Playing a little catch up!!

I thought I'd better play a little catch up since my last post was a really looooong time ago!!  Well as you know, Emery started ballet last August.  She made it until April and after 4 months of gently forcing her to go every week (which she did and always enjoyed it once she was there), I finally let her quit.  Oh how I hate that word.  And it's definitely something I want to teach her NOT to do!  But after much prayer and self debate, I decided she was very clear that she simply didn't want to go anymore.  And there will be many more opportunities to teach her commitment, responsibility to her group or team, and the blessing of not quitting but following through.  She still is so young.  So with all that said.... here is a picture of her mini-recital back in December (when she still loved going).  She was sadly "the one" that sat it out on my lap and didn't perform.  But I learned grace that day.  But darn she looked SO adorable!!!!!!!

She was very shy and, honestly, I think not too sure about this performance idea

Emery with her Christmas box (dance prop) she painted

Read to perform.... ready to run off stage ;)

And this is what she would have performed in in her final recital in June had she stayed the course!  So freaking adorable!!  (Kills me.... but I'm moving on.  Yes it was a long process of grieving and prayer searching for why I grieved so much at her quitting ballet.  I mean come one!  She's only 4!  What's wrong with me?! lol)

Cutie-patutie!!

The next few pictures are from Christmas time.  This one we took Emery into "big church" with us for the candlelight service.  She did great!!

Then afterward we went for our Sunday ritual play time at Southlake Town Square where she dance like no one was watching!

These were taken when we went as a family down to Grapevine to see the Christmas Lights (think downtown Clovis!)  We walked the street and took lots of pictures!  It was such a fun night for us as we seldom get these family times together!

Daddy and Emery walked the light tunnel

Family Christmas Picture!

And we went to the Gaylord for the second time since we moved here!  Always a fun time!  This time Emery appreciated it a lot more!!

One day I decided to take Emery to downtown Grapevine for all their weekend Christmas festivities!  It was way better than I had expected!  I hadn't planned to stay long but we ended spending the entire day out there!  It was so much fun!!

She rode the horsies!!

Can she GET any cuter??!!

We watched the Grapevine historic train leave with all its passengers.  During Christmas it's known as the Polar Express!  One of these years we will take Emery on it!  I hear its awesome!  We hung out here for awhile on the grass dancing and chasing each other.

What can I say?  I LOVE this picture!!

My friend Amber and I took our kiddos to NorthPark Mall in Dallas to see some of the Nutcracker performed by the Dallas Ballet Theatre!  It was so amazing and so up close!

Exhausted after our trip to the mall!

Emery at Pro Bass Shop on the merry go round.  We went for free pics with Santa but they were all booked up. :(  Still had fun though!

And now into the new year!!  Emery turned 4 and continues to grow into such a beautiful big girl!!  She is always learning and getting stronger at everything she does!  Most of all, she loves to come home and tell us what she learned in church that day.  The stories of bravery, forgiveness, being kind and Jesus' love for us all!  And it shows it all that she does.

She asked daddy if she could pray for him... his back, head and whole body.  

I love this picture of child-like faith!

Carefree and loving it!!

Emery had her first "big girl" check up complete with paper gown!!!  lol  

She was so excited!  It was too cute!  

Then she took the clipboard and started asking me questions as if I was the patient! lol

And her first complete "big girl" dental cleaning!  She did so good! And I loved her dentist!   I was nervous for her but she complied and stay very still the whole time!  Even did an x-ray!!  woohoo!!!!  So proud of her!

Just another day at the park... Keller-Smithfield Park... one of our favorites!

This girl has no fear!!  This rock wall is like 6 feet tall!  And she climbs up all by herself the entire way!  Of course I'm right under her but she does it all by her own strength!  We would love to get her into a rock climbing class.  She would LOVE it!  

A monkey at heart (just like her mama!)

Loves the zipline at the park!  The faster the better!

Movie time in the middle of her friends!  Hannah, Aleah, Emery, Emma, Daniel

Latte time is still one of my favorite past times.  And I'm so thankful to share it with my baby girl!  I love that she loves to do the same things as me.  That she can find fun in anything we do.  She took this picture of me enjoying my latte at Redefined Coffee in Grapevine.  

One of the best moments of my life.... receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers... at work... from my husband for Valentines Day!!!  I couldn't believe it!  He's the BEST!!

More park dates!!!

Keller-Smithfield Park in Keller

I took her on a first little hike down (and back up!) to the creek where we looked for anything cool we could find!

Dove Park in Grapevine

Pure Bliss!!!!!

This girl can seriously do anything!!!!

We had two snow storms this year!!!  Always my favorite time of year! (not sure how fearless I'll be next year without an SUV, but I'll make my Honda work for me!) They came late this year... as late as March!

I picked up Emery from Aunt Tyranie's after work... it snowed a LOT that day!

The next day all the kids went out to play!  The parks were alive with children sledding and playing!  Again, I missed it all as it always storms when I'm at work! :(  waaaaah!

 Emery had her first sleepover at her house with Meagan and Hannah!! It was a great night!

Emery working on her abc's and 123's!

Emery's 4th birthday!!!!!

Look at this little peanut!!!!   From day one she was a tiny little nugget!  At only 5 lbs 11 inches, she was small but mighty!!  She's remained teeny tiny for 4 years but she has grown up into one strong (both mentally and physically), determined, adventurous, fun-loving, risk-taking little girl!!  She has brought so much light, laughter, love and joy to everyone who meets her since the moment she breathed her first breath!  We cannot believe she has turned 4 years old!!!!  It is still amazing to me.  I will never get over what her birth and presence in our lives represents.... God... loves... us!!!!  It's that simple!  Miss Emery Rose is the most amazing person I've ever known!

 Her second day here in our big world!

Can you say precious????

With her newest love (let's be honest...and mine!) of the movie FROZEN, I could hardly wait to plan her birthday party!  I began pinterest-ing months ago!  But as always, like I do so well, it was only a week before her party that I got my brain together and put my thoughts on paper and made a plan.  And luckily, it came together perfectly!!  I guess I've always done better with last minute prep and pressure! lol   But having said that, I didn't plan my work week out very well and realized I had to work the entire two days before her party!  UGH!  So I wrote out a daily to-do list that started early in the week and continued the evenings after work.  Friday night I stayed up until 1:00am!  But it was all so worth it!!  I got all the decorations up so Emery woke up to a Frozen wonderland (or atleast a Frozen wonder'wall')!!  Sean took Emery to Panera for breakfast and my friend, Julie, came over to help me get ready which was all an enormous blessing!!  Needless to say, everything went even better than I could have dreamed!  We had an amazing time!  And more importantly Emery and all her friends had a blast!!

All hand cut and glittered snowflakes! made with love!

(which now hangs on one entire wall in her bedroom! :)

Julie and Kathy (Cali girls!)

Diane, Amber and Tyranie and kids

Hannah and Aleah

Months ago I had this idea....  Kathy's daughter, Brianna, had made the most beautiful Elsa and Anna costumes for the church harvest festival.  And so I texted them to see if they would be able and willing to make an appearance at Emery's birthday party.  Well the week before her party, Brianna said yes!!!  So while "Anna" (Madeline) had to study for school, Elsa was able to come all the way from Arendelle just for Emery's birthday!!!  It was a huge surprise to Emery and ALL the kids!!!  It was awesome!!!  I almost started crying!!  haha

Here's Emery meeting Elsa right as she arrived.  

She was a little shocked and consequently shy :)

I loved watching all the kids respond to Elsa.  They were full of questions!

Finally got a smile out of Emery! haha

Elsa even went out and played in the backyard with the kids!

Emery, Ari & Payge

So here is my Frozen Ice Cream Cake!  Yes I am VERY proud of this cake!!  It was a pinterest idea but the most awesome thing I've ever made!  hehe

The "ice" is blue candy I made.  The figurines compliments of Emery.  Yep!  Washed up her toys really good and voila!

Daddy & Emery right before blowing out her candles

The cake (for the adults) and blue 'snowball' cupcakes for the kiddos!

The inside of the three layer ice cream cake :)

Emery enjoying her cupcake outside 

(We luckily had the most amazing 70 deg weather that day!!!!)

Elsa and the entire party of kids!

Max, Aleah, Hannah, Dane, Emery, Levi, Ari, Meagan, Ainsley(little one in front), 

Payge, Gabriel, Zach & Zach's friend, & Emma (not in pic) 

Emery opening some of her gifts

Emery loves Payge!

The Party Favors! 

So this dress... Kathy and the girls bought it for her.  She yelled when she pulled it out of the bag!  She immediately put it on and she, still, wears it most days!  It is so adorable!!!

Later that evening......

And the next day.... lol     And the next....

Elsa was so sweet to bring Em this Frozen camera too!

Night night Em!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY baby girl!!!

The next day, as promised, we drove to Grapevine Mills Mall (a good 40 min drive) to go to the Disney Story to spend her birthday money.  We had a great time!!!  She bought a big soft Elsa doll as a friend for her Rapunzel doll of the same style.  You know, the kind with the fabric hair.

No she didn't get this snow monster, but she loves him!!  haha

She wanted to ride the Merry-Go-Round, so we did!  But she didn't want the horse....

...She wanted the spinning cup!!!  This girl is fearless and loves to push the limits!!  She loves a challenge as she spun that thing as fast as it would go!  She has both qualities of me and Sean.... she's cautious like her daddy and a risk taker like her mommy.  I call her my cautious risk-taker!!!  She loves to go fast and hard and we are constantly amazed at what she accomplishes!!  She seriously is such a fast runner.  She is a strong climber and is not afraid of heights.  She always wants to workout with me and is sad anytime I don't take her to bootcamp with me.  I can't keep her on her blanket cuz she wants to do everything with me.  She still loves to dance!!  Just today I sat down and was playing the piano and it wasn't long before I realized she was just dancing away!  She didn't want me to stop because she wanted to keep dancing.  She is doing great in her ballet class.  She's not the youngest in her class, but she is the littlest.  But she already has such great form and toe point.  And now she's taken up singing!  She will sing for the longest time making up her own songs or singing the latest tv tune!  She is becoming more independent every day.  Which honestly makes me sad some days.  But it is so cool watching her grow into a little kid.  She can get her own breakfast now.  Maybe she could have done this earlier but I just recently moved her cups and bowls down where she can get them.  Sometimes I'll even find she moved the chair into the kitchen so she can get whatever it is she's wanting. lol  She can turn the tv on and tune in to her recorded shows (I've only taught her this as I don't want her 'surfing' the channels and having free reign. Boundaries!)  She pretty much picks out her clothes most days and gets dressed. Even doing her own hair to some extent.  She's very particular in what she wears!  But I must say, the girl has style!!  I can tell her to go get dressed, get your shoes on and brush your teeth, and she will!!  Of course not in the time-frame I would like, but..... It is precious!!!  And the freedom I've gained is A-mazing!!!!  

I love this girl so much!  She is everything good in the world!  Children are a blessing and a gift from God.  And I can never thank Him enough for entrusting us with her life!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMERY!!!!