with a ribbon in her hair

When she's all grown up, 

I know this is the way I'll always remember her 🎀💕 

#littlemissmax

ME GUYS!

Who cares about YOU. Oprah or me? 

ME GUYS! 

Me.

Hiring celebrities to endorse products has been going on for a long time. 

Why? Because they bank on the fact that Americans so trust and love these celebrities that they automatically believe in what they tell them. As a result, these celebrities are in big demand and these celebrities (as well as the Corporations that hire them) are making millions of dollars from these endorsements. Bottom line: They are well-known public figures banking on their celebrity status to sell you products…and it works🏻. Take Oprah for example: She bought a 10% share of Weight Watchers at $6.79 for a total investment of $43.2 million!!!She is now on the board of directors as an advisor to the company. Stocks were trading at $6 a share when she bought $40 million worth. By the end of the day HER investment had doubled. Ya'll, I LOVE OPRAH, but, come on! This lady right here (me, Emily Gibson, in the flesh) shares about products SHE HAS TRIED, and was so blown away and excited about the amazing improvements she experienced in her health and in the health of people she knows that she KNEW she had to tell you about them. I never intended to share Plexus. I didn't put stock in the company before I promoted it...in fact, I didn't even believe it would work!!! I still can't believe Plexus works...but every day my body, and the bodies of people I know and love tell me PLEXUS WORKS🏻. Oprah paid weight watchers to join to be an ambassador for them, to share and sell their products. I have no idea if she's ever used the weight watchers system, but I know I've used the Plexus system! My anxiety and postpartum depression are gone, insomnia gone, fatigue gone, hair loss gone...there's a lot that's gone! One thing that's not gone is me. I can see me so much more now. I don't need naps, Diet Coke, or choc peanut butter ice cream to get me through the day anymore, and losing 10 lbs because I don't crave crap has just been the cherry on top. This girl knows you🏼, cares about you, and wants to see you free from the things you have accepted as normal that really aren't all that normal! #letplexusworkforyou

with shampoo all in your face

That moment when you're in the shower 

with shampoo all in your face 

and eyes and hair 

and you hear chase coming into the bathroom 

barfing liquid spray everywhere 

and there's absolutely nothing you can do 

but try to get the shampoo out of your hair 

as fast as possible yelling "toilet chase! Toilet!!!" 

in other news, I FINALLY get to have the carpets cleaned!!!!🏻#beenwaitingonthisfortooLong#alittlebitexcitedforthecarpets#sadforchase

like if you're nursing

3 months ago, i was ready to throw in the towel.

it was my fourth baby after all.

nobody would have blamed. me.

we fought a good fight,

and the stress of it all had dried mama out.

but then brooke posted some silly little picture about breastfeeding and plexus,

and it was like i just knew i had to at least try.

now, 7 month old dean and i are 

i'm BEAMING over here at what my body is doing for this little man of mine. 

With each one of my babies I have plum RUN OUT of milk by this phase of the game, 

and even though I nursed the entire year, my babies were getting only an ounce or two once the afternoon feedings hit. I know I'm not alone with this. 

But that's not how things are shaping up with Dean.  

I'm here to tell you that blood sugar balance is REAL,  

and it affects more than just your hunger throughout the day. 

My milk supply has doubled since using Plexus (settle down ladies and gents, it does NOT make you make beast milk). Want to know why it's done this for my body? 

Because insulin is our dominant hormone, and it plays one of the biggest roles in milk production. 

I've always thought that my body just quit making milk the last 6 months, 

but guys, i don't accept that anymore.

When your blood sugars are balanced, your insulin can support other functions in your body. 

Like if you're nursing, it will help you drown your 7 month old DURING AN AFTERNOON FEEDING bc you just have that much milk 

BOO YA.

human sand bags

What, you don't lay 7 and 8 year old boys on your tree stand 

to keep the water from spilling onto your carpet 

when you're taking it down? 

so sad to see it go. most perfect christmas tree to have ever lived. 

and now christmas is cleaned up. 

the end.

also it's dark outside after church

I have NOBODY in the nursery and one guy in senior primary.

planking

NYE got chase like...

found him like this in the hall.

just balance like a human pretzel

At yoga today, the instructor said "don't FIND yourself. Let yourself IN." 

I stood there dripping with sweat, heart pounding, and legs feeling like jello 

from some pose I'm trying to learn where you rest your legs on your forearms 

and just balance like some kind of a human pretzel 

(I'm sure my kids would be able to do this like a piece of cake--

this is what I think every time I try to get it right), and it hit me. 

I spent so much time in my twenties trying to figure out who I was, and what do ya know!? 

I've been here all along. Just good ol' Emily, waiting to be let in. 

Or maybe just let out? Either way, here I am in the flesh, 

hot yoga, woo woo plexus and all. 

he looked like he had a rash coming on anyway;)

so giving away the binky on christmas eve was pretty much a disaster.

and by disaster i mean that he wouldn't leave the binky with the cookies.

brennan and max were so supportive.

told him what santa left them when they left their binkies.

brennan even put his hand on chase's shoulder.

it was pretty precious.

even when chase threw brennan's hand off of his shoulder and screamed 

"GET AWAAAAAAY FROM MEEEE!!!!"

i laughed inside a little.

and maybe smiled at brennan.

maybe;)

so sean put dean to bed,

read stories to max and brennan,

and i stayed in front of the christmas tree with crying chase,

trying to get him to leave his binkies for santa for 30 minutes.

then finally, after he had screamed in horror that he wanted to keep his binkies,

and me feeling like i was ruining chase's christmas magic,

we all agreed he could go to sleep with it,

and santa would come in and take the binky out of his bed.

and that is just what we did.

i may or may not be using benedryl to help him fall asleep this week without?

he looked like he had a rash coming on anyway;)

dear santa, more binkies. sincerely the baby man chase ray

me: what is santa going to bring you 

when you leave your binky for him on christmas this week?

chase: more binkies.

this one is gonna be a rough one i think.
he's smart, that's for sure.
my other kids were all sold on the bike.
nobody has ever even THOUGHT to ask for more binkies.
chase's second choice for the binky trade is a lightening mcqueen race track.
i'm going to miss his binky.
it gets him in and out of the shower.
it gets him into the car to get max from kindergarten when i'm in a pinch.
it lets me talk on the phone.
it basically gives me any immediate response like a dead ringer every single time.
and while he's not napping anywhere but in the car on the way home from afternoon carpool,
i'm gonna miss it.
he's gonna miss it.
at least there's always the blue dog.
i just don't think that's gonna be enough to get him back into his bed at 6am when he wakes up to pee.
oh man.
i'm gonna miss that binky.
have i mentioned i'm gonna miss chase's binky???
well i am.
there,
i said it
again.

in other news...

the train is up as of this evening.

which means,

only 5 days left of the train being out.

but who's counting???

just sayin'

5 days and counting.

also, max is a super champ at putting stamps on christmas cards.

this year was quite the stretch to get them out.

i sure hope grandpa's christmas present makes it.

aye, yigh, yigh...we're coming in on the wire this time!

is that a saying?

or did i just make that up?
maybe halfway right?

you get what i'm saying.

dear santa,

please get my christmas cards off and grandpa's present there on time.

xoxo,

emiline