Thanksgiving

I have been contemplating this post for a few days now, but all my thoughts are overshadowed by the irony of what I just experienced in relation to giving thanks. I just went to Harmons, which is not my favorite grocery store because they are always more expensive; however, I was able to stop inside at the bank, the post office, the bakery, the grocery store, and the movie rental store all in just a half hour of Emma's hour and a half nap. Can you imagine how long all those errands would have taken me if it weren't for the Harmons just down the street? I probably wouldn't have stopped by the bakery or the video store, but still, the post office alone would have taken me more time than all those errands combined. And even still, I think about how lucky I am to be able to mail pictures to my brother in Alaska in a few short days for just $1.90. And how lucky I am to be able to buy produce. And to be able to make salsa using the last of the tomatoes from our garden. I am grateful that we have time to run errands and are not stuck doing chores all day or working all day long to earn a living. I'm grateful that Jake has a great office job where he is home on Holidays and even extra days like today, the day before Thanksgiving. I am grateful to know I have a car to drive to run my errands, and a warm home to return to in order to get out of the snow and cold again. I am grateful for things that I don't need, but have anyway like a DVD player, because I LOVE watching movies. Which reminds me I'm grateful for the library just five minutes away where I can access almost any information or leisurely book or movie for the small price of a fine every now and then which I can never seem to fully avoid. I'm grateful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a multitude of reasons, but especially for inspired council on how to best live my life to enjoy the greatest freedom and happiness. I am also grateful for diversity in this world and that some would disagree with my prior statement. I am grateful for Emma and the wonder of being a mom. I am grateful that I find so much joy in motherhood. I am grateful for the many examples I have of people who find joy in motherhood and excel at the job! I am grateful for family. I am grateful for my mother, who is overjoyed at being a grandma and who is always as delighted as I am by any new little thing Emma picks up. I am also grateful that she is so willing to watch Emma anytime so I can spend time with the love of my life or just to have a break from being a mom. I am grateful for brothers and sisters-in-law who not only are great siblings, but who are also the best aunts and uncles in the world. I'm also grateful for my dear dad who I just adore and who is such a great example to me. My dad who is also such a cute grandpa and an excellent father. My dad who I always love to talk to. I am also grateful for my brothers' girlfriends who bring out the best in them and take such good care of them. I am grateful for strangers (or better said, people I don't know yet) who go the extra mile by extending some small kindness, such as waving at Emma so she can wave back, or checking two ways I can mail a package to see which is cheaper and then letting me use tape and a sharpie as I switch to a different mailing envelope, or even the teenage boy who surprised me by commenting on how cute Emma is when we were at the library. I'm grateful for many great examples in my life and for the power of example. I'm grateful for a memory and for the things that I take note of and 'treasure up continually.' I'm so grateful for Emma who smiles at me so often and brings so much delight to my day. I'm grateful for who she is and how she always surprises me. I'm also grateful that she is on a schedule! I am grateful for my dear mother-in-law who has and does sacrifice so much for her children and who also delights in being a grandma. I am grateful for the many things she has to offer and the things she is able to teach me. I am grateful for the way she offers different things than my mom because everyone knows there is no one better to ask than mom and now I have a mom I can go to for almost every question. I am grateful for my education and the people I have been able to meet through my work. I am grateful for good decisions in the past that have changed my life for the better and changed my life forever! I am so grateful to live close to my mom. I am also grateful for my grandparents. I am grateful for my father-in-law who cares so much for all of us children and who I also enjoy talking to. I am grateful to live in a free land. I am grateful for my friends and for Jake's friends who are so fun to have in our lives and who don't give up on us even when we are so bad at keeping in touch. And most of all, I am grateful for the two men in my life who make all the difference, my Savior, and my husband. My life is worth so much more because of their love and influence. I know I'll never be able to properly show my love and gratitude for them. Happy Thanksgiving. Feel free to comment with what you are grateful for.

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken about a month ago and were really pleased with them. If you like them, you'll have to come over to see them all!

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Happy Halloween Miss Rabbit

HALLOWEEN!

We spent the holiday with Jake's family up in Logan and had a great time. We got to go to a sweet Halloween party (thanks John and Holly!) where Jake went as King Kamehameha in disguise and I went as a tourist. Emma was suppossed to be sleeping, but when we returned home, we found her protesting the fact that she was left home while mom and dad partied AND she didn't get to go trick or treating.

We also enjoyed Suessical the Musical along with great food and company. It was SO FUN to be able to see so many of our nieces and nephews all dressed up. Too bad I didn't snap a picture!

But the highlight still was Emma looking completely adorable in her bunny costume. So here's a glimpse of my highlight..

Happy Halloween.

Donut Falls

A neighbor gave us a little halloween bunny outfit prior to Emma's birth just in case it happened to work out with her current size on Halloween. I was astounded at how unbelievably cute she looked!! We had some cousins come visit and due to the cold, Emma wore her bunny outfit on our hike to Donut Falls! Now tell me if you don't think it's completely adorable.

Oh how she makes us smile!

We were lucky to have Aunt Kazia along!

And the cute Walker family.

We had so much fun!

And by the end, Emma was ready for a nap!

More Emma Rabbit pictures still to come..

I Want My Squash!

Hey mom, I'm ready to eat, see..



Come on, I'm so cute, please..

Hmm. I don't think you quite understand the situation here, mom.

I want squash. Not peas. Not green beans. Not peaches. Not pears.

Don't make me call Grandma! I will.

Ha haa. I'm so funny!!!

We dedicate this post to Grandma, who went to a lot of trouble to make sure Emma has plenty of her favorite food, straight from the garden, with love. We love you! Thanks for the nice visit!

Hanging out with mom

Emma is glad to announce that Mom is no longer working.

It was only a few hours a week, but we're all a little happier

around here now that she gave it up.

Now there is just so much more time to play!





And lots of smiles every day!!


Not to mention a set routine. Now we can all relax..

Every day, I get my naps!

My Testimony of Visiting Teaching

I have two AWESOME visiting teachers right now. Not because they come every single month, although they are very consistent. I'm not sure what it is, I guess. But I'm grateful for them.

This past week my understanding of what it means to be a visiting teacher has increased. One of my dear sisters lost her husband. It was sudden, but not really a surprise due to his health problems. But this is a sister I never would have gotten to know otherwise. I'm grateful for a diligent partner who faithfully sets up appointments and gets me out every month. I can't imagine how I'd feel right now if I'd never visited this sister and couldn't do a thing to help now because why would she let me? We would have been barely more than strangers. I've been lucky to be able to go over and provide support in a few different ways. I've been blessed to learn from her and I'm continuing to learn about new things we have in common. I know I've gotten a lot out of our relationship and will continue to in the future. I hope she can recognize that I truly do care about her and maybe someday, I'll be able to bless her life like she's blessed mine.

In thinking back to why I like my visiting teachers so much, it may just be that I know I can go to them for anything and they'd be there to help me. They also support me 100% and I guess I can say they truly care about me. I think it's safe to say that visiting teaching is hardly about the message. I'm very grateful for it now as well as through the 9 years I've been involved with it.

You're fired!

So all moms probably feel like firing themselves from the job. Some would probably be grateful and relieved to be fired. I wanted to fire myself yesterday. Nothing huge happened (not like a few weeks ago when I stood by while Emma burned her sweet, little hand on the waffle iron!!) Yesterday it was just locking us out of the house (no worries, we have a spare key..), coming home later than I said I would TWICE, and turning her clothes blue in the wash! It is my favorite color.. I told Jake about it and he asked me why. I'm not sure if he was referring to why it happened or why I did that. I explained why it happened, but wanted to be a smart-alec and make up some elaborate reason why I think all of Emma's things should really be blue. Does he think I did it on purpose?! Geez. Maybe I should be fired.

Jake looks out for his little girl! He always tells me to look out for her. He's such a good dad! I don't think he's done anything to merit getting fired. Anyway, I guess a boss would take into consideration all of things I've done well and weigh that against my follies. Overall, I guess I still have a job. I am so grateful for friends, sisters, a mom, and a husband who help me to know how hard it really is and who provide moral support. I guess it does take a whole village..

Emma Update--4 months

Favorite things to do: Kick her legs, get attention, scratch things, make noise (herself or with anything she can get in those little hands!), touch everything, put everything in her mouth, grab her feet, smile, laugh, play in the water, grab people's mouths and noses, see what's going on and be a part of everything. Favorite things to play with: People (she'd rather have someone playing with her than anything else!), grocery bags or other bags that make lots of noise, bouncing in her bouncer or swing, toys that rattle or make noise, her feet, blankets, whatever mom or dad have in their hands. She has the prettiest smile and her hair is getting a lot longer. She went to the doctor yesterday and is in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. She's now 24 inches, weighing 13 pounds 5 ounces. Emma spends more time with her dad and grandma now that her mom is working a little. She has done pretty good with this, but is always a little anxious for mom to return so she can eat.

Independence Day

For our 4th of July this year, we spent some time up in Logan. It was awesome! It's always great to see family up that way. Emma even had a good time and did rather well. Here is a picture of her with all but 2 of her cousins on Jake's side of the family. Aren't they a good looking bunch?!? We were glad to see them.

Emma met her cousin Peter for the first time. He and his parents live out in Virginia, so we don't get to see them very often. It was fun to see how much he's growing up! Emma seems to enjoy getting a kiss from a cute boy a little too much..

Here's Emma with her Grandma. They make a lovely pair!

Then we went on a hike up Bells Canyon on Monday. Emma did well. Even when she couldn't see a thing. She slept all the way down.

It was a great weekend. We had a barbeque, fireworks, hiking, tennis, badminton, sleeping in, cafe rio and lots of family.

Swimming!

We've taken Emma swimming a few times in our community pool. She sure doesn't love it, but she doesn't hate it either. Here are a few pictures from the first time.

A picture update

I haven't posted on here for a while. I thought I better do it now or I'll get behind. We have some fun trips coming up in the next few weeks, so I'll be moving on. Just for a quick update, my brother and his wife had their baby. Just click the link for pictures and more info. Super exciting. We're so glad Emma will have a cousin so close to her age. His name is Porter and we're looking forward to meeting him in a few weeks at Lake Powell.

As far as our home, there haven't been many changes. I'm still looking for a part-time job. I've had some leads and some interviews, but nothing has come through yet. Emma is still keeping us busy and laughing. She is standing up when supported now and also started laughing this week. We LOVE it and do all we can to hear it often! She's so cute. Check out how she's growing..

This picture is just like my baby picture (on the same blanket from my mom.) If I had a scanner, I'd put mine up here so you could check it out. Maybe I'll add it sometime when I'm at my parents. Take note of the super cute slippers from her favorite not-quite-aunt, or so we hope..

This is a family picture from her baby blessing. My Grandma Pope made the beautiful blessing dress.

This is Emma all dressed up for her close-by Grandma's birthday. A dress of her favorite color. She looked so pretty!

Emma doing her classic stretch. This always makes us smile. I'm so glad I caught such a cute one with the camera! We love the hat from her Watson cousins!

This is Emma doing one of her favorite things, hanging out with dad.

This is one of the many "getting ready for Lake Powell" moments. Such a cutie!

Her close-by grandma always has a new toy for her at her house! This is the latest. We're excited she can already touch the ground. Hopefully she won't go anywhere for a while though.

We're doing well and enjoying summer. It sure is flying by!