Emmett's Words

Our little Emmett is a talking machine these days! When we were in Georgia over Thanksgiving, we spent time with a few of Emmett's little friends there and I remember saying to Ray that Emmett seemed to be pretty far behind all of them when it came to speech. He was still only saying "mama," "dada," and "nana" for banana. That was it. But then my dad taught him to say "Papa!" in the world's cutest exclamation and everyone went crazy for it. It was like something clicked in his little brain after that- he realized he could speak, and people would love it! Since then, his little vocabulary has grown and grown.

I thought it would be fun to make a list of everything he says these days, so that we'll remember all of his little words.

• Mama
• Dada
• Nana for banana
• Papa! for my dad, always with a little exclamation
• Mem! for Ray's mom, short for Memere (French word for grandma, or "older mother)
• oh for ball because we say "uhoh" whenever he drops things and he thinks balls are just for dropping
• ba ba for bath bath, his favorite
• wah wah for water, his other favorite
• wahl for wall. Don't know why he picked this one up, but he points to walls now and says "wahl" all day
• mmmmmooooo for cows
• ah ah aoooo for dogs, because of Doggies by Sandra Boynton
• ooh ooh for monkeys
• baaaa for sheep
• for ducks he sticks his little tongue out and says nnn nnn like a duck's beak I guess? No idea but it's really cute.
• hot! for anything with a temperature, be it hot or cold or warm or cool
• brrrrr with a little shiver for anything cold. or hot if he's feeling tired. Here's a little video:

Brrrrr from Anna Kate Keller on Vimeo .

• na na for nap nap
• eyes! for eyes, which he points to and giggles every time
• noway with a head shake for no, because apparently I say "No way, Jose" much more than I realized.. This one is Ray's favorite.
• lye for light, thanks to the Christmas tree. :)
• boh for bow
• bah for box, again, thanks to Christmas presents
• Hi with a smile because he's just really sweet and loves to say hello
• buh bye always with a question mark at the end because he really wishes it wasn't goodbye
• bwoo for blue! So proud of my little for knowing his colors. He can point out red, blue, green, orange, yellow, and white, and we're working on black, purple and pink. So far he can only say blue. Not bad!
• mamel for camel because he really loves the camel in our nativity set
• uh owww for uhoh
• oww for ouch
• mo! for more which usually means he's stilllllll hungry
• hewp for help. This is a new one and I love it so much.

That's all I can remember at the moment but I'm sure there are a few more. He's such a sweet, smart boy and I can't get enough of his little voice! It's so awesome to get little glimpses into his mind when he learns how to use new words or how to string them together to get his point across. He's amazing.

2 Years!

Today is our 2nd Wedding Anniversary! This time two years ago we were in Augusta, Georgia, surrounded by our friends and family, getting ready to be married. We were so excited that day, so happy, and couldn't wait to begin our lives together! It was such a perfect day, and these last two years have brought us so much more than we ever could have expected.

I knew when I married him that Ray would be a wonderful husband. I knew he'd always take care of me, that he'd be strong and constant and loving. But I didn't know how much I would need him, how much I would lean on him. I knew he'd make an amazing father. But I couldn't have imagined how my heart would swell over and over each day as I watch him play with Emmett and take care of him. I knew Ray was a good man, but I didn't know how good. I am so blessed to have him, truly my better half, and I love him more and more each day.

Our wedding day was magic! And these last two years have been even better. I love you so much, Ray. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life trying to be as good to you as you are to me.

Dancing to a song sung by my best friend, written by a friend of his. Magic.

All photos by the wonderful and amazing Tim Willoughby of TimWill Photography. 

Quick Post: Firsts!

Linking up with Corinna from Track 8, for Keepin' It Real Mondays!

Little Emmett has had a few firsts this week! I'm so proud of him- he's such a little boy now and growing up all the time!

First first- He started preschool (daycare, at a local preschool) on Monday! He LOVES it loves it. We walk in the door and he runs around the room from toy to toy, excited about every one, and loves all of the other kids. It's so much fun. I've cried each day when I leave but so far he hasn't even noticed that we're gone. He just plays all morning. I pick him up at noon and he's just sitting in a tiny chair at a tiny little lunch table pointing at all of the other kids and finishing his lunch. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen! 

I haven't taken any great pics yet but I did manage one outside the school that includes him and his little lunchbox, which he's just kicked over in the dirt:

Second first- Tonight, Lucia gave Emmett his first hair cut! He has almost no hair on top, but he's got a thick ring going around the back. We call it a cul-de-sac. The hairs in the back have grown super long, which makes for really adorable bed-head and don't even get me started on how they look blowing in the wind. It's crazy cute. We really wanted Lucia to give him his first haircut, and since she leaves for Georgia on Friday, tonight we decided it was time. We gave him a sink bath, and Ray went outside to make faces in the window to distract Emmett and keep him still while Cia cut his little hairs. Oh my gosh it was cute!

All of these firsts are great- I'm so proud of him and everything he's doing is so cute and fun! But oh my gosh it's hard at the same time. I wish he'd just stay a tiny baby boy forever. Oh, the life of a mama is so full of ups and downs! Pride and joy and sadness and pain, all mixed together spells parenting. I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Walking!!!!!

Our little boy is walking!!!!!!!