Memorial Day

As you can see, I'm a little behind on my posting, again. I'm sure this worries you. (sarcasm) Enjoyed our Memorial day at the pool, just like last year. (It's pretty neat to see how much kids have grown in a year.) The weather was nice and warm all day long. The pool was a little cool to me but it didn't seem to bother Rob or the kids for that matter. Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!!

"For love of country they accepted death..." James A. Garfield




Enjoyed a nice, warm day at the pool on Memorial Day, just like last year.

hopscotch

Remember hopscotch?? Rob did, somehow, so I drew Emery a hopscotch outline on our driveway. I left off the 10, not on purpose, I just did. I realized this after I googled it and saw that it was suppose to have a 10. The rain washed away my creation later that evening. I'll have to draw her another one, to work on her coordination.

"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us." Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"

butterflies

Our little science project was great - all five caterpillars turned into butterflies last week. We were able to watch them flutter away, although I think Emery was more interested in her popsicle. When they came out of their cocoon, they almost look like moths. If you look at the picture of the orange (something they like to eat), you can see the drops of paint they make, hence the name "Painted Lady Butterfly". From what I understand, they paint themselves to match their surroundings. THANKS again Shannon for such a neat gift!

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies." Author Unknown

3 years & 4 months

Emery and Riggs had their routine check-ups this past week. Emery was most excited about her "gown" which she thought was great to twirl around the room in. She was also fairly excited that her little brother was the one getting the shots that day. A band-aid freaks her out, literally. The tears start pouring when she thinks you're about to put a band-aid on her. She was amazed to see 4 band-aids on Riggs' legs. I know she was thinking "better you than me".


The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990

Too nice...

I can now see why Rob does not feel it necessary to run with me. Emery is pretty good at making sure he gets his work out in for the week. Obviously, Rob has a hard time telling her no.


"To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter." Euripides

Ghetto in the Sun

HA - check out my "ghetto" setup. Emery wanted to play in her new sprinkler so I set up a little area for Riggs to enjoy also. Notice the nice plaid, broken umbrella. This umbrella is 11 years old. That's right, 11. My mom mailed it to me my freshman year at BYU. I carried it everywhere, especially in the snow. Before we were married, Rob use to tell me, "You are not suppose to use an umbrella in the snow." Whatever. I didn't see him turning me down when I offered to let him walk under my umbrella on our way home from class back in 1999. I bet he's grateful for that umbrella now. Anywho, Emery enjoyed the water, I enjoyed the sun and Riggs enjoyed mamma's plaid, broken, 11 year old umbrella.

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." John Ruskin

It's that time of year again...

Well, it was probably "that time of year again" a few weeks ago but none the less, we planted "our" garden this past weekend. Last year was "trial and error". This year, we downsized the space and upgraded the plants. I can already see the difference. Look how fast they all grew. :)
Riggs hung out in the back of the truck for a couple of hours, falling in and out of sleep. No complaints from him or me for that matter.

I have no idea what Emery is doing in the bucket. Last year she could fit inside. Obviously not now.






















"Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration." Lou Erickson

Cocoons

Our little creatures are progressing nicely. I will be the first to admit (again) how amazed I am at their life process. Rob, Emery and myself literally watched one of them "spin" himsef into a cocoon. We should have several little butterflies this week.
Have a great weekend!

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." Lao Tzu

Credit is Due

After reading my last post, I do realize that I made Rob sound somewhat harsh. Well, I didn't make him sound that way, he did, but you understand. lol. I do see I need to give credit where credit is due!
We kind of have this unspoken understanding of our children. I think every couple does. Rob is EXCELLENT with Emery. He handles her a whole lot better than I do. She is ABSOLUTELY a daddy's girl 100%, at least for now. When I am up with Riggs during the night, more often than not, Rob is up with Emery. From 8pm to 8 am, she wants her daddy. Whether she's up at 11pm to use the potty, 3 am to snuggle "just for a minute" before carrying her back to bed, or up at 6am and ready for her cup of milk, Rob is her #1. She ALWAYS , ALWAYS goes to his side of the bed first. So just to clarify, Rob honestly does "Carry his fair share" (one of our family mottos - lol, really). He helps with little Riggs too, but I count on his help and judgement with Emery. I like that when I count on him, he always follows through! So here's to ROB - I don't blame you one bit for being bitter at 3am after being up every half hour since midnight. I think everyone who has been up to do the same would agree! :) Love you!

"Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad." Author Unknown

Mother's Day

Happy (late) Mother's Day!! Just a few pictures from Sunday afternoon where we had a had a great steak dinner with the fam. Thanks mom and dad!





















Rob is peeling an orange as part of my Mother's Day breakfast - see there, I don't ask for much. The other part was chocolate milk. Not too shabby. He also followed through with taking care of Riggs for the night. At 3:39am Sunday morning, our conversation went a little something like this:
Ash to Rob: "How ya doin'?" (because he is now sitting up feeding Riggs)
Rob (in a stern voice, no less): "Fine, but I'm never doin' it again."
End of conversation.
The thoughts then running through my head after the conversation: Atta boy Rob, that's the spirit! Happy Mother's Day to you too!
So I just laid back down and went to sleep. It was wonderful!
FYI: Riggs has since been transfered to his own room now. Rob and I both agree, we all sleep better when we're in our own rooms.
Happy Hump Day!

"There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it." Chinese Proverb

Fun in the Sun

Paid a visit to Ginger, the boys and Jenny last week to enjoy the warm weather. Emery loved Spencer's new sprinkler - a great way to entertain the kiddies and water the grass. I'll bet Rob is up for that.
Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. I'll post those pictures later today!

"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." Jewish Proverb

Jasmine

LOL - I know what you're thinking - Where's the modesty?? Well, it's out the window, at least with this costume. Thanks to Uncle Jason and Aunt Molly, her collection of Disney Princess outfits is now complete. I'm not so sure she has a favorite one because she is in and out of the dresses all day long. Personally, I think she makes a pretty cute Jasmine!
Better run - part of my Mother's Day gift includes little Riggsee (Emery's nickname for Riggs) sleeping on Rob's side of the bed. Which means, Rob is on night shift and I can sleep, or at least attempt to - ALL night long, what more could I ask for!! The key word is "attempt" but knowing me, I will want to rescue both Rob and Riggs from a hard night :) Sweet Dreams and HAPPY (early) MOTHER'S DAY!!

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child." Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Patiently waiting....

Is there really such thing as "patiently waiting" when it comes to a 3 year old?? Emery received her "live caterpillars" in the mail two days ago which are eventually suppose to grow into butterflies. (THANKS Shannon for the neat gift!) I tried to explain the process to her but that still did not stop her from checking on them every 10 minutes or so and asking, "Are they butterflies yet?" I will hopefully have pictures of the end product. It's only been two days and I can seriously see how the caterpillars have grown. Pretty neat.




"The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity." Attributed to George Carlin

Uncle Jake & Miss Tara

Jacob and Tara were in town for part of the week. It was great to see them both again. Emery can't seem to get enough of all the attention. She thinks they should play with her every second they are around. Just ask Tara.
As far as what Emery is wearing in these pictures - don't ask. She had on another shirt but it got a little dirty. She wore most of her chocolate cake that afternoon.
















"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword." Charles Reade

little critter

I opened the blinds and looked out the front window Friday morning and noticed a small turtle in the yard. I hurried to get Emery thinking she would be super excited to see a turtle. Well, turns out, not really. She was more excited to see the newspaper at the bottom the hill.
A couple of random pictures from Friday evening. Emery likes to "wash dishes" i.e. play with the soap and water. Nothing like startin' 'em early. Like that use of slang/accent.
Have a great week!

"Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love." Mildred B. Vermont

our day...

This is just another random blog of "a day in our life". Since Rob was off yesterday, we picked Emery up from preschool and took her to lunch at Wendy's. We ran some errands then came home to enjoy the nice weather. It's suppose to get even warmer the next couple of days so we might have to break out the slip-n-slide. I'll let you know how far Emery makes it down the hill. If she makes it to the road, I'll be sure to have a video clip available.
Have a good one!!





















"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." Henry James