I Love The McIntyres

Happy 2012!!!

2012-01-16T12:50:00.003-05:00

I think the end of 2011 decided to cash in all at once... It made for a really rocky start to 2012. Bryce's eczema flared up so bad that it turned into a staph infection. Not pretty. A couple of creams and a week of time and he is soooo much better. I am fearing the revisit to the allergist, because I truly believe his allergies have just gotten worse, not better. All of the other New Year's issues are resolving themselves, we hope!

2012 also brought a ton of snow this past weekend! Thank Goodness. Ms. Priss (Emerson's current state of being) felt the snow was too cold... so thankfully it is in the 40's this morning and the snow still exists. We managed a few hours in it! Bryce napped, which was good cause Emerson might have buried him in the snow (her current feeling towards her brother).

Bryce's vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. By this age (18 months), Emerson was speaking in sentences and had a good fifty plus words. Bryce has a solid seven, but has now expanded to around 10 and picking ones up daily. It is true that boys and girls grasp things at different rates; I have the textbook case examples in my house!

On the flip side, he can disassemble and reassemble everything within a blink and he can climb up and down anything within sight! His fine motor skills are so far beyond hers, at 18 months, that he will have no issues riding the tricycle this summer and climbing the slide!

Eric has been super busy with work. Fox 8 named The Pot as the most romantic restaurant in Cleveland!

Riverside did not lay me off, yet. I kinda was hoping for it. I know, sick? Not really.

Christmas 2011: Round 3

2011-12-25T23:36:00.004-05:00

Christmas morning is finally the crime scene I imagined it to be. Emerson tore through the presents like it was her job. Only one rejected present (a male chef for her puppet theatre) and one sadly missed present (a Barbie car for her kids... Happy Birthday!). Bryce was just happy to take the scene in. He loved her dollhouse as much as she did (Emerson didn't get the magic thing about getting it down the chimney) and he adored his grill that Emerson got him. Although he didn't even open all his gifts he had a blast eating the leftovers from Santa!

Christmas 2011: Round 4

2011-12-25T17:30:00.002-05:00

Christmas afternoon we went to the Meme and Papa's. Emerson and Bryce received a mountain of clothes along with some sweet toys. Emerson got an iPod, which came with icarly pjs! Bryce was outfitted with Woody and Cars! Eric and Linda made an amazing meal and Emerson kicked butt at Apples to Apples!

The Tale of the North Face Jacket

2011-12-25T16:34:00.002-05:00

Maybe it should be saga. A few years ago Eric wanted a North Face jacket. Each year he said he was going to ask for one and one year I even thought about it (but Columbia works for me). This year he finally asked his parents.

Christmas afternoon we were all opening presents at his parents. Bryce had a mountain of clothes to go through. In amongst all of those outfits there was a size 2T North Face. Eric was miffed. Then I opened a North Face. He was even more miffed. Then we figured out that it wasn't my North Face, but his. I was cool with it. It was awesome to see the little kid frustration on his face believing that he didn't receive what he wanted, but instead his 17 month old son and wife had instead.

Bryce is adorable in it... don't you think?

Christmas 2011: Round 2

2011-12-24T23:40:00.003-05:00

Christmas Eve was at the Pope's and although Eric had to work late, we managed to have him present for the presents!!! Bryce was in the mood to tear through the paper and to sit and watch a little tv while eating his veggies (thrown out the attitude)! He loved the train with Papa Mickey and Emerson loves her OVEN!!! So excited to make half done brownies!!! We got Mike a chair for his dock... but everyone had to sit in it first!!!

Christmas 2011: Round 1

2011-12-24T07:48:00.000-05:00

We went to Granny Mac's Christmas Eve afternoon and Bryce was soooo excited to rip into that paper. Emerson tried to control her excitement, but it was almost unbearable for her. The kids had a great time opening their gifts and eating and jumping on Scott.

The day before I showed Emerson her black and white dress and she was over the moon. Very girly and poofy but classy. I told her she had to behave and then she could wear it on Christmas eve. She really listened... for a dress. Bryce had to rock the black and white too... although I feel as if he should come over and pimp my ride.

MacTivus 2011

2011-12-24T07:00:00.002-05:00

Evan's first MacTivus!!! Mel and Todd braved babyhood to bring Evan into the celebration, although Evan was not too keen on the sleeping at night part (for this evening at least). Eric made risotto, maybe, Mel brought awesome steaks and Emerson provided the "glass eyes", errrr, buckeyes. Bryce had a blast walking up and pointing to the baby, while Emerson kept calling him Baby Evan (whether it was the combination of Baby Jesus or just having another Baby in the house). We all got to talk to Josie, who pointed out the obvious (which none of us ironically noticed) that our firsts all have "E"s (Emerson, Ellie, Evan). She I expect that sometime next year Josie and Mel will be knocked up with a little Bryn or Ben.

So Random!

2011-12-21T08:15:00.002-05:00

Emerson has taken a slight liking to the Grinch. She has watched the cartoon and half of the Jim Carrey version, but I think she rather just dress up the stuffed version. She had a blast at her Holiday parties at school and loved Christmas cookie day. This month she went to another birthday party for her classmates (a double party at Build A Bear) and keeps talking about her 5th birthday party! I am getting a little scared on what she has up her sleeve!

Bryce is loving all of the decorations and lights. Every other sound out of his mouth is "oooo" or "aahhhhhh". His eczema is worse, but we can't tell if it is the allergies or the weather. It is a tough call since he is allergic to nuts, eggs, chicken, soy, shellfish, wheat, milk and wool! His milk and wheat are low enough we still give it to him, which could explain the increase on the eczema (the more you have of something the more you can become allergic to it). Oh well. So we keep him slathered in various creams and covered up and wait for spring to be retested! Through all of this itching the one thing he cannot live without is his frog. He uses it as a pacifier. It is super gross. I was it every day. It is still super gross.

Here is to a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We will be doing to crazy "visit everyone" over the next few days along with Mactivus! Then Emerson and I have a party in the works for New Years Eve... should involve a parade and fashion show!!!

Santa... Kris Kringle?

2011-12-20T16:43:00.003-05:00

Last week I was thinking about how we went to Higbee's for Christmas and ate lunch and then went up to the top floor to visit Santa in his amazingly cool workshop. I needed to find the modern day equivalent for Emerson and Bryce. So after looking online I pretty much had to hand it to Tower City's take on Who-ville meets The North Pole. It was amazingly creepy cool.

Emerson took a little while to warm up to the "cast" but once she did she got to create toys in different workshops. The best was the snow on the light table!!! Bryce didn't care much for any of it... till we got to the gift shop and tried on hats.

The best part... and I will need to add the pic later... was that Bryce wanted nothing to do with Santa so Eric sat in Santa's chair with Bryce and I was next to them and Santa sat on the floor with Emerson. Odd, but effective.

Evan's Baptism

2011-12-18T18:51:00.003-05:00

Eric, the Godfather, and Carrie, the Godmother, became official this Sunday when Evan was Baptized! It was cool. The kids didn't dig the Catholic mass... but that is to be expected by us Methodist heathens. There was a super sweet party after... at the pot... so it was super sweet! The last pic is of Bryce trying to be good. Slight failure. BUT Evan is freaking adorable!

Hambden Fire Department Christmas Party!!!

2011-12-17T18:55:00.004-05:00

The best part of the party? Emerson riding on the back of a TURTLE!!! It was super sweet! The worst part? The almost out of this world doll she received. When she opened it she was beyond polite. Then when we started to pack up to leave she voiced her real feelings. Needless to say, the doll has been donated to a deserving little girl and Emerson scored some Littlest Pet Shop animals.

My rebound tree.

2011-12-11T19:01:00.002-05:00

I found the perfect Christmas tree. I was super excited. They dragged it to the front to trim and wrap it. That is when the perfect tree became the ex-tree. It had a double trunk. The perfect tree was so stinkin perfect cause it was actually two trees. It just wouldn't fit in our stand and Eric is too stubborn to get a new pin stand so... Eric picked out our rebound tree. It is fine. Pretty standard. Normal trunk.

We are Thankful!

2011-11-28T16:37:00.002-05:00

Emerson and I made a thankful tree with leaves containing all of the things she is thankful for. She listed every name she could think of, some she wrote while others she dictated. I added a leaf for beer.

Bryce loved Thanksgiving. An endless supply of people to entertain him and a smorgasbord of allergen free food to eat from! It was a little tricky, but him was able to eat everything... except for Granny's potatoes!

Emerson enjoyed playing her I Spy games with everyone and it was a pretty sweet day!

Shitty Arse Job Update...

2011-11-23T08:21:00.002-05:00

I wish I could really state what I think of our district, to their faces, but I rather take my paychecks and do my job and just pretend things are GREAT! Weeks have passed since the school districts failure of a almost 6 mil levy and they still have yet to make any decisions as to what to cut next year. They need to make 3.1 million dollars worth of cuts and the freaking geniuses didn't have a plan B for after the levy. Brilliant. They are going to change extra-curriculars but aren't sure if they are going to cut them or make them sulfa sustaining. They are going to cut teachers, but they aren't sure how many or from where. They are going to mess with bussing again, but they aren't sure how. They talk about privatizing the classified staff... changing the lighting systems... hiring someone to tell us the lights need to be turned off... closing the buildings at 3 PM to everyone... but they have no plan. When Mentor cut me they at least had a plan. I knew by Thanksgiving that I needed to find another job. Heck, I was offered one by Madison midyear to go back to them in January... but I stuck with Mentor for the year and then was traded to Riverside. Truth... literally traded. It all worked out. I came over to the land of beavers (seriously, look above) and Mentor has since received three plus administrators from us!

I digress. But seriously... .Riverside, get your shit together.

Oh! The picture of the staff is from our Staff/ Senior volleyball turkey ball game! Staff won... kinda... and they looked so good thought I would share that some good things can continue while we all sit here waiting!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T06:54:00.000-04:00

Emerson the Witch and Bryce the Bee had an amazing Halloween. On the other hand, Jaime the Mom and Eric the Dad were chasing Jager the dog through the entire neighborhood for over an hour. Damn dog. Oh well! Bryce was the official candy passer outer and Emerson had uncle Bryan and Uncle Mike taking her all of the place to get candy!

Happy Birthday Old Man!

2011-10-27T08:18:00.002-04:00

Emerson helped me bake a cake for Eric's 35th. She is getting much better at making things "pretty" and not just throwing things onto of frosting! I did the 35 but she tackled everything else. Emerson also managed to scavenge the house for items to "give" Eric. He ended up with some Star Wars pillow cases and a sweet Uno game.

Can't find Squire's Castle???

2011-10-20T18:57:00.001-04:00

After we gave up Bryce decided to bond with a tree.

Wanna go to Squire's Castle???

2011-10-20T18:52:00.000-04:00

Since Emerson is still lovin' the princesses I thought taking her to a castle might be fun. Although Squire's isn't a "castle" it is a 'castle'... so we began the journey. My mistake, they were paving the park roads when we went. So instead of just say "Let's come back another day", I said "Let us try to get there through the woods". Big mistake. What a fool I was. 1.5 miles later we still were not there and the sun was way below the trees. Bryce was a little frozen, Emerson was seriously tired and I got a few good pictures!

Random Night at the McIntyres...

2011-10-19T19:00:00.002-04:00

So... Creepy... Haunted Hayride 2011

2011-10-14T19:30:00.000-04:00

When I worked at Mentor the kids would volunteer to work at the Farm Parks Haunted Hayrides constructing sets and acting in the scenes. I didn't have kids then and thought the process was a little "sloppy" for my taste. Yet, now that I have two kids and have visited the scene... I get it. Emerson, Sleeping Beauty, and Bryce, the bee, had a blast. A little windy and a little cold, they enjoyed the wagon trip (seeing Angry Birds and Justin Beaver...) and the graveyards and spooky haunted houses. The swing sets helped out and the lemonade was amazing!

Last of the pretty days...

2011-10-10T07:37:00.003-04:00

We went over to Nan's to check on her foot and took a couple pics in her backyard... too bad the battery pack died right after the 5th picture! Dang it.

Bryce is looking seriously old in the first picture. Since we found out the poor kid is allergic to nuts, soy, chicken, eggs, shellfish and even milk and wheat, his diet has been limited. We still give him milk and wheat, because we would have little options without. He has lost a little weight, but that is also from the amazing growth spurt that just occurred . He has also been so much more mobile. Walking is taking over the crawling and he gets so excited to crawl onto things! It is cute to see him on the couch or the chair... not so cute to find him standing on top of the table... yep... he did that.

Emerson is loving school and music class while the verdict is still out on dance. I think she is frustrated because it is more instruction and learning to be a student than actual dance. It will come, but she also knows that she must complete the entire year. There is no quitting! She has also just had one major growth spurt. All of her pants have turned into floods and she has just started getting "headaches". I remember getting them when I was growing... poor girl!

It was a perfect day for a quick trip to the...

2011-10-05T13:56:00.003-04:00

ZOO! Today we managed to get to the zoo without rain, falling, crying, arguing... though, yet again, I took the wrong way. These things happen.

Emerson wanted to see the butterfly house. I didn't think to tell her before we got there that it was the wrong time of year for butterflies. Oops. Bryce wanted to eat everything in his path. I am glad we brought extra snacks!

The best part was that it wasn't crowded and the kids enjoyed it more than any other time. They were able to go into the petting zoo, play on the swings and slides and run around.

This was also the first day that Emerson showed off her new hair cut. The other night she was taking way too long in the bathroom and as soon as I opened the door I found out why. She was cutting her own hair. With that and not wanting to let us do anything to it... we are at a wedged bob. Adorable and makes her look a few years older... oh well.

Farmer Emerson...

2011-10-02T14:03:00.002-04:00

Who needs an over priced trip to Patterson's if you have Papa Mickey's pumpkin patch. They hauled in a ton of pumpkins and gourds and squash but sadly only had three rows of corn. Somehow three rows is enough for a four year old to create a maze and have one darn good time. Emerson helped load the gator a few different times with pumpkins and other fresh goods and insisted we cut some cornstalks for Nanny's house!

4 Year Old Preschool!

2011-09-04T03:05:00.002-04:00

Emerson was soooo excited to go back to school this year. At first she was upset that she had different teachers, but she is now in love with Mrs. Newman and Mrs. Kessler. Side note... When we picked her preschool I had a couple of reasons for it. First, it has a Methodist affiliation. Secondly, it is completely old school. No computers in class; the kids actually play with toys. It has structure and it is just a preschool, not a daycare. And lastly, because of Mrs. Newman. When I was in high school I was good friends with her daughter Liz and I remember going over to there house and how she was soooo sweet and sooo put together. Both of her children are outrageously brilliant in their own right and I felt as if that speaks volumes for her.

Emerson decided she wanted to wear the same dress she wore for the last day of 3 year old preschool... which made me laugh. She is excited that Hanna and Olivia are in her class, but misses all of her other friends. The class is very boy heavy and she is still meeting all of them! I have been filling her in on some, knowing their parents, but she has taken to another Alex, since his name is Alex (her boyfriend from last year was another Alex).

Here is to a year filled with fun... learning how to zip the coat, write the last name, counting to 100 and everything else!

Dance, Dance Baby!

2011-09-03T03:16:00.002-04:00

Since she was two, Emerson has been wanting to take dance. After her arts camp, I knew it was time. She is enrolled in ballet/ tap for the year. Every saturday morning, for an hour, her and around ten other little girls file into Ms. Hannah's dance studio. It is awesome to watch. All that pink and black.

After the first class Emerson proclaimed that it was wonderful. Though as she came out, and all the other girls' tap shoes were clicking, she was still in her ballet shoes. I asked her why she didn't put on her taps and she looked at me with a seriously angry face and told me it was because I didn't put them in the bag. I unzipped the bottom of the bag and showed her where they were and she laughed. Everyday for the next week she let me know that she would remember that they were in the bottom.

I would like to state that I did not tell her to pose like this. In fact, it makes me laugh. This was right before her we left for her first class and I grabbed the camera to document the brand new Capezio leo and tights.

Back to School and Daddy Daycare...

2011-09-01T03:28:00.004-04:00

Reluctantly, I went back to school this year. I know that part of me missed it, but I also felt a commitment to go back. (As time passes now I think I have adopted the concept of thinking up ways to get fired... that aren't illegal.) I like a lot of it, but I hate the politics, waste and misuse of education.

I have a hard time telling people to vote for a levy that many cannot afford to pay for. School funding sucks and I don't think it should fall completely onto the shoulders of the district residents. I get the whole "free and blah blah education" that was started so many years ago... but as time moves, so should the faulty traditions we hold onto.

I know that the educational system is a waste hole for money. Even districts that are thin to begin with need to revamp how they handle things in order to cut spending. Why, in this day and age, would we still mail home report cards? Why do we continue to purchase books when many schools make the student purchase the paperback books from the store? And why do people think if your only saving a hundred dollars here or a thousand dollars there that it isn't enough to justify the change.

As to the misuse... there are plenty of teachers who are space wasters. They are taking up a space on the payroll and not delivering as they should to the kids. They are the ones who are more worried about their salaries and the levy passing then trying to find a way to get to the kids in their classroom. If you are a selfish individual, teaching is not for you. Get up and get out and find someone fresh outta college, or wanting to return to the classroom or wanting to make the classroom their new home.

I digress.

So since Eric will not let Bryce go to Ridgepointe and I will not let someone other than our family watch him in our home... Eric is playing Daddy Daycare during the day and then I pick up after school and take the weekends. It is good in some ways, but to be honest it sucks.

Every year someone asks me why I don't have my masters yet (I am in a very small minority with this). My answer has always been I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up... so I haven't taken the time. I think I now need to find out what I am going to do when I grow up...

Gnomey, Where are you?

2011-08-12T19:22:00.000-04:00

The irony to this post is that I don't have a single Gnome pic to put up.

Holden has a Gnome Fest (so to speak) going on and Jess, Mason, Emerson and Bryce and I went to find them! We found most of them, with Emerson's fav's being the John Lennon inspired one and one that looked like the clouds. It was a sweet day, with Bryce actually using his stroller to sleep in, Emerson breaking a Gnome and all of us being eaten by the bugs... in-between rain showers... but it really was sweet. The sky looked like a fall day and the air felt like spring. Emerson loved every bit of it, especially being with Jess. Dang she likes that girl.

T-Ball!!!

2011-08-10T19:18:00.003-04:00

So last spring I thought about signing Emerson up for t-ball, but I thought four sounded really young. I looked into it and we were going to be gone on vacay the last week of it through the local rec. I then noticed that the outdoor Y had a fall camp for t-ball. So... I signed Emerson up and on the application checked that we might be interested in helping out.

Fast forward to a few days before the first night of practice and Eric received a phone call from the coordinator. After five minutes he became Emerson's coach and Guy became a helper.

After the first practice Eric was exhausted and Emerson was in love with it. So... every Wednesday night through September daddy and daughter get to go play ball.

Fine Arts Camp!

2011-08-05T19:09:00.003-04:00

Dancing with the scarf during her performance!

Bryce watching the performance!

Emerson loves to sing and dance. She will spend forever in her room with the mic stand or in the living room dancing to gaga. Bryce loves it too. He will impersonate every sound and movement that Emerson creates. He follows her pitch and tone so closely that you cannot tell them apart. He will stick the mic in his mouth and bop up and down to the sound of his own voice.

So since Emerson has a profound love for performing... haha... we enrolled her in a week long art, music and dance camp at Willoughby Fine Arts. The kids spent time in all three classes each day. At the end of the week all of the kids performed and had a stack of artwork to take home. We have already framed a ton and passed a ton onto the grandparents and Uncle Mike. She adored it so much that at the end of the week I signed her up for ballet and tap for this school year. Every saturday morning she will be spending an hour with Miss Hannah and a whole bunch of four, five and six year olds.

I am really excited for her because I remember taking ballet at the little blue house in Chardon. I even remember my ballet box and wearing the tights and leo out in the snow! I am happy she wants to do this, because I would never have thought to lead this horse to that water... but she found it herself!

So as July is almost over...

2011-07-27T13:51:00.003-04:00

I hate that this summer is running out of steam. I still think about just throwing in the towel and quitting RHS to stay at home so we can have an eternal summer (except for when it is snowing... but we could just turn on some music and fill the baby pool in the basement?).

Over the past few weeks Bryce has turned up his skills. He now can point to the dog and say Jager and he has put together Hi and other words to form mini sentences. He has learned how to climb up his climber and slide down on his own and he has ditched the bottle and is loving his new sippy cups. He still is a manic crawler, but he has moments of stretching where he almost lets go and steps off... and then he drops to the ground and crawls.

He has had three mini haircuts over the past few weeks and we are now to the point were I have him looking like a little boy... not girl... or Amish boy... but a little boy with amazingly good hair (it has amazing body and a bit of a wave so it falls perfectly).

At his one year appointment he weighed in at 23.12 pounds and was 32.5 inches tall. So that brings him into the 99% in height and 75% in weight. Just as his sister was.

Emerson has been very active with being a big sister and playing outside. She is awesome on her bike and loves playing in the pool. Although still a little afraid of going underwater, she is building her confidence and working on actually swimming!

I have not posted pictures lately because we are having computer issues. I am doing most of these posts from my ipad... since the desktop mac died. I am working on that and hope to have pictures up soon!

Hot Dog Hot Dog!!!

2011-07-10T13:43:00.003-04:00

Mickey Mouse is the only character that catches Bryce's attention, so with that we decided to have a Mickey Hot Dog Birthday. I probably shoulda focused on balls or cars, his true loves, but Emerson insisted we do Mickey.

The day before the party Eric, Emerson and I made a ton of cupcakes, cakepops (that looked like mice) and a smash cake for Bryce. Emerson had a hard time staring at the display in the dining room, because she wanted to eat all of it!

We were extremely lucky to have had excellent weather and a great number of family members in attendance. It was so nice to be able to see the kids (cousins) playing in the pool (finally working!) and in the yard. They all played so well together!

Bryce was loving all the people and getting to play with the adults, until he was presented with his cake. He must have had a flashback to his actual birthday and one again touched the flame and began crying. After a brief delay and a regrouping he LOVED his cake (first time he had any)!

We had promised everyone that we would take pictures of him opening the presents, but to be honest he had no interest in opening anything. Emerson ended up opening most of the presents and he enjoyed playing with them. He loves all of his cars and balls and Mickey items and I love the clothes... cause he is constantly out growing everything (or ruining it).

Happy First Birthday Mr. Bryce!

2011-07-07T13:28:00.003-04:00

For Bryce's first birthday (the actual day) we hung out around home. After vacationing in Hilton Head for a week, we decided to get a quick set pool (thanks Jess) and have spent the better part of this week working on it. After the first set up we had to drain it and today was spent leveling and digging and figuring out how to get it to work. Hopefully by the weekend we will be in business.

Bryce celebrated with a donut instead of the cake, which we will save for his actual party. The sad part was that he decided to play with the fire and got burned. Bad call on our part... I think we may have crippled his love of the experience. Good thing is that he won't remember it for next year!

This year has flown by so quickly that I feel kinda foggy about all of the experiences. Bryce has proved to be an amazing baby and I am hoping that transfers to toddler. He is using words (mama, dada, hi) and shakes his head no when he doesn't want something. His crawling skills have allowed him to ignore the need to walk, but he is cruising really well. He has mastered crawling in and out of the house, so he can play on the porch and even manages to crawl down the deck to go into the backyard. Bryce loves to swing and thinks it is hysterical to go down the slide. We got him a climber to keep inside so he could burn off some energy (along with Emerson) and he has just started to learn how to get up the steps... although he can race up the steps in the house! We ditched the formula and he is loving the milk... hopefully in the next few weeks we will be able to ditch the bottles!

The Zoo... Part Two

2011-07-02T16:42:00.002-04:00

So the Zoo is two for two. The first attempt was a wash and this past one was a flop, literally. Emerson sat down on a bench, leaned back and fell through. She cracked her head on the concrete and I carried her back to the gate to get an ice pack. We were only there for a little over an hour and the highlight to that point was her trip on the train. A quick ice cream cone made it a little better and then we left. Hopefully the third trip pans out better for all!

Athens!

2011-06-27T16:46:00.002-04:00

We made a slight detour on the way home so we could go to Athens for the day. Who woulda thought that there were no rooms in the city... except for the creepy one we landed at the Super 8. The next day it rained... and rained... but we went around to a few places and managed to score a ton of cool OU stuff, a little Bagel Street and a few cute pics!!

Savannah!

2011-06-25T16:51:00.003-04:00

I love Savannah. I don't love Savannah at 108 degrees. We were fine at the squares, but once we made it to the river we were all melting... big time. Melting physically and mentally. Ice Cream helped, but the air conditioner in the car helped a heck of a lot more. The cool part was that Emerson loved the lion statue just as much as she did two years ago!

Hilton Head: The Pool.

2011-06-24T16:37:00.002-04:00

Emerson loved the pool! I mean loved. She picked it over the beach, basically because she could actually play in the pool without the waves crashing on her. She even made a friend the last day and enjoyed throwing Prince Phillip in to dive after! Bryce thought it was cool that he could float on his own and loved being dragged back and forth by all of us.

Hilton Head: Out to Eat!

2011-06-22T16:27:00.003-04:00

Except for the fly incident of one place, we had a few great meals. The kids were awesome and the service was really good. Bryce was so excited to sit in a highchair at the table... which was a first and Emerson could not get enough Shirley Temples. The before and after of the meals was just as funny, since Emerson opted to dress up for everyone and Bryce decided to attempt to "steal" his first football from the Salty Dog. Crazy Kids!

Hilton Head: The Beach

2011-06-21T16:22:00.000-04:00

We were smart this time and brought a pop up tent. Solved the space issue and allowed for naps and a spot to park the stroller. Bryce loved the water and sand... he loved crawling toward the water and eating the sand! Emerson had more confidence with the water and enjoyed jumping waves and playing with naked Sleeping Beauty. Emerson was in charge of designing the

castle... hence the snowman in the middle!

Hilton Head: The condo

2011-06-20T16:10:00.002-04:00

This condo was the best we stayed in... ever! It was on the first floor corner, overlooking the beach and the pools. Most of it had been redone recently and the bathrooms made is drool! Bryce loved having complete freedom of the space and mastered opening the door to the patio (which was completely safe with an amazing railing). Emerson insisted that Bryce sleep in her room, which was cool cause it actually worked. It was amazing and I miss it!

Oh Cake Pops.

2011-06-12T16:08:00.000-04:00

Something so simple could not prove to be more difficult for me. I see all of these cake pops everyone is making and for some odd ball reason I cannot get even halfway to their level. Mine are lumpy and the chocolate clumps. Boo and blah for me. At least they taste awesome!

We bought a membership to the zoo...

2011-06-11T16:05:00.003-04:00

And the first time we used it we were there less than 45 minutes and got caught in a horrible downpour... with lightening... and were so soaked that our clothes were stuck to our bodies, we had to turn the heat on in the car and Emerson asked that we never go back. Yep. Stellar day. On the flip side, Emerson got to feed the giraffe!

11 months down... Please let this one last a long time!

2011-06-07T20:07:00.002-04:00

I am in denial. I do not want Bryce to be one. I want him to be a baby forever, or at least a longer time than one year. The other day I looked at him and realized that he is more toddler than baby. This month he has shown his confidence with pulling up and cruising around the living room... no actual free steps yet, but a good amount of switching positions to get around. He has come to understand that he must find a way down after he gets up, though it often ends in a crying spell. We have come to learn that if we divert from the nap schedule he will divert from his good baby attitude. Emerson was so whatever with everything, it still shocks me that we have a solid schedule baby. Waving, high fives and pointing are all in the mix now, as well as wanting to do everything Emerson does. This has caused the first bit of jealousy/ anger in Emerson for she doesn't like the sharing thing. She believes that what is hers is hers and what is Bryce's is hers. She is four, after all. This past month I was forced into cutting Bryce some bangs because the Bieber hair was too much, though what is left is curling up in the back. He is going to have awesome hair! We attempted twice to get pictures taken, but between a black eye and a sleepless night, we will be attempting it for a third time soon! Next week we leave for Hilton Head, which will be awesome! Emerson is way excited for the beach and for her swimming lessons and then her arts camp in August. We have also discovered she is pretty good with a bat, so she will be taking tball this fall (kinda cool that they offer a fall section!) so she can work on her skills! By this time next month I expect that we will have a walking toddler and a swimming preschooler!

There are no words...

2011-06-06T16:02:00.002-04:00

Emerson saw someone on tv performing on the "silks" or whatever the ribbon type flying thingy is... and she demanded we recreate it with her dolls. Example above.

Slip 'n Slide!

2011-06-02T15:56:00.000-04:00

Emerson got a slip and slide for her birthday and we finally were able to crack it outta the box. After living her for more than seven years we have discovered that our front yard is perfect for slipping and sliding. There is just enough of a downward slope that it is perfect for a safe but effective slide. Adding the soap just enhanced the experience!

To Infinity and Beyond!

2011-05-21T15:49:00.000-04:00

Half joke... half for real... the prom theme was To Infinity and Beyond for Riverside this year. Originally I thought it would be cool so that I could lift the extra decorations for Bryce's birthday, but since Mickey Mouse is much cooler to him than Buzz or Woody, oh well. I will say that Emerson helped make all the centerpieces! For real! Our balloon guy is awesome and made an amazing arch and rockets and the like. The place looked sweet... but five minutes into prom it was destroyed by the excitement of teenagers and candy. Oh well!

Thanks Great Lakes Brewing Company...

2011-05-11T13:19:00.003-04:00

Bryce has been struggling with the sippy cup thing. He likes to have his bottle feed to him and he loves drinking out of a straw, so sippy cups were not on his "do" list... until last night. Since he hit 10 months I see the end of the bottle. Emerson kicked it at exactly one year. Not even a bedtime bottle. We are not a good tapering family, we tend to play the cold turkey thing. So, when Bryce has yet to even try a sippy cup I have been kinda frazzled on what we are going to do. And then I sat down next to him with a beer bottle for me and a sippy cup for him. I showed him how I drank from the bottle by tipping it back and after a few times Bryce tipped the cup up and his head back and done! The kid loves it. He even fed himself half a bottle today! So, thank you Great Lakes Brewing Company. I feel as if you had a small part in getting Bryce a step closer to independence.

Roller Derby and Messy Babies...

2011-05-07T18:54:00.003-04:00

Bryce eats naked now. I gave up. The mess is so outta control that at least naked, I only have the chair, floor and the rest of the kitchen to clean! On the flip side, Emerson has discovered roller skates... well actually, she has discovered all things with wheels. Today she managed to take a one mile bike ride and only stopped a few times for broken sidewalks. She has also managed to get some serious skate time in and can lap the kitchen without a problem. BRRG here she comes!

10 MONTHS!!!!

2011-05-07T13:51:00.002-04:00

I hate this getting older thing... for myself and the kids! Bryce is still the happiest baby on the Earth. He goes with the flow on almost everything. Naps when you want him to, eats when you want him to... so easy. Now that he is able to feed himself his cups and bottles he feels much more in control of everything. He loves to mimic us on the phone. He will steal it, dial a few numbers and then place it behind his head and drop it. The process is repeated at least five times till he figures out that he has it wrong and moves on! The other day I put shoes on him (I don't do baby shoes, but these puppies were meant to keep the socks on) and left him in his room with the gate shut. After helping Emerson out I returned to find him standing free form a foot away from the gate. I probably shouldn't have yelled, from excitement, for he plopped back down from the shock... but he proved that he is getting there! He still doesn't care that much for the standing thing, but he will pull up and stand crawl every once and a while. Mama and Dada are good and he is working on hi and Jager. He knows who Emerson is, but can't crack the Emme yet. No bye-bye, but he does wave and clap at everything. His favorite is watching Emerson at gymnastics and clapping for all the kids! He is a doll and we are so blessed to have him!

Nice Try!

2011-05-06T09:20:00.004-04:00

I scheduled an appointment for Emerson and Bryce to get their pictures taken. That morning Bryce woke up with a semi black-eye. So, I canceled the appointment. The next day his eye was fine, so we decided to try to take a couple of picture on a beautiful sunny day. After 60 pictures I have a new appreciation for photographers. One kid... cake. One kid and a baby... not so bad. One kid and a crawling 9 month old... insanity. Thank goodness I really do not like posed photos (which is why I dislike taking them to the studios), because not a single pic from the 60 worked into the concept of posed! Although Bryce with the microphone may just work for American Idol 24.

SLOW DOWN!!!

2011-05-04T09:16:00.003-04:00

Bryce is a mad man. He doesn't settle long on any one item, instead he is focused on knocking over and dismantling as many items in his path as he can. Nanny had a tent at her house that was never used. We brought it home. It was meant for Emerson, but Bryce has taken it over. He crawls in and then knocks it over and laughs hysterically. He crawls out and waits for you to set it back up and then repeats the process. IF you don't set it back up, he just crawls around until he finds something else to destroy. I hope this is a phase!

No pacifier... but a frog?

2011-05-01T09:13:00.002-04:00

Neither Bryce nor Emerson ever enjoyed a pacifier. Mind you, I tried. I had hoped it would settle them to sleep but they both refused. Emerson would suck on her fingers, but that passed. Bryce has taken to sucking on his frog and/or hippo. Kinda weird, but comforting. The only downfall to this is that the frog and hippo need to be washed a heck of a lot more!

9.5 Months!!!

2011-04-25T20:41:00.000-04:00

Bryce has taken off this month: crawling, speaking, eating... you name it. He zips around and pulls himself up, although he has little interest in walking. He clearly says mama and dada and managed to throw out a papa and ball here and there. Baby food is outta the picture, he will only eat big people food, although we are keeping it simple. He adores Emerson, taunts the dog and is still the happiest kid around. Always curiously and a little devious, he is amazing!

The Bunny vs. The Bug

2011-04-24T20:18:00.003-04:00

Emerson wouldn't go to sleep the night before Easter. I wish it had been from the excitement... but it was more so from the onset of the flu. Bryce had it the weekend before, so she was bound to get it... but on Easter? Boo. So we still hunted for eggs, but a little slower and we still opened the buckets (I am anti basket... too dirty...), but with a little less excitement. Emerson scored some art supplies, softballs and a new leapster game, while Bryce received a few books and balls. Emerson got Bryce a sweet singing book and Bryce got Emerson a talking alphabet/ clock apple. Emerson and I stayed home and ate a veggie tray while Bryce and Dad went to the Pope's. At least it wasn't her birthday... that woulda sucked more.

Eggs and Hunts

2011-04-22T20:06:00.002-04:00

While Bryce napped we dyed the eggs. Emerson has become more speed oriented with the dying of the eggs. There is no longer wonder in her eyes, but instead the desire to mess around with the colors and leave eggs in them for days. Oh well. Bryce will bring back the excitement next year. On the other hand, Emerson had a crazy amount of excitement for the egg hunt at Hambden Park. Except for the mud, it was perfect. She was in the 4-7 group and managed to score a few good eggs, although more precise than greedy. Bryce was more content to sit in his stroller and eat puffs... or nap... depending on the moment (he was getting over his first temp/ cold).

How does your garden grow?

2011-04-16T18:09:00.002-04:00

For her birthday, Emerson received some really cool seeds from Barb at the Melting Pot. We decided to start a few inside so we cracked out a tub, some peet pots and dirt. At first Emerson wanted nothing to do with the dirt and then after watching me do two, she had to get into it. Right now she has princess flowers and sunflowers starting and, hopefully, in another month or so we will be able to start the rest outside!

FOUR!

2011-04-13T17:53:00.002-04:00

h
t
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Emerson had an awesome birthday. She picked cookies and OJ for her school snack, made goodie bags for everyone in her class and was line leader. She then went to the mall with daddy and saw her teacher there (imagine... teachers go to the mall)! After a few more stops, she made it home to find her new princess bike and scooter! Funny enough... she didn't even see the princess bike on the fireplace. It took her a few minutes to see it! She loved hanging out with her "friends" and opening her presents. She also enjoyed redecorating her cake and instructing everyone on how to make their own pizzas (yes, she picked make your own pizzas along with sweet potato fries and baked beans). Emerson also insisted on playing games. We played "Kiss the Frog" (pin the tail style) and spoon races. We thank everyone who sent cards and the like! She loved opening mail and we are working on thank-you notes with a trip to the post office soon!

9 months ago...

2011-04-07T18:04:00.003-04:00

Bryce has had an amazing month. He now crawls for real... forward... and fast. He also learned how to pull himself up! He understands how to say and who is mama and dadda, although he tends to scream mommmm more often. We don't do baby food anymore since he insists on eating at the table (no more highchair... we have moved onto the booster) and eating with his hands. He loves balls and cars and screaming and bouncing and playing with his sister. When Emerson is not around he crawls to her end of the room and pulls out all the kitchen stuff to play with! He is still one happy baby who really needs a haircut!

I had forgotten about this.

2011-04-04T18:12:00.002-04:00

I really did forget about how big of a mess a "new eater" can make. Bryce has sling shot food into every area of the kitchen. I really don't think Emerson was this messy. Once we ditched the baby food and opted to go all self feed it was game on for him.

Randomness!

2011-04-03T18:23:00.003-04:00

Emerson is the queen of projects. She always wants to create something outta something! One day she wanted to make a tree... so we made a tree. Another day she wanted to be a pirate, so we dressed up as pirates and turned the couch and fireplace into battling ships. Her drawing is improving (although the picture is less than accurate at showing that) and she loves to draw on the big dry erase board in the office (like the floods?). She has one big imagination and isn't afraid to use it!

Good Night

2011-04-01T18:31:00.000-04:00

I remember Emerson being an easy kid to get to sleep, but Bryce wins the prize. He is such a good sleeper that I can't believe it. The picture is from nap time. Give the kid his frog and hippo, turn on the dog and he leans over forward or to the side and rests on a blanket and OUT. At night, same thing, but he rolls over onto his tummy and curls up his knees and OUT. No crying, no rocking, no bottle. Just kiss, him, put him in the crib and walk away. The same applies in the middle of the night if he wakes up. He will talk and play by himself and then pass back out. AMAZING!!! This totally makes up for the first two months of non-stop screaming!

Thank God Emerson got a brother!

2011-03-28T18:46:00.002-04:00

I think she may be a little too rough for a sister! I keep telling her that one day he will be able to hit her back, but she keeps rubbing, pinching, hitting and throwing things at him.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T19:23:00.002-04:00

Emerson agreed to wear her green shirt for the course of five pictures... that was it. Sadly, the pics of both of them weren't even taken on St. Patty's Day. The pic of Bryce and Eric was taken on St. Patrick's Day; however, Bryce refused to even look at the camera. Oh well. This is what happens when 20 or so people pop in around 10 AM for green beer, breakfast casserole and some Rock n Rye. Nanny was cool enough to stick around with Bryce and Emerson so Jaime could go to the BII's for the first time during the day on St. Pat's. The best part of the day: Emerson and Bryce were so tired that they went to bed at 5:30 PM and didn't wake up till the next day. Seriously!

Hello SNOW!!!

2011-03-11T19:29:00.003-05:00

Who woulda thought that half way through March we would have had a blizzard? This was by far the worst of the season because it dumped the heaviest, wettest snow possible. The picture was early on in the snow total, but the tree, which normally stands straight and solid, shows how just a little of this crap could redesign our yard. In fact, we managed to have mother nature trim our front evergreens by knocking out two huge branches. By 11 AM the snow was so deep that the blower couldn't handle it, by weight or height. After two hours of shoveling and building a snow bunny with Emerson, the driveway was clear, but the snow kept coming! (There is no picture of the snow bunny because by the next morning it had half melted!)

8 Months!

2011-03-07T19:12:00.003-05:00

Bryce is a procrastinator. He manages to wait till the last day of a month and then he chugs out a whole lotta achievements. This month he has managed to say "ball", clap his hands and understand what he is doing and move about via rollings and the like. He still gets into the crawl position, but opts out and starts scooting to get places. He is still the happiest little boy on the Earth and he loves Emerson and Jager to pieces! Little chunky monkey weighed in at 21 pounds this month and he is getting dangerously close to a haircut!

Everyone needs a Parade!

2011-03-06T19:34:00.000-05:00

Emerson is obsessed with birthdays and parades. I would blame it on Max and Ruby, but everything could be blamed on that show... so... Emerson has a parade or a birthday party most days. Today it was in celebration of Bryce turning 8 months. She picked out the costumes, lined up the dolls to view and scheduled the route (through the front hall to the living room and then into the kitchen!)! Bryce didn't make it in the Bee Costume cause he was kinda of overheating. Oh well! They both had fun and I am sure we will do it again tomorrow!

Want to play DOLLHOUSE!

2011-03-05T19:45:00.003-05:00

Emerson has had her dollhouse for the past two years, and you would have thought she would be wearing thin on it by now... no... she loves it even more than the day she got it. Her favorite is knock knock. She lines up the people and you answer the door. Most of the time they are arriving for Sleeping Beauty's birthday party, but sometimes they actually make deliveries. Her imagination is out of control, which we absolutely love!

Two Top Teeth!

2011-03-05T19:38:00.003-05:00

Now that they have popped through, we can actually mash food, for real! Both toppers worked their way through over the past week and now we have given Bryce a sample of peas, carrots, bananas and avocado. He LOVES eating on his own, though the pincer grasp is not that solid, so most of the time he just sticks his whole fist in his mouth!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:42:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, Emerson and I made a string of felt hearts so that the Valentine Fairy could leave presents for her and Bryce. This morning she was really excited to find that the fairy left her a Bullseye and Doctor's coat and Bryce got a Buzz Lightyear and plane toy. After a morning of way too much sugar, Emerson received her first valentine's at school! I was really proud to see that she was one of the few kids in her class that wrote her name on ALL of her cards. Mind you, I did let her break down on the last few and put Emme on them, to avoid the S, but she still did it!!! Eric is slinging cheese all day today, so we will be playing doctor, napping (cause everyone is crazy tired) and making chicken pot pies for dinner!

7 Months?!?

2011-02-07T14:52:00.004-05:00

So Bryce is old... too old. 7 months blew by and he is becoming a big baby! Besides weighing a ton and blowing through clothes like it is his job, Bryce has managed to eat puffs, drink from a sippy and push up into the crawl... but end up going back instead of forwards. He loves his walker and repeats the sounds of "hi" and "yeah" when he is excited.

Girly Girl?

2011-02-05T15:01:00.001-05:00

Emerson hates having her hair touched. Period. So when she wanted a headband from the Gap and then choose to accent it with a flower, I ran with it. She actually wore it all day long. She hasn't put it on since, but it was a start!

Is this baby ever not happy?

2011-02-02T15:04:00.002-05:00

Bryce is happy all the time! He cries only when really frustrated and that usually stems from being hungry or poopy. He wakes up happy, he goes to sleep happy... if you look at him he smiles a goofy smile... LOVE IT!!!

The Messy Little Eater

2011-01-16T10:11:00.003-05:00

Emerson was neat. She got 99% of the food into her mouth Bryce, not so much. It is a 50/50 deal with him. These pics don't even do it justice. Banana and apples are using his styling products. At least he looks really cute while doing it all!

Mactivus!!!

2011-01-14T20:16:00.004-05:00

Lots of changes for Mactivus this year! First off, it was the day after Christmas instead of the day before the eve... because of the Baptism. Secondly, our high end food was swapped for an old fashioned mac and cheese party... odd, but interesting. Thirdly, not a lot of drinking was going on considering all those who are knocked up (finally not me this time)! I see pack and plays all over the place in the future!

Bryce .5!!!!

2011-01-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

Bryce turned 6 months! No cake, yet! But then again everyday there is a birthday party or parade at the McIntyre house, sooooo. He got a mini parade. Over the past month he has perfected sitting (we can even walk away from him and he can roll-fall on his own), rolling over (he loves sleeping on his stomach now, though still has a hard time controlling his positions in the crib) and has pushed up to the crawl, but nothing yet. He continues to laugh his head off and is working on some more teeth!!! Emerson has had a great month. She loves school and has started soccer (per her request). The Melting Pot is great and crazy busy and I am trying to pick-up after everyone while still going into school just for prom and graduation stuff!

Bryce's Baptism

2010-12-26T21:24:00.002-05:00

Bryce's Baptism was today! He was a champ... although sick with one heck of a cold... he managed to talk through the service and smile a little during the carry down the aisle. Auntie Melanie and Uncle Mike stood up for him and we couldn't be happier!

Christmas Morning Take 1!

2010-12-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

Santa Came! Emerson was shocked that he brought a PUPPET THEATRE!!! Yep... I guess the man knows her taste. Santa also hooked her up with a guitar and Tiana Crown! The hoppity ball has been a hit, considering she transports herself everywhere on that puppy. Bryce scored some minor baby toys, like a stacker, puffs and clock, but his fav was the Star Wars toys brought from Disney. Granny enjoyed herself... and Emerson and Bryce were happy to have her there as were Eric and I. Emerson and Bryce also got their first vacay ornaments... which will become a tradition from here on out. Emerson received a Sleeping Beauty and Bryce got a Mickey. That boy loves him some Mickey, as much as Emerson loved Elmo at that age. Santa enjoyed the beer and pretzels and his deer loved the carrots... so much that he left a note!

Christmas Morning Take 2!

2010-12-25T21:30:00.001-05:00

Opening gifts at Meme and Papa's can be summarized with Emerson being a diva and Bryce being adorable! Ha managed to open one gift himself and rock out in the cutest bobcat hat ever! Emerson adored her Mary Poppins doll (and Bert and the Kids) and perform for everyone... using her new microphone set-up. She even had an audience of princesses. It was an awesome day with everyone enjoying dinner, along with Granny, the grandparents, Dusty, Uncle Mike and Justin!!!

Christmas Eve Morning!

2010-12-24T22:49:00.002-05:00

To begin the craziness of two days there was a photo session around the tree. Mommy was left out cause she still hadn't showered... nothing new!

Christmas Eve at The Pope's!

2010-12-24T20:10:00.003-05:00

All of us, along with Granny, went over to Nanny and Papa Mickey's for Eve Dinner and some presents... or a lot of presents. Papa Mickey even got to play Red Rider with the ipads! He also keep Emerson updated with Santa's whereabouts thanks to the Santa Tracker! Emerson had a great time passing out gifts and Bryce had fun rocking in his new chair!!!

Gingerbread House 101

2010-12-15T16:02:00.002-05:00

Buy the kit. Seriously it made it easier. Then hide the kit from the kid who thinks that you, the parent, can make the house in front of you look like the house on the box. As you can see from the photos, I gave up control somewhere around five minutes into it. Emerson had a blast and then she decided to get her doll house people into the picture. Please note her extensive use of suckers and marshmellows to produce one bizarre fence!

When everyone is sick...

2010-12-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

... build a tent! Emerson's crappy cold has infected me and most likely Bryce. So, we built a living room tent and she spent most of her day laying around in it. Bryce, on the other hand, seemed more willing to move it, so I hooked him up for the first time in his walker. He managed to get all the way around the kitchen island and then enjoyed bumping into the oven like six or seven times.

O Christmas Tree!

2010-12-10T15:48:00.002-05:00

Emerson said that she was going to pick out the tree, but once we got there she just wanted to play with the two labs that hang out at the nursery. She even asked if we could bring them home. Not so much... we have Jager. Eric and I picked out the tree, very quickly and done!

Bryce is 5 Months Old!!!

2010-12-07T15:38:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened in the past month! Bryce now has his two bottom teeth (the came in within a week of one another), can sit all by him self (but I wouldn't walk too far away) and he has worked his way through rice cereal and oatmeal and is now sampling the wonderful world of soupy baby food. He also managed to roll over a few times and he can just push himself up to a crawl before he falls back down. Not to worry, because he can turn himself and scoot anywhere on his back. He is very focused and has already learned how to manipulate most of his toys. Emerson is doing really well too! She has been loving school and swim practice. She learned how to put her own shirt on this month (which is huge) and can now write all the letters to her name and spell it. Yippie!

This is what happens...

2010-12-03T16:00:00.002-05:00

when you leave a tube of lip balm laying around that looks like candy and the three year old sees it and decides to "apply" it.

Go Cavs!?!

2010-12-02T16:07:00.002-05:00

Bryce got dressed for the game. So did the players. Bryce stayed home and watched some of it. So did the players.

Randomness

2010-12-01T16:10:00.002-05:00

Emerson thought she would try out the jumperoo. Not so much, but she did have fun. Bryce loves watching her, as you can see. And he is one stinkin' happy baby.

Turkey Lurkey...

2010-11-25T03:52:00.004-05:00

The sky didn't fall, but the turkeys were frozen! So... the night before Eric spent a little time driving through Lake and Geauga County looking for a fresh turkey. Somewhere around 11:00 PM he found one in Chardon. Sadly, the guy behind him didn't get one because Eric took the last. Big thanks goes out to Granny who spent the night with us to cook the bird and hang out and to everyone who brought so much FOOD! Emerson made everyone wear hats and Bryce wore his first bog boy shirt and pant outfit (although it looks a little worse for the wear in the picture!).

To jump or not to jump...

2010-11-14T17:06:00.002-05:00

These two are totally related. Bryce at four months. Emerson at eight months.

The Farmer in the Dell...

2010-11-14T17:04:00.001-05:00

Emerson loves riding on Papa Mickey's Gator... so we thought she might like the tractor... not as much. She did have a fun saturday trying to find the icky witch and discovering the second floor to Dora's house!

Food... Thank God!

2010-11-07T13:57:00.003-05:00

Bryce turned 4 months old today and to celebrate he has been rewarded with solid (sorta) food. When Emerson turned 4 months she was cool with the concept of eating. Bryce on the other hand is a fiend. He practically jumps out of the chair to eat and crys if you don't feed him. Yikes! Beyond the spoon and bowl, he is doing great! He can almost sit on his own, manages to get to the crawling position from sitting and can push himself up pretty well. No rolling or desire to, which is fine with me! He pretty much smiles and laughs all the time and he loves to play with balls and cars!!!

The first Halloween Parade!

2010-10-27T19:48:00.001-04:00

10.27.10 was filled with firsts. Besides it being Eric's birthday (his first and last at age 34?), Emerson was in her first Halloween Parade at school. Bryce slept in his crib for the first time and managed to sleep from 10 PM till 8 AM. Emerson managed to not need a pull-up at night. Yippie! Here is to me not jinxing myself!

Epcot has a secret bar hidden in the temple in Mexico!

2010-10-26T19:43:00.003-04:00

Really not that big of a secret, but they have some sweet "flights" and chasers. Epcot was also celebrating the World Wine, Food and Beer fest which translates into spending a crap load of cash on a bunch of random things. Costly, but cool. Emerson wasn;t that impressed with it, till I started buying her little things from the countries. Unfortunately the sword purchased in Norway was lost prior to the amazing fireworks.

A Day at the Beach...

2010-10-25T14:40:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we went to a beach "near" Jenna and Daryl's. Beautiful! Emerson got to fly a kite, play with Prince Phillip (Arghhhhh) and build a sand castle, while Bryce discovered he had feet!

Aunt Jenna's and Uncle Daryl's!

2010-10-25T14:35:00.001-04:00

We took the hot minivan two hours South for a few days to visit with Jenna and Daryl. Way fun! Their house is awesome and Emerson loved hanging out there.

Princess meltdown...

2010-10-25T14:27:00.000-04:00

Disney is smart. They put their characters into controlled rooms, allow only a limited amount of people in at a time and even place photographers for you to use. This gives them control and makes you feel like you are getting some type of special treatment. It also allows only a certain amount of people to see your three year old daughter breakdown at the sight of her favorite princess, Sleeping Beauty. Emerson was so overwhelmed with the so-so imposture that she couldn't even walk up to her. We had to visit with Cindy and Belle before returning and that didn't even work. Once again... the 13 year old and Justin Beiber theory continues.

Best darn 10 bucks!

2010-10-25T14:21:00.002-04:00

So... 10 dollars for the stinkin balloon might seem a little too much... but it is not. That thing was a life saver. We carried it around with us and tied it to the stroller. It allowed us to find one another and provided entertainment for Emerson.

Nice Costume!

2010-10-24T08:34:00.002-04:00

We accidently stumbled across Minnie. She came out a back door as we were leaving the Muppet ride at Hollywood. For Daisy, we stood in a line in the central park areas of Main Street. As we were "next" in line, Daisy had to take a mandatory union bathroom break. (All of Disney is union. They are in the middle of working out their contract. I do believe that is one company who does not allow strikes to occur.) For Mickey we all waited in a 20 minute plus line, in a tent. They then escorted 10ish people back to a room with the door reading "Red Ribbon Room". For the sake of making the line move quickly, there was also a Blue Ribbon Room and Judge's Room that also contained a Mickey... but they attempted to keep that hush hush ;-). Emerson refused to be photographed with Mickey, but Bryce was all for it!

So random it hurts...

2010-10-24T03:47:00.002-04:00

Way cool that we got to see all of the original Mary Poppins press items. Way hysterical that I convinced Eric to take his picture with Bill and Betty White.

Sadness and The Perfect Wedge.

2010-10-23T03:43:00.000-04:00

I was disappointed to find out that my favorite ride, The Teacups, was closed for remodeling while we were there. Okay, I moved on. Eric, though, was slapped across the face with the fact that Star Wars was closed. We knew nothing of it being closed until we walked up to the ride. Crap. On a bright note, we went to The Prime Time Diner and spent two hours drinking beer and eating a pretty darn good meal. Emerson wasn't too happy, but we managed to enjoy the experience and the ice cold beer.

Fail!

2010-10-22T03:36:00.003-04:00

Disney is pretty spot on when it comes to attractions and kids... but they are way off with this. They took the concept of Honey I Shrunk the Kids and put it into a playground experience for kids. Great visual and amazing creativity of space! BUT... it is so tight and the tunnels have so many optional paths that once your kid goes into something it is almost impossible to find them again. Granted the playground is enclosed, but they should really limited the amount of kids in that thing at one time. Eric and I spent the majority of time trying to find Emerson and she spent most of her time trying to find us or her way out of a tree trunk.