3 Months Today!

I can not believe my little man is already 3 months old! He definitely is not at all like a newborn anymore. It is a little sad how fast time flies. Guice is doing so much. He is rolling over, batting at his toys, and lifting his head up off of things like his bouncy seat. He is so strong I am afraid he will wiggle out, I have to strap him in. He knows when someone is going to pick him up, he will lift his head and try to lift his shoulders up off of the blanket or whatever. Guice is trying so hard to mimic facial expressions. He will stick his tongue back out at you. The funniest thing is to watch him try to sputter. He can not quite figure it out. Guice is still sleeping great! For this I am thankful. He is only nursing once during the night. This week I have had the opportunity to see him around other babies, he is huge! He is so much bigger than all of the babies his age. The ladies in the church nursery could not stop talking about his size and also about how shockingly handsome he is! He hardly ever cries, Guice smiles all of the time (unless someone else is taking his pic :)). He is a little cuddle bug, he loves to be held and talked or sung to. I could not ask for a better baby.

Pictures!

Today we met Danny and Melissa at a Pumpkin Patch to take fall pictures of the kiddos. They did a WONDERFUL job! We had a blast. Emery Jai and Melissa were fast friends, Emery took to her quick. Especially after Melissa taught her how to play peekaboo from behind a tree. Emery Jai and Guice are at that not so big on photos age. Guice was having none of it no matter how much we sang danced or begged. He is normally a very smiley kid but today just was not the day. We tried rewarding/bribing E.J. with gum to little avail. We got desperate and called in a reinforcement, Uncle Jo Jo. The combination of Jody and just letting her do basically what ever she wanted did the trick! She was all smiles! In the end I am sure the pics turned out amazing and I can not wait to see all of them. You can be sure that I will post a ton of them as soon as I get them. Melissa posted a few on her page. They are precious. I think they really captured the babies personalities. Take a LOOK!
A HUGE thanks goes out to Danny & Melissa!

More Pics!

For more pics of the buggy ride visit Erica's blog!

Buggy Ride!

Erica came out to see us today, the babies were so glad to see her. Pop took us for a ride. The kids love the buggy. Emery Jai is not scared at all. I have said it before and I will say it again the kid is fearless! I am not a huge fan. I feel like I am on a carnival ride, super glad I am not Amish, I would not make it. Erica liked it. Maybe next time I will just stay at the house :). We had to bundle up, it was a little cool. Erica was nice enough to take and post pics from today!
Guice looking adorable in his toboggan!
E.J. ready to go!
Guice slept the whole time!
Emery Jai likes to ride up front!

Someone Is Missing Her Daddy!

Emery Jai has talked about Josh constantly. Yesterday she got all teary eyed talking about how he lets her drive to check the mail and take out the trash. She keeps running to the windows saying Daddy Daddy! How very sad is that? I am sure Guice is missing his late night buddy too. Josh usually stays up late and rocks Guice so I can go to bed early and get some sleep. Guice loves it, I am almost certain Josh lets him sneak and watch some T.V. which is a huge no no in my opinion. Anyway without Daddy I have been making Guice go to bed at a respectable hour. I am sure that Guice is looking forward to his after hours father-son bonding! Josh is the best Father. And hes not a shabby husband either :)!

21 Months Old!

Emery Jai is 21 months old today! She is such a big girl. Emery Jai has the best personality, she is so very funny and smart. Today we went to lunch with Lindsay and Rodney. Emery Jai dressed herself she wore a black and silver poodle skirt, white shirt, purple and pink socks, moccasins, and an Angel halo headband. The girl has style! Yesterday Emery Jai was playing quietly by herself in the other room. I walked in to find her in the closet playing with her Christmas presents! I had gotten her a bunch of costumes for a dress up trunk (hence the outfit today). By the time I found her she already had on a huge red hat. I could not take it all away so she has been playing with dress up nonstop! She even had to dress up Guice. Emery Jai is adjusting to a little brother. There are still a few signs of jealousy. If Guice toots E.J. will try to toot louder, same goes for burping! Guice was fussing and Emery Jai told him to use his words. She has also tried to hold his lips shut when he was crying. The last several days she has woken up dry! She only wears diapers to bed but it looks like that might be a thing of the past very soon. When we change Guice's diaper she makes a huge deal out of it. She says "shew Guice shew" and "Guice is a Baby" and my favorite "GROSS"! She knows she is a big girl for being potty trained! With all of that being said she loves to hold and kiss him too. Emery Jai is very interested in the process of cooking. She particularly likes cooking pasta and rice. Emery talks about getting the pan, boiling water, salt, cheese, and bread. She loves to watch us cook. One of Emery's new phrases is "You sure?". For example I say "do not do that or you will go to time out" and she says "you sure?" If you ask her where she lives she answers Tennessee, if you ask her where Pop and NeNa live she answers Arkansas.
Emery Jai brings so much joy to our lives. It is hard to remember life before her and I certainly do not want to imagine it without her. She is such a blessing.

Odds & Ends

This post encompasses some of the fun and cute things that happen in my world. I have been wanting to post most of these little stories for a time now and just haven't gotten to it. Until now!
Warning: If you are a stickler for grammar punctuation or all things literary please move on to the next blog! I am simply jotting down the moments in my life so that one day I can hopefully remember them. That warning applies to most (o.k. all) of my posts!
Without further ado!
* Emery Jai was chasing after Kit Kat when I asked her why she replied, eat Kit Kat eat Kit Kat! I said Why are you going to eat Kit Kat? Emery Jai growled at me! She was pretending to be a bear! Lets all hope she was pretending to be a bear and not just being herself eating the cat. Surely she knows not to eat the cat :)?!?!?!
*Josh, Emery Jai, and I were watching T.V.. A lion befriended a wildebeest. E.J. was furious she went up to the T.V. and said Eat It! Eat It! She wanted to see the lion kill and eat the wildebeest!
(I know, I am thinking the same thing way too much Animal Channel)
*Emery Jai has learned to "lock" the bathroom door. She runs in and opens the drawer closest to the door! E.J. thinks this is hilarious! It scares me to death, what if she panics and can close the drawer?!?! Much to her delight NeNa's bathroom is the same way!
*I forgot how exciting it is to see your kid do something for the first time. When Guice rolled over I squealed, literally! I called Josh at work during lunch to tell him. I also e-mailed my Mom and Erica. Then when he rolled from his belly to his back I had to do it all again.
*Guice will stick his tongue out when someone sicks their tongue out at him. It is so cute. Emery Jai also sticks her tongue out now. It is not so cute.
*Guice rubs his eyes when he gets sleepy. When he is hungry he has the saddest little whimper.
*Guice smacks so loudly when he nurses it draws attention!
*Guice gets so excited when he knows he is about to eat! He kicks his legs like a wild man!
*Emery Jai tries to ride Guice like a horse. I try not to laugh out loud.
*Martina McBride takes her daughter to E.J.'s Gymboree class and has for 2 months. Josh just now caught on! He has been talking to her for months and never knew!
*Taylor Swift came in to his restaurant, Josh did not know who she was.
*Emery Jai pulls everything and anything off of the counters.
*Emery loves to play on the computer! She sits in the chair and types away.
*E.J.'s favorite word is no and she is not afraid to use it! She tells me no way more than I tell her :).
*Emery Jai took my phone apart and then put it back together in such away I thought I was missing a piece of it. I looked everywhere, I got out the flashlight! I stopped just short of digging in the trash. This would have been the 3rd phone she has destroyed! But I fixed it, kind of!
*Emery Jai loves two people she doesn't remember meeting Sarah Huckabee and Jeremiah. Jeremiah works with Josh and Erica works with Sarah. Emery named her pink teddy bear Jeremiah! She says his name very clear.
*Every night she has to tell EVERYONE she has ever met bye bye. This takes forever. She also tells her tee tee and poo poo bye bye when she pottys.
*E.J. has memorized parts of books. She can fill in the words! She says she is reading!
*Emery Jai can answer simple questions about what is/has gone on in a story we are reading. She loves to read!
*Emery Jai has used her hurt toe story to con NeNa out of a new pair of winterized crocs!
*Guice was laying a blanket in the floor. Emery Jai ran up to it and started shaking the edges, singing shake shake shake!
*If Emery Jai gets half a second she will try to pick Guice up. Guice has started to yell when he hears her voice! He is a smart little man!
*She still calls him Guyboo, everyone else including me does too!
*Emery Jai is a very wild sleeper! She will wake you up in the middle of the night to have you rub her feet and/or her back.
*Emery Jai likes to take showers like a big girl!
*Guice loves to take baths with me, he can float (with my help) around in the water! He splashes and laughs!

We Are Here!

We made it to Arkansas yesterday. The trip went very well. Josh took us to Memphis. Mom met us there and brought us the rest of the way. It is a very long trip but well worth it! Emery Jai is loving it. She was so happy to see NeNa! She went running for her, it was so cute! Guice was also very happy to see his NeNa. Pop got Molly out for Emery Jai first thing. All Emery wants to talk about is how Molly is hers! They are riding on the buggie as I type. Guice is taking a nap on NeNa, can anyone say spoiled? We went to church with NeNa today. Emery Jai wore her dress with horses on it. She looked beautiful. Emery Jai did very well during the service, she fell asleep in Aunt Mimi's lap. Everyone thought Guice was very handsome and a chunk. Emery Jai rode back to NeNa's with Uncle Jo Jo and Jodi Lynn. She was so excited to see them. I am taking tons of pictures that I can not wait to share. We are looking forward to a couple of busy but super fun weeks!

Guices Looks Like?!?!?!

Emery Jai Looks Like?!?!?!

Busy Day For Guice!

Guice rolled over! He rolled first from his back to his tummy then about an hour later from his tummy to his back! He looked a little scared. His expression was priceless! Emery Jai saw it and said Guyboo moved! She was shocked! Needless to say I am also a bit surprised. I have been trying to get it on video so I can post it but I have yet to be successful! Emery Jai feels the need to always be in front of the camera. I will keep trying!

A Must See!

I think this clip is a must see for all parents. It was very eye opening for me. I try very hard to shield Emery Jai and Guice from as much as I possibly can. In a perfect world they would not be exposed to it at all. I hope they know just how wonderfully perfect they are! Erica got Emery Jai a book about how everyone is special. We read the book often, Emery likes it because it has horses, owls, and a cat, I hope she gets the message loud and clear.

Little Boy Blue!

Countdown to ARKANSAS!!

We are coming to ARKANSAS! We are going head that way this Saturday! Unfortunately Josh is not coming with us, someone has to work! Emery Jai is very excited! She keeps talking about everyone she wants to see. The list is endless and yes you are all on it. If you are not personally your pet is :). I think she is most excited about seeing her horse Molly. Every time E.J. mentions her she says mine molly, she is the cutest. Guice is so excited to see and be held by everyone! It is so sad that this is only his second time to see most of the family. But he knows he is much loved by all of you! We are staying until the first weekend in November. Of course the kids and I will be coming back for Thanksgiving. Josh will finally get to come back with us and see everyone during Christmas. In January we will be back to celebrate Emery Jai's second birthday. So we will be around a lot! We LOVE showing off our little monkeys to everyone. We are so thankful to have so many people who adore them as much as we do! Saturday will be here before we know it, I had better get to packing! Here are some pics of the babies in their baths to hold you over until Saturday. And I know it does not seem possible but they are even more precious in person! I can't wait to see everyone!
Filling up the sink!
What a little ham!
He loves to look at himself in the mirror, it is his favorite part of bath time!

Emery Jai wasn't in the mood for photos today, she got her flu vaccine. Ouch!

Anderson Outing!

Today was Josh's day off and it was much too nice to stay cooped up indoors. We took the kids the playground and as usual I took pictures! I love spending time with my little family.
Mommy, Emery Jai, & Guice!
She loves to go down on her belly!
Such a big girl!
You can tell by her face she is really concentrating on making it go FAST!
Guice playing, He had a ball!
See, told ya!
Worn smooth out!

Emery Jai LOVES The Park!

Park Pics!

I feel these are self explanatory, no commentary needed!

I Heart Fall!

It is finally here sweater wearin' weather! I absolutely love fall. I love the weather the clothes the holidays everything! I am so glad it feels like autumn. I took pictures of the kiddos in their long sleeve outfits. Although they wore long sleeves before the weather dictated it. Emery Jai out grew all of her summer clothes the last of August. There was just noway I was going to buy anymore shorts and tshirts. So E.J. has on occasion debut her fall wardrobe. Guice has also worn a couple of fallish outfits. He needed to wear them before he out grew them!

Emery Jai and Guice!Can you see the meanness? It is like it just spills out of her!
E.J. & Guice!
So cute! Sister & Brother!

He is the cutest little guy! He looks so old/big in this pic! He is growing much too fast.

Fun Link!

I hate to admit this but I must. I am not at all in touch with what is going on in the world around me. This is very disturbing to me, just a few short years ago I was a very well informed human. I could carry on intelligent conversations about things other than child rearing. But the years of gestating and lactating have taken their toll. It comes down to I do not take/make time to be in the know. I am making an effort to become re-informed, it is almost like coming out of a cave. Granted I am not as versed in politics as I would like to or need to be. That leads me to the link. It is great. You take the quiz and the site matches you with the candidate that best fits you! It is ingenues :)!

Vote Match Quiz

in case you missed it the post was written in mostly a sarcastic tone!

Snippets From Emery Jais Day!

Emery Jai fed Guice his first solid food today, that was her first timeout of the day. He did not actually swallow it, thankfully. She told me she was "goin work" when I asked her where she worked she said "No no fice". Emery Jai carried her notebook and pen to her office. It is a spot between the T.V. cabinet and end table. She pulled the door shut behind her, so all you could see was her feet. She was going to work with Erica at her office. It is so fun seeing her imagination develop. Emery Jai was playing with Guice he scratched her, she insisted he get a timeout for being rough. This was not Guice's first timeout. He spit up on her about a week or so ago, that resulted in his first timeout. Emery Jai has developed a huge array of attention getting behaviors including but not limited to: gaging herself, screaming so so loud, putting things (money and bottle caps are among her favorites) in her mouth, and lets not forget getting knives out of the kitchen. Today I was lucky enough to witness all of these plus going limp. Emery would do great in a protest (when the police come you are to go limp, I learned this from Drama & Greg:)). Emery Jai will go limp in public for no reason, not that there is ever a good reason to fall out in the floor. She will be walking around the mall then just lay flat out! Today she went limp because she did not want to wear any clothes, not even panties. She is asking for all of the toys she sees on T.V.. She really wants a truck she can ride on. Emery also mentioned she would like a cat, dog, bird, meerkat, and hippopotamus. That is just the stuff from today! Emery has developed an intense interest in my camera, she loves it. I would like to present her first photographs!
I think she was going for abstract!

Snippets from Guices Day!

Guice had an O.K. day today. He tried (choked on) a cheerio, his first solid food. Emery fed it to him. He also managed to fend off Emery Jai when she tried to steal his pants. He just started kicking his legs like crazy! Emery started laughing so hard she quit. Guice had to go to timeout today for scratching Emery Jai. I tried to explain to E.J that it was an accident, she insisted he go to timeout. He sat in his bouncy seat for the longest time ever today and did not cry. He took a three hour nap and really enjoyed floor time. The most momentous happening today was Guice found his tongue! It is so cute, he sicks it in and out and licks everything.
Tummy Time!
Sticking his tongue out!
Smiling!
Such a happy lil' man!

Say What?!?!

More broccoli please! That's right my child asked for MORE broccoli! I was so shocked, my response was "what"? I just wanted to document that Emery Jai LOVES broccoli. And it wasn't smothered and drenched in cheese (the way I like it), it was simply steamed broccoli. All joking aside she is such a good eater. She loves all kinds of fruit, her latest favorite is kiwi. She isn't picky at all, which is surprising considering she did not eat a single bite of food until she was 8 months old! We started introducing solids at 6 months. Emery Jai wanted nothing to do with them. We are still working on the fork concept.
A toddler eating vegetables is a Kodak moment!

My Wonderful Husband!

Mostly I tell funny/cute stories about the kids because, well, I know that is what you all really care about. But today I am going to spice things up a bit and amuse you with a couple of stories about Josh! I know you are excited so I will get right to it. But first a small disclaimer: I love love love my husband and am so very thankful he is mine. With that being said here it goes!
Story One:
Last night, I was trying to open a can of black olives for E.J.. I could not for the life of me find the can opener. I asked Josh if he knew where it was in the most nonchalant voice he answers "It might still be in the living room, Emery Jai was playing with it in there." I launch in to a huge speech (rant) about how it is absolutely not an appropriate toy for anyone let alone a 1&1/2 year old! Josh's response "It was my first time to do it, I have learned my lesson" I, as you can imagine, burst into laughter.
Story Two:
When Josh is off work he is amazing, he helps with the kids and cleans the house. Josh goes above and beyond on his days off. He tries to let me rest, you get the picture. The one thing that he does the best is put the kids down for their naps. I think I know why. I would like to present these pictures as evidence:).
exhibit A
exhibit B
This one is just for good measure and to remind me of why I discourage Josh to nap when I am gone!

I Could Not Agree More!

PASTA The Aftermath!

Just Another Monday!

Surprise we took the kids to the mall so Emery Jai could burn off over flowing energy! If I had a third of her energy I would be thrilled. It might seem like a lot of work just so she can play. But let me tell you it is well worth it! She loves it! If we were to keep her home she would be kicking down the door! I have never met a child who wants to go more than she does. From the time she gets up she is asking to go places. On the way home from places she ask to go somewhere else! Emery Jai is so social and loves being around people. I wonder where that came from?!?! Josh and I say she would make a wonderful server, but E.J. seems to like the busers the best.
Yes, we put our kid on a leash. Until you have taken E.J. out in public you have NO room to judge :)! She doesn't want to ride in her stroller anymore. Emery says she is a big girl and babies ride in strollers. I still push it and put our bags and stuff in it. It makes her so mad when I get it out of the car.

Over the bridge she goes! She loves this thing!
Playing so hard makes a girl thirsty!
Daddy & Guice
Mommy & Guice

Emery Jai is much too cool to have her pics made with Mom & Dad!

Happy Baby!

More Happy Baby!

Worn out from all the pics, it is hard work being this darn cute!