She's bringin jumping back

So, I think I have a problem.

I keep weird stuff.

When we were making the move to Houston it was the first time I ever really took inventory of what we had and more specifically- the toys we had.  I was having to decide what should go into storage until we bought a house, what should go to the apartment with us, and what should just plain go.  At the time it was just Emery and she was about the age Beckett is now.  I just love this age!  They are starting to talk more and assert themselves more and they can have a great time tinkering with the strangest things.  So I started going through all of Emery's "toys" and realized they were all pretty much trash- empty (but clean!) food containers that she would stack or open and shut or fill and dump out and this would go on and on all day. 

It actually made moving her pretty easy- all her toys got thrown away and we started over (poor Ree Ree).  I just couldn't believe I kept some of the stuff I did, it's a problem, really.

So one of these types of items resurfaced yesterday.  It's not a piece of trash, but an actual toy.  A large toy that neither one of my babies just LOVED, but I've always kept around just in case and all its ever really done is take up a good bit of room. 

It was so cold and windy yesterday we (I) wanted to find ways to stay inside and I thought, "Hey, lets bust out that giant JUMPEROO in the guest room!" and so we did and Emery Madison LOVED it! 

She even wanted BACK in it later that afternoon, yay!  Beckett got a turn too and Emery and I had a blast swinging him and bouncing him in it.  THIS, I'm glad I kept (now).  Gigi may not have been too crazy about sharing a room with it, but it  we had fun!  Sorry, Gigi, looks like this one is sticking around.  Plus, it brings back some good memories seeing her sweet smile in it again.  Gracious my baby is getting so big!

We love you Gigi..

Oh yes we DO!  Happy Birthday today to my Mama!  I'm sorry we aren't around to see your face today, but we all love you and hope your day is seriously wonderful!!!

And here's just a few of the outtakes (always the best part, right?!?)

Boys, boys, boys

Friday night we had a couple of Emery's friends over while their parents enjoyed a night out.  We had SO much fun!  We played outside, ate pizza, played outside some more.  We have been having some really great weather lately- highs in the 70's.  Perfect for leaving the back door open and letting everyone come and go as they please. 

I remembered I had some Silly String that I bought a while ago and we never used so I decided it might be a fun night to bust it out.  Philip and Matt had a good time, Emery- not so much.  It's ok though, her Daddy only took advantage of her fear a little bit.   See it flying across my kitchen???  We are still finding it in some random places!

I think she got him back pretty good on Sunday when she called him a "Stupid Old Man"- oh, the things this little sassy girl says!  And, no, that's not how we refer to Matt when he's not around. :)

An easy fix up

I love how my kids rooms look, like I really love them!  I loved planning them and getting them all ready for the new baby to come (even though I'm pretty sure neither one of them even went into their rooms for about 3 months), and thinking about the little life that would occupy that space in my house.  Their rooms grow more and more precious to me as we make memories in them.

Ok, I digress.  So, their rooms are fabulous.  Beckett's is cowboy themed and my Mom and I had so much fun in Canton one warm August weekend getting his some fun things to fix his space up, and maybe a few things for big sister too.

It's been lived in since then (obviously, the boy is now 15 months old!) and that dresser has always driven me nuts!  I have a serious plain knobs, and I don't know why.  I guess it started with Hobby Lobby (what doesn't) when I discovered they have really cute mosaic knobs that are SO easy to switch out and they make a big difference.  Beckett and I were wondering through World Market the other day and what did we come across, knobs!!!  I was excited to see some that might look good in his room and he thought he found basket fuls of balls so it was a win, win!  I got several patterns that I felt like coordinated really well together, we came home and got to work, and here's the finished product.

Peppa worked really hard on this one too and she needed a nap!

I even managed to fix one of his drawers that I couldn't get to open and now it does, go me  (although it was my poor construction skills that were stopping it, oops!).  Easy, fun, productive- 3 things I love!

Midweek...

We haven't had much excitement around here lately- it's really been a pretty quiet, low key week.  Man, now that I think about it so was the weekend- riveting stuff, right?!  Although Peppa and I did go for a nice run Saturday morning.  The sun was coming up, it was kind of foggy and we ran the trails around our house.  I wish I had my camera with me to get a picture, but I don't think it would have done the sunrise on Saturday morning justice.  This dog has gotten some serious exercise and I think she's officially tired!  She's a big girl and we know she needs the exercise, but maybe she's earned a day off. :)

We spent the rest of the weekend hanging out together, going to church, and playing outside.  Emery and I went on a special girls trip to Target.  I love going places solo with that girl.  She sings (her latest music is the music from her Christmas program at school), she laughs (potty humor- already!), she wants the windows down and the music loud!  I enjoy getting to watch her be her.

Wednesday was a great day!  Emery used to have gymnastics class on Wednesdays but her new dance class is on Friday, so Wednesday has opened up as a free day.  We didn't have anywhere to go or any errands that needed to be run.  We just stayed home and enjoyed some down time.  I've noticed these types of days usually go one of two ways- really great or really bad.  Thankfully, today has been really great!

They spent a long time this morning coloring.  I am LOVING this- they are SO content with a crayon and some blank paper.  It's gotten us through alot of dinner fixing times.:)

 They also pretty much got out every toy we have in the house and even the outside ones.  It's ok though- they were having fun and playing well together (and that's all that matters in my book!)

I mean really...

 How sweet is this boy with his puppy???  I was making lunch the other day and I look up and Beckett is giving the dog hugs kisses and saying "Aaaahhhh, good girl".  I just can't stand it!

 

 

(and she may have gotten some extra treats for putting up with this)

My Girl

Oh my goodness, my sweet baby Emery is such a huge, fun, beautiful little mess of a girl.  She's 3 1/2 going on 16 and she keeps me on my toes all day long.  Some days we have really good days together and some days, well, she spends alot time in time out.  She's very opinionated and strong willed and I really do hope she keeps those qualities- this girl will NOT get eaten alive when she goes to school, ha!

 She said the funniest thing Saturday when we were in the car.  She is really curious about driving: why we stop, why we go fast, why we wait (it goes on and on and on!).  She told us Saturday that "When I'm a big girl I'm going to drive as fast as possible!".  Gracious- we are all in trouble.  When I asked her how fast she was going to drive she told me "5 dollars".  Ok, maybe we're good after all.

 Now, if these 2 are driving together- no promises!!!

My sweet girl even drew a picture of her Mama this weekend.  She usually makes lists and scribbles, this is the first time I've seen her draw a person.  It's my favorite thing ever!

(Is she saying I need bangs???)

The sun!!!

Finally the sun came out yesterday and we were ALL so happy it was a little warmer in the afternoon and we could be outside.  I am a summer girl and I seriously dislike these winter months when it's cold and rainy and just blah (even in Houston it's too cold for me, I need a vacation home don't I?  Somewhere warm and sunny and beachy, aaahhhhhh.  OK, back to reality). 

After we dropped Emery off at school we headed to Sharpstown to take Peppa to the vet for a checkup.  Everything checked out ok- she weighs 50lbs (woah!) and seems to be healthy.  It's so hard to know what these poor dogs have been through, but this vet seems to think she's ok.  Beckett went with me and he was SO excited to be surrounded by all the cats and dogs, he's such a charmer!

 Sharing his snack with Peppa.  His favorite thing to do right now is hand you someting, you say "Thank You" and hand it back to him and he says "Thank You".  I guess its alot like fetch for a baby. 

It was a pretty tight squeeze for all of us in the exam room, so we got cozy. :)

(Mom- this ones for you) :)

 

When it was time to pick up Emery, she got to ride her bike home with her friend Philip.  She was SO excited and they had a really great time.  They've all gotten really good at riding their bikes and watching for cars- it's so fun to see these friends all grow up together.  We met Eli and Brandon at the park and spent an hour or so enjoying the nice weather, snacking, and running.  

Emery found this hill and had such a good time running up and down it.  It's Houston and when you find a hill you take advantage. :)  It was such a fun day we were all exhausted by the time Matt came home.  Emery went to bed at 7:30 and I was in bed by 9:30 (somewhere tropical in my head, too!).

Peppa

Tuesday started out innocent enough- Emery went to school, I went to the gym, we ate lunch, took cute pictures together... same old routine. 

 ...see, aren't we cute???..

Around 11 we got an email from a local pet adoption agency- Mutts and Meows that we had been approved to adopt one of their dogs "Stardust" and that she could come home with us...THAT DAY!  Um, we were not prepared in any way for a dog to come to our home.  We were looking for a dog for a little while now since the kids were a little older and a little more independent we figured it might be a good time to add a pet to the mix. We originally became familiar with this shelter when we were interested in a different dog they had who had already been adopted.  They directed our attention toward Stardust, but that she wouldn't be available for adoption for another week (so she could be spayed)- a week, not a day, a week is what we had in mind. 

So, we filled out the application form so they could have it on file thinking it would still be a little while before anything really happened.  Well, here comes this email: APPROVED TO ADOPT STARDUST, GOING HOME TODAY!!!  Gracious, no pressure or anything.  We made arrangements to meet her foster Mom in Missouri City and there she was.  This giant Australian Shepherd/ Lab/ Golden Retriever comes bounding out of the car and is SO excited to be out of the car, really kind of overwhelming and Matt and I were looking at each other like, no way.  But, she calmed down really quickly and never left our side.  We choose to use a rescue shelter so we could interact with the dog before we committed to one and see how she would do with all of us (especially the kids) and they were really straight forward with us and helped us find a good dog for our family.  We took her for a couple of laps around the parking lot on a leash and she did great!  She stayed right by us if we ran or walked or stopped and we just knew she was going to be a good dog.

We signed all the paperwork and headed for the car (to get this giant dog home, ha!).  She didn't even hesitate and jumped in the backseat in between the kids and was totally content.  She stayed there our entire ride home and alternated putting her head on the kids so they could pet her.  No jumping, no barking, just stillness.  I was afraid she was just tired and we'd get her home and she would go crazy but she didn't.  She's been pretty relaxed and calm and she likes to play (obviously, she's approximately a year old) but she just lays down in whatever room you are in and keeps and eye on you.  So now we are dog owners once again and she's a great dog so far.  We are so excited to have Peppa in our home now!

Mall Monday

So, Mama was having a Monday.  Oh my goodness a Monday.  It was cold and rainy and Monday (did I say it was Monday) so we started the day off right... chocolate and a gown.

 Since the weather was so gross we all needed a change of scenery and went looking for some free/ somewhat inexpensive entertainment so we headed to the mall!  I love going to the mall before it opens so they can pretty much have the place to themselves.  We met a couple of our friends there and found lots of fun stuff to play with before the stores opened- trash cans, cars, merry go rounds, strollers (and, yes, we are those people who let their children run wild through  the mall.  Pre-kids I couldn't BELIEVE people actually did that and now I can't believe people DON'T do that, ha!).  When the mall opened we headed over to the play place and enjoyed a few rounds of bowling with two 3 yr olds and two 1 yr olds- again, very thankful the mall is empty!  This was my kids' first experience bowling and it was hilarious.

 You all work together and send several balls down the lane at one time.  This is how bowling works, right?

 And sometimes you need to sit in the middle of the lane to make sure the ball makes it to the pins

 After everyone finished up their games we headed to the play place and the movie theater area.  This is what I LOVE about kids- we were all in the designated play area with cars and trees and buildings to climb on and what do they do?  Spend more time and have more fun pretty much running in circles in the movie theater lobby.  Seriously, they ran from the photo booth to the wind tunnel and in circles in the wide open spaces.  These kiddos are such good friends they have fun any time and I love it!!!  The little siblings also got in the middle of all the fun and tried to keep up with the big kids.

I mean, really...

And then this happened and it's my favorite thing right now, pure sweet innocent FUN...

 Thanks, friends, for a fabulous Monday!!!

Giving back

So, our weekend around here was fantastic!  Not overly exciting and not overly bad, just wonderful to be together as a family.  I've started training for the Cowtown (half) at the end of February so my Saturday morning was spent running!  It's been a long time since I've had a long run on Saturday to look forward to so I'm excited to train for this race and to have a goal in mind.  I got 7 done Saturday and I hope to do 9, then 11 then I guess another 11 then start scaling back.

 After I got home we all had our Saturday morning breakfast time again and then Matt took the kiddos to the big park and Mama got to cleaning!  We've had warm weather here for a couple of days so why not do some spring cleaning, right?!?  I tackled the upstairs first since it seemed to make sense to work from the top down.  All the bedrooms up there got a good scrub down- fans, windows, surfaces, even the stairs got it.  No one was safe from me! :)  (Since when has cleaning and running added up to a fantastic weekend, and when did it start feeling so rewarding??? gracious...)

The weekend kind of went on like this from here- playing, playing, playing, eating, sleeping, more playing and eating.  I LOVE weekends when everyone is home and we all just hang out and have fun together.  It's hard to get back into the routine on a Monday  morning, but here we go again!

I do have a goal for this week and it should be simple and maybe will help someone out!  Soma is taking donations of  bras to donate to women's shelters- just drop them by the store!  Also, Nike will do the same thing for used running shoes (except they don't donate your shoes to women's shelters- but they'll take your old running shoes).  Good things to keep in mind this week!

Highs and Lows...

So, it's finally Friday- yay!  It's been a fun week, but we are ready for the weekend around here.  Today has been one of those days where we had some great times & some not so great times.  I'll just start from the beginning:

High:

I am a morning person and today was a good one.  The sun was out, it was cool outside, my coffee was warm inside, the heater kicked on for a minute.  Fabulous!  I love having my breakfast time in the morning.  Matt's gone to work, the kiddos are still asleep it's just me and it's quiet and I love it!

Low (but kind of a high at the same time):

We had dance again today (Friday will be our normal day to go) and so these are the girls she will be with all semester.  She was super excited to put on her dance clothes, breakfast went smoothly, we left the house on time without having to rush around- a good start!  She seemed to have a god time in class, but isn't crazy about her teacher (even though I've heard she's awesome!).  This girl isn't going to let Emery run around like a wild woman the whole class time so I think she probably needs a teacher like this who will make her listen & cooperate.  I, on the other hand, sat outside with all the other "dance moms" and, oh my word!  I am not dance mom material- it took me WAY outside my comfort zone too (which is also probably a good thing).  These ladies can bring the fancy and I do not.  I dress to chase children and scoop children up and run after them at a moments notice.  It's something I've always felt & been very conscious of, but I seriously need to get over.  We're all just mom's trying to make our kids happy.

High:

We went grocery shopping at Target and then we came home & had macaroni for lunch.  Enough said. :)

Oh, and this happened too.  Poor Beckett, he's been dressed as a princess, worn bows, loves a pink panda, and now... lip gloss.  Sorry dude, but this picture will resurface one day!

High:

It was Friday night pizza night and we all ended up invading a friends house and having pizza and wine with them while our children ran around like crazy.  We talked alot, laughed alot, and stayed up way to late.  Yay, for ending the day on a high!

Back to School...

Yesterday was Emery's first day back in school after Christmas break (hallelujah!) and we were all ready for school to start up again.  E needed the extra stimulation and it just seems to help us get back into the swing of things after Christmas and New Year's.  It was a beautiful morning after a day full of rain and not just light rain- monsoon rain!  We walked to school and then Beckett & I headed to the gym for a little bit.  We came home and Beckett got a little rest and then we had lunch together.  He's so sweet and I absolutely love when I get to spend one on one time with my kiddos.  Don't get me wrong we all have fun when we are together but watching them and playing with them individually is a treat (and this dude loves the undivided attention- we were upstairs, downstairs, outside, everywhere and he stayed busy!). 

We finished up lunch and decided to load up a little early so we could stop by the park on our way to pick up Emery.  Beckett is loving the park at this age but I'm still so nervous about it.  He loves to jump on the bridge and go down the slide and he really is very cautious and won't usually try to step off the platforms but every now and then I have to run over & catch him!

I think he is mostly excited because he can do what all the big kids do now and he doesn't have to sit in the stroller while everyone else plays. 

He was NOT happy when it was time to go, but we found some goldfish and some water and he seemed happy enough to be back in the wagon.  We picked up sister & headed home so everyone could get some rest.  Later that afternoon Emery & I were watching Cinderella and a salesman came to the door.  Emery was terrified because she thought he was selling skunks (her latest irrational fear thanks to her Daddy!), poor thing, she was so scared and I just couldn't stop laughing.  At least Cinderella seemed to distract her and she was happy again. 

Ball-a-ray

So, this is my little ball of energy.  She is always on the go: talking, creating, running, climbing, imagining, just  busy busy busy.  So that means Mama tries to find extra ways to let her get some energy out!  She tried gymnastics for a while in Tyler and then again once we got settled in Houston and I liked the idea of her doing gymnastics but she just wasn't quite into it.  She was taking frequent water/ bathroom/ rest breaks during class and didn't really seem super excited to go every week.  She gave it a good shot (6 months or so) and I finally decided it was time to call it quits on the gymnastics. 

She has lately become all things PRINCESS and that includes always needing to have a "gown" (not a dress, but a gown- she is very clear about that) and "glass slippers" and a tiara and magic wand don't hurt either.  She has also started showing an interest in "ball-a-ray" so I figured why not give it a shot.  The school that is within walking distance of our house had registration through January so we were able to squeeze in (I love that we will be able to walk to class!) and yesterday was her first class. 

And. she. LOVED. it!

I wasn't sure how it would go over with her since dance is so structured, but she marched herself into the class and sat front & center and paid attention and listened to the teacher from what I can tell.  Parents don't go into the class, but we could still watch from the outside hallway (they have a TV setup so we could see what was going on).  I was so proud of how brave & bold she was (which is way outside of this shy Mama's comfort zone!) and she even seemed to have a little fun.  She amazes me every day and I'm so happy she enjoyed her class & wants to go back.  Watch out world, ball-a-ray here we come!