Putting up the tree...

We put up our Christmas tree this evening. It's a fake tree... I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about it... I got a good deal, but the smell of Christmas isn't in the house... Emma has had so many problems with her asthma this year that it just didn't seem to make sense to bring a pollen-laden allergen intentionally into the house. So we shall see how it goes. Once we got the lights and ornaments on, the tree was actually rather pretty. Somewhat more narrow than the ones we usually choose, but pretty none the less.



Emma was very into the tree this year for the 1st time. She actually had a bit of a meltdown when TJ came in the room and LOOKED at HER Christmas tree! We had to have a little discussion about how we were ALL going to enjoy the tree together. Tantrum was averted and she spent the rest of the night walking around telling people "That tree is for ebery-body." Decorating was lots of fun. Emma was very intent on hanging the ornaments and was so proud each time she got one on. After that, we lit candles and had some egg nog. This was Emma's 1st time trying eggnog and she really liked it. Then we snuggled in bed and watched "The Santa Claus 3." It was a good evening...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Emma was so full from snacks and so tired from playing with all her cousins that she couldn't make it all the way through dinner. At least she had a couple of bites of everything before the tryptophan kicked in...

Today is Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for! For my beautiful daughter obviously - she is the light of my life. A little bundle of energy who somehow drives me crazy while simultaneously being able to keep me sane and grounded so we don't sweat the small stuff. Emma is amazing and I am so glad to have her in my life!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day today with Grandma & Al, Karen, Todd, Kayla & TJ, Tim, Jen, Katie, Lucy & Bubby, Scott & Matthew, Lenay, and Uncle John. Everyone came and chatted and snacked and stuffed themselves silly. Dinner was wonderful. We even had TWO turkeys - 1 I roasted in the oven and 1 deep fried by Tim. Delicious! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family...

Pirates 11/25/09 at OneTrueMedia.com

Emma has been loving her frequent trips to Disneyland recently! This is her new favorite song...

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Disneyland with Matthew & Uncle Scott

My favorite picture from the day...

Scott, Matthew, pain-in-the-butt-trying-to-avoid-the-picture Emma, and Grandma.

Snack time with the cousins!

Photo with Pluto, courtesy of Grandma's accidental line jumping!

On Flik's Flyers at California Adventure.

Say "Cheese!"

Matthew wasn't in town to get his birthday trip to Disneyland like the other kids, but he is in town now for Thanksgiving. So we went yesterday and had a great time. It was a little on the crowded side for my liking, but the kids seemed to have fun. We even got to meet up with two of my friends and their families - the Morans and the Ayalas - for a bit, which was nice.

Pretty as a Princess!

Emma is still not a fan of meeting Mickey and the other animated characters at Disneyland. She will wave at them and call out "Hi!" but when they get close, she still freaks out a bit. Princesses, on the other hand, are entirely different. Emma loves seeing "her" princesses. This time she got to meet Princess Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) and even gave her a hug.

Disney 11/19/09

We went to Disneyland and California Adventure (again) yesterday. This time we went with Mikayla, TJ, and Todd. The kids had a good time. The Brother Bear play area was a big hit! Emma loved the slide and climbing all over the rope structures. They must have played there for over an hour and it tired the little ones out so much that they fell asleep in their strollers soon after. Emma's nap lasted almost 2 hours! The Christmas decorations are up at Disneyland they look beautiful! Its a Small World (one of Emma's favorite rides) must have millions of lights, inside and out. Its just amazing! And Sleeping Beauty's castle is adorned with white lights and icicles. Really seems magical as you stare at it with the fireworks bursting overhead and the Christmas music playing across the park... Another great day!

2 year checkup

Emma had her 2 year checkup this past Monday. Emma is doing well and currently comes in at 36 inches tall, 35 pounds, and is above the 95th percentile for her age. She was actually excited to go see the doctor... until he actually came in the room. Then it was all downhill from that point. Screaming, crying, not wanting to be touched. And that was BEFORE the shots! These are a couple of "before" and "after" shots from the morning. We also had to do bloodwork later in the week and that didn't go over well either. She cried the whole time but held her arm still for the draw. I'm glad she's finally old enough to bribe/ reward... her compliance only cost me the promise of a treat when we went to the mall. She ended up getting a Minnie Mouse doll.

Disney... Again! & Happy Anniversary Karen & Todd!

We took a mini vacation this week with Karen, Todd, their kids and Grandma - to Disneyland of course! We got a hotel for Thursday and Friday night which was a great treat since I didn't have to drive home while exhausted! Emma had a great time going on all the rides with her cousins. I came down with a headcold Friday, which made the rest of the evening a bit miserable but even sickness is more tolerable at the happiest place on earth. We even got a chance to swim at the hotel for a bit before packing up to come home Saturday. Emma has gotten to loving Disney and actually threw a fit when we pulled into our driveway Saturday afternoon. I think she thought we were going back to the parks because, each time we leave, she yells out "Bye Didney-yand! See you tomorrow Didney-yand!"

Mommy & Emma's Day at Disney

Emma & headed to Disneyland again yesterday. Nobody's birthday this time, just an excuse for her & I to hang out together alone. We did California Adventure and Disneyland. Emma is tall enough for the Matterhorn now and she had her first roller coaster ride yesterday. She loved it! When it stopped, she just giggled and said, "Oh! Oh! That is SO much fun! So much fun!" Too cute. We had a great day!

Happy (Belated) Halloween!

We had a good Halloween this year! We went to a Halloween playdate and carved pumpkins on Thursday, visited Disneyland Friday, and relaxed all morning Saturday to get ready for the big event. That evening we went to church to check out the Harvest Festival with Karen, Todd, Grandma, and all the cousins (bought a group photo, will post when it arrives). The kids enjoyed playing the games at all the booths and getting lots of candy of course. There were pony rides there too, which Emma LOVED, despite how stinky they were! After an hour or so, Emma & I took Katie, Lucy, and Tim home and went Trick-Or-Treating with them for another hour. Emma loved it all! She is so excited to have her own bucket of candy and keeps yelling "Happy Haddow-ween!" Too cute.

Lenay's Birthday at Disneyland

Lenay turned 22 this past Friday and so, with another birthday comes another trip to Disneyland! We all had a great
time as usual. What a difference 6 months makes! Emma is no longer scared of the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride. In fact she wanted to go on the "ARRRGGG!" ride again! The Nightmare before Christmas version of the Haunted Mansion
ride ended up being a big hit as well. Which was lucky for me as I was a bit worried that I might be scarring Emma for both Halloween AND Christmas! We finally made it over to California Adventure during this trip too. This was our first visit to CA and Emma seemed to really like it. Except for the mean old guy who wouldn't let her on the bumper cars because, and I quote, "Hair does not make height." Whatever! She must be about 35 1/2 inches tall and you have to be 36" to ride! Oh well, we'll try again in another couple weeks. The giant ferris wheel was also a big hit as were the midway games. Emma won herself a 20" plush Goofy doll playing a fishing game! Then we got front row seats for the Pixar Parade which was really neat. Emma loved seeing all the characters from her favorite movies walking right by her.

Pumpkin... Fun (?)

Emma was excited to carve a pumpkin this year. Until she realized that the goo inside was slimy, that she wasn't allowed to actually play with the knife, and that there was quite a bit of patience involved with this process! At that time, it apparently became less fun... Plus we decided to do our carving on Thursday evening, after being up early at Mikayla's award ceremony, running errands, and attending a Halloween playdate. It had already been a long day for my little one. By the end she liked seeing "her" pumpkin lit up on the porch, but that was about it.