everyday is love day here

i'm slowly but surely working my way through february.  only about three weeks behind.  i would have loved to wish each of you a happy valentine's day on valentine's day but i just happened to be extremely under the weather.  i woke up with a migraine that just got worse and worse all day long.  i tried to fight it but it just wouldn't kick.  i was super bummed out; it seems like lately whenever i have plans of fun and grandeur, especially with my hubs, something happens to ruin our time.  illness, migraines, sitters falling through.

it was little bean's first ever love day!  happy valentine's day my dear sweet baby!  our friend, miss alex gave emmie this awesome sweater giraffe.  look how happy she is.

aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, soooooo awesome!!

oh i love love love him.  mom let go.

i wanted to have all kinds of fun with baby emmie and cover her with hearts and kisses.  i wanted to have dinner with benny and clean the whole house as a sweet [and surely unexpected] surprise.  all i could do was get emmie into valentine inspired pajama's.  she was pretty excited about it though.

when we woke up valentine's morning we found the most wonderful little gifts waiting for us from benny.  her first ever bouquet of flowers (from her poppa! - i die), little bitty bear and the sweetest love note in existence.  momma got pampered too, don't worry.  i think its almost more fun to celebrate for emmie than little ol' me these days.  in a sweet act of selflessness ben also left a meeting early to come take care of me because i could barely function.  so thankful for that man.

we had a redo of love day on the 15th, bringing about the notion that really everyday should be love day around here.  i did in fact get to cover my baby in hearts and kisses in perfect health.  look how awesomely precious she is in pink.  i don't even like pink but i love it on her.  she. is. such. a. doll!

and while i wasn't able to clean the entire house since my work was so backed up i did get to shuffle around and get a few things done - i wish it was more.  the following saturday we were beyond blessed to have auntie emily sit for emmie while ben and i went on a much needed date night.  we are seriously bad at setting up time outside the house without the babe in tow.  i think that might need to change, i miss dates, uninterrupted time, fun time, laughing together, going on adventures - not just being partners at life, taking care of business - but being best friends, really enjoying each other company.  i was thankful for that reminder.  dinner and a movie never felt so good.

i know this is no creative geniusness but here are the treats i made for benny's class for their v-day party.  i kind of wanted to pop in and all the little kiddos exchanging their love notes but we weren't able to make it.  i bet they were adorable.

last but not least, my dear sweet girl covered not only in kisses but also sweet potatoes.  she started eating food but somehow manages to get equal amount in her mouth as on her clothes.

she's just as adorable clean as when she's potatoed.  lookin' just like her poppa bear.  adorbs.

let everyday be love day in your home.

:: let love reign here ::

sprinkle for ellie

a few weeks ago i had the honor of throwing a mini shower, a "sprinkle," for our dear friend angie and baby elle with the help of our sweet friends.

i should start by saying elizabeth was sweet enough to generously share her pics from the day with me.  i took a few shots but whenever i have a house full i almost always miss getting the party!  thanks liz for your skills!

the hubbies were completely lost as to why a sprinkle even exists.  they think we're ridiculous, and it may be true that it is not a shower of "necessities."  but when i think of our baby girls having to wear only little boy button-ups, monster truck pj's and not owning a single headband or ballet flat, well...something must be done!  we're very blessed to be able to shower this little one with ruffles and bows before her arrival.

here was part of my gift for the little lady on the way.  i just recently started to make these little hoops and i think they are just the sweetest things.  i know it's not perfect but i kind of like things that are a little wonky.  i hope that when little ellie sees this hanging on her wall that she knows this is true!  i pray that she would know that she is loved deeply by our community of friends, by her wonderful parents and big brother and most of all by her Creator and Heavenly Father.

i think in some circles it is rude for a "host" to have their guests help throwing the party.  in our circle, there are no such formalities.  it is so awesome the way our friends all chip in to make each party we have fun & special for the woman of honor.  we didn't have games or favors at this party [trying to tone it down a little], but they so kindly brought tons of yummy food, drinks, flowers etc. i'm really thankful for help like that.

i think ang was pretty thrilled with all the adorable, teeny lady clothes.  elle is going to be the best dressed baby on the block.

precious!

after the party was through and most of the ladies had gone, miss em woke up from her nap.  yes, she slept through 30 women chatting and cackling for two hours.  at least she was well rested.  and look how sweet!

little bean is pretty close to crawling.  it's aaaaamaaaaazing!  baby ellie, emmie will show you all the things, don't worry.

ellie-

babies are such a gift and i'm so excited that the poston's have one more joy-filled little on the way.  i know that she is going to grow up hearing and seeing the gospel.  i know she will bless her family and the people around her.  i can't wait to meet her, to see her grow and her little personality form.  if she's anything like her brother i'm sure she'll be a silly little bundle of awesomeness.  let's go to the pool all summer together.  yes?  you can get in the teeniest bathing suit they make.  i could squeal.  we love you already and can't wait until you make your debut.  we're waiting for you!

auntie jen jen, uncle ben & emmie collins

monday in color

found this app, imadeface, on this blog and got real excited to make a ben & jen version.  here we are in all our comic book glory.  well, this is the closest i could get to us with the features provided.  if they would have let me get some all over stubble for benny's beard, i'd be all about it.  go make yourself, or your friend, or your cat.  i wanna see!   i'll see if i can make an emmie soon!!

hair trains, snowflakes & guns

the adventures continue & i'm about a week delayed in posting!

our two weeks of gallivanting are in full swing and it actually looks as though it may be stretched to three weeks full of fun. way to kick off the new year right?

i'm writing this while my baby sleeps and the super bowl is on pause because of a power outage.  i'm not blogging because of the outage.  i'm blogging because of the game.  sometimes i enjoy watching football and sometimes...most times...i'd rather just eat the dip from the super bowl party ya know?

i can't even remember what happened on friday.  i remember trying to clean but that's all i can remember.  i was prepping for our first ever overnight, away from emmie.  i wasn't "scared" per say to leave her.  there is just a lot to think through, jot down, laundry to do, milk to get ready, etc.  i knew she would be JUST fine while we were gone.  she was in the loving care of her nonna mary who was kind enough to give us this gift.  but i did have a few illogical, worst case scenarios run through my mind.  as one would assume, she did great and our cabin trip was a success! 

trying to slide on out of our neighborhood

a few couples weathered the freshly fallen snow to head south the most beautiful little mountainy scene you ever did see.  the couple who owns the cabin were so generous to invite us in and take excellent care of us.  we ate yummy food, picked through a flea market full of "interesting" characters...and animals, shot guns [yes, you read that correctly] & watched sports.  we had girl time / guy time, the fellas went to a gun show run by duck dynasty's bff's & all learned how to make a sock bun.

road trip!

katie played photographer while we all took a turn(s) shooting shot guns.  i'll let them tell the story.

somehow all the girls got talked into shooting.  ryan was really good at throwing the pigeons [i'm thinking that's not how you say that but whatev].  ryan and carly - what a good team!

ben told everyone that he was bringing a gun and i'm pretty sure they thought he was joking.  nope, he meant it.  the hubs getting some use out of his christmas present!

trying to snuggle and keep warm!  the snow that hit lexington didn't make it down to the lake until the next day but it was still pretty cold outside.  big, fat snowflakes started falling while the shooting commenced.  winter wonderland!

this is my pregnant best friend shooting a gun.  does it get better?  welcome to ky.  she gets the "quickest draw in the west" award.  she shot the gun immediately after mark pulled.  it was awesome.  those are the fat snowflakes too!  all the boys are cheering for her!

i'm pretty scared of guns and truly have a love affair with safety but they got me to shoot just once.  i was scared that it would hurt my shoulder and/or that i would shoot someone.  it didn't, i didn't.  hooray!

 i'm a natural right?  no?  ridiculous?  fine.

 girls w guns.

...and the fellas...

they'd fit in with duck dynasty right?

like i said, we also ventured separately as ladies and gents.  we went shopping and wandered a flea market & the guys went to the gun show.  for the evening we ate together which was sweet and then katie gave us head scratchers and sock buns.  she's a good friend.  my bun is basically the largest thing i've ever seen.  i feel like girls love the bun and boys do not.  tell me about that?

here's everyone chattin and scratching.  not weird at all right?  the new alternative to "treats and snoozin'"

our evening ended with a uk win and ben and i snuggled into our twin beds for the night.  yes, it was exactly like a 50's sitcom.  perfect.  we really enjoyed our time with friends, each other and a little freedom from parenthood.  but who am i kidding?  we kind of missed this little sweetheart...

when we returned i was in speed mode because we had a sprinkle to throw!  our dear friend ang is having a baby girl and since we didn't want baby ellie to have to wear monster trucks for life we wanted to "sprinkle" her with some ruffles and bows to get her started.  i want to post too many pics to add it now.  i'll be back soon for our mini shower [sprinkle].

sunday night i said, "raise your hand if you're ready for a super bowl partay!?" and emmie said "heck yeahhhh!! pick me!"  ok that didn't happen but someone really did text me "raise your hand..." and emmie did it!

we had a yl super bowl party at our "club house" and it was short but sweet [for us].  everyone brought nom noms and passed miss emmie around.  i brought plates and cups because we all know that i'm a great cook!  i got to spend time with some of my most favorite girlies and not watch football.  like i said, we didn't make it through the whole game.  emmie was ready for bed.  and lets be honest, after this weekend, so are we.  exhausted but in a good way.  more adventures in the wings.  hope yours was sweet as well.  live it up!

 

all our love!

::happy friday::

happy friday from a little stinker.  there is an awesome video that i wanted to post with this of emmie's squeaks but it just will. not. load.  hopefully i'll be back soon to add it.

love of love - the bski's

6 months

time flies when you're having fun right?  i cannot believe that half a year ago we were in the hospital snuggling our brand new bean so unsure of what to do with her and now we're in full-on baby-mode like this she's always been here.  she's definitely still a "baby" but she's becoming such a big girl.  here's what we learned about you this past month...

first meal

one major happening is that you started eating cereal - you love it.  you chomp up and down in between bites and make a lot of noises, i love that.  you love food, and lets be frank, no one is surprised.  i'm a bit late in posting so you've actually tried sweet potatoes too.  you are so interested eating.  you watch anything other people eat and drink and you want in on it too.  i think each new thing you try will be a new adventure.  i'm super excited for that.  we always make sure your poppa is home from work before we try new things so he can see your sweet & intrigued responses.

you fake crawl; you can get up on your hands and knees and not move, just rock back and forth or make all the arm and leg crawling motions but with your belly on the ground.  i feel so sure that it will be no time before you've got it down for real.  you can kind of scoot where ever you want as is with a few face plants but the moment you really start moving your hands and knees i'm probably going to squeal so loudly that you never do it again.  last week some of the little girls piled up a bunch of cell phones out of reach and you army crawled the entire way there.  you want it, you got it.

for the past two months you kind of help me put your clothes on, arms through arm holes, this is very helpful.  you used to fight and fight me, now you're my little assistant.

you were squeaking at the office and i thought you were just trying to fall asleep.  i'm a terrible momma, your little bear hood was over your eyes.  YIKES!

you started working at the office with momma, you're the best kind of coworker.  i'm so thankful that i'm able to bring you with me a few hours a week.  we are very blessed that i'm able to make a little money and get to keep you with me.  my office mates don't seem to mind you too much either.  who could resist this face?

you were rejecting your bottle when momma went back to work so poppa had to start working with you.  just two days in you started taking the bottle again like a champ.  it's hard for momma because when i'm home it just seems a little silly to pump, dirty bottles & pump attachments, etc when i could easily feed you myself but it is better this way.  now you get bonding time with your poppa and can be independent enough for me to be gone more than 3 hours at a time [TREAT!].  you hold your bottle up all by yourself and your dad loves that about you.  you're such a big girl.

you love your jumperoo!  you can bounce so high now and after a long bout of hopping you look back at me like "momma did you see that!?" if i smile back at you, you generally let out a big squeak and then let your head rest on your seat.  melt my heart.

a few bullet points of em:

every now and then if you're on a little incline you'll sit up all by yourself.

you went on some adventures & experienced your first christmas & new years

you wear six month clothes sometimes & can wear up to 12 month clothes.

you love to pull momma's hair and eat it if i let you.  it hurts and is gross but your face is pretty adorable with a ponytail in your mouth.

you're still sleeping great for naps and at night.  you are a lot more difficult to get to sleep in public these days though.  you just scream so loud before you fall asleep that it gets kind of embarrassing.  you'll fall asleep eventually but i just can't get through all the public wailing to make it happen.  we had a good run of sleeping through lunch dates so i can't hardly complain.

you love when poppa airplanes you.

you are obsessed with phones, monitors and remote controls.  i think we need to get you a few "falsies" so you quit eating and throwing our real electronics on the floor.

don't mind the mess

itty bitty, you are indeed the little princess of this household.  i'm noticing that while you do laugh, giggle & smile often that you are also a bit of a serious baby.  stoic is what we call you.  you just love to take in all that is going on around you.  straight-faced.  your eyebrows generally tell the story of what you're thinking, which is hilarious.  you're still really small but i'm already dreaming of how fun it will be for you to be a big sister someday [Lord willing].  we've also been planning a future beach trip this summer and i am dying thinking about your pudgy little toes tromping around the beach in sandals.  we just have to get through these snow storms first!  you've seen snow a few times now but still haven't touched it.  i should plop you down in it but you don't have a baby snowsuit and i want to keep you warm. 

we have continued to pray over your little heart.  you've spent some time with littles your age and i hope as you all grow up together that you all would be a picture of the gospel, graceful littles that love each other [and other others] deeply.  i've been thinking about middle school lately for you.  i know we have plenty of time, i've just been hearing stories about insecurities of girls that age, mean girls, etc.  i pray that you'd be so secure in who God made you to be.  that you wouldn't care so much about what other people think - that's a struggle for most people, it colors how lots of people act - i don't want that for you.  i'm praying that i'd be a good and humble momma to you and that your poppa would lead our family well to know and glorify the Lord.  you are such a gift and every day i get to snuggle those little squishy cheeks are a dream.

half birthday "party"

On em's half birthday I wanted to do something special or fun. Ben didn't want to do anything at all. Like if he could have spent the day solely existing, like floating on a magic carpet or something I think that would have been his goal. I thought a trip to Joseph Beth would be fun, emmie could play / look at the toys and books, it's free, we get out of the house. Win, win, win.

I couldn't sell poppa on the idea but I did finally talk him into taking us to dinner (which was also free with a gift card)! Woot woot! Emmie needed to fall asleep half way through dinner but instead screamed her face off. Maybe she would have rather gone to the train table? After fighting sleep we finally just got her out to play with us which she enjoyed quite a bit more! Your fun little personality makes all of our outings pretty amazing. We loved celebrating you even if a half birthday isn't technically a "real birthday" as dad would say. Our server thought it was worth celebrating because when he brought out dessert he brought an extra spoon for you "just incase you wanted a bite." He was serious btw. I'm not about to feed my 6 month old a hot fudge brownie a la mode mister but that was a very sweet thought.

Today we had our 6 month check and it went well. It never fails that her nap falls at whatever time her appointment is so she was a little fussy to start but I still think she handled it like a champ.

She got three more shots and was perfectly normal after we got back home today, no extra whining or anything. Her growth has slowed down a bit. She now is 27 inches tall (86 percentile) and weighs 17 pounds 12 oz. (81 percentile). She has barely gained a full pound in the last two months. Evening out they say. She's following along with all the milestones she should be meeting which is exciting and also a relief in a way.

you are soooo much fun now.  i can't wait to write your "6 month post" because i have so much to say!  i'll hurry so i don't forget all the goodness.