Another Year Slips By

As the year draws to a close, Mommy and Daddy are amazed with all the accomplishments that Emma has made.  Emma loves to talk and is very into commanding others what to do.  Mommy and Daddy must sit at the breakfast table with her, Alli must get down if she is begging for food, baby doll must sleep, Mommy or Daddy must sing songs again and again and again...

Besides being a great commander, Emma has learned how to do lots of things on her own.  She can put away silverware and plastic dishes, she can go up and down stairs, open gates, use remote controls, ask for certain foods, clean up messes she has made, put on her own shirt, and take off her boots, hat and mittens (the jacket is still tricky...but she can unzip it on her own).  Mommy is so glad that Emma is always willing to help when she is asked to do something.  The days of "No" are probably coming soon, so Mommy will enjoy this time as much as possible. 

Emma current favorite songs are Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABCs, Old MacDonald and The Muffin Man.

Walking has turned into running and lots of funny looking fast shuffles can be witnessed when she is extra happy.  We are working on our basketball skills with our new at home basketball hoop.  The hoop was a perfect Christmas gift for Emma this year.  Over the summer, Emma was fascinated with people that played basketball at our neighborhood park.  She would drag Mommy over to watch from the side of the court and make Mommy explain to the strangers that we just wanted to watch.

This past week, Emma transitioned to a big girl bed.  Mommy and Daddy were both surprised at how well she has been sleeping through the night.  Emma loves her big girl room and the stuffed monster she picked out to sleep on her bed.  Mommy doesn't like the fact that Emma seems to be getting up earlier now that she has her own room, but hopefully Emma will learn how to play by herself for fifteen minutes before beginning to cry for Mommy's attention.

We have also been working on potty training this last month and Emma is starting to get the concept of when she needs to go to the bathroom.  Currently, she likes to tell someone right after she goes to the bathroom.  If we can just get to the point where she is aware she has to go, we will be on our way out of diapers permanently.

Hopefully, Emma will love being a big sister and helping out Mommy and Daddy with the new baby in a month or so.  Many more changes to come! 

Music Class

Emma's favorite day at daycare is Thursday.  On Thursdays, she has a special music class where she sings and plays instruments.  Even though class is fun, Emma's favorite thing to do right now is read the book grandma Jan bought.  The book is filled with little songs to read and sing.  Mommy doesn't know how many times she has sung "Wheels on the Bus" and "Old MacDonald" but she definitely has portions of the book memorized.

I'm just cute

Dancing

Active All Day Long

Emma loves to play with dolls, go outside on the playground, listen to music with her Play, Tap and Go group and play on the slide in the gym.  She even fits some time in for art projects and reading lots of good books.

Dollies must always be wrapped in blankets and snuggled tight.

 This glue is delicious.  What do you mean it is not one of the basic food groups?

I caught you...taking another picture of me...  Watch as I attempt to roll over this stuffed block.

Quality Time with Great Grandma

Emma gets to spend time with her Great-grandma once a week.  She loves going over to visit at grandma's house.  Emma has grandma wrapped around her little finger.  She even gets to bounce on grandma's bed and roam the whole house.

Halloween, Strange Things Seen

Emma had lots of fun with her daycare crew on Halloween.  The group went trick-or-treating at the businesses next to the daycare and they made crafts together.  Then Emma headed over to Mommy's classroom for more fun and games.  Emma took all the third grader activity in as we played pass the pumpkin, bingo, decorated cookies and even reached our hands into mystery bags.  The evening ended with greeting lots of trick-or-treaters that came to our door.  In between trick-or-treaters, Daddy played the guitar and we listened to Halloween songs.

 Emma at daycare having lunch with friends.

Getting ready for more Halloween fun!

 Emma visiting with Mommy's students.

Leaves

Around the Chair We Go Go Go

Suitcases are for Surfing

Hang ten!

Yankee Doodle

Peekaboo!

Peekaboo!

Tired Yet?

 Emma is Quite a Climber These Days

 

How excited can one possibly get?

 

          

 Emma loves to go down the slide at the park as well as play a game of peek-a-boo

Great Grandma and Emma

 

                                  Tired beyond words                                    

Night at the Museum

Last night Emma, Mommy and Daddy were invited to a special Science Museum event for volunteers.  Mommy's friend Carolyn volunteers at the museum and brought Emma as a special guest.  When we arrived, Emma watched a man making balloon creatures.  She also tried to get her face painted, but realized that she didn't really like the process.  She had a flower painted on her leg instead.

Besides body art, Emma made a sailboat that she raced across the floor, tried out some mini-golf and listened to a presentation about the Fire Triangle.  Perhaps the favorite activity of the night was seeing the dinosaur exhibit with Daddy and playing on the musical stairs.  Although we had fun, Mommy and Daddy decided that the Science Museum is probably not the best choice for Emma until she is quite a bit older.  We'll stick with the Children's Museum for the next few years.

Emma playing on the musical stairs

Swinging at the Park

Emma went to the park tonight with Mommy and Daddy. I tried inserting the video of her swinging, but it didn't work. But we do have a picture of Emma and Mommy by the waterfall, which was pretty cool.

Talking up a Storm

Emma has discovered this past week that her words are very powerful.  She has said more recognizable words than we have heard her say in a long time.  She even copies Mommy when she sings songs.  The buzz words for this week are "yah," "no," "dada," "mama," "Alliiiii," "up," "down," "diaper," "duck," "bunny," "doggy," "done," "hi," "bye-bye," "uh-oh" and "all gone."  Besides words, Emma is really into making choices for herself.  She likes to pick out her own outfit and her own breakfast foods.

Hide and seek is definitely a favorite game.  Mommy just wishes that Alli would stop giving away her hiding spots.  Our game usually takes the form of Mommy running around a corner, Alli chasing after her and standing right next to the hiding spot while Emma is hot on the trail.  Yesterday, Emma learned how to use the salad tongs to pick up her big puff balls.  Mommy was really impressed as she watched Emma figure out how to open and close the tongs.  The best part was watching her figure out how to keep them closed after she had her object captured.

Emma still believes that crayons are part of a balanced meal, not something you draw with so we will keep working on that concept in the coming weeks.  Another skill we will continue to improve is Emma's ability to walk up the stairs instead of crawl.  Yesterday she discovered that she could hold onto the railing and make her way up without falling into crawl mode.

I'm hiding!

Emma's Day at the Farm

 Emma spent her Saturday at her Aunt Beth and Uncle Lee's farm in Hokah, Minnesota. They have 600 acres of farmland, prairie, and forest. Emma's car ride down to the farm started off ok, as she took a nap. When she woke up, we stopped at a gas station to walk around and look at Amish gifts. Emma chewed on all of the moose stuffed animals in the process. Once we got back in the car, though, she decided to scream and cry. She pretty much did that for the last hour of the ride. It was even harder to bear when Daddy's 4G coverage disappeared, and he had to follow the street signs and guess as to how to arrive at the farm!

Once we finally arrived, Emma calmed down and put on her best smile to greet all of her relatives. She met Beth, Lee, and her cousins Savannah and Jeremy, for the first time. They instantly became her new best friends. Plus, Emma got to catch up with Uncle Mike and Grandma and Grandpa Maas. She loved all of the toys that they had at the farmhouse.

Soon it was time to go to lunch, and we went to the local cafe on the main street. There wasn't any seating for such a large party, but the customers were very nice and the moved to the bar so that Emma's party could sit at the booths. Emma ate her fruit and veggies, but she decided that turkey was best for throwing. She also got to try some delicious cinnamon rolls.

After lunch, it was time to go back to the farm and play outside. Emma romped all over the yard as she took turns playing with Savannah, Jeremy, Mike , and Grandpa and Grandma. Daddy took a few turns driving the ATV up and down the hills. Emma was really jealous, but she knew she was too little to ride on such a vehicle. The hills are beautiful, and at the top of them you can see all of the other hills and the Mississippi River valley. We also drove up to the cabin of Beth and Lee's friend Janice. It has no running water and no electricity, but it has one of the best and most peaceful views in the entire world. It would make a great getaway for anyone willing to rough a little bit.

Soon it was time for dinner, and we ate corn and beans and veggies made by Beth, and brats, hotdogs, and chicken grilled by Mike. For dessert we had an apple crumble made by Beth's (sister? cousin?). Emma ate her normal dinner, then she has some brats and chicken, then she even had some crumble and ice cream. All the time, Emma got so much attention from everyone, even the puppy!

Finally, with no napping at all in the afternoon, Emma was simply worn out. We got in the car and said our goodbyes. Eveyone was sad to see Emma leave. Daddy thought Beth was going to try to keep Emma for good! Once we drove off, Emma fell asleep, and stayed asleep for the entire car ride home. At the point, Daddy went immediately to bed. It had been a really fun day!

Santa Emma

Emma had a bubble bath, and came out looking like santa!

To Brainerd for a Break

Emma embarked on her first "real" vacation to Brainerd, Minnesota last week.  She enjoyed splashing in the swimming pool, visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Maas and playing at the playground.  As always, Emma attracted the attention of just about everyone at the resort.  She was even given other kids toys to play with in the water.  Her favorite was a light-up ball that flashed on and off.  At the playground, Emma discovered sand and little pebbles.  After a few attempts to eat the pebbles, Emma realized that she needed to play with them instead of put them in her mouth.  Of all the things that Emma was able to see, the big blue ox and green frog that sat by the pond received most of her attention.   One of Emma's least favorite activities was wearing her life jacket out on the motor boat.  The pout that she put on her face as the jacket pushed up on her chin was unforgettable.  Mommy wishes she had a picture with the life jacket for future teasing.

 

Emma riding her amazing blue ox 

 Grandpa Maas and Emma

On our last day of vacation, we decided to attend the Nisswa 50 year tradition of racing turtles.  Emma was number 232 in line and Mommy and Daddy were unsure about how long the entire process would take.  Thankfully, the town had the process down to a science and they were able to have over 500 turtles racing in less than an hour.  Emma and Daddy picked out a rather large and slow turtle who decided to rest instead of win the race.  However, Emma enjoyed touching the turtle and seemed to be caught up in all the excitement.  If we ever turtle race again, the smallest turtle would probably be the best choice. 

 On your mark, get set, go!....

Maybe a little water on his back will get him going

On the Go

Emma and Mommy have been on the go for the past week and a half.  Unfortunately, we have not stopped to take many pictures during all of our experiences.  Here are some highlights from our first week together.

Emma loves to visit the Children's Museum.  Her favorite exhibit has a stuffed dog that goes into a dog house.  She also loves the Dora the explorer exhibit where she can go down the rocket ship slide and power a car with nuts that she collects in a basket.  This week was summer sensory at the explore station.  Emma enjoyed playing the the sand and picking up the fake bugs on the grass.

Emma getting ready for story time at the Maplewood Library

Almost every day Emma and Mommy go swimming at the community center.  Emma loves playing with the floating balls and jumping off the side of the pool.  She has just started to kick her legs and swish her arms through the water. 

Besides fun at the pool, Emma and Mommy designed a waterslide for Emma's bath toys.  We hooked up the hose outside to a plastic gutter.  Emma loves sliding her toys down the slope.  At the end of each trip down, she claps for the participant.  Froggy and Beaver are definitely favorites for waterslide fun.

Even though water is one of Emma's favorite activities, she does like to do an art project here and there.  We made a fruit loop rainbow and used yogurt for finger painting.  We also tried to make flowers from Q-tips and clay but that didn't work out so well.  We just ended up playing pick up the Q-tips instead.

 Emma fingerpainting

Over the weekend, we did lots of things with Daddy like visit the Manitou Days Parade and watch Shakespeare in the Park at the Lake Harriet Rose Garden.  Unfortunately this year, we did not make it through the entire play.  Emma decided that she wanted to be part of the cast this year and convinced some of the members to let her join.  They gave her some shakers to create some additional suspense, however, Mommy was unsure that the suspense was coming at the right time.  Mommy was excited that Emma got to participate but then became a bit worried when Emma decided to show off her musical talents to lots of audience members.  Needless to say, Emma got a little too restless about halfway through the show, so we decided to take a walk around the lake instead.  There were so many people out because it was one of the first nice days this summer. 

Round and Round

Emma is learning how fun it is to spin around and around, whether it be standing or even sitting!

I'm Walking

Over the past week, Emma has learned how to walk on her own.  Currently, she can make it across the living room before she tips forward onto her hands.  One of Mommy's favorite moments from the week was watching Emma take out Daddy's socks from the clean drawer and put them in the dirty clothes bin (at least she knows where they should go once they are used).  Mommy thought that she would only have enough energy to do one or two socks, but Emma had a master plan to empty the entire drawer.  As soon as Mommy was onto the scheme, Emma was quickly whisked away to an alternative activity.  Mommy has no need to do even more laundry than she already does.

Another favorite moment was watching Emma dig for her tennis shoes in her cubby and then bring them over to Mommy because she wanted to go outside.  Emma loves being outdoors.  Throwing and chasing after her colored balls is one of her favorite outdoor activities (thank you Grandma and Grandpa Maas).

One final memorable event from the week occurred at the supermarket.  While Emma and Mommy were in the checkout line, Emma was holding Mommy's coupon book.  She accidentally dropped the book onto the floor and let out a big "Uhhh, Ohhh."

The Children's Museum

Emma, Mom, and Dad spent the morning at the Children's Museum in downtown St. Paul. Emma spent most of her time with the big kids in the blue foam room and the water room, along with a side adventure into a factory. Finally we went all the way upstairs to the small kids area, where Emma thrashed about in a wetland until we had to leave so we didn't get a parking ticket.

Takin' a break in the cattails

My first bike ride

It wad really chilly outside, but Emma loved all of the sights and sounds. She snoozed most of the way.

Emma still loves Alli

What could be more fun than teasing Alli with Blue?

Another Weekend of Fun

We had another fun-filled, exhausting weekend.  Mommy and Emma went to the school carnival on Friday evening.  Emma had a blast meeting all of Mommy's former students as well as lots of babies who also were attending the fair.  She loved watching kids pull turtles from the "Turtle Pond."  With her cute smile and arms stretched out she was definitely one of the hit attractions at the carnival.

On Saturday, Mommy and Emma met up with Carolyn, Yeng and Sofie.  Emma made her first visit to the History Center.  Once again, we received the attention of just about anyone that passed by.  Emma's favorite exhibit had to do with farming in the Midwest.  She loved looking at all the fake little chicks and asked to go back to their window many times.  She also loved listening to the live music played as part of a Civil War reenactment scene.  Although Emma found it hard to keep still, we learned about how women helped in the war effort and even had a lesson in how they took photographs long ago.

Emma's latest facial expression is one that Mommy remembers doing when she was little.  It looks like "O mouth" is back for another generation.

Graduation, Grandparents and Great Friends!

This past weekend was filled with lots of excitement and lots of exhaustion.  On Friday, Emma, Mommy and both sets of grandparents watched as Daddy graduated with his Masters degree.  Having gone to smaller colleges for her degrees, Mommy didn't realize how lengthy the graduations were for even a Masters group from the U.  Mommy also accidentally brought in a balloon and was told by security that she would need to remove the balloon from the arena.

 Congratulations Daddy!  Way to go!

The following morning, Mommy and Grandma Kathy went to the yearly ECFE garage sale to get toys and clothes for Emma.  We found so many neat things for Emma to play with this next year.  We definitely did all of our Christmas shopping and birthday shopping now.  Emma was really happy to receive a swing, rocking cow and a Baby Einstein jumper.

Ha-ha grandpa, I am going to let it go again.

It is so much fun watching you try to get it off the ceiling

During the day, Mommy and Daddy were able to get a lot of cleaning and yard work done thanks to Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Jan.  Emma played lots, went on a walk and showed Grandma her bath time ritual (hopefully not showing how she does her back dives).

On Sunday morning, Grandma and Grandpa headed back to Wisconsin, but the fun was not yet over.  Emma and Mommy went to visit friends at Como Park while Daddy got some final course projects done.  The afternoon was a great one to be outside.  We met up with Colleen and Mike and their three daughters Charolette, Audrey and Clare as well as our friends Patience and Mike and their two children, Violet and Oscar.  Patience and Mike are visiting this week from Alaska.  We were quite the group when we visited Keys Cafe.  Food and coloring toys were shared by all as the adults tried desperately to converse.  Emma loved her fruit plate and managed to get almost all of the fruit flavors onto Mommy's clothes.

After lunch, we visited Central Park and played on the playground.  After about three hours, Emma was exhausted and ready for a nap.  We made our weekend Costco run and headed to church.  By the time we got home, everyone was exhausted.  Hopefully, this week will go by fast because I think Mommy and Daddy are definitely ready to get more sleep.