In other exciting news

2nd blog post in 12 hours?  This procrastination has gotten truly out of hand.

In other exciting news:

1. My bangs are back!  The weather is cooler and I now have a little more time to style my hair.  So, BANG!

2.  I rejoined facebook about 2 weeks ago.

3.  I got a chambray shirt yesterday from the Birmingham Fashion Truck.  (Turns out I don't have any problems buying clothes off a truck.)  I am wearing it today with my mustard yellow skinny pants and brown flats.  Put all that together with #1, and I am looking very hip and modern today!

I might have taken this selfie in my bathroom. 

After two glasses of mostly-vodka with a splash of cranberry (on date night!). 

FTW.

Mad Skills

Our weekend has been the usual.  And I'm up typing this because I have reached a major roadblock in the cover letter I am writing for a job application that is DUE TOMORROW.  Sigh.  At some point I realized that I have not informed any of you of Em's new and exciting skilllz.

1.  EmeraldJoyceMans can now quickly and efficiently get the lid off of (almost) every container.  She has covered her hair and face in vaseline, as well as concealer (not at the same time). She filled all the tupperware containers and baby bottles in our house with baby oatmeal cereal.

2.  EmeraldJoyceMans is much taller than you think she is.  She can reach clear to the middle of the table, grab my coffee cup, and bring it to me.  Usually she doesn't spill any, but where there is hot coffee concerned, I am thinking I should be more careful?

3.  EmeraldJoyceMans can now open almost any door.  Which means she might go outside if we are not looking and have forgotten to lock the deadbolt.

4.  EmeraldJoyceMans can now take off her pants.  Lord help us.  She has peed in the floor more than once.  She peed on my foot this morning. But potty training is starting, so I guess I can look forward to more of the same in that area.  Or worse.

5.  EmeraldJoyceMans insists that someone scoop the litter box EVERY SINGLE MORNING.  As soon as we get up.  She yells at us until it is done. It truly is the highlight of my day.

6.  EmeraldJoyce Mans can say "Ice Ice Baby" and walk very well in my stilettos.  I am not sure which of these things I shall call my crowning achievement as a parent.

And other things I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Anyway, this weekend.  I did some grading, should have filled out some job application packets (YAY for another dual job hunt). Saturday I grocery shopped and cleaned the house (BORING) and then Rob and I had date night.  We tried to go to Gips Place (a real deal juke joint!), but got kind of lost in the hood on the way there.  So we went to courtyard and saw an all girl band play.  I was skeptical (sexist?) at first but they were AWESOME.  And they brought all their friends with them.  Might have been the entire middle-aged lesbian population of Birmingham, AL.  They were fun though, and I had vodka for the first time in a REAL long time.

Today was Sunday which meant I had to cook like 4 giant meals to get us through the week.  I work so many late nights that my Sundays are generally spent in the kitchen.  Today:

Chicken And Dumplings
Chicken Legs
Roasted Carrots
Talapia
Chicken with Pasta and Veggies
Steamed veggies
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sauteed Tomatoes with Basil
etc.  It was a pretty productive day.

But we got some good news today too.  Some friends of ours welcomed their baby boy yesterday! Nothing smells better than a new baby.  Nothing feels better than not being pregnant anymore.  Except all of your pants fitting.  I am almost there.

Speaking of pants, I'm sure I would be able to zip all of them if I would just do some ab work.  I tried to do a 7 day challenge, and did 1.66 days of it.  So, unless they are grading on a curve, I would say that I failed.  Perchance I will try again.

Today I took Em to a food truck festival at Railroad Park.  There was music, and NO WE DID NOT EAT FOOD FROM A TRUCK (see my post from June 2012 on food poisoning). But we did go to sonic and get mini-milkshakes.

And finally:  Harper.  She can roll over.  And over.  And over.  And is learning to sit up.  She smiles like a champ, and that little gummy grin is the cutest thing since Em's gummy grin. We are enjoying watching it all a second time with this baby...but without the panic that we are doing it wrong.

 Em at the drum circle at the International Street Fair.

Harper gets ready to try some solid food. (She did not like.)

Em gets EXCITED.

I got a sweet new jogging stroller!
You should see how legit I look when I go for runs.

Not as legit as Em's boots.

"Yes.  I can tell you how to get to Sesame Street."

Harper, so far, can only tell me how to get to this block.

Have a good week, everybody!

If a picture's worth a thousand words...

how many words will this blog post be worth?

Lost of pictures here as an update on what we've been up to.  Em and Harper's first trip to the beach, me taking the kids on vacay, the kids just being cute and growing up.

We are slowing settling into the new job fog, which has not been easy because I work long hours, and it's not like Rob has any less to do than I do.  But we are making it.  Or, rather, right now we are faking it.

Em will be 2 years old in a little under 2 months, and Harper was 4 months old yesterday.  Somehow, even though things are more stressful than they have been ever before, I am enjoying the kids more and more. Perhaps because they are a great escape.

Enjoy the photo update!

The kids' first trip to the beach!

We went down for the weekend to help Dietz celebrate his birthday, 

though he might have had a more relaxing birthday without us....

I took the kids on vacation to see my family.  BY MYSELF. IN THE CAR. WITH TWO BABIES.

And guess what.  It actually wasn't that bad.  We had a really good time!!

First, to visit my grandma:

We also piled in on my mom for five nights, Tommy and Donna's house for dinner, and made a trip to the Children's Discovery Center in Gulfport.  It was a great week.

Tommy was so gracious and made us a yummy dinner.  We were stuffed.

 My new baby niece, Tailynn!

Tye and Em make Mud Stew.

My mom probably would have rather burned the house down than clean up the mess we left.

We tried to be neat, we really did!

Harper and Tailynn share-- like nice immobile humanoids.

Fun in the car:

At the Discovery Center-Tailynn and Harper hold hands in the giant bird nest.

Perhaps Tailynn is forcibly holding Harper's hand-she looks pretty serious about it.

Em drives a plane!

Harper is celebrating her Mexican heritage.  

You know, all that guacamole I ate when I was pregnant.  

Tye and his friend Keelyn.

The pretend hotel--too cute.

Em makes the same face that I make when I have to grocery shop.  

At least she hasn't learned to mutter under her breath,

"Get outta my way!  It's not a grocery arranging contest!"

...yet...

At the end of the day, everyone had shaved ice. Look how excited!

(I should note that two other adults accompanied me on the trip to the Discovery Center.  Do not try this alone.)

Some sisterly loves. Em loves her sister.  Sometimes.  And sometimes she punches her in the face.

Harper loves Em all the time, but I'm not sure why!

Em is quite the little grownup.  She wants to drink our coffee in the mornings, so I let her have chamomile tea.  

In other news, Em can quickly and efficiently do the following things:

1.  take off her pants (usually followed by peeing on the floor)

2. take the lid off of any container.  (usually followed by cinnamon/nutmeg/garlic all over the floor)

3. open most doors (sometimes followed by an escape).

She also helped me wash the cars this past weekend!  Now they no longer look like mudwagons that house the homeless.

Harper is practicing her sitting skills.  She is so sweet, and so patient. Em has always been a firecracker, even in utero.  I can't believe how differently the two kids are turning out.  It's funny how you love them both but in different ways.

Harper will be eating food from a jar soon!  Maybe we will try some this weekend.  And look at that gingery strawberry hair.