Baby Names

I thought that I would document a funny conversation that Emily had with her grandpa.

Grandpa: What is your baby's name going to be?

Emily: "Baby brother."

Grandpa: What about "Gavin"? (Brian and I really like this name)

Emily: No, not "Gavin".

Grandpa: Well, how about "Dallas". (This just happens to be his name)

Emily: "Dallas?" (pause) Yuck, I don't like "Dallas".



We all got a good laugh. In grandpa's defense, "Dallas" has also been a strong consideration for a name. :)

Georgia Aquarium

We have been wanting to visit the Georgia aquarium for a while now and just never had the chance to do it. We decided to take advantage of Brian's last day off before school started and take a small trip to the aquarium.

Emily still can't stop talking about all of the fish, sharks, and whales that she saw. We went through the aquarium a few times so that she could take it all in. (Don't ask me how I got up from this position.)
She wouldn't touch any of the sting rays, shrimp, or starfish; however, I got her to touch a sea anemone because I told her that it was a flower. (I know, I am terrible.)

She also loved seeing the jellyfish. She recognized them right away from the movie "Finding Nemo."
This is Emily's classic "I'm excited" pose. (A giggle with both fingers pointing at whatever it is that is making her so excited.)

A Week Off?

Brian had a week off before school started, so he decided that our yard needed some attention. We have tried a few times now to plant grass in our backyard and it never seems to work. Usually it ends up raining and washes all of the seed away. We decided to give sod a try. The unfortunate thing is that it was 100 degrees outside on the day Brian could do it and I am 9 months pregnant. Basically, what is boils down to is that Emily and I were no help at all.

This was Emily's contribution...
...and you don't see me outside at all. All of Brian's hard work was worth it though. The yard looks really great! Now it is up to me to keep the grass alive! Ha!

Man Shower

Some of our friends had a "Man Shower" for Brian (definition: a shower for the dad expecting his first son). It was a lot of fun and we received some great gifts. I don't think that our friends could have planned it better. They had all of Brian's favorite desserts, fun games, and great company. Thanks guys for a great party. We really appreciate it!
Super cute diaper tower! What a great idea!

All the yummy desserts you could imagine. Brian especially enjoyed the popsicles in the ice bowl! That just happens to be his favorite.

Brian won the cake eating contest!

Baby Projects!

When I found out that Emily was going to have a baby brother, it was time for all of the sewing projects to begin. I love quilting and crocheting around baby blankets. I had a class when I was at Ricks (BYU-Idaho) on children's clothing and we were required to make a blessing dress (This was before I was even married). When I had Emily I used that blessing dress for her. Now I have a tradition to keep up. It was a lot of fun to make a blessing outfit for our little man.

Emily saw me taking pictures of the baby brother's blankets and outfit, so I had to get the blankets and dress out that I made for her and take pictures of them as well.

Where's Emily?

Emily have never been one to fall asleep in the middle of the day. When things would get quiet, we would assume that she was getting into something that she shouldn't be. Recently quiet has resulted in the following...
This is a real milestone for her! She is turning into her aunt Aub-bob who would fall asleep anywhere at anytime.

Independence Day!

We didn't have any big plans this year for the 4th of July, so we decided to have our own little barbecue and sparkler show. We did end up going to a local park and watching some fireworks later on at night. My red, white, and blue fruit pizza. Yummmm!

Emily doesn't know quite what to think about sparklers.

New Bunk Beds

We decided it was time to move Emily from her crib to a twin bed. We started out with the mattress on the floor (for obvious reasons).

She soon got use to sleeping in a bed and now she he loves her new bunk beds. Especially because she was able to help put them together.

My Small Accomplishment!

Growning up my parents would garden 1/2 acre of land every year. Because I lived so close, I never felt the need to grow my own garden. Now that I live 2000 miles from home, I realize that I can't rely on their fresh garden fruits and vegetables. I don't have exactly what you would call a green thumb, so I decided to start small and just plant tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. From what I understand, they are pretty hard to kill. Well, we'll see. I was pretty excited to wake up one morning and see this . . .

and this . . .
I also recently attended an activity where I learned how to bottle my own jam. I have helped my mom make jam for years, but I have never done it myself. I decided to start with strawberries (because they are going out of season soon). Then I got so exicted about it, so I made blueberry and raspberry jam as well from frozen berries. Twenty four jars later I have enough jam to last us until next years strawberry season! Yum! Blueberry is our favorite!

One Year Down!

Well, Brian has officially completed his first year of medical school. He will be working through the summer on a research project which involves a new treatment for osteoporosis. (It has something to do with vibrating a mouse and monitoring bone loss.) Did I mention that he will be paid! Just an added bonus.

Happy Mother's Day!

What a great day!

A Great Purchase!

I made my first ebay purchase the other day. It is a brand new, twelve piece crib set that I got for super cheap. It was also my first purchase for the new baby. We decided that Emily's pink tulip bed set wasn't going to work.

Trying New Things

We have reached the age of, "No, Emi do it" or, "No, my turn!" Which I must say has its perks; however, it can also be a time of frustration. (For me as well as Emily.)

This just happens to be one of the bonuses of this stage.

Potty Training!

Speaking of frustration, yep, potty training is also one of those bonuses that can be very frustrating. Emily has shown all of the signs of being ready to be potty trained except for the biggest on of all, desire. So, I thought that I would help her with her desire by adding some perks. (Also known as bribes.) It honestly took a little bit of everything I could think of. Treats, money, presents, and praise. I have to say though that giving her little presents worked great. I went and bought a 101 piece play food set and gave her a piece of play food every time she went. This was huge for her because she has had a kitchen set since Christmas without any play food. It was definitely something worth working for.
I don't know about you, but this is my kind of soup. Ice cream, donuts, and pie!! YUM!

Disney World!

Grandma and grandpa took a trip to Disney World, so we all know what that means...
Minnie Mouse glasses turn Harry Potter...
and, of course, Cinderella!