January in Review

I took Devin to the Provo airport on January 1st, Iowa bound for his 1st rotation. Emily and I

stayed another 3 1/2 weeks in Utah. We spent 2 weeks in Summit County with Amber and her kids. It was a great time. Amber has 4 kids. 2 are in school all day, and she has a 3 year old and 9 month old. We got into a good routine everyday, and Emily loved being around her kids. The first week we were there, the weather was BEAUTIFUL. Emily and I went for walks/hikes up Cherry Canyon. It felt so good to get outside, high up in the hills, having great views of the little valley.

We passed several homes with horses in the yard. Emily LOVED the horses, and waved at each of them as we passed. So cute!

She loved being outside too.

Emily and Izzie had a hot/cold relationship. Izzie was the nice one, and Emily was the one who would give her hugs one minute, then scratch her face the next. Time Out was introduced to Emily during our 2 weeks stay with Izzie. Poor girl had scratch marks on her face :(

We got to spend some good time with Grandma Pace. She went to lunch with us one day, came over to Amber's for the afternoon a few times, and Emily and I spent a few evenings at her house. I love my grandma and grandpa, and feel so lucky that I still have both of them!

A trip to Walmart turned into the most exciting entertainment for these 2 girls. They were LOVING this little cart attached to the cart just for them. I have to admit, I made it pretty fun. We would zoom down the aisles, and they would squeal with delight. They would catch their breath as I round the corner to the next aisle, and then the fun and squealing started again. I even ran the cart from the entrance to the car as a grand finale...in heels.

Every night after dinner, we took all the kiddos downstairs to let them play, dance, run and wear themselves out before bedtime. It was so fun to sit on the couch with Amber, and spectate the energized kids. Emily particularly loved their 'Just Dance' wii game. She loved dancing to the songs, and watch the older kids dance. Pure joy.

And every so often there would be a time out session during this play session.

While we were there, Emily learned how to fold her arms for our bedtime prayers :)

Because I didn't want Emily and Izzie to be together unsupervised, I would bring Emily in the bathroom with me while I showered. This is what I found one day when I was finished.

Emily is almost 18 months, and that means she is almost ready to go to nursery at church. I know we both can't wait! Spending 3 hours at church wrestling with this little active munchkin is exhausting. Trying to keep her quiet, entertained, and full of snacks leaves little room for me to pay attention to the talks and lessons prepared. I'll have 4 months of baby free church time before this next baby makes HER debut.

It's always sad saying goodbye to Amber. Always has been, and always will be. I love her!

On our way back to Salt Lake, we stopped by my mom's grave. As you can see, Emily was not in the picture taking mood.

We then spent another 10 days in Salt Lake with the Tranter side, and had so many good days with Emily's cousins. We went to McDonald's playland for Westin's 1st birthday party.

Jen, Suzy and me

Emily and Westin loved this little kid slide. Up and down, up and down, up and down. It wore me out!

Emily loved all of her cousins, but she especially had a soft spot for Reagan (10 months). Whenever Reagan was around Emily could not keep her hands off of her. She loved hugging and kissing her. Reagan was a good sport. Hopefully this is a good sign that Emily will love her baby sister that's on her way.

Dancing and playing with Reagan before bedtime.

Luckily, we were there to celebrate dad's 60th birthday!

I love Jack! He has the cutest personality, and is so sweet to humor me when I ask him to come snuggle with me. He sat with me on the couch for so long he eventually fell asleep.

Sarah, Rob and Reagan

Emily and I flew back to Illinois on Tuesday the 24th so that I could make it to my OB appointment. We walked into our place flooded with raw sewage, and spent the next 6 days dealing with the aftermath of that devastation. Devin was finishing up his rotation in Iowa, and was luckily able to come home 2 nights earlier than expected to help in the clean up/restoration process of our little duplex. We stayed with a church member for 2 nights, then in a hotel another 2 nights while our place was being sanitized by professionals and having the hardwood floors replaced. We moved back into our place Saturday afternoon, and deep cleaned it ourselves until Sunday afternoon when Devin had to leave or his Michigan rotation that started on Monday, the 30th. Sunday was the hardest day I have had in a long time. Saying goodbye to Devin for another 2 months was awful, heartbreaking and sad. I w as a mess the rest of the day after he left. I love him and miss him!

Emily loves berries. They have become a staple on her breakfast menu.

We go into Emily's room every night before we go to bed, and about half the time we pick her up and snuggle her while she's sleeping. This was Devin's last little fill of sleeping Emily for a little while. I cried.