Life with Babies

Last week in pictures

2012-01-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

Last week we headed out first thing in the morning to the consignment sale. I usually make a bee-line straight for the clothes. But, with it not being as busy I stopped off in the back room for books. At first I got a princess book for Emerson. Until I turned around and saw disney movies. Emerson loves Tangled so much I knew she would love some more classics. I had my eye out for Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Both of which I found for $3 each. Score! But, then I turned around and found a set of 6 movies for $3. So I vetoed Cinderella since I'm pretty sure it comes out on blu-ray this year, and got 7 movies for $6. Emerson has a tv with hcr in her room so tapes are perfect for us. She has watched Little Mermaid and loved it. Although she thinks King Titan is Santa Claus. I'm really excited to watch Lady and the Tramp, one of my favorites.

Next we went to the boy section since he was in the most need of spring clothes. Of course as usual the selection of boys clothes is about a quarter of the girls and there was only one other mom shopping that section. So I think I got first dibs on a lot. But, when I got home I saw a pattern. Do I like stripes much? Umm... I think so.

Jump to the girl's section which was bumper to bumper with eager moms. I didn't have the time or the patience to dig through it so I only got Emerson a few things. One of which was this dress, which she calls her Jonah and the Fish dress. She loves it! A perfect cotton dress to run around in this summer. Although she has already wore it a couple times. So we survived another consignment sale venture. Having Rio on the iphone didn't hurt.

That afternoon we played outside in the rain. Ezra was super excited to play with the big kids!

Let down your hair

2012-01-27T08:55:00.000-05:00

What is this you ask? Rapunzel hair of course. According to Emerson, "She has long, long hair." Using one of my favorite scarves as rapunzel hair was all her idea. I love her creativity and spirit! She constantly amazes me with how her mind works. No one could deny she is one of a kind.

Ezra was amazed too.

"She's silly Mom."

Hello there

2012-01-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

Hey Ezra! Look at Mommy!

Ezra, smile!

Hello there, smile for Mommy!

Come on, one big smile!

"Oh, hi Mom!! When did you get here?!?"

My little chef

2012-01-24T18:00:00.001-05:00

Emerson has been helping me cook for quite some time now. We've made muffins, cupcakes, cookies galore, breads, and pizza.

She loves to use the mixer and stir everything with a spoon. She put together her outfit here if you couldn't tell. Not only a good cook but stylish as well.

The other week we made pumpkin nutella bread. I added a few chocolate chips on top just in case there wasn't enough chocolate. To make the bread it's basically a pumpkin loaf first then you swirl in nutella at the end. I had a bowl of nutella set aside to mix with the bread.

I soon learned you can't turn your back on a toddler and a bowl of nutella. She didn't do a good job of covering the evidence.

Craftastic

2012-01-13T10:32:00.002-05:00

I love pinterest. Not just because you can find some great ideas but I love clicking through to find fabulous blogs. I've found so many home design, and DIY blogs that I would have never found otherwise. That is what happened today when I stumbled upon two awesome DIY Craft blogs full of ideas for little girls. I haven't made anything for Emerson since the skirt disaster where she hated it but, I'm ready to dive back in.

Lulu Dress Tutorial

I adore this dress and I hope to make it for Emerson this spring. She loves longer dresses and this will be perfect. I just have to remember to get a wonderful pink for her so she will like it. Apparently turquoise is my favorite but not hers.

Scalloped Top Tutorial

The second is this adorable. It's retro, fun, and oh so sweet. Time to dust off the sewing machine!

Designer Knock-Off

Lastly an adorable peasant style dress. The blogger says she used a thrifted pillow case for this dress for the fabric. We'll have to try that!

Now only to find the time and focus to make these cute threads!

Ezra 8 months/9 months

2012-01-13T09:36:00.000-05:00

Ezra is 9 months much to my disbelief! These are his 8 month pictures since I have yet to take any for 9 months. The tongue is his trademark now. I can't get that gorgeous grin!

Oh how I love that baby chub. Just when I think he can't get any cuter, he goes and proves me wrong!

His official 8 month picture before Christmas. Can you tell he was sick? How pitiful! I'm so glad we are finally on the mend. I'll post a full report on his 9 month stats next week after his check-up. In other random news have you heard "Beauty and the Beast" is being re-released?

I remember this coming out when I was a little girl and it was one of my favorites. But, now it's in 3D! Will you go see it? We might!

Sibling Fun

2012-01-12T08:46:00.000-05:00

Emerson and Ezra are starting to have a lot of fun together! The giggles are contagious.

2011 in Review

2012-01-04T15:42:00.007-05:00

2011 was a full year for us. Here are the highlights..

Our firstborn turned 2
We welcomed a healthy baby boy
We transitioned to a family of four
Emerson went from saying a word here and there to full blown sentences
We entered the world of princesses and tutus
Emerson started dance class
We celebrated 5 years of marriage
Ezra went through too many milestones to count

What an exciting and fun year we have had. I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed

us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3

Pullen Park Holiday Express

2012-01-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

Early in December we went to Pullen Park for The Holiday Express Train. Pullen Park has been closed for two years so I jumped on the opportunity to take the kids. They had the park lit up and you could view the lights when you took the train. On top of that they had entertainment, crafts, and lots of christmas cheer. It was quite chilly that day so we bundled up and spent the evening there. While we were there we also got to enjoy the renovated park. I think we will be making a lot of trips there this summer!

Emerson loved the music and danced in the field while we snacked on sandwiches I had packed.

The visit to Santa was a little startling to Emerson. She is not too trusting of him. She kept saying afterwards, "I don't like Santa Mommy." But, what she did like was a woman who was dressed up like a goat. It was very realistic looking and Emerson loved talking to her!

Last we enjoyed the carousel. It was enclosed in a new house with heat so it was nice and toasty. It was much faster than we expected. I got a little dizzy riding with Ezra! Emerson loved it and we rode about 6 times. I think we will definitely come back next year. It was a fun time. We spent 4 hours there!

Even though it's late. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-20T13:45:00.000-05:00

We've really enjoyed getting into the Christmas spirit this year.

Ezra tried to escape out the back door to help with the tree.

I created advent garland full of christmas activities leading up until christmas day. It's been full of crafts, outings, and treats. Here we used ice cream cones and decorated them with homemade buttercream and sprinkles. Voila! A Christmas tree. Emerson first drank her sprinkles (the whole bowlful) then ate the cone. I must say it was delicious.

I had seen on this idea on pinterest. I worked on a Christmas tree that was bigger than planned. Over 6 feet to be exact and I couldn't get it to stick to the wall. But, after I cut it in half it worked perfectly and it was the ideal height for a 2 year old to decorate. We have been busy baking christmas treats and yesterday Emerson delivered cookies to our neighbors and said, "Merry Christmas!" I love getting her in the spirit of giving. Only 5 more days until Christmas Day!

Conversations with Emerson

2011-12-19T09:10:00.000-05:00

When I walked into Emerson's room following her nap I said, "Do you want to come into my room and watch a show so I can dry my hair?"

Emerson,"Dry your hair?"

"Yes"

Emerson, "Mommy, you wash your hair? I'm so proud of you!"

~

While we drive around looking at the christmas lights in the country club she says, "Is that a castle?!?"

~

While leaving the neighbors, "Bye honey! Bye honey!"

"Emerson her name is Annabelle."

"Oh....Bye Annabelle!"

~

Emerson sitting beside Ezra, "We're girls." Thinking about it she corrects herself, "We're brothers!"

Ezra 8 Months

2011-12-14T16:04:00.000-05:00

I can't even say Ezra is 8 months old. Seems totally bizarre. He is definitely getting around very easily. Pulling up and crawling with ease. He even speeds up his crawl if he is trying to get to one of us. It's really the cutest thing as he giggles to himself. Ezra is definitely a ham. He smiles and loves when we acknowledge his accomplishments. He'll let out a huge grin and laughs and laughs. He is starting to begin entertained by his sister. He laughs at her like he totally knows what she is saying. I suppose it's that sibling connection. Lots of babbling going on now with bababa's. He also does a high pitched squeal when he is super sleepy. He's also is sticking his tongue out all the time now. He folds it and sticks it to the side when he is happy, leaves it out loose when he is relaxed. It cracks me up. Ezra has one tooth now that he worked very hard on getting. But, it didn't do anything for his interest in eating. He has been offered pumpkin, banana, avocado, apples, squash, and sweet potatoes and turned down every single one. So all that chub is courtesy of Mama's milk. I estimate he is almost 19 lbs. Right now he likes to tear up paper for fun, chew on his socks, and push a ball around. He is still not loving the nursery. Hopefully he will eventually figure out that there are much more interesting toys there than our house! We won't even talk about his sleeping patterns. :)

This picture is from November but I couldn't resist sharing. I think we have a little model in the making.

Disney on Ice

2011-12-09T13:47:00.000-05:00

We were more than excited to tell Emerson that she was going to "Disney on Ice" yesterday. We had told her about at all because she wouldn't understand when we were going etc. But, instead I put it on our home made advent calendar. When she woke up from her nap I asked her if she wanted to find out what we were doing today. When I read, "Go see Rapunzel!," she lit up. She kept talking about it and as soon as Mark got home she told him, "Going to see Rapunzel with Avery!" She put on her rapunzel dress and after some convincing put on a shirt underneath because it was going to be cold!

Here they are waiting on our tickets. She told us about ten times on the way she wanted to see Rapunzel.

Walking around the outside of the RBC Center

We ended up having really good seats! Much better than I had thought we would have.

Trying to take a picture of Emerson and Avery. Not an easy task with all the excitement. Emerson kept asking on the way, "Is Avery excited? I'm excited?"

I had never been to disney on ice so I didn't know what to expect. They went through three disney stories and acted it out. The princess and the frog with Tiana was first. Even Ezra was entertained!

Next was Cinderella. I thought the costumes were amazing!

Finally we got to Rapunzel's story and Emerson stood up. It was really an amazing production. Rapunzel and Flynn were suspending in the air by her hair flying around.

Emerson couldn't stop watching. When Maximus came out she yelled, "Maximus, it's you!" She danced and twirled around, having a blast. This morning I could hear yelling coming from her room at 7am. I walked in and she was reciting lines from Tangled. She lifted up her hand and said, "I"m Rapunzel." Needless to say I think she really enjoyed it. What a wonderful memory to have.

Painting Pumpkins

2011-12-06T16:44:00.000-05:00

I bought pumpkins early in October with every intention of letting Emerson paint them. But, it wasn't until November that we got around to it. It was still fall so it was fine. Truth be told we still have them out as decor. Anyways Emerson had a blast painting a masterpiece. It was unusually warm, hot even for October.

Emerson was so excited to paint and get messy. Of course she sported her tutu as only a true artist would.

Ezra was a good sport observing his sister. I suppose it was a little bright. But, he eventually gave a wave.

Since we used washable finger paint, the next time it rained it came right off the pumpkin. Traumatizing the artist. They were pretty while they lasted.

Trip to the Apple Orchard

2011-12-04T11:58:00.000-05:00

Make this post one in my going back in time to update our blog. We had a very fun trip to the apple orchard back in OCTOBER! But, I'm just now getting around to posting this. I had never been apple picking but thought that Emerson would really enjoy it. So while we were close to the mountains we made the trip to Apple Hill Orchard where you could pick your own apples. We started off with a wagon ride to tour the orchard and learned a lot about apple growing in general. After our ride we stopped for a snack. Apple cider doughnuts and hot apple cider! Delicious doesn't even come close to describing it. Emerson wouldn't try the doughnut but I didn't mind she left more for me. We ventured out to pick apples. Emerson was so excited. We picked gold rush, golden delicious, fuji, rome, and more. Emerson took a bite in no less than 5 apples as we filled our basket. She thought it was an apple buffet. Ezra even enjoyed playing with an apple or two. We filled our baskets to the rim and enjoyed a few apples along the way.

While we were walking the route we saw some horses very close to the fence. We walked Emerson over and she was reluctant since she wanted to pick more apples. But, as soon as she saw the horses she started running saying, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" These horses were no strangers to visitors as they came right up to us. I even got a little horse kiss on my shoulder. We fed them some apples and they were extremely grateful. As well as I'm sure half of the visitors. I just loved seeing her eyes light up since she loves horses. We had a wonderful time and I know we will come back next year. The apples were great too! What a fun tradition to start.

Ezra 7 Months

2011-12-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures that I took of Ezra when he turned 7 months. Finally. Things have been busy here so I'm sure all my posts in the near future will be recapping events that happened a month or two or more ago. The leaves were at their peak. Gorgeous warm color. Ezra is such a happy guy and the camera loves him. I was dying for the shot with that infamous grin and the beautiful leaves in the background. But, I soon found out Ezra loves the camera but he loves grass and leaves more. I was jumping like a maniac, making all sorts of noises and getting nowhere.

A few grins but still looking down. I just love the warmth though and the beautiful bokeh. This is one of the biggest reasons I prefer outdoor pictures. Especially during fall, my season.

In true boy form he turned and gave me a growl.

Then the money shot. No eye contact but I can't get enough of this sweet grin and chubby cheeks.

On the move

2011-11-21T15:09:00.000-05:00

Here is big boy on the move and Emerson acting crazy. Emerson started climbing out of the crib and Ezra started climbing the stairs this weekend. So things are getting busy here as if they weren't already. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Ezra 7 Months

2011-11-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

Ezra is 7 months old! I have been meaning to write his update for a week now but struggled to find the time. I took this picture the day he turned 7 months. It's not perfect, but the only one I could take before he tried to jump off the couch. With that grin I guess it will do. He is just always on the go! Since last week Ezra is crawling on all fours now. He is so strong and is getting so fast. He is a full month and a half before Emerson! He can put himself in sitting position with such ease and it's really amazing how stable he is. Today I even found him on climbing the stairs! He loves to play and crawl around. His favorite toys right now are an empty bottle that he likes to toss across the hardwood floors and our leap frop table that I have taken the legs off so he can sit and play with it. He also loves to chase balls across the floor and is interested in anything Emerson has. In the last month they have really started to interact with each other. Many times I have spotted them playing peak a boo in the back seat of the car and Ezra chuckles with laughter. It's so fun to see them enjoy spending time with each other.

Ezra is still a ham. He has the most magnetic smile. If I just give him a big grin back he will burst with laughter. He has a deep manly laugh. Fitting for a baby boy.

We have tried some food but much to my surprise he is not interested. Not one bit. He acts like we are attacking him with the spoon. Maybe next month! Good thing he loves milk, and as you can see he isn't hurting for calories. A sturdy 17lbs he is full of rolls. He is wearing pretty much all 12 month clothes. Especially pjs since he has big feet. In some clothes that are 6-12 months they fit perfect but I'm sure not for long. I'm amazed at his growth compared to Emerson. I think at this age she was wearing 3-6 month clothes.

Ezra has started to be over the paci. I don't know how it happened but I thought for sure he would be attached for some time to it. Only on occasion when he is sleeping will he take it. He loves to find his Mama. Wherever I am he will crawl across the room to find me. A mama's boy for sure. I don't mind. Who could resist this grin and baby blue's? He even gives me his own version of a kiss. He grabs my face firmly and bites my chin and growls. I guess he is loving on me. Ezra is still waiting on that first tooth. It seems he is changing a little bit everyday with development and he really is a joy to have around. We love him!

I have some more pictures I will share later that I took outside. Let's just say this smiley guy could care less about his Mama when he is in the great outdoors. I guess I'll keep him inside for those toothless grins.

Halloween Part 2

2011-11-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

On Halloween we headed to Mark's work so Emerson could trick or treat there. When we were getting ready her pink dress was not dry yet so I was relieved she was excited to be Snow White. It matched Ezra's costume better anyways so it worked out well. She really enjoyed grabbing some candy but was a little on the shy side with so much going on. She enjoyed a break half way through at Dad's desk and snacked on some candy.

Emerson didn't know what to think of scary costumes but she was fearless about going through the spiders! After we got enough candy we enjoyed some yummy ice cream. It started raining pretty hard as we left and we got stuck in some nasty traffic. So we scratched trick or treating since both kids had colds.

But, that didn't dampen their spirits. I must say they are pretty cute together.

Didn't she make a beautiful Snow White?!? Next year we will definitely trick or treat. I've already got her costume thanks to Target clearance and costumes in mind for the whole family.

Halloween Part 1

2011-11-04T16:05:00.001-04:00

We got to celebrate Halloween early this year. The library had a Halloween themed trick or treat story time. We came straight from dance class so we barely made it in time. Emerson was excited to meet up with her friend Addie. It was her birthday and Emerson was thrilled to say, "Happy Birthday Addie," for the 10th time this month. Their eyes were glued to the dressed up librarians. They went over some fun rhymes, and a couple stories and at one point turned out the lights. I'm not sure the toddlers knew what to think about that. Afterwards there were bubbles as usual. I tried to get a picture of everyone, Ezra included. But, he scooted away and the chances of two toddlers looking at the same time is slim.

After storytime they had a parade around the library with trick or treat stations. Emerson was the kaboose and taking her sweet time.

Ezra was a great sport as a little clown. He enjoyed the storytime as much as anyone else.

After all the effort for Emerson to have a crown with her princess costume she didn't want to wear it. Go figure!

After she collected all the treats she sat down to enjoy her pretzels.

A peaceful moment

2011-10-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

Playing together

State Fair

2011-10-24T23:18:00.000-04:00

I was thrilled to go back to the fair this year. We went three times last year! This year instead of going on the popular can food day we went the day before. Notorious for being a slow day. On top of that it was a rainy, chilly day so it was perfect for crowd control. Before the fair started I bought a ride sheet. I didn't know if Emerson would be interested but figured she could ride some of the "kiddie" rides. Little did I know I had a little dare devil on my hands. First I spotted a carousel. Emerson loves the carousel so I thought it was a perfect first ride. She hops on with Mark and the ride starts spinning super fast! Apparently it wasn't the little kiddie carousel. I was surprised when she didn't even flinch at the increase of speed. She hopped off and spotted the ferris wheel. I was hesitant but she was full steam ahead. No fear. This was no rinky dinky ferris wheel. It was a big ferris wheel with wobble buckets for seats!

I couldn't even spot Emerson because she was so tiny in comparison.

Until she turned around to peep out. Not the least bit concerned. After the ferris wheel we found there were several rides she couldn't get on since she wasn't 36 inches. She wasn't thrilled about that. But, we found a few good ones and she had a ball and Ezra enjoyed watching her. He was laid back as ever, enjoying the fair from the stroller. We indulged with some homemade chips, cupcakes, and a corn on the cob. Food, my favorite part.

Emerson also enjoyed looking at the farm animals. Although she was a little weary being so close to the big cows. They all had their calves and she loved seeing them. I have to admit I love it too as the animals are adorable to say the least.

Here is one of our favorites, a baby donkey. Emerson was insistent that she needed to touch it. We also saw some super cute bunnies on the way out. She about took them out of the cage she wanted one so bad! After a fun filled time we headed out.

While enjoying the beautiful view of the fair. Mark made sure to capture some of the fantastic lights. Can't wait until next year's fair! We might need two sheets of ride tickets.

6 months later...

2011-10-23T22:41:00.000-04:00

And he hasn't stopped smiling. :)

Teething Time

2011-10-20T15:27:00.000-04:00

Ezra has been working on two teeth for awhile now. Emerson had a teething necklace from Inspired by Finn and it worked wonders for her molars. I'm so eager to get Ezra one before he starts popping all these teeth in to alleviate the discomfort. Good for Mama and baby.

How can you not feel better with a necklace named sunshine?

Bring a Friend

2011-10-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

Not a day goes by that Emerson doesn't say, "Where did Addie go?"Literally every place we go she hopes she is also there. So when it was bring a friend week at dance class Emerson knew exactly who she would invite. She absolutely loves Addie and was so excited to dance with her. The watched the big girls dance before their class began and were completely captivated.

I love seeing Emerson develop friendships. It's very sweet. I think here Emerson is looking at Addie's leotard wishing she had some stripes. Ha!

The girls walked in holding hands and even though Addie is a little younger than the rest of the girl's she did great! As you can see they had a good time dancing together. I'm sure they have many more memories ahead!

Ezra 6 months

2011-10-19T00:46:00.000-04:00

6 months has passed since Ezra made his debut into the world. Time really has just flown by and he has changed so much. I'm just amazed at the warm and sweet little boy that I get to love on every day. I continue to see his personality come out and he is really as happy as can be. He loves to have people dote over him. He will grin from ear to ear if some gives him some attention and he will turn his head as to appear shy. His legs are always moving, kicking up and down. You can just see his excitement throughout his whole body and I love it. The big difference this month is mobility. He is scooting along, way to fast for my preference. He can get on all fours with ease and plunges forward to get what he wants. He almost made it completely across the house the other day. So nothing is out of reach at this point. On more than one occasion he has tried to snatch Emerson's snacks. He's pretty close to sitting. He usually can prop himself up, but can sit for about 20 seconds. All this moving has made diaper changes difficult. He rolls over before I can get anything on and I can't seem to turn him over. He's working on two teeth and it seems to be a very slow process. We are in desperate need of a teething necklace! Ezra still takes two solid naps a day. Night sleeping can still be tricky. He is starting to enjoy his sister, being entertained by her silliness. She likes to put a crown on him and call him Princess Ezra. He even loves going to storytime with her and I think enjoys it just as much as any toddler. Ezra loves any silly noise, or singing and will let out the most infectious chuckles. He is starting to show attachment to Mommy. Which I don't mind at all because I know it goes by all too fast. At the moment he loves any kind of teething toy, and any kind of bright stuffed animal. He also enjoys bathtime by kicking like crazy and dispersing all the water. He always tries to eat the wash cloth so now I give him one, and keep one for me to actually clean him.

Finally he is starting to get some fuzz on that head. Can you see it?

He has discovered he has a loud voice. He loves to squeal with excitement as well as blow raspberries. He has also started what looks like a growl when he gets excited. He raises his upper lip as to show me his "teeth."

All this movement has gotten him stuck a time or two.

Here he is chewing on a teething toy, aka Emerson's bangles. I don't have any official stats since our 6 month appointment is not until the end of the month. But, I'm sure he has gotten a little bigger. I hope to have official 6 month pictures in a week or so when he is sturdier at sitting. Happy Birthday Ezra!

Beans

2011-10-12T15:59:00.000-04:00

Over the past couple weeks I've tried to do some intentional learning time with Emerson. She is pretty good at occupying herself and playing but I thought it might nice to try some new things. I can't remember where I saw this activity. Someone's blog or pinterest? But, scooping beans from one container to the other is the activity. It helps all those motor skills and it's needless to say fun for a two year old. I bought a $1 pack of eraser heads and hid them in the mix. She loved scooping back and forth. Even tried to eat a few beans. Everytime she would make it in she would say, "score!" Not sure where she got that! This activity has captivated her attention on several occasions. Never mind that I had to clean up about 300 of them from under the couch. We're learning, right? I guess I'm learning new cleaning techniques. Hopefully I can share a few things here and there that we are doing. I don't want to keep it too regimented but instead fun for us both. Wish us luck!

Farm Day

2011-10-07T16:32:00.000-04:00

Back to our farm day adventure. Every week I deliver for The Produce Box. My route goes out to Durham and back up to Raleigh. On the way back I always pass a rural area, which is funny because it's very close to Hwy 70. But, we always stop the car and say hi to the horses. This week I saw a sign for a farm-a-palooza and I was immediately intrigued. I googled the farm and found that they were having food, music, and most importantly you can visit the animals. The goats were super interested in us since we had some feed for them.

This guy was the boss man. Pushing everyone else out of the way to get some food.

Emerson eventually warmed up and feed the goats herself. She was so excited. We even got to pet a bunny rabbit.

Another one of the goats.

Emerson was so interested in the animals but sometimes cautious since they would jump over top of the fence. There were also chickens, pigs, and sheep.

We invited our neighbors and Emerson's good friend Addie. She was very excited that Addie was there. They have become great friends! I love how they are both smiling but not looking at the camera. Ha!

We spent some more time on the farm and took a stroll through the fields. It was crisp and perfect fall weather.

Ezra enjoyed a snack break, and Emerson "fixed" my hair. One of her favorite pass times lately.

Emerson held Ezra for a little bit but I'm sure that won't work much longer! We had a really great time at the farm and even picked up some freshly laid eggs. We will definitely visit again!

This is real life

2011-10-06T09:39:00.001-04:00

Saturday we went to a farm for a morning of fun. I'll share more of our day tomorrow but I wanted to share this picture. Two thirds of us smiling, semi looking. It's close to perfect in my book. I never get a picture with both my kids.

Then I go to these two pictures. Real life. Haha. Disheveled, wrangling a two year old, while holding a baby. It's just real life.

Storytime at our house

2011-09-29T10:47:00.002-04:00

Beware

2011-09-28T15:14:00.002-04:00

An extra cute little bear is on the loose.

Like Sister Like Brother

2011-09-27T12:10:00.000-04:00

I don't get too many chances to compare having a girl, then a boy. But I have a few outfits that were unisex. This sleeper being one of them. Something I bought when I found I was pregnant with Emerson. I was so excited I couldn't wait to buy for specifically a boy or girl. So when I put it on Ezra the other day I knew I needed a picture. Good thing because it appears it's already too small in the feet.

Here's Emerson. I believe she was much older than Ezra here since she could wear 6 month clothes at 5 months.

And here is Ezra at 5 months.

Ezra 5 Months

2011-09-26T14:14:00.001-04:00

Finally getting to a 5 month post for Ezra! He is getting so big and growing so fast it makes me kinda sad but excited of the little person he is becoming. Ezra is one of the happiest guys around. He will grin at everyone with a beaming smile. Then will quickly hide his head, as to hint that he is shy. Recently he has started smiling with his mouth closed, and bites his lips. It's really adorable. Whenever he is playing and I call his name and our eyes meet he lets out the biggest smile you have ever seen. It makes me heart explode. He weighs about 16lbs and is a solid boy. I love his chunky thighs and he giggles when I squeeze them. Ezra is ticklish on his belly, neck, back, and feet. Well, pretty much anywhere and will cackle and squeal. He is the grabbiest baby I have ever seen. He attempts to grab anything out of my hand, knock things over, my face, my hair, any jewelry. Emerson and I both have lost a ton of hair to this little guy. His grip is unreal. He is now getting to where he likes to grab my face and pull my hair when going to sleep. I'm not sure where he got that but it's not too comfy for mommy. Ezra also tries to grab our food. The other day he went after Emerson's cereal! I have a feeling we won't have trouble getting this guy to try food in the months coming up. He is rolling both ways now with great ease and is constantly on the move. He goes after toys with excitement and determination while grunting. Ezra's legs are constantly moving, and he looks like he is swimming when he is on his tummy. His eyes are as blue as ever but I can't tell if his hair will end up being light or dark quite yet. There really isn't that much of it right now but, it is frizzy and curly. His nickname is Ezra Bean. No rhyme or reason to it. That's just what we call him. Emerson calls him beanie sometimes. Ha!

How could you resist this grin and these rolls?!?

To compare his growth this was 2 month ago.

And now...I think he hasn't gotten a tad bit bigger.

Here are some pictures I actually took when he turned 5 months. Can you believe these gorgeous eyes? I just think he is so handsome.

We just love Ezra to pieces. A year ago it was so hard for me to imagine having another baby in addition to Emerson when she was just 18 month old. Now I couldn't imagine life without him. Having him as a part of our family just seems perfect. Happy Birthday Ezra!

First Haircut

2011-09-21T15:02:00.000-04:00

It was finally time for Emerson to get her first haircut. I had put it off for a long time being sentimental about cutting it but, eventually one side was much longer than the other and it was long enough we could trim it a bit. We were lucky enough that my cousin, Anna, cut her hair. It was much more relaxed and Emerson did great. I didn't even have to sit with her, which was nice so I could take pictures. We decided to just trim it up to make it even across the back. She cracked me up when she stuck her hand out of the cape thinking she was getting her nails done too!

After a quick snip, voila! A clean new look for E.

This is her final look!

Emerson Kaye 2.5

2011-09-19T13:51:00.000-04:00

Emerson is officially two and a half so I think it's time for an update on her! She has changed so much in the last 6 months it's really hard to put it all down. First of all her language development has blown up. At her birthday she was really not saying any phrases at all except, "all done." She knew lots of words but wasn't putting a whole lot together. Now she is speaking in sentences and everyday I'm amazed at what comes out of her mouth. She is full of questions. "Where did Daddy go?" (Also always asking where her little friends and grandparents are. "What is that?" (Cracks me up when paired with the bewildered look on her face. ) She is an emerging fashionista. She knows what she likes and cannot be swayed. Note the dress she is wearing in all these pictures except one. They weren't all taken on the same day but she just loves it! A little too much. Last week she told me when getting up, "I wear it today, Mommy. I love it!" She has a core group of dresses, and I cannot get her to wear anything else. She constantly tells me she loves it, and she says, "I'm pretty!" I have to hide them when they are dirty because she is notorious for getting her favorites out of the laundry. She loves to accessorize with plastic heels, or my shoes along with jewelry galore, and a princess crown. Sometimes she even adds a skirt underneath for kicks. Emerson loves to dance and sing. The other day she sang almost all the words to "Jesus loves me." She also likes to sing, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, Ba Ba Black Sheep, and her A,B,C's. " Emerson is a girly girl for sure loving to have her nails done. She always wants a different color of polish on her toes, and when I put sunscreen on she tells me it's make-up. If you were to ask her what her favorite color is she would say, orange. Which is really hot pink. We are still working on colors. ;) Emerson has recently got into watching movies. Before age two I never let her watch tv. Good thing too because now she asks all the time now! Her favorite movie is Tangled. Emerson is a major Maximus fan! She is also a fan of The cat in the hat, Dinosaur Train, and of course Sesame Street. We have watched a few Veggie Tales and she likes them too.

Her eating habits have improved a lot since she turned two as well. I can proudly say that she has now had a green vegetable! She loves green beans, and even lettuce. The green leafy kind! Her other favorites are carrots, apples, pretzels, pizza, chick fil a, Dad's pancakes and smoothies. When she says she wants a smoothie it is the same thing she says when she wants to watch a movie. "smoovie." Haha.
She is wearing anywhere from 12 months to 2T clothes, just depending on what it is. We are reusing a lot of clothes from last year since she grows so slowly. Emerson can count to 10 but only if no one is listening. She loves to read books. Her favorite types are Dr. Seuss right now and anything dancing or princess related. She also enjoys bible stories and can always pick out God in the pictures. Emerson loves to emulate cleaning and will use her stroller as a "vacuum" and gets tissue to clean up any spills. She also will clean up spit up from Ezra. Major bonus.

This picture pretty much sums up her personality right now. Running around carefree in a pink dress, singing and dancing, with a princess crown.

You don't think I could have a post with Ezra do you? It's been over a week. Hopefully I'll have his 5 month update before he is 6 months. :)

Happy Guy

2011-09-08T22:40:00.000-04:00

I mean really, could he get any cuter? Apparently he doesn't think so. He seems pretty excited about his reflection. Thank you to my camera phone for finally working so I could snap a pic of me and my boy.

Baby Giggles

2011-09-06T12:07:00.000-04:00

Here is a video of little man laughing. You can see how quickly it can go south at the end.

Accessorize

2011-08-31T13:26:00.000-04:00

This series of pictures was taken before Ezra's 4 month appointment. I love Ezra's expression of, "why are we taking another picture?." In an effort to get Emerson to wear something different (which is a whole other post itself) I pulled out a pink ruffle dress we recently bought. She said she needed pants with it. Although it was 90+ outside I obliged and picked out some white leggings. Emerson added cute necklace, a wood bangle, of mine, and asked to put her hair up. She looked to me like an eighties rocker. Ezra was easy to please. Since he wears what I put on him. A onesie I picked up on consignment for $3. It has a huge elephant on a swing, saying "my turn." With a tiny mouse waiting. I don't know why but I found it hysterical. Come to find out the brand, Threadless kids, sells onesies that run about $15. So it was a good deal! They also have tons of graphic tees, and onesies that are unique and adorable. I thought this one was super cute. Plus you can get thing in onesies up to kid tees. Maybe I'll have to keep my eye out at consignment sales for the threadless brand from now on!

A different kind of post

2011-08-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

I thought for today I would do a different kind of post. Less of the kids, more of adult stuff. First of all I actually finished a book for the first time in a very long time. I read "The Ministry of Motherhood," this summer and loved it!

I found it extremely interesting, inspiring, and an overall easy read. I would highly recommend it to any mother looking for encouragement. Some of my favorite quotes from the book..

"We must be willing to pay the cost of discipleship, determined to lay up our treasures in heaven. When we do this, our children will have the freedom and peace to know that God is not measuring them by how much money they make, what kind of car they drive, or how big a house they are able to buy. By God's standards, our children will will be successful in life if they are willing to love and follow Christ wherever they are asked to go. "

"A child who does not have the opportunity to marvel at the bigness of God, the wonders of his creation, and the reality of his supernatural work will tend to measure the questions about "who God is" according to his or her finite, limited perspective." Sally Clarkson. From the chapters regarding the gift of inspiration.

I was so feeling so good that I finished a book I picked up a new one this weekend. "Give them Grace," by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

I've only read one chapter but I can already tell it is already going to pick my brain and shatter some my previous perceptions about parenting. Looking forward to it!

On another note. Are you ready for fall television? Ever since Master Chef's season ended I've been over summer television. I don't have a whole lot of time to watch tv but it's nice to sit down and relax for a bit. We really don't have a whole lot of regular shows we watch anymore. I have a feeling The Office will not be as good this year after the departure of Steve Carrell. But, I do love Parks and Recreation. It's so funny, in that quirky way. For new shows I think I'll tune in to see the premiere of Once Upon a Time. Who doesn't love fairy tales? Especially for adults. I have to admit the show, "Hart of Dixie," looked cheesy at first to me. But, since I was a huge O.C. fan maybe I'll give it a shot. Plus it has Jason Street from Friday Night Lights! Which by the way, if you haven't watched the complete series of Friday Night Lights you should skip all of the new fall shows and go straight to netflix and watch seasons 1-4. Then go to Hulu to see the final season 5. It's one of the best shows ever. Seriously. Alright, if you were bored with my book and show recommendations check back tomorrow for cute pictures of super cute kids. :)

Photo Op

2011-08-24T14:44:00.000-04:00

I think I'm pretty much going to give up on an actual "good" picture of the kids. For now that is. Snap shots will have to do to document the chaos. Emerson did of course tell Ezra he needed to smile while she was not smiling. But, getting them both to have eye contact was pretty much impossible. Well, I did get one but they both looking at me but they looked completely zoned out. Haha! Emerson insisted that she hold Ezra which I thought could make a good pic. But, when she was done she just tossed him to the side. *No baby was harmed in the taking of these photographs* Haha. Luckily Ezra is a good sport. Obviously this one below is not what I had in mind. Even Ezra knows this is not going to work!

But, he gave me one good smile once Emerson took off. I think he was relieved for it to be over!

A picture update

2011-08-22T17:41:00.000-04:00

I hadn't uploaded any pictures recently so I decided to dig back into July for a picture update blog post. I've had some issues with Emerson's hair. It's very fine, somewhat wavy and falls in her face. I think we'll be getting some sort of cut soon. But, one day she actually let me braid it. It's pretty cute but doesn't last too long with her being so thin. How did I get her sitting still long enough to do her hair you ask? Cartoons of course.

Next up is Ezra attacking Lily the Frog like I told you about. It seriously cracks me up. Leapin Lily better watch out!

Last but not least is my documentation of Ezra's sleeping habits. I put him in E.'s crib and two minutes later he had covered his face with her blanket and passed out.

Then all it took was a snuggle from a couch pillow to take a good snooze. I hope he stays such an easy sleeper! Next post will have current pictures. Or more current. ;)

Dancing Bears

2011-08-18T13:53:00.000-04:00

Since Ezra doesn't have a crib of his own he hangs out in the pack n play from time to time. I decided to attach the mobile the other week and Ezra was thrilled. It has three bears hanging from it and he thinks they are his new best friends. He squeals at them, giggles, and makes silly raspberries. It's really funny to watch how into them he is! I guess mobiles really do serve there purpose! Who knew?

Emerson 2 Years Old

2011-08-16T09:07:00.001-04:00

The other week I took some 2 year pictures of Emerson. So what if she is almost 2.5? I had been wanting to take her out to a rustic area for a sunset shoot. But, with a little one and temperatures near 100 it's not a surprise I had w hard time fitting it in. So when we had an overcast day I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take some shots during Ezra's nap. I had made Emerson a skirt, which I was super excited about. But, my little critic wanted nothing to do with it. I guess she doesn't appreciate Amy Butler fabric. I know it turned out a little tight (aka a toddler pencil skirt) but it worked for not using a pattern. So when she said, "I don't want it," I was a little sad. But, bound and determined she was going to wear it for a picture I forced her to wear it for 15 minutes. :) She is also sporting my shirt from when I was little which says, "amy." She picked out the headband of mine, which was a nice touch.

In true two year old fashion I couldn't get a smile to save my life. I only got eye contact by saying I had a bug on my head.

I tried out some hazy editing. Tried to get the effect we shot in beautiful sunlight but we didn't. ;)

Couldn't capture a two year with old without documenting the chipped mismatched nail polish.

To compare this is about the same time last year. Same dead on stare, longer hair. :)

* Update*

I forgot one. :)

Happy 4 months Ezra!

2011-08-15T14:31:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe Ezra is 4 months old. It really has been the fastest 4 months of my life. I no longer have a tiny newborn but a giggly baby. His personality has really came out over the last month. He is pretty easy going, flirtatious, and happy. Ezra has become such an easy baby. He seems to be just along for the ride and loves spending time with us. With an adorable grin he always seems so happy to see us. I'll just go to put him in the car and he'll lock eyes with me and start smiling and giggling. Emerson always gets excited and says, "Ezra's smiling!" One of the things that is changing is he is into playing with toys. Before he had no interest now he loves to grab things and pull them to his mouth. He loves his baby gym and really tries to pull the toys that are hanging down while yelling at them. He usually plays there first thing in the morning while I get breakfast together. He can now roll from back to tummy so he gets stuck sometimes in the baby gym bars and needs some help getting rolled the other way. Ezra is a super napper, taking about a two hour nap in the morning, and sometimes a 3 hour one in the afternoon. Most nights he is down for bed by 8pm. He loves soft lovies and rubbing them on his face. If I catch him before he is over tired I can just give him a paci and lovie blanket and he'll conk out. But, if he gets too wound up he'll kick and squirm until I hold him still so he can relax. He is ticklish especially in his neck rolls. He will always get tickled if I sing a ridiculous song. He makes me feel like I'm funny even though I'm really not. Haha. We went to the pediatrician and he weighs 14lbs 10.5oz (50%) and 25.75 inches long (80%). At this rate I expect him to be bigger than Emerson by January. :) I love all of his rolls and it's such a change from Emerson's size. He's wearing pretty much all 6 month clothes now and occasionally 9 months. They are just night and day in terms of growth.

Ezra loves stuffed animals so this toy captured his attention and I couldn't get him to look at me!

A tiny smile. A shyer smile than his usual grin.

I saw an idea on pinterest to document the baby each month by putting them in the laundry basket. I think we started to late because he is already out of it. I guess we missed our window. Ha!

I couldn't forget to capture these sweet feet!

Love those toes!

Happy Birthday Ezra! If you could slow down growing up the next 8 months that would be great.

Love, Mom

At the Carwash

2011-08-13T16:02:00.000-04:00

Emerson got the cleaning gene. Not from me though. When she sees the yard guys mowing our grassy, she calls them "messy" because of the grass flying all over. So when her Dad was cleaning the jeep, she jumped right in. Now, if she would apply her love for cleaning to toy up keep instead of pulling everything we own out the cabinets we'd be set. Here's to hope. Until then I think we can get her a side job. What do you think?

Ezra's Birth Story

2011-08-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

Ezra is 4 months old today! To commemorate the day I'll share his birth story. It took a long time for me to write down. It was an emotional experience for me and something I could revisit until recently. I know I'm a nut. I also just realized that the midwife that delivered was the first person I had an appointment with when I found out I was pregnant, and the last before Ezra was born. Anyways enjoy!

Ezra’s birth story

It was Sunday, April 10th, 2011. 11 days before my due date. I was really feeling I was going to go past my due date and I was fine with that. We had a good weekend and that Saturday Mark and I had deep cleaned the house. Sunday morning I woke up and felt the need to find all my nursing bras, and tanks and throw them in the wash. Which proved to be a good move! Mark made us a delicious breakfast, and I had some orange juice with it. One of my constant cravings throughout my pregnancy. As I was finishing I began to feel some terrible indigestion coming on. I had some awful heartburn/reflux issues early on so I assumed it was returning at this late stage. So I took to the couch to rest and try to settle my stomach. Mark kept Emerson busy while I watched some tv. I had little appetite at all, and in fact didn’t eat that afternoon. I had started Doc Hollywood on Netflix, an oldie but goodie. I was laying on my side around 4:30 and heard a pop with some force behind it. Thought it was weird but kind of ignored it. About 15 minutes later I get up and as I’m talking to Mark I feel some fluid trickle. I said, “Uh oh,” and ran to the bathroom. After all of my practice of staying calm I freaked a bit as I had a feeling my water had broken. I paged the midwife on call and when she called me back I told her I thought my water had broken but I wasn’t sure. As we were chatting I felt a huge gush, which completely soaked my pants. Then I told her it definitely broke. Ha! She laughed and told me the drill. Since contractions hadn’t started I could just wait it out until morning and take my temperature to ensure I wasn’t getting an infection. I could also take a bath to help me relax. Whoa! I couldn’t believe it. He could be here very soon! Nothing was happening other than my clothes were drenched so I continued to watch Doc Hollywood. Mark played with E. outside and around 6:30 I started to feel menstrual type cramping. Nothing major at all, and nothing that I had not felt in the last month anyways. But, I decided to time these cramps and they were 7 minutes apart. Since my sheet had said second time moms need to come in at 4 to 5 minutes apart I called my midwife again. She told me 6-7 minutes apart, and just cramps was no biggie. Call when they are 4 minutes and they stop me from doing what I’m doing. So I decide to take a shower and change clothes for the third time. Mark throws some chicken on the grill and fixes dinner. I don’t eat due to the stomach issues, which appears were my hormones getting ready for labor. We start discussing what to do with Emerson. At this point we didn’t think anything was happening before morning but didn’t want a big rush in the middle of the night. After we figure out logistics I begin packing Emerson’s bag around 9 while she gets washed up. I felt a few contractions but I was still walking around getting things done. Mark’s parents arrive to pick up Emerson so he tells me to go lay down. I put on one of my hypnobabies tracks around 9:30 or 10 while he gets her out the door. Things start to get intense all of the sudden where I cannot lay there relaxing. I freaked out and texted Mark to see where he was. I timed my contractions and they were 4 minutes apart! When he comes back in I tell him to call Sarah, our midwife. She asks if we want to come in and get situated. We plan to meet at 11. Mark starts getting our bags together and by that point it feels very intense. We head the car and Mark tells me he has to take the dog out. At this point I think he is coming any minute so I told him to have someone else do it! Gotta love labor. :) We head to the birth center and I listen to one of my hypnobabies scripts. It was extremely difficult to be still and not flip out in the car. I honestly wanted to jump out of my skin. We arrived right around 11pm and they are so close together at this point I have to wait to have one before I can get out of the car so I won’t have another one in the parking lot. I walk in feeling terrible. I go to our room and we decide to check my status. I have another contraction before I get in the door. 3 minutes apart at this point. Sarah tells me I’m 3 centimeters and I’m so bummed. I really thought I was further along. Even though I had learned that numbers don’t mean much about progress in hypnobabies I definitely let it get to me. I was 4 centimeters with Emerson for about 20 hours and I was not prepared to feel like this for that long. I immediately say I want to get in the tub. I needed some relief! Thank goodness we have access to a tub this time around. I get in and I feel like it’s just one constant contraction. I start envisioning 10 more hours of this and I freak out. I begged them to take me to the hospital because I couldn’t do it. The birthing time I had envisioned of calm and peaceful was out the window. I was an angry woman in labor. I threw things, yelled, cried, the whole works. Mark can attest I said some insane things. At this point I really felt like I was being tortured and I just wanted him out! To be honest I felt like I had been crazy for have wanting a natural birth and I was angry for being stuck. Ha! After two hours Sarah says it’s a good time to check. It really didn’t feel like it had been 2 hours. Felt like 30 minutes or so. I was 7 centimeters. I was relieved that I was moving forward. I asked her when I could give birth realistically. She said probably around sunrise. Compared to Emerson’s 26 hour labor that sounded amazing! It was around 1 am. I even asked if I could push yet. Haha. That was hormones talking because seriously who pushes at 7cm? I had renewed strength to have an end in sight. After an hour of being the most uncomfortable I have ever been in my life I reached down and felt a head. I told Mark to go get Sarah. This kid was coming out! So clearly I was fully dilated and he was almost completely out. What a surprise! After 9 minutes of pushing, Ezra was born into a warm tub of water. It was the most the amazing feeling to hold him. She laid him on my chest and I said, “ You don’t look anything like your sister!” Mark pulled out the iphone to snap a pictures as we forgot the camera. After about 5 minutes Mark holds Ezra to warm him up so that I can get out and get cleaned up. I get to lay on the bed and Ezra nurses pretty much immediately and perfectly. He was so alert because of the lack of drugs it was amazing to see. He just stared at us with his big eyes and the last few hours disappeared from my memory. After his birth my personality swiched immediatley. I went from crazy to completely energized and estactic. I heard of the endorphin rush after a baby is born naturally and it’s no joke. I felt like I could go for a 10 mile run. It was nuts! I was elated and really couldn’t not believe I did it. I refueled with a burrito we had brought from Trader Joes and some gatorade. Mark is exhausted and falls asleep with Ezra on his chest around 4. I’m too full of adrenalin to sleep and lay there looking at my boys while I hear birds chirping as the sun started to rise. It was a special moment. We discuss when we wanted to go home, and I decide I want food first. So Mark gets us some of the best bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits from Sunrise. They are huge and delicious! I take a much needed shower and we get Ezra dressed in his onesie and the hate I had made him. We head home around 10:30 and stop at the mall to pick up our laptop. We’re home around 11 and I couldn’t have felt better. Oh and did I mention we didn’t name Ezra until 9:00 am or so. He was just baby boy for awhile. We just stared at him trying to decide what he looked like. I even asked the midwife if she had any suggestions. I have to say natural labor and delivery is of course much harder. But, the recovery was 10x easier and I was so happy not to have any drugs in mine or Ezra’s system. It is amazing what the body can do! I also felt much more emotionally present after his birth and could really take in the moment. I’m thankful to have had the experience and to have brought home a wonderful healthy boy.

6lbs 6oz, 19.5 inches. Born at 2:15am

Dress-Up

2011-08-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed a little bit of dress up the other day. I thought Emerson resembled an 80's Madonna with her hair messed up and the stacked bangles. I tried to get her to pose with putting her hand by her face to show off her bracelets. But, of course she posed the opposite hand. Ha! She finished her look with plastic high heels, and big earrings. She doesn't care for dress-up clothes as much as the accessories. To be honest she was just wearing a shirt. Haha. I guess she knows you can go big with accessories if you have simple attire. Ezra didn't mind our girl time. He snuggled in the bean bag and apparently thought it was funny. Emerson brought him a stuffed animal and I just love how his expression changed to ecstatic. He is definitely a ham!

Cute

2011-08-06T12:24:00.000-04:00

It should be illegal to be this cute.

Little toes and all.

I mean really.

Swim Time

2011-08-04T15:46:00.000-04:00

I decided to pull the baby pool out for E. and since Ezra likes water so much I decide to let him join in. I got him a Gap bathing suit at the consignment sale for $1 or $2. Next to nothing for an adorable pair of trunks. Emerson put on a borrowed suit that fit last month but is too short now. Growth spurt I suppose!

I realized that we are at the age that it's almost impossible to get a good picture. It's pulling teeth to get Emerson to look at me then she gives me this cheese ball smile.

Then of course the excitement of Ezra being close by makes her want to squeeze him to pieces. But, I guess it documents how everyday really is. Even if I can't frame it on my wall. By the wall check out that beach body on Ezra! Rolls upon rolls. Love it!

Which E?

2011-08-03T13:53:00.002-04:00

I've had a few people say that Emerson and Ezra look alike. I don't think they do so much but I'll let you decide. While going through pictures I discovered that I took about 5000 pictures in the first few months of Emerson's life. Also my photography skills have improved tremendously.

Emerson near 3 months

Ezra at 3 months

One thing is for sure they are both pretty cute! Must have good looking parents. :) Oh and by the way. You can totally see how he is going to have blue eyes compared to what Emerson's were at this age. And to think I thought hers might be blue. Ha!

Thirsty

2011-08-02T16:35:00.000-04:00

You may see a baby pool.

But, Emerson sees a watering hole.

Naptime

2011-08-01T13:53:00.000-04:00

If you have a toddler you know how important naptime is. Emerson has been doing great at putting herself down for a nap. Sometimes I hear her playing for a little bit but she eventually settles down. One day I went in to wake her up from a long nap and I found her sleeping like this. On top of three stuffed animals, two blankets, and her diaper that she had taken off. So of course I grabbed my camera before waking her up.

Kind of reminds me of princess and the pea. :)

Meanwhile Ezra is sleeping downstairs with his feet perfectly crossed and his fanny in the air.

So sweet!

Ezra takes his afternoon nap on the couch, while Emerson naps in her room. When I noticed him waking up he still looked rather drowsy.

So I talked to him a bit and he left out the biggest grin.

But, decided he wasn't ready to get up yet, and remained snuggled up!

Out of the mouth of Emerson

2011-07-29T13:07:00.000-04:00

I thought would document a few things Emerson has said lately. Her vocabulary expands every day!

-While she is sitting in her high chair, "Gimme kiss! I love you!" Big deal because she never says that to us. Ha!

-When I went to get her up from her nap she was holding her baby doll. She said, " Mommy, my baby fussy." I guess she has heard that alot. :)

-When I put her hair up she said, "I'm pretty girl now."I think I've tried to bribe her too many to times to fix her hair by telling her she'll look pretty!

-When Ezra was playing with his toy, "Get it out of your mouth! Don't eat it, ok?"

-I went to the bathroom and when I returned she had pulled up a chair to the sink and was going through the dish soap putting it on my clean, dry dishes. I told her if she liked cleaning so much she could do the bathroom. She said,"Uh, huh." Then once she realized what I was talking about, "I don't want it!" Me either little girl.

Life with Two

2011-07-27T14:37:00.000-04:00

Life with two is always busy. But, sometimes you have a to take a moment to document the chaos.

Love that Ezra feels comfortable enough in front of the camera to let his milk dribble out and Emerson can wear her bathing suit just because she wants to.

Itty bitty

2011-07-21T08:27:00.000-04:00

What happens when you have an itty bitty girl and a big baby boy?

They can share clothes!

She put this on all on her own and wore it all day. I think it might be our new dance leotard. What do you think?

Toddler Fun

2011-07-19T14:21:00.000-04:00

In an effort to be more conscious of our playtime I got a book entitled toddler activities. So I decided to give it a go and ventured outside for an art project. We used good old fashioned chalk. The trick was to get it wet and draw on black construction paper for a cool effect. Emerson went to town creating her master piece. At the end I sprinkled salt on the wet paper to create a glittery look. But, I used sea salt so it didn't work quite as well. Next was water time since it was blazing hot. Emerson was already wearing a bathing suit so why not. The idea was to have two containers of water. One filled with ice cubes. She would take a spoon and move them to the other container. At least that was the idea. She dumped both containers over and ate the ice. Then requested more water to drink from with her ladel and throw at the dog. I guess that was entertaining. Success!

Ezra 3 Months

2011-07-18T13:43:00.001-04:00

Little man is 3 months old and growing like crazy. I don't know how much he weighs but he feels quite heavy to me. I can force him into some 3 month old clothes on occasion but he is pretty much in 3-6 and 6 month clothes. What a change from Emerson who wore 0-3 until she was 6 months. My big boy! His little personality has continued to come out and he gives me the biggest grins and raises his eyebrows in a flirtatious way. He knows he's adorable and appreciates when we call him handsome. He loves when I make silly noises and sing songs, mostly improvised. Right now he enjoys renditions of Katie Perry, Rihanna, Brittany Spears, with a little bit of kiddy music thrown in on the side. Ezra has discovered his hands. I catch him often grasping his hands together and twiddling his fingers. He also tries to shove a fist in his mouth if his paci is nowhere to be found. He has started to laugh and giggle and never fails to crack me up as well. I just love this stage of laughter, and smiles before they are mobile and can take off. Ha! He still loves to sleep. He really naps majority of the day. It makes it very easy to go out in the morning for errands or to play with Emerson because he is most likely to sleep the whole time. He also naps at the same time as Emerson which is a huge blessing! At night he can get antsy and will kick and squirm around. Whenever he is super squirmy I know he is tired.

His gorgeous eyes get bluer by the day. We get comments on them constantly. They are just so clear and striking. He does not love tummy time but is certainly strong and has mastered neck control. He rolls over sometimes out of anger but not intentionally. Which is a nice change from Emerson who was mobile so fast. I can put Ezra on a blanket and I know he will stay put. Although he will turn his neck all the way around to look for me. In true boy form he is messy. He spits up a lot, and has blow outs a couple times a day. Needless to say we go through a few changes of clothes a day.

Check out these chubby cheeks!

My heart is full of love for this little boy. Happy Birthday Ezra!

Too Cute

2011-07-14T15:53:00.002-04:00

No pictures but this video was too cute not to share.

We're still here

2011-07-14T14:20:00.000-04:00

We're still here. I have tons of pictures waiting on the camera to be uploaded, organized, and edited. Alas I also have tons of laundry, a dirty house to clean, and little people that are hungry. But, that is how it goes. So here is what we have been up to this week. No picture style. Stayed for massive amounts of pictures soon though.

-We had vanilla ice cream with peach basil topping.

-Emerson was a rock star in dance class

-We had a dead frog roasting in our driveway. ( Victim of the trash can) I have seen lots of gross things in two years of mommy hood but this made me gag.

-It hit triple digits here.

-I fit into my first pair of non maternity pants that aren't elastic waistband. So what if they were big before I got pregnant?

-Ezra turned 3 months old and welcomed a younger cousin.

-Ezra took a 4 hour nap. Got up for an hour then when back to bed.

-Mark won a potato sack race.

-We officially took our house off the market.

So that's your breakdown. Not too interesting but that's all I got today. This is real life people. Ha!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-05T14:38:00.000-04:00

We had a busy fun filled weekend. For the 4th we decided to head to downtown Apex for an Olde Fashioned celebration. It was HOT and humid! We walked around downtown and Emerson had a blast not being confined to a stroller. Ezra hung out in the stroller for the most part taking a nap. There was an old train car on display and Emerson climbed the wall to get to it! She also had lots of fun playing in the dirt. For some reason with everything going on that is what she wanted to do.

They had inflatables and I knew Emerson would be ecstatic. She wasn't keen on waiting in line but she had a blast in the end. Can you believe this pint size was scaling the wall? She had so much fun she refused to put her shoes back on and had a good old fashioned tantrum. :) We walked around a bit more getting scorched and Emerson got a cow tattoo and I made a piece of artwork with her. It was a fun way to celebrate but we were starving by the end! For some reason they only had one concession stand that was out of food and there were tons of people so we headed out. Emerson was spent and crying she was hungry. So I loaded her up with snack bars and sunflower seeds and she took a good long nap when we got home. It stormed the rest of the day so our grilling plans were squashed but we had already done some awesome grilling this weekend. No fireworks for us this year. Sleep of a two year old is too important. Maybe next year. :)

2011-06-30T10:15:00.001-04:00

Ezra was being a goofball, chatting me up, and looking handsome in his plaid so I decided to pull out the camera. It's funny how fast their emotions can change. He gave me the serious look, a giggle, a pout. I guess it's the age because I remember when Emerson was this age she did the exact same thing. I tried to put Ezra on the floor for a picture and Emerson tried to hold up a background for me. She also told Ezra to smile. Ha! He was pretty chill so it was the perfect opportunity for a picture of the two of them. Emerson gave him a little too tight of a hug. It was difficult to get both of their attention so I made a weird noise. You can see Emerson was amused but Ezra found it frightening. Note the bug eyes. This was a fun break from our otherwise hectic day. Emerson has been into everything, literally. I've said that before but now it's really true. Climbing, opening doors she shouldn't, getting out things she really shouldn't. I think she might have selective hearing. But, I guess what 2 year old doesn't? Definitely keeps me on my toes!

Dance Day 2

2011-06-27T14:49:00.000-04:00

Emerson went to her second day of dance on Wednesday. It was only a little bit more to do two classes so I figured why not get here energy out twice a week. Ha! It was a different class and teacher so she was a bit more hesitant. I had to walk her in but she saw the assistant from the other class, an 11 year old girl, and she immediately clung to her. Emerson was a little bit more hesitant this class since there was no warm up but she still told me she had fun. Here is her turn through the obstacle course.

Here are the kiddos waiting on their turn. Emerson sitting beside her teacher assistant buddy. One little girl was hysterically crying. The other kids were apathetic to her screams but Emerson was so sweet. She went over and tried to help her clap and dance. Then sat beside her and rubbed her back. I was so impressed with her sensitivity and sweetness. At the end of class I told her I was proud of her for comforting her new friend when she was sad.

When we drove home Emerson was chatting away. I pulled in the driveway and she passed out. So I placed her on the couch and she slept about 30 minutes before I woke her up. Being a dancer is hard work!

So I don't leave my sweet boy out. Here is Ezra hanging out with me by the pool. Happy guy!

Emerson goes to Dance

2011-06-22T08:44:00.000-04:00

Emerson started dance class this week. I think I was more nervous than she was. I was so excited for her to put on her leotard and dance around. So I wanted to document her first day with her adorable pink leotard. I was a little more excited than she was.

This is the shot I got on the way there. Doesn't she look like she is just too cool?

When we got there she was really excited and wanted to run in but we were over eager and 15 minutes early. But, when the class started she kind of froze and clung to my leg. The parents participated for about 10 minutes to warm up and then we left to give them space. By then she totally involved in the class and I don't think realized I left. I watched outside as they tried to wrangle 10 two year olds. It was pretty hilarious. Emerson was a bit all over and needed a bit or redirection. But, she listened about 50% of the time so I was so proud! She is sitting in the back of the class. It was so nice to see her dancing and enjoying herself. She was even trying to make another girl clap and participate. Ha! She is such a little mama. When it was over they all got a sticker and ran out together. She was thrilled until she realized it was over and we had a bit of a struggle to leave. But, we get to go back today! I'm sure she will have a great time this summer.

Ezra 2 Months

2011-06-21T08:58:00.002-04:00

I had been wanting some real pictures of Ezra to document him being two months. The thing is he is the sleepiest baby ever so it's hard to plan anything. So one day when he woke up and we had some good lighting I quickly moved into action. I pulled out a pair of overalls because I absolutely adore little boys in nothing but overalls. These are actually the overalls Emerson wore in her 3 month pictures.

I tried to get some smiles but as he just woke he was a little groggy. But look at the head control and arm rolls! Both equally impressive.

I'm I'm just going to go ahead and throw it out there that he is the cutest baby boy ever. With baby blues, and pouty lips, how could you could you lose?

He looks surprised I'm there doesn't he? Ha.

Peek a boo! I want to add his eye color isn't enhanced at all. He's all natural. ;)

After about 10 minutes he tuckered out. But gave me a shy grin.

*ps Gparents if you want the photo you can get it off my flickr page*

Trip to the Park

2011-06-20T10:58:00.000-04:00

Since we had some beautiful weather I decided to take Emerson to the park for the first time in a long time. It's just been too hot to take anyone let alone a 2 month old.

Emerson has gotten so big and was climbing on everything! She was a little possessive of the playground trying to claim the slide. But she eventually made a friend and scored a juice box! They were holding hands and it's was very cute.

Ezra had a good time talking with his ladybug friend. I think he was glad we invited her along.

Emerson contemplating her next move by the train

We had a good time and I was glad we had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful day. It also made for a tired girl and a happy mama.

Chubby Cheeks

2011-06-16T22:54:00.000-04:00

Here are a few shots from last week to show off Ezra's chubby cheeks. Emerson never had rolls like this so it really cracks me up. I mean seriously look at this belly. I just want to tickle it all day long!

After Emerson I always assumed I would have a tiny guy. Another string bean. So it's been a big surprise to have a 50th % baby compared to a 5th% I'm loving my big boy!

Picture please?

2011-06-16T14:45:00.000-04:00

The other day I wanted to take a picture of Emerson because she looked cute in her outfit, a long floral pink skirt. I'm not sure if it suppose to be long but it is on her since she is pint sized. She reminded me of a little hippy paired with her keens. Well this picture taking business turned into a whole ordeal. She wasn't going to make it easy. Stand still for 3 seconds, I think not. I got her near the window and of course she starts singing a song and dancing with the blinds cord. Then she tends to an impatiently crying Ezra. Next she gives me two ridiculous looks. The painful smiles that look nothing like here. At the end she runs away and I find her putting deodorant on in some interesting areas. Now that is picture worthy.

2 months old

2011-06-15T14:23:00.000-04:00

So this little guy is two months old and my how is changed! He is starting to smile lots and begin those adorable coos. He will go back in forth and conversation for a good while now and I must say he has the sweetest voice. Ezra is a chunky little thing. We went for his check-up on Monday and he weighs 11lbs 7oz. A little over 2lbs heavier than Emerson was at this age. He has almost doubled his size already! He has a very broad chest, full round tummy, and strong legs. Even the pediatrician said he has very strong muscles for his age. He has rolled a couple times from tummy to back. But, I count it as frustration instead of intentional. He is still super sleepy. He sleeps much more than Emerson did to me. Usually not up for more than an hour at time. He loves a morning nap and can sleep 2-3 hours if his sister doesn't interrupt. Ezra sleeps huge chunks at night but likes to rise and shine around 5am. He absolutely loves the moby wrap and seems to be in heaven when he is in it. He snuggles up on my chest and passes out. He also likes to snuggle very close to me at night. Ezra has a lovely olive complexion and his eyes are beautiful blue right now and seem to be getting lighter by the day. He's getting tons of hair in on top and it appears to be dark brown. He adores his paci and pretty much wants it 90% of the time. I love this age and getting to see their personality come out little by little. Recently we went to the pool and I dangled a butterfly chime toy from his carseat. It's one of those black and white toys that captures their attention. He proceeded to have a conversation with the butterfly for 5 minutes, smiling away. A ladies man already.

Who can resist these cheeks?

For reference here is Emerson at the same age, same diaper. They look about the same I think because of the crop but you can see the diaper is much tighter on Ezra. And no I don't have a problem with him wearing flowers. :)

Happy Birthday Ezra! Could he be any cuter? I think not.

Sweet Dreams

2011-06-14T23:25:00.000-04:00

It's been a little busy around here but it's not stressing out Ezra at all. He's having some sweet dreams. I think it's because he knows he is so handsome. :)

Happy Birthday Ezra!

2011-06-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

Ezra is 2 months today! I'll do a birthday post later but for now look at this adorable smile. Heartbreaker I do believe.

Emerson the Sister

2011-06-09T20:53:00.000-04:00

I wanted to document how Emerson is interacting with Ezra because I'm sure in a month it will be different and I'll forget. She loves him lots and definitely wants a playmate. So here are a few things she has said lately.

"Ezra dance!"
"Ezra clap!" Usually in the same 10 minutes and she will try to make him clap and have fun.
She scrunches up her nose and smells his diaper even though I just changed him.
"Ezra come on!" He usually stays put.
When he burped today, "He's talking!"
"Crying?" He's not, then shoves a paci in his mouth. Then he cries. :)
"Excuse me Ezra," (which really sounds like es-coo) when he is making a dirty diaper.
"Spit up. Yucky." Then dabs his mouth. Which you can imagine from a 2 year old is not too gentle.
And my favorite. "Hold you? OK." I guess he sends nonverbal signals that he wants to be held.

Memorial Weekend

2011-06-07T14:04:00.000-04:00

What does a girl need on a hot day to stay happy? Only a water hose, a new pool, and perhaps some cool shades. Emerson had a blast playing in the backyard in Conover, splashing around. I don't think she actually got in the swim pool more than once but she had a blast playing around it.

A princess beach ball didn't hurt either. Combined with a chocolate cupcake she was in toddler heaven. Ezra was pretty happy as well. :)

Take in the Sweetness

2011-06-03T17:17:00.000-04:00

The other night I was up late and I read an article about the sweetness of babies.

About how they are so irresistible. It made me a bit sentimental so I decide to capture some of Ezra's sweetness as he slept. Because I want to remember what these tiny fingers and toes look like.

So relaxed and completely comfortable. He did have his fingers raise up. Which I thought was hilarious, but I didn't quite catch it. It goes by so fast. So I'm trying to take in this sweetness.

If you are interested in reading about babies the article is here.

It's video time

2011-06-02T23:26:00.004-04:00

Since it's so hard to capture those quick baby smiles I decided to film them. Listen to Emerson say "It does!" after I ask Ezra if sneezing feels good. Ha! I didn't hear that when I was filming it. Please excuse my shaky camera work. It's hard to make goofy faces at a baby and film. Ya know?? Also Emerson is really into singing Happy Birthday right now. So I'm not sure asking her randomly. It's the first song she can sing and I actually understand the words!

Photo Op

2011-06-02T16:48:00.004-04:00

I just have pictures today. But, they are so cute that's enough. By the way I'm glad Ezra's paci color coordinates with our outfits. Nice work.

Getting back in the swing

2011-05-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

This was my first full week of making dinner. We have been so lucky to have friends and family bringing us yummy food I haven't had to cook on my own with kiddos. So this is how we got it done. The Moby. It seriously saved my life this week, as I cannot leave Ezra anywhere accessible to Miss E. He looks pretty cozy, doesn't he? Also great for shopping trips, church, and walks. :)

I also got to let Emerson do something fun. I pulled out her baby pool since we were in the 90's this week. Our patio becomes shaded after 4:30 so we broke out the bath toys. It's going to be tough this year for me take her to our pool in the full sun with Ezra. Also I'm not sure there is a cute bathing suit out there that covers all I want it too, and doesn't look super mommish. Sigh. I think I'll be wearing my maternity one and yes it still fits. We pulled out Emerson's bathing suit from last year and it was a wee bit tight. One of the first times anything has been tight on her in awhile.

We both enjoyed a strawberry popsicle. Perfect for the beginning of summer! Hope everyone has a good holiday weekend. Maybe next week I will post my birth story. It was much more emotional for me than Emerson's birth but I think the hormones may have subsided enough for me to write it. We shall see.

Love your brother

2011-05-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

Ezra was hanging out the other day on our bed. The usual safe place from his sister.

Minding his own business, bugging his eyes out as usual.

Then all the sudden I turn around and Emerson is on the bed trying to pick him up. Since when can she climb our pretty high bed?!? So instead of completely freaking out I decided to let her "hold" him. With a little help from a pillow she got to love on her brother. After 10 seconds of her new found freedom she tells me to go and motions me away. Yeah, I'm going to say that's not going to happen! Nice try though.

While she wasn't stealing his paci they cuddled a bit.

"Seriously? I told you to get out of here."

She was over the moon with love for her brother.

But, I can't say the feeling is mutual.

Our Weekend in Pictures

2011-05-23T23:35:00.001-04:00

I was super documentary this weekend trying to capture little moments. On Friday afternoon when Emerson woke up from her nap I could not stop laughing at her hair. So I just had to get a picture. The poor girl had soaking wet hair. I couldn't figure out why she was so hot in a tank top with a fan until Sunday I found her napping with a plush blanket over her head. Yep, that will do it.

Emerson worked on a birthday card for her cousin Avery. Sticker decorating as a favorite so I let her go to town. She made a beautiful card. I thought she was finished and when I checked back in she had decided they all looked better on her body as tattoos.

I'm still finding these little tiny stickers everywhere.

Saturday, Ezra took a snooze in his sister's crib. It can be a good place to avoid your sister and get some good zzz's.

He also pulled out the Elvis lip.

Emerson let me put her hair up for one of the first times in forever! She wore it up for a good part of the day. She looks so much older with pig tails. Yes, she is color on a book that is bigger than her.

Ezra and I got our picture together at the birthday party. We also unknowingly wore matching outfits. :) Ezra gave me a real smile on Saturday. The kind that makes your heart explode. Have I told you I love this little boy?!?

During naptime the boys hung out on the porch. Ezra says, "Whassup?"

Sunday we went to Duke Gardens for a picnic. After a couple hours of getting ready we grabbed a spot and Emerson grabbed some chips. We noticed it wasn't very busy and after a few minutes we realized why. It was hot, hot, hot. After hanging out we treated ourselves to ice cream. We got Emerson her kid cup of strawberry, I got dulche de leche. She asked to taste mine so I obliged. She proceeds to eat a good portion of mine so I eat a bite of hers. When it was near finished she hands me my empty cup, then takes the pretty full strawberry and puts it on the other side of her and says, "Mine." Nice move.

The Mom of two routine

2011-05-20T14:53:00.000-04:00

Because we must start with an adorable picture. I think this is his Elvis impersonation.
Anyways we're working on getting this mom of two thing down. I've heard lots of women of many kiddos say that going from one to two is the hardest transition and whew it's been tough. Getting out and about is a whole other obstacle. I get dressed a couple hours before needing to go and inevitably we all need a few more clothing changes before go. Between telling a two year old multiple times, "You cannot squeeze your brother's head." "Seriously, you can't lay on top of him." "Really, he doesn't like your finger in his mouth." I'm about done. Ha! Hopefully as the days go by we will get into a better routine and my toddler will get the wax out of her ears. So my hat's off to all you Mamas out there taking care of your babies. Now I'm going to to enjoy a few minutes of both kids napping. It's rare!

My Little Princess

2011-05-18T09:17:00.000-04:00

Emerson has gotten into dress-up and really being a girly girl. Although she still won't let me fix her and leave it for than 5 minutes. Working on that! But, anyways she is constantly wanting to wear jewelry, and sport some heels. It cracks me up when she loads up her arms with bags, puts on some heels and pushes her stroller. Ha! The other day I pulled out her clothes for dress-up so we could play. She picked our a glittery pink dress. I told her it was a princess dress. She wore this for a couple hours and she came upstairs later that day and said, "Mommy I'm a princess." It was adorable to say the least.

When Mark got home we went for a wagon ride and we passed some of our neighbors. They had a tea cart which fittingly went with her princess attire. So heels and all she is strolling through our neighborhood like this. That is until she had a wardrobe malfunction and took a little spill. It's tough being a princess.

Sibling Love

2011-05-17T10:20:00.000-04:00

I attempted to take a few sibling shots of my kiddos. Of course a two year old and 1 month old don't take direction very well. Although Ezra listens better than E.! Ha! But, I caught a few cute moments.

I just love Emerson's smile here. I wanted her closer to her brother but she wasn't having it. Ezra staring at her is priceless. I thought a vintage processing looked nice for these two. Can you see the difference in skintone though between them?

A little more candid shots before Ezra's one month check-up. Doesn't he look like a little man? This is one of my favorite outfits for him. Emerson looked adorable as well and I did brush her hair. She just decided to mess it up right before I pressed the shutter. Typical. She likes the bedhead look.

I let her hold her little brother. She was so happy. Talking to him, and surprisingly more gentle than I would expect.

But, you can see Ezra was not thrilled. She kept saying, "K baby?." You can really see here how big he has gotten and how small she is. I think he will catch up with her very soon!

Happy 1 month Ezra!

2011-05-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe it's been 5 weeks since Ezra was born! Happy 1 month Baby Boy! Ezra has grown by leaps and bounds and it's not an exaggeration to say I can't even recognize this big boy I have now. He is no longer the tiny little newborn we welcomed into the world. Chubby cheeks, rolls, and all he has gained almost 3lbs since he was born and is incredibly strong. He is slowly becoming more and more alert and enjoys listening to his sister make noise. Or maybe he has learned to be on the alert for her. He loves to snuggle and has enjoyed many trips and walks in the moby wrap. His blonde fuzz is seeming to fall out and he has grown lots more brown hair on top. But, still keeping his old man hair style. I adore his pouty lips and the warm cuddles he gives. I absolutely love the baby kisses when he bobs his head around my face. It may mean feed me now but I find it so sweet and yet funny at the same time. We are so blessed.

Adorable 1 month old baby feet.

Amazingly enough I could not keep asleep to save my life for newborn pictures but I got him to pass out for 1 month ones. In true Ezra fashion he was sprawled out.

So I don't leave a certain someone out. Here is my little model who was kinda jealous of her brother's photo shoot.

These little piggies

2011-05-11T15:05:00.000-04:00

These little piggies specifically are so cute I couldn't resist taking a picture

or two or

three of them!

Emerson got a little hint of color on her piggies for the first time. It did take some repetition of, "No, don't touch them! They're wet!" But, I do think she likes her lavender toes.

Ezra opted out of the lavender shade. I never thought Emerson's feet would look big but they sure do compared to Ezra's!

In Love

2011-05-09T18:35:00.000-04:00

In love with these cute little toes...

Chubby cheeks...

Cloth diapered behind...

and sweet face of my little guy.

And of course I can't forget these pouty lips!

Spring Daze

2011-05-03T10:54:00.000-04:00

This weekend we headed to the Spring Daze Festival in Cary. It's an arts and craft festival in the middle of a park with tons of booths, food, and music. I was a little nervous about taking both kids out but I really wanted to go since we had so much fun last year. It did take us over a half hour to get out of the car because of diaper changes, feedings, etc. but it went well. Ezra rode along in the Moby and seemed super content to snuggle all morning. Around lunchtime we took a little break for pizza, and milk (for Ezra) and had our own little picnic under the shade of a tree. With some live music in the background Emerson was in heaven dancing like crazy.

Ezra seemed to enjoy it too and woke up just long enough for a picture. We also grabbed some delicious homemade ice cream and I got some natural white tea soap before we left. There were so many cool things there I could have bought something at every booth!

We tried to capture Emerson dancing but of course she got side tracked as soon as we started filming. But, I was cracking up at her smelling the flower. She is a hoot!

We survived

2011-04-29T14:18:00.000-04:00

We survived the first week that is of just me and the kiddos! With lots of help from Elmo, I managed to keep Emerson from playing with Ezra like a doll and I was able to eat occasionally. I've never really sat Emerson in front of a tv before but I must say it worked like a charm! I did go back to my produce delivering job yesterday and all I have to say is there is probably a reason women go on maternity leave. :) But slowly we are getting into the swing of things. I knew things would be an adjustment and it's definitely tough to balance two little ones. Let's hope each week gets easier and easier. Emerson is starting to take back her resentment of her Mama and she has napped 3 days this week in her crib which I am certainly thankful for. Thanks to all of our friends and family that have brought us dinners! When I have to start cooking again will be a whole other story. :)

Easter

2011-04-28T10:38:00.001-04:00

We had fun celebrating Easter weekend. I didn't intend to dress Emerson up since we didn't think it was a good idea to take Ezra to church with all the people and germs. But, E. found this dress and insisted on wearing it. Very appropriate indeed for Easter. Although she is so short and the dress was so long she kept catching her feet in it.

She even sported her easter bunny ears while hunting eggs.

She scored some peeps which I enjoyed later. :)

She was excited to receive a golf set from her Grandparents. Let's hope it doesn't turn into a weapon. Ha!

Easter Day we didn't really have any plans. So we did Emerson's Easter basket. I just put a few things together a couple months ago and to be honest couldn't even remember what it was. Here is Ezra's reaction to Easter. Ha!

This is the true depiction of a two year old. Nice! I think I'll show her boyfriend this picture in the future.

She loved her $1 sunglasses from target and the colored goldfish were a big hit.

Since we were home all day we did an easter egg hunt with Emerson's bf, Ben. Here are the kiddos post hunt stuffing their faces. Well, maybe that is just Emerson stuffing her face. Ezra even participated! Hope everyone had a good Easter!

Happy 2 weeks Ezra!

2011-04-26T11:04:00.000-04:00

Ezra was two weeks yesterday and he was the most awake he has ever been! He had his two week check up at the birth center.

Here is Ezra with his midwife Sarah. We didn't get any pictures of the birth so I made sure to bring my camera to capture the two of them. As a result of Ezra's love for nursing our growing boy is already 8lbs! So he has gone up a whole pound and 10 ounces and is now 20.5 inches long. Barely fitting into his newborn clothes now I'm starting to think I may have made a mistake in buying so many 0-3 clothes and not enough 3-6. Emerson was not too thrilled with Ezra's check-up. In fact she was quite hysterical that they were doing something to him. She also didn't want them to take my blood pressure. Protective, much?

But, of course they forgave this cute girl and she got a sticker reward. I'm not sure how she will survive not going every week and getting a sticker. Ha! At the end of our appointment Ezra had to have his hearing test done. Emerson proceeded to tell the nurse she needed food. Of course she felt sorry for her and we all ended up with yummy luna bars. :)

Sibling Love

2011-04-26T08:04:00.000-04:00

Emerson certainly loves her brother. We don't have many pictures of the two of them yet because it's kinda scary for Ezra to have a bigger toddler want to pick you up! See how she removed his socks?

I think she would snuggle all day with him if she could. But, of course that isn't too comfy for little brother.

I tried to prompt her to lay nicely beside him.

We got one kiss.

And one goofball look.

Then one semi decent shot of the proud big sister and little brother.

Ezra kept his composure throughout. He's a pro.

2011-04-21T10:13:00.000-04:00

Who would have thought that we could have such a happy guy?!

Seriously have you ever seen a week old baby smile so much?

I finally got some pictures of Emerson! I just told her how pretty she was. It held her attention for 15 seconds. Check out those lashes! I would kill for those lashes.

Since Ezra was born Emerson has appeared huge to me. All 20lbs of her. She always seemed so tiny and still like a baby but now I look at her and think how much she has grown up. Especially when she lets me put her hair up.

A little cheese for ya.

And a poise in her seventies inspired jump suit. The orange flip flops were her choice. :) Hope everyone has a nice Easter. Luckily I put together Emerson's basket in February in preparation for a busy month in April. I didn't make her a dress this year. It just seemed like too much. But, we'll get back with that tradition next year. So we are all set to celebrate! Happy Easter!

Blondie

2011-04-20T11:21:00.000-04:00

When Ezra was born I thought he had dark hair. Which was partly true. But as the days went by it emerged he has a little of both. Brown on bottom, and blonde fuzz on top. Even the bottom half is starting to be more of a warm brown with highlights rather than the deep dark brown his sister was born with and as you can see that color didn't last long on her! So it will be interesting to see if his blonde fuzz takes over.

I just love, love baby hands and feet. So tiny and sweet.

Couldn't you just eat him up? Precious!

And just for fun to compare...

Here is dark haired Emerson at around the same age. I don't think they look at all alike. What about you?

First Week in pictures

2011-04-19T15:28:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe Ezra is a week old. Here is the first picture of me with both the kiddos. We have yet to get a full family picture yet.

I'm still not sure who Ezra looks like. Definitely nothing like his sister. He even has different noises. Much deeper, manly noises! He also has some serious belches for such a little guy.

Emerson loves Ezra and always ask me where he is if I show up without him.

I love to watch newborns sleep. Ezra is so peaceful.

Chatting with Dad on Day 2. He already looks chubbier than this now!

We ended our week with our first bath. Ezra's cord already fell off so we gave him the full bath. He did really well and seemed to enjoy the warm soak. Maybe it's because he was a water baby. I love his eyes here. He opens them super wide when he hears something new. Ha!

Happy Fellow

2011-04-16T18:57:00.000-04:00

As you can see Ezra is a happy little guy. He is constantly smiling and it makes my heart melt. We're still learning about one another. What his cues are, and what he likes. He has impressively already gained weight instead of losing any which is no surprise because he loves to eat. Basically if he is barely anywhere near being awake he wants milk. He is super cuddly and has enjoyed a ridiculous amount of kisses from his sister. It's hard to believe he was just born Monday because it seems like he has lived here for awhile now!

He's here!

2011-04-13T10:46:00.001-04:00

Ezra Hamlin Landis arrived early Monday morning at 2:15am after a fast and furious labor! He weighs 6lbs 6oz and is 19.5 inches long. He is super sweet and we are all doing well.

Our outing this week

2011-04-09T16:51:00.000-04:00

This week we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and meet our friends at the park. We set out to feed the ducks. Well in this case mostly geese.

Emerson was super excited to see them. Running like a wild child.

We came prepared with some stale bread for "ducks" to enjoy.

Although Emerson loved the "ducks" I think she missed the memo about feeding them.

Because she ate every slice I gave her to feed to them! Ha!

"Those ducks really look hungry. They should try some of this bread"

I guess we should have called it eating while duck watching. :)

38 Weeks

2011-04-07T16:20:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately but Emerson has napped twice in the last two weeks. This being one of those days I can do a blog post. Weeks have flown by and I'm full term with 2 weeks to go. I've packed my bag and folded all his clothes. So for the most part we are ready. Mark and I have scheduled to do a full scale cleaning this weekend. Hopefully Baby can hold off a few days so I can finish up the edits for my last two photo sessions. I've literally edited over a 100 pictures this week, working feverishly in case we had an early birthday. Although I don't have any reason to think he'll make his appearance soon. He is lower but no signs other than that. I'm pretty convinced I'll go past my due date. I'm feeling very pregnant, and more uncomfortable than with E. But, of course I'm much bigger. I'm much more active too, chasing a toddler whereas with E. I was on bedrest at this point laying on the couch everyday watching movies. :) I'm trying to enjoy the last weeks of pregnancy, prepare for the little guy that is about to arrive, and prepare to be a family of four.

Predict Baby Boy's Arrival!

2011-04-04T15:29:00.000-04:00

Make a guess about little man will make his debut! I hope to have a current baby bump picture up soon. I've been washing tons of baby clothes and hopefully am pretty close to having everything ready. I'm really looking forward to his arrival! I'm not anxious or anything and I think everything should go pretty smoothly. Keep us in your prayers. :)

Maternity Shoot

2011-03-26T10:08:00.000-04:00

A little over a month ago Mark took my maternity pictures. I think I was around 30 weeks so I'm much bigger now! But, I wanted to get them done before I got too big.

We headed down to take a few at the farmers market in Durham.

I was so excited to get my sweater dress for about $6 at Old Navy on clearance. Maybe even less since my preggo brain is failing me. I love a good deal and it was $35.00 regularly.

This is one of my favorites. I think I'll get this one framed for the house one day. I love the turquoise colors of the bench.

I've always envisioned having maternity pictures with Emerson kissing my belly and so happy. Well, she wasn't having it. Ha! Her attention span was just not there.

Here I am coaxing her to touch the baby.

And this is real life. Her running away from me.

Last but not least a vintage version. Thanks Mark for being my photog!

Week in IPhone pictures

2011-03-24T11:06:00.000-04:00

With Mommy at her weekly Midwife Appointment. Sporting new shoes, a bow, and a mouthful of cheerios!

Putting Emerson to work and torturing the dog.

Enjoying the swing on a very warm spring day. She thinks she is a big girl now and insists on using the real swings even though she can't get in it without help. :)

Shower Time Part 1

2011-03-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago we were lucky enough to have a shower back in my hometown for Baby Boy. Of course Look at these yummy cupcakes!

We played several games which made me feel a little brain dead. Ha!

The best punch ever! Orange, pineapple, strawberries, and mint. Yum.

Emerson thought all the presents were for her. Of course getting some late bday gifts didn't hurt either. I would say she is a shower fan!

Ignore my sleepy eyes but I wanted to show this cool wrapping job from my Aunt. It had a creative paper bow on it as well as the letters made from paper.

Hanging out with the cousins was one of Emerson's favorite part. We were blessed to get many things for Baby Boy!