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.

We officially have a mover...

So long plopping her in the corner with an army of toys...it was fun.