Santa Claus is Coming....

I saw on the TV, while I was at the gym yesterday, that Santa

was arriving at the Mall of America! So El and I took Emma to see it... FLOP:) Emma was scared! I thought that might happen (even though she loves Santa in her books)...

Here she is hiding behind Daddy!
Here comes Santa...

She really jsut wanted to go on the rides!!!! This was a 30 sec. ride...

Santa's Elves were handing out Rudolph blinking noses and antlers! Here Em is with Daddy at Bubba Gump's - we figured we were out and about we might as well make the most of it!

We celebrated Papa Loerch's birthday last weekend and Emma had planned to spend the night - but I fell asleep on the floor, so I did too! When we were waiting for breakfast to be ready I noticed she was really quiet.... I found her downstairs with her leg up in Papa's therapy machine with it ON!!!!! He had his knee replaced last week...

The first time she has been able to hold Grandma's cat - he is usually a hissing maniac:)

Papa's present form Emma - peanuts! Their favorite thing to share...

\

The Latest

One of Emma's new favorite past-times? Cutting with scissors!!! She found some "safety-scissors" that I used to use for crafting, and she has not looked back... If El or I get a chance to cut she says "Watch your fingers - be careful!" Who do you think she hears that from?

The other morning while we were getting ready to leave in the morning she got "Big Tim" and her baby out and "Cheese = take my picture, Mommy!"

Snuggie from her "high riser" pants... I guess this was her solution to them being too long:)

Love to all...

Uff-Da

Emma and Daddy reading a book before Trick-or-Treating!

Today Em and I were driving home from work/daycare and were on our way to the grocery store. She thought it was funny that it was so far away, I guess not just across the street, like usual. Once she saw the sign she said, "There's the grocery store!" Big SIGH, then.. "Uff-dah!" Seriously? How old is she?:)

Today we were on our way home from "work" and Emma was singing "The Farmer in the Dell" (she is a sucker for nursery rhymes!). Daddy has a version that goes on forever, with multiple animals... So Emma asks me, "Mouse takes a squirrel, Mommy? Mouse takes a squirrel?" How cute??? That was what Daddy sang to her last night.

Then we pulled into the garage and she wanted to ride her tricycle. I told her it was way too cold. She said, "It's Ok Mommy, see, I'm all set!" And she pulled up her hood:) So how could I say no to that? So we were putting her mittens on her, so she could ride the trike, and I couldn't get her thumb in. I said, "Oh Emma, where is your thumb?" She immediately pulled off her mitten claiming "Here's my thumb Mommy, right here!" "Look, two thumbs, Mommy"!!! I don't know why, but I kept asking her where her thumb was as we were trying to get the mittens on, and she kept tearing them off to assure me that indeed she did have a thumb and she knew exactly where it was!!!!

It was the cutest 10 minutes of interaction!!!!

Love to all....

Happy Halloween!!!!

We went Trick-or-Treating at my mom's house, since we are living in a Townhouse right now, and we know her neighborhood! Daddy helped get Emma all ready to go while I manned the camera.... She had to get dressed in layers, with snow boots (no snow!) and hat... I made sure to put her Ms. Independent sash on the outside of her jacket (I remember when I was little and always being so disappointed when I had to put a jacket over my costume - although I know Emma didn't care!)

Our first stop was Kelly and Craig's house, right next door to my mom's (Emma is enamored with Kelly and scared to death of Craig!) - you can see Emma hiding behind Daddy's leg...

The candy was a big draw however! She kept saying "I need more candy, Daddy." And she would smile her sweet smile and some people would hand her more!!! Then she got greedy and would reach for more all on her own - silly girl! We worked hard though on making sure she got a "thank you" to everyone:)

Which way to go????

Cheese!!!!

Checking out her "booty" when we got home. She made it around almost a block and a half and we were out for about an hour! She was very excited when she got up this morning - I said she couldn't have any until later after breakfast, at least... So she unwrapped each and every sucker and had ONE lick on each and then set them on a plate to save for later 0 such restraint!

"Oh my goodness!"

On a side note, we've had a much better couple of days... Carol and Rachel had such good ideas and they worked really well Friday night and Saturday morning! Plus Daddy got home from his working trip (poor boy was so tired!) and Emma was thrilled to see him of course.

We'll just keep plugging away!

Love to all...

Halloween Week

Our little Ms. Independent sure is!!!!!!! They had dress-up say at Carol's on Thursday - she wouldn't wear the flowers on her dress, not the sash I amde her, couldn't put her hair up, no tights.... And she wanted to take the dress off 2 minutes after she put it on!
Poor girl.... This is actually a nice face, compared to what I have gotten from her lately!

Decorating cookies to take to the daycare kids. She was COVERED in frosting and sprinkles, but had so much fun!

Carving pumpkins on Sunday was really a chore almost:) Once we got going Emma really enjoyed using a spoon to transfer the seeds from one bowl to another - back and forth! And then she enjoyed feeding them to Cooper:)

This is the face she pulled when she touched the "guts"

It has been a LONG two weeks with Elliott gone. I know he is exhausted from working, but I am worn out by our sweet sassy daughter! She made my cry this morning I was SOOOO fed-up! She won't listen and will just stare into my eyes and do something that I have just asked her not to do.... Seriously? We are in such big trouble..... I had a nice long talk Carol today when I went to pick her up and she gave me some good ideas. My sweet friend Rachel who has three children, works full-time, and is in grad school gave me some great tips too - watch for triggers (tired or hungry which I KNOW are HUGE one's for Emma).... And then she told me just to hold on 'till she is 5:)

Love to all...

Pumpkin's and Apples!!!!

Last weekend we went with Papa and Grandma Loerch to Emma Krumbee's, a Fall Lover's haven! We played on hay piles, rode ponies, and barrel trains, fed goats, fed our selves, picked apples and pumpkins! And Emma.... she ran.... the whole time... Seriously she rarely sits still! Here she is jumping with Daddy on the Hay Pile
One BIG Happy Family!

Emma's first stage debut!!!! The sweet old man in the back was there singing songs all day with instruments for the kids to play!

Getting just the right one....

See that smile??? It is not as sweet as it sometimes looks:) She was WAY past her nap-time and it is seriously like a switch goes off and she turns into a "terrible two"!!!!! Honestly rolling on the ground at the end..... And I have an outer body experience, like, Is that my daughter??????

Frank the Tank , practicing!

The fam....

Surly girl with Papa and Grandma Loerch

PONY RIDE!!!!! She got to start and finish the day with a ride on "Kaia", apparently! She was in HEAVEN!!!! Kissed and hugged the pony when she was finished - so sweet":)

Love to all...