Week 51-Decor & Celebration

Watching our sweet little Em get excited about decorating the Christmas tree tugs at my heart-strings! Especially since this year we only used ornaments from mine and Coup's childhood--brought back lots of great memories!

Tradition: Help dad finish of the tree with the star topper! Pure essence of the Christmas Spirit! We loved sharing the Nativity story with out two-year old and having her get so excited about Christ's birth.

We also enjoyed sharing other Christmas traditions like 'Rudolf', 'Frosty the Snowman,' and 'The Grinch.' Em was excited to have the light-up candy cane re-appear to decorate her room. The candy cane and the Rudolf were both Couper's favorite Christmas decorations as a kid...and I think it's safe to say they are now hers as well! (side note: she now calls 'eye crusties' "Crusty the snowmans"... there was a little confusion on words at some point, haha!!)

We enjoyed other Christmas traditions with extended family throughout the month as well. Making and decorating sugar cookies with Gramma Nec was a hit!

Gramma Nec and Papa Gregg also treated us to a Utah Symphony family Christmas performance that included Santa helping conduct. Favorite conversation of the night: "Who's that?" -It's Santa, he's a nice guy that comes around at Christmas time. Want to sit on his lap and talk to him? (Wide eyed, serious response:) "NO! No lap. He a nice guy. Noo lap, no lap."

Most large, Kartchner holiday family gatherings include loud, all inclusive rounds of rock-band. Em is hooked. Clearly her favorites are singing and the drums.

We definitely filled our month with happy memories! Glad Em is so comfortable around family so she could fully enjoy it all!

Week 48- We are Thankful!

Of course we have so much to be thankful for this year!

Hopefully this 52 week challenge has captured just that.

For an FHE activity this month we made this poster of some of the things we are thankful for.

I'm thankful for Em's silliness. Although she was being a stinker while trying to capture a "good" picture with our thankful-turkey-poster, when I looked back at them, I realized I love every single one because it shows how much fun we had making it and shows many angles of Emelia's personality.

We got to spend Thanksgiving with the Thompson/Steadman clan this year. The highlights were home-made popcorn with Papa Gregg and the pie-making efforts by everyone who was willing to help. Thankfully Gramma Nec is a patient teacher! 

I'm grateful for small group settings and these fun highlights and traditions that are able to make holidays and events happy ones in Em's memory. Our large Thanksgiving Feast with Steadman extended family consisted of Em curled up in a ball on my lap, face half concealed, cautiously watching everyone out of one eye. Don't worry, she warmed up (somewhat) when it was time to go. :) I'll take the cuddles! Our baby is going to be two in a month!

Week 45-First baby pictures

 Yay! Baby's heartbeat and first ultrasound!

I was so impatient to have to wait until I was 15 weeks along to hear this little one's heart and have some reassurance and reality really kick in.  I had some insecurities about starting fresh at a new doctor's office and meeting my new doctor. Happy to announce all is well and we're in good hands. ;) We weren't sure how Em would handle the doctors appointment, but she was ADORABLE! Couper held her during the ultra sound and the minute an image popped up on the screen she shouted, "There it is! I see it!" Already a proud big sister.

Hurray for cute "baby" baby bumps in those early months.

15 weeks

Week 43-A Bump

I made this sign for Couper back in August. 

Many changes have been underway for us!

Love starting to see that bump! Although there have been many insecurities along the way these first three months, we are extremely excited to be welcoming another addition to our family next spring! Been dealing with nausea most of the day and EXTREME fatigue/lack of motivation. All seems well so far, but counting down the days until insurance kicks in so we can here little one's heart beat!

12 weeks

One of our random adventures to soak up any sun left this year. (Also helps to ignore feeling yuck!) 

We ended up at a trout farm and were the only ones there! Em thought she was so grown up feeding those fish and ducks, and walked around like she owned the place. We also landed ourselves at a fun Castle Park for lunch where the swings overlook a field of grazing horses! Pretty sure we covered many of Em's favorite things all in one morning!

Week 42- Pumpkin Patch

Emelia has truly embraced Fall and loves it as much as her parents.

With all of her discoveries and amazements of the changing seasons I was beyond excited to introduce her to a pumpkin patch! Pumpkins have of course been a fall obsession of hers, and orange has become one of her favorite colors (ie. she will only eat breakfast with an orange spoon...)

So, on a beautiful October evening we had a family outing to 

Pack's Pumpkin Patch:

(Love that she has insisted on wearing her "Cars" shoes EVERYday since they day she got them..in August!)

Wow. We love this girl.

Week 41-Fall & Fountains

Fall is such a beautiful time of year. I have always loved and appreciated it. 

We were lucky to have many weeks of warmer temperatures to explore our new area via long walks.

It was fun to have many Logan day and sleepover visitors ready to check out our new area as well. 

We always had to show off the Lagoon walking trail and some of the cool historical buildings in Farmington.

Em especially loved pointing out the buffalo and elk!

Another of our favorite outings is to Farmington station to get some fresh air. Em is intrigued with the fountains and things always end in a public dance party :).

Fall wouldn't be the same in this house (thanks to Coup) without an array of sports flashing in and out of the tube. Em can now be found chanting "Base-ball, Base-ball! SocCER, SocCER!"

Week 39- A bottled up good-bye

When I get stressed, 

I often find myself reaching a breaking point....

when I decide to stress myself out even more by trying to add "enjoyable" activities to my "stressful" to-do's.

 I think deep down I know that it will blow-up in my face in the end, creating an "ultimate" breaking point....

yet it happens far too often.

One day I'll learn.

Hence, our "bottled-up good-bye."

My first attempt at "clean" strawberry jam. A future must in this fall kitchen!!

Packing, de-junking, apartment searching, moving arrangements, being nauseous & ridiculously tired, along with the day-to-day of taking care of a toddler just weren't enough for me those last few weeks in Logan, I needed something more.

When reaching that initial breaking point, in a moment of spontaneity and effort to de-stress, Emelia and I found ourselves on a lovely, hot, afternoon walk. A walk that possibly turned into 4 miles round trip. And that very randomly (no sarcasm here) passed by a fruit stand...foolish me. 

I should have known this was a ridiculous idea from the look on the fruit-stand man's face...but, I proceeded anyway, and embraced my ridiculousness. Disclaimer: No child, stroller, or fruit was harmed on this 3/4 mile journey home, but it did result in a wicked arm workout for yours truly.

The fruits of my labor. Thanks mom for helping peel when you could! 

And...the "ultimate" breaking point. This picture is the only one I got of my lovely tomatoes...taken in a moment of trying to find humor in it all while choking back tears. Happy to say that ALL of my jars sealed and everything tastes fabulous.

Yes, somehow boxes did get packed amidst it all.

Thank you amazing friends and family. I couldn't have done it without you!

There is a little too much mischief to be found among the mess of packing a home. So grateful Grammie was eager to squeeze in as much Em time as possible before we made the move. Em did a good job of being mischievous at her house instead.

Good-bye Logan home. The friends and memories made here will be in our hearts forever!

Week 38 - Wedding

The Thomas and Baylee Tate Wedding.

September, 17th, 2014

A most beautiful and ELEGANT occasion surrounded by those we love.

Bay, we are so lucky to call you sister, and TC we couldn't be happier to have you as part of the fam!

Weddings have a way of making you smile "for no reason" and help you remember your own special day, why and how you fell in love, and a reminder that through the thick and thin of it, there is beauty and love growing between you and your special someone everyday. What a fun reminder this day was!

Siblings.

 Sisters.

Precious. Special. Beautiful.

Gregg & Grandma.

 The photographer couldn't handle the cuteness of all of these cute little girls. (Can't blame her!)

Bubbles cured a lot of stranger anxiety.

 So did walks away from the crowd with mom, leafy, and 'B'.

Heart-warming candids.

Most of the Thompson/Sorenson clan.


Congrats you two!

Week 37- Hogle Zoo

We're so lucky that all Maddi wanted to do for her birthday was go to the zoo, and invited us to come along.

We had our adventure on a weekday, so Couper couldn't join us, and we had some...set-backs on our way down (haha mom), but we made it! I was so glad it turned into a warm (borderline hot) September day!

Em hadn't taken a nap...and didn't trust the bronze gorilla, but you can tell there was never a dull moment with Amber, Levi, and Maddi in tow.

I think lion's (and tigers!) are incredibly beautiful animals!

Em wasn't about to get so close to such a big cat, but the kids (and I) were in awe to have just a pane of glass between us and the beautiful beasts.

By the time we reached the leopard, Em understood why we wanted to be so close. At one point she pointed to a spot on the ground two inches from the glass, declared, "Right here!?" Sat down, and didn't want to leave.

Her original fear of the large, live animals did not stop her from wanting to enjoy a merry-go-round ride with "Simba"!

 The bears were so cute and fun to watch. You can see why we cuddle with teddy bears at night.

The ADORABLE baby elephant played in the water with a giant log for a long time and everyone was mesmerized.

We weren't impressed with the train ride..well, I wasn't, Em thought riding in a locomotive was the coolest. We loved watching the giraffes but somehow didn't snag a picture. There were a few exhibits closed that we were really hoping to enjoy (ie. the sea lions) but we were very impressed with the new construction and the kids were in love with the new splash pad; even Em got brave for a little while.

Upon our return home, Emelia would constantly ask to see the "elephant" and "bear" pictures for weeks afterward. And I'm pretty sure amateur photographer Amber got more, and better, pictures than I did..too bad I don't have them.