Christmas in B'ham

What a busy holiday! Mike, Em, and I headed up to Bellingham on the 24th. Traffic actually wasn't too bad--we made it up there within 2 1/2 hours--not too shabby! It was great getting up there to see everyone, just a bit stressful trying to find the TIME to see everyone! Emma definitely had a blast, seeing everyone and opening LOTS of presents! Unfortunately, Mike had a nasty cold, and couldn't talk the whole time. But I think he's starting to get better...

Well, of course, Mom, Em, Brittny, and I did the traditional day-after-Christmas shopping--No holiday is complete without it! Afterwards, we finally headed back home to Oly. Like I said, it was great being up there, but... It felt good to be home! Now, if we could only find a place for all of Em's new toys...

Getting ready for the holidays

Well, even with having time off from school, things have been pretty busy here, getting ready for the holidays. We are heading to B'ham on the 24th, so I think things will be winding down a bit after we get home...
On Monday, Emma got her first haircut! We went to this great kids shop, called Jack and Jills--It was so much fun for her--she got to sit in a Radio Flyer airplane while she got her hair cut. She did such a great job--The only meltdown was after entering the shop, because she didn't want to wait her turn! :)
Today, I did the unthinkable... I allowed two toddlers to decorate cookies in my kitchen! It was such a mess! :) Jaden, my friend Julie's little boy, and Emma decorated Christmas tree cookies today, but actually did more licking of fingers and eating than decorating, of course. But truly, they had a blast! Afterwards, I wrapped up all of the cookies to give out to family. It was really neat to do that with Emma--I can't wait to do more cookies with her!
Well, posting out... Still have a few last minute Christmas stuff to do...

First snow...

Thursday night we recieved our first HEAVY snowfall. In all, I think we got a least 3 inches at our house. When Emma got up the next morning, she was so excited--the only words out of her mouth were "snow, snow!"--continuously! So, needless to say, we were out there early (7:20) playing in the snow. She was so facinated with the fact that it melted in her mouth--so she ended up sampling the snow in every area of the yard. :) Later in the day, we headed back out and made a couple small snowmen and even a snow angel. Although it's melting now, our backyard still has quite a bit--We'll probably head out there later today.

Unfortunately, this snow hasn't been ALL great. Early this morning I received a call from Mike, who had left earlier to go elk hunting with our neighbor. First words out of his mouth: "The truck is totaled." Not really the words I was expecting to hear! They were both fine, but he had hit a bad patch of ice on the freeway, slid down the freeway a ways, hit the dirt on the side of the road, and rolled the truck. All in all, though, he seems to be more stressed about the fact that he missed a day of hunting! :) He said that there isn't any use in getting upset about it, since he can't change anything. Time to start truck shopping...

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Emma and I (Mike was home, sick) spent Thanksgiving with my mom, Ben, my sisters Amber and Brittny, my brother Nick, and Clint and his family. It was a great time and Emma had a blast playing with all of the kids. Emma DID learn how to put olives on her fingers, which was a huge hit in her book!

This morning, we all met for shopping very early--got to Target at 6 am. Even though I didn't buy anything, it was fun anyway--and now I'm feeling like I'm almost all of the way into the holiday spirit. When I got home from shopping I lugged out all of the decorations and spruced the place up. Doesn't look too shabby! Now, I just have to start my baking!

Almost forgot to mention our encounter with Santa... Since there was no line to take Em to see Santa, I figured it would be an ideal time to have her picture taken. Well, she seemed to be fine until we got to the rope to enter the area--then, she came unglued and started crying "Mommy, mommy, mommy!"! My little sister, Brittny, thought she would try to make it easier for Em, so she went up and sat on Santa's lap herself. Emma seemed a bit uncertain at first, then she started crying again: "Bitt-ny, bitt-ny, bitt-ny..." which soon turned into SCREAMS of "BITT-NY!!!" as if to tell her "Get away from him!!!!". It was so hard not to laugh, but she was pretty upset. So, we left Santa and continued shopping. On our way back past him after shopping, however, Santa made the mistake of waving to her, which started everything all over again!

Well, I must say that it's been a nice break, but... Em's teething again. And oh no, we aren't heading into this lightly--we have FOUR teeth coming in at once! At least we know that there's a good reason for all of her crankiness lately! :) Going along with it: not eating much, not sleeping much--the whole nine yards!

At least the quarter is finally winding down. Only one more week of classes until finals. I have to say, though, that I'm not as stressed as I probably should be. I think that after so long of being stressed, I've gotten a little numb. Not necessarily a bad thing, in my eyes! :) With the holidays getting closer, I'm trying REAL HARD to get in the holiday spirit. I know that this year will be so much more fun with Emmy, so I want to make sure that I really deck the house out this year. We'll see what Mike thinks--he always seems to think I go overboard for the holidays!

Halloween

As I may have mentioned before, I had attempted to make Emmy's Tinkerbell costume this year. It actually turned out okay (just don't look too closely!) and she LOVED wearing it. Everytime we put it on her she had to run to the mirror to parade about! We didn't do too much trick-or-treating, however. The weather was so darn nasty and rainy, so we just went to my parent's and to Mike's parent's houses.

Not too much else has been going on here. Emma is getting more and more vocal everyday--and doesn't hesitate anymore to tell us EXACTLY what she is wanting. Her newest thing that she loves to do is dance to her daddy's Led Zeppelin CD--and she seems to dance even more creatively when naked (don't ask!). I've been pretty bummed that my camcorder is in for repair because we have had so many nights of laughing hysterically as she dances away! Hopefully it will be back for the holidays!

Mike has been back to work now, after having about a week off. Unfortunately, now that the weather is getting nasty, he has to do an outside job this week. And why can't they do this in the summer?!

School has been keeping me pretty busy, as usual. As I notice many of friends getting REALLY burnt out and frustrated, I realized that I hit that point LAST year, and am finally feeling a bit more laid back about the whole thing. Sure, it's still stressful trying to keep up with everything, but not quite as bad. I guess it could be because I've already started counting down 'til early June...

BTW, to look at a better quality picture, just click on it...

Pumpkins and babies

To start off, last weekend at the pumpkin patch was a blast! We met up with Whitney, Danny, Kai, and Whitney's sister Molly. We had so much fun, but after spending over three hours there, we were pretty wiped! They had animals for the kids to feed, a little train to ride, pony rides (Emmy was too little), and of course--pumpkins galore! We took a wagon ride up to the pumpkin patch, where Emma insisted on hugging EVERY pumpkin she came to--and I DO MEAN EVERY PUMPKIN!!! :) Mike and I found the perfect pumpkin, as did Emma; so we came home with a big one, AND a baby one. We do, however, still need to carve them..

Ah, the stress of school! First exam last week--I honestly thought that there was no way I was going to pass it--Not really what I needed for the end of a stressful week! I did get my results yesterday, though--Whew! I passed with an 88%. THANK YOU!!! :) What a relief. No time for a break, however--I have a marathon 2 weeks of quizes and mid-terms this week and next. Already counting down to Christmas break...

Although I'm sure everyone won't be interested in this little tidbit of info, but... Emma pooped in the toilet yesterday! She came and got me and told me "poo" and led me to the bathroom. I was so proud of her and wanted to show her that she did such a good thing, so I did something I probably shouldn't have--I gave her a new baby (Hey, if I had stickers handy, she would've just gotten one of those!). I tell you, she was thrilled! She carried that baby around all day. When it was time for her bath, I kept calling her and calling her--When she didn't come, I went out to get her. There she was, laying her baby down, covering her with a blanket, and leaning over and kissing her goodnight. What a little mommy!

So last night, I started sewing Emma's Tinkerbell costume for Halloween. I have to admit--This was an incredibly ambitious and crazy idea. I haven't sewn clothes since middle school! I just hope it doesn't come out looking like a kid made it... I do have to admit, however, that it is going quicker than I had originally anticipated. Not to worry--I will post pics when it is done--no matter HOW BAD I DID!

Been so long...

Well, here I am, finally posting...

School has been going for almost a month yet, and I can't say my body is used to it yet. At the end of September I went to take my it exam--and PASSED! I'm an official nurse now--a nurse without a job, that is! :) I honestly was amazed when I found out I had passed the exam; only one more to go: after I graduate in June, I'll have one more exam to take to get my RN license. Then...I'm done with school!! At this point, I don't have any intentions of getting my BSN, but I guess that may change...

Speaking of that drat exam... As a "reward" to myself for actually passing, I finally got my tattoo that I've been waiting to get. I got it done downtown at Lit Fuse by an awesome artist named Stacie. I had brought her a picture of a faery that I had found online: She sketched it up and added Em's name--It looks even better than the original picture! Once it's all healed up, I'll post a pic...

Well, Emma has been quite the jabberbox around here. She will attempt to say about anything to ask her to. Some of her favorites: Fraggle Rock, kitty, bear, jump, baby (her and her baby are INSEPARABLE!), "rock and rock" (when she rocks her baby), Kai (her next-door buddy), and so on... What an amazing girl! Oh, and boy can she run! When her a Kai get together, they are doing laps around the house, laughing hysterically--It is so funny to watch.

BTW, the pics posted here: one is from a day when she spent the afternoon parading around the house with a soda box on her head. Go figure--it's the cheap stuff that is so entertaining. :) The second one is from Friday night: Emma and Kai were cuddling on the couch watching a movie and caught me taking their pics--what a couple of hams!

So, today we are planning on taking Em to Hunter's pumpkin patch. I've been teaching her about pumpkins all week, so wherever we go, she excitedly points them out to me. I'm sure she have a blast--I'll get on here sooner or later to post pics from today (hopefully sooner than later!)!

The Last Week... With "Poo" and "Peas" (view with caution!)

Well, here I am, my last week before school starts--I can't believe my vacation is over!

Last week, our bright little Emma started telling us when she pooped her pants--I know, this may not seem like an exciting accomplishment to you, but I thought she was a GENIUS when she would come in and announce to me "Poo" so solemnly. :) This weekend, Emma and I spent a few night in B'ham. While we were there, however, Em decided to tell me "Poo" and when I realized that she hadn't gone yet, I decided to stick her on the toilet and see what would happen. Imagine my surprise when she pooped right in the toilet--twice during the whole weekend! I honestly had no plans of trying to potty train her right now, but if she wants to tell me when she has to go and wants to plop down on the toilet, I am all for it! Needless to say, however, I have bought her a potty chair and she had pooped twice since we arrived back home--in her diaper. LOL

The other thing that Emma has mastered this last week is politely saying "please", but it comes out more like "Peas". :) She now says it without prompting, but is quite hilarious because after she says it, she does a little laugh, as though she is so amused with herself for saying it.

Emma and I had such a great time in B'ham--It was so good seeing everyone. My cousins Sarah, Allie, and Hannah have new bunnies which Emma got such a kick from. Here's a pic of her cuddling with one of them!



Hmm, do I have any other news? I haven't really been doing much of anything except studying, since my NCLEX exam is less than 2 weeks away and school is starting up next week--I WILL try to keep this blog up to date, though!

Long time, no post...

You know, I don't feel like I've been too terribly busy, yet, I haven't posted for awhile. What has happened since I last wrote?

Emma got her first helmet (from neighbor Kai)--and she sure loves it! If she is outside and sees it, it MUST go IMMEDIATELY on her head! Even if she is just playing on the swing or the slide, she is very insistent that she wears it!

Last weekend, I had family in town (from my dad's side): Mahgee and Grandpa, Auntie Lori, Uncle Allen, and the girls (Sarah, Allie, and Hannah). It was so fun to see everyone and I know Emma got a kick out of playing with everyone too. Soon Emma and I will be heading back up to B'ham to visit, so we'll get to see everyone again!

Well, school time is quickly seeming to close in on me. When I think back to my last day of school, I had 6 weeks ahead of me of blissful stress-free vacation. Now I am starting to see that that was truly not the case, as I have spent lots of time studying for my NCLEX exam and dealing with Emma's more-frequent tantrums. All in all, though, it has been a great vacation, being able to spend this much time with Emma. As always, I am amazed at how quickly she has picked up on trying to say new words everyday and how much she understands from us.

So here it is, September 3rd---16 days left of vacation....

Northwest Trek

Yesterday, Mike and I took Emma to this great place called Northwest Trek. For those of you not from around here, it's a wildlife park where you can go see animals in their natural habitats--elk, deer, moose, caribou, bears, cougars, raccoons, etc. Emma had such a blast seeing all of the animals, but started to get a bit cranky (as expected) after being there a few hours. I had gone there when I was in grade school, but didn't remember much about it. It was so interesting to see animals like cougars and bears so close. But I have to say, we were all pretty wiped out by the time our day was done! :)

More than anything, though, it was nice to get away from home and do something just Mike, Em, and me. Mike has been home during the past few weeks, and I think it has really been making a difference with us the time that we spend doing things together with Emma.

1st camping trip

This past weekend, Mike, Emma, and I went camping with our neighbors Whitney (my classmate), Danny, and their son Kai. This was Em's first camping trip--and I must add: Mike and I's first camping trip together after 9 years of my nagging! :) We did have a wonderful time, though. Aside from Emma's midnight "freak-outs" :( , I could tell she was having a blast. Typical of a child, she LOVED the taste of the dirt there and had to sample it in many different areas. Kai, on the other hand (who is 2 1/2), wasn't into the dirt tasting, but had a great time exploring everything. He is always so sweet with Emma, always ready with a "Don't cry baby" whenever she starts to tear up. All in all, it was a great weekend. The guys got to get away and do "guy stuff", and Whitney and I were able to just hang around with each other and talk, play cards, etc. By the time we had to pack up on Sunday, we all couldn't believe that the weekend was over. Needless to say, Mike and I are already planning another trip for the three of us in the near future!
(P.S. Pictures to come later...)

Tolmie State Park

With the beautiful weather today, Mike and I decided to take Emma out to Tolmie State Park for the afternoon. The tide was out, so we were able to show Emma lots of baby crabs, seaweed, and other interesting slimy things. At first, she was a little unsure of walking in the soft, squishy sand, since her feet started to sink in. After awhile, she started getting so excited to see the little crabs scurrying along and she even got to hold a few in her hand--she was pretty quick to throw them back, though. All in all, it was a great afternoon!!!

Busy week: county fair, babies, birthdays...

What a busy week! On Thursday, we took Emma to the Thurston County Fair. She had a blast! She got to have some great fair food and was able to pet all of the animals. By the time we went home, however, she was wiped out--So were we! Along with us, our friends Scott and Heather with their baby girl Alex came. Emma and I were lucky enough to get to babysit Alex later in the week. Alex was such a good baby and Emma was an awesome helper--Whenever Alex started fussing, Emma was ready with the pacifier or the bottle. What a smart girl! :)

On Friday night, my mother came to town. That night, my mom, my sister Amber, and my neighbor Whitney all went out for a night on the town. We had such a good time. It was definitely a well-needed release for me!

Lastly, Saturday was Amber's 22nd birthday. Emma and I went to her place for a BBQ. After we left, however, Clint took the opportunity to propose officially to her--I hear there wasn't a dry eye in the place! :) I spoke with Amber later and she was VERY excited and totally shocked. Although they had been speaking of marrying soon and had looked at rings, she had no idea that he was going to do that. :)

Big girl!

Yesterday, Emma started eating out of a bowl all by herself! I bought some bowls with suction cups that you can place on the bottom (worked great at first, but they have already lost their "stick"). I can't believe how well she's been doing with it. So far, we've only had one incident of her dumping a bowl of minestrone on her face (don't worry--it wasn't hot!)--Not too bad, considering she's a beginner! :)

Today, Mike had Em out in her pool and introduced her to the hose. What fun she had with that! All she wanted to do was drink out of it. She has been having so much fun in her pool and playing outside. It will be hard when the weather starts going back to normal!

1st Guitar

Today I bought Emma her first guitar! She has always been so interested in her daddy's guitars, so I thought it was time for her to have her own. It is a Wiggles guitar, so it has the tendency to get a little annoying after awhile, but nonetheless, she loves it! She walks around the house playing it and bopping along to the music. Maybe we'll have another musician in our family!

Lakefair

Well, Emma had a pretty busy weekend...

Her and I went to her first baby shower--Our friends Ryan and Lindy are expecting a baby girl, Taylor, in August. It was so much fun looking at all of the tiny baby stuff--Ah, it brought back memories! (although I am not quite ready to re-live them again!)

On Sunday, Mike, Emma, and I went to Olympia's Lakefair with our friends John, Nicole, and John's son Zachary. It was a gorgeous day with hot 80-something weather and just the right amount of breeze. Emma had her first tastes of fair food (grilled onion burger, french fries, shaved ice) and loved every bit of it. Coming up in August is the Thurston County Fair--I can't wait to take her there to see all of the animals.

I must say that Emma's mischievous side is beginning to come out. Knowing full well that she cannot stand on the couch or hit you, she still does so while laughing hysterically. Then, when I sternly tell her no and give her a little swat on the hand (when she hits), she just laughs harder!! *sigh* I can only imagine what I have ahead of me... :)

Lean, Mean, Cleanin' Machine!

Well imagine my surprise today when Emma started cleaning! She picked up the Swiffer and next thing I know, she making little scrubing noises and swinging it back and forth. Too funny! Hmmm, I wonder if this is a sign of things to come? We can only hope! The last picture is her post-cleaning relaxation--sorry it's so fuzzy!

Almost Done With the 1st Year...

Today at school, one of the students had her husband come and take a picture of the entire class for us, since we won't all be together next year. It turned out great! We had such an awesome group this year--It will be sad next year to not have everyone struggling together again! :) I feel I am so lucky to have made so many great friends. Honestly, though, it still amazes me that I made it this far. This really had to be my toughest year ever, adjusting to life with a new baby and trying to slide my way from exam to exam. Whew! Now if only I can pass my NCLEX exam this summer!

Adios bottle!!

Well, tonight was Emma's second night without a bottle! She has been doing so good with her sippy cup, I thought I would just take away her night-time bottle and see what happens. It was as though she didn't even notice! I'm happy that she is about over her bottle, but to be honest, it makes me a little sad. Now that she doesn't need her bottle anymore, it's like she isn't a baby anymore. :( Ah, I'm just a little sad! But she IS so much fun at this age!
Emma has also been doing better with her walking. She'll go awhile without doing it, but then, all of a sudden, she's trying to walk everywhere!
One new thing that she has started to do is hugging. Tonight she gave me the biggest hug after I got her into her pajamas. I swear, it was the best feeling in the world!

Walking, Just in Time For the Fourth!

Well, over the weekend, Emma decided that she was ready to start walking! She just does it here and there, but when she does, she is so proud of herself. It's so funny to watch her get so excited when she starts moving.
At first, if she knew you were watching her, she would plop herself down and start laughing. But if you pretended to look the other way, she would start making out a few steps. She also is working hard at blowing bubbles with her new bubble wand. She tries to blow, but also just ends up spitting on it. :)
Emma also had her first taste of a cherry. Sorry the quality of the pic isn't that great--But you just had to see the look on her face!
Overall, the Fourth was a little hectic. Without an afternoon nap, Emma wasn't too happy to do much of anything come late afternoon/evening. At 8:30 we headed home from Mike's parent's house and Emma didn't get so see the fireworks. :( There's always next year...

I wasn't expecting this!

This morning, Emma was being awfully quiet in the other room--a little TOO quiet. So, this is what I found...

Sure enough, Emma had climbed up on the couch all by herself--and boy was she proud! :) Needless to say, everytime I turn my back on her, she is scrambling back up there. Now if she could just figure out how to get down!

Eyes!

Emma has been working so hard at learning how to point at our nose (which she "honks"), our mouths (where she inspects our teeth), and our eyes (poke!). I was so surprised, however, when she poked me in the eye yesterday and proclaimed "Eyes?!" (not too suprised about the poke, just the word). When I smiled and told her "yes", it was so wonderful seeing her little face beam with pride. :)

Yesterday was my first day back to school after almost 2 weeks off. I have to say, though, even though it wasn't a hard day, I COULD NOT STAY AWAKE! Guess I still need to adjust my body back to school schedule! Today should be shorter, but I am arming myself with extra caffiene to be sure I survive without falling asleep on my computer...

Last night we went to dinner with Mike's family: His uncle Bill's daughter, Candi, and her daughter, Aspen, who were up visiting from California. This was my first time meeting them. It was so nice to have most everyone there: Mike's parents, his brother Robert and his son Hunter, Bill's daughters Delaney and Shawnie, and Bill's ex-wife Vicki (whom I also had not met before). We went to B****** City (don't want to totally slam them, LOL), which has great food, but Mike got a bit more in his meal than he had bargained for--He found a lovely plastic piece from a zip-lock bag in his pasta--Nice surprise. We did, however, get a free meal! :)

First in a long line of posts...

Well, here I am--finally creating my journal that I intended on starting when Emma was first born. She is now 13 months old and I am afraid that I am going to start forgeting all of the "little" things that she does. Everyday, it seems as though she is turning into more of a little girl--and not so much a baby anymore. I find myself secretly spying on her (more times in a day than I can count)--watching her do things like pretending to feed her stuffed animals and babies, exploring her tiny toes, and simply laughing to herself. I realize that I don't want these moments to go away--Can't she just stay this age forever!? Her personality is getting more and more prominent everyday. The biggest joy of all, however, is seeing what a loving girl she has become--She is always willing to shower her mommy or daddy with kisses--Not to mention all of her stuffed animals, toys, sippy cups, etc. :)

Yesterday, we took Emma to the Moose Lodge in Lakewood--They were having their first annual fishing pond set-up for kids to fish. This was Emma's very first fishing experience. She was pretty interested in it all (she even caught 2 fish--one of them was pretty impressive!)--But as soon as the fish were out of the water, she didn't want much to do with them. Unfortunately, in all of the pictures we have of her with the fish, she was looking quite grumpy about it. When we finally were able to get her to venture out to touch the fish, her quick little fingers promptly stuck the fishy finger right in her mouth--And she didn't even seem to mind the taste! Here's pics of Emma inspecting her newly caught fish, and of the infamous fishy finger (Note: Daddy is looking pretty amused!)