Emma and Santa Claus

Emma visited Santa Claus this weekend. This visit was much different than last year when she started bawling the instant that she sat on his lap. She was happy and not the least bit scared. We even got a wee bit of a smile in the picture with Santa - truly a miracle. As we left, Santa gave her a big hug goodbye and she then she kept waving and saying "bye bye" over and over.

Not much else going on here. All of our Christmas shopping is done, the holiday cooking is done, Christmas cards are sent, and we are just getting ready for our trip home to Michigan. We are looking forward to seeing all of our family and friends. As usual the trip will be fun filled and fly by. We already have something planned everday that we are there!

Enjoy the pictures - the next post probably won't be until after Christmas. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Ready to go out for the day

She loves sitting on top of her cookie jar!

What a sweet smile!

Emma with Santa

Emma's Favorite Christmas Gift

We have been very busy over the past weekend. Emma and I have been trying to finish our Christmas shopping, along with decorating, cleaning and cooking. Somehow the weekend is already over.


Saturday we went to Emma's friend Avery's 2nd birthday party at Bounze Zone. Emma absolutely LOVED playing in the big bouncers. She has a very hard time standing and walking in them. She kept falling over and then laughing hysterically. Jay and I had to help her get up to the top of the slide and then slide down with her. She wanted to do it over and over. Needless to say she was quite worn out and we had to go directly to the ExxonMobil kids Christmas party from there. The Christmas party was geared toward older kids with lots of crafts, book readings, and even ice skating. Emma did get a new doll to open and we ate lunch and visited with a lot of Jay's coworkers. Emma even got to sit on Santa's lap. By this time she was so exhausted that she didn't even cry! She didn't smile either, as you can see from the picture below. She had a very puzzled look on her face as if to say "Who is this guy?"


We did get snow in Beaumont a few days ago. It actually snowed quite hard starting at about 5pm, but most of it melted. Once it started to get later in the evening and the temperature dropped a little bit of snow stuck to the ground. I took Emma out in it and she didn't exactly know what the fuss was all about. It was comical to Jay and I to see how the town reacted to the little bit of snow that they did get. Schools were closed early the day before, about three quarters of the nightly news was snow coverage, and Jay was in charge of "Emergency Response" at work. He had to update the information lines of who had to show up to work and at what times. Hilarious!


She doesn't have too many new tricks. She is trying to imitate sounds more and try to say more words, although she usually leaves off the second syllable. She will point to our nose, eye, and mouth when asked. Now that Jay has taught her how to throw her hands up for a touchdown she loves to say "Ta" and throw her hands up. Unfortunately she doesn't realize that this only happens when football is on TV and she will say it while eating, being changed, or for no particular reason. She also says "Pa pa" when she has a poo poo in her diaper. (Sorry Papa, I am trying to correct this one right away. We don't want her thinking you have anything to do with poo poo. Heeheee) She also understands more of what we say than we think. The other day she picked some lint off the floor and brought it to me. I said "I don't want that - go throw it in the garbage." She actually turned around, walked into the kitchen, and threw it right into the garbage! It was something we had never talked about. Also, we just started wearing a coat because it had been really warm. Yesterday I said "We are going bye bye, we have to get your coat." She walked into the living room right to her coat and brought it to me. I didn't think she knew it by name yet. What a smart girl! She also is getting another new tooth on her bottom. We can't wait to go home to Michigan for Christmas to show off how much she is changing!


Emma did receive the best Christmas gift ever in the mail from Grandma this weekend. It was her Christmas stocking! Jay and my Christmas stockings were hand knitted by my Grandma Peggy (Emma's great Grandma). Last year Grandma Peggy was still working on Emma's stocking so we never hung one for her on the mantle. I just couldn't bring myself to go out and buy another stocking when I knew that Grandma Peggy was in the midst of making her special gift. (Grandma Peggy has made everyone in the family a stocking - all of my cousins and their spouses and my parents and aunt and uncle. It is a family tradition.) Sadly, Grandma Peggy passed away this year without finishing Emma's stocking, although she did have the top part of it done with Emma's name. My mom found someone who could finish knitting the stocking, but keep the top part that was already started and did it as a surprise to Emma and I! It arrived in the mail and we were SO excited hang the stocking on the mantle. We will really miss Grandma Peggy this holiday season, but she will forever be in our memories and bring smiles to our faces each year as we hang our stockings!

Our finished mantle

Emma checking out her new gift

Emma horsing around - she thought it was hilarious to walk around the house with her coat over her head

SNOW!!!

The morning after - barely enough to make a snowball!

Part of our holiday photo shoot

Emma cracking up after coming down the slide

Avery peaking out over the end of the table

Blowing out her candles

Who is this guy?

Photo shoot take two - dang hairs that stray!

Showing off her winter hat and gloves. She LOVED having the gloves on and kept waving at everyone on our walk

Emma and daddy going down the slide

Happy Thanksgiving

We have had a busy, yet relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. It was just Jay, Emma, and I for Thanksgiving Day this year, but I cooked the traditional feast. Jay went and ran the local Turkey Trot in the morning as Emma and I slaved over the turkey. When he got home we watched the Lions lose yet another year. When it was time to eat Emma refused to eat any corn, potatoes, turkey or anything except the homemade banana bread! Once she had one bite of it that was all she would eat. She LOVES banana bread! After our meal Jay and Emma took their naps and when they woke up we went for a wagon ride. It was a bit chilly and we even had to wear our jackets which was really nice.

I have also managed to put up all of our Christmas decorations. I bought some icicle lights for the outside of our house and Jay helped me (just a little....) put them up. They look really nice. Emma doesn't know what to think of all the decorations - she wants to touch everything. She especially wants to pull on the stockings hanging from the mantle. I am very scared that she will pull them down and the metal stocking holder will fall on her head in the process! Thankfully there are no holiday mishaps yet.

I went to the Galleria in Houston today with a friend and Emma. We had so much fun and found lots of great deals. Most of what we bought was for ourselves too - how fun! We did manage to get a couple Christmas gifts. We also ate at the Cheescake Factory - yum! Then we went to Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn. I was in shopping heaven. Emma was extremely well behaved for such a long day. She didn't cry one bit in the car and didn't even nap on the way home. Once she got home she wanted to carry my bags all over the house like she was a good shopper too. She was so adorable in the morning as I was packing stuff for her to go with us - she knew that I was going somewhere and she clung to me like glue. The minute I would leave the room she started crying. She was so scared that I was going to leave without her! Wonder what that means for how daddy treats her when he is babysitting?!? Haha.

We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We have a healthy, beautiful daughter and loving, supportive friends and family. We are thankful for our great jobs in such a struggling economy. We are also very thankful this time of year for our soldiers fighting on behalf of our country. They give up time over the holidays, and throughout the year, with their families so that we can celebrate with ours. What a selfless act!

Enjoy the pictures below.

Emma decided her blanket would be a great decoration for the tree

I'll help Swiffer !

OOOH - what sales are we going to hit?

This one looks good!

Love the wagon rides!

Mommy and Emma

This is so much fun!!

BRRRRR!

Emma fell asleep on the way to the Galleria for about 15 minutes. Poor neck!

Look at my shopping bag - it holds my blanket!

What's inside?

Video of Emma watching the Lions get their one touchdown

Poor, sick Emma

Emma turned 18 months last week and had her 18 month checkup. She weighs 23 lbs which is in the 25th percentile and is 33 inches tall which is in the 90th percentile. Everything looked great and we went home with 3 more immunizations. Yesterday I got a call at work from her babysitter that she had a 102 degree temperature. Of course immediate panic sets in with such a high temp coupled with a worrywort mom. Jay was thankfully able to pick her up and take her to the doctor since I had 5 patient evaluations to try and catch up on since I knew I would have to be out the next couple days. The doctor confirmed a double ear infection and sent her home with an antibiotic. I felt like I had a newborn again last night waiting to hear any sound on the baby monitor that may mean something was wrong. She started getting really restless at about 11pm and I could tell she was tossing and turning. I went in to check on her and she popped right up to be held. She had a 101 fever so I gave her some more Tylenol. She went right back down to bed until about 2am when I heard her tossing and turning again and wheezing really loud. I basically sprinted into her room I was so scared about her breathing but thankfully she was just pushed up into the corner of the bumper pad and couldn't get her breath because she was suffocating herself. She was also a big sweatball and her head was soaking wet. I took her temp again and it was normal. She went right back down and has felt better today. She has taken a couple long naps and has not had a fever so hopefully the antibiotics are kicking in.

Not much else happening here - I helped to throw a baby shower a couple weekends ago for my girlfriend Jenni in Houston. I posted some of the pictures below - her baby room is a cowgirl theme so we carried that over to the shower. Jay was gone all last week at conferences in Houston so we are happy to have him home again.

I attempted to take Emma's 18 month picture with the 3x5 card like I have been doing. As usual, I had a hard time getting her to smile with the card facing the camera. You can see the pictures below. She has also taken a new interest to her baby Sophia. She has been carrying her all over the house and wrapping her in the blanket. She also loves to give Sophia baby kisses - so sweet!

It is so much fun to make a mess and empty out the cupboards

Uh Oh! The girl likes shoes already!
The baby shower cake - Howdy Baby Ava!

Our cute table with the boot centerpiece

Patty, Jenni, Ava, and I

Sweet, sleeping baby

Is she 18 months already?!?

Our diva

She INSISTED on putting her coat on over her PJ's

Holder her baby - Sophia

Giving sweet baby kiss to Sophia

The Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

We had a great Halloween! I took Emma on Friday to the nursing home where I work. All of my patients absolutely loved seeing how adorable Emma was in her pumpkin costume. They just love little kids and don't get to see much of the "outside world" anymore, so Emma really made their day. She LOVED the little pumpkin pail that she had to put her candy in and carried it everywhere with her like a little purse. She got lots of candy from the residents, a balloon with her name from the activity director, and even a dollar bill! We came right home and put the dollar in her piggy bank. She had a great time and quickly caught on how to take a piece of candy and put it in her pumpkin bag.

Saturday we started the day by carving our pumpkin. We carved the face to match the one on Emma's t-shirt (also because it was a nice, simple face for mom to cut out!!) I put Emma in her high chair to watch and put all of the the gooey seeds on her tray to play with. She is such a little girly girl because she would NOT touch it. She pointed her finger at it and knew that it was slimy and messy and would not touch it! Sadly we had to take a picture of her next to the pumpkin this year, and not inside of it like she fit last year! Amazing how much she has grown in one year!

We dressed Emma early and drove across town to surprise Miss Nette, her babysitter. She was so happy to see Emma in her cute costume and took lots of pictures and gave her a big goody bag full of treats. We then took Emma trick or treating to our neighbors that we know on the street and took a wagon ride to our friends in the neighborhood to see their kids. We came back home and handed out candy for a while in the driveway. Emma was exhausted from a fun filled day and I put her to bed at about 8pm. (Unfortunately she doesn't understand daylight savings time and was up at 6:45 this morning instead of sleeping in and taking advantage of the extra hour of sleep!)

There are a bunch of pictures below - I had a hard time getting Emma to smile in her costume and then she refused to let go of her sippy cup. Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

P.S. We STILL have the gecko - somewhere in the house because we haven't seen it again. UGH!

She was so exhausted after playing at Miss Nette's on Monday that she actually fell asleep with the blanket on her and Eddie in her arms. This never happens!

Emma's new trick - she can reach the door handle and turn it! (Thank goodness for dead bolts!)

Just relaxin on the pillow
Playing with the TWO balloons that she got in one day - what a good day!

Sweet baby cheeks

Yuck! What is this stuff?!?

Look mom - the pumpkin matches my shirt!

Cutest pumpkin in the patch!

Hanging out with Angela - a friend of mommy's at work

Posing with her sippy cup

I am bored - take me trick or treating already!

My two kids! Haha

Emma and Miss Nette