Here is what I got Greg for Christmas.

Thanks Mr. Bodily.

We had such a crazy and fun Christmas this year. After a few work parties, a super fun night making gingerbread houses with friends, and and eating lots of food we headed up to the land of the north. My cousin, Janice, got married the Saturday before Christmas so we loaded up and packed for AN ENTIRE WEEK! Thank goodness for saving up our vacation time. Janice's wedding was beautiful, but cold, cold, cold! The rest of the week we just spent hanging out, playing in the snow, last minute shopping, cooking and eating several large boatloads of food, and organising and painting my mom's craft room. Okay, so I barely did a thing, but other people did a lot and I supervised. Most of the hard work actually happened while Greg and I were on our late anniversary date. It was really fun to go out. I talked Greg into seeing Twilight with me since I was about the only woman in UT who hadn't seen it yet. I LOVED the movie and Greg liked it, too. He even said that I could buy it when it came out. (I would have anyway, but the permission is nice!) On Christmas Eve Greg and I together with my old high school buddies Darby and Amber and their cute little families. Thanks for letting us hang at your house Schofies! Later we had an awesome Christmas dinner at my Grandma's house and another one the next day with ALL the extended family. Then we all rushed down south that Saturday because my sweet neice Sidney got baptised! So, to sum up our week: lots of family time, lots of food and fun, and not enough sleep.

Enjoy some pictures!

We have such a blast with this little girl! I'm thinking that her spunkiness is pretty apparent in these photos. (click to enlarge) Emmy's birthday was on Nov. 26th - the day before Thanksgiving this year - next year it's on Thanksgiving. (bummer) We got a few friends and some cousins together and had lots of cake, ice cream and fun!

So I know that this is a little late, but Greg and I 'celebrated' our 6th anniversary on Sunday! We did actually have fun plans but our 102 & 103 degree temperatures had plans of their own.

We've had so much fun throughout these last 6 years! It's nice because we really seem to have an easy marriage. We genuinely enjoy hanging out with eachother, but can handle our alone time. I still pin Greg down and tickle his feet, (which causees MAJOR spasms), and he still teases me when I use the words 'itch' and 'scratch' incorrectly. (Hey, nobody's perfect!) I'm greatful everyday for a husband that loves me, understands me, and humors me. He's such a great guy and I feel lucky that he came into my life. Thanks, Honey! Here's to many more anniversaries!

This is a little Christmas-time quiz that has been floating around. I thought that it was fun to see what others' attitudes about Christmas were, so here are a few of mine.

1. wrapping paper or gift bags? Bags for odd shapes, but I love to wrap! (People in my ward used to pay me to come wrap their gifts for Christmas!)
2. real tree or artificial? Fake ,fake, fake all the way – and pre-lit!
3. when do you put up your tree? When I get to it…
4. when do you take it down? Eventually.
5. do you like eggnog? Yes, but only diluted with skim milk.
6. favorite gift received as a child? Dream Builders – legos for girls
7. worst christmas gift ever received? A candle shaped like a lump of coal.
8. hardest person to buy for? My mom or Greg
9. easiest person to buy for? Emmy!
10. do you have a nativity scene? Nope, but I would love to get the little people one!
11. mail or email christmas cards? mail
12. favorite christmas movie? Elf
13. when do you start christmas shopping? I usually start thinking about it in October, but shopping in November.
14. have you ever recycled a christmas present? No…. ;)
15. favorite thing to eat at christmas? Fudge!
16. lights on the tree? Only if I don’t have to put them there.
17. favorite christmas song? The Entire Muppets Christmas Album
18. travel or stay home? Travel a bit
19. can you name all of santa's reindeer? Only if I sing the song
20. angel or star? Angel at the moment but I would prefer a star.
21. open presents christmas morning or eve? Only in the morning, no teasers.
22. favorite ornament theme or color? Vintage modern (is that a theme?) and I like snowflakes.
23. favorite place for christmas dinner? My parent’s house
24. most annoying thing about this time of year? Worrying about money
25. what do you want for christmas this year? World peace..hehe, okay, slippers and gift cards.

I know that it's taken me a while to post about Emmy's first year, but I've still been processing that I have a 1 year old! We could not have gotten a better gift from Heavenly Father than our beautiful Emerson. Even as I type this I'm tearing up a bit because I love her so much, and I'm so amazed at how she's blessed our lives. I am a little sad that she isn't really a baby anymore; we've entered the "terror-dome" of toddlerhood! We've been having issues posting video, but we have some great walking ones. She's been walking for about a month now and we've had some MAJOR tumbles. I plan on having a whole separate post with pictures from her birthday because I took so many.

I hope you enjoy this...there are a ton of pictures! Don't feel obligated to look at them all, it was mostly for me!

Okay, so I know we've sort of fallen off the blogging wagon here, but I promise, we'll get back on soon. So to hold everyone over until we're officially back, I found this hilarious quiz on my SIL Emily's blog. Try it out. Who knew that I'm the size of the average Swedish man!

What Your Height Says About You

You are a very vulnerable and spiritual person. Your emotions run deep. You have a philosophical and poetic soul. You think things through and are a bit of a skeptic. You tend to be very opinionated. You are a perfectionist with high standards. You prefer to work alone. You work hard, and you don't like interruptions. You are about as tall as the average Swedish man.

Just a quick fyi for any of you who are interested.

Emerson if going to be on TV on Wednesday!!!

Well...kind of...

I just sent her 1 year old picture to a SLC morning news show called Good Things Utah, on ABC 4. It's on weekdays at 10 a.m. If you're local feel free to set your dvr or vcr to see her. They play the most annoying happy birthday techno/baby talk style song while they show cute pictures of babies turning 1.

If you watch let me know what you think!

Did we ever mention how much this girl loves music? Well, she REALLY does!

The other night Jess left to go play city volleyball. This meant that I was staying at home with Emmy. All I had to do was give her a bottle and put her to bed. The bottle was easy enough but the putting to bed part was a little more difficult. I put her down but she wasn't ready for bed. She talked to herself for a few minutes and decided falling asleep was too difficult. After about 15 minutes of screaming I went to go check on her. She was standing up in her crib screaming bloody murder. I knew all she needed was her binky and she would calm down. I quickly looked for the binky but it was nowhere to be found. She has a habit of throwing it when she's upset or happy. I gave up the search and picked her up and tried to rock her back to sleep. As she was calming down she decided that it was a good time for a major gift. She also decided that she didn't want to be changed. As I laid her down on the changing table she rolled her head to the left in hopes that her body would follow. Well, her hopes came true. As she twisted I did my best to minimize the spread of her wonderful gift. I didn't act fast enough and I found myself wiping her down head to toe. Once I finished cleaning her up I attempted to put a diaper on her, but she once again used the head-roll, body-twist defense. I decided it wasn't worth it so I let her enjoy the breeze. We went downstairs and she played for about an hour in her birthday suit before she acted tired. I picked her up and she got fussy but I decided play time was over. I flipped through the channels and she was fussy until we got to MTV hits. She calmed down while enjoying some music videos. I don't remember the moment she fell asleep or I fell asleep but this is what Jess saw as she came in the house at 10:30.



I guess this kid just wanted her MTV.

This is a cute, fun time killer for kids and adults alike. I just spent 10 minutes making funny faces and for some reason I feel all relaxed and energized! Call it Pumpkin Therapy or Hypnosis but it's fun! Get some practice in before you do your actual carving. Thanks to Lisa for this fun idea. Check it out:

http://www.cubpack81.com/images/carve_pumpkin.swf

Seriously...I'm thinking that she's pretty much as cute as they come! We went up to catch some of the fall colors for a little family photo shoot a few weeks ago. Emmy was having a ROTTEN day! She was teething and fussy as all get out and she cried almost the entire way up the canyon! When we got up there and out of the car she really started to liven up. Thanks to Curtis for the great picturess and thanks to Andi for helping me sing the ABC song a dozen times! You guys are great friends. Stay tuned for more pictures.

In my class we have a random writing prompt everyday. Sometimes they are serious and thought provoking:
"If you could change only one thing in the world what would it be and why?"

But more often than not they are random and silly:
"Pick 10 random words. Write a short story using all of those words."

Today it was this:
"Write a fan letter to your favorite musician from when you were much younger...thank him/her/them for their music and tell them what it meant to you."

I thought about this for a while and I think that I would write to...Wilson Phillips. Yes, they were a little before my generation, but I will show you why I decided on them even when I could have chosen New Kids on the Block, Milli Vanilli, Whitney Houston, Ace of Base, Garth Brooks and many, many more.




(I need two volunteers to dress up with me for Halloween. I'll be in St. G so Sarah? Renee?)

Dear Carnie, Chyna and Wendy-


As I think back to my childhood, I think of you. I think of road trips where my sister and I convinced our parents to play your tape over and over. (Along with the Bangles - How else would I be able to "Walk Like and Egyptian"?) Your music brought our family together by uniting them against us! That tape was also one of the MANY things that I repeatedly stole from my sister because I felt so connected to your music. (Sorry Sarah, maybe I'll get you their Greatest Hits Album?)

Going on into adulthood I rely on lessons that I learned from you. I learned that I should never "let anyone step all over" me and to "Just hold on for one more day." I also learned that "We have eyes like twins," but I'm still trying to figure that one out. Thank you for those valuable lessons.

Thanks for you music and inspiration. Just one last question: Carnie, are you every jealous that Chyna lucked out with the cooler name from you parents? I mean, Carnie just has such a creepy, circus connotation, right? I hope you can move on.

Sincerely,


Your Biggest nonFan,

Jessie

Emerson has been going up the stairs for a while now, but the other night (while Greg was talking to our SIL Jenny on the phone) she decided to go down the stairs. We won't let her do it without one of us VERY close because she's not very stable, but, oh, she just LOVES the game that it has become. Up then down then up then down.....very cute.

A few weeks ago we went up the canyon to take some family pitures with the fall colors. (Thanks Thompsons!) Afterwards we met up with some friends for hotdogs and smores over a camp fire. It was really fun! Emmy got to hang out with her favorite little friend, Kevin. They are so cute together and we love watching them interact. Kevin is turning one next week and then Emmy is 6 short weeks later!

Check out this site. They are opening a new store and to celebrate they are giving a handbag away every hour for their grand opening. Go and sign up to win. Cross your fingers!

Here's some fun stuff about Emmy to celebrate her 10 month birthday. (You might need to click on it to see it bigger.) They are the things she likes, her personality, what we think of her...etc. Thanks to my cousin-in-law April for this great idea!

I have a friend at work who is an incredible artist. He creates these incredible cartoons as well as more realistic stuff while he's just doodling. He supervises the girls while I teach and most days he finds a picture and sketches it.


One day I gave him this picture of Emmy:

And he came up with this in about 10 minutes:


We scanned it in to our computer at home and now it's our background!

Pretty cool, huh? You can check out some more of his AMAZING art here.

And this train of thought is why I don't have my lesson plans done for tomorrow...

I'm sitting here reading some background information on American Romanticism getting ready to teach it in class tomorrow. And I came across a quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes. He said, "Everybody wants to have a hand in a great discovery."

(This was after the first time a physician used gas to make a patient unconscious for a surgery. Holmes was the one to call it anesthesia, which means without feeling. Cool, huh?)

Is that true, though? Do ALL of us want that? I thought, "Sure, he's probably right, but I hate it when people overuse superlatives like, everybody and always."

Things never go well in our house when one of us uses superlatives. Unless Greg says, "You always make the best dinners!" It's usually something more like me saying, "You always leave your shoes here...or I always do the dishes!" or something along those lines.

We should all just be a little more political and not assume that everybody wants anything!

Everyone tells me that Emmy looks like Greg. As she gets older I am being able to see it more and more. What do you think?


(We call this picture 'President Kimball' baby! Wasn't he a cutie?!)

So tonight I'm playing catch up...
I LOVE Thursday because I don't have to work on Friday and it gives me a chance to stay up late knowing that I don't have to wake up at 6 the next day.
I love that I have a job that gives me a 3 day weekend EVERY week!
Although it does seem as though my Fridays are even busier than the rest of the week because it's my big day to clean, do laundry, and run errands.
I absolutely cherish getting to spend the entire day with Emerson and going to lunch with Daddy!

We have been having a great time lately with the house.
It's finally starting to feel like home and there are no boxes left! (Except for the in the garage, but that doesn't count, right?)
We've been having fun 'acting ' like grown ups and taking care of the yard and doing projects on Saturdays.
Our burst pipe issue has been resolved, and luckily it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
But we do have a patch of mud in the yard now.
Maybe we'll just add rock and make it a xeroscape area?

She has just been such a delight to be around.

I love just sitting back and seeing things click with her.

She loves to play with her daddy when he gets home from work.

Yesterday he found a trick that got her giggling like a little school girl.

I swear, that sound is a little piece of heaven on earth!

Our Labor Day weekend started out GREAT! We had a super fun pool party at a friend's house in St. George for our game night group's end of summer bash. We had pizza, M n M's, Dr Pepper, and ice cream, (can you beat that combination?), and then played games and visited in the pool and hot tub. Fun, fun, fun! Thanks guys! My family was also down for the weekend and we had a great time catching up and hanging out with them. And then...



Greg and I just got called to teach the 7 & 8 year olds in Primary. This is our first time in Primary and the kids in our class are actually great. So we teach once, and it goes well. Then we have Stake Conference. While we're getting our lesson ready for the following week I notice a little note that says we're in charge of Sharing Time...our second week there. It was about baptism. It was a baptism by fire. Good thing my sister is a Primary President and already had the perfect thing in her arsenal. But I had to teach and present without Greg. Because of this...

When we got home on Saturday night we found our front yard flooding and a big geyser spouting out of our grass. We had to turn the main water off and deal with no water until the next day. Greg and Josh spent the next day digging and sloshing around in the mud. It turned out just to be a cracked pipe and after a few trial runs they got it taken care of. Now we just have a section of our yard that's ruined...no big deal, right? We're thinking that we'll just take out the grass there and xeroscape with rocks and a bush or something.

Overall, the weekend was good, though. We got to spend time with friends and see a lot of my family. Although I may have had a bad attitude about sharing time, if we hadn't come back on Saturday to prepare for it and our lesson, we would have stayed til Mon. night and our bottom floor would have probably flooded. I guess I need to work on my attitude...it probably won't happen. Sorry. ;)

On a lighter note...

Grandma and Papa Cook brought down a little baby piano on their way to St. George. Emerson clawed and dove off of Grandma's lap to get to it. Needless to say, she has been both entertained and entertaining. I think that we may have a mix between Stevie Wonder and Mozart here...

Emmy loves sticking her hands in water. When I get a glass of water and I'm holding her I have to be careful or her wonderfully slimy little paws just plunge right in. That's because her Dad showed her that delightful trick. He's so good with her. They were having so much fun and getting so wet. What a blast. I was laughing SO hard! (That explains the really poor quality in camera work - sorry.) There is just something about watching a baby discover and enjoy something new! Emmy had the BEST time out watering the lawn with her Daddy.

So it turns out that Foley girls are not as hard to come by in this family as they used to be. Up until Emmy was born there was only 1 girl out of 6 grandkids. So Emmy came and then on the 24th beautiful baby Maggie Brooke came to Doug and Jenny. Here is #3!

I guess we'll wait for a bit to decide what little Maggie will be, but I'm sure that she'll whoop her little brothers into shape...so maybe something in the military?

My friend just put up a couple cute pictures of Emmy playing with her little boy, so I thought that I would steal it! :) For all of my friends and family who crave Emmy updates, this and this are for you! Thanks Ashley!

It has been a while since our last post. There's been a lot going on. We've been dealing with some sad stuff with some of our friends here, and then we were out of town for a wedding and some much needed time off before a long school year begins again on Monday. Here are a bunch of random videos to satiate our lovely readers for the time being.

*This picture is Emmy with her little buddy Kevin. (Our friends the Endsley's 10 month old.)

This is officially my first time uploading a video. I hope that it works okay.

Emmy is getting more and more proficient as a crawler by the day. Her favorite thing to do lately is to take all of the CDs out of this case. We don't mind since most of them are copies and we have them all on the computer anyway. It's pretty cute how she can get them all out so fast. She flips a page yanks, and then flips again.

Just be warned that I'm probably going to be posting a TON of videos in the next little while.

This sweet girl has been such a blast to have in our home. What an amazing journey Greg and I have been on with becoming parents to our little Emerson Rose. She has such a fun personality. I thought that I would make a "Top 10 List" of things the I LOVE about her.

1-Her beautiful and expressive dark brown eyes. (I mean, seriously, look at those pictures!)

2-How her "happy gauge" is how much she kicks her legs. It's kind of like when a dog wags its tail.

3-When she smiles and coos when I get her out of her crib. And how she talks to herself in her crib and pretty much all the time.

4-How, even though she's not crawling yet, she manages to make it over to my bookshelf and take the same book off every time. (Love of books must be in her blood!)

5-How she plays Guitar Hero with her daddy.

6-How she loves to eat...everything. She has never not liked something that I have given her. Now that girl has a healthy appetite!

7-How she pats everything. She pats her toys, her daddy's face, me when I'm nursing her, and my back when I'm burping her.

8-Her belly laugh. I swear it's the fountain of youth to hear that sweet noise!

9-How she puts her Binky in her mouth sideways and then smiles at you. (Refer to the collage.) It kind of looks like a Joker.

10-Most of all I love how she makes me feel. She makes me feel important, valued, loved and a little closer to heaven in those quiet peaceful moments with her.

10 years ago: I was 15 and about to start high school. I had played Volleyball there the year before so I knew a lot of the older girls at school. Which pretty much meant that I was already awesome (and awkward). "Dear Old AF HIGH, Oh I will love you til I die. The banners bright are red and white will be our beacon through the night..." No that is not a lame poem that I just made up. That was our school song. Right now you're probably thinking, "Wow. That is awesome! I wish that was MY school song." I know, right?! AND our mascot was the mighty CAVEMEN! Jealous?
5 years ago: I had been married for 7 months and had already totalled my car, and finished a summer Shakespeare class. It was a very productive time for me. I think I was working at IZOD at the time as well. You know, just me and all the old people golfers would hang out. (Greg and Michael should know what that's like!)
1 year ago: I was eating at least one nectarine flavored snow cone a day and getting a huge belly as a result. I was also 6 months pregnant. I was working at Walker's Bridal Emporium full time and keeping the store alive with my sales alone. Sad, but true. I was just about to quit for my current teaching job.
5 months ago: I was trying really hard to get back in to my pre-pregnancy clothes...Mission accomplished. I was getting used to being back in school after having the baby. It was a rough adjustment, but it really has worked out beautifully.
Yesterday: I went to my new ward for the first time. So far, so good. We relaxed and napped, watched some Psych, went to a friends house for meatloaf and funeral potatoes. Later Greg watched Transformers while I read The Other Boleyn girl. I want to read it before I see the movie. And then we did something unheard of...we went to bed BEFORE 10! It was all in all a good day.

...down memory lane!

I stole this post from a friend. Thanks Shari! I thought that it looked like a lot of fun.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. I think it's fun to take a trip down memory lane, and it's always good to have a laugh or smile about the past. So leave a comment and I'll do the same for you!

This has seriously been one of the most trying experiences for us. I'll spare everyone the gritty detail, but here's a condensed account of the process.

We started out slow just getting a good faith estimate, looking at properties with our Realtor Ron, (he's my sister's father in law), and taking our time. We weren't in a hurry and we were just waiting for a great deal. We found one that we really liked a lot and decided to put a bid on it...here's where it all began. We had three approximate closing dates, two different loans (of which we didn't find out until the day of supposed closing that we didn't really qualify for...grrrrrr), and finally a second loan officer who SAVED the whole thing with a great loan and a great interest rate. WE were supposed to close last Monday, and that's when it all fell through...but were HAD to get out of our apartment because they had already found a family to move in. So we loaded all of our stuff into a U-Haul and moved in to Hotel Gibson for a few days. What a blessing it is to have great friends like them! So it's finally over. We signed yesterday and moved most of our stuff in. We're getting everything set up and moving into the new place today. What a relief! Now I hope we can actually feel the joy of owning our first home rather than this constant frustration. I don't have any pictures yet but HERE is a link to a virtual tour. It's a great starter for us; 3 beds, 2.5 bath, 2 car garage, good sized backyard (unfinished), 2 story, it's never been lived in, kind of out in the boonies but close to the freeway, and it's our own!

Ok, so I know that I'm a little slow getting to this one, but here are my top favorite pictures from Emmy's first photo shoot 3 months ago, (She was about 3 1/2 months old). How did we luck out with such a beautiful baby?!

After Greg’s I’m hesitant to post this because his was so good. But since I already had it started I guess I’ll go ahead. This is in response from a tag from my blog-i-liscious sister-in-law Stacy. I don’t usually do these things but there really is value in this one. I think it’s a great way for people who don’t see me all the time to get to know me, and perhaps for me to get to know myself a little better. Here goes:

1. I REALLY like rainy days. (Maybe that’s because I live in the desert?)
2. I’m a daddy’s girl.
3. I seriously hate feet. My own included. My baby’s excluded.
4. My husband was my brother’s mission companion. (That’s how we met.)
5. I have no problem with reptiles, but I’m a major baby with insects. (Sorry Greg!)
6. I feel like because I teach English I should read every book known to man. And checking them out at the library is not ok…I have to own them…even if I don’t like them…Why do I care?
7. My hands and feet are smaller, slightly more feminine versions of my dad’s.
8. If I was born a boy my name would have been Cameron.
9. I have a cousin named Cameron.
10. I LOVE TLC! What Not to Wear, Trading Spaces, Flip That House…yum!
11. I played volleyball at Dixie State College. One year. Kind of crappy situation. Not very glamorous.
12. I still LOVE volleyball!
13. The fact that Greg played volleyball in high school was one of the reasons that I kept writing him!
14. I am 7 years apart from my older sister,
15. And we didn’t get along very well when we were kids, (nothing crazy. I was just annoying and liked to steal from her and spy on her…)
16. But she is one of my closest friends now and I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life today. I love you, Sarah!
17. My mom is one of the smartest people I know.
18. I love coloring.
19. I like to think I’m a very organized person, but the reality is that I seem to get less and less so as I get older and busier. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
20. I always wear earrings.
21. Rocket Dogs are my favorite brand of shoes.
22. I love sticky notes!
23. I have some spider veins. The curse of the Cook long legs.
24. I’ve never broken a bone.
25. I can’t stand Shania Twain or Celine Dion.
26. I have a really hard time with mouth and spitty noises.
27. I collect notebooks and pens. Okay, not really, but I have a really hard time throwing them away.
28. I wish I were a better photographer.
29. I used to want to be a ballerina.
30. I always loved English but said that I didn’t want to be a teacher.
31. I love being a teacher.
32. I was blond as a kid.
33. I like to watch Greg and Emmy when they don’t know it. Is that creepy?
34. I outgrew my older sister when I was 10 or 11. She’s 5’4’’, on a good day! I’m 5’11’’ all day long!
35. I hate when Christmas lights are crooked or awkwardly placed.
36. I daydream a lot.
37. Orange is my favorite color. Not construction orange but a warm one.
38. I used to go to car and airplane shows with my dad.
39. Greg and I have the same length of legs.
40. Greg is 4 inches taller than me.
41. I loved being pregnant other than the balloon feet.
42. I think that my dad looks like George Harrison.
43. I Love the Beatles!
44. I know how to weld.
45. I went to State for High Jump all three years of high school.
46. I have no clue what my personal best height was. Maybe 5’?
47. I was on the student council in 9th and 12th grade and I have the sweet @$$ sweater to prove it!
48. I honestly love Greg’s arms. Weird, I know. But I think it’s the strong protective thing.
49. I love that Greg makes me feel small and petite at times.
50. There are not many people who could possibly make me feel small and petite.
51. My first concert ever was Reba McIntyre.
52. I have an irrational fear of blood clots. See #23. I think that’s where it roots from.
53. I wish that my eyes were greener.
54. My awkward adolescent years were from about 11-21. Okay, they probably ended around 17.
55. I love Scottish, British and Irish accents.
56. I seriously crave nectarine flavored snow cones.
57. My birthday is 3 days after Christmas.
58. I have a total complex about by birthday being lost in the holidays and being forgotten. Not that it ever was; my parents did a good job with that.
59. I choose chick flicks to watch when I feel like I need to cry because I’m not naturally much of a crier and it’s a good outlet for me. Is that a little crazy?
60. I have never played Monopoly.
61. I didn’t think that I could love Greg more, but seeing him with Emmy overwhelms me sometimes.
62. I got busted yesterday when I was trying to listen in on the baby monitor while he was changing her. He’s just so cute and funny with her. She just loves her daddy! (So do I!)
63. Most days I feel inadequate – as a teacher, as a mother, as a wife…
64. Telling me that you’re disappointed in me is MUCH worse that yelling and screaming.
65. I’m a good listener most of the time.
66. I’m not so good at sharing, (which might be why this list has taken me 3 days…)
67. I still have to look at my hands when I type.
68. I’m a hugger. Greg’s a tree-hugger! ;)
69. When I was 8 I set up a rock stand. You know, instead of a lemonade stand. They were very nice rocks. It was not a very profitable business venture.
70. I have a mini-me. (D.F.S) We used to show up to high school wearing the same shirt or matching colors all the time – with no premeditation.
71. My sister has a mini-her. (M.H.G.) And she lives in Cedar and makes me dinner sometimes.
72. I enjoy easy crime novels every now and again. (Janet Evanovich, the Stephanie Plum series; Sue Grafton, alphabet series…)
73. I always knew that I wanted to be a mom, but I am still surprised at how much I love it. I’m especially surprised at my new-found patience, because that is something that has never been one of my better attributes. Should my competency as a mother surprise me? I don’t know. I guess that beforehand I just had all these doubts and then as I’ve gone along in this journey I’ve gained a wonderful confidence. (Not that I don’t doubt myself all the time.) It’s just that I have my wonderful mother and my sister, super-mom, to compare myself with, so I’m glad that I feel like I’m doing ok.
74. I have called the cops on people who don’t have children in car seats.
75. I can’t pick a favorite book or song because I like too many.
76. I hate talking to sales people and such, which is weird because I was in retail for a long time and it never bothered me when people asked for things.
77. I’m fiercely proud of Greg – who he is as a man and father, and his accomplishments with school, work and church callings.
78. I think that my first CD was Boyz II Men. And the last CD I bought was…the new Boyz II Men covering Motown classics album.
79. Guilty pleasures: cookie dough from The Pizza Factory, (guilty because I know there’s raw eggs and a lot of fat and I disregard that),
80. the O.C. (television show), (because I know that it’s sleaze and mostly teenage drama, but I can’t help it),
81. pedicures, (because I know that the money spent there could be put to better use),
82. long, hot showers, (because I know it’s a waste of water but I just can’t help it!)
83. I think that Greg is a better writer than me.
84. I had a crush on one of my high school English teachers. (Devyn, if you tell Beeson this I will kill you!)
85. I think that I always appear more confident that I really am.
86. I didn’t get any stretch marks during my pregnancy. (Don’t worry, I got a bunch more spider veins and still have the linea negra.)
87. When we were teenagers my brother told my dad how many guys I had kissed, (which I had told him in confidence!), and I thought I saw my dad’s heart break a little. I was probably 17 or 18 and Dad still thought I was VL. Sorry, Pops. I can’t even remember the number now because the only one that matters is Greg! ;)
88. I like to read adolescent literature: Twilight series, Harry Potter, Gateway to Foo, Eragon…
89. I used to make forts in a side turned hamper and fall asleep there with my head stuck in and my gangly legs poking out.
90. My mom and I used to stay up late watching Shakespeare movies or masterpiece theatre.
91. Mom and I also used to watch “Pinky and the Brain” together.
92. My dad once rented a movie called, “A Pyromaniac Love Story.” We’ll never let him live that down.
93. I am grateful everyday for the Savior in my life.
94. I love Oldie’s Music and Classic Rock. The Monkeys, The Mamas and the Papas, The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel…too many to list!
95. I really enjoyed most of my college experiences and think that I got a pretty liberal education at a pretty conservative school.
96. I can’t keep a plant alive no matter what I do.
97. I know that my optimism annoys Greg, but I can’t help it! (Sometimes it annoys me too because it causes me to get my hopes up and I get disappointed a lot. I think that’s the real reason Greg doesn’t like it - he hates to see me disappointed.)
98. I love the old “Abbot and Costello” movies. I even have a poster with the whole “Who’s on First” dialogue.
99. I LOVE to people watch.
100. I’ve been trying to teach Emmy to say Daddy. Greg thinks it’s a competition, but I think it would just make his heart swell for her to say his name first. So, I’m working on it. So is he.
101. I can’t believe that I made it to the end of this list! For those of you who stuck with me, you are true friends. I feel like I should go back and edit it all, swap things out, and change things…but I was being honest the whole way through and I’m too lazy to edit.

This isn't a list of 100 things about me necessarily, but a list of 100 things that have influenced me, some random thoughts, and beliefs that I have.

1) I may be too cynical for my own good.
2) Jessica introduced me to the magical sounds of Queen.
3) My favorite Queen song is, "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"... Quite possibly the gayest song of all time.
4) I have never been, nor will I ever be, embarrassed that I played the clarinet throughout middle and high school.
5) I think the war in the Middle East should be decided by a game of Risk.
6) People who ride on a motorcycle without a helmet are idiots.
7) I once drove from Phoenix to Benicia (12 hours) with my best friend without saying a word or listening to the radio. He read a book and I drove. One of the best road trips I ever had.
8) Benicia tap water is delicious.
9) I miss the smell of Benicia.
10) I had to go to the school psychologist when I was in 1st grade. Apparently I was a little goth child before it became cool to be an outcast.
11) If you make me mad, I can make my eyes appear black.
12) I was put in the slow reading class in 1st grade. I didn't read a book for school or pleasure until I was 16. It was the Iliad of Homer.
13) I was arrested when I was 13 for shoplifting with some friends. I quickly found new friends.
14) I didn't cry the day Emerson was born. I sobbed on the drive from the hospital to work.
15) I get teary every time I see the music video for the song "Citizen Soldier" by 3 Doors Down.
16) Don't get me wrong but I think Oprah spends too much time and money outside of the U.S.
17) A college education or some sort of trade school should be a requirement in order to become professional athlete.
18) I played and started on the varsity volleyball team in high school as a sophomore, received 1st team all league honors as a junior and senior. I turned down the opportunity to play at some Division III and J.C. schools so I could earn money for my mission.
19) Jerry Seinfeld has nothing on my no-puke streak.
20) I ate the pound burger at Fuddruckers on three consecutive nights on my mission. My companion and I forgot that we had a dinner appointment on the third night. We ended up eating a family meal from Popeye's Chicken between the two of us. This has been the highlight of my no-puke streak.
21) Babe Ruth is overrated. If he played today he wouldn't be a Hall-of-Famer. If Hank Aaron played in Ruth's time, he would have gotten to 1,000 home runs.
22) I worked at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club when the LPGA had a tour event for the top 20 golfers in the world. I got to drive Juli Inkster to the driving range after her first round of golf. I asked her how her round went and she said it was awful. My reply, "It's okay. Sometimes I struggle on this course too." She could have gotten me fired.
23) I failed the last class for my masters degree. When the teacher wouldn't respond to my phone calls, emails or office visit attempts I worked out an independent study class with the head of the accounting department. When I got an "A" I sent my transcripts to the teacher who failed me. I still haven't heard from him.
24) I have no problem with illegal immigrants taking jobs away from Americans. If Americans would swallow their pride and take the same job there wouldn't be an issue.
25) David Letterman hasn't been funny for about 10 years. Connan O'Brien should be the only talk show host allowed on T.V.
26) I don't think cell phones should be tolerated in church. Is the potential phone call you're going to get more important than God?
27) I believe in a dress code for public schools.
28) I don't think people should get tax breaks for buying a fuel efficient vehicle.
29) John Steinbeck's best work wasn't Of Mice or Men, The Grapes of Wrath, or even East of Eden. Go read To a God Unknown.
30) I think Steinbeck was a literary genius but a traitor as a Californian.
31) In eighth grade I was invited to lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
32) I saw a picture of Jessica while on my mission and I immediately knew I was going to marry her. I was 20 and she was a junior in high school at the time.
33) I love to sleep with the windows open in the middle of winter.
34) If an NBA or MLB team offered me a job I would take it without talking to Jessica.
35) While working-out I got tired when doing the bench press. I wasn't able to get the bar off my chest. The only person in the gym was a girl. I struggled for five minutes before I asked for her help. I don't think I've seen a person fight so hard to not laugh.
36) Female reporters should not be allowed in the locker room before, during, or after the game. I don't care how credible she is.
37) I love a good piece of cake.
38) Blue Bell ice cream is worth the $100 to have it shipped to your door.
39) I love to talk to telemarketers.
40) I like to argue even if I don't care about what I'm arguing.
41) I have no desire to become my own boss.
42) Maybe it's the accountant in me but I love a good spreadsheet.
43) If you're not from New York you have no business being a Yankee's fan.
44) I can't understand the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when they sing.
45) I can be calmed down from any situation by the music of Jack Johnson. So can Emerson.
46) I got the '88 Honda Civic up to 120 mph.
47) I cried the night Mark went to BYU because I new that all of the brothers would never be together at the same time again. I think the last time we were all together was at Doug's wedding. I think Mark went to BYU in '93 and Doug's wedding was in '99.
48) A clean kitchen sink makes me happy.
49) I have seven sister's-in-law. I'll never tell whose my favorite.
50) There is something that I envy of all my brothers.
51) Hand guns terrify me.
52) I was at soccer practice during the 7.1 Loma Prieta Earthquake. I didn't feel a thing.
53) The only reason I majored in accounting is because two teachers salaries won't pay the bills.
54) This is a little inappropriate but I crapped my pants while in college. And no, I don't drink or do drugs.
55) I take great pride in the fact that my parents raised six boys who served honorable full-time missions and that the five that are married were married in the temple and are still married.
56) For two years I was addicted to the soap, "Passions".
57) I once put my hand on a red ant pile for free lunch. It wasn't worth it.
58) I currently don't vote because I currently don't care.
59) The only reason I care about cable T.V. is because I love ESPN.
60) I like Bill Walton.
61) I walked away from a 50 mph car crash without a bruise or scratch. However, I did pick broken glass out of my hair for three days.
62) I think about death everyday.
63) I enjoy when you can see the moon and the sun at the same time in the early morning.
64) I love America's Funniest Videos.
65) Hot Rod is the funniest comedy over the last five years.
66) I told myself that I would go to Utah for school and if I got married while in Utah I would bring my wife back to California and I would under no circumstances have children raised in Utah. It's been 5 1/2 years of marriage and our first child was born in Utah. I try not to tell myself anything anymore.
67) Sometimes I wish that Jessica wasn't so optimistic.
68) I have a great fear of heights.
69) People who complain about the President are wasting their time and energy.
70) I think that offshore drilling and drilling in Alaska are a good idea.
71) I don't think that endangered species need to be protected at all costs.
72) If I go to a buffet, the first thing I look for is meatloaf.
73) I think that people who say they don't have regrets are liars.
74) At what point did beards become unprofessional?
75) When I'm with Jessica and Emerson I think I'm better than everyone else. Yup, I'm that arrogant.
76) I get angry when I tell someone my last name and they spell it "Folley".
77) I think that when at a restaurant I should be able to put the tip on the table at the beginning of the meal and adjust it according to the level of service received.
78) Drunk drivers should get a "Go Directly To Jail" card and should have their license revoked immediately.
79) I'm all for stem cell research.
80) I like IKEA.
81) While on my mission I played volleyball against the Texas A&M women's team. It was their team against myself and another missionary from Tonga. We beat them.
82) I prefer to sit/lay on the floor while watching T.V. or a movie.
83) I love mullets.
84) When you type "Gregory L Foley" in the Google search bar, my review on Amazon.com is the first result. I destroyed my finger during a game of flag football and as a result my original wedding ring no longer fits. I bought my current ring from Amazon.
85) I think that teachers should be able to use dunce caps and smack students with rulers when they act like idiots.
86) Adam Sandler should refund everyone who went to his last two movies.
87) I plan on watching the men's national basketball team play live during the Olympics.
88) I have Red Dawn DVR'd and I have no intention of deleting it. It should be the first thing new recruits see when joining the military.
89) I was a glass child. I would cry in an instant.
90) I pray that Emerson doesn't get that from me.
91) I'm scared to start studying for the CPA exam. Not because I might not pass it (most don't their first try) but because of the expectations if I do pass.
92) I'm extremely proud of the hard work Jessica puts into her job as a teacher.
93) I'm more proud of the work she puts in as a mother and wife.
94) I'm grateful that Jessica allows me to be the man when I need to be.
95) Before Emerson was born I made a list of everyone that I have offened and tried to contact all of them individually. I didn't want Emerson to come into a world in which people hated her father.
96) I love the excitement that people get when they are around Emerson.
97) Emerson Rose wasn't the first choice I had when she born. I was sure she would be Adelaine Scout. Now that she's here, I couldn't imagine her not being my little "Emmy".
98) I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
99) I have to go move the laundry to the dryer.
100) I spent over three hours doing this thing so someone better read it all.

I need some creative ideas from you wonderfully creative people! Please, read on...

Okay, so it's been a few weeks since we got back from visiting Greg's family in California and I finally have the pictures up to post. I'm kind of bummed that I didn't take that many pictures out there, but I didn't realize that until we were home. It's hard when I'm the only picture taker in our family! We had so much fun out there and wish we could go more often.
The first day that we were there, Friday, we went and surprised Grandma at work, visited Jenny and Andrew at home and then we walked around beautiful 1st street in Benicia. Greg had requested one of his favorite childhood meals, pigs in a blanket, and Vivian made them for us! It was my first time and they were actually pretty yummy. It was a nice summery meal with fruit and potato salad. The next day we went up to Vacaville to the outlets and had a fun day shopping. Later that day we met the whole family at Sandoval's Mexican Restaurant on 1st street. It's a great little local place, (i.e. the Foley's are on a first name basis with the owners), and has kind of turned into a family tradition to go there. Sunday we went to church with the fam and then had a relaxing day just hanging out, watching the movie "Stardust," eating lots of food (thanks Vivian), and playing with the boys. Monday was the day that we decided to do San Francisco and it was a blast. We went to Golden Gate Park and then down to Fisherman's Wharf. I was having major issues with my allergies and then it turned into a lovely sinus infection. So we decided to leave Tuesday afternoon and split our trip home into 2 days. Vacations are always tiring, but we had a great time! Thanks to the Foleys, Michael included, for putting up with a screaming baby in the middle of the night. Love you guys!





Here's Emmy with Grandpa Foley. I love how happy and delighted he looks while she's looking a little unsure! Don't worry, this was the first night and she really warmed up to him. ;) I'm so sad that I didn't get a picture of Emmy with Grandma! If anyone else got one from our trip I would love it. (Greg says she's very illusive!)




This is a picture of Emmy's cousins, Patrick and Andrew, reading to her. These boys LOVED her. It was the cutest thing ever. Patrick found out that she liked books and so the next day he brought a bunch of books from his house to read to her. In this one Patrick is actually reading the book and Andrew is showing her how the pop ups work. Adorable! Good thing these boys will have a little sister in a few months!



Here's Emmy and the boys on our Sunday afternoon walk around the neighborhood. Isn't Andrew funny?! He wore his visor like that almost the whole walk! As you can see Emmy liked these guys as much as they liked her.




This is us at the Japanese Tea Gardens at Golden Gate Park. Leave it to us to choose the one day a week that none of the museums or anything were open at the park, (Monday FYI). We still had fun walking around and looking at the cool stuff. This really isn't the best picture, but I had to put it up because it is one of the only ones that I'm in!


We were just browsing through a store at Pier 39 and I look over and see this face! Can anyone guess what she was doing?! (The little glittery star on her face is a 'fairy kiss' from one of the shops we went through.)



This one is for my Dad. Representing. Boo-ya!


Here's two (not so) happy campers at the end of a long day at Golden Gate Park and Pier 39. We walked around to all the shops and had some yummy sour dough and clam chowder. It's funny how many people stopped us to say how cute Emmy was. (Especially foreigners!) I mean, we know she's cute, but it's fun to hear it from other people, too! It was a lot of fun to walk around, but oh my goodness, it was exhausting. I'm not sure if it's because we're wimps now or if it's just that much harder with a baby.



Here's Emmy with Doug and Jenny. Do these guys look ready to have a little girl or what?!




Here is my handsome husband after a long day of driving! We stopped at Subway for dinner when we got back into Cedar and I realized that his hair had exploded! He runs his hands through it when he's tired or stressed. I think he belongs in the 70's with that afro!