Thursday, May 22, 2014

Introducing...Miss Emma!

Let me introduce you to Miss Emma Stiles - 23 months of sweet smiles and warm snuggles.  This girl steals our hearts daily, and we couldn't be more thankful for her.

I realized I had not done a post on Emma and all the wonderful things she is doing and learning lately.  I feel like the last 2 weeks have been huge periods of growth for her.  She is showing us everyday how smart she is, and saying lots of new words and phrases.

We will have official stats when we go for our 24 month appointment next month, but here are a few:

Diapers - size 5...and showing more and more interest in the potty.  She is now telling us when she "goes" in the diaper...I'm guessing that's a key sign I should start???

Clothes - wearing 12 month or 18 month on the bottom, 2T on top.

Shoes - size 5 - Emma loves her Cienta and Tsukihoshi shoes.

Sleeping - She naps for about 2 hours everyday, then goes down around 8pm and gets up at 7:30am.  She loves to be tucked in at night with 2 of her favorite blankets.  She also dislikes her pillow in the crib, and always throws it on top of her or down by her feet (haven't quite mastered the use for it yet!). She has not shown any signs of climbing out of the crib, so for now, she is staying put.


Here are some of Emma's favorite things.....

Timmy Time is one of her favorite shows...probably the only one she really gets into, and one that Brent and I can tolerate.  I find myself getting into it...which horrifies me.  But, it is kinda cute and educational.  It comes on Disney JR at 7am, so we tape it (everyday) and watch some in the AM and some before bed.


Emma could love off these fruit snacks...she wants them all the time and sometimes refuses to eat anything else.  She gets most of her nutrition from school - where she eats hummus, vegetables, etc...  She is a great eater there, but has not shown a ton of interest in eating at home.  I mean, she DOES eat...just out of necessity.  She also likes scrambled eggs and juice boxes.  I love to hear her say "Ju bok."  


Emma also loves "aht" - her version of ART.  She loves to color with crayons, markers, and now paint.  We are busy learning our colors too...so far, everything is "lellow" (yellow)...






BUBBLES - she loves bubbles...but I need to find a better bubble mix and/or machine to blow them for me.

WALKS with animals - she loves to take her babydoll or stuffed animals for walks in her bike, or the small stroller.  Most evenings, I am found walking down the street with a glass of wine in my hand and Emma as pictured below....






"wheelie!!!"

ANIMALS - this girl loves animals - all kinds.  When we read in books, and come across a frog, cat, butterfly, whatever...she repeats the name then leans into the book to give it a kiss.  She loves all of them.  She loves to hug our cats - more Swerve than Sunny...partly because he is more tolerant than she is.  She can spot a dog a mile away, and the same thing for birds now.  This caring personality is really heartwarming:)


Brent and I feel so blessed to call Emma "ours."  She is growing into such a sweet, caring, silly, and thoughtful little girl.  I cannot wait to spend this long weekend with her!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Mother's Day weekend

I had been a little under the weather around here - summer colds really stink!  Thankfully, no one else has really gotten this week+ long cold.....and I am almost 100% better!

It started Mother's Day (hooray), so I felt pretty crummy all day.  But...it was a great excuse to have Brent wait on me hand and foot (like he would have done it anyway for my special day!)

Like any true adult, all I really wanted for Mother's Day were practical things - like plants, organization, and hugs, of course.

Friday, Emma's school was having a Mother's Day Tea Party.........so of course, we took some selfies to commemorate the occasion.



"Mom, stop it!  You're embarassing me!"








We were also getting a little frazzled waiting for daddy to come home from work.......





Saturday, we went to Lowe's, and Emma had a blast.  It's funny how certain places can entertain this girl way longer than any toy we've ever bought!




We got to work planting, with a little help from this diva..

I have no idea where she gets this face from!



or this one......

almost done...my border plants
 One of my other presents for Mother's Day was a day trip (sans Emma) to Ikea.  I had been wanting to go there for awhile, and we had picked out some things we were needing for the house.  Despite feeling awful, we went anyway.  When you get a chance to go, you gotta take it!  




Ikea selfie!  Can you tell I am soooo stuffed up here?  I even look puffy!

Some of our loot!  I had been wanting a dresser for awhile.  We have always had large, tall wardrobes in our bedroom and I really wanted something smaller...and more decoration friendly ( so I could pile more stuff on top and pretend it's decor)!  I would love to have something antique and super-nice, but with the pets and Emma...I know it would get ruined right away.   We actually scored big time on this dresser - it was a display without any defects that was marked down even more than the outrageously low price to begin with - AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TO PUT IT TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Our cart....which I now wish we would have filled up more!  I am already thinking of another trip!  I couldn't believe how inexpensive things were there...and the quality was not bad.  The kid's stuff was amazing - and seriously...who pays a ton for kid's things??  Are there kids out there that care?  And more importantly...have they invented kids who don't destruct nowadays??


We couldn't go by Lexington, NC without a stop at my favorite BBQ!!!  We even got some to take home! (Sorry the pic is bad...the other attempts are even worse... do you think my man needs a haircut or what?!)

One of Emma's Ikea toys - $10, but priceless entertainment!




My sweet girl



And of course, I can't leave out a picture of my mother for this post.  I am so thankful for her friendship and blessed to see it continue to grow stronger as we get older.  I love you, mom:)





Friday, May 16, 2014

Derby wedding and trip to the rivah

A few weekends ago, we headed to Washington to our dear friends' - Justin and Cortney - wedding.  Justin is Brent's oldest friends and we are soo happy to for them.  They have a sweet son names Eli, who Emma loves, and I foresee many great memories for this next generation:)


We stayed in Bath at my sister-in-laws house.  She lives on Bath Creek....and we LOVE being out on her pier.

Brent and Justin at the rehearsal dinner.

Meanwhile - Emma's entertainment for the weekend -Audrey and Grace!

While Brent was doing groomsman things Saturday, I took Emma to the ballpark to watch her cousins play.  She quickly found a playground and got to work.

She also wore herself out on the trampoline her cousins have.  


LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a country drive in eastern NC.....how could you not??????

I can't get over how grown Emma looks here....

not a bad view....Emma will have to learn how to enjoy wearing her life-jacket if she wants to go out there again!

Sadly, we didn't get many good pictures at the wedding.

Our friend, who took this picture, claimed it was a "good'un" LIE.

Dan, Brent, and Marcus - some of our dearest friends:)  We always have the best time when we get to see them and their wives (below).

I love these 2 women - Jenny and Lilly.  Sometimes I wish we lived closer and could hang out with them more:(


Justin's quite the dancer....

and I have videos to prove it if I ever need to blackmail him:)


Cortney looked awesome (as always - she's always so stunning!)
 We had a great time celebrating, and it was so fun to catch up with our Washington friends and family!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Mornings at the park...

I am finally getting some pictures downloaded from my "real" camera to my computer.  These are a few weeks late....and it was a cold morning which just makes me cringe since it's finally warm and nice outside....but cute nonetheless.  One thing we love to do together is walk to the park on the weekends.  As working parents, we don't get to experience all of Emma's new moments with her.  So we revel in any chance we get to be with her trying new things.  Emma is now a park professional and loves to do down the big slides by herself.

I am really looking forward to spending more time with Emma soon.  Work has been busy and we have had so many other things going on during weekends.  Now that it is summer, I am making family more of a priority.  As everyone tells you, these days won't last long.