My Ladybug Princess

Miss Blakely thinks she is 6, and she will tell you that! She was also convinced that she wanted to be a princess for Halloween, yet her mother had already got a ladybug costume. I thought oh man she will forget or how could she really know what she wants to be she isn't even 2, boy was I wrong. Crisis was averted when we made her be a princess ladybug...tutu and headband included!!

Blakely loved Halloween!! She trick or treated with her cousins Amelia and Olivia for 2 hours. She walked up hills to every door...did her "trick or treats" and "thank yous" and thought her life was the best! If I sneak her candy she will say..hey my trick or treats! I can't get anything past this kid.

 All ready!

 Trick or treating with cousins at Papa Charley's Office

 I think they were the only kids under 2 going strong all night trick or treating!

Showing us her candy!

If she was this fun this year I can't wait for next!

Fall Love 2011

I would just like to publically announce that I am in LOVE with fall in Utah. It is so beautiful!!! I am in awe as I drive up the hill to our house everyday. Red, yellow, orange trees sorrounding us everywhere, and it has been perfect weather. I wish it could stay like this forever.

I decided at the beginning of October that I was going to make a Fall Bucket List and I am doing really well at accomplishing my to-do's. In one day we hit the pumpkin patch and Cornbelly's for my neice Elle's first birthday. I honestly think that Blakely had more fun at Cornbelly's in 2 hours than she has in her whole life. She had pure joy on her face. She loved it so much we went back this past Friday night for more fun. Blakely is so much fun right now and Halloween has been a blast because she is really excited about it. Every Halloween decoration she has to yell (multiple times) "mommy look Halloween"! She has mastered saying "Trick or Treat" and knows that it means she gets candy (a girl after my own heart). I can't wait until actual Halloween comes I know she is going to love it, minus the scary masks!

 Birthday Girl

I do have nephews, but they just think they are too cool to pose for our pictures!

 Apparently we wore her out!

 Gardner Village to see the Witches!

 Thriller with the ladies, horrible picture, but wanted to remember the night!

 Cornbelly's round 2

PINK

So I ran a half marathon and surprise surprise it was aboslutely freezing. When I saw the forecast all I could do was laugh. I am completely jinxed. If you look at my history of half marathons there is a pattern that goes something like cold front, snow, and warm clothes!!! Good thing I have my go-to warm race outfit. Seriously the weather before race week, perfect sunny weather, the weather since the race, perfect sunny fall weather. What are the chances??

Ok moving on from my jinxed rant on to the race. I signed up for this race with two of my sisters and some of my running girlfriends. It was so much fun because it was an all women's race benefitting breast cancer. It was up in beautiful Park City so we headed up the night before for a little girls night and then slept in a hotel, woke up bright an early and ran our little hearts out.

I have never run a half with my sisters so it was so great that we ran together and crossed the finish line hand in hand. We were all different age groups which was fun. We took 26th, 27th, and 28th out of 800 runners and I took 7th in my age division so I was pretty excited about that. Here's to hoping that the next race I run will be filled with sunny skies and short sleeves!

Pre race waiting for the buses freezing our buns off and trying to stay dry in garbage bags!

 At this point I was thinking if anyone bails I will gladly go back with them

 Post race! Toes had unthawed and the sun was starting to come out!

 Who get's number 1 assigned to them, we thought it was so cool we had to take a pic

 My favorite running pals

Holly, Me, Adrien, Bekah



83 and going strong!

I have a woman in my life named Goose. Actually it is Pauline Weggeland Johonson, and she is my grandma (mom's mom). When my oldest sister was born Goose decided that she did not want to be called grandma because that made her sound old so she decided on Goose and never looked back. I love the name because it fits her so much. She turned 83 last week and she is still as stylish, classy, and lovely as ever. We celebrated her birthday with a lucheon at my sister Adrien's house and it was perfect. Getting Goose and her three daughters together plus all us grand daughers is always an entertaining event. We love you Goose, you are so generous and loving and I cherish having you in my life everyday!

 My sister Bekah and I decided we are spending too much time together when we showed up with our girls dressed identical and we had not even talked that morning! ha ha



Working Mommy

***Disclaimer*** This is a very personal topic and everyone has their own opinion on it. I am writing this post becasue this is my journal and I have really learned something about myself as a mother in the last couple months and want to document it.

I love my job! I get to do something I am passionate about and love. And then on top of that I get to share it with other people. I feel blessed and lucky. After Blakely was born I was able to go back teaching quite soon and it worked for me to do so. It was my little time away, time for me. Becasue I had never worked in the fitness industry full time I didn't know what I was getting myself in to. And as my career took off my schedule got more and more full to the point where I was teaching over 12 classes a week. While that seems like not that many hours, with the prep work and the toll it took on my body it was a lot. Because it all came on so fast and I am not good at saying no I took on a lot. Before we moved from Calgary to Utah I was teaching a ton. Because I loved it so much I didn't realize how beat down I was getting and how this was affecting me as a mom. When we moved to Utah I decided to take the summer off and that is when I realized how much of a toll it really was taking on me. I had a huge wake up call that I was both physically and mentally exhausted and therefore I was not being the best mom I was capable of being. I suddenly had the energy and patience to deal with my very high maintenance child. I was more up for going out and about and taking her to do fun things and most of all I loved the quality and quantity time we were having. I am not saying that I didn't want to work anymore but I realized that I (Emily, I am not saying this about anyone else) had a limit and I needed to be careful not to push that limit. I have returned to teaching again and have found a balance. Once again things have taken off for me and my career and opportunities keep falling in my lap, but this time I have been able to say no and to only take on what I know is best for me and my family.

I am now teaching Zumba 3-4 times a week at a great gym called Skills Fitness and also am back to teaching dance to little kids. I am teaching a Jazz class to 6-7 year olds at an amazing facility called Creative Arts Academy. With this schedule I can pursue my career yet have time for my family and also pursue other passions I have such as running.

I look up to those mothers out there that have to do it all. I am lucky I get to scale back when I feel like it is too much. I honestly don't know how they do it and will always admire that dedication.

These photos are from a huge Zumba Event I team taught at the University of Utah. We had over 200 people and it was so much fun!!!

  Brittany and I (team teachers)

 Our back up dancers

 Some of the crowd after

 In action

Strike a pose!!!

Conference Weekend in Sunny St. G

All I can say with this post is thank you mom and dad!!! Thank you for buying a house next to the beautiful red rocks of St. George. Thank you for the pool with the killer waterslide and diving board. Thank you for the sport court and the bunk house. But most of all thank you for providing a place where all the grandkids can get together and cause havoc and make memories that will last a lifetime. My greatest memories come from holidays in St. George with my cousins and I am so lucky to know Blakely will have the same thing!



5 Years...now thats a good start!

Hank and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on September 21st, 2011. How we spent the day is pretty indicative of how our lives are right now. But I know that times change so fast and before we know it we will be on to our next adventure.

On the day of our annivesary Hank left for work at 7:00a.m. we both had super busy days and I returned home from a big Zumba event I was doing at 10:30p.m. Most days that is how our lives are he leaves for work at 7:30, grabs some dinner at 5:00p.m. is out the door for school by 5:30p.m. and then returns home from school anywhere between 10:30 and 11:30p.m. Why they are long days and sometimes lonely I am so lucky that I have a husband who works so hard to pursue his dreams to suppport me and our family. I look up to him so much for what he is doing. I know he is exhausted but keeps a smile on his face always. I feel so lucky to have married my best friend and could never have imagined how truly great he would be to me and what an incredible father he is to Miss B. 5 years of marriage flew by so fast. I can't wait to see where the next 5 years takes us!