Emmy's Fifth Birthday Party

The party was amazingly wonderful. Special thanks to AuntBecca for not being lame and letting her camera die before the party. The kids had so much fun! I made these very simple easels and aprons for everyone and we painted since Rapunzel did a lot of painting in all of her spare time in the tower. John and I made these cute little jello cups with blue ‘water’ and the boats with the official emblem of the kingdom. Rapunzel sent her mother to get hazelnuts so she could sneak out of the tower so we had  hazelnuts spread. John and I made the cake, which of course was a disaster. But, we loved it and I think Emmy did too. We tried to make a four foot tower cake with donut cakes. The icing was gray and then I had chocolate rocks covering the bottom of the tower. We used yellow Twizzlers for her hair coming from the tower. Of course, the Snuggly Duckling was the hole in the wall that Flynn Ryder took Rapunzel in an attempt to convince her to go home. “Take a big breath, smells a lot like the color brown.” Our eating area was decorated with a sign for it. Of course we had the kingdom pennants and the maypole. The highlight was when Rapunzel herself arrived!!! The kids were mesmerized.  She read a story to them and then played Hot Potato with her hair brush and she let the kids see her frying pan. Rose made sure that all the kids got their stickers and that Rapunzel did not forget anyone.  Emmy was quite the hostess and told all of her friends thank you for coming to her party and everyone had a wonderful time. We are so very lucky.  Lucas patted her on the back and said “Good job, Emmy, at turning five!”

forgot two!!

A Day with the Jacksons

On Sunday, Emmy Ruth went home with the Jacksons. We knew she had a loose tooth but didn't expect her to lose two teeth while there!!! I can't say much about how precious my babies are but I think these pictures tell all.

Random toys

Here are a few shots of Emmy’s toys during the week.

 

We got up the other morning and Emmy scolded her babies for having been up all night eating. “Emma Elizabeth! I can’t believe you took those grapes! And Rapunzel, you with that chicken! Mama, your ugly baby ate all the corn.”  I am not sure why she didn’t care about the baby in the stroller eating a banana split sundae but obviously she has her favorite child.

 

Then she got a talking Elvis doll for Valentine’s Day. I am not going to say who gave her this but it starts with a “ma” and ends with “ma”. John put him in the Barbie mansion and said he felt like this is how the King would want to be found. Apparently he has a thing for redheads.

 

It seems that this bookshelf is now a parking garage.

 

And BidDay must not have gone so well for this Grecian Goddess Barbie. It looks like she is trying to jump out of the window of the ZipBin Barbie Dream House. After college, I worked for the National Organization and travelled around the country for Sigma Sigma Sigma and one of the chapters I visited gave me that Barbie as a gift when I left. For years, it’s been in my collection downstairs and Emmy saw it and asked for it and it seemed so trivial to not give it to her. I loved that doll; I am going to miss her. I will, however, draw the line at the official Tara Jackson Barbie that Momma had created for me. Emmy Ruth can’t have that one!

 

The story of the week is a little sad. Our sweet friend Beth makes everyone a wonderful strawberry cake for their birthdays. It is a good cake, one made in a Pyrex dish, so you know it’s good and juicy. I have been sick with the flu this week and when Mr. Tim brought the cake over, I was lying on the couch hoping to make it back to my bed. Emmy was such a big girl and got her own plate and fork and cut a great piece for each of us. When John got home shortly afterwards, I went to bed, he fed the dogs and let Bill back inside the house. A few minutes later, I heard Emmy scream. She left the Pyrex dish of cake on the chair and Bill ate it. All of it.  As I was getting up to see what the fuss was about, John was telling Bill to go outside and Emmy was yelling “Go outside, FOREVER!” In the kitchen, Emmy asked for my basting brush with the wooden handle. I am pretty sure she was about to go after poor Bill so we had to have a long talk. In hindsight, the vision of that five year old with a wooden spoon and a baby doll in one hand was pretty funny.

 

These were Emmy’s Valentine’s for her class this year. Pretty cute.

 

 

 

Five years ....Again

AunTee called to tell Emmy happy birthday tonight, recanting stories of her birth story. I asked Emmy later if she heard AunTee tear up and said "oh shes as bad as I am!!" Knowing how to work it, ER said "no, she is as good as you are!"

Watching her new Barbie movie, Emmy said she wanted to go to Paris and see the Awful Tower. I promise I will take her to the Eiffel Tower one day.

Five years

Wow. What a weekend. I have been an emotional rollercoaster all weekend, crying at the slightest thought of my girl being five years old. This isn’t me! I didn’t even tear up at her first birthday party and look at me now: a basket case mama of an almost kindergartener. Thi morning, we got up to get ready and she was just so beautiful. Emmy always climbs up from the back seat to crawl out my door of the car, she usually goes in the same way too! This morning we went to Kroger to get cupcakes to take to school and I asked if she was going to come out my door and she said, no, she was going to leave out her door since she was a big kid now. When we got to school, we stopped to talk to Ms. Shawn, her teacher in the two year old room, and I started to cry talking about it then!

Her party was so wonderfully fabulous and there were so many kids there that we didn’t even attempt to open gifts then. We brought them all home to open and she was so tired and overwhelmed that we only got through half that night. One gift was a set of Barbie clothes wrapped in a princess gift bag with a tulle bow. She picked it up and pointed to herself and said, “somebody knows THIS girl!” She got toys and clothes and way more that anyone deserves. We are so lucky that not only do so many people care so much about our girl, but John and I have so many friends that celebrated our precious girl with us. She was opening her presents after the party and when she opened the one from Lucas, she was so excited. She grabbed him and gave him the best hug and said, “you are my best!” Not that he was THE best or that he was her best friend or this or that. He is her best…. Everything. I woke up Sunday morning thinking of it and cried. Then we went to David’s birthday party and on the way there, Emmy talked John into sitting in the back seat with her. David and Emmy Ruth had the same due date and I cried thinking about how far we had come from that time. As we all sang along to the Muppet soundtrack and belted out “Rainbow Connection”, I lost it again! Between David and Alex’s parties yesterday, we got her nails done at Sweet and Sassy. Pretty adorable stuff there.

This morning, I asked what she wanted to do for her birthday dinner, telling her we could go anywhere she wanted to go. I cringed and hoped to she didn’t say Chuck E Cheese. She said, “you know that place where they make the food at your table! Sekisui!” So, hibachi it is for the five year old. I am afraid one day she is going to ask for caviar in bed. I was delighted when she explained to Papa Richie that she wanted to eat there because then you don’t have to wait on them to go cook your food and it take soooooooooo long. Finally—she is starting to act like me every now and then—even if it is her impatience showing.

The final days of being four

Emmy comes in this morning, crying, and says we are going to have to miss school. Why?, I asked, with much concern. “When I put my boots on, it makes my socks get a wrinkle in them.” It’s going to be a long educational career for her, I am afraid.

 

She is so excited about turning five. I think one of the reasons that I get so overwhelmed in throwing her a ridiculous party is to keep my mind off the fact that the baby is growing up. She’s just so big—so quickly! LynnLynn made her a princess shirt when she turned four but, as she says, she can only wear it for a few more days.

 

 

 

Straight from the Girl"s Mouth

Emmy Ruth had been terribly upset to have to come home with us after her awesome weekend. She cried for “Aunt Becca and my dentist” and she cried for nana and for AunTee. As she was going to bed last night, she said, “going back to school today after being at Nana’s and Aunt Becca’s was NOT your best idea”. She also told me that I couldn’t stay with them the next time she stayed with Lucas because I tried to take too much of him time. I told her I would just hang out with AunTee and she said that wouldn’t work either because she needed time with AunTee. Finally she decided I could hang with JORGE!, not that she doesn’t love JORGE! but he works a lot so I could go there with him.

 

For dinner, she requested ChikFilA and since John was at practice, I thought we could have  a special treat.  She wanted chocolate milk with her kid’s meal but wanted to clarify it wasn’t like the chocolate milk we had at home, the soy milk I had tried. I told her we were out, much to her delight and she said she hated that milk and that tasted like “peanuts on hair”.

 

Before her bath, she had an upset stomach and when I asked her about it, she said, “yeah, my tummy is upset with you for feeding me too much tonight”.

 

As we were reading about Rapunzel going to sleep, I mentioned that she looked a lot like her, was she ever worried that someone would mistake her for Rapunzel? “Mom. I have curly hair, look she has straight hair. Totally different.”

 

However, the best of the day was as we went to sleep and I was singing her lullabies. Since she born, I have been singing “Mercedes Benz” by Janis Joplin to her. It just kind of started since it was one of the few songs in which I knew all the words and I was desperate. Now, we alternate between it and Amazing Grace and sometimes throw in some other good hymns like “How Great Thou Art” and “Up from the Grave He Arose”. Union Avenue Baptist Church as a kid really helps me out sometimes.  Last night, Emmy asked me to sing her the song about the horses and the kids drawing on the TVs. It took me a while to figure out where she was getting that. “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz, My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends”. I can see the horses and the Porsches. But the kids drawing on TV…. Thinking, thinking, thinking…. “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV, dialing for dollars is trying to find me”. Aha! She colors or draws and she has no concept of anything other than a color TV. I almost fell off the bed. It reminds me of the time she brought John a record and asked him why this CD was so big.

 

 

The Best of Times

It is all about weekends like this that make me realize how lucky and blessed we are. As Emmy  calls, “Team Burton” is pretty lucky. The super talented and generous Doctors Jackson were named Cross County Volunteers of the Year at the Chamber of Commerce banquet this year. I was let in on the surprise so that Daddy and I could attend. We both snuck in late and were pretty sure that they noticed us as we were sitting just beside everyone that was introduced. Thankfully, they didn’t. Our precious friend Joy introduced them as the winners and I cried big tears. I have no doubts that my mother was so very, very proud of them. She loved Wynne with a fierceness. It was something that she was so proud of—being from Wynne—and knowing everyone in Wynne. To see that pride in them as well is something she would have loved. Joy’s speech was awesome”

I am pleased and honored to introduce the 2011 Volunteer of the Year.  This year’s volunteer of the year is actually a team…and they are a team in almost everything that they do.  Both grew up in Wynne and are graduates of Wynne High School.  There are so many things that I love about this team, but at the top of my list is their true love of everything Wynne.   They do not understand why EVERYONE doesn’t choose to live here and take it very personally when someone decides to move.  They make things happen in our community because they truly want to make their hometown a better place.  Both were instrumental is passing the city wide economic development sales tax, they were the Farmfest chairs for the past 3 years, they are member of the First United Methodist Church in Wynne, both are Board members of the Cross County Chamber of Commerce, they are loyal members of the Birdeye Bicycling Club (yes there is such a thing!) and both own their own practice and together employ almost 25 people. 

 

She is a member of PEO and volunteers for the kids marathon and kids triathalon.  He has served on the Cross County Arts Council, is active in the men’s basketball league at the Methodist Church, is a Board member of the Endowment Foundation of Cross County, is Chairman of the Wynne Economic Development Committee and is a member of the Wynne School Board.  All of this and a treasured daughter and son, adored aunt and uncle, granddaughter and grandson, wonderful friends, and most importantly, wonderful parents to their children Solomon and Rose. 

The adored aunt and uncle part is what really got me going—because they are. Emmy loves them dearly and loves to tell everyone that her dentist and her eyedoctor are coming over to see her. It’s quite precious. I told Becca it was the first time in almost fifteen years that I had seen her cry. The next time should be about the time Emmy graduates from high school.

 

Daddy and I spent the night and had so much fun with the kiddos the next morning when the doctors went to work. Daddy only told me this morning how when I left to get ready, Sol jumped beside him to show him something on the iPad and Emmy warned Sol, “be careful with him, he’s old!” I have cracked up about that all day.  Daddy went back to Batesville at lunch and we all napped. Somehow I was convinced to spend the night again and I am so glad we did. Emmy and I went to visit Joy, Julia and John B with the Jacksons. We all had great fun in the hot tub, all but Emmy Ruth. She is more of a cool water kinda girl. But she loved seeing her friends.

 

Neall and Becca are in the midst of renovating their new house. The wall coverings have come off in the play room and the kids are drawing on the walls until they decide what exactly to do in there. So, the walls are really *neat* looking in the pictures.

 

Every January, a group of us get a cabin to spend a fun party night together. We never get to hang out and this is our one time each year. As I was driving Emmy to Nana’s, she said something about best friends and I asked her if Lucas was her best friend. She said that he was but that Julia, Sol and Rose were too. She didn’t want to leave her sweet Rose. Rose was crying and tried to slip out the door with us. Emmy got teary and I asked why and she said that it just made her so sad to see Sweet Rose cry. But, she had a fabulous time with Nana. She and Lucas had their wedding ceremony, she’s been wanting to marry him for a while now…. We had so much fun with the Stameys, Bedards, Stevensons and Salinases. What an awesome tradition.

 

A wonderful, wonderful weekend. We are so lucky.

 

My Hungry Little Hippo

Oh how I love this kid. She’s so funny. A few weeks ago, we went and had lunch at Sekisui because they have a great all you can eat hibachi grill special. I felt like Emmy would just eat off of our plates and not really like it. I was terribly wrong. She loved it. This child has lived on chicken of some sort, typically nuggets, for her whole life. However, she would eat nothing but steak at the hibachi grill.  The next Sunday, she requested to go again. Apparently it’s our new Sunday after church tradition. She says, “man, I love STEAK!”

 

This weekend we visited the Salinases in Newport on Saturday night. It was so good seeing them. I can’t put into words how much I miss them being here but it is seriously like no one misses a beat when we are together. The kids are just perfect. They argue like brother and sister but they love each other so much. Its’ quite precious. We went to eat at Who Dats, a Cajun place nearby, and the kids feasted on crab legs. Who knew? AunTee gave Emmy one and she thought about it for a second and then said, “I LOVE IT!” The child has a refined palate I am afraid. Then, last night we went to the Hi Tone and had hot wings. Again… she amazed me with her eating. I am so proud of her for branching out from chicken nuggets. She still says that broccoli is her favorite food ever. John said that the guy at the HiTone told him they were having a pizza thing starting on Tuesday nights. She looked up and said, “you mean cheese pizza? Really?? All I can eat???? Wow.” 

 

I have been trying to watch what we are eating at home and have tried to give her only organic milk lately. I tried to sneak in some chocolate soy milk and that was shot down quickly.  I guess it’s back to the organic stuff.

 

Last night we could hear her in her room watching the Muppets movie and singing along on a microphone. It’s pretty precious. She does have the sweetest voice. I think I am just getting so nostalgic that she is about to turn five. FIVE! That’s a big milestone! FIVE! Not a baby anymore, for sure.

 

Precious

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> Tonight. John went to bed because he has to work tomorrow. Emmy and I are home tomorrow for the MLK holiday. We stayed up late watching TV and I cut out decorations for her birthday party. She played with a princess hair care set and I showed her how to use the curling iron and straightener on Rapunzel's hair.
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> Emmy fell asleep on the couch sometime during Little House on the Prairie. As I was getting her up to carry to bed, I noticed that she had put on my necklace I left lying on the end table.
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> I am so thankful for this child. This child that screams "Macy's!!!" every time she sees that big red star. This child that sings the Muppets soundtrack and says "oh this one is a heartbreaker" and "I hope Evan says 'Emmy will you marrrrryyyyyy meeeeeeeee' ". This child that loves her daddy so much that she begs him to sit in the backseat with her. And he does. This child that tests my every fiber with her stubbornness.
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> This child. Is my everything.