The Patterson's

Emma had a surprise from Santa the week after Christmas (has it been this long since I have posted! ugh! sorry!). She got the stable to go with her horse for her American Girl Doll. As Emma does with all things, the first few days it was all she would play with!

I found Big and Little Sister shirts for the girls for Christmas. I can;t believe I am buying them matching clothes! Emma, Olive, and Em's doll even all have matching outfits from Grandma Loerch that we will have to break in next week I think.

Elliott's mom and Grandma came to visit the first weekend in January, and Elliott thought it would be a good idea to get a tent to watch movies in! So, of course he found one on Craigslist - Emma was ecstatic and it worked just perfectly, as a matter of fact.

Emma got ice skates form Grandma Loerch and I signed her up for lessons - here she is before the first one. How dang cute is she??? I was actually so proud of her, she went out on the ice on her own and got right back up when she fell down. I think she is doing well and can make it all the way across with out falling. She told me, "I think I am getting the hang of this!"

Great Grams, Grams and Emma

Olive's adorable crying face - and look at those cheeks!

Olive straining as much as she can to see the TV!!!! I swear she is going to pull a muscle she tries so hard to see the TV...

Officially THREE MONTHS!!!

She is such a sweet girl, and I am always getting comments from strangers on how adorable she is (I know that is out and out bragging - I know - but you can't really Tell from these pictures just how sweet she looks!) but in these pictures she looks a bit goon-ey:)

This is her sitting in the Bumbo that Holly sent. Of course Em was the one who thought to bring it out. Olive doesn't really like it yet - maybe she is so big it is uncomfortable?

I took the girls to visit Elliott in Sunnyvale, Ca this week, a part of Silicon Valley. We had such a blast! Long story short we were supposed to fly out Friday night, but there were so many delays it would have been 1am our time byt the time we got there. Fortunately we were able to change our tickets to the following morning, and my mom was able to come pick us up and take us back in the morning! Emma was good as can be on the plane ride out - such a big helper and such a great listener.

Of course only the Minnesotans would be swimming in the pool when it was 56 out! It was heated to 84 however, and Daddy was such a good sport! I surprised Em with this new swimsuit which she was half excited about (but really wanted the Hello Kitty one we saw Costco:( )

We drove in to San Francisco on Sunday, and had plans to meet my dear old friend Liz and her 22 month old daughter. We were early so went to see some Redwoods at Muir National Forest - this is Elliott changing Olive on my lap! I nursed her in the car while Em and El went to look around - and get SOAKING wet in the rain (had to change em's pants and shoes!).

The family - minus O!

Emma leading/pulling/mothering sweet Violet, Liz's daughter. We went to the California Academy of Sciences - an AMAZING science like museum with an aquarium, penguins, a live rain forest, an albino alligator, etc. It was a really treat, someplace we would go all the time if we lived there!

We had so much fun in CA we hope to go back when Elliott has training again in February. I will say we sure do miss him. It is so different having him gone, now that he is usually home!! Emma misses him like crazy and cried so hard when we left for the airport, then she had a MAJOR meltdown on the airplane home. We are all still recovering - she fell asleep at 5pm tonight and I assume she will sleep through the night as it is now 10:30 and she is still out.

Emma and Olive continue to be the best girls, Olive so easy going and go with the flow, Emma a real firecracker that makes us laugh, keeps us on our toes, and is always good for a snuggle!

love to all