Mr. Loveable

This is CJ. I have been enjoying him so much lately. He really is the essence of innocence. He makes me want to be a better person. He is always happy and smiley. He is just so sweet.

Lately, I have been trying to be better at enjoying the little moments. Partially because life has been so crazy lately. Anyway, it has really made a difference in my parenting. It makes me appreciate my kids more and be more loving and patient with them because I stop to see how wonderful they really are. Emma Jane has been doing the funnest thing lately. Whenever she is across the room, I will bend down and open my arms out wide and she will run across the room as fast she can and leap into my arms.

If you have a moment, I would love to hear of any moments you have enjoyed lately.

CJ Uncut

Man, I love this little boy. So happy! He and Emma Jane play so well together. Court was just poking his belly during the video. Emma Jane wanted in on the poking, so she decided to poke his eye. I guess that's one way to get in on the action. It didn't even phase CJ--what a saint!

Dumbo and doughnuts...

This is CJ's costume for next year, but Emma Jane really likes elephants, so we let her try it on. Now she wants to wear it everyday.

We'll do anything to make the time at the store easier.

Always in Need of a Bit More Patience

Has anyone perfected being patient yet? Because if someone has, please help me. Patience is something I struggle with daily. Especially with the kids. Emma Jane threw me in front of the bus at the grocery store yesterday. I was so frustrated with her. She was not her normal pleasant little self. This other little girl took over her . A girl that stood on things in the cart. A girl that took things from off the shelves and threw them. A girl that would not eat her cheerios that her lovely mom gave her but would take hand fulls and throw them all over the store. This girl also took the things out of the cart and threw them. I was flabbergasted. Unfortunately, the little girl from the store returned today. That is when I decided Emma Jane needed a nap. Now, Carl and I get to figure out how to discipline a one and a half year old. Fun . Fun. CJ the smiler.

Sweet Emma Jane, where have you gone?

Good Ole Alabama

So, when we went to go work on our house the other day, this was in our neighbor's front lawn. Yes, those are the skins of Raccoons drying out!!! I guess I am glad we don't live in our house yet because I wouldn't have wanted to see them clean those raccoons. And yes, I am sure they found them in their backyard. And, yes, I am sure they ate them for dinner. Don't you just love the South!

Little Miss Muffin

Emma Jane is too funny these days. She is constantly making me laugh. Lately, she has become such a little mommy. It is so cute. She got this stroller from my parents. She pushes it all of the house. She'll rock her baby by wrapping it in a blanket, bouncing it, and saying "shh, shh, shh, shh." It is so cute to watch. It just goes to show how attentive kids are. They watch everything you do. It really makes me want to be careful of what kind of example I am setting.
Also, Emma Jane is getting so talkative. She says like 10 new words a day. She just loves to repeat anything you say. This is the latest one- "pan-cake". That is the first thing she says in the morning. She will sign "food" and then, say "pan-cake". Also, she loves saying "May-bull" (our dog). It is like her favorite word right now. So fun.

Goofy Girl

Rocking the Baby

Putting the Baby to Bed

Walking the Baby

Zoo Mania this Week

Okay, so I went a little crazy at the zoo this week. First off, I got a zoo pass. Woo Hoo! Love the passes. The zoo is like 15 minutes away, and it will be less than 10 minutes away when we move into our house. Double Woo Hoo!! And, Second, I went to the zoo twice this week. The first time was with an awesome ward playgroup and I repeat an awesome playgroup. (Sadly, I did not take the camera with us). The second visit was with Carl and Nana. My mom came up for a few days. So, so fun. If I died, Emma Jane probably wouldn't care too much if she could have her Nana. That is how much she loves her Nana. She is attached at my mom's hip the whole time she is here. Thanks mom for coming up.
Also, crazy story...at the zoo, we were looking at a monkey enclosure. Anyway, Emma Jane had her face up against the glass. Well, all of the sudden, this monkey swings off from a branch about 6 ft away, and lands right in Emma Jane's face and starts showing its teeth, growling at Emma Jane. It was crazy! Its face and Emma Jane face were both touching the glass. That monkey would have eaten Emma Jane alive! It was crazy. Seriously, I think the monkey had rage problems because it did it twice. I was so grateful for the glass...because mama hen would have had to take care of that monkey and I think the monkey might have won that fight.

Emma Jane looking at the Sea Lions. She loved watching them perform.

Carl trying to get Emma Jane to like the birds in the aviary. They would land on her, and she would get so scared. She would try to push them off of her.

Carl loving on the birds in the aviary.

Carl and Emma Jane mining at the Jem mine at the zoo.

Emma Jane and I petting a goat at the petting zoo.

The Culprit

Well, I am happy to say we have all recovered from the episode the other evening. Thanks for everyone's support and stories. I am happy to hear that I am not the only one experiencing those wonderful events.
Anyway, I just thought I would post a picture. Emma Jane has gotten really good at opening any container. It really is pretty amazing to watch her. If she can't get something open, she will bite it and turn it. (I wonder where she picked up on such an awful habit. I am sure it wasn't from her mother.:) Well, she was awful quiet the other day. I just thought she was reading some books in her room. When I went in to check on her, this is the sight I had found--a brand new bottle of baby wash, completely empty, Emma Jane covered in the baby wash from trying to wash her body and hair, and the glider stool needing to be hosed down.

Poop is not my friend (viewer discretion advised)

What a night! Did I mention that the stomach bug is going through my family? Well, it is, and it will not go away. I had it last Tuesday-Saturday and Emma Jane has had it from Saturday-today. So, I went to her doctor yesterday. She gave me a list of stuff that Emma Jane could eat. She said once she starts feeling a little better, she can have a little chicken. BIG MISTAKE! That is how this story begins.
Well, Emma Jane had been feeling better for more than 24 hours, so I thought I would try out the chicken. I felt bad that the girl had only had bananas, rice, and bread for the past 4 days, so I gave in. Well, thirty minutes later, I am feeding CJ...Emma Jane is wandering around our apartment just happily playing. She comes back into the room, and BAM!! WHAT IS RUNNING DOWN HER LEG ONTO HER BLANKIE THAT I JUST CLEANED?!?!? OH, YES, DIARRHEA...AND LOTS OF IT COMING DOWN FAST! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!!
I instantly put CJ down, grab Emma Jane , and run her into our bathroom to put her in the tub. (As I am running her to the bathroom, I notice a trail of Diarrhea on the carpet everywhere Emma Jane had been in the past 5 minutes! DOUBLE DISGUSTING!) I try to pull her diaper off gracefully, but that was to no avail. Diarrhea everywhere! So Disgusting. How could so much come out of such a small girl. This really baffles my mind. I go to turn on the water to wash Emma Jane off. I pull the nozzle. NOTHING! NO WATER! Of all the times my apartment needs to turn off the water, it had to be now! Awesome!
So, I instantly leave Emma Jane, run to the kitchen and grab two bottles of water. Meanwhile, Emma Jane is crying b/c I left her, and CJ is screaming, crying b/c I left him on the floor, and he is wondering why no one is picking him up. I run back to the bathroom to find Emma Jane meeting me halfway there...covered in more Diarrhea b/c she apparently slipped while trying to get out of the diarrhea filled tub...and now there are new diarrhea stains on the carpet and all over the bathroom from her getting out of the tub. I grab her stick her back in the tub. I started pouring the water on her. She is crying wondering why her mother doesn't just fill up the bath like she normally does? She also is crying b/c the water I am pouring on her is very cold. Sorry sweat heart.
When she is washed off, I dry her off, and put a diaper on her. I try to wash my hands, but oh yes, there is no water left for me to wash them off. Emma Jane then runs off happy as a clam. At this point, I access the situation. I have diarrhea on my hands and on my feet from walking through the house. There is lots of diarrhea in the bottom of my tub. There is diarrhea on the mats in the bathroom, on the sides of the tub where Emma Jane tried to get out. There is diarrhea spilling from the soiled diaper in the sink. There is diarrhea on the carpet in my closet, my bedroom, the hallway, Emma Jane's room, and the front room. The smell of diarrhea is pretty overwhelming. CJ is crying, wondering why his meal was rudely interrupted, and I HAVE NO WATER. I instantly grab the Sam's Club bag of wipes, and get to work.
It has now been a couple of hours. The kids are finally in bed. I have two candles going, and my house still smells like poop! I have two loads of laundry. The carpet is clean, and the bathrooms are almost clean. What a night! I don't think Emma Jane has anything left to poop for a couple of days. Thank goodness b/c right now, poop is not my friend.
For those of you who do not have kids that read this, do not let this deter you from having kids. They are great. They just poop, and you have to touch it. So, get over it now, at one point, probably several, you will have a moment where you are covered in poop! Sorry to gross anyone out.

My Dear Husband

Well, Carl and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary about a month ago. We always get a kick out of how long we have been married b/c it seems like we have been married a lot longer than what we actually have. It only feels that way b/c we have done so much in 3 years: Both Graduated College, Toured Europe for 3 weeks (while 4 months pregnant), Moved 5 times (one of those was across the country to Alabama 7 months pregnant),Had 2 children within 14 months, Got a dog, Bought a home in Montgomery, Renovated it, and Sold it, Bought a home in Birmingham and currently renovating it!

It has been quite the journey over the past few years. Hopefully, the next year won't be so intense as the last. Either way, I am glad I get to do it all with my best friend. Carl is my rock. He keeps me sane through all the mania....and there is a lot of mania going on around here. I am just so grateful to have him in my life. Carl never ceases to amaze me with his patience and selflessness, not to mention his amazing handy-man and automotive skills. Thanks Carl for being such a great husband! I can't wait to see what happens next!