3,000

3,000 pageviews
which officially makes anyone who reads this blog

awesome.

Blogging for me is incredibly therapeutic. I feel like I have a sense of accountability that I have lacked in the past. I feel like I can write about me, or my family, and I have some tangible evidence that I exist in the world. The things I do, the thoughts I have; they matter. (at least slightly to someone in ...Russia and Germany, according to my log) Anyway, because I blog I have an outlet and that makes me a better mom/wife/human being, whether anyone is reading or not. (although, I'm glad you are. Let's face it: mama loves her some sweet validation.)

Title.

160 pounds.
60 pounds shed since March.
25 pounds to go.

Warning

WARNING: this post will make you think twice about having children, and if you happen to already have children it will make you shake your head....and maybe laugh.

So, last Sunday we put the kiddos in bed and went to bed ourselves around 10. One of the worst things about being married to your best friend, is that you don't get any sleep...and before your mind goes someplace indecent, it's because we stay up all night talking. It was around 11:30, and we had been comfortable in our beds for a good hour and a half, when we heard the tell tale signs through our baby monitor that it was going to be a long night.

"blaaaaahhhh gllaaaaaahhhh."

Yep. Puke.

Dan and I kind of become SUPER parents in an emergency. Moving at the speed of light, leaping over toys and baskets of laundry in a single bound.... one person told us, "you know you are parents when you catch vomit in your hand."

So, yeah we are parents.
by that and every other definition.

In the morning Brighton begged me to go to school, but my apparent rule is 'throw up, minimum one day no school'. And I hoped this would be an isolated freak incident. No such luck over this past week 4 members of my family have had the stomach flu/cough/runny nose hybrid illness.
I've been up to my elbows in bodily fluids. The house stinks like vomit and Vicks. I have had a few, 'just dropped by to say hi' visitors...much to my total humiliation, who have witnessed my glorious dysfunction.
So, here it is Sunday Night, the next Sunday mind you. Seven days after the first and I have just finished cleaning up after Fairon's latest explosion. AND I ask you how can someone so tiny, still manage to projectile vomit over an entire room...when she has eaten nothing all day?

Photo dump!

Hi, my name is Emily and I am a:

I was told by a dear friend to add more photos to the blog. So here goes it:

Paisley and then me (at 162 pounds, for those of you following)

The girls and I went to the mall for the day and all we spent
was the .50 cents it took to power this ride.

Early morning breakfast picnic. Spur of the moment.
My parent philosophy is usually, 'go with it'.
Kids know the important things.

Splash Pad Summer 2011 ~Perfection.



Brighton's first day of preschool Sept. 2011 (4 years old)

Hap Ha Birt Pais

^That is how you would say 'Happy Half Birthday Paisley', (if you were a crazy woman who's daughter Paisley turned six months old today.)

funny.

Our four year old Brighton is a little weirdo. But she is our little weirdo and we love her. Yesterday, Dan and I heard her singing in her bedroom; super common occurrence. She sings everything from kids songs, to current pop and country hits. She has a great voice and sometimes I love to sit quietly and listen to her. We heard her singing, and sneaked in there and listened to her singing what was clearly,"Take the Back Road" by Rodney Atkins. She was sounding great, singing word for word, until she got to the chorus and she started totally belting :

"Makes me want to take your bath robe"

Needless to say...FITS of laughter. That's almost as good as "Sweet Home Ala...Crouton" that she treated us to last week.

One of our girls favorite things to do it sit in front of the computer and watch our monitor scroll through 'My Pictures'. I don't always go through and delete the duds when I import from my digital camera, so we occasionally have some interesting photos. Like this one:

...from our Fairon's 2nd birthday. I was trying to get a picture of the two of us and at the last second Dan stuck out his tongue! I hate it because 1.) we look like carny folk and 2.) Hellllllo, who wants to see such a thing?
Anyway, the computer showed this one and Brighton and Fairon collapsed into a fit of hysterics. Brighton was laughing and screaming and asking me what Daddy was doing. They thought it was crazy that their sweet daddy would do something so disgusting.
Brighton: "If someone put their tongue in my mouth......I'd...I'd....I'd..... I don't know. Maybe I should practice with Fairon and see what happens."

AAAAAAHHH!!

Here's to hoping they think it's a ridiculous thing to do for a good long time.

read it.

If you think everyone around you is an idiot....

the problem might be you.

typical Emily.

Yesterday Dan and I had to go to Ames to have an interview with our Stake President. For those of you who don't know or understand: the stake president is the person who presides over the church in an area, in this case a good large chunk of Iowa.

Anyway, We met with him separately first. He is such an amazing guy. We talked out my kids and how Dan and I met. The he said, "it's time I need to ask you some very important questions, and they pertain to your husband's worthiness." (loaded right?)

So he asked me how my husband treats me....which I was so not expecting and I just started bawling. Not cute feminine one-glistening-tear-down-your-cheek crying either. That's not my style. Apparently I like to make nearly complete strangers feel totally uncomfortable!

Through my tears he looked pretty concerned. I swear for the first few moments he seemed to think I was totally abused by my husband.

The truth was I was just overcome with genuine emotion because my husband is a very excellent human being and I am so humbled that the Lord would allow us to be together. Had I any right to expect a husband who exceeds his own share of the work daily, who loves me and his children endlessly, someone who gives and gives and gives and hardly ever takes? A human being so kind and so good that more rare then a swear word is a negative word about any one. So handsome he still makes my knees weak. So genuine in word and action that he inspires me, everyday to be a better person, worthy of him.

How am I treated? Better then I deserve.

*Sniffle*

Grow, Emily, Grow.

So lately I've been thinking about my talents, or lack thereof. Especially after that talk I had with Brighton a few days ago. I guess you could say I am having some sort of quarter life crisis.(best case scenario) For the longest time, my greatest goal, was to put beautiful things out into the world. Well, I've done that. I made three beautiful wonderful little girls, but that part of my life is over now. <---not raising the girls but creating new little ones. AND I feel a little lost.

I'm 'okay' at a fair number of things. I love baking and cooking and especially eating good food, but no one is going to turn to me for cooking advice. I like scrap booking but I am just a 'beginner', and don't really have the time, or money to advance. I like to sing, but trust me...my best audience is the shower head. (besides the acoustics in the bathroom, when I belt it... PRIMO.) And while I like things organized and clean, I am so far from what you would call 'conventionally organized' and no one would call me neat. I love fashion, but I'm no super model. I like making people laugh, but have terrible stage fright. I like to do crafty stuff, but it hardly ever turns out. This blogging thing is therapeutic and I've made 50$ this month in ad revenue, so I'm not complaining, but I'm a 'drag and drop' blogger and not likely to be much more than that.

.............................................................................

Wow, the point wasn't to get myself down. It was simply to say that I am interested in expanding myself; improving myself. I'm ready to be a someone. A someone who people can say:
"Emily, she is really great at______________."

Now I just have to pick a talent to expand...
Gosh I wish I knew
what that talent was.