It's Winter

All summer long Emily asked when she gets to go back to school. I kept telling her when summer is over. I remember one time Emily said "Oh I see when it's winter time I go to school." Well yesterday Emily was wired with excitement about going back to school. Non stop I heard phrases like "I wonder where I'll put my nap sack when I'm in the Kangaroo class", "I wonder what we will have for snack", "I wonder what my friends will have in their lunches" "Mom I think I'll play with my friends I already know because I'll be shy around the new friends". She also insists "It's winter now because I'm going back to school." So hello Winter Emily is back in school!
Here's our creation of a family block box that we made for Emily to share with her class. Bart was so great to make sure all the edges were cut just so so and the their was no wrinkles in the tape. It was taking so long Emily had to get in the tub, when she emerged and saw Bart was finished she said "Oh dad you did a great job on my box!"

A fly on the wall

Emily's been watching "The Lion King" just about every day. When she's not watching the movie she's often singing the songs or busting out quotes from the movie. One day I overheard her playing alone in her room. It sounded like she was practicing for an audition of the scene where Simba is talking to the stars wishing his dad would come back. Over and over she would say in the most theatrical voice first yelling "You said you'd always be there for me" then there was a long pause, she'd let out a big sigh and finally in the most deflated voice say "but your not" I think she repeated this over and over with different inflections for at least 10 minutes. I really wanted to enter and watch what she was doing but I knew it would ruin it. It's times like this I wish I could be a fly on the wall of her bedroom.

Return to Work aka goodbye summer

This week I return to work part time. Although I have the greatest job and the structure will be a nice change, I'm sad to see the summer go. I've loved all the time I've spent with my girls from the trips to Lagoon, weddings, family gatherings to those quiet days spent digging up the dirt in the backyard, afternoon naps and movies, and walks/ bike rides down to the playground. So long summer hurry back soon!

The Lion King

Emily experienced her first Broadway musical "The Lion King" at The Capitol Theater. It was amazing, fabulous, awesome! Emily was captivated the entire show, sang every word of Hakuna Matata and would light up with joy with every new character that came on the stage. I loved sitting by Emily and giggling right along with her when Pumba, Timon, Zazu and the Baboon did funny things. Emily's favorite was Pumba with his "funny body", Bart liked the Giraffes the Best and I loved it when the Lionesses danced. I hope it comes back again when Jane is a little older and can come along!

Dance Dance

Emily has been dancing with Miss Christy every Friday morning this summer. It's been so fun to see Emily blossom in this class. She went from not leaving my side and only watching to fully participating without me having to stay and watch. She did need a little "motivation" with a donut bribe a couple of times. The class had a recital and Emily loved performing and was so excited that Nona and cousins Max and Ben came to watch. Here's a few pictures.

Parade of Homes

Bart, a man who likes things to be status quo, finds talking about houses, my dreams of a bigger more functional home (I'm not talking about anything too huge just big enough for a dining room table) or any talk of the sort extremely painful. So how did I convince him to take me on a date to the parade of homes. Well you remember this post about Paul McCartney. The deal was I go with you to get Sir Paul and you come with me to the parade of homes.
Yesterday was the day the deal was complete. We spent the afternoon driving all over the valley looking at out of this world houses as well as some that I felt like might blow over in the wind and others in between.
I had a fabulous time. Bart endured well. I only had one requirement for him. It was that he had to have at least one comment on each house. I was nicely surprised that Bart noticed so many things and we discovered are likes and disliked for each house were similar. We even voted for the same house for the people's choice award. The winner is.....

McKinley by Kessler Hatch Inc. located in Herriman Utah

A Penny Saved........

I've been collecting pennies in a big 5 quart mason jar most of my life which was almost filled up to the top. Recently I had this jar in my hall cupboard which has turned into a junk whole. It was at the point that if I opened the cupboard door something would usually fall out on one of my children's head. I've been on a quest to dejunk my house the past few weeks and decided to battle the junk cupboard. I made an executive decision that this mason jar takes up too much space and it was time to take it to coin star ( a big green machine that will count the change and exchange it for cash or a gift card). One afternoon my girls and I set out on a little adventure to a nearby grocery store to unload this jar into the coinstar. As I started dumping all my pennies down the slot I realized how attached I was to this jar of pennies. It was sad seeing them disappear. I thought about being inspired one day by my sister Brooke sitting on our family room floor and carefully rolling her coins from her jar and then taking them to the bank. Finding the jar and cutting a slot in the top with one of my mom's kitchen knives. The sound of those first few pennies I found around the house dropping to the bottom wondering if I'll ever fill it up. I thought about all the jobs I had that contributed to filling up the jar.... Babysitting....my first real job at 12 as a dishwasher with my sister Brooke as the waitress at the Rim Rock and coming home with 15 dollars and a small cut of her tips in my pocket each night......hating every minute of my job when I became a waitress but sticking it out for the money (I'm sure the majority of the pennies came from that time)........leaving it for a time during college and then reclaiming it when I got married....Bart adding his spare coins and then occasionally digging into it for some change to walk down to rite aid, usually toting one or both girls in a front pack or stroller, to print a picture to mail off with an autograph and of course to get a treat for his girls. It's funny how something so common as a mason jar full of pennies could elicit such memories. In the end the total was 8 quarters, 88 Dimes, 32 Nickels and 2072 pennies= $33.12.