Chris and Ashton + 1

Sock Monkey Says a Prayer

2012-02-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

Emma's really starting to hit her toddler-stride lately.

The chair thing.
Then the neck thing.

The jumping up and down on the dishwasher door.
Tantrums are beginning.

The only word she can use correctly is "NO!"

You get the picture.
We're there. Terrible Two's have begun.

Tonight we were trying to put her to bed. And of course, she's hiding in/behind/under her tent (thanks again for that, Mom and Dad)-- which actually kind of makes it hard to get to her (at least when you're working with an adult sized body).

We kept saying, "Emma, prayer time! Emma, prayer!"
Which is one of the few things we know she totally understands.
She knows that means it's time to kneel down, fold your arms, and say words.

But tonight she won't.
Which is just par for the course, these days.

After much coaxing, she eventually folds her arms, sitting where she is with her tent and her toys.

As always, Chris and I are both peeking at her all through prayer.
Towards the end, she looks at her sock monkey jack-in-the-box and furrows her brow.

And then---

she folds the sock monkey's arms.

In prayer.

I kid you not.

Chris and I almost couldn't even finish the prayer. We couldn't even decide whether to laugh or cry, it was so cute. Seriously cute. Cute, cute, cute. Cutest thing ever. EVER.

Terrible Two's aren't so bad, I guess.

Family Photos

2012-02-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

BYU vs. VA Tech

2012-02-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

We were able to go to the BYU vs. VA Tech game a couple of weeks ago. Chris had been DYING to go, so we were pretty excited when a friend in the ward offered us some of his extra tickets.

(sorry for the horrendous phone pictures)

(nail biter, but we won! 70-68)

Pink Tuille

2012-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

I found these in my December pictures-- sorry that I'm late to post!

I bought something like 8 yards of pink tuille to use in Emma's room. Of course, I haven't done ANYTHING with it yet. So it's just stuffed in my fabric basket, and Emma pulls it out every once in a while to run around with :)

She likes to wrap herself in it. Kind of reminds me of George from Seinfeld who wants to "drape himself in velvet if it were socially acceptable." I think that's how Emma feels about Pink tuille.

Oh, and she likes to drape Daddy in the pink tuille too.

Consequences

2012-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

It seems only fitting that this post should follow this post.

Emma and the kitchen chair came tumbling down on Thursday night, and we spent all day on Friday in the hospital.

Emma went to bed on Thursday and woke up on Friday with a lot of neck pain. And so our Friday morning began with a visit to the the pediatricians' where Emma threw up her pain medication and donned a hospital gown for the rest of the day...

(we had to revert back to the infant car seat so she could rest her head...)

And then on to the hospital, where we took LOTS of miserable X-Rays, put on a neck brace, and got a CT Scan (with a nap in the waiting room somewhere in between):

(getting a little speed Bible study in...)

(this one looks scary, I know-- like she's dead or something-- but she just finally conked out around 4:00pm and stayed asleep through her entire CT Scan!!!)

We have fantastic friends who brought us clothes and food and a good cheering up :)
(We also have friends who spent the day in the hospital with us getting an appendix removed-- aw, sympathy pains! Thanks, P ;)

In the end, they told us that her spine isn't centered correctly.

And they don't know if that's the actual injury or if it's a strained muscle. They can't tell because her spine would look the way it does if it had been "knocked out" of alignment or if she's simply favoring a strained muscle by bending her neck (they could only get her so straight during the X-rays, as you can imagine)... I don't know if that really makes sense (all the terminology is a little fuzzy in my head). Either way, treatment's the same: a neck brace.

Emma's doing fine. As soon as we put that neck brace on, she was back to normal ready to run.

All we have to do is make sure she wears the brace all week (ha!) and takes lots of tylenol!

Wish us luck...

Emma's New Trick

2012-01-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

Pulling out the chairs and climbing up (and on) to the table...

Apparently it provides the optimal view of the TV while still allowing her to participate in whatever is happening in the kitchen :)

(This is a different picture from the top-- I swear. She's just still posing for the camera!)

Our Day in Washington DC

2012-01-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

What a day we had yesterday!

We left at 6:30am for Washington D.C. to attend my cousin's wedding and to spend the day!

Shannon and Mike:

After the sealing, we spent a few hours sight-seeing in D.C.

First, the Smithsonian:

{Michelle Obama's inauguration dress-- it's breathtaking! Addy and I loved the First Ladies' exhibit. They have ball gowns, inauguration dresses, and china sets all on display!}

Then on to Georgetown Cupcakes!!!

{This is part of the line we waited in-- there was even a "bouncer" type guy guarding the door!}

"The Caleb"

{Key Lime, Vanilla2, Red Velvet, Salted Caramel}

Then back to the reception...

{Meredith caught the bouquet on a fumble ;)}

Eat, drink, sleep, blog. Repeat.

2012-01-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

I decided that I don't blog enough.

There just simply isn't enough blogging in my life.

Last week, I opened a Blog Design Etsy Shop.

It's taken over my life.

I guess what I'm saying is: bear with me as I try and balance my extreme involvement with blogging.
I may miss blogging a day or two of Emma's life along the way.

And we're all just going to have to find a way to deal with that (Mom).

Thank you for your understanding.

Happy Birthday, Caleb!!

2012-01-15T17:04:00.001-08:00

This year, I'm going to try something different with the birthday blog posts. I'm going to post my (or Chris's) favorite memory of the birthday guy or gal with their picture :)

So, here's birthday #1 this year: Caleb.

My favorite memory of Caleb... Probably my 16th birthday. We were at the beach. He found an old board and glued sea shells to it, spelling out "ASH 16." But he gave it to me while the glue was still wet and all the shells kept sliding.

But he was so proud of it. And it was so sweet.

...at least my parents kept telling me it was.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2012-01-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

I have selective Asthma.

I swear it's true.

They called it "exercise induced asthma" (ha!) when I was diagnosed. But, really, it just shows up whenever it feels like it-- when I have a cold, during allergy season, in the winter time, in the summer time, when I eat cilantro (seriously)... Like I said, selective Asthma.

And I'm maternally-diagnosing Emma with the same thing. She's had this horrible cough since a couple of weeks before Christmas, but it's only at night. And it's really so bad. I'm not exaggerating at all. She'd cough so hard it would make her throw up!

We went to the doctor, and he gave us a cough syrup. Didn't work.

Went back the second time and he gave us albuterol and an inhaler. Ah-ha!

He says "they're not saying she has asthma." But I'd bet my bottom dollar that she does!

We've been trying to make the inhaler seem fun (like cheering for her when she holds it), so that we don't have to pin her down, screaming and crying, every night. So far, it's worked!

And tell me this isn't kind of adorable...

'Cause I think it is :)

Toddlers in 3 Words or Less

2012-01-10T13:13:00.001-08:00

Squishy cheeks.
Squishy tummies.
Squishy bums.
Big, round heads.
Itty bitty toes.
Tickle chases.
Chocolate smears.
Grubby hands.
Giggles.
Hugs.
Hand holding.
Snot kisses.
Pigtails.
Pink Tu-tus.
Singing time.
Naps.
Dancing.
Blowing bubbles.
Cutting teeth.
Long lashes.
Daddy's princess.
Momma's girl.
Making friends.
Running laps.
Eating crayons.
Skinned knees.
Learning words.
More hugs.
More giggles.
More kisses.
More snot.
Lots of love.

A Picture Says a Thousand words...

2011-12-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

... so what do 1,000 pictures say?

We took some new "official" family pictures while everyone was in town--

as well as some "unoffcial" engagement pictures!

Caleb proposed to Courtney on December 15, the night before he flew to NC! She came and spent the week after Christmas with us and we had a great time introducing her to North Carolina

(and by "North Carolina," I do mean Bojangles).

{Don't judge me in this one-- serious head cold going on here.}

I took these:

We love you, Courtney!

Welcome to the Epps crew!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas is always a special time of year. This year was extra special for our family. We haven't all been together in 4 years, and it was a surreal feeling to not be missing anybody!

Christmas 2004 (the accident) taught us a swift and unforgettable lesson about the value of family togetherness. My mind wanders back to that year every Christmas, and I'm always overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude for my family. I'm grateful that we're together here on earth, but even more grateful that we can literally be together forever.

I was an awful photographer this Christmas, but here's what I got:

{Cookies and milk for Santa. Thanks to Addy and me.}

{Santa came!}

{Emma's favorite gift. Oh, I mean the sucker-- not the puppet theater.}

{Two suckers in hand...}

{Addy's Pinterest venture: chocolate rimmed glasses.}

{Caleb hard at work in the kitchen...}

{still holding the suckers}

Trim Up the Tree & Epps Christmas Party

2011-12-20T13:40:00.000-08:00

Once Keaton got home-- the real Christmas festivities began! Mom, dad, and fam had waited until we could all be together to decorate the tree this year. So that's the first thing we did:|

Caleb's signature thumbs up shot (family joke):

High school friends Jake and Eric made an appearance:

Coop's artwork:

Chris broke an ornament (but apparently I'm the only one who cares about Mrs. Claus):

{Elf on the Shelf}

And then we moved on to the Epps family Christmas party:

{The soon-to-be Mrs. Shannon and I hard at work in the Kitchen... well. She's working. Me? Not so much.}

{Grandpa and Dixie reading the Christmas Story}

{Most of the fam}

{All of the girls. Together for the first time in FOREVER!}

Airport Pictures from Keat's Homecoming

2011-12-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

{Waiting in anticipation}

{Already eye-ing Dad's iPhone}

{Trying to figure out how to hold this wiggly thing!}

{Back together after 4 years apart}

{Doing pretty well for 1am}

{Everyone!}

He made it home!

2011-12-17T12:32:00.001-08:00

Welcome Home, Elder Epps!

2011-12-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't been able to do this with Caleb, Jake, or Courtney-- but thanks to Sister Bunker's excellent blogging and Keaton's time doing FB missionary work (for reals.), I actually have enough photos to show you some shots from his mission!

I'll put them in as chronological order as I can figure out, but, really, I have no idea for most of these...

{Arriving in California}

{First Day!}

{We call this pose: "The Caleb"}

{He's come full circle here: picking up the new missionaries}

Welcome Home, Keat!

We love you so much and are so glad to have you home!

Popcorn on the Tree

2011-12-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Emma and I did a little extra tree decorating today!

Well... I decorated. She mostly ate:

I Steal From My Neighbor...

2011-12-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

...pictures, that is. From her blog!

I'm lucky enough to have a super creative neighbor who thinks of all sorts of free activities to do as a family/couple, invites us, takes pictures of the activities, and then posts them on her blog for me to promptly steal and re-post on mine :) Thanks Mack!

Our most recent adventure: Caroling sans Chris...

SVU Finals Week:

2011-12-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

Pigtails

2011-12-11T19:12:00.001-08:00

Today's the day! We finally did Emma's hair. And it lasted all through church.

Well, kind of. With the help of a very brave Nursery leader :)

My dad...

2011-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

...totally did not ask me to blog about this. Nuh-uh. No way. Not my Dad.

He really doesn't like the attention. He's a modest, humble guy.

But I said "No! I must show the world what amazing things you can do!"

And he said, "Oh, no Ashton. Please, don't. I'd rather my acts of kindness go unpublished and not be displayed to all of your friends and our family."

And then I quoted him that line, how does it go? "For many a flower is born to blush unseen..." And I absolutely insisted on writing this blog post about his blossoming pallet artistry as to ensure that he, as a flower, would not blush unseen.

But it must absolutely be understood that my dad did not ask me to write this blog post.

Not in a million years. *wink*

Ok. All joking aside-- he really did do an awesome job creating some much needed shelving for us in our apartment. And just with pallets, some variety of power tools (which I'm not at all familiar with), and his own, calloused, hard working, two hands. Wanna see?

(we call this "helping" in our family...)

Pretty awesome, huh?

This is how Pinterest works:

2011-12-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

Life After Jimmer... featuring Chris.

2011-12-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

We always like to document those rare moments that Chris's BYU fanaticism makes it to the press.

Ok. So that's only happened 2 other times. And one of them was really more of an "almost."

Still.

Check out this KSL article, Life After Jimmer, and see who else's back made it into the photo:

That's our boy! Representing the Jimmer love :)

How Sweet It Is

2011-11-29T18:49:00.000-08:00

...life, that is. Life is sweet :)

I know I haven't been posting many words lately. All just picture of Emma! Which I do, primarily, for all of the grandmothers involved in this here blog.

But today I've got some words to post! Just a brief update on our life and why we're so happy about it :)

Keaton will be HOME from his 2 year mission in 3 weeks!!!!! We'll all be together as a family for the first time in at least 4 years-- I'm pretty much ecstatic!
Caleb will also be coming home for Christmas. And bringing with him one Courtney S. ♥
Emma is officially in Nursery. I don't think we really need more explanation there :)
Our apartment is all decorated for Christmas (pictures to come) complete with a burning fire (thanks iPad) and an amazingly authentic smelling Christmas Tree scent (thanks Tammy).
We have lots of friends and family all over the country who are having babies, getting married, getting engaged, thinking about getting engaged, buying cars, getting grown-up jobs, graduating, going on missions, coming home from missions, having birthdays (that I am consistently forgetting-- Ashley), buying homes, and all sorts of other happy things that we love hearing about!
Technology is AMAZING and we get to see Chris's family at least a few times every month via facetime.
We now live 3 1/2 hours away from my family which feels like a 7-year dream come true!
My blog is doing really well, and I get a lot of pride and satisfaction from working on it and seeing it grow and become more recognized.
Chris got a 96 on his last Chemistry test (BIG DEAL!)
And last, but not least, it's that magical time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when everything just seems to be right in the world :) Happy In-Between-Holidays everyone!!

Welcome Home, Hermana Smith!

2011-11-23T14:17:00.001-08:00

Cauliflower Pizza

2011-11-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

I made Pizza with a cauliflower crust-- trying to eat more veggies, you know?

It was pretty good. I mean, it's not pizza crust, but good enough that I'm writing a blog post about it and sharing the recipe :) If you're trying to eat healthier, this is worth a try! And it's really not difficult at all.

Proof that it's edible:

CLICK HERE for the recipe.

Pie Party

2011-11-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

We have such fun friends here in BV! One of my favorite BV ladies, Caitlin, hosted a Pie Party to kick off the holiday [eating] season-- someone clearly knows the way to my heart...

I forgot my camera and had to steal pics from friends.

And that's why I don't have a picture of Emma dunking her head in my piece of pie. Or one of her brushing a pie with Leo's baby brush (you know, the kind with the soft bristles-- one that would be impossible to clean pie out of).

Oh, how I love toddlers. ...and pie :)

When your toddler loads the dishwasher...

2011-11-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

We went through that dishwasher phase. The one where she pulls everything out of the dishwasher and then I put it all back in again, over, and over, and over. We did that.

That's not the problem anymore. Oh, no. We're not worried about what comes out anymore-- now it's all about what she's putting IN the dishwasher...

Emma's First Craft

2011-11-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Emma and I were feeling crafty last week.

So we smushed some leaves in between contact paper and hung it up on her wall

I was so proud of her, I almost hung it on the front door. :)

Boxerwood Gardens

2011-11-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

I FINALLY took Emma to Boxerwood Gardens last week. I've been hearing all about how great it is since the first week we moved in. But apparently it's really tucked away and you almost always need a guide to get you there. That part is true and so were the rumors of its awesomeness.

I wish I had pictures from our first trip-- but I'm sure I wouldn't be able to accurately capture the moment, so maybe it's better that I don't. EMMA. WAS. WILD. This place unleashed a toddler I have never seen before! She was literally yelling and beating on her bare chest like a little savage child. Why a bare chest? I had to partly undress her as she kept barreling into streams and buckets full of water. I had to have SOMETHING dry to put on her when we went home!

She was a total mess and so much fun. She climbed through tunnels, ate dirt, and ran around completely uninhibited and free :)

Here are some pictures from the second time we went (with Daddy this time).

(excuse my scraggly, mismatched child-- I had to dress her in pants and shoes that could get wet and try to keep her warm up top at the same time)

We let Emma paint the tub...

2011-11-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

"Edible" Finger Paint: equal parts flour and water + 2 tbsp of salt for every cup of flour and water.

Meal Time

2011-11-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Look at the awesome things my brother can do...

2011-11-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

Artwork by Cooper Epps. Collage created by Mike M.

I love this.

A local (NC) blogger interviewed Coop and put this collage together for his post about Cooper.

Check it out here:
http://journeytotheeclectic.tumblr.com/post/12501543196/i-first-caught-up-with-local-phenom-cooper-epps

Blue Ridge Parkway

2011-11-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

Church (and Sunday in general-- thanks to no nap time) has become particularly impossible to get through recently (2 weeks until Nursery!!), and last week we left during 3rd hour to take a drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It was completely beautiful and thoroughly diffused our Sunday family tension. :)

Happy Birthday, Keaton!

2011-11-03T19:52:00.001-07:00

Attention All Bloggers:

2011-11-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

Something Swanky is hosting a pretty neat giveaway this weekend-- I've got 12 Etsy Shop Owners/Blog Designers lined up to giveaway FREE blog designs. Some of them are giving away CUSTOM header/background combinations, but most of them are giving away CUSTOM (and a few pre-made) FULL BLOG DESIGNS. Some of these blog designers charge over $100 to work on a blog-- so this is a pretty cool deal!

So if you'd like a new blog design-- especially if you're trying to start a blog "business" and earn a little extra ad revenue, but even if it's just your personal blog-- you want to enter this giveaway!

It's mostly favorite-ing people's Etsy shops, liking them on facebook, or following their blogs and leaving me a comment telling me you did. Easy!

Hope to see you there :)

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Wow-- can you believe I'm averaging one post a week on here now?? Who'd have ever thought...

Sorry that Something Swanky is kind of taking over my blogging life at the moment-- hoping for a calm down in a few months!

We had so much fun this Halloween! Emma was pretty hysterical, and we got some great pictures-- I'm so excited to share!!

Friday night was Trunk or Treat with the ward:

Sarah and I were super awesome and made up 2/5 of the adults who dressed up...

Soooooooooooooooooooooo cute. She's pregnant-- and a basketball hoop :)

Loved this-- just jumped right in with the crowd.

You need some explanation of what happened next to really enjoy these next two pictures: Emma was thoroughly glutting herself on all of the candy I was allowing her to eat (with a definite dum-dums preference).

At one point (this point) she had a lollipop stuck under her ear, under one arm, one in each hand, and one in her mouth (all at the same time!!!)-- and then she decides that she needs even more candy and tries to just drink it right out of the bucket.

Imagine Winnie the Pooh drinking honey from the pot-- you know how he falls backwards with his legs in the air while he licks up every last bit of honey? That's how Emma looked. These pictures totally don't do that moment justice, but they're all I've got:

Flash forward two days, and we're at it again! Trick or Treating for real this time. We went up and down the streets of downtown Lexington and BV where shop owners were handing out candy, and we even hit a few houses too! Emma was a pro by the last house :)

Resting up for the big night...

Fun peeps from our ward

Crashing hard from the sugar high...

Counting her loot at home.

Cute things she did tonight:

Maintained an impressively firm grip on her candy bucket. Was not willing to share.
Kept trying to go back to the porch we just visited.
Mastered the "Trick or Treat" concept by the last house. That lucky house was greeted with a very demanding "aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrghhhhhhhh" and two chubby, sticky hands firmly grasping an equally sticky bucket held out for more candy.
Sat down in the middle of the sidewalk to check out her goodies.
Tried to "trick or treat" our own door when we got home.
Looked like an elephant :)

A weekend of Firsts!

2011-10-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a big one for us! Lots of first times: the first time I've left Emma overnight (!!), the first time Mom, Addy, and I have had a girls weekend, the first time I've been to Time Out For Women, and the first time Chris and Emma have ever been to Richmond (and maybe the first for me too-- I can't really remember?)!

It was all lots and lots of fun, and I did remember to snap a few pics:

Jericho Road performed. Addy swooned.

After TOFW, Chris, Emma, and I stayed behind to explore Richmond a little bit...

We got to hit a Triple D restaurant, which is always fun! As a disclaimer, please note that Chris took these pictures:

Happy Birthday, Jake!

2011-10-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

Did you know Emma can play the Piano?

2011-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Random Pics of October

2011-10-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've been something of a sporadic photographer this month (if you couldn't tell by my blogging track record in the past few weeks...). But I finally uploaded the ones that I HAVE taken into Picasa, and I've got the whole modge-podge here for your viewing pleasure:


A sample of Cooper's awesome spray paint artwork. That top one is of Emma :)

Emma's learned how to kiss baby dolls and does it frequently. I took her into Nursery yesterday, and the first thing she did was pick up a baby doll to give it a kiss and feed it a bottle! A little nurturer in the making...

Excuse the towel head. Chris thought this was a cute picture-- Emma and I enjoying our breakfast smoothies together and a morning showing of Rio.

We're in the middle of transitioning Emma's room from a "baby's room" to a "little girl's room." It might be a while before it's all done, but I can at least show you the things we've done so far. It's supposed to be a "Sweets Shop" theme:

We painted the table bubble gum pink :)

I need to make a felt cake and cupcakes to go up there...

Emma and I played with a big bowl of grain one day... I don't really know why I did it. I guess we were just that bored.

Stylin' new outfit.

Complete with shoes!

Complacent Night Owl

2011-10-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

Emma's done a lot of growing and changing these past few months (Well, obviously-- as a 16 month old, that's basically her only job: Grow. Change. Repeat.). And something that's been particularly strange, to me, has been her sleeping habits.

She was a consistently routine little sleeper FOREVER. Pretty much from the hospital onward, she slept 12 hours a night (with a feeding or two, of course, in the beginning)-- no more, no less. By 4-ish months, we were doing 7am - 7pm every single night, no problem. Teething kicked in and upset things for a little bit, but still, unless she was experiencing some extreme pain, it was 7pm - 7am. If we got her to bed a little late, she was still up at 7am, like clockwork.

But sometime in the past month or so, something's changed, I just can't figure out what it is. I put her to bed at 7pm, just like always. But she isn't falling asleep until 8pm, sometimes even 9pm! She doesn't cry or whine (most nights), but we can hear her playing in her crib. Sometimes we'll sneak a peak and she's just laying there, twiddling her thumbs or playing peek-a-boo alone. If she sees us, she'll freak out. But as long as she doesn't know we're watching, she's been content to just lay in her crib for hours at night, waiting, I guess, for sleep to come. She's sleeping in now, so I'm not complaing!

Just saying... it's kind of weird, isn't it? Does anybody's else's baby do this?

Oktoberfest 2011: Buena Vista, VA

2011-10-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

One of our neighbors is German, and he and his wife put together an Oktoberfest celebration this year! We ate sausage and pretzels, and drank root beer our of glass bottles-- just how Chris likes it (and Emma too, apparently)! We got all dressed up for the occasion and had so much fun!

This is a spinning game. It makes you really, really, dizzy.

Fortunately, no one took a picture of ME when I fell flat on my face (almost taking someone with me!), so I'm showing you this picture instead-- just to illustrate the dangers of said spinning game :)

Emma celebrating Oktober fest (it's rootbeer... and it's empty!)

Something Swanky, Jr.

2011-10-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

These aren't the greatest pictures, but I wanted to show you Emma's most recently acquired skill: making cupcakes! She can whip up a batch with a spatula and her mixing bowl, dip the spatula in the frosting, and then frost the cupcakes. She usually hands them to me to eat... which is fine with me :)

good news in Provo...

2011-10-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

And no, I'm not talking about the spectacular, nail biting win against Utah State last night-- although that was some pretty good news. (Go Cougs!)

The Provo Tabernacle was built in 1898 and has been an iconic historical building in the town. I attended lots of church meetings and some community events there during my seven years in Provo. It was a beautiful building and very special to me. It was special to most members of the Provo community. And I don't think it's because, as BYU students, everyone attends Stake Conference there twice a year. Or because of the annual Christmas program. Or even because of all it's historical significance to the Church.

BYU Graduation 1938

Those things were important, and definitely connect us to the building in a somewhat tangible way. But there's something more than that to the significance of the Provo Tabernacle. It has to do with driving by it a million times every week. And that every time you did, you couldn't help but take a moment to smile at it-- just for still being there. And for still being so beautiful despite years and years of constant use.

It lent something unchanging, stable, and constant to a bustling university town. And for some reason, that made it important and comforting to me.

I'm not sure that I had ever really given much thought to all of that until it nearly burnt to the ground last December. It was horrible, gut-wrenching news. Chris called me while he was at work. I was crying before I had even confirmed it on KSL. And I know that must sound silly, to cry over the Tabernacle when I was just a temporary resident. But still, it had meant something to me, and it hurt to see it destroyed.

This morning, in General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson announced the restoration of the Provo Tabernacle. And not only it's rebuilding-- but also the plans to restore it as the second Provo Temple! Chris and I have been talking about it all day!! I hate that we can't be there to see it all happen and attend the dedication, but it's still heart warming to know that it's happening.

And I guess that's all. I just wanted to tell the world :)

My brother, Caleb: the TV Star

2011-09-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, Chris and I were watching the BYU game when what to our wondering eyes should appear...

We won't BLEED blue... but we'll eat it!

2011-09-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last week was BYU week on Something Swanky. In "support" of the BYU football team, I made football-themed or blue desserts. Addison was lucky enough to be in town for the BLUE white chocolate popcorn and BLUE white chocolate hot chocolate :) (How lucky am I that Addy's BFF lives in BV too?)

I let Addison have the pretty cup...

Our Awesome Desktop Collage

2011-09-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is how you watch Tangled:

2011-09-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been terribly consistent posting on here lately.

Sorry about that.

I have three blogs to keep up with now (THREE!), and I'm afraid I've been putting this one on the back burner.

You already know about my Something Swanky blog (I hope), but I also started a blog for my Relief Society. You can check it out here if you want, but it's sort of uneventful-- just RS activities and announcements and stuff. Still, if you want to see what I've been up to... it's there :)

Anyway, the point that I'm getting to is that I have a few more Emma pics to post! They're nothing super out of the ordinary, just a quick peek into Emma's movie-watching time... with Rapunzel by her side, of course:

Feeding Daddy

2011-09-20T09:29:00.001-07:00

{Emma attempting to snap her fingers}

Pretty Mommy

2011-09-16T04:11:00.000-07:00

Emma likes to play dress up already. She likes to put on necklaces and rings (which, thanks to my mom, she puts on her toes) and glittery shoes and even a tiara. Most of the time I get included in dressing up. In fact, it's really preferable that Mommy end up wearing everything.

It's pretty daily occurrence, and I really don't think too much of it. But I couldn't help but laugh when, after Emma had been in bed for over an hour, I walked by a mirror and happened to get a glance of this still atop my head:

So, you see? Even Mommies are pretty, pretty, princesses...

Do you live in Utah or Texas?

2011-09-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

Image Source

Just wanted to let ya'll know I'm hosting a giveaway on Something Swanky this weekend. Lovin' Scoopful Light Ice Cream is sponsoring it, but only for Utah and Texas residents.

I don't even have a place to buy this ice cream here in VA so I REALLY have to give these gift certificates away this weekend-- so please come enter the giveaway! It's just leaving comments, nothing hard to do. You don't even have to have a blog :)

AND, this stuff is SERIOUSLY my favorite ice cream. One of the first things I noticed when we moved was that I can't buy it here and I was really, really bummed.

Come get some free ice cream :)

We like pretty shoes.

2011-09-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Best we can tell, we've got a little diva on our hands.

And this diva LOVES. HER. SHOES.

She goes for the shoe basket first thing after she wakes up and wears them all day long.

Of course, you would too if your shoes were awesome like these are:

Featured on Rate the Plate Utah

2011-09-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

I've made blogger friends with a fellow former Coug who runs a foodie blog called Rate the Plate Utah, and she did a feature post on me today!

If you want to check it out, just click HERE.

Reason #Gazillion: Why I Love Using Mason Jars as Drinking Glasses

2011-09-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

When we got married, we registered for these super cute Iced Tea glasses.

And less than two years later, every last one of them were broken. And not just because we're both super clumsy. The tiniest jolt shattered them. It was so irritating.

And, being the poor college student couple that we were (are), we couldn't afford to buy new glasses. But I found 12 mason jars at a yard sale-- .25 cents for the whole box! So I snatched them up and we've been using them as drinking glasses ever since. They're CHEAP (pennies at any DI, Goodwill, or yardsale) adorable, durable, and versatile.

Mason jars are AWESOME. And this is just one more reason why I love using them: You can screw the bottom part of your blender onto the jar! Which makes it easier to make individual smoothies multiple times a day (which we do)!

{That, by the way, is one parenting tip I feel qualified to offer: if you have a picky-eater-baby, chances are they'll still like smoothies. And you can sneak just about anything into a smoothie as long as it's got a frozen banana in it-- spinach, milk, multi-vitamin, and all sorts of fruit/veggies! Emma has at least 3 smoothies every day :) It's the only way to get her to eat a full meal's worth of anything!}

The point is: buy some Mason jars. You'll be glad you did :)

This is why I'm having children: so they can do the dishes.

2011-09-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Emma's Crazy Laugh

2011-09-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

I like to say Thank You with M&M's

2011-09-02T08:07:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to all of you! I didn't quite reach my goal of 500 Something Swanky followers, but I'm up to about 370 and that's still HUGE! I've loved seeing all of your little profile pictures popping up in my followers section-- it gives me warm fuzzies inside! And so I'm thanking you in the best way I know how.... with a picture of M&Ms I shaped into a heart.

It's too much, I know. What can I say? I went over the top to say thank you here ;)

Seriously, though. Your support is very much felt and appreciated. So, thanks.

And, on that note--- I'm hosting another giveaway right now on Something Swanky that some of ya'll might be interested in-- it's a canvas print giveaway (and canvas prints are AWESOME)!!! Visit Something Swanky for all the particulars on how to enter. It's easy-- mostly just leaving comments!

Thanks again! Hope to see you over at the giveaway this weekend!!

Another Video of Emma

2011-09-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

This video is a little sloppy (sorry!), but it's still a better shot of her walking than the last one I posted. Enjoy :)

Emma's Singing Debut

2011-09-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, here is the other video from the last post! Don't know why I had to put it in a new post, but it should work fine now!

Emma Videos

2011-08-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

Our little Emma has been walking for a few weeks now! She's still a little wobbly but getting the hang of it. Just in the past week she's started walking almost all of the time!

We're super excited about it. I think it's actually made our lives easier, her being able to walk. It's easier for her to play at the park, and outside in the "yard." She's not putting things from the ground into her mouth nearly as often :)

On the flipside, she's also discovered that she's now capable of opening the relief society room door and simply walking out of the meeting when she's bored.

Here's some footage:

Another skill Emma's (not-so-recently) acquired is singing. She LOVES to sing. She likes to sing her bedtime song with me while I rock her. She likes to sing the hymns at church. She likes to sing along with The Princess Frog. She even likes to sing at the dinner table:

If you're having problems viewing that second video, click here and see if that works. It's totally worth the extra click to see it :)

Also-- I would just like to apologize for my horrible sounding laugh. It's like the least feminine laugh in the world. Sorry.

***I'm still having problems with that second video. I'll check on it again tonight when I have Chris's iPad and a working copy/paste function. Sorry!***

If you can finish this quote...

2011-08-30T17:49:00.001-07:00

"Gal Pal, _______ ________."

...then you and I are probably soul mates.

Random, yes. I'm having one of those I-kind-of-wish-I-still-had-facebook-because-this-is-more-of-a-status-update-than-a-blog-post moments, so just roll with it.

How Emma Eats a Cupcake

2011-08-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

Emma Makes an Appearance on Something Swanky

2011-08-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.somethingswanky.com/2011/08/pb-turtle-kiss-surprise-cookies.html

We interrupt this blogging for an important announcement:

2011-08-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

We're fine.

For those of you who saw or read a news report something like this, don't worry about us. Our cell service is in and out so you might not be able to get in touch, but we're fine.

In fact, I thought it was just the upstairs neighbors jumping up and down :)

Down By the River

2011-08-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

We live near a little stretch of river called Ben Salem Wayside. We've only ventured down there once, but it's a pretty nifty summertime hangout. Obviously, there's a river. And several picnic tables and grills. No sandy beach, but we've seen the locals sunbathing in camping chairs while dipping their toes in the somewhat-murky water. And it kind of looked nice. Maybe we'll bring our chairs next time we go.

Please Don't Rob Us

2011-08-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today we left the house, and, about an hour later, we realized I had left the house key locked inside.

When we got home, Chris discovered that I hadn't even closed the door all the way, and it was still open. Locked, but open.

And then Chris accidentally pulled it shut. Awesome.

As a joke, we tried to use a credit card to open the ONE LOCK on our door.

In one try and 5 seconds it popped right open. Didn't even make a sound. Double awesome.

It's ok. Management is planning on replacing the locks "one of these days."

Don't worry about us. We'll be fine :)

Baby Proofing: not for the faint of heart.

2011-08-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

When we moved in, we took care to baby proof all the areas of the apartment in which we spent the most time as a family-- the kitchen, the bedrooms, the living room, the stairs on the porch... For some reason or another, we didn't do much in the bathroom. I guess we just figured, 'oh, we'll just keep the door closed when someone's not using it.'

Problem: Emma can't stand to be in a room alone. Ever. Which means when I'm doing my hair or putting on my makeup or cleaning the bathroom, she's right there with me. Now, she doesn't have to be right on my heels, just in the same room. Which means she's perfectly content to sit a couple of feet away and pull everything out of the cupboards (including copious amounts of individual Q-tips) and strew them about.

Solution: I baby proofed the bathroom while Chris was at work.

Complication #1: I put the screw driver through my thumb.

Complication #2: I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

So take heed baby proofers: let husbands handle the tools (unless you're handier than I-- not really an impressive feat) and proof everything before baby acclimates to enjoying the freedom of a non-proofed area!!

Chris was so sad when I texted him this picture (sorry for the hideous quality photo, my camera is with the Geek Squad), he asked me to remove the cupboard locks and just let her play in them. Ha!

More pictures coming soon, but cell phone drama for now.

2011-08-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have an old (but functioning) verizon (not from Alltel) cell phone they' be willing to sell/give/lend to me? Mine's wiggin' out (I think it's water damage-- yeesh) and it's making me crazy, and we're still a ways away from our next upgrade! Let me know :)

Thanks

Ash

Greetings from BV, VA

2011-08-16T09:14:00.001-07:00

Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

2011-08-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

Thinking of Jennifer Perillo today and all those Peanut Butter Pies for Mikey!

Don't be a hater....

2011-08-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

While I was home, it came to my attention that Mom and Addy don't look at my Something Swanky blog unless it's been weeks without a post on this blog. True story.

And then I thought, if my own mother and sister (...ahem) aren't looking at my Something Swanky blog, I bet nobody else is either. Which is fine. I mean, it does put all of you non-lookers on my haters list, but it's cool, no worries.

But whether you read it regularly or not, I DO want all of you to check it out this weekend for a couple of reasons:

#1 I'm hosting my very fist sponsored giveaway, and it's awesome, and I think you'd all enjoy winning one of the awesome gift bags up for grabs. (Maybe especially Megan, Katie, Shanna, Ashley, Becca, Sarah, Marie, and.... well, all of you!!!)

#2 It's a sponsored giveaway. Which means this particular Etsy shop owner (of Boba Jewels & Gifts) has provided some of her merchandise {free of charge} to me, trusting that I will provided her with the maximum number of views and traffic generation to her shop-- and that somehow giving me free stuff will ultimately be worth it because of all the exposure I'm giving her.

1. Sweet Treats Mini Recipe Notebook

2. Cupcake Butterfly Picks with coordinating Gift Card {6}

3. Sweet Treats Pop Tags with Pop Sticks {a baker's dozen}

4. "This is No Day for a Sliver" Greeting Cards {2}

5. 4 yards of Divine Twine {black licorice}

So even if you don't participate in the giveaway (which I strongly suggest doing-- you don't even have to be a blogger!), just viewing the page would be appreciated by the both of us! And if you do happen to be a social media user, here are some ways you can be involved this weekend:

Stumble today's Something Swanky post (there is a stumble button at the end of every post, and every time you click that button makes me VERY happy-- you don't even have to be a stumble user!) If you don't know what the stumble button looks like, here's a picture:

Visit Boba Jewels & Gifts Etsy Shop (just click that link) and add her shop to you favorites (if you have an Etsy account).
Tweet about my giveaway (include @somethingswanky in the tweet)
Update your facebook status to include a link to my giveaway and/or to Boba's Shop
And, if you're a blogger, you can always link up a dessert to my link party every Thursday {Caroline, Becca, and Megan, I'm mostly talking to you :)}. It's just fun and gives you some exposure!

Alright, I'm done begging for blog favors. If you've read this far, I'm impressed and grateful :) Mom, if you've read this far, I'm doubly impressed.

And if you're all getting sick of hearing about Something Swanky, just make it until about January. It's going to be my second (third, if Chris counts) baby until then-- when hopefully I can make a change in the amount of time and effort I'm putting into it :)

Love you all!

What's yours is mine, and what's mine is... mine.

2011-08-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

The Toddler's Creed

by: Dr. Burton L. White

If I see it,

it's mine.

If I want it,

it's mine.

If I give it to you and change my mind later,

it's mine.

If I can take it away from you,

it's mine.

If we are building something together,

all the pieces are mine.

If it looks just like mine,

it's mine.

And if it's mine, it will never belong to anyone else.

No matter what.

I was just thinking today how long it's been since I've had any jewelry (or anything else for that matter) all to myself, and this poem came to mind. It's been coming to mind a lot lately...

I promise we don't dress her in Nebraska paraphernalia everyday, but Chris has dressed her the past two days, and he's just discovered that this stuff fits her now. Here are a few more from today (she just looks so grown up to me today!):

VA Anniversary/Birthday Celebrating

2011-08-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

First of all, before I post about any Chris and Ashton stuff, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who follows and supports my Something Swanky blog. I'm working really hard to grow it enough that I can bring in a little money from it. And {I hate to say this so publicly in case it never happens, but...} I'm writing a recipe book that will hopefully be done at the end of the year, and any notoriety I can gain in the baking/blogging/publishing world will be a huge help-- which is why I'm asking for a little help. My goal is to jump from 150 followers of Something Swanky to 500 followers by the end of August. I'd really like to have in the 2,000-3,000 followers ballpark by the time I'm looking for a publisher in January. So if you're not already officially following me on blogger, please FOLLOW ME! And tell your friends to follow me too! Anyone who has a gmail account can be a follower, and all followers are appreciated :) I'm hoping to start having giveaways (sponsored by other awesome bloggers) very soon, so look forward to that! And again, thanks for all the support you already give me. It means the world :)

Alright, so back to blogging about our awesome life in the sticks we call Buena Vista:

We've finally wrapped up the gift-giving chaos that is June and July! Whew.
Honestly, it's a little too uneventful to really blog about, but when has that ever stopped me?

Emma and I drove home (from NC) on our Anniversary, just in time for a dinner date before Emma's bed time. Emma {apparently car sick from the awesome driving I was doing 'round the switchbacks} did some major throwing up just as we pulled into our parking lot, and thoroughly coated her car seat, the actual back seat of the car, the floor of the car, and of course the both of us. There was no way that car seat wasn't going in the wash right away, so the dinner date was out.

After Emma was in bed, we ate our Chinese take out and exchanged unwrapped presents while watching Seinfeld. It's such a good life :)

The big 2-5 was the next day... Ugh. I hate being 25. I'm in an entirely new age bracket. Forms usually divide ages by 18-24, 25-33, etc... And now I have to check that box. Goodbye to my early twenties. Now at best, I can say I'm mid-twenties. Yuck. Anyway, on to the pictures. That's all you really want anyway, right? :)

I think my favorite part of the day was buying Emma her first doll! I've been wanting to forever, but Chris wouldn't let me ($$$)! So with my birthday money, we officially adopted Rapunzel into the Swank family:

We started our juice fast on my birthday (I'm a lunatic, I know), so no cake for me! But Chris and Emma found this adorable flower arrangement-- so I still got to blow out a candle :)

Chris got me a lightscoop-- which is AMAZING for taking photos at night, or indoors, or in horrible lighting! (I'll show you in a second)

So this is what the lightscoop does:
One of these pictures was taken in the complete dark, the other has the light one. Can you tell which is which?

I honestly don't even know the answer, but isn't that cool? Now I don't have to wait until the next day to take pictures of my desserts! I can do it while Emma's in bed!! Very awesome :}

Lots of you contributed to my Happy Birthay through texts and emails, and thank you so much!! Mom and Tammy, Grandma Keaton and Dixie, the "little kids" + Caleb, Ashley, and Marie all get a very special thank you :) --Oh, and Keaton (he kind of remembered it-- which totally counts for him).

NC Birthday Love

2011-07-31T05:29:00.000-07:00

My parents were out of town last week, so I stayed with my siblings while they were gone. They threw me a birthday party the night before I left :) So sweet. I ate my annual steak at Texas Roadhouse and made an awesome-to-eat but impossible-to-cut ice cream cake. In case you missed the special evening, this is what it looked like:

Check out my cutting utensil... it looks like an ax!! {which I could have used...}

...something's not working...

Taking a break from cake cutting to open presents...

Almond four! I wanted almond flour!!

{Addison, it's not my fault you can't take a good picture. Don't get mad.}

...getting silly.

Cooper embarrassed that he didn't get me a present...

I think some explanation is required here: ~~As I'm opening gifts, Cooper starts saying that one of them is from him.~~ You know what, never mind. It was kind of a "had to be there" moment. We had a lot of those that night. In a nutshell: Cooper was funny enough that he made me cry. And in the next picture, I'm still laughing/crying... Bad picture, but it's a good enough memory, I thought I should document (and this blog is my lazy attempt at a journal/scrapbook).

Our many attempts to cut the cake... {click to enlarge}

The boys finally gave up and just started eating the chunks we were able to chisel off.

It was an awesome night!! Thanks guys :)

The best 2 days of the year...

2011-07-28T05:06:00.001-07:00

Five years ago today, we had a very special pre-birthday celebration...

Happy anniversary, Sweetheart!

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

2011-07-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a couple of days before I get another post up with some pictures and a swank-life update, but when I do, I'm definitely going to be mentioning this documentary. If you haven't seen it yet, GO WATCH IT! It's on Netflix instant streaming, so it's free and instantly available-- no excuses! (of course, unless you don't have netflix instant streaming.... which I would highly recommend getting). {Even Casey, the skeptic who thought I was just getting sold on some fad diet, was inspired by watching it}

So go see it right now-- that way we'll have something to talk about when I get back here. Talk to you then!

Ashton

Apartment Footage

2011-07-21T20:27:00.003-07:00

Funny Girl

2011-07-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Emma just keeps growing, growing, growing! And neither one of us can believe how big she's gotten so quickly. Some of the fun(ny) things she can do now include:

talking on the phone (the phone being her elbow or a flashlight or a remote control)
telling mommy and daddy "no"
climbing onto and off of the couch
climbing up and down the stairs
standing unassisted (still refusing to walk)
scooting on her bum to get around when she can't crawl because her hands are full
brushing her own hair (yes, all 10 of them)
putting the washcloths back into their basket
playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake like a champ (it's about time!)
putting things in my hands that she wants me to play with
crawling into the dishwasher
scribbling on a chalkboard or paper
and she can eat about a cup full of strawberry frozen yogurt without batting an eye...

Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks (oh! And I almost forgot to mention my favorite thing she does lately-- she totally poses for the camera. I'll tell you when it's her "fake" face... although, I think you'll be able to figure it out):

laughing because she keeps finding cereal stuck to her face

She's actually posing for me here, but it's not one of her funny faces. Don't worry, those are coming...

Funny camera face #1

Funny camera face #2

Funny camera face #3

This is Emma talking into her Elbow Telephone

This one too...

I know it looks weird, but we started thinking about why she would talk into her elbow, and realized: cell phones are so small now, she probably just sees us put our hands to our ears and talk-- which would look like we were just talking into our elbows!

"What on earth did mom put on my head??"

That's it for now! Apartment pics to come soon :)

Buena Vista Survival Tips

2011-07-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

I figure if we're gonna live out here in the VA mountains, we're probably going to need to adhere to certain rules if we're going to survive. And I thought, why not document them on the blog as means of entertainment for all ya'll who aren't living in Po-Dunk, Nowhere, USA. (Yes, Sarah, I think we even rival Ft. Polk, LA). So here's Buena Vista Survival Tip #1:

Watch out for gigantic bears crossing 4-lane interstates.

Because they do.

Apparently.

Out here in BV.

And I guess it ain't no thang. :)

Cooper's Court of Honor

2011-07-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Addy Bre

Coop's side of the display table

Eagle Scout and Diaper Bag carrier

Taking a momentary pause from crying to "smile" for the camera

with Grandpa Epps

the man of the hour

The Fam

Caleb reading some kind of Eagle Scout swearing-in-thing

two new Eagles

This is my favorite part...

Virginians

2011-07-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

We've all made it to Virginia and are slowly (SO slowly), but surely, setting up house. Unpacking is usually a 2-day thing for me, but it's a whole new experience to unpack with a baby-- and I don't think I'm going to be par for the course this time. (See, we're definitely in the south, I'm already using golf metaphors!) No pictures of the apartment to post yet, but here's what we've been up to so far:

We've been to Dairy Queen three times. Emma feels good about that.

Emma and Chris put together some furniture

We picked wild raspberries on the side of the road!

That's it for now! I'll get more posted soon :)

More Birthday Lateness

2011-07-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated Birthday, Auntie Krystal!

Better Late Than Never

2011-07-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

Soo..... somehow I didn't remember to post the most recent family birthday!! Sorry Auntie April-- Happy Belated Birthday!

Super Cooper

2011-07-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Cooper is the ultimate middle child. Seriously. If anyone in the world is entitled to middle-child syndrome, it's Cooper. The kid can't catch a break. For as long as I can remember, we forget him everywhere we go, you easily forget his name in conversation, and he was the only one of us who was dropped on his head as a baby (while the laundry stayed nestled safely in mom's arms). Seriously. Middle-child syndrome worthy.

Anyway, the point is: as much as we love Cooper, he's had a little bit of an uphill battle finding his place in the family. Caleb and Keaton throw an awfully long shadow, lovable big brothers as they are, but I think Coop has successfully managed to create his own niche. He's the artist of the family. From composing music to painting gigantic canvases, he seems to do it all. And really, really well. As I walked by his room, I was just struck by the unique-ness of it. I don't remember any other teenage rooms looking like this:

He also made this sweet video of our beach vacation. But don't expect to see much of me. Apparently I don't provide excitement-quality entertainment.

Update and a few more beach pictures

2011-07-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal-e-o:

Both Chris and the truck made it to Buena Vista. Check.

Some of my worst fears were dismissed when Chris was able to confirm that the closest wal-mart is only 10 minutes away (we'd heard rumors of a 1/2 hour long drive...) and it is a super wal-mart. Never thought that would make me so happy :)

There were only a few casualties in the moving truck-- cheap-o bookshelves (that I happened to love and use for EVERYTHING) and our only lamp (don't worry that the people who bought our couch broke the other one-- barely apologizing and leaving glass shattered all over the living room floor. Nice).

I've gained about 5 lbs. (and I think that's a low guess) since I've been home. I need to get back to the starving student diet. That was working well :)

Chris will be here on Sunday, we'll drive back up to BV (that's how all the locals abbreviate it !) on Monday morning with 2 EFY-ers in tow. Then back down the next weekend to unload the spiritually uplifted teens and stick around for Coop's Court of Honor.

We'll post some pics of the apartment soon! Wish us luck :)

And, now, a few more beach pics...

baby cousin, once removed.

2011-06-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that my cousin married my college roommate. And that they just had a baby. And he is. so. cute. But I didn't know what to call him? He kind of seemed like my nephew, but that wasn't right, and I didn't think I should try to usurp the title of "aunt" when has perfectly good, legitimate aunts. And we're not first cousins. And I didn't think we were second cousins either. And I didn't know what relation he had to Emma. It was all very confusing.

So I googled.

Turns out, Mason is my first cousin, once removed. And he's Emma's second cousin. Google sure clears things up in a hurry :) Would you like to see him? He's very adorable, so prepare your self.

I really wanted a picture of Emma and Mason together, but there was a high to very high chance that she would bite him. Hard. So I didn't get the picture. Maybe at Christmas.

When he's a little more durable...

Topsail Island 2011

2011-06-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

Favorite vacation quote: "Just pop some pills and keep going. We're on vacation!" -Dad

***Disclaimer: Addy would like it noted that she does not approve of any of the above photos.

Saying Goodbye

2011-06-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Our time here is winding down and, we're saying goodbye to a lot of our friends. Because we've lived so far from both of our families, we've really made our friends here part of our families for the past 5 years (longer for me). It's funny how that happens. You forge stronger bonds with people when you don't have immediate family near by to turn to during hard times, or holidays, or for a night out at the movies. And so leaving our friends here is feeling a lot like leaving part of our family.

We loved having so many of our friends from the past 5 years+ show up for the BBQ Saturday! Thanks to all of you who came to say goodbye, your friendships have meant so much to us. And I'm sorry these pictures are so lame. You're all going to hate me...

Happy Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Farewell BBQ Invitation

2011-06-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

As moving day is quickly approaching, I just wanted to send out a mass blog invite to all of our Utah friends: we're having a BBQ tomorrow night and we'd love for you to come! It's nothing fancy, just hot dogs and s'mores. We just want to be able to see as many of our friends as we can before it's time to pack up and head east. We sure hope to see you there!

When: Saturday, June 18
Where: Our back yard (holler if you need an address!)
Time: 5:30 until it's dark

Love,

Chris, Ash, and Emma

kids today

2011-06-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

I felt old and stupid today. Kind of for the first time. I found this blog, Crumbs and Cookies. Cute name, catchy. Amazing photography. Ultra impressive recipe history. Simple yet impressive (sorry to have to use that word twice in a row, but none other will do) blog design. Great blogging-journalism-- you know what I mean.. she speaks well, she doesn't sound too casual or too formal. She doesn't sound cheesy or corny or stuck up. It's a great, great blog. And the blogger is 15 years old.

I spent most of my free time chatting on AIM when I was 15. My photography was embarrassing (not that I even took pictures of anything worth taking a picture of). And the most refined my palate had experienced was the caviar buried underneath cream cheese on a cracker that we were forced to try in my 7th grade AG class.

Have you ever heard of blog envy? A normal blogger feels blog envy when she sees a better blog design with more impressive looking graphics, more followers or facebook fans on another blog, or when she sees an overwhelming amount of comments on somebody else's yarn wreath tutorial. I've had blogger envy. But nothing like this. Now it's like old-person blogger envy. Like there's a younger, better generation of bloggers out there.

At least she has my blog button on her page. That's kind of cool.

But still. Ugh.

Birthday Pics

2011-06-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

So, I just realized that I never put up any pictures of Emma's actual birthday. The one where she was sick and super miserable. So before I get to Chris's pics, here's Emma's real birthday:

Pretty pitiful, huh?
Let's move on to a much happier Birthday recipient:

Starting off with lunch @ Pizzeria 712

Pastrami Panini


Sausage Pizza

Making the Pina Colada cake after we went to the pool

Getting ready to blow out the candles...

He's always wanted this...

Chris thinks this is his big present.. but it was actually a ball of yarn :)

Is that another present in the closet?

Yep, it was!

It's an iPad!

The BYU shirt Chris has wanted forever! Thanks Brandon!

Man-love.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

2011-06-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday

2011-06-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

We had a SUPER busy Saturday yesterday. In fact, we're still not quite recovered. But I snapped a few pics and thought I'd share the day:

1:00am: Going to bed after making, packaging, and labeling 10 different desserts for bake sale.
6:00am: Wake up and start setting up tables, yard sale items, and moving out furniture for sale.
6:08am: Text from Shanna that baby Mason arrived!
7:00am: Haggling Mexicans arrive to yard sale and are irritated that everything is not set up yet.
7:02am: Haggling Mexicans leave after I refuse to sell them a table full of my crap for only .25 cents.

12:01pm: I leave the bake sale to start prep for the baby shower.
12:49pm: Realize that there appear to be no raspberries anywhere except for Sunflower where I'm going to have to overpay for a tiny, little carton.
2:48pm: Still not dressed for shower, nothing is clean.
3:00pm: First baby shower guest arrives...

4:34pm: Shower ends. We count our yard sale money, start cleaning, but mostly we're just trying to stay awake so that we can make it to Orem Fest with Katherine and Jarrad.
6:00pm: Leave for Orem Fest.
6:19pm: Jarrad and Chris squeeze in one ride while Katherine and I stand in line with two tired kiddos to look at the helicopter.
6:35pm: I force Chris to leave Orem Fest.
7:00pm: We pull into the driveway.
7:01pm: I kick Chris and Emma out of the car and make a beeline for Shanna's.
7:08pm: Beginning of almost two wonderful hours of looking at baby Mason.
9ish: Pick up frozen yogurt-to-go in an attempt to have some kind of date night at home.
9:15ish: Fall asleep on the couch while Chris watches a documentary.

why 1-year olds shouldn't play with broken glass

2011-06-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

...because it's very difficult to bandage their hands:

OK to be a Mormon Politician?

2011-06-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

First, let me say two things: 1) I don't love that the majority of people I know who aren't "Mormon" call us "Mormons." And I really don't love it when we, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, encourage that practice by referring to ourselves as "Mormons." I just feel like it connotes the crazy and unorthodox that so many people feel we believe-- that we worship Mormon and not God and Christ. I always refer to myself and other members as "LDS," short for "Latter-day Saint." But sometimes, to communicate with the masses more effectively I suppose, we do refer to ourselves as "Mormons" in public statements. And I understand that. But on my own personal blog, I just wanted to state my preference (which has been supported by the Elders, just PS). Anyway, that was a really long "first of all." So here's 2) I'm sooooooo not political. And I'm not saying that's something to brag about, just wanted to point out my own wavering political views before putting this article out there, just to point out that I'm not pushing for one candidate or another in the least (my Dad is cringing).

But I thought this article was interesting and wanted to share. I guess I'm also hoping it might bring some clarity of our views and involvement in politics to some of my non-LDS friends (and some of my LDS friends, for that matter) before a lot of dirty mud-slinging and accusations begin with the upcoming Presidential election. Read it here.

Immunization Cocktail

2011-06-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

DTP/DTaP/DT + POLIO + MMR + CHICKEN POX + HEP-A+ MENINGOCOCAL + HPV + TYLENOL AND A STRAWBERRY FROZEN YOGURT =

So close...

2011-06-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Chris would like it duly noted that he was standing here:

...and missed being on the magazine cover by a centimeter.