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!