Christmas 2010

Ok, so I went a little overboard with the number of pictures I put on here - but honestly there were so many I left out! I know I am a bit biased, I just think everyone would want to see a picture of Emma opening up a pair of socks:)

On Friday, Christmas Eve, we had the Hinrichs side of the family all over to our house. We spent the day talking and playing. Elliott and I co-produced a very tasty meal with plenty of left overs!

We can always count on Nana Hinrichs for bringing a creative and fun activity for Emma to explore. Nana, Emma and Auntie Christine all made nummy sweet and salty snacks!
Santa surprised Mommy and Emma - and brought a XBox Kinect while Emma was taking her nap. We were all sore the next day! It is WELL worth the money - the animation is adorable and the exercise you get - wow! Here I am helping Emma with her hand eye coordination:)

Jumping on the raft ride....

Father and son raft ride!

Papa got Emma and Elmo book that has his voice recorded reading it, and Nana got her a princess one. Both such a good idea - especially with so many miles between us!

Em and Uncle Justin

Christmas Morning - the look on her face is priceless!!!!!

Look what Santa left her!!!!! A double stroller and a matching baby!!!!!

AND matching Pajama's!

Cute as pie

Elliott broke out the Tickle Monster book and gloves from Santa!

Pretty Ballerina hair....

Reading at Grandma and Papa Loerch's house Christmas morning...

Grandma Patterson, Auntie Holly, Uncle Jason and Cousin Brooke were all in Washington so we did a video conference with the to open gifts. That was really fun - ALMOST like being there:(

We got smart and decided to do the family picture BEFORE gifts this year!

Papa Denny, Uncle Chris, Auntie Bec, Emma, Uncle Peter, Grandma, me (with the Babies) and El!

The one picture of Emma and I - proving I was indeed around for Christmas:) Emma is enamored with her Dad, so most often it is I that grabs the camera!

Auntie Becca walked in the door and Emma said - where is Uncle Chris?!

Grandma made Emma's babies matching sleeping bags (similar to one she got from her daddy!)

Em found her dad a pancake griddle that makes bug-cakes!

Thanks to grandma Loerch's great sewing talents Emma and her babies got MANY matching clothes!

She just figured out what was in the bad - and she made Elliott and I close our eyes so we would be surprised too! So sweet...

New Bunk beds for her babies!!!! Handmade by Papa Denny and Grandma Loerch - aren't we so lucky? I only wish I could do that for my Grand kids some day - goodness, I gotta learn to sew! It really is so nice and very special:)

The reason the Xbox Kinect was so worth the money - every belly laugh from Emma!

Exhausted the day after Christmas... still in her PJ's after lunch. Resting with Papa Jim watchin Beauty and the Beast...

We were so fortunate to have had as much family here as we did, although we missed the Patterson's! Santa and family were so generous and kind in their giving spirit - if everyone could be so lucky! There is no joy greater than watching your child grin from ear to ear..... Love to all - may the rest of your year be full of peace and joy...

cookies!!!!!!!!!

Sunday morning my mom came over and we made an extravaganza of cookies! Elliott took Emma to Buck Hill and they went tubing. You can see from the picture below that Emma was pooped after two hours of extreme play with Daddy:)

Post nap, Em helping Grandma Loerch roll out Gingerbread men

3 generations of cookie makers! two of us lasted MUCH longer than the 3rd

When Emma was finished she decided I needed to wear all of this, so I could "go to school" when I was finished! Of I obliged and wore it all while working. Emma is turning into quite the little girl! She could play pretend all day long - mommy, baby, dance studio, gymnastics teacher, school, work, homework.... so fun to watch her grow and explore her big-girl-ness:)

Blizzard!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were supposed to go Christmas shopping on Saturday, without Emma, for Emma..... Instead we spend the entire day watching the beautiful blizzard blow 20 inches of snow sideways through the air! About 2:30pm Elliott got in hi struck and went around AV to pull people out. He got home about 5:30 after helping 6 different people - his karma should be good for a year now:)

Emma circa 6am Sunday morning!
Yes - come Sunday morning the snow outside our front door was piled up to just below me head!

Elliott and I got to go shopping for our little sweet pea Sunday afternoon instead (can you believe the blizzard was so bad that the MAll of America closed early Saturday afternoon?), and then had dinner at my Mom and Denny's house. They were kind enough to watch Emma while we went shopping, and then they let us borrow their snow blower as well! So 8pm last night Elliott got the driveway done in about 15 minutes - and thank goodness as it was -1!

Emma was a bit scared at first, because it was so loud. However she did get brave enough to help Daddy a couple of times!

What a wonderful weekend..... Happy winter to all:)

My Mom took Emma to lunch at the American Girl Store last Monday. It looks like they had a wonderful time! Emma is wearing a dress my Mom got her and her Bitty Baby is wearing a dress my mom made to match! The little cup is lemonade for her baby.

A picture of the ladies eating - overlooking Nikelodean Universe:) Em had mac-n-cheese of course, with a cheese heart on top!

The girls all got dessert, and baby got hers assuming she ate all of her fruit! Emma obliged:)

When I picked Em up from my mom's that night she just had to put her dress back on, and before I knew it she had gotten "everyone" all lined up to take a picture. Notice her purple cords and pink dress up shoes!

Big boy Tommy

Elliott has been traveling just about every week, so I asked my mom to come over for a sleepover this week. We camped out on the living room floor to watch a movie in front of the Christmas tree. Of course Emma stayed wide awake while my mom and I dozed! Emma has only ONCE ever fallen asleep watching a movie - not matter what time!

Emma reading Tommy a book the other night - what a good boy! Although he did bite her about 15 minutes after this picture was taken:( She just refuses to learn....

It has been a long couple of weeks as she continues to really test her boundaries. Her desire to be the grown-up, in charge of everyone and everything is detrimental to all involved! We had quite the time at Ballet Class this week, after so much coaching from me all week on how to behave in class she just went all out in-charge! Her poor teacher.... Needless to say I am struggling and she is too! More later...

Love to all...

Macy's 8th Floor

We went downtown yesterday evening, to visit Santa and the Macy's 8th floor exhibit "A Day in the Life of an Elf". Emma was adorable!!!!! I was excited to get downtown and Emma asked if we could go every week. I suggested we go down every other week - it would be good for all of us:)

I used to go see the 8th floor every year as a child, and Emma has gone since we moved back here. We were pleased that the line was only about 1/2 hour - and with Elliott in tow it meant a very happy girl!

Here she is at the entrance to the 8th Floor.... The elves tickling each others toes...

Emma spent most of the evening on Daddy's shoulders - in much awe!

All three of us smiling and looking in the same direction - miracle!

Emma's first visit to see Santa Clause since she was 9 months old - she has been too scared that past couple of years! This year she was SO excited, and of course we have talked it up. She got up on his lap and smiled right at the camera, and slowly pulled her dress to cover her knees - CUTE! She told him she wanted a double stroller, and he said he thought they had some of those! It was precious. The actual picture turned out better than any of us had imagined and I'll send it out with our Christmas cards.....

Emma and Daddy wrote a letter to Santa (really Daddy as Emma was reaching her tired point!) - we also got huge Christmas cupcakes and Emma picked out a beautifully frosted Santa cookie.

Emma and Grandma Loerch giving some love out! After the Santa Land visit we headed to the Skyway (downtown is pretty cool - you can get just about anywhere though the skyway indoor walkways that go from building to building over the streets so winter is slightly more bearable!). Anyway, there is a parade called The Holidazzle that is totally in Christmas lights - the people and everything - and it is free TH - Sun evenings in December. We were planning to go down in a couple of weekends to see it, but it was pretty slow moving so I was glad that we got to see it from inside!

After driving by a couple of houses with great light displays (The Fornetti's STILL!!) we finally made it home about 8pm and Daddy made us chicken Alfredo - that always feels good on the belly in the morning:)

Emma is turning in to quite the little girl and it is a joy to watch her and listen to her as she grows and explore - OH!!!!!!!! And if anyone saw the news talking about the plane that ran off the runway Friday evening at MSP airport - that was Elliott's! I guess they were in a holding pattern for an hour - then finally went to land and 15 feet off the ground the pilot hit the throttle!!!!! And back up they went - the pilot said there was a plan on the runway!!!!!!!!!! Once they got back in to place they landed and as they were taxiing they slid off the runway!!!!!! Anyway - all is well and we got a $200 voucher:)

10 year Anniversary photo shoot

Elliott, Emma, Cooper and I went back to the park that we had our wedding pictures taken at - exactly 10 years and one week to the date and time! Below are the best of what the photographer got.... we were pretty happy but hope to do something a bit different next time. And we certainly won't wait 10 years! Every year now....:) Love to all....