She's So Funny

I'm in Love with my girls.

Decorating

Over the weekend, like so many, the Christmas decorations came down out of the attic and the excitement began! Santas, snowmen, the Nativity set and the tree went up.

But the tree sat until tonight.

We played Christmas music and decorated the tree.

Lily got really into this year wanting to hang all of the ornaments, which we had to go and rehang after she was in bed, and Emma just crawled around and got into absolutely anything and everything.

The highlight of the night was this was the first year Lily put our Angel on the top of the tree. It'll take a few times to get perfect but she did a great job and didn't drop the Angel :).

Yay, for the beginning of Christmas season!

Mike and I haven't been this excited for a Christmas in a very long time. Probably since we were kids and the whole "S" thing was real. It truly is wonderful being able to see Christmas through your child's eyes and relive it all over again.

So excited for our Family Firsts to begin!!

Please Slow Down Emma

But, at least she's a Mommy's Girl.

Our New House Guest

is a very special guest.

Her name is Fern and she was brought by Santa!!

This morning we woke up to find Fern on our kitchen table with a letter from Santa himself! She came in a red velvet pouch, magic snowflakes and an entire page of Santa tips on how to take care of his magic elf.

And, I'm so glad that our handy, dandy little camera has a video camera :).

Moments like these we will cherish forever.

So, Fern is a member of our family until Christmas. When Santa comes to deliver presents she'll hop on his sleigh and go back home to the North Pole. Although, we did read on Santa's tip sheet that she can come back to visit throughout the year on special occasions!

So far, We Love Fern!

Some Extras

Maci and Kiara, new furry friends.

They got along relatively well considering Maci will be 9 in December and Kiara just turned 1. They ran around outside together and most of the time Maci watched Kiara run the length of the yard and when she came near then Maci would catch up to her. She worked smarter, not harder.

Some cute pictures from our time with Kiara and Uncle Mark.

And, trying to catch a video of Miss Emma standing by herself.

Very difficult to get because she's obsessed with the camera, which is what she's coming after at the end of this very, very short video clip.

A Thank Full Day

This is the fifth year in a row that we have had Thanksgiving in our house and the fourth one that I've cooked an entire meal. I'm definitely feeling more comfortable cooking this much food at once, getting the timing down and I didn't even need recipes this year :). Just hope that it tastes better each year with the practice I've had.

This year was definitely more fun and showed us how fun they will be in the years to come.

First thing was first...

retrieving the special Thursday paper to peruse the Black Friday ads while watching the Macy's Parade on tv. And, the parade...a HUGE hit with both girls and will definitely be on every year in our house.

Uncle Mark and his dog, Kiara, came for the holiday as well. Lily loves Kiara and thinks she's "silly".

And, in all of the happenings, it was Emma's First Thanksgiving!

She enjoyed sweet potatoes, green beans and mashed potatoes. We're not sure exactly how much she ate since there was a ton to clean up off of the floor but she was entertained and happy through the whole meal.

And finally, a mention of a tradition we started this year. We began this tree a few weeks before Thanksgiving and talked about the meaning of the day and blessings each night at dinner. We all wrote our blessings on leaf cutouts and Lily even did some blessings for Emma which included her binky, a great big sister and her toys. I'm going to somehow compile them in a book so that we can look back on these for years to come.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving

and

has countless blessings in their lives.

Blocks

Both Lily and Emma love these blocks but they each have their own way of playing with them. Lily, of course, likes to build castles, bridges, tunnels and train tracks while Emma likes to, well um, chew on them, knock them over and simply make a mess. They both play appropriately according to their age and its just fun watching them.

What we find funny is that every time we try to clean up the blocks to put them away we have to watch for Emma "sprint crawling" towards us.

And once she gets to us, this is what happens.

Guess she likes to have her chew blocks conveniently on the floor at all times.

Now Presenting...

Lily singing Little Einstein's opening song.

Not sure how she gets attached to different shows, we certainly don't search them out they just happen to become part of her show list. Now that I think of it, she should have her own dvr space so we can dvr more shows for us. Anyway, while we were looking for a Disney show on On Demand she saw the Little Einstein picture and immidiately wanted to watch it. At first, she thought they were little people, the ones she has from Fisher Price. But, how could we refuse when they make kids aware of artists and composers?

So a few shows went by, the same ones since the On Demand list is limited, and she would just sit quietly and really watch. I mean the kind of watching that you totally zone out and become so into a show that you don't know what else is going on around you. We just thought she really liked them but it turns out she was memorizing their songs.

It may be a little hard to understand her but this was the fourth time in a row she sang this song and as you can see her booty shakin, she's a little out of breath. But she knows all of the words and the timing of the entire song. Seems that Miss Lily continues to prove to us that she must have Daddy's amazing memory.

In a Matter of Minutes

Emma can be...

playing with Sissy,

playing with the floor mat at the backdoor,

standing at the backdoor tearing down our leaves,

and my personal favorite...

playing in Maci's water dish which resulted in using an entire roll of paper towels to clean up the water and a complete wardrobe change.

And, all of this before 10am.

Busy girl you are Miss Emma.

Trusty Old Friend

Our trusty friend has made an entrance once again.

And, it's wonderful!!!!!

Lily has been potty trained for a few months now and has been using the big potty since it's just so much easier without the clean-up. But, now Lily can go by herself. She knows when she has to go and goes. We have a ton of elastic waist pants that help her in being self-sufficient and a roll of toilet paper near by just for her. Mike and I still follow her most of the time just to be sure she's OK and 9 out of 10 times she is.

Finally, one more step closer to being completely potty independent!

Way to go Lil!

Grand Illumination Parade

This evening we attended our second Grand Illumination Parade in Downtown Norfolk, the event that begins the holiday season in Hampton Roads. They countdown turning on the lights, which outline the tall buildings, which then begins the parade.

We had wonderful seats compliments of the Stahl and Bonfiglio families who were there early enough to eat and settle in before the parade started. Us, like usual, were fashionably late :) and hadn't eaten a thing. We finally all got some food and got settled by the time the parade reached us down Granby street.

Mike and I took turns with each of the girls in the chair and down on the curb watching. Both Lily and Emma loved the entire parade, minus the loud sirens and Chick-Fil-A cow float. The hit, by far, was Santa. He actually pointed directly at Lily and waved slowly like he knew her. She hasn't stopped talking about Santa since. Meanwhile, Emma fell asleep at the very end when we had to gather our things and head out. We made our way to Starbucks to have coffee and hot chocolate, the way we ended our trip to the parade last year too. Lily loved it and it was a nice way to wait out the clearing of the crowds and gave us some family time as well.

Let the Family (of four) Firsts Continue.

Foto Friday

A picture to capture happy moods and hoping that it lasts all day.

Is it Emma...

nope.

It's Sleeping Beauty.

Good Morning

So my mornings begin at 6am, most mornings. I get a shower, a cup of coffee and some quiet time by myself, since I'm not the best morning person. By 7, I'm OK if either one or both girls get up.

This morning began like most and I was enjoying my quiet time with my coffee and the computer. Then I heard Emma starting to squirm and talk so I knew my time was limited. But, since she wasn't screaming I didn't go in. After about 15 minutes of cooing and moving around I went in to get her.

I found her standing up staring out at her window and as I opened the door she gave me the biggest smile. And, I ran to get the camera. As I was talking to her and taking a few pictures in the dark Lily woke up.

From the pictures it is obvious which one takes after me, the non-morning person.

Afterschool Phone Call

Every Tuesday and Thursday on the way home from school we call Daddy. I talk first and fill him in on how pick-up was and the report of Lily's day from her teacher. Then I hand over the phone to Lily in the backseat so she can talk. I love only being able to hear Lily's side of their conversation, it's adorable, and you can definitely tell the questions Mike is asking her. And, Lily asks questions too. How is work Daddy? You have meetings? What you doing now?

Some days their conversations are lengthy and other days they are ended by a cheek to the hang up button. But today, it was long and Lily was still talking by the time we got home. She checked for the mail and took a short walk around our front yard and flower beds all while talking on the phone.

And, how most phone calls end between them...

Love you Daddy, See you in a little bit Daddy.

The Face of Teething

The signs of teething:

1. drooling...check

2. snotty...check

3. fussy...check

4. constant chewing...check

5. loss of appetite...hmm, nope :)

6. use of infant Tylenol...check, double check

But as you can see, we do this all with huge smiles on our faces.

Hoping that BOTH top teeth decide to break through soon.

Wonderful Friends

I'm sure everyone has friends that no matter how long it has been since you were together last it seems as though no time has passed at all.

Well, these are our friends.

Shawn, Peg and Evan came over for breakfast Sunday morning before they had to head back home to Wilmington, DE. I was so happy that I could visit with them for a short time before taking Mom halfway home.

Shawn and Peg showed off their photography skills by taking some great shots of the girls and the times they had during their visit.

Tim and Abby also came over for a visit while they were here. Mike, Tim and Shawn are three friends that have known each other since they moved down to Hampton Road and worked at Northrup Grumman together. I'm sure it was a sight and definitely a humorous morning having them back together again.

Hopefully there won't be so much time between now and the next visit between the three families. But, regardless, they will always be our wonderful friends.

Foto Friday

a day late.

Showing her shopping sensibility.

Note: slight bruise in the middle of her forehead and scratched up nose. Fell out of our bed :(

7 Months

Never did we think that these 7 months would go as fast as they have.

Never could we have imagined your infectious smile and personality.

Never could we live without you.

What we LOVE about Emma:

*She is c.r.a.z.y! In a good way of course

*She loves when you clap for her

*Loves to be talked to

*She smiles and laughs really easily, especially if you act silly

*Grunts and babbles; her first official word- Dada

*She wants to be everywhere her big sister is and doing the same thing

*She can take her binky out and put it back in by herself (YAY!)

*She will push things away from her if she finds it annoying, i.e. your face if she doesn't want kisses, food if she isn't hungry or the binky if she isn't tired

*Gives 'wrap her arms around your neck and squeeze' hugs

*She loves to look out the window while we drive but needs toys to play with to keep her happy

*Loves to take baths, with or without her big sister

*She is brave and knows no fear..yikes.

*If she begins to crawl away from you, she'll turn around and smile like she's up to something

*She watches and takes everything in

*She is starting to take away toys from Lily so that she can play with them

*She likes to grab at Maci's tail and play with her paws

*She loves to look at pictures of people she knows

*Can entertain herself for short periods of time

*Loves to cuddle, snuggle, and be held close

*Is a Momma's Girl :)

Everyday Stuff about Emma:

*Size 2 diapers

*Can wear clothes in a lot of different sizes 3-6, 6, 6-9, 9 and 12 month

*Has her two bottom teeth

*Still takes one bottle a night, time varies depending on how much she had at bedtime

*Breakfast is rice and a fruit

*Dinner is oatmeal and a veggie

*She loves the Gerber crunchies and juice for snack

*She really likes using sippy cups, Lily's sippy cups

*She crawls---Fast.

*She can pull herself up using things from toys to sofas to us but can get stuck

*She will take steps while holding on to your hands

*She needs to be entertained while getting her diaper changed :)

*She bangs things together, blocks, spoons on bowls.

*Puts absolutely everything in her mouth...everything.

*Will whine if she wants to be picked up

*Is c.r.a.z.y.

Love You Miss Emma.

Nana and Pa

Nana and Pa came last Friday to take part in Emma's weekend. Pa had to leave Sunday to go back to NC but we got to have Nana stay with us this entire week.

Lily and Emma (and of course Mike and I) love having Nana here with us. Not only to have an extra pair of hands but to watch our girls with her. They absolutely adore their Nana and I'm not sure that she had an empty lap the entire week.

We had a full week with Nana too. We ran errands, we shopped, we went to the library and we had lots of playing time. We even had several movie nights where Lily got to share her two favorite movies, Tinkerbell and Tinkerbell's Lost Treasure.

Sunday I drove Nana to South Hill to meet Pa and Molly. There are two little girls that miss her dearly and look forward to our next visit.

We Love You Nana and Pa.

Pretty Leaves

I really enjoy looking at blogs. Especially craft blogs. Just makes me want to try everything but I don't have the one thing those ladies do have, it's called TIME.

This is a project I've been wanting to do with Lily and finally got it accomplished.

Homemade Window Clings

You can really make anything you want but we made fall leaves for our backdoor.

All you need is tissue paper in whatever colors you want and tear it up in little pieces. I tried to have Lily help in this part of the process but Emma enjoyed it a lot more than she did. We used orange, yellow and red paper and put the colors in separate containers.

Luckily, one sheet per color of tissue paper was enough and we were ready. I found some left over poster board and stapled contact paper down so that the sticky side would be face up. Then, you pick whatever colors you want and cover the entire piece of contact paper, making sure you overlap colors and leave no empty spaces. When you're done lay another piece of contact paper down on top, sticky side down.

Once I traced and cut-out our leaves I put some double-sided tape on them and Lily decorated our door.

I'm thinking some hearts for Valentine's Day, shamrocks for St. Patty's Day, flowers for springtime, and maybe attempt an entire beach scene for summer.

The Diaper Challenge

So, there is a game that some people play at baby showers consisting of how fast you can diaper a baby doll. I do realize that they probably assume that the baby is a newborn and they just concentrate on getting the diaper on the baby.

At this point in the game, that's all we want to do. Get the diaper on Emma. That's it. But as you can tell, she has different ideas for us.

Hence, The Diaper Challenge.

The Dress

My mom, their Nana, made this dress.

I wore it when I was Baptized at only a few months old.

Lily and Emma both wore it the first Sunday of November, All Saints Sunday, at around 7 months old.

This dress will be around for awhile, wonder who will wear it next?

And, NO this is not an announcement!

Emma's Special Day

This morning Emma was baptized and welcomed as a Child of God.

She was absolutely wonderful through the entire service!

And, looked so pretty :).

We shared our day with another family whose two children were baptized and definitely a lot more entertaining than us.

Afterwards, the children are taken around to be greeted by the congregation and we were so lucky to have Marguerite to take her around.

Emma was joined today by two of her Godparents, Uncle Mark and Aunt Krissy with Uncle Steve(Uncle John and Aunt Irene couldn't make it), her Nana and Pa, Cousin Margy and her granddaughter and Trish who sat very quietly in the back and of course us and her big sister.

Congratulations Miss Emma Grace,

We All Love You!

Family, Friends and Party

Today began Emma's Special Weekend.

Family came into town yesterday and will arrive through tomorrow morning to join us at our church where Miss Emma Grace will be baptized.

As we did with Lily, we decided to have a party but this one was a dinner get together instead of a brunch after the late 11am service. Due to sickness in the Maryland Checks, many of them were not able to join us but my parents and good friend Trish helped us put a dent in the food.

Lily was wonderful in knowing this was for Emma. This was for Emma's Special Day. We are not amazed at how well she has dealt with all of the attention being on her sister but we are extremely proud.

Getting in some puzzle action after dinner.