catch up with Emma!

Not sure why it's saying Monday, but I posted this Saturday, Feb. 27 :)

I'm BACK!!- Hope the Poltergeist (not Schwarzenegger) reference didn't scare anyone. I know, I know- I've said it before, but this time I promise to try to keep up! I won't even go in to how crazy things have been around here (crazy in a good way!), but I promised my Mom, Ms. Becky, and a few others that I would do my best to keep this blog updated. They finally got me back on here by saying I was short-changing Emma by not chronicling her cuteness as much as I have Chloe's-- lesson here is that GUILT works!!
So, Emma. Let's see. She turned 2 last month (I'll post about that soon with some awesome pics), but have no doubt, she thinks she's at least 17! She's a lot like her big sister, in that she almost always has a beautiful smile on her face, great attitude, and a loving heart. But it still amazes us how in some ways they can be so different! Most of it has to do with her being the second child (we think). Emma wants to do everything Chloe does, and she wants to do it by HERSELF! Miss Independent really doesn't do it justice- she is hardcore about trying things on her own. In some ways that makes me so excited, but in others it makes me sad. With her being our last, I want her to slow down a bit- and let me baby her a little more. But she'll have none of that! This is why I cherish naptime so! Not because I'm finally going to have a few minutes to myself (although that's nice!), but that's the only time that she sits still long enough for me to rock and hold her-- and get that baby smell that you know I love so much! It's like a drug to me! I fear the day that smell goes away- I may have some serious withdrawal!! Emma is also our resident daredevil. We just recently had to retire the Winnie the Pooh push behind walking toy (you know the one you can scoot around on or stand behind and push) because we found Emma on it at the top of the stairs ready to bobsled down! (we've also had to limit their Olympic watching after we caught both girls trying to do aerial stunts while jumping off of our bed!) Yeah, so I'm kinda fearing the day that she shows up with a Sean White at our door- because he can do the coolest stunts, oh and they have the same color hair!
Emma is doing great! She is a little chatterbox- and everyday we are able to understand more of what she says. One of my favorite sounds (& I'll have to record it and put it on here so you can hear) is Emma calling for Chloe- or Clo-oh as she says it. It is precious- and if you were at Bed, Bath, & Beyond today- or in a 5 mile radius- you may have heard her trying to find Clo-oh. Micky and I just smiled, because we know the day may come when she doesn't care that she hasn't seen her sister in the last 10 seconds! But right now, Clo-oh is her "happy place"- she loves her big sister so much that it can make me cry just watching them together. Also, Emma is a GREAT hugger! She still hugs with wild abandonment- like full body, I just might tackle you if you don't brace yourself kinda hugging! She doesn't care if she messes her hairbow up, or if she has chocolate pudding all over her face! And trust me, I don't mind getting that pudding all over me- because when you get a hug like that from Emma, it's just a soft sighing, melt your heart kind of moment. And besides, I usually have other food all over me anyway, so what's a little pudding?!? And Emma loves Poptarts! In her world a Poptart or PopPop as she calls it is one of two things-- an actual strawberry frosted Poptart or a Nutrigrain bar. The only way to know which one she wants is to show her the wrapper and let her pick! Every morning she picks one of those and promptly sits down at the table (in Chloe's big seat, not her booster! because Chloe's already gone to school and I guess Emma feels like the big kid on campus when she sits in Chloe's seat!) and waits patiently to eat her PopPop and she actually lets me feed her oatmeal. I love breakfast time!!
I don't think I can fully update you on everything new with Emma- but one thing you should be aware of is her HAIR!! I believe some Miracle-Gro must have gotten sprinkled on it, because it has taken off in the past 2 months! We do try to trim it when she's rocking the baby mullet, but I hesitate to cut it short. It's just too cute- and besides, Emma seems the type that might like a baby mullet! She's the most care-free, let's just have a good time in our diaper and boots kind of girl! She seems to like it :) Although it has given us some fits with trying to keep it out of her eyes!!!- you know I can't stand to see a babies hair in her face! Here are a few pics of Emma from the last few months- and you can try to guess which ones I did her hair in, and which ones she and Chloe did it in- have fun!!

More Firsts!!

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Packing the essentials for school-- a tea set!!






Today was Emma's first day of preschool. I guess at this age it's really more of a Mom's Morning Out, but to make it sound smarter- we're calling it preschool :) To be honest, it didn't seem to phase her too much. My mom came over before I took her to school and we tried our best to get some good pics. But I guess without Chloe standing at the door with her, it just wasn't that exciting for her. None the less, we still got some cute pics (of course they're cute, they're Emma!)


A little bored with this :)








Now she's feeling it!











Emma just loves playing with other kids. She does great in the church nursery. But she did cry when I left her today- and it pulled at my heart for the few minutes it took her to stop. As soon as her cousin got there she was good to go! Except for the fact that she then saw me (through the window) standing outside talking to Carla and Rebekah. Note to self-- do not stand in front of 1 year old's classroom window when said 1 year old is crying over your departure. She could totally see me, and I'm sure was thinking, "Are you just trying to torture me with the wondering if you're coming back now or later?!?" So sorry Emma! I promise to take my conversation down the sidewalk well out of your view :) She had a great time, and the leader of the program called me around 10 to assure me that she was doing great and had stopped crying- as soon as she couldn't see me! That is one of the reasons I love this school-- she knew I needed that call. It brought me great comfort! Apparently Emma has a knack for painting with apples. They said she dove right in-- I think they meant that literally!-- I told the teacher to be careful, and she said, "oh we had her paint shirt on." I told her I wasn't worried about Emma. I'm more worried about anyone standing within a 10 foot radius. Have you seen this kids arm? As light as paint is, I'm sure she could sling it pretty far!!

5 yr worries

Chloe's school year has started off great! She's doing a great job with her work, and doesn't complain too much about getting up early! She's made some new friends, and is very excited whenever she sees someone she knows in the halls. (several older kids from our church go to her school) On the way to school one morning (I think it was her third or fourth day) she asked about Nina. I was waiting for Nina to come up in conversation. Chloe and Nina have been best friends since they were like 2. One of my favorite pictures is of the two of them at Chloe's second birthday party sitting on a Nemo lounge chair Chloe got as a gift and laughing hysterically. I have no idea what they were laughing at, but they both look amazingly cute. Anyway, Chloe asked me (for probably the 6th time) what school Nina was going to. I told her and she asked why Nina couldn't come to her school. I told her. Then she said this:
C: "Mom, do you think she'll find a new best friend?"

I was a bit taken aback by that question. It seemed entirely too grown up for a 5 year old to be asking. But I thought about it for a few seconds and replied,
S: "Don't you want Nina to make new friends?"

C: "Well, yeah. She can make new friends just like I am. I just don't want her to make a new BEST friend."

We pulled up to school at that point so I ended the conversation with something like, oh you don't need to worry about that now. You guys will always be friends.

I thought this was too cute! I didn't have the heart to tell her that Nina (& she) would probably find some new best friends. I think it's inevitable being at different schools. But they can always be great friends. I told her they were going to get to see each other quite a bit in Girl Scouts (Daisies to be precise!), and that it would be cool to have a friend at another school. When she's older she can meet Nina's new friends too. I'm 32 and I don't have just 1 best friend. I'm lucky enough to have several. Hopefully she will be too :)

Cookies n Milk

I made cookies today for Chloe's after school snack. Emma watched Chloe dunking hers in milk and was trying to reach mine & Chloe's cup. So, her Grammy-- who always gives her what she wants :)-- got her her own milk. She didn't waste a crumb!

Chloe's first day of Kindergarten!!

Click on pics to make them larger!



Chloe on orientation day!


















Chloe's first day in K-5!

















Emma wanted to get in on the picture taking too! She was so excited watching Chloe be so excited! Love the bedhead!

Making Memories

I got to put both of my babies to bed tonight... and I cried. The tears were not tears of sadness, despair, fear, or even joy. To be honest, I'm not sure how to categorize these tears-- I guess maybe just love.
Emma has- for quite some time now- been extremely easy to put to bed. We walk in her room and she lunges for her crib with her blanket and Kitty Kitty and snuggles in to her crib as if to say, "Ok, you can go now. I'm good here." Micky and I were so pleasantly surprised when this started a few months ago. And I'm not saying that we don't still enjoy it. But sometimes I just want to hold her, sing to her, rock her-- just feel her warmth against me and breathe her in. Hopefully that doesn't sound too crazy, but the thing I miss most when we leave the girls (for a weekend or just a night with grandparents) is their smell. Just breathing them in calms me and brings an amazing peaceful feeling over me that I can't describe or do justice with words. When you feel it, you just know it. It's love! So tonight I did hold Emma, I did rock her and sing to her and I breathed in her goodness with an even deeper thankfulness in my heart. Because in the room across the hall, my other baby--is no longer a baby. She's grown in to an amazing young lady. And she is who I credit for first teaching me how to love like this. Chloe will always be our drawing board. We learn with her and we try it on Emma. Trust me, we learn plenty from Emma too-- they are by no means one in the same-- what worked for Chloe may not work for Emma, but Chloe will always bear the brunt of being the first. So that means we get to make our "first" mistakes with her!
Chloe was already in bed when I went to kiss her goodnight. With this being such a big night (Kindergarten starts tomorrow), I asked if she'd like me to lay with her and rub her back. She of course said yes, and was asleep in minutes. I stayed there for many more. At first I just stared at her beautiful, sleeping face-- having little trouble recalling what it looked like as a baby-- and I just watched her. Then I started looking around her room. It still has the same blue paint and flower border trim that was on it the day she first came home from the hospital. But it is no longer a baby's room. The crib has long since been replaced by a big girl bed. The knick knacks around the room are no longer things I picked out, but have been replaced by her favorites. Hello Kitty dolls, snow globes, Mickey Mouse ears from her first trip to Disney, tea cups from her first tea party, etc. Not to mention the numerous pictures that she has chosen to have in her room-- pictures with family, Christy, Tyler, Jenn, Jess and at least three with her and "her Nina," a picture of her, me, and Micky the day she was baptized, and Emma's picture from the hospital. And as I lay there looking at all of her treasures, I realized she's already doing what so many of us sometimes forget we're supposed to be doing-- Making Memories.
Micky and I were fortunate enough to get to go for a short weekend trip recently with our great friends Misty & Lee. And in the car on the way to Litchfield Misty and I were laughing about something silly and Lee asked what we were doing and Misty replied, "Oh, just making memories!" I actually paused for a minute when she said that, and I know it's a moment I will never forget!
I hope Chloe and Emma's lives are full of memories made and treasured. I know they're too young now to remember this night when they get older. I don't remember my night before Kindergarten started. But I do remember feeling loved, and feeling secure. I pray that they will too.

Big Night!!

We had a big night Monday here at our house-- we celebrated my mom's 29th birthday :) , Chloe welcomed her new pet guinea pig into the family-- Ol' MacDonalds, Mac for short, and Emma had her first bathtub pony! The first two things were celebrated and fun, the last made me a little sad. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up! The fact that her cute "baby mullet" can now go in a ponytail makes me smile and at the same time makes my heart a little sad. Micky & I are about 99% sure that we are not going to have anymore babies-- and I'm ok with that, I think. It's just hard to think that the first time I see Emma do new things will be the last time I'm watching one of mine do something for the first time. Is that confusing?
So, as much as it is cool watching and learning with Chloe as she still masters new skills, it's just as cool watching Emma because I know I better savor these moments. If I blink too fast, they'll be gone.
I love my babies and I love my life!