Five on Friday - Beach Edition

Today's Five on Friday is brought to you by my great desire to be on the beach again. I thought I would display my sadness to be away from the beach by showing my kids early morning reactions to being at the beach.
Actually I can't say being at the beach as much as just on the sand. And, I can't really say kids...really just Em.

Beach newbie. I snapped this pic before she realized the waves came at her and the sand went on forever.

A little later she figured it out ;)

Wait...not just her.

Later in the week.

I'm pretty sure this was the last beach day.

 More vacation pictures to come, with smiles :)

Five on Friday

[1] We took Jackson to his first Major League Baseball game! He is definitely still a little young but did have a lot of fun. 

[2] Legos at the Morton Arboretum. These displays looked so amazing. The hours that were put in  for each sculpture are insane. Jackson was very impressed with them and enjoyed seeing each one. My favorite was the bird bath with cardinals. 

[3] Emerson is 11 months!!

[4] I finally got my hair done! It was soooooo over due!

[5] With not much of summer (or Emerson's first year) left, I completed and ordered a photo album. Now for that scrap book...

Emerson Marie - 11 Months

11 months is one too many close to ONE!
Emerson has completely mastered crawling (quickly too) and is now trying to stand up on everything she can. She will not take steps with you though.

 One of the best parts of watching her growth is in her interaction with Jackson. Now she tries to mimic what he is doing and playing with and shows him Legos that she picks up.
Pointing and saying "wssdat" and shaking her head are fun new things too. She also has this strong dislike for being changed and is quite stubborn in her young years.

You are growing two fast little peanut!

Five on Friday

Saturday edition.

[1] Jackson completed the Read 1,000 books program through our library! In almost exactly ten months we recorded 1,000 books that were read to him. Now I know I missed writing many down, so I wonder how long it actually took. It was a joint effort by all family that watches him and it was an awesome reflection to flip back through the pages. I can pull out his phases of a favorite book, long stretches of me working, and long stretches of me home. 

[2] Em got her first tooth! It pushed through skin last Sunday! She unfortunately got sick this week also so she has not been in the best of moods. 

[3] Lots of snuggle time with Em. Due to number three she was in my arms more often than usual. The poor girl just wasn't comfy and we got lots of quality time. 

[4] Matt and I celebrated six years of marriage! We took a casual night out and then due to rain had to change our plans from mini golf to darts at a bar, but we still had a great time. 

[5] We are officially looking to move! Operation clean house is complete and now we have the daily challenge to keep it that way. 

Six Differences Six Years Later

In honor of our six year wedding anniversary this past Saturday, I wanted to reflect on six ways our lives have changed (hint: they almost all revolve around two things)

[1] Matt and I used to pick out decently elaborate meals to cook each month. We are talking about having to buy at least one new seasoning, some other random ingredient that we would use a tablespoon of and then the rest of the jar would go unused. We would bust out the food processor and the recipe would involve several steps. Now, when looking for new recipes it is all about less. How few ingredients, and how many do I already have, and how little time will it take. A bonus recipe is one that I do not have to actually stand at the stove for.

[2] Dinner used to be the two of us sitting down. Now, its usually in shifts and often standing around the counter. Feed Em while making food, feed J and myself, Matt comes home, reheat for him and Ill eat more too.

[3] Leaving on a whim....we used to do it. Now, just this weekend we left for the afternoon and evening and we packed four bags and needed an extra 15 minutes to double check if we missed anything.

[4] Making plans. From the start time of said plans to the type of beverages consumed and the average age level, all have considerably changed. 

[5] Evening dates have been replaced with evening walks to the park or maybe just a pajama walk. Then, if I can stay awake for evening TV watching after completing daily tasks, its more about watching the monitor or finally checking social media.

[6] The way we are woken up, especially on weekends, still involves an alarm clock but it is a matter of which one will it be; the three year old one or the 10 month old one. We still set our phone alarms, it would be nice if we could hear it go off once in a while.

Well, you may have guessed the two reasons I have hinted at ;)

These two reasons made it fun to reflect on the past. Life seems so different now...but so much better.