Week 50-Yobs

Our little family of three had a sneaking suspicion what the gender of baby #2 would be. 

I had a dream clear back in spring before I was even pregnant, 

Couper had a strong feeling,

and Em just follows her heart.

Although it was no surprise to us, 

we were elated to have our thoughts confirmed and

be able to share with confidence that Em is going to have a 

BABY BROTHER!

Doesn't HE look adorable already!? HE definitely wasn't shy about letting us know he's all BOY!

We celebrated the fun news with lunch and treats at Gourmandise. 

These are our attempts to snap a hurried photo to spread the news quickly to family...

hence "yob" instead of "boy". Most people got the idea.

20 weeks

Em was so much fun to pick out outfits with! She's in love with her baseball outfit choice, with matching red shoes. She's seriously going to make an amazing big sister!

Week 31- River

Hip-hip for another baby in the family!

Sweet little River John was born on July 21. Chalk up a +1 for nephews in 2014 as well!

So glad that River was born safe and sound and that mom and family are doing well. This ADORABLE little bundle of joy is in Queensland, Australia...much, MUCH too far from my arms if you ask me! I desperately await the day I get to smother him in hugs and kisses!

Thanks for letting me steal your pics sis! ;)

Week 29- Wicked

Wicked

Denise and Gregg gave us an unforgettable graduation gift! We were thrilled to attend Wicked at Captiol Theater in Salt Lake as well as stay at Little America. The free babysitting was much appreciated as well.

Couper's phone-photo-documenting:

A "quick" stop to the tantalizing downtown bakery "Gourmandise" left us with a sugar rush and smiles on our faces. We enjoyed being able to walk to dinner and the theater from our hotel. Marshalls did not disappoint.

Wicked was even more than I had anticipated.  The show was OUTSTANDING. And the voices flawless.

We were lucky enough to make it to Music and the Spoken Word at the LDS Conference Center Sunday morning. Between the music and a stroll around temple square it was a great way to start the week, turning our hearts and minds to our pioneer ancestors with Pioneer Day approaching.

Week 28-Wah-yee

aka "Water"

North Beach (July 3rd)
Great idea Baylee and TC! What a fun relaxed day at the beach. I was kind of surprised/nervous when our timid, cautious Em was fearless at the beach! She waltzed right over to wade in the water and was all about digging in the sand.

The puffy cheetos were a pretty big hit too. She got pretty sneaky.

Providence Splash Pad
Em has been loving "wah-yee" in all varieties.
Splash pads are genius.

(signing "wah-yee" in pic on left..so exicted!)

Oh, and swings at the park bring on the absolute cutest giggles from this girl. She had some of the other mommas laughing out loud, it was quite contagious.

Week 22-Lava

A Lava Get-away...

I was somehow able to keep this trip a surprise for almost three months! Way to be.

As a special way to say "Congraduation" and "I love you, has it really been six years?" I booked us two nights at a quaint Bed and Breakfast in Lava Hot Springs, ID. A big part of the surprise was that it was just going to be an adult trip. Em had her first sleepover with Grammie-Debbie and mom and dad (we) couldn't stop thinking about her our whole time away; but were able to rest easy knowing she was in good hands :).

Our first stop was Smiths...I've always wanted to raid the bulk aisle and just buy a teeny bit of a whole bunch of things I want to try...so that we did! (...we had more than half of it left over upon returning home...over excited much?) If you had this urge/it's on your weird bucket list, follow through, it's worth it in stares and fun.

Not gonna lie..we were a bit confused with our first B&B experience...having no idea what to expect. We had a great time and our Inn Keepers were super friendly and accommodating. Luckily we're pretty good at going with the flow and pretending like we know what we're doing. My recommendation to you other B&B amateur's is to read up on B&B etiquette beforehand...just to feel prepared.

Our favorite things probably consisted of: non-stop Rod Stewart and Michael Buble serenade, and our first breakfast in a small, European-esque parlor type dining area seated next to three elderly women speaking German whilst eating crumpets and drinking coffee.

Despite wicked allergies amongst a white (dandelions) golf course speckled in green (not kidding...really not very well kept, I took one look and my sneeze sneezed...if you know what I mean), I had an enjoyable time letting Couper coach me through my first real nine holes of golf....he was very patient :).

The springs were...hotter than we remembered. But relaxing and pretty vacant. We loved "discovering" the walking trail that leads above the hot pools into the "Sunken Gardens" and looking out over the cute town.

Our "fancy" evening out with live music was...much different than anticipated! Haha, we had a lot of laughs as we were served expensive food whilst sitting in a small basement by ourselves (the majority of the time), by our waitress wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and serenaded by one guitar playing musician...five feet away from us. LOL. Not much could have prepared us for the whole of it, but it was still fun to have a "date-night". And we actually ended up quite liking "our" musician; check him out: Lang Termes.

Hope you know how much I love and appreciate you Coup! You're my best friend.

These pictures pretty much speak for themselves; but I'm pretty sure Em didn't mind her first sleepover at Grammie's! Her stay pretty much consisted of all of her favorite things (minus horses, haha).

(so glad M strategically kept things modest ;) )

Week 10-"C" is for Cookie...

..and C-ya Crawling and sCooting. Em has taken great STRIDES this week in a new aCcomplishment.

If you've made the time to SAUNTER over to our little JOG of the inter-web, you will be to happy know it's TROT a joke that little Em took her first independent STEPS this week! However, inTREAD of PARADING around the house, she STROLL prefers the scoot and crawl. We've only slowly HIKED through the beginning of MARCH though. There's plenty of PACE in the days to see her successfully PROMENADE around each room in time. We're so proud! But not looking forward to the bumps and CRUISES. 

(I know, I really over-did it ... not in a good way. It was late. Good luck interpreting them all.)

Her daddy picked out the adorable shoes. Although Sesame Street is still foreign to her, she is IN LOVE with these! Her precious teeny feet are compliments of Gramma Nec's genes!

Week 9-Not a Leap Year

Did it not feel like February came and went in the blink of an eye?! How is it that a month only being 2 or 3 days shorter can feel like you just went over a small speed bump, and then just as quickly it's behind you and you've forgotten about it? I'm kind of perplexed it's over, but I welcome March and the hopefulness of spring it brings.

~    ~    ~

We had a spontaneous visit from cousins Annie and Charlotte. Annie and I are just a few months apart in age, and so are our girls (you may recall seeing them here). Living almost two hours apart, and leading busy lives, has left our play-dates few-and-far-between! So grateful for some sunshine and Annie's willingness to leave her house at 6 in the morning so that we could have a breakfast/morning play-date. Seriously, doesn't that just make her the most awesome cousin human being on the planet? It felt like it to me. I sure love her and our sisterly/cousinly bond. Can't wait to watch a similar friendship unfold with our girls.

(Side note: Em loves balls and would play with them all day long. She's getting a pretty good arm, so, we're grateful that warm weather is approaching and we can prevent any major damages by playing outside.)

With every tearful episode there needs to be giggles and smiles to exceed the sad, or at least even it out. We finally had to cave and purchase Em a convertible car seat this week (is this a painful experience for anyone else?!). The jumungo box the car seat came in was the perfect size for Em's first cardboard house. (Some of my best childhood memories were made in such houses.) Said house was the perfect remedy to a tearful afternoon. Throwing balloons in and out and playing peek-a-boo through the window were just what the doctor ordered.

In other news, Couper had his last home game with the WBB team Saturday night. Before he left, he leaned over to kiss me goodbye and said, "It's weird, tonight is kind of like my "Senior Night" too." Very surreal. I'm glad they could pull a fun win and that Em and I, along with many family members could attend to support our Coup.

(This pic was taken before Christmas.)

Our 14 month Em


*Getting sillier and smarter everyday.
*new signs: bread, bird, poop (which we joke looks like "ole!"), and she created her own signs for binky and music/dance, I think they both fit the mold quite well.
*words noises: "bye," "da-da-da," "mam! (amen)," "kkkhh (yuck)," "wussat? (what's that?)" but..if we're going to be honest here she mostly grunts and uses her signs.
*She cracks us up with endless jibber-jabber and fake laughing, usually on car-rides.
*She's a little too good at the stairs (only up, still working on down).
*She is skillful at testing our patience: standing in the tub, getting into the fridge, baby-wipe parades, food confetti off the highchair, all of which provide good learning opportunities.
*She is fixated on remotes and phones and can locate them immediately up any room she enters.
*Two of her top teeth are trying to make an appearance but are being bashful, so she still only has two teeth!

Week 8-Toddally for tots

(whoops, time got away from me)
Week 8-Toddally for Tots

We are ecstatic about the unusual and premature February sunshine and above freezing temperatures...however, it has still felt like a long winter. Em turned one and seriously flipped a switch into toddler-hood. No, she's still not walking on her own, but she became busier, faster, curious-er.., sassier, smarter, etc. over night. The past couple months of unpredictable weather and chill-you-to-the bone temps have left me thinking up random indoor activities to keep my little one entertained, and away from trouble :).

Here are some things we've been up to that are

Toddally for Tots:
--disclaimer: all things are supervised--

(unfortunately there are limited pictures)

*play house/dolls (short-lived but she is so sweet to those babies)
*bubbles in tub or tiled area

*read-a-thons and flashlight activities in various forts



*music/signing dancing time (this girl has got some wicked dance moves, she does an invented sign consisting of an amazing hands-up-shimmy to ask us to turn the music on, I can't resist.)
*"Baby Signing Time" and the occasional "monkey" (Curious George)
*"organize DVD's" --I guess this could be considered trouble, but she is so gentle with them, treating them like her books, and "talks" up a storm. Not to mention she'll often help put them back.

*visit grammies and grampas (or should I say "visit Sadie," the dog)
*have playdates with little friends and cousins (when everyone is healthy; sheesh!)
*or have skype sessions with distant cousins or when there's a bug going around
*balloons--serious entertainment, all three of us were cry-laughing.

*exercise. I worried about exercising before nap time, but the special occasions we exercise together turn into major core work out and tone-age due to serious giggles or Em wanting to go up-and-down while I squat. (there are plenty of games of peek a boo while doing yoga or other forms of floor workout too, I highly recommend this experience to anyone. So. funny.)
*help mommy bake, flour is amazing (and messy)
*getting things out of the fridge (...stinker)

*stickers--fascinating
*chase, and hide and seek with mom and dad (oh the giggles that result!)
*magnets! (there are many more on the fridge...but sitting on the cold tile gets old, score for the pizza pan!)

*one word sign: fish

What do you do with your little ones in throughout the cold months?

Week 7-Love Day

Love Day

Bright and early V-day morning (even before Em was awake), Coup headed to Vegas with the WBB team via bus..yuck. Em and I were sad we wouldn't get to spend the day with him but tried to make the most of it. I surprised her with her favorites for breakfast: pancakes. I attempted the heart shape (which I found was quite popular as I scanned the virtual world Saturday morning), in which I was partially successful. As the pictures indicate, I don't think she minded what shape they were in :). Later in the day we watched a slideshow of videos from her first year that I made for her, Coup, & the grandfolk and we spent some time helping Aunt Shantel move into her new apartment.

We've been trying to eat a little more nutritious (from scratch) and on a budget (the two don't go hand-in-hand very well) the last several months. Our minimal amounts of food storage have come in handy though to support both accounts; nutritious/thrifty. So these are homemade wheat pancakes (ground white wheat), smothered in low-sugar home-canned strawberry jam (thanks Summ :) ) with some banana slices on the side. They tasted quite fantastic if I do say so myself!

I actually made a pretty big batch of the pancake mix early in the fall so that we would have it on hand; it's been great, and made eating healthy pancakes more convenient. The recipe is listed below if you're interested. Side-note: I actually never really liked pancakes. (More of a waffle person..and even then I maybe had them a couple times a year.) Ever since I had Em I've warmed up to them, and these are my favorite.

This is a 3x5 card if you want to print it.
I originally found this recipe on Allrecipes.com
~ ~ ~

So...with LOVE, OPPOSITION is always present. (If you don't believe me, read the scriptures -just read 2Ne Ch.2, Lehi sums it up nicely-, or just take a closer look at your own life ;) ) I've been constantly reminded that the grass isn't always greener and we need to be consistently helping one-another. 2014 has already had a lot of ups and downs for our families, and even close friends. Sometimes it feels like more than our/their fair share, and there are moments I feel my heart may burst with sadness, confusion, and helplessness. Many days it has felt like the downs-the OPPOSITIONS-have outweighed the ups-the LOVES. I know those days are the days the devil is getting into my head and controlling my thoughts, but in those moments, even realizing that doesn't change the overwhelming feelings of anxiety, sadness, fear, and doubt.  

With that said, I am so grateful for the moments of LOVE; the days I become clear-headed. There is opposition in all things so that we may love deeper, be humbled, learn to use our agency wisely, and use the gift of the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. Whether it be to forgive, ask for forgiveness, or find comfort, love, and peace to let go of the hurt. I hope we can all search for the LOVES in our lives, enough to outweigh the OPPOSITIONS, even when there isn't a holiday to remind us to show others we love them, and to feel loved.

~ ~ ~

Hmm..to lighten the mood that I didn't mean to let get so heavy, a minor OPPOSITION (in comparison to what may others are going through) that faced us this week is partially explained in this picture:

I purchased Shirley from my Grandma Lucy the summer of 2007. Grandma passed away a few months later. I have loved having Shirley as part of my life for so long; a temporal way to keep memories of my grandma close. We've had a few close calls with Shirley, wondering if she would make it through another year. (Mostly Couper's doubt, I've always believed in her. ;) ) For the past three summers we I have gotten sick for a good month before inspection, crossing my fingers that we could prove Couper wrong and make another years worth of memories (without having to pay an arm and a leg). And for the last three years, all we have had to pay for is the safety inspection and renewal fee. Truly, she's amazing.

On Thursday, Em and I broke down in Shirley and had to walk home (..okay, don't feel bad for us. It was at least 40 degrees and sunny, and we were only a block away from our front porch ;). )  A kind neighbor out working on his own car took a look and said he was almost positive my transmission was shot. That didn't sound right to me, but I won't pretend to be an expert. It made me nervous, and I was upset, but I didn't shed a tear. I was keeping my faith; this is much too inconvenient a time for us to go down to a one-car family (is there a convenient time?). Anyway, to wrap up, Shirley will once again be resurrected! She has just been well used (and is a quarter of a century) and the passenger CV axle had served it's time, but it wasn't her time. I couldn't be happier, and neither could our bank account! Hip-hip for Shirley (and a quiet 'thanks' to Grandma ;).)

Week 5-books

We have several bookshelves in every room of this little condo; 

each stuffed with more than it's fair share of reading material. 

I took a good look at our makeshift nightstands this week as I was cleaning our room (I should take a picture). I found that the weak plastic shelf that makes up the top is concave due to the weight of stacks of books. Some may call it clutter, but I call it refreshing & enlightening. We like having the one book you can't put down (so it's constantly changing), the...2 or 3 books you can read here and there for inspiration or a good laugh, scriptures, a journal or two, one from the library, the one borrowed from a friend, a kid's book or two...seriously, made me smile all that we had going on on our about-to-collapse bookstands nightstands. You can probably tell a lot about a person by what's piled next to their head where they sleep. (You should take inventory, what did you learn about yourself?)

We're so glad that Emelia caught the bug.

It is not uncommon to find Miss Melia sitting in the midst of a pile of books, thumbing through each page and talking/signing to herself.  She's been this way since she was about 7-months; who needs toys?! We absolutely love sharing this part of life with her.

13-months

Some fun things to note this month about our little Em:

*She is still completely obsessed with dogs and signs it well

*She trys to bark like a dog...hilarious

*She most clearly says: "Uh-oh!" "Hi!" "Wow." "Ma-ma-ma."

*She says an airy, "Aahh!" after EVERY time she..or anyone else, takes a drink, how refreshing!

*She has THE BEST belly laugh; every cell in her body is helping to produce that beautiful sound, I'm sure of it.

*She can point to 6 body parts when named, on herself and others-sometimes

(nose, hair, belly-button, ears, knees, toes)

*New signs she has added to her vocab: banana, car, up, bus, cat

*She has often signed 2 or 3 phrases! (cold snow, more banana please, etc)

*She is only nursing mommy's milk two times a day

*She loves mommy so much she has to be hugging her legs constantly :)....even when mommy's going to the bathroom :(

*She loves daddy so much she plays all sorts of fun games with him

*Em is such a good helper! When she signs "all done" with an activity we sign "clean up, please" she signs "clean up" and happily helps us put her toys away. Her chores include putting her diaper in the bin (she started this on her own, signing "help" one day and never looking back) and her clothes in the hamper (I have to note that she cannot have even a string hanging over the side of the hamper, it's very serious work)

*Still too nervous/cautious to walk alone but is a pro with her birthday stroller!

*She loves balls and is getting really good at pass; good thing warm weather is coming

*We actually think she has an obsession with circles of all kinds

*We love when she does "kooks" to show affection

*She's getting really good at blowing kisses

*She hates getting messy diapers changed and will only eat meat when it's disguised

Little WofW

"If you eat a penny and poop it out, will it still be a penny when it comes out?"

--Amber-9

Context: Over dinner at my house, Kionna and Amber were asking me what I thought it would be like if I had triplets. Before I could even really give an answer, they were spouting off what they thought the pros and cons were. (Really wish I could have just recorded this whole conversation.) One question Kionna-13 asked was, "Would you rather have four-girls the same age, or three-boys?"

Amber's-9 reply, completely confident in herself, "Well, the girls, duh! Guys are 20% more likely to do stupid stuff than girls." Oh really? Where did you hear that statistic.

"Myself."

Week 3-Final Count Down

It's the 'Final Count Down'

Remember making countdown-chains as a kid? A colorful, fun way to lead up to any event. Although, really there must be some hidden lessons with countdown-chains for children. Such as learning time; how long a day is, so that the adult can stop listening to, "Is it my birthday yet?" (Light bulb! Maybe we should make chains by the hour on long road trips so we can veto the nagging, "Are we there yet?!") Practicing the fine-motor involved with the making of the chain itself. Or, maybe just an overall lesson of patience.

Since I am still learning some of those things (well, mostly just the art of consistent patience) I still like to make the occasional infamous count-down chain.

Em and I made this chain Couper's first day of class. Since once of us has been in school at any point in our nine year of knowing each other, it seems appropriate. We decided to do one link per week to save the Rain Forests. Deep breath...it is Couper's LAST semester of college! He will be receiving his Masters degree in May! We are beside ourselves with an array of emotions. We're in for a grueling semester; ending with a bang that's for sure! Coup has some pretty time-sucking classes, and is working on the heart of his thesis. He is also traveling nearly every week with the Women's basketball team. His constant absence is already weighing on wife and baby but we are SO very proud of him! We are grateful for his work ethic, intelligence, patience, light-heartedness, etc. and love him very much! Way to go Couper-Daddy! We're excited to see you break the links off of this chain!

~     ~     ~

I decided I'm bringing back "Little Words Of Wisdom" to the best of my ability and memory.

Since I'm doing weekly posts anyway, hopefully it will be easier to document. I'm guessing most of the Wisdom's will come from the mouths of family, but I may include some anonymous students still as well if their Words are just too funny to keep to myself.

"Caterpillars"

Little W of W

*Do you know what a catapult is? That's what we're going to make today!

"Yeah! It's like a caterpillar!" --JoJo, 5

I may be slightly mis-quoting, but this is the muffled version I caught at the other end of the phone.
What are you doing out of bed? "I was saying my prayers..." Honey, we already said prayers, go to bed. "No, I was saying my prayers again and Jesus just helped me get to my feet!" --Ryder, 4

*What do you want to name your bunny puppet?

"Uh...RIBBIT! Ya, Ribbit." --Ryland, 2 1/2 in his deep, sure voice.

*"Be careful with Lilly because she is real." -Kalia, 5 

"She is not real!!" Choruses of the other children. It's okay, I used to pretend that my dolls and stuffed animals were real when I was younger too, it makes it more fun.

Hands on hips, foot stomp, enlarged eyes, completely offended and appalled. "Um, what?! I am NOT pretending. My Lilly is really REAL, really." 

I'm not one to compete with a child's imagination. 'She's real guys, be careful with her.'

Week 1--Leafy

What does baby-girl love almost more than food?

Leafy

 Em has been snuggling with Leafy almost ever since she was sleeping in her own room, around 4-months.  Leafy became a real necessity once we dropped night-time feeds around 9-months.  Now she signs "bed" when she wants Leafy and gives it a big smile, hug, and rub to the face. She has to know exactly where it is before we leave her room. Couper and I also love Leafy and are glad it helps our baby-girl find comfort and get good rest.  And it's just adorable to watch her with it.

2014