Utah Adventures

We visited Utah from Feb 21- March 4. Here are a few of the highlights from our trip. Fasten your seatbelt!!! (In chronological order...)

Warren having a ball playing with Uncle Brian's chickens. I would have never guessed it growing up but my brother has become quite the organic famer/gardner. He has a huge garden with just about everything you can imagine planted in it, he currently has about 29 hens, 1 rooster, raises a pig and sheep every year, fulfills his yearly maximum of deer and elk tags and fishes year round. He is proud of his self-sufficency but I like give him a hard time that he feeds and slaughters his "pets". He just chuckles and dishes it right back. It was fun to see them. Aunt Maridee giving Warren his first real haircut. Usually he has pretty intense haircut anxiety when I cut it but he did fabulous with Maridee.
A little bonding time with my little sister Rachael. (Yes, you will always be my LITTLE sister...even if you are 18 now!) Love you sis.

We FINALLY got to meet my Nephew Jonah (blue eyes)! He was born on St Patty's day 2007...approximately 1 week after our last trip to Utah. I was not happy about that. I have been so excited to finally to meet him. As you can see...he is a cute little stinker. He was excited to meet his favorite Auntie Em too!In January '08, Dustin (Weston's brother) & Natalie had their first baby boy! They named him Henry Dustin. He is the sweetest little guy...and absolutely adorable! We couldn't get enough of him....especially Uncle Weston.

On March 1st, Dustin, Natalie & Henry were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple! It was such a beautiful ceremony. The spirit was so strong and I don't think I have ever seen anything more precious as when they brought in baby Henry to be sealed to them. Weston got to hold Henry while they performed the sealing. We were so honored to be in the temple with them. We love you!Our little family (all 3.5 of us) back on the steps were it all started 10.5 years ago. Henry was blessed the very next day. Warren was so excited to meet Henry and loved holding him.

The Mutha Load...

So...we live in Kingwood Texas and and there are a few trees throughout the city. Ok, maybe that description doesn't really do it justice. I should say...the city was built in/around a lush forest. It is a very private and peaceful place to live. The trees are filled with squirls and birds and all kinds of other creeping things that are constantly singing and talking to each other. I always think that this must be what the Garden of Eden sounded like. So, Kingwood is serene and we love it here....I think you get the point. Well, there is one teenie weenie downfall for living in Kingwood. The leaves. They start to fall in late October and they don't stop until late January and when you live in a freaking forest you have just a few to clean up.

Day 1 of the cleanup yielded a mear 25 bags packed full of leaves (see picture above).
Day 2 of the clean up yielded 13 additional bags of leaves...and that didn't include the strip of grass on the other side of our garage or behind the bushes that sit in front of our house. I probably could have filled another 4 or 5 bags. So, for all you leaf and yard work enthusiasts out there.... that is a grand total of 38 (40 gallon) yard bags of leaves (beating last year's record of 36 bags)!!!

Baby Mugshots

I went to the Dr last week for my re-ultrasound. As you can see these pictures are much clearer than the last. There is good news and bad news. Good news is that all looks well with the little one. Bad News (for me) is that the baby is measuring a little over a week smaller than expected. They haven't officially changed my due date. The end of March I go in for the 2nd trimester ultrasound and hopefully for me...baby will have done some catching up! I don't know if I can bear to be pregnant for a whole week longer in the sweltering mid-August (Texas) heat! Ahhh!

Save the Date...8/8/08 !!!

It is official...we are expecting another baby! I am due August 8th (8/8/08)..Tell me that isn't nifty! Hopefully, for the old timers it will make the date easier to remember! Anyways, our hearts are so full and we can't wait to meet this little spirit! Today was my first Dr appt and they did an ultrasound. Baby is still pretty small (I am 13 weeks) and for whatever reason the Doc said this ultrasound wasn't as clear as she'd have liked. The baby was curled up pretty tightly so she had a hard time getting the measurements she needed. I am going in for another ultrasound in 2 weeks to try again. Baby was pretty active though. You could see the heart beating, arms and legs moving around and he/she even flipped over once. Well, it is no secret that I am a big baby and as soon as I saw the little bambino, the floodgates opened and well you know happens then. The nurse brought the box of tissues and I just watched in awe. It is just the most sacred feeling to know that you have a little life inside of you growing. I am always amazed that Heavenly Father trusts us with the power to create life.
As you can see Weston and I are not the only ones that are excited to meet the new baby. We finally told Warren a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't sure if he would grasp the concept since he is still pretty little. The very next morning he raced out of his room with his favorite monkey stuffed up his shirt beaming "Look mom, my belly is he-ooge!" So, I guess he gets it, huh? Well, he keeps telling us that it is going to be a baby sister (we do not know the sex yet). A few day's after we told him, I caught him dazing off a little. This is how the conversation went:

E: What are you thinking about Warren?
W: My baby sister.
E: Is it going to be a baby sister?
W: (Grinning from ear to ear) Yea (pause)...mom, I am going to take care of her, and hold her, and read her stories, and play trains with her, and play soccer with her...
E: Wow, it sounds like you are going to be an awesome big brother...
W: (smiles) yea.... I am.

If that doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will!!

It's All In the Wrist

Since Weston lucked out and scored MLK Holiday off, we decided to head out for a little family fun at the local AMC. Warren has been asking us to go bowling since Christmas, eventhough I have no idea how he even knows what bowling is (Sesame Street, I am sure). We thought for sure he would throw a few down the alley and then putter out. No such luck. Weston and I ended up sharing a lane and he bowled 2 full games and was ready for more.
At the rapid pace of 1 roll per minute, the games were a little slower than we anticipated. He, on the other hand, was very patient in his gaming. He kept telling us, "Mom/Dad...look, I threw the ball and bunked some pins (giggle, giggle)!" and " excuse me mom, the music is a little too loud, can we turn it down a bit?"
Warren making sure that he got the "green ball with the 6", rather than the green ball with the 10. Ever so careful...that is our little man!

WARNING...FHE Bowling..a real mess

My friend Megan just posted this on her blog and I just about died laughing...I had to share!

FHE Bowling & Self-Effacing Humor

Tonight for family night we went over to the Texas A&M's student center to go bowling. My score - I finished last - was a measly 63 - my two year old scored 64. Anyhow, my post isn't really about that, but what happened at the end of the game. Andrew needed to use the restroom and since Mike had already made one trip there with him that night - I couldn't really get him to take Andrew so I had to take him. When asking about where the restrooms were located the girl informed me that the first three stalls in the women's restroom were "female urinals".

Female urinals? I was intrigued - no, excited to reach the restroom and see exactly what this meant. I acted like, "Gee, that's strange but I'll never use one of those..." But inside I knew I was up for the experience. (It's kind of been a secret jealousy of mine - I have four brothers and now two sons.) Anyhow, when we got there I got Andrew situated in his stall and headed back to the urinals. Amazingly I found an image of the internet of the actual urinals in that very bathroom - some site catalogs all of the female urinals around the country - most seemed to be at universities.

Well, there weren't any instructions and I was pretty sure I could figure it out on my own. At first, everything seemed to be going pretty well - it was kind of fun - but then suddenly things spiraled out of control(literally) and I was left with a mess.

The thing about peeing on yourself as an adult is that you still have to pull up your pants and move on. It's kind of weird. You just stand there for a second not knowing what to do. No diaper bag change of clothes - no patient mother to sort out the mess. Just mother and her own mess. I actually feel really bad for the janitors.

Oh well...It appears there used to be instructions above the urinal on the wall - I looked and they weren't there tonight. I REALLY could have used those...

In the end, the question is - were people - women specifically - demanding to get these installed in the restroom? Did anyone think, "Man, I sure wish we had female urinals. That would be soo much better..."? And have any of you experienced the female urinal? If so, was your experience much like mine or were you more of a "natural"?

p.s. There's a part of me that wants to go back there and master that thing. Just to regain some self respect.

Dad's New Tower

Soo, one of our favorite things to do (when time and organization permits) is go downtown and meet Weston for lunch. Whenever we approach downtown Warren always points out the skyline and talks and talks about all the "big, heooge towers." His eyes just light up. He just thinks it is the coolest thing ever that his daddy works in one of them. This was our first visit to "Dad's new tower. "
Warren, of course, loves to take his turn in dad's office. He is totally professional for a 2 1/2 year old. He already knows the mantra....talking on the phone, checking his email. We already have a multi-tasker on our hands! With his pointer finger clicking the mouse repeatedly and the phone up to his ear you can here him saying "yes, uh huh, I understand." If Weston and I get too loud he fervently shooshes us and reminds us "um, excuse me guys, I am doing my important work."

Icy Hot 2008!!

On New Years day this year three of my fellow Annarborites (Kierstin L, Amy L & Jan P) came to Houston to run the Houston marathon. Amy and Jan both had family there to support them during their run. Kierstin had emailed me months ago to enlist me as her "support person". It was a lot of fun to see them and get the opportunity to support them on the first full marathon. I have witnessed a few half marathons, but never had the chance to witness the excitement and pain of a full marathon.

First of all...they are amazing. I was so impressed, they all did so well. I also believe that Kierstin finished 89th over all and finished at 4 hours 12 minutes, beating her personal goal. Second, all I can say is that if you ever want to run a full (26 mile) marathon you better have some ibuprophen and Icy Hot in your support bag to numb the pain.

It was so great to see them and catch up! If anyone else is ever in the area I would love to see you....and if you really need it, I will slather icy hot all over your legs, too.

Christmas Trains

One of the things that we love about Texas is the wonderful Christmas spirit that people have here. It is amazing to see in such a visual way, so many others who also love Jesus Christ and celebrating his birth. Nearly every home you see is totally decked out with impressive "exterior illumination".Many neighborhoods have Christmas decor "theme's". It is so fun to go and see the dispays throughout the city. This house was by far our favorite. Every year this family sets up a huge wooden stage in their front yard which has at least 10 different trains set up on it. This year, they added a life sized Thomas the Tank train that the kids could ride and toot the whistle. Warren, being the (almost three year old) train junkie that he is, was transfixed by the beauty.
Each time the train came by in the front it would stop momentarily so the kids could score a piece of candy out of the freight car. As the train proceeded into the tunnel, Warren nearly stuck his head completely inside as he watched it depart.

Old Fashioned Family Christmas.....

Anyone who knows Weston, KNOWS how he loves Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. He has seen it a million times. Well, I know how he has secretly dreamed of cutting down his own christmas tree and so we decided to give it a shot this year.

A few Saturday's ago we drove about 40 miles north of Kingwood up to a little place called Mill Hollow to (for the first time ever) cut down this year's Christmas tree. It was so fun! The best part was watching little Warren's face. He just thought it was the coolest thing ever that we were cutting down the tree ourselves. He was infected with perma-grin the entire time. Not to mention the constant giggles and coo's. After you drag it out, for five bucks they have a professional "tree shaker" that shakes all the dead pine needles (and bugs) out of the tree and then they net it and load it onto your car. If you ask Warren about it now he will tell you "we cut it down with a saw and then we shook out all the crumbs."


Afterwards, we enjoyed a hayride around the forest, bon fire and (Warren's fav) the tire roll down the hill. It was such a nice way to kick of the Christmas season.

Where the Ferrari's are...

This picture was taken in the hotel parking lot while we were in San Antonio. The black Altima on the right is Weston's new baby. Where ever he goes it must be parked FAR away from any other car. I always give him a hard time about it. However, Weston was so proud the next morning when he looked out our hotel window and saw that his dream car was parked right next to his. A match made in heaven. Even Warren was impressed.

Thanksgiving weekend getaway...

After we stuffed ourselves with Turkey and all the trimmings, Friday morning we took off for San Antonio to get away. This is the Alamo...Weston had been here before but it was my first time.
On a boat tour on the Riverwalk. We weren't prepared for the sudden drop in temperatures. We did not take any coats. The day before we left it was 80 degrees. It was in the low 40's all weekend. It is a good thing there was an extra sweater in the trunk!
Our friends (The Boss Family) that came to San Antone with us. We had a great time exploring...oh, and hitting the San Marcos outlets together!

Rippin Some Rug

For a good time click:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9622208198

Love,

Weston, Emily & Warren

Gratitude

Every year we get the opportunity to gather with loved ones and celebrate our gratitude. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.

Traditionally, most of us think of all the wonderful things that we enjoy in this day and age. Most of us all have families and friends to come home to, roofs over our heads, food in our cupboards, American freedoms, modern technology and more "stuff" than we really need to make us happy. I too am grateful for these blessings.

It seems the older I get the more clearly I can see how much I really have been given. This year has been filled with many challenges and miracles. I can not possibly tell you all that I am thankful for, nor will I try. I will ,however, give you my top three.

Music:

I have always loved music. This year I was recruited by a couple of my young women to join ward choir. It sounded fun, so I did. I have always known that music was such a powerful tool of the spirit. I have re-discovered how good music can be a strength and inspiration for us. I have also discovered first hand how destructive it can be. I am so grateful for this knowledge and for the sustaining power it has proved to be for me this year. I-tunes & Deseret Book are lovin my re-discovery too.

Gods Hand:

I could probably write 10 novels about all of the tender mercies we have received this year. I cannot even begin to express the fullness of my heart. God has been with us continually. I wish I could type it all for you. There is just too much. Just know that no matter what is going on in your life that God is there somewhere in it all. While trials may abound, there is an opportunity to draw closer to him and to grow. He is there, he sees us and loves us. God IS who he says he IS. He is the gardner and he knows who you really are. You can trust him.

The Atonement:

I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the knowledge that I can be forgiven for my sins. In addition to this, I have learned that the Atonement is not just about repentance. In the Garden Christ suffered all pains, grief, sorrow and afflictions so he could know how to succor us in our afflictions. As we place our faith in him, he will bless us in the ways that we need to become who HE intends us to be. The angels will come and miracles can happen. He is the gardner. The trick is faith. Find it and exersize it. It can move mountains.

We send our love to you all and hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Amelia my Love...

Warren and I took a little road trip to Austin to visit our friends the Anderson's. Cheri is one of my best friends from Ann Arbor. In September they welcomed Amelia Love Anderson, their first baby girl into their family. She is the tiniest little thing weighing in at a whopping 5 lb 10 oz at birth. It was so great to spend time with them all!

Warren was in heaven playing with Mike, Jake, Andrew.