The Whetten Family

Brenden's Smile

2011-12-20T06:10:00.004-07:00

This is the face that we get when we tell Brenden to smile.

Thank goodness, he's happy most of the time, especially when you give him a candy cane.

Phone Pictures

2011-11-01T21:10:00.004-07:00

These are the crazy things that I find on my phone all the time. Here's a few shots.

She made herself into a fairy. Of course! Love this girl with her crazy faces!

Catching Fireflies

2011-11-01T20:55:00.006-07:00

This was one of the most fun things that we did while we were in Tennessee in the summer. This is the reason why we try to go to Tennessee every summer. I think we caught fireflies almost every night we were there. The kids love it because it's so neat to see bugs light up.

I tried to get one to light up for us, but I'm not good with my camera, so this is what I got.

Emi was afraid of them at first, but then later she loved them.

Emi posing and Brenden trying to find the fireflies.

Brenden is so sweaty because he would run and run and try to follow the fireflies. Good workout!

Ripley's Aquarium and Gatlinburg

2011-11-01T13:41:00.013-07:00

We took another trip to the Smokey Mountains to a town called Gatlinburg. It is so pretty up there and so much fun. We went to our favorite stops, the Ripley's Aquarium.

Emi posing for every picture with the fish. She asked me to take pictures of her and of every fish. I have a ton of pictures of Emi, but not so much of Brenden because he hates taking pictures.

Emi swimming with the fish. Nah! There's a tunnel where you can stick your head in the aquarium and act like you are swimming with the fish.

Outside visiting the penguins, but you can't see the penguins. I just love the scenery of Gatlinburg where they have the little stream running down through the town.

My Mom and me.

Then we hit the sights of Gatlinburg. This huge ball weighs an actual ton, but you can move it because it has a thin trace of water all around it, so it kind of floats on the water. Of course, we have to touch it and try it out.

Family Shot minus Baachan.

Then we saw a little pageant girl, so my sister stalked her so that she could get this shot. Emi's favorite show right now is Toddlers and Tiaras. Kind of weird... She's so fascinated with them getting all beautified. I must say that those girls really do look like little dolls up close with all the makeup and hair.

What? I thought we were in Tennessee? :)

My Dad. Thank you for spoiling us all the time. ;) We love you!!! I love how you are holding Emi's pink pony purse.

And finally some shots of the boy who hates taking pictures. We finally got some good ones, IN THE CAR!

Tattoo Night

2011-10-28T16:09:00.004-07:00

My kids love to write on themselves all the time. It's fine if we are not going anywhere, but when we do, it's kind of embarrassing. So anyway, one night we decided to go crazy and Baachan started writing our names in Kanji to make it look like the real tattoos that everyone gets with the Japanese writing. This is what happens...

Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure

2011-10-28T15:27:00.016-07:00

Still catching up from the summer time...

This place is probably one of the coolest theme parks that I have ever been to. I've been there before, but now they have the Harry Potter land, which was AMAZING! They really do capture the feel of Harry Potter. Also the ride was so much fun!!! Forget Disney, and go here!

The train station in the Harry Potter land. The place was so crowded, but we were still able to have a really good time. Crazy, huh? I think my sister and I waited almost two hours just to ride the ride. But it was worth the wait!

Welcome to Hogsmeade. See all the people? Crazy.

My parents were so nice and took my children so that my sister and I could go crazy and ride all the rides. For a moment I felt like an irresponsible teenager and thought, "This is the life! Why didn't I enjoy and appreciate this more when I was a teenager!". Just kidding... :) We got these express passes from Universal which are kind of pricey but so worth it because we didn't have to wait for any of the rides, except for the Harry Potter ride. But like I said before, so worth it!

Emi and Brenden had a blast at the Dr. Seuss land. I think she liked Universal more than Disney.

This picture cracks me up! Brenden loved being by the dinosaurs at Jurassic Park. As you can see, Emi is not in the picture because she is afraid.

Butterbeer. Mmmm.... so good. Get the frozen one, taste better. My cute sister modeling for us here.

Emi loves her Auntie!

Baachan being cute and Grandpa... well, I must say that it fits his personality. Hahaha...

Disney World

2011-10-24T20:56:00.013-07:00

While we were in TN with my parents, they took us down to Florida for a little family vacation. I'm more familiar with Disney World than I am with Disneyland because we use to go quite frequently when we were growing up. It was fun to be there with everyone and see Emi enjoy the place of her dreams. Come on... who doesn't have fun at Disney World?

Baachan with her grandkids.

This time Emi was not into the characters or princesses, so it was nice that we didn't have to wait in line to see any of them. She was more into the rides. My little girl is growing up. *tear, tear...*

Brenden on the other hand did not like Disney World too much. This is what happens when you drag a stubborn, hard headed two year old to Disney World.

Pinocchio at the Parade. The parades are so much fun!

Grandpa and Brenden watching the parade. It was so hot!!! God bless Grandpa for doing that for Brenden. :) That's the bad thing about going to Disney World in the summer time. Definitely prefer Christmas time in Florida.

Then we headed off to Epcot to eat some good food around the world. Love that place!

Of course, being a Japanese family, we went to Japan and ate our dinner there. Oishikatta!!! It really does feel like you are in Japan. Epcot does really good job of getting the authentic feel for each country. I wish I took a picture of the pastry that we ate in France. So good!!! I want some right now as I'm doing this. I guess I got to go back next year. :)

I wore Crocs on this day and my feet were killing me. I thought Crocs were supposed to be comfortable, but they are not. I don't know how my kids live in them because they hurt. Why did I buy Crocs in the first place?

Fun trip and like I said before, going to have to go back next year!

Tennessee Trip: Smokies Baseball

2011-08-30T14:11:00.005-07:00

For the summer we went back to Tennessee for a MONTH to go visit my family because Blaine was busy with Zion's Camp for the Young Men. We've been back for a month now, but I haven't documented the things that we did there. I think we did so much, that I feel a little overwhelmed with everything and don't want to take on this daunting task. So I'll start slow and hopefully I'll be able to finish up with everything.

My dad took us to the Smokies game while we were up there. It was the hottest day ever! It was like Arizona heat with the humidity, so it was a killer. I think we only stayed four innings, till we had to throw in the towel and beg my Dad to take us home. :) But for the most part we had a good time. I guess the pictures really tell you how we were feeling that day.

My sister and Emi eating at one of my favorites restaurants, The Chop House. You should go there if you are ever in Tennessee. I'm not sure if it is only a TN thing, or a south thing, but it good. The bread is yummy.

Posing as a baseball player.

Super hot day!

We had to go a little white trash and let the boy go shirtless at the baseball game.

This is how we felt at the end of the game. We nicknamed this picture as the "Baseball face". All I can say is that pictures don't lie.

Fourth of July 2011

2011-08-24T13:55:00.013-07:00

I'm so behind, but if I don't start documenting things then I never will. Also the timing of my blog is kind of all messed up because I can't keep up anymore. I wish blogger had a way to change the order of your post. They probably do, but I don't have time to look into it. But who really reads this anyway... right? ;)

Anyway, this Fourth of July we were fortunate to spend time with family at the Whetten's Ranch. We were also very lucky to have my sister and Grandma Neva there to celebrate the Fourth. It's so nice to just relax and enjoy family and the outdoors. I guess I was enjoying my surroundings a little too much and probably everyone else was busy working. Sorry... But anyway it was a nice, relaxing, and fun trip for the family.

The kids got to play with sparklers while we were there. I wanted to get some big fireworks, since we are at a ranch and no one is around us, but decided that it probably wasn't a good idea with all the fires that we have had in AZ this year.

The next day, the kids went swimming in these horse water pails (I think that's what you call them?). They had so much fun in them. Emi and Charly Jae swimming together. Emi is covering her ears because there was a thunderstorm coming and it was seriously the loudest thing that I have ever heard in my life. I'm not sure if it's because it was really close or something about being out in the middle of no where that makes it louder.

Greysen with his diving mask.

We found this frog/toad (not sure what it is) but it was HUGE and GROSS! Can you see it? There were all kinds of animals that were coming out because the animals knew that a storm was coming in. We saw a mouse and a rattlesnake while we were there. On a funny side note, my mother-in-law is probably the toughest women that I know because she almost killed a mouse with her bare hands. We were screaming like babies, but she steps right up and slaps the mouse with her hand. She killed it, not with her hands, but she stabbed it. She is tough! I know for sure that I cannot do that.

And what could make this trip the best? Eating, of course. There was plenty of eating, so I can't complain. Thank you to the Whetten's for a fun time and also the servicemen for protecting this great nation.

First Day of Preschool

2011-08-16T22:04:00.010-07:00

Emi started preschool today at Rogers Ranch Preschool. I was getting a little sad the day before because she wasn't going to be with me like she usually is connected to my hip. :) I thought she was going to have a hard time at first, but she was so ready to go. She came back and had such a nice time and I enjoyed my free time that I thought to myself that I should have done this sooner.

Emi getting ready to go to school. Of course, Brenden had to join her.

Emi at preschool getting ready to start her day. She kind of has the "I'm scared" smile.

Emi and Brenden. They play so well with each other. I think Brenden is going to miss having Emi around.

Ok... Maybe not, maybe he'll be just fine without her.

Brenden's Boo Boo

2011-05-26T17:21:00.003-07:00

This is Brenden's boo boo when he fell off the top of the jungle gym face forward. He kind of has a Hitler mustache. Poor kid...

Goodyear Ballpark

2011-05-22T15:28:00.008-07:00

Who knew that we had a ballpark so close to our house? And a nice one, too!!! I don't know about you, but I was pretty shocked. We totally missed spring training this year, but next year we are going to have to mark our calendars to come out here for some games.

In the middle of April, we got to tour the Goodyear Ballpark where the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds come out for Spring Training. It was cool to go behind the scenes to all the different areas of the ballpark. The one place I really wanted to go on was the baseball field, but they had just fertilized the grass, so we weren't able to. Shoot, one day...

I have no idea who this mascot is, or what he was doing or representing. But I thought my kids would like this mascot because he kind of looks like Patrick from Spongebob, but they didn't.

Emi posing in front of the baseball field. Seriously, how do they get their grass so green and pretty? I want my grass to look like that. I wonder if they have a type of grass called baseball field grass. Well, anyway, that's what I want.

In the locker room. Emi is like, "Mom, stop taking pictures of me already!". Sorry, but your brother hates having is picture taken, so sorry, it's just you.

What a fun experience! Next spring, we'll be there!

Girl's Night Out

2011-05-22T14:31:00.009-07:00

I took a brief hiatus from the blogging world, but I'm ready to catch up and document what's been going on with the family.

In the beginning of April, Emi and I had a girl's night out with some of our friends to go see Disney Princess on Ice. It was so much fun to be with her and see the excitement on her face as she saw all the Disney Princesses. I know this princess stage will pass soon, so I'm just enjoying this age.

The girls got all dressed up to go to the show. Even the mom's too... just kidding... that would be a little scary. :)

Mommy and Daughter

A picture with all the princess. I was pretty impressed with show. The last ice skating show that I can remember is the Icecapades (sp?, remember that one from the 80's). It's so old that I can't even remember that one. But if you have a little girl, you definitely have to take her to this show.

The Fairy Godmother flew close to us, so of course, I had to take a picture of her.

After the show was done, we walked out of the US Airway center and there was fireworks from the opening season game of the Diamondbacks. So we stayed and watched the fireworks. The girls thought it was for them, so it made the night extra special.

We love the Zoo!

2011-04-17T08:19:00.009-07:00

Last week we went to the zoo to see the grand opening of their Orangutan Exhibit. Any reason to go to the zoo is fine with me, but I must say that the Orangutan's are my favorite things to see.

They totally revamped the exhibit and now you can walk through to see the monkeys.

The baby Orangutan rolling down the hill.

Then after as always, play at the Little People playground.

Chase and Emi making mud. That's what Emi told me.

And of course, we have to ride the Merry-Go-Round. Forget Disneyland, this is Brenden's favorite place on earth.

We love the zoo!!!

Sleeping Beauty Play at the Broadway Palm

2011-04-06T15:50:00.008-07:00

Last week Tuesday, we had the opportunity to go to the Sleeping Beauty play at the Broadway Palm in Mesa. I had some hesitations about going, but I was so wrong and it was really good and the girls had so much fun.

Emi and Elyse waiting for the play to start.

Elyse cracks me up and bust out a little wink in the picture. Love this girl!

The Broadway Palm Theater is a Dinner Theater, so they fed us a kid friendly buffet style lunch before it started. Emi loved it because it had all her favorite foods and said the restaurant was really really good. What can I say... she's pretty simple.

The Stage. The show was so good and it was so professionally done. My only complaint was that the Prince was kind of weird, but hey... I know... it's a dinner show in Mesa.

Then at the end of the show there was a Meet and Greet with the cast where they could take pictures and sign autographs. Elyse loved it, but Emi was kind of shy with the scary characters in the play.

Overall, it was so good and I would highly recommend it! Thank you to the Mitchell family for watching Brenden and making this possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We had so much fun with Elyse!

Emi's Last Day of Dance

2011-03-31T07:15:00.003-07:00

Emi took dance lessons again in the Spring because she loved it so much from the first time she took lessons in the Winter. And me being the lazy mom, I didn't take pictures till the last day of class.

Emi and Talia

Stttrreeching

For their last day of class, they got to dress up and do a solo to whatever song that they wanted. I was pretty nervous for Emi, but she was excited about the idea. She practiced at home, but when it was time to do the dance at class, she kind of got a little shy and I think her brother out did her in her dance performance as he joined her on the dance floor.

But here's a little clip-it of her dance that she did at home. Please ignore the clutter in my house.

Emi's Anastasia Dance on Vimeo.

Emi's Dance Class - Spring 2011
These girls are too cute!!!

Happy Girl's Day

2011-03-31T06:49:00.006-07:00

Girl's Day this year was on March 3rd. Yes, I know I've been lazy because it's April 1st now.

It's so much fun celebrating this Japanese holiday with Emi. Brenden is lucky to enjoy the benefits of having a sister. :)

This year Blaine took us girls out to dinner, so that I wouldn't have to cook. I didn't want to go far, so our only choice here was AppleBee's.. :( Oh well... at least I didn't have to cook.

The Girls.

Then after it's tradition to have cake in Japan for Girl's day.

Here's the kids getting excited for their cake.

And waiting patiently to eat their cake...

And what did Emi get for her Girl's Day present???

A big ole shiner on her head!!!
She was riding on her bike, when she fell down and head planted on the road. She was so funny and said, "Mom, my boo boo looks like the street!." It really does! It looks like the street was stamped on her forehead. Really strange... but kind of funny. That's my lesson for wearing a helmut, though.

Happy Girl's Day!

Baachan and Auntie's Trip to AZ

2011-03-02T15:12:00.025-07:00

We were so lucky to have both my mom and sister visit us here in Arizona. My mom stayed for two weeks and my sister made it for the President's Day weekend.

First off, we have a tradition of going to Cracker Barrel every time that we see my family. I'm not sure why it's Cracker Barrel, but for some reason Emi loves this place because they have good comfort food but more importantly, she can get a toy and candy at the store. When she talks to my family she always ask her Baachan and Grandpa to take her to Cracker Barrel and it always works out because there's a Cracker Barrel in every state (I think?), especially in Tennessee.

Emi and Baachan posing at Cracker Barrel

Then we played countless hours in the sandbox. My mom loved the sandbox! I think she was living out her childhood in there , but the kids loved her being in the sandbox and playing with them.

My sister came out here from BYU and the next day we went to the zoo. And guess who we saw there??? Shawna and her kids!!! I was so excited. It kind of brought me back to the old days when I would get to see her and her family because she used to live less than a minute away. But it was so much fun to hang out with her and her kids for just a little bit. Miss you guys!

Emi with Sydney and Theron. I can't believe how big they have become.

It was a cool cloudy day and because of this, the animals were so alive. There were giraffes running all around. I was pretty excited, so I took a picture of a giraffe because I never get this close to them. My mom looked at me funny and said, "Aika, don't you come here all the time? Why are you so excited?" Ok, maybe it was not that cool.

My sister and I.

My crazy boy. All he really cared about was the kettle corn at the zoo. As soon as we went through the gates, he smelled it and wanted popcorn.

The Girls.

My boy has really long beautiful eyelashes, but if you look at his right eye, you'll see that he pulled them all off! He has a few on the sides, but if you look at him closely, you'll see that in the center of his eyes he has no eyelashes. GEEZ...

I thought that this was a good picture of everyone. We are all looking at the same direction and smiling. Pretty rare...

Emi's favorite person in the world.

While we were there, we decided to go on the paddle boat with Emi. She loved being out in the water and was trying to look for mermaids. Random, yes.

Brenden was jealous and had this face the whole time we were in the boat. Poor kid...

My cute sister!

Where's Emi?

Then the next day... we all got sick and stayed home for the next couple of days. My mom had the flu AND cold and Emi got an ear infection. So, my poor sister helped us all recover on her break. Sorry... :(

Emi's highlight of her Auntie's visit was that she got her first mani and pedi. She had so much fun getting her nails done. (I am in big trouble because she's only 3 years old.)

After we got better, we decided to take a trip to the Mesa Temple and just walk around the grounds.

We went to Freestone Park up in Gilbert to ride the train, but it was CLOSED. So again, we just walked around the park and took pictures.
Baachan trying to get a good picture with the kids, but again we failed. I thought the scenery was beautiful though.

Then later that night we played with some fire crackers. Hopefully that's legal here, I'm not sure. I think it was a little too early to bust out the firecrackers for Brenden because he kept on wanting to touch them. But for Emi, she loved them.

Popping some little ones with Dad.

We also went to a "Matsuri" Japanese Festival at the downtown ASU campus. It was fun to walk around and see all the exhibits, but most of the time it was interesting to see all the "Anime" people. They are for sure "different" kind of people. Very interesting...
I thought that this was a pretty bonsai tree and wanted to get it, but I thought I would kill it, so I decided not to and just let the professionals take care of it.

See how pretty it is? But I would kill it for sure.

Then on the last day we went to eat at Texas Roadhouse.
Us with our goofy kid.

Emi loves her Baachan!

Whew! I'm finally done, this was a long one. We had so much fun and miss you all already and can't wait to see you soon! Thank you so much Baachan and Auntie!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T13:01:00.011-07:00

So... I tried to get everyone in the spirit of Valentine's day and dressed everyone in red, even my husband. Here's our attempt for a family picture.

Blaine must be sinking in the couch or I have really poofy hair.

Dad and the kids. Brenden is so over it and wants the picture to be done with.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas with Family

2011-01-08T15:53:00.005-07:00

Every year we are so blessed to have Christmas with family. It truly amazes me that we can do this because when I was growing up we only had Christmas with our little family because we lived so far away from extended family. I'm so happy that my children get to grow up with so much family around them.

This year we were doubly blessed because we got to see family from both sides. My Grandma, Auntie, and Uncle from Maui got to visit us before and after Christmas.

Cousins (Keely and Ryen), Auntie Merle, and Grandma with Emi. Emi was in heaven being able to play with Keely and Ryen.

Emi resting with Keely at Bounce Jungle in Gilbert.

Brenden with my Uncle Alvin aka Grandpa. Brenden doesn't go to many people, but because my Uncle looks like my Dad, he would go to him and play with him.

Then later that evening we went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner as a family and we were all so happy, UNTIL everyone got the flu!
(Rare picture of Brenden actually smiling at the Rainforest Cafe.)

We were planning on being with the Whetten's the next day, but everyone was too sick, so we went to see them on Christmas day. As a result, we were able to open our presents on Christmas Eve with our family. All I can say is that Christmas is not really all that fun when you are sick. I feel like I was the worst mom and just let everything slide. I'll try harder next time and the key is to not procrastinate. I procrastinated BIG time.
Here's our little model posing with all her presents.

Then we traveled on over to see Blaine's side of the family. We were able to spend Christmas at their ranch. It was a lot of fun being able to see and hang out with everyone.
Brenden was able to hang out with his cousin, Kase. They are two weeks apart and they loved being able to play with each other. I think they thought it was cool to have someone that acted and had the same interest as them. I wish we were closer, so that they could play more often.... :(

Cousins: Emi, Charly, and Cash
Emi had so much fun playing with her cousins. I love that they play all day and I don't really have to watch her. I'm also am so amazed at how nice they are to each other because they never fight. It's the greatest!

Highlights from this trip:
-Emi got to ride a horse all by herself! Wish I was there to take pictures, but I think Dad got one on his phone.
-Got to shoot guns. I'm not much of a gun shooter, but hey... we did it.
-Ate a lot of good food. Can't go wrong with eating good food, probably gained 10 lbs for it.
-Spent time together with the family. We all live in the same state and are fairly close, but rarely get together that often because of busy schedules.

Overall, it was a great Christmas and even though we were sick for Christmas, we are so blessed to be able to spend it with family. Thank you to everyone!

My Little Ballerina

2011-01-04T14:50:00.005-07:00

So... early in December, Emi had a ballet recital. (I'm so behind on my blogging.)

All I can say is that it was the cutest thing ever having three year olds do their dance. I thought Emi was going to freeze up and not do a thing, but she was having the time of her life showing off for her Daddy. She was having too much fun that she forgot some of her parts. :)

These class pictures are too funny. It was the hardest thing to get all three year olds to smile at the same time. Which one do you think is the best picture of all of them? Hard question, right? So that's why I had to put all three.

Some girly girl pictures of her.

We are so proud of you, Emi! Good job!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-18T08:17:00.002-07:00

Poor Santa...

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-09T06:28:00.017-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving my family decided to crash at my house and spend some fun loving quality time with each other. My parents came from Tennessee and my sister and her friend, Eric came from BYU and BYU Idaho.

Thanksgiving is seriously one of my favorite holidays because you don't have to really get ready for anything, maybe the Thanksgiving Feast, but basically you just hang out with family and friends and EAT! (My favorite thing to do.)

While my family was here we decided to go to the ZooLights. Emi had so much fun and enjoyed looking at all the lights.

The Family

Rika and Eric

Then the men had some quality time and went to a PHX Sun's game which went to double overtime and they lost. Our family has the worst of luck. If we like a team, then almost always the team loses. So if you want to gamble, ask us what team we are rooting for and then choose the other... and for sure you'll win.

Silly Guys

Then we had some good times at the Scottsdale Train Park.

My Emi

Basically the whole time they were here, we ate and ate and ate. Seems like we went to every single restaurant in Phoenix. I probably gained ten pounds while they were here. I've been spoiled the last couple of months because I've seen my family every single month now since August. Anyone want to plan a trip for January? :)

Thanks for all coming and we'll miss you!

18 months!! Woo! Woo!

2010-12-01T13:06:00.006-07:00

On the 28th my sweet little boy FINALLY turned 18 months!!! Can I get a Hallelujah?!! Seriously have been counting down the days for him to go into nursery and it has finally come!!! :)

We went to the doctor and here's his 18 month stats:

Weight - 27 lbs. 11 oz. 50-75% (He has lost a little bit of weight. Thank goodness! My arm has been killing me.)
Height - 33.7 inches 85%
Head - 19.9 inches 97% (What can I say... our kids have HUMONGOUS heads.)

Things that he likes to do:
-Loves to play with Emi and copy everything that she does.
-Loves balls, trucks, and anything that rolls which includes Emi's toy stroller. He hates the baby in it and throws it out of the stroller.
- Such a good sleeper, you can put him anywhere and he'll sleep. He dives into his crib because he's so happy to be there.
-Little trouble maker, not little, maybe BIG. Loves to get into everything and has a little temper.
But overall has a sweet personality and loves to hug and kiss everything including his Mommy.
My little boy wearing his sister's butterfly headband thingy. Not too happy as you can see, but kind of funny.

Happy Happy Birthday!

2010-11-13T21:07:00.007-07:00

Last week was the big man's 30th birthday! I think he was a little embarrassed and just wanted the day to pass by, but hello... it's your 30th birthday, so you have to celebrate it BIG! We were hoping to get away and go somewhere to celebrate his birthday, but we were just a little too busy, so we'll just have to wait. :(

As a result, we celebrated with our little family by going out to eat at Claim Jumper's and then had a little birthday party with the family. Blaine's birthday is two days after Halloween, so we were kind of sugared out from all the candy and junk. But I surprised him and made him a cake. It's not the prettiest, but hey... it's a cake, right?

The kids trying to blow out his candles.

We partied so hard, that I found this little guy passed out on the floor.
Lately, he's been doing this a lot. When I don't hear him, it's usually because he's passed out or causing trouble.
I wish I could do this... When I get tired, just pass out on the floor. Oh the joys of being a kid.

Happy Birthday Blaine! Hope you had a very special day! We love you and hope that the 30's treats you well as the 20's did!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-06T21:19:00.013-07:00

This year was another eventful and fun Halloween! Sometimes I think I overkill it a little, but I know that the kids won't stay young forever, so I try to do as many things as I can. But in the end I pay for it and just have to lay low and rest for about a week after.

This year my girl was Cinderella and my boy was a cute little skeleton. Emi says skeleton kind of funny, so when she does say it, it comes out sounding like "Satan." So when people ask what her brother is for Halloween, they think he's Satan.

We also had some Halloween fun at Schnepf Farms with the Palfreemans.

Then finally, Halloween Party at the Abeggs.
Emi showing off her pumpkin.

Brenden swinging in the swing with his buddy, Carter.

The kids bobbing for apples.

Everyone happy with their candy. I'm pretty amazed that we were able to get this group shot. Must be the candy...

My family has had another successful Halloween. Thanks to everyone for all the Halloween fun!!!

Desert Botanical Garden: Pumpkin Festival

2010-11-02T06:43:00.011-07:00

Two weeks ago we were invited to the Desert Botanical Garden to go to their pumpkin festival. We have never been there because... I don't know why we haven't been there, but it's such a fun place to go.

Our friend Eli and Emi holding hands to go on the hayride.

A little family picture on the hayride that took us to the pumpkin patch.

Emi posing in the hay maze. Isn't supposed to be a corn maze? I just realized that right now.

Brenden happy with the pumpkins.

The kids got to pick a pumpkin and decorate it to take home. Emi decorated her pumpkin all by herself.

They had a blue grass band playing at the pumpkin patch field. I thought I was back in TN. Brenden loved it and had so much fun dancing. The band was great because if they saw you dancing, they would throw beads for you to wear; therefore, my little girl danced hard because she loves her jewelry.

Group picture of everyone!

Thank you so much Polly and Eli for inviting us! We had such a nice time. Definitely going to try to make this a tradition for the years to come.

Fall Trip to Tennessee

2010-11-01T14:51:00.006-07:00

In the beginning of October, the kids and I decided to go back to Tennessee for two weeks to visit my family. I guess this was more of MY vacation than for anyone else in the family. It was good to kick back and relax and have mom take over for a little while. I think I kicked back and relaxed a little too much because at the end of my trip my mom threw out her back and she needed her cane to help her walk. hahaha... Sorry Mom! :(

The best part of going back to TN was seeing all the leaves change colors. Now I've had my full dose of Fall. I loved it! We mostly let the kids play with the leaves outside in the backyard. They loved having so much room to run around and get CRAZY!

Emi and her Grandpa

Rolling around in the grass. I'm so sorry, seems like my son never has any pants on.

The beautiful tree in my parents backyard changing colors. I miss my seasons...

Brenden's best friend, Piko

While we were there, we went to the Knoxville Zoo with Baachan.

I'm not sure if we'll be able to go to a pumpkin patch this year, but this counts right even though it was at the zoo?

Then we went to Dollywood while we were there. We didn't get to see Dolly there this time. Emi has been there so many times but she couldn't ever remember going. She said that her three favorite places to go is first, Disneyland, second, Dollywood, third, Chuck E Cheese. She's lucky because we went to all three.

The best thing about Dollywood was that there was a bunch of kiddie rides that I could just leave my kids on and let them ride. It's so nice that Brenden is finally getting old enough to do things by himself.

Then we rode on my favorite ride in the world, "Barrel of Fun". Happiness...

Pictures from Chuck E Cheese
Emi protecting her little brother.

Me with the little monster.

Emi’s sad face at the airport because we were leaving TN. This girl cracks me up… I think she was making fun of me because I was in tears saying goodbye to my family. (Playing with my iPhone again.)

Thanks Baachan and Grandpa for the fun trip! We are so lucky that we get to see you AGAIN in a month! Can't wait! Love you!

Play Date

2010-10-22T14:28:00.005-07:00

I just had to post these pictures up because they are too cute! Here's Chase and Emi playing in the (I don't even know what you call it?) ball bucket thingy. It's so tiny, but it's so funny how two of them can fit in it. These kids are seriously the best of friends and are like brother and sister because they have grown up with each other. I have really never seen them fight and they just have this love for each other. This was our last Near playdate (if that makes any sense...) because this special family moved away to the other side of town. Thank goodness it's not out of state, but it's still not close. We'll miss you!

See how tiny the bucket thingy is? So cute!

The Studs.

Brenden doing his GQ pose in his diaper.

Disneyland Trip

2010-09-26T20:48:00.006-07:00

This trip was so last minute, but since my mom was coming in for two weeks this month, we decided to just go and take advantage of the extra help. We are so not spontaneous, so this is way out of line for us, but we are glad that we decided to just do it.

Now that I think about it, this is our family's first Disneyland trip ever. I've been to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney World many times, but never to Disneyland. And Blaine, let's just say he's not the Disneyland type; hence the "never been to Disneyland".

Emi had so much fun and I can't believe that she was so excited to see all the Disney characters because she usually freaks out with Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and so forth. This trip was all about her and I'm so happy that we were able to take her. Brenden unfortunately won't remember a thing, but he had fun too.

Dad and Emi

The whole family in Pixie Hollow.

Emi meeting Tinkerbell. She was just amazed to see her in person, I think it shocked her a little bit. So cute to see how Emi's eyes just light up when she meets her. I love her innocence and amazement.

"It's a small world after all..."

Disneyland has this Fantasy Fair area where they can meet all the Princesses and do all the girly stuff. Emi was in HEAVEN! She loved it so much that we had to go there everyday.

Emi and Princess Tiana.

Brenden not so much of a fan of Princess Tiana.

She looks a little uncomfortable with Princess Jasmine, maybe because she's wearing no clothes. :)

My favorite was Ariel. Here's Emi telling how old she is.

My boy waiting patiently while his sister does all her girly stuff. I know that will soon change and we'll have to start separating because he will not want to take part in any of this princess stuff.

Then Emi wanted to get her face painted. After she got it done, she loved it and said, "Mommy, now everyone will like me because I'm so PRETTY!" Then Blaine replied, "I liked you even when you were ugly." Oh geez... I think we are going to have one out of control teenager.

This is the funniest picture of the two kids because Emi is showing Brenden her pretty painted face and he's looking at her and thinking... "What the heck is on your face?"

Brenden loved Eeyore.

On the Dumbo Ride...

The next day we went to California Adventure which was nice because there were less people there and the kids were already so tired from the day before. Still a lot of fun though...

Emi wanted to see Mickey Mouse so bad, but we couldn't find him till the second day. So when we did find him she was so happy to see him.

Emi made TWO friends here. This little girl wanted to take a picture with Emi so badly because they had the same dress on.

Then, of course, we had to go back to the princess place again so that Emi could get her face painted. She was a pro at this and the people waiting kept asking me if she was dead because she would be so still and peaceful while having her face painting done.

See... So relaxed and peaceful. :)

The finished product.

Family picture! So tired, can't even stand...

My mom at the end of the day. Too funny!!

It was such a fun trip and I can't believe that we did it. Thank you, thank you Baachan!! We couldn't have done it without you. Anyone want to come with us next year? :) Don't tell Blaine I said that.

Visitors!

2010-08-30T14:49:00.008-07:00

Last week Friday, my sister and her boyfriend came over from BYU during their summer break to come visit us in deadly hot AZ. Seriously, not the best time to come visit Arizona. But even with the heat, we had fun having them come and play with us.

My son's happy face because of all the extra attention.

We got season passes to Wet N' Wild this year but each time we go there, I always forget to bring my camera. This time I had a lot of help with the kids, so I didn't forget it.

Rika and Eric

While they were here we went to Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall and then to Sprinkles cupcake to see what the hype is with these cupcakes.

They were good, but not crazy enough to go back to Scottsdale to get some more good. But I must say that they do wrap the cupcakes pretty darn cute.

And more cute pictures of the kids and my sister.

This one taken at Chandler Mall on the train.

Overall, it was so much fun having family and also the extra help with the kids was nice too! Thanks Rika and Eric for coming to visit. It was a lot of fun and we hope to see you again soon. Good luck this Fall!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-08-17T22:00:00.010-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us!

Last Saturday was our 6th year anniversary! Who would have thought that we would have lasted this long? :) Just kidding...
We were so lucky to go on a date without the kids and decided to go to Grimaldi's in Scottsdale because we've heard so many good reviews. The result is... it did not disappoint and it was a cute little place to get your NY brick oven pizza fix. It helped that the salad was also very yummy too.

Here's us trying to take a picture while waiting to be seated. I just got an iPhone 4 for my birthday and I've been having so much fun with it, but still trying to figure out how to work this INCREDIBLE machine. To those thinking about getting an iPhone... don't delay, go get one. (Apple should pay me for this advertisement... I wish...)

Then I realized that you could turn it sideways and take a picture. Yes, I know... I'm an idiot.

Check out this pizza. I think Blaine is struggling here to finish the pizza or mad because I'm taking the picture in the restaurant. I think it's the latter one.

It was nice to spend time together and reminisce about the past six years of our life and see how fast our lives have changed. I just realize how blessed I am to have such wonderful children and also a great husband. Thanks to our babysitters for allowing us this special night! Thank you!

This next thing is Emi trying to figure out the IPhone camera. I think she took my phone and shot these when I wasn't looking because I saw these pictures on my phone the other day and was cracking up.

Here's the first shot of her trying to figure out how to take a picture.

Trying to smile and take a picture at the same time...

Didn't quite make it, so trying again and not getting her whole face.

And finally... PERFECT!

One year older, and maybe wiser...

2010-08-06T11:09:00.007-07:00

Last week Wednesday, I got older.... Yikes. It was a crazy and hectic day on my birthday, but it was still so much fun.

We went to Tempe Splash Park in the morning and brought Emi's friend, Sydney. Here's them doing what they do best... Eating!

Then we went to Mojo's for some yummy yogurt and came home and played all day. We'll miss you Bryan Family!!! (Warning to Families here in Laveen: Don't move or I'll be sad... )

Then the next day, we had my pie and celebrated my birthday. I chose pie this year because I feel like I've been over caked with the kids birthdays in May. Plus, Village Inn has this Hawaiian Pie with strawberries and pineapple... mmmm... so good. They were all sold out, so I didn't get it this year. Too bad... Oh well.

Had the kids help me blow out my candles.

And the best present that I got this year is... a walking Brenden!!! Woo Hoo! Can we let out a sigh of relief? Seriously, I was a little worried there. I started getting worried when everyone younger than him started not walking, but running already. He started walking that week, so it was perfect timing for my birthday. He was already into a lot of things just crawling, but now it's worse. He loves the bathrooms and you know what that means...

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes, cards, presents and flowers. I feel so blessed to have great family and friends in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

My Little Artist

2010-08-02T15:29:00.006-07:00

Emi one day drew on her magna doodle and brought it up to me and said, "Look, I made Grandpa!" I was pretty amazed because first of all, I didn't even know that she could draw faces and second, it was a pretty darn good drawing of my dad for a 3 year old. This shows how much I pay attention to my daughter... sad... But anyway, I took a picture of it and now I am definitely more aware of her drawings and I must say they are pretty good.

Here's the comparison, my Dad.

Ok, maybe he's not that hard to draw, but I think Emi got it pretty good.

And here is the little artist with her messy hair.

Winter in July at the Zoo

2010-07-23T14:04:00.012-07:00

Some friends of ours invited us to go to the zoo because they were having winter in July at the zoo. My first thought was, "Who goes to the zoo in the summer especially in Arizona?" But as soon as they told me that there was going to be snow there, I was in.

Brenden with "Hawailan Vacation" Santa. We tried to put Emi in there, but she was said, "NO WAY!" At least she gave Santa a "Hi Five". Baby steps, baby steps...

They had piles of snow (or maybe little chunks of ice) on the ground for the kids to play with. This picture portrays exactly how much they liked the snow.

Then we went to go see some of the animals. My favorite thing to go see at the zoo are the Orangutans. I like to see the baby Orangutan because he reminds me so much of Brenden. Can you see the resemblance?
All the animals had some kind of snow or popsicle to celebrate the winter in July theme.

Blaine and Emi, and Santino and their cute boy, Eli. We know Polly and Santino back from our BYU days. Polly, Blaine and I were actually all in the same ward at BYU.

These boys were so cute. I hope that they get to be really good friends in the future.

As always, before you leave the zoo, you have to ride on the carousel. It's so nice now that Brenden can ride on it too. My boy is growing up. tear, tear...

It was a fun day at the zoo and we were so glad that we got to cool down a little bit from the heat with the snow. Polly and Santino - Thanks for inviting us and we had so much fun hanging out with your family!

You drove 5 hours to where?

2010-07-17T13:28:00.010-07:00

Yes, last weekend we drove 5 hours to Big Lake. Big Lake, AZ is located right around the NE of Arizona. It was beautiful to get out of the heat and enjoy the mountains and the fresh air. It kind of reminds me of being in Utah.

We were there to attend Blaine's family camp out. This camp out is only the grandkids of Blaine's mom's family, so it's just a bunch of people our age and their families. It was really fun to hang out and have the kids play with their cousins. I told Blaine that I am kind of impressed that the Grandkids do this camp out because their family is so big, but everyone is relatively close and remains friends.

Here's the kids getting ready to leave for our long drive.

Emi with her princess fishing pole. She never let go of that fishing pole for the whole trip.

Dad and Brenden at the camp site. Look at how Brenden is more interested in the Diet Coke, than taking pictures. We have an addict... not good. :(

Greysen, Preslee, and my silly daughter. She was so excited to see her cousins, that's why she was making funny faces. I don't think I have one picture of her smiling nicely.

I'm not much of a camper, so we decided to get a cabin. It was good that we did because it was kind of rainy there at Big Lake. But Emi wanted to stay so badly, so maybe next time we'll do the whole camping experience. I think... :)

We saw a lot of wildlife there, here's a picture of a deer from the car. It's kind of small, can you see it?

and Brenden, just being Brenden and so happy playing in the dirt and being one with nature.

All the great grandkids.

Everyone at the camp out.

The Family

We will see all you Allreds soon, if not soon, then next year for sure at the Allred Round Table Camp Out. It was fun and we are so glad that we could make it.

Fun with Baachan and Grandpa in AZ

2010-06-26T16:00:00.024-07:00

This past week we had my parents come into town from dropping off my sister and her boyfriend at BYU. They were a little crazy and decided to drive from East Tennessee and then go to Utah, then to Rexburg, ID, then finally come visit us in Phoenix.

It was so nice to have them come over and visit since we haven't seen my side of the family since Christmas.

This Father's Day was extra special because the kids got to spend it with their Grandpa and their Dad. We decided to go up to South Mountain at the Dobbins Lookout Point. It was so pretty to see Phoenix and enjoy the natural scenery of the hot Arizona desert. Hahaha... not much to look at. :) But it was still pretty.

Happy Father's Day!!! We love and appreciate all that you do!

Grandpa and his famous "shaka" sign. Happy Father's Day too!! We love you!

Emi was in heaven and enjoyed being spoiled by her Baachan.

Family picture at Dobbins Lookout Point. It would have been a good picture, except Emi looks like she's in pain.

Then Monday, we went to Chuck E Cheese for the kids. This time Brenden had a blast riding on all the rides. Emi, of course, had so much fun playing with everything. But as soon as the Chuck E Cheese mouse came out to greet the kids, she said, "I'm finished, let's go home." She's so funny with those kind of characters...

Brenden and Baachan

Brenden Driving. Aaah crazy! :)

Then Emi started swim lessons all by herself!! Thank goodness... For the past two years I have had to go in with her, so this is such a nice change. Brenden is in swimming lessons too, but since I'm in the water, I can't take a picture of him. Sorry buddy...

Tuesday we went to Snip-its to get haircuts for the kids. I was a little hesitant about Brenden because I knew he would cry, but after some talking with the hair stylist, I decided to just do it. He cried, no screamed like crazy, but it's so nice that I don't have to cut his hair for a little while.

Emi Before Shot:

No before shot of Brenden because of the screams, but here's the after.

Kids posing after their hair cuts.

Later that evening we got to go to the Diamondback and Yankees Game. We lost pretty bad on that day, but it was fun to be at the baseball field and feel the energy of the fans. It was so crowded! But the kids did great and we had a lot of fun.

Family in front of Chase Field.

Grandpa's biggest fan, Brenden. This boy loved his Grandpa and never wanted to come to his Mommy.

Dad and Brenden at the busy baseball field.

And of course, when you're with the Minami family, you are constantly eating. So we ate and ate and ate... Now I have to go on a long fast. Overall, it was a fun, short, and exhausting visit, but we can't wait to see you all again! Thank you so much for everything!

Emi's Birthday Party

2010-06-09T22:18:00.002-07:00

We had Emi's birthday party three weeks ago. I'm a little late on my blogging because we've been so busy this summer; as a result, this summer is going by way too fast. We had her party again in our backyard. We took out the kiddie pool and turned on the splashpad for some water fun.

Emi all smiles and excited for her party to start.

I'm not sure what theme we decided to go with. We started off with an ice cream theme, but then Emi decided she wanted a princess theme. I tried to change her decision, but she was kind of dead set on the princess theme, so we decided to do that at the last minute. Anyways, the main thing was that she had fun and she did.

Blowing out the candles on the cake!

Modeling off her bling that she got from her party.

Mom and Dad had to recover from this birthday party, hence the three weeks no blogging. But overall, SUCCESS!!! Happy Birthday Emi! WOO HOO!!!

Happy Birthday Brenden!

2010-05-29T07:45:00.012-07:00

Yesterday was Brenden's 1st Birthday! Woo Hoo!!! This year has gone by so fast and I just can't believe how fast he has grown.

Here's a trip down memory lane...

Our little monkey boy.

Baby Blessing Picture - 7 weeks old

3 months old

Brenden 5 months and starting to get crazy hair.

Can you see how crazy his hair got? He was my little baby Einstein at 7 1/2 months.

Then after a haircut, he became my little handsome boy.

These are pictures of him on his special day. He's been feeling a little sick, so he didn't get to eat his cake. Poor thing...

Happy Birthday Brenden! Mom, Dad and Emi love you so much!

Gila Valley Temple Open House

2010-05-18T22:29:00.008-07:00

This past Saturday we were able to take the YW to the Gila Valley Temple Open House. It was such a special experience and I'm so thankful that I was able to bring my family with me. I loved going into the Celestial room and looking at my family and seeing them there. I thought to myself, that this must be what a little piece of heaven must feel like. I'm so thankful for the gospel because we are able to be with our families forever.
I can't wait for the new temples to be built in Arizona. I need to take advantage of how close they are.

Jackie Lee, the Girls, and me, Emi, and Brenden
I look a little tired from holding and wrestling Brenden to stay reverent during the last part of the tour. Brenden loves the water, so when he saw the Baptismal Font, he was doing everything he could to get in the water. My son is a little crazy...

(Photo courtesy of Jackie Lee)

Since we were there in Thatcher, we decided to make it a weekend and hang out with Blaine's family. Emi had a blast with cousins, Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you so much to my In-laws for the wonderful weekend and letting the whole gang crash in your home.

1st Diamondback Game

2010-05-13T16:01:00.010-07:00

For FHE this week, we went to a Diamondback game. At the last minute we were able to get some tickets from a friend. Thank you so much!
It was my first time going to a Diamondback game. Blaine couldn't believe it, but everytime we've ever wanted to go, I've always been very pregnant or just had a baby. So, after patiently waiting for 3 1/2 years, I was able to go.

Dad and Emi in front of Chase Field.

The kids and I at Chase Field. I'm wondering when Brenden will ever grow out of the carrier. All I can say is that I have crazy back muscles.

We had really good seats and we were able to see the players up close, even if it was only a view of their backside. (This is Justin Upton, whose an All-Star for the Diamondbacks. Blaine informed me because I had no clue. Sorry... don't really keep up with my Diamondbacks.)

Then here we have Andre Ethier from the LA Dodgers. (One of the highest batting average in the MLB.)

Surprisingly, the kids did really well and we stayed till the 8th inning. Love this picture. Please ignore me, but the reason why I like this picture is because Brenden looks like a character from my favorite candy in Japan. Just add the hat and see the resemblance?

Emi was all smiles.

We were in such a rush to go to the game that we didn't even look at our clothes. But basically, it looked like we were supporting the Dodgers. Definitely need to get some Diamondback gear. It was a great night at the ballgame even though the D-Backs lost. Now I'm hooked and hopefully we can make it to more games with the family.
Thank you!

Emi's Birthday Week

2010-05-10T13:57:00.014-07:00

Last Wednesday was Emi's 3rd Birthday! We seriously celebrated her birthday almost everyday of the week. It was a pretty busy week, so we ended up having to do that. Since I have YW on Wednesday, we opened presents on that day.
Here she is with her scooter, we gave her a helmut that was her age size, but she couldn't fit. What can I say... my daughter has a big head! Hopefully it's because she has a lot of brains. :)

Then on Thursday, we went to Chuck E Cheese. What kid doesn't like Chuck E Cheese? My child was in heaven.
This was her face when we first came in and waited for our food. She was so so happy.

Dad and Emi playing some games. She couldn't reach the pedals, so Dad had to help her out.

Brenden enjoyed some of the Chuck E Cheese action too, I think?
Here she is with Chuck E Cheese. The real one came out and she scared the poor mouse away because she screamed so loud. I was laughing and crying so hard. It was too funny...

Since we came home late on Thursday, we couldn't sing Happy Birthday to her. So finally on Friday, we had cake and sang Happy Birthday to Emi.

I looked at Blaine and said, "We have to do this in 2 weeks for her birthday party! Are we crazy?" Sadly, he nodded and said, "Yes!".
We are crazy, but we love you so much!

Here she is doing, "That's Cooky!" from Wow Wow Wubzy. For those of you that don't know that show, there's this character that comes out random and says and moves his fingers like that.

Thank you for all the joy you bring into our lives! Happy Birthday Emi!

YW Fundraiser Pictures

2010-04-21T21:00:00.009-07:00

This past week we had our YW Photography Fundraiser to raise money for YW Camp. I wasn't planning on having pictures taken because I thought I would be really busy, but we had some extra time, so I gathered Blaine, Emi and Brenden quickly. I'm glad we took them because I feel like these kids are changing all the time.

Here are a couple of my favorites.

Emi's not really smiling, but I love how she's trying to protect her brother from falling off the bench. On the other hand, Mom was like, "Let him fall, it's ok." I'll sacrifice my son for a good picture. :) Just kidding...

I told Shawna (our photographer) to take some pictures of Brenden so that I could use it as his one year old pictures. He's 10 1/2 months, but he won't change that much right? Hopefully...

Another shot of my little boy.

Emi and Brenden

And finally the Family.

This is why I love this girl...

2010-04-15T14:25:00.003-07:00

Easter 2010 Part 2

2010-04-10T06:08:00.008-07:00

This year we were planning on going out of town, but it didn't work out, so I felt like I kind of put this one together at the last minute. It was great to relax and enjoy all the talks on General Conference. I really enjoyed having General Conference on Easter. It emphasized to me the true meaning of Easter so, it was nice not to go overboard with the whole commercial Easter.

Basically all we did was a little Easter egg hunt at our home. Emi was so excited to decorate eggs. She kept talking about it the whole week and reminding me not to forget. I thought I could bypass this one on her because I hate eating all the eggs, but it didn't work out.

Here she is dying the eggs oh so carefully. I was afraid, but she did good.

Brenden causing trouble. As you can see, he ate Emi's Easter necklace that she made. (See post below of how the necklace looked before he destroyed it.)

And Emi's off to find eggs at our Easter hunt. I've got to say, when there's no competition, then it's really not that fun. It's fun to see all the kids running to get the eggs. Hopefully next year Brenden will be able to give her some competition.

Then we had an Easter feast and relaxed the rest of the day. Overall, it was a success! Happy Easter!

Laveen Easter Egg Hunt 2010

2010-04-04T21:37:00.007-07:00

Happy Easter!!!

Yesterday we went to the Laveen Easter Egg Hunt at the Betty Fairfax H.S. it was definitely worth coming this year because Emi actually understood the whole getting the Easter eggs and everything. The things we do for our kids. I remember taking Emi when she was Brenden's age to her first Easter egg hunt. I think we were a little crazy because she didn't understand anything but we were excited since she was our first.

They had a bunch of little arts and craft stations, so here's Emi showing off all the fun things that she made: bunny ears and an easter necklace.

Blaine and Brenden hanging out. Brenden was a trooper hanging out in the hot hot sun.

I consider this a pretty successful picture even though Brenden is looking the other way. Reason why? EMI IS NOT CRYING! She's totally ignoring the bunny, but she's not crying! Hallelujah!!!

Here's Sydney and Emi on the hunt for those Easter eggs. They were so fast, that it was hard to take a picture of them. This is the best that I could get.

Sydney and Emi eating candy after the hunt. Emi had so many eggs that we had to give them away to little kids that didn't have much. She definitely got the getting eggs part down this year.

The weather was perfect and we had a good time. What more can we ask for? We will be there next year!!!

Girl's Day

2010-03-14T06:32:00.018-07:00

Don't you love Japan and how they celebrate Girl's Day? Just another reason to have cake and get treats for being a girl. So of course we have to pass the tradition down to our family and celebrate this wonderful holiday. I'm a little late on my blog posting because Girl's day is on March 3rd. oh well...

My girl forcing a smile. As you can see, she got into the cream.

He got in the cream too.

The funny kids.

Emi enjoying her yummy cake. We love this girl.

Happy Girl's Day! Thanks for all the cards, gifts, and wishes!

Ragnar Relay 2010

2010-03-08T14:27:00.015-07:00

So... I did something a little crazy called the Ragnar Relay. It's a 204 mile relay run from Prescott to Mesa, AZ. All I can say is that it was an intense two day experience. (Feb 26 and 27) Looking back I'm proud that I accomplished it and am thankful that I don't have to train for this again! Blaine's thankful for that too! I have a bunch of thank you's... (my Oscar speech)... First and foremost, I would like to thank... Just kidding... But I do want to thank my husband for getting me through all the training. I SO wanted to quit many times, but he kept pushing me on. Also my mother-in-law for taking care of the kids while I was away. Thank you for taking care of my little monsters. I appreciate it so much and couldn't have done it without you!

Here's some pictures of the race:

Cindy and I looking so fresh and so clean at the start of the race. I couldn't have done this without you!!! You're the best and my mental lifesaver!

This kid was so funny. He was our goofball for the team. It was nice to have him especially at the end of race when we were so so tired. Look at the snow! Ok, I know that it's not that much, but I live in Arizona.

Our team captains: Myles and Anne-Lis, Thanks for putting it together!

Me looking gross and running.

Steve and Cindy

The wonderful porta-potties. Sick!

Now this is what I call the Ragnar Spirit! Eric from our team switched socks with a random person on the SECOND day. Now if it was the first day, then it would be ok, but after you ran two legs and your all sweaty and gross... NO WAY! But, seriously everyone is just so happy.

Linda and I waiting to run our 3rd and last leg. The race was cancelled for a little moment because someone was hit and killed while assisting their runner; as a result, only some of us got to run our third leg. It was definitely my shortest and hardest leg, but I'm grateful that I got to run and get the full Ragnar experience.

Everyone on our team! Thank you to everyone for this amazing and intense experience!

Brenden's First Haircut

2010-02-19T15:34:00.008-07:00

I know this is long overdue, but I thought I could grow out his hair and have it all curly. It was nice and curly for a little while, but then it grew out and it became a gnarly, tangled up hair mess. Then it wasn't so cute anymore...

Here's a before shot of him. See... It's pretty bad.

AFTER, wa-la!!!

I thought I was going to be scared cutting his hair, but you get to that point where his hair was so ugly in the first place that nothing I do is going to mess it up. I think I did a pretty good job. You think I have a chance with Supercuts? :)

Here he is crawling funny on the splashpad. He doesn't like the texture, so he crawls like this all over it. He doesn't complain which is good because Emi use to cry all the time.

Now he's my handsome little boy!

A Little Little Hike Up South Mountain

2010-02-13T06:42:00.007-07:00

This past weekend we decided to take a drive up South Mountain for a little hike. Ok, I lied. The main reason we were going up there was because I lost my driver's license when I ran up South Mountain the day before, so I thought I could retrack my steps and find it. I know, I know, I'm an IDIOT! I didn't find my license that day, but on a good note, someone found it for me on the day that I lost it and mailed it back to me. Thank goodness for good honest people! I had already ordered another license, but it was just the peace of mind that my license wasn't out there.

Anyways, here's some pictures of the day.

Blaine with the kids and in the background is downtown Phoenix.

Emi throwing big rocks down the mountain. Sorry...

Daddy making Brenden tough by making him eat rocks.

Emi climbing the mountain. She kept asking me for sticky tape and I was like, "Why do you need sticky tape?" Then she told me that she needed the sticky tape so she could put it on her shoes to climb up the mountain, so she doesn't fall. Where do they come up with this stuff?

and finally our little model.

You think she's all cute and then she throws you one of these looks.

Just Hanging Out...

2010-01-29T15:48:00.007-07:00

Just some pictures of the kiddos.

Brenden attacking the Sunday newspaper. He sure crawls fast to compete with his sister. Look at his determination.

Brother and Sister, do you see the resemblance?
Yes, my son's hair is out of control. We call him Einstein.

These next pictures just show how goofy these kids are. Sometimes they drive me nuts, but you got to love them! :) By the way, that's one of Emi's favorite thing to say, "Mommy, I drive you nuts!" And then I say, "Yes, you do."

Happy 8 months old Brenden! Sorry, it was yesterday, I forgot. What kind of mother am I? Wait, I remember, this is my second child. Sorry... but it's so true. We still love you!!

Updates on Brenden:
- He's a chunk! Don't know how much he weighs, but now it hurts to carry him for a long time.
- He's a crawler. Tries to find everyone around the house.
- He can sit up by himself
- Can clap his hands or at least tries to
- Just a fun boy to have around and for sure one of Emi's best friends. Hopefully it stays that way...

Tennessee Holiday

2010-01-15T14:11:00.016-07:00

I've been home about 2 weeks now and I can't believe that I haven't posted these pictures yet. It seriously took me that long to recover and get caught up with the house work. You must be thinking that my house is immaculate, but it's still not. Yes, I'm pathetic. :(

It was nice to go back to Tennessee to see my family and be with them for Christmas and New Years. It was freezing cold there and I could not handle it because Arizona has made me so spoiled. I've become such a wimp that I don't even know how I survived Utah. When we came back to AZ the weather was in the 70's. I have been going outside every day just to thaw out a little.

Here's some pictures of our trip.

Emi and Baachan (my mom) hanging out at the house on my Dad's Birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

While we were there, we went to Chuck E Cheese for some family fun. I haven't played so many games since I was single at BYU playing at the Nickel Cade. (Does that place even exist anymore?) Emi was in pure heaven as you can see on her face.

Then we went to Nashville to the Grand Ole Opry and got a little taste of Christmas in New York as we watched the Rockettes.

This is us waiting for the show to start.
My Grandma from Maui (Grammie) got to come with us and enjoy the holidays in TN. We really enjoyed having her there.

The kids being silly at one of my favorite shopping centers, The Grand Ole Opry Mall. "wuaaaaa" (Voice from Heaven)

Then we just hanged around and relaxed in the warm house.

Our boy praying during our Christmas Eve program. (How appropriate!) This is the most reverent he's been other than sleeping, so I had to post this picture.

Emi baked cookies with Auntie. (my sister)

Grandpa played dolls with Emi. Basically, Pooh Bear (Grandpa) was eating all the princesses.

While we were there, my sister's friend got baptized; as a result, we went to his baptism. It was really cool to be there and be part of his baptism.

My Dad got to baptize my sister's friend, Eric.

People at his baptism.

Then of course we ATE and ATE!
I think this was New Years Food. It was good to go home and eat "ono" Hawaiian and Japanese food. I was so sad when we left because my parents had so much leftovers and I wanted to take some home with me.

Emi waiting to eat.

Overall, it was great to be with my family and enjoy the holidays with them. Thanks to everyone, especially my parents for everything that they did and continue to do! We love and miss you all!

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-08T17:05:00.002-07:00

These pictures just crack me up, so I had to post them.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Will post later of our Tennessee Christmas Adventure.

It's December. What?

2009-12-16T15:22:00.009-07:00

Holy moly, I can't believe that it's mid December. AAAHH... too many things to do... whatever...

Today, we went out with the mommy's playdate group to Bass Pro Shop and I guess they have a little Santa Winter Wonderland. We went there two years ago with Emi and it has totally changed. They were so nice and they let her make an ornament and play around with all the cool stuff that they have there. Fortunately, there was no Santa. I think I've been pushing the Santa thing a little too much, so now she is completely freaked out. But anyway, if you have time, go check it out! Totally worth the trip!

We have to feed the fish there, of course.

Emi waving to the trains. Don't you just love this age? Christmas is much more fun.

As for my boy, he started crawling! He just started a week ago. Before, he would just roll to get the things that he wanted, which by the way was so funny. But now, he takes off and goes. Ok, maybe I lied, it's not official crawling yet, but more like a scooting/crawling thing that he has going on. My little boy is getting mobile. (tear, tear) I don't know if that's tears of joy or sadness.

Please ignore the crusty boogers on his nose. Don't look too hard, please.

No more Pajamas!

2009-11-24T16:51:00.004-07:00

This is what happens when you run out of boy pajama's for your son. You bust out the girly ones.

We have now filled our supply of boy pajamas and also thank goodness you were not a girl.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T14:16:00.008-07:00

Happy Halloween!

I know that they tell you to live in the moment with your kids, but I am so happy that Halloween is over. I am sugar and party overloaded. It was all just too much fun that now I need a month long rest AND my house needs some much needed TLC from neglect. (or maybe laziness... oh well)

This year Emi decided to be Tinkerbell, but then as soon as I bought the costume she changed her mind and wanted to be a princess. Too bad, little girl! But when she put it on, she was so happy with all the frillies and sparkles on the dress. She's such a girl.

Brenden for his first Halloween was a monkey. I got the full on body suit. I know Mommy is mean. Blaine said that we shouldn't show this picture of him when he gets older because he'll put us in the same suit when we get old and can't do anything for ourselves. I can't resist, he's just too cute.

So excited to go Trick or Treating!!!

These pictures are from our Mommy Play Group Halloween Party. Thank you so much Mary and Laura for putting it together!
Where's Emi? It's so much fun to see everyone's costume.
t

Daddy and our Monkey Boy at the Ward Halloween Party.

and now my favorite picture of Halloween 2009...
Annie and Tinkerbell. Don't you just love little Annie's costume? Too cute!

Happy Birthday

2009-11-02T20:17:00.005-07:00

Happy Birthday!!!

Hope you had a great day and we love you!

Live it up while you're still in your twenties! :)

Can you guess who's Daddy's little girl?

awww... Daddy and Brenden. Pretty good picture taken by a two year old.

Happy Birthday!

Arizona Youth Museum

2009-10-23T07:25:00.007-07:00

Last week we went to the Arizona Youth Museum in Mesa and I loved it! It's definitely smaller than the Children's Museum up in Phoenix, but the way they have it laid out you can let your kids go free and crazy. The best part of the whole trip is that we got in for free with the Culture Passes that they give out in the Library. Got to love those Culture Passes! You usually have to fight for those darn things, but seems like there is always one available for the Youth Museum. So go get them because it's definitely worth the trip.

Emi doing some finger art at the museum.

Emi sliding down this treehouse slide with her buddy Chase. So cute...

Playing in the kitchen. I wish my house was big enough to have a play kitchen for her because she loves it. Oh well... :)

and of course you have to have a picture of Brenden right? Brenden in his favorite place to be. I love love love my carrier! Never used it much with having one child, but with two it is a must. I feel like I never need to buy any clothes because he's always stuck to my chest. It's like wearing the same thing everyday. Such a good boy, just hangs out while his sister plays.

October Fun

2009-10-13T15:56:00.006-07:00

Don't you love the fall time in Arizona? We have been enjoying the cooler weather and just being able to go play outside. But I heard later on this week that it will heat up. (close to 100's, Yuck!)

Last week, I let Emi paint for the first time. She was so happy. I need to remember to bust out the paint more often. Then she decided that she needed to paint her nose. It's so much fun to watch her grow up and let her imagination take off. I hope she never loses that.

As for my little boy, he had his first feeding last week. It didn't go too well, so I decided, why rush? He'll let me know when he wants to eat. As for me, I definitely enjoy just giving him milk. So easy...
Please ignore the pink bumbo. This is what happens when you get gender specific things for your first child. Sorry buddy... not going to get a new one. :)

He had his 4 month old appointment two weeks ago and he's doing really good.
Here's his stats:
Weight: 16.5 lbs 85%
Height: 26 inches 85%
Head: 17 inches 75% (YEAH!!! His head is pretty normal!!! Emi's one was out of control huge, still is today.)

One of the greatest blessings of being a mom with two kids is actually seeing your children start to interact with each other. Emi is such a good sister and always wants Brenden to play with her. Right now her favorite thing is having Brenden be her dance partner for when she watches "Dancing with the Stars". Poor Brenden...

This picture shows Emi feeding Brenden so nicely, but her real motive for feeding him is so that he can be quiet as she watches Dora. Too funny...

Finally, Emi and her funny face. This is what the show Yo Gabba Gabba teaches your children. Geez... just got to love her.

September Happenings

2009-09-16T14:14:00.007-07:00

So, what have we been doing in September? NOTHING!!! Yes, it's true, but nothing really exciting has happened, which in my opinion is sometimes the best. Here's what's happening in our lives in this exciting month. :)

Brenden is an official thumbsucker. At first, I was kind of sad about this because I LOVE LOVE LOVE pacifiers. But then I realized how nice thumbsucking is because at night he just finds it and that keeps him quiet. I remember with Emi trying to find that thing in the middle of the night or worse when your out running errands and then you have a mental breakdown because you forgot your pacifier. Ok, that's kind of an exaggeration... well... not really. He also started turning over the other day, which is kind of crazy, because you forget how fast they grow up.

We went to Thatcher, AZ for the Labor Day weekend to see Blaine's grandparents from Mexico. We thought that was the reason we were going up there, but turned out that it was a three day Whetten Reunion. I don't know, but those Whetten's sure love their reunions. I've never heard of a three day reunion.

Here's some pictures of that eventful weekend.

Blaine's grandparents - They look so happy in this picture.

Crazy girls - Emi and her cute cousin Charlie. They were so funny together.

I guess that means we are going to have to get her a pair of boots too. Emi and Daddy in our hotel room.

and now my favorite picture of the day... For those of you who know Emi, she has the third world country baby pot belly. Everyone else's child is skinny except for ours. But the funny thing is that after we took this picture of her belly, she said, "Mommy, Emi still HUNGRY!!" Oh geez....

Look at me being all domesticated and stuff...

2009-08-28T15:35:00.006-07:00

I finally canned!!! At first, I never really understood why people canned because my mom never did it and with Japanese foods you don't really can. But I was always fascinated by it and wondered if foods really do last that long? I guess they do... we shall see... :)

Thank you Shawna for holding my hand and teaching me the process of how to do this. Super simple... Just never knew how and probably wouldn't have done it if I didn't have you there. I know... I'm such a baby. We only canned one thing, beans, but in Blaine's eyes that's probably the most important one. Now, I'm on a canning adventure and looking at things and saying, "Do you think I can can that?" My eyes have been opened to another world... oh boy! Thanks again!

Also today Brenden is three months old! Wow, time flies by so fast when you're having fun. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's so true. I think with Emi I didn't have the time to sit down and enjoy each moment because I was always working. I feel so blessed to have this time to enjoy being with both Emi and Brenden. It's crazy and sometimes I feel like screaming (and sometimes I do), but it's so much fun.

Brenden and Emi holding hands.

He just started laughing the other day. It's so funny when they first start laughing because all you have to say are really weird words and they just bust up laughing. Brenden's funny word is "goofy".

My little chubby baby. :) Sorry for exposing the diaper.

Happy Anniversary

2009-08-14T13:37:00.009-07:00

Happy Anniversary! It's been 5 crazy and wonderful years! I've enjoyed every minute of it and am so happy to continue our crazy life together. You still in??? :) YOU BETTER!!! hahah...

Picture of us on our honeymoon at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

This is the funniest picture and am so happy that Blaine took it. This is our rent-a-car for our honeymoon. We were just a young couple and we had the minivan to travel around. I guess it was in our destiny to have a van. To this day, it still cracks me up when I look at it. I love it!

I can't believe in 5 years we have caused this much damage. ;) What's 5 more years going to bring us now? To be honest with you, I'm a little scared.

(Sorry Brenden, Mommy is so mean.)

Happy Anniversary and I love you! I am excited for what the future holds for us!

Brenden's Blessing Day

2009-08-03T13:48:00.011-07:00

Holy moly, I am late on this post... But we blessed Brenden two Sunday's ago (July 26). There's not too many pictures of the blessing day because we were running a little late and then at the party, I forgot where I put the camera. Oh well, we still love you Brenden, but I'm a little disorganized with two kids.

Blessing day highlights:

Hmmm... Blaine did a good job with the blessing, but all I can really remember from the blessing is how heavy Brenden was. Blaine said that his arms got really tired while blessing him, so probably had to cut it short. :) Just kidding, well, I'm not too sure. I just took him to his two month check up and he is a healthy 14 lbs. and 2 oz. I asked the doctor if that was normal, but she said that everything was ok. All I know is that Brenden is huuuggee!

Brenden and me on his blessing day.

Daddy and Brenden

and of course, Emi. She was feeling a little left out, so she had to pose with her new sunglasses.

I took Brenden to get his blessing pictures done and these are a couple of pictures.
The resting pose.

and the smile.

Another year older...

2009-07-29T14:09:00.012-07:00

Yes, it's true, I got older yesterday. Like they say, it really doesn't matter how old you get after 21. It's just another birthday.

Anyways, it was a great day and having birthdays makes you realize how blessed you are each year. The day started off with Blaine surprising me with flowers and a card. I kept telling Emi that it was Mommy's birthday, but she kept saying back that it was her birthday. I guess once you have kids, your birthdays are never really yours until they understand that other people can have birthdays as well.

Then after we went to Red Robin for dinner because I refuse to cook on my birthday and since Blaine doesn't cook, then it means off to a restaurant. I am not a huge fan of Red Robin, but with two kids, I am all for the kid friendly restaurants.

Thank you for a great day and thanks again for all the birthday presents and birthday wishes from family and friends. I love you all!!!

The best gift... my kids. ;)

and now my favorite picture of the day...
This picture cracks me up because it shows a little of Brenden's crazy side.

Brenden's First Pictures

2009-07-22T12:59:00.006-07:00

I know, I know, I'm doing this backwards, but I finally got my pictures back. It's been two months since he was born, so he kind of looks different than these pictures, but it just goes to show you how quickly your child grows up and they were once that small before. (I sound like my child is an adult by saying that, seriously, he's only two months... I know, I know, I'm crazy...)

My hairy monkey. All my kids are like this, I was a little scared of all the hair when Emi was born because I would feel bad if she had all that hair her whole life all over her body. But since Brenden is a boy I'm like, "Bring it on!" But luckily it all falls off.

One with the sister.

And finally the close up shot.

Brenden and Kase, and Other Random Happenings

2009-07-10T14:09:00.007-07:00

This past weekend Brenden got to meet his cousin Kase who was born about two weeks after Brenden. It was fun and crazy having two babies here. They sound so much alike, so I didn't know which baby was crying. They say that you're supposed to know your babies cry, but I can't even tell who's who. I don't know how people with twins survive.

Here's Brenden, Emi and cute Kase. Can't wait for them to grow up and be friends, hopefully??? :)

This picture cracks me up because you can see Emi trying to hold it together with Brenden screaming in the background. Lately, when Brenden cries, she will be so sweet and say, "No cry, Brenden, no cry." But then she'll start to lose her patience and scream, "NO CRY! BE QUIET!" I know I should correct her, but I can't help but laugh. It's so funny...

Here's a picture of Brenden in Emi's baby stroller. He's growing so fast, so I had to take a picture of him before it was too late.

And finally, this is my favorite picture because it documents what I like to call, "Aika's Happiness."

TWO sleeping kids... PRICELESS.

Brenden's First Day at Church

2009-07-02T10:53:00.006-07:00

So, I was hoping to not come back to church for at least three months, just because I needed to "rest." hahaha... I guess I was hoping to be lazy and having a baby was going to be my only excuse. But since Blaine and I are Sunbeam teachers, he needed my help there, so I had to come back to help him out. Oh well, I guess I'm glad that I'm a Sunbeam teacher because it keeps me active in the church. Just kidding... :)

Anyways, we started this tradition with Emi, so we had to keep it equal between the siblings and take pictures of Brenden's first day at church. I'm still not sure how to dress a boy. Blaine said the sock makes him look like a 'chollo' which is like a hispanic gangster. I refuse to put shoes on the poor boy's feet especially since he can't even walk, so why am I spending money on decoration shoes, right?

This is my favorite picture of my kids because Brenden is giving Emi the crazy eye and probably thinking, "My sister is CRAZY!"

One with Mommy and the kids.

One with Daddy and the kids.

So, did Brenden do good at church? NOO! I was so surprised because I thought newborns are supposed to sleep through the whole thing because that's what Emi did. But later we found out AFTER church that he didn't like his socks, so as soon as we took off his socks he slept so good. Geez... Every kid is so different.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-22T15:26:00.008-07:00

The kids are so lucky to have a father to take care of them,

Blaine giving Brenden his first bath with my Grandma from Maui.

and most importantly to have fun with too!

For some reason, I always find them with Emi's training panties on their heads. That's probably why our child is not completely potty trained. She thinks those go on her head.

Thank you for all that you do and we hope that you have a wonderful Father's Day!

Also, a BIG thank you to Shawna for those YUMMY father's day muffins. I was going to put a picture on the blog to show you how beautiful and yummy they were, but Emi and I ate too much of them that there weren't much left to take a picture of. Sorry Blaine... Those were meant for you. My bad... But, they were from Tammie Coe Cakes so we'll have to go back and get some for you.

We love you and Happy Father's Day!

Emi's First Haircut

2009-06-11T17:05:00.007-07:00

Yesterday we took Emi for her first haircut because it was getting all scraggily and messy, so it was time for a clean cut. We were going for the Suri Cruise look, but we ended up not cutting that much off at the back. We went to Snip-its in Chandler and she had so much fun getting her hair cut. I thought that she would be a little scared, but Snip-its really cater to young kids and they make it such a fun experience that it makes me want to get my haircut there too.

Here is the before shot.

and now the after shot.

Then modeling at home with Mom. She kept touching her hair and showing everyone her haircut. She is a total girl and loves to be all pretty.

and of course Baby Brenden at 2 weeks old. I can't believe how good he is. His face seems to change everyday as he gets older.

Pictures of Baby Brenden

2009-05-31T16:12:00.008-07:00

Here's some pictures of baby Brenden. He's so much fun to have around and just looking at him makes me feel so blessed to have him in our lives.

Emi and Brenden at the hospital. I think she still doesn't get that she has a baby brother because we keep asking her where's the baby and she keeps pointing at my tummy. Oh well, someday she'll get it. But she loves having him around and helping Mom take care of Brenden.

Me with Baby Brenden.

Proud Daddy and his son.

Baa chan visiting us at the hospital. Mom thanks for taking care of our monster two year old! We owe you tons!

Getting ready to leave the hospital. I love putting newborns into car seats because you forget how little they are at the beginning.

Baby Brenden's first smile.

Welcome Baby Brenden!

2009-05-30T21:40:00.002-07:00

Brenden Masao Whetten arrived Thursday, May 28, 2009.

He is 8 lbs and 14 oz. (BIG BOY!) and 21 inches.

More pictures to come in the future!

Graduation Day

2009-05-20T15:54:00.013-07:00

This past Saturday was Blaine's MBA Graduation at ASU. I can't believe that it went by so fast! I can't believe that he accomplished everything with the many sleepless nights and days without seeing him. It hasn't hit us yet that he doesn't have to go back to school anymore.

Emi with Daddy before Graduation began.

Blaine with his Mom and Dad at Graduation.

Emi waiting for Graduation to start. I can't complain because she was so good throughout the whole thing. Plus it was nice to have a lot of helpers. :)

Where is Blaine among all the other MBA graduates? By this picture, I would say that he is very happy to be done with school.

Blaine and I at the end of Graduation. I didn't really want to post this picture, but I thought it would be good memories to see how HUMONGOUS my belly is. I still can't believe that I haven't popped yet. But hopefully soon.... I'm so glad that I made it to his graduation.

It was a great day and we were so glad to have everyone there to celebrate this special event in our lives. Blaine, you did it! Now go get your PhD! Hahaha... just kidding... Thank you for working so hard for us and now here comes the student loans!!! ;)

We Come to an End...

2009-05-15T15:20:00.004-07:00

Well, I never thought this day would come, but today is my last day of work! I have so many emotions right now and ultimately thought that I would not be sad, but now that I am typing this, I'm feeling a little sad. But don't get me wrong, this is what Blaine and I have been wanting for a while. I'm excited to start this new chapter in my life of being a real stay at home mom. I had to add the 'real' because I've been so blessed by working at home.

I just feel so blessed to have had this opportunity for about five years of my life and I will definitely miss the camaraderie that I have developed with clients and coworkers. Thank you for taking a chance on me and I've had a blast and have grown so much throughout the years. To anyone who reads this: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your love and patience.

Goodbye Vision Pro, and crazy NPDBs, OIGs, and QuickFind Reporting, DB Commander, and much more. I'll miss you, but not that much! :)

Thank you to all again!

Happy 2nd Birthday Emi!

2009-05-05T14:53:00.007-07:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Emi's birthday by having a little birthday party. Today is her actual birthday, but we decided to do it a little early because we don't really know when Junior is coming, plus it's getting hard for me to move. But we had a great time and I'm so so so happy that it's over with and that's just one thing to check off my list of the many things that will happen in the month of May.

We decided to have a little water party because it's so hot here and also we have the splash pad. Blaine bought this kiddie pool with a slide in it at the last minute and I think the pool was definitely more exciting than the splash pad. It was so much fun watching all the kids swim in the pool. If anyone wants to know where I got it, I got it at my favorite store... COSTCO!!! Do you even have to ask? :)

We had a Dora Pinata because it was a Dora Themed Party. We thought that the children would be a little traumatized with beating Dora, especially Emi because she loves Dora, but as you can see from this picture, she had no problems whacking Dora Pinata.

This is the Dora cake that I made. Yeah right... I'm so jealous of all you talented mom's that make their children's cake. No talent here. Emi blew her candles like a professional because she seriously has been practicing for months.

The day was a success as you can see from this smile. Thank you to everyone that came for making her day so special. We all love you!

Happy Birthday Emi! We love you too and hope you had a great 2nd birthday!

Happy Easter 2009 and Other Random Stuff

2009-04-16T21:40:00.011-07:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter! This year we spent Easter weekend up in Thatcher, AZ where Blaine's parents now live. We went to their annual Allred Easter Picnic which is Blaine's mom side of the family. It never rains in Arizona, but on Easter weekend it did and so the picnic was kind of wet and cold. As a result, no pictures, but it was good to meet new family that I have never met before.

Here's Emi and Grandma reading a book at Great Grandma's house. I think that's all the pictures that I took while we were up in Thatcher, so that's pretty sad.

Because we went to Thatcher for the weekend, we had our Easter Egg Hunt on Friday night. I wasn't too sure if Emi would catch on to the egg hunting, but if there is candy involved, she will get anything. She had so much fun with the easter egg hunt that I think Blaine had to hide the eggs four times in a row.

Then she got her easter basket from Baachan and Grandpa (my mom and dad). She was super happy about that. Thank you!

Her ducky that she got for Easter that she sleeps with every night now.

As you can see from the pictures above, she has no pants because I can't afford any pants right now. Nah, just kidding... She's potty training! I started a month ago, but I was so afraid that she would revert back to diapers that I didn't say anything. She's been doing good so far, but there are some good days and some bad days that I just want to scream at her. Oh wait, I do scream at her... hahaha... But I told Blaine that I definitely deserve a mother's day gift this year for potty training our daughter.

Here's a picture from Blaine's blackberry. Oh, I wish she was always this happy when using the potty.

And... we also moved her into her big girl bed. Here she is with all her friends jumping on her bed. She had so much fun and still to this day keeps talking about it. Awww... my little girl is growing up. tear, tear ;)

Las Vegas Trip

2009-03-30T14:38:00.015-07:00

We decided to go to Las Vegas this past Friday and spend the weekend there because Blaine got a gift certificate at the Wynn Resort from about two years ago while working at Pulte and the card was slowly expiring, so we decided to go spend the money on the card instead of just throwing the money away. So, we planned a quick trip to Vegas and thought that it would be a perfect time to get away since I'll be having our baby pretty soon and also a chance to spend time with Emi before the baby arrived. I had never been to Vegas, so I had some hesitations about going, but we ended up having such a fun time that I want to go back again in the future, maybe next time without the kids. :)

Our trip started out visiting the Hoover Dam. That was totally by accident. We actually got stuck in traffic, so I took some pictures from the car. But, since we were moving so slowly in the car, it was like we were walking around.
Emi forcing a smile at the Hoover Dam. As you can tell, she wasn't that interested.

Emi playing at our room at the Encore. I wish I had taken more pictures of the room. It was a really nice room and we were able to enjoy the lights in Las Vegas.

That night we just went to dinner there at the resort and walked around window shopping at the luxury shops that for sure I can't afford. It was also interesting and funny watching all the people there. They must look at us and think that we are also crazy for bringing our child and then me being pregnant again.
The resort was gorgeous and they had all these beautiful decorations all over.

The next day, I was able to have some "Me" time in the morning and go to the spa there and get a pedicure and eyebrow shaping. Then after we went to the Mandalay Bay Resort and went to go see the Shark Reef Aquarium. Emi had fun there looking at all the fishes and crocodiles and whatever water animal you can think of.
Emi and Blaine in the glass tube at the aquarium.

Then as we were walking we saw this pregnant statue.

So of course, I had to take a picture with it.

Then we went to the MGM Grand Resort and saw the real lions there. They have these lions in a glass cage and you can go really close to them, so that was pretty cool.

Next on to the M&M World.

We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, which is someplace that I would not go if I didn't have kids. I thought that Emi would love it but everytime the stupid elephants would come alive (which seems like every 15 minutes), she would freak out and jump out of her high chair and sit on one of us. Then she told us and everyone that she talked to that she doesn't like elephants. Crazy, girl...

Then we went back to the resort and rested and just stayed there and ate.

I feel like I ate and ate the whole trip. I told Blaine that I wish I wasn't pregnant because then I would have more room to store my food because there were so many things that I wanted to try but I was just too full.

Anyways, we had a such a fun trip and we need to go back again some time. The best part of the trip was that everything was for free! Thank you Pulte and thank you Blaine for working so hard for us.

Happy Belated Girl's Day

2009-03-09T23:04:00.005-07:00

In Japan, they celebrate Girl's Day on March 3rd of every year. This year we were a little late and celebrated on a Friday because I was lazy. Anyways, usually I always buy a cake from a japanese bakery, but again, I was lazy and didn't want to drive all the way to Tempe to go get it, so I decided to make it myself for the first time. I don't know what I was thinking, but I guess I felt a little ambitious. I was pretty surprised at how it turned out. The taste was good, but maybe the presentation could have been better. But, it was late and I was REALLY hungry (remember pregnant), so I kind of slapped it together.

But here's some pictures...

Here are the girls in the family. I look a little drunk, but wanted to show you a little side shot of Junior.

Emi and her cake. We had to sing Happy Birthday, so she could pretend to blow out candles. She was in heaven...

AND finally the cake. Happy Girl's Day!!!

Back to Tennessee for One Last Time

2009-02-26T14:57:00.010-07:00

Ok, ok, I know I just went back to Tennessee, but I went back again for another three weeks. I figured that it would be the last time that I would get to travel on the airplane again for a while, since I'm pregnant and then Emi turns 2 soon, so then I'll have to pay for her ticket. Also Blaine was busy with finals and projects that he was never home, so I decided to go home and get spoiled.

Anyways, I'm back in AZ and I've been pretty lazy with blogging. What's new, right? Hahaha... but since I'm back home, I'll probably be better.

We had a great time there and it was nice having my family help out with Emi. I'm pretty sure that I overstayed our welcome and they were probably happy to see us go and get back to their normal quiet life. :) I gained an unheard of amount of weight the time I was there. It's out of control and I don't even want to look at the scale anymore.

The first week we were there, it snowed a lot, so we just mostly stayed indoors and rested. I love the feeling of being trapped in your warm cozy house with plenty of food. I think that is the best feeling of all.

Here's Emi and Auntie Rika baking cookies. My sister was so good with her and let her touch and stir anything. I'm a little anal, so I don't let her do those kind of things, but she had so much fun cooking and all she wanted to do was help cook all the time.

Then the next week we went up to the Smoky Mountains to a town called Gatlinburg. It's kind of like Park City, UT, but more family friendly because they have more attractions there like Ripley's Believe It or Not. They also have a Ripley's Aquarium where we went. The last time I was there was when Blaine and I were not married, so it's been a while since we last came.

My Dad, Emi, me, and my Mom in Gatlinburg, TN.

My sister and Emi at the aquarium. And, she's also IN the aquarium.

Basically, we just relaxed at home and I worked, ate a lot, and got fat. Here's more pictures of the family.

My Mom teaching Emi how to do the peace sign and pose in pictures.

Emi pushing her best friend, Piko. After seeing her with their dog for three weeks, made me want to get a dog. Then I start to think about the fact that I'm going to have another baby and how much work a dog takes, and I quickly change my mind.

Emi and her fascination with shoes. Yes, she is a girl. Always going into everyone's closet to find shoes and then try them on.

Thanks again for everything Mom and Dad. Can't wait to see all of you guys in May! Love ya!

Official Mother

2009-01-20T20:53:00.005-07:00

Yes, I'm an Official Mother now, because this past Saturday we purchased a.... minivan! Yes, we got a white Honda Odyssey EX-L. I thought I wasn't going to get a minivan, but as I was doing my research on the car I wanted, I came to the decision that this car is really convenient for families with little kids because it's built for families. I think the power sliding doors sold me. Being pregnant and having to put Emi in a car seat in my Saturn was not fun. But, I miss my Saturn because it was a part of me for so long. That was the car I had when I went to BYU, so it's like saying goodbye to a chapter in my life. I'm totally being retarded and Blaine still can't believe that I miss that stupid car. But, it was so good to me and I feel bad that I just left it at the dealership. Oh well... I'm happy with my purchase and it's way more comfortable now traveling. So, if you need a ride, just let me know, cuz I only have one child in a minivan. hahaha...

Trip to the Zoo

2009-01-19T14:11:00.014-07:00

This past Thursday, we got lucky and were able to go to the Phoenix Zoo with our friends Candace and Chase. It was so nice to do something different than just stay at home and work. The weather in Phoenix has been so beautiful (mid 70s), that you just want to spend all day outside. I talk to a lot of people on the mid west and east coast for work and they all get jealous of our weather, but then I remind them about our summertime and then they don't feel so jealous anymore. :)

Here's some pictures of the day. I'm a bad picture taker because I get lazy, so there's not that much.

Emi and I with the zebras. I think this trip we got to see a lot of animals moving around. Usually in the summertime, they are all dead and hiding from the heat.

Then they had this cute little playground with all the Fisher Price Little People figures, so of course we had to go play there for a little while.

You can tell that they had a good day by the smiles on their faces as we were going home. Isn't it sad that this is the only picture I have of them and that we had to strap them down in their carseat to take the picture? Kids are so hard to take pictures or maybe it's just my child.
Thanks so much Candace and Chase for inviting us to the zoo. We had so much fun!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2008

2009-01-06T12:52:00.008-07:00

This year was the Whetten Family Christmas and the family decided to rent a vacation home in Gilbert and have all the family come and stay there. It was nice to be close to home because I got sick again... Man, this cold season is rough. I've had a cough for a month now and cannot shake it off. Any ideas? I should just go to the doctor, but I'm lazy. Anyways, one of the perks of this house was the theater room. I never really saw the point of having a theater room, but now that I've experienced one, I want one so bad... Someday it will be mine... hahaha... in my dreams...

We had a great Christmas and Emi still didn't get it, but it was definitely fun watching her copy all her cousins opening presents.

Emi playing with her cousins, they were all so cute together.

Christmas day and Emi cheesing it up in front of the camera.

The glorious little tricycle that she will not get off from. :)

Then we went to the park and fed the ducks and rode some rides.

For New Year's Eve, my Grandma, Auntie and Uncle were here in Phoenix from Maui, so we went to my cousin's house and celebrated with them. It was good to see them again and eat good local food. Emi also enjoyed playing with her cousins, Keely and Ryen too.

Here's all the Minami girls there. I told you that's all we have (girls), no boys or very little.

and finally the cousins.

Happy New Year to you all!

Surprise!!!

2008-12-29T22:26:00.002-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I've been really lazy with blogging and have to do some major catch up. But just wanted to post our little surprise and say that we are having a baby boy! I'm sure that most of you knew that I was expecting, but we didn't really want to announce it till we told our families during Christmas. I'm about 18 weeks along and we just found out today that it's a boy. I'm a little scared by the fact that I will be having a boy because in my family there are only girls and I have no clue about raising a boy. But you never know for sure, right??? Whatever... as long as it's healthy we will be happy. Anyway, will post more in the future about Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'm so behind!!!

A little bit of everything...

2008-11-19T12:39:00.010-07:00

It's a been a while and a lot of things that I'm going to post is a little bit old, but oh well, this is a good little short journal for me to document the things that we have been doing in our lives. I'm in Tennessee again for Thanksgiving visiting my family. It's so nice to come home and just relax and have mom do everything for me again. I love it!

Anyways, Last week we had to go feed the ward pig. The ward is going to feed this pig at our Christmas party. Personally, I don't like to see the thing moving. I like to go to the grocery store and buy the pork product. But, it was fun for Emi to see the pig.

Emi and Blaine with the little, I guess Big piggie.

I'm such a city person, so I have never actually fed a farm animal or watched it eat. We fed the pig a pumpkin that we forgot to carve for Halloween and it chomped through it so fast. I think the pig is a little Asian because it loved the shoyu chicken and other asian food that we had leftover from our meals. We got some soy sauce on the snout, so sorry to the next person that had to feed the pig.

Then two weeks ago we were able to go to Schnepf Farms on the weekend. I've always wanted to go ever since we came to Arizona, but haven't had the opportunity to do so. Since Blaine had a little break from school, we decided to make a trip to the farm.

Emi more interested at the birds than the pumpkins.

They have tons of carnival rides at Schnepf and we thought that Emi was too little, but she loved the rides and was making a scene each time we had to get off a ride. It's a pretty good deal because all the rides are with the admission of your ticket, so you don't have to pay extra to go on the rides.

Then we saw Shawna and her kids there and she took this picture of us as we were both going on this little dune buggy bike ride. As you can see from this picture, you can tell where my priorities lie. I'm grabbing on to my purse (the money) instead of my daughter. It was a pretty scary ride because I think Blaine and I were a little too heavy and Shawna and her kids were flying by. But overall it was a fun day and if you ever get the chance to go to Schnepf Farms, do it!

Happy Birthday Blainers

2008-11-02T21:34:00.006-07:00

Today is Blaine's birthday and it was nice because we got to start it off with Stake Conference. Emi was actually good in church, so it was nice to be able to listen to the general authorities and the messages that they presented. Then we had Blaine's favorite for dinner, which was steak, and then afterwards, Cheesecake! mmmm... My stomach hurts from eating too much all day and weekend, especially, since Halloween was a couple of days ago. We are all now going to go on a little fast. Emi and I got Blaine a game of Sequence and a crossword puzzle for his birthday. Then we all played a game of Sequence, which I lost two times. I let him win. :)

Happy Birthday Blaine! Just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday and even though we celebrated small, we just wanted to show you how special you are to us. Thanks for all your hard work and your constant patience with us girls. We love you!

And of course, Emi wanted to copy her Dad and blow out her own candles too.

Ward Halloween Party

2008-10-27T09:45:00.007-07:00

This past Saturday was our Ward Halloween Party, so of course we had to dress up Emi. I was kind of pooped out of energy that night because we had our Super Saturday that day as well; as a result, no costume this year. But do I ever get dressed up? NOOOO... :) I admire all you fun people that get dressed up, you guys are too cute! Anyways, this year Emi is Minnie Mouse. She loved the dress and the glittery shoes and the gloves. She is such a little girl. She didn't take off her shoes till Sunday when we had to give her a bath. I know... gross, but she would just cry if we took it off. I was so proud of her wearing the gloves and everything. She loved it!

This is us just practicing wearing the costume because we were not sure if she was going to be wearing everything, but she loved it and would wear it all day if I let her.

Our one and only picture of her smiling in this costume. I have such a hard time taking pictures of her...

Here's the whole outfit with the shoes and gloves. She would keep her hands out and stretched when she had the gloves on and could not act naturally. So funny... Maybe that's a little child abuse on our part, but whatever...

Finally, our sugared up baby, she had so much fun at the party. Thanks to the Activity Committee for the wonderful party!

We Love Friends!

2008-10-15T21:35:00.004-07:00

A few days ago, Emi had the chance to play at Sydney's house (which by the way, she had so much fun) and then when she came to drop Emi off, Sydney decided that she wanted to play at our house. It was so much fun seeing them play together and Emi had so much fun talking her gibberish talk to Sydney, who can speak perfectly. Poor Sydney...

You can see from this picture here, that Emi is so happy to be with Sydney. Come and play again!

And another picture of them lounging on the couch eating popcorn watching Emi's favorite show, Dora.

So cute!

Photo Editor FREE!!!

2008-10-05T21:13:00.002-07:00

Anyone who wants a photo editor or just wants to dabble in photo editing, go to paint.net to download a free copy.

Here's a recommendation from MSN:
But why pay at all? Paint.Net, a favorite at PC World, is free. This small, unassuming program performs many basic image editing tasks, works quickly and mimics the tools and functions that are found in other image editors (so it should be easy to learn).

Just wanted you all to know. I've tried it and am still learning, but have had so much fun playing around with pictures.

Just a bunch of nothings...

2008-09-15T12:44:00.009-07:00

There's really not that much that has been happening in our lives, but I feel so exhausted. Probably because the Primary Program, which by the way was yesterday, has been kind of wearing me down, I don't know why, but it has. The dreaded "s" word (school) has finally kicked into high gear and having Blaine not here has also made me so tired. I feel like a lamo because I only have one child, so I really have nothing to complain about. But sometimes there are days that are rough and all I want to do is lie in bed till my headache goes away. hahah... ok, ok, I'll stop complaining.

Like I said before, haven't done much in the past 2 weeks, so here's pictures of Emi around the house.

This is Emi's friend Chase. She's just helping him with the train, or maybe she's trying to push him off. She has a little problem with sharing. Need to work on that.

Emi hanging out with Dad in the backyard.

Picture after playing in the splashpad. Can you believe that it's still over a hundred here? Yuck, can't wait till it cools off...

Playing in the front yard. I told you that we haven't gone anywhere, all these pictures are from our house. Her hair is out of control. I'm so tempted to cut her hair and make bangs.

and finally... Picture of her always eating.

Labor Day to Mexico, Again?

2008-09-03T15:24:00.007-07:00

Yes, we went to Mexico again for the Labor Day weekend. I didn't know we were going till Wednesday night, so it was kind of an unplanned trip for us. Blaine wanted to head down before he got too involved with school.

It was a nice little break for us as we headed up into the mountains and enjoyed much cooler weather. I can't wait for it to become cold in Arizona. If you live here, you just sweat all the time.

While we were there, we went to the Whetten's ranch house and enjoyed some peace and quiet up in the mountains. But I guess we didn't get that much peace and quiet with four little kids running around. My child being the worse, of course. But Emi had a nice time playing with her cousins and just being outside all day.

While we were driving to Mexico, we saw a few rattlesnakes on the road. It had been raining a lot, so they were just moving onto the dirt road to get dry. I have never seen a rattlesnake out in the wild, so of course we had to stop and take a picture. I was so scared because some of them were moving really fast, so I thought they were going to attack me. Scary snakes...

Emi and Blaine on the ride to Mexico. It's about eight hours to get there, and now that we go all the time, I'm used to it and it's really not that bad anymore.

Emi and her cousins, Greysen and Preslee, at the ranch house. She loved being outside and just getting her hands dirty.

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-15T11:54:00.004-07:00

Happy Anniversary Babes... Ok, I forgot that it was our anniversary and I forgot to get you a card at least, so I'm posting it on our blog, which our anniversary was yesterday, so it's a day late. My bad...

Even though we kept it simple this year, I still had a great day. Blaine got me flowers and a funny card that I don't think is really postable on the blog because I think it's a little too much, but it's funny. Those of you that came to my house yesterday for an enrichment meeting had the pleasure of seeing it. ;)

So, we started out like this 4 years ago... so young, so skinny

Then got this little monster of ours...

AND, hopefully end up like this?

YEAH RIGHT!!! Can you imagine? Holy moly... Anyways, This is the Duggar family and I think this is an old picture because they're on their 17th child. She's crazy, but she's my hero for putting up with that many children.

AND for sure, that won't be us. Love you and Happy Anniversary.

Summer Olympics 2008

2008-08-11T11:33:00.006-07:00

I'm so happy that the Olympics are on. I have been hooked on the TV every night just watching the Summer Olympics.

All I have to say is that my new hero for swimming is Jason Lezak. Even though it was a team effort, he's still my favorite. Check this 4x100 free relay competition out. This is amazing. Blaine and I were jumping up and down screaming for Team USA. Never been much of a swimming fan, but NOW I AM! I'm so proud of Jason, that if I have a son, I'm going to name him Jason Lezak. Hahaha... just kidding. But he is AMAZING!

www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0811_HD_SWB_HL_L0194

Doesn't that make you want to put on your speedo and start swimming again? Anyways, can't wait till the Track and Field events come on too. Will keep you posted if there are some amazing wins.

Birthday Again???

2008-07-29T10:58:00.006-07:00

Another year of getting older... Yikes, it was my birthday. This is going to be a short post, but I just wanted to thank everyone for making my day so special. Thank you so much for the calls, emails and gifts. I feel so blessed to have such great friends and family. You guys are the best and I love you all.
Blaine and I got to go out on a date for my birthday. It's been about eight months since we've actually gone out on a date. It was kind of weird because all we could really talk about was Emi. But, it was so nice to not have to worry about her and have her yelling for food. I had a great day and I just want to thank everyone for making my day so special.

Here'a little Emi update. Emi started walking!!! She started walking on July 4th, and literally, she just stood up and started walking to Blaine. Now, she moves all over the house. She is so funny because everytime you ask her a question, she always says, 'YEAH!'. She doesn't know what you are saying, but any question you ask her, she'll reply back and say 'YEAH!' Anyways, she is our little entertainer and cracks us up.

This is the beautiful cake that Shawna got for me. It was a perfect gift because we forgot to get a cake anyway. Thank you so much!!! We all love you!

Trip to Utah

2008-07-11T07:22:00.012-07:00

So, we're in Park City, Utah with my family right now, enjoying the cool weather up in the mountains. My sister is at BYU right now doing the SOAR program. The weather is so nice in Utah, I love the summers in Utah. We have been enjoying the weather and taking advantage of the pool and jacuzzi. It's been nice visiting the old sites and seeing how much things have changed in the last year and a half since I've been back.
We had the opportunity to go to This is the Place Heritage Park. This is the place where Brigham Young pointed and chose Salt Lake to be the place that they were going to settle. Of all the years that I have lived in Utah, I have never heard of this place, so it was fun to visit. It was a really cool place and reminded me of Colonial Williamsburg, VA because they have little villages set up in the 1800s, but the only difference is that there's Mormon history associated with the village. It's a good place to take your kids and Emi had so much fun.

In front of the Pioneer Family Statue. I wish they had this in a smaller version, so that I could buy it.

In front of the This is the Place Monument.

Grandpa and Emi riding on the train at Heritage Park.

My Mom churning butter at Brigham Young's Farmhouse. She would not survive one day living the pioneer life. The bread and butter that they gave us to eat was really good though.

Me pulling this heavy handcart. Notice that I have nothing in it and I'm already struggling.

Emi in the covered wagon ride and then at the petting barn.

Finally, us swimming in Park City.

Back Home in HOT HOT AZ

2008-07-01T16:09:00.008-07:00

I'm back home! It feels like it's been a while, it HAS been a while. You know that you have been gone for a while when you forget your address. Thank goodness for those American Express credit cards that make you type in your zip code when you buy something.
While I was gone, I guess they had a huge wildfire a couple of miles from our house. Blaine told me about it really late at night, but he didn't seem concerned. Then my cousin called me in Tennessee and asked if I needed a place to stay. So then, I started freaking out because I thought that my house was about to burn down, so then I check the AZ news and see this fire headlining the news. I then rush to call Blaine and of course, he is not bothered by it at all. If our house was burning, I wonder if he would ever lose his cool. Probably not, he would say something like... "oh well, that's life." oh geez... Anyways, I'm glad to return home and see it just how I left it. Still standing...

I was sad to leave my family in Tennesee, but I'll see them next week as we head to Utah for a little family vacation and meet up with my Dad since he is in Washington for right now.
It's kind of hard to come back to this hot hot nasty weather when Tennesee is so beautiful in June. Emi loves to go outside and we did a lot in TN, but now I dread going outside, but we still do and come back sweaty and with pink cheeks.
Anyways, here's some pictures of the trip.

Emi loved this little wagon which was my sister's years ago. By the way, my daughter is almost 14 months and still cannot walk. Oh geez...

Grandma and Emi at the zoo. She loved the zoo and was so excited to see every animal. She is definitely transitioning from the baby stage to the toddler stage and is so much fun.

For some reason, Emi loved this ugly otter (I think otter). Kids love the strangest things. I didn't want that, so we got her a cute giraffe instead. I don't know if she likes it... oh well.

Emi and her best friend Piko riding in the wagon. This poor dog was abused by my daughter, but he was so good with her and let her grab him and lie on him like a pillow. Poor dog...