Seven Years!

Happy Anniversary, Matt!

We have been married seven years today. It's been a moment, and it's been a lifetime. I love you Matt! I can't imagine anyone else who would make me happier than you do. You are an amazing person, an amazing father and my best friend. And I can't wait until it's been a hundred and seven years!

A few pictures of our blessings over the last seven years.

Joe eighteen months

Emily, two days old

Mary, two days old, with Joe, four years

Mary, 3 months

Emily, two years old

Another Christmas

We had a wonderful - and quiet - Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve we had a wonderful ham dinner and then we sung carols with the kids and Matt read the Christmas story. The whole day just had a peaceful, happy feeling about it. It was so nice to be able to just spend time with the family.

On Christmas morning, we woke up at around seven and opened presents. Mary had been up for all but about four hours during the night (perfect timing there, chica!!), so Matt and I were more than a little bleary-eyed. Mary got a little car that she rides in and someone pushes. When she came down the stairs, she walked right over to it and sat inside it for more of the rest of Christmas morning. Emily got a little scooter. Joe got a special letter from Santa and a much coveted "Santa Buck" which he redeemed at the store the next day for a Transformer toy that he is very happy with. (Yes, some lame-o parents couldn't get it together in time). His favorite thing was the "dust from Santa's workshop" that was in the envelope (that looks curiously like gold glitter).

After lunch we went to a park to play for a little while (60 degrees on Christmas Day - what is that about? Matt loves that, though. I think I would have rather been in the blizzard in Utah, but, it was nice to get out and play). The rest of the day was leisurely and nice. It was simple and great.

I love the time we get to take out and remember the Savior and the hope and joy we have because he was born and lived to fulfil His divine purpose of coming to the earth. It's sad to see this time of year go, but I feel renewed and filled with a fresh resolve to go forward and make this new year even better. It is so fitting that Christmas comes right before the New Year. We can stop and remember and refocus and then we get to start over. What a blessing!

Early Christmas Present

Joe went to the doctor this afternoon and got his cast removed!!! Yay for Joe!

Before

The nurse and the saw

The appendage is removed and the stinky foot is revealed! (hooray for simplified baths!!)

The girls were more freaked out than Joe. Mary was crying and Emily was really nervous. But it all turned out alright in the end. We are all way excited to be done with this! Joe kept commenting on how small his foot was. He asked if his cast smashed his leg. I explained about the muscles and all of that, but I thought that was funny that he thought the cast smashed his leg. He was nervous to walk on his foot until we had been home for about ten minutes, but now he's running around like normal. Now I have to start reminding him to not run and jump on it (he's got two weeks before he can have the go-ahead - He's a six year old boy! Like that's going to happen! Sheesh!)

Merry Christmas early, Joe!

Locks of Love

Almost six months ago, I decided to donate to Locks of Love. I just wanted to grow it out a little more so that it wasn't quite as short when I finally did cut it. On Thursday, I finally took the plunge. I am SOOOO excited to have short hair again! I love long hair, but I just don't fix it enough. I end up keeping it in a ponytail 99% of the time. And now that it's short, it is a lot curlier and it actually takes me less time to do it curly than it took me to put it in a ponytail when it was long. Hurray for easy and not in a ponytail! I cut off 11 inches.

Before

(I figured there's such a subtle difference I needed labels!)

After - and ten lbs lighter!!

(Joe took the after pictures)

Namaste

I was reading a book recently that said that her friends from India greet one another by bringing their hands together, bowing slightly and saying "Namaste". Roughly translated, "Namaste" means "I honor the Deity within you." I'm making the jump that the author's information is correct, but I found that so profound. I really want to get to the point where I recognize the divinity in every person I meet and treat them accordingly. I have pondered this often over the last week or two, but, alas, once I leave that ivory tower, I slip back into crazy self-absorbed Cathy. I hope to one day be able to focus and act the way I really want to. I have met people who are so gifted at this, so I know it's possible. I just need to watch them and do what they do. And I suppose praying for charity would probably help too! Anyway. Thanks for letting me share my musings.

FYI

Apparently, Emily's name has been changed to Max and mine has been changed to Charlie - or Jail (she keeps changing her mind on that one). Thought you'd want to make a note of the change.

Inventive Ways of Telling the Truth

Whenever two children are off together and suddenly one of them starts crying, you automatically can deduce what took place. Tonight, Joe came downstairs crying holding his head. He and Emily had been playing upstairs together. Joe let us know that Emily had thrown one of the toy blocks at his head. Like a typical parent we made sure there was no lasting damage then called Emily over. This is where the difficulty of parenthood comes in (no, not just how to discipline children, but keeping a straight face while doing it).

Matt: Emily, did you throw a block at Joe

Emily: No

Matt: Did you throw a block at all?

Emily: No

Matt: Did a block hit Joe in the head?

Emily: No

Matt: Why is Joe crying then?

Emily (completely straight faced and without even a pause): Because he doesn't like it when I throw things at him.

After a minute of having to look out the window, wipe our mouths, and hide under the blanket we were able to send her to time out.

Student Pick-up Derby

It's a well documented fact that if you give even the most mild mannered individual four wheels and car keys they undergo an alarming and immediate transformation. But, call me naive, I thought that even that transformation had its exceptions.

Since Joe broke his leg, I haven't been able to walk to pick him up from school, so I have become a regular in the "car rider line". For those who are blissfully ignorant, after school, if you pick up your child as opposed to having them ride the bus, you have to arrive obscenely early in order to actually be able to see the school from your spot in the line of cars occupied by other eagerly waiting parents and caregivers. When the children are finally released from school, they file into the gym and sit in lines and wait. Then school administrators dismiss one or two children at a time as their parents get to the front of the car rider line. It's amazing how much safety precautions have changed since I went to school. (insert favorite "when I was a kid..." story here). Anyway. This all seems pretty straight forward, right? You get there, wait your turn, pick up your child, and leave. Here's where the crazy transformation comes in. I have seen parents in their own vehicles of destruction dart around two or three cars as the line is moving forward in order to get a closer place in line. I have seen others cutting off cars to get out of the parking lot first. I have seen cars tearing past the line going at least fifteen miles an hour (remember this is a parking lot where children - including pre-k - are running around getting into cars etc). It has just absolutely amazed me. Is five minutes of your time really worth causing bad feelings at best and killing a child at worst? I think sometimes we adults need to go back to school and learn how to take turns, and share, and speak nicely to each other. It certainly couldn't hurt!

Cute Mary Pictures

Good morning, Mary!

"Let me help you with that"

If looks could kill!

Quite a Fantasy World

The other morning, Matt asked Emily what she dreamed about. She said "Princesses." Like she does every morning. Matt asked if she had any animals. She said yes and started to list them. Matt asked what their names were, and she didn't even miss a beat, but listed them all off. My favorite was her giraffe named Fernander Spankleton. She said this all happened in the kingdom of Matriby.

A Visit From Stephanni Myers

Not that Stephanni Myers - the one that WE love.

Matt's mom came to visit this last week and we had so much fun! The kids were sad the whole way home from the airport. In the airport, Emily didn't really say goodbye, and she was just kind of not paying attention, but when we went out to the parking lot, she said "Where's grandma?" Finally, by the time we left the airport and hit the freeway, she started to understand that Grandma was really gone. This morning she said "Grandma needs to leave Utah. I don't like Utah." We miss you already, grandma Myers!

Joe's birthday party

"Don't even think about taking my picture!"

Happy Birthday to me! Yesterday

I had a WONDERFUL birthday this year. Matt threw me a surprise party on Saturday, and I actually was surprised. I had a little inkling that he was doing something, but I had NO idea that he was doing it on Saturday. Friends came over and visited and played games, and it was so fun to see them. And, he got me an elliptical! I'm so excited, because I can't use a treadmill (because of my knees), so that's one of the only kinds of exercise equipment I can use. It's going to be so great for the post-baby workouts!! I was worried about walking or jogging with all the little ones, but this solves the problem. Matt's amazing!! We spent yesterday with Matt's wonderful mother who came to stay with us this week, and then took her to the airport. Thank you for visiting Grandma Myers!!

On Joe's birthday, he said the morning family prayer, and he prayed that this year he would make good choices since he's six. I think that is a perfect thing to be thinking about when looking over the coming year. I definitely hope I make good - and better - choices this next year. I hope I'm further along in the direction I would like to be rather than just kind of treading water. I hope I can look back on this coming year and say "Wow! I really accomplished a lot, and it was a great year."

Big 6

Happy Birthday, Joe!
We are so excited to have you in our family!

Today in the life of Joe.
He still has his cast on from breaking his leg.
He loves the draw and cut things out.
He loves school and his teacher.
His best friend is Denae.
He loves to run.
His favorite color is blue.
His favorite movie is the Justice League.
His favorite superhero is Superman.
His favorite food is pizza or creamed-egg on toast.
His favorite thing to do is "kick dad's trash"

We love you Joe!!

Grandma!

Grandma Meirs is coming today! The kids - especially Joe - can't even wait. All week when Joe has said the family prayer, he asks that she'll drive safely and then that she'll fly safely and then that she'll drive from the airport to our house safely. I guess he wants to cover all of the bases. It'll be so fun to have her visit!

Life in Real Time

What do migraines and children have in common?

Neither one cares about your "To do" list.

But, at least one has the cuteness factor going for it.

Yay!!

So, at least one person caught it from the video. We are going to have another baby!! I'm due June 16th and we can't wait! Well. We can wait, but we are really really excited!



Cute comments from the kids about the baby:



I asked Mary if she's excited to have a brother. She responded by putting her hand over her mouth and blowing a raspberry. Then I asked if she wanted a sister and she got a big grin on her face.



Emily asked if I could get her a brother. I told her I'd work on it.

Emily said that when she has a baby in her tummy she is going to have fun, and she's going to name her "Nursery Contessa".

Joe asked what we were going to call the baby, and we told him that we didn't know yet because we didn't know if it was going to be a boy or a girl. He got a completely amazed look on his face and said "I want it to be a boy!" I guess it had never occurred to him that that was an option.

Mary's one note symphony

Mary has cemented her vocabulary.

(again with the editing. The first 45-60 seconds are about all you need to watch, then it's more of the same for familial type people to obsess over)

PS There's a little nugget of news embedded in one of the questions in the video. See if you can pick it out.