THANKSGIVING SHOOT
November 27, 2016
It’s always been a dream of mine to go shooting. In all of my 30 years, I’ve never even shot a
BB gun, and I’m guessing a NERF gun doesn’t count. So when an expert who provides all the guns,
ammo, and targets asks if you’d like to go (and has a fun family to boot!) you
don’t pass it up. My best friend,
Laurel, was visiting her family from Colorado and they were headed out to Uncle
Gordon’s Canyon for some clay pigeon shooting.
Uncle Loren is always so funny to be around with his “stories of hunting
wild game” and deep voice, but he’s also a great teacher at explaining how
everything worked. Laurel and I were
both too scared to fire the shotguns, but we were brave enough to fire the rifles
and pistols. We felt like a couple of Charlie’s Angels by the end.
It’s always been a dream of mine to go shooting. In all of my 30 years, I’ve never even shot a
BB gun, and I’m guessing a NERF gun doesn’t count. So when an expert who provides all the guns,
ammo, and targets asks if you’d like to go (and has a fun family to boot!) you
don’t pass it up. My best friend,
Laurel, was visiting her family from Colorado and they were headed out to Uncle
Gordon’s Canyon for some clay pigeon shooting.
Uncle Loren is always so funny to be around with his “stories of hunting
wild game” and deep voice, but he’s also a great teacher at explaining how
everything worked. Laurel and I were
both too scared to fire the shotguns, but we were brave enough to fire the rifles
and pistols. We felt like a couple of Charlie’s Angels by the end.
HARPER TURNS TWO
November 17, 2016
Loves bubbles, cheese, and dresses. Just a few things that describe my new favorite new two year old. When trying to determine what kind of party to have for Harper our options were Elmo, Minnie Mouse, or Frozen. Since we did Elmo last year, and Frozen will probably be a new favorite for years to come (I don't think this movie will ever get old for young girls, but parents, for sure!) we went with Minnie. It was so cute watching her jump around the house singing "Happy Birthday" and wearing a pair of Minnie ears.
On Saturday we had a great party with Ashley's family and prepared all of Harper's favorite foods. Caprese skewers, lots of fresh fruit and dip, and turkey wraps. Of course she didn't eat ANY of it and only wanted cake. So, we did what any parents on their child's birthday do-we let her have just cake and ice cream. She was so excited about unwrapping presents and was even more excited by what was inside. Lots of bubbles, pretty dresses, and a frozen karaoke player. She loved singing "Let it go!" while dancing around with her bubble machine. There was a moment while she was doing this that we just looked at her and thought, "I can't believe how grown up you are in only two quick years."
On Sunday we made her cupcakes, with Frozen candles, and she got to be surrounded by her Henry cousins as they all sang to her. Somehow, the candles made it home because she has since asked to be sung too everyday! The rest of the evening was spent putting on a show as this spunky girl danced around and sung. Which happens about every Sunday evening!
On Tuesday we spent the evening taking her to McDonald's where she acted way too grown up as she climbed the toys and played with kids that were too old for her. At one point we heard one of the girls ask, "What's your name?" She just gave her a deadpan stare. But then she asked, "Where's your mommy and daddy?" and she pointed right down at us. Ha! At least she knows who we are! It was a great few days and I know she probably won't remember any of it, but we'll remember it and "we're" celebrating too-that we made it to year #2 as parents!
Loves bubbles, cheese, and dresses. Just a few things that describe my new favorite new two year old. When trying to determine what kind of party to have for Harper our options were Elmo, Minnie Mouse, or Frozen. Since we did Elmo last year, and Frozen will probably be a new favorite for years to come (I don't think this movie will ever get old for young girls, but parents, for sure!) we went with Minnie. It was so cute watching her jump around the house singing "Happy Birthday" and wearing a pair of Minnie ears.
On Saturday we had a great party with Ashley's family and prepared all of Harper's favorite foods. Caprese skewers, lots of fresh fruit and dip, and turkey wraps. Of course she didn't eat ANY of it and only wanted cake. So, we did what any parents on their child's birthday do-we let her have just cake and ice cream. She was so excited about unwrapping presents and was even more excited by what was inside. Lots of bubbles, pretty dresses, and a frozen karaoke player. She loved singing "Let it go!" while dancing around with her bubble machine. There was a moment while she was doing this that we just looked at her and thought, "I can't believe how grown up you are in only two quick years."
On Sunday we made her cupcakes, with Frozen candles, and she got to be surrounded by her Henry cousins as they all sang to her. Somehow, the candles made it home because she has since asked to be sung too everyday! The rest of the evening was spent putting on a show as this spunky girl danced around and sung. Which happens about every Sunday evening!
On Tuesday we spent the evening taking her to McDonald's where she acted way too grown up as she climbed the toys and played with kids that were too old for her. At one point we heard one of the girls ask, "What's your name?" She just gave her a deadpan stare. But then she asked, "Where's your mommy and daddy?" and she pointed right down at us. Ha! At least she knows who we are! It was a great few days and I know she probably won't remember any of it, but we'll remember it and "we're" celebrating too-that we made it to year #2 as parents!
LIFE WITH TWO KIDS
November 14, 2016
Life with two kids has definitely been an adjustment.
Having Marcus home helped so much the first week, and I am so grateful to have
his help on this crazy, journey of parenthood. Everyone has asked how Harper
has been dealing with her new baby sister. First, she absolutely adores her.
But second, she cannot keep her hands off her! I feel like I have to watch them
both constantly, because she likes to smother her with kisses and hugs. I've
been wondering how second children ever survive! But it's so sweet whenever Harper wakes up the
first thing she says is "Where's Elle?" or "Good morning,
Elle!" It seriously makes my heart melt.
Elle has been such a good baby. She just
sleeps and eats, which is typical newborn behavior. However, in the last few
days she is starting to be a little more fussy during the day but has been
sleeping a lot better at night. So I guess it’s a bit of a trade-off! I think
one of the hardest things have been trying to meet the needs of both when I'm
by myself. I feel like Elle is wanting me to hold her (she LOVES being held)
and at the same time, Harper is begging for attention and wanting to read
books, dance, or get goldfish out of the cupboard. Feeling torn between the two
has been really difficult and I'm so thankful when Marcus gets home every night
at 5:00pm. And if it ends up being even 15 min later than what he told me, I'm
usually about to break down when he walks in the door, Ha! Of course, I
wouldn't change it for anything. And someone asked me what I’ve been doing to
take care of myself? Taking naps when the girls are down has been my saving
grace! I SO look forward to cuddling with a newborn on my chest and I know it
won’t last forever. It’s amazing how quickly Elle has won us all over and we
feel like she's been a part of our family forever.
Life with two kids has definitely been an adjustment.
Having Marcus home helped so much the first week, and I am so grateful to have
his help on this crazy, journey of parenthood. Everyone has asked how Harper
has been dealing with her new baby sister. First, she absolutely adores her.
But second, she cannot keep her hands off her! I feel like I have to watch them
both constantly, because she likes to smother her with kisses and hugs. I've
been wondering how second children ever survive! But it's so sweet whenever Harper wakes up the
first thing she says is "Where's Elle?" or "Good morning,
Elle!" It seriously makes my heart melt.
Elle has been such a good baby. She just
sleeps and eats, which is typical newborn behavior. However, in the last few
days she is starting to be a little more fussy during the day but has been
sleeping a lot better at night. So I guess it’s a bit of a trade-off! I think
one of the hardest things have been trying to meet the needs of both when I'm
by myself. I feel like Elle is wanting me to hold her (she LOVES being held)
and at the same time, Harper is begging for attention and wanting to read
books, dance, or get goldfish out of the cupboard. Feeling torn between the two
has been really difficult and I'm so thankful when Marcus gets home every night
at 5:00pm. And if it ends up being even 15 min later than what he told me, I'm
usually about to break down when he walks in the door, Ha! Of course, I
wouldn't change it for anything. And someone asked me what I’ve been doing to
take care of myself? Taking naps when the girls are down has been my saving
grace! I SO look forward to cuddling with a newborn on my chest and I know it
won’t last forever. It’s amazing how quickly Elle has won us all over and we
feel like she's been a part of our family forever.
LITTLE MISS ELLE EMERY
November 13, 2016
Taking Elle to church
for the first time, this sweet, old lady from our ward came up and said she
couldn't believe we had our baby already and wanted to see her. She commented
on how cute she was and then asked what her name was. When I told her it was “Elle”
she looked at me puzzled and I said, “Like the letter in the alphabet,” and she
said, “Well, that's interesting!” I got the same response from another woman in
our ward later on as well.
When we thought about a
name for Elle, we never thought we'd leave the hospital without a name! Leading
up to her arrival, we couldn’t agree on a name and thought we’d know as soon as
we saw her. I had names that I liked, and Marcus had a few he liked but nothing
seemed right. I had love the name “Elle” since Harper was born and we went
back-and-forth over Harper or Elle before deciding on Harper.
So after having Elle in
our home for a few days, we knew we had to go back to the hospital and fill out
the birth certificate on the third day.
We finally told ourselves, we couldn't leave our bedroom that morning
until we came up with a name. My vote was, Elle, and Marcus loved Emery. We had
thought of few different middle names, but when it came to filling out the
birth certificate both felt SO right that it seriously, pained me to leave one
name or the other off her. So I suggested Elle for a first name, and Emery as a
second. What didn’t sound right before, all of a sudden just felt perfect for
her. As soon as we left the hospital we wondered why it took us so long to
decide in the first place! She was our sweet little Elle Emery.
Taking Elle to church
for the first time, this sweet, old lady from our ward came up and said she
couldn't believe we had our baby already and wanted to see her. She commented
on how cute she was and then asked what her name was. When I told her it was “Elle”
she looked at me puzzled and I said, “Like the letter in the alphabet,” and she
said, “Well, that's interesting!” I got the same response from another woman in
our ward later on as well.
When we thought about a
name for Elle, we never thought we'd leave the hospital without a name! Leading
up to her arrival, we couldn’t agree on a name and thought we’d know as soon as
we saw her. I had names that I liked, and Marcus had a few he liked but nothing
seemed right. I had love the name “Elle” since Harper was born and we went
back-and-forth over Harper or Elle before deciding on Harper.
So after having Elle in
our home for a few days, we knew we had to go back to the hospital and fill out
the birth certificate on the third day.
We finally told ourselves, we couldn't leave our bedroom that morning
until we came up with a name. My vote was, Elle, and Marcus loved Emery. We had
thought of few different middle names, but when it came to filling out the
birth certificate both felt SO right that it seriously, pained me to leave one
name or the other off her. So I suggested Elle for a first name, and Emery as a
second. What didn’t sound right before, all of a sudden just felt perfect for
her. As soon as we left the hospital we wondered why it took us so long to
decide in the first place! She was our sweet little Elle Emery.
WHICH COMES FIRST: THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? (HALLOWEEN 2016)
November 2, 2016
Halloween quickly came upon on us this year. But of course we had to make some effort into coming up with costumes. It would be Harper's first year knowing what "trick-or-treat" meant and so we didn't want to skip the holiday all together! And it's one of Ashley's favorites. So we went with a simple theme of farmers and chicks. We went to our ward Halloween party on Saturday night, and Ashley's parents stayed with Elle for the night. It was so fun watching Harper bounce around the room, feathers flying, as she went from one cousin to the next. Once the trunk or treat started, she left with cousin Bekah in tow and they set off for candy. She loved it, of course! When we came home she was so excited to show Grandma and Papa all the candy she got-and they happily fed it to her!
On Monday, she had even more fun handing out the candy then she did going door to door. Every time the doorbell would ring she would run over to it and call out, "Trick-Or-Treat!" "Bye-Bye!" We only went to about 5 houses in our neighborhood, but most weren't home. At one doorstep, they had put out their bowl and Harper grabbed the smallest peanut butter cup she could find. Ha! Definitely, not our daughter... luckily, our family next door was happy to see her come trick or treating multiple times at their house.
I also tried to win supermom by attempting to carve a pumpkin with just Harper and Elle (Marcus' first day back to work). Harper picked out Minnie Mouse for her design, and then after I cut the top open wanted NOTHING to do with it! She thought the guts were way to "yucky" and didn't want to be anywhere near the pumpkin after that. So she happily danced to the Monster Mash while I finished carving her Minnie Mouse. By the end she liked it enough to be bribed with a piece of candy just to take a picture and touch the guts. The next morning when Marcus went to get her out of her crib he opened the door and she yelled out "Trick or Treat!" So I'd say she got the concept down pretty well.
Halloween quickly came upon on us this year. But of course we had to make some effort into coming up with costumes. It would be Harper's first year knowing what "trick-or-treat" meant and so we didn't want to skip the holiday all together! And it's one of Ashley's favorites. So we went with a simple theme of farmers and chicks. We went to our ward Halloween party on Saturday night, and Ashley's parents stayed with Elle for the night. It was so fun watching Harper bounce around the room, feathers flying, as she went from one cousin to the next. Once the trunk or treat started, she left with cousin Bekah in tow and they set off for candy. She loved it, of course! When we came home she was so excited to show Grandma and Papa all the candy she got-and they happily fed it to her!
On Monday, she had even more fun handing out the candy then she did going door to door. Every time the doorbell would ring she would run over to it and call out, "Trick-Or-Treat!" "Bye-Bye!" We only went to about 5 houses in our neighborhood, but most weren't home. At one doorstep, they had put out their bowl and Harper grabbed the smallest peanut butter cup she could find. Ha! Definitely, not our daughter... luckily, our family next door was happy to see her come trick or treating multiple times at their house.
I also tried to win supermom by attempting to carve a pumpkin with just Harper and Elle (Marcus' first day back to work). Harper picked out Minnie Mouse for her design, and then after I cut the top open wanted NOTHING to do with it! She thought the guts were way to "yucky" and didn't want to be anywhere near the pumpkin after that. So she happily danced to the Monster Mash while I finished carving her Minnie Mouse. By the end she liked it enough to be bribed with a piece of candy just to take a picture and touch the guts. The next morning when Marcus went to get her out of her crib he opened the door and she yelled out "Trick or Treat!" So I'd say she got the concept down pretty well.
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