Father's Day

I've had some seriously great examples of fathers. Starting with my own. Fist I'd like to say that the one thing that I really learned from my father on this subject is that I know of the love of my Heavenly Father because of my own father here. He showed me what love was and then taught me that I was loved even more by my Heavenly Father. I truly understood what that would mean even before I had kids. That it was huge ... that it was all encompassing ... forever ... non-tolerant for wrong ... forgiving ... teaching ... and loving. With that said I then learned from him what value I had. All of these things reflect back to my Heavenly Father's love too.

I'm the only girl in my family. I'm lucky because I can truly feel the way Frenchy talked about dads in Grease. "The only man a girl can count on is her daddy." I know that's not true for everyone but it was for me. Because of that I have been able to have some pretty amazing experiences and to guide my life in a direction towards a great dad for my children. But even with dating. My dates were told and shown that I was special and important. He met everyone of them, baring my husband who got in the back door, with a shotgun and his ace of spades he shot bulls eye at 500 yards or something. He would then tell the boy that I'm his only daughter and that he knows what he looks like and isn't afraid to hunt him down like the dog he is. The next date he wasn't even at the door to answer. He would then tell the boy, who is stunned at this point at the complete 360 that is this date, that I'm still special and important but to just remember what last time was like. I was never late for dates because I knew what they would go through. But when I went to college my first date to pick me up at my dorm was weird. I just left. No one told this boy how important or loved or valued I was. No one even knew what he was wearing or looked like to "hunt down" later. I have to say I didn't like it.

Now girls. There's nothing sexier than a man in uniform right? Wrong. There is. Your man in uniform holding his baby. I love seeing it. Where they'll switch arms with the baby to salute and the other soldier just keeps on going. I know I might get in trouble with Kemper for this but this is my favorite shot of him showing love to our boy. It was AIT graduation in Goodfellow AFB, TX. He's getting pinned and at attention and not to move at all. Brenner is 20 months and wanted Daddy. Right after I took the shot he touched Brenner's head and Brenner just stood there for a second. He got his daddy and then he was okay.

And now that Beckett's here he's even better. I can't believe how much boys just love that their dads are their own personal jungle gym. They both beg to wrestle the second he comes through the door. I'm constantly having to say get off your dad or stop hurting him. And then he comes up growling and roaring like Arnold Swartzenegger in Kindergarten Cop. They just love him and I'm so lucky that he appreciates their adoration.

I think I love Dad's for the fact that it's their job to hold us and take care of us and teach us how to do it on our own. Mine didn't let me be a Daddy's Girl. Wouldn't even help me get my bike off the hook in the garage. "What would you do if I wasn't here?" "This is a mans world. You gotta fight just like them to get to the top. THEN you can change the rules. But the rules aren't going to change for you. You can do it." He knew who I was. Loved me because of it and in spite of it. But when I moved out to go to college it changed. He'd call more and want to help me more. It was new for me to see him want to help me. When I was packing up my little family to drive to TX from CA I had a miscarriage and was in the hospital. Brian was gone and Brenner was only 15 mo. Dad flew down and drove me the whole way. He was a constant in Brenner's life while Kemper was in Korea. Every day he saw & played with Brenner. He was so excited about being a Papa. He was a great Papa. Brenner still remembers him and his love for him. What a good Daddy. We still eat Papa Ideas.

But the one thing I wanted to hear from him the most is pretty similar to the scriptures about a good and faithful servant. But this was the gospel according to David. And I remember that the last Sunday I had with him he whispered in my ear. "Ya done good Em."

Thanks Dad.

April Fools Anniversary

All Right. First off, doesn't this date fit us for our wedding anniversary? I love it. We have two and usually we can use one to finagle being together for. Also I just love it. 8 years is a long time. And looking at these pictures. Can we say HELLO young ones. The first pictures is supposed to be out "mature" photo. That's our very most recent. Like last month. And the one with me in the white dress ... well that's when it all began. Da right. But the other two are before and after Kemper's Korea tour. About the middle er so. We look so young. Like we need to get checked if we can drive at night. And the fun thing is we were old by Mormon standards at getting married. Yup. I was not freshly turned 18/19 and Kemper was not 21. So we had some years of surviving on our own. Learning and knowing that our butt can pay our own electric bill. (Something I tell all youth I ever see. That is one thing everyone should learn first hand prior to marriage. Learn what it's like to know you can pay your own bills.) Any how we laugh all the time at how young looking we seem. It's great now that we're in our 30's and still look in our early 20's. Yippee!

I know I should say something sappy about how much we love each other and all the things we go through together but that's just what life is. I said I do to him on one day. And now each day we both choose to be married. Weddings are just once but it's real life that's hard. So we both show up and that's how I know he loves me. Look. He's still here. Ha. So am I.


So this is some of the fun we did for this year. Brenner's 6 and in 1st grade, Beckett is 1 and home, I'm home and pregos (7 weeks and not showing at all) but no one here knows, and Brian is in class and work. Just so you know what we're working with.

So the fun began early in the morning ... or at least a couple weeks before. We got these strips to put on our suitcases that say "property of Brian Kemper" and I thought they would be great on us. Ha ha ha. Yeah they were. I knew it would be too. We put them on early in the morning and Brian was laughing so hard.
1. Property of tags. Just explained.
2. Magic milk. I put three drops of food coloring on the bottom of the cereal bowl and cereal on top. Then when Brenner pored his own milk and started eating the milk changed colors. "Whoa!" He loved it.
3. Funny name tags / buttons. We walk to school with about 6 kids everyday from our circle and made up some buttons for everyone to wear. They all had so much fun picking them out.
4. Stitch pregnancy tummy. I stuck a stitch pillow under my shirt with the property sticker for the kid. It was so funny. You could see that it was too high, I wasn't yesterday, belted in the middle so bad. It was so funny. I see people and just say "Happy April fools." Then they'd laugh. But side note....I got severe nasty looks from people at school. I see these people 5 days a week twice a day and they just glared. Not the weird looks I was expecting but nasty looks. When I did catch their eye I'd say my line and then they'd get it and laugh. but that was rare. I was shocked. But that still didn't keep me from wearing it for the afternoon pick up.
5. Crazy lunch. Cupcake of meatloaf with mash potato frosting. Pound cake grilled cheese with icing cheese.
6. Broken furniture. We'd ordered a new bedroom set in January and one piece came two times broken and it had to be reshipped. I told Kemper it was again. He came home and it was there! Yeah.
7. Twins. My brother & his wife are expecting and they told Kemper it was twins and he bought it. He told me and I said no he's not it's April fools. My mom bought it so bad she started crying when he had to call back to tell her it was a joke. She was mad for about two days.
8. Change clocks. Move them ahead one hour. Tip: don't do it back or you'll get less sleep for work the next day but it's kinda fun to tell the kids the next day and enjoy the extra time.
9. Funny note to school about brother eating his homework. We just thought it would be funny. The teacher was good too. Said something like to be sure to feed the brother before you start the homework next time.
10. Beckett messages. This is what was at the front door when Kemper came home. We found these stickers and couldn't resist sharing it with dad.

I know I haven't posted in months. But there were times I could jot stuff down that I wanted to share and since I'm going to do the book thing at the end of this thing I want to update my "world". So I'm just being polite to tell you. Brace yourself baby. Random things are about to be posted. Not all of it in order or for any good reason I guess. But hey. That's like with amillion.

Whoa! What happened?

Okay so life is still rolling along here. I'm the new kangaroo. I have one little person that just has to be with me to save his life. That is unless Daddy is home. That is great. He also is a very demanding and high maintenance kind of kid. Don't know how I did that one other than being the kangaroo mama. So I am going to be royally messed up because the pouch is already getting filled again. Yep it's happened to me. We're pregnant. Now after the shock has faded away. (Actually lasting three full days of panic attacks and hyperventilating.) 3 weeks of complete denial and lesser shock. 11 weeks of hourly morning sickness 24/7. Before getting some SERIOUS meds to help me not have to be hospitalized. We are now 13 weeks along. Still shocked this baby has held on but I'm moving into excited (had to do with your head in the toilet/bag with a 1 year old trying to paint with it as you try to hurry to go pick up the 6 year old at school.)

Brian's a different story. He's been over the moon excited since he found out. Thrilled actually. But then again aren't all men excited when they hit the bulls eye? Brenner's also excited and wants it to be a girl. Asking what I'm making today for the baby and was excited and scared when I told him, "A tail." Then proceeded to see if he had one. The next week I told him, "I'm taking the tail off." "Oh that's good mom. No body really wants a tail. Thanks mom." I do what I can.

So I will have a 7, 1, and none year old at birth. Can you tell my math is off? I really was quite good at it math. There was a deployment in there but that's really not the reason for the gap. Now I'm stunned with what to do with two close in age. I guess I'll find out.

I'm following in the footsteps of some very smart women. (I'm actually not being sarcastic here. They're very intelligent.) So that is what is giving me the faith that I can do this because the proof is in their pudding. So a big shout out to the moms that have babies under a year apart. Or find out before the "baby" turns one. L.G., S.A., E.H., M.C., C.G., M.C.,S.M.,N.E., K.C., S.G., & many more I'm sure I'm forgetting. I left you some anonymity but you'll know who you are. I didn't want to "out" you in case you've been relocated and have gone under the radar.

But I must say that mainly there is one person in particular that inspires me. She would and had climbed many a stirrups in a paper gown to try and be in my shoes. Many a probe, poke, blood draw, chart, and time table. She is what is making me remember it's not about the nausea and fear of two in diapers. It's about the miracle that is happening inside. Thank you J.K.