Tagged x 2

So, I’ve been tagged by two people, so I’m combining them…

10 Years ago:
1998. 10 years ago I would have just finished my first year at Rick’s College. I had decided to become a graphic designer (good choice). I survived my hardest art class, and made some good friends in the process. I spent the summer being a nanny for the Clausens.

On My To Do List:
-everything!
-weed and work in the yard
-finish painting jobs around the house
-work
-blog
-clean the basement
-clean the kitchen
-grocery shopping

5 Places that I've lived:
1. Pleasanton, CA
2. Sandy, UT
3. Logan, UT
4. Rexburg, ID
5. Neenah, WI

5 Jobs I've had:
1. Ricks College- Graphic Services
2. BYU-Design Department something er rather
3. USU- Marketing Communications/PDP
4. PJ Livingston Company
5. Mom/freelance designer

What I would do if I became a billionaire:
Build a NEW ”old house” Pay off loans. Get a second car. With the leftovers? I don’t know

Bad Habits:
Me? Bad habits, I don’t think so. Umm... I’m always telling/checking to make sure Brad is doing what he is doing how I want it. I think of it is a preventative measure, but he thinks otherwise.

Things I enjoy:
Nice weather
Smell of rain
Listening to music
Watching Lucy
Snuggling with Brad

Things people don't know about me:
I hate paying the bills
I'm really into finding new recipes right now
I love fresh flowers in the house
How much I enjoy watching Brad play with Lucy

Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours

1. I can't stand the feel of dirty hands

2. I have a super sensitive sniffer.

3. I can't go more than a day without talking to someone in my family. If I do, it's not for lack of trying. ;)

4. Anytime I talk about Lucy I have to say that she is "really cute" even if she is being naughty, because she is... really cute :)

5. Constantly critiquing things

6. I HAVE to wear my seatbelt. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. No seatbelt, I ain't goin!

I tag anyone who would respond. :)

Rella!

I thought I would see if I could go a whole 2 months before I updated this thing, but too many people are on my case about it. I'm sorry it's taken so long, I've been busy. So, here is what we have been up to:

We have been doing lots of work on our house. We put a door in at the top of the stairs down to the basement and then put beadboard up on the walls by the door. We still have to paint the door though. We painted the sun room/office and bathroom. That involved sanding the walls a little to get rid of the rough sand textures (Ouch! and Yuck!) Then we put up new blinds and some new accessories in the bathroom. With the leftover paint, we painted the extra room upstairs. Wow! What a difference that made. We put in 4 new light fixtures and drapes! We have drapes. I'm still working on the tie backs for those but we are making progress. In addition to the house work, we got a new TV and entertainment center. This thing is 4 times the size of our old TV. And during all of this, spring as sprung and we have begun some work outside. Last weekend brad "trimmed" the hedge between our house and our neighbors. When I say trimmed I mean hacked off 3-4 feet! Maybe this weekend we will get the garden planted.

My mother also came out for a visit. She helped pick out the drapes. Thanks mom! We had so much fun with Grammy, Lucy was sad to see her go and would look for her after naps a few times. We got our hair done, and shopped and visited, it was great. We sure wish we were closer to family.

So, for an update on Lucy, she is chatting up a storm and so cute! We have decided that she is trying to say a blessing on the food. When we are in the middle of the blessing, she will start jabbering (with her arms folded) and then say amen. She has also started trying to sing. At church she will hum along with the hymns while holding the hymn book (one of her favorite things). When Elmo's world comes on she sings along with Elmo—yah, yah, yah. And today when I was putting her down for her nap I sang "Give Said the Little Stream" and when I started she started saying "give-way, give-way". She loves to go outside and play, go for walks, ride in the wagon, run down the driveway, and go to the park. She loves the park. We will drive by the park by our house and she will say to us "Slide? Slide?" She is doing better at feeding herself with a fork, and her new favorite past time is to draw/color. She used her aquadoodle during all of sacrament meeting—nothing else. I was shocked! (she also might be a lefty). Yesterday we went outside and used the sidewalk chalk—Alyce, I understand play clothes now.

Cinderella, Cinderella, night and day it's Cinderella... LITERALLY!!!! (Hence the title of this post) Lucy has a new love, she likes movies, but she loves Cinderella (or Rella as she calls her). If I try to put on a different Disney movie this is how the conversation would go

Lucy: (she will watch for a few minutes) "Rella?"
Me: "No, this is Beauty and the Beast."
Lucy: "Beast?"
Me: "That's right"
Lucy: (watches for a few more minutes) "Rella?"
Me: "No, that's Belle, isn't she pretty"
Lucy: (watches for a few more minutes) "Rella! RELLA RELLA!!!!"
Me: "Ok, we can watch Cinderella"

Brad has been busy with work. He recently had a business trip to San Diego. He is no longer the ward mission leader, now he is the assistant ward clerk over finances. I still think that's funny because I take care of all of our finances. Brad is glad that the weather is warmer because that means he can ride is motorcycle to work. Lucy calls it a-cycle, and when one drives by our house she will turn her head and say "Daddy?" He is also a published author. Check it out.

I've been busy doing my design work, and I am no longer in the nursery on Sunday. Now, I'm with the Sunbeams. Still just as chaotic, but nice to have a break from Lucy and Lucy to have a break from me.

Well there you have it, a brief update on the Hemmert's.

Make Believe

Lucy is showing a more nurturing side. She is feeding Baby Stella and buckling her into the car seat. If you look close at Elmo, he has fish crackers in his mouth. She insisted on buckling him in, putting the bib on him, putting the tray on, and then feeding him (she was taking her snack and putting it in a bowl for Elmo). It's really quite cute.

Snow!

The title of this is one of Lucy's new words today (along with Papa), and boy was she excited to get out there in the snow—maybe she was just really excited to get out of the house?!? So, there she was right along side of Daddy shoveling snow. Her cheeks were so pink and she kept running back and forth the length of our driveway. Then she decided she wanted to help shovel, although her gloves got in the way, so she decided to remove them. It was too cold outside for that—no gloves, time to go inside. Church was also canceled today because the morning started with freezing rain, and the roads were ice. After the rain came ALL of the snow. It was fun to watch it fall and blow around and then to see Lucy out there playing, especially since she didn't have very much fun in the snow in Utah over Christmas.

Happy Valentine's Day

We had an busy day. The little devil in Lucy appeared again. Like the day before, she didn't take her nap and was whining and screaming at everything. I don't know what to do with her. It also snowed 6-8 inches and the roads were a mess. I had my hair done, and had to take Lucy to and from the babysitter, and it wasn't until I was on my way home (around 2:00) that I saw any sign of a plow. HELLO, it's been snowing all day! Not only that, but there is a salt shortage here in Wisconsin. Can you believe that? Utah, send us some. We met up with Brad after work at some friends house and helped move some furniture, and then we picked up Indian food for dinner. We came home and ate it while watching Smallville. Then it was time to shovel the driveway one more time. Needless to say, we were all exhausted.

Here is the snow outside our front door and a picture of the backyard taken from inside. There is so much beautiful snow to play in, but the snow is chest high around the yard—too tall to get through. Lucy is dying to go outside. She is tired of being couped up all day.

Shoplifting Permitted?

Apparently Lucy is starting a bad habit early. We were at the mall today and went into Gymboree. First thing, Lucy grabbed a pair of shoes on the way back to the children's TV and I didn't remember or see them until we were at the other end of the mall putting on her coat to leave. I took them back to the store, and claimed that my daughter was a shop lifter. The ladies in there all got a kick out of it. They weren't even her size, but maybe she just really wants a pair of white patent leather shoes.

Forget Smiling

Lucy is getting really good at sticking out her tongue. She opens her eyes up big and sticks it out as far as she can. It's hilarious! But you may have to be there.