pumpkin patch

on Monday, my sister and i took Emma to the pumpkin patch. i had put it off in hopes of going when the weather cooled off. no such luck. it was hot, really hot. we didn't stay long. just long enough to take a few photos and get a few pumpkins.

she's annoyed at the creeper trying to sneak into her photo

trying to figure out the hay

loving her wagon ride

cutest turkey I've ever seen

she didn't last long in here. first of all, she tried eating the corn. second of all, some  bratty kids were throwing the corn at each other. the mama bear in me picked emma up (very dramatically) and told those kids a thing or two. in a nice way, promise.

what has been happening...

we celebrated Emma at 10 months old.

she is full of life, energy and a spirit for exploring. it is challenging to get her to sit still long enough to take a photo. there is always something more exciting she needs to get to. she started walking. after those first steps it didn't take long for her to realize that walking was going to get her where she wanted to go a lot faster than crawling. not to mention there is a whole new world up off the floor. it's a whole new world for both of us. i hear some moms say that they had a favorite stage, like crawling or when they weren't mobile. but i have to say, i have truly loved every stage. as we entered this new stage i got those feelings of excitement all over again thinking of how her personality will shine through differently than the time before.

we celebrated Emma at 11 months old.



she has this walking thing down. when she falls, she stands right back up. she absolutely loves being chased and makes us laugh at how quick those little legs can move. she is attempting to climb now. she knows how to climb upstairs but not down. she has climbed into one of her toys and managed to climb back out. everyday she amazes me. i am so excited to celebrate her first year of life. she brings us so much joy. we are so grateful God has chosen us to be her parents.

"For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done."
Psalm 92:4

9 months

here we are again. on June 27, E turned 9 months old. she is developing more and more into a little toddler and less and less into a little baby. her daddy and i are so proud of her. everything she does amazes us. we both have over 500 photos on our phones. of her.
at the moment she:

• pulls up and stands on everything, including my legs when she wants to be held, is tired and hungry.
• stands with only one arm balancing on something.
• stood alone for 5 whole seconds! amazing! 
• moves from furniture to furniture or along furniture.
• looks under the bed when we say 'where's the kitty?'.
• laughs when you chase her.
• is fearless of animals. she chased after every dog that ran by at the beach last weekend.
• loves to pull every book off her bookshelf.
• face plants it every time her daddy gets home (from crawling so fast to get to him).
• still has only two teeth, but is working on the top two.
• gets frustrated when she can't reach something.
• is learning to wave. she will do it, just not at the right time.
• is getting more hair! there's enough to hold clips.
• pulls her shirts off. this girl loves to be naked.

 

i could hardly keep her still


 

i managed to get a couple



she basically asks for a nap. she pulls up on her crib, finds and puts her binky in her mouth and stands there until i put her in. she's such a big girl.





4th of July

for E's first fourth of July (my second favorite holiday) we went to Santa Barbara for the weekend. Tim's mom and her husband rented a house 100 feet from the beach and invited us and Tim's two brothers and their wives and kids. we left Friday morning shortly after Tim got home and arrived about 2:30 pm. we immediately went down to the beach to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful beach. E LOVED the beach! she crawled, sat, explored, ate some sand, climbed over rocks, and smiled a grin so big i thought she was going to poop her pants (which she did).

once we got back to the house, it was a different story. E woke up Saturday morning with a runny nose. a change in the weather, maybe? then she got rosy little cheeks and a low fever. getting sick, maybe? her fever broke and all that was left was a fussy, clingy, runny nosed little girl who couldn't stop biting and drooling on my shoulder. teething. ugh, while we were on vacation. 4 hours from home and the comfort of her own bed. needless to say, the next two nights were spent trying to console a hurting, tired baby without waking up the whole house. which she did. both nights. once we got home on Monday afternoon she went right back to her sweet, happy self, with a runny nose. she went right back into her bedtime routine and slept all night. although, we kept her up an extra hour so she could watch fireworks for the first time. our dear friends, Marissa and Jake, had everyone over to their house to watch the fireworks at the bowl from their front yard. we did the same thing last year. but this year E was there, in my arms, staring in awe at the sky. not in my tummy. it made me happy and sad at the same time. i loved every minute of being pregnant with her. it was a whole different feeling of closeness to her. i was never alone. but now she is here, and she is amazing, and my life is forever changed for the better because of her.

saying hello to her bff, Stella, at Marissa and Jake's

daddy and E. my two favorite people

i couldn't get her to keep that cute thing on

so i cute off the bow and attached it to a clip



happy first 4th of July, sweet baby

to daycare or not to daycare

not. at least not right now.

a few posts ago i explained our new schedule and the need we had to put E in daycare. we thought we had found the one. nothing changed with the daycare. everything changed with my mommy instincts. i had sleepless night after sleepless night where my thoughts would take over and before i knew it, it was 3 am and i had convinced myself that E would sit in a corner all day at daycare crying and find no comfort until i came to pick her up. that there would be another kid that would pinch her and no justice, i mean discipline, would be done. that she would be lost in the crowd. that a stranger would see her take her first steps. i know that daycare is great for most people. but i just couldn't shake my mommy instincts. it wasn't going to work for our family. what has been working out is: my mom watches her on Tuesday and a close family friend, Dannyell, watches her (at our house) on Wednesday and Friday. i have every other Friday off and Dannyell still comes over to watch E so that i can run a few errands and work around the house. it's working great for our family.

8 months

our little bundle of joy turned 8 months old on May 27

at the moment she:

     is crawling everywhere. really fast

     loves chasing our cat

     is pulling up on everything

     can find the smallest pieces of lint. i have a hard time seeing them with my glasses on.

     LOVES the water

     is scared of the vacuum

     weighs 15 pounds

     is 26 3/4" tall

     has tiny feet. none of her cute sandals fit her yet

     giggles at anything and everything her daddy does

     has gone from sleeping 12 hours at night to 8.... sunlight later and earlier??

     still takes two 1 1/2 hour naps during the day

     does great in the nursery at church with the other little ones

     loves bananas and strawberries

     can throw an adorable fit only a mother could love when she is tired

    

this adorable little girl has got her mommy and daddy wrapped around her dainty little finger. she lights up our world with her contagious grin and sweet spirit. we are blessed. truly and deeply blessed.

                                              

7 months

Wednesday marked our little one's 7 month birthday. she continues to light up our world with her growing curiosity. my life has forever been changed in ways i never knew it could be changed, thanks to her.

My sweet baby girl,
     You are not an accident, you were deliberately planned and lovingly positioned on this earth by your heavenly Father.
      Psalm 139:13

at the moment she:
    shakes everything like a polaroid picture
    has one tooth that has broken through
    rolls all over the place
    can position herself into a pilates plank
    crawls.... but only backwards
    loves when daddy throws her into the air
    still loves her bath
    moved into a big girl bath (the sink)
    hates naps
    loves daddy's xbox remote
    isn't too crazy about food. she will eat it, but it takes forever. there's always something else more exciting that she can't take her eyes off of.
    loves her purple vtech phone
    is excited to move into her new home (more on that later)
    loves to play with her cousin Karissa
    makes funny noises when she is falling asleep
    looks at you when you say her name and smiles
    is fascinated with EVERYTHING
    brings joy to everyone who comes in contact with her
    is now almost a toddler. have i missed anything? how will i remember everything? have i already forgot things? how has it already been 7 months? how has it only been 7 months? my baby girl is growing up before my eyes far too quickly.

fun in the sun

on Saturday this past weekend, we spent a few hours hanging with my dearest friends, Marissa, Erica, and Sam. we sat in the sun, drank sodas, ate junk food and just relaxed. emma ate a strawberry, kind of. it was a perfect day.

what a beautiful mess she creates

He is risen!

Happy Easter. what a beautiful day it is to celebrate our risen King!

would you like to know how to make this adorable bow? i just learned.

john 13. i love this. Christ has washed me and i am a new creation in Him!

solids

well, Emma has turned into a pro at eating solid food. she wasn't too sure about it at first. i searched and compared and thought about lots of different ways i wanted to make E's food and i finally ended up with the BEABA babyfood maker. i love it! although i haven't used anything else to make babyfood, i have no complaints with this one. i make enough food at one time to fill an ice cube tray. then i freeze the tray of food. once frozen, i empty the food into freezer bags. it's so easy! this babyfood maker is one of the most expensive out there. when i discovered that Bed Bath and Beyond had it online i was stoked because i was going to use my 20% off coupon. then i discovered this coupon was good for in-store purchases only. so, i went into the store and asked how i could purchase this BEABA machine from them using my coupon. she said, "no problem, we can order it for you here in the store and have it shipped directly to your house and apply your 20% coupon". click here for more information on the BEABA babyfood maker.

      *butternut squash is easily digested, rarely causes allergies and provides a good source of beta-carotene

*apple and pear are easily digested and unlikely to cause allergies

*avocados contain more nutrients than any other type of fruit, they have a high calorie content (ideal for growing babies), they have a great source of the free-radical-fighting antioxidant vitamin E

(which also boosts the immune system) and they are rich in monounsaturated fat, the "good" type of fat that helps prevent heart disesase.

    



*all facts obtained from Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel. click here for more information.

love the sunshine

like most people around here, we are loving the sunshine!

here's proof:

and some more proof from today:

isn't she a doll?!