An Afternoon In The Park

Awhile back I was able to watch my nephew for the weekend while his mommy and daddy enjoyed a quiet weekend away.  I took the kids down to the park for the afternoon and I couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to try and get pictures of the three kids together.  Try was the key word!  I got some great pictures of each of them but together…not so much.  Hey at least I tried and we did have a great time!

I tried but Emma Grace didn’t want to be held…

and poor Jake couldn’t understand why not.

The boys cooperated for one very serious photo that I have fallen in LOVE with!

Then they were back to their normal goofy selves!

And of course these boys can’t be together for more than five minutes before someone gets hurt.

I have a great idea…lets throw one more kid into the mix and attempt to get a good photo of the three!

Oh well…at least I tried!  Instead I just let them play…that they are good at!

The one thing I have learned with these crazy kids…three smiling faces in one photo will probably never happen but every silly photo trying to get there brings a big smile to my face.

Emma Grace 47 Weeks

Emma Grace is 47 Weeks Old!

Follow Emma Grace’s Weekly Photo Project Here!

Letters To Emma Grace

11 Months Old

The past month has been so busy and I think you have been a bit overwhelmed lately.  Your big brother has been out of school and there hasn’t been a lot of time for just you and me.  Mommy has been working like crazy and has been a little stressed and I think you realize it.  I know most of your friends around this age have separation anxiety but you on the other hand have separation ISSUES!  You go nuts when I walk to the other side of the room and you can’t see me.  You freak out and start screaming until I you hear my voice.  Then you want me to hold you but you really don’t want me to hold you because you try to climb all over me.  Phew you wear me out!  I’m so glad that you have been able to spend so much time with Jake lately because I think you mean the world to him.  But again, you just don’t want him to hold you.

Your eating habits have changed drastically this month.  You will eat some puree foods if it is the only thing I have but you would rather feed yourself table foods.  With only two teeth I’m still worried that you can’t eat bigger pieces of food but you would rather stuff your mouth FULL and you never have a problem with it.  Not only are you crazy about your food you are dramatic when you’re done too.  I’ve tried since you were 5 months old to teach you to put your arms up to say “all done”  but now your arms are only going up to put your bowl or plate on the top of your head to signal you’re finished.  Lets just say the night you had sautéed vegetables for dinner it required a long bath afterwards!  In attempt to prevent this I even bought those little bowls with suction cups on the bottom of them..but they lasted all of 2 minutes until you figured them out.  Oh well!  We also can’t forget your new love affair with Cheerios.

You love a good routine.  Wake up at 8 to nurse and then back to bed until 10.  Up for about 4 hours and then back down for a 3 hour nap.  You need your sleep and when you don’t get it you are a big GROUCH!  You sleep curled up in a little ball in the corner of your crib and don’t like anyone to bother you.  Except for when you have an unexpected visitor and that always makes you smile.

It has been up in the 90’s and even into the 100’s in the past month and you don’t like the heat.  You are just like your big brother and turn into a giant blob of sweat when the temperature rises.  It’s okay though because you love the water.  You are just content with sitting in the pool or the bath tub and just watching the world go by.  No need for toys because you just try to stand up on the edge to see what is going on.  This week at the beach you will just sit in the sand and watch the waves come and go.  Although you still don’t like it when I tell you that you can not eat sand.  I’m sorry love but it doesn’t taste very good.  And the little sand crabs to not want you to eat them either!  Maybe Mommy and Daddy can buy you some bath toys for your birthday!

Baby girl I’m ready to spend the rest of the week relaxing with you so just try not to scream too much okay?

I love you!

Momma

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• Emma Grace 46 Weeks
• Emma Grace 45 Weeks
• Emma Grace 44 Weeks

Emma Grace 46 Weeks

Emma Grace is 46 Weeks Old!

Follow Emma Grace’s Weekly Photo Project Here!

Poor girl has had a rough week.  Her little independent self has decided she is going to use everything to help her walk but she is going to do it all by herself.  This morning she walked along our dresser and pulled everything out of Jeremy’s drawers and then across the wall to go read his Handyman magazines on the other side of the room.  The beginning of the week she banged her head on her crib and then she busted her lip the other day after taking a tumble outside.  She is a stubborn girl though…she will never give up!  Her new obsession is Cheerios.  If I on accident leave the door to the pantry open she will pull up on the shelves and scream at the boxes of Os until someone gets them for her.  She is a piece of work.  So here is Emma Grace and her favorite snack of the week!

“Gracious I love these things!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE ARE OUT OF Os?!?!”

“Well I mean I could go back to having some of those apple cinnamon puffs..”

“Ohhhh thank goodness you found another box..I’m much better now!!!”

Emma Grace 45 Weeks

Emma Grace is 45 Weeks Old!

Follow Emma Grace’s Weekly Photo Project Here!

Wow I forgot how crazy it can get around here when Jake is out of school!  Not only that some crazy lady (ME!) decided to commit to 8 sets of cornhole boards for customers in the next two weeks and then I added another two last night.  Not only that but one of our cars is acting up and will be in the shop for awhile.  So, we are down to one car which means a lot of driving back and forth to get Jeremy to work while I run around with the kids.  Last night we met him at midnight while he finished up paperwork and then I came home and kept working until 2:30 to try to get ahead.  Back up again this morning first thing so I’m a little worn out.  I hope to get back to a regular posting schedule next week!  In the mean time we have been trying to take lots of breaks to go outside and play.  Last week we taught Emma Grace about soccer and football.  Too bad she refused to let go of the football for the longest time.  Well I’m back to work!

 

 

 

She has even been practicing her skills at center.  We can’t wait for football season! P.S. Yes I know I had my focus point on the football and not her face.  My bad!  But it was too cute to pass up!

Emma Grace 43 Weeks

Emma Grace is 43 Weeks Old!

Follow Emma Grace’s Weekly Photo Project Here!

Letters To Emma Grace

10 Months Old

Sweet, crazy Emma Grace this has been a wild month for the two of us.  We are learning more and more about each other every day.  Your scooting has turned into crawling which has sprung a new surge of independence.  You like to do things on your own and don’t like me to help.  When you try to pull up on something and get stuck you cry out in frustration but when I come by to help you just keep trying until you get it yourself.  In the mornings you don’t want me to brush your hair you always grab the comb from me and want to do it yourself.  Don’t worry I let you.  Even though you have almost poked your eye out a couple of times with the little bristles.  Your independence reminds me of Jake at times but no matter what at the end of the day he always needed me to help him get to sleep at your age.  Again, you not so much.  You don’t like to be rocked to sleep or held for too long.  After I put you in your crib you start screaming until I leave the room.  Sweet pea I love you and you are going to be just as stubborn as me!

Your eating habits have changed so much in the last month.  You really aren’t a big fan of puree foods anymore.  The only time you are really interested in them is if you are too hungry and impatient to feed yourself.  You will eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!  You always want whatever Daddy and I are eating.  So again tonight you ate dinner with us – chicken stuffed with ricotta cheese, spinach and tomatoes and zucchini sautéed in balsamic vinegar.  You will eat me out of house and home because you refuse to tell me when you are full.  I can feed you all day and you will never stop eating!  You have finally mastered your sippy cup by yourself and enjoy having a bit of water with your meals sometimes.  Nursing still continues to be a bit of a challenge because now that you know how to crawl you want to be on the move all the time.  I still cherish our morning snuggle time when you actually want to nurse.  You like to get as close to me as possible as we both lie in my bed and you like to put your hand on my face or play with my necklace.  There is no better feeling than those mornings!

This month you have been a little clingy and a little shy at times.  When you are around a lot of people you tend to get nervous and hold on to my shirt and cautiously look around but once you get comfortable you become your happy screaming self.  There have been a lot of tears this month because with your new independence you have learned the word “no.”  The first time I sternly told you “no” you cried uncontrollably because you realized I was upset with you.  There was no consoling you.  So I’ve learned that redirection is the best for now and I save that nasty word for only really important times.  Some tears have come from the fact that I could have sworn you were teething.  Three weeks ago you started chewing on everything and your gums are red and you are sad quite often….but still no teeth!  I hope they come soon.

Your personality is coming through more and more every day!  You now do what we call the “stink face” all the time where you crinkle your nose up and sniff at us as if something smells bad.  But no you do it as a way to be funny.  I’m glad I could catch it with this week’s photo.  My favorite part is if someone makes the face at you…you do it right back!  Jake realized this early on and the two of you could make silly faces at each other for hours!  You like to make cute faces at boys who for some crazy reason you like more than girls.  All of Mommy’s girlfriends you could care less about but when it comes to Daddy’s guys or especially your Uncle Kevin you light up!  Even today at the doctor’s office you gave the lady a stink face and flirted with the guy.  Oh Emma Grace what am I going to do with you???  I think I’ll just love you forever! 🙂

I love you!

Momma