Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

The pleas from my daughter, Emerson, to have a new haircut before school starts have increased exponentially. (Remember her haircut requests? You can read about them here.) I've given her a trim here and there, but she's never had a real haircut.

Until now.

It was a big decision for all of us-especially Jason. He said the "Emerson Haircut Decision" was similar to "Alayna's Virgin Ears". (You can read all about the virgin ears here.) We've been studying all about Locks of Love and Emerson just thinks it would be fabulous to have her hair be a part of a wig for some little girl out there who has lost her hair. We ultimately decided that because the hair would be used for a good cause and we really had no reason not to do it, that we would honor her wish.

So, with shaky hands and through mild perspiration, Sunday night I cut ELEVEN INCHES of Emerson's hair off. Hair that she had been growing since birth. One of the last things remaining from her babyhood. I didn't really think she could get any cuter, but good LORD, she looks adorable. And she knows it.








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Soakin' It Up

Blowing bubbles.
Swimming at a friend's pool.
Sun-kissed skin and bleach-blond hair.
Staying up too late and sleeping in the next morning.
Running through the sprinkler in the yard.
Fishing at the end of the dock.
Picnics in the park.
Bonfires on the beach.
Riding bikes.
Chasing butterflies.
Walks through the neighborhood after dinner.
Car shows in town.
Splurging on ice cream on a Friday night.
Squirt gun fights.
Impromptu get-togethers with family.
Flying kites.
Quick trips to the cabin, and long ones, too.
Hunting for ripe veggies in the gardens of our grandparents.
Catching fireflies.

These are the things that make up our summers. The simple things that I did when I was young are the same things my kids are enjoying now. Late summer always brings a bit of nostalgia with it. It's hard to believe that in one short week, the summer will be over and school will be starting. It feels like we just celebrated Independence Day and now Labor Day is upon us. I'm not sad about it, though. We've had a great summer here. We've made some great memories, too. We've found that it's not really about where you go, but rather who you're with that really matters.

What will you do with the rest of YOUR summer? We're going to take these last nine days of summer and SOAK THEM UP.

Her First One

After months of wiggling, and literally WEEKS of dangling, Emerson's first tooth has finally LEFT.THE.BUILDING.



She hasn't eaten an apple or corn on the cob all summer, but she thought it would be a good idea to bite into a plastic hot dog!

Daily Scene

We were driving through downtown Flint the other day and I pointed out a big painting of Abraham Lincoln on a building...

Me: Look! There's Abraham Lincoln - he helped end slavery!
Emerson: Who is Ends Lavery?

The Matriarch

There is a very special person in our family. She is our Grandma Lois. Actually, she's Jason's grandma, but I've claimed her as my own, as well. She was born in 1915, which makes her NINETY-FIVE years old. Can you imagine the things she has seen and experienced? Terrible things like The Great Depression and Scarlet Fever and war. Wonderful things like children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and traveling everywhere from California to Norway. And even unbelievable things like meeting Helen Keller. (Yes, it's true!) It really is hard for me to comprehend living for ninety-five years. Imagine trying to explain that to a six year old. It is just unfathomable! We hope she is with us for many more years to come!

We celebrated her 95th birthday this past May, and friends and family came from near and far to join in the festivities. Here's a photo of Grandma with Jason's dad, Steve.


If you know her, you know what a sweet, kind person she is, with never a bad word to say about anyone. If you don't know her, you're missing out! She is very active in the community and never misses a family event-whether its here in Michigan or California, Wisconsin or Washington, D.C. And BOY does she love the babies-she has such a way with them! All of the kids just adore her.


Yesterday we had Grandma and Linda, Jason's mom, (we call her Nana) over for dinner. At one point, Owen leaned over and quietly whispered in Nana's ear:

"Can you even believe Grandma Lois is still alive?!"

Daily Scene

Today we were having a discussion with the kids about the differences in homes, like how some have pools or basements, and how some are big and some are small, and what kind of house they'd like to live in.

Owen: I want a big house with a rectangle pool.
Jason: Mommy doesn't want a big house because then she'd have to clean it...
Emerson: I'd clean it for her.
Jason: Maybe if we had a house that big we'd have someone to clean it for us.
Emerson: If we had someone to clean our house for us, I'd go outside and lay in the sun ALL DAY.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Yesterday we planned to do absolutely nothing for the entire day. The kids don't really mind, though. They make their own fun. Owen divides his time between his favorite cartoons and video games, playing Star Wars, and trying to annoy his sister, Emerson. Grey enjoys spending his days saying "mama" and "no" 1.3 billion times, and Alayna, who is now mobile, is content to be wherever the action is.

Then there is Emerson.

My little diva. OK, she's a BIG diva. And she's not afraid to admit it. She knows what she wants and doesn't take no for an answer. So when she wanted to dress-up in her FANCIEST dress and wear her pink hair and borrow my jewelry and wear my make-up, and wear her furry winter shoes, who was I to say NO?!








She tried to coerce Greyson into playing with her, but he was having NONE of it. Here's how the conversation went:

(Please note her entire conversation with him was spoken using an ENGLISH accent...)

Em: Grey, don't you want to try this dress on? You'll look dashing and very fashionable.
Grey: No.
Em: Well, don't you want to wear this dancing skirt? Its total fanciness...
Grey: No.
Em: Excuse me, sir.
Grey: No.
Em: Here's your check card-its your ALV card-you need it to pay money.
Grey: No.

...And on, and on, and on. I couldn't even type fast enough to catch everything she was saying. And I have no idea where she gets the lingo. Dashing? Fanciness? ALV card? Total diva. Did I mention she's FIVE?!

I. AM. SO. SCREWED.