Baby Zoe's Blessing

Cute little Zoe was blessed today. We got to go witness that and then go back to Chris and Anna's house to get together and have lunch. It's always fun to get the cousins together and play and visit with my family. She's adorable and always sleeping. Who could ask for more? She was blessed in the christening gown passed down in Chris' family for I don't know how many generations, 3 or 4 maybe. It was a beautiful gown and she looked so cute in it. Her dad, and grandma and I think great grandma were blessed in it. Or Christened as the case may be. What a fun tradition, lucky girl to have such a special dress. Thanks Chris and Anna for the hospitality. Good times!

Swiss Days Baby

As per our yearly tradition, my BFF Laurie and I made the trek up to Swiss Days. This year was a quick trip, but we made it none the less. We did a bit of shopping at the outlets before we went to swiss days, which was so fun. Usually it seems like I don't find much there, but this year we hit the jackpot!! Swiss Days on the other hand, blah! Nothing new. It seems like it was all the same vendors with all the same stuff that have been there for the last 4 years. Time for a decorating innovation. I really do like the vinyl lettering and bead board, but I think that was all they had there. Although, Laurie got the cutest thing. It is a lawn stake made of iron, it was a witch. Kind of sounds weird, so freakin' cute. If there would have been 1 more, it would have been mine. Needless to say, I came away with a bag of marbles for Louis and a headband for Kennedy and a cute idea for my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary gift. Other than that, NOTHING! Oh well, I suppose it made Ross happy, I didn't come home with any "crap to put on my walls". But, none the less, a good time was had by all. It's always fun to see Laurie, this is the only time we see each other all year. I miss her, she's a Price girl. So, we have to see each other when we can.

Sorry, I need to work on my one-handed picture taking!!

My Husband Rocks!

I have been searching for a solution to the death-defying crib escape artist. I have found it! I was complaining to my friend about our "little problem" and she suggested a Crib Tent. Okay, never heard of it. She said she had to get one because of the same problem and it worked like a charm! Sold. Well, I went to Babies "R" Us to buy one. WRONG! They are $70.00. I think people were starting to wonder about me as I sat in the aisle of the store clinging to a box, sobbing uncontrollably! I decided, against my better judgement, not to buy it. So, Ross suggested KSL.com. He secretly hunted one down and came home from work today with one! He's so awesome! I think he was tired of listening to me complain, or maybe it was that he wouldn't have "nap time" either, on the weekends while I work....Either way. I'm a happy woman. Those of you whose children go to college, and they are still in cribs will not understand the use of this! But, let me tell you what. It's a God send. I was having visions of him pulling the t.v. onto him and crushing himself, of him choking on a toy in the middle of the night, wandering the house doing who knows what....So, to those of you who think this is some sort of torture chamber, feel free to take Cole for the night and see how you feel about it! :) Just kidding. Hope you don't think I'm crazy....
No, he's not crying...

Louis' Reward

Louis is such a great kid! Smart, funny, sweet, caring and lots of energy. Did I say lots of energy? I mean a TON of energy! Needless to say, the first day of 1st grade was a little rough. Getting used to a new teacher, new rules, all that good stuff! Well, we have been working with him on his behavior with a reward system. ( Bribing, call it what it really is!) It's working like a charm. Well, I decided that if I kept rewarding him with chocolate donuts, he'd be really good, and weigh like 200 pounds at the end of the year. So, we're mixing it up a little bit! Ross took him 4-wheeling a few times, and he gets different rewards. So, today, I decided that if he got a good report, I would take them over to Salem Pond and feed the ducks and play at the park. I also decided to throw their bikes in, for fun , they could ride around the park a little for some excercise. (Gotta' work off those chocolate donuts!) They had a blast! Seems like it was a pretty good reward. He's being sucha a good kid. Gets his homework done right when he gets home, being good at school. Man, a little incentive goes a long way. As well as praise, he gets so excited when you tell him he's doing a good job or doing something well. He's adorable.

Kennedy, she's a great student. When asked how her day went. "Perfect, like always!" She had a rough start as well, in first grade. But she is a wonderful student and the head of her class. (BRAG) But, she really is a good kid. She tries really hard to do the right thing and tries to be perfect at everything. So far, so good! She's loving 3rd grade. She feels like one of the older kids now, and she LOVES that!

Cole, he's just cute. Driving me mad. But cute. The kid never stops. He opens doors, and rips everything out of the cupboard before you even know he's in the room. But then he just looks at you, and smiles. Dang those blue eyes!!!

The big kids feeding the ducks!

He is such a boy. He climbs everything. Wonder where Cole gets it!

Kennedy being a good big sister, giving brother a ride on the swings! He loves to swing!

Riding around the pond.

Silly. Posing for pictures. Where was Cole all this time....

Summer Slide Show

He's So Proud

Tonight Louis got a new bike! Not just any old bike. There's a story behind it. (Isn't there always with me :))
Louis had outgrown his bike this summer. It actually looked like he was riding Cole's bike, it was kind of funny. But it worked. He decided he didn't want it anymore, so he THREW IT AWAY! That's right, lifted it up and threw it in the garbage can. What?
So, when he decided he wanted a new bike, we were like, huh? so, Ross came up with the brilliant plan. He decided that we would pay Louis $1 per job and he needed to do 40 jobs to earn 1/2 (ha) of his new bike. Man, I have never had a more helpful son. But, I was also forking out a buck for jobs like, picking up a towel off the floor and getting Cole down from his chair. But, boy was he helpful.
He was darling when we went to get his new bike. Just this big cheeser of a smile and so proud of it. It is a little bit big for him, but it cost as much as a used Volvo. We decided he will be riding it until his mission!

He is incredibly proud of this darn thing! Let's see how long until it gets left on the lawn and watered by the sprinklers or run over by a mom in a hurry! Hopefully not! Congrats Lou for working so hard and being responsible!

Don't Let This Cute Face Fool You

I SWEAR!!! Why is it always my kids.
As of yesterday, it's official. Cole can climb out of EVERYTHING! Playpen, bouncer, CRIB! What is this all about. He is only 15 months old. I am pretty sure that my sister's kids were in their cribs until elementary school. This is so unfair. It is the end of my peaceful world. I mean, honestly. I can't do anything now. It was my sanctuary when I was doing hair, to stick him in his playpen or when Ross was working in the yard, he would put him in his bouncer. Now, I've got nothing. When I put him to bed at night, I have to shut the door tight and wait for him to start banging on the door when he wakes up. Although, he locked himself in his room this morning. He must have been trying to open the door and turned the lock. Someone help me. What am I supposed to do now? Well, I'm off to tie my son up to the chair leg and find something to hold him down....

Confessions of a Mom

Hopefully I don't reveal too much about myself here. I saw this on a few of my friends blogs and I thought it was hilarious. Try it. Post 10 things about being a mom that you do that are ALL WRONG!!

1-ALL of my babies slept on their stomachs. I know, call DCFS. But they slept through the night at 6 weeks. I'm just sayin'.
2-I am an absolute FREAK about the way my kids look for school. I don't want their teachers to think they have parents who don't love them. I mean, kids have left crying because I was fighting with them about some sort of feature of how they looked. That's probbably not good. Oh well.
3-I actually tried to pull one of Kennedy's teeth out with pliers.
4-I cried more than Kennedy did when she cut off her hair. She was in so much trouble, but I was more upset than her, I think there's something wrong with that.
5-Sometimes when my kids are thirsty, I tell them to swallow their spit.
6-I yell way too much. I learned that, because all of my kids yell. Oops.
7-My kids actually think that if I get pulled over and they don't have their seatbelts on, they go to jail.
8-I take way too many baths. It's my only truly alone time.
9-My kids are crazy funny and sometimes we laugh a little too hard at things we shouldn't, but it's a good time.
10-I expect a lot from my children, but I also let them get away with a lot.

Hope you enjoyed my craziness!

Where Have I Been?

Seriously. When did my cute kids get so grown up?
Today was their first day of school. They were so excited, really! The last couple of mornings Louis has crawled into bed with me and asked if school was today? How cute is that?
He looks so handsome! He is in love with his new shoes. He has been dying to wear them since the day we got them!!!

What is this pose all about? She is just coming out of that "teeth-too-big-for-your-face" phase that all kids go through and is turning into a pretty young lady. Don't kid yourself, we still had a face-off to see who was going to win the hair-do war. We compromised, bangs pulled back ,but NO BOW! It looks too babyish!!!
Heading off to her first day of 3rd grade in Mrs. Nielson's class! She's so excited.

Cutie, he's heading off to his first day in Mrs. Frampton's class. He's so nervous! But he'll do great!

It's just Cole and I on the homefront. Holding down the fort. I didn't realize how busy he is now. The big kids have been doing a good job of keeping him busy during the summer , now it's my turn. He does love having all of my attention, though. He's adorable. Now if I could just teach him to fold laundry and scrub toilets, we could really have something going!!

Are You Kidding Me?

Holy snap! I don't know if you're Olympic junkies like we are, but we can't get enough. DVR is officially the best invention EVER! You can watch 10 hours of Olympics in like 2 1/2 hours. It's amazing.

Michael Phelps...are there words to describe this speciman of an athlete? Amazing, wonderful, powerful, ridiculous, sick etc. Anywho, hope you guys are enjoying Phelps-mania like we are. Too bad he's done with his races. But, 8 gold medals and 7 world records ain't bad. Go Team Phelps!!!

It's Time Once Again....

It's time for another installment of Louis says the funniest things. Sorry for those of you who don't find these funny, but I can't help myself. He's just hilarious.

Recently, Louis' uncle Devin gave him his old gameboy. And when I say old, I mean OLD! I'm fairly certain it was one of the first ones ever made. Seriously, it's the size of a laptop. :) But, that's beside the point. We have a very strict video game policy at our house. He only get's 1/2 an hour a day and he has to earn it by doing all his jobs. He LIVES for that 1/2 hour. He is literally in another world. The other day he was dead serious, he looks at me and said, "Mom, I think I was made to play gameboy." Poor deprived child. I had to stop myself from cracking up because he was so serious.

The other day we went on a "walk". This equals Emily trying to get a workout in while yelling at 2 children to stop whining and start walking or I'll leave you here. 2 kids complaining of feet hurting, being too hot, sweating all too much....You get the picture. The poor people that walk past us. They probbably want to call DCFS. It's quite the site. Anyway, I figured out a way to make it less painful. THE GAS STATION!! The gas station is about 1 1/2 to 2 miles from our house. I bribe them with a treat and we're usually good to go. On this particular day, it was unusually warm at 8:00 in the morning. So, I told them we were going to get a big drink of ice water.

me: Okay guys, let's get our drinks and get going.
Louis: mom, can I have chocolate doughnuts instead?
me:No, Louis I want you to get water because it's really hot and you said you were really thirsty.
Louis: Mom, chocolate doughnuts make me way less thirsty than water does!!

It may not seem that funny, but the lady at the gas station just about passed out. It was hilarious. But, I gotta' say, chocolate doughnuts cure just about everything. Thirst!??

Wow! Humble Me...

I just read this poem that my sister put on her blog. I have no idea who it is by, but by the time I finished I had tears running down my cheeks and ran to tuck my kids in a little tighter. Ross is out of town this weekend and was last weekend as well. I know that I am all too guilty of taking all that I have for granted. My health, the health of my famiy, our home, our vehicles, my husband and how hard working he is....I could go on for hours. I have a really great life and this poem really opened up my eyes a little wider to remind me to cherish the small things and chill a lot!! My poor kids this summer, I feel like I have been the wicked witch of the west. I have been really busy at work and so a lot of the Cole responsibility has fallen on their shoulders. They're such good kids and they want to be good and make us happy! Hello, Emily-open your eyes. Your life is nearly perfect.
This poem is going on my bathroom mirror, maybe it will remind me a bit each day to cherish life! Hope you will too.!.

We always focus on the first, the first word, first kiss, first day of school...What if you knew it was your last... Last kiss... Last hug... Last I Love You!... Last laugh... Last time to tuck them in... Last time to read to them... Last time to hold them tight... Last time to hold their hand... Last time to see them smile... Last time to take in every detail of them.. Last time to brush your hand through their soft hair... Last time to play.. Last time to say how proud they make you... Last time to forgive or ask for forgiveness... Last time to pray... Last time to say goodbye...How would we live if we knew it was our last. What would be our focus, it is always good to be reminded that any day can be our last, or our child's last, or our spouse or other loved ones last. We should always live as if it truly were our last, and then we can live knowing we have no reason to worry about regrets! I really need to think about this more. Sometimes I get stuck. I get lost in the journey of life and forget to be in the moment of today! Because tomorrow is not a guarantee.

HEY!

Hey, just wanted to let you all know. that I started a new blog. It's for work, we all have them. It may not seem super interesting to you, but I'm excited. It will be kind of fun. Spotlighting my favorite products, before and after pictures. Hopefully it will be fun. Check it out. emilydoeshair.blogspot.com Have a good one!

And remember, school starts in 5 days. WAHOO!! I mean, shoot.

Salesman

Well, I always knew my son was talented. I just never knew in what specific way he was talented.
Every once in a while, he says "Mom, I saw this thing on t.v....." And he tries to sell me whatever infomercial he has seen recently.
For example, he has tried to get me to buy MIGHTY PUTTY. It will fix anything, holes in the wall, broken toys, bikes and mom, you can even putty my mouth shut! (That one was tempting)

Mom, instead of buying plants at the store, you should just buy ROLL N' GROW. You just roll it out, water it and a bed of flowers starts to grow!:)

Mom, there's this thing on t.v. that you put the water in and stick it in the pot of the plant and it just waters it for you. You don't have to lift a finger!! (His exact words!!)

Mom, there's this thing on t.v. that you should get for me....I kind of stopped listening after a while, but I did learn two things this summer. My son watches way too much television! DUH! And that he's so sweet, because he wanted me to buy all of those things to save me work, because I work so hard. He's so sweet.

So, watch out. Next time you see Louis, you better hold on to your wallet!!

Salem Days and Kennedy's Fun Weekend

Sorry, this is a picture-less post! I know, boring. I am the queen of camera, but I forgot to bring it with us. Luckily for me, though. You'll see why in a minute!!

It seems to have become a tradition of ours, to attend the Salem Days program and fireworks show. It is actually a really fun thing. They set it up on the hill overlooking Salem Pond. They do this program for about an hour or so and then they do the fireworks out over the pond. I have to say, it is always one of the best fireworks shows we see all year! This year did not disappoint! Although, as we arrived the sky started getting darker and darker! We kind of hoped it wouldn't rain, but knew it would. When I say rain, I really mean HOLY CRAP DOWN POUR! ( No camera to keep dry :)) It lasted for about 10 or 15 minutes. We were all soaking wet and watching the fireworks from underneath blankets and hoods. It was actually kind of cool because at the same time, there was a really cool lightning storm going on. Despite my butt being completley soaked and being a little chilly, we had a great time! But, boy were we a motley looking crew~! Good times. All for a few oohs and aahs. Oh well.

Kennedy also had her fun weekend with Grandpa Don and Grandma T. She started off her weekend with dinner at Mimi's Cafe. YUM! And then they went back to the house to watch a few movies and then they went to set up chairs for the parade so they would get a good seat the next morning. Obviously, they went to the parade the next morning. Fun for her, she loves to go to parades. Then it was off to the carnival. All the things mom wouldn't do! Next came shopping. Grandma took her to the mall and she picked out, none other than..... A High School Musical shirt and a cute hoodie. Again, I suppose that's what grandparents are for, to do things that mom's won't do! She loves them and looks so cute in them! Then she had lunch at Applebee's and then they went to the Salem Days program and fireworks where we met up and she came home with us. She had a fun time and it's always fun to be spoiled!

Sorry, that was really long, but that's what's up with us!!!

So Long, Farewell....

At the end of this month, Ross' little brother Devin, his wife Andrea and their sweet baby Julia are off to join the ranks of working-homeowning adults! J/K They both graduated from BYU this spring and are moving to Texas. We are sad to see them go. They are a really fun part of our family. We enjoy their company as friends as well! The kids are going to miss them like crazy. We've been having a cry-fest all week! We want to wish them well. We know that they will be successful in all that they do and we are excited that they are starting a new life together and we hope that all the things they want, come to be! Good Luck Devin and Andrea, you will be missed greatly! Love,us
Ross' mom Linda put together a little "going away" party for them. On Wednesday night we all went up to Big Springs, in Vivian Park and had a BBQ and just visited. We wanted to do more, but that was the night of all the rain and thunder storms. We just hung out under the pavillion and the kids splashed in the rain puddles! (cringe) But a good time was had by all, thanks Linda for putting it together. And to Devin, if you ever want fruit pizza again, I guess you'll have to visit!
Kennedy and Louis chasing the "ghost" down by the stream. They had a blast!
What? You don't let your one year old drink Diet Coke with lime? You're missing out!
Cole, waving good bye as he takes off down the path alone. He is just growing up too fast!

Funny Things Louis Says

Louis came up to me recently as I was packing for our camping trip to Fish Lake. This is how our conversation went.
Louis : Mom what are you packing? (Sounding horrified)
Me: Shampoo and conditioner and soap, so that we can shower while we are down there.
Louis: Oh man, I don't want to. This is my only time to get dirty!

Poor kid, apparently I have a "clean kid" fetish.


Louis was recently unloading the dishwasher for me. He has to unload all of the dishes and the ones he can't reach, he just stacks on the counter.

Louis: Mom, I don't think I want to grow up.
Me: Why lou?
Louis: Because then I will have to put away the high dishes and do my own laundry. I think I want to stay little forever.

He's a pretty funny kid. That is just a small taste of funny things he says! Hope it made you smile.

Baby Pictures

This is the picture that we just got back from the Santaquin Days Baby Contest. Don't get me started!! I just had to show you how cute the entry turned out!! (I am not biased at all :))

In Love, again!

Well, it's official. I am in love with Edward, again! What's that you say? My husband's name is Ross? I know, silly.
EDWARD.
You know.
I pre-ordered "Breaking Dawn" on Amazon like 9 trillion months ago, and I promised myself that I was going to re-read the whole series before I read it, just to refresh my memory and to feel the "vibe" before I started the final phase of Edward-dom. Well, now my book is here and I am only 1/3 of the way through the first book. I'm screwed. This book is staring at me, I have a Relief Society lesson to plan, that I said I would read and prepare for before I started into my "twilight" read-a-thon.
Do you think that has happened? NO.
You don't think anyone would mind a lesson on the finer points of Forks, Washington or vampires, do you?.....

SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!

I hate flies.



I hate flies a lot.



If I see one more fly, I am going to shoot it, instead of swat it.



If I get attacked by a "certain" fly at night one more time, I am going to grind it up in my blender.



If Cole finds one more dead fly on the ground and puts it in his mouth, I will probbably need a straight jacket.



That is all.

Fun Weekend

Louis got to have a really fun weekend! His grandpa Don and grandma T let the kids come over every once in a while, just by themselves. They love it. It's always fun to just have all of the attention for you. They are really great grandparents (all of my kids grandparents are great :)). They let them pick where they want to eat, do anything they want. This is how Louis' sleepover went.

I dropped him off at about 11:00 on Saturday morning. So, he got to help grandpa finish up his yard work and then go to the dump, he was so excited (must be a boy thing!) and they stopped at the gas station and he got a drink. His FAVORITE thing to do! And then he went home with them and just hung out. Then he decided that he wanted to go to Outback for dinner. YUM! He's got great taste, I must say! But, he ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. Typical Louis. Then they took him to the mall and let him pick out a few things. He came home with an Incredible Hulk t-shirt and a cute hoodie, with no caracters on it!! He knew his grandparents would buy it for him, because I have a strict -"no characters"- policy on all of our clothing and shoes. I'm such a horrible mother. Needless to say he is on cloud nine. Then they went home and watched movies all night and slept in and had a yummy breakfast and came home. He was so adorable, he called like three times. He's such a sweet boy. He missed everyone so much! He came home a little early, just because he missed us. First thing he did was hug Kennedy. For as much as they fight, they are cute. They talked so cute on the phone together. Anyway, fun for him.

Kind of a boaring post, but it's so fun to see your kids have fun and get spoiled a little bit. He deserves it, he's a good kid! Next weekend is Kennedy's weekend. For some reason, I don't think grandpa and grandma will get off the hook quite so easy with her, caracter t-shirt and grilled cheese! I DON"T THINK SO! Nordstrom's and Tepanyaki here we come......