Togetherness

With all the rain this spring, we've had lots of togetherness.  Well, the rain, and sickness too.  Luckily these two are getting to be pretty good friends.

E just randomly asked to hold "Beebee" one Sunday afternoon.  It lasted about 35 seconds instead of the usual 30, but it was sweet.

E caught some yucky stomach bug, so he had a rough night.  He was so tired that he fell asleep during his Thomas show.  And yes, he likes that pink blanket.

 I am so lucky to have big laundry helpers.  They even let me give them a ride like a choo-choo train car afterward!  (Please excuse Sammi's screaming hair.  I really do try to tame it, but every time I get her up in the morning or from each of her two naps, it looks like this.  Kind of endearing, but kind of ragamuffiny too.  But I guess her beaming smile more than makes up for it.)

Easter Lesson

Tonight we had an FHE lesson about Easter from the Nursery manual.  We were trying to get the point across that Jesus was resurrected...obviously.  There was a cute little picture to color and cut out with the Nursery lesson of the tomb with the stone you could roll away and a picture of Jesus you could put inside and then take out to show that Jesus wasn't there because he was resurrected.  After coloring the tomb pink, E really liked rolling the stone in front of the opening of the tomb, rolling it open to see Jesus inside, and then taking Jesus out and checking the tomb again and seeing that he wasn't there.  We thought it was sinking in pretty well because he was saying things like this:

"Jesus is in der!  Now he's gone.  He's a-ive!"

At this point, Ben and I would prompt him by saying,

"He is alive, and he's not in the tomb because...why?" 

Silence

"Where is he?"

"Ook!  Der he is over der!" (Pointing to where we hid him.)

"No, Jesus is alive, so that means he was...?"

"Ost." (Lost)

"No...He was..."

"Missing!"

"No...He was...re-"

"Re-Dead!"  (Really dead)

"No, resurrected!"

"Resurrected!  Et's do it again one more time!  Oh no!  Jesus is stuck in the tomb!  We need to rescue him!"

5 minutes later in the midst of the closing song...

"RESURRECTED!"

Favorite Moments of the Week

1.  I took E to the bathroom at church and while he was doing his business we heard the door open and a little boy talking to his mommy.  There were a couple of seconds of silence and then Emerson yelled excitedly, "TUCKER!"  A few more seconds of silence... "EMERSON!"  Then they both made a few more comments to each other about going to the bathroom on the big potty.  But my favorite part was when I could hear Tucker's mom saying in the next stall, "Tucker, don't pee on your tie!"  Going to the bathroom at this age is a risky feat, a risky feat indeed.  We have had many a rug moistened, not to mention dribbles in the pants that you just praised for being dry.

2.  Emerson said, "Mommy, Rosie is magnificent."  (In case you missed it, Rosie is Emerson's newest and most prized engine.  She is pink.)

3.  I asked Emerson what animals he wanted to see at the zoo, and without missing a beat he replied, "The engine.  And the choo choo train tracks."  So we did.  I don't think he's even aware that they keep animals at the zoo.

4.  I told Emerson that he couldn't go in his room because Baby Sister was asleep.  I explained that she had a rough day yesterday and that she needed lots of sleep.  Emerson replied, "No Mommy.  She needs lots of wake."  Then he kept yelling up the stairs as I was getting ready that "Baby is AWAKE!"  But alas, she was not.  He did make me second guess myself a few times though even though I was right across from her bedroom AND we have the baby monitor because he was so insistent.

5.  This girl in her new outfit: (I couldn't decide which picture was the best one.)

6. Sammi can officially hook her little toes on her highchair tray.  Emerson did it for as long as he possibly could and Ben and I kind of missed it when he couldn't do it anymore.  Ben was the one who excitedly/proudly pointed it out to me one night at dinner.  He loves his little Sammikins.

7. This crooked, wrinkled-nose signature Sammi grin.

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.