The everyday....

I feel like this blog does a great job of capturing BIG moments in our lives, but I was thinking yesterday, how I really don't want to forget the everyday, little moments that make up our life.  SO, before I forget, I just want to capture a glimpse of what our days look like lately:)

On days when I am off, Emma gets up around 7:45.  We head downstairs in our pjs and watch Olivia.  We don't watch much else in this house, and thank God it comes on twice a day on NickJR so I can DVR it.  So far, I haven't seen the saem episode twice.  Emma request pancakes for breakfast, everyday.  I heat up some frozen dollar size pancakes (yes, FROZEN, not from scratch...who are you people that make homemade pancakes every morning?!?!)  I also pour some maple syrup in a tiny dish for her to dunk them in.  It's her favorite part.  I also try and sneak in some fruit - like blueberries on the side or a banana.  She sits on the couch, eats, and watches her show.  I usually am cleaning in the kitchen, or sitting down with coffee checking email or browsing the Ipad.

If we go anywhere, it's a battle to get her dressed.  She wants to stay in her pj's all day long.  She HATES getting dressed and it is such a challenge.  I normally have to bribe her with all kinds of things, and now thank I think of it, I am not even sure that works!  As soon as we get in the car (about 2 hours later), I play the Frozen soundtrack for her and she sings.  I don't mind, because honestly, at this point, whatevs.  Our normal outings are usually PopUp workout, Walmart or Target, or a visit to Grandpa and Gramma's.

When we get together with friends, Emma is normally shy for about 25 minutes, then she warms up and wants to play by herself.  Here she is with Colby, and I was so proud of Emma for playing all by herself upstairs without us.  There were about 5 other rowdy (older) boys in the next room, so you can imagine why she might not want to:)  I think their faces in these pictures are too sweet.  

Potty training is still going really, really well.  She has only peed in her pull up twice since the weekend.  She is telling me when she needs to go and holding it before we get to the bathroom (something I can barely do sometimes!).  Going out in public has been scary (for me), and I loathe public bathrooms.  I don't mind them for myself because I DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING.  But girls, they have to.  They have to hold on to the toilet or they'll fall in.  TMI?  Well, the truth hurts.  I wonder how Emma would do with plastic gloves on????

We are still wearing a diaper at night, and she is pooping once a day in her pull up.  She used to go twice or more, so I am hoping she is regulating herself now.  

Here she is below, on the pot, eating a cookie.  The girl can multi-task!

In the late afternoon, early evening, we usually sit down together for a snack.  We do this whether I have worked that day or not.  Of course, Olivia is usually on the TV, and we sit together at our coffee table.

Dinner time can be a challenge, some days.  Emma has dropped her nap, which means she can get cranky in the evening, and she definitely needs to get in bed by 7:30.  Brent doesn't get home until 6:45, so that only leaves about 45 minutes to hang out, eat dinner, get jammies on, read books, etc...  I have started giving Emma her dinner early, and then having Brent and I's dinner ready for when he gets home.  I am hoping this phase gets easier, because it is a bit of a juggle right now.

Typically, Emma does not eat all of what I am serving for the adults.  

But here are the things she normally will eat:

chicken nuggets

mac n' cheese

peas, carrots, corn

baked beans

pb and j

canadian bacon

eggs, quiche

yogurt

fruit

any kind of pasta

tomatoes

Surprisingly, she does like my homemade bread and soups.  She has also been known to eat smoked salmon and shrimp....

Our nighttime ritual is the same pretty much each night.  We get our jammies on, and sometimes we let her watch some Olivia before heading up. (we watch A LOT of Olivia around here)  We brush teeth, and pick out a few books.  Emma always wants "all of them" to read, but we try to stick to 3-4.  We then read out of her Prayer book - it has a devotion and verse for kids on each page.  Then we turn out the lights, tuck her in, and turn on her fan and sound machine.  We then sing songs to her - ABCD, Jesus Loves Me, Away in a Manger, Itsy Bitsy, etc...  For some reason, this helps her wind down even more and there's no way we are getting out of her room without it.  Brent normally walks out before me and I sneak in another hug and kiss.  I also kiss her baby and Bell, the stuffed animal.  Then I say "Sweet dreams, baby" and Emma will usually respond back with the same or say "otay mommy, otay."  It warms my heart to have this ritual and I love how grown she is getting.  When they can start saying "I love you" back, it makes the whole world better.  Being a mom is hard, and I learn something new everyday.  I am not perfect at all, but I am enjoying every second and trying to soak in everything -the good, bad, normal, and crazy!!