We Made It!

That was the most frustrating trip ever! But we did make it. The storms tried to stop us but we made it, 20 hours later than we had wanted but hey we are alive! Dad and Landon ended up picking up chains in one small town but we only used them for about 20 minutes. We just kept trucking ahead, trying to stay ahead of the terrible storm coming off the West Coast. We ended up sleeping in Baker City, Oregon because both guys were exhausted and it was 8 pm. Emily was an angel. We brought all of her DVD's and were going to borrow my parents portable DVD player. Problem was that our lighter in the car has shorted out so there was no way to power the player. (My parents tried it in their car and it ends up that the player is broken as well.) So Emily got to go old school traveling. The Lord sent me an angel for a daughter. I had to crawl in the back a couple of times to play with her but other than that maybe 20 minutes of crying THE WHOLE TRIP. The first day she was in her car seat for about 6 hours (2 hours of running around on the ferries.) Second day, car seat for 12 hours with only a one hour break and the third day she was in her car seat for 8 hours with only a one hour break. For my active daughter it was a miracle. She played with her barbie and teddy bear, ate some snacks, read books and when she got a little edgy I would climb in the back and play tickle monster. She only took one nap a day which last maybe an hour and a half. This isn't saying that she didn't ask to be let out of her seat every two hours, she just didn't get mad when I said no. We are sooo glad to be here! Emily is loving her cousins. She and Cassie were running around playing like best friends within 10 minutes of us arriving. And the boys are awesome. They all rough house together and Emily is loving it. Naomi was snowed into Seattle so she won't be joining us for Christmas. No flights were available until Christmas day. So sadly we are two siblings short. We miss Naomi, Matt, Ashley, Ethan and Sariah and hope that they have a fantastic Christmas. Thank you Bonnie for being our hero and rescuing Naomi from the airport and looking after her until her flight. You are a saint!

Snow.....

You have to love when the forcast is for up to 2 cm (under 1 inch) of snow over night and you wake up to 4 inches and it is still coming down thick. We don't usually get snow like this until at least January. It sure warms up the temperature outside which is nice. Emily thinks that heaven has just arrived on Earth, excited to see all the snow and here I am sitting at work waiting to here if the district is going to call a snow day. It is our Christmas concert this afternoon and evening and half the school didn't come. I love how a little snow can shut down our little town. :)

Branch Christmas Party

Emily loved being on her own for the party. Serena Coe was fantastic about watching her and played all of Emily's silly games with her. During the cleanup afterwards, Darlene Norris took this picture of Emily. She loves to play on the trolley. I thought it made a great picture. Thanks for sending it my way, Darlene. :)

First Snow of the Year

On Saturday we got our first snow of the year. Its not a lot of snow, since you can still see the grass, but Emily was fascinated! She wanted to go out in the snow. She kept pointing to it and telling me "snow" until I stopped what I was doing and got us both bundled up to go outside. I figured I should go with the moment, the windows could wait. (I was putting up plastic over the windows so no more drafts!) Here is a couple pictures and a video. Enjoy!

Emily's first steps into the snow! She loved it!

Emily exploring our yard.



My beautiful daughter!

Emily loved "throwing" snowballs with her Dad!

Good Friends

Landon and I were able to attend Christmas Parties for our respective staffs on Friday and Saturday. It has left me feeling really blessed to be surrounded by such good friends. At my staff party we were invited to bring our kids. (The joke in the school district is if you want to get pregnant you work at James Thomson. 8 babies born in 3 years.) Emily loved it! It was so nice to be able to visit with adults, eat FANTASTIC food, and have the kids run around and play. The home we were in was beautiful. Emily played the piano with her friend Sophia (and Landon was "invited" to play with them so they made a wonderful trio.) My friend Becki is due with her first child in January and so we sat and giggled with other friends about bellies and babies. It felt like Christmas. Maybe not the Christmas you enjoy with family but the kind where you are reminded that love and acceptance is the best gift of all.

Saturday we went to our branch's "Old fashioned Christmas in Nauvoo" party for an hour before heading a few blocks away to Landon's staff party. Emily was also invited but Landon really wanted to go and be able to socialize without having to worry about her. I know ..... my husband wanted to socialize! :) My parents were kind enough to take her. He really has fantastic employers and co workers. His employers surprised us with the most fantastic Christmas gift yesterday. I don't think that there is enough ways to say Thank-you to them for the gift they have given us. And that doesn't even count the party! Scott, the man that Landon delivers appliances with, opened up his home and cooked the MOST incredible dinner ever. It rivals some of the nicest resturants I have eaten at. They had appetizers that had me loving seafood (and it wasn't even kalamari!) Then it was a grilled Ceasar salad that was the best salad I've ever had. Scott was even thoughtful about the dinner. He knew Landon can't eat shellfish so he decided to make two prime rib roasts. Landon was in heaven. I could go on forever about the food. Needless to say I stuffed myself! But that wasn't even the part of the evening that stuck with me. You see over the years, Landon has tried really hard to be an example at work about his religion. He answers questions openly and lets people know his standards. I have been very grateful for his courage, because at times it didn't seem to go over well. But as I sat in a room of people who truly liked us for us I see what he has done. He has created a network of people who love and respect him. They joke around, lovingly, with us about being Mormon. About how Chuck and Chris (his bosses) have even more kids than the "Mormons." Down to when is Landon going to get his next wife. :) But as the alcohol was distributed they quickly brought out Landon's favourite soft drink and non alcoholic drinks for me. Always checking to make sure we had enough for toasts. The room was filled with love and thoughtfulness. And as I watched Chuck and Christine's 8 month old twins sit and smile with us I knew that this was perfect night. We sat and talked with Heather and Andy who come from the British Isles. They have been in Canada for three years. Andy has been everywhere and met incredible people. But what I am most thankful for is that as he chatted with Landon he told him that he did not enter formal secondary schooling (to be a nurse) until he was forty. That he knew he was smart enough, he just didn't know what he wanted to do. And since he accomplised this he has moved his family to Canada and has become an incredible nurse here in Powell River. They are the kindest people but their Christmas gift to Landon was to let him know he isn't the only one that is going to school later in life. I can't thank them enough. The time went so quickly that before we knew it, it was almost 11pm. Feeling for my parents, we tore ourselves away and went home. (It was difficult to do since Andy was playing the guitar and singing and it was FANTASTIC. He is a great entertainer.)


I just want to thank all the great friends out there for their example and friendships. Families play a special part in each of our lives but friends are their voluntarily and I am thankful for the wonderful friends that we have!

Pictures from the Past

I am putting together a book of pictures for my Grandma Knoll for Christmas. It has been fun to look through pictures of my cousins when they were little and also their kids, etc. My mom gave me a couple of photo albums to go through as well. I found a treasure trove of pictures that are not going into the book but brought back lots of memories. Let me walk you through them. :)


My parents wedding photo. I love it! My dad had gotten his hair and beard trimmed for the occasion. I am so grateful they took a chance on each other and worked through the hard times.

My grandma and grandpa Hull. Both of my grandfather's passed away before I was four so I just love to look back and remember their faces. Both Grandma and Grandpa are gone now but they have left a legacy and lots of happy memories. What else could you ask for?

Grandma and Grandpa Knoll. I still have the chance to make memories with my Grandma Knoll and I am still reminded of Grandpa when someone walks by smoking a pipe and I smell his brand of tobacco. Funny how I can't remember much but smell brings it all back. :)

I think that today I am mostly grateful for the knowledge of eternal families. Thanks mom and dad for taking that leap of faith!

"Mommy, it's mess!"

Last night, I heard a crunching noise in the kitchen and I quietly head in that direction to investigate. To my surprise (well not complete surprise) I found Emily, surrounded by cookie crumbs, sprinkles, and some corn flakes. She had found the flakes on the table and the other two ingredients in an empty cookie container her father had left on the table. She promptly scattered them all over the floor around her. I said, "Emily, what is going on?" (Actually in a nice tone since it was pretty hilarious.) She quickly jumps up, runs a few feet, throws her hands in the air and says, "Mommy, it's mess!" (Picture a look of horror on her face.) I say, "I noticed." I call for Landon, he comes in. Emily again repeats, "Daddy, it's mess!" Landon asks, "Who made the mess Emmy?" Her reply, "No, it's mess." (Translation: Don't know, it's a mess.) So I told her she had to vacuum up the mystery mess. She was quite happy to comply. She even brought the vacuum back out after Landon put it away, plugged it in, turned it on and proceeded to vacuum the play area. (I wish that this fascination with the vacuum will last to her teens.) I tried to hide my laughter, but I will always remember her little voice saying in a surprised, horrified tone, "Mommy, it's mess!"

Robeez

Robeez is donating $5 of product to children in need for every e-card that is sent. Please go and send some Christmas cheer and also help in a great cause!

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The Singing Emily

At church today, Emily decided to showcase her vocal skills. :) During the opening hymn, "I Believe in Christ," Emily was so caught up in the music and singing that she sang as loud as she could. Meaning absolutely everyone in the room could hear her over the piano and everyone else singing. :) At first I didn't think anyone noticed, and then I noticed the grin on my mom's face. Huge grin. The second verse started and Emily got louder. I started to giggle, which got my mom giggling. Then I look up and Landon, Matt and my dad are on the stand with huge goofy grins on their faces. (By the end of the song Landon and Matt were trying to hold back the laugher.) She would hold out the last note a little longer than the rest of the congregation and then sing the next verse louder! By the end of the song I had tears in my eyes, from laughing. She was LOVING the song. It has always been one of my favourite hymns but now it will always hold a special place in my heart. After the prayer, Matt was announcing the rest of the meeting and he said that Emily was probably singing with the concorses of angels at the Saviour's birth. (Because of her enthusiastic singing.) And that she was definately a Hull. (We all sing with ferver.) Emily was oblivious to the whole thing! She was quite surprised to see me watching her and giggling. I love my daughter. This is the second week in a row that she sat reverently throughout Sacrament meeting. A new record! She wasn't able to make it through the closing prayer but hey I wasn't expecting a miracle, she is only 22 months!

Here are a couple of fun pictures from last Sunday and today. Emily has decided that Barbie and her teddies should have their picture taken. Not herself. So enjoy her entourage!

Emily was adament about which necklace to wear to church and that she wear her slippers (boots from Old Navy). It turned out rather cute. She has potential! She was also adament that Barbie be in the picture. When asked to put Barbie in the diaper bag so we could leave for church, Emily put in Barbie and two other dolls!

Emily with Barbie (big surprise), Elmo (another big surprise) and teddy bear.

I was surprised to find that she agreed to put on a dress so easily this morning. As soon as the last button was done up she ran and got her wings from Halloween. She just had to wear them. I forgot to tell Landon I take them off in the car and she forgets about them by the time we get to church so she ended up wearing them for Sacrament meeting. I took them off before nursery though. :)

Me and my beautiful daughter.

Hockey Night in Powell River

Tonight was the annual Teddy Bear Toss at the Powell River Kings Hockey Game (BCJHL). Rona sponsers the event so we go every year to help out. (For those that don't know, Rona is the store my dad is the general manager for.) For those unfamiliar with the event, when the Kings score their first goal of the night, everyone in the audience is to throw new Teddy Bears or any stuffed animal onto the ice. The staff and friends of Rona go out on the ice and collect up the bears to donate them to different organizations. (ie: Christmas Wish, Salvation Army, police and fire departments who give them to children who have witnessed or been through a tramatic event.) We took Emily last year but she and Ethan didn't fully grasp the concept because well they weren't even one yet. But this year was a whole new hockey game. :) Emily LOVED it! I left my camera in the car, unfortunately, because there would have been some funny pictures. There is a fan called Crazy Pete who bangs a drum and yells alot. At first she was scared of him but then she decided he was funny. She started to yell at the players on the ice when they were in front of her. Whenever the music came on, she would dance and laugh. She was just loving the excitement and energy. Whenever someone would check another player into the boards, she would call out, "Ohhh, owie." When the Kings scored the goal, we were all piling onto the ice, and Emily tried to go on without Landon or I. That would have spelled disaster. We quickly put her in her stroller and headed on out. I used the stroller so I wouldn't fall. :) I passed her one of the teddy's to hold while Landon and I hurridly filled three and half garbage bags, plus filled the stroller. When we handed them to my mom, to put in the back of the truck, Emily had this look on her face of why are you taking it from me. She loved being out on the ice. She kept pointing at it after the game started again, asking her dad to take her back out. We only stayed for the first period because it was her bed time but she would have stayed all night! Crazy Pete even let her beat on his drum. All I know is that the baby in my belly was dancing to the music with Emily. I was pretty sore by the time the whole thing was done. :) Next year, it might not be so easy to pry her away from the game. My daughter is a bit of a party animal! (She must be related to her Aunt Nomi) :)

Visiting Papa's Store

I just wanted to share a quick precious moment. After our doctor's visit we ran over to Rona. Matt, Ashley, Ethan and Sariah just happened to be there. Emily thought it was fantastic. Unfortunately for my mom, both Ethan and Emily wanted her to carry them. So there she was with one on each hip. Landon and I went down to talk to my dad who was at the back counter (contractor's desk). Emily spied him down the aisle and started shouting, "There's papa!" So my mom headed down towards the three of us. My dad was behind the counter, behind a computer. As my mom approached he sank down until you could only see his eyes over the monitor. My mom stopped right in front of him, and Emily started looking around. She got really concerned and kept repeating, "Where's Papa?" My mom took one step to the left and Emily peered around the computer monitor and yelled out, "Papa!" It was so cute it brought tears to my eyes. (Hey I am pregnant.) She quickly scrambled out of my mom's arms, with Ethan on her heels, to run around to the other side of the counter to throw herself into my dad's arms. It was adorable but sad to watch my dad (who has hurt his back AGAIN) lean over to pick her up. Then Andy, a guy who works at the contractors desk, handed Emily and Ethan a Makita drill (with no drill bit) to play with. Emily played with it while Ethan grabbed three screw drivers. It was hilarious. Watch out with those two around. They will be taking screws out of things in no time! :)

Doctors Visit

We went to see the doctor yesterday. I never thought I would think going to the doctors office is fun but I have changed my mind. Not only do I get to hear the baby's heartbeat but Emily is such a character. Emily figures the room is hers. While we waited in the room she sat up on the bed with me. She decided she wanted one of the disposible cups with water in it. So she turns to me and says, "Water, please." So I got her one. She takes a few sips and says, "Mommy, water." I declined so she turned to her dad, "Daddy, water." He also declined, well this was just not cool so she kept pointing at the cups and repeating, "Mommy, water." I went over and got myself a cup of water. The reason she was so adament was because she wanted to take drinks at the same time as me. It was hilarious. When the doctor came in she said Hi to him. It was cute. She then sat on her dad's lap totally captivated as he took my blood pressure (low end of normal as usual) and listened to the baby's heartbeat (average 148). The doctor joked with us that the baby had hiccups. :) As we got up to leave, Emily turned to her dad and said, "Granma, Papa." Which he told her that yes we were stopping by Papa's store to pick up Papa's truck. She got excited and started to jump up and down and say, "yes, yes." The doctor was laughing and said, "Goodbye Emily." She turned to him, still jumping, and said, "Thank much, thank much." (Translation: Thanks so much) and turned and opened the door. The doctor said it made his day. And Emily turned around every few steps down the hallway to say, "Thank much." She is hilarious. As soon as we got outside she turned to us and said, "Ewww cold." And proceeded to pretend her teeth were chattering. It wasn't that cold but it made me laugh. She is very funny. Her favourite game with her dad is to wipe the top or side of the car with her hand, as we are putting her into the car, turn to Landon, wipe his face with her hand and say, "Its wet!" And then giggle. Landon then does it back. She does it to me sometimes but mostly its a daddy/daughter thing. I love it.

But basically, the baby is fantastic, I'm doing fantastic, totally a boring normal pregnancy. I LOVE IT! And no the ultrasound report did not tell our doctor the sex of the baby. We asked. So please vote. Landon is more convinced everyday that it is a boy. When we get the ultrasound picture back you can look and decide for yourselves. :)

The Randomness of Emily

Here are some randon pictures of Emily:

She is "packing" her purse to go to see my grandmother to be babysat. She packed in two different babies (after putting their coats on them) and her barbie which is wearing one of her teddy bears shirts because it didn't have a coat.

Emily kept insisting that she wear my headband last Sunday. Its flexible and she loved taking it on and off and telling me that "Emmy's cute."

Family Photos

I know that you have all been dying to see what our adorable family looks like. Today my mom came over and cut my hair. I looked out the window, realized it was a beautiful day and decided that it was time for new family photos. We invited Matt and Ashley over and took turns taking each other's family photos on a bench right next to our house. Afterwards, Emily and Ethan had fun throwing rocks into a mud puddle. Unfortunately, I turned the camera off before Ethan fell into the puddle. It would have been a great photo. :) Enjoy!

Ultrasound News!

We went in for the ultrasound on Tuesday. Emily came with us which made it a unique experience. I remember her ultrasound and it was neat to have her there to hear the heartbeat and see pictures. She was more concerned for me and had to hold my hand to make sure I was okay. I have to say I think that we have the greatest ultrasound technician in the world. Others think he's too formal but I think he is hilarious. He always tells me the funniest stories and gives lots of details about what I am seeing. He and Landon will sit and talk about the different bones, etc. At the beginning of the ultrasound he looked a little perplexed and announced he would be redoing the measurements. I asked why and he said that it wasn't all adding up. That made me a little worried and so I looked up on monitor and noticed it said I was only 21 weeks 4 days. That was not cool because I was sure I was 24 weeks and 3 days. So I calmly asked what wasn't measuring up. He said that my previous ultrasound would have put me at 21 weeks and 4 days but the baby's measurements said that it was wrong. He asked what the doctor thought my due date was. I said Dr. Human thought I was 23 weeks and the due date was March 15th; but that I thought I was 24 weeks and 3 days; and the due date was March 8th. He laughed as he inputed March 8th as the due date. My date was dead on for the baby's measurements. (FYI the head is measuring smaller than the rest which means it looks like I have another child who loves me. Emily was the same way!) So I was right! I beat out two professionals. I love being the mom! The baby is healthy and everything is well into the "what we want to see" range. This baby is definately not as active as Emily but the technician told me that he would place my baby as being in the "very active" category. I guess that would have put Emily in the "extremely active" category. :) Lucky me!

For Landon's sake I went to the technician and asked if he knew the sex of the baby. I told him, "My husband, for some reason, is more worried about finding out the sex of the baby this time. He wants to know if you know...." The technician laughed and asked, "Are you asking me if I know or if I will tell you?" He continued (with a chuckle), "I am in possession of such knowledge and (pause) I am not allowed to share that information with you. You can tell your husband, though, that he shouldn't be so worried this time." Poor Landon. I told him that he could take that two ways, either he won't have to worry about spending more money on clothes, its another girl OR that the technician thinks that he is one of those guys that really wants to have a son. Landon figures we are back at square one. The answer was too cryptic. Feel free to cast your vote on our poll (on the blog) on what you feel the sex of the baby will be. :) Landon still thinks its a boy and I think its a girl. :) One of us will be wrong because for sure there is only one baby!

The ultrasound picture will be ready for us to pick up early next week and then I will get it posted.

Welcome Sariah Elizabeth Anne Hull!

Ethan is now a big brother!

Sariah Elizabeth Anne Hull

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

7 lbs 12 oz

21 inches long

Mom and Sariah are doing well. Ashley looked fantastic when I took Ethan in (only 2 hours after delivery.) Ethan was so excited about his sister and grinned the whole time. Labour was much quicker this time around which made Ashley quite happy! :) Enjoy the pictures!

Ethan seeing Sariah for the first time.

Look at all that dark hair!

Ethan and Sariah

Ethan just couldn't get enough of her!

The proud great grandma (My mom's mother Marion Knoll)

No pictures of me or Matt because we were snapping so many cute pictures!

Emily's New Desk

My friend April gave Emily this Winnie the Pooh desk at Emily's baby shower. I pulled it out of storage today and put it together for her. I am hoping that she will want to only "coyour" while sitting at it. We shall see! :) So far she loves it though! We even went out and got her washable markers and a colouring book to celebrate. She has been sitting at the desk for 10 minutes colouring.

Emily, Ethan and the Politics of Chair Sharing

Matt, Ashley and Ethan came to visit us last night. Ashley wanted to see the new house. She hasn't been feeling well (the baby was due last Friday) and so it was so nice of her to come and visit us. Emily and Ethan had a blast running around the house and using Emily's microphone and maraca to sing duets. I wish I had gotten it on video. They are a couple of crazy kids. These are some photos I got when Emily decided that Ethan should "share" her Dora chair while they watched Landon play Guitar Hero. Emily thought it was a great game and luckily so did Ethan. The best part was when Ethan realized you could make the chair "recline" but one time Matt didn't stop it with his foot and it went over. Ethan had this look on his face that was priceless. He is such a great kid!

New House

Here are a few pictures of the new house. My kitchen still doesn't have doors on the cupboards. And I was making dinner, so please excuse the mess. :) Enjoy!

The Kitchen

The Bathroom

Emily's Room

(And the new baby will go in here as well. This is only half the room but we have boxes on that side right now.)

Our Bedroom

(The wall at the foot of the bed has our dresser and a small closet. Smallest room in the house but it works for us. Easier to keep clean! Plus no doors on any rooms so you can see from the living room right into ours. Great incentive to make sure the floor is clean and the bed made!)

My new collage on the wall in the living room. Not finished yet but I love it. I'm still missing a few photos.

I just put this shelf up and the board I made. I obviously need to add a support to the shelf but that will happen tomorrow! :)

The wonderful lamp that Landon bought for me. He has great taste!

The Living Room

(You can see our new storage ottoman. Emily loves it. She lifts the lid and sits in it with all the blankets that are stored in it. Its cute. She puts her dolls down for naps in it!)

The Playroom

(Its between Emily's room and the t.v. room. You can sort of see the two doors on the left side. Emily runs a circut through the two doors between the kitchen and the playroom. It is hilarious and it keeps her occupied for 15-20 minutes at a time! She is my little cross country runner. You can see the pellet stove which is the way we heat the house. It is awesome! I can't belive how much heat is produced from very few pellets. )

Help

If anyone knows anyone who is looking to buy an adorable, affordable, 3 bedroom home in Pocatello, ID please have them contact my sister. :) I have alternative motives for wanting her house to sell but I also want them to get their beautiful new house! They deserve it!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween! Emily went trick or treating in the afternoon with her cousin Ethan and her friend Rachel at the local mall. They just go store to store. At first she acted shy until she realized they were giving out candy! Then she would walk in the store (actually run) and say, "Treat, please." By the end she was saying, "Trick Treat." She would say "Bye" over her shoulder as she left. It was pretty funny. Emily made a beautiful Tinkerbell. I picked up the costume in the Philippines and she loved it. Especially the wings I bought her. She will wear the wings and say, "Cute". I think that 2 year olds are smaller in the Philippines because the costume barely fit her. By the end of the day it was stretched out at the seams. But she loved being a fairy. Landon got her already and brought her to school to see me. She helped pick out which shoes to wear. I love my daughter. At school, all the teachers picked a different decade to dress as. I really wish that I had gotten some pictures. It was fantastic. (Especially our principal who was dressed like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. With platform, cuban heeled boots.) I was a Leave it to Beaver mom. :) I borrowed Naomi's dress which needless to say barely fit. Since she is already at least 2 dresses sizes smaller than me and I'm pregnant, I am very grateful for elastic waists and elastic belts. I had a great time. We didn't go out that night, we had a family night in. It was fantastic. Enjoy the pictures!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80649&l=70bbf&id=546590128

Thoughts and Prayers

I just wanted to ask if you would all keep my friends, Keith and Jamie Richards and their family, in your prayers. Jamie gave birth to their third child, a boy named Trig, on October 22. He was diagnosed with a heart condition and flown to Salt Lake City for surgery. Trig successfully had the surgery yesterday but is still at risk for infection, clotting, and a stroke. They have moved their family to Salt Lake for the next month or two to be with Trig. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks!

Wooden Toys

A few friends at work have been asking for my Uncle Mel's website so I thought I would post it on my blog for everyone. He makes the most beautiful wooden toys. They are all handmade with natural materials. The perfect toy if you are worried about the chemicals which may have been used to make your child's toy. They are very well priced as well! (Especially for you Americans with our dollar falling again.) :)

Enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5766781

21 Weeks

Everywhere I go people have decided that I finally look pregnant. So here is a picture! :) I took this late at night because that is mostly when my belly shows. :)

I am feeling fantastic. I don't pull muscles as easily and my energy has definately come back! I am remembering why I enjoy to be pregnant!

Landon's Daughter

Here are a few clues that Emily is her father's daughter.

(And yes, that is a Nintendo DS she thinks she is playing. She likes Lego Batman and Mario. Mostly she dies but she loves the noises.)

My new projects

Just over a month ago, my husband let me know that I seemed to be unhappy and stressed all the time. And he was right. At first I wanted to blame work, etc. But then I realized that I was spending all my spare time reading books. Those who know me well, know that when I start a book I read it cover to cover, not often putting it down. Its kind of an addiction to me. At the end of every book I would feel guilty for not spending my time doing something useful but at the same time justifying my use of time thinking it made me feel better. I decided to try an experiment. Instead of picking up a book when I had some spare time, I wrote a list of projects I would like to complete instead. The first one on the list was a new quilt for the twin bed Emily will get when we move. I had purchased the material months ago but hadn't cut it out or sewn it together. What I thought was going to be a quick project ended up lasting me a good three weeks. I had it cut, pieced and sewn together within two days. It was beautiful, but because of the animal pictures on it, I would have to hand sew the details to keep the quilt together. I was going to post a picture but I still have a couple of hours of sewing to do on it. :) But Emily loves it, I am happy to have completed something and it will look great in Emily's room. I will post a picture as soon as I am finished. Its my first quilt. I have made a couple of wall hangings but nothing ever this size. It won't win prizes but I have something to give my daughter and a memory. But the project that I really enthusiastic about it the entertainment center I built on the weekend and finished last night. I designed it in June but kept putting off building it. I built our last one but it is too big for our current tv and it will be my future bookcase/reading alcove. Everyone who looked at my design thought I was biting off more than I could chew. They just couldn't see the simplicity. My dad helped me refine the design after I found a similar one in the Sears catalogue and liked how they finished it off. So Friday night, at Rona, my dad helped me cut out all the pieces. And my angelic mother helped me put it together on Saturday. (Forsaking her garden for my sake. Thanks mom!) There are some down sides of being pregnant and not being as flexible and not carrying heavy things is are two of them. Last night my dad helped me with some mitered edges and all the small details. He then sanded it for me because he didn't want me breathing in sawdust. He did a fantastic job. I stayed up to 10pm conditioning the pine, and staining it. I couldn't belive the final product. I won't be able to put the final varnish coats on until tomorrow. Plus two small shelves have to go in with brackets but I wanted to post a couple of pictures. The glass doors won't be ready for a couple of weeks but we move this weekend so I wanted the basic part done. Enjoy!

Emily's First Haunted House

One of the local elementary schools, Henderson Elementary, hosted a haunted house (in their gym) this last Thursday and Friday. Ashley called and invited us to go with their family (Matt, Ashley and Ethan) and our friend Lisa and her daughter Rachel. Landon came saying that he couldn't believe he was going to an elementary haunted house. I figured it would be fun for Emily. She dressed up as a winter fairy, that way I just added her wings over her vest and she could stay warm. :) Rachel was a beautiful ladybug and Ethan was an adorable dinosaur. We had to stand in a line up (inside the school) for almost 45 minutes. They had music playing so the kids took turns dancing and then running through the hallways. (With four of the five adults being teachers you would think we wouldn't allow that!) As we came up to the door Emily spotted a popcorn machine and so I went over and bought a bag for the kids to share. Ethan and Emily were enthralled with watching the popcorn pop! They allowed us to all go in together. Let me tell you, it was an excellent haunted house. Thankfully, in the first room they noticed we had toddlers so they didn't jump out and yell. But just from the creepy decorations and the music, both Emily and Rachel were a little unsure of what was going on. Ethan didn't make a peep the whole time. He just stared, what a man! (Matt was holding Ethan, Landon held Emily, and Lisa held Rachel.) As we left the stage and went down the stairs, loud banging came from the other side of the wall. Emily started clinging to her dad but didn't get upset till someone grabbed my foot as I took the last step and I yelled out. (I wasn't expecting it, and let's face it I'm a wimp who doesn't like to be in the dark!) She wasn't happy but soon quieted down. The noise got louder until Ashley yelled out, "We've got babies, take it easy." (The first part is definately what she said, the second part I'm a bit hazy on....) I started to giggle, then we all started giggling. Then a deep voice called out, "Babies, we LIKE babies." Then I started to laugh! It was hilarious. As we turned the corner I couldn't belive the decorations! It was awesome. Matt and Landon were being cynics until they realized it wasn't a hanging branch that was touching their hair and cheeks. One of the parents was laying across some boards above us and was touching them. They both thought that was cool. The rest of the walk through was uneventful thanks to Ashley reminding them every so often that small children were with us. By the end, Rachel was asking to go to "mommy's house" and Emily was saying "home" and "out" while pointing to the door. But no tears. Some older children (grades3-5) left crying so I'm glad they were good to us. Emily loved being with her friends but I think she will think twice about going to a haunted house again. I guess she is her mother's daughter!

My Birthday

Thank-you to all the many well wishes I received on my birthday. I had a great night. I had planned a surprise birthday party for my sister in law Ashley. (I hate planning my own birthday party so it helps sharing my birthday with so many wonderful people.) But everyone either knew or found out it was my birthday so it ended up a surprise for both Ashley and I. We were spoiled. I wasn't able to invite everyone so I'm sorry if you are local and I didn't invite you. We had to fit in her living room. :) My friend Lisa and her daughter brought party hats for the kids which just made it so much more festive!

Ethan, Emily, Rachel (Plus Landon and Lisa)

The birthday party people. (I'm taking the photo)

Ashley, Darlene, Landon, Emily, Lisa, Jim, Pat, Kristina, Margaret

Matt, Ethan, Mom, Steve, Rachel, Diego (Matt's exchange student)

Same group plus me (Diego took the picture)

The birthday girls! (Rita you were in our thoughts, you were the invisible one next to me!)