Never Never Land

I love Halloween and now that we have a little one to dress up I love it even more. We decided to go all out and dress up family "theme" style. I need to give props to Joey for going along with dressing up and making one incredible looking Captain Hook, but I think Emmalyn wins for being the cutest Tinkerbell ever. The best thing about her costume is I bought it 9 years ago for my niece Madison when I worked for Disney and now it has come full circle for my own daughter to wear. I love it!
The week of Halloween was full of fun parties with the MBA school, our ward, and our friends Steve and Laura. We have so much candy and treats in our home that we won't need to buy any for next year. Gross but true! We can't wait until next year to do it all over again.

Little Steps

This week I caught Emmalyn taking a few steps...her first steps occured while we were visiting Colorado for Fall break but this was the first time I actually had a camera in my hands. If you are wondering why Emmalyn is wearing a helmet it is to help reshape her head. One side of her head is slightly flater than the other and this will correct it. She looks so stinkin' cute in it and we have fun decorating it to go to church, BYU football games and for Halloween. The best part about the helmet is that it has protected her from multiple crash and burns.

Oh to be 19 again

As I sit here typing this post my back aches, my knees are bruised and I am pretty sure I won't be able to move a muscle tomorrow. Why you ask? Well, this year I decided that I would get more involved in the MBASA which is the spouse association for all of us women, and a few men, who have husbands/wives working endlessly to conquer the world of education. I think I have done a good job so far, three weeks into the semester, but I may have gone too far...I joined the BYU intramural women's flag football team and the women's soccer team along with many other MBA wives. I have come to realize that my body doesn't move as fast or recover as quickly as it did ten years ago. I would also like to add that my endurance isn't where it used to be either. I think after playing maybe 8-10 minutes of soccer my face was crimson red and I wanted to pass out. We were playing on an indoor field so the temperature was a bit extreme in there. However, I am truly grateful for the physical body that I do have and the ability to play sports. I may not be the All Star that I once thought I was but it sure is fun to get back on the field and play. The best part about playing now is the supportive husband that has and probably will come to all of my games and who has brought Emmalyn along to enjoy watching mommy play. We have been so blessed being at BYU and know that the Lord has guided our path thus far and we are looking forward to what lies ahead. I just hope I make it through the next week of games. It has to get easier doesn't it?

Crawling Moment

Emmalyn's friend Eisley

Thank goodness for little girls. Emmalyn and her cousin Eisley are so fun to watch together. For two weeks Emmalyn and I lived with my sister Candace while Joey finished up his internship in CA. It was difficult being away from Joey but being with my sister and Eisley made it so much better. Every morning and after each nap Emmalyn and Eisley would show their excitement when seeing each other by squealing and laughing as though they hadn't seen each other for weeks. They would play together, rough each other up a little, steal toys from each other and love each other. What a blessing it was for Emmalyn and for me. I love my sister and have enjoyed this time I have had to spend with her not only during the two weeks while Joey was in CA but the whole time Joey and I have been in UT for grad school. Every day has been an adventure; dance parties (including but not limited to interpretive dancing), the splash park and shaved ice, the children gardens at Thanksgiving Point and walking around Cabela's viewing the animal exhibits and the aquarium. Thank you sis for taking care of us and keeping me entertained! We love you guys.

A whole lot of family fun

My family ROCKS! I've always said that if there wasn't anyone else on the Earth except for my family, life would be good and every day would be a party. I love spending time with my siblings and parents; I wish that we were all living closer so we could get together more often. Every other year my family gets together for a reunion, to share in a week of family fun. This year we ended up in Park City, UT with the entire gang, except for Ryan and his family and my dear husband who unfortunately had to work. The best part of the reunion was introducing the newest members to the family to each other; cousins Emmalyn, Eisley and Bella. Emmalyn loved being with her cousins, aunts and uncles and grandpa and grandma. We visited SLC and toured the conference center as well as Temple Square. We also enjoyed a day at the lake and park playing games and working on our soccer and volleyball skills. To finish off the week off we headed to Logan for a reunion with my mother's side of the family. For this part of the reunion Joey was able to fly in and be with us for a few days. Oh how much Emmalyn and I missed him. It made me appreciate Joey even more and miss the little things in our relationship; talking face to face, cuddling, holding hands and watching him with Emmalyn. I have always loved the reunions in Logan; they become more and more meaningful as my grandpa (mom's dad) and grandma (dad's mom) get older. Both of them are in their 95th year, but you wouldn't know it. They are both sharp witted, have a great sense of humor and are great role models of faithful living. I am grateful that Emmalyn has been able to spend some precious time with them and I look forward to sharing stories with her about them when she is older.