Oh Happy Day!

Happy Birthday to my BIGGER blue-eyed, blonde-haired boy – BradJ

As you know, I’m not by any means the mushy type.  I’m not one to watch romantic movies and ew and aw over a tender kiss or embracing hug in the rain (unless we are referring The Office episodes where Jim and Pam get engaged or married- I was a basket case).  In fact (if you can believe it) I’ve never even seen the Notebook (I know- dramatic gasps here).  I guess you would say- I’m just not that into THAT stuff.  I don’t call all of my friends or blast on facebook all about the amazing man that I married because let’s face it- who are these people really trying to convince that he is just go great?  Their friends or themselves?

BUTTTTTTTTTT- it is Brad’s birthday, and I think he finally deserves his time to shine (as normally Preston and I take up most of the spotlight).  SO here are 26 reasons (random ones included) why I am lucky to have such a wonderful 26 year old (as of today thank you very much) husband:

1.        He loves me (and makes sure to tell me every day).

2.       He loves our son.

3.       He loves my family.

4.       My family loves him.

5.       He doesn’t make me cook- he doesn’t mind those fancy Lean Cuisines or cereal AND he also doesn’t mind cooking (or baking) himself.  He knew he wasn’t marrying Rachael Ray- and he was very much ok with that.

6.       He doesn’t make me do yard work.  If you know me, this would be similar to what jail would be like in my eyes.  Let’s face it- I hate to be hot and, in turn, I hate to sweat (well, unless there’s a refreshing pool next to me while I’m sunbathing).

7.       He notices the little stuff- when I do something different to my hair or when I wear something new.

8.       He listens (well, most of the time- he is a man let’s remember).

9.       He wants to give me the best in life (as you can tell, he’s is thus not the “buget-er” of the family).

10.   He’s impulsive (which can sometimes backfire, but for the most part is entertaining- again, this is also the reason he in fact not the “buget-er.”)

11.   He’s never questioned my spending- it’s usually the other way around.

12.   He values my opinion.

13.   He cares about my job, interest, feelings, and hobbies, anything I want to talk about.

14.   He’s an EXTREMELY active father- he helps with anything and everything involving Preston.

15.   He’s hilarious- even when he’s not trying to be.

16.   He gets along with basically anyone (but shares his true feelings with me).

17.   He likes to entertain at our house (bring on Mother’s Day Brunches, Christmas Dinners, and Thanksgiving Lunches- he’s all about it).

18.   He watches my shows (even my terrible addiction: Teen Mom) and records his sports.

19.   He doesn’t sweat the small stuff.

20.   He’s tender hearted (this might just the one of the best things about him).

21.   He’s confident but not conceited.

22.   He’s ridiculously anal when it comes to cleaning.

23.   He’s handy.

24.   He doesn’t judge me.

25.   He makes me feel safe.

26.   He needs me as much as I need him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADLEY AARON EMERSON.

"Hi! I'm Preston, and I'm TWELVE Months Old (AKA ONE)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Yay- um- I'm not going to lay down anymore.

Happy First Birthday Preston Robert!

When I think about my little boy turning one, a range of emotions run over me. 

I’m happy-

I’m sad-

I’m scared-

 I’m excited-

I’m nervous-

I’m ready-

I’m not ready-

I’m, well, unsure.

Preston COMPLETELY changed my life one year ago- the way I view things, the way I care about others, the way I love.  Oh- and the way I sleep.

This past year I’ve cried (a lot), but grown more than I could ever imagine.  Being a mother is hard, but looking into those beautiful blues eyes is oh so worth it.

To my baby boy:

Thank you for teaching me how to love unconditionally- something I never knew.

Thank you for teaching me that life doesn’t ALWAYS work out like you planned it- and that’s ok.

Thank you for teaching me to forever appreciate my own mother and everything she has done for me.

Thank you for teaching me how to feel well rested on only 5 hours of sleep (and inconsistent at that).

Thank you for teaching me that peaceful, long showers are a thing of the past- who needs these anyway?

Thank you for teaching me that there is so much more to life then I originally thought.

Thank you for teaching me that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Thank you for teaching me that quiet dinners should always be appreciated.

Thank you for teaching to turn on the oven instead of the microwave (I’m still working on this, but getting better).

Thank you for teaching me that a trip to Target is no longer as simple as it once was.

Thank you for teaching me that a simple hug and kiss from you can completely change my mood.

Thank you for teaching me to laugh when I want to cry.

Thank you for teaching me to be patient.

Thank you for teaching me how to care less about the small stuff and care more about the important stuff.

Thank you for teaching me that family is the most important thing in this world.

Thank you for teaching me that there is someone in this world that I cannot go longer than 2 hours without thinking of.

Thank you for teaching me that money doesn’t, in fact, grow on trees like I once thought (your Sissy appreciates this the most).

Thank you for teaching me that playing outside is always better than playing inside.

Thank you for teaching me to remember my childhood and my innocence like I never have before.

Thank you for teaching me, well, life is not fair- no one ever said it was and no one ever said it will be.

Thank you for teaching me that in order to remember every moment of your childhood, I am going to have to write it down, take pictures, and video more often.

Thank you for teaching me that giving being pregnant and giving birth are not scary but amazing things!

Thank you for teaching me the meaning in life.

Thank you for teaching me to always try to find the silver lining.

Thank you for teaching me that there is always something worse and we are just lucky to have what we have.

Thank you for teaching me how to read your mind considering you can’t tell me what is wrong (this isn’t easy when you are over tired, but I’m working on it).

Thank you for teaching me how to fall asleep without watching TV.  This is something I thought I would never get over- who knew that 4 months of sleep deprivation would forever change that?

Thank you for teaching me that it is impossible to always be quiet when you are asleep- though I will always try.

Thank you for teaching me that our dogs are just that- dogs.  I do love them both dearly, but I find that it is different than it was before.

Thank you for teaching me that I can turn off my cell phone, computer, and TV and still have a great time.

Thank you for teaching me that late nights on our back porch with your daddy are SO much more fun than going out.

Thank you for teaching me that I can still go on vacations and have a good time; however, you will always be on my mind.

Thank you for teaching me that when you really love someone, it doesn’t gross you out when they poop, pee, or throw up all over you.

Thank you for teaching me that is hard to watch someone you love be in pain.  And without thinking for one second, I would take every ounce of pain away from you and give it to myself.

Thank you for teaching me that doctors don’t know everything- sometimes a mother’s feelings are right, too.

Thank you for teaching me nursing is not as disgusting as I once thought- it’s an amazing experience that I honestly enjoyed.

Thank you for teaching me to always strive to be the best for you.

Thank you for teaching me boy toys are SO much fun!

Thank you for teaching me that having relationships with extended family is more important now than I ever thought.

Thank you for teaching me that it is ok to dream, but you should always be happy with where you are and with your accomplishments.

Thank for you for teaching me that I married the most amazing man in the world.  I didn’t know I could love him anymore until you were brought into our lives.  Nothing brings me more happiness then seeing the two of you together.  He is the best father ANYONE could ask for.

And finally, thank you for teaching me how to be a mother- something I will always say has been the hardest yet most rewarding thing I have ever done. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESTON ROBERT EMERSON. 

The Bluest Eyes in Texas

Because we're Texan (and because I love to find a good excuse to take pictures with my camera), myself and four other crazy mom friends decided to take our adorable babies to... you guessed it, the bluebonnets. 

When I think of bluebonnets, I think of a couple of things:

One- the AMAZING pictures Katie and I took of Caroline and Preston last year.  Preston was about 10 DAYS old and Caroline was about 6 months old.  It is amazing to look back and see the difference a year can make!  I will post some from last year soon for comparison of these beautiful babies then and now:)  I am so grateful that we were able to capture that moment in our lives!

Two- My mother has plenty of blackmail pictures- one I can think of distinctly- of herself, my sister, Prissy (our childhood dog), and myself in the bluebonnets.  In fact, I think I am going to look for it in our huge tub of pictures just catch another glimpse of our lovely huge hair (which had to have required at least 2 cans of aerosol hairspray to hold) and, of course, white shirts tucked into the high wasted denim pants- nothing screams 90s more than these pictures.  I am too, very grateful to have these. 

I'm hoping when Preston is older, he was cherish all of the time and freaking HIKING we did just to get pictures of his blue eyes next to the blue bonnets!  He did LOVE the bluebonnets.  He has always been a fan of grass and playing in it.  HE LOVED sitting in them, crawling in them, oh yeah, and occasionally eating them.  Don't worry- the good mother that I am, I swatted it out of his hand (um- only to find another one in it a few seconds later.  This is, however, better than the June bug he tried to consume last night... again, don't worry he didn't swallow it.  Come on, what kind of mother do you think I am?)

We loved seeing our friends even if we lost a set of keys, a teether, my sunglasses, oh and some of our sanity!  Enjoy some of my favorites of the bluest eyes in Texas... 

Best Friends!

Pictured above: Logan, Caroline, Preston, Blakely, and Lily

(oh and yes, that is Preston eating a bluebonnet)

Yes, Preston has officially learned to point:)

Can I get some "CHEESE" on that??

Preston's new favorite thing- smiling the funniest little smile when I say CHEESE and have the camera out.  I didn't know how long this would take, considering I have my huge camera shoved in his face since the day he was born.  I'm pretty sure he has just thought it was part of my face.  BUT he finally became a ham for the camera.  For the most part, we will no longer have to jump up in down or make very unpleasant animal noises behind the scenes.  Here are a couple of pictures of Preston showing us just how wonderful he thinks he is... now, if only we could get him to keep his big beautiful blue eyes OPEN while giving me his gummy two-toothed (well pretty much four toothed now- yes, he finally is getting his top teeth) smile:)

Photo Shoot at the Ballpark!

A couple of weeks ago, we took Preston for his 1 year old Photo Shoot at the Ballpark in Arlington!  (Though I have since come to realize that trying to pose a soon-to-be one year old in positions I deemed cute is nearly impossible). I was, however, VERY impressed with how these turned out. 

Thank you to our dear friend and photographer- Lauren Benesch!

As Promised, (Finally) Pictures of Our Eleven Month Old

Yes, I know I am way behind time on posting these- but life has been busy- VERY busy.  I was looking forward to it slowing down in the month of May- but it too seems to be  filling up quickly... no complaints as we have lots of fun planned:)

Now- on to the pictures-

The standard monthly shot- which is becoming harder and harder to keep him laying still-
ONLY one more month... I think I can, I think I can....

A little bed head and someone very excited to play with his "P."

I thought I'd include one picture of Preston clothed to keep
the judgements to a minimum.

Smiley!

He LOVES to pull his Daddy's hair- and I too, think it's pretty funny.

Let me explain- I wanted to get a cute picture of Preston's tinny little hinny
AND while trying to do so, Brad threw the baseball (it was foam don't worry) right at it. 
Add those two together- and this is what you get...

AND Preston's newest learned skill- saying "I don't know!" 

I LOVE THIS KID!!!!!!!!!!!