For Laura

You only need to watch the first few seconds. I don't know how we missed this but later when we were watching the Christmas videos we couldn't help laughing! See you Thursday and Happy Early Birthday!

Only the Beginning...Merry Christmas

We are out of our minds and traveled all over the south in under 5 days! I was very nervous about how the traveling would affect Kattherine, but she was great as always. Here is the 1st and 2nd of our 3 Christmases.

My sister was in town for 10 days but had to fly out on the 26th due to insane plane ticket prices that almost doubled if she flew out even one day later. So, on the 23rd, our Christmas Eve, we spent the night at my parents. I made cookies while Jason wrapped a few gifts and then we opened our traditional Christmas Eve PJs. Kate also got her 1st ornament. You always hear how special a child’s first Christmas is and it’s true! I think it was even more fun for us because Katherine is 11 months old so it’s not like she’s a little baby. She may not understand Santa or the true meaning of Christmas but she does understand tearing paper, toys, and pretty sparkly trees. She loved Christmas morning and there was definitely a favorite gift from my parents. My parents brought out this big bag and inside was a huge stuffed dog. My first reaction was really? Whenever I see these enormous stuffed animals I always wonder who would ever buy them? Well, I was wrong because Kate absolutely adores her dog. She loves on him and crawls and rolls all over him. We now have to be careful around real dogs that are big because she'll try to grab its nose and crawl on top which most dogs don't respond to with fondness.

After breakfast and Kate’s nap we loaded up the van my Dad rented for the 5 hour drive to TN. Kate only slept about 45 minutes but had a blast riding next to the big window and staring at my sister. About 15 minutes after we left we had to make an unexpected stop when a not so pleasant smell filled the van. We had barely left the house when the first diaper change was needed. This made me quite apprehensive about driving the next 5 hours with her but she was fine and we only had to stop one more time to fill up the van.

My family’s Christmas centers on food and eating at all times. We probably didn’t go an entire hour without eating some Christmas treat. Of course, that’s what holidays are for :) Christmas night there’s a big party with all the TN family. They’ve done this every year and it’s a huge crowd. My Mom was 1 of 8 kids… We’re close to our extended family so it’s great we can see everyone at least once a year. Kate can get nervous in large crowds but luckily my cousin and uncle have dogs and she loved chasing after them. I’m sad I didn’t get pictures of everyone at the party.

Our only family picture since Kate's blessing!

She's so sweet!!!

Warning: Sappy Love Note *have no fear, I promise to keep rest of the year's notes private*

I cannot believe how blessed I am to have found someone who makes me so happy. Thank you for taking care of our family. You do so much for us; fixing our beautiful home, working hard and allowing me the opportunity to stay home and raise our daughter... Thank you for being an incredible father to our sweet little girl, you are the most loving husband and father. I admire your faith, love, intelligence, devotion, patience, humor, kindness, and of course your GT dorky side ;) Thank you for letting me ramble on everyday and for always making me laugh at least once a day! Each day that passes I love you even more and am looking forward to an eternity of happiness with you by my side.

4 Years of Marriage/8 Years since we met

A Traditional Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love decorating the house, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, etc. I even decorated our home before Thanksgiving. I know that doesn’t seem right but Thanksgiving seriously cuts into my Christmas time! Our goal for our home is for it to feel homey. What makes a house inviting and comforting is different to everyone. I'm sure it has a lot to do with how we were raised. To us, this means traditional. So, our decorations aren't too modern and have more of a traditional feel. This year we will be at my parents, then in TN, then Columbus so I decided we should get a smaller tree. We won’t be at home much, they’re easier to decorate, and well we really don’t need anything too elaborate.

One early morning we bundled Kate up and went tree shopping. I saw the perfect tree, but being the indecisive person I am, I had to look around a little more. This pushy family came by and STOLE my tree. This reinforced my thought that we should indeed buy a smaller tree. So, I found the perfect, much smaller tree, we wrapped it up and took it home. Once Jason set it up in our Living Room I realized just how little our tree really was. I was distraught. What was I thinking? This is CHRISTMAS, I can’t skimp on something as important as the tree! We named it our Charlie Brown tree and Jason tried to comfort me by stating that to Katherine the tree looks huge. After the decorations were on I stood back and realized 2 things. 1- It’s actually a fairly large tree and 2- It really is the perfect tree!!!

We did put our Charlie Brown angel on top for the finishing touch. This angel may look like something out of 70s to you, but to me it is 26 years of memories. Yes, this is the actual angel we used on our tree growing up until a few years ago when my parents bought a fancy one that even lights up. We have yet to buy a new one because Jason wants a STAR while I say it should be an ANGEL. That’s the problem when you try to combine traditions.

I know this is a big tree. I blame my parents for always having such large trees when I was growing up

Who wouldn't want this beautiful angel for the top of their tree :)

My village. There's a pond in the middle with geese and an ice skater. Yes, I'm a huge dork and I love it!

I've done more to our mantle since this picture. I'm still making Kate's stocking so it doesn't look quite right with only 2 stockings.

Just a picture of Kate WALKING, no big deal or anything!!!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Business Trip to Korea

For those of you who don't know, I actually lived in Korea for 2 years serving a mission for my church back in 1998-2000. And almost 10 years later I had a chance to go back.

Hyundai (the Korean car maker) is building a new manufacturing plant in West Point GA. My company which Engineers and builds bridge cranes is doing the cranes for the entire facility. So when the owner of the company Josh came over to my desk and said, "I'm going to Korea". I said, "hey I speak fluent Korean, you should totally take me with you". At first he didn't believe me, because it's not often you run into Korean speaking Caucasians. But after I told him I lived there for 2 years he said, "Well, do you have your passport ready?". And that was pretty much it. A few weeks later we were off.

We spent a week there and I was surprised at how well I remembered the language. I really hadn't spoken it in 8 years; but once I got back into the surroundings and the people, the language came back to me pretty good. We spent 3 days doing business, eating, and hanging around chain smokers all day (seriously, I had forgotten how much Koreans smoke). We ate Korean food the entire time we were there (when in Rome...), which I was fine with. It was good to know that I would only have to do it for a week as opposed to 2 years.



We were kept more than entertained by our hosts. Despite the fact that I told them I don't drink, they would kindly offer me alcohol multiple times at every meal. But Josh drank enough for the 2 of us, so I don't think they were that offended. They were even kind enough to take us to a Karaoke bar and hired us some "Escorts"... (Yeah, you heard me right... Escorts. But that's a blog in itself which I may write about some time). Needless to say, I finally understand why as missionaries we weren't allowed to go to Karaoke bars.

It was kind of weird since I had actually lived there for 2 years; there were a lot of deja-vu moments. All in all it was a great trip and I'm glad I was able to go back. Maybe if we get some more Korean business in the next ten years I'll head back... otherwise there are many other places in the world I still have to see.

Family Gathering

We spent Thanksgiving week/weekend in Columbus with family. It was a full house with 10-12 adults and 7-10 kids, but we all managed to have a room to sleep in and it’s always fun for everyone to be together. Jason’s brother, Scott, and his family made the trip down from Illinois. Everyone else lives in GA so the whole Shehane family was there. The kids spent most of the time playing football and wrestling outside while the boys watched football and the girls braved Black Friday and ate at Olive Garden. We decided it should be a yearly tradition for the girls to go to lunch while the boys stay home with the kids. We’re going to try a new restaurant every year :) A word of advice, NEVER go to Toys-R-Us the day after Thanksgiving. We walked in, looked around at the insaneness, turned around and walked out. People had actually brought their little kids with them! The line literally wrapped around the ENTIRE store and you could not take two steps without running into someone. I did find some good deals at a couple of stores that were less crazy so I would say it was worth it.

It’s always nice to take a second and think of what you’re thankful for and to count your blessings. This year I’m thankful for family, especially for our amazing/wonderful/fantastic daughter, health, Jason having a job he enjoys, my testimony in Jesus Christ, living near family, chocolate, uninterrupted sleep, Christmas movies, and a lot more that will be said in my prayers…

Wicked at The Fox

Jason surprised me with tickets to see Wicked for "appreciation" (which is an inside thing we have and too long of a story to explain). If you have never been to the Fox Theatre you MUST find an event to go see. From the outside I don't find it to be very impressive. There's a neon sign and it looks like the theatre is attached to a strip mall. However, when you walk in it's as if you've entered another world. When I was younger I was part of an organization called National Charity League. For an outing we toured The Fox. There is so much history behind it and since I'm a fan of history here's a lesson for you.

1. It was originally built as a Shriners Temple sometime around the 1920s
2. It became a movie theater/live entertainment so the Shriners could afford to keep it up
3. It was almost demolished around the 70s but saved by a small organization (why in America are we always trying to tear down any little history we have)???

I was young when I toured it but it left a lasting impression on me so if you're ever in Atlanta it would be a fun and unique date. It's not even expensive!


Wicked turned out to be an amazing show, even Jason really liked it. The actors were funny and endearing and the music was fantastic. I highly recommend seeing Wicked when/if it comes back to Atlanta. I haven't heard anyone say they didn't enjoy this show. I'm going to put Wicked as my favorite for now. This wasn't the first time Jason surprised me with tickets to The Fox and it has become a little tradition of ours.

The very first time we went to The Fox. Jason took me to see The Nutcracker for Christmas. (this was when we were still dating)

What Will Happen Next?

I've been tagged twice now so I'm going to start with the first one and maybe I can convince Jason to do the second one in place of me. If not, these are so fun that I'll just do it myself

20 years ago
1. I was 6 years old
2. I lived in Southern California
3. I loved barbies and was always trying to steal my sister's barbie clothes so she had to lock them up

10 years ago
1. I was a cheerleader
2. I got my driver's license and the car I still have today
3. I was the junior class treasurer in High school

5 years ago
1. I had been dating Jason for 3 years and was about to become engaged!
2. I was getting ready to graduate from UGA
3. I was student teaching and living with Dana in the coolest apartment

3 years ago
1. I was teaching and had my very own classroom with homemade curtains
2. After teaching I decided not to go back and became a nanny that summer for the cutest little boy
3. We were living in Sandy Springs in our first home (an apartment) with loud rap music playing at all hours while Jason finished college

1 year ago
1. I was 7.5 months pregnant and more than ready for Kate to be born!
2. We were in our current home and TIRED of doing projects
3. I had been married for 3 years and was loving live

So far this year...
1. I had a baby!!!! that's pretty much all I can say about this year except I'm loving life even more

Yesterday...
I went on a date

Today...
I have an amazing husband and can't stop laughing at all the cute things Kate does

Tomorrow...
I hope to still have an amazing husband

In the Future...
I can't wait to watch Kate grow up
A couple/few more kids???
Celebrate our 50 year anniversary

A lot happens in 20 years

More Tricks Less Treats

I love holidays and this year is even better because we get to share them with Katherine! Katherine HAD to be a pumpkin for Halloween, her checks are just too round, no other costume would have been as perfect. Here is our perfect and adorable little pumpkin all dressed up and ready for some Halloween tricks.

We went to our church Halloween party where they had a trunk or treat which is a really cute idea. The party was at a house with a ton of land so one field was for all the cars to park around. Everyone opened their trunk and decorated it, then the kids went around to each car for some candy. Another field was used for watching a movie on a screen. Then of course there was a ton of food, mainly candy, and a cake walk. We had a lot of fun and Kate was able to crawl around and people watch.

Katherine and her boyfriend to be David. They are so cute together and will even hold hands (well they're actually trying to grab each other but holding hands sounds cuter)

She's so big now!

I like to drag holidays out as long as possible, so Halloween started early in our home and I will even start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving is over. There really is no better time than during these 3 holidays.

9 month check up
weight 19.9 oz (50-75%)
height 27 1/2" (50%)

Hidden Discoveries in Suburban GA

Don't you love finding places that are completely unexpected? I do and that is what happened to us the other Saturday.

Jason needed to find a hiking spot for the boyscouts, so we drove around our house looking for a park. We finally found a hidden park but when we turned in, there were cars everywhere and it seemed to be mainly fields for soccer/baseball games. This was very disappointing since it was highly unlikely we were going to find hiking trails that would be pretty; and if there were any they'd probably be crowded with people. We decided we might as well look around as we were already there and this is what we found...

There was a deer standing in the middle of the trail but he didn't feel like posing for a picture. It was Katherine's first time seeing a deer :)

The first bridge we came across. I'm dressed in my camo

I had to get a picture of Kate in here

This is why I love Georgia

Is it Really Necessary?

I am dreading the time change. One hour does not seem like a big deal but for some reason 6:30AM is like another world compared to 7:30AM. Katherine usually sleeps until 7:30-8:00 which works well for me. We are not morning people so this allows me to still go to bed around 11-11:30 and wake up not tired. I am dreading the time change so much that I have already started trying to put her to bed a little later every night and getting her up a little later every morning. My main problem is feeding her an hour later in the evening. Kate likes to eat and does NOT like to be kept waiting when she's hungry! I've decided we need to be like Arizona and Hawaii and just let it be.
I'll let you know how the dreaded time change goes in our home.

~Daylight Savings Time ends Nov. 2nd for those of you who had forgotten~ So if you don't have a baby that means you get to sleep in an extra hour and I am jealous of you :)

Puppy Dog Tails and Mischief

Since Jason and I are pros at dog sitting we had a house guest while Ty and Dana went on their vacation. Introducing Quigley…

"


Nice Doggie - Thank you for letting me grab your tail and pet you and never growling or snapping at me. I'm sorry I wouldn't let you chew on my toys but Mommy said no and sometimes she is just no fun."

"Excuse me, but your breath does not smell very good and I would rather you not lick me in the face."

Katherine’s favorite thing to do now is find anything she’s not supposed to have and eat it! This includes plastic bags, wires of all kinds, CDs, side tables that will easily tip over sending many items hurtling at her head, the list could go on forever. We have done a pretty decent job of baby proofing, but she still manages to find many “no no” objects. It doesn’t help that she’s a climber! This is also a fun time though because she discovers so many things and everything is new to her. She is literally into everything!

Look at all these toys I just found

I think I'll stay in here and play if you don't mind

You should know that if you leave keys within my reach, they're fair game!

Typical Jason

Sometime around June 2007

Home Teachers: So how long have y'all been married?

Jason: About a year

Emily: Ummm.... more like 2½ years!

(laughing once again over this conversation last night)

We're Stuck

For those of you who don’t live in or around Atlanta – We are coming out of a minor gas shortage. There was a little delay in shipments but the real problem was US. People freaked out because of what happened after Ike(which didn’t even really affect us) so everyone took their Mommy SUVs and topped off their cars. Well gas stations aren’t equipped for everyone to top off every car they own, so gas stations ran out of gas.
There were a few stations with gas but first you had to find them then you had to wait in a long line.

Jason and I were discussing this and we realized we could live without our cars. Jason can work from home. He has one of those jobs you can do from anywhere; he just gets more done at the office. Our neighborhood is also centrally located to everything we need:

¼ mile away – restaurants, dentist, our bank
½ mile – little grocery store, excerds, our doctors office, blockbuster, more restaurants, Brusters…
2.8 miles – my parents, I have actually walked this before. I made my Dad drive me back, but it is possible to do.
3 miles – movie theater, even though we don’t really go anymore now that Kate’s here, more shops than I can count.

Unfortunately there would be one major problem. Our church building is way too far to walk! Also, we would have to give up some great things: Super Target (how anyone can live without this store, I don’t know), weekend trips, visiting friends who live in other towns…

Jason drives my old car (thank you again!!!) which can go forever on a tank. I could make it from Athens to my parents with it practically on empty. He’s been driving on the same tank for the past 1.5 weeks and is doing okay. We are going to Columbus this weekend and I only had an 1/8 of a tank left. This meant I was one of those people who hunted down an open gas station and then waited in the line. I now have a full tank and we’re ready to go! We're looking to forward to hanging out with family this weekend!!!

I Sound Old

I had a very annoying moment. My vacuum caught on fire! This wouldn’t be too big of a deal except in 3.5 years of marriage this was vacuum number 3. We have a ton of carpet in our home and Kate’s crawling now, which means any tiny little minuscule thing on the floor will end up in her mouth.

Vacuum #1 – I brought from my college days. Didn’t last long.
Vacuum #2 – Quit on me for no reason, I promise I’m not a jinx. After this we decided we were done with cheap Walmart vacuums and we were going to upgrade to a fancy Target vacuum.
Vacuum #3 – Fancy Target vacuum that burst into flames

The only thing left to do was buy the amazing, fabulous, swanky…. DYSON vacuum.

I am in love with my new vacuum! Even Jason vacuums for fun now. It is insane how much dirt is on our floors. You can actually see what you vacuum up. I’ve decided Dyson did this purposely to psychologically hook you on their vacuum. I can even vacuum our stairs without falling to my death. The best part is that it vacuums all floors, so I can also use it in our kitchen and foyer. Every single person who enters my home receives a demonstration of this fantastic vacuum.

When our old vacuum roared to life it would send poor Kate into a panic. Her eyes would open wide, her lips would quiver, then she would cry like I was hurting her. The Dyson, fortunately, doesn’t sound like a jet engine and actually intrigues Kate. She’ll crawl around the room trying to catch this fantastic new contraction.

Dyson really should pay me for all this publicity

Too Much Too Fast

Jason is going to be a little busier now that he is doing boyscouts. He's putting his Eagle Scout skills to use. Maybe he'll even be able to use his entire closet full of camping/rope/repelling stuff. As I'm writing this he's reading the manual and is very excited to get started (it's quite cute). I need to get busy since I'm supposed to be sewing all his old patches/badges? onto his new shirt and sash.

Now back to Katherine. I like to think I am very good at keeping my emotions in check. I'm not one of those people who cry all the time. I cry when I'm sad, which is rare, and why would you ever cry because you're happy? That just doesn't make sense. Well, I had a breakdown moment when I went to get Kate up from her nap. Nothing unusual, but she did this cutest thing where she stretches her entire body and rubs her eyes then she spit out her pacifier and proceeded to talk in her highpitch baby voice like she had the most important story to tell, while giving me a huge smile in the process. I'm convinced if you had seen her you would have started to cry too and realized how grateful and blessed you are to have this amazing little baby girl.

I've been told these months are the most developmental milestones Katherine will achieve in such a short time period. But to see it is a-whole-nother thing. She's crawling, standing up on everything, standing by herself holding on to nothing for a few seconds (very weird to see), taking baby steps with her walker toy... And all this happened between 6-8 months. It's been a blink and you'll miss it couple of weeks. While her new abilities are exciting and fun to see it's also made it a tad more hectic around the house. I literally have to keep my eye on her at all times. Mainly because she tries to stand up on EVERYTHING. Even the wall will suffice. She then likes to find you to show off her new skill and most likely falls in the process, which would be fine except there are hard floors and sharp corners everywhere. Even the most mundane thing has now become a deadly object waiting to hurt my sweet baby.

Look Mom no hands!!!

Yes, I am the cutest thing ever and can stand up all by myself

Dancing (actually falling but it could be a dance move)

This is the walker Jason's Mom brought up, Kate's always trying to grab the camera so it's hard to get a good picture. Maybe later

Caught in the act

Luckily Jennifer was able to visit and watch Kate attempting her death defining stand all by herself like a big girl ability. She again gave Kate the cutest outfits I have ever seen. My almost 8 month daughter is way better dressed than me!

I've already started thinking about Kate's Halloween costume. My dilemma is I really want to do the pumpkin but I have an issue with it being the lame, everyone's done that costume. I know it shouldn't matter; we're not going anywhere, she'll wear it for maybe an hour, might not even wear it all if it annoys her... but I do care and am completely willing to waste the money on a costume for a 9 month old.