...or these?

Dr. Emma on friends, mommies and wild trees

Sorry I haven't done Dr. Emma in awhile. Time for some catch-up.

Emma was pretending to talk on the phone: "I heard some tweeting on the phone... The birds are my friends. They don't know how to talk, they just tweet."


For some reason the word "dirth" came up at our house and Jamie insisted it was a real word. I asked if he was confused with the word "durst" from the scriptures and gave an example. Emma tried her hand at it too, "I dirth not poop into your chair."


Emma was serving breakfast to Jamie and the kids in her play kitchen and had everyone sitting down at her table. Jamie told her she should sit down to eat with them. But Emma tells him, "I'm the mom and moms don't get to sit down to eat."


In her family prayer,
"We're grateful for Andrew that he's being so cute today. We're grateful for Mommy that she makes lovely food for us everyday."


I read the olive tree allegory from the kids Book of Mormon and tried to explain it as best I could. Then we moved on to the story of Sherim and how he was trying to lead the people astray. Emma pipes in, "He's like, 'hey guys, let's be wild trees!'."


"When you give people a cute smile, you get stuff."

Vanpool Ponderings

I drive a 15 passenger van Monday through Friday from Douglasville into Atlanta, and back again - about a 75-mile round trip. This gives me plenty of time to entertain thoughts. Today it was raining on the drive home, and I realized how obsessed I am with getting my windshield wipers to wipe my windshield at the right speed. It drives me crazy. I blame an ex-girlfriend for this.

This ex once expressed to me that she thought guys who turned their windshield wipers on in a light rain were "wimpy." And even in a heavy rain, she claimed it was not very manly to have the windshield wipers going full speed. Apparently she thought that a man should not panic just because he can't really see where he's going. Instead, he should be a man about it, and trust his manly instincts to guide him while he waits for a respectable amount of water to blind him. Only then is it acceptable to wipe the shield - and then only on a lower setting, so that he must constantly rely on his manhood to see him through the elements.

I know of course how retarded an idea this is. I believe I even told her at the time just how retarded the notion of I-can't-see-where-I'm-going-and-that-means-I'm-not-a-sissy driver is. And yet...

I observe other drivers when it's raining. I watch the speed of the windshield wipers on the vehicle behind me when I'm stopped at a light. If the rain is coming down lightly, and I see frantic wipers behind me, I look to see if the driver is a man. If he is, I scoff. I judge. I think he needs to calm down and man up. Can't he handle a few drops? Doesn't he know he's not even moving?

But my wiper philosophy is different from the philosophy of my ex girlfriend. Quirky yes, but I like to think it makes a bit more sense. I still don't think it's manly at all to see how long you can hold out before you wipe your shield. That's still stupid. Instead, I'm all about the timing and the adjustment. You see, I drive in rain with the belief that I must constantly adjust the speed of my wipers to reflect driving conditions. In my mind, I consider many factors - the size and frequency of the drops, the width and girth of my windshield, the direction of the wind, the speed of my vehicle, the amount of daylight, the curvature and grade of the road - and I adjust my windshield wiper speed accordingly. since these factors are in a constant state of flux, I am continually evaluating and readjusting the speed of my wipers. I am rarely satisfied - always looking for the optimal wipe, and by the time I pull into the carport, I am mentally and physically exhausted.

I don't do this to be manly. I do this simply because I have to. And the reason I have to is because it feels irresponsible now to drive with the wipers wiping furiously if the circumstances do not warrant furious wipers. It's like those people who sigh dramatically out of habit - not because something all that dramatic happened, but because at the first sign of drama, they've conditioned themselves to sigh as if they've just been tasked with solving world hunger. again. 

So maybe I feel a bit superior to others because of my ability to appropriately adjust the speed of wipers. So what? Maybe I'm writing this so that I'm no longer the only one who is aware of my unique ability. Maybe I'm writing this in the hopes that I'm not alone - that there are others out there who are like me - those with special wiper abilities.

And yet I can't help but wonder - what if my ex girlfriend had kept her mouth shut? Would I have the wiper obsession I have now? And if not, would I have remained happy in my ignorance? Wiping furiously? Needlessly? This ability - it is a curse. It is a blessing. 

Am I alone?

Growing up

Something momentous happened Sunday! Yes, my Aunt Diane turned 50 but there was another unexpected event. I'm talking about the right of passage from little to big girl, the losing of the first tooth. Emma's tooth disappeared while eating her snacks in sacrament meeting. Oops! Here's the new Emma.

When we got home Emma grabbed some scratch paper and wrote this note to the tooth fairy. Her letters are kinda like word searches so I put in some words and arrows to help you through it. I think Daddy helped her spell swallowed.

A letter's not complete without a picture of the recipient and credit to the writer.

Then seal the deal with a little flattery.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

We went to the Botanical Gardens yesterday. We planned to go last month but the boys were all sick. Yesterday was beautiful weather, perfect for a day at the garden. Emma enjoyed finding all the "lovely flowers," Weston looked for frogs (Hey Jesse, I saw frogs), and Andrew loved running around outside with the kids. They have a really cool..well, really hot...conservatory with an amazing orchid collection. Andrew hated it though because leaves and vines kept brushing his shoulders and face and he'd freak out. Jamie and I were quite entertained by his spasms. It was a fun day!

Storytime Characters

This morning we went to the library for storytime. Now that I babysit a 22-month-old, Wednesday's usually the only day we get out. We go to the library for storytime and check out books and movies, then we go to Sams Club. The kids are actually quite good with the right amount of snacks and taking things slow but boy do I get a lot of looks and questions when I come in with four little ones. Most kids here are in preschool by the time they're four (if not earlier) and most parents plan to have only a couple of kids and space them so I really stick out with four. It's kinda funny. Sorry, that's not why I'm posting today. I was noticing how my kids' individual personalities were really showing through during storytime. They're involvement and interaction is very indicative of who they are.

EMMA- Emma sat quietly. She repeated every word to be repeated with exactness. She quickly answered any question asked. Emma stood on command and did whatever dance and song was asked to the best of her ability. She didn't get all silly and smiley about it she just focused on the task. She pointed out interesting pictures and funny parts to the boys like mommy does and helped mom collect the supplies for the craft. Emma chased down little boys that tried to escape and was my little angel helper.



ANDREW- Andrew really likes to get involved. He doesn't need to be the center of attention he just needs to be doing what the big kids are doing. He got excited every time they did a song and tried keeping up with all the motions. He clapped his hands, he stomped his feet, and moved as fast as he could to get through "Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes." Once the stories started back up he squirmed and looked through my bag for snacks. He demanded more and more until I finally convinced him that the empty tupperware meant the snacks were gone so he tried to steal some from the child behind us, no luck. Then when we broke for craft-time he took advantage of a poor baby who had been left alone in a chair while his mom went to get supplies at the table. Andrew grabbed the baby's bottle of juice and ran. I quickly figured out what happened when Andrew came over with a bottle and I saw a baby whimpering. Stinker boy!




WESTON- This face (minus the glasses) about sums up Weston during storytime. He doesn't smile, he doesn't get up and dance, he doesn't comment, he doesn't talk to anyone who tries to talk to him. He just sits and stares - not in amazement and he doesn't really look bored or confused - it's just...some other planet or something. I try to make him stand up and move his arms along with the song. He doesn't complain but he doesn't make any effort. I don't know if it's the other kids or being in public because he dances at home and laughs and is silly but he just checks out at storytime. Somber. I never used that word before Weston came along, but it's a perfect description.

Snow Day (with the pics.)

I posted this yesterday but some of the pics. weren't showing up today so here it is again. The last two pics are still in the original post.

It's been raining all day and night for the past couple days. Today we piled in the car to drive to church and started getting a little snow as we pulled into the road. By the time we go to church, we had a little flurry going. The bishop stood up before testimonies and said he was aware of the weather and he might just call it a day after sacrament meeting. People here aren't used to snow (and neither are we). The roads aren't built for it and people don't know what to do. At the end of the meeting the bishop told everyone to go home. So we went home. Trying to get the kids to the car, loaded and buckled while our car filled with snow made me grateful we don't live in a snowy place. Weston tried to run out to the car with his umbrella but his pants were falling off (better than Andrew last week when his pants and diaper slipped off as he headed for the chapel aisle- my kids need to grow butts). We drove home, put the sleeping boys in bed, and bundled up to see the snow.

This is how we found our house when we got home. What in the Utah is going on here?!

Jamie was happy to find we had perfect snowman-building snow.

Jamie rolled this huge snowball.

Luckily Emma didn't get her lips stuck from this frosty kiss.

Classic Emma Vid

Here's an old Emma video. Dr. Emma was a ham even from her early days. This video was taken at my mom's house and she was happy to have a captive audience for her crazy antics.

Snow Day

I even got out in the cold to play a little, mostly to take pictures. Then I ran in to make hot chocolate.

Our neighbors came over to enjoy the fluffy fun with us.

Weston Art

Here's some of Weston's artwork. He's quite a colorful little guy. He tries to spend as much time and effort on his work as Emma does (even if he doesn't necessarily have the skills yet to back it up). And sometimes he interprets his art like Emma does.

Yes, this is crayon on the the bathroom wall and the worst part, I gave it to him and told him to do this. I have some special crayons I bought for the kids to draw on the bathtub some time ago. One day I realized the good of having ugly yellow tile on the walls of the kids bathroom. The crayon wiped right off and Weston was pleased with his permissions to be naughty. My little rule-following Em gasped in horror when she found what he had done and ran to tattle as Weston laughed maniacally knowing there would be no punishment. I think it felt a lot like mormon's drinking Martinelli's, you know you're "allowed to" but you still get the cheap thrill of being a rebel. What did he draw? W's and "broken bugs."

Emma Art

Emma's gotten all cutesy creative on me. She loves coloring, drawing, and creating. She's getting pretty good if I do say so myself. Or in the least, she's having a great time, using her imagination, and delighting her mother with her clever creations. Come on, tell me this doesn't make you smile a little.

Emma's playdoh snowman

Drawing of Weston on the potty. See the handles, lid and proud smile?

Our car. hee hee

Emma drew a picture of our neighbor and her family for her birthday.

Emma practices reading and writing sentences then draws the picture. She loves doing any learning activities. It makes her feel so grown up.

Emma came home from church yesterday with this drawing of a shephard with his sheep.

Emma also learned about forgiveness yesterday and drew this picture to illustrate the lesson. The boy on the right took a toy from the boy on the left and made him sad. The sun is also saddened by this bad choice and the clouds became dark and scary as well.

The Wisdom of Youth

Sorry to have so many scripture posts lately but my kids are eating this stuff up right now and I want to write it down so that in a few years when I have to drag them in kicking and screaming for scripture time I can remember that it can work and it does pay off.

I asked Emma to tell me the story of Joseph in Egypt. So she starts telling me the story and does a very good job of it. Then she tells me that the butler told the Pharoah that Joseph could interpret dreams. I pretended to look surprised and asked "can Joseph interpret dreams?" She giggled and said "no," and I started nodding my head yes but she continued, "but God can."

Tonight we were reading our Book of Mormon Stories about Lehi's dying words to his son Joseph. We read that Joseph of Egypt was a great prophet and wrote many great things in the brass plates. I told Emma that he must have written some amazing things but we don't have the brass plates. Emma ponders for a moment then tells me, "I think the Lord has them."

Valentines with kids in the house

Jamie and I have never gone out for Valentine's Day. When we were dating and first married, Jamie worked at a German restaurant and had to work Valentines. So we just celebrated another day. Then we had kids and a budget and didn't want to fight the crowds anyway. Last year Jamie came from Georgia Valentine's Day to help us move. Seeing him after three months of him being in Georgia was exciting enough to make my day! Valentine's for us is a pretty low key day but nice.

I felt bad that my kids didn't take part in any valentine exchanges this year, but they sent out some cute cards to some family. For lunch I made this favorite, grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. And last Monday for FHE we decorated sugar cookies. So I don't feel they were totally deprived of festivities.

Jamie's an awesome husband who knows me well. He knows I like flowers but am too cheap and practical to allow money to spent on anything like that. So he got up with the kids this morning so I could sleep in and made me an omelet for breakfast. Then he watched the kids so I could go to the temple (he went for ward temple night, Friday night). He cleaned the house while I was gone and then stayed home to try to bake cookies with Emma (they were yummy but not so pretty) while I went grocery shopping with Weston. Andrew stayed home too, he is an awful shopper. I bathed the kids while Jamie started on our adult dinner. Finally the kids were in bed and I helped with the meal. At 9:00 we sat down to eat Jamie's delicious Chicken Piccata with cajun green beans, garlic bread, and sparkling limeade (mormon bubbly). Yes, it's a lot of food (look at all that chicken) and I didn't finish. Jamie wanted it "picnic-style" in the living room with candles. It was delicious and we didn't have room left for the yummy Molten Chocolate Cakes I was planning on making (thanks Emily-those are dang good!). So we just curled up on the couch and watched a movie. Jamie hid this secret from me for years, but I've discovered he's a wonderful cook! I told him for now on he can be the cook and I'll be the baker.

Love ya'll

Weston Bares It All

"Emma, let me show you my feet."- Weston

Dr. Emma on Weston

Talking to Weston

"You're a strange little man."- Emma

Prince Training

Emma's putting Andrew through the prince training program.

Book of Mormon stories that my Westie tells to me

You may need to turn up the volume to hear what he's saying.

Sibling Whack-A-Mole

I want to get rid of videos I've been saving on my camera, so be patient with the barrage of video clips.

I love it when my kids are playing happily together! So cute!

Andrew loves crackers

Here's Andrew impatiently awaiting his "cacas"

Desperate measures

Weston's been potty training for some time now. I try different things to get him excited and they work well but we're dealing with a short attention span here and Weston's is pretty short too :). Potty training is hard in the winter because you have to deal with extra layers. I've been putting my big socks on Weston to keep his legs warm enough to go without pants. And here is a cheer we made up to celebrate his potty power. Weston has lots of cheerleaders. Even Andrew comes running in excited and cheering when Weston does something.

We have a lightning poster on the bathroom wall that I put a track around and I added a car stamp every time he sat (in the beginning). Now he justs puts some of his stickers on Lightning, the rest go on his shirt and hands. Then he gets peanuts (he likes the honey-roasted kind) for going pee on the potty and mini M&Ms for pooping on the potty. He's proud of himself and excited for his rewards but even while writing this I had to take a break to clean up an accident and then change the baby's clothes because he found it first. Lots of kids (including a 20-month-old I babysit) means lots of cheerleaders but lots of distractions and babies to keep away from the bathroom. When I told someone I have to try keeping Weston in the bathroom while keeping the smaller boys out because Andrew plays in the toilet she said, "it's just water." No, not when you have two little people using the bathroom who have a lower standard of hygiene, and your baby wants to use the plunger as a megaphone, and your daughter doesn't know the difference between toothpaste and Monistat, and your daughter pretends she's bathing your son and squeezes an entire bottle of shampoo all over the bathtub, and your baby dives head first into the tub, and your children play "will it float" with objects in the toilet, and a simple hand washing turns into a flood of soapy water, and you go to get your contacts out of the case and it's empty and you can't find them because you can't see.... So I try not to leave my children unattended in the bathroom although they've found if you pull out the drawers by the bathroom door, mommy can't open the door.

I have a box of books by Weston's potty and crayons for coloring. This worked great for awhile and he'd sit in there coloring for the longest time but then he started breaking all the crayons and chewed up some and colored on the floor.

We had these letters off some signs from a ward party that I used to put words on the kids wall. I had just the right ones left over to write this on the bathroom wall as a joke. But maybe it will inspire some action. So, that's the sad truth about our potty training status. To be fair, some days go great and Weston will stop his fun and run for the potty and there is much rejoicing! But other days Emma announces there's poop on the playroom carpet but I can't get to it because I'm cleaning up Andrew's diaper explosion. I enjoy my little children but look forward to the day when they are all independent toilet users! Any tips or words of encouragement here would be greatly appreciated. Yes, I know my child won't be going to school in diapers but that's a long ways off.

Dr. Emma on the origins of craisins

Emma learned that raisins come from grapes that are dried in the sun so when I gave her craisins she asked, "When jelly's in the sun, does it turn into craisins?"