Why I love summer...

Two main reasons...

1. I don't have to work.

2. Most importantly, Shane works day shift.








With Shane working days, we have a normal family life for the summer. Daddy is home in the evenings, and we get more family time together. It's wonderful, and really makes the summer so much sweeter. Last night was our first real FHE of the season. We usually do FHE on Sunday nights, since that is our night together, but last night, we were able to enjoy our Monday night family night.

We went and played at the purple park, and spent a while watching the hang-gliders and parasailers. We picked up some ice cream cones, and then went to Lake Sammamish stake park to eat ice cream, watch the sun set, and after finding out how windy it was, fly kites. It was such a fun time. We then came home and had a mini-lesson on saying sorry before bed. (Emma's been struggling with this lately). We talked about when Nephi was building the ship and his brothers were mean. They later said they were sorry, and helped him build the boat. This morning, Emma's been walking around the house with the gospel art book, talking about building the boat, and his mean friends. I just hope some of this sticks with her.

I really love summer time. I thought of one more..

3. My container garden is blooming! Strawberries, tomatoes and broccoli galore--just a few more weeks!

Girls night (afternoon) with Emma

It was a beautiful day today, and with Shane out of town, Emma and I decided to have an outing. What I thought was going to be a couple of hours, ended up turning into a 6 hour adventure that was filled lots of silliness and an overall great time. After the bus ride to Bellevue, we started with "UP" in 3D. Emma's a little scared of the 3D glasses and having things pop out at her, but she fought off her fear and actually made it about 1/2 way through the movie before she had to take them off. We then wandered over to the mall and ate some ice cream in the courtyard by the fountain. We did lots of people watching and just enjoyed the warm evening air. Emma smeared her face with her chocolate ice cream and then skipped and twirled her way along the sidewalk. We walked (if you could call it that) a few blocks back to the bus stop where Emma then danced on the sidewalk for a good 1/2 hour while we waited for our bus to come (thank goodness I'm starting her in dance in the fall--I think it's in her blood). We spent the bus ride back taking silly pictures in the back of the bus and listening to music on my phone. I loved to sit with my arm around her and giggle our way home on the windey roads. Other than the small bout of car-sickness that I was worried would overtake me, I thoroughly enjoyed looking out the windows at the beautiful evening and all of the people passing by.

I accomplished exactly what I wanted to. Instead of just driving to the Issaquah theaters 5 minutes away, we turned the movie experience into a whole event. It was so nice to be out with people, in the sunshine and the breeze. It's nice to get a little break from routine every once in a while, even though we had to put up with a few crazies on the bus.

We finished the evening off with a box of Macaroni and Cheese and a side of fresh broccolli from my pots on the back porch. After 2 Curious George books, it was lights out, and I haven't heard from Emma again, so she must have crashed. While we really missed Shane today, it was fun to have some girl time.

Somedays, I ache so badly to have another child that I can't think of anything else, but on days like today, I must admit that I kind of love this time that Emma and I have together that is just ours. I hope that I have a thousand more days like this with her, and that spending time together will always be this easy and rewarding.

On Vacation...

Baking bread...

Shane and I have been trying to cut down on as much extra spending as we can. There is some delicious bread that we love at the Issaquah market, but is $4.50 a loaf. It's very hearty, lots of whole grain and fiber, and we love it! Emma loves it too which is even better.

One day we were at a friends house and Emma had a sandwich on white "wonder" bread, and Emma took one bite and could not eat it. She told me it was sticking to the top of her mouth, pushed it away and said "no thank you". Now, we had a little talk about eating what is given to you, but I couldn't help being a little proud of her, for not loving the white fluffy bread. I'm glad my little girl is a whole-wheat, hearty bread-loving-toddler.

So, we decided instead of buying bread, that I would start baking bread. We have the whole wheat flour in our food storage, and I found a yummy recipe that we tried earlier this week for the first time, and we are in love. So today, I made a big batch to eat now and freeze for later, too. It's not quite as delicious as the $4.50 a loaf, but there's really nothing that beats the taste of bread fresh from the oven. I also can't hide the fact that I love putting on an apron and spending the morning kneading dough, and filling the house with such a warm, pleasing, and comforting scent. There's just nothing like fresh baked bread.

I'm in love...

Emma and I spent the warm evening cruisin downtown Issaquah (sans stroller). It was so nice just to hold her hand and wander. We started at the park, wandered to the market and then went to the hatchery for a while before moseying home. She is getting so big and sometimes has an attitude I'm not too fond of, but tonight she was just my sweet little girl... No attitude at all. Sometimes I look at her and she takes my breath away-- I just love her so much. I'm so grateful I get to be her mom. I know I'm not the only one in the world to feel like this, I know all parents feel this way about their kids... but it still sometimes catches me off guard. Isn't it a wonderful feeling?

Vasa Park

For the first time in 15 years, I went to Vasa Park. Can't believe I've never been there seeing as we've driven by it literally THOUSANDS of times. There is a group of ladies that meet there every Wednesday, and so we decided to try it. We missed most of the party, but stayed later after everyone went home, and had fun. Emma played in the sand and swam (we even went out deep). Next time, we're going to brave the waterslides. Definitely worth the $4.00 to have lifeguards, nice bathrooms, and a little less crowds.

Emma's art wall

Emma loves to draw, and because of that, our refrigerator was becoming overrun with pictures. She was sad if we ever recycled anything, so we decided to have an art wall. Here is the first exhibit. It really looks beautiful, and she is so proud of her work.



The picture below is my favorite. Its a drawing of our family. I'm on the left (My antennae are really "ponies" as Emma calls pony tails. She also gave me a little beard). Shane is in the middle, with shaggy hair and goatee and all! Emma is on the right, as cute and tiny as a button.



It makes me smile EVERY time I look at it!

A Refined {Heavenly} Home...

I read this article in the Ensign today from the June issue. I thought I would get a head start this month, instead of waiting until August, to flip back through and catch up. What a beautiful message it was, and it sure hit me hard...

I like to excuse my messy, dis-organized house behind my desire to just spend lots of mommy time with Emma or crafting my life away. But this article inspires me to do more. To have a refined, lovely, uplifting home, where both organization and a little-girl-free-lifestyle can live together peacefully. I'm going to try and do better. Clean house, uplifting music, beautiful art..we'll see how it goes. :)

Here are some of my favorite parts...

"Refinement in speech is more than polished elocution. It results from purity of thought and sincerity of expression. A child’s prayer on occasion may reflect the language of heaven more nearly than a Shakespearean soliloquy."

"Women ought to be praised for all the gifts they possess—including their attentiveness to their personal appearance—that so unselfishly add to the richness of the lives of others. We must not let ourselves go and become so casual—even sloppy—in our appearance that we distance ourselves from the beauty heaven has given us."

And finally, this is one that I am most guilty of...

"Is Friday evening a frenetic flight to see where the entertainment and action will be? Could our society today produce an Isaac Newton or a Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Can 85 channels and uncountable DVDs ever fill our insatiable appetite to be entertained? Do any unwisely become addicted to computer games or Internet surfing, thereby missing the richer experiences of great reading, conversations, and enjoyment of music?"

I had a goal to not waste so much time blogging and watching tv, but spending more time reading and walking and enjoying the REAL things around me. I've been doing a little better than I was, but there is still room for improvement. Anyway, a great article. Ispiring. :)