I Love This Weather

Go Utes!

Saturday we went to the U's Red & White football game. Emily had fun playing with Gma Newman and Gpa Holbrook. Gpa actually bought her some chocolate milk and popcorn - she was in heaven. It was so nice to sit in the warm sun too. I'm loving this warm weather. The team looked pretty good - ending the afternoon tied at 35. Although the tie makes me wonder - is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I didn't realize how much I missed watching football till we walked into the stadium and I saw the guys on the field. Unfortunately we've got a ways to go before I get to see them regularly.

Happy Easter!

Emily is at such a fun age. She understands the concepts of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus (although I make sure she knows the real reason behind the celebrating). All weekend she was so excited to have the Easter Bunny come and hide some eggs for her to find. Sunday morning she came running into our room ready to go hunting. Unfortunately I was already in the shower and she had to wait - which was very hard for her to do. Jeff had to keep pulling her away from the stairs. But we finally made it down to check out her basket - and she was equally excited for the movie as she was to have the treats. She quickly found all the eggs that were hidden and thought it was hilarious that one of them was between the couch cushions.
I, of course, did the traditional Easter dress - and Emily couldn't wait to wear it. She was thrilled to wear her pink Easter dress and "ballerina shoes" (she's such a girl). Fortunately she was also patient enough that morning to let me curl her hair. I love it curled. I wish I had the time and we both had the patience to do it every day.

We spent Sunday evening with my family up at my sister's house. After a delicious dinner my mom and sisters and I hid 80 eggs outside. They were of course filled with the usual candy, treats and some coins. But this year we also included a few dollar bills in them and there was one "golden egg" that had a $10 bill in it. Of course my brothers and Sam really really wanted that one. After everyone had collected their eggs we all sat down to open them. Emily got $3.50, Jackson had almost $7 and Sara had a few ones, plus the "golden egg." I think Chris, Matthew and Sam may have had two dollars between the three of them.

After the Easter egg hunt the kids all sat down on the steps. Of course at the time it seemed like a great photo opp. I had 5 people standing behind me trying to get the kids to all sit still, look at the camera, and smile all at the same time. Didn't happen. And my mom wonders why we haven't attempted to do cousin pictures.The kids ended the night jumping on the tramp. Lisa volunteered to join them when they wanted to be bounced. Of course they all loved flying up into the air.

Cameron Brady

While we were off enjoying a night out and seeing Wicked, my brother and his wife were at the hospital. Shortly after dinner we got the call that Cameron had entered the world. He was 6 lbs 11 oz and 19 1/2 inches - not bad for being 16 days early. We stopped by the hospital the next morning so Emily could meet her new cousin. She of course loves him - as she does all babies. We were also able to stop by and see him again on Sunday. I can't believe how tiny he his. It's amazing how small they start out and how quickly they grow.

Congratulations Nick & Stacy!

Happy Birthday To Me

The celebrations started Friday when we went to Red Robin with my parents. I don't know who likes the restaurant more - Emily or Jeff. I'm probably a close runner up. We had a free birthday dinner coupon and then I was surprised when they brought out dessert for me too. Not very many restaurants do that any more.
My actual birthday was on Sunday. Jeff entertained Emily so I could enjoy a very nice morning session of conference. Then we went to Jeff's parents house for lunch with the Holbrooks. Jeff's brother Brad flew in from Virginia to wish me Happy Birthday (well... and attend a good friend's funeral). It was nice to visit with Brad for a bit and Emily sure loved playing with him. Thanks again, Dave & Arline, for the cheesecake and singing!

Emily playing with Gpa's binoculars

That night we had dinner at my parents house while Jeff attended a viewing. My family sang to me and then we had the cupcakes that Jeff and Emily had made that morning.

Hanging out with Gpa

The real birthday celebrations were yesterday. Jeff and I went to go see Wicked with my parents and my sister and her husband. It was amazing!! I am so glad we were able to get tickets. The music was awesome and the whole play was very humorous and entertaining. It even kept Jeff awake and mostly interested (and that's hard to do - especially with a musical). Thanks again for getting us the tickets Dave!

After Wicked we had a delicious dinner at Olive Garden (definitely try the Tuscan Garlic Chicken). Jeff had also surprised me earlier with a night's stay at the Hilton so after spending the rest of the evening walking around downtown and getting ice cream we headed back to our room. It was nice to be able to watch a movie as loud as we wanted and then to be able to sleep in in the morning. Thanks Dave & Arline for watching Emily for us. And thank you to all of you that called or in any other way sent me birthday wishes.

Sunny Day

Tuesday was beautiful weather. When we were getting dressed in the morning I told Emily she was going to wear her summer clothes. After a silent, thoughtful moment, she turned to me and said, "I'm three?" (She is very aware of when her birthday is and that it is during the summer - I can't believe her comprehension sometimes!).

Because it was such an amazing day we had a picnic at the park with some friends from the ward. Emily loved running around the playground and swinging as usual. After a little while an impromptu Hide-and-Seek game formed. Emily, Jaidyn, and Hannah took turns looking for each other behind all the trees. It was fun to see them run around and be so excited about it. They are all cute kids.

Let Me Out!

My lack of posting this time around has not been due to our busyness - but rather the lack of something to post about. Last weekend I started to feel a little off and decided to take it easy this week to prevent my illness from flaring up and getting any worse. Therefore Emily and I were "homebound" for several days. On Thursday we were both sooo ready for a change. So I packed up the stroller and we headed to the park. Even though there was a storm blowing in and it wasn't ideal temperatures, it was nice to go for a walk and then chase each other around the playground. I don't know who enjoyed it more - me or Emily.