4th of July

We had such a great week last week celebrating the 4th of July. On Wednesday, Emma and I drove to Bethany Beach for a pre-4th get-together with my cousins and other family I haven't seen in a long time. It is alway so great to be with family. Emma got to play with her second cousin Jack since he is a bit more mobile now, he's almost a year old!

Loves climbing around the Bethany Beach playground

Merry-go-round with Jack and Heidi

Tetherball with Grandpa

On Thursday, we went over to Brandon's parents to play in the pool and have a cook-out. All the things you're supposed to do on the 4th of July. Emma had such a great time in the pool, and even shocked us all when she decided she wanted to go off the diving board just like her cousin Brady!

Brady is getting so big!

Feeling like a big girl on the diving board

She did this all on her own, it's instinct.

Jumping into Dada's arms

Our beautiful niece, Sloane, who is almost 1!

Brandon told me that Brady is standing exactly how Matt used to in pictures.

Perfect light to capture the day.

My two little hams offered to sit on a bench so I could take their picture!

Overall it was a great week of celebration. Over the weekend Brandon and I got away to Holland, MI with Amanda and Charlie. It was so fun to take an adult weekend away and spend time with old friends.

Delinquent

Wow, I have been slacking in the blog department lately. I'm especially ashamed that I missed posting about Emma's 5 month birthday. I will post the shot that I took for her 5 month photo shoot this weekend. I have been so busy since I have started school again and also have started working full time again. I really miss Emma during the day, but it makes the time I get to see her when I get home at night that much more valuable. I have moved my workouts to before work, pushed my start time at work back an hour to accommodate, and many times I take a short lunch so I can leave early. I do all that to spend as much time with Emma as I can before she goes to bed. It's amazing what you will sacrifice for your kids, in my case it is sleep. I feel like there are never enough hours in the day, so it's all about prioritizing & time management. I am learning every day what is most important to me, and how to learn to make time for the people that matter. I am not perfect at it, but I am trying to figure it all out. Waking up early to hit the gym while my two favorite people are sleeping means that I get to spend three hours with my family when I get home from work before Emma goes to bed. That time is more precious to me than anything else in the world and so I will do whatever I can to protect it.

While it's been a sacrifice, I have found that I enjoy my runs before work. I love feeling like I am starting work energized and like I have already accomplished something that is meaningful to me. The longest distance I have run is 5 miles, and I am planning on running 6 this weekend with my sister since she is coming into town. I am looking forward to running outside, something I haven't done since before I was pregnant. I am also really looking forward to having a running buddy! Brandon and I used to run together all the time, but it is really hard for the both of us to get out there now. I can't wait to find a good jogging stroller on craigslist so the three of us can go for runs together this spring & summer.

For now, we are enjoying the indoors. I get the biggest smiles from Emma when I hold her in the air like Brandon is doing in the photo above. Still no giggles yet, but I am hoping to hear them soon! She is so close to laughing.

We are also embarking into the world of solid foods. So far all we have tried is rice cereal and she likes it way more than this initial photo of her trying it. She actually opens her mouth now and tries to help me guide the spoon to her mouth. Adorable. :)

This picture cracks me up, she looks like a sad puppy dog.

Goodnight all, thanks for reading!

Thankful

Today is my most favorite day of the year, Thanksgiving! It's not just my favorite holiday because of the food or my crazy family traditions, it's also my favorite because it encourages you to slow down and reflect on what you are thankful for. Too often I get caught up in the day to day, forgetting that I am beyond blessed. I recently heard a quote that really got me thinking about giving thanks:

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

That really got me thinking, how often am I thankful? And not just flippantly thankful, but truly from the bottom of my heart grateful for all the blessings in my life. So with that, here are just a handful of the things that I am thankful for this year.

1. The amazing gift of life and the birth of our beautiful baby girl Emma Grace. There is nothing more miraculous than human life, and I know that now more than ever. So many people struggle with infertility, or complications in pregnancy or birth and I am so grateful that we have a happy, healthy, beautiful little baby. I could go on and on but I'll stop there :)
2. Brandon getting a job as a character animator! I am so proud of how hard he has worked to get to this point and the sacrifices he has made along the way. Seriously, how many people can say that they get to do a job that they LOVE and have wanted to do for a long time? I am reminded of the quote, "If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life".
3. Along those lines, I am so grateful that the timing of this new job worked out in such a way that we don't have to be working retail this holiday season. I wanted to be able to enjoy Emma for her first holidays without having to go into work the next day and it's actually going to work out that way! Talk about God's perfect timing.
4. I'm so thankful that we have a place to live during our transitional period. Brandon's parents have graciously opened their home to allow us to stay with them as Brandon transitions to a new job and it was a huge blessing to not have to pay a lot of money for rent while I was staying home with Emma during the first couple months of her life.
5. Now, more than ever, I am thankful for family. I am so thankful that we get to go up to Bethany Beach today and enjoy the most fun Thanksgiving ever. I have a new outlook on my relationship with my mom after becoming a mom myself. I am so thankful for Brandon's family, for the fact that Emma has a cousin who is just a little older and a second cousin who is the same age. I am thankful that Brandon's family has remained close so that our children can grow up enjoying time with their cousins the same way we have both grown up with our cousins. I am thankful that I have a new brother, Ben, and that he an Trisha are beginning to build a life together. Family has taken center stage in my life this year, it's been amazing watching my parents become grandparents, and my grandma enjoying being a great-grandma (or GG as she as so aptly named herself).

I could go on and on, but I need to get Emma ready to go, hop in the shower, make another cup of coffee and head up to Bethany!