a teaser

I just made a cute new shirt for Emerson. We're going to attempt a photo shoot one day this week and I'll get them up next week. You'll just have to wait and see.

Hee hee...

more of my favorite things...

A few months ago, I posted a list of my favorite things. As the seasons have changed, so has my list. So here's what tickles me these days.

Brunch. We're having friends over for brunch tomorrow and I'm so excited! I love making brunch and don't get to do it nearly enough. This may be a resolution for me in the future. Screw Sunday dinner. Give me Sunday brunch any day!

My "Cleo" Crocs. I generally think Crocs are ugly, if not functional. But my new Cleos are darling (well, Jeff doesn't think so, but I do), lightweight, comfy, and reasonable at around $30.

Old Time Radio. This is one of my all-time favorite things. I have a collection of around 1000 shows from the 30's, 40's, and 50's. Most of my shows are comedies (Jack Benny, Ozzie & Harriet, Burns & Allen, Fibber McGee & Molly, and The Great Gildersleeve are all time faves), but I also love cheesy detective shows like Dragnet, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, and Boston Blackie as well. I listen every night as I fall asleep. Old time was even instrumental in letting me know that Jeff was "The One." I'll have to tell you that story sometime.

College football. The season starts this week, and I CAN'T WAIT!! My Hawkeyes have a tough schedule with road games in the Horseshoe and @ Happy Valley, but I have high hopes. Oh, and my #2 team looks pretty good this year...Hook 'Em Horns!

Fruit smoothies. I don't know if it's the abundance of summer fruit or what, but I can't get enough of these. Yum. My fave is a banana, orange juice, mango, and strawberry smoothie with milk. :)

The Bible. I've made a commitment to read some every day, and while it's definitely a daunting task, I'm taking so much away. What an amazing boost for my faith.

Naps. I have been taking more than my share of naps lately. Hence the lack of posts here (sorry, Adri!) Emerson is just wearing me out lately, so my afternoon catnap is just what I need to recharge.

The WDW Radio podcast. I've mentioned it before, but it's worth hearing again. If you're a huge Disney fan, are planning a trip there, or just need a fix of all things Disney, this is the show for you. It has been my constant training companion as I've run literally hundreds of miles with Lou. He was even the reason I signed up for my first 1/2 marathon to begin with.

Talking in your sleep. Most specifically, Emerson talking in her sleep. She does it just about every time she is dozing, and it's funny to hear with is in her mind as she drifts off. Pretty cute stuff.

Ok, I think that's it for now. Happy weekend, all.

you probably won't find this funny, but...

...this is my current kiddo crack-up.

Now, looking at this, you just think it's a picture of Emerson eating some unidentified thing. It's a loaf of bread from a set of food that she got for her birthday. But the kicker is, if you ask Emerson, she's eating "bread on the cob."

And he she is, noshing on "apple on the cob."

In fact, there are many things you may never have realized come on a cob. We've had peas on the cob, watermelon on the cob, and yesterday, she even fed hay on the cob to her stuffed cow. Jeff had just cut the lawn, and she was sweeping up bits of grass to make "hay" to feed to her cow.

Why didn't anyone ever tell me how funny kids are? Sheesh.

...and it begins.

Whilst driving this morning, I was singing along to "Stay" by Sugarland. Barely 5 words in, came a frantic "No, no!" from the back seat.

And then she said it. "No, don't sing, Mama."

Really? Is my singing really that horrible? While I'm not planning on trying out for American Idol anytime soon, I don't think it's that bad.

Or is it just that embarrassing to have your Mama singing along with the radio? Either way, the teenage years are going to be a long haul, kid.

Ah, the joys of living with a 2 year-old.

how cute are we?

Here are a few quick pics from the weekend...my thrill-seeking girl!

G'nite, all.

i'm back

Hi all,

We're back from our weekend at the lake with the Miehe's. Emerson was amazing for the 6 hour (each way!) trip, and had such a fun time playing at the lake. Between jumping off the docks into the water (I swear this kiddo doesn't know that she can't swim!), playing in the sand, riding the Sea Doo (takes after her Mama!), and going out on the boat, we had loads of fun and slept really well. There was a terrific thunderstorm on Saturday night, and I know Christa's kids didn't appreciate it, but I love sleeping during a good storm.

Anyways, lots of laundry to do, groceries to buy, and pictures to download. I'll share when I have them up.

b-day pics and more

Here are a few pictures from Emerson's birthday party, birthday dinner, and the last 2 weeks.


We started the day at a local inflatable jumpy place with our friends. Emerson loves to jump, so this was perfect for her.

We had cupcakes instead of a cake for her party.

She was so happy to have her cupcakes with blue M&M's...her 2 most favorite treats!

Em's friend Connor gave her a tea set, and it's been a HUGE hit. We have high tea every day!

Still working on perfecting our smile for the camera... Would you like some tea and cookies?

Helping the birthday girl blow out her candles on her 2nd b-day. We had a fun afternoon at the pool and a lovely dinner @ Grammy & Grandpa's house.

"I'm gonna catch you, you better run. I'm gonna catch you, here I come" This is her new favorite Laurie Berkner song, and she loves to be chased by her Papa while singing it.

We watched the US National Show Ski championships in Rockford, IL on Saturday. Here's the 4-time defending champs, the Mad-City Ski Team, in their opening pyramid. They are absolutely amazing. I'm so proud of my cousins!

Sporting her new frog boots from Godmama. I think they look lovely with her jammies, don't you?

Hope you have a great week. We're spending time with friends over the next few days, so I'll catch up with you later~