perfectly summer day...

nothing says summer better than...


blueberry cream pie...




newly buzzed hair...



fishing off a pier...




and sand and water between your toes (or in your mouth, if you thought it looked yummy)...







yes,
a perfectly spent summer day!

my week has proven to be a little crazy thats for sure....

busy doing this and that and haven't found time to sit and blog.
not to mention the fact that brian bought me "animal crossings" for the WII and i am just a tad bit more then addicted! we've been fishing and catching bugs till the wee hours of the morning...

anyway, the big news that i want to jot down here is that my "little" brother is 25 now!
how on earth that happened i don't know, but it did.

we spent sunday afternoon at the condo celebrating it with him.
fishing, swimming, boating, BBQing, and cake eating (yum)!

it really was fun....
not to mention the fact that it was levi and alivias first time on the boat (even if it was only to the crab trap and back cause we didn't have life jackets that fit them). they got a huge kick out of it though, so i bet that's how we will be spending some sunday afternoons here in the future....

we had so much fun in fact that brian and i decided that it would be most enjoyable to stay at the condo for a whole week at the end of june. kinda a mini vaca without having to change up life...

100 blogs...

yep!
i had never really thought about blogging. but when sara (who hasn't blogged in sometime, and i miss them) asked me to start one up with her i jumped right on board!
and now, here i am, 100 blogs later!

so, to celebrate 100 blogs i have decided to fill you in on 100 things about myself!

enjoy!

1) my full name is shannon christine emrich.
(two side facts for this fact... i LOVE my married last name, i think it's pretty. and two... brian still has a hard time remembering if my middle name is christine or christina (and i like to trick him about it)).

2) my natural hair color has ALOT of red in it. but i will deny it cause i really don't like red hair.

3) my name means "small wise one" and i think it's fitting! :)

4) i have had many nick names in my life time including: billy goat, shan bug, shanny panny, and my most current one, emrich.

5) i was born in cleveland ohio, but i really think of florida as my "home town".

6) i most likely had seen my husband throughout my whole life when we would vacation down here. i have searched and searched pictures take at yoders over the years to see if i could find him, but i have not! it's weird to me that we were always connected but never even knew!

7) regretfully, i admit that my high school best friend and i pulled "the senior prank" and watched others take the fall...

8) i cannot function in the morning without a coke! it's like my coffee...

9) i don't have a favorite movie...

10) i don't really have a "most embarrassing moment" i have LOTS of embarrassing moments. but the one coming to my mind right now is when my in laws gave us our wedding gift (almost 1 year later) and when we opened it my husband looked at me and said... "i told you they would give it to us". it made me look like i was greedy! yikes!
actually, thinking about it i have a few more that i could say about my husband opening his mouth in weird ways around my in laws!

11) my favorite color is purple.

12) my favorite smell is being around yoders during thanksgiving week! yum!

13) my favorite season is fall.

13) i bite my nails like crazy!

14) my favorite store to shop at for myself is the loft... cause they have petite!

15) i would take salty over sweet any day of the week.

16) i talk on the phone WAY to much!

17) my famous person pick would be patrick dempsey.

18) i look like my dad!

19) my second toe is WAY longer then my big toe... it grosses my husband out.

20) i am right handed...

21) the amish always call people by the mans first name.... so, our family is "the brians"... and i kinda like it!

22) i am a stay at home mom. and i LOVE it. but someday, when all the kids are in school full time i hope to open my own hand made shop.... it's my dream anyway.

23) sometime i meet brian out by his car when he gets home, and we sit, talk and cuddle in the parked car. it reminds me of when we were dating.... sad, but it's pretty romantic to me.

24) i'm pretty addicted to cool fabric. i could spend hours in a fabric store if my kids weren't there.

25) i really want to invest in a "good camera" and learn to take good photos myself.

26) i have never known my own grandparents... but i do call brians grandma grandma.

27) high school boyfriends make me gag! if i had known what god had in store... i would have "kissed dating goodbye"!

28) my favorite time of the day is morning when the kids come in for "snuggle time".

29) i don't really have "worries" i'm not the worrying type.

30) disney world is my favorite place to be.

31) i'm very close to my parents.

32) i am scared to death of spiders... doesn't matter how big or small. i have pulled my car over on the side of the road and called my husband to come down and kill ones that have gotten in my car before.

33) i have never driven my husband anywhere. even when we drove straight through to ohio 2 summers ago, brian always drives.

34) i burn and then tan in the sun.

35) i love my wedding ring, and my wedding band tattoo. surprisingly, my husband does as well.

36) cereal and milk grosses me out badly.

37) my husband is ALWAYS available for me to talk to... he always makes time to hear what ever it is i have to say...
as sill as my thoughts are sometime. and it's one of my favorite things about him.

38) honestly, loosing the pregnancy was one of the hardest things i've had to deal with... i don't recommend IUDs people!
seriously, read up on them!

39) i am a huge, HUGE procrastinator! but i always get it done.

40) we have too many pets if you ask me... 1 dog, 2 cats, 4 fish, 1 swimming frog... and we had 2 crabs, but levis snails ate them.

41) i am so slow at most everything i do... but, i am a bit of a perfectionist too. so maybe that has something to do with it.

42) whales and butterflies FREAK me out! i've yet to see shamoo at sea world with my kids!

43) i have no birthmarks... but plenty of freckles!

44) i am a die hard MAC (computer not the makeup) girl.

45) the first thing i notice about people is their teeth.

46) i am a serious, shy person with a bit of a funny side. i come across as snotty when you first meet me (because of the shyness).

47) surprisingly, my most favorite car that i have owned is the mini van. it is GREAT! except on the rare, very occasional times when i am driving by myself. then i just feel lame.


48) my husband and i make deals all the time... if you let me do this, i'll let you do that. it works!

49) somehow i never manage to leave target without dropping at least $100, it's sad really.

50) i like to think of my clothing style as a "stylish mom".

51) we are in need of a bigger home, and talking more and more about it these days. i can't wait till we can look back and joke about how we crammed 5 people and numerous pets into this little, tiny house.

52) nothing wakes me up when i am asleep.... when i'm out, i'm out!

53) i love being crafty, i can figure out how most things are made simply by looking at them.

54) i have a bit of a obsession with my TV shows. i would rather watch them on dvd then on TV cause i hate waiting to see what happens next.

55) i have good days, i have bad days. but i NEVER let the fact that i have three small children stop me from doing anything...
i roll with the punches.

56) i believe in myself most of the time. although i struggle with self esteem issues sometimes.

57) i'm not sure that i believe in "love at first sight" but... the first time i remember seeing my husband. i went home and asked my mother who he was and then told her i was going to marry him someday. lame, i know. but it really did happen.

58) i can be a good listener. i am a very good multi tasker. but i do catch myself sometimes saying..."what did you just say".

59) my future dream: honestly, that my children "chase after jesus" . some one recently told me something that really got me thinking. she said to be as involved in my kids life as i possibly can me, to make sacrifices that need to be made because if i'm not involved, someone else will be... that's a scary thought.

60) i never delete email conversations.... what if i need them someday?

61) i should wear my glasses or contacts... i find myself squinting all the time. but i don't remember the last time i took the time to put them in.

62) i think cursing shows a lack of vocabulary. i try hard to not let trashy words come out of my mouth.

63) lobster is my favorite food.

64) i don't exercise, i know i should... but i just don't do it.

65) i worked at mcdonalds.... for one day!

66) if i could i would spend all my money on scrabooking stuff, sewing stuff, and clothes!

67) buying our entertainment center is the "worst purchase"i can think of... i hated it when we picked it out. but i wanted him to have a say...

68) my car is almost always a mess inside.

69) i like my eggs over easy with 8 grain whole wheat toast...

70) i recently woke up from a dream screaming...
i dreamed there was a wasp in my eye stinging it, and my eye really hurt!

71) i always dream in color.

72) i sleep with 3 pillows, and i toss and turn if i don't have them.

73) i'm flat footed.

74) i whole heartedly believe that taking out the trash is mans work!

75) i love surprises when i don't know they are coming, i HATE anticipated surprises. i will snoop till i find out what they are.

76) i only like minty stick gums.

77) i love anything and everything that has peanut butter in it.

78) i LOVE flip flops, you'll be hard pressed to find me in any other kind of shoes.

79) we don't have or use credit cards... brian keeps one somewhere in the house for "emergencies" but we haven't had to use it yet. if we can't afford it, we don't buy it.

80) i can't spell worth my life... it's sad really.

81) i have a memory box in my closet that i keep all special stuff. love letters and such.

82) brian is the greatest friend god has given me. but, i have 4 other close friends that i tell most of this and that too.

83) never call or bother me during the hours of 6:30-8:30pm... you won't like me!

84) my childhood dream was to be an olympian in gymnastics.

85) my scariest moment that i can recall is when brian left me in the car in yoder's parking lot while he ran in to get something one night. and the crazy, scary guy came and broke the car window... i still thank god that bri glanced over and saw me on the camera in the office.

86) i will never give up hope on laura laura faye and sparks... someday!

87) i had the hugest crush on mark mencarini in high school... looking back on it, i'm kinda glad he never liked me back. ;)

88) i recently cut my hair like kate gossilens... days later they started making fun of it in the media... in my defense, i did not cut it as short as hers in the back... i don't want people thinking i am a man from the back! ;)

89) when ever brian watches the kids while i go to target... i always take the long way there, and back...

90) i enjoy and sometimes prefer flat soda...
and yes, i call it soda now, it once was pop to me though.

91) i think my favorite high school memory is scrapbooking till the weee hours of the morning at saras kitchen table.
ahh, the memories made during late nights at saras house!

92) the hardest thing about being a grown up is BILLS! they are no fun! (in my eyes anyways)

93) i used to be VERY into playing sports... but i honestly don't remember the last time i picked up a ball of any kind.

94) my whole wall was once COVERED in photos... (and it ruined them too).

95) i made a valentines day card for "my future husband" starting at age 14 (maybe) every year. and i gave them to brian our first valentines day married... he pretended to be touched by it...

96) my favorite name growing up was julie... i'm still rather shocked i never picked it out for my own.

97) i would totally get a boob job if my husband would allow... materialistic, i know... but i would! never fear, cause he would NEVER let me!

98) i am a natural complainer... although, i'm getting better at it.

99) i've recently learned that i love to cook dinners for our family. i can't wait till one day i get to do a holiday meal all by myself...

100) this took me far to long to do! and i will NEVER do it again!


thanks for sticking around guys!
but don't keep your fingers crossed for 200 things about me when we hit 200! :)

keep reading!

the last day...

sorry,
i wasn't exactly feeling the best last night, so i didn't feel like blogging.

but my dad...
"the situation is far from ideal". that's what my mom told me on the phone yesterday afternoon.
apparently, my dads heart had a bit more damage done to it with the heart attack then they originally thought.
it's only working at 40% right now.
and the scar tissue around the stent is building up and causing the stent to collapse which is causing blockage.
the problem is that the stent is in the main artery and it is a little too close to another artery for them to feel safe to go in and do another surgery. so now they wait. the doctor wants to take a look at things and see if maybe he can control the blockage with some more meds. which has me a little worried cause his blood is already so thin. they want to wait it out a couple weeks before they decide the next step to take, but something is going to have to be done. so, keep him in your prayers.


the kids had their last day of school yesterday...
i didn't think it would be, but it was kinda sad. it's funny how attached the teachers get, and when they teared up...
well, being how sensitive i am it made me tear up.
but i survived it...
barely, but i did survive....

yikes! and that's not even "real" school. how will i be when they start kindergarden, graduate it... high school, college!
time goes by too quick i tell ya!


anyhow,
for me it is officially summer!

go ahead, let it rain...

i would never call myself a fan of the rain...

i get the fact that we need it...
but when it's gloomy outside i can't help but feel a bit gloomy myself.
(this is only true for the daytime. cause i LOVE to sleep when it's raining, thundering and lighting outside).

anyway,
i'm sick of this rainy week. i feel cold and trapped.

the morning started out dreary but the sun peaked it's head through long enough for levi and alivia to splish and splash during "water day" at school. and then the murky skies returned.
(pictures to come... i forgot my camera and had to rely on kims).

when we got home i actually googled something to do with the kids inside our house. and the first thing that popped up was making your own playdough....

so, that's just what we did.
blue and purple to be exact.

and we had fun! the home made playdough quickly turned into pulling out all the store bought stuff.
we sat there making creations... rolling and cutting, this color and that color...
and the next thing i knew, we had been sitting and creating for over two hours.

so i guess what i'm getting at here is...
that although the rain isn't my favorite thing in the world, it really isn't so bad when it is accompanied by my favorite little hands and a bit of imagination!


ps...
nataley is FINALLY cutting her first tooth!
it's been there almost to the surface for months now....
but you can actually feel the ridges of it now! YEA for her! she won't be one and toothless after all!

farewell old friend...

leave it to me to find sentimental value in a pair of old sweat pants...
i guess i'm just that kinda girl.

but i bid adieu to you my fine blue pants of comfort.

you have seen me though so much of this adult life...

purchased from old navy days after i made the move to florida.


you spent many a moments curled up with me and my tear filled eyes when i was sick for "home".
and rejoiced with me when i found my one true love, right there beside me during late night phone conversations.

you have countless nights driving over to his little hole, then snuggled up close to him in darkness watching movies.

you accompanied us on our honey moon and kept me warm when my husband kept the room too cold.

you were there... close by me on the bathroom floor as i puked my guts out each morning through three pregnancies. and i thank you for shielding me from the cold germ floor.

there with me in the hospital all three times holding and taking in the smell of newborn.

you were right there with your warmth when i lost the one god took away.

you helped (and were forever scared) that late night, painting levi's nursery. remaining ever so patient while we awaited the boy bundle even though you had been stretched beyond your natural limits.

you've been spit up on, snotted on and spilt on.
and yet you've remain faithful and true to your warm, loving touch.

i knew this day would eventually come...
i felt it getting closer with the last few washes....

but you will be missed!

good bye my most favorite sweat pants EVER!

happy, happy birthday...

today marked the first of the summer stretch of birthdays....

(next week is my brother kyles, then levis, then my dads, then both my sisters, then nataleys, then my s-i-l kathleen and then alivias)....
all before august end!
summers full of birthdays for this family!

but today was my mamas!
how old is she?
i have never been too sure...
but she is young at heart! and that after all, is all that matters!

so happy birthday my marmalade!
we love you!

(and YES... i am the girl who bought a gift bag simply because it matched the outfit my child was wearing)!


p.s...
this is the newest addition to their family...
java...
they now have two dogs eating shoes and tearing sofas apart!


p.s.s...
i had to throw a picture in of "us" just because i love him so much!

dad...

i have the greatest parents in the whole world.

they love me regardless,
they always talk it out,
they give advice without expecting me to take it,
their supportive....

their more then just my parents, they are my friends!

please pray for my dad.
the stent in his heart is caving in, and the dr. is sure he is going to need to have a new one put in.
he goes in thursday for a catheter look before they make the call what to do.

scent of summer...

i don't know what it is,
but i am so stinking excited for summer this year.
i think possibly because this is the first summer in 4 years with nothing holding me back. no job, no babies about to pop out. :)
nope, nothing. just me, my kids and the warm (HOT) sunshine.

really,
such a strange concept to me, because i HATE florida summers.
way, WAY to hot for my liking.
but not this year... no, this year i am counting down the seconds for the official start.

and today...
well, today i got a first tiny glimmer of what the future sunshine days will hold.

while our sunny afternoon didn't go as planned,
it ended up being very relaxing.
wet and wild water fun turned into a stroll around the gulf and the distant sound of waves crashing and thunder rolling (with the occasional whine from levi as i made him stop and pose for pictures). the fountains were closed but that didn't stop us from having fun.


i can already tell that nataley is going to be a water baby. she kicks and splashes with big smiles and laughs. alivia is proving not to be so fond of water, and levi takes a while to warm up to it, but then i have a hard time getting him out.

a fine day indeed...
this is what summer days are made of!

krystal kay shoot...

as always krystal is amazing!
we did a cousin shoot a week ago, and these are a few of the favorites!

enjoy!

the three beautiful faces that look up at me and call me mommy.

mommy...
the greatest calling i have had in life.
the joy of my heart.

i remember the first mothers day card i got was when i was weeks away from having levi.
longing for the moment i could hold him, not fully understand that in the short weeks to come my heart would no longer be my own.

what?... for dinner?

yep,
late lunch led to the yummiest supper ever....

please, don't judge the yummy!








ps....
lexi and alivia sporting the dresses their mommies made for them.