Emery is 17 months!

Little Miss Priss turned 17 months last week! My oh my how the time is FLYING by!!!

I haven't weighed or measured her but I think she has been going through a little growth spurt. She just seems taller lately and she has been wanting to EAT non-stop!However, these last few days she is getting rather picky! Guess we it is about time for that...
Still doesn't like to where BOWS! Boo!! Notice the picture above...she is pulling out the bow and and saying "noooooo" with her pursed lips! Ha! And then below pic...she proceeded to throw the bow onto the floor! Crazy girl. I can only get her to wear them occasionally....maybe when she gets older she will WANT to wear them....

Such a little ham!! She has a contagious little laugh that I LOVE to hear!! And it is so easy to get her laughing! She is quite the ticklish little girl!

Nothing much has changed in the last few weeks. We have been working on the body parts more and we are finding that her favorites to say and point to are her eyes, nose, and teeth. She especially loves to point to everyone elses while she is jamming her finger into your nose, mouth, or eyes. LOL

Really starting to love her books these days too! We have found her many times now crawled up in her chair or Max's chair looking at books!

New FAVORITE thing is Cedar Mont Kids Toddler Tunes...she will go over to the T.V. and point to it and say "T.B. mommie!" Then when you ask her do you want to watch toddler tunes..she quickly responds "Yes!" She gets so excited and laughs, stomps her feet and just dances around!! It is so stinking cute watching how excited she gets about things!

Saying more and more words...duck, dog, awpun (open), nose, eyes, tee (teeth), cup, jew (juice), ba (ball), nigh nigh (night, night), and many more. She is really starting to try and copy any words you say. I think her vocabulary has really expanded though in the last few weeks!

Loves to be outside!!! She will go to the door and cry to go out. We have been blessed with some crazy great winter weather lately so we have been playing outside a little. I know I am going to have one HAPPY girl once spring rolls around!! I definitely see spending most of our days out playing very soon!!

Still such a BUSY BUSY girl!! Gets into EVERYTHING and especially things she shouldn't get into!! Has figured out how to get into the pantry and loves to bring us anything she can get her hands on in it! LOL

So energetic and fun!! We are all really enjoying these days with our sweet little girl!!!

Lately

Seems like we haven't really been up to much lately...not much to post about. So I figured I would just group together the last two weeks....this first pic cracks me up! Max was sitting in the floor playing the Ipad and Emery ran and got her "fake" phone and starting texting away! Too funny!

Thursday..Jan 12 we went to Incredible Pizza with Nana. She met us for lunch during her lunch break from work. We had a great time of course! We ended up staying for quite some time after she left.
Max was playing on the "BIG" three pointer hoops and he was actually making some shots! I was shocked! Definitely a little all star on our hands!!

On Fri Jan 13th...we had a little playdate!!

My dear friend Candice had an eye appointment so I offered to watch her little kids Noah and Maggie! Max and Noah have such a great time playing together! Love how they get so tickled with each other!! They were running around calling each other brother the entire time....melts my heart....

Maggie and Emery are in school together too but they are at the "my" and "mine" stage of life so they don't really play together just yet...one day soon I am sure.

We really had such a great morning playing together!! I even got a little workout as all the kids wanted to "dunk" it a million times!!

I needed a break from lifting all the kids over and over so I said the word SNACK and they all went running to the kitchen! And let me tell you snack time was hilarious!! I got some video footage of Max and Noah talking about how when they grow up they are going to play for the NBA. They have some BIG dreams....

Then we had a few rounds of boxing before our friends headed home. The boys love boxing each other and they are actually pretty gentle. We have a rule no punching in the face!! They love to get each other down and punch each other in the bottom! LOL

After lunch...Emery PASSED out!! Such a fun day with friends!!! Max had some rest time and really needed a nap but I didn't give him one since he was spending the night with Grandmother and Granddaddy Lawson. I was worried he wouldn't go to sleep for them...however, I ended up getting him on my way home from Bunco that night because he wanted to come home and sleep in his bed. He didn't get to sleep until midnight!!

Proof my child...Emery...will eat ANYTHING!! She was very upset when I took this away from her too! I was giving Max a bath and she had crawled into the cabinet and was sitting in there chowing down on some soap! Seriously...she gets into everything!

Over the weekend (jan 14 and 15th) we really didn't do much of anything that I can remember. We did discover that Emery will sit for about 10 or 15 minutes if she is watching the Cedarmont kids Toddler Tunes!! Crazy but it is great for shower time. I can now actually take a shower without her playing in the toilet, tearing up toilet paper, or just getting into whatever she shouldn't....

On Monday Jan 16th (kids were out and Craig off for MLK)...I came home from work and slept while the Craig and kids drove to Pickwick for a small family get together at Pickwick Inn. Craig's parents rode with him to help with the kids. They had a great trip, visit, and lunch with his family! It was nice to wake up and spend some quality time with them on a Monday!

On Tuesday (jan 17th)the kids and I ran errands and I picked up some of the little clear girls rubber bands! Gave Emery her first ponytail and piggy tails!! She looked so cute and she actually left them in the entire time!! I just LOVE it!! That night I met up with some friends at OTB for a little "girls night out"! It was super fun to just be able to hang out with no interuptions :) Thanks Candice and Stephanie!! Can't wait to do it again sometime soon!

On Wed (jan 18th) I dropped the kids off at school and I headed to a dentist appointment. Then I came home with the little time I had left to do a few things around the house. That night we went to church and enjoyed some great worship time!

On Thursday (jan 19th) we had a busy day playing, running errands, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. I was non stop trying to get things in order since I was having oral surgery the next day. Then sadly we got news that Granddaddy Lawson was admitted to the hospital with a mild heart attack! He is doing well now...he did have surgery today (jan 24th) and things went really well! God is GOOD!!! We are so blessed that God showed him warning signs before he had a massive heart attack! We have been trying to visit and help in any way we can these past few days!

On Friday (jan 20th) I had oral surgery so Craig took off/worked from home so he could take care of the kids. I was out of commission pretty much most of the day hence why I got everything in order the day before. The surgery went well and I was able to go to work like planned for the weekend. The weekend through today (jan 24th) has really been kind of a blur. Max started getting sick (vomiting and diarrhea) on fri and that lasted in the early hours of the morning Sunday. We missed a birthday party on Sat as we didn't want to spread our germs. Craig did get up to the hospital to visit his dad on Sat but that was about all we did through the weekend. Can't really go anywhere when you got a sick one. Poor Max had a rough time. I am SOOO glad that he was back to himself Sunday night.

Like I said...nothing really special going on. Just trying to recoup and get better!! Max and myself for that matter. The kids had school on Monday so I slept a little and then tried to scrub the germs out of our house!! Today (jan 24th) Max had his 2nd dentist appointment. He did great even though he was scared out of his mind. He has seen my mouth with all the stitches from my oral surgery and he was scared that was going to happen to him. Thankfully the hygienist was so great with him and explained everything. He blew right through the appointment with smiles! We ran to Target after and got him a little "happy" and a few other things we needed. Then we headed home to just play and hang out! Got the good news that Granddaddy's surgery went well. What a BLESSING! And that leaves us with this moment...finally updating after almost two weeks of procrastinating. LOL

Max is 3 and a half!!!

Our little man actually turned 3 and a half the day after Christmas and like Emery's 16 month post this one is a little late too :) I am pretty sure Max hasn't change much in two weeks! LOL Anyways, I took these pictures the same night I did Emery's pics (jan 3rd) because Max wanted his pictures taken like her! I was all for it as it is few and far between that Max actually WANTS me to take his pictures.... He was hamming it up for these pictures too! I love that he can be so so silly at times yet be completely shy and reserved at other times (basically around large groups or anyone he doesn't know). So just know at you look at these pictures these all start with..."hey mom, take a picture of this!" and then let me see....giggle, giggle...."Mom, take a picture of this!"......

Max is weighing in at around 34 lbs and is just shy of 40 inches!!

He is wearing 3T in most things and starting to wear some 4T in tops. He needs adjustable waist in pants or some really tight elastic as he doesn't have much of a waist or booty to keep them up. He could probably still wear 2T but they are not long enough.

Shoe size...10 but all of his shoes are size 11 so he may actually be more like a 10 and a half. I need to get his foot measured.

He is COMPLETELY potty trained. Has been for some time but he doesn't even wear pull-ups at night anymore. I think he actually only had one accident in his pull-ups at night since we started the whole potty training thing back in the summer. So, I made the executive decision to stop wasting our money on them. He has been in underwear at night for about 3 weeks now! Such a BIG boy!! We are so PROUD of him!!
Still OBSESSED with Basketball and all sports really. He just tends to play Basketball more than any other sport. He is pretty good at it too. He is really learning how to dribble better and better. The new hoop we got him for Christmas is set at a little over 6 ft and he can make it with no problem! He is big into bowling, football, and boxing too! Those 4 sports are played everyday in the house in some way, shape, or form. He loves to tackle, punch, box, you name it a rough and tough little boy!!

Sleep routines...wakes up around 8-8:30 sometimes later depending on bedtime. No nap except on rare occasions were it just catches up with him or he gets woken up early by Emery. Bedtime is usually around 8:30. We do our normal bedtime routine brush teeth, a few books, prayers and snuggle time. Craig and I both or one of us lays with him and he is usually asleep in just a few minutes. However, so are we most nights...something I wouldn't trade for the world. I love that he wants us to lay with him and snuggle until he is fast asleep. I know this is only for a short time so I relish every minute of it!!

Favorite foods...well he doesn't like much. He likes breakfast foods (waffles, cinnamon toast sticks, cinnamon rolls, cereal bars, blueberry muffins, pancakes), most fruits, cucumbers and carrots with ranch dressing, green olives and pickles, goldfish, cheese dip (if I make it) and chips, plain noodles, bread, french fries, and fruit snacks. If I left something off it probably only some kind of carb that he likes...LOL He doesn't eat ANY meat still and I have a hard time getting him to eat a peanut butter sandwich! Good thing they make vitamins for kids...I am just saying!

Other things he loves...wii (ususally only sports games), Ipad learning games like ABC play, Starfall ABC, Math Umizoomi, puzzles, and of course sports games. He also likes watching u-tube videos of sports...monitored by me or Daddy of course. He loves to read books and do puzzles too! His newest thing is Trio blocks! We got those for him for Christmas and they were a hit! He loves making things with them!! Glad to find something other than the regular stuff we were doing.

He is EXTREMELY smart!! I really didn't realize it until recently when my sis-n-law (who is a teacher) informed me Max has a mathematical mind. He can count to 100 and of course knows all his numbers by sight. He is doing simple addition and subtraction already too! For example, when he plays basketball and he shoots he says I have 2 points...then he shoots again and he says I have 4 points and so on...then if he throws a 3 pointer, say he has 11 points he will say I have 14 points now! Honestly, he amazes me all the time with what he knows!! He of course has known his ABCs and letter recognition for awhile now but he is starting to recognize more sight words. I am sure if I had the time to work with him more he would probably be reading simple books. He knows how to tell time now so we can't really fool him anymore like when u say 5 more minutes and you really leave in 2....LOL

He is quite the little introvert around large groups of people and DOES NOT like to be the center of attention. He will act crazy and have fun if he is with a good buddy but if he doesn't know anyone he sometimes freaks out a little or just sits over to the side attached to me. He is quite the little talker if he knows you well and usually says some really funny stuff! I wish I would write down all the silly things he has said so I could remember...

He is my little snuggle cuddle bug!! I love that about him. He will sit in my lap for hours or lay with me. He is quick to give hugs and kisses still and I treasure it daily as I know that won't last forever either. He isn't one to be alone either. I try to give him "rest" time daily ever since he stopped naps and most of the time he wants me to lay with him or sit with him. However, recently I told him if he would just give Mommy 30 minutes of "me" time I would be a much better Mommy. So I find him watching the clock and when my 30 minutes is up here he comes looking for me. LOL Such a sweet little momma's boy!!

He is really starting to "play" with Emery these days! I love that he watches out for her and shares with her on "good" days. And everyone once in a while he gives her a hug or a kiss. Melts my heart because he has been very stubborn about sharing those sweet snuggles with his sister. Now though I find him running into her room when she wakes from nap to say hey...or crawl into the crib to play with her. Love it and I look forward to them enjoying each other more as they get older....well...I pray for that daily anyways! Don't get me wrong I know there will be fighting too as I have a big brother myself...

Some words to describe Max....loving, sweet, all boy, athletic, caring, sensitive, a little emotional (I think this comes with the 3 yr old territory), dramatic (again a 3 yr old thing...I hope), fun, talkative (only to family and friends) and just overall a tender hearted boy!

Max, we are truly BLESSED beyond measure to have you in our life!! I couldn't imagine a day without you sweet boy!! We love you sooooo much!!!

My lil helper!

Emery and I made some blueberry muffins while the boys were still snoozing this past Sat morning!

She has watched one to many times because she acted like a PRO! It was so cute how she wanted to help do everything! She even grabbed the egg and tried to knock it on the side of the bowl like I do to crack it! Smart girl!!
We had a few messes as she wanted to pour the oil and milk in by herself....Miss Independent!

But it was totally worth it and so much fun! Her first time "helping" mommy make breakfast!! Love me some Sat mornings and definitely some quality time with my lil princess!! Truly so blessed!

Great day outside!!

This past Friday the weather here was in the mid 60s around lunch time so we took FULL advantage and had a picnic lunch outside!!

We were having a grand ole time until Emery decided to choke on her apple...I must say it was a tad bit scary. She couldn't talk or breathe. I kind of freaked out for a minute and then adrenal kicked in. I threw her over my lap and gave her a good whack. Then she threw up apple onto the deck. Poor baby cried for a second and then wanted to EAT again! Seriously....nothing phases here some days!! I quickly tossed the rest apples even though she wanted them....and I am pretty sure I won't be giving her ANY for a LONG LONG time!
I had actually planned to go to the park today...have a picnic lunch and then play. However, Max got totally upset about going to the park. He will forever remember when we were at the park a while back and some little bully kid decided to be mean to him. I have no idea what the boy actually did...I just know it really upset him and he kept saying he wanted to leave because there were mean boys at this park. So sad...because he gets a little freaked out EVERY time I mention going to the park....

So...we ended up having a picnic lunch in our backyard instead...then we played in the backyard for a while. Then headed over to our neighbor's house (they were all away but they gave us permission to use their backyard/basketball goal whenever we would like...such sweet neighbors we have!!!)

We started off on the trampoline and stayed here playing tackle football, chase, and bounce bounce bounce for over an hour!!

We were just having so much fun...time slipped away from us!!Love these babies!!

A serious little kicker...I mean check out that pointed toe!

Emery just loved running around and bouncing off of the inclosures!! LOL

When I checked the time and realized it was 1:40 I decided we should probably head home. Max was so sad that we didn't get to play basketball yet so I let him take it to the hoop 10 times..with help of course. Max and I make granny shots together. He stands in front of me and I just help put some power behind the ball so it goes in and he gets to help too! It won't be long and he won't need my help..check out pic below that is ALL him and this hoop is 8 ft high!

Emery trying to stand in her little red car...I told you she will try and stand on ANYTHING!!!

Max wanted me to take this pic...and I just love it!! He looks so BIG!!!

Max wanted to take a picture with Emery and of course I was ALL for it! However, they were both so exhausted from playing outside for so long....still a cute pic though!We so ENJOYED our time outside today!! Looking forward to more warm days ahead!!