The TRUTH about denim

It was pretty cool this morning, so I decided to put jeans on Em. As soon as I got her dressed, she ran to the mirror to admire the ensemble. "Oh Mommy I just love my jeans! Take my picture." The more she walked around before we left for school, she kept telling me, "it's kinda hard to walk in these jeans. It's also hard to climb in them too." Do you want to wear something else to school? Are they hurting you? "Well......I still want to wear 'em, they look so cute." Welcome to being a female, for years women have been wearing jeans that look "cute" but are not comfortable.

My boys with their toys

Cooler temperatures seem to bring out the spunk in my child. He wanted to play chase with Paul in the backyard..........but on wheels. And Paul was more than willing to comply, since he looks for any excuse to ride one of his motorcycles.

This might be the last year for Tyson's 4-wheeler, he has just about out grown it. Don't worry Em will gladly hop on.

Making the Band......

Saturday Greg, Jeri, Colton and Bailey came over for dinner (oh yeah and Kinley too, she's itty bitty and sleeps a lot, I forget she's there). A great time was had by all, especially the kids. They played outside for hours then when it got dark they moved the party inside. Oh, when I say party.......I mean "band."

check out Bailey, you think she's got passion here.....wait for the next one

See? Passion.

I don't really know how much music was made, but lots of NOISE sure was.

I have no idea where she get's this look from!

A replay of my conversation last night with Emmy:

Me: Emerson Grace, it's time for bed. Put up the laptop.
Emmy: Hold on! I'm doing my work!
Me: Work? What kind of work?
Emmy: You know, my blog. I also have to email Grandma Grace.
Me: No, I don't know. Your blog can wait. And you can call Grandma in the morning. Time for bed!

The teenage years concern me.

Time to unwind after a grueling day of 1st grade....

because a grade like this on your first spelling test.........

Let's hear it for legible handwriting!!!!

deserves some of this......
Tyson loves to sit in his chair, lean all the way back with his feet up in the air and watch TV in the playroom( we refer to it as the mini man cave).

I am one proud Mommy. Tyson is doing so well in school. He loves to read and write and he even loves math (my personal favorite......NOT). I have been volunteering in his classroom on Thursdays to do "reading groups." I have really enjoyed reading with all of the kids. While I was there his teacher informed me that he is reading at the highest level in his class, he is where a child should be when they finish 2nd grade. WooHoo, Go Buddy! That's my boy!

........and the Princess finally sleeps

When I picked up Em from her first day of school, she informed me she "would not be napping at school." Perfect I thought. So for the next 3 days at school she held true to her word. Every day I would ask at pick-up, nap today? No luck.

But..........

Today she slept. She slept for almost 2 hours. Maybe her 1 am stroll into our room last night tired her out.

Prologue......

I wanted to title this post A New Chapter, however my husband reminded me that this is nothing if "this baby doesn't sell." Right you are hubby.

About three years ago we got a wake up call when my husband's job was being eliminated. It was surreal. It was happening all over the country. We didn't panic. We had savings and he received a generous severance package. He quickly found a job that was here, it wasn't his dream job but they promised him "big" things in the future and it was in his same field. And most importantly (at least we thought so at the time) it meant not having to move the family to another city or state. For the last few years he searched for a better job, some have been here and some have not. For various reasons none panned out. Either is wasn't the right fit, we didn't like the area, the schools weren't good enough,we had just had a baby, you name it the list could go on. Well a about a month and half ago he received a phone call. Long story shorter it was a great opportunity for Paul. After a few interviews, meetings and many discussions he accepted the job and starts Monday. We are very excited about it. Oh did I forget to mention the job is in Oklahoma? That's right, this Texas family will be moving 7 hours north.

So for now this is the prologue.......

I will let you know when the new chapter begins.

A to Zebra

Emmy has graduated from the Whale room to the Zebra room at her Mother's Day Out. She was excited to for school this morning and there were no tears. I think she was more excited to wear her new outfit and those stinkin Twinkle Toe shoes. She loves those light up shoes!

"Now can we go Mommy?"

Once we got to school she seemed even more excited. Little did she know, that Tropical Storm Hermine was about to make land fall and cause torrential downpours along with 58 MPH winds which would translate to a power outage on the first day of school. Good times!

The good news is that she still wants to go back on Thursday but did inform me she "would not be napping anymore at school due to the power going out." Good luck Ms. Jodi and Ms. Carla.

Labor Day in DR

We spent the long weekend at Mom's house. It was relaxing and peaceful. We spent most of the time hanging out in the backyard. The weather was fantastic! The kids played and we just sat back and enjoyed it. We grilled a couple of delish dinners and basically ate our way through a nice long weekend. The kids had a blast and as usual Tyson DID NOT want to leave.

I like this picture because they look like they are on a mission. Emmy loves following Tyson around, especially when he invites her to tag along.

These two were attached at the hip. They did everything together. They played, they explored, they burned brush and they practiced shooting the BB gun.

Em showing off her silly bands that Grandpa and Tyson picked out for her.

Grandma getting some Emmy love

This face about sums up our weekend, a great time was had by ALL!!!!

Big week for Em

Last week was pretty important for my Emmy. Not only did she attend her "meet the teacher" at her Mother's Day Out, she also had her 3 year old well check visit.

Emmy grew just an inch and a half over the last year, she is a whopping 36 and a half inches tall and tipping the scales at 27.9 pounds (that's just 1.9 pounds more than last year). She is in the 25th percentile for height and weight. My little princess is also reaching all.........well, all but one of her milestones and is on target for being one smart cookie. She asked us all of the usual questions, can she balance on one foot? Can she walk up stairs? Can she stack blocks? Does she play pretend? Can she draw a stick figure with at least 2 parts? Please, she draws people with 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 hands and2 feet, 2 eyes, a smile, hair and if you're lucky she will stick a bow on top. What else ya got? Is she toilet trained? Ummm......not exactly, it's a work in progress. But have I mentioned she draws hair accessories on her stick figures?

Now the next piece of information is impressive, so be prepared to be impressed (well at least I was). Dr. Gonzales informed us that she only needed 1 immunization this time around and also recommended the flu shot while we were here, ya know beat the rush. After her exam I got Em dressed and the nurse came in with the little tray that most kids don't care for. I had Emmy lay down and pull her pants down so she could have access to those cute little thighs. "What are you doing Mommy? Why are you pulling my pants down?" The nurse just needs to check you legs. I know I lied.....but sometimes a Mommy has to do what a Mommy has to do. The nurse then proceeded to give Em the first injection. I was holding her hands down and had prepared myself for those lungs. But nothing, she just looked a little confused. "What is she doing Mommy?" Shots baby, you have to get one more. It will be fast, I promise. She did the next one. Nothing.......not a tear or so much as a blink. She stood up when and asked "can I have 2 stickers when we leave?" My baby girl didn't cry for her shots. This is not what I am accustomed to. My son is pretty dramatic, in fact I'm a little dramatic when it comes to needles. We cry. So this "I'm not phased " reaction is all very new to me.

weighing in

dancing in the exam room

just being her charming little self for the camera

Em also got to meet her new teachers in the Zebra room this week. Now that she is 3 she graduates from the Whale room to the Zebra room. She liked her new classroom and seems pretty excited for school. However, those potties in the bathroom threw her off a bit.

checking out some of the new toys to play with

she found her spot at the table right away and her folder

Can't wait to see how next week goes!