Ah Yes...Busy is an understatment!

Well my precious girl is a week away from being one yr. old.  I have no clue where the time has gone?!

One thing I do know though is life has gotten beyond busy.  I think my blogging history reflects how life has speed up!  Towards the beginning I was able to blog and now well...lets just say it has been awhile.

The latest with our dear baby girl is she has been walking for quite awhile but like a light bulb on Oct. 25th she started to do it all by herself and now almost runs.  The funny thing about this is we never had a crawler until now...  She also is able to stand up with no help from mommy or other objects.  Such a smart big girl!

Her ability to comprehend words, moods, fun, and etc is off the charts.  She is becoming quite the little communicator.  She LOVES to read...yes she reads.  She grabs a book  such as "I can teach my dog a lot of words" and sits down page by page and points out balls and etc.  SO CUTE!  She loves to be read to still too.  She grabs her favorites, crawls up in our lap and would be just fine with being read to for a half hour or so.  I am so glad we started reading to her right away as part of our bedtime routine!

Currently we are getting ready for her Birthday Cupcake Bash!  Next week is her "birthday" week and I can't wait to spoil her even more! 

Ah, times up someone woke up...

10 mo. in just two more days

So much has changed since I last blogged.  Emalyn's personality is taking shape more and more each day.  Our schedule as of late is to get up eat breakfast together, go to the YMCA (she loves to socialize and I love to workout), take a nap, and that party hearty the rest of the day until she takes another quick nap around 5 p.m., eat super at 5:30 and then she is just a comedian until her bath and then bedtime.

I do have to laugh though because as soon as we have her do "daycare" (one hour a day at the Y) she comes down with a nasty cold.  Ah well, as my brother says..."well she got that germ so she won't get it again".  Look at the positive :)

Since I last documented her milestones theses are the lastest:
Aug. 1 Said "Hi"
Aug. 2  Started clapping (we were at her Daddy's last softball game)
Aug. 12 5th toothie
Aug. 15 Doc appt. (9 mo.) growing great.  Doc. was very impressed with her consistency in growth "GREAT GROWTH CHART"
Aug. 18 Said "Ball"
?? Unsure of date but 6th tooth came in - this was the easiest one yet (which is why I don't know the day)
Sept. 12 stands by herself - VERY SCARY for mom and dad!
Sept. 15 attends Creepers and Crawler at ECFE - this will be her fourth class with ECFE - she LOVES it!

Sidenotes- she is becoming SO social!  Loves to be with other kiddos and flirt (oh boy).  Also, I'm not quite sure what day it was but she is able to say "bye" and she loves to wave at people too.

As for our future plans...we are starting to plan her birthday party.  I can't believe it has been almost a year.  I will be true to form and turn this into a HUGE celebration for her.  You only turn one once after all :) 

Also, she will be receiving her very first passport!  In January we will be traveling to Miami, then the Bahamas and then staying in Orlando for a week.  I'm SO excited to watch her experience these things!  YAY for family vacations when its super cold in Minnesota!

She is all laughs and giggles - super fun kid!  She LoVEs her puppies!!!

And the latest...

I have a moment to spare!  Life has been getting more hectic lately and its the pits.  My baby girl is growing up way too fast for life to go at this fast speed.  I am constantly trying to remind myself to slow down. 

I had a wonderful lunch with my sister today...calming, centering, and quite honestly there is nothing like my family mixed with a good ole' sister chat!  I am so grateful for my brother and sister and their families!  I am thankful that we just "get eachother", its easy, calming, not filled with drama...just fellowship, laughs, and true/pure sincerity!

Alright...back to Emalyn and my family!  The little girl cracks me up!!  She is absolutely adorable around my family...she has known who Josh and I are for quite awhile but watching her bond and get so excited when she sees all of them...especially...Kenzie, Austin, Carsen, Jake, Derek, and Tyler...she LOVES their hair.  I don't know if they like it so much but I guess that is what bigger cousins are for...to let the little one get her way : O )  There is nothing better than watching her learn who her family is and gain that sense of appreciation for them!  She sure lights up when she sees them!

She has added on to her antics and her milestones too:  She said Daddy for the first time on July 30th - she was taking a bath and out popped the cute little word!  I was very excited a few weeks back when she said "Momma" but I must say " Da da dada Dada" is becoming a favorite.  When Josh left for work this morning I heard it out of her cute little mouth for a couple hours...then she napped...but shortly there after we met up with Josh for lunch and back to her favorite word she was..."Da da"  I think it is safe to say they both are smitten with eachother!  I find "momma" comes out when she needs something and "dada" when she is feeling spunky.

She also added another tooth to the mix...her upper right one is now peeking in.  I will say this one hasn't given her any trouble which I am VERY thankful for!

Also, her other latest development is she is way too big for baby food anymore.  She loves to eat what we are eating...her favorite is bread or whole wheat Saltines. 

All and all she is a doll and loves to be loved!  She is a cuddle bug!  We enjoy her so much - she is a little piece of heaven!

Grandma Kippy!

Something has been on my mind quite a bit lately...my mom!  Unfortunately, she past away when I was ten - 20 yrs. ago.  So I have lived more of my life without her but that void just can't be filled.  A mother is a treasure and one I wish I had back.  It breaks my heart when I see other mothers taken for granted - in time, in finances, emotionally...etc.  I long for just a moment with my mom in the physical sense because I know what it is like to not have that treasure.

This is probably going to come across as very strange...but I often have felt the reason why Emalyn has slept so well since she was 3 weeks old was because my mom is taking care of her at night...rocking her and singing songs to her.  The reason I feel this way is because whenever I go to Emalyns room there is such a peace and a feeling that someone has been praying in her room the whole time I've been away.  My mom helped shape my faith - she was such a strong person and loved me unconditionally but also she wasn't afraid of tough love so that myself along with my brother and sister would grow into the people we are today - followers of Christ with a deep sense of the importance of family!

Anyway...the reason I bring this up today.  Last night I had one of those experiences...again!  I sincerely feel I heard singing on our monitor in our bedroom at 4 a.m.  When I went to check on Emalyn she was so content!  This moment kept me from falling back to sleep though and reflecting on the extroardinary mother I had and try to model.

I often think about what our relationship was like when I was 8 mo. old.  Considering my mom and I have quite a few similiarities in appearance and views on life I imagine it to be very similiar as Emalyn and me.  I do so desperately wish she were here though in the physical sense...she would have been the best Grandma and would have put each of her grandchildren on a pedestal and treated them equallly despite the external conditions!  I know she would take every opportunity to get down on the floor and play with her, hold her, and be knocking down the door every free moment.  I know they would have had a great bond!  It is my goal to teach Emalyn how great her GRANDMA KIPPY is/was and I pray she too will look to that as a model on how a women treats her family.

We Love You Grandma Kathleen Karen...keep the songs coming!

Been Too LONG...

It seems as though this summer is flying by!  I am in awe that it is mid July and that our beautiful baby is already 8 months old.

I am starting to struggle with the fact that Emalyn is growing up so fast.  One of the biggest tough spots is she is starting to ween herself from nursing.  She is starting to eat more and more so she primarily nurses in the morning and in the evening (and maybe early early morning).  I can't express how much I value that time with her.  The idea of giving her formula (haven't gone there yet) during the day time hours is eating away at me.  I should be thankful but it is so hard to see her grow but also as she grows she is capturing me with her beauty, intelligance, and sense of humor that develops more and more each day.  She is such a precious person!  I am extremely blessed to have my beautiful child!  I never would have guessed I would be able to possess that much love for someone - just thinking about her brings tears to my eyes.  I REALLY LOVE HER!

Another tough spot is 2 hours after she goes to bed for the night.  I miss her something terrible.  I will literally lay in bed looking at pictures and reflecting on the new things she discovered or taught me.  I love sharing stories with Josh about our little girl.  Last night it was - Do you think she'll think my wedding dress is out of fashion when it is her time to marry?"

She has the best personality...last night before she went to bed (and almost every night before her little bed time ritual) she plays in the living room for an hour or so.  I was holding her by her arms and said "Kaboom" and she would fall on her little tushy each time.  SO STINKIN' CUTE!  The list could go on and on!

We are just so blessed to have our little girl - I don't know if I had mentioned this before but we had contemplated adoption since it was taking a little while to get pregnant.  Adoption is something I still would love to do!  I am so thankful God blessed us with her though - I think that wait period made this all that much more special.  It is so great to see little sparks of both our personalities shed light in hers!

As for new milestones:

June 27th - first tooth lower right middle (very tough)
June 29th - second tooth lower left middle (very tough)
July 15th - third tooth upper right middle (not as bad as the other two/uncomfortable for a day)
July 17 - figured out a more advanced toy - levers, buttons, pop up things - I WAS SO PROUD!

WE ARE BLESSED!

Moving Forward...

Very excited that I was able to go to two restaurants in one day yesterday.  Since Emalyn was born I think we have maybe gone a handful of times.  My little girl is getting bigger and easier...she was even up until 10 last night (she typically gets very tired by 8 so we are home for the night).

We have a very fun weekend ahead of us.  Josh's cousin and husband are visiting from Arizona.  It is such a blessing to meet even more family!  I am sure some memories will be in the making!

As Josh and I move forward we ask for prayer for the following:
Long and Short Term-
That we raise Emalyn to have extroardinary Christian values and that she would grow in His grace and understanding.  That she too would walk in His steps each day of her life with a passion to serve.

Short Term-
That if it is Gods will we'd be able to get into a larger/safer home for Emalyn (those spiral steps).

That the business would continue to grow and new opportunities would unfold.  That we step out of our comfort zone in promoting.

Long Term-
Missions...it is on both our hearts!  I am bitting at the bit to go serve!  Peru, Africa, China...where should we go?  When?  How would it work with Emalyn?  We pray God reveals a way if this is His desire for me/us...

Growing our family...when? 

We must always press ahead knowing that God has a plan and that he will reveal it in due time.  It is good to dream and act when called.

The Emie Latest!

Ah, our darling daughter!  We were blessed to have celebrated both Mothers Day and Emalyn's dedication yesterday.  May 8th, 2011 is now officially one of my top favorite days ever!

We started off the day with Josh and Emie cooking me pancakes for breakfast and Josh gave me extra time to get ready and move a little slower then I am now accustomed to (actually getting a chance to put make up on and half do my hair, no curls but at least it did get some hairspray), it was wonderful!

We then headed to church.  We had all of our immediate family members there.  My Dad, Brother, Sister (and their families).  Josh's Mom and Dad, Sister and of course Grandparents!  Being able to worship with our loved ones all in one place was breathtaking.  I looked over at Josh at one point and tears were on his cheeks due to happiness!   Our prayer is that this unity would happen every week and continue on into eternity!

Our beautiful daughter was then dedicated towards the end of the worship service and we couldn't have been more proud of her!

We continued the celebration at Great Grandma Ruby's home...again having so many of our loved ones together was beautiful and shot overwhelming joys of happiness to both Josh and I...so much so that we both teared up again during Josh's blessing of the food.  We served egg bake, fruit, muffins, donuts, pink punch, orange juice, and Raspberry Swirl Cake (which was purchased by Grandma and Grandpa).  I love tulips so we used those as center pieces along with Cutie clementine oranges (my nephews love these)!  We also added pinwheels to the centerpieces because Emalyn LOVES them!  After the brunch we were blessed with so many wonderful gifts and cards!  We plan to take this generosity and apply it to a wagon for Emalyn.

After the brunch we had some family time between Josh, Emalyn, and myself.  We enjoyed the greenhouse at Drummers and playing in the sun with Jordan our Golden Retriever and Josh prepared Grilled Barbecued Chicken with fresh fruit for my Mothers day supper!  What an amazing man!!!

Bedtime...Emalyn must have known it was her special day and Mothers Day...happiest I have ever seen her!  So smiley and playful!  I do think she loves being home and getting quality mommy and daddy attention.  She is definitely learning how to capture our attention with more smiles and crazy antics!  She did go down to sleep very easy though...she was extremely exhausted from the busyness of the last three days.  She has helped her mommy in so many different ways and all the attention of the day made her a very sleepy little baby!

We are very blessed to have her...we are so thankful God has entrusted us to raise her in a Christian home!  We pray that she would always follow His will and that we would remain faithful to His plan for our family.  We are also so thankful that we have amazing friends and family that will be there when we aren't to direct her to follow strong christian values.

I also wanted to document 3 new milestones

April 22nd sat in High Chair for her first time (Pho restaurant)
April 22nd found her thumb and continues to use it daily : O )
May 1st can sit up by herself!!!

Since mid April - jumps wildly in her Jumperoo...  HA!  silly hand thing

Oop...one last thing....this was the "I forgot another pair of shoes look"
: O )

All in all...LIFE IS GOOD!