Thanksgiving mishap #1

In the midst of making a chocolate pecan pie, I set the chocolate/butter mixture in the freezer to cool. A halfway open Ziploc bag of Emery's baby food tipped over and into the chocolate.

So, the pie is going to be a little less chocolatey, and while I debated giving Emery chocolate covered sweet potatoes for dinner tonight, I don't think they are in her future. I fear she'd never go back to the way they used to be.

The house smells like a pickle jar

Let"s hope the turkey doesn't taste like one in the end. Let the brining begin!

Rosemary Beach

Last week we had the privilege of vacationing at Rosemary Beach, Florida, thanks to the generosity of some great friends. I could go on and on about how wonderful it was, but I know some of you are just itching for Emery pictures and don't really want to hear my rambling about how lovely it was to be enjoying summerlike weather at the beach in November, so I'll just stick with a top ten list for the trip (in no particular order):


Stunning sunsets


The softest white sand


The chance to get Emery in an adorable swimsuit and watch her experience the ocean for the first time


The town of Rosemary Beach - completely charming


Quality time with great friends


Marvelous playground, which of course Emery only stared at


Coffee date with Matt


Gorgeous greens, idea for Emery photo opps


Finally a decent mother-daughter picture!


Henny came to babysit!

A fall fling

I had all good intentions of writing a rather lengthy post about our fun day trip this past weekend to the Cherohala Skyway, where we caught the lingering markers of a stunning autumn, but time is slipping like sand though my fingers this week, so the pictures will have to suffice.


Ready to go!


Pausing to enjoy the view


Always happy in Daddy's arms


Hmm, not so sure about this


Never mind, this is great!


Yay, here I go again!


So happy that Daddy always catches me


On a hike through the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, where some of the trees are 400 years old, 100 feet tall and more than 20 feet in circumference


One tree hugger, one Daddy hugger


Fading signs of fall


Lunch! North Carolina bbq - it wasn't the best I've ever had, but to my starving stomach, it was sublime.


As was the chocolate meringue pie - note to self, learn how to make this.


Exhausted from all the fun

Emery took a vacation

and I went with her! We went to Annapolis for a week in October, and while I felt like I was completely on vacation with no cleaning, cooking or other household responsibilities to speak of, Emery got off pretty easy, too. With a minimum of car rides to endure, and no trips to the grocery store or Walmart, loads of attention from doting grandparents, store bought baby food and plenty of new clothes, she was living the high life.


New toys! Anyone want to play with me?


Plenty of time for exercise (Emery jumps while I jog, evidenced by the dirty running socks and shoes in the background)


Eager eater! If only I could make food as smooth as it comes in the jar.


Henny's sterling silver napkin rings are a huge hit.


She could spend hours (well, probably just 15 minutes, 20 at the most, but that's saying a lot!) dumping them out of a basket.


Still captivated.


The next best thing to eating Henny's glasses is eating the dish they sit in.


Looking snazzy in new clothes for the plane trip home.

I couldn't decide which one I liked best,

so here are all four!

An unorthodox Sunday

Last Sunday we decided to flirt with danger a little. As you might already be able to tell, I am mildly obsessed with Emery's sleep, with preventing her from becoming overtired and with making sure we don't miss one. single. nap.

But we live in a new city and on weekend afternoons all the fun things to be done are oh so tempting - parks and trails to explore, markets to wander, restaurants to try, etc. So last week we decided to break the rules and have some fun after church, counting on Emery to flex a little and catch some shuteye here and there. After all, she had had a fantastic morning nap, so we had some good reserves of rest to count on should things get a little dicey.

In the words of my sometimes right brother, "That never works."

And he was sort of right. It wasn't terrible, but I'm not sure Emery had a blast and she barely slept. We did however, enjoy a nice walk, got some local apple cider, drove around some neighborhoods we might want to live in one day, etc.

And this week, of course, we're back to following the rules, with napping, snacking and lounging on the couch ... not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon, either.

Think I could find some other moms in this neighborhood?

Our happy hikers

Breaking the rules is exhausting!