I have been meaning to blog about all our adventures, but it kept getting pushed into the background! We have been really busy, and having lots of fun. I am getting pretty sad that this is my last full week of summer...I go back to work August 3 (but only for 3 days a week!) You know you're lazy when you complain about going back to work for only 3 days a week!
I am going to try and briefly sum up the last few weeks....it has been one of the best summers I can remember, and I have loved every minute. One of the reasons I blog is because I want to remember these moments, remember the feelings and all the little things that I know I will miss as Emma gets older. So here goes...the last few weeks....
The first week in July, I put Emma in a morning pre-school camp at Westminster. This place came highly recommended by many of my friends, and we loved it. Emma was a bit shy at first, but ended up loving it by the end of the week. The theme for her camp was "Art," which I knew Emma would love. She is always wanting to do crafts (I have NO idea where she gets that from!) I enjoyed a few hours to myself while she was there, and if my job situation ever changed, I would certainly put Emma in pre-school here. I loved all the people, children, and teachers!
I signed her up for lunch bunch for a few days, so we HAD to go to Pottery Barn and pick out a lunch box. I love, love back to school stuff...and I will really look forward to doing this with Emma in the coming years.
We discovered Crayola colored bath fizzies in the dollar section of Target. Emma is not a huge fan of the bath - she's fine once she gets in there, but convincing her to take one takes some bribing sometimes. These tablets dissolve and make the bath water tinted...Emma loves it, and I can save some bribe energy for other things (like getting her to go to bed...!)
Here is Emma on the last day of camp...with her backpack and lunchbox. She wasn't in the mood for a picture, but I had to document it.
We're still hamming it up in the driveway, waiting for daddy.....or neighbors to get home and play!
The second weekend in July, we packed up and left for the lake. Emma and I rode down with my parents, and Brent joined us early the next morning. Our lake was hosting the NC State Championships, and it was a blast.
Emma and I holding the fort down in the backseat....and thank God for these earphones!
The Beaver Lake girls at the banquet...some of the best women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing!!
I skied fairly well....given the fact that I have a child, live over 2 hours away from my training site, and took almost 3 years off. I have learned that it's not the amount of time on the water, but really how you spend the time there. I have to make it fun, because I'm not at a place in my life where I can compete like I used to...and that's ok. One day, I will be there, just not now. Most women stop skiing once they get married, or when they have kids....so I am proud to still be out there!
My dad gave the devotion Sunday morning...and it was awesome. I took this picture from the tower, but forgot to get a view of the people behind me...
The States weekend was one of the best weekends I have had in a long, long time. I skied well, and the whole family had a great time. I didn't take nearly enough pictures...but I've heard that no pictures is a true sign of a good time...so I'm holding on to that!
Emma and I have become so much closer this summer. She's always been a daddy's girl...what girl isn't, right? But I have noticed such a change, and I love that she's my little buddy. She loves to help me run errands, eat/drink whatever I have (including iced mochas!), and snuggle with me. Sometimes, I get her settled on the couch for down time and some TV, and she'll get up a few minutes later, upset saying "I want you, mommy." I normally try and get some cleaning done while she relaxes, but lately she'll want me to sit with her. Since she doesn't nap, this can be frustrating, but I remind myself that it won't last for long and she'll be yelling at me to get away...
We had out 3 year appointment in July (a bit late), but our regular doctor is out of the country for the summer...so we had to reschedule and it took longer. Despite the next picture, Emma really did do awesome! This year, she had an eye and ear check.
She had a perfect check-up - no shots, and no problems! She has finally made it over the 30 pound mark...at 30.6! She's also in the 60th percentile for height...not sure where she gets that from though.
I took her to Kidzu after her appt. for some fun. We had never been to the new location...so we were excited to check it out.
There was also a pop-up Maple View ice cream stand there, so we took a break for some Chickfila and ice cream.
Then went back in for some gymnastics:)
And of course, we have to stop at the 25 cent toy machines..
One of the reasons we've been so busy is because of the below picture.....
Brent has been building a storage shed/workshop in our side yard and any of his spare time has been used getting it built. I will do a separate post on that later...but here are some pics from last week.
I did make Brent stop working a few days so we could do fun things. We met some friends for Fridays on the Front Porch at Carolina Inn. It was okay....I say okay, because it has gotten so crowded, and they don't have food anymore. They have 2 food trucks, but they're not as kid friendly. The bar is also being renovated, so you can't get inside as easy, and the lines for drink tickets were super long. (Wahhh...cry me a river, right?!) We might try it again, but we ended up leaving with our friends to grab some dinner at Old Chicago. We had a blast eating, drinking, laughing, and chasing Emma around outside.
One of the things Emma's doctor noticed at her check-up was her belly button. I've always noticed that she has an "outey" and I've hoped it would go in so she's not a teenager with a pokey belly button:) But I've also noticed she plays with it a lot...pinches it and grabs it. The doctor noticed it right away and referred me to UNC Surgeons for a possible hernia. So we went to UNC Hospital the following week for a consultation.
Again, Emma did awesome. I can't say enough good things about her behavior. Here, the nurse is taking her blood pressure, and puppy's:)
The PA and Surgeon both agreed that Emma has a defect and will need surgery to fix the hernia. Thankfully, they wanted to wait until next year or later. So, I have a year to prepare myself for a minor, routine surgery (but it might as well rip my heart out because I can't stand anything happening to my baby)
We met Brent at the mall one night while he got his hair cut, and I let Emma play in J. Crew. I don't know many of the people that work there anymore, but I at least know where things go when Emma gets them all off the shelf. They sell Crewcuts now, and I might have to get back and drop $20 on these absolutely adorable sunglasses....right?!?!?
Last week, I finally went and picked up Emma's birth certificate. Yes, 3 year later. We made a day of it, and ate lunch and made a quick Vietri outlet trip.
Another favorite place is the mall. I love to take Emma to Barnes and Noble to look at books, or play with the Lego table.
Emma's also a very good mommy. She loves to take her baby everywhere, and she's really good at making sure baby has her bottle:)
This is what our outings look like...but normally, I end up holding baby and her stuff once we get in the store...which can get some pretty interesting looks from other shoppers. At least once a week, I have someone (usually an older lady) come up and tell me she thought the baby doll was real....
I have a lot more pictures, but I'll save it for another post...because I know this has gotten out of control! This is my last week with Emma all to myself, and I am super sad. We have had a blast, and I have been much more centered. It is hard to try and compartmentalize all the parts of your life - and working just adds to the confusion. Trying to switch from mommy to employee several times in a day is extremely difficult...and I'm never really not a mom. I'm always thinking about Emma and she's always my top priority. I hope that I can make the change back to working (again...only part time) smoothly. I hope my stress level is just as low, and my role at home is compromised. I have loved every minute of being a stay at home mom the past 2 months. It has been such a blessing and I feel incredible lucky to be able to do it, and still live comfortably.
So, here's to my last week with this munchkin!! And if you made it through this whole post, then go grab yourself a drink - phew!!!!! Happy last week of July, everyone!
