Randomnesses

Spencer just had the nerve to inform me that I "need to update the blog." Hello? It's been one week. I told him to write something and his response was, "All I do is eat, work, and sleep." Well yeah...but I wasn't telling him to write about himself! So...his life might be a bit on the boring at the moment but things are pretty exciting around the house for the rest of us. Tyler's got that dreaded flu that no one seems to be escaping (which means we're all going to get it sooner or later), but he's still so darn cute even when he is sick and grumpy. And boy is he grumpy. We've had some long nights but were smart enough this time to put towels down to protect the white carpet from whatever might come up. And yes, it did come up (on the towel - yay).

Hmmm...what else.... Oh, my camera broke last week so it's in the repair shop. Or at least it's somewhere between here and Illinois. Part of me is hoping it just broke on its own and will be irreparable (is that a word?) so I can get a new one. But it's under warranty and unless there's some foreign substance in there (sand from the beach? likely), I should get it back in another week or so. It's hard to not to have a camera, though I'm sure my kids love its absence.

I took these pictures at the "tidepools beach" over a week ago. We saw tons of starfish and had a great time, but nothing too exciting. We were on a cliff (tree pictures) and seriously, right at the bottom of the cliff was the ocean, though it definitely doesn't appear that way. I felt like we were in a forest. And no, this is not an "in your face" picture to those blog readers who are in the cold snowy abyss of winter. Well, that's not my intent anyway. :) By the way, we'd love to have visitors anytime! And...is anyone else sooo ready for spring??

Memory

Most people who know me know that I have a pretty good memory. My sister is the same way; sometimes we ask each other "Do you rememember...?" and bring up some totally obscure memory from 15+ years ago. For example, my sister told me she has a memory of being 4 years old and me telling her to hide in the closet and wait for me to get home from school. OK, so I was mean and somewhat weird, but the fact that she remembered that from almost 17 years ago is comical to me (though I wish she'd forget). In college when I'd be in the blessed Testing Center trying to remember an answer, I could tell you exactly what page the answer was on, and where it was on the page (and even what was all around it in terms of pictures and graphics. Some call that photographic). Unfortunately, I usually couldn't remember the answer. I pride myself on my memory. I love when people challenge me, claiming they never said something I could clearly recall them having said. I can usually describe where we were when it was said, what they were wearing, and other strange details. You get the point.

Two things. First of all, Emma is touching my heart in so many ways. She puts Tyler down for his nap and if she's still awake, is more than willing to put him to bed at night. Last week I was baby-sitting a little girl as naptime was looming, and I told Emma I had to get Tyler to bed. She told me she would take care of it and got right on it. I waited a minute, thinking she would get bored and Tyler would ask for me. But after about 10 minutes she walked out from his room and gave me a detailed report. "Tyler is asleep." I was mildly surprised (not totally, since Tyler is a good go-to-sleeper), and asked her how she did it. "I told him 4 stories and then sang him two songs. Then I kissed his cheek and made sure his blanket was on him. I told him to go to sleep and told him I loved him." The tenderness she showed for her brother touched me, seeing her find and enjoy the compassion and motherliness that I know is in her heart. Also, she jumped right to work to help me when she saw that I was busy. She now begs to put Tyler to bed, to read his books to him, and to hold his hand across the street. In a way, parts of me are being replaced. She even asked if she can be the mommy, and I can be the grandma. Right... she's a whole 18 months older than this child she wants him to be her own. I love the fact that she is such a mother on the inside, and it makes me wonder how on earth I got so lucky. I also wonder when this all came to be - it seems to have happened before my eyes.

Second, in terms of my "unfailing" memory...Because of all this reflecting on Emma, I've been remembering (or, trying to remember) the day she entered my life. While I remember the long labor (18 hours, starting at 7 pm), the 3 hours of pushing, and being told I'd have to have a c-section, I don't recall much about her birth. This really bothers me. I think the mix of body-and-mind-numbing drugs, in addition to having had no sleep and the rush into the operating room temporarily took my mind away from there in order to not totally lose it. I will spare the details - partly since I don't remember all of them - but the first real memory I have of my sweet Emma was about 3 hours later when I FINALLY got to hold her and look at her (Spencer had been whisked away with her to the nursery, and he had a hard time leaving me to be with her). That rush of love for a newborn was, for me, a bit delayed, but I will always remember that day and keep her beautiful newborn face in my mind. She was (and is) my little angel. Not only is she a great little mommy, but she just has the kindest heart and most mature temperament.

So...my fabulous memory failed me once, during the one time I probably wanted it most. However, remembering the countless times Emma has brought me incredible joy since then is almost as good. And I know that will only increase as I continue to watch her grow and age. She's only 4 after all. I have tons and tons of other great memories of her stored away. And Tyler will have lots of great memories of his big sis too.

I love you Emma. Please don't grow up too fast.

Have a Love-ly Day

Happy Valentine's Day!
I love the idea of celebrating love and
family. And, it's another great
excuse to make sugar cookies and buy
chocolate (not that I need an excuse!).
Besides, any holiday where red and pink
"match" is a good one. And, having my
own built-in Valentine is the best part.
I sure love and appreciate Spencer,
especially when he works so hard and
sacrifices so much because he has the
"goal" in sight for us and for our
family. He's simply the best.

Tagged...Twice

I was "tagged" twice in the last 3 weeks, and they were quite similar to each other (7 random and weird facts about me/7 lesser known things about me). So, I'm combining them, and will hopefully be done with being tagged, at least for a while:

1. I am a clutter person. I don't like messes, but as long as the mess is organized (i.e., in a pile, etc.) then I'm ok with it. Once things get crazy, I get crazy. But piles and organized messes are just fine with me. What's the point of putting stuff all away and out of sight when you're just going to need it again in a day or two? It's all about efficiency!

2. I am a news junkie. However, this wasn't always the case. When I was at BYU, my dad would often mention world or local news. My response would always be "huh?" He finally suggested that I start picking up The Daily Universe once in a while. Luckily, I quickly married a pretty big news junkie and it took 5 years, but it finally rubbed off on me. I don't enjoy hearing and reading about bad news, but I do like the feeling of being informed. Besides, getting outside my scope of mommy-talk (even if just for a few minutes) is--I'm sure--healthy.

3. I loathe the word furnish. Nothing makes me cringe like that word. Even reading it in an email makes me want to puke. Just typing it was difficult. Why do I loathe it so? I don't know, but I hate how it sounds, and I hate the different accents people put on it to make it sound even worse. Please don't use it around me. Instead, say something like, "What would you like me to bring?"

4. I hate Crocs. You know, those wanna-be shoes. I hadn't even heard of them two years ago when a family member told me there were these "new shoes" that I HAD to see because they knew I would just LOVE them. I remember being offended when I did see them, thinking, He thinks my taste is that bad? I may be all about sandals and flip-flops but, trust me, those do NOT qualify. Gross.

5. My first snowstorm ever was when I was a freshman at BYU. I was so excited by all the falling snow, and I grabbed my cute friend from Louisiana (was it her first time too? can't remember), and we put on our matching swimsuits and ran around making snow angels. I don't know if it was against Honor Code, but it sure was fun. Cold though (duh).

6. I HATE "Utah hair." You know, super-teased, big, bleached hair. I know that not many people in Utah have the hair, but that was the first place I saw it and I still run into it (literally) occasionally. Spencer chooses to call it "West Valley hair" (to save those on the East side from association).

7. I'm a better girl mom than boy mom. I love the nail polish, doing hair, dressing up, etc. Give me a train or a transformer and I'm useless. Maybe my imagination is lacking, but I just don't do boy things. A friend recently came over and her boys instantly went for the mud in the backyard (it had been raining). I watched in disbelief as they got super dirty, and it didn't even phase her. Maybe that's why she just had her 3rd boy. I'm still in shock. And yes, I kept Tyler away from that pile. Poor kid - he should have the chance to "be a boy" sometimes, even in gross mud. Just not around me.

Now that you all think I'm a super freak, I'm off to Worldwide Training. Happy weekend.

A Royal Birthday

I can't believe my sweet Emma is 4. It seems like just last week when we found out we'd be having a little girl; I instantly called my mom and several of my friends. I was THRILLED. And Emma has been everything and more than I could have hoped for or expected. She is mature, kind, and has a heart of gold. She's just like a ray of sunshine!

Ya know, there are times when it is just so so fun to be a mom to a little girl (other times - not so fun). She had her very first "official" birthday party yesterday. It was a party fit for a princess, including tiaras, nail-painting, crown & gown-shaped cookies and sandwiches, and Princess EVERYTHING. Here are the highlights:

• My mom flying in for the big day. What a relief for me, and what a great treat for Emma. This has been the first year we've had anyone (aside from our immediate family) for one of the kids' birthdays and I have decided I definitely prefer it this way.
• Making the invitations with Emma, weeks ago. The anticipation in her demeanor was obvious, and it was so fun to "anticipate" with her.
• At the party, the looks of excitement on the girls' faces when they saw all the shades of pink nail polish and the tiaras they got to wear and take home.
• Watching Emma eat up all the attention at her party. Priceless.
• Texas Roadhouse - Emma's choice for her birthday dinner. She loves that place, and for some reason Macaroni & Cheese just tastes so much better there. Both kids ate their hearts out. And so did all 3 adults.
• The reminders from her, for the last two days, that it's her birthday and she gets to go in a booster carseat now.
• My mom being the "expert" on cake decorating; much better than my cluelessness.
• Getting to see Emma wear her new beautiful purple dress (from her Grandma) to church today, and watching her flit all over like the Princess that she is.
• Watching her DEVOUR her piece of cake, then asking to lick the rest of the frosting on the cake and on the doll (we said no).
• Emma asking us to sing the Happy Birthday song to her...several times.
• My dad being able to join us via webcam as she opened her gifts.
• The great feeling of having this all over with.
  

The invitations

The Princesses

Beautiful girl - stressful cake