Our 1st fire of the Winter...

Silly to blog about I know, but the other night we had our first fire this year. We were hesitant because Willow is still so little and we were sure she would try to climb in, but it turned out fine. The kids loved crumpling up all the newspaper and watching it burn. It felt so nice to sit by it eeven if it only lasted 20 minutes. Good try kids!

It has begun.

Tristin has received the "Gator Award" at school several times each year and part of the reward was picking 2 people to come to school and eat lunch with him. The girls and I always packed our lunches and skipped off to school so excited to be with him... until yesterday.

I guess I was wrong in assuming we would be the 'chosen ones." because when I dropped him off yesterday morning- I said, "I'll see you at lunch time." And then came the sad, sad words... "Oh Mom, I picked Liam & Ms Hansen instead."

All of a sudden my heart broke and I said, "But Tristin, we've been talking about it all week, you never mentioned that you wanted other people. Grace will be sad too, I've been planning on it all week."
He said, "Mom, are you mad at me?" and in my hurt voice I said, "No, I'm not mad, my feelings are just hurt."
All of a sudden, Jenny McCarthy's voice came into my mind from the previous day on Oprah when she was talking about women being manipulative, and it hit me- I was trying to get my way and it was really about what Tristin wanted! Stop it Emily!!!
I swallowed my pride and said, "Buddy, who do you want at the table?" and he said" Liam & Ms Hansen." And I said "Ok, have a good day. I love you."

Although I drove away in tears, I realized that it was about what he wanted, it was his choice and I had to realize that for the rest of our lives, this was going to happen.
He apoligized when he came home and we talked about it for a few minutes. I told him, "Lets just agree to talk about things next time so we both know what to expect, I'm not mad at all, I'm glad you had a fun lunch." He then said, "I'll invite you next time Mom."
I joked to Trav that I'm not the cool Mom anymore, but putting that aside, I love to see him make choices and stick to his guns when he wants something. Looking back it was great to see him standing up for his decision even when he thought it would hurt my feelings. It was just a neat moment that seriously made me cry.

Birthday dinner with the girls...

Last night my friends and I went to Red Robin for my birthday and we had the best time! It was so wonderful to be around incredible women, eat way too much food, open fabulous presents, enjoy a few hours without the kids, talk, cry and be uplifted by one another. It was just what I needed- thank you amazing friends for loving me and for the 100 pounds of junk food I received (and the other super awesome presents!)

Miss Annikan...

I just had to take a few minutes to say thank you to one of my best friends- my dear sweet Annikan. I love her so much and I appriciate her friendship in my life. I love our Target runs, our Sonic splurges, organizing closets together, years worth of having yard sales together, how funny she is, her dedication to getting out of debt, her self control, her amazing love for her family, her cute garage door, always being there for me, her pop addictions, brining me Panda Express in the hospital after giving birth, how she is ALWAYS there at every party or get together- cleaning up & helping me, how she always listens and offers advice, her super cute quilt abilities, our "brick house" shopping trip,how she knows when I'm "off" and offers to cheer me up, her sweater fettish, how she gives it her all, how she tries so hard not to swear, how she supports her husband, loves her friends and is simply amazing all the time.
Annikan- thank you for this past week. I love you so much and I thank Heavenly Father everyday we are friends. You have truely been a blessing in my life.
Now lets start painting!!!

Noodle Bath!!!

All day long all I heard was, "Mom, can we take our noodle bath yet?"
Well, finally the blessed event was upon us and we had a blast. We played, we laughed and we made a huge mess. What a great day!

More fun...

The Noodle Bath...

Once again, I apoligize for the swim suit shots, believe me, these lingering 100 pounds were the last thing I wanted to share with all of you, trust me!
It was another successful noodle bath tonight as we all hopped in and squished noodles between our toes and shoved handfuls down our bathing suits. the kids were laughing, noodles were flying and I was just trying to keep the cleavage covered! We definatly didn't put as many packs in this year. My guess is only 30 this time (no seasoning!). Regaurdless of the mess Trav is now cleaning up, it was fun and worth it. My favorite part is finding dried ramen noodles all over the house for the next week!

Singing Happy Birthday...

Trav bought a yummy birthday cake, and it took awhile to assemble 31 candles on it, but I think we got it!

Dinner at Goodwood...

If I were to die tomorrow, my last meal would be at Goodwood. I completely adore their Club sandwich. It is beautiful, ginormous and the best thing in the world- which is why we had to go tonight! It was heaven. The kids loved their ribs too!

31 things you should know about me...

In honor of my old age today, I thought I would share 31 "amazing" things about myself, in no paticuliar order:
(Yes, today is my 31st birthday!)

1- I have an INTENSE, I mean GINORMOUS fear of cliffs &/or roads with no railings. My fear is actually somewhat paralizing. I will have panic attacks while on road trips- it's honestly awful. In my mind I see us driving off the edge and dying. Nothing calms it either- I just shake, cry and hyperventilate.
2- I was nominated most unique in High School (but darn it, the other girl won!)
3- I am insainly OBSESSED with The Office.
4-I have repeating dreams that my teeth are falling/crumbling out of my mouth.
5-I have never broken a bone.
6- I am not a Facebook girl, sorry!
7- I have over 2500 emails to look through & delete right now.
8- I average 4-5 hours of sleep a night.
9- I ADORE motorcycles.Especially rides with my Dad. Just not when I'm 7 months pregnant!! (let's not do that again!)
10- I think the orchard is a magical place.
11- I wouldn't survive without yard sales.
12- I am addicted to chapstick. (If I was on a deserted island- that would be my 1 item.)
13- I ADORE super HOT baths. The kind that make you a little dizzy afterwards and you have to lay down just to recover. They are the best.
14-I have a sweating problem. End of subject.
15-I used to think texting was pointless.
16-Sadly, I do not have a savings account.
17-I have had migrains since I was 12 & still do.
18-I still collect starburst wrappers for my chain that I started when I was 16.
19- Sugar makes everything better.
20- I HATE change.
21-I order the same exact thing off the menu at every resturant. I never switch.
22- One day I want to publish my Rosco the Talking Giraffe stories. (I wrote them when I was in 6th grade. I always wanted my brother Jesse to illistrate. P.S *I don't think I've ever told him that.)
23- I have over 30 journals.
24- I don't wear nail polish on my fingers because I think it clashes with the color of the ring I wear on my right hand.
25- My favorite stores are: Target, Costco, Old Navy & ANY craft/fabric store.
26- I still have a crush on Michael Bolton (Leave me alone! I have loved him ever since I was a little girl. I saw him in concert with my Mom when I was 5 months pregnant with Daisy. I thought for sure he would scoop me up and take me with him.)
27- I don't sing in front of many people. It stems from my best friends wanting to hear me sing in Jr, High. I was too embarressed and I still am.
28- I do not enjoy cooking, although I pray to have the desire.
29- I LOVE 8:00 PM bedtime.
30- I'm not big into snuggling.Especially when I'm about to fall asleep, I need my space.
31- I am VERY claustrophobic. I always have to sit on an end.


There you have it. 31 life changing things about me!