A Two-Year-Old Among Us!

I'm a little late, but I wanted to recognize our little man's second
birthday before the actual birth-day of our second son and I am
consumed with diapers, breastfeeding, and keeping a two-year-old
entertained, all while not wanting to move.
I have discovered already how having a two-year-old child can be a
bipolar experience with the extremes of both negative and positive
behavior. We find joy and entertainment in his growing imagination and
hilarious interpretation of the world, and yet sorrow and
exhaustion in such energetic tantrums and confusion. He keeps us on our toes, but we sure do love this little guy!

A few things I love about Emerson, a.k.a. Mr., Sir, Sirskie,Ferris . . .

-He absolutely loves wearing a tie, no matter if it's on a dress shirt, t-shirt, PJs, or with his robe.
-He loves passing out his toy instruments to whomever is around and jamming together.
-I love watching him fill up his toy trucks or and push them around the house as fast ashe can.
-I also love watching him play with his animals. There is always a mommy and/or daddy (depending on availability) and a
baby, and they usually always find a little spot to go "night night."
-I will miss finding little plastic animals or other toy "guys" in my bed, in my drawers, the cabinets, or other random places.
There have been several occasions where I have slipped my foot into my shoe only to find that some giraffe or other animal
has been using it as a car or bed.
-He loves wearing hats.
-Many mornings he will bring me my robe and slippers, which he calls "pink shoes" and insist that I wear them to breakfast,
even if I have just come inside from walking in 30 degree weather. He takes care of mommy.
-His creativity expands every day. He found a small bucket that has used as a hat, a drum, a dinosaur foot, a stool, a
megaphone, and I'm sure more that I don't know about.
-He wants his daddy when he's hurt and mommy when he's scared.
-He loves his family members and friends, and is constantly asking about different people.
-He is so curious about the world. I am answering, "what is that?" and "why" ALL day long.
-He loves learning new things. He is great at colors and shapes, but not as much at letters and numbers.
-He is an outgoing little boy and will walk up to anyone to say "hello."
-Sometimes the way he says "hello" sounds like he has an English accent.
-He loves his nursery class at church. One Sunday after the first meeting, he spotted his teachers, a married couple, and before we could catch him, he ran up to them. He grabbed each of their hands to make them stand up and walked them to class.
-He is not a picky eater and has a cute round belly to prove it. The only thing he has ever refused is dry lettuce, but if it has
dressing he will take it.
-I'm excited to see him become a big brother. I told him I bet the baby wished he could play with Emerson and his toys. He set
a toy boat on my belly and said, "Der go baby."
-He makes me get down on the ground with my pregnant stomach to play whatever animal or dinosaur he has in mind. He
corrects me if I don't portray the animal appropriately.
-His imagination, silly voices, and sound effects keep us laughing all the time.

Foam Pits and Hair Nets

I thought I would put a quick post up proving (mostly to myself) that I'm not always barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I just transfered my pictures from my phone, which happens far too infrequently. Here are a few shots from recent field trips with our friends.

Gymcats open gym play

Sweet's Candy Factory tour. Emerson fought me about the hair net until the very end of the tour when he decided he liked it. He was the last one to accept it and the last one to take it off.

Working in the garden. We are trying to get an early start on giving Emerson an appreciation for hard work, although this picture doesn't prove our efforts to be successful. He actually taught me that a person under the age of two can have the desire for appraisal and recognition of hard work, deserved or not. During this same Saturday's planting he saw his grandpa stop by, quickly picked up a shovel and started calling his name to make sure he was spotted hard at work.

You were just admiring my maternity gardening clothes, weren't you?

Bean Museum Reptile Show

I remember walking by the Bean Museum during my BYU days and thinking there were always an awful lot of mini vans parked in front, and children and mommies swarming into it. At the time these were all just obstacles in my way of getting to class on time. When I visited with my child a short time ago, the young coeds passing quickly by were now just as foreign to me and my way of life.

The girl had to first tell my son to not try and pull the scales off of the snake, and then not to kiss the snake. I guess that is one thing I hadn't taught him until then: to never kiss a snake. Well, now he knows. We are both learning so much at this parent-child thing!

Photo Booth Just Doesn't Get Old

The Villain from The Incredibles, am I right?

He had trouble sitting still, he was laughing so much.
My kid is so cute.

Olympic Training

If anyone was wondering, yes, we are those cruel parents who force their one-year-old child into skis and send him down the slopes. Initially his ski-crazy father's idea, I was feeling a little stir-crazy one mid Saturday morning and said, "Let's take the boy skiing!" Alta Ski Resort has a free rope tow which is perfect for beginners or anyone learning to cruz the mountain with two planks under their feet. After a buy-one-get-one (which seem to be JR's ticket to anything) for a junior ski rental of the smallest skis in stock, we headed to the mountain for a half day of skiing for a grand total of $6.

Walking in the boots made him upset at first, but he began laughing when we put the skis on and he could slide around on them. Down the hill he was under dad's grasp most of the time. He had fun, but didn't last as long as we'd hoped after the snow began falling

faster, his face was cold, and nap time had come and gone. He refused to wear his goggles, which didn't help the wind burn, and I realized why there aren't many one-year-old skiers: they don't reason well!!!Due to my previous ski accident, knee surgery, pregnancy, and six months into another pregnancy, I haven't been on skis in a while. I didn't travel any farther on my skis than Emerson did. If you are having a difficult time trying to picture what I looked like, here's a visual aid:

I only followed along and took pictures, then ate Gogurts with Emers while daddy did a few runs. Hopefully I can be ready to fully ride again next winter.

He refused to put the same snow suit back on after a short break. These pictures explain why he was so miserable! The weather really made a turn from sunny to blizzard by late afternoon. It's wild to me how our house is only about 15-20 minutes away and it didn't see even a drop of rain the entire day!

Who Wants to See a Monkey?

Adventure in Costa Rica

Our attempt to move about internationally with ten adults, two children, three toddlers, and two infants was successful. My travel group this trip included a grandpa, a grandma, aunts (of which I am one), uncles, and little cousins. Our group was viewed in amazement by everyone we came across as if we were some rare and endangered species moving about in a foreign environment. Apparently a large family traveling together in this day and age is unheard of. We were constantly being asked, "Is this ONE FAMILY?" My neighbors on the plane, Americans immigrated from Indonesia, wanted to know every detail about the family and our excursion, and said that it was so great to see us all together because Americans are not family oriented.
I can't say enough about how wonderful, beautiful, and adventurous Costa Rica is. With shorter travel time and less expense than traveling to Hawaii, I would suggest this trip to anyone who isn't afraid of a little adventure. With a lot of research and bargain hunting, you too can get there at the same price as a domestic trip to California.

We spent the first day driving to our first location, La Fortuna, close to the Arenal Volcano. We let the kids stretch their legs at a playground along the way, and refueled at a charming little restaurant where we were served hot chocolate with our fried plantains and rice dishes.

We kept our jackets on most of the time in La Fortuna with plenty of rain and fog. Our first morning experience: We ate breakfast outside, took a short walk through the rain forest where we were shown a "walking palm tree" that moves itself 20 centimeters a year, and hiked down to a waterfall that furrociously fought against JR and his brothers when they jumped in, all before lunch.

Afternoon: Ate, slept, ate.

In La Fortuna we also experienced zip-lining, hot springs, and the local flavors.

On the fourth morning we left the rain forest for another road trip, this time south toward the ocean. The five hour journey ended up taking us all day, but got us there in time for the sunset.

It didn't take me long to realize the bumpy, winding roads with potholes, needy children, and motion sickness was worth it.

The entire family shared one house for the remainder of the trip where Emerson LOVED waking up to the opportunity of going immediately outside, and constantly having cousins to play with. I miss going to sleep and waking up to the many mysterious jungle sounds coming through the open doors and windows.

Sunday, the following morning, we had the opportunity of visiting a small LDS branch in the middle of Quepos Town. The church, held in a little house, spoke only Spanish, but it still had the same great spirit that makes me feel at home no matter where in the world.

We visited a couple of great beaches, one of which we were mysteriously the only group with women and children . . .

We visited the Manuel Antonio National Park, where we actually ended up seeing just as many animals as we saw at our house, but the pretty beaches and new scenery made the long and tiring hike through the park worth it.

The last day we enjoyed the secluded beach, just a short hike below our house. The kids had the water basically all to themselves. Until the last day, E uncharacteristically preferred digging in the sand to getting near the water. He also learned a few new Spanish words including, "Hola" and "Guapo."

We hope this memorable vacation to such a unique and adventurous destination was not the last!

Packed and Ready to Go!

photo posted from my iPhone

Goodbye Creatures Big and Small

The smallest lizard we've seen



photo posted from my iPhone