Our life... new, exciting, adventureous!: March 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Happy 3rd Birthday Emery!!!

Emery's birthday was so much fun!! It is difficult planning a party in the dead of winter, but then again, it kind of makes it easy too. She loves jumping at the trampoline park, so that's what we decided to do for her birthday! And all I had to bring was cupcakes! (of course I brought more than that cuz I had to decorate something!!!) We had a Sophia the First theme and of course it was all pink! One of the kids said we had the best looking table there! (there were at least 10 other parties going on) We had pizza, honest juice, snacks and cupcakes and jumped like there was no tomorrow!

We had a great turnout... Among those attending were Kathy & Madeline, Tyranie and the girls, Jeff & Karah Johnston & Ari & Aidan, Meagen & Gavin, Jill & Natalie & William. We even had special guests again this year! Last year our best friend, Tom, was in town on business. This year two very dear, long time friends from fresno were here. Shaun Pyros, now living in Wyoming, was here visiting Kathy, and Robert & Julie Tanner were here from Fresno checking out TX and staying with us for a week! So they all got to be at Emery's party and celebrate her life with us. It was so incredibly sweet to have them there. Kathy, Shaun, Tyranie, Julie & I, although we ran in different circles, have ALL known each other for 20 years or so! So there was a lot of history there! We had such a great time!

We had our own table with Emery's name already there, welcoming her to her party!

Shoes off and she's ready to jump! (hurry up and take the picture mom!!)

Emery and her best friend, Meagen (who she spends Thurs and Fri with when I'm working)

My homemade and undeniably oh-so-good White Chocolate cupcakes! I have no shame... I was so proud of myself! They were still moist a week later!!! haha

The Johnstons (Ari and Aidan) and Gavin on the left

Natalie, Meagen and Hannah

Best friends!!! Gavin and Emery

Gavin and Emery with his mommy, and my close friend, Meagen

Time to sing happy birthday to the birthday girl!!!!

After the party we headed home for a much needed nap. But then it was off to riding her bike as soon as possible!!! She went down the street and around the corner. Her longest distance on her own yet.

Birthday girl!!

We didn't have time to open her gifts at the party so I let her open one before her nap. She played for just a bit and then off for sleepytime

It is finally time for presents! This girl is funny... she's totally uninterested until I put them all in front of her. Kind of obvious to the fact that all these beautifully wrapped gifts sitting in the living room are for her! Funny girl!

A very precious gift from her adopted grandma Dorene back home

sent all the way from Cali!

ABC puzzle!

More piano time in her Princess Sofia dress from auntie!

On her actual birthday, Julie and I took a 4.5 mile walk in 38 degree weather. And I'm sure the wind chill was much colder. Not really ideal for a fun walk with friends. But we made the most of it and had a great time! Emery, as usual, was a super trooper! She hung in there, complaining very little. Once while on the trail, she said she had to potty. I asked her if she could wait and she said No. So I took her a little into the woods and pulled down her pants. But once that freezing cold wind hit her little bottom, she suddenly declared, in tears, that she did not have to go and would wait. lol Our destination? Carvel Ice Cream!! For Emery's birthday!! She LOVED it and so did we!!

yes... she insisted on wearing her Princess Sophia dress and cowgirl boots on our walk!

And finally tuckered out, she almost fell asleep in the stroller (this never happens! lol)

Just another sweet card from friends back home for little Miss Emery. They keep trickling in. She is so very loved and so are we because of her!!! So blessed!

Still, three years later, I can hardly believe the sweet and precious gift God has given us in Emery Rose! Our lives are richer because of her. She is such an amazing little girl! I was just thinking the other day how I cannot question the promise and faithfulness of God because it is evident in this little girl sitting right here on my lap! When things get tough and it seems there's no end in sight, I just look at her and I remember. I still can't believe Sean and I, with God's help, created this little person. I love her like nothing I've ever loved before and I'm incredibly blessed to have her in my life. Emery Rose, we love you so very very much!!! You are fabulous!!!! Happy Birthday Little Love Bug!!!!

We are Officially Potty Trained!!!

Man! So much has happened in the last month and a half! But first an update on us... We are doing really well after my last post. A lot of things play into that for me. One being that Emery was such a huge help to me to grieve and move forward. She brings me joy and gratefulness for what I have. But also that after all that we've been through over the years, I felt this time around I was, surprisingly, in such a more spiritually mature place than before. That the lesson of trust the Lord began to sow into my heart in December really began a firm foundation upon which I would stand when the storms of life came upon us. And so, although I know the road of grief is not complete yet, I have total peace and joy for what God has ahead for us. So thank you to all who have come along side us, prayed for us, brought dinner to us.... and those of you who listened while I cried and vented, who talked me through those dark moments and who did not quit "bugging me" for weeks on end (you know who you are... hehe ...) We love you all so very much and so appreciate all that you are to us.

On to Emery!!!! I have a little catching up to do here, so here we go.... lol

January 5th marked the first night Emery went to bed with big girl panties after 3 mornings waking up dry. It was all her idea and she did it!! She began asking to go to bed at night with big girl panties. I told her she needed to prove to me she could wake up dry for a few days (because she had been waking up with a wet diaper every morning for awhile) and she said Okay! So the next three days she surprised me and willed herself to wake up dry! She did it again on the second night and by the third night she asked me again and I figured 'what the heck!? what's the worst that could happen except washing wet sheets?'. And so she went to bed with her big girl panties and that was the end of diapers as we knew it! She's amazing! She weaned herself into a big girl bed and now potty trained herself at night! We started potty training in May. It was about 5 months before I would say she was officially potty trained during the day and a total of 8 months that we are completely and officially out of diapers!!! So amazing! Now we just have to say goodbye to the pacifier at bedtime. But I'm guessing she'll be on top of that one too as she's been saying more and more that she doesn't need it (but then asks for it when she's going to sleep. lol) I've decided I won't stress about it after saying forever that I would not have a 3 year old still using a pacifier! hahahaha

She is getting so big and acting more and more like a big girl! Definitely not a baby anymore. And she is smart!! Way too smart for her britches! Sometimes too smart for mommy and daddy! lol Her brain is always thinking and sometimes faster than what she can express, so right now we are dealing with stuttering. I mean, I say "dealing with", but really we're letting it ride. It goes in waves from very mild to constant and intense. It will be that way for a week or so and then get better. Thankfully my next door neighbor, and friend, is a speech pathologist and has given me comfort in knowing what to do, but mostly what not to do. We honestly just think she's learning so much and feels the need to express it quickly that she gets stuck. Even this morning on our way to church, she got stuck on a thought and finally said, "mommy, I don't know what I'm saying". I had to chuckle because it was so incredibly cute. Sometimes she gets frustrated with herself, so this time it was just adorable. It's important to not stress her out more about it. We're learning to just be chill.

Parenting is so hard. People say that. I mean I heard that for years (17 to be exact!) until I had my own. And I thought I knew what they meant, but now I truly understand. Its not the obvious stuff, its the underlying stuff. The moments where you feel like you are truly failing. That you are doing everything wrong and creating a little monster because of it. It's when your child, whom you love more than life itself, makes you feel like you are not doing it [parenting] right, the way you always said you would. That's what is hard. That after a long day of struggling with attitudes, disobedience and tantrums, you don't feel any more confident or productive for it. I'm so afraid of teaching her the wrong things, creating an emotionally charged, spoiled, whiny brat or raising an only child that feels entitled. Sean and I work very hard at providing boundaries and limits. Making sure that we tell her "no" and "wait". Teaching her right from wrong and why! But at the end of the day, it sometimes seems its all for nothing. My hope and prayer is that God's grace truly is sufficient and covers our parenting. I know I'm not the only one out there to feel this way. I understand now why all my friends would always say they felt like a bad parent. I thought they were crazy because I could see, from the outside looking in, how amazing they were actually doing! I hope it is the same for me. I do have friends tell me so, so I hang on that! :) Okay... so that's my rant for the day on serious stuff. Just had to get that off my chest. :)
Just some random pics from January!