go go go

when ruth was here, she taught EM a running and chasing game called go go go.

pulitzer surprise

EM's christmas gift from her grandparents, a kitchen. loves it already, jeremy is hoping this does not lead to her being a part of the entitlement class.

slim goodbody

EMs current body part vocabulary: ear, eye, nose, mouth, belly button, booty, hand, foot

a girl and her goldfish

cowboy smallest

we went to killeen to check on jeremy's horses this weekend. mouse was there, by himself, just waiting for us.

esther margaret really loves animals and we knew she would love the horses.

a little curious...

enamored

 she was pretty sick, and tired, so shortly after this picture, things went downhill pretty fast.

maybe next year...

food fight

spaghetti - 1, esther margaret - 0

the horn sounds so forlorn

the high low

esther m had a lot of fun doing this:

and then got sick and was doing more of this.

abacus finch

exchange rate

i never imagined the day would come that...

...she and her cousin would skype with their grand dad over lunch.

...she would start loving my personal care products

...she and the dogs would "build bridges". most of the dogs tolerate her awkward hugs now.

she would rock herself in the rocking chair

 

i love watching you grow and explore the world, my sweet child!

animal farm

esther margaret went from only knowing what a cow says to suddenly knowing about 10 animal sounds: cow, sheep, dog, snake, bunny rabbit, kitty cat, bird, goat, horse and rooster.

tick tock goes the glock

a proud first for dad: esther margaret's first time at the shooting range. jeremy, jhg and i actually went to the home of the new sheriff so it wasn't as white trash as taking a 16 month old to a public shooting range. oh totally. we had the place to ourselves. but not to slouch on safety around guns, esther margaret sported her ear muffs the whole time. she doesn't like to be exposed to +80 decibel level noise.

trick or tweet

the day before halloween, miss lou, em's teacher, asked each mother to bring a treat for each child to share. not a naturally crafty person, i took this charge as my first dip into the pool of "kids projects that parents really do". i must have had memories of showing up to school with things that only a clueless but well meaning immigrant parent would make, but i seriously overcompensated. 3d stickers, halloween twine, three types of snacks...i was that super annoying mom. of course i didn't know until i saw what esther margaret brought home.

see if you can guess which treat was made by the overachiever mom.

head and shoulders

since the weather has been so warm, em and i have been riding to the park a lot...

before our maiden voyage, feeling a little strange with her helmet.

 getting a pic with both of us on the bike was a little dicey, so i didn't attempt it.

after the ride, she refused to take off her helmet.

 her enlarged cranium did slightly remind me of this:

 for some reason, i took her to the park the first few times in her pjs. after viewing these pictures, i am now embarrassed enough to get her dressed beforehand. adding a vest does not mean you're dressed appropriately. this goes for me too.

her helmet is from the new bear mountain bike shop. if you haven't been, check it out! thanks blaggs!

two outfits a day

thanks for coming to visit from the great north!

everyday super hero

i think celebrating halloween under the age of 2 is purely for the entertainment of parents. since jeremy or i are not entertained by this, EM will not be dressing up this year. our nephew is not either, he has more important things to do, like putting out fires and saving cats.

winds of change

bye bye summer...

 hello fall!

up up please

EM and i went to austin for a visit this weekend.

we went to the farmers market...

 went to a playground...

watched football...

went to a pumpkin patch...

bothered cats at g'raj mahal...

and played...

and played...

 

and played...

this won't take long

our little bookworm had her 15 month appointment today.

weight: 23.5lbs (40th percentile), height: 32.25in (90th percentile) and head circumference: 45.4cm (40th percentile).

she had a few shots too.

this is the fair, we only accept tokens

her first fair.

 first pygmy goat

 first corn dog

next year she will be hopefully be tall enough for her first ride.

heard it through the grapevine

she was a little skeptical when her pop first introduced her to yogurt covered raisins, but now converted, she fully enjoys them fresh, stale and especially melted in the sun.

kind of like the movie big, but not electronic and she doesn't actually play a song

if you live in waco, and you have kids, then you are no stranger to the mayborn museum. margot loved the piano, she played on it forever, and only her bow was worse for the wear.

beach boys in the hood

EM's favorite song, barbara-ann. please do your best to ignore the very long, white and unclothed leg which appears briefly at the beginning.

bye bye baby

well, lela and EM's playdates have come a long way since their humble beginnings (here and here). still the same, lela is still petite, sweet and easy going while esther margaret is still sensitive, enthusiastic and tall for her age. other things have changed, like lela is a little more assertive, and EM thinks that walking and knowing seven words means that she is lela's mom.

mini eme

esther margaret is fond of her baby. she carries it around, sometimes she puts a blanket over it and more recently, began to feed it.

i think she is learning this from watching others and also being fed herself. however, after she finished feeding it, she did throw it on the floor, on its back, naked. i didn't teach her that.

you are about to enter the no spin zone

a fun weekend for the cousins in austin, EM followed evan around everywhere and he obliged by sharing his toys and his snacks.

ways my house might be different from yours

the dish rack consistently has a mix of something like this. pyrex, coffee mugs, parts to a masticating juicer, cow booty syringes, water bottles, baby cup and bottle paraphernalia.

 spode blue italian holding a pellet gun and measuring tape.

 bookshelf containing titles like "the prophet", "canterbury tales", "a cowboy in the kitchen" and "how to survive the end of the world as we know it".

the big applesauce

jeremy and i spent the weekend in new york. some work, some play, great weather.

this little girl stayed with her grandparents.

 we ate at talde, peasant, shake shack and taim, the best falafel in ny.

 the first night, we happened to stay at a hotel directly beside the 9/11 memorial. this was the view outside our window.

among other activities (i went to a rare book store, where i saw a first edition of whitman's leaves of grass as well as a first edition of ulysses signed by matisse) we went to the intrepid museum along the west side highway. jeremy really loves all things military, history and military history, so he really enjoyed himself.