Tuesday, January 24, 2012

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

Monday, January 9, 2012

Christmas Time....

Finally!!! It is 53 degrees outside and I am writing about Christmas! What is wrong with this picture?? Oh well, can;t wait for the 20 inches of snow that we will probably get in March!

We had a lovely Christmas holiday surrounded by most of our family (missed the Patterson side!!!) and best of all, Emma got to wake up Christmas morning in our new house (we were excited about that tradition starting:))

On Christmas Eve we had my mom and Denny over, and my Dad and Jackie (as they had arrived at our house, to stay, in our guest bed room, with a real bed!), for our tradition crab leg dinner. Below is Denny holding little/big Olive
Papa Jim, ever the good sport, letting Emma pretend to cut his hair! Notice the Fancy Nancy blanket - I MADE it for Emma! And, I made a matching one for Olive, and for Emma's new American Girl Doll that Santa brought. Thanks to my mom or I never would have accomplished the blankets (well, almost accomplished as they still aren't finished on the one side!).
CRAB LEGS!!!!
Emma took such a long hard nap during the day on Christmas Eve that when she woke up she thought it was morning, so wanted to some PJ's on to go downstairs:)
Emma and Daddy putting food out on the lawn for Santa's Reindeer - a cute idea that my mom brought for Emma



The whole fam-damily!
Emma Christmas morning at 6am... holding the present that she was CERTAIN was the American Girl Doll she asked Santa for - LOVE that smile!
Patiently listening to the letter Santa wrote back to her. The night before she "accidentally" tore open a gift and saw what it was, and was VERY disappointed that she found out! From then on she realized she really didn't want to know what was inside ahead of time (good lesson learned!).
One of two mid-air shots we got of Emma! The joy of Christmas morning with a young child cannot be matched.
Everyone was a wore out from the early morning rise and all of the excitement that came with opening gifts - Papa Jim and Olive sound asleep.
Emma with Nana Jackie and the Easy Bake Oven they got for her. Looks a little different than when I had on all those years ago!
This one is actually from Christmas dinner, the girls in matching outfits, and Emma's new doll and horse (yes, she is spoiled, I know - talk to her dad!!!).
Second mid-air shot from when she unwrapped the horse!
Emma runs like a heater, just like her Dad, and often it is just easier to take the top off. Wonder how long we'll get away with that? This is her, after Christmas dinner, opening a few more gifts.
We had Christmas at my Mom's house on Monday, arriving about 9:30 to open stocking and have brunch. My mom made matching hats for Emma and Olive - CUTE!
Olive and Grandma Loerch
Daddy and Olive
This fall Emma told both Elliott and my mom that she wanted a locket (a la Ramona and Beezus, I think) so that when I died she could put my picture in it!!! Well, thankfully I am still alive and she got a locket from Grandma Loerch that has my, El, her, and Olive all in it!!! She was THRILLED and said, "I was dreaming of getting this!!!!"
The grand kids, all in hats my mom made for them. Emma, Landon and Olive... We were LUCKY to even get this picture! Poor Landon (we found out two days later) had a double ear infection AND Roseola (fever followed by rash), and did not nap at all that day!!! Becca and Chris were troopers:)
Hope everyone had a happy holiday... And a joyful New Year!
More to come... I must get caught up!
Love to all...