Spider Men!!

As I have said before, EJ loves Spider Man! Apparently she is not the only one, G has joined her in throwing webs! I had to post two clips to catch them both. How cute are they?!?!?!

10 MONTHS!

Ladies and Gentlemen we have reached double digits! It is amazing how fast the time went! Josh and I both get super emotional every time we hear You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins, its so very true. Moving on before I cry ;)....Guice is such a cutie! So much personality! He loves being outside getting all dirty, the more dirt the better. At play groups he is not content to ride around in the sling he wants down to play. He is a little rough with other babies pulls hair, bites, and pushes them down. Guice is still learning to play nice. He loves Pirate & Monday. He pulls Monday (17 lbs) around by her hair/tail or whatever he grabs on to! Pirate has no hope! She just holds real still until he moves on to something else! He likes to bite her.

He is not sleeping all night yet but hopefully soon! He nurses 3 times during the night. In all of Guice's 10 months he has never taken a bottle! I really don't think there is much point in pressing the issue now. He is very much a Momma's Boy! But, he loves his daddy very much! Guice rang in his 10 month bday by waking up at 3 and playing until 6! During this time for some reason he wanted only his Daddy;).

We are in awe of him daily and passed thankful!

This & That, That & This!

*EJ loves Spider Man! She watched about 2 min. of the movie with her Daddy before announcing "Spider Man is cute! I am going to marry me some Spider Man!" Now he is all she talks about! She says "Spider Man comes in the window and takes me in his truck to a restaurant." It is so funny, her Daddy is not as amused!
*G has a huge personality for such a little guy! He is making his likes and dislikes perfectly clear! His fits include flailing around, hitting, biting, and screaming. For those of you who said lighting would not strike twice, that Guice would be a calmer easier kid, you were way wrong!
*Emery Jai loves to talk of the phone. She has to talk to everyone after I am finished. She keeps them on the phone forever, I tell people just to hang up when they are done because she will never be:)! She comes by it honestly!
*She loves the show Top Chef, she thinks Josh's job is just like that!
*EJ likes to pick out the restaurant we eat at, she will say "I want Mexican" or "I need Chinese chicken". She also likes to order for herself.
*G is standing for around 30 seconds unassisted.
*We are busy planning for company, MiMi, Uncle Chris, Aunt Jessica, and of course BABY AYDEN are coming the first of June! EJ is so excited she keeps asking how many more days!
*EJ loves to have her toes painted but not pink or a girly color, they are blue.
*G's eating is very sporadic. Somedays he does great and eats a ton other days he just picks at his food. His favorite is fruit, he is a little fruit bat just like his sister.
*G is signing milk, more, and on occasion water!
*EJ told Josh "Let's flip this house and buy another one." While watching Moving Up she told me "I like that bathroom better than mine." and finally she announced "I NEED a pool in my backyard!"
*EJ was kicking her ball around the backyard when she said "I am going to kick my ball to the sun!" I responded "To the sun?", she said "Yes to the sun!" Emery Jai kicked the ball as hard as she could and it flew up into the air all of 7 inches to which EJ said "Almost to the sun!" EJ is crazy about the sun and moon, she always points it out and comments on how big, amazing, or bright it is.
**we really do not watch that much television, this particular post is misleading in that department but we do eat out that much:).

The Business of Being Born....

I fully admit that I am way behind , I JUST watched it in its entirety. I LOVED it! Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge advocate for birth and birth choices. It is wonderful! With both of my kids we looked into home birth, for situational reasons we decided against it. With EJ I saw a midwife for my prenatal visits but a physician attended the birth. G's birth was attended by a midwife. She was wonderful but because I gave birth in a hospital, I was given pitocin for failure to progress. I came in at 5 and 100%, I stayed there for 12 hours , my water was broken. During those 12 hours I was up walking around the halls, taking showers, whatever helped. But, no progress was made so I given pit. I had been in labor 41 + hours, contracting every 8-3 min. at that point. I had not had any interventions until the pit. With all that being said, next time (if all goes as planed) will be at home. I want a completely natural birth, for me natural birth is defined as absolutely no interventions. No artificial rupture of membranes, no meds pain or otherwise, a birth without continues monitoring. This documentary solidified that decision. However, I do disagree with a part of it, that women who receive a cesarean section do not bond or have the capacity to love their babies as much as natural birthing moms. I was a c-section baby (due to complete breech presentation, I was a buddha baby:) and my Mom loves me as much as humanly possible! Also my best friend's son was a section baby and he could not be more loved and/or bonded. I just felt the need to insert that and one more thing..... I do not think in anyway that a home or unmediated birth is right for everyone. Not everyone desires that and I pass no judgement for that decision. Natural birth is not a marker for a good or better mom. It does not denote a higher love for the baby, in my opinion.
Without further ado here is the link The Business of Being Born, enjoy!
For those of you who will not take the time to watch it and think that a home birth is a super risky endeavor, I will share a quick stat (you know how much I love statistics:) home births are just as safe as hospital births!! It has been statistically proven by sound scientific studies. Some studies suggest that low risk deliveries are safer at home.

Funny Little Guy!

Worth Reading (to put it lightly)......

Click: The Past and The Pitcher

Sweet Baby Guice!

A clip of my very precious little guy singing himself to sleep. Is this not the sweetest?!?! He has done this forever. It is one of the things that makes him, well, him.

EJ.........

How do you not laugh out loud?!?! I know, I know, poor Pirate! We have decided to let him/her (were not sure which)keep claws:)! Monday loves Pirate, he/she takes some of the attention off her!

Discovery Center....

Because of the recent rain outdoor play has been limited, the sandbox is closed until farther notice (one mud experience a summer is plenty in my opinion:)! We have been playing at the Discovery Center. It is a wonderful place, I am very grateful for it! They love it! The only slight problem is Guice is not content to sit back and watch EJ have all the fun! He wants to get in on the action! I don't think he realizes he is just 9 months! He wants to play with at the water table, get in the rocks, and slide down the giant slide! It will not be much longer at all:(.
The kiddos protesting the closing of the sandbox!

How do you get into this thing?!?!?

Playing at the Center!!
EJ loves the play house!

I could not keep G off the playground! EJ on the move!

Sweet moment between siblings!

Pirate!!

We have added yet another furry family member! I took the kids to the park today with the moms group. There was a lady giving away kittens, she is a smart lady! Emery Jai said, and I quote, "I am taking that cat home with me"! Josh was such a good sport when we showed up with Pirate. We have gotten kitten food and all the other necessities! Emery Jai has been wrapping her up like a baby. We have to make her put Pirate down, she loves her so much!
If you are wondering about the name it is another one of my favorite Jimmy (I like to call him by his first name only, like were best friends:) songs! A Pirate Looks At Forty!! Feel free to have a listen!
The following pics aren't great but it was hard to get any cooperation with a new cat:)!

Good Times!

A sand box that doubles as a mud puddle, what could be more fun? The kids had so much fun! The clean up, however, was near impossible! NoNo came over last night for supper and said we it looked like we could grow flowers in the bath tub:)! I sill think G might have some in his hair. Sand is the worst in my opinion and the best in EJ & G's!

OUTSIDE!!

Just wanted to post some pics of my little ones playing! Outside is their preferred location! EJ & G have fits to go and stay out. They love it. EJ got a new bathing suit and has hardly taken it off:). We have had wonderful weather and are taking full advantage. We are outside by 8:30, I drag the kids in for lunch and a nap then are back out until Daddy gets home!

For the best mother my children could ever ask for

I rarely make an appearance on the blog, atleast verbally. I do have to take some time on this very special day and recognize my wife and the mother of my children. Jessica has made tremendous sacrifices for the kids, and I honestly do not know how she does it. I know that there is something in her that is special and remarkable, because if I stayed home with the monkeys and she was gone all day I would go insane. She has raised two of the most beautiful wonderful children that I have ever seen ( I may be slightly biased ). The work she does with them between sign language, puzzles, reading books all day, it is nothing short of amazing. She deserves more gifts than I could ever give, and more love than I have in my heart, but I will try every day for the rest of my life to let her know how much I appreciate, love, adore, and cherish her. These words cannot even begin to describe how much I love my wife, or how much I truly appreciate her every day. There is no way that I could explain all the things she does for this family or how she continues to do them with love and a smile. These are just a few reasons why I love this woman more every day. If anyone could understand the way she makes me feel just by looking at me every day, then you would know that that alone is more than enough. Happy Mother's Day Jessica. I will love you each and every single day that I take a breath.

Happy Mothers Day Mimi & NeNa!

We are such blessed little kids to have such wonderful Grandmothers! We love you both so very much! Our lives are much better for being loved by the two of you!

Lots of love and tons of kisses,

Emery Jai & Guice

Famliy Day..........

We spent the day at the Farmers Market then went to the Discovery Center. It was a great day to make memories! It was a wonderful Mothers Day Eve. Many times over the course of the day my eyes swelled with tears at the sight of my loving husband and amazing children. I simply could not have had a better day....
Farmers Market...

Discovery Center....

Bed Head!

Moms Group!

A couple of weeks ago I joined Murfreesboro Moms and I love it! All of the moms are super nice. I have to admit I was sceptical at first but I was so wrong. The group has several activities a week. I was going to do MOPS but this was a much better fit. I love having different activities each week to choose from. They range from finger painting to exercising. The days of the week vary and also the times of the events. Once a month they have a night out for moms only, that sounds like so much fun! I am just waiting for my milk monster to be able to go a few hours without me:).
Yesterday was strollercising! Because of the rain it was moved to the mall. I had so much fun. One of the hardest parts, for me, about being a full time mom is the lack of adult interaction. It is so nice to get out of the house and talk to other moms. I know the kiddo's enjoy it also! They love getting out of the house and playing with other little ones.
Here are some pics. Notice my little genie?

Don't Blink!

I suggest not ever blinking as a mom. You might miss an incredibly sweet and endearing moment. But, more likely your little angel babies will get into something and make a bigger mess than you could possibly imagine. I think it is a special talent of children, Emery Jai and Guice can make a huge mess, seemingly without effort. For the record I have called poison control 4 times in my career as a mommy. 3 for EJ and 1 time for G. If this were a "real" job I would have received a pink slip by now.

Here are just 2 of the messes my kids made yesterday. There were several more. Emery Jai utilized Monday's water and food to make a delicious dish on her stove that made me gag. Guice managed to empty a spill proof sippy on the couch. EJ for no known reason threw her food in the floor after she ate her lunch. She calmly announce "all done, thank you so much for lunch". I watched her do it then she claimed G had done it when I wasn't looking. She is a little story teller.
EJ got into the lotion!

So proud!
Guice chewed the A&D ointment! It was a huge greasy mess!

Mastering Sippy Cups!

Guice loves his sippy! He has almost stopped eating food all together, but he likes to drink water while we eat. He has signed water and more! Although, I wish he were signing for more food and not water:). He is not interested at all in solids. G only ate for a couple of weeks and at the most had 4 or 5 bites a meal. I guess he is going at his own pace, no need to rush him. He is growing very well regardless.
Is it just me or does he look 2 in this pic?!?!? Yummy! Water!

Bows & Things!

EJ is finally interested in wearing bows in her hair, it only took 2 years! But in true EJ fashion she isn't wearing one or even two she has to wear every single one! She even shares with Guice, so nice:)!
Emery Jai gets to ride the pony IF she is good at the store. We started a reward program (not a bribe a reward, there is a fine line;). This was implemented after she tee-teed in the floor when I told her she could not have a necklace she picked out! Yes, I know I am paying for Josh's raising. He must have been a mischievous child. Emery Jai talked about how she "had to put her necklace back" and she "tee-teed in the floor because she wanted it and Mommy said no" also said "I went straight to my room when we got home" for days. Oh, the joys of motherhood!

Go Hogs Go!!

We might live in Tennessee but we still love the Razorbacks! Thanks Uncle Ron Ron & Mrs. Sheree for the shirts! Emery Jai loves hers. She can spot a Razorback on anything. I think we have a future UofA alumni on our hands.

Outside Fun!!

Wonderful Visit!

We had a great couple of days with Pop & NeNa, they went by much too quickly! Emery Jai and Guice loved having them here and wished they were able to come more often, like everyday:). They took EJ to the zoo where she fed the birds nectar and got to pet a snake and a large lizard! They also got her a bicycle, according to EJ she now needs to learn to pedal! Guice was a little under the weather during the visit but did have fun for the most part.

We Miss You Already Pop & NeNa!!

9 Month Stats!

Well people I can admit when I am wrong. I was so wrong about G not growing or losing weight between his appointments. In just 1 & 1/2 months he has grown 1 and 1/2 inches and gained almost 2 lbs! He weighs in at a precious 24.2 lbs and is a perfect 31 1/2 inches long. He is topping the charts but most importantly is healthy and happy!