Long Beach!

Ammon is spontaneous. I am not. Ammon called me on his way home from work on Thursday the 5th. This was our conversation...

Ammon: Let's go visit Trevor & Liz in Long Beach.

Jes: Oh ok, well the soonest we could go would probably be in a month.

Ammon: No I was thinking tomorrow.

Jes: WHAT? There are a million reasons why we can't just pack up and drive 6 hours tomorrow...

Less than 24 hours later, we were well on our way...

We had to bribe Emma the whole trip with suckers so she'd be a good girl despite her crazy messed-up schedule. The drive is a little over 6 hours. We arrived late Friday night, and were on the beach early the next morning.

Sun-bathing with SPF 50 applied every couple hours.

A necessity on the beach.

Emma loved the freezing cold water. She was hilarious!

Our gracious hosts that also treated us to a magnificent dinner, which started out with the "Onion Brick".

Sunday was their Stake Conference. It's ridiculous to think that Emma and Ben could stay quiet and still for the 2 hours. We originally sat on the stage. By the end of the conference, Liz and I had shut the divider. We had our own little mother's lounge filled with object for Benny the climber to keep busy.

We left Long Beach on Sunday afternoon. Emma finally learned to sleep in her car seat.

Moral of the story...spontaneity is sometimes necessary to build amazing memories.

Thanks again Weeds for making Ammon's dreams come true. :)

Emma swimming in the waves...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

500 days of summer

Sorry this is so late...Ammon had the computer the entire month of July. I'm just now getting my to-do list done! :)

Flagstaff is quite an adventure. Here are some skunks that took up refuge in our apartment complex. Still stinks around there!

Emma eating "Gung Ice" or Ice cream as we like to call it.

While Ammon was studying for the Bar Exam, Emma and I took off with my dad on a very fun road trip! Emma wasn't too bad, surprisingly! We went to Logan, Utah for a family reunion and my cousin's wedding, Park City for the 4th of July, and Las Vegas for Madi's dance competition. Here are some pics of all the fun along the way...

My mom's parents' graves in Preston, Idaho

Meeting her great-grandparents

Fearless Emma petting a pregnant pony. I was completely scared out of my mind. Thanks Taylor for letting it all happen, and thanks Krista for capturing the moment. :)

Petting my cousin's bunnies...and by petting I mean torturing :) Sorry Lindsey!

Thanks Krista for the adorable pic!

Emma's first sparkler experience! She was a little nervous :)

Playing with 2nd cousin Mackley!!

Baby Zuri the elephant at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake

Riding the Carousel at the zoo with Grampa Truck!

Riding the train at the zoo

Emma's "Junior Zoo Keeper" hat...could she be any cuter?

Riding the rides at Lagoon!!

Notice how straight her hair is? Utah is clearly drier than anywhere we've been! I've never seen it that straight!!

This is one of those go straight up and fall straight down rides. I screamed more than Emma did. She just kept saying "tickle tummy...tickle tummy". Ha ha ha... she LOVED Lagoon!!

Emma loves hanging out with Grampa Truck!

Going shopping with Mads, Ali, and Mom in Las Vegas! Mads and I actually look alike in this picture!! Emma was distracted because we were in a shuttle/train-looking thing.

She wanted to get close to this guy, but was clearly freaked out! HA HA HA

So Emma randomly goes in her room, takes off all her clothes, and puts on her Ariel underwear. No, she's definitely not potty-trained. She just likes the idea of stylin "biders" or diapers! :)

This is her "happy face".

Emma takes after her mom. She loves counting much more than speaking in complete sentences or saying her ABCs. Maybe because that's what I focus on? :)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Emma's favorite place to play...usually this is done practically naked, of course!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Emma and her Gung Ice.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

i wish you could have spent this day with me

let me paint you a picture. the rains have subsided, the grass and wildflowers are in full force, and the deciduous trees now provide that playful shade of summer evenings. everyone is outside, barbecues full of fire, cyclists coursing through forest roads. this was the nature of the world when i left work today.

i arrived home with the full expectation that emma would be watching "enchanted" for the 17th time. instead, she was looking for sticks outside . . . or wands. i was caught in the moment. i sat down on the stoop of our apartment complex, still in shirt and tie, and watched as emma explored the length of her reach, tiptoeing and extending her fingers into the leaves of the lowest-hanging tree.

emma belongs outdoors. she is an elfin child: red untamed hair, almond eyes and lighly freckled cheeks. shoeless.

after tickling the tree, emma climbed the hillside, pausing briefly to poke a rock with a stick. it was pure magic, and i couldn't sit back any longer. i dashed inside our apartment and searched the closet for my "play" clothes. as i scoured the floor for my flip flops, i was suddenly 25 years younger. there was no wrong in the world, just that scene outside. i half expected to see my mom in the kitchen. "sorry sweetie, you'll have to play after dinner." sorry mom, no time for dinner, emma just found a bug, or a pine cone, or a limb to swing from. in a matter of seconds i shed my corporate uniform, and bounded down the stairs towards emma who, by then, had discovered a completely new and fascinating stick.

later on, we found a castle, a dragon, and a kingdom who was presided over by the kind and intrepid, princess emma.