Birthday Breakfast

Brynn turned nine months old last Saturday. She woke up at 5:00, which isn't too unusual, but somehow it seems ealier on Saturday. What else was there to do but take her out for a birthday breakfast at Denny's? This is the first time we've ever actually ordered something for her. Smiley Alien Pancakes! She did pretty good work with them, too!

Nine Months Old!

Now that Brynn is nine months old, it is crazy for me to think that she has now been out of my stomach for longer than she has been in it! Everything seems like it is going so fast, but at the same time it is hard to imagine life without her. I wonder what I used to do all the time and what it was that used to make me happy. When I married Marty, I didn't think that there could be anything better in the world than spending every day with my eternal companion. Marty and I still make each other happy, but Brynn has brought such an unexpected depth, meaning, and joy to my life. Thank you, Brynn! I love you!!!!!!!!!

We blew up a bunch of balloons for her birthday, but they scared the poor girl to death!

These are some of the only pictures she is not crying in.

We took some more pictures a few days later after she had gotten used to the balloons. Here, she is a much happier camper!

And no, she has not popped a balloon in her mouth. However, I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Those new little teeth are razor sharp!

Brynn's Pedicure

Ok, so all of you ladies who went to the girl's day are not the only one's with pedicures. Brynn's baby-sitter painted her toenails, and let me tell you - this is what baby girls are all about! Those little toes looked so sweet, I couldn't stop kissing them! Girls are SO FUN!!!

Thanks, Justin and Helen!

Brynn got a really fun package from Alaska last week. Uncle Justin (my brother) and Aunt Helen sent her a dress! Justin got to pick the fabric, so he decided on green frogs to offset her pink wardrobe. I didn't know how good she looked in green! :) Then Helen made the sweetest dress. Now Brynn finally has something to wear with the green bow Grandma got her! Thanks, guys! You are the greatest. Now if only you would empty your voicemail so I can tell you how much I love it...or better yet, you can answer your phone! <--Sorry, I guess it felt good for me to say it rather than hear it! :) Love you!

A Beautiful Breakfast

At about 6:00 this morning, I went to go get something from the car and realized that it was actually bearable outside. In fact, it was beautiful! It felt so good to be outside that I wanted to enjoy it before the sun came up too far. So Brynn and I got to have breakfast on the patio this morning! I am looking forward to many more breakfasts on the patio and can't wait until we can have lunch outside, too!

Marty Bleeds Blue

Last night the BYU Cougars played Tulsa, so we made it a date! Sort of.... Since we don't have cable, Marty bought the game and watched on the internet. Then he lugged all of my heavy scrapbook stuff up the stairs for me so I could scrapbook while he watched. It was so fun! During half-time we made ultimate nachos with the hottest jalapenos on the planet and strawberry-lemonade. This is a good compromise for us because we so love to spend time together and this way our hobbies don't fight! GO COUGARS!

Heck, no! We won't go!

With Marty's permission, I am calling on anyone who reads this to help settle a small marital dispute. :) Last week we got on the subject of dentists (I think we were talking about what our insurance covers). I made the mistake of mentioning how expensive it was going to be to take all of our kids to the dentist every six months. And the rest of the conversation went a little like this:

Marty: Oh, I never went to the dentist twice a year and I've never had a cavity. Once a year is fine.
Emily: Well, I went every six months and I have had fillings. You're supposed to go every six months. So we will.
Marty: But no one actually does it.
Emily: But we will.
Marty (chanting): Heck, no! We won't go! Heck, no! We won't go! Heck, no! We won't go!


So, how many of you take your kids to the dentist every six months?

Happy Birthday, Marty!

Marty turned 26 yesterday, hooray! It was a nice laid-back day. I brought balloons and lunch (In-and-Out!) at the end of one of his classes. Then for dinner we went to Cafe Rio, which is a tradition that was started on my birthday during one of our first dates and continued on even through our..."courtship intermission." We were excited to hear about a Cafe Rio in Gilbert so we were able to keep the tradition alive, and we haven't missed a birthday yet! After that Marty wanted to go see a movie but while we were in Cafe Rio it started drizzling a little. We were so happy to be outside at a bearable temperature that we just decided to take Brynn to the playground instead. It felt so good! After that, Brynn had her first piece of birthday cake. Then Jeff, Jana, and Emma came over, because I guess when Emma heard it was Marty's birthday she wanted to go pick out a couple of things at the dollar store. So obviously she got him a funny pair of glasses and a Christmas snowglobe. She always picks out the greatest presents!

Hola!

On Labor Day Marty and I were feeling particularly spontaneous. Neither of us had ever been to Mexico before so we got up early Monday and...went! We drove a couple hours to Nogales(which is pretty much exactly what people told me it would be), spent about four hours there, and then drove home! It was actually a really fun day and Marty taught me how to barter!

Brynn's First Monsoon!

About a month ago it rained pretty hard in the afternoon. I am a little homesick for seasons, so I try to take advantage of every rain drop that I can. I love the fact that in Mesa, you can stay out in the rain for as long as you want and never get cold. Brynn loved it, too! She was squealing up a storm (no pun intended). <-- YIKES! I promise never to do that again!

Marty was a little surprised to see his baby princess soaking wet outside. But it only took about 0.2 seconds for him to see how happy she was about it!

"Smiles don't have to be saved for a rainy day, it's good to waste them."