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What Has Facebook Done For You? January 30, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Friends, Thoughts , 3comments

This is my friend Cami from high school:

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We reconnected on Facebook.  I love Facebook for this very reason.

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She is so fun and beautiful.  And, she let me take some pictures of her, and her little people. I still don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

But I didn’t tell her that.  :)

Big Thanks January 29, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Birthday, Daily Life, Family , 4comments

Today is my birthday.  I enjoyed a lovely lunch with my sisters, and twin brother at my favorite restaurant this afternoon.  Brian and I will be celebrating again tomorrow night with our significant others.  We just keep dragging the festivities on, and on, and on!

I’d like to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who guessed that I am indeed, YOUNGER than my twin.  It’s nice to be the younger one when you’re getting older.

Oh, and that is the correct answer.  I AM 10 minutes YOUNGER.  :)   I proudly share this statistic with anyone who cares (which is no one).

Also, thank you for all your kind comments on this post.  I wasn’t fishing for compliments, I really just thought it was interesting that I used the same bathroom as these people (okay, maybe not the boys, but you get it) when I was a little kid.

Thanks for your comments, and thanks to all the lurkers who came out of obscurity and made themselves known!  You’re welcome to keep commenting . . .  :)

The Binkie is Back January 28, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Little Man Dallin, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Thoughts , 5comments

The binkie is back.

Hannah is very pleasant to reason with, and didn’t throw a big stink when we conveniently lost her dumb binkie last week.  However, she can be devious, and she conveniently failed to mention to us that if we took her binkie away, she would sleep five fewer hours every 24 hour period.

I need my sleep.

I need her to take quality naps.

If sucking on a binkie will buy me five more hours of personal time, SHE CAN HAVE IT.

This is why the dumb thing is back.

When David miraculously found the stupid thing two nights ago and presented it to her, she lit up like it was the greatest gift.  EVER.  It was at this moment that she decided David was her favorite parent.  Period.

On the other hand, Dallin is still sleeping like a champ, and honestly, that is all I ask for.  He too can have  binkie when he is two and half and speaking in full paragraphs, and asking people what their names are, and identifying colors, and singing along to songs on the radio.

I don’t care.  Because if it makes him happy, and he sleeps 100% better with it.  HE CAN HAVE IT TOO.

Checking off My Christmas List January 22, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Little Man Dallin, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah , 4comments

My eyes flashed open at 4:45 this morning.  It was silent.  Too silent. My heart started to race and I jumped up to check on Dallin . . .

I had not seen him or heard a peep from that little guy since 7:30 P.M. last night.  Nine hours of silence.

Nine whole hours . . .

My mind immediately jumped to the worst.  He must be dead.  SIDS.  I know it. Why else would he not make any noise?

As I tiptoed into the room and peaked into his crib, all my fears were calmed.

He was sleeping.  Soundly.  Looking so peaceful and happy.

When did all this happen?  What was the magical ingredient?  Does this mean all my hard work (and David’s too) has not been in vain?  Has sleep training payed off?

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David and I are HUGE believers in this sleep book.  It worked wonders on Hannah and we have been singing this author praises for over two years now.  I LOVE my sleep.  I want my children to LOVE their sleep too.  This is the beginning of something beautiful.

No more sleep deprivation for me.

No more midnight chit chats with Dallin, more conversations with David.

More personal time in the evening, less mommy duties in the wee hours of unconsciousness.

I love this baby.  He is so stinkin’ adorable!

Today I also spent quality time with my sister, Allison.  We went shopping.  No kids.  Completely unfettered.  It was fun, and very successful.

Tonight, we told Hannah her binkie was lost.  She looked all over the house for it.  When she came to the conclusion, that yes, it was indeed lost somewhere in this house, she just went to bed.  WITHOUT IT.  No fuss.  No meltdown. No issues.  I love reasoning with a two year old.

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This is the beginning of a great night.

Both kids are asleep.  And Hannah kicked her night time binkie habit.

You may have read this Christmas list I posted last month.  I’m checking it off a little at a time.  One item down . . . several more to go . . .

I Have No Clue How to Use This Thing January 21, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Little Man Dallin, My Handsome Husband, Photography, Utah , 6comments

I’m a little intimidated by our new camera.  It has so many buttons, and too many options.  I often find myself taking deep breaths in an attempt to quell the “you-are-totally-under-qualified-to-use-this-camera” feeling that inches its way around my brain when I pick it up.

I’m still pretty sure I don’t know what I’m doing.  I told David I’d read the manual.

Ahem.

Getting right on that one.  (Secretly, I was hoping he would read the manual and give me the Reader’s Digest version.  I mean, I would read it in a second if I could.  Literally.  But there are just so many words . . . can’t I just click it and pray the camera reads my mind and does exactly as I want it to?)

Here are some photos from this week:

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This is my little Man Dallin (or, as Hannah refers to him, DALLIN BOY!).  He is just so stinkin’ cute.  I could eat him.  You would never guess this little angelic face sometimes stays up way too late drinking milk.

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This is our foggy backyard.  Visibility, two feet.

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This is our stinker-dog Paris.  She is always ready for a picture (in hopes of a treat, or a game, or something).

Okay, on to reading the manual.

I’ll be sure to get right on that.

Did We Really Drink the Same Kool-Aid? January 19, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Thoughts , 7comments

Apparently, The grade school I attended was for the “gifted and talented.”  The following is a list of some of my friends who followed their dreams; who focused on developing their talents and sharing them with the world.

Natalie Hill: (you can also find her personal blog on my blogroll) Starred in Grease on Broadway

Jake Black: Professional writer.  Part of Writers Guild of America.  Writes for Smallville, Heroes, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and several others.

Heather Herrick : Writer.  Published in the book “The Mother in Me.”

Guard Young:  Olympian:  Part of the 2004 USA Gymnastic team.

Lindsay Storrs: (you can also find her personal blog on my blogroll)  Meteorologist.  You can see her on Channel 2 in Utah every weekend.

From time to time,I have wondered, did we really drink the same Kool-Aid at Cascade Elementary School?  Eat the same Butterfinger bars?  Play on the same playground and have Mr. Poui as our fourth grade teacher?

One of my resolutions this year is to be a better me.  To be better at whatever it is that I do.

Ahem.

When I figure that out, (you know, when I find my “X” factor) I’ll let you know.

Until then, back to mediocrity!

I Am Not Ashamed January 17, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, My Handsome Husband, Thoughts , 3comments

Tonight, I got caught reading all the confessions comments on the latest post on Pulsipher Predilections.  This post is about confessing secrets, and boy, once you start reading people’s secrets, you can’t stop!

This post made me think.  First, I don’t really have any juicy secrets.  Second, my life is very calm (some may say boring) and I am TOTALLY fine with that.  Third, I do have a few secrets I’m willing to share:

Phew.  That feels better.

The Second Anniversary of My 29th Birthday January 16, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Birthday, Thoughts , 9comments

My twin brother Brian and I will be celebrating the second anniversary of our 29th birthday in a couple of weeks.  It’s not that I have anything against turning 31, or that I hate being a thirty-something now.  I just like being 29.

So this is my twin (and his girlfriend):

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It’s bizarre to think we were born on the same day, same year, in the same hospital, from the same mother. Where we are in our lives is just slightly different.  In fact, our lives are so slightly different, you may not notice the difference at all:

Me:  Married almost 12 years

Him:  Single

Me: Two kids

Him:  None

Me: Living here and there and everywhere like a gypsy

Him: Owns a condo

In many ways, I feel so much older than him, and in others, I feel like his little sister.  What do you think?  Which one of us do you think is 10 minutes older?

This is your chance to speak up!  Blog stalkers and lurkers alike, COMMENT!

And please don’t ask any silly questions like, “Are you identical?”

Because I’m going to ask you to THINK before you SPEAK, and to PLEASE take your FOOT out of your MOUTH. (I know some of you really almost asked this question and are just slightly embarrassed to admit it.  It’s okay, everyone does it.)

(I hope I win!)  :)

Balancing Act January 15, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Little Man Dallin, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Saba , 2comments

At our house, we believe balance is very important.  This is what David starts doing with our kids when they are about two months old:

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Obviously, David loves it.  And there is a 99% chance Dallin will stop crying when David holds him like this.  HE LOVES IT.  Dallin thinks he is so smart, and so cool while standing in his dad’s palms.

Which of course, he is.

David practiced this with Hannah when we she was just a few months old (we lived down in the Caribbean).

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She loved it too and stood super straight with her arms to the side.

If our kids ever make it to the Olympics in gymnastics, we’ll all know where they got their start!

Dinner Date January 14, 2009

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Little Man Dallin, Photography , 3comments

I have a birthday coming up.  For this very reason, a few of my siblings (the ones with January birthdays) got together for dinner at my parents house.  I took Dallin as my date.

He was not excited.

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Too many people all vying for his attention.  This is his “Um . . . where is my mommy?  Mommy?  Mommy?” look.

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This is my sister-in-law.  She has GORGEOUS skin.  Honestly, FLAWLESS.  Kind of makes me sick.  You know?  In the 15 years she has been in the family, I don’t think she’s ever had a bad skin day. EVER.  As for me?  I’m still battling annoying breakouts equal to my adolescent years.  Aren’t you supposed to stop getting zits after the age of 18?  Somebody, please, send my face the memo!

Moving on . . .

This is my twin brother’s girlfriend.

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I love this photo because she looks like a model who has mastered the “easy-breezy-flowing-hair” look, and Dallin looks so uninterested.  Classic.  Plus, I really like her.  So, this is a not-so-subtle nudge to my twin . . . I LIKE HER.  A LOT.

Great food.  Great people.  Great night.