Almost here!

Christmas is almost here and we have been busy preparing! Mimi and Papa (aka Lynie and Dick) have been here since the beginning of December and we have been having a great time w/ them. Emma especially loves having everybody under one roof. ;)

I am still not convinced that Emma truly understands Santa and presents yet. She can repeat what we tell her but does not seem to make the connection. Plus she was not too eager to sit on Santa's lap. I took her to the Gymboree holiday party and she had a blast...until Santa came. She was not upset by him, but not happy either. See the picture below for yourself...alright, so she appears a bit upset. She was ok...as you can see, MOMMY had to sit on Santa's lap while getting manhandled by Santa.

My mom (aka Nana and Deb) has been diagnosed w/ breast cancer. The GOOD news is it appears to have been caught early and is very tiny. We are praying it is still at an early stage and we will find out more tomorrow when she sees the surgeon. Please keep her in your prayers. We have a lot of faith that this too will pass...

Merry Christmas, we love you all!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's that time of year again! We are very excited this year and we have so much for which to be thankful. We've had the Christmas tree and decorations up for a week now and Emma seems to enjoy them. She doesn't go crazy for them though and thus leaves them alone (fine by me). She has taken an interest in the nativity set under the tree, however. She likes to move all of the figures around and says "Baby Jesus". It is really adorable.

Mimi and Papa are on their way down as I type this. They are driving all the way from Michigan! They had to leave early due to the winter storm brewing up north. Yuck. They will be staying with us the entire month of December. We always have a great time! Emma can't wait and today right before she fell asleep for her nap, she was saying "hi Mimi and Papa".

Emma finally finished her swimming lessons through ISR. She did a fantastic job and loves to show us her skills when we swim at home. Here is some video of her swimming and floating while at lessons. The first one is during her 4th week and the second is her very last day during her 6th week. We feel VERY confident that she can save herself should she ever fall into a body of water (a real possibility here in FL!).

Trick or Treat!

Well, Halloween has come and gone. Emma was supposed to be an angel but HATED the costume when I tried to put it on her. Can you tell she's strong willed? So I got out the ladybug costume she wore last year. I took it out and showed it to her. She said, "Ladybug, bzzzzzzz". I took that as approval. It was a size 12-18 mos and it was a little big on her last year. So I thought, why not try it this year? Well it still fits! I ended up cutting off the bottom of the tights so they weren't too tight, and didn't use the hood from last year...it's too hot! In any case, our plans got ruined because of bad weather. It's a bit windy and rainy here because of the tropical storm. We did take her around to an outdoor shopping mall here for a bit. She looked really cute! I am posting a picture from last year of her in the SAME costume. She didn't care last year but this year, however, she does not enjoy being dressed up in a costume. So no smiles for us this time around!

We carved our pumpkin the other night. In order to keep Emma's interest, we gave her her "own" pumpkin to decorate. We gave her markers and guess what? She decorated the pumpkin alright...and herself! Too adorable. Ya gotta love those Crayola Washable Markers!

Terrible 2's?

Um, ok. I think we might be approaching this stage. Oh joy! Yesterday, we heard a "cry" (read: scream) we have never heard from Emma's mouth before. She would turn it off and on too throughout the tantrum. Lovely. And why? Because she didn't want to or did want to do something. Who knows?!?! So I guess our strategy is to ignore it. Any tips or advice is welcome!

On a good note, Emma started relaxing a bit at ISR. She flipped out today for some reason though. But the last 2 days she was actually a bit relaxed and as a result was floating by herself! Yay Emma!

I have recently heard a couple of sentences from Emma. She now sometimes says "I like it" when she likes something. Today she said "Mimi did it" as she was referring to a noise she makes w/ her hand and mouth. Here's a video from 3 months ago...how did she remember it?

Thanks to everyone for any thoughts and prayers you may have sent Michael and Laura's way! They had an appointment last week and her fluid has replenished! Wow. Truly amazing. They are awaiting some other results, so please continue to send some positive thoughts and prayers their way. Thanks. :)

Back from Michigan!

We returned from MI last week. It's amazing how quickly vacations go! Emma had a blast. We kept her busy, that's for sure! While we were there she played outside a lot (in the nice, cool weather...well cooler than FL at least). We also went to the park and visited the children's zoo so Emma could ride the carousel. She loved it last time we were there, but was a bit apprehensive this time around! She seemed to enjoy the zoo, however. We also went to an apple orchard. The change in pace and weather was definitely welcomed.

Since we've been home, Emma has started swimming lessons through ISR (infant swimming resource). I can't say that she loves it. It's very rigorous and she has to work hard throughout the 10 minute lesson. It's a 4-6 week program, so we figure she'll eventually get used to it. On the upside--she takes a LONG nap afterward!

David currently has a job he's working on and a few others lined up to keep him busy for a little while. It will take him some time to build clientele. We both love the freedom and flexibility. He's been leaving around 8am and getting home just after 5pm! This gives us all some time to spend together everyday.

Our sister in law, Laura, is pregnant...again! It's obviously a miracle since she had her tubes tied 7 years ago. She is due in February but is having some medical problems. The amniotic fluid is low, so she was placed on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. Although this is an emotional and financial hardship for her, my brother and their children, they are keeping a positive attitude. They are amazing...please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Break Time

For those of you who don't know, David is currently taking a break from work. After many stressful years as VP and CFO at NeoMedia Technologies, Inc., he resigned and has since done some "freelance" consultation work with some companies. Other job prospects are on the sideline until we decide what will be best for our family. In the meantime, we enjoy spending lots of time together as a family! Emma can't get enough of having Dada home and is always looking for him if he is out of sight. She asks "Dada ba bye?" and gets upset. What a drama queen! We spend a lot of time playing w/ Emma, taking bike rides and swimming. We are taking an impromptu trip to Michigan next Friday (21st) and Emma is super excited to see Mimi and Papa! I am looking forward to seeing everybody and excited to experience a little taste of fall--I LOVE FALL! (and miss it) :( , and David is excited to see his family and friends. Most importantly, he is excited to possibly attend a Lions game. We are all looking forward to the change of scenery and pace (Mimi LOVES to take care of Emma, and Emma loves to spend time w/ Mimi and Papa!).

It's raining, it's pouring...

This time of year in Florida reminds me of childhood summers. The smell of rain as it hits the pavement and the sound of thunder in the afternoon and evening makes me nostalgic. Sometimes I miss being a kid and playing in the rain. Having Emma allows me to experience these things all over again! Here is a video clip of her playing in the rain. She had the best time. We all did too. Listen closely at the end she says "naining". Too cute.

Welcome!

We're so excited to start our family blog! We have just begun to construct it, so please stop by later this week for a proper blog entry and pictures.