Good Distractions.

Man, these babies are wearing me out lately. Have I told you (at least a hundred times, I'm sure) about how these babies are a lot of work? Seriously, a LOT of work. And they are both screamers. Alec is a super-screamer, but Dane is a pretty decent screamer, too. I reach a point every day where I think, "I don't think I can make it one more minute!" But then a minute goes by, and then an hour, and next thing I know it's time for bed and after 4 hours of sleep I feel a little better. The thing is, no rescue squad ever shows up (or when they do show up, in the form of grandparents, they always end up going home. Why do you guys have to have lives of your own? Couldn't you just be grandparents full-time? We have a guest room waiting...) to save the day so my little band of boys and I just keep going.

One day at a time.

Actually, one nap at a time. I'm always just trying to get to the next nap for a little breather.

Of course, there are moments - shining moments - every day that make it all worth it.

Things like:

-when Reid puts his fists in bottles and they go up to almost his elbow and I say "I am a robot" in a robot voice and he CRACKS UP. Now his new favorite thing is to be a robot with baby bottles on his arms.

-or how Alec can scream and scream and then I'll put him on the changing table to change his diaper and give him a new (un-spitup'ed) outfit and he'll giggle, I mean really laugh, right to me. Oh, it's heaven. His goopy eyes (still has trouble with tear duct drainage, hopefully he'll grow out of that soon) are so twinkly and happy and those smiles - for the moment - makes me forget the screaming.

-or how Dane is getting so awesome at tummy time. He bends his head up and his legs up and makes a moon shape with his body. It's so funny to see how high he can get his legs up behind him.

-or here's a good one. Reid has become obsessed with pants. He goes back and forth between not wanting pants, very passionately NOT wanting pants...to desperately wanting to keep whatever pants he has on and not change into other pants or take them off to get a new diaper/take a bath/etc. Erik and I can't figure out what the deal is with this pants craziness. The thing is, however, is that I'm learning that you can either laugh or cry, and I'm choosing laugh. Like the other day when Reid saw me getting dressed and as I put on my pants he moaned and cried (for the next 10 minutes), "no pants mama, no pants." Over and over again. That, I choose to laugh about.

In between the moments when I find the wherewithal to laugh about how I'm going crazytown, I like to distract myself. I think distraction can be a healthy thing, at least for me it is. If I took my workload too seriously I think I'd have to be committed soon. (ooh, that's actually a good idea...lots of sleep and no dishes - the dishwasher broke again, or rather, the dumb dishwasher man never really fixed it. With the exception of the 3 loads we were able to do before it went kaput again, we've been sans-dishwasher for like 9 weeks. I don't recommend it.)

I like to think of ways that I could spend my time, in case I find some someday. Or I like to think about things that make me happy. Or I just think about things that don't involve laundry, dishes, poop, or screaming. Here's a round-up of things I've been thinking about lately:


Erik's younger brother Zach and his wife Natalie just welcomed a beautiful baby girl to their family. Baby Jane. Get a load of that hair! Tons of blonde hair! Couldn't you just die! Grandpa Olsen called it last night "silky blonde hair that always stays in a mohawk." Perfection.The cute family of three.
I can't wait to meet her! Oh, I hope I get a girl someday. Someday in the far distant future when I've had a nap or something.

So that's a happy thing, how about some distractions? Things I'd do if I had time to do stuff.

I've been thinking a lot about writing. I'd like to become a better writer. I don't know what I would ever write about, people always say to "write what you know", but does that mean that people would want to read about my thoughts about my hair or how much poop I have to deal with on any given day? I'm not sure about that. But if you want to become a better writer with me, check out this awesome blog. I love her.

I am working out the details of a goal, a big one. It involves me starting a business (laughable, I know). I have a bunch of ideas that I'm always churning in my head, lately about quilting. My goal is to get myself to a Quilt Market in the near future. It's when a bunch of designers/companies/local store owners/etc. get together for a trade show. My kind of heaven. You'll hear more about the details as I work them out, but in the meantime how about an awesome blog about quilting? Here you go.

Another delightful thing about my plan to go to Quilt Market someday is that I'm going to need some cute clothes to wear. Seriously, I'm planning on starting this company for two reasons: to go to something awesome (Market) and to wear cute clothes while I'm there. Those two things are totally not a part of my everyday life and it would be such a treat. Cute clothes! With no one spitting up on them! And meeting Anna Maria Horner! Heaven! Want to dream about cute clothes? Go here. Could the main page of their site be any more gorgeous today? I don't think so. I love it all...the romantic, vintage, and artistic.

Lastly, have you been here yet? Seriously, THE best distraction. Where were we before etsy? Etsy is my instant mood-lifter. Sure thing, every time. Don't you just want to make something?

Well, there you go. Now you're thinking, she just whined about how she doesn't have any time. How is she writing this much on her dumb blog, then? Good question. My sister-in-law Ann commented on that once. First of all, I'm not the engineer of a project inventing an alternative source of energy. Seriously, amazing. Secondly, this blog is a result of hundreds of 60 second chunks of spare time found throughout a few days. I don't ever have like, say, an hour to do anything. But I can check out my favorite blogs, one at a time, scattered throughout the day and I can type a bit at a time on my own blog. That's how I'm managing and except for the mountain of laundry that I need to fold (mountain is not an exaggeration, trust me) things are working out pretty well.

Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

introducing...Grannie!

Welcome to a new blog feature called "introducing..."

This week's installment features my dear, dear, dearest Grannie. When I was in Tucson I found this picture on my mom's computer and just loved all the Grannie-ness about it:

the Lands' End shirt

the soft curls in her hair (who ended up with Grannie's curlers? I loved looking at those things

the little smile

the fact that she's on a horse (what?)

To really get an idea of how amazing this lady is, check out what my cousins had to say about her. I wholeheartedly agree with all of it. I would sure enjoy some gingersnaps or homemade bread right now, too.

If you've known me for very long at all you've no doubt heard me talk about (brag about) how amazing my Grannie is, but now you can have the witness of my 50+ cousins to go along with it.

If heaven could be a person, it would be Grannie.

So go read the link, feel inspired to be better, practice the piano, make some bread, and remember to say your prayers. Let's make Grannie proud. And then let's sit around and visit, Arnett-style. Can't beat that.

Oh, and look at the picture again. See the girl to the right of Grannie and the horse? That's me with my elementary school hair-do (probably about 4th grade). Nice.

Beautiful Boy.

Can I get an amen? Our friend Gena is the nursery leader at church and she took some pictures of the kids for the nursery wall and emailed this one to us. She's an amazing photographer and I hope to have her take some family portraits for us someday soon. In the meantime, however, let's all just gaze into Reid's gorgeous eyes. I love this picture so much, what a treasure! Thank you, Gena!

thank goodness.

grumpy and messy boy (Reid), sweet husband...

sick baby (Dane), sweet husband...

frustrated mama (me), sweet husband...

Thank GOODNESS for that sweet husband!

The Handsome Birthday Boy!

Friday was Erik's big day. He got to start his day by going to work. Bummer. But we had a little surprise for him for when he got home.
When I asked Erik (a no-fuss kind of guy, married to a fussy fuss over everything kind of gal) what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday he said, "well, do we already have any cake mixes in the pantry?"
I responded that yes, we did. We had a white cake with Valentine's sprinkles in it and frosting with matching sprinkles (Valentine's week was spent in the hospital with Alec and so the cake just didn't get made.)
He said, "I like white cake, but I don't think I need sprinkles in it."
Hmmm, I thought. Does he realize that the sprinkles are already in it? I'm not about to go picking through the mix to un-sprinkle it.
"Actually, Emily," he said, "I'm kind of desserted out."
I'm thinking, is that possible?
Apparently at work this week there have been lots of treats and seminars with treats for a mid-briefing break, etc.
"I just want a small, white cake."

Done.
This cake is small, in diameter at least. But it is 6 layers tall. Have you seen "Pollyanna"? You know when she goes to the bazaar and the cook makes these HUGE cakes? Haven't you always wanted one? Me too.

I made a regular cake mix and baked it in a jelly roll pan. Then I used a serrated knife to cut out six layers (keeping the scraps in a bowl for snacking). It got a little wobbly towards the end, so we put some bamboo skewers in our Leaning Tower of Cake to keep it upright. That solved the problem for the most part.

Mom was visiting for a few days (come back Mom, come back!) and she did the honors.

The birthday boy holding a temporarily ornery Reid. I don't know what his deal was, but I'm sure the look on his face is familiar to parents of little ones.

Erik being hunka hunka handsome (look at those blue eyes!).

Reid not quite sure about the cake. He's thinking about it.

Grandma holding the babies. Alec (on the right) is like, "come on already. The sooner Dad cuts into the cake, the sooner you all eat it and the sooner I get a taste through mama." Did that gross you out? Sorry.

More handsome Erik, deer-in-headlights Reid.

Blowing out the candles. This time Reid is interested. I think he might have taken a swipe already.

Erik enjoying his "small" cake and Reid figuring out that cake is pretty awesome.

We met Erik in town after work to go to the Yamaha store so that he could pick out a helmet and goggles for dirtbiking. There's a sweet track nearby and Erik had a grand ole time riding there a couple of weeks ago.

So, mission accomplished. Another year older. His 32nd year was a big one. A move, new job, twin babies...I hope 33 is even better. Just not another move or another set of twins this year. We're pretty tired.

I need serious help.

You know how I struggle every day with the bangs or no bangs dilemma?
It's bad.

But I have come to a conclusion...I would rather live my life doing things than not doing things. You know what I mean? I would rather go for it and have it turn out horribly than have the same boring hair for the rest of my life. So, bangs here we come.

Oh, and I also wrestle with the concept of coloring my hair. It's the same "granola vs. J. Lo" struggle that I've mentioned before. Part of me is all "I want to be natural and free" and part of me wants to wear electric blue eyeshadow and glam it up. Usually when I think about coloring my hair I debate over red or black. This time, I'm going red.

Run, don't walk, to InStyle and play with the Hair Makeover Tool (in the top left corner).
It's way too much fun.
Here are some new Emily hair ideas for your consideration. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions on this matter. (and yes William, I know you don't like bangs, but try to be objective) To me, fun new hair is a very, very big deal. Mostly because in my near-zombie/mother of 3 little ones/desperate for sleep state, small improvements go a very long way. Or at least I tell myself that. This is the Ashlee Simpson. I love her color (doesn't show up as well here) but I can't stand! the way she and Pete always have hair slicked to their foreheads. Is it just me?

This is the Reese Witherspoon but dyed red (and my favorite look from the makeover tool) Yes, that's right, when I said red...I meant red. My mom is nervous that I'll look like a lady of the night, but I think the above picture looks very un-hookerish. Maybe because I'm surrounded by an adorable family, but still.

The Julia Roberts. I like it, a lot. But I think I want a little more pizazz.

The Camilla Belle. What I like about this one is that if I cut my hair like this then Jill and I could be twins! Have you been to her blog yet? I know I talk about her all the time, but seriously, could someone be any cooler?

This is the Julianne Moore. I know I said red, but I don't think I want this red of red. I don't want to lift any color out of my already pretty dark hair, so I can only get as red as will seep into my brown hair. Is that how it works Natalie?

Just for fun, the Rhianna. I like this one and may go for it after I get sick of the red.

and for when my hair gets longer, the Jennifer Garner. This is actually just wishful thinking though. Since having kids my hair isn't as thick as all that. And my feet got bigger. But more on that later.

The America Ferrara, but in red. Cute cut, but I definitely need more pizazz. From some bangs.

This is the Rachel Bilson. I like this hairdo on me a lot, but it's for when my hair gets longer and when the granola side revolts against the J. Lo side and I get all natural again. I know, I act like I have no control over this, but you don't understand...they are two very powerful forces inside of me.

and lastly, the January Jones. I am not meant to be a blond, but it was fun to give it a try. I don't know...maybe someday.

So what do you think? Are you feeling the red Reese Witherspoon? Or would I, in fact, look like a lady of the night. As you can see, I need your help.

Oh, and sorry for making you look at my mug so many times. At least you got to see the handsome huz and our 3 little ones each time, too. And look at how tiny those babies are! They were only 2 weeks old then! Breaks my heart.

Right about now you're thinking, "she hasn't blogged in like two weeks, and then blogs this nonsense?"

Well, we're visiting family in Arizona (hooray for Tucson!) so that's my excuse for the unintended blog break...and about the nonsense...did you really expect anything different? Come on, you know me by now.

Why Erik's parents are so great

So as you will see in style and content, this is a slight deviation from the normal blog post, but I still have contributing rights, so here goes. My parents came to our home about a month ago. It was a planned visit, but it just so happened that Alec was just getting out of the hospital and everyone was sick, so it was a perfect time for some help at the house. And that is EXACTLY what we got...and more. It was a really amazing weekend. We got more accomplished that weekend than we had since we moved in the house a month prior. My Dad is the kind of guy who when he sees a problem or puzzle, he says, "well, lets fix it". Emily wanted more counter space in the kitchen, so how do you do that and make it match the cabinets and counter tops that already exist? Well you just buy all the parts and put it together! Duh. I consider myself a pretty good problem solver, but not the best at home renovations, at least not big projects. So we went to Home Depot with my credit card and found matching cabinetry, and the tiles that matched the rest. We screwed cabinets to the wall, put the tack board on top and laid the tiles and grout to match. And now it looks like it was there the whole time! So along with the new counter space we installed a new shower head and mirrors in the bathroom, hooked up the waterline correctly to the refrigerator, hung 4 or 5 sets of curtains, rearranged furniture in Reid's room, and hung 7-8 pictures/artwork around the house, mowed the weeds in the back, and figured out how to channel warm air from the furnace back to the kid's room. Mom, bless her soul, went over to the rental we were moving out of and spent like 9 HOURS cleaning! And she was by herself! That is true love. It was a really big nice house, with a lot to clean. So during the weekend, Grandma and Grandpa got plenty of baby goo-goo time, and Erik and Emily got a gift of chores done at the house. So, a long story short, I love my parents and will be forever grateful for weekend visits like that. They helped us immensely.

So why did it take me so long to tell you? Well, first off because we are outnumbered now. I can't see blogs at work, the network has these types of web-sites blocked, so I can't do it at work (I mean, of course I wouldn't do it on government time) and then when I go home its baby duty time and I don't spend much time on the Internet. Anyhow, I also took a picture of the kitchen, but I haven't found time to load it. But we are in Tucson this weekend (Emily will be here all week), and next week I will have some more time.

I feel bad because I'm going to miss my wife and kids all week, but secretly in my head I'm dreaming of all the sleep I'm going to get, and all the little things I'm going to catch up on when the kids are here. And next weekend I was going to go snowboarding, but it is stake conference and I'm having a hard time thinking of dealing with how to explain missing a general authority (stake presidency is being replaced). So I'm thinking of camping by the ocean Friday night, or maybe getting my dirt bike working on Saturday morning, or maybe just going on a mountain bike ride or a hike. It is so fun to think about having just a bit of time to myself. Although by then I'm sure I will be missing everyone so much it won't be that fun (...maybe).

Well, its about dinner time around here...I hope this isn't my only 2009 blog post, but don't be surprised if it is. I've started another class for school, work is getting hectic, my church calling takes some effort...excuses, excuses. Anyways, thanks for listening- Erik

my life in numbers

Number of:
children crying/fussing at any one time - at least 1
mini bagels I've eaten before noon today - 4
times a day Reid says "uh....Ooooooh", and for good reason - usually about 5
pacifiers per child - 4
minutes a day spent looking for pacifiers - 20
hours of sleep each night - 3.5
library books due today - 6
pounds I gained with the twins pregnancy - 50+
pounds left to go to get back to pre-pregnancy weight - 5! (it sure doesn't look the same though, dangit)
times Reid has watched "Hello Dolly" - at least 15
times a day I give Alec a breathing treatment - 4
times a day Alec gets Zantac to hopefully help with his painful reflux - 2
weeks since we've had a functioning dishwasher - 5
size of clothes the babies wear now - 3-6 mos.
times a day we have spit-up catastrophes - 20, 30?...which leads to...
loads of laundry a week - at least 12
babies that want mom's attention, all day - 3
little guys that I get to snuggle - 3 (and 1 big one)
husbands who, when I'm at the end of my rope, somehow make everything better - 1


it all adds up to a pretty darn good, and very tiring life.

photo from here, also check out her etsy shop, it's very cool

did you know?

...that a block of cheese will bounce when dropped on a tile kitchen floor?
It's true.

my famous family.

Remember a few posts back when I said the famous people that I've been told that I look like and asked who you have been told you look like? Remember that?
I think that's a funny thing to think about.
When things are funny I like to take them to ridiculous levels.
This is one of those times.

Here is my famous family, or rather, if a movie was to be made about my family this is who I would cast. This is all nonsense, by the way, so I realize that some of these actors are dead, some aren't really even actors, and the ages don't match. Don't get hung up on that, this is fake anyway.

And to my dear family, I hope these casting choices don't offend. Feel free to recast yourself for my fake movie if you deem it necessary.
This is the real family. What a good-looking bunch. They are all too busy being awesome or else they'd just make the fake movie themselves. But since awesomeness is taking all of their time, we'll hire out. This is who it'll be:

Dad: Clark Gable. Dad has a very "Old Hollywood" handsome thing going on. The full hair that combs to the side, the dashing gray sides, and dad was born to wear a suit. Sure, Clark Gable is dead (he is right?) but for the fake movie land he's starring as dad.

Mom: The woman that plays the mom on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". She (her name is Lainie Kazan) gets my pick because she is the ultimate "movie mom". She's in everything. My mom is the ultimate mom, so it makes sense.

No, I should have written THE ULTIMATE mom.

Needed the dramatic emphasis.

You know how in MBFGW she was overbearing and sweet and would do anything to make her daughter Toula happy? And remember how she's the young Bette Midler's mom in "Beaches"? And she's overbearing and sweet and would do anything to make her daughter C.C. happy? Notice a pattern?

Plus, who else could look as good as mom in big hair?

Brian: John Travolta in the disco years. Actually, one year at BYU Brian found a white suit at DI and was a ringer for John Travolta at the Halloween party the my roommates and I had. I have pictures of it but it was pre-digital camera days so someday if I scan them onto the computer I'll show you. Except then you'd have to see me from that party, too. I was Michael Jackson from the Thriller years and it was not cute.

You know what, I bet Brian has some sweet moves like Travolta, too. Deep down inside.

Matt: I think the closest that Hollywood comes to my brother Matt is Matt Damon. Plus, Matt's mental clock speed is about a million miles an hour, like Jason Bourne, so I think this casting choice fits.

William: This one is scary. I bet William has been told he looks like Fred Savage about a hundred times. I think it's uncanny. And what nice hair. William looks very "boy next door" to me. This choice was easy. Although, when Shrek turns into a human and not an ogre, he looks an awful lot like William, too. Except even in a fake movie it would be weird to have a family full of real people and one cartoon person.

Annie: Annie gets this one a lot. I think it's the freckles.

I think it's because she's cute as a button. Just like Annie. This one works pretty well, I think. Check out Annie's blog and look at her profile picture on the right. Pretty close to the one of Soleil Moon Frye (above). Rad.

The huz: Erik has a very strong Dave Grohl vein that runs through him. I think they are kindred spirits. That is if Dave Grohl cut his hair, wore a uniform, and didn't swear/smoke/drink/etc. They are both cool and crazy funny. I bet you didn't know that about Erik. He seems so easy-going and chill, right? Well, he is. But he's also the funniest person I know. If you want to see Dave Grohl being funny, check this out.

And lastly, for myself I'm going to upgrade to Alyssa Milano. She would play me in the movie of my life if my life included being miraculously hot after having 3 babies like bing-bam-boom! Or, I could play her in the movie of her life as her after she let herself go. That would be rad.

I need to do some more thinking to find good picks for sisters-in-law and neices and nephews. And of course my little ones. Maybe a future post.

Do you want to be in my movie? Just say who you would cast and you're in!

(Cheri, Melissa Joan Hart - totally. I watched too many episodes of "Clarissa explains it all" considering how dumb it was. Sabrina the Teenage Witch, too. Same story. Does anyone remember the theme song? "Na Na na Na na na...na na Na na Na na...way cool!" Jan, you're way prettier than Jamie Lee Curtis, but I can see what people are getting at. Same facial bone structure, both tall, etc. Emily, I would cast Cameron Diaz for you, too. You're both way hot blonds with beautiful smiles. Casy, Jodie Foster? I don't see that at all. You're totally better looking than Jodie Foster. I'm not sure who for you, but not her.)

are you ready for this?

Warning!
Danger!
Peligroso!

Cuteness overload!

The next few pictures are not for the faint of heart. Seriously, these pictures could only get any cuter if Reid was sitting next to the babies holding a basket of baby kittens. That would push it over the edge. As they are, you just might survive the cuteness if you close your eyes, and very slowly open them, taking in only a bit of the cuteness at a time. I cannot be responsible for what happens to those blog readers that take these warnings lightly.

For your safety, please keep your arms and legs inside the blog at all times.



Here we see Alec on the left and Dane on the right. They are becoming...SO...MUCH...FUN! They have always been a lot of work, and that work has always been very worth it, but lately things have started to be fun! Every time after they eat they have a 20-30 minute window where they are just so content and playful and it's almost too cute for my little mama heart to handle. My favorite thing is to put them right next to each other and Reid and I just coo and smile at them for the whole 30 minutes. We all love it.

Could you just die?

can you believe it?

I always hear of people and the ridiculous finds that they get at yard sales and I burn with jealousy every time. Why can't I find such treasures? Well, on Saturday I did!

The dentist's office down the street was having a rummage sale with the proceeds going towards the group's "Relay for Life" team. One of the women who works at the office has breast cancer and she organized the sale. I picked up some little books for Reid (he was with me, out of his stroller, and trying to figure out how to pogo stick) and as I was walking around saw a box of fabric. Of course I stopped to check it out and deep inside I found this. It's a finished quilt top, a double bed size, all pieced together of about 1" wide hexagons. Millions of them. Probably 30+ years old. And get this, it's HAND PIECED! For you non-sewers, that means that some crazy lady out there sewed all of these tiny fabric scraps together with a needle and thread, BY HAND! I'm beyond jazzed.

When I took it up to the table to pay for it, the lady was like, "um...how about 2 dollars?"

me: (choking a little bit) "2 dollars? Did you ladies look at this?"

This is why I'm a horrible haggler. Horrible. I just can't feel right about it. I showed them how awesome it was and that it was hand pieced and that it's completely gorgeous and then handed them the twenty that I had with me. Erik was glad that I didn't have more money on me at the time. I don't care that they only wanted two bucks...it's wonderful, it's for charity, and I couldn't be happier. Except for a little residual guilt because I feel like they still got robbed. Two dollars?! Crazy.