Christmas Sunday

She's so grown up. 

Her and her cousin, Noe Girl. The little hands, holding on tight. Kills me.

Emerson participated in the Christmas program. To which Josh and I had this reaction.

Christmas service was held at our local community center so I was skeptical with the size of the congregation and the enormity of the room. See the littles? Off to the far left?

But I was thankful she did it because a whole row of family came to see her 2 minutes of fame.

It was a busy but nice weekend. We had some friends over for dinner on Saturday, went to church on Christmas Sunday, lunch afterwards with family. But I have been feeling especially exhausted and unwell so it's been hard for me to do much of anything really. You know I'm not at my best when it takes me two days till I start cleaning up from our dinner party. :p

32 weeks.

7 weeks to go.

Trying to keep my perspective right -
"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14 "Without Christmas there would be no grace. Wrapping those words up in my heart today. The Jesus story is ours to be told." - Herwelshness

Our neighborhood seems to have a disproportionally high number of inflatable Christmas decorations. Like this house. That Santa is so big it's hitting the second story.

I'm feeling the spirit though. Christmas lives on.

True to form, we cancelled cable today now that USC football season is done. A few months short of Josh's wish but you give and you take, yes? See ya Keeping Up With The Kardashian reruns and Million Dollar Listings Los Angeles!

We finally mailed our Christmas cards. Hallelujah. My little helper and I at our local post office with the nicest employees (weird phenomenon for me). 

Emerson is staring at a little boy who was standing very close behind me. And in her normal voice kept saying, "baby mama! baby!! baby!" I really need to work on teaching her the inside voice. :p

2 1/2 weeks till Christmas!

Outtakes

Some outtakes from our Christmas photos. 

Emerson is usually meh about taking photos but when it's your Uncle Luke behind the camera, the same Uncle Luke who plays with you, blows bubbles for you, helps you overfeed the fish, and generally spoils you in every way, she lights up. Just for him. These pictures are really how she feels about my brother in law and I love it.

The trees in our neighborhood have turned. It is lovely. That and the crisp weather really makes for a wonderfully aware season.

I think it's safe to say that my daughter is fascinated by our Christmas tree. We've said over and over to her that she cannot touch the ornaments but the other day I saw her going for it so I called her name, "Emerson". She looked back at me, with one hand on the tree and said, "touching the lights mommy, the lights". 

This girl man..

Hello Charlotte

Yesterday may have been my favorite day of the year. The only time we left the house was to buy our tree and then we spent the rest of the day relaxing, decorating, and eating Thanksgiving leftovers.

 We picked a tree that was already opened. I highly recommend it. In and Out. Also our biggest one yet - 8 ft!

She has an endless amount of hugs for inanimate objects. 

She's our biggest tree ever and I am in love with her. Charlotte if you were wondering - so regal, perfect, and beautiful.

And this morning, early, early, I turned her little tree on before I picked her up, before the sun was up and the day got going, before everything..and we were silent together. Staring. Taking it all in. Soaking it all up.

I love Christmas.

Land of Restraint and Resolve

I love hate Land of Nod this time of year. Their toy makers are genius. It's like when Pixar started making movies that were just as entertaining for adults as they were for children. These toys are like that too. When I think about them in my head I call them the Land of Restraint and Resolve. That'll show 'em, right?  

We stopped in last weekend and I was crushing on practically the entire store. Which kinda is a kick to my gut aka resolve since we decided not to buy Emerson anything for Christmas. (Doesn't that sound like just the most evil thing in the whole world?) But it's true. We are just that evil.

These six items were my temptation in the desert though. ;)

A dollhouse classic. She would die. I would die. Josh would die..okay, maybe not Josh. :p

Cottage Dollhouse

 She loves to help me cook. And while I also love it in theory, it would make my mornings, afternoons, and evenings easier if she had a little felt stove set up on the counter near me fake cooking way.

Felt Gourmet Plush Cooking Set

A little chair to put next to her books? Yes.

Furry Animal Nod Chair (Sheep)

 She doesn't know it yet, but something like this is coming in 2016. Muhahaha.

Gobs of Jobs Activity Chart

Clear bookshelf. Because her favorite 'toys' are books and ultimately we are drowning in them and yet still that's really the only thing we buy her on a continuous basis.

Publishers Clear House Bookcase

And I may just have to buy this for her when her brother lands. She loves to play make believe and I can just see her copying mama and carrying her little baby around.

Solly Dolly Wrap

I am looking forward to this short work week and holiday kick off. My mouth is watering at the thought of my Mother-In-Law's juicy turkey, my sister's Mother-In-Law's stuffing, and my Uncle Mark's homemade desserts.

Plus my mind is on all things thankful. More on that soon.

LOL Are You Kitten Me?

Where have you been, you ask? Wellllllllll, Monday - Wednesday Josh had some big wigs in town at work so he had to be in early and out late. Then on Wednesday Josh got food poisoning while at a work dinner. 

Thankfully my parents were already planning on spending the night with us on Thursday. Little did they know I had dubbed them my reinforcements. Emerson became quite attached to my dad and basically didn't want mom or me for 24 hours. I accepted the defeat graciously and enjoyed being the bag carrier, diaper changer, and meal preparer. 

By today we were back to normal as if nothing unusual happened this week. Someone thought they'd play a silly joke on us but the jokes on them because we are back on top baby. 

This is Emerson's fake smile. The one she pulls out when I ask for a smile.

Here is the real deal.

Her preferred reader. :p

Happy (healthy) weekend to you all. 

My Fear of Having Another Baby

I stumbled on this article today, "To moms of one or two children, from a mother of five".

Have a second to read it? Please do, otherwise the following babble will only seem like exactly that, lots of babble.

So here's the thing. I think many parents who are going from 1 to 2 often worry about how the first will do, how they will handle having to share time, how they will adapt. All valid concerns. But that is not what is gnawing away at my mind during the 2am, 4am, 5am bathroom trips. My biggest concern is that I won't be able to do it well. As it is, I feel stretched to the limit. I'm tired, all the time. Following through with washing my hair every other day is a struggle people. Yoga pants are my staple. Are you getting a clear picture? I kinda hope not. :p

If I have managed to end up with a clean house on top of pushing out three nutritious meals for three people every day, that is a successful day. 

By 9pm I am ready to get into bed. 

I look at other moms who have more kids than me and who seem to have energy and I always wonder how they do it. And then I look at myself and see just one little [albeit beautiful and perfect] kiddo. But still, just one. Can I do it? Am I just going to be one big crabby ball of unwashed, unshaved, emotional mess? 

So this Sarah Short and her infinite wisdom helped me to shift my mentality back to my God. In my weakness, He is strong. Yes. It can get easier, if I let God get bigger.

It was a good weekend.

Blue Apron Farewell

This week concludes our Blue Apron gift. It was wonderfully different and fun. The best thing is eating/cooking food you'd never eat and finding you enjoy it. Josh's favorite meal was an Indian Spiced Chicken Curry with Brown Rice and Tahini Sauce.

Tasty looking right? GAH.

I know it looks disgusting but it was delicious. 

Josh and I both felt that overall the price didn't justify continuing the subscription. Don't get me wrong, if you get this as a gift it is the best gift in the world. But I found the meal prep to be more time consuming than my normal dinners (most likely correlated with taste haha) and I was still grocery shopping for the little and the other nights of the week. 

Still, it was quite a treat for us and we enjoyed it immensely. I learned some new techniques and gained several recipes. We loved the different meals and can see how people could easily get addicted to the service. 

So that's a wrap on one of the best birthday gifts I've ever been given.

Momdamonium

Today had a most epic moment of Momdamonium.

Emerson had just woken up from her nap and was unusually clingy and cryie. She just wanted to be held which would normally be just fine except this six month preggo lady HAD to go to the bathroom immediately. Like, real bathroom people. So I explained to Emerson that I needed to go hoping she would take to rationale but alas as soon as I put her down an epic crydown ensued. So I did what any other mom would have done and took her with me. It may have been my most momshameful moment yet because while I was going, and holding her limp frame, she kept repeating in between tears, "mommy, peeeyeeww. pee-yew."

I share this with you because I know I'm not the only one. I can't be. Right?

All the mama's out there be like.

via GIPHY

Emerson's Room Update

Making progress in my girl's room. 

Storage unit and frames from Target, three prints on the right from the Sugar Paper Warehouse Sale, 'Amen' and 'You Take The Cake' prints from Etsy, and the shadow box has a beautiful card my mom gave to Emerson when she was born. Wall color is Benjamin Moore's Lido Green from their Natura line. Do I even need to say the shelves are from IKEA? 

This is my favorite print in her room. It's also from the infamous Sugar Paper Warehouse sale but it says, "I carry your heart with me. I carry it in my heart." -e.e.cummings The neon heart blanket was handmade with love for her from a dear friend.

Her toddler bed is ready and waiting in her brother's room for the big switcharoo. Soon, soon.

Still lots to do like new drapes, a big lightweight artwork or decal to put over her bed, and my mom made me buy this big heart storage thing that I can't wait to put somewhere but for now, we are taking a break.

Time to move my focus to my son's room. Room by room this house is slowly coming together!

Holidays?

I vacillate between feeling overwhelmed by the holidays and complete excitement. I already feel behind on Christmas presents and Christmas card pictures. Not a great start to the season. So I'm trying to give myself grace from the vision of perfection I wish of myself. Maybe the goal should be to set some realistic expectations like, buy a tree...but no pressure to decorate it. lol.

These are a few of the Christmas cards I've been crushing on from a business close to home.

Tomorrow morning I have the dreaded glucose test. I'm tempted to alter my results so I pass this time. I sort of jokingly told Josh that and I got the stare down of the century. =) Wish me luck!

Weekend Progress

Book wall went up, and besides her attempting to stand on the shelves, it is quite the success. 

Weekend house updates for the win.

Alive and Kicking

Would you believe me if I told you we got sick again? My little love got an ear infection from a teething runny nose, which seems to have turned into a cold/cough, which I subsequently picked up.

It has been a few, I'll tell ya.

But Sunday we found the best urgent care (this coming from a seasoned urgent carer) and it's just down the street. The staff was so good Emerson didn't cry once during all the probing. Thank you God!

We are a little behind on Emerson's room update since two out of three of us were down for the count, but here's a little peak of our Josh's progress.

I've begun gathering the main pieces but am trusting my mom will come over and pull it all together. She's excellent at that.

More in a bit!

A Little Easier, A Little Richer

My sister and bil gave me the most amazing birthday gift - Blue Apron meals! (Do I even need to say this is not a sponsored post? *insert crying laughing emoji).

The magic box arrived for the first time this week and my grocery budget and I are excited. I've found that the best thing about these delivered meals is the lack of needed meal planning, the shortened grocery trips, and eating food you would have never made otherwise.

Our first meal was a Moroccan Chicken Pita with Spiced Couscous. Wonderful and also I learned how to make that yummy yogurt sauce you get at Greek restaurants. Win Win.  

My non styled, non professional food pic. Sorry!

The step-by-step instructions

Tonight we had Spaghetti Bolognese with Ground Meat and Brussels Sprouts. Equally delicious. In fact, this is the type of recipe I'll keep in my back pocket when feeding a down home meal for family and friends on a cold night.

I can't wait for next week.

Also, this weekend we are starting to decorate Emerson's room, beginning with paint. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Lots of little things to look forward to and be thankful for. 

Wonderful weekend to you all!

Fall Update

Besides Josh's lingering cough, our household is back on track. Yay!

I cannot get over this photo that Josh posted on Instagram.

It is ridiculous how much growth happens in the first two years. You are in the thick of it and then all of a sudden you have a real person living in your house. Someone who has their own opinions and personality.

Give me a second to go mama on you.

She is hard for me to put into words. Someone recently asked me to describe her and I stumbled mostly because she is quite the dichotomy - timid yet confident, picky yet amiable, easy going yet difficult, intense yet relaxed.

She is fastidious like Josh, a learner like him. She is physically careful like him too. Focused and also observant. She is always watching. Never the first to go after something so she can assess the situation but give her time to warm up and she becomes like me - excitable, curious, verbal, a go-getter.

Fascinating to think what next year's photo will be and the description that comes along with it.

Happy fall everyone.

Ringing in 34

Thank you all for the thoughtful birthday wishes.

Josh and I the last two days

My fleeting wish was the hope to sleep in and then spend the day with Josh, knowing both were pretty much impossible. But Tuesday night we both came down with the stomach flu so in the end I did get my wish. ;) Also, I was feeling rather fat and now I feel skinny!

I'm ringing in 34 with a head of hair that is rapidly turning white, a seemingly excess amount of spider veins, and a back that is day to day. Is this what aging looks like? I'm also ringing in 34 with an amazing husband, a healthy daughter, and a little boy being formed in my belly.

Love to you all this week.

Everyday Staples - 18 months

Here's what keeps us working (and is Josh researched and approved):

Jack N' Jill Toothpaste: Mom's tested, and EWG approved.

California Baby Shampoo and Body Wash: This was my go-to pre-turning 1 (loved the feel and smell). Then practicality and budget set in. =) Still, thumbs up.

Babyganics Face, Hand, and Baby Wipes: All day, every day.

California Baby Sunscreen: Doesn't leave a sticky residue and keeps the babes from burning.

Aden and Anais Blankey: the muslim's were short lived, but the blankey has lasted her lifetime.

Jellycats Teddy and Hippo: Soft, machine washable, perfect weight, and perfect size.


Hanna Andersson Organic Long John Pajamas: Thick, long sleeved, soft, perfection.

Native Shoes: Cute, Easy slip on/slip off, wipeable.

I am always on the lookout for great products. Would love to know your staples!