Apples and Whine

We have just gotten the internet back after an entire week without it. We are very angry with our internet provider. I feel so isolated and stressed without the internet. It is kind of sad.

Joel and I have had a tradition the past few years of going to a farmer's market between the Saturday sessions of October General Conference. This year, we changed it up a little and went to an orchard.

Dane enjoyed picking the apples, and we enjoyed picking him up to help him reach.


We had to teach Dane to pull really hard. Here he is being strong:

Then, we'd tell him to put the apple in the bag, but its resemblance to a ball was too overpowering, and he ended up always throwing them into the bag. Or out of the bag.

Hey, look! It's Kenji! I took a picture of him! He's on the blog! He exists!

Happy Apple Day

All in all, our palates aren't sophisticated enough to tell the difference between fresh-picked-from-the-orchard and store-bought fruit. But the fresh, unpasteurized apple cider was so amazing. I am not one to use excessive capitalization, italicization, exclamation points, or exaggerated letter usage, but the apple cider was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO delicious!!!!!!! You should look up a local apple orchard and get some for yourself now. You will not regret it. At ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

Now for the whining.

I am in charge of Super Saturday in our ward. I realize that the concept of "Super Saturday" has many iterations throughout the church. In our area, it is a mega-fancy craft extravaganza. Forget the fact that the purpose of Relief Society is to give charity or save souls or uplift or something. This momentous day is solely for creating cutesy decor and little gifts. I am a little bitter about it. Don't get me wrong; I have always enjoyed attending Super Saturday. But being in charge of it has been so time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. I do not exaggerate when I say that it has consumed my life for the better part of the past two months. Joel can attest. Where is my committee, you may ask. Some of them are no help; several of them are very helpful, but my person-formally-known-as-Enrichment leader just had a baby, and another person will have a baby right on Super Saturday day, so she is unable to help teach/make crafts. Anyway, it is not happening until November 21, but I had to have everything ready to display last Sunday so everyone could sign up. I will present to you the fruits of my labors. Pretty much all the crafts seem hideous and tiresome to me now since I've spent so much time on them, so if you could just do me a favor and tell me that at least one of them is cute and worth making, I'd appreciate it. And if my personal cynicism has not poisoned you and you would like to know how to make one, I'd be happy to let you know.

Stenciled Table Linens

Family Home Evening Board

Handmade Christmas Cards

Beaded Watches

(This is actually one that I have had no part in. My fellow counselor has made millions of these to match every outfit she owns, so she is spearheading the watches. Whew.)
Pierceware Ornaments

Fabric Covered Magnets

Mini Matchbox Advent Calendar (with a Christmas scene that appears as you turn each drawer around!)

Felt Advent Garland

So that's it. A few people have signed up for stuff so far. I need to keep setting up the display for the next few weeks to give people ample time to decide what they'd like to make. To assuage my bitterness, I added a food drive to the event. Take that, over-the-top Super Saturday.

Publicity

Here are a couple of shameless plugs.
First, in case Facebook hasn't already told you, Joel and his cousin Ben entered a little contest to make a commercial promoting BYU football, and they won. They couldn't've done it without Evan's amazing performance.

Congratulations to Joel! It is fun to have such a talented husband who seems to win something almost every time he enters a contest.
Second, this is the official unveiling of Rika, my mom, and my Etsy shop!
Welcome to Eminandems!

We just have a few products available at this time, but there are several more products that are just getting their finishing touches, so check back frequently!
I was holding off to start publicizing the shop, but we were already featured on someone's blog, so I thought I should start letting my friends and family know. I hope you know that you are not obligated to buy anything or to even think the products are cute, but I hope you'll spread the word to your other friends and family.
And now that you've seen some of our amazing products, you're probably dying to know who won the drawing for a coupon. I ended up entering everyone who tried to answer because there weren't that many submissions, so to those of you who got it wrong, it is your lucky day!
And the winner is...

LIZZY!

Congratulations to you! I will email you with the info on how to get your discount.
Here is the explanation for the contest: Dane and I were playing outside with sidewalk chalk, and I tried to draw Woody and Buzz, as several of you guessed. A few hours later, Joel came home from work and commented that he liked my drawings. Somehow, I realized that he didn't know they were Woody and Buzz, so I asked who he thought they were. He thought they were us. Joel and Ami. Even though his son is extremely obsessed with Toy Story right now. Even though "Ami" had blue eyes and purple hair. I just thought that was really funny, so I thought I'd throw it out there to the rest of you. So Lizzy guessed Joel and Ami and was sort of right, too. Other guessed that I enjoyed were "a possessed nun" and "the ladybug from A Bug's Life." So I guess I should give up my dream of becoming a chalk artist.

Happy Birthday Dane!!

My, how time flies. Remember when Dane was teeny and we didn't have the internet at home so I couldn't update you on anything? I'm glad those days are over, though I didn't bargain for how fast he would grow up.
One hour old

One year old

I served breakfast in bed for my little two-year old, which he enjoyed. Scrambled eggs, toast with raspberry jam, strawberries and blueberries, and chocolate milk. Dane loves chocolate milk. He seems to have forgotten that regular milk exists.


We had a happy day, despite going to the doctor and getting three shots.
His party was yesterday, which we spent with friends and what little family we have in Utah.



I made a cake that turned out to be not as cute as I imagined, but it tasted good.



We got him one of those backyard climber toys, which he was excited to get:

The other kids had fun with it, too.


Please note: Kenji was there. For some reason, I always fail to get any pictures of Kenji even though he's at pretty much everything I take pictures of. Why is that? Maybe he hides from my camera. Maybe I have a subconscious desire to delete him from my life. It's hard to say at this point.
I did get this picture of his lips and his arms playing with the Lincoln Logs he got for Dane.


Happy Birthday, sweet boy. (I'm talking to Dane, not Kenji.) I love you. I can't believe how big you are already. I am so happy you are here.

Haphazard Happenings

I have a bunch of random pictures from events that I have not yet blogged, so here they are in no particular order (besides chronological). If you persevere through the entire entry, you'll have a chance to enter a drawing for an amazing prize! What's the amazing prize? A 50% off one item coupon to the Etsy store that Rika, my mom, and I are going to unveil this week! So stay tuned!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House
We tried to go as a family but then Dane got the simultaneous runs/vomit, and I didn't think that would work well in the temple. With the little time we had left before vacations, Dane and I went on our own.




Visit from Kristen a.k.a. Three Babies!!

Even though Dane is eight months older than both Sawyer and Ethan, they seem pretty much the same size, huh?

Dane got a hold of the markers:
I left the room to go to the bathroom, and in just a minute's time, I hear a weird scratching on the bathroom door. Dane was drawing on the door. Then I discovered he had drawn all over the place:

His punishment was time out and wiping down the mess himself, which he thoroughly enjoyed



Dane is a silly goose:


Dane's first haircut!
His bangs were totally in his eyes, and he was often getting confused for a girl, so I finally broke down and decided to cut his hair while we were in Oklahoma. I did a bad job, and I felt bad that he not only no longer looked like a baby but a little boy, but that he also looked dorky. Sorry, Dane.



Dane loves Woody and Buzz:
And he is a good daddy to them


Joel got a four-day weekend for Labor Day, so we went on a picnic at the park on Friday:


At Kenji's Frisbee Game:




If you look closely, you can see Dane's reflection in the sunglasses he so expertly placed on Joel.

BYU vs. OU
A house divided:


We kept Dane busy during the game by letting him watch Toy Story on Kenji's iPod. It was very effective.

Joel's mom came into town for the weekend, and we went canoeing down the Provo River, but I didn't get any pictures. Then she and Dane played on the tricycle she got him for his birthday. Thanks Grandma!


Sidewalk Chalk:

And here is the contest:
My drawing skills are meager. But perhaps you can guess who these two are supposed to be:

If you are correct, you'll be entered in the drawing to win the discount at our shop!

Thanks for sticking it out.