Frametastic

A friend recommended this IPhone app, so I thought I'd give it a try. I love taking pictures as most of you know. This is a collage app for my phone and I totally love it!

The Crib Drop

Emersyn is officially sitting up!

We found her sitting up in her crib Thursday morning. We thought it was a fluke, but she proved us wrong. Today she woke up and sat right up, and after nap she was smiling at us when we walked through the door. Her smiling face beaming at us like "Hey Mommy, look at what I can do!". I had Zack drop the crib down today. We are very excited about this milestone. We've been working with Emersyn to strengthen her gross motor skills. One minute we think she is delayed, the next she is proving us wrong.

Our baby girl is growing up!

New Ride

At the end of November we bought a new vehicle. We are now proud owners of a 2012 Toyota Sienna minivan.

Are you wondering why it took me so long to blog about it?The honest answer... I was angry about this purchase for about a month. I loved my Mazda CX-7 and didn't want to give it up. I knew I needed a bigger vehicle, but refused to drive a van. I mean, really, who WANTS to drive a van? Not me! Months prior to the purchase we talked about our options. I really wanted a bigger SUV. We needed more trunk space and more back seat space. A van was the most logical choice despite my refusal to drive one. Zack gave me many reasons why a van was the best choice, and every reason was valid. I just couldn't see myself driving a minivan at 30, backing that big thing up, oh, and being 30 driving a dorky minivan. Most of our friends with kids have them and love them.
Obviously I lost the battle. After 3 months of driving it, I love it. It suites all of our needs, the kids love it, it rides smooth, and yes... I really do like it.
I don't love that I drive a minivan, but for now I've accepted it. My next car will NOT be a van :-)

Things that are white...
Marshmellow, tissues, snow, whipped cream, milk, sugar, paper, clouds, rice, pearls. Oh, and my new white van!!!!

I am officially a 'Minivan Mom'.
(I am shaking my head as I write this)

Emersyn 9 m Part 2

Emersyn had her 9 month well visit yesterday. It was one of the more interesting check-ups that she's had.
I found out she has a double ear infection. A very bad one at that. Apparently Emersyn has a high thresh hold of pain because the doctor said she should be miserable. Instead we've had a happy go lucky baby.
Other than her ears she is healthy.
She weighs 21.4, which I believe is wrong. The nurse was mad at the way I put her on the scale so I think it was a misread. She was a bossy, unfriendly nurse from another office, who did things different than any other time we've been there. I personally think she weighs more.
According to the questionnaire I filled out, Emersyn is meeting most developmental areas. She is strong in all areas with exception of gross motor. Both of my kids are gross motor delayed. I'm not sure why, or what causes it, but it's frustrating. Dylan is finally where he should be and has completely caught up in the gross motor department. So that gives me hope for Emersyn. She is transitioning well, and is finally getting up on all fours. She rocks, but has yet to crawl. That's more than Dylan was doing at this age. The only difference is Emersyn's twinkle toes. She can stand supported by us. She used to stand on flat feet, which is the targeted goal. Now she's standing on her toes. I'm not sure why, but I do know it's not good. The pediatrician said she might self correct once she starts pulling up to stand. My hope is that she crawls and realizes what her feet can do. Then once she pulls up, hopefully the pieces will fall into place. Emersyn is beyond flexible, which goes against her when it comes to gross motor. The doctor suggested we get her evaluated by a physical therapist just to see what they think. It could be nothing, or, it could be something.
We went down this road with Dylan to some extent. Emersyn has been through so much that I find myself sensitive to this topic. I just want her to be healthy and live a 'normal' life. I don't want to put her through anything else. Wasn't skull surgery enough?!?
So for the next month we are going to practice crawling and standing on flat feet. If improvements aren't being made then we'll make an appointment to have her evaluated.

So now I'm done babbling. We'll see what the next month brings.

And so, our journey continues.....

A Taste of Spring

A beautiful morning with my beautiful family.

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines day used to be a day where Zack & I would go out to dinner and exchange a small token of our love. We'd be sucked into the Hallmark holiday.

Now that we have kids Valentines day has turned into so much more. School parties, making valentines, dressing everyone in red, making it special for the kids, all while trying to stop and remember each other.

Yesterday I dressed my little valentines in red and took an early morning picture. I knew I had to get one in before they got dirty at school.
Zack & I exchanged part of our gifts in the morning and the rest in the evening. He made 2 personalized cards from a company called Tiny Prints. They're awesome and very thoughtful. I took pictures of course. He also gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and surprised me with a laptop. Yup, a laptop. I've been wanting one, and since he got a superb deal, I got lucky!! I just gave him the standard romantic card and some chocolate. I decided to be creative this year with part of his gift. I found a cute idea off of Pinterest. I took a deck of cards and on each card was a reason I love him. Therefore, 52 Reasons I Love You!
I was attempting to be creative, thoughtful, and romantic all in one, but his gifts were far better.

Emersyn received a few Valentines from her classmates and made us a super cute card. Dylan's class traded Valentines and had a party. He gave out Lightning McQueen cards with a matching pencil. We stopped at the store and bought cookies for his class and a balloon for him. I figured he doesn't need candy, stuffed animals, or toys since he just had a birthday.

Overall we all had a great day. The best part for me was spending the evening with all my Valentines, including my furry ones!

Dylan's 3rd Birthday

This post is very late and I apologize. Dylan's birthday turned into a birthday week. So many gifts, cards, parties, and more happened, then Zack traveled, and time escaped me. So let me back up a bit. The week prior to his birthday the mailbox had cards for him on a daily basis. Our counter top was lined up with a colorful collection of third birthday cards. Closer to the end of the week he started receiving packages. I'd like to say we saved them for his actual birthday, but that would not be the case with an excited little boy. Dylan knows that when a package is by the front door it's usually for him. Telling a three year old not to open it felt mean after looking at his excited little face. So as the week progressed he opened packages from various family members. The idea of opening a package is exhilarating for Dylan. His smile is huge as he tears open every gift as fast as his hands will let him. After he is done he goes back and checks out each item in its entirety. It's kind of funny to watch.
On the Friday before his birthday, he celebrated with his friends at school. He is into Cars, Lightning McQueen, and Mater, so I bought a bunch of themed paper products, juice boxes, and a cookie cake. His class sang to him as I videoed. It was very cute. Saturday he opened a few more gifts, and played with the things he already opened. I tried to take pictures throughout the week.
On Sunday, his actual birthday, we kicked off the day with singing to him and placing a candle in his breakfast roll. He loves blowing out candles. It seemed like he opened gifts the entire morning. We didn't know what to play with first, so we did a little of everything. In the afternoon we had a party for him at Little Gym, a kids gymnastic facility. They hold classes, camps, and birthday parties. The kids had a blast. About 10 of his friends came, partied, ate cake, and opened gifts. Dylan loved every minute of it which made us very happy. His friends were very generous.
After we got home we went into super bowl mode. We ordered pizza, put more candles in it, sang to Dylan for the 30th time that day, and got into football. It was a great day.
Our little man turned 3!!! I feel like it was just yesterday that he was born. Time has completely flown by. Dylan went from baby to little man overnight.
I tried to capture each moment as it happened. I took so many pictures but selected just a few to share.

My birthday boy celebrating his special day.

These were taken at Little Gym. The little girl is his best friend Raegan. Below you will find him being measured. We actually forgot to do this on his birthday. We did is this past weekend when he wasn't feeling well. He did grow since last year (thank goodness) but not by much.

His well visit went great. He is meeting all developmental milestones, but is underweight and short. The height part we can't control. He is a picky eater and slow to have a growing spurt. The doctor is not concerned as he is an active little guy. We are working to fatten him up.

Over the last three years, this little boy has touched our lives in every way.

He brings laughter and joy to everyone around him.

Dylan Michael,

We love you more than life itself!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Emersyn is 9 months

On Friday, 2/10, Emersyn turned 9 months. She was supposed to have her well visit in the morning but it got cancelled due to her doctor having a family emergency. I guess it was best since Emersyn has been fighting a bad cold. She will have her appointment in 2 weeks, but I didn't want to wait that long to post, so here we are. Once I get her height and weight stats I'll post them. That's my favorite part of the well visit.

So in the past month............

* Emersyn has become a babbling princess. She babbles in the car, the stroller, in bed, at school, and basically to anyone that will listen. Is the talking gene genetic?!?! She must get that from me. She is saying "Mama" and "Dada" but without meaning. If I ask her where Dada is, she will look around until she finds Zack and then smile. So she knows who we are, but not quite putting it together. She obviously can't say doggie, but boy does she know who the dogs are. She loves Niko & Blitz.

* Her personality is in full swing. She is lovable and sweet. Enjoys giving kisses to everyone. She laughs, smiles, and becomes excited towards the things and people she loves. BUT.... my little girl has an evil streak. She thinks it's funny to pull hair. My hair, the dogs hair, arm hair, you name it. When she does this, she has a GIANT smile on her face, more like an evil smile. She also finds it funny to yell at other babies who are crying. If she sees a baby in her class crying, she yells loudly, babbling baby talk AT them, then laughs. When the baby cries harder, she laughs harder. Yes, it's true....my sweet angel also has horns. Most people think this is funny, but what it really comes down to is that Emersyn is a bully! We've had to start telling her and showing her how to be gentle and have also introduced the word 'no'. She's going to be trouble!

*My little lady loves to eat. She is still drinking formula and eats the occasional Gerber baby food. We have introduced table food at its best. She eats pretty much everything. She still doesn't have any teeth but that doesn't stop her. She loves noodles, breads, fruits, and most veggies with exception of peas. School has really helped with this. Each week I review the menu to see what I'd like her to have. They break everything up into small pieces, especially since I have a fear of choking. She eats a morning and afternoon snack, and is offered lunch. She isn't eating enough to replace a bottle, but she is eating all of these foods in between her bottle meals. So formula still remains her main source of nutrition for now, but it's important we introduce food. Baby food is great, but table food is better! She has also improved her grasping of food. She was using her palm to pick everything up, but is now using her pincer fingers (pointer and thumb).

*Boys! Zack isn't very happy about this but his little girl has her first boyfriend. His name is Trent. He is a month older, brown hair, big brown eyes, and loves to play kissy face with Emersyn. They get excited to see each other and love to sit and play.

*Emersyn still isn't crawling. Dylan never crawled which is why I yearn for her to do it. She has the mechanics to do so. She transitions from sitting to her belly, reaches for toys non-stop, and rolls all over. Today we got her rocking on all fours, which for her is a big deal. She will do it for a few seconds and then flop to her belly. We are working with her so that she will gain the confidence to crawl. Dylan had low muscle tone in his upper body, therefore had to go to PT so that we could re-teach him the mechanics of transitions. I don't want to go down that road with her, so we are working hard to help her. Then again, I am a worry wart and she could just simply be a late crawler.


*She loves music, jumping in her jumper, putting everything in her mouth, being outside, playing with Dylan, and so many other things. She is a happy little girl. She pretty much only cries when she's hungry, tired, you wipe her nose, or if she has pooped. Otherwise she loves life. She has a huge smile and the best little laugh.

Since I've learned how to make collages, this is my new favorite thing to do. Emersyn is manipulative :-) and will only hold her bottle if propped up on a pillow. If you hold her, she expects you will feed her. Hmmm.....and so it begins. She loves playing peek-a-boo, and hearing the song the "Itsy Bitsy Spider". When we all dance, she loves to wiggle to the music.

This was my attempt at a 9 month photo shoot. She has a bad cold and wasn't very cooperative. I did my best to keep her nose booger free, but as you can see, that didn't happen.

Zack tells Emersyn on a daily basis that she is beautiful. Dylan says " I love my Emersyn" multiple times a week. So as you can tell, this little girl brings so much love into our lives. We look forward to what she has in store for us each day.

Happy 9 Months Emersyn!

School Days

Just capturing some moments of my kiddos at school. Dylan peaceful at nap time and Emersyn looking out the window at me on the playground.

Single Parenting

I am not cut out to be a single parent. Zack is away on business and I'm left to run the circus, ALONE! He left Monday morning and will be returning Thursday afternoon. I realize that sounds like 4 days for most people. For me it's 3 crazy nights and 3 crazy mornings.
My evenings are insane. From the moment I walk through the door I am busy feeding dogs, kids, being the door opener as the dogs go in and out, walking dogs with kids in double stroller, bathing kids, doing the puked and pooped on laundry from daycare, putting kids to bed, dishes, bottles, and prepping for the following day. Whew!!! I left out a bunch of things to shorten my already long sentence.
Basically it's crazy town here.
Now during the last 2 nights Niko & Blitz have decided to go hunting for rabbits at 1 am., Emersyn has decided to party at 3am, and in between I get up for anyone who cries during the night. I am exhausted. I've been showering at night because our mornings are busy too. I barely have time to get dressed before Emersyn is up for the day. Oh, did I mention strange noises?!? When I'm home aloneI always hear everything. I hear noises that I wouldn't normally hear. That brings me to tonight. Our down stairs bathroom backs up to the garage. Apparently we have a mouse or mice that like to hide out in the wall. So while in the bathroom I heard scratching and chewing. I let the dogs out into the garage hoping that would solve the problem. Nope! So now I have this over active imagination, thinking a mouse is going to chew through the wall and get into the house. I spend to much time with kids!!!

Needless to say, the kids have been troopers. I'm the one who is run down and ready for some relief. I appreciate my husband, but when he goes away it makes me realize how much we all need him. Plus after day 3, I've realized this week is kicking my butt!

And the thought of Zack traveling again in March makes me shutter.

One more day!

New Layout

I'm in love with my new layout! I was looking for something more vibrant, but also represented me. Owls are the latest fad. I think they are cute. There is also one owl for every family member. Yes I included the dogs. Our family of 6!!

Hope you like it :-)

Happy Birthday Dylan!

Today is Dylan's 3rd birthday! I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. For the past 3 years my little boy has filled my heart with so much love, laughter, and many memories!



He has been receiving gifts throughout the week and the mailbox has been filled with cards. Friday he celebrated his birthday at school and today is his birthday party. I'll post all the photos later.

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby boy!
We love you!

Germs, Germs, Go AWAY!

My blog posts lately have been few and far between. I can blame germs for that! Over the past few weeks we have all been fighting bad colds. Dylan and Emersyn both had two bouts of pink eye each and a variety of colds. Zack had a basic cold which turned in to walking pneumonia. My cold went away, came back, and then turned into a sinus infection, which I'm currently still fighting. Zack and Dylan are finally on the upswing, pretty much on their way to healthy. Emersyn continues a two week cold that is causing a fussy, irritable, restless baby. She cries when we wipe her nose, has so much phlegm the poor girl doesn't know how to handle it, so she coughs and throws up. Lovely, I know. Probably more information than you wanted to know.

I've cleaned, vacuumed, opened windows, and cleaned again. It could be the season for sickness, or the crazy changes in weather we've been having, OR the obvious daycare germs. I'm guessing its a combination of all three, but I'm ready for a healthy household. It's exhausting when everyone is sick.

As we said goodbye to January and welcomed February, I was hoping everyone would get better. My hopes have been crushed. This past week has been long, tiring, and many tissues have been used. This weekend is Dylan's 3rd birthday. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and everyone will be feeling great.