Just think how great these pictures would be...

...if I had a new camera! Anybody wish to donate to the "Get Liz a new camera" fund??!!! :)

Someday I'll get the camera of my dreams...

Anyway, here's a review of our holidays for you. We had sort of a quiet Christmas. It's awfully different without Bampa around. Jack got lots of presents from Santa and Emma got one toy and a few outfits. She was more interested in the wrapping paper of course.

We're in the middle of doing some major redecorating in our house. Fresh paint in the living room, hallway, dining room and kitchen. Plus a few major improvements in the kitchen! Think new floor and counter top! Wahoo! We are SO excited about it!

Emma's Christmas Tooth

Fresh and Clean

All of us and Super Nana

Moe Moe and her darlings

Family Portrait

What a ham!

huh?

Christmas morning

Love penguins and Packers!

Her one toy. Poor girl!

Unwrapping

All bundled up and ready to go for a walk in the snow to Starbucks

Finally making those Christmas cookies!

Baked from scratch by yours truly!

2 kids in a toy hamper.

Sibling Love

A Christmas Tooth

We discovered Emma's first tooth on Christmas morning! Just like Jack, it appeared almost overnight with no fussing at all. Hopefully all of her other teeth will come in as easily as the first.

She's been sitting up on her own for several weeks now and loves to sit in her crib and tug on her mobile while she watches me put away her laundry. Her hair is still curly after we wash it and it's getting long enough on the top to put in cute little bows!

Emma is so in love with her brother, it's hilarious. She's always looking for him and screeching at him. Jack is already telling me of his plans to put his toys away so she can't get them... I think he's realizing she won't always stay where you put her!

I have some adorable pictures from Christmas to post... and exciting news about our redecorating plans for our house!

Broken Hearts

It's been a week and a half since my father-in-law passed away. We are still having a hard time with it. I just keep thinking of all the times yet to come that he'll miss. It sucks. I'm mad. I'm so sad that my kids will miss out on having Bampa around. He was this guy who would do absolutely anything for you. Did I mention the time last year when I got a flat tire on the way to school? I called AAA and then Brandon, and then Rod. Rod jumped in his car and drove all the way to the parking lot I was stuck in just to be there with me when the tow truck came. As we got closer to the time when school was starting- he sent me on my way in his car so I could get to school on time- and he sat in my car and waited for the tow truck guy to come. Then he spent the better part of that day driving around town to get me a new tire. I miss him so much.



Emma turned 6 months old on the day Rod died. I hate it that he won't be here to see her grow up. She was his tootsie pootsie. I hate this. I wish we could go back to how it was. I'm so sad for my whole family.

Emma, we thank God for you every day. You and your brother are the sunshine in our lives. Happy 6 month birthday baby girl!

Could it get any crazier?

It feels like life has been absolutely crazy around here for the past few days. Here's what I mean:


*We are getting ready for Emma's baptism on Sunday. That means there is food to order, a cake to order, (wait, did I say order? I totally meant bake from scratch.) a house to clean, outfits to get together, flowers to order, directions to email, rsvps to check up on, laundry to do, and of course 59 million other things. And maybe we should actually find time to sit and think about what it means to have our baby baptized in the church we love so much??!!!


On top of that....literally...


*We got a new roof this week! The workers were here from 7am till 5pm in the FREEZING COLD RAIN for 2.5 days. The whole project was looking like a disaster just a day ago, but the dumpster is gone, the sidewalks are sweeped, the lawn is cleaned up, and the roof looks great! We went with "Estate Gray" for the color. I'll have to take a picture at some point.


If you think that is crazy...


*We're getting all new replacement windows on the second floor tomorrow and Saturday! That requires all window treatments to be removed, all furniture within 3 feet of the windows to be moved, and not to mention a big fat check for the window company.


Still going...


*I started an AWESOME class last night on the SMART Board. The rumor is that the head of my school has a donor who'd like to fund a few SMART Boards in the lower school. Since that donor is also paying for the class... I signed up! It's only a class of 20 so luckily I was able to enroll as well as a 3rd grade teacher from my school and one of our technology guys. I have a feeling we'll be teaching the rest of the faculty how to use them if it all comes together. The class is from 5-8 on Wednesday nights at a local elementary school. That school has a SMART Board in every classroom. It's amazing! I am so, so, so hoping we'll get one in our rooms too! It can totally change how you teach. We actually have an older SMART Board in our computer lab that just sits there since nobody knows how to use it. (What a waste!!) But since I had my first class last night, I took my kids in there today and they LOVED it! We did a short lesson on the bones and also played a math game with dice you can spin on the screen!


There's more...


*I signed Jack up for his spring zoo classes this week. They have great topics again for next semester. We'll be learning about lions, snakes, chameleons, elephants, and a few others. We have his class on cows this Saturday morning.


One more thing...


*Emma has officially (a few weeks ago) grown out of her infant car seat. Wahoo! That thing was getting SO DARN HEAVY to carry around, I'm happy to see it go! We ordered her a new seat that was on sale and also got Jack a new car seat since we need 2 for each kid. Moe Moe and Bampa need to have their own car seats for the kids in their car, so it was quite the brain teaser to figure out what we were going to buy. Emma was very unhappy with being squished into the infant seat recently. I put her in her new car seat this afternoon as soon as it arrived, and she totally loved it! My precious baby is growing up so fast!


And now for some much overdue pictures...

Jack and his Baby Ali. Don't forget, the pacifiers are on their way to the giraffes in Africa as soon as he turns 3!

Moe Moe and Bampa got a great easel from a lady who live a few streets away from us for 10 bucks. While they were getting that, one of her neighbors ran out and gave them this cool tent and tunnel for free! Jack and Finley are crazy about it! Jack has been known to take naps in it, and Finley loves lying in there too!

My boy and my girl. Check out the haircut on the boy!

5 Months!

Does this kid look like me or what???

LOVIN' THE NEW CAR SEAT MOM!

Don't you just want to smooch her???!!!!

I realize they are all the same pose. She's just so cute!!

5 Months

Our precious girl is 5 months old today. She's talking and yelling and grabbing stuff and smiling. She's a joy and a gift. We can't remember what life was like without her.

I took some cute pictures of her tonight... I'll have to post them tomorrow.

We love you, Emmers!

Finally.

A president that represents all of us. We're speechless around here. It's just an amazing thing to witness.

That's Our Boy

Dear Jack,

Mama got a baby doll a long time ago from your Great Aunt Rita. It has followed me from house to house and ended up living in our playroom. Before your sister was born, you would occasionally hold it, or throw it on the ground if it was in your way. Once Emma came into our family, that baby doll suddenly started playing a bigger part in your world. Emma was only a few weeks or months old (those first months with Emma were pretty exhausting, so forgive me if I don't remember when exactly) when you decided to name that baby doll "Baby Ali." I'm positive you started this whole thing because Mama had a baby to take care of, and you thought you might as well have one too! For a few days you carried Baby Ali around in the house. You made sure I prepared a bottle for her- and believe me- you were not satisfied with just a bottle of water. That bottle needed to look just like Emma's, so I sprinkled in a little of the million dollar formula. Just so you'd feel like you and I were using the same stuff with our babies.



On a walk one day you even took Baby Ali with us to the playground. I will never forget watching you sit on the rock wall/climbing thing and feed your baby her bottle. Other kids and their moms came and went, and you watched as they played, but stayed where you were and took care of your baby. The other moms smiled at me and even said, "how adorable is that?" and the other kids looked at you kind of funny and then went on their way.



You soon tired of Baby Ali and it was back to monster trucks and puzzles. This weekend though, you rediscovered Baby Ali and she has pretty much been with us nonstop for the past 48 hours. She sleeps with you, goes to Target with you, out to dinner with you, on walks with you, plays with you, and tonight went to the grocery store with you. You've done an amazing job of making sure you had her bob (that's what we call bottles around here), her bib, and her burp cloth at all times. You carried all of that- plus Baby Ali- in your arms wherever we went. I can think of a few Mama's and Daddy's out there who probably wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of their son carrying a doll around with them. They might think it makes their boy look like a sissy, or look a little weird. Well, Jack, you don't have to worry about your Mama and Daddy thinking that. No way, Jose. We are beyond proud of you for showing your compassionate and nurturing ways for all the world to see. We know that your love and concern for Baby Ali is possible because you are a loving and protective big brother to Emma. We know that your interest in bringing Baby Ali with us is possible because you know your Mama and Daddy encourage you to love whatever it is you want to love at that moment.



I know Baby Ali won't always be joining us on family errands or at the grocery store. Maybe next week it'll be your Big Manny from Ice Age that comes along with us. Whatever it is, Jack, I just wanted you to know that your Mama and Daddy are loving this current interest in Baby Ali. We're pretty sure it means you'll be an awesome Daddy yourself one day.



We love you buddy. We're so glad you're our boy!

Love,

Mama and Daddy-O

Picture Overload

A sampling of the pictures from the past few weeks.

In the outfit we bought for her when we found out it was a girl!

Happy to be playing
Yes, I took her on the slide! It was fun and she loved it!

A cold and windy day at the pumpkin patch. Shorts? He never listens to me. Ever.

Obeo and Emma

All by himself- just like last year!

Don't get lost!

Grandpa, Jack and Mama

Rooey and Ems

Family in the cornfield

So tall! And still not yet 40 pounds!

On the train ride

Bampa and Jack cruising around

Family in the cornfield. Again.

Daddy O and Emmers

Trying to explain to him that we can wash the dirt off the pumpkins. He ended up getting an already picked pumpkin back at the farm because they were already clean.

Holy cow does he need a haircut!

I've got Sol

Guts!

Explaining to Daddy O how it's done

Too many cookies

Zebra

Ladybug

Happy Halloween!