Goodbye Summer

I just realized that I never said a proper goodbye to summer. I know there are still a few days left of my favorite season,  but the cold front that has come through Tennessee has peppered the woods around my parent's home with signs of fall. So, I feel it's time to say goodbye. So much has happened in these last few months. We've had lots of visitors- My mom, Jared's mom. Jared's sister and my brother, as well as my dear friend, Alyssa. Our 5th anniversary. Emerson's first dip in the pool and her first trip to the beach. Now, here I am in Tennessee, delighting in these last few days of summer.

A few pictures from summer...

June...
Jared's sister Jessica came down to meet her niece for the very first time. Soon, Emerson will have a little cousin to visit in New York!

My mom came to visit, and in between lazy days spent at home, we mosied into Key West for one of Emerson's first lunch dates.

 And of course some spearfishing for Jared.

July...
Jared's mom came to visit and celebrated Emerson's first 4th of July with us.

My mom came back down. 

We took lots (hundreds) of pictures. These are just a few of the ones I love.

July also brought us a visit from my brother. He lights up like a Christmas Tree for his niece!

July 28th. Our anniversary. It was the best yet. We woke up early to this smiling face...

We had lunch outside with the warm summer air all around... 

And later, we enjoyed some quiet time. Just Emerson, Jared and me. With nowhere to go and nothing to do but just be. It warms my heart to see these two together. My little family.

Jared made dinner that night, as I got Little Bird ready for bed. He also made a little slide show of our wedding. He's so good.

It really was the best anniversary. No big plans. No fancy hotel. Just our tiny family on our little Key. Perfect.

August...
 August brought us a few firsts. Emerson's first dip in the pool. She loved it!

And her first visit to the beach. I dipped her tiny toes in the water and although her daddy was far off on his ship somewhere, it comforted me to think that the place where we stood led into the big ocean that he was sailing. 

My sweet friend, Alyssa came to visit. She was so good with Emerson.

We went on a boat ride.

And played dress up with E. I'm not wild about this wild headband, but I'll be darned if my sweet girl isn't the cutest!

After Alyssa headed home to Virginia, Jared's Mom came down and when Jared came home, we all celebrated his birthday with another trip to the beach. 

The ocean is a very important part of who Jared is. It's kind of like his church, so watching my husband and daughter together in the salty sea for the first time, was nothing short of spiritual for me.

Late August brought a storm, and a last minute flight to Tennessee. More on my time there later. For now, I'm back in Key West, where storm clouds rest overhead. Emerson is sleeping, and I am sipping on coffee, enjoying these last few days of sweet, sweet summer. 

You & Me

At this very moment, my daughter is in her swing chair. I am on the bed facing her, typing up a letter on my laptop. In between words, I sneak a glance in her direction and notice that she is staring at me. She smiles, as our eyes meet. A contented smile. Happy in the knowledge that we belong to each other. Her and I. And I am reminded of how blessed I am. 

When Words Won't Do

For weeks, I have had so many thoughts floating around in my head. Family. Faith. Our life. Our love. I think about this world. The tragedies and triumphs of our country. What it will be like raising children here. Mostly, I think of Emerson and my little family.

Writing is becoming my hearts way of expressing itself and this little blog has become the place to gather together all of those thoughts. I'd like only to write only from a place that is real and genuine and authentic, but right now, words just won't do. Right now my thoughts remain floating. 

I know that when they finally anchor themselves to my heart, I will be able to do put into words what is going on in my head. But not yet.

Today, my mom took Emerson and I for a little nature walk in the Cove. The air was saturated with pine and damp earth and definitely did my soul good. Our Little Bird loved it. She's such a nature baby. I know she's too young to remember this time in her life, but I have to believe that the sun on her face and the warm summer air on her skin will make its way into her soul the way it has mine. 

Hands

My heart is filled with hope as I think about all that our little bird will be able to do with her own two hands. 

A Change of Plans

Jared and I were supposed to fly to a wedding in Charlottesville, VA this past Thursday, but mother-nature had other plans. Instead, Jared had to get underway and despite my fear of flying for the first time with Emerson alone she and I caught a last minute flight  to Nashville to escape Issac's wind and rain. 

Our little girl did absolutely amazing! There were a few awkward moments (nursing next to a college kid on the Miami flight; changing two stinky diapers on the Nashville flight) but all in all,  flying with her was a breeze. She's going to be quite the traveler, I can tell. 

And now that I'm here, I feel like I can breathe again. I was very nervous about the storm and the last minute decision to fly to my parents' but now that I'm here, the tension in my muscles has already loosened its grip.While I'm here, I have plans to just go along. Listen to the wind in the trees. Sit on a blanket in the shade with my daughter. I want to take Emerson on walks in the morning and run the hilly road that leads to my parent's house in the evenings. I want to sit on the front porch swing just quietly rocking my sweet baby girl. Read, stretch, shop (it's been too long),  paint my toe nails. I want to take lots of pictures and write from a place that is free and real.

Yesterday, my mom and I filled Emerson's bathtub with warm water and placed it on the grass under the shade of trees that surround their house. Little Bird loved every second of it. She splashed and smiled. And I smiled. This little girl is pure joy and every day my Mama self grows more and more in love and admiration for this tiny human that has completely changed our world. While I'm here, I will miss Jared very much. I'll miss seeing him with Emerson. But I'm so happy to be here with my mom and dad, and to be able to spend these sweet southern days with her.

Yea, Juliette!

I am beyond thrilled to announce that my very dear friend and author, Juliette Sobanet, has recently signed a four-book deal with Amazon's Montlake Romance!

Words cannot express how excited I am for Juliette. She and I have spent hours talking about her writing, dreaming of book deals while walking around Georgetown or sitting in coffee shops, sipping tea and eating pan au chocolat (thank you, Juliette for introducing me to that sweet treat!) For this dream of hers to become a reality, well it makes me smile all the way down in my toes! 

If you'd like to get to know Juliette, or purchase one of her delicious novels hop on over to her blog, Chocolate for Writers. She is an amazing writer and an even better gal! 

The First Day

Today would have been my 9th first day of school as an elementary school teacher. Right about now, I would be running around my classroom making sure everything was just so. Pencils, markers and crayons neatly placed at each table. Name tags carefully printed with stundents' names. A message written on the white board, welcoming the children to a new year. I would have a dozen get-to-know-you activities planned out. I would hop over to my neighboring collegues classrooms to wish them good luck and then return to my own to anxiously await my new group of students to walk through the door. 

But not this year. This year instead of waking up to the sound of an alarm clock, I was awakened by the most precious little coo. And instead of zipping around my classroom, I picked up my little one and walked her around the house and to her room where I watched in amazement as she oohed and aahed at the new mobile her Mimi brought down for her. I won't be spending time getting to know my students. Instead, I'll soak up each moment I spend with you memorizing the exact curve of your nose, admiring the tiny dimples on your hands. Getting lost in your big eyes and melting at the sight of your smile.

This year, and for many more to come, I won't have the first day of school jitters. They'll be replaced with all of your firsts and although I loved being a teacher and took pride in what I did, nothing will ever compare to how much I love being your mama and the pride I take in raising you. This job-being your mama is the thing I was made to do. It is the biggest joy and the biggest blessing. Thank you. I love you. A thousand times, I love you.

35 Weeks/3 Months

My, how time flies! 

Happy Birthday

Two days ago, my sweet girl turned 3 months old. In those three months, my love for her has grown exponentially. It's a love that could never be measured in days, months or years. It's a love that was there before I even knew her. A love that has burned brightly in my heart forever, really. A fierce love, as my mom once described the love of a mother for her child, but a soft and gentle love too. And for this love, I am eternally grateful.

And today, my other love, the love of my life, turns 32. Happy birthday Baby. A different kind of love burns in my heart for him. One of fire and and ice, of which nothing could change. I love you more than all the stars in the sky.

A Prayer Request

Tonight, I have no words. Just a request that you keep a dear friend of mine and her family in your prayers. Many of you already know of my sweet friend Tammy's daughter, Ashley and her fight against leukemia. Unfortunately, after being in remission for quite a while, cancer cells have been found in her blood again. I do believe in the power of prayer and ask that you please pray for this family.

You can learn more bout Ashley's story here. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ashleyriemer

Chrysanthemum

As a former elementary school teacher of 8 years, I have developed quite a sizable library of picture books. When we found out about Baby E, I began bringing these books home and dreaming of the early years of her life when I could read these stories to her. Stories that I have all but memorized. Some that I know by heart. And I've loved doing just that. Emerson is at a stage now, where she actually looks at the pages of the book as I read, and although I know she doesn't understand the words, she can hear the inflections in my voice and sense the rhythm of the words I am reading. Sometimes Jared reads too. It's funny for me to listen to him reading to her. These stories aren't so familiar to him and he isn't as nuanced at reading them as Emerson's teacher Mama is. That doesn't mean he doesn't try. My man puts his all into reading to his little girl, and reads with as much enthusiasm and animation as he knows how. The other evening, he was reading one of my very favorite picture books, Chrysanthemum. Now, my husband self admittedly, albeit jokingly gets tongue-tied from time to time and as the title of this book might suggest, he had a little trouble. 


Here's how it went down:


Jared- 
"The next morning, Chrysanthium wore her most comfortable jumper. 
She walked to school as slowly as she could. 
She dragged her feet in the dirt. 
Chrysanthium,"


Me-
"No Babe, it's ChysantheMUM!"


Jared-
"Chrysanthium. Wait. What?"


Me-
"ChysantheMUM!"


Jared-
"Chrysnathi. This name sucks. Rose. 
"The next morning, Rose wore her most comfortable jumper. 
She walked to school as slowly as she could.
She dragged her feet in the dirt.
Rose, Rose, Rose, she wrote."


Bah Ha Ha! Too funny!

A Ride Around the Sound

Yesterday evening, we took our little girl on her very first boat ride. I'm happy to report that she loved it! 

She is the daughter of a sailor, after all ;)