letters to Beth {tinker bell's house, 100-30-17, and backyard shenanigans}

{sean proposed to me in this very spot, under the flag pole on temple square 9 & 1/2 years ago, 

in front of about 300 people coming to see all of the christmas lights--it was dec. 5th. 

i remember i was SO embarrassed! i love LOVE love the story of it all. sean is my favorite:)}

.....

dear beth,

we celebrated our anniversary all week this week, but especially this weekend, complete with rock climbing, shopping, dinner, and a movie on saturday night. today we decided to take the kids to temple square to show them where everything became official. you'll be happy to know that brenzie {my mom was trying to say "chase" today, and somehow that was what came out, we all laughed, and i declared it was SO them and pure genius on her part}---so brenzie did not pull any tulips out of the flower beds on temple square today, NOR did they steal any money from the fountains, despite the fears i expressed to you on skype chat earlier. we are so proud:) sean and some of his siblings were left unattended once when they were kids, and when bill and val came back, they found them stealing coins out of the fountain by the old meeting house. hoodlums i tell ya! HAHA! my children did however run around with no shoes on {b/c the raised grassy parts are just too enticing for bare feet}, and on our way out max sprinkled black sparkly cigarette butt sand all in her hair. who even knew they had ash trays on temple square. well, they do. obviously, so people will extinguish before they walk through. such a nice gesture which i so appreciate, it just not on my max radar. after a lot of brushing, picking it out like a mama monkey {minus the eating it part}, and a bath with two shampooings WITH brushing WHILE shampooing, there were still remnants of it when i combed through her wet hair before bed tonight. she also pooped in our grass today. yep you read that right. brennan came in declaring it, i of course was in denial about it, and max was proud of it. i can't decide if i'm more happy that she pooped in the grass and not IN the sandbox, or if i'm just mad that she pooped in the grass at all. my backyard neighbors were on their porch when it happened. they promised me they didn't see it, and couldn't stop laughing when they found out she did it {which is why we love and appreciate them so}. i made her do her own poop patrol with a plastic baggy inside out over her hand. i was mortified. we now have to sell the house and move. the shame is just too great. also, i think it's stupendously hilarious, so that's an element of emotion going on too. mostly, b/c as i was scolding her and putting a ziploc baggy inside out over her hand, i could only imagine teasing her about that very moment in front of every boy that walks through our front door. "hi, i'm emily, max pooped in the backyard once when she was 3. have a great night! and don't have sex or do drugs, thanks!" good grief, i'm just so relieved she did it in our yard and not over at someone else's house. COULD YOU IMAGINE!!?? i would just DIE. after she did her "patrol" we made her sit in time out and then had a LENGTHY talk about how boys can pee outside b/c they don't have to wipe, but NOBODY and i emphasized about a million times how NOBODY not even boys can poop outside. brennan was brought in for this part of the conversation too, just so we were ALL clear on the rules:) i didn't even go into the camping rules b/c i was afraid they would play "camping" and i'd find people burying their poop out back. we just left that one for ten years from now when somebody finally convinces me to camp again, and let's be honest, i'm not going camping if there's not running water and toilets at the campsite anyway. so then, just to make sure we were all clear, i had her tell me the rules: boys can pee outside if they're kids, but only b/c they don't have to wipe, girls have to come inside, even though it's not fair, b/c they have to wipe, and NOBODY {say it with me NOBODY} poops outside. let's hope that one is behind us. ok, i can't stop laughing. this is just 100-30-17 funny. that's how brennan explains anything that's "big" right now. he tells me "mom, i love you 100-30-17!", and "mom, you're 100-30-17 beautiful!" {that one is my favorite of the "100-30-17's"}, and then yesterday i put some mascara on for sean and my anniversary date night, and i got a "wow, mom, you're 100-30-17-18 beautiful!" BONUS:) i absolutely love it. anything that's good around here is titled "100-30-17." like dinner tonight was carne asada fajitas, and it was "100-30-17." that's how you know you've hit the jackpot. when they tell you it's "100-30-17." i just think it's about the cutest thing he's ever come up with! {can you end a sentence with "with"? i don't think you're supposed to...} 

the blossoms on our trees out front our blooming this week. they glow pink against the blue spring skies. i can't get enough. they lift me up when i look at them. it's breathtaking.

i am just so in love with life.
especially all of the people in my life.
and PIP my dear, i really love food.
of course:)
and i wish you were here eating food with me right at this very minute,
but it's 6:02am in Heidelberg, so i'm hoping that your boys are letting you sleep.
tell me about bryce's trip to ireland.
why is he there?
when does he get home?
how are you holding up?
i've always wanted to go.
i have a mommy and baby matching hat and scarf set from there that my parents brought back for me when they visited a few years ago.
a cream knitted scarf and hat for me,
and cream knitted baby hat and gloves for the kiddos.
so unbelievably darling.
plus, it reminds me of the shire, and i would just love to go there someday.

i hope your morning finds you well dear beth,
full of lovely breakfast and happy morning rituals.

love,
emiline

p.s.
when we got to the temple today, max pointed at it and said "that's where tinker bell lives!" yep, pretty sure she thinks that's Disneyland right there. alicia put it best when she said "the original happiest place on earth." and that's what i want my kids to know, that the temple really is the original happiest place on earth. i am so happy whenever i am there:) can you believe all of the beautiful colors right now? tulips will always remind me of our wedding day.

 {the blossoms popping on our trees out front. JOY!}

{max, just BEFORE "patrol"--happy monday, as it already is where you are.}