Vacation

We're off! Clint will join us in two weeks. If you want to see us in Idaho, call Stewarts or Readings. I will try to blog from Idaho, but I am not making any promises! Until then, have a great summer!

Two or Too?

We were driving to Clint's office yesterday, and Emery said something, I don't remember what, and I said, "Emery, you are too smart." He responded, "No, mom, I'm three smart!"

We are Gazelle!

Clint and I recently read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. We've changed the way we budget and the way we are spending our money. We're working hard to pay off our house as soon as possible. When Emery asks for a toy at the store or to go out to eat, we remind him that we are trying to "outrun debt" wherever possible. Dave calls this being a gazelle.

I know it's working because yesterday Emery had a sheet of stickers. He had taken two of them off the sheet and put them on his shirt. A few minutes later he took the two stickers off his shirt and put them back on the sticker sheet. He said, "I don't need these. If I use them all today, they will be all gone, and that is not being Gazelle. And, mom, we're gazelle!"

Flying solo

Our big trip is in one week. Emery, Chani, and I are flying to Utah two weeks ahead of Clint who needs to finish teaching his summer term. I need help! Those of you who have flown with toddlers, please tell me your best tricks. Emery will watch movies, and we are taking the laptop for that. In addition, he'll be enamored with the plane and I think that he'll be really good. Chani, on the other hand has me worried. She will not sit still for anything, and she doesn't watch tv. She is always on the go and I have a hard time keeping her still through church (1 hour of sitting). What can I do to occupy her for 3 hours on a plane?

What snacks?
What toys?
What else?

My favorite picture this week.....

I think this is evidence of things to come. These shorts belong to Emery. Chani looks too stinking cute in them, so she wears them as bed shorts. With the 80's style Dora t-shirt (that I won't let her wear out during the day) it's pretty cute. I imagine that this won't be the last time Chani snatches clothes from her big brother!

A New Addition

We're excited to announce a new member to our family.





Clint came home last night with a baby goat hogtied in the back of the SUV. Gilmer the Goat (Gil for short) is a Pygmy goat and won't get very big. He's pretty shy right now, but I think he will get more comfortable, especially if I can get the dog to stop barking at him.

Toothbrush Safety PSA

We need this reminder once in a while, right? We're pretty good about sitting down to brush teeth, but last night Emery was messing around and fell with his toothbrush in his mouth. It lodged into the side of his cheek (that fatty gummy part) and stuck. He started to scream instantly, and Clint and I took one look at it and I grabbed my purse and keys and drove Emery to the hospital. Clint stayed home with Chani. After getting to the ER and filling out a form (holding my screaming, bleeding child--who had a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth), they took us back to a room. Several nurses looked at it and Emery did not love all the prodding. The doctor came in and looked. He then asked if anyone had tried to remove it. Nope. He told me they could start an IV and give him some morphine to calm him down and help with the pain, or he could just pull it out. I asked if it would need stitches, and he told me they don't generally stitch in the mouth so no. I told him just to remove it. He reached over and yanked it out. Emery spit a few times and was fine. He was sad, however, that they threw the toothbrush away. They prescribed us some antibiotics to ward off infection and some topical numbing cream.

It could have been so much worse. Please use caution with any object that your kids could fall on or get lodged in their mouth in any way. I know we will be more careful around here.