its in the genetics

In Emmitt's lengthy 9 months of life, he has been very content to play with non-gendered and girl toys. He has enjoyed all of Kelsey and Kendal's old baby and toddler toys, and even the occasional Barbie, because I have not purchased new toys for him. Until Christmas.

I have no idea how he knows that his new fire truck and tractor should be pushed along the carpet as he crawls alongside of it. I truly think that knowledge comes along with the boy genes and that XY chromosome pairing.

I was absolutely amazed that he knew what to do with his firetruck about 3 minutes after it was opened. Amazing!

My dad gave him a John Deere tractor and he loves it. He "drives" it all over the floor also. It seriously makes me giggle. Soon I suppose he will start doing the sound that is hidden deep within his little boy brain and suppressed by his inability to talk and his 2 older sisters!

I love this little hammer that Santa left for him. He loves it too. Dang, Kendal and Kelsey wish they had one too!

bonds

Soon after having Emmitt, so many ladies told me about the mother-son bond they felt they had with their sons. I told them I didn't feel anything different with Emmitt than I did with my girls when they were wonderful little newborns.


But this little man has me totally wrapped around his cute little toe. Maybe there is a different bond I share with him than I did/do with my girls. It is not good, or worse, or bad, or better, just different. I just love him to pieces, I loved my girls to pieces too when they were this age though. I am not sure if it truly is a different bond or if it has just been so long since I have had a baby in my arms that looks at me with so much love and trust that it just melts my heart.

When they are this age, I feel like I know them better than they know themselves. I know what is best for them and they depend on me in EVERY way to provide what they need. So maybe there honestly is a mother-son love that differs from mother-daughter love, or just maybe I love being a mother to a sweet baby again. He refreshes me. Yesterday the girls were playing dress ups and bickering a little bit. I took Emmitt in the front room, away from the chaos and just loved on him and watched him. It was so refreshing. He is so sweet and innocent, and full of love and trust.

ramble

I spent the morning visiting some older ladies in the neighborhood today. There are truly amazing ladies around here with great stories to share, let alone their nearly lost talents! One lady had a pecan pie in her oven that smelled FABULOUS, one lady who is 93 years old is as spry as a willow and has an immaculate but very pleasant and welcoming home built in 1893 or something like that, another lady loves ancient art and has Egyptian art on her walls, and yet one more lady who grows the most gorgeous dahlias is like a grandmother to me even though mine is already gone. It was a very wonderful morning.

I picked Kendal up from preschool and tried to find Almond Bark in this town to make some delicious neighbor treats for Christmas. I couldn't find any! Most people thought I was crazy!

It has been snowing a little here today so when we got home from our Almond Bark expedition, I put Emmitt down for a nap, got Kendal coloring, and sat down and read a book. It was a perfect winter hour. Truly.

Kelsey is due home soon and we will begin the neighborhood treat baking and try to make the best of the Almond Bark predicament!

Hope everyone is enjoying this Christmas season. I did the last of my running around for 'one last gift' yesterday. I got the binding of a quilt intended for a gift put on a few days ago, and our tree finally put in on Saturday. The wood is in and at the moment our driveway is clear. All is well and wonderful here.

Hope everyone can enjoy this wonderful Christmas season and celebrate our Savior's birth with a happy heart and home.

Last night I was sitting on one of three bar stools addressing Christmas cards. Kendal moved the other 2 bar stools a few feet away and lined them up with assorted stuffed animals. She then came up to me and said "Mom, I need that chair." I said "No honey, I am sitting here right now." She then said impatiently "I need that chair right now please." Again I told her I was sitting on it and I was busy. Then she said very slowly "One, two, three. Now gimme that chair."
I gave her the chair.

14 years baby!

Today is our anniversary. Yep, 14 years ago today we were tying a big fat knot of love!

Engagement pictures

The typical 'Clean Cut Mormon' photo - this one went in the newspaper.



I think this is the one on our announcements.
My hair has never been that long since!


The first dance as man and wife.





1995 - Back in the day of big hair and big lines.



1999




When we used to ski a little.
Check out this Georgetown sweatshirt - it showed up alot today when I was searching through scrapbook photos.
Actually, the funny part is that I wore that shirt yesterday.
I bought it my senior year of high school when I went to Washington DC.



2001
Corvallis, Oregon
This is our apartment and our good friend Joe.
(same shirt)



Gold Beach, Oregon
2001



4 Corners

Feb 2002

Kelsey was 11 days old

My old brother-in-laws bike. 2002

Midway, UT

Yes, Kelsey is wearing a garbage bag in the rain. August 2002

Mazatlan

Christmas 2003

Camping on Boulder Mountain 2004

Our 2 year old surprised us and took our picture!

2004



Christmas 2006

Summer 2007 when Kendal was super sick and on nasty meds.

I suppose I am glad I took pictures of her like this, because it would be hard to remember and hard to believe now!

August 2008 Payette Lake, ID

Bringing our little man home - March 2009

Last night

Matt and I have lived so many places and seen so many things together. We are lucky to still be together and living our happy little life. We both finished college together, did the vet school thing together, fought fire together, lived on only me working and making $9.00/hour together, moving 17 times during our first 7 years of marriage together, made 3 beautiful children together, have lived 6 1/2 years with Matt's 75 mile commute to work together, and just working and playing through it all together.

Thanks Matty for a good life. I love you so much. You are My Lavi.

Candlelight Christmas

Last week Amanda and I attended another Utah Civil War Association Event. This time Mark, Amanda's husband, came and it was held at This is the Place Heritage Park. They always have something called Candlelight Christmas from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I suppose it is the 'cool' thing to do in Salt Lake City during the Holiday Season. The park folks asked the association to portray Johnston's Army that was in SLC in 1858. That means the association soldiers were supposed to sit around a fire, try to keep warm, and talk about family and home. That is exactly what we did!

This event is normally only attended by the guys, but Amanda and I can not be still and silent! We asked if we could come for the evening and thankfully they said yes. So we decided to butter them up with food! Amanda made some good ole' southern cornbread, I made some beans and bacon, and then it was topped off with some delicious old fashioned gingerbread by Amanda. Gingerbread was a real treat back in the Civil War days. The guys loved the food and we loved our evening by the fire.

It was fun to see the old faces of some of the soldiers we met at the Veteran's Day parade, and it was even better to meet soldiers in the association we had not yet met. We made a few new friends that night and got to know the guys a little better.

Here is Miss Amanda and and her beloved Infantryman, Mark.

I thought we were going to freeze near to death, but it truly wasn't that bad. The fire helped, but so did the 3 layers of long johns and 2 petticoats under that heavy skirt!

I think most of these pictures look pretty period correct minus the Christmas lights in the background!

Mark treated us to TGIFs for some beverage and dessert after our little outing. It truly was a super fun night - hanging out around a campfire, telling and listening to fantastic stories, getting to know some great people, and wearing a hoop skirt!


Mark and Amanda found this picture in a Time Life Civil War book and Mark found it very appropriate. This is what the caption says:

Briefly detraining during their hasty journey to Bull Run, troops of General Joseph E. Johnston are plied with refreshments by Confederate women at a station on the Manassas Gap Railroad. In 2 days 9,000 soldiers traveled 50 miles by rail from the Shenandoah Valley to Manassas Junction en route to the battlefield.

Very fitting I suppose. The ladies feed the men, and the men love the food. I need to make an apron so I can really look the part!

snowplow

My little Emmitt cracks me up. He is such a happy sweet little boy. Talk about mellow too - he is usually just happy to be around here. I don't know if it is a gender thing or a personality thing, but he is much less demanding than both of my girls were at this age! He is almost 9 months old and he has us all wrapped around his sweet little fingers.

Kelsey is on the other side of the gate that keeps Emmitt from tumbling down to the basement. This is one of his favorite games. To hear his squeals of delight is truly onderful. Kelsey is such a good big sister to him. She finally got over the 'mom, he is going to throw up on me' stage and is most helpful and sweet with him.

Emmitt turns into a little maniac when he gets on our bed. All of our kids did when they were babies. Matt and I call it 'happy wiggles.' Emmitt has taken it to another level and does what I call 'the snowplow.' He puts his head down and just motors across the bed and until he nearly falls off and mom saves him.

He is a wonderful little boy and we are so blessed to have him join our family. He brings all of us more smiles than we could have ever imagined. Kendal adores him also and may love him right to pieces. You think I am kidding, I am not. Kendal has to be reminded that he isn't a doll as she drags him across the floor by one arm to the blanket bed she made for him in the other room.

By the way, where are the snowplows? We have got a ton of snow! I mean that - it is wet, heavy stuff and there is a good foot out there, actually, probably more.

Lauren

As I have spent 105,634 hours on the Internet doing 'historical clothing research' this past month I have found some gems. Lauren is one of them. If you need a slight diversion from life or work, go check out her blog; www.ladyofportlandhouse.blogspot.com

She is amazing. She does not enjoy the same time period I am recently obsessed with, as she prefers the earlier Regency Period, but nonetheless, she is amazing. Make sure to look at her older posts. She shares lady's teas, strolls through the gardens, etc. I want to know how in the world she gets her husband to be so very willing!

Kelsey is so envious!

I went to a BALL the other night and Kelsey is just green with envy. There was a Dickens/Civil War Christmas Ball this past week in West Jordan that Sherron, Amanda, and I attended. It was so much fun.

The evening started out with our ward's Relief Society's Christmas Dinner. It went super well and it turned out to be such a fun, classy evening together. Unfortunately, I ran out with a kitchen full of dirty dishes to attend the ball. I know, where are my priorities?? But we have been planning on this ball for a good month and I could just not pass it up, dirty dishes or not!




The ball was hosted partly by a couple that teaches vintage dances, so we got some much needed dance instruction. Some of you may wonder why in the world we attended without our sweet husbands. Well, first of all for those of you that know my Matt - can you imagine him dressed in wool trousers at a ball? Yeah, me neither - not to mention the SOCIAL part of it - it would be pure torture for the man! And secondly, to be truly 'period correct' you were not supposed to dance with your spouse more than once or twice a night at a ball. It was just rude. Balls were social outings and to stick to your spouse the entire evening was truly rude. Thirdly, they did so many fun fun dances back then that you didn't necessarily have to have a specific partner to be able to dance. You know all those Jane Austen movies where they line up with ladies on one side and the gentlemen on the other? Yeah, that was us. But there we so many people there that we did those same dances in a circle so everyone could fit. So just the girls attended and we had a super time.



Luckily, some of our Civil War soldiers we met at the Veterans Day parade were there to shuffle us around a little bit too. This is Jamin and Amanda waltzing. I definitely need to practice up on that - I was horrible and honestly stepped on one poor guys toes. I am pretty sure that was considered rude back in 1863 too!

This picture is of Captain Jake and his lovely wife. He has been the president of the Civil War Association this past year and has been super nice to let us be involved and have such a good time so far.

I got home late so the next morning when Kelsey woke up she drilled me about the ball. She dreamed about it that night I am pretty sure. She asked when she could go to a ball with me and I told her soon. I need to get making her a dress! I have been so busy making my own clothes that even the quilting Christmas projects have been on the back burner for awhile!

oral sensory seeker

Kendal, my four year old, has a clothing tag issue. She loves them. Both of my girls have been labeled "oral sensory seekers." This means that when they should outgrow putting things in their mouth - they don't. Kendal loves to suck on tags. She is slowly breaking that habit, but the temptation is sometimes just too strong. The older she gets, the better she is about it though.
I remember when she was 2 years old - if you put her on your shoulders or on your back for a piggy back ride, you came away with a slobbery tag on your neck.
So, with that said, imagine the scene a few weeks ago:
7:10 am
Emmitt just fed and happily playing on my bed with me until it is time to wake the girls up for school.
Kendal comes in my room and climbs up on the bed with us. She is smiling and talking to Emmitt and her sweet mother. She is pulling on the tag of her pajama shirt as she is chatting with us. Then she gets a sweet little smile on her face and says "Emmitt, look! Its my tag, do you wanna suck on it?" in the cutesy little voice she uses when she talks to him.
I just about fell off the bed laughing. It was so funny to me for some reason. To Kendal, I am sure that was the nicest gesture she could think of - sharing her tag with her baby brother.

snoods

Some people may say I have taken the whole Civil War thing a little too far when all of the ladies in my dream last night were wearing 'snoods' with normal clothing.

I say "Naahh!"

crashed

I just got home from a friend's birthday dessert and this is what I came home to. So cute. The ENTIRE family on the hide-a-bed in front of the raging fire, totally crashed. I love them so much. Happy Birthday Jen!

Nephi

We went to Nephi for Thanksgiving this year and it was FABULOUS! Aunt Laura. Ellen, and the rest of the Nephites did a fantastic job. We love going there. Matt loved going there when he was growing up, and our kids look forward to it also.

My little Emmitt with his grandpa and his dad.

It was such a beautiful day! The kids played outside quite a bit and it was so nice not to have 15 kids cooped up in the house all day long!

Kendal and Alissa (I think)

Kendal just calls the twins her 'cousins,'

I am not sure if she cares that they have names!

post turkey coma

Mike, Sarah, and Mark

the 15 grandkids again

Here they all are and so stinking cute.

Alynn made a treasure hunt for them. They LOVED it! They are all holding tootsie roll prizes from the treasure hunt excitement.

And here WE are!

For some reason, Grandma B's porch is always the place to take pictures!

I had such an enjoyable day. I loved chatting with my sister in laws, Matt's aunts and uncles, his parents, and his cousins. I really didn't want to leave. I could have stayed there for another couple of hours, but I guess we have to get back to reality sometime. I really was waiting for the steamed pudding to digest so I could have some more!