Life

This is my first attempt at making laundry detergent. Guess what? IT WORKS! It only cost about $5 for four gallons of detergent. It smells good and gets the clothes clean. I am so happy I can't stand it. What a great money saving venture. The kids love it too. I hear "When do we get to make more soap?"
Allison and I in Leesburg, Virginia. Just love this picture. Might be because I just love her:)
Peanut Butter Play-doh at Activity Days. I am the Activity Days leader for our ward. What do you get when you mix six eight and nine year olds with peanut butter play-doh. An automatic bunch of smiles and happy tummies. That was so fun! (Rylee must be our mascot.)
This is what Rylee looks like when he falls asleep next to me. I always think kids look so innocent when they are sleeping. Perhaps adults look this way too. I might have to watch Scott the next time he sleeps. Just kidding.
Today Sarah and I spent some time together. This was a stop at a feed store to "play" with the chickens, ducks, etc. I just love spring when we can hold chicks. The duck wasn't so sure he agreed. Sarah and I giggled when we put him down and he hid behind the food dish. We were sure he wanted nothing to do with people for a while.

Our Awesome Hosts while on our trip to Washington DC

Elicia and Kevin were wonderful to us while we stayed and toured around. This is Kevin and Allison in front of Kevin;s building where he works. He gave us a ride into the district on the first day and helped us figure out the subway so we didn't get lost. Elicia was sure to stock us with snacks so we didn't starve to death. Thanks guys!
Here is Elicia, Allison, and Sadie. We took a little trip to a town called Leesburg. We shopped and generally had a great time. We loved our trip and the time we got to spend with my sister and her family.
Not such a great pic of me but isn't Ian cute!
Sophie loves the cupboards. Maybe she wants to find a place to call her own. She took to me right away and I got hugs, conversation, and a little pal to share all my food with. She is always hungry (she must take after her aunt Michelle).
The Angell Family Tree. Haha They love to climb and this is a happy tree in the front yard. Everyone but Sophie got in on the fun. I think she would have climbed too if she was given a boost. What great kids! We miss them!

We took a tour of the monuments called "Monuments at Moonlight." It was so fun because we dragged Kevin, Elicia, and Melanie with us. This was a cute picture we took before heading off the start the tour. I only wish we had Kevin and Elicia with us at the time. They were racing to park the car so the tour didn't leave without us. Thanks, guys:)
This is a view of the white House. As we walked from Kevin's work at the FDIC down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol, we took a stroll around the White House. If we couldn't get close or inside, then we figured we would at least see it from all sides. Note to visitors, if you want a tour of the White House, call your House of Representatives delegate two to three months ahead of time. We did, however, get a great tour of the Capitol and the Library of Congress. Both of those were great and really fun, too.
The one picture of us in front of the White House. It was so cold that morning. Thanks Kevin for taking our picture.
This is the Capitol Building. Isn't it spectacular. We learned so much about history on this trip. I want to take all the other kids back to let them see all the great things we saw. I sure hope our great hosts stay living there for a while. haha
The Washington Monument at night. Pretty, huh?

Washington DC

We had such a great time in Washington DC. Among other things, Allison found this hat and it looks so cute on her. I don't think she has named the kitty but she sure got some smiles and comments from people wherever we went afterward. And she stayed warm, too.
This is a view from the Old Post Office Building in the district. The top floor was open air (cold air, I might add) and we scaled many stairs to get to the top. We decided elevators were for wimps. It was breathtaking and we looked out from all four sides. It really is a pretty place.
We went on a tour of the monuments and this is the Marine Memorial. I was so happy to get a chance to see this memorial, especially with Taylor being in the Marines now. It was awesome and very inspiring.
The Lincoln Memorial was so indescribable. Seeing pictures doesn't even come close to the thrill of being there. The memorial is huge and I didn't even come to his feet because he is 19 feet high. As you come up the stairs of the memorial and get a glimpse of his sitting in the chair, it is enough to bring tears. The feeling was reverent and I probably stood in silence for 10 minutes. What an amazing opportunity to be there. Allison stood in the place Martin Luther King Jr stood when he gave his famous "I have a Dream" speech. Her awe was greater than mine even. It was remarkable.
This is a shot of the rotunda in the capitol of the United States of America. The architecture of the building is really great. Also, as you come from the room before into the rotunda, the roof is very short and then it opens into this great huge room with enormous ceilings. I took this picture standing with the camera outstretched over my head. Beautiful, huh?

Is it spring yet?

Ok. The Emerys are ready to be outside. I am quite sure we are not the only humans who feel this way. Lately, we have had fifty degree weather and the kids go out to play with no coats on. I wish I had their thick skin. I need at least sixty degrees to play outside.

The kids are downstairs finishing their Valentine cards for their classes on Monday. It is best for me to stay upstairs while they do this or I helicopter parent, trying to "help" them when they obviously are capable of doing it themselves. This is one of my downfalls as a parent, always trying to help too much. If they can do it themselves, why would I interfere and teach them that they cannot do things?

Taylor is doing well in Okinawa. I think he is bored with the jobs they give him sometimes. A week or two ago, he was sent to another base to help run security for recon and intel war games. Although this sounds exciting, his job consisted of 14 hour shifts of data entry in front of a computer. Not exactly the excitement he was hoping for. His spirits are good, though, and he is looking forward to great weather there so he can do some water sports and some more outdoor exploring. We get to see him on Google chat and on Skype occasionally and it is fun to see his smile and hear his voice.

Scott is working on a grant proposal at work and seems to be enjoying himself. We are praying that he gets hired on as permanent as of June 2011. He has been working for the company for 1 1/2 years and in June the state decides whether to keep the position. The insurance is awesome and the people are really great. Pray for us.

The kids here are doing well. We have the normal day to day struggles but overall we are very blessed. I have been reminded lately that just a roof over our heads, a job for Scott, cars that run, and great family and friends are amazing things that we take for granted everyday.

The Rylee Saga

You might find it funny (although I was mortified) that Rylee (almost 6) spent last Sunday at church pretty much torturing everyone. He called his teacher an idiot many times, ask to see his "frickin" mother (said loudly in front of the whole primary), and then turned to the cute little girl next to him in sharing time and told her that her mother had just died.Which news caused her to she burst into tears and the primary presidency had to get the girl's mother to come see her in order to assure her that it wasn't true. Aaahh, the joys of parenthood.

But one redeeming thing is the joy of hugs and kisses that smooth a lot of the trials. And Rylee really can give the best hugs. He wraps his arms around me and whispers into my ear "You really are my favorite Mommy." Does he know this melts a mommy's heart?

When Taylor was little and he did these kinds of things, I sometimes took it personally and found it hard not to feel so guilty. Now, I try to realize that although I can teach them right, they have free agency to choose whether to listen. (Sigh) Luckily for me, he loves toys and when given a chance to earn one by using good words, he has only had one bad day in six. I sure hope tomorrow isn't another repeat performance at church. He has a talk in primary. He could do some serious damage while at the microphone in front of the whole group of kids. Heaven help us!

The Power of Prayer

So my dad Ted Watkins had surgery right after Christmas to correct a nerve problem in his back that has had him incapacitated since summer time. We were excited to go be with him and Mom Pam for the days surrounding this event. Although they were convinced that we should not come, we were so happy to be there and they ultimately were grateful we came. This is a picture right before they wheeled Dad in to surgery.

The nurses were convinced that he must be a star or a celebrity because of the entourage that accompanied him to the hospital. Three of the four daughters and most of their children were there. We missed our sister Wendi but the cousins that were there had fun catching up with each other.

Jeannine and I also got a chance to talk with a wonderful cousin Amy who we hadn't seen for ten years. Wow! It was an awesome trip.

We had a prayer and Dad got a blessing from Corey Hokanson before the surgery. There was a great feeling of peace and power in the room. When we pulled back the curtain, Dad's doctor sat waiting for us. He later told Dad, "You started this out right. There is great power in prayer." I believe there is and his surgery was a great success. We got to see Dad walking without pain less than 24 hours later.