Christmas 2009

Went a little over board for our kids this year on Christmas... :) Emerald and Charlie got a train set from Ikea. Emerald LOVES trains for some reason. And Emerald also got a little plastic tool set so she can help Daddy build things in the garage. :) She's such a good helper! She loves to hammer and use the screw driver. It's really cute. She also got a Snow White dress up outfit (complete with shoes, purse and crown) from our friends Mike and Darcy. She wore the dress all day Christmas and the following day. She even slept in it...she just loves it. Uncle Nick and Aunt Sher got Emerald the movie Stuart Little...she has been watching it over and over and over since she opened it. Thanks Nick and Sher. :)

The kids also got a doctor medical kit and Charlie got a rocket tent. He loves climbing through and hiding in it. Then Emerald comes along and says, "peach a boo!" It's so dang cute. She likes tickling him too. They seem to be getting along better as Charlie is getting a bit older. He has learned to defend for himself a little now and when she tries to pick on him, he rolls over and tries to sit on her. Haha. He's a big boy! :)

I bought this awesome hand built, wooden doll house at the D.I. a few months ago and fixed it up before we moved. Painted it and put new wallpaper and carpet in. So I got Emerald a few things for the dollhouse...those cute Fisher Price Loving Family things. Super Cute.


Jacob got a model rocket that he hopes to launch in January at the next Rocket Launch for the Rocketry Club out here. It's really cool. He also got a new model air plane that we have been waiting to fly...it's just been so darn windy here! And of course, with all these new toys for Jacob to be working on....he needed a Man Cave. So we got some wood and a saw so he is working on building his Man Cave in the half of the garage where his car used to park. He's really excited about it and I am too....the washer and dryer are in the garage and so I told him he can do all the laundry while he's out there too!! He wasn't too stoked about that idea...but I loved it! :) Jacob also got the game Ticket to Ride from my parents...YES! We are really excited to play and so are all of our friends since none of them have that game! We are hoping to squeeze it in on New Year's Eve after our round of Bunco! :)

I got some really nice perfume sets from Victoria's Secret and a sewing machine!!! YAY!! I am so excited! My first project is making some sheets for my kids' beds. They look really easy! (Let's hope...) I've just been biten by a crafting bug and am really excited to sew and learn crochet and do some jewelry too! I swore I would never turn out to be like this...but... oh well!! Gotta do something to keep me sane while I stay at home all day! :)

After we opened our presents we had a HUGE brunch at our house with our neighbors....YUM. There was so much good food. We planned to go to the beach after we ate, but we ate so much we were all too tired to do anything. So we took afternoon naps instead!

Oh and we also went and saw the Festival of Lights down at Griffith Park in L.A. after we dropped Whitney off at the airport. It was beautiful! That will definitely be a new family tradition for us!

Ginger Bread House

Support your Local Cat House

Whitney (Doug's Wifey) came and stayed with me and the kids while we were both without hubbies...it was so much fun and she was such a great help while the kids felt yucky and I was exhausted! Thank you Whit! We went to the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound here in Rosamond! I didn't know what to expect...but turns out, it was freaking awesome! They breed tigers, jaguars, lions and other wild, exotic cats and supply them to zoos all over the world! And it's right in our own backyard...seriously, it's like 2 mins down the street. Kinda freaky...would if the cats got out? Not good.

It was really cool because you could literally stick your finger through the fence and touch the cat...if you wanted to get eaten. But that's how close you could get. One kept growling in the back and we saw two baby tigers...cutie patooties! A female lion kept eyeing Emerald like she was ready to eat her! It was freaky.
Emerald had to bring "Horsey" with her and show her all the cats too. (Horsey is the horse she made at Build-A-Bear...she named it Horsey...I have such creative children.)

Fun at Grandma's! (aka "MaMa")

We loved visiting with Mia :)




I went to Utah while Jacob was away on business in New Mexico. I had originally planned to stay for 3 weeks and spend Christmas there with all my family ....but ended up only surviving a week in Utah. Hehe. I really love it in So Cal and was so excited to have a Christmas with NO SNOW! It was wonderful. Emerald had fun with her Movie Marathons...she LOVES movies. "Watch a movie Mom," she says. And Emerald enjoyed taking naps on MaMa and PaPa's bed. Charlie enjoyed getting into things...as usual.

Charlie turns ONE!

I'm seeing babies

Everywhere Jacob and I go we seem to see BABIES everywhere. It's crazy. My doctor told me I shouldn't have any more kids because of what the pregnancies do to my body (I almost didn't make it through delivery with Charlie). It's really sad hearing that and I never thought I would be told that I couldn't have any more kids. I'm torn. I know there is one more child that is waiting to join our family. (I'm hoping for a black baby....hehe) But, I guess we will see what happens. :)

Man...they really do grow up so fast. These are pics of Emerald as a newborn.

Regrets...I have a few

Since I had my first child, I've dealt with an endless string of sleepless nights, the relentless cycle of feeding and pumping and changing and comforting, and the slow realization that my life will NEVER be the same again. Now that I have finally emerged from the fog of being a mommy, I have a few things I would like to say.

I want to start by apologizing to my vagina. Yes, that's right. I said it. Vagina. Cha-Chi, Britney...whatever. I just didn't know what would happen. I thought it would be easy on you. All my life I was told I had "child-bearing hips". That turned out to be a dirty lie. I pushed and pushed, and I put you, dear vagina, through hell. I did my best to protect you, and I apologize. I can only hope that the bad feelings between us can be healed.

I'd also like to say I'm sorry to my husband for all my inappropriate "wordage" in the delivery room and the resentment I felt because I had to carry our baby for nine months and you didn't. And honey, about my boobs. Try to understand that they are not for you all the time. They are working breasts and under construction most of the time.

I apologize to every woman whose baby shower I attended before I became a Mom. All those useless stuffed animals and baby booties I bought...well, I'm sure they might have come in handy at some point, but I should have just stuck to the registry and gotten things you truly needed.

I apologize once again to my husband, this time for criticizing you about the way you dress our daughter. I know she is my own personal doll come to life, and I like to play dress-up. But you make such weird choices. Why would you put her in a sweater when it's 85 degrees? It's the middle of the day- a nightgown, really? It's bedtime sweetheart, why is she wearing a hat? I recognize this is not America's Next Top Model, but I do ask you to think about what makes sense sometimes. That's all.

I must also apologize to every mom I ever bumped into before I had a baby for judging your appearance. I mentally criticized your old sweatpants, over sized t-shirts, and your haphazard ponytails. I figured you just hadn't taken the time to get ready before you went out or were in dire need of a makeover. Now I understand those precious minutes you savor when the baby goes down for a nap. I could shower! I could eat! I could sleep! Check my e-mail! Work out! Do laundry! I could do so much if she could just sleep a little bit longer. Then, inevitably, there's that sound through the baby monitor. (stop. wait. listen) Was it for real? That was just a sneeze right? Oh please, I'm almost done eating. I thought I could shower. Just five more minutes. Just...nope. She's up. She's hungry. She's wet. She's something. And once you've got her fed and changed and played with her, you are on the clock to get that errand done before it all unravels again. I get it now: There is absolutely no time for a blowout or blusher. I was a complete jerk, and I'm sorry.

I see how people look at me- with that mixture of pity and disgust- in my old nursing tank covered in spit-up and the same maternity capris I wear everyday. I'm like The Elephant Man. I put my daughter in fancy clothes to compensate for the monster pushing her around. I see the stares. I know what you're saying. Well to hell with you, you small-pants-wearing Miley Cyrus fan. I have a baby (two actually). I am not always this fat.

I guess I should also apologize for my anger. But in solidarity with new mothers everywhere, I'm not going to.

But I would definitely like to apologize to my former self. I always thought I had a few pounds to lose and could look better. I never knew how great I had it. What I wouldn't give to fit into my old clothes again! I look at them longingly day after day. Hi, jeans. Hello, Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. You were all so good to me. (sniff.)

Oh to do anything at all at a leisurely pace-shop, eat, read the paper-and anything without having to wear a monitor. Waiting. Listening. For her.

While I am sending regrets, I should apologize to my pre-baby boobs for not appreciating them enough. They were a great pair of boobs-not too big, not too small. And now...sigh...who knows what will be left of them. I'm sorry, former boobs. I truly am.

I'll never be sorry about deciding to become a mother, though. There may be no going back to my old body or my old lifestyle, but having Emerald and Charlie is worth everything I've had to give up and then some. But you already knew that.

Pictures!

Emerald's new boots. Woot woo!
A view of the little carnival stuff they have on the pier. I went on all the kiddie rides with Emerald. It was fun. Isn't that the same ferris wheel that Spencer proposed to Heidi?? I think it might be!
I love this pic. I wanna blow it up....like really big. :)
Charlie at the beach...checking out all the hot babes. There was some oriental lady getting her pictures taken in the waves...topless. It was hilarious. Charlie couldn't stop looking. The girl was like almost completely flat...Charlie has more boobs than she did.
Ahhh...the beach. Emerald had such a blast. she loved running away from the waves and chasing the seagulls. The birds there are so viscous! They ate Emerald's WHOLE corn dog when I wasn't looking. Dang birds. We paid 5 bucks for that lousy corn dog!
ICE! ICE! (aka ice cream)
Great view.
The Santa Monica Pier!
Emerald and Daddy playing in the car in our awesome garage.
The Green Bridge (Vincent-Thomas?) my Mom and I drove over...a couple times...because we missed our exit. Good times. This is by San Pedro, California.
What Emerald does in her spare time....puts "otion" (aka Lotion) on her dolls. This time she covered the doll's eyes with it. Weird.
Charlie being silly...
My two little bees...check out Charlie's stinger....OUCH!
Emerald helping Great Grandma Brown wash the dishes. Emerald loves washing dishes...it's awesome. I will be having her clean the house in no time!

Hey Homie

So we've been here in sunny, Southern California for 2 weeks! It has been awesome! We love our apartment and the community that we live in. Jake and I get to go in the hot tub often when the kids go to bed..it's so relaxing. We went to Santa Monica Beach and the pier there last Saturday. Such a blast! I will have to post pictures later, we are still using the internet from our fitness center since we can't get it in our apartment yet!! Emerald and Charlie had so much fun at the beach. Emerald loves running from the waves and trying not to get wet. Charlie likes to eat the sand and watch it run through his fingers. I heart chubby baby fingers!

Our ward here is THE BEST!! There are so many nursery aged kids for Emerald to play with and the members here are so much nicer than ones in Utah! It's nice to be out of the bubble and to be around LDS people that are LDS because they WANT to be. I went to a little pumpkin patch and animal farm last week with some other Moms in my ward. Emerald loved petting the shetland ponies and going in the bounce house with Mommy! We also had a Halloween party with our ward last night which was really fun. Emerald loved the candy and got to stay up late!

It's been really nice weather here...still like summer...it's kinda funny that it is already November and it's still 80 degrees outside! I love it! Last week we actually had a wind storm. They closed down the freeway because the winds got up to 65 mph. It was crazy! It blew over our tree and our neighbors tree...almost uprooted it! They get wind storms here...but never really rain or snow. I can handle wind. I can totally handle wind. :) Emerald has been talking like crazy now! It's so fun to teach her how to say things. Her new phrase is "Hey homie". AWESOME KID. I taught her that one....if you didn't already know. :) And she has been OBSESSED with the movie The Polar Express. She loves the train and Santa! Christmas will be so fun this year!

I'm loving life here in Cali. I haven't been home sick at all!! I miss my parents and Mia....of course! But I really love it here. I feel great now that we have moved...like our lives are actually progressing. Life is great. Jacob LOVES his job. He comes home and is actually HOME. Not answering his never ending cell phone calls from stupid Chemistry grad students!

He is doing a bunch of training right now and reading up on manuals to get a feel for the replacement space shuttle (more of a capsule really) that he will be working on. He has to get going with his security clearance and then he can head over to New Mexico to work on it for a few weeks. I'm excited about that because when he goes on his business trips....I get to go home (my parent's)!! So hopefully I can make it there in December for a few weeks. That will be fun...I will have to bring some cheetos...I know you love those cheetos Mom!! HAHA! I will have to write about our cheeto incident another time! It's another one of those roadtrip memories....like the one where we ended up in Pocatello....or the one where we went to Pearl City instead of Pearl Harbor....or the time we crossed that highway in Colorado and my life didn't even have time to flash before my eyes! Oh good times on the road with Marie and Papa and Katy! :) Oh and the "deer crossing next 5 miles"...that was great.

Hopefully I can post some great pics of us at the beach and our new place soon!

Moving Day

Ahhh...it's finally here! I am so sick of packing...I would rather throw the rest of our stuff away than pack it! We packed up tons of crap yesterday, including our tv. So now Emerald has to watch her movies on a little tiny 7 inch portable dvd player. Poor kid. Life is rough. :) Charlie just sits in his port-a-crib so he doesn't get into things (and so Emerald doesn't sit on him...she just loves to try to ride him for some reason).

I have so many mixed emotions about leaving Cache Valley. I have never lived anywhere else! It's definitely going to be a culture shock. I will miss all the fun little traditions we have started here in Cache Valley. The Pumpkin Walk, Baby Animal Days at the Heritage Center, 4th of July fireworks in my Parent's backyard, walks to the library, and the list goes on! But I know there will be lots of fun stuff to do in Southern California too! People ask me if I'm sad to go....yes and no. I'm sad to leave my Parent's and little Mia (the pet dog). I know Emerald will miss "Mama" and "Papa" very much too. (oh and Mia)

I'm excited to break free from family though too. I think it will really help me get out of my shell and be able to discover life in a whole new way! When you live so close to ALL your family members, you seem to get sucked into the drama. So I'm SUPER excited to leave the drama!! :) And I am so excited for our new ward!! We have been talking with our Bishop out there and the EQ Pres already called Jacob and talked to him for a good 30 mins! And then today a cute little Southern gal called me up from the ward and lives just down the street from us! I'm glad to get out of a student ward and to have ward members that might actually do their calling. :) Haha, I don't know what it is...but every student ward we have been in...We never have our Hometeachers come!! I get really P.O.'d because it seems that Mormons outside of Utah are the BEST! And students in student wards just don't make the time for putting in their best when it comes to church callings. Like they are busy or something! HAHA.

I beter get back to packing...UGG! Stay tuned for pics of the new home and stories of our adventures driving 12 hours with 2 kids! :)

Emerald likes all her animals to "ride" something. Here she tries to let her ladybug ride on Charlie. Look for the little dance moves she does too. My kids are so freakin cute.

Conference Weekend

We also got glow sticks at Michaels for only a buck and danced the night away! Well, until 9 pm anyway...we were all pooped by then. Amazing how early you go to bed once you have kids.

Here is Emerald's Pumpkin. All sorts of colors. Mostly black.

We painted pumpkins last Monday night. Emerald loved picking out the pumpkins at the store with Uncle Nick. She even lifted them up into her little cart @ Lee's. I heart Lee's. What a great store. People are so nice there.

Pppfff. Lazy parents.


Emerald and Cousin Tyler chillin and watching a movie. (during the Conference sessions of course)

Who needs Toys?

Bees!

Emerald has this love for all creatures...including bees. She calls any bug that flies a Bee. And her new favorite movie is Bee Movie. So I found it fitting to get her a Bee costume.

ATK Test Fire and Golden Spike

We had a picnic in the back of our car to watch the test fire over at ATK.

Somewhat Recent Events

Jacob's 25th Birthday!! Yay! He can rent a car now!

We went to Hollywood! You can barely even see the Hollywood sign...it's actually quite lame. We didn't do a lot while we were there since we will only be living an hour and a half away from L.A.

Emerald at Hogle Zoo with Cousin Tessa.

Charlie is getting even bigger.

We made Play Dough at Aunt Jessica's house and Emerald and Cousin Ethan had a blast!
Great Gma and Gpa Brown came to visit a few times this summer. Emerald really liked serving them tea from her kitchen.

Emerald got a jeep this last summer. I found it at a yard sale for 25 bucks and then Jacob beefed it up with 4 extra batteries. It's awesome. Emerald always wants us to ride with her, so she pats the seat next to her and says, "Sit. Sit Mommy. Sit." She is so demanding. Wonder who she gets that from? :)