Sort-of Spring !

So excited about the temperatures this week, reaching into the 50s and 60s!

Took the opportunity to switch out our wreath, and to purchase our home's ::first ever:: Welcome mat. :)

Emmy was so excited to get to play outside, (She asked for "Hope!" on the bumpy parts of the sidewalk)..

and of course to shout out her friendly greetings to anyone who would listen, even the skateboarding teenagers, hehe.

(I love her little shadow.)

 -

Winter, you were fun but you were way too long! We trust God for you, but we are glad you are leaving our lives soon.

^& I must admit, she did not get out to play in every snow storm. After awhile, it just got to be too much! Not sure I'll be able to get away with that next winter:) But we will definitely be getting out for every warm Springy day that comes our way.

( Thank you Lord for changing seasons! And how everything seems more joyful and magical, imagining it through the eyes of a little one. )

If you didn't know...

Emmylou is sort of a ham :)

(and she thinks everyone is her best friend!)

especially when she is in her own environment...

^This cute little guy stayed with us for a couple hours the other day, while his mom went to a midwife appointment. And Emmy just showered him with love. He was a good sport! But I had to say "No more hugs!" a few times, for his sake

.

Lately, when we see kids at the store (or out our front window), Emmy says "Friends?" very sweetly, and I tell her that yes they are her friends. When we talk about going to Mops or to caregroup or to church, Emmy says "Kids! Friends!" She has quite a few names she can list of all her favorite friends. (And I have to be very careful if there's a baby in the room, because Emmy will be on a mission to snuggle the baby.)

She also tells me she wants her "Coat!" often these days. But it's just so cold! We're all ready for Spring.There's so much to look forward with Emmy in the warmer weather! 

It is so fun as she is learning to talk, and learning to understand the world around her more and more. I feel like I have this fun little companion with me all day. We talk about friends and family, farm animals and food, and babies and even Jesus, all day long:)

a $3 dress, and floral wallpaper.

couldn't resist this $3 dress at the thrift store last week:)

(We really do brush her hair, I promise! it just wants to do this most of the time, despite our efforts.)

^this is Emmy's new thing- the sideways glance, 
which she does when she knows she is being cute,
 or when she knows she's being naughty-
Usually both at the same time these days;)

& P.S.-
You've probably never this "lovely" baby-blue hallway,
we try not to let people go upstairs:)
Everything up there has been on the last of our list of things to re-do,
Well, the neglected upstairs hallway will soon be covered in pretty floral wallpaper! A dream of mine:)
(Yes, I have a very gracious and loving husband!)

It is fun to have little things like this, a cute thrift-store dress that's just slightly too big for Emmy,
 and wallpaper samples on the wall, to get excited about in this crazy winter!

Conversation with an 18 month old,. a video

Emmy turned 18 months old this weekend! Which is the age we've decided to try potty-training. It's a little early, so it's more of a "potty-awareness", because she's never actually used the toilet. So, all the sudden we have a little toddler who has a potty, and lots to say.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of work on the house, Emmy has really been learning to talk well! In the past couple weeks, we've been realizing we can basically hold a conversation with her. She has a couple of stories she cycles through often- the story of when my parent's dog bit her and so she calls Mikey "hot!" (meaning hurts to touch, like an oven), she talks about the pictures of family and cats that Granddad shows her on his phone whenever he comes to visit. This week she is telling the story of "Tom", my 16 year old sister's boyfriend who we just met for the first time, and for some reason Emmy flung herself onto him and ignored everyone else at my nephew's birthday party.

Pretty much all day, she excitedly lists all the people she knows. She talks about her friend Atiyah (Taa-Taa) every hour! and has twice tried to escape to the front door calling her name. They live around the corner from us, so it made perfect sense in her little mind. We have a feeling she is going to be an extrovert, which is not like either of us, so it's kind of funny to us.

Emmy is camera-shy for some reason, but I tried to coax some of her favorite words and topics out of her over breakfast with this video.

Construction Zone Baby.

This week is when our house will become the most livable it's ever been! More than livable, it is feeling like a real home, that we love being in. I was looking at pictures from this past year of all of Bron's work. It is so funny to see that Emmy's life has been in such a construction zone so far. I am glad we captured these moments, even though it hasn't been the easiest season for me! But they will be sweet memories to look back on one day- the first years of our family. I tried to post them in order of most recent. Hopefully soon I can post some After shots of our dining room, living room, hallway and this week-bathroom~! For now, here are a bunch of Befores:) 

dry wall lift,

Emmy's play zone has been scattered all over the house.

awkward built in mirror,

this time last year!

Those were the days. :)

thankful for help!

We have come to a very big and happy change in our family life- Bron decided to get some help with finishing the rest of the house. A silent Hallelujah from this wife:) And it so cool because there are people in our church who do that kind of thing, so Bron knew just who to call. When I've mentioned to friends from church who is working on our house, almost everyone has said some version of "Oh yeah, he did something for us one time!"

I am so thankful for our church. It is so neat to look back and see how God has provided so much help and counsel for us though our church family. We always have someone to call when we have car issues, or someone to help Bron cut out a window over the kitchen sink, or spray our kitchen cabinets, ... someone to tell me how to make yogurt, or help me organize my house, or most recently to lovingly recommend Children's (dye-free) Tylenol when Emmy has been getting up for 20 nights in a row because of her molars coming in, to name a few, (If you don't know I don't really like to use medicine right away, and natural things have worked well for her- till now-. So my friend's advice is what worked! and felt like that was so God's grace! )

Anway, I visited my Mom a couple days this week so that I wouldn't feel like I was in the way while the men work in our hallway. Well, and because Emmy is very cranky with her teething, and it was nice to have some company. And some help! :)

Here is my Dad pulling that cranky toddler around in her first sled ride.

This was her expression the whole time.

(I remember when we got that sled for Christmas when I was 9 or 10. )

mini feetprints.

November Highlights,

 My friend Felicity told me that I need to post some more pictures of Emmylou on our blog. So, Hi Felicity, and here are some pictures!:) It is already almost halfway through December, but here are a couple highlights from last month. 

Emmy had her 15 month doctor's appointment, though she was closer to 16 months at that point. She weighs almost 23 pounds!

My friend Linda from church, and who lives right around the corner, was inspired to do a photo shoot of our little girls. They are 6 months apart, Emmy and Emilie. We are in the the same care group, and people are always mixing thier names up.

If you are wondering, this is our lovely parking lot beside our house. Their age difference was pretty obvious that day....

Emmy was running away every chance she got, while Emilie curiously tried to eat things on the ground.

Linda did such a good job!

Here is Emmy at her new little table. from Ikea for $20!

Thankful for our new living room! (Oh, I will post pictures of this soon.) It came just in time for our first family illness:( Here is Bron trying to rest on our new couch, and Emmy who thinks it's a game.

Thankfully it did not last too long for Emmy and I. Emmy's sickness was the least of all, thank the Lord. ( Note to friends- Hyland's 'Tiny Cold' medicine works so well!) But when Thanksgiving came around, Bron was still sick. For Thanksgiving day, I went all by myself to my family's house. It was actually sort of fun in a strange way, to go alone! But I did not take any pictures...

 We had planned to go to the Irwin's that evening, but Bron wasn't feeling well- so we went Friday afternoon, and we stayed until Sunday. It was such fun! Both of Bron's brothers were there, and his cousins and Aunt and Uncle came Sunday. Here are a few random moments of that weekend.

Emmy eating yummy leftovers for lunch, amidst all the family bustle.

She never naps very well when we visit family. She fell asleep on Bron. She is wearing new party shoes from a bag of hand-me-downs from cousin Kairi:)

Begging Granddad for some of cousin Hawk's banana.