Opus 137 - My New Love

Breyers has a new ice cream that is absolutely DELICIOUS and the best part is: IT'S FAT FREE!! I'm telling you, this ice cream tastes like little bits of heaven :) Did I mention that it's fat free?? Go try it, you just might fall in love too!

Opus 136 - One Year Pictures

We had the kids' one year pictures taken yesterday. We went to Sears and we loved the experience. I highly recommend them! (at least the one in Provo has been good to us) Here are a few of my favorites, followed by a slide show:

(this is the one I want to put on our wall, but Jason doesn't want to because he says you can't see his face - what do you think?)

Opus 135 - Choosing Sides

When Lissa and Joshua were born and whisked to the NICU they put Joshua's crib on the right and Lissa's on the left. I don't think there was any particular reason for this, it's just how it was done. When the kids moved to the less critical side of the NICU they kept Joshua on the right and Lissa on the left. When they put them in the same crib they kept things the same. Joshua was always on the right and Lissa on the left - we rarely even held them on the opposites sides in order to avoid getting their cords mixed up.*

When the kids came home we needed a way to remember whose monitor was whose so... yep, you guessed it, we put Joshua on the right and Lissa on the left. Now we do just about everything that way: bottles in the cupboard, cribs, swings, diapers (they rarely wear the same size), car seats (I don't think that one was one purpose). I even recently noticed that in their six month pictures Lissa was on the left and Joshua on the right (definitely an accident). The only thing that isn't that way is their stroller. When I first started putting them in their stroller I thought it'd be a nice change to put Lissa on the right and Joshua on the left. (We keep in them on the same size so their five point harness fits - Joshua's harness would never contain little Lissa). I won't deny that there have been times that I've regretted the decision to switch things around with the stroller. I always have to stop and think before I put them in. Maybe some day I'll make things right :) Of course, pretty soon they won't need the five point harness and it won't matter who sits where anyway, so maybe I'll just procrastinate until then :)

Wouldn't it be ironic if Joshua turned out to be a righty and Lissa a lefty??







*I'll never forget the first night that we had Lissa and Joshua home together (Lissa came home two days before Joshua). My mom had just arrived that day and had gone to bed before us. When we finally decided it was time to go up to bed we both picked up a baby and monitor and headed up. Things were going fine until we got into the bathroom that opens up into the hall and our bedroom. The babies' oxygen cords were so mixed up that we couldn't move any further! We were stuck! We stood there laughing for a few minutes, then I knocked on my mom's door and asked her to hold a baby while I untangled the cords. Thank goodness Mom was there! It was so funny! From that point on we were very careful to keep their cords untangled :)

Opus 134 - My Monitor

Okay, this is the last post today, I promise :)

I just have to tell you guys how much I love my baby monitor. I have heard people say a monitor isn't the best thing to have because your baby won't learn to sleep through the night if you're running into his/her room every time you hear a cry. I can understand how that could be a big problem. Fortunately, that's not why I use my monitor.

Here's what I love about my monitor:

1. I love listening to the kids fall asleep. It is soooo cute to hear them talking to each other and giggling as they finally fall asleep.

2. I love listening to the kids wake up. Usually one kid will wake up and you'll hear him/her chatting to him/herself for awhile. Then that kid gets bored and you can hear him/her start to work on waking up the other kid. So funny and so cute.

3. I love that I have a warning as to when I'll need to go get them. They can hang out in there for awhile after they wake up, so it's nice to hear the first noises so I can make sure I finish what I'm doing on time to get them. I never race to their room as soon as they make noises - I let them play for awhile first.

4. I really like that my kids don't ever have to scream at the top of their lungs after they wake up so I know they're awake.

5. I REALLY like that I could easily hear their coughs and then hear them begin to breath again after a coughing fit when they were going through RSV. I only had to sleep in their room once when they were going through RSV (and that was just because I was having a maternal moment and really felt I needed to be there - I could hear just as well from our room with the monitor).

6. I like that I really and truly know how much sleep they have gotten with each nap since I can hear when they fall asleep and wake up. I can plan the rest of my day around how well they have slept and I know when they'll need a third nap (yes, they still take at least two, and many days three, naps a day and sleep 12 hours at night).

Thank you monitor!

Opus 133 - Totally Random

We just discovered our front door is magnetic. Yes! Now we can put the refrigerator farm there!


A funny picture of Joshua sitting in the small toy box and "eating" a ring...

Opus 132 - Visitors!

We love having visitors. It is so fun to break up the usual hum-drum of the day with great friends and family. We love it when Aunt Ara and Uncle Gary have a kid attending BYU because, in addition to getting to see that cousin more often, we get to have Ara and Gary visit. They came up this past week with their friend, Caren. Caren's daughter, Lauren, is a good friend of Matthew's (my cousin) and decided she wanted to visit Matthew during her spring break. Caren didn't like the idea of Lauren driving up to Utah from Arizona by herself, so she offered to join her. Then Ara and Gary thought it sounded like a great idea, so the next thing you know the four of them are driving up to Utah to visit Matthew. What fun! We really enjoyed having Ara and Gary here and it was wonderful to meet Caren and get to know her better. Lauren is a music major at NAU so we found a little time to talk shop. Any suggestions for Lauren on how to pass dictation and sight singing??



Joshua particularly enjoyed Uncle Gary. It was so cute to see him stop what he was doing and race over to Gary as soon as he walked into the room.

Opus 131 - Childproofing for Twins 101

I am constantly working to get our house properly childproofed so Lissa and Joshua can safely play in many places. I think I've almost got it. I don't think I'll ever REALLY have it since kids are always amazing us with what they can find.

I know many of you will look at these pictures and think, "Oh my goodness, Emily. I think you've gone a little overboard. I've never had to do this much to my home!" A couple things to keep in mind... 1) Long before I had kids I have always been one of those safety conscious people. I always go by the book when it comes to safety (and germs for that matter). 2) Things are very different when you have two kids the exact same age. It's not like the older kid can tattle on the younger ("Mommy! The baby is getting into the dishwasher!"). Besides, think of how very smart your one year old was/is. Now think of putting two of those brains together! They always say two brains are smarter than one and, trust me, I believe it :)

So, without further adieu, I present to you Childproofing for Twins 101.

The Living Room

Notice: the gate keeping the kids away from the power button on the TV; the cushion on the door to the TV cabinet to keep the kids from banging the door against the wall too hard (a favorite pastime); you can barely see the bungee cord attaching the toy box to the gate so the kids don't accidentally pull the toy box over while trying to pull themselves up (that won't be needed once they can pull themselves up better)

Notice: the ropes tying the changing table to the staircase so they can't pull it over; the bungee cords holding the diaper genie (love the diaper genie, thanks MNJHS!) in place (yes, we can access it easily enough); the locked-top rubbermaid containers holding the kids' shoes and hats

I love our staircase gates. One of my favorite parts is the banister kit that makes it so you don't have to drill into your banister. We have the same gate at the top of the stairs as well.

Another great gate that keeps the kids out of the kitchen/dining area when we're not there or when I'm teaching lessons. The swinging door is a must for us.


The Kitchen

Notice: the lock on the oven; the locks on the drawers (on the right); the lock on the fridge. Three possible eventual problems: 1) The garbage can - having the lid seems to be enough to detract them for now, but that probably won't last. Since there's not another place to put it, we might have to get a lock for that too. 2) The stool. I need that stool to reach things in my kitchen (go ahead with the short jokes, they don't bother me - I got over that YEARS ago. Besides, my husband is taller than yours' - LOL!), but it will make it easier for the kids to get to places they shouldn't. So once they figure out how to climb on it I'll have to make space under the sink and keep it there. 3) Right now locking the dishwasher works fine. Eventually they'll figure out how to unlock it and we'll have to come up with another plan.

These cabinet locks are great. The only way to open them is with a super powerful magnet. We've tugged as hard as possible and haven't been able to open them without the magnet. Love it!
(You may have noticed that the oven drawer is not locked. I have put plastic bowls that they can play with down there - you have to let the kids play with SOME kitchen stuff, that's one of the fun things about being a kid!)

The next pictures I've already blogged about:

The cat door leading to the laundry room

The only bummer about the cat doors is that they have to be put on slightly off center because of the grooves in the door. The drill writer/marching band director in me just ignores it :)

The cat door leading to our room

The door viewer on the kids' door

I am still finishing up the work in Lissa and Joshua's room. I know, so sad that their room is last! I need to anchor their furniture to the wall, install the closet door locks (because of the lack of storage space in our house their closet stores a lot of stuff we can't have them getting into), cover the power strip, and install the gate at their door. Yes, another gate. I got that idea from Jon and Kate Plus 8. They were showing a flashback to when their kids were my kids' age and I noticed they had a gate on the kids' door. What a brilliant idea! Now I can let them play in their room while I'm cleaning the bathroom and not worry about them getting into the bathroom. Or I can let one kid play on the floor while I take the other downstairs, rather than making one wait in his/her crib (understandably not so fun). Or I could... you get the idea...

Opus 130 - Stars Upon Thars

Jason had a little fun with the kids' cereal puffs the other day. They were just like the Sneetches of Dr. Seuss fame - they had Stars Upon Thars :) Lissa and Joshua never noticed the puffs were on their foreheads; silly gooses. We thought of Aunt Lissa who LOVES the Sneetches!

Opus 129 - My Opinion

As stated in the title of this post, the following is my opinion. I do not, in any way, intend to offend anyone, but I really need to get this out because I'm just tired of it... (I've got your attention now, don't I?)

I first met a "BYU hater" when I moved to Arizona. Prior to that, no one else seemed to care enough to form an opinion. Or if they had one, they just didn't express it to me. The first BYU haters I met hated BYU because their mother had tried to get into BYU and wasn't accepted. So she hated BYU and taught her children to feel the same way. Throughout the past 16 years I have met many BYU haters. I've found their reasons for hating BYU very interesting and have noticed a pattern. Most people I've personally met that hate BYU have felt this way for one of the following reasons: 1) Like my Arizona friends, someone close to them was not accepted to BYU so they now hate it (I have a friend who loved BYU until he wasn't offered a scholarship; hates it now); 2) They were offended by something a BYU student/faculty/staff said or did and have decided all of BYU is terrible because of that; 3) They think BYU people think they are holier than everyone else.

Now I realize there are plenty of other reasons people hate BYU, but I've found those three to be the most common. Here's my opinion:

To the first group: Seriously? You hate BYU because you or someone you know couldn't get in? Lame. Can't you come up with a better reason to hate the school?

To the second group: Just because one person (or maybe even several people) did something that offended or hurt you, don't blame the entire school. Not to be rude, but get over it. I can't say that my entire experience at BYU was perfect. I met people who were rude, offended me, or did things that were very wrong. But they were people - not the school. In a very small way it reminds me of people who leave the Church because someone offended them (obviously this comparison doesn't work too well since whether or not you like BYU has NOTHING to do with your Eternal Salvation - I don't think the Lord cares which school you like).

To the third group: In my 7 years at BYU I never met someone who thought they were better than everyone else because they attended BYU (or if they did, they didn't express that opinion to me). I know that those people exist, but I just didn't meet any of them. Which tells me that the "holier than thou" thing that people think BYU has is a horribly gross generalization. That's like saying everyone at the U of U drinks heavily, eggs and keys BYU cars, throws ice and tequila laced snow balls at BYU fans, and can't control their emotions - because I've certainly had my share of run-ins with those U of U fans! That's a horrible generalization - I've met plenty of wonderful U of U fans and I refuse to create my opinion of the whole population because of a few.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't care if you like BYU or not. But, please, if you're going to dislike BYU can you just come up with a better reason?? You know, like... the rivalry, or something like that? I've met tons of people who hate the U of U, but none of them have lame reasons like the above three. It usually just has to do with the fact that they like another school better. So if that's why you dislike BYU (because you're a U of U or USU fan), that's just fine with me. Like I said, I really don't care who likes what schools. They're just schools! You're going to get a good education at all of the schools I've mentioned in this post, so choose your school, get a good education, and enjoy being a fan. But please, please, please don't hate BYU for some lame reason! It gets really old!

For my part, I loved my experience at BYU. It was the right school for me. I met so many great friends, had some amazing professors, and learned more than I can possibly express. I love BYU and wish some people would get over their bias to realize that it is a good school - even if it isn't the school for you. I don't understand people who hate a school. Honestly, I don't. When it comes to sports, of course I want BYU to beat the U of U. But do I think poorly of the school itself? Of course not! It's a great school! For goodness sake, it's because of the U of U that we were able to have Lissa and Joshua!! I guess I'll just never understand why people get so riled up.

Opus 128 - We Know, It's Not Normal, But It Works!

We knew we weren't the typical house owners when we installed a cat door on our laundry room door. I realize that sounds strange, but I can't tell you how many people have commented on how smart it is. It makes it so the cat litter is in a room with a fan (a must!) and we can shut the door so everyone that walks by doesn't have to stare into our laundry room. We love it.

We've recently continued with our atypical installations: We put a cat door on our bedroom door so the cat can get in there to sleep or eat (we have to keep the food upstairs so we don't get ants and we had to take it out of the hall so the kids won't get it), but we can still keep our door shut. We also put a door viewer on the kids' door. Yes, that's right, a door viewer. I realize it's not normal, but I have to say that I LOVE it! It's so nice to look in there in see what they're doing in their cribs without them knowing! If a kid is crying I can look it to see if they really need me (leg caught in crib, etc.) or if I just need to leave them alone to cry it out. So nice, so nice, so nice!

Opus 127 - Ring, ring!!

Our friend Linda gave each of the kids a toy phone for their birthday. They love those phones, thanks so much Linda! Joshua has recently discovered that it has wheels and LOVES to push it around!

(The toy kitchen is also a favorite - thanks Nicole, Lynnette, Chris, and Kate!)

Opus 126 - St. Patrick's Day

Although we didn't do anything too exciting to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I did manage to remember to dress the kids in green :) As you can tell from the pictures, they are feeling MUCH better. I took them to the doctor on Monday and was told that they're pretty much done with the RSV thing. The doctor gave them a prescription for Albuterol to be used with a nebulizer so we can get the last of the "gunk" out of their lungs - it seems to be helping. Joshua only coughed a couple times last night and not for long. I think it's safe to say they're better! Horray!!! The weather has been beautiful this week so we've finally been able to get out of the house and take some walks. It's so much better than being couped up in the house with two sick one year olds! :)

Opus 125 - 24

Which 24 Character Are You?
	You are Bill Buchanan. You are a law abiding citizen and in your world, rules are the driving force behind anything and everything. Your leadership charisma is something talked about by others, and instead of doing things differently you do different things. You have an uncanny knack of staying calm in tense situations and your tone is testimony to that. Keep the cool attitude and you will surely overcome the most perilous situations.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Opus 124 - Good News / Bad News

So I have good news and bad news. The good news: the replacement parts for Lissa and Joshua's cribs finally came and their room is back to normal! It seems so spacious in there now :)

The bad news: the kiddos are sick. Lissa has a nasty cold and Joshua has RSV. It took forever to get Joshua's diagnosis. We took both kids to the Instacare on Thursday evening and the doctor said it was a virus. He didn't even consider RSV (which is also a virus, but it has a name and treatments!), but he did tell us not to worry about his fever until it gets to 108 (WHAT?????!!!!! Are you CRAZY???). Friday evening Joshua stopped drinking. No amount of forcing a bottle or sippy into his mouth would get him to drink. By Saturday afternoon I was getting concerned that he'd get dehydrated, so I took him back to the Instacare. The nurse talked to me (without checking him in), said he was dehydrated, and sent us to the ER. The doctor at the ER said he wasn't dehydrated because he had tears, drool, and snot (why couldn't the Instacare nurse make that same assesment??), but he wanted Joshua to drink before he'd let him leave. So he tries to get me to give Joshua Oreos and Sprite. What is it with these doctors?? Oreos and Sprite? I don't know about you, but when I'm sick and haven't eaten the last thing I want is Oreos and Sprite. Fortunately, the nurse was much smarter than the doctor. We gave him cereal puffs and apple juice. After I was finally able to get Joshua to drink we left, holding a very expensive carton of apple juice. We could've done all of that at the Instacare; thank you very much Instacare nurse.

I took Joshua into our regular doctor's office on Monday as a follow up to the ER visit. We saw our doctor's PA, Lisa. It took Lisa less than five minutes to diagnose RSV. So, we saw two doctors (who were okay with 108 fevers and giving sick 12 month olds Oreos and Sprite), but it took a Physician's Assistant to get the correct diagnosis. Thank goodness for Lisa! She sent us to the hospital to have Joshua tested so we could know for sure.

Monday night Johsua was really bad. His breathing was so erratic that I ended up sleeping on couch cushions next to his crib. We got the call yesterday morning telling us that Joshua does have RSV so we took him in to have his nose suctioned. Although Joshua doesn't feel too good, he sure seems a lot better than he was before he was suctioned. The nice thing is that we can go to the hospital to have it done again any time day or night - as often as he needs it. So if Joshua gets bad again, we'll be headed back (but don't tell him, he hated it!).

Poor Lissa has not been receiving as much attention even though she's still dealing with a cold. But when you have one kid who smiles and plays most of the time and another who cries and just wants to sit on your lap, you tend to give the latter more attention. But Lissa does seem to be getting a little better as well and she sure has enjoyed some good attention from Grandma Smith while I take Joshua to the hospital. (Thanks goodness for Grandma!!)

Before I close this post I want to send my love and good wishes to my nephew who also has RSV and has been in the hospital (we think the kids got it at Lissa and Joshua's birthday party - so sad!). They're now waiting to hear if he has pneumonia. Poor kid! We love you Ben and hope you're feeling better soon!

Opus 123 - 1 Year Doctor Visit

We took Lissa and Joshua to the doctor this morning for their 1 year check-up. Once again, they were given a clean bill of health. We are so blessed to have two healthy one year olds.

Lissa is now 29 inches and 19.8 pounds, putting her in the 45th percentile in height and 15th in weight. She is crawling on her hands and knees like a pro and is working hard to learn to pull herself up to stand (she's done it twice by herself). Joshua is 31 inches and 24.2 pounds, putting him in the 80th percentile in height and 70th in weight. He has started to crawl more on his hands and knees and is cruising around the furniture like it's the easiest thing ever.

Congrats on another great doctor appointment kids!

Opus 122 - 12 Things I Love About You

I honor of Lissa and Joshua's 12th month of life...




12 Things I Love About Lissa

1. You're adorable smile
2. You're little stubborn faces that make you look just like your Mama
3. How cute and tiny you are
4. The wonderful and creative noises you can make with your lips
5. The way you cross your ankles when you're sitting
6. Watching you "read" your books
7. When you're on your tummy and bounce your head up and down making Joshua laugh
8. Your silly little giggle
9. The way you dance to the Jeopardy! Think Music
10. Your cute, skinny, and long fingers and feet
11. How excited you get when the kitty is near
12. Your wonderful determination



12 Things I Love About Joshua

1. Your wonderful laugh
2. Your cute chubby hands and feet
3. Your funny (and very adorable) dance moves
4. Your cutie smile
5. How you get so exited when Daddy walks into the room
6. How you crawl over anything (and anyone) in your path
7. When you dance to the Jeopardy! Think Music
8. When you make your lips into a "fish face"
9. The way you like to click your tongue
10. The way you bounce like crazy
11. Watching you eat and eat (so different from when you were born!)
12. The way you love to shake everything you can

I love you Lissa and Joshua! You truly are the light of my life. I am so happy that you are my wonderful kids! Happy 1st Birthday!

Opus 121 - It's Party Time!

Well we made it! We survived the first year with twins! ...and there was much rejoicing in the Smith Household :)

We celebrated Lissa and Joshua's birthday by having a party at Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house. All of the Smith Aunts, Uncles, and cousins were there as well as several members of my family (Joni, Nicole, Lynnette, Chris) and some friends from our Ward. The biggest surprise was Aunt Lissa's visit - she flew in from California for the kids' birthday. It was so fun to have her here for the weekend!

The kids were not surprisingly pretty oblivious to what was going on, but they seem to have a good time. They were less interested in the presents (or wrapping paper) than they were at Christmas, but they were getting a little tired too. They seem to have no problem getting up the energy to eat their cake and ice cream though - LOL. They LOVED the cake and ice cream. Joshua made a mess of his from the beginning. He did manage to get most of the cake in his mouth though. Lissa needed some extra help since she's not feeding herself yet, but she "loosened up" toward the end and started to make a mess with her cake.

Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Smith for hosting the party, Uncle Matt and Wendy for taking pictures, Aunts Lissa and Melissa and Grandma for serving the cake, and to everyone for coming! It was wonderful to celebrate Lissa and Joshua's special day with so many wonderful people!