Missing Pages

What? It's June already? I have not added an entry to this blog in over two months. The excuse is that I didn't have access to Curtis' work laptop, and had to wait until I got my new computer because my old laptop took 4 times as long to process everything. So, here's my late birthday, late Mother's Day, and early Arbor Day gift: Gotta love the 24" monitor - it's so wide, I keep straining my neck to sweep side-to-side (ha-ha!). Love it!

So, here's a quick recap of what we've been up to:
Emma - has been busy growing 7 teeth. Not sure why that other one is hiding still, but her cheesy grin is super cute! She is walking on her own (as of Sunday, June 7th), and working on her verbal and signing skills. She says: Daddy, Mama, up, airport (go figure), nah (we think it's no), yes, bye-bye. She signs: more, please, and eat (all the essentials). She can jump into the pool, float on her back and stomach, and "swim" to the wall from underwater, thanks to her swimming class. She eats just about everything we put in front of her - mango, broccoli (loves it!), hot dog, all kinds of berries, melons, orange sections, bananas, California rolls, rice wrapped in seaweed (Korean thing), ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cones, popsicles, M&Ms, coconut macaroons (with caramel!).... Emma loves milk, yogurt, and cheese, which is great, but the dairy products require prune juice therapy to keep her system moving. Her favorite pasttimes are pushing and riding her numerous vehicles, going for walks around the neighborhood in her new wagon, swimming, playing with Daddy on the floor, crawling after her cousins, and unloading anything - dishwasher, linen drawer, dresser drawers, laundry baskets, my purse, shopping bags.... She's still petite - just weighing 19 1/2 pounds at 15 months. She is so much fun to hang out with!

Curtis - is still cranking away at work. He hasn't been traveling as much this spring, but recently started traveling more, even overnight. We are very fortunate that his firm has not been impacted too negatively by the recession. Curtis also received a new calling a few weeks ago as a counselor in the High Priest Group leadership. He effectively went from working with the youngest priesthood holders to the most senior priesthood holders. The HPG managed to pull off a very successful and fun luau as a social last weekend (with a lot of work from the spouses, too!), so the leadership is off to a good start.

Yours truly - is now working with the Young Women program at church as the first counselor in the presidency, instead of in the Primary with all the little people. It's a little daunting because the teen years are tougher to get through, and I feel a little apprehensive about whether I will have a positive influence on them or not. (On a side note, while organizing some books, I came across my journals from when I was 15 and 16, and I was appalled by what occupied my thoughts during those years. I thought I had a pretty stable and drama-free teen years, but you would never think that from reading these journal entries! Good grief!) I am still on my "sabbatical" from work, but have managed to fill the time with things to occupy my energy and time; besides church and domestic responsibilities, I am now the new president of the revitalized Yale Club of Phoenix, still Director of Alumni Schools Committee as well for another season, teaching at University of Phoenix, still fundraising for my alma maters, starting minor renovations on our home.... The backburner to-do list keeps getting pushed further back.

We've also traveled some during the last few weeks. We took a short trip to Chicago to visit my siblings and also attend my 20th high school reunion at Culver. It was nice to visit with old friends, but I was thoroughly overwhelmed by how old I felt while I was there. I think it's being on the very campus where I spent 4 years, with all the students milling about, looking so much younger than I ever felt at that age. Despite how I felt, I thought my peers were looking good and doing well. We had an especially nice time with my siblings and their children, even though it was a super short visit. We've managed to make a couple of day trips to Tucson, too, for an 80th birthday party for our dear Aunt Fern, and for David's baptism. It seems we don't get together with our extended families nearly often enough. I really want Emma to be exposed to extended family and feel a sense of family beyond just us, especially since we will be a small family. Fortunately for us, she's a super traveler, both in the car and on the plane. We have another trip planned for two weeks from now when we will travel to Chicago again to see my family and celebrate cousin Naomi's first birthday. Just a couple more flights, and Emma will have flown enough times to earn a free flight on Southwest!