Strawberry Birthday Party

We threw a Strawberry Shortcake 1st birthday party for our sweet little red head. I personally don't care for character parties, so I knew I wanted to do a little something different but definitely have it all about strawberries. I found some really cute printables online, printed and cut them all out and then forgot to use them... I also made some super cute pink red and green ruffled streamers and never put them up because I ran out of time... but regardless, I think the party still turned out cute and everyone, especially the birthday girl, had a great time.

We started with decorating little pots that all of the little munchkins later planted seeds in. (Did you know that like nobody sells strawberry seeds. Everywhere I went, they looked at me like, seriously? why don't you just buy a plant? So they planted little white flower seeds instead.) You can tell how excited Emmie was to decorate, ha!

She really did do a good job though and really got into it. It was pretty funny. She was very protective of her little pot. Notice the concentration?

Then we played a bean bag toss game. Well, I'm not sure you could really call it a game, we really just had all of the kids line up behind "the line" and told them to throw. There was no order, it was pretty much a free for all, but if you made it into one of the baskets you got to pick a prize. The kids loved it. Emily sat this game out; I'm not so sure how 1yr-old-friendly it was... (Is that the appropriate use of a semi-colon? I never know when to use those things.)

Hanging out, looking bored while all of the bigger kids were playing games. But look how cute she is with her pursed lips and her crossed feet. Ooh, I'm her biggest fan for sure!

We had homemade strawberry cupcakes and chocolate ones too, topped with a strawberry Swiss meringue frosting. I made cute little strawberries out of marshmallow fondant and used those as cupcake toppers and then wrapped Emily smash cake in it too. I thought they all turned out pretty cute.

I made these little ruffled ribbon topiaries just for the party too. Mike said I was just being silly when I made these, but now they are up in Em's room and they look really adorable. I just adore anything with ruffles!

By the time her birthday party came around, Emily had already smashed/eaten a cake for her one year pictures and eaten cake on her actual birthday, so she really wasn't too excited about another cake... but she really liked the fondant strawberry on top and smeared that all over herself. She did end up finally taking a few bites and left just enough of a mess for a cute picture.

Then, she got a little carried away with the cake mess and ended up rubbing it all over her face, in her hair, and eyes... we had a minor melt down over that one. She loves playing in the sink though, so that brought her spirits right back up again.

After a quick little outfit change (it's a good thing I had multiple wardrobe options for the party), and a quick, fake cheese from her big sister (is there a stage that kids go through when they wont look at the camera anymore no matter how much you beg and bribe them? If so, Kylie's there), Emily opened some gifts from her friends.

Haha, and this was her obvious favorite gift.

Wow, they look so big in this picture! My (almost) 3 year old and my little 1 year old... sigh

"Seriously though, is someone going to open these for me or what?"

Happy Birthday, Em! Thanks for giving me a reason to throw a super cute, girly little party!

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The 4th of July

Our Forth of July was pretty dang awesome this year. We went out to Memorial Park where they were having a big fireworks show. I was nervous about how the girls would do since the show didn't even start until hours after bedtime, but they were great. (I'm always a worrier though...) We laid out our big festive blanket, threw on some light-up necklaces and glow bracelets and played until the fireworks started.

 Kylie practiced running faster and faster and bigger and bigger (as she would describe it).

When the sun went down we cuddled up close and watched the "big booms." Kylie thought they were a little too loud at first but then described them as, "My dream come true!" while holding her hands together under her chin and smiling up at the sky. (She really is a little princess!) Emily was amazed by the twinkling lights and didn't even seem to notice the overwhelming noise. She just sat and watched with her mouth wide open almost the whole time.

Mike and I laid next to each other on our blanket with our little girls cuddled up on top of us. You know those moments that you imagined years ago, before your husband or babies came along, and you wondered if life could really be that great? That was one of those moments. Laying with my family watching the fireworks on a warm summer night. I didn't even bother snapping any more pictures for the rest of the night because I just wanted to enjoy the moment and enjoy my family. It was a very happy 4th!


(Thank you point-and-shoot for doing a good job while the big boy sat this one out at home. True, I do not appreciate your low quality or blinding flash, but you are easy and portable and alot less likely to break when my crazy kids are climbing all over me. You done good, kid.)

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That's My Girl

If you've ever met Kylie, you know that she loves to be the center of attention. (Heck, if you've ever read our blog, you know that she loves attention. Ha!) While we were doing Emily's one year pictures, Ky was getting pretty antsy and kept asking if it was her turn yet. I told her to go put on a pretty dress and get a hair pretty and it could be her turn next. She came back with her favorite (jammie) dress, put her headband on all by herself, and said, "I'm reeeeeeeeaaddyyyyyyy!" while she curtsied and flashed her cutest smile.

Oh, man! 

(Doesn't she just brighten your day?) 

But she's not always so silly. 

She's a real sweetheart too and can make you completely melt.

How did I get so lucky?

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The One Year Old

Then and Now.

Kylie was not about to let Emily finish that cake all by herself.

Gosh I love my pretty little one-year-old!

 Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

[I got really tired of the blogger compression messing up my pictures so I uploaded everything from flickr. Can you still see the pictures???]

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Emily Grace is One

Happy Birthday to our fiery little red-head!!!

She really enjoyed her birthday cupcake.

Emily is growing up so fast! She's almost walking on her own. She takes a few steps and then chickens out and sits down and then just crawls. Her favorite thing to do is grab Mommy or Daddy's finger and pull us around the house while she walks.

She used to be so quiet and passive but lately she's been letting a little more of that inner red-head out and is a fiesty little thing. She is still sweet as could be and so super cuddly but she'll let you know if something is not to her liking. She jabbers all the time and loves to tell us stories. She says "Mama" "Dada" "Up" "nana" (banana) and I think she says "Milk" too. She likes to scream; not like crying screaming, just "listen to how loud I can scream" scream. And she always gives us the biggest, proudest smile after she lets it out. Our house is not very quiet anymore because Kylie likes to play that game too :)

Kylie is still her bestest friend. She loves playing with Mommy and Daddy, but no one can make her laugh as hard as Kylie can. Whenever Em gets sad, we ask Kylie to make her laugh. All she has to do is growl at her and Emily immediately starts laughing (even mid-cry). She especially loves dancing with her big sister. That's her favorite.

She's an awesome sleeper. We say our family prayers at 8pm, read a story together, then give her hugs and kisses, put her in her crib and she goes to sleep (Who knew it could be that easy?!) and she'll stay asleep until 7:30-8 the next morning. And she gives the best big hugs around my neck everytime I pick her up out of bed. It's as if she's saying, "I missed you, Mommy!"

She's lactose intolerant. She can only drink soy milk (and she drinks a-lot of it) but she still loves cheese and yogurt too. And I'm pretty sure she inherited my sweet tooth because she loves nilla wafers and sweet fruits.

She has 12 teeth. 12! I didn't know 1-year-olds could have that many teeth (and I think 2 more are on their way this week). Speaking of... she also really likes corn on the cob :) She get's really really excited and cleans of the entire cob whenever we have it for dinner.

She has lots of nicknames, including: Em, Em Grace, Emmie Grace, Emmie, Gracie, Emmers, Gracers, Lou Lou, Sissy, and Boo. 

Like I mentioned before, she loves to cuddle. If you lay down on the ground, she will crawl over and cuddle up onto your chest with a big smile on her face. She especially loves to cuddle with Mommy but is really starting to warm up to Daddy too . I always rub it in Daddy's face that she loves me more :)

She is so wonderful and makes us smile everyday. I'm so glad she came to our little family just one short year ago. Happy Birthday, Emmie Grace! We love you!!!

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Come What May and Love It

"...every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result."

-Joseph B. Wirthlin ("Come What May, and Love It")

June 2, 2011 was a day that changed our family's lives forever. Our faith was tried, we experienced one of the scariest things ever, and we also grew closer together in our marriage and as a family. 

 

About 2 1/2 years ago Mike started having “episodes” where he would feel an aura and his heart would race. After this funny feeling, his whole body would tense up and he would stare and basically be in another place for about a minute.  Then these feelings would go away and he’d feel fine, sometimes tired since they would exert so much physical energy, and often he wouldn't remember too much about them. Looking for answers, Mike searched online and came to the conclusion that these episodes had to be panic attacks. We went to the doctor, Mike told him his symptoms and what he thought they were, the doctor agreed and prescribed an anti-depressant hoping it would take care of the problem. Things didn’t get better. He would have these episodes at work, home, anywhere. Finally we took the next step and Mike began meeting with a Psychologist to learn tactics to deal with these “panic attacks” and hopefully get rid of them all together.  After several months, things still didn’t get better and it seemed like they weren't making any progress.

Then, on the morning of June 2^nd, 2011 everything changed. At about 6:15am, I heard the alarm clock singing. I rolled over to tell Mike to turn it off and closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. My eyes opened again a minute later to see Mike sitting up on the side of the bed, getting ready to get up and get ready for work; I closed my eyes again and nodded off. The next thing I knew, Mike was laying down in bed and having a grand mal seizure. I leapt over to his side of the bed to see what was going on or try to console him or anything. I didn’t know what to do. I ran for my cell phone and dialed 911. When the paramedics finally got there, Mike was unconscious and they couldn't wake him up. He finally came to when we arrived at the hospital but he had no recollection of what had even happened as amnesia is a common side affect of seizures. They got him checked into the hospital and started running tests to try to find out what had caused this seizure (when he had had no history of them in the past). 

We spent a total of 3 days in the hospital while they did a CAT scan, MRI, EKG, EEG, and numerous blood tests. Of course in these situations your mind goes crazy with all of the what-ifs and maybes. I remember talking to Mike about what could be wrong and he said, "It doesn't matter. Whatever it is, we will get through it and we will be happy." That thought has stuck with me and looking back, it seemed to be the theme for the entire experience. No matter what, we will be happy. 

We spent alot of time together, just the two of us, over those three days. As crummy as the circumstances were, it was nice to be able to be together and just talk and laugh. The girls went and played at friends' houses during the day and then I would bring them up to the hospital at night to give goodnight kisses to Daddy. I know it was always the best part of his day :)

All of the test results came back normal which was, of course, a huge relief, but also left us wondering. It wasn’t until we met with the on-call doctor (and later the neurologist) that we finally started getting some answers to questions we had been asking for 2 ½ years.  It turns out these “panic attacks” (as they were misdiagnosed so much earlier) were actually complex partial seizures (it's no wonder the other medication wasn't working). We always felt like the "panic attack" thing didn't really fit, but it seemed like the safe answer so we went with it. Looking back though, it is completely clear that these have in fact been complex partials. We learned that they have been happening because of a little something firing in the left frontal lobe of his brain. We don't know why, what triggers it, or how to stop it but we are hoping the medication will help.

This was certainly a trial that we never even imagined would come our way but we are glad to finally have some answers. We have certainly felt the amazing love of our Heavenly Father throughout this entire experience. We know that there is nothing too big for us to handle as long as we lean on Him and trust that everything will be okay. 

Mike is now on anti-seizure medication and we are told it will eventually make these complex partials go away completely. When people ask how he is doing or feeling, he always says he's great, never been better! He's still the same funny, compassionate, outgoing, and good looking guy that he's always been, and really he's been dealing with this for 2 1/2 years, we just didn't know what it was until now. He's my rock and I am so grateful for him. I am so grateful for tender mercies and for the love and blessings that our Heavenly Father has poured down upon our family.

"I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it.

As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say... 'Come what may, and love it.'"

-Joseph B. Wirthlin ("Come What May, and Love It")

Through it all, when I was putting on my brave face and trying to be strong, he was still smiling.
Looking oh-so-cute hooked up to the EEG machine.

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Hot Hot Hot

Seems to be the theme lately... Like I've mentioned before, we are trying to keep cool around here and have been spending most days either inside in the air conditioning or outside in the water. To try and beat the heat we went and played at our local splash park. It was pretty awesome. Both of the girls had a ball. We couldn't get either of them to sit still, they were too excited about the jumping water coming out of the ground and the puddles to splash in.

There's nothing better than and ice cold fudge-sicle after an afternoon of running through the fountains and playing in the sun.

yum.

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Summer

Summer is here! Oh man, is it ever! This summer has been one of the hottest summers I have ever experienced, and I'm not exaggerating. We have already broken so many heat records and we're only a few weeks in. Mike and I were talking the other day about how we never really got a Spring season (one of our favorite seasons). It went from freezing cold to two weeks of rain and tornadoes and then blistering heat. It's been crazy! (But it makes me wonder, would I prefer this unbearable heat or the long cold winters in Utah...? I guess we'll see...)

We are coping with the heat though, and trying to make the best of it. We rarely go outside in the middle of the day but instead, save our playtime for the late evenings when the sun sinks low and the weather is tolerable. And if we're lucky, every now and then we'll get a very slight breeze.

Kylie is Daddy's little buddy. She loves to do everything Daddy does. It's my favorite thing in the world, seeing the way my girls look up to their Daddy. We have a basketball hoop outside our house, (that we don't play with nearly enough) and went out to shoot a few hoops on one of those rare, cooler nights. It was pretty fun, and one of those "This is the life!" moments watching Ky play ball with her Daddy in the late evening sun. It's a simple life and it's a sweet life and I'm so glad it's mine.

Em and I sat on the sidelines and were their little cheerleaders. I think I was the more enthusiastic one of the two of us :)

 

Emily really wanted to play, but no one would pass her the ball. Haha. Maybe when you get a little taller, Em.

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Memorial Day

I'm pretty sure it's an unwritten rule that you have to go swimming on Memorial Day. It's a rule in our house at least. We pulled out the 'ol inflatable pool, slathered on a half a bottle of sunscreen, and had a blast. Kylie is such a little water baby. She loves to play in water, not so much swim, just play and pour and spray and splash.

We barbequed some burgers, ate potato salad, watermelon, and corn on the cob, and kicked the summer off right. I just adore summer! (I just wish it wasn't so darn hot here! :)

Notice the sweet patch job. Remember that, you'll see it again later... This is how she poses when I ask her to smile for a picture. Cracks me up.

She's such a ham.

Gol' he's good looking...

Is she mine, or what???

I think this is my favorite. Yes, yes it is.

"Mommy, take a picture of me smiling like this... CHEEEESE!"

Remember our redneck patch job? It didn't last. This is what our pool looked like the next day, and yes, we still played in it. We called it the "puddle." Haha! And even more redneck, Emily is chilling in the puddle in her onesie. Oh boy, we may not be perfect, but we are having a great time!

[Now, let me just tell you that this is the scariest post I have ever posted because it shows me... in a... swimsuit... (gulp). Something I'm sure many people, including myself, would never even think about posting. But I love the memories associated with these pictures and I want to remember how Kylie and I laughed and played together, because in 20 years, when I look back at this, I wont notice all of the things I wish were different now, I will only see how we laughed and how we love each other.]

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