Family

I have not updated much this past week because we have family around!!! We are so excited to be in the middle of our "grandparent" visits. Nana Deb, Papa Ron, and Aunt Nik Nik were here for a few days and Grammy and Grandpa are coming into town this week. We can't wait to share all of our fun times and pictures with you soon. But while they are here....we are taking a break from blogging to enjoy EVERY minute of their company. :) Check back in a few days.

Sweet little Em

I want to take a few moments while the house is quiet, the girls are sleeping, and my mind can actually settle for a few minutes and think about my sweet little 2nd born...Miss Emily! She will be 5 months old in just a few days- I cannot believe it!! In our minds she will seem like "the baby" of the family, but she is growing up so fast and starting to do all sorts of fun things. She melts my heart every time I see her sweet face--even if it is 10x during the night. So here are a few things that make me smile about Emily.

5 days shy of 5 months old

Dear Emily-

I love your beautiful voice. You have such high pitched little squeals and use all kinds of inflections. You are so vocal- much more than Caroline was at this age. You talk back and forth if I pause to give you time to respond.

I love how you love to interact. You will make faces, raise your eyebrows, and make noises to make sure I understand what your saying. :)

I love how you coo when you wake up from a good night sleep or a good nap.

I love how you are SLOWLY getting better at your nap/sleep routine...well, I'm not sure I LOVE it, but let's just document it here anyway! ;) She goes down at 8 pm and usually wakes before midnight for a snack, and then sleeps HOPEFULLY until 5 or 6....then back to sleep until 8. Sometimes she likes to play though- around 2:30 and 4:00 are her other famous wake up times....so in a nut shell, she still isn't sleeping through the night. But we are ALL getting ready for it to happen any day now! :)

I love how we have discovered how very smart you are....you will be crying in your crib and we will think you are about to explode, but the SECOND we open your door (how can you even tell??) you get silent, don't make a peep and wait until we approach you...if we stay back...you turn the cry back on. If we come close, you look up at us and smile like you are just hanging out.

I love how you barely fit in your Bumbo chair, or any of the buckles on your bouncy seat or swing because your little legs are so big! Your rolls are adorable and you wear them well. :)

I love your beautiful smile- you are such a smiley baby. You crack up laughing often...and will mostly do it only if mommy preforms for you. I love it. I will be your clown all day long!

I love your extremely curious eyes. You watch and look around at everything going on at all times. Wall decor, people walking by, cars driving. You are so smart.

I love how you are starting to interact with Caroline. She lets you pull her hair and suck on her fingers and you enjoy it. She laughs hysterically. Seeing you 2 play together fills my heart with so much joy- I want to remember those moments in my mind clearly forever.

I love your red hair. I love that your head full of hair that you started out with has turned into a bit of a comb over....hahahah....but a beautiful one. We still stick bows on top of your head and you look like such a beautiful little lady.

I love how you already have developed several nicknames- and I don't mind them at all. Em, Emmy, Mimi (from sister), Emma...all terms of endearment by the ones that love you.

I love how you sometimes laugh and cry at the same time when you are sleepy. A sure fire sign that you are ready for bed, but super cute.

I love how your rub/turn your head a million times to get settled on my chest when you fall asleep. It's like you are looking for JUST the right spot. I am so glad you find that right spot and can sleep on my chest for just a few more months.

I love your kicks...you are kicking your feet like crazy these days and it's so cute. Caroline thinks it's funny too. Especially at bath time.

I love how you and sister bathe together. You sit in your little green tub and she sits right next to you and helps with the water. You love your bath time but are getting so squirmy that you are slippery to hold on to.

I love how you always find peace in looking and smiling into my face....I'm so happy that I am your mommy and that I can always find a smile. You make me smile every minute of the day too.

I love how when you hear my voice you slow down, calm down, and chill out. Another amazing blessing of being your mommy.

I love seeing how smitten your daddy is with you- he talks all the time about how pretty you are. I think you've got him wrapped around those chubby little fingers.

I love watching you roll. Anywhere. On the floor, in your crib. It's just fun to watch in amazement as you flip over from one position to the next. You get in the funniest positions to turn over- like a downward dog with your bottom in the air, and then flip! So sweet. You are a pro now. Next comes scooting and crawling....I'm not sure if I'm ready for that baby!

I love how you stare at the computer and the faces of our family when we skype with them. They think you're beautiful and I can't wait for you to recognize their faces and voices when they see you.

I love you...every single inch of you, every single roll on your legs, and every single hair on your head. You are precious to me and I enjoy taking these moments to reflect on my little sweetie. I pray for you daily and thank God for giving you to me...to our family. You amaze me.

Love,

Mommy

Caroline's BIG weekend!

Ok, I realize this sounds TOTALLY like a "mommy" but that is who I am these days....
Caroline has been trying to sit on her potty seat a few times a day...and guess what?! On Saturday night before bath she did it!! She was able to pee pee in the potty. We celebrated but also realized that we are still far from actually starting the "training" process. She thinks it's pretty cool though! She is turning more and more into a big girl everyday. Kind of scary. Bittersweet for sure!

Our neighbor has a golf cart that Caroline is obsessed with. She got to "drive" it for a few minutes.

Friday morning we got to go play over at the Munson's house. These 3 boys are amazing and take such good care of our little sweetie. They played in the water, had snack, blew bubbles, and then crashed inside and watched some DVD's of course! We love this family more and more each time we hang out with them. We are so thankful for their friendship!

Drumroll please.....

The BIG event of the weekend was that we got to meet ELMO AND DORA!!! A toy store was having a grand opening celebration on Saturday. I took the girls on my own that morning to meet Elmo (the camera didn't make that trip) and then we came back later that evening to meet Dora while Daddy was with us. It was so neat to see Caroline's excitement. She didn't want to touch either of them and screamed when we suggested it, but wanted to talk and interact with them forever. Caroline was also more in love with Dora's "backpack backpack" than anything else! We had a blast watching her excitement. See the videos below.

Emily was not sure what the big deal was...but one day...her big sister will tell her about the day they met DORA!!!

Emily Loves Daddy Too

In my previous post I realized I only mentioned the fun that Caroline and Daddy have together. Well, here is a few things that Emily told me she loved about him....
"I love that daddy requests me to wear hair bows. I am wearing this on
e for him!"


"I love that I look just like my daddy did when he was a baby in this picture! :)"


"I love that my daddy can make me laugh all evening long with his silly faces"

"I love that daddy tells me my hats are cute!"

"I love daddy just because he is my daddy."

Daddy Daughter Swim

I am so thankful for a husband who is willing to give all his free time to his little girls. He LOVES taking Caroline swimming and our pool is open late on Tuesday and Thursday nights for "family night". Most the pics and video are of the pool, but a couple are of our very own Hobbs Water park that sits in our front yard. Thanks to Nana Deb, Aunt Cara and Daddy we have a very fun water park right out our front door. I always play the "I have to watch Emily" card and daddy sucks it up and takes the cold water, curious neighbors and sometimes uninterested Caroline on for a fun time. I tried to add as many videos as I could...we have so many more, but these are pretty good. Caroline has no fear of the big pool at all. I have a feeling she'll be swimming like a fish before long. They got a new slide put in at our pool and I could already see Brad's wheels turning as he thought of how to get her on it- I vetoed that one...at least for a little while...she's only 1!!! But I can't blame him- he wants his girls to be a better swimmer/diver than their mama. :)

This video is of her watching one of her new favorites...she cracks up EVERY time she watches it. She was showing dad the funny part before their trip to the pool.


Caroline always pauses to "get her dance on"

ALWAYS pauses to "get her dance on"LOL

Guilty

I am guilty of being so smitten with Caroline that I can't stop taking pictures!! She is so much fun and so full of personality and life that I can't get enough! These pictures seem to capture her PASSION for life perfectly. You can be guilty too...it's ok.

My Little Love's

Emily has finally taken a bottle!! I let her sit in the high chair and she usually will play with it and drink an ounce or two! Yahoo!! And...she has been napping so well. This week and the weeks to come will hopefully pay of with a good little sleeper!