flying, crawling, and slithering

Georgia looks different from Las Vegas. There are trees growing wildly everywhere and it is just so GREEN! We're both desert rats so this is so new for us. We were so excited when spring came and the trees got their leaves and blossoms! We've also enjoyed the wildlife, most of which we can view right in our backyard. We've seen blue jays, cardinals, hawks, tons of robins, big bushy squirrels, chipmunks, big furry bumble bees, fuzzy caterpillars, and various other creatures I can't even name. The birds and squirrels graze in our yard and we love watching the squirells hopping across the lawn and leaping from tree to tree. We were thrilled when a mother bird chose our drain pipe for her nest. We eagerly awaited the arrival of her babies and enjoyed showing our kids nature up close and personal. One morning while driving through our friends neighborhood three deer ran in front of our car. They were just hanging out in someone's lawn and we frightened them (unintentionally).

Some of these critters have not been so fun to encounter. I found this big spider in the basement when moving furniture. Jamie caught him in this baby wipes case (to give you an idea of the size here). Another one showed up in the kitchen later that week. We now own an industrial-sized bottle of bug spray. While showing the kids our tomato plants a big blackwidow crawled out of the planter (out came the bug spray again).

One evening last week I went out back to put the kiddy pool in the shed and found Mr. Snake here trying to eat this rat for dinner. He's not poisonous, but I don't like snakes! Emma however went out the next morning searching the yard hoping to find the snake.

We get these reddish-brown wasps that sometimes come in our laundry room to die. Yesterday morning Emma found one that had died in her room so I went in to dispose of it. Turns out he wasn't dead after all and had saved one last sting for my finger. It stung like crazy and my finger swelled right up. I don't like those wasps! He's in my vacuum now. You can also find about 15 bug bites on my legs at any given time and I itch like crazy. Those bugs love my sweet city blood! Jamie's only had a couple. Punk.

Dr. Emma on Rating Coughs

"I have an especially very very bad cough."

Dr. Emma on Voices

Emma: "If you're a princess and you sing people will say 'You have a beautiful voice!'"

Mom: "I guess they do huh?"

Emma: "I got an Emma voice."

Mom: "Is that a beautiful voice?"

Emma: "Well, just a little bit. Weston has a Weston voice."

Mom: "Is that a pretty voice."

Emma: "It's just a handsome voice and Andrew has the cute Andrew voice. Mommy has the big beautiful voice and Daddy has the huge handsome voice."

Mom: "You're cute Em!"

Emma: ""I know I am.

She found out that I've been writing down her comments and has me read them back to her so she can smile at her wittiness. I don't think it's helped her humility.

Dr. Emma on Manners

"After I'm done helping you with dinner you can say 'nanks Princess"

Dr. Emma on Stomach Conversations

Emma: "I want a snack."

Mom: "It's lunchtime."

Emma: "But my stomach says it just wants a snack."

Mom: "I'm making you guys lunch now okay."

Emma: "But that's not what my stomach says. My stomach would be angry if you don't give me a snack."

Well, her stomach doesn't have very good manners and I've heard a lot from her stomach in the last month. Dangerous habit Emma, listening to your stomach.

Dr. Emma on the Boss

Emma was being the little mother hen and bossing Weston around (little girls can't resist) and here's the conversation that followed:
Mom: "Emma, don't tell Weston what to do. You're not the boss."
Emma: " You're not the boss!"
Mom: (trying to sound authoritative) "Yes I am."
Emma: "Oh, you don't look like the boss."

Herein lies my problem. She's on to me. I always knew the day would come when my kids would realize I can't make them do anything, I was just hoping I had at least a few years left.

Andrew- Baby on the go

Here's an update on Baby Andrew because he's growing up so fast (he's 8 months and I already can't keep up with him) and I need an excuse to post some cute pics of him :)
Most these pics were taken yesterday before his bath when his hair was greasy and he had food smashed on his face, but I still think he's cute!


Andrew sits up by himself and crawls everywhere (army style). He also is climbing stuff, which is much too early for me. He's a very active baby and the squirmiest I've seen!

So now he's into everything. He loves pulling out all the diapers.

With Andrew on the move, Weston is even more paranoid that the baby's after his stuff...and he's usually right.

But he's a happy baby!
He likes people now (besides mom). He realized Daddy's great and he loved Jesse when he visited (he can tell the guy has experience with boys).
He's a sweet baby and lots of fun!

Silly Songs by Emma- The Walker Dance

Silly Songs By Emma:

The part of the blog where Emma comes out and sings a silly song....

This is a much better example of Emma's musicals.

Anyone that can interpret everything she's saying (yes, she's using real words) gets a free

Dr. Emma book.

We're not in Vegas Anymore

Weston Tells It Like It Is

I put PBS kids on so I could take a shower this morning. When I came out Weston reported, "I watch Curious Georgia"

In the Happy Treetops

This is what Emma does. She goes around all day either narrating her activities or putting them to song. For any of you who have seen the movie Enchanted, that's Emma. Her life's a musical and life's better when it's put to music. This isn't a great example, she usually stops when she sees the camera. You'll need to turn up the volume.

Dr. Emma on Poop Art

Mom:(observing Em's potty dance) Emma, do you need to go potty?
Emma: Oh yeah, because the pee's coming out.

A minute later...
Emma: Hey mom, I got poop poop, come and see! (Emma has been potty trained for abut 2 years now, but still needs approval for her efforts in the bathroom)
Mom (peering into the toilet) Good job Emma.
Emma: Yeah, look, that big one looks like a roller coaster and I fink that little one looks like a slide

I know, this girl talks about poop way too much, but a least she has something new to add to the topic

Atlanta Nana (and Jesse's crew)

My mom and my brother (with his wife and four kids) came to visit last week! Somehow my mom didn't make it into any of these pictures I posted but was definitely the highlight of the kids' week! The kids loved playing with their cousins and we had a great excuse to go in and see Atlanta (this area we've been living in for three months and haven't seen). We went to the Center for Puppetry Arts, Centennial Olympic park (twice), and the Atlanta Zoo. My mom got us a swingset and Jesse put it together (much thanks to you both) and we got a little kiddie pool that the kids had a lot of fun in. We set up a tent in the basement for the older kids and pulled out every chair we owned for mealtimes. We even had a storm Saturday night and went down to the basement in the middle of the night (luckily half the kids were already there and slept right through it). Our neighborhood was fine (some sticks and leaves to clean up) but the next morning at church the bishop sent us home after sacrament and told the men to meet at the school so they could clean up some trees that were blocking ward members driveways (ox in the mire thing). But other than that it was a fun week and my kids are disappointed to be back down to just me today!

Dr. Emma on Laughs

Emma was sleeping in the tent downstairs with her cousins and kept giggling and disturbing the would-be sleepers. After a couple warnings I brought her upstairs to sleep. She explained her innocence by telling me "The laughs are just getting stuck in my mouth and they just come out by themselves, it's not me."

My Boys

Here's what my cute guys have been up to

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