so far this week:

- I don't sleep anymore. Seriously. Rarely can I fall asleep before 4:30am and I usually only sleep until 8:30am. I think it's been too long to blame this on jetlag. It kind of sucks to say the least.

- I've been babysitting. A lot. I don't mind, it's actually kind of fun...until there's pee everywhere and the baby won't stop crying and the dogs won't stop barking and it's just SO loud! Everything eventually works out and everyone is smiling again. And then I get to go home and enjoy the silence. Motherhood is not looking like a fun time. I actually found a book at one of the houses called, "Motherhood is not for Sissies," so of course I had to read it. It was filled with pictures and a quote on each page. Some that I remember are:

"There is a reason it is called labor."

"Laughter is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for a while."

"That million dollar smile doesn't come cheap."

"I figure if the kids are alive at the end of the day, I've done my job."

And the last page read:

"And if all else fails, pray."

Honest to goodness, I have prayed that the baby would finally fall asleep at nap time. The crying was starting to make me wonder if there was actually something wrong. There wasn't. Just tired.

- My mom has been baking Christmas cookies all week. Every night the house smells like some new treat. I don't mind. She made peanut butter cups. Holy goodness!

- I went to my old high school's band concert. One of the songs they played had a bit of that song "Sleigh Ride" in it. As I was listening, this got whispered in my ear:

"Hey, what does this song remind you of?"
"...Christmas?"
"Hahaha, noo, Elf!"
"Ah, how did I not catch that?!"

Yeah, I was really upset with myself over that one. But after it was said, I couldn't stop picturing scenes from that part of Elf!

- I have been playing Words with Friends with a bunch of people. I was doing pretty good but the tables have turned. I don't like it. I also don't like that I can find really good German words to play!

- I'm convinced that my cat is the Grinch's helper. He chewed through the wire of the Christmas Tree lights. The tree ornaments aren't on the tree because he takes them off as soon as they go on. Candy canes have been found on the floor...and in the his mouth. Also, the he took down some of the window lights because, hey, that looked like fun.

- The distribution of presents may not occur in the Rice house on Christmas morning. My mom and I took too long to order some of the gifts so we're just printing out pictures of what we got everyone and putting them in a box. When the presents get here, they get here. The fact that presents are coming is pretty great by itself. After taking my mom to a Relief Society activity in New York, I didn't think presents would be given this year at all. Someone said something about kids getting three presents on Christmas because Jesus only received three presents and why do we deserve more than him? Well, that was just a great thing for my mom to hear. That night I remember I asked her if she did any Christmas shopping while we were there in New York. She said, "Jesus only got three presents. Why do we need any?" Awesoooome.

- I've come to realize that I can quote almost every line to Matilda, Madeline and Elf. I was aware that I was pretty great at quoting Elf but I didn't realize how much I knew of Matilda and Madeline until I watched them again. I surprised myself! And, yes, I watched them recently. I found all of my childhood movies! Of course I watched them!

- My dad hit a car last night. Only the mirror, nothing severe. When explaining what happened to my mom, she said, "You drive just like Emily! Riding the curb!" It's okay, Papa Bear, I have yet to crash. That was a compliment in disguise.

- I went out the living room window today to avoid accidentally letting the cat out the door. The patio table is right outside the window. It's not like I climbed out the window, walked around, then came back in. I just opened the window, sat out on the window sill a bit to grab what I needed and then climbed back in and landed on the couch. I did this while my dad was explaining how things were back in his day. 25 minutes later he is complaining the cat moved the window decoration to the other side of the window. I asked if he really didn't notice me open the window and go outside. He said 'no'. What? He was sitting right there!

- We had a late night cookie decorating session. I think we did pretty good! I had a problem keeping the icing in the bowls. Messy messy!

It's Christmas Time in the City!

Yes, it is! I love when the city is all decked out in Christmas decorations. The city has such a great feel to it during this time of the year. It's so cheerful and welcoming. I don't want to leave!

My mom, aunt, and I went down to the city on Tuesday. None of us really knew where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do so we just walked around. Here's some of the pictures I took:

The ice skating rink in Bryant Park. "Put a positive spin on your life." Yeah, okay.

Love, love, love.

The only tree with it's own security guards.

It's too hard to hold a camera the right way. Come at me, bro.

These ginormous soldiers surround the skating rink in Rockefeller Plaza.

Like the headlines? New York news is never boring.

Union Square Christmas market!! Almost as good as a German one.

A little German street : )

Overall, it was a great trip. We didn't do much besides walk but it was good to spend time together. Some funny things happened liiiike my aunt getting hunted down by Elmo, my aunt saying she found the "Jewish Christmas Tree" and my mom kicking a random lady on the train.

"Mom..did you just step on that lady?" -Me

"No...I kicked her." -Mom

We even got to go to lunch with my cousin, David. He made reservations at this amazing Italian restaurant in Times Square. Amazing. They had the best pasta with olive oil, garlic & broccoli. I loved it. 

Must I leave this incredible place? Why? WHY? WHY?!

Mitt Romney, Ohne Romney.

I really only do these quote posts for my own benefit. It's so fun to revisit them after time has passed. They just crack me up all over again. These quotes all happened as I skyped with Amanda tonight. Yes, we live 10 miles apart and we skype. Skype just beats a telephone. I don't have to hold the phone and we can Facebook stalk people while talking this way. Good reasons, right?

"You know how chocolate covered pretzels taste really good?" -Amanda
"Yeaaah..." -Me
"Well I've discovered that if you put a pretzel in your mouth and stuff an m&m in there real fast..." -Amanda
"hahahha, why don't you just buy pretzel m&ms?" -Me
"....ha, 'cause I'm dumb." -Amanda.

"How am I supposed to get home? There's no subway. What am I supposed to do? Take a taxi?! Do you know how expensive that is? There's my plane ticket back to Germany right there." -Me
"Are there even taxis right now?" -Amanda.

"I was at the commissary and this lady tells me she's a paraprofessional so I ask what that entails. She says she follows kids around all day and tells them to do their homework. I told her it sounds like babysitting. She said it was." -Amanda
"You know what I picture when I hear paraprofessional? A paraplegic." -Me
"That's not funny. Stop laughing. The last thing you need is karma to come around and put you in a wheelchair." -Amanda
"That's what they get for using buzzwords." -Me.

"I need to show you something. I'm dying. I shouldn't be because I like Romney...but I'm dying. -Amanda
Here is what it was:

"I think he has Utah and Idaho locked down but that means nothing. Your state is important. So if he loses, I'm blaming you specifically." -Amanda.

"My mom really wanted to name me Mandy but they told her that it wasn't a real name." -Amanda.

"Oh, so you know that exam I spent three hours on? Well. In the instructions it said it was closed-book but in the syllabus it says that every test will be open-book so of course I used my book. Not everyone did though and now the teacher is voiding everyone's exam score. So upset." -Me.

"I thought that word was 'uncanning' like -ing. I was kind of blown away when I found out it wasn't. -Amanda.

Prague

This past weekend I went to Prague with the Cherringtons. I just love them. All of them, even little Alison (we still argue constantly, no worries, everything is still normal). Anyway, I took some pictures while I was there. Not many though. Here's a few of my favorites:

Prague. Yummy food!

The sun finally came back! 

Beautiful!

Churches everywhere!

The John Lennon Wall. We signed on the 'e' of love.

This trip, like all others with the Cherringtons, had its fair share of quotes. I wrote some out. I'm still laughing. And be sure to watch the video. It's worth it.

"Alison, am I invited to your wedding?" -Me

"If you're still alive." *insert dirty look here* -Alison

"You realize you just dissed yourself, don't you?" -Dallin

"You know how animals crossbreed? Well if cars did that..." -Dallin

"So, did Bella become a vampire?" -Alison

"I'm sorry, what did you call dibs on?" -Amanda

"But if they all get married, then my life is over!" -Me

"Hold on. What? Are you okay?" -Amanda
"I will never be okay!" -Me
"You're such a girl. I'll never understand them." -Dallin

"Awww, Emilyyy, come talk to Papa Cherringtooon." -Papa Cherrington

"So the John Lennon Wall is part of the Berlin Wall?" -Amanda

"I put on my paper that you were the smart one in the family..." -Alison

"Ahh! What is this dance? What the footwork?" -Hard Rock Cafe Guy

"Oh, this is just me." -Amanda

"Hey! Look! It's Amanda's favorite animal. An ass!" -Papa Cherrington

"Did you stop and pick blueberries? What took so long?" -Papa Cherrington

"I fell down the hill." -Dallin

*In the hall with everyone & sirens start*
"What the hell is that?!" -Me

"Hmm....you should see your face right now. It's as pink as my leg." -Amanda

"Oooo, Emily, they're coming for you." -Alison

"That's where they put the little girls that talk too much." -Amanda

"Nooooooooo!" -Alison

"I feel funny." -Amanda

"Emily doesn't get cold, she doesn't get hot, she doesn't pee, she doesn't talk in the car. She's the perfect child." -Papa Cherrington
"Don't get me started." -Amanda

"Stupid girls." -Dallin

"So how thick are these walls?" -Amanda

"People aren't supposed to bend that way." -Dallin

"I'm flexible. Or so they say." -Me

"Hey! I'm known for being flexible too!" -Alison

"Uh. By who?" -Dallin
"My gymnastics teacher. You can ask her! If she's still alive. She was old." -Alison

"You know, everyone thinks you're quiet, shy and sweet. Little do they knoww..." -Me
"Yeah, they're sadly mistaken." -Amanda

"The world doesn't revolve around you." -Me
"Yeah, well you don't revolve around the world!" -Alison

"They put a boot on his car?" -Alison

"I feel like I'm back in Rexburg." -Me

"I was thinking the same thing." -Amanda

"Does the camel back there have to pee yet?" -Papa Cherrington
"Noo, and I'm not a camel." -Me
"You never pee." -Amanda
"Sally, the camel, has five humps. So, ride, Sally, riiide!" -Jana Cherrington

"You know, when that announcement was being made, we were probably waiting for them to exchange water." -Amanda

"Probably." -Me

"Or we were confusing those Czech boys in the Apple Store." -Amanda
"Could have been." -Me

"Or we were watching everyone chant with that homeless man." -Amanda

"That would be a tragic story" -Me

"Ohmygosh. That is exactly what we were doing when they announced we could serve missions. The exact time." -Amanda

"I don't know if this is funny or sad." -Me

Ezra, Krin, Dallin & Patrick chanting with a homeless guy. Not even a minute after a cop telling this guy to chill, these guys go up and start dancing with him. Notice the people on the right taking pictures of the whole group. So funny.

It Made Us Smile

Quotes from this Weekend:

"Uhh...Did I just tell someone they couldn't go into the temple?" -Amanda

"Yes. Yes, you did." -Emily

"How's your night going?" -Grandpa

"It's going really good. I got a hot chick's number!" -Burger King Worker

"You want two more?" *Looks at Amanda and I in the back* -Grandpa

"I already threw up a little in my mouth!" -Kid at Lagoon

"So how did you two end up in Temple Square today?" -Sister Missionaries

"Well...To be honest, I was trying samples in Sephora and they had bronzer stuff. So I tried it and it turned my finger brown. I had to wash it off. The visitor's center was the nearest bathroom." -Emily

"But we like it here. It's so nice!" -Amanda

"Are there any feelings there? I mean, how is your heart?" -Grandma

"How long has this been here?" *looks at burger place* -Amanda

"A long time...forever...Adam found it." -Grandpa

*After shopping at AE* "Now I have pants! Now I just need a shirt to go with them. And maybe some clothes for church." -Emily

"Did you bring anything with you?!" -Amanda

*While on the sky ride at Lagoon* "Let's have deep conversation." -Emily

"Okay. What do you want to talk about? Let's think of something." -Amanda

...."My foot just hit that tree." -Emily

"One difference between Burger King and McDonalds is that they speak English at Burger King and Spanish at McDonalds. Not that there is anything wrong with Spanish. It's okay because I can understand it." -Grandpa

"So have you two thought about serving a mission?" -Sister Missionaries

"Yes, we were just talking about that. We were saying how we'd love to. You guys have such cute clothes!" -Amanda

"But that wasn't the only reason." -Emily

*Guy walks up to temple door* "Yo! What the heck is this thing for?!" -Guy

"What did you guys get at CitiCreek?" -Sister Missionaries

"Pants." -Emily

"Shorts!" -Amanda

"Oh! How nice. Stuff we no longer get to enjoy. You two will have to do that for us!" -Sister Missionaries

The Timeline.

Many people are switching to the timeline view of facebook. I also decided to switch. I love seeing all of the things that I've posted or the things that others have posted on my wall in the past. Some of it is making me crack up. I thought I would share a few of my favorites:

"So this is what happened:i walk into my house and my mom didn't want me to look at something so she like pokes me in the eye and i accidentally just let "what the hell?" slip out.so my sister asks my mom why i swore, she says i don't know. and alison says, 'its probably because she's been around mr. o'connor.'"

-Amanda

"It's going to get BEASTLY outside!" 

-Grandma

"guess what? i cried. because i miss my best friend, and i haven't even left yet. not a good sign. and i totally feel like a lame-o friend, but your present is in the works. you'll love it. my mom will bring it to you because it's not quite done yet! well, i miss you, best friend. come to utah. soon."

-Amanda

"I wish you luck with riding in a hot air balloon."

-Amanda

"Emily! Forget water aerobics...let's go to the bazaar and eat all the food!"

-Angelia

"Only Martha Stewart can get this knot out." (after tying my apron too tight at work).

-Angelia

"Martha Stewart is stupid."

-Jana

"Hmmm... think I just dyed Emily's hair orange.... bright side... she can be a pumpkin for Halloween."

-My Mother

"You should get of FB and spend time with your family members..... Please note I signed onto FB only to post that." 

-David (cousin)

"I want you to play checkers with normal boys."

-Jana

"Why the hell did you buy 'ho' earrings?"

-My Mother

"They looked a lot smaller online!"

-ME

"I loved that movie! I'd watch it again if I could...so who was Tron?"

-Amanda

"28 year old art majors are dealbreakers." 

-Jana

"went to the book store earlier to buy a ‘Where’s Wally’ book. When I got there, I couldn’t find the book anywhere. Well played Wally, well played."

-Angelia

" Favorite Memory: You on the floor dying of laughter bc I pushed that guy out the door lmao"

-Brittany

"You're my special friend."

-Jana

"You're my hot friend."

-Me

"I was trying to teach you to fish by throwing you in the water."

-Jessica

"EMILY! You posted on my wall at 3 in the morning.....and 4 in the morning....WHAT THE HECK?! I love you! You're getting baptized today :)"

-Jana

"How did the strings get this way?"

-Parker

"I pretended that I knew what I was doing and turned all the knobs."

-Me


"um Emily, the dude was coming STRAIGHT at us on the road & we almost landed in a pond! "Holy Tractor" could have been my last words...it was the only thing I could muster in such a moment of panic! and, just for the record, I pray that you will not be a driver such as myself...I never received the proper training- I just did what the next German did. But there is hope for you my dear."
-Abbey


"And where were your glasses?"
-My Mother
"I pulled them out of my magic sleeve!"
-Jana

"I'm going to go find an old lady who is deaf and would like a companion. That's where I'll send you."

-My Grandma

"I discovered reeeeeaaaaaal quick to get out of terminal F. I found terminal B and hung out there for awhile....now I'm back at F.....dees people sure do got dat aatttiituuude."

-Jana

"I got on Pinterest this evening and saw a bunch of pictures of beautiful men. I believe I have you to thank for this."

-Clarice

"Are you two high? You don't know what kind of cake you made?"

-O'Cutie


"Emily Darling Rice-A-Roni, I think you are probably one of my favorite people...ever haha"
-Abbey

"Du hast ein herz kaputt."

-Jana


"LEARN THAT PART"
-Mr. Pellaton


"so i tried looking up the world record for longest daisy chain, but there isnt one. so i'm going to set it."
-Amanda

"Amy Winehouse should have gone to rehab but no, no, no."
-My Mother

"You cannot be left unsupervised, dear."

-Lindsay

"We're up on a hill in Fort Montgomery. It sounded like a spaceship landed in our backyard."

-Jana
"She says this sober."
-Me
"HEY!"
-Jana


"Emily, really?? We feed you, I save your life, I get you safely home and no cookies?? None. Not one. Think about it."
-Abbey


"And who is going to snuggle with you then?!"
-Lindsay

"I almost cried for a different reason." -Lindsay