Have you read your scriptures yet?

Sunday night as Jason and I were getting ready to brush our teeth, at midnight, a little girl came wondering into our bedroom. We had already spotted her on the couch so we knew it wouldn't be to long before she completed her journey into our room. When she entered our room she promptly asked if we had already read our scriptures for the evening and we answered "no". She was so excited because she wanted to read scriptures with us. Jason and I just looked at each other and grinned. How can you scold a child for being up at midnight when they only want to make sure you are reading your scriptures and would like to join you.

Another funny Emerson memory for the books!

Graduation 2008

Jason participated in commencement exercises yesterday morning in Worthen Arena. He wasn't really sure he wanted to walk but decided to after a little prodding from me. The kids were so excited when they saw him walk into the arena. Emerson yelled, "there's my daddy", and Sawyer was yelling, "daddy, daddy". Jason later said he was surprised that the kids didn't run up to him while he is in line, they would have had they been allowed. Following the awarding of Masters degrees Jason decided to slip out early. We were able to take pictures without interruptions from all the other graduates.

Once the graduation ceremony was over and pictures had been taken we celebrated with a small get together. The kids had to sing Congratulations to you (to the tune of Happy Birthday) to Jason with candles lit on his cake.

I am so proud of Jason and all the time that he has dedicated to attaining his Masters over the course of the last two years. Time has flown as I look back on it but while he was working on it the time seemed to drag on very slowly. I am sure that the future holds another degree for Jason sometime but I am okay with it not being in the near future!

A conversation with Emerson that we were UNPREPARED for

As we were preparing to read our scriptures as a family tonight Emerson asked why my Mom was my Mom. I said because I was in her tummy. And then asked her why I was her Mommy. She wasn't quite sure what made me her Mommy other than that was what she was taught to call me as she was learning to talk. We tried to explain that she had grown in my stomach. Well, that didn't suffice her inquiry so she asked how she had arrived in my stomach. We explained that Heavenly Father had created her and placed her there. She wanted to know how Heavenly Father came down to Earth and placed her in my stomach. Puzzled for a minute we went on to explain that we had so much love that our love created her and then our love later created Sawyer. Jason said to her, "Isn't it a miracle that Heavenly Father can do that with Mommy and Daddy's love." I guess we will be needing to find some literature on how to explain the miracle of creation to our daughter who isn't even 5 years old yet!

Any advice from parents with children older than 5 or who have already had to explain this concept to their children?

Smores Anyone?

Emerson has been talking about having a camp out for several weeks now and we have just kept putting it off. Today, July 14th, she finally persuaded us to have a camp out of sorts. We compromised on roasting marshmallows and making smores on the back deck. Jason told Emerson that she had to go and find the kindling for the fire. She willingly accepted the challenge and some how I got roped into helping her.

This was the first time that both of the kids ate the smores that they made from their roasted marshmallows. Sawyer ate the middle out of his smore and Emerson actually ate all of hers. I love the messy face that Sawyer ended up with and Emerson remained clean while eating hers.

I am so for Emerson's perseverance in asking Jason for a camp out...it is something that we will all remember doing as a family.

Where Have the Slopsemas Gone? Let me tell you!

We have been away on vacation since the 27th of June...a very deserved and enjoyed one. Here is how we spent the last week in June and most of the first two weeks of July...

June 27th - was spent getting everything ready to leave in the evening since we had just gotten back from Chicago the night before. Jason's mom came home with us since she is joining us for the first week of our vacation in Pompano Beach, Florida. My mom came down for part of the day to see everyone before vacation.
The kids both finished the Library's summer reading program so everyone went to get their final prize and then out to eat at El Reparo.
We finally left for Pompano around 7 p.m.. I drove the first 5 1/2 hours and during Jason's portion of the driving he had to stop 4 TIMES to use the FACILITIES! He didn't live it down for most of the vacation.

June 28th - Arrived at the Florida Welcome Center and partook in the traditional cup of oj. We still had about 6 hours left to drive once we hit the Florida border but finally made it to Pompano Beach around 4:30 p.m. When we arrived our unit still wasn't ready for us to check into. In fact, as we were walking into our condo the cleaning ladies were leaving. We could hardly believe how large the unit was because it was listed as a maximum 4 person unit. I think we could have housed about 8 people in it. Sawyer actually slept in the water closet because it was so large.

June 29th - First Pompano Beach day. It was beautiful. We didn't stay at a condo on the beach so we had to park at a sister resort that was right on the beach. Jason loves to walk on the beach so we decided once everyone was lubed up that we would walk down to the pier that we could see. The walk there was good...everyone was shelling as we walked which made the walk take a little longer than we expected. We made it to the pier finally and began the walk back. On the walk back we lost Pat and Emerson to shelling and a quick break from the walking. Jason ran back to our spot on the beach while Sawyer and I walked back by ourselves. Sawyer and I kept walking and met up with Jason as he was going back towards the pier to get this mother and Emerson. I asked how much farther and thought he said just past those umbrellas, well come to find out he had actually said at those umbrellas. Needless to say, Sawyer and I walked way out of our way and scared Jason half to death when he returned with Emerson and his mom, but didn't find Sawyer and me anywhere. When I realized my mistake and turned around and ended up running into Jason literally sprinting down the beach towards us. What a first day at the beach!
PS Jason and I have been married 6 1/2 years today!

July 1st - Emerson is obsessed with putt putt since our resort has an 18 hole putt putt course. In the evening we went shopping at an outlet mall that was 1 1/2 miles long. It was unreal just how many stores it had! Both of the kids came down with colds since we have arrived in Florida.

July 2nd - Matt and Erica found out that they are having another little BOY in November. As for us we spent the day at the beach again - no pier walk today!

July 3rd - Putt putt again. After dinner we decided to go get ice cream as a treat from Grandpa Ed and then off to the beach since Jason's mom was leaving tomorrow. The beach was very beautiful and calm this evening. Everyone is getting pretty brown!

July 4th - Happy Independence Day! Since Grandma Pat was leaving today everyone played a round of putt putt before she left. Jason took her to the airport while the kids and I stayed at the pool. At rest time for the kids today Jason and I were talking about how funny it is that Emerson has become so aware of how tired she is since we have been on vacation. She tells us at least once a day that she is tired and just wants to go to bed. Since it was the Fourth of July we decided to have a picnic on the beach for dinner. I packed up a picnic dinner and we headed out to Pompano Beach. As we were driving it began to sprinkle which wasn't that big of a deal since it was so warm out but as we sat there and ate it really started raining on us. We finally decided to go back to the condo without watching the fireworks but on our way home we noticed the fireworks show had begun. Jason quickly found a neighborhood to park in and we watched the fireworks show from the car. They were amazing and the kids enjoyed them for the first 10 minutes and the remaining 15 were spent telling them that we would go back to the condo when they were over. When we got back to the condo the kids did the Tinkerbell (sparklers) that we had purchased. They loved getting to do them and then went off to bed.

July 5th - Emerson received her first back eye from Sawyer. They were running around the condo and just as I was getting ready to say they should stop, they collided...Emerson's eye with Sawyer's forehead. Another manifestation that Sawyer is hard headed!

July 6th - Our Painey turned 4! We couldn't be there with her but placed several calls to her to say Happy Birthday! Sawyer had milk on his cereal for the first time today and drank the milk out of the bowl when all the cereal was gone. We just hung around the pool and went to bed early.

July 7th - We have learned that if we want to punish the kids on vacation this year we simply tell them that they have to take a walk on the beach. Emerson begins sobbing because the water might touch her and Sawyer cries because he wants carried the entire time. Both Jason and I got a little too much sun today!

July 8th - We went shopping for souvenirs to take home from Grandpa David. Emerson selected a pair of Crocs with a few Gibbets and Sawyer ended up with a t-shirt that says "Trouble Maker". This evening was Date Night except not for Jason and I but for Jason and Emerson, Sawyer and me. It was a lot of fun to see Emerson getting ready for her date with her Daddy (putt putt) and Sawyer and I had fun running a couple of errands in Fort Lauderdale.

July 9th - We headed further South. Miami and South Beach were on our agenda today. The water was simply a beautiful shade of turquoise. Again the kids didn't love the walk on the beach but we compromised and made it a shorter one than usual. We walked around South Beach and fell in love with all the old architecture from the 40s and 50s. Jason and I want to return kid less sometime so we can spend a little more time wondering around South Beach. The kids were troopers today since when we got back to the condo we showered and left to go shop at the gigantic mall again. I found some really good deals and didn't drop too much coinage there.

July 10th - The kids have fallen in love with one of the four pools at the condo...it has a curly slide that both kids can go down. Sawyer has come to the conclusion that he enjoys the slide better on his belly and Emerson just wants to slide down it as much as possible. We didn't change out of our suits the entire day and loved it!

July 11th - Last beach day for this vacation. Had a great day lounging by the pool at the beach side resort. It was by far the hottest day of vacation!

July 12th - Headed home around 10 a.m.

July 13th - Made it home in one piece...I think...around 7 a.m. Don't think we will be driving straight through on the way home again. Neither Jason or I could keep our eyes open throughout the day and of course the kids were so excited to be home that they were going 90 miles a minute all day long!

What a wonderful vacation! I will miss the beach and all the fussing from the kids about being there but in the years to come we will look back on our time at Pompano Beach fondly I am sure!

Enjoy some pictures from our Pompano Beach vacation....

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