Happy Fourth Birthday, Emma!!

Four years ago today my sweet little Emma was born. What a joy she has been in our lives. Before she was born we wanted to be surprised by the sex of the baby. I desperately wanted a little girl, but really was convinced the baby was a boy. The heart rate was always lower (they say boy's heart rates are usually lower) and one of the ultrasound techs kept saying "his" femur or "his" heart and I realized I forgot to remind him we didn't want to know the sex. So, when Kenneth announced at the birth that it was a girl, I was overjoyed! I got my girl!! She was the most beautiful baby. Time has flown by- with so many fond memories in tow. Emma was a sweet baby and has grown up to be a wonderful big sister and such a beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, incredible little girl. We are so glad you are ours!!

Here are some pictures of Emma over the last 4 wonderful years. I had so much fun going through all of these! There were so many I wanted to include!

First Meeting- can it really be a girl?!?!

Our Precious Little Angel

Mom, Dad and Emma

Dad and Emma on the Farm

Little Sleeper

Unexpected cold night at the farm- makeshift hat out of a onesie!
First time at the Beach

You had to wear a harness for 12 weeks to correct your hip displasia

Smiley

First hotel stay- you were loving it!

First Christmas Season

First Christmas- we were on the farm

Such a good baby while mom and dad painted your new room

All bundled up for the Syracuse Winter

Bundled again. First time wearing shoes.



First Easter

At the Beach in Virginia

Happy First Birthday, Emma!

Apple picking

Wearing Mom's Sandals

Helping freeze fresh corn on the farm



Sitting on Uncle Dennis' motorcycle during our visit to Logan, Utah (16 months old)


Our little Bookworm

In Austrian Dress

Raise the Roof!

Emma, about 22 months old, with new sister, Arianna


Unfortunately we lost all pictures from your second Birthday. Emma had the most adorable Ladybug cake and wore a cute Red dress with white polka dots- try to imagine it!

Playing at the farm

On the Four-wheeler with dad

Picking Strawberries

2 Year old Emma loving the ice cream!

Tomatoes from our garden (2 years old)

Helping daddy wash the car

Beautiful girl

33 month old Emma with 1 year old Arianna

Happy Third Birthday, Emma!

Picking Dandilions

Learning to write her name! (We were living in the hotel at the time)

With Grant

3 1/2 year old cutie


Your favorite little buddy (Emma- 3 1/2 years old)

Enjoying the snow!

Enjoying the Spring blossoms- one month before your fourth Birthday

Birthday Breakfast- that's what she chose to have!

Opening Birthday gift this morning- sandals for the Summer! (Multitasking like a true woman- eating toast at the same time- must have learned that from her mother!)

These girls!!!

So, Grant is not feeling so well yesterday and today and I have been taking his temperature. Emma is very interested in the thermometer (a rectal one). She just came into the room and was holding the thermometer up to Noah's bum. Yup- Noah the Prophet- the Little People version. She had even turned it on and held it there until it beeped. Oh my goodness.

Sometime I would love to be a spectator of my life. You know, a fly on the wall just watching it all instead of an active participant. It must be something to see a Mom trying to take the temperature of her 8 month old with a 2 year old climbing on her back and a 3, almost 4 year old, wanting to take the temperature herself. Then I try and give him Tylenol and Emma insists on doing it and Arianna is now climbing on my head practically kicking Grant in the face. I measured the dose, of course, but Emma did pretty well squirting it into his mouth.

These girls are something, I tell you!

Another place I would love to be a fly on the wall is in my girls' bedroom after we shut the door and say goodnight. What do they talk about? What do they DO? Last night they took about 1/2 hour to go to sleep. And this morning I woke up at 5:45 am and realized both girls were out in the family room already playing. I didn't hear them get up. I made them go back to bed restating the 6 am rule to Emma. (She has a digital clock in her room) There was actually minimal crying and I went back to bed and woke up next at 6:20 and they were back out playing- had gotten themselves dressed and all. (Did they ever go back to sleep? Probably not.) At least I got to!

Life

I can't think of a creative way to encompass all the items I want to include in this post in a title, so that's what you get today. The days pass by so quickly for me. There certainly is never a dull moment around here. It is definitely challenging, but I can honestly say, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love these little ones so much. They are so precious and growing up so fast!

I'll start with Arianna. She makes us laugh. And she is so smart, too!! The other morning she lined all her animals up (above) and sat down right next to them and said, "Mom, this is my family!" and she was so proud and happy!
Yesterday at Joy School (being held here at my house), we were reading a book and I asked the kids (1 3 year old, 2 4 year olds and Arianna-2 years old) what the name of a particular animal was on the page. The older kids were all silent and Arianna blurted out, "Porcupine!" I was so impressed that she remembered that animal!
Arianna is also moving into the realm of potty training. Not that she is anywhere close to being actually potty-trained, but moving in that direction at least. As all you parents of young ones know, there are always interesting moments in this realm. . . I was making dinner the other night and I knew the girls were in the bathroom, but I didn't think much of it. Arianna sometimes follows Emma around, even when she goes to the bathroom. But, a few minutes later I hear, "Arianna!!! You're getting poops on my pillow!" Lovely. I clean off my hands and race back there. Apparently, Emma decided to help Arianna take her diaper off and get rid of what was in there in the toilet and didn't bother to let me know and Arianna raced off to the bedroom with a bare and not-so-fresh bum-bum. Luckily, it wasn't too bad, but still not something I want to hear on a regular basis! A couple days before that Arianna actually did # 2 on the potty. I was so proud of her. I wasn't even in the room that time either; Emma was! Maybe Emma will take care of the potty training for me!! Last night, I asked Arianna on the way out of the bath tub if she wanted to sit on the potty and she did. She even did wetsies in the potty (after making a puddle on the floor in the process!) The funniest thing was, when I praised her and told her she got a treat (an M&M) She said, "I want a yellow one!" After a short pause, however, she said, "Actually, a blue one." It is hilarious to me to hear the word actually coming out of a two-year-old!
Arianna is also sleeping in a toddler bed now!! It took a good 4 days of adjustment, but she is doing really well now. I am just excited to get Grant out of the Pack 'n' Play and into a real crib. Poor baby.
So, onto Emma, just days now until her fourth Birthday, as you know. Wow.
I painted Emma's toenails for the first time the other day. She happened to come in the bathroom when I was painting mine and was very interested and so I decided to do hers, too. (Much to Kenneth's chagrin- I don't think he likes to see his little girls growing up!) At Joy School the next day, Emma pulls off her socks and says to her little friend, Sam, "Look what happened to my toenails!" So cute.
On Sunday, we were all rushing around, getting ready for our 8:30 am Sacrament Meeting (!!!) and Emma came up to me and started asking me something about a pirate. I was only half listening since I was trying to get everyone and myself ready, but I assumed she was talking about my skirt (it was a different pattern and I hadn't worn it in over a year or so, maybe she thought it looked like a pirate?) When I actually paid attention to what she was saying, however, I realized she was asking me about Arianna's dress. She was asking me if she was wearing her 'pirate' dress today. I laughed out loud when I realized she meant 'sailor' dress. Here is a picture of Arianna in said sailor dress:

I can't ever get a really good picture of these little ones on Sunday. Oh well. At least she's not screaming!
One last Emma story: We were driving in the van the other day and I drove over some of those bumpy strips on the side of the highway and Emma giggles and says, "That's a tootsie car!" Apparently, it reminded her on someone having gas!

As for Grant, he is just the sweetest boy. He is growing up so fast. I love his big slobbery kisses and his cute noises and when he puts his little arms around my neck. Here are some recent photos of him:

Grant and the donkey a few days ago.


The handsome little guy- taken today!

Kenneth has only 2 1/2 weeks of this semester yet. We will celebrate when it is over! Then only one more class until he completes his Master's degree. That will be a great day!! Kenneth has submitted his resume to a number of sites, and are now waiting to see where we will move next. We are excited and sad to leave the D.C. area. It has been a wonderful experience, but we know that we wouldn't want to stay here forever- too busy, too much traffic, too expensive!!

A New and DIfferent Way. . .

As you know, Emma LOVES to feed Grant. She loves to spoon feed him at the table, but she also loves to feed him Cheerios. . .whenever she has a chance. This morning, she found a new and different way of doing it. This cracks me up.