the first day of our lives...

stinky cute

2012-01-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Emma is notorious for making phrases her own. She constantly calls Adele "so stinky cute" as she grits her teeth and plays with her ears. Yes, she gets that from me, so I have a hard time reprimanding her. :) Poor Adele!

Major update:
Adele has been sick for 4 out of the 6 weeks she's been alive. (Is breast really best? That's an entirely different post). This last cold she's gotten has made her cough so hard that she throws up an entire feeding. The only good thing about this is that I've pumped a lot and now have a freezer full of milk...just in case I decide to sell it someday (since Adele isn't a bottle fan). The last day or so she is finally doing much better, which has allowed me to start sleeping at least a few hours at a time. I no longer have to jump up every time she coughs to see if she's still breathing or needing a wardrobe change.

Adele has started smiling more than a gas bubble smile. Although I wouldn't say she's entirely aware she's doing it, it still melts our hearts. She is also trying to make noises, which is completely adorable! Emma is a tough teacher, though. She gets frustrated when Adele doesn't mimic her back OR doesn't cover her mouth when she sneezes and coughs. :)

Adele has also acquired some interesting nicknames: button nose, baby seeter, master turtle, and monkey. They all mainly refer to the face she is making at that moment.

Adele has actual ROLLS! At her 2-week check-up, she had already gained 2 pounds. She then, she's started getting rolls on her legs, which is completely adorable! Since she's been throwing up a lot lately, she probably is losing some weight, but I'm hoping to fatten her back up in time for her 2-month check.

First real tub time...

...wouldn't be complete without sister. :)

One Month Old!

I missed her "smile", but here is the ending of it.

Finally got some light on that adorable face!

Emma sporting her booty she got from a friend's birthday party. She's been watching too much "Hook".

Prepping for their snowball fight

Emma's first snowman of the season...we finally got enough snow! Thanks, Aunt Jess for the snowman accessory kit...it was PERFECT!

We decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon since admission was free. Here we are eating at the Wendy's before the park. We also ran into a family from our ward...small world? :)

Beautiful!

It was FRIGID, but that only made it more fun!

Don't worry...Adele was warmer than we were. She had a onesie, fleece jammies, a winter bodysuit, a wool carseat cover, the sunshades for both the car seat and stroller (forming a tent), and 2 blankets on top. She was toasty!

Warming up in the observation room...Emma loved the binocs!

At 6 weeks old, we took Emma to Hawaii. At 6 weeks old, Adele gets to go to the snowy Grand Canyon. Good thing neither kid will remember any of it. At least we have pics! :)

Adele's monkey toes that she gets from Mom. If you put your finger under her toes, she will literally grip them.

Aunt Jenn made this adorable Candy Cane outfit for my December baby. It's a 0-3 months outfit, and NOW just barely fits. :) Thanks again, Jenn...we love it!

Emma thought Adele's outfit looked like Strawberry Shortcake, so she had to throw on her Halloween costume from last year to match baby sister.

My gorgeous model

LOVE HER!

Turtle tongue...look how long that thing is!

CUTEST picture! Yes, they both have their hands like that. I'm totally blowing this up and hanging it in Ammon's office with the sign, "This is why I have kids".

Peer Pressure

2012-01-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

1. Emma has been wanting to bear her testimony in Sacrament Meeting for several months now after she saw her friend do it. The rule in our ward, though, is that the kids have to do it themselves without their parents feeding them their testimony. So, I asked the mom of Emma's friend that goes up every Fast Sunday how she get her son to do it. She said they just practice at home. For FHE last week, we learned about testimonies and took turns bearing our testimonies.

When the bishop stood up to bear his testimony right after the Sacrament, Emma said she wanted to go next. I told her she had to wait for him to sit down. Halfway through his testimony, she said she was too scared to go. I told her that was fine...she didn't have to bear her testimony in Sacrament Meeting if she didn't want to. Then her friend Caleb bore his testimony, and her friend Bethanie went up (even though she was too scared to bear her testimony). I decided to bear my own testimony, and Emma said she wanted to go with me. I had her sit up at the stand next to the Stake President (our ward is his home ward) while I went first. After I went, she stood up at the podium. She said, "I want to bear my testimony. I know Jesus loves me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Precious!

2. Last week, Emma was assigned to give a talk this week in Primary. Yes, it happened to be only her second week in Primary. I asked Caleb's mom (who makes all her kids--no matter what age--memorize their talks) for any tips on how to make a talk age appropriate. I asked her preschool teacher for any tips on how to specifically help Emma be successful. After gathering lots of information, we finally designed a talk that was right for Emma. We practiced her talk (or tried to) all week long. I was SO nervous for her! I didn't want her to have a bad experience since public speaking is a big deal in life.

When we got into Primary today, Emma was visibly nervous. When it was her turn to give her talk, she jumped up, and ran to the front. She quietly said:

"Agency is choosing.

I chose to come to earth (holding a picture of the earth).

I can choose to pray (holding a picture of someone praying).

I can choose to read my scriptures (holding a picture of someone reading their scriptures).

I can choose to be baptized (holding a picture of someone being baptized).

I can choose to be married in the temple (holding a picture of a couple in front of the temple).

I know Jesus loves me.

I love to read the scriptures.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen"

Flawless! I was SOO proud of my little Sunbeam! She was so proud of herself, too. Success!!

Peer pressure works really well for Emma. She's competitive enough that when she knows that her peers are watching, she wants to do a good job (or a better job than they did). Hopefully that will only help her in life and not make her lose friends. :) Love you, Emma-bean!

P.S...Happy 1-month to my lil Miss Adele!

Adele's Baby Blessing

2012-01-02T21:53:00.003-07:00

We were very fortunate to have both sets of Adele's grandparents (and her favorite Aunt Mads) join us for her baby blessing despite the fact that it was on New Year's Day. It was a gorgeous Flagstaff day, an emotionally beautiful blessing, and a super yummy meal afterwards.

The blessing was totally fitting for our sweet Adele. It reminded me that the Lord is mindful of each of His children. He knows all His children and what they are in need of. I am so grateful that Ammon is a worthy priesthood holder and able to be in tune with the Spirit.

Taking a break from the scratchy dress

<3 Sisterly Love <3

First Family of Four pic

with Gramma and Grampa Brown

with Gramma Zoom and Grampa Bike

She ADORES her Daddy

...and for the million pics of the girl of the day in her gorgeous dress :)...

We love you, our precious Adele!

LITTLE Miss Adele

2011-12-08T05:53:00.001-07:00

I had a doctor appointment on December 7th at 5:30 pm. I was only at 2 cm and only 38 weeks. Doctor asked if I wanted my membranes stripped. Sure, why not? It doesn't usually do a ton anyways. Maybe she'll actually be out before Christmas!

At 10:30 pm, I started getting contractions every 3 minutes. Sadly, this has happened to me every night for the last week, so I didn't think anything of it. Then I couldn't sleep. Then I couldn't breathe. "Hey, Am, I think we need to go to the hospital. If nothing else, I really need something for this pain". So, we loaded our bags and Emma in the car just in case they sent me home. Contractions are now on for 90 seconds off for 90 seconds.

Check into hospital at 12:30 am December 8th. I've dilated to a 6! We call someone in the ward to come get Emma. Unfortunately, Emma witnessed several intense contractions before she left. During my down time, I tried explaining that it hurts a little before a baby comes out. Emma was sweet and tried holding my hand to make me feel better. After Emma leaves, Nurse asks if I want an epidural.
"Yeah, I might."
"Okay, but since you're the only one in labor and delivery, the anesthesiologist is at home. We'll have to wait for him to get here".

By 1 am (30 min later), contractions are on for 45 seconds, off for 45 seconds. The chart looked like a topograph of Mt. Everest. The nurses referred to them as "labor from hell!"
So my response was: "I want an epidural!"
Answer: "Well, you're an 8, so you're moving pretty fast. You might not be able to have one? Should we break her water, doctor?"
Me: "Too late!" As pea soup goes everywhere.
Doctor: "That looks like meconium, you'll have to labor faster now. She might be in distress."
Me: "WHAT?!?!"

15 minutes later (1 am) contractions are on for 60 seconds, off for 30 seconds:
"Jes, do you feel the need to push?"
"Not til I have my epidural."
"In order to get an epidural, you have to hold still for longer than 30 seconds."
"Well then I give up...PLEASE give me an epidural...where on earth does this doctor live?"
"An epidural will not happen. You're complete and ready to push."
Cue anesthesiologist meandering through the door, followed by hushed tones from a nurse of "you're a little late."

Another 15 min later (1:30 am):
Doctor: "Jes, the baby's heart rate is dropping, get her out, NOW!"
Me: "Oh, so I'm supposed to try to push, not pretend to? That's what I've been doing wrong!"

By 1:43am, Little Miss Adele came with the cord around her neck only once (big improvement from Emma's 3 times, although my doctor said she's seen a baby with the cord around SIX times)! She has dark brown curly hair, sucks sucks sucks on her adorable hands (like she did inside me), was WIDE awake from the second she came out til an hour later, only cries when getting her temperature taken or when she's unswaddled, has big beautiful eyes and Emma's cute little mouth, has her mommy's feet and toes, and is completely perfect in every way!

Her APGAR scores were 8 and 9 (same as Emma's) because she was a little blue. I only had 4 stitches (I had 10 times that many with Emma)!! But at the same time I don't understand why I even needed 4! She's TINY! I guess I'm really not built for big babies after all.

After the birth, my nurse told me that the contractions were so intense during my labor because they were moving me along so quickly. Apparently it's not suggested to move from 6 cm to birth in an hour. Poor Ammon might have permanent damage on his hands from me squeezing them so hard. He was very helpful in dealing with my intensity and constant "I can't do this anymore!" Once she was out, I felt AMAZING! I probably could have climbed Everest! :) It wasn't until then that I was so glad an epidural didn't happen. I've had a much better recovery so far, and didn't throw up at all.

Basically, this pregnancy, labor, delivery, and recovery could not be more opposite than Emma's! Adele and Emma are also totally opposite already...other than the fact that they are both girls. :) I LOVE my girls and feel so blessed that they are in my life!

"Why are you doing this to me?"

That, my friends, is a 6 pound baby! Insane, huh? The diaper is a newborn diaper, which barely stays on her. Emma was in newborn diapers for barely a week! I kept asking the nurses if she was okay and healthy. They kept reassuring me that she was an "average" size. Yeah right...average in my family is 8.5 pounds!

Proud Daddy! He looks amazing despite the fact that he downed NyQuil a few hours before and didn't get any sleep. I appreciate everything he's done for me through the pregnancy, labor, delivery, and recovery!

Stupid IV on my arm to prep me for the epidural. All it did was make me have to pee afterwards.

She makes it all worth it!

Her first bath

She LOVED it!

Tear-jerker moment: Emma meeting Adele for the first time. She ran into the room and shouted, "my baby sister!"

She immediately had to hold her...

...and couldn't wipe the joy from her face!

Emma helping Gramma hold Adele

We LOVE her awake time! How cute is she?!?!

After a much-needed shower! :)

Cuggle time

Being discharged

This 3-month outfit DROWNS her!

A nurse made her "bow hat". So stinking cute!

Princess Adele

this is ammon. i have been asked to break this down from the husband/father/man perspective. here it goes.... i love my wife. you may look at her and think: wow, she's gorgeous and smart and a joy to be around. all true. but you may not think: wow, she's tough and courageous and gritty. i'll be honest, before the birth of adele, i thought jes was a delicate little flower. but she is a lioness!

let me describe some moments that stuck out in my mind. when we arrived at the hospital, and jes was contracting every other minute, i naturally assumed the roll of dutiful husband. i held her hand and told her to breathe. i watched the graph that showed jes's contractions rise, peak, and fall, and braced myself as jes dug her nails into my hand. i was doing great. but then came the moment when i realized that i had no business saying anything--no amount of coaching or verbal encouragement was going to help. the best i could do was just stand next to jes and hold her hand. this realization came when, as i monitored jes's contractions, i uttered these words (in all seriousness): "here comes another one jes." just let that sink in for a second.... jes's reply was this: "I KNOW!" i suddenly became very small. now, let me remind you all that this was not my first rodeo. i had been there when jes gave birth to emma. i should have known better. but something happens when a man sees his wife suffering from a pain that he will never understand. he must find a way to contribute, to help the situation. and in a situation that can use none of his assistance, he says silly things. i say this as a warning to those male readers who will one day be tempted to say silly things in an attempt to be useful. lesson learned.

the other lesson might be this: don't take nyquil if your wife is in labor. in my defense, i didn't know she was in real labor. jes had been contracting for weeks. so i popped a couple pills and dipped into a coma about an hour before jes woke me up to go to the hospital. so i can't be sure who was more tired after adele was born, me or jes. hahaha-- no but seriously, i was really tired. luckily, nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like seeing one human coming out of another human. especially if you are in love with those humans. was that a weird way of describing birth? maybe.

lastly, let me say this. i love my girls--jes, emma, and adele. they all performed wonderfully this week. emma was so patient and accommodating--not a typical 3 year old response. so kudos to emma. adele was also very patient. all that fussing and monitoring when all she wanted to do was sleep. brutal. and jes was a gem as always. even at the height of her pain, she glowed. there was a time when i thought i wanted/needed to have a son. i can't remember why anymore. i've realized that i need to learn empathy. i need manners, and sensitivity, and long-suffering. i need to be taught about when to not say silly things. i need to be taught those lessons that can only be taught by beautiful and intelligent women.

Dance Show #3

2011-12-04T21:54:00.001-07:00

It's that time again! We had our third dance show, and it was just as entertaining as the other two...if not more so. :) For obvious reasons, it was a Christmas show. My Munchkins (ages 2-3) did The Grinch (video posted below), the Minis (ages 4-5) did Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and the Juniors (ages 5-8) did Jingle Bell Rock. They are all beginning combo classes, but I'm so proud of how far they've come! It's way too much fun!

Emma was distracted this show because she was sandwiched between her two "best friends". Every time I tried splitting them up, Emma would have a major meltdown. I quickly discovered that it wasn't worth the fight as long as she wasn't distracting the other two. As you can see from the video, those two girls were awesome!! Since Ammon was video-taping, he was a little biased and focused mainly on Emma. Who can blame him? She was super cute, but I can tell that she doesn't love it like some of the other girls. In September, she joined her friend Bethanie (the adorable Grinch to Emma's right in the video) at her gymnastics class, and seemed to like that more. I think she's just built (physically and personality-wise) for gymnastics. We're hoping to be able to start that in January (if the schedule works out). Until then, the show must go on...right?? :)

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I love doing these classes and shows and hope to be able to do more...we'll see what next year brings!

Hallelujah!

2011-11-15T09:12:00.001-07:00

Emma's been on the waiting list of a preschool that a lady in our ward does. She's super inexpensive because she's an occupational therapist and doesn't do preschool for the money. She only takes a class of 8: 4 boys and 4 girls. Emma was 3rd on the waiting list, but the first girl. Last week a boy dropped out, but since the boys in the class are pretty "lively", she wanted another girl instead! Hallelujah! We found out on Sunday, and Emma started the next day. She has been asking me to go to school for the last 3 months, so this has been a total blessing! I'm also glad that she started before baby sister was born so that there wasn't too much change for her all at once. Usually when I drop her off at places, she'll ask me to stay for a little bit. This time, she told me that she wanted to go to school all by herself! When her teacher asked if she needed to give me a hug and kiss before they started and I left, she said, "No, I'm just fine!". Needless to say, she loved every second of it!

Here is her very first first-day-of-school pic with her plastic backpack chuck-full of playdough, her purse, a pencil, and an eraser...all things she found necessary for her first day of school. :)

So I can't figure out why this picture uploaded this way. Sorry. Anyways, this was one of the things she did at school on her first day. They learned which animals went where during the winter. She learned intense words like hibernate and migrate!

Her first homework assignment. She even stumped her math teacher mom when she didn't color the train tracks yellow because "they aren't rectangles, mom". Upon closer examination, you can see that they are in fact parallelograms, not rectangles. Emma has the patience of her mom when it comes to coloring. As you can see, there is no time to color in between the lines...especially when the shape is big. :)

I promised Emma a few months ago when she begged to have a backpack and go to school that when she did end up going to school, I'd buy her any backpack she wanted. She obviously remembered that promise and we set off right after school to buy her a backpack. She already knew the exact one she wanted: Rapunzel. Luckily, the first store we went to had exactly what she asked for. :)

I'm SOO grateful that Emma can finally go to preschool! Hallelujah!

we survived

2011-11-01T09:00:00.001-07:00

Halloween was a success. We went to a couple different parties and Emma went actual trick-or-treating (not trunk-or-treating) for the first time! She loved every second of it! I'm glad we went with some friends who had girls a year older so they could show her how it was done. The only drawbacks to trick-or-treating where we went were the cold weather (who likes putting a coat over a costume?) and the fact that the houses were a little too far apart (modified bed rest?)! Despite those, Emma ran from house to house to house to house...it was ridiculous trying to keep up with her. After 30 minutes and a couple intense contractions, baby girl won out over Emma and we headed to our next party. Not knowing any different, Emma felt like her candy stash was HUGE! Since we weren't home to hand out the Sams Club-size bag of candy, we've got Emma covered until Christmas! :)

Emma was also the best dressed, which completely surprised me...since other moms actually like Halloween! Here's our little Rapunzel. Complete with her "Ryder", otherwise known as a frying pan. :)

Overcoming Hatred

2011-10-09T17:53:00.002-07:00

I hate Halloween. Got it from my mom. I hate it so much that it doesn't count as a holiday in my book. I didn't realize how much it would affect Emma until she came home from her friend's house and wondered where our Halloween decorations were and asked what she was going to be for Halloween. Seriously? I was tempted to tell her how lame of a holiday it really was. But, I refrained. Instead, I told her that we haven't put Halloween decorations up yet (and aren't planning on it), but we'll do it sometime soon (because you'll also forget all about it soon). I then convinced her that she can be Rapunzel for Halloween (since she already had the dress). She'd forget about Halloween soon enough.

Wrong.

We were at the library when Emma brought me a book about Halloween. I read it to her and she was fascinated. "What's a jack-o-lantern?" "Look, other kids dress up too!" "Hey mom, what's that white thing with the frowny face?"

I was then forced to realize that Emma has yet one more thing in common with Ammon: Ammon likes Halloween.

Fine.

When we got home from the library, we pulled out our construction paper, and Emma helped me glue together reminders of what I don't like about Halloween. We put these reminders all over the house.

Emma loved it.

Next up? Paying too much for a vegetable that will not be eaten just so we can enjoy another ridiculous tradition for the worst holiday ever. BUT, it's super cute to see Emma so happy and excited about something, so I'll put my Halloween issues aside to appease my two Halloween monsters.

Like mother, like daughter

2011-10-01T21:01:00.001-07:00

So I just blogged about how I have to learn things the hard way. Emma (even though she doesn't really learn from her mistakes) also has to do everything the hard way.

2 months ago, she shoved 2 little hair clips for her little princess doll in her nose. Yes, 2 in one nostril. We got the first one out at home using tweezers. We couldn't reach the second. She went to urgent care. After several attempts at tweezers and other medical equipment, the final solution was to have Ammon plug the open nostril and blow into her mouth. Luckily, it came out (with a lot of blood). She was completely traumatized. For weeks, we went over and over how we don't put things into our nose, mouth, or ears.

Tonight, while Ammon was at Priesthood session, we were video-playing with Gramma. Emma was playing with similar doll toys (which say 3+ on the box). I saw her put something in her mouth out of the corner of my eye. I told her not to put toys in her mouth. She looks at me, gags, then starts crying and points in her mouth. SERIOUSLY, CHILD?

Calmly (which is so unlike me), I try the heimlich (she's breathing fine, so that doesn't work), I try sticking my finger down her throat to gag her several times to induce vomiting. Nothing works. So, I just gave her some water and held her while she whines as it goes down. We talk about how we don't put anything in our mouths. She's embarrassed and sorry. Lesson learned, right?

NOPE! 3 minutes later, she walks up to me and spits the exact same type of toy out on my lap (the picture is a toy similar to the one in her stomach...the nickel is for size reference).

THAT'S IT! All 3+ toys are going in the trash! My 3-year-old is only allowed to have 1+ toys from now on!

There's a reason the Lord hasn't trusted me with 2 yet...lesson learned!

Remember when...

2011-09-24T22:18:00.001-07:00

...13 months ago I went off birth control and got pregnant? My due date was May 31. Then I miscarried. Then I waited a cycle. Then I got pregnant again. My due date was September 2 (then it was moved back to September 10). Then I miscarried and waited a cycle. Then I got pregnant again. My due date was December 7. Then at 7 weeks, the ultrasound tech said it was looking small. Then my due date was December 22nd, and I was mad because I didn't want a Christmas baby.

Then remember from 7 to 16 weeks the doctor was worried that my rh antibodies were too high and all I was worried about was that my baby would be deformed.

Then remember at 16 weeks the antibody level suddenly dropped? Then at 20 weeks we saw that SHE was perfectly healthy, ginormous, and super active. Then remember how all I was worried about was repeating my last delivery (having a baby 9 pound baby, having the cord wrapped around her neck 3 times, and getting 36 stitches)?

Then at 25 weeks (on September 10) I went into labor and was worried about being life-flighted, having a 2 pound baby, and living apart from Ammon for 3 months while she was in the NICU. Then remember how I was put on temporary modified bedrest? Then I realized how I simply don't do bedrest.

Then remember at 26 weeks I had a few hours of contractions that were stronger and getting closer together, but not as painful as the week before?

Then remember at 27 weeks I had a doctor appointment, and because of the week before's incident, I had to remain on "temporary" modified bedrest. Then the next day I had a few hours of contractions that were stronger and getting closer together, but not as painful as 2 weeks before?

Then remember how I had a meltdown? What on earth happened to my plan?? Every time I tried to set up a new plan, it was thrown under the bus!

Then I went to the Relief Society broadcast and I realized that even though I've had this terrible trial for over a year now, at least I'm still pregnant. At least if she decided to come and they couldn't stop it, she would be alive with a 70% chance of complete recovery. At least my amazing ward would help out again in bringing meals and watching Emma every day. At least I already have a precious little girl who is perfect in every way. At least I have an amazing husband who loves me and supports all I do. At least I know that because I was sealed in the temple, I can live with my family (including all my children that my imperfect body is rejecting) for eternity!

Remember when--instead of having faith the first time--I have to learn everything the hard way? Ugh...I remember!

So here's my new plan: I'm going to be happy now...no matter how destroyed my plans A, B, C, D, and E are.

Redemption

2011-08-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

So I teach 3 dance classes here in Flagstaff. It's super low-key. All 20 of my students are from my ward, I do it out of a couple people's unfinished basements, they put together their own costumes, and our dance shows are in a school's gym.

I refused to let Emma come to my class when I did one in the Spring. Who can teach their own child? Not me! But after they had their show, Emma was in tears that she didn't get to do it. SO...I let her be in the youngest class during the Summer session.

To say that Emma was completely uncooperative during class is a gross understatement. When we practiced the dance, she would roll her eyes at me, sit there, try to talk to me, or try to get the other girls to not do the dance. Therefore, I was very reluctant to let her up on the stage. I didn't want her ruining what the other girls had worked so hard for. I was stressed all day today trying to figure out if I should let her do it or not.

While at the grocery store today buying all my students flowers, Emma sees a Minnie balloon that she HAD to have. (Side note: her dance was to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song "Hot Dog Dance". You would probably only know it if you have a toddler.) I laughed because at her last recital, she couldn't care less about flowers either, but wanted a princess balloon. Apparently this is our thing now: balloons for recitals. So, I told Emma that I would give her the Minnie balloon after the show IF she followed what I did.

I'll let the video explain what happened...

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...who is this kid???

P.S...I made the Minnie Ears. Yes, I am bragging, but are they not the cutest?? :)

I might be in the middle of saying something? hahaha idk, but I had to post this because Emma is too cute!

Trying to grow out my bangs...what do you think?

There's my little Minnie Mouse in all her glory! She was SO proud of herself! The only thing she cried about this time was that she didn't get to do the other 2 classes' dances too. :)

California

2011-08-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Our Brown Family Reunion was in Newport Beach, California this year. It was way too much fun! Ammon was in the middle of a trial (that will be posted soon), so he only joined us for like 48 hours. It's hard being a single mom, but I wasn't about to miss out on a vacation! :)

"Why is the beach so cold, mom?"

"Oh well, let's go!"

She spent the entire time running in and out of the water. It was freezing, but she loved it! Here she is with Uncle Logi and Melly Bear.

Aunt Jessi is 28 weeks pregnant, but I bet you couldn't tell! :)

This is what we call a "Perma-wedge"!

If only the water were a LITTLE warmer, I'd be joining her instead of taking pictures with mega zoom!

Luckily Uncle Logi was brave enough to take Emma out deeper. As you can tell, she's LOVING it!

Emma is obsessed with her cousin Cam(bryn). Luckily Cam was fine with Emma constantly needing to hold her hand.

We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. It was amazing! Here are SEA HORSES!! I've never seen them in real life and up close. They are one crazy animal! :)

Emma's favorite fishies...the hot pink ones!

Whenever there were 30 seconds of down time, the kids went crazy. This is pretty typical: Emma and Cam running and screaming while Mel and Andi wonder what on earth is going on.

More beach time! Grandpa even braved some waves to hang out with the girls! :)

When Emma was not "swimming", she was busy surrounding herself in pink accessories...

...and bonding with her fellow beach babes! :)

My brother Ty made this awesome Brown Family Vacation shirts. On the back we wrote our birth order number and our nicknames (which are essential to our family). Here is a pic of everyone in them (which only lasted a few minutes). From right to left (front row): me holding Parker (the only grandson) who is Tyson's, my 16-year-old sister Madi, Tyson's Andi who is almost 2, Tyson's Cambryn who is 3.5, Gramma, Emma, Jess (Logan's wife), Logan's Melody who is 18 months, and Jenn (Tyson's wife). From right to left (back row): Ammon, Logan (my younger brother), Grampa, and Tyson (my older brother).

The girls in the family...FAR outnumber the boys! :) I, and my younger brother, will be adding to those girls by the end of the year. So far the trend among families is girl, girl, boy. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues!

What's a California trip without Disneyland when you have a 3-year-old? Emma's head pretty much exploded the moment we entered the park! She loved every second of it (from open to close). As you can see, Emma HAD to wear her Cunzel dress as she walked through the castle.

"And then I'm going to see Belle, and Mickey, and Minnie, and I love princesses..."

Waiting in line to meet the princesses!

Mulan. Scared Emma to death!

Ariel. Emma only liked her because "their hair matched".

Belle, who told Emma that she was her very best friend! I got all teary-eyed (I'm pregnant, remember?) because Belle spent so much time with Emma. She twirled her around and made Emma feel really special.

Okay, so this isn't a good picture, but Emma was ecstatic! She still tells everyone (when they ask her how Disneyland was) that Belle is her best friend! She LOVES her. THANK YOU, BELLE!

Driving the bumper cars. Emma was pretty much the only one who enjoyed ramming her car into the others. She could not stop laughing! Look at that determination on her face as she tries to hit another car!

SUCH a cute picture! Sometimes I get so jealous that Emma doesn't look like me. I mean, seriously...are they not sooo cute??!?!

When we were walking from attraction to attraction, Emma had to walk a few feet behind us, holding her wand, and waving at passers-by. As you can imagine, she got QUITE a few compliments on her dress. Yes, I let her wear this dress whenever she wants to, but mainly because she actually acts like a princess and is super sweet when she has it on! :)

Emma, Cam, and Andi all happened to wear the exact same dress on the same day! What are the odds? Thanks again, Karen (Ammon's mom) for buying it for her. She clearly loves it! :)

This trip wouldn't have been possible without a generous grant from Grandpa Brown! Thanks for all you do for us! We LOVED every second of the trip...including the 6 hour drive with you. We're hoping you enjoyed yourself too! :) We love that families are forever!

Flagstaff Summers!

2011-07-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

My parents and sister came to visit us for the day last Friday to get out of the heat. Emma and Grandpa Truck's favorite movie to watch together is Cars. When Cars 2 came out, Emma naturally wanted Grandpa Truck to take her to see it. She loved the movie until she fell asleep during the last five minutes. :)

If you didn't see on Facebook, Emma had this really nasty growth on her arm. Almost a week ago we had it removed. It was beyond traumatic for the both of us. Luckily, Ammon was there to help calm us down. :) Ammon held Emma, the nurse held her arm, and the doctor cut it out and stitched it up. My job was to not look, and to try to distract Emma from looking. I bought her a new toy just for the event. It worked until the numbing shot (which was the first thing the doctor did). Emma FREAKED out. It literally took all of us to pin her down to hold her still. I made the mistake of looking while the doctor was stitching her up. I got all nauseous and dizzy. The doctor only got four stitches in, but thought that would be good enough. Hopefully it heals okay. The next tricky part has been not getting the stitches wet, but at least they are dissolvable and we don't have to go through the trauma of taking them out! We're still waiting for the pathology report to tell us what it is. We'll keep you posted!

We LOVE Summers and Saturdays in Flagstaff!! After a really crazy week for all three of us, we decided to enjoy the outdoors.

There was free event at Wheeler Park that had all types of vehicles from ambulances to military trucks and cop cars to life-flight helicopters. Emma love love loved it!

Inside the Firetruck

Bulldozer

Her favorite: the limo

The hybrid city bus

The life-flight helicopter

The lovely Lake Mary is only 10 minutes from our house. We visit occasionally to enjoy the scenery and to throw rocks into the water. :) It's gorgeous at sunset!

Emma pointing out all he boats on the water to Daddy.

My 17 weeks belly shot...did I mention I'm pregnant? :) After two devastating miscarriages, this baby seems to be doing just fine. We have an ultrasound on August 9th to determine the gender and to see if everything is going well. There have been lots of fasting and prayers on this baby's behalf. Clearly, they have all been answered so far...here's to a happy and healthy rest of the pregnancy!

Father's Day

2011-06-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know this is about 10 days late. As you can see, we've had a lot going on lately! :)

Ammon loves the outdoors. I don't like getting dirty, touching bugs, or hiking for miles. Since we've been married for 5 years, you can see that we've figured out how to compromise. We go on a few hikes (a mile or two) every now and then, and Emma and I watch Ammon rock climb every now and then. BUT, I told Ammon that twice a year (on his birthday and on Father's Day), he gets to pick the outdoor activity and Emma and I will do our best to not complain the entire time.

For Father's Day this year, he chose West Fork near Sedona. It's a very popular hike that is actually pretty hard to get to go on because they only let so many cars into the parking lot. There is always a long line waiting to come in. Since this is what he wanted to do, we set our alarms, and took off bright and early so we could get to the hike (20 minutes away) by the time the gate opened (8 am).

As we entered the hike, there was a huge sign telling us what to look out for: poison ivy, poison oak, snakes, bears...oh my!! After reading all of the warnings on the sign, I took several deep breaths, made Ammon walk first, and held very tight onto Emma's hand. What does poison ivy and poison oak look like again? What's that wrestling in the trees? After a mile, Ammon finally convinced me that he hadn't seen anything poisonous, or seen any signs of crazy animals. I started to relax about it after that and tried to keep a smile on my face so Ammon wouldn't hate his Father's Day.

Come to find out, West Fork is 6 miles round trip (up and back), although we probably only did 4 or 5. Still, 4 or 5 miles with a 3-year-old was a little intense! When we let her walk, we were maybe averaging 1/2 mile an hour. She would stop to look at every bug, smell every flower, and collect every stick. We had to bribe her to walk faster by giving her suckers and letting her snack when we got to certain points. She was such a good sport! When we got impatient and wanted to move a little faster, we would carry her or put her on Ammon's shoulders. She didn't really like it, but I was not in the mood to make this event a 12-hour ordeal! :)

The hike itself was absolutely beautiful, and not at all hot because it crossed back and forth over a river the whole time. The only drawback was that it was very sandy the whole time. Why is it so much harder to walk in sand? Why does Emma have to bury her shoes into the sand at each step? While I was stressed about keeping my shoes dry and clean, Ammon would gracefully leap across the rocks with Emma on his shoulders. I bet every person who passed us was wondering how the two of us ended up together.

Emma loved the bridge you have to cross to get to the trail head.

I love this picture!

Yep, not even to the trail head, and we needed a sucker! This is what she would do when we told her to smile for the camera. Recognize the pose from anywhere?

Someone kindly offered to take our picture. We NEVER have one of the three of us!

There are ruins before the trail head.

I think the rock behind us with the water coming out is called "weeps"?

The man of the weekend! :)

Isn't that so pretty??

Attempting to maneuver over rocks while carrying Emma.

Flowers were everywhere! Too bad we didn't go in the Fall, though. I bet the changing leaves would be amazing on this hike! Maybe we'll have to repeat this in a few months (but only hike a mile or so).

Emma adding rocks to her collection.

Her shoes were brand new going into the hike and came out BLACK! Luckily, I was able to bleach the laces back, and scrub the shoes. They look much more presentable! :)

LOVE my squishy!

Oh, you want me to pose again? How about this one?

Look how HUGE that tree is??

We didn't let her get wet on the way into the hike because we didn't want her complaining about being wet for 4 more miles.

So beautiful!

Taking a much-needed break! :)

Exploring.

Found a hallowed-out tree she could fit into.

On the way back, it was much warmer, so we let her get soaked!

She LOVED it and didn't want to leave...looks like she'll be an outdoorsy girl after all!

Overall, it was a lot of fun, and I'm really glad we get to do things like this twice a year. Happy Father's Day, Ammon! Thanks for being so patient and loving to Emma!

P.S...For those of you who know he's been looking for a backpack. YES, I finally broke down and let him get one...the most expensive one. After a mix-up, we're still waiting for it to arrive, but I'm sure you'll be seeing more of it when we post more hiking pics down the road.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Emma!

2011-06-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is pretty much a long journal entry. Feel free to skim! :)

Emma's 3...finally! I've been counting down to when she is done with her "terrible twos". It's official! Now she's just 3 going on 13. Literally, she will tell you that she is any other age than 3. Don't know why she hates the number 3 (it's my favorite one), but she does!

Emma has really grown in so many ways these last few weeks. I can already tell that this will be a fun year!
1. Her vocabulary actually impresses me, when she's not using it to insult me (see previous posts). She can also formulate long sentences that actually make sense. Emma has never really been a talker, so it's crazy to hear her suddenly use her voice for something other than screaming.
2. She is very independent. We constantly hear, "I can do it!" On her birthday, she "helped" me make a cake (aka: if I didn't let her do every part of it, she would tell me, "It's my birthday, Mom...not yours!"). She picked out what cake mix and frosting she wanted (pink cake mix and white frosting), she put all the ingredients into the bowl (while I fished out egg shells), she stirred the bowl (leaving an entire egg untouched that I had to quickly stir while she wasn't looking), she frosted the cake (while still warm, of course), decorated the cake (I've never seen so many sprinkles on one cake), and put her own candles into the cake. Don't worry...I lit the candles! :)
3. She's pretty good at understanding sarcasm. When Ammon says anything (let's be real...pretty much everything out of his mouth is sarcastic), she always tells us, "You're kidding!" or "Stop teasing!".
4. Emma is stubborn. Sometimes it's great! She started potty-training at 27 months because she wouldn't put on a diaper anymore. She's officially been potty-trained for 6 months now, which has been 6 months without having to buy diapers!!
5. She poops a ridiculous amount each day...TMI??
6. Emma is currently obsessed with anything princess or Strawberry Shortcake.
7. She is very artistic and creative. She loves art projects and is always very proud of them! The only problem with that is she won't give them to anyone, or let us throw any away.
8. Emma is 39 inches tall (90th percentile) and 35 pounds (88th percentile).
9. She still takes 2 hour naps daily, and is a beast when she can't have one (dang 1:00 church).
10. Emma is super helpful and tender-hearted! She loves giving and receiving lots of hugs and kisses...sometimes for an awkwardly long time. :) I can't wait for when she can have a sibling. She'll be a great big sister...as long as the kid doesn't have baggage from her bossing them around all day. :)

Because we don't live super close to any family, Emma had about 2 full weeks of a birthday this year! It started off by going to Grandma and Grandpa Truck's house (in the valley) for the recital and a little present/family time. Emma was showered with love.

Summertime in the valley is not complete without a swim or two...everyday! :) Emma hates the water this year. Awesome. She refuses to go under. She's been practicing putting her head underwater in the tub once we got back home. We'll have to go to a pool and see if it's legit. Here she is basking in the sun because the pool is "too cold" at 85 degrees for these two babes! :)

Emma and her cousin Cambryn. Cam actually loves the water, but took one for the team by sitting out with Emma to take some pics.

Birthdays aren't complete without presents. Among others gifts, this is a Rapunzel dress from Grandma...complete with her "Ryder" (plastic frying pan). Don't try to tell her it's called a "frying pan", though...she WILL hit you with it!

When we got back from the valley, we were welcomed home with an amazing package from Emma's great-grandma Barker!

Emma's great-great-aunt made this baby doll. Emma's great-grandma Barker gave it to her for her birthday. Emma LOVES it and sleeps with it every night!

On Emma's actual birthday (June 16th), we had a family (just the 3 of us) celebration. I let Emma do pretty much everything she wanted all day long. We did all of Emma's favorite things including shopping, playing, dancing, etc.

Emma's cake! I seriously had the giggles all night long over it (read number 2 above)!

Emma smiling before we sing "Happy Birthday" to her. Hey Barkers, do you recognize that smile from anywhere? Hahaha...I love how alike Emma and Ammon are! Emma HAD to have a birthday hat on her birthday. The hard part was that I had not gotten her one. Luckily, Special Agent Oso gave us 3 special steps for making one. It totally fit the day!

A few days after Emma's birthday, she got another special gift in the mail! She was so excited to open her presents from Grandpa and Grandma Zoom...as you can tell from her smile! :)

Because Emma's actual birthday was super close to Father's Day, we pushed her party off a week (June 24). She had a bug-themed (to accommodate boys and girls) party in Flagstaff with all her closest friends. We painted bug pictures, colored bug bags, went on a bug hunt, ate some bug food, and planted flowers into pots. They were all so cute and excited over everything they got to take home (pictures, bags, butterfly catchers, aprons, mini shovels and rakes, and lots of food)! Emma again was showered with love and gifts! I could not believe how generous everyone was! Emma sure is loved!! She was so grateful for her gifts that she went around and hugged everyone and told them "thank you" and that she loved them! It was sweet!

Here is Emma's bug hunt from her birthday party in Flagstaff. From left to right: Emma, Caleb, me, Kaybree, Sabrina, Bethanie, and Lila.

Although Emma can be one crazy kid, I honestly don't know what I would do without her! She's got such a tender heart and has gotten me through some pretty tough times! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Emma!

Broadway Baby

2011-06-21T15:44:00.001-07:00

Ammon and I agreed from the moment we found out Emma was going to be a girl, that we want to expose her to both dance/girly activities and sports/not-as-girly activities and then let her pick which one she likes best. When I was down in the valley for about a month in April doing the Easter Pageant, I put Emma in a dance class at my sister's studio because:

A) I was going to be doing a lot with the Easter Pageant, and wanted Emma to have something for her
2) Madi dances there, and the owner is a good friend who called me to work on the Easter Pageant
Lastly) It was free because of the above

Naturally, Emma was terrible in class. The teacher would try to get her to do something, but she would just do her own thing the entire time. She was terrible at following and mimicking. She would frequently say "No, I do this!" when the teacher told her to do something. She didn't really love it while she was there, but it was all she could talk about when she wasn't. Then, the inevitable happened. Costumes for recital arrived, and Emma had to have one. Umm...no! She's a little young.

Then, my dance class that I teach in Flagstaff had their recital and Emma was SOO upset the entire time that she wasn't able to be in it. She wanted her chance to dance for everyone.

Fine. Might as well get a costume, and let her be in the recital with Aunt Mads, right? Plus...Emma would be dancing to "Broadway Baby", the very first dance that Madi did. Ugh, I'm a sucker for nostalgia!

So, we drove down for the recital to watch Madi dance, and decided we might as well let Emma have her shot on stage. Let's be real...2-year-olds don't really need practice. They don't memorize the dances anyways. During dress rehearsal, I was a complete disaster! I get terribly nervous for other people. I really don't like it when people have a bad experience and are scarred for life. To this day, I still am nervous for Madi...especially because she had to sing (yes, she was mic'd) and dance this year during the opening number (naturally, she was awesome). As for Emma's performance, I just wanted three things to NOT happen:

First) Emma peeing her pants on stage
B) Emma crying hysterically and running off stage
3) Emma throwing up

Luckily, all she did was just sit there on her little bench. PHEW! So, I was feeling much better. After dress rehearsal, I asked Emma why she didn't dance. She said that it was because I told her to watch Miss Maryanna. I'm retarded. She did exactly that.

The next day was recital, and I was excited to get this stupid thing over with. (Note to self: don't let her do this again...for my sake!) On the way to the recital, Emma kept telling me that she didn't want to go on stage. I felt so bad! What do I do? Once we got there and got her dressed, I told her that if she got on stage and danced (in any way she wanted), then she could have the princess balloon she picked out (she didn't like the flower I got her). She agreed.

After the recital, she definitely got her balloon. She did exactly what she was told: she danced in any way she wanted. Was it the choreography? Nope. Was is close? Sometimes. Was she so proud of herself? Absolutely! I went backstage after her dance to take her potty (she may or may not have been dancing because she had to go). She told me that she was a good listener and that she did a great job! I was SOOO excited that she had a good experience! Mission accomplished!

Madi only had a few numbers in the show that Emma was in (her main recital show was the following night), but made it a point to pick Emma up during Finale so Emma didn't feel so lost. Madi danced with Emma and pointed us out in the crowd, and Emma waved and blew a kiss. She was probably completely relieved to be done! Thanks, Mads for helping your non-dancing niece feel more at home!

On our way back to my parents house from the recital, Emma told me that Madi is her sister, not mine. Tender moment! I can't wait to watch the video...especially the Finale! *tear*

Guess we can check dance off the list of activities Emma will be doing...phew! Up next: soccer, rock climbing, swimming, singing, and piano! Hopefully watching Emma do those won't send my blood pressure through the roof!

This is the pose she did for recital pictures. Whenever she has this costume on, she shows off her pose! :)

So big!

2011-06-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Emma picks up all my bad habits. One of which is being bossy. She's mastered that. The other is using my words against me.

Emma: "I want a wah-pop" (otter pop/popcicle)
Me: "Sorry, Emma, you have to eat your enchiladas first."
Emma: "That's not an option. I eat a wah-pop."

Emma: "Mom...Mom...Jesica!"
Me: "Emma, I'm on the phone. What do you need?"
Emma: "Focus, Mom. I need chocolate milk. Be a good listener." (aka: do what I want right now)

Because of Emma's new-found grown-up talk, we've let her have a little more freedom. Up until now, I have never let her be outside unless I'm outside. However, there is a cute 3-year-old girl across the street that Emma always plays with. I really needed to make dinner, and Emma was adamant about playing with her friend. So we compromised. I sat Emma down in a spot where I could see her out my kitchen window. I told her she couldn't move from that spot until I was done making dinner. Surprisingly, she listened. She and her friend colored with chalk and drew each other pictures. I was so proud of both of us. Me, for giving her more freedom, and her for being responsible. Can you believe Emma will be 3 in a week? She's gotten so big!

This was the view from my window...so cute!!

Emma is...strong-willed?

2011-05-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

You know your kid is crazy when everyone feels the need to comment on her personality, but they aren't quite sure which word to use. Here are a few examples:

Example 1:
Mother's Day is always interesting for moms of kids who are no older than 2. Let's be honest...it's just like every other day, but husbands are there to help out a lot more. The sweet nursery workers tried making Mother's Day extra special. They helped each kid fill out a paper of characteristics of their moms. I was in nursery to watch this take place for a few minutes while I was setting up for singing time. It was adorable! The leaders really tried hard to make the answers sweet and special. In the legal world, you could say that they were asking leading questions. Here were a few of Emma's answers:

1. Leader: Emma, do you call your mom "Mommy" or "Mom"? (The paper says "My mother's name is___)
Emma: No, I call her Daddy. (Sadly, she really does mix us up all the time. It makes me a little nervous!)
Leader: Really? Then what do you call your Daddy?
Emma: Mommy
Leader: Oh, I bet that's kinda confusing at your house then.
Emma: HAHAHAHA No, it's not confusing! (She seriously thought that was the funniest word!)

2. Leader: Emma, did your mom have a birthday recently? (The paper says "My mom is ____years old)
Emma: Yeah, but it's my birthday next in June.
Leader: I know! You'll be 3 soon.
Emma: No, I 18.
Leader: You're 18, huh? But at your mom's birthday, did she turn 25 or 30?
Emma: No, my mom is 10.
Leader: 10? You're older than your mom?
Emma: Yeah!

When I went to pick Emma up from nursery, her leaders gave me her answers (and told me that their conversation with Emma was their favorite because of her "creative" answers) along with a paper with the "Hand prints" poem and her hand print on it. Her leader then told me to take a high-heeled-shoe-shaped cookie. I let Emma pick out which one she thought fit me best. Emma then announced that the cookie was hers. I said it was mine, but I would share it with her. Emma then threw herself on the ground kicking and screaming. Since she wouldn't let me pick her up, I dragged her out of nursery by her foot. As I left the room, another mom who was going to pick up her child proceeded to tell me how much she loves Emma's "strong-willed" personality.

Example 2:
Emma is in a playgroup of 6 kids. We take turns having it at our houses. When I dropped Emma off, a mother said that she" loves to see the outfits Emma comes up with". Yes, Emma was wearing a short-sleeved dress and sandals when it was no warmer than 50 degrees outside. When we left the house, she had on pants, a coat, socks, and shoes. By the time I got her out of her car seat, she had shimmied out of her layers and put on the sandals that were in the back of the car. When I went to pick Emma up, another mom told me how independent Emma was, how she was such a leader, and how she loved her "fun" personality. While she was telling me this, Emma was running around screaming, hiding under tables, and jumping on the couch. Mothers of the kids who were following Emma kept chasing them and trying to get them to calm down. Proud mom moment.

Example 3:
Yesterday, Emma and I had a "Stubborn Duel". She had woken up several times in the night complaining of a stomach ache. She didn't seem like she was going to throw up, although she kept saying she was going to. I kept offering her food, but she refused. The next morning she pooped...a lot...then said that her tummy hurt again. I figured she was finally hungry. I sat her at the table and told her she could only get down if she took one bite of cereal. I knew that if she took a bite, she would either down the rest, or finally throw up. She sat at the table for TWO HOURS crying the whole time. She finally took a bite, and downed 2 bowls of cereal.

To say that Emma is stubborn is an understatement. To say that I am more stubborn is obvious. Naturally, our personalities don't mix. I feel like I'm the mother of a teenager. I'm hoping that her personality will keep her on the straight and narrow. However, if she happens to choose the other path, we're in BIG trouble! It's instances like these that make me grateful we don't have another child. The Lord clearly knows that Emma needs a little more one-on-one attention than most kids her age. :)

A little hike in Sedona.

5 years down...

2011-05-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

While everyone was watching the Royal Wedding, Ammon and I were off reminiscing about the first day of our lives. Ammon loves surprises, and I'm horrible at them, so naturally Ammon planned a surprised anniversary trip for us, and I was trying to piece everything together the entire month I knew he was scheming.

Since this would be the first time leaving Emma with a babysitter for more than a few hours, I was a little nervous. I wanted to make sure that she would have a fun time too. Luckily, Ammon thought of everything: his parents came all the way from Salt Lake just to entertain Emma. She loved every second of it! She didn't even cry or throw a temper tantrum once!

We took off heading West on Friday morning and were in Las Vegas a few hours later. I was hoping that we weren't going to stay in Vegas...it's not the most romantic destination. :) We did, however, get to do some shopping (which is heavenly without Emma)!! After the mall, we went to see the Bellagio flower exhibit, which was A-mazing as always. It's my favorite place to stop. Sadly, it was beyond windy, so the water show wasn't going. Here are some pics...

Yes, this is a re-creation of a piece of art, but with flowers, of course!

My new favorite flowers...

The theme was a Springtime carnival featuring butterflies?? :) Who knows...but it was gorgeous!

My second new favorite flower...

Who knew tulips were so cool??

After a fabulous dinner in Las Vegas, we headed to St. George! I was so excited! Before we left, I was hoping that we were going to go to Sedona (because we both love red rocks, and it's surprisingly romantic), but since we started heading West instead of South, my second choice would have been St. George. We had a fabulously romantic hotel suite, which was the perfect place to try the new bath bombs I had just purchased. Nothing like being pampered, right? :)

The next morning, Ammon asked me to navigate him toward Snow Canyon. I was a little hesitant, because I'm not exactly nature girl. However, I trusted that Ammon wasn't going to just ditch me and go climbing for a few hours. :) Naturally, he delivered! We went to a massive sand dune. It was gorgeous scenery, perfect weather, and a beach (let's be honest, I never go in the water when we go to California)...without a 10+ hour drive! I was in heaven! For those of you who know me, you might understand better if I tell you that it was like opening a new tub of butter and being the first to take out the swirl! There were hardly any people, so hardly any footprints in the finest red sand you've ever seen. We lay [Ammon said this is the correct form of "lie"] out, had a little picnic, then drove to see the other landscape...it was so relaxing!

Those are our footprints...

"The last set of footprints were when He carried you"...or the second person walked in the first person's footprints so we could take the shot. HAHAHA

I mean, seriously, is that not the coolest picture?

After our "beach" adventure, we lay out by a real pool (although it was only in the 70s and too cold for me to get into the heated pool), read books, took naps, and relaxed! Once we awoke to the reality of rumbling tummies, we went to the temple to await our dinner reservation at The Painted Pony.

And had to take a picture with Brigham Young, naturally! :)

The Painted Pony is a "real" restaurant. In other words, they have a real chef and charge a lot more. Look how amazing my French Onion Soup looked?? Don't worry...it tasted even better! :)

I forgot to take pictures of our entrées. We were too hungry to remember to wait. Ammon had THE most tender meat. You didn't even need a knife to cut it! I had scrumptious ravioli. This is our dessert...the perfect blend of sweet and tart! YUM!

Sadly, we had to leave early the next morning so we could be at our 1:00 church (Did I mention we have new callings? Ammon is the 1st Counselor in YM and I'm the Nursery Chorister/fill in for the Primary Chorister when she's sick.), and so Ammon's parents could make the long drive back home. Thanks again, Dave & Karen! You were lifesavers!

It probably wouldn't have mattered where we went on our trip. We just needed a break to talk uninterrupted, a break from our stressful lives, and a break to fall in love all over again! 5 years down...an eternity to go...

Easter Pageant 2011

2011-04-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

This year's Mesa Easter Pageant is well underway! We only have 5 shows left! The rest of the shows are all in English and are Tuesday through Saturday this week (19-23)!

Just like last year, I am the Assistant Choreographer in charge of the angels on top of the stage. However, since the choreographer in charge of the 10 Virgins, Mary, and Mary Magdalene just had her baby a few weeks ago, I've also been filling in for her. I thought my life couldn't be any busier since I have to commute from Flagstaff once a week and find babysitters (THANK YOU MOM, DAD & JESS!) every night. I quickly learned never to announce how busy I think I am, because the Lord always lovingly shows me how I'm really not the one who makes that decision.

One of my dear angels was put in the hospital Tuesday only a few short hours before our public-invited dress rehearsal that lds.org would be taking pictures of and filming. Since I knew her part best, I "got" to fill in. Most people would find this exciting. I, on the other hand, am deathly afraid of heights. When I teach the angels, I avoid the stage as much as possible, or hold on to someone while I give them quick corrections. The stage is also tilted and has different levels. Now add total darkness and blinding lights to that equation, and it's a nightmare! My angels said they could see me shaking! Luckily it was windy, so no one from the grass noticed. Best of all, lds.org got their full ascension picture without a hole. Click here to see it! I'm the second from the right in the front row (literally 3 inches away from the edge of the stage).

After Tuesday, I was so excited to watch the show from the grass. That, clearly, didn't happen. At the last minute, I was told she was still in the hospital and wouldn't be released til Thursday. So, I went back on stage on Wednesday. She was released right as the show was starting on Thursday. So, you guessed it, I performed again on Thursday. Friday came, and so did my angel. However, she was still on Morphine and super shaky. We both didn't think she was in good enough shape to go up to the stage, so 10 minutes before the show started, I threw on my costume, gave Emma (I brought her to watch because I didn't think I had to perform) to the mom of one of my angels, and ran up to the stage. When I got down from my first scene, Emma was nowhere to be found. I finally found the mom, and she showed her to me. The mom put Emma in this (see below) costume and wanted to take her on stage during a scene so that Jesus could touch her. This mom was A-mazing! She was seriously exactly what I needed!

Emma looks sad in these pictures. She was mostly just blinded by the flash, but was also exhausted and ready to go to bed. :) I let Emma watch the pageant from the wings when I didn't have to be on stage. I am in the Resurrection and Ascension scenes, so the mom had to take her on stage for Finale. Because of her position on stage, Emma wasn't able to watch the Resurrection and Ascension. Therefore, she still hasn't gotten over how Jesus "got hurt". Hopefully she'll be able to watch the entire show this week and finally have closure that Jesus "gets better". :)

Unfortunately, Saturday my angel was back in the hospital. That made 5 nights in a row that I needed to conquer my fears. By Saturday, I wasn't noticeably shaking, but still want my angel to come back and let me enjoy the pageant from the opposite view. :) We're all hoping she's well enough to perform this week! Keep her in your prayers!

Mama Mia, Papa Pia...

2011-04-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm horrible at secrets...I'll be the first one to admit that. :)

Ammon and I are celebrating our 5th Anniversary at the end of the month. He's done a fabulous job of keeping everything a secret from me. However, he slipped up just once, and I took full advantage. He sent my present to the house under my name and did not tell me not to open it. Although I had no idea that the box on my doorstep was a present, I still couldn't bare to wait! After calling Ammon twice and getting voicemail both times, I figured I should just go ahead and open it. :)

Ammon bought me a pasta maker!!! It was the exact one I wanted!! To top things off, my dad made the amazing drying rack you see below. Now, with only 1 egg and less than 1 cup of flour, I can make a 1/2 lb of the best tasting homemade spaghetti. You can also make tons of other types of pasta, and ravioli if you get an extra attachment! From now on, I'm planning to make several batches at a time, drying them, and storing them. Perfezione!

So, obviously I didn't make enough for everyone to be full. I didn't want to use a ton of ingredients in case I screwed everything up. :) It turned out awesome! So easy and soooo yummy!! Even Ammon likes it better! :)

Thanks again, Love! Can't wait to see what else you have planned the rest of the month! Hopefully I'll be better at letting you keep the secret. :)

Perfection!!!

2011-02-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

Our daughter, Emma, is seriously perfect...

...okay, before you throw up, I was just kidding!! I'm obviously referring to the "Big Girl Bed" that my dad made for Emma (and a special thanks to mom for the curtains)...

Oh, and Ammon painted the entire bed and the E M M A are courtesy of my cousin, Lindsey (thanks again)...man, have I done anything to Emma's room??

Before the bed, Emma's room never looked this clean!!

It has a "tent" where I hide all Emma's big toys, but Emma thinks that she's just super cool for having a clubhouse in her room.

Behind the shopping cart is a little scooter and baby stroller...the thing is deep! The top shelf has all of her purses, kitchen items, and playdough/crafts!

The cubbies under the stairs are also hiding tons of blankets and books.

The bottom three drawers house the rest of her toys, leaving the top one empty!

Clothes (notice the one empty drawer again) that I know she won't try on all day long. I'm a mean mom and try to enforce the one-outfit-a-day rule.

I mean, come on, is that not the coolest bed?? Utter perfection! :)

So I realized that we haven't updated this dang thing for a while...here's what we've been up to lately...

We went on a hike to Cathedral Rock in Sedona a few weeks ago. The drive is a beautiful one, and only 45 min from our house. It was a gorgeous day, and exactly what we all needed! Here we are having an Oreo break! :)

Emma loves being outdoors like her Daddy. During the steep hike, she was reminding her Daddy that she was climbing rocks just like him. :) Ammon actually climbed to the top of Cathedral Rock in the background on a different trip.

We were in the valley during President's Day weekend so Ammon could paint Emma's bed. We went to Sakana, a teppenyaki restaurant for Ammon's birthday (which is on the 28th, if you need a reminder :)). After a fabulous meal, they brought out this cat, a sugarless ice cream, and sang a Japanese-ish Happy Birthday. The night was a success! :) Natsukashii!

Even Madi and her friend Stef parted from their boyfriends long enough to join the family dinner. :)

Isn't this the CUTEST picture EVER???

So this pic is random, but I thought it was amazing! This was dinner on Valentine's Day. A heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's! YUMMY! We are doing this every year! :)

Sledding...on her face...

2011-01-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Emma has discovered sledding. She loves loves loves it! She's so hard core that even after a nasty battle wound, she's willing to get right back up and say "I do it again" through her tears...

New Year's Day on a hill right off Milton by NAU.

Emma takes a much needed break getting pulled back up the hill each time. It's hard to be such a professional sledder!

We thought it was a good idea to let her try it by herself. In powder, it is a good idea...

In ice, it's not. We went again on January 8th to a different hill because the hill on Milton was pretty torn up from all the sledders. The only problem was that the new hill was a little icier than before. She rolled off the sled at the end of the run like she did in the video above, but this time, she didn't think it was really fun. This is her pondering how that brutal run could have gone much better. Maybe we won't take her when it's icy. :)

let it snow!!

2010-11-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

After 3 forecasted and failed snowstorms, we finally got snow!!

I know what you may be thinking... "Jes, you hate the snow! What changed your mind?"

Answer is three-fold:
1) I don't have to go out in the snow if I don't want to. No walking 100 miles in a storm uphill both ways!
2) I have a 2-year-old who loves to play in it...instant and free entertainment!
3) It's sunny right after the storm (no inversion) and we have a beautiful view of rocky hills by our apartment!

Our little pink marshmallow couldn't be happier! This is even right before her nap time, which is usually the time I give myself time-outs so I don't lose it! Now if only there's a painless solution to getting that lion mane outta her face! :)

busy month for the browns!

2010-11-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Jessica, my brother Logan's wife, decided to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! We couldn't be more thrilled of her decision! Have you seen these three look any happier! :)

I know I am beyond excited!! There were SOO many people who came to support Jess!! She is so loved! Everyone felt the spirit (well maybe except for my crazy daughter that didn't want to sit still and was totally distracting).

Because Jess got baptized on Veteran's Day, Ammon got to take a long weekend off work, which meant that Emma got some awesome cousin time!! Here all 4 of them are in the infamous train at the Chandler Mall!

Miss Melly in the swings...

Emma "going down" the slide!

Emma being a good older cousin and holding Mel as they go down the slide together.

Melody also turned 1 that weekend! She had a fun little tea-party-themed extravaganza. I have never seen a 1-year-old get so many gifts! I'm pretty sure she got more than the other 3 cousins got combined...times 5!

Emma in her tea party attire...loving every second of it!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

I hate Halloween. Ammon loves Halloween. Why did we do Halloween this year? For Ammon and Emma. I tried to be a good sport.

I suggested the carving of the pumpkin (although I didn't touch it)...

...and I even made Emma's Strawberry Shortcake outfit!!

Hope you also had a fun and safe Halloween...24 days til Thanksgiving and 54 days til Christmas (real holidays)!!! Can't wait to celebrate with our families!

Sprouts!!

2010-10-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

So about a year ago I went to my parents' stake's provident living carnival. Ammon and I were intrigued about sprouts, but really didn't want to spend a lot of money, and everywhere we looked, it was pretty expensive. Luckily we moved to greeny-green Flagstaff! Our ward did a provident living carnival on Tuesday, and a woman in our ward explained exactly where to go, what to buy, and step-by-step of what to do. On Thursday I drove to New Frontier, and was immediately overwhelmed. Holy organic store! Luckily the sprouts section was right when you walk in. I got a cover for a mason jar that I already had, and a bag of alfalfa seeds for $10 total, and started that night.

Here is the bag of seeds for $5. For each batch in my pint jar, I use 2 1/4 teaspoons. I'm pretty sure these seeds will last me until I'm sick of sprouting...or it's great food storage!! All it takes is water and some sunlight on the last day...plus they are incredibly healthy for you!

I soaked the seeds for 8 hours in my mason jar (right side up) when I brought them home from the store. I then rinsed and drained the seeds and turned them upside down to drain. After 24 hours of growing...

More rinsing and draining (twice a day). After 48 hours of sprouting...

More rinsing and draining. Day 3, I put them in the sun to photosynthesize. Here they are drying out before I put them in the fridge. And that's it!! Email me if you have any questions!

Jess (Logan's wife), my mom and I at Time Out for Women!!! It. was. so. good!!! It was a much needed spiritual renewal as well as a well-deserved break from reality. Don't we look exhausted from all the spirituality?? Okay, maybe it was from staying up late the night before because we were painting nails and talking all night long. :) Bonus points for anyone who notices what's different about me.

Emma's friend Bailee had her 2-year-old Barnyard Birthday Party Bash! The Bishop and his wife have miniature horses that they brought and let the kids ride. It was a big hit!

The fall leaves changing colors...

Emma update/Please give me advice!!: Emma's favorite word now is "sorry". Yeah, sounds fabulous, except she doesn't know how to use it. She uses it for "excuse me", for "oops", or for who knows what! It's adorable! She'll trip while walking and say "sorry, Mommy". hahaha too cute!

Emma's got peeing in the bag (and by bag, I mean toilet)! She's obsessed with public restrooms. Every store we go in, she has to go potty the second we get there. Is she manipulating me? Sure...but heck, I'll take that over changing diapers any day. As far as #2 is concerned, she's terrified of it. She'll stall and stall until it's on it's way out. She runs to the toilet and cries when she sees it in there. But hey, who doesn't?? :) She'll go, but does anyone have any ideas on how to get her to not be so scared? The same bribes that worked during peeing don't work here because she only goes once a day (huge change from the 5 times a day when she wasn't potty-training). Maybe she's still a little young...why did she insist on doing this again?? Oh yeah, it's because she's crazy!!

Her tantrums and listening skills could honestly not get any worse. Church was a nightmare! During sacrament she had time-out 3 times (for screaming, throwing toys and other kids, and hitting me)! The nursery leaders said that Emma was "energetic". We work in the older nursery and when we tell parents that, we really mean that they should never bring their child back to nursery. haha I've tried every form of discipline and time-out is the only thing that works. However, she usually spends about half of the day there. Any other ideas???

Ammon update: Ammon not only passed the bar exam, but also passed his character and fitness (100 page background check). We're just waiting for his bar number so he can get sworn in. Yes, we've decided to stay in Flagstaff for now. Everything has worked out perfectly for us, and we know it's where we are supposed to be!

Here is some video of Emma dancing to Ammon's late-night serenades.

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CONGRATS!!!

2010-10-08T17:39:00.003-07:00

Congratulations, Love, on passing the Bar Exam! I'm so proud of you!!

http://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/26/710Results.pdf

Here's to:
*Another adventurous 4.5 years of marriage!

*A salary job

*Stability and predictability...my 2 favorite words

*Not being students anymore

*No more budgets. Okay, so less of a budget. Sorry...it's in my blood...stop looking at me like that!

*Affording to be spontaneous (I just threw up in my mouth), and taking time to smell the roses

*Finally being adults...although you know I'll always love the "smile" from your 4-year-old soccer pic

*Love and support from people who are already adults...thank you for always bending over backwards on our behalf!

*Your adorably squishy brain that pulled through when you thought it would fall out, and your kidney stone that decided to stay put during those 2 intense days!

*Emma, who would rather play with paper plates than say the word "Congratulations"...newb. Okay, she's a cute newb!

*Me. Let's be real, what would you do without me? Notice who is holding the fauxploma?

*YOU, my amazingly sexy lover of a husband!! You did it!

Hurray!

she doesn't get it from me...

2010-09-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, 2-year-olds are stubborn. They know exactly what they want, and most of the time it happens to be the opposite of what we want. This describes Emma perfectly!

Example:
Every morning for the last few months we have taken a bath together (weird? maybe, but that's not the point I'm trying to make so keep reading). After every bath Emma runs around naked, or goes into her closet and slips on her Ariel "biders" (big-girl underwear). She sits in these for about 4-5 hours. The entire time I try every bribe I can think of to go potty in the toilet (she did it a few months ago, so I know she can). Every time I try to bribe, she ignores me, or runs into her room and puts on a Mickey "bider" (her real diaper). This morning was the exception. After the bath, she sat on the couch and was watching Mickey while I was getting dressed. Suddenly I hear a scream. I run in and she tells me that she has to potty. I put her on her potty. She gets right off. I move the potty to the family room and put her on the potty again. This time she stays and I sit next to her (not getting my hopes up). After 30 seconds, she exclaims that she's done it and the potty starts singing (literally and figuratively. it's one of those annoying talking pottys). I doubt her, obviously. She stands up and shows me. Sure enough, she actually went! After many cheers and kisses, she immediately exclaims, "I go to store and get kart and get toy. And I get gum" (Dang, she remembered my last two bribes!). Still overjoyed, we threw on a Mickey "bider" and we took off to the dollar store. I got her a few gifts that she can earn by putting stickers on her Potty Chart each time she goes. She's beyond excited about the chart (okay she gets that from me), and even more excited about the toys (she gets that from Ammon).

So far so good...she's been telling me and she's been going! Needless to say, I'm sure this potty-training attempt won't last, but it's fun to see her progress and become such an adorable big girl!

The question I still cannot answer is: Why today? Why does she suddenly feel like going today? Is it because I didn't think she would and she had to prove me wrong? Is it because she finally realizes that sitting in a wet diaper is disgusting? Is it because she finally wants the toy and gum that I promised her weeks ago? Is it because she's completely stubborn? If so...she doesn't get it from me....

Corecake (Strawberry Shortcake) and Baby have to wear Ariel "biders" too. Apparently now that Emma is a big girl, they too need to grow up a bit! :)

Long Beach!

2010-08-14T12:05:00.006-07:00

Ammon is spontaneous. I am not. Ammon called me on his way home from work on Thursday the 5th. This was our conversation...

Ammon: Let's go visit Trevor & Liz in Long Beach.

Jes: Oh ok, well the soonest we could go would probably be in a month.

Ammon: No I was thinking tomorrow.

Jes: WHAT? There are a million reasons why we can't just pack up and drive 6 hours tomorrow...

Less than 24 hours later, we were well on our way...

We had to bribe Emma the whole trip with suckers so she'd be a good girl despite her crazy messed-up schedule. The drive is a little over 6 hours. We arrived late Friday night, and were on the beach early the next morning.

Sun-bathing with SPF 50 applied every couple hours.

A necessity on the beach.

Emma loved the freezing cold water. She was hilarious!

Our gracious hosts that also treated us to a magnificent dinner, which started out with the "Onion Brick".

Sunday was their Stake Conference. It's ridiculous to think that Emma and Ben could stay quiet and still for the 2 hours. We originally sat on the stage. By the end of the conference, Liz and I had shut the divider. We had our own little mother's lounge filled with object for Benny the climber to keep busy.

We left Long Beach on Sunday afternoon. Emma finally learned to sleep in her car seat.

Moral of the story...spontaneity is sometimes necessary to build amazing memories.

Thanks again Weeds for making Ammon's dreams come true. :)

Emma swimming in the waves...

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500 days of summer

2010-08-09T21:10:00.008-07:00

Sorry this is so late...Ammon had the computer the entire month of July. I'm just now getting my to-do list done! :)

Flagstaff is quite an adventure. Here are some skunks that took up refuge in our apartment complex. Still stinks around there!

Emma eating "Gung Ice" or Ice cream as we like to call it.

While Ammon was studying for the Bar Exam, Emma and I took off with my dad on a very fun road trip! Emma wasn't too bad, surprisingly! We went to Logan, Utah for a family reunion and my cousin's wedding, Park City for the 4th of July, and Las Vegas for Madi's dance competition. Here are some pics of all the fun along the way...

My mom's parents' graves in Preston, Idaho

Meeting her great-grandparents

Fearless Emma petting a pregnant pony. I was completely scared out of my mind. Thanks Taylor for letting it all happen, and thanks Krista for capturing the moment. :)

Petting my cousin's bunnies...and by petting I mean torturing :) Sorry Lindsey!

Thanks Krista for the adorable pic!

Emma's first sparkler experience! She was a little nervous :)

Playing with 2nd cousin Mackley!!

Baby Zuri the elephant at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake

Riding the Carousel at the zoo with Grampa Truck!

Riding the train at the zoo

Emma's "Junior Zoo Keeper" hat...could she be any cuter?

Riding the rides at Lagoon!!

Notice how straight her hair is? Utah is clearly drier than anywhere we've been! I've never seen it that straight!!

This is one of those go straight up and fall straight down rides. I screamed more than Emma did. She just kept saying "tickle tummy...tickle tummy". Ha ha ha... she LOVED Lagoon!!

Emma loves hanging out with Grampa Truck!

Going shopping with Mads, Ali, and Mom in Las Vegas! Mads and I actually look alike in this picture!! Emma was distracted because we were in a shuttle/train-looking thing.

She wanted to get close to this guy, but was clearly freaked out! HA HA HA

So Emma randomly goes in her room, takes off all her clothes, and puts on her Ariel underwear. No, she's definitely not potty-trained. She just likes the idea of stylin "biders" or diapers! :)

This is her "happy face".

Emma takes after her mom. She loves counting much more than speaking in complete sentences or saying her ABCs. Maybe because that's what I focus on? :)

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Emma's favorite place to play...usually this is done practically naked, of course!

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Emma and her Gung Ice.

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i wish you could have spent this day with me

2010-08-04T17:48:00.003-07:00

let me paint you a picture. the rains have subsided, the grass and wildflowers are in full force, and the deciduous trees now provide that playful shade of summer evenings. everyone is outside, barbecues full of fire, cyclists coursing through forest roads. this was the nature of the world when i left work today.

i arrived home with the full expectation that emma would be watching "enchanted" for the 17th time. instead, she was looking for sticks outside . . . or wands. i was caught in the moment. i sat down on the stoop of our apartment complex, still in shirt and tie, and watched as emma explored the length of her reach, tiptoeing and extending her fingers into the leaves of the lowest-hanging tree.

emma belongs outdoors. she is an elfin child: red untamed hair, almond eyes and lighly freckled cheeks. shoeless.

after tickling the tree, emma climbed the hillside, pausing briefly to poke a rock with a stick. it was pure magic, and i couldn't sit back any longer. i dashed inside our apartment and searched the closet for my "play" clothes. as i scoured the floor for my flip flops, i was suddenly 25 years younger. there was no wrong in the world, just that scene outside. i half expected to see my mom in the kitchen. "sorry sweetie, you'll have to play after dinner." sorry mom, no time for dinner, emma just found a bug, or a pine cone, or a limb to swing from. in a matter of seconds i shed my corporate uniform, and bounded down the stairs towards emma who, by then, had discovered a completely new and fascinating stick.

later on, we found a castle, a dragon, and a kingdom who was presided over by the kind and intrepid, princess emma.

Happy 2nd Birthday Emma!!

2010-06-22T13:41:00.008-07:00

Because we were moving to Flagstaff before Emma's birthday, we decided to throw Emma a birthday party in Phoenix a few weeks early so that her friends could come. I decided to do a beach theme because Emma loves "boc-bocs" (flip-flops). I handed out a few goodies, had a few events, and then everyone dove into cupcakes...Emma literally. Thanks again for everyone who came! Emma sure does miss you all!

On Emma's real birthday (June 16), we had a mini party with the 3 of us and a lot of ice cream. I attempted to make Emma a sand castle out of the ice cream. It fell apart and melted once the candles were blown out, but whatever.

Emma and I flew up to Salt Lake for Kimball's missionary homecoming. While there, Emma had birthday party #3 with all of Ammon's family. Thanks again guys...I'm glad you got to be a part of it!

Pics and video:

Decor

Blowing Bubbles with her friends...
...Braelyn

...Natalie

...Lizzie

...Eve

Emma's birthday wouldn't be a party without her favorite thing...a dance party!!

Gramma

Slip 'n slide

Cousin Cambryn - Ty & Jenn's Daughter

Cousin Melody - Logan & Jess's daughter

Grampa & Cousin Andi - Ty & Jenn's Daughter

Sippies

Scared of the candle...

...but not of the cupcake

Enjoying opening the gifts! If you wonder why Ammon and other men are in the background of the pics, if at all...it's because the Suns game was on. :) She was definitely spoiled, so here are only a couple pics. Thanks to everyone for being so generous!!

Just let me eat my ice cream...

More cupcakes!!!

Clock Puzzle

Magnet Ice Cream Cone Set

Elmo Potty Book

I've definitely learned my lesson...probably not having 3 parties next year! I LOVE birthday parties, but one is good enough for me! :)

Love you Emma! I'm so proud of the crazy little toddler you've become!

choo choo!

2010-06-16T12:11:00.005-07:00

Emma and I went to the valley last weekend to watch Madi's dance show. Madi was amazing, as always! On Saturday, we went to the mall to have lunch with Ty and my parents. In the Chandler Mall, there is a little train that does a loop on the bottom floor. Naturally, Emma has always wanted to ride it. Grampa Truck finally granted her wish...

A real conductor and everything :)

Showing you her ticket...

Can't stop smiling!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy 2nd Birthday Emma!!
Pics of her birthday celebrations to come...

flagophiles

2010-06-10T14:37:00.003-07:00

you guessed it! flagstaff is starting to grow on us. our apartment is nice, the ward is great, and the weather is unbelievable (for the next few months)! Ammon works full time, comes home to a delicious home-cooked meal, and then puts on his noise-cancelling ear buds (courtesy of mama brown) to listen to his oh-so-intense lectures. studying is tedious, but he loves work! because ammon is never REALLY home, i feel like a single mom. therefore, i've been looking for opportunities to keep myself (and emma) entertained. we walk about a mile a day on her bike (the best birthday gift i've ever given her), head off to parks, and enjoy the outdoors (never though i'd say that). emma LOVES nursery. there are 2 nurseries in the ward, and she's the oldest of the younger one. there are a few other families with red-haired children, so maybe she feels like she's finally found home! :)

ammon also found out that coconino county is able to hire attorneys right now. bummer that he hasn't take the bar yet. hopefully they can continue to hire in a few months, or hopefully maricopa's budget finally has its act together :)

here are some graduation pics...
i cried during the ceremony! it finally all felt real...no more school! too bad he can't officially have a real job for another few months. it's so nice to have a paycheck again though! i'm so proud of all his hard work these last few weeks! only 48 more days til the bar!

being "hooded"...a little too reminiscent of harry potter if you ask me.

if you're wondering why he decided to wear a purple hood and maroon robes, it's because purple is the color of a law degree, and maroon is the color of his school. given the choice, i'm sure he'd have preferred gray with brown.

who's more excited about the big day?

thanks to everyone who made his graduation possible, and to everyone who came to support this big step in our lives! a special thank to tyson photography once again! :) killer zoom lens!

SOMEONE doesn't want us in Flagstaff!

2010-05-29T23:03:00.002-07:00

To make a really long back story short, it has taken us a whole month to get our apartment. We finally got it, and since they are not open on Memorial Day Move Day, we left this morning to go get our keys and sign our papers. We also had to drive two cars so we could leave one up because we will be driving a truck on Monday and don't have enough drivers for our two cars. We set off at 10:30 this morning...just after we woke up and got our lunches packed. As I tried to pop "Manla" (Kung Fu Panda) into my computer for Emma to watch her movie, my computer decided not to play any sound. There goes the entertainment idea! Awesome #1! About 35 miles from home, we came to a complete stop on the 17. The sign said that there was a crash ahead. After 30 min of waiting, we turned off our cars so they wouldn't overheat or waste gas. When the crash was cleared away (an hour later) and we could start moving, Ammon's car wouldn't start. Awesome #2! So I pull my car around backwards on the freeway so the noses of our cars touch (there's like 0 room with the guardrail). About 45 min later, his car FINALLY turned over. Since I didn't know how to turn around the right direction on the freeway with cars zooming passed, I decided to reverse until the guardrail disappeared and there was a big enough shoulder for my lil maneuver. Although we were now 2 hours behind schedule, we weren't super stressed. Emma was getting cranky, but could be worse. When we were 30 miles outside of Flagstaff, my car's temperature started climbing, and Ammon called and said I was leaking fluid. I pulled over just as the engine light came on. We looked under the hood to find a random drenched rag and my coolant draining like the dickens! Awesome #3! We didn't have time to play with my car because we were worried about turning Ammon's car off or having it overheat, so we moved everything into his car and set off for our apartment. Tired, but in one piece, we pull into the apartment office parking spots. Emma runs up to the door and tries to open it, but it's locked. The sign says they are closed and the times listed for office hours said that they closed at 2 on Saturdays. It's now 2:30. Awesome #4! Ammon tried calling the office. No one answered, but the answering machine said they were open til 5 on Saturdays, and distinctly remembers the woman who was going to meet us say that she would be there til 5. Luckily, only a few minutes later, that same woman pulled up and said she had a feeling that we didn't get the memo that they changed their office hours recently. Nope. Clearly not. Luckily she was nice enough to let us in, sign our papers, and give us our keys! Woohoo! Our luck is turning! So we entered our apartment...love it! It's newly painted, re-carpeted, and clean! So nice! We head out to check our mail because we're expecting some important mail. There are 216 mailboxes in the apartment complex. "No problem", we think. We'll just use #201 cuz our apartment number is 15201. Nope. Nice try. Luckily someone was checking their mail at the same time and said they discovered which mailbox was theirs by trying every single box. Awesome #5! Whatever. Fine. So we try all 216 boxes. Nope! None work. Of course not! We give up, jump in the car, and head out to find coolant. After grabbing coolant, we get back on the 17 in search of my car. Luckily we remembered it was at mile marker 310. Unluckily, the freeway's opposing lanes are not anywhere near each other at that mile marker. The next exit that we could turn around was 20 miles down the road. Awesome! We are not driving an extra 40 miles with cranky pants in the back seat. So, we decide to magically hop sides at the next available spot. We see one shortly after marker 315, but drive passed it. Realizing that we've already dominated the freeway today, we decided to again pull the reverso 5,000 and make our magical hop-skip-and-a-jump! Finally we find my car, add the coolant, attach some weirdo hose that seemed to be loose ("It looks like it should go...here"), pray that our car makes it to our apartment, and then set out. We went about 20 mph under the speed limit the whole way back to ensure no more overheating. We park my car in the apartment lot, and set off for home. Just as we arrive into the Phoenix valley, I remind Ammon of the photo radars. "I'm pretty sure I already got one". Awesome #6. Finally, 10 hours later, we arrive home with our mission accomplished! Only 6 hours longer than we wanted, and a million more dollars than we wanted to spend. Awesome! Oh, and did I mention that the Suns lost? Awesome #7!

The lesson learned? SOMEONE doesn't want us in Flagstaff. Whatever SOMEONE, you were dominated today!

Next challenge? Getting our internet to work sooner than the appointment we have for 2 weeks from now so Ammon can keep studying for the bar.

Cousins!

2010-04-12T16:42:00.005-07:00

Courtesy of Ty & Jenn's amazing photography skills (and procreational skills) & Grandma Brown's outfit tastes.

Now if only we can photoshop Mel in here somewhere... :)

.077 down... .923 to go!

2010-04-05T17:51:00.004-07:00

Ammon passed the MPRE!! It's the "first part" of the Arizona Bar test. It's supposed to be a lot easier than the actual Bar test because it's just about the professional responsibility of a lawyer (and takes 2 hours to write instead of 2 days). I think Ammon studied for maybe 5 hours for it? Hopefully he'll have enough time to study for the Bar while he's working full-time.

For those of you who don't know...Ammon got a clerkship at the Coconino County Attorney's Office in Flagstaff. It's about 2 hours away from Gilbert, so we're renting our house out (anyone looking for a house to rent?) and moving into an apartment. We'll probably be gone for a few months is all. We hope to return to the valley in October when we get the Bar results back and Ammon is allowed to apply for attorney jobs. Keep praying that the Maricopa County budget is in our favor. :) Otherwise, it looks like Flagstaff will be our home for quite some time. We know that everything will work out, but have I mentioned how much I hate change and uncertainty?

Emma's Shimmy

2010-02-09T14:02:00.001-07:00

Emma loves to watch herself on video. She's dancing while she watches the previous video we posted.

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Emma Singing

2010-01-22T14:13:00.001-07:00

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Happy 2010!

2010-01-12T14:48:00.009-07:00

Pretty Toes!! Emma loves getting her toes painted, but every time I do it I realize that she is still too young. :) She always touches the wet nail polish.

Pretty pretty Princess!! Emma loves playing dress up so Santa brought her some jewelry.

Emma also loves sitting in her shopping cart while she takes a break from playing with her new kitchen.

My family and I dipped chocolate for Christmas this year. We made a total of 16.4 pounds. Most people would wonder how many people we delivered them to. The answer? 0. We divided the chocolate among the families and devoured 4.1 pounds of chocolate each.

Ammon's cousin Trevor, Trevor's wife Liz & Trevor's 11-month-old son Ben came to visit us.

Ammon's sister Jana & her fiance Mark Eliason also came to join the party!

We also had Ammon's brother Dallin & his wife Becki down for a visit! Thanks everyone for coming!!

We hiked Camelback mountain with both Jana & Mark and Dallin & Becki. Emma isn't much of a hiker (like her mom) so we had to bribe her with M&M's the whole trip (notice the chocolate remains around her mouth).

Emma's latest face...the roll of the eyes. Most parents would be annoyed. Personally, I think it's hilarious...at least for now. What 18-month-old knows how to roll their eyes at their parents? HAHA!

C O L D

2009-12-05T23:06:00.001-07:00

For Halloween Emma was Ariel and her cousin Cambryn was Cinderella. True to their characters, Cam carried both her Halloween bag and Emma's Halloween bag, which was a purse. Emma just stole whatever candy she wanted, when she wanted it. It was in the 80s that day, so naturally we put on lots of layers under her costume to make sure she wouldn't be cold when it got down in the 70s while we were out.

So I bought Emma this new yogurt that was super on sale. It's called "Crushables" because you are just supposed to squish the cup to get the yogurt out. Their selling point is that you don't need a spoon. After she tried it I thought..."Well I don't technically need a spoon to eat my food either, but I think the point of one is to prevent me from looking like Emma does". What do you think?

Ammon trying to do a Christmas card. Emma's not buying it. A hat like that is not exactly necessary for 75 degrees and sunny. She now loves Santa though. She says Santa whenever she sees a piece of red and white clothing, and definitely knows the "Ho Ho"...not to be confused with her impression of a Daadoo(Dog) "Hoo Hoo".

Our favorite thing to do is to go to a park. It has since gotten a little colder and we have to wear a coat (60s), but at least we can get out of the house! We would definitely go crazy otherwise!

Emma's first encounter with the snow was at Thanksgiving in Salt Lake when we went to visit Ammon's family. She wasn't the biggest fan of all the layers...except the hot pink boots (thanks to grandma!). I was expecting her to just eat the snow because she still puts everything in her mouth. However, she didn't want to get her face that close to it because it was a little too chilly for her. She also learned the word "COLD" on this trip. It was definitely COLD!

Ammon's family are all very outdoorsy, so we went rock climbing at an indoor climbing gym. I thought Emma would climb more than she did. She didn't have the patience (attention span maybe?) for it. She enjoyed cheering everyone else on. This is one of the few pics we got of her actually trying to climb.

We also went to see the Salt Lake City Temple Lights. They were as gorgeous as ever. It was C O L D, but not as cold as the year before when we went around Christmas time. Emma also learned the word "lights", but was more interested in pointing out all of the "cuckies" (garbage cans...her current favorite word. not to be confused with "guckie" for her aunt becki!).

Most of the time older kids just push Emma down at the park...no seriously, it's the saddest thing. However, this time, an older kid finally taught her something useful. The first few times she skinned her nose during take off, but this time she got it and was so proud of herself. Cute.

Emma sliding down on her tummy

2009-12-05T23:04:00.001-07:00

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Changing Seasons

2009-10-20T21:24:00.016-07:00

It's finally cooled down! No more fun in the sun. Autumn brings with it the ability to FINALLY wear jeans (clearly the pumpkin idea was Ammon's)!

We used to be able to hang out with Jana (Ammon's sister) and her boyfriend Mark Eliason. They have since left the valley of the sun. We do, however, get to hang out with Mark's brother Jon and his family whenever we want because they are in our ward. Emma LOVES Adam (Mark's nephew).

Emma has finally grown up enough to like hanging out with other friends too...
Her cousin Cambryn

Her friend Elizabeth

Her favorite dog Charlie

Emma is also getting ready for Halloween by practicing her dress up skills.

I LOVE playing with Emma's hair...although it only lasts a few minutes.

So Emma got the Chicken Pox last week. When they were all scabbed over, she got diarrhea pretty bad so we get her Pedialyte. She apparently had an allergic reaction and swelled up like a balloon on her face and had hives everywhere. Poor kid!

Pumpkin carving with the Fam...

Because Ammon's family doesn't live close, we try to connect them with Emma as much as possible. For Ammon's mom's birthday, we bought one of those cards with a song that you can record your voice beforehand. Emma is a HORRIBLE mimicker so we have to videotape her saying it (it takes a million times) and then we hold the card up to the computer. I did it in the dark because I was not expecting to post it. It turned out so cute, so hopefully you can at least listen to it!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

my new calling...

2009-09-14T21:32:00.005-07:00

I have been hesitant sharing the news about my calling because I feel like it's not really set in stone until I am set apart. On the other hand, the 2 people I told first have already shared the news with everyone, so I thought that I might as well start spreading the news so people aren't offended that they didn't hear it first hand. :) I've already had 2 meetings with the new calling, so I guess it's more or less official!

I have been called as the Assistant Choreography Director of the Mesa Easter Pageant, and am totally excited to be a part of it! I have always wanted to perform in the pageant, but always had a reason not to try out. Now I don't really have to! :) It's a 5 year calling, and I'm in charge of holding auditions, casting, and teaching the choreography to the Angels that stand on top. I am extremely nervous because I have no idea what I'm doing, but am very grateful for all of the support of the other directors, the former choreography directors, and definitely from my family! This should be an incredible spiritual experience!

Hopefully you can all attend the pageant this year! For more information about show times and auditions, visit this site.

Looks like I'll be thinking Easter for 6 months out of the year!

cousins!

2009-08-26T22:00:00.005-07:00

my family never lived super close to cousins, unlike ammon's family who had cousin lunch at BYU with like 50 people. because ty and i missed out on some intense cousin bonding, we're bound and determined to get our kids friends with each other. i'm thinking it'll be super easy because they couldn't be more opposite, as shown in the photo.

emma: red hair, lots of hair, never stops moving (notice the blurry foot), never stops eating (notice the graham cracker in her hand), spicy personality, never does anything we ask her to do

cambryn: blonde hair, hardly any hair, princess, poses and smiles on command

something they do have in common: they love trying on grandma's shoes!

can't wait for more neices & nephews!

Mondrian or Kandinsky?

2009-08-24T17:03:00.007-07:00

Emma is obsessed with anything that she is not allowed to have: any type of cleaning product and any electronic device. I have tried to find ways to let her play with a few things is "ok" ways. My computer is a tablet, which means I can write on the screen, which means that Emma can draw on the screen with the special pen (I can't wait for her to draw on it with a permanent marker "accidentally"). So today I let her draw, and she was going crazy! It was so cute! She is mostly left-handed (although the doctor says you can't tell handedness yet), hence the majority of her work on the left side of the page. She also loves it when we draw her name together and say the letters aloud. She gets so proud of herself. It's so cute!! So what do you think...is she more influenced by Mondrian or Kandinsky?

Mondrian

Kandinsky

awe inspiring!

2009-08-15T22:21:00.005-07:00

We often blog about Emma so everyone can get to know how adorable she is. Here is just a few of my inspirations that I want to share...in case you haven't seen them. I cried at least once while watching each one, except the last one. It's a pick-me-up after crying! :) Enjoy!

Sorry that you have to go to a different site to watch these videos...I didn't embed them.

my mads
she's the one that starts furthest to your left

her studio

this choreographer

this dance

this turn
feel free to fast-forward to 2:20

these dancers

Gisneyland!

2009-08-05T11:41:00.026-07:00

So my WHOLE life I have always thought the "D" is Disneyland was a backwards "G", and I tried the WHOLE time I was there to get that out of my head...didn't work.

My little sister Madi (14) had Nationals for her dance studio and KILLED IT! Her Nationals took place at Disneyland Hotel from Tuesday to Monday. My mom had to go to her stake's girl's camp on Thursday (being the 1st counselor in the stake YW), and since my dad doesn't know how to do Madi's hair, I got to fill in! So Ammon, Emma, and I woke up at 4 AM (Ammon never went to sleep), got in the car, and drove 5 hours to paradise! Emma was SUCH a good girl in the car!

Hanging out with Grandma before she left...

My dad went with Emma and Ammon while I was being a dance mom. He was also so kind as to watch Emma while she was sleeping so that Ammon, Madi, and I could ride some big people rides. :) After Madi was done for the day, we ran over to California Adventure and right onto Tower of Terror. We got off the ride RIGHT before they were closing for the night, so we ran on to do it again. We were literally the LAST ones on the ride, so we got to have an elevator all to ourselves. We invited the staff to go with us, so it would look creepier...and it definitely did! haha!

Emma HATES strollers. She screams the entire time. We either had to backpack her around or carry her, because if we let her down, she would go running in any direction she wanted. She's crazy! Obviously taking Emma to Disneyland was more for me than for her. She LIKED Disneyland, but wasn't crazy about waiting in line. She LOVED the Teacups!!

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Barker Reunion 2009

2009-07-13T13:03:00.014-07:00

Ammon's immediate family had a "reunion". I think we can call it that because there are 2 married couples and a grandbaby. :) We met half-way in St. George. Emma had several tantrums on the car ride up. She's used to sleeping on her tummy, so had a really hard time sleeping in her car seat. Like her mom, she is a monster without sleep. (Thanks again Jana for helping out with her. You are a saint!) We got into St. George around 6ish, had some dinner, and then the girls went to Footloose at Tuacahn. It was SO good! Jana's old roommate was one of the leads, and Ren was played by Thayne from So You Think You Can Dance last season. He always annoyed me, but it was still cool to meet a sorta-celebrity. :) Kira, Jana, and I stood in the longest line just to get his autograph and picture. Of course none of us had a camera, but luckily Jana knew someone else (of course she did) who attended the show and had a camera handy. YES! :) We got back from the show super late and I crashed when we got back to the condo. The next morning we woke up UNBELIEVABLY early and headed off to Zion National Park. It is gorgeous, and was about 15 degrees cooler than we were used to, so if felt nice. We hiked Angel's Landing, which was about 1200 feet in elevation. It was steep, so naturally I got a little dizzy--being scared of heights--but it was gorgeous! Ammon backpacked Emma up, and I took her back down because I didn't want her going on the last 1/2 mile of the hike where you are basically crawling on your hands and knees because it's so steep! Once we finished that hike, we went on Weeping Rock, which was a very beautiful natural waterfall.

Emma had about had it since it was around 3 and she hadn't had a nap or lunch, so we booked it home. Needless to say...once her tummy was full and she had a bath, she took a great nap! The rest of the family went swimming while Ammon and I joined Emma with a nap. The pool in St. George was unnecessarily cold compared to what we were used to. :) Becki and Dallin then taught us how to cook an amazing meal, and I shared my budgeting tips with the fam. We also decorated our family reunion hats, and took our family pictures with our camo bandanas (in remembrance of Elder Kimball...11 months to go!).

We then read scriptures, and got caught up on what we missed on So You Think You Can Dance, of course! :) (By the way...AMAZING show! My favorites were Gravity, Ruby Blue, and Ade's solo. HELLO!) The next morning we woke up early again, went to the temple, ate lunch and Denny's, and headed home! It was super short, but very fun to see everyone. Can't wait for next year!

Here are a few random summer pics...

Emma's 1st Birthday!

2009-06-17T12:14:00.029-07:00

Most of this is me writing in my "journal" for Emma's memory book. Feel free to skim & just look at the pictures if you don't like reading (like me) :)

The invites:

Emma woke up at 8:00 (the exact time she was born 1 year ago) on her birthday, which is extremely rare for her to do. Because she was up so early, we got started decorating! We had enough time to decorate the strawberry light fixture, and #1 on the wall before Grandma called and invited us to go to Big Surf.

Emma was in such a good mood (probably because I was), so we hopped into our swimmies & off we went. I had to fill out paper work for Emma's season pass at Big Surf. It was so weird to write down her hair color, eye color, age, and birthday...and then date the bottom with the date, which WAS her birthday! :)

Emma loved Big Surf, but after 3 hours of fun, she definitely needed a nap, and I needed to go back to decorating. Madi came and helped me decorate the front of the house, and babysat Emma while I ran to the grocery store.

Jana was the first to arrive at around 6.

Then came Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Loagie, and Jess with some condiments and fruit...which was a big help!

We ate dinner (Ammon grilled hamburgers & hot dogs) and then we started opening up presents because Madi couldn't wait any longer. Emma did a great job of opening up presents by herself (not at all like her mom).

After opening up a present or 2, Uncle Ty, Aunt Jenn, and Cousin Cam came to the party!

Cambryn did a great job of letting Emma enjoy her day. She only played with the gifts that Emma wasn't playing with at the time.

Emma got a pink & white barking dog (that barks when you pull it) and clothes from Logan & Jess; an alligator bubble dispenser, bubbles, and a baby doll from Ty, Jenn, and Cam; legos, a popper, color shape & number flash cards, a book (brown bear), and clothes from Grandma, Grandpa Brown & Madi. She also got soft books from Great Aunt Lynnette, a pop-up toy from Great Grandma & Grandpa Barker, and a tide pool, books, and cell phone from Grandma & Grandpa Barker that she opened a week ago when Grandma was in town.

After presents, we played a game called "How Well Do You Know Emma". I asked the following questions:
1) What date was Emma born? 6/16/08
2) What was the day of the week? Monday
3) How much did Emma weigh at birth? 8lb 13oz
4) How long was she? 20 1/4 in
5) What was her first word? mama, dada, baba, wow
6) What time was she born? 8:00 AM
7) Who was she named after? Emma Smith & a distinct impression I got while in the temple.
8) What is her middle name? Doesn't have one
9) What do you love most about Emma?
10) What do you want to tell Emma when she can read this?

After presents we sang "Happy Birthday" and blew out the candle. Then we all ate the amazing cake that I made from scratch(I forgot to bring the ice-cream out! dang it!). Emma got the biggest piece and ate every bite!

Then we played outside with her toys until everyone had to go home. Emma was such a trooper. She got a little upset in the middle, and just wanted me to hold her. Maybe a little over-stimulated? Otherwise, she had a great day! Thanks to everyone who made it special!!

Happy 1st Birthday our little Emma Shortcake! We're so glad that you decided to join our family a year ago. You are such an amazing spirit & have truly blessed our lives! LOVE YOU!! :)

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she's getting so BIG!

2009-06-12T22:28:00.006-07:00

Tuesday Emma is 1 years old...SO SAD! I miss my little baby! She's growing up so fast, and I'm not ready for it...mainly because I'm not ready for another baby to take her place. :)

Emma's current events:
1) Emma took her first steps at 10 months, and has walked everywhere since 11 months. She finally will wear shoes, which is a blessing! :)
2) Emma's hair is long enough for those lil piggy tails & Pebbles's ponytails.
3) Emma loves swimming...almost too much!
4) Emma loves getting into everything, and still puts everything into her mouth.
5) Emma has started jabbering, but only knows a few real words. Her favorites are "wow", "dadda", "momma", and "baba",
6) Emma loves to play peek-a-boo, and loves to be chased.
7) Emma sleeps around 12-13 hours a night, and takes between 2 and 3 hours worth of naps during the day. She's still a growing girl, but loves sleeping like her Momma! :)
8) Emma loves it when Daddy gets home from work. She won't even let me hug or kiss him when he's holding her. She always pushes me away.
9) Emma's next doctor's appointment is on the 24th, so we'll know her percentiles then. I'm going to speculate that she's in the 90th for height, 80th for weight, and 90th for head. Any other guesses?
10) Emma loves singing and dancing! We'll have to video it next time. Until then, enjoy the pics! :)

Oh, and did I tell you that we painted our den in stripes because we recarpeted? It's like a light beige color in matte and semi-gloss. Thanks Rach for the idea! We love the room, but didn't enjoy the stress during finals! :)

blurb

2009-06-01T12:19:00.002-07:00

so my friend Ellie showed me this website...

blurb.com

you can download this program that lets you create your OWN BOOKS! some of you may be thinking "why on earth would i want to write a book".

here are some common uses:
*You can actually "slurp" your blog onto the program and cut & paste pics & posts to create a book from a fun event (i.e...emma's 1st year of life, your wedding, your college life, etc.)
*You can write a cute book for your child with their name included
*You can EVEN make a book about anything at all & sell it online. AMAZING!

Ellie hasn't done it yet, and neither have I (we're both in the process), but our friend Sarah has already made a million & they are adorable!

Have fun! Happy Book-Making!

A Gorgeous Wedding!!

2009-05-03T20:14:00.016-07:00

Ammon's younger brother Dallin got married Friday May 1st to Becki. She is so amazing! We're so happy for both of you! Since our family was dressed for the occasion, we couldn't help but take some pics. Here are our favorites!

The gorgeous couple...

Emma LOVES Dallin! It must be the red hair bond. :)

Ammon & Dallin trying to be serious for their photo shoot.

Grandma Brown has taught Emma to love jewelry from an early age. :)

This adorable picture was cropped from the nephews and nieces photo shoot. Becki has 23283324 nephews and nieces, but Emma is Dallin's only, so he got to hold her while the rest tried to hold still around Becki.

Daddy & Emmy

Emma shoot. Becki's mom made this adorable dress, and Becki's wedding dress! Can you believe it? So cute!!

The happy family! :)

Emma in the flowers at the temple. The flowers were breathtaking!

Switching gears...Ammon made this tent for Emma when I was getting my hair did.

Emma LOVES tents! haha!

Ok switching gears again. Funny story, but probably one of those "you have to be there" stories. So Ammon, Emma, and I were on the front yard grass pulling weeds when all of the sudden I heard some ducks. Ducks are not rare to our area because there is a lake like 500 feet away, and a wildlife preserve 1/2 mile away. But these ducks seemed close. A little too close. So I asked Ammon, "Do you hear... Ducks?!?!" I turned around and these 2 ducks were RIGHT behind me! HAHAHA I screamed, ran inside, and got my camera and some bread. The ducks followed me to the door and I was too scared to come out. When they finally backed off, Ammon & Emma fed the ducks while I taped it. Apparently these 2 ducks are beggars around the neighborhood. Can't wait until they come quacking at our door again. :)

Watch Out Beyonce!

2009-04-14T22:12:00.007-07:00

We've been teaching Emma a few new tricks, and some she's just picked up on her own. She's a born dancer and singer, so we decided to make her the next Beyonce. If you've ever seen the "Single Ladies" music video, you'll know what I'm talking about. One part of the video Beyonce sing "Uh uh oh" and shakes her hand back and forth. I was dancing and singing in the car one day when the radio was playing that song, and Emma picked up the move. We finally have her on video!

We've been trying to teach her how to walk because we're sick of her crawling to our legs, pulling herself up, and then whining because she wants us to walk so she can walk. However, she's stubborn (surprising, I know) so she won't walk when we want her to, but only when she's distracted by a toy. Her latest "toys" are curtains, blankets, clothes, and anything else she can suffocate herself with. She likes to put them over her face and then breathe really heavy and take it off again. YIKES! Sorry the video quality is so bad on this one. I had to have the lights low enough so that I could hide the camera. Every other time I tried taping her, she just crawls to me and wants to eat the camera.

Enjoy both!

second favorite website... prolly should be my first, but i'm selfish! :)

2009-04-03T17:36:00.003-07:00

freerice.com

i do it while i'm tutoring! :) WHOOPS!

mint is the new chocolate

2009-03-31T22:07:00.003-07:00

so ammon sent me this website...

mint.com

it is GENIUS! i absolutely LOVE it! just thought i'd share my new love! oh, and to my brothers: next time you're on the phone with dad tell him how much you love this site too! :) LOVES!

Catch-up, or Ketchup... or Catsup? Meow!

2009-03-23T09:17:00.016-07:00

A BIG Happy Belated Birthday to Ammon! It's about a month late, but here are the highlights! For his big 2-7... my parents gave him this fabulous grill! I gave him the grill utensils, the meat, the seasonings, and these scriptures. I was finally sick of him using a mismatched set of scriptures that were thrashed! He actually reads his beautiful scriptures more now! I should have given him some years ago. :) jk But now I understand why you give new scriptures to 8-year-olds. haha! We have actually used the grill a TON already. We even had a BBQ with Ammon's Sunday School Class. It was so fun! They are so cute! Thanks Mom & Dad!

Ammon had spring break this past month. Again, we stayed as busy as possible. This is our last day before Daddy went back to school. We went to the park to swing... Emma LOVED it! Then we came home to grill and make a fort. She went CRAZY! I have never seen her so excited. She kept standing up (by herself) and reaching for the blanket (by herself), then she would arch back and we would have to catch her before her head it the floor. It was exhausting, but hilarious!

We had a photo shoot with Strawberry Shortcake because she's about to grow out of this outfit that matches with her Strawberry Shortcake, so we decided to take the pictures now. A special thanks to Uncle Ty for getting me this doll. He was inspired! :)

A photo shoot with Daddy while Mommy was at BYC. He took 80 pictures in an hour! They are so cute! :)

Our version of Baby Einstein. Cousin Cambryn is scared of Emma when her hair is like this. They took a bath together once and Ty did Emma's hair all crazy and Cam FREAKED out! It was so funny!

i'm so proud!

2009-02-18T22:14:00.004-07:00

so my mom had 3 years of college at Utah State (majoring in music therapy) under her belt before she got married and dropped out to support my dad through school. she has always told me that she regretted not finishing, but it wasn't something that was really pushed in her day. i wasn't a big fan of college, but wanted to finish to make my mom proud. now she has made me proud by deciding to go back to school to finish. she can't continue her music therapy degree because you obviously have to physically be in class to show the teacher how well you can play the piano, and the 6-month internship the last semester, was not what my mom had in mind. after doing months of research for her to cater to what she wanted, we finally found the perfect option. we've been waiting for several weeks to hear back about her application. we finally got the letter that she's been accepted! hurray!! just like that my mom is a college student again. we're hoping that she gets her bachelor's in a few years so she can substitute teach in music at schools, and so that she can finally fulfill a goal of hers!

congrats mom! i can't wait to see you walk at graduation! :)

love you!

Emma?!?! Crawling?!?!?!

2009-02-02T20:27:00.015-07:00

I was convinced that Emma would NEVER crawl. She has absolutely hated her tummy since we first introduced her to tummy time. Most parents would say "that's normal". But when Emma learned to roll-over, she immediately rolled right off her tummy every time. I was starting to get nervous when she would rather walk around the house with us holding on to her fingers than play with toys and learn to crawl. We finally gave in to her requests and got her a walker. Within days she was running around the house and loving it. Yesterday (Sunday) we were explaining to everyone at church how she will never crawl (because everyone wants to know why we are walking our 7-month-old around the church). Then, while we were watching the Superbowl ( SO sad... but SUCH a GOOD game!) at my parents house, my dad was adamant about getting Emma to crawl. She would go about 2 steps before falling and whining and crying. She did that about twice, and then the third time she just crawled backwards and gave up.

This morning while I was getting dressed, I pulled Emma out of her walker and put her on the floor next to me. She tried to reach for something, ended up on her tummy, and started whining and pushing herself backward. Typical. Hours later, I changed her diaper, sat her up, and went to throw the diaper away. Again I heard whining, but when I returned to her, she was on all fours and moving towards me. WHAT? Once Ammon got home from school, I started showing him how she can now crawl. Again, she just spontaneously started crawling. Minutes later, I took this clip I put below. How is it that a baby can wake up one morning and start doing something that she wasn't even close to doing the day before? No wonder we are supposed to be like little children... a little determination will get us so far in life!

We're so proud of you little Emmas! This video goes out to you Grandpa Brown... the only one who didn't give up on her! Next time, it's double or nothing! Who else could have called that 100 yard dash?

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

a fun break!

2009-01-21T14:57:00.020-07:00

Ammon had a month off of school... which was good and bad. It was good because we got to see him more, but it was bad because he CANNOT sit still so we had to think of ways to entertain him and Emma! :)

First, he patched a hole in our dry wall made by a really horrible electrician. I love that I married a handyman! Emma was such a big helper! She loves Home Depot!

Second, we spontaneously went to Newport Beach for the DAY. We drove the 5 hours, and with the time difference, were on the beach by 10 AM. We stayed for about 5 hours, then went to the Newport Beach Temple to take pictures. Emma LOVED the beach... she definitely had quite a few face plants, which we captured with video and not a picture. The water was FREEZING, but the weather was 85 and sunny... a heck of a lot nicer than our 70 and sunny. :) Then we went to Trevor (Ammon's cousin) and Liz's place. Liz was so gracious to cook us dinner being only 6 weeks from her due date! Thanks again! Doesn't she look great for being almost 9 months pregnant? We then drove home and got back at like 1 AM. Emma slept pretty much the whole time both ways. She's great!!

Third, we spent a lot of time outdoors. We laid out on Ammon's beautiful grass, went to the preserve, and went on a lot of walks. At the preserve, the huge goose (?) pictured below started chasing us. Ammon was totally calm (holding Emma). I ran for the hills. Emma was just staring at the goose like "What is wrong with you? Why do you sound like that?"

Fourth, Emma got her first toofie. I keep trying to take a picture of it, but you can't see it. Hopefully when it grows bigger, we can capture how cute she looks. Right now it just looks like a tiny piece of bread she hasn't swallowed. It's her bottom right tooth. It definitely explains her crankiness for the last week! :) To distract her from her crankiness, we've been walking her around the house (we just had the idea that maybe we need to get her a walker). She LOVES to be on her feet, and absolutely hates the idea of crawling. She's starting to pull herself up on things, and loves the freedom of being a big girl. When we try to get her to crawl, she crawls backwards, puts her head down on the floor, and throws a tantrum!

Fifth, we got to celebrate cousin Cambryn's 1st birthday!! It was so much fun! She is adorable! Emma was jealous of all her presents and her yummy bear-shaped cupcake. Only 5 more months!

Ammon had his 2nd day of school today after his break. It's been a lonely couple of days. Emma always wants to walk into the den (where Ammon is always studying). She keeps looking around to see where daddy is hiding. SO CUTE!

pics for the new year...

2009-01-08T21:24:00.011-07:00

She's an angry elf.

the magic 23

2008-12-15T23:36:00.003-07:00

i feel like all we do is post about emma. let's face it... that's all people want anyways. but i think i'm going to start using our blog for journaling as well! don't feel like you have to comment!

so i'm only going to be 23 til friday, so i had better write this quick! ammon always said that 23 was going to be a big year for him. he was 23 when we met and fell in love and got engaged (but he turned 24 a couple months before we got married). i didn't really realize that 23 was a big year for me as well... we were blessed with our little emma-bean. she turns 6 months tomorrow, and i know every mom says this... but holy crap she's gotten so big so fast! we were working on her crawling today and saying "da da" and holding her own sippy cup and being such a big girl! i was just looking at pics of her from when she was born. she has changed so much! i'm still glad that she lets me cherish the snuggling before bedtime. that's my favorite time of day! i love listening to her heartbeat, breathing, and singing. i love her smell and facial expressions. i love singing to her and tucking her in bed. she's just my little sweet things!

yesterday as church ammon and i watched a 9-month pregnant girl (woman i guess) walk past us and sit a few rows in front of us. i turned to ammon with a disgusted "never again" look on my face, to which he smiled and was relieved. and i honestly think that if (when i guess) we ever do have another one, the only thing that will get me through that part of the pregnancy and delivery is that you get a perfect little baby out of it. i'm guessing that's what the Lord intended.

i hope you all have/had as great of a time as ammon and i had at being 23. that was the most awkwardly-worded sentence, but you get the picture! basically what i'm saying is... here's to being 23!

Emma LOVES Santa!

2008-12-08T12:51:00.004-07:00

Emma and I went to my parents' ward Christmas party while Ammon was studying for finals. The theme was Polar Express, so Santa came at the end, of course! Emma was in her jammies and got her first gift of Christmas (cute little bell that she's in love with). I put her on Santa's lap and she started playing with his beard. I tried to get her attention to look at the camera. It's like pulling teeth to get Emma to smile for a picture. She ignored me at first, and then she just suddenly looked over with this smile! She LOVES Santa!

These pictures were scanned from ones that were given to my parents. Hopefully we can get a better quality one for her memory book! :)