Michigan Memories

Kevin rescuing the kite at Shawns

Ava attempting to catch a water balloon

The day Em got sick

The fountain in Warren at City Square. Very awesome place.

Metro Beach, the water wasn't very pretty and a couple days later they closed the beach because of Ecoli.

My sister Amber and new nephew Liam at Rochester Park

My sister Liz and Emma playing at my parents in the pool.

My mom showing Em her flowers in the front yard.

Em showing off her swimming skills on Memorial Day in Oma's lake

My brother Andy, Arch and Stan all at Dave and Busters celebrating Andy's graduation from high school.

Em teaching my brother Kevin how to drive.

Uncle Stan and Em playing video games.

Aunt Penny, Em and me at BD's Mongolian Grill.

Stan and Kev on Stan's dock behind his house on Lake St. Clair.

Kevin and Nate at Nate's graduation party.

The best picture ! Love it, my Grandma and Jack with Nate.

My Grandma June, Aunt Penny and cousin Keri

My aunt Rose

Me and Em at Great Lakes Crossing on the carousel.

Shawn and Ava a few horses over.

Family lunch at Jacks on the water (just don't eat the food)

Grandma

Hanging out at Shawn and Daryls.

Visiting the Walkers. What a great day all around!

Em really liked little Evie.

More Kessup please?

Emma's new favorite food in addition to pickles is hot dogs, I personally think Ketchup is her favorite and she just eats hot dogs with it. She also asks for ice cream breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have a feeling Archie gives in once in a while for breakfast but that is just a hunch. She has also become a texture girl, she won't touch certain things, but of course any junk food she is right on board just like any kid.

She still REFUSES to go on the potty now, we had such a great start and it fizzled out and we can't get her restarted. We tried a gumball machine quickly replaced with chocolate eggs. (the gum wasn't good for a girl with a very sensitive gag reflex, but she didn't swallow it!). She couldn't care less about getting a "gumball" now.

Emma is doing great with her letters, numbers, shapes and colors. We bought a set of pre-school prep cd's that she loves and they helped her learn a couple letters , shapes and colors she didn't know.

Conversation between Archie and Em today:

Daddy "ooops"

Em "Daddy you ok?"

Daddy "yes I just spilled my coffee, I am ok, thanks for asking"

Em "you welcome"

Daddy "I love you"

Em " I love you too"

Mommy "you are so cute"

Em "No, I'm not so cute"

It is just so cool to listen to her have a whole conversation. She is very polite and concerned if everyone is ok. She has even learned excuse me at the appropriate times. I can't convince her that she doesn't have to say sorry for sneezing.

3 year photo session

The last several times we have had pictures done of Emma she has been less than cooperative. Always running out of the room, not wanting to smile etc. This time she did great! She had a ball with the two photographers she worked with. They were very accommodating to her and she loved trying to do what they asked her to.

We have been telling her she is having a birthday party with her friends next week and she is very excited. She keeps asking for her "birfday party". She is going to be very happy once it gets here and she sees how many people will be there to celebrate with her. Emma also keeps trying to hold up 3 fingers but can't quite master it but she keeps trying.

After Effects

This has been a fun Christmas. Emma was spoiled by grandparents, friends, extended family... She enjoyed opening each and every present. Every day she has begged to open one more "presen". I am so glad they are all finally opened and no more for her to salivate over under the tree. She is having a ball right now going under the tree to get her opened toys to play with.

Starting on the 20th she had a fever for 3 days running with no other symptoms. Well the other symptoms finally caught up with her and she is now coughing and sneezing. This is new for her since she has never had a cough before, she has only had a stuffy nose in the past and one ear infection. Hopefully this will be short lived and she will be better soon. As you can see from the first picture she is wiped out and passed out at the dinner table tonight.

The Santa Experience

We were supposed to go see Santa in the morning and be home in time for a nap. We went to Macy's because I thought they had a Santa there, they didn't. So we trekked in horrible traffic to the mall. When we finally got there the parking was horrendous. It was 1pm by then and Emma hadn't eaten anything all day, she kept saying she wasn't hungry till we were parking. We got inside and Santa was at lunch, the woman standing there told us to get in line anyway, well I didn't see a line so I didn't think it was a big deal so we went up to get her some food. She wanted to play on the quarter rides instead so we had to move tables so she couldn't see them and would eat. By the time we went back down stairs there was the line. I didn't realize it was there earlier because it was behind the display... So we waited in the hour long line. Part of the time she watched tv on the phone, the other part she found some kids behind us running in circles around their grandma and she joined in. It was fine until their mom's wanted them to calm down she didn't want to stop and thought it was funny to run out into the mall. Also her boots she had on combined with the tights would fly off any time she kicked them. She is in a bad kicking stage right now if she is mad and the boots turned lethal and kept flying off every time she got mad. We finally got up to our turn and she threw herself on the ground because she thought it was someplace to play not just sit. We finally got her on Santa's lap, she was playing shy and mom just plopped her on. Then she wouldn't look at the camera and would not smile. She had the most solemn face ever and add in the fact it was now three hours past nap time. So I picked the picture of her looking at him except when they handed it to me I noticed what I didn't on the screen.... her eyes were closed. Oh and now she knows what a candy cane is because they hand them out and she saw the other kids eating them. Our tree is going to be depleted. In addition every time we passed Santa after that she wanted to go back and see him! Merry Christmas.

Emma's world

Emma's vocabulary is getting better and expanding by the day. I wanted to get down some of the cute words she still says in her own little Emma way.

Princen - Princess
I hone it - I hold it
Pirates dosin - Pirates that don't do anything
Tinka bell - Tinker bell
Apple pie - apple sauce
TE - TV funny I used to call it CV when I was younger.
Kissmass tree - Christmas Tree


It's mine and if that doesn't work It's my turn (doesn't matter what you are trying to say or do those are her two answers for everything right now)

When I am giving hugs and kisses before I leave for work she makes sure I include daddy, if for some reason I
just kiss him she points at him and says "give hug"

Since my mother in law came to stay with us for a week (she is 85+) every woman with grey hair is "gamma" and my child does not say anything quietly makes sure the lady with grey hair hears her saying "look mommy, it's gamma"

If we are in a drive thru she has to say hi and is crushed if they don't say hi back, same in the store, movie theater, on the street.. you name it. And answering the door is her most favorite, mommy doesn't get to ignore the solicitors anymore cause Emma has to see who is at the door and say hi or else she stands on the other side of it screaming.

Unfortunately we are at the kicking and throwing ourselves on the ground if we don't want to do something phase. This includes the store, the movie theater, the sidewalk, the public restroom you name it. Always fun to try and pick up your kicking child as she is sliding her clean clothes and her hair through all that disgusting stuff on the ground.

Emma adores the "showee" as she still calls it. She is naked in 30 seconds flat if she hears the shower going. There are not many days I get to shower alone anymore and when I do get out she will stay in there for at least another 20 minutes playing. Then when she gets out she gets wrapped in a towel and promptly lays on the rug and says "nigh nigh" and does her fake little snore. Very cute.

She tries to direct whoever is driving by pointing in a direction and saying "that way" and is not very happy if you do not comply.

The best $14 dollars we have spent is on an easel that has a white board and chalk board with a holder for a roll of paper in the middle. She spends hours a day coloring and either mommy or daddy has to "sit down" and color too. This morning I woke up with a crayon in my hand. I think she had come in when I was asleep and tried to convince me to color with her.

She is doing great with her colors and her letters by sight. Archie has been spelling words out for her and trying to teach her to spell them. He has the patience of saint cause I am just not a person that can kneel in front of the fridge with the leapfrog letters and practice them with her over and over.

One last thing, she spends hours in front of the mirror, we moved it into the living room because at one point Archie said she was carrying it around like a surf board and that is a little too dangerous. She loves making faces, practicing her whining and playing dress up in front of it.