September 13, 2011

And THREE makes FIVE!

Loving the thought of being a family of five.  It's had a few weeks to sink in, and I'm overwhelmed at the giver of life.  How he creates tiny, little people never ceases to blow. my. mind.  I will never forget seeing baby three for the first time weeks ago... his/her little heartbeat pulsing in a way that overpowered the entire view of his/her body.  Baby was blinking like a strobe light!  I'm told he/she was just a tad bigger than a poppy seed during this photo, and if a heartbeat on a poppy seed doesn't turn your mind to a very intelligent Creator, I'm not sure what could.  Baby is "scheduled" (whatever that means) to arrive 4/7/12, so we have some time to get ready for this new little person.  :)  This little baby is loved, and we can't wait to welcome a new member to our family.  

September 8, 2011

Em's Update

It's been too long.  This is what I hate about falling out of the blogging routine- NO UPDATES on my girls' growth and changing...  I know, my own fault.  Emily is going on 16 months, so here is a little update on my spunky Emmie-girl.  

* Poor thing has been cutting two molars for weeks now.  They don't. seem. to. be. moving.  I feel so badly.  Another bottom tooth has cut, so she now has four top, four bottom & two almost-cut-molars on top.  Teeth seemed to be "manageable" in the past, but these molars seem to make her kind of cranky.  I feel so badly for her, but if she's distracted, she's happy.  I love how big her teeth seem right now :)

* Emily is NOT my talker.  She loves to jabber & chit-chat about anything, but she will not win any awards yet for vocab!  She randomly pointed to a "doggy!" in a book tonight, and Elyse and I about had a cow.  Seriously, she would rather crawl around the house saying "Daddy!" than try to say "milk" or "cow."  It's funny.  She loves to point at the ceiling, cock her head, and just start muttering with her eyebrows raised.  It's awesome.

* Em loves lights, candles, the sun, the moon.... anything bright.  She will point out any sun or moon in any book and say "Su" with excitement.  She specializes in pulling out her hair clips, finding her belly button & picking lint out of the hole in our couch.  She loves to get herself into trouble & always sports the best look of innocence.  I admit, it's hard not to laugh every time I call her name in "warning" and she crawls away from me at break-neck speed!
* She loves her daddy.  She lights up every morning when he walks into their room, & she yells "Daddy!" at the top of her lungs.  I must say, it's adorable.  She's very affectionate and will crawl over just to give a kiss or a hug.  She signs thank you often without prompting, but it's actually a kiss as she smacks her mouth :)  I love it!  She loves to try to get laughs out of us three (not a difficult task).

* Em still loves cruising around.  She has a little shopping cart that she uses to walk around, and though I've seen her stand on her own a couple of times, she will NOT perform for me :)

* I think she's getting closer to dropping her morning nap.  A catnap is still enough to keep her afternoon nap normal, but we have a lot of work to do in teaching her not to goof-off during nap time.  Seriously, she is a goober when Elyse is in there.  Sometimes I can almost see Elyse's frustration in her eyes... though she's usually giggling quietly at Em's antics.  Em loves to flop around her crib like a fish.  The other evening, the girls had been in bed for about 15 minutes when Emily started screaming at the top of her lungs. I rush in there to see her sitting in the middle of her crib, sitting up with a blanket over her head.  I pulled the blanket off, she flopped down and fell asleep.
* Em loves to eat!  She's doing well with her spoon & fork (It's only taken MONTHS of practice!) for the most part, but she still resorts to grabbing her yogurt with her fist every once in a while.  She does not like eggs most days, but that's all I can think of on her dislike list.  She still inhales bananas, and she gets so excited about yogurt & applesauce.  Oh, and anything sweet :)
Here are my current fun's and not-so-fun's for this age:

fun's:

* I just love her crazy hair that falls in her face.  I admit, sometimes it's a source of frustration, but it's so funny.  Watching her wipe it out of her face is just hysterical.
* She has a great sense of humor.  You can see it in her eyes & in every expression she makes!
* I love getting her slobbery kisses & big hugs.
* I love hearing "Mommy."
* I love how Emily loves to "read" her books & locate the celestial bodies of light.
* Em loves laughing at Elyse... we all play, and I feel 2 years old again.
* I love her face when I sit down on the floor with her to play.  She gets more excited than if I had given her 30 toys!
* I love the way she sleeps.. usually sprawled out on her side- legs and arms parallel, hair sprawled out over the sheet.
* I love watching her roam around the kitchen as I cook.  She'll usually find one toy to throw across the floor, chase down, and throw again.
* She loves playing peek-a-boo still, but she still smashes her face so hard!
* When I ask her where her cheeks are, she frames her cheeks with her hands and gives me a great, big cheesy smile :)
not-so-fun's:

* She has a very hard time letting go of things she shouldn't have :)  VERY. HARD. TIME.
* She is persistent.  SO STUBBORN.  It's a great reminder of my own weaknesses.
* Emily has found her nostrils.  You get my drift.  I had to scold her last month for having a bad attitude (aka. yelling in her high chair over a snack she didn't want), and when I finished, she stopped screaming, stared me down, and rammed her index finger up her nose.  She held it like that for a good while, actually!  It was everything in me not to roll on the floor laughing.  I can't believe my 15-month old gave me the finger.  Jordan and I have been laughing about that ever since.  The thing is, she does it often enough to reassure me that she knows exactly what she's doing :)
* She loves showing off so much for Elyse, that she often just loses herself in doing horrible things.  It's rough being a clown.
* She loves to drink bathwater, lick floors, chew on everything, and eat crumbs.  It's yucky.
* I'm so sad that she's getting so big!  When she's all stretched out in her crib, I'm reminded of how long she is.. how old she's looking... I miss holding my baby girl!  (So does my back :) 
Emily Mae, you are a joy.  We are reminded every day that God loves us deeply to give you to us!  We love your spunk, your sweet side, and your chubby cheeks.  Keep those kisses coming, and we'll probably forget about the messes you make.  We are enjoying watching you grow and change, but you'll always be our baby girl!  We love you!

September 6, 2011

Catch-Up

I am SO behind.  Ridiculously behind.  Here's a little update from our household.

* We vacated.  First week of August was spent with my family up in northern Minnesota at the lake.  This tradition keeps going, and I sincerely hope it never dies!  It is getting a bit tricky to get all of us actually there every year, but we're always so thankful that it happens.  The girls had so much fun with their cousins, and they both suffered from extreme grandparent spoiling :)  I'm so thankful for a wonderful family that we LOVE being with!  I am always so refreshed after an uninterrupted week with my three favorite people!


* Jordan had a big birthday :)  It was big.  It was fun.  My friend and I decided to surprise our husbands (who were only born one day apart) with a par-tay, and it happened to succeed!  We had a great time with the friends in our community group & with our local family.  I love this guy so much!  And, of course, what would a party be without a cake?


* My grandfather (on my mom's side) went to be with Jesus a couple of weeks ago.  I made the trip up be with family for the funeral, and I'm so thankful I could go.  It is never easy saying goodbye to someone you love, but there is such an amazing hope because of Christ.  Knowing he is with the God he loves is the greatest source of comfort.  It was sobering to witness the 21-gun salute he received.  I am always amazed at what an incredible sacrifice so many in our country make for our freedom.

* We survived Hurricane Irene!  I am usually known to poo-pooh hurricanes that come our way (honestly, normally they fizzle out), but this one had me a bit nervous!  We stuck it out, though, and it managed to leave us alone.  How can it be that the same God who makes a crazy storm like that love me?  Totally amazing.



* My girls are getting so big.  Elyse seems so tall and is looking very much older than three (I'm NOT ready for age 3 yet!).  Emily is a little butterball, but I know she'll work most of that off when she starts walking :)  Someday, right?  They just love each other right now, and that makes me one happy mama.  Elyse will come and ask me if Em can go with her into the bedroom, or the living room, or outside.  She's getting used to the fact that Emily totally ignores her requests :)  Poor thing.


* I'm looking forward to a calmer (perhaps?) fall and the potential it has to settle me back into a nice predictable routine.  Is that even possible?  Just curious.  I plan to try.  I hope all of you out there are well!!