Easter

Easter is a holiday with strange vibes. It's not near as hyped up as Christmas or Thanksgiving but I find myself feeling the most sad on Easter when we have to be away from Family. More than any other holiday.

I also kind of dropped the ball on getting Emerson a cute outfit for Easter which is like my number one job as a mom on this day. Sigh.

Anyway, it wasn't a bad day. Just missing some family.

Here are some pics!

date night surprise.

about a month ago, i decided that i wanted to plan a surprise overnight getaway for Tayl for our anniversary.

when I thought about leaving my baby overnight, I panicked. but I was reassured by my beef, Jen, that he would be perfectly fine and there was nothing wrong with leaving him for one night.

So I swallowed all of my worries and booked the hotel, hoping that I would be able to pull this off.

Taylor knew that my dad and step-mom were going to babysit while we went on a date. We decided to go to Color Me Mine and get sushi for dinner and then that was it. It just so happened that Color Me Mine was having a pajama night where if you show up in your PJs the studio fee per person is 2 dollars instead 10. So we agreed that we would do that, because we're always just going to dinner and movie and it would be something different.

So we showed up to that place in our pajamas like a couple of geeky teenagers on a prom date and the girl at the counter is like, "are you guys here to paint?" I was like, "no, we just like to loiter at places of business in pajamas for the hell of it." Okay, I didn't really say that. If I had a dime for the number of times I have to swallow back some mean sarcastic comment because of something stupid a stranger said, I'd have like 50 dollars in dimes.

Anyway, it turns out that they had no available tables for painting. So they said they would put us on a waiting list and call when something opened up. So immediately I'm like, F this. (F as in forget) we walked back to the car, and I looked up what time and where The Grand Budapest Hotel was playing. We had just enough time to get downtown. We changed our clothes in the parking deck like hobos and made it just in time.

After the movie, we went to go get sushi.  When we pulled up to the restaurant I noticed that it was right across from the hotel. Which was really convenient.

Prior to the date I thought about ways I could execute letting Taylor know about the hotel stay. I wasn't sure how I would be able to pull it off and so on the way to dinner I shot from the hip and told him I was buying his anniversary present from a guy on craigslist but the guy wanted to meet in the lobby of this hotel. Tayl was slightly concerned about this, "should I go in with you?" "are you gonna be okay?" "maybe you should talk to me on the phone while you're walking up to him." but I assured him all would be fine and I didn't want him to see what I was getting him. I told him not to pull up to the doors cause I didn't want him to see. So I went inside, checked in, and walked back out to the car. I got inside and handed him the room key and said "Happy Anniversary" he stared at them for like what seemed like forever as though he had no idea what he was holding in his hand. Finally he said, "wait, are we staying here?"

At first he didn't seem like he was very excited. But then I realized that I had about a month to prepare for leaving the baby overnight without one of us, Taylor had none time to mentally prepare so he was just trying to process, that boy loves his baby, like a lot. In the end he was excited and happy.

Then we went up to our hotel room, watched the news, kissed each other goodnight, and went straight to bed.

(I'm lying about that part. But I'll spare you the details.)

Emerson: Month 5

EMER!

you sweet thang. you are 5 months old and you are always making us laugh now!

just in the last couple of days you've started yelling like an old lady, you are discovering your voice in the most hilarious ways possible.

you LOVE dogs. not just our dogs but any dogs. just looking at a dog will make you laugh so hard and you reach out to grab them. it makes me happy because dogs are the best (much better than people, or cats).

also, you're quite the little thug baby. you love music but you REALLY love Trophies by Drake. You actually dance to that song. You'll sit in your little play center seat and just go crazy when it's on. If I pause it you'll stop and hold perfectly still until I turn it on again. You are a cool dude.

this month we went to bear lake for the week without your daddy. we missed him and he missed us but we had a good time with your great-grandma and great aunt holly and the boys. those boys were obsessed with you. they loved to feed you and hold you and play with you and make you laugh, you loved them too.

we also left you overnight for the first time with your gpa & gma so we could celebrate our anniversary while we were in SLC. it was hard to leave you for so long but we had fun and so did you. you were a good boy, like you usually always are, unless you're teething.

you're growing and learning everyday, like most babies do. you've learned how to roll from your back to your belly. so that probably means you'll be rolling around this house any day now, beginning your life of mobility (YIKES, Am I ready for that? I guess I'll have to be.)

anyway, as per usual, I love you. WE both love you. we are so glad it's starting to get warm. we are gonna do fun stuff this spring/summer.

love mommy xoxox

the one that got away.

*WARNING* love and emotions.

today is our 3 year anniversary. so this is kind of a love letter to my husband. except a love letter that other people can read because no one wants to read the ones I write privately because they would gag or throw up  and/or cry. I guess this might induce the same reaction but in a different way...

sometimes I think about how easy it would have been for Taylor and I not to end up together and it blows my mind. actually I'll be honest, it terrifies me. which is stupid. because why would you be scared of something that never happened? It was just too many close calls. Like dodging bullets. If you would have just slightly tweaked one thing in either of our lives, we could have just never met. Or met but ended up with someone else, anyway.

I think about how many people have the one person in their life that they label as "the one that got away" and how horrible it must feel to live a life of "what ifs" or "what could have beens".

Taylor is my one that got away, that didn't really ever get away. I know that there are lots of people who feel that way about the one they ended up with too. So it's not like we're some kind of needle in a haystack but we are one of the lucky ones. To be in love with no regrets. To know that we are exactly where we belong.

I may hate where I live, but it doesn't make me feel any less blessed. I am married to the man of my dreams and I got to have his beautiful baby and will hopefully pop out a few more in the coming years, and maybe one day live somewhere that I don't hate...

When I think back on our life so far, scenes play through my mind like a movie montage (cue bryan adams cheesy 80's ballad) we're getting engaged and fighting more than ever, we make it through and we're getting married, we're on our honeymoon without a care in the world, we're back to reality, we're getting into debt, we're stressed about our future, we fight sometimes, then we make up, we're relieved when Taylor gets a job, we are living in the UK (seriously, who gets to just live in the UK all expenses paid?), we're homesick, we're moving to Savannah, I'm mad about something, Taylor makes it where I can't stay mad, find out I'm pregnant, 5 days later, miscarriage, Taylor leaves for China for a month, we're skyping, he comes home, we're kissing, we're laughing, we're enjoying Savannah, suddenly we're unemployed, we're bickering, then we're laughing again, he gets a job in Idaho, total shock, we drive to Idaho, when we arrive first thing, I see a lady wearing a scrunchie and I cry because I hate it here, Taylor laughs at me, we live in a camper for a month, we buy our first house, we're settling in, get another dog, a reckless valentine's day, pregnancy test positive, in shock, then really happy, Taylor bringing me cold rags and glasses of water as I barf into the toilet every morning, getting ready for baby, baby gets here, in love with him, adjusting to parenthood, and suddenly we realize we've been
at this for 3 years and we're still in love.

In the scheme of things, 3 years isn't even that long. And the speed at which it has all taken place makes it feel like it's only been a few months.We've seen a lot of places and been through a lot of changes and ups and downs and I'm glad I picked a good one to do it all with.

happy anniversary my love. you're the only one for me, even if we are 11th cousins.

tall but slender.

Today Emerson had his 4 month check up. and I am proud to say that it actually went pretty good. If you recall, we struggled with his weight just a tad (or at least they made me come back a bajillion times to check his weight anyway.)

He weighed in at 14 pounds 4 oz which moved him up to the 20th percentile
He is 25 3/4 inches long putting him in the 71st percentile
Which makes it where he is long enough for 6 month jammies but not fat enough to fill them out.

And his noggin was 42 cm around putting him in the 56th percentile for head circumference (he doesn't have a big heeeed like his dad so I guess he did get something from me--a regular sized head)

He also had to get a few shots which are always so sad. But he does pretty good. He only cried for a couple minutes and then he fell asleep on the way home. But when we woke up he required lots of snuggles. I happily obliged.

I've said it once and I'll say it  a million more times after I say it right now, I can't believe how big he is getting and how fast it is happening. And it is still insane to me that he is mine. Sometimes I stare at him and I'm like, oh yeah, you came out of ME!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE!!!!!!!! but I love love love him.

notes on the bathroom mirror.

before Emerson came along. marriage was easy. when you have nothing but each other it's not hard to make time to spend quality time with each other and connect and be romantic or whatever.

but then a third person comes into your world and you both love him immensely and he changes your world and he IS your world. So then you have to retrain yourselves to set aside time to also focus on each other sometimes. and it isn't exactly easy to, but it's necessary. 

we've been able to go on a couple date nights while my dad and step mom babysat for us. which has been wonderful but they don't live close so those don't come often. so I've been trying to get creative.

I bought a dry erase marker to keep in the bathroom to write each other sweet little love notes. I am pretty sure I saw this idea on pinterest. and I thought aww, cute. 

but because it is us we're talking about, "sweet" is the last thing they've been.

Obscene love notes would be a better description. Because we are perverted and immature. Obviously I'm not going to relay the messages that have been written on the mirror, because they would burn your eyes.

But nonetheless, that is what makes us perfect for each other so it's a nice reminder of why we are in love. And you know, the notes aren't totally perverted all the time, sometimes they are actually sweet, or sometimes they are sweet but slightly cutting. I.E. this.

"Tayl, I <3 you even though you left the diaper bag. <3/kynslie xoxo"

So now I understand what people meant when they said marriage was hard, but it's still not really THAT hard. just like, have to actually make sure we don't get totally lost in parenthood and forget to be lovers. (sorry that word is SO gross, but... I wasn't sure what other word would get the point across.)

Emerson: month four

my little love bug,

You are 1/3 of the way to a year old. Which is basically UNREAL to me.

You are such a sweet boy. You are always bright eyed and smiling or serious, fixated on something, and drooling.

I can tell that everyday you are learning more things about the world around you. You've gotten really good at grabbing stuff and bringing it to your mouth. You're almost able to suck your thumb, you're trying really hard but mostly you end up with your hand flat to your face licking your palm, or with all of your fingers in your mouth (sometimes you make yourself gag, it's sad but also funny)

You're becoming quite the water baby. You love to swim in the tub. I can't wait to take you to the lake this summer!!

Your grandma and grandpa Coffin came to visit you a couple of weeks ago. They babysat you while me and your daddy went on a much needed date. You had a lot of fun with them and of course, they are still very obsessed with you.

Let's see... what else have you been up to this month? Oh yeah, you're ticklish now. It's pretty hilarious. You laugh SO hard when I give you Nah-Nah's. You squeal when you know I am about to tickle you, like the anticipation of it just drives you crazy!

Last Sunday you rolled over from your belly to your back! But you haven't done it since. I'm just glad to know you've got in you. Such a big boy. So big that you're basically growing out of all 3 month stuff, so you're back in that awkward phase where you're in between sizes. Doesn't stop me from dressing you fancy sometimes though.

Also today we decided to let you try some sweet potatoes for the first time, just for fun. It was pretty funny. But I'm not sure that you're quite ready for real food YET. Soon though. Cause you seemed to like it, just not sure how to keep your tongue in your mouth.

Anyway, you're so cool and now that it's getting warm we can't wait for all of our summer adventures with you.

You're the best!

mwah mwah mwah
 love,mom
xoxox

The painting in the nursery.

I wish I could say the nursery is all the way done. But I am happy to say it's MOST of the way done. There are only a few more things to hang. But Emerson only sleeps in there for naps so I think it's okay that since it's only partly his main room that it's only partly finished.

When I started nesting mode and was brainstorming what I wanted to do for the nursery. I KNEW I didn't want to do any particular BRIGHT color palette or anything too baby-ish like mickey the freaking mouse or whatever the hell. Cause that ain't my thing. ANYWAY.

One weekend early in my pregnancy, we went to my grandma's in Bear Lake and she pulled out this painting and told me how my mom had found in an old abandoned house in Idaho near Bear Lake. (That was a thing my mom was into, going into old abandoned houses and finding cool things, and somehow she was really good at it.) She asked if I wanted it. When I saw it I immediately knew that it had to go into the nursery and that I would work my decor around this painting.

Luckily, the painting isn't the only sentimental thing in my little mountain man's nursery.

this is the painting up close, and the frame that came with it. love.

Eye spy a little Emer man.
Also, the painting isn't crooked-- it's just my sub-par photography skills.

This rocking chair used to belong to my great-grandparents, and I was VERY close to them. When I was little my grandpa would come inside from working in the yard he would sit in this chair to take off his shoes and I'd climb in his lap and tell him about my day. I miss them both so much everyday. I am so glad I get to rock my baby in this chair now.

DON'T MIND MY EXCESSIVE BABY SHOE COLLECTION.
 I'm not much for hunting, but when we first moved to Idaho I wanted to paint some antlers and my grandpa is an avid hunter so I asked him if had any that I could have, he did. But I never got around to the craft so I decided to hang them as is in the nursery. It's fun to have a little piece of Emerson's great grandpa (still alive though, btw) in there.

After we decided to name him Emerson, I was downstairs looking through Tayl's books for pretty books to display on our bookshelves in the living room and I found this Ralph Waldo Emerson book. I felt like it was a sign. So I had to put the book in the nursery too. If you can't see it, it's "Emerson on man and God." ALSO, my BFF Jen gave us those cute little moccs. But they won't fit him for awhile so right now they are part of the decor.
And if anyone asks what the fox says, I'll find you and punch you in the throat.

My aunt gave me this bible while I was pregnant,
which just so happened to be my mom's from when she was little,
it even had her name engraved on the front. 

This is the adorable mobile that my BFF Jen made
which I have yet to hang over the crib but I WILL do it.
Just one of the things I still need to do.

impromptu friday night photoshoot.

Taylor is really the only one who gets dressed in this house regularly, because he has to go out in the world to work everyday. But Emer and I, it's rare. He lives in footie pajamas and I am the sloppy housewife cliche and wear sweats. Although sometimes we like to get him dressed up to go out since we do have some real cute clothes for him. We decided to do that tonight. And then of course, we had to take a million pictures. Here are the highlights and when I say highlights I mean like, every single one: