Emma's First Word!!!!! (I think)

Emma doesn't talk much...at all. She yells a lot but no talking. Every once in a while when I hang up the phone she'll say, "bu-bu-bu-bu" as if to say bye-bye. Well, in true Emma fashion I think she may have said her first word last night. Ben was reading her a book and he said, "Look Emma! A cat. Can you say cat?" Emma goes, "tat, tat!" Of course it was cat...not mama, not dada not papa, not sister...cat...we don't even like cats!

It's all my fault!

I don't know what I was thinking but at about 7:55 this evening I gave Charis 2 chocolate chip cookies. (Bedtime is 8pm.) So at 8:20 when I was finally putting her to bed she was in rare form! She was literally jumping up and down in her knees. First we always talk about what we're thankful for...tonight it was that we got to go to the party store and that she didn't eat watermelon at lunch (see I told it you she was in a weird mood). Then we talk about who we're going to pray for...tonight it was Miss Lela, Mrs. Green & Auntie Deedee. (For those of you not from CA...Miss Lela & Mrs. Green both are very ill.) Then I prayed. I had to stop praying 3 times to remind Charis that singing & talking & jumping were not acceptable during prayer. Then after we pray we always sing. Tonight she wanted to hear "the grace song". (Amazing Grace) So I started singing. It went something like this...(my words are in regular print & Charis' are in italics)...

Amazing grace (amazing!)
how sweet the sound (yeah, yeah)
that saved a wretch like me (yeah, yeah)
I once was lost (uh, oh)
but now am found (yeah, yeah)
was blind but now I see (oh boy!)
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear (yikes!)
and grace my fears relieved (yup!)
how precious did that grace appear (yeah, yeah)
the hour I first believed (ok)
When we've been there 10,000 years (that's a long time!)
bright shining as the sun (oooh! hot!)
we've no less days to sing God's praise (yeah, yeah)
then when we've first begun (ok!)

And the whole time she was jumping up & down on her knees! It took all I had to keep from laughing...I'll have to show a lot of grace tonight because I can already hear the pitter patter of little feet that are not in bed!

Striking Similarities

Latest News...

Emma started walking!

(I know, go back and check the birthday ticker to see how old she is...almost 18 months.)

These pictures are not of Emma walking...she had just eaten a strawberry Nutri Grain bar and wanted to play with the camera. I'll post some walking pictures as soon as I take some.

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Then this guy down here...

Originally I was calling him Capt. Jack Sparrow but I've since changed and now refer to him as "the pirate who can't do anything". (Listen to the whole song on the movie website...you'll get it.) But I suppose I should share the story behind the eye patch...last night Ben & Charis were working on her Brain Quest cards and Charis got a little frustrated with Ben and walloped him in the eye with her cards. Ouch! This morning he still couldn't open it so, to make a long and painful story short and less painful, this morning we made an appointment with an Opthamologist. He took one look at Ben's eye and said, "Oh! Oh yeah, you took a chunk out of your eyeball." So he put some antibiotics in and patched him up. Apparently, and I did not know this, the eyeball is attached to every other function in your body. So when the eyeball is out of commission, everything else it too. (I say this in jest...but most of you wives out there know what I mean.) Oh, we'll have some funny stories to tell from this one! Anyway, we have a check up appointment tomorrow to see if the veil can be lifted.

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In other super funny news...while we were at the doctors this morning Charis kept tooting. It was getting a little embarrassing. So I told her to try to keep it in. She told me she couldn't so I said, "Squeeze your cheeks together." So, in true Amelia Bedelia form, she grabs her face and squeezes her "cheeks" together. I almost could not compose myself I was laughing so hard! So I said, "Not those cheeks...you're bum cheeks!"

Milk Poll

We use way too much milk...we should have bought a cow. How much milk do you use? Check out the new poll! ->

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHEN:

(We may not live in Southern Cali anymore but these still made me laugh since I spent the first 25 years of my life there.)

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHEN:

- Your monthly house payments exceed your annual income (and you think it's normal)
- You drive up next to a Rolls Royce and don't even notice it.
- You don't know anyone's phone number unless you check your cell phone.
- You speak Spanish, but you're not Mexican.
- You begin to "lie" to your friends about how close you are when you know darn well that it'll take you at least an hour to get there.
- Getting anywhere from point A to point B, no matter what the distance, takes about "twenty minutes".
- You drive to your neighborhood block party.
- In the "winter", you can go to the beach and then ski at Big Bear on the same day or mow your lawn in your shorts on New Years Day, and maybe sunburn.
- You eat a different ethnic food for every meal.
- If your destination is more than 5 minutes away on foot, you're definitely driving.
- Calling your neighbors requires knowing their area code (if you even know who they are).
- You know what "In-'N-Out" is and feel bad for all the other states because they don't have any (ok, they are hamburgers!!).

- Stop signs stand for, "Slow To Observe Police".
- You go to a tanning salon before going to the beach.
- You eat pineapple on pizza.
- Your cell phone has left a permanent impression on the side of your head.
- You think that Venice is a beach.
- The waitress asks if you'd like "carbs" in your meal.
- You classify new people you meet by their Area Code. An "818" would never date a "562" and anyone from "323" or "213" is ghetto. Best area code: "949/714." Nobody likes anyone from the "909/951" because it stinks there.
- You call 911 and they put you on hold.
- You have a gym membership because it's mandatory.
- The gym is packed at 3 pm...on a workday.
- You think you are better than the people who live "Over the Hill". It doesn't matter which side of the hill you are currently residing, you are just better than them, for whatever reason.
- You know that if you drive two miles in any direction you will find a McDonald's, Subway or a Starbucks. (Do we have to go two miles for a Starbucks? )
- You know what "Sigalert", "PCH", and the "Five" mean.
-You know the meaning behind the name of the 405 freeway.... because it takes 4 hours to get one way, and 5 hours to get back.
- It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH".
- The Terminator is your Governor.

11:46 AM

"As long as a man is alive and out of hell, he cannot have any cause to complain."
- C.H. Spurgeon

Emma & Emma (must be something in the name)

Heidi just made a comment about how her Emma didn't walk until 19 months and how it was so nice to not have to buy shoes for so long. I had forgotten about that! It is so nice to not even think about shoes for my Emma! Thanks Heidi for reminding me!

Salon Mommy

With Emma being sick and our car being broken we didn't go anywhere yesterday or today and the little chickens started to get restless. Charis found my hot rollers and asked if we could try them. So I decided to play beauty parlor with her. After I set her hair in the rollers I tried to get her to stand up to look in the mirror. She said, "Nooooooo, they're too heavyyyyy!"

So we took the rollers out and switched to the curling iron. Then she asked if we could do make up. I thought, "Why not?" Here's the final result!

Fair trade

So apparently 42% of you don't like cleaning the bathroom...I propose a trade...I'll come clean your bathroom if you come vacuum my house!

Check out the new poll ->

Croup & crap...funny how they're so similar!

Our car is kind of old...

Ok, so it's not that old but it sure acts like it. Last night on the way home from the ER at 1 am our trusty Ford (sarcasm) overheated. (Only in Arizona can a car overheat at 1 am!) It was like 101 degrees (I'm not kidding) and the car started to smoke, shake and make some pretty scary noises. I was alone with Emma because Ben stayed home with Charis. So I freaked out because I envisioned it exploding in the middle of the street. Ahhh! Anyway, does anyone have $23,000 we could have? (That's the cost of the new/used car that I want.)

Oh and you're probably wondering what we were doing at the ER at 1 am...Emma has croup. Poor baby girl! She had to have chest x-rays and it was so sad to see her strapped into a chair with her arms held above her head. She was so scared! But I think she's feeling better today, although a little tired. Then she got a little heat rash on her arms & belly this morning from sitting outside and waiting for Charis during swimming lessons...I just love this Arizona weather(sarcasm...again)!

Happy Father's Day...

to my father...

and to the father of my children! (I'd love to post more but I've got some biscuits and gravy to make...it is father's day after all.

Swimming & Noah

This morning we packed a lunch, scraped together $3 in quarters and dimes and headed to the local pool. (It costs $1.50 each for Ben & I, .50 for Charis & Emma is free...but we had a free pass for Charis.) I didn't get any pictures of us playing...it was SO fun! But I took this one just as we were getting ready to head home.Then this evening we had some friends over for dinner and Catan. They brought along their baby, Noah, who is just 4 weeks old! Both Charis & Emma wanted to love all over him but only Charis was able to hold him. She did a fantastic job and really did not want to let go.

Look how tiny he is...in about 4 weeks or so Deidre & Jesse will have one just as tiny!

Fin-a-lly it's happened to me...

Well, not to me necessarily but to Emma...she's walking (with a walker)! One day she just decided to put all my worries to rest and start walking. She still hasn't attempted to do it on her own but this is a big step (pun intended) for her.Ignore the inside out, unsnapped onesie and pants that are too big because they are Charis' and totally unkept hair. But LOOK, she's WALKING!!

Swimming lessons

Charis just finished her second round of swimming lessons and on Monday she starts round 3. Here she is doing her "bobs". The teacher, Miss Lauren, always started class with each student doing 5 "bobs". Charis was by far the youngest in her class so the teacher helped her a lot. Here she is kicking on the kick board.
And doing "big arms".
Emma and I always had fun sitting on the side of the pool in what little shade there was, eating banana chips and listening to the funny mom conversations around us.
Swimming lessons are all done (for now).

More Charis

"Thank you for making dinner Mommy. That is sooooo powerful!"
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"Daddy, do you have a girlfriend?"
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"Why are some people a different color? I wish I was a different color."
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"I love Cassidy's voice! It sounds like you Mommy, when you had different hair."

When little girls and big girls collide

When Charis woke up this morning the first thing she did was put her bathing suit on. All she wanted to do today was swim and play outside. So when Ben said, "Charis, do you want to go on the slip 'n' slide?" We were a little shocked when she said, "No!...Daddy!...I can't! I just put lip gloss on!"

New poll

There's a new poll! ->

French Fries

I read this on someone else's blog and I thought considering my strange fascination with all things WW1 & WW2, I had to share it with you.

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.’ He then asked, ‘Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French? ‘Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied ‘Maybe it’s because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.’ You could have heard a pin drop.

Sisters

They really do love each other...most of the time, anyway!

Important things

This morning on our way to swimming lessons we stopped at a red light and a man on a motorcycle pulled up next to us...let the questions begin:
Charis: "Why is that man wearing gloves?"
Mommy: "He's protecting his hands while he drives."
Charis: "Why is that man wearing those things in his ears?"
Mommy: "Those are ear plugs and he's wearing them because the motorcycle is very loud so he's protecting his ears."
Charis: "Why is that man wearing sunglasses?"
Mommy: "Well, it's very sunny out today so he's protecting his eyes from the sun."
Charis: "Why isn't that man wearing a helmet?"
Mommy: "Apparently his brain isn't very important to protect."

She keeps me laughing!

Last night as Ben & I were putting Charis to bed she leaned over and looked at the top of Ben's head. "Look!" She said, "Daddy's hairs are getting lost!"
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This morning at breakfast Charis said, "Emma's angry at my arm because it keeps touching her."

"Whats-his-name"

After nap time today Charis and I were laying on my bed reading books. We had just finished reading a book about Noah and she said, "They should make a book about...I can't remember his name." "Who's name?" I asked. "The guy." She said. My mind started frantically searching for who she was talking about. "Is it someone from church?" I asked. "No." She said, "It's someone from the lions den." I laughed, "You mean Daniel?" "Yeah." She said, "They should make a book about Daniel in the lions den."