Megan's Shower

A couple weeks ago I got to host a BOY baby shower for one of my besties here in O-H-I-O! We haven't had many boys come through here in a while so it was fun to change things up a bit!

Me and Meg, the new momma-to-be...

Bex, Kara, Me: The Fun Captains (kara even color coordinated her shirt with the shower....I didn't get the memo) :)

THE DECOR: Diaper Wreath on the front door ....

Tissue paper Pom Poms I saw on Bre's blog and then learned how to make HERE!....

(yep, kara made these paper balls just for the shower, and now they are decor in baby's nursery! so cute!)...

We (well, I) decided to go the bottled water route since we just had our carpet installed and I was avoiding sticky spills....so Kara fancied them up a bit! Who knew bottled water could look so cute?!

THE FOOD....

DESSERT:

Creamy Lemon Crumb Square recipe HERE (they will not disappoint)!

scrumptious little blueberry cheesecakes (they are of the devil....but oh so yummy)!

THE FAVORS ....

York patties. They looked like mini icecream sandwiches. (Yes, my world revolves around FOOD!! Got a problem with that?!)

Some party-goers.....

The guest of honor....getting lots of cute stuff!

Thanks to those who helped....

Thanks Meg for giving us a reason to have a party! We are sooooooo excited for you guys!

15 Months

15 Month Stats

Weight: 23 lbs. 10 oz. (62%)

Height: 30.75 inches (58%)

Head Circ.: 18.5 inches (80%) (the doctor said at least she's got it where it counts?!?!?!)

So, as far as the monthly chair shot goes....she's too out of control to hold still!

ha ha! Don't worry, I caught her!

Being silly, as usual....

Oh! There's a keeper! What a poser! :)

When we ask to see her teeth we usually get a cute little grin (as seen above)...kinda hard to get her to stand in one place long enough to see them! So, this is as good as it gets.

Her left central and lateral came in before the right side so her smile is a little lop-sided and I think it's the cutest thing ever!

The right central and lateral aren't too far behind though! I laugh every time I see those little white Chiclets! I think teeth make babies look so goofy! They just add so much more character to their little (already fun) personalities!

I wish I could freeze this little sweetheart in time right now! We are having so much fun with her! Some of my favorite things of the day are:

• Every morning (without fail) after I get Emri out of her crib and change her diaper we head downstairs and sometimes before I can even ask her if she's ready for breakfast she growls "KRAAAAAHH-KAAAAAAHH!!" So, yes, every breakfast begins with an appetizer of graham crackers (or sometimes goldfish)! Silly girl!
• While she eats she points to the iPod and does a little shoulder shimmy....this means she wants to listen to some music.
• Loves to pretend talk on my cell phone as she paces through the house saying "Whaaat" and "orelllllay" (oh really)!
• When she's making "the face" I ask her if she's going poop and she usually replies with some grunting noises.... Brett, you need to start closing the door :) ha ha
• She loves to stand at the back door and wait for Dadda to get home from school everyday!
• She scrunches her whole face up and sniffs in and out to smell flowers (or anything that looks plant-like)
• She can be caught in church watching Einstein on Brett's iTouch...bad habit I know, but at least it keeps her quiet! We're on the Nursery countdown---3 more mos!
• Usually the first thing she says when we sit down in church is "Naaaa" (snack)....the other thing that keeps her happy and quiet through the 3 hour block!
• Willingly gives kisses, eskimos (nose rubs), and squeezes/loves when asked!
• Folds her arms when we sit down together for meals, especially dinner...then unfolds them as soon as the prayer starts! What a sweet little reminder!
• I think my very favorite thing right now is having her walk up to me several times a day, wrap her arms around my legs and hug them as she says "aaaahh." It's so sweet! I can't help but kiss her to pieces whenever she does that!

So.....if anyone knows how to freeze their kids in time.....please, let me know!

Oh, and also....how long does it take to get your kid into a one nap schedule? We are so back and forth with it! Some days she still needs to go down in the morning....and some days she refuses! Tricky!

Phone, Fat Lip, Fruit.....and Veggies

Emri loves phones....or anything electronic, really! Lately she's been wandering through the house with my phone to her ear saying "WHAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!" Where did she get that from? ha ha! She also held the iPod up to her ear the other day and started talking into it!

Along with the "toddler" stage comes lots of bonks and bruises. She caught her toe on the bathroom rug and didn't have time to catch her fall (neither did I and I was standing a foot away). She got a little bit of a fat lip. And, don't those big blue eyes just melt your heart....or is it just me?

It's been quite gloomy and rainy outside, so we've been forced to stay homebound for the most part. I felt pretty productive at the end of the day today....

Emri is transitioning to 1 nap (*sigh* she's growing up too fast!) Today she slept about 2 hours in the afternoon and while she was down I made blackberry freezer jam, fixed dinner, and cleaned out my closet!

Can't wait to try it....this is my first blackberry jam attempt. I think Emri will like it on her PBJ sandwiches (she ate almost 1/2 of a container of blackberries with her lunch)!

Emri wants to do everything we do, so when I took my apron off....she wanted it on! I actually bought fabric a couple weeks ago to make us matching aprons. I better get on it!

After dinner we went to the garden center and picked out a few plants for our pot garden! I'm so excited....2 years ago we planted 1 tomato plant just to see if I could keep it alive. It turned out great! Then last year I was in baby mode and didn't think about a garden till it was too late.

This year we're really branching out! ha ha! After Emri went to bed I potted 2 tomatoes, basil, and a jalepeno plant. I think I might go back tomorrow and get anaheim peppers and a green bell pepper! Wish our "garden" luck!

I love productive days!

Lovey Bear

So, Emri has this little lovey bear/security "blanket" that Brett bought her before she was born. She actually has become quite attached to it and now loves to pack "Beh" around with her for lots of activities like:

Watching TV

Watching the snow fall

Sleeping on the couch with Daddy (apparently it's tranquilizing for adults too)!

riding in the car/sleeping

riding on airplanes

Naptime and bedtime are a must....it makes her instantly sleepy!

oh, yep....did I mention sleeping?!

Getting ready for the pool

and has proven to be a true comforter at times of sadness....like when Grandma and Kolby have to say goodbye

or the mean nurse at the doctor gives her 4 shots and pricks her toe. :(

Luckily, once we realized she was attached to "Beh" we went back to Babies R Us and bought 2 more so we could rotate them through the wash. E likes to suck on the nose and twirl her fingers in the ribbon bow on it's neck. The bad thing is they're white....so I'm washing them quite frequently!

Yesterday while I was on an errand in Babies R Us, I was going to buy a couple more for future need. They were only $5 when we got them. Well....they no longer carry that specific one. I gave the new version to Emri to see what she'd think and she didn't really care for it. So, today I googled "White Gerber Security Bear with Pink Satin"......

DON'T WORRY....Amazon only wants $59.99 for the bear now! WHAT THE?!?!?!? Seriously!!!!!!! Are they some kind of a hot item now?! So crazy!! I really couldn't believe it! We might just have to stick to "beh" at nap/bedtime only and when traveling away from home so I can keep these babies in good condition! Good thing we have 3, but they get dingy soooo fast! Hey grandma....how much do you love E?!? ha ha!

Moral of the story: if your baby takes a liking to a specific animal/lovey....make sure you have at least 5!

Did any of you have a lovey from your childhood? What was it? I don't remember being too attached to one thing. Do any of you STILL have that cherished item?! Or HAVE to sleep with it? Don't be shy....

Cinco de Mayo

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo at our place again this year. I think we'll keep it up for tradition's sake! We had the same salsa chicken tacos as last year but switched up dessert a little... with some of this awesome "NON"- Fried Icecream! Delish!! Go HERE for the easy recipe! (I got it at our ward cooking group).

So, Emri always spends her time ooohhing and aaaahhing over Baby Bexley whenever she is near! She really loves her! Here she's showing us where "the baby's button is!" Don't worry, she just lifted Bex's shirt right up and found it!

We love throwing parties with food (and now we have Emri as the entertainment portion)!

HaPpY MoThEr'S dAy!!

Happy Mother's Day to You Special Ladies in Our Life.... These Two in Particular!!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Easton Fountains

Yesterday was toasty warm, so we headed off to Easton to meet up with Averi & Katie to check out the fountains! Averi is a pro at running through the fountains already, so she had to teach Emri the ways! I think their conversation went something like this:

E: "Mom, don't I look so cute as I sunbathe here....at a safe distance away from the crazy water spray?"

E: "Yeah, I could SIT here all day!"

A: "No, Emri, get up. Mom, tell her to stand up!"
A: "Do you need help standing up?"
E: " I really think I just like the sideline business...just a nice mist here and there to cool me off."
E: "Look, I'll even be brave and touch the water!"

A: "That's more like it!"
E: "What happens if I stand directly over it and look down into the water hole?"

A: "Uh, I don't think that's such a great idea. Hey, Mom....is it ok that she's doing that??"
E: "hmmmm....maybe that wasn't such a great idea. I think I like sitting better!"
A: "C'mon Emri, just try it! Just once! C'mon!"

E: "ah....alright. I guess."

K: "Go girls! Go run in the water! You can do it!"

E & A: "shbrlsiherahshreraehrheawezrwayanldkuaoiuboinaeokaou" (read: "ready, set..")
A: "GO!!!!!"

E: thinking "OMGoodness! Here I go! I'm sooooo brave! This is the craziest thing I've ever done in my ENTIRE (14 month) LIFE!!! AHHH! I hope my butt doesn't look big in this suit, cuz that older boy is watching my every move!!

Older boy: "nice curves!"

E: "Averi??? Now what? Do I just stand here?!"
E: "Oh My! What the?! That's a lot of water! Where do I....What do I??...I've gotta...."
E: "I'm bailin' this scene!!"
E: "Where were you on that one Ave??"

A: "Girl, you crazy! I didn't think you'd do it!"

E: "You better have my back next time!"

A: "Aaaiight!"

E: "Actually, that was really fun! I want to do it again!"

They were so funny together!! Emri actually didn't mind the water one bit! After she ran out, she'd look at me, then back at the water and growwwwwwl!! I guess she was trying to say she wasn't afraid?! I don't know!! Here's a clip for your viewing pleasure! :)