Birthday

I had strawberry shortcake for my cake on my birthday. But this is just the naked angelfood cake. (And yes, it has 5 candles on it, but it's supposed to be 23...Ben's idea.)

My sweetie lighting the candles

Ben's brother Michael who we were happy to have around to celebrate with

My presents (I'm sitting on one of them too. We finally got patio furniture instead of our tacky camping chairs.)

My birthday was good. We went to Waffle House for breakfast since Michael was visiting and he couldn't leave without experiencing it. Then we went to the movie Up and I absolutely loved it. Ben was kind enough to take Emerson out of the theater when he freaked out. We got out Emerson's kiddie pool during the afternoon and laughed at his little bod in his Elmo swimsuit as he dumped water everywhere with his little bucket. Then we had a nice evening at home with a Papa Murphy's pizza while watching Independence Day. We are planning on going out to dinner for my birthday this weekend as well when we can leave E-man with a babysitter. Thanks Benny, Emerson, and Michael for making my birthday so fun even though I was away from home in Utah. :( And thanks for all the phonecalls, cards, and presents that everyone sent. You know who you are and that I think you're the best.

Happy Birthday!

Yay. I'm 23.

You Can Do What?

This is nothing spectacular, mind you. I was just sitting at the table, wasting my time at the computer while supervising Emerson eating his breakfast when he began loading some dry Kix cereal into his little bowl and flinging it around. He's such a little spaz it made me laugh (inside though...can't be encouraging his naughtiness). When I looked over at him he began pointing at the Kix box sitting on the table and saying "That. That." And I asked "More?" and he proceeded to do the sign for more! I'd like to think that the reason he hasn't done this too often before is that he's just stubborn. Like how he pretends he doesn't understand "no"? Yeah. Like that. So I gave him more Kix and he started whispering. Just babble-whispering...but it seemed like he was plotting. Something big. Like maybe flinging the Kix off his tray one by one instead of all together in the bowl. But really, how did he learn to whisper? I thought his voice only came in one volume--LOUD. Where was this whispering voice at church yesterday? Like when he was yelling "stop it!" at me when I wouldn't let him run free. (It sounds more like "topid" but everyone knew what he was saying...and one of my friends complimented me on how clearly he speaks. Of course he speaks things like "no!" and "stop it!" clearly. Not the other things I say to him like "I love you".) I'm afraid he's also learned the word "no". He has said it a few times before but we weren't sure he really understood what it meant until yesterday when he very clearly used it when I asked him if he wanted his stroller unfolded. He said "no" and proceeded to push it around folded up. I thought it was maybe a mistake so I helped him unfold it anyway so he could load stuff in the stroller and he got mad and threw himself on the ground. What kind of beastie is my sweet little almost 15-month-old turning into? I love him and think he's the cutest thing in the world of course, but I can't wait until he goes to beautiful, glorious nursery. I'm glad he's learning and I'm a little bit in disbelief that he's learned so much in his short little life. It's really made me realize though that I've got to be careful about what I say and do because he does understand and is watching all the time.

Nod Your Head

Emerson just discovered that nodding your head means yes. So sometimes he'll nod without an accompanying "ya" but most of the time the "ya" is there.

What Does A Doggy Say?

I've been a little panicked lately that my child can't make animal noises. So we've worked a little and now he can do some :) (I really haven't been that worried about it, but I'm happy he can recognize a dog at least.) In the past week every time he sees a dog in person, a picture of a dog, or hears a dog barking, he stops and does his little "ruff ruff ruff!" or rather "bup bup bup!".

Fold Your Arms

Emerson has been doing really well at folding his arms for prayers, and he'll randomly do it throughout the day. He did it the other night when we were watching a movie. I guess maybe because it was dark and he was in his jammies so he thought it was time for bed? So I know my voice is annoying in the background and that it's pretty ridiculous to try to get him to fold his arms when it's so obviously not a reverent time, but it shows his personality pretty well anyway. Oh, and when he looks like he's running in place, he thinks that means he's jumping really high. I wish I could see what he pictures himself looking like.

Peekaboo

My brother Scott requested that I post some videos of Little E on the blog so he and Ashley could see him in action. They haven't seen him since Christmas! A lot has changed since Christmas. There will be a lot of movies in the next few posts, so sorry if you hate movies. You don't have to watch them.

Discovering the Stroller

Here is the video of Emerson discovering the stroller Grandma J sent. Now before all of you start judging me for letting my son have a stroller, let me explain. It's a blue stroller, and it's ok if my son develops his nurturing side. And he likes to drive it around and puts stuff in it to carry. And it makes my life a lot easier because it keeps him occupied for so long. And maybe, just maybe, he'll stop making all of the little girls cry when he goes over to play because he finally has one of his own and doesn't have to steal theirs anymore.

Happy Father's Day!

I know this post is a little late, but I wanted to make sure I posted about the wonderful fathers in my life. First, my own dad. I've always looked up to him and wanted to be like him. Making him proud of me was always so important to me. Not because he made me feel like I had to do things to impress him, but just because I respect his opinion of things so much. One of my favorite things to do is watch him play with Little E. He's such a great grandpa and has a special connection with E. I always looked forward to seeing my dad at soccer games and I loved going to sporting events with him too. I was extra excited when I was voted SBO President of my high school because I was going to be in student government just like my dad. One of my favorite things about my dad is his sense of humor. He's very funny and I love laughing with him. My dad is very generous, smart, kind-hearted, and fun. (Yes dad, you ARE fun even though you think you're not.) I love you to pieces!

My father-in-law, Tom. He has been the one to make me feel most welcome into the Christensen family. Whenever we see them, he's the first to give us hugs and tell us he's glad to see us. Even when the rest of the family wasn't too sure about me, he could see the catch I was. :) He's also a good father and grandpa. He has taught Ben a lot of things that makes him a good father, and I'm very grateful for that. We love you Grandpa Tom!


I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Ben become a better dad every single day. I can tell that Emerson admires him and gets so excited when he walks in the door from school. He loves teaching him things and showing him how to do things a little boy should know how to do like drive toy cars and feed ducks and play outside. Ben is a very loving father and husband. He shows his love by working hard and spending time with E and me. He often takes Emerson and occupies him while I fix dinner even though he's had a long day too. I love laughing with Ben too. Nothing beats talking about something stupid and then laughing until we cry. We love you, Daddy!

Bunny Fountains

Little E with spittle coming out of his mouth.

The little man (These first two pictures were taken by Candice. You can tell by the quality that they are not mine.)

(Emerson and some little girl who got in our picture...actually that's emerson's big sister that we never told anyone about.)

There are these fun little fountains not far from where we live and they're called the Bunny Fountains because there are these huge statues of dancing bunnies at the top of the hill overlooking the fountains. It's a really fun and nice little park. We weren't sure if Emerson was going to like it or not, but he did after he watched the other kids playing. He got really sad when the fountains got big and made a loud noise, but other than that he thought he was pretty big stuff.

My Whole Foods Experience

Sigh. I had to go to Whole Foods to get citric acid because it was an ingredient in something I was making and is very hard to find. It was awful. If I wasn't convinced not to go organic before, this sealed the deal. The more preservatives I have in me, the longer I'll live I figure. Plus why would I want to pay $20 for a tomato? A high maintenance tomato, for that matter?

So I put on my game face and enter the store with Emerson in tow. I pick out a shopping cart that doesn't appear to have been made out of recycled materials, but probably is. I immediately feel out of place as I come across a man with bleached blonde dreadlocks signing to his deaf son. Their clothes are of earth tones...and mine are not. My clothes are not handwoven and made of hemp or flour sacks. Theirs most likely are. But I press on. I see that the store is clean and very nice looking and actually smells good...surprisingly like meats marinading. I slink past the salespeople as they try to ignore me and my brightly colored happy clothes and immediately become overwhelmed at all the (expensive) healthiness. I feel so saturated with soy products that I almost feel myself turning into a block of tofu. The fiber is seeping through my skin and is making me feel *ahem* cleansed already. I am at a loss as to where I may locate the ingredient I'm seeking. Every employee I see is pierced, tattooed, dressed in earth tones, and looks as if they are homosexual...and they probably smell like B.O. although I did not get close enough to tell for sure. I wander past the natural baby toys that are brown and tan. (Sorry, but I don't want my baby to go blind because they have no visual stimulation, so I'll just keep buying my toys in color, thank you. That is why our ward had us make colorful wall hangings. They said it was so the poor African children have something to look at and won't go blind.) I roll my eyes (sneakily) and then furtively glance around to make sure I wasn't caught. I pass the natural body care with dry shampoo and health supplements the consistency of molasses that you're supposed to drink. I finally get up the courage to go to the customer service desk and politely ask, without too much enthusiasm, where I might find the ingredient I'm seeking. The nice lady calls over a girl with, you guessed it, dreadlocks, a nose ring, and no make-up. Boy do I feel guilty for showering and putting on makeup this morning. She takes me over to the bulk food area and tells me they keep the citric acid under the counter because it isn't organic. Geez, what a coincidence that I ask for the one thing in their whole store that isn't organic. Bet they didn't see that one coming from the girl with the non-earth tone clothes, gel in her hair, make up on, with baby also in colorful clothes. And...after all of that, they were out. Completely out of citric acid. A gallon-size container, and they're out. Really? Seriously? Can I see the container? Grrr...The trip isn't a total loss because I remember another item I need for a bread recipe I got from a girl in the ward. I go to the check out line and stand behind a woman buying primarily produce and watch her bill come to $161.00. Wow. I'm about to put my item on the conveyor belt, but then I see the dividers between orders are made of recycled bits of plastic and kind of look like plastic vomit so I rebel and hold my item and hand it directly to the cashier just to spite the plastic divider. Ha! I showed it! The cashier rings me up and to my relief, they take credit cards. I wasn't sure if I'd have to pay in wooden coins, rocks, or locks of hair, but they take plastic just like any other grocery store. After that I went to Babies 'R' Us and was relieved to be in a happy colorful place.

Park of Roses

We spent this morning preparing for my friend Candice's baby shower, then I had a great time this afternoon at the shower while Ben and Emerson went and did manly things because there was too much chick food around. This evening we went to the Park of Roses to snap some photos with the Richards. I tell ya, Mike and Candice have quite the artsy eye(s). The new picture adorning the top of our blog is from them. (Thanks guys!) It's so nice to have a picture of the three of us! Any time you need subjects to practice your photography skillz, we're up for it. Because Mike, I know you want more pictures of Ben to hang up in your locker at school. :)

Some of the cookies I made as favors for the baby shower

The shower food

Ok so this is kind of a dumb picture that I took because there are NO roses in it and the park has like 13 acres of roses. But Ben and Emerson are cute, so I guess it's not a total loss.

Yes, I do stop every once in awhile to smell the roses. (Lame joke, I know.)

Just For You, Priscilla

This is me (far left) with my best friend Priscilla and my sister Natalie. We all had matching Jasmine Jammies and they were the COOLEST ever. I was sad I wasn't able to find any to give to her for her wedding. :) Wouldn't that have been a surprise for the wedding night? Ha ha...

Who Is This Charming Little Princess?

This is me with big brother Scott. It's a wonder I lived to adulthood.

Me and BFF cousin Brooke. We had a series of matching outfits growing up.

I don't know how I managed to play soccer with my non-aerodynamic triangle hair, but I did.

Pay no attention to the gaudy couch and carpet behind the dancing girl...


Is there any resemblance here between these two pictures? I promise that Ben didn't procreate all by himself.

Monkey Boy

Little monkey talking on the phone

Little monkey hat

Blowing mommy's whistle

Do any of these things look familiar, Grandma J? Like maybe the hot pad hooked around E's thumb? Yes, he was dragging it around like a shopping bag. And do you realize you taught him how to blow the whistle with that airplane toy? So exciting. He's very proud. I don't think his cheeks are really inflated though. They're just plump like they've always been. And in the top picture he's talking on the phone on his spoon. Didn't you know that you put the phone on the back of your neck to talk on it? Silly.

Utah Family Fun--Part 3

So tired after such a big and fun day! He snuggled right up with his new stuffed zebra and went to sleep.

His hands have to grow a little to be as big as a gorilla's. But it's already better than last year because he was so little he would only make a fist when we held it up to measure!

We tried to get Emerson to do it too, but he wouldn't stand still

Aunt Nat taking a traditional "How Do You Measure Up?" picture

He loved the carousel. As soon as we stuck him on he started bouncing to make it go like his rocking horse

The traditional getting-eaten-by-a-lion picture

E showing off his awesome new hat

Grandma J and Steph on the zoo train

Mommy and Little E on the train

E and his second cousin Brighton (It was fun to see you Brookie and Karen!)

Ok, so it's a toss up as to what Emerson's favorite thing was. He LOVED pushing this little stroller around. It was just the perfect size. And he also loved the water bottles scattered around the floor.

After we got back from the condo, we went and saw the Christensens for one last time before Ben flew home. I got to stay for a few more days and do girl stuff. I had a great time with my mom going out to lunch, going swimsuit and bra shopping (yipee for new bras), coloring with my sisters (yes, we still love coloring books), going to the zoo, and going out to dinner lots. I LOVE this restaurant we went to for breakfast one morning. It's called Ruth's Diner and it's up Emigration Canyon just a little way. It has won a number of awards and is to die for! I had such a great time that it was hard to leave. (But of course I missed Ben and wanted to get home to him too.) I think it was hard for Emerson to leave too because he got more than a little attention there. I think he feels deprived now that we're home and it's just him and good old mom around all day. We had a great time visiting everyone. Thanks so much Mom and Dad for flying us out and making it such a fun trip! We miss you tons and we can't wait to see you again in August!

Utah Famiy Fun--Part 2

You know how kids always like the box that something comes in instead of the actual item? This was the same for Emerson. He found this shopping bag with a rope handle and he hooked it around his thumb and toted it around FOREVER. It was his favorite thing. I promise we had toys around.

Mommy and E going swimming at the condo

Daddy and E putting their toes in

We spotted 2 Mooses (Meese? Moosen?) on our drive from Cascade Springs!

The Fam (minus Scott & Ashley and me)

Utah Family Fun--Part 1

It makes me giggle how he's all blurry in this picture

Having a good time

1...2...3...Wee!

Playing with the dogs

Daddy let E play in the irrigation water and he liked it. I'm not sure Mommy would've allowed it had she realized...

So these pictures uploaded all higgledy-piggledy and are out of order, but they will still do the job of documenting our trip to Utah. My parents (namely my dad) needed a grandson fix so they generously offered to fly us out. We decided that Memorial Day would work best with Ben's school, even though we really wanted to be in Utah for the Fourth of July and all of its festivities.

Ben's family was completely unaware that we were coming out, so we enjoyed surprising them. We send little e into Grandpa Tom's office and it took him a couple of seconds to realize it was really his grandson. (And we can't really blame him because he was all out of context.) Then Grandma Dixy and all of the Christensen aunts and uncles were super surprised to find Emerson sitting in the foyer when they got home from school. We spent the first 2 days mostly hanging out with the Christensens since my family was at work and school all day. Ben was excited to meet the family's new dogs and he wanted Emerson to be excited too. I was surprised because little e loved them and laughed when they licked him. (I'm not a huge dog fan, so I kept my distance and didn't enjoy the dog saliva smell all over Emerson when he was done playing...yuck.)

We went to my family's condo in Midway for Memorial Day and had a great time hanging out. We watched a movie, roasted marshmallows, had some yummy dinners by Mimzy and went on a really long drive to Cascade Springs. :) It was quite an adventure. The road to Cascade Springs really isn't that long, but we decided to try a different way home, and it seemed that the road kept taking us farther away and then we ran into some snow drifts and just when we were almost back to Midway on the bumpy road less traveled (and for good reason) we found out the road was closed due to snow. (What!?) So we had to turn all the way around and go back. It was fun though and I had total confidence in my dad's driving.