Krazy Kildahl's

Sunset and Pumpkins

2010-10-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

So we hit our 1st pumpkin farm of the season. Totally a last minute decision. The weather had been so nice all day, I called John right after school and said we should go. So that's just what we did. We headed to Jerry Smith's right after a quick dinner. Em had a blast and Garret was so interested in the pumpkins. It was a beautiful night and the sunset I caught was gorgeous. It's just too bad Garret wasn't up for the picture perfect moment. Oh, well. Happy Fall! Here's some pics from tonight. Hopefully we'll make it to another this weekend.

It's the most Wonderful Time of the year...

2010-10-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally here! October to be exact, that's when fall truly begins for us. September is always an adjustment for our family, well mostly me. Em loves the start of school, yet I have so many mixed emotions each year. It's the getting back into a routine and accepting the fact that I'm really not a stay at home mom, that my summer hiatus has ended and it's back to others little ones taking up my days and not seeing my own until dinner time. It's feeling exhausted at 4:00pm only to then drive all around town picking up my jewels so we can finally go home and make dinner, give baths, make an attempt at picking things up and before you know it, a bit of cuddle time and then off to bed. And this year we've added another stop in our nights...soccer practice. I know it's only one night during the week but it sure does make a long day. I can't even imagine what life will be like when both the munchkins are in extra activities during the school year :/

Ok, Back to October :) To me it's the best time of the year. The coolness of the days and crisp air at night, the hot apple cider and pumpkin farms galore. I can't wait to experience them again this year. Last year was the abridged edition seeing as we were awaiting our new little arrival but this year we are going to live it up! In order to do it we are going to need to make it a crash course again since we'll also be celebrating Little Man's 1st Birthday and taking our 1st trip as a family of 4. Watch out Disney World, we've got our very own Minnie and Mickey!

11 months

2010-09-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Only 1 month to go and you will be 1! I can't believe that it's almost been a year! This month I watched you take your first steps. Now if only you would try more often and become more confident. I'm sure it will be any day now though. As for teeth....Yeah you still haven't cut any. Not sure what your deal is with that. You have recently decided that you enjoy "yelling". Your voice can be projected throughout the house, restaurant or store. Another BIG milestone for you this month, you will finally wear shoes and keep them on. You are in LOVE with bath time! As soon as you see your tub you get so excited. You are such a splasher. Water on your face doesn't even stop you. Momma has to use a towel to cover up as I sit on the floor since you're such a wild boy in there. Even funnier is your reaction when it's Em's bath time and not yours. Not 5 seconds after I start running bath water you high tail it into the bathroom and start hollering in a screech that sounds like a plea to get in there.

Well it's time to get planning your 1 year bash! Daddy's thrilled because your having a football party! These are some of the pics we used for your invitation. Can't wait to see you go crazy! Love you stinker.

SCORE!!

2010-09-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Em's first soccer practice and game were this week. Practice went great! She really tried and followed her coach's lead.

As for the game...Saturday morning was chilly and rainy. All 4 of us went and I'm happy to say, didn't melt. Well make that 3 of us didn't melt. Em lost it as soon as we got to the field. Not about the weather but rather that I didn't bring her pink soccer ball. (or the camera....) I'm first to admit that I don't know a thing about the sport but I thought it would be a safe bet that she wouldn't need her ball seeing as you can only use 1 during the game and the coach would supply that. But as usual I was wrong. The kids were all out kicking their own ball around before the game. Em went crazy on me, crying and yelling. She even screamed that I was the worst mommy in the whole world. Thanks Em, mom needed that. Here I am trying to be that special mom who is not only carting your butt around twice a week for this sport I don't understand but is standing in the rain wearing your little brother in a baby bjorn trying to keep him from pulling the umbrella that is not even protecting me from the wind blown rain. Thanks babe, thanks.

Well once the game actually got going you loved it, rain and all. You didn't whine about the rain, you were a good sport when you had to come out to let another player in, you were strong and brave when it came to playing against those boys and more surprising was your toughness when you'd fall or get pushed! I'm so proud of how you played! I love you and will be there every week cheering you on even if I have to wear your brother and fight with him about the need to let go of the umbrella!

1st Dentist Appointment

2010-09-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

It was BAD.... it started when Em ran away from the room, cried in fear and then at the end I was told I would have to find a pediatric dentist to take care of her cavity. She did finally settle down and let them clean her teeth. When we left she says to me, "See, that wasn't so bad!" Really Em? Well we did find a doc that was awesome with her and that made all the difference in her next two appointments. Here she is at her 1st appointment.

Back 2 School

2010-09-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

So Em is now back to school. She starts out only going for an hour and 15 minutes for the first 2 weeks (Monday, Wednesday and Fridays). After that she'll be in preschool all morning and then go across the hall to her daycare class for the afternoon. She has returned to Sunshine Mountain again and is so excited for the year! Last week though she was quite upset that she can't ride a school bus and go to Gifford with her friends from the sitter's. But that wouldn't even be a possibility because of the school district's rules about boundary exceptions. So Sunshine Mountain it is! Which in all honesty is probably the best place for her. She has 2 of the BEST teachers I've ever encountered for early childhood, I love the Montessori program/experience and who knows if she'll ever be able to go to school with her "bestest friends" that she's known since only a few months old. Here's to hoping this year is grand for both Em and I!

Here she is having her special "1st day Breakfast" at Panera. Em loves her muffies :) And posing before school.

10 months already?!

2010-08-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

Garret at 10 months you are still bald and toothless. There's not even a spot of white peeking through your gums. You definitely have a personality now. Daddy says you take after me in the morning, a bit crabby and you need some time to adjust before getting on with the day. It's in the early morning that you like to snuggle on my chest until you're ready to start moving around. (It's one of my favorite parts of the morning :) But once you're ready, you're off! You are a fast mover! If we're not watching you and it seems you've disappeared, 9 chances out of 10 you are in Mommy & Daddy's room attacking Daddy's most expensive Nike's :) I still can't understand why it has to be that specific pair but you pass the other ones every time! The other chance would be the kitchen cabinets. You are constantly getting into the drawer with the baggies, the safety lock wasn't even a challenge for you. You are cruising slowly around the coffee table, not sure if that's any indication as to if and when you'll be walking. The funniest thing is how you crawl outside now. If you're on the sidewalk or somewhere rough you actually keep your knees off the ground while you move. It reminds me of a baby gorilla, just on your hands and feet. I always thought you were Mommy's little monkey :)

You are saying Mama all the time now. Sometimes it seems like you're referring to me which of course makes me get all warm inside and others, well it just rolls off your tongue. The cutest thing of all is your no no. It is absolutely priceless. All of a sudden you will start shaking your head no with the biggest grin on your face. And if we play along and say in a higher/ happy voice, "no no no" you try to imitate our words. The actual words aren't there but the pitch and rhythm sounds the same. Now if only you'd stop doing it while I'm trying to feed you, then it would be even better.

You WANT the remote very much! Em is constantly making sure it's up high where you can't reach. But you are smart. I think you've come to realize that we usually put it on the back of the couch because every time we're sitting on the couch you want us to pick you up and sure enough you're looking along the edge in search for it!

You love clapping to music and playing "Row Row Row Your Boat". Your favorite toys are your Leap Frog Learning Table that plays music and the Fisher Price Animal Train. You also love to throw things. (We can thank Daddy for that one.) I must pick up the magnetic Fridge Phonic Letters 100 times a day. You're constantly taking them off the stove and throwing them around.

Here's my Little Monkey :)

Beach Pics

2010-08-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the beach with some friends to have fun with our cameras. Take a look at some of the pics I got! Next time John will have to come with to help watch Garret so he doesn't keep putting rocks in his mouth.

Day of fun!

2010-08-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

So today was the first day that we were actually able to visit the Kenosha fountains this summer. And wouldn't you know it, it's been a gazillion degrees here for the last few weeks and then today a cold front came through. Oh, well. That didn't stop us, at least not Em. Hopefully we'll get back there either later this week or next before I go back to work so Garret can join in. Maybe our friends will be able to join us again. It's always much sweeter when you can spend the morning with good friends!

It was a HOT one!

2010-08-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today we took Em to her 1st Brewer game. It was a 1:00 game and of course with our luck it was also a heat index of 96 degrees!!!! We were planning on taking Garret too but at the last minute decided he should stay home.

Here we are tailgating. Em really liked this except she tried to find any available shade. She ended up sitting between cars to escape the sun :)

Once inside we were blessed with awesome seats with the hot beating sun coming down on us. We made it one inning in our seats and then HAD to get up. We walked around for a bit and got some ice cream. When we were done Em really wanted to keep watching the game so we headed up to the bleachers and were lucky enough to find some seats in the shade. That's when her true colors about baseball came. She LOVED the game! I'm thinking she's going to be heading to some more games with dad, seeing as I'm still not a fan, sorry John.

2010-08-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks have been wonderful, but today was a sad day for Em. She was given an extra special gift when John's brother came down and stayed with some friends down here in Racine. When we were planning on going somewhere we'd call and every time he joined us. Em just loved having her Uncle Vinny around, as did Garret. But today he went back home and Em is putting on her "sad" face because she already misses Vinny. Love you Vince!

State Fair

2010-08-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

As always it great food and fun! Cream Puffs, Saz's, and my favorite- Fried Oreos. Mmmm!!! However, Em still didn't want anything to do with the animal barns. She did LOVE the racing pigs though! Can't stop talking about the fat one that had to stop and get a drink :) Here's some pics from our day. (Oh and Uncle Vinny came along too!)

Merry Christmas (in July)

2010-07-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

So today was our Christmas in July party with our friends from the Racine Family Club.It's our third year hosting the party so I've kind of made it an annual event. The kids absolutely love it! We decorate cookies, make a holiday craft and have a gift exchange. Here's Em all decked out in her reindeer antlers...

9 months

2010-07-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

This month has been huge for Garret! He has now mastered the art of "real" crawling and it's ever so cute when I catch him doing the army crawl which is seldom anymore. He has a very LOUD voice, happy but just loud. He loves to clap his hands and even just started waving bye bye. He WANTS our food! I mean right off our plates but the poor thing still doesn't have any teeth and no signs of them even peeking through. Garret loves to snuggle and give hugs. His kisses have been hard to come by unlike last month but my heart just melts when he lays his head on me. Oh, and I swear I heard him last night say Mama as he was crawling towards me in the kitchen. John even stopped and thought he heard it too. But that was just once so who knows, wishful thinking :)

Dancing Queen

2010-07-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

We attended a wonderful wedding yesterday for a dear friend. Lindsay made a beautiful bride and the wedding was full of so many little details. Emily has been waiting for this wedding for a long time! She was so excited that we found a dress that had the wedding color, cornflower blue, in it. (Who even knew there was a color named that?) She wanted her hair done up and was all excited about the reception! She couldn't wait to dance with the "girls in blue" as she called the bridesmaids.

Em and I went to the actual ceremony while John stayed home with Garret, which was definitely a good choice. The church is old so no A/C. There's no way Garret would have done well in the heat. After the ceremony we went home to relax a bit and then brought Garret over to Uncle Steve and Aunt Sara's house so Em, John and I would be able to enjoy ourselves. (Sorry Lindsay, I know you wanted him there :( And thanks Steve and Sara for watching him it was a huge help!) Here's a pic of us before heading off to the reception.So the details. The wedding theme was golf which was so cute and fit them "par-fectly" as the Hershey bar wrappers said! Em was in heaven with all the sweets. There was a candy bar/table where you filled your own little bag (this was huge since I really limit those kind of sweets for her) along with the Hershey Bar that was at each of our place settings. The food was great as usual for Roma and the cake was phenomenal. (Maybe I'll have to splurge and order one for my sad day coming up, the big 3-0!) Between eating all the candy and coloring in the Coloring Book Lindsay created, Em was getting very anxious for the dancing to get started. Well let me tell you once it did, it was nearly impossible to pull her off the dance floor. She is definitely my little Dancing Queen. She hears a beat and goes with it! She danced with the bride, the groom, the matron of honor, the other "girls in blue", her daddy and me, and even some of the "guys in blue". She even had one of them copying her dance moves, which made her night!
Here's a pic I "borrowed" from the photographer's face book. Congratulations Lindsay and Joe, we couldn't be happier for you!

5th of July?

2010-07-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

So we came back on Monday, the 5th of July, which apparently became the day of celebration here in Racine. Lucky for us though because I was still able to take Em to see some fireworks since we missed them the night before. We ended up meeting some friends down at the beach. Em absolutely loves her bud Cameron and can't get enough from him. I think she's even learning how to push his buttons, silly girl! Oh and his sister, Kait, Em adores her so much. She even claims Kait is her big sister now! She's so great with the kids. Hopefully we'll get to see more of her this summer.

4th of July

2010-07-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

We headed up north to celebrate the fourth this past weekend. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate as well as I would have liked. We skipped the parade in the morning because it had started to rain. In fact it rained off and on all day causing us to miss the fireworks up there :( We did however still make it to the annual 4th cookout at Itsy and Butch's and John even won the croquet tournament this year! (even more amazing was that I didn't do half as bad as I have every other year) Oh, and here's our 1st Family Picture. I can't believe we hadn't taken any good ones up to this point!
Here's Em & Garret with their cousins. It's just too bad that Em only got to hang out with Marissa the 1st night we were there since she had to leave the next day. Em just couldn't understand why she couldn't stay. :(

Jam Packed Weekend

2010-06-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took our 2nd trip camping as a family (a 1st for Garret of course). We went with some of our closest friends and decided to go to Ottawa Lake State Park since it's not to far away. Last time we went Em was the only kid. This time there were 5! 4yrs, 3yrs, 16 months, 12 months, and 8months. Overall it was a blast and went much better than I was anticipating with bringing such a young baby. We had perfect weather and neither of the kids really got bitten by bugs (just me). Here's some pics of our trip:Then there was Saturday morning, has anyone else ever had to get a kid all dolled up while camping so she could be driven back to civilization to perform in her 1st ever dance recital? Yeah, didn't think so. But being the awesome mom I am that's just what I did for our little ballerina. Prep started Friday night as we attempted to get her clean even though she didn't want to get in the shower. With the resourcefulness of some great friends we came up with a plan and it worked! We got through it just in time before the major storm came. Then Saturday morning we had to be up early so we could get her hair up and curled and off we were at 8:45 to be at the Performing Arts Center by 10am for backstage drop off. Here she is after her performance. She didn't sound as happy as I thought she would be when we gave her the flowers. I think all the excitement of the actual performance was a lot. But later on that's all she could talk about. How great it was that Mommy, Auntie Jennie and Lindsay all gave her flowers! (Oh, and she was quick to add that she got more than anyone else!) :)She did an awesome job and looked so natural, no stage fright for her! (She's the 2nd from the right in the group shot which was actually taken at dress rehearsal.)

8 months

2010-06-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Time is just flying by so fast! I can't believe our little man is already 8 months. This month has been huge for him. He's finally found his voice, usually more so when his sister isn't around :) Garret can get around this house in no time. Is army call is hilarious as his left elbow and forearm push off as his right hand reaches. He can also go from laying down to sitting up all by himself. Garret has learned how to clap and sometimes even does it at just the right time! Too Cute!

My New Memory Tracker

2010-06-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

So John finally caved and bought me the camera I've been begging for for nearly a year now for this past Mother's Day. I went with a Nikon D3000. It's taken some time to finally get the pictures on the computer but I am already loving the quality and detail even the basic functions put out. I can't wait to actually learn how to use it. Here's a few of my favorite picks so far.

2010-06-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

Finally...Summer vacation is officially here. Now what needs to be accomplished this summer- Too Much! Garret's room has to get painted and pronto! I want to see the basement storage room immaculate, side yard landscaped, back flower garden planted, Declutter, declutter, declutter. I think that should do it. Oh, and have fun with the kids of course :)

Garret's on the move!

2010-05-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been the best blogger these last few months. Life has just been extremely crazy. I am ready for summer to begin so I have some time to breathe and relax. Garret started army crawling this past Saturday. It's the funniest thing. He pushes off with his left elbow and reaches out with his right hand. Not sure which arm is really working harder. I'm sure John hopes it means the left is so he'll be a lefty just like his daddy.

Yesterday we had Garret baptized at the 10:30 service at church. John's parents and Katie and Vinny came down which Em was thrilled about.

Here's Garret with his Godparents, Auntie Jennie and Uncle Steve. Love you guys!

Emily's Birthday

2010-05-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

Finally, Emily's week long Birthday Extravaganza has come to an end. Last Sunday we went to Monkey Joe's with her best buddy, Aiden and then to lunch. Since it was Em's birthday she got to pick and she chose Olive Garden, yum! The waitress even brought her a chocolate sundae with a candle. Later that night she celebrated her birthday with her Nana and our immediate family. Just an ice cream cake (her favorite of course) and presents. Simple yet loved. I always said we would celebrate in someway on her birthday even if Daddy had to work (lucky for us Daddy only had to work till 5 so he joined in our celebration too).
Then came Monday. She brought a birthday treat to the babysitters. She helped me make cupcakes and frosted and sprinkled them. Tuesday was birthday day at school for her. A treat was needed for both classes, dirt cups for her preschool class and cupcakes for her afternoon daycare class.And the final weekend, Saturday was her 1st friends birthday party. Em told me she wanted a pajama party. I thought, really you can't be serious. She said that Ruby had one on the cartoon, Max and Ruby, and she wanted one too. Being the pleasing mother I am, I hit the internet and planned a "Sleepover Party" minus the sleepover. The kids came over before dinner all dressed in their pj's with their favorite stuffed animal in tow. We decorated Pillow cases with fabric markers and played traditional party games like pin the tail on the donkey, clothes pin drop, and pass the bear (instead of hot potato). For dinner we had pizza and fresh fruit and of course cupcakes and ice cream for dessert. Then came 7pm and the mom's came back to pick up their little ones. Em gave each of her friends a goody bag, "Sleepover to Go" that had a flashlight, light-up toothbrush, bag of popcorn and a mini box of cereal. Em absolutely loved it and I'm glad I'm that ever pleasing mom because the joy that was written all over her face and the hugs and kisses that came after the party made it all worth while!
But wait, there's still one more party. Today we had our close friends over and their boys for dinner and cake. Now, of course we can't have regular cake, that's right we had a 2nd ice cream cake. I feel so blessed that we have such close friends. They are so good with our kids and make great company.

Emily Belle is 4

2010-04-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is now 4! I have no idea where the time has gone. You are now a very independent little girl. You are such a helper. You love to help mommy in the kitchen and daddy with the yard work. You are a sweet big sister who is always giving kisses and hugs to Garret. He is so lucky to have you as his big sister. You love doing puzzles, making art projects and playing with your Littlest Pet Shop toys. You have been in ballet for almost a year now and show such grace when doing the moves. You are very attentive in class and stay on task while learning the dance for your First Recital!
This past January you started preschool and in these short 3 months you have picked up so much! You enjoy going to school and like practicing "your work". I hope you like school just as much 10 years from now :)

Well here's to my little girl being 4! (You'll always be Mommy's baby girl)

Happy Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year

2010-02-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

So today we celebrated both Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year. John had to work so Em and I went to her daycare's carnival. It was small but Em had a great time. Her preschool teachers had a small open house and Em showed me around the room a bit. When we were done we went to Main Moon to celebrate the New Year. It was funny because when we walked in the owner said, "Happy Valentine's Day" to Em and she said, "Well Happy Chinese New Year to you!"Em and I baked heart shaped cookies in the morning for John. I hate cut outs. They are such a pain but Em had fun helping and John always likes them so I'm sure we'll make it a yearly thing.
For dinner John and I stayed home and celebrated with Em. I ordered a heart shaped pizza from Rocky's and we exchanged our cards. Em loved the new book we got her, Goldalicious. To my surprise John had gotten me an awesome and beautiful gift. We haven't really exchanged Valentine gifts in years so this was so unexpected. He wanted to get a mom's necklace but really didn't like what he saw anywhere so he had gotten a beautiful heart pendant that was all diamonds and had the kids birthstones sodered into the middle. I absolutely love it! It meant so much that he took the time to come up with it and to hear he had gotten it over a month ago. Thanks hun :) Love you!

Circus Fun

2010-02-27T05:44:00.000-08:00

Today I was off of school for Winter Break Day. I figured I better take advantage of it and plan something fun for Em and I to do. A friend at work told me that the circus was going to be in Milwaukee so I decided to look into it. It just so happened that the early show was discounted with all seats being $9. What a steal! Em's best buddy Aiden came with. I wasn't sure how that was going to go seeing as I've never brought 2 preschoolers by myself anywhere but it went fine. No problems.
I haven't been to a circus since I was probably 8 years old. I was a bit disappointed. At times I was even bored. I'm guessing it's because it's a traveling circus so it's acts are more limited. But the kids seemed to enjoy it so that's what really counts. The real kicker was the intermission they had. I took the kids to the restroom right before intermission began. When we got back to our seats the 3 ring circus had turned into a money pit. Seriously it would be every parents worse nightmare! There were pony rides, elephant rides, face painting, 4 bounce houses, snake pictures, large balloons, etc. Em asked if we could go down there and I was very blunt and honest with her. I told her that there was no way mommy could watch both her and Aiden down there or help them ride the ponies. To my amazement she was perfectly fine with that. We just sat at our seats watching while we ate our snacks and finished our snow cones. I thought about leaving during intermission but decided to stay which I'm glad we did. After the intermission was done there were what I would consider the best acts of the whole show; some awesome acrobats, the elephants, and the motorcycles on the tight ropes.Another thing that she acted like such a big girl about was not begging for any of the crap toys they were trying to sell. I told her on the way there that we weren't going to beg for things. We'd see what they had but that didn't mean we were going to get anything. Now don't get me wrong. I actually had every intention on getting them each a souvenier but for some reason that I'm not sure of, they didn't actually have anything that was souvenier oriented that had anything to do with the circus! Just a bunch of those blow up characters and light up swords and plain spinners. Really?!

After the show I asked them what their favorite parts were. All Em could talk about were the acrobats. She just kept saying how great they were on the trapeze bar and swings. Aiden really liked the sheep dogs, the bmx bike tricks and the motorcycles on the tight rope. All in all it was a great day! I love being able to take the two of them together places and now I feel confident enough to do it on my own!

4 months

2010-02-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

My little man is 4 months old! I know I've said it before but man time just flies! This past month he finally found his voice. He's cooing and moving his tongue around a lot. One night I actually woke up to him just "talking" away in his bed. Eyes wide open. he's also turned into a little lover. If you make kissing sounds close to his face he'll open his mouth to kiss you back. He also like to put his arms around the neck like little hugs :) A couple weeks ago I posted that he had slept through the night a few times. Well apparently that was just a fluke cause it hasn't happened since. Oh how I long for the night he's finally out of our room so I can let him fuss until he falls back to sleep.....

Valentines

2010-02-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

So Em worked so hard on her Valentines this year. She needed 15 for her morning class, 13 for the afternoon, 3 for her teachers and 40+ for our RFC Valentine's Party. To my surprise she loved writing them all out! Here's the fun ones for this year:

Banana Valentines for her morning preschool class. I was told they were a HUGE hit! Em and I found the idea online and since she's a fruit addict it fit her perfectly!
Melted Heart Crayon Valentines for her afternoon daycare class. We melted down old crayons in heart molds and I made some heart books to go along with them.
As for the RFC party, yeah, those were store bought. There was no way I could make another 40 of one of the above! I think my head would have exploded :)

Snow Day

2010-02-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

We got hit today! I'm so glad they decided to just call it a snow day instead of making us go in and then calling an early dismissal. The roads were terrible by us this afternoon. Today was Em's first "snow day"since she started school. She was devastated this morning when I told her. I told her we would have fun together and it helped just a tad. From 7 am until I finally let her go outside at 10 am she wined like you wouldn't believe. She even tried getting ready by herself when I told her we still had to wait. Here she is having fun.....

Date with Daddy

2010-02-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

I had planned a special surprise for Em and I months ago. I had heard that the Disney Princesses on Ice show was coming to Milwaukee and was able to get tickets before they went on sale to the public. I had gotten awesome seats without spending the $60 to sit in the first level. Our seats were the second level, first row! It would be a clear view for a 1/3 the cost! I have been keeping it a secret and wasn't going to tell her until we arrived at the venue. Well, my surprise didn't go as planned. I ended up waking up early Saturday morning as sick as can be. I could barely move. So Daddy came to the rescue. My Mommy Daughter Day turned into a Date with Daddy. As he told others, "he took one for the team." (seeing as he made it clear when I first wanted to buy the tickets that there was NO WAY he was going)
Well they went and Em had so much to tell me about when she got home. She had a blast and was very surprised when she got there. John said it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be either, so that's a plus. ;) I loved how sympathetic she was that I wasn't able to go. She told me, "Well mom, maybe next time they come you will feel better and we can go together." I just love my little girl.
These were the best pics he could get of her. Notice she still doesn't smile on command, or look at the camera for that matter!

If this isn't enough to curb my spending, I don't know what is....

2010-02-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

So this morning I told Em that when I picked her up from the sitter that we were going to the "tv store", meaning Gymboree. Her response in the most excited voice she could possible make, "That's great Mom! The mall has all sorts of great stores and good places to eat like...Subway and the cookie place. O wait, are we going to ours or the one in Milwaukee? " Seriously?........

Restful Nights

2010-02-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Just some news to add: We moved Garret to a co sleeper that goes next to our bed since he's gotten to big for the one we had in our bed earlier this week. He has slept through the night for the most part ever since. He might make a fuss once or twice because his nuk falls out but otherwise that's it. No middle of the night feedings. Last night he had his last bottle at 9pm. I brought him to bed at 10:30ish and I had to wake him up at 7:30 this morning to take him to the sitter! Yeah!!! Now if only I could sleep through the night instead of waking up out of instinct, that would be great!

1st Day of school

2010-01-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

So Em started school this week. She goes Tuesday and Thursdays. She is going to Sunshine Mountain Preschool in the morning from 8:30-11:00 and then goes across the hall to the daycare from 11:00-4:30. She absolutely LOVES it! Both days when I went to pick her up she got angry at me because she wanted to stay with her friends.

On Tuesday I was a bit worried not sure how it would all go. I knew she would be fine in the morning since she already knew her teacher, which we are working on calling her by her big name, Mrs. Porcaro, instead of what's she's been calling her since she could talk, Ms. Shannon. This I think will take both of us some time :) Sorry Shannon. Besides knowing her teacher there are 3 friends in the class that she knows from RFC which really helps. I was mostly worried about the afternoon. We did visit the Friday before so she could meet her other teacher and see the classroom. We got lucky and a little girl from Em's dance class is in there so that gave her someone to know in there too.

The only sad moment for the day was when we dropped Garret off at the sitter's before Em went to school. I had her wait in the truck while I brought him in. When I came out she was a bit teary eyed and said that she was sad cause she would miss her brother :( I reassured her that we'd come and pick him up after school and she seemed to deal ok with that. At school when it was time to go in I actually had to ask for a kiss and a hug because she was ready to jump out and be on her way! My baby is growing up!

Smile :)

2010-01-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

Garret grabbed and pulled my hair for the first time last night which put a huge smile on my face! I love when they hit milestones :) This morning we put him on his "play boppy" for some tummy time and he actually enjoyed it. I remember when we use to try it with Em and she would just scream! I love all the little things that are different.

My Little Man is 3 months!

2010-01-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

Time sure flies! It's so hard to believe that Garret has been in this house for 3 months already! Really, I have no idea where the time has gone. It's funny how you forget when they should be hitting a certain milestone. Really Em is only 3 1/2 yet I can't recall when to be expecting Garret to be doing certain things. At three months he has finally excepted taking a bath. Don't get me wrong he still doesn't like it but I'll take his "sour" face over the screaming while bathing him any day. He smiles and giggles ALL the time. It's so cute watching Em talk to him and him responding to her with his sounds. Hopefully in the next month he'll be on his way into his nursery, at least that's what we're hoping for. We'll see how that goes.

Resolutions No, Goals Yes!

2010-01-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

Every year I come up with resolutions and every year I fail at 99.9% of them. So this year instead of making the dreaded resolutions that I never stick to I'm making goals that I will work to do my best at :)

Here are the ones I’m going to work towards this year. May luck and perseverance be on my side.

-Blog more often (and post them on a regular basis)

-Get into a workout routine

-Cook at home instead of eating out so much

-Go on more dates with my hubby

-Resist the temptation to shop and start socking away more money (now this may be the toughest of all!)

New Years thoughts….

2010-01-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

So a decade is over and looking back so much has happened. I’ll be 3 decades old this coming year and this one was the most memorable. I’m guessing because it was because I’m getting older and more life changing events have happened but never the less, here’s my list.

-Moved out onto my own (2000). After 2 apartments, we bought our first house (2003)

-Graduated from UWMilwaukee with my Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education (2003)

-Married my High School sweetheart April 24, 2004 and took an amazing trip to Maui.

-Got my 1^st dog at 23. Our black pug which John thought would be humorous to name “Tank”. (2004)

-Got a job with Racine Unified teaching kindergarten at Fratt. (2004)

-Went back to school to work on a Master’s Degree. (2005)

-A surprise blessing in Aug 2005, found out we were pregnant.

-Our Emily Belle was born April 25^th, 2006 (a day after our 2^nd anniversary)

-Took a new job at Wind Point still teaching kindergarten. (2007)

-A well awaited surprise finally came in February 2009, found out we would be having a second child.

-Went on our first “real” family vacation to Disney World. Em was in heaven. (June 2009)

-Graduated again from UWMilwaukee with a Master’s in Education with a focus on Reading Instruction. (2009)

-Our family grew on October 20^th, 2009 when Garret Einer arrived.

Who knows what the next 10 years will hold for us. But I feel fortunate and blessed to have all that we do. Maybe our family is complete, maybe it’s not, where will we be, what will we be doing, only time will tell. Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to not travel with Garret being so little. This was a first for us. We haven’t been home for Christmas in 9 years. The furthest we went was Milwaukee to spend Christmas Eve day at my Aunt’s house. We enjoyed spending time at home with just our family of 4 and cherished the excitement Em had about the holiday. The candle light service at church was wonderful and brought peace to me. It wasn’t the easiest decision for us to stay home but it was the right one. Em is getting older and needs to experience Christmas at home. Santa was able to come on the “right” night for a change. It’s been next to impossible to get her to leave the house since he did. She just wants to stay in her jammies all day and play.

Garret’s first Christmas went as boring as it possible could for a 2 month old. He slept through Christmas eve day with my family, slept through candle light service, slept through Christmas morning and slept through Christmas afternoon/evening at Grandpa Kildahl’s house. It wasn’t until this week when our good friends came over that he finally had a “Christmas” awake. (I think it was because he was spending it with his big buddy Aiden : )

Here is her new dollhouse that John and I got her. I knew/ thought she would go crazy over it but to my surprise she actually said (or should I say yelled) “this is not the one I wanted!” and ran away. Come to find out she wanted the one I have in my classroom. Not sure why she would want that one over the one I picked out because it has NO color at all. Not on the house or the furniture. It’s quite boring in fact. Her’s is awesome. It even has a car and a garage. How much better can it get? Every accessory you can think of it has, all but the baby and that’s what she keeps reminding me of….. So maybe sometime soon we’ll have to go look for one.

Em also got a whole bunch of Littlest Pet Shops. I can’t believe how much she’s been playing with them! She loves them. Oh, and her “Little My Ponies” as she calls them. She got a double so we went to exchange it. Come to find out, she has every My Little Pony on the market. Are you serious???

And then there’s the princess things. And lots of it! She loves all the little figurines to play with. She added to her collection, The Princess and the Frog set and Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. Oh, and 2 new costumes, TinkerBell and Sleeping Beauty. Oh, My little princess…… (edited to add: not sure why the fonts are different, for some reason it's not letting me fix it :( )

1st movie

2009-12-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took Em to see her first movie in a theater, The Princess and the Frog. She was so excited. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot she couldn't stop smiling. Then once I got her our of the car she was practically running to the door while pulling me along. It was a great movie and she LOVED it! When we got home John asked her what her favorite part was and she said, "spending time with mommy." How sweet!

Tree trimming

2009-12-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

The tree is up and finally decorated. Em and I had a good time doing it together this morning. There were some issues with our prelit this year and I had to decide what we were going to do (after spending 3 hours trying to replace bulbs and fuses and still not being able to fix the sections that weren't lighting up). I really love our tree and just can't justify buying a new one. John and I went to look at Menards yesterday and I really didn't see anything that was "just right". And not sure what happened in the last 6 years, but man, have they gone up in price! I don't remember what we paid but there is NO WAY I paid nearly $200 for one, or even $100 if it was 50% off! That's just CRAZY!!!!

So with that I decided to buy two boxes of 100 lights that were less than $2 a box! And our tree looks just fine. Actually, beautiful now that it's full of ornaments and bows. Unless you look super close you can't even notice all the unlit bulbs. Honestly, I'm not even sure I will buy a new one after the holiday even with the sales.

The Feeling of Giving

2009-12-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

So this year I decided that instead of picking a name off of a tree for a needy child we would donate some to the homeless shelter, HALO, which isn't too far from our house. HALO sets up a little shopping village where the moms can go and pick out a gift for their child and wrap it so that they have something to give their little ones for Christmas. Then the part I love so much is that on a different day the "village" becomes a place where the children can come and pick something out for their moms and do the same. Teaching kindergarten, I know how much it means for the kids to have a present for their mommas. My student's are always full of smiles when they have a gift to give to someone they love.

So we did a little shopping and picked up a few things for some little girls (a baby doll, Snow White Barbie, and another Barbie w/extra clothes). And for the moms we got a few bath sets (lotions, bath gel etc.) and slippers.

The joy of giving it was when Em and I sat down and talked about how there are children who do not have any homes and their mommies don't have the money to buy presents and food. I told her that we were going to the shelter (which then led to a conversation about what the shelter was) to bring these gifts there so that the mommies could pick a toy for their little girls. The smile that lit up her face is one that will always be embedded in my head. (as I'm recapping this tears are flowing thinking about how she responded to the whole thing) She had become so excited that we were giving these things. Once we arrived at HALO, we went in to drop off the bags and she told the lady at the desk that we were bringing these toys so that the little girls would have a special present for Christmas from their mommy.

The experience was priceless. For Em only being 3 1/2, I really do believe she understands it to a degree. May the reason for the holiday season be in your heart as we have it in ours. ~Tammy

Our Lil' Ballerina

2009-11-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

So last Saturday was parent observation at Em's dance class. It's special because we actually get to go in the room and see and hear about what they've been working on instead of just watching through the two way mirror from out in the hall. I am so amazed at everything she's learned since she started this past summer. She knows the terms along with each position and does the moves with such ease and grace. She listens to her teacher and is really gaining so much at just 3 years of age. One thing that I continue to see each week is her passive attitude when it comes to others in the class who are not as friendly as she is. Unlike most children her age, Em does not care if she's first in line. There's one girl in particular who will go right in front of her and Em will just scoot back a bit. In a way I'm glad she's not throwing a fit but on the other hand I wish she'd tell the girl to get to the end! Now don't get me wrong, Em can hold her own and will usually voice her opinion if she doesn't like something, so I know she's not a pushover. This just must not matter to her, so why does it bug me so much?!

1 month

2009-11-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

So Garret has reached the one month mark. I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly. The sleepless nights are here and there but we're trying to establish a schedule. Hopefully we'll be on our way to one shortly seeing as I only a few more weeks until I head back to work.

Em has been amazing with Garret. She LOVES her little brother so much and goes out of her way to show it. She is so overprotective of him. We were at a relative's birthday party and she got very upset that others were holding him. She actually told my mom in a very loud and demanding voice, "Nana, go get me my brother now!" She has been my little helper, getting diapers and bottles, giving him his nuk when he spits it out. It's especially cute when she tells me she's going to babysit him while I let the dog out or am running downstairs for something.

At one month, he loves his nuk, however can't seem to keep it in his mouth. He is constantly loosing it. Last week he started to smile. But it's when HE wants to. We try so hard to get him to but it's like trying to crack one of those guards in England. (I hope that's not showing me what's to come, a I do what I want when I want kind of thing.) My poor boy has a terrible case of baby acne. His entire face is covered. They come and go daily and is drying out his face :( I really wanted to take him and Em to get a Christmas picture taken, but I guess we'll just have to see how he looks each day.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Here's our little princess. This year Em decided she wanted to be Snow White, even though she's never made it past the first 2 minutes because she claims "it's too scary..." She's already decided what her and Garret are going to be next year but you'll have to wait to see :)

John and I took turns taking her around the neighborhood since it was too cold to bring Garret with. John did the first round so when it was my turn she was on a mission and was telling me where we needed to go. She was so well mannered. Much better than the majority of the kids who came to our house. She would walk up to the doors by herself, say hi, trick or treat and then thank you every time without hardly any prompting from me. I was so proud of her. One of the houses we stopped at had an older man who asked her if she knew the trick or treat poem, you know the "...smell my feet, give me something good to eat..." Em just stared at him. Well 5 minutes later she's singing her version as we were walking down the block, "yummy in my tummy, smell my foot." It was just too cute in her sweet signing voice.

Pumpkin Fun

2009-10-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight we carved our pumpkins. Em wanted a Minnie Mouse pumpkin this year so I found a template online and got to work once John and Em finally got the pumpkins all cleaned out. Here she is freaking out about not wanting to touch the pumpkin slime and then after she gave it a try her comment was “that’s not so bad.” And the last picture are our masterpieces; Em’s Minnie Mouse, John’s Packer pumpkin (that he had no faith in me that I’d be able to do it J ) and my happy face.

He's finally here!

2009-10-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Garret Einer arrived Tuesday 10/20/09 at 10:36am. He was 8lbs 10 oz and 21 1/4 inches. I was supposed to be induced Tuesday morning but ended up going into labor Monday night. He is such a good baby. Loves to sleep like his mama! Em has been doing really well at her new role as a big sister. She just can't get enough of our new little man. She's been a great helper and is full of love and kisses.

I can't believe that our first week as a family of 4 has already flown by. It's been wonderful having John home with us and has made the adjustment a little easier. Only 1 more week and he'll be back to work and Em and I will be on our own. Wish us luck! ;)

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, and more Pumpkins Farm #3

2009-10-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

After Apple Holler we stopped at The Land of the Giant Pumpkins to pick out all of our pumpkins. Might I say Em is a very strong and determined little girl. She was so persistent on pulling and steering that wagon full of pumpkins. Too Funny!

Farm #2 Breakfast & Fun

2009-10-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today we continued our expedition to the pumpkin farms. John and I have made it a tradition to head to Apple Holler every October for their apple breakfast. They have the best apple walnut french toast! Mmmm! When we're done we always get Em's picture taken in front of their measuring sign. Amazingly she actually was cooperative and let me take her picture today. That seldom happens, no matter where or what we're doing. She had fun pumpkin bowling, riding the train, getting lost in the corn maze, riding the cars with daddy, and another oh my gosh moment, taking a pony ride. Like I posted previously, Em is not a fan of animals. I really didn't think she'd do it. But she did and had so much fun.

Weekend full of fun! Farm #1

2009-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

So knowing that our new addition is coming we decided this would be the ONLY weekend to get out to the pumpkin farms. Seeing as it's one of my favorite things to do with Em we hit up 3 of them in 2 days! Crazy, I know but we just had too! Saturday we headed to Jerry Smith's with Aiden, Chris and Jennie. The scenes were the same as last year but the kids didn't care one bit. Of course the weather wasn't the greatest but it wasn't terrible either. A little drizzling here and there. Em is still not a fan of animals. And after the episode there, I think that fear will be in her for awhile. Aiden was feeding some of the goats when all of a sudden a rooster came halling butt from the fenced in coop. Flapping it's wings and just barely missing Em. She was so freaked. I haven't seen her jump that high ever! Of course, our buddy Aiden found it cool and was laughing. He's just so adventurous and daring. Maybe one day Em will stop being such a girly girl. :)

2009-09-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a long few weeks here in the Kildahl house. Em has had some issues going to the bathroom and it has really been wearing me down. She's been up several times a night crying because her stomach hurts. So between not getting much sleep with being pregnant and then Em's outbursts I've been running on almost no sleep. It is really starting to show for both Em and I. I'm just plain exhausted and she is an extremely moody 3 year old.

Well finally she decided to "go" and now for the last 2 nights has been able to sleep for the most part. Not to mention has been fairly pleasant to be around. (Which I so desperately needed.) I on the other hand am still not sleeping well. Our "little man" is just "scratching" to come out. And I mean that literally. It feels like he is clawing me to no end. I keep joking that all of a sudden a little hand will be popping out of my belly from him wearing through all the layers :)

So with Em's pleasant behavior her and I had a special day yesterday. After her dance class and nap we went up to Milwaukee to do a little shopping. She got to pick out a new car seat at USA Baby since she's getting to big for the one in John's car and since we'll eventually need that one for the baby. Of course, she picked a pink one but it is a 5 point harness that she can wear until she's 80 pounds (a Britax Frontier). And since the state law requires kids to be in car seats until they reach 80 pounds, I'd rather have her in the harness than just a booster with a seatbelt. I wasn't going to get this one because it is more expensive that the Graco Nautalis but the extra 15 pounds for the harness really kept pushing me towards it plus they were having a sales I got $80 off! It just makes me feel better. I remember seeing a video clip a parent put together a few years ago right after Em was born and it has always stuck with me. So much so that everytime I hear the Nickelback song that it's set to the pictures of the little boy are so vivid. Here's the link if you haven't seen it check it out here. If the link doesn't work here's the web address: http://www.vimeo.com/2994502

Then we headed to Mayfair to one of Em's favorite places, Build a Bear. She came up with the idea to make one for her baby brother a month or so ago. The idea was all her so I just couldn't say no. She was so proud to tell the lady working there that she was making it for her baby brother. I really thought that we would have issues with it once we got it home but she has not tried to claim it, which completly amazes me.

Overall we just had a great day. It's been a while since she was cooperative enough to "hang out" with mom. I know it's the age she's at but hopefully it will start to pass so we can have more days like this sooner than later.

Yeah, Fall is coming!

2009-09-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend we started working on our fall decorating thanks to Em. Check out her Apple artwork.

I was so impressed by her ability to color in the lines for the leaf and stem. I had no idea she could do that. Lately she's been drawing and cutting plain white paper instead of coloring in pictures.

Here she used an apple that was cut in half to make apple prints.

Back 2 Work

2009-09-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

So September is here and again school must begin. Em had a few hard days transitioning back into our routine but is doing fine now. We both really got spoiled this summer just hanging out at home. I do wish we could have done more but this pregnancy has really been kicking me in the butt. I've taken it fairly easy but now need to get in the mode of getting some stuff done before the little man arrives. We still haven't gotten Em's room done upstairs so it looks like he'll be bunking in the co sleeper in our room for awhile, which is fine by me. Not sure John's on the same page though;) I figure it was fine with Em it will be fine again. I'm just not about to stress myself out about it. We've got diapers, bottles, and some clothes to start, yes they are blue, not to mention all the big stuff from Em. So I think we're set. Here's to 33 weeks, only 7 more to go!

Surprise!

2009-08-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

I just want to say we have the greatest friends in the world!!!! Where to begin. John’s parents came into town today so we went over to visit with them at his grandparent’s house. Well we knew we had a birthday party/BBQ that started at 5 but figured it wouldn’t be a big deal if we were a bit late seeing as all of her family and friends would be there. Boy were we wrong! One of our friends had texted John a few times asking where we were but apparently John never responded. Finally at about 6 we left and headed over there. John wanted to stop home and pick up his bike so he could stay later in case I wanted to take Em home. When we got there, I was getting Em out of the truck and noticed there weren’t too many cars there which was really unusual since Becky has such a large family but thought maybe others had the same idea as us. John went and parked his bike in their garage not really stopping to talk to anyone (or notice the backyard) and then came back out to help carry in our chairs. In the meantime Em and I started walking to the backyard and wouldn’t you know it, it was defiantly not a birthday party. Turned out they were throwing us a surprise baby shower! There were blue and white balloons and one was shaped like a baby bottle. I just stood there about to explode with tears. I couldn’t believe it. They had defiantly pulled one over on us. As John walked up, I said that it wasn’t a birthday party and he too was just as dumbfounded as I had been. (Of course Em didn’t get it but she can’t stop talking about how it wasn’t a party for Becky but one for our baby.)

So here we are an hour and a half late for our own shower. But hey, it was defiantly a SURPRISE!

As a side note: After the shower John and I were talking and still couldn’t believe what had just happened. He said that when he put his bike in the garage he noticed the balloons but thought that Tony and Becky were making “an announcement” at her birthday that they were expecting….. Wouldn’t that have been good.

More Painting!

2009-08-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

So here's my little artist! She is just a painting machine. We decided to go and make a birthday gift for our friend Lindsay that she could use on her desk at school. When we walked into Fired Up Em got so excited she couldn't control herself! She saw all these fingerprint things and said that's what she wanted to make. So that's what we did. Lindsay's pencil cup has fingerprint butterflies, caterpillars and an attempted bee (Sorry Lindsay it was the best we could do :) ) I purposely went on a Tuesday since they have 2 for 1 studio fees so that Em could pick out a piece for herself. Of course being the little girl she is, she chose a fairy. And swears it's Tinkerbell! She even had to paint it with the same colors. She did an awesome job. The only thing I painted for her were the lips and the dots for the eyes. The rest of the time I either sat there admiring her work or would hold the piece for her if she asked!

An Attempt @ Photography

2009-08-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

So I've been asking John for quite some time to get a new camera. He wants a new point and shoot Sony Cybershot but I REALLY want a SLR. It's a hobby that I would love to get into. I love how there are so many settings to choose from and learn. I just know I could take more awesome pictures if my camera had the capabilities that an SLR has. Maybe I'll wear down on him soon. Otherwise take note everyone, feel free to add to my camera fund this Christmas :)

Some friends in RFC got together to do a photography club. We met at Petrify Springs Park and talked a bit about some simple hints. I took almost a 100 pictures that day! But after going through them these are some of my favorite of Em. I didn't include any of her friends, for privacy issues. Oh, one funny note to add, Em refuses to allow me to take her picture. I had to keep telling her I was taking pictures of the trees :) Now if she saw someone else taking one of her that was perfectly fine, go figure!

Material Girl

2009-07-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

Look at my little Material Girl. Em came out of her room looking like this. She so looks like she belongs in the early Madonna era!

Summer Projects

2009-07-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

So everyday Em has been asking for more projects. Here are 2 that we've done last week. The first is a rainbow cloud and the second is a sun where she glued on yellow and orange squares along with her hand cutouts for the rays. She loved the cotton balls so much that she made extra clouds to put on the door as well.

Our Little Ballerina

2009-07-07T19:33:00.001-07:00

Today was Em’s first day of dance class. She has been waiting for this day for a few weeks now. We’ve been talking about how she’ll be in the class while I wait in the hall and watch through the windows. I really think that had helped her transition. She did great! She was following the directions of her teacher, Miss Heather, and seemed to be loving every minute of it! I was a little worried though. You see Em has been telling everyone that she was going to show “them” (meaning her classmates and teacher) her dance moves. But instead she followed along and was really upset when class was over and we needed to go. Her comment, “I just want to stay here all week.”

Fishin' with Papa

2009-07-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

These pictures needed a post all by themselves. Here Em is with her Papa on the 4th. They were fishing off the pier and I couldn't help but taken tons of pictures of them. I do wish we all lived closer so that we could see each other more often. Em loves her Papa so much and I think that's what makes these pictures so priceless. The soonest she'll have a chance to do this again will be next year.

4th of July

2009-07-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics from the 4th of July. We decided last minute to head up north by John's family for his Aunt & Uncle's 25th wedding anniversary.

My absolute favorite picture of the summer so far!

Em and Aunti Katie

Em with Uncle Vinny

One HOT HOT Day!

2009-06-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

So of course the day we decide to go to Sea World was like 103! I thought we would split our day like we did when we went to Disney but honestly, John and I couldn’t fathom going back with the heat. We started our visit by checking out the dolphin cove which Em really liked. I then wanted to make sure she got to see the Sesame Street show they had going on in the morning. I am so glad we did. We were able to sit right up front and Em enjoyed it so much! Once it was done we even waited a few minutes and were able to get our picture taken with Elmo but again, she wouldn’t do it by herself.

Em and I went to feed the dolphins which I thought was a cool experience. Em was very excited until the fish were put in front of us. Then all she wanted to do was get away as quickly as she could. Well shortly after that she became unbearable. It was a mixture of the heat and her being tired. She finally passed out in the stroller which gave John and I nice break. We walked around and checked out some other animal exhibits until she woke
up. Then we got something for lunch and were figuring out if there was anything else we wanted to do before we left. Well as luck might have it, the Shamu show was going to start shortly so we walked over there and I would say that show made the whole trip to Sea World worth it. All three of us enjoyed it. We were up a ways so we never got wet which was probably for the best. I can just imagine how Em would have reacted if she had gotten soaked. It would not have been a good thing! Here are some of the amazing pictures we got from the show.

Mickey Here We Come

2009-06-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday was the day we had scheduled to do Magic Kingdom because we were able to get a reservation for a character lunch with the Winnie the Pooh characters. We figured we do a few things in the morning, head to lunch at 1:00 and then take the shuttle back to the hotel to give Em a chance to take a nap for a few hours. Since the park was open until 11pm that night we were planning on going back after dinner to have some more fun and see the fireworks and light parade. Well not everything went as planned. We had a great time in the morning. The first thing Em saw was the castle. She was sooo excited! There was a small show right in front with the regular Disney characters along with the princesses. Em loved the dancing and singing. She was so zoned into every movement. Here she is on John’s shoulders getting a better look.

She also loved the Winnie the Pooh ride. (She liked it so much we had to ride it again when we returned that night.) Once she got home all she would tell everyone was how Tigger would keep jumping out. We walked through Mickey and Minnie’s house and got to get our pictures taken with them. The waiting in line was difficult for her but a trip to Disney just wouldn’t be complete without a pic with them. Now if only she would have been willing to be in the picture by herself, that would have been great but this was as good as we could get. The real kicker was her comment after we were done, “See, I told you that wasn’t so bad!” Sure Em….

She did want to meet the princesses and that was a little easier for her. I think it’s because they don’t wear a mask like the other characters. She even talked to them a bit. Here’s some pics of us with Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).

Well our trouble began when we went to check in for our lunch reservations. As we walked up to the restaurant I could see a crowd of people including several of the employees. I went to check in and they informed me that they were having technical difficulties and were not sure when they would be opening up. Apparently, they had been closed for the previous 2 hours and said it could be another hour before they started allowing people in. I asked what they were planning to do with those who had made reservations. She said we could go to one of the 2 other restaurants that she named and we would be taken care of. When I asked her if the Characters would be at those restaurants her reply was, no, they only come here. This made no sense to me. If they were trying to get the patrons to go to another restaurant why wouldn’t they send the characters along? So we waited a bit and it still hadn’t opened so we went somewhere else to eat. John said that he didn’t think Em would even notice. Yeah right! It wasn’t right away but the next day she did question when we were going to go eat with Pooh and Tigger.

So by the time we were done with our lunch it was 2:45 and the parade was going to begin at 3:00 so we decided to sit along Main Street and wait to see it before we headed back to the hotel. Well, 4-5 minutes before the parade began the clouds started rolling in. The parade began and Em was in awe watching all the characters and floats go by, then out of nowhere it started pouring! I had all I could do to get the umbrella out from under the stroller and put it up to protect Em in the stroller. We had ponchos in the diaper bag and a rain cover for the stroller but there just wasn’t anytime. I was completely soaked. It was crazy!! And there was Em just mesmerized by the parade not caring one bit that the rain was coming down so hard. If it wasn’t for a float getting stuck in the road and stopping the parade, we probably would have just sat there taking it all in till the end. All I could do was smile and laugh because it was at that moment that I realized the true “magic” that the Disney experience brought to us. Even with the terrible storm, Em was loving the experience as was I.

We ended up going back to the hotel in the rain. Completely soaked from top to bottom. All 3 of us passed out for a couple of hours. When we woke up the weather was still gloomy but John and I decided to just bear it and go back. We were so glad we did. Once we finally got back to the park the rain had cleared and we were able to enjoy the rest of our night. We were able to hit another 4 rides and didn’t have to wait too long. The fireworks were amazing and Em still talks about Tinkerbell flying through the air before they had started. Once those were done, we went to get a spot for the light parade which was equally cool. Here are some more pics from our day:

1st Trip to Florida

2009-06-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

So we decided to take our 1st trip on an airplane with Em. I was so worried about how she would be on the plane. To my surprise she did an awesome job both to and from. Here’s a pick of her 1st plane ride.

Our plan was to go simple with this first trip to Florida. We had decided to only go to Magic Kingdom and Sea World. I think that was just enough for Em, and for me. All the walking and high temps were nearly unbearable but we made it through and had a great time!

My Baby is 3 Today!

2009-04-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Oh how the time flies. It’s hard to believe that three years have come and gone. I still remember the anxiousness and excitement we felt the day you were born. My favorite past time then was just watching you sleep. I just loved that (and still do!) Now we are constantly busy always finding fun things to do.

At 3 you are:

A wonderful artist. You love creating little masterpieces. You are constantly making things whether it be with crayons and paper, your doodle pads, or shaping bead necklaces into different shapes. You have developed the ability to draw people and they look great. Your all time favorite right now is painting. Your artistic interests also extend into music and dancing. You love to sing just about anything. You have a tendency to just bust out singing your thoughts instead talking which I do love to hear. But if we acknowledge you singing sentences, you shy away from us. So Daddy and I have learned just to listen and enjoy them quietly.

Very opinionated. You are always expressing exactly what’s on your mind. Some may say it’s just your age but I believe that you will carry this trait on as you get older. You are my little chatterbox, always going on and on. (As a teacher, I already know what your report cards will say!) I enjoy having our conversations and treasure them so much. That is one of the reasons we go out to dinner just the two of us. I like the one on one time it gives us together to just talk. Your mind is an absorbing sponge that is always picking up on the things going on around you.

Loving and caring individual. You are always concerned with how others are feeling. Your compassion is abundant. When others are hurt the concern is obvious on your face. You are my little helper always offering to lend a hand with everything I do. (I do hope this continues as you get older too.) You are a “little mother” to younger children which eases my concerns with a new sibling on the way. I believe you are ready to become a big sister and you will do a great job too!

Yee Haw Cowgirl!

2009-04-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went over to a friend’s who planned an “Un-birthday” Party for some kiddos in RFC. Em had a blast. They decorated cowboy/girl vests, had a special snack, played games, had a piñata, and to top it off, got to go for a “hayride” minus the hay. It was just too cute. Here she is in her cowgirl hat we made together.

Spring Break

2009-04-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything. I have a good explanation. Between work and not feeling well (for those of you who don’t already now, we’re expecting) and of course being lazy when I do feel ok, time has just slipped right on by.

No major events planned for the week, just hoping to have some relaxation time. So far we’ve hung out at home for the most part which has been VERY nice! (I especially like our naps together :) ) It’s really cute. Yesterday I was on the phone and Em said she was ready for her nap. I told her I’d be there in just a minute. When I went to go put her down in her room, to my surprise she was already tucked in my bed with her pillow, all 4 of her blankets and her baby, just laughing away that we can nap together. How could I say no to that?! So of course she pulled my arm enough that I decided to join her :).

Today we headed down to Gurnee for a little shopping and lunch with our friend Lindsay. We didn’t find too much but lunch was nice. Em also got to take her 1^st ride on a carousel which of course she was thrilled about. Once we got home all she talked about was Lindsay. She asked if next time we could get some books, since we like to frequent the warehouse book sales with Lindsay, which then turned into a recap of the last time we went and didn’t find anything. It just amazes me how good Em’s memory is.

I think we have SUCCESS

2009-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

So it's been almost a week since Em decided she was ready to go on the potty. I had given up the trying and had decided to just wait it out when out of nowhere last Sunday morning she says, "Mommy, I want to go on the potty." I figured why not? It will give us a reason to stay home. I was not expecting her to do so well. She went the 1st time she asked. I then started asking her every 25-30 minutes to try. 10 minutes after the second time she went, she had an accident, but that was the only one! After about 2 hours I stopped asking her if she needed to go because she would just let me know it was time.

She did so well this week! No accidents! That is except for #2. Monday John called me on my way home from work saying that Em went in her underwear. I can't believe how calm he was about it. I honestly expected to come home to a mess to clean up but it had already been taken care of! I mean completely cleaned up. Oh, how I love him :) Anyway, we ended up having another one of those 2 days later. Then on Friday she told me before she went and actually did so on the toilet!

So we're going strong, both at home and the sitter's. I'm hoping for the best that it will keep up!

Big Dreams

2009-01-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight when we got home from dinner, John was carrying Em and she was pointing up to the stars then she saw the moon and said, "Someday I want to go to the moon!" Hmm, could she grow up to be an astronaut?

Build a "Friend"

2009-01-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

So today we went to Mayfair. I've been wanting to take Em to the Build a Bear workshop for some time and figured why not today?! She had a blast! Emily picked out a Bunny and named her Miss Bunny :) It was so cute watching her help stuff her bunny and give it a bath. The thing that took the longest was picking out the clothes. Emily was having so much fun begging me for every outfit and accessory imaginable. Look at her and the final product: "Miss Bunny"!

Pleeease can I do a project?

2009-01-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today Em's Best Buddy in the Whole Wide World, as she likes to refer to him as, Aiden came over for the day. It's so cute when they get together and run all over the place. Well Em was begging me to do a project so I pulled out a few things that I was using for my kindergarten class and threw something together for them. I gave them each a large paper heart doily and tissue paper squares. I let Em use the glue stick herself to glue the pieces on. She loves the simplest things and is so proud of all her projects. She couldn't wait to hang it up on the front door and insisted that Aiden hang his up too. I came up with the idea of hanging her artwork on the door using clothespins that I attached magnents to. That's how we displayed the Christmas cards we received this year and thought that we'll continue with her artwork. Here she is busy at work.And the final masterpieces.....

Cold Days

2009-01-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

So school was canceled yesterday and today for the frigid temperatures we've been having. Yesterday was a family day since John was off too. I put together a project for Em and she absolutely loved it! Check her out hard at work. Her snowman looks great. She is definitely a good gluer. She is so proud of her snowman. When she finished she raced downstairs to grab John so he could see it!

Then today I decided to venture out with her. A few weeks ago, Em accidentally dropped her piggy bank (the one she painted at Fired Up last August.) So I decided to take her back to make a new one. John wanted us to get a bigger bank but Em really wanted a fish one so that's what she got. Em piked out what colors she wanted. She wanted her fish to be green so I painted the base coat for her and then she went to town. Check out the mouth. She painted the lips and smile all on her own without any prompting. And when she was done, I did the finishing touches by adding the eyes. It is so cute I can't wait to see it next week when I can pick it up.I also used today as a way to get caught up on my blogging. It's been a while since I've put anything up. The thing is, I usually use the laptop upstairs and write my posts and then save them until I have time to upload some pictures on my PC. I've really got to get better and doing that on a regular basis so they don't all pile up on me. ;) Happy Reading!

My little Jammer

2009-01-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

So Em loves music! Sure she loves to play instruments and sing children's songs but there's 2 other songs that have to be turned up if they come on the radio.
1st one: In the Ayer by Flo Rider, she loves this song. She sits in her seat with her hands in the air like she's "raisin the roof". Cracks me up. Oh, and her singin....My oh, my. Here's a pic of her doing it. I had to pull the car over to get this shot. If you don't know the song, here's a link:
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Flo+Rider/track/In+The+Ayer

Her other favorite is Leona Lewis, Bleeding Love. This one she loves to sing but you have to listen closely to her. Em believes that she's sayin, "I keep waiting, keep keep waiting." instead of bleeding. Which to me is much better for a two year old.

Reindeer Cutie

2009-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

I Love this pic of my little reindeer!

Christmas

2009-01-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas flew by this year. Em got way too much between all of our family and Santa. Let's see: preschool puzzles, wooden train set, doctor kit, Snap & Style Doll, Animal counters with sorting bowls, Cabbage Patch baby, baby diapers & bibs, Micky Mouse Clubhouse, keyboard, lots of preschool learning games (her favorite is a listening bingo game), magnetic letter desk, Melissa & Doug Band in a Box, M&D magnetic dolls (just like paper dolls but they're wooden and the clothes stick to them, Very Cool!), art books and supplies.

Here we are on Christmas day. (We even have Tank in the picture!)

Mountain Climber

2009-01-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Monkey Joe's in Brookfield
(www.monkeyjoes.com ) with a friend and her two boys. We all had such a great time. It's an indoor play place that's full of inflatable bounce houses and slides. Em was nervous climbing up the slides at the beginning so I would go behind her to make sure she didn't fall. After just a few times she was scaling those steps like nobody's business.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas eve and day up north by John's family. Em loved hangin out with her Auntie Katie and Uncle Vinny! They are so good at taking the time to play with her. It's crazy to me that it doesn't seem that long ago that they were Em's age. Here's a pic of them all together on Christmas eve. Here's Em playing with her new doctor kit with Uncle Vinny.

Another funny....

2009-01-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we did a little shopping as a family. We finished up at the outlets and then ran to one more store for John. As I'm buckling Em in her seat to leave she says "You're drivin me crazy Dad!" while pretending to turn a steering wheel with her hands. Seriously, I have no idea where she gets this stuff from!

Snow Day

2008-12-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

No School TODAY! We got pounded with snow, 12 inches from midnight to 9:00 this morning! So after John and I spent 2 hours clearing the cars and sidewalks Em and I had a homebound day of fun and relaxation. Emily was a little artist again today. Em had picked out some little plaster ornaments at the craft store last week and I thought today would be a great day to paint them. I couldn't believe how patient she was. She took her time and tried so hard. Just look at her great fine motor skills at work. She's able to hold the paint brush correctly and steadily. She was so proud of them and couldn't wait to show John!

Little Artist

2008-12-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

John had off today so Em stayed home with him. When I got home he had to show me her drawing. Check out her awesome stick person. It has come along way. Last month she was making her people by drawing a circle for the head which had a few dots on it and a line across for the face and then 4 lines coming off of the circle for arms and legs. Now look, she's even drawn a torso!

No Need to stop here Santa!

2008-12-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

I asked Emily what she wanted Santa to bring her for Christmas. Her response, "I have my tree and ornaments and lighst and my socks (socks being the stockings). That's all I need." Now if only that thinking would last for years to come! :)

Christmas Party

2008-12-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went to RFC's Christmas Party. This year it was Breakfast with Santa. If you ask Em, she could have done without Santa. She was fine until he walked in. Then she wouldn't let here eyes off of him, and I don't mean in a good way. She was terrified. We sat at a table in the front hoping that by seeing other kids going up there by him and getting presents that she would want to too. It took her a while but she wanted a present so her and I went and waited in line. She seemed fine until it was our turn. That's when she lost it. She wanted nothing to do with him. She had her arms wrapped around my neck and her legs twisted around my waist. Oh, and the scream that came out of her mouth, I'm sure she stopped everyone in their tracks! She told Santa to give me her present while crying. I asked her what should she say, and she thanked him, still crying. Then we turn to go. We weren't even off of the stage yet and the crying stopped. She had a huge smile on her face and with excitement she says "Santa gave me a present and candy cane mama!"

Gingerbread Fun!

2008-12-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to an RFC craft night and made a cute little gingerbread house. Emily was so excited to see her friends! (And loved eating the candy!) We used graham crackers to make the base of the house and then added frosting and candy to decorate it. I think I got a little too carried away with it and took the "design element" from Em but she seemed happy with letting me lead :) I think we're going to have to make a big one at home so she can be in charge :)

Say Cheese

2008-12-07T22:08:00.000-08:00

Today I took Em to get her pictures taken for Christmas. We tried a new place in Kenosha called Picture Innovations. I think they did a great job but there was some miscommunication. When I called to make an appointment, I inquired about their special picture package. They told me one thing but when I actually picked out the poses I wanted and told her which one I wanted for my main pose (which should have been for the package) she didn't ring it up that way. Apparently, just telling them that you want the package when you make an appointment is not enough. You actually have to say the words I want this pose for my special promotional price. I mean for pete's sake. They are new to the area they should have asked if what I meant to say is I wanted the special when I said I wanted this pose as my main one. You would think that it would be on my appointment sheet!

Anyway, Emily started her session by crying but the photographers did a great job at getting her to smile. They all turned out great. Here are a few of my favorites.

HELLO December

2008-12-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

Here she is all ready to play, to bad Mom has to go to work :(

One thing to add: Em's new saying, "That's what I'm talkin about!" It just cracks us up when she says it.

Sesame Street

2008-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

So November has just zipped right on by. I can't believe it's going to be December already. Not too much excitement here. Em is definitely not ready to be a big girl. She hasn't shown any interest in using the potty since my last post. My goal is to try again next month during our Christmas break since I'll be off for two weeks. We'll see what happens with that. We did make a cute Thanksgiving craft this week. We traced Em's foot and cut it out. Then she glued feathers, googly eyes and a beak on it. She loved doing it so much we made 4 of them!

This weekend John and I took Emily to see Sesame Street Live at the Bradley Center. We kept it a secret from her until we actually got there. She kept asking us what her surprise was but we told her she'd have to wait and see. When we got into the building she noticed a few kids were carrying stuffed Elmos and said, "Hey momma, she got an Elmo just like me at home!" Once we got up the escalator she knew something was up because of all the Elmo things so we told her what we were going to see and her face lit up with excitement.

We had awesome seats. We didn't want floor seats since it would be hard for her to see so we got first row of the lower section. Emily absolutely loved every minute of it! She was so focused on the show and was dancing in her seat. The show was called Elmo's Green Thumb. The story line was Elmo was trying to find a place to plant his flower. I didn't expect Em to really be able to follow the actual story but a few days after we had seen it, she was telling a friend

all about it! How awesome is that?!

On her way to being a BIG girl

2008-11-08T18:38:00.000-08:00

Just had to post that my little girl took a leap to being a BIG girl. I have been trying to encourage her to use the potty for a few months now but she wasn't showing any interest. Well this past week we went shopping with my mom and she bought Emily a Dora seat that goes on top of the toilet. She thought that maybe she'd like that better than her little potty. Em tried a few times to go but as she says, "My water won't come out." Well just a little bit ago I was downstairs on the computer when she yelled down to me that she needed to go to the bathroom. I figured sure we'll give it a few minutes so I helped her get on. Of course she thinks it's fun time and wants to play with her tub toys while she's sitting there. After a few minutes I asked her if she was done and she said that she was waiting for her water to come out so she could get a MnM (M&M). So we sat there, and all of a sudden she started going. My poor baby had this scared look on her face like she had no idea what was happening. I smiled and told her she was going potty and clapped for her. And with a big smile on her face she said, "My water, my water come out mommy!!!"

So I know this is only the beginning, but still, I'm so proud of her and happy that I never pushed the potty training thing. This was all her!

Bad Mommy!

2008-11-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

I feel like a terrible mother. Today I had to take Em to get a flu shot. When I picked her up from the sitter’s I told her that we had to go to the doctor’s before we went out to eat. Just then she lost it, crying all the way to there in the car, in my arms as we walked in, and kept crying as she was standing next to me as we were checking in. I was able to get her to calm down and then the nurse called our name and she took off running from me crying, “No doctor mommy!” So we get her in the room, hold her down and give her the shot. It wasn’t until we were in the car that I realized how bad I really was, I had forgotten to give her any pain reliever before her shot. It honestly never crossed my mind. Well as a reward for Em and a comforting mechanism for me, I let her choose where we should go for dinner. I thought for sure she’d say Culver’s so she could get ice cream but to my surprise she said fruit cup, which means Chancery! Unbelievable! I know that her two favorite things to eat are chocolate ice cream and fruit but what kid would choose fruit over ice cream? Only Em :)-

Later on that night, still trying to soothe my mommy guilt, I asked Emily if she wanted to do a project. Her eyes lit up and she was thrilled. I had a simple craft that I actually had put together for October but we never got around to it. But hey, pumpkins are for November too. I gave her a paper plate and little square pieces of orange construction paper. She glued them on and when finished we added the stem. Look at her completed pumpkin, she is so proud of her work. All she kept saying was, “I show daddy when he gets home.”

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween has been a blast this year. This of course was the first year that Emily really had fun with the holiday. Besides hitting up all the pumpkin farms around, we also went to the RFC Halloween Party and a Halloween craft night. Emily just loves doing artsy things but I think she liked the cleanup time more with her bud, Cam. While the two of them were washing brushes, I caught Em hoisting herself up over the counter edge and putting her mouth under the stream of water to get a drink. Note to self: Let Em have fun in the kitchen sink more. :)

We had been asking Emily for weeks what she wanted to be for Halloween. The poor girl is taking after her mother with indecision. Things she named: monkey, monster, Minnie Mouse, butterfly. What did she end up choosing, Daisy Duck! Now lets just say that took some coaxing. We were at the Disney Store and I had her try on a Minnie costume. She looked so cute but her comment, “It no fit me.” (even though it did.) The reason, she kept eyeing a Donald Duck costume. I said that Donald was a boy but that she could be Daisy, so in other words, she settled but was happy. Here’s a pic of Em as an adorable Daisy. (Like her potato head pumpkin masterpieces?)

This was Emily’s 1st year trick or treating. John and I took her around the block. She carried a little pink and purple basket that looked cute with her costume, even though John teased me that it looked like an Easter basket. Once we went around the block she said she was all done since her basket was full so we went home and passed out candy and played in the front yard.

More Pumpkin Farm Fun

2008-10-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

So October is at an end and I’ve been really bad at keeping up with the blog, go figure. So let me play catch up…… We ended up hitting at least one pumpkin farm every weekend just like I was hoping to. Em and I went with our good friends, Jennie and Aiden and Aiden’s grandma Sharon, who is also Em’s sitter, to Swan’s Pumpkin Farm on the 12th. Emily took her 1st hayride and loved it. One thing that she could have lived without, the animals. She wanted nothing to do with any of the animals and just kept trying to hide behind me. Aiden on the other hand, loved them!

The next weekend John and I took Emily and Aiden to Jerry Smith’s. What a great Pumpkin farm! We had never been there before. They have little scenes set up with the characters having “pumpkin heads”. Emily’s favorite was the JoJo’s Circus scene. (JoJo’s circus is one of her favorite cartoons on Disney.) We did a no no and let Em go in the scene so we could get her picture taken with them. I know, I know, what bad examples we are, but it was the only way I could get her to look at me for a picture ;)

Then the third weekend we finally got hit with the October cool weather. We had been so lucky up till that point! Of course, the weekend I decide to save for going to the Land of the Giant Pumpkins, out on Hwy 11 in Sturtevant, was the windiest and coldest, but Em didn’t care. Nana (my mom) came with us because I had to pick up 50 small pumpkins for the RFC Halloween party in addition to the pumpkins for our house. Emily had fun picking out pumpkins for her friends and playing in the small houses and hay maze. Em had a blast going to all the different pumpkin farms! If anyone might know of any pumpkin farms that we missed, please let me know so we can add them to our list for next year.

Fall Fun

2008-10-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

It’s Fall! One of my favorite times of the year. I love the the fresh crisp air and the change of colors. I can’t wait for the leaves to fall so we can make big piles and Emily can have fun jumping into them. Speaking of which, mental note needed: Have John pick up a kid’s rake from work. ;)

We started October off right with a trip to Apple Holler on Saturday. We have made it a tradition to go there each year. We get up early (yes all 3 of us) and head there for their apple breakfast. The Apple Walnut French toast is sooo yummy and the apple smoked bacon is Mmm. After breakfast we go to the pumpkin patch and take Emily’s picture in front of the height chart. This year she’s really made it difficult to get any good pictures. She refuses to look at me when I’ve got the camera out. Here’s a picture from each year. It’s hard to believe that this is her 3rd Halloween. Oh, how time flies!

This was the first year that Emily really “did” anything while at the pumpkin farm. She rode the kid’s train and did the corn maze. She was so cute while doing the maze. John and I let her lead the way. Each time we got to an “intersection” in the maze she’d say, “ooh, this is a good way” and lead us on all while eating an apple and trying to eat the dried corn throughout the maze.

Speaking of apples….my oh my did she ever get us going. For those of you who don’t know Em is a fruit and veggieaholic! No seriously, she can put them away like nobody’s business. Well while we were trying to take her picture by the growth chart she saw another little girl eating an apple and persistently begged us until we finally got her one. I was a little concerned because usually I cut apples into slices but figured she would be able to handle it. I showed her the part she shouldn’t eat and John and I kept reminding her while we were walking around. When it was time to go she still had half of her apple so we let her take it in the car. (Yes I know, it could have been a choking hazard but you try taking fruit away from an addict J ) Anyway, on our way home we kept checking on her and reminded her not to eat the stem or seeds. Do you know where I’m going with this……….. Yeah, we get home and John lets her out of the truck. He asks her where the rest of her apple is and she gives him a blank stare. He asks her again and he says in a happy voice with a big smile on her face, “I ate it!” We ask her again, “No Emily the part with the stem and the seeds, where did you put it? Under the seat?” She repeats laughing this time, “I ate it.” Again, with disbelief, John asks “Em, no seriously, where did you put it?” Her final answer almost shouting with one of her hands on her hip, “Daddy, It’s in my BELLY!” as she’s patting her belly with her other hand. So are you wondering what happens when you eat an apple core? Nothing at first but a few hours later the stomach ache sets in and it resurfaces if you know what I mean.

So my plan is to check out a few different pumpkin farms this year. Hopefully a different one each weekend while the weather’s still good. But one thing is for sure, I think we’ll stay away from the apples!

So Smart

2008-09-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

My baby is learning so much! Today I had to take a half day at work. Well I was in such of a hurry when I left that I forgot my purse in the closet in my classroom. Of course it had to be a Friday and I would defiantly be needing my things for the weekend so once school was over, I took Emily with me to go get it. My goal was to just be there for a minute but that never happens. Emily wanted to stay and play. She was busy sorting some plastic colored animals that I had at the math center. When I went to check on her I couldn’t believe my eyes. She had sorted them by color! How crazy I thought! What was more crazy was when we finally were leaving I tried to get her mind off of the fact that we were leaving so I asked her if she wanted to count the frogs on the lockers (they’re the locker name tags for one of the 2nd grade classes). I expected her to go to 7 since that’s what I’ve heard her do at home but to my amazement she counted to 11 and with one to one correlation! (meaning that she pointed to each frog as she counted it)

In addition to counting to 11 and sorting by color she can identify colors and names of shapes (circle, triangle, square, heart, star and diamond). Now before anyone starts questioning how she knows all this, listen up, we haven’t taught her any of it! She’s basically learned it on her own and even though I’m ashamed to admit it, Noggin has had an influence too. I’ve been selective with the toys that we’ve bought for her, lots of simple things that encourage her to learn these skills on her own. Em is also a great artist! She loves to draw and paint which has taught her the colors and shapes. I can’t wait till Christmas. I’ve got some great ideas of what I’d like to see her get!

Here We Are

2008-09-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we’re not really all that Krazy. But I’ve been wanting to get a blog up and running and decided to stop struggling to come up with a clever name. And yes, I know its spelled wrong John but it looked good with our last name! So here we are,The Krazy Kildahl’s.

It’s September and with that comes the start of a new school year for me and back to the sitter for Em. But before we go there, I wanted to take a look back at some of the fun we’ve had this summer……

We went on our 1st camping trip as a family in June. Actually it the first for John and I together. I still can’t believe that he agreed to go. Thanks goes out to our friends for convincing him it would be fun! We went up to the Peninsula State Park in Door Co. for 4days/3nights. Staying in a state park was a 1st for me too. As a kid we always went to the luxury campgrounds like Jellystone which offered all the amenities. Never had I stayed at a site the had no grass, not even as a Girl Scout. But we made the best of it and all the dirt/mud that came with it.

We had a blast! I still can’t believe that Em was able to sleep all night and take naps in the tent! She had so much fun hangin out with our “extended family” as I like to call them. They are all too good to her! (Especially her “uncle” Steve!)

One of the things on our “to do list” while camping was to bike the trails. It was a good thing the park rented out bikes because for one thing we would have had no place to put them to get them there and for a second, yeah, neither of us owned a bike let alone a trailer for Em. We made it a whole 4 minutes on the bike and Emily was having a nervous meltdown. So John and I started riding back while our friends Steve and Sara continued on the trail. I finally convinced John to just catch up to them and do the trails, that there was no reason for both of us to skip it. So we switched the bike trailer onto my bike and Em and I gave it another try. It didn’t take me long to figure out that the only thing she didn’t like about biking was the rough trails. As long as she was on paved ground she did fine. By the end of our 2 hours she was worn out from all fun. John was worn out too……He never ended up catching up to our friends. Instead he took the trail by himself and ended up on the opposite side of the park, which was about 4.5 miles away. We figure he must have biked over 10 miles that day and let me tell you, we were all resting well that night! Needless to say, we came home and bought bikes and a trailer and have been riding all summer!

Summer recap Part 2

2008-09-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

The rest of our summer was filled with simple fun around town. Emily and I found our new favorite picnic spot. It’s a nice shady park tucked away here in Racine that’s only about a 20 minute bike ride from our house. We discovered it when we went to a Kid’s Event with RFC (Racine Family Club). Since then we’ve gone a couple of times and was even joined by some of Emily’s friends too. It’s funny, every time we go to that park now, she asks if her friend Neela will be there. And if John takes her, she goes on and on about the time they were there together. We just get such a kick out of her memory. It amazes us how she can remember the tiniest detail that happened a month or two ago.

We did a lot with RFC this summer. Maybe, too much. You see I just go through these periods where I feel guilty that I don’t spend enough time with Emily. So when summer comes around I end up trying to do too much. Our July calendar had something on it everyday. We had play dates at the park, crafts with friends, backyard get togethers. The list can go on and on. I know she had a good time but I always second guess myself about if I’m over stimulating her.

We decided to get a membership to the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. If you haven’t been there you should really check it out. They have all sorts of hands on things for the kids to do. The museum had a special exibit this summer having to do with Mr. Potato Head which Emily loved! Her other favorite thing there is the pretend city. She pretended to be a news anchor in a studio (ok, so she didn’t really know what she was doing but liked being on tv and having a microphone, go figure!) and also played for a long time in the supermarket they have. I just love how children can learn through play. She was busy telling me what she was shopping for naming each item as she put it in her cart, using her manners as she gave her groceries to the little girl who was pretending to be the clerk at the register and the best aha for me as a teacher was when she took her cart to go put everything away and had to sort through all the groceries as she was classifying and matching up the food to the pictures on the shelves ! All we can say to that is Awsome! (One of her new found words :) )

Em and I went on some zoo outings too. We did the Milwaukee zoo with her best buddy Aiden. I swear those too are hilarious when they get together. They are both so happy to see eachother it’s almost scary! Emily just loves her Aiden and talks about him all the time. It’s a good thing fall is here and she’s back at the sitter’s cause now she can see him everyday.

We also got to feed the new giraffe at the Racine Zoo thanks to our friends Shannon and Cameron. Em and I talked about it for days before we actually went and she was so excited! But what do you know, when the time comes, she just wanted to leave. So I convinced her that we could do it together.

One of our last outings for the summer was going to Fired Up in downtown Racine. It’s a ceramic place where you can paint a piece of pottery and then they glaze and fire it in a kiln for you. I wasn’t sure how she’d do but I really wanted to give it a try and I’m so glad I did! She had a blast! We picked out a piggy bank and then I let her pick out whatever colors she wanted. She did such a great job and wanted to keep painting that I let her do a second piece that I picked out, a pencil/pen cup for my desk at work. It can be costly to go there but I’d still like to go every once in a while. I can’t wait till she’s old enough to participate in some of the art classes at the art museum. She just loves doing arts and craft things at home.