Happy Birthday!

Happy 15th Uncle Matthew!

Zoo Lights!

We went to see the lights at Hogle Zoo the other night. It was really neat. There were animals everywhere and some were set up to flash in intervals to make it look like they were moving. In the picture below, the monkey was shooting a banana into his mouth and in the other one all the animals were passing a star along to put on top of the tree. They also had an orangutan jumping/swinging through a tree and an alligator opening and closing his mouth – we thought that one was the coolest. We even got to see the real bear and tiger playing around in their cages. It was a bit chilly so Emily was bundled up like crazy. She was so fascinated with everything though she didn’t even notice. All in all, a great night out and totally worth it.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

We went to see Santa today. Emily was completely fine sitting on his lap, but we had a hard time getting her to smile and once she took the candy cane Santa offered her she was ready to get down. From afar we could get her to say “Santa”, “ho, ho ho”, and “thanks” but she still wouldn’t crack a smile. A minute later we discovered she’d broke into the candy cane and was trying to eat it. After she got a piece of it she wouldn’t stop grinning and we were able to get a good picture with Santa. We’re glad that she was fine sitting on his lap and thrilled we were able to get a good picture.

Before the candy cane

After the candy cane

In the parking lot after - still loving it!

Happy Anniversary!

Yes I know we got married on the 11th, but due to Jeff’s unfortunate final schedule we decided to post pone it (well, at least the celebration) and pretend it’s today. Jeff had a rather big final Wednesday morning and studied all day and night on Tuesday. It’s hard to believe it’s already been four years…but at the same time, it’s only been four years? I often ask myself what life was like before Jeff and what I ever did without him. It’s really hard to remember. I know he says the same thing. How lucky we are to have found each other. Happy Anniversary hon, I love you!

Rock 'n Roll

Emily has recently discovered head phones. She now LOVES listening to music on my discman (I won’t let her near my ipod). The other night we were burning some CD’s and finishing up dinner and Emily just sat there munching on a roll and listening to Garth Brooks’ Christmas Album. (And yes, for those of you who have been privileged to see Emily dance, there was a little shimmying involved too.)

Beanie Baby

Emily found Jeff’s beanie the other day and decided to try it on for size. It kept sliding down over her eyes and she’d try to look out from under it. It was hilarious. I think she was laughing as much as we were.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Yeah! We finally had our first big snow storm this winter. Jeff decided to take Emily outside to check it out and she LOVED it. She was running around with the biggest grin on her face. She even loved looking up into it and getting it in her face. Let’s hope it keeps on coming and we can make good use of all her snow gear!

When You Take A Gamble...

Jeff and a friend from school made a friendly wager on the game last weekend – the looser had to wear the winner’s school paraphernalia around campus for two days. So what were people’s reaction on seeing what Jeff was wearing on Monday? “That just looks wrong.” and “That isn’t right.” We both agree.

Little Italy

We had pasta for dinner the other night and Emily just went to town. Of course she loves pasta and will eat it with anything – especially cheese. But she was being especially cute with it so I had to pull out the camera. She was pretty good at slurping those noodles and I don't recall either of us showing her how to do it. I guess she got more than just stubborn and active traits from Jeff.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent our Thanksgiving morning putting up Christmas lights. I know we might be jumping the gun a bit, but I just love the Christmas season and like to make it last as long as possible. Besides that, our lights are all red and white and Jeff insisted on having them all up before Saturday (Go Utes!). It’s gotten quite cold around here (finally) so we bundled Emily up in a hat and mittens. She entertained herself by clapping for a bit but soon realized she couldn’t play as well with the mittens on and pulled them off. Oh well, at least they lasted for the first half of decorating – and since it was her first time wearing them, we figured that wasn’t too bad.

In the afternoon we headed to my grandparents to eat. It was really yummy and we enjoyed the time with family. Emily and Sara had fun banging on the piano till we couldn’t stand the noise any longer, and with dinner being scheduled right at Emily’s nap time, we didn’t stick around too much longer after that.

By the time we got home Emily and I were feeling pretty crappy. I’ve got a fun sore throat and that achy feeling and Emily is running a low fever and runny nose. (Sick or Teething? The eternal motherly debate). We pretty much spent the rest of the night dealing with Emily and counting down the minutes till we could all go to bed. Overall, not the best Thanksgiving we’ve ever had, but we were at least with family. A quiet night at home gave us time to ponder all of our blessings and we were of course reminded of what a great blessing our health can be.

Chapter One

Well, as you have probably noticed from my lack of posts, I’ve been a little busy this month. I’ve pretty much completed my Christmas shopping in attempts to reach my goal of being done by Thanksgiving and I’ve now taken on the task of planning next spring’s adventures back East. The rest of my time has been filled with the usual tasks and also a few good books. It is always when I throw myself into a well-written novel that my apparently subconscious desires to become an author surface. It is then that I begin to ponder more and in my mind I narrate my life as if someone else were privy to my thoughts (I know, I’m a bit nuts).

As I let that desire take over this morning and attempt to describe the moment, I was suddenly overcome with the role of motherhood. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be home and be in the company of Emily. The last two years quickly passed before me as I remembered finding out I was expecting, the journey through pregnancy, and the many roads we’ve traveled since Emily was born. As I thought of that process and where Emily is today I was amazed at how far she has come in so little time. She now runs from one place to another, walking is never fast enough. She attempts to repeat anything we say and adds to her vocabulary daily. She loves other kids and babies and just can’t seem to stay away from them. Emily is a happy little girl whose smile lights up a room and is extremely contagious. What an immense and overwhelming responsibility to be trusted with, and yet what a blessing. There are plenty of times that I wonder why I ever desired to have a child and why I would ever want another one. But those thoughts are always quickly drowned out by the deep love and joy only a child can bring.

As I sat their meditating life’s joys and how trusting God can be, I was suddenly aware of a sucking noise just to my left. I tuned back into reality to see Emily with her cheeks sucked in and her lips pursed together trying to get my attention. I had time for a quick smile before she planted one on me. After kissing me, she backed up for a second and just looked at me before stepping forward to kiss me again. Emily then proceeded to cross the room and play with her toys, leaving me to my musings and just happy to be a mom.

Update

Last January my brother Chris was diagnosed with a 2.5 cm growth on his pituitary gland that was impinging on his optic nerve and therefore affecting his vision and giving him migraines. After four months of treatment at home it shrank to 1.7cm and he was able to return to the mission field. The mission office called my mom last night and announced that last weeks MRI results were in. The growth now measures .85cm and everything continues to look good. Yeah!! Congrats to Chris! We hope he continues to feel well and the work in Sacramento keeps progressing.

Fall Days

With the weather getting cooler, Emily and I have spent a lot more time inside. We’ve had to get creative a few times to keep us from getting too bored or sick of each other. I only hope we don’t run out of ideas since it’s only the beginning of bad weather.

One of Emily’s favorite activities is playing on our bed. She loves to run around on it and hide under the covers. Another long time favorite is looking out the window. We’ve had plenty of “conversations” about all the trees, birds, cars, dogs, and bugs that we see outside. Of course with the change of colors comes the cooler temperatures and last Sunday I found Jeff and Emily cuddled under a blanket to keep warm. We always love the days that dad’s home to play with us. He gives both of us the break we need – although I think I enjoy it a bit more than anyone else.

Happy Halloween!

We started our Halloween morning off by visiting Jeff at school. Almost every student had their kid up there and most seemed to already be on a sugar high. Emily was very hesitant to accept her first candy offering but she quickly learned from our nudges and from then on knew what to do – always being polite and saying “thanks” after. Once Jeff headed back to class we stopped by my old work for a quick visit and then we headed home for a much needed nap.

We spent the early evening visiting our parents where Emily insisted on emptying their candy bowls in her basket. Our visits weren’t too long however since we needed to get to our ward. We had a yummy dinner and then headed outside for some good ol’ trunk or treating. Emily was a pro by then and promptly repeated “Trick or Treat” to everyone as we walked around the parking lot. We only went around once, but by the end her basket was so full and heavy she couldn’t lift it. The independent, determined little ladybug insisted on carrying it herself however and proceeded to drag it across the asphalt. Upon our arrival home, we discovered several holes in the bottom. Oh well, at least it was only $1.

We definitely came home with more candy than we left with and Emily sure had a good time. But then what’s not to love about free candy?

In Memory Of

My grandmother's sister, Elaine, passed away last week. My grandma asked if I would put together an arrangement for today's services. I was a bit nervous, as my experience has really only extended to weddings, but my grandma said she trusted me and I could do what I wanted. (It's always nice to get those creative juices flowing). Each occasion brings something new to learn and I was grateful for the opportunity to try something new. Overall I'm happy with how it turned out and probably wouldn't mind doing another one. It was definitely less stressful than a wedding and not near as time consuming.

Hat Dance

I’m not sure when or how it began. Maybe it was in our attempts to coax Emily into wearing her baseball cap and we used it as a distraction. But whatever we did, it stuck. Whenever there is music on and we start dancing, Emily inevitably runs to her room shouting “Hat! Hat!” Once it is on her head she races back to the music and all is well till her dancing techniques shift the hat enough that she can’t see or it falls off and all dancing stops till it’s back on. (This picture shows her attempts at putting it back on.) With or without the hat though, Emily knows how to shake it. One of these days I will stop waiting on Jeff to download the video to the computer and I’ll just figure it out so you can all see her go. She moves her hips better than I do. Which I don’t know if that’s really saying much. But it’s still cute.

Head to Toe

Sunday we had a Newman party at my Grandparents house. I was chatting it up at the table with my sisters when I looked up and saw Jackson (my nephew that’s Emily’s age) climbing the stairs. In that quick glance I saw him slip and start to fall. I leapt (seriously) out of my chair and tried to move another out of the way so I could catch him before he tumbled too far and hit his head on the tile floor. However, my attempts were foiled by the table leg. I couldn’t slide the chair under the table further than it already was and therefore my body – which was already in motion – didn’t have time to recalculate the idea of going around the chair. I ended up tripping over the chair completely bruising my left foot and ankle. Thankfully the wall was close and I was able to reach out and catch myself – or who knows what mess I would have ended up in. Jackson meanwhile, managed to recover after the initial slip and went on happily playing on the stairs – completely oblivious to my leg-breaking act.

Sometimes I just can't keep Emily's hands out of her hair. On Sunday she pulled out her ponytail and bow... breaking the elastic so I couldn't fix it. The rest of the night she ran around with her hair flopping from one side to the other. We called it the "Rooster Do."

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Elder Chris Newman!!

We hope you have a great day. Keep up the good work.

Baptism

After Special Olympics we drove up to Kaysville for my nephew’s baptism. Sam is the oldest grandkid and therefore the first to turn eight and get baptized. Jenny & Ryan put together a really nice program and it was fun to see Ryan’s family again. We’re really impressed with how mature Sam is. He’s a great kid and we’re excited for him. I can’t believe he’s already this old. Time really does fly. Before I know it, it will be our turn – which is a nice thought when I think of how Emily and I struggle to communicate sometimes, but sad when I think of her not being my little girl anymore.

Fear Nothing

Last Friday and Saturday were spent up on campus with Special Olympics. This was our fifth year being on the GOC (Games Organizing Committee) so we were able to see a lot of old friends and also meet some new ones. Friday was full of the usual craziness. When lunch was supposed to be starting we found out that it was double-booked for Saturday and we didn’t have anyone scheduled for Friday. Jeff’s parents were kind enough to let us drop Emily off for the rest of the day while he ran around with other GOC members frantically clearing out all of the Little Caesar’s Pizza’s near the U and I stayed on campus filling in where I was needed. After things calmed down it was realized that we had a ton of extras. We loaded 40 pizzas on a golf cart and drove around handing out free pizza. We went up to the PT school and gave out several up there. There were some 1st year Med students in the building studying for a test so they were excited to get some too. It was probably the most fun we had. I’m sure we looked pretty strange driving around in matching t-shirts asking people if they wanted free pizza. But it didn't stop them from accepting it.

Emily was of course a huge hit with SOUT, GOC, volunteers, athletes & coaches. The above athlete saw her and said “Let’s go get some cotton candy” and off they went. Jeff was right behind them and was quick to suggest popcorn instead of cotton candy. Emily had more than enough treats those two days. She was also absolutely in love with the golf carts and we couldn't walk past one without her wanting to get on. As previously mentioned Emily is quite the little dancer and while up there she displayed her talent for all to see. Once she got up on the dance floor we couldn’t get her away.

Since we’ve been involved so long, when it comes to athletes we definitely have a few favorites. This is Jeremy and he is a very good bocce player and actually quite a big flirt. I don’t know how many times I was asked if I was going to be at the dance – and he wasn’t the only one who asked. The dance is always everyone’s favorite event. There are several more athletes that we always have a good time with and enjoy hearing about how they won their medals. Yet again we were unable to watch any swimming though. I guess there's always next year, right?

Good job Tyler & Mallory. It was a great games and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (even though you couldn't get Emily a t-shirt). Thanks for letting us be on your committee!