Thursday, February 24, 2011

Utah

Now there are a lot of things I don't like about Utah. State Street. Pollution. The Jazz trading Deron Williams two weeks before the Knicks/Jazz game I bought Chris really great tickets to for Christmas. But there is one thing I really like about Utah:

Kid-friendliness.

Welcome to Kangaroo Zoo. A ginormous warehouse filled with every thing you can imagine to bounce on. All for the very reasonable price of $7.99. Along with leather sofas, free wi-fi, People magazines, and a massage chair (yes, a massage chair) for the relaxing parent.

As Chris said when I sent him these pictures, in NY this would cost $150 an hour.

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New York, we miss you. But could you please get a Kangaroo Zoo?

Monday, February 14, 2011

Puking

And about to embark on a flight to Utah with two kids. Without Chris. Awesome.

This quote from Raising Hope has been running through my mind lately:

"You get sick, you get better. You get sick, you get better. You get sick, you die. That's life."

Truer words have never been spoken on a sitcom.

To all the Utahans I know and love -- I'll give you a call when I surface.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Harper Kate - 5 Months

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I cannot believe how fast the past five months have gone. Cliche, I know, but true. Wasn't she born, like, last week sometime?

Harper continues to be a delightful baby. She was recently sick and hardly fussed through the whole thing. In fact, I caught what she had and I am pretty sure I was more whiny than her about it.

Harper can roll over (from front to back, at least), but is generally content to just sit where I've put her. She smiles a lot and her brother can almost always get a laugh out of her (generally by yelling "poop!") She loves, loves baths and doesn't even mind when her brother splashes her in the face. She does not like going to bed at night. While she generally sleeps through the night (7 to 7) and goes down for naps without complaint, she often protests quite loudly at bedtime.

We all like her so much, Elliot keeps asking me, "do you have another baby in your tummy yet?" When I tell him no, he responds with the 3-year-old equivalent of "well, what are you waiting for?!"

Not so fast, kiddo.

Notice all the beautiful pictures of my munchkins lately? They are all courtesy of Elise, my fabulous friend who brings her camera everywhere and is always happy to email pictures.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Kemsleys Go To India

For the past few years, my mom has spent a month in India each year working at a preschool in the tiny town of Santiniketan, about 180 km north of Kolkata. This all started when, after 27 years of having babies (literally -- my youngest brother only started full-day school last year) she felt like she needed to do something for herself.

Turns out my mom's idea of doing something for herself is doing something for other people.

So her yearly India trip was born. The preschool she teaches at serves the needs of children that would otherwise care for themselves (and often their younger siblings) while their parents work.

This year, rather than her go alone, my parents decided that they would all go. So my Mom, Dad, and four of my siblings (the ones that still live at home) are in the middle of six weeks of service in India.

And here are some of their photos:

These are my two youngest brothers, Josh (8) and Caleb (9). They are attending school in India while they are there. My favorite of these photos is the one of Caleb sitting in the dirt eating his lunch. Caleb is an notorious picky eater (who hates mashed potatoes for goodness sakes!?), and here he is digging right in.

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This is my sister Mikaela (16). She's teaching math and English. My brother Sean (14), on the right, is helping my mom in the preschool.

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These are the monkeys that hang out in town. Elliot was SO jealous when he saw these photos.

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My mom with some of her preschool kids.

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Kara and Frank head out on Friday. I am so bummed to be missing it. We are there next year, Suzan!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Isn't This Boy...

Cute?

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(He is also a thumb-sucker. Obviously.)

Friday, February 4, 2011

Gender Roles Have Surfaced

Conversation during yesterday's music class:

Elliot, holding up a movement scarf: "Is this a girl thing?"

Me, pretending not to understand: "What?"

Elliot, rolling his eyes: "I mean is this a princess thing or a king thing?"

Me: "Definitely a king thing."

Me (thinking): And, while we are on the subject, cleaning the bathrooms, doing dishes, and waking up with babies are all king things, too. Got it, little man?

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(Elise - can't believe you caught this moment. Thank you for sending the photos!)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Harper's Friends

Elliot asked me the other day, "Who are Harper's friends?"

Well, Elliot, these are Harper's friends.

Have I mentioned that she was one of 18 babies born in our ward in 2010? I think they might have to split that nursery class.

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