Okay I Get It!

Girls' Weekend in St. George

I snuck away again. On Friday afternoon I headed up to St. George with some friends to spend the night. I completely and totally lucked out that Nate had Friday and Saturday off. His plan was to take ALL THREE kids camping while I was gone, but I talked him out of it. 

Did you know pizza can sit in a hotel room and a car for hours and still taste delicious?

I was a little confused as to what we were supposed to be doing in this picture.

We all brought bags/baskets of a few of our favorite things. Then we exchanged them and told about each item we had included and why. 

Besides eating, the only thing we did was shop. Shopped and shopped and shopped. Everything from JCPenney to Children's Place to DI.

Eating out without my children...HAPPINESS.

It's so funny how much you miss and think about your kids when you are gone from them for even a short time. These kinds of weekends really renew me, and I always come back ready to jump back into motherhood.

No Buyer's Remorse

I've purchased a couple things lately that have brought me happiness. 

I don't remember where I first heard of Folex, but I kept hearing about it so I needed to try it. You can get a big bottle at Home Depot for about $5. The label says that the product is non-toxic, non-flammable, odor-free and CFC and Petroleum Free. It's also non-ionic...meaning there is no negative or positive charge which keeps the area from attracting dirt to it. I have not tested it on the the long list of stains it claims to be able to remove, but it has been like magic on all the small dark spots on our carpet. Spray some on, rub with finger, blot up with washcloth, spot is gone.

I grabbed this little book at Barnes and Noble for about $5 too. I know I have a blog, but I don't want to record every single funny thing my kids say on here. That's what this book will be for. I am keeping it in a cupboard in the kitchen, and I just pull it out and jot down the things Jansen and Natalie say. I could have made my own book of course, using a notebook or something. I can see myself misplacing or losing something like that though. For some reason this hardcover, published book makes me want to write things down and I know I won't lose it over the years. I think it will be a real treasure 20 years from now.

The Night a Say's Phoebe Flew Into Our House

We hosted a small fireside at our house on Sunday for the Young Men and Young Women in our ward. I mostly eavesdropped from upstairs, but I was still able to hear many wonderful and inspiring things. The topic was missions, and Nate scored big points with me when he mentioned an experience from his mission and said it was the happiest day of his life...besides the day I told him I would marry him. His words, not mine. :)

Well, the real excitement began AFTER the fireside. About half the guests had left when we got a late arrival:

A little Say's Phoebe flew into the house. I am assuming he knew he was among friends when coming into the Nye home. (Nate is an avid birdwatcher). There were screams and gasps and laughs. The poor things flew into the fan once. I thought it was so cute how concerned and calm Nate was. 

We caught him eventually. He seemed to be okay. There were a few feathers strewn throughout the house. Although he was a dear little thing, I hope to never see him in my home again.

So Curious So Busy

These curious eyes are so anxious to take in everything around them.

There's so much to see and do when you've only been around for about 8 months! Trees, birds flying by, dogs...it's all so exciting to Emmy. We are entering the "busy" stage. I find myself calling her a monkey several  times a day. 

Here is monkey right before church today. Monkey makes church very hard.

Another Month Gone By

 Emmy is 8 months.
Jansen is about 69 months.
Natalie is about 45 months.

Emmy's main objective these days is to pull herself up on everything and anything.

She loves to grab faces. She prefers Nate's nose above all else.

She's crawling all over the place, but she's not lightning quick yet. That's a good thing for sure.

She's a really good eater. I can count on one hand the number of store bought pureed baby foods I have fed her. It's funny how different that is from the way I fed Jansen. Emmy just kind of went straight to chunks of food. I can't think of anything we've given her to eat that she didn't like. 

For awhile she was only drinking a few ounces at a time and I felt AWFUL when I realized the flow on her bottle nipples wasn't fast enough. They were labeled for her age, but they were very slow. She never complained about it, but she would get tired of sucking and lose interest.

The precarious life of Emmy A. Nye.

Happiness can be found in such simple things. Sunshine and a spoonful of peanut butter.

 Tonight it was her sippy cup of milk, books, and being snuggled in our bed while daddy read to her. Sometimes I feel like she's too old for a sippy cup once a day. Or that I don't want our bed messed up. Or that four books is one too many. But then I see how happy these small things make her and suddenly having control or being in charge or being strict doesn't matter to me so much.

We love it here

This is Nate.  Shhhh.... I am currently trespassing on sacred ground....Jessica's blog.  I just had to throw in my own 2 cents.  It's the relationships that you make in each place you live that either make or break your experience there.  Our Ohio experience was incredible in that regard. We miss our friends in Ohio like crazy.  But we have made so many fun and enriching friendships here too. We are so grateful for the ward we live in and the people who have served us and welcomed us into their/your lives here.  We have absolutely loved it here in NLV.  Even got to continue/renew some prior friendships from Ohio/BYU/Washington!  I know it's going to be so tough to leave here in a couple yrs.  Jessica's home.  Gotta go.  Here is a picture (which I took) of a Phainopepla, a bird that lives here.  We love the birds here too.  Even though I neglect them due to work, the birds and I still have a great relationship.

A Year in Vegas

It has certainly crept up on me. The fact that we have lived in Las Vegas for a year now. A pest control salesman stopped by our house the other day, and as I explained to him that we already had a year contract with someone I had to stop in my tracks. It has been a year!

I remember well arriving here and being an emotional wreck. No electricity and no gas for a couple days. No food in the fridge.

This is a photo Nate took when he came out to Las Vegas to look for houses. He wanted to show me the little park and walking paths nearby. This area is now part of our morning routine of walking to school and a fun little place to ride our bikes.

Thoughts on Las Vegas:

Although I get hot easily and I swear the sun makes me sick, I really enjoy the sunshine. As we walk to school before it gets hot, I always feel happiness looking at the bright blue sky. We are gearing up for round 2 of summer, so I may come back and delete this next statement...but I have really liked the weather here.

It has been a lot of fun to have our own house. Although I do about 95% dreaming and looking and only 5% actually doing, I have really found joy in decorating and creating our space. 

There are so many wonderful people here. New friends that have welcomed us from the first day and longtime friends that make us feel like we have "family" here. 

Nate and I are serving in callings at church that have required us to get to really get to know the members of our ward. We have been busy, but we have been blessed. I am constantly learning how to manage my time and where to give my attention. I am grateful that the gospel makes it clear to me where my priorities need to be. 

It has been a great experience to be a part of the Air Force family and all those involved in Family Medicine. Watching Nate grow as a doctor and seeing him give care to others is very, very cool.

Being within driving distance of friends and family has been AWESOME.

It makes me a little queasy to think that this time is passing so quickly. Is it worth it to invest ourselves in this place? In our home? In the people here? Well, yes. In fact, YES. It's been a big adjustment for me to learn how to jump into these situations and make the very best of our time in each place we live. It's challenging, but it's rewarding and fulfilling.

On the Move

Emmy is moving. And pulling herself up on things. She is loving her independence, but then she needs some comfort from mom after exploring or climbing. It's definitely time to lower her crib, put up the baby gates, and hide the Legos. 

She's pretty much ready to conquer the world.

*** I know you laughed***

What Mother's Day Looks Like

This is what Mother's Day looks like:

I really appreciated all the moments throughout the day that Nate tried to keep the kids out of my hair. Some time to herself is all a mom ever wants!

And this is what 7 years of marriage looks like:

We celebrated our anniversary on Saturday. I actually did not feel well at all for most of the day, so there wasn't a whole lot of celebrating. That's what we signed up for though right? For better or for worse. In sickness and in health. I sure love him.

Glad That's Over

We had our home re-plumbed a couple weeks ago. We didn't have to pay anything...the cost was covered because of a settlement concerning the homes in this area and the pipes that were installed when they were originally built. Apparently they were the wrong ones. Hate to be the guy that placed that order. I've made mistakes in my life for sure. Thankfully they had nothing to do with the plumbing of 2700 homes.

 It was a pain. Our house was finished in 3 days though...the fastest of any I'd heard of. The water was turned off for awhile a couple of the days and we couldn't use the washer/dryer or dishwasher for the 3 days. Wait a minute! A legitimate excuse to not do dishes or the laundry?! What am I complaining about???

I tried to just stay out of their way, so I would come home to let little rugrat nap and then we would leave again for our made up errands. Or go to the park for the 3rd time that day. Or go use a neighbor's toilet.

The men working in our home were very nice and polite. I think they were Bulgarian. But we had some awkward moments. It's so so awful when you finally have to end a conversation with, "I'm sorry. I just can't understand what you're saying."

Then there was the time that Jansen and Natalie were sitting at the bar in the kitchen while one of the men worked nearby. Jansen calls out to me, "MOM! Is it okay to talk to strangers if you are here? Can I talk to strangers if we are in our house?" I knew where this was going and wanted to avoid it, so I mumbled something and Jansen and I talked back and forth pretty incoherently until he gave up.

                      

Well, it's finished. Like the title says, so glad that's over.

Picture Proof

I just got to thinking...

Got to thinking that maybe you'd all like to see a picture of me in my "world's best pajamas" I mentioned in the previous post...

Some might call this blackmail material. I call it beauty.

And answer me this. Are you more jealous of my rock collection or my glasses? Okay, okay. Or my hot pink beanbag?

(Sorry for the small picture. It's scanned and I can't figure it out...)

World's Best Pajamas

Daddy's old shirts have got to be the best pajamas in the world.

I wore them to bed.

Nate wore them to bed.

Now our children are wearing them to bed.

I made Nate let me take a picture of this. Natalie sneezed with a mouth full of food and sprayed rice all over his back. I sure thought it was funny.