The Magic of Mornings

9.9.2014

I feel like there is something so special about morning time. The light is gorgeous in our apartment {one of my favorite things about being on the second floor}, everyone is happy to be awake and to see each other {usually}, and I just re-fall in love with my family and the wonderful role of "mother" that I get to take on for another day. It's a great way to start the day!

On this morning in particular Irelyn slept in so I got to cuddle with Holland for a little while and then we ate breakfast together. When Irelyn woke up Holland was so excited to be the first one to hear her. She rushed into their room to attempt to get Irelyn out, rushed back to me to announce that baby sister was awake, and then raced me back to the room and by the time I got there both girls were giggling and just so happy to see each other. Also, Race was home for a few minutes when the girls first woke up and they were so happy to see him and hang out with him for a few minutes. I felt truly blessed.

And a random side note (lest you all think every morning is magical):
The next morning was not wonderful and beautiful. Irelyn was up a lot during the night so I was exhausted and grumpy, Race was not able to be home helping out, Holland woke up really crabby and fought me about everything and threw a BUNCH of tantrums, all before 8 AM, and it might have even been cloudy outside just to top it all off. Haha. Often pictures, videos, blog posts, Instagram, etc. can make life look so perfect {and honestly this morning felt like a little piece of Heaven} but know that I have crazy mornings/days/moments too. I'm just not usually taking pictures when I'm feeling crabby {and the light is gloomy}! Haha. 

 

Happy Chaos: Gelsey's 12th Birthday Party

Being home in Arizona with my family is always a little bit crazy. There are eleven grandchildren (and one on the way) under the age of four and all of those grandkids other than Holland and Irelyn live within about fifteen minutes of my parents' house. Whenever we come down it is a nonstop party!

I always want to capture the chaos that ensues when we are all hanging out but I never feel like photos capture it just right (my sister pointed out that pictures don't include noise and that could be why--haha). Nonetheless I wanted to post some pictures from my youngest sister's 12th birthday a couple of weeks ago. We all had a blast eating pizza, swimming in the pool, and just hanging out! I only got pictures of the hanging out part but it's my favorite part anyway!

Mimo with two of her eleven grandchildren {these girls were fighting over her the whole time I was visiting!} and some other happy chaos. 

The birthday girl {she had a lot of help blowing out candles and opening presents}!

 Some random cute faces of some of my very favorite people!

Our wide staircase being used as extra seating.

Wonderful Weekend

I mentioned in this post that the weekend was really long and exhausting. And it was! Thank goodness it wasn't long and exhausting because of homework and studying though! {In case anyone is wondering: I have two of four midterms done. I've finished the two  hardest ones. Thank goodness!} This weekend was spent staying up late with Race's family on Friday night. We hung out, talked, ate yummy food, and I got to play with cute baby Madison. It was a blast!

Saturday morning I headed out the door at 10 am to head down to the valley to help my sister get ready for Homecoming. Right when I got there we headed out the door to go shoe and jewelry shopping for the next FOUR HOURS! Luckily, we stopped and ate some Rubio's. I LOVE Rubio's. Then we headed home and started getting Helena all ready for the dance. We started with her nails, then I did her make-up and then her hair. Thank goodness a couple of my sisters-in-law were over to help me out and tell me if things looked awful because I have NEVER done make-up on anyone before. I haven't even done it on myself. So I really hope that Helena liked all of  it. I think that she looked absolutely gorgeous and I was so glad to be there for her. Especially since my mom was out of town. At 5:30 Helena headed off to the dance with her date. They looked so cute together and he was SO NERVOUS! It reminded me of going to dances soooo long ago. ;] After sending the cute couple off to the dance I hung out with my family for a little bit, took a nap, and then drove back up to Flagstaff while listening to General Conference talks {See last post}. It was a really long, really good day.

Sunday was spent going to Sacrament Meeting which was...interesting. We had a man there wearing an American flag church shirt and just doing things a little bit out of the normal. Like singing loudly and changing the words some. And when Race went to the bathroom the man was in there talking {once again very loudly} all about how America has lost its values and stuff like that. It was weird to say the least. Another funny story from Sacrament Meeting: I asked Race to grab the hymnbook that was under his seat so he reached down to grab it and smacked his head on the chair in front of him. So he gave up on that. So I decided that I would grab it for him and then I smacked my head! It was super funny! So we laughed through the whole first hymn. Luckily, someone handed us a book so that we could at least attempt to sing along. Haha.

After Sacrament Meeting we headed home because Race was {and still is :( } feeling sick. We took a nice long nap together and then hung out with family for the rest of the evening. And once again had some delicious food {made by my sister-in-law Teal}. It was the perfect Sunday and it was relaxing which was just what I needed after Saturday. After our family left we watched some of The Cosby Show and then headed to bed.

This morning I woke up refreshed and super happy. I read my scriptures {It's my goal to read my scriptures every day}, cuddled with Race, looked for my keys, said a prayer, found my keys literally thirty seconds later {in a super weird place}, and then got dressed up all cute for class, and headed out the door. Now I'm at work taking on some extra hours and enjoying my day. Later we are going to carve pumpkins {hopefully with some friends} and then we'll be continuing on with the rest of this hopefully-not-too-long-and-exhausting week.

Homecoming!

 Babies!

Playing with dry ice!

Mmm. Fall is just gorgeous!

Last night we carved pumpkins with some friends! So I'll post about that soon! We kinda made it a competition but didn't have judges so maybe I'll have you all judge the pumpkins for us! Good idea, eh?

Now tell me about your weekend! What did you do? Anything to cross off of your fall bucket list?

Source: thehighheeledhostess.com via Emma on Pinterest

Have a GREAT week everyone! :]

Quick Update. Stressful Week. Still Happy.

I spent the weekend at my home again. I got to go to my sister-in-law's baby shower. She had it after she had cute baby Edmond {from this post} so that the attention wouldn't be entirely on her. Smart idea, eh? I think I might have to do that as well whenever I have a baby. The weekend was wonderful although Race wasn't with me so I was missing him big time. He was at home getting lots of rest and studying and relaxing. I must admit staying home is much more relaxing than driving and hanging out with babies and helping with baby showers all weekend. I was exhausted! But it was definitely lots of fun hanging out with my adorable nephews.

I signed up for Oh, Life last week. It's this thing that emails you and you reply with a short little journal entry of the day. I LOVE it. I haven't been very good at keeping a journal but this has really helped me to write at least a little something about every day. And you can go look at all your old entries. I always check my email before I go to bed so it works perfectly for me! You should all check it out and sign up!

Anyway, that was pretty much my weekend. I'm back home now with three midterms this week. Definitely not excited for that. In fact, this morning I woke up feeling pretty sick to my stomach because of it. The only thing that calmed me down were cuddles with Race and a prayer.

Before I go I'll leave you with some pictures. And before you go you should head on over to this post and ask me some questions!! :] Then head on over to this blog and look at some fun crafty ideas, cute outfits, etc! Have a wonderful day!!

Me and the only two of my siblings who are still shorter than me! {They are the two youngest. And they are both so close to passing me up in height!}

Jude Boy. :]

Sweet baby Edmond sleeping. Look at those perfect lips! 

More of baby Edmond. 

{Sadly I didn't get pictures of the twins. :[ They are so stinkin' cute though and rolling around like crazy!}

These are my adorable shoes that I got from my sister-in-law a while back. They were missing buttons though so I added some. They're not my favorite buttons but they were the only two I could find with matches! Haha. And I LOVE the color of the shoes so I had to wear them!

Well, that's all for now! Don't forget to ask me some questions! Here or on the other post. :] I can't wait to answer your questions! So far I only have a couple and I'd love to answer some more! Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Pizza Party Picnic + Q&A

First things first, you all should go check out my new blog with my sisters-in-law! There's some fun stuff there and I've put an outfit post up on there with another one coming up tomorrow! So check it out and leave some lovin'! Eh?

Now for some fun stuff! :] Race and I clean a couple of schools to make some extra money. I hate it. But it is nice to spend time together catching up on each others' days as we drive to and from the schools we clean. Yesterday we got to the first school we clean and lo and behold it was SPOTLESS! We're pretty sure the kids must have had a field trip or something. It was super exciting but we were unable to head to our next school because the kids there do not go home until later. Lucky for us there is a Little Caesar's Pizza right in between the two.

We stopped and grabbed a $5 pizza and some breadsticks, opened up the back of the truck and enjoyed some pizza and good weather. It was the perfect little impromptu date and made cleaning our next school not so bad. Also, the weather here is PERFECT right now and the leaves are changing colors so even though we were in a not so pretty parking lot it was still fun to enjoy some of God's beautiful creations!






Now, do you all remember this post where I asked you all to tell me a little bit about yourselves? Well, first off, if you never did that then you totally should because I'd love to learn more all about you! Second, I thought that I would answer all of the questions that I asked you and then see if you have any more questions for me!! I would love to answer ANY and ALL questions that you have!

1. What is your blog all about? Well, I would hope that you would all know this since you read my blog. But, it's all about Race and I and our random little adventures together. I also like to do the occasional outfit post {which will probably be moving to Thrifty {Modest} Threads} and I would eventually like to put some tutorials and recipes on here. I do have one tutorial/recipe that you should all check out!
2. Where are you from? I am from Chandler, AZ and I lived in Redmond, OR until I was eight. {I just went back to visit Oregon this summer and it was WONDERFUL!}
3. What are you? {Student, wife, engineer,hairdresser, fashionista, mother, all of the above?} I am a student and a wife. I hope to someday be a mother. :)
4. What's a funny story that your family always tells about you? When I was about four I went on a roadtrip with my neighbors. On the way we stopped at a gas station and got to pick out a treat to eat. I picked some pixie sticks. I was only allowed to have one at a time but in between having one I asked if I could have one. I said, "Can I have a pissie stick please?" They thought that it was so funny that they just kept asking me what I wanted and I kept saying "Can I have a pissie stick please?!" So, I said awkward things when I was little. Haha. And it amused all of the older people around. :]
5. Anything else you want to share with {Race & Emma} readers! Anything else I want to share...hmmm. I am not really sure. I guess that I'm super sorry I have been slacking big time on the posting since October started! It has been CRAZY around here. I just need to get through midterms this next week and then I will be good. Wish me luck!!

Now, what OTHER questions do you all have for me? I would love for you all to get to know me better so ask ANYTHING!! And I will answer them all in about a week. You can either ask in the comments or you can email me at emsmilesss {at} gmail {dot} com and I will reply to you  {as long as you have your email unblocked}. I can't wait to hear what you all are wondering! :] Have a wonderful rest of your weekend! {I'm spending mine with all my cute nephews again!}

Phone Photos Episode Four

Sneak peek of an outfit post that is up on Thrifty {Modest} Threads. Check it out!

Snow/hail in Flagstaff, AZ on October 7, 2011

Socks with flats. {They have snowflakes on them in case you can't tell.} Tacky--maybe. Warm--definitely!

Funny towel ears. {Check out this post by Kaycie of Redhead Memories to learn how to wear your towel like this and not damage your hair! You also get to look like a Babushka!}

My adorable shoes that I had forgotten about {Target clearance from forever ago}. Plus some cute floral.

My super cute husband on his way to class. I always scare him as he messes with his phone walking down the hill from our apartment and then I make him stop and give me hugs and kisses and let me take his picture. Haha. He still smiles for the pictures. Thank goodness! :]

My cute little sisters. Although pretty soon they will both be taller than me. Helena {the one in the adorable maxi skirt} already his and Gelsey is about the same height that I was when I was in sixth grade and she's in third grade. So it won't be long. {So far only two of my siblings have NOT surpassed me in height. That's out of eleven of us and I am the fourth oldest!}

A bow that I did in my friend's SUPER thick hair. It lasted about two seconds because I didn't have any good bobby pins. Next time though...next time. :] I do love playing with people's hair though!! 

My adorable lil neighbor in the valley/my fourth cousin once removed or something like that. This picture is super old but I love this little girl and her chunky sad face. Haha.

The triplets I used to watch on their second birthday. {I hung out with one of the other nannies that I worked with today and got to see pictures and videos of them now. They are so grown up and  I miss them like CRAZY!}

My Halloween costume from a couple of years ago. Does anyone know what it's from because no one did when I was wearing it and it was kind of embarrassing. Haha. {This was not my whole costume just the helmet part that I made with the help of my sister-in-law and sister}.
Oh, and I need help figuring out costume ideas for Race and I. So you all should help and throw some ideas out in your comments, eh?

A scarf made into earwarmers/a bow. How cool is that?! Does anyone else think this is cute?

Because I totally did and everyone laughed at me.

But if I actually made this it's something I would seriously wear.

Am I weird?

Well, that's all for now! Have a lovely week everyone and tell me a little somethin' about your weekend! :]

P.S. Check out this post  if you're interested in swap sponsoring.

Check out my new blog about all things crafty, cute, and cheap here.

And check out my soon-to-be three lovely swap sponsors here, here, and here.

Wondrous Weekend

My weekend was truly wonderful! It was spent in the valley with Race. Before heading down to the valley we did stop by our ward's chili and chocolate cook-off. We may or may not have eaten way too much chili and chocolate and then had stomachaches on our way down to the valley {Read: We did and Race may have had to stop at a gas station for some Pepto Bismol. Haha.}. Once we got to my family's house we enjoyed the rest of the weekend cuddling babies, taking TONS of pictures of aforementioned babies, watching General Conference, getting our pictures taken by the wonderful Lauren of Busy Bee Lauren {This was so much fun and I loved getting to meet Lauren. She is an amazing person and photographer! Oh, and her style is stinking cute! I wanted to steal her awesome boots!}, eating lots of food, shopping some {I got the cutest shirt from Old Navy!}, and other fun things with our family. I love being able to go home so often. :]

And now for LOTS of photos: 

My sister and I had fun trying out some new hairstyles {Oh, I forgot to mention that I met my sister's boyfriend for the first time! I approve of him. Thank goodness! It's fun helping my sister get dressed for dates and stuff. I'm so sad I won't be able to do her hair for Homecoming in a couple of weeks!}

This is me at our ward's chili cook-off. I am eating one of the winning chilis made by my cousin-in-law Ellie!

Tons of pictures of the adorable baby Edmond James Kvavle Olmstead:

I could not leave out my adorable twin nephews Waylen and Falcon! {They are six months old and are learning to crawl and wrestle with each other. It's hilarious! They made me laugh lots this weekend.}

And I definitely couldn't leave out my adorable nephew Jude! {He's the oldest and crawls so fast and stands up and gets into everything! He's lots of fun!}

Well, that's about it. If I ever figure out how to make videos then I will put a funny one up of Race singing in the car. Sadly you can't really see him very well {it was late} but you can hear him and it's pretty funny. :] I love when Race belts songs in the car. It makes me smile. :]

We got back from the valley tonight loaded up with lots of food from my mum. We came home and relaxed on the couch, danced in the kitchen and now we should be heading to bed. I guess I'd better make sure I don't have any major homework due tomorrow morning first!

Tell me all about your wondrous weekend now!

Happy Birthday!

I am at the hospital right now. Baby Edmond (my brother Knowlton and sister-in-law/best friend Jasmine's baby) was born at 1:41 am. He weighs 7 lbs. 14 oz. and is 20 inches long. He is adorable! I'm trying to let my brother and sister-in-law sleep while I cuddle with the cute new baby! :) I am in love!






















Is that not the most adorable, bright red angry face you've ever seen?!








Edmond is probably already noticing that Aunt Emma is weird. Haha. Photoshoot!!