Super mom...

Well, sort of. I finally got around to putting the kids clothes away. I know I'm bad at house work, but I'm TERRIBLE at putting the kids clothes away. I have so many excuses for why I don't put them away each week...they wear so many clothes, they are small and have small hangers, why hang them up when they're going to go through a few changes of clothes a day...you know...all the valid excuses. The kids are always excited when they have clothes in their closets, so that should motivate me more often. I'm usually really good about putting Robby's and my clothes away, but the kids just pile up on Nathan's bed. So, I decided to take a picture and post it to show you one of my many weaknesses. :) Maybe this will convince me to keep it clean now that you know how bad I am. LOL!

Emily

When Emily fell asleep at 5 last night, I was so afraid that that she would wake up in the middle of the night, and not want to go back to sleep. Well, she woke up at 5 this morning, and got out of bed on her own, went and turned on the tv, and didn't bother me at all. When I got up at 7, Emily was happy and had no attitude, like she's known to have when she wakes up! I think I'll put her to bed at 5 more often!

Going Ons

Another huge amount of time has passed since I posted, so we get to play catch up...again! :)

Over Memorial Day weekend, we were, with the help of Robby's parents, able to have a new roof put on our home. Now we actually look forward to the reports for rain, and aren't worried if we have enough buckets to catch the water! The roof is the same color as before, so in the before and after pictures it looks the same, but you can see how the house has changed! Thank you so much mom and dad!








On Thursday Emily and Nathan received a package from Nanny and Papa. Emily received a diaper bag and a few changes of clothing (with shoes!) for Rachel, her little baby doll. Nathan got these really cool cars from the movie Cars that you shake to rev them up, then put them down and they go. I thought they were amazing, however Nathan thought differently. He was TERRIFIED! And that is putting is nicely. He was shaken so badly the first time I revved them up and put them down, that he didn't leave my lap for a good 30 minutes, and I mean he was glued to my lap. Then when we finally got off, I tried again, and he ran for the safety of the couch, and won't get down for while. Then Robby put the cars on his lap and he sat there like that for a good 10 minutes without moving, or even touching the cars to get them off. We know it was mean, but it was so funny to sit and watch him and all the emotions running across his face! My mom came over later that night and she finally got him to touch the cars and he would say nice and kiss them, and by the time she left that night, we was playing with them and we wondered if he would take them to bed! Now, anyone that comes to visit, the cars are the first thing he picks up to show them!




Saturday we spent time as a family working, playing and eating, all of our favorite things to do. We started out by making Ants on a Log. This is Emily's favorite thing to make and eat ever since La Fronk on Playhouse Disney showed her how to make it. There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't ask to make them. Now I have to make sure I always have celery on hand. Oh darn, my daughter wants to eat healthy food...whatever will I do? LOL Ants on a Log are made by placing peanut butter on the celery and then putting raisins on top to make them look like ants. They are yummy and surprisingly addictive!

Robby mowed the yard Saturday morning (I know, gasp, shock and horror) and then got out the sprinkler and little pool for the kids to play with, and Robby got his suit on too! Talk about white boy! Emily had a great time, but Nathan really wanted nothing to do with the water. I think it was too close to nap time for him to enjoy himself. The only part he liked was being wrapped in the towel at the very end!

Sunday was a turned out to be a great day! I got up really early and Emily and I went to see my brother Michael sing in church. He was AMAZING! He has the greatest voice and I love to hear him sing! Then off we went to our ward, and we met Robby there. Actually, Robby got there early...without my help! I was so impressed and pleased! Church was great as usual and I loved being able to learn more about the gospel and the principles of Jesus and His church! We talked about forgiveness, and it really struck me that, yes, I need to forgive others, but I also need to forgive myself! That one is really hard for me because I am my worst critic and hold on to bad experiences, supposedly so I won't do them again, but it ends up just eating me alive. So now I am trying to remember to work through the mistakes I make and move on a better person. Well, it's worked for a few days anyway! :)

I took a short nap, and was woken up by Robby and the kids playing "daddy monster" on the bed with me still on it! It was great to watch Robby go into his cave (under the blankets) and the pull the kids into the cave and "attack" them by tickling them and making them laugh until they begged for help from me. I love to see Robby playing with the kids and the love Robby has for them, and the kids for their daddy. I will always treasure the times where we are all playing on the bed and laughing so hard the kids can't stand up anymore! Robby is such a great dad and I am very blessed and grateful to have him as my husband and the father of our children.

The top pictures were from Thursday night, and the bottom picture was Sunday night. Robby was so tired and worn out from playing and grilling, that he couldn't even keep his eyes open for the picture, no matter how much bouncing and sitting on him the kids did!

We got to talk to Robby's parents over Skype on the computer so the kids could see Nanny and Papa. They always love either showing off, or running off and hiding. This time they did a little of both. Our conversation got cut short only because Nathan decided to turn off daddy's computer. That was a very BIG no-no!

Then my family came over for Father's day dinner. We has grilled marinated chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, chips and salsa, and cesear salad. Then for dessert we had homemade strawberry ice cream! I'm not sure what part of dinner was the best, but I walked away from the table very, very full! Then we played a jib jab game that left us all in stiches trying to figure out the answer from the clues.

We have had a fun couple of days. Get this...we have had people over for dinner the last 4 nights IN A ROW!!!! I know, us anti-social people have a guests over, 2 of which were friends from high school I haven't seen since high school but reconnected with them over Facebook! Isn't that amazing!

We were supposed to have the missionaries over for dinner on Saturday, but they called a little before dinner and said that one of the elders was sick, so they wouldn't be able to make it. I was bummed because I had make Hawaiian Haystacks and now had food for an army with no one to feed but my little family. So I called around and we ended up have Nana over for dinner, and our friends the Rappleyes came over a little later. The Rappleyes ended up staying late and we were able to talk and be with good friends. They always lift us and we were so glad that Heavenly Father knew that even though we wanted to serve the missionaries by feeding them dinner, we were blessed with good friends that lifted our spirits and make us very happy. Thank you Rappleyes!

Sunday night we did the whole Father's day dinner.

Monday night we had the Washburn's over for dinner. James and I knew each other in band when he was a senior and I was a sophmore. It was so great to meet his wife and daughter (also an EmmaLee, just spelled a really cool way!) We talked until about 10, and then realized that the reason the kids were getting grumpy was because it was so late! We are planning to get together again soon, which will be lots of fun!

Tonight I had the Williams over for dinner. Christy and I played clarinet together all through high school. I had posted on Facebook that the missionaries weren't able to come over and I had Hawaiin Haystacks available. She said she had never had them before, and we had recently talked about me giving her my bread machine, so I invited them over for dinner. It was so great to see Christy and meet her husband and son. Nathan and little Daniel were instant friends and preferred playing to eating their dinner. They had so much fun and we had to tear them away from the toys we could put the kids to bed.

And if that is not enough, we have another friend coming over on Thursday for dinner so she can show us the pictures of her trip to a horse ranch! I'm becoming miss social! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

Another crazy thing that happened today was Emily taking a nap. That altogether is not the crazy part. The crazy part is she fell asleep in my chair about 5, with her headphones on, and when the Williams got here about 6:15, she didn't want to wake up. So Robby ended up picking her up and putting her on my lap and she just cried and whined. So I went and put her in bed, and she went back to sleep! Now it's 9 at night, and she's still asleep. I'm so afraid she's going to wake up in the middle of the night and be wired for sound! Maybe I should go to bed early tonight! Probably won't happen, but it's a good though! Pray Emily sleeps through the night. She could really use the sleep!

Saturday the Great

On Saturday we were able to have lots of fun. Saturday morning we went as a big family to see the movie UP. It was wonderful and I recommend all seeing it! It was the first time either Emily or Nathan had been to the theatre, and they both did awesome! Thank you Mom for this wonderful movie! Thanks for taking all of the family! Love you!

Next, Mom, Kathryn, Jessica, Allison and I set out for a spoiling adventure! For our mother's day gift from Kathryn, she treated us to lunch at Cafe Rio and then for a pedicure. Cafe Rio was fabulous, and even as full as I was, I wanted more!

I have never had a pedicure before, so this was really a treat for me. My feet were so bad, and now they feel and look so much better. Plus, I went bold and got red toenail polish painted on my toes. All the while I read my new book Code of Honor by Betsy Brannon Green. Good times! Thank you Kathryn for making me feel like a queen and grateful I'm a mom so I could get spoiled by you! Love you!

While we were out having our girl's day, Robby took the kids to the mall and they had a "Date with Daddy" and ate pizza for lunch. Unfortunately, they were .66 cents short to buy 2 carousel tokens. Oh well, there's always next time! Thank you Robby for allowing me to have so much fun! Love you!

Great Days!

The past few days have been really good, and something I have needed for a long time.


Yesterday, my friend and business partner Kara and I went clothes shopping for the Women's Expo that is on Thursday. I left the house around 9:30am, and didn't return until 5:15!!!! Robby had the kids, and Kara had her 2 month old, that only wanted me to hold him! That was so much fun!


We went to Ross, and found a few outfits and a pair of shoes there, then to her house so I could watch the baby for about an hour and eat lunch, then we went to Wal-mart. I found another outfit and another pair of shoes at Wal-mart. I love all of them! I bought 3 shirts, and 3 shirts that match! The shoes I bought from Ross are...get this...Guess! I have never owned a name brand shoe before. They were originally $99.00. But they were marked down to.........$8.49! Plus, they are 3 inch heels! I haven't worn heals since before Emily was born, and even then it was rare! But surprisingly they are comfortable, and very cute!


The best part of the whole shopping day...I didn't spend a penny on any of the clothes or shoes I purchased! The business bought them all because we needed a business outfit for the expo, and since the prices were so great, we each ended up with 3 outfits complete with at least one pair of shoes! I love shopping when it's not my money!!!!


Today I got to wear one of the new shirt sets to church and I felt really good! I even curled my hair today! I know, don't fall over! Since today was my first day not in the nursery, I dropped of Nathan without even walking into the nursery. He walked in and didn't even look back. I felt a little hurt, but proud at the same time, that he loves nursery and is ready to be away from me. Robby and I got to be together for Relief Society/Priesthood because the bishop had us watch Elder Bednar's talk that he gave to the Young Adults a few weeks ago. He talked about not becoming addicted to the computer, especially gaming and alternative worlds within the gaming community. Robby and I had a good talk about how I feel when he talks more to his "computer buddies" than to me, and I think it will get better from here. Then I got to participate in Sunday School and not once did we talk about being happy, or thankful for our ears, or since 5 Little Monkeys! As much as I love all that stuff, it was SOOOOOOOO nice to talk big people today, and be taught. I missed being in nursery with all the great people and kids, but I really appreciated being able to listen to a lesson.


I got to take a nap today! After my nap, I cleaned an area in the family room for the new computer Robby built for the kids to keep them off mine. Emily and Nathan were glued to it for the half hour between when it was set up and when we ate dinner. It will be so nice not to have Emily bugging me to use my computer while I'm working on it for the business!





After dinner we went and picked up Jessica and Allison over at my mom's house and we went to the temple. This was Allison's first time walking around the temple. It was fun to watch her look around at all the new things she was experiencing. Plus, of course we got some great pictures of her and my kids. I have decided however that I like taking Nathan to walk around the temple grounds when it is dark outside, because he can't see as much, and isn't always running off to explore something new! Emily and Nathan always love going into the Visitor's Center to watch the presentation with the Christus, and tonight we got to hear it in English and Spanish. I love to watch my kids' faces as they look up to Christ with such love in their eyes. That is a picture that will always stay in my mind, and a camera will never be able to capture.

Scrapbooking Kick

I have been on a scrapbooking kick the last few days. These are the pages that I have completed.

General Update

Here is just a bunch of random stuff that I want to record, so read to your hearts content.

I was released from being Nursery Leader on May 24th. It is bittersweet because I loved being in there with all the kids, but I missed being taught and the adult interaction that I miss during the week. Plus, Nathan is in nursery now, and I want him to have is own experience in there without me. I will miss the other leaders, because they are so wonderful to work with! Plus I will miss the kids, and how we would have a new experience and adventure each week!

Emily tested for early kindergarten placement and we got the test results back. The result: "Based on the results of this screening, kindergarten is not the best placement for your child at this time." Oh well, back to preschool. Emily will go to the same preschool for 5 days a week now. Emily loves Sicely and Heidi and all the things they teach her. I know that Emily is academically probably ready for kindergarten, but I really don't think she would have been ok with all day kindergarten yet. Plus, I have to admit that I'm not ready for an all day school day for Emily yet. I like her starting school at 9, going until 11, then having the rest of the day to do what we need to. Well, I got my wish. She keeps telling me, "Mom, I'll go to the big school next year." However, she is so ready to go back to school. She keeps asking if today is a school day. Then I explain all over again that it's summer break, and we don't have school for a while. Silly girl.

Our roof has been in terrible shape for years, and finally decided to completely disintigrate this year. So with the help of Robby's parents (thank you soooooo much), we had a new roof put on over Memorial Day weekend while we were gone. To look at it, its the same color, so nothing looks different, but after that weekend of rain, we came home to a DRY HOUSE!!!! That is something that hasn't happened for a long time!

Nathan has finally decided he wants to talk. But it is only on his time. We call him a lazy talker. He would rather sign the word, like please or eat, then actually say the word. Every once in a while he'll walk up to you and give you 1, 2 or 3 clear words of what is on his mind. For instance, the other day Robby said he was sitting at his desk when Nathan walked in and pointed to Robby's cell phone and said "Phone, Nana". Robby looked at him and tried to get him to say it again, but Nathan just smiled and looked all innocent that he would even say anything like that. Then yesterday we were all in the kitchen and I was trying to get Emily to do something for me. I said "Come on", and Nathan repeated it exactly-in word and tone. Again we tried to repeat it, and he just looked like we were crazy or something. We all just about fell over. But he won't say little words like up, yes, please, eat. Silly boy!

We started Emily on the Mesa Public Library's Summer Reading Program. She loved going to the library for the first time and getting books that were just hers. She kept saying after each book she picked up, "Ok, let's go buy this one." No cute girl, we just borrow the books, read them, then bring them back. :) She loves to be read to, and will make up stories just by looking at the pictures.

Cabin Trip-Memorial Day Weekend

Our annual wedding anniversary/Memorial day cabin trip weekend was lots of fun! We go up to our family's cabin and spend the weekend doing as little as possible and whatever we want. (Provided the kids are up for it!) This year we got to take up our friend Laura!

It rained Thursday night until early Saturday morning, so the kids were cooped up and going buggy! Emily and Nathan can only take so many movies when they know the park is down the hill waiting for them!

We roasted s'mores, went on walks and had a great time just being together. Here's a few pictures of what we got to experience! But trust me, you have to be there for yourself. If you want to go, let me know and we'll take you up!

Lucky #7

On Monday May 25th, Robby and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary. So many poeople have asked if we have the 7 year itch. As far as I know, the answer is no! We're looking at it as our lucky #7.

I am so glad I get to share eternity with Robby, because each new day is a new and grand adventure. I love Robby more and more with each passing day.

Just for a good laugh, I'm posting pictures of our wedding day.