The Schmutz Family

Twas the month of before Christmas

2012-01-16T21:31:00.001-05:00

December was a busy, wonderful month filled with people we love. We started off the month the ward Christmas party and live nativity. Clark was in charge of the nativity, which was a ton of work and quite stressful; but in the end, despite all the complaining we did, it turned out to be a really lovely night. It was a beautiful, touching nativity scene and we are appreciative of all who helped it come to be!

Mid month, we headed down to Charlotte for an evening for a Rachael Yamagata concert. She is one of my faves, and I hadn't seen her in concert for years. Since the concert was down in Charlotte, Emmett got to hang out with Uncle Vaughn and Aunt Margaret. It was the first time that I had left Emmett with a babysitter so Clark and I could go do something fun together, and we had such a great time. The music was fantastic and the venue was just how I like it--small, close to the artist, with places to sit. We had to go down and back in one night because of my work schedule, but the great night out with my hubby was worth it!

After finishing up the Christmas shopping and giving midterms, Emmett and I hopped on a plane to spend a week in Utah. I was a bit anxious about traveling alone with a babe in tow, but Emmett was a super traveler, and we made the long trip in one piece. The next day Emmett hung out with the Schmutz clan while some of my siblings and I headed to Salt Lake for dinner at Crown Burger and the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert. It was a fantastic night, and I think Emmett had a pretty good time too!

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4 months old

2012-01-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

14 pounds, 12 ounces

25.5 inches

It's been a month since Emmett was 4 months old, but we must document some of his 4-month cuteness.

His giggles continue to be my favorite thing ever. He shares them more and more freely each day! Here he is playing with daddy and showing off a combination of his giggles and grunts.

Another favorite noise is this little guy's coos. Clark and I snuck into his room to record him talking/singing to himself after waking up from a nap. He's got quite the melodic voice...maybe he'll be a singer?

Emmett is continually obsessed with his hands. He watches them carefully and is continuously sucking and chomping on them. For a few days he was toying with the idea of being a thumb-sucker. It was pretty darn cute but hasn't stuck.

Wrapping up November

2012-01-15T23:45:00.000-05:00

November in North Carolina brought beautiful (non) Thanksgiving weather which made for a great outing to the State Farmers Market with my good friend, Cindy. We enjoyed apple sampling (and purchasing), pumpkin cheesecake squares, squash of all shapes and sizes (I came home with spaghetti squash) and very large collard greens (which I opted not to buy).

Thanks to Groupon, Cindy, her girls, and I got to enjoy a night at the ballet. Clark refused to go, so he and Emmett got some bonding time at home. The ballet performed Cinderella for the first half and
a ballet set to Igor Stravinsky’s Cinderella was fun, and I really enjoyed the live piano score; however, the second half was my favorite. It was so beautiful and graceful, almost ethereal.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Hales and the Broughs. Dinner was non-traditional (except for the pies), but still delicious. This year I made my must-have sour cream lemon pie and also tried a mexican chocolate cream and an apple cream pie. Mmm-mmm.
Since we didn't get our turkey and stuffing fix, we decided to order some Thanksgiving dinner to-go from Cracker Barrel in hopes that it would be as cheap and tasty as it was four years ago on our honeymoon ($25 included all the fixings, pie, drink and generous tip). Unfortunately, it did not live up to our expectations. Oh, well. Next year we'll be sure to buy a turkey regardless of our dinner plans!

Clark had to work Thanksgiving night, but Emmett and I got to stop by and visit our friends Ben and Jen (who graciously fed me some turkey :).

Emmett wore the cutest little Thanksgiving outfit. Who can resist a turkey on such a cute bum! He certainly made #1 on my thankful list this year!

Young Women in Excellence November 2011

2012-01-15T22:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I've got about two months of entries to catch up on, so here's the first of many (hopefully) to be completed this three-day-weekend.

For our 2011 Young Women in Excellence, we turned ourselves over to the internet for ideas. We found this cooking-themed one, which was darling; however, it turned out that even though we didn't have to come up with all the ideas, carrying them out still required plenty of time and work!

Recipe card invitations

Cute (too cute?) apron programs

Giant recipe cards presenting the Personal Progress projects/experiences completed by the girls.

Cute favors for the girls. Color-coordinated, value-colored recipes.

The leaders.

Our wonderful young women (in their cute dish towel aprons).

During 2011 we had lots of opportunities to go to the temple with the youth. In November we documented our trip with a picture. I'm so blessed to work with such fantastic girls and leaders. It's a calling that demands a lot of work, time and energy but comes with lots of fun, laughter and meaningful relationships. Love to all my D2 girls!

3-month update

2011-11-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

Three months
Weight: 13 pounds 13 ounces
Length: 23.75 inches

What he's up to:
This little guy is as bright eyed as ever! He catches everyone's attention and always receives comments on how alert he is. He is a nearly constant drooler, and isn't shameful about spitting up on the ones who love him most. He loves chomping and sucking on his fingers--sometimes one, sometimes two or three or four and sometimes his whole fist! In fact, if his hands get too close to his mouth while he's nursing, he often starts sucking on them instead! He plays happily on the ground and has started grabbing a hold of the little toys that hang from his play mat. He's not quite rolling over but he does manage to move about, pivoting like a clock. We recently got out the jumper, and he's starting to get the hang of it. He often sleeps through the night and gives momma his best giggles when he is stripped down right before bath time. Also, he's moved up another diaper size and which has solved the problem of having blowouts every day--thank goodness! He is happy, smiley boy and everyone loves him.

What I'm loving:
I'm a sucker for Emmett's little baby bottom. I always have to stop and look at the cute thing in the mirror as I'm getting him in his bath. I love putting lotion on his thick, strong legs and growing tummy. One of my favorite moments of the day is laying him down for his nap (and not just because I can get a few things done while he sleeps); I love getting him swaddled, holding him close and watching his heavy eyelids start to droop. His giggles bring joy to my heart, and I can still watch him for hours on end. I recently started teaching again in the mornings, and I love that Emmett gets to spend some one-on-one time with his daddy. He is such a good and fun little baby and is really only naughty when he spits up all over his parents!

Clark being baptized into the world of parenting.

It's been fun to look through pictures and see how much he has grown and changed from his first week of life and yet how some things are still the same:

This little gown use to drown him!

He used to have skinny bird legs. I love how they have thickened up!

He still gets to model his cute clothes.

Still working on those fingers...

He has nearly outgrown his sweet cradle.

Bath time is much more fun (and wet) now.

Here are a few little videos for those of you who don't get to see him very often! (Who are we kidding, we see this kid all the time and still love to watch videos of him!)

Getting the hang of his jumper.

Playing (and drooling) with Dad

Almost giggles.

Being vocal.

Going batty

2011-11-20T20:39:00.002-05:00

Halloween this year was a little batty...okay, that was a bad pun, but our little bat was pretty much the cutest thing ever. Even when he cried the first 45 minutes of being in his costume I thought it was adorable. Thank you, ROSS, for his $5.99 costume! Overall, I would say Emmett wasn't super impressed; we didn't manage to get a single smiling bat picture to entire night!
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Bull City

2011-11-20T20:07:00.001-05:00

We had one morning and afternoon with my family and Clark's dad to show them the best of Durham. It turned out to be a glorious day to wrap up our trip--which was welcomed after the other cold, windy, rainy days we'd had in New York and Pennsylvania! Scratch is closed on Mondays (we were reminded of that as we walked up to their door--sad!), but we filled our day with Duke campus, Wimpy's burgers, the Tobacco District, Pelican Snoballs and cornhole. We had a great time hanging out together and were sad to send them off to the airport that evening. What a treat it was to have a 5 whole days of bonding time with them!
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Blessing Day

2011-11-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, October 23, the day after we returned from our exciting road trip, we had little Emmett's baby blessing. Clark's dad, Spencer, plus Vaughn and Margaret came to town Saturday evening, and everyone pitched in to help get things ready. It was a late night with little sleep, but the next day turned out to be a lovely Sunday with family and friends.

Emmett wore a sweet little outfit made with love by his Grandma Moulton. Here are pictures from his big day.

Lots of yummy brunch food--Mom's amazing sugar cookies were the centerpiece!

We are so lucky to have Emmett in our family!

Gettysburg

2011-11-12T04:08:00.003-05:00

Our last stop was Gettysburg. My dad is a history buff and has done lots of reading on the Civil War. Last year I read the book, The Killer Angels, which provided me with at least some foundation on different leaders and battle events. Nate finished reading the book the night before we got to Gettysburg, so he was all refreshed and informed for the days events.

This is the only place we could convince my dad to take a solo picture. He loves Abe.

On to sweeter things: Hershey, PA

2011-11-12T04:00:00.000-05:00

After seeing the Sky Walk, we jumped back in the car for a 4-hour drive to Chocolate World!

At Chocolate World, we went on the little factory tour, explored the gift shop and happily enjoyed some decent hot chocolate. Some of us were a little tempted to check out the amusement park which opened later in the evening for a few hours. Though the rides were enticing, the wind chill and price were not...
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Conquering our Fears in High Places

2011-11-12T03:54:00.001-05:00

After spending the most of the day in Palmyra (a bit longer than we'd originally planned), we hurried West for two hours to try to see Niagara Falls before it was too dark. I had never been before, and I couldn't justify being in the near vicinity and not seeing it.
We got there just before dusk. The visitor's center was already closed, so we bundled up (it was pretty chilly) and walked to the lookout (just the American side--we didn't all have passports). Our pictures aren't great, but they do document that we were there--even if was just for 10 minutes! Clark here. Visiting Niagara Falls was a special accomplishment for me. I used to have nightmares about falling over the guard rails there and down into the billowing waters. I was a strange kid and had many fears. One was masks. Another was heights and falling in general. One time I heard that people fell off the Niagara Falls in a barrell and I was territfied. So, the bottom line is that I came, and I saw, and I didn't fall into the falls, like I always suspected I would. I have really grown up.
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The mega-road trip continues: Palmyra, NY

2011-11-12T03:44:00.000-05:00

View from the Hill Cumorah

When my parents were planning their trip to come out for Emmett's blessing, they decided they wanted to take advantage of being on the East coast and see some of the LDS church history sites up in Palmyra. Wanting to maximize time with my family and never wanting to miss out on a good road trip, Clark and I decided we'd just extend our Pennsylvania trip up to New York. Yes, it meant lots of combined hours in the car, but with a power adapter and a breast pump, we were really able to minimize stops and travel and with happy baby.

Wednesday evening we left York, PA and drove 5 hours North through some small towns and winding roads (it was probably quite scenic, but it was dark most of the time) to Palmyra, NY. My parents and 3 youngest siblings arrived late that night. We stayed in a comfortable house within walking distance to many of the church history sites, and my Dad and two of my brothers finally got to meet Emmett.

October's mega-road trip, part 1: York, PA

2011-11-11T04:23:00.002-05:00

Clark (Whose comments are in fall orange) had all of October off of work thanks to his paternity leave. In addition to Clark changing a lot of diapers, we took advantage of his free schedule to do a lot of traveling. Our first step on this particular road trip was to York, Pennsylvania to visit our good friends, the Weekes. It ended up taking us about 8 hours to get there due to D.C. traffic; but Emmett was a trooper, and we all arrived in one piece. I was a trooper too. I got all the way to Pennsylvania while only making one stop for soda and treats at the gas station.

Pennsylvania is full of rolling hills and farmland. It was really picturesque--especially with all the fall colors. Jared and Janae have a beautiful house outside the city. This is the view from one of the windows. So lovely!
Jared is a nurse anesthetist, and Clark was able to spend some time shadowing him, while Janae and I explored a local farmer's market, Roots.

We wandered through aisles of yummy baked goods and both fresh and interesting produce. My wonderful wife also bought me one of my favorite treats at the market: beef jerky.

All of the veggies looked so tasty. I was especially amazed by the stunningly red radishes. Seriously, beautiful!
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Emmett's 2-month mark

2011-10-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

Two month stats:
Weight: 11 pounds 13 ounces (still average)
Length: 23.5 inches (still a bit above average)
Head: 41.5 inches (now just barely above the curve)

This growing bundle is full of smiles--especially after feedings. He loves to lie on the floor and kick his legs. He has discovered his voice and makes lots of adorable coo-ing sounds and is always surprising us with new noises. While his mouth makes lots of endearing smiles and sounds, it also produces a pretty consistent supply of drool which mostly accounts for his permanently damp clothes. Speaking of his mouth, he can practically stick his entire fist inside of it. He still likes to suck/gnaw on his fingers and often gags himself from sticking his fingers too far down his throat. He has forgotten how to sleep through the night, but his overall cuteness makes it much too difficult for his momma to get mad at him. He often sleeps with his eyes open, which is both impressive and creepy. He is thickening up, starting to get rolls on his little thighs; and his growing double chin is making it increasingly difficult for me to get his neck clean.
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Love A Fair

2011-10-29T16:55:00.000-04:00

This year Clark, Emmett and I ventured out to the NC State Fair on opening day. We were extra prepared with an annotated map of all the must-see exhibits and, most importantly, food stands prepared by my friend and fair expert, Ruth. The weather was perfect for wandering through the fair grounds. I love looking at the gardens, the livestock and the produce. The people-watching is fun, too.

The food is probably the most central part of the fair, and we didn't hold back this year. Here are the tasty, deep-fried treats we tried:
• Texas Fried Frito Pie--Our favorite of the night. Fritos with a scoop of chili, topped with cheese, battered and fried, then served with salsa and sour cream. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.
• Hand-dipped corn dog--Also one of our favorites. A tasty classic.
• Fried Mac & Cheese--Came in little triangle shapes with a spicy dipping sauce. They were alright. Worth trying once.
• Deep-fried cookie dough--Pretty tasty. Also, worth trying once.
• Mini doughnuts--Covered in cinnamon and powdered sugar. Yummy but not super new or unusual.
• Lime Fizz--Tart but tasty. Kind of like a fresh lime.
• Ham biscuit--A little salty, but a true southern staple.
• Apple slush--You can't go wrong with a slushy apple cider. Very appropriate for nice fall weather.

In addition to the food and traditional exhibits, you have to appreciate the randomness that the fair brings. Clark got to check out the human oddities booth (we were willing to fork out $2, not $4, to see what mysterious things laid behind the curtains). I would be glad to tell you what I saw behind the curtain, but I was sworn to secrecy by a one-eyed midget who was half goat man and could breath fire and he seemed pretty serious about it.

This crazy vine lady was also a new feature we hadn't seen before. You'll have to enlarge the picture to see the detail of her camouflage--it was impressive. The way she moved was both captivating and creepy. Check out the short video clip below.

Did you notice the man in the white shirt? He is her bodyguard.

Another classic fair adventure was the pig racing, which happens to also include a duck race and a goat race.

Emmett was a trooper during the fair. There was so much to look at; and with those big eyes of his, he was sure to take it all in. Whether he was bright-eyed or zonked out (like in the picture above), he sure got a lot of admiration from fellow fair-goers. Being the proud parents that we are, we happily accepted all compliments. Side note: Our babe has become quite the drooler in the last couple of weeks--thus, the bib. By the looks of this picture our baby has passed out from the lack of oxygen flow to his brain, but I promise that the carrier doesn't strangle him. It looks scary though.

Just as we were walking to the car, the firework show began. Emmett was quite enthralled with bright bursts of light and didn't seem to be bothered by the noise.

And so ended a perfectly lovely evening at the fair. Amy needs to work on spicing up her endings a bit. Give her suggestions on how to end this post in the comments.

Emerald Isle in October

2011-10-28T18:48:00.002-04:00

October is the perfect time to go to the beach in North Carolina. At least it was a perfect weekend when we went. The second weekend in October we drove out to Emerald Isle to stay for a couple of days. Charles was kind enough to let us use his beach house, which is less than a ten-minute walk from the beach. The temperature was in the 70s, and the skies were clear. There were no crowds and you could spend the whole day sitting on the beach without breaking a sweat. Like I said, the perfect time to go to the beach.
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Charlotte, General Conference and a little Baby Yoga

2011-10-28T18:07:00.001-04:00

We spent the first weekend of October in Charlotte where Vaughn and Margaret recently moved. We are so excited to have family within a two hour drive.

We love how much Vaughn and Margaret love our little Emmett. They make a great aunt and uncle.

One of the many interests/talents Margaret has is yoga. She works at a yoga studio that offers baby yoga classes and arranged for Emmett and me to go to one. I had lots of fun and Emmett seemed to have a pretty good time, too!

Wilmington

2011-10-28T15:11:00.000-04:00

Our last six weeks have been jam-packed with travel and fun, which means I am far behind on blogging and recording all of our adventures. And since I have to record everything chronologically, we are going to jump back to mid-September when we took Emmett on his first road trip and hotel stay at the tender age of 5 weeks. We traveled to Wilmington where we attended the wedding of two of Clark's co-workers. We definitely had to change his clothes on a little strip of grass outside a gas station but overall, he traveled quite well.

We got Emmett all fancied up (we rarely put shoes on the little guy) for the wedding, but unfortunately that was short-lived as we had to make a wardrobe change just minutes after getting him ready. We hurried and snapped a picture of the front view before heading to the restroom.

Emmett was very well-behaved during the ceremony and reception. Charles, a good friend and co-worker of Clark's, was so sweet with him and held him the majority of the evening. Despite the chilly temperature, it was a lovely wedding on the beach and a fun reception with lots of food and dancing. And it's a good thing our babe was a decent traveler because he was in for many more hours in the car over the next few weeks!

How to fall in love

2011-09-26T23:47:00.001-04:00

Just take a look at one of these grins. Seriously, it melts my heart. Here is Emmett as a 6-week-old heart-breaker.

Emmett's 1 month update

2011-09-15T18:45:00.000-04:00

1-month stats:
weight: 9 pounds 13 ounces (average)
height: 22.5 inches (above average)
head size: 40 cm (off the charts)

New tricks:
• producing spit bubbles
• pushing up on his legs
• sleeping through the night (3 out of the last 4 nights)
• enjoying bath time more
• flailing his arms when mad (okay, that's not a new trick)
• spitting up too frequently

Things I adore:
• the way he holds his onto his ears when he nurses
• the little hissing sound he makes after he yawns
• his smiles, even if most aren't intentional smiles yet
• the [rather loud] sounds he makes while nursing
• cleaning off his messy milk face after he nurses
• snuggly naps with baby
• the way he stretches after eating

We sure love this little growing guy. How can you not ooh and aah over those cheeks!

Labor Day Love

2011-09-12T03:11:00.000-04:00

Labor Day weekend and Emmett's 3-week mark brought more fun and visitors. Grandma Schmutz and Aunt Celia had traveled to New York to spend some time with Annie and were able to make North Carolina part of their trip as well. We were so happy for Emmett to meet more of his family. We also got to do a triple birthday celebration for Vaughn, Gayle and Celia, all of whom have birthdays at the end of August and beginning of September. Dinner at Chai's and the famous Maurice cake.

And of course, there was lots of loving and cuddling baby Emmett. He is a lucky little guy to have so many people who love him so much.

On Saturday we enjoyed a delicious brunch at Scratch. I'm beginning to think I should become an official advertiser for them!

Clark was only with us for a day before he headed off to Mississippi for the BYU vs Ole Miss football game. It was a quick road trip with a few guys from the ward, and luckily, BYU pulled off the win. Apparently, it was a fantastic experience with an incredible game atmosphere, and he got to meet up with my parents who were also there for the game.

We also had visits from other family friends: the Weekes, Nicole and the Mudricks. What fun it was to see them all again! Clark and I are always proud to show off little Emmett. :)

My great feat

2011-09-09T00:05:00.000-04:00

I did it.
All by myself.

   For years I have missed the bottled peaches and pears that my mom has at home. I really did try to figure out a way I could transport the ones my mom canned to North Carolina. Airlines? USPS? In the end, not great (or affordable) options.
   Next, I tried to take advantage of the time my mom was here after Emmett was born, thinking we [meaning mostly she] could spend an afternoon canning. However, peaches were expensive and not quite ripe; and we really didn't have the time or the energy.
   When my friend Cindy told me she was going the South Carolina and could get peaches for a great price, I decided I was just going to have to woman up and learn how to can fruit.
   It actually wasn't horrible. I had a detailed list of steps to follow (thanks to my mom), and I had a relatively successful go at it. Unfortunately, the majority of the peach pits split when I cut the peaches in half, which was a total pain. I also learned the difference between peaches that are truly ripe versus ones that are just about ripe when peeling the skins. In the end, I managed 12 sealed, lovely quarts of peaches.
   Hooray!

Capturing newborn Emmett

2011-09-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

My good friend who recently moved from Chapel Hill to Ohio who also is a professional children's photographer made arrangements to come take photographs of Emmett in mid-September; however, in those first few days of Emmett's life, I started panicking about how quickly he was already growing and changing. I needed something to freeze those newest newborn days. My friend Lindsay came to the rescue. She blocked out an afternoon and captured some beautiful shots of my little man. She's adamant that she isn't professional, but you would never know by looking at these! My family and I send accolades her way for giving us this wonderful gift! Here is Emmett at just 4 days old.

This one is Clark's favorite. He loves the smile and the back wrinkles.

I did not show up to this expecting to be in any pictures, but I'm so glad she caught a few of these sweet mother/son moments. Nothing sweeter than a little boy sticking his tongue out at his momma! :)

How sweet is that swirl on the back of his head?!

These last three were taken a few days later on Emmett's Day 9.

Love this little man!
I really do give the biggest props to Lindsay. Photographing newborns is hard work! They don't position themselves how we want them to, and they poop and pee on almost all the blankets! Thank you so much, Lindsay!

This one is for you, Emmett!

2011-08-28T18:35:00.004-04:00

Here is a written and pictured record of Emmett's and our first week. Click on the collages to enlarge.

1 day old
Monday, August 15

Today we got to experience hospital life--which is busy! Someone seems to be knocking on the door every 10 minutes. We spent the day napping, nursing and marveling over every little part of you--from your little tongue to the sweet hair on your ears to your long toes! You love to suck on your fingers--sometimes one, sometimes two. Your neck is so strong for such a little guy, and as always, your eyes are open wide and bright when you aren't sleeping. All the nurses comment on how alert you are. The nurses are taking good care of all of us as we recover and adjust to this new phase of life. Today we filled out the paper work for your birth certificate, so it is official that you are Emmett Clark Schmutz. How we love you!

2 days old
Tuesday, August 16

Last night you weren't quite as quiet as you were the first night, but maybe you were just excited about the big day ahead! We spent the morning finishing up paperwork and meeting with various people at the hospital. Today I put you in your "going-home" outfit that Aunt Beth gave you. Even though it is a newborn size, it still looks so big on you! You looked even tinier but oh-so-handsome as we buckled you in your car seat and headed home. I think we were all relieved to be home with a little more space to move around and far fewer interruptions.

This afternoon Uncle Vaughn and Aunt Margaret came to see you. They were so excited and drove all the way from Charlotte just to meet you and hang out for the evening. They also took lots of adorable pictures of you, which I love. Everyone just thinks you are the most beautiful newborn they've ever seen.

Late that night, Dad went to the airport to pick up Grandma and Aunt Beth. How exciting! They were so thrilled to meet you and love you. I'm glad we get to spend the week with them.

3 days old
Wednesday, August 17

We were all a little lazy this morning and spent the time taking turns holding and snuggling you. That afternoon you had your first outing, which was to no other place than Pelican's Snoballs. Even though you are just a few days old, we have got to expose you to all our favorite places in town.

Tonight Grandma gave you your first bath. You didn't hate it, but I'm not sure that you loved it either. You sure made a lot of funny faces, and we all made a fuss over you as we packed in the bathroom to watch.

4 days old
Thursday, August 18

Today was a big day! We had your first doctor appointment this morning at 10:30 a.m. This visit also included our first public nursing experience as we waited in the lobby! You were a trooper at the visit and are doing everything and growing just as you should be!
After our appointment, we stopped home to pick up Grandma and Beth and then headed downtown to Scratch for lunch. Boy, was that some delicious food! We ate an amazing spaghetti squash salad, heirloom tomato sandwich, empanada and Spanish tortilla. And the desserts were even better! We enjoyed our coffee cake and doughnut muffins immensely and then had to take the four slices of pie home because we were so full!

After lunch we went up to Lindsay's house. She was kind enough to take some pictures of you so I can always remember how sweet and tiny you are as a newborn. Taking pictures of newborns is a lot of work, and she did a great job [pics to come on their own post]. I am so grateful for her kindness and generosity because the pictures she took mean so much to me. I already feel like you change and grow so much every day! It makes me eager to savor every moment I have with you.
Tonight Dad had to go back to work. His co-workers have done a great job of putting him on call and helping cover his shifts so he could spend lots of time with you, but we all knew that eventually he would have to return!

5 days old
Friday, August 19

We had a quiet morning to recover from our big day yesterday. We (mostly Grandma) worked on the nursery which is going to be so darling when it is all finished! We ventured out this afternoon to run a number of errands. The errands wore Mom out a bit, but you were amazing! You slept straight through 4 hours of errands and a delightful dinner at Firebirds. All that sleeping made it possible for the rest of us to really enjoy our delicious onion rings and coconut shrimp.
You have been a good little sleeper at night, too! So far you've been eating around 10:30 p.m., 3:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Not bad for a newborn! Right now, while you are tiny, you sleep in the cradle that Grandpa Moulton built for me over 30 years ago. All of my siblings have slept in it, and now you are too! I love that cradle and how much love and history it holds.

6 days old
Saturday, August 20

Today is a sad day because we had to take Grandma to the airport this afternoon. Before she left we got the nursery practically finished. It looks fantastic. What would we do without her? She was such a great help to me this week, providing me with lots of wisdom, insights, tricks and comfort. She took such good care of you, too! I was a rather sad momma at the airport and cried (a lot) when we dropped her off. We will eagerly await a return visit from both Grandma and Grandpa in October.

1 week old
Sunday, August 21

Can you believe you are one week old today? I feel like you have already grown so much. This morning you and I stayed tucked in bed, while Dad and Beth went to church. That afternoon we had a delicious Sunday dinner prepared ahead of time by Grandma and with lots of help from Beth. The exciting part is that Dan and Hilary moved to Durham today, so we got to enjoy dinner with them. Like everyone else, they are totally enamored with you.

I can't believe you are one week old already. I feel like each time I feed you, I can see those little cheeks of yours thickening up. You grow more and more handsome each day. You are a great nurser and sleeper. We obsessively watch all of your darling facial expressions and listen to your different sighs and cries and grunts and squawks. We absolutely adore you!

Dad got put on call for work again tonight, so we all got to hang out and relax together. Dad and Beth have been having lots of fun playing video games on the Xbox. He always has Beth laughing about something. I really am grateful for my wonderful family.

Aunt Beth leaves early in the morning. She has been a super helper! Not all 13-year-olds are as sweet and responsible and helpful as she is. We have been so lucky to have her here this week!

Emmett's story

2011-08-22T02:36:00.000-04:00

[Clark's comments in baby boy blue]
I've spent over nine months wondering what my "story" would be. Where would I be when I went into labor? Would my water break? If so, where? Would I be one of those people with easy labors and deliveries? How would this little baby boy make his arrival?

I was a little disappointed when I set an induction date. It seemed so anti-climactic to go to the hospital in such a prepared manner. On Saturday, Aug 13, we got the house all clean, packed our bags and went out for one final meal. We arrived at the hospital around 6 p.m. or so, checked in and hung out in an antepartum room. Around 8:30 they put in the cervidil and an I.V. A few hours later we were moved to our labor/delivery room where they hooked me up to monitors and told me to get some rest for my big day tomorrow. This is about the time that Amy informed me that she had never had to get an IV and had never really been checked into a hospital ever. I was aghast. For one, everyone has had a major surgery by adulthood, I figured. I certainly spent many hours in hospitals growing up. Two, it was surprising how uncomfortable the hospital setting was making Amy. I guess I take it for granted and get used to it, because it's like a second home to me, but she really felt uneasy.

Around midnight I was brushing my teeth when my water broke. It was a little shocking but exciting that I was at least making some steps toward labor on my own. However, the next few hours were really quite awkward as I continued to randomly gush water, particularly with each contraction. Trying to rest on a bed of wet towels isn't super relaxing, especially when the contractions interfered with my ability to sleep. At one point (around 3 a.m.) I called the nurse in to see if these were legit contractions or if these were really something I was supposed to be able to sleep through. She wasn't all that helpful and just kept saying how labor is different for everyone.

It was a long night of no sleep. Clark tried to comfort me the best he could but I pretty much just sat at the side of the bed trying to breathe through contractions and doze a little in between. By the morning, I was pretty much over the whole being in labor thing and felt very tied down and attached to machines. She wasn't, but I can see how she felt that way. Like I said, the hospital made her a little uneasy. The doctor came to check me about 8:30 a.m. She found that the cervidil had come out at some point during the night and that I was dilated to a three. I had made enough progress that I didn't need to be put on any pitocin, which was an answer to many prayers on my end!

With my spirits buoyed and my friend Laura there as a doula/support person/labor coach, I spent the next 3 hours laboring in the jet tub on and off the monitors. Clark and Laura took such good care of me and helped me relax and breathe and meditate during contractions. In all honesty, Laura took such good care of Amy and I was just there for support. Laura put Amy in an absolute trance and I could tell immediately that Amy was able to relax fully through the contractions rather than just bear them. It was awesome. We owe a lot to Laura. Something more than a giftcard, but less than the rights to our firstborn son. With those parameters, does anyone have any suggestions? I felt like the contractions had been getting pretty strong but the nurse told me that they weren't consistent enough to be considered active labor and that I should try walking around for a while. When I was on my feet, I certainly didn't feel like walking around the halls as my contractions started coming every 30 seconds or so. Instead, I walked around the room and used the birthing ball to lean on during contractions. Around 1:30 or so I had to get back in bed for some more IV antibiotics (I was strep B positive), and Clark and Laura used counter pressure to try to help me through some intense contractions. My goal was to get at least to a 6 or 7 before getting an epidural but at this point I was ready for an epidural regardless of my progress; and since the medical staff wasn't keen on checking the cervix often, I had them go ahead and call for the anesthesiologist.

Waiting for the epidural was definitely the worst part of labor. My contractions were hard, and I was losing my ability to keep my cool and breathe through them. By the time they had given me enough fluids and the anesthesiologist arrived (around 2:30), I was hurting big time and felt almost like throwing up during contractions. I immediately asked where to sign for the epidural consent and was grateful to have an expert anesthesiologist who let me stay lying on my side there to administer the epidural. I had to get through a few more contractions while the epidural took effect, but once it did--oh, how wonderful! The doctor came to check me and gave me the great news that I was completely effaced and at a NINE! Amy had never been so excited as she was right then at being called a "nine." Wahoo! I was pretty pleased with how far I had gotten without an epidural, and I was extremely pleased that I was no longer feeling any pain.

My nurse told me to take a little nap and rest up for pushing. I gladly obeyed (remember, I hadn't slept all night) and woke up an hour (more like 2) later feeling much better. We started the pushing phase around 4 p.m. My epidural felt great; I could still feel and (kind of) move my legs. I was able to really enjoy pushing through each contraction. The fact that the nurse kept telling me how great of a pusher I was, was also nice. :) I even enjoyed using the mirror, so I could see my progress. This was after using the mirror to fix her hair and makeup incase of any upcoming pictures. My wife's priorities were right where they should have been. [In my defense, and as you will obviously tell by the pictures, fixing my hair consisted of putting it in a ponytail and makeup was essentially non-existent. And after pushing, none of that really mattered anyway :) ] My contractions were coming about every five minutes, so we took our time and got baby out an hour and a half later.

Watching my little boy be born was one of the most wonderful, joyous moments of my life. As soon as his little head came through I was all smiles and happy tears. It really is inexplicable. It's amazement and joy and apprehension and overwhelmingness all at once. You have to experience it to understand, I think.

I was so happy that I didn't pay to much attention to the 15 minutes of stitches I got afterward. I could never get an exact number out of the doctor of how many I needed...but boy did I feel them afterward!

The moments that followed were so sweet and tender. We couldn't stop oohing and ahhing over each little feature. He was calm and bright-eyed, taking in everything around him. I honestly don't think he cried that whole first night.

First family photo.

Baby is handsome as can be.

Proud Papa.

Emmett's tongue/mouth/hands obsession.

Overall, I am very pleased with our birth experience. While the initial night was difficult and the last hour of contractions extremely painful, my support system was amazing. I can't thank Laura enough for all her help; it made a huge difference. I had a great nurse [Pam] that day of labor, and I actually ended up liking the doctor a lot even though I had a lot of reservations about her at the clinic. I was so grateful to not have to have pitocin, to be able to use intermittent monitoring, and to have progressed so far without an epidural. I was also so grateful to have the epidural at the end and really be able to enjoy the delivery. It's amazing how the painful parts of the experience seem to become a distant memory once the baby arrives. I second that notion.

Welcome, Emmett!

2011-08-21T13:38:00.000-04:00

Emmett Clark Schmutz

August 14, 2011, 5:30 p.m.

7 pounds, 5 ounces

20.5 inches

Perfect in every way. He has dark hair with a perfect swirl on the back of his head; bright, attentive eyes; a strong neck and long feet with a prominent big toe. He loves sucking his fingers and sticking out his tongue.

We love every ounce of him!

The picture I never wanted to post

2011-08-11T20:23:00.000-04:00

Have you looked at the calendar lately? It is August 11. That is one whole week beyond my due date.
And so here we are at the glorious 41 week mark...

I am trying to be patient. I understand that "due dates" are estimates that doctors make, not our bodies; and that babies usually come when they are ready regardless of what one does to coax them here. I was pretty chipper about it all last weekend. This week has dragged on a bit more.

A mani/pedi was my due date treat to myself; and luckily, friends and food have made it easier to get through the long days that have followed.

We got together with Laura, Chase, Rachel and Reagan for swimming, a cookout and a sampling of 8 delicious Cook Out shakes. Margaret and Vaughn, Charlotte's newest residents, came up to Durham to spend Saturday and Sunday with us. We are so excited to have family just two hours away! I've also gotten to spend time with Jenny and swim with Cindy.

In all honestly, I've mostly passed the time eating Durham's most delicious food. Jenny and I checked out Scratch, a most delightful bakery in downtown Durham. They specialize in pies, and deciding what to order is oh-so-difficult. They also make these doughnut muffins that are AMAZING. Chocolate and buttermilk. Mmmmm.

Clark and I finally made it to Wimpy's, a ghetto-looking little burger place that is only open until 2 p.m. We've been meaning to check it out for a while, and we are so glad we did! Wow. The garbage burger (a single is plenty big) even showed up in my dream during my afternoon nap; that is how good it is.

Throw in some Local Yogurt and a vanilla lavender shake from The Ox & The Rabbit and you've got a mostly content pregnant lady.

Maybe all this good food I've been eating is actually my downfall. Baby Schmutz just might be enjoying all my indulging a little too much! I don't know if I have the will power to eat non-amazing food the last couple of days of pregnancy...

If I can't get this baby to come on his own by Saturday evening, we are scheduled to go in that night for "prepping" and start induction Sunday morning. It's not the way I would prefer it all to happen, but if I don't have a say, for 48 more hours I'm going to try to appreciate the fact that my hair is (relatively) long and (relatively) thick, my house is quiet and clean, my schedule is my own, and that I only have to wake up once at night.

Come Sunday things might look a little different...

Summer So Far...

2011-07-22T23:48:00.000-04:00

Usually my summers are jam-packed with vacationing and travel, but this is a summer of finding ways to pass time and stay cool while mostly hanging around in Durham. This change of pace generally includes a daily nap (or two), and episode (or two) of Friday Night Lights, and a list of home projects to tackle before Baby S arrives. Here is a summary of what my third-semester summer has entailed... Clark's comments in Summer Orange.

31 weeks, 34 weeks, 38 weeks. Gosh, that belly is getting big! I don't really notice a change at all. Isn't that what husband's are supposed to say?

Utah:
We did get one big trip in at the beginning of the summer. I mentioned some of the big events (wedding, baby shower, garden party) of our Utah trip in early June, but I didn't yet write about how those great events were balanced by plenty of downtime where I got to spend lots of time with family and friends, relax outdoors in perfect 70/80 degree weather, and hang out with my most adorable little nephew.

We had so much fun together. I loved watching him ride his strider bike, chase Mia, sing "Dinosaur Train," jump on the tramp, play in the pool, and more. He is one sweet, entertaining boy.

I got to see (and eat yummy food with) dear friends whom I hadn't seen in ages! I also got to see Anne (Reichman, because Anne is clearly in that picture with us) and Holly though we didn't manage to get a picture together.

Overall, it really was a fantastic trip--relaxing and satisfyingly full of family, friends and outdoor time that I certainly don't get in a NC summer.

Sweet things:
Part of keeping cool in 100%+ humidity is eating lots of delicious, cool treats. So far, I would consider this part of summer a raging success. First of all, my sweet parents sent me this kitchen toy to help me stay busy and cool:

It is a pretty impressive little popsicle maker. So far I've made watermelon, pink mojito, caramelized coconut banana, peach and mint. Always having a tasty treat on hand without having to run to Locopops is quite nice!

Clark and I have also found a couple of very affordable places to grab a treat.

Pelican's Snoballs are definitely the best snowcones I have EVER had. They really are delicious. Althought I think the name is one of the worst ideas ever for a snowcone place. Delicious, inexpensive and over 100 flavors to try. Favorites so far include pina colada, passion fruit, guava and papaya. Yum. Peaches and cream is also delicious. They are also only about 100 calories, for those of you who are into counting calories and stuff.

Local Yogurt is a delicious place next to where I've been taking some prenatal yoga classes. They have different daily specials, some of which make for a pretty cheap, filling treat. Clark and I have now dedicated every Tuesday evening (between 5-7 p.m.) as yogurt night because you can buy one get one free. When Amy says that we have spent every Tuesday evening, she means we have spent one and plan to spend every upcoming Tuesday evening here. Spending $4 is a no-brainer for this tasty goodness! It really is. For $4.25 on Tuesday (5-7) you can get two small frozen yogurts that aren't really small and two toppings. They are delicious and filling and a must-visit for any other fellow Durhamites. I already have a special of cake batter frozen yogurt with Heath bar and reese's peanut butter cups. Although next week I have vowed to get one with fresh fruit. Probably won't though.

4th of July

Was it last summer that I got to celebrate the 4th three different times? Well, this year my favorite of all holidays was pretty low-key what with the husband working nights and such. We did manage to pull of a fun little bbq with some of our good friends, which was great. And while major downpour of rain put a damper on the fireworks, at least there was potato salad, burgers and corn on the cob to eat! I think that is all you really need to be a true American and celebrate the 4th, anyways.

Fruit Flies:
I admittedly made a big mistake by letting that banana in the fruit bowl get far too brown (more like black with mold), but I have been waging a major war with the fruit flies for a good two weeks now! It's pretty amazing how fast those nasty things can multiply. Even more amazing is how bad of a mood these little fruit flies have put Amy in. I mean, they are annoying, but fairly harmless. About two years ago, Amy was writing complaints about Camel crickets, which are gross, huge and disgusting. Today, I asked Amy which was worse out of the fruit flies and camel crickets, trying to teach her a little perspective and she said, "can't I choose to have neither of them?" Well, Amy, no, you can't choose to have neither. Let that be a lesson to all our loyal blog readers. Sometimes bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it. I mean, I guess you could pour boiling hot water and baking soda down every sink in your house and block the drains and hope that everything in your sink dies. I'm not saying that is what Amy did. But I guess sometimes the old Elton John and Tim Rician motto applies: Hakuna Matata.

My apple cider vinegar + dish soap traps are very effective, but I can't tell you how many times I have had to empty and refill them! I currently have three in my kitchen! The biggest challenge has been to hunt down possible breeding locations. Amy means breeding locations for fruit flies, not her high school students, bytheway. I've attacked all the drains in my house with baking soda, vinegar and boiling water, I've kept the drains closed as much as possible and removed every piece of fresh food from the counters. I think (fingers-crossed) that I am finally making progress (though I have thought that before). I'm so hoping this battle ends soon. And in my favor. Call me old fashioned, but I guess the fact she is a human and not a fruit fly that has a lifespan of a week, puts things in Amy's favor, but that's just me.

Asheville:
Clark had a few days off from work this week, so we decided to take a quick trip to one of our very favorite locations. We managed to get there and back without having a baby and without getting a ticket (our cars may or may not be registered right now), and we certainly didn't have the slightest bit of space left for food in our bodies by the end.
We spent the first few hours of our trip napping beside and lounging in the pool. We don't have much pool access in Durham, so it was a treat for us to have some relaxing and cooling pool time. Later that evening we met up with our friend Brian, who is currently doing a rotation in Asheville, for a delicious dinner at Tupelo Honey Café. After walking the downtown area for a while, we ended up at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge where we enjoyed live music, sipped our sipping chocolate, and chatted for a long while. I could do that every night and never tire of it.

Clark and I slept in the next morning and then headed for our favorite breakfast place where we unabashedly ordered three entrees which we thoroughly enjoyed and devoured :)

Needless to say, I didn't need to eat the rest of the day.
Our plan was to spend some time at the NC Arboretum that morning, but it was already getting to be a very hot day and considering how full we were, we decided we'd try it out next time when Clark could actually help carry Baby S around.

And so summer continues on. If we can continue to beat the heat, we'll have a baby here before too long.

Have you seen this man?

2011-07-17T18:32:00.000-04:00

The most interesting man in the world.
He also happens to be the father of my child.

Ode to My Moustache
A poem by Clark Schmutz

Oh you. Moustache.
So caring. So trusting.
So warming of my stiff upper lip.
So misunderstood in a world of beards and soul patches.
Milk can imitate you, but won't replace you.
Time can gray you, but never antiquate you.
My love. My moustache.

Our newest addition!

2011-07-17T18:16:00.003-04:00

We debated for months and months. I wanted one, but could we really afford it? Where on earth would we put it in our little townhouse? We came close to going for it a year ago and then backed out. Well, last week I made up my mind that it was just going to have to happen. Immediately. (Clark's comments in Ice Blue)

And now for the big introduction of the newest member of the family:

Isn't he cute? It's a freezer by the way.

It makes quite the addition to our dining room, doesn't it? I think we got a decent price on it, thanks to my kind stubbornness and request to speak to the manager. (It's a good thing that Clark wasn't with me--he gets super embarrassed about that kind of thing). I do get embarrassed about it. I believe in getting the best deal possible and all, but Amy is really shrewd and good at getting what she wants. Trust me. It just makes me sad, when we go into the house of some really nice couple that wants to sell us something for $30 but Amy won't pay a penny over $28. Of course Amy gets her way, but I can imagine that nice father or mother telling their children that they have to eat Ramen Noodles that night, because that "demanding woman" paid $4 less than we expected. I guess what I am trying to say is that self respect and good faith is worth $4 to me. Maybe it's worth even more. In my defense, this took place at Sears, not some nice family's house; and I saved us much more than $4.

My biggest regret is that I didn't get a picture of the box it came in. I had left the freezer in the box and left to go to a young women's activity. When I came home, the box looked like the hulk (or a Clark) had hatched out of it! Pieces of cardboard were strewn all over! But there was my freezer, all set up and running happily in the corner. I didn't really have any tools to open the freezer adequately. It was encased in a solid cardboard box and I just started ripping it open with my bare hands. I couldn't wait to get that thing in the corner, freezing all my vegetables and meats and dinners. It was me vs. the box, one on one. And the box didn't stand a chance. Later Amy asked why I didn't just use the box cutter in the toolbox? I never knew we had one.

And now I get to pack it full of meat, freezer jam, meals, popsicles, and other good things. I'm pretty thrilled about it.

You're Hired! LDS Apprentice: Girls Camp 2011

2011-07-15T18:17:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, I did make it to girls camp despite the heat and humidity and my huge belly--for a couple of days, anyway. The girls went Tuesday morning through Friday morning. I went up Tuesday late afternoon and came home late Wednesday night. I'm so glad I got a chance to hang out with the girls and leaders in the ward/stake and to also see how girls camp works when it's not at Camp Shalom. We had a great time singing, laughing, eating, canoeing, swimming, playing games and doing all the great things associated with girls camp.

Here you can see the "Peel an Orange" song as taught by McKayla and Kinsey, as well as the Flash Mob that all the youth and adult leaders had prepared.

Our girls were hilarious in their synchronized swimming skit. Ruth and I rocked the bubble-making in the background.

Our camp was set up on a little peninsula to the lake where we swam and canoed. It was a gorgeous setting.

Our ward had a sports theme and our chant was "We're #2" since we are the Durham 2nd ward. Memorable moments not pictured include hoopla night, games with the bishopric, me being coerced into participating in a sack race (that was exhausting), our sweet tent set up including a large windmaker fan, fancy cookies made and arranged by Bro. Hansen, and much more!

You don't necessarily circle around a campfire in North Carolina summers, but we still gathered together to have devotionals, read secret sister notes, pass around swedish fish, braid hair, sing songs, etc. Our young women (and leaders) really are fantastic. So glad I get a chance to work with them.

This picture is with my Miamaid girls a few days before camp. We celebrated two of their birthdays by kidnapping them and ordering whatever we wanted from the Costco eatery. :)

Garden Party 2011: Vintage School

2011-07-12T15:12:00.000-04:00

One of the traditions on my mom's side of the family is for all the women/girls to gather for a garden party each summer. Each year has a different theme and my mom and aunt work all year gathering decorations, props, supplies and planning ridiculously cute details. It has been a number of years since I have been able to attend, and I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this delightful evening! This year's theme was centered around vintage (Dick & Jane-esque) school.

Here is the set up. Detailed center pieces, quilted table runners made just for the night, intricate place-settings and favors all came together to create the setting.

Jerai gets the bulk of the credit for making the cute pencils filled with Hershey kisses and tied with this year's charm.

Aunt Steff and I decorated the alphabet cookies, and everyone else contributed to the delicious dessert display.

Mom and Geri made for darling lunch-ladies (much cuter than the ones from my elementary days) and served us a very tasty lunch-line style dinner on old fashioned-lunch trays, of course! The menu: gourmet mac & cheese, rolls & butter, peas & carrots, molded jello w/ whipped cream, and the cutest bottled milk ever.

We visited over dinner and stuffed ourselves with desserts, the younger girls worked on their craft (gum-wrapper chains, but with cute paper), and then we gathered for a lesson by Aunt Steff.

And then it was time for recess...hopscotch, hula-hoops, jump ropes and kickball. All of these well-dressed ladies (one of them fairly pregnant) participated in the activities and brought back the playground chants of "Cinderella dressed in yellow..." and "Not last night but the night before..." . Some showed off their partnering skills (Mom & Grandma) and others (Aunt Charise) showed off their impressive double-dutch talents. I was lousy at the hula-hooping, but I did managed to kick a home run for my kickball team!

I love this picture of all the Moulton girls jumping rope together. I was a little sore afterward, but it was definitely worth it!

To wrap up the evening, everyone received a class picture. Isn't it great? Jerai did a fantastic job putting it together. What a great thing it is to have such wonderful women in my life!

One Spoiled Mama-to-BEE

2011-07-08T22:11:00.001-04:00

My sweet cousins, aunt, mom, sister and sisters-in-law worked their amazing talents to put together the sweetest baby shower. Not a single detail was overlooked! It was a gorgeous summer day full of wonderful friends, neighbors and family, beautiful food and adorable gifts. The bee theme, yellows and grays, daisies and details were captured well in these photos by Jenna. Enjoy!

I really did get spoiled with great gifts and adorable outfits. The one that brought the most oohs and ahhs was definitely the Baby Bullet!

Sweet sister and mom. Can you believe that girl is officially a teenager now!

My sweet sister- and mother-in-law.

Long-time friends.

My dearest cousins! These beautiful ladies are the ones responsible for all this cuteness and planning!

Cousins and sisters.

Thank you, ladies, for a beautiful day! Love you!

Wedding Bells in Utah

2011-07-08T20:04:00.000-04:00

Clark and I are always excited for a good reason to travel to Utah, and this June we had many reasons--one of them being these two lovebirds! Dan has been one of my and Clark's best friends for many years. We were so glad timing worked out for us to be part of Dan and Hilary's big day. We are even more excited that they happen to be moving to Durham for a year in August! We are keeping our fingers crossed that the Magleby newlyweds will soon be our new neighbors!

Co-workers & Friends

2011-07-08T19:49:00.001-04:00

With the end of the school year, Baby Schmutz on the way and Charlie's acceptance to divinity school, our department had a lot to celebrate! My dear co-workers, who also happen to be dear friends, through a fun shower/celebration party for us.

We had the most phenomenal cake--honestly, the best I have ever tasted. Ever. We had a good laugh about the personalization "Congrats Charlie & Amy." Many funny pictures and jokes were made about me and Charlie's big day :)

We celebrated with lots of yummy food--including quite authentic "completos" made by Rosita. I was also spoiled with lots of darling baby gifts, like hand-made silk booties by Beth!

I honestly have been so blessed to have such great friends with whom to work. I love these ladies dearly and will miss them so much next year. I will be taking a 12-month leave to stay home with baby this fall. I looked into various options and part-time possibilities, but August babies are tricky for teachers to work around! I am happy to be able to be home and adjust to parenthood without school pressure, but it does feel like a bit of an identity loss; and like I mentioned before, I will miss my sweet friends!

What's been baking...

2011-06-05T20:30:00.001-04:00

Well, for starters, this little bun has been baking like crazy!

25 weeks, 26 weeks, 30 weeks

31 weeks

Baby Schmutz is an active little boy; he is moving around all the time! One of my favorite things is for Clark to be able to feel the baby move a lot. He is one excited daddy-to-be. We are slowly (very slowly) making progress on the baby's room and starting quite the collection of darling little outfits and baby things. Hopefully, once school is over (just one more week!) I will have a little more time to get things together.

In the mean time, these may also be contributing to the growing belly...

Day 3 (& 4): Seattle wrap up

2011-05-30T05:48:00.001-04:00

Day 3 started out with a walk to the nearby Green Lake.

Clark posed by some old school Super Sonics logos that he was pretty excited to see. Look guys. If there ever was a severely underused pose, it would be this one. This pose hasn't been used since cheer camp back in '99. Let's bring it back. And I was excited about anything that had to do with the Sonics.

We all cheered and did the wave, led by Cass. (Yes, we do pretty much anything Cass tells us to do.)

Love these people.

Next came the kite competition. Divided back into our teams, we had about 40 minutes to create a kite. We (well, most of us) worked hard pretending we knew something about how to make a flyable kite. We thought ours looked pretty good...but it maybe didn't end up being the most aerodynamic kite...

We sure had a great time flying (trying to fly) our kites at Gas Works Park. We had a great view and plenty to laugh at! If you wondered, the handsome guy in the middle of this picture flying that kite is me. Our team didn't win the scavenger hunt the day previously, but there is no doubt that we built the best kite. This picture is very beautiful and looks like the poster of an award winning movie. If this picture were a movie poster, the movie would be called:
A boy and his Kite: and his 5 friends.

If you look closely at the montage above, you can see a lot of neat techniques being used in kite flying. These techniques have been used for at least the last 1500 years dating back to the Mulan times of China.

No trip to Seattle would be complete without a picture with the Troll. One of the unique things about Seattle is how artistic the city is. A local sculptor was paid by the city to build this troll. It's obviously big, lives underneath a large freeway bridge and has a hubcap for an eyeball. The hubcap came from that real-sized volkswagon bug that the troll is smashing with his left hand.

For lunch we split up and Cass, Hil and I stayed in the Fremont area where we checked out fun shops, ate tasty burgers and delicious cake.

Next we took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island. We ferried over to Bainbridge island to look around and buy some ice cream. The island really just had an ice cream shop and a bunch of law and real estate offices. Was the trip to bainbridge island worth it. Tough call. Amy enjoyed ice cream, while I got some leads on hiring a guy to litigate my neighbors. That bottom right picture may look like Amy and I are re-enacting Titanic, but I'm actually performing a basic Heimlich maneuver. Amy was choking on the piece of bubble gum from her ice cream she ate.

There we enjoyed the most AMAZING ice cream. My mouth still waters each time I think of that peppermint and Mexican chocolate ice cream. Mmmmmmm. Amy thinks about this ice cream all of the time apparently. It is why I have to keep a few extra paper towels in my pocket at all times and why I have forced Amy to go to bed with a bib on.

Fun continued back at the house with green outfits, lighted dancing gloves, yoga moves from Ash and Clark, and more fun. That green wig I am wearing is a wig I bought in order to hopefully appear in some of Stephen Groo's award winning films as an elf. If you don't know about Stephen Groo's films, please go to utahwolfproduction.com and expect to be there for about 3 hours.

The Queens O' Green.

The night still had one more surprise. We made everyone put on blindfolds, endure a bit of cold, and become a little anxious before seeing this...

...night view of Seattle from Kerry Park. Pretty stunning, eh?

As our weekend was wrapping up, we got sentimental and watched a slideshow of ALL the many, many pictures taken. I went to bed feeling tired and content, so happy to have such fantastic friends.

The next morning after church we walked around campus to enjoy the many blossoming trees. These cherry blossoms line the commons area of campus at the University of Washington. Pretty neat campus, especially for a public university.

After awards and door prizes and the crowning of King and Queen Green (congrats Jon & Bon!), it was time to say good bye. It was another Green Party that will go down in history. Thanks to Cass for all her hard work and planning and thanks to all our friends for making the effort to be there. Already looking forward to Green Party 2013. Long live green!

Day 2: Celebrating sunny skies

2011-05-15T19:34:00.003-04:00

With all our crew together, we spent the next two days packing in all the fun Seattle has to offer. Not all of the fun. We didn't make it to a Seattle Mariners game. I'm not bitter. This is Clark bee tee dubs.

Before we hit the city, everyone surprised us with a baby shower / game show. Basically, Cassie, the host, presented the parents-to-be with a question. After we each gave our answers, the audience got to decide whose answer they liked better, voting for either mommy or daddy. It was very fun and sweet. I'm not going to say who won, but essentially Amy's answers were all about punishing the child, while I was more inclined to talk it out and use the poor behaviors scenarioed as opportunities to teach. Parenting will be so awesome. I can't wait to teach my kids about how their mom's punishments aren't really mean, but necessary. I have first-hand knowledge of this principle.

Then it was time to head downtown. . .

We enjoyed a walk by the Space Needle and were presented with our first challenge at the fountain. (We each were trying to earn brain, heart and courage points as we vied for the title of King / Queen Green). Cass offered a bravery point to each person who touched the fountain.

Who knew how handy those rain ponchos were going to be on such a sunny day! Note that not all our friends chose to earn a bravery point. We did have quite the influence on all the kiddos that were at the fountain that day. I am sure their moms were grateful...

The Girls: Mel, Hil, Amy, Cass, Bon, Becca, Ash, Tara, Jen
Our next adventure was the Duck Tour:

The Duck Tour is a guaranteed good time if you are with your friends. We enjoyed seeing lots of the city, laughing at our tour guides silly jokes (and Clark's really funny/slightly inappropriate one), and watching him put the moves on Cass. A good time all around.

After the Duck Tour we headed down to Pike's Market and the Waterfront for the rest of the afternoon.

The rooftop was lined with daffodils. So pretty!

The salmon chowder we had for lunch was amazing!

Then came our next challenge. We were divided into teams (lions, tigers, and bears, of course) and put to the task of accomplishing as many challenges/scavenger hunt items as possible in just 30 minutes. Team Tiger had two pregnant ladies on its team but that didn't stop us from running throughout the city and taking pictures with random strangers! Sometimes I underestimate the competitive nature of my wife. I did this time. Her team beat us by one picture, although it was a fun photo scavenger hunt and I thought our team did really well.

I'm proud to say that the Tigers came in #1. Sorry, Clark. Apology certainly not accepted.

The infamous Gum Wall. Yes, we added to it (rather hesitantly)...

...but we weren't nearly as artistic or as thoughtful of this Duke fan.

The waterfront.

Once back at the house we got cozy in the darling green pants that Bonnie made for all the girls.

They are so comfortable. I would wear them all the time if I could.

The rest of the night we spent hanging out, showing off our talents, and of course, writing some outstanding original poetry.

We would like to thank C for teaching us all about bear scat (needs no further explanation) and other words we can no longer pronounce.

And to think, all this happened on Friday. We still had Saturday and Sunday ahead of us!

Day 1: The Pre-Party

2011-05-14T21:30:00.001-04:00

Clark (Whose comments are in green) and I arrived in Seattle late Wednesday night. The rest of the crew arrived throughout the day on Thursday (mostly at night) which gave us an extra day to do some extra sight-seeing, friend-seeing and yummy eating. We met up that morning with Clark's former co-worker, Holly, for a tasty breakfast at Portage Bay Café.

On our walk home we snapped a shot by the "graffiti-with-no-consequences" building.

With Mel & Justin in tow, we stalked Kurt Cobain's former house and bench. It's a rather tall bench... Apparently this is the bench where Kurt Cobain sat and considered his life before taking it in his garage just a few yards away. It was his birthday and fans had come by the bench and left birthday presents for Kurt including a skeleton in a coffin type PEZ dispenser. I'm a big Kurt Cobain fan, so this was a fun time.

Enjoyed a lovely (and chilly) view of one of the many waterfronts in the area. Can't recall the name of this particular one.

Found Bruce Lee's grave site. We did find Bruce Lee's grave site. We were looking for it. It's not like we were walking through a cemetery and stumbled upon it. This is Amy and I doing some martial arts maneuvers in his honor. We are not showing off out best sailor impersonations.

The first Thursday of the month is free museum day in Seattle, so we dropped in the Asian Art museum where Cass entertained us with a puppet show. This picture is actually me performing ventriloquism on Cassie while she's doing ventrioloquism on that puppet. It's a puppet inside a puppet. Basically like a real life MC Escher painting.

Pretty grounds.

Lunch at the Volunteer Park Café.

My hot chocolate stayed beautiful the whole time I drank it.

Later we headed to the EMP (Experience Music Project) / Science Fiction Museum. The talented Cassie Rae designed this exhibit!

Becca and Brian arrived and met us at the museum where we enjoyed some live music. I love this because this is where Clark first got to feel little Baby Schmutz moving around. It was a sweet moment. Baby must have liked the music. There is something really weird about feeling your baby move around. I think it has been my favorite moment from potential fatherhood thus far. And I don't think there was any correlation from the music to the baby moving. He moves when he feels like it...which always seems to be when I'm not around.

The EMP guitar tower. Actually not just a guitar tower, but a sculpture made of several different instruments. There were some keytars and accordians in there.

More fun at Cassie's house. I told Cassie that this wall of animal masks reminded me of every scary movie I had ever seen. Don't I look scary? I'm the guy with the pig mask on, if you couldn't tell.

C & Clark dressed as the goat and the pig. Such funny boys. When you wear these masks, you have no peripheral vision. Which reminds me of a funny story involving my friend Dan, a man dressed as a banana and a hammer. If you ever are hanging out with me, remind me to tell you that one.

By nightfall we had all of us (sans Ashlee) together from across the country. Makes me smile just to look at this picture.

Green Party 2011--The Emerald City Welcome

2011-05-14T20:43:00.000-04:00

It would be impossible for me to give the Green Party 2011 all the credit it deserves in a single post, so I'll break it down day by day. But before that, you have to appreciate the set up / decor and the great welcome we got from Cassie as we all arrived. Welcome, to the Emerald City!

Green treats galore!

Ding, dong the witch is dead.

Gift bags complete with a rain poncho, challenge cards and more.

Cassie (and roommates) did an AMAZING job with set up and planning. And to think it was only the start of the amazing fun to come. Did I mention that Cass picked us up from the airport in a green prom dress and tiara?

Sun Valley Feb 2011

2011-04-03T16:20:00.002-04:00

Clark's comments in Winter Green.

Back in February, Clark and I ventured out West again, leaving behind a lovely spring-like weekend to play in the snowy mountains of western Idaho. It was a lot of traveling (an hour to Greensboro, many hours in planes, and an hour to Provo, followed by a 5 hour drive to Sun Valley), but it's always a great weekend full of quality family time and snow. We filled the weekend with skiing (downhill & cross-country), swimming, feeding the ducks, bowling, playing games, etc.

This year we also had some interesting kinks in our weekend plans, like my parents having to travel back down to Utah for a funeral, getting a phone call from the main desk saying that we were scheduled to checkout a day earlier than we had planned and that people were waiting to get into our condo, and having to pack up and move condos 24 hours before packing up for home! Memorable, indeed!

Our first full day was a ski day. I spent most of the day skiing fantastic powder with my dad, while the boys and Rachel skied hills too steep for a pregnant lady! (Let's be honest, I don't ski black diamonds anyway). After lunch, I joined up with Clark, Jerai and Beth and skied the rest of the afternoon on Dollar Mountain. Don't be fooled by the name Dollar Mountain. You might want to think that Dollar implies a low monetary value equal to the low grade hills and low level of danger involved when the exact opposite is true. Dollar Mountain is actually named for all the dollars the ski lodge has lost after being mitigated due to its high level of danger. Only the best and most skilled skiers can handle dollar mountain.

Jerai snapped this shot from the lift of Clark and I styling down the mountain. It's too bad Jerai didn't continue to take shots of us, because this was just seconds before I landed a front flip 360. It was epic.

Jerai, Beth and Clark on the ski lift.

On day 2, Clark and I took a day off from skiing and spent the day playing around the lodge. Clark had an all-star photo shoot. I sure am attracted to this guy! Amy is talking about that topless guy in the middle picture, not me. But she manages to be a little attracted to me sometimes. One thing we did learn from this photoshoot is that I make a fairly attractive lady.

This picture was particularly difficult to take, since Clark's arm could only reach so far around the wooden poles!

Boyd's activities were rather limited due to his broken leg, but feeding the ducks always cheered him up. Feeding the Ducks always cheered Boyd up, but it cheered down everyone else. I think a skunk might have died in the duck pond. I have not smelt such a smell in a long time.

Our last day a big group of us went cross-country skiing (skate style). The scenery was breath-taking (I literally couldn't breath after about 100 yards), and the skiing sure provided us with plenty of exercise!

By the end of the trip, we knew Clark had pretty much had his fill of snow and snow-related activities, when he started wielding large icicles as weapons. Stephen was fine. After snapping out of my winter-induced psychosis, I performed a couple of rounds of CPR and Stephen came right to. He was up and walking around just a few days later.

And so ended another successful, though slightly different than previous years, Moulton Sun Valley trip.

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails: The story (so far) of Baby Schmutz

2011-03-20T15:41:00.002-04:00

12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks Clark's comments in Blue.

I am now half-way through my pregnancy, and we have yet to blog about our little baby! Here is the timeline (well, some of it) of how Baby Schmutz came to be. If you are reading this blog with your kids, Amy's comments may have caused them to ask "How did Baby Schmutz come to be?" Take a minute to talk with your kids about this important matter. You're welcome.

Back in December, Clark and I traveled to New York City for a few days. During the trip we knew there was a slight possibility that I could be pregnant (Honestly I thought it was a zero percent chance), and we decided that if we happened to be, finding out on my 30th birthday would be a fun way to do it. It was late when we got out of our show (It was Mary Poppins, which is important to the story later-I mean later as in when we hire a magical nanny to solve Clark's communication problems with his kids), but we headed over to Walgreens and bought a semi-reliable looking box of pregnancy tests. We really weren't getting our hopes up when we got back to the little Brooklyn studio where we were staying. When I glanced at the test and saw a plus sign forming, I really didn't know what to think or feel about it! I thought "wait, what does that mean?" Then I felt confused and happy and nervous at the same time. Mostly excited.

     We both had such thoughts as: "Huh. That's weird. Is this accurate or reliable? Could it be a false positive? Didn't that lady on Glee get a positive result when it was really a chemical pregnancy? I definitely didn't think about Glee. What are we supposed to do now? It's probably not right. Let's just go to bed and take another test in the morning." Which we did.
     We took another when got home from New York--a different brand this time.
     And we took another two weeks later just to make sure we weren't going to tell our parents some big lie when we went home over Christmas.
     After 4 positive tests, we were pretty sure it was true. But wait, wasn't there that one time on Dawson's Creek where someone had 4 positive tests, but wasn't really pregnant?...
     Even though I wasn't very far along (about 6 weeks), we couldn't be with our families and not share the news! Telling our families was such fun. We made my parents look through our NYC photos on the computer with us. We we got the photo of the positive test, there was a pause, wide-eyes, "Are you serious?!", tears and lots of hugs. My dad absolutely could not keep the news to himself. Pretty much any time someone walked in the door he said something along the lines of, "Amy, don't you have something to tell Grandma?" By the time my brother's wedding rolled around the next week, everyone including one of my great uncles seemed to know! The ward found out the news too, as my dad was introducing his visitors and announced that they just found out that his daughter "got pregnant last week" Those were his exact words. My mom was mortified, but that's my dad for you!

We waited to tell Clark's family until Celia's wedding was over. I had drawn Clark's mom for our Christmas gift exchange and the second gift she opened was our (fourth) pregnancy test, sanitarily placed in a ziploc bag. There was the brief pause that it takes for everyone to process the meaning and then lots of screaming and hugging and maybe a few more tears (I was a little emotional at the time).

In January I had my first appointment to "confirm" that I was actually pregnant. Thank goodness, I was! Little baby Schmutz was already 11 weeks along and cute as can be.

It was pretty amazing to see the ultrasound and realize all the moving around was happening inside of me! My biggest regret is that Clark wasn't there with me. Was I invited? When I asked if this appointment was one that husbands usually came to, the lady made it sound like it really wasn't that big of a deal; that is was just to make sure I was really pregnant. Well, it turned out to be a very big deal! To see and hear our first baby's heartbeat and see that baby moving all over like a fish was something the daddy definitely should have been there to experience!

On March 4, both Clark and I (and my mom), went back for another ultrasound. How our little 18-week BOY had grown! His little profile will melt your heart.

One of my biggest concerns was not coming away from the ultrasound sure about the gender of our baby. After shots like these, there really isn't room to question! That's my Boy!

To celebrate, I let myself indulge with a shopping spree. How kind of Amy to allow herself. I guess I had nothing to do with it. Smiley-type face.

Baby Boy Schmutz is going to be one well-dressed baby. I went shopping with them, but I couldn't last longer than about 30 minutes. I still don't get how women do it. Instead, I went and found a bench and chatted about life and raising kids with a really nice 70 year old lady who was out with one of her great grandchildren.

I have been feeling great lately, and in the last day or two I've started feeling little movements which is a totally bizarre sensation. Despite the weirdness of my body growing in new ways (Clark loves it; I find it strange), we are so excited for our little one! Now to decide on names...Clark is pulling for Sufjan... It's pronounced "Soof-yawn" and it's the first name of one of my favorite folk singers and it means "comes with a sword." To me that is three strikes you're in.

A night fit for a princess

2011-03-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

Our Young Women's night of New Beginnings this year was most definitely a night of royalty...and princess gowns. I loved many things about this night. A couple of favorite moments included the questionable looks parents gave as they walked into the cultural hall (it's not very often that you see adult women in dress-up clothes) and finding out who in the ward actually had adult-sized princess costumes that we could borrow! The night was a success, and it was a blessing to work with such wonderful ladies and young women!

We started off the evening with the grand entrance of the Fairy Godmother. She then announced that some of our fair ladies in attendance were actually princesses!

Each girl was then crowned...

then granted a gift...

and sprinkled with confetti.
It was such fun.

Next we had a skit starring the presidency and a few young women. It was all about what needs to be done to seek one's happily ever after. Here we are in all our glory.

The night also included a message from the "Fairy Godmother" based on President Uchtdorf's talk titled "Your Happily Ever After." Other moments included a message from the "King" (our 1st counselor in the bishopric), desserts and the bubble machine.

After such a crazy, busy, fun night, we were all starving and exhausted and only one thing would make it better: Chick-fil-A.

It helped. A lot.

What's been cookin'...

2011-03-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

Valentine's Cookies

January and February made for lots of time in the kitchen. Much of it was fun...but making 50 crown sugar cookies (cut by hand) made for some long hours! Here's a peak at some of the fun, the tasty and the unusual.

Original little fellas cheesecakes

Crown cookies, chocolate mousse brownies (both for YW New Beginnings) and chocolate pasta. I bought the chocolate pasta quite a while back at the Chocolate Exhibit. I finally got around to experimenting with it and made Clark, Tony and Robin be guinea-pigs for my chocolate pasta with chicken mole dinner. I don't know that I'll make it a regular, but it was decently tasty, different and fun.

After listening to the food nanny the other night, March will hopefully be a tasty (but possibly more healthy) month!

Winter Wedding #2

2011-02-27T16:36:00.002-05:00

My brother Grayson and his bride Emilee were married on Dec 29 in the Salt Lake City Temple. It was a cold, wet day, but there was plenty of love in the air! Here are some shots as the lovely couple made their debut exit!

While we were waiting, we entertained ourselves by playing with Boyd. You can see how he captures everyone's attention! After the wedding we took ONE quick picture in front of the temple and then escaped to the warmth of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where we took more pictures and had the luncheon.

You'd think that as the mother of the groom my mother wouldn't have been so very busy with this wedding. How wrong we were! She found many ways to keep herself and her daughters and daughters-in-law busy the days leading up to the wedding. The result was, of course, absolutely exquisite. We made lots of picture frame ribbons for the center pieces and decorated and bag lots of beautiful wedding cookies big enough to be a meal.
During the luncheon, we ate our wedding cookies as an appetizer, enjoyed the company of siblings and extended family and shared memories of the bride and groom.

Clark almost didn't make it back for the wedding due to the craziness that airports become when holidays and snow are involved! I'm so glad he was there. It would have been the same without him, and we wouldn't have shared the same appreciation for un-interrupted eye-contact.

The party continued that evening at the Provo Academy Library, despite the blizzard that wrecked havoc outside!

Here are most of the siblings (we are missing Beth and Emilee) in their fancy wedding colors.

There was a very nice ring ceremony before the reception, followed by lots of food, music, dancing and friends. As it goes with most weddings, we were exhausted at the end of the day, but grateful for temples, family, love and a new sister-in-law!

Christamas-Round 2

2011-02-25T22:15:00.001-05:00

If you can't yet tell, our two weeks in Utah were packed full between two weddings and two Christmas celebrations. Unfortunately, Clark had to fly home and work on Dec 24, 25 & 26 and didn't get to join in on any of the Moulton Christmas fun.
The Rammell's joined us for Christmas Eve, a tradition we've done for many years. I love to see how we've grown. We used to be able to line up the kids in front of the fire place--I think our first picture had just six of us! Anyway, there isn't a better group with whom to celebrate. Add delicious finger food, and you've got yourself a night.

One of the highlights was giving Grandma her memory book from all of her children and grandchildren.

I got to meet Kate's sweet little Bennett.

Boyd and Arleigh had tons of fun playing with Grandpa/Great Uncle Todd.

Intrigued by the musical, moving snow globe.

The little ones were enthralled with the Christmas train and Uncle Steve.

Christmas morning still comes early, despite the fact that we are all pretty old now! Apparently we are not too old to take our oldest-to-youngest stair shot.

Christmas morning.

I think we were most entertained by helping Boyd play with all of his new toys.

Christmas dinner, complete with fancy dishes and Christmas poppers.

The girls in the scarves Mom got us in the Ukraine.

The Moulton crew (sans Clark).

Amidst all the family events, I did sneak in a few outings with close friends.

So much happened during the holidays that I feel like I will never be done recording about it all! Here's to hoping I have a very productive blogging weekend...

Christmas--Round 1

2011-02-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Christmas with the Schmutz fam a couple of days before Christmas while the family was still all together. We'd had a day or two to recover from the wedding and thoroughly enjoyed having time to kick back and laugh together. It had been over 3 years since we had all been together! We all fought of time with sweet Khalil and enjoyed our classic secret gift exchange. We love our fam!

Celia & Benson sitting in a tree...

2011-01-28T22:37:00.001-05:00

Here I am still far far behind on my blogging. We had a very busy Christmas vacation that was full of family, friends and LOVE! Here is a brief record of wedding #1.

The night before the wedding we enjoyed a nice small wedding dinner with the families of the bride and groom. It was the first time since Clark and I got married that all of Clark's siblings were together! We had a so much fun spending time with the whole family. We also enjoyed getting to know the Bratt family and both learning and sharing memorable stories of Celia and Benson.

December 21 turned out to be a wet day for a wedding, but at least Celia didn't have to worry about dragging her dress through the snow! Despite the deary weather, they had a wonderful sealing and Celia looked absolutely beautiful.

That evening the celebration continued with a reception at the South Worth Hall in downtown Provo. I really liked the venue (with exception of the management) and everything really came together beautifully thanks to the help and hard work of so many. My mom and friend Lindsey are saints for making such a fantastic wedding cake! We also got to celebrate Grandma Swensen's 88th birthday. We're so happy for Celia and Benson and excited to add another brother-in-law to the mix.

Celebrating 3 decades-New York style.

2011-01-17T21:35:00.002-05:00

Day 1: Hello, Brooklyn & Manhattan!

     A few months ago Clark and I found killer flight deals on Southwest, so we decided to fly to NYC for a few days. Our justification? My 30th birthday and the birth of our newest nephew Khalil. Totally justifiable. We spent the first two days primarily in Manhattan and really tried to live up those two days. We arrived early Friday morning and headed directly to Brooklyn to check into the little studio apartment we sublet--a much cheaper option than any hotels and totally suitable for our needs!
     From there we were off to Manhattan. We spent a lot of time walking around and enjoying all of the fantastic Christmas decorations. Definitely a magical place to be for the holidays. We checked out the Apple Store (cool but busy), the Lego Store (totally cool giant Lego dragon) FAO Schwartz (lots of stuffed animals and snowflakes). We have to give props to the crazy greeter outside of FAO Schwartz that sang random songs and danced with the bear. It was totally random.
   The Rockefeller tree was a little hard for us to find but we managed to track it down. It was a pretty amazing site. The line for the ice-skating was insane! Needless to say, we were perfectly content to be observers. We saw many extravagant retail windows and enjoyed the light show (themed "Snowflakes and Bubbles") against the wall of Saks Fifth Ave.
     We hung out in Times Square, ate delicious banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery and saw a performance of West Side Story. I was excited about West Side but came away from the show rather disappointed. There were moments that I loved but the moments I didn't love kind of ruined it for me. Luckily the shows we saw on day 2 made up for it. After the show, we searched a place to eat and watch the Jazz game. Our options were limited because we ended up at Chevy's. Not exactly the place you imagine eating in New York :) Too add to that, the Jazz played horribly and then we got off on the wrong subway stop which lead to a few extra miles of walking around 2 a.m. We were exhausted by the time we made it to the apartment. It was a very full day!

Day 2: Brooklyn & Manhattan, round 2

The next day (my official bday) we slept in, got some breakfast and then ventured across the Brooklyn bridge on foot. The views were fantastic, and the company was, of course, my favorite. We pretty much spent the afternoon and evening in the theater. We saw a matinee performance of In the Heights. I didn't know hardly anything about it, but both of us really, really liked it. There was tons of Spanish, lots of Latin/Caribbean music, hip-hop dancing and even some rap. It was a very different "broadway" experience but definitely worthwhile. We wrapped up the evening with Mary Poppins, which was purely delightful. The scene of "Step in Time" was one of my favorite ever. So much fun. I really couldn't ask for a better way to spend my big 3-0. Clark was such a good husband to put up with 3 broadway shows!

Days 3 & 4: Baby Khalil & the Bronx

Sunday morning we went to church in Manhattan where we got see an old high school friend and happened to run into some neighbors from back home! From there we headed up to the Bronx/Yonkers area where Clark's sister, Annie lives. We were so excited to spend time with her and her family. Meeting baby Khalil was so great! He is such a sweet, handsome little baby. After two busy days full of walking, we were glad to have some chill time with family. We chatted, laughed, watched Modern Family, fought over who got to hold the baby, etc. We did venture out a few times to run some errands and eat, but mostly we just got to spend quality time with each other which was long overdue!
When I look at my last thirty years, I feel pretty darn lucky for all of the experiences I've had, for the amazing people in my life and to be where I am now. Here's to another wonderful decade!

Celebrating 3 year happy years

2011-01-09T19:23:00.001-05:00

I am super behind on my blogging, and since I'm a stickler about posting in chronological order we are going to jump back in time a few months to the end of October. Clark (Making comments in Fall blue) and I had our 3rd anniversary on November 3, and we celebrated by taking a trip to Cape Cod the last weekend in October. The weather was chilly but not cold, the trees still had a few of their autumn leaves, and we didn't have to face any crowds of tourists.

Day 1: Arrive to Boston, drive to Hyannis, visit Dennis. The town, not the 37 year old peasant who digs around for lovely filth all day.

Our first meal at Scargo Café was a great way to kick off our dining for the trip. We had fantastic New England clam chowder, amazing sandwiches and more.

And for dessert...New England's famous Grapenut custard. Delectable.

After lunch we spent the afternoon walking around the small New England town of Dennis, MA. Let's just say Clark banned me from saying the word "quaint" after the first hour. But everything really is so quaint and picturesque!

Huh. You have to wonder about this one... No wondering. No better place to bury one of the greatest all-time princesses than Dennis, MA. Trust me. Kate Middleton already has a lot picked out there.

Back at Hyannis for a winding (and short) stroll along the beach.

Day 2: Martha's Vineyard

What a foggy day! I saved you from having to see what my hair looked like after spending a few minutes in this kind of weather.

Making a game plan during the 45 minute ferry ride to the island.

Can you tell there is a drastic difference in opinion in how one should dress for a late fall excursion in the Northeast? In actuality, it is just a difference in body fat percentage. 12 vs. 35.

Can you imagine having one of these homes as your summer beach house? Amazing.

Did I mention that in order to ferry your car to the island is costs $250?!? Thus, once on the island we got to rent a second car for a day. Lucky for us they decided to upgrade us for free and hooked us up with this little baby. Definitely a fun way to cruise around the island! It was fun. Notice that Amy has used "quaint," "delectable," and "thus" in this blog post already. Antiquated towns bring out Amy's antiquated language. No one speaks like that anymore.

And yes, we drove with the top down as much as possible! Nothing wrong with turning on the heat... Unless you are in public. And then you should save turning up the heat for private times. Oh. Amy meant the heat from the heater...in the car.

Lunch at the Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven Harbor. It was actually funny because my mom said they got the most amazing chocolate soufflé at the Black Dog when they were here 20 years ago. When we inquired about it at the restaurant, they looked at us totally confused because they don't even serve soufflé. Later on when we talked to my dad it turned out that The Black Dog was definitely NOT where they had gotten the amazing dessert. Oh well, 20 years is a long time to remember a specific restaurant name. :) Coincidentally, Black Dog is my 7th favorite Led Zeppelin song.

The view from our table.

Fun feel to the restaurant. Also the view from our table.

Yummy, yummy clam chowder. It really was the best clam chowder ever. I wonder why they can't make the clam chowder in N. Carolina as tasty. Probably because it comes from cans...and isn't real clams.

This guy is always excited about a good burger. I've been set up. Amy said, "Clark, make the dumbest face possible. I won't put in our blog. Ever." You lied, Amy.

The little fishing village of Meneshma. A village that Amy made up the name of.

In Aquinnah we followed a path with a sign pointing toward the beach. It turned out to be rather a long walk! It was worth it though. The beach was totally deserted and misty and very cool.

Red Cliffs of Aquinnah

There were tons of jelly fish washed up on shore. Very curious little creatures.

Gay Head Lighthouse. What you could see of it, anyway!

The Field Gallery in West Tisbury.

Our next stop was Oak Bluffs. It was full of AMAZING houses!

These are the first of a few pictures of the houses coined as The Gingerbread houses. A community of 350 houses built by a Methodist group years ago. I didn't know that the Methodist church had extended a hand of fellowship to the gingerbread men, but apparently...

Day 3: Chatham & Boston

In Chatham we stayed at the beautiful Captains House Inn. We enjoyed a cozy stay and a lovely setting.

Can this be delivered to my bedroom every morning? Clark? Sure. As soon as you start delivering massages to my back and shoulders each morning.

My Captain :) I don't know why Amy had to put a smiley face there. I guess she was just joking.

The Town of Chatham is quintessential (a derivative of the word "quaint") New England. We spent the early afternoon enjoying Main Street.

Pumpkin people on display in the city park. Pumpkin People sounds like a cool band name.

This is a pumpkin mannequin of one of the most famous historical figures of America: Edgar Winter.

Fishing wharf.

This is one of my favorite pictures. During lunch the elementary school paraded down to the park in their Halloween costumes to check out the pumpkin people. This ghost looked so hilarious holding up his giant head. Totally looked like those ghosts you can make out of tootsie pops and kleenex. :) I can only imagine the argument that occurred between that kid and his mother that morning. "Mom, this mask is hurting my neck and giving me a headache." "Timmy, stop complaining. You're going to miss the school bus."


Kids in Halloween costumes on Main Street = adorable. Most popular costume appeared to be Mario. Saw at least 3 of them. "Mario" as in Mario and Luigi. Not Mario Lopez, the guy who played AC Slater. Only saw one kid dressed up as him.

That evening we drove back up to Boston and met up with our friends Brian and Clare for dinner at Brown Sugar Café. Fantastic Thai food. The bowl Brian's food came in really was enormous, even though the angle of the camera makes it look even bigger.

This also happened to be a birthday dinner for Brian. I will just say that Brown Sugar Cafe wins for having the most dramatic, unexpected way to celebrate birthdays. The lights turn off, a mini laser show appears on the wall and a bizarre version of Happy Birthday starts playing. Definitely memorable.

Day 4: Boston and home.

We spent the morning eating breakfast, hat shopping, eating ice cream and prepping for Brian and Clare's Halloween party that evening. We were sorry to miss it!

JP Licks

On the way home a group of WWII veterans were traveling to Washington D.C. to be honored and see the memorial site. It was pretty cool to be there to clap and cheer for them as they slowly (and she means sloooooowly) got off the plane. Love our vets! It really was special. It was nice to be able to thank them for the good work they did.

I think it is safe to say that we had a pretty phenomenal anniversary. Can't imagine my life without my wonderful husband and best friend. Here's to many more years of celebrating! Here, here. Or is it hear, hear?

The worst part of blogging...

2010-11-26T23:05:00.001-05:00

is the catching up after not blogging for, let me check, SIX weeks. And I was already behind back then! Let's go ahead and revisit August and September.

We wrapped up the last day of summer with a day trip to the beach. It was sunny and free of crowds and we didn't even get sunburned. Clark's comments in sunburn red.

Amy & Jen

Clark & Ben

Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn: Hot, Fast, Cheap & Easy. Just like my Amy.

A walk through Wilmington

And then came September and the start of a particularly tough school year. Luckily we were able to escape the craziness of high school for a couple days and spend a quick weekend in Utah for one of my dearest friend's wedding. At least Amy escaped the craziness of high school. I choose to live in my high school years at all times. Even when on vacation.

I thought the idea of a friendship brunch was adorable and a perfect way to get to spend time with close friends before the busy wedding day.

Waiting for the bride.

Spending time with good friends.

The happy couple.

Friends since kindergarten!

The reception was in my parents' yard, so it was, of course, amazing. Add bright flowers and great company and you've got yourself a wedding celebration. Of course, you also need two people that were just married.

I happened to see a few of my past (and favorite) teachers at the reception. Here I am with my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Holbrook.

Our AP English and journalism teacher, Mrs. Durham. Mrs. Durham was hands down my favorite high school teacher. I was an English major in college and none of my college teachers were better than Mrs. Durham.

My sweet sister.
There is something about going home to the people and places of your roots that makes you feel a little more grounded and complete and ... happy. It's probably because she doesn't have to be home alone with only her boring husband to hang out with.

I think summer ended a while ago...

2010-10-10T21:30:00.002-04:00

Clark's comments in "Summer Blue." I'm going to go ahead an blame the high temperatures we've had throughout September and even some of October for the reason that I haven't finished recording our summer adventures. I should probably be grading, but I'm getting so behind on blogging that if I don't catch up quick, I'll be a goner forever.

BEAR LAKE
Our August trip to Utah had many adventures. After the rodeo and our time in Driggs, we headed down to Bear Lake for our annual Monson Reunion. It was the first time that Clark was able to make it and we had loads of fun boating, playing tennis and hanging with the fam. I only got mad at him once for running off to blog about sports (Just a common misunderstanding that I imagine happens in every relationship; and it sounds like Amy and I have a hard time getting along when the first thing she mentions about our trip is how many times she got mad at me. And saying "only" once makes it sound like she was surprised. Amy and I have a fantastic relationship. The fact I am even jokingly explaining this will have a lot of you worried, so I am going to stop now) and I didn't even try to make him water ski.

Playing dead--not too hard in that frigid water temperature! The illustrious "dead man's float." Thanks Boy Scouts of America.

The losers of our pool volleyball-ish game had to go down the slide upside down... The punishments are harsh, but fair at the Monson reunions.

Spending time with sisters-in-law...

And of course little Boyd got lots of attention. He is just too adorable.

Clark spent some quality time on the tube (appropriately named "Mable") though my siblings and little cousins tried hard to get him off.

I, on the other hand, had no trouble at all getting him in the water once I was behind the wheel of the boat! He was there one moment...

Gone the next! Nothing like flying 4 feet off the water at 25 MPH and hitting the water. It was fun.

Round two ended about the same :)

It's only protocol that in August we get a thunderstorm or two. This time we got hail as well, though it didn't seem to bother Beth or Boyd.

It may not have been the safest time to be at the beach considering everyone's hair was starting to stand on end due to all the electricity in the air. Your hair stands up if a ghost is around, so you decide what you think it is. Electricity or ghosts?

Refuge under the beach tent.

Still a pretty view, despite the hail...

TEN YEAR REUNION

In the year 2000, Clark joyfully celebrated his graduation. Ten years later we were not celebrating the fact that he was elected Senior Class President. Planning a reunion, especially when you live across the country, is not a fun endeavor for the once class president nor his wife. We spent our next few days in Provo scrambling around the city trying to pull together the last few details.
All in all it ended up being a nice event with a pretty decent turn out. We had a casual picnic lunch at the park where people could bring there kids, then that evening we had a dinner and program in the Timpview commons. I spent far too much time make those darn tissue paper balls and the candy center pieces. We have to give a huge shout out to my mom and our siblings who helped with various aspects of the reunion. Also need to thank my siblings for running the food and thanks to Mel Farnsworth and Jordy Nelson for helping set up and thanks to the many people who volunteered to help, but then just couldn't show up at the last minute. But seriously, lots of help. It was great. And we can't forget Reuben either. We couldn't have done it without them.
Clark was the star of the night, keeping everyone entertained. The trivia portion was one of the best parts, as well as the auction. Actually, the best part was probably once everything was done and cleaned up :) The second best part of the reunion planning was the discovering Black Bears from the Startup candy company. Cinnamon bears dipped in dark chocolate = heaven...and eventually type II diabetes.

Some of us got together at Clark's house afterward where we hung out on the trampoline, talking until the wee hours of the morning and sipping peach ole from Will's Pit Stop. I honestly had a great time at the reunion. It was one of the most stressful moments in my life, but it was so great to see so many old friends.

THE INBETWEEN MOMENTS
In few times we weren't planning a reunion or out of town, we tried to spend quality time with friends and family.

We had a fun time roasting hot dogs and mallows with my Scroll friends. It's always great to see them and see how fast the everyone's babies are growing!

J-dogs is always a tasty treat. I could totally go for one right now...

And who wouldn't enjoy a little of this to liven up their drive home from running errands?

Way to go, I-da-ho!

2010-09-12T20:38:00.000-04:00

{Clarks comments in brick red}
Remember how Clark and I went to Utah six weeks ago and are only now starting to blog about it? It's been that kind of a transition getting back into the groove of normal life. I got sick the first day back at school and only recently (3 weeks later) am feeling better. School has been decently crazy with absurd class sizes and a Spanish Honors Society induction ceremony to put together (It was the first time that Amy has ever put together a cultish initiation ceremony with candles, hoods and chanting, so it took some work). I was released from being primary chorister (sniff, sniff) (she means sob, sob) and am trying to get in the swing of my new calling as visiting teaching coordinator. And my house has generally been a mess for the last month, though I did finally hang pictures on the walls.

So in better late than never form, here is the first phase of our trip to Utah, or in this case, Idaho.

The first weekend in Utah we headed up to Idaho to spend the weekend with my brother Phil, sister-in-law Jerai and adorable nephew, Boyd. We met up in Rexburg and I had fun showing Clark my old apartment, the temple and campus. We at lunch at one of my favorite sandwich shops and even got to see the apartment my parents lived in when I was born. It was all very nostalgic and made me grateful for the great friends and experiences I had in that great little town.

This is back view of the third-floor apartment where my parents lived when they were first married. Remember this is Rexburg, not Brooklyn.

That evening we all headed over to Jackson, Wyoming for the fair. Clark was tickled pink that Phil was willing to loan him an appropriate "get up." Personally, I think Clark gone cowboy is super hot. I don't. But I do look better as a cowboy than an indian. Or a construction worker. Or any other Village People character. Actually, I might make a pretty hot cop. We spent some time looking at the animals and even paid 50 cents each to see a ginormous pig. Boyd loved feeding the goats and we all enjoyed being under a tent. Did I mention that it was freezing cold, wet and rainy? Well, it was and we were very unprepared.

During a break in fair activities we headed over to Mormon Row where my Grandpa and Grandma Moulton both grew up. This is one of the most photographed barns in the country and it happens to be the barn my Great-grandpa Moulton built. I love this part of the country with its stunning views of the Tetons. Those are mountains, not cars.

The house where my grandpa grew up.

Clark and Boyd exploring.

Phil, Boyd and Amy

Boyd could have spent hours and hours looking for these little ground squirrels. They were all over the place!

One of the best things about this trip was that Boyd didn't cry every time he looked at Clark. In fact, they got along quite well! Look how much fun they are having!

I love this pic.

The big ticket event of the fair was the rodeo.

We bundled up the best we could and only had to endure a little more rain.

I love the expression on Boyd's face here.

The boys couldn't resist showing off their manliness by knocking down some bottles. We couldn't. I mean, we couldn't resist and we couldn't knock down some bottles.

8 balls and $10 later, we walked away without any money or prizes and not a single broken bottle... :)

The next days were beautiful, warm (not hot and muggy), sunny days. We got to spend time with Grandma, see Phil's business/shop and go for a nice bike ride. Mostly we enjoyed spending face-to-face time with Phil, Jerai and Boyd instead of our usual video-chatting.

From Driggs, we headed down to Bear Lake for the Monson Family Reunion but not without stopping in Swan Valley for square ice cream cones! More on Bear Lake to come soon. Square ice creams are kind of cool. They taste just like round ice creams. Amy talked about how great square ice cream is for the whole drive and that made me think that this was going to be the best ice cream ever made. It was pretty normal ice cream, which is still pretty good.

From Nashville to Asheville

2010-08-13T21:14:00.003-04:00

Day 6: That's what I like about a country song...

We spent the majority of the day learning about the roots and stars of country music; but in order to start our day off right, we ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry. Amazing breakfast menu. Definitely worth standing in the line that wrapped around the corner. It was really delicious. I got the sweet potato pancakes with the cinnamon syrup compote and it was just too good. I feel like Amy and I should be hired by restaurants to critique and pump them up on our blog, because I feel like that is what we pretty much do anyways. It would be great to get paid for it. You all must think that Amy and I eat 7 meals a day when we travel. Sometimes we come close to that.

From there we headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame where we spent hours roaming through the museum.

We saw lots of country stars' clothing and boots, but I think Clark was most taken by the cars. I really was. Those country stars knew very well how to blow their money on great rides. But don't be fooled. Amy talked incessantly about how Elvis had an ice maker in the backseat of his car that could make ice in 2 minutes. Here he is in front of Webb Pierce's car. A true beauty complete with rifles and guns, hand designed leather and saddle and studded with dozens of silver dollars. I'm sure Clark has already started brainstorming ways to pimp out his old Buick. I can't decide if I should staple dollar bills or scouting merit badges to the interior.

Elvis' car wasn't too bad either! The paint used had crushed diamonds and scales in it to give the car a nice sparkle, the inside roof is lined with gold records and in addition to the TV and stereo, there is an ice box that can make ice in just 2.5 minutes! Impressive! See what I mean?

As part of our museum experience, we also bought tickets to tour the RCA Studio B. Although it isn't currently used by country stars, it was once a busy studio where Elvis recorded over half of his songs.

Clark is making his Elvis face, in case you were wondering...

We each took our turn sitting and playing at the original studio piano where Elvis recorded many of his hits.

The Everly Brothers (a personal favorite of mine) also recorded there.

Back at the museum

The next big duo to hit the scene

The actual Hall of Fame. We made note of Emmylou Harris, whom we had just heard in concert; Dolly Parton, narrator of this portion of the tour; and other favorites like Johnny Cash.

Our trip to Nashville wouldn't have been complete without a little live music. We stepped inside this well known honkytonk to listen to an aspiring country artist play a few tunes. He played a song about alcohol. And then a song about getting dumped. And then a song about getting dumped and turning to alcohol.

Clark humored me by driving a few miles out of the way to eat at this southern gem. I think I had been subconsciously craving a great southern meal and this was the place I needed.

Clark wasn't hungry and only wanted sweet potato fries, but I went ahead and ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and biscuits. Mmmmmm. I'd go back in a heartbeat. It was tasty and I wish that I had been hungry, but I can't eat ALL the time.

Day 7: Dollywood or bust

We enjoyed driving through Pigeon Forge again after 2.5 years. We are happy to report that there are still pancake houses on every corner. There is also a Banana Republic outlet where we spent an hour or so even though I had been BANNED from going back for at least a year. (Remember my BR experience in San Marcos, TX?). Soon enough we made it to Dollywood. In all honestly, we had no idea what to expect.

Luckily there were a handful of pretty thrilling rollercoasters. Apparently my aging body doesn't appreciate being jostled around so much, depsite my thrill-seeking desires. I had a headache most of the day but rode on anyway! :) I love roller coasters. It was a dream day for me. There were roller coasters I had never imagined at Dollywood and we rode them all. I felt bad for Amy's head though, so we cut our day a little short.

Our online ticket purchase gave us a free meal voucher, so we loaded up at Granny's All-You-Care-To-Eat Buffet. Neither of us could remember the last time we'd eaten at a buffet. The food was just okay, but the experience was fun.

In addition to the thrill rides, we also enjoyed a few shows and a scenic train ride.

Our drive to Asheville took us through the Great Smokies. It was beautiful to say the least, and we especially enjoyed the BEAR that we saw as we came around one of the bends!

Day 8: Is it time to eat dinner yet?
Pretty much the main reason we wanted to spend some time in Asheville was so that we could eat at some of or favorite restaurants. We started the day off well (okay, AMAZING) at Sunny Point Cafe with multigrain waffles ( I could eat them everyday) and huevos rancheros (they were almost as good as Janae's).

And after breakfast it was pretty much a waiting game until we were hungry again. The plan was to see Inception, but we messed up on the showing time and arrived late. Our next move was to go to a park and read. We found a nice one by a lake on our GPS.

at least it started off nice...

We didn't last too long at the park. Soon enough we decided we were hungry enough to make ourselves eat one more amazing meal at Tupelo Honey Cafe. A delightful way to end our long road trip. Amy and I realized on this trip to Asheville that we have a problem. We love eating at delicious restaurants so badly that we "hung out" in a city and killed time just in order to be hungry enough to eat there again. We wanted to eat breakfast and lunch in Asheville, so we looked in a bookstore, went to Chernobyl Park, and wasted time, just to be hungry again. The funny thing is that we got bored and decided that we were both "hungry enough" to eat lunch again, even though we weren't really that hungry. It's pretty pathetic. We realize we are bad people for this type of attitude. There are starving people all over the world. We know.

And then I decided to top it off with a speeding ticket only 60 miles away from home.
Sigh. My theory is that the car was traveling faster due to the excess weight from our eating problems. That, or the fact that Amy said, "I thought the speed limit on this road was 75" and the cop said, "there isn't a speed limit over 65 in North Carolina." My speed demon wife. I do love her.

A Playground for Adults; A City for Country Music Stars

2010-08-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

Day 5: A Playground for Adults Clark comments in St. Louis Blue

We spent our last morning in St. Louis at the City Museum, which looks innocent enough at first, but inside has crazy worlds to explore. I suppose that it is really designed for kids, but there are plenty of adults crawling and climbing around as well. Clark and I went down the slides, climbed uncomfortably through wire tunnels and got rather lost in the caves. There were rooms for crafts, a room for circus training, a room of ramps and more. Let's talk about the circus room. They actually called it a "school" and the only circus school in St. Louis. It seemed harmless and nice enough, but the kids were only doing somersaults and swinging on trapezes. If you gave me $10 bucks and about 15 minutes, I think I could teach you as much as this school taught these kids. That was an offer, not just a statement.

The Slides:

Always follow instructions.

Enjoy the view.

The ten-story slide. It took about 90 seconds to get down. The friction of the slide also pulled my shirt up over my head and I had to stop halfway down to put it back on. Scandalous.

Inside lands and caves:

We honestly got quite lost. It took forever to find our way out. Forever is a bit of an exaggeration. It was only about 3 and a half hours.

Outside adventures:

Wire tunnels, old planes and buses and more to explore. It really is rather painful at our old age to climb through those things. Not to mention that there are no one-way signs, so sometimes there are major traffic jams!

After a few hours at the City Museum, we were back on the road again, this time headed to Tennessee; however, there was no way we could pass up the city of Metropolis, Illinois, home of the largest Superman statue. And it was not a disappointment.

Isn't the resemblance uncanny?

I regret that we didn't get a good picture of the dedicatory prayer that accompanies this statue. It does call for everyone to follow the admonitions of Superman and to fight for truth, justice and the American way. It was very inspirational.

We paid $5 to go through the Superman musuem where we got to see all sorts of Superman collectibles, movie props and more.

And to think that one day a man realized that there was no other city in America named Metropolis and thus decided to make the town of Metropolis, Illinois the home of all things Superman. It's surprising that there is only one Metropolis in America. But that is a good enough reason to dedicate the entire town to all things Superman. It got us to visit. There wasn't anything else cool about the town.

Poor Lois got the shaft. Her statue wasn't nearly as big. Or else I got a lot bigger. It happens all the time.

Later that evening we made it to Nashville in time for dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and a stroll along the Honky Tonks.

This guitar has all of the country time stars on it, like Elvis Cash and Dolly Parton, and Willie Presley. The Honky Tonks are a stretch of bars and restaurants that have live country music from about noon til 2 in the morning. Nashville is the place for country music singers, but you already knew that.