The Spencer Family Spot

Henry At 1 Week

2012-01-31T21:33:00.006-07:00

This little man is such a joy to have around. He's content and snuggly and sweet, and has an adorable dimple when he smiles.

Some first week ramblings....

Nursing has been more difficult this time around. The doctors in the hospital thought Henry was slightly tongue-tied, but they decided to let it be. As a result, his latch is not as good as Emme's was, and I've had quite a bit of cracking & bleeding. Ugh! But I think we're through the worst now.
Henry sleeps like a champ! He does a 4 hour stretch and then a 5 hour stretch at night. Oh how I love your sleeping habits, little man!
I'm not sure I'll ever get used to changing a little boy diaper. I'm just way too slow! Been peed/pooped on more times than I care to remember already. Girls are so much easier!
Henry looks a lot like Emme to me -- he has her same cheeks. He also has her same hairline & cowlick, but in a much lighter color. Perhaps he'll go blonder than Emme did?
Life feels so good lately. I barely keep up on the laundry, and between feeding Henry, myself and Emme, and changing diapers, the whole day is practically full. But it feels so nice. I love being a mom!

I can't wait for these two to become best friends. Emme is going to be the sweetest big sister in the whole world.

Going Home

2012-01-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

I have to say, my recovery after baby #2 was ten million times better than after baby #1. {surprise, surprise} I was up and showered and wearing real clothes and walking around the next day. In fact, Chris and I went a little stir-crazy just sitting there for two days. If it weren't for our Aflac supplemental insurance that forced us to stay 48 hours, I think we would have checked out early. It was so nice to go home!

Visitors

2012-01-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun visitors while we were in the hospital. I wasn't good at taking pictures with all of them, but I did get a bunch when Emme came to visit.

Chris's parents brought her up the day Henry was born. Here she is getting her first look at him when she came in the door, right as the nurse was giving him his first bath.

We were so glad to see her, and she was so glad to see us. I think she could tell something was up but didn't know what, and she missed her mom & dad.

Unfortunately, she didn't care much to see or hold the baby. "Emme, do you want to hold baby brother?" "No, he's too heavy!" Don't know where she came up with that, but we didn't push it any further that night.

Chris's parents brought her up again the next day, and they must have talked him up at home because all she wanted to do was hold him and kiss his head. She was in love with him!

What a sweetheart! And the obsession continues....this girl still can't keep her hands off baby brother. And we love it.

The Birth Story

2012-01-27T20:00:00.001-07:00

{39 week belly pic. Go HERE to see my 39 week pic with Emme.}

At my last doctor's appointment on Thursday the 18th, I was still 1.5cm dilated and 70% effaced, so my doctor went ahead and stripped my membranes in hopes of moving things along before my induction. On Friday I lost my mucus plug (TMI) and had a few contractions throughout the day. That night we dropped Emme off at my inlaws and Chris and saw a movie for one last date night. During the movie I had two or three hefty contractions. I also got woken up by a few really strong ones during the night that night as I slept. I was hoping that these contractions were making some progress! My biggest fear was that being induced would try to force the baby before my body was ready and I didn't want to do that....but I also didn't want a baby with a giant head to tear my body in half again. I felt like we were treading a fine line.

On Saturday, the 21st we got called into the hospital at about 6:20 am for my induction. Chris and I got there around 7:20 and walked into a rather quiet hospital. They'd had a ton of action the day before due to the storm, but that day was rather quiet and I was the only scheduled induction for the day. Hooray! I saw lots of one-on-one attention from the nurses in our future.

They had me change into a gown (but not before I made Chris snap one last belly pic) and got my IV started with pitosin. When they did my initial cervix check before the pitosin, I was at a 2.5cm and 90%, so those contractions from the day before had been making some change. Yay! We decided to wait to call my mom for a few hours, since it could be a long day. Chris and I watched a movie, read news on the ipad and lounged for a good while. I was having contractions 2 minutes apart, but they were easy to take and I had no trouble laughing at the movie right through them. I was feeling them in my lower belly and the tops of my thighs, which was VERY different from the way I felt contractions with Emme in my back (since she was posterior). I had decided I wanted to brave the contractions as long as I could, because I knew with Emme my progress slowed considerably after my epidural. I felt it would be better for myself and for the baby to let my body progress naturally for as long as I could take it.

At about 11:00 am the doctor arrived and decided to check me and break my water. I was only at 3.5cm. Since I was her only delivery for the day, she headed home and gave the nurses instruction to call her when I was complete. Immediately after they broke my water, my contractions got really intense. They stayed 2 minutes apart, but I had to close my eyes and breathe through them. My mom arrived shortly after they broke my water, and it was such a relief to have her there. She helped remind me to breathe and Chris rubbed my legs and let me squeeze his hand.

At about noon I requested the epidural. The contractions were getting painful and I was beginning to get the shakes. By the time the anesthesiologist got in there and did his thing, it was about 12:30 and I was at 7cm. Relief! I could still feel the contractions under my rear (weird), but nothing in my belly. We watched the monitor for a few minutes and my contractions started to plateau, indicating I was in transition. We sent Chris and then my mom off to get some lunch at the cafeteria, to make sure they got fed before the action started.

About 30 minutes after the epidural, the nurse checked me and I was at 10cm. My mom was still in the cafeteria so we texted her to come back when she was done and we waited for her while the nurses prepped the room. They called the doctor and told her I was complete. Given the fact that I pushed for 4 hours with the last one, the doctor told the nurses to have me give a few practice pushes and to call her when the baby was close. They got the room all set up, handed Chris one leg and a nurse the other and instructed me to push when a contraction came. After one push the nurse held up her hand, smiled and said, "That's great, honey, don't push any more! I'm going to call the doctor."

About 30 minutes later the doctor arrived, prepped and ready to catch. After about 4 pushes, Henry George Spencer entered the world at 2:35 pm, right as it started to snow. It was peaceful and calm and beautiful. They laid him on my chest as they rubbed him down and wiped him off. I never got to have that experience with Emme. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. It was so miraculous!

We hugged and kissed and cuddled him for a good long while before they finally took him to be weighed & measured. He was 7 lbs, 14 oz and 21 inches of chubby perfection.

On the way up to recovery, Chris and I thanked our labor & delivery nurses, who were amazing. I told the nurse if all my deliveries could be like that, I would have 10 more! Chris got wide eyes and started to shake his head. :) All in all, the second time around couldn't have been more opposite of the first. I only had one small stitch, and I was up and around and dressed & moving within 24 hours. (With Emme, I literally couldn't stand up straight for three days.) Henry is a champion nurser and sleeper, and such a content baby so far. We are just eating up every moment of his precious existence.

Plus, his awesome timing made for fun birthdays for our family so far:

Annalisa - October 21st
Emmeline - November 21st
Chris- December 21st
Henry - January 21st

We love you, Henry George Spencer! Welcome to our family!

Michelle's Girlfriend Shower

2012-01-19T15:19:00.004-07:00

We threw a surprise girlfriend shower for Michelle this week. We knew she wouldn't let us throw her one if she knew about it, because she'd be embarassed to death about opening lingerie in front of a crowd, so we kept it under wraps and it was so much fun!
Julie pulled out all the stops and made some amazing food, all coordinated to our theme.

Melissa and I made the favors -- which were these lingerie cookies from an idea we found HERE via pinterest. They were super easy and turned out hilariously cute. The girls couldn't stop talking about the "bum" cookies.

If a person could die from blushing too much in one night, Michelle would have this night. It was so funny to watch her open all of her gifts -- it was like she didn't know what to do with her hands half of the time!

Nevertheless, it was a fun night to get together again with all of Michelle's friends from way-back-when. We all got a huge dose of laughter that night.

We're so excited for you, Michelley! Marriage is such an exciting journey, we are just thrilled for you & Jeff. Thank you for letting us embarrass & pamper you for a night!

Mimi's Big Girl Bed & Room

2012-01-19T14:44:00.005-07:00

Emme's big girl bedroom is finally complete and she is in love! It all started with the dresser below, which used to be a natural wood color. It was being unused in our guest bedroom, and I wanted to do painted white furniture for Emme so I thought it would be a perfect, frugal piece.

{Dresser}

I used Creamy by Sherwin Williams and THIS tutorial to paint her dresser & headboard. It took me a long time to do all the coats & everything, and by the time I got to her nightstand I was so pregnant that I asked Chris to finish the painting for me, which he mercifully did. The headboard is Chris's from when he was a little boy (it was also a natural wood color), and the nightstand was a $20 ksl find (but we sold a different nightstand we had for $20 so we broke even. yay!). All in all, her furniture cost us the price of the paint & the glass knobs (which were a splurge) that I got on ebay for about $4.50 a piece. And they're gorgeous! You have to see them in person.

{Nightstand, which still needs knobs added.}

{Headboard}

Next came the bedding. Emme's room is very cold because of our old, uninsulated walls, so I knew I wanted to do a duvet set so she could have a warm comforter. I found THIS tutorial for a DIY knockoff of an Anthropologie duvet set, and I fell in love! It's so girly and feminine, but not overly juvenille. I found two pink twin sheet sets at TJ Maxx for $10 each and adapted the dimensions to a twin bed. I ended up using almost every scrap of fabric between the two sets, but I got the duvet cover, a bed skirt and a pillow sham out of it. Not bad for $20 bucks!

It was time consuming to pin all of the gathered sections, but I think it turned out simply adorable, and it was made with love by Emme's mama, so that makes it special.

I was worried that the transition to a big girl bed would be hard for Emme, but she is doing fantastic! We bought fold-away bed rails so she doesn't fall out at night, but other than that she has had no trouble. She stays in bed when we put her there and she calls to us when she wakes up. I don't think she knows she can actually get out of the bed if she wanted to. Shhh! Let's keep that secret for a while longer, mmmkay?

I love you, Mimi! You are going to be such a great big sister!

38 Week Belly Pic & The Nursery

2012-01-17T13:55:00.006-07:00

{Click HERE to see my 38 week pic with Emme}

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 38w3d (picture taken at 38w0d)
Gender: Boy
Current Cravings: Juice and poultry (as opposed to beef, which I usually crave)
Weight gain: +35 lbs (watch this number climb like mad - I always pack it on right at the end)
Best moment this week: Finishing Emme's big girl bedding! This baby can officially come at any time now.
Worst moment this week: Oh my aching hips & pelvis!
Belly button in or out: Out
Labor signs: Still 1.5 cm, 70% effaced and at a -2 station. A few contractions here and there, but I feel them low in my belly and in the tops of my thighs -- totally different than with Emme. So maybe baby brother won't be posterior like she was?
What I miss: Sleeping.
What I'm looking forward to: Snuggling & smelling a newborn. I can't wait to cuddle this baby!

I'm starting to get a little apprehensive about having a newborn around again. As a toddler, Emme is just so portable and I love it! She sleeps great, has a good schedule and can climb into the car all by herself. How the crap am I going to go anywhere with TWO kids? I don't look forward to dragging that giant infant carseat around all over the place again, but on the other hand I love that newborns sleep a lot and are so easy to take places. At least I won't have to bribe him with fruit snacks while we're at the grocery store?

I'm so excited to have him here, and so eager to have a smoother labor & delivery than last time. They're supposed to call us Friday night and tell us what time to come in Saturday morning for the induction. Then once I get there, they told me I can have the epidural before they even start pitocin, so there's a possibility of never feeling a single contraction. Holy crap, that's going to be so different than last time. It almost feels like cheating! Last time I labored all through the night, but this time it will be daytime, so I realized we should probably bring something to do to pass the time? I have a baby name book (since this baby is still nameless), and some DVD's. Any other suggestions? I also thought we could quiz my mom on her Spanish verbs (more on that later).

In other news, baby brother's room is all ready! He hasn't got much on the wall because I'd like to do a vinyl decal or monogram, but we need to pick a name first. He also doesn't have any curtains because the ones I had picked I decided didn't match close enough so I took them back. I've found a new set, I just need to order them. Oh well. But he's got a bed, an awesome chair that I'm in love with (it rocks AND reclines!) and everything else I can think of. His diaper bag is all packed and my hospital bag is half-packed, so we're more or less good to go.

We've even got a blue little bear for him in his crib. It was a gift from Emme to baby brother so that we can take pictures of him with it in his chair every month. Emme loves to hold it and sit on the chair and talk about baby brother. She's very excited for him to arrive.

{What crib would be complete without beaver-teeth marks from big sister?}

Can't wait for you to get here, little one!

{Yes, baby brother has a U in his window. We indoctrinate early.}

Flower Girls

2012-01-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

My little sister Michelle is getting married in February and all of the nieces get to be flower girls at her wedding. We took them all to get their dresses fitted a few weeks ago and it was so fun. Emme keeps calling her dress a "princess dress." The girls couldn't stop twirling in the mirror and looking at themselves. So magical! We can't wait for Michelle's big day!

37 Week Belly Pic

2012-01-11T15:23:00.002-07:00

{Click HERE to see my 37 week pic with Emme}

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 37w4d (picture taken at 36w2d)
Gender: Boy
Current Cravings: Chicken sandwiches
Weight gain: +34 lbs (watch this number climb like mad - I always pack it on right at the end)
Best moment this week: A sweet twenty-something-year-old cashier at Sam's Club told me I was the cutest pregnant woman she'd ever seen. Probably not true, but it made my day.
Worst moment this week: I can tell baby brother has dropped some more this week. My hips fall asleep and tingle at night, and my pelvis aches when I walk! All good signs, though. The end is near!
Belly button in or out: Out
Labor signs: At 36 weeks I was 1 cm and 50% effaced, but baby brother was floating "high as a kite." At my 37 week appointment all was the same except baby brother is now at a -3 station.
What I miss: Sleeping without my hips aching!
What I'm looking forward to: I'm officially scheduled for induction on January 21st! That means we'll have October 21st (Annalisa), November 21st (Emmeline), December 21st (Chris) and January 21st (baby brother) birthdays in our family. Crazy.

We've got Emme all moved into her big girl bed and the nursery furniture in baby brother's room all ready to go. Emme still hasn't figured out that she can get down from her bed as she pleases, so when she wakes up she simply calls for me. Shhh! Don't tell her yet! It's so nice!

I got all of baby brother's clothes washed this week, his bed is made, his carseat & bundle me are out, and I've got a suitcase laid out on the floor of his bedroom that is slowly filling with my hospital needs. It feels so good to get those things done! Sigh of relief.

I'm still working on sewing Emme's big girl duvet cover, which is taking me much longer than I thought it would. Go figure. So baby brother's got to stay put for a little while longer while I get that done.

And any name suggestions would be welcomed! This baby is still nameless!

New Year's Eve

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

This year for New Year's Eve we had a party at Chris's sister's house with all of the cousins & fam. We had a giant spread of food, including Costco wraps (my favorite), an awesome nacho bar (we're going to have to make this one a tradition!), and tons of other good food. I think I prettymuch snacked the entire night. It was fantastic!

We celebrated the new year at 10:00 pm when we watched the ball drop in New York, because we've got so many little ones. We didn't think they'd make it all the way to midnight! And I probably wouldn't have either, so it worked out perfect.

The kiddos gathered around the TV with all their noisemakers & party paraphernalia to watch the ball drop. My heck, those kiddos can make a racket! They had such a good time.

Emme especially loved all of the party gear. It was like dress-ups but for New Year's eve. She had a hard time parting with them when it was time to leave!

Thanks Flanagans, for hosting such a fun party!!

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him

2011-12-28T15:00:00.002-07:00

Emme got little Buzz & Woody figurines in her stocking this year. She's been toting them around everywhere with her -- to the bathtub, to the breakfast table, to bed, etc.

Today Buzz & Woody (who she couldn't get to stand up) adored the baby Jesus with the rest of the nativity.

I'm going to be sad to put the nativity away this year! I've had so much fun watching Emme enjoy it.

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

On Christmas morning we had to wake Emme up to open presents. We would have loved to sleep in, but such is life with early church.

Santa brought Emme a bike! And a pink present and a blue present! (Exactly what she asked Santa for when she sat on his lap both times.)

The next best thing was the candycane inside her stocking. Go figure.

Emme surveyed the carnage while enjoying her candycane. She got a cinderella dress up, a crown, a wand, some DVD's, a quiet book from mom (more on that soon!), stick on earrings, a sword (at her request) and a few other odds and ends.

Baby brother got a shape sorter and some bibs. Mom got a new cell phone (because her speaker broke on the old one), and Chris got a cool Utah yard sign.

Then we had amazing cinnamon rolls & hot breakfast casserole before rushing off to 9am church. (And we were on time!) Emme loves blessing the food these days. It's always her turn.

I have to say, our sacrament meeting was amazing on Christmas. Maybe I'm just pregnant, but I pretty much bawled through the whole thing. A man in our ward told the story of the song O Holy Night and then sang it. It's my favorite Christmas song ever, but it was especially amazing that day. I cried like a baby!

After church we headed to the Spencers for our annual Christmas brunch. We ate and ate and ate some more. It was awesome. Then we opened presents from the Spencers (sorry, I got lazy with my photos). Emme got a kitchen (yay!), Chris got some new church shirts (yay!) and I got an immersion blender (double yay!).

Later that night we had Christmas dinner with my family. Emme got a slide from Grandma & Grandpa Pace, and some lego duplo blocks which were a big hit. Chris and I got a church book and a really neat statue of Joseph Smith.

It was a special, sentimental Christmas day for us this year. I wish Christmas could be on a Sunday every year, because I love it. Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family this year, even though it was technically a Spencer year. There are going to be some changes in my family soon and we knew we wouldn't be able to all be together again for a while, so we celebrated together this year. (More on that later.)

We all wore our Norwegian sweaters & had our traditional Norwegian feast. Then we passed around the rice pudding and sang Christmas carols. Chris ended up with the pudding that had the almond this year so he won the prize! (Which I promptly ate. So sue me, I'm pregnant!)

Then we sang carols around the Christmas tree and waited for Santa to drop of presents for the great grandchildren on the front porch.

{Emme singing with Grandma}

Santa brought Emme a Cinderella barbie with her very own matching horse. He brought Miyo the Snow White version and Nora Jane the Belle version. Very fitting for those three, I thought.

{Emme fraternizing with Keidra's barbie}

We are sad that this Christmas Eve was the last for us for a while, but we've enjoyed the memories over the years and hope to pass on many of the same traditions to our children!

Happy Birthday Chris

2011-12-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Chris turned the big three-zero this year. He was not super happy about it AT ALL. In fact, I was convinced he was going to have a midlife crisis and buy a motorcycle or something! Luckily, that did not happen. Here is what did...

We had a birthday celebration with the Paces, complete with cake & ice cream. Chris & Melissa share the same birthday, so we celebrated them together. The day wasn't complete without the two little princesses helping to blow out candles. Does it get any better than life with a toddler? I think not.

On Chris's real birthday, he took the day off to relax and enjoy himself, and then later that night we had a quasi-surprise birthday party with his closest friends. I made Milanesa (an Argentine fried steak recipe that my grandmother brought back with her from Argentina in the 50's) all by myself for the first time and it turned out awesome! Made me feel like a bonafide grown-up for the first time.

We spent the night eating and laughing and eating some more.

Mimi and Cambree were there to hang out with us during the evening. Such cute little munchkins!

We played a trivia game that was all about Chris, potato chips, sandwiches and the number 30. It was quite entertaining.

Then later we had the obligatory birthday cake.

{Jeremy & Kelli & baby girl #2!}

{Jessica & Jaron}

{Sam & Jennifer}

{The birthday boy}

Thank you to all of Chris's friends for being so wonderful & coming to celebrate with us so close to Christmas! With the help of your friendship, we avoided the emotional meltdown I was sure would happen that day. :) You guys are the best!

Happy birthday, Chris! We love you & look forward to oodles more birthdays with you!

Santa

2011-12-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Santa came to our ward Christmas breakfast last weekend, and it was a huge hit! He had an amazing beard and everything! Emme couldn't wait to sit on his lap. She promptly recited that she wanted "a bike, a pink present and a blue present" for Christmas. Then she planted a big kiss right on his lips! Love that girl.

Despite the look on her face, she was in heaven! We just caught a funny expression. :)

We also got to sit on Santa's lap again this week at Debbie's house. (The daycare Emme used to go to.) It was so nice of her to let us come visit on their special day. We hope to get those pictures up here in a bit, too.

Temple Square

2011-12-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

We went down to see the lights at Temple Square with Brent & Melissa and their kids a few weeks ago. We parked at the Gateway and rode trax, which was super exciting for the kids. (And even more exciting when we almost drove away without Brent because their stroller wouldn't fit through the door!)

When we strolled onto the grounds, Emme pointed at the temple and yelled "Beauty and the Beast castle!!" Ha ha! We've got princess movies on the brain I suppose. Time for a family home evening lesson on the temple I guess!

The lights were beautiful and Emme & the kids couldn't get enough of them.

Emme really liked seeing the Jesus statue when we went inside the visitor's center. She wanted to climb up on it to get a better look, but unfortunately we wouldn't let her.

Thanks for going with us, Brent & Melissa! It was a fun way to kick of the holiday season!

DIY Stocking Holders

2011-12-20T15:20:00.001-07:00

It's only December 20th and I finally got my stockings hung today! Go, me. In my defense, I did start them in November, I'm just slower than molasses at finishing craft projects. But they turned out pretty cute so I thought I'd share.

When I was decorating for Christmas this year I realized I have a mantel now that the basement is finished (we don't have one upstairs), so I needed some stocking holders . (In the past we've just laid them under the tree because we had no where else to put them!)

I got some inspiration from here and here. Then I went to the craft store and bought some letters to spell the word "Noel," since we've got 4 stockings to hang. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a piece of wood that I had them cut into 8-inch sections for me. I painted the blocks & letters, then sanded the edges and antiqued them with some dark stain. Then I modge podged scrapbook paper onto the blocks, hot glued the letters on, and recruited my hubby to screw on some hooks I found at Target.

I think they turned out pretty cute! All in all I think it cost me around $25 for the whole project, so about $6 per stocking holder. Plus I've got a bunch of wood left from Home Depot to do something else fun with!

Baby Jesus

2011-12-20T15:05:00.003-07:00

I posted this on facebook but neglected to get it up on here...

A week or two ago Emme woke up early one morning. I got her out of her crib and set her down, and she took off running out to the family room. When I got out there, she was kneeling down in front of the nativity, looking at Baby Jesus. This is possibly my most favorite picture of her this year. She is such a sweetheart!

Live Nativity

2011-12-20T14:56:00.004-07:00

My parents had a live nativity at their house this year. Emme and I hung out at my parents house that day so we could be there for the festivities. They had donkeys, camels, sheep, and all sorts of fun animals. Roman guards rode in on horses in full character, there were tents set up with food & hot chocolate & artisans doing their thing, and it was just really neat. I didn't get a good picture of Emme during it all, but here are a few of the scene.

The actual nativity was a sit-down presentation, and they had two sessions -- one at 5:45 and one at 7:00 PM. It was estimated that about 1200 people came to see it that night. Wowsers! They even left the star up on my parents barn for them to light up until Christmas, so every time we pull in my parents driveway, Emme points to it and yells about "baby Jesus" and his "momma and daddy." It was so fun, we hope they do it again next year!

{one of the artisan tents}

{Joseph and Mary on a donkey, approaching the Inn}

{The angels on the hillside, when they broke out in song. Gave me chills!}

{Mary and Joseph in the stable, below the star}

{The whole scene. Look at all those people!}

34 Week Belly Pic

2011-12-20T14:45:00.002-07:00

{Click HERE to see my 34 week pic with Emme}

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 34w3d (picture taken at 34w0d)
Gender: Boy
Current Cravings: Juice
Weight gain: +25 lbs (watch this number climb like mad - I always pack it on right at the end)
Best moment this week: Had a preggo massage last week and it was uh-mazing.
Worst moment this week: Trying to cut my toenails.
Belly button in or out: Out
Labor signs: None. I have a feeling he's staying put!
What I miss: Laying on my stomach.
What I'm looking forward to: We're beginning the bedroom/furniture swap to make way for a nursery this week! Super excited about that. It only took us ~35 weeks to get our butts in gear. Prompt == us.

In other news, week 34 is right about when the serious swelling really began for me last time I was pregnant. But to my surprise, my wedding ring still fits fantastically and my cankles don't look all that bad! I am wearing wide shoes, but they still feel roomy to me -- unlike last time when I felt like they were going to bust wide open when I stuffed my foot in. So all in all, I feel like I'm doing much better with swelling this time around. Score one for baby number two!

Red-Handed

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've got a few craft projects going simultaneously on our kitchen table right now. (Ack! I always try to do too much in December.) There's a wood dowel on the table set aside for a project that Emme just can't forget about. She knows she's not supposed to touch it but she can't help herself.

The other day I was doing dishes and she was quiet for a while, and then I heard her struggling and calling for "help." I found her high-centered on one of the kitchen chairs, with my wood dowel in her hand!

Caught red-handed, the little stinker!

Sharing Buzz & Woody

2011-12-12T14:47:00.001-07:00

Emme is slightly obsessed with our nativity this year. We have a Fontanini set, which I love. (It's possibly the second thing I would grab out of the house in case of a fire, with Emme being the first.) The pieces are beautiful but they're essentially plastic and unbreakable, so Emme can play with them to her heart's content.

I've been teaching her this year that we have to be respectful of the nativity pieces. We talk about Mary & Joseph & baby Jesus and the other characters. She still calls Mary & Joseph the "mom and dad," but she's getting the hang of it. She often brings baby Jesus and his manger to the breakfast table with us, and she shares her food with him and feeds him bottles. But she's never allowed to leave any of the pieces on the floor or throw them disrespectfully. We have to treat them nicely.
A few days ago I came into the family room one afternoon to find Emme had turned on Toy Story on the ipad, laid it on the floor and placed all the wise men and shepherds carefully around it so they were all "watching." She looked up at me and proudly exclaimed that she was "sharing Buzz & Woody with the guys." What a sweet heart! She decided to share her most favorite pastime these days (watching Toy Story) with baby Jesus' friends.

It made me chuckle, but what a sweet gesture from the heart of a toddler.

Emme's Gingerbread Tree

2011-12-09T08:00:00.001-07:00

Emme got a gingerbread kit for her birthday from Grandma & Grandpa Peacock so we put it together for family night. It took about 30 seconds to stack the whole thing, and then another 5 minutes to put a little candy on each branch of the tree. Emme's attention span is only about 4 minutes long these days, so this project was perfect! I'm glad we didn't attempt an actual gingerbread house. Yikes! Maybe next year. :)

And what happened to all the extra frosting, you might ask?

Dad and Emme are what happened to all the extra frosting! Gotta love 'em.

Girlies

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I few weeks ago Emme and I got together with Kelli & Cambree to work on some Christmas gifts. (She's so much craftier than I am!) These girlies had fun playing together while the mamas did their planning & shopping. Sharing is still tricky sometimes, but we're learning and we did pretty good this day.

Third Time's The Charm

2011-12-07T14:40:00.002-07:00

We had Mimi's third and final birthday celebration last Saturday with the Spencer family. It was a Saturday morning brunch where we celebrated all of the November and December birthdays -- which included Hannah, Emme, Chris and Grandma Spencer.

The birthday people got to blow out candles on their pancakes. Emme thought this was a riot.

We did much better at the blowing out this time around.

Then we all sat in a big circle and took turns opening presents. It was hard for Emme to be patient for her turn when she had so many big, enticing presents in front of her! But she did great.

She got a fun Melissa & Doug dress up toy from her cousins that she hasn't stopped playing with. It is so much fun!

She also got a Rapunzel ("Tangled, mama! Tangled!") ornament to hang on our Christmas tree. She still talks about it every day!

We also got some fun new outfits & dresses for the season, as well as a gingerbread tree kit (more on that later).

Emme got an Ariel card from Grandma Spencer that sings "Up Where They Walk" when you open it. Holy smokes, she loves that thing. Five days later she's still carrying it all around and demanding I sing along with it every time she opens it. So fun!

The grand finale of presents was a big chest of dress ups from Grandma & Grandpa Spencer! Her face was so excited when she opened it.

We immediately had to try things on, and we made numerous outfit changes throughout the rest of the morning.

Once Emme was sufficiently entertained with her goods, Chris got to open his presents. He got a new drill, some Phineas & Ferb pez dispensers (which Emme immediately confiscated) and some money (his favorite).

Later in the morning we all gathered around Grandma's new flatulating Santa toy to listen to it do it's thing. The kiddos thought it was hilarious. Definitely one of the highlights of the day.

Another highlight that MUST be pointed out, was watching Uncle Patrick (the die-hard BYU fan) over in the corner secretly reading Grandpa's Utah Football book! What now, Uncle Pat?

Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Spencer for such a fun birthday celebration! We love you!

32 Week Belly Pic

2011-12-07T13:54:00.002-07:00

{Click HERE to see my 32 week pic with Emme}

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 32w4d (picture taken at 32w2d)
Gender: Boy
Current Cravings: Carbs
Weight gain: +20 lbs
Best moment this week: The doctor told me if we wanted this baby here on the 21st of January she'd make it happen. Woot, woot! That means we'll have October, November, December and January birthdays all on the 21st. (But I have a feeling baby #3 won't be quite so lucky, poor thing.)
Worst moment this week: I've somehow pinched my sciatic nerve on one side, so I'm walking with an awesome limp some days. Awesome!
Belly button in or out: Out
Labor signs: None, but Baby Brother is now head-down. (Emme turned head-down at 27 weeks.)
What I miss: Sushi. Oh how I need some sushi.
What I'm looking forward to: Finishing my Christmas shopping. Sooooo close to being done! Then I get to focus on finishing up Emme's big girl bedding & swapping bedrooms to create a nursery for Baby Brother.

Mimi's Big Day

2011-12-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

On Emme's actual birthday I decided to make the day all about her. I stayed up late the night before and got all of my decorating & tidying & to-do's off my list so I could spend the whole next day with her. I woke up early and got all dressed & ready for the day so I'd be ready to do whatever she wanted when she woke up.

As soon as I heard her start talking in her crib, I went in to get her...

I thought it was so cute that she remembered that it was her birthday! (And she still wakes up some days and asks me if it's her birthday, ha ha. It's going to take a while to get a grasp on the concept.)

Then I walked her out to the family room to see the house. The only thing Emme asked for for her birthday was balloons. So I hung some from the ceiling and she got to play with them all morning. (We also picked up some helium-filled ones from Zurchers later in the day....more on that drama below.)

She gets so excited about princess things! Thanks to Melissa for letting us borrow her streamers & banners from Miyo's birthday. They were a big hit. Emme had to show them to everyone who came to our door that day.

I also set her little table with princess plates & kazoos for her and Tiger. (Tiger eats breakfast with us every day, with his own plate & sippy.)

{Seeing her table for the first time}

The other thing Emme loves right now is chocolate coins. (This stems from them being left on our pillows in Disneyland each night.) So I bought her a little pouch of them and left it wrapped on her plate. When she saw the present she was so excited and she asked me, "mama, is it a surprise?" I told her "yes," and she proceeded to close her eyes tight instead of opening it up, ha ha. Because we close our eyes for surprises I guess? Very cute.

When we finally got it open she was so excited. In hindsight, I probably should have waited until after breakfast to let her open it. I was planning on grating some of the chocolate over toast like my mom used to make for us when we were little. (And her mom used to make for her.) But once she saw the coins, she didn't want anything else for breakfast. So chocolate coins it was! Breakfast of champions.

{Nom, nom, nom...chocolate.}

We also had breakfast with Cinderella baby, and we brushed her hair while we ate our coins.

Then we fed her a "baba."

Then we played with our balloons some more.

Later in the morning we headed to Jungle Jim's to play with Miyo & Jameson & Melissa & Grandma. On our way we stopped at Zurchers to pick up a bundle of princess balloons I had ordered. They handed them to me with the cords tied in a loop, like they have every time I've ordered balloons there.

When we got out of the car at Jungle Jim's, I put the balloon loop over my arm and proceeded to unbuckle Emme's carseat. All of a sudden I felt the weight of the balloons disappear from my arm and I looked up to see the knot had come undone and all of her princess balloons were floating away! I hurried and got Emme out of the car so she could watch and wave to them. It was so sad! I think she cried hard enough for the both of us. (Needless to say, on our way home from Jungle Jim's we stopped and bought another set of princess balloons, and all was well with the world again.)

At Jungle Jim's we went on all the rides. The picture of Emme on the swings was taken just before it started going and she started screaming, ha ha! This girl was so brave at Disneyland but it took her a while to warm up at Jungle Jim's.

I even went on the Jeep ride by myself to show Emme how fun it was. (And let me tell you, it's super fun to squeeze into those cars with a pregnant belly.)

Mostly Emme and Jamers wanted to drive these video game cars, but we finally peeled them away and got them to try some other rides.

Emme said she'd go on the rockets but only with Grandma. They did it twice and she loved it!

Since we were the only ones there, we all rode the bumper cars, with the agreement not to "bump" the car with Annalisa & Emme in it. It was one of the most fun rides we did.

All of the grandkids requested to ride the teacups with Grandma, ha ha! I think we gave Grandma a run for her money that day.

After Jungle Jim's we hit up McDonalds for lunch. Emme had been requesting "fries and chocolate milk," so we obliged. Only once we got there, she wanted soda instead of chocolate milk, and since it was her birthday I let her have soda.

After we'd had our fill of nuggets & fries, we came home for some naps.

We watched Toy Story for a few minutes while we laid by our helium-filled princess balloons.

After naps, Emme woke up to me finishing the frosting on her cupcakes. (I asked her if she wanted a cake or cupcakes, and she said cupcakes.) We went with the funfetti variety and pink frosting. They were a hit! She couldn't keep her mouth off of them - she kept licking the frosting off the tops. So we had one cupcake before dinner, and then we ate pizza (Emme's other favorite food).

We had to eat on princess plates, of course. And Emme wanted to watch Toy Story on the ipad while we ate, so we propped it up on the table and did just that.

After dinner we had the real birthday cupcake. Chris lit a princess candle in two of them, one for each year. She loved it when we sang to her.

She had some trouble blowing out the candles, so dad assisted. (Could it be because she makes the "f" sound with her mouth when she blows instead of the "o" sound? It's pretty funny.)

After cupcakes we opened presents. Mimi got some gloves...

A jewelry holder for all her many necklaces... (There are two birds on her jewelry holder. If you ask her what their names are, she'll tell you "Emme" and one of the names we've been considering naming Baby Brother. Don't know where she came up with that!)

Some butterfly dress-up wings...

And also a new pair of tennis shoes. (Boring, I know...but that's what happens when your birthday comes 4 days before black friday. You have to wait for Christmas for the good stuff!)

Happy birthday to my special girl! I love you so much!

Happy Birthday Emme

2011-12-02T15:15:00.004-07:00

So, our child is definitely spoiled by having both grandparents live so close. She got three birthday celebrations this year, and she loved every minute of it!

First we celebrated the day before her birthday at Sunday dinner with the Pace family. All three little girls disappeared downstairs after dinner and came back up in princess dressups. (And with a harmonica, for some reason???) It was fitting that Emme ended up in the Cinderella costume.

{Goin' to TOWN on that harmonica.}

{How sweet are these three little faces?}

When Emme started to open presents, all of the little kids were more than happy to help. First she got a Toy Story DVD, because we've been obsessed with "Buzz & Woody" ever since Disneyland. Yay!

She also got a Cinderella Princess baby doll, which was a HUGE hit. (Thank you, Costco.)

Her favorite part is holding up the little mirror so Cinderella can look at herself in it. She'll literally hold it there completely still for like 30 seconds at a time. It's hilarious. If you try to talk to her while she's doing it, she'll look at you like, "What? Can't you see I'm busy!"

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Pace for the yummy birthday cake and fun presents. We love you so much!

30 Week Belly Pic

2011-11-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

{Click HERE to see my 30 week pic with Emme}

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 30w2d
Gender: Boy
Current Cravings: Bagels
Weight gain: +17 lbs
Best moment this week: After reading the results of my gestational diabetes test, my doctor told me my counts were so low that I have her permission to finish off Emme's Halloween candy stash and eat as much sugar as I please. Booya! :)
Another best moment this week: We were looking at a book of all of my belly pics from Emme and I stood up and asked Chris to compare my belly to the coordinating photo from before. He told me I looked the exact same, bless him. Even though I feel way bigger!
Worst moment this week: Trying to decide which was the lesser of two evils on Sunday morning -- wearing maternity pantyhose (heaven help me) or having to bend down and shave my legs. Ugh!
Belly button in or out: Out. It even grosses Emme out these days. ("What's that?" Like she doesn't even recognize it.)
Labor signs: None. And baby brother is still transverse. (Emme turned head-down at 27 weeks.)
What I miss: Sushi.
What I'm looking forward to: The holidays! I think they are going to absolutely fly by before I even know it.

Fall Portraits

2011-11-18T21:09:00.015-07:00

We had some fabulous Spencer family photos taken this year by AMB Photo Company. I think they turned out great! I can't wait to get our Christmas cards ordered.

Silver Lake

2011-11-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we drove up to silver lake on a Sunday afternoon for some fresh air. It was beautiful! We went numerous times last fall but she didn't remember, so it was like the first time for her all over again. So fun!
We walked past some people fishing who had just caught a little fish and they let Emme touch it. She loved it! The whole rest of the way around the lake we had to look for fish in the water.

Chris taught Emme how to throw sticks in the water, and that was also a huge highlight. Go figure.

Pregnant Brain & Nesting

2011-11-12T17:30:00.003-07:00

The other day I made some really yummy chili & cornbread for dinner. When Chris got home I showed him how I'd used up the last of our garden-grown red and green peppers that had been lingering on the counter. I was so proud of myself!

"How many jalapenos did you put in the chili?" he asked me, wide eyed. Jalapenos? Those little red peppers were jalapenos? Oops. I had mistaken them for small red peppers. (But in my defense, we had some itty-bitty sized everything from our garden this year, so how's a girl to know?) I'm going to chalk it up to pregnancy-brain.

We ended up having to cook something else for Emme that night because the chili was just way too spicy for her. (At least 6 jalapenos went into it!) For Chris and I, it was bearable, and still delicious.

However, the next day I tried to have a bowl for lunch and only made it about halfway through before my mouth couldn't take the heat anymore. Oy.

{cringe}

Then a few days ago I got the cleaning bug. Does that ever happen to you? It happens to me in one or two hour blurs lately. I'm chalking it up to nesting. We're going to be doing some furniture swapping between rooms here shortly (at least I hope it happens shortly....) to get the nursery ready. Emme's bow drawer has been hanging over my head. She's got an entire drawer in her dresser just full of hair bows, and you can never find what you need so you end up using the ones on top over and over again.

While she napped this week, I nested and made some bow holders to get her bows in order once and for all. I made them half-closet-length so they wouldn't hit her organizer below. I estimated I'd probably need two, from the looks of her drawer.

{Ahh.}

Wrong! I needed four to hold all of her bows -- and that's after I purged a bunch that were ugly/broken/we'd never worn. Sheesh! How is it possible that there are still days I get her dressed and feel like I don't have a bow to match the outfit?

Happy 'Ween!

2011-11-04T09:00:00.001-06:00

The weeks before Halloween, we packed our schedule full of fun activities. Emme and I went to a few different library halloween events around the valley, Spookapalooza, Gardner Village, Discovery Gateway, and Boo at the zoo. It was fun to have so many free, kid-friendly activities available before it got cold!

On halloween, we went to a special trick-or-treat event at our library. They had games & crafts, halloween stories and trick or treating at all of the circulation desks. It was very fun and Emme did much better during story time than she did last time. :) We even ran into about 6 other families from our ward there. What a party!

{Owen, Rylie, Samara & Emme}

Then later in the day we hit up the trunk or treat at Grandma Spencer's ward. I think this was where Emme finally got the hang of things. All I have to do is hold up my bucket, and they fill it with candy!! It was fun to see everyone from Chris's old ward, and of course all of Emme's cousins & grandma Spencer.

We also visited Grandma Pace to do a little trick or treating and show her Emme's costume before we hit the neighborhood.
Emme was pretty excited about her full size candybar that was now in her bucket. :)
Then later that night, we went around a few streets in our neighborhood with Sawyer & Graham. It was so fun to visit while the kiddos were running door to door. Emme had trouble saying "trick or treat" but she got the hang of yelling "Happy 'ween!" as she ran away from each door. It was pretty cute.

What a fun time we had this year! We can't wait for next. :)

Flanagan Halloween Party

2011-11-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

We had the annual Flanagan halloween party again this year, and it was a blast, as always. There was a selection of yummy soups, butter beer to drink (from Harry Potter!) and pumpkin doughnuts for dessert. All the kiddos dressed up in their costumes for a group photo op. Then later, there were fun halloween crafts for the kiddos and a fun goody bag (that Emme is still playing with). Thanks to the Flanagans for such a fun party, again!

The Witches

2011-11-04T08:20:00.000-06:00

I finally got all my Halloween pictures downloaded, so I'm going to hurry and get them all up here before Halloween gets away from me!

A few weeks before Halloween, Melissa invited us to go see the witches at Gardner Village. I'd never been before! It was really fun, and Emme loved finding all the witches and laughing at what they were each doing.

{suckers during a snack break}

We tried to get them all to sit on the bench by this witch and that was not happening. She was way too scary.

Grandma came with us to help watch over Jamers (while he had his cast on) and Melmo (who can take off so fast you'd never know what hit you!). I love this cute photo of grandma holding hands with the girls.
After a yummy cookie from the bakery, we were set for the day. Such fun! We'll definitely go again next year.

The Happiest Place On Earth

2011-11-02T08:45:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of October we went to Disneyland with my parents & siblings. It's taken me a few weeks to gather all the photos from various cameras, but here it is. Major picture overload!!

We stayed at the Grand Californian hotel, which is right next to California Adventure and has its own entrance into the park. It was amazing!
Emme's favorite things about the hotel were A) the chocolate coins with Disney characters they left on your pillow every night (she's still playing with them) and B) the TV in the lobby that plays fun old Disney cartoons 24-7 with itty bitty rocking chairs set up in front of it. We walked past it every day, and every day she asked to go sit and watch "doofy."

{Jamers, Emme and Melmo all in the zone}

Our first day in the park we took a giant family photo of the whole group with all our Disney t-shirts on that Julie designed. She made them all with her Cricut using iron-on vinyl and they were so cute! We got compliments on them all day long.

Chris's shirt had a block U, Emme's shirt had a zebra print Mickey with a bow, and my shirt had the Mickey on my belly, with a blue pacifier for baby brother.

My parents shirts both said "Happiest Grandma/Grandpa on earth" and their Mickeys both had reading glasses on. (My dad's reading glasses were way down low like he wears them on his nose - hilarious!)
Jamers and Brent had matching Lightning McQueen shirts, and Melissa and Melmo had matching purple sparkly bows on theirs.

Michelle's Mickey was a basketball with a bow on it, Stu's Mickey had a blue moustache (his inside joke), and Amy and Stella had matching bows with sparkly stars all over the front.

I didn't get a picture of Daniel & Julie's family somehow (ergh), but Daniel & Tucker & Graydon had matching DC logos on their shirts, and Julie & Nora Jane had matching classic Mickeys with red bows.

I also missed Nate & Brooke, and Nate had a block U like Chris and Brooke had a classic Red polka dot Mickey with a black bow. Very cute.

After the photos were done, we took off for the rides! We headed to Fantasyland first, to get the kiddos excited. Perhaps it was a mistake to take Emme on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride first (which is dark and twisty), because she clung to me the entire rest of the day on every ride...including the train. Is this girl claustrophobic or something? She did NOT want to get in that cage!

Trying to soothe her fears with fruit snacks. It almost worked.

Next we went on It's A Small World. Emme had me in a bear hug across my chest the entire ride, poor thing. We should have gone on it again later in the week because by then when she had warmed up I think she would have loved it!

The kiddos were in HEAVEN in Toon Town. Emme just couldn't believe we were actually in Mickey's house!! It was by far the highlight of the trip for me to watch her excitement when we saw characters out on the street and during the parades. What fun!

The line to see Mickey himself wasn't very long so we hopped in and waited. Chris was off gathering fast-passes for the group and he missed it. But Emme was in awe. She was so excited to see Mickey and not scared one bit. She gave him a huge hug (she's still got her arm around him in this photo -- she didn't want to let go!)

Later in the afternoon I took Emme back to the hotel for a nap. (The absolute best thing about having the hotel so close was the ability to take our much-needed naps every day!) Since my preggo self can't go on many rides, Chris opted to stay out with my siblings and go on rides while we napped. Julie and Stella had never been to Disneyland before, so he told me he was being a good brother-in-law by making sure they got on some good rides that day. ;)

This is a picture from Tower of Terror, the ride Chris loves to hate. He loves it, but it scares the crap out of him, ha ha! So fun.

Every night we all gathered for a big dinner either in the park or out in Downtown Disney. This night we ate at Tortilla Jo's. Yum! Their guacamole is amazing.

After dinner we headed over to see World of Color at California Adventure. Chris & I missed it last year because Emme couldn't make it that late, so we were excited to see it this year. It was an amazing show! Emme loved pointing out Ariel and Buzz & Woody as we watched.

The next morning was our early-entrance morning (the perk you get for staying at a Disneyland hotel). We busted our butts and got there right as the gates opened and headed straight for Peter Pan and the fantasyland rides. Of course, the carousel is always a favorite of the kids. We probably rode the carousel 4 times while we were there.

Then Emme and I got in line for Dumbo, because it was a ride I could do with her. Yay! She loved that we were flying in the air. Uppa down, uppa down, she'd say.

Then we let Grandma & Melissa take Emme with them on the teacups. I knew I'd lose my breakfast if I went, and Chris gets sick on spinning rides (even the carousel). She had a blast!

{Grandma & Grandpa with the kiddos. Perhaps the best smiling picture of Emme we got the whole trip.}

Next we hit Toon Town again. Who can resist the my-sized couches for the kiddos to sit on?

Emme finally started to warm up and loved the Buzz Lightyear ride. She's in love with Buzz & Woody, so I let her help me shoot with my gun (as evidenced by our scores...). However, it should be noted that on the Toy Story ride in California Adventure, I nearly beat Chris one-handed the first time we rode the ride, all with Emme's help. :)

Next we rode Autopia, because Jamers is in love with cars. He was in heaven! Melissa & Brent weren't allowed to touch the wheel at all while he drove. It was hilarious to be behind them and watch their heads jerk side to side while Jamers was steering.

We headed over to California Adventure to hit the Toy Story ride. Chris & Melissa had both been hankering for a giant turkey leg all week, so we bought them and ate them while waiting in line. They were huge!

Chris showing Melissa how it's done.

The "Ariel ride" was one of Emme's favorites. I think we did it 3 or 4 times while we were there. Every time was just as exciting as the first for Emme!

The other big favorite was the Winnie the Pooh ride. The night we trick or treated with Mickey, Chris went on Splash Mountain with my parents twice in a row and Emme and I went on Winnie the Pooh, which is nearby, at least 3 times. She loved the part where Pooh gets stuck in the honey -- it was hilarious to her. I think it's sort of a strange, psychedelic ride but Emme loved it.

Right after dinner we caught the Main Street parade. Emme was in heaven! She watched in awe and would jump up and down and wave and reach for all the characters as they went by.
Among her favorites are Ariel, Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, Buzz & Woody, and for some odd reason...Captain Hook & Smee. (I think it must have to do with Jake & The Neverland Pirates that we watch sometimes?)
Chris wanted to see Emme visit Mickey again since he missed it the first time, so we headed back to his house one night and the wait was only like 5 minutes. When they opened the door and let us into his room, Emme was in shock for a second, and then yelled "Mickey!"

This time she knew the drill and she knew she got him all to herself for a few minutes. So what did she want to do? Kiss his nose, over and over. She couldn't take her eyes off him. This, my friends, is what it's all about. What other vacation could you take that would be so thoroughly enthralling for a toddler?

It was the best part of the trip for me, and she still talks about it. If someone asks her about when we went to Disneyland, the first thing she says is "kiss Mickey's nose!"

The next day we decided to hit our favorite rides again. We hit Autopia once more for Jamers.

And we hit Toy Story once more (so Chris could redeem his score, which he did). This time we were all about business. We wedged Emme in between us and locked her in with our knees so we'd both have two hands free for shooting. Chris beat me, fair and square. :)

Later that night we had dinner at the pizza place in Downtown Disney before we headed over to trick or treat with Mickey. Grandma bought these awesome buckets that lit up for the kids. Emme couldn't resist putting it on her head, and the other kids naturally followed suit.

We put Emme's elmo costume on at the last second because it was like 80 degrees out, and it only stayed on her for about 15 minutes before she was sweating to death in it. But she sure was cute!

Once inside the park, there were little trick or treat paths set up and roped off in the dead space between rides. One station would have three or four stands of candy inside it, where workers would put a handful of candy in your bucket. After hitting only two stands, our buckets were over half full, so we called it good. Emme was in heaven.

They even had packages of apple slices and princess fruit snacks mixed in with the candy, which I thought was nice for the kids. But Emme truly loved the chocolate.

{I love my candy THIS much!}

We parked it on the curb with our candy and waited for Mickey's Halloween parade, which was awesome.

I was skeptical about the additional cost of the trick or treating night, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think I'd do it again! It was less crowded than it had been during the day, and I thought the trick or treating was set up really well. We had a great time that night.

This might be my favorite picture from the trip. It captures Emme so well -- reaching out and waving to all the characters as they walked by. I'm sure this trip was the highlight of her life so far! She couldn't have loved it more.

Big thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Pace for taking us on such a fun trip! We love you!

27 Week Belly Pic

2011-10-29T21:36:00.003-06:00

{Click HERE to see my 28 week pic with Emme}

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 27w0d (26w5d in this picture)
Gender: Boy
Current Cravings: McDonalds for breakfast. And I'm hungry at night like crazy.
Weight gain: +15 lbs
Best moment this week: Emme asks me to sing her a song in baby brother's chair (which is in her room temporarily until baby brother's room is set up) before she goes to bed each night. It's very sweet.
Belly button in or out: Out. Happened about 4 weeks earlier than last time. Sheesh!
Labor signs: Braxton Hicks here and there.
What I miss: Being able to put my socks on comfortably
What I'm looking forward to: Halloween & the holidays! Emme and I have been having so much fun at Spookapalooza, Boo at the Zoo, fun library events, etc. I love this time of year!

Discovery Gateway & Some Lipstick

2011-10-25T14:55:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago we went to Discovery Gateway with grandma and some cousins. Emme just can't get enough of this place! We could spend hours there. I'm thinking we might need a season pass next year.

Later in the morning, grandma taught Jamers how to put on chapstick, and then she taught Emme how to put on lipstick.

Thank goodness for Grandmas!!

Ten Fingers, Ten Toes

2011-10-20T10:45:00.000-06:00

This video is for Grandma! Emme is in love with her new book that Grandma gave her, so much that she can repeat some of the phrases from it. (Yes, we've read it that many times!)

Airplanes & Counting

2011-10-20T10:30:00.001-06:00

During conference a few weeks ago I was sitting on the couch by Emme when she climbed up onto the arm, stretched herself out on her stomach and exclaimed -- "Wook, mama! Airplane!"

This girl cracks me up. Where does she come up with this stuff? So silly!

Aquarium

2011-10-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Emme and I have really been enjoying our aquarium membership this year. It's a quick stop for a fun way to kill an hour or so, and after all the kids went back to school we practically have the place to ourselves!

The penguins were super active on this day, jumping in and swimming all around and jumping back out!

Notice Emme's beautiful necklace? She's very into pretty things these days, and we can't leave the house unless she's got her accessories on. Our neighbor Rae made this necklace for her and she adores it. Emme also brings me her bottle of pink nail polish at least once a week with the request to "paint this" (as she points to her fingers).

Frogs and snakes continue to be a few of Emme's favorite creatures these days. We couldn't leave without taking a picture on the frog!

Taylor Swift Concert Part Deux

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

I was lucky enough to be able to go to the Taylor Swift concert with my sisters & Stella this year! Our seats were nothing like they were last time, but we loved it nonetheless.

(Have I introduced Stella before? Stella is my sister Amy's friend from Argentina who is living with my parents & siblings while she goes to LDS Business College. Amy became friends with her in high school when she was a foreign exchange student that lived with one of our neighbors.)

We started the evening off right by having dinner at Molcasalsa, and then we headed downtown to the concert. Here is Amy's excited face!

We met up with Stella, who came right from school for the concert.

{Stella & Amy}

{Michelle & Annalisa}

Inside the concert, once it got going...

{not sure how this ended up blurry!}

Amy was super excited about her Taylor Swift t-shirt that she bought at the concert.

The concert was very theatrical, just like last time. Michelle described it as a broadway musical that didn't have a plot. Fairly accurate, I'd say. She had dancers, acrobats, trapeze artists, actors, etc that portrayed each song while she sang. I wish there had been a little more real, unscripted monologue from her between songs, but oh well.

She sang a song from Neon Trees at the back of the arena.

Girl gone crazy. She got in this little balcony that all of a sudden took off on pulleys and flew around the whole arena. Nuts!!!

Thanks girls, for such a fun night! Can't wait to go see her again next time she comes!

(And if you're wondering when that will be -- just ask me if I'm pregnant. If I am, Brandi Carlile and Taylor Swift will both be coming to Salt Lake, because they only ever come when I'm preggo. So now you know.)

Under The Bus

2011-10-19T15:50:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago on a Saturday morning we were lounging around in our pajamas on mom & dad's bed, watching some cartoons and relaxing. As I stood up to go get us some breakfast I lovingly swatted Chris on the behind. This is kosher, right? It was really more of a love-pat. (However, it should be noted that we have a zero tolerance policy at our house for any sort of hitting, and it results in an immediate timeout.)

Chris looks up from reading the news on the ipad, turns to Emme with a gleam in his eye and says "Did you see that, Emme? Mama hit!" Emme replies back "Mama hit? Timeout!" And points to the corner sternly. Chris, quite pleased with himself, chimes in and agrees "Yup, Mama has to go to timeout."

What's a mother to do? I was left no choice but to walk over to the corner with my tail between my legs and take my turn in timeout. Chris laughed and laughed from the bed with Emme. (But it should be noted that I did make the most of it by displaying proper corner behavior and delivering a sincere apology and hug after I did my time.)

Does your hubby ever throw you under the bus?

Emme at 21 and 22 Months

2011-10-18T15:00:00.001-06:00

I just realized I never got around to posting these. Ack! Better late than never.

21 months (August)...

22 months (September)...

(this one is going on canvas on Emme's wall in her new big girl room)

My Favorite Shabby Apple Dress + $10 Off

2011-10-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

Shabby Apple is one of my favorite dress shops these days. They make cute, modest, affordable dresses and I love that I never have to add a cardigan to make them "work."

Shabby Apple just released a new line of called the Sidesaddle collection. I'm in love! My favorite dress right now would have to be the Side Saddle dress itself -it's so whimsical and feminine. I love it! (Just give me a few months to push this baby out and it's all mine.)

Right now, in honor of Halloween, you can get $10 off any orange or black dress at Shabby Apple when you enter code TREAT at checkout!

Listen up, bloggers: You can get a free $10 gift card to Shabby Apple for writing a post about your favorite dress! Simply add the Shabby Apple button to your blog, write your post and then email jlebaron{at}shabbyapple{dot}com with your link!

23 Week Belly Pic

2011-10-03T15:20:00.000-06:00

It's about time, no?

{Click HERE to see my 21 week pic with Emme}

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 23w2d (21w2d in this picture)
Gender: Boy
Current Cravings: Nothing. Not even junk. (Which is so unlike me.) But yet I'm hungry all the time.
Weight gain: +7 lbs
Best moment this week: Staying up late one night and it made me so tired I slept all through the night without having to get up and go to the bathroom! Bliss. Oh, and having to add THIS to my wardrobe. About 6 weeks earlier than last time around. Ugh, not so blissful.
Belly button in or out: In
Labor signs: Zilch
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach
What I'm looking forward to: Getting the nursery set up (which means swapping Emme's crib furniture into the new nursery and getting her a big-girl bed).

Once the morning sickness finally left, I've been feeling so good. I'm just itching to clean-clean-clean. Probably because nothing got cleaned for like 3 months while I laid on the couch. So there is much to do.

Emme is going to be the sweetest big sister, I can already tell. She talks about the "baby brover" in mama's tummy all the time. We've already discussed how she wants to give baby brother her crib when he comes so she can have a big girl bed, and also how she's going to give baby brother her diapers when he comes so she can have her (my little) pony panties. What a sweetheart.

We bought a chair for the nursery a few weeks ago and it's set up in Emme's room while we get the nursery next door ready for it. Every morning when I get her out of the crib she points to brother's chair and talks about it. She calls it pretty and wants to sit on it all the time.

Perhaps the funniest part of Emme's association with brother is where exactly he is inside mama right now. If I ask her to point to baby brother, she walks over and pokes my boob. Um, not quite, but my family thinks it's hilarious! My neighbor pointed out that right now, those are still bigger than my stomach, so maybe it's confusing to her? Lets hope she gets the hang of it as baby brother grows!

Tigers Hit

2011-09-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

Emme and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather this week and head to the zoo for a morning. The temperature was perfect and the crowds were nonexistent (since all the kids are back in school now). Yay!

We got to do a few of the things we never do at the zoo in the summer (because it's just too crowded), like sit on the wooden horses. Who knew they were so exciting?

Emme was super excited about the giraffe's for some reason. She even requested a picture by them. (No joke.)

All summer long the tiger's have been MIA when we go to the zoo. Either they're cleaning the cages or the tigers are sleeping way up in the woods because of the heat. When we stopped by today, BOTH tigers were in their pool, splashing and playing with each other. It was so neat!

At one point, the tigers were playfully swatting at each other with their paws.

This is Emme being very disturbed that the "tigers hit." Because at our house, hitting = timeout. It was very upsetting, and she talked about it the whole rest of the day, ha ha.

We've also never ridden the train before, so we decided to go for a ride today. Emme had a blast, as she loves trains and cars. I couldn't even get her to look at the camera -- there was too much else to see.
And of course, no zoo visit would be complete without mom sitting in the shade on a bench while Emme splashes in the water-ball-thingy.

Golfing & TV's

2011-09-29T17:15:00.003-06:00

We attended the annual PMBA Golf Tournament again this year. It's always fun to get to catch up with Chris's friends/study buddies from MBA school. The men get to golf all day and the wives join for dinner and a short program with prizes. Such fun!

{Seth & Sarah & baby #3}

{Chris & Annalisa & baby #2}

{Collin & Jacci}

{Andy & Janeal}

I don't want to say this was the highlight of the evening -- because we all know how much I love to chat it up with the ladies -- but Chris won the grand prize in the raffle that night.

A new TV! We've been watching TV in our bedroom on a tiny little 12-incher because it's never a priority to pimp out your own bedroom when you've got kiddos on the way. Chris was so excited about it that he ripped it open and set it up in our bedroom that very night, and we stayed up til almost midnight watching TV on our glorious screen. Wohoo. Can't wait for next year's tournament!

You Know You're A Mom When...

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

You know you're a mom when you've caught warm puke from your child's mouth in the palm of your hands.

And then you praise yourself for being such a good catch!

Yup, that happened this day.

And also this day, we woke up from our nap in a pile of said puke. Too bad mom wasn't there to catch it that time! Poor little thing.

Cheese!

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

That is all.

Melanie Rice Photography Portrait Session Giveaway!

2011-09-14T14:40:00.002-06:00

Chris's cousin, Melanie Rice, is hosting a photography session giveaway on her blog! It runs now through Saturday at 10 PM. Go HERE to enter.

Melanie did Emme's 6-month photo shoot, and I just loved how the photos turned out. She is so talented! And her newborn sessions are absolutely to die for!

Basement

2011-09-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

We never took finished pictures of the basement family room we finished last fall, but here are a few that we took just recently. The company who did the gas fireplace asked for a picture of us by it to use on their website, so this is what he got. (A photo taken of us by propping the camera up on the treadmill and using the self-timer, ha ha.)

Chris and I rarely have pictures with both of us in them, and when we do we both rarely look good and/or happy. So this one ended up being worthy of the blog. :)

It's a Boy!

2011-09-12T15:00:00.001-06:00

We had our ultrasound this morning (20 weeks, 2 days) and found out baby #2 is a boy!! I had been feeling boy all along, but Chris was in shock! He was sure it was another girl. Thanks to both grandmas for taking the time to come share the excitement with us.

We also brought Emme along and she was so excited. She'd been talking all morning about the doctor checking out mama's tummy. And after we found out it was a boy, she's been jabbering on and on about her "brover in mama's tummy." She's baby-crazy right now and just can't get enough. I think she's going to be such a great big sister & helper.

The little guy was SO wiggly during the ultrasound. He kept trying to "push" the wand away and rolling over every time it nudged him where he didn't like it. So it actually took the tech a few tries to get some of the measurements she needed. But in the process, we got to see the little guy clasp both hands behind his head (like Chris would as he lays on the couch). It was hilarious!

{foot}

I won't post the photo that confirms the gender, because Chris gets all weirded out about posting the naughty-bits for the world to see. But suffice it to say, it's definitely a boy.

{profile}

We even got some super cute profile shots of the little bubba, which we never got with Emme because she always had a hand up by her face. Yay for cute little profiles!

{profile}

I asked Chris how he was feeling about having a boy this time, and he said he is nervous. We've got the girl thing pretty down but the boy thing will be all new territory. I say Chris doesn't know yet how much he's going to love having a cute little biking buddy & football watching budding who loves him to death. We can't wait!!

The Cabin

2011-09-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we went on a little weekend getaway with our friends to Jessica's cabin in Heber. It was so fun! We ate (a ton) and played games and went to dinner and had a blast. (Thanks to Jessica for always having her camera on hand!)

One day the boys went biking and the girls got crafty. Here are some of the finished products.

Then later (after the boys had showered), we decided to treat them to pedicures from their lovely wives. It was a lot of fun.

Thanks Snarrs, Whitneys and Baths for such a fun weekend! Can't wait for next year!!

Arms

2011-09-07T16:15:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we were playing over with Tucker & Nora Jane for the morning. Everyone else's toys are always way more fun than the ones you have at home, right? Emme sat over on the carpet playing with Mr. Potato Head very intently for a good 15 minutes. I was very impressed! It made me think I should buy one if it could entertain her that long.

When she was done she brought it to me and it looked like this...

Apparently Mr. Potato Head has five arms. Perhaps we need a few anatomy lessons at our house?

The Zoo

2011-09-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we went to the Zoo with my cousin Emily & her kids, and my sister-in-law Melissa and her kids. (I stole these off Emily's blog because we all forgot our cameras except her!)

Emme had such a good time! It was way more fun to see the animals in the company of good friends.

Ducks & Ice Cream & Slides...Oh My!

2011-09-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

When Chris went to a concert a few weeks ago, we hung out with Grandma & Grandpa Spencer for the evening. First we fed the ducks, because no evening is complete in Emme's book without feeding the ducks. In her mind, all bread is "toast" because that's how we eat it for breakfast. So she yells "toast, ducks!"while she throws bread to them.

{Cheering for herself}

After we fed the ducks we had ice cream at McDonalds, and Grandma bought Emme a "murf."

{Emme holding her Smurf}

Then we went down the slide at a nearby park, ad nauseum.

What a perfect night. Ducks, ice cream, slides and Grandma & Grandpa -- Emme's four favorite things. I think we made Chris a little jealous of our fun while he was at his concert!

Lounging

2011-09-01T13:30:00.001-06:00

I found Emme lounging in the family room one day like this, with one leg propped on her other knee. You know, just hanging out with Dora and some fruit loops. She must have seen Chris or I lay like that before. Cute little stinker!

The Wall = 1, Emme = 0

2011-08-30T14:42:00.003-06:00

I've never seen anyone walk right into a wall the way she did. Amazing. Luckily, her dome bounces back rather quickly, and fruit snacks & snuggles heal the soul.

Sprinklers & The Garden

2011-08-23T14:21:00.002-06:00

We're always looking for after-dinner festivities to keep this child entertained. Turning on a sprinkler and then laying on the grass while she runs through it has been a favorite of ours this summer, for sure.

And yes, we are THAT family that lets their child run through them in just a diaper. But we usually stick to the back yard, if that's any consolation.

We got a little more serious about our garden this year than we have in years past. After three failed attempts at growing our own tomatoes, Chris enlisted the help of his friend Sam to make things happen. And it's looking great so far!

We have an Early Girl tomato plant...

A Roma tomato plant...

Another variety I can't remember...

And a tomatillo plant...

Plus a Zucchini plant... (I highly recommend the Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe from the Our Best Bites cookbook!)

And we've got four pepper plants. Our tomatoes have been a little slow to come on but we've had real live homegrown crop from our own yard already and it's amazing! I don't know what it is about tomatoes fresh from the yard, but they can't be beat.

While You Were Sleeping

2011-08-23T14:15:00.003-06:00

While I was sick for many weeks, I did a lot of laying on the couch. One morning Emme woke up earlier than usual, so I stumbled out to the family room with her in my unisom-induced haze, and turned on a cartoon before I promptly fell back asleep on the couch.

I awoke to her yelling "help," and this is what I found....

I'm not exactly sure how she stacked the chairs like that all by herself, and then managed to climb all the way on top of them. But I think it scared her sufficiently enough that she hasn't done it again since. Phew!

Join Samantha's Fight!

2011-08-17T14:30:00.001-06:00

This summer, in addition to being sick and pregnant, I've been helping plan a fundraiser for my sweet 7 year old neighbor, Samantha, who has cancer. It's been incredibly fulfilling and incredibly busy!

Her event takes place this Saturday in Herriman (click the flier for the address). There will be dinner, a bake sale, live and silent auctions, and entertainment by Big Budah! Plus, the kids corner (which is what I have been in charge of) is going to be amazing. We will have face painting, balloon animals, carnival food & games, a bouncy slide, a petting zoo & reptile show, and much more.

So if you're around on Saturday night and looking for something to do, come support a great cause and have fun in the process!

{Look at that sweet face!}

St. George

2011-07-28T14:30:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago Emme and I went to St. George with my parents, and Brent & Melissa and their kids for a little getaway. Chris stayed home to work and finish projects around the house. (Can I just say that I'm loving being unemployed so far? Vacations on a whim -- yes, please!)

We picked up Stu along the way at the Chevron in Beaver. He was on his way back from Mexico with some cousins and we crossed paths. Emme was soooo excited to see her uncle Stu...even though she doesn't look it in this photo.

One day we decided to drive down to Vegas and go shopping at Caesar's Palace. We shopped at H&M (they have fabulous maternity clothes and kids clothes) and ate lunch at Cheesecake Factory. Emme and the other kiddos LOVED the aquarium.

On the way home from Vegas, I kept Brent awake while he drove (just like a loyal co-pilot should) and everyone else crashed in the back seat. The perks of being pregnant and green all the time are that you get shotgun more often!

My mom woke up for this one, but at one point all six of them back there were out cold.

We hit up the nearby splashpad multiple times while we were there. The kiddos loved it! I'm seriously going to start a petition to get Cottonwood Heights to put one in somewhere. They are so much fun.

Emme was a little nervous at first, because the water shoots with a lot of force.

But after Grandpa showed her what it felt like, she was good to go.

Her most favorite part was laying down in the water canyons to cool off.

Look at these cute kiddos! They had so much fun together.

We also went swimming at the Snow Canyon pool, but our adventure was cut short when they had a "code brown" alert, and had to kick us all out of the water while they fished it out with a net. Yuck.

One morning I woke up to uncle Stu and Emme watching an episode of Recess (a cartoon) on his ipod that he had jimmy-rigged to sit on the bunk above his head. She loved it.

We had such a good time in St. George! Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us down there. Emme still asks me almost every day where Brent is. She fell in love with him one day when he sang her the entire intro to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, complete with the mickey voice and all. It was hilarious, and clearly she hasn't forgotten him. :)

When Emme and I came home, we discovered that Chris had cleaned the ENTIRE house top to bottom. I kid you not, the man cleaned both showers, scrubbed baseboards and toilets, swept and mopped, vacuumed, etc. I have the best hubby in the world, who picks up the slack when I'm sick and can't stay on top of it. We love you, Chris! I think Emme and I should go on vacation more often!!

Emme at 19-ish Months

2011-07-08T16:45:00.001-06:00

I meant to do an 18 month update for Emme since we have stats from her doctor's appointment, but somehow it slipped away. So we'll do a 19-ish month update...with 18 month stats. :)

{Sad girl! Holding still for the camera is hard work. I had to document her sad face because we don't see it all that often.}

{There's the real Emme!}

Height - 60%
Weight - 25% (yipee! 22+ lbs!)
Head - 95% (what else is new.)

The nurse was seriously excited when she weighed Emme and figured out her weight percentile. We finally surpassed the 20 lb mark, and with flying colors! All because of that feeding breakthrough. Hooray!

I've been really enjoying my time with Emme at home, especially since I'm not working. I've even been getting a little sentimental with a new little one on the way, because I want to savor every moment we have just the two of us. Emme is the sunshine in my day! I can't imagine life without her, and I don't know how we ended up with such a sweet, sweet girl.

Here are a few of my favorite things Emme does lately:

Emme is talking up a storm! As in, she never stops. Sometimes I feel like my ears are buzzing when she finally goes down for a nap. Lots of it is still gibberish but lots of it is surprisingly intelligible. (And apparently I never shut up as a child, so what goes around comes around.)
Emme can't say the word "hungry" but she can say the word "eat." So sometimes she'll walk up to me, tug on my pants and say: "Mama?" "Yes, Emme?" "Eat!" And she says it with gusto. That's her way of telling me she's hungry.
She can also request "toast," "snacks," "baba" (milk), "eggs" (she loves them scrambled), and "nummies" (anything tasty that mom has).
Every morning when I get Emme out of her crib, the first thing she asks me is "where dada go?" If Chris gets her up in the morning, it's "where mama go?" It's like she somehow knows that we're a package deal and she's supposed to have both of us. I love it. On Saturday and Sunday mornings she's in heaven.
Emme is really into animals right now. She can point out all of the farm animals (plus some) when you ask her. Their names are too hard so she calls them by their sounds. Neigh = horse. Moo = cow. Baa = sheep. You get the idea.
Emme is enamored with her uncle Stu (my 17 year old brother). The other day I asked her if she wanted to go to Grandma's house and she started to cry and said, "No, Stu house!" She didn't want to go to Grandma's, she wanted to go to Stu's. (They are the same place.)
Emme's latest thing is climbing up on top of something and then shouting to me, "Mama, look at me!"
Emme really misses Debbie, the lady in our ward who used to watch her while I work. She talks about her all the time, and "draws" pictures of her on the sidewalk with chalk. She gets really excited when we see her at ward parties and at church on Sunday. I think we need to go visit during the day sometime so she can see her friends again.
Emme is obsessed with bubbles. She asks to blow bubbles on our balcony every. single. day. I finally went to Toys R Us and bought a battery-operated bubble blower, because my morning-sick self can only blow so many bubbles before I'm pooped. It was worth every penny!
Emme has crazy dreams. One day I walked into her room and heard her sleep talking about Elmo. On another occasion when she woke up from her nap, she kept asking me "where my eyes go?" Poor girl was so confused. She must be having sympathy-pregnant-dreams for me. (It's the only time I dream.)
Emme calls herself "Mimi," and refers to herself in the third person. When we're getting ready to go somewhere she'll ask me "Where Mimi shoes?" It's pretty cute. Now we occasionally catch ourselves calling her Mimi. Maybe it will catch on?
Emme LOVES nursery. We've had to take her home kicking and screaming a few times when nursery was over and she didn't want to leave. (Did I mention they do bubbles there?) And I LOVE the drawings she makes for me in nursery. I feel like I've waited my whole life to fill a refrigerator with my children's drawings.
Emme is the friendliest person I know. She has no shame, she'll say a loud "hi" to anyone we come within 20 feet of at the store. And they can't help but smile and say hi back.
Emme was never a really cuddly baby, but she's turned out to be a super cuddly toddler. She gives the sweetest hugs and kisses.
Emme has such a sunny, sweet disposition. We rarely have tantrums. I can get down on her level, talk to her gently while looking in the eyes and then say, "okay?" She'll reply back to me really sweetly, "kay." Sometimes it's amazing how much she understands.
Emme is a champion thanker. "Tay tou" is her favorite word these days, and I don't even have to prompt her. If you hand her something she'll look up and smile and say "Tay tou, Mama." It's so cute, and it catches people off guard.
Emme is obsessed with the potty and bodily functions these days. I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm 99% sure we'll have this girl potty trained before baby #2 gets here. Hallelujah.

We love you, Emme girl! Thank you for being in our family!

Glasses

2011-07-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

Emme is no respecter of glasses. Doesn't matter if they belong to mama, dada, grandma, or Mr. Potato Head -- she is going to fit them on her face if it's the last thing she does.

{Further evidence that our child has a giant dome.}

Happy 4th!

2011-07-06T08:45:00.000-06:00

We had a busy day of celebrations on the 4th. We started with a family breakfast, then a family lunch BBQ with swimming, went home for naps, and ended with a fun dinner & fireworks with our friends.

In the afternoon, Emme got to ride her first four-wheeler around the block with Chris. She looks terrified in this picture, but she really had a good time. And Chris drove slowly and carefully.

We spent the evening with our friends the Schanz's, whose little 7 month old baby was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia a few months ago. He's in between rounds of chemo so he got to come home for the week, and was even able to watch some of the party from the garage before he went to bed. They have to keep their house extra, extra germ-free so we partied on the driveway with pizza and food and then lit fireworks in the street. We decided the 4th of July really is a redneck Holiday anyway. :)

Before it got dark, a couple of my young women came over and played with Sawyer and Emme, who couldn't part with that four-wheeler. These girls are my go-to babysitters because they're so great with kids!

Once it got dark, we got all decked out with glow bracelets and necklaces, which Emme absolutely loved. She was running around with three bracelets on each wrist, holding her arms (from the elbows up) up in the air so they wouldn't fall off. It was hilarious. All you could see of the kids were little glowing orbs running around the yard.

When the fireworks started, Emme had to have whatever Sawyer had -- so she insisted she sit on Sadie's lap too. Those two are like an old married couple, I tell ya!

Thank you Schanz's, for such a fun evening! When Chris and I got home that night we decided it felt like old times, when we used to be able to walk down and hang out with Sadie and Nathan any time we felt like it. It's harder these days because they are facing such a huge challenge right now with Graham's cancer. Sadie lives at the hospital with him full time and Nathan takes care of Sawyer and keeps the home running. When Sadie does get to be home, it's important for them to have good family time, which they see so little of these days.

So if you've got extra room in your prayers, please remember baby Graham. He's fighting so hard for his life. We pray for you every day, little Graham! We love you, Schanz's!

Emme's New Trick + Some Exciting News

2011-06-30T16:21:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago Chris came home from work and Emme & I showed him an exciting new trick we'd been practicing for two days. I think Chris was a little confused at first, but then he got the idea.

At the end of the video right before I snap the camera off he comes up to give me a big kiss and congratulate me. So sweet!

We are so, so excited for this new little addition! Emme still gets confused and tries to lift up my shirts and look for a baby in my stomach. I'm guessing she'll figure it out in a few weeks here.

{Love this expression}

We went to the doctor this week and got to see the little bean up close. It was moving around and waving its arms and legs like crazy. What a relief to see!

I'm with a new doctor this time around because my insurance has changed, and the first thing my doctor said when she walked in the room was, "How about we work toward the goal of a better labor than last time!?" I about kissed her on the mouth. We're going to be great friends, I can already tell.

So when is this little one due? Drumroll, please. As long as my doctor is on call that day, my induction is tentatively being planned for January 21, 2012! That'll bring our family tally to:

Annalisa - October 21
Emmeline - November 21
Chris - December 21
Little Bean - January 21

For now we're looking forward to only a few more weeks of morning sickness, and then a happy, healthy pregnancy!

T-ville Dayz

2011-06-27T08:45:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we went to the annual Taylorsville Dayz celebration, where we met up with a bunch of friends and family to watch the fireworks. We always joke that Taylorsville blows their entire city budget on fireworks, and this year was no exception. The fireworks were fantastic! And we can walk to them from Chris's parents house, which makes them super convenient.

We tried taking Emme to fireworks last year but ended up sneaking out early when she started to howl. I think they were a little too scary for her last year, and frankly too late at night. This year she did much better! She got a little nervous when the fireworks first started, but Chris and I snuggled her right up in between us on the blanket and she relaxed right away. By the end she was clapping and yelling "yay!"

{"Cheese!"}

{Mom and Emme}

{Dada}

We can't wait for next year!

Sharing

2011-06-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

We've been working on sharing lately. It seems to be a tough concept sometimes for the oldest child, who has the world to herself. And for some reason, Emme has an even harder time sharing with her friend Sawyer. These two crack me up! They have such a love-hate relationship, and it's hilarious to watch. It must mean they're going to get married someday, because they already act like an old married couple. :)

So we like to visit Sawyer lots, because it's good practice for both of them. The other day Sawer came to visit us, and we practiced sharing Emme's most prized posession with him -- her "neigh." At first Emme wasn't so keen on the idea, as you can see, but eventually she warmed up and they had a good time.

Thanks for the visit, Sawyer Man! We love you, buddy!

The Rage

2011-06-21T13:50:00.002-06:00

Last week I decided I was going to be a good mom. Emme was itching to get outside in the sunshine, so we decided to go to Raging Waters (aka Seven Peaks Salt Lake) for the morning. (I bought a season pass there for me on a daily deal site for $40 bucks, and Emme is free. It ended up being a better alternative than our city pool, whose indoor pool is closed for remodeling and outdoor pool doesn't open until noon!)

So anyway. For $40 bucks I figured we could go there once a week to play in the splash zone and ride the waves in the pool. Plus with our season pass we get in an hour and a half earlier than regular day pass purchasers. Score!

We got there at 9:30 AM and were the first ones in the parking lot and the second ones through the door. It was fantastic! We went straight to the splash zone and played around there for a while. It took Emme a few minutes to warm up to the idea, and the splash zone water (only 6" deep) is unheated so that was a bit of a shocker. (But everything else is heated.)

Needless to say, this girl had a blast. I even snuck her in some fruit snacks and a water bottle for a little treat break. As soon as she'd downed those fruit snacks, she was back in the water.

Her favorite part, of course, was the "wee" in the splash zone. She was too afraid (and frankly too little) to go by herself so she would grab my hand and lead me up the stairs, and then I would slide down the twisty slide with her. We did that over and over and over...

After a while we decided to head over to the wave pool and check it out. Emme was a little hesitant at first, but pretty soon she was trying to shake off my hand and head straight out into the deep end by herself. (Note to mom: bring a life jacket next time!) We had a blast jumping over the waves and surfing on our tummies. And my quads were even sore the next day, to boot.

It started to get crowded around 11:00 AM when all the regulars started coming through the gates. We were pretty exhausted and headed out by 11:20, without any protest from Emme. Clearly she was pooped!

{Have I mentioned how much this girl loves her some sunglasses?}

On our way home we got some Wendy's french fries and then we napped good and hard the rest of the afternoon. Bliss! We can't wait to go again this week with Kelli & Cambree!

Brandi Carlile Concert

2011-06-20T11:45:00.001-06:00

On Saturday night I went to the Brandi Carlile concert with Amy and Michelle. It was a momentous occasion, because last time we saw Brandi Carlile, Amy couldn't come with us since she was under 21. Luckily, this concert was outdoors at Library Square, with no age restrictions. Yay!

We weren't quite as close to the stage as last time, but it was still amazing. The weather was perfect -- 75 degrees and overcast. Bliss!

The Secret Sisters opened the show, and they were pretty decent. Their voices and harmonies were amazing, but their original songs were just so-so. I'd totally buy an album of theirs if it was full of Alison Krauss covers.

When the Secret Sisters were singing, everyone was sitting down on their blankets and chilling. But the second Brandi came out, everyone stood up and rushed up to the stage, and stayed that way for the duration of her concert. It must have surprised her because she kept saying she couldn't believe we were all standing up! And the first song she came out with was a mellow one (unlike last concert), so I can only assume she thought we were all going to chill on the lawn while she played. Not so!

Last time when we saw Brandi, it was all acoustic. But this time she had a drummer with her, and I must say I loved it! I took a few video clips but they're too big to upload, so when I get them edited down I'll add them.

There was another guy who sang after Brandi but we left because we felt like our show experience was complete. :) Can't wait to see her again someday!

On our way to our car, Amy got The Twins (Brandi's basist and guitarist) to wave to her from inside their bus. Wohoo! Such a fun concert. Thanks for coming with me, girls!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:45:00.001-06:00

I had planned on letting Chris sleep in and making him breakfast in bed this morning, but I woke up to the sound of Chris & Emme playing out in the family room. Crap. Apparently she woke up a little earlier than usual and and I didn't hear it. So he got her out of her crib and took her out to the family room to drink her milk, all while letting me sleep. What a guy! Seriously.

So we ended up with breakfast at the counter instead this morning. Eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and OJ - all Chris's favorite. And Emme seemed to be enjoying herself, too. :)

Emme had a card she'd "signed" for Chris. She absconded with the envelope while he read the card.

Then we gave Chris his father's day present - a new pair of flip flops (because his old ones are on their deathbed). Emme was so excited when we were picking them out ("shoes! dada shoes!") that I was convinced she was going to spill the beans to Chris when we got home. Luckily she's easily distractable and she promptly forgot about them until she saw them again this morning.

Happy Father's day, Chris! You are an amazing "dada" and husband. We love you so much! Muah!

Neigh

2011-06-17T08:15:00.001-06:00

We get a lot of passed down toys on the Spencer side of the family since Emme is the youngest grandchild, which we absolutely love! This week it was a rocking horse, which we brought home and put in the family room. Emme has been obsessed with animals and their noises lately, and the horse is no exception. She can't say most of the animals names, but she can say their noises so she calls them by that.

For the first few days after we brought the rocking horse home, when she would wake up and we would bring her out into the family room, she would get so excited and wiggly and start exclaiming, "neigh! neigh! neigh!" The moment we set her down, she would run straight to it. (I even have a photo of her buck naked after a bath, when she beelined straight for the horse and hopped on. But I'll spare you the full moon.)

Thank you, family, for the fun toys! We love them!

Dancing

2011-06-13T14:06:00.001-06:00

Anyone else seeing any resemblance?

Love this girl. She makes me laugh every day.

Mathematics in Engineering

2011-05-30T14:07:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago I got an unusual phone call. It was my seventh grade math teacher, whom I haven't spoken to since seventh grade, asking me to come speak to her classes about how I use math in my career. I didn't even know she remembered who I was, because in seventh grade I wasn't even really interested in math and science. And I'm pretty sure as a scared little 12-year-old, I never opened my mouth once in that class.

I of course said yes, and I was delighted to go speak to her 8th and 9th grade algebra classes. I hadn't been back to the school since seventh grade, because my family moved and I attended the rest of junior high at a different school. But the moment I walked in, I kid you not, it still smelled the same. Don't ask me how I remembered the smell...but I did.

I spoke to about 100 kids in the library for about an hour. They were attentive and fascinated, and asked lots of great questions. They made me feel "smart" for an hour or so.

{Why is it that my mom's iphone takes better photos than my point & shoot? Ugh.}

{Putting on my microphone}

Emme sat in the back with my mom, who wanted to come listen to me speak. They ate snacks and climbed on and off the chairs ad nauseum, until Emme couldn't be quiet anymore and they had to wander the halls.

Then about a week later, I got a huge manila envelope in the mail. Inside were about a hundred thank you notes, from each of the students. I sat on the floor and read them all, and some of them were really thoughtful. They talked about how they never knew engineering could be so interesting, and that math could open up so many doors. They talked about how they planned to keep taking math so they could help make the world better, and save lives.

About a week after the letters arrived, I got laid off from my job. Times our tough, and our company is small. The government has slowed its research funding drastically in the last few years, and they had to make some cut backs.

I feel like speaking to those junior high students was my last hurrah. My last chance to promote the profession I know and love, and spark some imagination into the hearts of those young kids. Especially the girls.

And on the bright side, I've got some big plans for my newfound extra time this summer. Lots of swimming & parks & zoos with Miss Emmeline, and enjoying my stay-at-home mommyhood.

Crafty

2011-05-24T08:00:00.001-06:00

I've been super crafty lately. Well, super crafty by my standards anyway...which is not all that crafty by some of yours. At any rate, I thought I'd share some of my projects.

I made a recreation of the Anthropologie Squeezebox top, by following the tutorial from Welcome To The Good Life, found here.

{Anthropologie Squeezebox Top, $48}

I used two t-shirts from Downeast that I bought for $5 each on clearance, and cut them apart & sewed them back together using the tutorial directions. It took me about two hours all total. I love how it turned out! Chris calls it my "shield" shirt. Oh, well.

{My version - in cream rather than white}

I'm so in love with the site Welcome To The Good Life that I also did a recreation of the Anthropologie Marjorelle necklace (no longer available on the Anthropologie website), her tutorial here.

{Anthropologie Marjorelle Necklace, $68}

I bought the rope at Walmart, the clasps at Hobby Lobby at 50% off, and the flowers on ebay (they were rings but I cut off the ring part). All total it cost me around $15. I wore it on our cruise on a formal night, with a black dress that had gold buttons on the sleeves. It was perfect! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from that night.

{My version}

And lastly, I was inspired by March's craft with me challenge on u-create, so I made myself a new spring wreath to display in our entryway. I didn't really follow anyone's tutorial, but went with what I liked in the floral section at Hobby Lobby.

{The inspiration, found here.}

I bought my wreath materials and flowers at Hobby Lobby, all 50% off that week. It cost me about $23 and an hour or so. I love it!

{My version}

You Know You Have A Toddler When...

2011-05-23T13:19:00.001-06:00

...you find a sheet of Dora The Explorer stickers stashed in the refrigerator.

You know, for safe keeping. Or Something.

Matchy Matchy

2011-05-20T10:15:00.000-06:00

Is it not a lifelong dream of every mother to wear matching dresses to church with their daughter? I think yes. (At least it was mine, anyway.)

My sister-in-law Julie let Emme and I borrow some cute Hanna Andersson dresses that belong to her and Nora Jane. And luckily the sun came out long enough for us to wear them! (Stinkin' Utah weather...)

Naughty

2011-05-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Don't turn your back for more than 2 seconds at our house, or something like this will happen:

{"What? I just wanted some crackers!"}

{The unrepentant troublemaker}

{Not exactly sure what this face is. I think she saw I wasn't happy and was trying to make me feel better?}

The Wee

2011-05-18T11:45:00.001-06:00

Grandma Pace got a new swingset last year. The best part about it is the awesome slide, which Emme lovingly named the "wee." (Because that's what she yells as she's sliding down it.) The second we walk into grandma's house, she points out the back yard and exclaims "wee! wee!"

{Again with the climbing up the slide.}

{Michelley took Emme to see the horseys. Emme still gets them confused with cows, and she starts to "moo" like crazy when she's near them.}

{Dada took her for a ride on the "sled."}

{We finished up the afternoon with a little hoop action.}

The Park

2011-05-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

Emme has a thing for slides and parks lately. She's a climber these days, and she'll turn anything upside down if she thinks she can stand on it to climb up onto something. Her favorite part about the park is climbing up the slide (bad, I know). Luckily, the days we have the park to ourselves it's not a problem.

The best part about going to the park? Crashing hard for naptime once we get home.

The Closet

2011-05-16T19:00:00.000-06:00

When I check my email in the morning, Emme hangs out in the closet in the office. She's obsessed with it for some reason.

She giggles, and laughs, and closes herself inside and then sits really still until I come looking for her.
All I can see are a few pudgy little fingers and a big eye peeking out at me.

Until she pops her head back out, yells peek-a-boo! and laughs and laughs.