A much needed update

I have to agree with Jen when I say that it's easy to feel that if I haven't kept up in a while then I will have to catch everyone up. So rather than bother with that, since there isn't a whole lot to say anyway, I will just start with what's been going on lately. I cannot promise I'll do better at keeping up, but I will try!

Emma is growing up rapidly. She walks, talks, runs, plays. She is quite the little person. Her personality is becoming more and more defined each day, and it's been truly fascinating to watch. She talks all day, and every day it becomes clearer and clearer. She speaks in sentences now, albeit simple ones, and she makes her own word combinations. She truly "gets it," and the outcome is almost always comical. She asked for something from me the other day, and when I handed it to her she happily said "Taint tyou MUCH! (thank you much)" which is not something we taught her or say ourselves. She was already saying thank you, she just added her own little flair. She will also come to me very seriously and say "wlkdhoaiudthalosgi SHOE" or "hmmodsfaoierihf MOMMY" which we think is what she must hear when we're talking quickly (rather Charlie Brownish.) She also said "love you" to me the other night when I was putting her to bed. She is full of life and love, and she is also constantly getting into trouble!! She is rather willful, though I've found that with enough sleep she is much much less contrary for the sake of being contrary. We are soon to kick the high chair and the crib, and I am so sorry to see it all go, but it's nice to move on in many ways. I cannot believe it's been nearly 2 years!

Brian is very nearly done with his second year of law school! I never thought I would be saying that, it all seemed like it was taking so long, but here we are 2 years later. He intends to cram as many classes into his maymester as he can, and Lord willing he'll be finishing a semester early, in December of '09! Like always, he's working away, and he is really looking forward to seeing an end to all of this hard work. He cannot wait to start his new career in extremely boring (okay, boring to ME) areas of law! I am so thankful that he is willing to carry this load. It's not been an easy one, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, albeit faintly.

I am just the same, I suppose. We are planning on moving into the house my parents are leaving once their house is finished, which should be sometime mid summer. So I have to learn to organize my chaos, and thankfully my sister in law has graciously offered to help me. I am afraid I'm a bit too scattered to figure it out on my own! The more the days go by, the more excited I am to be moving. It's time for something new, and I just hope I will be ready when it comes! Other than that, everything is as it's been. As for the weight loss, I hit a bit of a plateau, and then we all got the flu. Then I started watching my neighbor when she got off the bus, and then I wasn't able to go work out at the gym anymore. I am proud to say, though, that after two months of abysmal eating I am just where I was. So at least I didn't gain anything! I have started working out again, and if the Lord wills, I will drop the remaining weight. It's not so much about the jeans anymore as it is about being healthy, and now that I really know what that means, I hope to be able to stay healthy with the next baby (with which I am NOT pregnant...)

I will leave you with pictures of my monkey. She is so precious!!