10

As we have hit a milestone...10 years, a decade, I spent some time thinking about what lessons and thoughts I wanted to share with Emmah. She may not appreciate all of these yet, but she will and learn to understand them too. 

1. You won’t be liked by everyone and that’s all right. However, I strongly encourage you to BE YOURSELF even if others don’t recognize how special you are. I'm sure this will take awhile to settle in, it did for me, but in the end you're a wonderful person and if someone doesn't see that...they are missing out! "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." (Dumbledore-Harry Potter) Don't be afraid to fight for what you believe in. As I heard many times from Memah..."Kill them with kindness, and don't stup to their level and be the better person. None of which will be easy.

2. Always ask questions...no question is a dumb question, unless it goes unasked. There will always be something to question and an answer to look for...get out there and ask!

3. Keep smiling. It’s a cure for common sadness and can truely "make" someones day. Laughter is the best medicine and even in tough times a smile can warm the heart.

4. Dream BIG!! Believe that no matter what it is you want to do you can do it and we are always behind you, cheering you on along the way. It may seem impossible some days, but the more you push and perservere the closer that goal will become to reality. 

5. Don’t do favors or charity with the expectation of getting something in return, or having the favors returned to you. Do them because it makes you smile and warms your heart. Compassion for others is  gift to share...share it!

6. You’ll have your heart broken at some point, and you’ll inevitably break someone else’s. Pick up the pieces, hold your head high and look for love again. Sometimes...when you're not really looking at all you'll find it right in front of you. Let yourself love and be loved. Eventually, you'll find that one true love and when you do, your heart really will skip a beat, and and feel whole in their presence. Love isn't easy, but worth the work!

7. Always write thank you's...take the time to write a short note to the person to let them know you appreciated their thoughtfulness. As your Memah always said "If you're not thankful you don't receive."

8. Dad and I will embarrass you in front of your friends. This is inescapable, and at some point in your life you’ll appreciate the fact that we were weird,. Until then, please try to exercise some patience. Every crazy, wacky, and weird thing we do or say is, only because we love you. And that will NEVER change!! All the crazy years that are to come...the fights, the yelling its all bound to happen, but we'll always be here and LOVE you no matter what! We will tell you "We love you" (and won't tire of hearing you say it!) and will love you everyday, even if some days you don't think we do. You hold a special place in our hearts and that can NEVER be replaced!

9. Keep your family close, and surround yourself with wonderful friends. Family is there no matter what...when you make the wrong choices, the right choices and every step in-between. When you find the right friends they will become like family and fill the gaps, join you in laughter, cheers, and sometimes tears. They will you always believe in you and be there through thick and thin.

10. You are beautiful inside and out. You won’t always feel that way when your stand in front of a mirror, or with your friends. I know this struggle all to well, and kids and the world can be tough and sometimes down right MEAN. Striving to be perfect will only cause you more frustration, be content in who you are and always believe that's enough because to the right people it is.

Emmah Ruth Bloemers...you are an AMAZING miracle that has been brought into our lives. You bring us joy, laugher, smiles, frustration, and happiness. You will never fully understand how much we LOVE you until, hopefully someday you are blessed with a child of your own. Until then know that we are always here and love you til the end. Watch out world she is just getting started and she is going to be SPECTACULAR!

Bumps in the Road

Sometimes things just fall into place...like they were perfectly meant to be!!   Then there are other days when you hit a bump, and then another...and you just can't seem to get where you need to go! Yesterday was one of those days. Emmah has been doing great!! Things couldn't be going better, she is LOVING school, her teacher, started GEMS at church, and was really showing some maturity.   And now things suddenly have changed....   She is still loving school, her teacher, and enjoying GEMS, but her fits are back. And although they seem to be less frequent they are very deliberate and purposeful. The last few fits we have seen have been of epic porportion we are hopeful and looking into some help not only for her, but for us as parents and as a family!   We ARE hopeful...there will be answers, it is just going to take time!  

Where we're at...

It's been awhile since I have updated on how things are going with Emmah and I think maybe it's about time. This year went so much differently then last year and we couldn't be more thankful for that.

With the change in meds, a new teacher, a new principal, an IEP, counseling, and some natural maturity we are actually making some progress in the right direction.
We recently went in for a pysch. evaluation to make sure that we had someone local that would be able to help us with meds. (We had been going through The Center for Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics in Ann Arbor, but the distance was too great.) With this evaluation we have made some med changes again, but uping on and then adding a new one. This does bring us some concern as we don't want to over medicate, but also want to help her to be able to control her choices. I am really hoping we will see some changes and be able to go into this year at an even better place.

It was so frustrating last year to know that underneath all of those issues, sadness, and anger there really was a sweet little girl that was trying to get out and do well. But we just didn't know where to go and how to help her.

This year we dropped, significantly, the number of behavior reports, and made some real strides.

Goooooaaaaal

We have finished up another season of soccer. And man was it a fun one!! Emmah had a blast playing and had a great set of coaches and some fun teammates.

After losing all but one game in the fall...they tied that one, this season they won most of their games. They tied once and lost once. All in all then ended up winning their division! It was a lot of fun to watch. Emmah even scored her first goal!!

Here are some photos of the season:

Can't wait til next season!!

(Of course then we'll have 2 playing...that could get tricky!)

Tanked

Summer is FINALLY here and with that comes warmer weather...well usually!! We've had some warm ones here in Michigan, so I'm not complaining at all!!
Since it's been warm and Emmah as in need of some new tank tops I decided it was time to make some fun/fancy ones for her! I picked up a few plain tanks at Old Navy and got to work designing and creating! (Of course you could get them from any where you like, but they had a $2 sale and I jumped right on that!)

Tank 1:

Materials:
*tank
*ruffle trim  1/4 yard (depending on length of rectangle)
*scrapbook paper pattern
*fabric scrap

For this one I wanted to use some ruffle trim I found...and am now in LOVE with. So I first cut a rectangle to go down the middle of the tank.

Next I cut the trim to the same length and made sure the top had a curve to fit the tank. I used some extra scrapbook paper to make a small pattern to make sure it fit nicely along the top edge. I did put a piece of Steam a Seam on just the rectangle, this will help to attach the trim and hold it in place.

Then I used some Steam a Seam to put on the back of it. This will help it to adhere to the tank, even though I am planning to sew it every little bit helps.

Finally we were ready to iron it on!! I followed the directions on the Steam a Seam package. Once it was ironed on, I went ahead and stiched with some black tread around the outside of the rectangle.

This is my final result:

 Tank 2:

Materials:
*tank
*2 coordinating fabrics
*2-3 buttons
*Steam a Seam

For the next tank I decided to go with more of a bib look. I use some old scrapbook paper and cut myself a pattern.

Next I chose my fabric and cut out my shapes. I then ironed them on doing the larger bib shape first and then the rectangle on top.

Once this was done I stiched around the outside of each piece. Bib one first then the rectangular piece. Once that was done I then added a couple buttons right down the middle.
**Sorry I don't have good pics for this one..I don't know what happened!!

Tank 3:
Now for tank three I wanted to be simple but fun! So having wanted to make rolled flowers for the longest time I decided this was it!

 Materials:
*tank
*hot glue gun
*2" fabric strips
*Needle and tread

First I cut 2" wide strips of my 3 fabric choices. Depending on the size you want the flowers will depend on how long you cut the strips.Then I tied a know in the end. This knot will become the middle of your flower so you want it as close to the end as possible, and it doesn't have to be super tight.

 Next you begin to roll the fabric and you curl it around the knot. You need to glue as you go with your hot glue, but be careful to keep the glue on the underneath side of the flower. Continue around until you have used all the fabric. I then glued the end to the underneath side of the flower.

Here are what my flowers looked liked when I was finished. These were super easy and quick.

I then went ahead and sewed them onto the tank. I went around the outside edge of each flower going all the way around the outter edge and then did a couple of stiches in the middle to make sure the flowers were completely attached.

Here are what my final tanks look like:

I just LOVE how they turned out and am looking forward to making more as well as making some for myself.

Bake Shoppe

Most people who know me; know that I have a serious problem when it comes to party planning. I tend to get a little too into my planning!! I LOVE to plan kids partys and dread the days when my kids will no longer want these theme parties, let's just hope that is a LOOONG ways off! First off, my baby is turning 9! Really 9? Who told her she could get that old, I am so not okay with that, but I guess since I can't really control it I will just have to deal. This year after much deliberation we decided to go with a baking/bake shoppe theme.How fun is that?? I had a blast having Emmah help me pick out the details, like decorations, plates, activities and invitations. Here is the final invitation:

  A few pics of all the fun details:

  Don't worry there will be a few tutorials on some of my projects. All in all it was a great time celebrating a soon to be 9 year old!!

 

Banded Together

Pinterest Project Alert...In my goal to try and really organize the house this year I continued on my quest for Emmah's room to have some order. Next on the list hair supplies!! I mean what girl doesn't have a TON of these??Emmah has recently really gotten into headbands and they are taking over my shelf in the bathroom so I had to do something! To make a headband holder of your own, here is what you'll need:

I began by cutting my paper to size, you'll need 2 sheets, and you will have extra and can use that for the top.

Lightly Modge Podge the paper around the oatmeal container, being careful not to overdue the Modge Podge. (You will want to trim the 2nd sheet so you have enough for the top)

Once the bottom is done you can trace around the top. I chose to use a different paper and make it about 1-11/2" bigger so it would fit around the lid nicely.

Cut out circle...if you are looking for the edges to wrap around the outside you will need it at least 1" larger than the lid, you can then start by Modge Podging the center on, then start to cut the extra around the outside into strips and gluing them down 1-3 at a time. I used hot glue as my top paper was thicker.

Then VIOLA...

I am loving it...and couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

Socks

Emmah is determined to grow her hair out, which for most part is fine other than she isn't a HUGE fan of having it brushed or anything done with it most days and the fact that lucky for her she got my half curly hair! So since I am completely hair challenged this poses some problems! I can do the basic pony tail, braid...but that is where it ends. Well in my searching and poking around on Pinterest I came across a tutorial for sock curls. Sounds CRAZY right? It's not!! I watched the read the tutorial and watch the video and put it to work!To start I went to A Spotted Pony.Once I got what I needed to do I got to work.Here is her hair before:

This is what it looks like once the sock is in:

 

And the after:

 (Sorry, the picture makes it look frizzy...but really it wasn't)Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I am sure that after some practice they will only get better and better. I am looking forward to doing it on a weekend when I have a little more time to play with it!

Memories Made

Pretty much since th day my daughter was born I have been dreaming of taking her to American Girl Place. My mom and I talked for years about what would be the perfect age, what one to get her and when to take the trip....Well this past Sunday Emmah, Tob and I took that trip. To start the day Emmah woke up to this: 

After some smiling and jumping up and down we ate some breakfast and got ready to hit the road. We didn't tell her where we were going, and surprisingly she didn't catch on either.

One funny part was one we got to downtown Chicago, she kept saying, "There's an American Girl Store down here..."

Once we arrived she was more than excited!!

As we walked through the store her eyes were aglow and her smile from ear to ear as she grabbed item after item to purchase...

We did talk her down a bit, but every penny spent was worth it in the memories.

Here is Emmah and her new doll, Rebecca:

As an extra special treat we also enjoyed a late lunch in the cafe...they even serve the dolls

Emmah was impressed with all the different courses they serve, and its so fancy! They even give you conversation questions, which were fun for us to enjoy with each other!

Emmah and her delicious desserts!!

The memories we made will surely last a lifetime...and a day I will never forget and I hope she won't either!

I love you always and forever!

Pen Pals

Pinterest addiction has gotten me again!! I just keep finding these great ideas!! So when I found this one I just knew that I had to start it!! I want to encourage the kids to write, share their happiness and sadness, and just become closer to them. Well, I found the perfect way, now I just hope it works!! To start I gathered a couple of things:2 notebooks & 2 pensHere is what I made: 

Mom & Me Journals 

I got the idea from Mama Jenn, who actually got it from another blogger! Gotta love sharing the blog love! So...I'm guessing you'd like to know what exactly a Mom & Me Journal is...well basically it is like being pen pals, only no stamps, no mail, and fun journals!!

To start I used the same model that Jenn did:

                 Dear Emmah,

                        

          Would you like to be Pen Pals? I thought it would

       be fun! Instead of mailing letters, we'll write them

       in this special notebook!

       I'll write to you and leave the notebook on your bed.   

       Then, when you want to, write back to me on the next

       page and leave it on my bed. Write ANYTHING you like. It  

       can be funny, serious, or sad, whatever. Sound like fun?

                               Love,

                                 Mom

                 P.S. Write Back Soon

I can't wait to leave it on their beds!! I have so many hopes and dreams with this. I hope it becomes a book we all can treasure!!

I'll keep you posted on how things are going!!