64

Yep...64...that's how old this awesome guy is....

I got the chance to celebrate with him last week.  Just the 2 of us, the lake, cold beers, some fried chicken, and the most gorgeous night on the lake in a long time. We each had trick sets, then idled around like we owned the place...afterall, we were the only boat out there.

 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Eating out, selfies, and sleep advice....

I have another cold...ugh.  And the flip flop weather isn't helping.  The bad thing about this cold (or good...depending on how you think) is that it doesn't seem to get worse or better...just lingers.  It's mainly sinus pressure (runny nose, painful face, headache...). I guess it could be worse, so I'll keep loading up on drugs......does anyone know a good pharmacist?!?!

Needless to say, we didn't do anything too special this weekend.  Brent had to work Saturday, so Emma and I ran errands during the day together.  That night, Brent and I dropped Emma off at my parents for an early drink and appetizer "adult" time.  We decided to try out Top of the Hill's Back Bar, since we had seen it on Flavor, NC (I love PBS local tv!).  I had one of the best bloody mary's ever, and Brent tried their beer and some other sort of whiskey drink.  We had the place to ourselves (because NO ONE goes to bars before 8pm and NO ONE was in downtown Chapel Hill this weekend).  We also played pool - sort of.....neither one of us is very good.  But we had a great time just being together.  We rarely go out just the 2 of us, so we are trying to make it more of a habit.

Sundays are always full days with church, but we decided to try out a new pizza place we noticed in downtown Chapel Hill that evening.  It was absolutely gorgeous outside, and we loved it.  We sat in the fancy seats, and Emma loved it. She did much better that if we were to be at a traditional table and chairs. Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom is awesome, and we can't wait to go there again!

The obligatory mommy-daughter selfies!

Afterwards, we headed to get some froyo.......

I love the way Emma is so content on dad's shoulders....I think she would stay there for miles if we tried.

We had a great time being together as a family.  I feel so blessed that we can enjoy this time together and that Emma is such a sweet natured toddler.  I am hoping the terrible two's decide to skip over us...... (wishful thinking???)

On a side note...Emma is having a really hard time winding down in her crib lately.  She doesn't cry or call for us (thank you, Lord!), but she will play and sit up and climb all around with her stuffed animals for over an hour.  This just started in the past week.  I have started going in there once and tucking in her again and telling her it's night-night time.  I guess since she is not crying or having a tantrum, I shouldn't really complain, but it's nerve-wracking going to sleep before your toddler is.  Also, we can't really let her sleep in the next day, since we both have to go to work.  This morning, I didn't get to see her because I had to leave and she wasn't up yet (cue the tears).  We have tried watching TV to wind down, reading books (the normal routine), and even letting her stay up later to see if that wears her down.  She still naps about 2 hours a day, and if she doesn't, she's a bit cranky all afternoon. Any suggestions?  Should I even be complaining (I know other parents out there have it FAR worse...)  Hopefully, I will be working less in the next month (yippee) and this won't be much of an issue.  But feel free to leave your two cents here!

Holiday and the start of Summer

We didn't have any special plans for Memorial Day weekend..which disappointed me because I LOVE going to the beach, but I was also glad to have a few days at home to hang out and get some things done!  Here's a snapshot of our week:)

I had Emma's Parent-Teacher conference earlier in the week, and we celebrated the "good report" with Menchies.  Many of you remember that I was really worried about Emma's speech a few months ago. She is really coming along and talking up a storm!  She is repeating everything (so I guess my sailor talk will have to go!), and saying simple phrases.  She's even connecting names with nouns now...the English major in me is so proud:)

One evening, it was beautiful out, so we snuck in some selfies:)

Emma is also learning how to stack and organize, and cleans up well too (thank you daycare!!).  Here, she stacked her playdoh, then knocked it over!  

I asked her to smile and say "cheese," and this is what I got - too cute!

We started off Memorial day weekend with a good laugh - my awesome husband got Emma dressed for the day...

After a change of clothes (on correctly, I might add), Emma and I headed over to Fridays on the Front Porch with some friends.  I thought it would be a calm evening, but it seems like NO ONE in Chapel Hill went out of town for the holiday. It was crazy packed.  I was supposed to meet some friends there, but there was no way I would ever find them.

I love her face int this one...I feel so loved:)

"Mommy! You need your face wiped!"

Saturday was gorgeous, and it wouldn't be a holiday weekend without a trip to Jordan Lake!  I got to ski (finally!) and we brought lunch for everyone.  It was a beautiful day - crowded - but beautiful!!  Emma didn't want to get in the water just yet, but she loved sitting on the platform!  We'll take anything!  In her defense - it was a bit chilly:)

That night, we met our good friends Justin and Cortney at Cowfish in North Hills.  It was delicious..and we always have the best time with them!

We were feeling left out because it seemed that everyone there that night was having a birthday (with the singing, gong, and lighted dessert), so we told the waiter that Justin and Cortney had just gotten back from their honeymoon (truth), so we shared a "Moose is loose" on the house:)  

 Monday was our chill day...and it was so nice to have the house clean and projects done (for now!)  My 4 day work week was much more manageable!

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!

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:)