javelina's swamp romp.

going through all these pictures, i am realizing just how insanely busy may was.  what a fun month!
one sunday afternoon/evening (after mia's birthday party and the subsequent nap), we headed to javelina's, a fun bar in a hipster area that was featuring the lost bayou ramblers and some cajun food.  we didn't get to nosh on any cajun fare (we headed out for mexican with the perques after the festivities), but we did get to catch up with some friends and watch emme dance and explore and generally embrace part of her heritage.  this kid is SO busy these days.

happy birthday mia!

in mid-may, the same weekend my parents visited, our friends jenny and dan threw a fourth birthday bash for their adorable daughter, mia.  jenny is exceptionally talented and every detail was perfect at this party.  she had little brunch boxes for all the kids and a gorgeous buffet-style setup for the adults.  there was a fun jump that ek was a little bit too small to enjoy, but she didn't mind.  the guests all set up in the huge front yard, and there were musical instruments, tricycles, and the general fun of the start of summer and lots of other kiddos.  justin made a video of the event which you can view here.  below are just a few pics of our cute friends and their cute offspring - including the birthday girl.  

jj and kk visit in may.

the weekend after mother's day, jj and kk headed to town for a visit.  for some reason, even though they were in town for about the same amount of town they usually are, this visit felt exceptionally short.  but, we crammed in a lot of fun and good visiting in the hours we did have.  this was one of the few weekends we didn't have a really specific agenda/list of activities, and that was really nice.  we ate dinner out on the deck friday night after emme went to bed, swam and had a visit from the laing crew on saturday, and justin and i even got away for a little date on saturday afternoon!  emme loves her jj and her kk so so much...we can't wait for their next visit!

mother's day 2012.

mother's day was a great day.  we woke up relatively early and justin surprised me with a gorgeous necklace (that matched a really cool bracelet he'd gotten me in san francisco) and a gift card for a spa day.  such an awesome surprise - he is a really good gift-giver.
anyway...we threw on some clothes and headed to turkey creek for a little hike with the dogs.  we had gotten some rain through april and may, so all the creeks were flowing, which is like a small sliver of heaven for our pups.  ek hung out in the bjorn for the most part - we tried to take her 18 month photos there and she wasn't loving the muddy landscape.  funny kid.
after the hike, we stopped by z tejas and got take-out brunch.  SUCH a good choice - we didn't have to wait forever, and we set up the meal on the deck and had a lovely brunch as a family.  after brunch, emme went down for a nap and justin and i took a rare and cherished nap as well.
in the afternoon, we swam and hung out and wound down the weekend, then justin grilled steaks and made tasty au gratin potatoes for dinner.  i definitely felt like an appreciated mom all day long.  there is nothing i love more than spending days with my sweet family.

future tennis star.

like i would assume many families do, justin and i like to joke about what sport/activity emme will play that will lead to scholarships/fame/fortune in her adult life.  tennis and golf crop up in our fantasy most frequently, but we occasionally divert in to soccer, dancing, art, writing, etc.  it's all a joke, but it's so much fun to imagine what things she will fall in love with as she grows. 
anyway...today i was messing around on quora - a Q&A site that is probably the best thing to happen to the internet in a long time - and i found a link to a question about introducing your children to activities (this one happened to mention tennis) at a young age in the hopes that they would develop a passion and ultimately dedication and skill in said activity.  i sent the link to justin, and here is his reply.  i love that guy. 

interesting. i have no desire to force emme to do/learn anything she doesn't have any interest in. would i love to see her to play tennis/golf? sure. and i absolutely think kids need guidance in picking sports/hobbies/etc. but she has to want to play for it to work. i'll absolutely have the grand slam tournaments on TV, hoping it sparks her interest, but i'm not going to sign her up for lessons at age 4 and tell her it's something she's learning. i look back at my ill-fated basketball career, doomed before it even had the chance to blossom. dad played high school basketball... and i was supposed to be 6'4-6'7 said the doctors when i was young. WHB decided to sign me up for basketball when i was 5, i think, without having so much as seen a basketball game. i was the worst kid on the team (at least that's how i remember it). the kids wouldn't pass me the ball, i traveled more than i dribbled, never made baskets, and didn't have a dad that worked with me to improve outside of practice. all very tragic i know. after two years of epic bitty-ball fail, i hated the sport. and still do. i mean, F basketball. putting a ball in a stupid hoop? that's just dumb. don't even get me started on why bouncing the stupid orange ball is necessary. and orange? really? orange is the color you picked for the ball?

i'm glad he and i are on the same page with this...

18 months old.

sweet bug.  i cannot believe you are a year and a half old already.  i can remember so vividly one year ago...you just sitting up for the first time, starting to cut your first teeth.  my, what a difference a year makes.  now you run and jump everywhere, complete with the gleeful narration of "running!  jumping!".  you have ALL your teeth except those two pesky ones and your big big molars.  you color and draw and jabber non-stop.  you have definite opinions, though i would argue you've always had those.  but you voice them now and aren't afraid to say no or to gesture and babble until we figure out what it is you actually want.  you will be moving in to the warblers classroom at school, starting the transition next week, and i think it will be a great new adventure for you.
you have really thrived at school these last six months, i have to say.  the explosion of language and sociability is amazing to watch.  we got a picture of you and your classmates from the school recently, and you like to pull it off the fridge, bring it over to us and name every person in your class.  it's adorable, and i'm so impressed that your little mind can discern all those names and faces in a photograph.  you also love a picture we have in the kitchen of me, dad, jj, kk, and big joe, taken when i was quite pregnant for you at the end of the summer.  you like to name everyone in that picture, too.
we started swimming lessons with you a couple of weeks ago and they are going great!  you seem to really love the water, and your dada has been taking you while i sit on the sidelines and watch.  i love what a great bonding experience it is for the two of you.  we have gotten in our pool a couple of times so far, but it's still not quite warm enough.  your little teeth chatter and you shiver non-stop, but you still refuse to get out and get upset when we make you anyway.  stubborn little bunny.
you really are a delightful, joyous little girl and we are so grateful for you.  you relish everything we do and we never get tired of watching your expressions as you discover something new.  you remain a great eater and sleeper (are we lucky or what?) and you love your cuddle time.  i nursed you for the last time on your 18 month birthday, a bittersweet decision for me, but you've taken it in stride, as you do most everything.  we love you, bean.  happy half birthday!
*these pictures were taken at turkey creek and in our backyard.  the young miss was not super excited about being photographed for this shoot, but she's still pretty cute, if i do say so myself...

apple of my eye.

justin tells me i am not allowed to begin every post with a comment on how far behind i am with posting...

i'm at work and i haven't wrangled pictures in nearly two months.  sigh.  so instead, i will just offer a mundane update.  emme is doing better with the crazy whining.  our consistency seems to be paying off, as she is more apt to respond more quickly to the words we always say (gentle touches, normal voice, say please, etc. etc.).  she is still very attached to me, but seems to be handling that better, too.  last night, i went to a sewing class and had to leave before bedtime and she didn't even cry when i told her goodbye!  that is a first in a long time. 

anyway.  it's a constant work in progress and there is no such thing as a static state in parenting, i'm learning.  this is a challenge for a "fixer" like myself...i just want to have a solution and be able to execute on it right away.  alas, that is not always feasible. 

in the evenings, i pick emme up from school after work and we usually head home where we try to combine some outside activities (chalk or swinging or occasionally swimming when i have the energy or the extra time) with the indoor activities that need to happen (gathering dirty diapers and laundry, loading containers from lunches, getting dinner prepped and on the table) while we wait for dada to get home from work.  i've been really trying to have dinners made or something set to go in the crockpot so we can eat together as a family when jb gets home.  it's harder than it seems with a kiddo that goes to bed around 7, but i've had varying degrees of success. 

the other night, i was chopping veggies to throw in the oven to roast, so i had emme sitting up on the counter helping me.  her help is hilarious, as she mostly likes to point at various things on the counter and sneak bites of raw zucchini or whatever else i'm cutting.  anyway, this particular night, she discovered an apple in the fruit bowl and we talked about how it was green and smooth and she picked it up and just started eating it.  i asked her if she wanted me to cut it up, and even tried to take it from her so i could wash it and get it in to more manageable slices, but she was having none of that.  we headed outside to wait for dada and she would not put the apple down, no matter what we were doing.  she actually made quite a bit of progress with it...i was impressed.  she doesn't love the peelings (though she will eat some of them), so occasionally she would toddle over to me and spit a small shred of green apple peel into my hand.