recovery

All I can say is this is one tough girl! By the time Emmy turned two, her doctors, Gib and I decided it would improve her health if she had her tonsils and adenoids removed. So, last Wednesday we went to Primary Childrens Hospital for surgery. She also got tubes in both ears. This is a picture of Emmy and Gib before surgery. She was so hungry.


I cannot say enough positive things about Primary Childrens Hospital in Salt Lake. Dr. Muntz and his staff were amazing. And I'm pretty sure it is the only place where a child can ride a big wheel into surgery! Who can complain about that? This is Emmy immediately following surgery.

Yum, orange slushy!


And this is Emmy playing a few hours after surgery. It has been hard on her, but she is one amazing little girl. She is handling it so well!

Jackson Hole

We had fun at the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago. Emmy is so proud of the white pumpkin she chose and shows it to everyone who comes over. She knows exactly which one is her pumpkin. She hasn't quite figured out why there is one for "baby sister", as we call her, because we have chosen a name, yet.



We took a weekend trip to Jackson Hole with Gib's family. The weather was wonderfully cool. It was beautiful there. Emmy LOVES animals. She would see a herd of buffalo in the distance and wave them toward her and say "Come here!"

Gib's highlight of the vacation was feeding the horses with Emmy. My most memorable experience was when the 3 Japanese tourists standing beside me took Emmy's hand and lifted her up in the window (pictured below) to pose in their picture. Didn't say a word, just took her. It was harmless, especially because they were surrounded by a lot of protective Gilbert's. But it certainly had me panicked. So much I didn't think to get a photo.

Evening play time

The other day, Chris and Dani rode their scooter over to our house. Emmy had so much fun playing with them I had to get a couple pictures.





I got a couple cute pictures at the Escalante 24th of July parade.

Bubbles

Emmy loves bubbles! Oh, how I love to see the smile on her face and the excitement in her eyes. She got bubbles in her Easter basket. Better than candy!

What's that? A snowman on Easter? Well, the snow didn't fool the Easter bunny. He brought an Easter basket for Emmy at our house, Grandma and Grandpa Brems' house, Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Sommers' house and Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert's house. Our little girl is well loved!


She was so sad in the picture below because I took away her candy to try to get a good Easter picture. How could you say "no" to a face like that?



Emmy and her mommy.


Uncle Spencer entertained Emmy for a while with a spinning top.

Small Victory

Emmy has severe food allergies to milk, eggs, and dairy. When we first learned about her allergies, I was desperate. I couldn't imagine how I could feed my child a healthy, well-balanced diet without the staples of milk and eggs. Seriously, milk and eggs are in everything! With the help of an excellent allergist and a supportive network called UFAN (Utah Food Allergy Network) we learned how very lucky we are compared to so many others. Also, we learned how to cook in a different way to accommodate Emmy's allergies.

Yesterday, we just had a follow-up appointment with the allergist. The skin prick test was traumatic this year. Basically, the nurse used a needle to insert an extract of the suspected allergen below her skin in a grid formation on her back. Em screamed and cried and couldn't understand why this stranger was hurting her, and even worse, why her parents weren't protecting her. After they were done drawing her blood, she was easily distracted with a dum-dum and everything in the world was right again.

Now, to the victory part. . . she has outgrown her egg and nut allergies! She still has a significant allergy to milk, but we can deal with that. I feel like this is a direct answer to our prayers! Well, maybe I should say to my parents prayers. . . I really believe my Mom could pray any miracle into existence. I am certain this is the only reason I survived adolescence!

Oatmeal and ketchup

It can't be easy being almost two years old! For Emmy, she knows what she wants, but sometimes her motor skills can't keep up with what she wants to accomplish. She also has a Mom who doesn't let her eat everything she wants to eat. I try to distract her with something she can eat, so she doesn't feel like I am always telling her "NO". It is clear, however,that she gets frustrated. It's not that I am trying to be mean, but her food allergies prevent her from eating normal foods. I try really hard to find ways to not have to say "no" all the time. Like, keeping dangerous food out of the picture. I also like to let her make choices whenever it is safe. So, that's what led to her choosing to eat oatmeal and ketchup for breakfast! Doesn't it sound delicious! She was so proud of her choice that she ate an entire bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.

The picture below is way back from Halloween, but I love it so I wanted to post it.

mornings

I am working swing this week so I get to be home with Em in the morning. She is such a sweet-heart in the morning. I feel so lucky to hear her wake up singing, lalalalala, dadadada. I wonder if she is singing the primary song I sang her before bed the night before? I hope so! We walked to the lake to feed the birds. It was really windy, but we loved it. I also got her first pig-tails in her hair. I just love them! I love being her Mommy!

Obama is wrong

Obama is wrong to cut funding to NASA. In his own words, he said that "our country is in danger of losing it's competitive edge in science and technology, and nothing symbolizes that more than the space program. We cannot cede our leadership in space..." Then, he decides to end Constellation. It doesn't make any sense! See the attached video for a short educational video on the Constellation program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2IQVZmHnJQ