Friends, Snow, and Throw Up

Hello Friends!

We made it back from skiing all in one peice with only slight bumps and bruises! We were truly blessed by our time with the Smith family. Adam and I met on a mission trip to Nicaragua with our old pastor and friend Butch Smith so being back all together with his family was a little bit like old times. When I say BLESSED by them I am not exaggerating one bit. Jalie, the youngest of the clan, offered to change ALL diapers and Butch babysat each day while Adam and I had crazy fun on the mountain. We enjoyed Michelle's good cooking each night and then just hung out together in the living room and went to bed early out of sheer exhaustion!

One thing I am still not living down is when I told Josiah, "stop touching the electronics" as he was standing up trying to poke the TV. I thought this was perfectly normal as he doesn't know the word for TV yet, he might as well learn electronics. The whole Smith family, and Adam too, had a BIG laugh the rest of the trip over it. They are laughing now but who is going to be laughing when Josiah says electronics as his first word? Yea...I am going to be laughing and hollering with excitement when Josiah shows them up! But really, I'll take any word as his first word so we'll see:)

We drove home from Angel Fire Christmas Eve and it was beautiful with all the snow on the mountains. The stench from Josiah throwing up ALL over himself in his car seat made it a little bit less enjoyable but it makes good, smelly memories! I can't complain because little Josiah got sick in Texas, then got sick right when we got back to NM, and was just recovering while we were in Angel Fire. He was still his jovial little self but threw up almost every day for about two weeks. Fortunately, he hasn't thrown up since Christmas:) His Christmas night throw up was the worst as we were at a friends house and both Josiah and I had to borrow clothes to wear home.

Is this post about Christmas or throw up? I got confused for a second. Josiah's first Christmas sure was a special one. He didn't really care about the presents we helped him unwrap and he was more into biting the Bible as we read him the Christmas story then really understanding it, but I know each year his understanding of our Savior's birth will grow and grow! We had so much fun starting traditions even when he won't remember them! I really enjoyed getting to sleep in on Christmas as Adam was so good to me and got up with Josiah. I have a feeling sooner than I think we will be pounced on by Josiah in the early morning to get up and celebrate!

Enjoy the photos!

What Happened Yesterday

Hi, my name is Emily you may not know who I am because it has been so long since I have written a post.

Ya'll I have just been TOO busy having fun to write about it! I have been in Texas for a little over 3 weeks and just returned home a few days ago. During my trip I got to reunite with Jenny, Lindsee, and Claire over dinner and they got to flirt with Josiah...he LOVED it. The three of us are just a few of a group of girls that pretty much grew up together(for me it was since 3rd grade) at Cypress Bible Church. Jenny and Lindsee are just the best bloggers. When I am having a boring day or just need something to make me smile Jenny or Lindsee's blogs usually does the trick. Claire's blog unfortunately has been a little bit too much like mine...empty....love ya Claire! During our conversation my lack of blogging came up. I admitted I was just too overwhelmed with everything I wanted to write about. Jenn said, "just write about what happened yesterday". So that is exactly what I'm going to do:) This is for you Jenn:).

Yesterday I slept in! Sweet Adam got up at seven with the baby and I got some much needed rest. When I did get up we made pigs in a blanket and had coffee by the fire. It was perfectly relaxing and made me so happy to be HOME! After that we took Josiah to the Dr. as he has been fighting a cold for a few weeks now. It turns out the little baby had the beginnings of an earache. During Josiah's afternoon nap I drove frantically to Target to try to get something that matched Josiah's ADORABLE picture outfit. We were having a family picture done and I hadn't really thought about what we would wear until that day. Recently I cleaned out my closet and maybe I did a little too good of a job because my closet is very organized but there aren't many clothes in it:). I was a mad woman at Target running through the woman's section looking for something blue, white, and gray. I had a picture in my head of a long sweater dress that was dark gray with a thick long collar. I found nothing of the sort but settled for a blue sweater thing. It all worked out and I was FAST. At home I was able to get showered, hair fixed, and makeup on in 25 minutes. Can I have a cookie or something?

We haven't seen the photos yet but I am anxious to. Josiah was scared of the photographer and just had this look of confusion on his face most the time. The more the man made noises trying to get him to laugh the more serious he got. Oh well, he is still a cutie even without a smile.

Right now I am trying to write as fast as I can as I need to go pack my bags again. Tomorrow we leave to go skiing in Angel Fire with good friends....whoop! I just took out my ski stuff which I haven't worn since our honeymoon (almost two years ago). It is actually my mom's ski outfit from when she and my Dad were first married. It is at least 30 years old. You don't have to tell me I'm styling:) I promise photos in the next post.

Love and Hugs!

When Mom's Away...

The boys will play!!! Enjoy our adorable son!!!

Josiah Standing...



Josiah being SUPER excited (check out what happens right about the 1-minute mark)!!!



I miss you Emily and Josiah!!! Come home SOON!!! :-)

A Not So Scary Lion

Recap

Since we moved into our house we have been BUSY! I have so many things to fill ya'll in on I am slightly overwhelmed. That said, this post will be bullets to make this quick and easy.

*We have been PAINTING. Every single wall of our new house has been re-painted excluding the guest bedroom and guest bathroom. Those are the rooms I still have to paint. I know ya'll want photos. When it is finished (AKA pictures on the wall) I will do a before and after post. I don't see the point in doing a before and half way done post. So far, I love it but it is a lot of work.

*Tia Sarah came to visit last week. Tia means "Aunt" in Spanish. My brothers kids are bilingual and refer to us sister as "Tias" so it has stuck. Whenever I refer to Tia/Tia I mean Aunt/Uncle. We had so much fun with Tia Sarah. She got to see the famous Balloon Fiesta. The balloons literally fly over our house every morning. I know one day Josiah will really love it. We went to a balloon glow at dusk where all the special shape balloons were about 2 feet off the air and lit. It was beautiful. Again, Josiah wasn't that excited, but Tia Sarah and I got funnel cake! We also used the week to paint Josiah's room. Once I get his wall hangings up I will post a photo. Thanks for the help Sarah! It is so cute! Josiah loves and misses you!

* A few weekends ago I left Josiah (with his Daddy) for the first time for a weekend. I flew to San Antonio to see my old roommate Beth also known as "sweets" get MARRIED! I'm so glad I could make it. It was such a fun weekend! Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey!

* The week before I left Josiah got sick for the first time. He had a ear ache, a cold, and a yeast infection on his bottom from his constant diarrhea. It was SO SAD! Thankfully once he got some antibiotics he recovered quickly.

*We need to buy a lawn mower. We only have grass in the backyard but we haven't mowed it yet. It is VERY long.

*Josiah has hist first tooth coming in! He is also now eating a big array of fruits, vegetables, and yogurt. He has even learned to put his "puffs" in his mouth by himself.

*I love fall! Adam loves fall because it is pumpkin season. He has lovingly requested that he have a pumpkin dish every week from October through December. I have been behind so today I will make pumpkin muffins to start off fall in a belated fashion!

*Josiah is in the process of learning the word "NO" and boundaries. When he touches something he isn't supposed to he is told "NO" (in a stern, calm voice) and flicked on the hand. I was TERRIBLE at it at first. Terrible as in he wasn't learning the word "No" because he couldn't feel my flicks. But the past few days I have gotten much more serious after beginning the book To Train Up A Child by Michael and Debi Pearl. Josiah is actually learning. When I say "NO" he usually backs away from the dangerous object. I am so proud of him! I am also amazed with how early training begins. Literally from Josiah first days home he is being trained by my actions toward him as well as my responses whether or not I am conscientiously training him or not. I guess I just always assumed you had a few years before that began. Goodness, was I wrong. I really am loving every second of it though. I love watching him grow and develop and become more affectionate. My baby loves kisses. Is anyone surprised? That is one aspect I have definitely been training him in for quite a while:)

Okay...there is more but no one like to read super long posts. I'm off to work on the muffins. Feel free to leave pumpkin recipes if you want!

It Is About That Time...

Josiah is such a sweet baby. Really, sweet would be the FIRST word I would use to describe him. I know all moms say that, but really, my baby is SWEET. Now that everyone knows that.

It is about that time.

It is about that time when Josiah is big enough to explore everything. He is doing just that! He has been crawling for a while now but in the last few weeks he has turned into a speed demon. He goes all around the house. He used to follow me where I went but now he just goes off on his own. His new favorite things are the kitchen trashcans, any kind of cord, and then he still has his old favorites, the remote controls. The toilet would be his favorite but he has only experienced it one or two times as Adam and I learned quickly that the bathroom doors need to be SHUT at all times.

It can be exhausting at times but that is why God made babies so cute right? We are just learning how to baby proof everything and keep him out of trouble but that is pretty difficult as he looks for trouble.






All of these photos happened while I was cooking dinner and Josiah rolled out into the hallway for about thirty seconds. It took him thirty seconds for him to pull the box of pictures off the bench, unload the diaper bag, and find a pen to suck on. The first picture is of Josiah right after the fact in the kitchen so HAPPY about what he did. The towels on his lap are the kitchen towels. He loves to pull them down over and over again.

Let the good times begin.

What happens when he is walking???

Yay for Birthdays!

I owe a big thank you to my husband, my baby, my family, and all my great friends. As you know, my birthday was this last weekend. Getting older is not really a positive thing for most people. I can't say I love getting older (today I thought about buying under eye cream for WRINKLES), but I LOVE birthdays. That said, they keep getting better and better! My husband celebrated my birthday all week. I always joke about having a birthday month but really no one has ever celebrated it. But I can honestly say Adam did something special for me every day of the week leading up to my birthday. I can't forget about my momma either. She remembered my birthday week too as I started getting e-cards from her on Monday (love ya momma!). I don't know why I love birthdays so much, but I do!

Oh I remember why...cake! I love cake! Why not have cake all week? Actually, we were pretty good and didn't have cake all week but we did have Adam's home-made milkshakes. I'll take either:).

Okay, time to brag on the hubs. He planned the best day ever. Friday the 25Th started off by him getting up at seven with the baby and letting me SLEEP in. Oh bless my soul, it was marvelous. When I got up at NINE AM I came out to a table with flowers, home-made crepes with Nutella (delicious), and the computer out with my birthday video playing. I was so impressed!



After I had showered and we got Josiah ready we dropped him off with dear friends down the street the Wallaces. Adam then took me to see the movie Fame. Oh my gosh, it was AWESOME. I don't even know how I sat in my seat the whole time. I'm not going to lie, I did a little shaking it as we were leaving. That movie needs to be watched with an interactive audience so everybody can dance along while watching!

Then, we went to Sonic where I enjoyed a strawberry shake...yum yum. Then Adam got REALLY impressive. He then took me to a ballroom dance studio where we had a private dance lesson. When he pulled into the parking lot I just started crying I was so happy. We learned a bit of swing and rumba. I enjoyed every minute of it and we have another lesson next week!

We then picked up Josiah and Adam blind folded me and took me to the Olive Garden where a bunch of sweet friends were waiting! Then Missy Erin Goodman landed at the airport to come visit for the weekend. I had not seen that sweet girl since my wedding. We had so much catching up to do and finally time to do it! It was indeed such a sweet weekend.

I can't express enough how blessed I am by all the people in my life. I love all of you.

Also, September really is a great month as my sister Anna was born the day after me! Happy Birthday month to you Anna! I wish I could of been in Houston to celebrate with you. I love you and am so proud of you!

Happy 25th Birthday Emily!

I want you all out there in the blogoshpere to join me in celebrating the precious birth of my beautiful wife! Call her...e-mail her...facebook her...or leave a comment here on the blog - but let her know that how ABSOLUTELY AMAZING she is!!!

Emily...I know one thing...

I LOVE YOU!!!

California!

I'm going to begin by back tracking about three weeks. Adam, Josiah, and I all went to La Jolla, CA to stay at a beach house that my sister Stacy and her family rented for all of us. My whole immediate family was there. We had so much fun. Josiah just LOVED all the attention he got from Grandma, Grandpa, Tias (aunts), his Tios, and all his cousins. He was constantly entertained. My whole family got to spend time together eating, hanging out, and yes doing a little swimming in the COLD pacific ocean. Unfortunately, the sun really wasn't out much but we still got in the water. I have to say I LOVE the ocean. What I love more than swimming in the ocean is getting CRUSHED by the waves. I came home with bruises all over my body from the waves dragging me against the sand but I LOVED it! Josiah wasn't thrilled about the beach. He looked adorable with his little sun hat on but he didn't really like being confined to the towel. He didn't like the cold water when we put his toes in it and he puts everything in his mouth so he couldn't play in the sand. Oh well, maybe in a few years he will change his mind. We had a great vacation and were so blessed by all the family we saw. Not only was my family there but much of my extended family lives there. Every night we got to share dinner with precious faces we see too seldom. We also got In N Out Burger which was just AMAZING. I'm still thinking about it:) Enjoy the photos!

We Have Internet!

I have written at least five blogs in my head over the last few weeks. Since we began moving into our new house so many things have happened and we didn't have internet so I couldn't update the blog! You guys have been missing out on a lot! I will do my best to catch you up on all Josiah's cuteness!

Josiah got a hair cut!!! He is only 7 months and I wanted to wait at least a year but his hair was just too crazy.
I mean his hair looked like this when he was born. So he started off with more hair than many full size men:).



It got very cute as it grew long and curled and I sure did enjoy styling those curls.


No one can deny this baby had crazy style!



But then as he got crazy when he slept at night and lost most of the hair on the back of his head. At the same time this happened, his hair was still growing like crazy on the top and sides of his head. It didn't help that Josiah can not stop slobbering and also pulls his hair when tired or bored. So he would pull his hair in his face and it would stick to his slobbery cheeks. This is when we knew he needed a hair cut.



So we took Josiah to MopTops and his precious curls got cut!








And this is the result!





He is such a handsome little BOY! It doesn't help that the same time he got his boy haircut he started crawling EVERYWHERE, pulling himself up to a standing position, and eating in his big boy high chair.

Don't stay away long because I have lot more updates on the way!

Moving!

No more climbing three flights of stairs. No more carrying groceries, Josiah, and a diaper bag across a parking lot to get "home". No more taking Josiah's car seat in and out of the car. We have a HOUSE. Most importantly, we have a garage where the car can hold Josiah's car seat without it becoming scorchingly hot. We have closets. We have a whole closet just for linens.

Linens!

Can you believe houses have closets for linens? Right now in our apartment Josiah doesn't even have a closet because his closet is filled with boxes of Adam and I's books from college that take up the whole thing. Having a closet just for linens seems like indulgence at it's finest. But I'll take it!

I have big plans of cooking big meals in a kitchen with 4 counters! I plan on filling all 4 counters up with different food dishes. Who would of thought you could cook different things on different counters!?

I really can't complain. We have loved our little apartment. So many things have happened here in this apartment. We went from renting a two bedroom apartment so we could have a guest room to turning our guest room into a baby room. We became parents here. It has been nice to be in a small place where the trek to Josiah's room at night wasn't very long. I have tripped over many things in this living room as I have sleepily tried to run into Josiah's room. Just last week when I was packing for vacation I hopped out of bed in my sleep as Josiah was screaming (he had a burp) and I ended up tripping over the suitcase that was on the floor and falling INSIDE of it. I screamed and Adam came running to find me sprawled in the suitcase! It is those moment I won't forget about this apartment.

We have outgrown this apartment, but just this week truly realized it as Josiah is crawling. He began officially crawling a few days ago and must feel cramped trying to navigate around the boxes. A while back I was writing about a short sale house that we put an offer on. It is a really long story but that house fell through. I was sad at first but God has given us an even BETTER house at exactly the right time. I am too tired to write more. Adam and I have been painting, packing, cleaning and trying to keep Josiah happy while not getting into the paint or cleaning supplies:).

I am off to bed to dream about all the first we are going to have in this house. Josiah is going to walk, run, poop in the potty, etc. We are so excited! We are moving ourselves (with the help of great friends) and will spend our first night at "home" Saturday. If any of you want to visit, we have a guest room and would LOVE to practice some hospitality!

Option 8

This is option 8. This my best try at baby dreads. This one is dedicated to Daddy!

Happy Voting!

Hair Stylin

option 1

option 2

option 3

option 4

option 5


option 6

option 7


Everyone knows Josiah's hair is CRAZY! He was born that way. My sweet little baby was born with about two inches of hair that went EVERY direction. It has continued to grow and is always a topic for a good laugh. He rolls around like crazy when he sleeps and has lost most of his hair in the back. The result is that he has long hair on the top and sides of his head and then short hair in the back...poor baby. My Momma always asks me if I have brushed his hair. Yes, I brush Josiah's hair every day but it just doesn't matter. His hair goes in whatever direction it wants to. I know he needs a hair cut soon. Well, he has NEEDED a haircut since he was born but he will be getting one soon. I'm just not quite ready yet. In the mean time, vote for your favorite hairstyle! How many babies can wear different hair styles? This baby has so many crazy adorable options! Even though his hair is crazy, I wouldn't have it any other way! We love Josiah and his crazy head of hair!

Mommy Talk

I must share a recent NORMAL conversation I had with good friend Kelly. This is what a lot of my conversations sound like. Until it was pointed out, I didn't think it was the slightest bit odd at all. (This is a synopsis and is not exactly word for word as my memory is not that good)

Me: Kelly, is Derek's poop firm and formed like real poo or is it still soft?
Kelly: It is firmer but not hard.
Me: Did it suddenly change when he started eating cereals or did it take longer?
Kelly: Oh it definitely changes with the fiber of cereal. But it should be a bit gooey. It shouldn't be hard and they shouldn't have to make all sorts of noises to get it out.
Me: Hmmm...ever since Josiah began eating cereal I have been thinking he is constipated. He stopped pooping every day and it is formed like a normal person's poop. I think it should be more liquid-like. He does make some crazy sounds when he poops too.
Kelly: It is okay if he poops every other day or every 48 hours
Me: Hmm...I guess it has been every other day but it was just a baby poo that is why I thought he was constipated. And it was very formed, almost like play dough. He used to poop a lot more. I have been giving him prunes for his constipation but maybe he isn't even constipated. Maybe his poop is just changing and I am wanting his poo to stay like his baby poo and he is growing into big boy poo and I don't' know how to handle it.
Kelly: Emily, his poop is going to change and become more and more firm, like nuggets...it is going to happen.

(Josiah then had diarrhea for several days after I thought he was constipated as a result of his prunes)

I always knew I was a talker and could go on and on about most anything but poop??? Really??? Nothing is off limits anymore:)

A Half A Year!

Josiah is 6 months!
6 months!
I feel like that is so big! What am I going to do when he is 4, 8, or 10 YEARS old?
I don't know where the time has gone! I have to say I am enjoying this little blessing more and more each day. I love seeing his personality develop and getting to know him as a person with a unique personality more each day. He is getting happier and happier. My favorite attribute about him is that smile. When he smiles his big, toothless smile I think my heart really skips a beat. It just gets to me every time. If I were to describe his personality in one word it would be SWEET. He is just sweet, I don't know what else to say. He really has a gentle, sweet spirit and loves being loved. The words that would quickly follow sweet are crazy, wild, mobile, energetic, and restless. He has turned all boy! I have to be quick to get my momma snuggles in as he constantly just wants to MOVE. He can't crawl yet but he sure tries. When he is held he is constantly diving forward or backward (he wants to do a back bend) trying to move.

At six months these are Josiah's favorite things to do:

Rolling from the right or left to get wherever he wants
Flipping over backwards on the bobby when on the ground
Lifting up his play gym with his feet
Playing with his toes
Sitting up while holding himself on his hands
Attacking all his toys on his Baby Einstein
Laying on Momma and Daddy's bed and pushing pillows off his face with his feet
Laughing while being tickled
Being sang to
Doing the "airplane" with Mom or Dad
Nap time
Being read to
Putting any toy in him mouth and chewing on it
Drinking water from a real cup or just grabbing any cup he sees
Eating cereal, he can't get enough
Stealing the phone from Momma and putting it in his mouth