Read The Signs

Caden is learning the power of words. It all started when he created this door hanger at school (art? library? not sure which class)

And then he decided we needed more signs in our house...This last sign was his response to the question, "What do we need to do to help you remember to pick up after yourselves?"

We've got a creative boy on our hands. :)

Coloring & Writing

Corban had homework over Spring Break. The instructions said to color all the happy faces. I was blown away when he colored the first one all on his own and stayed in the lines. It was a beautifully colored smiley face circle. He went on to complete the page. Then what happened next blew me out of the water...he wrote his name.

He asked me a few times how to write certain letters (he's got the C and the O down pat) but he wrote them without me holding the crayon. 4 years and 3 months and this kid can write his name and color in the lines...wow, I can't wait to see what else he does in life.

Standing and Moving

I've come to a realization. I can think of a million things I should have done or written a post about or I can just stop thinking that way and focus on what I can do now. So, with that new perspective, I want to remember what Eden is doing NOW - at 9 months.Eden had no interest of crawling until about 8 months and then it seemed she took off. Within a month, we went from crawling to standing to pulling up to cruising a bit. This girl is on the move! She's keeping me more than busy, but I love the adventure and curiousness that she is showing. She is such a joy and we are loving every minute with her!

Love Story Contest

Hey there, Mr. E's students! The class that writes the best love story in honor of Valentine's Day will win a prize. Wanna know what it is? OK.The class that writes the best love story will get to spend Tuesday's class time with me and baby Eden, the two most important girls in Mr. E's life :) Want more? Well, I'll be bringing treats. Chocolate. Starburst. Maybe some Hot Fries, if you promise to be behave and follow the rules for my husband. He's the best teacher in the world, you know. You're lucky to have him! ;)

Our Growing Girl

2 months

Although these pictures don't show it, we are getting more and more smiles from Eden each day. The 2nd pic shows her new obsession....her feet! Seriously. She loves to stare at them and appears to be doing crunches as she tries to get closer to them. If she's propped up on the couch, she will double over until her nose is between her feet. She doesn't like this position, but doesn't have the strength to stop herself yet. It's cute and sad at the same time.

At 2 months and 4 days, Eden weighed 11 lbs. 7 oz. and was 23.75 inches long. These measurements put her in the 75th percentile for height and the 50th for weight.

Eden Goes To Church

Today was Eden's first day to get all dressed up for church. The dress she is wearing is one that I wore as baby. Nanna (my mom) enjoyed showing her off just as much as we did...ok, maybe more. ;)

Guess Who: Part 2

It's true, our babies all look alike. I'll prove it.

Picture A.

Picture B

Picture C

Picture D

Picture E
Picture F

A: Caden 3 weeks
B: Caden 1 month
C: Corban 3 weeks
D: Corban 3 weeks
E. Eden 3 weeks
F: Eden 1 month

Don't worry, I couldn't tell just by looking either, and I'm their mother. ;)

Eden Meets Mattie

Eden at 3 weeks

Introducing Miss Eden Essowe

Eden Essowe Emerson
June 5, 20011
2:07 AM
7lbs. 4oz.
20in.

I Still Miss It

It's been over 10 months since we moved back from Togo. I watched this video someone posted about Africa on facebook this morning and it brought me to tears. The truth is, I miss Togo. Granted, I don't miss all the dust, struggles with eczema, endless cleaning, heat, worry about my family's health or being so far from family. But I think I will always miss being able to walk down the street and experience the joy in my neighbors faces. You just can't find that here in America. I miss my Togolese friends that would stop by just to greet me. I miss my two market ladies where I bought my fruits and veggies. I think I miss these things the most because I have no way to access them unless I make a trip some day back to Togo. Nearly all my friends expressed an interest in visiting (or possibly living) in America...what they will never understand is the richness they experience every day in life just where they are. I never knew how to explain that to them and still don't today. But I miss that richness. Why does it seem easier to see the good in something when you don't have it anymore?

20 Week Ultrasound

Today was our scheduled 20-week ultrasound. What a fun day! Brett had the day off on account of snow but by mid morning, the roads were mostly clear. We decided to make a day of the experience. We took Corban to my parents' house for him to eat lunch and take a nap. He's our wild man and we didn't want to wrestle him in the doctor's office. Caden went with Brett and myself for a special date. We ate lunch at Genghis Grill and then spent some time in Barnes and Noble. Caden continues to impress us with his self-taught reading skills. We arrived at my doctor's office a few minutes early and the anticipation was killing us. I told Brett that before today I would have said I was 80% sure this baby was a boy but today I feel like it's a 50-50% chance. I've told everyone, "I'm expecting it to be a boy but a girl would be a nice surprise."

Finally, the ultrasound technician called me back but asked Brett and Caden to wait. She took lots of measurements and looked for any abnormalities. She couldn't find anything to be concerned about. She was even able to count 10 fingers and 10 toes! The baby measured 20 weeks and one day and weighed 12 oz. (a can of coke). After gathering all her medical info, she invited Brett and Caden to join us. She spent a few minutes showing them all the things I had already seen: brain, head, face, eyes, legs, finger, toes, heart, and stomach (we even saw hiccups). Each time she was reassuring us that everything looked perfect. Then she paused and said, "Well, I know what you're having...it's a girl." (insert shocked look here and tears with quick glances to Brett who had the same reaction) I touched her arm and said, "Are you serious?!! Are you sure?!" "Oh yes, I'm sure." "How sure are you?" (Remember we received two different opinions with Corban, so I'm not very trusting when it comes to ultrasounds.) She replied "I've very sure and I haven't been wrong in the 27 years I've been doing this." "Well," I said, "I guess that makes it official." She then showed us on the ultrasound what she was looking for to declare it was a girl. Three little lines. Yep, they were there. Wow.

Now Caden had a slightly different reaction. He had made it clear before this special day that he really wanted our baby to be a boy. Can you blame him? It's all he's known. So when she announced it was a girl I heard a slight "hmphh" come out of my first born's mouth. He sat with his Daddy very patiently listening and watching the ultrasound technician describe everything to us. One minute later, he reached up to whisper in his Brett's ear, "Daddy, I changed my mind." "Changed your mind about what?" asked Brett. "I want a baby sister first and then a baby brother." So sweet! He's going to be a huge help and quite the protective big brother. And what did Corban think? He just mirrored our reactions. Needless to say, we've got some practicing to do with him of how to be gentle with a baby...especially a baby girl.

A GIRL. I still can't believe it. I keep replaying that scene in my head of her telling us it was a girl. I'm not sure it will sink in 100% until she is born. SHE, ha! I never thought I'd say that. You see, I had convinced myself I would only be a mother of boys the rest of my life. I was totally OK with that and actually quite excited about it. I'm definitely excited about adding a little girl to our mix, but it's going to take some time to adjust my "future family picture" for our life.

Enjoy this sweet video of the boys and their reactions once we were all in the car headed home.

And BABY Makes Five

Yes, you read the title right...we're going to be a family of five this summer. April is 13 weeks pregnant and due around June 10th. We shared our news with the boys last night. Enjoy this video of how it all went down.

2010 Family Stocking

Here's a profile shot of April at 13 weeks.
"So how are you feeling?", a question I get quite often. I've had some nausea and been tired, but nothing that has slowed me down too much (not that I have much of a choice with a 5 and 3 year old). Both of those are disappearing now that I'm right at the 2nd trimester mark. However, now it seems the heartburn is creeping in a bit. Nothing too different from my last two pregnancies. Some would say that means we're having another boy. We won't know until January...that is, if we decide to find out. ;) Overall, I'm feeling good. Now, if I can just figure out what clothes to wear!

Sans Enfants

If you're looking for pictures of our kids, this is not the post for you. I'm being a bit selfish today and writing a post about 2 fun things that I have experienced sans enfants recently. The first was Brett and my's 9th anniversary. One of the blessings of living with family is access to easy childcare. We left the boys and headed to The Melting Pot for an incredible fondue dinner. We went all out and got the full course. I felt like I was in France again with all the courses. So yummy!!! Unfortunately, this was the only picture we got because our camera battery died.

I celebrated my birthday on Saturday with some much needed time to myself. Completely by myself. Brett allowed me to sleep in (9:30!) and then took the boys out of the house for the morning. They came back for naps and then when everyone got up, Brett sent me out to do whatever I wanted and to stay out as late as I wanted. First stop, Bed Bath & Beyond. I've had my eye on a set of Emerilware pots and pans for awhile now. The ones we had in Togo were loosing their non-stick material (they were a wedding present), so I sold them. With the help of birthday money from family and the 20% coupon they're always sending in the mail, I got an incredible deal! I was SO excited....it was pretty ridiculous how excited I was.
I then spent some time at reading (I'm reading Eat Pray Love) at Starbucks before doing a little more shopping. I treated myself to dinner at Panera Bread (love their bread bowl soups!) and ended the evening reading a little more before heading home just after 8. The boys were still up when I got home and I realized that while I enjoyed my alone time, I still missed them. ;)

So there you have it, a little glimpse into my September excitement.

Caden & Corban's "Hole"

This morning Caden came and asked me for a piece of paper, a pencil, and some tape. He proceeded to create a sign that said Caden's Hole (after asking Momma how to spell "hole") and taped it to this large bucket...all on his own! When Corban discovered Caden's cool reading spot, he wanted to join the fun. Caden asked for the pencil and added Corban's name to his sign. Remember, this is all unprompted. Then they enjoyed their "hole" together.
Notice the placement of books so that each one can see his own book.


Yes, eventually, it caused a problem and they had to get out of the "hole" but it sure was nice to see them being creative and sharing all on their own.

Moving: Part 3 Complete (5 months)

Part One: Leave Togo (check)
Part Two: Pack Container (check)
Part Three: Unpack Container (check)
Part Four: New Home

As you can see from my list above, we are 3/4 of the way complete with our move from Togo. Yesterday, with the help of several strong men, we unloaded our container of belongings that shipping from Togo in June.
Now I had not seen any of these items since we left in March. There was a strange feeling yesterday in witnessing my household items suddenly appear after 5 months.
Within an hour, this is what the container looked like:

We brought our couch and the boys' scooters home. Everything else is in a storage unit until we decide to move into our own place (we're currently living with my parents in Memphis).

I'm at a very strange place in my life that very few people can relate to. I'm to the point where I'm finding joy and confidence in my life here in Memphis. Most of it is beginning to feel normal rather than new. I'm happy to have those feelings, yet at the same time I feel somewhat guilty for replacing my joy of Togo. No, it's not replacing, but those feelings do feel as if they are changing place of importance in my life. Does that make sense? I still have moments of longing for our life in Togo, and I'm sure I always will, but I'm enjoying making this life for my family too. Togo will always hold a piece of my heart that I will forever long to make a part of my life again, but I will embrace that feeling in knowing that it is part of what makes me me.

Today as I celebrate 5 months of return to America, I also mourn 5 months from a place I loved to call home.

Winter In July

I went to my first huge consignment sale this week with my sister-in-law, Sarah. Since we haven't experienced winter in 4 years, we're a little low on fall/winter clothing. I was hoping to at least find the boys some winter coats for a decent price. I succeeded and found one for each of them. Today I had them try them on and they were so excited! It was just another dress up/costume item to them. And then, Corban refused to take his off. I decided he would eventually get too hot and take it off on his own. We went about our day: watching a little TV, playing with lacing cards, etc. and here's Corban with his winter coat zipped up to his chin and the hood still on. I finally decided to fight the battle and peeled the coat off of him revealing a slightly sweaty body. Let's hope he keeps that love for his new coat and we don't have fights to put in on in a few months.

A Full Heart

My grandparents, known to some as Bill and Dot Stewart, made a quick trip to Memphis last weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed their visit. My heart is full from spending time with them and watching them love on my children. Thank you GrannyDot and Grandaddy for making the long journey here!




Reading before bed with GrannyDotA family dinner3 generations of women in the kitchen
Caden making brownies with GrannyDot (and I might add they were super yummy!)
The Grandparents with their great-grandchildren
We love you!

The Hill

This is one of the best ideas I've seen for kids...ok, adults too.



Thanks to The Tipping Point for being creative!

Happy 80th

...from the Emerson boys to their Great Grandpa ("Pa Pip")....