Pumpkins and Princess Kitty

Goodness me…where has the time gone? I suppose we were just busy living in the moment, discovering new adventures, visiting family in multiple states, celebrating the big THREE Ohhhhh’s and then some, that the blog has once again fallen to the wayside. I do apologize for the lapse in updates, and I will do my best to do a brief synopsis to catch you all caught up, hopefully without boring you.

I am happy to say that we are finally feeling settled into our new home. The holiday décor is definitely helping, even though Vegas has yet to change gears and give us any real taste of fall. Last week I put the pumpkins and spiders away and now scarecrows and turkeys fill the new home in preparation of Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner. Halloween this year was a special one. We started off the season with a harvest festival in Colorado while visiting family and friends. We got to visit with Aunties and Uncles, cousins, Great Aunts, Emery’s godfather, Grandma Meyer and even Great Grandma Meyer too. When we got home, we continued the festivities with pumpkin patches, another harvest festival and of course trick or treating on the “big night”. Emery got into the spirit and even “picked out her own costume”. She grabbed a headband with black kitty ears and a princess crown from the local drug store, and from there she turned into Princess Kitty.  Trick or treating with her cousin Liam, Uncles, Aunties and friends was the perfect way to enjoy the holiday. At first Emery was hesitant on the concept. What 20month old wouldn’t be?! Essentially we are teaching her to go up to stranger's doors and ask for them to give her something. Being skeptical of people in general, yes she still hasn't grown out of that, it took her a few times to get the hang of it but it wasn’t long before she was the first to hop out of the wagon and race up to the front door.  Luckily her vocabulary has really grown, and she was able to give a proper, all-be-it a quiet, “tank you” at almost every door. The “lesson” backfired a bit though, when the next week while picking her up from school, she ran over to the house next door and tried to knock on and open the door. Luckily I was able to sweep her up before having to explain myself to the neighbors.

Speaking of words…. words-words-words. Boy does Emery have a bunch now. Her recognition of objects grows by the day; car, truck, airplane, cup, pup-pup, boy, girl, baby, train…. the list goes on and on and her skill for repeating things has become quite refined. Her manners are really starting to sprout with all her “peas” and “tank you’s” and she is starting to pick up “cooz me” and “no, tank you”. But the most exciting one came just the other day when after I asked, “And what’s YOUR name?” like I often do, she responded by pointing to herself and saying “I, Emmy” – clear as day.

She is running around faster than you’d ever think a little girl her age could, but she does and she will tell you “I fast” when she races from wall to wall with everything she has. She climbs higher on the playground than momma and daddy are comfortable with, goes down the Big Kid slides and scales up rocks, ladders, and cargo nets in order to keep up with the older kids. She is incredible and keeps me on my toes every time I take her anywhere. Heck, she keeps me on my toes at the house! It may be exhausting and leave little to no time for much else, but it is more than worth it! I am so blessed to call this my little family that I make sure to give my thanks not just on Thanksgiving but every single day.

**written a few weeks before being posted. Hoping to follow up with an after-Thanksgiving post shortly**

A Ray Of Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

This summer has been filled to the brim with bright, sunny, and scorching hot days followed by thunderstorms, cloud cover and rain. Both literally and figuratively. Sometimes in life we are asked to look at the bigger picture, put things in perspective and learn to never take anything for granted.

As I write this, I wonder where to even start and how to catch up on the last few months. There have been many changes in the Meyer home. First and foremost, we moved homes. Yes, after doing my best to postpone packing everything in boxes and loading it all into a moving truck, my realtor of a husband tempted me with a shiny “new” house  in a picture perfect (well by Vegas standards) neighborhood and had me bidding farewell to 9523 Observer Street far sooner than I ever expected.

 

 

After almost 6 weeks in this upgrade of a house, to say the least, I am still trying to unpack boxes and settle in. Who would have thought packing and unpacking with an 18 month old running around would be a bit of a challenge. BUT I do have to admit, the new house is big and beautiful with plenty of room for Emery to run around and for us to grow into. OH AND within walking distance to an amazing, family friendly park complete with a splash pad which has been perfect for the Vegas summer heat.

 

We have certainly learned the importance of remembering to ALWAYS close the baby gate, almost as quickly as Emery has learned to scale the stairs, and the cushy new carpet has saved her many times already as she continues to push the limits and proves to be nothing shy of fearless.

She is still growing like a weed, busier by the day, and smarter by the minute ]no matter how much we try to convince her to stay little. She is really starting to pick up on words and sounds and has babble conversations all the time. Her newest phrase she picked up a few weeks ago is “bye-bye baby” and when I walked into the house the other day, she was eating lunch with daddy, she looked at me with complete elation and said “HI!” in this sweet, high pitched voice. Absolutely melted my heart. It’s truly amazing how a two letter word can just stop you in your tracks. Among others, she is also working on “shoes” (she says “shees” anytime she wants to go outside- which is always) and not to be confused with "cheese" which she says for pictures. Kitty (sometimes she calls just  “maow”), book, and birdie- which right now sounds more like “dow-dow” for some reason.  She is also working on “bear”, which she is getting pretty good at since Mr Bear is her favorite companion she takes with her to school.

 

 Yes, we started Emery in school. Another big change for us. Well, no-not really- but she does go to Miss Brenda’s house two days a week. She loves playing in the pink mini kitchen, creating her crafts like finger paintings and construction paper rainbows, and has met four new friends that all love her to pieces. Leaving her for the day was probably harder for mommy than it was Emery, but we are both adjusting and the much needed balance of work and play has been a blessing for everyone.

 

 

 

Her smiles, giggles, and even whines have all grown and each and every day I try to relish in her ever changing traits. Thinking back to this time last year, I am blown away at how fast it all has gone. I have been reminded recently just how short life really is, and that every minute we take for granted is a waste. Emery shows me every day how to see the little joys in life; how to forget about work, dishes and laundry for a second and truly enjoy the moment.  Every time she looks out her bedroom window her face lights up as if it is the first time she has seen the sunlight. A tiny plane in the sky spreads a wide eyed smile across her face as she points in wonder and awe. 

 

Tonight, as I tried to clean up the kitchen after dinner, she was crying and pulling on my legs. I don’t know why she was upset, I still don’t, but instead of getting frustrated, I sat down with her on the floor, and cuddled for a moment. She looked at me almost confused and then put her head on my arm. A couple minutes on the floor, and a few soft strokes on her back, she was ok. She looked up at me, still with tears in her eyes and smiled. She just needed a moment, and she reminded me that I did too.



There are so many things we take for granted every day. So many things we look past in our hurried, busy lives, that we miss many of the beautiful moments life is really about. I am so very thankful for this little ray of sunshine a midst a few gloomy weeks and the rainbow she has colored the last 18 months. She is my constant reminder to look up in the sky, take a moment, and see what we all look past much too often. She is my reminder that the dishes can wait, but a comforting moment, one we may never get back, can and will pass us right by if we let it.



Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about
learning to dance in the rain!



A Quick, Overdue, Update

As with most New Year’s Resolutions, mine (this blog and staying up-to-date with photos) has fallen by the wayside and I apologize if it has affected others just as much as it has me. It has been entirely too long since I have been on here and shared the joys of little Miss Emery with you all. I could blame it on the fact that there was about a month that went by that mama’s computer was in the “shop” for sudden needed repairs due to curious little hands, or the fact that The Meyer family has been out of town 3 out of the last 4 weekends, or even maybe try to blame it on the exhaustion caused by the immense heat wave that Las Vegas has entered, but instead I will take full responsibility and do my best to make it up by giving quick bits and pieces of the all the fun we have been having over the last few months.

Emery has really gotten adventurous (as if she wasn’t already) and is really putting the miles on her tiny little legs. We have tried to make the most out of the spring time weather the last few months, and good thing too, because the Vegas heat has already reared its ugly head and is sitting pretty consistently in the triple digits right now. We’ve fed the ducks at Sunset Park, had some good ol' fashion fun with the hose in the backyard, learned how to “drive a car”, helped daddy fix up the house, met the Easter bunny, and hunted for eggs. We took a road trip to Southern California for a visit with good friends, beloved family and to meet the one and only Mickey Mouse, a first for both Emery and Daddy. We then took a plane ride to Colorado for more family time and cooler weather, and mommy and daddy took a much needed, overdue, baby-free weekend getaway to the San Francisco area to celebrate a couple of good friends getting married.

 What a joy it has been to introduce Emery to so many new things, and watch as her face lights up with excitement and delight. We figured she might be a little young for Disneyland and were a bit hesitant on embarking in this adventure, but when we parked her stroller along Main Street to catch the Disneyland parade and watched as she bounced up and down dancing, pointing & clapping along to the music, we knew that it had been the right decision. She also enjoyed the Tea Cups and the Winnie the Pooh ride, but mommy was a bit sad that It’s A Small World was closed that day.  None the less, the half day experience was one that Matt & I will never forget and one that introduced Emery to the happiest place on earth. Huge thank you to Great Grandma Price for making that experience possible!!

As every day passes, we are constantly reminded at how quickly Emery is changing and how fast she picks things up.  She's been communicating with us for about 5 months now with a few signs such as "eat", "more", "all done", and recently "diaper" for a diaper change (hopefully a sign she's on her way to potty training ;-), BUT now her vocabulary is really starting to expand as well and has become a bit more than just baby banter. She is really getting the hang of dada and daddy, not so much with mama or mommy yet but is getting the hang of "duck" and "doggie", is great with “ball” and her most recent, most adorable word “ice”. So funny how cute an everyday word can be coming out of a one year old’s mouth. She tries so hard to say it and gives the cutest look when she does, “eye-shhh”. She knows it comes out of our water cups, or the freezer door, but also thinks it correlates to anything cold, or square, or a small snack even.  We are still working on trying to explain that each word has a meaning, but right now she is enjoying just being able to communicate with us!

 
 As she continues to grow and change on a daily basis, we reminisce about when she would just sit in her bouncer and look at us wide eyed with her big beautiful eyes and sweet little grin.   Now she is bringing us things she thinks we want (like rocks from outside) and claps at us when we are doing something silly. Her giggles are getting bigger and more adorable (if that’s possible) and when she blows you a kiss, gives you a high five, or runs into your arms for a hug, you can just feel your heart melt a little. Although being away for two nights (on our San Francisco getaway) was an incredible, and much needed break from the every days of raising a toddler, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious to get back to her to see that sassy smile.  I swear she grew while we were gone, and although when we first brought her home, we thought we had made a pact with her that she would always stay little… she seems to be throwing that to the wind and growing up before our very eyes. With fast little feet, a smile that’ll melt your heart, and a personality that is bigger than those blue eyes- she keeps us extremely busy and guessing at every turn, but does it with the sweetness that one would never trade.

TILL NEXT TIME.... (soon I promise!)

 

Sun, Sand, and SLIDES (An early start to Spring)

Las Vegas has completely disregarded Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of 6 more weeks of winter. On February 2 he declared he saw his shadow and that meant more cold, more chill, more low temperatures. Maybe for some, but for us here in Las Vegas it was quite the opposite actually.

 

I can’t remember having an “actual” winter day this year… we did reach freezing temperatures a couple days in December, but since then, we have been getting warmer, and warmer, and warmer. Emery’s birthday, February 25^th, was a bright and sunny day with a crystal blue sky and no need for a jacket or even long sleeves. Most people are loving the beautiful spring weather we have had the last month or so, and I have to agree that it is wonderful and makes enjoying the outdoors that much easier, however- I fear for the upcoming months and wonder, if we are already reaching temperatures in the 80s now, what will July and August feel like this summer?!

 

Well, instead of dwelling on the unknown of how excruciatingly hot it may or may not (but probably will) be, we have been doing our best to spend our days outside and take advantage of it while we have it. Emery is an outdoor girl for sure! She LOVES the fresh air and being in the sun. It has been so fun to watch her listen for new noises, like the birds chirping or the rumbling of the garbage truck rounding the corner.  We try to spend a couple hours outside every day walking around the yard, swinging on her swing set, or digging in the sand. She loves to play in the giant sand box that daddy built for her. OH and, her newest obsession is climbing up and going down slides. I was able to track down a “new-to-us” plastic climber set, and good thing too, because Emery LOVES it and boy does it keep her busy and wear her out (double bonus)! As soon as I got it put together she was trying to figure out how to climb up it. She loves being able to do it herself and when she gets to the top and stands up inside, she has the biggest smile on her face. Sometimes she gets so excited she squeals and cheers for herself!

 

She has learned the meaning of “sit down” and will do so when I tell her to before she goes down the slide. It still amazes me how quickly she is going from a baby who doesn’t know, to a toddler who understands and does it. I love being able to teach her knew things and watch as she absorbs the information and uses it the next go around. We worked on and practiced “sit down before you go down the slide” one day, and the next day she would climb up, stand up, walk to the top of the slide and sit down before going down- all by herself. Now, she doesn’t do it perfect every time of course, but for the most part, she gets it and is getting really good at it!!

We have also started getting better about getting out and interacting with other kids (and mamas too, which this mama is very happy about J). She is really liking her weekly playgroup filled with singing, reading and activities. We also go to a tumble class on Saturday mornings with Cousin Liam which is teaching her to jump, climb, grip, swing, and roll. Her favorite thing in gym class right now is the vertical ladder climb, although I am starting to see her trying to “practice” at home- climbing up and down things like couches, and daddy’s office chair. Oops! She also understands the “high bar”, and holds on with a death grip allowing her to swing like a monkey and even flip up and over the bar (with help from her teacher, Miss Lisa). What a treat it is to watch her pick and choose her favorites and see her get more comfortable with these things week after week.

Well, the last 6 weeks certainly weren’t filled with frigid temperatures or chilly storms for us, but they were filled with lots of sun, sand, and slides, as well as birthday parties and lots of friend playtime. Great Grandma Sellan had a Shirley Temple  birthday lunch on March 1st, and we celebrated Liam's 1st birthday March 9th in the sunshine and with Mickey ears on! With spring officially starting at the end of this week, I have to say that I am eager to continue to introduce Emery to all of the beauty and excitement that Mother Nature has to offer, and watch as she discovers new things day after day.

 

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
-- Margaret Atwood

(Quote found on Uncle John's Facebook page)



Great Grandma Fran's Birthday

Liam's Birthday Party

In our backyard

Time to swing!

 

 



Snuck outside with Dallas!
(through the doggie door)

At the Park

Big girl climbing up the stairs

Bye - Bye Baby!!

WHERE DID OUR BABY GO?

Last weekend we celebrated Emery’s 1^st Birthday. Her FIRST BIRTHDAY….. wow- how did that happen? I promised myself that I wouldn’t be that mom who constantly tells her children that “it seems like yesterday Daddy & I were bringing you home for the first time” buuuuuuut  it really does seem like yesterday!  Ok, maybe a few months ago, but not a year. A year already?!  When I say this out loud to other parents, mainly those who have grown children, their response to me is “Just wait, it won’t be long ‘til you are throwing her a sweet 16 party!” Noooo I don’t want to be there already… I want to hold my baby Emmy Bear forever and keep her tiny- with her tiny feet and tiny hands, her little voice and all the adorable babble she rattles off. I want the clothes to stop getting bigger, the hair to stop getting longer, and the pitter patter of little feet to stop getting louder.  Okay-okay, not really- but if it would slow down a little that would be GREAT! ;0)

No- but seriously, it was a few weeks ago that Em and I were at a little boys 1^st birthday party that I finally realized she really isn’t a baby anymore. Well, she will always be my “baby”, but this girl was walking around this party like she owned the place. She had her sippy cup in one hand and a pink plastic robot arm in the other (that was the theme of the party; robots) and she was on a mission to see how many people she could get to tell her how cute she was, and to conquer the step between the sliding glass door and the patio (which she did in about 2 tries). I watched her walk from the kitchen out to the patio where the other, bigger girls were playing with chalk, and thought to myself “where did my baby go?”

A few days later, while Matt and I were out shopping, I picked up a pack of baby hair ties to attempt for the ba-gillionth time to pull her ever growing hair out of her eyes. When we got home I took two hair ties and gave her pigtails. She reached back up to me looking for her sippy cup, and off she went with her cup in hand & pigtails bouncing on top of her head. That was it…that was the final straw…. no more baby- we officially have a real-life little person! She knows what she wants & where she wants to go, and she knows how to get there! 

Farewell 2013!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!! 

Whoa…. I cannot even begin to explain how quickly the last month flew by for us and I can hardly comprehend that we are waking up this morning to a new month and a new year! Good morning January 1, 2014, nice to meet you.

Our New Year’s Eve was certainly unlike any we had ever had before. We had a pizza party over at Grandma Chris’ house and left Emery with her so that mama and daddy could go out and have a wild and crazy night............. at home watching a movie and casually drinking a glass or two of wine. YEP- we were baby free and all we wanted to do was put an action movie on with no regard to how loud the speakers were turned up, open a bottle of wine and ring in the New Year when the clock struck midnight. Emery is off to a great start for the New Year as well, she slept a solid 10 hours at Grandma’s house with not so much as a peep.  Hopefully that is her New Year’s resolution! 

Let me back up a little and explain what led to the want and need of a little R&R for mama and daddy. December proved to be a very exciting one with lots of Christmas excitement. We trimmed the tree, strung the lights, carried out old and introduced new traditions, hosted family at the house, paid a visit to the Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick, baked cookies, opened presents, started walking, cut FIVE new teeth, grew an inch or so, and learned to get really good at waving hello and goodbye.  Ok, those last few were only Emery’s accomplishments, but we were there every step of the way- so it feels like we worked on and achieved them as well. J

Let’s start with the big one, YES- she started walking!! We knew it wouldn’t be long, as she had looked as though she was strong enough to do it for about a week or so, and finally one Sunday afternoon (December 15^th to be exact) she let go and took her first steps. I was in the middle of making her baby food for the week when I looked up and saw this little person in her baby blue footed pajamas, with her arms stretched out in front of her, cautiously balancing her wobbly legs as she took one step, and then another and then another. I stood in awe with my mouth literally opened as I watched her take 4 or 5 steps, and then gracious fall back down to her bum. She turned her head back to see me and we both smiled a large grin and applauded the big achievement. She was so excited, and I was even more so. I grabbed my phone and stood her back up and made her do it a few more times so I could capture it on video to show to daddy, who unfortunately had just stepped out to run to the store. Since that day though, Matt has been able to see many more steps as she keeps on practicing her new “trick”. She has gotten pretty darn good at it too! She is starting to pick up speed and has really figured out her balance and the grace of falling. Luckily we haven’t had many hard spills (knock on wood!).

It was a month jammed packed full of a babbling baby now on the move, lots of holiday fun, an overdue visit from the Meyers and many-many tireless nights as Emery worked on cutting 5 new teeth all at once.  Needless to say by the time midnight rolled around on the 31^st, Matt and I looked at each other, clinked our wine glasses, kissed a New Year’s kiss, and headed off to bed. It was the perfect way to end a very exciting year full of new beginnings, and lots of firsts. We woke up this morning without the usual New Year’s Day hangover, feeling refreshed and ready to start 2014 out right. Matt is finally able to focus 100% on his real estate business and has bid farewell to the Palms Casino shenanigans for good. I have made a pledge to myself to focus more on finding a better balance of motherhood, work, and time for myself. We even talked about the possibility of me reentering the workforce on a very part time, simply to allow a little more daddy/daughter time, and a change of scenery for this homebound mama. It’s tough to say what this year will bring, but one thing is for sure- it will be full of new adventures, and possibilities!

{ EMERY'S FIRST RECORDED STEPS ARE BELOW THE PICTURES. SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW VIDEO :) }