Stitches

This is the picture I sent to my sisters asking if we should go in or not.

Here's an after picture

and one more after pic

Emery was running from me (his new favorite game) and he was not watching where he was going and ran smack into the corner edge of a dinner table. It hit him right over his eye, right in his eyebrow. It hardly bled at all and Clint wasn't sure he needed stitches, but it seemed really deep to me. Clint guessed it would take 2 stitches to close it up. Clint stayed home with Chani and Emery and I went to the ER. It took about 45 minutes for the doctor to come, and then about 10 minutes for the 2 stitches. They strapped Emery to the papoose board, and then a nurse held his head. He screamed the whole time, but I don't blame him at all. Once they unstrapped him he was fine, saying thank you and bye like a champ. I will post pictures on our blog tomorrow. It's a rite of passage I could have skipped as a mom. But, I was tough and the nurses even commented on how nice it was to have a calm mom.

Video of the Kids

It seems that everyone either asks if Emery and Chani like each other or comment on how full my hands are. So, here's my answer for the first question. The second comment makes me angry.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A long week!

We've been very busy around the Reading house the past week or so. Last Thursday my parents came to visit for a couple of days. My dad had a class in Casper on Tuesday, so since Chadron is only 3 hours past Casper, they came out for the weekend. It was so fun to have them, I think I need a housekeeper/nanny all the time. My mom was great at helping me get projects done, cleaning my house, playing with my kids, and getting me started on new projects.

We went out to dinner Thursday night as a late celebration for my birthday. It was nice to sit and visit, and when my birthday ice cream came, Emery thought it was all for him. While she was here, my mom helped me figure out the logistics of a Lego mat, so I am getting ready to start selling those. They are a pretty cool concept. It's a circle of fabric with a draw-string around the edge. You spread the mat out and play with Lego's on it. Then, when you are done playing Lego's, you pull the draw-string and the Lego's are contained in the mat/bag. Easy clean up. We also purchased fabric for an Easter Dress for Chani, which I have about half finished, and got some cute $1 a yard fabric for a sundress. Papa made Emery the coolest wooden toy box, and it was a process to transfer over all of the toys. We had a lot of things in the old toy box that were not toys.

Other exciting news for us is that Clint applied for his first job on Friday. He applied for a job at a college in Wisconsin. We know it could take months to hear, but we are anxious to hear anything. We're also looking at other places and getting paperwork ready to send out for two or three other colleges that are hiring. It's an exciting process.

Chani surprised us all on Sunday by rolling over. I put her on the floor on her back to go get her dress for church, and when I came back she was on her tummy. I missed the first roll. It wasn't until Sunday night that we saw her do it. By Wednesday, she was rolling both directions (from back to tummy and from tummy to back). She loves to show off and although Mommy hasn't gotten it on video, she has tried.

Emery is talking more every day. Just two days ago, he started to say Elaine (the custodian in our building). She left for a break, and he wandered around the main floor saying, "Elaine, I wanna go." and "Elaine, where are you?" They are fast friends, she gives him rides on her cleaning cart, and he "helps" her vacuum and dust. I've also been informed that Emery is a "chick magnet". Our friends Luke and Blake (college students here) took Emery for about an hour yesterday afternoon. While he was with them, they went to a health fair, and Luke's report was that they got a lot of attention from the ladies. Any time, boys, any time!

Happy 2008!

Christmas Eve was fun. We read the Christmas story from the bible and used the nativity set as props. Apparently one sheep, a cow and a donkey were not enough animals, Emery added all of his animals to the show.

Emery quickly claimed all stuffed animals as his own
Opening presents is fun!
A new hat and Piglet too
Chani's Christmas dress. Thanks Aunt Torie!

Well, Santa came through, Emery got that choo choo, and he loves it! He got a ton of books, and we read them all several times a day. Chani got some stuffed animals, many of whom Emery has chosen as his own. It was a great holiday, although we missed being with family....maybe next year.

We had a fun New Years Party with just a few friends. It was nice to play games and eat from 7-10 and after ringing in the new year at 10:00 PM, we all went to bed.

School starts again Monday, and today Emery is sick. We're trying to get well so the first week of school isn't so hard.

Mom had a pretty quiet birthday yesterday. She took the kids to the doctor (Chani is 4 months old and very healthy, and Emery has a cold), and went to a meeting for work. Daddy and Emery have a special surprise day planned for Thursday, but mom has no idea what's coming. Thanks to all her family who called!

Emery & Chani

Emery is a joy! He loves to talk and always says "cheese" when we get out the camera. I sure hope that Santa can deliver!

Chani loves to grin and giggle. The headband is our newest accessory, sent by Clint's brother and his family. We love the headbands, thanks Michelle and Ally!

Merry Christmas!

We've had a great year.

Emery is a lively two year old who wants a "choo-choo" from Santa. He loves to say prayers both for meals and during family prayer. He loves nursery (they have bubbles and trucks there) and has a lot of friends there.

Chani is such a happy baby. She loves to laugh and coo. She likes to sit and take it all in, and loves for Emery to be near her, tickling her toes and playing with her toys. She's just discovered her tongue and her fingers. She's starting to grasp things and pull them to her mouth.

Jill really enjoys being the mom and can't believe how much fun it is to be the mother of two. She got a new calling on Sunday that she feels totally inadequate for (Gospel Doctrine Instructor).

Clint is working hard on his Thesis this Christmas break. He hopes to have it mostly knocked out before the semester starts January 7. Not only does he have to write the thesis, he also needs to draft an article for publication. He has to defend in March, so life might be pretty stressful until then.

We hope you all have a happy and healthy 2008. May the joy of Christ's birth be evident in your celebrations. We're happy to share our witness that Christ lives and loves each one of you. We love you all!

We saw Santa!

We had our branch Christmas party last weekend. It was a fun time for Emery, and he even got to see Santa. Last year he cried, this year he was just timid, and softly told Santa he wanted a "Choo-choo"

I found Christmas stocking fabric yesterday, and so that's my next project. I still need to find some ivory flannel for the cuff, but I will leave that for another day. I will share pictures once I get them finished.

Today Emery was having a hard time at lunch. He kept getting upset because he dripped yogurt on the table and it was messy. He didn't have any qualms about squirting the bottle of ketchup on the table though.

Clint made another trip to Scottsbluff yesterday to plant more sugar beets. This is the second greenhouse study and since he dropped a jar of aphids from the first study, this one is really important. His plants have a fungus and a bug, so after treating them the best he could, we're praying they don't die.