a little of this, a little of that

You never know what to expect in Ohio, and thank goodness I'm not talking politics....I'm talking WEATHER. I think it's quite possible to have (on occasion) every season in a matter of a week, but I was so happy we had the most beautiful autumn weekend. We loved being outside, and spending time with family.

I would post more pictures, but it took me forever just to load one...this is all I have the patience for right now!

halloween

We had a very happy halloween this year. Emma was the cutest little duck around. She only went to a handful of houses for trick or treating, but she was loving it. 

We also went to the stoddard avenue pumpkin glow, this was our first time going to the pumpkin glow, and it was amazing...over 700 jack-o-lanterns on a hill. There were so many amazing pumpkins, I wanted to take pictures of them all..and I may have tried, if my phone did not die on me!

sweet summertime

July has been one crazy month for us, and we are only 8 days in! While we didn't have any plans for the fourth of July, we were certainly hoping to make it a fun, midweek holiday, but our AC broke! Of course we have been breaking records with this crazy heat wave, so needless to say...it was HOT! We tried to make the most of it for the day (not wanting to pay extra holiday rates)...so we got frozen yogurt, went to the bookstore, sat in front of fans, but before too long, our house was pushing 90 degrees and that's just not cool...especially with a baby! Emma and I went to grammy and papa's house for the night, and we could not have been happier to have some friendly temperatures, but poor Ryan sweated it out. Thankfully, we were back up and running the next day, but it still took a little while for the house to cool down.

We have been wanting to go to the art museum, and today turned out to be a perfect time...it is too hot to do anything outside. We had such a nice time, it was busy but it's always nice to go and appreciate the exhibits and although Emma may be too young to fully appreciate it now, I hope it will become a frequent place to visit and inspire her creativity. On our way home, I told Ryan I wish the weekend would never end and it could somehow turn into groundhogs day so we could just keep this on repeat. Oh sigh, I'm pretty sure Monday will come, but I suppose it does make our weekends all the more sweet.

life lately

We are loving the summer and even though we wish we had a vacation in the works, we are still enjoying every minute. Emma is our little busy body now, crawling all over the place and wishing she could walk (but standing and 'cruising' on everything she can). Every single night Ryan and I talk about how awesome she is, and how much fun we are having with her, and as our family of three...(well, four including Riley).

the small things

Last week was rather exhausting to say the least...things have been busy and the nights have been long! On Tuesday, I discovered that Emma was finally cutting her first tooth! It was so exciting...her first tooth - this is big kid stuff! We did a little dance around the kitchen to celebrate and it seemed like only hours later that the celebration turned into "oh crap....she's really teething" - she then quickly came down with that ever typical teething cold and all the pain that comes along with it. Poor baby would wake up in the night and just cry. This lasted a few nights in a row, and on Saturday I saw another tooth coming through, both of her bottom teeth are making their debut! I hate to jinx it, but I think we might be through this round of teething pain. She seems to have turned a corner and is back to her happy little self...although she hasn't quite kicked the congestion (hopefully soon though).

Although we were lacking in the sleep department, we did have some fun. Emma is non-stop on the "dada" talk, it is so cute I don't even care that it isn't "mama" - and of course Ryan is eating it up! We also got to try the playground swings for the first time and she was loving it. I can't wait to go again, and it makes me look forward to all the new things we'll get to try...bubbles, swimming, bike rides, wheeeeeee! It really is the small things...

10 things

Never mind the fact that I haven't posted in ages...I go back and forth with how much (or little) I want to post, but I think I've settled on the idea that I don't mind blogging. Either way, my girl is growing - and growing fast! Emma is now 7 months, woah!  I've learned so much about being a mother, and I'm learning new things every day, but I've found these reoccurring things...

1. no matter how 'light' or fast I may try to walk, every floor board in our house will squeak 2. elmo has super powers 3. riley likes emma much more when she has puffs 4. no matter how much I plug "mama" it is looking like she is going to say "dada" more 5. i will do pretty much anything for giggles 6. water is way more fun to drink out of mom or dad's cup 7. naps are necessary, even for a nosey baby 8. there is no such thing as too many pictures 9. nothing is better than peeking in a room and seeing your husband and daughter playing together 10. it's the best job. ever.

tiny pony

Last night, Ryan and I watched a movie in bed and Emma had fallen asleep between the two of us...there are many times where we just stop doing whatever we are doing and stand in awe of her; our daughter, this beautiful baby that is ours (!!). We were sidetracked from the movie and Ryan said something about how he doesn't think this constant amazement will ever go away, how we will always take a minute and soak in a feeling that is bigger than us. I got to thinking about a blog post I read from Frank Chimero, when he went into an apple store and there was a tiny pony in the store, only no one was paying any attention to it...he couldn't get over the fact that there was a TINY PONY in the store and no one was looking or making any reference to it. He later began using the phrase 'tiny pony' with his friend about how "it is a thing that is exceptional that no one, for whatever reason, notices. Or, conversely, it is an exceptional thing that everyone notices, but quickly grows acclimated to despite the brilliance of it all." He talks about how maybe this is how we get by, otherwise none of us might get anything done if we were constantly enamored by something...sure, this isn't directly related to a child, but what I'm saying is, I don't ever think we should lose that moment of thankfulness, of feeling blessed to have a child, of feeling so full of love you don't even know what to do with yourself. I know there are going to be good days and bad, but no matter what there is love and it is amazing....