Three-Year-Old E

Height: 37 inches (40%)
Weight: 29 lbs (22%)

My dearest little E, 

You are so big!  I can't believe you are "free".  Your birthday was so much fun this year because you were really aware it was a special day and that we were celebrating you.  I can't believe that three whole years ago you were just a tiny baby who couldn't do anything for yourself.  Now you are so big and are such a big helper.  You can put your own shoes on, go potty in the big boy toilet, take your dishes to the sink, and make Sammi happy.  It's hard to picture what life was like before you were in our family.  You make me laugh every single day!  You have a very active imagination and are always thinking up new scenarios with your train friends.  I hope you never grow out of them.  I will happily sneak your trains into your mission luggage, if needs be.

You are such a good little talker and use words like "disgrace" and "frustrated", most of which you learned from your Thomas movies.  You love to read books at naptime and bedtime with either Mommy or Daddy and you love to sit on our laps.  It's not so much fun when "bebe sister" is grabbing at the pages when you are both sitting on Mommy's lap.

Your favorite things to eat are fruit snacks, string cheese, mac 'n' cheese, heart sammich (heart shaped sandwich), raisins, mini marshmallows, milk, goldfish crackers, little tomatoes that are NOT cut up, mini-wheats of any variety, and Special K "strawberry cereal".  Your favorite meal is definitely breakfast, with dinner ranking dead last.  You are finally starting to eat meat.

You still spend your days playing trains and building tracks all by yourself.  You eat, drink, and sleep trains.  You often talk Mommy into letting you take one train up to your room for naptime or bedtime.  You must always have Pooh Bear during your slumber as well, whom you rub on your cheek as you drift off, while also sucking your thumb.

You love to go places, but love to go on adventurous outings with Daddy.  You always come to Mommy for comfort and safety, but Dad is definitely where you go for fun.

You are a well-mannered little boy most of the time, but you sometimes have a hard time sharing, especially when it comes to your most prized possession--trains.  I can understand why you get frustrated when the other kids don't play with them right.  It makes me smile inside even when I'm trying to talk you into sharing so you don't have to go to time-out.

Your best little friends are William Despain and Tucker Watkins.  You love going to playgroup and talk about your little friends there as well.

I'm so excited to see you get bigger, but it really does make me sad when I realize how big you already are.  You are all signed up for preschool in the fall, and while I know you will love it, I can't help but be a little sad that you are starting school and won't be with me all the time from now on.

I feel so blessed to be your mother, E.  You are such a good boy and make our family complete.  My heart melts every time you come up to me and say "I love you Mommy."  That makes every hard moment worth it.

Keep being a good boy.

Love,

Mom and Dad

FREE!

Or...three!  E kept telling everyone that he was going to be "free". 

Free at last!  Free at last!

Ahem.

Anywho...now that I'm done cracking myself up, on to the birthday post!
 

 

 The big stack-o-presents from Mom & Dad, the grandparents, and cousins

 Opening his "Eap frog" (Leap Frog Tag Junior)

 I know he doesn't look excited...but I promise he was.  (Why does my camera always catch such weird expressions!?)

 

 Opening the #1 present of the day -- Rosie the pink engine.  Yes, she ranked above the bike.

 But he was still pretty excited.

 My mom pointed out that he'll probably have a hard time riding his bike because he'll be watching the wheels turn instead of watching where he's supposed to be steering.  This we found to be true.

After General Conference, we had a few of E's closest friends and their parents over for some cake and ice cream.  We were sad that grandparents, aunts & uncles and cousins couldn't be with us though!

  I think the candles went out from the spit, not from the massive gusts of air coming from his lungs.

 Taylee, William, Emerson, and Tucker

All in all, this guy had a great birthday!  He hasn't let Rosie out of his sight.  In fact, periodically throughout the day, I caught him gazing lovingly at her. 

And he requested that I take a few photos of her and her best friend Thomas.

 This one makes me laugh because I caught him mid-cough.  My dumb camera.

Where Did All the L's Go?

"Hey E, will you go grab baby sister's toy?"

Scampering sounds as he disappears.  Scampering sounds back.


"Did you get it?"

Throws up his hands.  "Nope, sorry Mommy.  It's ost to-ever."  (It's lost forever.)


Another one of the phrases he says that makes me smile:

"Ook, Mommy, ook!"  (Look, Mommy, look!)  He says this whenever he's done something he deems clever.

"Dat siwwy Mommy?  Dat make you happy?  Dat make you aff?"  (Is that silly Mommy?  That make you happy?  That make you laugh?)

How could I not aff?  I mean, laugh?  This is usually when I smother him with kisses on those soft little cheeks.

8 Months

Weight: 16 lbs.

Dollface celebrated turning 8 months by sporting another ear infection.  Seriously, she's such a happy child and such a good sleeper, but something has been different about her the last little while.  Getting up 2+ times a night two nights in a row is not normal.  I think the doctors think we live at their office, we're there so much it seems.  So that makes 3 ear infections in two months.  Today we saw the ENT doctor and he recommended we do tubes, so she is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday to have tubes inserted.  I have to admit that I totally got teary thinking of handing my baby over to someone and not being able to be there with her, especially when she'll be under anesthesia.  Please don't mistake me for the weird anti-anesthetic type, because HELLO I'm a huge epidural advocate and all that, it just makes me nervous because she's so small.  I can't imagine having my child go through a major surgery and I hope I never have to experience that.  Luckily this procedure is very common and babies younger than her have had it done.  And everyone tells me how wonderful they are, so that will be great.

Anywho...onto more about the girl.

-She is officially a wiggleworm

-She has learned to throw tantrums when something is taken away

-She can feed puffs to herself pretty well

-She has baby food preferences, with sweet potatoes ranking #1

-She officially takes two bottles every day and we are in the process of weaning entirely because she is not too interested in nursing anymore.  (Nursing is great and all, but it sure will be nice to be done once again.  And really, it's not the best thing if they aren't getting enough, which is the case with me and my milk supply.  All I can say is, thank goodness for formula.  Hooray for peace of mind, convenience, portability, and all that.  I sincerely think that breastmilk v. formula is a personal choice and I don't think either one is wrong.  One of my pet peeves is when people get all judgmental about who nurses and who doesn't.  Nursing does not give a baby superimmunity for the rest of their lives no matter what anybody says.  So yes, I've nursed my two babies, but they've also had formula.  Maybe that's just a testament to my indecisiveness.  Sorry...tangent.)

 E is such a big helper with this.  Actually, he's only given her a bottle once...with close supervision.  But he sure looks proud of himself, doesn't he?

 

 -She will only sleep on her tummy or her side.

 Look at that sweet little face!

-She can scoot all around to get what she wants

-She's very close to crawling!  She can scoot herself backward extremely well, but can't quite figure out the mechanics of going forward.

-She is completely fascinated with my jewelry.  She doesn't grab and pull like Emerson used to do.  She just lightly examines my earrings with big eyes and gentle hands.  I think she's going to be a girly-girl.

-She is still the sweetest girl ever.  So patient, so calm.  I don't deserve her. :)

The Kiddos

(Holding up a bottle of body wash) "Mommy, what's dis?"

"It's special soap."

"Oh! To keep our bodies all nice and healthy?"

"...Why yes, Emerson.  That's right."  (???)


 (At Sam's Club walking through the TV displays, E spots the main menu of UP on one of the tvs)

"Ook Mom, it's the Disney Blu-ray combo pack!"

"What?..."  (Have you been watching too many Disney movies?)

As E plays with his trains, I often hear him him narrating his scenario with phrases like these:

"'Hello!' puffed Thomas"
"Bust my buffers!"
"Wheel turn by wheel turn, he pulled him to safety."
"Thomas was full of pride as he puffed a-ong."
"'Oh no!  Save me Gordon!'  'Don't worry Thomas, I will get some ropes!'"

He loves his Thomas shows.  Sadly, I could probably name the movie that each of these phrases comes from.  He just soaks it all in.

Do you like his wry smile?  He thinks he's so funny.

Here is a picture of his little playgroup.  It has been so much fun for the kids and Emerson looks forward to it every week.  (Poor Audrey is so outnumbered, but luckily she tolerates it well and she can definitely hold her own.)  It's hard to believe that Tucker (far left) and Emerson have been buddies for so long.  Looking back at the picture below, I can't believe how big they are now!

And as for that silly girl Sammi.  Her new favorite thing is sucking on her feet.  I love baby feet.  Adore them.  Even if, scratch that, especially if, they are a little bit stinky from being in socks or tights all day.

 She's a sweetie but has been teething lately and has yet another cold.  Hopefully she's her normal self soon.  E is pretty much the only one who can cheer her up these days with his zany antics.

One of my favorite things is getting the kids up in the morning.  There's nothing better!  They are both all smiles and so happy to be awake, ready to start a new day.  You have to be careful though, because unless you immediately get milk into both of them, this is what happens.  (See below)

Yet Another Trip To Utah

We actually do live in Columbus.  I promise.  We're just always making quick jaunts about every other week it seems back to Utah, courtesy of my parents. :)  We're always happy to go see family though!

This time around was unplanned because my Grandma Johnson passed away.  She's been declining for a long time so it was one of those times when it was for the best.  Plus she'd been a widow for about 27 years so I'm sure she and my Grandpa Johnson (whom I never met) are happily reunited.

Some happy memories I have of Grandma Johnson are:
-Picnics in her yard with Happy Meals

-A picnic in Ogden, and getting introduced to Nutter Butter cookies

-Couch cushion forts.  And she would actually crawl around in them with us.

-Special holiday treats.  Even if it was something silly like a box of conversation hearts, we loved it.

-The Hostess Outlet store.  She'd take us to get powdered donuts and then we'd watch the trains go by.  (Maybe this is where E got his love of trains in his little unfertilized egg-ish state)

-Picking raspberries and apricots in her yard

-Playing the Atari and pickup sticks

-Her always being at our school programs and piano recitals

-She'd always adjust the time so the cuckoo clock on her wall would go off before we left so we could see the little birdie pop out of the door

-She always smelled like soap

-One time I slid down the banister in our brand-new house and the buttons on my sweater scratched it all the way down so I got in huge trouble.  I was told to stay in my room the rest of the night while my mom and dad finished moving things from our old house and grandma was tending.  She came upstairs and told me everything would be all right and made me a sandwich.

-She babysat us when my parents were out of town for a few days and my older brother and I were probably 14 and 16, and she was very concerned about us being home at an early hour even though we were going to a multi-stake dance.  She was there, waiting in the dark, in her curlers, pink lipstick, and bare feet (ugh!) at 11:05 p.m. when the dance had ended at 11:00 p.m.  She was probably the most perturbed I had ever seen her.  Now I know how Dad felt growing up. :)

We missed her viewing due to a delayed flight, but luckily made it in time for the funeral the next morning.  It was great to be reunited with cousins I haven't seen for years.  The funeral was very nice and I enjoyed learning lots of things about my grandma that I never knew before.

Our other activities included going to Richfield to visit our only remaining grandparent between the two of us, Grandma Christensen.  She had never met Samantha May before, and the last time she saw Emerson he was just a little guy.

Playing peekaboo with Grandma Chris

E kept talking about "Grandma Great"

 E was so in love with this little gas tank truck that Grandma Great sent it home with him.

We also made it to Logan to visit both of our sisters at Utah State and our good friends the Humpherys.  And it's always good to enjoy a meal at the Copper Mill there.

The baby sisters

 You have no idea how difficult it was to get this picture.

We also ate at lots of good restaurants, celebrated my sister's birthday, saw a couple movies, and even squeezed in a date night!  My sisters and mom and I also got a personalized tour from Murray's Representative, Tim Cosgrove, of the Capitol building.  It was pretty neat to go on the floor of the Senate, House, and Supreme Court.  Another big piece of news is that Sammi officially (and happily) learned to take a bottle whilst in Utah once a day while I still nurse her for the other 3 feedings, but I am thrilled.  SO thrilled to have a little freedom.  Here's to feeling human again.

7 Months

Miss Samantha May got to celebrate turning 7 months with a visit to the doctor for a nasty ear infection.  She is usually such a happy girl that the fussing and waking up in the night was definitely not normal.  Thank goodness for antibiotics...I'm hoping they kick in before we get on an airplane tomorrow to fly across the country for my Grandma Johnson's funeral.  I am envisioning a nightmare, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

It was one of those visits when you feel like they think you're crazy for bringing your kid in because they're ridiculously happy at the office, but I was glad they actually found something wrong with her (not that I like her to be sick) but just so I knew what was going on with the poor little thing.

 Weight: 16 lbs.

I forgot to take a picture of her all dolled up during the day, so the one above is of her ragamuffin fluffy hair right after her bath.  But earlier we discovered she has enough hair to do a little sprout on top, and THEN we discovered she has enough to do two little piggies on top.  Better than Christmas for me. :)

You're so cute you make me want to throw up!  Oops...I mean you're so cute you make YOU want to throw up.  Gross.

Some new things about you:

-You have now tried all the vegetables and like them all, but especially sweet potatoes.
-You tolerate your rice cereal now that you know that there are other flavors out there.
-You are much more wiggly.
-You love to grab at things.
-You have figured out everyone's prized possessions and work very hard to get them (cell phone, trains).
-You are starting to throw tantrums when something is taken away from you.
-You sit up so well!
-You still spit up quite a bit.
-You still adore your older brother.
-You still adore your hands and feet.
-You adore your daddy
-You like mommy, and adoration comes around feeding time. :)
-You are allergic to penicillin (nice skin reaction with hives all over the place, didn't happen until about day 7 of Amoxicillin.)
-You are good at rolling to where you want to be.
-You are great at falling asleep in your crib and you do ok in Daddy's arms at church if you have to.

You are still a sweetie and we're so glad you're in our family!

My Kids Are Photogenic

My kids are so photogenic.

That picture reminds me of this one when E was about the same age:

Can't wait to show these to their future spouses.

What We've Been Up To

We've really just been building a lot of train tracks and playing trains.  And baking some.  And staying warm.  Oh, and most of my days are consumed by feeding children.  Why does it feel that way once you start baby food?  There are at least 3 elements to each meal.

1) Get Emerson some food.  (Included in here would be hounding him to eat and once again telling him he can't have a cookie/cake/candy until AFTER he finishes breakfast.  Oh dear...a sugar junkie at 9:30 in the morning.)

2) Nurse Sammi/Murder her with her sippy cup.  I've been trying to get her to get good at drinking from a sippy cup since she won't take a bottle.  Unfortunately she acts as though I am torturing her, though less than with a bottle.  I've tried offering it to her right when she wakes up, or after I nurse her, or in the middle of a feeding.  So far that's what has worked.  The girl likes flesh, so I feed her just enough that she's not hysterical and then she'll almost happily drink from a sippy.  What can I say?  I don't like being bitten by my vampire child.  When I flick her chin whilst she has me in a death bite, all she does is beam at me.  Like she thinks I'm hilarious as I'm wincing and shrieking.  Besides the biting, I'm also worried she isn't getting enough from me. Oh, the joys and worries of motherhood.

3) Shovel in some baby food.  It sounds like there would be large quantities consumed here, but that would be incorrect.  I actually just shovel the same spoonful in over and over as it progressively gets more watery.  The volume decreases eventually not because she's actually swallowing, but really because it's seeping into her neck folds.  We make real progress when she gags and her mouth is wide open...wide enough to fit that wimpy spoon inside.  She has one of the most overactive gag reflexes I've ever encountered.  Except perhaps my sister Stephanie who gagged when she put on a turtleneck one morning as she was getting ready for preschool.  Anytime you give Sammi something besides mother's fleshy milk receptacle, she gags and her eyes get all red-rimmed.  She's such a silly girl.  I think we may be steering clear of turtlenecks for awhile though.

Anywho, that's what we're been doing.  And now, the pictures of the kids:

I was so proud of E for building this train track all by himself.  Sammi seems to think she helped by the look of pride on her face.

Sweet girl with wispy hair.  Lots of people have been commenting on how funny her hair is lately.  I guess it is pretty wild and ragamuffiny looking.  It's so feathery though, there's not much I can do.  She now promptly removes headbands and eats the flowers.

Big brother let her play trains too.  She has been getting pretty good at scooting around and she scooted herself right into the roundhouse.

She can also sit!  She was in heaven when she was sitting there, watching E play trains while HOLDING a train of her very own.  And our one girl train, no less.  Lucky duck.

Ice Storms

So I realize this is a little late, but we've had some crazy ice storms out here.  It's difficult to describe freezing rain to anyone unless they've experienced it themselves.  It's much scarier than a snow storm in my opinion, because driving (and walking) is much more fraught with danger than with wimpy old powdery snow.  

 Our garbage can...kinda looks like an alligator.  It's pretty dangerous taking out the garbage. :)

 Our garage

Individual frozen blades of grass

Our backyard skating rink

Our neighbor's bush

Our tree with every twig and branch encapsulated in ice

That week our church parking lot was a complete sheet of ice.  I realized this, and being the sensible person that I am, I wore high heels to church anyway.  I was just carefully stepping out of the car when my foot flew out from under me and I fell out of our Expedition.  I caught myself before I went completely down, but I fell to my knees and then pulled myself up while Ben was shocked/helpless on the other side of the car.  I have some pretty good bruises on my legs, but no serious injuries.  Heck, I didn't even get a run in my nylons.  All that was injured was my pride, and I quickly (and sheepishly) looked around the parking lot, but luckily everyone else was having their own problems walking on the ice so no one noticed me.  (I think).

Nursery

"Emerson, what did you talk about in Nursery today?"

"Jesus!"

"You talked about Jesus?"

"Yes, and his sheep!"

"Jesus and His sheep?  What about the sheep?"

"The sheep are scary.  They are just really scary."