17 months old & New Shoes to Fill

Dear Emerson,

I know you. I really know you now. 

I loved you before I even laid eyes on you but, my love has completely flourished over the past few months because now, I know you. 

I didn't realize it at the time but, when you were four days late, it was because that's you. You come when you're ready and not a minute sooner. 

My fiercely intense pregnancy food cravings, which I never experienced with your brother, were also a sign of your stubbornness. You. want. what. you. want. and. NOW. You are headstrong and that is a characteristic that will take you far in life because you will take hold of your dreams and no one else's ideas of what your dreams should be.

You gave no forewarning you would crawl, you just up and crawled one day. You never did any pre-walking warms ups; you just walked. With this characteristic you will surprise the world at what you can achieve when they didn't even realize you were preparing.

You are my Miss Independent and take your time. You know better than anyone else when you are ready and I respect that you don't let anyone push you to do otherwise. That characteristic will take you far in your career.

You have a warm and loving heart. I see it every time you bring a dropped sippy to Hunter or give him a toy you'd rather be playing with but know he'd love it. 


You hug and kiss every baby doll you see and gently rub their back while nuzzling them close to your chest. This characteristic will take you far in your relationships because people like to surround themselves with friends who make them feel loved and appreciated.

When you cry, you cry with all of your might. You don't care who is watching. 


People have stared and made comments to us about your crying but I have realized it is a great gift. Many women grow up afraid to express their feelings for fear of what others will think of them--your Mommy included. Your ability to openly express yourself and how you're feeling is a characteristic many women three times your age would envy.

Every day that goes by you never cease to amaze me. You walked right into that classroom today at school and washed your hands like any three year old, yet you are only 17 months. You then climbed right up to the table and dug right in, ready to absorb and learn. Your confidence and eagerness will take you far in this journey called life.

 My heart beats boldly with love for you and I know that will only grow stronger.

 

 

I love you so much my beautiful, headstrong, stubborn, independent, compassionate, loving, full-of-rainbows-and-smiles girl and I am confident that you are ready for your biggest role yet.....

(Thank you God for all of these beautiful blessings in our life!)

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future."

C'mone Irene! (& a DIY Kids Roadway to Pass the Time)

She came, she saw and she took lots of T-shirts. 


Fortunately, we were blessed in that we had very little damage to our yard.

There was truly a calm after the storm. 

You could sense the worst was over because the birds in our yard that flew away to escape Irene all later congregated back to their home as if nothing had happened. It was minutes before the sun emerged and you would have never known there was a storm.

Outside our little abode was another story. 

We visited the streets we regularly walk on and drive at the beach. They were completely flooded and many homes were part way under water.

 One of the main streets at the beach was completely flooded and waist-deep with water.

The water became so deep that Hunter was no longer able to walk in it so Dave had to carry him on his shoulders.

 It did make for some serious puddle jumping. Both kids cried when we told them it was time to leave.

We made the most of our 48 hours with no power and being disconnected from the outside world.


The kids were reintroduced to the ipod Touch which they had not seen since our flight to Atlanta.

We ate....a lot. 

 We took walks and we just enjoyed spending time together with no to-do's or time restraints.

 Thursday night before the storm I decided to create this bad boy of a roadway.

I used and old cardboard box, acrylic paints, one piece of scrapbooking paper and foam letters and shapes.

 Hunter is not into cars but Sissy loves them. Hunter has a fascination for letters and words so I decided to make it fun for both of them by creating a roadway for the cars and trucks and labeling items on the roadway with letters.

 All in all, this project took me about 25 minutes and it was really fun to make!

 It was one of those days on Friday so I made waffles laced with winter squash and sweet potatoes using our super cool waffle maker (thank you Grammy!).

When the kids got up they were fascinated with the new roadway. Hunter pointed out all of the letters and asked for help in sounding out the words he didn't know.

Sissy immediately picked up the trucks and started driving them on the road. (I know my kids!)

The roadway got multiple hours of play time during all of the indoor time this weekend but, we have since packed it up and will bring it back out in a week or two when it will be new and exciting all over again.


Until then, we are enjoying the calm after the storm that comes in rainbows and sunshine.