The Pursers

Belle of the Ball

2012-02-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Emerson went on her first Daddy Daughter date, which was a princess ball. She got to dress up and get all pretty for the event. We talked about it the whole day and she was so excited when Tanner got home from work. She thought it was a pretty big deal that she got to go all by herself with dad. When they got there, there was dancing, carriage rides, puppet shows, face painting and lots of yummy treats. She even got a dance lesson that she got to put to the test. She had so much fun and loved every second. I was a little bit jealous that I didn't get to join in, but Tanner did such a good job taking pictures and video that I got to see how much fun she had.

Be Mine

2012-02-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Our first official shot of the two together... about time.

Yeah... unplanned photoshoots can result in proof that dad got him dressed that morning... perhaps a little off on his buttoning skills.

After a little impromptu photoshoot... we got some awesome pictures to use for our Valentines this year. The kids do so much better when we don't have anything official planned. Emerson has become such a little ham and likes to be the center of attention. Thatcher is still the happiest guy I know, can't get enough of him... I loved planting everyone of those kisses on his sweet face. Here is our end result. Now, just to deliver them.

In the finished product... Emerson is holding a sucker and Thatcher gives everyone a kiss. Thanks Pinterest.

Vinyl it...

2012-02-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

If you know me... I am not the most crafty person in the world. In fact, I don't particularly love doing crafts. The worst part is, I own a huge vinyl plotter and I don't have any vinyl that I have done in my whole house... pretty sad. I see things all the time that I would love to do and I just never get around to it. Several months ago, my parents got a new bed and gave us their old sleep number mattress. When we finished our basement, we moved our old bed and bed frame downstairs and put my parents mattress in our bedroom. Not that our bedroom is anything fancy, but it kind of bugged me that we didn't have a headboard. I had seen a couple of examples of headboards that people had done out of vinyl and I thought, "Hey, I could do that." Time goes by... and nothing, like always. However, Tanner and I have created a House To do list for one of our New Years resolutions and that was on it. I designed it and cut it and wasn't in love... tweaked a couple of things and then dreaded putting up the four separate pieces. We taped it up and couldn't agree on what was straight so it sat there like that for a week. One day when I felt like both of us were in a pretty good mood and we wouldn't kill each other, we tried to tackle the project again. Success and I love it. It was even better than I had imagined. Tanner wanted to post it on Thrifty Seeker and I told him he was crazy, if the two of us struggled (and I would like to consider us vinyl experts) how was your average Joe supposed to do it? We will see... maybe I will design something a little less intricate and a little more user friendly. Here is our end result...

So Long...

2012-02-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Forever we have talked about our Audi being the kind of car we would run into the ground because we just love it... and then out of the blue, Tanner calls one day from work and tells me that he wants to sell it and get a new car.... what? Mind you, that same day, we purchased a new car... the first brand new car that either of us have ever owned. We didn't trade the Audi in because they were going to give us practically nothing and it was still worth about $5,000. Once we posted it on KSL and had people start calling on it, I began to get pretty sad... I love this car. My lust for this vehicle began when I was thirteen and my mom and I went to visit her friend Sandi is Sun Valley. We were cooking dinner and short a few items so Sandie asked me if I wanted to go to the store with her to get the last few items. I remember getting in her car and thinking to myself, this is the nicest car I have ever seen in my whole entire life!!! It had a sun roof, black leather seats, heated seats and about every bell and whistle you could imagine. I was in love... plus, it was so incredibly fast! If you had told me that same day that five short years later... that would be my car, I would have told you that you were crazy... I was never going to own a car that nice in my whole life. To my surprise, my SUPER amazing parents purchased that very car for graduation. One small problem, it wasn't an automatic and I had no idea how to drive a clutch. Luckily, Tanner taught me on his BMW (his first true car love). Unfortunately, it wasn't the same, it was a super difficult clutch (the hardest I have driven to this day). Many lessons and tears later, I finally mastered it. When we got rid of the BMW and got the truck, I couldn't understand why Tanner was sad, the green hornet was well past its prime and we got an awesome truck instead; however, one short week after we listed the Audi and it sold, I was so so sad. Farewell my friend... and Hello to Tanner's new super fuel efficient beauty the Hyundai Elantra. We can't come up with a nick name that suits this car yet but we really do like it.

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

New Years is another holiday we spend with the Purser's and it didn't disappoint this year. We started the count down with a trip to Air Borne in Draper. I wish Emerson was feeling better because I think she would have loved it so much more. The kids loved jumping all over the place and in the pits. We played a friendly game of dodge ball and took turns performing our best tricks. What we didn't get pictures of was our quarters game with energy drinks to keep us up. Oh boy was it brutal... lets just say it was memorable. Everybody threw up and or peed their pants... can't wait for next year.

Let me explain this picture to you... I wanted to kill Tanner. So we are selling our Audi and someone was meeting us here to check it out. Tanner wouldn't jump until they got there, so when they finally showed up, he can't for the life of him find the keys... real shocker huh... anyways, 20 minutes later we found them at the front desk where they had been left when we signed in. My super smart husband, then decides to take their keys as collateral while they take the Audi. Again, he won't jump until they get back and we all start giving him crap. Finally, he does a double front flip into the pit. The only thing he did the whole night. Ten minutes later, the guy is back and doesn't want the car, just his keys... guess what, Tanner doesn't have them. We spent 15 minutes digging through the pit looking for them. I was dying. Finally, I asked Tanner, is there any way you gave the keys to someone else? While standing in the pit Kelly pipes up... "wait a second, he gave me this set right before he jumped in... is this what we have been looking for?" Oh boy, it was brutal. Story of my life though.

This sweet boy actually made it the whole night and rang in the new year with us. He also starting crawling on New Years. He is getting too big too fast.

This naughty nut crashed around 8 pm and we didn't hear from her until 8 am the next morning... hence the pleasant smile.

Christmas Lights

2012-01-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

Due to sickness and weather... we decided to do Temple square the week after Christmas. So glad we did... it was almost 60 degrees the night we went and beautiful. We rode trax down so Emerson could get her choo choo fix.

Loved her face when she really saw the temple up close for the first time. Tried to get her to recreate it... not the same... it was priceless... even kids know that there is something amazing about the temple... loved it

The lights were amazing... don't know how they do it.

Can't get enough of my little man... he melts my heart with that smile!

Standing in his stroller... and loving it... is that allowed?

Loved walking up to this room and Emerson saying... "whoa... Jesus big." Thatcher man kept waving... so cute. Emerson just sat and stared for the longest time.

Melt down on the ride home... so worth it though.

Merry Christmas... Times Three

2012-01-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

We decided to do Christmas morning at our house this year. It was so much fun to just wake up and go downstairs. My parents joined us and we had our traditional breakfast. Eme and Thatch opened all of their present from us and Santa... as well as everything clothing related from my parents. They got a train... kitchen... tons of games... a couple of toys and books. Tanner and I got an awesome TV for the basement. Then we went and spent the afternoon at the Purser's... they spoiled us with Disney stock (our favorite)... toys, clothes and cash... We had a fantastic dinner and the kids loved eating at the "kid" table with grandma candy. We ended the night up at my parents house with dinner and more presents. Tanner got a pretty sweet gun and the babies got more toys and clothes than I know what to do with. They were so overwhelmed by the day that we didn't end up opening everything... we are saving their stockings for a night later in the week. It was such a nice day... a little crazy... but so good. It is so much fun to see Emerson really starting to get into all of the traditions we have. On our drive home, she heard me talking about Santa and pulled her bottle out of her mouth to tell us... "Santa my house more." It finally clicked and she was a fan.

Our traditional crowns... always a treat.

Our sweet one piece pj's... with their sayings. Tanner's said "I tried to be good but I got bored" Emerson's said "Just watch me manipulate" Thatcher's said "All I got to do is smile and they are mine" and mine said "I totally agree with myself."

Grandpa picked out a Dora doll backpack just for Eme and she was in love... she carried it around the rest of the night and didn't even need to open any more presents... she was content.

The girls did a stocking for my mom because she always does such an amazing one for us. Alex even sewing this amazing cat stocking to house all of the gifts. It was a blast... New tradition for sure.

Loved all of the princesses she got... I love that she is into them.

Hanging with his cousin.

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Love our Logan Christmas Eve tradition... it is one of my favorite. Family, Food, Games and Gifts... what more could you ask for. This year was lots of fun... love having the babies start to love it. Speaking of love... Emerson was head over heels for her cousin Justice... did I mention he is like 15! She kept following him and giggling nonstop... it was hilarious.

Intense game of Merry Christmas going on... notice her extreme concentration.

Thatcher Man had a very eventful night... he learned to stand on his own and how to play patty cake... Thank you Great Grandma Pat!

Emerson sporting her fabulous new pj's. She wasn't in love with them at first... but after she heard everyone start making a fuss over them, she starting her modeling poses... it was hard to get her out of them after that.

First Annual Paint Off...

2011-12-27T17:58:00.000-08:00

This year, instead of Gingerbread houses... my mom decided to do a paint off. The boys had to paint a nut cracker and the girls had to paint a lovely decoration. Each group's winner would receive a cash prize... Totally thought I had this in the bag. I even told Keslie that Alex wasn't any competition in a challenge of this nature... And Tanner's nut cracker was by far the best as well... we posted it on facebook to get a second opinion and it won by a land slide. Unfortunately for us... the judge, Lana Jones... didn't agree with us and selected both Josh and Alex as the winners... rough night. However, Grandma Marion and CJ joined us for the event... seeing as the gingerbread house thing used to be her tradition. She was so cute. I had to take the kids to see her house though later in the week so they could see all of her cute decorations that she puts up... they loved it.

Purser Party Update...

2011-12-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

Our talents were a hit... all of them. Not so much a hit... Santa for the third time this year. In addition to Tanner's Talent... I provided vinyl for everybody's vehicle and applied it during the party. Also, I joined Madi for a little Sophia Grace routine. The talent here was squeezing into a child's 5T... Only posting pics of Madi blocking me... Also, Eme was in love with the Karaoke Machine... didn't put the microphone down, "I love Diego... I love a Choo Choo, I love my mommy... Etc." Loved it. Super fun party... as always.

A Blue Christmas

2011-12-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

So... we each had to have a talent for Shauna's Christmas party. Madi and I talked the boys into acting for us... so much fun and so funny. We were laughing the whole time. The worst part is that I didn't even get the funniest stuff on camera. Tanner got beat up playing dodge ball by 12 year olds... and was also told he had little man parts... and Matt was so afraid that Tanner was into him, it was funny to watch how uncomfortable it made him. Finally got the video to go through You Tube... plus here are a few pictures for fun (sorry, the pics aren't great... I took them from my film). Can't wait... it will be a blast.

Mr. Thatcher

2011-12-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

I sure love this little guy and just thought I would post a couple pictures of him. Trying to keep up with the number of pictures I have of Emerson is almost a full time job. He is just the happiest, most pleasant boy. He is also starting to get really busy, I won't be surprised if he is crawling in the next couple of weeks. I just can't believe that he is already seven and a half months old... where does the time go?

Burrrr Lights

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

Thanks to my cute cousin Katie...we scored a killer deal on some Zoo Lights tickets. Oh boy was it chilly. Despite the cold, the babies were bundled and Emerson had a ball. She kept saying "more mommy" and "beep, beep" to anyone that got in her way. Not promising that this will become an annual tradition, we would have to forget just how cold we got and that could take years. Not a good sign when you need to stop and grab hot chocolate in the first 60 seconds... Also unforgettable, was the night that followed. Maybe it was the cold, something we ate, or just a bug... but both babies and I were up all night throwing up. There wasn't a bed or crib that was spared. Made for one long night... many tubs... and a day full of laundry, not to mention... two miserable babies that couldn't figure out what was wrong. Emerson kept yelling "ouch" right before she would throw up. The pictures say it all... they were miserable.

Thatcher finally gave in and went to sleep at 5 am and Emerson wouldn't let her bottle or binkie out of her sight for two seconds. Plus, she demanded on wearing my robe because she was so cold. I hope this is the only thing we catch this year... it about did me in.

Santa... second go around!

2011-12-09T09:21:00.001-08:00

Twice in one day... perhaps too much. We stopped to say hi to Santa a second time... after seeing him for breakfast... at our ward Christmas party that night. Not loving it as you can tell. Not sure if we will get a fabulous "on Santa's lap" picture this year. High hopes.

First Santa Encounter...

2011-12-09T09:17:00.001-08:00

Thanks DeSantis family for the invite to eat breakfast with Santa... and Buddy the Elf. So much fun and loved all of the fun activities that followed.

She KILLS me!

2011-12-09T09:07:00.001-08:00

After this... I am truly considering this...

Honestly... I leave her unsupervised for two seconds and this is what happens. I think she does it on purpose. She has told me "Da Do" (sorry) more times in the last couple of days because she just likes to do things she knows will get her in trouble. All I can say is that I am glad the syrup was sugar free... not too much of a loss.

PEE PEE in the POTTY!!!

2011-12-06T11:31:00.001-08:00

So Potty training Emerson hasn't really been a priority at our house. Lets face it... accidents don't sound like too much fun. Plus, Emerson doesn't really seem like she wants to and what would I use to motivate the child that already gets as much candy as she could possibly dream of. Honestly... she thinks the Diego potty is a hat...

However, she has been waking up dry and she is starting to understand the concept so I think I should help her out a little bit. For Christmas... Grandma Candy gave her tons of Chocolate ornaments to hang on the tree. She loves them and wants them so bad. I decorated the upstairs tree with them and put them high enough that she can't reach them. She asks for them all day long. I have even caught her trying to get them down with the bar stool. I think they are so cute and I love them on the tree... I told Tanner I wasn't going to let her eat them... Then it dawned on me... why not let that be the pee pee motivator? The blue ones are her favorite...

So now... I ask her if she has to go pee pee and she says no... I ask her if she wants a chocolate ornament and she says... "I pee pee" Works like a charm. The only problem is that now she wants to pee every five minutes so she can eat an ornament... Oh well, eventually we will get there. I will not brave leaving the house though without a diaper yet... I am not mentally prepared for that.

Trolling for Trees

2011-11-29T08:05:00.001-08:00

This has become one of my favorite traditions we have... I love going down and cutting our Christmas tree. This year, we had our biggest crowd yet and we made a day of it. We brought four wheelers and lots of food and camped out for lunch. Then we started the trek with lots of babies... Eme, Thatch, GoGo, and Georgia... We wanted two trees this year and found the perfect ones; one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Almost everyone in our group broke the 8 foot max rule... but we couldn't help ourselves. The best part was watching Tanner and Keslie haul our sixteen foot tree up a very large steep hill, just about killed Tanner... Keslie on the other hand, wasn't even phased. Love this tradition and can't wait for next year... we want to go bigger by four feet! Warning... The video may or may not be rated PG-13... Thanks Tanner.

Black Friday... More like Late Thursday!

2011-11-29T07:59:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Kelly and Cynthia... Tanner and I were able to join Brady, Shauna, Matt and Madi for a late night shopping spree. Good thing, cause we scored some awesome deals. Tanner and Matt waited in line for two hours at Wally World to get the T.V.'s they wanted... we took one look at the line at Target and reconsidered... got everything quickly and easily at Macy's until we hit the 2 hour check out line... did a little people watching in the Mall... and ended around three thirty in the morning after getting some last minute deals at Khol's. After the day was over... we have almost everything for Christmas. I think this is the first year we have been this prepared... feels good. Here is a picture that clearly shows how we were feeling... and looking around one in the morning... rough!

Deck the Halls

2011-11-29T07:50:00.001-08:00

Slowly, but surely... we are Decking the Halls at our house for Christmas. Unfortunately, they seem to undecking themselves about as fast as they are being decked... Thank you Eme. She has been so helpful. When Tanner was on the roof putting up lights... I ran inside for just a second and came out to find her almost all the way up the ladder going to help. She insisted that she get up there with him and we let her... for a minute. Then, inside, every ornament that I put up is immediately taken down. After I had put up all of the balls on the garland, she took every single one off and color coordinated them into the little buckets. This might be a long month of Decking the Halls over and over again!

Happy Gobble Gobble...

2011-11-29T07:39:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a nice... fairly low key day for us. We ate dinner at the Purser's followed by dinner at the Roberts (Dean & Kay's). Surprisingly... with two dinners, we didn't stuff ourselves too much. Love Thanksgiving... kinda missed Logan the whole day, usually spend it there. So thankful for all of the blessings we have... especially these two... Love my babies!

Trick-or-Treat

2011-11-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

May have over loaded on The month of October with posts... but one more for Halloween. Eme loved it.. She loved Trick-or-treating. Why wouldn't she... its all about the candy. We went to the up house first and then did our side of the neighbor hood for about an hour. When we got home... she made Tanner take her back out for over an hour. She didn't care that it was chilly... she just wanted to go. She was so cute at everyone's houses too.. lots of "Tank to's" Love this Holiday!

Halloween Extravaganza

2011-11-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

The annual.. "Hurry, come quick… there has been an Accident" party did not disappoint this year. This is another one of our very favorite traditions… This was surprisingly my 8th year in attendance… wow… and it just keeps getting bigger and better. This year, our family theme was Tangled… Thanks Eme. It is her favorite movie so we all went as characters from it. Eme as Rapunzel, Tanner as Flynn Rider, Thatcher as Paskel, and I went as Mother Gothel. We had a blast with the food, the games and the company. Already stoked for next year… and yes we have already picked out our costumes… and Eme has no say!

Hunters Anonymous

2011-11-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

How about a post for Tanner. His tradition.. The Duck opener. This year… he took a couple of people that may or may not want to be named after viewing this awesome photo. After they packed up their sweet… yes sweet, pop up trailer (or not so pop up, depends on who you ask)… They headed out to their secret spot. I have no more details other than they killed a lot of birds… What happens in the trailer stays in the trailer.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-09T10:18:00.000-08:00

Man... we seem to have a lot of traditions in October... For Tanner the hunt... Conference in Heber... Witches night out... and the Pumpkin Patch. We even have one more that I will cover in my next post.. Holy Cow its a busy month. Love the patch... Pretty good pictures to considering my kids were having an off (as in clothing and hair) day. This year we even made a stop at an apple patch that had this really cool pirate ship... no need to say more, the kids were in love.

Spookie Night Out

2011-11-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Not sure which was spookier this night. The sheer amount of people at Gardners Village, the line to park, or the fact that I thought... hey why don't I go alone with both my kids. Well... luckily Olivia and Ellie joined me and we met up with Age and Emily.. but it was a Zoo. This is one of those traditions that I want to keep, with Eme.. but next year, no Thatcher man. Tanner won't be going hunting on this weekend. Despite it being crazy, Emerson loved the dancing and people watching. We only stayed for a short while, but it was fun while it lasted. Next year will be better.

The Evolution of Us...

2011-11-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

Be afraid... this post should come with one of those "viewer discretion is advised" warnings. All I can say is, you have been warned. For the last four years, starting the first summer Tanner and I were married, we have done a swim suit jump shot. Loved it the first year! Shocked that I even put the suit on the second year (what was I thinking, tradition should have died this year). Third year got a little more difficult and finally, I didn't think this year would even happen because we kept putting it off. We should have done it when we were in San Clemente, but Thatcher was so little. This year, on Halloween, yes Halloween... we put on our suits and headed out for Herriman beach... yes Herriman has a beach... don't ask. The water level was down but we didn't let that get in our way... I wanted... needed this shot. Enjoy... or be scared... On a side note, if evolution is necessary for survival... Tanner will die off... I am sure of it, the guy can't seem to change for the life of him. Myself, on the other hand... I should live... I seem to have done quite a bit of evolving.

2011-11-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

Family pictures… so much work… so worth it. Thanks Shauna.

Conference Tradition

2011-11-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

Anyone up for a little Conference Tradition… its my favorite? For as long as I can remember… which might not be very long, we have always driven up to Heber on Conference Saturday to get our frozen sorbet. We listen to conference on our way up… play for 2 hours, then listen on our way down. When we were little and my grandparents had their cabin in Heber, we would always head into town and get an ice cream at Timp Freeze. It always had a fun plastic toy on top. My favorite was the mermaid and the boys loved when they got the little swords. Well, the last several years we have had to make do at Dairy Keen and no toys…. but this year Timp Freeze reopened, and yes, the toys are back. Made my year… This year we headed up with Adair and Age and their kids and ate lunch and played at a park. Then we went and got our raspberry sorbet! Looking forward to April!

Defying the Odds

2011-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

We have made it... Five whole years and loving every minute of it. For anyone that know us really well... we love to "bicker" as our parents put it. We are constantly teasing each other and I believe many people thought that we weren't a match made in heaven... they were wrong. We compliment each other so well and enjoy being together more than anything. Alex recently asked me which one of us was the "settler" and which one of us was the "reacher" (settler being someone that settles in some way when they choose a spouse and reacher being someone that selects someone much better than they are). I seriously answered that we were both "reachers" and that neither of us had to settle. I genuinely feel that way. I am so grateful for Tanner and all that he does for our family and everything that he has given me, two amazing, beautiful children. We could not be more blessed and I couldn't have dreamed of a better eternal companion. When I went to post a recent picture of just the two of us... I didn't have one. Sad. I will work on that.

Thatchers Blessing

2011-11-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

As gluttons for punishment, we decided to do Thatcher's Baby Blessing the day after Alex's wedding. It really wasn't that bad and it was such a nice day. Tanner did an amazing job, despite the nerves. We have been so blessed to have Thatcher in our family and he has brought us so much joy. He is my happy little guy that always has a smile on his face. We are also so grateful and blessed to have such an amazing supportive family and friends. We couldn't do it without you. Ironically, I wouldn't have been able to post this post until recently because we just took his blessing pictures last week. He finally really fits in his outfit and we kept putting it off. They turned out great and he was so easy to take pictures of. The first couple pictures are actually from the day he was blessed…. He hasn't changed that much in 3 months… ha ha… oops, I will do better next time around.

Alex's Wedding

2011-11-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

No more apologizing for being behind... just time to catch up. In August my sister got married and it was a really beautiful day. The temple sealing was perfect, the luncheon was divine and the reception was lots of fun. It was a long day, especially for two babies, but they ended up be really good the whole day. It's weird to think that all of us are married now, but it's also kind of nice. Congratulations Josh and Alex!

Lovin' Up some Baby.... Raccoons!

2011-11-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Some friends in my parents stake have baby raccoons. They are so cute and we took Emerson up to see them and she even got to feed them. She loved it. They act like little kittens... so cute. Thatcher man even got in on the action... they tried to jump right into his car seat, so funny.

Welcome the Terrible Twos...

2011-11-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my sweet baby is actually two. She has change so much in such a short period of time. She has come even more independent (if that was even possible) and she has developed quite an attention span. For her birthday, we just did an immediate family party and Grandma Candy's house and it was a blast... until we put the princess outfit on. She loves sweets and anything 100% about her... so it was her kind of party. We ate all of her favorite foods... Pizza, grilled tunas and Cheetos and lots and lots of candy. While the menu might have been a little strange, it seemed to be a hit, something for everyone. She also got lots of fun presents... princess attire, Disney stock (our favorite), circus tickets and a circus tent, and lots of fun stuff for her new big girl room, including a princess bed. One of the benefits about waiting to blog about her birthday for a whole 3 months is that I can tell you that she is STILL afraid to sleep in it. She always picks the crib if you gets to choose. If dad is willing to snuggle her at night, she likes the big girl bed, but will wake up the second he leaves. Rough... we will work on this one. My Peanut is no longer a peanut but I love watching her grow and love seeing her personality. Love you Nut!

The Cutest Boy Ever!!!

2011-09-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

The end of July meant it was time for another photo shoot. Thatcher keeps changing so much that I think someone is going to think we switched babies if we don't document all of the little changes. I can't get over these pictures. A month has gone by and I just keep looking at them because I LOVE them and can't get enough. He was such a good sport and took so many good pictures. He is the biggest sweetheart... Love you Thatcher man. This first one is my favorite picture of Thatcher to date. He is just so yummy!

San Clemente

2011-09-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

After the Fourth... we decided to be brave and take the kids on a road trip. My grandma had a really nice condo on the beach in San Clemente and we headed on down to visit. Surprisingly, the kids did great in the car and it wasn't that brutal. It was so nice out there and it was fun to just hang out at the beach, pool and shop. We even took the kids to the San Diego Zoo. I had never been and it was so much fun. You could really get lost in that place. I think Emerson loved the goats the very most... no shocker there. We weren't paying attention for a minute and we looked over and she had actually tried to climb on top of one of them. As far as the ocean goes... Emerson wasn't the biggest fan. Not a huge change from when she was there the year before. Something about getting the sand on her hands and feet... I can totally relate. It will be fun to take her back when she is a little bigger to see if things change. Wouldn't mind taking her back to Disneyland now that she might actually appreciate it. Thatcher man was just a sweet baby the whole trip... he is the best. Here are some pics that we took on the trip... lots of fun memories.

What's a vacation without lots and lots of Coke??? Probably not a vacation.

She is such a piece of work... I just love her little personality, even if she is pretty naughty.

Lots of love for Grandma... Kind of hard to complain about this.

Fourth of July

2011-09-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, Yes, I know... I am super far behind when it comes to blogging. I will catch up though, promise. I thought I would start where I left of with the Fourth of July. I love this holiday. It wasn't quite like the ones that I remember when I was growing up... it will be impossible to beat those... but we came pretty close. We started the day off with the super fun Evergreen parade. Of course Emerson enjoyed getting as much candy as possible, her favorite. Then we headed over to the Gatrell's for lunch and some swimming, even though the weather was kind of crappy. It was lots of fun to just hang by the pool, relax and veg out on yummy food. By this point, Emerson and Tanner were completely exhausted and crashed together on the hammock. Super cute and basically the only picture I got from the whole day. We ended with a fantastic firework show in Holiday that was very impressive, probably one of the best I have ever been to. It was a great day and I can't wait for next year!

Our Little Guy... is Tiny!

2011-07-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Thatcher had his two month appointment. It is no shocker to anyone that our babies are tiny; however, it is a shocker that they are tall. At his appointment, he seemed to match up exactly to his sisters stats at her two month appointment. He only weighed 9 lbs. and 14 ounces, landing him in the 9th percentile. Emerson weighed the exact same at two months, but was considered the 21st percentile for girls. They were both 24.2 inches as well, 60th percentile for Thatcher and 98th percentile for Eme. This never seemed to bother the doctor with Emerson, but she is a little concerned for him, probably because he weighed a full pound more than Emerson at birth. Other than that, he is super healthy and looked good... now to fatten him up, any suggestions are appreciated... These are the fantastic pictures that Shauna took of him at 2 months... love them!

This is my favorite picture from the photo shoot. The look on his face is priceless...

Post Pee Bliss

I just love these babies so much. Words can not express how much sheer JOY they bring to my life.

Two Month Comparison... Starting to look related?

2011-07-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

At birth, my babies couldn't have looked more different. Emerson was an exact replica of me and Thatcher looked exactly like Tanner. The most shocking difference was how dark he was and how fair she was. Now that I look back and compare both of their 2 month old photo shoots, they are starting to look a little bit more alike to me. Or maybe its just that they both are super long and skinny. I don't know... I guess we can wait and see.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2011-07-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

After what feels like an eternity to Tanner... and only two years to the rest of us, Tanner graduated this May with his Masters in Accounting from Westminster. For a kid that hated school so much, I am pleased to announce that he also graduated with honors! I am so proud of him and I know how hard he had to work to get to this point. Now... we study for the CPA tests. I believe I also failed to mention in any post that he started a new job right around the time he graduated as an accountant for a company called Pacific Web Works. He is super excited to be done with school and loving his new job, we couldn't be more blessed right now!

St. George Getaway...

2011-06-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

We always go to St. George the end of May and we had thought that maybe we would cancel this year because Thatcher was only a month old, but we ended up going anyways. It was so nice to get out of the nasty winter weather that has been hanging around for far to long in SLC. We just relaxed by the pool, did a little shopping and went to ride Aunt Cindy's horses. Emerson loved it. They even had a couple of Goats... her favorite animal. It was a great start to the summer and makes me excited to take Emerson to the pool and the lake.

Our very BUSY Nut!

2011-06-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Emerson is so smart it scares me. She still isn't talking all that much, but the way her brain works and figures things out is super scary. She is also into absolutely everything. If things are quiet for even two seconds, she has done something naughty, whether it is playing in the toilet, drawing on the walls or sneaking into the garage to open the dog food bin so they can eat endless amounts of food. This first video clip is of here bellying up to the candy drawer. At first, she would just open the drawer and reach up fishing for anything she could grab. Eventually, she realized that if she opened the oven drawer, she could actually see what was in the drawer and decide what she wanted to grab. Needless to say, the contents of this drawer have now been moved. The second video clip is an example of what happens when she sneaks off and is quiet for a minute. Keslie and David just moved into their new house and we went over to see it. It is such a cute house, but every wall and ceiling surface needed to be painted. My mom and Keslie were painting and I just brought the babies over to say hi. Keslie had to leave for a minute so my mom asked me to help cut in some corners for just a second. We kept checking on Eme but things got too quiet so I told her to come down stairs and play where we were painting. We were horrified when she appeared at the top of the stairs. The pictures don't do it justice. I didn't want to even go upstairs because I could only image how bad it looked up there. She had managed to finger paint the only three walls that were completely finished being painted, as well as, leave a hand print on every rail of the banister on the way down the stairs. Poor Keslie had to come home to more work. Not sure if we are invited over any time soon now.

Snuggles

2011-06-11T14:09:00.001-07:00

We have been adjusting nicely to having two babies... however, we spend many days in our PJ's snuggling on the couch. Thatcher is the nicest, easiest baby. I still can't get over how different looking he is from Emerson. These pictures show how different their skin color is. Looks like we each have a child that looks just like us... blows my mind how genetics works.

Oh Baby Oh Baby...

2011-06-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

Well... I was scheduled to be induced at 7:00 am on April 29th and as luck would have it, I went into labor at 3:00 am that morning. I decided to just stay home until I was supposed to go in, I didn't even wake Tanner up. When we got there I was already at a four and 90% effaced. Within and hour; I was checked in, on an IV, had my epidural and my water was broken. It was super easy and quick after that. Thatcher James Purser made his debut at 2:50 pm weighing in at 8.5 pounds and was 21.5 inches tall. Delivery was a piece of cake! Both of my parents, Shauna, Carol and the entire waiting room watched, via facetime, the whole minute it took. Two pushes and he was out. We knew it was a "He" the second his head was out. We were also shocked at how big he was, I thought he would end up being just a little guy. I loved that they put him on my chest immediately and we got to just keep him that way for the first 20 minutes. Emerson got to come in right after he was born and she was instantly in Love. I can't even describe the way I felt to have all of my little family right there. I was so overwhelmed with how blessed we are to have had things go so well and to have so many people there supporting us. Thatcher may have made us wait a little bit... but he was so worth the wait and I couldn't have wished for things to go better than they did. Here are tons of pictures from his birth, the hospital and the day he came home... Enjoy!

Easter and No Baby

2011-04-26T14:08:00.001-07:00

No way did I think that Easter would come and go and we wouldn't have had the baby. I didn't think we would even make it to the end of tax season... but we did. Not that it is the end of the world... that would have been if the baby had messed up our Easter traditions.... according to Alex. This year, we had several fun filled eventful days to celebrate the holiday. On Friday, we got together at a park to celebrate Tory and Hollands birthdays. My cute aunt Holly gave all of the little kids these darling Easter buckets full of lots of fun treats. It was lots of fun to just play outside... even if it was a bit chilly. On Saturday... the events started by getting up at 6:30 to be on time to our first hunt of the day... Home Depot with the Pursers. This was followed by another hunt at Smiths and then one at a Park in Draper. We relaxed just for a minute during the middle of the day and went to see the movie Hop. After dinner... the kids had their own personal Easter egg hunt at the Pursers followed by the adult midnight egg hunt that has become one of our favorite traditions. This year, we were zip tied to our partner and had to search the house for all of the hidden goodies. Despite the handicap Tanner said I would be since I am so large... we did pretty good! On Sunday, we went up to my parents for our traditional morning events. It always starts off with our favorite breakfast, Oklahoma Brunch. This is followed by the officiating of the rules and then the games begin. First we have to find our Easter baskets.... Then our 12 eggs... Finally, the first person to complete those two tasks... gets to grab all of the hidden candy. Tanner has a love/hate relationship with this tradition because it drives him nuts when he can't find his basket or is missing one of his eggs. Our eggs always have some money in them so he will usually give up when he has found all of the ones that contain cash. This year, after about an hour of searching... I had all of my eggs and quite a bit of candy. Tanner was only missing a couple of eggs and everyone else was too. My mom opened it up and said that if you could find other peoples eggs, you could have them! Talk about a wrestling match. Tanner ended up with all of his cash eggs, Keslie's $10, Alex's $5 and several of everyone's $1. Just when you would think that this was the end of the events... we started the games for the bronze, silver and golden eggs. Tanner did rather well at a game of Tiddly Winks and walked away with the bronze. I am officially the silver egg champion two years in a row, decided by a game of memory. And Keslie walked away with the Golden egg after sneaking up on Josh in a game of pirates dice. As much fun as we all had... peanut was sick all day throwing up... perhaps too much candy the day before. She spent so little time in her Easter dress that we didn't even get a picture. Once I have this baby... If I have this baby.... we will do a photoshoot so you can see how cute she looked.

Eme loves slides... and this shows off just how thick her hair is... poor kid.

Not a fan of the clip on earings"Do you think you could share with me..." "probably not!"

Eme Update

2011-04-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well... I wasn't really planning on posting anything until after I had the baby... but it just won't come out so I thought I could squeeze a couple of posts in before it arrives. Emerson is now 20 months old and very naughty. She pretty much gets everything she wants. Look at the first picture and tell me how you could tell this face no.... She has gone with me to my last couple of appointments and walks over to the bakery with grandma Carey while I see the Doctor. She knows she gets to pick out a cupcake whenever she goes and gets super excited. This particular cupcake is slightly mangled because she carried it all by herself. Story of our life, she has to do everything by herself. I also finally took some video of her rapidly growing speaking skills. These are actually just the animal noises that she makes. It was difficult to get them all on one clip because after each performance, she had to come over and watch herself on the camera... saying "oh... cute" every time she sees herself perform. Her little brain amazes me and I can't believe she is going to be two so soon. Can't wait to see how she adjusts to all of the upcoming changes... I will keep you posted.

MIA

2011-03-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to post anything in what seems like forever, may be due to the fact that it is tax season. Tanner currently lives at the South Jordan Liberty Tax and Peanut and I visit him quite regularly. We have been so busy, that this is one of the only pictures we have taken this entire year and it was with Tanner's iphone... Shocking I know when you consider how many pictures we normally have of Eme. However, big changes coming in the next month and I promise to post pictures then!

Misc. Christmas

2010-12-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas time was lots of fun and super busy. With so many family parties... here is a mix of pictures from most of them. We had such an amazing holiday season and were so blessed to have our family so close. This year was the most fun we have had in a long time... I guess we can thank Peanut for that. Thank you everyone who helped make this season one we will remember for a long time!!!

Exactly what he wanted for Christmas from his parents... who says cash has to be boring?

Eme loves her retro kitchen... she could play pretend for hours.

Another favorite present.. she really wanted the ugly princess one but I couldn't have that in my house, so this was our compromise. She eats breakfast in it every morning.. She loves it.

Proof for Shauna that we really did get our daughter Christmas presents... She had her doubts.

I love this little nut!!!

Shockingly close to Santa and not crying..

This is Peanut's first encounter with Santa. The whole time we were in line... she kept peeking ahead so excited saying "Santa, Santa." I really thought she was going to like the whole experience... wishful thinking.

December Photoshoot...

2010-12-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

In an effort to get our Christmas cards out before Christmas... we Had Shauna take a couples pictures for a card yesterday. After a little bribing... she actually didn't mind it too much. Love all the pictures.. hate having to choose from so many good one....

Christmas is Coming... the Goose is quite fat!

2010-11-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

I can't wait for Christmas this year. Emerson is going to be in heaven. We started the year off with one of our newest family traditions, the second annual Christmas tree hike and cut. The weather was fantastic and the kids had a blast. It was well worth the drive and we plan on making it an even bigger event next year with sleds and four wheelers. Thanks Patrick for getting the permits for us, we love this tradition!!! P.S.... I'm the goose!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T15:48:00.001-08:00

We had such a great Thanksgiving this year... actually, four of them. If I wasn't showing before these festive events... I am now! We have so much to be thankful for. We have such an amazing and supportive family, fantastic friends, and the blessing of the gospel in our lives. We have been blessed with so many things this past year, its hard not to see the Lords hand in every aspect of our lives. Thank you everyone for making this past year so amazing for us!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-29T15:26:00.000-08:00

Halloween has always been one of our favorite holidays. This year was no exception. Emerson had multiple costumes. For Shauna's amazing Halloween bash, we went as characters from Alice and Wonderland. Emerson wasn't too fond of being Alice and it only lasted about 3 minutes, but we had so much fun. On Halloween night, the Shreeve's joined us for dinner and trick or treating at my moms house. Both Vincent and Emerson made cute little monkeys. Amy and Vincent also joined us for Boo at the Zoo earlier that day. What a great day and I think Emerson loved it too... whats not to love about getting candy everywhere you go. She even learned how to say "thank you" for all of the treats she got... come out more like "tank too" but still cute all the same!

Closing the Lake

2010-11-29T15:20:00.001-08:00

We closed the lake the first week in October and it was beautiful. The weather was the nicest its been all year! Even the water was pretty warm... for Bear Lake at least. Emerson loved just walking around in the water. She got her last tractor and four wheeler rides in for the year. She just loves it up there, but who doesn't. Next year will be even more fun, can't wait!

David's Wedding!

2010-11-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you that didn't know... my little brother got married on September 4th. His wedding was beautiful and we are super excited to have Keslie be a part of our family. Emerson didn't have a nap all day so she is a little bit grumpy in pretty much every picture, but I still love her cute little face! We even manage to squeeze a little Mr. September into the mix... trust me, there were several to choose from. Just a little side note... the morning of their wedding was the day I found out I was pregnant!!!! What a shocker, but we were so excited.

Peanuts 1st birthday

2010-11-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Just 3 months behind... not so bad. Peanut had a way fun birthday! Thanks to all of her friends and family that attended, it was a blast. She had her very own monkey cake and it was so funny to watch her eat it. She didn't want to touch it with her hands because it was messy, so she just devoured it with her mouth. I can't even believe that she is one already... 15 months actually now. The time has gone by so fast and its amazing to watch and see how much she grows each day. I just love her little personality, it cracks me up. I can't wait to see all of the huge milestones she will hit this year. Love you Nut!

Family Pictures

2010-10-20T11:32:00.001-07:00

Lovin' the stink eye... Half tempted to blow this one up for our family portrait cause it cracks me up

As painful as family pictures seem to go... these were a breeze. Emerson was so good and we had a blast hiking to get them. When I say hiking... I mean HIKING. At one point I recall our photographer rolling down a hillside! I just wish taking family pictures was always this easy. Thanks again Shauna... we love them.

Update

2010-09-29T12:59:00.001-07:00

Basically, I have been a failure at posting things lately. Here is a quick update on our crazy life and a couple pictures of our favorite little person. In August... Tanner decided it was time to quit his job and start something new. We are still unsure what that something new is... but we will see. A week later... we found out we were expecting little one number two! A pretty big surprise but we are super excited. I have already had my first appointment and this little one is due April 27th... perfect timing if whatever that "something NEW" ends up being something tax related. Other big milestones include... peanut taking her first steps and really starting to walk. Not sure if we are ready for this, but when I get a little more time, I will post the video of her sweet new skills. As always... Thanks Grandma Candy for these awesome pictures!

Stink Eye

2010-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

How could I forget... Emerson does this new thing where she will give you the stink eye if you tell her no, if she doesn't like you or if she just feels like being naughty. She loves the reaction she was getting so now she pretty much does it on command. It still gets us every time.

Almost 1!!

2010-08-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

I can't even believe it, Emerson is almost 1. I love everything about this naughty little nut.

Family Portraits... Oh so serious

2010-08-13T09:42:00.001-07:00

Shauna has really out done herself this time. She taught her kids to be such good little models that they are so well behaved and easy to photograph. They did exactly as they were told and the photo shoot was a hit. Modeled after a Modern Family episode, this may not be a mud fight... but it was definitely a struggle to get Tanner and Brady to stop goofing around for 10 seconds.

Goodbye Mr. April.... Hello Mr. August.

Lovin' the LAKE

2010-08-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

She slept through pretty much all of her first boat ride.

For some reason, my mom and I remembered this cave being sooooo much cooler. There were only like 2 stalagmites and stalactites, and I think they had put them where they were. Also, not sure who came up with the script for the tour guide because I am pretty sure this wasn't named the Disney cave... how they saw all of those characters in different formations, I have no idea.

Bear lake is one of my most favorite places to spend time. We were lucky enough to spend an entire week up there. Relaxing all day long with no time frame, rollerblading all over town and eating lots of fattening food; what could be better. The only bummer was coming home and having so much to do in so little time.

Bad... Worse... Worst!!!

2010-08-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is a great example of why I will never let Tanner pick out which swim suit I should buy. I love the concept and seeing how much our little family has changed in the last couple of years, but I really think I will have to upgrade to a suit with a little more coverage for next year. Also, these three images would be great birth control for any young girl... babies kill your body... just don't tell them that it is sooooo worth it!

I HATE laundry!!!!

2010-08-06T09:39:00.001-07:00

This image doesn't really need a caption or a description.... I think it is pretty self explanatory that I hate doing laundry and procrastinate it until I have pretty much nothing to wear. This lovely heap that Tanner threw over the banister so I could no longer avoid it... was 10 loads! I don't think I would hate it so much if when I finished I didn't already have 2-3 more loads to do. Any one that loves laundry is welcome to do mine any time.

Baby Archer

2010-07-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

On our way home from the lake... we stayed in Logan one night so that we could meet up and see Shelly and Corbin's beautiful new baby Archer. He is so tiny and makes me really want to have another baby soon. Of course... the mall visit would not have been complete without a ride in a little red car... why does she love it so? Notice the earring pull in the top picture... she is so naughty... I love her.

The Lake for the 4th

2010-07-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

I love the lake and I hope it starts to grow on Tanner. I think Emerson had fun... she got to drive lots of different things and play in the water. Now if it would just warm up a bit.... it might be tolerable. Oh well... we will see if it is in August.

Skating with dad...

She does not want to ride on anyone's shoulders. She crosses her legs to prevent it and then just giggles. It is so funny.

This is becoming one of her frequent model poses. I love it.

She liked the sand as long as only er hands were touching it. She would climb up on whom ever was around and then just play with it with her hands.

She may have enjoyed the ride if the life vest hadn't chocked her the whole time.

Not sure about the life jacket

Love the snuggles when I get them!!!! Doesn't happen all the time but I will take them whenever.

Emerson loves to drive things... cars, four wheelers, tractors... She is in heaven.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

Long-boarding with dad... Grandma pearl hates it.

Clapping for the very first time

Adele feeding Emerson some ice... I love it.

Grandma Annie's 5 greats... Watts children not so happy.

Love this picture of Adair's family... Check out Maggie's face!

Can you spot the dog?

Love this holiday and we have seemed to skip out on most of my childhood traditions the last couple of years. A couple of nights before the 4th, we got to watch lots of fun fireworks at the Gatrell's home (thanks Dave for all of the fireworks). Emerson loved the fireworks and her new friend, Adele. After watching and listening to several fireworks, we have decided that Emerson high pitch scream resembles some of the fireworks. Perhaps that is why the noise didn't bother or scare her.

This year we decided to stick around long enough to attend the Evergreen Parade before heading up to the lake. Lots of fun seeing all of the cousins and watching the parade for the first time in years. Emerson was enjoying it all... up until she got hit in the eye with a piece of taffy. It was a great start to our holiday weekend.

Sun Valley Vacation

2010-07-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

The last week in June we headed up to Sun Valley for Sandie's wedding, my moms BF. The wedding was beautiful and the trip was awesome. Lots of hiking, shopping and lounging makes for a great week. Emerson loved the gondola ride, playing in the fountain, ice cream and napping with grandpa. You can tell just by looking at the pictures that my parents had a miserable time. They almost have to pretend to like the nut. One more tooth made its appearance on this trip... seems like we have to be on vacation for them to pop up. Loved the trip and loved seeing more and more of Emerson's personality develop.

Naughty Nut

2010-07-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

If I updated my blog as fast as Emerson learned new things... I would be doing it daily. I can't even believe how fast her first year is just flying by. Here are a couple of clips from the last week that make me giggle. They show just how naughty and smart our little peanut is. The first clip is one of her sharing her sucker with Bella. Imagine that, we have already taught her to be such a good little sharer. The next couple of clips demonstrate her natural talent for poll dancing and scavenging for candy... I think she picked these skills up from grandma Shauna. The last two clips are her waiving goodbye. She has sort of stopped doing this, but I am glad I caught it on camera while she did. She has this unique way of waving to herself that is so stinkin' cute. We love her so much and hope you love these clips as much as we do.

Happy 30/40 Grandma Annie

2010-06-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

If I hadn't said anything... you would have never known that Grandma Annie just turned 70! For her birthday, we participated in a 5k walk that morning at Wheeler Farm. It was fun to spend the day with family celebrate Carol's amazing life. We love her so much and appreciate all that she does for us. We couldn't be more blessed!

Hogle Reunion

2010-06-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell... I am just now transferring the last couple of months on my camera to my computer. A little over a month ago, my great uncle Huck passed away. We will miss him so much. Despite the sadness that always comes along with a loved ones passing, I was grateful for the opportunity to see so many Hogle family members that I haven't seen in quite a while. For me... it truly was a blast from the past, to see everyone and to be back at the country club. A lot has changed over the years and it was nice to catch up and see people that live so far away. Here are a couple of pictures from that weekend... Tory, I mainly wanted to post these for you because you had told me that you loved following my blog, especially after meeting Mr. April! I didn't have a ton of pictures on my camera, but I got a few...

We dressed as twins for the day... Emerson pulled the look off much better than I did.

She loves her grandpa!!!

We were also able to visit my aunt Lisa's grave. She passed away when I was Emerson's age.

Second times a charm... Eme loved her great great uncle Swifty.

The Babies... Georgia, Micah and Emerson. Eme was very interested in Micah and she attempted to eat him... I would tell you how they are all related, but it would involved 3rd, 4th, or 5th cousins of some sort... too confusing.

The happiest place on earth?!?!?!?!

2010-06-14T08:45:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know its been over a month since we went... but I needed a little time to clear my head about this trip before I wrote about it. Its best to try and forget the last thing you remember about it before you write at all. Seeing as I spent the last 12 hours of it in the van puking my guts out... I thought it would be best to give myself some time. A month later, and I can hardly remember any of the flu like symptoms, cleaning up after Tanner and Eme while they had it or the illnesses that followed.

For Grandma Shauna's 50th, that's right.... 50th birthday, we all crammed into a 15 passenger van and headed off towards the happiest place on earth. One van... one big room... and three babies only sounds bad if you throw in something like the flu... Otherwise, its a blast. All joking aside, Disneyland was a blast. I was shocked at how many rides Emerson could really go on: the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Roger Rabbit, Dumbo and Space Mountain.... Just to name a few. She particularly liked Pirates of the Caribbean because it was dark enough on the boat to nurse. Some things she didn't like so much included: Cruella Deville, Woody, and Grasshopper. Something that we really discovered about her on this trip is that she is a people watcher... How do you tell your 9 month old that it isn't okay to stare?

Things I love about the nut....

She enjoyed listening to music on the iphone... teach them young!
She rocked her bikini even though she was feeling a little under the weather that day!
She got her first 2 teeth and hardly complained!

Looking back... we had so much fun (most of the time) and can't wait to take Emerson back when she is a little bit older.

I like to Move it... I like to move it, MOVE IT!

2010-06-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to post much of anything lately because I am too busy chasing Emerson around. 9 months seems to be her magical number where everything just started happening all at once. It all started when she started to pull herself up on everything. Once she gained confidence in her strength... she tackled crawling. This video clip captures the unique crawling technique that she used in the beginning. It cracked all of us up. Its a good thing I filmed it because it didn't last for long... like everything else she does. Since then... she has learned to read, fold laundry, mow the lawn and drive a car. At this rate, I am afraid of what come next. I'm crossing my fingers that the walking thing doesn't catch on too soon... I'm not ready. Until then, I will keep her in slippery shoes and dresses... they seem to make mobility more of a challenge for her. We are so blessed to have her in our lives and we love spending every minute with her. We couldn't have asked for a happier little girl!

Utah Event Rentals

2010-04-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody... Surprise Surprise, Tanner had to do bigger and better things! We decided... with a couple of our close friends, to add Bounce Houses to our rental business!! Check it out...

If you are planning a birthday party, family reunion or even just a fun summer get together with family and friends then call Utah Event Rentals. We have a boxing ring bounce house, obstacle course and much more to keep the kids and adults entertained all day long. There is also concessions available; cotton candy, pop corn and snow cone machines. There is a SUMMER SPECIAL going on right now. If you book your Bouncer before July 1st then you receive a free concession. Go to http://utaheventrentals.blogspot.com/ to see more pictures and the great low prices. For rentals and questions email us at utaheventrentals@yahoo.com or you can call Maddie: 801-808-0565.

Easter

2010-04-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

I know these pictures are also late... but I couldn't resist posting them. I just got them off of my moms camera and I just love this baby. Could her smile get any bigger? She even likes her sunglasses. Thanks to both sets of grandparents, we had another amazing Easter. I'm pretty sure that it is my FAVORITE holiday. Thanks everyone for making it such an amazing weekend!

The Fruit Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree

2010-04-23T10:04:00.001-07:00

Before the Peanut came... one of our favorite things to do was go to movies. We would go atleast once a week. Now that she is here... we don't seem to go quite as often... But the last couple of weeks we have taken her with us. She will honestly watch for about 20 minutes without taking her eyes of the screen. And of course... she loves all of our favorite concessions that we get when we go... Coke! In the last 2 weeks she has seen 4 movies, but How to Train your Dragon has been her favorite so we saw it twice. She is such a nice Nut.

Don't Ask What A BEAR Says....

2010-04-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

For a couple of weeks, we played this game with Eme. She loved when we would ask her what a kitty or doggy says and then make the noises. I don't know why but I started doing a bear to. Tanner says it was because of the way that I would say it... but either way, it was pretty dang funny to watch how upset she would get about it. This was the day that I showed my mom and she told me I was a very mean mom to do that to my peanut. Don't worry, I didn't traumatize her... she thinks its the funniest thing every now.

Happy Birthday Tanner

2010-04-23T09:37:00.001-07:00

Okay... So I am a little behind on this post (his birthday was in February)... or perhaps it was just something I wouldn't have blogged about... either way, I gave Tanner a set of roller blades for his birthday. He loves them! Ever since, it has become a regular family activity in at our house. At least one night during the week, lets call that night "Family Night," we put them on and ride around our neighborhood and up to Artic Circle for a little treat. Even Bella loves it because she knows she gets a kiddy cone. Emerson loves it even more, especially when she is strapped to Tanner instead of in her stroller (don't freak out everyone, I wouldn't let tanner do it if I didn't think he had extremely good skating skills). Plus, lets me honest... her stroller hasn't been all that safe as of late... wonder why?

Here is Tanner with his sweet new blades... He prefers the kind without a brake and he is still trying to teach me how stopping works without one.

Even my mom has gotten in on the action... let just say that her skills are not up to par.

Finally... The ultimate skate experience was a blast from the past when we went to Classic Skating with Tanner's family for his birthday. And can I say, it was a BLAST. I recommend it to anyone looking to shake up their usually date night activity. In this video, Tanner is skating/dancing to "all the single ladies." He was much more into it until I got my camera out... but here is just a sneak peak (hopefully he doesn't follow our blog because this could get me in big trouble)!

Mr. April

2010-04-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

We tried for another photoshoot with the Jelly Beans, but Peanut wouldn't play... so Tanner had a little fun posing for the camera...We call this look, Mr. April. I guess we know where Emerson got her modeling skills from.. Watch out!

PEANUT as a PIRATE

2010-04-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

For Jackson's Birthday, we attended a pirate party. It was lots of fun and Emerson was a really good sport about it, as usual. She kept her patch on for such a long time. I guess its kinda hard not to become a pirate when your mom is a hooker pirate... Thanks Shauna for helping us come up with these great costumes... needless to say, Tanner wouldn't play.... I guess you could say he was saving up for his Easter photoshoot... more to come on that.

Easter Photoshoot

2010-03-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

As I am sure you have noticed, Emerson has taken over our blog and it has pretty much just become her blog. She has had the same effect on our lives. We can't get enough of her. She is the happiest, nicest baby and we are so blessed to be her parents. On St. Patrick's Day, we decided that it was time for another photoshoot. Shauna captured some pretty amazing pictures. Emerson loves the camera and it clearly loves her. She is always so good and posses so well. Tall and skinny, the perfect model, right? I just love these pictures and I think the very last one is my newest favorite; however, I pretty much have a new favorite every day. How could you not with so many to choose from!!! Thanks again Shauna.

I have a VOICE....

2010-03-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Emerson has figured out that she has a voice. She loves to talk. She is the most vocal when she is trying to fall asleep and right when she wakes up. Its amazing to see how fast she is growing and learning new things. Everyday I notice a difference and see her do something new. My favorite thing in the whole world is to just lie in bed with her for twenty minutes when she first wakes up and just chat with her. On Saturdays, Tanner steals her away so that he can have is one on one conversation time. In this particular clip, I believe she is probably singing because the greatest singer of all time is on in the background and she already loves him! What can I say, she has good taste.

Road Trip

2010-03-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Over Valentines day, we decided to go on a four generation road trip; Grandma Annie, Mom, Eme and myself. We drove down to Yuma, Arizona to stay with Tanner's cute grandparents for a couple days. It was beautiful. The weather was amazing and the food was to die for. After that, we made our way over to San Diego, California so the Emerson could see the ocean... She hated every second of it. We played, did some shopping, met up with my uncle Matt and then headed back to St. George. It was such a fun trip and Emerson was such a good baby. It was really hard to come home.

She may have hated the ocean, but she loved the hot tub!

This is Pat and Vern, Tanner's grandparents. They were too nice to us and we can't wait till they come home.

This is Emerson's reaction to the Ocean. We ate at this cute restaurant on a reserve near Balboa Island. We got to see Dolphins and eat on the beach. It was a lot of fun until she got wet, game over!!!

Its been awhile....

2010-02-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

How about I just update with various favorites from all of the photoshoots that Eme loves so much... she is such a good sport. So grateful to Lil'G for all of the amazing pictures... Yes, this is just January!!!

Piece of Cake

2010-01-02T19:52:00.001-08:00

I told Tanner that this is what it feels like to be pregnant.... He responded, "Serious, and you complained, this would be a piece of cake.... I can do anything like this." Not surprisingly, he couldn't have me help him get it off fast enough twenty minutes later! Thats what I thought.

Emerson Loves Coke

2010-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

We knew it would happen... we just didn't think it would be so soon. Emerson loves Coke. She can't seem to get enough and gets very angry when we take it away. But honestly, can you blame her. It is the best stuff every made!

A Very Merry Christmas

2009-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was a very exciting one for us. Emerson was by far the best Christmas present we could wish for. Surprisingly, she was a lot more interested in Christmas than I thought she would be. She loved all of her presents and loved being the center of attention. We are so blessed to be surrounded by all of our family and grateful for all that they do for us. Thanks everyone for helping make this Christmas one to remember!

This clip shows just how excited Emerson was for Christmas morning!

Here comes Santa Claus...

2009-12-14T12:20:00.001-08:00

It wasn't that long ago that I sat on this very Santa's lap and asked for my very own baby for Christmas, as well as, if he would be willing to help me out. After he informed me that it would be inappropriate for him to do so, he had a long chat with Tanner. Twelve months later and all I can say is that man sure knows how to deliver. Emerson loved him and he loved seeing her. It was a ton of fun. Who knew Santa really did exist? I will never doubt again.

Eme's Blessing Day

2009-12-07T08:52:00.001-08:00

This last Sunday, we blessed Emerson. It was such an amazing day. Even though he was really nervous, Tanner did a great job. Emerson looked so pretty in her dress. Thanks to everyone who was there to support us and for all of your help in making it a memorable day for us. We love you all.

Hike... Cut... Decorate... The Perfect Recipe

2009-11-29T18:33:00.001-08:00

Thanks to an invite from Patrick and Brooke, we joined them and Jim and Jenny for what I would like to become an annual Christmas tradition. We drove down to Spring City, purchased a permit and hiked up the canyon to cut down our Christmas Tree. It was such a blast. Emerson slept through the whole hike and Tanner fell several times (if this does become a tradition, he will definately wear boots and not tennis shoes next year). We followed all of the guidelines and left with three beautiful trees: ours, my moms and grandma annies. I wish I could say that Patrick and Jim followed all of the rules too, however they broke several, just ask them about their 9 ft. tree that they cut 100 feet away from the stream???? More like a 40 ft tree cut in the stream and topped to be 14 ft. Rule breakers. But so much fun, can't wait to do it again.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-11-29T18:25:00.001-08:00

We had a very eventful first Thanksgiving with Emerson. We started by celebrating the night before with the Roberts side of the family. We got to take a picture of Eme with all of her Great Grandma's on my side of the family. Also, she had the chance to sport her new hair extensions. Why can't she have them too if both grandmas and aunts do, why not her? Then it was off to the Purser's house on Thanksgiving afternoon. We topped it off with with dinner and a movie with the Hogle's. That is quite a few parties for such a small peanut... but it was just a warm up for Christmas... Here we come!

Pretty Penguin!!!

2009-11-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year, Emerson was a pissed-off pumpkin and a pretty penguin. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I don't think Eme liked it quite as much as we did. I can't wait til next year when she gets to eat lots of candy, perhaps she will like it just a little bit more then.

Eme's first trip to the ZOO

2009-10-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

The first week in October, we decided to take Emerson to the zoo for the very first time. Actually, it was both babies first trip. I'm not so sure that Eme and Maddux will find it memorable; but we sure had a blast. There were so many baby animals this year. My favorites were obviously the new elephant and the snow leopard. Lots of fun and lots more zoo trips to come.

Family Pictures

2009-10-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

This Sunday... after arriving to church on time just to find out that there was no church... we decided to call Shauna up for a little photoshoot. I believe Emerson begins to experience some withdrawal symptoms if she doesn't have one weekly. These pictures are the result. She was such a good sport for most of it. Thanks Shauna for all of your hard work and creativity... we are so lucky!

The many faces of EME

2009-10-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

Emerson is beginning to become her very own person. She is growing so fast and beginning to show us her little personality. She is so dang funny. Grandma Annie captured just a glimpse of her personality with this hilarious shots. Thanks Grandma... we love them.

Witches Night Out

2009-10-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite new traditions is Witches Night Out. This year, we gathered quite a gang together and dressed up to celebrate. Thanks to an amazing sewer.... everyone had their own unique hat to show off! We had a blast shopping, eating and dancing the night away. What a great break from all of the men and babies. Thanks guys for tending and letting us go out and play! Below is a small clip of some of our spectacular moves... don't make too much fun.

Emerson's 3rd Photoshoot

2009-10-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Emerson is now 7 weeks old. Time really flies and she is getting so big. These pictures still turned out amazing even though she wasn't as big of fan of this photoshoot as she was the last. Thanks Shauna for all of your great ideas and the amazing photos. Thanks mom and grandma annie for all of your help!

Never too Young for an iPhone!!!

2009-09-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

We just thought we would start Emerson off with her very own iPhone. That way, she has plenty of time to fall in love with all of apples amazing products just like we have.

Lots of Smiles!!!

2009-09-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Eme is such a happy baby. Despite what the Dr. says, I know she has been responsive since she was about 2 weeks old. She is smiling all the time, especially when she hears my voice. I love it.

Snuggling Alex

2009-09-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Eme and Alex have something in common... they could nap all day! Its even better when they can nap together!

2009-09-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is Emerson's Second Photoshoot. She is exactly 2 weeks old in these pictures. She was such a good baby and loves having her picture taken. It was so much fun. Thanks Danette and Shauna!