Feelin' like a lucky girl

Things have been a little hectic with life this last couple weeks. Or really you could say this last couple of MONTHS! Things should start slowing down for a minute & today is the first day that I can even remember that I don't have something scheduled or something I am crazy busy with and having to get done. Well, besides cleaning and doing laundry since those things have been somewhat neglected amidst the chaos and my house is a total wreck- - but I'm not stressing over that today. We'll leave that to tomorrow. I felt like such a lucky girl waking up this morning and knowing that I had nothing on the agenda. And to top it off, I woke up to this beautiful bouquet: with an attached giftcard and sweet note from my husband saying that I have a facial scheduled for me today at 4:15!

HOW SWEET IS THAT?!

I really am a lucky girl.

THANKS HONEY! You're the best. :)

I've had several facials done at this spa before and it was seriously one of the most relaxing things I've ever experienced!
Hope you're having a good day, too!

Welcome Home Zach!

Yesterday, Chris' youngest brother, Zach, got home from serving his 2 year mission in North Carolina (Spanish speaking!). We were all so excited to meet him at the airport...Oh the anticipation!HOORAY!!!Parker was just a month older than Emmie (9 months) when Elder Hansen left, so we were sooooo excited for Parker to be reunited with Zach as Parker just adores all of his uncles and we knew he'd love this one, too! Then again, it'd be really hard not to love Zach! He's truly one of the kindest guys you'll ever meet. His big grin is purely genuine!Parker and Uncle Zach, already having fun together!

Chris and his siblings, minus Eric (who lives in Texas).

The missionary with his adorable Grandma and Grandpa LonczynaWELCOME HOME ZACH!

We are so proud of your service this past two years and can't wait to catch up on all that has transpired in the time that you've been gone!

And the fun events don't stop here.... Bethany and Brett (above left) are getting married a week from Saturday! It's an exciting, busy time to be a Hansen!

Goodbye sleep and get on your running shoes, Emmie is in the house!

SHhhhhh.......

Do you hear that? Ahhhh. It's almost hard to even recognize these days....yes, that's right.

It's PEACE AND QUIET!

You better read fast because who knows how long it will last....!

Sheesh. I'm exhausted. I feel like this last few months have been so crazy busy, I haven't had a moment to sit down - let alone think. You may recognize that I've had a little lull in blogging lately...Why is that, you ask? (I know you're really not wondering, or even caring - I just have to pretend that you do to make myself feel better about life ;))

Well, it's been in large part due to this sweet little face: Yes, our sweet little angel Emmie, who hardly made a peep in her first six months of life, has really become quite - how should I say this - BUSY? SPIRITED? SUPER QUICK BUT CLUMSY? ACCIDENT PRONE BECAUSE SHE'S TRYING TO DO WAY TOO MUCH WAY TOO EARLY? NO LONGER MY INCREDIBLE SLEEPER THAT I COULD JUST LAY DOWN AND SHE'D FALL ASLEEP?... Yeah, basically all of those things and more but I can't come up with one word to combine it all.

So basically, to sum it up, my baby is growing up. *SIGH* Yes, I knew it was inevitable but I just didn't expect the mobility part to onset quite so early.

The main milestones that have brought about these changes???

Two things: 1)TEETHING. It happened right at six months. Her two bottom middle teeth sprouted through & since then the girl has only slept through the night a couple of times, and it takes a lot of work to get her to sleep. The hardest part is that she screams now when putting her down, which keeps up Parker, or vice versa, which has made the bedtime routine last up to 2 and a half hours which is really no fun. That right there has eliminated any small 'blog' time that I used to be able to squeeze in. My fingers are crossed that this 'phase' will change back over quickly...

2) HER LIGHTNING CRAWLING PACE mixed with her awfully early attempts at being an acrobat keeps me from cleaning, cooking, sitting, eating, using the bathroom, etc. for more than about three seconds at a time. She gets from here to there in a flash and has definitely been working her tail off to let her presence be known in this family for the last 8 weeks or so. In turn I have been running ragged to keep up with this precious and not so "quiet" anymore baby girl, all the while trying to keep my animated, somewhat demanding little Parker entertained. Anyone with a mobile infant knows what I am talking about. How about using an exersaucer or a bouncer, etc. to contain her? Those don't satisfy her for long at all. This girl wants to MOVE! OR be held. That works too, but it keeps me from the three seconds of 'free' time to get anything somewhat accomplished.

The Stink Bug is already pulling herself to a standing position...much to my dismay. 7 months is WAY too early for this if you ask me. I am definitely not one of those moms who thinks that having an early walker means that my child is destined for Harvard...I just think early mobility sets them up for a lot more accidents. And it has... she's already got a scar on her elbow from falling and I think she's bumped her head more in her 7 months than Parker has in his 2 1/2 years. There is plenty of time for the awkward frankenstein walk later. So I am hoping she is satisfied with just pulling herself up for at least 5 months or so. :)
Oh, and so much for the Bumbo chair... she gets herself out of it! This is partly where her acrobatic skills have come in handy for her.
Onto some of her other skills...
She's getting more used to baby food and cereal although I wouldn't say she loves it yet, she DOES love these dissolvable rice crackers for babies called "Mum Mums" that my sweet friend Karen introduced us to. She has also started saying "Da da".

Despite her hurry to grow up on us, one thing that has stayed the same is that she's still a total sweetheart. We LOVE having this baby girl in our family! She is all smiles (unless I put her in her crib), ADORES her big brother with whom she LOVES to share bathtime with, has an insatiable hunger and radar for paper, wants to be in on the action at all times, already has a teasing sense of humor, still has a crazy (& I mean crazy) calic in the front of her hair, has the cutest dimpled chubby cheeks you'll ever see, and has the most precious countenance (mixed with a bit of impatience these days, but who isn't at fault for that once in a while?).
She is so much fun - just like her brother - even though some days the pair of them completely wear Chris and I out.
But... that's what parenthood entails... and that's partly why I love blogging... because so many of us are in the midst of this crazy, busy fulfilling time of life. We can understand and relate with each other's experiences, all the while recording our own moments so that we can still cherish them in years to come, when our memories are a little faded and our brains are completely fried due to this role called
MOMMYHOOD. :)

If you actually read that entire post - BLESS YOU! And thanks for tuning in to my ridiculously long posts. :) If you did not, I don't blame you!

Easter. What else?

Oh how I love Easter. We had an exciting, busy, fun-filled Sunday. Here is our morning just prior to church....Parker's highlight? Besides the egg hunts, his primary concern for the day was each and every piece of chocolate he found in each plastic egg. He carefully put them into a pile as he opened each egg, while the egg hunts were in progress. Forget the jellybeans, not interested. This little man is all about the chocolate. What about all of the fun presents he got from Grandmas and Grandpas and in his baskets? Even they weren't even as cool as the chocolates. (aka Reeses PB cups and Hershey's kisses and chocolate eggs)

Emmie's highlight? The paper grass in her basket. Her favorite thing to play with and attempt to eat these days is PAPER. She bypasses any toys and will find any magazine, wrapper, or stray piece of paper she can possibly find to put in her mouth. Yes, I have found pieces of the Ensign magazine in her poopy diapers. What a lovely surprise, I know.

Onto Sunday afternoon........

My sweet Grandma on my Dad's side- Mimi (middle pic)- has a huge Easter egg hunt every Easter in her home. She hides over a hundred plastic eggs filled with treats and even money. Whatever lucky soul finds the big, bonus, gold egg, walks away with big money in his pocket. She also always finds the cutest gifts (along with my Dad) to fill up our baskets with. To say we have been spoiled by she and my Dad on Easter over the years is an understatement. They always go the extra mile to make holidays special!

Easter at the Hansens... yet another fun egg hunt, a (very!) delicious dinner and lots of attention for Parker and Emmie from adoring aunts and uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, and Great Gpa and Gma. It is always a fun party at the Hansens and Parker just basks in all of the attention. We'll see how this first grandchild thing shapes him over the years. :)

THANKS EVERYONE FOR MAKING IT YET ANOTHER GREAT EASTER!
P.S. Since Sunday Chris and I have gone on at least another 7 or so egg hunts set up by Parker in our very own family room! Hiding the eggs and having us find them is one of his favorite pasttimes. He sachets around the room and helps us out by saying "Oh! Oh! Here's one! Here's one!" He had teams of people helping HIM find the eggs on Easter, so I guess he's just returning the favor. I just love my Little Parker.


T

A quick getaway

The kids and I headed South for St. George last Saturday to visit my Mom and Stepdad. Chris met up with us halfway through.

Here's a little recap of our trip...Chris was excited to show Parker how to fly a kite, but it was a little TOO windy, so we didn't last long at the park.

Parker encountered a lizard in the backyard, screamed, "Mouse!", and started crying. Reed had to educate him on the reptile he had spotted, and once he learned that they weren't going to attack him, he started hunting for them.

We checked out the pool at the community center, and even went on a little easter egg hunt in the backyard.

An added bonus? We were able to avoid 25 degrees & a snow storm in Salt Lake!

We went to this Pirate's Island restaurant one night. It was really cute and a lot of fun. Parker was entertained playing the arcade games (okay, we all were!). Parker helping Grandma Jane in the kitchen on a step stool, and Emmie just happy to hang out, as usual.

Parker was in Dog Heaven...I dare say that the dogs were NOT! Trying to dodge my 2 1/2 year old the entire time, they were on their toes. There were FOUR of them! Our Roxy came with us, plus their three. CRAZY! But not as crazy as I expected. They are good little dogs.

Parker was endlessly entertained going in and out of the doggy door, which leads into the master bedroom closet.

Oh, the thrills of a 2 year old.......

And one of the greatest parts? The Childrens Place outlet store! I got FIVE of these items for only $1.99 each, and the other two for $2.99! My kids will fit into them next Fall and winter. I got them all for under $20, and had I paid full price they would have been almost $100!
Now that is what I call a bargain!
Yes, in case you were wondering, I absolutely pride myself in & LOVE finding a great deal! :)

THANKS Mom and Reed for letting us come and visit!
Parker is already asking to go back.

VICTORY

THE BIG DAY FINALLY ARRIVED.........

So I've totally put off the potty training thing due to other people's horror stories and my pediatrician's advice to not start little boys until they are closer to three years old.

Well, the big three is quickly approaching us this coming July, and the last few weeks I started feeling gutsy and started talking up going in the potty to Parker. I got him all excited about it and he finally seemed interested, so I decided that once we got back from St. George that we would attempt the dreaded potty training.

But Parker had other plans. On a whim we went ahead and bought 'The Potty' while we were (finally) purchasing a double stroller at Babies R' Us last week. Upon bringing it inside the house, Parker immediately insisted on taking it out of the box, then demanded that we take off his jeans and diaper. O-kay... I wasn't going to start this for another week (this is before St. George), but hey, if the kid wanted to give it a go, I wasn't going to argue with him. We took off his diaper, put the potty in the bathroom, he sat down, and walah!!! To our utter amazement, our little Parker peed in the tiny toilet! He also sprayed the floor, but heck, I didn't even care. My little boy just went pee pee in the potty! He then proceeded to jump up and down, do a VICTORY dance and give us high fives....Chris and I couldn't stop laughing.

In the midst of our celebration, he decided he wanted to do it again.... and again.... and again! Although his tiny bladder was empty of urine, his little body must have been so excited that it quickly made more. The kid was straining like I've never seen to get more and more out, but he was so thrilled to see any drops his body would produce, that Chris and I couldn't help but be happy for him. (This seriously went on for about 45 minutes...) Our baby boy is growing up.

We were so proud! :)

Then out came the big boy pants that I thankfully had on hand, which spurred on more celebrations, as you can see from the pictures. That pose on the right came with absolutely no coaxing.... I was just following him with my camera while loving the show.

Emmie was celebrating too... in the potty box!

She was so happy for her brother and squealed and grinned at all the excitement.

So yeah. You could say that last Wednesday was a pretty historic day in our home.

We're now in St. George and we're back in the diapers, but come next week, we're hoping for more victories and that the little guy will still be excited to fill up and empty his little potty.

Secretly, I'm terrified that this was too good of a start and that come next week he's going to have no interest in this....

If anyone has any good potty training advice ---please share! I'm clueles...

& ALL EARS!!! :)

Where does my time go again?

I saw this article (thanks Jana!) and just had to share... I love it!!! Just click on the image to enlarge and read... I think anyone who has kids can say 'AMEN' to this article!

Just tonight, as 8 p.m. rolled around, I actually debated whether I should:

a) Eat my uneaten dinner that I hadn't yet found time to eat

b) Collapse in my exhaustion on the bed because although I am starving, I am simply too tired to even care about eating

OR

c) Force myself to eat and then enjoy the rare, peaceful quiet that my household is offering me as my kids snore away, and get in my first 'me' moment of the day where I can sit and relax for more than 15 seconds without being needed by a little person...

Yes, today I chose C. Sometimes, by the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to return a phone call, to finish up the laundry that I didn't quite finish earlier on, to work on a craft or hobby that is just going to create yet another mess for myself to clean up. Sometimes I just want to SIT for a rare minute. And enjoy it. And recharge. So that I can take on another day of taking care of the two little people that I most love in this world. Because it truly is exhausting and consuming and the word "busy" does not begin to sum it all up.

But although it wears me out, and I can't remember what it is like to have a few hours to myself, it is truly the BEST. And I love it. And I wouldn't change it for the world. But until one has kids, they won't begin to understand how hectic yet fulfilling, challenging and rewarding, demanding yet joyous this lifestyle with little ones really is.

Although on the surface it may just look like lots of stinky diapers, temper tantrums, sleepless nights & constant giving of attention, it is so much more. And you have no idea what you are missing out on until you experience it.

I truly LOVE my kids and give thanks each day for the blessing it is of being their mother!

Nothing truly worthwhile in life comes without lots of hard work, that is for sure!

Sometimes I wonder what in the world I did with all my time before I had kids!

Green Day

This little munchkin wore her green yesterday.

(not a great pic, I know but one of the only ones I took of her yesterday...)

THIS one, however, did NOT...(Daddy dressed him. :)) Good thing we had this big green hat for him to wear. He thought it was PRETTY funny to put it on his little sis and watch her squirm while she tried to get it up over her eyes. (Sorry - I didn't catch any pics) He kept telling us, "I'm sooooo BUNNY (funny)!". This is his new favorite thing to tell us. Poor Emmie. I'm afraid this is just the beginning of the big brother/little sister taunting relationship. FUN times. Good thing Emmie is such a good sport. :)

The little Leprechaun and I had fun making some lucky sugar cookies.

Yeah, so, Parky went a little crazy with the sprinkles.

But hey, who doesn't like mouthfuls of green sprinkles???

I know Parker does.

Okay, so I don't mind the sugar either!

Never thought I'd see the day....

How do you get your 2 1/2 year old to clean up all of his toys at incredible speed, without even being asked????
You unleash his 6 month old little sister onto the scene!!!

Parker is normally my little tornado following behind me making a huge mess out of whatever I have just cleaned up and whatever he can get his hands on. Hence, my house is never clean despite my seemingly never ending efforts!

But this last few weeks, with Emmie's new found mobility (and she is quite proficient at it might I add), a very mystical thing has taken place in our home. Parker has come to the realization that he does NOT want Emmie touching his toys. And so in an effort to keep her hands off, once Emmie is let loose in a room, he runs around saying, "No Baby! No Baby!", all the while throwing his toys back into their bins at astonishing speeds.
He also discovered today that throwing armfuls of toys into the laundry room and shutting the door also works to keep his possessions free from his little sis. (This new discovery was not as enjoyable for me to observe as the first stated action.)

Chris and I just look at each other and laugh at this!
Okay, okay-- so we have to work on sharing.
But for now, just for a minute, I am going to enjoy watching my little boy willingly, voluntarily, and quickly pick up after himself.
For once. :)

Didn't take long for Emmie to put the boy in line, did it?
Atta girl, Em! Glad to have someone on my team! :)

Just more whining

Soooo... it's 2:30 in the morning, and I'm BLOGGING! WHAT is wrong with me???

Let me explain. No worries, this won't be long, I promise.

So the plague that's been floating around my house, the one that has caused much upset and misery, finally caught up with me, it's fourth victim -over the weekend. I've just been trying to survive ever since catching this nasty bug (although Monday night I was just about ready to throw in the towel...), so blogging has definitely been on the back burner. However, the fact that the last post was all about ME, and that there was a big (& unattractive picture) of ME at the top, has been bugging me. It's been up there way too long, but I've simply been way too miserable to do anything about it.

Until now, that is.

So here it is, 2:30 a.m., I've been awake for over an hour with a throbbing sore throat, icky cough, runny nose, etc. etc., a nasty red, oozing eye (the last of the wonderful surprise symptoms that has presented with this lovely illness for all four of my family members), not to mention massive hunger pains (I've had a loss of appetite, although I HAVE been eating so I'm not sure why I've been getting such starvation pains. Probably due to taking in less calories mixed with nursing??) Well, I decided to give into my stomach and eat a bowl of cereal since I can't sleep anyways, and also decided that now may just be the best moment to bump down that 'Hair' post.

So no, this post is really about nothing. Just me and a little whining....a little explanation for what I've been up to - er not up to....a little something for me to do in the early morning hours where I am too miserable to sleep....& lastly, reason to put up a new post, as uninteresting and lame as this is!

So sorry to be such a waste of your time....stay tuned....I'm bound to feel normal again one of these days, right?

So here's a little wisdom for you to walk away with from this post:

Take your Vitiman C everyone and wash wash wash those hands, quarantine your family, whatever you need to do.... but avoid this thing like it's the plague, because I'm pretty sure that is what I've caught!

And trust me, you don't want it!!! :)

I know, I know, I'm so dramatic. :)

I surrender....

...to the waves, that is.

Yes, I am coming clean with something I've struggled with my entire life...

MY HAIR!!!

My hair is naturally: curly, wavy, frizzy, poofy, pliable, high maintenance, annoying, time consuming, you name it!

Many people don't know this because I spend 30+ minutes every morning of my life blow drying and straightening it! Ridiculous, I KNOW, but if you saw the way it looks when it air dries, you would agree that the time is well spent, that I'm NOT being vain (just trying to look somewhat normal) and you'd probably allot me 30 MORE minutes just to make sure.

However, I absolutely DREAD doing it! I just can't do dirty hair, so I wash it everyday. So, this last week, I took a big step in my life, and I surrendered to my hair and tried to work WITH it, rather than against it. It's so not cute, I know, but it's 6 or 7 minutes with a diffuser opposed to 30-40 that it normally takes.

Bottom line is that it's CLEAN, and it is better than what I wake up with.

So if you see me with this 'do, don't be surprised, and don't think that I'm trying out a new style that I think is necessarily attractive. I'm just trying to save a little of my sanity & most of all, TIME (which is hard to come by as it is with 2 kids under 2!) without going completely frumpy on myself.

FUNNY SIDENOTE:

About six years ago I wore my hair like this to work. I was an Admin Assistant for an ophthalmologist/optometry practice. When the doctor walked in and saw me that morning, he said, "What the???! Wow! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU???".

He honestly thought that my blow dryer had blown up on me in some sort of horrible freak accident. He was shocked to find out that I had worn my hair like this on purpose out in public. Ha ha. :)

So yeah. As you can guess, I never wore my hair like that to work again! And have hardly worn it out in public since!

ADDITIONAL SIDENOTE:

I can tell Chris isn't a fan either, although he'll never admit it. This last week that I've worn my hair this way, he just gives me a funny look, but doesn't say a word. He's too nice to say anything negative about my appearance. Hey - at least I'm showered and clean, right? Even HE'D have to admit that this is better than the medusa-looking style I wake up with every morning! Sorry honey. It's only a couple days a week that I'll be sporting this, I promise!

I know, I know... such a petty thing to complain about in the big scheme of things. It's sure annoying though!

So to all of you who have naturally straight, beautiful, shiny, wash-and-go locks (or GOOD curls!), to say that I'm a little envious is an understatement!

Count your blessings, girls!!! :)

Hmmm. Sometimes I think that a WIG might work out really nicely for me.

UGHHH

Sleepless nights, screaming kids, high fevers, vomit, coughing, congestion, endless boogies, body aches, ear infections, $100 in co-pays in 8 days....

.....YEP....

That pretty much sums up the last ten days at our household.

There aren't too many worse things than having sick kids, if you ask me!!!

Except maybe for those who pass it on to you....You know, like the people who knowlingly are sick, and hold your at-the-time healthy kids anyways because they just can't resist. And those who forget to tell you prior to your dinner party, that by the way, their entire family is just getting over strep throat and that little Jack (yes, the one with Emmie's toy in his mouth) might still have it. And the parents who send their obviously sick children to nursery exposing 12 other kids who then take the germs home to their parents and siblings. Not to mention all the other children who will come through the room later that day & play with the drooled on, sneezed on, snotted on, infected toys. And the parents who say, "No need to wash hands, they're all going to get it anyways..." (while wiping their child's runny nose on their shirts and then another wipe onto their own jeans...Eeewww!).

Um, not if my child isn't EXPOSED to it, they're not!

Seriously people!

I know sometimes it's just unavoidable - but come on! VERY OFTEN it is!

Going on 2 full weeks of complete misery and incubation is NO FUN!!!

So basically, according to the pattern, by next week my fam should finally be healthy again. But watch out the week after that...by then who knows what my little ones will have picked up....sometimes it's just not worth leaving the house this time of year!

Other than that we're doing fabulous! :)

p.s. The given scenarios in this post are exagerrated and made up. Despite my tone and candor, (which is playful sarcasm filled with a little exasperation of the truth) the reality is, I'm not blaming this one on anyone but ourselves...Taking Parker to the bouncy house Kangaroo Zoo (the suspected culprit) a few weeks ago during cold and flu season and despite all of our hand washing efforts, was not such a bright idea. Yeah. Let's just say we won't be going back there anytime soon.

But yes, the above scenarios, when and if they do take place, DO irritate me!

Am I the only one???

The results are in.....

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old!

I tear up when I think about what a gift this little girl has been to us.

We truly cherish every moment with her!

Her 6 month stats are in,

and here's the report:

Weight: 16.73 lbs, 67th %ile

Height: 26.8 inches, 86th %ile

Head: 16.5 inches, 34th %ile

How she's so tall with a mother who isn't quite 5'2 is beyond me... I'm sure that will change! :)

But STATS, SCHMATS.....

Here are some of the tricks our Little Em has been working on: A contagious smile that she'll quickly share with strangers... she is SUCH a happy baby and has contributed so much joy to our home! She wants to throw up every time she tastes rice cereal (can we blame her?), but still is happy as can be when the torture is through. She's been practicing these push ups

for about 7 weeks & has become a very strong little girl.

But she's just trying to keep up with her older brother....and doing a great job of it, might I add! When she wants something, she takes action (literally) and gets it by pulling herself over to appease her curiousity. She'll take about 2 crawls on her knees, then pulls herself along like a snake the rest of the way. This is supposedly more of a 9 month milestone (per the pediatrician), but it just shows that Emmie has always tried to expedite things....

Trying to make her debut into the world 2 months early

was the first indication of our eager-to-get-things-moving Little Emmie.

They all move at their own paces, that is for sure! Parker wasn't doing this until around 8 months.Emmie is perfecting her sitting up skills.
She can sit all by herself for close to a minute before she starts to wobble over.

The girl will put anything and everything into her mouth!Emmie LOoooves her crib. When it's time for sleep, her right thumb automatically goes straight into her mouth as soon as I begin to swaddle the lower part of her body. I can just lay her down, and she'll go to sleep! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G after having Parker who was such a difficult sleeper. When I go into get her after her nap, she's all smiles. She's still an awesome night sleeper, too. She usually sleeps from 7-10 p.m., I'll feed her, then it's back to bed til' around 5 a.m.ish. I have to say, that even after all these great tricks, being CUTE and ridiculously LOVABLE are still Emmie's forte. She has an overwhelming SWEETNESS about her & I just can't get enough of our precious baby girl!!!
We LOVE you Emmie and are so excited to continue to watch you grow and do all that we can to help you reach your potential!!!

Under arrest and proposing

So usually when one thinks of a couple getting engaged, they think of a romantic setting, such as a nice dinner, a carriage ride, a beautiful view, possibly the backdrop of a temple (if you're LDS)....you catch my drift.

Well, not in THIS story!

My cute little brother got engaged to darling Kylie Taylor (whom he met while being an EFY counselor last summer) last Friday night. And I have to say, after what he did, he's lucky she said yes! (KIDDING :))

Here's what happened:

Steven has a cop friend who followed them and pulled them over. After looking over Steven's license, the cop told he and Kylie to get out of the car and that Steven was under arrest for some outstanding tickets. He was handcuffed and told to get down on his knees and was asked if he had any last words. Steven said he did, and went on to profess his love for Kylie and asked her if she would marry him!

Kylie had no idea what was going on until he popped the question! Talk about a rush and wide gamut of emotions she must have experienced in a matter of a few minutes... NERVOUSNESS at being pulled over, FEAR and SHOCK as she was told her boyfriend was under arrest, CONFUSION as Steven started rambling about how much he loved her while handcuffed on the ground, RELIEF that he wasn't being hauled off to jail, a possible (tiny) bit of ANGER that a joke was being played on her, and finally EXCITEMENT & JOY as he pulled out the ring and asked her to marry him.

CRAZY!

Boys will be boys, I swear. I have to admit, it was pretty clever and it will be a moment to remember, that is for sure!

The important thing is that Kylie said "YES!"

You are such a darling girl, Kylie, and I am so excited to be getting a new sister!

The couple will be taking the plunge in the Salt Lake Temple this June.

Bring on the wedding plans!
CONGRATULATIONS Kylie and Steven! :)

The C word

Did I just hear you think the word,

"Chubby"?

Nah.

O---KAY. I'll admit it. MAYBE from THIS angle (above) the word enters into my mind too...But from THIS angle, all that comes to mind is

A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

Oh I just LOVE LoVe LOOOOOOOOVE this baby girl!!!

And all I can say is, if that's CHUBBY, chubby sure is stinkin' cute these days!

Thanks Jill and Jason for the cute dress, and Cindy for the darling bow.... they were meant for each other! :)

Hooray for the girls

Introducing.... Afton and Emmie!

These cuties are only 3 days apart. Are they sweet or what? I met Afton's Mommy - my cute friend Alicia - while living in Arizona. Alicia's husband was going to the same grad school as Chris at the time to become a PA and they were in our stake. Alicia helped me to keep my sanity when we first moved there and we'd go on fun shopping trips to the Anthem outlets where we would raid Ann Taylor's $4.99 and $9.99 clearance racks. (She's a girl after my own heart - a real bargain shopper!) They still live in AZ but dropped in for a fun visit today since they were in town. Afton has such a sweet countenance and is so darn cute. We wished they could of stayed longer! So fun to see you Alicia and Afton!

Come again soon!

(L to R) Jill, Cami, Tammy, myself & we missed you, Lacey & Amanda! :)

Later, we (meaning myself and the kiddos) met up with some of my good friends from high school at Noodles and Company. It's always a little crazy when we get together because all of our kids just run wild. I'm sure that eating establishments cringe upon our arrival every time, but it's all worth it because it's so fun to catch up with these girls for a minute! I've said it a million times, but I am so lucky for such great friends throughout my life. We're coming up on ELEVEN (yes, 11!) years since high school ended (man we're getting old) and what a blessing it has been that these friendships have sustained over the years.

HERE'S TO HAVING GIRLFRIENDS! :)

V-Day

A mysterious Valentines Day package showed up at our doorstep at 8 a.m. on Saturday before Chris left for work. Parker was very excited to find this bucket of treasures on our porch. He was MOST excited though for the couple of treats that happened to be included. Surprise, surprise. So much so, he kept trying to share them with Emmie (bottom middle). Don't worry Parker, I'm sure she'll be addicted soon enough, unfortunately. For now, she is on a milk only diet. (We're soon adding rice cereal to the menu...)

All in all, we just had a relaxing day at home while Chris worked. I am such a homebody, and I sure love playing with my kiddos, so it was a nice day. (Minus the fact that we were all a little sick...)

Thanks to ALL of Parker's grandparents for their cute Valentines gifts!

Just because you want me to, I won't....

I can't believe that coming up this June, that it will be two years since Chris graduated from Pharmacy School. A lot has changed in that year and a half & we look back on our Arizona/grad school days with smiles and such fond memories. We love the friends that we made during that time in our life, and our closest Pharmacy school friends also moved back here to Utah post graduation. We got together with some of them the other night at Ben and Shannon's house. We all had our first babies in Arizona, and it's fun to reunite and see everyone's growing families. Here are our kids:

(minus cute little Siena who left just before we managed this picture...)

Notice how sweet and obedient they all are to sit where we asked them to and smile at the camera.

Well, all of them, that is, except for one. In the right hand corner you may notice a child literally RUNNING to get out of the picture. Yes, that is our Parker. Shannon threw him down several times hoping to get him to comply and quickly got out of the picture herself, but little P wasn't going to give in that easily. In fact, he wasn't going to surrender for picture time at all. This is not surprising behavior. I love and adore my little boy, but he is sure a strong-willed little guy, always keeping us on our toes.

I have to say, that the rest of the night he was really well-behaved. It's just when he is told to do something......

Ooooooooooohhh NO!

He doesn't like to do anything unless it is on HIS terms.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

Any advice on a defiant 2 1/2 year old?

Here's to hoping that this is a very short phase (we've been experiencing it for at least a year now) that is about to see it's end!!

Disclaimer: I know that Parker's unwilling participation to sit with a group of kids for a picture isn't that big a deal, & I wasn't sweating about it. However, I just found it funny to capture this perfect display of his very independent personality on film & thought I'd document this common behavior, as this is soooo my world these days. :)

They make me laugh

Pre-kids, I really had no idea how funny & entertaining these little people can really be. Parker is constantly making us laugh at his silly sense of humor and his endless insights which seem to be beyond his barely 2 1/2 year old little brain. I really need to write more of these interactions down... so, off the top of my head, here a few of the funny things he's said over this last couple of days:
A TEACHING MOMENT.... Parker being the teacher

Setting: Chris is reading books to Parker before bedtime. Roxy (our dog) leaves the room and Parker wants her to come back in.

Parker: Hey, Dad, go like this.... (Parker puckers his lips and kisses the air) and this...(pats his lap) Now say, "Here Boxy, Boxy Boxy (Roxy)" It will make Boxy come back!

Thanks, Parker for teaching your Daddy how to call for the dog. Most of all, thanks for making him (& us) laugh.

APPLES GET SICK, TOO

Setting: Parker was picking out an apple to eat. The day before, he went to grab one that wasn't good, so I told him, "No, you don't want that one, it's bruised, it's bad. Pick a different one". The next day, he said the following when going to pick out another apple:

Parker: (Pointing to the "bad" apple from the previous day) No. We don't want that apple. It's sick. It needs to go to the doctor. We need to take it to the doctor, Mom, and the doctor will give it medicine and make it ALL better!

We'll have to call Dr. Wilcox and see what he can do for our apple...

WHEN I GET LITTLER....

Setting: I opened some new Old Navy jeans for Emmie delivered by the UPS man today. (The girl is growing so fast! She hardly has any 6-12 month pants to fit her large 5 month old body) Upon opening them, I said, "Oh, these are cute!" Parker, who was watching me said:

Parker: Oh! Those are CUTE, Mom! When I grow LITTLER, I can wear Emmie's jeans, too!

Yep. When you grow littler, you can wear Emmie's flared jeans, too Parker! :)

CUTTING STRAWBERRIES

Setting: I took strawberries out of the fridge to cut up for part of Parker's meal. The boy LOOOOVes strawberries. He excitedly ran over to the cupboard, pointed to our butcher's block of knives and exclaimed:

Parker: Here, Mom! Use THESE knives to cut my strawberries! When I grow bigger, I can use the knives to cut my strawberries, too! But not right now. I'm tooooo littow (little) to use knives.

Everything at our house is commentated on the fact that when he or the baby "grow bigger" that they'll be able to do this or that, too. Too funny.

Just a few other little Parkisms of the moment:

• Whenever myself, Chris, or the baby sneezes, we hear a tiny, high pitched, "Bwess you, Mommy!".
• When Parker runs into something, or falls, etc., he (usually) jumps right up and before anyone can ask, he exclaims, "I'm BINE!" (fine)
• Even when I don't expect a thank you, I usually get one. (Like when I turn on the light..) His "dakes" (thanks) and "dake you" are so precious!
• "Oh! That'd be good!"
• "Don't be sad. Let's be happy!"
• "You be NICE!" (he is told this thousands of times as he teases the dog, but it's kind of funny when he says it to US!)

What would we do without these little ones who add so much meaning & SMILES to our lives??

Cute, FREE, & fun!

So here is a great blog to check out!

www.giveawaytoday.blogspot.com

Each day just by leaving your name as a comment, you enter for the chance to win a really great prize! (Everyday there is something new) The extra exciting thing is that my cute friend, Lichelle, has an awesome business, "Shelby Bows and Flowers" that is being featured there TODAY! I have gotten the majority of Emmie's cute hair bows and flowers through her (& also thanks to my sweet sis in law Cindy's craftiness). She has such great products and sells them at such reasonable prices. For a chance to win some adorable new hair accessories, go to the giveaway link above and it's as easy as typing in your name. Also, to check out more of Lichelle's darling products, go to: www.shelbybows.blogspot.com

(If you don't have a daughter or a niece, she also sells cute hats in adult sizes!)

GOOD LUCK!!!

OH so GOOD!!!

MMMMmmmmmmmmmm!!! Did anyone else fall in love with the Twisted Peppermint scent from Bath & Body Works over the holidays? I love love LOVE this smell, so much so that I just received four more in the mail that I ordered.

They are on clearance for only $3.00 right now....sadly, all they have left is the lotion. (I couldn't find any in the stores, that is why I purchased them online.) If only I could get my hands on the body spray (OR the body cream) and I'd be set until next year...

I'm tellin' ya, you're missing out big time if you haven't partaken of this yummy aroma.

Did I mention that I LOVE it???

Like I could just cuddle up to it, and sniff it all day kind of love?

Okay, so that's a little overboard but you catch my drift, right?

Anyone else hearing me on this?

Click here to order yours:

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=twisted%20peppermint&origkw=twisted%20peppermint&sr=1

OR

you can always come visit me and I might let you try one of my six bottles for yourself. :)

Interpretation of tongues

This is the (stinkin' adorable) face that we're constantly getting from Emmie these days: Our interpretation of the sticking out of tongues:
"Nah-nuh-nah-nuh- naaahhh, naaahhh!
I'M CUTER THAN YOU!"
What a lucky girl. She's not only cute, she's SMART too!