More Memorial Day Pics

9 Months Old

Emersyn & Mommy 8/30/08

*Note the matching dresses* :)

Dear Emersyn,

You are NINE months old today...I can hardly believe it. Everyone asks me if you are crawling and you aren't yet...which I am okay with. Mobility scares me a little bit, although I know it is inevitable. :) We are trying to work with you more on the floor, showing you how to crawl, trying to get you to come towards us. You would rather smile and tilt your head at us though, your favorite thing to do. Whenever we go the store and people stop and say hi to you, you give them a big smile and tilt your head, causing whoever just said hi to you to melt into a pile of goo. You really are a sweetie.

Your Daddy and I look at you all the time and just thank God that you are ours and that He made you so perfect and sweet. Your little personality is really emerging, you can be kind of shy but then at other times you turn into a nut. You are really enjoying your Uncle David living with us this summer. You love to wave at him and play with him and his girlfriend, your Auntie Jenny. Auntie Jenny took care of you yesterday while Mommy was at work for a long day and you guys had so much fun. She took very good care of you and loves you very much.

You are growing up so quickly, I know Mommy says that all the time. Daddy and I go look at your every night before we go to bed and it seems like you grow just a little bit each night. You love rolling around in your crib and we often find you buried in your stuffed animals. You like to cuddle with something, just like your daddy.

You are eating a lot of different things right now. You can eat pasta, avocados, toast, crackers, cheese (string cheese is your favorite, again just like Daddy), gold fish crackers and much more. Mommy is working on expanding your menu options, it is hard! I want to make sure you are getting all the nutrition that your little body needs to grow big and strong.

Okay, I have to write this story about you because it is possibly the funniest thing you have ever done. Daddy and I will laugh about it forever. The other day we were at Biscuits, eating breakfast. We got you some toast and also gave you your standard snack these days, Cheerios. Well, you were sitting in your high chair, eating, and then all of the sudden you hunched over and cried out in pain. I knew exactly what was happening, you were going number 2. You aren't constipated at all, praise the Lord, it just seems when you go number 2 sometimes it scares you a little and you cry very temporarily. You usually reach for me and I hold you and tell you "I am here for you!!!!!" and we get through it together. But this time you didn't reach for me, you started shoving food in your face. You would be crying and stuffing your face with Cheerios and half the Cheerios would fall out but it's like you thought that tossing in some Cherrios would make it better or help you deal with the pain. I am sure this story is just not that amusing to the blog world but this is OUR blog and we can talk about whatever we want, right Ems? :) Anyways, Daddy and I were CRACKING up!!!

Your Grammy is coming to visit this Saturday and staying for a week and a half! She is soooo excited to see you and cuddle and love you to bits. We are excited for her to be here too, she is a very special and caring person. Your future husband Riley Langford is coming to town too, we are going to a birthday party for him in a couple weeks. You guys are going to have fun playing together, I am sure of it!!

Now that the weather is getting warmer, your wardrobe has expanded into the cute spring/summer clothes that we have for you. I love your chubby little arms and thighs and love putting lotion on you to protect your sweet skin. You like being outside but not when the sun is in your face. You need more bonnets!! So cute.

I love you honey. These letters only represent a tiny fraction of the love I have for you. It is so hard to put into words. Thank you for being my sweet little buddy.

XOXOXOXOXXXX,

Mommy

Memorial Day Weekend!

We had SUCH a fun Memorial Day weekend! So much fun, in fact, that is hard to condense it into one blog post. I will do my best…

We started our weekend on Friday night by going to Sweet Tomatoes. Why is this significant, you ask? Because we let Emersyn have her very first ice cream cone. We have determined that ice cream is like baby crack. Seriously.

At this point we tell Emersyn, "okay sweetie, you have had enough".

This was her reaction when we gently took away the ice cream cone. She is so naughty. :) Or maybe we are naughty for giving it to her in the first place. Hard to say. :) Is it wrong to think this picture is adorable, despite her sadness?

Saturday we had a reunion luncheon for “Priority”, a youth choir that Brett and I were apart of as high school students and then later as adult chaperones. It was fun seeing our former youth pastor’s and old friends for this special weekend. Both David, my brother, and I had solos for the concert that the “reunion choir” planned for Sunday morning so after the lunch, we had a quick rehearsal. It was so fun to sing on a stage again.

Saturday evening we had some friends over for a BBQ. It was fun to catch up with friends we hadn’t seen in awhile. After dinner we headed to Rood Bridge park and set up our badminton court, it was so fun!! It was a little windy which made it on the chillier side but all in all, it was a fun time had by all. We are so blessed with good friends and Emersyn has lots of honorary “Aunties” and “Uncles”.

Emers is a hit with the boys. :)

Uncle lovin'.

The girls.

Happy family.

Sunday was a blast. We had the concert in the morning, then went to have lunch with Daddy at work after church. Sunday afternoon we went to visit a client, then went to dinner with some very dear friends, Troy and Therese. Therese was in our wedding and Troy co-officiated it. Their girls were bell ringers, just toddlers at the time. It was fun to catch up with them. Our good friends Trent and Pamela also came to dinner, they were the leader’s of Priority for several years. I remember going to hang out with both Therese and Pamela when they were new moms and I was still under 20. I looked up to them very much and still do.

On Monday we packed up our mini van and headed to Silverton, Oregon to the "Oregon Garden Resort". It was so nice and new, just opened this last Fall. We got a great deal with a package that included dinner and breakfast and admission to the garden. Monday was a nice day so we decided that it was time for Emersyn to go swimming. The only problem was, the pool was SOOOOO cold, definitely not heated. Daddy tried to talk Emersyn into it, Mommy too for that matter, but us girls were stubborn and refused. Emersyn looked SO cute in her swimsuit, a hand me down from our neighbors. I stopped and got this pool hat at Target on the way to the resort. Seeing her in her swimsuit made me VERY excited for Hawaii in the fall!!!!

This was our first hotel stay with Emersyn. She is quite the little traveler, but we have always stayed in a home. She did great at the hotel. We actually put the pack'n'play in the bathroom and she slept great. She even took a nap in the afternoon when we got there while Brett and I watched TV and lounged. We always bring her cd player with her lullaby cd in it and I swear, it really helps her sleep and makes her surroundings seem more familiar. She is such an adaptable baby, I feel so blessed.

Here are some pics from our fun getaway!!!

Daddy set up the camera to get this family picture outside our room. Can you see what is wrong with this picture?? We thought it was pretty funny at the time.

There, that's better!!

On a walk, enjoying the stunning scenery!!

"Is it me or do I look STUNNING in this swimsuit!?!?"

"Okay Mommy and Daddy, I am ready for the pool!!"

The pool was too chilly, Emersyn preferred to watch Daddy play in it instead. She LOVED watching him, she would giggle when he would jump out of it and splash her from a distance.

Watching her daddy with adoring eyes. LOVE the bonnet!!!!

Working on her tan. Just kidding! :) She wasn't in the sun for very long at all and she was slathered with baby sunscreen. :)

This is a picture of Emersyn all bundled up while Mommy and Daddy went in the hot tub. She was angelic, just played with her toys for a good 20 minutes while we relaxed. We parked her stroller next to the hot tub and she just watched us and smiled. I haven't been in a hot tub in a looooong time and it felt sooooo goooood!!!

Emersyn rediscovered her love for spitting on our trip.

More spitting.

Beautiful.

Waiting for the tram with Mommy and Daddy. Love love love her outfit, courtesy of Grammy. Grammy has got some good taste in little girl clothes, don't you think??

Daddy snuggles.

I love them.

Enjoying the sunshine!

On the tram. Emersyn LOVED the tram that went around the garden and it was free! We would have gone on it a couple more times but Emersyn had missed her morning nap so it was time for us to go after once around the garden. She loved looking around at everything and got this funny little smile like, "I am totally supposed to be in my car seat but instead I get to sit on Mommy and Daddy's lap". Hee hee. She proceeded to stink it up on the tram so instead of letting her sit in it, I changed her really quick. Daddy was horrified at first but got over it. It isn't fun riding the tram with a stinky baby girl!

The resort was really fun and a great deal. The rate for our room was about $130 with taxes included. The package included a $50 dinner, $20 breakfast, and $20 admission to the garden. That makes it awfully affordable to just stay the night for another $40! I hope the rates stay reasonable, this would be a fun yearly desintation, each year Emersyn will appreciate the gardens more and more.

Well, that wraps up our fun weekend! Hope everyone had an equally good time!

Chores

In so many ways, I still don't feel like a grown up. Grown ups are on top of their laundry, their yards, their kitchens, etc. I can't ever seem to get caught up. I am working on a new way of thinking, due to some postpartum emotions that have run amuck lately. I get really really cranky when my house isn't clean, yet lack the motivation to keep it up at times. I LOVE maintaining a clean home, that I can do. But then when it gets messy again, I get overwhelmed and depressed and thus, sink into that pit of un-motivation. But then I look into the eyes of my sweet baby girl and give myself permission to relax a little. 

Confession time. I feel like I took advantage of her newborn time in a sense. She was so content when I would put her in her swing, her bouncy chair, etc. Our home was pretty orderly during my maternity leave and I loved it. But when I look back, is it an organized home that mattered? No, moments snuggling with my daughter are.

So, in an effort to adjust my thinking, I am deciding to chill out a little. There are evenings when I *gasp* just sit down with my family after dinner and decide that laundry can wait. There are afternoons when I try to get something done and realize that my fussy girl only wants to be with her mama. It is funny, I was folding laundry in her room this afternoon and going through some of her clothes, taking out what didn't fit. She would get fussy and start climbing on my legs towards my arms and I realized, she just wanted ME. SHE doesn't care if her laundry is done. SHE doesn't mind her drawers full of outgrown clothes. She just wanted to be with me and I had to sit down and say, this is okay. I want to be with her too. 

 

Side note: This blogging time so could be spent doing the chores that I speak of but hey, I need a break right? :) This counts as ME time in my book. 

 

Chores I don't mind: Dusting: Easy for me, I don't have hardly any knick knack type things. Vacuuming: as I have said before, it is kind of a hobby. Emptying the dishwasher when the kitchen is all cleaned and the cupboards are organized. Emersyn's laundry: folding tiny pink clothes, who could hate that? Wiping down surfaces. 

Chores I despise: Dishes in a messy kitchen: I like cleaning things that are already somewhat clean. Chaos overwhelms me. Cleaning off the gas stovetop: it never comes full clean. Bathrooms: enough said. Picking up: I get distracted really easily so when things need to be picked up, I will find something like a magazine and then get off task easily. Laundry: Brett has 6000 pairs of socks, I swear. I despise washing whites. I love my husband, just can't stand all the socks and undershirts that he produces. :) 

I should point out that I am so grateful for a husband to wash clothes for and a beautiful home to maintain. I don't take any of it for granted. Just sometimes I let it define my happiness and that isn't healthy. If my house is messy but my husband and baby are happy, it is good day. 

 

What chores do you dread? Have you found any systems that work for ensuring a clean and organized home? 

Emersyn's Famous Again!!

I submitted a picture to this publication and they used it on the first page of their picture section!!!!

http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/default.asp?index=3

**Update**

She is in there TWICE!!

http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/default.asp?offset=12&index=3

Out of 24 pics, my little girl is in TWO of them!! So fun!

Family Day

Tuesdays are our family day. Right now, our crazy schedules only allow for us to have one day off together, which can be a bummer. BUT “for such a time is this”… I am content and looking forward to a future where we can enjoy TWO days off together, or maybe more, who knows. In the meantime, we are blessed with fantastic jobs that have great benefits and get to call a sweet little girl named Emersyn our own. What could be better?

This past Tuesday was full of fun so of course I have to document it! I am so excited, for Emersyn’s first birthday we are going to print out alllllll my blog entries and have them bound in a book. I think this is a service that Blogger offers, I am not sure but I know it is out there. Blogging is my alternative to scrapbooking. As much as I would like to get my craft on, I am a realist and often I don’t have the time, patience, or want to spend the money on supplies.

Back to Tuesday. Brett always gets Emersyn ready on our day off and on Sunday mornings when we go to church. I love that. But I get to pick out what she wears, every day of course, unless Brett wants to but he usually doesn’t have a clue. So I picked out Emersyn’s sweet dress from her Grammy, her leggings from Auntie Debbie, and her jean jacket from Auntie Marti. (Can you tell my child is spoiled blessed?) Brett got her ready and took her downstairs. Since it was a nice day, Daddy thought Emersyn might need her favorite accessory…..

I think her head has grown since we got these glasses for her...they are a little snug on her face which causes them to push down like granny reading glasses. :) She is stylish nonetheless!

After taking a million pictures of the exact same pose (do any other parents do this too, hee hee?), we headed off to lunch. I have been craving Claim Jumper. I just love their lunch combo of an organic spinach salad and a mini bbq chicken pizza. It was Emersyn’s first time there, or first time there in a high chair anyways. They were SO baby friendly! They had a placemat that stuck to the table (smart!)….


AND they brought her a “complimentary baby plate”. SCORE! It had an apple puree, mandarin oranges, lunch meat, and cheese on it. Emersyn ate it all, except for the lunch meat, she could chew it up well enough.

After lunch we went to the mall where we picked up a new lens for our camera. The nicer the lens you get, the more stuff you can do with it and since Brett got a little bonus from work, we decided to put it towards one of our favorite things…pictures!!

After the mall we went to Al’s Garden Center where we had a less then pleasant experience with the staff. (Don’t get me started, I already wrote a nice long letter of complaint) We did however get some plants.

Emersyn thinks her fingers are edibles. :)

"Here Daddy, you taste!"

We decided to plant some tomatoes and a blueberry bush. The blueberry’s aren’t planted yet, we need to do some research on the appropriate soil for it first. I am so excited to watch our tomatoes grow! We did a full sized variety and also a cherry variety. Home grown tomatoes are soooo good and I have been wanting to grow them since we were first married, ONLY about 6 years. :)

Lastly, here is a cute pic of my little lady bug taken with our new lens…I dig the blurry background.

Happy Thursday!

Bits & Pieces

Time for another random bits and pieces post:

*Emersyn's menu has expanded quite a bit in the last few weeks or so. She is now eating the following: avacado, bananas, still eating some organic baby food puree's but not that many, applesauce, whole wheat bread/toast, cheese, vegi crisps, graham crackers, and more. My friend told me about mini sandwiches that she makes for her little one made out of bread and some mashed up avocado used as a spread. This is probably Emersyn's FAVORITE meal right now and I love that the avocado is so rich and full of nutrients. I take one piece of bread and spread some avocado on it and cut it into tiny cubes. Emersyn also loves cheese cut into small pieces. I was so scared to give her foods because of the risk of choking but I am slowly becoming braver.


*Found this cool website: www.quicken.intuit.com It is a free online version of Quicken which helps you keep track of your spending, credit card payment dates, amd more. I love organizational tools like this and even better, it is online so I am not committed to only being able to view it on ONE computer. It is interesting (and convicting!!) to see what we spend our money on.


*I have discovered the deliciousness that is Veggie Crisps (like a veggie potato chip, got them from Costco, super low calorie) and hummus together. Once again, my brilliant friend introduced me to this!


*I have also discovered that watching a psycho thriller show like LOST (on Season One still) right before bed may result in disturbing nightmares. Gotta keep it lighter after 10pm.


Happy Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday

(Cell Phone Pic...sorry so blurry)

More changes to get used to...

**Update to yesterday's blog about transitioning from my immobile baby to an active one**


* I can no longer eat in peace. I tried to take a bite of fruit salad in the fridge yesterday while holding Emersyn and she literally almost shred my shirt to pieces, trying to claw at me to get to the fruit salad. If we are eating now, Emersyn smacks her lips and gives us a pitiful "I'm starving" look. If we eat dinner past her dinner time, I have to make sure to give her something to suffice while we are eating. I now carry Cheerios' with me constantly, dare I am out and need to stop for a bite to eat. On Friday I went to Costco with Ems and decided to treat her to an ice cream with Mommy. (I totally did not whisper in her ear...."just remember who gets you ice cream treats at Costco....MOMMY, not Daddy....say Mama....."...hee hee, okay, maybe I did) Anyways, we sat at the food court, Emersyn in the cart and each time I took a bite, my mild mannered child threw a FIT. The people nearby were cracking up. I would go to get some ice cream on the spoon and look over at Emersyn, her mouth as wide open as it could possibly get. She was leaning, desperately straining to get closer to the ice cream. When the bite would go in my mouth and not hers, it wasn't pretty. She would scream and then totally get over it once the spoon went back into the ice cream, mouth wide open again in hopes of a bite. She is a nut and I adore her.


* I am learning (the hard way) to keep things out of her reach. I sat her on the counter with me the other day, while I was mixing her baby food. My hand was on her the entire time ( I could hear my mother gasping in horror at the thought of Emersyn on the counter alone). Anyways, I moved everything from her reach thinking I was safe. Within nano seconds, she turned around, found a leaf from a flower plant that had been scooted away, and grabbed it, knocking the entire thing over, sending water cascading everywhere. Oh dear. This is just one of many incidents.

Bed Head & Random Ramblings

This is what happens when Emersyn takes a nap right after her morning bath...

CRAZY HAIR!!!!

Look how big she looks in this picture...she is my long legged lady. Wow.

Ready to go on an after dinner walk!

It has been HOT HOT HOT in Portland for the last few days. Unfortunately, we don't have central air so we make do with fans and open windows for now. We do have window a/c units that work really well, we just don't like to install them too early because they reduce the energy efficiency drastically due to their lack of an perfect seal. Last night we took a walk at about 8pm, my favorite time of day during the summer. It was still warm out but not hot. It was a good way to wind Emerysn down and enjoy our beautiful neighborhood. We walked over to a neighborhood park and playground but there were no baby swings, darn it!

I booked this park for Emersyn's first birthday last week: Magnolia Park. I am so excited, although I am in NO hurry for the day to come. I am savoring Emersyn's baby days as much as I possibly can for I know they won't last long.

Not so fun fact: if I drink several glasses of iced tea on Sunday evening, I won't be able to get to bed until 2am which is no fun come Monday morning. :)