Gigglers

Our oldest can get this little guy to laugh anytime anyplace! It is so funny. And if anyone else is getting him to laugh, Eldest comes over and steals the show.

Look Alike

Emily posted this picture of our youngest punk:I thought it looked a lot like myself as a little lad.

A Peek Into My Mind

Here are a few of the random thoughts which have been traveling in and out and into my mind of late:

I went to the Boston Temple the other day and it was so refreshing. I had a military physical done yesterday and realized two things:
I am glad I am an officer and not an enlistee.
I am glad I chose the Air Force and not one of the other branches.
Oh and I'm not sure how safe our country is after seeing some of the new recruits.

I am very excited to go to Japan.

The lunar eclipse Wednesday night was beautiful.
Why did I stay up until 3am finishing our kitchen counters and then wake up at 3:45 the following morning for the AF physical.

I think IV fluid dripping is fun to watch and quite beautiful.
Monk and Psych are two of the funniest shows in today's TV era (meaning Office still isn't on yet).

Sam was very cute licking the new snow that fell today.

How do you know when you need a new car?

When you are driving to work and get water poored down your neck from your moon roof. Twice!

Oh...and there's the other gallon of water that luckly went on the passenger side. Any one want a ride?!

Disney Revisited: A Cute Story

First of all, never voluntarily tell your child that people collect signatures of characters at Disney World. Sure, child may get excited and think it is a great idea, but then child will also want to get signatures from characters at Disney World. Parent will have to find characters and wait in line to see characters. One more tip: If the line over 20 people, you will wait in line and get toward the front and the character will disappear for a potty breack and you wont get a sig.
Anyway back to the story, having gone one day without a character sig. we finally secured two sigs at Magic Kingdom: Buzz and Stitch. Then we hit the jack pot in Disney Toon Town. They have a "Hall of Fame" where you can find a group of three characters in one room. There was a long line to see Goofy, Pluto, and Donald and no line for the princesses. So we jumped into the empty line to get what we could. The "cast member" looked at us and said in an unbelieving voice: "You, want to see the princesses."

Now why can't two boys and their dad, wearing black Pirate shirts, want to see the princesses? (I mean what else do pirates do when ashore =) ).So we got to go by ourselves into the princess room. This is the good part. We go through the double doors to be greeted by two glamorous princesses (Princess Aurora and Belle) and one cute mouse (from Cinderella). It was kind of awe striking to see these strickingly beautiful princesses. Boy #2 immediately turned around and tried to hide in the corner. He suddenly became so shy. It was very cute. The princesses were very kind and asked great pirate questions of the boys. (This was nice since the costumed characters can't speak.) We then went back into the other room for the others.

Follow up: The next day we were at EPCOT and saw Aurora again. Here again the potty break foiled us. She was being escorted away and Boy #2 went running after with his autograph book. She blew him a kiss and he dipped his head down and smiled. Very cute!Conclusion: Autograph books are annoying but have potential for some good memories. Not sure which outweighs the other.

How do you know when V-day is over?

When your Valentine says:
"There are so many reasons to hate you, its amazing I love you."

In the Spirit if Valentine's Day

I just read these words in a talk by President Hinckley and think they are appropriate following a great Valentine's Day.

I hope that every married man has said to himself, "I will be more kind and generous toward my companion and children. I will control my temper." I hope that kindness will replace harshness in our conversations one with another.

I hope that every wife will look to her husband as her dear companion, the star of her life, her supporter, her protector, her companion with whom she walks hand in hand "equally yoked." I hope that she will look to her children as sons and daughters of God, the most significant contribution she has made to the world, her greatest concern with regard to their achievements, and more precious than any other thing she has or could hope for.

I hope that boys and girls will leave this conference with a greater appreciation for their parents, with more fervent love in their hearts for those who have brought them into the world, for those who love them most and are most anxious concerning them.

I hope that the noise of our homes will drop a few decibels, that we will subdue our voices and speak to one another with greater appreciation and respect.

(Ensign Nov 2001)

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Sixth Valentines EMMERS!!! I love you more than all the space in the EPCOT sphere!

Some Cute Disney Quotes

Here are a few cute quotes from our oldest punk whilst at Disney World:

I want to go on that one when I’m eight. (After being very scared on Aerosmith’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster and looking up at the Tower of Terror)

Let me think for a minute. (After being asked if he wanted to go on Space Mountain again. He did.)

I’m glad that’s over with. (After going on Expedition Everest, or the Yeti Ride as he calls it. BTW he went on it 6 more times.)

Aren’t we having a perfect day today! (Having a good day the day after I had a "melt down" with a park employee and had to teach him how to not let one bad experience ruin a whole day.)

This is the best day of my life! (At animal kingdom.)

Today's Find!

Aren't you glad you are married know instead of in 1955! (I guess mostly the women would say no)

This supposedly came from Good Housekeeping Montly in 1955:

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
  
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
  
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
  
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
  
• During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
  
• Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
  Be happy to see him.
  
• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
  Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
  
• Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
  
• Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
  
• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
  
• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
  
• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
  
• A good wife always knows her place.

...and we're back!

I'll get to some of the highlights and lowlights of our trip later. First, I wanted to share a fun activity I did with the boys right before we left last week.

We gathered up their pirate toys and my camera and went down to the beach. Max helped write a "script" and we set the pirates up and took pictures of them acting out an adventure: treasure hunt, sword fight, etc. We then came back and downloaded and subsequently uploaded them to Snapfish and made a little flip book out of it. It was a fun, relatively quick activity. We got the book out of the mail today and they love it. Here are a few of the action shots!

the big sword fight scene

end of the bad guysthe treasure