A Boy and his Trains

Weston's birthday was a month ago but I finally took him to the store to spend his birthday money from Nana & Pop. They had a really cool train set marked 50% off so I took my kids to Toys R' Us for the first time in their lives (and dragged them kicking and screaming out of the train section to take Emma to the bathroom-stupid Thomas). This is not a Thomas track (which was why the price was great) but it is compatible with Thomas tracks so we hooked it up with the Thomas set Grandma gave Weston and I haven't seen Weston since (unless he needs me to fix it after the little boys sit on it). He is quite pleased with the selection! Thanks Nana & Pop!!!

P.S. Pop- Weston also got army men for his birthday so when you come to visit you boys can go to town with the trains and soldiers. Maybe you can even make a visit to the train museum.

Emma's crea-egg-tivity

Now that Easter's over, Emma's got some ideas on what to do with those plastic eggs:

1. Crack them into a pan and make scrambled eggs

-she really was cracking them on the edge of the pot first

2. Make a caterpillar

3. Make worms

And what to do with those baskets/ buckets?

Easter classics

Dr. Emma on why we have Easter

I asked Emma to tell me the Easter Story. She gave a fairly accurate account of the major events, telling me Jesus rode on a donkey and the people had leaves and someone got a sword on their ear and then (mysteriously) there was some red stuff, and Jesus said a prayer. I was feeling pretty good that my daughter was getting the true meaning of Easter in her own 4-year-old way and then she got to the end:

"And the lady was sad, because she thought [Jesus] was dead, but he wasn't dead. They were happy because they went outside and there were eggs. And so it was Easter."

Dr. Emma on why our church is cool

Pointing at an article by Elder Holland, "It says here that you get a super free dessert if you watch conference!"

Looking at the same article and associating Elder Holland with the prophet, "It's okay if the prophet dies 'cause you just get another one."

Ready for School

Emma's been asking me how long until she gets to go to school. She knows it's coming up soon and she's excited because she loves learning and being a big girl. And she's definitely ready. She's reading, writing, counting, and doing addition and subtraction. She's growing up and has a couple missing teeth to give her a big girl smile. And she knows who she is and what's right. The only problem is, I'm not sure I'm ready.

When we go out I tote my three kids and the boy I babysit through the store and library and a lot of people make comments about how I must be excited for her to go to school because one less child will lighten my load. The truth is, having her around lightens my load, literally and figuratively. Emma's a wonderful helper. She wants to be a mommy one day so she's practicing taking care of kids and doing mommy things. She tells this to me all the time as she helps cook, read to the boys, gives hugs, and cleans. One day Weston fell while walking home with the neighbors. He had quite a bump and Emma layed on the couch with him and lovingly held an ice pack on his head (pictured below). She sings and dances for Andrew to make him happy during diaper changes and tries to teach Weston how to read and do other big kid stuff.

Click for larger image

Emma's a happy helper and good at it too. She hangs up the shirts and puts her clothes away, cleans the bathrooms and mirrors, puts dishes away, vacuums, puts up toys and books (the right way), sets the table, and all the while smiles knowing this is good "mommy practice." The only downside is the boys have taken a backseat and allow Emma to clean up for them and have gotten lazy. Scared of what this house will look like when Emma goes to school, I've encouraged Emma to teach the boys to clean rather than clean for them. Now she shows them where the toys go and how to put the books up. She will be a great mother! She's a great friend to the boys and I think Weston especially will be lost and sad without her. She's imaginative and acts out big adventure with him. She often dictates every line for him, including arguments.

Emma makes me happy! Not just because she helps so much but she's just delightful! She's witty and cute and just makes me smile. I'm always impressed and pleased with how much she remembers, how quickly she learns and her love for the gospel. I fear I come across as favoring her over my boys because of the amount of blogspace devoted to her. The boys are cute and fun and I adore them but Emma's quotable and easier to describe in writing.

I'm gonna miss this little girl! But I want her to make friends and learn things from other people and learn how to get along with others and stand up for what's right. Emma has this strength and light about her that I know will make her a great little missionary. How could I deprive the world of that? I think school needs Emma just as much as Emma needs school.

Dr. Emma on encouraging and punishing simultaneously

Emma and Weston went to use the bathroom before bed tonight and were in there quite awhile when Emma came rushing out with her "I'm so priviledged to report my naughty brother's actions" face. "Weston threw his crayons in the potty!" she exclaimed and then rushed back in to watch and reinforce the inevitable punishment. Jamie was kind enough to take this one on and Emma came out to talk. She explains to me that, "Weston did go pee so we have to cheer for him but he threw crayons in it and that's bad so we have to have a mad face when we cheer. We have to be both happy and mad for him. I don't know how to do that, 'cause that's kinda twicky for kids." Then she proceeds to practice the "mad cheer", frowning while yelling "hurray" and pumping her arms.

Andrew sends kisses

Here's some kisses and smiles for all the friends and family we're missing (and the ones we're fortunate to see regularly)! Because even though I'm the one wanting to send out the love, a video of me doing this wouldn't be nearly as cute! We are so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people! XOXO

P.S. Sorry for my little outburst. I wasn't yelling at Andrew. Weston threw a ball at my head while I was filming. Rude! But if you listen you can hear him say, "Sowy Mommy."

Why We Love Gina

20-something years ago today (yes, I do know how old she is, just thought she might not want her age plastered across the internet), Gina Rochelle Cannon entered the cruel world and instantly changed it into a magical happy fairyland where dreams come true. Cyberspace (don't laugh Brent, the term is making a comeback) isn't nearly large enough to contain the list of reasons we love Gina and are happy she is among us. But that won't stop us from listing a few, will it? Some of the reasons I love and adore her:

*Big brown eyes
*She takes teasings, and dishes them out too
*"The other day ago"
*Puts up with kid craziness all day
*Once she has the kids down, she puts up with Jamie all evening
*When she's laughing really hard, you can't hear a sound
*She inspires me to be a better person
*She has solid faith
*Her faith is not dead. It is accompanied by innumerable good works
*She inspired Jennifer Garner's looks
*She makes me laugh
*She laughs with me
*She laughs at me
*She let's me look at her teeth
*She's smokin' hot
*She falls asleep in two seconds
*She makes snoring sexy

How about you? Why do you love Gina? I know, I know - where to begin? Just list a couple of reasons. Thanks!

Emma's animal lunches

Emma entertains me with her little games and activities. I came in the playroom and found all her animals set up in front of the plastic foods she was feeding them. She knew what each of them would eat. I love the pig smiling at the birthday cake but my favorite is the rooster sitting down to his chicken dinner. hmm.

Anyone want to claim these children...

...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.