in the family! Tara and Johnny had their second baby boy on October 28, 2011. Tara was due 3 days before me (Thanksgiving day), but Taft decided he didn't want to wait on the turkey. He came at 36 weeks and we are SO happy that he is healthy and didnt' have to spend any time in the NICU! Such great blessings!

Tara finished school on Tuesday and Johnny had been deployed for a couple months and got home the DAY BEFORE the baby was born! They were thinking they had a few weeks together to get things ready, but these darn babies decide to come when they want :). It was amazing timing though. Johnny got home Thursday and that night Tara started having hard contractions. So Friday morning Tara thought they better go to the hospital and check things out and sure enough they said "you're going to deliver right now!" We were so happy Johnny got to be there for the birth of Taft!

Congrats you guys!!!

2011 Goals!

2011-11-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I made lots of goals for this year and I'm happy to say I have finished most of those goals. Most years I am one of those people that makes New Years resolutions and breaks them within the first month :). I made sure to make reasonable goals this year and stick with them (most of them, that is :)). The goals I made were:

1) Read 4 books this year. The first one I read was The Help. I LOVED this book and the movie was amazing too! The other books are If I Should Die, Parenting with Love and Logic, and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby (still reading this one).

2) Exercise at least 3 times a week. I have done surprisingly well with this goal :). Minus the last 2 weeks in my pregnancy, but for the most part I have really enjoyed taking Emma to the daycare at the gym and I read while exercising. Emma loves playing there as well.

3) Practice voice and piano 5 times a week. I didnt' do as well with this goal as I would have liked. I kind of went in spurts where I did really well for a while and then slacked off for a while. This will be an on-going goal :).

4) Learning how to garden. I planted roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, green, red, and banana peppers. The peppers did really well and the grape tomatoes were absolutely giant! I couldn't contain them. Even with the wire holder, it was so huge that it took over the garden. Unfortunately the roma tomatoes did not do very well. They grew and grew, but once then turned red, they were mushy and gross :(. But the grape tomatoes were amazing so it made up for the others :).

Garden when I planted:

Garden at the end of the season:

I had someone tell me some pruning tips for tomatoes (after it was too late). I'll try those next year :). I had tons of fun learning how to start a garden and I loved enjoying the grape tomatoes every day.

5) Sewing and crafts. I wanted to do at least one project a month. I have loved finishing projects. I am usually the type to start many things, but not finish much :). But I have finished some projects that I am very happy about.

I sewed Emma a dress but it's still too big for her to wear. It turned out okay considering I made up the pattern in my head and just went for it. Patterns were so expensive and I didn't want to pay that much so I made it up :). She'll be able to wear it next spring probably.

This snowman quilt is something that has been on-going since April or May. I joined a quilting class at church and every month we learned a new step such as applique, connecting corners and borders. It has been a huge project, but it's fun to see the finished product.

I made Kristen a carseat cover too. Boose helped me pick out fabric and it turned out really cute!

One more project that has taken months and months to complete I will have to blog about it later at the end of the year. Pics and post to come!

I'm happy to say that it feels good to make goals, accomplish them and look forward to more goals to come. Now that Reese is coming, there will be more pressing things to spend my time on for a while (like trying to be a mother of 2!). But I am looking forward to it!

Random Emma photos

2011-11-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

Emma LOVES to brush her teeth. She has found a way to climb onto the counter so she can brush her teeth herself. The first time I found her doing this, she thought it was hilarious! I laughed too cause she was so cute sitting there and she was so proud of herself :).

She got her first haircut last month. I couldn't stand the mullet anymore :). So I sat her down with the ipod and some fruit snacks and she actually sat there the whole time. She looked so cute after! Here is an awesome "before" picture:

I like this picture because she's holding up her finger to say she's "1"! Well, now it's taking work to convince her to say "2" when people ask "how old are you?"

Visiting Daddy at work. We go about a couple times a week. She LOVES it every time we go say hi.

Nemo Party!

2011-11-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

As you know now (from previous posts), Emma absolutely LOVES Nemo and so we decided to make her 2nd birthday a Nemo theme. She loved seeing so many Nemo's on the balloons, the birthday cake, the coloring pages and more. We had my family over for some games, presents and food. It was a lot of fun. There were even Nemo's hidden in the room that Emma and William had to go "find". Emma just loves having family around so no matter what we did, she would have loved it :).

The cake turned out how I was hoping! Many things went wrong in the process...the middle fell through, then the whole thing fell apart as I was getting it out of the pan. But with a little frosting...it got patched up and you couldn't really tell :).

We also played a game I called "Mother Knows Best" where everyone had to match up the word Emma SAYS with the word she is MEANING. It was great! Here are the answers and you can see why it was a hard game. Aside from Cade, Nathan scored the highest- 13 out of 19! It was fun to see what people put :).

Other pics from the evening...

Here's our little princess in her tutu I made for her :)

And Grandma and Grandpa Bleak gave her the horse from Tangled! Emma couldn't have been more excited! She LOVES Tangled (especially the horse!).

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Pea!

Our Birthday Adventures...

2011-11-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

You know those days you can look back at and just laugh at them?? Well, I can't quite laugh about this one yet :). I'm sure this post will make other people laugh, however.

Emma turned 2 years old yesterday! She has grown so much over the past year. She is starting to use sentences and definitely understands now that she has a choice in many things and voices that opinion. She is learning and soaking in so much around her and it's fun to be able to actually communicate with her. I love her so much!!!

Certain parts of her birthday, however, I didn't love so much :).

We woke up in the morning and took a video of her coming down the stairs to discover her new slide! I wanted to get something that we could put in the basement for the winter for her to play on and then take outside next summer. She LOVED it! Here is a video:

After she played on her slide, we opened lots of presents from mom and dad (books and a fake make-up kit- she's already such a girl!). And some presents from Grandma and Grandpa Close- a train set and a princess purse that had many items but her absolute favorite- a pink phone! She was a happy girl!

Then the real fun began...
Emma had been sick the couple days before and of course on her birthday (just like last year. I hope it's not an annual thing!). I had put off shopping the day before because she was sick, but I couldn't put it off any more. And after all Emma just had a cough and runny nose...what's the worse that could happen? So we shopped and after about 20 minutes she started coughing...and she wouldn't stop. I had water for her, but that didn't help. She coughed and coughed and I knew it wasn't going to be good. So I grabbed the little zip-lock baggie of cereal I had in my purse just in time to catch all the throw-up. She coughed so hard she threw up over and over everything she had eaten that morning. The best part is the way everyone looks at you while passing by. And then I didn't have anywhere to throw it away at the moment so I took it with me to checkout :). Shopping time was DEFINITELY finished!

The rest of the day went pretty good. Emma had lots of fun playing with her new slide and toys. And then when I was exhausted from the day (which I am most all the time nowadays) we watched a movie together on the couch. At night, we had pizza and then Cade had to leave. Before he left he asked if I would call back a good friend from Arizona who left birthday wishes for Emma. So I was talking to him in the front room while Emma was playing by herself. Unfortunately the call ended when I walked into the kitchen to discover Emma drawing ALL OVER our white fridge with PERMANENT marker!!! I was SOOO upset! But Mommy and Daddy write on a white board with black marker, so why was this any different? Needless to say, the birthday did not end very good.

Well, the ironic thing (Cade pointed out) is that this happened THE DAY of her 2nd birthday...does this mean the terrible 2's have officially begun?? I sure hope that's not the case :). Emma is a sweet, very happy little girl. I'm sure there will be moments in the future that I will want to pull my hair out and fall asleep crying, but for the most part, life with Emma is SO wonderful and happy and I don't know what I would do without her in my life! And here we are going again...baby girl #2 will be here any day or week now and we're excited to add more children to the Close family!

Happy Birthday Emma! Your dad and I love you very much!

Fun with Daddy!

2011-10-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Emma sure loves her Daddy! She endures the day with Mommy, but when 5:00 rolls around, she is definitely ready to play with her dad. When the garage door goes up, she gets SO excited because that is her time to play with Dad while Mom cooks dinner. Cade is so wonderful too, because he always gives Emma her bath, reads books and gets her ready for bed. She loves having time with him. And we also go visit him usually a couple times every week at work. Here are some great times with Daddy:

One of the things Emma thinks of when she thinks of Dad, is him running. She loves watching him run in races and watches the videos I have over and over and over again.

Emma and her Dad like to snuggle on Sunday's in the recliner after afternoon naps.

Some other things they enjoy together are some outdoor fun, swimming, and football. Okay, maybe Daddy likes the football more, but Emma loves it if there is popcorn involved!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of fun this Halloween so far! Last Friday, Emma and I dressed up and went to Daddy's work and went trick or treating around the offices. Emma had SO SO much fun! She was so excited to get that much candy! But then it was time to go home and eat dinner instead of candy. Let's just say, that is the sadest I have ever seen her in her life! She cried for probably 20 minutes! We'll see how trick or treating goes tonight :). Emma dressed up as Nemo and it was the cutest costume EVER! When she walked, her little tail wagged in the back. She is obsessed with Nemo right now. The little plush nemo that she got from Grandma and Grandpa Close is the "little Nemo" and her costume is the "BIG nemo" (it's hilarious when she says it).

With cousins William and Henry. They made Batman and Robin look SO cute!

Saturday, Cade and I finally got around to carving our pumpkins and we had tons of fun doing it. The haunted house Cade did took a LONG time because of how hard it was, but it turned out so awesome!

The thing I love about this video the tail wagging when she walks. It is so dang cute...

A couple weekends ago we had a 5 year reunion with all of our friends I served with in Nauvoo. We dressed up for Halloween, ate some yummy fall food (including home-made rootbeer)and had so much fun catching up with everyone! There were some great costumes too! I sure LOVE these people! There's something about sharing 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and one fridge with 10 girls for a whole summer that bonds you together like nothing else! I am so glad we are all still such good friends and that no matter how many years pass, we still love and treasure each other and those amazing memories we've had together!

OH man, I can just see Cade in his 70's already...he's going to be awesome!

This picture is my favorite! Zoom in and look at the old man in the background...oh, hilarious...

Emma also made a VERY cute little kitten!

Tonight we'll have Bryan and Jennie over for dinner and games and we can take Emma around to a few houses and pass out candy. Cade gets really into the giving of candy :). Last year we ran back to the store twice cause he just couldn't bear to turn off our lights and be done with it when we ran out of candy. Our nieghborhood gets 100's and 100's of kids throughout the night. It will be a lot of fun!

Gma and Gpa Close come to visit!

2011-10-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

It was such a treat to have Grandma and Grandpa Close drive all the way from Arizona to spend less than 3 days with us. Emma had SUCH a blast with them! She definiely loves attention and she got theirs 24/7. In the morning she'd wake up so happy and call for them to come get her. They even brought her, her first stuffed Nemo! Emma was SO excited...and still is every time she wakes up and sees her very own Nemo! Cade and his dad put together some furniture and Tammy and I ran some errands together all to help get ready for Reese. They are so easy going and fun and it was a blast having them come to our house to play :). Here are some fun pictures of the weekend (there are also some ADORABLE videos that I can't figure out how to download them from picasa- help anyone?). We had a great weekend with them and can't wait to see them again- we will soon if Reese is born the middle of November.

Past 34 weeks...what a blessing!

2011-10-20T18:34:00.001-07:00

I feel extremely blessed. I have made it almost to 35 weeks and still no signs of pre-eclamsia! I had my doctor's appointment on Monday and my blood pressure was wonderful, no protien present, my weight was great, and no swelling! I was so happy that everything looks great now! I just feel so blessed that God has allowed me to have enough energy to take care of my little toddler monkey who never stops and needs attention 24/7 and do everything that I need to get done during the day. I had some goals that I wanted to get done before the end of October (since I didn't know how far I'd be able to make it in this pregnancy). I have accomplished most: getting furniture set up and the girls room completed, purchasing diapers and a few other things, getting all of Reese's clothes Newborn- 3 months washed and organized, getting our bookshelves organized, my craft room organized, some Young Women Stuff organized, and a few other things. I still haven't finished a sewing project that is taking SOOO long to do (more details once i finish it!) and I need to continue reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby". I had multiple nurses mention this book to me when Emma was in the NICU and I never got around to it then. I have heard nothing but "this is the absolute best book you could read for your self and your children". Obviously everyone has their opinions...I'll give mine after I read it :).

So I never made it this far or got this big with Emma. I really have started feeling more and more like an old lady. Okay, I've never been one, but I hear this is what they deal with too:
1. I have to go to the bathroom almost every hour and have to go in the middle of the night.
2. Aches and pains in my back, hips, etc that I have never had to deal with before.
3. Any time I move after sitting for a while I hear cracks and think "oh great. What was that?".
4. Emotional and cry just because :).
5. Tired after walking up a few stairs.
6. If I fall....it really isn't easy getting up. ("Ring around the rosies" with Emma just isn't an option to fall down anymore).

The only difference between me and those who are in their older years is that they had years and years and years to get there. I've had a few months to adjust.

It's so great though! Aside from the joking, I really count my blessings. Every day that I wake up and am still pregnant and can tell the baby is really growing this time, I thank my Heavenly Father that I am so blessed. I am getting really excited for Reese to join our family!

Baby Jaxon!

2011-09-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Kristen and Andrew welcomed their first baby, baby Jaxon, into their family on Monday, September 26th. He came out half grown...11 pounds, 2 ounces! Such a big baby! Unfortunately after having a couple hours in the morning together, they discovered Jaxon had hypoglycemia and needed to be in the NICU for a time. His blood sugar was low and his half of his heart was pumping more blood to the body than the other half. However, it was a condition that the doctor's seemed positive about and said if he were going to have a heart defect, this was a good one to have because it would work itself out soon.

Well, today (Wednesday), Jaxon got released from the NICU and gets to be with Kristen and Andrew! They have seen many miracles throughout the last few days. We are just so happy and excited that he is doing well and that Kristen is on her way to recovery.

I am so sad I can't be there in California. It's been hard being away from my wonderful sister. I dreamt last night that I was hugging her in the hospital and got to meet Jaxon...at least a little bit of happiness through a dream :). We are SO happy for them and are grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed them with this chubby, darling baby boy and that He has helped them through these days.

Now for what everyone wants to see....Pictures!

This one's my favorite! I love those chubby cheeks!

We can't wait to meet Jaxon!

Yay! 30 weeks and still healthy!!!

2011-09-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yep! It was this time 2 years ago that I got admitted into the hospital on bedrest with Emma. I was 30 weeks along and definitely not expecting to be told by the doctors "we may have to take her this weekend". Well, I am very happy to say I went in this morning for my 30 week check-up and my blood pressure was great and no signs of pre-eclamsia! And our baby girl is doing great. I am measuring right (a little big) and she moves like crazy. Much more than I EVER felt Emma. But we were relieved that the same condition has not presented itself and the doctor sounds positive every time I go it that it usually is just first-time moms, so I probably will make it full-term. We couldn't be happier!

My Husband, the RUNNER!

2011-09-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Rivalry Relay. Cade's first team race. 81 teams. 66 miles from the U of U to BYU. 8 hours 13 min. FIRST PLACE BABY!

I am so proud of my husband. This was his first big race (he has done a 5k in the past with me :)). He was very excited and a little anxious because most of the guys on his team are hard core runners and have been running competitively for a while. Cade has now caught the bug and I'm sure this is his first of many races to come!

A group of guys from his work (Fishbowl Inventory) signed up together and most of them were big-time runners so Cade was a little intimidated but he did SO good! There were a few really BIG hills he had to run and driving up them even made me tired thinking he had to run them! It was so much fun to take part in it too! Not the actual running but the supporting...I do good at that :). Cade woke me up at 5:20 a.m. (yep, that's saying how much I love him) and I drove him to the U of U and helped his team decorate their vehicle that would be following along the way (it started with 30 balloons and not one survived :)).

Then later on in the day, Emma and I stopped at 2 different places so we could cheer on Daddy! Emma LOVED it and has been saying for weeks now "daddy, run, daddy, run." She was confused at first why daddy ran right past her cause she yelled, "daddy, HI!" as if he didn't see her and that's why he kept running.

The best part was at BYU seeing the whole team run in together and cross the finish line. I was such a proud wifee! I am still proud of him becuase if you know Cade, he makes goals and he accomplishes ANYTHING he puts his mind to. He is so wonderful!

4 Whole Years Down!

2011-09-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Happy (late) anniversary to my wonderful husband! We have been married for over 4 years now! Crazy how time flies. Soon it will be 24 and then 34 :). This post is an extension to the Santa Barbara post. We were in Cali during our actual anniversary so during the day Cade and I walked around state street with Kristen, Boose, Bud and Emma. It was so much fun and beautiful. Then at night, the others stayed home with Emma while Cade and I went out for dinner. We ate at this Mexican restaurant right by the beach. The view was awesome and the food was really good! We then walked along the pier and beach and put our blankets and drank sparkling cider by the beach. It was so romantic :).

Look at this picture closely...Cade called it "The Barnacle Van". This hippy gentleman lives in his van that is rediculously awesome. Random, I know :).

One of our favorite anniversary traditions has been to attend a different temple together and do sealings to remember the promises we made as well as a session too. Well, unfortunately the 2 closest temples in Cali were both closed the exact time we were there. The next closest temple would have taken at least 4 hrs there and 4 hrs back. So this last week on my birthday (Aug. 31) we stayed at Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake and the following morning we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It was beautiful and it is so fun to see the different architecture of each temple. I love that tradition and Cade always makes sure it happens. We had a great anniversary!

Every year I love my husband more and more. I remember the day we were sealed, the sealer had mentioned "you think you love each other a lot now. Just wait year after year. You can't imagine how much you will love each other." It is so true. I love you, Cade!

Video Just for Boose!

2011-08-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Boose, enjoy this...Emma has learned a lot from you already :). She loves her Auntie Boose!

Santa Barbara with Sisten and An-Doo!

2011-08-24T22:34:00.001-07:00

Well, after an already crazy summer, we decided to drive to California to visit Kristen and Andrew and their new home. It was great having a vacation like that after girls camp and youth conference and just being able to relax. It was especially fun to see where they live and what they're going to be up to for the next months or years. We had tons of fun with them! We wanted to make this trip before Kristen had her baby and before I can't travel anymore with my pregnancy. Boose and Bud were going to go with my Mom and Dad, but that didn't work out anymore so they came with us! We had so much fun!

On the way there, we stopped by at Tara and Johnny's and stayed Monday night and all day Tuesday at their place. We went down town to eat and went to the M&M World. Emma and Ashur also had tons of fun at the park and water slash pad....it was HUGE! Wish we had something like that around here!

We got to Santa Barbara late Tuesday night. While we were there, Cade and Andrew worked most of the days and played with us at night. Friday, Saturday and Sunday they were able to hang out with us all day long! Thursday was our anniversary and Cade took most of that day off so we could enjoy the day togther. I will post about our anniversary later :).

So we loved going down town and walking around state street at all the shops and the old Buildings around there. It was beautiful and 70 degrees most days. Unfortunately too cold for enjoying the beach more :) but other than that, it was perfect weather for everything else!

This was Emma's first experience at the beach and let's just say....she HATES being dirty. The sand bothered her a lot at first and she kept showing us her hands and feet saying "eeeww" and whining to us. It was pretty funny. After the 2nd and 3rd times going to the beach, she got used to it.

I'm so sad I forgot my camera on the "pretty beach" day! The main beach wasn't the best sand and water, but there was a day we got keys from Andrew's boss for a private beach that was gorgeous. We had tons of fun there and Emma finally enjoyed being in the water/sand.

This is how much Jordan loves shopping... :)

On the Friday, we drove to Solvang and it was such a fun, cute, Dutch town (Danish?...Now I can't remember). Anyway, it was cute and fun and we just walked around all the shops and ate at a yummy Italian place. I really, really loved that town!

We also celebrated Jordan's birthday on Sunday. Happy 16th Bud! I can't believe that my youngest brother is 16!

On Monday, Emma and I traveled to Santa Monica to meet up with my good friend Chappy (Valerie Cope)! She was one of my companions on our performing mission in Nauvoo. She moved to Georgia for 2 years and now lives in Temecula, CA. We hadn't seen each other in 2 years! We got to catch up on each others lives and finally meet each others kids! She is due with her 2nd just a few weeks before me. So fun to see her!!

The last night we were all together, we ate at a yummy burger place and hung out at the pier. We got some fun hoodies and got to see exciting things like this: (just had to put this picture in)

It was such a fun trip and we are glad we took the time to go see Kristen and Andrew! We miss them tons, but are excited to see them in December when both of our babies are born! Love you guys!

Emma's funny phrases and attitude...

2011-08-24T22:00:00.001-07:00

Emma is definitely becoming more and more entertaining lately. She is also becoming more dramatic as well as teaching Mommy to gain more patience on a daily basis:). She is testing boundaries for sure. But for the most part, she is just so lively and fun and energetic! No wonder why I am so dang tired during this pregnancy! She keeps me alive and on my toes all day long!

Some of her fun/cute words:

Po: "corn". This one is our favorite. She does pretty well with copying what we say. But no matter how many times we say "corn" she is convinced that she is saying it when really she's saying "po".
Froo-roo: Obviously "smoothie". (Which has become one of her favorite things in the morning and she'll say froo-roo and Daddy over and over and over).
Meemo: Nemo (as in "Finding Nemo")
Bee-Bee: either 1)binky, 2)blanket, or 3)baby...just have to know what context she is using it in :). Not confusing really :).

Phrases she says that I LOVE:

"You're funny...he he."
"Come on Mom" with her little hand out beconing me to follow her. It really sounds like "Uh-mon Mom."

Some other things I love about her:
I love that when she hears the garage door opening and she knows Daddy is home from work, she'll run over to me in excitement/panic and beg me to pick her up cause she's just too excited to just run over to the door without me. And it happens every day without fail.

She has become obsessed with "Finding Nemo". I tried to put in Toy Story the other day instead and after a few minutes she walked over to the DVD's scrolled through them with her finger, found "Nemo" and brought it over to me and while nodding her head saying "Memo, memo?" Cade and I then knew that "memo" didn't mean movie to her....she really wants to watch Nemo EVERY SINGLE DAY. How is she not sick of it yet???

She is becoming smarter every day and trying out new language and how to comunicate what she needs. Like today for instance when she tried to tell me that she needed a diaper change. There I was, singing in my own little world (like we all do sometimes) and here is Emma trying to get my attention. She walked over holding her little brown pointer finger right up to my nose saying "poopy, Mom. Poopy". Wow...if I didn't get the point from that! Smart girl right? At least it's better than our friends child who does finger painging on the walls (TMI, I know). I told Cade when he got home and he thought it was hilarious!

Yes, she is our cute little Sweet-pea. We love her with all our hearts! And I am so excited for another! Emma definitely needs a play-mate who can give her the attention she craves when Mom cannot. She is wonderful :).

Some of her better looks:

Youth Conference: BOOT Camp

2011-08-24T21:32:00.001-07:00

For Youth Conference this summer we went to Fillmore, Utah! Yes, the place that you stop by for some gas on your way to Las Vegas or Arizona or California. It was great and we had SOOO much fun....minus the rooster.

Our theme was BOOT Camp: Build Our Own Testimony. It revolved all around what a testimony of the Gospel should consist of. How we gain a testimony. How it can help us in this life and how do we continue building it daily. The Young Men's President and I did a workshop/activity that dealt with putting together our own little BOOT camp/obstacle course and related how just like if you want to become physically strong you have to continually work at it every day and that is the same with spirituality. The youth became very competitive and spent lots of time trying to beat each others time. It was great!

Aside from workshops, speakers, and really good food, we also had tons of fun roller skating, visiting Cove Fort (historic Pioneer monument), visiting the first Utah state capital building, and having a swimming/BBQ party.

There was also volleyball, basketball, a zipline, cotton candy and icee machines, and very early morning wake up calls.....

Oh, did I mention we stayed on a farm?! The first reaction from all the girls in my car when we pulled into the driveway the first morning..."No, way! You've got to be kidding me!" "sister Close, this is a joke, right? Where are we really going?!" I just told them all they could choose to sleep on the haystacks if they really wanted to. After you drive through and go around back, there were grassy areas for all the fun activities and places to set up our tents. The "barn" was extremely nice and very convinient for all of our cooking and eating needs. It ended up being wonderful and so much fun! Oh, did I mention except for the ROOSTER!!! Thinking about it STILL makes me mad!

So you know how in movies and books the rooster wakes up and does one simple little cock-a-doodle-do and goes on with it's day?? NO! It does NOT happen that way! It crows from 4:00 a.m. til the sun pokes up at 7:00 a.m. I thought I was going to die when it happend over and over and over every minute for THREE HOURS!!! I texted Cade at 5:00 a.m. (cause I knew he would be up studying) and he said that he honestly did not think I had ever seen more than one 5 on the clock before. I wish that I didn't have to. Here is the picture I took right before I shot them...

Needless to say, we got earplugs for everyone for the next morning and things went much better :).

We had a great time! And hopefully the youth will remember more than just the roosters, chickens and cows :).

My Biligual Daughter

2011-08-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Funny story.

Stephanie watched Emma one of the days I was gone at Girl's Camp. After getting back, I got to hear this story that went something like this:

Emma: Babbling in her own language.
William: "Emma. I can't understand you!"
Emma: Still talking away as if they understand her :).
William: (In a very very slow voice as if speaking to someone using a foreign language) "Emmmmaaaa. Speeeaaak cleeaarrly. I caaan't understand youuu!"
Nathan: "William, why can't you understand her?"
William: "Because she's speaking Spanish."

Apparently my daughter knows Spanish...how did I not pick up on that? Gotta love the cute things kids say!

Little Baby Sister!

2011-07-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yep! We are having another girl! We are so excited! It would have been great either way, of course, but we are excited that Emma can have a little sister to run around with. The baby is healthy and right on track (a little bigger than her gestational age, which is good!). I am doing good so far and no signs of pre-eclamsia! Which 2 nights ago, I dreamt that I was already put on bed rest...good thing not all dreams come true! Plus, I had 3 dreams that I was having a boy. So for your ladies out there...don't ALWAYS trust your dreams. Cade was pretty sure we were having another girl. For me, it depended on which week you asked me :). We are so happy though! All we want is a happy, healthy baby and pregnancy! So far, that is what we are getting!

(Picture at 20 weeks)

Happy 4th!

2011-07-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July weekend, we traveled to Prescott, AZ to run in the boot race! I mean, spend time with Cade's family :). Okay, maybe both :). We had a lot of fun- minus Emma having a high temperature of 103+ for 4 of the days :(...so sad! She started getting sick at the parade Saturday morning and we didn't know how high her temp was until we got back to the house....she was a trooper though. She still ran in the boot race- hot pink cowgirl boots and all! Poor thing...she was not feeling good. And it's so not fun having your baby sick away from your doctor and home. But finally by Tues she started to feel a little better and Wednesday she was back to her cute fun-loving self!

We had a lot of fun though. We went to the parade and then ran in the boot race, Cade got 2nd place in his age group!!! Unfortunately because Emma was sick, we couldn't stay to see his victory :(. I am so proud of him though! He recieved a certificate for a free pair of Wrangler's and the coveted Budwiser trophy :)...haha...they are the sponsor of the race. We also played Ladder Ball a whole bunch. If you haven't played it, it is so much fun! I am absolutely terrible, but it's still a lot of fun! We took the babies swimming one day and saw the new movie "Cars". I think Emma's favorite 2 things in the trip were #1 Grandma's new playroom and #2 the Pet Store! We had a lot of fun! And even got to spend some time with Cade's cousins which is always a delight. We drove through Flagstaff on our way back home and got to see a lot of his Dad's side. Always good times in Arizona!

Close Family Pictures 2011

2011-07-10T19:31:00.001-07:00

Here are the picture we got taken about a month ago. We had a good friend, Matt Egan, take them for us and inspite of Emma not cooperating much during group shots, they turned out pretty good! She did make some really cute faces when we played peek-a-boo with her and those were definitely worth it! She was pretty distracted, but overall we were pleased. Matt did a great job! You will have to scroll through them to get to the good ones at the end...at least my favorite part :).

NOOOO! Don't Kiss me!

She looks extremely happy here:

(Cade probably didn't want me to put this next one, but I love it!):

Now to my favorite pictures!

Girl's Camp 2011

2011-07-10T18:39:00.001-07:00

"Live Like You Believe" was our camp theme this year. Looking back at Camp, I am very glad it is over :). However, there were some amazing things that happened as well! It was my first year doing girl's Camp and it was definitely A LOT of work! Even with a "camp director" called, it still just takes SOOOOO much time, effort, sweat, tears, and sleepless nights to pull it off. I was blessed with great leaders who always come through with assignments and help wherever help is needed. Some highlights of camp were: Michelle Kemp (our first night's fireside), the 5 mile hike we did the 2nd day, solo time (a couple hours to ourselves to read, pray, write in journals), and testimony meeting. The hike was definitely a HARD hike....anyone that actually finished it would agree :). I was proud of myself- being 5 months pregnant and doing the whole thing! There were many who did not finish it- it was nothing but 2.5 miles straight up and 2.5 miles straight down. The down hill was definitely hardest on my body, but after 4 hours me, 2 leaders, and about 10 girls made it the whole way (from just our ward). It is always such a great feeling to accomplish something hard and say you were able to conquer your mind and body and overcome that hard obstacle.

Going back there were definitely things that I would do differently. But that is what happens anytime you do something for the very first time. And despite the emotional rollercoaster I had to be on for 3 days, seeing the light and change in those girls made everything worth it! Seeing the change and growing testimonies in the gospel made all the tears and sweat worth every drop. I have come to truly love these girls. You come to love most those you serve. They are such amazing girls and despite the hard challenges that are upon them at this time, they are striving to do their best. I love them!

Here are some great pictures from the week:

Emma's Summer Fun!

2011-07-09T21:08:00.001-07:00

We have had a jammed-pack summer full of fun so far! Emma has experienced some new and exciting things and Cade and I have experienced the excitment of being a parent and seeing the joy on your child's face. There is nothing in the world like seeing your child fill up with such joy and happiness in new and exciting things!

We had a lot of fun during Strawberry Days- a week long celebration in Pleasant Grove with concerts, parades, rodeo, pet shows, and lots of yummy strawberries. Well, a couple of her favorite things were the "Pet show" and the carnival! She LOVED the little train and after she got off she kept saying "again! again!" Let's just say she went on her 3 favorite rides more than once each...and Cade and I had just as much fun as she did!

Walking in the Children's Parade:

Another great time we all had was going to the zoo. Cade hadn't been to the zoo for years and when I took Emma last year, she was too little to really enjoy anything. This time her favorite things were the Meercats and the gorilla and the elephants. Cade's favorite animal to see was definitely the Giraffe. (Don't let the 2nd picture of us fool you....that was the end of the day and Emma was getting very tired...she really did love the zoo :)).

This video made me SOOOO happy. I was taping Emma as she was watching her favorite meercats and I didn't notice until after it had happened why she all of a sudden decided to lie down on the nasty floor in the room....watch the meercat in the beginning of the video. So funny!

Now I didn't think anything could make Emma happier than the zoo and especially that train ride at the carnival, but the thing that topped them all were the water slides at the pool! She LOVED LOVED LOVED the water slide. She had a blast when we went to the community pool here in PG. Cade and I had to take turns walking up the stairs to take her down the slides because she didn't want to stop. She kept shouting "AGAIN! AGAIN!" everytime we went down. So much fun! And we can't wait for more fun times this summer!

Baby Jaxon's Shower and Goodbye!

2011-06-24T09:48:00.001-07:00

See you later, Kristen and Andrew! They left for Santa Barbara, California about 3 weeks ago. Before they left, we were able to throw Kristen a baby shower for baby Jaxon. It was such a huge success- the decorations were so much fun and amazing! The desserts were darling and I think Kristen really enjoyed it- that's what's most important! There were lots of her close friends and extended family members that showed up and celebrated baby Jaxon coming. Minus the freezing temperatures Utah decided to shower us with (on June 2nd!), the whole night was a great success and tons of fun!

Here are all the lovely ladies that made the shower a great time:

Aren't these cupcakes SOOOOO cute???? My mom spent so much time on them and they turned out AMAZING!!! Good job MOM!

After everyone left from the shower, we gave Boose Boose a gift too! It was a child's accordian- kind of a joke (since it was only $10), but also so she could practice her mad skills on it :). Don't you love her expression!

Kristen and I saying goodbye before leaving to Cali:

I am going to miss her so much. I already do. Kristen is and has been a best friend to me my whole life and we've never been apart for more than a few months- and that was only once! We've had so many fun memories to sharing a room when we were little to sharing a room in college (except one time being roommates, we grew out of scaring each other and jumping on our beds :)). I've loved having her close by to go out to eat, have girls nights, and having her shoulder there for me to cry on. She has always been there for me and I am excited for her new adventures in Cali! I know she will have such a great time and she has no problem making new friends. She'll be everyone's best friend before long! Kristen, I love you so much! And I can't wait to see you in August! I hope you know how much you have meant to me in the past and how much you mean to me now. I love you with all my heart! See you soon!

Family Fun!

2011-06-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

I have to combine some of these posts into 1 since, well.....you can see I've been slacking as of late and haven't had as much time for blogging with girls camp coming up NEXT WEEK!!!

We've had a lot of fun with family lately! Memorial Day weekend we drove to Vegas and spent the holiday with the Close side. We had a lot of fun! We went swimming (which I had been DYING to do since Utah was NOT working of the summer weather), saw a movie, hung out, went shopping, and just had fun watching Ashur and Emma play with each other. One of Emma's favorite things was the rocking horse! I just bought one online just like it because she loved it so much. We had a lot of fun with them and are looking forward to spending the 4th of July in Arizona with them as well!

We also have had a blast going on hikes! Cade and I want to be a "hiking" family and do a lot of hiking and camping in the years to come. So we bought a really cool backpack for our kids to sit in so we can make is a family adventure. Emma LOVES it! And I am so happy about that :). She hiked.....she played.....she passed out! Both times she fell asleep on the hike...too much fun for her :)!

Hike to the "G" in Pleasant Grove. It was VERY uphill, but a beautiful view in the end:

Hike to the Waterfalls in PG, about 2 min from our house!

These are a few of my favorite things!

2011-05-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

SPRING!!!! Yay! I love everything about it (when it actually feels like spring weather here in Utah and not winter still). The three of us went on a fun picnic up the canyon and we had so much fun. Now that Emma has discovered that she is allowed to play outside, she wants to be out there all the time now!

Things I also enjoy about this time of year:
Smell of freshly cut grass
Playing at the park with Emma
Picnics- any place, any time
Going on walks/jogs outside
Beautiful colors of flowers and trees/plants
The smell of fires and roasting marshmellows
Camping- getting dirty, setting up tents, tin foil dinners/BBQ's, watching the fire, singing songs, everything! I can't wait for our first camp out!
Summer clothes
Popcicles and juice and slush
And best of all...planting my VERY OWN garden!

Here are some pictures! I was so proud of myself. My friend came over and helped me and gave me tips. But I am excited to grow produce of my own! Well, I guess I'll be really proud of myself if I actually DO grow produce. We planted Roma and cherry tomatoes, green, red and banana peppers, lettuce and lastly zuchinni (well, we didnt' have that at the time, so I'm going to finish the garden by planting zuchinni). It was a goal this year to plant a vegetable garden, so one goal checked off the list! (Obviously, now the hard part is the actual growing of the veggies, but at least it's a start!)

Another favorite thing...Emma knows when Daddy goes to work it's time to pray, I thought this picture was so cute. "I'm ready to pray Mom! Why are you taking pictures?"

Happy Easter! (VERY belated!)

2011-05-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

So yes, Easter was almost one month ago, but I finally put our pictures on to the computer from our old camera. I lost my good camera (and I am still very very sad about it cause I loved it) so I didn't post anything for a while because I couldn't take pictures until we got a new one.

Anyway, here are some pictures from Easter. It was fun seeing Emma find her basket and go in the backyard and "find" the eggs...they were in plain sight, but hey she's a year and half. Next year I can hide them harder :). She found her Easter basket in one of her favorite cubby places and when she discovered that if she cracked the eggs open, fruit snacks would fly out...she was in heaven! So we went outside and every egg she picked up she would shake to make sure there were fruit snacks in there.

Cade and I enjoyed one item in Emma's basket probably more that Emma did. I got a wind-up chick and so I wound it up and let it go....the chick was born "different". It was a moon-walking chick...it didn't know how to go forward. It was pretty funny ;).

Well, in the future for our children Cade and I want to develop spiritual traditions with our kids. Any traditions you do with your family that you'd like to share?

#2 on the way!!!

2011-05-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are expecting again and are happy and excited that I am a few days away from the 2nd trimester! I am now feeling good again and food actually tastes good! Yay! I don't have a lot to complain about since I never throw up during my pregnancies, however, having to deal with nasea (sp?) and having to eat every 2 hours when nothing in the world sounds remotely good...I'm happy happy happy to be over it!

I am due November 27th and we are praying that I will end up delivering very VERY close to that due date! Not early! I have a great doctor this time that has been very good about explaining pros and cons with this pregnancy, having a VBAC, and the statisics with preeclamsia, and we are pretty positive this will be a very healthy baby as well as pregnancy! We are excited and will keep you posted on gender and other updates!

Bryan's Wedding!

2011-05-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yay! It happened! We are so excited for Bryan and Jennie! They we married on Friday, May 6, 2011. The whole 2 days was just perfect and wonderful. The sealing was probably the best sealing Cade and I have ever attended. It was so spiritual and beautiful and the words given by the sealer were just amazing! I'm sure after he quoted his 2nd and 3rd poems, Bryan and Jennie were probably ready to get the show on the road :). But we enjoyed every minute of it and learned a lot that day.

And when they came out of the temple, they were SO happy and excited! And we all were too! We, of course, went around and took pictures with all the family and friends there...all the many, many people that love Bryan and Jennie. My favorite part of the couple days (besides the actual sealing), was the luncheon. A lot of the siblings shared something about Bryan and Jennie and then the parents did too. And then at the end Bryan and Jennie both shared some thoughts and feelings. It was so great to hear them speak from their hearts. Bryan read a list of attributes he wanted in a wife that he wrote about 7 years ago. As he read through the list he mentioned that Jennie more than fulfilled that list (except maybe the love for reading :)...that's okay Jennie, you've got time for that one!) and more. He had been told by many people in the past that maybe he was TOO picky and needed to settle a little, but how he found the perfect girl for him and she was worth the wait.

Jennie, we are so happy to have you be a part of this family! We love you! And Bryan and Jennie, we wish you happiness and know you will be such a strong, great couple and parents some day. We love you both!!! (pictures courtesy of Stephanie)

Halleluja!!!

2011-04-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

Emma LIKES to eat!!! For those who do not know how wonderful this is....let me tell you....I can finally sleep again! For a picky, picky, picky little eater who liked to throw all her food on the floor (this is normal for her age, I know), refuse to eat most of the time, spit out most food, and make herself throw up when she REALLY didn't want it...this is a miracle! Just the last week and half Emma really likes eating! I ask her "do you want to eat?" and she signs "eat" with a huge grin on her face, squeals and goes over to her high chair! She tries most things now which is huge because in the past if it looked funny or similar to something she knows she has tried and doesn't like, she wouldn't try it AT ALL.

Some of my friends who have gone through this or similar with one of their children have said to me, "this too will pass". But just like anything else, when you are going through it....it seems like FOREVER when you are in the moment. Now...IT TOO HAS PASSED. I gave it a good week and half before blogging about it so I wouldn't jinx myself. She used to have a good day, bad day, good day, bad day...Now they're all good days!

I am so proud of Emma!!! She still hasn't completely gotten over the throwing of food yet, however, it is MUCH better. One thing at a time, right?!

Some things Emma LOVES:
Olives (black or green)
Cheese
Noodles (from ramen or chicken noodle soup)
Strawberries, grapes, and apples
Most veggies (depending on the day)
Homemade chicken noodle soup
FRUIT SNACKS
Go-gurt
Pasta with Italian dressing
Sippy Cup concoction (whole milk, half & half, and carnation mix all put together- the doctor after telling her what I put in her sippy cup said, "Man, I've gained a pound just listening to what you feed her, yet she remains skinny!")

We're still working on other fatty foods...but for now, she is doing really good! She is still skinny, but she is still growing and doing much, much, much better! I will give an update at her 18 month appointment in a couple weeks :).

And here she is in all her glory...

Absolutely LIFE CHANGING.

2011-03-29T22:40:00.001-07:00

This is a story about love. It's a story about forgiveness. It's a story about changing your life because someone changed yours.

What story am I talking about? A Tale of Two Cities. Unfortunately, I've never read the book, but the musical at Hale Center Theater is absolutely incredible.

I can officially say I like a musical more than Les Mis (or just as much)...NEVER thought I could or would say that! I LOVED every bit of this musical and am so grateful for the opportunity to once again be changed by words and music. The music was inspiring, the actors as good or better than broadway, and their voices...INCREDIBLE.

I love the feeling that you want to change your life for the better. That you want to go and influence everyone you meet just because you love unconditionally. Incredible!

This musical only shows through next week. But it will be worth the money and time!

This is my good friend Megan Heaps who plays the lead female roll. Katelyn and I had a blast with each other!

Looks can be deceiving...

2011-03-29T22:39:00.002-07:00

So there I was. Hungry. It was after church and I was craving pizza. But since it was Sunday, we couldn't go out and buy some, so I decided to make some. I already had bought the ingredients to make it in the next little while, so it was perfect....or at least I thought. It was my first time making homemade pizza. Called my mom with a couple questions, slaved away for a good hour or so and....voila! I made pizza! I was so excited :). After all it smelled and looked so amazing. I can say I was proud of myself....proud enough to at least take a picture :). We cut it and sat down to enjoy our feast. I took the piece of pizza up to my mouth and took a big bite! Yummmmmyyyyyyeeeeewwwwwww. Something was wrong. After searching the problem I discovered the flour we used expired APRIL 2009!!!!! That was TWO YEARS AGO!!! It was probably given to us when we were married! I know, I know, I am revealing that I hardly EVER bake...I love to cook, but haven't gotten into baking much. But now I have learned my lesson. Bake more so ingredients don't have to sit on your shelf for 4 years! :) Lesson learned....check! Husband that still ate the pizza....check! And for me...I ate cereal and gogurt for dinner :(. Oh, well. Good story, right?

AZ and Las Vegas

2011-03-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Cade, Emma, and I left for Arizona to spend time with Emma's grandparents and great-grandparents. Emma had SOOOOOO much fun in a new place where she had new corners to explore and a whole new array of buttons, dog toys, stairs, and so much more to have fun with! Mommy, on the other hand, had to keep an eye on her the WHOLE time. At our house, I can let Emma roam around as she pleases because there are minimal things she can ruin or break, there I had to watch her a lot more closely! I never did get a picture of this, but Emma had the most fun on Great-grandma's wheelchair! Great-grandma Jones went through a quadruple bypass just over 1 month ago and is recovering really well! Emma just loved pushing and riding on that wheel chair!

One of our highlights was being able to spend time with Cousin Tammara and her boyfriend Eric. We went hiking in the Dells and it was SO much fun! I miss hiking and we haven't done it nearly enough lately! We also went walking in shops downtown and ate dinner and played some games back at Cade's parents house. We had a blast getting to know them better!

After spending time in Arizona, we headed to Las Vegas for the Mountain West B-ball tournament. The guys watched lots of b-ball and us girls had fun shopping and doing other things. We did watch a couple games in the hotel room. Kristen and I also went to the Bodies exhibit and it was SO neat! I wanted to it when it was in SLC, but never made it over there, so we took advantage of the opportunity to see it there. I loved my anatomy class in college and find the body so fascinating! There is so much work that goes into it and such fine details. We really enjoyed it! Emma is a champ....she slept in a couple different places when we were in AZ and then a hotel in LV and she slept so good! What a blessing!! She is so easy to take on trips which allows us to be able to do it often!

Kristen's Pregnant!!!

2011-03-14T18:24:00.001-07:00

Yay for more babies!!! We are so excited for Kristen and Andrew! Her due date is October 3rd and she is 11 weeks along. She has not had the best pregnancy so far, but every day gets better and she's finally feeling pretty good now! Today she and Andrew got to see an ultra-sound and see the heartbeat. The little one was VERY active and looking great! She was SO happy after the doctor's appointment. Here are a couple pictures when she announced to the family...

If you've played Quiddler, she spelled the words out with the cards (she and Andrew had been stealing them throughout each round of the game :)). The best part was that everyone was confused. Boose was saying "that's not a funny joke", mom kept saying, "REALLY, REALLY???" (after staring at the words upside down and not knowing what it said), and dad saying, "prego isn't a word, you can't count that"...OH, it was hilarious! I was just laughing cause I already knew. But the reactions were priceless!

We are happy for you guys, Kristen and Andrew, and can't wait for you to have an addition to the family! We love you!

Pony tails and Snow!

2011-03-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

Emma finally has enough hair on top to do a pony tail! Someday we'll make it to piggy tails, but for now I think she looks SO cute with her hair up!

About a week and half ago, Pleasant Grove got over 6 inches of snow in one night. Emma had never played in the snow before so I took her outside to play! We got bundled up and it was a fun new experience for her! We lost a shoe at one point, but we survived :).

Grandma Hope (our cute next door neighbor)...

Valentine's 2011

2011-03-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

Valentine's this year was a lot of fun! Cade and I switch planning V-day and our Anniversary every year (thank for the idea, Nathan and Steph) and it works out great because only one person has to worry about all the planning and the other person can enjoy everything...that's why it was so fun this year...I got to enjoy it :)! Cade made me a pink pancake breakfast and the gift I made for him went with it good! I sewed a more "manly" apron for him. He would always use my bright pink one, so I sewed one that he can at least feel not so girly in :). I really liked the way it turned out! And then at night, we both went and got a couples massage and it was wonderful! We then went out for dinner at Terra Mia (love that restaurant!) and watched a movie when we got home. It was so much fun! Thank you, Cade for such a fun day!

Bryan's Engagement!

2011-03-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yay! Bryan and Jennie are engaged and we are so happy for them! Jennie originally thought she was planning a surprise birthday party for Bryan at his place....the plans were made, family called and invites out. On that day, Jennie and Steph went to Bryan's and decorated for the b-day party. But after Jennie left, Stephanie took down ALL the birthday decorations and set up for the engagement (Steph should win an award for being the best sister-in-law for sure). That night Jennie and Bryan went back to their house and instead of a surprise party for her, there was a beautiful rose filled engagement for her! Good job, Bryan!

After they had a candle-lit dinner together, they walked over to the club house where all of their family were waiting to congratulate them! They will be married the first week of May and we couldn't be happier! Welcome to the family Jennie!

Fun videos!

2011-02-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

YAYYYY!!!!! These videos worked! I have so many videos that I've been wanting to post for Emma's Grandparents and Great-Grandparents that haven't been able to see her in the last month cause Emma is growing up SO fast right now. Every week brings something new.

Here are some fun videos... Some of the best moments are right when Emma wakes up. She can be so entertaining when she's gotten enough sleep! There are also videos when we built a fort (she LOVED it), and the first time bowling (also, LOVED it!). She is so much fun! (sorry a couple videos are bad quality & I don't know why, but hey! At least they went on here okay!)

Kissy-face-scowl and more

2011-01-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

Emma is very entertaining these days! She comes up with more and more faces as the days go. But my favorite by far is the kissy face combined with the scowl. I don't think she even knows what kinds of emotions usually go along with a scowl, but it's hilarious to see her do it ALL THE TIME!

The best is when she scowls, and then laughs at her self...

Some things Emma LOVES:
Feeding and patting her baby
Hugging and snuggling with her bear
Carrying around pots, pans, ladles, and measuring cups- and then banging them on the oven- VERY noisy!
When she hears the garage door go up and I say "Daddy's home!"

Things that Mommy does NOT love:
That Emma no longer wants to take naps
That Emma keeps getting sick over and over and over and over again (oh, go away winter)

This is the newest device for Emma, it's called Mr. Bubbles- he helps her breath better :)...

Things that make Emma smile and squeal with excitement:
Brushing her teeth
Watching the wind chimes
Getting on the floor and pretending to chase her
Mom's cell phone
Asking if she wants to play the piano
Yogurt melts and cheese puffs
And most of all....when the bath water is turned on!

My wonderful husband...

2011-01-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

I LOVE flowers! And look how beautiful these are...

Yay for surprises! I love it! Cade believes it's too obvious to give flowers on Valentine's Day, because that's exactly when I would be expecting it (not that he wouldn't buy me dozes of roses that day, but everyone gives flowers then!) So I get to be surprised...and today I got a ring at the door with a beautiful arrangement of gerber daisies, roses, calla lilies, and more!

I love you, Cade. Thank you for making my normal day amazing! :)

New Year's, crazy string and all...

2011-01-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

We spent the New Year's weekend with my family and had tons of fun eating good food, playing games, drinking sparkling cider. We even had to start the New Year with "crazy string"- that's right, I guess it's not called "Silly" when you buy it at Walmart. Me and Boose started out with the cans, but of course it backfired. Even my Dad was involved :). Good times!

The week of New Year's we also walked around temple square. It was tons of fun...absolutely freezing....but fun! I love my family. I seriously can't get enough of them and I am SO blessed to be so close to them. We all live close to each other right now and who knows how long it will last...so we need to take advantage and give thanks for our blessings! They are all so wonderful!

Family Christmas pictures

2011-01-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

For our Christmas card we wanted to have updated pictures taken, but we didn't have much time. So our friend Matt Egan took some for us just right in our backyard. They turned out so great! We loved them!

2010 Christmas in warm Arizona...

2011-01-05T16:28:00.001-08:00

Cade and I traveled to Arizona to spend the Christmas holiday with Cade's family. We had so much fun there; getting away from lots of responsibilities, just relaxing with each other, and especially spending time with Cade's parents, siblings, grandparents. We spent lots of time chasing babies around, eating great food, playing Rummy and Quiddler, going out to movies and shopping, and just relaxing around the house.

Christmas Eve we spent with Cade's mom's side and ate dinner all together, had a small program of singing and reading the Christmas story in the Bible, and opened up gifts from each other. It's always great seeing them!

Aunt Cindy:

Al & Debby:

Then on Christmas day, we woke up before 6:00 (I know, who does that after their 12 years old? Well, we had places to be!), and opened up presents with just Cade's immediate family. It was so fun...we actually woke up Emma to open presents though...ironic, I know. We enjoyed that time together. Then we had to hurry and get ready and head to Phoenix for a Christmas breakfast on Cade's Dad's side. It was a perfect 72 degrees Christmas day! They had every extended family member on that side there! It was amazing. It was fun to see so many people and catch up on their lives. We really had a great time!

Cade's whole extended family on Dad's side:

Cousins Kristin & Mkayla, Tara, Cousin Tammara, and Me:

Ashur is our Christmas Day baby! So the day after Christmas, we celebrated Ashur's Birthday (they were with Johnny's family on Christmas day evening). Yay for turning 1!!! Look at this DARLING boy! Don't you just want to squeeze his cheeks? Oh, I love him :).

Fun pics of Emma and Ashur:

Bathtime! They both LOVE their baths!

I caught them holding hands in the car :)

Emma likes to play peek-a-boo....when she has food all over her hands!

Christmas Sweaters :)

2011-01-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

For Cade's work party, we always have a dinner and each year everyone dresses up. Well, this year they announced that people could come in whatever they wanted to. Well, you open it up like that, so we'll run with it! :) Jennie (Bryan's girlfriend) and I went to Saver's to find some great attire (mine was from the kids section). We found a couple things, but nothing too great for the guys. When I got home, I remembered I have a cute little old lady as my next door neighbor and everyone over 70 has Chrismas sweaters, right? I asked her if she had any I could borrow...I hit the jackpot! So Cade and I, and Jennie and Bryan went in our Christmas Sweaters. It was awesome! The best part is that Bryan dressed in the parking lot of the event and couldn't see all the wonderful detail of his old woman's sweater until we got into the party :)! It was great...hopefully they'll make it a Fishbowl tradition...

Kristen and Andrew are married!

2011-01-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

We are SO SO SO happy for Andrew and Kristen! I have never seen a happier couple than they were on their wedding day (and I've seen many couples get married :)). They were both beaming so much in the temple. Can't you see in this picture how happy they are?! Here are the events of the day:

I woke up and went over to the reception hall at 8:30 a.m. and started decorating. We had to get the ceiling up before any of the other decorations could go up later on in the day. I was a little worried about the ceiling because I had never done it before and also cause I had called the event planner that usually puts up the fabric ceilings at this event center and she told me it takes about 3-4 hours to complete!!! (She also charges $700 dollars, so there was NO WAY we were about to use her!) So Katelyn, Laurel and Rachel (friends), and Andrew and some of his family all came that morning to help out. We used plastic from Costco that was less than $50 and some white lights...$700- rediculous! After a few scary moments (the electrical went out that almost ruined the whole thing, but we prayed...HARD...and all was good!), and only 1 1/2 hours, everything turned out beautiful! We were happy with the way it turned out.

After setting up the ceiling and decorating the arch, we went back to hurry and get ready for the sealing. We had to be to the Draper temple at 12:30 and their ceiling was at 1:00 p.m. The ceiling was wonderful (and funny too...it just fit both Kristen and Andrew great). Like I mentioned earlier, they were so extremely happy during the ceremony. Afterwards, I got to be in the brides room with her and my mom to help her get ready. I was very excited about that! Her dress had a lace-up back and so that took 20 minutes alone to get her into the dress :). It was worth it though- SO beautiful! Then we took pictures with all our family at the temple (I wish I had pictures of the whole group, but I don't. The next few pictures...courtesy of Stephanie).

After the temple, Cade convinced me to let him take me to get some food. He knew if I didn't eat then, I probably wouldn't. We ate some food then, he went home to take care of Emma and I went to Noah's (the reception center) to help set up. We had lots of people helping with the set up as well as serving cake and drinks the whole night. It really helped having so many people for the night to go smoothly. Kristen didn't care at that point how everything turned out...she was married! But nonetheless, I think it turned out beautiful!

Beadboard frames!

2011-01-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

I made some frames for my house and love how they turned out. I found this idea on craftyit.blogspot.com and loved them! I changed a few things about them to fit the idea I had in my head. I bought the beadboard at Lowe's and my Dad helped me cut them and drill holes in the top. I spray painted them ivory and used brown paint down the beadboard lines. It took FOREVER to find square frames that were just the right size, but finally bought some and painted those ivory and brushed the edges brown as well. I printed some of Emma's cute one year old pictures and put those in the frames. I love finishing a project! It feels so good to create! If I had all day, I would love to just make crafts all day....maybe when Emma's about 25 we can do that together :), right?

Thanksgiving 2010!

2010-12-06T10:29:00.001-08:00

Ahhh, yes, Thanksgiving day! I love this holiday mostly because i LOVE family, food, and fun. We definitely had a lot of each of those. We had the entire family over to my parents house in Bountiful and spent Wednesday through Sat there. Here are some pictures of the weekend:

Will's doing his "cheese" face :)...

My cousins Craig and Shirley spent Thanksgiving day with us along with their two boys.

We went out to eat on Friday (after shopping and Jordan's basketball games). Emma is getting to be a handful when we eat out. She only will sit in her highchair for about 15 mintues they she is spent!

Emma got to open a few more gifts from family members. She loved them and I'm so happy that she is finally starting to be interested in toys...I hope this interest keeps growing!

And even though little Henry has had a rough spell lately (with his tummy), he too enjoyed the holiday weekend! I got lots of pictures of him smiling....so cute.

Enjoy the holidays!!! They fly by way too fast!

Bridal Shower

2010-12-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! Kristen and Andrew get married THIS SATURDAY!!! Yay!!! We are so excited for them!

My mom, Sisters, and I threw Kristen a bridal shower a couple weeks ago. It was lots of fun! The theme was "all girl"...with cut outs of purses, dresses, shoes and such. And as party favors i made these darling purses made out of scrapbook paper. I think they turned out so fun! And i filled them will things that tell about Kristen and her life. It was fun to get together with family, catch up, and celebrate Kristen's soon-to-be marriage!

In the Life of a One Year Old!

2010-11-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

Emma's stats at one year:
Percentile for height: 70%!!!!! Wahoo!
Percentile for wieght: 1.2%.....yep, definitely her daddy's girl :)

She is growing so well and the doctor was SO SO happy with her development. She is doing great for a normal 12 month old, let alone a premie! She is far past what they would expect, especially for her fine and gross motor skills. We are so proud of her! Emma is a little talker. She loves babbling and she just learned her first word!!! Not mama....not dada.....but Nana (for banana). Yes, most important things first. She is walking all over the place now. This first video was a couple weeks ago when I got on video one of the first times she started taking more than a few steps together. The other video is more recent and still a little wobbly, but shows how much she learned in 2 days from the first video. Some people have said, "oh you get so excited for them to start walking, and once they do you think 'what have I done?'". But I'm just as excited as I was for the first few....I think she is an adorable walker and I'm so proud of her growth!

...Because 1 balloon was not enough... Sometimes it's rough being the baby...we can get stuck sometimes! We love throwing books and whatever else we can all over the place :) Once in a blue moon, we stop moving and just chill :)

(I've tried for a few hours now to post cute videos of Emma at this stage- her babbling, playing in her fort, and walking around- but it is NOT working. I've tried everything I always do, for some reason it will not work. For you bloggers out there, any advise?)

Halloween fun!

2010-11-24T13:15:00.001-08:00

I never posted Halloween pictures and I think Emma was the cutest little bunny EVER! So I had to post them still. She got this costume as a hand me down and it happened to work perfect...it was just her size! We had fun Trick or Treating at Cade's work and Cade and I dressed up too :).

Bday presents and CAKE!

2010-11-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

I told my in-laws I would post a video of her eating her first cake! And...I was slacking until now :). She was so funny at first...a HUGE piece of cake in front of her, she didn't know what to do. After she got some in her mouth (i broke it into pieces for her), she LOVED it! I was really sad because her b-day fell on a Wednesday, which is a very busy day for my calling, so I knew we couldn't celebrate that night with my family and no other day that week worked for everyone else. So we planned on celebrating the following Sunday with cake and presents and the works. But then Emma got sick. So we never ended up celebrating with family, but Cade and I sang to her and opened presents from us and Cade's side on her actual birthday. It was still fun!