at your door

top ten of 2011

10.  a new mattress.  sleep tastes so much better now.

9.  jeffree playing ultimate on a regular basis again.

8.  piano sitting.  it's only been one day, but jeff can't get enough.  he's amazing.

7.  buying our very own home.

6.  loRi running SEVEN miles.  oh snap!

5.  moving closer to family= eating more popcorn.  yum.

4.  watching little e crawl.  so. stinkin'. cute.

3.  hearing our little e laugh.  her laughter is quite encouraging.

2.  holding hands with each other every day. we can't help it.  we're in love.

1.  welcoming little ember belle into our family.  it doesn't get much better than this.

Here's to you, 2012!  Happy new year!

Merry Christmas to all

each life that touches ours for good

Dear Grandma,

We will miss you.  Remember when we were so little and you gave us pajamas for Christmas every year?

Remember when we would visit you in Logan?  You would be sleeping on the floor in the basement with us and say, "Let's see who can fall asleep the fastest."  All of us would be really quiet.  It only took a minute or two until we heard the snores that let us know you were fast asleep.  Then we would giggle and play as late as we could.

Remember when you made chili for dinner?  We were in the middle of the meal when you realized you had lost your band aid while fixing dinner.  We thought we might be sick.

Remember how you always sent a birthday card to us each year?  I always looked forward to hearing from you.

You served a mission in New Zealand when you were older and sent us the most beautiful gifts.  Whenever you traveled, you always thought of us and brought us something special.

Eight years ago, you suffered a massive stroke.  It took some of you with it, but you have always been a tough woman, so it didn't take you away completely.

Just a few months ago, you came to live with my parents.  I thought what a burden it would be on the entire family.  But now, I can see that it was a blessing.  We got to share in your last few months of life.  Ember got to see you almost every day.  She loved your voice and your attention.  We all did.

We will miss you very much.  We know you are in a beautiful place with your parents, your twin brother, and your friends.  We know we'll get to see you again and we look forward to that beautiful reunion.

With love, your family

a sleigh ride together

Over at My Sister's Suitcase they are having a linky party and since I have a pretty good chance of winning, I am blogging about my favorite Christmas tradition.

Every year, on Christmas Eve, we get new pajamas.  This was always my favorite Christmas tradition.  We had to take a bath, then we'd open them after we got out.  I love the way new pajamas feel.  I always looked forward to our pajamas.

I remember the very first year of this family tradition.  My pajamas were pink with a little sheep on the sweater.  I hung on to them for years, even when I had long grown out of them.

Even now I am exciting to think about opening new pajamas, drinking hot cocoa, and singing Christmas songs with my family.

And just imagine Ember snuggled up in some adorable holiday getup.

 

So sweet, no?

big ol' kisses that go on and on and never end

Big news.  Well, not the biggest, but news nonetheless.  

What do you think?

i will redeem myself

So far this week has been pretty intense.

One date night.  Two days of snow.  Three days of running.  Four sleepless nights. Five calling birds. Six hours till Friday. Seven minutes of peace. Eight miles run.  9 times listening to Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe."  Ten...

Here's to the rest of the week.

trying to find a pretty girl that these shoes go nice with

I believe that little e's hair deserves a post of its own.  I mean, really.  How many younglings have such an impressive mullet?  Move aside Robby Ray.   

I know her face is adorable and her eyes are gorgeous, but try to focus on her hair.

I'm pretty sure she could beat David Bowie in a David Bowie hair contest. 

The wave look.

The balding-old-man-who-can't-afford-a-trim look.

The rhino look.

My personal favorite.

Little e's first pigtails.  Oh, so cute!

Her wild side.

Call it a mullet or just "nature's bangs" this little girl rocks it.  She can make anything look good.

Happy time change.  Hearts.

all i ever think about is you

little e is usually quite supportive.  when i go running, she gives me encouraging smiles when we come to a particularly difficult hill.  or perhaps she is just laughing at her mother as she trudges along.

lately she's taken up stretching.  here is our little e stretching with her mommy.

i love my baby girl.

we are working on something big.  i don't dare really say, since it might jinx it.  let's just say it will involve much more of this.

a finer night you know you'll never see

My only regret about going to BYU-Idaho is that I didn't get to be around for my sisters' high school dances.  It just seems like something big sisters should be involved in.

So it was a delight when Kristan asked me to help her get ready for her Homecoming dance.  It was a bit stressful for her since she got back from state tennis 5 minutes before I showed up and we didn't have much time.  But I loved every minute of it.  She looked beautiful.

I have never seen someone so nervous to pick up his/her date as this young man was.  Kristan was so excited that someone so cool had noticed her and asked her to the dance.  A special shout out to Amanda who helped us make Kristan's hair piece while I did her hair.  Another shout out to Kristan's amazing tan line.  It just doesn't get better than this.

Jeffree and I took up a new career as robbers.  Have you ever seen such precious loot?

Happy Halloween!

for you

to our dearest, most precious girl,

you are six months old!  we love you more now than ever before.  you have us constantly laughing and most of our conversation is centered on how cute you are.

you've grown so much and learned so many things.  you are tough and persistent and you're constantly trying something new.  you squiggle and wiggle and you're always on the go.  you are full of smiles and you chatter all day.  you're favorite thing to do is laugh.  you'll laugh for hours if we keep doing the silly things you love so much.

you are such a treasure in our lives.  we are so grateful to have you in our family.

we love you, little e.

love,

mom and dad

*all accessories were homemade by myself.  all photos are straight out of the camera.  our little girl is just that cute.
*the idea for the pumpkin pictures came from my sister's suitcase

splish splash

Little e loves her bath time.  She loves hanging out with dad while she has his complete attention.  Though she won't splash in the water.  Even in the bath she keeps her hands near her head.  But she's so snuggly when all is said and done.

here's a little e love

if the shoe fits

Little e loves hanging out with her aunts and uncles.  And apparently she loves shoes.

i'm not gonna break

Why is starting over so difficult?  

A wiser man than me taught, "All growth takes place outside of our comfort zone."  And I am certainly well outside my comfort zone.  But I don't know how much I'm really growing.

Perhaps I need to be patient with myself.  After all, these things take time.  I just feel like I'm starting over in every aspect of my life.  A new town.  A new ward.  A new house.  A new (old) body.  A new attempt at exercise.  A new little baby.  A new budget.  A new job.  Trying to make new friends.  And I'm not feeling as successful as I hoped I'd be.

I'm not trying to complain.  Most of the changes are for the best.  But it doesn't make them easier.

Here's to doing better than I have been, as I strive to find balance in my new life.  Here's to learning things all over again as our lives change.  And here's to growing amidst it all.

forget me not

I loved General Conference, but was most deeply touched by President Uchtdorf's message to the Relief Society.  He spoke beautifully of the forget-me-not flower and reminded us of the important truths we must never forget.


"If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences."

"Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life."

there's sunshine beyond that rain

Our little "e train" gets cuter and cuter all of the time.  I just couldn't resist another picture of little e hanging with her mom.

Cheers!

if all the rain drops were lemon drops

Greetings on a beautiful, rainy day.  I love the rain.  Though it would be more enjoyable if I was snuggled in bed with Jeffree and some hot cocoa.

I wish I had thought of this quote at 3 in the morning when my sweet little e decided it was time for a snack.  I love the beautiful picture these words paint of motherhood.

Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother's image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security, her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world.  -President David O. McKay


I think sometimes we women forget the positive influence we can have in this world.  There is no greater joy!