Weaning Emma

My mom keeps asking if I'm still nursing. So this is for you, mom (plus I wanted to post this cute picture of Emma)! I stopped feeding Emma at night because thankfully she has consistently been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now. I'm so happy, I forgot how nice it is to sleep a full uninterrupted 8 hours! So, I now am down to twice a day, which is a huge improvement. I kind of stopped with the whole milk, so I need to try more with that. Eventually I will just phase out each feeding (hopefully replacing it with whole milk). It's been hard getting Emma to become more independent. I think when she starts walking, she will want to be on her own more.

Happy Sunday

Well my talk actually went well. I was able to find a lot of material on LDS.org. I talked about how we'd always go on road trips to visit National Parks in our Volkswagon Vanogan (some of my favorite childhood memories!). I was able to grow a love for this country at an early age, by seeing just how beautiful & wondrous it is (Yosemite is my favorite). Dan did great too, I enjoyed hearing him speak. Dan's sister watched the girls for us, they were pretty good. Emma started crying when I began my talk because she heard my voice so loudly, meanwhile Eliška was waving & saying, "Hi, mommy!" (very cute & encouraging). I baked/roasted a whole chicken today, which is something I've always wanted to do. I went a little overboard when I rubbed the seasoning onto the skin, but it turned out pretty good. We watched "Bridge to Terabithia" yesterday, very cute kids movie. I remember I loved that book in grade school. The girls are in bed now & it was a nice weekend.

little trouble makers

Here is their latest incident, powdered sugar everywhere (nice & sticky) We now have a doorknob lock on the pantry

good eatin'

Well we went back to Ikea to eat at the restaurant, very yummy & kid friendly. You have to get the chocolate cake, so good! The Swedish meatballs were pretty good too. I had an Italian panini sandwich w/ basil, roasted red bell pepper & mozzarella cheese (yum). They have kid tables, baby food, microwaves to warm bottles & games for the kids (I was impressed).

Patriotism

We just got a call asking us to speak in church on Sunday! Talk about last minute! Patriotism is the topic. I can't think of hardly anything to talk about, especially 10 minutes worth! We actually have not spoken in church since we were in Provo like 3 or 4 years ago! I am really rusty & nervous. At least they said I can spend a little bit introducing our family, etc. Well, wish me luck! I better start writing...

Super Long Weekend

Since Dan had Pioneer Day off on Tuesday, he decided to take off Monday too. So we had a really long weekend together, which was so nice. Most of it was spent staying up late & finishing the final Harry Potter book. I have loved this series so much, I highly recommend it to everyone! We finally got our carpets cleaned on Monday & it really worked. I was skeptical that it would get all the stains out, but it looks brand new now. We also were able to go to The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, which was very cute. Eliška really enjoyed it. She didn't like touching the sting rays though, too slimy I guess. They are going to be expanding eventually to a huge 90,000 s.f. Aquarium. The pictures of their plans look like it will be really cool. We started watching the TV series, "Alias" from Netflix. A lot of people I know love it, so we decided to rent it. It's a really addicting show! We've been frequenting Cold Stone & Jamba Juice lately because it's been so hot here. Dan is feeling better after throwing his back out a couple weeks ago. He was finally able to mow the lawn which was getting really crazy, to the point where we got a note from the HOA that our lawn was too long & in violation of the CC&R's! Anyway, now I'm sad Dan's back at work & we don't have anymore vacations planned for a while. Oh well, I guess Labor Day is the next Holiday he has off. Plus, we're going to Lagoon with Dan's company next week, so that should be fun. Emma's awake now, back to the daily routine!

Just for Laughs

If you're looking for something entertaining to watch, this Canadian TV show of hidden camera pranks & gags is probably the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life! We first saw it on BBC & now abc is showing it every Tuesday night @ 8:30 (ET). Dan & I were laughing so hard, it's just great fun. You can see a few clips on abc.com (click on the "Just for Laughs" link under "shows").

Elli's Latest

Here are some funny moments brought to you by my 2 yr. old, you gotta love toddlers!
Rocky Balboa Impression
Driving back from Idaho




trying to eat a cupcake, while scratching nose (well, let's hope that's what she's doing)

This is the result of me taking a teensy little nap on the couch the other day. She had found a bottle top & used it to stop the sink up & fill it with water. She then pulled a chair over to the sink, shed her diaper, & got in. She said she was taking a shower.

I Love Harry Potter

Yes, I admit it. I am one of the many obsessed fans out there who just can't get enough. We saw "The Order of the Phoenix" last night. Fantastic movie! It stayed very true to the book with only a few minor changes to the story. The special effects were great & the score was beautiful. It definitely helps if you read the books beforehand. I don't want to give too much away if you don't know the story, but my favorite scenes were at the end with Fred & George and then when everyone is at The Department of Mysteries. Imelda Staunton played Umbridge perfectly, in my opinion & Evanna Lynch did a great job as Luna, especially for having no prior acting experience. You should definitely go see this movie, even if you're not into the whole Potter mania. It's still a very entertaining movie, definitely the scariest though. There were a few kids in front of us that got quite frightened at the end. Anyway, now I'm just waiting for The Deathly Hallows to come out next Saturday (the final book). We have pre-ordered 2, so that we can read them at the same time. Yeah I know, we're nerds. I am quite sad that the series is ending. At least I have 2 more movies to look forward to though.

Emma's 1st Birthday!

Emma turned one on Saturday (7/7/07, kind of a cool b-day!) Here is a video clip & some pictures, followed by an update on Emma...

This has become a tradition now for 1st Birthday's, we blow up a bunch of balloons & put them on the floor. Both girls had so much fun chasing them around.

Dan came home from his soccer game with some really cute Winnie the Pooh balloons for Emma. Then we had to give a few to Eliška because she kept begging for some.
This is Emma's pre-birthday in Idaho @ Grandma & Grandpa Kondel's

Emma didn't like the cupcake too much, just squished it a lot
little sister Emma

After the cupcake...

the girls playing with one of the toys Emma got from Grandma Bond

One of Emma's favorite pastimes, tearing up napkinsI forgot we had signed up for the Toys R' Us Birthday club. She got a little call from Geoffrey the Giraffe & a card w/ a giftcard to the store. Also we are supposed to come into the store for a special thing (I'm guessing a balloon or something). Anyway, it's cute & free to sign up. Eliška kept playing the phone message over & over.

Today we had Emma's 1 yr. check-up & shots. She is really tiny! 16 pounds and I think 27 inches (I can't quite remember). She was born 6 1/2 pounds & has gained a pound since her 9 month check-up. She's in the 3rd percentile on the growth chart. The doctor said it's fine & normal for a breastfeeding baby & she's so active now. She did so well for her 4 shots & stopped crying as soon as I picked her up. Then we went to Jamba Juice (as tradition) since it's right by our doctor's office.

She is still not walking, but cruising a lot. It is strange for me since Eliška was walking @ 10 months! But, I think she will soon, every baby is different I guess. I'm trying to stop nursing, much to Emma's dislike. It is proving harder than I planned, but she will drink a sippy cup with whole milk occasionally throughout the day. She is still extremely clingy to me & will not go to anyone else or let me leave her, which is very hard on me. I'm hoping she will become a bit more independent as the months go on. All in all, she is a very sweet baby & we all love her to pieces.

Summertime Update

We have been busy enjoying the summer here. We had a great 4th. Our neighborhood had a big BBQ at a nearby park & an orchestra played patriotic songs & shot off some canons. Afterward they played "Night at the Museum" on a big screen outside. Of course we had to leave just as the movie was getting good because the girls were cranky & tired. We gave them naps before we went though, so we were able to stay out till 11 (pretty good I thought). Eliška loved doing the snaps that you throw on the ground and some party poppers that shoot streamers. We also did some smoke bombs and we still need to do the sparklers that we got.

We had a lot of fun with my parents who stayed with us 2 different times in June, once just my dad came out for business. I really can't wait for them to live here in Utah soon! And not just for the free baby-sitting!

We finally were able to drop off a bunch of toys, clothes, etc. to our local D.I. (that's charity for all you non-utahns). We had over 10 huge bags of stuff that I've been wanting to drop off for months now. Some of you know how many toys we had, it looks a lot better now! When my dad was here last, he said it looked like I run a daycare. What can I say, I'm a kid at heart & I love toys!

We also went to Idaho to visit Dan's parents & go to his High School Reunion (class of 97'). They had a family picnic which the kids enjoyed & then a nice dinner for the adults.

I realized that my kids are terrible travelers! They turn into little monsters when they don't nap or sleep in their own beds. We did have fun though & the drive was much easier than to California! We didn't even have to stop, it was nice. This is the Idaho Falls LDS temple, it is beautiful with the falls in front of it.
We finally went to the new Ikea in Utah. The crowds have died down a little so it was nice. The kids play area was full though. I didn't realize it was like a kid daycare while you shop. I guess Eliška can't go in it until she's potty-trained. The prices are great, I'm gonna have to go back & get the kid's wooden table & chair set that I saw. I've been looking for a set for the girls' room & they had one for $20. Most I've seen are around $100. They had a few different sets that you could paint or stain yourself. I like this one for $40.

We were going to eat at the restaurant, but Eliška had a messy diaper that leaked through her pants. We had diapers, but no extra pants. I tried convincing Dan to put her in the stroller with a blanket on her, he said no way. So we will have to go back. Life is so chaotic & unpredictable with kids, but it keeps things interesting! Hope you're all enjoying your summer!