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The Greatest Candy in the Whole Wide World, FOUND! September 3, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Parenthood, Princess Hannah , 3comments

Hannah and I were out for a little “mommy and me” time when lunch crept up on us and before we knew it, I was ready to inhale a couch and Hannah could have scarfed down a love seat.

Being the perfect mother that I am, I drove to the nearest gas station/grocery store I could find.

It happened to be a Walgreens and Hannah asked to eat Starbursts for lunch.  Heck, she could eat 12 packs of Starbursts for all I cared!  We needed food and FAST.

As I quickly surveyed the unfamiliar store, I noticed some starburst-like candy by the register.

Perfect I thought.  We’ll take 290 packs.

And then . . .

I shrieked!

HOLY HANNAH!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

HI-CHEW my friends!  Have you not read my post about HI-CHEW, the greatest candy in the whole wide world?  (Please, read here!)

I must be doing something right for the universe to plant such wonderful candy at my fingertips in the USA of all places.

Seriously people, you have never tasted a party in your mouth until you try this candy.

We bought LOTS of packs.  We needed them!  I believe in a healthy lunch just as much as the next mom, so I was sure to get a variety of fruit flavors so Hannah could have lots of fruit in her lunch.  :)

David was as equally excited as I was with this gold mine of a find.

The big question is this . . . now that I don’t have to buy 100 pounds of this candy (clearing out every store I can) when I go to Asia, what am I going to buy to put in it’s place?

Honestly, I was telling Hannah about this great candy and how I would bring some back from China in a few months, and now . . .well . . . should I save the luggage space and just visit my local Walgreen’s store on the way home from the airport?

Custom Made Child September 1, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Parenthood, Princess Hannah , 5comments

There are days that I feel totally and completely inadequate as a mother.  A few weeks ago, I ran into a friend of mine at Thanksgiving Point (we were at the petting zoo) who was there with her four children who are all under the age of FOUR.  Yes, she has a four year old and triplets who are almost two.

She was there, with no assistant, with TRIPLETS.

(Deep breath, deep breath . . .)

The Lord knows better than to send me triplets because I would never dare to leave the house.  EVER.

Yet, there she was, happy, beautiful, and skinny as ever, with her FOUR kids in tow.

I was excited to see her, yet felt totally inadequate in her supermom presence because I brought my niece along to assist me with my TWO children.  I really prefer the odds of one-on-one versus two-on-one.

Last night as I was working on several images for clients, Hannah walked up to me and said, “Mommy, you are the perfect parent for me.”

WHAT?!

I stopped straightaway and looked at her standing there with her arms outstretched.  I squeezed her and thanked her for telling me that and then she said, “This calls for some celery!”

And then I was all, um, where have I done you wrong?  Celery is not a common food of choice for celebrations, but who am I to tell her any different?  She thinks I’m a perfect parent!

More fun things she said last week:

Thank Thee to live on the earth and to live in life.  (Overheard during one of her personal prayers.)

Jesus, why did you make Emme not walk?  I was just wondering.  (Hannah asking very specific questions in her prayers.)

Mom, I really like living on earth.

One of my favorite conversations with her came last night as well when she said, “Mom, can we go to China?  Kai-lan lives there and they use chopsticks!”

I told her it was too far away . . . it’s further than New York (she knows how long that drive is!) and it would just be too long of a trip to take her right now.  I then told her I was planning a trip there in a few months, but I couldn’t take her. With a sad face she looked at me and said, “Oh.”

I thought for a second and said, “Hey princess!  I’ll bring you some chop sticks!” And she was all, “You will?  Oh you are the NICEST mommy EVER!”

In that moment, I realized for the millionth time that this child was custom made for me.  Not only does she think I’m perfect, but she is totally happy with a booby prize of chop sticks!

I love this kid.

Almost 4000 Pictures in Four Weeks and These are the First of My Kids August 30, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Little Man Dallin, Photography, Princess Hannah , 3comments

I’ve shot almost 4,000 pictures of other people since the end of July.  Not one of them was of my kids.

Terrible.  I know.

It’s almost the end of August, and these are the first pictures I’ve taken of my kids.

I know.  Time to gasp.  :)  But seriously, a large part of me felt completely guilty for NOT recording their sweet little faces in almost a month.  I mean, capturing my kids was the whole reason I pursued photography in the first place.

You know you take a lot of pictures when your four-year-old throws her hands up to cover her eyes and says, “MOM!  WHY DID YOU BRING OUT THE REFLECTOR!”

Well, because the lighting called for it.

Without the reflector, the lighting looks like this:

Grey, dark, and dingy.  THIS is not at all what a nice warm summer day feels like!

She tolerated the reflector when she looked away. (Or she may have been so busy and important filling up her pool with cold irrigation water that nothing could bother her concentration.)

I also like taking pictures of my little guy.  He is one handsome fella who can’t say “reflector” yet, so he has yet to lecture me on my equipment of choice when photographing him.

On the other hand, he does ask me, “What are you doing?” about 100 times a day.    Half of the time I feel interrogated (the inflection in his voice is quite convincing!) and I think, “Seriously, YOU ARE TWO!  I shouldn’t have to answer to you!”

But he is such a cute two-year-old.  :)

Probably Should Start Paying Her to Babysit August 11, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Little Man Dallin, Parenthood, Princess Hannah, Thoughts , 2comments

When I check on Hannah right before I get into bed, I love it when I find her like this:

She is in pure sleeping bliss.

I also love it when she entertains Dallin in the morning while I try to pull myself out of my deep-sleep-coma.

This kid should be earning an allowance!

She brought in a little step so she could dump toys into Dallin’s crib so he would be happy.  Then, she pulled up a chair, and proceeded to “read” a made up princess story while holding her travel size Book of Mormon.  I love how they are feet to feet.  Hannah is one good little mother-hen around here!

Fearless Dancer August 3, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Princess Hannah , 1 comment so far

Hannah’s ballet group performed a number from Swan Lake last week.

Oh my heck.  It was beyond cute.

Of course I video taped it as well, but uploading videos on my blog is so complicated to me.  Unfortunately, it may be a while before I get the video on here and you can see for yourself how much this little one likes to dance.  Even after the dance was over, Hannah lingered on stage, performing an “interpretive” dance for the audience.

This child is fearless.

And extremely adorable.

The Party July 28, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Parenthood, Princess Hannah, Utah , 6comments

A very special somebody just turned four . . .

I may have gone a little overboard planning this party, but how could I not?  Hannah is just so dang ADORABLE.

Big tent?  Check.

Good food?  Check.

Barbie cake?  Check.

Warm water in the pool? Check.

Lot’s of friends?  Check.

Yes.  Oh yes.  I made this cake.  (Stop snickering right now, you know I have culinary skills when I apply myself.)

Turns out, doll cakes are pricey, (OK, pricey is relative, so pricey for a “recently graduated from medical school” family) so instead of buying one, (I may have gasped at the price at the bakery, but after I made the cake, I would have charged five times that much!) I decided to make one.

How hard could it be?  Seriously?

One very unsuccessful bunt cake later, I ended up buying two angel food cakes and layering them.  Decorating was the easy part, getting Barbie the right height without chopping off her body, was the difficult part.

Everyone had a great time, and I heard the cake was delicious.  (I felt like trash that day, so I didn’t eat one thing.  Just looking at Hannah’s cake made me want to vomit.)

Hannah is one sweet little girl and she had a fabulous time with her “too many” friends.

Happy birthday Hannah!

Check Out My Photo Blog! July 21, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Photography, Princess Hannah , 2comments

My niece is getting married this weekend, so my family is coming together.

This is my younger sister, Allison, and her family who flew in from Wisconsin for the big event.  I photographed them earlier this week, so check out my photo blog to see more from their session.  :)

I’m slightly jealous of her fabulous hair color.  I know she paid for it, but still . . .

Also, for those of you who are interested, I posted a tutorial on how to photograph fireworks on my photo blog as well.

On top of having a wedding this week, and spending lots of time with my family, we also have two birthdays (David and Hannah) and I’m not sure who’s more excited for Hannah’s 4th birthday, her or me!

A Snap Shot of the Last Few Days July 20, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Little Man Dallin, Parenthood, Photography, Princess Hannah, Utah , 3comments

Here is a string of somewhat unrelated, snap shots from the iphone over the last week.  I don’t always want to lug my camera gear around, so every once in a while, I snap pictures on the iphone.  Not always ideal, but hey, I took pictures, right?

Every Monday night this summer, we have attended concerts in the amphitheater.

Sometimes, Hannah gets really into the music, and feels compelled to dance for everyone.

It’s adorable.

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When Pigs Fly . . .

I can’t say that statement to my kids to drive a point home because they pointed out a pig in the sky on our way to a parade!

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I can only imagine how our kids are going to react when we take them to Disneyland someday . . .

Because these little carnival rides had them bursting out of their own skin in excitement.

Check out Dallin’s face!  I swear he’s having the time of his life . . . he just hasn’t told his face yet!

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I love this picture . . .

Nothing. and I mean nothing, makes my heart explode out of my chest like this.  I love to hear Dallin yell, “HAND” to Hannah.  Oh. My.  Heck.  They hold hands all the time when we’re driving.  This makes the trip pleasant for everyone.

Dang.  Why do kid have to be so cute?

No Fear of the Dentist Here July 19, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Parenthood, Photography, Princess Hannah, Thoughts, Utah , 2comments

Going to the dentist is usually the most traumatizing experience of our young lives.  Most of us have a physical reaction to the sound and smell of THE DRILL.

Oh.  My.  I think I’m going to barf right now.

Last week, I took Hannah to the dentist to get a cavity filled.  You know what I was thinking, “LUCKY ME!”

She had to get ONE cavity filled. One cavity mind you.

When we walked into the office, Hannah was elated to find toys, and people to talk to.  When they called our name, Hannah skipped over to the dental assistant and promptly said, “My name is Hannah!”

She then hopped right into the chair and crossed her legs, settling back into a comfortable position.  I kept thinking, “Oh my, she has NO IDEA what’s in store!”  And then I started to panic, thinking that I WOULD be the parent she looked at as the one who deceived her!  The one who took her to her doom!   The one who ruined her sweet innocent life!  Oh my heck!  Why was I on dentist duty?  There are two of us!  Hello?  Where is David when dental duty calls?

The dental assistant told Hannah she needed to take a picture of her teeth, and Hannah smiled and said, “My mommy is a photo-grapher!  She takes TOO MANY pictures!”  She then held up all ten fingers and blinked them several times to convey her message.

Looking at her x-rays, Hannah needed FOUR cavities filled.

Seriously, I was all, could you just hand me the gas and put me out for this session?  Heaven help this dentist.

The dentist walked in, chatted with Hannah, put the gas on her, and went to town.  She watched Cars (the movie) on the flat screen panel on the ceiling . . .  relaxed as a cool cat.

Quiet as can be, and giggling at the movie.  Not once did she un-cross her legs from her comfy position.  After the dentist gave her a couple of shots, the dentist asked her a question and she said, “No thank you.”

WHAT?  Where is the trauma?  Where is the fear?  Is she not going to grow up hating and fearing dentists like the rest of the world?

40 minutes later, her mouth was as good as new.

As I walked out to settle my $995 bill, the girl behind the desk told me I was not going to be charged, and that the services were complimentary.

Oh.  My.

I don’t fear or hate the dentist anymore.  In fact, I quite like him!  Thank you Mr. Dentist for taking pity on my life as the wife of a recently graduated medical student, and thank you Hannah for making his job so easy and tipping the scale in our favor.

Gosh, and I was just starting to think that life basically sucked and that most people were selfish jerks.

Well, shut my mouth.

Speaking of mouths . . . here are some notable comments from Hannah in the last few weeks:

“Why Did the Easter Rabbit bring me a broken movie?”  (The DVD she got for Easter is scratched.) He SHOULDN’T DO THAT!

“Mom!  You can just drop me off!  You don’t have to stay!” (I took her to visit the kindergarten class my sister teaches and Hannah was mortified that I was hanging around.  She totally thinks she’s as big as all the other kids, and who taught her it’s not cool to have your mom go to school with you?!)

“Mom, if you told me a lie, we would have to talk about it.”

“My tears are too wet!  I can’t even talk!”

“Mommy, if you die, then daddy will marry a really nice step-mother.”  (WHAT THE HECK?!?!  David and I have NO idea where she came up with this.)

“I’m not a doctor.  Only daddy is a doctor.  I’m just a super hero.”

“Mommy!  We can’t forget to pray!  Heavenly Father will be so sad if he doesn’t hear my sweet little voice!  Mommy!  YOU.  SHOULD.  NOT.  FORGET!”  (I almost forgot her night time prayer during one bed time routine.  Heaven help me to never forget again!)

“Look!  My tithing built that temple!”  (Hannah, confident the Draper temple was built on the 80 cents she paid in tithing last month.)

“Mommy are you not perfect?  Are you just a parent?”

“The life-jacket-police said I was too little to go down the water slide by myself.  Why did they say that?  I’m big enough, and I have BIG muscles!”

“Daddy . . . is this Colbie Callet singing?”  (Listening to a song on the radio, which indeed was Colbie Callet)

“Waking you guys up is my biggest job.  IT.  IS.  REALLY.  HARD.  It makes me so tired, that I have to go back to sleep!”  (Hannah explaining the disadvantages of being an early riser.)

“I want to get on Barbie.com!  Oh!  Oh!  And Nickjr.com too!”  (WHAT?!  Maybe no more TV ads until you’re 18!)

The 13th Anniversary . . . SERIOUSLY? July 17, 2010

Posted by Emily in : My Handsome Husband, Parenthood, Princess Hannah, Thoughts , 2comments

Today is our 13th anniversary.

I don’t think any other sentence could make me feel older.  (OK, don’t start offering suggestions, I’m just sayin’ . . .)  13 years.  WOW.  Seriously?  Where has time gone?

One of our favorite movies is The Family Man (2001).  When we saw it in the theaters 10 years ago, I vividly remember a line Kate (Tea Leoni) said to Jack (Nicholas Cage): “How can you look at me like that?  Like you haven’t seen me everyday for the last 13 years?”

I remember thinking, “Man, they have been married FOREVER!”

Well.  Here we are friends.

We kicked off our anniversary last night by going to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.  Apparently, 10,000 other people had the same idea.  Still, our seats were good and the entertainment was amazing.  We then enjoyed a walk around downtown barefoot.  OK, now before you gag and throw up a LOT in your mouth, just know that LOTS of other people decided to go barefoot as well . . . I should know better than to hoof it all over town in shoes not conducive to walking long distances.  My feet felt so much better on the warm streets.  David on the other hand, is always barefoot, so this was just a normal night, for him . . . walking around downtown SLC barefoot.

We came home to our sweet sleeping children, and thought about drifting off to sleep ourselves until . . .

BLEH!  BLEH!  BLEH!

What the heck?!

Hannah started vomiting!  David stayed up with her all night while she vomited every 15 to 30 minutes while I got some shut eye.  I knew I made a good choice when I picked my spouse!

Up next?  David’s birthday, Hannah’s birthday, Jess’ wedding, Pioneer Day, and one big family party.  (Not to mention four photo shoots next week!  EEK!)

And that’s just the next seven days.

Oh boy!

I look forward to many more anniversaries with the one that God made for me!