Memory Walk 2010!

We spent yesterday morning participating in the Memory Walk 2010 to benefit Alzheimer's Research. It was a beautiful morning and not too hot out, which made the walk nice. We had a great turnout and won an award for the largest family team! The entire walk made over $120,000 with about $7,500 of that coming from our team! Go Pauline's Angels!! Thanks to everyone who donated & helped support us. :)

Emma's School Birthday Party!

Since Emma's birthday falls on a Saturday this year, we brought cupcakes to her class on Friday! I had originally planned to bake with Emma Thursday evening but was so knocked out by this cold I have been fighting, that we resorted to store-bought instead. Oh well, the kids seemed to all enjoy them. Emma chose Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Such a fancy pants! They also made her a "Birthday Princess" crown to wear at school. She loved it.

October 9th... the last 3 years.

3 years ago today, my life was about to change in more ways than I ever thought possible.The best blessing I've ever known was about to enter my life. I am so blessed to have been given the honor of being your mommy, little girl. Every day is a new adventure with you. You make me laugh all the time, tear my hair out sometimes, and enjoy life more than I ever thought possible. Happy Birthday to the most amazing little girl I've ever met. I love you Emma Grace!
Here are some pictures from this date in (YOUR!) history...

2007... My sweet girl, just hours old.


2008... Only 1 year old and such a big personality already!


2009... Two years old! Such a sweetie!

And today... October 9, 2010... 3 years old and not a baby anymore. Growing up so fast...


Happy 3rd Birthday my sweet Emma Grace! Mommy loves you more than you will ever know.

The End of an Era...

Today was Emma's last day at the Infant/ Toddler Center. Or, as she puts it, "the baby school" or "the little kid school," depending on her mood at the time. On Monday she goes to the "big kid's school" across the way. It's kind of bittersweet. Emma is SOOOO ready to move on. Her teacher says she is just beyond the level of most of the little ones at this center, but that's where she has been since she was tiny. These are some pictures of Emma on her first day at daycare at 3 months old, playing happily in the Infant Classroom at 7 months old, on her first day in the Toddler Class at 18 months old, and today, on her last day in the Toddler Classroom. She is growing up just way too fast...

Mickey's Halloween Party!

After a dip in the hotel pool and a nap, we got dressed and headed back to Disneyland to meet our friends. We had so much fun! Our group consisted of Mom, Emma, and myself along with my 2 friends (Erin & Jen), their daughters (Sophia & Hayden), and their moms (Nancy & Charlene). So we had 3 groups of 3 generations! Unfortunately, this "exclusive" party was so crowded we never got around to getting a group photo. The girls looked so cute in their costumes ~ Emma was Belle, Sophia was Snow White, and Hayden was Minnie Mouse ~ and this was probably the highlight of the night. Emma also got pulled up out of the crowd to dance in the parade. She looked so cute out there jumping around. We also did some trick-or-treating at the stations along the pathways and the girls enjoyed dancing at Jack Skellington's Dance Party. Emma was loving that until the actual Jack Skellington showed up... He was way creepy looking and Emma took off like a bat out of Hell for the exit. By 9pm or so we had had enough. It was so crowded. People were shuffling along shoulder to shoulder and there was no where to walk. So we cut our evening short and headed back to the hotel. Where Emma got a second wind, of course. So we finished the evening with some room service pizza. It is something we will probably never buy tickets for again, but it was cool to try Mickey's party once. And it was nice to have the other members of the OGC there with us too!

California Adventure Morning!

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On the day of Mickey's Halloween Party, Mom, Emma & I spent the morning at California Adventure. Erin & Sophia met up with us and we had lots of fun! The girls love running around together and they are so cute when they see the characters. Generally speaking, Emma is a fan of princesses and fairies but does NOT like large, fully costumed, characters like Mickey or Sully. Today though, she was so excited to run up and see Jessie from ToyStory. She loved the "Army Man" too. It got really hot pretty early today so we spent a lot of time in the shade and inside the air conditoned shows. It worked out really well that we had a local hotel this time. So we cut the morning short and headed back to the hotel for a swim and a nap before heading back to the park.

Hotel Fun!

Some pictures from our stay at the Holiday Inn in Anaheim. Mom, Emma, & I spent 2 nights out here last week when we went to Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland. Sometimes I swear the hotel is a bigger hit than Disneyland! Well, I guess we do go to D-land more often than we stay at hotels. :) It always amazes me how long Emma will be entertained just checking out the new digs... Can I jump on the beds? How does the TV work? Where is the bath tub? etc etc etc. And the ice machine, swimming pool, and luggage trolley are ALWAYS big hits!