snow, rain, sleet, repeat.

we just had our third (yes, only third!) larger snowfall of the season. the northern part of the state is a winter wonderland from what I hear, but it's a big slushy here in St. Paul. it snowed for awhile, poured rain all night, then there was a period of sleet, followed by another two inches or so of snow. by about 2:00 this afternoon it was melting fast. i shoveled the walk while emmett followed me around and it was hard work! the snow/slush was so heavy I thought for sure the blade on the shovel was going to snap off every time I took a scoop. eventually I started 'plowing' the slush into the street because there was no where else to put it. it's a good thing emmett was wearing his little green boots. :) after the walk I tackled the driveway. when I got inside I was beat. it's suppose to stay warmer so there will be more melting. I am grateful for this mild winter and am starting to get excited for spring!

20 months.

dear emmett,

i can't believe you are now 20 months old. your birthday is right around the corner! it's weird to think about. in the past month you have really taken strides in your ability to communicate. you are using more sign language, pointing, showing, and talking. it's so fun to see more of your personality every day. here are some new things you have been doing:

- your new words/phrases include: again, no don't, stop, socks, truck, baby, wow
- when you are hungry you try to help yourself to whatever is in the pantry, or you show me what you want. so cute!
- you are revealing your bad temper. when something does not go the way you want, you become so frustrated you start shaking and turn red. not so cute! however, as soon as the problem is fixed you are instantly happy again.
- you love to give people and toys of all kinds hugs. this is my favorite new thing you do. sometimes you even give your snack a hug.
- you really like to feed me. something about popping an object in my mouth makes you smile.

here are some recent pictures from this week:

playing trains with Finn

 

 

motor mouth

i love you, buddy.

- mom

learning to float. trying, anyway.

swimming lessons have been going really well. Ethnie is getting a bit braver each week. last week, she learned about boat safety, wearing a life jacket, and attempted to float on her own without a life jacket on. this did not go too well for Ethnie. she was terrified of the instructor letting go of her. he let go for an instant and she went under. that was the end of floating for the week. she hasn't quite gotten the concept of relaxing in the water yet. most of the kids didn't. she is also working on flipping from front to back in the water while trying to float. this is also scary for her. all in all, she is making progress and gets excited to go every week, which is all that matters to me! next week I'll try to take some pictures of her in action.

have a great weekend!

little green boots.

Emmett has some pass-me-down rubber rain boots from Ethnie that are just starting to fit. Now that they stay on his feet, he loves them. He only wants to wear these green boots - inside and out. He brings them to me and says "this", meaning he wants to put them on. It was nice and warm on Thursday so we went for a walk. It's a good thing he was wearing the boots because there were plenty of puddles and slush on the sidewalk. At first, he was avoiding the puddles. After I told him a few times that it was okay to walk through them, he caught on quickly. He is so proud walking around in his little green boots.

getting pretty good at running!

dimples

loving the puddles

see ya!

catch up.

Since last weekend, there have been some changes here in the Vogl household and I've been slow to tell you all about them...

- our foster dog, Jackson, was adopted on Saturday. :( yes, we are sad but happy for his new permanent home. an older couple with two other small dogs adopted him and he seemed to be content when we introduced him to them. his tail was wagging and he didn't nip so it must be a good match. i had the hardest time letting him to; i got pretty attached. he is such a good boy. i love you Jax! we plan on fostering again, but are taking a break for a few months.

- i recently got a new hairstyle. it's still long and layered, but i got a razor cut and heavy bangs. the bangs are a big change for me. i feel like they make me look younger. ? now that i am used to them, i like them. i like the new look because it's a different style and i got to keep the long length of my hair. yeah! i'll have to post a new picture one of these days...

- we got six new chairs for our dining room. man, did we need them! they really make a statement and seem much more compatible with the table. they are a rattan style parsons chair. i'll have to post pictures of those too!

- we found a headboard for our bedroom on craigslist at a great price! it's pretty plain so i am going to glam it up a bit with some nailhead trim that i just ordered today. it's my new project so i'll put the before and after pictures in the 'projects' category of my blog.

- i am on the hunt for some new fabric for drapes in our bedroom. i am looking for a silvery gray/blue. maybe some white in there somewhere. those pictures will also be under 'projects'.

- i'll admit it; i'm obsessed about pinterest! i love it so much and think it is the funnest thing to do right now. i'm even adding a tab to my pinterest profile. check it out! 

a little worried around here...

Our foster dog, Jackson, has another meet and greet this Saturday. We are kind of worried because this person seems pretty serious about adopting and she wants us to bring Jax to the shelter to meet so that if she does decide to adopt it will be a quicker process. We have had such a wonderful time with Jackson and don't want to see him go. We know he needs to have a forever home, but we were hoping it was going to be ours. I'll let you know what happens. Sniff, sniff...

take a peek.

So, I've been working off and on all week on the revamp of my blog and it's well on its way. I have added things to the our home, projects, and my values tabs at the top of the blog. Feel free to snoop around! I will be adding more pictures as I find/take them and I'll let you know when there are updates. I think I like blogging. I've learned a lot this week and have found some pretty cool gadgets.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

my buddy and me.

I have been feeling very grateful to be a mother lately. Usually, I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with being a stay-at-home mom. Staying at home with children can be very taxing, frustrating, even downright boring. Sometimes, I feel like my brain is turning to mush. BUT - I wouldn't have it any other way. I know what I am doing is right and that I will be forever grateful being able to stay home with my kids when they are little. I stayed at home with Ethnie for 3 years and worked part time and we survived. I am hoping I can do that with Emmett too as long as I have that option. Many women do not have the option to stay home and I am grateful that I do.

Every day I get to have with Emmett is a blessing. He brings me so much joy and I love seeing him discover new things and develop his personality. I can tell he is very happy to be at home too. Whenever we come home from a morning of running errands he gets really excited when we walk in the door. He can't wait to get his shoes off and go find his toys. His newest words are 'stop' and 'bus'. He also just started climbing up onto the couch by himself. Kind of a late bloomer! He is also giving lots of hugs and pats to those he loves. So cute!

Emmett is now 19 months and growing like a weed. He is fitting into size 24-month clothes and size 5 diapers. Yikes! Pretty sure he is going to be tall like his daddy and uncles.

that face

playing with trucks on the window sill

the lucky one.

The other day I was having a bad one. Just feeling down and things were not going well. After a full day of work, he went and ran the errands because I just didn't want to. Such a sweetie. Then he gave me these flowers when he walked in the door to cheer me up. Could I ask for a better man? It did make me feel better, especially coming from him. He usually knows how to cheer me up. Little things like flowers, ice cream, or doing something for me without asking can make a difference!

Valentine's Day is around the corner, so I thought I'd share 10 things I love about my husband:

1. He treats me like a lady; better than any other man has before.

2. He can make me smile even when I am not in the mood and tell him not to.

3. He has a great butt.

4. He is the father I have always dreamed of having for my children.

5. He tells me every day that he loves me.

6. He still makes the first move.

7. I love that he gave my kids his perfect nose.

8. He is constantly trying to be a better person.

9. I love that he makes me want to be a better person.

10. He's really just a big kid, which keeps things light and interesting.

I love you babe! 

dolly, reincarnated.

My mother-in-law is so great. Not only is she a fabulous woman, but she knows how to make her granddaughter smile like no one else can! Last night, she was over and had an awesome idea on how to 'fix' dolly. Dr. Meg has given dolly multiple cosmetic operations because she has literally been loved to death. These operations have included a complete extreme makeover with a new body and new skin covering the old doll. She decided to rip off the newer skin (already loved through) and take out the original doll and put it inside an entirely different doll that she has, similar to the original. Pretty cool, huh?! Ethnie is giddy about the whole thing and knows that this new doll is still dolly because she is inside it. Take a look at the pictures to get a better idea:   

sewing dolly into the new one and adding stuffing.

original dolly               dolly's made-over skin 

original doll inside the new one!

thanks grandma!

picture says it all!

water wednesday.

dear ethnie,

this evening you had your second swimming lesson. you were so brave! you got into the water right away and put your entire face in the water. you are, by far, the most improved of the group. you are still pretty scared, but are willing to try everything your instructors ask of you. tonight, you floated on your front, floated on your back, practiced the front stroke with your arms, and used a kick board. you were so proud of yourself, as you should be! before you know it, you will be jumping into the deep end all by yourself! i am so proud of you and love watching you in the water. seeing you smile and having fun is one of my deepest joys. you are being such a good girl and i love you!