Family Snow Day!

We decided to head back up the mountain to play in the snow again today. This time Emma & I brought Grandma, Karen, Kayla, TJ, Tim & Jen, and Katie, Lucy, & Tim too! We had to go all the way up to the village at Oak Glen to find snow this time, but there were a LOT fewer people out too, which was nice. The kids had a blast! They all seemed to enjoy it, even though everyone was freezing cold and dripping wet by the time we were done. Everyone that is except Emma, who had boots! She sure does love those pink boots of hers this year! TJ really enjoyed throwing snowballs too, which was a bit of a surprise to us all, as he generally does not like being neither cold nor wet. We brought a disc slider with us this time and the kids loved taking turns sledding down the hill. Emma was not a fan of riding by herself, but she loved zipping down the hill on Lucy's lap. It looked like so much fun, I even decided to take a spin! Thank goodness Tim was waiting at the bottom of the hill to help stop me or else I think I would have crashed into a rock and been thrown into the wall of a building! Then we all enjoyed some hot chocolate Grandma had packed to bring with us and we headed down the hill to hang out and have lunch at Tim & Jen's. It was a great family day!

Baking Cookies!

The rain started again this afternoon, which put a crimp in our plans to play outside after we got home from work and school. So I decided to bake cookies with Emma instead. We made sugar cookies. Apparently Pillsbury is serious about the "place cookies TWO INCHES apart" direction because ours ended up baking together into one solid mass. So that's why they ended up being more geometrically shaped, as we had to cut them all apart. Emma really enjoyed the whole baking process... especially the eating part! She kept trying to eat the cookie dough and, when I turned around for a minute, I came back to find her nibbling on the whole roll! She did pretty well wielding a butter knife too when it was time to add frosting. The decorating process took a while as each sprinkle had to be individually placed on the cookies. But the end result was worth it. Emma was so proud of her cookies!

I've bought my last diaper!!!

Emma and I have been working on potty training for the past week. She has done wonderfully, with only a few accidents. Even when we went back to diapers for a couple days while dealing with a bout of the stomach flu, she was still using the potty. Yesterday I put her in a diaper while we went to play in the snow. I figured that it would just be too cold out and I didn't know what kind of facilities we would have available, so I should just play it safe. She actually stayed dry until we got to the local park hours later and asked to use the bathroom there!

Emma has been getting upset with me though because I make her wear a diaper to bed at night. I'm just not sure about overnight bladder control and I don't want to be peed on. The top picture is how I found her last night after she went to sleep. She had gone to her dresser and pulled out little shorts to put on OVER her diaper and UNDER her nightie! When I asked her why she had done this, she told me, "Cause they look like panties Mommy." Too funny.

We had been having a lot of #1 success, but some passive resistance for the #2. It has been a couple days now and I was getting a bit concerned. So I resorted to bribery. Emma has known since before we started training that I had a bag of M&Ms with her name on it, just waiting for her to poop in the potty. Today, I reminded her about the M&Ms again. A bit later she told me she had to go, ran into the bathroom, and took care of business like she's been doing it forever.

I'm so proud of my girl! I can't believe she is only 2 1/4. I really thought we wouldn't hit this milestone until closer to 3...

Circles!

Emma was drawing this afternoon and kept telling me, "Mommy! Look what I made!" I would look and give the obligatory oohs and ahhs for the squiggles she was drawing. Then she said, "NO! LOOK MOMMY! I drawed a CIRCLE!" And, I'll be darned, she sure did. This is one of her first actual recognizable drawings, so I wanted to share!

First Snow Visit!

Emma and I went up to Oak Glen today to play in the snow. This was her first visit to the snow and ... well, Emma is Emma. I think she enjoyed it. She laughed herself silly when she beaned me with a snowball right in my camera lens and she giggled away as she nibbled on a "natural" snowcone! Emma loved eating the snow and making giant footprints as she jumped off rocks into the snow. She also liked walking with me and looking back to see "Mommy and Emma's footprints." We didn't make any snow angles though and only a tiny snowman, but we had fun none the less. Emma eventually told me she wanted her books from the car and, for the next 20 minutes or so, chose to sit on a rock in the snow and read books. She was upset that the rock wasn't wide enough for us both to sit on and, truthfully, so was I! :) After we fought traffic to get off the hill, Emma & I headed to the local playground for a half hour and had a blast swinging and sliding. It was another great day with my girl!

Snow 1/23/10 at OneTrueMedia.com

A collection of all the pictures we took at the snow today!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Note to Emma...

This has been somewhat of a pensive sort of evening for me... I've been watching the ongoing news coverage of the devastating earthquake in Haiti from earlier this week, been seeing the "Storm Watch 2010" reports as we head into our 4th day of rain, and, through clicking on random blog links, I've caught up on the lives of some people who have endured enormous difficulties lately. And its all just made me think...
I started this blog months ago as a way to remember all the little things you do and say. I wanted a way to have an easy baby book that we could both look back on in the future. And, while I'm quick to post pictures, I spend less time than I should writing about just how amazing you are. So... I'm sitting here, typing away, at a little after 11pm watching you sleep next to me. Little girl, you are remarkable and I am thankful to God everyday that I have been blessed with the supreme honor of being your mother. The way we came to be together was not exactly how the world thinks things should happen, but God sure knew what He was doing and it worked for us! I never thought that one of the most uncertain times in my life would result in the biggest joy I have ever experienced. I love being your mom and want you to always know that. I can barely remember what my life was like before I had you, and you know what? That's okay because my previous life was just a shell of what it has become now with you. You make everyday more enjoyable, whether we spend it flying with Dumbo at Disneyland, or snuggling in bed watching movies and listening to the rain, like today. Even home with the flu, you made me laugh today as we hid in our blanket "tent" or when you looked at me with that impish little grin of yours as you leaped out and LICKED my arm, exclaiming "You're a ya-yee-pop (lollipop) Mommy!" And then later, before you went to sleep, you reached up contentedly, smiled, and told me "I luh (love) you Mommy," ~ those are just some of my favorite moments in our days. I'm sure I told you numerous times today how much I love you, but just in case, here's once more... I love you Emma Grace Marquiss, more than you will ever know.

Rain!

Last night was the start of a series of storm systems that are supposed to move through our area this week. I had my doubts as to how much rain we will actually get. Historically, weather stations begin broadcasting about "Storm Watch 2010!!!" (or whatever year) as soon as we get some thick fog. :) We actually have had pretty wet weather since last night though. So this afternoon seemed like the perfect time to go on a "rain walk." Emma had just woken up from a nap and was in a great mood. She is in LOVE with her pink rain boots and has been running around the house in a a tee shirt, diaper or panties (more about that later) and rain boots since they were delivered last week. So to get to actually take them outside and use them to jump in puddles was heaven for her! We had a great time outside splashing and sloshing around, sending sticks down the gutter river, and twirling umbrellas. I hope this weather lasts for a while longer so we can do this again...

And, as a side note, I started potty training Emma this weekend! She is doing really well. We've had a few accidents, but no major resistance and lots of little successes. She has been VERY excited to choose whether to wear Minnie Mouse, Tinkerbell, or Elmo panties each morning. I told her she has to be a big girl and keep her panties nice and clean if she wears them. She very seriously looked at me and said, "Yes Mommy. Minnie Mouse does NOT want to be peed on!" :) Here's hoping and praying that the process continues just as smoothly as it has begun!

Cousin Time!

Karen and I took Emma and TJ to the park yesterday afternoon. The kids loved swinging and zipping down the slides, as usual. Unfortunately, there were A LOT of other kids there, most behaving rather rambunctiously ~ at a playground, go figure! :) ~ and all quite a bit older than our little ones. So we decided to cut the evening early and head to McDonalds for an easy dinner and some time on the play equipment there. Only we didn't think about the fact that it was during the "$1.49 hamburger happy meal" time, so it was packed there too! We ended up at Burger King, where the food left something to be desired, but the kids had the slide and tunnel all to themselves so it wasn't a complete waste. They both also really liked their crowns. TJ told us, "Emma's a princess!" as I put her crown on her head. He then informed us, "TJ's a princess too!" when he got his crown. We had to have a little talk about kings and princes then. :)

On a side note, my child is still stubborn as the day is long. Check out the cute smile TJ gave me... Then notice the surprised look on Emma's face in the reflection on the window. This was AFTER she refused to smile for the camera and was looking away when she realized that if she could see my camera in the reflection, then I was still going to be able to get a picture of her! Too funny!

Happy 10th Birthday Mikayla!!!

Mikayla turned 10 yesterday! She had a slumber party last night with all her cousins where we had home made grinders for dinner and birthday cake for dessert. Then the kids watched movies and we played board games. We played a game Mikayla had gotten for Christmas - The Grinch's "Sing Your Heart Out." You had to sing (aka: SHOUT) the lyrics to different songs until the Grinch's sled "hears" you and slides down the mountain. Kayla, Tim, Emma, & TJ LOVED that! They were so loud! LOL. Today the kids played all day and then we met up with more family at the bowling alley for pizza, cupcakes, and bowling this evening. Emma began the night by trying to run down the lane where she, of course, slipped and slid. So she was a bit wary of bowling after that. She eventually warmed up to it after an hour or so and had a great time! Emma & TJ both enjoyed rolling the balls and being able to do it "all by themselves" which meant the balls went REALLY slowly. But that's okay... plenty of time to snap pictures and for Emma to clap for herself as the ball meandered its way down the lane. This also left plenty of time for the little ones to tackle Bubby and wrestle around on the ground in between their turns. We all had a good evening. Happy birthday Mikayla!!! We love you!

Dress-Up Time!

The little ones played dress up this morning. Aren't they adorable? Emma got to be a genie (or "Princess Jasmine", as she calls it) and a witch. TJ was a pirate and Batman. They had so much fun and looked so cute! The dress up clothes were definitely another good Christmas present.