The Mitchell Family

Merry Christmas 2011!

2012-01-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas really is getting more fun each year with the kids getting older. Emerson discovered the truth about "Santa Clause" last year but she puts on a good roose for Atticus.

I love that they never forget about the reindeer.

They decided to sleep together for Christmas eve so they could wake up together and check out what Santa left them. Sooo adorable!

I always drink Dr. Pepper and Emerson always trys to sneak a sip but I never let her. But Santa brought her 2 pint size Dr. Peppers for her in her stocking and boy was she STOKED!

Atticus loves infomercials and his favorite is the "Magie slushy maker" for months he has been talking about it. He makes me watch the commercials, he pauses the dvr so I can stop whatever I am doing and watch the "snowflake science do it's magic"

The kids favorite gift was the "flying turtles" they got from Santa. They ride them around the house, the street and the park. I think I remember these when I was a kid.

Putty loved his chicken jerky he got for Christmas

the mess!

Merry Christmas from all of Us!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

I really love our Christmas Eve tradition. We invite friends over and have a breakfast for dinner party. We have waffles, eggs, sausages, bacon and the works. Our friend Amy always brings the Nativity puppets so the kids can reinact the Christmas story and then we end it by having some birthday cake for Jesus. This might be a little weird to some, but we like it and it reminds the kids why we really celebrate Christmas. This is my favorite day of the year!

Emerson was the narrator this year.

Singing happy birthday to Jesus

Happy Birthday, Emerson!!!

2012-01-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

Emerson woke up to this on her birthday

The Mitchell family exchanged some gag gifts and it happened to be on Emerson's birthday so she got to she her grandparents and her aunts and uncles on her birthday. She loved it!

I must say her favorite gift was the ipod touch. She listens to her music and plays games all the time now. She is really turning into a teenager!

A Serendipitous Birthday!

2012-01-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Emerson turned 10 in December. Wow, double digits! When we went to Vegas, she discovered Serendipity's Frrrozen hot chocolate so that was the basis for her birthday party this year.

It was an GIRLS only party and she invited friends from church and school. We decorated the backyard and she the whole restaurant atmosphere....fancy glass plates and glasses! She also demanded the beautiful sunset too.

Everyone made their own personal pizzas

Cheers to Emerson

and of coarse...the FRRROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE!!!

All GIRLS except of coarse, Atticus

Grandma and Papa Ron sent Eme the new just dance 3 and so the girls had fun dancing for hours.

Hoover Dam

2011-11-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

On our way home from Vegas, we stopped by Hoover Dam. For 2 hours, we had fun telling "Dam joke". "This is the best dam tour I've ever been on, I've got to go to the dam bathroom, let's buy something at the dam gift shop, this is dam expensive,"ect, ect. You can see how the kids, especially Lauras boys had fun with this.

Vegas!

2011-11-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

We went to Las Vegas for a long weekend just to get away. Laura and her boys came with us and we stayed at my moms condo right behind the strip. We swam, walked around, hit a bunch of arcades and just relaxed.

Wearing his bling and throwing gang signs. a couple of people wanted to take pictures of him because he is so hilarious!

Atti wanted me to buy this hideous beaded tie so he could wear it to church.

we went to this pinball museum. rows and rows of vintage pineball machines. it was pretty cool.

Graham had everybody write a list of things they wanted to do in Vegas, and of coarse Emersons was to go to Serendippity's for her frozen hot chocolate.

Our highlight of this trip was when Emerson broke this decorative finial at the Venetian hotel. I am sure it was already broken and someone placed it back on and Emerson happened to knock it off again but never the less, her reaction was priceless. We were teas her that the video cameras saw her and that cops were going to come get her. Then we heard police sirens go off.

She ran and started crying because she really thought the cops were coming to get her. Atticus didn't make her feel better either because all night he kept saying "Eme, the po, po's coming to get you!"

Happy Birthday, Atticus

2011-11-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

What?!...Atticus is 5?!!!!
How is this possible? Time goes by so fast. Atticus has been counting down to his birthday for months. Everyday he's been asking me "how many more days til my birthday?"

The Morning of his birthday, I surprised him with a bounce house. He insisted on having breakfast outside so he could watch the man set-up the bounce house.

We also had our friends come over for birthday cake and ice cream. I insisted it wasn't a birthday party because I wasn't feeding anyone dinner or have games and other birthday party stuff but when you end up having 43 people come over, I have to maybe concede to that it's a "party".

Grandma Linda got to watch and participate in singing "happy birthday" to Atticus with everybody through Skype.

Atti also got to have some friends over for a sleepover for his birthday.

His request for breakfast...strawberry, nutella crepes! I love this kid!

Julian

2011-11-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

We went up to Julian on the last weekend to pick apples from the orchards. We love doing this and we haven't done it for a couple of year so it was nice to start this fall tradition again.

While in Julian, we visited some of our favorite places. Like the cider mill where you get to try different flavors of apple cider and buy all sorts of old fashioned candies and nuts.

we alway stop and have lunch at this italian restaurant. so yummy!

and of coarse, the trip isn't finished until we eat a slice of pie from the Julian Pie company!!

Trick or Treat 2011

2011-11-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

Halloween!

For halloween this year, Emerson was a bumble bee, Atticus was a ninja, Putty was the friendly mail dog, graham was a zombie (Emerson did his make-up) and I was once again an American Indian.

The kids came home with so much candy this year. I'm mean and make them turn their candies into me and I put them in a big bowl and put it on top of the fridge where they can't reach it. They can have a couple of candies a day....If they remember. Out of sight, out of mind!

Halloween Decorations

2011-11-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

I love decorating the house for Halloween. Almost as much as I like decorating for Christmas...Almost!

pumpkin carving!

2011-11-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

Taylor Swift

2011-10-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Months ago it was announced that Taylor Swift was coming to San Diego. Emerson loves Taylor (because of her Emerson has taken up guitar lessons) and she of coarse wanted to go to the concert! So, I made her pay for half the ticket and her and 4 of her best friends made plans to go to the concert.

The day came and it was finally time. They got together to coordinate their outfits and make a banner in hopes that Taylor Swift would see them.

It was seriously the loudest concert I have ever been to. The arena was packed with little girls screaming and jumping with excitement. I like Taylor Swift too but I wasn't expecting a spectacular concert but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great concert and best of all Emerson had the greatest time. She said it was her "best day ever, so far"!

Marcus Farewell

2011-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Marcus finally went on his mission. After 6 weeks of buying shoes, shirts pants, passports, immunizations, dentist appoint, doctor's appointment and packing, it was time to go!!! On October 12th, Marcus reported to the Provo Missionary Training Center. He will be there until December and then he will fly to Madagascar to serve his mission.

Even though he didn't want one, we had a farewell party for him. His parents and sister Michelle flew down to be with him his last week here and sent him off.

It was bitter-sweet. We knew and felt it was time but it was hard to say goodbye for 2 years. Bye Marcus, I hope you will grow to love giant spiders, no electricity and eclectic foods. Word of advice...don't ask what you are eating. Just smile, say thank you and swallow it like a good little missionary!

USC/U of U game

2011-09-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

My friends, who are uber Utah fans flew down to watch the USC v. U of U game.

the build-up:
This trip has been planned for 9 months. We decided to not go to Peach Days for this game. Peach Days is a festival in Brigham city that celebrates peaches every year. I loved it when I was growing up and Graham has never gone to this and has been wanting to for years. Every year we try to go but something always comes up. Anyway, this year was going to be no different. I gave Graham a choice between USC or Peach Days...He jumped at the game. So, everyone is excited for this game because we this is the first time Utah is in the same conference, first game of the season and we get to hangout together for the weekend. Can you tell something is coming?

So, about a month ago, Graham realized the game is on the same weekend as our Stake conference. Panick stricken, Graham calls Salt Lake to see if conference can be changed...the answer was no. What to do?!! Graham concocts an idea! "Since the game starts at 7:30, I'll schedule the priesthood session early and bail out of the Saturday leadership session and I will make it to the game by the end of 1st quarter."! Wait for it.......

Morning of the game, Graham calls me and tells me he thought the game started at 7:30 but he didn't realize that was EASTERN TIME ZONE!!!! In fact the game actually starts at 4:30. Priesthood session starts at 3:oo. The session lasts 1 1/2hrs. The drive from San Diego to Los Angeles=2 hrs with no traffic. Do the math there is no way he will make it to ANY PART OF THE GAME! He ends our conversation with "let me figure this out and I'll call you back with a plan." What?? What plan, Graham? You are NOT going to see the game!!!! Once again, let me remind you, this man runs a city AND a stake!!!

This once housed Reggie Bush's Heisman. It's just sitting there empty with all the other Heismans. Even OJ Simpsons heisman was there. So sad!

Emerson went to the game with me since Graham couldn't make it. It was her first football game and she loved it! It made me feel better that I got to watch it with her.

Final Score 14/24 SC won. Graham, 0

Los Angeles

2011-09-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Kari suggested that we go and eat brunch at Bottega Louie. Wow, so glad I decided to check this place out.

a whole lot of eye candy!

how do we choose just one dessert?

Kari and Hoon live across the street from FIDM, where I went to school.

Emerson has been wanting to see the Hollywood sign forever. For her 8th Birthday, we went to LA to see it but it rained that day. So we ordered our desserts to go and headed up to Griffith Observatory where Graham and I went on our first date.

Emerson was so happy to see the Hollywood sign.

As you can see, we didn't pick just 1 dessert!

I love that she enjoys her food!

Family Fun

2011-09-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

How in the world did our parents survive traveling without technology? This is actually ridiculous. Both kids have their headphones on so they can listen and watch a movie and one is playing the ipad and the other playing the ds at the same time. I should feel bad but the drive is so peaceful.

We went to Manhattan beach to meetup with friends for the USC/UofU game. I brought the kids with me and they hung out with Kari and Hoon.

Lady killer

2011-09-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

My little man came home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me the other day.

Atti, "Mama, I picked out these flowers for you all by myself.

Me, "Aw, Atti I love them. What's it for?"

Atti, "cuz you smell like flowers and I love you"!

watch out! He's going to be breaking hearts all over the place.

Picture Day

2011-09-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

I hate buying school pictures so I always click a few photos on school picture day. Emerson is looking so big. It makes me so sad that she is growing up so fast.

Daddy's little girl!

Goats!

2011-09-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

The city of Lemon Grove hosted a sum of 150 goats for some weed abatement. Graham had a brilliant idea to use goats to clean up the city. The goats are happy and it's environmentally friendly which makes everyone HAPPY!

I took Atti and some friends to go watch the goats eat and they also got to be on the CBS' The Early Show. The Early Show also thought it was a good idea so they did a story about these weed eating goats.

4th grade, Here we go!

2011-09-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Can't believe this summer blew by so fast but what I can't figure out is how Emerson has gotten so old so fast! She started 4th grade on August 15th. Her new teacher is Señorita Navarro. As always, she loves her teacher and she loves school.

Farmer's Market

2011-09-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

We love to go to the Farmer's Market in Little Italy on Saturday mornings. This weekend, Kari and Hoon stayed with us so we got to spend a fun morning finding yummy ingredients for dinner.

Chloe was a hit at the farmers' market

Cuyamaca Lake

2011-08-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Our friends the Fukushimas invited us to spend a day with them at Cuyamaca Lake to go fishing. How could we say "No" when Atticus has been begging us to take him fishing on a daily basis since summer started. Also, our friend is a professional fisherman so we knew we would be guaranteed to catch a fish!

A boy and his Tackle Box!

As you can see, our girl is a very "girly girl"!

Waiting patiently for the fish to bite.

Emerson thought she caught the catch of the day but she reeled in some grass instead.

Now, that's a fish!

That's me pretending I caught the fish. You would think that I would be an expert considering fishing is all we did as a family growing up. But nope, still have never caught a fish in my life!

Atticus thought that he could catch a fish better if his fishing pole was closer to the water.

Patience paid-off!

Thanks Jolene for inviting us. We had a lot of fun. We especially loved the delicious, fresh fish we had for dinner!!

Elder Ewell gets his call!

2011-08-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

The day finally came, Marcus got his mission call!

Look how nervous he is!

Marcus's parents couldn't be here live but thank goodness for technology. They got to share the moment with Marcus via Skype.

Drum roll please.........Madagascar Antananarivo mission

He will be leaving October 12th to the MTC

He was just sincerely overwhelmed by it all but really excited!

Newport Beach

2011-08-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

My best friends Kori and Jeff were vacationing in Newport Beach so we spend the day with them.

Atticus, Emerson and Graham were on a mission to build the best sand castle they have ever built!

I definitely think it was the best sand castle they have ever built!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2011-07-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, America! We went down to Coronado golf coarse to celebrate the day with our friends. It was a day filled with playing tennis, bocce ball, eating and running around.

Emerson, of coarse, had to dress up for the occassion. She wanted to make sure she wore red, white and blue. She first came out of her room wearing a t-shirt with the British flag on it. She innocently exclaimed "What?! It's red, white and blue!" I explained to her why she couldn't wear that particular shirt on this particular day. She laughed and went back to her room and changed her outfit.

It's not a celebration if all my girlfriends aren't there!

We experimented with making homemade ice cream in zip-loc bags.

It turned out DELICIOUS!!!

a serious game of bocce ball

now it's the kids turn to show the grown ups how to play bocce ball

Red rover, Red rover, send Emerson right over!

the three musketeers back together again!

waiting for the fireworks to start!

Coronado didn't disappoint with their display of fireworks. It was beautiful, a perfect ending to a fabulous day with friends and family!

legoland

2011-07-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Who can turn down free legoland tickets? We were lucky enough to receive free tickets to legoland by my friend. Emerson and I went when we first moved down to San Diego and Atticus has never been there. Both kids had so much fun.

Atticus is really getting into legos so this was especially fun for him. He doesn't want to go to Disneyland anymore, he just wants passes for legoland. He just informed me he only wants legos for his birthday!

put boys in a room with legos and let their imaginations go. You would think they would castles, planes, cars,and towers...nope, they build "sniper guns"!

Let the summer begin!

2011-07-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's not summer without a bonfire at the beach!

One of the reasons I love San Diego is all the outdoor activities we get to do. One of our favorite family activity is having a bonfire at the beach with our friends and a bonfire isn't a bonfire without the making of the traditional s'mores!

He's a pretty good actor. He's trying to convince me that he doesn't like s'mores.

Even Putty loves a good bonfire!

Random Photos

2011-06-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Atti's new obsessions: his skull candy headband and sweatbands and the ipad.

Emerson's first march. Her school had a march for education. The school taught the students about all the budget cuts in education. She made signs to hold up. She had been looking forward to this for weeks.

Padres Game

2011-06-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a while now so I hope this will make up for my neglectfulness. Now that seminary is over, I can get on to better things like watching all the shows I've DVR'd.

We went to the Padres game with a lot of our friends. It was a lot of fun watching the kids have so much fun playing around, dancing, trying to get on the jumbotron and starting the wave over and over and over again.

One of us, I'm not naming who, brought a balloon to the game. It was a skull candy balloon. Atticus was wearing his skull candy headband and sweatbands....we looked a little too suspicious.

Happy Easter, 2011

2011-06-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-06-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Atticus is so funny. When he was hunting for the Easter eggs, he would only pick up the plastic eggs with the candy in it. Everytime he came to a hard boiled egg, he wouldn't pick it up and he would say "oh, that's not a real egg."

Varsity Scout Triathlon

2011-06-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

Fiesta Island

This is Graham's third year participating in the Varsity Scouts triathlon.

This was the first year that I actually saw him participate in the whole thing. I usually roll in as he is crossing the finishing line.

Painting Easter Eggs

2011-06-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Emerson's spring break was so late this year. Non of her friends had the same spring break, not even Atticus. I decided it would be fun to rent a bounce for a couple of days. The kids had a blast!

Atticus had been begging to dye Easter eggs for months. He was so excited when he finally got to do it.

Emerson was recreating a scene from Romona and Beezus with her egg.

Aaron and Melissa and Baby Jordi visit!

2011-06-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

We love it when Aaron and Melissa come to visit but we especially love this visit because we got to meet Baby Jordi!!!! Emerson was so sad when they left. She cried for 30 minutes and everytime she saw something that reminded her of them, she would just start crying more. She is so drama. Can't wait until she's a teenager!

Sledding at Mt. Laguna

2011-06-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of snow storms that came in late in the year this year so we took the opportunity to go sledding.

Math Whiz!

2011-02-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

Emerson received an award at her school for excellence in math.

Atticus was entertaining himself during the awards ceremony playing games on my phone.

Valentine"s Day!

2011-02-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

I love to spend Valentine's Day with my family and friends.

This year Graham was missing in actions. He had to fly up to Sacramento for the day.

Who needs a man when I have my girls!!!

Emerson's Friendship Dance

2011-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

Emerson had a Valentine's Day Friendship Dance at her school. It's so fun to see her get down with all her friends. Even Atticus had fun dancing!

2011-02-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

Driving Home from New Years

2011-01-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

Driving home after a fun weekend of sledding and spending time with the Rasners was a NIGHTMARE!!!! It usually takes us 5 hours to get home but this time, it took us 11 hrs. That's right, 11 HOURS! The usual fwy was closed due to weather conditions so we had to take an alternative route. Snow, and holiday weekend traffic and road closures made it a perfect storm for 11 hrs of bumper to bumper HELL!

The kids had never seen snow fall before so they were thrilled when we let them stick their heads out the window and try to eat the snow (Ahh, memories of my own childhood bliss)!

All I have to say is, Thank goodness for DVD players in the car. How did our parents ever survive long road trips without them?

Putty also enjoyed sticking his head out the window!

Sledding for New Years 2010

2011-01-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

We spent New Years with our good friends the Rasners. It was a lot of fun to drive up to the Sequoia National park and go sledding. We are true Californians. We spent more time driving than we did being in the snow.Look how tiny that man looks next to the giant sequoia tree!

Pure untouched powder! Literally had to be pulled out of the snow.

Happy 9th Birthday, Emerson!

2011-01-03T22:07:00.001-08:00

Emerson had a joint birthday party with her best friend Gabby. It was a hippie themed party. It poured rain that day so what do we do with all the kids? We played it old school! The kids had fun playing Twister and musical chairs (with 60's music) and board games.

Peace, Love and Happiness!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

I love watching the kids get so excited to see what Santa left them by their stockings.

Every year on Christmas Eve we have our friends over for our traditional Christmas Eve breakfast "dinner". We load up on waffles, bacon, sausage, orange juice and milk. After we are stuffed, we have all the kids do the Nativity story with their puppets. This year Graham got more festive and had everyone sing Christmas hymns during the Nativity.

Putty is ready for Santa to visit. He's been pretty good this year.

Dear Santa

2010-11-29T20:45:00.000-08:00

This is a letter Emerson has written to Santa this year:

Dear Santa Claus,

This year for Christmas I want more clothes for my American Girl dolls. Also, I want clothes for myself and I would love some new books to read because I get bored of my books and I really would love a DS for the whole family. For a long time I have been waiting for new movies and a radio clock in my room. Also, I really want a digital camera because I passed my test from getting a real camera. I need more shoes for school, church and for whenever. Also I would love to have a guitar to play with. I would like teacup piggies and zhu-zhu pets. You don't have to give me all these things but this is what I really want.

I've been an angel this year,

Emerson Mitchell

happy thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T14:05:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving this year was pretty quiet. We had the Black family over for our dinner and then we took the kids to see Tangled. Then we came home and had desserts with a couple of other families. It was a good day. So thankful for our friends!!!!!

The boys with their USC t-shirts. Graham is so proud. He's already teaching Atticus the Trojan fight song.

Atticus couldn't keep his hands off the turkey. He likes the dark meat, just like me!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween 2010!

Atticus was Iron Man

Emerson was Hermione from Harry Potter. She even crimped her hair to make it look crazy like Hermione.

Atti couldn't wait to dig into his treats.

My bat cave

The whole Trick or Treating gang!

October

2010-10-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't updated the blog for a few months. Now that I'm teaching seminary, I have no time to do anything else. I don't even have time to watch any of my favorite tv shows. They just sit there sitting in my DVR waiting, taunting me everyday to watch them. I hope this post will make it up.

This last weekend, Graham played a sand soccer tournament. Him and his LG Ballerz team played 3 games and lost 3 games. They had fun and that's what's important...right?

They might have been beaten and battered but they walked away with dignity!

We went to a Padres game. They lost....again! We still had fun watching them in the rain.

I absolutely love the view of the city from the ball park.

Eme is taking ballet after school and she got to perform at a teachers conference a few weeks ago. I asked her what her favorite part was and she replied "the cupcakes after we danced."

Getting ready for Halloween. They don't get to carve them until we get back from Puerto Vallarta since it get's too hot and the pumpkins will grow mold before halloween.

August/September

2010-10-18T10:28:00.003-07:00

We took the kids to the Del Mar horse races and that night Weezer played a show after the races. It was the kids first concert. They had so much fun!

Atti was rockin out to the music. It was funny, at one point all the kids started their own mosh-pit.

Emerson had a lot of fun with her girls.

Emerson started 3rd grade. She has Señorita Sandoval this year and she loves her.

What is even crazier is Atticus started pre-school. He could not wait to go to school. His best friend is also in his class. They have Mrs. Hernandez. He goes to school every afternoon for 3 hrs. I didn't know what to do with myself for the first week. Now, I fill that time up with working on my Seminary lesson. Believe me, I can think of a million different things I'd rather do with my time than working on seminary.

Uncle Aaron had a work conference out her in San Diego so we got to spend a lot of time with him.

Uncle Aaron figured out how to win Atti over..........play Wii with him.

July

2010-07-27T15:24:00.003-07:00

This summer is going by so fast. I just can't keep up. Before we went to Utah, my friends and I took all our kids to a Padre's game.

paying no attention to the game. I honestly can't say who the Padre's played this day.

riding in style. What did our parents do without a tv in the car?

It was a lot of fun seeing some of my old friends.

We don't get to buy fireworks in San Diego so this was fun. This was Atticus' first time lighting sparklers.

My friends Jeff and Kori invited us on their boat to go water skiing at Willard bay. This is Graham. Like we say "The fun hasn't begun until Graham throws-up"!

trying to "Utah surf" behind a boat.

this is how it's really done. This is Jeff showing us how it's done.

I haven't been on a wake board since I was in high school.

Soaking up the sun.

We went over to Jeff and Kori's house for some fireworks and a BBQ. Michelle got to join us. Yeh!!

my sister, mom and me at the Brigham fireworks

Graham stayed for the Brigham fireworks, then he flew back home for work and I stayed for another week and a half vacationing with the kids.

we went river rafting in Lava Hot Springs.

Jackson Hole

Swimming in Jackson Lake. The beautiful Grand Tetons in the background.

Soda Spring. I dropped my phone in this Geyser. Had to get a new phone.

My mom's cabin in Star Valley, WY

Graham came back to drive back to San Diego with us.

So grateful for air conditioning. 111 degrees in Las Vegas. We had a blast on our trip to Utah. Thanks everybody for entertaining us!

June

2010-07-27T14:16:00.001-07:00

June was a very busy month. Graham's sister Shannon got married! The wedding was in Virginia so we spent a week spending time with all of Graham's family before Emerson got out for summer break.

Happy Father's Day, Graham!

The Mitchell's (day before the big wedding)

Emerson was her Aunt Shanny's flower girl. Shannon asked Eme to help her get ready for the wedding. You should have seen Eme. She was so happy to do that job. She helped her get her dress on and helped her with her jewelry. Hold her bouquet, hold her dress so it wouldn't drag on the ground. She loved it!

Shannon looked so beautiful! Welcome to the family Uncle Jesse!

Emerson with her niece baby D'Anna. Now she is not the only granddaughter. She reigned that crown for over 8 years.

While in Virginia, we went to DC and hit some of the smithsonian museums. The kids love the movie The Night of the Museum, battle of the Smithsonian, so we went to the natural history museum to check out Rexy the dinosaur. Emerson's first reactions was "that's not very big"!

with all the cousins

The other favorite from the movie is "The Thinker" We had fun searching the art museum for all the art pieces they showed from the movie. When Atticus saw the Thinker, he repeated the scene from the movie. It was pretty hilarious.

I'm so glad the kids love that movie because they really got into all the museums and they got so excited when they recognized the artifacts and the art pieces.

We took the ferry to Maryland to go canoeing in the Potomac. Graham and I did this when we had our wedding reception in Virginia. We had fun but I know it wasn't a pleasant experience for all.

After we got back from Virginia, we had FHE at the Fiesta Island with some of our friends to kick-off the summer and celebrate the last day of school.

We had dutch oven dinners

Eme and Mateo, her best friend from school.

Mother's Day Pics

2010-05-20T21:11:00.003-07:00

How perfect does the kids outfits match the beach scenery? Graham's sister, Shannon is getting married in July and Emerson is going to be her flower girl. The yellow dress she is wearing is her flower girl dress. We've had so much rain this year that the daisies stayed out a little longer so, I decided to take some pictures of the kids for my Mother's Day presents.

I bought Atticus this adorable linen suit for Aunt Shanny's wedding. What do you think? Is he not the cutest thing ever!!!! I think all the ladies will like him at the wedding.

I can't get him to just sit and smile anymore for pictures. He loves to strike a pose!

My 2 handsome Men

I woke up on Mother's Day with a yummy breakfast in bed made by Chef Graham. The kids gave me the most beautiful bouquet of multi-colored roses and a super cute cardigan. I wish I took pictures of it. You did good, Graham!

MY HAPPINESS.................is being a MOM!

Spring Break

2010-04-11T21:04:00.001-07:00

We had a very busy Spring Break this year. Actually, it started a few weeks before Spring Break. From three sets of house guests, multiple trips to the zoo, Sea World, beach, John's Incredible Pizza, Drive-In movies to slumber parties, I am pretty happy that the dust has now settled and life will go back to normal tomorrow.

Our first house guest was Graham's little sister Megan and her husband Brandon. It was Brandon's first trip out to California. Atticus called them the "Creepie People" but within a day, Brandon was his new BFF! The kids loved them. They got to go to the zoo with them, play a little frisbee golf and Brandon entertained them with some pretty cool magic tricks.

Our first Easter Egg Hunt. The traditional ward hunt. Both Emerson and Atticus found a golden egg which had a $1 in it. Atti was pretty excited. He loves to find money.

We went and watched "How to train your dragon" at the drive-in with the Stanton boys and the Rasner kids (our "fake cousins")

Putty had a disgusting mole on his neck and it was infected so he had surgery. I swear, every two years, this dog has something.

Emerson wanted to take him to the vet and give him a last hug in before he went in for his surgery.

He made it! The surgery was a success. No more mole and he even got his teeth cleaned while he had his surgery. Poor Putty, look how sad he looks. He was so tired when we brought him home. He just snuggled up and rested for a couple of hours on his bed.

Our "fake cousins", the Rasners came down to visit for a couple of days. It's always a blast when they come to town!

We went for a hike with all the kids on a beautiful spring morning.

Atti got a little help from his dad.

Coloring Easter eggs

New spring outfits and a few toys on Easter morning

So cute, the Hubby got me a Easter basket too. It was filled with my favorite See's candies and a super cute bracelet.

All the colored easter eggs.

Round II easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday between watching General Conference.

We had an earthquake on Easter. This is the only evidence in our house of the quake. It was my first earthquake in 15 years I've lived in California that I've really felt or wasn't asleep through.

Emerson had her first slumber party with 4 of her closest friends. I love girls! They crack me up.

They had pizza, did hair and make-up, painted nails, listened to music, sang and danced. And listening to them talk is hilarious!

Atticus and Graham went on a "man date" while the girls were in the full swing of their slumber party. The next morning, he helped make the girls breakfast. I am teaching him well!

We did even more stuff during the break but I didn't get pics. Like the dessert contest we had where everybody brought a dessert and we taste tested everything and judged it. All the kids loved it! Talk about sugar coma! Also, Marcus came and visited for a week from New York so our house was filled with all of his friends going in and out of the house. We miss you, Marcus!

February Update

2010-02-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

42 pairs of shoes, 6 women, 3 days in Vegas, 1 hotel suite and 0 kids....PRICELESS!

What do 6 girls who don't drink or gamble do in Vegas?

We SHOP!

and EAT!

2 years ago, all of us girls went to Santa Barbara for a girls weekend trip. We had so much fun without the hubbies and the kiddos so we thought this year lets go to Vegas!

The Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3 was my favorite!

Thanks for the fantastic weekend, GIRLS. See you in 2 years in MIAMI!

We had our traditional Valentines Day dinner with the family when I got back from Vegas.

Atti's best friend, Miles giving him a back massage.

First sign of Spring in San Diego.

This little daffodil popped up the other day. After Graham's grandmother died, his uncle gave everyone some bulbs from grandma's garden. Graham came home and planted them in our front yard and look, they are growing. Every time we look at these beautiful daffodils, they remind us of Grandma Alice and how she loved her flowers.

January Update

2010-02-10T20:55:00.001-08:00

The first couple of weeks of January was pretty busy. We celebrated the New Year with our friends the Rasners and then we had Emerson's Baptism and then Grahams parents came to town and we celebrated Graham's birthday all in the same week.

So adorable, Emerson and Papa Ron playing swords.

Graham and his pile of clothes he got for his birthday.

This is a small picture of what Graham's parents are giving him for his birthday. It is Graham's favorite church painting. His parents got him a big one and is framing it so he can hang it up in his Stake office.

It was really nice to have Graham's parents in town to celebrate his 41st birthday.

The kids made their dad's favorite cake (German Chocolate). YUM!

Every time someone has a birthday, Atti thinks we have to sing to him too and let him blow out the candles.

Emerson had crazy hair day at school. This hair style was inspired by one of her favorite Dr. Seuss books, Daisy head, Mayzie.

Atti loves his Big Papa Ron. He referred to him as his "other daddy".

Yup........guess who learned a new trick!

Graham, of coarse taught his boy how to pee off the deck. He introduced it as "Atti, let me show you the best thing in the world"! Now, Atti thinks it's the coolest thing and is very proud of it and it has become a nightly ritual. He keeps telling me to try it.

Emerson's Baptism

2010-01-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Emerson is 8 and old enough to be baptized. Emerson's baptism was January 2nd. Graham baptized her and confirmed her. She has been so excited for this day. We told her it was her decision and she needed to pray about it and ask if this was the right thing for her to do. A few days later, she said she prayed and asked Heavenly Father and she felt very good.

I told Eme she could design her own dress and I would make it for her. She was all over it. She drew it out for me and we went to the fabric store and she picked everything out. I didn't end up sewing it because it was too technical for me (I did make the flowers on the dress and added the sash) so a nice lady from our ward sewed it for us and it turned out beautiful. Emerson was very proud of her dress and she looked beautiful in it.

We don't have any family that lives near us but I was shocked at how many family came for Emerson's baptism. Graham's parents flew down, his aunt Pilar and uncle Ralph drove 5 hours to be here. Thanks Ralph and Pilar for doing that. We know how busy you are this time of year but it meant a lot to Eme. She loves you guys so much. Graham's uncle Lee and aunt Karen and son Adam, uncle Mark and aunt Sarah and their family and of coarse our Rasner's came down too. And all our close friends from here were there to support Eme. Thank you all for sharing this day with Emerson. It was a wonderful day.

Emerson's request, we had a little chocolate fountain party at our house after the baptism. YUM!

Who needs pretzels and strawberries to dip when you have fingers!

The Rasners made the cutest little candy poster about baptism for Eme. Of coarse she loved it!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 Everyone!

It's days like this that we are so grateful that we live in San Diego. We went to the beach on New Years day to spend a relaxing day in 70 degrees. We had a bonfire with some friends, roasted hot dogs for dinner and s'mores for dessert.

It was nice outside but it's still cold in the ocean. I can't believe Emerson got in and played in the water without a wet suit.

We played some bocce ball.

Graham's parents, Ron and Phyllis flew down to be with us for Emerson's baptism.

It beats shoveling snow!

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

We had Emerson's birthday cake and ice cream to finally finish out what seems like her birthday month.

Eme and Atti both loved helping me wrap presents.

They were both very good at using their tape.

The last 3 years, the Walthall family has brought over their Nativity puppet set. All the kids act out the Christmas Story. We have a tradition of eating breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve. This year was especially fun with even more families joining us.

Emerson's letter to Santa.

Emerson's offerings to Santa and his reindeer. She is so cute, she left out carrots for the reindeer.

Our kitchen drain backed up during our Christmas Eve festivities. No plummers were open for business so all the men tried to fix and snake the drain. It didn't work. We have another tradition of having prime rib for Christmas dinner and have the missionaries over but with the sink not working we couldn't do that this year so what was our back up? We ordered Chinese food. It was our own "Christmas Story". The missionaries didn't care. They were stoked about the chinese food but by the end of the night, the drained cleared. Graham called it our own Christmas miracle!

Emerson and Atticus were so excited about Christmas morning. I thought for sure they would be awake super early but they didn't wake up until 8. That is sleeping in for them. That was my favorite gift.

Emerson received her digital camera and toothbrush she asked Santa for.

Present time!

The kids sorted all the presents and waited patiently to open them.

They hugged and thanked each other for their gifts they received from each other. Sooooo Cute!

Putty loved the new bed he received for Christmas. He immediately started rubbing himself all over it. I guess to leave his scent?

Grandma Linda gave us money to buy a family Christmas gift this year so we decided to go skiing. A couple of years ago, we took Eme skiing for her first time and Graham and I tried to teach her to ski. It was the worst experience for all of us. We vowed we would never try that again. So this time we put her in ski school. It was the best money we spent. She was happy, Graham and I were happy. By the end of her lesson, Emerson rocked the bunny slope. We didn't take Atti with us this time because they didn't offer lessons for 3 year olds. He will start next year. This was the perfect way to end Christmas. Thanks Grandma Linda/Mom!

Happy 8th Birthday, Emerson!

2009-12-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Looking beautiful in her birthday dress and a matching dress for her doll that Grandma Phyllis and Papa Ron gave her.

We got an early Christmas present. We stuffed her in my Christmas stocking. She fit just perfectly.

My Love Letter to Emerson

Dear Eme,

It's your 8th birthday today. I can't believe it. It seems like only yesterday you graced us with your presence. I was pretty sick while I was pregnant with you. It was rough and I really did not enjoy my pregnancy. People talked about how wonderful pregnancy is and how beautiful they look and feel and how they glow. I didn't feel any of that. All I got was fat, a lot of acid reflux, a lot of pain in places I didn't want to be feeling. I just wanted to get out of my own body. I thought this was all a precursor to what was a head of me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a parent.

Then you were born, 6 lbs 4 oz. 19 1/2 inches long. I remember being so unbelievably scared. I could not wrap my head around the fact that I was responsible for you. I have to keep this tiny person alive? I felt so overwhelmed. I learned pretty quickly how to take care of you. I also realized I loved being a mom.

You were my first experience for a lot of things. As my first baby, I could not believe how I could love someone so unconditionally. I couldn't believe how natural my love for you came. I couldn't kiss you or hold you or just stare at you enough. It was the first time I realized how much my Heavenly Father loved me. He gave me you! I am so lucky and blessed to have been entrusted with such an amazing, beautiful spirit. I would lay my life for you. I am so in love with you. I still get tears of joy just looking at you.

It's been pretty easy being your mom because you are so easy to love. It has been an amazing 8 years with you in my life. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. I am so grateful for you and you will always, forever be my baby! Happy Birthday, Princess.

xoxo-Momma

Girls Day Out!

2009-12-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

Emerson wanted to go see Hollywood for her 8th birthday, so we spent an entire day just girls in LA last Friday. Emerson invited 4 of her closest friends to come along. I made them all matching berets and scarfs. First, we went to Ruby's for lunch. Then we stopped at the mall to see Santa.

Finally, we made it to LA. First stop was Mann's Chinese Theatre to see the Stars. The girls had fun finding the stars names they knew. Even the rain couldn't stop their fun! The only bummer was it was too rainy to be able to see the Hollywood sign.

Then, we made it over to The Grove. The next agenda was tea at the American Girl Store. I told Eme and her friends I would take them there if they all read 5 American Girl books. They exceeded my expectation.

The girls had a blast having a tea party at the American Girls store. They all got to choose an American Girl doll to sit with. The cafe is so cute and the food was yummy. Everything was very girly.

Kari works at The Grove, so we got to see her and Hoon for a minute. Thanks for coming and seeing Emerson. She really loves you guys!

It "snowed" at The Grove. It really made a wonderful ending to the day. It was so cute watching the girls dancing and laughing as the snow came down.

I love doing these girl outings with Emerson.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went up to Exeter to our friends, the Rasner's house for the weekend. Our kids always love playing and visiting their "fake cousins."

We all stuffed ourselves with Graham's delicious turkey and other yummy sides and desserts.

We also went on a little walk through the beautiful walnut groves and took some fall pictures. I love fall. We don't get the fall leaves here in San Diego so it was nice to see all the beautiful orange and yellow leaves in the walnut groves.

The Rasner family. We love you guys! Thanks for your hospitality.

Atti"s 3rd Birthday Party

2009-11-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

We ended up having his party at Peter Piper Pizzas. I forgot that it gets dark early now that the time has changed. I think it worked out better anyway. The kids had a blast and I really didn't have to do anything other than make a cake.

I was actually quite proud of myself. I usually don't make the birthday cakes but I got ambitious this time. The birthday theme was monkeys so I attempted to make a monkey cake. I think it actually turned out pretty good. Don't think I'm that cool and clever. I saw it online and I copied it, but I will take the credit for the banana cake. I knew the monkey cake wouldn't feed 30 people so I had to think of something else so I came up with the bananas.

Spoiled much? We didn't give him any of these toys. Everyone must have known that Atticus loves Transformers. He has been having fun playing with all his new toys. Grandma Linda sent him some money and we bought him some cool Puma shoes and Grandma Phyllis and Big Papa Ron sent him an alphabet puzzle that he loves and Aunt Shanny sent a cute Sesame Street book that Emerson loves to read to him. Thanks for all your kindness!

The rest of October

2009-11-12T21:02:00.003-08:00

I love Halloween. It's kick-off of the holiday season. A reason to decorate!

I've got a rat infestation!

Uncle Matt and Aunt Brittany sent the kids a Halloween care package and this is what it was filled with.

An early Halloween treat! The kids were very excited about this surprise package.

Thanks Matt and Brittany!

Emerson's bat pumpkin she did not carve.

The gang on Halloween night, ready for Trick or Treating!

Atticus, trying to throw his web

Emerson must have had a rough night of trick or treating because this is how I found her the morning after. Oh, only Emerson!

I love this picture. This is Laura and her boys dressed as the Beatles for Halloween. How adorable is that! Unfortunately, most people thought they were the Jonas Brothers.

How can this be? My baby is three!

2009-11-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today at exactly 6:38 PM, Atticus was born. Weighing 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 inches in length, this bundle of joy came into our lives. I can't believe he's 3 years old, how fast the time has gone. He keeps telling me he's not a baby and I keep telling him that he will always be my baby.

This is Atticus at 2 weeks old. Look closely at the picture. Do you see what he is telling me?

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old.

I loooooove this kid! He is the king of our house. He is adored by all, especially Emerson and of coarse, the Stanton boys. He is absolutely hilarious. He's a joker, a lover, a snuggler, a teaser, a sports lover, a punk and a momma's boy.

Birthday Continued

2009-10-29T11:00:00.003-07:00

Last night, my girlfriends and I went to the Melting Pot to celebrate my "birthday."

I have to admit, I was not at all impressed with the food but the dessert was fantastic. We tried a couple of the chocolate fondues and they were both super yummy. I would definitely go back for the dessert.

Laura lost the car keys, so here we are stranded and waiting. The keys weren't far, it was back at the restaurant.

Thanks for the night out, girls!

October...so far

2009-10-22T21:06:00.001-07:00

I took the kids ice skating yesterday at the Kroc Center

Seriously, this kid is a rock star when it comes to any type of sport. I can't believe how good he was on his ice skates. We definitely need to start him on snowboarding this winter.

Laura took me to the Aztec v. BYU game for my birthday.

I love college football, especially when it's a little cold outside. Unfortunately, it was in the 80's that day. I did get to wear a scarf by the end of the game but still too hot for hot chocolate.

I took Atti to Oma's Pumpkin Patch last week with my friends pre-school class. By-the-way, did I mention Atticus and I are mommy and me pre-school drop-outs? It turns out it's too hectic for our schedule.

Michelle got to come out and visit us for a week during her fall break from school.

Atti is pretty good at milking a cow

I have pictures of Emerson doing almost the same things at Oma's. It's fun having these experiences with Atticus too.

The one thing the kids wanted to do while Michelle was here was to go to Sea World.

I am sure Michelle had a blast going on all the kiddie rides. Emerson chickened out on Michelle at the Atlantis ride.

Miss you already, Michelle!

We finally made it to the Padres game earlier this month.

We sat on the grass and watched the game. The kids got to play in the sandbox and at the park.

Atti and Eme had a blast. We also went with our friends and their kids so it was even more fun. Also, the Padres won.

Thank goodness I didn't feed the kids before the game. They were serving free dinner when we got there. It wasn't even gross food either. It was BBQ and it was delicious.

12 Reasons

2009-09-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Graham and I just celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary today! So, here is my 12 reasons why Graham's still rockin.

1. The other night, I was laying around and just starving but didn't want to fix myself anything to eat. Without being asked, Graham went to the kitchen and whipped me up the most fantastic, top chef quality pasta for me.

2. There is no one who can make the kids laugh and giggle harder and louder.

3. Still brings me flowers without an occasion.

4. Makes me laugh every time he dances.

5. He still cares about what I think (from politics to what he's wearing).

6. Will do anything for me and the kids.

7. Works hard so I can be a good mother at home.

8. I appreciate that he's passionate about whatever he's obsessed with, at that moment.

9. Still thinks I'm hot! (at least he says so)

10. I know he wants to make me happy.

11. He's still goofy and not afraid to laugh at himself.

12. He still makes me laugh until my sides hurt and I want to pee my pants!

First Day of Preschool!

2009-09-09T23:04:00.003-07:00

Ready for school!!!

Atti has been soooo excited for preschool. He has been patiently waiting for the last month to start. Here he is showing off his cool Spider Man lunch box.

Painting his astronaut.

He shoots, he scores!

Poor Atticus, we have not bought him a bike yet so every time he tried to pedal this bike, he kept peddling backwards.

Looking for "bad guys"

This is Teacher Laurie. She was Emerson's preschool teacher too. We love her so much. I am so happy Atticus is in her class.

Snack Time. When Emerson found out that Atti was going in to preschool and he was in Teacher Laurie's class, she has been telling Atticus all about preschool. The one thing she told him was, "Atti, when you're in preschool, you get to eat donuts!" She was in Teacher Laurie's class for 2 years and they had Krispie Kreme donuts once! So, for about a month now every time he told people he was going to school, he would say, "I go to school and eat donuts!" He didn't get donuts today.

First Day of School!

2009-08-26T15:26:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to school!

Emerson has been very excited to start 2nd grade. She is in Maestra Brandy's class and her English teacher is Ms. Ruben. A couple of her really good friends are in her class so that makes it even more fun for her.

Eme and Maestra Brandy

Emerson has a new school this year. Because she goes to a Charter school, the school didn't have a permanent place so the school shared a campus with another elementary school. This year she has her own building. They closed down an elementary school really close to where she was going before so Eme's school took over the building. They went from 14 portable classrooms to an entire school site. It's huge Eme loves it!

Last Days of Summer!

2009-08-26T14:56:00.001-07:00

We had to go to the beach one more time before Emerson started school.

Atticus loves the seals at La Jolla Coves.

The waves were so huge. We had to be careful with Atticus. He could have easily been crushed by them.

We had a lovely picnic lunch at La Jolla Cove.

It really was a perfect day. We didn't really do anything other than just hangout. The weather was perfect and the kids had fun looking at sea life at the coves. I am sure we will go to the beach a couple more times before the summer weather officially leaves us.

Confessions of a 7 year old girl!

2009-08-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Emerson was asking Graham why a person would kill oneself. She had heard from someone that a girl had killed herself so, she was curious to know why someone would do something like this. Graham responded by saying that sometimes not everyone recognizes that they are a child of God and they are of worth. He continued with a few other pertinent comments. Emerson sat there and took it in and then replied: "Daddy, I feel bad for a lot of people." Graham asked why? Now, you would think this is when she is going to say something profound, something that only a child with their pure heart and full of love would recognize in others. NOPE...she responded by saying, "Because most people aren't as good looking as me!" Yup, ladies and gentlemen, that is what my darling little girl said after having a discussion about suicide. This should not come as a surprise to all of you who know Emerson well but still I wasn't quite expecting that. I can only blame her high opinion of herself as my doing. Maybe it was when I would hold her up to the mirror everyday and say like I was talking to a puppy, "Who is the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world? It's you, Emerson!"

Wicked!

2009-08-04T22:18:00.001-07:00

I've seen this musical three times now and I haven't gotten sick of it yet. It still brings me to tears when "Defying Gravity" is sung. What would it be like to have that much talent? I will never know.

I know what you're thinking..."Hasn't she seen that play twice already?" Yes, I have but I couldn't resist taking Emerson to see it since it's here in San Diego. We also took our neighbor JLo with us too. They both loved it. Emerson loved Glinda, of coarse. I caught her doing an imitation of her in front of the bathroom mirror during intermission.

We also took a couple of my Young Women. They were dying to see the play.

I quickly took this picture before the show started. I got yelled at immediately after for using my camera inside the theatre.

Aww! So adorable. She is getting to be such a tween!

Emerson really wanted her hair crimped for this show. She planned out her "look" days before the show.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. As usual we tried to stay clear of the tourists and crowds. This year Kari and Hoon came down for the weekend. We miss them so much now that they live in LA. We went down to the Coronado golf coarse for a few hours and played some bocci ball and let the kids play in the sand pits. I had a lot of fun and it wasn't really that crowded. We might go down there next year and stay for fireworks.

My 4th of July creation. I saw a picture of this dessert and I had to have it. It's a giant chocolate chip cookie topped with cool whip and fresh berries.

As tradition, we roasted some s'mores.

Kari and Hoon brought with them their adorable bulldog, Chloe. Putty had so much fun with her over the weekend. He was tuckered out. This really made us consider adopting another dog. Any suggestions on what kind of dog to adopt? We want a medium size dog like Putty.

Hoon and Kari. Kari is Grahams cousin. Everyone thinks that Hoon is the one related to me!

Emerson has her ears pierced!

2009-07-03T21:14:00.001-07:00

For years, I've been asking Emerson if she wanted to get her ears pierced and she would always say no. I told her whenever she wants it done, we'll go get it done. She told me a few weeks before Michelle was leaving that she wanted it done. She said she wanted to do it before Michelle left. That's how much she loves Michelle!

She picked out the blue topaz because that's her birthstone. I was actually really surprised she didn't pick the pink studs.

You can't see from the picture but there is a blue marker dot where the the piercing will go.

She got to hold a little teddy bear to squeeze.

We all thought for sure she was going to cry. My friends son, Miles, came to just watch Emerson cry. When Eme told me that "Miles only wants to come to watch me cry." I told her, "Well Eme, you can prove him wrong." She responded just matter of fact, "No I won't!"

She was so brave. She had a little nervous smile the whole time. When the gun pierced her ear, she didn't even flinch. The 14 year old girl who got her ear pierced right before Emerson was way more nervous and had tears in her eyes when she got her piercing. Not Emerson, she was so tough!!!!

I love this face. Look how proud she looks.

Happy 7 1/2 Birthday, Emerson!

2009-07-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

I bought a cutting machine so I made the birthday banner. I think it turned out pretty good.

Atti loved putting his own topping on his cupcake. When we took off his swimsuit, he had melted M&M's on his wiener. It might not melt in your hands but it sure found a place where it could melt. The worst was he found it and picked it off and ate it and said "mmm, Yum!"

These pizzas were 28" I couldn't believe how huge they were.

Emerson had her 7 1/2 birthday party on her last day of school. Those of you who are wondering why Eme has a half birthday, it's because her actual birthday is a week before Christmas so we decided it would be better if she had her birthday party with her friends on her half birthday. We had a pool party again. We were hoping the sun would shine but June gloom was in full swing. The kids were freezing once they got out of the pool but they didn't seem to mind. They were too busy eating giant pizzas and decorating their own cupcakes at the cupcake bar.

Relay for Life

2009-07-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

Graham's work had a team for relay for life so the whole family participates in this event every year. I really like it. The event has games and food and a live band. It also teaches the kids the reasons why it's important for us to be involved in this cause.