My Crazy Girl...chapter 3

Ok - this is the final installment in this series of posts. Emma just kept doing things that I wanted to share. I'm sure she'll continue to be silly, and I will continue to share that, but it won't be nonstop Emma posts.

Recently Emma has taken to trotting everywhere. It's sort of a mix between trotting and skipping. She does this all around the house. If we go anywhere and she is holding our hand rather than riding in a cart or stroller she trots then too. I don't know if it's just super fun or if she's forgotten how to walk normally. It's very funny to watch. It makes her seem like she's always excited. Maybe she is. I have been meaning to film her doing it for about 3 weeks now, and sure enough, as soon as I try she stops doing it the same way. So, this isn't perfect, but I hope you can see it alright in this very short video clip. (By the way, she's saying "jump" over and over - in case you don't understand 2 yr old -ease)

She also has almost mastered one of life's most time honored tests for coordination and skill. Behold the head pat and stomach rub as performed by Emma:

My Crazy Girl...chapter 2

Emma still sleeps in her crib, but one side has been taken down so it is essentially a regular bed. We thought it converted into a toddler bed, but instead it's meant to be used as a the headboard for a twin. For now, a twin doesn't really fit in her room. Well, it would, but we don't feel like rearranging things to make it work. Besides, most family knows that we won't be living here for much longer, so we'll wait until we're settled in our new place before changing her sleeping arrangment much. Anyway, I went to check on her last night before going to sleep, and she had moved around sideways and was shoved up against her bed rail. Wierd. I don't know what exactly about that postion was comforatble, but she seemed to like it. Here's what she looked like.

My Crazy Girl...chapter 1

Emma loves to read. If we would let her, she would read every day all day long. The only problem is that she likes us to read with/to her. That's not a problem really, just that we can't do it all day every day. She has lots of books, and many of them are more delicate from when I was litttle, books out of print, or just made out of paper that she might rip. We keep a lot of these books in separate bins in her room so that she'll only have access to them when we are watching her more closely or actually reading with her. Last night while she was playing in her room I heard a loud noise. I called her into the living room to see if she was ok and to see what she was doing. She trotted in with a book for me to look at with her. I looked at the book and realized it was one from these bins - aha! That's what the loud noise was. I went in and saw what she had done. She had pulled one of the bins part way off the shelf (and they're pretty heavy) and then completely ripped the lid off (which is supposed to stay on the container). Wow, what a strong and eager reader!

Happy New Year!!

Ah New Year's Day - the day when inevitably we all feel somehow compelled to make resolutions for the upcoming year. Why do we subject ourselves to this rather archaic practice? Not that it's not beneficial to try to better ourselves, but this is definately not a ritual that I look forward to. Almost all of us who make goals are just setting ourselves up for disappointment and failure in the weeks and months to come. Why am I being so negative you ask? I am simply being honest. I am calling for a change. Not a huge change, but rather a simplification of the inevitable. Instead of setting several goals, why not try only 1 or 2 that are possibly within reach? They should require at least a little effort, but should also be something that will make us better people - in the bigger picture. Let's forget about the tangible goals for once, and focus on the spiritual side of things. How about more frequent trips to the Temple, or reading in the Book of Mormon every day no matter what? I say these things because they are exactly what I need to work on. My specific personal goals will not be shared here, but they will be in keeping with what has been said. I am a classic example of a hit and miss with goals. I challenge you all to simplify your goals this year, and then work like crazy to attain them. Good luck and happy new year.