he brushes his teeth

favorite morning activity:

he even does the back and forth, side to side motions.

where do they learn this stuff?

notice the glistening tears on his face?

it's because i took dad's away (who happens to have a sore throat).

grandpa joe would be so proud! (DDS)

"fruit by the foot"

do you remember having a fruit by the foot on the playground in elementary school?
maybe it wasn't fruit by the foot for you,
but whatever it was,
do you remember having something yummy that everyone else wanted?
i have a "fruit by the foot" in my backyard.
the "park"
in the backyard.
we share.
all of my cousins and their kids.
dave and sue started it.
we all get to enjoy it:-)
it's our "BIG" family.
not the show "big love."
but i do really love them all.
we're gonna have WAY more friends this year.
can you say "sport court" 5 times fast?
are you pickin' up what i'm puttin' down???

i know there's no "u" in sport, but have you tried to type things vertically before?

things just get lost in translation for vanity's sake;-)

can you find which one i'm talking about?

i love the first time the pool is opened up.

feet in heaven.

and the pork loin's.

anyone else love watching tractors???

or have i just watched "cars" one too many times...

the MOLE DOC

i am short two moles this afternoon.
the crazy thing is that the two they took off were the two i wasn't worried about.
one on the arm and one on the lower back.
so they're off to be biopsied.
one week they tell me.
the one on the forehead and the toe: healthy.
they measured them and put them on the books for the future.
how do they remove a mole you ask?
a little shot of local anesthetic into the mole area.
(can't tell you for sure where b/c i didn't look--i'm a "look the other way" shot/mole scraper kind of gal).
and scrape, scrape, scrape.
zero pain.
one little pinch to shoot the numbing juice in and TA-DA.
mole free.
now i wait to see if they were naugthy little moles or not.
...
i finished these is my words last night.
sob.
i can't wait to talk about it with you goddesses!
and to tell you next month's pick!
let's just say i'm VERY-VERY excited.

moles...and an apostle

moles.
i have them.
i prefer to call them "beauty marks."
it's much more dainty.
i'm irish.
fair-skinned and irish.
and "mole-ish" or "beauty mark-ish."
and "freckle-ish," for that matter.
whichever you prefer.
i worry about skin cancer.
both of my parents have had skin cancer removed.
i wore sunscreen as a child, but had some pretty bad burns.
i lube up every outing now a-days,
as well as greasing down the pork loin (who happens to tan through spf 50, who knew?!)
but in my college years i loved to be tan.
i layed out in the summer and cough, cough, cough....
went to the tanning beds.
but only for 4 months!
that should count for something right???
so i worry.
about skin cancer.
do you watch grey's anatomy??!!
how could i not be worrying about skin cancer after this season?
so there's this "beauty mark" on my forehead.
it's been there since i don't know how long.
i've scoured childhood pictures and wouldn't you know, BANGS in every one.
i know for sure i had my forehead beauty mark in elementary school (this makes you EXTRA pretty in the face when it's on your face).
then there was this cute little freckle on my big toe.
well, in the past year it's gotten a bit bigger.
and i'm beginning to think the forehead beauty mark looks differently too.
oddly shaped and multi-colored.
scared?
me too.
so, i'm all set to visit the MOLE DOC manana.
i'm hacking off any beauty mark that i can.
i've got lots to live for and can't have MOLES interfering!
or cute little freckles.

and would you look what i sewed!!!!
all by myself.

sleeves are tricky,

but i conquered.

go me:-)

i've never seen sean so excited to have his shirt all "patched out."

it makes me REALLY happy.

rocky balboa is into EVERYTHING.

and i mean everything.

i've started hiding his toys in with my tupperware and cabinets in the hopes that he'll grab them instead of the maple syrup.

the computer this morning was exhibit 5 million, 2 hundred, & 89 thousand attempts to "get the little blue light."

i'd want to press it 5 times in a row too.

it's a really pretty light.

thank goodness for john with HP.

now, when can i have a MAC???

remember this pic from last week?

well, there's story that goes with it.

as told by mom:

I think you were about a year and a half old. (The picture was taken in the month of June). Your dad and I had won 2 free tickets to Helsinki, Finland at a company picnic party ( we had great company picnic parties in the 80's! They always gave away great free trips everywhere!) Anyway, we were on our way to Finland. We were dropping you off at your Aunt Sue's in Iowa. She took care of you while we went on our trip. So, that's the story of the picture.
...

and the most exciting part of our day???????

we got to meet him!

elder holland.

he is a prominent leader in our church.

an apostle.

conversation as follows (next to women's shoes in nordstrom's)...

...

em: hi, elder holland! (pushing brennan in the stroller through nordstrom's)

elder holland: hello! (you know the wonderful voice ,big smile and hand shake)

em: i'm emily gibson. (BIG smile)

e.h.: well, good to meet you emily, you're beautiful, little thing! (i knew i liked him!)

em: thank you! my mom is carol mehr.

e.h.: no! you're kidding! it's so wonderful to meet you! i met your brother awhile ago.

em: nope, no brother, i'm an only child

(this may be confusing b/c i talk about my step siblings as brother and sister, but for realz, there's only one of me from pat and carol)

e.h.: no, i did!

em: only child as far as i know:-) (mom? dad? something you want to tell me?)

e.h.: oh yes, that's right, your mom's roommate was patty. i met her son! i'm sorry. how is your mother?

em: she's well. she just moved to hawaii!

e.h.: that carol, she is so spirited! (elder holland was mom's bishop in her early years out of high school)

em: yes she is.

e.h.: look at that baby of yours. he has "holland cheeks."

em: yes, very gushy (holla holla snarky!)

e.h.: well it was just so great to meet you, i love you! please tell your mother i say hello.

em: i will, so wonderful to meet you too.

...

and off we walked...to think i almost didn't go run my errands in the mall today!

yup, you heard it here first, elder holland LOVES me!

i knew it was going to be a good day;-) i should read my scriptures in the morning more often.

...

12 days to book club goddesses!

i'm on the last chapter.

i can't get myself to finish.

not because i don't like it,

but b/c i don't want it to end.

if you start tomorrow you'll only have to read 32 pages a day to finish by our discussion (30th & 31st).

so get to the book store and get crack-a-lackin!

...

loves to you and yours,

e

I love it when my child makes my computer crash.Pork loin in all of his cuteness today couldn't resist the little blue light.Thus, my post on moles will wait!