Weekend & Sunshine
Oh what a weekend it was. We had sunshine and warmer weather. Hallelujah.
Sunday we packed up and went to Kinder Farm Park, where Hubster did some blacksmithing, and Emmie and I wandered between petting goats, soaking up sun, having snacks and running around a huge playground. Side note, you know you’re experiencing a parenting win when the statement ,”Do you want me to hold your carrot so you can go play?” is answered with a clear, “NO.” The carrot was eaten in its entirety before playing ensued. #parentingwin
Emerson even got to feed a goat, and she was in heaven. She would have gathered grass all day for that goat if I let her. She would pull up handfuls of grass and squat in front of the goat and present her offerings. Speaking of goats, she even got to hug a baby goat! Talk about cuteness overload. Everyone was so paralyzed by the cuteness (there was even a collective parent “awww”) that no pictures were taken.
Other weekend activities included, reading library books, playing games with friends, drinking lots of wine, and ending with some spring breezes floating through open windows. I hope your weekend was equally wonderful!
Big Girl Room Inspiration
With Emerson learning how to crawl out of her crib, we’ve started the transition to a toddler bed by moving her mattress on the floor. We plan on disassembling the crib this weekend. With the crib gone, I’ve been day dreaming about updating her space into her very own “Big Girl” room. Since we’re not certain if we’re moving soon or not, we’re holding off on any major changes for now. But that doesn’t stop me from gathering things as inspiration. I’d like to keep her curtains, so I’ll be using a color scheme that reflects throughout her curtains: corals, rich burgundy, cream, dusty rose, gold and a light green.
Phone Life
This is our life lately, according to our phones:
Little Things
Hi Emerson,
It’s been a while since I’ve written down all the little things you’ve been doing lately. Time has been flying by now that you’re a toddler tornado. Here are some little things we’re enjoying these chilly fall days:
1. Your first word! It’s official, you finally have a first word at 16 months you decided you’d learn how to say “Up.” It’s fitting since you love to be lugged everywhere. Especially when you are feeling clingy to your Mommy. “Up. Up… UP!” It’s been a great teaching experience as we remind you of your manners and now you say, “Up!” followed by signing please. You are also now saying “Dada.”
During one nap time I told you that Mommy was not coming back in to give you Lovie if you chucked her out of your crib again. I left, and of course, being the defiant toddler that you are, threw Lovie right over the side. Knowing I wasn’t coming back in, you paused and looked at the door and started to yell, “DADA?!” “Dadaaaaa??” Asking if Daddy could come in and give you Lovie again. You sure are a sassy little girl.
2. Paci Obsessed! I’m not sure when this happened, but for some reason you have become obsessed with your pacifiers. We plan on weaning you off them in the upcoming new year after we’re done with traveling, but man oh man, is it going to be a battle. You’ve even made up your own sign for paci. You cry, throw fits, and beg for a paci anytime we’re upstairs.
3. Helping. You want to help with everything. I mean, everything. Cooking, cleaning, folding laundry, entertaining the baby when he’s over, throwing away trash, unloading the dishes… it doesn’t matter. If I’m doing something you want to be doing it too. We’ve started cooking together, and you love it! I let you “chop” avocados with a butter knife, and the sheer concentration on your face is priceless! You like when we bake the best, since there’s usually a lot of scooping flour involved, which just so happens to be one of your favorite activities.
4.Oliver. You continue to love on Oliver, even more so these days. You give him great big, wrap-your-arms-around-his-neck style hugs, throw-yourself-on-his-back style hugs and hold-onto-dear-life-while-he-runs-away hugs. You pat his back, scratch his hiney, and love to throw his ball for him. You pick out his bones and deliver them to him. You help scoop his food and put it in his bowl. You really love Oliver, so much so, that we’ve now have a problem with you sneaking him your snacks! You’ll go over and slyly hand him a goldfish when you think we’re not looking. You break out in a big grin when he eats it.
5. Swim Class. Ever since we returned from Florida you have been loving swim class! This past time you were kicking with all your might, jumping off the side, and going under water like a champ. You didn’t cry once, and you were nothing but smiles and laughter the whole time. You even started putting your ears in the water, and blowing bubbles. You continue your love of water at home by being obsessive about the bathtub. You could spend all day in there if I let you.
Phone Life
October officially ran away from me. I have no idea where the time went. The week before Halloween I discovered that I only had 5 days to whip together Emmie’s costume! And then just like that, BOOM, November. Now ’tis the season, as told by every single store you visit. Christmas paraphernalia accosts you as soon as you step through the automatic doors. All things red, white and doused in glitter. Aye aye aye.
Well, this was October according to my phone:
PS: No babies had any shandy in the making of these picture.
PPS: Can we talk about the perfect ballet pose Emerson is exhibiting as she gears up to throw a ball? Good form girlfriend!
Halloween Fun
My big plans for a family costume fell short as October really got away from me. At least Emerson had her full getup. She went as “Toothless,” from How to Train Your Dragon. We planned on taking a family walk around dusk to see the early trick-or -treaters and maybe stop by a house or two to show Emmie the ins and outs of trick-or-treating.
Well, this girl catches on quick. After watching a few of the big kids, she marched right up with her bucket, patiently waited, reached in grabbed a candy, and put it in her bucket. What?! Everyone, “Ooohed,” and “Awwwed” all night over this little spitfire running up their walkways. We thought she’d be over it in 5 minutes, but oh nay nay! This girl went trick-or-treating for close to an hour. An hour!
She was literally running from house to house, skipping the ones she felt unworthy, and a couple of times tried to sneak more than one piece of candy. She not only would walk up to the doors and wait patiently for a treat bowl, but she also performed thorough inspections of any and all Halloween yard decorations. If a house had a dog outside as a candy helper, she made sure to pet the dog first, and some houses she skipped the treat in favor of dog kisses. Emmie is certainly her father’s daughter.
Some of the houses I thought would have been too scary for her she ended up investigating the most. Strobe lights, freaky electronic skeletons, a blacked out costume with nothing but a few glow sticks… this girl took it all in stride. We were flabbergasted. The little pink makeshift bucket we brought was filled to the brim in no time.
I think it’s safe to say our girl loved her first trick-or-treating experience, cold and all!
Snoozing & Snuggles
We have come down with our first cold of the season. A little hoarse, a runny nose, and the saddest little cough you ever did hear, which ends in the softest little cry. Actually, let me back up. I don’t think we all have a cold. Emerson caught a virus and now has croup – as self-diagnosed by me.
Yesterday’s weather fit our moods perfectly: rainy, grey & moody. We hunkered down inside while we sipped juice, watched Peppa Pig, and had a mess of a time cuddling. Have you ever had a snotty toddler demand you give her a kiss? Ummm… thanks, but no thanks?
Anyway, today you can find us cuddling on the couch, sitting in a steamy bathroom or quietly reading our books while our bodies fight to get back in tip top shape. The hubster is also feeling a little under the weather, and me? Well, I’ve been so incredibly congested anyway that I honestly can’t even tell if I’m sick with a cold or not. *shrug* I’m just gonna keep on chuggin’ along.
Playground Hopping
One of these past fall days was utterly gorgeous. While we had errands to run in the morning, I made sure to whisk us off to the zoo after her nap. Unfortunately, Claire-bear and I arrived with only twenty minutes of zoo time, so instead of taking 15 minutes to walk to the animal section, we decided to use all twenty minutes and play on the zoo’s playground instead.
When the 4 o’clock shuffle came, and everyone was politely escorted out, I just couldn’t bear to go home just yet. One Cliff bar later, which Emerson quickly decided we weren’t sharing, and a quick text to the hubster to see if he wanted to grab an early dinner, we packed up into the car for a super quick drive to a playground at the surrounding park.
We climbed, slid, and even attempted monkey bars once or twice. The air was warm and sweet, with just enough of a breeze to remind you it isn’t summer anymore. The sky was bathed in a golden light that the evening autumn sun brings.
When we had to leave the current playground, we were still waiting on a reply text to confirm plans. Not ready to give up on the dream I had whipped up 60 minutes prior, we headed to, you guessed it, another playground. This one was within walking distance to campus. We ran, jumped and climbed as we patiently awaited dinner confirmation.
Three playgrounds and two hours later, we finally got in touch with the Hubby. When all was said and done, dinner plans were just not going to work out. Emerson and I packed up and headed home.
Even though the afternoon did not pan out anything like I imagined, it helped me realize that sometimes the best days are the ones that don’t go according to plan.
Little Things
A little love, a few flowers, a hug, a simple thank you or act of kindness can certainly go a long way. Here are the little things I’m enjoying lately.
1. Fresh flowers. I’m a sucker for fresh flowers. I recently spoiled myself and grabbed a bouquet for 3.99 when we ran to Trader Joe’s for some frozen goods. I split the bouquet for 3 vases and snipped some greenery off of our front bushes to help fill out the thinned bouquet. I’m not sure what it is about them, but they put a smile on my face every time I see them.
2. Free flowers: And just when you thought there was nothing that could beat fresh flowers? Free fresh flowers. The lot behind our house is a crummy garage that gets frequently overgrown. However, the other day I noticed these awesome flowers springing up. I went out there armed with my scissors and went to town. The icing on the cake? When I put them on the dresser I was so aghast with the state of the dresser top that I felt the dresser was unworthy of receiving the flowers. You better believe I cleaned that shit up. Now, not only do I have fresh flowers in the bedroom, but the bedroom is now clean! The gift that keeps on giving.
3. My little engineer. This girl and her alarming new ways to scale the furniture. Emmie’s always been a fan of being on the couch, but luckily was too short to climb up herself. Well, she’s still too short, but her smarts make up for the height she lacks. She’ll push, carry, tug anything over to the couch and test it out to see if it can be used to scale on up. This usually happens in less than a minute. While part of me is terrified, it’s pushed aside as the proud Momma barges through. My Claire-bear thinking through problems and finding creative solutions, and not giving up when one doesn’t work? Yup, I’ve got Proud Momma Syndrome.
4. The “Mama” stage. Boo boos? Mommy’s hugs are best. Hungry? Mama’s snack is delicious. Woke up cranky? Momma snuggles fix that. Need a midnight snuggle? Only Mom will do. Mother dearest is cooking and can’t pick you up? Mom leaves you with Dad to go upstairs to get dressed? End of the world. Yes, we are certainly in a Mama stage. I’ll take my extra snuggles while I can.
5. Konmari-ing my clothes. I just finished this book, and finished tidying up my clothes in the method she describes. Afterwards, I finalized my capsule wardrobe. Just looking at my closet brings me inner peace. I’m finally excited to get dressed in the mornings.
6. Random kindness. Emerson and I were enjoying a Starbucks treat, people watching, when an expectant mother was experience some cart malfunctions. She had her toddler in the seat, with some cases of water underneath, and a couple of big plastic bins in the back. Well, one little bump and everything went wrong all at once. Water fell off, bins and other items fell overboard and toddler started crying. Two different gentlemen ran over and immediately started picking things up. One carried the bins and one pushed the cart, all the way to her car and helped her load it up while she consoled the crying boy. Moments like this restore my faith in humanity. They didn’t know each other, but those men didn’t even think twice about sacrificing their time to help someone in need out. While it’s easy to get caught up in all that is wrong in the world, moments like this one remind me that there is still so much love, so much kindness, to give and receive.
Autumn Light
We turned on the lights, and closed the blinds for the evening. The darkness outside seemed to accentuate the tiredness of my body. Warm thoughts of curling up in cozy PJ’s, resting after a long day, crept into my head. A simple glance at the clock… what the… it was only 7pm. I still had at least two more hours before my husband would deem it appropriate to go to bed.
One of the things most taken for granted in the warm summer months is that precious extra light. As the earth starts to tilt on her axis, and the sun’s ray fall short upon us, I’m reminded of that extraordinary gift. While the sun is starting to retire earlier these days, we’re still trying to soak up as much of it as we can.
Afternoons are filled with a golden glow that you can only find this time of year. Sweet, warm breezes turn crisp and earthy. Short sleeves are traded for long ones, and sweaters are donned. The choir of cicadas is traded for the rhythmic crunch of leaves underfoot.
Fall is indeed in full swing, and you know what? I couldn’t be happier. While my fingers may start feeling cold, my heart will still be warmed by Autumn’s light, and that’s enough for me.
