sweet little Emma

So the other night Emma is sitting on my lap, facing me. We had just finished her favorite game with me (still) of patty-cake. Then she looked all serious at me, and asked, "Mama, I love you so much. Will you keep me forever?"
Cue the heart melt. "Of course, I will keep you forever."
Emma: "So then will you make me a princess and lock me up in a tower to keep me safe?" Her eyes keep getting bigger and bigger. "And can you make my castle pink?"
I just love my little Princess Emma.

random things said during prayer by tommy lately

thought you'd get a kick out of something tommy said during family prayer the other day. he actually says this most every time he prays now.
ready?
ok. here goes.
"...and please bless the homeless with whatever they need. Food, clothing, shelter, jobs...basically everything they could ever, ever need, except for maybe coma or death."
i kid you not. he actually says this.
and i crack up (quietly, of course) every time.
then he asks me (after prayer is closed) why i crack up. then he says, "oh, I know. It's the coma and death thing."
very astute of you, tommy.
very astute.

saying goodbye

How do you say goodbye to the one man who has been so pivotal in your life, who helped shape who you have become? That is my next task, to say goodbye to my dad. He passed away last night after suffering for over 20 years with such poor health it was more common than not that he was in the hospital. We used to jokingly refer to it as his "favorite hotel room" and his ambulance rides as his personal taxi service. I suppose it was our crude way of coping with my dad's continued failing health.
After valiantly surviving more than anyone should endure, he has finally earned his paradise. My mind is reeling right now, so if I tend to ramble on and on and not make much sense, I apologize. I'm also not at my own computer, I'm at the boys' computer so I don't have access to any of my pictures that I would've put on this post of my dad and me.
I found a favorite recently of my dad holding me when I was an infant. He's laying on the couch, playing airplane with me. I think I'm about 10 months old in the picture or so. I'm wearing a red sleeper and have a pony tail sticking straight up on top of my head. I love that picture.
I am so thankful for the peace the knowledge of the gospel brings to me. I know that families are forever, I know that he's in paradise with his family who went before him, including his baby brother who died on dad's first day of kindergarten. That must have been some reunion!
So Dad, thank you for all you taught me. Thank you for your "drives" on paydays. Thank you for your dates and time spent together, for the Paul Bunyan Restaurant Christmas Eve Frango Mint milkshakes as a little girl. Thank you for your good example of a righteous man and priesthood holder. I love and miss you greatly and can't imagine having this baby without you standing in the circle to bless it. Until we meet again.

Mother's Day Tea at Lake View Elementary

Hi. Thought you'd like to see this cute picture. It was too tempting to leave the devil eyes in, so I did. It actually was so funny! Not like our almost-June weather though. It's just finished hailing outside and now it's a downpour in our backyard. Yowza! Didn't Mother Nature look at her calendar? Um...heeeeelllllooooo! May 20, peeps! What gives?
Anyway, back to that cute pic.
Enjoy!

I just wish Tommy would smile. He hates being put "on display" and being forced to perform. He is so private and shy, he tends to look down, cover his face for pictures, etc. So on we go.....

some new family photos

Here are two of my new most favorite photos of one of my kiddos. Just thought you'd like to have a gander! Enjoy!!!

update alert.....
trying to get the u.g.l.y wood 2x4 backsplash from the wall is, well, um, pretty hard. apparently the genious who installed this eyesore not only screwed into the wall, but first put some carpenter's glue. so it's pretty tough to get.
my plan? as soon as i manage to pry that eyesore off my wall, to put this awesome beadboard-like wallpaper up and then paint over it with the same color as my others walls. my plan? to have one cohesive space. now to get that wood off.
yipes.
any suggestions?
oh, and outside, in my yard, i'm planning on a date for a yard work party. any takers? date and time to be announced, but in may or june. i'll have either pizza or lasagna and all the fixins' for ya, too!

lest you think that my floor still looks like that, you're W.R.O.N.G! Ok, so it kind of does, but it's cleaned up and has a pretty area rug under where our recliners go, and so there you go, Mom. I'll post a pic soon, I promise. Just nothing really beautiful to report yet. YET. It'll happen.