100 degrees!

Last Saturday Jon was working outiside on the yard. It got hot really fast and next thing I know he had filled up the kids pool and came inside to tell them to get their swimsuits on! They were so excited ! It was one of our first 100 degree days, which for June, that's not bad! Derrick didn't have a swimsuit, so he had to just swim in his diaper. Jon even set up their slide to go into the pool. They had a blast and we have been in a few more times since then. Emma starts swim lessons tomorrow, so I'm sure I will have more swim pictures to post soon!Derrick did not like the feeling of an extremely full diaper!

Emma sliding down the slide on her stomach into the water!

Derrick showing me how cold he is!

Emma kickin' back working on her tan!

Not A First...

This was by no means Derrick's first haircut, but I couldn't resist a picture moment! Just the last couple of months he has started sitting all by himself, like a big boy, for his haircuts! He does really well. But, he has been getting an average of one haircut a month since he was 3 months old! He's just not a baby anymore and is turning into quite the little man! He mimics so much of what Emma says and I just laugh when Derrick says it because I don't expect it to come out of his mouth. The other day he wanted a ball that was in my room because it had been taken away (because I found it inside the piano!), I told him he could not have it back but he had other balls to play with in the family room. He walked out of my room and I heard growl, "UGHHH" in frustration! When Emma does that she gets in trouble because she is throwing attitude, but I laughed out loud when Derrick did it and I know right where he learned it (EMMA)!

Picture Day!

It has been a long week! I left for Girls Camp on Tuesday, but came back early so I could have Emma ready for her first dance pictures on Friday morning. No offense to my wonderful husband, but I did not trust in his ability to work a curling iron! (I only came home a day early, so it wasn't too big of a deal.) I actually enjoyed camp more than I thought I would! The girls were great and I developed a love for them. It almost made me tear up a little when I went to get my things from the cabin and tell the girls good-bye, some of them ran up and gave me hug! It's the little things like that, that made me feel like all the effort was worth it!
Emma was so excited to put on her costume and get her hair and make-up done for pictures! As we waited in a room for her class to be photographed, some of the moms were taking pictures with their cameras. I was glad to get them emailed to me, as I forgot my camera. Emma's class is the cutest class ever! These girls and their moms are so great! We, as moms, just sit outside and watch our girls dance. We talk and share stories and have started developing friendships. I really look forward to dance every week! We are keeping the class together this fall. The girls get along so well and the owner of the dance studio even said it was good to try and keep them together because they tend to learn better if they are comfortable with their atmosphere and class mates. Emma's teacher Miss Lainie is so wonderful I don't even want to try another teacher! Pictures went great! When it was Emma's turn the photographer sat her down and posed her. As soon as she got behind the camera, Emma perked right up and said "cheese" and flashed her famous cheesy grin! I loved it! I can't wait to see the pictures!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all! I had a great mother's day! I was not expecting any presents, but Jon surprised me! He made breakfast, crepes my favorite, and gave the kids a bath! Then he called the kids back to help make their beds and they came out with cards and a present for me! The cards were so cute! Jon helped them put stickers and color on them! He even got into my scrapbook box to get stuff for the cards! I loved and appreciated the effort that went into these beautiful cards! I am so excited about my present! It's a remote start for my car!! I have been asking for this for 2 years! I can't wait to get it installed! Just in time for the heat to come! Around 10:30 am Jon's parents, Rick and Louise, and his brother, Sean came over! It was good to see them and to wish Louise a Happy Mother's Day! She looked good, and that was a present all in itself! We went to church and the kids were surprisingly good! Derrick stayed on the bench most of Sacrament Meeting, which is new record! He was a little noisy, but I am happy he stayed sitting down! After church we had my mom and Jon's mom and step dad over, along with Ron and Rachel. We had a delicious dinner and had a nice time visiting! I closed my evening by reading Elder Ballard's talk from General Conference on Mothers! It was a terrific way to end the day! I am so honored to be a mom and I am thankful for all the wonderful examples of moms in my life! Happy Mother's Day!

All About Emma!

Last week Emma gave her first talk in Primary! The topic was families! We practiced and practiced at home and she was so excited to give her talk. She even helped me write it by telling what she liked about her family! Here is what we came up with...

"Heavenly Father planned for me to come to a family because he loves me and wants me to be happy. This is a picture of my family. I like to have fun and play games with my family. I like being a big sister and helping my brother. Every night before bed we read scriptures and have family prayer. I like doing this because it makes Heavenly Father and Jesus happy and it makes my family happy too. I love my family and I am thankful that we can be together forever."

Grandma Clark even came to hear Emma. When the time finally came I went up to help her. You could not hear a word that came out of her mouth! I kept whispering,"Talk louder!" but, it didn't seem to help! Oh well! She's only 3! At least she stood in front of everyone and tried!
Yesterday at church during the Sacrament, we were sitting quietly waiting for the bread and Emma whispers rather loudly, "Hey kid, we're over here!" to one on the young men passing the Sacrament! She wanted her bread right then! I couldn't help laughing! Then during Primary, I was heading down the hall to go to Sunday School and saw Jon standing by the Primary room. He said, "Come look at your daughter!" I peeked through the window and there was Emma in the front row, laying across 2 chairs on her stomach, with her feet up in the air and no shoes on! I was so embarrassed! We had a long talk after church! I asked her in the car how she was acting during Primary and she said,"Tired"! So, we talked about respect, while I was trying not to laugh! I then asked her what she learned in class and she told me she learned about her body! Then said very matter-of-factly, "Mom, Jesus bought our bodies for us!" Needless to say, we got a lot of laughs out of Emma yesterday...the joy of a 3 year old!

Adventures in Neverland

On Saturday Emma had a girls day out with her cousins, Amzi and Brinklie! My niece won tickets to Adventures in Neverland at the Wright House! It was put on by Ballet Etudes, a local dance company, to promote their ballet coming up this month! The girls got to meet the cast, play games and eat lunch. Emma had a really great time! In the car on the way there she said "Mom, I'm so excited to go to Disneyland!". I felt terrible that she thought that was where we were going. She asks to go to Disneyland almost everyday! We are going to try to plan a trip for the end of this year to take them. I can't wait! They will have so much fun! But, even though it wasn't Disneyland, Emma was impressed by the Wright house and thought it really was where Tinkerbell lived because it was so beautiful! It was a fun day!

Fun with Friends!

On Friday we finally made it out to our friends, Ryan and Wendy, house! We have been friends with them for years and we never see them anymore! They live in Anthem, close to Florence! It's about a 45 minute drive from our house! But, we had fun! The kids were so excited to play with new toys and to see Carson, who is just 3 months younger than Derrick! Wendy is having her second baby any day now! We are just waiting for the news! After playing all night we tried to get the kids to lay down and watch a movie...that lasted about 2 minutes! But, it made for a cute picture!

Count Your Blessings!

I thought I should post a positive and uplifting blog after the last few days! Emma is doing better today, she had a bit of a rough day yesterday (we all did actually)! But, I was laying in bed this morning and thought I needed to be more positive and be thankful for the wonderful blessings in my life! Sometimes it's the little things that get us through the day, but we can miss those little things if we are too busy, distracted or negative! So, I encourage all of you to "Count Your Blessings" and see how it makes you feel! Here are the things I am thankful for and love (in no particular order)...

*Jon leaving me random "I Love You" notes!
*Emma throwing her arms around me, kissing me and saying, "I love you lots and lots"!
*Derrick snuggling on my shoulder and letting me hold him like a baby!
*My mom, who is so willing to help out especially when she knows it means a lot!!
*My dad, who is very loving and supportive!
*My entire family, and it has been very nice to have a sister to hang out with lately!
*Emma and Derrick having 6 grandparents who love them!
*Baby news! Congrats to Julia! And to Wendy, who will soon have a new little one!
*Watching Derrick run! (He looks so cute when he does it!)
*Listening to Emma make up songs about random things like diamonds, the ocean and chocolate milk!
*Derrick saying "NOT" instead of "no", he just says it so funny!
*Emma being a wonderful big sister!
*The Gospel and the knowledge it brings!
*Temples...and the new one we are getting in Gilbert!
*An amazing husband who is loving and willing to help out (even if it involves throw-up!) and who is working so hard and achieving success! I am so happy for him!

This is our first "official" family picture and I love them all!

It's a "Great" Day to be a Mom!

Well, today was an experience that I hope never happens again! I was putting on my make-up before church and Emma came in holding her stomach telling me that it hurt! I didn't really think too much about it (she says that a lot!). We got ready for church and she was acting very sleepy! I told her she could lay on me and take a nap during Sacrament meeting and I would wake her up for class! Jon thought maybe we should keep her home and even said, "I hope she doesn't throw up at church!" (Maybe next time I'll listen to my insightful husband!) Emma really wanted to go to class today. We missed last week because she and Jon were sick! She was almost asleep in the car when we got to church so I carried her in. She just laid on my shoulder. We had been sitting for about 10 seconds when I felt something warm on my shoulder! I looked down and Emma was throwing up! I scooped her up and ran out of the chapel trying to have her throw up on me instead of all over the church! We ran outside and she finished in the rocks! It was all over the front and back of me, down my dress in my hair and all over Emma! Someone came outside with a roll of paper towels for us, (he was so kind) and I started trying to clean up! Jon then came outside and said he tried his best to clean it up off the bench with baby wipes, but that Derrick started rolling in it! GREAT! So, now I have 2 kids and myself that have throw up all over us! And it happened in the chapel! Everyone who was walking into church stopped and offered to help, but there really wasn't much for them to do! I was grateful for the kindness though! Poor Emma! We came home and took a shower and she fell asleep with in 5 minutes of laying down! She has now been sleeping for almost 2 1/2 hours! It's getting late, but I don't want to wake her! Hopefully it is just a one time deal! She's not really my throw up child...that would be Derrick! So, that was my exciting Sunday! Jon went back to church after helping me get things cleaned up at home and I sent him with a rag and some cleaner to clean the bench where it all started and to make sure there wasn't a trail on the carpet! I'm lucky and thankful to have a husband who didn't mind doing that! Hopefully, I can show my face in church again and not be completely humiliated!

Happy Birthday Grandpa & What's Going On!

Today was Grandpa Trafzer's birthday! We invited them over to have dinner with us and Kevin and Stevi. The kids were just excited to go play outside as soon as dinner was over! So, while all the boys went shopping for gun scopes, the girls played outside with the kids! Emma had a brand new bucket of sidewalk chalk the she has been begging to play with! She has started writing her name and is doing a pretty good job for a 3 year old! The "E" is the most recognizable, but you can tell the effort is there! We are all doing great! Jon just received an award from work called the "My Laureate Award"! It is a very high honor to be awarded with this and the awards banquet is in Hershey, PA! The company pays for the recipient and spouse to fly there and stay at a resort hotel! They provide all the meals and vouchers for fun! I am excited to get lost in a spa that offers chocolate treatments! It looked as if I may not be able to go when I saw that airline tickets for the kids were $400 a piece! But, through the generosity of a wonderful mother, I am able to go and support my husband while my mom stays with the kids! (Thank you mom!) This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and honor for Jon and I am so happy for him! We have truly been blessed as of late! I have been extremely grateful for our blessings! I have a wonderful husband and 2 great kids that make me smile everyday and I love them dearly!

Fun at the Park

The last 2 months some girls from the ward have been getting together, just to have something to do and to make some friends! Last month we went to Cheesecake Factory and this month we just went to the park to let the kids play! Emma and Derrick were so excited! They ask to go to the park all the time and I am just a bad mom! I never take them! Honestly, I hate dealing with cleaning them up after playing at the park...SAND EVERYWHERE! But, they love it! Derrick has no fear and climbs all over the playground equipment and goes down all the slides by himself! He only fell once and after that he was much more cautious!

Flower Clips!

My sister, Jeni, helped me to discover a new hobby! And, it is probably not a good thing! She has been making flower hair clips for her girls and made Emma a few that I loved! We finally got together and made some...for 5 hours!! The kids just played together and Derrick actually took a nap on the floor! I ended up making 21 new clips! They are so cute and I love picking which ones Emma will wear. She, of course, wants to wear the pink ones everyday because they have sparkles! Thanks Jeni, it was fun!

New Clothes, New Chair

Emma has been getting bags and bags of clothes from her cousin Brinklie! It works out nice that they are just a size apart! She has so much fun picking out which new "Brinklie outfit" she will wear for the day! I am thankful it has distracted her from wearing the same 4 outfits! She still wants to wear a skirt almost everyday, but at least she has some different shirts she will wear now! She has also been asking for a high chair for her dolls. We were at Once Upon A Child last week and she begged me to buy this one! I had store credit left over, so I gave in! She played with it all day! Derrick thought it was fun to put his cars in it! He wants to do everything Emma does, but it sometimes has a slight twist! He involves cars in just about everything! He pushes cars in the stroller, feeds them in the baby chair and almost always has one in his hand!

Celebration

Yesterday morning did not start out good! Derrick was throwing a huge fit about eating his breakfast and after 3 days of that for every meal...I lost it! I just started crying when he wouldn't eat! Well, then he kept saying, "OK Mama, OK?!" I know I shouldn't cry in front of my kids, but this time it got Derrick to eat because he could see I was sad and he was concerned about me being ok! He started eating and I calmed down! Then around 8:45am Jon called, as he usually does around this time. He asked how things were going and I said "Good" then he said very calmly,"I just got promoted!" "WHAT?!" I was so happy for him! He said he was still in shock! His official title, starting on the 16th of this month, will be Senior Manager! We knew there was a possibility of a position like this opening up in the near future, but it was definitely a surprise when it happened so suddenly! Jon is very excited, this will open up new opportunities for him in the future! I told Jon we were going to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate, because that is where we usually end up when we have something to celebrate! He was not thrilled that I brought the camera and insisted on taking pictures! Can you tell by his face?! Oh well, that's Jon! He does not like pictures! But I wanted to remember this night, which actually was one of the worst Cheesecake Factory experiences we have ever had! It took 45 minutes to get our food (on a Monday night when they were not busy at all!) and then we ordered cheesecake to go and that took about 10 minutes to get! When we got home we discovered that they gave us the wrong cheesecake! We were pretty upset! I called and talked to the manager! She was very apologetic and got my name and address and said she would send a gift card out right away! So, at least we will get a free meal out of it! But, anyway...CONGRATS to my hubby!

Random Things!

Here are just a few random pictures of different things! Emma was playing dress-ups the other day and I just thought this picture was cute of her coloring with her feet kicked up! Emma has also been playing with her cousin Brinklie a lot lately! She asks to play with her almost everyday! They are cute to watch together and I'm glad Emma has a cousin close to her age to play with! The next 2 pictures are of a dove with her babies! We noticed about a month or 2 ago that a dove made a nest on an old baker's rack that we have sitting on our back porch! There were three eggs in it that we have been watching! Emma was so excited for them to hatch so she could see the babies. Well, the eggs hatched a few days ago and here is the mama and her baby! We thought it was pretty neat!