A little bit of Twin Falls

I have a lot to catch up on {Henry's 6months stats, Savannah's blessing, Fall activities} but today I thought I would blog about random things that we have been up to.  

You may not know, but Twin Falls does not have mountains.  People try to tell us "sure we do!  We have the south hills".  Well the south hills are exactly what they sound like... hills.  A few weekends ago we decided to take a drive to said hills.  I wanted to see some fall foliage and Clark wanted to see some mountains.  We kind of found both... 

I found some yellow leaves and once you drive a few miles up the "canyon" you start to feel like you are in the mountains.  Just not Utah mountains.  It was a nice little drive and Henry slept through most of it.  

This is our humble abode.  Can you spot Henry?  So far we like our little rental.  We have squeaky wood floors and our kitchen has zero counter space, but for now it is working just fine. The kitchen and bathroom have been updated so that is nice.  Our neighbor is a cute little 94 year old lady named Mary.  She's great.

Henry loves to be outside, and for awhile there we still had 80 degree weather in October.  So I put him in the bumbo and we sat on the front steps.  He found his shadow, and couldn't take his eyes off of it!

Then he found the flowers and his shadow was old news.  

Basically Clark goes to work everyday from 8-5 and I stay home with this little nugget!  I love being able to stay home, but I think I may need to find a part time job just to help with expenses.  If we didn't have our dumb student loan payments each month I think we would be fine.  I'm glad I have an education, but geez, paying for it sure is annoying.  I may have a job lined up for the first of December so that gives me a month to find someone to watch Henry for a few hours each day.  Having a job will make me feel like I'm contributing to paying for bills and what not.  I have been trying to be frugal and I cook dinner most nights, Clark usually comes home for lunch, and we hardly go out to eat.  But having a little extra cash will be nice.  I'm not sure if I will actually be able to leave Henry... who knew it would be so hard.  Hopefully I can find someone awesome to watch him, then I won't be so nervous.

I have a new calling in the ward!  I am an advisor for the Laurels in the Young Women.  So far I really like it.  I've had to teach and of course I was super nervous all week, but it went well and there are only 2 Laurels and they are super sweet girls.  I go to mutual every Wednesday night so that gives Henry and Clark some father-son bonding time.  I'm so glad Clark is so helpful and willing to keep Henry for a few hours each week.  I guess on Sundays when I teach they have more father-son bonding time.  I'm sure they both love it!  

I've met a few more girls with kids in the ward.  They are having a Halloween play group tomorrow so we are going to try and go.  We went to a pumpkin patch yesterday with our friends the Casperson's to pick out some pumpkins.  I'm not sure if we will actually get around to carving them since Halloween is tomorrow.  Maybe that will be our activity on Halloween!  If not, they will make cute "harvest" decorations on my front step for a few more weeks.  

Henry and I are sitting outside getting some Vitamin D and it is seriously so warm!  I can't believe all the crazy weather happening on the East Coast.  I love the pretty white snow, but I don't think I'm quite ready for cold, winter weather just yet.  So far Twin Falls weather is a lot more mild than Utah weather {besides the wind.  This town is windy}  

Happy Halloween everyone!  Henry may dress up as a parrot tomorrow.... stay tuned for pictures

Grandma comes to visit

My mom came for a visit September 21-23 and we were excited to have her.  I would say she was our first official visitor.  Clark's parents had been to our house, but that was when they were helping us move so they weren't really visiting they were working!  Twin Falls isn't the most exciting town so we took my Mom to do the most "touristy" thing here.  We went to see the falls.  There are actually two different falls here in Twin.  We took her to see Shoshone Falls.  The other is actually named Twin Falls, but I haven't been to that one yet.  

After Labor Day the falls aren't as majestic I guess you could say.  They don't let as much water over the falls during the fall/winter time.  Spring is the best time to see them and there is water covering all those rocks you can see.  I guess you can feel mist from the falls certain places in town.  Sorry Mom, you can come back for Spring Break and see them when they are raging!  Can you spot the kayaks?  They were climbing up that rock and jumping off.  I shouldn't say rock because I bet it was a 50 foot jump.... we will call it a cliff.   

Me and my Momma

Little family of 3

Henry and his Nana... I mean Grandma.  

so Clark HATES the name Nana instead of Grandma.  He won't allow our children to call my mom Nana, even though that is what the other grand kids call her.  I'm not sure why he has such a strong dislike to Nana.  What happens when Henry says "nana" instead of "banana".  I'm not sure if Clark will allow it, ha ha!  My husband is funny.  So when Clark isn't around I say Nana, when he is around I say Grandma.  Poor Henners will be so confused. 

Me and my cute baby.  

Before the falls we went to brunch at a place called The Depot Grill for some good hometown cookin'.  For those from Kaysville, it is similar to Granny Annie's (formally Doug & Emmy's).  Clark loves that kind of food, although he said Granny Annie's is still better.  After the falls we came home so Henry could eat and sleep.  And so my mom could sleep, ha ha!  That lady loves an afternoon nap.  Maybe it is because she is a school teacher so she is always busy busy.  After the naps we took advantage of my mom's Costco card and took a trip to buy some baby wipes, Gatorade, and a new Shark steam mop for me!  I love it because it has a setting for wood floors which I need for the house we are renting right now.  Then we went out to eat and came back home so Henry could eat again.  Clark and I had some errands to run so we left Henry with my mom and went on a "date" to Lowe's and Home Depot!  So if you come to Twin Falls we will take you to see a waterfall that doesn't have much water and we will go to Costco.  Party!  I wanted to go to a little farm called Tubbs Berry Farm, but we ran out of time.  In the fall they have some fun activities going on during the weekend.  I will need to go before Halloween to get some pumpkins!

Sunday morning we got up and went to Sacrament and then came home because my mom needed to get on the road.  Plus Henry needs a nap about 20 minutes into Sacrament meeting and he won't sleep in our arms so going to Sunday School is not an option.  That is when we drive around so Henry will fall asleep then we carry him back in hoping he stays asleep and we catch the last part of Sunday School.  I'm not sure how that is going to work when I am in Young Women's and Clark gets a calling that keeps him busy too. 

We are glad my mom was able to come and visit.  Henry loves having visitors!  Mostly because then he gets to sleep with Mom & Dad and that means he doesn't have to sleep and we have a slumber party all night long :) 

5 Months

Now that Henry is already 6 months old I will finally blog about his 5 month milestones.  He turned 5 months on September 10th and we had just moved to Twin Falls about a week before.  So of course my brain can barely remember anything new and exciting my child did from August 10-September 10 because those few weeks were crazy.  

Let's start with pictures....

Finally starts to like tummy time and holds his head up like a champ. He also started rolling.  He would roll from his back to his belly and then get stuck.  He would eventually get mad and cry so I would have to roll him over.  

He did a lot of this.  Toes, fingers, and toys go straight into his mouth

 On his 5 month mark we gave him solids for the first time.  He had oatmeal cereal.  It is so funny to watch him try new foods and figure out what I just put in his mouth.  

first bite

"hmmm I'm not so sure about this"

"okay, give me another bite so I can really know if I like it or not"

"He likes it, Hey Mikey!"

He LOVES bath time.  I think he could kick around in the water for hours.  He even tries to drink the water sometimes.  

My baby is a genius... he is doing the sign for Love.  Or is that "rock on"?  Either way, he is smart.

• He didn't have a Dr. appointment so I have no idea his weight or height.  But he seemed to grow that month!  He finally fit into his 3-6 month shorts and he was in 3-6 month onesies/rompers/pajamas.  He was in size 2 diapers.
• He started to roll onto his tummy but wouldn't roll from tummy to back.  Although he didn't mind being on his tummy at least for a little while.  
• Started solids and had baby oatmeal cereal.
• He got his first tooth that popped out around 5 1/2 months.  I was hoping he wouldn't get teeth this early, but with all of his drool that past few months, I had a feeling it was coming.  He has one tooth on the bottom, and the little one next to it is coming in now.  Surprisingly he hasn't been super grumpy.  I almost didn't realize he was teething.  Although now I look back and think "oh that's probably why he wasn't napping very well" or "oh that's probably why he didn't want to nurse that long".  I hope the whole teething process continues to go this smooth.  
• Since he started rolling a lot more he would do this thing where he would roll onto his belly when he was asleep, then he would wake up crying because he was on his belly.  I would go in and roll him back.  Then a couple hours later, same thing. It got old real fast.  Although sometimes I went in when he was supposed to be napping and I would just laugh at the positions he would get himself into.  He still gets all turned around in the crib.  
• He started sleeping in his own room in his big boy crib once we moved up here to Idaho.  Before he was sleeping in our room in his cradle, and he was definitely getting too big for it.  He loves his crib and when he wakes up, he just lays in their and talks to himself and squeals.  
• This past month he has just grown up so much.  He seems so much stronger and more active.  His hair has also become even more fluffy than it was when he was born.  I need to do a picture timeline of his hair.  I will name it "the evolution of Henry's hair".  It really is pretty sweet.  
• He is still a sweet smiley baby and is rarely grumpy.  I mean he has his moments when he is super tired and won't sleep and therefore can't eat because he is too tired and just arches his back and screams at me.  But other than that he is a sweetheart.  I hope he never changes.  

The One with All the Haste

{Friends reference anyone...}

There is a reason for all the haste.  Clark FINALLY got a real job so we are moving to Twin Falls ID.  It still hasn't really hit me that we will be living in Idaho away from our families.  I am not opposed to living away from family, but I'm sure it will take some getting used to.  Especially with a baby.  Who will babysit for free now?!  My mom was so excited that she finally had a grandchild 15 minutes away instead of an hour away or a plane ride away.  Sorry Mom.  Twin Falls is only 3 hours away from our family in Kaysville/Salt Lake and only 2 hours away from our family in Logan.  Not bad at all.  Although it is a rather ugly drive.  Once you pass Brigham City there isn't much to look at until you get to about Burley.  But even then there isn't much to look at.  South West Idaho isn't as mountainous as Utah.  Where will we go skiing you ask?  Sun Valley is only 1.5 hours away.  It's not as close as Beaver Mountain was when we were in Logan or as close as Snowbasin is to us right now, but I'm sure Clark will drive the 1.5 hours if it means he can ski.  Which reminds me, Clark thinks he is going to take Henry skiing this winter in a back pack!  Let me remind you Henry won't even be a year old.  I don't think they make warm ski clothes for babies that young.  My husband is a little excited about having a ski buddy.  Okay back to the original reason for the post.  Clark will be starting his new job the first week of September.  He gave his 2 weeks to Morgan Pavement and they didn't want him to go.  His boss called him and said "how much do we need to pay you to have you stay".  For Clark it isn't about the money, but the fact that he went to school to get a degree and he wants to use that degree.  He also wants a job where he can use his brain and not just shovel asphalt and drive a dump truck.  Plus the new job offers full benefits and his current job does not.  There are many reasons why he took the job in Twin Falls, but I think he really just wants a job that is related to his business degree.  He has applied for a few jobs recently in the Salt Lake area, and nothing ever happens.  So we are grateful for the job opportunity, even if it is in Idaho.  

Now a little bit about what he will be doing.  He will be working for a company called Charmac Trailers.  They build cargo, horse and snowmobile trailers.  Clark will be working in the office as the office controller.  He will be in charge of accounting type duties like payroll, accounts payable/receivable, and exporting trailers to places like Canada.  He will be an importer/exporter {Seinfeld reference anyone...}  He did not get an accounting degree specifically, but he did take accounting classes.  They will also train him obviously, so I'm sure he will pick it up quickly.  He is a smart boy.  Clark got the job because his friend Justin Casperson that he met at Utah State called him about a month ago and told him they had an opening.  Charmac Trailers was started by Justin's Grandpa and now Justin's Dad is running the company.  Clark and I went to Twin Falls awhile back so Clark could "interview" with them and take a tour of the company.  Clark really likes Justin and he really liked his Dad so I think he will enjoy working with them.  Plus I like Justin's wife so it's a win win for everyone.  Justin and Ashley have a little boy just a little bit younger than Henry, so it will be nice knowing at least one family up there.  

Now for the hasty part.  Remember how I said Clark would be starting the first week of September.  Well that is one week away!  Literally we will be moving to Twin Falls in ONE WEEK!  His last day at Morgan Pavement is on Friday.  We will go up to Twin Falls on Saturday to find a place to rent.  Assuming we find a place to live, we will move up on Tuesday.  Clark isn't worried about it.  I'm getting a little nervous about finding a decent rental.  I've found 2 on line, but I obviously want to look at them first.  One is more expensive than the other, but of course it's a lot nicer.  I'm trying not to be picky, but some places just look sketchy.  If I didn't have a baby that will be crawling on the floor soon, I wouldn't mind as much.  Luckily most of our belongings are already packed up and have been packed for about 2 years now!  Remember when we moved from Cambridge Court to my Grandmas basement.  Ya, our stuff has stayed in boxes that long.  I'm starting to forget what I have anymore.  Living with my Grandma we shared her kitchen, so we just used all of her stuff.  It will be like Christmas morning when we finally unpack all of our belongings.  I'm a little excited.  

We will be sad to leave our family and the familiarity of Utah, but I think it will be a fun new adventure.  We will miss the beautiful mountains, but it's just a short drive to some pretty cool places in Idaho {Boise, Sun Valley, McCall}.  So if any of you want to visit Twin Falls or if you are on your way to any of the places I just mentioned, you have to go through Twin Falls to get there so stop and say Hi!  And to entice you to come visit I've found some fun facts about Twin Falls...

• The College of Southern Idaho is in Twin Falls.  They call it CSI. 
• Twin Falls is Idaho's 7th largest city and growing steadily.  
• Twin Falls is part of Magic Valley.  I'm not sure why it's called that, but it sounds magical.
• There are 3 waterfalls near the town.  Shoshone falls is 5 miles east of the city and is taller than Niagra Falls by about 36 feet.  Now that is cool!  
• The Perrine Bridge that spans the Snake River Canyon north of the city is one of only a handful of artificial structures worldwide where Base Jumping is legal.  So anyone want to try some base jumping come on up.  
• They don't get as much snow as Logan or Kaysville BUT rarely do the temps get over 100 degrees.  Hallelujah!  I hate the hot weather.  
• Ever heard of the band Built To Spill.  Well they are pretty cool and one of their band members was from Twin Falls.  They even have a song about it.  
• There is a local swimming hole called Dierkes Lake Park and you can swim, have a picnic, and jump off some cliffs.  
• They have the Twin Falls Temple.

Here are some pictures to really get you excited to come.

Dierkes lake

Shoshone Falls

See it's not that far away

Pretty Temple

 And if you still aren't convinced that Twin Falls is a cool place to visit.  This happy little guy will be there! 

Banana Muffins and Cheese

The Emmett Family loves some DP and BB&C. For those who have no idea what those letters mean, it stands for Dr. Pepper and Banana Bread and Cheese. The most delicious snack you will ever eat. Today I wanted some BB&C (I also want a DP but since I'm nursing I've cut out caffeine). I had 3 very ripe bananas, but I didn't have my grandmas banana bread recipe. I did, however, have a muffin recipe. So I went with it. The results were delicious! Some of you may think I am crazy for putting cheese on banana bread (or muffins in some cases). Don't knock it till you try it. It is like sweet and salty. The best combination. Do all Emmett's like this? I assumed we all love it, but maybe there are some that don't, and for fear of being shunned have kept quiet all these years. 

Well I love it and now I love BM&C. Other Emmett family favorites that I am craving today... Homemade Peach or Raspberry Ice Cream made by my wonderful Grandpa Emmett who we miss and love, homemade raspberry jam made by my Grandma Emmett and Aebelskivers topped with said jam made by various members of the Emmett family. We know what's up when it comes to good food. 

Now for the pictures of my delicious snack that I will eat all day long. I can't stop at just one. 

Go try some BB&C or BM&C.  If you don't know what Aebelskivers are you should try them too.  They are yummy. 

Henry is 4 months old

I know what you are thinking "Henry is already 4 months old!"  Yes.  Yes he is. I'm a little shocked myself.  Time is just flying by.  

Here is the cute little bugger

"Oh Mom you are so funny!"

Seriously.  Look how cute he is

4 Month Tidbits:

At his 4 month check up on August 13 2012 his stats are:

• 25 inches long (51%)
• 13 pounds 14 ounces (27%)
• Head size is 17.25 inches (86%) 

Basically he is a skinny little boy.  His 3-6 month onesies fit him great but 3-6 month shorts are a little big.  His 0-3 month shorts are getting a little too tight so we just put him in the big shorts and say we dressed him like a gangsta' on purpose!  

In the past month...

• He is still sleeping through the night and takes about 1 hour long naps during the day.  
• He has started grabbing his toes and bringing them to his mouth.  Although he can't quite get his toes in there.  
• He has rolled over 3 times from his tummy to his back, but refuses to do it anymore.  He uses his strong abs to stop from rolling.  When he is on his back he will grab his feet and roll from side to side but never all the way over.
• He will grab little toys and bring them to his mouth
• He screams and squeals all the time!  He is so loud.  When he is just laying on the floor on a blanket he is in baby heaven.  He loves it and just squeals until he gets tired, then he fusses and he takes a nap.  Best baby ever.  
• In the last month he has been good at sticking to a schedule.  Most days he will wake up at the same time and eat at the same time.  He can now go 3 hours between feedings instead of 2.  He usually wakes up between 6 and 7 am to eat then falls back asleep until about 10.  Then he eats and plays takes a nap from about 11:30-12:30 and wakes up to eat at 1.  Then this continues with a feeding at 4, 7, and 9:30 then it's down for the night until he wakes up again at 6 or 7.  It is nice to have some idea of when he will be eating and sleeping.  It makes planning the day a lot easier.  I don't care if his schedule gets messed up but I do like him to have his naps or else he is just sad and grumpy.  
• I think around 3-4 months they start getting more interactive which is so much fun.  
• The doctor said I can start solids with him, but I think I will wait until 5 months.  I just think he needs time to really be great at holding his head up and actually knowing how to swallow food and use his tongue.  When I put him in the Bumbo he can hold his head up, but it still kind of leans forward a little.  Plus we have some big changes up ahead for our little family (I'll blog about that later) so I would rather start solids when we are all settled and I can use my Baby Bullet to make my own baby food!  I'm so excited to start concocting some yummy things for Mr. Henry.