The end of an era!

Okay so I know it has been a long time since I have posted, but we have been unusually busy lately. Nothing too incredibly exciting, just lots to do. And I also really need to get the internet so I can blog when Emma is napping and Cam is at work, but you know bills equals money. However I wanted to share some exciting news for those of you who haven't heard. Emma is rid of her binky!!!!!!! Cam decided about a little over two weeks ago that it was time. I had picked up an extra shift and wasn't going to be home but he was super brave and did it all by himself. It went surprisingly well. She only fussed for a few minutes. Then a few days later Cam had put her down for a nap (I was at work, again!) and she never really fell asleep she was talking and singing so finally Cam went in to lay her back down, but guess what our silly monkey had done! She had put up her big blanket over the side of her crib so you couldn't see her and when Cam walked over she had a binky in her mouth! Which, when she saw him, she quickly threw out next to the wall! So, apparently she had found a long lost binky wedged between her crib and the wall and was keeping it a secret from us, little stinker! Cam promptly took that one away. Since then she still is doing okay without it, about the same time she came down with a cold and has been a little fussier anyway. The funny (and terribly frustrating) thing is that she will only go down for her naps for me and to bed for Cam. If we switch it up it is lots of crying and lots and reasoning. I can't believe she is getting so big, she is almost 2 you know! I am proud of her for being such a big girl, and proud of Cam for biting the bullet and sticking to his guns, he is a lot braver than me, I have been having anxiety about taking it away since she was three months old, and all the fretting for nothing, it was relatively painless! The End of the long binky novel.

Labor Day Weekend!

So this Labor Day Weekend we went to Carey, the girls stayed at home and played while the boys went backpacking into Cain Lake. Here are some pictures of our latest adventures.

Emma and Rachel making cookies with their awesome Aunt Kelly! They were big helpers! Emma cracked the eggs, and don't they look cute in Grandma's aprons.

Emma frosting the cookies!
Emma digging in! Of course she wanted to eat the one with purple frosting!

Apparently the fishing was fabulous at Cain Lake.
The crew; Cam, James, Tyrel, Aaron, Corbin and Lee.
The view!

On Saturday we went to the Twin Falls fair. Rachel and Emma had a fun time riding the rides together. Alyssa sneaked on this ride even though she was too tall.

Emma having a stare down with a cow! She loved the petting zoo, just not the petting part, she liked the looking part. We also ate some yummy food and sno cones. It was a way fun weekend, thanks to all the Cook's!

Oh, I almost forgot Sandy made Cook pinochle history, a thousand aces! Unfortunatley I was on the losing team.

My Awesome Sister!

So, last night my sister Georgia and her kids came by after visiting an old friend in Tooele. We visited and ate some dinner and then she took Emma home with her to spend the night. Her first sleepover! I don't actually remember how it happened but she was relentless, and so was Nate, so I gave in! I packed her bag and away she went, she didn't even care, she waved happily goodbye to us as she backed down the driveway. According to Georgia she slept well and played good with her kids the next morning. Cam and I rented a movie and went and got ice cream, and then I slept in til 10 am the next morning! So, I wanted to thank her publicly on my blog for giving me and Cam and unexpected break! To preface the story I have been having a really hard time with Emma lately; she is throwing tantrums, throwing food, making huge messes and saying "NO!" like every minute. I am a first time mom and really don't know how to handle it all. Georgia knew I had been struggling, especially yesterday, and she is always so thoughtful. But to top it off, today when I went to pick her up, she made me lunch and we had a nice talk while the girls were napping. I didn't get any sure fire solutions to my problems, but I got some good ideas of things to try and more importantly I got the reassurance that anything Emma is doing is not that out of the oridinary and that for the most part I'm doing things okay. So thanks Georgia for always being there and listening and offering moral support, I love you! And if anybody has some more advice with what to do with my almost terrible two daughter who is addicted to TV let me know!
P.S. Emma and Abby played dress up while they were there and Georgia got some adorable pics, I will post them when I get them.

Comments!

I don't know why it won't let you leave comments. I tried adjusting the settings, did it work?

Island Park

This past weekend we went to Island Park for the Cook Family Reunion. Tyrel's family has a cabin there that they so graciously let us use. Thanks Wrays! We went four wheeling, tubed the Henry's Fork river, went to the Playmill in West Yellowstone, and went boating on the Island Park resevoir on Aaron and Erica's new boat! Oh and played lots of pinochle. Emma had fun playing with her cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandma and grandpa who spoil her rotten. She took her first boat ride ever and cried when mom and dad went extreme tubing. Sandy has a hilarious video of me doing like eight somersaults over the water when I biff it, I will post it when I get it from her. I wasn't very good at taking pictures but will post some more when I get them. Four Wheeling with Aunt Kelly!
Floating with Dad and eating a ginger snap!
Alyssa makes a great tug boat!
Emma and Rachel had a tea party!

Emma's first Pet, and my poor parenting!

So I have been meaning to blog this since Emma got her first pet back on July 29th, but I am a little slow, but here is the hilarious story anyway. Cam sometimes takes Emma to the store and he isn't very good about making her stay in the cart and he lets her walk very slowly all around. On this particular day he took her to Wal-mart and decided to show her the aisle with the fish. She loved them and wanted to stay and look at them all day. So a couple of days later I take her to Wal-mart with a mile long grocery list and first she screams that she has to get in the cart and is screaming "walk, Emma walk!" Then after I bribe her with a sucker it is "fish, fish, fish, fish" well I take her to that aisle and make the mistake of letting her get out because of her demands to see them up close. When I tell her it is time to go she throws the tantrum of the century. So guess what her novice mother does. Buys her four fish, two black and two orange, not to mention that they were expecting a shipment the next day so I paid $3.26 per fish because they were out of the 10 cent fish. But I also have to buy food and a bowl. So Emma goes through the rest of the shopping trip happy as clam shaking her fish around in the cart. She reminded me of Darla in Finding Nemo, because after we got them home and into their bowl one of the orange ones died about a hour later from all the trauma. Emma is adorable with them though, she named them "Nemo, Dory, and Crush" and she feeds them every morning and stares at them in their bowl. We love our little persistent and smart girl, she has us wrapped around her little fingers.

Girls Weekend in St. George!

The first weekend in August me, my mom, and Georgia drove down to St. George and met the Vegas girls, Allison and Melanie for some fun! We ate lots of yummy food, went shopping at the outlets, played in the pool and stayed up way too late chatting. The highlight of the weekend was the Tuacahn theatre; we saw the Sound of Music and Les Miserables. If you haven't ever been there I would suggest going, I have been several times and am always impressed with the performance. I wanted to say thanks to my sisters and my mom, I had so much fun with them and love them all so much. I miss you girls that live in Vegas so much, it always so fun to hang out and so sad when it is time to go our separate ways. I also want to thank Cam for taking time off work for me to go and take such good care of Emma while I was away. I am such a lucky gal!Eating at the Pizza Factory, we're all drinking the essential!

Swimming at the pool, I elected to not post the pictures of the chicken fight!

At the show!

All dressed up for church!