I am a chicken no more!

I've been sick of my hairstyle (or lack there of) probably for about three years now. I always thought of cutting it, but would always chicken out when I went to get it cut (or rather trimmed). So, today, I did not chicken out; I was strong and allowed my hair dresser to cut 10" from my hair -and she was excited to do so- and give me a stylish new short look. And I love it! And as a bonus, I have all of my hair in a ponytail to donate to Locks of Love. So a double win today!

Five Years & Twelve Weeks

On June 21st, Ryan & I celebrated our five year anniversary of wedded bliss AND Emerson officially became a three month old. Time certainly does fly! We spent the weekend with Ryan's family (i.e. built in babysitters) so we were able to see a movie, do some shopping, and enjoy some sushi.

In other news, I am one class closer to finishing my masters. I finished my 'Management and Evaluation' course this last week with an A-. Typically, this would be unacceptable (even more so considering that I missed an A by 0.5 points!), but I am transferring the credits, not the grade back to Western, so I have accepted the A-. I've started my School Business Management course and will hopefully finish that soon as well so that I can enjoy my summer with no coursework!

Anyway, here are some pictures since our last post.


Emerson at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks.

Enjoying an afternoon nap.

She is obsessed with eating her hands and fingers. And drooling. She must be teething.

Sweetly sleeping on Ryan's shoulder.

With friends Sophia (who is three days older) and Charlie (age 2).

Ryan's favorite onesie.

Practicing sitting in her Bumbo seat.

Showcasing her crazy hair.

Being enjoyed by cousin Paige.

And just looking cute in her crib.

She's got skills

Now, when you lay Emerson down, leave to put away some laundry, and come back, she is not in the same position as you left her. This means we now have to buckle her into her swing and seat. Typically, she is perpendicular to the original position. She has been sleeping in her crib for some time now and she must be busy in there because I have found her at the opposite end of the crib, facing the opposite way, and this morning, I found her pacifier under her crib. She has even rolled over from her back to her stomach twice. She is definitely gaining strength.

We have spent the last week with family - my aunt, uncle, and cousin were in from California, and Ryan's aunt & uncle were in from Tennessee.

Cousin Phil

Aunt Cheri

Uncle Ed

Cousins Emily (center, age 5) and Paige (right, age 10 months)

Grandpa Dennis & Emily

Someday she'll leave us....

This past Friday we went to a graduation dinner for my cousins Lisa & Kathy. At the dinner, both parents (Dan & Lis) gave very nice, touching speeches about what their children mean to them, and their hopes for their futures. The whole time, I was thinking someday, we will have this same experience with Emerson. There was a slide show that showed 18 years of experiences and memories and as it played I looked at Lis and she was crying. Having my own child, I can now fully understand why. Becoming a parent completely changes your entire universe; you cannot describe how much you love your child. We would sacrifice everything and spend endless amounts of money to make sure Emerson was safe, healthy, and happy.


There is a quote that I had read somewhere, that sums up parenting quite nicely: "We raise our children to leave us". We will spend endless hours reading, playing, watching, and talking to her. We will teach her to share. We will teach her to read and write. We will make sure she is ready for kindergarten. We will make sure she finishes her homework and studies for tests. We will attend numerous recitals and athletic events. We will go on vacations. We will teach her to ride a bike and drive a car. We will keep her safe, healthy, and happy for every day of her life. We will give her roots and wings. We will have our own slide show to share. And then one day, we will drop her off at college. And, we too, will cry.

A Nice Little Saturday

Although we did not make it to the Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond per Will Ferrell's definition of a nice little Saturday, we did have a nice little Saturday of our own; we spent the day doing some exterior beautification. That's right, we got another tree! This tree is actually to replace our Coral Bark Maple that had died last summer. The new tree is a stunning Crab apple.

As you can see, the soil here is quite rocky, which makes any landscaping a bit of a challenge. While Ryan was digging, he found another "rock" which he threw at me and told me to catch. Knowing Ryan, I know that this isn't a rock that is coming at me. I feared the worst - a snake. Fortunately, it was just this little fellow:

Grace was very intrigued by this toad - there was a fine balance between wanting to make friends and killing the toad. Nonetheless, Grace had to be restrained around the toad. Eventually, I placed him into a new home under the lilac bush - Grace made several attempts to get herself under the bush as well, so we're hoping the toad is still well.

Anyway, here is the final product of our (or mostly Ryan's) day of planting, mowing, and mulching:

And of course Emerson was a trooper - she was really enjoying her gym on Saturday.