Fuzz Junkie (or is it Junky?)

Morgan hit it right on the nose last night when he called me a "Fuzz Junkie." Probably because it was one of those quiet moments and he asked me what I was thinking about and I told him thrumming. Or maybe it was because I was so upset when someone snaked not one but two e-bay lots I was winning away from me (in the last 25 minutes!!! that snake!!) while we had friends over for dinner. Or maybe it's because I went all loopy over this lovely yarn and for the past couple days Emma has watched too much Baby Einstien so I can knit her a sweater with it. Hey, and I'm almost done, too! *phew* I would say this might be unhealthy and that I need a hobby but, wait, this is my hobby...

Also, Emma has taken to trying on all my stuff. While it will be a bit before she starts stealing my shoes, she's already working on stealing my clothes. :)

With a View

This last week has been so clear and beautiful and the weather has been warming up a bit, too. It's easy to take the mountians here for granted, especially when they're hidden by clouds and smog but this last week they're like a splash of cold water. Wow! And these were taken from the stairwell of our apartment building. :)

Of course, we're supposed to have a snow storm tomorrow, says Morgan...

Such lucky girls

Emma and I are such lucky girls. We went out yesterday evening and when we got home Morgan had already beat us there! There were roses waiting for us, red and white, along with a bottle of wine for me and a little car for Emma!! It was so sweet and we were a bit surprised how much Emma likes her new little car. She hasn't really figured out how to make it go more than a few inches but she did discover the horn. Beep beep! Look out on the sidewalks! :)

As for Morgan, we made him a card and bought him The Little Mermaid on DVD. It's his favorite Disney movie and Emma and I thought he might like it.

Valentines List

In honor of this day of mushy luvy stuff I want to present my list of (some of the very many reasons) why I love many people in my life.

1. I love Emma because she has taught me just how unselfish I can be.
2. I love Morgan because he gave me Emma.
3. I love Emma because every day I have the chance to model the behavior I want to see her take into the world.
4. I love Morgan because he has helped me be a better person.
5. I love Morgan because he has always been supportive of me in my education and all other insane pursuits I dream up that bring me happiness.
6. I love Emma because she is my child and at once she is so different but so familiar to me.
7. I love my brother because he has never said, "I told you so!" even though there have been ample opportunities to do so and he has been right 96% of the time...maybe more but we don't want him to get big-headed. *wink*
8. I love my in-laws (yes, ALL OF THEM!) because even though someone once told me you can't join a family like you join the army, boy was she wrong because I signed up and I'm lucky to be a part of something I can't lose no matter how much they want to lock me in a closet.
9. And last, but never least, I love the family I was born with because coming to see them is like I've never been away. Kaydee told me that's just what family is.

And if you're not on this list it doesn't mean I don't love you. :) It just means I need to get off the computer sometime today.

Happy Valentines Day

Emma got all dressed up just to say, "Happy Valentines Day!"

Does anyone else think this first picture of Emma looks a lot like Jeannie?

Emma pictures

And now the real reason anyone checks this blog: cute pictures of Emma.

Knitting Projects

So I thought I'd post some of my recent knitting projects just for fun. There's a pink hearts scarf made from baby alpaca (soooo soft!) for my Grandma, a pair of felted ballet slippers, the hat I was talking about before (Morgan thinks it's strange but I think it's cute) and my father-in-law trying on the new slippers I made him. :)

Bath time blues?

Something funny: Emma went from being fine with water and swimming pools to needing to take a shower with me being held ONLY. Seriously, this girl would scream like she was being murdered if you tried to put her in a tub for a bath even if you tried to be in the bath with her. On Thursday something changed and I have no idea why. I decided to take a bath to help my cold and Emma became fascinated with the tub and water until she insisted on coming in. She even tried to climb into the tub on her own. After she was in she had a splashin good time and cried when I took her out. Strange. What made her go from hating baths with a passion to suddenly loving the splishy splash of the tub?

How?

I have no idea how this is possible, but Emma recovered from her little sniffle on Wednesday while Morgan and I managed to become sicker. I mean, hey, no more snotty nosed kid but now both parents are beat because we're so stuffed up we can't sleep. Oh, the irony.

In the meantime Emma has been exploring her vertical. Yesterday morning I was knitting while Emma played when suddenly I hear the clickty-clack of computer keys! Little girl had climbed onto the desk chair and was standing while typing on the computer. !!!! Insane. Next she climbed into the second shelf of her changing table after she took both baskets off the shelf. Then this morning I was talking with Morgan and I turn around to find her sitting on the dining room table. *gasp* What happened? When did my baby become a monkey that climbs everything?

Today's List

My list of things I like and don't like today:

Of course, there is this small dilemma. Do I start with the good or the bad or mix them? Since I hate ending a post on a bad note I'll start with them.

I do NOT like:

1. Snotty noses on kids...or anyone else for that matter. I don't know if Emma has a little cold since I have a little cold, too, or if her pet allergies are getting worse, but her nose runs like a faucet and of course, like all little kids, she hates having her nose wiped. (How was that for a run-on sentence?) *sigh* I knew this was coming since the day I was pregnant but the whole snotty nosed kid thing just makes me recoil in horror. Always has.

2. The search for the next house. I know I should be jumping up and down in joy to have a home instead of this apartment but I'm not. In all honesty I really don't hate this apartment, I just wish it were a little bigger. The house hunt is just begining and I want to shove my head under my pillow and stay there. It's such a pain to work at house hunting when Emma has her own ideas about what times are acceptable and will loudly protest in the car for the whole 60-plus mile round trip if I don't take her schedule into consideration. It feels like it is all on my shoulders to find the house because 1. Morgan needs to spend his time working to feed us and 2. we have very different ideas about what kind of house is acceptable to live in.

Now, onto the good stuff. I LOVE:

3. This yarn I bought on e-bay a few months ago and I've been scratching my head over it since trying to think of what to make of it. Finally, my endless Internet searching for new patterns to knit revealed this pattern. I am currently knitting it up into the most gorgeous hat the world has seen...and yes, there will be pictures posted when I finish it. :)

4. I love that Emma loves books. Little girl will drag her books all over the house, read them to herself, read them to me and, best of all, come sit in my lap when she wants me to read to her. There is no bribing or begging like there is when I want kisses or hugs, just her coming up and plopping her little self in my lap to be read book after book after book. I am so happy that she is fascinated by books and I can only hope it's a habit she will keep. Talk about making a mama proud.

So, I'm off. Miss me!

No Board

So I've decided that it's a bit silly to try to scramble and do all the fun things you could possibly do just because you can. (Did that actually flow and make sense? It's late and I'm getting ready for bed.) I think I'll just be lazy and sit around instead of going snowboarding. Of course, by being lazy I mean I spent the day cleaning the apartment, grocery shopping, doing laundry and going out to dinner with a friend. Boy, you should see me on a busy day! *wink and a laugh*

I think I might get that from my father, he always seemed to have to do something...and the clean freak part I'm sure I got from my mother. My Dad was funny because no matter how early I called he was always awake. Seriously. I tried it once at 6:15 and he was up and on his second cup of coffee or something. I used to think it was because old people don't need as much sleep as us young pups, but now I think it may have been some form of hyperactivity that's genetic so you just can't sit still. I know Emma has it. Anyway, off to bed with me. That will be all.

To board or not to board?

Morgan and Emma went a-travelin' today to Colorado Springs, CO. That means I am all on my onesome and trying to decide what to do with myself. Part of me is seriously considering going snowboarding on Sunday. I mean, it's been years since the one time I went before and when else am I going to have the chance? On the other hand, I'm really lazy. We'll see.

Home Sweet Home

So what makes a place home? I mean, people you love to start, but what about beyond that? I don't feel like this is home, it's just a lily pad floating in the middle of the pond. There's nothing connecting about this place. I'm feeling really homesick this morning. I'm missing the library being two blocks away, the tree-lined streets that were great for a walk and the park that was a nice stroll away. I miss the grocery store being two blocks away so I could walk out to get that gallon of milk. I miss my friends and my father so much. Sorry this is such a depressing post.

Travelin' Pants

Good news, at least for me. Morgan is taking Emma to Colorado with him this weekend which means I'm home alone!! Trust me, I'll miss them, but it'll only be 48 hours. Two whole days of sleeping in, working out at will and generally being lazy and free. *sigh* I love my life but I really enjoy time to myself, too. I may even go see a movie or two at the dollar theatre, I might have time for a long, hot bath. I could go shopping and take as long as I want. I'm getting giddy from the excitement. :)

Quick like a tiger!

So the house didn't pan out. Just after I strapped Emma into the car the agent calls and lets us know (she just got word) the house went under contract. Small consolation: the house needed a lot of work on the outside. Actually, that does make me feel better though I'm not really crushed about it. What will be, will be. There is a house out there for us and when the time comes we will move quickly and pounce like a tiger. Rarrrr! :)

Pardon the growling, we're watching Beauty and the Beast this afternoon. hehehehe...

Tupperware as Hats...

Today has been awesome. I got to sleep in until 9:00 am (don't laugh, that really is sleeping in) and when I woke up Morgan had just finished making pancakes and tea. After a wonderful breakfast, he cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes. *sigh* It was like being on vacation at home.

Then Emma took a three hour nap. *double sigh*

Does life get any better? Oh, actually it might. On either Monday or Tuesday we're going to go peek at a house. It's a bit early to be looking but it has an oversized two car garage and it might be something we could swing if it's the perfect house for us. Cross your fingers for us and we'll keep you posted. :)

Death and Taxes

I just finished doing our Federal and (two) State income taxes and Emma just learned some new swear words. Only took me 3 hours. Bah humbug! The state ones piss me off to no end. We had to pay Colorado state income taxes for half the year (even though we never lived there) and Utah state income taxes for the other half. What really gets me is that they don't say, "Okay, you made X amount of money here so pay us taxes on that part." Oh no! They say, "Tell us how much you made total this year, calculate how much state tax you would pay on the entire amount and then just pay us part of that." Essentially, they make sure they can figure your tax amount on how much money you made in another state (or if I was working, how much I made, too even when I never worked in Colorado) and then have you pay them a portion of that amount. Colorado gets money from what Morgan made in Utah and Utah gets money from what Morgan made in Colorado. How friggin stupid is that!!!!!

Anyway, if you're totally lost now...forget it. Just know they're the two things you can't aviod: Death and Taxes!

I did it!!!

I did it! I finished my first ever sock!! In a record 3 1/2 days I might add. Boy do I feel cool. Yeah, that's it, I'm cool cause I can knit my own socks for twice the price you paid to buy yours. Uh huh. Anyway, don't pelt me with logic or how incredibly old I feel for actually knitting at all but let me bask in this one small thing. *sigh*

Loooooong time

So it's been waaaaay to long. We are all well, no serious illness has kept me from blogging or anything like that. You can all breathe a deep sigh of relief now.

A few things to note:

1. A world without naps is not pretty. Emma's been fighting her naps and missed her afternoon one today. Heaven help you if you cross this toddler when she is overdue for some sleep. Oh, and she figured out if you push the red button on the car keys everyone goes crazy.

2. The floors are not made of concrete! I can't tell you how many times I want to go upstairs and ask that guy if he is training for the bowling Olympics or why he needs to vacume after 9 pm. I cannot wait until we have a home of our own again. :P

3. I miss my husband. When he finally called to tell me he was coming home I asked him if he'd rather just find a cot down there because all he ever comes home for is sleep, or so it seems. I know, I know, he loves his job and he's working hard to support us, but why can't he call it quits at the end of the day and just come home like all the other techs?!?! *deep breath* Okay, now I feel mean but purged.

4. Chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips ruin diets. That's all I have to say.

Forgive Me, For I Have Not Blogged...

...in quite a while. I know I said that with a lovely new computer at home I would Blog more to keep you lovely people (who bother to read this) up to date. :::flashed a big smile at my sweetie::: And he made it so...but I have failed along the way. Forgive me, I will be better. At least, I'll try.

So in November Emma and I were once again a traveling pair. Our stop in Cheyenne was brief and good but not filled with much sleep. Emma was teething badly and hit a temp of 102 degrees sending her poor mama into a panic. It was only with the calm voice of her Grandma Bea (a nurse for many years and mother of four that all lived through teething just fine) that we all made it through without me running her to the hospital in a panic. *phew*

After being home for a whopping 24 hours the entire family went down to Las Vegas, NM for some heavy gambling and hard drinking...just kidding! Just outside of Vegas we actually met up with Nana and Grandpa Roger for a few days of visiting, some amateur poker playing at the kitchen table and turkey eating (thanks to Joyce and Jerry for having us). It was really nice to see them and learn that Morgan and I aren't half bad at playing Texas Hold'em. We just won't test that in Vegas for real money. :)

In the meantime, it's been Christmas parties for Emma and for us. Oh, and we got our Holiday Pictures taken, too. Aren't they adorable? Enjoy!