a shower for macy

i was blessed with a little shower for macy. having a second girl means i don't need much stuff but we want to get a rocking chair. some lovely friends got together a little get together where i received a lot of books (instead of cards) which hopefully macy will love as much as emma taylor and some money to go towards a rocking chair. most of all though i got several hours of hanging out with good conversation and great food and no distraction (thankful for a husband who is always willing to give me some "me time" away from emma taylor).

 

{most of the ladies}

 

 

{august babies...all from my neighborhood!}

 

 

{the lovely hostesses}

 

tomato plants

our tomato plants have gotten huge compared to the little sprouts we planted. they are a little too much to handle on our front porch and are becoming a bit intrusive. just this week we got our first red ripe ones. we have tons of green ones so I am hoping they will start to all ripen soon. its hard to make a salad out of two tiny tomatos!

 

{baby sprouts}

 

 

{much bigger...also not sure why but emma taylor insisted on holding the screw driver in this picture and by the look on her face she is very proud of it!}

 

 

{first fruits}

 

first hair cut

thanks to my sister carrie for giving e.t. her first hair cut, and i am sure many more to come! she did great! although it's hard to tell since her hair is so curly.

 

{before...not sure what is going on}

 

 

{celebrating a job well done with a sucker}

 

 

{afterwards we hung out with these guys and went swimming}

 

celebrating daddy's day

i attempted to get emma taylor to wish glen a "happy daddy's day". that is what she said in the beginning of the day but somehow it turned into "happy abby day". too bad abby doesn't get her own day!

 

father's day was pretty low key for us. however, emma taylor helped me make a dessert that glen has been requesting for awhile. it is called oreo dessert and is just a mix of vanilla pudding, cool whip, and crushed oreos. she loves being our little helper and loved helping clean the bowl afterwards!

 

 

 

23 months & 33 weeks

one month till emma taylor turns 2! only 7 weeks (hopefully) until we meet macy!

 

 

happy father's day!

she really loves him...and I can understand why. she talks about him all the time when he is gone, and is full of joy when they are together. she feels safe and secure when he is there. i can't wait to see him with macy in less than 2 months (assuming she comes on time)!

 

dog kisses

last summer & this summer

i am so thankful that we have friends in the neighborhood. last year emma taylor spent many afternoons in her baby pool playing with her friend Julia. it's fun to see the comparison to this year. so much has changed!

 

strawberry jam {new recipe}

i just have to share this little jewel...i have been making strawberry jam for the past couple of years and just found out this year that you can make low or no sugar jam with a special kind of pectin. i have been a little offset the past couple of years when all the recipes seemed to call for an equal amount of sugar as pureed strawberries. i am sure the store bought kind has just as much if not more though. i still used sugar but may opt for no sugar next year. this has by far been my BEST batch of jam yet. it tastes like real strawberries and has a much better consistency than years past. find the recipe here. it won't disappoint!

feeding the seagulls

we went to southport (a little town near oak island) one day to have lunch and had fun feeding the seagulls afterwards. emma taylor LOVED feeding the birds (like mother like daughter)! even the guys had some fun (see last picture) and luckily didn't get any fingers taken off!

 

 

 

 

 

beach buddies

we had this sweet family join us for the last couple of days at the beach. e.t. loved having her friends there! thanks for joining us!

 

 

 

{Jacob & Emma Taylor i.e. sand buddies}

 

 

{Hudson & Emma Taylor...these two sure could make each other laugh!}

 

 

windblown

while we were at the beach we had 2 days of tropical storm weather...in an attempt to get out of the house yet not be at the beach which was non-existent due to high water levels we went down to the pier. when we got there we saw part of a rescue operation. that day the winds got up to 30 mph! it was a bit ridiculous but fun to watch God's nature!

 

 

 

 

 

 

a family pic {beach 2013}

 

the beach 2013

we're back from the beach. this is our 2nd year going to oak island, nc. we are so thankful to be able to use my oldest sister's beach house for a minimal cost. this year was so different from last. e.t. wasn't even walking when we were there. she was also not so aware of the waves and this year she definitely was. she did NOT like the waves. she was happy enough to play in the sand and have us bring buckets of water to her. I can't believe next year we will have 2 at the beach!

 

 

 

 

love this little bookworm

last Friday I was working on getting the house clean and finishing packing before we headed to the beach. completely unprompted, emma taylor grabbed her baby dolls mattress and a book and set out to "read" while mommy worked. I only snapped one photo before she realized I had the camera.