A new year, a fresh start...

I never ever make resolutions because I'm a pretty realistic person, and I know I most likely won't keep them. However, there have been several things I have really wanted to improve about myself and my habits this year (2007), so I'm determined to make a few of them work. While I would never post absolutely everything in such a public place, I figure I can list a few of them so that I can be a bit more accountable:

• Spend more quality time with my kids. I know this could be on my list every year, but I need to do better at making that time really count and be special.


• Spend more quality time with Spencer. By the time he gets home at 8 or so and the kids are down, we're pretty wiped. However, I have fond memories of those times when we have had great conversations and accomplished a lot together during the late hours of the night. (One of Spencer's resolutions is to spend more quality time with me - are we in sync or what?)


• Not complain about Primary. I know it's a total stretch, but I'm going to try!! Well, at least I won't complain to other people--just in my own head.


• Save more money and be more money-conscious. This makes me laugh though because I think I'm a pretty good money-saver to begin with.


• Keep up my exercise. I often get into habits and then fall behind, and then quit altogether. This time I'm determined to keep it up. After all, I don't have weather excuses anymore (shucks).

Happy New Year everyone!!

Christmas Lessons

I learned some valuable lessons this Christmas, and I'd like to share:

1. When shopping for your husband, cover your tracks; husbands are into snooping, and then the surprise is pretty much a non-surprise. And don't just "cover" your tracks...destroy all evidence! Husbands are getting better and better (aka sneakier). Sheesh.


2. Santa must be getting forgetful in his old age. Santa needs to keep better track of his own list and check it twice, so that the kids don't have to get another small set of presents upon returning home. Thank goodness they're still young enough to not figure out all the details...


3. Grandparents always give the best gifts. And that's ok with me. They have more practice.


4. All the romanticism about having a White Christmas is baloney; after having plenty of white christmases, I still maintain that absolutely nothing can top a 72 degree, sunny Christmas day.


5. Kids who are 2 and 3 don't count presents. If they get one cool thing, they're thrilled. If they get 10, they pretend to care and then go back to that one cool thing! I must remember this in the future, and save my money and time.


6. Tyler, when he is sick, is a monster. Don't say hi to him, don't play with him, don't touch him, don't look at him. He'll bite your head off. And when Tyler is a monster, so am I.
   

Christmas was fun as always. It's ten times more fun with my kids at the ages they are. I got my very first real pedicure (my eyes have been opened!) as well as a Cricut cutting machine. Spencer got the GPS he knew he was getting (snoop), and the kids had more fun than they could handle. My parents gave Tyler a remote control Hummer...or, did they give it to Spencer? At any rate, it was a big hit, and both my boys are thrilled with that gift. Emma got a Disney Princess scooter and tons of coloring stuff (she's my artist).

On Christmas Eve, in keeping with tradition, went to the beach to play in the sand dunes. It was one of the most clear, beautiful days I can remember (and I grew up there!). It was nice to feel the sun so warm and watch the smooth, calm ocean. I got some great pictures of my handsome boys. They're my favorite pictures from the trip.

I realize there are hardly ever any pictures of me since I'm always taking them. Oh well.

'Tis the Season to be GRUMPY!

After having 3 encounters with complete Scrooges in the last hour I am so irritated at the level of grumpiness out there this time of year! Two were in the car and one involved a man in a wheelchair. I was trying to be extra polite but I don't appreciate getting yelled at, honked at, and given ultra-dirty looks because I'm trying to obey the laws and be nice! Maybe I'll stay inside until Christmas is over, because these rude people are making me a grump too!

Some Christmas Cheer

Since we have very little in the way of "physical proof" that it's Christmastime (other than in stores/malls/our house), we took the kids to Christmas in the Park last night. Hundreds of real trees, still stuck in the ground even, are decorated by groups of people and classrooms. Our favorite was the Peter Pan tree, complete with the alligator and Captain Hook! We also let the kids ride the carousel but Tyler is suddenly a wuss and opted to sit on the bench. And of course it wouldn't be an event if one of the children didn't throw a fit and have to be physically removed, kicking and screaming, from the festivities a bit early...

I also took some pictures of a few of my favorite Christmas tree ornaments. This first one is our family ornament for this year, given to us by my mom. It says "Like four peas in a pod." I love it.

This flip flop is made of real sand and I got it in Hawaii at the PCC. It's fun because of my flip flop fetish, and also because we visited there this past October.

Our Boston Red Sox ornament...this will always have a special place with me. I bought it on ebay after they won the World Series this year (and earned us some free furniture...there is a previous blog post about that). Besides, we miss Boston after living there 2 1/2 years! Well, we don't miss it right now, during a Nor'easter...

And lastly, here are Emma's and Tyler's ornaments from last year - my two little angels. They get a new ornament every year. Well, just don't ask me where this year's ornaments are...I bought them really cheap after Christmas last year and can't find them since we moved. Bummer! Emma's was a dancing princess and Tyler's was Bob the Builder. I'll have to keep looking...

On a separate topic, I walked outside yesterday and noticed that one of our trees (plants) is in full bloom! We have these beautiful pink flowers everywhere! In December!! And I didn't even know about them previously. Also, we have an orange tree that is starting to get pretty colorful. How cool; I love that things bloom and grow here, even in winter! Merry Christmas!

Sleepwalker?

OK, so I'm new to this idea of sleepwalking...but I don't know what to do about it. Emma, I believe, is sleepwalking. She gets up and wanders (totally unaware) several times at night. Last night I put her to bed at 7:30. At 8:00, as I was sitting at the desk, she came and sat on my lap, still asleep. I took her back to bed and she didn't even flinch. Then, at 9:00 while Spencer and I were watching some lame Christmas movie ("Holiday in Handcuffs"), she walked into the living room and instantly was asleep on the loveseat. We found that pretty humorous, and took her back to bed again. Then, at 11:00 as we were headed off to bed, Emma was sound asleep on Spencer's side of the bed. He joked that his side was now warm (while he took her back to bed again) but I was a little worried. Is this normal? She's done this for the last 3 weeks, every night, but it's gotten progressively more frequent. Usually she ends up in our bed so it wakes me up, and with Tyler also wandering all night long, wide awake, we're not getting a whole lot of sleep. Is this sleep walking, or something else? I guess it wouldn't surprise me too much since Spencer did it as a kid (so I've heard) but I feel the need to cure her of it, mostly for my sanity. I'd appreciate any advice or opinions...

Tyler time

I have finally found a time of day when it is (usually) just me and Tyler. I love Emma, but we're together a lot since Tyler takes naps. I've started putting Emma to bed "early" - at about 7:45 - and then I have 15 minutes with just Tyler. It's amazing; once Emma is asleep he calms right down. No more screaming, whining, running like a madman. He'll sit with me on the couch and snuggle up with his lumpy pillow. And he'll just let me hold him. I love it! And no, I don't wait anxiously for 8:00 to roll around so I can get him off to bed. I usually have to force myself up off the couch to take him to bed.

I find it almost humorous that I used to HAVE to hold this little boy (so he wouldn't cry), and almost resented it. Now, every second he'll let me hold him is just precious. And hopefully I'll get at least 15 minutes every night...until he gives up naps anyway.

A good reminder...

I feel like I need to make this list because the last few days have been so frustrating for me with my kids. I'm sure it's entirely my fault that I'm so irritable - mostly becuase I've been so busy with party planning, editing, Christmas things, etc., and the little ones are lacking some serious attention. I like to think of their most unique and special qualities so I can remember them when I'm about to pull my hair out and scream at the top of my lungs. And since I'm too lazy to pull out their baby books, here goes...

Tyler:
*He can run fast but pumps his arms, intentionally, SO much faster.
*How he grabs my face and makes me look at him if I'm not giving him enough attention.
*How he sweetly asks me to change his "diapie."

*He loves to hold my hand and even lace his tiny fingers between mine. *He sings all the words to about 5 or 6 songs -LOUD- and while he canNOT carry a tune, his voice is still like music to my ears.
*His infectious grin. He started smiling at 3 weeks old and still only stops smiling to cry.
*His red hair. I still can't figure out it's origin, but it sure looks good on him.

Emma:
*Her incredible memory. It's simply amazing.

*Her huge grin when she "taps" me on my shoulder...just to see my reaction.
*How the other joy school moms tell me how smart and well-behaved she is.
*She is such the motherly type - it's just IN her. I can't wait for her to have her own children someday.
*She LOVES salad (hooray). She can eat more Caesar Salad than any adult I've met - it's like candy.

Sweet Victory

It is always a happy day when BYU beats Utah in football! There were a few times when I thought I might have a heart attack... Of course this game - like all the others - came down to the final seconds but the BYU men in blue pulled it off! What a perfect ending to such a great week! We love BYU!!!

Spectacular

Once again, we have done something pretty amazing and wish we would have done it sooner. We've lived in this area now for the better part of 2007 and hadn't yet taken our kids to see the nearby temple. My parents were here for two days this weekend and it seemed like the perfect time. Not only are the grounds gorgeous (and have lots of Christmas lights up already) and so serene, but the view of the bay is spectacular, especially on a clear day. If you have an eye for it, you may be able to see the GG bridge far in the distance.

How nice it was to have my dad, the photographer, to take a million (seriously) pictures. And of course, my kids adore their Papa and Grandma so they were awesome during those two days. Could I ask for more?


I think these two are pretty darn cute. What personalities they have. I really like this picture. Tyler's expressions--together with his red hair--crack me up, and Emma's charm is unmatched. I can officially say, FINALLY, that I'm glad they're so close in age. :)

14 pairs...and growing!

I came to this great realization today. It doesn't snow where I live! Not only that, but it doesn't get THAT cold. I was shopping today and as all the flip flops were clearanced (several times) I decided that I can once again splurge on cute flip flops, and not be considered impractical, or insane! I got some of my identity back! So I went for it and spent a whopping $2.99 on some darling flip flops that were regularly $19.99.

Growing up I could wear flip flops any day of the year (but Sunday). In college, I tried to keep that going but soon found that numb/purple toes didn't feel/look so great when I had to walk a mile in the cold. Then I moved to Boston. Wearing flip flops whenever I felt like it was completely out of the question! I had to suck it up and buy and (WEAR) real shoes for about 5 months out of the year, unless I wanted some serious frostbite. While I was an East-Coaster I set a standard. If it was above 50 degrees, I could wear whatever footwear I wanted!

Well, I don't think it gets below 50 degrees here too often (during the day). Which means I need a shopping spree for some more new/fun flip flops! Thank goodness my one fetish is relatively cheap. Now if I can just convince Spencer to let me use more (a.k.a. ALL) of the bottom of the closet I'll be good to go! The one downfall? I'll have to keep my toes nicely pedicured all year long...

Happy Halloween from the Cheerleader and the Chicken/Cow

Tyler had a hard time sticking with a costume (as did Emma). It's so fun to see them "get" the idea of trick-or-treating and charm all the friends and neighbors. Now we can start getting ready for Christmas!

Tremors

We finally got our welcome (for me, re-welcome) to California! Tonight at 8 pm a 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook the ground. It hit a little too close to home - literally - as it was based less than 20 miles away from our house. Being a native Californian, I recall earthquake drills from elementary school but during those 30 seconds of shaking tonight I just stood still and wondered how I could get my kids from their beds and under the table with me. Thankfully it stopped before I really had to take action and we had no damage.

So...poor Spencer who was on an airplane, thousands of feet above this unstable earth, missed experiencing his first Californian earthquake! Poor Spencer was on his way home from Disneyworld, still relishing in the fun and magic associated with everything Disney. With the rough time all of California has had these last two weeks, I think we are entitled to a bit of a break from scary natural disasters for a while.

Boston Red Sox = World Series Champs!

So I'm not really into major league baseball. In fact, I can't stand watching baseball. It is probably because the action isn't really exciting (not like football anyway). Granted, I grew up watching the Dodgers...enough said. So, what makes me totally obsessed in keeping up with the Red Sox this year? We lived in Boston until just a short 6 months ago, where Red Sox fever is out of control. And by out of control, I mean it! It's huge and is taken very seriously. I didn't care much about the Sox when we lived in Boston. But boy oh boy I sure care now!

Right before we moved west a huge furniture store had a gimmick where if you bought a bed, sofa, dining set, etc. during a 6-week period, and then if the Sox won the World Series this year, you'd get your money back! We did a lot of pricing and this place had the best prices anyway, so we thought we might as well go for it even though we were pretty sure the Sox wouldn't make it that far (I know, little faith). Well, about 5 minutes ago they clinched the Series after winning the first 4 games!! WOO HOO! I should be thrilled and only thrilled, but all I can think is , "Dang - we should have bought more!!" Way to go Sox!

Cute

Emma asked to watch our wedding video (again) today. She has all the songs memorized and can talk along with any and all dialogue in the video. Today, when we got to the part when Spencer and I walk out of the temple and everyone cheers Emma said, "I was there saying 'woo hoo' too!" I said, "Emma, you were still in heaven; you weren't born yet." She said, "I know Mom. I was saying 'woo hoo' from heaven." I sat back and smiled for a minute. That made my day.

Recap of our trip to Paradise

After a whirlwind two weeks and after 6300 miles, we are HOME! I feel like we've gone around the world (a few times)!

Our first day in Honolulu was rather uneventful. Actually, the most eventful part of the day was being upgraded, for free, to a Mustang Convertible! Woo hoo!! We had the top down a lot, except when the typical downpours were downpouring...

We did the "obligatory" trip to Pearl Harbor (I am SO not into stuff like that) because Spencer wanted to go. Come on, I watched the Ben Affleck movie - wasn't that enough?? When we got to the Memorial, we walked straight to the end of the line that was going back to shore on the ferry - no wasting time dawdling! Then we hit the swap meet in Honolulu.

By that point we'd had quite enough of tourist-ville (Honolulu/Waikiki made me claustrophobic) and hit the North Shore, where our hotel was. What a beautiful drive! We saw tons of surfers, minus the 30-feet waves that hit that area in the winter, and lots of emerald blue water. We were so excited! The top of the convertible went up and down as the rain started and stopped. As I've mentioned before, I am incredibly resourceful in terms of saving money (ask me how much our hotel cost!!!) so we were going to do lots of meals at home to save even more money. Anyway, my "frugal-ness" wore off when we spent twice what we'd spend at a grocery store on the mainland! Ouch! We couldn't even find a "real" place to eat that night so we just ate fast food and went to bed early.

Sunday was conference Sunday. Since the "afternoon session" was over at noon we had lots of time. It's hard to be in Hawaii on a Sunday!!

On Monday we went back to Waikiki to snorkel, hike Diamond Head (gorgeous views), and hang out. It was lots of fun - the highlight was having a sea turtle come up right next to me and scare the ba-jeebies out of me for a second...or a few seconds to be more precise. We had a fabulous time and once again went to bed early. We never adjusted to the time change, so I was up every morning between 4 and 4:30 a.m. I had to find things to do while I waited for Spencer to wake up. One of those things was to read Twilight - took me 3 whole days.

Waikiki - Looks like a postcard, huh?

Hanauma Bay


On Tuesday we went to the temple, snorkeled at "Shark's Cove," and spent the majority of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center! What a cool place. Polynesian people are lots of fun and are hilarious, so we had a fantastic time. I mean, who else can climb a coconut tree with bare feet, and joke with you while they're at the top?? Learning to hula was a highlight; I just had the giggles so bad watching Spencer, and he was a really good sport. By 9:00 that night I was half-asleep through the fire dancers' show - I know, I'm lame. Shucks, the show really was good.






By Wednesday we were pretty tired. We hiked to Waimea Falls (and I got eaten alive - darn mosquitos!) and then went back to the condo and...took a nap! It was so weird but so nice at the same time. We just hung out that afternoon, then went for a dip at Sunset Beach and watched the sunset. Gorgeous!! I think this evening was my "favorite" night (if I can pick a favorite). It was so fun to sit and watch the sunset - that has always been one of my very favorite things to do. I just felt so perfectly happy for those few minutes! A perfect sunset for a perfect night. There were some dudes riding around (standing up) on these surfboard-type things, with paddles. I don't know what it's called but I guess it's the "new thing." Enlighten me, please.



Thursday was our last day. We went to the PCC again (they have a "free within 3" deal, and we didn't get to see everything the first time). We were roasting in the heat and didn't stay long. We drove to Waikiki where we swam again - we HAD to go to Waikiki Beach...the most famous beach in the world! Then we ate at Cheesecake Factory that night. I have to say, that topped off our trip! The food was awesome, the Cheesecake was sooo good, and we had a gift card which made it all the better! We sadly parted with the Mustang and headed off to the airport for a long red eye flight.

Getting home (to LA) was great. The flight wasn't so great, so I'll leave it at that. My mom brought Tyler to the airport and he grinned from ear to ear for about two hours. He talked my ear off and I couldn't believe how much more talking he seemed to be doing. He kept reminding me that I had been in Hawaii, and I was so glad to be reunited with my cute little boy. (I loved seeing Emma too but she wasn't nearly as excited to see US). My sweet little momma's boy never lets me down!


Sleep-deprived, we headed off for Las Vegas for the BYU/UNLV game. We had a great time seeing grandparents/great-grandparents, and some of the Wirthlin family. We drove the 9 hours home yesterday and it's so good to be home!

For all of you who are planning on visiting Oahu, we are now EXPERT travel guides as I did research for months on where to go and what to do! :) We had so much fun and it was really nice to leave my kids for a bit (though I missed them a lot and called twice a day). I loved getting Spencer away from his CRAZY work life and taking the break we both needed so badly, though he still had to monitor his 50 emails a day and keep in touch with his clients. Best of all, we finally got the honeymoon we missed out on 5 years ago! Hooray for us - 5 years down and infinity to go! :)

The Happiest Place on Earth...It Really Is!

I took the kids to Disneyland yesterday, and I wish I could capture so many moments in my mind forever. While we've gone a few times, this time both kids were at the ages where we experiencd the epitome of a good time. Everyone who knows me knows I don't pay full price (or even half price) for anything, so I had an amazing deal on park tickets. Also, there weren't many people there, and it was totally decorated for Halloween. I went on more pukey rides than I care to think about or remember, we got Emma on all the scary rides - and she liked them! - and Tyler got to see Lightning McQueen and Mater (AND clean them!). By the time of the parade Tyler was running on empty, not having taken any nap, and I could tell they were losing steam. When we got to the car, it took a total of 14 seconds for Tyler to fall fast asleep. Emma followed a few minutes later. Even with how exhausting it is, it's so worth it to see them get excited at every little magical thing! I love the fun that comes with having a 2 and 3 year old!

We leave for Hawaii tomorrow morning. I can't stop stressing about leaving Tyler for a whole 6 days, but I know it's something we really need, and I know the kids will be well taken care of. We are so excited.

Signs of Aging (not me, my kids!)

In the past two days, two things have really changed with my kids, which makes me feel like they are growing up too fast. It started with my name. I was Mommy as recently as Sunday but as of Monday I was suddenly Mom. What's up with that? I even (sheepish admittance) found myself correcting Tyler, reminding him to call me Mommy. I complained to my sister about this and she didn't respond...as if waiting for a punchline. What's the big deal? I don't know! But there is something so endearing about being called Mommy since it's typically what little kids call their moms when they finally figure out how to say it (which, I must say is usually waaaay after they say Daddy). Emma started calling me Mom a while ago but it was ok because I still had Tyler to call me what I wanted. Now I guess I just have to live with being Mom! At least it's better than being Mother...

Also, Emma started taking showers today. Out of nowhere! One minute I was putting Tyler in his bed for his nap, and the next minute a naked Emma was asking to get in my shower! I figured she'd get in and not like the water splashing onto her head, and get right out. Oh no, she had the time of her life. I couldn't get her out! I'd go in every few minutes to check on her. She was wiping the water off the shower doors (pointless considering the shower was still on) the first time; the next time she was jumping back and forth over the drain. The next time she was lying on the ground, letting the water fall onto her tummy. That was when I made her get out. She asked for another shower later on that afternoon and in a way it's great because she's quiet and occupied for a full 20 minutes, but now I have to worry about my water bill!

I can't believe how fast they grow up, and how each milestone seems to happen so suddenly! It's so fun, but there's also a small piece of me that's sad to see it happen.

Emma the Storyteller

At night when Emma is going to bed, she asks, without fail, for me to tell her all the Princess stories. It's my own fault - I bought her these cute wall plaques with Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty, and she can see them from her bed. Tonight she asked for a story but I told her no (I'm tired and Spencer is out of town!). She asked if she could tell ME some stories. Of course I was wide open to that idea. So...for about 15 minutes she proceeded to regurgitate every single detail I've ever told her in my stories for the last year two years! It was amazing and also hilarious at the same time. I heard lots of "He (or she) was a naughty guy (or girl)," and "the Prince came and rescued her," and "They got married in the temple and lived happily ever after." I love having a girl! And I love that girl. Tyler just wants to hear the "Cars" story, complete with the "Life is a Highway" song and everything. Hmmm, I'd rather stick to fairy tales where everyone gets married in the temple and lives happily ever after, even if we have to eliminate a few "naughty guys" in the process.

The Color of Halloween

Let me preface this by complaining for a minute. It's "tax widow season" for me right now and although I see the light at the end of the tunnel (a few weeks), that doesn't make it any better. Well, maybe a little better since that "light" is the tropical island of Oahu... Anyhow, today was one of those particularly hard days where I have just had it and want to stick my kids in front of the TV, even though I fully realize that doesn't make them any better or happier. Every mom has plenty of these days, I just know it. Tonight both kids were in tears, and even went into hysterics. After calling Spencer at work to remind him just how unhappy we all were (poor Spencer) we had had enough of each other. By the way, Emma was the one who begged to call him and all she did on the phone the whole time was cry. I decided Emma needed to go to bed since I don't think she gets enough sleep (can you tell??), and I rocked Tyler (and cried for a few minutes) in the rocking chair. He calmed down but as I write this, Emma is crying in her bed. I must be strong!

(I know, complaining is totally annoying so I apologize, especially because I know plenty of people with equally absent, or more absent husbands...) So, on to what I really MEANT to write about when I sat down at the computer...

After Tyler was happy, and after I got my frustrations out through a few tears, I started pointing at things and asking him what colors they were. He knew my shirt was red and my pants were blue. Then I pointed to the orange on his PJ's and asked him what color. He said, "Halloween color!" I thought that was so clever - obviously orange isn't good for much other than for being the color of Halloween and he must be in agreement with my feelings exactly. Anyway, we worked on "orange" a few times but he still prefers to call it "How-ween." I'm happy because in exactly 19 minutes I can put him in bed and trust him to stay there and go to sleep. I can also trust that at exactly 3 a.m. I will wake up to find him on top of me, sound asleep...but that's a story for another time.

Because We Needed One More Thing To Do...

We finally found the time to work on our piano. It needed a little bit of touching up but Spencer has been at work almost 60 hours a week and I've been busy doing mom things. On Friday night we got started and didn't finish until we were satisfied, in the wee hours of the morning. It's all one color now and we swear it plays "Sweet Hour of Prayer" (easiest song in the hymnbook) better than ever! We are so proud that a little TLC made this look a whole lot better.

Here's a before-and-after

When Emma was born, one of my mom's first comments was "She has piano fingers!" We'll see if her fingers inspire her to start playing anytime soon. :) Otherwise, Spencer and I will have to brush up a bit so that "Sweet Hour of Prayer" isn't the only thing the piano gets to play.

We're still loyal fans!

My little future cougars were so excited to put on their BYU t-shirts this morning, and they even carried their BYU bears around all day. Spencer got these for them at a work recruiting event at BYU this week. Emma named hers Strawberry Shortcake and she also named Tyler's - his is Colin (?).

While our beloved Cougars gave it a great effort, they weren't able to pull off a win. We still had a fun time watching the game all cuddled together, especially with the luxury of DVR and fast-forwarding. We'll win the next one!

By the way, Emma chopped her own hair (AGAIN!) this past week and that is why she suddenly has bangs again. Parts are really uneven, and other parts are about as short as a bald man's hair, but I did the best I could to even it all out.

This is some funny stuff

I hope my videos are now of a low (crappy) enough resolution to actually load!!

Why Heavenly Father made flowers

Emma loves to pick flowers. We have so many kinds all around the outside of our house (and in the neighborhood) that I feel like I haven't even completely discovered because she often picks them before they bloom. Yesterday we had a gorgeous rose starting to bud. She went to pick it and I told her, "Heavenly Father put flowers here so they can grow and be beautiful." She thought for a second and said, "I think Heavenly Father made flowers so I can pick them and they can be beautiful for me." And she plucked it right off. Smartie pants. She's probably right, darn it.

A Tyler Sandwich

Over the last few days Tyler has said, "Tyler sandwich?" a few times. I thought he was hungry and reminded him where his un-eaten sandwich was (still on the table). However, I just had an ah-ha! moment. A couple mornings during the last few weeks, before Spencer leaves for work, he'll say "Time for a Tyler sandwich!" and I'll pick up Tyler and we'll all hug, smushing him between us. Tyler thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread (excuse the lame almost-pun)! Today when Tyler came to me, GRINNING, and said, "Tyler sandwich" I had to just laugh and promise him that we'll do it when daddy comes home. (By the way, Emma is usually still asleep when Spencer leaves so she has no idea what we're talking about.)

Here's a picture of my little Tyler, who just figured out that drinking from the spout is super fun... Funny enough, he taught Emma how to do this.

High School Musical-mania

Tonight I have felt like I am raising a teenage girl. Now, lots of girls (YW) in our ward DROOL over Zac Efron (lead character in HSM). I get it - he's cute - and the movie is lots of fun. I even know a very few 8-year-olds who are way into this movie (they're still a bit young to "get it"). But the fact that my 3-year old is OBSESSED is just beyond me! I'm ok with it in a way because it's totally clean and completely musical. And Emma loves to sing, ALL THE TIME, so of course the songs were memorized within a few days. Tonight was the premiere of HSM 2, and we've had it on the calendar for some time. Anyway, the "main song" came on at the end and something came alive inside of Emma. I turned around and there she was, standing on the fireplace ledge - microphone in hand - dancing and singing her heart out. Well, it was more like lip-syncing - it will take another day or two until she's got the song down pat. She was even fluffing her hair and tossing it ever-so-gently behind her shoulders. I must say it brought a smile to the faces of myself and Spencer. I even managed to get her little number on video, and wish I knew how to upload videos to this blog.

To make a long story short, the obsession with HSM trickles down to even the youngest of us. I guess I should be grateful Tyler's not dancing and singing along (though I know he knows the words too). I should have sent her over to the HSM 2 party with all the YW tonight. She would have made them look like 2nd-raters! This is her cute little obsession. If she starts asking for posters of Zac Efron, that will be a different story...

So sweet

Emma has always been a sweetheart, and today proves it further. This morning after I did her hair we were looking into the mirror. She said "I look like my mommy!" She totally doesn't look like me at all, but 1) What a cute thing to come out of a 3-year-old's mouth, and 2) I'm glad someone finally thinks she looks like me, even if Emma is that someone! She usually tells me she looks like her daddy becuase of her brown eyes. She's just as sweet as a cupcake. As I write this she's wearing a fire chief hat (therefore messing up her newly styled hair) and asking to go visit the fire station. I guess we're off!

Tyler's Big 2nd Birthday

Tyler had an excellent birthday yesterday. He got a cool racetrack for his cars, a Mack truck that holds Lightning McQueen inside, a Cars blanket (he loves it!), and a few other odds and ends. Here are some pictures.

Last year Tyler LOVED eating his birthday cake - in fact, he devoured it. This year he tasted a small piece so carefully and then was done. Here's a comparison (first picture is last year):

I'm not offended because I don't LOVE cake either. Maybe this cute redheaded creature is mine after all...

By the end of the night he was exausted, thank goodness, and went to bed curled up with his new, super soft Cars blanket. I love to watch him sleep and wonder what he dreams about. We're so blessed to have such a cute, sweet boy in our family.

On another note, I just got my first bee sting ever (stepped on it)! I knew it was bound to happen and am more irritated that I broke my 25-year record than the fact that it hurt horribly for about 5 minutes. Oh well, at least everyone else is happy and healthy, and the weather is gorgeous. In fact, Spencer just said, "I'm so much more tired when I'm home than at work!" Music to my ears!!! It brings me a certain amount of satisfaction to know that my job is "harder" than his. However, I also get to have a lot more fun!