Dazed & Confused

Emme woke up from her nap like this. I'm not sure how she got one arm out, but she did. I thought it was so funny that I walked out to grab the camera, and it made her think I was abandoning her. Not funny, mom!

Wiped Out

Last week Emme and I both got wiped out for a few days by some weird virus. I knew something was wrong when Emme actually fell asleep on the floor of the family room. That never happens! This girl is loyal only to her crib. We spent the better part of 3 days laying on the family room floor with our fevers because we didn't have enough strength to move.


Oh, and the other time I knew something was wrong was when she threw up warm, curdled Mac & Cheese all over my chest. Oh, the joys of motherhood.


The best part of it all was having Chris home to take care of us for a few days. He did such a great job, taking care of all the food & diapering & medicines and everything. We love you, Chris!

(Okay, so the second best part of it all was having Chris appreciate me just a little more when he had to wake up with Emme at 4 am two days in a row. He told me he was too beat to do it a third time. Ha! Good thing dads aren't the ones who nurse the babies.)

Our Candle-Lit Valentines Dinner

On Valentines Day, we have a tradition of eating an extravagant candle-lit dinner as a family. It's a fun tradition we've carried on from the Spencer family, and we look forward to it every year.

Last year, Emme was in her bumbo seat on the kitchen table. This year she was in her high-chair next to it. It makes me feel old to think that next year she'll be sitting with us in her own chair at the table!

Chris brought home some red roses for his two girls, and Emme & I each made Chris a special Valentine. At Chris's request, this year we had bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin (I used this recipe, and wow! so delicious.), roasted potatoes, salad, and sauteed mushrooms & broccoli. We're both on Cruise diets so I didn't make red velvet cake for dessert like usual.

(Did I mention we booked a cruise? We're going to the Caribbean with our friends Sam & Jen in April! Chris is already having panic attacks about leaving Emme for 9 days.)

Despite the smiles on this girl's face, she was a grumpy little gus in her high chair. We had to wait until it was dark in order to have a candle-lit dinner, and it turned out to be a little too late for Emme. But we had a lovely dinner & we can't wait to do it again next year.

Be My Valentine & So Long Storytime

Do you ever have days where you try to do too much and everything falls to pieces? Today was (is) one of those days for me (and it's only lunchtime!).

Each year we like to exchange Valentines with grandparents & cousins. A few days ago, I lost the will to "craft" my own Valentines, so I logged onto Samsclub.com and created one. Long story short, the nearby Sam's photo center was overloaded, so I had to schedule the pickup for the Salt Lake City location. But that was okay, because I needed some meat for dinner tonight anyway.

I knew I had a full morning today, so I wake up early and do my P90X (I'm in week 4!), shower, do real hair and makeup because, you know it is Valentines Day, feed & dress & change Emme, go to Rite Aid for my weekly shopping, stop by Emme's daycare to take some Valentines treats to her friends, and then rush down to the downtown Sam's Club to pick up her Valentines cards and dinner supplies. Sam's opens at 10 AM and I wanted to make it back to the library for story time by 10:30.

So I sneak in a minute or two early in the Sam's Club business entrance (but nobody stops me because I've got a child in my arms and I'm walking with a purpose), head back to the meat, grab everything else I need and try to coax Emme to walk back towards the checkout with me (because I forgot to grab a cart). The checkout lines are long (what the heck?) and by the time we get through, Emme's starting to lose it. So I scoop her up and scoop my armful of goods up, and rush back to the car.

We cruise home, watching the clock, hoping we'll make it to the library in time. I stop by the house, run the meat into the fridge, grab Emme a few crackers and bee-line it for the library. We get inside and sit down, and the stories have already begun. Unfortunately, Emme is too entranced by the other kids to even sit and listen. She keeps standing up and trying to walk over and talk to the other kids. It's a giant room with probably 20 kids & their parents, and my child is the only one who can't sit still on my lap. How can that be?

She walks up to the front and plucks a book from the pile next to the "storyteller" before I can catch her and bring her back. When I pick her up, she starts to squeal and we have to leave the room after only 3 minutes. Oy. So much for story time. I let her wander the library for a few minutes, but she has more interest in pulling books off the shelves than actually reading them, so we load up and head home.

As I'm pulling in our driveway I realize that my whole purpose in going to the downtown Sam's Club was to pick up those darn Valentines (which I completely forgot) in my haste to rush back to a story-time (that we couldn't even sit through). Ugh.

So happy electronic Valentines Day, everyone!
XOXO

Jungle Jim's

Last week grandma Pace took all the grandbabies to Jungle Jim's for a little outing. We had such a fun time!

The very first ride we went on was the carousel. The kids (Emme included) were literally hanging on the metal fence, begging to go on it while we were getting checked in & putting on wristbands. So we finally hop on and I strapped Emme to a horse, and stood next to her. As soon as the ride started moving, Emme went ballistic! She was clawing at my shirt and screaming, until I finally unstrapped her and picked her up off the horse. She calmed down some, but was so freaked out at something until we got off the ride.

The whole rest of the afternoon, she would point toward the carousel, sputter some (profanity-like) jibberish with an angry brow, and cling to your shirt. Bad, bad horses? We just kept the horses out of view and she was fine.

The rest of the rides were a lot of fun. We were a little more careful with what we put Emme on after that. I had no idea she would freak out, because she did so great in Disneyland. Live and learn!

{Grandma & Nora Jane on the rollercoaster}

{Tucker, Melissa & M on the rollercoaster}

{Emme watching the kids go on the swings}

{Tucker & Nora Jane}

{J & M doing "buzz lightyear!"}

{Riding the jeeps, which are not made for long-legged people}

{So concerned, ha ha! She relaxed after a lap or two}

{Having so much fun she didn't want to leave}

Thanks, Grandma Pace, for such a fun afternoon!!

Test Run

Last week when the sun came out for a day, we took the wagon Emme got for Christmas out for a test run up and down our street. (I see it every time I pull in our garage, and I'll admit, I've been dying to plop her in it and go for a ride.)

Emme had a blast, pointing and jabbering and listening to outside noises. If I stopped to turn around and take a picture, she would fuss as if to say, "faster, mom, faster!"

When we were done, she didn't want to get out of the wagon. She even tried to pull it by herself rather than come inside. We can't wait for spring!