tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64663107916520364362024-03-14T02:30:51.592-07:00Peterson PostEmily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-89606662921469373342018-12-24T12:57:00.001-08:002018-12-24T12:57:07.817-08:00Christmas Newsletter 2018<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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Dear Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Merry Christmas from Colorado! I (Emily) am grateful for the opportunity to write this year’s annual report, as it’s been uplifting to me to reflect on the year and the blessings we have received. I suspect you are missing Neal’s unique humor and brevity about now, so I apologize and promise to keep things lighthearted. As I initially thought of what on earth to include in our yearly review, I was hard-pressed to think of much beyond frustration and stagnation, because we’ve had a lot of that (depressing, I know—that’s what lack of sleep will do for me). Thankfully a few minutes of serious reflection and a bit of dark chocolate helped me to remember that, in actuality, it has been a year of progress, learning experiences, growth, family memories, and joy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Neal has been hard at work all year. Hospital policies and politics aside, he is very much enjoying his day job as an anesthesiologist. The vacation time isn’t bad, either. But because hard work is so much a part of who Neal is, most of his vacation time is spent, well, working hard! Whether is it is fulfilling his USAF Reserves obligation in DC, herding boys at scout camp, or working on his current construction project at home (there is ALWAYS a project going on), he is working. And we sure love him for it. When he does have occasional free time, he skis with the kids or we enjoy family vacations (which, to be honest, also fall into the category of hard work).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sally is in the 5<sup>th</sup>grade and is growing up fast in every way. We are finally seeing the light of life without babysitters, as Sally is more than capable of holding down the fort for a short while…and probably for a long while, but we don’t want to burn her out quite yet. Sally has gotten to the point on the piano this year that she will admit that she actually likes it, although please don’t ask her about doing scales with the metronome or you will get a different answer entirely. At school she enjoys being a percussionist in the band and took a brave step into the uncomfortable unknown by playing on the girls’ intramural basketball team. Sally is still a voracious reader and read more pages of print this summer than I thought was humanly possible for any child, but somehow she can tell you all about each and every book she consumed. Sally is wonderfully helpful at home and works hard in school. 5<sup>th</sup>grade has brought significantly more homework with it than past grades, but she manages it all in stride.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Austin (3<sup>rd</sup>grade) is as full of energy, conversation, ideas, and fun as ever. His baptism in February was the highlight of the year for me, and a great source of joy in our family. He still idolizes his Uncle Christian, whom he asked to baptize him. Of the 10 or so career choices Austin aspires to, all of them involve science and technology, and he enjoyed a summer robotics camp and is now doing an extracurricular science club after school. Like his sister before him, reading is something that he excels at and enjoys, and he can often be found in his closet at night long after bedtime trying to fit in a few more chapters of whatever book has caught his attention (mostly Harry Potter at this point). Austin enjoyed soccer this spring and is currently playing basketball, but, like his father, skiing may be his real love when it comes to sports. His love of conversation is sometimes problematic at school, especially when he is seated next to his two best friends, but he assures me that he tries hard to be good and “barely” gets in trouble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Micah has grown so much this year and is a very capable and confident 1<sup>st</sup>grader. Another highlight of the year for me was watching Micah conquer the challenge of riding a 2-wheeler. A bad experience on a bike a few years ago shook his confidence, so it was with great joy that I watched him face his fears this summer to become an independent rider. Micah is a great student and is quite the opposite of his brother in the conversation department—at least at school. Never one to draw attention to himself in public, he diligently and quietly does his work and rarely has to be reminded to do his homework once he is home. Micah is currently trying out basketball for the first time, and enjoys practice but gets nervous about games. Thankfully the promise of a snack after each game is a great motivator. Micah has really taken off with reading this year and will now read some chapter books on his own! He is participating in his school running club (as are Sally and Austin) and gets up extra early twice a week to run. His hard work paid off, as he was able to run in and finish the neighborhood Thanksgiving Day 5K that Neal organized.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ivy is quickly joining the ranks of school children, and this August started a 4-day a week Pre-K preschool program. She loves school while she is there, but, because she has a flair for the dramatic, likes to tell me occasionally how much she hates it. She daily amuses us all at home with the songs and rhymes she learns at school, so whether she loves or hates it, at least we know she is learning. Ivy decided to give soccer a whirl this spring, which was a definite learning experience for all involved. We learned to never again have 4 children in soccer simultaneously. We also learned that springtime in Colorado is more often than not windy and cold—conditions under which Ivy either refused to play or played grudgingly. I cannot blame her, as simply watching on the sidelines with Ashton was torture. Frigid wind is simply not to be borne. Ivy discovered a love of drawing this year and has also discovered how to access the mother load of printer paper in our house. While she does produce many treasured works of art, I suspect that she is also keeping the local recycling center in business. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ashton is 20 months old and is trying hard to keep up with his older siblings. While somewhat slow to talk, he runs, climbs, jumps, plays, and eats like a champ. Ashton loves books, animals, trains, and bikes, and despite not speaking much (yet) is quite good at imitating both trains and animals. He is our first thumb sucker but not our first blanket lover, and can often be found contenting himself in our busy household with thumb in mouth and blanket in hand. Watching Ashton grow and experience each new phase is something that brings us all so much happiness. He is such a pleasant and easygoing fellow that keeps us smiling and reminds us to enjoy the sweet moments of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As for me, I’m daily fighting the good fight trying to keep up with the demands of home and family. It’s equal parts satisfying, humbling, exhausting, and fulfilling. I wouldn’t have it any other way. While I sometimes feel like my hope of having an updated, tidy, well-ordered home is a pipe dream, home improvement projects are starting to wind down and the dust has settled considerably since moving to our home in Colorado a year and a half ago (and someday the kids will grow out of the toys, crayons, and dress-ups that never seem to stay in their places, try as I might). Putting in the time to create a home that we love is important to me and has taken a lot of my time this year, but I’m so grateful for the daily reminders that creating happy childhood memories for my children is infinitely more important, and I truly love reading to, playing with, exploring with, and cheering on my little crew. Accepting the calling to serve as the leader of the children’s organization in our church congregation added a new challenge to my life this year, but it is a blessing to be able to serve and interact with so many precious children, and I am very grateful for the many things I am learning. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In keeping with our tradition of being modest travelers exploring the wonders of the USA, we enjoyed a spring break trip to South Dakota to visit Mount Rushmore, and fit in visits to three National Parks—Great Sand Dunes NP and Rocky Mountain NP in Colorado, and Mount Rainier NP in Washington. Our kids are getting good at being Jr. Rangers! Thankfully most of these visits were in conjunction with spending time with family and friends, and we made some very happy memories. The highlight of our summer was spending almost two weeks in the Pacific Northwest visiting many of Neal’s family members and enjoying a reunion with my parents and siblings. Unfortunately during that trip our home was hit with a devastating hail storm that required us to completely revamp the exterior of our house…so just as the dust was starting to settle inside, the opposite was true on the outside. That experience left us with a daily headache that thankfully (hopefully!) will soon end. As I type, roofers are hard at work making what is to me a very joyful racket, because it means one more thing is getting taken care of. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Through all of the ups and downs of life we joyfully cling to each other and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have so much to be thankful for, and counting you among our friends and family is truly a blessing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Love, Emily, Neal, Sally, Austin, Micah, Ivy, and Ashton Peterson<o:p></o:p></div>
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Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-64551266798122350492011-09-27T13:16:00.000-07:002011-09-27T13:16:01.350-07:00Lately<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Things I’ve learned lately:</div>
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Even using a carabiner to attach my car keys to my purse cannot prevent me from losing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, I am cursed.</div>
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<city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Austin</place></city> will eat just about anything when promised a treat afterward.</div>
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A vase of fresh flowers on the kitchen table works wonders for my mood, even when I’m already happy (and even when I bought the flowers).</div>
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Washing windows really isn’t that bad and makes me feel great when I’m done, despite the fact that an hour later they have fingerprints on them again.</div>
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Painting trim is harder than it looks.</div>
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The later I stay up, the harder it is for me to fall asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early to bed, early to rise really is best. </div>
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When I think I have a sinus infection, I probably do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking my kids with me to the doctor and pharmacy is better than staying sick.</div>
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Staying calm and trying to be loving when I am unhappy with children’s behavior almost always makes the situation better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting angry almost certainly makes the situation worse.</div>
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Things I love lately:</div>
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Chuck (the T.V. series)</div>
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Temperatures in the 70s</div>
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Apples dipped in peanut butter</div>
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Sally buckling herself into her car seat</div>
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<city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Austin</place></city>’s ever increasing ability to talk clearly</div>
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My children sleeping until 8 just about every morning</div>
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My fenced-in backyard</div>
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My friends (especially when they rescue me from the store because my keys are gone)</div>
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Sally’s new-found good attitude at dinner time</div>
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Neal (how could I not include him?)</div>
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Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-69007382539516896762011-09-27T13:13:00.000-07:002011-09-27T13:13:49.615-07:00The Crazies<br />
A silly little video of my crazy little kids. For Neal.<br />
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Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-30424488544500199262011-09-11T20:08:00.000-07:002011-09-11T20:08:03.753-07:00Update Time<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Time for yet another family update (actually it is well past time, and this update was written more than a month ago. Why am I just now publishing it? Good question, I wish I knew the answer myself):</div>
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Neal:</div>
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Neal has been staying busy with work, but not as busy as he has in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has actually hasn’t worked a weekend for quite a while, which has been AWESOME!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weekends are fun again!</div>
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He has been working in the pain clinic this month, and actually has enjoyed it (much to his surprise, as well as mine!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And when I say enjoyed it, I mean the actual work, not just the great hours. </span>Does the future hold a pain fellowship for him after his 4 year stint with the Air Force?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps…</div>
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He spent the spring and early summer training for and competing in the Topeka Tinman triathlon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did really well, even in the open water swim portion, which he thought he would struggle with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids and I met him at the finish line, which was a lot of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were so proud of him!</div>
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Last weekend he participated in an all night Frisbee tournament called “The Cool of the Night” (although the weather was anything but cool).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had a lot of fun and performed almost as well as he did in his glory days, although he paid for it later!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s just say that playing Ultimate Frisbee for 6 hours straight after doing almost no hard physical activity for 6 weeks is bound to cause some pain. In addition to having a great time, he got invited to play with the traveling KC Ultimate team. Too bad they practice on Wednesdays (during Scouts) and most of their tournaments are on Sundays.</div>
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Sally:</div>
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Sally loves learning and is excited about learning to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bought a preschool workbook for her that she loves working in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She often talks about doing things to help her prepare for school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She loves cutting with her scissors (although we are still working on cutting a straight line), loves coloring, and is starting to want to write letters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She loves tracing letters, but until recently has been hesitant to write them on her own--she is a bit of a perfectionist (where is the world did that come from?) and is afraid of messing up the letters.</div>
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She loves riding her bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few weeks ago I felt brave enough to let her try to ride to a friends’ house while I pushed <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Austin</place></city> in the stroller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The house was one block over and two blocks down, and she made it the whole way by herself (although there were a few points along the way that I had to give her a bit of help with an incline or a decline).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was so proud of herself!</div>
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She has recently shown us quite how stubborn she can be when it comes to not eating things she “doesn’t like.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lately, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes have cause quite the stir at dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I was terribly stubborn about food myself as a child, I think she has me beat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t go into too much detail, but she is driving me nuts!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much to my surprise, last Monday night she stoically turned down her FHE treat of ice cream because she would not eat even one bite of zucchini, and then politely sat with Neal, Austin, and I as we ate our ice cream and asked us “are you enjoying your treat?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t help but laugh to myself, although I was still annoyed that she had won.</div>
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She loves doing somersaults and dancing when I play the piano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Austin</city></place> would let me play without pulling my hands off of the keys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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She has a talent for memorizing things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every month for Primary she memorizes the scripture of the month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We only have to say it with her a few times before she has it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a Primary talent show a few months ago, she recited a poem for her talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had no fear going up on the stage all by herself, and she recited the poem very clearly and confidently into the microphone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Oh, where to begin with that little guy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Austin</place></city> is in perpetual motion, always climbing, running, leaping, and throwing things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I daresay he will be an athlete someday.</div>
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While he has always loved books, only lately has he decided to let me read them to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love that for the past few months now he gets excited about sitting on my lap while I read his favorite books to him.</div>
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<city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Austin</place></city> is no longer bald!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has quite a thick head of hair, although it is so light that he sometimes looks bald.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m of the opinion that his hair is blond, but others swear he is a strawberry.</div>
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He loves playing with balls, sticks, things that make noise, things with lids, play food, blocks, and baby dolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, baby dolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is quite the tenderhearted little guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and he loves phones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially Neal’s phone.</div>
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His favorite person in the world is Sally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first person that he wants in the morning is Sally, and he asks for her whenever she is out of his sight.</div>
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He loves his blanket with a passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately he usually wants his binky when he is snuggling with his blanket, and I am getting pretty strict at limiting the binky time to nap or bed time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Washing the blanket is a tricky business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow he always sees me with it and throws a fit.</div>
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He is very skilled with a spoon and fork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let him eat cereal and milk solo, and he doesn’t make too big of a mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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He is getting quite good at talking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few words from his vocab:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>spoon, bowl, milk, fork, bread, cheese, snack, cracker, cupcake, ball, binky, baby, bike, truck, airplane, up, down, outside, go, dog, cow, pig, meow, please, thank you, sorry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He usually will just say one word at a time, but lately has started putting a few words together (mostly “Please, mama!!!”, “Bye-bye dada!”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He likes to mimic what he hears us say, hence the additions of “shoot!” and “oh man!” to his vocabulary.</div>
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He recently decided that singing is not just for mommies and little girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves singing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” “Happy Birthday,” and “I Am a Child of God”. </div>
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He hates getting the sun in his eyes, but refuses to wear sunglasses (he takes them off and breaks them).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only recently made the connection between the sun in his eyes and his dislike of being in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even told me the other day when I asked him why he was crying, “Sun…eyes!”</div>
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He is now officially in nursery, and likes it (Neal took him illegally to nursery several times).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hallelujah!</div>
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He is a happy and light-hearted child that makes me incredibly happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel so blessed to have him in my family.</div>
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Emily:</div>
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Not much new to report here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life stays relatively the same for me with family, work (still plugging away with 5-10 hours a week from home, although July was a really slow month), piano lessons, Relief Society, and friends (although I haven’t been as social this summer as I usually am).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I absolutely love being a SAHM, and often want to quit my job so I can enjoy it even more and have less stress in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love that I have freedom to wake up in the morning and decide where the day will take me and my little ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love that I can make each day unique and fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love being able to teach my children and watch them discover new things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although it is hard to bear at times, I love knowing that two little people are counting on me to be my best. I'm a better person for it.</div>
Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-32405751956673226532011-09-09T21:09:00.000-07:002011-09-09T21:12:33.496-07:00Funeral, Family, FunMy grandpa Dickson died on July 10, and Neal, the kids, and I all headed off to Utah for the funeral. My initial plan was to go alone, although I really wanted to bring my children. I didn’t think that Neal coming was even an option. But when he called me from work letting me know he’d arranged things so he could be there, I threw my frugality to the wind and bought some plane tickets. Neal’s grandma died two years ago, and Sally and I stayed home while Neal went to the funeral in Utah. Both Neal and I regretted the fact that I stayed home just because we didn’t want to spend the money. What is money for, anyway, but to be used on the things that matter most?<br /><br />I am so grateful that we were all able to go. The trip was full of family and fun. We arrived in Utah on Friday afternoon and pizza at Spencer and Korrin’s house with all of my siblings (even Angie and Hyrum, who cut their vacation short and traveled around the world to be there) before attending the viewing for my grandpa. The viewing was a very relaxed environment, and I had a great time visiting with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Sally and Austin wandered around and played with their cousins, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The only thing I didn’t enjoy about the viewing was, well, the viewing. I hardly recognized my grandpa and was sad to see how gaunt he had become in the last few weeks of his life.<br /><br />The next morning was the funeral. While I shed quite a few tears, I really enjoyed the funeral. The talks were touching and at times humorous. My dad and all of his siblings but one spoke (my uncle Mark, who later dedicated the grave). I accompanied my sisters and female cousins in a song that my grandma wrote for my grandpa. I really felt the Spirit during the funeral and felt a lot of comfort in the knowledge that I will see my grandpa again, that he is happy, and that he had lived a righteous life and was ready to graduate to the next phase of his existence.<br /><br />One of the best parts of the funeral was that there was a nursery for the children provided by some of the young women in my grandparents’ ward. What a huge relief for me and Neal (and the other parents with small children) to be able to sit and enjoy the service without trying to entertain our children. Sally and Austin seemed to have a good time, and got to spend time with their cousins. Bless those young women!<br /><br />Another highlight of the funeral was visiting with several of my cousins that I hadn’t seen for years. It was fun taking with them, and touching to see the sacrifices they had made to travel so far to be at the funeral. I miss being able to spend time with my extended family. I am thankful that I am able to see them from afar by reading their blogs and emailing (and I’m sure that Facebook would be helpful if I were into that sort of thing!).<br /><br />After the funeral was over, the rest of the trip was all fun and games. On Saturday night we all (parents, siblings and their families) got together at Al and Tyler’s house for a “Fantastic Mr. Fox” party. I didn’t see the entire movie, but I liked what I saw. Sally had a fantastic time watching the movie and playing with her cousins, as did Austin (although he didn’t actually watch much). Neal and I enjoyed being with the family and relaxing, as well.<br /><br />Neal went home on Sunday right before the big family dinner at my parents’ house (the bimonthly family dinner). More talking and laughing and cousin play time for Sally and Austin. I think that Sally’s favorite thing in the world to do is to play with her cousins. She was on cloud 9 the entire time.<br /><br />Monday was Ada and Kate’s birthday party—the highly anticipated event that was probably the highlight of Sally’s trip. Sally and I helped Alison with the cupcakes—5 color layered rainbow cupcakes. They were fun to make, and I’m glad I could help out. The party started at the Kangaroo Zoo, a play center with lots of inflatable slides and play areas for kids. Both kids loved it, and I would have had more fun if I hadn’t been going crazy trying to keep m y eye on both of the kids. After the Zoo we met at Al’s house for dinner and cupcakes. Alison set up a table with several jars of candy with scoops in them. It was decorated like Candy Land and was very cute. Austin, being the smart little guy that he is, quickly learned that if he hung out near that table, he could pick up the candies that fell to the ground whenever a little girl for boy scooped out some candy. I don’t know how much candy he ended up eating, but let’s just say that he was incredibly happy, and a sticky mess by the end of the evening. He also loaded up on ice cream and cupcakes. Between the Squire family and the Dickson family, there were lots of kids at the party, which meant lots of dessert plates left unattended, which led to Austin getting much more dessert than he needed.<br /><br />On Tuesday Ella and Grace were at my parents’ house while Korrin went to work, and Sally had a fabulous time playing with them. Sally and Ella played “beach” in the backyard together for quite a while after running through the sprinklers. It was fun watching them play. Little children are so full of energy and imagination! That evening the kids and I went to 7 Peaks Salt Lake (formerly Raging Waters) with Abby, the Squires, and the Marstons. I wasn’t initially thrilled about going, but ended up having a great time. Hyrum watched my kids for a while so I could go on slides with Abby and Ang (Al , being pregnant, opted out of the slides). I was pushed into going on the super scary steep slide that you go down on a sled, and I’ll never do it again! It was fun, but too scary for me! The highlight of the night was going around and around the lazy river. Austin wore a puddle jumper and Sally wore a life jacket, and we all just floated lazily along.<br /><br />On Wednesday my mom took the kids and I to the Living Planet Aquarium. Austin loved looking at the fish and the penguins, and Sally loved being with my mom and eating macaroni and cheese for lunch. I thought that the aquarium was very fun and well-done. It was fun seeing the penguins dive and flip in the water. They seemed so carefree.<br /><br />Thursday we went home, but not until packing in a full day of activities. In the morning I went with my dad and the kids to visit my Grandma Dickson. It was the first time that I had seen her new house since it was finished. She had gifts and a little tea party waiting for me and the kids—she is very creative and thoughtful. Sally loved how “fancy” her house was, and composed a little song for the occasion. I spied on her as she played the piano and sang to herself. This is the gist of what she sang:<br /><br />“My mommy’s grandpa is gone. He has gone to heaven, and now my grandma is all alone. But she will be alright because Jesus is here to watch over and comfort her. My grandma is so fancy and her house is so beautiful. Now that I’ve seen her beautiful decorations I love her even more!”<br /><br />We finished up our visit just in time for me to drop the kids off at my parents’ house, put a dress on, and head with my mom to the Mt. Timanogos temple to see my best friend, Kim, sealed to her husband Christian. The date was July 21, her anniversary as well as mine. To make a long story short, Kim and Christian had several stumbling blocks along their road to getting sealed, and got the happy news that their request was approved just a few days before their anniversary. They called the temple and made the arrangement to be sealed July 21. When Kim told me the news, I extended my trip so I could be there (I was supposed to leave the previous day, and had I not purchased a ticket on a bereavement fare, I wouldn’t have been able to change my flight—I guess it was meant to be). I was so grateful I was able to attend the sealing. It was a beautiful ceremony, and while it was uncharacteristic of me to be so emotional, I cried through the whole thing. I was so happy for Kim and Christian, and I was also reminded of my own wedding day.<br />After the sealing, I flew like the wind to pick up my kids and head to the airport.<br /><br />Our flight went from SLC to the O’Hare airport, then to Kansas City after a quick plane change. I was incredibly nervous about the flight, by it couldn’t have gone any better. Both kids were on their best behavior, the plane change was a breeze, and we arrived in Kansas City right on schedule. Neal and I were able to spend about 1.5 hours of our anniversary together, which is more than can be said of some of our anniversaries!<br /><br />It was a great trip, and I feel so blessed to have had such a great experience.<br />Since this post isn’t quite long enough yet, here are a few of my memories of Grandpa Dickson:<br /><br />Before his health and memory really began to decline, Grandpa was always cheerful, friendly, and talkative. He called me Emma Lee from over the sea. He loved telling jokes, and often had a hard time telling the punch line because he was laughing too hard. He loved telling stories about his family, his missions and his ancestors.<br /><br />He was intelligent, quick, and witty. When my dad told him that I had won my elementary school spelling bee, he quickly began spouting off obscure words for me to spell. I didn’t know how to spell some of them and tried to change the subject, which worked for a time. At the end of the visit, he didn’t let me off the hook, and when I spelled a word incorrectly, he quickly set me straight.<br />He liked trying to stump his grandchildren. When I was 5 or 6, he and my grandma took me, Alison, and Abby to the zoo. He asked me what direction we were going, and asked if I knew all of the directions a car could go. After I answered north, south, east, and west, he said that I was missing two. I had no clue, and he finally told me: up and down.<br /><br />He had a very strong testimony of Jesus Christ and the Church. He loved to read the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, and would often quote scripture. He always served faithfully in his church callings, and was kind and generous. He had a library full of books by apostles and prophets and could always be found reading one of them. I never doubted his testimony, his commitment to the Church, or his desire for all of his posterity to be faithful. When I told him that I was engaged to Neal, he questioned me to make sure that Neal was a faithful member of the Church, a returned missionary, and had a good family background. I knew that he wanted only the best for me.<br /><br />He loved taking care of his yard, and had a beautiful lawn and productive garden. I especially remember his sweet corn, walnuts, cherries, and raspberries.<br />He loved sports, cold cereal, and chili. He would often make a huge pot of chili and invite all of the family over for a chili party.<br /><br />He was happy, easygoing, hardworking, and loving. He left a great example and legacy for his posterity to follow.Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-62761827210224931262011-07-02T13:49:00.000-07:002011-07-02T14:22:26.327-07:00Ah, the Holidays!Before another holiday comes and goes, here's a look at how we've been spending our holidays/birthdays since Thanksgiving. Just fair warning, this is a lengthy post!<br /><br />Thanksgiving:<br /><br />Angie and Hyrum came from Chicago to celebrate with us. Rather than doing the whole feast at my house again, we went to Cookie’s house and joined with the Petersons, Martins, and Gessels. It was a fine feast and fun sharing it with so many great people.<br /><br />A few of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving holiday:<br /><br />-Driving with just Neal and Austin (who slept the whole time) to the Martin’s house (Sally rode with her auntie and unc). It was fun to talk to Neal without any interruptions. We talked about what we were thankful for. I really felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for what I have in my life, including my children, my home, my education, Neal’s education, and our families.<br /><br />-Making and eating pies. I love making pies, and I had fun making a new kind of pie—it was a free-form apple cranberry pie. I thought it was beautiful and was so proud of it, but I was certainly put in my place when my 10 year old nephew said to me, while pointing to my prized pie: “Hey Emily, I know which one is going to be everyone’s LEAST favorite! I mean…look at the form of it! And all those raisins!” I still get a good laugh when I think about it. The pie was delicious, by the way, and contained no raisins. I’ll be sure to make it again next year and save none for Dallas!<br /><br />- Going to see the movie “Tangled” with Sally, Angie, and Hyrum. It was Sally’s first in a theater, and a very fun movie. I enjoyed having her snuggle up to me during the scary parts, and seeing her smile and laugh during the silly parts.<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyxSHV9vevsCQx_mHyQARhJemV6UA-t6j7VNRSejdbO8f8xhHjtBgXYJ5AMLnRlWpk-Lnw6WmV8qsfyBp7ZAC8AiywY6p0ZVJYbV57dOXUe8UEk9DOe55B7geoNOjD4KRAx-Kq8QeKEU/s1600/IMGP0735.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624861362125796642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyxSHV9vevsCQx_mHyQARhJemV6UA-t6j7VNRSejdbO8f8xhHjtBgXYJ5AMLnRlWpk-Lnw6WmV8qsfyBp7ZAC8AiywY6p0ZVJYbV57dOXUe8UEk9DOe55B7geoNOjD4KRAx-Kq8QeKEU/s400/IMGP0735.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81dUQD7SsZXt5sxd1mThEvgleO5AXusS-I_Ve7OX1E2IkzpFv9gV77sTxdSaZQPx8rC6HRTsJ1wgmf-PEFxVepmceQdMmg96YKyW7W1kAHutJgVZt8HgbjmNW9n-tiXTGsZfyyeCw76M/s1600/IMGP0724.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624861356685616322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81dUQD7SsZXt5sxd1mThEvgleO5AXusS-I_Ve7OX1E2IkzpFv9gV77sTxdSaZQPx8rC6HRTsJ1wgmf-PEFxVepmceQdMmg96YKyW7W1kAHutJgVZt8HgbjmNW9n-tiXTGsZfyyeCw76M/s400/IMGP0724.JPG" /></a><br />Christmas: </p><br /><p><br />We did lots of fun things during the month of December, including ice skating (after an attempt at Crown Center failed due to an incredibly long line, we went to the Independence Events Center with Neal’s family), visiting the tree and train displays at Union Station, shopping at the Plaza (just me and Neal), getting a real Christmas tree, baking lots of stuff and delivering it, checking out some local Christmas lights, and reading lots of Christmas books. </p><br /><p><br />We had a fun Christmas Eve party at our house with lots of our friends lacking family in the area to celebrate with. We had a dinner buffet and program. Every family was asked to either tell a story or perform a musical number. We had a good mix of both, including a reading of the Cajun Night Before Christmas and a violin solo of “O Holy Night”. Then the kids did the nativity play, which was very cute. I’m not sure how everyone felt about having a program (some perhaps thought it was a bit cheesy), but I personally loved it. I guess one benefit of hosting an event is getting to have things your way! </p><br /><p><br />Christmas Day was so fun. I loved enjoying a low-key morning at home with my family and watching my kids open their presents.</p><br /><p>A few of my favorite memories of the Christmas season: </p><br /><p><br />-Reading “A Little House Christmas” (an anthology of all of the Christmas chapters from the Little House books) with Sally. I loved being reminded of a simpler time. I couldn’t hold back the tears when I read the chapter about the Christmas horses—a very sweet account of unselfishness and family love.<br /></p><br /><p>-Watching “It’s a wonderful Life” with Neal on Christmas Eve night, and crying together during the final scene.<br /></p><br /><p>-Rushing off to TJ Maxx at the Legends after calling and finding out that they had one more pair of the exact Marmot gloves that Neal wanted for Christmas, after failing to find them other places. And then seeing him open them up on Christmas morning.<br /></p><br /><p>-Learning that Neal had scoured the countryside (and the internet) to find the perfect black dress for my Christmas gift, which he eventually found. While I loved the dress, I even more loved the fact that Neal put so much time and effort into the gift.<br /></p><br /><p>-Receiving ANOHTER black dress from my mom. She couldn’t find one to buy me, so she decided to send me her own black dress, which she knew I would like, even though it was one that she herself really liked. I was very touched and felt very loved. Additionally, she sent me enough money to buy myself a black dress of my own choosing (if I didn’t feel like I already had enough black dresses, that is)!<br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmceM0brFsSCBb7W-xUoBiM8OCz9CYOb54TS3R7GmJ1C_p2K3HGblH5i1bYaiq64S1gHGygDgFML3qllheZPPw-e5-j8dZsfwU7i0X1yfE4qM1Du8fpwunrjrt2sxOZyAQvZdtSKvPjY/s1600/IMGP0798.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624862450587346242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmceM0brFsSCBb7W-xUoBiM8OCz9CYOb54TS3R7GmJ1C_p2K3HGblH5i1bYaiq64S1gHGygDgFML3qllheZPPw-e5-j8dZsfwU7i0X1yfE4qM1Du8fpwunrjrt2sxOZyAQvZdtSKvPjY/s400/IMGP0798.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYhWtc4wJ4dGgSTLylcsHEcQzlxjyo4ykutRjy7fHBGXJ_kJ1rWEva6NX3Zh5I_eMMGVBcNRfy_z6iSPw3TLGAumJaJqJXGvOaKSyQIMlnQaR1nuufKHLEewyOPL6n86yoK9U-lHLTtc/s1600/IMGP0785.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624862424522987570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcbnqCcpZA2G7N32sj393zT8ONUTaLOxLp6XQ1eK2NshyphenhyphenVweZ21ak4i8npx0_odMzMMPMwlIsTmnRWHuViDVgB5C-nHzDyWSZErAU9JBcjVtVPMuaVgrZX7jgLYxzasDp4RcCpSP-huY/s400/IMGP0772.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8eFJwJ53MYCuTzB4uiaEDzUKQQ7mM0Z9no44zJFLXeWlxaneWWg68LehqjNw-lyzZ5pCSyg69wplzGMVIhMaV06K0-1eDfgkHhegP3oGL0ymVLxNdQbdbmRhr1p9_FBuHNgiYSpRyKg/s1600/christmas1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 312px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624862418256962290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8eFJwJ53MYCuTzB4uiaEDzUKQQ7mM0Z9no44zJFLXeWlxaneWWg68LehqjNw-lyzZ5pCSyg69wplzGMVIhMaV06K0-1eDfgkHhegP3oGL0ymVLxNdQbdbmRhr1p9_FBuHNgiYSpRyKg/s400/christmas1.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDDkFkSXwBfOCcorOZ4PBBjWTj1hr4NVtE_iQSRPXCECudjjbqjHN_2RixlUEvS9CLCbDVAmSVrAPmdv9aOI_-ht67BvHaw2EBTa9Xw4BYvRk7Y3QgtVRGMZAZBqn7ppfLiUsjTl1LZU/s1600/IMGP0909.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624863248976463570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoY2oUYqG0KsNZmNBp8xDk1nM3Y5T_Gzizm0qwEm4WRdHO8AZVvh8-ldCMITNKX2Ug8jCs_3txzZiaWdNzOUGKzgMsAJ6qM5TU7rcGiPWJe67o-Dnn6lfzEwybV9lzMB2zAcGDH6TlqE/s400/IMGP0892.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rgPTJ-HtmELg516KDGxU9rcegH_NmRnTYliGA8OQPSPDEazcqUQpER-mSkDw0iCViucAS_9zqKaSm9RwZjE0T40QZXO5GSTDvq8EHcWOUvRig4AbyOGSr5zrzvOX3Wn8-IThYD1ueQA/s1600/IMGP0887.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624863244400487506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rgPTJ-HtmELg516KDGxU9rcegH_NmRnTYliGA8OQPSPDEazcqUQpER-mSkDw0iCViucAS_9zqKaSm9RwZjE0T40QZXO5GSTDvq8EHcWOUvRig4AbyOGSr5zrzvOX3Wn8-IThYD1ueQA/s400/IMGP0887.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRq9hviiVwUkNa6XRtKEtZ2GJe0OP2KuhXz4wjowI-ZXGNjCAsPCmVEknJVAqFMScV20DqNBInbdxRzYackB0snAF2WAa7TNC0CRLq9SsMhuL4oi0NQtdvn0N9XL0o-AmeF0e3r1P2d8/s1600/IMGP0882.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624863234395547250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRq9hviiVwUkNa6XRtKEtZ2GJe0OP2KuhXz4wjowI-ZXGNjCAsPCmVEknJVAqFMScV20DqNBInbdxRzYackB0snAF2WAa7TNC0CRLq9SsMhuL4oi0NQtdvn0N9XL0o-AmeF0e3r1P2d8/s400/IMGP0882.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw22_KNkXNEnOk8jUYGJ3YSvT5jgdkHtlc53D_0PvoNiHz8XfabOAjTZ2frjepyX1pWkO-v4M5RlTO-bSqkPF4f17bEebIxFtM2Wbxo-O2H4DbmPQDTQaimjriUtbneXy4rHUJJfNgXyY/s1600/IMGP0929.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624864022021258898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw22_KNkXNEnOk8jUYGJ3YSvT5jgdkHtlc53D_0PvoNiHz8XfabOAjTZ2frjepyX1pWkO-v4M5RlTO-bSqkPF4f17bEebIxFtM2Wbxo-O2H4DbmPQDTQaimjriUtbneXy4rHUJJfNgXyY/s400/IMGP0929.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Tte_3p6fuuYEEqwS6DMvvMn1avhGY1W8jfuvaF_rFqG5KVFLO0y5aBB8rZNeSc18UZM514wMYaI2-SxbO-mfJfdyMpMbqycNbfjh-72TnCVcz4EH7mO7KbkxuuYeQ9zBBb4ZB3cQIQU/s1600/IMGP0923.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624864009833845794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Tte_3p6fuuYEEqwS6DMvvMn1avhGY1W8jfuvaF_rFqG5KVFLO0y5aBB8rZNeSc18UZM514wMYaI2-SxbO-mfJfdyMpMbqycNbfjh-72TnCVcz4EH7mO7KbkxuuYeQ9zBBb4ZB3cQIQU/s400/IMGP0923.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuXVvmrbZPL30lX_KJqWgrCwcqcWbcRp4Yt1TX0AcoKHSLU1-XJT9sCDVNl7JIOXhztiXoBX_lOxPo0mAI_VXwMP2HEbKiYBTTu9ecNQL5kVvGqdswW0w_8GmXk8xeXSePJrvrcC2T4w/s1600/IMGP0918.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624864005037508626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuXVvmrbZPL30lX_KJqWgrCwcqcWbcRp4Yt1TX0AcoKHSLU1-XJT9sCDVNl7JIOXhztiXoBX_lOxPo0mAI_VXwMP2HEbKiYBTTu9ecNQL5kVvGqdswW0w_8GmXk8xeXSePJrvrcC2T4w/s400/IMGP0918.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOTsrcgAVrzey64Hh6HjOxJ5IqgLwdNFDzwpD3O5ZLngZtMcGV43Xz_3lWvdC3DEMfEeE05YmQlzcrckcKHqLykG47X8iu-JkgFbeTDxLVKPwAdxJ4ljSZ4c9k9DMY4N3lYnKwZhZjyk/s1600/IMGP0912.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624863999445323890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOTsrcgAVrzey64Hh6HjOxJ5IqgLwdNFDzwpD3O5ZLngZtMcGV43Xz_3lWvdC3DEMfEeE05YmQlzcrckcKHqLykG47X8iu-JkgFbeTDxLVKPwAdxJ4ljSZ4c9k9DMY4N3lYnKwZhZjyk/s400/IMGP0912.JPG" /></a><br /><br />New Year’s Eve/Day: </p><br /><p><br />Neal and I went on a date during the day on New Year’s Eve. We were supposed to go to a movie, but missed the one we wanted and ended up playing arcade games instead. It was not what we expected, but we had a lot of fun. Later, Sally and Neal went to watch “Tangled” (since Neal was working the day after Thanksgiving and missed it) while I prepped our dinner and party food. The party included Neal’s parents, his sister Bonnie, and us. Small but fun. We had homemade pizza, spinach artichoke dip and veggies, and ice cream sundaes. After putting the kids to bed we played a fun word game called “Quiddler”. My new favorite game. The Petersons didn’t last until midnight. I barely lasted myself. After the party left, Neal and I attempted to watch a movie, but I couldn’t follow it and fell asleep.<br /></p><br /><p>I currently have no idea what we did on NYD. If I remember I’ll add to this.<br /><br />Neal’s Birthday:</p><br /><p><br />I tried to make the day very special for Neal, but I don’t know if it worked. Sally and I made cupcakes the day before for Neal to take to work, but it turned out that the department secretary had also brought treats (LOTS of treats), so the cupcakes were not hot items. And while I got him a gift, he didn’t love it—he liked it, but did not love it. Anyhow, Neal turned 31. I tried a new homemade pizza recipe and made a chocolate trifle, which was to die for in my own humble opinion (chocolate bundt cake cubes layered with homemade chocolate pudding and whipped cream). Austin thought so, too, when he grabbed a big handful when Neal got it too close to him. I think his first experience with dessert was a positive one. So I guess there was one bright shining spot in Neal’s day.<br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTHKrc8bAr1Qzog_bJV_bDlxG6xnrOSVYxG_Q7jQN29IeVJxFmSDU_894KoXbNjoVil_FNrSXcbjbdNkbV9QWizERT5MupNNjSJI9uiwjb65_mFr_jhCh97A4LxuqNvJ7aXoF01amwXk/s1600/nealbday0.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624864761449382578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTHKrc8bAr1Qzog_bJV_bDlxG6xnrOSVYxG_Q7jQN29IeVJxFmSDU_894KoXbNjoVil_FNrSXcbjbdNkbV9QWizERT5MupNNjSJI9uiwjb65_mFr_jhCh97A4LxuqNvJ7aXoF01amwXk/s400/nealbday0.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvi8D5CoQUy0nyiafHp8s3v6fX2TjKHWYqRLBTp3HUTBXwAxGsxLfIBQANpo45gV3kxhefe0bMnJBzO3oGsj8n3modgy10OOK3oQbzffsSGbRZojj5FXgreyAYOTZqkFCsGWOrVXmQ4g/s1600/nealbday1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624864754625841746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvi8D5CoQUy0nyiafHp8s3v6fX2TjKHWYqRLBTp3HUTBXwAxGsxLfIBQANpo45gV3kxhefe0bMnJBzO3oGsj8n3modgy10OOK3oQbzffsSGbRZojj5FXgreyAYOTZqkFCsGWOrVXmQ4g/s400/nealbday1.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G2YTkt5y-ZdphVYCwCFRIG6qZH5DwHxwUJdwuaQT3ur7gjRZQfhKNtIC7XgUxAn02evTfU4h700G2iLVtJj1F2xmuHxNfiNpYBpPRDq9rAuTN4KNdmMtYLgbbzIThD9wn_2t9ftfLFM/s1600/nealbday2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624864752935851186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G2YTkt5y-ZdphVYCwCFRIG6qZH5DwHxwUJdwuaQT3ur7gjRZQfhKNtIC7XgUxAn02evTfU4h700G2iLVtJj1F2xmuHxNfiNpYBpPRDq9rAuTN4KNdmMtYLgbbzIThD9wn_2t9ftfLFM/s400/nealbday2.JPG" /></a><br />My Birthday: </p><br /><p><br />Uneventful except that Neal got me an awesome gift—two North Face coats. He got an awesome price, too, which made me feel less guilty about the gift. One of the coats is a knee-length down parka with a fur-lined hood. I can’t wait to wear it next winter—it will keep me nice and warm. My friend Rosemary brought me some ice cream and a very cute FHE chart that she made for me. She is very thoughtful. Unfortunately Sally and Austin were in bad form. They were both incredibly grumpy after church and cried a good part of the day. The fact that I made cream of roasted carrot soup and spinach salad for dinner didn’t help their moods. I thought it was delicious, though. We ate chocolate Bundt cake leftover from Neal’s birthday that I kept in the freezer. It was just as good.<br /><br />Valentine’s Day: </p><br /><p><br />I had planned on making Indian food—butter chicken and naan, for dinner, but when Neal called me from work in the early afternoon and asked if I wanted him to bring home some dinner, I agreed and didn’t start on my meal. Things got busy at work for Neal, and he ended up not being able to pick up his takeout after all. Silly me decided to go ahead with my original dinner plan, much, much later than I should have. By the time dinner was actually ready, everyone was starving, the house was a complete mess, and I wasn’t feeling the love of the day (like I did earlier when two friends unexpectedly popped in with some Valentine treats). The meal was okay, but not awesome, so I felt a little down about that, and I also was feeling guilty for not making any Valentines for anyone like I have always done in the past—sugar cookies, truffles, homemade cards, etc. By the time the kids were in bed and the gargantuan mess I had made in the kitchen was cleaned up, the day got better. Neal gave me a gift that I’d had my eye on for a while—a dessert decorator (it does the job of a pastry bag, but is a tube with a plunger and different screw-on tips). He also surprised me with homemade Italian sodas. We watched our wedding slide show and looked over notes that we had written to each other when we were dating. It was a lot of fun and really got me laughing hard—something I don’t do as much as I used to. I’m not sure why that is.<br /><br />Austin’s Birthday: </p><br /><p><br />We invited some friends over for a low-key party for little Austin C. I had grand aspirations like I always do, but decided to keep things simple, especially because the party was planned kind of last-minute (my parents were supposed to be in town but ended up canceling their trip). Sometimes even really simple isn’t all that simple—I was in the kitchen a good portion of the day. I made a chocolate cake and yellow cupcakes, and had fun decorating them with my gift from the previous day. The chocolate cake was very tasty, but the cupcakes were just fair. Just FYI, I LOVE the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, but if you have it, don’t bother making their recipe for simple yellow cupcakes. It isn’t that great. Anyhow, I digress. I found inspiration in Austin’s favorite blanket for decorating the cake and cupcakes. The blanket is brown with green, blue, and tan polka dots. He loves it like Linus from Charlie Brown loves his blanky. We had a great turn-out at the party, and it was a lot of fun having our friends and their children celebrate with us. Sally and Austin both love being around other kids. Austin loved his cupcake. He put a death grip on it, and didn’t let go until it was all gone, which wasn’t long. Austin is such a fun, sweet, and delightful little guy. It is amazing how fast his infancy flew by! I hope he felt loved on his birthday—we sure love him!<br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQ-9QZTQ9ycmTMVT_uJnwTDrMVKDKi61d0Miw1TOeXXDI-kWtBA5pTW0CmWVV9LEYh6r2ZK-jDxDFS_tg4eZlEip3-y03NHBU_RT9JTovdZVNfUuSwYfwvApDzQbFBfEsjrH7Z3GDUo8/s1600/Austin+party+invite.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624865793427531138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQ-9QZTQ9ycmTMVT_uJnwTDrMVKDKi61d0Miw1TOeXXDI-kWtBA5pTW0CmWVV9LEYh6r2ZK-jDxDFS_tg4eZlEip3-y03NHBU_RT9JTovdZVNfUuSwYfwvApDzQbFBfEsjrH7Z3GDUo8/s400/Austin+party+invite.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWug6B8C1m4ilwCfjwlN-0j3Ebzl16DuS5zTyzD3YumAo37VNB9hux4CjBFATheXf3KVM6wytRc0-8Iw080X1_v-PgrAAsQtCHuSl3aGtwVf4ZcrQdJZTjIPIZ-IN8lYVh8MAxjoZqVBk/s1600/IMGP0993.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624865791046643506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWug6B8C1m4ilwCfjwlN-0j3Ebzl16DuS5zTyzD3YumAo37VNB9hux4CjBFATheXf3KVM6wytRc0-8Iw080X1_v-PgrAAsQtCHuSl3aGtwVf4ZcrQdJZTjIPIZ-IN8lYVh8MAxjoZqVBk/s400/IMGP0993.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCvSrD6SKLQ7AZMRmLw4zp56xZ6oF8cqs_zV2YiGb3GaqYA5u5x6ZU752hzHGrHUI0pJzrbegbimRGmqQmLwsfzkyUt3F9rBMCG3JaQ7WbV4Eoi5I2JVfGJW1oGcRX7BBu_52hPUdtfA/s1600/IMGP1000.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624865788098725554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCvSrD6SKLQ7AZMRmLw4zp56xZ6oF8cqs_zV2YiGb3GaqYA5u5x6ZU752hzHGrHUI0pJzrbegbimRGmqQmLwsfzkyUt3F9rBMCG3JaQ7WbV4Eoi5I2JVfGJW1oGcRX7BBu_52hPUdtfA/s400/IMGP1000.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRMf06DyiCD5-MiQSLqpnF9qtjsqxnkQ0XvJ0i4PyMsAUeU3RL626Cya6dj5rMWQl8ZvqjL86eMubFm5zm7sW4N8ebv35IB6Hps3G99zcp1T_iKQ6PHVstTGxHBJjnjaB5oZvsathGhs/s1600/IMGP1007.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624865779917664770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRMf06DyiCD5-MiQSLqpnF9qtjsqxnkQ0XvJ0i4PyMsAUeU3RL626Cya6dj5rMWQl8ZvqjL86eMubFm5zm7sW4N8ebv35IB6Hps3G99zcp1T_iKQ6PHVstTGxHBJjnjaB5oZvsathGhs/s400/IMGP1007.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_f-uRaprM0C8DuNS4AySgTqspcnxdNUdC7Ea5NhyphenhyphenXexpA6DPEk97OgrDk5HRsIlX6ZmhJkmeCXrk4bOrwMEolpq-zhMoN1iyGS5_f8eHTMcaHr1sC4W7CPe5LCDpnXiH11TVuxok_hk/s1600/IMGP1008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624865778086289602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_f-uRaprM0C8DuNS4AySgTqspcnxdNUdC7Ea5NhyphenhyphenXexpA6DPEk97OgrDk5HRsIlX6ZmhJkmeCXrk4bOrwMEolpq-zhMoN1iyGS5_f8eHTMcaHr1sC4W7CPe5LCDpnXiH11TVuxok_hk/s400/IMGP1008.JPG" /></a><br />Easter: </p><br /><p><br />The day before Easter we attended an egg hunt followed by lunch at the Longmore’s house, and had a lot of fun. Sally knew the drill from the past two years of egg hunts in my backyard and collected more eggs than she knew what to do with, but Austin was content to fill his basket with leaves and dirt. I had fun socializing and not being the host (THANKS, Rosemary!). I really enjoyed Easter Sunday, as well. I taught the lesson in RS (I don’t remember why), and the lesson went well and I felt the Spirit. After church we enjoyed a quick family photo shoot and lunch with a little more style than usual. I brought out the white tablecloth and spring table runner, and we ate pb&js cut into flower shapes, leftover salad I had made for the party the day before, and fruit and yogurt parfaits garnished with fresh blackberries. I think Neal thought I was somewhat silly, but in my book, holidays should not feel like any other day, even when eating lunch after church. </p><br /><p><br />My favorite part of the day was watching the Easter declaration video on LDS.org and “The Lamb of God” video with Sally while Austin napped. I think that Sally understands a lot about the gospel at her young age, and I love being able to have experiences with her that allow us both to feel the Spirit and learn about the Savior. In the evening we went to Blue Springs and enjoyed dinner with Neal’s parents, two youngest brothers, and his sister Cookie and her family. Sally and Austin had a great time playing with their cousins. It was fun watching Sally and Allyson play in the hammock while playing HORSE with Dallas with the Nerf basketball set. Dallas is a lot of fun. After returning home, Neal and I watched part of “The Ten Commandments”, an Easter tradition from my childhood. It was the perfect way to end a great holiday.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgI2evC8UCWGgEUBeVhWP79Rtpdmgun39Z8YZLZoddq0iYQZ-_XPm7fc1NuZ7wLqyxOVfQdkIo2awX-bbo9YZsh-o3Y1nfVt2ke00UF1qZMGp7P35fZM-jPGreMm9aA6UCL0gKBCKRSh4/s1600/IMGP1185.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624866669728161506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgI2evC8UCWGgEUBeVhWP79Rtpdmgun39Z8YZLZoddq0iYQZ-_XPm7fc1NuZ7wLqyxOVfQdkIo2awX-bbo9YZsh-o3Y1nfVt2ke00UF1qZMGp7P35fZM-jPGreMm9aA6UCL0gKBCKRSh4/s400/IMGP1185.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbs4aKKDozSOOtEVZmbeWhipcCMWT9bn-ci0DOJELBIhm3y6rDKz-kbj_CmmLIjR8ISfkXHeQeWXR7QL37ODfwqoNhxlbtspWWN7uDy7sE56Ng6SD8iYoiOB2COxVOLRCI4jKFu7TmFc/s1600/IMGP1190.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624866665196713442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbs4aKKDozSOOtEVZmbeWhipcCMWT9bn-ci0DOJELBIhm3y6rDKz-kbj_CmmLIjR8ISfkXHeQeWXR7QL37ODfwqoNhxlbtspWWN7uDy7sE56Ng6SD8iYoiOB2COxVOLRCI4jKFu7TmFc/s400/IMGP1190.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JuTNHMDdMz0GbPmGOMXqEpUTs5v4zgDY6Y0Cxcl5inpCHJGRjSKK8z16H4tS8P62gAUtPzNLRUj3l7mgrLEaEMpUyk1CmzQXplJMeKI0A86278wDWnT6o2i7AnbRE-wQeOYZLwmASs8/s1600/IMGP1197.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624866662141646530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JuTNHMDdMz0GbPmGOMXqEpUTs5v4zgDY6Y0Cxcl5inpCHJGRjSKK8z16H4tS8P62gAUtPzNLRUj3l7mgrLEaEMpUyk1CmzQXplJMeKI0A86278wDWnT6o2i7AnbRE-wQeOYZLwmASs8/s400/IMGP1197.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rZJjS7EPgMwOZKUUj_3LMlHqw0K5fqqt5Qy_SF2rJGfdov37_cX2cNgdWC2LJctN9qfJf5IJ3yTz768skieSrzdSZtSk1FFtP74fTSOoYYlVj4RWYBXTRBJ3PTn5QcVIEfVmcA3zpIw/s1600/IMGP1199.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624866657819150498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rZJjS7EPgMwOZKUUj_3LMlHqw0K5fqqt5Qy_SF2rJGfdov37_cX2cNgdWC2LJctN9qfJf5IJ3yTz768skieSrzdSZtSk1FFtP74fTSOoYYlVj4RWYBXTRBJ3PTn5QcVIEfVmcA3zpIw/s400/IMGP1199.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGKkK5WgpEKnDwL6FwaZ-ApJczamVqac6qeZ81Z173tPI5EcDd5M5g9odw1N4AjQM10i7XIZM2xvJt2APxkVbZoPTnzRMRv01jCcsJxs9HJzWleB1bFq8QCsuDD0rG0PGo3znnLz6ssQ/s1600/IMGP1202.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624866650286751906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGKkK5WgpEKnDwL6FwaZ-ApJczamVqac6qeZ81Z173tPI5EcDd5M5g9odw1N4AjQM10i7XIZM2xvJt2APxkVbZoPTnzRMRv01jCcsJxs9HJzWleB1bFq8QCsuDD0rG0PGo3znnLz6ssQ/s400/IMGP1202.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iSeYqjP_h9JUe2UHab_nO383GZ9pi56PS4TKmoNefn1iLaDUFNNWAOnOy1sh7RuUaszD4g0xWNVOripURfLyY7DuSqdEE7O3_cDOSHbYipXQU28rnzlNy0tEihnpAR7nzrkK1l4HBAs/s1600/IMGP1160.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624867317307731602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iSeYqjP_h9JUe2UHab_nO383GZ9pi56PS4TKmoNefn1iLaDUFNNWAOnOy1sh7RuUaszD4g0xWNVOripURfLyY7DuSqdEE7O3_cDOSHbYipXQU28rnzlNy0tEihnpAR7nzrkK1l4HBAs/s400/IMGP1160.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tu97LnuB068PY2fx8SwpVDKdOQ0ygF4BgpzQgMXS5RKzyEbApBUXFdMRBQXK-rVmWCjeiLDc9OHDNJxRpSchdMwGHwFdm6nQmSvAdaFUEfoVzfA-h9GYMe2HFhPWts5bAcqCN2OqFyM/s1600/IMGP1172.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624867306462146258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tu97LnuB068PY2fx8SwpVDKdOQ0ygF4BgpzQgMXS5RKzyEbApBUXFdMRBQXK-rVmWCjeiLDc9OHDNJxRpSchdMwGHwFdm6nQmSvAdaFUEfoVzfA-h9GYMe2HFhPWts5bAcqCN2OqFyM/s400/IMGP1172.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5d4NZbTmwt1bghME-lbEwY7GO-4bkMSRXhAMQxLa67VxvB206Ypia4apjTze5rc0elsUxS6PwWpm-0JMLRpNOhFDqtEc0L8gqG_vCOjvXwzyMI6UH7O2wp98fIvWPiq34yOF5h0ClVU/s1600/IMGP1175.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624867303109537410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5d4NZbTmwt1bghME-lbEwY7GO-4bkMSRXhAMQxLa67VxvB206Ypia4apjTze5rc0elsUxS6PwWpm-0JMLRpNOhFDqtEc0L8gqG_vCOjvXwzyMI6UH7O2wp98fIvWPiq34yOF5h0ClVU/s400/IMGP1175.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuKPKXLAMqjdLuStunV4W2hsHM9LZE6dmJflCS7WFNTWCAHUzcz6cgI8nSORharDcH0ci62oVaWoXh5l4HFDpAUmpPJmzLEYhZSM0eA2hugfg6jxFFJV6PQGcrKqDLcTrjIkAtliYb28/s1600/IMGP1183.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624867297215041874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuKPKXLAMqjdLuStunV4W2hsHM9LZE6dmJflCS7WFNTWCAHUzcz6cgI8nSORharDcH0ci62oVaWoXh5l4HFDpAUmpPJmzLEYhZSM0eA2hugfg6jxFFJV6PQGcrKqDLcTrjIkAtliYb28/s400/IMGP1183.JPG" /></a>Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-65074807926857377872011-06-12T19:41:00.000-07:002011-06-12T19:53:26.962-07:00PortraitsAbout a month ago I had a friend take some pictures of Sally and Austin. Since she put the highlights on her blog, I'll just send you <a href="http://www.blissfulartphotography.com/sally-and-austin/ ">there</a> rather than do the work of posting the pictures myself. <br /><br />I think she did a great job, and I got just what I wanted (except a shot of the two of them smiling at the camera, but that was probably asking too much). <br /><br />On a side note, I'm thinking of giving up blogging, but I'm torn. Any thoughts?Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-69120702612600991622011-06-11T12:31:00.000-07:002011-06-11T12:53:02.216-07:00What I DoI think it's time to dust off my blog. Here's a little something I wrote late at night several weeks ago.<br /><br />When I was a student: <br />I went to class every day. I studied hard. I wrote papers. I took tests. I turned in my homework on time. I got A’s. I got to know my professors. I sat on the front row. I made friends with my classmates. I learned. I stayed in the library until it closed. I knew what was expected of me, I did it, I saw the results I wanted, and I felt good about what I had done.<br /><br />What I was a full-time employee:<br />I went to work every day. I worked hard. I wrote programs. I learned. I got bonuses. I got raises. I sat in my cube all day. I went to meetings and helped make decisions about my projects. I met my deadlines. I followed the rules. I made friends with my coworkers. I stayed at work long after the janitors went home. I took my computer home with me and worked more. I knew what was expected of me, I did it, I was respected for it, and I felt good about what I was able to do.<br /><br />Now that I’m a mother:<br />I take care of two children every day. I work hard. I make meals. I wipe bottoms. I play with toys. I sit on the floor. I wear out my jeans. I am tested. I make rules, which are sometimes broken. I stay up long after they have gone to bed. I teach, but mostly I learn. I get to know other moms. I make friends with baby dolls and teddy bears. I know what is expected of me (kind of), I try to do it (but sometimes fail), and I feel good about what I am doing. And I wouldn't trade my time with these little ones for the world.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGRhs7seA4HraoPRu6iw2QsZXSoJ8Pa_60BBGJrdinOoeSrOvy6pJKW_4ST1M82ikjrhECASHYKN9ZSrynnjEdzVG9id5HepFhVcxMRjuKfWPTFh_DUoe2u1wJTeyn6uv7hhRHHOWIqg/s1600/IMG_1231.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGRhs7seA4HraoPRu6iw2QsZXSoJ8Pa_60BBGJrdinOoeSrOvy6pJKW_4ST1M82ikjrhECASHYKN9ZSrynnjEdzVG9id5HepFhVcxMRjuKfWPTFh_DUoe2u1wJTeyn6uv7hhRHHOWIqg/s400/IMG_1231.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617049136377212642" /></a>Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-88027535536006635902011-04-03T22:36:00.000-07:002011-04-03T22:37:51.834-07:00TodayToday is full of blessings.<br /><br />I woke up this morning with my husband, a definite change from the usual routine, especially since he is on call today. A work-related symposium made his sleeping-in possible, and we both enjoyed resting together. It was warm rather than cold in the house when we got up.<br /><br />I spent the morning reading to and playing with my children. They were happy and affectionate.<br /><br />I baked a cake with my daughter. She was enthusiastic and helpful. She tried so hard to do things exactly how I asked her to. She was so excited when I let her lick some batter.<br /><br />I watched General Conference and was thrilled that my husband came home during the brief time between the end of the symposium and the time he had to report for duty at the hospital. We watched and learned together, then ate lunch as a family.<br /><br />My son looked cuter than ever in his “big boy” clothes today. He wore flip flops for the first time and reminded me of his daddy. My daughter’s hair was especially full and curly today, and she pranced around so happily in her spring dress I couldn’t help but feel happy every time I looked at her.<br /><br />I made the hour drive to my sister-in-law’s house with my children this afternoon. Both children were calm and content. The hour felt like 20 minutes.<br /><br />It was so warm and pleasant sitting on the deck visiting with my in-laws. Even though my husband was working and not with us, I was loved and welcomed like a true blooded member of the family. I always am. My children had great fun playing with their cousins. My three-year-old niece wanted to help me carry things from my car. My five-year-old niece went out of her way to find toys that my son would like to play with.<br /><br />My sister-in-law gave me some dresses for my daughter which her daughter has outgrown. She also let me borrow her brand new DVD of “Tangled” just because she likes to do nice things that make people happy.<br /><br />I drove home with my children and sang Primary songs to them for most of the way home. I’m not sure what they felt as I sang to them, but I felt love and joy and peace. The weather was turning nasty as we made our way home, but I felt safe and calm.<br /><br />I put my kids to bed and then watched the parts of General Conference that I had missed. I felt such a great love and admiration for the leaders of the Church. I felt a desire to do better, but more importantly, to be better. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ’s true church. I want to help other people find the joy that I have. <br /><br />I read some updates on a website for my uncle Dan who is battling cancer. I felt close to my family as I read their messages to my uncle and added my own. I sorrowed for my uncle, but felt peace as I recalled the healing power of Jesus Christ. I love my family and feel great joy in knowing that families are eternal.<br /><br />Was today perfect? No. Did I do or say anything I shouldn’t have? Of course, I always do. But today is a good day, and full of blessings. Every day is full of blessings. Do I always see them? No. I wrote this to remind myself to look for them.Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-79224610509414878302011-03-22T20:59:00.000-07:002011-03-22T21:23:53.522-07:00Best and WorstEvery night for the past year or so Neal and I have been asking Sally two questions: "What was the best part of your day?", and "What was the worst part of your day?" Her answers are often predictable, many times sweet, and occasionally give us great insight into the workings of her little mind. I'll have to record some of her responses.<br /><br />But for now, since Neal is on call, I'll make a quick post out of sharing the best and worst parts of my day:<br /><br />Worst: shortly after breakfast, Sally and Austin were nicely playing by the back door when Sally exclaimed: "Yuck! Mommy, come see what Austin did!" I rushed over to discover that the contents of Austin's diaper (which I had very recently changed) were dribbling down his leg and onto the floor. He was quickly whisked away into the bathtub, and the floor was scrubbed. No fun for anyone involved (except for, perhaps, Sally, who liked drama), but really not that bad. I'll take that over vomit any day!<br /><br />Best: I'm not sure I can choose--it's been a good day! Since I have to, though, I'll say that it was dinner with a new friend in my ward and her little girl who's a few months younger than Austin. I often invite someone over for dinner when Neal is away, and it is always fun. I think everyone had a good time tonight. Austin and Sally loved playing with their new friend, I enjoyed talking with my new friend, everyone enjoyed their meal, and no one cried, fought over toys, threw food on the floor, or acted unpleasantly in any way. I'm so thankful to have good kids and good friends to share warm springtime evenings with.<br /><br />Two more thoughts for the evening:<br /><br />I don't always or only post when Neal is on call. It is just the easiest time for me to post, and therefore the most common time for me to do so.<br /><br />Totally unrelated to anything in this post: Sally has a pink teddy bear that she pretends is her husband Neal. The other day with said bear in hand she said: "Mommy, my husband's grandma is my mother." While I do read with Sally quite a bit, I've yet to read Oedipus to her, nor do I intend to. She came up with that one on her own!Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-2970084002172730582011-03-09T21:20:00.000-08:002011-03-09T22:04:09.466-08:00Top 10 of 2010I started this post, oh, 6 weeks ago? Maybe longer, I'm not sure. Time to get it out there and move on with my life!<br /><br />Neal is on call (hard to believe?) and I've already stayed up much later than I wanted to working, so what is a few more minutes? Every time Neal is on call I intend to blog, end up catching up on reading blogs instead, and then go to bed feeling grumpy with myself. Enough of that. Not tonight.<br /><br />There should be pictures to accompany each section, but I don't want to stay up quite that late! I suppose that will have to wait for another post. It won't be long before Neal is on call again!<br /><br />So, without further adieu, the Peterson top 10 of 2010:<br /><br /><strong>Austin joining the family:<br /></strong><br />We are so blessed to have Austin in our family. He is so happy, smiley, easy-going, and energetic. I love his laugh, the ways he makes us laugh, his big happy grin, his curiosity, his big blue eyes, and his very kiss-able cheeks (I probably over-do the kisses, but I can hardly help myself). He is growing up so fast and getting so independent and capable. A little of what he is like these days:<br /><br />He is fast becoming a walker. He can walk across a room if he feels like it, but is mostly content with walking 4-5 steps and then crawling to his destination. He’s been taking steps since he was a little more than 10 months.<br /><br />He loves to climb up onto things and is quite good at it. He has lately learned how to safely climb down, as well, which is a big relief.<br /><br />He likes to give kisses and hugs. He will give kisses on command most of the time.<br /><br />He still has only two teeth, but knows well how to use them.<br /><br />He likes to hide under blankets, be chased around the recliner, and share his binky and food. He thinks it is hilarious to shove his binky into Neal’s mouth.<br /><br />He is very vocal and is becoming more so almost every day. I can tell that he really wants to communicate.<br /><br />He loves to put lids on things. He can amuse himself for quite some time by simply putting a lid on a container, taking it off, and repeating over and over again.<br /><br /><em>*Changes since I wrote this--he's been a full-fledged walker for quite some time, and he has 2 more teeth. Also, the day after my post about Austin's illness, he bounced back. It only took a few days for him to be back to his old self. He must have really missed food while he was sick, because he's been eating double ever since!</em><br /><br /><strong>A visit from my parents and sisters in the spring:<br /><br /></strong>I had a wonderful time with my family when they came out for Austin’s blessing. It was a rare treat to have nearly my whole immediate family together (Spencer was sorely missed) without me having to make the trek out to Utah.<br /><br /><strong>A Neal and Emily getaway:<br /></strong><br />In November Neal got to go to an anesthesia conference for work and decided the he wanted me to go along for the ride. He made arrangements with his sister Cookie to watch our children, bought me a plane ticket, and promised me a good time. I was excited but reluctant to go, especially when the week before the conference Austin got sick and wanted me to hold him almost every waking hour. Thanks to Austin recovering and Neal’s faith in everything working out, I decided to go.<br /><br />I went and didn’t regret it. The conference was in Phoenix at a mountain resort with lots of pools and hiking opportunities. We had fun swimming, hiking, relaxing, and visiting our friends Travis and Cami Austin. We also visited the Mesa temple, went to a dinner and rodeo event (hosted by the conference), ate at a fun Greek restaurant, went to an art fair, and experienced a delightful treat knows as a “Bahama-rama-mamma” (a cross between a snow cone and an ice cream cone).<br />Neal was right that everything would work out fine. Austin and Sally both did very well while we were away, and we pickup up right where we left off when we got back.<br /><br /><strong>Neal starting his anesthesia training:</strong><br /><br />In July Neal completed his intern year in internal medicine and entered the world of anesthesia. Quality of life instantly improved. I love that he is off on the weekends (unless he is on call, which unfortunately has happened quite a bit lately), doesn’t have to do discharge summaries every evening, gets home early on pre-call days, and likes his job…all of which leads to my next item:<br /><br /><strong>More dates and family activities: </strong><br /><br />Neal and I have gotten out together on our own a lot more this year than we have since Sally was born. I think it is due to a combination of us being more comfortable with getting babysitters and Neal having more time. We have also been asked a few times by some friends to swap babysitting with them, and that has helped, as well. A few of my favorite dates: Beauty and the Beast at the Starlight Theater (even though it was the hottest night of the year, we had a great time and a memorable snow cone), dinner and shopping at the Country Club Plaza (thank you anesthesia department for your generous Christmas gift), hiking at the Overland Park Arboretum, and basketball, skee-ball, and air hockey at Power Play.<br /><br />We have also been able to get out more as a family. I suppose in addition to Neal having more time, this is due to Sally being able to do more, and my purchase of a Happenings book to give us some good ideas and a little push to get out and try new things. We’ve enjoyed eating out here and there, but mostly we just enjoy taking walks, visiting parks, shopping, and doing errands together.<br /><br /><strong>New friends: </strong><br /><br />Neal and I have made several new friends this year through both church and work. I won’t mention any names—hopefully you know who you are! We’ve had a lot of fun playing games, celebrating holidays, and just getting together to let our kids play together. While we will have to say good-bye to some of these friends in the near future, I’m sure (or at least I hope) that we’ll stay in touch for years to come. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends (both old and new) that share my values and care about me and my family.<br /><br /><strong>House projects completed:</strong><br /><br />In January we got new carpet in our house, and I absolutely love it. Not only does it look 10 times better than our old carpet, it is softer, thicker, and more durable. This year we also got a new fence (a while picket one made from scratch by Neal), a new cabinet in our laundry room (stained and installed by Neal, of course), and new leather furniture (it was intended to go in the family room, but since it won’t fit through the door, it is in the living room).<br /><br /><strong>Christmas at home: </strong><br /><br />For the first time in our marriage, Neal and I stayed home on Christmas morning. It was a lot of fun and may become a new tradition. We did things on our own schedule (rather, Sally’s schedule—she slept in late), didn’t have to haul gifts around, and just enjoyed being together. It was so much fun for Neal and me to set things up the night before, to see the excitement on Sally’s face when she came into the living room, and to see Austin enjoying the excitement in the comfort of his own home where he is at his best.<br /><br /><strong>Street improvements:</strong><br /><br />Since we bought our house in 2006, the city of Overland Park had been promising improvements to our street, including sidewalks, storm drainage pipes (as opposed to the ditch), new streetlights, and new pavement. Well, in 2010 it finally happened. It was at times painfully annoying (at times workers worked round the clock with loud machinery, and more than once I was denied access to my house in the summer with sleeping kids and icecream in the car). But all that is behind us. The work is done, and the result was worth it. Kind of silly that this made the top 10 list, but I LOVE our sidewalk, and the absence of the ditch has made mowing so much nicer for Neal. I’m a huge fan of anything that will make it easier for us to sell our house later, and I think this will help a lot.<br /><br /><strong>A beautiful friendship: </strong><br /><br />Sally and I have always had a good relationship, but in 2010 she matured and grew in so many ways that have made our relationship even better. Sally is such a sweetie, and I have so much fun with her. She is a great companion: helpful, talkative, thoughtful, polite, fun, and obedient (most of the time--she is 3, afterall). She often amazes me with how much she understands, how much she remembers, and how much she notices. Sally and I have a lot in common, which sometimes results in us butting heads, but also makes for a great friendship.Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-13752871772863203892011-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:002011-02-26T19:28:14.955-08:00I Want my Baby Back!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFfjT3oYCt4xRrqJ1kyFYXy1vF4533cQLv0wpRfLPCwwjXzljYLiqz21_FF1BfhAa6WCv3x0VbE-HsqggUgVup4eR6eYAwrAT4SOye9zKBDgAzPVorWINlEGuJsd28M0hqfJUAHXms-A/s1600/IMGP1020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFfjT3oYCt4xRrqJ1kyFYXy1vF4533cQLv0wpRfLPCwwjXzljYLiqz21_FF1BfhAa6WCv3x0VbE-HsqggUgVup4eR6eYAwrAT4SOye9zKBDgAzPVorWINlEGuJsd28M0hqfJUAHXms-A/s400/IMGP1020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578204708528431282" /></a><br />I’ve found that I have a knack for cursing myself. When Sally was small (older than one, but not yet two), I made an observation that I had never been up all night with a crying child. A few days later, it happened. When Sally was barely two, I was talking to a friend about how lucky I was that Sally had never thrown up (spit up not included). A few days later, she threw up 3 times on the airplane and in the airport on the way to Utah. Recently a friend of mine was stuck inside for about a week with sick children. I though to myself how lucky I was that such a thing had never happened to me. I should have just not thought about it at all. <br /><br />Last Sunday Austin wasn’t himself at church. Instead of squirming and trying to run away and play in the curtains in Sunday School, he was content to sit on my lap. For Austin, that is just weird. The story was the same in RS, except that by the end of the meeting, he was moaning and feeling kind of hot. I wasn’t too worried, just thought he was coming down with a cold or starting to get some new teeth. The next afternoon when I took him into the doctor for his 12 month well-baby appointment the doctor said that it looked like he had an ear infection, and prescribed him amoxicillin. After he got his three standard shots, we were on our way. I thought that the problem was solved, but it was all downhill from there.<br /><br />When Neal went in to check on the kids before going to bed on Monday night, he discovered that Austin was drowning in a pool of his own vomit. He was sleeping soundly, but drowning in vomit nonetheless. Thus began 5 days (and counting?) of endless vomiting and diarrhea for the poor child. On Tuesday he had quite a high fever (perhaps due to the shots) and wanted nothing but to be held by mommy. I called my doctor because I thought he might be reacting poorly to the amoxicillin, but was told to keep giving it to him, despite the fact that he threw it up every time he was given a dose. On Wednesday the fever was gone, but he otherwise showed no improvement. Early Thursday morning, Sally threw up, and then the bug hit me on Thursday afternoon just as we were about to leave to see the doctor. Other than being told that there is a bug going around and to continue pushing fluids, the visit to the doctor was less than helpful, which I suspected would be the case. <br /><br />While Sally seems to have made a full recovery (as early as Friday morning), Austin is still not keeping much of anything down. While I think that he does have some kind of bug, I also firmly believe that the amoxicillin has something to do with his vomiting. Even though there is a shot that can be given in place of the amoxicillin, for some reason that I can’t understand, I’ve been encouraged not to go that route.<br /><br />I just want my baby back! He hasn’t walked in days, he barely talks, he isn’t very interested in toys, and he feels so limp and weak in my arms. I know that this will pass, but this has certainly been a hard week with lots of worry.<br /><br />The washing machine has been doing overtime. Between Sally and Austin throwing up, I’ve washed: pillows, sheets, mattress pads, coats, cars seat covers, countless pajamas and onesies, socks, pants, towels, and shoes. <br /><br />While it has been a hard week, there are some bright spots that I should not overlook. <br /><br />*I have gotten to hold and snuggle Austin more that I have since he was a tiny baby. I have really enjoyed rocking him and just being close to him.<br />*Austin’s regular night sleep routine of 8 to 8 has been unaltered. No one around here can complain about a lack of sleep (except for Neal, but it is his own fault. That man doesn’t know how to go to bed). Austin has also been napping longer during the day than usual.<br />*While it appears to me that Austin is throwing everything up, apparently has he kept in enough fluids not to be classified as a dehydrated baby (according to the nurse practitioner), which keeps him out of the hospital, which I was afraid would be his fate. My sweet baby niece is in the hospital right now, and I feel so blessed that Austin isn’t in her position. We are praying for you, Abby, Scott, and baby Alice!<br />*Sally has been incredibly sweet and helpful. She is always very helpful, but she has been especially so this week.<br />*I’ve had more one-on-one time with Sally to read and do “art projects” (a.k.a. I catch up on making and writing thank you cards, and she stamps and glues) while Austin has slept. <br /><br />I am hearted that Austin perked up somewhat today and kept a little bit of food down (I’m keeping my fingers crossed, it was just a few hours ago that I gave it to him). I’m confident that Austin will make a full recovery soon, and I’ll just keep telling myself that “this, too, shall pass!”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6a6-MiWakLqlCcu1LqRFVXH3-LrdhyphenhyphenuiZdTMhhZVGSDNnON-zj6tbHck-KehDfWQ0WTMdaiW0YlUj24Jd5YpFVO3H9UnhyphenhyphenDSRCvWqom3ZKwml6sqNQSLy7Nvu5wtrr3FAvbnhdQIOt8/s1600/IMGP1015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6a6-MiWakLqlCcu1LqRFVXH3-LrdhyphenhyphenuiZdTMhhZVGSDNnON-zj6tbHck-KehDfWQ0WTMdaiW0YlUj24Jd5YpFVO3H9UnhyphenhyphenDSRCvWqom3ZKwml6sqNQSLy7Nvu5wtrr3FAvbnhdQIOt8/s400/IMGP1015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578205609351879570" /></a>Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-3703689398983968192011-01-09T20:44:00.001-08:002011-01-09T21:14:22.646-08:00Time to get over it!One of the curses of being a perfectionist that is far from perfect is having a hard time getting over things that went wrong, whether they matter much or not. Here's hoping that by blogging about my silly mistakes I can stop beating myself up about them.<br /><br />I don't think I have ever done this before, and I certainly hope I don't do it again. I played the piano in RS today (not uncommon), and for three verses in a row, I played the same two measures incorrecly, all the time knowing that I was playing them incorrectly. It was one of those weird occurrences where I picked a song that I thought was fairly well-known (hymn 148), but when I started playing almost no one sang. It felt weird. And then I started playing wrong things and felt weird and embarrassed. And then I was in a rut and played the same part wrong over again. And then I thought about it all day. And now I'm over it.<br /><br />Christmas Eve was delightful (more on that later) until I realized that the cheesecake I had made for all of my guests was weird. The texture was not what it should have been because the last block of cream cheese I added simply wouldn't incorporate. It just kind of cumbled into little specks of cream cheese. It had been out on the counter softening for just as long as the rest of the cream cheese had, but it wasn't as new as the others (I guess it was starting to dry out, but I don't think it was terribly old). I've never had such a thing happen in all of my years of baking cheesecakes. I don't think it was any big deal to anyone else, but, silly me, I had a hard time getting over it. But I'm over it now, because my husband still loves me, my friends still seem to like me, the last time I checked I was still capable of making edible food, and I now know never to use cream cheese that may be somewhat old when making a cheesecake. <br /><br />So, perhaps I'm silly, but I think I'll sleep well tonight!Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-27918139695448709332011-01-08T21:35:00.000-08:002011-01-08T21:37:51.224-08:00Saturday night reflectionsIt’s Saturday night and Neal is on call. The ONLY thing that I wanted to do tonight after my kids were in bed was update my blog. It is now 10:36, 6 minutes past the time that I wanted to be in bed, and I am just now getting to the blog. Instead of blogging, I’ve been baking a chocolate cake and making ice cream base. Why? Because I’m crazy.<br /><br />Tomorrow we are going to a family party for my brother-in-law Josh, so the cake is for him (I ALWAYS volunteer to make the cake for family birthdays, and most of the time wonder why I didn’t let someone else have a turn). I planned to make it while Austin was napping today, but instead folded two loads of laundry and made jewelry with Sally out of her pop beads (which was a ton of fun, by the way—thanks, Sarah!). I didn’t want to make the cake tomorrow after church because after reading the RS lesson for tomorrow, I’m going to try harder than I have been to avoid much cooking and baking on Sunday. So, after doing the nightly post-bed-time tidying up and odds and ends, I baked a cake.<br /><br />The ice cream came into the mix because I had some heavy whipping that has been on the verge of going bad for the past few days. I’ve been meaning to turn it into ice cream for quite a while now, but never did (perhaps because I’ve been surrounded by so many desserts and sweets lately)—until the night I was supposed to blog. I figured since I was in the kitchen already, one extra recipe would be no big deal. And it wasn’t, until I burned my finger whisking hot cream into an egg yolk and realized how late it was getting.<br /><br />So, what I meant to blog about will have to wait. What follows is something that I’ve been meaning to blog about for a long time. It is part 2 of “My life is good.” So, without further detail about my adventures in sweet-making, here it is:<br /><br />A few months ago Neal and I were talking with some friends and were asked the question, “Are you sick of living like students yet?” I honestly didn’t know what to say. I was totally caught off-guard by the question. I never ever considered us to be living like students (what does that even mean, anyway?). I don’t remember exactly how I answered the question, but it was something to the effect that while there are things that we would like to have someday that we don’t have now, we are pretty comfortable with our lifestyle. When we got home, Neal and I shared a good laugh.<br /><br />I’ve since thought a lot about the question, and the more I think about it, the more I feel that my life is good. Neal and I own a home and have lots of equity in it. The home may be small, but it is adequate, modern, and in good repair. Other than our mortgage, we have no loans of any kind. We have never had any trouble paying any of our bills (not even a large bill for an expensive ER visit during the short window of time that I had bad health insurance). We have two cars (albeit old cars) that work well (siblings, spare me your criticism of Reggie—he is a reliable machine!). We go on vacations, buy new clothes and shoes, buy the kind of food we want, eat out when we want to, buy new furniture, etc. Of course there are things that I would do differently if I had more money, but I don’t feel like I am suffering for the want of anything right now. I honestly feel like Neal and I have been incredibly blessed in our life together.<br /><br />So, while some may disagree (even many who know us and know how we live), I submit that we do not live like students, but like middle-class Americans. And I’d like to think that even if we did live like students, we’d still be happy.<br /><br />We’ll see what I have to say about this when we are making 10 times what we are now (which is hard for me to fathom)…Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-66509370054979373782010-11-28T19:13:00.000-08:002010-11-28T21:02:47.666-08:00No, I haven't given up bloggingThe other day I was on the phone with Alison and told her that we had been busy. When she asked with what, I had a surprisingly hard time answering her. I have a lot going on, but I don’t always reflect on what I’m doing and have been doing, which I think is important. Life seems to be going fast lately, which is good and bad—I enjoy being up and doing and going and working, but my kids are growing up so fast and I don’t want to be so busy that I don’t fully enjoy, love, and nurture them.<br />So, since I’d like to pause and assess what is going on in my life right now, I may as well do it in the form of another family update. It’s been a while! So, starting with myself, here goes!<br /><br />Me:<br /><br />-I’m working about 7 hours a week for EMB, give and take a few hours depending on the week. I mostly work in the evenings and during Austin’s afternoon nap (I have Sally play quietly by herself for a while and then reward her with a T.V. show or library video if she keeps nicely to herself). I feel very fortunate to have such a great work opportunity, but despite what a good situation it is, I often toss around the idea of being done (or at least taking a while off). Before long Austin will stop napping in the morning, which will take away some of my one-on-one time with Sally, making it less appealing for me to work in the afternoon. I’m sure I can figure something out.<br /><br />-I’m enjoying my calling as the 1st Counselor in the RS Presidency. It isn’t a terribly busy calling, but does take some of my time and energy each week. I always feel like I should be doing more, though.<br /><br />-I’m teaching piano lessons. I have four students, three of which are siblings. I was approached by the mother of the three and asked if I would teach piano lessons in exchange for her watching my kids for a few hours each week. In the case of the one, I was also approached by her mother who offered to pay me more than I was willing to accept (and more than I am accepting). I don’t particularly enjoy teaching piano lessons because I don’t feel as qualified as I would like to be. While I feel like I’m a capable and competent pianist, I never learned a whole lot of music theory, and I don’t feel like I’ve been blessed with the gift of teaching. I do okay, but I have a hard time when people just don’t get something I’m trying to teach. Since the mothers of my students know my limitations and have as their objective having their children learn to play hymns, I feel okay about teaching.<br /><br />-I’m trying to read more, do more to beautify my home, exercise more, and blog more--and failing miserably at all of the above. I did read a book in October, thanks to my friend Amanda recently organizing a book club, but because of being busy with work the past month, I didn’t get the book read in November. I have a list of projects I’d like to do in my home that has gone for some time without a single check-mark. Austin is now 9 months old, and I don’t know if “9 months on, 9 months off” applies to me. I haven’t been on a scale in months, but I’m pretty sure I’m a few pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. And while I’m honestly not that worried about the number on the scale, I think I’ll have a permanent spare tire around my middle unless I can get enough motivation to really do something about it—and that does worry me. As for the blog, well, you all can see for yourselves how well I’m doing there!<br /><br />-On a more positive note, I do feel like I spend a lot of quality time with my kids. I play with and read to them quite a lot, and enjoy it (most of the time). I think they can tell that I love being with them and doing activities with them—at least I hope so.<br /><br />-I continue to love trying new recipes and ideas in the kitchen. I’m trying to cook simpler and more efficiently.<br /><br />-I love getting together with my friends and their children. We have had a lot of fun get-togethers lately to celebrate birthdays and new babies, but usually it is just a low-key gathering over a simple lunch (sandwiches, left-overs, whatever!) with good conversation and toys for the kids.<br /><br />Neal:<br /><br />-Neal is busy with work (but not as busy as he was last year). After 5 months in the anesthesia program, let’s say that the honeymoon is over. During the first few months in the program, it wasn’t uncommon for him to come home around 4 (after leaving the house around 5 am). These days, it is a rare day that he is home before 6 (and then he has about half an hour of prep work to do at home for the next day). So, he works long days, but is learning a lot and getting good experience. He does get weekends off, though, unless he is on call (a 24 hour shift), which happens 3-4 times a month.<br /><br />-He is also busy with church. He has had a lot of scouting activities and trainings lately. He enjoys them for the most part. I think his current calling as assistant scoutmaster/Deacon’s quorum advisor is a good fit for him.<br /><br />-He has had a few projects going on recently (he loves projects and is almost always in some stage of a project): staining and installing an extra cabinet in our laundry room, building and paining a fence, and cutting down two dead trees in our yard. I was less than excited about the trees—not because I didn’t think they needed to be removed, but because the idea of Neal on a ladder near power-lines with a chain saw terrified me. It all worked out in the end, but I was admittedly ticked off at him for completely ignoring my safety concerns. I already feel like a widow a lot of the time, and that is bad enough.<br /><br />Sally:<br /><br />-Sally turned 3 years old on November 19. She knows enough about birthdays to be very excited about her own. I hope she wasn’t disappointed. We didn’t have a party with friends this year, but enjoyed celebrating with Neal’s family. She got a 2-wheeler with training wheels from us, and some other fun gifts from family and friends.<br /><br />-She is a sweet and well-behaved young lady. She always has been, but lately her behavior has been top-notch. She has recently gotten over a phase where she didn’t like going to bed and would repeatedly come out of her room after she was put to bed, and now cooperates very nicely at bed-time. She says “please,” “thank-you,” “excuse-me,” and “I’m sorry” without having to be reminded most of the time. She is getting better at sharing with Austin and with her friends, and she often suggests kind acts to perform for people we know. I know that I’m strict with her, and I’m trying hard to lighten up.<br /><br />-She loves to sing and dance, and most of the time makes up the songs she sings. She is also really into playing make-believe. She has a little people castle set that she loves, and she also loves playing “family” with her baby doll.<br /><br />-She is a great eater (unless we are at someone else’s house and there are tempting toys around), and eats pretty much everything that I make (except for salad—she still isn’t a fan, but we’re trying). Her favorite food is still oatmeal, but she also loves pb&j, carrots and peas, blackberries, lasagna, homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese (what she requested for her birthday dinner), and, of course, sweets (cookies and ice cream in particular). She will eat sweets that most kids won’t touch (including me as a kid), such as dark chocolate and nuts.<br /><br />-She is a lot of fun to have around and has an optimistic spirit. When I’m feeling badly about something, she’ll give me a hug and say something like “Don’t worry, Mommy!”, or “It will be alright.”<br /><br />Austin:<br /><br />-Poor Austin has had so little coverage on this blog! He continues to be a great baby. He is good natured and happy most of the time. Lately he has been very attached to me, which has been a challenge, because he wants me to hold him, yet still wants to be playing and moving (so he just can’t make up his mind about what he wants).<br /><br />-He is a great night-time sleeper (sleeps about 12 straight hours), but is starting to grow out of his two-nap daily routine.<br />-He is still mostly bald on top, but has quite a bit of hair on the sides and in the back. No one is sure about what color it is. I think it is blond, but others think it is reddish.<br /><br />-He has beautiful blue eyes and sweet chubby cheeks that are so fun to kiss.<br /><br />-To back up a little (okay, a lot!), here are a few of his accomplishments: he rolled over at 3.5 months and started crawling at 5 months. He started pulling himself up and standing on his own at about 6 and 7 months, respectively. He is now 9.5 months and doesn’t yet walk, but is getting close. He cruises along furniture and has attempted a few steps. He likes to walk when someone is holding his hands.<br /><br />-He is VERY active and into EVERYTHING. He definitely keeps me on my toes.<br /><br />-He loves books, but not me reading them to him. He mostly just pulls them off of the shelf, shakes them, turns a few pages, and occasionally puts them in his mouth. There is one book that he will let me read to him all of the way through—a board book called “Where’s Nicky?”<br /><br />-He babbles quite a lot and can say “Mama” and “Dada.” And I’m pretty sure he knows exactly what he is saying when he says them. He is quite loud when he wants to be and has a deep voice, which I find quite humorous (how deep it is, NOT how loud he can be).<br /><br />-He is a good eater but is starting to be very picky. He has started throwing food on the floor, much to my dismay. His favorites at this point are bananas, bread, and tomato soup (oh, and a new favorite since Thanksgiving—homemade rolls).<br /><br />Finally, here are some of my favorite recent pictures of the kids (in random order and largely without captions because I'm ready to be done with the computer):<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLo1jj6_XktC0qNjogebE631K4MzbXFOOsHh9VJjWtleZ1K1MLGzKnakW4_369JyE8czhbeTwuTPr22B5zekP-kq8ZtRrWsZapneJi3_X1_VhC7DU6LXLKH_3VdUJNolGm6tX0-gzRwU/s1600/IMGP0594.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544829568493264834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLo1jj6_XktC0qNjogebE631K4MzbXFOOsHh9VJjWtleZ1K1MLGzKnakW4_369JyE8czhbeTwuTPr22B5zekP-kq8ZtRrWsZapneJi3_X1_VhC7DU6LXLKH_3VdUJNolGm6tX0-gzRwU/s400/IMGP0594.JPG" /></a> So proud of himself!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWclGfXO6zpsQREpaFWrbJctOwgpGS_jVwGs3QnFCOfDss9MSieQAzNzSruzafbzjcnAaEQRBULemqbAp57JMmzoVdr80ILblM74-d77LM_P7tZTPFQack5YfVVaiH03NTSvcOMHhDHTk/s1600/IMGP0571.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544829561976594962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWclGfXO6zpsQREpaFWrbJctOwgpGS_jVwGs3QnFCOfDss9MSieQAzNzSruzafbzjcnAaEQRBULemqbAp57JMmzoVdr80ILblM74-d77LM_P7tZTPFQack5YfVVaiH03NTSvcOMHhDHTk/s400/IMGP0571.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yH688hg0tFcy55D55hDbq5ubg4RREAg-i0qzNpQWguHMaXvwLwH10BxPbTkBZjVCGIoY8jfqUj95smR95HWuylJ4rHKqlUEM2C2_s3ilmjGpB29nbRe0qLjBL4V2bKZ7RCd20H_n8eI/s1600/IMGP0555.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544829550643184706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yH688hg0tFcy55D55hDbq5ubg4RREAg-i0qzNpQWguHMaXvwLwH10BxPbTkBZjVCGIoY8jfqUj95smR95HWuylJ4rHKqlUEM2C2_s3ilmjGpB29nbRe0qLjBL4V2bKZ7RCd20H_n8eI/s400/IMGP0555.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4w4p5Oc39YLzA8vsKuRpEiIRYZlFTrZHLXhvbQuCIzGSIhNR8oTkP4fHipmD-dBo0ZArc85MbqtHXG8XIxg618d-tVF17KDSlyf7e899yBXy5wvbFIfNVVCsWyRCUVywvuWfWx8AYuHI/s1600/IMGP0540.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544829544799467842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4w4p5Oc39YLzA8vsKuRpEiIRYZlFTrZHLXhvbQuCIzGSIhNR8oTkP4fHipmD-dBo0ZArc85MbqtHXG8XIxg618d-tVF17KDSlyf7e899yBXy5wvbFIfNVVCsWyRCUVywvuWfWx8AYuHI/s400/IMGP0540.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj3_PItrhMKjYwQnGEL7EmTTvXpeo9pGk_uYRV2vHYY797pYG_af1bV-AiwOmapvLtw2EOow_y2Yj1_qkoF3N8AQeU9J-ALnfisJQpRqvaacYr0Hnf_ksIE5FnWewYghZsKPHfXsOKDk/s1600/IMGP0462.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544829536872974002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj3_PItrhMKjYwQnGEL7EmTTvXpeo9pGk_uYRV2vHYY797pYG_af1bV-AiwOmapvLtw2EOow_y2Yj1_qkoF3N8AQeU9J-ALnfisJQpRqvaacYr0Hnf_ksIE5FnWewYghZsKPHfXsOKDk/s400/IMGP0462.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqEeqSbYmCJmiUpPEZdLEBEQiUwjZiM-AFdvGT5jlzGT9-9AS6B-zCAcPnu-PLsFq9sH5pKVG-UR5GP_DWx0l8ypSefD5_bFRRskfTkqrjq9tSfD5sgMbQjRedJVRzg_8sQYcK9M4ojM/s1600/IMGP0750.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544831493305899602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqEeqSbYmCJmiUpPEZdLEBEQiUwjZiM-AFdvGT5jlzGT9-9AS6B-zCAcPnu-PLsFq9sH5pKVG-UR5GP_DWx0l8ypSefD5_bFRRskfTkqrjq9tSfD5sgMbQjRedJVRzg_8sQYcK9M4ojM/s400/IMGP0750.JPG" /></a> I LOVE this dress, and love that fact that I got it for $10 at a consignment sale. Similar dresses I've seen run around $50 or more.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0FNanouXkRbv2t-nTlUxXc781FR0Mk3OJSY9oLVdY1zB43IYf7Kr41fLeq3fuxnjQKo4eLwNNidwRRnhy7z99XdZyaqaQglF9IK5SY2okUnvUAF_MYmFvqkQXoCwshYsLlymuMeilDY/s1600/IMGP0720.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544831490368644754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0FNanouXkRbv2t-nTlUxXc781FR0Mk3OJSY9oLVdY1zB43IYf7Kr41fLeq3fuxnjQKo4eLwNNidwRRnhy7z99XdZyaqaQglF9IK5SY2okUnvUAF_MYmFvqkQXoCwshYsLlymuMeilDY/s400/IMGP0720.JPG" /></a>Sally has cute curly hair!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YPwFIre4WofQYKOZ-46RIoRlL6rT4vFICxpW6n8MzUxGS58Lfd-ngcmyVIdAOk3pwcH93thawcNKz30gTY6SMm7BsRZKh6G68mrfgNrUoG_oOV2_zxp_q5LGzm_R-IHWe7qhJIdmomo/s1600/IMGP0696.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544831480947312034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YPwFIre4WofQYKOZ-46RIoRlL6rT4vFICxpW6n8MzUxGS58Lfd-ngcmyVIdAOk3pwcH93thawcNKz30gTY6SMm7BsRZKh6G68mrfgNrUoG_oOV2_zxp_q5LGzm_R-IHWe7qhJIdmomo/s400/IMGP0696.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD4ALxFxYEy8U86FnLW-5XeFLrXBvX77A3Ysdcyl59lqP8XbACwqdrrEoPpOKr8I1lRuolrphnT07tPIHGBc_c41jVKBV_XQXM6HMTd1990lg5Lvm8GqUgB2IMOLK3IVr_02RLhLStk0/s1600/IMGP0686.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544831476853811522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD4ALxFxYEy8U86FnLW-5XeFLrXBvX77A3Ysdcyl59lqP8XbACwqdrrEoPpOKr8I1lRuolrphnT07tPIHGBc_c41jVKBV_XQXM6HMTd1990lg5Lvm8GqUgB2IMOLK3IVr_02RLhLStk0/s400/IMGP0686.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOk7v8BDlQIeeXBPrN743i0unnRZsj-GbZzU_04CKlut0SFWK1KyQ2NXzPUPycDiymTUH1pCDxwX0V2qOp-EQMHig-Zb1OCgEQdHCghnD1rpNM28FRlF9Iegbs9PE4Z22jA3F-IDm2yo/s1600/IMGP0680.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544831472844686578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOk7v8BDlQIeeXBPrN743i0unnRZsj-GbZzU_04CKlut0SFWK1KyQ2NXzPUPycDiymTUH1pCDxwX0V2qOp-EQMHig-Zb1OCgEQdHCghnD1rpNM28FRlF9Iegbs9PE4Z22jA3F-IDm2yo/s400/IMGP0680.JPG" /></a> The cake was delish but didn't turn out as cute as I'd hoped. I was rushed and didn't have time for a second coat of icing. Sally loved it, though, and I guess that is what counts.</p>Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-34901012476766151802010-10-17T19:08:00.000-07:002010-10-17T19:09:37.142-07:00So I don't forget...Tonight I made a pumpkin pie for dessert. It was a bit more labor intensive than making your typical pumpkin pie because I used a pie pumpkin rather than canned pumpkin. While making my pie I was simultaneously making dinner, and it was getting a bit busy in the kitchen. To make a long story short, the pie crust wasn’t as lovely as I had envisioned, and I had a lot of pie filling left over (I think I was supposed to use a deep dish pie plate rather than a regular pie plate—just one of the details that I overlooked while multitasking). As I took the pie out of the oven, I commented to Neal: “This isn’t exactly the perfectly beautiful pumpkin pie that I had envisioned, but oh, well!” Sally then piped up: “Well,” (she commonly begins sentences that way), “I envisioned the pumpkin pie falling from the ceiling and landing in a plate of spaghetti!” What a silly girl. I don’t know where she comes up with things like this!Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-27888662570433625922010-09-26T19:38:00.000-07:002010-09-26T20:50:57.198-07:00Family TripAs promised, more pictures from Utah (I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats!). I'm surprised and disappointed that I didn't take more pictures.<br /><br />We enjoyed our recent trip to Utah. There wasn't any real occasion for our visit. We try to visit my family in Utah twice a year (occasionally over the past few years it has been more frequent due to special circumstances), and we were due for a visit. Neal was able to take some time off of work, and we got an awesome deal on plane tickets. My family was anxious to see Austin (especially those memebers of my family who had not yet met him), and I was anxious to see everyone, show off my sweet baby boy, and let Sally play with her cousins to her heart's content. All of my pestering Angie and Hyrum to go out there the same time as us paid off, and they made the trip out, as well. It was great to be together with the whole family. I'm not sure when that will happen again, since my clan will not be going to Utah during the Christmas season this year.<br /><br />The trip got off to an interesting start. Sally fell asleep in the car on the way to the airport and amazingly stayed asleep all the way to the security checkpoint.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QHesilnIb6MtH4IDbcIdTYXnr2P4M3BMZKhC_SpH82CpD-9iE8wRNrekf9OGMr1TCOKpkm0xIwdSJPY9JWc1BDqzHCUJ4FpX6udPWWPhSikYwi5W7RPXCcj2JZCnh64iOqqWIuIrIuk/s1600/sleepysal.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521421446159387154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QHesilnIb6MtH4IDbcIdTYXnr2P4M3BMZKhC_SpH82CpD-9iE8wRNrekf9OGMr1TCOKpkm0xIwdSJPY9JWc1BDqzHCUJ4FpX6udPWWPhSikYwi5W7RPXCcj2JZCnh64iOqqWIuIrIuk/s400/sleepysal.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We got in to Salt Lake late Wednesday night and enjoyed a low-key day at my parent's house on Thursday. I did get away for a while to meet some friends for lunch. Amazingly I was able to get together with my the three awesome roommates that I spent 2+ years with at BYU (Lisa recently moved back to Utah, Kathryn happened to be visiting, and Sarah is living with her parents currently until she gets married in October). Anna joined us, too. It was a lot of fun.<br /><br />Al and her girls came over in the afternoon so we could bake cakes and let the girls play. It was delightful to bake with my sister while Sally happily played with Ada and Kate.<br /><br />Thursday night we headed down to Provo to take Neal's brother Grant out to dinner (and left the kids with my parents). It was fun to visit Provo and remember the good ol' days when I lived there. We wanted to eat at the Bombay house, but ended up at Gloria's Little Italy. I didn't regreat it. Let's just say it is a good thing that I very infrequently have the pleasure of ordering "all you care to eat" pasta, especially when one of the choices is pasta drenched in some sort of cream sauce! Despite my hearty dinner, I couldn't resist a $1 scoop of cougar creamery ice cream at Spoons and Spice on the way out of the BYU Bookstore, where cougar shirts were purchased for the entire family.<br /><br />The next day we hiked Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon with my mom, Ella, Abby, and Angie and Hyrum. It was surprisingly chilly, (I was grateful that I had brought my kids' jackets), but a lot of fun. Because we had no baby carrier, I carried Austin in my arms for a good portion of the hike, with Angie and Neal taking occasional turns to give me a break. Sally was carried mostly by Neal, but enjoyed riding on Hyrum's shoulders for a good stretch. Sally loves her uncle Hyrum!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIg1yj6US65s55BtR0lcq7gWU4iQIHORFfsmR_VD9AicF1-W7_B7Oq-CC7dPgsL-coqCKHZNfbNYgKfVPIiDnU8564wmw2vC-n72p_TqrSK29_YUOIoo9cviwSb80ddIpn50qklvBJlO8/s1600/shoulderride.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521421444496273874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIg1yj6US65s55BtR0lcq7gWU4iQIHORFfsmR_VD9AicF1-W7_B7Oq-CC7dPgsL-coqCKHZNfbNYgKfVPIiDnU8564wmw2vC-n72p_TqrSK29_YUOIoo9cviwSb80ddIpn50qklvBJlO8/s400/shoulderride.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The family pictures at the top all turned out fuzzy and unfit for posting. This picture of Neal and kids is not much better. Sally had a great time on the hike, but must have been cold at this moment--she doesn't look very pleased.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-KsboH9TPSaQxEg3Z2CdEFSdqovnPW5WiODSht2RiwJwKi9ewZ-Nu_hGvkNxe1eeeV8CvnOb7hch57yrhES9hY_m_spSI1yG4bJugRIucpRXAMPQWO7CDR_z7GyVAmaNAoePMXCjR8Y/s1600/nealkidshike.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521421433664893314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-KsboH9TPSaQxEg3Z2CdEFSdqovnPW5WiODSht2RiwJwKi9ewZ-Nu_hGvkNxe1eeeV8CvnOb7hch57yrhES9hY_m_spSI1yG4bJugRIucpRXAMPQWO7CDR_z7GyVAmaNAoePMXCjR8Y/s400/nealkidshike.jpg" /></a><br /><br />That night we headed to Spencer and Korrin's house to celebrate Abby's birthday (and my Mom's birthday, which would be the next week). Al and I frosted and decorated our cake, which tasted a lot better than it looked. It was fun to make, though. Next time we'll do a crumb layer of frosting first.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvFLq2sfAMPV0N2xrDpfN34bdWAKnZk6skKZIpsnYruV7CVqLJBGAEywPp_r96IZt5pAQnro6YhArdbZIAPLnDyxNsvLlOWP6hsBaAaZWrln0q_7R9cKxOG43_lIgwGyXNIStPKTo16Q/s1600/bdaygirls.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521421424922492546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvFLq2sfAMPV0N2xrDpfN34bdWAKnZk6skKZIpsnYruV7CVqLJBGAEywPp_r96IZt5pAQnro6YhArdbZIAPLnDyxNsvLlOWP6hsBaAaZWrln0q_7R9cKxOG43_lIgwGyXNIStPKTo16Q/s400/bdaygirls.jpg" /></a><br /><br />It was so fun to be with the whole family. I love seeing the little girls play together, and it was fun seeing Austin interact with the family, as well.<br /><br />On Saturday we went to the fair that my parents' stake put on, watched the Cougars lose to Air Force, and ate pizza and played with the family again.<br /><br />Saturday night was a lot of fun--several of my best high school friends and I had dinner together at my friend Sarah's house. It was after my kids went to bed (quite a late dinner), but it was wonderful to catch up with all of my friends. Abby went along, too, and it was fun having her there. I think all of my friends like Abby better than they like me--and for good reason, she is a lot of fun! Talking with friends and a sister, eating great food, relaxing in a cozy house, not worrying a bit about what my kids are doing--for me, it doesn't get much better than that!<br /><br />On Sunday before church, we enjoyed pacakes and the stories I loved as a child. It was so fun to watch Sally sit on her grandpa's lap and giggle happily at Micky and the Giant in the classic "The Brave Little Tailor." I love Sally's giggle, especially when she has a hard time stopping her giggles.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_FcL0t526dNSgz06pew_aB4N2RCdbDRaKsZrt1B45dCGL9S1Mp7J9s6sDWJLcTSdkZSDPLhTqsoCPxu5DqkyUUDn4mxAZioJQRKlFGvV_4FJG8vP4vDXdFTsaz-c7s5D-FLjcobhvn4/s1600/storytime.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521419791574735426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_FcL0t526dNSgz06pew_aB4N2RCdbDRaKsZrt1B45dCGL9S1Mp7J9s6sDWJLcTSdkZSDPLhTqsoCPxu5DqkyUUDn4mxAZioJQRKlFGvV_4FJG8vP4vDXdFTsaz-c7s5D-FLjcobhvn4/s400/storytime.jpg" /></a><br /><br />After church we enjoyed a family dinner at my grandparents' house. I love my grandparents' house and was so glad to have the chance to be there, as they are building a new home and have sold their house. It was fun to be there with them one last time. My grandma (Sally's namesake) is very sweet and make pink cupcakes with gumdrop decorations for the little girls, and her famous chocolate cake for the rest of us. Needless to say, Sally enjoyed her treat...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1Vyo_gp-5SOfSUn4WdypOQz8cbOPszHQoitMpdGmvk7oGWNO18XHMHHFH0QrVRd4edBFhe0s1qB1cIOofbmFbtFC0TGskOpsaFJ7j0mazpKmEs7W8NNJL9tUM-lJ1BkyMOIjMPjNLBg/s1600/sallycake.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521419779541983906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1Vyo_gp-5SOfSUn4WdypOQz8cbOPszHQoitMpdGmvk7oGWNO18XHMHHFH0QrVRd4edBFhe0s1qB1cIOofbmFbtFC0TGskOpsaFJ7j0mazpKmEs7W8NNJL9tUM-lJ1BkyMOIjMPjNLBg/s400/sallycake.jpg" /></a><br /><br />as did her cousins! Amazingly, the girls all stayed put for the picture and even attempted to look at the camera. I have the cupcakes to thank for keeping them glued to their seats.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYozTyBvwItWPJQY7CsOKT9Py3_D04v0HseAdqrR1FgnhpWDYb9XyTVp6b-1W1pf0KbBotwfPvgm8eGOKvm_Tv7lZV-Co05NwRX61HqCv0lgcoDiezV7vrMj9cOyiFxPhc9RrHO9RVGY/s1600/girlcousins.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521419776786808114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYozTyBvwItWPJQY7CsOKT9Py3_D04v0HseAdqrR1FgnhpWDYb9XyTVp6b-1W1pf0KbBotwfPvgm8eGOKvm_Tv7lZV-Co05NwRX61HqCv0lgcoDiezV7vrMj9cOyiFxPhc9RrHO9RVGY/s400/girlcousins.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Sweet little Austy had a lot of fun exploring and probably ate a fair amount of leaves while we enjoyed the evening on the deck. He also enjoyed his grandpa--almost as much as grandpa enjoyed him!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtxJtQ_wvonubIJrCq7PhT-tQXSkq_PuaqqbyQKBs4t-LAQAKNJYcCsC-FTXgEIkOvY91VeHMHxTKyKMCYjlrL4EhZnruWnymp6QCcs8TfmgMXHFNIKJdKVYx7HrXKBWktnC0New8GFE/s1600/austygpa.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521419773802028098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtxJtQ_wvonubIJrCq7PhT-tQXSkq_PuaqqbyQKBs4t-LAQAKNJYcCsC-FTXgEIkOvY91VeHMHxTKyKMCYjlrL4EhZnruWnymp6QCcs8TfmgMXHFNIKJdKVYx7HrXKBWktnC0New8GFE/s400/austygpa.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Monday came and we got ready to head home, but not before an afternoon at Alison's house. Neal had a get his Wii time in, and Sally was all excited to play with Ada and Kate's toys. Thankfully Ella and Grace joined us so the cousins could get in one last play time. Sally was in heaven in Ada's room, playing with baby dolls and dressing up as Minnie Mouse and Snow White. Here are the cute "big girls" coloring, while the "little girls" (Kate and Grace) napped. Thankfully Austin slept at Al's house, as well, so I could sneak off to lunch with Al and Angie.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgmSt-cff0_b-_rmIsRPXebfyUB_kSvDCvUPNGLLOGiJs1JktTe7ATRSXEt7i82DAVJyY74A55eTNzOHxLD7ChLjZlQGt1XVAqSR_25SbCHDRYQsf6gYRhnfzAoHo09G8PANWED64TwE/s1600/coloring.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521419761752061714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgmSt-cff0_b-_rmIsRPXebfyUB_kSvDCvUPNGLLOGiJs1JktTe7ATRSXEt7i82DAVJyY74A55eTNzOHxLD7ChLjZlQGt1XVAqSR_25SbCHDRYQsf6gYRhnfzAoHo09G8PANWED64TwE/s400/coloring.jpg" /></a><br /><br />All-in-all we had a great trip. I regret not making it to Al and Tyler's house for games with the rest of the siblings any of the evenings (we really missed out, but were pretty tired), and not spending more one-on-one time with Neal. At least we had our Provo trip. But I can't complain--we saw family and friends, enjoyed nice weather, and our kids were great.Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-88620807201563550742010-09-21T21:41:00.001-07:002010-09-21T21:47:59.499-07:00PreviewWe recently returned from a fun trip to Utah to spend time with my family. We enjoyed a short hike, among other things. More info. and pictures will follow. This post is just to get a picture out there to make me feel better about my previous two posts containing no pictures. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYdZFAliTP3RUeO1Xb6ymeovJWqYeZpepcq5rNKGwm7LQ6zeF8MsZmTpNoz5XN8OBG07KyUccxEqsmfOYRioa3b_6YIqfRsm99uR7LDdb6AGTL0DI8RGOSN0Ihz46s9qInLCgQlGqYKs/s1600/2010-09-17+007.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519593730623071522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYdZFAliTP3RUeO1Xb6ymeovJWqYeZpepcq5rNKGwm7LQ6zeF8MsZmTpNoz5XN8OBG07KyUccxEqsmfOYRioa3b_6YIqfRsm99uR7LDdb6AGTL0DI8RGOSN0Ihz46s9qInLCgQlGqYKs/s400/2010-09-17+007.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><br />Honestly, does Abby even look pregnant in this picture? I find it hard to believe she is halfway through!Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-21526551118659954682010-09-21T21:36:00.000-07:002010-09-21T21:37:27.554-07:00The Lost PetersonsNeal and I enjoy watching a good series together. During the Christmas season right after Sally was born we had a lot of free time and a little baby that slept a lot. With the help of Neal’s family, we discovered the “Horatio Hornblower” series (a BBC work) and dove in. It was at times cheesy and predictable, but fun just the same. We enjoyed the down time together, and would work together to get things done around the house and with Sally so we could start each next episode. The next Christmas season we got into season 1 of “24”, which I initially resisted but ended up getting hooked on. Over the past few years we have also taken on “The Lost Room” (a short series, something that Neal’s mom lent to us), “Crusoe” (an NBC mini-series), “The Winds of War” (an ABC miniseries from the 80s), “The Flame Trees of Thika” (a British miniseries) and “Love Comes Softly” (from Hallmark, and the only series we never finished).<br /><br />Our most recent series of interest is “LOST”. I’m not sure why we started, but after just one episode of season 1, we both wanted to continue. While we didn’t watch every night, most evenings we’d watch at least one episode (and sometimes two or three). It was fun looking forward to that time together in the evenings, and fun to talk about the story and characters together. We were both motivated to take care of our responsibilities as quickly as possible in the evenings so we could have more time to watch together. After season 1 was over, we took a few months off and then tackled season 2. While we both really enjoyed seasons 1 and 2, we’ve decided not to continue with the rest of the seasons. In addition to feeling guilty about spending so much time in front of the tv night after night, I didn’t like turning a blind eye to the raciness that was starting to creep into the show just because I wanted to see what happened next.<br /><br />So now, without watching “LOST” in the evenings, our evenings feel a bit, well, lost! They are certainly a lot less fun and a lot less predictable. It isn’t that we currently do nothing together in the evenings—we do. We enjoy crossword puzzles, working on our finances, playing games, or just talking, but we also commonly get pulled into our own responsibilities and interests and spend less time together than we’d like. I work quite a bit for my job in the evenings, and Neal always has things he can do for work—such as reading the millions of medical journals/anesthesia textbooks that the department would like him to read. I suppose we are just in a bit of a rut right now and the solution is just planning (or a good dose of fun spontaneity, which neither of us have ever been great at), but often lately while I’m sitting at my work computer realizing that the evening has slipped away without much spouse time, I long for the evenings with LOST on the tv, Neal and my side, and a bowl of ice cream in my lap.<br /><br />While I could take the easy route, (cave in and go get season 3 from the library), I’m looking for ideas and suggestions about other series that are not quite so long (or addicting, or racy), but more especially about other ways for Neal and I to spend time together in the evenings that we’ll be as excited about as we were about “LOST.” Any ideas? (Ideas involving exercise are especially welcome. Goodness knows I need more of that!).Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-27487084014590334852010-08-22T20:11:00.000-07:002010-08-22T20:56:51.771-07:00My Life is Good!I give credit to Nacho Libre for the title of this post. Did I ever mention that I love that movie? <br /><br />It's 10:10, Neal is on-call at the hospital, I'm fighting the urge to go and get myself some icecream, and there are a million things I could blog about--or I could just go to bed. Going to bed sounds nice...but no, I told myself that I had to post SOMETHING today, so post I will.<br /><br />A while ago some friends and I were talking about watching the clock when it is about time for the husband to come home from work. Someone mentioned (perhaps it was me) that it is hard to "kill time" with the children at the end of the day and everyone wants to eat dinner. Since that conversation I've thought a lot about "killing time." The more I think about it, the more I don't like the concept. I'm trying to focus more on living in the here-and-now and enjoying it.<br /><br />I'm often guilty of wishing for "better days": days when I have a bigger house, days when I have more time with Neal, days when my children will respect my need for a little alone time, and so on and so forth. Although wishing and hoping for positive changes isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm staring to fear that all of the mental energy I spend on wishing will take away from my ability to love, teach, and have fun with my children today.<br /><br />Today was a day in which I could have easily had the "killing time" mentality, yet I tried hard to avoid it and had a great day with my kids. As I mentioned earlier, Neal was on-call today (meaning he went into work at 6 AM and will be off at 6 AM tomorrow morning), and it also happened to be stake conference Sunday. I was quite nervous about how things would go at stake conference without Neal there to help keep the children happy, especially since conference fell right in the middle of Austin's nap time. Both children behaved exceptionally well. Austin didn't sleep, but he was happy, pleasant, and quiet (aside from one minor melt-down which easily passed). Sally played make-believe with two crayons for a good portion of the conference (I have no idea what she was imagining, but she was happy, quiet, and stayed in her seat).<br /><br />I was also worried about how things would go this afternoon (Austin's nap schedule would be messed up, Sally would get bored and ask to watch a movie which doesn't fly at my house on Sunday, etc.), but my worries were in vain. Austin had a great nap (after crying himself to sleep for 25 minutes), Sally played nicely by herself for quite a while, and we read from the Friend magazine for a good chunk of time. We had a nice dinner together (Sally loved her food and asked for more!), had fun at bath-time, and made "marshmallow sandwiches" for dessert (which are really just s'mores under the broiler. Sally out of the blue asked me if she could have a "marshmallow sandwich", and I'm not sure how she got that idea).<br /><br />I was amazed at how the day flew by. Although I love having Neal at home, life doesn't fall apart when he's gone. I think my children are delightful, and I love being with them every day. I want to do a better job of enjoying the simple things that I do with my children and taking advantage of the time I have to teach them, praise them, love them, and laugh with them.<br /><br />I'm still brianstorming about how to achieve this (some days I do quite well, other days I fail miserably). If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!<br /><br />This post will have to have a part 2, because I'd like to expound on the title of this post. Hopefully it won't take me a month! For now, that ice cream is sounding pretty good...Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-64281782854889065732010-08-11T11:09:00.000-07:002010-08-11T11:39:17.095-07:005 Years!A few weeks ago Neal and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. After many grand ideas and schemes we decided to have a quiet, simple celebration--we dropped the kids off at a babysitter's house and went out to dinner. We enjoyed a quiet and tasty meal and good uninterruped converstaion at Lidias, an Italian place downtown. I can't remember the last time I had freshly made pasta, but I'll sure remember this pasta (not to mention to Ceasar salad and gnocchi)!<br /><br />Here's a look back at the last 5 years:<br /><br />Year 0: Just married and ready to take on medical school and my first real job. We had no idea what we were getting into!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW2ORJsIkO3V8mXpRNXJrOBsYZbHBis4evCuPfGudk26erDcQMQGB48OkwEopSgiGUjyZAxZqLl9Dkd9wWu8EN6SeZMzN9D7y12B3CfwuJWKwVKsZUoDopX-yBEIsTGvd4hhDjFsivzA/s1600/nohose.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504217365333059506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW2ORJsIkO3V8mXpRNXJrOBsYZbHBis4evCuPfGudk26erDcQMQGB48OkwEopSgiGUjyZAxZqLl9Dkd9wWu8EN6SeZMzN9D7y12B3CfwuJWKwVKsZUoDopX-yBEIsTGvd4hhDjFsivzA/s400/nohose.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Year 1: Reunited in Utah (for Sarah and Greg's wedding) after Neal's journeyings to Alabama for 5 weeks for comissioned officer training and 10 days in El Salvador for a med school research trip. Ready to buy a house and tackle year 2 of medical school.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCzI_BTylRVZ2UkDqohu5kn5_3auGdH2N7GQBZ2HXS1CPGb1-fNmi5W9qjicWZMLuZEBZOdJ3H3_Ne4UWZfOq9YQbDsdvnEen44RIrW3TOxVQ7PORjWClPrrd2mPoMyZR-dcDWU62TwA/s1600/first.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504217352802299490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCzI_BTylRVZ2UkDqohu5kn5_3auGdH2N7GQBZ2HXS1CPGb1-fNmi5W9qjicWZMLuZEBZOdJ3H3_Ne4UWZfOq9YQbDsdvnEen44RIrW3TOxVQ7PORjWClPrrd2mPoMyZR-dcDWU62TwA/s400/first.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Year 2: Pleasingly pregnant with Sally and enjoying a family get-together with the Dicksons. Abby had just gone through the temple and was ready to head out on her mission.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gyR2ElHHyAERioFEGigPVbuAwPeyh0cf4OQjpbLK0woUyYqYJODS7rqmeX2o5lgjKsKZr49NQU2Yd3IumssJFaYoffjwPQCpiDEmhLiWPA_GUs48yCXNCVBpf-SBamTzK1LfuxXhAIE/s1600/second.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504217351993384306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gyR2ElHHyAERioFEGigPVbuAwPeyh0cf4OQjpbLK0woUyYqYJODS7rqmeX2o5lgjKsKZr49NQU2Yd3IumssJFaYoffjwPQCpiDEmhLiWPA_GUs48yCXNCVBpf-SBamTzK1LfuxXhAIE/s400/second.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Year 3: Happily together again after Neal's rotation in Philmont (New Mexico) and enjoying some KU action before sending Neal off to San Antonio for yet another rotation. Sally spent her first day with a non-family babysitter. It was big for us (me).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB2aXmBjWiIRprRTJK45os4LS6V0v4AvcmdRMZ_PmWxoi3hC42DdWjWeGhwz1JZa5r1xJCmfZt6rI1UqXOibvpk4ND8uvoxzMsjUdsDqwtalA7tvhpaQNEDrc7B1-lO9vOzaUVauygNU/s1600/third.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504217346439311714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB2aXmBjWiIRprRTJK45os4LS6V0v4AvcmdRMZ_PmWxoi3hC42DdWjWeGhwz1JZa5r1xJCmfZt6rI1UqXOibvpk4ND8uvoxzMsjUdsDqwtalA7tvhpaQNEDrc7B1-lO9vOzaUVauygNU/s400/third.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Year 4: After two more away rotations, Dr. Peterson (yes, he was done with medical school at last and in the midst of residency) joined me for 20 hours (5 of which were on our anniversary) in Utah for Abby and Scott's wedding. Austin was baking but not very big, and Sally was talking up a storm and conducting a self-guided tour of temple square.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfn3FJDyuikGqEjOEn6jjgiQHSjaRQf-gnjZD3Pb7Thyphenhyphen7BbB1wKzXTo-zwzLLAspGgYeDp4qdy-fLPHFJip_85RgPLplFSZScfeFo0J7Jq1etV2n96aRzXFcgLSQimp9IGOYmhkQODUA/s1600/fourth.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504217340399811618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfn3FJDyuikGqEjOEn6jjgiQHSjaRQf-gnjZD3Pb7Thyphenhyphen7BbB1wKzXTo-zwzLLAspGgYeDp4qdy-fLPHFJip_85RgPLplFSZScfeFo0J7Jq1etV2n96aRzXFcgLSQimp9IGOYmhkQODUA/s400/fourth.jpg" /></a><br /><br />And here we are (sorry, no picture--I had some taken by a friend but they aren't ready yet, and sadly all of our snapshots lately are of our children), with two mobile children, still in our same house (much improved, might I add), and in year 2 of residency. Life is good, and the future looks even better. Thanks, Neal for a great first 5. I can't want to see what another 5 will bring!Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-82931125077397558082010-07-12T19:39:00.000-07:002010-07-12T21:21:58.046-07:00The Petersons Lately: A SurveyJust a quick look at a few highlights of the last few months:<br /><br />Back in April, during Neal's final vacation week of intern year, we took a spontaneous road trip down to Houston to visit Neal's sister Sarah, her husband Greg, and their adorable baby boy Luke. Neal's sister Bonnie was there, too. The car trip there was not fun (both kids were well-behaved but both were unable to sleep at night, so less than 2 hours from our destination we forked over $100 for a few hours of sleep and a big dose of sanity--totally worth it!), but the visit was. We enjoyed playing games, eating Sarah's good food, watching movies, talking, going to the temple (thanks, Bonnie, for babysitting!), and going to the park and beach.<br /><br />Sally, Sarah, and I made glamorous jewelry out of some pop beads. I'm totally getting some when Sally is a little older (and if she doesn't play with them, I will!).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPUsWXCsun8f_RZBx1XDrEWzLj8fc2mSW_r21oivZDR3WnKFetCSItcGrAOELADsHVV4O2i2_95oU-PnA9zCwlhpTIgT5Yev5x8thawpOPziyKZtWuWW4RGYgU7x3PaLJ83UwEpTupi8/s1600/houst_neck.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493216571878212418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPUsWXCsun8f_RZBx1XDrEWzLj8fc2mSW_r21oivZDR3WnKFetCSItcGrAOELADsHVV4O2i2_95oU-PnA9zCwlhpTIgT5Yev5x8thawpOPziyKZtWuWW4RGYgU7x3PaLJ83UwEpTupi8/s400/houst_neck.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We loved the park and had fun feeding the ducks, playing Frisbee, and swinging.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GPtQ9ttkfZdOo8gOCVoMmu8A1BxP9BgIi0DSMjlzzfX8sfIigTNwpTm4HWEFRtztkXuWqcalszflIMDGCvGiaCKR61U0_Jd-eUJ1icqq6NukR7YSZaaQYBgHR8ERJQZUiOJi31iwflI/s1600/houst_lake.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493216562984624738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GPtQ9ttkfZdOo8gOCVoMmu8A1BxP9BgIi0DSMjlzzfX8sfIigTNwpTm4HWEFRtztkXuWqcalszflIMDGCvGiaCKR61U0_Jd-eUJ1icqq6NukR7YSZaaQYBgHR8ERJQZUiOJi31iwflI/s400/houst_lake.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Despite losing Sarah and following the wrong car (it was just like Sarah's!), we made it to the beach in Galveston. Sally loved it. Thanks, Sarah, for your patience!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV-W5UarDbJbTLe66eEXhEkeo6J3vjF-sEhWu0iUyMLf3U-jDrGooCVyyQ76aPefoWXdTUWZP8yEc2T4Rx_0Y4C9Q5rVLhZToNRN6JuFLT5r4zEnOJbWXaYXLQPqW69Yf6Dh9kFBr8bQ/s1600/houst_salbeach.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493216559669974226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV-W5UarDbJbTLe66eEXhEkeo6J3vjF-sEhWu0iUyMLf3U-jDrGooCVyyQ76aPefoWXdTUWZP8yEc2T4Rx_0Y4C9Q5rVLhZToNRN6JuFLT5r4zEnOJbWXaYXLQPqW69Yf6Dh9kFBr8bQ/s400/houst_salbeach.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Austin loved the beach a little less than Sally, but he didn't complain.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFKvFyu1NA-Yrouc-LloK2fGcF87gXs8nxRzh0D5bXc0xfH3z2kYQIh8_oKFqRXUpbBi1HuM7KBDZs6ujjwsDQaKtiAyakzo11_cCt_XiSs8gDgMyIa8nDlBxqQcVT9SCBvqCi9WUNHk/s1600/houst_austbeach.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493216547959561698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFKvFyu1NA-Yrouc-LloK2fGcF87gXs8nxRzh0D5bXc0xfH3z2kYQIh8_oKFqRXUpbBi1HuM7KBDZs6ujjwsDQaKtiAyakzo11_cCt_XiSs8gDgMyIa8nDlBxqQcVT9SCBvqCi9WUNHk/s400/houst_austbeach.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Back in KC, we checked out the free Clifford exhibit at Crown Center. Sally was so excited to meet Clifford! I thought she would be scared, but I guess she was expecting a big red dog, afterall.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAHtLB0QjOJPd4RD7pLs-G6h4CYL20WXdXSiGsicpLreaoRcM6x9oFOx_lEMMGRJYgoUef3vqSFk0_rABLH1FsZXxyK9iGD7-qnD67YwgwAg4PrewEz_TPhy9KtGlqQUow8uNgpsTe1o/s1600/sal_cliff.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493219440256252610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAHtLB0QjOJPd4RD7pLs-G6h4CYL20WXdXSiGsicpLreaoRcM6x9oFOx_lEMMGRJYgoUef3vqSFk0_rABLH1FsZXxyK9iGD7-qnD67YwgwAg4PrewEz_TPhy9KtGlqQUow8uNgpsTe1o/s400/sal_cliff.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The best family picture we could come up with.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm7BRetD2pvWky5hZoNZ8wjAcZ483Gw9IkBTlOXZ_73r64IG-sZ24Fz9xLio3Uel0sq_zgJJ2SYJwwYLjK4DW4z8euOGFxhVA6GDZt-I2vycLWlqxmplQdIul9FkNnFC8XIaPOnZKa5M/s1600/familiy_cliff.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493218254123356738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm7BRetD2pvWky5hZoNZ8wjAcZ483Gw9IkBTlOXZ_73r64IG-sZ24Fz9xLio3Uel0sq_zgJJ2SYJwwYLjK4DW4z8euOGFxhVA6GDZt-I2vycLWlqxmplQdIul9FkNnFC8XIaPOnZKa5M/s400/familiy_cliff.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Sally enjoyed dressing up as the mail carrier on Birdwell Island.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpV4Qn0lP0748hS9fCeUGJuGR8lX0H7CqeVVTcrsuWzsvPgR5mNBD4cYP3uw0fImBwVEiChFKyOMuSZ0faDlZ09bH8ksNZYUP-MayzUlJPp-Y8mpnygniBw1eQ7LcUY-j-kGzRdYZ9tcM/s1600/sal_mail.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493218250008605378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpV4Qn0lP0748hS9fCeUGJuGR8lX0H7CqeVVTcrsuWzsvPgR5mNBD4cYP3uw0fImBwVEiChFKyOMuSZ0faDlZ09bH8ksNZYUP-MayzUlJPp-Y8mpnygniBw1eQ7LcUY-j-kGzRdYZ9tcM/s400/sal_mail.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Austin outgrew his bassinet. After I took this picture, I couldn't in good conscience keep him in there at night. Unfortunately the crib in Sally's room is the only alternative. Having two kids in the same room has been a trial, but we are figuring it out, one night at a time. Things are getting better.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOhlny6PwfYcYp-vhzpM22tkpvn8VRM3eEWAooDLdJQcTrhs8p79fOGFduQ7wuIWDuTpD_HzJNaliKgaXBR1WCILjtx6P9_4vC8NXnDxFxZVjaAHwIpYpaGXe0C0EBbhExrLpSpRKI74/s1600/toobig.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493219470223758994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOhlny6PwfYcYp-vhzpM22tkpvn8VRM3eEWAooDLdJQcTrhs8p79fOGFduQ7wuIWDuTpD_HzJNaliKgaXBR1WCILjtx6P9_4vC8NXnDxFxZVjaAHwIpYpaGXe0C0EBbhExrLpSpRKI74/s400/toobig.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Sally decided to kick the pull-ups (more like I decided to be done with them). She loves her undies and has had very few accidents in the past few months. She also loves her dress-up shoes and pretend-talking on the phone.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JwxW9hbYmMtqfvRmjqVLAWH-wLIYmhZLAtp2yjV3KuVd3_ix9TaIPcylP-fgiCfdFfAsMMivpuSoLsO6Zqq2L7EgGNDf1KMvJJpgHqMEHpBKG5mzMzxw_vTXal0j5ehAfgpuK1047vk/s1600/undies.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493219459855651330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JwxW9hbYmMtqfvRmjqVLAWH-wLIYmhZLAtp2yjV3KuVd3_ix9TaIPcylP-fgiCfdFfAsMMivpuSoLsO6Zqq2L7EgGNDf1KMvJJpgHqMEHpBKG5mzMzxw_vTXal0j5ehAfgpuK1047vk/s400/undies.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Sally loves Austin, and Austin seems to like Sally, as well.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtiM3S5wsa_1Q3g668_XIYGXexKA5-7c_y10DSU-W97i9ZN8gh_PqmdI9n5TMmFUyG_Ee3dfQ-KcswXsOmsoK-oiTXcoeoyCcJvqIM63mi-nsGbwI77MCSmketMNpBYZ4Szykad0f8Zs/s1600/sal_kiss.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493219455521807890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtiM3S5wsa_1Q3g668_XIYGXexKA5-7c_y10DSU-W97i9ZN8gh_PqmdI9n5TMmFUyG_Ee3dfQ-KcswXsOmsoK-oiTXcoeoyCcJvqIM63mi-nsGbwI77MCSmketMNpBYZ4Szykad0f8Zs/s400/sal_kiss.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Both kids are looking at the camera!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZHFF6iaM1uKm9u0jIJWeKMFQj7HRhy8d2d7O1eeci4Pz5_SvrSRq67IZyl1s4y28fDpg0rBdeAc5t2wFZIIaKSPAslIyhTvnEZ0tXD_Qh2xlooIlyWRK-sXCeRI7lWIZTXMTjn5oOAA/s1600/sal_aust_couch.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493219444679857746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZHFF6iaM1uKm9u0jIJWeKMFQj7HRhy8d2d7O1eeci4Pz5_SvrSRq67IZyl1s4y28fDpg0rBdeAc5t2wFZIIaKSPAslIyhTvnEZ0tXD_Qh2xlooIlyWRK-sXCeRI7lWIZTXMTjn5oOAA/s400/sal_aust_couch.jpg" /></a><br /><br />While pre-heating the oven for these cupcakes:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTXLyUrbLU2EXeZ6_HXqZz_85i-yYWHVBKqrICfQ-0MJS4zKLXsV_O_j4K-ICPcs5Euqrv1m6DnbJG7HsjxLMjZ9T0qRfbGglYOplUuc3tHRu1CfDfllkUrJC18yV20Rhph9q4nPAQ_A/s1600/cuppies.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493218234250610706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTXLyUrbLU2EXeZ6_HXqZz_85i-yYWHVBKqrICfQ-0MJS4zKLXsV_O_j4K-ICPcs5Euqrv1m6DnbJG7HsjxLMjZ9T0qRfbGglYOplUuc3tHRu1CfDfllkUrJC18yV20Rhph9q4nPAQ_A/s400/cuppies.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I melted Sally's plate in the oven (I often use the oven as a drying rack, and I thought I had removed everything). Imagine my surprise when I opened up the oven to see flourescent green slime!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTcGfRwpq0cBA8X4CPAK8-gpPzqL8lvN8wF4NNYtPZY-96sW0HJV59zRJ9jw8T1naLAcKeJhetuaKYRX0LLwE1GXHPSKGpE0uHND4-DRqJVK_L46dz89_RziNx5Cp81mkqsgPzsHPNxY/s1600/green_plate.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493218240935569266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTcGfRwpq0cBA8X4CPAK8-gpPzqL8lvN8wF4NNYtPZY-96sW0HJV59zRJ9jw8T1naLAcKeJhetuaKYRX0LLwE1GXHPSKGpE0uHND4-DRqJVK_L46dz89_RziNx5Cp81mkqsgPzsHPNxY/s400/green_plate.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We had a fun time as a family swimming at the local swimming pool. We love it when Neal has a day off and can go out and about together. Austin napped in the shade while Neal and I took turns swimming with Sally in the big pool. We'll definitely go again.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CmkCOWY73FbuqGYrMBRY6LRvDkzVGeh1jrakUyy-sgRCg_Z-lG4yByEAabnsdilcD369hUnqyG0AfIyP4cdKY4-Vqqilc-5qHM5Ezyc1-sqSVYYEWk9g9O-FEv0LPwxTFQREV8tOJHA/s1600/emsal_swim.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493218226558328930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CmkCOWY73FbuqGYrMBRY6LRvDkzVGeh1jrakUyy-sgRCg_Z-lG4yByEAabnsdilcD369hUnqyG0AfIyP4cdKY4-Vqqilc-5qHM5Ezyc1-sqSVYYEWk9g9O-FEv0LPwxTFQREV8tOJHA/s400/emsal_swim.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithrFWvdRupUu302HOJS76_JXf_sShaQA0TmZqQlS2UZqNkeRpV-pgUfo1ScxBLHJT-4ETCehXQ_92lqK-s7B6zAqS-ZCkz5eV68GR1XItrrAqhL1HoK72sHF3xNNwVlmwYSOsF-GTVew/s1600/nealsal_swim.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493216587992124754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithrFWvdRupUu302HOJS76_JXf_sShaQA0TmZqQlS2UZqNkeRpV-pgUfo1ScxBLHJT-4ETCehXQ_92lqK-s7B6zAqS-ZCkz5eV68GR1XItrrAqhL1HoK72sHF3xNNwVlmwYSOsF-GTVew/s400/nealsal_swim.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Sally discovered that Austin can fit in her baby stroller (please pardon the purple crib bumper--it was temporary until the blue one arrived in the mail). And no, she didn't put him in there. I did at her request.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HPBi5Yl6ErpIaLweii3I6n0wX4bYX4momuffeRiPXdYIDYE1Qxtapj42lbbs7YV_wd30uc0OdSzUW0i9f4VojFHLrQE6oLz_7tKNBtMtu-aM1yl5_CD3DsgfwMDlS51VOiSeHMOC-cI/s1600/stroller.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493220450283502658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HPBi5Yl6ErpIaLweii3I6n0wX4bYX4momuffeRiPXdYIDYE1Qxtapj42lbbs7YV_wd30uc0OdSzUW0i9f4VojFHLrQE6oLz_7tKNBtMtu-aM1yl5_CD3DsgfwMDlS51VOiSeHMOC-cI/s400/stroller.jpg" /></a><br /><br />I discovered that Austin can fit in a baby swing (and LOVES IT!). Going to the park is so much nicer now!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidj5EgO0jQYO5zTSWLizW0tlpqLpfBUpE5zYxmeY6AGkZYMEzHF0iO-Su2AlZ-k3TwPIOngHMZwXB4PxlQQGtVk3sbzki7s78CVAUbXF-tqs8sgmwibsrB16NceNOhDfq5FD3F08-wF5g/s1600/swing.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493220444795256914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidj5EgO0jQYO5zTSWLizW0tlpqLpfBUpE5zYxmeY6AGkZYMEzHF0iO-Su2AlZ-k3TwPIOngHMZwXB4PxlQQGtVk3sbzki7s78CVAUbXF-tqs8sgmwibsrB16NceNOhDfq5FD3F08-wF5g/s400/swing.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Austin discovered his toes (quite a while ago, actually, but I couldn't resist including this picture).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqY9wBH3F5YXSgIH-FUd4-Am4_tl149d2rqQs0RW7iXhbMYY7zj64OsOAX9jDfpd8e-s6F6s4tIIlPoYQjTGLk-GJDaA63jFCxSlb9pbGSJ28th1gVZ0unIqaUCK7bIB7t1cZhRFWqnc4/s1600/toes.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493220439083330146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqY9wBH3F5YXSgIH-FUd4-Am4_tl149d2rqQs0RW7iXhbMYY7zj64OsOAX9jDfpd8e-s6F6s4tIIlPoYQjTGLk-GJDaA63jFCxSlb9pbGSJ28th1gVZ0unIqaUCK7bIB7t1cZhRFWqnc4/s400/toes.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We got to spend the 4th of July together (and the 3rd and the 5th, too!). We had a breakfast with friends on the 3rd, went to church and then to Jim and Cookie's house for a bbq on the 4th, and went to the Legends and had our own picnic bbq in our family room while watching Toy Story 2 on the 5th. I was so excited for Neal to have a 3 day weekend. It was so refreshing. Our post-church 4th pictures turned out okay.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cfUu6pu4l56NehN0ssLuO9TU-FFVyAJirQ1Tls5D2twGvf_I0NJ9VqKVPTzjI3Rj9K8HeCST28phTZ_dlrteZ1J5S4xRvf7VTzX8ztfMrOmmoqYA7Z4J-OjPLAtqWg2Kk6M8b8tLl3s/s1600/fam_4th.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493220463780571634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cfUu6pu4l56NehN0ssLuO9TU-FFVyAJirQ1Tls5D2twGvf_I0NJ9VqKVPTzjI3Rj9K8HeCST28phTZ_dlrteZ1J5S4xRvf7VTzX8ztfMrOmmoqYA7Z4J-OjPLAtqWg2Kk6M8b8tLl3s/s400/fam_4th.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfnPBp0NFqwki_wIkDEZSzRf8a4WTy0YKBBVDFUdWsCWmktAGMbBku1LxKg1rM81VEs1e-3u1z-IbmNZ2e137QOPmMC5kfpO5Uo6XVRVQ5UcDhhHcftFh60OvH8PsN4FKzrKZaN1_I0c/s1600/momkids_4th.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493220460168011122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfnPBp0NFqwki_wIkDEZSzRf8a4WTy0YKBBVDFUdWsCWmktAGMbBku1LxKg1rM81VEs1e-3u1z-IbmNZ2e137QOPmMC5kfpO5Uo6XVRVQ5UcDhhHcftFh60OvH8PsN4FKzrKZaN1_I0c/s400/momkids_4th.jpg" /></a><br /><br />A few happenings of the last few months that are also of note:<br /><br />Neal and I both got new callings. Neal is the Deacon's Quorum advisor and assistant Scout master, and I am the 1st counselor in the RS presidency.<br /><br />Neal completed his intern year in internal medicine and is now being trained as an anesthesiologist. It was worth the wait (at least from my perspective). He doesn't have to work on weekends unless he is on call (which he will be every 9 days), which means...WE CAN GO TO CHURCH TOGETHER AGAIN! Also, no more short call, night float, or discharge summaries after he gets home!<br /><br />Austin can almost crawl. He gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth. He's been rolling around for over a month now and can move himself pretty well without crawling, but he's ready to move onto bigger and better things. I'm excited but scared.<br /><br />Sally can jump. Sally is quite a smart and capable little girl, but for some reason she had a very hard time learning to jump. She can now get both feet off of the floor simultaneously.<br /><br />Kind of random, but I guess that is my blogging style these days. Until next time!<br /><br />P.S. In case you don't know where the title of the previous post came from, it is from Nacho Libre.Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-77003983197667706962010-07-07T22:23:00.000-07:002010-07-07T22:26:54.167-07:00Down to the nitty grittiesI haven’t blogged in quite a while, and this is not the type of post that I’ve been meaning to write. For the past month or so I feel like I’ve been in a rut. I don’t feel like I’m doing very well at any aspect in my life (especially motherhood), and I keep feeling the urge to be things that I’m not. So I decided to take a quick look at who I really am and what makes me tick. Without trying to hide anything or apologize for anything, here’s a peek into the real me.<br /><br />I love baking and could easily bake all day long if I had the time (and if I didn’t have to do all of the dishes). When I see a new recipe that I want to try I look for any possible opportunity to make it. Oftentimes when I’m having a hard time sleeping at night I’m thinking about baking.<br /><br />I love cooking—not as much as baking, but I love it nonetheless. Putting a good meal on the table brings me great satisfaction. <br /><br />I love grocery shopping. I’m so excited each week when the ads come in the mail and I can plan what stores I’ll go to and what dishes I’ll be able to make. I get especially excited about sales on produce.<br /><br />I love getting new things to wear, but rarely do. While not wanting to spend money is part of it, a large factor is that I don’t like shopping with my children and feel guilty getting a babysitter to go out shopping on my own. And I don’t enjoy online shopping for clothing. I get much more excited about grocery shopping than clothing shopping (and my children enjoy grocery shopping so much more), and thus my wardrobe suffers.<br /><br />Guilt is a feeling I feel frequently. It is mostly related to my children in some way. I daily feel the need to be a more patient and accepting mother and to be more creative with my children.<br /><br />I love to read, but don’t get to much these days. If I had the time I’d read many of the classics that I read in high school but that I didn’t fully appreciate at the time. “A Tale of Two Cities” is high on my list to re-read.<br /><br />I am a dreamer. I love to dream about the house I will have someday, vacations that Neal and I will go on, meals that I’d like to make, desserts I’d like to bake, parties I’d like to have, things I’d like to own, etc. After we got married it took a while for Neal to get used to my love of dreaming and stop worrying that I was going to go out and spend a lot of money on things. I fear that at the end of my life I’ll find that I’ve done more dreaming than doing. I’m still trying to figure this out, but I think that for the most part fear of the unknown, feeling like I don’t deserve things, and my inborn thriftiness keep me from doing.<br /><br />I love to play the piano and am so excited whenever I get a chance to play in church. I love accompanying, especially for choirs. I also enjoy playing the organ. I enjoyed being a ward organist (except for the part about it being hard for my children) and feel very badly that I didn’t do a better job in that calling while I had it (it wasn’t my primary calling, so I didn’t devote a lot of time to practice—to be quite honest, barely any time once Sally was born). Most of the time I didn’t play the pedals, and I did hardly any exploration with the stops to get different sounds for different hymns.<br /><br />I am easily annoyed by sounds that people make unintentionally or without the intent to annoy—such as pen-clicking, lip-smacking, knuckle-cracking, humming, whistling, etc. <br /><br />I love having parties with friends and family. I am always looking for any excuse to have a party or other get-together. I love planning, preparing food, and seeing people gather and interact, and, of course, eating. I’m still trying to figure out how to be more involved in socializing during my parties while being a good hostess and not ignoring my children. While I love having parties, I also get stressed out and worn out as a result, but these minor problems are far outweighed by the enjoyment I get from the overall experience.<br /><br />I love serving people, especially if it involves preparing food. <br /><br />I want to own a bed and breakfast, or a sandwich shop and bakery, someday.<br /><br />I get great satisfaction out of having a clean house. For the most part I enjoy cleaning, but there are certain areas that I really struggle with. I hate washing windows (especially since Sally is always touching them and they never stay clean), I detest dusting blinds (I think 4 years of living in BYU student housing with cleaning checks every months requiring blind cleaning burned me out), and for some reason I have a really hard time getting around to vacuuming (I don’t have a ton of carpet at my house, and when there is not a sleeping child in the house there are toys on the floor being played with).<br /><br />I am a confident person in that I have confidence in my ability to do most things I’d like to do, but I often feel insecure around other people and worry about what they think of me. This is in large part because I often put my foot in my mouth and tend to be too loud. It doesn’t help that I was an awkward child (or at least felt like one because I was always too tall, too serious, and had coke bottle glasses), I am naturally clumsy, and I have vivid memories about being teased for these reasons and more.<br /><br />I struggle with disciplining my 2.5 year old daughter, and know that I need to lighten up. I have really high expectations for myself, which I tend to pass long to Sally, poor thing. I get easily annoyed about things that aren’t that big a deal. Sometimes I forget that she is only 2.5, and I fear that I’m not enjoying her childhood enough.<br /><br />I have always had a fear of not being loved, and although I have a great marriage and two sweet kids, that fear remains. I know that I’m not great with teenagers, and I fear that Sally won’t like me in her teenage years. Silly fear, but it is there nonetheless.<br /><br />I wish I were better at blogging, sending birthday cards on time (I don’t forget birthdays, I just struggle with sending things on time), taking pictures, planning activities to engage my daughter, staying in touch with my family and friends, and exercising. <br /><br />I love to sing and want to be in the Motab someday.<br /><br />I love being outside but don’t go outside much because 1) I get eaten alive every time I set foot outdoors, 2) I’m not quite sure what to do with Austin, 3) Sally has a way of getting filthy in a matter of seconds. I need to find away around these difficulties so I can take better care of my yard and garden and clean out my car (I have no garage, so this is an outside activity).<br /><br />I’ve enjoyed living in Kansas City, but I long to live closer to the bulk of my family. I wish I lived closer to at least one of my sisters. Being close to some of Neal’s family partly fills the void, but the void remains and is particularly large around holidays. <br /><br />I love to laugh and enjoy watching old comedies with Neal, especially movies with Doris Day and Rock Hudson or Cary Grant. I have kind of a silly sense of humor. I think the movie Nacho Libre is absolutely hilarious, and I often find myself laughing at it out of the blue. I don’t laugh as much as I used to and I’m not sure why. The burdens of being a wife and mother? Probably. I need to lighten up.<br /><br />I need to go to bed. NOW.Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-85735280595414998552010-06-04T15:32:00.001-07:002010-06-04T15:37:36.605-07:00All is CalmIt is 5:30 in the afternoon and both of my children are sleeping. It is so strange I almost don't know what to do with myself. Poor Sally has been sick all week and fell asleep in the car on the way back from the grocery store. I was surprised when she kept right on sleeping when I moved her into the house. She really needs this nap, though. I don't know how that girl keeps on going without naps, especially when she is sick and since she plays in her room at night after she has been put to bed AND she wakes up early (not terribly early, but earlier than she used to).<br /><br />Austin has broken the silence. I suppose all good things have to come to an end. <br /><br />P.S. for my friend Michelle: I did it--a quick, spontaneous post about what is happening in the here and now.Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6466310791652036436.post-45965842959315649312010-05-25T08:38:00.000-07:002010-05-25T20:28:37.614-07:00New 'DoAt the gentle suggestion (okay, maybe not so gentle) of my sisters when they visited, I decided to get a haircut that is a little different. Based on some recommendations, I found a good stylist that isn't too pricey. Here's what came of it:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hDLlPlfnFsFRBBAWcBgalQ6OOncWw9hbKe7lS17t9irnQG3k9xNcq3swlSwxepitJqxJdoBrGWExsJvvGc8H0YheYha1U7izS2z_wDQMdqN1FlcF-Hc7sbHdDjUSGQfgVqK2mrHofDc/s1600/Ems+cut.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hDLlPlfnFsFRBBAWcBgalQ6OOncWw9hbKe7lS17t9irnQG3k9xNcq3swlSwxepitJqxJdoBrGWExsJvvGc8H0YheYha1U7izS2z_wDQMdqN1FlcF-Hc7sbHdDjUSGQfgVqK2mrHofDc/s400/Ems+cut.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475414579331211714" /></a><br /><br />I had kind of a hard time getting a good picture of the cut, and I don't think this photo really does it justice, but at least you get the idea. It really isn't too terribly different from cuts I've had in the past, but I like it and it is still low maintenance. <br /><br />When my sisters and I get together we tend to start comparing ourselves--our hair, our clothes, our weight, our tans (or, more appropriately, lack thereof), etc. No matter what any of them may say, all of my sisters are beautiful, thin, talented, smart, and wonderful in just about every way. I don't care much for comparisons, but if we are going to compare, then I'll say that Angie will always be the biggest shopping enthusiast, Alison will always be the biggest sports fan, and Abby will always be the biggest movie buff. I, on the other hand, will always spend the least time and money on my hair, make-up, and clothing. I'm okay with being the frumpy one. I have a husband who loves me, and I do shower and put on make-up every day. :)<br /><br />I'm not the only one with a new 'do. Sally's hair has grown quite a lot lately, and I'm finally able to do a few things with it. I've had fun experimenting, and she is getting more used to having her hair done and is much more cooperative than she used to be. That doesn't mean that she doesn't still pull out her pony tails or rub her head everywhere, ruining her curls (all natural, I might add), but it is an improvement. Too bad she is so hard to photograph. A few photos that were somewhat successful:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xcarbs0iWLlOl5XjX_UZdATmzEs9p6XtKox2ywUMOv1gwPW_V9onUTA8Je9kYTA_igjcm6xYZnNbrQkc4dbhWOxg8_zDnV8MEjB5qOqfM3NgTCK73AYQrmSG1o1iBpw3e0nC7u0FYyQ/s1600/2010-05-07+010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xcarbs0iWLlOl5XjX_UZdATmzEs9p6XtKox2ywUMOv1gwPW_V9onUTA8Je9kYTA_igjcm6xYZnNbrQkc4dbhWOxg8_zDnV8MEjB5qOqfM3NgTCK73AYQrmSG1o1iBpw3e0nC7u0FYyQ/s400/2010-05-07+010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475414619976814098" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qxXEBOdgZUQm67igwaw1oBGq_h0kOlf8VwBsgJrKqBWW-JO5fKkvm34eiIrHSc3iqw5_8LAdItlxRGTM2xJ41HQJ1hvoswJCGH-mGonlqn4qYmnrncNzky76Nz7n3tIDlXJoYybrEMo/s1600/2010-05-24+stuff+010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qxXEBOdgZUQm67igwaw1oBGq_h0kOlf8VwBsgJrKqBWW-JO5fKkvm34eiIrHSc3iqw5_8LAdItlxRGTM2xJ41HQJ1hvoswJCGH-mGonlqn4qYmnrncNzky76Nz7n3tIDlXJoYybrEMo/s400/2010-05-24+stuff+010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475414613638145058" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8fkb9s-uZkMuK4-EePFRe-ixE2hPrWjvM2UPtwd1JiWhBWFrfJpNl-SygrqyMGCCB0IoxnNPz0It9MQWUJbDiVkP-Lf7BFr8e54GCHQf-XRUfqmZgMJ1bxSylqw8PyZKYwls2BTkqxI/s1600/2010-05-24+stuff+012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8fkb9s-uZkMuK4-EePFRe-ixE2hPrWjvM2UPtwd1JiWhBWFrfJpNl-SygrqyMGCCB0IoxnNPz0It9MQWUJbDiVkP-Lf7BFr8e54GCHQf-XRUfqmZgMJ1bxSylqw8PyZKYwls2BTkqxI/s400/2010-05-24+stuff+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475414596217427362" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SEcO6eQ9e7QDnkzUtJwD9oFua6bUzt-bpNrk-NSt-n1lmTn0I2gXIrYh6gxe1ArdGFF_SOzn9ZPDljeaG3WzTix9iWqmlHY66vD4GYtOm7W36YTmG3Ls-0VkPjyRzWmkPH4AflRXlJo/s1600/2010-05-24+stuff+014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SEcO6eQ9e7QDnkzUtJwD9oFua6bUzt-bpNrk-NSt-n1lmTn0I2gXIrYh6gxe1ArdGFF_SOzn9ZPDljeaG3WzTix9iWqmlHY66vD4GYtOm7W36YTmG3Ls-0VkPjyRzWmkPH4AflRXlJo/s400/2010-05-24+stuff+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475414586904125730" /></a>Emily Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00008415507733376235noreply@blogger.com4