chunky little monkey

We had Emerson's 4 month check last week. Our suspicions were confirmed.... we have a bona fide chunky monkey on our hands. She is 15 lbs. 4 oz. and 23 inches long. That puts her in the 95th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height. This is a completely new experience for us- the other girls had fallen off the charts by this point (and still aren't back on- Finley only weighs 6 lbs more than Emerson right now!!). We thought we just made them little, but Emerson has broken the mold! Oh, how I love my squishy baby.

Her legs, my oh my, her legs- I don't know if I have ever seen anything like it! She is healthy and happy... she has the BEST smile, complete with one adorable dimple. Her eyes are still blue.... it is probably too soon to gloat, but at some point I am going to be able to say "I told you so" to all the doubters (most specifically my dear sweet husband :).

This has been a big month for Emerson- she has really come to life! She smiles all the time (when she is not being tortured by her sisters), giggles, and squeals (my goodness she is loud). She has started sitting up on her own. All the girls have sat up early- no rolling over for them. They all go straight to pulling themselves up to a seated position from laying down. It is really the craziest thing. She loves the car... as long as the car is moving at a descent speed. She has found her thumb- doesn't quite know what to do with it, but she her left thumb is constantly in her mouth. I am not complaining. I LOVE it when they find a mechanism of self-soothing (Avery sucks her thumb and Finley has her belly button). It makes life a little easier for everyone. I am pretty sure she is teething, though I have yet to see any real evidence (no teeth popping through just yet)- she has just been extremely fussy and baby orajel seems to help?!

I think we can finally say that we have made the adjustment to 3. It took a few months, but we have it down now. It is definitely busier than 2, but it is well worth it. I can't imagine our little family without Emerson in it. We love you little Emmy! Couldn't you just eat her up?!

my heart is full

Tonight, the girls were trying desperately to satisfy their sweet tooth after dinner. I was making brownies for dessert, but they were not being very patient while we waited for them to bake. They wanted to lick the mixer spoons, the bowl, and eat chocolate chips out of the bag. After asking over and over with the answer consistently being NO, Avery got frustrated and screamed at me. I just gave her the "oh, no you didn't" look and she ran into her room (and everyone wonders where my girls get their dirty looks- they learned from the best). We all assumed she went in there to cry and throw a fit. About 5 minutes later, she came back into the kitchen with a smile on her face. She said "I just prayed to Heavenly Father to help me make good choices." Wow. That is not what I was expecting to hear and it completely melted me. I had been so agitated by the interaction we had, but all that went away instantly as I felt the sweet comfort of the spirit wash over me. I hugged her tight and just breathed in the moment. What a joy it is that she is coming to know for herself where she can turn for help- and exercising the faith to call on our Heavenly Father in prayer. My heart is full.

taming the mane

Finley's hair has taken on a life of its own in the past few months. It has become a crazy, big, out of control mound of fluff on top of her head. So, we thought it was about time for her to get her first hair cut. Our friends came over for dinner and as a MUCH appreciated bonus, Krissy cut both of the girls' hair.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

MUCH BETTER!

It turned out so cute. It is amazing how a simple haircut changed my little Finn from a toddler to a big girl in a matter of minutes!

Both Avery and Finley are loving the fact that they have matching hairdos. They really do look so much alike- especially when they smile!

N-I-N-E

Today marks 9 glorious, wonderful years that Paul and I have been married. We are closing in on the decade mark... crazy! I do love that we got married in 2000... it makes the math easy. It has been an adventure for sure. Nine years, seven moves, two college educations, countless road trips, lots of good times, a few trials, a major remodel, and three kids later we are still going strong!

*photo by Kelly McCaleb

Our celebration plans are as extensive as going out to dinner (we can be gone for 2 hours tops without bringing the baby along), and dreaming of our relaxing, kid-free vacation we are already starting to plan for our tenth next year! Happy day!

P.S. Paul went to work for a couple hours and then ended up surprising me by taking the rest of the day off! We took the girls to the pool then went out to dinner at Novo (love) while gramma lee stayed will all 3 of the girls. It was a perfect way to celebrate the day.

i give in

Finley has been showing signs that she is ready to be potty trained for a while now, but I have been resisting. I just have not had the energy to clean up messes for any length of time- a day, a week, a month?! Well, little Fin has been taking off her diaper and making messes anyway, so I had to give up and give in. We are officially on the potty training wagon! She has been running around sans clothes of any kind and I have been at the ready to whisk her off to the bathroom at the first sign of a possible accident. Turns out that my fears (at least so far this morning) are unfounded. She came to me while I was sitting with Emerson and said, "mommy, I gotta go pee pee." We rushed in, got her on the potty, and... success! Through no action of my own, my little 2 1/2 year old is on her way to being diaper free! We still have a ways to go. One little success down, many more to go before we are home free. But, for the moment, Finley is basking in the positive praise from her big sister, loving her m&ms, and rocking the Elmo panties, "just like you Avery!"

She, of course, insists on putting on her panties, "by myself mommy- I do it myself!" Alright already...little miss independent! It is so fun to watch these girls grow, get excited about their own accomplishments, as well as encourage each other. We are so proud of you Fin!

"such hard work"

After her 3rd time out in a 20 minute span (for attacking both of her sisters repeatedly), I reminded Avery, yet again, that she needed to make good choices. Her response, "but mom, being a big girl is such hard work." I couldn't help but smile. Oh, sweet girl, yes it is. It is a good thing she is so cute- it goes a long way in taking the edge off of mom's wrath.

It has just been one of those days. The girls have been testing limits at every turn. Avery has been very physically aggressive (Finley has scratches all over her body to prove it), and blatantly defiant. Between spurts of giggles, Finley has been screaming almost constantly- either because she is wounded (emotionally or physically- thanks to Avery), or because she is defending her territory/property (from Avery). Early in the day, Finley stuck her hand down her dirty diaper and wiped it all over (flashback to THIS). Then later, she took her diaper off (her new thing- ever since THIS incident), went and peed on my rug, announced it, and then proudly showed me the spot. Emerson has also been crying all day- the poor thing has not gotten more than a 5 minute nap. Between her own tummy troubles, teething discomfort?!, and other baby ailements, plus her LOUD, disruptive sisters that make it their mission in life to wake her up, she can't sleep for any length of time. Days like this are very, VERY long. I love them all so very dearly, but I am ready for a break. Is it bedtime yet?!

the many faces of finley

Since she was a baby, miss Finley has had the MOST expressive face. Her glowing smile can melt the hardest of hearts, her dirty looks are painful, her funny faces are hysterical, her puzzled look is a crack up... the list goes on. Her face is an open book- you can always tell how she is feeling, what she is thinking by her expression. One thing is for sure... like her shirt says, she is most definitely SASSY, though I lay no claim to the "just like mommy" part. She uses her vast repertoire to display defiance, sassiness, silliness, and a hint of sweetness everyday. I love it!

glorious summer evenings

Most nights all through the year (since we live is a place blessed with wonderful weather year round) we go for a walk in our neighborhood as soon as Paul gets home from work. We all look forward to the time together as a family and the girls get especially upset if something interferes. It is our time to talk about the day, and just be together. A new development this summer is that the girls have been riding their bikes the full mile and I put Emerson in the front pack.... no stroller, which has been a wonderful change! Avery has really gotten the hang of riding her new "big girl" bike, though she is still not so sure about riding down hills (however small). I don't know when, if ever we will get the training wheels off, but...?! We will take the progress, in whatever size increments it comes. With her, the move to a big bike is a huge step in and of itself. Finley is still too little to reach the pedals on this particular trike, but the nice thing is it has a long handle that one of us can walk behind and use to push/steer her. Helps us keep moving. Can't believe it is the end of July already?! Where does the time go? I just don't want these glorious summer evenings to end!

it's all in the details

This is Avery's most recent "family portrait." Left to Right: Bubba, Mommy, Daddy, Avery (with LONG hair), baby Emerson (also with very long hair?!), and Finley. I just love all the details she has chosen to include- curly vs. straight hair, earrings, and check out the eyelashes. She even included the sky and the ground for reference. It is so fun to see how she is beginning to translate her observations into art. She is getting so big and becoming more and more capable every day. We are also working on letters- she can copy most letters if I write them at the top of the paper. She is interested in spelling everyone's names and other things as well. She still has another full school year before she goes into kindergarten. I am thinking by then she will be more than ready. It really amazes me how quickly she is growing up!

only when you are a baby...

are the words "thunder thighs" and "cute" used together in a sentence. Never again.

Emerson has quickly become my little chunky monkey and she is oh, so very adorable (in my very unbiased opinion of course).

and her eyes... still blue by all accounts.