Movie Monday fail...

Dec 28, 2010

Welcome to Movie Tuesday!  After surviving a brief breakout of influenza, three Christmas's, four cousins under the age of four, presents, family and more food than you could eat in a month...here we are on Tuesday.  Not only did Movie Monday fly by, but so did our Christmas holiday.  Somehow we are now sitting on the brink of the new year.

I am sad that looking back at Christmas I feel overwhelmed and tired.  I didn’t start the traditions that I wanted to start with Scarlett, I didn’t stop to reflect on the real “reason for the season”, or enjoy one meal without having to shove the food in my mouth to get Scarlett in bed by six.  I am trying to embrace this reality, and know that as the holidays continue to come and go,  and the cousins continue to multiply the season will only get crazier.  Every year will be a new chance to start traditions, eat good food, laugh with family, sit by the fire, thank God for the birth of His Son and enjoy the magic of the holidays before I blink and it is gone.

On to the real reason for this post...Scarlett doing what she does best...being ridiculously cute in her Christmas pj's!

Movie Monday...better late than never.

Dec 20, 2010

a week in the life of Scarlett...new toys, new ways to clap at her own accomplishments, and lots of kisses for inanimate objects.

Birthday fun...

Dec 15, 2010


We had such a good time at Scarlett's birthday.  The kids had a blast decorating their own ceramic piggy banks and took home a baggy full of pig shaped crayons and pink and brown homemade coloring books.  After gathering every piece of my party planning mojo, I left the party tired but satisfied.  Thanks to everyone who joined us for Scarlett's special day!


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

but unfortunately it still feels like summer.

Chris and I bundled up after Scarlett's party on Saturday, stepped outside ready to pick the perfect tree to fill our house with the aroma of the season, only to shed layer after layer as we stepped into what felt like a summer night.

I look forward to this night every year.  There is something so magical about stepping onto a tree lot, scarf wrapped tight around my neck, surrounded by the sight, smell and aura of the Christmas season.  But this night we brought in a baby sitter, stepped into to seemingly summer air, rushed to the tree lot, picked one that had the least amount of dead needles, strapped it on the car, got McDonalds for dinner and rushed home in time to put Scarlett to bed.  Not quite the night I had been imagining. 

Luckily with one plug in the wall the magic was rekindled.  Add some ribbon, a few ornaments, and an angel on top and Christmas is in full bloom in the Becher household.

Movie Tuesday...

Dec 14, 2010

Courtesy of my dearest friend Laleanne...I can only pray that Scarlett will be lucky enough to have a friend as gracious, loving and steadfast as Lolli has been in my life.   Thanks for capturing a moment with my little girl. 

Movie Monday...

Dec 13, 2010

The birthday party was a total success...I am officially the mother or an one year old little girl!  Pictures coming soon...for now enjoy this little movie Monday madness.
Kisses all around...and especially for the sock monkey.



Also, please be aware...there is an official one year old Scarlett monster on the loose.

The end of an era...

Dec 12, 2010

I am officially done being a food dispenser for Scarlett.  Goodbye pumping and expensive formula, hello whole milk.  I kept waiting for Scarlett to tell me she was done, feeding her only in when she wakes up and goes to bed at night.  I kept telling myself at a year I would be ready to cut her off completely. 

I am still feeding her briefly in the mornings as a comfort to Scarlett and honestly myself...there is a closeness that I am not yet willing to give up.  Although I still spend an equal amount of time holding her bottle before she closes her eyes at night, I will miss the connection created knowing a part of me is fueling her little body, growing her little fingers and toes.  As this stage ends we open the door to new experiments with food, sippy cups and self feeding.

As much as I have loved the stolen moments with Scarlett, her little warm body close to mine, her tiny fingers reaching up to grab my hair for comfort or inch their way into my mouth for a laugh, I knew this was coming.  I knew this would be the first of many hurdles I will have to survive on her quest to eventual self feeding freedom.  Before I know it she will be cooking her own breakfast and grabbing her own snacks as she is stepping out the door for school.  Scary...

One Year Down...

Dec 10, 2010

You ushered in your first birthday with a scream at 4:00am this morning. Why? Maybe your tummy was upset. Maybe you saw a creepy shadow on the wall. Maybe your bear pajamas were a bit too warm. Or, maybe you just wanted to be close. I held you for 20 minutes, trying to sooth you back into your dreams. Then your mother held you for another 20 minutes, snoozing on the couch until you dropped off to rest. It seems a fitting way to celebrate you presence in our lives; sacrifice.


You’ve been such an easy child this year that I often forget that parenting means sacrificing. I don’t remember many late nights with screams echoing off our walls or mornings where you did nothing but whine. In fact, your first year has been exactly the opposite. Most nights you’re mom and I have slept as well as you have. Most mornings we’ve played as freely as you. So, this morning was a good reminder. I love you and hope always to lay down my life for you.


Happy Birthday Scarlett. Here’s to a life of beauty, love, and grace. Oh...and sacrifice.


Dad

A letter to the coach...

Dec 7, 2010

Have fun...


Don't get any of these...
because that would leave your players feeling











Score lots of these...

 


 Wish we could be there cheering you on.  Lots of love...your girls

Little drummer girl?

Seriously...she doesn't need parents when she has so much fun with the babysitters.

Sneak peak to Scarlett's piggy birthday...

Dec 6, 2010














Tool skirt...for some reason she refused to let me take a picture of it on her head.

Pig crayons...saw the idea here...now on to the coloring books, the banner, the cupcakes, the piggy banks, the decorations, the food...did I mention that I greatly dislike planning parties...not exactly sure what I was thinking with this one.  All in the name of love.

Movie Monday...

Please forgive the length of these videos...but she could seriously do this for hours.



Laughing, smiling and teasing...

Dec 1, 2010

Eating popcorn on the couch, laughing, smiling, teasing. I forgot what it was like to be a "newlywed". To not care about what you did the rest of the day as long as you got to come home to your new husband that night. We would sit at the dinner table for hours, a bottle of wine, a game of cribbage, a fire in the fire place, smiling, laughing, teasing.

When did we lose this, when did life get tiring. I rush home, rush dinner, rush Scarlett to bed, throw on some sweats, and collapse on the couch asking Chris which episode of Dexter we finished the night before. Somewhere in the last three years, life slipped away and we are left with only tired shells of our former selves. Living two lives that didn't come together at the end of the day to form one.

Last night we fell into our position on the couch, curled up next to each other and turned on an episode of Dexter. Nothing new except the addition of popcorn. Moments later we found ourselves laughing, smiling and teasing. Tossing popcorn in the air, trying to catch it in our mouths...we love each other, but in these moments we love each other well.

We love without worry, without Scarlett, without Valley Christian Soccer, without lessons for the next day, without grading, without laundry, birthday planning, cleaning or diapers. We just love. We laugh, we smile, we tease. We strip off our shells of tired days and for those moments get lost in love. We recharge our tired bodies and remind each other the importance of a kiss and a snuggle. We remind ourselves that we are in love, the deep mushy gushy kind of love...the kind that will get us through the next fifty years of tired days.

Movie monday...

Nov 29, 2010

Self feeding begins...




The aftermath...

Nov 26, 2010

Giving Scarlett her own spoon might have been a bad idea...but it was fun.

Good Parenting?

Nov 24, 2010



This video debut is long overdue on the blog. This happened a couple of months ago. I'd like to draw your attention to the way the father quickly swoops to save his helpless daughter from danger. No hesitation or fear, just love for his little girl. Seriously, well done dad.

p.s. Note the daughter's drink selection. Another victory for paps.

Movie Monday...

Nov 22, 2010



Scarlett loves "talking" on the phone. When Chris is at work and I am at home he always tries to give us a "check in" call during the day...I think Scarlett gets confused.

Camping extravaganza...

Nov 17, 2010




Curvy roads are not my favorite. Curvy dark dirt roads, surrounded by fog, with a screaming hungry and tired baby are my least favorite. Our friends the Wards invited us for a little weekend getaway to the elevation of 7,400 feet. Tent packed and clothes layered we were off to a rocky start. The higher we climbed the less of the road we were able to see, 17.5 miles from Idyllwild Chris and I squinted in the dark to spot the dirt road that was supposed to lead us another 5 miles to our final camping destination. A half hour, 5 mile climb later, we found ourselves flashlights in hand setting up our family sized tent for the first time. Setting up a condo of a tent for the first time in the dark...not recommended.

The trip continued to challenge us by throwing in a nearly freezing dirt floor with nothing but a sleeping bag and tent to keep us warm (our fault being completely under prepared). Scarlett was in her pack n play crying, but still warm above the ground and surrounded in blankets. She wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat so I brought her in my bag and cuddled up close...very close...it was a mummy bag. With no light, no clock, nothing to suggest any sense of reality, I lay there eyes closed drifting in and out of a light sleep. I woke to rub my feet together hoping to gain a little warmth but the movement only let more cold air in, I reached over to Scarlett and quickly realized that there was no movement, no breath only a cold stiff face. I yelled to Chris to wake up, shaking my bag off and squeezing her tightly, blew in her face and kissed her lips. It was then I heard it, through the ruckus that Chris and I were creating there was a soft breath of life. She was breathing, our little girl that just seconds ago I was fearing for her life, was breathing. She was sleeping quietly, still oddly limp. Chris and I bent over her, laying her with kisses. I have never had a moment in my life when I was more thankful for the grace of God. I laid her next to me for the remainder of the night, arm draped over her chest to count the rise and fall of each breath. We laid this way for what seemed like days but I am sure was only a few hours. In these moments I felt the deepest love. A love that I know Scarlett will never understand until she has a child of her own, a love that will get me through the teenage years of "I hate you mom", a love that will bring tears to my eyes when her father is walking her down the aisle.

Needless to say the rest of the trip had nowhere to go but up. We hiked, we ate, we drove to a new, lower altitude and much warmer campsite, we laughed, we shared and we watched the girls play together in the dirt. It was a successful first family camping trip with a few bumps along the way, memories that will last and stories that we will share for years to come.


Movie Monday's

Nov 16, 2010

I love home movies, I love watching them over and over again.  I love how they remind me of a moment in time that was captured and frozen unable to thaw by the dulling memory.

In an attempt to indulge this deep rooted love I am making myself a goal of recording one home movie a week and posting it.  I am calling this escapade Movie Monday's!  I am doing this in a hope to capture all of the first of our little monster.  She is turning one and I am anticipating lots of new words, new steps, and new laughter.  I can not wait to savor these moments as they come and be ale to smile back on them as I share them with her when she is grown.

P.S.  I am fully aware that it is now Tuesday...is that a new weekly blog post goal faux pas?

New favorite activity...stair climbing.  She could do this ALL day long...

Halloween...

Nov 12, 2010

Yes, I know this is two weeks late...but better late than  never right?

Chris and I went for a costume that made the viewer think outside the box, grasp the whole picture, and still  come out perplexed...


Small Wonder and The Hanging Gardens of Babylon...yes, small wonder and a "big wonder" of the world.  I blame Chris entirely.

Crawling



I found this little gem on my dads iphone the other day and quickly emailed it to myself to share via blog land.  I was happy that this was recorded as Chris and I failed our parental duties of documenting all major developments in our daughters life.  Scarlett is now a full blown crawling machine, escaping us one dirty knee at a time.

Thanks for saving us from a serious parenting failure Grandpa!

Fun with grandma...

Nov 9, 2010

One of the best ways to put a smile on my face is to remind me of how much I love my little girl.  I think she is the best thing, the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas.  She makes my life so full.

Sitting at work I got a couple smiles today after my mom sent me this...
with the caption of "does this ever happen to you?"



Getting out

I have found I spend most of my days off inside, doing laundry, putting away laundry, tidying up the house, shopping, cooking dinner.  And therefore, Scarlett spends the day inside.  Yesterday I sat outside with Scarlett and my granny enjoying the beautiful day and realized that Scarlett LOVES being outside.  She picked leaves, reorganized the patio furniture, played with sticks, said her first word, "Dexter" (my parents dog).  She explored something other than the cabinets and carpet.  I have been using the excuse "until she can walk" but she takes in the fresh air around her and loves every minute of it regardless of the lack of total coordination.  I now admit, I have been a lazy mother.  It has been easier for me to keep tabs on the up and coming toddler when she is playing with the same toys and opening the same cupboards.  I am ready to move out of the expected world of clean clothes and embrace the holes in the knees and dirt in the fingernails.  Look out nature, here comes trouble. 

A new play toy...

Nov 3, 2010

Toilet paper.  Chris accidentally bought single ply, way to thin to not get pee on your hands, toilet paper, Scarlett overheard how much we hate it and is making it her mission to rid us of our final roll...at least it keeps her busy and next to me when I am getting ready in the morning.








Obsessive behavior...

Oct 29, 2010

Since having Scarlett I realized that I am crazy obsessive over "stuff". I have to know where things are at all times otherwise my mind is consumed by the thought of every place that it could be hiding. I have always been this way but it came out in full force when a child with even more "stuff" to obsess over was introduced.

Before marriage and babies I would go to bed at night scanning the invisible checklist in my mind, my Granny's old Bible, in the drawer next to my bed, my baby blanket (yes, I still had this until the day I got married), in my arms or under my pillow; my mothers wedding ring, safely tucked away in my jewelry box. All these things had a reason, history, or emotion attached that gave them meaning. Now I worry about pacifiers, bottles, stuffed animals and tiny shoes. I am constantly counting pacifiers, wondering how I could have lost four in ten months. My bag is always packed the same every morning and comes back to me in disarray every night. I take an inventory and a mental note of who might have left what at which house.

I know I am totally crazy, what kind of mom thinks she can keep track of every little thing in her house?  Well, honestly, this one.  But, after realizing that I am secretly driving myself insane,  I decided to make a change. Only sweat the big stuff.  I'll hang onto those things that evoke emotion, the dresses that I can give to Scarlett for her future family,  the pictures reflecting memories that will fade with time, the jewelry that might loose its sparkle but always keep its story.  I will surrender to just enough obsessive behavior to remember what is important and let the rest of my craziness slowly chip away one pacifier at a time.  Here's to new beginnings...

Fall...

Oct 27, 2010


I love going to a pumpkin patch. I love seeing all the kids laughing while trying to pick out the biggest, most perfect pumpkin to host their carving creations. My mind runs wild with all of the possible ways to use the overlooked pumpkins to my personal craving's advantage. A twisted stem can become a hooked nose, bumpy skin becomes a witches wart or over sized freckles, a dent in the flesh becomes a deep rooted scar from a sword fight once lost.

I can't wait to teach Scarlett to see outside the perfect pumpkin box and create something genius, but for now I will settle with taking a hundred (literally) pictures of her sticking pumpkins in her mouth and saying "dada".







Starting to Feel Like a Dad

Oct 26, 2010


I remember the first time I felt like I was married. It wasn't at the alter or the reception or even the honey moon. It was a month after we said our vows when I introduced myself and Andrea to some guy I didn't know at a party. "Hi, I'm Chris. And this is MY WIFE, Andrea." It was the closest thing I've had to an out of body experience, like some one was using my voice. The words had never fit before, but for some strange reason that night, they did.

Fatherhood has been much the same. I teared up the first time Scarlett's voice graced this world and I wept as soon as we stepped through the front door with our child in arm. But, in spite of the overwhelming emotion, I didn't feel like a father. I felt more like a 6 year old wearing his dad's trousers. It's only been the past few months that this whole father thing has really sunken in.

The big milestones have been weird and oddly self absorbed. Like the first night I spent away from home when she was 3 months old. I missed her so much I could hardly sleep. Or the first time I was alone with Scarlett over night this summer when Andy went to Pittsburgh. If I didn't feed her, change her, rock her, make her laugh, no one would. And most recently, when we went on a camping trip this past weekend and I feared for her safety for the first time.

Some good friends of ours from the ole supper club (Tom, Katie and Scarlett's little friend Edith) invited us to camp at a place just north of Idyllwild called Boulder Basin. We knew it'd be cold, but didn't realize just how cold. The overnight temperature was below freezing and we were at 7,300 feet. Needless to say, the air was thin and noses were red. That night I could hardly sleep. Yeah, I was freezing. But, the whole night I was terrified that Scarlett was too cold or couldn't breath or for some unspeakable reason, wouldn't make it through the night. It was the first time I was incapacitated by the thought of my daughter's potential harm. So, I tossed and turned and freaked out in the freezing cold the way only a father would.

It's strange how life pushes you through on to new stages long before you're dressed for the part. There's no exam to pass before you become a voting citizen, no course to become a faithful husband, and no handbook to memorize to become the endearing father; you just become. That's how I feel: I'm becoming. It's been a long, slow process, but I think I'm becoming a father, and I love it.

All stairs beware...

Oct 19, 2010

Scarlett is on a mission.

A letter to Scarlett...

Oct 13, 2010

It's October, your first taste of Fall...you are ten months old, only two month before you are officially a toddler.  I know this is getting repetitive and I have said it every month but your dad and I love you more than we ever thought we could.  Our hearts burst at the sight of your tiny head peeking over the crib in the morning, your arms reaching while your hands are silently screaming "milk", my stomach turns thinking about all of the ways that you can hurt yourself and knowing that there is nothing I can do to shield you from most of them, my eyes water from laughing at your growing sense of humor.  You learn quickly (sign language, kisses, lizard, bunny and fishey "sounds", showing us our nose) and move into the next new thing just as fast, completely forgetting everything you learned in the past.  You are already prepareing your self for the toddler tantrums by throwing your head back and making it nearly impossible to control your wiggly body, just to show that you mean business.  You are weary of all things new, reaching out a hand you look back at me to make sure that it is okay to touch and when I say "yes" you go for it, and when I say "no", you still go for it.

No matter where you go in life and no matter what crazy decisions you make, we will always be there for you.  You have a family that will do anything for you.  Not just your dad and me, but your Aunts and Uncles, your God Parents, your Grandparents, your extended "stand-in" Aunts and Uncles.  You are a lucky girl and we are very lucky parents to have support and love through our families inevitable growing pains.  All of these people will always be there for you to care for you through the terrible twos, the "I just want to grow up already" tweens, and the "I know it all" teens.  We are all ready for the roller coaster, strapped in, hands up, screaming the whole way.


And some ten month video updates...





Thoughts on Halloween

I dislike Halloween. I love the pumpkins, pumpkin carving, pumpkin pie, the fall colors and crisp night air, but I could do without Halloween. When I was a little girl my mom got so excited to dress me up for my first trick or treat experience, I was ready to go, bag in hand, when I changed my mind and begged to stay home. Another year I was a nurse and someone in my family had the brilliant idea that I should collect all of my candy in a bedpan, not knowing what a bedpan was I conceded until a little girl at one of the houses opend the door and said "look mommy, a toilet". Although these stories hang heavy in my mind, it isn't these memories that caused the sour tast in my mouth. It is the parties and the overwhlming expectation to be "creative". Don't get me wrong, I love to dress up, give me a themed party and I am there with my Egyption, decade, pirate or golfer garb on and ready to p.a.r.t.y., but leave the spectrum of costume glory wide open and my creative juices freeze immediately.

So here goes nothing...another Halloween, another costume crisis in which Chris and I will pull something together at the last minute and call it good. Show up at the party, out costumed by creative overachievers who I secretly admire for genius use of props, glitter, feathers, masks and more.
Happy Halloween everyone! (We are totally open to creative suggestions!)


P.S. Scarlett is going to be a skunk...and I must say I really enjoy dressing her up (she has worn it twice already for no reason)...I have a feeling all future Halloween joy will come from letting my creative juices fall purely on my kids.

Also, while we are on the topic of awesome friends...

Sep 29, 2010

I got a call on Sunday night from our dear friends Chris and Layla offering to babysit for a night so that we could go on a date...and not just a date, a date on them...well, technically on Chris's students.  On top of that we left them with a fussy bucket of a baby...and they took it like champs and shooed us out the door.

It is in the brief moments that Chris and I get "away" with each other that we are able to re-charge our marriage...so thanks again Chris and Layla for a wonderful and much needed break from reality.

We love you guys...let us know if we can repay the favor and babysit the pups.  


No...seriously...we LOVE our friends...

Scarlett's been a little off kilter recently.  Waking up too early, fussing when she eats, fighting sleep.  At first we thought she's just stepping into another stage of growth or maybe cutting some new teeth.  That was until we got these pictures this morning from the good old God-parents and realized that she's been suffering from a rare disease: Kelly Deprivation.  Looks like the worst is behind us and the medication is sinking in.  Happy days here we come...
Photos courtesy of Mr. Bretty Kelly (God-Father)
Words courtesy of Mr. Christopher Becher (real father)
Thanks boys!

I would like to wear this today...

Sep 26, 2010

and yes, I am big enough to open the drawer by myself...until I close it on my fingers and then I might need a little cuddle to get over the meltdown.


Lobsters can be fun...

My granny turned 92 on September 8, 2010.  Her favorite splurge for birthday dinner is lobster.  So lobster she ate. (and Chris ate, and my uncle ate, and my sister ate, and I ate...point is... there was plenty of lobster)

School already?

Sep 24, 2010

A visit to daddy and we just couldnt resist...I think she will fit right in.

Happy birthday Grandpa...


When I was a little girl my dad used to carry me like this...my family calls it the sheepy carry.  I used to love being carried like this and if my memory serves me correctly it was really uncomfortable.  I remember I would find the perfect position, let myself fall asleep on his shoulders and wake up in serious pain.   When he would let me down, my ribs would take 5-10 minutes to reposition themselves and my head would be stuck pointing in the three o'clock position leaving an annoying ache for the rest of the day.  And yet there was something so exciting about this type of travel.  Maybe it was the fact that we called it the "sheepy carry"?  Sounds soft and fluffy.

Regardless of the aches and pains that I know she will incur, I can not wait to hear Scarlett cry out for the first time..."Grandpa, can you carry me like a sheepy?"

Happy Birthday daddy (Grandpa).  I hope that the sheepy carry tradition that you began with Breanna and I continues for generations.  I will always have fond memories of falling asleep on your shoulders knowing it was a safe place to rest and dream.  I love you.

Egg shells and baby steps

Sep 21, 2010

The older Scarlett gets the more exciting each stage becomes to Chris and I.  Crawling quickly turned to walking, which turned into opening drawers, which turned into pulling things out of drawers, which turned into a messy house all of the time.  Our days fly by with Scarlett in the center.  I drop her off in the morning, Chris picks her up in the afternoon, I come home, we walk to Henry's and pick something up for dinner, we make dinner, we eat dinner, I feed Scarlett and put her to sleep, I make Scarlett food/do dishes/crash on the couch, Chris finishes school work and before we know it it is 9pm and we are both exhausted and have saved no energy for each other.  Each step Scarlett conquers the more time and energy Chris and I spend trying to keep up with our lives.  It is more true now than ever in our marriage the importance of communication and these last few weeks have been nothing but one communication failure after another.  We have spent most of our evenings pouring our emotion into Scarlett, when we do get time alone there is nothing but a wall to climb and egg shells to tread before healthy communication even thinks about taking root. 

It could be the sudden lifestyle change from summer to fall or the fact that we are finally allowing ourselves to lift the lid off our underlying knowledge that we are two completely opposite people.  Throw Scarlett into the mix and we become a jumbled mess of emotional outbursts, overused apologies and extended moments spent trying to explain what we were "really" trying to say.  Regardless of the cause, the outcome has been taking its ugly toll on both of us.  Emotionally, physically and mentally.

Yet, one of the unexplainable joys of marriage is that Chris and I go to bed every night and wake up every morning with love.  I find inner joy in the moment when I open my eyes and see his face for the first time that day.  A new day, a new start, a new chance to make it better than the last.  The wall is shortened and the egg shells are harder to crack, we are renewed and ready to embrace each baby step toward the end of this crazy season of life and come out on the other side with a stronger marriage and healthy family.

Dear diary...

Sep 17, 2010

What good is a blog that can not be used to bare your soul?  I have never been a journal your emotions type of girl, in my teenage years I started a new diary over 20 times, each lasting no longer than a couple of days, and when I look back on those days it is apparent I was writing for the "cool" factor and not to cultivate my voice.  I want this blog to be another diary, a diary of real time.  I want to be able to shed tears on the keyboard as I put into words the joy of life, smile when I write about our family and friends, and feel fear when I remember the day Chris and I became parents. 

I want these emotions to be real, I want them to span the passing of time.  I want to come back to each post and be immediately transported to that moment, each tear, each smile, each fear.  I want to experience life right now but create something for my future generations to look on and see parts of me, parts of us.  The trials, the hurt, the pain, the sadness, the laughter, the growth, and the constant, steadfast love. 

A letter to Scarlett

Sep 10, 2010

Nine months old today...6 days from now you will have been aware of this great big world the exact amount of time that you have been unaware of it.  I love who you were, who you are, and who you are becoming.

You crawl, you totter, you wiggle and scoot and most recently have decided you know exactly what you want.  You know you want to walk on your own but sway to a fall every time you stand alone, you know you want to pull yourself up to your feet but can't gather enough strength to get higher than your knees,  you know you no longer care how cute it is to wear a bow you just wants to rip it off and use it as a teething toy, you know you want to yank on my hair while nursing and when I push your hand away you grab for your own, you know as soon as your diaper comes off there is a new set of rolls exposed that I have to beg you not to grab, and you know (think) when mommy says "no"  I am obviously offering you a challenge to  do it again hiding behind nothing but a smile.

I can't wait to see who you are a month from now...you are growing so fast and learning something new everyday.  You rock our world baby girl.  

Love, 
Your parents

P.S. This morning your dad walked into your room to see your smiling face peeking over the crib rail...you did it. You finally pulled your self up to your feet.  I was outwardly joyful but silently saddened by the sight of my little one taking her last step out of babyhood and her first into toddler.

Elbows and thighs

Sep 6, 2010



Chris and I have an ongoing conversation about how much Scarlett should be eating...I say there is enough proof in her little elbow dimples and thigh rolls to prove that she is getting plenty.

Last day of Summer

Summer is officially over.  Chris is back to the school yard and I am back to getting up before 7 to allow for the extra time it takes to get ready with a moving machine in tow.

On our last official day off together we decided to take a little morning jaunt in the park and relax around the house to escape the mid-day heat.


I will miss our Monday and Thursday family summer fun days...but look forward to the cooler nights snuggling by the fire, drinking hot coco, and giving Scarlett her first taste of fall.