Mmmm...ranch...

Isn't it amazing to watch your child discover ranch dressing? What did parents do before ranch dressing was invented? It's the ultimate bribe to get your child to eat anything! You won't eat your broccoli? Here's some ranch! You won't eat your apples? Here's some ranch! You won't eat your PB&J? Here's some ranch! Kids will eat ANYTHING as long as there's some ranch on it. Because Bree didn't have teeth for so long, I haven't quite gotten used to her being able to eat newer foods, and she hasn't really liked being introduced to new food. So, out came the ranch! Surprisingly, Emma prefers ketchup (the OTHER bribe...she dipped her apples in it today...gross). But Bree LOVED the ranch. It's not ranch with the nuggets, it's nuggets with your ranch. I loved watching her try to pick it up with her fingers, then seeing her realize she could get more in her mouth if she scooped it with a nugget. She's so funny.




We can't leave the door to the bathroom open. A few months ago it was because she would play in the toilets. Funny...until she found a toilet full of poo that Emma didn't flush. Now it's because this is what happens...




And have we mentioned before that she LOVES LOVES LOVES to sniff her blankies? Well, Dave went to check on her during a nap and found this...




Ya, I was a LITTLE freaked out when we started unwrapping and realized it was SNUG around her face. Thankfully, she was breathing fine, so we were able to laugh about it.

So, in other news, we've had a really busy few weeks. My brother Von moved here for the summer to sell security systems (and let me tell you, he's ROCKIN'), and his fiance Lindsey joined him a week later. So we get to have family here for the whole summer-YIPPEE!! We've been doing a lot with them...I'm not so sure Lindsey and I are good for each other. She's discovered Mitchell's ice cream around the corner from her apartment and keeps bringing me the OH SO DELICIOUS peanut butter chip on a regular basis, and I've showed her the joys of shopping for baby girls (she's due in September-YAY for another girl to join the ranks!). But we're having a blast so far! We get to do lots of baby room projects and plan wedding stuff, so I'll be in heaven :)

Dave's parents came on the 6th and stayed until the afternoon of the 10th. We were BUSY BUSY BUSY the whole time! It was awesome to see the girls with them-they love them SOOOOO much. Bree warmed right up to them and hasn't stopped jabbering since. That girl is a TALKER. They were so well-behaved for Grandma and Grandpa the whole week. We spent some time at Squire's Castle and at the church sites in Kirtland, had Emma's dance dress rehearsal out in Kirtland one night, the dance recital the next night, and Emma's 4th birthday party on Saturday morning. The best part about the week with them was just sitting in the family room and watching the girls be with them-they couldn't have been happier giggling and dancing and talking and trying to tell Grandma and Grandpa EVERYTHING (Bree in her own little language). Emma had a hard time the day after they left-she misses them so much. It's hard watching her and realizing that she actually understands now that they are far away and she doesn't get to see them very much. But we had a great vacation. Thanks for coming and for all the help with the dance recital and birthday party!! We love you and miss you!! More b-day party pics and recital pics to come-they're all on Allan's camera :) But for now, here's a little "Photomania".

Tomorrow I get to clean the house again because my mommy and daddy are coming on Sunday! We are so lucky to have family visiting...we were wondering if it was ever going to happen before we had to move, so we are so so happy. AND, while my parents are here, Dave and I are heading to North Carolina for our whitewater kayaking trip...WAHOO! So stay tuned...

What does Emma think of Dad?

Emma has at different times said to me, "Daddy, you're a:

Princess
Ballerina
Piggy
Kitty Cat
Queen
Barbie
Butterfly

and last but not least, a Fairy.

It makes me wonder if I'm not sending out enough manly vibes.

Aging Gracefully

I've now been 30 for one week and enough time has passed that I feel I can comment on that momentous occasion with some perspective. At the start I would like to say that I'm not making any of this up. I know that my posts tend to be a little dramatic at times and many people are probably wondering if I embellish, but this stuff does really happen to me.

For some reason I have the immune system of a newborn baby. It doesn't matter what weak little bug is floating around I will get it. So the weekend leading up to the big 30 I got sick with the flu. When I get sick I sometimes have an unpleasant side effect of breaking out in cold sores on my face. Usually they confine themselves to my lips but this time one of those sores thought it would be a fun joke to set up camp on my eyeball. This isn't a picture of me but you get the idea. I know, it's very sexy.



On my wondrous birthday I looked out of the window of where I was taking one of my finals (Yup, my birthday is during finals week) and saw that my bike had just been stolen. The Fuji Odessa now lies in the hands of a hardened criminal. Honestly, I wasn't even angry about it because I live in Cleveland and really what should I expect? Here's a picture of the bike lock that gave it's life in defense of the Odessa.

To make my day even more special I saw a denture patient before my test and as I walked up he looked at me and said, "Man you really look like crap today." I didn't know how to respond to that. I admit that with a flu, an oozing eyeball, and sleep deprivation, I probably did look like short of spectacular. But this guy is in his 60's, smells of marijuana, wears a loosely buttoned Hawaiian shirt, and has hair that looks like it hasn't been washed since Woodstock. For him to comment on anyone's appearance is a bit of a stretch so I admit that it caught me off guard. This isn't him but it is a VERY close resemblance.

As I walked away after having kneed him in the sensitive parts I was left to wonder if turning 30 is really as much fun as people had said it was. Was I more mature now than I was during my 20's? Was I ready to enter the prime of my life with excitement and energy? I still don't know. But taking down a 60 year old hippie sure felt good, so being 30 can't be all that bad.

Sunshine

Now that Bree has figured out that she can walk outside, that's all she wants to do. If the back door is open, she's out! She will find her shoes and bring them to us and say "bye bye". And she thinks she has to walk EVERYWHERE. So I can no longer carry her in the parking garage when we go to the gym, or from the car into the grocery store, preschool, you name it. It was maddening at first because she hated to hold my hand, but now she'll grab on to my finger and off we go!

The girls love to play in our little garden plot in the back, so we think that's a sign that we need to get or make a sandbox. We are LOVING the sunshine and breezy weather. Of course, right now it's rainy and 48 degrees with a possibility of snow overnight if the temp gets low enough, but I feel positive! We've been doing yard work and I think I actually enjoyed it this year! We planted some bushes and flowers in our front planters and planted a TREE! It's tiny, but it's got BEAUTIFUL leaves-we got a Japanese maple. And our grass is lush and green. Our front yard looks pretty good! I'll get around to taking a picture one of these days. And I started some zinnias and they've started to sprout, so we can add some bright color to our planters when it gets warmer. YIPPEE FOR COLOR!


So, anyway. Here are pics of the girls playing :)

Happy Birthday Dave!!

Yep, today's the big day...the BIG 3-0!!! And the poor guy is sicker than a dog and taking finals. But can I say how excited I am that after this week we are officially FOURTH YEARS!!!! WAHOO!!! WAY TO GO DAVE!

I know I did an "ode to Dave" a while ago, but ya'll can hear it again b/c it's his birthday and everyone should have an "ode" on their birthday.

He's the best husband and father ever. So all you guys out there can just stop trying so hard to beat him. He wins, hands down :) He is easily the favored parent at our house. Bree wanders around the house saying in a singsong voice, "Daddy...where are you?" And if she hears the back door open and shut, she runs to it saying "Daddy??" What a sad face I get when it's just me taking the trash out. And when Emma falls down and cries, she wants Dad. She's always excited to show Daddy something or tell him something. All day she's saying, "When Daddy gets home..." Emma learned about being a happy helper at church, and I have to say that Dave is definitely a happy helper (I know it sounds funny-you have my permission to tease him and call him a happy helper). I've had a lot of church meetings, baby showers, girls craft nights and whatever else lately, and he's been so great to not complain about having to stay home all the time-especially since a lot of these things have been on the weekends. He pitches in and helps in all my "make the house better" projects, even if he doesn't agree that certain things need to be done. He's always supportive of whatever "kick" I'm on-whether it be fixing the house, getting to the gym, eating healthier, etc. I can always trust him to be encouraging...and to walk down to street to Rite Aid and get a treat and eat it there so it doesn't come into the house and taunt me while I'm trying to eat healthier. :)

He's my rock. He balances me out. He calms me down when I get riled up and he helps me see the bigger picture. I think I'm sane b/c of him :) And he'll gladly agree with that. He helps me see things through others' eyes, so that I can be more understanding and tolerant. And he's the funniest guy I know! So, the night of the Priesthood session, he gets home and gets into bed (it doesn't end until 10pm here, so he doesn't get home until 10:30 or so). I ask him how it was. Fine. What did they talk about? I don't know. You don't know?? I don't really remember what they said, just feelings I had. So what were those feelings? I don't want to share that-you never share your feelings on that stuff (this is when I know he's starting to joke around). I say That's not true! Every Sunday after church I ask about your lesson and I tell you things that I felt during our lesson. Then he gets the "smirk" and says, Well, I'm usually not listening to you, so that doesn't count. We had a pillow fight after that. I lost.

He's my best friend and I LOVE him TONS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!

Sugar strike

I need some SERIOUS help. I need to stop eating sweets. Really, I eat a pretty good diet of healthy foods, but then the sugar craving hits and I'm down for the count. So this is my SOS. Anyone who is around me-I need you to tell me NO! I don't want any reasons to celebrate anything. And if we have to celebrate (yes, I am aware that there are multiple baby showers coming up, one of which I'm planning) I need everyone at the function to watch me like a hawk and not let me near any of that sugary goodness.

Okay, I'll be realistic. How about this. If any of you have great ideas that help you avoid eating sweets on a regular basis, I want to hear them. But none of the "don't buy sweets" things b/c if I don't buy them, I make them, and you'd be surprised with what you can make with a little flour, sugar, and oats. You're all going to be dealing with someone VERY resourceful when it comes to satisfying cravings. But this needs to be a group effort! Maybe I'm just the only insane one who needs help with this, but I'm willing to put myself out there and take one for the team!

Tennis, anyone?

IT'S SUNNY!!!!! Last year I wasn't quite back into shape after having Bree to be gung-ho about playing tennis, so Dave played without me. But this year, bring it on! We had an awesome time the other afternoon-70 degrees, the girls fenced in at the tennis courts, Dave home early, playground right next to us, Bree wandering around, wondering what this whole "walking outside" concept was. Ahhh...the good life. The last time I played was an attempt when I was 5 months along with Bree, and that didn't go so well. You know how when you're prego you don't have a very good sense of balance? Ya, you can probably picture what happened.

So, Dave took Emma to Target and came home with a tiny Dora racket for her and a cute pink one for me (he knows me so well!), along with some awesome, girly pink tennis balls-I think Emma picked them out. That first night, in our small family room, he tossed the balls to her from a few feet away and she would hit them. She was doing great! She's a little weak, but most kids are. I noticed that when I was teaching the kids cooking camps. They have flimsy, weak wrists that have a hard time gripping a spatula and stirring, so I should've expected that from Emma. But she was still hitting all the balls Dave tossed at her. He wasn't quite prepared for a certain hit that came his way and landed nicely in his lap while he was sitting cross-legged. I couldn't stop laughing for a while. Emma didn't understand what was so funny.

But then came something unexpected. Emma announced that tennis was tired. And she proceeded to put her racket and the canister of balls to bed. She even kissed them goodnight.

Notice the pillow in front of Dave's lap in that last picture? That was AFTER he learned his lesson :)

I'm excited for more sunny days at the tennis court!

Brother Snoop

Do you think he'll be performing in the tabernacle any time soon? Will he release a new song titled ginger ale and juice?

Spring Break!

We went to the Kalahari indoor water park this year. It was HUGE-way bigger than Great Wolf Lodge. We have discovered that while our girls love the water, they don't necessarily like it constantly splashed in their faces. Both of them loved being in the "pools" but they didn't like the kid areas b/c all of the slides were set up to have water spraying in their face wherever they were. I think this trip made up our minds to not get the summer season passes to the water park nearby. But we still had fun! We went with the Jacksons, and ended up seeing a lot of other friends in the city, all visiting various indoor water parks! Can you tell we're all eager for warm weather???

No, Paul isn't hurting Elizabeth :) Sorry Jacksons-it was either a picture of our kids looking at the camera or your kids looking at the camera, and we picked ours :) Besides, Katie was picking her nose in the other one, so we thought you wouldn't want that one up anyways!

And look who was SO TIRED on the way home- love her arms up behind her head :)

And finally, the funny part. Bree LOVED sticking her face in the water over and over again-each time her face came up out of the water it was like she had just discovered the joys of doing it for the first time. This video clip doesn't do it justice. The sound isn't working, and we weren't in the hot tub-it was funnier in the hot tub b/c there were bubbles, and they would stick to her face every time she came up. And in this clip she only did it a couple times. No kidding, she would do it over and over again-10 or more times. People would sit and laugh their heads off from across the pool.