This is how we roll

We went to Jamba Juice this weekend, and I just thought this was so cute.

Emmy loved her Jamba! She has recently discovered the stairs and so we spend a good chunk of our days going up and down the stairs. She absolutely LOVES climbing the stairs and will often clap for herself once she reaches the top. It is hilarious. Also, when she is about to go up the stairs, she will peek around the corner and give me a mischievous little smile. Most of the time she will wait for me to come go up with her, but if I take too long, she will just go by herself. Yikes!

She loves to point at my teeth. And my nose. She thinks it's funny.

We took Emmy to the cemetery for Memorial Day, and it was freezing! And I think she was a little bit scared by a big gust of wind. But we had a nice little visit anyway. Even if it was short. This was the first Memorial Day that I have not been on vacation in a very long time. :( But it was nice to spend the day with Matt and Emmy.

She loves to give kisses to her books and stuffed animals. And her mom and dad. Usually it's better than this, but at least we got it on the video. :)



And she has turned into quite the little chatterbox. I love to hear her jabber away!



We also both spoke in church on Sunday. I actually enjoy speaking in church and I hardly ever get the opportunity, so it was fun. It was interesting since we had to switch off sitting with Emmy. But we just sat in the front row instead of on the stand, so it worked out pretty well.

Beef

No it's not what's for dinner. I have some beef about Gold's Gym and since no one there will return my calls or emails, I need to vent. Gold's Gym canceled ALL the spin and aerobics classes at the Provo gym. All of them. Who does that? They say they are turning that location into a cardio and weights-only gym. I was going to classes about 3-4 times a week and they were always completely full. Most of the time you even had to get to spin class early to get a bike. The night classes were also really full. I (and a ton of other people) have called and emailed numerous times to complain about this totally ridiculous decision but no one there will listen to any of us. Or even talk to us about it for that matter.

And now my workout routine is totally messed up. I had it all worked out. I went to spin class 2-3 mornings a week at 6 a.m., I would usually go another 1-2 days a week (also at 6 a.m.) to do something else like run or lift weights, and then go to Zumba class/lift weights on Saturdays. I don't know what I am going to do now. My run days are not affected but the other ones are! The Spanish Fork gym is just a few minutes farther away than the Provo gym, so I don't mind going there. But their classes start so early. Like at 5:15! Who wants to go at 5:15 a.m.? The Orem gym has classes at 6, but it is 20-25 minutes away. So I would still have to get up earlier--not to mention extra gas money and time for driving 40 min round trip to the gym. I think not! I am a work-out-in-the-morning type of person, so I know that if I try to go to the night classes, it won't happen.

Anyway, this is not the first time we have had problems with Gold's Gym. They are just plain rude and don't care about their customers at all. Unfortunately we are still in a contract that lasts another year, but after that we are definitely going to be going to a different gym. Even if it is farther away.

I just hope I can figure out another workout schedule that will work. But not til next week, cuz this is my rest week before my century bike ride on Saturday!

Cousins

My cousin's kids came over to play the other day. So I guess that would make them Emmy's second cousins. Three kids under 3 years old by myself for 4 hours. But they were all really good, so it was fun and not exhausting. :) Emmy loved having other kids over. She especially loved playing with Tolson, who is 1 month older than Em. And Azilyn is always a crack-up. My favorite was when she would blame her brother for stuff. Ha ha!

This is what happens when you break out the snacks. They flock like ducks!

10 Months!

Em is 10 Months today! I seriously can't believe she is almost one. Weird. Anyway, at 10 months Emmy...

-loves to eat (especially whatever we are eating. Off our plate. With our fork.)
-likes all foods except baby meat
-LOVES to climb on things
-is a great sleeper and napper (6:30 p.m.-7:15 a.m with 2 naps that consist of 1.5-2 hours each)
-has 2 teeth
-likes to balance on one knee with the other foot flat on the ground (like a proposal stance)
-LOVES to give kisses to her stuffed animals, books, her cousin Rivers, her mom, and most especially to her dad
-can wave hi and bye  and give high fives
-has to look at her hairbows and kiss her bunny every morning before she will eat breakfast
-loves to look at stuff that is on the fridge with magnets
-loves to go outside and for stroller rides
-loves looking at books
-can say duck, juice, teeth, and da-da (but I'm still not convinced she knows what she's saying most of the time)
-loves to babble and point at things
-has stood on her own without holding onto anything for a few seconds a couple of times
-loves to take things out of containers
-is scared of the swings at the park

Anyway, she is just getting more and more fun and entertaining. I definitely like this stage way more than the newborn stage.

See what I mean about climbing?

Kentucky Derby

We had our annual Kentucky Derby party this week. Since my friend Anne moved to Arizona, and she is the one who introduced us all to the Derby, we had to wait a few days to watch it until her finals were over and she could come back to celebrate. It just wouldn't be a Derby Party without Anne!

Anyway, we made the traditional fare...hot browns, benedictine, and mint julep. We did not make Derby pie though because of my no sugar thing. It was all delicious! Here is Anne showing off her new mint julep cup!

She said the julep tasted much better in that cup! None of us picked any of the winners. We even said that Animal Kingdom would never win because his jockey was injured. We decided that next year we are going to have to do something extra special for the Derby because we were there visiting all those farms in 2009, so in 2012, those baby horses we saw will be 3 and eligible to race in the Derby. We possibly could have seen the 2012 winner in its first few days. Anyway, it was another great Derby party!

Mother's Day

This was my first Mother's Day as an actual mother, and I actually felt like the holiday was really for me. Matt made me a yummy breakfast and card, and told me that I could go get a massage. Emmy got me some pretty flowers and drew me a picture. It was a great morning. I felt so loved. Not to mention that Matt entertained Emmy the whole day on Saturday while I was doing my bike race.

Becoming a mom has completely changed my life. I know absolutely nothing about being a mom. I think I'm still trying to figure out who "Mom Christy" is exactly.

But I do know that I love my little Emmy baby. She makes me smile every single day, and I love watching her grow and learn and discover. I probably take at least 10 pictures of her every day, just because she looks so cute.

Some of my favorite things about being a mom are: seeing that cute smiling face every morning, watching her do funny things, seeing her learn new things and develop new skills, waving hi to her and her waving back, tickling her and making her laugh, watching her give kisses to her books and stuffed animals, watching her play with her toys and look at her books, hearing her jabber and babble, watching Matt be a daddy, and hearing other people tell me how cute she is.

Thank you Emmy and Matt for making me a mommy, even though I sometimes have identity crises about being a mom. And Happy Mother's Day to my own wonderful mom and mother-in-law!

Goldilocks Bike Race

On Saturday, I did the Goldilocks Bike Race. It is a women's cycling thing in Herriman. I did the 60-mile distance. It was totally different than any other race I've ever done. There was no start or finish line, no time clock, nobody along the course cheering, very little support along the route, and the roads were not blocked off so we had to ride with traffic and stop at lights and stuff. Weird. But it was totally cute. They had fun signs and a catered lunch and really cute shirts. And the volunteers wore Mama and Papa Bear shirts, which I thought was great. It was fun though.

Here I am at the start getting ready to go. It was really windy, but other than that, the day was perfect for a bike race.

My sister-in-law, Britni, did the 40-mile distance so we rode together for a lot of the first part. Although she would pass me on the downhill parts and then I would pass her on the uphill parts. (I get nervous going downhill, so I go really slow.) It was fun to ride with her.

Here's Em chillin' in her stroller seeing us off. It took me a little over 5 hours to do the 60 miles. I wasn't riding that entire time though. They had some rest stops along the route, where I took a couple of breaks during the ride.

The last 8 miles or so were pretty tough. But I made it, and here I am at the finish.

Em was being such a ham. She was waving to everyone. That was the longest distance I have ever ridden on my bike. My bike computer actually said I went 63 miles. I am surprisingly not very sore at all. But I did get a pretty nasty sunburn just below my short line. Anyway, it was fun!

Emmy's morning routine

Getting Emmy up in the morning is one of my favorite things. First we hear her hooting in her room, and when we go in to get her, she has thrown her doll and her bunny out of her crib and is pointing at them letting us know that she wants them.

Then she hugs and kisses her bunny and just smiles and laughs at us. Then we get her out of her bed and she points at her hairbows, which are hanging on the wall, and she has to go say good morning to the bows. Then she points at some of them and smiles.

Only after that will she eat her breakfast. She is so funny!

Sugar and spice

and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of. Emmy's grandma gave her this cute Easter dress. After Easter. So she just had to wear it the next Sunday.

Speaking of sugar, I am doing a "Sugar-Free for a Month" challenge during the month of May. I am allowing myself one exception: The Kentucky Derby Party where I can have a mint julep (it is the official drink of the Derby after all). Actually I am going to extend it a few days until June 4, which is the day of my 80-mile bike race. Anyone want to join me?