My favorite little shopper!
July and August were crazy busy months for this mommy! I did a lot of travel for work and found myself in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore and Fayetteville for work meetings. It’s so crazy for me to think about all the places my job has taken me and the fact that before 2009 I was TERRIFIED of flying, had never been on a plane and was just fine with that. Now, that is the only way to go for me. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to drive, but getting somewhere across the nation is so much easier when you fly. I usually do not have a lot of time to do much sight-seeing, but I did have some free time in the evenings and was able to drive up to Niagara Falls for one trip, visit the Harbor in Baltimore and see the attractions of downtown hot-Lanta.
Cannot get enought of those cherries...
Reese started crawling and saying “dada’ at the first of August at just over 6 months old. She amazes us every day with how much she picks up! She loves her walker and practically runs across our floors in it every chance she gets. She is getting more skilled with her sippy cup but still takes a bottle. She loves her veggies and I have started incorporating meat and fruit into her diet. So far she really likes sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, Petit Jean ham (good taste J), zucchini, squash, green beans, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas, banana, pineapple, chicken, dark cherries, blueberries, apples, grapes, strawberries and oatmeal. She refuses to eat green peas and is not too crazy about avocados. I feel like I should open a food factory, my freezer is packed with homemade baby food and I absolutely love it! I love knowing I can provide this healthy food to start shaping her diet. She has recently started snacking on organic sweet potato and green vegetable puffs. It’s really fun to watch her pick up her puffs with that little finger and thumb….love her! We have learned how to say bye-bye and wave, clapping and this week she learned how to play peak-a-boo….this is one to see! She covers her eyes every now and then on her own, but mostly puts her hands on the side of her head or over her ears, really cracks us up! This is probably my favorite thing so far. In the mornings when I went to get her out of her crib she will stand up and clap away and then trying to play this new game, melts my heart. Soon after Reese started crawling she was pulling up on everything. As of this week, she can stand for a good 15-20 seconds on her own, and she has taken up to 3 STEPS at a time…. WAY too fast. She is so little at 9 months mommy and daddy are just not ready for this. We have also discovered that our sweet little girl is a talented dancer, I mean, baby can keep a beat! She will shake her head to the music or rhythm…we laugh so hard it scares her and then she starts right back up again.
Caleb has been busy playing and helping coach our church
softball team. He is so competitive, it’s fun to watch him! He never fails to surprise me, but recently,
I believe he broke his own mold. We began our journey with Dave Ramsey after
our church offered Financial Peace University in 2010. We knew we had made some
silly choices the first two years of marriage, mostly in the purchase of cars.
We did not have any major credit cards but did have a couple of store type
accounts. We loved the idea of being debt free…wouldn’t that be great someday? We paid off our store cards,
our race car, cash flowed my master’s degree, medical bills, fertility treatments
and vacations.
Caleb has recently made some big changes that moved us
closer to our goal, he sold his 94 Mustang GT race car “Giddy Up”. Not because
he had to, not because I made him, not because of anything else but pure
unselfishness. He still has a fun car, the Cobra, but now we have two paid for
vehicles and one more to go and our house, then we are DONE! Caleb and I both
have our nerd and free spirit tendencies, but I am the keeper of the
spreadsheet kind of nerd. Communication is such a big part of this process and
saying no…well that pretty much sucks…but no more will we be slave to the
lender! Being debt free is a mental
process we have learned (much like saving), but who are we trying to impress
with all our “stuff” anyway? Now don’t get me wrong, ya’ll know I LOVE to
shop….but I pay cash, which costs me “zero” in interest…say no to those store
cards, read the fine print, because the interest you will be charged after
those first few 0% months is not worth it. I think every couple should take
Financial Peace before they get
married. With the holiday gift buying just around the corner, it’s never too
late to plan out how much you are going to spend on people, trips and food.
According to Dave Ramsey, October is the make or break month for budgets. It is
critical to make sure your financial house is in order because, honestly, how
many of you remember the gifts you got for Christmas last year?? Now how many
of you remember the time that you spent with family and friends? Those gifts,
the memories are the real important gifts you can give someone…just a little
time and Jesus is the real reason for the season. So I will happily step off
the soap box with one last thought…December 25th will come the exact
same time next year and planning can help alleviate so much stress. Consider
putting a small amount of money in a savings account weekly or monthly (ING online is awesome),
let it draw a little interest and then a magical thing happens….no worries, the
money is there for whatever you need it for.
We are still far from perfect in this process, but we have learned our lessons and want to help others not make those silly mistakes. Think before your purchase this Christmas season :). Love to all,
The Emberson's
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