Introducing... Emery-isms.

Yesterday, we had to say good bye to our dearest friends, the Klahns. They popped in for a quick and very fun memorial day weekend visit.
Our girls are 18 months apart, but still such besties. It is so wonderful to be able to bring our families together and share our lives together, even though we live so far away. We often say we would love to be closer to our friends in TN, since the likely hood of moving to home to CA is so expensive and unlikely. We just bought our first home here in CO, but who knows what the future will hold...

Emery has seriously bounced back from her trama of last week. It's just me... I pretty much want to wrap her in bubble wrap and force her to hold my hand until she is 21. I'm a mess. And her surgery is on Friday. Every time I think about it I can not hold back my tears. I've been assured that she should be find, but you truly never know. Please know I'll keep the our loved ones posted on how it goes and we are accepting all prayers, good thoughts, and warm fuzzies on Friday for the surgery...

On a fun note.. Emery has started learning to explain why she wants, does, or likes something. While I would typically say something like...

"I would like a drink because I'm thirsty"

Emery says....

"I want to keep my books on my bed because I'm thirsty"

Her little Emery-isms are so funny and random that they are honestly hard to keep track of. As she continues to develop this humor resasoning skill, I be sure to share...

And because I know you're dying to see what a 3 year old missing a tooth looks like...

Besties and their matching sunnies

Her chin is getting better!

Two generations of bestie Blaylock/Klahn girls...

So much fun!

Remember when I said this day couldn't get any worse...

Yeah, so that happened.
I got a call that E had a 102.5 fever, so I left work to pick her up.
I picked up lunch and planned to go home and snuggle and drink lots of fluids.
We got out of the car and E was walking towards the front door.
Being the clumsey girl that she is... she triped and face planted on the curb.
And, because this day was getting better every minute, she shattered her tooth in "more than 15 pieces" according to her dentist.
Now, my girl is having surgery next Friday at Denver Children's and will be under General Anesthesia for an hour. I heard that and started crying. Then I realized that Jason will be traveling next week and that I have to do this all along.
More tears.
My girl is such a trooper, despite a 102.5 fever and a shattered front tooth... and a big gash on her chin.
Nothing a little apple juice and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse can't fix.

FU 5/22/2012! I shake my fist at you!!!

Murphy's Law.

It never seems to fail...
When Jason travels all hell breaks loose in our house.
Last night was one of the days.
I was feeling great at work. I got a lot done. And left just early enough to head to target to pick up a few "necessities" for our new hours.
I swear, I'll share photos of that when we move in.

Then came the traffic.

We don't typically get crazy traffic in Denver.

One of my favorite things about the city.

But not yesterday. A cement truck turned over and apparently that creates complete and utter chaos.

Finally making it home to two very excited doggies.

I can't walk them together because they would kill me.

I'm not exaggerating.

They are so strong they would drag me face first across our apartment complex jumping on children.

So, I typically try to walk them one at a time.

They weren't having it. Ginger BOLTED from the front door while I was trying to get Jackson a leash.

This apparently caused her to loose her mind. And her hearing... because she had NO INTENTION of listening to me, or coming back.

So, there I go chasing her. Yelling her name (and my plan to beat her into tomorrow if I ever caught her). Please keep in mind I was in a dress and my favorite target sandals. RIP favorite target sandals, because you are now dead. Destroyed by my slipping (falling) down a hill and snapping your adorable little leather strap right off.

The day went on from there to include a middle of the night fever, doggies snorting under my door to ensure I didn't sleep. Lots of tears (mine and E's) and at least one sleeping location change.

Have I mentioned how much I love having a daughter that is opinionated and sassy?

Oh, I haven't? Good, because it is NOT TRUE!

This morning we fought about brushing her hair. Eventually, she asked for a pony, only to change her mind 5 minutes late and want it "up, but down" which is half up half down. When I told her no, because I will not be bullied into changing hair styles at the whim of a 3 year old... and EPIC tantrum ensued. I know she was tired, but I literally drug her out of the house kicking and screaming at the TOP OF HER TINY, SASSY LUNGS.

Had Jason been home, that would have never happened.

When he travels I beg for patience.

I beg for the ability to take a deep breath and manage it all.

I beg for a full nights sleep.

Then, I see this beautiful little face and realize how incredibly luck I am to have her. My very own pansy picker, my future DDD. How cute is her little sorority girl pose? I have visions of her singing bumpity bump dancing through my head....

A day of love. presents. kisses. tantrums. and a house.

We're only a little over half way through the day, officially, and it's already been a pretty full day! Today is my 4th Mother's day as a Mommy. Each year I continue to feel more blessed for my healthy, smart, sassy little girl. She is beautiful. kind. and stubborn. She is mine.

I woke up at 8am! Sleeping in! The first and best gift of all. I got presents (new fab Stella & Dot jewlery, thanks Laura for helping Jason pick out the perfect pieces). I got snuggles courtesy of my girl and my two furbabies. And I got an amazing Steak and Eggs breakfast cooked at home.

On our way to church we go the best news of all! We've been on the house hunt for a while now. We've lost a few houses already and it's been a really emotional process that I have not really enjoyed. But, yesterday we saw the perfect house! It is in the neighborhood we want to live in. From the outside, it looks like the house we always wanted. And has a small nook in the master that I can call my own! I hesitated to share the find with anyone, but am THRILLED TO SHARE that our offer on the house WAS ACCEPTED!  We are officially under contract on a large, beautiful, amazing home!

The front of the house. That beautiful tree will provide a lot of natual shade.

Formal living room and dining room, as you walk in.

Small family room right off the kitchen. Love that fireplace. We'll use this, and the large family room in the basement.

That is a CA King in the huge master bedroom. Soo much space!

Look at that awesome desk on the back of the house! We can't wait to grill on this.

We feel so incredibly lucky to have found this home. It has so many features that we wanted and feel confident that it is going to be a great place to raise our family (and to have guests stay with us). We will keep you posted on how the process goes.

It has been an amazing day! It's gloomy, so we're making some crock pot chilli for dinner! The only thing that would make it better would be to be near my family in CA. I still get to have my girl with me today, but it makes me so sad for my mom that this is the first Mother's day we have not spent together. I am so lucky to have her in my life in such a huge way. She drives me crazy, but also kinda keeps me sane.

Wishing all of my mommy friends an amazing day filled with love. Motherhood is the most amazing gift and the hardest job one could understake. I'm still figuring it all out, but feel like that I have Emery and Jason on this journey with me.

coffee dates?

I read a lot of blogs. A lot. Some funny, some creative, some just about motherhood, but all add a lot to my day. I've been reading Rags to Stiches for quite a while and just really enjoy following the journey of a mother with two small, adorable children, trying to run her own business and still be a great partner to her husband. Sound familiar? She has this great thing each week, a coffee date. This is a virtual coffee date with her readers, just like you would have with your besties in the area.
Here's the deal, I'm a little low on local friends in CO. And I certainly don't have regular coffee or dinner dates with anyone besides Emery. But, I do have this wonderful opportunity to occasionally share those day to day things that I'd share on those dates here so that my friends at home can be kept up-to-date.
I think I've only just realized how easy it is to lose touch with you besties when one of you moves away. It is just really easy to skype or call less often. In fact, I had my first skype date with my bestie, Kacie, last night... FIRST SINCE WE MOVED HERE! Nuts! That is just not ok. So, while I don't know how often I'll do this... I'll do my best.

Ok, if we were to sit down for coffee I'd share with you that I'm sick of house hunting.
And that we've really only just begun.
We're are not desperate yet to get into a house, so I might be a little too picky.
And, I actually refuse to see most houses in person.
I make my poor husband look at 7 or 8, narrow it down to 2 or 3 and then revisit them with me later in the evening.
It gets more complicated because I have an entire pinterest board dedicated to our new house and it's decor. So every house I walk into I long to see splashes of yellow, cute refinished furniture, mosaic tile backsplash, and the perfect place for a rug I haven't picked out yet.
Am I crazy for wanting the perfect house to call a home?

I'd also share with you that my friend Kacie is getting married in June.
And that I makes me so sad that I'm in CO and can't help her shop today for indian inspired fabic for her aisle runner.
And that I think her fiance is adorable and can't wait to celebrate their special day with them.
I'd also tell you that I feel like I've been waiting forever to be the perfect bridesmaid to her, like she was for me.
My friendship with Kacie isn't perfect or normal. And we certainly aren't the same. BUT, she will always be in my life and I'm so thankful for her. She is the type of friend that sets the example of what being a better person can be. She is a huge inspiration in taking a leap of faith, and having faith.

Advise on the house hunting front?

'til next time....

Spring Fever and Fun

I think it might be safe to say that we've hit spring in CO! Thank goodness! I was getting pretty sick of the snow and cold weather. It's so beautiful out and my pasty white legs are telling me it's time for some shorts and skirts. And, Emery has so many cute new spring and summer clothes that I'm dying for her to wear.
It has been a particularly busy spring for us, but we've been having so much fun! We had a birthday visit from Jason's brother and his family. Emery loved having cousin's here for her  birthday! We made pizzas, had a mini toy story party, and did some shopping! It was a lot of fun and we hope they come back to visit soon!
And, we took a trip back to CA, dropped off Emery and headed to Vegas with our dearest friends, the Klahn's. It was so fun to spend some quality time with our besties! We truly don't have enough time together. But, this trip gave us plenty of time to talk about our desire to be neighbors and how much Jason and I love Nashville. Who knows? Maybe in the 5-7 year plan is a move to Mt. Juliet!
With the weather being so beautiful, we've had a lot of park visits and dog park trips. Emery loves it, and so do Jackson and Ginger.
This spring we hope to take more trips to the zoo since we have a family membership now.... and take some time to really explore Denver. Maybe a family hike? We'll see.
And, since I won't leave you hanging without some pictures....

 Spoiled girl with TWO easter baskets! She was so excited about the visit from the Easter Bunny!

So excited about her new princess shirt from Nana and Papa!

Birthday morning with Auntie Candace and cousins Keegan and Claire!

Birthday girl got her fingers and toes painted purple. She was so excited and looked beautiful!

Loving on her brother, Jackson

Pizza making time!

Emery's mini-Toy Story party!

Cheese!

Besties in Vegas

What's new?

I've been a terrible blogger the past few weeks. Our lives have been so busy that I need to take a moment to update what we've been up to.
In February, we welcomed our dearest Ginger into our homes. She is a golden lab/greyhound rescue and we are so happy to be a two dog family again...even if we do have some puppy challenges to work through. She loves to scoop things out of the sink to chew, pulls down bread and bagels to eat (shes eaten whole loaves and 6packs of bagels), and just yesterday she pulled our beloved griddle off the counter and broke it. We'll be happy when this passes.
My mama came to visit last month too! I love how easy it is for her to travel to Denver to visit. It was wonderful to have her here to help with Emery, keep the doggies happy, and to bring a piece of home.
Since then we've been working a lot, taking lots of family walks to the park, visiting the dog park and trying to learn more about our new home. We've had some adventures with friends and have been planning for March.
This week, Jason's brother is coming with his wife, Candace, and our nephew and niece. We are so looking forward to a family visit and having them here to celebrate Emery's 3rd Birthday. We love spending time together and having the kids together, so this should be an adventure.  AND, they are staying with us, so we will be quite cozy this week. =) But we're excited!
Emery's 3rd Birthday... can you believe it? I can't believe how much change has happened in our lives since she turned 2. She is such a little girl. My baby is gone. It breaks my heart, but I love seeing her become her own little person. She is amazing and a lot of fun. I'll share more on this tomorrow, but I just feel so blessed to be raising this amazing little person.
We are not having a full party for her this year, but we will send cupcakes to school, and have a mini-party at home on Friday with cake and presents. AND, Emery, Auntie Candace, Cousin Claire and I are going for mani-pedis on Friday. Emery already decided she wants purple. I'm so excited to celebrate with her all weekend.
And, in a few weeks are we heading to CA to pass through, drop off Emery and head to vegas with our dearest friends, Bri and Andrew. We started planning this in the fall as a surprise for Andrew (which lasted like 3 weeks) and I can't believe we are only a few weeks away. We don't get to see the Klahn's nearly enough (mostly because our preference would be to be neighbors). I'm sad I don't get to see my sweet Delaney's face this trip, but this mama needs a kid-free vacay! We're staying in my parents timeshare and truly can't wait to have a few carefree days filled with cocktails.
In other news, we have found a realtor and will begin our official CO house hunt next month. woo hoo! We looked for over 2 years in CA and are so thrilled to finally know we're going to get an amazing home, in a wonderful neighborhood that we can actually forward.

And, because I can't leave you without a photo, or two....

Emery giving Ginger hugs. She really loves her so much. This morning she told me Jackson was her brother and Ginger was her sister. I love her love for animals.

 We had cheeseburgers the other night.. Emery wanted a Mickey one, so of course Daddy made a Mickey cheeseburger.  Spoiled girl!

Emery LOVES to go to petsmart. She likes to look at all the little birds, mice, and lizards. It's really cute. And, here, she asked Daddy to get in the cage. Is this the solution to all my troubles?