Emy, Emy, Emy...

It became very clear to me today that my daughters are beginning to learn life's valuable lessons from the beloved "Brady Bunch". They are mostly intrigued with the three Brady girls- Marcia, Jan, and Cindy.

This morning Emily was brushing her hair and said to Katelyn, "If boys don't find you attractive, don't blame it on me..."

While I found this funny, I realize that I find pretty much everything Emily says funny. The girl has a way with words, and there's something about her voice that is very endearing. I can't quite put my finger on what it is. People in public smile and snicker at her when she talks. She is very good at getting out of trouble with her sweet little voice box. I could listen to her talk all day. And that is a good thing, since she gives me no choice.

Clean Much?

The other day, the clutter in the kitchen and living room was beginning to get under my skin. After devoting some time to scrubbing and vacuuming, I felt oodles better. Apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed the spiffy space. Katelyn came upstairs, took a look around, and became very excited.

"Is Grandma coming over?" she squealed.

"No," I replied.

"But it's so... clean!"

Enter Emily into the kitchen. She raced through the living room, seeming to enjoy not tripping over mounds of toys and blankets that had recently covered the floor. "Mom, who's comin over to see us?"

"Nobody," I answered. "No one is coming over."

An hour later, Eric came home from work. He took off his jacket and glanced around cautiously. "Are we having guests?" he asked. I shook my head. "Have you HAD guests?" was his next question. I assured him that there had been no company and that I was not expecting company. He continued to eye me suspiciously.

I think it would be in my family's best interests if I hired a housekeeper.

Mr. No Pants

Katelyn and Emmy love to keep their eyes open for particular sites/stores whenever we are on the go. Our outings have recently become a little more interesting, thanks to a new novelty in town...

Mr. No Pants. We first spotted him a few weeks ago while we were driving past Sugarhouse Park. A gentleman perhaps in his 60's, wearing a long jersey that extended past the length of his extremely short shorts, giving the illusion that he was jogging pantless. My eyes shifted to the rear view mirror, hoping Katelyn's eyes wouldn't catch glimpse of him. But my little radar notices everything, and sure enough, she exploded into giggles.

"Mom, that man is jogging with no pants on!" I had to burst her comical bubble by assuring her that the man was in fact wearing pants (er, bottoms of some sort). Katelyn dismissed my notion; the thoughts of a pantless jogger was much more amusing in her mind.

As luck would have it, we have been fortunate enough to come across the old jogger at least half a dozen times on sunny days the last couple of weeks- he always appears to have forgotten his trousers. The sight of him never fails to send the girls into a full blown chuckle fit, and I just can't help but snicker along with them, because I am that mature. They have affectionately named him "Mr. No Pants".

Yup, it's gonna be a great summer.

Claire At 3 Months (Well, almost 4....)

I know, I'm behind on posting. Our recent move has me behind on pretty much everything. But I at least wanted to post these pics of Claire of her at nearly 4 months old. Can you see why all I want to do is kiss her all day?

Blessed

Yesterday was Claire's blessing day. We had most of our family here for the event, minus Patrick, Amy, Justin, and baby Jonas. It was a great day and Eric gave Claire a beautiful blessing. I got pictures of Claire with almost everyone, except Eric's brother David and his sister Christina (sorry, guys!) Here's a few shots of our day:


Claire in the blessing dress I wore when I was blessed. Now worn by all 3 of my girls!


I think she's really beautiful...


Claire with my Grandma "Grams"


My brother Jake and his wife Brooke


My brother Dave and his wife, Hayley and my dad.


My mom and dad


Our attempt at a family photo- Katelyn was as cooperative as ever:)


Emily cheesing it, Claire enduring it, Katelyn being Katelyn.


Our 3 daughers. We really are lucky!


McKay and Marybeth - Eric's sister and her hubby.


The girls with Eric' dad and mom.

And that's a wrap! This little girl officially has her name!

February Recap

Usually months post-Christmas drag by, and I really expected January and February to be painfully slow this year since Claire is so young and I didn't think I'd be able to get out of the house much. However, time has been flying by and I've actually found a lot of relaxation in the 'shut in' phase. It's been pretty nice not having pressure to go anywhere. The girls have loved playing outside and we've had some decent weather for them to run around in. Katelyn and Emily have come up with some creative things to do and love spending hours at the kitchen table, doing art. I've been enjoying Claire a lot- she really is a good natured baby even though her mom all but eats her alive by kissing her cheeks all day long. I'll smooch on her as much as I can before it drives her crazy and she's old enough to tell me to stop (like Katelyn). Not much time to blog these days, but here are a few pics of the past few weeks...


At her doctor appointment, the doc said Claire doesn't look like she's missing any meals. No, sir.


Emily and Katelyn's newest obsession is Little Einsteins. Happy Valentine's Day!


Katelyn had a pizza party at preschool on Valentine's Day and valentines from her classmates. Super cute.


Eric and I took the girls bowling at Fat Cats a few weeks ago. It was hit!


So many colors to choose from... too bad the orange ball was too heavy- orange is her FAVORITE.


These ball ramps are ingenious.


Baby Claire trying out the Bumbo. Why didn't I think of this invention?

So Far...

The girls have been great with Claire. Katelyn more or less acts like she doesn't exist, but Emily wants to do nothing but love on Claire and hug and kiss her to death. She's still learning what "be gentle" means. We're having to get creative with things to do during these cold days, but we get outside quite a bit. A favorite activity is to "paint" the snow with squirt bottles full of colored water. Here's a few of our latest shots...

Introducing...

Baby Claire!

Born Sunday, December 19th at 1:58 a.m. 6 lbs 5 ounces 19 1/2 inches long




More pictures to come! She's adorable, she's happy, and she's finally here! We're in love with her!

The Baddest Mom

I have a confession. I've done some bad things today. Maybe the worst things I've ever done. And I have done some pretty bad things in my life...

Like when I was in second grade and repeatedly tried to tempt my neighbor and fellow classmate into eating holiday treats and singing holiday songs, knowing full well that she was a Jehovah's Witness and was not permitted to do such things.

And when I was ten, I was on a baby-sitting job, chowing down on my fourth popsicle when I heard the parents come in the door. Too embarrassed for them to see that I'd raided their freezer, I shoved my popsicle under the couch before they walked into the living room. (I know, I'm an idiot.) I wonder if they were able to get the unsightly purple stain out of the carpet when they moved out? I guess I'll never know...

Anyway, my actions this afternoon have been much, much worse. At this moment, both of my daughters are in their rooms wallowing in their misfortune of having me as their mother. I said no to cookies for breakfast. I vetoed Katelyn's wardrobe selection because I felt it was missing something (like... sleeves?) I refused to give Emily paper and crayons unless she asked politely, and also wouldn't allow her to wear her new church dress while scribbling with markers. Oh yeah, and I also forbid them to jump off the couches or stick their fingers in the candle that's burning on the mantle. Like I said, terrible, TERRIBLE things...

It's no wonder I was just crowned with the title as "The Baddest Mom". In the mean time, I'm making the most of the silent treatment the girls are giving me. (Is that supposed to be a punishment? Ouch.) I wonder what they'll think of me when I tell them I'm putting them to bed at 6 o'clock tonight.

Close

Lately I am really glad I had these two so close in age. They are best little buddies and they just love each other. They have their sisterly squabbles and like to push each other's buttons, but mostly they are inseparable. They have come a long way since the days when Katelyn used to suggest taking Emily to the zoo with the intent of having Emily get eaten by the bears.

File This Under "Creepy"...

Just when I thought I had everything I need for my new little bundle, in come these incredibly odd (and rather disturbing) products on the market.


Baby Bangs- Look how natural these look! I'm sure that infants without hair are very insecure. Really? I will laugh out loud at the first parent of a baby I see wearing this.


I can appreciate the concept of wanting to keep your baby close and cozy, but I'd prefer to find another way that doesn't make me look like I'm in a scene from an alien movie.


How safe does this look? This looks like some sort of torture device. This straps onto a single hook in public bathrooms to keep your arms free. Yikes. I'm thinking, RECALL. And LAW SUIT.


Could this get any creepier? Pillows designed to "resemble human hands" to keep baby secure. Whose hands and arms look like this? Hot dog fingers. This image is nothing short of haunting.

To Brighten Your Day...

Some days a girl just needs to throw all her motherly guilt out the window and laugh a little. Anne Taintor's work always does it for me. My mom and I get the biggest kick out of these. Here are a just a few.. Enjoy!