Flashback to July 2008

We went to Jackson Hole last July to celebrate Sam's birthday. Enjoy some cute pictures we took while we were there ....

A Perfect Day for a Trip to the Zoo...

We had a wonderful day at the zoo. We got there around 230p and the weather was absolutely perfect. Emery liked the animals but still seemed to be more entertained by people watching (just like me!). She also loved playing at the play ground and with the huge ball/water at the entrance to the zoo. Unfortunately, my camera battery died so I don't have any pictures from the end of the day.

Look at my little diva ... ready for the zoo - sunglasses and all!



This giraffe was so close to us. That is some random guy visiting the zoo feeding the giraffe a leaf..
Trying to get a picture of Emery before she ran away ..

More Random Photos ...

I was folding laundry today and Emery likes to play with my ... umm .. underwear .. well, she walks away and I finish laundry and forget all about the underwear that she was playing with. I go back into the living room to finish vacuuming and she's put my underwear around her neck. Apparently she thinks they are necklaces??
Emery loves to be outside and gets stir-crazy if she's in the house to long. You can always tell when she's hit her limit of being inside - today she put her coat on, grabbed her diaper bag and went and stood by the front door.
I really need to get Emery a purse of her own. I gave her my purse to play with and she threw a fit when I took it back from her. Doesn't this picture look like she's lifting weights? And, the purse was still empty at this point.
Can you tell the child loves her puffs??

A few pictures...

Emery loves to climb up on the couch and play with her wipes container, beanie and jacket. If she is quiet and we can't find her, she is usually on the couch, just like this.

We went to the Discovery Center @ Gateway today. Emery loved playing in the water but started to act like she owned the water area. She still doesn't talk a ton, but she sure does know the word "MINE". Not a good sign. Oh, and she also pulled a little boys hair, twice. I was quite embarrassed but luckily none of the parents were around. We really need to work on learning to share. Any advice for an only child?
After a few hours at the Discovery Center, we went to lunch at Applebee's. It was a much better experience than Red Lobster a couple of weeks back, thank goodness. I'm trying to get Emery to like wearing her sunglasses. At first, she just wanted to wear them upside down, but she got the hang of it with a little help from Ivan.

Kitchen Update

I am proud to finally be able to post before and after pictures of our kitchen.

Before: May 2008

After: March 2009 - we took down some cabinets to open up the kitchen/dining room, painted the cabinets, installed granite counter tops and replaced all of the appliances. I can finally say that I am happy with my kitchen.

Meltdown at Red Lobster

Ivan has been dying to go to Red Lobster since it is apparently lobster fest season. I honestly don't even know what that means and Red Lobster is one place that I really hate going to. The last time we went there, I had mashed potatoes and a salad for dinner - and our bill was outrageous - I just hate going there. Anyway, I felt like being very nice tonight and gave in to Ivan's request to go there. We waited for about 25 minutes and as soon as we sat down, Emery refused to sit in the high chair. She refused to drink her water which she usually loves. She nibbled on a few saltine crackers but refused the soup. She just wasn't a happy camper and was whining the whole time. Ivan finally took her to the entryway of the restaurant so I could eat and then I switched spots with him so he could eat his Lobster. About 3 minutes later I came back and said, "time to get your food to-go, she's had it". I felt bad, but we had suffered and tried to make Emery hold out for close to an hour. She just wasn't having it. As soon as we got into the car, and 2Pac came onto the radio, she was clapping and laughing away. I'm hoping tonight's event was a one-night deal and we can continue to enjoy dinners out.

Emery's New Tricks

Emery loves giving Carter dog bones. The minute we get home, she runs over to the kitchen to give Carter a bone. Too bad she shuffles her hands through them and makes Carter wait, he's not happy about that part. We are working on teaching her that one bone at a time is enough.

She also gets herself onto the couch now. A little scary for us, but for the most part, she's good about getting down in a safe way. Notice the headband, she put that on all by herself. I think I've got a "girly girl" on my hands already.

Emery and Laundry

I was folding laundry in the laundry room today and Emery left with 4 pairs of her PJ's. It was completely quiet in the house for about 5 minutes, so I went looking for Emery. I first went to the office, she loves to play there. Nope, not there. On the way to the office, I passed the living room, kitchen, dining room and family room and hadn't seen her. I then go back to my bedroom/bathroom thinking she's there. Finally, she's in our room and this is what she's doing:


Putting her PJ's away with Ivan's socks!

Finally, proof that Emery loves to put laundry away!

Emery's 1st Haircut

We finally took Emery to Cookie Cutters today to get her first hair cut. I was worried that she would be a total Mommy's girl and cry the entire time, but this place was amazing. They put a video on, gave her a play station controller and a sucker, blew bubbles, the whole nine yards. She was happy with the controller and honking the horn of the little car that she sat in. She was wonderful and the lady who cut her hair was quick and precise. Emery got a little bob with layers to make it look thicker. She looks so grown up. I love it and wish I had gotten her hair cut sooner.

Hmm .. what could be missing?

Before:
After: Do you noticing anything missing?
We bought this house in July 2007 and I've always hated the kitchen. I had this huge plan to replace the cabinets, move the island, knock out a wall, replace the floor and appliances. That was .. until we had $10k worth of plumbing issues the DAY we moved in! So, we've slowly been remodeling the kitchen. First, we painted the cabinets, which turned out great. Then came granite counter tops. Next, the appliances, slowly but surely. I went to Sears last Saturday to buy the stove. I figured I would put our old stove on ksl.com just to see if we could sell it (totally thinking it would not sell). Anyway, it sold and was picked up in less than 24 hours - the phone was ringing off the hook within minutes of listing it. I guess I should have asked more for it. Anyway, so I call Sears to re-schedule the delivery of the new stove - it's on backorder until MARCH 6th! Oops! So, we are without a stove for 2 weeks. Oh well, I always say the stove is really just for looks anyway since we rarely cook.

To Cut or Not to Cut???

I'm thinking that it is time to get Emery's hair cut for the first time. She has quite the mullet going on in the back. It's just about long enough to put in one pony, but when I leave it down or do pig-tails just on top, the back is oh so bad. I'm thinking that if I give the back a little trim, then it will start to be a little thicker. What do you think?

Here is Emery's new trick. She absolutely loves to put my shoes on and walk around the house. Such a big girl!

15 Month Update

We had Emery's 15 month appointment today and below is her update.
20.8 lbs - 15th percentile - only gained 8 oz since 12 month check-up - She is skinny right now, but Dr. Ring is not concerned about it. She figures that she is naturally thin and will pick up some weight at her 18 month appointment.
30 inches - 50th percentile
8 teeth
loves to mimic anything I do
helps around the house with laundry, trash, cleaning up toys
absolutely loves books and cuddling with blankets
starting to babble a ton
loves all foods but is very picky about when she decides to actually eat something
favorite foods are raisins and milk

Here is Emery this morning feeding herself some good old egg burritos and hash browns from Del Taco - shh, don't tell Ivan's Mom! :)


Emery loves to play with Ivan's beanies and I swear, she does this to herself and walks around the house. She does have the occasional bump into the wall, but she still loves it!

The Simple Things

It's the simple things that make Emery the happiest..

Carrying around her diaper bag like it's a purse
She played with the bowl and utensils for 30 minutes - seriously, for a 15 month old to stay focused on one thing that long - it's gotta be good!

Story Book Time at the Library

I discovered recently that the local libraries have story book time and other activities scheduled by age groups. I figured it would be great for Emery since she loves books and another bonus is that it's free entertainment. The class for 0-2 1/2 year olds starts at 10:15a which is a little early for Emery, but I really wanted to try it out.

So, she finally woke up this morning at 9:30a and I got us both ready and out of the house in 30 minutes -yay! We got to story time and Emery was a little shy at first. After 5 minutes she was walking around saying hi to all of the other kids and parents. The rest of the kids in the room were probably less than 12 months old. They all (except for Emery and one other girl, 17 months old) sat quietly and nicely in the parents laps for the whole 30 minutes. Not Emery! She walked around and talked, waved and laughed with everyone in the room. I figure this is normal behavior for a 15 month old baby who is walking, right? I'm just not sure if we were "those people" who disrupted story time. I want to go back, but I'm not sure if I should wait until Emery will sit quietly in my lap for 30 minutes, which I know that will be NEVER. Thoughts?

My Little Helper..

Emery definitely takes after me with cleaning and tidying up. She has already become a good little helper. The other night, after Ivan finished making dinner, Emery was picking up crumbs from the kitchen floor and bringing them to me, one by one. She has also helped me put socks away, she loves to dust and she regularly puts her own toys away. She puts her diapers in the trash and also cleans up after her own bath time. And, if she sees the corner of a rug flipped up, she'll go over and fix it. I think she spends way to much time watching me clean up! How long until she's big enough to clean the bathroom and the kitchen floor??