my child loves ben.

....Harper that is. Thankfully not Ben from the Bachelor. I hope that we did not give birth to anyone with that bad of taste. She has long been in bed by the time this trash (that i watch) comes on. Back to the real Ben. I was on the way home from running errands and E was quickly approaching nap time. This means she is not quite her cheerful self. Combine that with her growing dislike of the car seat and it makes for a less than serene ride home. She seemed happy with the radio until a dreaded commercial came on. Then she would voice her opinion. (which i largely agreed with ) I just hit the first CD in the player and naturally it was a good throw back from high school. A few seconds into "Walk Away" she was silent. As soon as it would go to the next song the tears would begin, so back to Ben we went. On repeat. All the way home. I'll take it E. I'm probably only looking at a few more months of adult music anyway :)

And here are some pictures of her adventures around the house today.... She was oh so proud of her new moves.

She made a bee line right to Rigg's picture

On the move...

You are officially crawling. Like doing the full on from one side of the room to the other. You had been so close but you finally figured out how to move your arms to make it work. I "asked" Chris why he put you down in the middle of the dogs toys. Guess what? He hadn't. You took it upon yourself to sit among the bones and other half-eaten toys. Oh i have some baby proofing to do this week. You also are pulling up on everything you can get your hands on. You find it much easier to get up than back down. Here comes the bruises :( We made a last minute trip to Florence this weekend to visit Nana. While there we stumbled upon a beautiful fact. You sleep amazingly in hotel bathrooms. Weird? Maybe. But it worked and it will happen again. We just have to be sure to get a room near the lobby. That way the lobby restroom is close and available if needed. The pack n play pretty much consumes the in room bathroom. We jacked your schedule all around with family visits and car rides but we had to wake you up both mornings. I knew I always liked hotels. I'm gone to start baby-proofing before I find you gnawing on a bone....

Mid-morning convo with her favorite dog

just good.

If you have kids you need to read this...

E is just starting to show her fun personality so we don't know if we have "fountain" days in our future. I'm sure there will at least be something similar. Either way the last three points in this article are rock solid.

On a side note we determined that E is not going to crawl, she is going to "Mowgli" as Chris calls it (referencing the Jungle Book). She gets up on her arms and then halfway stands where she forms a triangle with the floor. What ever works for you baby girl.
She is also less than interested in the sippy cup. It is nothing more than a glorified teether to her. She managed to get water out of it once and wasn't too impressed. Her new favorite habit is tearing the bumpers off of her crib when she wakes up from her nap. She will do all four sides and then sit in the middle with a huge grin on her face. Hilarious to walk in to. With the addition of this new habit we also had to lower the crib. Once the bumpers are out of her way she can grab hold and pull up. Also resulting in the same gummy grin :) I'm hoping we don't have an escape artist on our hands.

And now back to wasting time on this Bachelor. Goodnight!

Tag

A good friend of mine, Heather, tagged me in this little blog game.

The rules for tagging:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.


If i haven't already disclosed enough about myself in my confessions here are 11 more random facts :)

1. I sleep diagonal. Much to my husband's dismay. I've tried to correct it...apparently to no avail.
2. I love to shop. But it seems like when I actually have a free day or a gift card I can't find anything.
3. I am a horrible traveler. I love road trips but apparently are not very good at them. I like to be the one driving because it occupies me.
4. Chick fil a has my heart. Enough said.
5. Seafood, however has never been my favorite. I know its sad when you live on the coast but I just can't do it. Its a texture thing.
6. You know how they ask you in middle school to fill out what you want to be after you graduate college. I found mine the other week and I listed 1. Pediatrician 2. Dance teacher.....that's a normal combination right?... somehow I landed on Nurse.
7. I enjoy politics and generally tear up at a good version of Proud to be an American.
8. Ketchup belongs on almost anything.
9. I am finding listing 11 things much harder than I thought.
10. No matter how tired I am I get my second wind as soon as my head hits the pillow. The exceptions being pregnancy and Emerson's first 2 months. In both instances I am not even sure my body was aware that it was hitting the pillow.
11. If I could pick one of the happiest places to spend time it would be Clemson SC.


And to answer her 11...

1. Who was your first crush?
I believe his name was Glenn. Courtney would remember.

2. Where do you see yourself in five years? Be honest.
Hmm.. I am not good at these questions. Most likely with another kiddo in the mix :)

3. If you could travel to one country for a week, where would you go, and where would you want to stay?
Australia. Always wanted to go.


4. When are you happiest?
On a summer day spent at the beach house with family.


5. When was the last time you cried?
This morning at church. You need to read the amazing testimony from our friends.

6. Mountains or Beach?
Beach. (unless its our annual weekend in October then nothing is better than Blowing Rock)

7. If you had unlimited money, which store would you visit first?
I could do some damage in Pottery Barn.


8. What is your favorite quote or verse?
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9


9. If you could wake up tomorrow with a new talent, which would you choose?
Singing. Definitely not something I was blessed with.


10. If you could have any zoo animal as a pet, which would you choose?
I'm a big fan of elephants.


11. At your current stage of life, what is your ideal date?
A night out. Like a getaway with a nice dinner and lots and lots of sleep :)


That's all I've got. I'm being a bad blogger because my mind cannot think of 11 more questions to ask and this post has been sitting in my box for way too many days :)

airing it out...

It's Wednesday so you know what that means.....here they come:

-I took a body pump class on Monday and I still cannot walk. Pathetic.

-I am way too excited about the release of The Vow. I may be a married 26 year old mom but Channing Tatum gets me every time.

- I don't like squirrels. Like at all. There were entirely too many at Clemson and they were way too friendly. I know they seem like such harmless creatures but I picture all of them as flying and it scares me. One has recently found its way on to our screen porch. I remain safely locked behind closed doors.

-I get genuinely upset when my weekly shows are repeats. Seriously "Parenthood" again? My Tuesday night was lacking without you.

-I have not used an iron since we have been married. If you can't fluff it out in the dryer or steam it then I am not interested.

-We have absolutely no plans for this weekend and I could not be happier. Open weekends are few and far between and I cannot wait.

That's it guys. What are you airing out this week?

"know my heart...."

One of my best friends will sometimes preface her statements or stories with "know my heart when i say this...." It has become a running joke for us but I can't help but think about it every time I sit down to write. For those of you that know me you know that I am crazy in love with our sweet girl. For those of you that don't I hope my writings, my confessions, my attempt at an honest account of our day in and day out, never comes across as anything less. We are so thankful that we have been entrusted with her life. Not a day goes by that I don't thank the Lord that she is a healthy, happy (unless she is teething) :) and growing baby. I do not take for granted the fact that our minor obstacles pale in comparison to the struggles that some families face. She has blessed our life more than we could have imagined and brought us more joy than we ever thought possible.

That being said I am fleshly and selfish and sometimes (actually most times) extremely impatient. Motherhood magnifies these qualities. So when I write, those frustrations come through. And I'm ok with that, because I want to be honest. I want to show an accurate portrayal of our days. That means the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am grateful that in the grand scheme of things those frustrations are minor. That the good far outweighs the bad. That the cries only last for a minute (or 30). I am grateful that we serve a loving and forgiving God who covers me with grace. Who loves abundantly and mercifully. Who is teaching me, though sometimes through tears, to have a heart like His.

and last but not least I forgot to add E's 7 month pics to her post....as you can see she has found her monkey face :)

Carpe Diem....or not :)

A good friend of mine posted this link on my wall yesterday....She doesn't have kids yet, but how I wish I had this perspective before. I think most of us young moms can identify... I sure can. Check it out and then go relax, cut yourself some slack, and enjoy the WEEKEND!