Dancing Queen

As I'm writing this post, I can hear the words to the famous Abba song in my head. Ah, my little dancing queen. This girl loves music. She loves to sing, to dance, to run around to music. She has every word memorized to Fun's "We are Young." Haven't heard it? YouTube it. It's a good one. She also knows nearly every primary song there is. She just loves music. Oh, and she would be horrified if I forgot Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. Yes, my three year old thinks she's 17.
The other day she turned on some music on my iPhone. Sometimes I think she is more adept at that silly thing than I am. Then she ran upstairs, and came back down in her tutu with her magic wand. And well, from the pictures you can see what happened next....

This could quite possibly be my favorite picture of little E. I know, I know, it's of her backside. But this photo more or less embodies all the sass and femininity wrapped up in one tiny little body. What a character!

Top 5

As many of you may already know, Jason and I were recently told that we're not going to be able to conceive children without some sort of assistance. This being said, I've gotten some interesting comments from people unaware that we're not pregnant due to our own personal preferences.
I enjoy making light of things. I need to laugh about things rather than crying. I decided to compile a list of things you shouldn't say to people that can't conceive. (And you never know who that may be, so let's just be careful people!) :)

1. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were pregnant. Oh gee thanks! I am pretty sure that you just called me fat! That's just what I needed to start my Monday.

2. Did you forget how to make a baby? Yeah, I forgot to take notes that day in health class. Would you mind refreshing my memory - with colored illustrations and all?

3. It's okay that you haven't had more kids. You probably couldn't handle more than one. Saying it with a smile doesn't make it funny. Rude, definitely. But not funny. See? I'm not laughing!

4. Don't you think it's time you gave Emslee (or substitute any name you want,) a sibling? Sure! I'd love to! Are you offering to donate one of yours?

5. Just quit trying. It always happens when you're not trying. Oh my mistake! I guess the doctors are wrong. The answer isn't medications or injections or even in vitro, it's doing nothing! And remind me, what medical school did you go to?

In all seriousness, it's already been quite the journey medically for us in our 5 1/2 years of marriage. While this little bump in the road wasn't quite what we expected, we know that we'll get through it with the love and support of our friends and family. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many that love us!

I think we're in trouble now!

The other night Emslee asked Jason to get her some milk. He replied that he would, but in just a minute. (He was mildly distracted doing homework.) When a few minutes had gone by without any perceived movement on his part, Emslee loudly announced, "Daddy. I told you to get me some milk. Now you have three minutes then I'm gonna put you in time out. One. Two. Flee!" I was laughing so hard I nearly died. Jason, on the other hand, didn't quite see the humor in it that I did. I guess I wouldn't find it funny either, if I was the one being put in time out. :)

Oh Goodness....

Today Emee and I went to pick Jason up from work, and while we were waiting in the parking lot she shared this interesting little tid bit with me. It absolutely cracked me up!

Baby Lucy

Our family was blessed with a beautiful little addition back in May. Miss Lucy Lorraine Tanner was born on May 10th to Nick and Janica. Emslee has decided that Lucy is the best thing ever. The other day she told me that for Christmas she wants a baby like Baby Lucy. ;)

One day in the future this sweet daughter of mine is going to be the best big sister EVER.

4th of July

Gratitude

I've been stressing out a lot lately about my life. Well, not my entire life. But there are certain aspects of my life that cause me to feel a little....well, down on things. I have the habit of focusing only on the things that are wrong in my life, rather than recognizing everything that is so right.
I decided that in order to cure myself of my ungrateful-itis, I need to spend some time thinking about everything I have to be thankful for. Here is my mini-list. There is not enough time in the world to list it all.

Mother's Day 2011

For Mother's Day this year, I wanted to give both my Mom and Jason's something special (neither of them would tell me anything they wanted, so I figured we'd have to get a little creative.) I thought for a bit and decided something handmade by Emee would be just right. We decided on paining a flower pot and then planting a pansy in it would be cute.

I was a little wary of taking this project on with Ems because it had the potential to be so messy, but with a little forethought we pulled it off without any incident. Whew! ;)

Emee - stylin' her super-fashionable smock - a.k.a. a plastic garbage bag. (Hey it works, right?)

She had so much fun painting the pots for each of her Grandmas. She's such a cute little Picasso. ;)

The finished product. (Minus the pansies.) I was super happy with how they turned out!

Slacking....yet again...

I am always horrified when I log onto my blog and see it's been months since I last posted. Summer for our family has been oodles of fun and incredibly busy. I promise I will get caught up as soon as I get the pictures off my camera! More to come!

Pretty Miss Emslee

Today I went into the bathroom, only to find Emee looking simply b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l with her cherubic little face covered top to bottom with my blush. (This isn't the first time she's gotten "artistic" with my makeup.) She looked so adorable with her little grin, I couldn't even get upset. So instead I decided to document it. ;)

I Love To See The Temple

Tonight, as we were starting the movie Tangled, the iconic Disney castle came on the screen. Emslee jumped off the couch, frantically pointing at the screen and yelling excitedly, "The temple! The temple!"
It was one of those great defining moments for me. Today has been an especially difficult day, as I have spent a lot of time feeling inadequate as a parent and wondering if I'm doing the very best I can for my family.
It's amazing how reassuring a child's innocent comment can be. I must be doing something right. :)

Emslee turns TWO!

 I know, lots of photos. I've been trying to take professional-esque photos every time Ems reaches a milestone. We had so much fun with this photo shoot. My little girl is the prettiest, most adorable, funniest thing ever!
I can't believe it's been two whole years since my sweet Emslee entered our lives. She is a great ball of energy and excitement. I cannot even put into words how much I enjoy being her mommy.
At two years old, Emee:

• is fully daytime potty trained! YAY! She actually potty trained back in February, and I am so proud of her. (Plus I'm happy not to be changing diapers.)
• loves, loves, LOVES cookie dough. She enjoys cookies too, but the dough is her absolute favorite.
• is obsessed with singing. I swear one day she'll win American Idol or something. She sings. All. The. Time. I have been amazed at the amount of songs she knows, and how quickly she memorizes new ones.
• really likes to play the piano. She will sit at our piano and play, singing along. It's the most adorable thing ever!
• is a little Josh protege. She thinks her Uncle Josh is simply the coolest person on earth. She mimics everything he does, and wishes she could be just like him.
• is a walking dictionary. She is already speaking in full sentences! My gosh, I'm starting to wonder if I can keep up. ;)
• would live outside if she could. She loves the park, her slide, her bike, and going for walks. She is usually dirty from head to toe at the end of every day.
• loves reading books. Her favorite time of day is when we sit in the rocking chair and read stories. Her favorite books are the books about puppies and babies.
• is her Mommy's baby love. I started singing a song to Ems awhile back about baby love, and now every time she gets in trouble, she tells me, "I'm Emee. I mommy's baby love." Who can stay mad at that? 

We are so grateful for our beautiful little girl. She keeps us going, makes us laugh, and can always manage a smile from us. Happy birthday sweetheart!

The Joys of Potty Training

              I am in the minority when it comes to potty training. Most mothers dread that inevitable stage when a child is no longer a baby and it’s time to do away with diapers. It is viewed with fear, anxiety, and frustration by many parents. I, however, love when it’s finally time to potty train! This is due mostly to the fact that I despise changing diapers. I think I could live an entire lifetime without changing so much as one poopy diaper and be perfectly fine.

When it came time for my daughter to potty train, I was thrilled. I saw it as a new beginning; one I looked forward to with excitement. I made her a “Potty Chart,” filled with lots of bright colors and stickers, which I proudly hung on the fridge. Each time she used her big girl potty she was rewarded with a few small candies, and a sticker for her chart.

Things in the bathroom department were running as smoothly as could be expected. Little E loved being a “big girl,” and took pride in each sticker she carefully placed on her chart. After the second week with no accidents, I decided it was official. E was potty trained! I gave myself a congratulatory pat on the back, grateful to have overcome that hurdle.

To some degree, I think I may have underestimated the intelligence of a toddler. My sweet little girl has figured out how to use her newfound skills to manipulate both her father and I into getting whatever she wants. Whenever we take her some place she would prefer not to go (like her pediatrician’s office, church, the grocery store, or anywhere she finds dull or boring,) she promptly announces she needs to use the bathroom. However, she doesn’t use such mature vernacular in doing so. Generally speaking, she informs us by yelling, (quite loudly, I might add) “I poop! I poop!” If we don’t respond immediately by whisking her into the nearest restroom, her yelling gets louder and louder, often reaching a fever pitch.

I have made the request several times that she say the word potty in place of poop, but to no avail. She has witnessed the embarrassment in our faces as she hollers about pooping, and understands that such embarrassment quickens our reaction time. Her mischievous grin creeps across her face right before she decides to ruin whatever calm existed in our social situation just prior.

In her most recent episode I saw my adorable, sweet little toddler morph into a scheming, manipulative woman. She was bored during our church service and wanted desperately to get out. She stood up on the pew, grasping the back of the bench with both hands and bellowed “I poop! I poop!” which prompted snickering and giggles from the parishioners behind us. Red-faced, I scooped her up and hurried out of the chapel. Which, of course, accomplished her goal quite efficiently.

Sneaky little girl. I am beginning to wonder if I wouldn’t prefer the poopy diapers after all….

Yes, I am a Stay-At-Home-Mom

A little over two years ago, Jason and I made the difficult decision for me to quit my job and stay home. I say it was a difficult decision, and I mean it. It was the most difficult choice I've ever had to make. I had originally planned on returning to work, but after bringing my sweet Emslee home I found the idea of leaving her with someone else absolutely heartbreaking. The person I had asked to watch her changed her mind, Emslee was extremely colicky/needy, and I felt so hopeless. All my life I had promised myself I wouldn't have a child for someone else to raise him/her.
Needless to say, the choice was made. We knew it meant that we would have to make some changes in our budget, and it wouldn't be easy. In hindsight, I never really expected it to be this hard.
Throughout the course of our 4 and a half married years, Jason's seemingly constant struggle with his health has led to several lost jobs, and months of inability to work. I have questioned our decision for me to be at home countless times. From the outside looking in, our choice may seem silly, unfounded, or downright stupid.
Jason tries to work full-time, attend school full-time, and keep up with all his responsibilities with church, family, and our house. Recently I have received some flack for expecting so much from him, and I have even been blamed for his continuing health problems. I have received the impression that my choice to stay home is the epitome of laziness and selfishness.
 The decision for me to stay home was not based on an ulterior desire to sit on my couch, watch TV, and eat bon-bons. We carefully weighed the pros and the cons, and determined this was and is the best choice for our family. I would be more than happy to share these reasons with anyone that would like to know how we came to this conclusion.
What do I do all day?
For those who are not, have not met, or do not understand the SAHM (stay at home mom), let me just say I work harder now than I ever did at the dental office. The choice to be a SAHM was definitely not one that affords me excessive time for TV watching. My days are filled with a plethora of errands, activities, etc. It is very important to me that Emslee be engaged in learning activities, get time to play outside, and that we read books together. That is only a portion of my day. I cook, I clean, I sew, I craft, I babysit, I run Jason to doctor appointment after doctor appointment, and I also go to school. Easy? No. Worth it? Definitely.
For those naysayers that seem to be determined to believe that Jason's lifestyle is causing his heart problems, let me just make one point. Ever since the end of his most recent job, Jason has had more unplanned, emergency hospital visits than ever when he was working. Coincidence? I think not. Jason enjoys working, and I enjoy being home with my adorable little princess. I could defend my position and list reasons for hours. But the fact of the matter is, I will fight with everything I have in me to be a SAHM for as long as I possibly can.

Like it, love it, hate it; whatever you like. Just don't plan on our decision changing to appease other people's version of ideal. Besides, how many people can honestly say they LOVE their job, and that they are ecstatic to wake up and go to work every morning? I CAN!!

Jocelyn's Baptism & Our Albuquerque Trip

My sweet, oldest niece got baptized earlier this month. (By the way, how on earth did I get this old?) Originally Jason, Emee, and I were going to fly to Albuquerque to be there for Jocelyn's special day. However, there have been some recent struggles with Jason's health that made us rethink our plans. I decided to put the nix on it all. Jason wasn't up to traveling and I felt bad leaving him behind so I could go. I toyed with the idea of hitching a ride down with my parents and Todd, but I felt like the drive would be torturous for my energetic, active little girl. I was so disappointed I wouldn't be there. Jason knew how much I wanted to go, and a mere week before, he told me he had found me a plane ticket that he was going to buy. Yay!
We had a great time. Emslee adored playing with her cousins, and I adored spending some much-needed time with my sister and her sweet family. Jocelyn looked absolutely gorgeous on her big day, and oh-so-grown up. I just love her!

 My mom, Katie, and I made these super-fancy butterfly cupcakes for the luncheon after Jocelyn's baptism. They took some time, but we had a lot of fun with those hours we spent chatting in the kitchen.

 My sweet mama and Katie, in the middle of cupcake mania 2011.

The last photo of Jocelyn before she became a member of the Church. (Don't mind the silly face she's making, the sun was hurting her eyes.)

 

For the luncheon my dad made homemade root beer. The kids were fascinated by the dry ice. So fun!

 Isn't she simply b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l? My mom made her dress, and was so nervous it wouldn't fit. Thankfully, it fit Jocelyn just like a glove. Amazing.

 

Little Emslee playing at Jocelyn's luncheon.

We are so glad we got to come play. Thanks to the Troumbleys for having us!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For Valentine's this year, I thought it would be fun to let Emslee make Valentines to send out to our family. I love getting something handmade, and I figured they would be more meaningful than something I printed off the computer on my own. Ems had a grand time coloring, gluing, and putting stickers on the Valentines. I made her this super adorable skirt for the love-ly holiday. What a fun day!

Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Parker

On January 6th, we were able to attend the wedding of my beautiful sister Karyn and her husband Ryan. They chose to get married in the Oquirrh Mountain temple. It was a freezing, beautiful day. It was so amazing to be able to attend the sealing of a sibling (my first).
We are so excited for these two! Congratulations you cute couple!

Jake and Emee, waiting outside the temple.

Ryan and Karyn, kind enough to let Ems sneak into one of their photos.

The photo display at the reception. Karyn and Ryan asked me to take their engagement photos and Karyn's bridal photos, as well as design their wedding announcement. We had so much fun!

The wedding cake Katie and I made for the happy newlyweds.

Merry Christmas!

We had a fabulous time this Christmas, spending time with several friends and family. The only downside to our festivities was the fact that one of our favorite families, the Troumbleys, were unable to come and celebrate the holiday with us.
They were missed, but we still had a jolly ol' time!

Emslee in the Christmas dress I made for her. This was by far the most difficult pattern I've sewn to date, but I sure was happy with the result. She looked gorgeous!

Emslee, feeding her new baby before she even got her out of the box.


For Christmas Grammie Jo and Grandpa gave Ems a song bag they made, filled with toys and trinkets that go along with nursery rhyme and primary songs. Emslee adores it! Here she is with the "sunbeam" on, singing Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam. So cute!
Jason, unearthing the treasures Santa left in his stocking for him.

Um, Todd....Need I say more?

Oh goodness...

So I knew I was severely behind on blog posts, but I had no idea it had gotten this bad. I logged in and looked at my blog to find.....it has been FOUR months! Gross. I have never gone this long without some type of post, no matter how menial.
I know I could make excuses for myself, but if you know anything about what the past few months have been like at our house, I'm sure you already understand. :)
Happy reading!

November 22nd

I know, I've slacked again. *Sigh* This whole sick husband thing, finals, and holidays takes more of my time than I anticipated.

On Saturday I was grateful for The Cheesecake Factory and my besties. We went to lunch to celebrate me growing older (Ugh) and had a fabulous time! I just love their stuffed chicken tortillas!

On Sunday I was grateful for my ward; more specifically my bishopric. I am grateful for their kindness, compassion, and optimism. They are such dear sweet men and I admire them so much.

Today I am grateful for my car, its heater, and its almost-new tires. I'm ready to brave this winter weather! Bring on the snow!

November 19th

Yesterday I was grateful for my INCREDIBLE mother. Yes, I know I've mentioned her a time or two in recent posts. I came home from 3 very long days in the hospital to find my house clean, my oven scrubbed to spotless perfection, and a hot meal simmering in my crockpot. How does she always know exactly what I need?


I am also extremely grateful for my in-laws. Amidst all of the drama, they were so gracious and offering to help us in any way possible. My sweet father-in-law actually got our grocery list from us, went to the store, and brought us everything we were in need of. Then he took the time out of what I'm sure was a busy day and drove it all down to us from Layton. I appreciated it so much he'll never even know!

We are so blessed!