It Happens

This is one of Emerson's favorite sayings.

"It happens" or "It is happens. Ya, it does. I sink so." 

She spills something, drips paint, pees her underwear, breaks something, falls down, draws off the page onto the table/couch/floor, toots or sneezes on you... It happens! She has unmeasurable grace for herself. 

The thing is though, you dropped something, forgot something, tripped, broke something? It happens! She has unmeasurable grace for you too. 

A few weeks ago she grabbed for a glass in the cup holder of the car door as I was putting her in. I didn't realize it until the glass was bumped from her hand and shattering at my feet. I was less than enthused about picking up shards of glass in the middle of a parking lot, under the car, on a 100 degree day whilst 7 months pregnant. I wasn't exactly happy about it but couldn't quite figure out how to tell her she was in the wrong and while I was pondering it she said, "Ohhh no! I broke the glass! It happens, momma. It happens." I (kind of begrudgingly) said that yes, it does happen but we need to be careful. 

I was feeling like she had no sense of responsibility or caution and could just blow things off with 'it happens' until.. 

Less than a week later we're at a park picnic table and she falls trying to climb up. In my hurry to help her, I knock my glass off the table. I feel a little silly for having a glass cup on concrete as people are helping me pick it up (but we're just glass kind of people and oddly enough, we've not had any breaks before these). After Emerson recovers from her fall trauma she sees that I broke the glass. And in he sweetest, most reassuring voice a 2 year old can manage, she said, "Ohhh, momma broke the glass. {sad face} It happens momma. It otay, it happens."

Silly as it is, I realized how nice it is for someone to quickly reassure you that that accident was just that, an accident. No reason for extra guilt. 

We are working on saying sorry in conjunction with 'it happens' because some accidents happen to other people's stuff and, two or not, sorry is the social rule. But I don't really restrict the 'it happens' because I'm sure it's just a phase and I know I sure enjoyed being the recipient of it when I was the one at fault. Why not let her make herself feel a little better if that's how she processes her accidents. 

"It happens momma" (sneezed food on her arm) 

Emerson Lately

I saw someone post an entry from their kid journal on FB and while I love the idea, I also know it's a lofty goal. I thought I'd try to get a few thoughts down from time to time via the blogger app.

Today my girl is a paintaholic. After breakfast she sat quietly at her desk and painted four pages, and now after nap she's at it again. She has just recently become more independent with this. She used to 'paint' with water and maybe mix  a color or three and then ask for an adult to come help (aka basically start and finish it). She loved it either way, but she needed a lot of prompting to use all the colors and paint more than just the main object on the page. I'm not criticizing, she's only two, but it's been fun to see her advance and become more independent. Even more so, it's sweet to see her take such pride in her work. She is so focused and talks herself through the parts of he picture she wants to paint and talks out loud about using each color, "Oops. Forgot yellow. Yellow grass I think. Ya. Yellow grass. Okay, there we go. That's better!" And my favorite part, when she's all done, the most excited and proud, "YOOT (look) momma!!" As she holds up her finished work. 

It's so sweet to watch her :). Her little mind at work, her methodical way of getting every corner of the paint square wet, the way she taps the water drops off her brush. I just love it. 

Six Years

Six years. It seems like yesterday and forever all at the same time.

This last year has been deep and real. There's something about a toddler that both brings you together and wears you down. The monotony of life, the routines, the taking of turns for who brushes her teeth and who's lap she sits on during Bible time. It's just a whole different spin on the things that used to make us, 'us'. Add to that several tough career decisions, a miscarriage, another pregnancy, over a year living in limbo and finally beginning the process of having a house built. Our strengths and weaknesses have been tested, magnified and balanced.

As exhausting as life and a two year old can be, mutual adoration of said two year old (and each other) and the mutual investment in our family's future also has a way of bringing you together. I have a deeper love and respect for my sweet husband as I watch him love and parent our daughter. I also need him more and differently than I've needed him before and seeing him selflessly come through for me on a daily basis is humbling and real. Real love, in the trenches. I'm telling you, this man is pure gold. And the value of this gold just keeps increasing, regardless of the market.

This phase of life has it's ups and downs but it's so temporary and we both know it. Babies and toddlers are only such for a little while, and before we know it we'll be knee deep in the next phase. There's so much that is sweet about life right now. So many moments that you try to etch in your mind and hold on to. So many things that change so quickly. It's true that nice dinners, dates, formal wear, adult-only vacations and the like have been put on the back burner for now, but there's so much to absorb as our bab(ies) grow and we know these things don't really make a marriage. That said, we are hoping for a weekend away without our sweet toddler before November. :)

Another fun tidbit. This year marks 20 years of knowing each other! Twenty years ago this summer I met a precocious red head at the fair and had no idea how much he'd change my life eventually. You can read the story here if you haven't heard it before.

And of course, we continue our traditional anniversary photo.. and had some fun while we were there with my parents and Ellie.

And our family..

And a little behind the scenes... this is how Blake really feels about how long it takes to set up a picture ;). I reminded him that this photo means six blessed years of being married to me and this is the face he made...