Our Universal Happiness

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!

2010-08-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Blogging has been put on the bottom of the to do list as we prepare for our little Kate, so I apologize for anyone itching for an update.

I am 37 and 1/2 weeks along and we are still waiting. That is okay though because I have plenty to do before the big arrival. Everything sounds good with her heart beat and position so it's a go any time now.

I just had to write this blog to document something cute that Emma just said. She is talking more and more and coming up with sentences all by herself and it's just a joy to listen to her (most of the time).

Lately her movie obsession has leaned toward Aladdin. She is watching it right now. I went in her bedroom to check on her during the part where Jasmine kisses Jafar to distract him. I repeated what Iago said during that moment... "Yuck. Emma looked at me and said, "No, it's yummy. Yummy, yummy, yummy!" I hope she was talking about her chips that she was snacking on, but I thought it was funny. Maybe she has a thing for creepy men with twisty beards. Now she is happy because Aladdin and Jasmine "Kissed and got married!" (she says murried. Very cute). Time to go. Emma wants to play on the computer. No good.

Emma eats a plate...

2010-06-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

I love it when my brain is so dead that I don't even know what to fix for lunch. Luckily it was Emma to the rescue. I opened up the pantry and asked what she wanted to eat for lunch. She pointed out the corn tortilla chips, so I took them out. I then opened the fridge where she pointed out the grapes and apples. So today we had nachos, grapes and apples.

Thank-you Emma for the brain saving idea.

The best part about it is that she ate everything I gave to her (apart from the apple piece that Jez begged out of her). What is even more exciting is that she is even doing her own dishes! No I don't mean she washed them and put them away, but she's getting pretty close.

I was distracted by the phone for a minute and when I got off, I looked at Emma. She was holding her plate up to her face and licking it. She saw me watching, put down the plate and said "Look mom, I'm eating the plate!" I laughed and told her she was cute. She continued to "eat the plate" and then said "Mom, I want a picture".

I didn't fully understand what she meant by that and began asking her what she wanted. Did she want to color a picture? Did she want to look at a picture from the fridge? She said "no" and then pointed at my camera on the entertainment center and said "I want a picture". I finally got it.

"Emma, do you want me to take a picture of you eating the plate?"

"Yeah!"

Perhaps she knew that this little moment in her life was a blogging opportunity, and it would prove that she was helpful as a two-year-old by licking her plate clean. After I took the pictures, she asked for a movie as well, so I obliged.

Enjoy what Emma thought to be picture and blogging worthy.

Emma makes me giggle...

2010-06-18T20:49:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick blog about my favorite Emma moment of the day. Right now she is downstairs exercising with Daddy while he does his P90X. Choice of wardrobe for Emma...her birthday suit. I asked her if we could put her princess jammies on and her response was "No, I want to be naked". Let's just say that Daddy is a little distracted with that cute little butt running around.

Bubbles!

2010-06-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how much bubbles can be so entertaining. Who would of thought the entertainment spans throughout species as well as age and gender.

I See You

2010-05-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

I will be the first to admit that I'm not a perfect parent. There are many things that I look back on and say "Why did I do that?"

For this post I am talking about Emma's obsession with Avatar. I came home from working hard one day and Jacob had purchased the movie. I thought Emma would be scared and have nightmares, but on the contrary. She was enthralled. She loves the animals in the movie, and begs to watch the movie EVERYDAY!

I don't know why I entertained the request, because she is picking up on some things that I don't know if I want my two-year-old picking up on. At the same time, I think it is unbearably adorable.

I was sitting on the couch tonight watching the rest of the American Idol finale. Daddy had turned Avatar on in Emma's room at her request. Every once in a while she would walk down the hall to check up on me, and play "tea cups" with me (as she calls it). So when she started coming down the hallway for the fourth or fifth time I was expecting another round of tea cups.

Then in her sweet little voice she says "I see you, mom". I chuckled. For those of you who haven't seen the show, it is a phrase that is used quite often in the movie. I told her "I see you, Emma" as she started crawling up on my lap. Then she tenderly placed her hand on my cheek and looked at me oh so lovingly and said "I see you, mom" and then gave me a big wet one right on the kisser. She proceeded to do this a few more times, until I started dying of laughter, and then she started laughing with me.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Emma picked up on the romantic part of the movie. She is such a cuddly, tender-hearted, and loving little girl. To tell you the truth, I don't mind all the snuggles and kisses I receive as a result of Avatar. It's those boys out there that will one day get those kisses as well, that I worry about. Sometimes I feel like Emma is two going on seventeen. I just hope she saves those loving, tender kisses for mommy and daddy, and I don't have to explain to this two-year-old how inappropriate it is to kiss the boys in nursery.

Give me some sugar

2010-05-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm discovering those moments in a mom's life where the stress of looking after a child brings you to the point of tears, and even past that, to the point of insane laughter. This was one of the moments.

Earlier I had already pulled Emma out of the pantry and cleaned up the white rice that she had spilled all over the floor. I put the rice away up high where she couldn't reach it again. It didn't matter. I should have known a two-year-old is always looking for more trouble.

Would you believe me that we have a toddler proof doorknob on the pantry door?

Where was mommy when this was happening? She was sitting lazily on the couch watching TV.

Where was daddy?

Downstairs playing ping-pong.

Of course I blame him.

The Wait for Kate

2010-05-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

So it is official that we are expecting a girl, and I can't explain how excited I am.

Don't get me wrong, I'll love my baby boys as well when and if they come.

I feel some relief with another girl. I feel more prepared is more like it. I have the clothes I need, and I am comfortable changing a baby girl's diaper. I am also excited that Emma will have a sister to buddy up with and be roomies for a long time.

I understand that she is probably going to be a different baby than Emma was, and I'm preparing myself for that as well. Little Kate loves to kick and move around in my belly, and Emma was very calm in my stomach. I joke with Jacob that we deserve a harder child for the second one because Heavenly Father gave us the easy one first so I could finish school. Now it's time to really find out how hard it is to have kids.

I am just excited to know what we are having. Jacob almost convinced himself that he could wait until she was born to know what she was, but I couldn't have it. I don't know what it is but I feel more connected to the baby growing in my womb when I know the gender, and I have a name picked out. I think mostly that I'm just too impatient. I'll have to work on that.

Everyday I just awe at the fact that I am pregnant, and that we are having another child. Pregnancy is so weird in the way that it's so life changing, but so gradual at the same time. I am in awe everyday that while I go throughout my day, my body knows what it needs to be doing to keep my chica alive and well.

I am so excited for her arrival!

For now we still wait. We wait for our Kate. Our perfect little one that already seems so delighted to be alive and kicking. I know this because she lets me know many times a day, and even though sometimes it gets uncomfortable, I am grateful for those lively kicks.

Thanks to everyone who have been so supportive and happy for us.

Baby #2

2010-04-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have not mentioned a lot about my pregnancy with baby #2 so I thought I would paraphrase.

This pregnancy feels a lot different. I wasn't as sick, but I was so tired that I couldn't sleep. It's weird, I know. I never even vomited because of the pregnancy, but I did vomit because of food poisoning. It ruined my non-vomitting track record.

I'm happy to say I've enjoyed being pregnant a lot more this round. It has been nice to not be so overwhelmed with school and work that I couldn't focus on eating healthy, getting some exercise and just having some down time when my body needed it. Emma has been such a sweet and understanding older sister. She lets me lay down whenI need to and she is always kissing the baby in my belly.

I am now 22 weeks a long and will finally be getting my ultrasound THIS FRIDAY! Tomorrow will prove to be a long day I think. The doctor visits have been going well and I am measuring right where I'm supposed to be which is great. I have brought Emma to the appointments the last two times because she loves hearing the baby's heart beat. It is so cute because she'll tell me that the baby's heart goes "sump sump" or in other words, thump thump.

I also need to mention that I've been feeling the baby kick for about a month now, and Daddy felt it for the first time today. The kicks are hard and quite frequent which gives me the suspicion that we have a little boy on our hands, but we will see. The baby is not a fan of the laptop on my belly, that is for sure. Baby #2 is definitely a lot more active than Emma was so I think we have our work cut out for us. We probably deserve it because Emma is such a good kid (most of the time).

I am also officially looking prego which is a relief. For a while I just felt like I overdid it on the donuts. I'm enjoying my cute little belly right now before it gets too big.

The downer about being pregnant is the itchy rash that it brings. Right now it is only on my calves and not nearly as bad or as itchy as it was with Emma. Apparently this PUPPP (look it up) is pretty common among the prego community, and even more common among the pregos who have had it before with a different pregnancy. So I can't feel too bad for myself, especially when a lot of people have it a lot harder than me. I just have to say thank goodness for aveeno lotion and prescription itchy cream.

I wish I had more insights about what my baby will be like, but I think it will become more real when I know what I am having, and I can call the baby by name. Right now I usually refer to the baby as my buddy when he/she is having a kicking fit.

I know this blog was pretty random but it is late at night. More to come on Friday.

Another Jez moment

2010-04-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

I won't lie. Having a dog is a challenge. Even more so when it ends up being an inside dog. When people say having a puppy is like having another child, they aren't kidding. For instance...

I had Jezzy out of her kennel while I went downstairs to pick up a few things Emma left behind. I had cleaned up the kitchen and thought I found everything that she could possibly get.

Keep in mind that we tie Jez off on a long leash so she only has limited access in the kitchen.

Well when I came back upstairs, her guilty little mug greeted me between the stair rail. I noticed that her mouth was full of something I knew she wasn't supposed to have. I asked her what was in her mouth and she turned and retreated to her kennel.

When I got up the rest of the stairs her mouth was empty. I saw her go over to her kennel so I knew she was hiding whatever she wasn't supposed to have in there. So I walked over to find Emma's leftover rice crispy treat, now soggy and covered in dog hair. I picked up the mushy mess and chucked it into the garbage.

Now this was not a huge deal to me because I'm used to taking everything out of Jez's mouth. I only blog about this because I marvel at the fact that the little devil actually tried to hide what she wasn't supposed to have from me! It reminds me of Emma when she is doing something she isn't supposed to do. She tries to hide it by shutting a door or hiding in a corner while she makes her mischief.

I am grateful that Jez is teaching me little by little is to go with the flow, keep the floor picked up, and be a little more patient. A dog/kid will do that for you.

The death of the coupon calendar

2010-04-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Spanish Fork sends out a city calendar each year with coupons for local businesses every month. I don't know why I'm cursed but I just can't keep it the whole year. Last year Jacob threw it away on accident and well, let's just say it lasted a little longer this year.

I didn't get a picture of the culprit because I was way too mad at her, so she was sitting in her kennel as I cleaned it up. I hope she has trouble pooping the eaten pieces of my calendar out.

At this very moment she has figured out that she is big enough to reach the top of my counters. Where did my cute little puppy go? Now I have a big, and mischievous adolescent on my hands, and nothing is safe.

Our Vacation

2010-03-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

This says it all.

Happy to you!

2010-03-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday, and although I'm not a big fan of the attention, I'm glad to have a special day of my own. Mostly because my husband does the cooking and cleaning, and always surprises me with something sweet.
This year Emma was more involved in the gift giving since she is a walking, talking machine. Yesterday Jacob and Emma woke me up with a vase of roses, itunes card and the "Happy Birthday" song. Daddy tried to teach Emma to say Happy Birthday to you, but instead she kept leaving out the birthday part so she would say "Happy to you mom."
I have to laugh at all the things Emma does and says, but sometimes I'm surprised at the wisdom that slips from those cute little rose bud lips.
After they woke me up, Emma followed me around the rest of the morning with the vase of flowers and kept saying "Happy to you mom". I would just smile every time she didn't say birthday but then something struck me.
As much as I love a Happy Birthday wish, Emma wasn't just wishing me a happy birthday, she was wishing an eternity of happiness. What an awesome birthday present!
So I must repeat those special words to all those we love and care about because it doesn't have to be your birthday to hear it.

HAPPY TO YOU!

Baby in the Belly

2010-02-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

As my body continually changes, but nothing else does, sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who is aware that I have a tiny little miracle growing in my tummy. Thankfully, I have Emma. Sometimes I am surprised at how aware she is a lot of the time.

I have an app on my ipod that gives me daily and weekly little tidbits to read about pregnancy. I have appreciated it because I feel like I know more about what is going on with my body. When I was pregnant with Emma, I didn't really have time to understand with work and school, so at times I feel like this is my first pregnancy. I have also been feeling great so I have been enjoying this pregnancy more as well.

Back to the story...So I read this tidbit that said I could probably feel my ever growing uterus right under my belly button. I thought it would be fun so try since I have noticed it getting harder to suck in. So while Emma was watching her morning cartoons I laid on my back, lifted up my shirt and started poking around. I'm happy to say that I found it pretty quickly, but that is not what this blog is about.

Emma noticed that I had my shirt lifted up and I was poking my belly, and had to come over to see what was going on. I told her I was feeling the baby in my belly. I thought this would confuse her a little, but instead she smiled, patted my belly, and then laid her head on my tummy and started talking to the baby in my belly.

"Hi baby belly" is mostly what she said with soft pats and kisses in between. There we sat for a half an hour while she snuggled my belly tenderly and talked to the baby. It has made my day. I don't know how she understands, but she does and she is already being a great sister to her baby brother or sister. Thanks for your sweetness, your caring, and your understanding Emma. Mommy loves you deeply.

Something to be thankful for...

2010-02-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

I can be thankful that Emma only smeared the jar of Aquaphor on easy to clean surfaces, and didn't get the idea to paint the carpet with it before I caught her.

I can also be thankful that sunny San Diego is less than a month away.

Children speak the tongue of Angels...

2010-01-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

Another Sunday has passed, and another Monday is knocking at the door. If it wasn't for what happened just a few moments ago, it would have passed just like any other day where my greatest accomplishment turned out being getting Emma to finally poop after she had been holding it in all day long. Celebrating over this feat reminds me of the Family Circus comics that say "You know when you are a parent when..."

I am definitely a parent.

I admit I have a constant perfume of corn dogs, I enjoy singing the "poop" song, and consider a quick ponytail "doing my hair", but having a child has brought so many beautiful adventures and even more beautiful moments. This moment I speak of that occurred tonight could have been scriptural.

3rd Nephi chapter 17 is one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon, and I'm sure many would agree. The most special part to me is in the end where Jesus gathers and blesses the little Children, weeps, and then announces "Behold your little ones". It is so tender to me how much Jesus loves little Children and I learn more and more everyday why that is.

Tonight I put Emma to bed so Daddy could have some chess time with Casey. It is usually Daddy's job to put Emma down, but I was lucky enough to do it tonight. This routine has been explained before but it consists of two books, a prayer, and a few songs to get her settled down, and then she is put in her crib and we say goodnight and leave.

On such an almost insignificant Sunday, I was not expecting the little miracle that occurred. After we were done with the books I asked Emma to fold her arms for prayer. Usually it is a dictated prayer by Mommy or Daddy and we try to used words that Emma is really good at saying so she can say some of her own prayer. Today, however, Emma did not wait for my help. She folded her arms and said "Heavenly Father...jibberish...Jez, Daddy, Casey...Amen"

Is it silly that such a short and almost incomprehensible prayer touched my heart so deeply? My almost two-year-old just said her first prayer all by herself! It reminds me of a small story in the Book of Mormon where the Nephite Children's mouths are opened and their parents just marvel at the things they say. I can't remember exactly where it is or I'd give a reference, but I can't help but thinking my "baby" just did something very similar, and Heavenly Father let me witness that little miracle. Thank-you. I am sure that He is just as proud as I am.

What a sweet blessing Emma has been to us. When I hear her sing songs like "I am a Child of God", say her own prayers, and point to pictures of Jesus, it comforts me that even though I don't know what I'm doing, I am doing a few things right.

Why?

2010-01-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

I have never thought of this before but the word "Why" has got to be one of the most thought provoking words in the English language.

Being a wife, mother, and dog-owner has got me thinking of a lot of "Why's" that I would have never thought of before...Like...

Why isn't nine hours of blissful sleep enough?
Why does my husband obsess so much?
Why is my dog sniffing my carpet?
Why did cheesecake sound so unbearably delicious that I had to get my tired body off the couch to make it?
Why does my almost-two-year-old find it so magical to be butt naked?
Why are my dreams SO crazy?

AND Last but not least

Why does this child of mine ask ME why--- over, and over, and over again.

Is it not common sense to a toddler that she needs to keep her diaper on? Do I have to give her a reason to stop pouring dog food into the dog kennel and all over my floor? Most of all, am I supposed to have all answers to all of these why's?

A curious toddler definitely gets a mommy thinking...mostly how to beat the kid at her own game. So I've decided that I need to ask Emma "why" before she gets the chance. Then maybe she will start providing me the secrets behind her toddler mind. Maybe then I'll figure out why she'll eat dirt and dogfood, but she won't eat anything I try to feed her that doesn't have a hot dog in it.

Family Pictures

2010-01-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

Our first official family pictures. I own a digital scrapbook software so we decided to buy the rights to the pictures so everybody have a looksee! We waited way too long to get these done, but I'm happy with the results. I'm sorry the pictures are small. I'm not quite sure how to save them in a bigger image. I'll figure it out eventually.

The Art of Becoming a Two Year Old

2010-01-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

If Emma were to write a book about her life's work up to now I think it would be called "The Art of Becoming a Two Year Old: The 4 T's of becoming the best two-year-old you can be."

An interested reader might ask themselves "What are the 4 T's?" If this interested reader would open the book they would find the answer to their question.

The 4 T's
Toddling
Talking Back
Terrorizing and
Taking off ALL your clothes.

I imagine comments from the New York Times or Wall Street Journal saying things like "Best Self Help book for any Two-Year-Old" or "The Art of Becoming a Two-Year-Old is a masterpiece!"

You get my point.

Emma is becoming more and more like a two-year-old everyday. With less than one month left before she reaches her two year mark, I wonder how I'm going to keep up with her.

It is fun watching her grow up. She learns new things everyday.

Today she found out that if she scooted her little table right up next to her highchair she could get in it all by herself. Oy. Luckily she can't get out because Mommy outsmarts her and moves the table before she can try it.

She is also learning new words everyday. Just yesterday I was getting ready to get in the shower. Part of this process is gathering a few toys and shutting my bedroom door so I can keep Emma contained while I can't keep a watchful eye on her. As I was soaping up I heard Emma run into the bathroom and say "Bye Mom, See ya!" I laughed because I knew the door was closed and said "Bye Emma. I love you!" She repeated "I love you! See ya!" and we exchanged these words a couple of times. Then all was quiet. I started to worry that somehow she did get the door open, or maybe Daddy opened it for her. Just before I could worry too much I heard her little footsteps run in the bathroom again and she announced "Just Kidding Mom, Just Kidding!"

I didn't even know she knew those words. Let alone how to use them correctly in a sentence after playing a pretty good joke on me. Sheesh. At least she still can't open the door.

She has also figured out how to terrorize my house with the little effort. She likes to take all the toys out of their baskets in the great room and then pile all the sofa cushions on top of it. She also has to pull every blanket out of her blanket boxes and scatter those around the house. She has managed to figure out how to climb up her book case (actually a small white entertainment center that holds her small TV and all her books) and tear all the books out. Thankfully I have toddler proofed most of out drawers and cabinets or else those would be emptied everyday. Sometimes I ask myself why I even bother trying to pick things up.

Emma has also learned that she can blow spit bubbles. It was funny at first, but after she was covered in drool I decided it wasn't that funny anymore.

Last night she finally mastered her final T-Taking off ALL her clothes (diaper included). I didn't even try to stop her after getting her re-dressed the first time. I thought if the kid wants to be naked, let her be naked. I put her on the potty and told her to go pee pee, (which she didn't but she was excited to sit on the toilet anyway) and then I let her run loose for a minute before I forced the diaper back on her. The look on her face was pure joy when she realized I was letting her run around naked. If only I had taken a picture for blackmailing purposes when she's a teenager.

I eventually coaxed her back into her pj's and got her to bed and I crashed right after she did.

Today as I was trying to get her to sit on my lap to read books, and rock her to sleep she looked at me and said "No mom. Be right back. Be right back, k?" I thought "Oh boy. What now?" She ran into the living room and grabbed one of her stuffed animals and brought it back into her room and threw it into her crib. Three more trips later she had successfully gathered all her stray animals. Then before she would crawl in my lap she had to gather all her "purses" and put them on her arm.

30 minutes later...I've read her two books, sang a bunch of songs, and rocked her. She was still awake. So I put her in her crib and she cried herself to sleep. Length of her nap time (bum bum bum) 30 minutes.

I love my soon to be two-year-old. We definitely have more fun than trouble. I wonder if I could make any money off of her book :).

Score!

2010-01-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

I usually hate door to door salesmen. They are usually selling a lot of something you don't really need at outrageous prices. During the day I don't even like to answer the door because I'm afraid I'm going to get stuck listening to a sales pitch that I'm really not interested in. I swear they did not stop coming in the summertime. I think my subdivision was such a big target too because it was new. It often made me think of the movie "Secondhand Lions". I wish I had an old man that would sit on my porch with a shotgun and keep the solicitors away.

But I decided to be patient with the guys who are just doing their jobs and trying to earn a living and today IT PAID OFF!

I guess there is a farm/orchard of some sort in Santaquin with the name Peterson attached to it. When I opened the door, a guy dressed like a hunter pulled out a knife with one hand and an orange with another. Yes I was a little frightened at first. He then proceeded to cut the orange and gave a piece to Emma and a piece to me. I took a bite of the orange and fell in love. He then whipped out a fuji apple and did the same thing. It was unbelievably crunchy and the taste was amazing! Then he pulled out a grapefruit and cut it up. I must say I was already sold on the apples and oranges and the grapefruit did not disappoint.

So now I have a box full of the most wonderful fruit I've tasted all winter long for a decent enough price. $1.12 a pound, and I didn't have to go to the grocery store! Extra bonus. I do realize that on a good good sale you can get winter fruit for under a dollar a pound, but they never taste THIS good.

Call it my first impulse as a newly pregnant lady but at least it's a healthy impulse (for those I haven't told yet, yes I'm pregnant due end of Aug or beginning of September making me 6 1/2 weeks along). Emma is enjoying the impulse as well because she loves fruit so much.

What makes me laugh about this, is that I'm SO excited about yummy fruit that I actually HAD to blog about it. It's funny how things like a box of fruit delivered right to my door can make me so happy. I must be a pregnant mommy.

To End the Story

2009-12-20T15:51:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd provide the end of my story from yesterday because I realized that I did not have a complete happy ending to my story.

I called JCPenney and scheduled a session with them the same day. We wore brown to match Jez, forked out a little dough, and had a good time.

Jacob and I still love each other and he read my post and decided not to defend his position. We kissed and made up and had a good snuggle and snuggled all my stress away.

And we lived happily ever after :)

A small bump...

2009-12-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

Well it happened again. It never ceases to amaze me when the Lord steps in and says "Teresa, cheer up! Your life isn't so bad, and your burdens aren't so heavy".

Let me back up and explain. Every once in a while I find myself having more than just a hard day. For some reason (that I used to blame on a lack of sleep, but now I blame on hormone fluctuations)I find myself in an intensified emotional state. I feel like an unpredictable volcano that will explode with any sort of encouragement.

Anybody who knows Jacob knows that he more than willingly provides this encouragement. As his mother puts it, Jacob was the "button pusher" in the family.

Combine my intensified emotional state, my button pushing husband, and a slightly stressful situation like trying to get some family pictures taken, and you get a disaster.

This disaster (in my mind it was a disaster but I'm sure Jacob would say it was more of bad planning) doesn't really need to be explained, as I'm sure most who read this understand how picture taking goes, but let's just say it worked out less than perfect and even worse not how I had planned.

I tried to keep it as simple as possible. My plan was to take my little family (including Jez) to Mom and Dad Baadsgaard's backyard, set the camera on a tripod, press the timer button, and just smile while the camera got a few shots.

My problems all started when Jacob suggested we all wear brown shirts instead of black because we would match Jez better. WARNING!!! After a week of planning how perfectly simple picture taking was going to be with our simply matching nice black shirts, you DO NOT suggest a different color of shirt! Does black not match with brown? Do we need to plan all our outfits now with how well it is going to color coordinate with THE DOG???

Ahem. Pardon the explosion. That's fine. I can get over it. No, Jacob. We are wearing black AND THAT'S FINAL!

Picture taking time. It's freezing cold and even though our shirts are long sleeved, Emma's hands are already like ice. We need a good background. Let's try the wall of the barn. It's cute and has some plants going up the side making it all look outdoorsy. Great. Now where's Emma. Oh yeah, over there CRYING OF COURSE, because she wants to look at the bunnies. Fine. Keep her happy. Let's look at the bunnies. Great. Now let's pose and get this over with. Dad has Jez, so I take Emma. Someone has to push the timer. My "kid" is easier to settle down so I rush over to set the timer...and...why didn't it work? Okay one more time...and...Oh. I forgot to hold the button down longer. ONE MORE TIME...click, click, click, click, click. Five pictures later. According to Jacob, not one usable picture and he's done trying, after only five minutes of family picture taking.

Okay. I get it. It didn't work out, and I'm already upset Mr. Button pusher, so quit talking. Quit telling me my plan didn't work. JUST QUIT!

...Excuse the explosion again.

So now I'm thinking how...inconsiderate...my husband is. Stress related tears running down my face I think "Why Heavenly Father, can't my husband be a little more sensitive to my highly instensified emotional needs?" And then it happens.

I turn on my computer to google a portrait studio that allows dogs, and amongst my search I stumble upon a story of a woman from Utah. I look at her picture and remember that I have hear her story before.

Stephanie Nielson's once beautifully perfect, but now horribly scarred face says it all.

Who am I to complain about my bumps in the road? We are all healthy and whole, we have a beautiful home, a loving family, two awesome cars that take us where we need to go, a great and stable job, presents for under the Christmas tree, food in the fridge, clothes in the closet, a functioning furnace...this list will never end!

For those who don't know Stephanie's story, read and be inspired. As for me...Thank-you Heavenly Father for reminding me not only that life is full of trials, but how to recognize my blessings during them. Thank-you Stephanie for your beautiful attitude and reminder that life is a celebration and honor.

The Christmas Spirit

2009-12-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Just another reminder.

The Christmas Spirit

I'm working on it!

2009-12-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

I won't say I'm the best at keeping a blog, but I'm slowly getting there. I've added a few pictures to my posts, and I've added more friends and family to the list of blogs 2 stock. Yay for me.

So right now I am enjoying the blissful sounds of a quiet house because Emma is still asleep and Jez is taking a little snooze as well.

Emma and I have just been goofy today. We spent most of the day in our pj's and singing and dancing to silly songs that I make up on the spot. They don't make sense at all but Emma keeps asking me to sing, so she enjoys it and that's all that matters to me.

I also started teaching Jez two new tricks today. The first one is having a treat on her nose and leaving it there until I say she can get it. The second one is called "cute". It's when she sits and tilts her head to the side. She is so precious when she does it, but I must say that one is a little tricky. I've found that if I make a quiet, yet peculiar sound she tilts her head, and then I say "cute" and give her a treat.

For family night tonight, we plan on going to go see "The Princess and the Frog". I can't wait! I heard about this movie before Emma was born so it's been a long time coming.

Where does this kid learn this stuff?

2009-12-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

I just can't believe the things Emma comes up with sometimes. Her obsession with her Ken doll is getting more funny by the minute.

It all started two days ago when I was getting her bath ready. She usually plays with her set of bath toys, but for some reason she went and found her Barbie and Ken to play with in the bath. I am still trying to figure out how she knew that she could play with them in the bath, but she knew.

Since then she has been nurturing her Ken doll like a baby. Not Barbie. No. She comes along sometimes. But it's Ken that gets the love, blanket, and all the attention. I'm wondering if it's because Jez chewed on one of his hands so she feels like she needs to take extra good care of him.

In any case, this is the third day in a row where we have looked for his shoes, swaddled him in a blanket a million times (banket in Emma tongue) and had an anatomy lesson with Ken as our model. Her favorite body part to show me is...the butt. She remembers things way too well.

On another note, Jacob and Jez have enjoyed the snow a lot. The first day it snowed I had a hard time getting Jez to go outside to potty. Thankfully she got over it quickly and her and dad spent a few hours yesterday playing in the snow. Earlier in the day Jacob shoveled all the snow in a pile while Jez was jumping around in the snow and trying to conquer the snow pile. She looked like a little brown bear. Later that evening with the help of Joe, Martha and Joel, Jacob finished his snow pile and turned it into an igloo. I'm glad someone has enjoyed the snow. I need to go get some snow clothes for Emma and pull mine out. Maybe then we can have somemore fun.

That's all for now. I just thought I had to write about Emma and her Ken doll before I forgot. I need to be able to blackmail her somehow when she is older.

A Sweet Moment

2009-11-13T19:41:00.000-08:00

I find myself alone again for a night while Jacob magnifies his calling at a scout "camp". Is it just me or is sleeping in a cabin that's more like a house and playing video games all night long not camping at all? Oh well, I guess I have to pay my dues so if we ever have a boy he can enjoy his scouting trips. So I am not complaining. Just merely giggling about the concept of camping and how watered down it has become.

I've been a little frustrated with Jez as of late because she is a puppy and I have yet to learn how to handle it. Luckily Jacob found a trainer to help us and we have started on the right path to having a great dog. It's funny to me when I listen to the trainer tell me that she will throw tantrums and she needs rules and a schedule, how much alike puppies are to babies. She even gets in the dishwasher like Emma does. I've also been told that dogs go through a teenager rebellious stage. Luckily she will get to the teenage stage a lot faster than Emma will which means when Emma gets there I'll already know how to handle a teenager...Right? :)

Keeping Jez on a schedule is going to be tough this winter because it includes 15-20 minutes of exercise 3 times a day. I don't handle cold very well, so I'm sure Jacob will do most of the work. But alas, he can't be here all the time so we took a chilly autumn evening walk that turned out well. Usually neither Jez nor Emma last very long during these walks, so I was pleasantly surpised to get in a good walk. I'll have to figure out how long that route is tomorrow but my guess was that it was at least a mile and probably more.

Our Jez really is a good dog and very intelligent. It's hard to recognize that when Daddy is around because she gets SOOOO distracted by him. He is definitely her favorite, which actually makes me glad. It's tiring being Emma's favorite (even though I absolutely love it) so I'm glad Emma doesn't have to compete with Jez for me.

Without Jacob to distract me I find myself forced to pay more attention to Emma and the dog. Jez and Emma played a little game while Emma was in the highchair eating a treat before bedtime. She would kick the highchair, and Jez would jump around in her kennel and bark and then when Emma stopped Jez would stop, and then start all over again. Everytime Jez started barking Emma would laugh wickedly (something she has started doing since we got the dog. I think it's because she now has someone to tease and she thinks it's funny). This game lasted for about 15 minutes until I put a stop to it because Jez was getting too hyper. With Jacob around this game would have just been commotion to me, so I'm glad I took the time to watch without getting noticed.

The Sweetest moment of all happened when I was putting Emma down for the night. I usually don't put Emma to bed at night because Daddy does it so he gets a little snuggle and alone time with Emma. She has a little routine before she goes to bed and part of that routine is to read as many books as I or Jacob will tolerate that night. So after I read two books, she got up to get another book and I let her. She looked at her books and said "Where's E-I-E-I-O?" I had to giggle. That book was a gift from Grandma Baadsgaard and has been a favorite of Emma's because we sing the book instead of just read it. I just love how she calls it E-I-E-I-O.

After we read books we turn off the light and say a prayer. Jacob has found a way to get her to say about 1/3 of the prayer by putting in her favorite words. She says a long list of everything she's thankful for each night including the "bbbirds", "Showah (shower)" and "cookie". Tonight she was not as willing to say a prayer because she still wanted to read books. So I said a prayer to her as she screamed and wrestled with her as I tried to rock her to sleep and sing her a song. I was getting a little bit flustered at this point and lucky for me she calmed down after singing "I'm Trying to be like Jesus" twice. After she was calm I told her that it was time for bed and gave her a kiss. She told me "bye" like she has done before, but what she said next almost put a tear in my eye. Right as I was putting her in her crib she said "Miss you" in the sweetest whisper. I smiled so big. I told her that I would miss her too and started walking to the door. As I opened it I heard her say "Miss you, miss you, miss you" again in her sweet whisper. I told her good night and that I loved her very much and quietly shut the door. Moments like that make all the frustrations just disappear. I'm glad Heavenly Father thought it well to send me my little Joy.

So now I am enjoying a quiet peaceful house. I should take full advantage and go exercise. We shall see.

We had a dog!

2009-10-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well I finally caved in. Jacob got me really excited about getting a dog today, and we found a beautiful chocolate lab puppy on KSL and the rest is history. We are now the proud parents of a 6 1/2 week old female puppy and we named her Jezzy. A picture will soon follow but we just got her to settle down for the night.

It is funny how today we just started out thinking about how fun it would be to have a pet. Jacob really wanted to get a dog and I kept telling him "not until we get a yard and a fence". So then he wanted to get a cat and I said we could do that. We went to the animal shelter and found a very cute kitty but in the end couldn't get it because she was a long-haired cat and it would drive my allergies nuts. So we came home and looked online on the KSL ads and we found the ad for Jezzy and she was in Spanish Fork. The ad said that if we came to see her we wouldn't be able to leave her and it was right. The minute we stepped in we fell in love. So as the sorry suckers we are, we took her home.

Her first day home consisted of watching Daddy get a haircut, playing with Daddy, Emma, John, Alisa, Grandma, and Grandpa, and last but not least...pooping on our carpet. She had to break it in just like Emma did so it's all official. The great thing about her pooping on our carpet was that Jacob had to clean it up. Yeah.

Well I must go to bed. Tomorrow promises to be a long day since we have a new dog and Daddy won't be home until late due to work meetings. Wish me luck.

Dedicated to Kenna

2009-10-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have to dedicate this post to my good friend McKenna for helping me develop my blog. It is still in the construction phase but I'm really excited to have a more personal touch to this "blah".

Today was a fun day for Emma and me. Even though Emma woke up and 5:30 AM, she was able to get back to sleep about a half an hour later, and I fell asleep shortly after that. The best thing about this part of the story was that she slept until 8:30! That was a piece of heaven for me.

At 10:30 we headed over to Grandma K's house for a little homemaking/homewrecking fun of making applesauce. It took a little longer to make than we thought so I didn't get to stay until the very end (because Emma needed a nap) but I'm excited that I have 23 jars of fresh applesauce waiting for me to pick up. I'm glad that I have a mom who will help me learn the ins and outs of canning. We did a lot of canning when I was younger and I helped but I can't believe how much work goes into all of it. I learn something new everyday that helps me to appreciate how hard my parents worked as they were raising us ungrateful kids.

When Jacob got home today I headed up to Cafe Rio to have a girl's night out with my hero of the day (dah dah dah dah) Mckenna. We talked, we ate, and she showed me some cool tricks for my blog. Who knew that blogs could be so complicated? I guess that is the price to pay for personality. I'm just grateful for the help and the fact that she pretty much did it for me and I didn't have to figure it out. But alas, time moves too fast and we didn't have time for everything but I'm excited for the header that she will eventually design for me.

So now I'm home. I came home to a more than happy baby. I often wonder why she likes me more than dady because he is definitely the "funner" parent. While I was gone he turned our stairs and the extra twin mattress into the ultimate slide. After I got home I spent about a half an hour helping Emma up and down the slide before I put her to bed. Jacob also told me that they had saltine crackers and smoothie for dinner. Who needs a mom when you have such a great dad?

Now I must go. I have a husband who thinks that blogging should only take two minutes. Some day he'll learn.

Have you ever noticed that pancakes don't wear pants?

2009-08-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

I try to make the titles of my posts a little interesting sometimes so people will read on, and since I have a few things to say tonight, randomness seemed the only reasonable answer.
First, I just want to brag about my wonderful husband. Those of you who know him probably would not describe him as a patient man, but I think he's finally on the right track. I don't know what I've done to deserve this spurt of happiness and patience that he has been on, but I hope it lasts forever! Not only has he been patient with my weird mood swings, and even happy to communicate what might be wrong, but he has also been extra helpful in and outside the house. I LOVE JACOB!
Another thing I don't deserve is our backyard neighbors the Telfords. We invited them over for dinner tonight and we just had a delightful evening of good food and good company. What I love most about them is that their story is not the perfect fairy tale. They have had their fair share of trials and tribulations, but you would never know. The only reason I know is that they are so open and honest about their experiences. Amy absolutely amazes me! We are just purely lucky to have them as our friends and neighbors, and I'm sure we have a lot to learn from them. I just only hope that everybody gets the chance to have people like the Telfords in their lives.
Thirdly, Jacob is thoroughly enjoying his Texas Hold 'Em game on his new Blackberry so much, that I have become a little addicted. I'm not proud of the new addiction, but at least I'm not confused by poker terms anymore. Where will this new knowledge lead? Let's just say I've already banned Jacob from Nevada, and I'll probably have to do the same. The best part about the game on his Blackberry is that the money is fake so I'm not stressed out so much about taking a risk. So, in a few short words...Forgive me father for I have sinned. :)
Last but not least, I have to share my favorite Emma-isms of the day. Since she is learning how to talk, I like to tell her things to say. I usually start by telling her "Say this, or Say that..." Well today, when Daddy was out watering the lawn and we were watching on the porch I was trying to get her to say "I love you" to him. So I said, "Say I..." and she repeated "Say I..." I just had to giggle. What a cute kid! I also learned from her today that I need to have a better attitude about cleaning. Let me expound. I was cleaning the toilets today, and Emma was watching me intently as I did it. I first started with my half bathroom toilet, then moved on to the one in the hall, and then our master bathroom toilet. After watching me clean three toilets, Emma caught on. I think she must have thought it was fun to clean toilets or else mommy wouldn't be doing it. So I watched her open the bathroom cupboard where I stash the paper towels. She ripped off a couple of sheets and turned around and proceeded to "clean the toilet". Luckily I had closed the lid. It just gave me a little reminder that I need to have a good attitude about doing things like cleaning the toilet, so she doesn't learn to loathe cleaning from me. Now let's just hope I keep remembering that little lesson. I'm sure the pictures will help.
Well that is all for now. My goal is to be in bed by 10:30 tonight so I need to start working on getting there.

My Graduation

2009-08-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

I must admit that I am pretty proud of myself for actually trucking through school and earning a degree (even though it wasn't as graceful as I would have liked it to have been). So when I finally downloaded my pictures from graduation onto my laptop, I knew I had to take some time to brag about the experience. As some of you might know my commencement ceremony was the first commencement ceremony of the official Utah Valley University. I'm guessing this was a pretty big deal because The entire First Presidency was there with their wives.
Before the ceremony I was only aware that President Monson was going to be there, so you can guess my surprise when I ran into Dieter F. Uchtdorf, his wife, and their body guards while searching for my friends in the tunnel below the McKay Events Center. It was really awesome because the tunnel was packed with anxious graduates all dressed in black. I was pushing and shoving my way through the crowd when all of the sudden it just dispersed. I thought people were just being nice to me, but when I looked up I was shocked to see President Uchtdorf. The most suprising thing to me was his countenance. He seemed to be glowing. I was in awe that the only thing I could do was stick my hand out, smile, and tell him thanks for coming. His beautiful wife was behind him, so I shook her hand as well. I'm glad I got to meet her as well. It's fun to see the women behind the great men. Of course that little encounter just made my day, but after a little bit more traveling down the tunnel, I still couldn't find my friends. So I turned around to push myself through the crowd again. Lo and behold, the crowd dispersed for me a second time, and there was President Uchtdorf again. I was in his way so I quickly stepped asided, but he looked at me and said "Hello" and quickly disappeared. WOW! I have never met a member of the First Presidency, and then to run into one Twice!?!? I was twice as happy, than I was the first time, and very proud to be a graduate of UVU.
Soon after I found my friends, and we walked into the Events Center, anxious to hear President Monson speak. I didn't think to bring anything to take notes, but luckily my cell phone has an application that I could take a few notes on. His three main points about that moment in our lives, that we need to glance backward, reach outward, and press forward. I also typed down two quotes that I liked. He told us that "Life is like a candid camera. It doesn't wait for you to pose", and that we need to continue to be lifelong learners because "to cease learning is to cease existing". He was very inspiring, and I couldn't help but wipe a few tears from my eyes. He and his cute wife Francis were both presented with Honorary Doctorates from UVU and the crowd rose to their feet and cheered for a few minutes.
The rest of the ceremony was rather boring as all graduations are, so I won't bore you for details. I was very happy to have Jacob, Emma, Mom and Dad Kitchen, Mom and Dad Baadsgaard, and Mom 3 (Janet) there to support me. Thanks to all that helped me get through this endeavor including Jacob, all three Mom's, Ashley, April, Martha, John, Alisa, Shelly, Lisa, and anybody else who were willing to watch Emma so I could go to class, or take a test. Thank-You Thank-You Thank-You! I could not have done it without your love and support. Enjoy the pictures. I'm so glad I'm done!

Where's my reset button?

2009-08-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Fog, chaos, heaviness, nothing. My brain is feeling all of that at once. I must be stressed out, but I'm not exactly sure why. I've had a fun weekend, and I'm going to Bear Lake on Monday. I thought sleep would help but it has not. I find myself moving but I don't know exactly what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it that way. Right now I'm trying to figure out where the reset button for my brain is. I imagine if I ever do find that button, steam would come out of my ears while my head deflates. That sounds really nice right now. I feel like I've reached a point just beyond sanity where emotion runs dry, and that is not like me. I'm hoping that I find my reset button at church tomorrow, and maybe I'll convince Jacob to give me a great massage. The jetted tub is starting to sound really nice right about now as well. Blogging has helped. Maybe this fog is my inner woman who is starved for a good conversation that I don't get all the time (although when Emma is a little older I'm sure she'll help fill that gap). For now I will try the sleep thing again. I apologize for the lack of cute stories of Emma. When my brain clears I'm sure I'll remember more cute things that she does. For now, the poor kid is getting a molar and that always makes her a little more sensitive. I love her still. Goodnight.

My Brain is Dead

2009-07-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. It wasn't a bad day at all, but just not a very productive one. I just feel bleah. At least I got my exercise in, and that should count for something. I think part of it may be caused by the massive amount of cookies I consumed today. So even though Emma did some cute stuff today, I can't remember anything specific. Sorry. Tomorrow is a new day and I promise to be more productive. For now, I just need to go to bed.

Help!

2009-07-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

I've been visiting everybody's blogs and I want to know how I can personalize mine better. For instance, how do I get a playlist? What do I do to get more backgrounds? I also want to have a page that Jacob can post his thoughts. If any of you have helpful hints I would love to know. Thanks.

E-I-E-I-O

2009-07-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

Emma has learned a new song that I need to get on video. If you can't tell by the title, Old McDonald has become a new favorite song. She is so cute when she sings it. I think she is quite the talented little lady. She also likes to sing along to "I am a Child of God" when we put her to sleep. I'm so glad that I get to stay home with her and I don't have to go to school. I love catching all the sweet moments of her life. We went to Seven Peaks today and Emma found a friend. The little girl was a few months older than Emma and took it upon herself to make sure Emma was safe in the wave pool, so she followed her everywhere and kept trying to hold her hand and take Emma back to me. It was so sweet. It makes me think of the blind leading the blind. Emma eventually got sick of the kid and spent the next five minutes trying to ditch her. I still chuckle when I think of that little friendship forged and forgotten in ten minutes or less. Children are so interesting. Anyway I'm going to bed so I can wake up early and exercise. Wish me luck. I will try to get that video tomorrow.

I Guess I'm Vain...

2009-07-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

As a new mother I realize that Emma has taught me more about myself than I've been able to figure out. Her latest lesson screams that I spend too much time in the mirror, trying to make myself beautiful, and figuring out what shoes I want to wear. During my get-ready routine Emma has taken the liberty of parroting everything I do, doubling the time it takes for me to get ready. From brushing my hair, to blowdrying, to straightening, and all the way through my make-up process from foundation to mascara Emma demands that she does everything that I do. She has even reached the point where she will use each make-up brush on herself on the right part of her face most of the time. Her absolute favorite thing to do though is get her hair blow-dried. She will back her rear up to me and wait for the hot air. If I don't blow dry her hair she will keep backing up until I've had to back into a corner. It's a good way to get my attention. She even spends some time trying on different pairs of my shoes. It's my favorite when she heads to the other side of the closet and starts trying on Daddy's shoes as well. What have I learned from you Emma? I have learned that I need to cut down on my routine. I think shaving my head might help.

The Sweet Songs of Emma

2009-06-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

It amazes me everyday how our once tiny baby is so grown up! I wish that I had been a better mother and documented the first 16 months of her life better, so I hope to start repenting now. From the day she was born I knew Emma loved music because one of the only ways to calm her was to sing to her. Our nightly ritual consisted of singing her a few primary songs as she drifted into sleep. She continues to show her love of music everyday. Her favorite toys to play with are the musical ones. She has a Sesame Street book that plays music and always pushes the button that plays her favorite song. She dances when mommy is listening to her music in the house or in the car. My favorite talent of hers is her singing though. Recently she has learned to sing part of the chorus to the song "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga and sings it everyday. Luckily she doesn't sing any of the inappropriate parts. Just the part that goes "My P-poker face." I have also had a recent obsession with American Idol winner Kris Allen's version of "Falling Slowly". I have listened to it so much that Emma will sing along with it, even though her words are not clear. She does every once in a while find the right note. I feel so lucky to have a daughter who appreciates music as much as I do, and I know that it will continue to help us establish a close bond.

Welcome to our Blog!

2009-06-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

I finally did it. I succumbed to the pressures of starting a blog for our family. It is probably for the best. The title of our blog Universal Happiness comes from the meaning of our beautiful daughter's name. Emma means universal and Joy means happiness (obviously). I did not realize the perfection of her name and the real meaning until she was born. She has proved to be our Universal Happiness, and we know that she is just a taste of what of family could become. So as we go through our journey of life we would like to share our happiness with those who read this blog.