We are back with BIG news :)

I know, how many times have I titled a blog "...big news..."? Well, after two cross country moves, a baby, and buying and selling homes, our lives are pretty synonymous with "Big News".   Surely this news will live up to the 5 month blogging hiatus hype, though. We are just full of surprises around here :) 

That's right! Around Emersyn's second birthday, she will be a big sister! Not sure if that is what she is hoping for or not, but that will be her biggest surprise :) I am not sure what she will think of a new baby.  Just last night she was drowning her bath time baby in the tub, and her favorite baby doll activity is throwing them down any surface that can serve as a "slide" :) But she does it all so lovingly.  Maybe we should work on being GENTLE.  

We are trucking along, coming up on week 14. The baby is due November 24, four days after Emersyn's big second birthday, and exactly a week after her due date. We will know in a little less than a month if he will have a little boy or girl. So far, the pregnancy has been easy, easy, easy. Thank you, Jesus! No idea how I could handle a sickness-filled and miserable pregnancy chasing after my sweet little tornado.  I eat like a 13 year old boy, and will eat just about anything you put in front of me. I like any and all foods, I don't discriminate.  I guess it's a good thing I have been able to maintain my 10-13 mile runs and I'm on month 2 of Asylum- oh, Shaun T :) Otherwise I would have probably gained anywhere from 30-40 pounds in the past few months.  This pregnancy is very similar to my pregnancy with Emersyn, heart rates are similar, my feelings and symptoms are very similar. My conclusion is either I am blessed and have crazy easy pregnancies (I owe this to my crazy exercise regimen, I swear it makes the biggest difference) or we have another girl on the way. Either way, I am thrilled :)

We are very excited about another baby Haney, and we can't wait to meet him/her. We pray it will be a healthy baby and we will be ed sthe best parents we can be, raising the baby to have a heart for Jesus. We can't wait to meet the baby and get to know it's sweet personality- if it has any personality like big sister, we will be in for some very fun times :) So, here we go again! You can feel more than welcome to pray for us as we become parents to 2.  It can be just as frightening as it is exciting, but we know God never gives us more than we can handle. 

Keep growing big, Baby Haney! Mommy, Daddy, and big sister can not wait to kiss your sweet face!

Happy New Year 2013

We made it another year! New Years, as a mom, is another sigh of relief- we did it! We are all still alive and thriving! In some ways, this past year flew by, but in other ways so much has happened that it amazes me we fit it all into 365 days.  I had two sweet midnight kisses, one from Lance and the best, slobbery kiss from E :) I am spending New Year's Day with a fussy baby who went to sleep at 1:30am and woke up at least every hour, a breast infection, a rainy day, and a husband on wet, icy roads for the next 6-7 hours. Hoping this isn't what the year has in store for us, but if that's it we will make the best of it!
This time last year, Lance was just getting back from an interview at Penn State and I was trying my hardest to fight the move. We had a 5 week old baby, a very sick puppy (who went to puppy heaven 2 days later), and a fine little life in South Alabama.  The thought of moving 14 hours away literally made my stomach turn.  I bit the bullet and went to support Lance. I tried to be the supportive, put a smile on and act like everything is fine- wife, but inside I was so sad.  This move turned into the biggest blessing I have ever received.  We moved into a beautiful Victorian home in a little town about 20 minutes outside of State College called Tyrone, PA.  Waiting in this little town, was the sweetest group of friends we have ever had.  They blessed our lives in more ways than they will ever know. They included us as family during holidays and special events while ours was so far away.  They are all angels. They impacted our family and left the biggest mark on our hearts.  I learned to trust in the plan God has for our family that I can't see.  We settled in and adapted better than I ever imagined we would. Our friends were there to watch Emersyn grow and offer support and encouragement through all of our growing pains and sleepless nights. When we had fussy days, they showed up at my front door and got me out of the house.  Like I said, they are all angels.  I observed how they parent because they were so good at it, and I was like a sponge to every piece of advice they offered.  They all made us feel complete.  
Emersyn grew up into such a big girl while we were in PA. She took her first bite of food, her first crawl, pull-up, and steps, she uttered her first chatter, developed a love for Elmo, went for her first swim, and so many more milestones.  We expected our PA stay would be around 2 years because of the project Lance was working on.  In late August, Lance shared with me that he had applied to a job with Boeing and was being flown to St. Louis for an interview.  I was surprised, to say the least.  We knew the position he was being interviewed for also existed at the Huntsville, AL plant and had discussed that would be the only way we would consider the move.  Lance interviewed and enjoyed it, I had already planned the rest of our lives in Huntsville :) He received an offer in September and it was more than we ever imagined.  The selling point for me was the relocation package they offered- I wouldn't have to pack or unpack the first thing.  The only drawback is that the offer was to be located in St. Louis.  We both had a peace about the move, and were excited about the changes ahead.  Never in a million years, would I have imagined I would be sad about leaving Pennsylvania.  More tears than I ever expected were shed the night we pulled away from our home one last time. We still miss our friends dearly, but stay in touch and know if we don't spend much more time together on this side of heaven, we have eternity to rejoice together.  
Lance left this morning headed to St. Louis, he has some HR business to tend to tomorrow, then starts work on Friday. Thursday is going to be filled with house hunting. We have an interested buyer on our PA home and are praying it sells quickly and is used to bless more lives and hearts.  Looking back, this past year has been a whirlwind. I have been so blessed to be home with little E and embrace every little milestone and change she has had.  The best part of 2012, by far, was being her mommy full time! 
Looking into the new year, my heart has been burdened with changes. I am not calling them resolutions because I already know I will fail miserably, but I will not give up.  I did set one fun goal to work on as well in my "free" time. ha ha ha. In 2013, I want to be a calmer mom, a more patient wife, and a more diligent Christ follower.  I want less time on social media and my iPad and more time interacting with my family.  I want more time in prayer and less time complaining.  I have been blessed, so blessed. I want to reflect more on my blessings and less on jealousy and wanting more- if your child has slept through the night, I've been jealous of you.  I want more simplicity.  For fun, I am organizing recipes in a recipe binder and working better at weekly menus- I guess this fits into the simplicity category :)
So, here's to another year! As always, I am anxious to see what the year holds, but willing to be patient and see where God leads us.  Right now, we are headed to St.Louis, MO- we are going to be mid-westerners. Never thought I would say that :) 2013- we look forward to your blessings and your trials.  Let's make the best of it!

Christmas 2012

Christmas already seems so far away, although it was just a short week ago.  Of course, it was wonderful and filled with love, family, laughter, too many sweets, and a rotten little girl. Our Christmas season was filled with fun adventures with little E. We had two Santa visits, a trip to Zoolight Safari, a cookie making party, and little girl even tagged along for an all day shopping adventure.  E loves horses, dogs, and balls right now. She got 3 new horse toys, a ball pit, baby dolls, hot pink running shoes (my favorite!), and too many other fun gifts.  Our plan was to start this year with 3 Santa gifts to keep Santa from getting out of control.  She had 3 Santa gifts, but they ended up coupled with Gran and Peeps' gifts and Christmas morning was a present explosion.  We took this year as a trial run.  We learned there is no need wrapping gifts on Christmas morning and everything must be assembled and ready to be played with- rookie mistakes, I know.  As parents, Lance and I have made it our goal that in every Christmas activity, we can point Emersyn to Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.  She is a child, and my expectations are low that every year she will really get into the giving and serving, but I pray it will open her heart to Christ's love and sacrifice for her. I am totally prepared for eye rolls in about 10 years. 
Short and sweet, Christmas was wonderful and we made precious memories to last until the decor goes up next year :) Emersyn had a blast, loved Christmas musicals, and opening presents. I can't wait to see her interact next year and all the more fun it will be :) We are already counting down until next Christmas season, and may be whipping out Christmas music come July or August- what can I say, it's my favorite time of the year!

E and her boys. She has these three around her pinky

That's a smile because someone said "presents!"

The girls

My sweet loves

The boys and grandkids

E and her crew :)

E with her aunts and girl cousins

Christmas morning

One of E's Santa trips. This kid LOVES Santa

E had her first Zoolight Safari trip and loved it!

First carousel ride at Zoolight Safari

Cutie pie in Santa jammies and new house shoes

Cookie time!

Sharing her cookie dough with Peepsie

Our first pigtails!

Our little Haney family

Christmas Day in a precious new outfit from Aunt Jenn :)

Happy 1 year, Emersyn Ruth Haney!

One year ago, we had just welcomed our sweet girl into this world and were trying to figure out how in the world we were going to raise this sweet little baby.  As completely unprepared that Lance and I felt as new parents, we also had no idea how we had lived our lives thus far without our little Emersyn.  From the second we laid our eyes on her sweet little face at 8:47 am on that Sunday morning, we were completely in love.  Precious Emersyn has blessed our lives in every possible way in this past year.  She has amazed us more than we thought was possible.  Our hearts grew on November 20, 2011.
It seems like this past year just happened in a blink of an eye. Those early days that felt like they would last forever and the crying may never cease seem like such a teeny tiny little piece of this last year.  I can't believe the sweet little 7 pound baby we brought home from the hospital has flourished into a whopping 24.5 lb one year old.  I remember her being so helpless and it taking 20 minutes to change her clothes because I had to hold her head perfectly and be so careful with her little arms and legs.  Now, it takes 20 minutes to change her clothes because she is doing flips off of her changing table babbling the entire time.  
Lance and I are so, very thankful for Emersyn's health and perfect development.  We are thankful for her healthy weight and high level of activity.  This girl runs all day long, she is wide open from the time her feet hit the floor in the morning and I love every second of her energy. What a wonderful, sweet year this has been!
At our 1 year appointment, E weighed in at 24 lbs 7.5 ounces (96%) and was 30 inches long (80%).  She climbs on EVERYTHING and has running down pat.  She loves outside and would spend all day outdoors if  we would let her. Her new best friend is my cousin's horse who lives in the pasture around my parent's house, Billy Jo.  Emersyn feeds Billy Jo carrots everyday and giggles so hard when he laps a carrot out of her hand. This girl is FEARLESS. We visited the zoo for her birthday, and her biggest complaint was not being able to stick her hand in the big animal's mouths. She wanted to hold the parakeets, but the poor birds would not get near her, and she chased a peacock because she wanted to pull it's feathers.  She is extremely strong willed and thinks "No, Emersyn!" is a funny game.  She is still in love with Elmo, and we watch a lot of Sesame Street.  She loves to point instead of talking when she wants something, but she babbles non-stop.  She refuses to utter anything that even sounds like "mama", and her new favorite sound is patting her hand over her open mouth and making "Indian sounds". She is very curious and hands-on, you can not take your eyes off of this girl for a second or she will be ready to jump off of the highest piece of furniture in the room. She definitely keeps us running and on our toes, and we love it.  She gives the sweetest hugs and has a serious attachment to her mommy, which I adore :)
Now that we have hit the big one year mark, I can't wait to see how sweet Emersyn continues to grow and develop. I can't wait to see what new things she finds and how she grows up. More than anything, I can't wait to see how much more I love her as another year begins.  
Emersyn Ruth, you are a true joy and blessing to me and your daddy. We love you more than words can express and thank God everyday for choosing us to be your parents.  You are such a sweet little gift and we sure treasure you.  We can't wait to watch you grow up more over the next year, sweet cheeks :)
Here's to year #2!

Happy 11 Months, Emersyn!

Another month older, and as close as we can get to our first birthday- I can't believe it! Sweet little E will celebrate her first birthday in just 3 short weeks. What a blessing this first year has been- I'll save all of my sentimental "first year" thoughts for the next blog and spare you them now, so be ready next month :) 
Emersyn has changed so much over the past month and grown up a tremendous amount.  She went from a wobbly few steps to running! We had a little challenge learning to walk in our pretty shoes, but she has mastered that now (although she still prefers to try and eat her shoes more than walk in them most days).  She chews on EVERYTHING, I never know when she truly is teething or not because she is always chewing and putting everything in her little mouth. She thinks it is hilarious to sneak to the stairs or windowsill and chew on it.  You can ask Emersyn any question and she will shake her head "no" and grin as big as possible :) She has become so full of expression and love.  She will run for me with open arms and the biggest grin, definitely the best part of my day! She loves Bo more than ever, and has gotten pretty good at saying "BO!" Everything Emersyn does or says is overly dramatic, whether it's giving Bo love or pitching a fit- she does it will all of her might! The days of being held and loved on are just about over. First of all, you can't catch her and if you do, she is going to wiggle away.  She wants to walk everywhere, and thinks she is too grown to ride in buggies and strollers or be carried anywhere.  She still adores Sesame Street and we watch about 10 episodes each day. She will climb on anything and everything and is ever so curious.  
Sweet girl still is a horrible sleeper and eater.  She has been fighting an awful sinus infection, which has only made sleeping and eating worse but I think we are finally on the upswing.  She is sleeping in until about 8 am, which is nice and napping great twice a day.  She isn't too fond of trying many foods, and we have taken many steps backwards in our efforts to rid her of a bottle since she has been so sick.  Oh well.  
Since the ambiguous picture I posted in Emersyn's 11 month album, I'll elaborate :) 

We are selling our home in Pennsylvania because we are moving to St. Louis! Lance took a job with Boeing and will start in January. E and I will spend some time with Gran and Peeeps because our home search in St. Louis has not been very successful so far.  We are very excited and can't wait to be a day's drive away from our precious Gran and Peepsie. We will miss our PA friends so much, I really can't put into words what a blessing they have been to us. They have loved on me and Lance, and loved so greatly on sweet E. We have been taken in as family when ours was so far away, and flooded with care.  I am so thankful we met our friends here and can't imagine going through life without ever knowing them and having their friendship.  Our journey here has been more than a blessing, and we can't wait to see what lies ahead in Missouri :)

Happy 10 Months, Emersyn Ruth!

This is fun, this is really fun.  Little Emersyn can be such a hand-full most days, but boy is it fun! Sweet girl has such a personality and is so, incredibly silly! She amazes me everyday at new things she picks up on and all that she learns.  She definitely keeps us on our toes, and we have our running shoes on at all times chasing after our quick girl.  I can't believe we are counting down to our big 1 year celebration.  I should be busy planning her birthday party, but I took care of that when she was in the womb :) Mommy's severe Type A personality at it's best, little E had a birthday dress before she entered the world.  It's paying off now, we are just ready to celebrate our baby girl's first year.  I know her 11th month is going to fly by with all of the busy-ness of planning to spend a nice, long vacation in the country and traveling, so we are holding on to every second of this month.  I am not excited that this first year continues to fly by, I am excited that little Emersyn is such a healthy, happy girl and is thriving, moreso I am ecstatic that in less than 8 short weeks my days will not revolve around a pumping schedule and a cow can primarily feed my child- trust me, this will be life changing!
Emersyn is such a busy little bee. I am in love with her personality, curiosity, and eagerness. This is the most determined and hard headed child I have ever known.  She wants to walk so bad she can't stand it.  So far, she has taken 5 continuous steps, that is our highest count.  She can walk all day as long as one hand can touch something.  She has a squat down pat.  Sweet child is in a head banging stage, and it really troubles me and Lance.  We can't figure out, for the life of us, why she loves to hit her head on every solid surface she can find, she has even started hitting balls on her forehead- why, sweet girl?! We read she could be under-stimulated, bored, tired, or a host of other things.  We are at a loss, praying this is a phase, and it passes QUICKLY! Right now, we are eating very well and primarily using a straw to drink with, although E is not a big fan :) She has cut out one of her three naps, so we are down to two. She is napping very well, between 1 and 2 hours each time, but sleeps horribly at night- I just remind myself this will pass ONE DAY and I will sleep again.  She loves BoJackson more than ever, they have their own little language.  I am almost convinced she is saying "Bo", just not convinced enough to put it in ink in her baby book :) It is more of a "BAH!!", but she knows what she means :) She is a chatter box, chatting constantly and it is the sweetest sound! Still no ma-ma, and da-da has morphed into deh-deh.  Such a doll.  She loves to climb and play with every non-toy item she can find such as mommy and daddy's phones, any kind of cord, the iPad, Lance's computer, the remote, the laundry basket, the dishwasher, anything in the kitchen cabinets, and Bo's food bowls :) She loves playing in the pantry and in Lance's backpack when it is not put up.  She had her first play date with the toilet, then was disinfected and bathed- I still gag thinking about it! She adores Elmo and Sesame Street, we watch at least 5 episodes a day. This girl is nothing less than SO MUCH FUN!
Every second with sweet E is heavenly, she is such a blessing! I absolutely adore watching her grow up and try and cherish all of our time together.  I am amazed daily, and can't wait to see what another month holds! Mommy and daddy love you, sweet E!

Happy 9 Months, Emersyn Ruth

Sweet baby girl is another month older, days are flying by now and our little angel is sweeter than ever.  This past month has included so much growing up and changes for little E :) I can't believe what a big girl she is turning into! We had Emersyn's 9 month appointment today and big girl weighs 22 lbs 11.5 ounces and is 28 1/4 inches long. Such a big, big girl! She checked out absolutely perfect, which we are so thankful for. Baby girl has her two top and bottom teeth and is learning how to use them! She is VERY attached to her mommy :)

Emersyn has quite the personality, and she shows us a little more of it each day. She is so silly and loves to giggle.  Emersyn absolutely adores BoJackson, and they are the best of buddies.  She loves to "call Bo" it sounds like "AH! AH! AHHH!!!" :) So sweet! She is also trying to snap her fingers because that is what her daddy and Gran do to call Bo back inside when he goes outside. She loves playing with balls and tearing up her alphabet foam puzzle floor pieces.  Sweet girl loves clapping for herself. She is a huge Elmo fan, and loves snacking on Cheerios and feeding herself!  We are learning to master the sippy cup, and E is a big fan of water. She also loves yogurt and after an almost month long hiatus, we are finally eating well from a spoon again! For a few weeks we were living off of cheerios, graham crackers, Little Cremes, and an occasional bite of mommy's waffle! It was rough, but as soon as Gran showed up, she started eating perfectly again :) We may not let Gran return to Alabama!

Big girl is climbing on everything, taking steps as long as her pinky can hold on to something, and standing alone! She is so quick and full of energy.  One of the sweetest little 9 month faqs about E is how much she adores "Old McDonald".  Seriously, every time she gets tired or upset, singing this song calms her down and puts her to sleep. Our farm has got to have the record for the most diverse animal population :) Oh, E loves it!

Sweet little Emersyn is growing up too fast, and getting sweeter by the second. I adore play time with my angel and love watching her grow.  We can't wait to see what this month holds :) Love you so much, little E!