little moments

january photo hodge podge

2012-01-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

this month we...

emma practiced her downward dog

emma's now a tummy sleeper

and to prove dave and i still exist...

a double date to the colorado mammoth (indoor lacrosse) season opener. sooo fun!

emma's mobile!

2012-01-29T23:03:00.002-07:00

emma has been on the verge of crawling for over a month. within seconds of sitting her on the floor she would get into the crawling position. finally on january 19th (for my records) she officially became a crawler! it started out slowly, but she's now going all over the place and reeking havoc on logan's life! he does not like the fact that she can get into his toys (welcome to your new world buddy!). we keep hearing, "emma, no! that's mine." followed by her crying in protest because he just took something away from her. he is also enforcer, telling her what she's not allowed to touch. i think we actually might have to baby proof with her (we didn't with logan) because she seems like she might get into everything. plus i better be careful what i leave down because everything goes into this little girl's mouth! so here is the story about the pictures below (the day emma started crawling). i was making dinner and had set emma down outside the kitchen with a bowl of veggie straws. shortly after, logan woke up from his nap and requested a bowl of veggie straws. he sat down on the floor next to emma to eat his straws and i warned him he better move his bowl to the other side so they would be out of emma's reach or she would eat them (she had finished her straws by this point). he moved them to the other side, but it didn't stop emma.

she proceeded to crawl over his legs to get to them
(and rather than stop her i grabbed the camera because it was so funny)

logan suddenly realizes what is happening

trying to get his straws back in the bowl
(from another angle)

he literally grabbed the straw she was eating out of her hands and put it back in his bowl while saying, "no emma, that's not yours. that's my straw."

trying to look innocent with those big blue eyes

getting into my shoes. i have to watch her because she likes to suck on the laces of my running shoes. yuck!

life just got a bit more exciting!

fresh from heaven

2012-01-21T22:54:00.002-07:00

1 week ago today collin mcclain bremner made his debut. he was tiny (5 pounds 7 ounces), adorable and has already proven (by his arrival) that he is going to keep his parent's on their toes! we are so happy to have him in the family. it is so fun to watch kari and sterling as parents. we had no doubt they would be fantastic; after all, they are an incredible aunt and uncle. we got to see him when he was only a few hours old and it felt like i was just holding a pile of blankets, he was so light! i love little newborns and being there in the hospital made me feel all nostalgic (i know, it's only been 9 months but still, i love it all...pregnancy, labor and delivery, new babies, being in the hospital).

i love seeing this guy holding tiny little babies. actually, babies in general.

logan took advantage of getting to play games on sterling's phone. i swear he would play games all the time if we let him. and it's crazy how good he is at playing them and navigating our phones.

my sweet little boy (who doesn't look so little)

the new mama!

the proud dad!

the night before collin was born

as we left the hospital after spending a little bit of time with collin, i was overwhelmed with how much our heavenly father trusts us. he sends these children to us, imperfect as we are, and trusts us to love them, take care of them, protect them, comfort them and teach them. he hopes we will teach them about Him and most importantly how they can find happiness and peace in this life and be able to return and live with Him one day. and sometimes when i think about it too much it can be overwhelming to think of all i should be doing as a parent. but then the spirit reminds me that heavenly father trusts me (which in and of itself is pretty empowering) and that He doesn't expect me to do it on my own. because this is His child too and he knows them. and He will help me know how to love them, take care of them, protect them, comfort them and teach them...especially about Him. i feel so blessed and so grateful for a trusting heavenly father and to be a mother.

congrats kari and sterling!!

30 random things

2012-01-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

in honor of dave's 30th birthday today i thought i would share 30 random things about him. so here we go...

he doesn't think a salad constitutes a meal, even if it has meat in it (but we still have salads for dinner because i like them)
even though he is afraid of heights, he used to rock climb in college
he played the saxophone in high school
if he could, i think he would move back to durango (where he went to college) in a heartbeat
he still has a watch that he got when he was 18 years old (and you would never guess it was 12 years old. talk about a quality watch)
he is a mama's boy ;)
depending on the color of his shirt, his eyes either appear blue or sea green-ish
i had never seen dave without facial hair until we took our engagement pictures
he is an eagle scout and very proud of it
he is the first person in his extended family to get his master's degree
he is very protective of his 2 younger sisters
he had never changed a diaper before logan was born (boy did that change quickly)
he is awesome at impersonations (i love his jack sparrow and gollum)
he has amazing dimples!
he is a romantic, which is perfect since i love romance!
he never had braces but has pretty straight teeth
even in the middle of the summer he rarely wears shorts (although i am wearing him down)
his sheets have to be untucked at the bottom when he sleeps (i'm the opposite, mine have to be tucked in)
he always sleeps with socks (i on the other hand can't sleep with socks and he hates it when i put my feet on his and he can feel the cold through his socks)
he wants to own a motorcycle one day
he has never left the toilet seat up in the 4.5 years we've been married. good man!
his eyes get totally bloodshot when he gets tired (like he's been up to a little something he shouldn't)
he is a classic introvert. i read a quote by ann landers that describes us perfectly, "at every party there are two kinds of people - those who want to go home and those who don't. the trouble is, they are usually married to each other."
he is very good at expressing his feelings in writing (especially about me ;)
he has texture issues when it comes to food
you can tell how long someone has know dave by what they call him, dj or dave/david. i am the only one in his family that doesn't call him dj.
when we got married dave didn't have much of a sweet tooth. i have rubbed off on him and now he is known to crave ice cream and brownies.
he is a lefty
he has never lived outside of colorado
it was love at first sight for dave ;)

happy birthday my love! i am so glad that you were born 30 years ago and i am grateful we get to be together for eternity! you make life full of happiness, laughter and fun! thanks for being mine. you're my everything!

just because she's cute

2012-01-15T16:05:00.001-07:00

logan's point of view

2012-01-15T15:47:00.002-07:00

logan commandeered our little camera and here's what we found.

emma: 9 months

2012-01-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

time seems to be going by at warp speed. how is emma already 9 months?! i made her year appointment at the doctor the other day and it almost made me cry. stop growing up so fast! with that said, i love this age! i love how her personality is showing through more and how she is so interactive. it's such a fun age!

(emma got this hat for christmas and i think she looks so cute in it! so i decided to have her wear it instead of a bow.)

here are her stats:

17 pounds 9.5 ounces - 25th percentile

27 inches - 25th percentile

44 cm

loves to grab hair, faces and especially noses

he is attracted to computers, phones...anything that has a screen that lights up
she's started babbling "ma ma ma" and "ba ba ba" a lot
she is soo close to crawling. i swear it is going to happen any day. in the meantime she likes to get into "downward dog" position sometimes. it is awesome!

we have yet to find something she won't eat. this girl seriously loves food (she is clearly both a todd and wessler)
recently she's tried:

black beans, toast, macaroni noodles, graham crackers, bananas, various cereals (thanks to logan), diced peaches

her hair is getting thicker

she loves books

we just stopped swaddling her when she sleeps

she gives head bumps

she loves her lovie and finds the corner just like logan does, although she sucks on hers

she has just started clapping and it is so fun! i am constantly trying to get her to do it, including saying "clappy, clappy" in what i'm sure is an annoying voice!

when i put her down for bed she holds her legs straight up in the air. she also loves to let them slam down when she's in her crib.

she loves to play with whatever necklace i am wearing while nursing

she grabs at everything! and boy is she quick. most of what makes it into her hands ends up in her mouth.

she prefers logan's cars, trucks and trains to any of her soft baby toys

she's the perfect amount of chunk!

i can't get enough of kissing her chubby cheeks

she loves to be held, by pretty much anyone

she loves to be held upside down.

she kicks her legs and claps her hands when she gets excited

she has just started rolling over onto her belly when she's sleeping

just a few days ago i found her sitting up in bed!

her smile lights up her whole face and makes me so happy. i just can't help but smile when i see it.

she's even cute when she's crying

grandpa gg's 75th birthday!

2012-01-13T21:35:00.003-07:00

on tuesday night we got to celebrate grandpa gg's 75th birthday! we're so lucky they were in town on the big day since they live in arizona. we celebrated with cake and looked through tons of old pictures from way back in the day. i loved seeing grandma and grandpa through the years. grandma has always been a beauty! i feel so blessed to have inherited more wonderful grandparents (2 more sets) through marriage. it was a really sweet night, especially when grandpa took a moment to share how much he loves everyone. it was so tender. i think we'll all remember that special moment.

i was recently making my family's calendar and for the first time i had a hard time finding pictures of just dave and i from the past year. so i wanted to take a picture of us and this is how it turned out:

baby debut (shower)

2012-01-13T20:54:00.002-07:00

my friend arianne and i thew a little debut party for allison and her sweet little girl, lauren. it was so fun and i was reminded again how fun hosting stuff is! arianne was in charge of the food (with the help of a few others) and it was all delicious. it's a good thing i didn't eat dinner that night because i ate my fill!

allison, the new mama and arianne.

it was fun to have the baby we were celebrating at the shower, but somehow i failed to get a picture of lauren! whoops! let's be honest, i was probably too busy eating or talking (most likely both, although hopefully not at the same time). she is darling and tiny! showers in our ward are fairly low-key, but i love them because we spend hours talking (i think all our husbands have learned not to expect us home before 10pm). these girls are all so amazing and i learn so much from them about motherhood and so much else!

anna, nina and laura

wendie and jessica

grady and baby brighton

i gifted allison some sweet baby "treats!" people are so creative and i am grateful for the internet (specifically blogs and pinterest) so i can copy their great ideas. i had so much fun making washcloth lollipops (with baby spoons as the stick) again! but i also branched out and made sock candies (my adaptation of the washcloth lollipop) and onesie and receiving blanket cupcakes! i have to say they all turned out so cute and were really fun to give as a gift )a lot more fun than just throwing them in a gift bag)!

nye 2011

2012-01-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

our expectations for new year's eve weren't too high. dave got his wisdom teeth out the day before and we planned on a low-key night at home ringing in the new year. logan and i selectively enjoyed dave's liquid diet. like smoothies. i think i also had a milkshake four nights in a row. it was awesome! although not so awesome for dave who subsisted on mashed potatoes and soup for much longer than he would have liked.

logan modeled the "outside the pants" underwear look. he hasn't showed any interest in wearing them under his pants, but he thinks they make a great addition to most any wardrobe.

our new year's eve actually ended up better than expected. we headed to my parents house for dinner and a fun dice game called whoopie. all of the kids except logan, sophie and the babies played and it involved winning candy, so needless to say it was a hit. when you win you get to move to another table. i stayed at my table the whole game. even my 5 year old nephew moved on to a new table. sad for me. but it was a lot of fun and i want to plan a whoopie night! afterward the kids watched a movie, the adults chatted and we all toasted a new year at 9:22 pm! we joke that we rang in the new year as it happened somewhere in the atlantic!

"brothers don't shake hands. brothers gotta hug!"

i can't get enough of this little girl!
i just love this ladybug outfit and her killer red boots that she got for christmas!

toasting with a little martinelli. man do i love that stuff!

doesn't dave look great! you wouldn't guess he got his wisdom teeth out the day before. he had barely any swelling.

suzi was teaching logan how to clink glasses...err, plastic cups!

starting the new year in style

a sharp dressed little man. he cracks me up!

classy in black, with sparkles! perfect for the new year!

the taylors come to visit

2012-01-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

suzi and her kids came to visit after christmas and it was so fun to hang out. kate and emma were reunited again and it was fun to see how they have grown so much since the last time we were together (and how they still don't look related at all).

logan and sophie were little buds (who got into a couple of times). here they are playing air hockey, with ellie refereeing. it was hilarious to watch them (and how often they scored on themselves).

mark and a few of the older boys were playing a game and the losers had to roll down the hill in the snow without their shirts or shoes and socks on. i think mark must have been pretty confident he would win or else i don't think he would have agreed (or come up with the bet in the first place). looks like that backfired on him.

i can't remember what they were looking at, but logan likes to do whatever his cousins (especially cade and carter) do.

we headed to open gymnastics at the rec center. it's been a year since the last time we were there and logan LOVED it. i think we might need to get him into a class soon. emma hung out in a corner (safe from the chaos) the whole time we were there and was even befriended by a little girl who would bring her toys. we had such a great time and i can't wait to go back.

zoo lights

2012-01-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

the week after christmas we went with my family to the zoo lights. i love seeing the place all lit up, it is pretty magical. although it is a little nerve wracking to be there amongst the masses in the dark with a toddler who doesn't want to hold your hand. i actually wished we had one of those "child on a leash" things. but we returned home with the two kids we came with and logan had a great time with his cousins, so all in all it was a success!

i didn't have my camera on the right setting (in either picture apparently), but logan loved watching the kangaroos jump.

i'm dying over the hat emma got for christmas! she is seriously the cutest!

and a few pictures of my handsome logan from earlier in the day in his new outfit from christmas. i wanted a picture to send to pete and kathy (the gifters of the cute outfit) and i resorted to bribing logan with candy (which worked for the last picture, taken on my phone). lately he has been into covering his eyes when i try and take a picture.

christmas day with the todds

2012-01-02T16:46:00.002-07:00

i really like seeing all the christmas posts around the blogosphere. there is something so fun about seeing people's trees and decorations, traditions and cute kiddos in their pjs on christmas morning. there's something special about being able to peek into people's homes on such a magical and meaningful morning. before heading to church with my parents, we celebrated with our little family.

logan was so excited to see that santa ate the cookies (and left a few crumbs) and drank the milk. he even left a note thanking logan for the treats and for being a good boy! i love emma in the background, going after her present! baby girl already knows what she wants!

there was a pile of wrapped presents on the couch from santa but it was almost as if logan didn't even see them. he only had eyes for the candy that santa had brought (m&m's and candy canes). we had to encourage him to actually open his presents! maybe santa should have just brought him candy ;)

once he got the presents unwrapped he was pretty happy with his "cars" cars that santa brought. good thing too because santa had a hard time finding those cars and was lucky he won the bid on ebay (santa is resourceful)!

emma got a sophie giraffe. it does look and sound a little like a dog toy, but she likes it!

dave has been talking up my present for weeks. to throw me off he suspended the envelope in a big box with string. so when i shook it, it felt like it was empty. tricky!

he did VERY well! he got me tickets to see tim mcgraw and kenny chesney when they come in concert (TOGETHER) this summer! i was super surprised because i didn't think he would even know they were coming! i can't wait for july!

dave wasn't the only one with a trick up his sleeve! i wrapped up a little poem in a small box (weighted with a spool of ribbon) to throw him off. he gets VERY curious and is definitely a present shaker. so i wanted to mess with him a little. the poem sent him searching through the house for his present.

and he was quite pleased with his new xbox 360!

after a wonderful church meeting we spent the rest of the day at my parent's house.

nana and papa got logan a basketball hoop. it has proven to be a HUGE hit!

my dad opening the present from all us kids (for he and my mom). we set up a mission account for them. we can't wait for them to serve a mission. they will be incredible missionaries!

dinner was delicious (and the table looked so festive)!

we are so grateful for the birth and life of our savior! he brings so much peace, happiness and purpose to our lives individually and as a family. we're grateful that because of him we can grow, progress and become better each day and that our family can be eternal. we hope your christmas was filled with the peace, love and hope that christ brings!

christmas eve with the wesslers

2012-01-02T15:54:00.001-07:00

this year we celebrated christmas eve with the wesslers and it was absolutely wonderful! some things i want to remember about this christmas eve:

we visited grandma lorrie at the rehab center where she is currently staying. it was really special to be there with her. she gave each of the kids a special christmas book where she had recorded her voice reading the story to them, along with a special message for them. it will be a treasure for each of them long after she is gone.
pete smoked the most incredible pork loin for dinner. i could have eaten it all night, but there was so much other good food (and treats) that i had to exercise a little restraint so i had room for everything else.
pete and kathy spoiled the kids. i guess that is a given though.
each of the kids' presents were wrapped in their own special wrapping paper. i think that is a fun thing that kathy does (and the presents are always wrapped beautifully)
emma looked so cute in her santa hat and jacket. it is [part] of the same santa suit logan wore his first christmas
emma resting her feet on the table as we ate
logan, dave and pete flying pete's remote control helicopter around
checking out some christmas lights on our drive home
logan putting out milk and cookies for santa for the first time
receiving the last piece, baby jesus, to our little people nativity set. someone did the 12 days of christmas to us this year and gave a piece of the nativity each night. i think i was as excited about it as logan was (actually, probably more excited). i couldn't wait to see what piece we would get next. it was neat to read the scripture they included each night and focus on the birth of our savior.
finishing our christmas book advent. i loved reading a christmas book every night during december.

while not fun, still worth remembering:

logan was a little under the weather, so he was a little "off" for our christmas celebrations
logan having an absolute melt down when we got home and it was time for bed (i can't remember him ever having such a bad one. he was inconsolable). i think it took us about a half hour to calm him down.

and now for the pictures ( a lot of them):

birthdays

2012-01-02T15:18:00.002-07:00

in december we celebrated a couple of birthdays.

first my mom's

my sister found this beautiful "generation tree" necklace for us to give her

of course there were treats (we are talking about my mom after all) and silliness

i think my mom is so beautiful and she is an incredible woman. i admire her in so many ways and hope i can be the kind of person and mother she is.

a few days later logan (and actually the whole family) got to attend a birthday party for his little friend tessa

i think this picture is awesome. logan is "posing." at least i think he is, because otherwise i'm not sure what he's up to. and tessa, the birthday girl (sitting next to him), doesn't look too happy.

the party was at the museum of nature and science, which logan couldn't have been more excited about. he talks about going to the museum and seeing the dinosaurs at least once a day. they have a really cool dinosaur exhibit where the dinosaurs follow your movement and roar at you!

we also spent some time in the discovery zone, which is always entertaining.

christmastime festivities

2011-12-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

i had hoped to get these pictures posted before christmas (mainly so i wouldn't feel so behind on blogging), but christmas has come and gone. so before i post those pictures i had to share some of the fun things we did leading up to the big day. i love that christmastime is a "season" and we get to celebrate for a whole month!

meeting santa

our kids got to see santa and mrs. claus at our ward party at church. visiting the "big guy" went much better this year (although i love last year's pictures. they're classic and doesn't every kid need a "crying picture with santa?!)

in fact it went so well we decided to do it again. we braved snowy roads and slow traffic to get there, but i thought it was totally worth it. emma wasn't so sure about it the second time around, but logan told santa he wanted toys. specifically cars and trucks (no trains). he was also pumped about the candy cane he got (this kid has been buzzing with all the sugar he's been eating. he is his mother's son)!

annual white elephant party

every year our friends throw a fabulous white elephant christmas party. i look forward to it each year and people go all out (last year there was a mouse and a hermit crab. this year a goldfish). it seems like without fail every year dave ends up with some teeny-bopper item. one year it was a high school musical nightlight, last year he got a twilight poster (which turned out to be a hot item at my young women's white elephant party) and this year he got a twilight and new moon card game. score for him! he was also number one choosing his present (yes, out of a huge pile of presents this is the one he picked. almost like he is drawn to adolescent items). needless to say, no one stole from him so he was stuck with it.

me being the good wife i am used my turn (number 17, a much better position to be in) and stole him this denver PD trauma shooting kit. just so you know, we're now prepared for a gunshot wound (you never can be too prepared).

the nutcracker

a few days before christmas we had a girls night at the nutcracker. i don't know the last time i saw it and it was magical. i am amazed at how the dancer can do such physically demanding things and yet make it look effortless and graceful (it reminded me of a quote from the killer movie, centerstage, "i want to see the movement, not the work behind it." it's something like that). we walked out to find lots of snow falling which made it seem even more like christmas.

snowy day

the snow storm mentioned above resulted in about a foot of snow at our house. this is the beautiful view from our bedroom window. clearly we have some gutter draining issues, but it made for incredible icicles!

and on a snow day like that, if you have to get out of your pajamas, the next best thing to be wearing is a fleece sweatsuit. if only one would look as cute on me as they do on these two!

decorating sugar cookies

dave and i were really excited to decorate sugar cookies. but i must admit by the end of the experience we were feeling a lot less enthusiastic. here's i think why: after making the dough, rolling it out, cutting out the cookies, baking the cookies, making the frosting, dividing the frosting into separate bowls and coloring it, it is FINALLY time to decorate the cookies (note: i did make the dough the day before). logan lost interest shortly after we began to decorate. in fact, he was much more interested in eating the sprinkles and licking the frosting off the knives. and of course there were still TONS of cookies to decorate. i don't have a lot of patience for decorating in the first place (at least making them look cute. i lack the skills and the patience). i just slap on some frosting and a few sprinkles. my brother was the one that made the cookies look like masterpieces growing up and dave is now the one in our family to make them look good. but by the end, even he was done. and then after all that there is a huge mess to clean up. whew! here's what i've decided for next time: we'll break it up and cook the cookies and decorate on separate days. plus, maybe next time we'll do it with friends. a little extra manpower and of course a chance to socialize! after that big rant, i have to admit that i did enjoy the fruits of our labors for days after as i ate a lot of cookies. they may not have been particularly cute, but they sure tasted good!

logan liked cutting out the cookies more than decorating

providing some moral support

feeling the christmas spirit while chewing on a wise man

enjoying a healthy amount of frosting...2 knives at once. it was the follow up to a healthy amount of sprinkles!

growing up

2011-12-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

recently logan and i were talking about how old he is. he knows he's 2, but this day he decided he was 4. and then he said, "no mom, i'm twenty." and i thought to myself, i'm still coming to terms with you being two and a half. slow down kiddo! this was only made more clear as i was listening to taylor swift's song, "never grow up" while driving and i got teary eyed and had to reach into the back seat and squeeze logan's leg. i'm know, i'm tearing up listening to taylor swift. i really need to pull myself together! watching my kids grow up is bittersweet. i want them to stay little and sweet and mine forever. i want to protect them from anything that will hurt them. but obviously growing up is part of life and man is it fun watching them grown up. life just gets sweeter and sweeter. a few weeks ago logan moved into a bed. it made him instantly seem so much older and less and less like my baby. i had to take a picture of him in his crib on his last night.

and logan's move into a bed meant this little girl got to upgrade! the poor thing has been sleeping in a pack 'n play for 8 months. i know she hasn't cared, but it made me a little sad for her.

logan was so excited for his big boy bed. he jumped on it, drove his cars on it and just thought it was the coolest thing.

however right after we took the picture below and were about to leave him for his first time sleeping in the bed (for his nap) i think it suddenly sunk in that we expected him to sleep in the bed. i can't get over how little he looks in the big bed!

for the first few days i had to go in multiple times when he went down for his nap to tell him to stop playing and get back in bed. i told him once he gets in bed he can't get out and he needs to make a good choice. he's really good now at staying in bed and has only fallen out once! he still calls for us to come and get him out of bed in the morning and after his nap. it rocks and i am going to enjoy it for as long as it lasts (the funny thing is he will get up and turn on his music and his twlight turtle and then get back into bed and call for us to come get him). without fail the first thing he says proudly is, "i slept in my big boy bed!" often it is followed by, "i didn't get out. i made a good choice!"

and sweet emma finally got a real crib! i forgot to take a picture of her before her first nap, but she looks so little in the crib after seeing logan in there (probably because he also slept with 7 of his "friends" and it was a full house in there)

beanie babies

2011-12-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

one of dave's co-workers made these christmas hats for the kids. 2 observations while seeing the kids side by side in their diapers 1. logan suddenly looks very skinny next to emma. she's definitely a little chunk (and i love it) 2. these kids have different coloring. emma is much more fair (aka. pasty white).

emma's face in the one on the right has given dave and i plenty of laughs

emma: 8 months

2011-12-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

good at maneuvering around on her bum

scoots backward
she is close to crawling. she gets into the crawling position constantly, but has yet to actually crawl

is babbling a lot more. i love it!

grabs anything within reach and puts it in her mouth

loves paper

is content to sit and play with toys

has started getting upset when logan takes her toys

loves to eat! she pounds the baby food. she has also tried string cheese, raisin bran (a flake), captain crunch and an apple thanks to logan's generosity
she loves gerber puffs and is good at feeding herself

is finally sleeping in a crib instead of a pack 'n play!
loves to pull out and play with her binky. usually she can get it back in on her own.
went through a faze for about a week of sticking out her tongue
loves to look at herself in the mirror
she has her daddy's ears (and is looking more and more like him, although a prettier version)

she loves to be with her brother and play with him (as much as she can at this point)
lights up when she sees her daddy
is super smiley
is content to be held by anyone
is social and loves to be with people
we know we're bias, but we think she is beautiful

i couldn't resist

2011-12-16T08:58:00.002-07:00

dave is not going to be pleased seeing his son like this ;) this morning i put a bib on emma (to protect her black shirt from spit up, which later proved a smart move) and logan grabbed one he wanted to wear. then as i was putting on emma's headband he requested one too. it was too good of a picture to pass up.

i love these two!

2011-12-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

tis the season

2011-12-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

i love this time of year! so far we've been...

decorating the tree!

logan "helped" and i love how all the ornaments he put up ended up in one little section. we've had to have multiple talks and "reminders" that we just look at the ornaments on the tree and don't pull them off. i love decorating the tree and reminiscing about memories associated with each ornament we put up.

trying out some costume options for our reading of the christmas story (or just playing with daddy's scarf, but they do make cute shepherds or mary and joseph, right?!)

unwrapping the book for our christmas book advent. i have loved doing this. logan gets so excited to unwrap his book and read it every night before bed.

one night we read "the polar express." it started like this...

but then emma needed to get a better look at her daddy...

and it ended like this...

nothing like a good snuggle!

this season has been even more fun since logan "gets it" more this year. he loves seeing the christmas lights and the inflatable characters in people's yards. as much as i don't like them, i love how excited he gets to see them. we go out of our way to see the santas on our street and wave as we pass by and he can't wait to see the snowmen and penguin on the way to the store and gym. i've loved getting christmas cards (although i don't know if ours are going to happen this year...it's not looking too promising since it's already the 13th), listening to christmas music (i love the polar express station on pandora) and the chance i've had to think more about the true meaning of christmas and try and teach it to logan. i've tried to make this season more meaningful and christ centered.

still to come:

taking the kids to see santa
a girls night with my mom, sister and niece to see the nutcracker
zoo lights
making and decorating sugar cookies
driving around to see the lights
watching "the nativity story," "elf" and "white christmas"
shopping for our giving tree gifts
a couple of christmas parties

naughty and nice

2011-12-08T17:16:00.001-07:00

logan often takes a book into his bed with him during naptime. the other day i thought i heard ripping coming from his room. i went in to check and found this! i couldn't believe it. he was really going to town. and go figure, it was a library book.

the other night we watched the first presidency christmas devotional. logan had to go to bed before the prophet spoke. so the next morning he asked to watch president monson. i pulled up his talk and much to my surprise he sat and watched the entire 14 minute talk. since then he has asked to watch it again! i'm glad he loves the prophet!

vintage

2011-12-08T15:32:00.001-07:00

that's what i'm calling this dress. it was mine when i was a baby! how fun to dress up my little girl in one of my baby dresses! dave thinks if she was wearing red shoes it would be the perfect dorothy/wizard of oz costume or if she had a red wig and red circles painted on her cheeks she would make a cute raggedy ann (why didn't we think of either of these at halloween time?!). but i'm still sticking with vintage! no matter what, she is cute!!

here comes santa claus

2011-12-08T15:10:00.001-07:00

the day after thanksgiving we headed to downtown littleton to watch santa light the trees on main street. he rode in his sleigh (truck) down the street and the trees lit up as he went past. it was pretty magical and something i have wanted to do for years. it was a fun (and chilly) way to kick off the christmas season. it ended up being a lot colder than any of us anticipated (with a really cold wind that kicked up) and we did our best to stay warm. we got to see some real reindeer and logan even scored a light up "sword" from gammy and pappy.

if you are at all familiar with the cartoon "thundercats" in the picture above logan is saying, "sword of omens, give me sight beyond sight."

the boys. it was definitely not shorts weather (although sterling often wears shorts in weather i wouldn't consider shorts weather. crazy!)

cheese!

we were booking it back to the cars to get warm but everyone humored me and stopped so we could take a picture. just moments before santa had come down that street and lit up all the trees behind us.

book buddies

2011-12-05T17:16:00.001-07:00

i love catching logan "reading" to emma

this top picture of logan pointing out heavenly father and jesus especially touched me

thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-05T16:41:00.001-07:00

thanksgiving already seems a long time ago since the christmas season seems to be in full swing. i'm actually having a hard time even remembering what we did. but this much i remember, it was wonderful! dave had wednesday, thursday and friday off and it was fantastic having him home for FIVE days straight. i think i was as excited for his break as he was...and probably as sad to see him go back to work as he was (ok, i'm sure he was more sad than me). what i remember...the boys going on a donut run, lots of hanging out, watching "big bang theory" (love that show), the blanket fort in logan's room that i was told multiple times was "just for the boys" (although near the end i was allowed in to play), walks, runs and a killer thanksgiving morning turbo kick class.

fun times in the blanket fort. dave would build up a block tower...

and logan would promptly knock it down

and i had to include this picture of logan's pants falling down because i think it is hilarious!
the waist on these pants is HUGE and so the lowrider look is a common site when he wears them.

we spent thanksgiving day with dave's family. this was the only picture i took of anyone, just as we were all getting ready to eat. as is custom at the wessler home, the food was delicious and there was lots of it! we lucked out and our contribution was a fruit salad. i can't complain about cutting up fruit as my thanksgiving task! i am still dreaming of the yummy apple dessert things kathy made. we were also able to visit dave's grandma at the hospital and i was able to meet my friend's brand new baby girl.

i did make sure we got a family picture!

when we got home dave and i shared with each other the things we are grateful for. at times it's easy to focus on what we don't have or wish we had and i think it is so powerful to stop and take note of all we have to be grateful for, because we really are blessed. i'm hoping to be better at living with an attitude of gratitude all year long.

all i want for christmas

2011-11-24T09:02:00.001-07:00

emma is already checking out the ad for the top toys

i think she might be satisfied with just the ad though (it's cheaper that way ;)

and here's one of logan, because he won't let me take a picture of emma without taking a picture of him (which is fine with me)

i heart you

2011-11-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

i found this sweet message in the shower this morning

i heart you too baby!

c is for cookie

2011-11-21T16:02:00.001-07:00

saturday night we decorated some sugar cookies and it was logan's first time(at least i think it was). he helped roll the cookies into balls

which he had learned how to make a ball earlier in the day when we played with some playdough.

after enjoying the fruits of his labor

he had a little too much fun with the sprinkles

this got me excited to actually make sugar cookies this christmas (these were from a package). i can't believe how quickly christmas is coming!

mommy's helper

2011-11-21T15:55:00.001-07:00

logan wanted to help me feed emma the other night and he did pretty well (there was just a little bit more food that didn't quite make it into her mouth). i like how his mouth is open when he wants her to open hers for the food. i think i do the same thing. this little girl sure loves solid food!

oops!

2011-11-17T09:43:00.001-07:00

i had a little (ok, BIG) cooking disaster on tuesday night involving spicy tomato soup and my blender. instead of crying like i wanted to right after it happened i decided to take a picture. the pictures don't even do the mess justice. it's funny to look at the pictures now, although it wasn't funny at the time (i was running late and did not have the time to deal with the huge mess).

in the midst of my cleaning i looked over and saw logan putting a "birthday hat" (it's a horn) on emma's head and singing happy birthday. it made me happy!
thank goodness for those little cuties that help put things into perspective!

weekend gratitude

2011-11-14T16:18:00.001-07:00

i've had a fun time reading people's gratitude posts this month and although i'm not doing one daily, i thought i'd share some of the things i was grateful for this weekend (and today).

inspiring church meetings and personal revelation (where dave and i look at each other and know the speaker said just what we needed to hear)

wonderful family members that babysit (and love) our kids

spending time with fun girls (one of the perks of my job)

a morning run with dave and the kids on a perfect fall morning

stopping at the park during our run for logan to play

watching "the big bang theory" with dave (hilarious show)

mac 'n cheese from noodles and company

playdates. not only are they good for logan but they are so good for me. i love chatting with other moms, learning from them, watching how they parent and just building friendships.

the power of prayer

the way emma looks at me with her big blue eyes

the way logan plays pretend

that i get to be a mom to the 2 cuties above

cuddling with dave

laughing with dave

good health

having such a wonderful partner in this parenting adventure

yummy grilled cheese sandwiches

personal scripture study where i feel like the lord is tutoring me through the spirit

family dance parties. the number one song choice that gets the kids smiling and dancing (and that logan asks for by name):
"baby" by justin bieber (the wesslers have a little bieber fever. dave will try to deny it, but it's true)

emma: 7 months

2011-11-14T15:35:00.001-07:00

i know i just posted emma's 6 month update, but i decided to actually try and post closer to her actual month mark (imagine that!). this little beauty turned 7 months on friday (11.11.11). she had a diaper blowout earlier today and since i was already stripping her down, it seemed like the perfect time to take a few pictures.

this girl loves to eat (just like her mom and dad)! whenever we feed her solids she acts like she can't get enough (and grunts if we take too long in between bites to remind us to hurry up). she still watches closely as the rest of us eat. i think she is anxious for some table food.
she was soo close to rolling today (after i was done taking pictures), but still not ready i guess.
she will turn around and look up at us when we're holding her. it's so cute!
when i am holding her, she has to know where dave is (if he's in the room). she will squirm and twist around until she finds him and then will just stop and stare at him. and vice versa, when he's holding her she always has to know where i am.
she gets easily distracted while nursing.
is a mama's girl (although she is still crazy about her dad).
is really good at leaning over (folding herself in half) to grab toy while she is sitting and then getting herself back up with the toy.
is content to sit on the floor and play with toys. i love it! logan will often come and sit down next to her and play. although lately the contentment ends when logan pushes her over.
is having a rough couple of weeks with sleeping. she has been waking up almost every night at least one time. dave and i are completely baffled and don't know what to do. we're pretty anxious for her to return to sleeping through the night.
she loves to suck on our hoodie zippers
her hair is getting thicker and darker
she enjoys sucking on logan's cars and trains and he is usually good to share with her (although whatever she is playing with suddenly becomes a lot more interesting to him when she's got it)
she likes to bite fingers
she loves to dance with us to music
she loves to chew on her socks
she doesn't love to get her diaper changed, although dave seems to be able to calm her down when he does it (too bad he's not around in the day to change more ;)

showering baby boy bremner

2011-11-11T14:53:00.001-07:00

last month kathy and erin threw the cutest shower for kari. kathy is the queen of details and made everything look darling. and of course there was tons of delicious food. i'm drooling thinking of all of the yummy-ness!

one of my contributions (actually it was a team effort, i traced the template and dave cut and assembled them). here's the template for the cones. easy and super cute!

kari wanted hot chocolate, so i made marshmallow sticks to stir the hot chocolate.

is this not the cutest diaper cake ever?! like i said before, kathy is amazing!

kari is loved by many and it was clear by all the friends who came to celebrate baby collin. check out all that loot! she was seriously showered with gifts!

dave's cousin meagan took good care of emma. she even got her to fall asleep on her (the proof is below) which never happens. i was a little jealous!

grandma gg, meagan and emma

a little help from cute kingsley (who is exactly one week younger than logan)

i made baby collin some shoes and a tie onesie. i could not have done the shoes without my friend jessica's help. she is amazing (and very patient)! i must say, i am quite proud of myself.

if the type of aunt kari is is any indication of the type of mother she will be, she is going to be incredible! we can't wait to meet baby collin!

thoughts on life

2011-11-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago dave and i went on date. i had found a fun list of questions to talk about over dinner (to spice up our conversation) and one of the questions was, "how would you like people to describe you at your funeral?" it really made me stop and think, because in my opinion the heart of that question is "what/who do you want to have become by the end of your life?"

fast forward to last friday. i attended the funeral of an amazing woman from the ward i grew up in (and still lovingly refer to as my "home ward." it still feels like home there). despite the sadness of the occasion, her funeral was an inspiring event. i don't think a single person left it without wanting to be better. as i listened to how her family and friends described her, it was clear the kind of person she had become and what was important to her, her family and the gospel of jesus christ. she had spent her life loving and serving those around her. one of her daughters described her as a "people builder" and i thought that was a beautiful tribute. i can honestly say that i never left her presence without feeling important, special and loved. it was a gift of hers to make everyone feel that way. shortly before she passed away her family was gathered around her and she asked them to be true to their covenants, because as she said, it's all we have. one of her daughters shared with me that while she and her mom were talking, her mom had told her that she while wasn't perfect, she had lived her covenants. what a wonderful thing to be able to say at the end of your life (or really any time during your life)!

and once again i thought about who and what i want to have become by the end of my life and it could be summed up in one thing: i want to be someone who has kept their covenants. because if i have been striving each day to keep my covenants, i will have become who i want to be: someone who loves the Lord and has tried to follow him and keep his commandments; someone who loves her family and has lived so it can be eternal :) ; someone who served and cared for others during good times and hard times and was "willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;" someone who stood "as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" that i was in; someone who learned to submit my will to God's, trusting he knows what is best for me; someone the Lord could use to build his kingdom and further his work; someone who had become an instrument in the Lord's hands; someone who learned to recognize and follow the voice of the spirit; someone who loved truth; someone who loved life and lived it fully and found joy and happiness (and laughed a lot); someone who was true. i have got a long way to go to become that person, but my covenants have become a little more real and hopefully will influence me a little more each day.

slice of life: our lazy weekend

2011-11-06T19:59:00.003-07:00

we had a lazy weekend and it was wonderful! lots of time just hanging out, playing, reading books, watching mormon messages, hanging out and talking in bed, and just being together. i love these kind of weekends!

no matter how many times i see this scene above, i can't get enough of it

a week worth of halloween celebrations

2011-11-04T22:19:00.001-06:00

we had such a great halloween. it really is true that kids make everything so much more fun! logan loved trick or treating and let's be honest, why wouldn't he?! free candy (after all, he is my son!)! we celebrated over the period of about a week and rather than doing multiple posts i'm just doing one long one. prepare yourself for lots of pictures of a cute fireman and darling ducky!

the week before halloween we went to the trunk or treat at my parent's ward. i always love visiting their ward, it still feels like home to me. this was logan's first experience with trick or treating. whenever he would say trick or treat he would hold up his arm (like the picture on the left). it was pouring rain so rather than going car to car, people lined the halls of the church with their candy. it got pretty packed (like claustrophobic) at times but it was worth it for candy (can you tell how much i love candy?!)!

is that not the cutest duck ever?!

thanks to kari and sterling for lending us their japanese kimonos!

logan got his face painted (obviously...not a necessary caption)

they had a harry potter room that was really cool. logan sat on a stool and was sorted into a house (yea gryffindor) and this was him getting his wand from mr. ollivander!

the saturday before halloween the weather was beautiful and i thought it would be the perfect day to visit the zoo. it wasn't until we were pulling up to the zoo and saw all the kids dressed up and nowhere to park that i remembered it was "boo at the zoo." after driving around for 15 minutes looking for parking (and getting mighty frustrated) and parking a 15 minute walk from the zoo, we finally made it. we looked like the total slacker parents because our kids weren't dressed in their costumes (i seriously think i only saw one other kid without a costume and there were a lot of kids there). luckily logan was oblivious and just thought it was fun to see the animals and more importantly, fun to get candy!

the day before halloween we went trick or treating to gammy and pappy's house. halloween is kathy's favorite holiday and she goes all out decorating and spoiling the kids. i think the picture below on the left perfectly captures her love of this holiday (and her grandkids)

finally the actual night arrived. we went trick or treating around our neighborhood with our friends the gordons and it was so fun! logan thought it was great and would push his way to the front at every house (not so great). he said "trick or treat" and "happy halloween" and we couldn't get over how cute he was. we visited one house that goes all out decorating. i'm personally not a fan of inflatable lawn decor, but this house was so festive we had to get a picture. plus they must have had between 12-15 intricately decorated jack-o-lanterns. they were incredible (and sadly by the next day all the decorations were down and the pumpkins were in their trash cans).

logan with the 2 cutest ladybugs

we came home and logan had to check out his loot. i think this picture is funny because he is lining up his candy that is the same size and shape. and dave and i had fun passing out candy to the late trick or treaters (i think it is one of dave's favorite things about halloween). it was the perfect end to a great week of celebrating. we also celebrated by attending our nephew josh's halloween birthday party but sadly didn't take any pictures :(

let's just say i have eaten more than my fair share of candy. i could relate to what one of my friends posted on facebook, that for every one piece of candy her son eats, she eats five. that sounds about right to me. one of the first things that logan asks for when he wakes up is a piece of candy and then he begs for it for the rest of the day. aahhh! it does work well for bribery though (like bribing him with candy if he would be reverent during family scripture study tonight)! happy halloween!

choose to become

2011-11-03T23:13:00.001-06:00

last month i went to "time out for women." it was a day and a night full of inspiration and the spirit. the theme was "choose to become" and i left feeling rejuvenated and more determined to become who the lord wants me to be. but as often happens, once i left that spirit filled room and stepped back into "real life" it was easy to forget what i learned, what i felt and what i had resolved to do (and of course "real life" is really where i needed to remember and apply what i had learned).

last week in particular was a hard week for me. i had a lot to do for my calling and was feeling completely overwhelmed about doing it all, not to mention the day to day stuff of life and trying to be a good mom and wife. nap time, that precious time each day where both kids are sleeping and i have a chance to do something for me (or take care of some of the business of life) was being taken up by relief society stuff and i felt like i was treading water and barely keeping my head above the surface. i had a few breakdowns. one by myself, one to my counselor and one to dave. all them included tears and me saying, "i can't do this," "what was heavenly father thinking when he called me? there must be someone better for this job,"and "there's not enough time to do everything." i know these feelings aren't unique to me, we all feel them at some point, to some degree. but i needed to be reminded that my heavenly father was aware of me and loved me. dave gave me a priesthood blessing and it was the reminder i needed that my heavenly father is there.

i've thought about the theme, "choose to become" and i am grateful it emphasizes choice. it's up to me who and what i become and even the little choice each day matter. and the process of becoming like christ isn't an easy one and it isn't a quick one. it is filled with overwhelming moments, moments of inadequacy, moments where we think we can't do it, lonely moments and hard moments. but there are also moments where the spirit whispers who you are, a son or daughter of god with incredible potential, and you feel it and believe it. and with that understanding, you can overcome and learn from all those hard moments that are inevitable parts of life. and i guess even those moments are good, because they are usually the moments when we look to god and turn things over to him. when we learn to trust and really rely on our faith, because we remember we can't do it on our own.

i want to be able to remember (and apply) some of those spiritual whisperings from time out for women. because clearly i need them in my "real life."

(mary ellen edmunds) there is an all out war for my identity. satan doesn't want me to know/remember who i am because if i do, he can't make me miserable. and nothing feels better than remembering who i am. talking to my heavenly father and reading the book of mormon protect me from identity theft.
(heidi swinton) president monson said one of the sweetest experiences in mortality is to be an answer to someone else's prayer. the spirit doesn't justify or explain to us (when prompting us), it just expects us to respond - immediately!
(hilary weeks) extraordinary moments happen in the middle of ordinary days. ask heavenly father each morning in my prayers what is the most important thing for me to do that day.
(emily watts) we learn something about ourselves when we do hard things, it is how we learn and grow. be careful about judging. we usually don't see the whole picture or know the back story. develop a thick skin because others may judge us without seeing the whole picture or knowing the back story.
(kelly ogden) we have every reason in the world to be happy. "don't be a pickle sucker" gordon b. hinckley. we can have a bad day but have a good life. the spirit of god (and things that bring the spirit of god) inspires cheerfulness and brings happiness regardless of circumstances.
(merrilee boyack) be bold and fearless. blaze my trail and pray that the lord will help me know who to serve along the way. women do incredible things!!
(emily freeman) if i want to become the lord's, it will require ALL of me. i can't hold anything back.

i already can't wait for next year.

emma: 6 months

2011-11-02T22:07:00.001-06:00

i know this sounds cliche, but i cannot believe emma is 6 months old (actually she is closer to 7 months now, but i did take the pictures right after she turned 6 months. i've just been slow to post). the time has flown by and it is hard to imagine our family without her. we're all crazy about her!

here are her stats:

14 pounds 5.5 ounces - 25th percentile

25 1/4 inches - 30th percentile

42 cm - 40th percentile

she continues to be super smiley and happy
she sits up like a pro (and has very good posture i might add). she likes to sit and play with toys.
she grabs whatever is in reach: my glass of milk (she pulled it over a few weeks ago), the cupcakes at her cousins birthday party, my hair (which is falling out like crazy), the zippers and drawstrings on hoodies
she is starting to giggle. dave is the best at getting her to laugh.
she puts everything into her mouth: paper, toys, her hands
she loves rice cereal and starts making excited noises as soon as she sees it
she loves baths and kicks around like crazy. it doesn't even seem to bother her when she gets water in her face (which is good since she takes a bath with logan and she's bound to get splashed on occasion)
she loves to touch faces and squeals when she gets your face
she's starting to get the hang of the jumper and is actually starting to bounce
she loves her brother. when he's in the room she tries to watch whatever he is doing. she's looks like she is so eager to be a part of whatever he is doing.
she gets so excited when we go to get her out of bed. she gives us a huge smile and usually a squeal. and if logan is with us she is even more excited!
she's a good sleeper except when she has had teeth coming in and then she'll usually wake up in the night and need a little love.
she loves to be held and be with people. she wants to be included with whatever is going on and doesn't like being left in a room by herself.
she is a hit in the kid's club at the gym. i wasn't anxious for emma to grow up, but i was excited for her to reach 6 months so she could go to the kid's club at the gym!
she was able to go off her reflux medicine and seems just fine! so hopefully that means she has outgrown it!
she only likes to sleep in her bed. she will rarely fall asleep in our arms or her carseat (unless we're driving somewhere) even if she is really tired.
she has stopped sucking her thumb and seems to be committed solely to the binkie.

everything eventually ends up in this girl's mouth

whenever i am taking a picture of emma logan insists on joining her.

when i look at this picture i just imagine emma saying, "hey-a" (just the way her mouth looks). i can't figure out how to type it phonetically the way i hear it in my head! oh well!

anderson farms

2011-11-02T20:38:00.000-06:00

a few weekends ago we headed north to erie, colorado to visit anderson farms. it was the perfect fall day for a visit and a bunch of other coloradans must have thought so too because we had to wait in a long line to get in. but it was worth it. there were so many fun things to do. we did the pedal karts, rode the mine cars, the barrel train, logan climbed on the tire mountain and the hay bale maze. we decided that next year we need to get there earlier because the kids started to fade before we could do everything. we assumed they would both crash on the way home but logan was hyped up on kettle corn and was acting hilarious! and he must have been entertaining emma because she didn't sleep at all.

nice face, eh?! and check out the little girl's hair in the background. awesome!

in case you've been missing these two...

2011-11-01T22:58:00.000-06:00

i am so behind on blogging (i only posted 3 times in october. what?!).

so here are a couple of pictures of the kiddos that just melt my heart to hold you over until i get my act together.

botanic gardens

2011-11-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

it is currently snowing outside, so i decided it would be nice to post these pictures from the beautiful day we spent at the botanic gardens a few weeks ago. it was free day and initially i thought it might be too chilly to go. but i decided we needed to get out of the house, so i packed blankets and coats, only to discover once we got there what a beautiful fall day it was. we spent the whole morning at the new children's garden. i didn't even know they had a children's garden and i'm grateful for the person walking in ahead of me that asked the worker about it. it was a big hit with logan!

we spent a lot of time at the little stream. of course i didn't pack a swimming suit
(remember, i packed blankets and coats instead), so we improvised and had some diaper time. this kid sure loves water!

slice of life. ordinary moments

2011-10-19T16:15:00.000-06:00

my friend anna occasionally does "slice of life" posts, pictures of the everyday. i like that idea. here is a slice of life from yesterday. i love seeing these two together!

logan really wanted emma to join him in his crib

he wanted to read her his truck book

i think she was getting too close to grabbing it, so he moved it away from her.
he's already resistant to emma touching "his toys" or "his books." watch out dude, this is only the beginning!

sometimes you just need a drink

2011-10-19T15:57:00.004-06:00

jumperoo

2011-10-19T15:55:00.001-06:00

last month we got out the jumperoo for emma. i had forgotten how completely massive it is...especially in a small space like our family room, but she seems to like it. she's figuring out how to bounce a little more each time she's in it. i can't wait until she's jumping around like crazy!

panera at the park

2011-09-30T21:18:00.000-06:00

tonight dave met us at the park after work. we had panera for dinner and then played for a little while. the weather was beautiful and we had the whole place to ourselves. logan was so happy to have his dad there with him and emma tried out the swing for the first time. i love nights like this and we have to get them in before the weather gets cold.

you know it's fall when...

2011-09-30T16:28:00.003-06:00

i dye my hair dark. so long highlights. see you in the spring.
the leaves are turning yellow and the weather is cooler. it is the perfect weather to sleep with the window open and get all cozy under the covers. it is also the perfect weather for running.
they start selling canned pumpkin. i bought 3 big cans (thank you costco) and i've already made pumpkin chocolate chip bread 3 times (just so you know, i have only kept 1 loaf for myself). check out this yummy and easy recipe. trust me, it's delicious!
i bought a pumpkin spice candle and it makes my house smell fantastic!
this weekend is general conference! it is where our prophet and apostles speak to us. you can watch it online here. it is always an amazing weekend and one i look forward to. there are quite a few things that i am hoping to receive revelation and get some direction on. i can't wait! i love these words of an apostle from last weekend's conference just for the women,

"Sisters, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time! He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name—you are the daughters of His kingdom....My dear Relief Society sisters, you are closer to heaven than you suppose. You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine." President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

rice cereal

2011-09-30T16:05:00.001-06:00

we weren't going to start emma on solid food until she was 6 months, but this girl was ready! whenever we were eating she would watch our food like a hawk and grab at our drinks. so we decided it was time for some rice cereal. and she loved it! she kept grabbing for the spoon and wanting more. i can't believe how fast she's growing (way too fast, if you were wondering).

sunday afternoon

2011-09-30T15:36:00.000-06:00

sometimes i still can't believe that they're mine. i have 2 kids! they make me so happy!

this one shows off her 2 bottom teeth!

just chillin'

2011-09-30T14:39:00.002-06:00

logan can climb up into his high chair by himself. the other day i told him to get in his high chair while i brought out his lunch. this is how i found him, legs propped up and just chillin'! he makes me laugh!

sprout

2011-09-26T16:03:00.001-06:00

dave came up with a new nickname for emma and it was inspired by this outfit (or the headband to be exact): sprout

that thumb is in her mouth more and more these days

she tipped over while i was taking pictures

i included this one because it shows the cute leggings!

thanks grandma lorrie for this darling outfit! it is my favorite one on sprout!

garden of the gods: now and then

2011-09-26T15:51:00.000-06:00

over labor day weekend we headed south with our friends the smiths to "hike" around garden of the gods. as we were driving down, dave and i realized that neither of us knew why it is called "garden of the gods" and so i decided to find out. here's the story: in 1859 when two surveyors happened upon the beautiful sandstone formations, one of them suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden" when the country grew up. the other one exclaimed, "beer garden! why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. we will call it the garden of the gods." it has been so called ever since. it is incredibly beautiful and it was the perfect day to wander around.

logan loved climbing on the rocks

seriously beautiful!

some people were even rock climbing (if you look close at this picture you'll see the climber)

hey there hot stuff!

i think this picture of the dads with their kiddos is so cute! since morgan and logan are destined for each other we always joke that pictures like this will go on their wedding video!

as we were driving, dave and i reminisced about our "non-date" to garden of the gods 5 years earlier, almost to the day (september 2, 2006/september 3, 2011). we lovingly refer to it as the "non-date" because i thought it was a date and dave thought we were just friends hanging out (in his defense i had told him at least 3 times over the period of about a year that i was only interested in being friends). the fact that it wasn't a date in his mind became very clear when we stopped to get lunch at the castle rock outlet food court on the way home. i couldn't decide between an italian and chinese place and since i was being slow and dave knew what he wanted, he got his food and said he would go get us a table. i became panicked because i didn't have my wallet with me (and obviously he wasn't planning on paying for me like i thought). i tried to act nonchalant as i asked for his keys and then ran to the car to get my wallet and ran back (the car was not parked close so this took a little time). the funny thing is, i don't think dave even wondered why i ran back to the car! it's a funny and awkward memory to look back on! it was on that drive 5 years ago that dave also introduced me to a great band, quietdrive. in memory of that day, we listened to quietdrive on our drive. we contemplated stopping at the food court for lunch but decided to pass (5 guys was much more inviting than the food court and in case you were wondering, dave paid for me ;).

september 2, 2006

while the picture on the left is an embarrassing one (although totally typical of me), i had to include it because 5 years later my little family and i had our picture taken in the exact same spot (and it wasn't planned)! the past 5 years have been good to us!

play time with tessa

2011-09-26T15:49:00.000-06:00

logan loves to play with friends. a few weeks ago we were lucky enough to have tessa come and play. these two play really well together and crack me up. they're very "busy" when they're together, running from room to room, jumping on the bed and playing in the backyard.

cheesing for the camera

blowing on his spaghetti o's to cool them down. i love this picture (and those lips. that's quite the pucker)!

tessa is beautiful! aren't her eyes amazing!

fashionable

2011-09-20T17:11:00.000-06:00

logan likes to keep up with the fashion trends. when i got him up from his nap today he was sporting the one shoulder shirt.

and according to emma, socks are not just for wearing. they can also be a tasty treat (if you can manage to get your feet up to your mouth that is).

bikes races (usa pro cycling challenge)

2011-09-20T16:07:00.000-06:00

at the end of august logan, dave and pete (dave's dad) went camping for a couple of days and saw the usa pro cycling challenge, considered the most challenging bike race held on American soil. for about a month before the trip logan would ask about camping and seeing the bike races. poor kid, he probably thought the trip was never going to come! and then for weeks after the trip everyday (often multiple times a day) he would tell me, "go camping with daddy and pappy and see the bike races!" to say the trip was a hit would be an understatement.

they spent the day in crested butte and had a lot of time to kill while waiting for the bikers (hours of waiting to see the bikers fly by in a matter of seconds). so they wandered around the town, ate pizza, watched the locals bike race and the hand cyclists. crested butte looks like a cool little town i would like to visit. i was happy to hear that logan was a champ during all of the waiting (and without a nap)!

check out that dude's arm! whoa!

hand cyclists - amazing and so inspiring. some of these bikers competed (and medaled i think) in the summer olympics in beijing.

these two are best buds

logan loved cheering, "go bikers!" and now when we are on a run and pass a cyclist on the trail wearing a jersey, logan will often say "go biker!"

each of the teams had support crews that would follow them throughout the race (it was a week long race).

along the road up to cottonwood pass

his face looks a little like he is upset, but i think it was actually excitement!

until next year (when it will hopefully be a family event and not just a boys trip)...

4 years!

2011-09-19T17:40:00.004-06:00

“Love is a fragile thing, andsome elements in life can try to break it. Much damage can be done if we arenot in tender hands, caring hands. To give ourselves totally to another person,as we do in marriage, is the most trusting step we take in any humanrelationship. It is a real act of faith—faith all of us must be willing toexercise. If we do it right, we end up sharing everything—all our hopes, allour fears, all our dreams, all our weaknesses, and all our joys— with anotherperson. No serious courtship or engagement or marriage is worth the name if wedo not fully invest all that we have in it and in so doing trust ourselvestotally to the one we love. You cannot succeed in love if you keep one foot outon the bank for safety’s sake. The very nature of the endeavor requires thatyou hold on to each other as tightly as you can and jump in the pool together.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland "How Do I Love Thee"

on august 4th dave and i celebrated our fourth anniversary. it is hard to believe that is has already been four years and at the same time that it has only been four years. i am grateful that four years ago we decided to hold onto one another tightly and "jump into the pool together." marriage is incredible, wonderful, fantastic and hard. and it's worth every bit of effort required to make it amazing!

dave had to work until 6:00 on our actual anniversary, so i just got some chinese takeout (a vietnamese noodle bowl for him). in the little blue takeout box were 4 fortune cookies. i slipped a memory from each of our 4 years of marriage into each fortune cookie (i got the idea for the cute tag from here).

then we had chocolate fondue for dessert. although to be honest i think i was more excited about it than he was. next time i'll just get ben and jerry's since it's his dessert of choice (and a lot easier)!

a few days later we went out to dinner to celebrate. we went to a restaurant that 3 people had recommended, but we were less than impressed (maybe we both ordered the wrong thing?). it's a major bummer to pay a lot of money for less than stellar food. but it was great to be together, reminisce on four years and all that is yet to come!

leaving our reception and off to start our new adventure as a family (and what a great adventure it's been)!

as i wrote this post i thought about this talk. it is one of the most beautiful, personal, heartfelt talks on marriage. i love it and want to be more like how he described his wife (it's even better if you listen to it. you can hear and feel the love he has for his wife).

emma: 4 & 5 months

2011-09-19T16:18:00.003-06:00

i am woefully behind at blogging, which is apparent since this post is capturing both months 4 and 5 of emma's life! when i was taking these pictures she was definitely not into it. she was hungry and my determination to finally take her monthly picture (which was delaying her feeding) did not make for a happy baby or good pictures. so i finally gave up and figured something was better than nothing (i did take the bottom right hand picture after i fed her and i love how she still has the red nose and cheeks, aka: nursing face).

these days emma:

is getting 2 bottom teeth (and possibly another in the back). she started getting her 1st tooth at 4 months and it has taken it's time coming in. teething doesn't make emma a happy girl, especially during the night.
is always grabbing at stuff and putting stuff in her mouth (see the 1st picture). probably a product of teething. she love to bite down on our fingers (and she's got a sharp bite) and she loves to suck on my necklaces (and pull my hair).
still gives the biggest smiles and is a content baby
is not rolling yet. she gets so close but can't seem to make it over her arm. luckily she has a great helper in logan. he is always happy to "help" her roll (and he is so proud of himself when he does).
is a squealer. she is one loud baby! she especially squeals when i am burping her between sides when i am nursing her. she squeals in protest that her meal has been interrupted.
often fights her naps. but i fight back (as in i leave her in her crib and let her cry herself to sleep).
in addition to taking a binky she is a thumb sucker! talk about a double whammy! she seems to be preferring her thumb more and more these days.
is grabbing his feet. i think it is so cute when babies find their feet.
constantly watches logan and seems to want to do what he is doing. patience baby!
like clockwork, at dinnertime emma wants to be held. if we try and put her in her bumbo or swing while we eat she wails the whole time. we finally relent and one of us holds her. she watches us intently as we eat and is always reaching for our drink. i think she might be ready to try solid food. i was planning on waiting until she was 6 months and we will see if she can hold off a little longer (i'm not anxious for the extra time it will take to feed her solids). if anything, maybe we'll get her a sippy cup right now!
wants to be where the action is. she doesn't like being left alone in a room.

for my records her

4 month stats:

12 pounds 11 oz. - 20th percentile

25 inches - 70th percentile

41.25 cm - 50th percentile

august in review

2011-09-12T22:23:00.002-06:00

some of the little things we were up to last month

logan testing out some of emma's things

playgroup at heather's new house. it was soo much fun! i love these girls!

tummy time and cookies (emma looks like she is eyeing logan's cookie. smart girl)

playing in bed. he wanted to and i was happy to oblige (while i tried to get a few things done. like washing his sheet)

playing with papa. emma hangs with papa every thursday while logan and i go to the gym (less than 1 month until emma can go to kids club ;) after the class we hang out and play for a while

just looking cute

riding in the awesome car cart at the grocery store (the tv feature makes shopping trips better for both of us). this particular day watson the gloworm came along for the ride.

morning smiles (this picture makes her head look huge. rest assured her head is in the 50th percentile)

jazz hands?!

logan and his backpack full of all his little toys. precious cargo!

one last day at the fountains before they closed for the season

just hanging out

kisses for emma (don't mind my shirt being all crazy)

sleeping baby

2011-09-12T15:55:00.001-06:00

i think sleeping babies are so sweet.

emma likes to sleep on her side.

she's been moving around in her crib and usually when we go in to get her she is sleeping perpendicular to how we put her down.

she sleeps swaddled, with her arms out.

she starts out with her binky but usually ends up sucking her thumb.

she sleeps with her lovey. she likes to have it right up next to her face (or covering her face).

the next pictures aren't sleeping pictures, but emma's in her cute jammies that one of dave's former students was sweet enough to send us. i just can't get over how darling she is!

9.10.11

2011-09-10T22:07:00.003-06:00

9.10.11 has proven to be a good day (besides just being a cool date)!

dave and i ran a 5K this morning. it was dave's first 5K (or race of any kind) and my first one in awhile (and of course logan and emma's first race too). the weather was perfect and the race had a great community feel to it (cheerleaders from a bunch of local high schools cheered us off at the starting line and a marching band even played). i pushed the kids in the stroller and i learned that it isn't easy to maneuver a stroller through a race (duh). but seriously, i got stuck behind way too many walkers for way too long. i'd like to think that is why my time wasn't as good as i wanted, but it's probably just because i'm not in my best shape. i'm soo proud of dave. he has told me more than once that he is not a runner (like every time i've begged him to run with me previously). but he finished the race way under his goal time and he even liked it ;) it was so fun! plus, the food at the end seriously rocked. not your typical race food. there were booths set up with noodles and company, morton's steakhouse, mad greens, il fornaio, pasquinis, jason's deli, yia yia's, a frozen yogurt shop. like i said, awesome! i can't wait for our next race together!

afterward i baked pumpkin chocolate chip bread which made my house smell amazing and made it feel like fall. dave finished a paper for school, finished writing his talk for church and finished preparing his lesson to teach to the young men at our church. talk about productive! we finished off the night at the annual stake fair that our church puts on. it was the perfect night filled with lots of yummy food, friends and little games. and logan got a green truck painted on his face (by one of the sweet young women i used to work with). bring on the rest of september! i think it's going to be a good month!

not just for cooking

2011-09-10T21:48:00.000-06:00

the evidence

2011-09-10T21:37:00.002-06:00

something tells me logan got a hold of our little camera

(i just discovered these when i downloaded pictures from today)

where's emma?

2011-09-09T16:47:00.000-06:00

logan was making sure emma had enough toys. i think she's set!

john williams spectacular

2011-09-09T16:22:00.001-06:00

for father's day i got dave tickets to the colorado symphony. they were doing a whole night dedicated to the music of john williams and i knew dave would love it. i was right! he was really excited and it's always a good feeling when you totally nail a gift! john williams is amazing! that guy has seriously composed music for soo many movies. the first half of the concert were scores from "superman," "jaws," "indiana jones," "schindler's list," "jurassic park," the conductor was pretty nerdy (in a good way) and shared lots of interesting facts in between the music. he was pretty entertaining, which made the concert even more enjoyable.

the second half of the concert were all scores from star wars and we about died when the conductor walked out dressed in a jedi robe (the hood was up when he walked out) and started conducting the orchestra with a pink glow-stick (his light saber)! eventually he took off the robe, but still conducted the rest of the night dressed as a jedi. it rocked! you'll have to forgive the quality of the pictures, but they were taken on my phone (we were on the front row!).

then the conductor jedi called up princess leia from the audience. we just thought she was a hardcore star wars fan there to see the concert.

but as the show went on there were other "special guests."

it was awesome! and if you know dave at all, you can imagine that he was in heaven! seriously, slam dunk gift on my part (although i didn't know anything about the special guests, it was a fantastic surprise)! my favorite part was when they played "the imperial march" and darth vadar and the imperial guards marched out on stage. you better believe that after the concert we waited in line to get our picture taken.

just like his mom

2011-09-05T22:22:00.000-06:00

logan recently had toast for breakfast. when he asked for more toast, i checked his tray and this is what i found:

he had eaten everything but the crust. just like his mom! although for the record, i will eat the side crust, just not the top crust. it's too "crusty," so i always remove it.

looks like it's caught on!

airplane park

2011-09-05T22:06:00.001-06:00

i grew up going to airplane park (technically it's belleview park, but i don't think i even knew that until a few years ago). i have memories of spending every 4th of july there at our ward breakfast; playing softball, riding the train, playing in the creek and climbing on the airplane (which sadly you can't climb on anymore. in fact, it's a different airplane). and now i am bringing my kids here. crazy! and so fun that they will be able to create memories here too! back in july while my whole family was in town we spent a day at the park. we rode the train, visited the petting zoo and played in the creek. logan loved it all (well, initially he was scared of the train but he got over it)!

after the park we spent the evening hanging out at my parent's house. i love all the little kids eating at their little picnic table. the bigger kids love to eat on the hill.

logan loves basketball and is always asking to play. mark hooked him up this night! the best part was after he dunked it, he got down and ran over to dave and said, "daddy, i swam dunk it!" he was so proud!

ava and brandon brought their scooters from nyc. they are scooter pros! logan desperately wanted to ride the scooter and ava was nice enough to share her pretty pink one...and her pink hello kitty helmet. i think he looks so cute! both brandon and ava tried to show him how to ride it, but he did not want to be told what to do (like how he should put one foot on the scooter)! in fact, he preferred just to push the scooter around rather than riding it.

and of course there was a lot of wrestling to wrap up the night.

in case you were wondering

2011-08-09T22:09:00.002-06:00

right now i have a double ear infection. it hurts so bad i want to cry. now i understand why kids have such a hard time when they get an ear infection (and they can't call up the doctor and make an appointment like i did. all they can do is cry and hope we catch on). my antibiotics aren't kicking in fast enough.

last month for about 10 days straight we had HUGE thunderstorms. they were the kind that shook our house and lit up the sky with amazing lightning shows. i looked forward to them every day. i have always loved thunder and lightning storms. when i was in high school i would pop out the screen of my bedroom window and sit on the roof in the rain and watch the lightning (don't judge my obvious stupidity). for my 16th birthday i got a thunderstorm cd from my hometeacher because he knew how much i loved them. some nights i would turn on my thunderstorm cd, light a rain scented candle and lay on my bed in the dark. it almost felt real. maybe a little silly, although it sounds really nice now. so if these storms don't come back (like i keep hoping they will), maybe i'll find that cd and relive my memory from high school!

i think 3 simple things instantly make a house look cleaner (without even picking anything up): making the bed, closing closet doors and shutting drawers.

i used to think making chocolate chip cookies from scratch took a long time. in fact, it's super quick. it probably wasn't the best realization for me to make because now i make them a lot more. as a side note, i always use milk chocolate chips when i bake. i'm not a fan of semi sweet chocolate chips. with that said, i won't turn down cookies made with semi sweet (i will just never make them myself).

i hate how cluttered my kitchen table gets. it seems to be the dumping ground for everything and it drives me crazy, but i can't seem to keep it clean.

i hate deciding what to make for dinner and don't particularly like looking for new recipes. but i like to try new things and prefer for someone to just send me a recipe they know is good. luckily my friend megan loves to find new recipes (she has some crazy number of recipe blogs on her reader) and she sends her yummy finds on to me. i feel like it is a win win!

the closet door in my bedroom has to be closed before i can go to bed (and it's been that way for as long as i can remember). dave has gotten used to it and will often close it as we're getting ready for bed. and now it has expanded to include my kids' rooms. as we put logan and emma down i make sure their closet doors are closed too!

confession. sometimes i want to make my blog private just so i can get more comments (since you actually have to go to the blog rather than read it on reader). sad but true. but i won't actually do it because i'm personally not a fan of private blogs (but i love a lot of people that have private blogs so i still read them). plus that's a lame reason to go private!

it always seems to be 11:00 pm. i swear one moment i look at the clock and it is 9:30 pm and then suddenly it's 11:00 pm. similarly, when i play super mario brothers i always seem to have only one life left. one moment i have five and in an instant i'm down to one. always just one.

my hot, hot house makes me question if i really like summer. i do, but i am definitely ready for it to cool down. i'm so ready for fall (this is why i have to live in a place with seasons. eventually i'm always ready for the next one).

i am in desperate need of a vacation. it has been far too long and i am far too antsy for a getaway. wanderlust is in full force.

i have recommitted to flossing my teeth everyday. it could have something to do with the dentist appointment that i have coming up. they actually just moved it up a month, which means i am "cramming" for my dentist appointment like a slacker student does for finals.

i love the power of music. i love how it speaks to my soul and can take me back to a moment in time and i almost feel like i'm there again.

i've been having a problem with blogger and i really wish i could talk to someone. i don't want to email, i just want to speak with someone and tell them my problem!

i love finding new blogs that inspire me. a couple of months ago i found enjoying the small things and it is my favorite. it is the one that i save to read last because i want to savor it and i don't want it to be "done" for the day. i'm so inspired every time i read it to be better, to enjoy the small things a little more, to live life more fully, to live in the moment more and soak up every second with my family. i'm so inspired by kelle. i love the insights she has about everyday occurrences. plus she posts the most beautiful pictures of her kids. what blogs inspire you? i want to know about them.

that was probably a lot more than you were wondering! ;)

memories

2011-08-08T15:45:00.003-06:00

a couple of weeks ago i was able to get together with some of my oldest friends for breakfast (brunch?! that sounds fancier although we're not really fancy people). ashley was in town from milwaukee and while the rest of us live here, it was just the push we needed to actually get together (the desire to get together is always there but making it happen as often as we'd like seems a little more complicated). no matter how long its been since we've seen each other last (or talked) there's no awkwardness and we pick right back up as if no time has passed. aren't those kind of friendships the best?! we talked for hours (much to the chagrin of our waitress i think) about anything and everything. we talked about the good things in our lives, the hard things, memories, family, motherhood, money, real estate, church and the gospel of jesus christ. i love these girls!

maegan and ashley. we were lucky enough to be together on maegan's birthday...the big 30!

too bad i didn't take this picture a few minutes later when ashley was nursing too!

our babies, ranging in age from 3-9 months (jack and emma were born just 4 days apart). we caused quite a stir in the restaurant.
people couldn't get enough of all these babies. we laughed because 5 of our kids were missing (maegan's other 2 were there, just not pictured).

after i left i was thinking about all the memories i've had with these girls. we literally grew up together. i think i "met" megan and ashley when i was just 2 years old and we moved to colorado (that's logan's age which boggles my mind). we became friends with maegan when she moved into our ward in 2nd grade. earlier this year ashley's husband made a book of notes and photos for her 30th birthday. i went to my parent's house and dug through boxes looking for photos of us through the years to include in the book. get ready to be wow'd! i'm embarrassed by a lot of these pictures of me (awkward). i think we've all improved with age ;)

lewis ames elementary field day, 1992

girl's camp, 1995

i think this was at a bridal shower for ashley or maegan, 2001

rexburg idaho, 2000

my birthday, 1995

the pioneer trek, 1997 (why we took a picture in front of the bathrooms i'm not sure. maybe we were just happy to have bathrooms!)

i am a child of god

2011-08-07T23:01:00.000-06:00

tonight we watched the video below at least 10 times and that is no exaggeration. every time it ended logan wanted to watch it again. and so we watched it. over and over again. i sat with emma on my lap and logan snuggled in next to me (for only one of the ten times. he's too busy to sit still too long) and i cried as the sweet message of the song seeped into my heart. it's true! and i thought about my children and what i hope for them and all i need to teach them. and the spirit whispered to me that of all the things i need to teach my kids, one of the most important (if not the most important) is that they are children of god. that he knows them, loves them and is their heavenly father and that they can turn to him for help and guidance. knowing that, and not only knowing but believing that, makes all the difference in the world. it changes the way we see and treat ourselves, the way we see and treat others, our confidence, the peace we feel, how we face challenges and it affects the choices we make each day. i hope i can teach my kids to seek their heavenly father and their savior and that they can build their own relationship with them. and that as they grow older they will not only know the words to the song (i love how logan sings along), but that the words will become real and will be written in their hearts and they will know, believe and feel that they are children of god.

yo ho ho ya landlubbers!

2011-08-06T16:34:00.000-06:00

to celebrate logan's birthday we had a family party. all of my siblings and their families were in town which dramatically increased our numbers, chaos and fun (we've actually been lucky enough to have them here for logan's birth, first and second birthdays)! a couple of months ago we checked out "here come the pirates" from the library (we've actually checked it out twice) and logan fell in love with it. we read it a lot. because of his new found love of pirates i decided to go with a pirate theme for his party.

this invite was made by my friend mindy. isn't it so cute?! she also made the invite for his first birthday party. i think she may have a job for years to come!

i tried to keep things pretty simple. we just had cupcakes, ice cream and a few other "pirate" treats.

i decided to make a cupcake stand that i saw on this blog. the ribbon i bought was too wide, so thanks to the creativity of my sister in law, lynda (who should be a party stylist by the way) we made a few changes and it turned out really cute (she also ended up doing most of the work)! although if you do make one, i recommend using mini cupcakes like the original person did.

our pirate birthday boy! isn't he soo cute?!

unlike his first birthday, he loved having happy birthday sung to him. at his request we sang it a second time (and he actually requested for us to sing it a third time)!
he sat there and grinned and even sang along. doesn't he look so cute in his pirate get up?!

playing with a few of his new toys (he's very into "cars")

backyard fun

2011-08-05T22:35:00.001-06:00

my parents have a fun inflatable water slide that is a hit with the grandkids. logan tried it out this summer and couldn't decide if he liked it or not. he cried to go on it and then cried when i put him on it. maybe next year...

i can't remember if the picture below is of cade or carter, but he was cracking me up, just laying out and chilling on his towel.

logan's a total water baby though and had so much fun running around the backyard playing in the hose with his cousins.

cousins

2011-08-05T22:06:00.002-06:00

my sister suzi had a little girl, kate, 18 days before emma was born. it was so fun to finally get the girls together. my mom bought these cute matching dresses and of course we had to take some pictures (i wish i was a better photographer because these pictures just don't capture how cute they are).

they have totally different coloring and don't look alike, but it was fun to see how their movements were the same since they are the same age.

the picture on the left shows how kate is always stretched out and emma keeps her legs tucked in when she's on the floor.

there were a few mishaps during our little shoot

sometimes they got a little too close for comfort

so we gave them some space

i can't wait to watch these girls grow up together (although we eventually need to live in the same state. hint, hint matt...in 4 years)

pirate outtakes

2011-08-05T21:52:00.001-06:00

more pirate fun to follow