Backyard Fun

Emily and I have spent the last week outdoors and with family. There have been several get togethers with the cousins and as usual a big chunk of the time was spent on a trampoline. We're all glad Aunt Lisa is done with school for the semester and has more time to play with us.

On Memorial Day we had a yummy BBQ with my family. We spent the majority of the night outside - jumping on the trampoline, and playing bocce and badminton. (Of course Sara & Emily spent a small portion of the night in the living room making houses with the cushions - one of their favorite things to do at Gma's).

Emily was having just as much fun as the others till she noticed her bow was missing ... so please ignore my daughter's whining.

Parenting 101

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law made a post on her blog about her kids getting into the fridge and eating a whole pie while she was in the other room nursing the baby. Stacy's first inclination, as it would be for any mother, was to get mad. But every once in a while your kid (or kids) does something where in a blink of an eye you suddenly find yourself laughing and reaching for the camera instead of yelling.

Exhibit A:
We have had our fair share of time outs at our house. Emily repeatedly makes messes or gets into things she's not supposed to the second I turn my back or step into another room. She is after all two. Like when she ate a whole tube of her toothpaste and had me completely befuddled as to why she had such stinky gas one day. Or our personal favorite, when she found a 1/2 a Hershey's bar in the kitchen drawer and I discovered her and our fridge covered in chocolate. In some instances like these I have found myself pointing to the infamous corner by the stairs while at the same time having the thought scamper across my mind, "where's the camera?"

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Exhibit D:

And Exhibit E:

My father-in-law recently sent me a link to a story in the Deseret News. In it mom Erin Stewart wrote: "I found my daughter today standing on the tip of her toes on the handlebars of a bike so she could wash her hands in the sink. I did what any loving mom would do at this moment. I said, "Honey, stay right there while mommy gets a camera."

So whether it's a mess or a safety issue, why do we as parents sometimes turn to the camera first or burst out laughing? Maybe it's a defense mechanism. An attempt to make the best out of the situation. Maybe the scene before you reminds you a little too much of your own childhood. Maybe we just aren't fit to be parents. Maybe. But I'd like to think that at least something's sinking in when after such an incident I have found my daughter doing this:

So the next time I find Emily standing on a pile of pillows on our piano bench trying to reach the remote so she can watch Tigger and Pooh, I'm just going to go with Erin Stewart's reasoning: "Judge if you will, but it's a pretty hilarious picture."

Fun In The Sun

Picnic at the park on Monday:

Swimming on Tuesday:
Thanks for hanging out with us both times, mom!

Tis The Season...

Here are a couple of reasons why I've been ignoring my blog. 

And there will be plenty more "excuses" in the coming months.

Cousins, Cousins ... and more Cousins

Wow, I hadn't realized it'd been so long since I last posted. I don't know if the time lapse was from being too busy or from feeling like I don't have much blog-worthy material. But when I noticed the date of my last post I thought that it was time for a new one. No matter how boring our lives may have been the past two weeks.

We have been spending a lot of time outdoors (and apparently from all my pictures a better way to phrase that would be on the trampoline) and playing with cousins.

(Can you tell who the ring leader is in this group?)

I spent two days last week at my sister's house watching her two little girls while she was working/organizing. Again, a lot of time was spent outside. (Thank heavens for the warm weather).

And finally, in the past two weeks we have welcomed two new arrivals into the Holbrook Clan.

On Sunday April 26th Jeff's brother, Brad and his wife, Heather, had their 2nd baby girl. Then on Wednesday April 29th Jeff's other brother, Stan and his wife, Melanie, had their little girl. (Yes, that now makes 4 granddaughters on the Holbrook side). Congratulations you guys! We wish we lived closer and could have come and visited you and welcomed your cute girls or at least brought you some dinner!

Maggie Ruth Holbrook

(and big sister Ella) 7 lbs 2 oz, 19.5 inches

Heidi Holbrook

8 lbs, 20.5 inches

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.