Our Family in Pictures and Notes

Picture Update

2010-02-10T13:48:00.003-05:00

Our 30 inches of snow

Emmie taking it easy

Emmie and Gibson

All snuggly

Emmie: 3 years Gibson: 6 Weeks

Update (finally)

2010-02-10T13:15:00.002-05:00

Wow! I'm horrible at keeping up with my blog....I blame facebook. It's so much easier to update there instead of here.

Here's the rundown for the past 2 1/2 months:

Despite having contractions and progress towards going into active labor, we still had to induce on December 22nd. My due date was the 15th. At first we were hoping that he would come on his due date. Then we were hoping and praying he would wait a few days when the big snowstorm came through dropping 19 inches of snow over the course of 24 hours. Praise the Lord my labor didn't start then and Chad didn't have a crash course in midwifery.

When we finally were able to go to the hospital to induce it was a long day but really a short labor. Despite having easy but consistent and strong contractions all day, I didn't really progress any until the Doctor broke my water around 5:30pm. Gibson Chadwick was born at 8:51pm. He weighed in at 7lbs, 13 oz (the exact same as Emmie) and he was 21.5 inches long. Thankfully he was born before midnight so we were able to bring him home on Christmas Eve.

We had Christmas with family. We were even able to host my Mom and Dad, 2 of my sisters (one from Michigan and one from California), and my niece for the day a couple of days after Christmas to celebrate with them. It was so much fun to see everyone and I highly recommend Famous Dave's Bar-b-que if you've just had a baby and get to host a small gathering. =o)

A couple of days after Christmas, Chad and I started looking for a home to purchase. It was almost by accident really. Chad's been keeping an eye out for fixer-upper and he thought he found one that looked interesting so we looked at it. Unfortunately there was just too much to do and the price wasn't right so we put the idea on hold for a few days until he spotted a different property. After looking at that home though it was the same story and we didn't put an offer in on that one either.

A couple of days later another foreclosed home popped up on the scene. The description said it needed a new kitchen and to watch out for exposed wires. It also requested that anyone who made an offer be prequalified with a certain lender. Fortunately, because we had been looking at other homes we were already prequalified with the lender. We're thankful that God's timing is perfect even when we don't understand the process at the time. Since the home was missing the kitchen it made the price more affordable for us and with Chad being an electrician the exposed wiring almost made it seem like the home was screaming, "Pick me!" We put an offer in and were informed a few days later that there were 4 offers on the home and to make our best offer. We decided to stick with our original offer and felt that if we were supposed to get the home then God would make it happen. We heard back 2 days later that they had accepted our offer and we were under contract on the home! Hurray! We're hoping to close in early March and move in April or May after we are able to fix everything up.

Now that the excitement from that has died down a little we're still keeping busy with the kids. Emmie is growing up quickly and loving being a big sister. She's a good helper (most of the time) and loves to talk and tell stories. She can communicate very well and she has an amazing ability to add -ing to any word when she needs to describe something (aka blooding = bleeding, winding = windy).

Gibson is growing up quickly. At 6 weeks he weighed in at 11 lbs, 15 oz and was 23 inches. He's had his fair share of not feeling good already (reflux, pink eye) but he's a trooper and we love him to pieces. He's starting to smile and coo. Watch out ladies, he'll steal your heart! =o)

I think that's about all there is for now. I'll try and get a few pictures up so you can see us. =o)

For Leah and those far away =o)

2009-12-05T11:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a couple little hints too:

Emmie was 7 lbs 13 oz

Baby was approximately 4 lbs 11 oz at 32 weeks

Waiting....

2009-12-03T08:30:00.002-05:00

It was about this time in my pregnancy with Emmie that I started this blog so I thought it only fitting that I try and start things up again this time around. I'm a week and a half out from my due date and ready for our baby boy to come. The Christmas tree is up, the Christmas shopping is done (at least almost). I haven't packed my bag for the hospital yet though. I guess I don't want to get overly eager. But now that I think about it, it probably would be a wise thing to do in the next couple of days. Emmie is ready for her baby brother to come and she's looking forward to helping with him as much as she can. That's really all that is going on right now. Just waiting and trying to get things ready for Christmas. Oh, and for the record I'm guessing 8 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches....anyone else want to take a guess?

Baby Pictures

2009-08-12T10:34:00.003-04:00

Chad joked he's showing us his "golden arm"

Playing with the umbilical cord

Cheese!

Everything looks good and normal. These were done at 20 weeks (that was two weeks ago). Only 18 weeks to go (give or take). =o)

Picture Update

2009-07-31T10:55:00.005-04:00

Emmie playing dress-up

The pieces from the swing set

The parts from the swing set

The finished product

Happy Girl

Spring-Summer Update

2009-07-31T10:15:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I'm horrible at keeping this blog updated. =o) But maybe I'll try and do more of a weekly thing now that I'm over my morning sickness. That's right, for those of you who don't know (which I'm assuming is not very many), I'm almost 21 weeks pregnant. We found out last monday we're having a little boy. We're all excited to meet him around December 15th. Emmie's looking forward to having a younger sibling. I know she's looking forward to the day when she has a little friend to play with all the time.

The beginning of this pregnancy was harder than my pregnancy with Emmie. Morning (All Day) sickness kicked in at the beginning of week 6 and I threw up more during week 8 than I did my entire pregnancy with Emmie. I would wake up at 2 am having to eat something so that I wouldn't get sick. I am so thankful God allowed Zofran to be invented because after getting a prescription at my 9 week checkup the next 5 weeks were quite tolerable. I was able to lead a somewhat normal life and as Chad put it, "I got my wife back." By the end of June I was able to go off the medication and I only feel sick once and awhile now.

This spring also saw two trips to the ER. Chad earned 3 stitches in the tip of his nose after what was supposed to be an amazing over-the-shoulder catch in softball turned into a softball ricocheting off his nose. Thankfully it hit right on the tip so there were no missing teeth, no concussion, and his nose wasn't even broken. We were so thankful God protected Chad as it could have been so much worse.

The second trip was for me and was less eventful than the last time I had to go to the ER though
both trips were for the same reason. I wound up getting a migraine headache that just wouldn't go away. So we had to make a trip into the ER for an IV and medication. The same thing happened when I was pregnant with Emmie. Only that time we were driving through about 6 inches of snow to get to the hospital.

In more fun news, we purchased a swing set for Emmie in June and she has enjoyed being able to play on her "yellow swing" and in the little clubhouse this summer. Chad and I spend about 12 hours putting it together and making sure it was level (Chad did most of the work). A word to the wise, if you're looking at buying a swing set, most places put their swing sets on sale from about Easter until mid-may and then they won't run too many sales during the summer.
That's about all the news for now, Emmie's waiting for me to finish so we can go and play outside.

Free Rita's on Friday the 20th

2009-03-19T09:43:00.003-04:00

For those of you who love Rita's Italian Ice (or even those of you who haven't even tried it before), just a friendly reminder that tomorrow (March 20th) is the first day of spring. You know what that means! Free regular italian ices tomorrow! Yummy!

Thoughtful Little Girl

2009-03-19T09:38:00.002-04:00

As I was watching Emmie playing in the tub last night during bathtime, I started hiccuping. Emmie laughed at first and then she dutifully poured a couple of small cups of her bath water into a bigger cup and held it up to me saying, "Here Mommy, drink dis water, makes hiccups go away!" I have such a thoughtful little girl. =o)

The inquisitiveness starts...

2009-03-05T09:23:00.002-05:00

This morning at breakfast I was listening to a voicemail from my mom on speakerphone at the table. Emmie was sitting there listening to it at the same time and when it was done very excitedly told me that "Grandma said hi to me and daddy and mommy." Then after looking at the phone for a few minutes and computing the fact that I wasn't actually talking to my mom on the phone at the moment proceeded to ask, "How did she do that?" I think that's the first of many "how's?" Emmie will be asking. =o)

2009-03-02T22:04:00.001-05:00

March "Snowstorm" and Emmie and Chad's pile of snow

Loving the dress her cousin Kaylie gave her

The new big girl bed complete with quilt from Grandma

Christmas and Such

2009-03-02T22:01:00.003-05:00

Our little rockstar

Carter loved the gift we got him

Emmie's Kitchen Set

Opening Gifts

Silly Girl

Pictures of Emmie

2009-03-02T21:58:00.003-05:00

Our little clown

She actually likes playing in the snow this year

Time for a bigger bed

French Braids

Cheese!

After a long break....

2009-03-02T21:22:00.004-05:00

Hello Adoring Public....or those of you who are still persistent enough to check our blog despite my long disappearance.

December and January were busy months with their fair share of ups and downs. We found out in November that we were expecting again and that was very exciting. However, by the time the middle of December rolled around morning/noon/night sickness (and I do mean night, I was eating granola bars at 2 am to keep from getting sick) had set in and I was pretty much out of commission over Christmas and New Years'. Sadly, the first week in January was not a joyful time for us a we found out we would be unable to hold our child on this side of heaven. We trust God that He is in control and though we do not understand, His grace is sufficient and His love and will for our lives is perfect.

That being said, it took another couple of months to recuperate and get back into the swing of things. But all is going well now. We're thankful that Chad has had a lot of work this year already and we're praying that things continue despite the economy. I think there is a great peace in knowing that God will supply our every need. Now that doesn't mean every want, but He does have our best interest at heart and when we trust Him we are able to be content in every circumstance. Much like Paul talks about in Phillipians: "For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

In church on Sunday the sermon was on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When they were confronted by Nebuchadnezzar after they refused to worship the idol, their faith in God's plan for their lives is incredible. Not only did they have the faith and confidence to say that God would deliver them out of the King's hand, but they said, "Even if He does not..." They knew that God's plan was perfect and He would use them for His glory be it alive or dead. There is such peace to be had when we align ourselves with God's plan for our lives. We might not like it, there will be times when we downright hate it, but "all thing do work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes." What a joy and relief!!

Well, I think that's about all I have in me for tonight. I'll get some pictures posted up here so you can see Emmie. She's growing up so quickly! She's very shy but if you give her time to warm up, she's a great conversationalist. =o)

Emmie Post For The Day

2008-11-26T18:29:00.002-05:00

Conversation between Emmie and I this morning:

E: Mommy, where are your ears? (while she's playing with them.)

J: Right there, you're playing with them.

E: Noooo, ears aren't here (shakes head)

J: Oh really, where are they then?

E: (quick as a wink and grinning at me) In the bathroom!

Alrighty then! =o)

What happens when your husband babysits on a Saturday in the fall

2008-11-10T10:31:00.006-05:00

I had gone out to run a few errands on Saturday afternoon and came home to find Chad with the video camera and a very excited daughter telling me all about her "nanmal ootball game."

Noah covering the cheetah...very much a mismatch.

"Players" on the bench and the band

View from the Skycam

Line of Scrimmage

Fall Pictures

2008-11-10T10:29:00.002-05:00

Cubbie playing in the leaves...I think this might be a fair picture next year. =o)

Emmie playing in the leaves. She wouldn't jump in them but she did love moving her little pile them around the yard.

Tiffany's Housewarming/Costume Party

2008-11-10T10:14:00.002-05:00

Our friend Tiffany bought a house a couple of months ago and has been working on fixing it up for awhile now. So for a housewarming, she had us all over for a costume party.

Ok, this costume isn't as creative as you might think. I actually did this one in highschool once and it only took me 30 minutes to pull together this time....but in case any of you ever need a quick, cheap, and easy costume, just stick with Lucy (you might even make some money out of the deal).

Chad "Indiana" Main locating lost treasure in Tiff's study. "It belongs in a museum!"

D. C. "The Motivational Speaker" Rice. He's from a Saturday Night Live skit but I can't remember the name. I know, it's horrible but I never was up late enough to watch it so I can't remember the name. You can comment and let me know and I'll fix it on the caption. =o)

David "Dwight K. Schrute" Young and Hillary "Angela" Young. Dave arrived with beets and a bobble head and was very much in character all night

Our lovely hostess with her incredibly long (and fake) eyelashes that kept falling off all night long. I think Tiff gets the award for the most creative costume.

Fun was had by all and the nachos were super yummy! The house is officially warmed now.

One More Scary Shot

2008-11-10T10:02:00.002-05:00

Our friends Matt and Stephanie at Tiffany's party.... In real life Matt is actually the pilot, but just in case they ever run out of stewardesses, he's ready.

Helping Daddy...

2008-11-10T09:56:00.002-05:00

Emmie likes to go down to the barn and help Daddy with his "toos." Chad was sorting out his truck one day so we took a picnic lunch down to eat with him and then Emmie helped him sort things out.

This is a clamp, and you line them up like so....

Helping sort...she was pretty good about not stepping on anything. She did spill one little box and was very destraught, saying, "Ohhh, noo! Mess! Ohh, no!" all while holding her little palms up trying to figure out what to do next.

Daddy's little helper =o)

October Fun

2008-11-10T09:46:00.003-05:00

We started having play dates with a couple of friends in October. It's fun to be able to get together and let the kids play and have an adult conversation at the same time. =o)

A couple of the guys hanging out together, Jonathan (in blue) and Jack (in red).

The girls chilling out...Emmie, Kaylah, and Abby.

In other news, my mom found Emmie a little leotard that she likes to wear when she is dancing. She calls it her "dancing shirt."

First Position....

And Pose....Cheese!

One More

2008-10-29T21:52:00.003-04:00

I almost forgot this little gem from last night....

Emmie was helping me "wash" the dishes last night. I usually give her a dry wash cloth and then bubbles for her to play with to keep her busy and happy. So we were washing plates and she was listing off which ones were "mommy's pate," "daddy's pate," and "Emmie's Pate" (the little one). There happened to be an extra dinner plate that Chad had used for lunch that was in the stash and she wanted to know who it belonged too. I told her daddy had used it for lunch. She looked at the plate and announced "Daddy's pate very sad." Not exactly sure why, but I guess she thought it might have felt left out. =o) She then proceeded to wrap her arms around it and said, "I give it hug" and comforted the plate with an "awww...it's ok." =o)

Ice Cream and Emmie-isms

2008-10-29T14:33:00.002-04:00

The other day we were eating dinner at a resturant. This particular resturant gives you a scoop of ice cream at the end of your meal as a dessert. Emmie, being well aware of this fact and having decided she was done with her dinner, persisted to ask us every minute or so for "ice keam." Now, explaining to a two year old that you have to wait for someone to get you ice cream (when Mommy and Daddy are usually the ones to get up a get things when they are requested by said two-year-old) is a difficult task. After several minutes of asking and being told that she would get ice cream but that we had to ask for it first (I think the waitress was specifically avoiding our table thinking that we were telling her she couldn't have any and didn't want to ask us in front of Emmie about ice cream) she got serious. She put her little hands, palms down, on the table and leaned forward and in, looking right in her Daddy's eyes, she very deliberately and slowly said "Iiice Keeeam." As if to say, "Obviously you're not getting this, I would like some ice cream and maybe if I say it slowly enough you'll understand that." After we finished laughing, I took Emmie to get some pie and the waitress finally came over to ask about ice cream while we were gone (hence the reason I think she was waiting). So Emmie got her ice cream and enjoyed every bit of it...or at least the part of it that didn't end up on her face and hands. =o)

Emmie has a habit, when we tell her we're going some place, to ask us, "Mommy coming?""Daddy coming?" etc to find out who's going. She'll even ask if she can bring something along by asking "juice coming?" or "book coming?" The cutest is when she asks, "Emmie coming?" to find out if she gets to come too.

A couple nights ago, we were done eating and I was starting to clean up the kitchen as Emmie finished eating. Chad's phone rang so he went jogging out of the room to get it and I hear this little voice pipe up, "Chad! Come Back!" "Come Back, Chad!" "Where'd Chad go?" She makes me laugh so hard!

What did you do on Saturday?

2008-10-13T08:59:00.003-04:00

I woke up way too early, picked up Stephanie (see second picture), drove to downtown Baltimore, and proceeded to run and walk 13.1 miles around the city in 2 hours and 47 minutes. All this to get a really cool medal and shirt and so that I could say I've done a half-marathon (the free massage afterwards was great too.).
Chad and Matt brought the kids down after the race to pick us up. All in all it was a really awesome day and I'm looking forward to doing another one. =o)

The Wogging Mamas...Steph was my training partner, we did our long runs together. Congrats to her for doing the half 7 months after Jack was born.

On another note, here's another picture of Emmie from the fair. It was on the other camera and I forgot about it. On our second night at the fair she was much more interested in petting the animals. This calf is less than a month old.

More Fair Pictures

2008-09-18T09:26:00.003-04:00

Riding the Slide again..and again...and again...=o)

Abby riding the slide too....

The three little amigas (Emmie, Abby, and Kaylah)

Our little country girl

Jack's first time at the fair...he was demonstrating how big you have to open your mouth in order to eat a Hemp's pulled pork sandwich...ok, maybe he was just tired. =o)

September Pictures

2008-09-18T09:21:00.003-04:00

Our little swimmer...she actually kept the goggles on for about 10 minutes. =o)

Sitting on the tractor with Poppy

Her favorite part of the fair the John Deere Combine Slide

Nothing runs like a Deere...

There was a beautiful sunset on Sunday night....so I had to get artistic =o)

August Pictures

2008-09-18T09:17:00.002-04:00

The Birthday Girls

Opening Gifts....

On her actual birthday opening gifts from Mommy and Daddy

Trying on Chad's basketball shorts....

Our little gansta' =o)

July Pictures

2008-09-18T09:14:00.003-04:00

Swimming with Kelsey

SPLASH!!

Now you see Kaylah....

Now you don't.....(yes, she was still sitting next to Emmie)

We had a very rainy 4th of July but it was still fun =o)

Summer Videos

2008-09-16T09:13:00.005-04:00

The newest addition to the gymnastic's world. =o)

Outside fun =o)

Summer News Edition

2008-09-06T11:01:00.004-04:00

Hello to all of those who have been seeing the same post for the last three months on my blog. It's been a very busy summer, hence the lack of posting. But I'll try and give you a quick rundown of everything and maybe post a few pictures later tonight or tomorrow.

1. I started selling Premier Designs Jewelry at the beginning of July. It gives me a chance to work some and a little extra spending money is always fun to play with. Now that I'm done with the initial start-up phase I'll probably be scaling back to 2 or 3 shows a month so that life stays simple.

2. In the middle of July my Grandma became sick and my mom flew out to help her. Two weeks later on August 1st, she passed away at the age of 83. She had lived an active life up until the very end and we were thankful that her time of suffering was short. I was also very thankful that Chad, Emmie, and I had made the trip up to visit over Memorial Day before we knew anything was wrong. We had a very special time with her and made many happy memories.

3. Emmie turned 2 on August 8th. We had a birthday party for her and Kaylah (her cousin) with friends on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Emmie is growing quickly and her vocabulary and word comprehension is coming a long very quickly. It's cute watching her and her friend Abby (also 2) get together because they have conversations with each other now. They like to sing their ABC's together. I'll post pictures from the party soon.

5. Chad's softball season ended with his team winning 1st place in their division and placing 4th in the end of the season tournament (half of which Chad had to miss so we could go to a wedding).

4. We traveled up to Canada for my Grandma's memorial service the second week in August. The trip and service went well. Emmie had a wonderful time playing with her cousin Kaylie and spending the night with Grandma and Granddad while Chad and I went out to spend some time with my cousins and sister. It was nice being able to see my extended family, most of whom I haven't seen since our wedding. I just wish it could have been under happier circumstances.

5. Labor Day weekend went by quickly with a Key's baseball game with our friends Sarah, Nathan, and Lauren, a family reunion, and two fantasy football drafts.

September is already flying by.... We're looking forward to next week and the Great Frederick Fair. If you're in the area you should really try and get to it. Great food, Lots of fun things to see and do. I'll try and get pictures up of that too. =o)

A Quick Shopping Trip

2008-06-24T09:04:00.003-04:00

So yesterday I realized I had not returned a DVD we had borrowed from the library. It was due last week and the fine is $1 a day when they're overdue. So since I had to go out and return it and spend $6 on absolutely nothing I figured I would stop at CVS and get some things for free to make me feel better. Here's what I got (Don't worry, I won't do this every week, I just got some good deals this week):

Transaction #1:

$8.00 8 Soyjoy Bars
$7.99 12-count Cetirizin-D (cvs brand zyrtec)
$3.49 Listerine Smart Rinse 250 ml
$3.49 Huggies baby wash

$22.97 Subtotal
- $4.00 $4 off a $20 Purchase CVS Coupon
- $2.00 Two Buy 2 Get 1 Free soyjoy coupons
- $1.00 Huggies baby wash coupon
- $3.00 Cetirizin-D CVS coupon

$12.97 Subtotal after coupons
-$11.99 Extra care bucks (CVS's version of instant rebates)

$0.98 Out of pocket (cash spent)

$13.49 Extra care bucks earned to use in the next transaction (so I "made" $0.52)

Transaction #2

$8.97 3 tubes colgate toothpaste
$6.98 2 huggies baby wash
$4.99 CVS brand itch relief gel (darn mesquitoes)

$20.94 subtotal
-$4.00 CVS $4/$20 purchase coupon
-$4.50 3 $1.50/1 colgate coupons
-$2.00 2 $1.00/1 huggies baby wash coupons

$10.44 subtotal after coupons
-$10.00 ECBs from last transaction

$0.56 OOP cash total ($0.44 plus $0.12 tax)

$10.00 ECBs earned for next trip

So I started out with $11.99 ECBs and spent $1.54 cash, a total of $13.53. At the end of the trip I had 3 tubes of colgate toothpaste, 3 bottles of huggies baby wash, 1 bottle itch relief gel, 1 bottle of listerine smart rinse, 1 12-count box of Cetirizin-D, and 8 soyjoy snack bars and $13.49 in ECB's. Do the math and I spent $0.04 to get $52.23 worth of stuff (plus have "money" left over for next week). Yeah, that made me feel better. =o)

Memorial Weekend Trip

2008-06-18T17:56:00.003-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend we had the chance to drive to visit my Grandma in Canada. We left at 9am Wednesday morning and arrived in Kingsville, ONT that evening at 7pm. Emmie did great and we only had to stop 3 times (lunch, coffee, and dinner). To any parent of a young child contemplating a long road trip, may I suggest the handy-dandy portable DVD player. That kept Emmie occupied the majority of the way there.

Thursday was spent helping around the house. We were thankful that God had us visiting earlier in the week when one of my Grandmother's neighbors knocked on the door, about to pass out. We helped her out until the ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital (she returned home the next day feeling better). It probably would have been very stressful for my Grandma if we had not been there, as she is now 83 years old and lives by herself. That evening we were able to visit with my Aunt and Uncle who drove over to visit us. It was fun catching up with them and all the news of the family.

Friday we took Grandma out shopping and to the new A&W for dinner. What a blessing to watch her spryly climb in and out of the truck. She was thankful to not be the one driving for a change. I'm very thankful she's still in such good health. After we got home from dinner Emmie helped Chad put together a cabinent for her Great-Grandma.

She's pretty handy with the tools....takes after her Daddy.

We left mid-morning to begin the journey home but not before lots of hugs and kisses were exchanged and pictures taken.

On the way home we had lunch with my sister Allison and my niece Kaylie. Emmie and Kaylie had a great time playing in the McDonald's playplace together. Chad also got a quick tour of downtown Detroit thanks to construction and his wife's inability to read signs/unfamiliarity with area.

We drove to Cleveland and checked into our hotel. If you're traveling with small children, I highly recommend Embassy Suites (as long as they are reasonably priced, like ours was). Not only do you have two rooms so the kids can go to sleep in one room and you can stay awake for awhile in the other, if you want, but they have an awesome breakfast buffet included in the price of the room. Anyway, after we got checked in we headed to downtown Cleveland and went to an Indians game. We found out when we got there that it was sold out and standing room only so Chad braved the streets (it wasn't bad at all really) and bought tickets from a scalper. We ended up with really good seats and had a great time. I found a new favorite hot dog at that game too. We came away with 3 Grady Sizemore bobblehead dolls.....so for all you Cleveland fans out there, I'm accepting offers on at least 2 of them. =o)

We made it home by about 3 on Sunday afternoon. It was a very enjoyable trip and it was wonderful to see my Grandma again.

Newest Member of Our Family

2008-06-18T17:51:00.003-04:00

Meet Camry. After several months of thinking and praying, we decided the day after we returned from Canada to trade in the truck and get a car. We ended up with a 2009 Silver Toyota Camry. It gets better gas mileage than the truck and will have better trade in value in the future. We haven't named it yet....any suggestions?

Outdoor fun

2008-06-18T17:45:00.003-04:00

Emmie's new "dirt" box that Mimi got for her. When she wants to play in it she asks for "dirt."
(For those of you who want a picture of me too, here you go. =o))

"This is really cool, but I'm not quite sure what to do with it all."

Looking at the ants ("eents") that were crawling up the side.

She likes to jump rope now too. Check out the cool, sparkly flip-flops.

We like to swing in the backyard when the weather is nice out.

Cuteness Update

2008-06-18T17:34:00.003-04:00

As the summer begins, I figured it was time for a picture/news update.

Emmie and Daddy taking a "nap" in the playpen (that she can now climb out of).

Emmie kept herself busy one morning by moving most of her toys onto the mat from her play pen. Notice how neatly they are arranged. She was saying "cheese" for me when I took this picture.

The only time she will let me put ponytails in her hair. Actually, I didn't even put these in, Chad was in charge of bath this night. (Another "cheese" shot)

Say Hello To My Little Friend....

2008-05-19T09:29:00.003-04:00

I have a new little friend. His name is Action Scrubber. It only took me 5 minutes to scrub out my tub on Friday. I think it's love.......

In other news, Emmie learned a new trick about a week ago. Since Emmie's crib is in our room (we only have one bedroom) it has become the custom that I'll move her into a playpen in the living room around 1 or 2 am when she starts to move around in her crib, not really waking up but just making enough noise trying to get comfortable that it wakes us up. She usually goes right back to sleep in her play pen. So the other morning we were woken up around 6 am when the door to the bedroom opened and a little voice said, "Mommy?, Mommy?" Yes, our daughter can climb out of her playpen now. I don't think she can make it out of her pack and play or her crib yet, but every morning since the first time she got out of the playpen there has been a little body wondering into our room around 6 am wanting us to get out of bed and come play.

Progress Report

2008-05-07T11:10:00.002-04:00

Here's what's happening with us....

1. Emmie was blessed to receive Chad's allergy to tree pollen, etc. This has come to light over the past week as we seriously considered buying stock in kleenex due to our usage to wipe Emmie's runny nose. We took her to the doctor on Monday hoping he would be able to give us a perscription and not just say in was a cold and to come back in a week to get it checked again. Multiple doctors visits are not fun on the wallet when you have personal comp insurance. Fortunately, he did give us a perscription and she's doing slightly better today.

2. I learned to make sure a pharmacy actually has the medicine to fill your perscription before you leave when dropping it off. I dropped the script off at Wal-mart on Monday night and decided to go back in the morning when they said it would take an hour to get it filled. When I went back in the morning, I was told that they didn't have the medicine to fill it and due to computer system failure it would take another day or two to get it filled. And the problem with telling me this last night would have been?..... So I resigned myself to getting it filled at CVS, thinking it was probably going to cost me an arm and a leg (again personal comp doesn't do much for perscription coverage). I was pleasantly suprised to find out it would only be $5 and take 10 minutes to get filled. I was so pleased in fact that I actually sprung for the grape flavoring at an additional $3 just to make sure it wouldn't be torture to get Emmie to take it.

3. Speaking of CVS, may I just say I love the sales/EBC deals at that store. This past week I purchased:

1 4-count bic soleil razor cartridges
1 24.7 face scrub
3 Colgate 360 toothbrushes
3 Tubes Aquafresh toothbrushes
3 5-count boxes CVS lotratridine (claritin)
1 Gillette Venus Breeze Razor
3 Adidas deoderants
1 24-count Zyrtec-D

I spent $4.02 in cash, $42.97 in coupons, $55.31 in ExtraCareBucks, and got $70.28 in ECBs back (I actually only have $31.94 in ECBs to spend next week because some of this $70.28 I already spent in the $55.31 total). Total retail price of all the products I purchased $102.30. Net profit (products received and ECB's made minus cash spent and cost of newspaper for coupons): $106.89!! How fun is that?

4. Training for the marathon is coming along. Our relay team kind of fell apart but there are still two of us interested in running so we're going to train for the 1/2 marathon instead. =o) Call me crazy but at least it's making me exercise. =o) I'm up to running 2 and a 1/2 miles, 4 times a week. Hopefully by the end of the month that will be closer to 3 or 4 miles. That leaves me 4.5 months to add 9-10 more miles to my endurance level. I'll keep you updated on how it's going. =o)

5. Speaking of running.....it's time for me to go and do that now. Have a wonderful day (week, month, however long it takes for me to post again....=o))

Hiking

2008-04-23T09:42:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we went hiking up Sugarloaf "Mountain" with our friends. Chad got the best workout because he had Emmie on his back. =o) If you don't have a stairmaster, I recommend this hike instead. It's short but the majority of it is climbing uphill/stairs.

Up at the top...a great view. =o)

Dan contemplating the meaning of life.

Emmie being cute

Emmie enjoyed hiking around at the top with Daddy and Aunt Tiffy. She was quite the adventurer but she hasn't grasped the concept of height and sheer drops.

Another shot of the view

A fun trip on a sunny afternoon and we finally got to use the backpack I bought at the babyfair last year. =o)

I Got Tagged...

2008-04-09T09:04:00.005-04:00

...which mean everyone gets to read 7 strange things about me. If I can come up with that many. Everyone can thank my sister for this pleasure. =o)

Here are the rules.
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Random Facts:

1. I played soccer in college. I think most of you know this already but I still find it ironic due to the fact that I had never played organized/competative soccer before. Sometimes it pays to go to a really small college.

2. I know how to keep score for baseball/softball games. I mean more than just keeping track of runs scored. If you were to look at my scorebook, you would be able to tell who scored what run and who got what put-out, etc. It's fun when I get to write F7 in the opposing batter's boxes, that means Chad was the one who got them out. =o)

3. I love getting bargins, but I don't really like going to garage sales. I think it's the having to get up and do something on a Saturday morning that I don't like. I would rather just stay home and relax until noon and then do stuff.

4. I've been in over half of the States in the USA. Only 23 more to go....New England road trip anyone?

5. I was in Philadelphia (the birthplace of a nation) and Charlottetown, PEI (birthplace of the confederation) in the same year.

6. I really like to bake and am looking forward to entering stuff in the county fair this year. =o) Yike! I'm becoming a redneck!

7. Hi, my name is Joanna and I'm a hallmark addict. I'm OC about picking out the right card for people. Sometimes going to more than one store in order to find it. I love keepsake ornaments too.

I tag JN, JP, AD, EC, C, JC, and SM too keep this up (if they feel like it) =o).

Fun on a Rainy Day

2008-04-07T09:15:00.003-04:00

This splashing in puddles thing is cool. =o)

I love her boots! They have little kitty faces on the toes.

This is a pretty common look for Emmie nowadays. Anytime something happens that she doesn't like, she makes this face and says, "no!" She is a very expressive child and we love her. =o)

Easter Pictures

2008-04-07T09:12:00.003-04:00

Emmie getting a little help from Daddy to reach the eggs he put up high.

Emmie "winking" at the camera

Peek-a boo

My New Favorite Pastimes

2008-03-17T08:34:00.002-04:00

1. CVS-ing
This may very well be the most addictive bargin/free shopping ever. I think Money Saving Mom is now one of my favorite websites. I can hardly wait to see her posts on Saturdays.

2. Bracketology
Chad really enjoys college basketball. I am married to Chad. Therefore, I really enjoy college basketball. Ok, so that's not the most logical statement ever, but I do enjoy filling out a bracket for March Madness. I did it even before I met/dated/married Chad. Filling out brackets is even more fun when you do it with a large group of friends to see who has the most insight into the world that is college basketball. It makes watching the tournament with your husband much more enjoyable too. Especially when that crazy upset you picked (and he didn't) actually happens. =o)

3. Training
Did you know that most marathons have a relay option? That means you only have to run 6-7 miles to participate. So grab 3 friends (companionship), pay the entrance fee (motivation), pick a training program (consistancy), meet once a month to run/walk together (accountability), Get up early and run the race (accomplishment). Perks are: Lose weight (happy, happy day), Get shirts and medals (coolness factor), Have fun with your friends (Gotta love it!). Still working on the walking to running part? So am I. Check out Health for cool workouts/training programs.

Taking a Stroll Part II

2008-03-17T08:16:00.002-04:00

We have so much fun playing outside. =o) If you watch until the end she'll blow you a kiss good-bye.

(Motion Sickness Warning: I was walking while I was taping, oops! Just close your eyes for a few seconds and the rocking part will be over)

Taking a Stroll

2008-03-17T08:13:00.002-04:00

Emmie's newest favorite pastime......

JAMBOG Phase 2

2008-03-05T17:39:00.003-05:00

The Assignment: Use the four items previously posted to solve the scenario of your choice.

Scenario of Choice:
Scenario #1: The president has just been kidnapped by terrorists. You, as the special agent, are transported to their stronghold. How do you rescue the president?

Song Choice: Sixteen Going on Seventeen (last four stanzas) from The Sound of Music. There just wasn't enough room left in my earlier song to successfully complete the rescue. I felt compelled to stick with the Sound of Music theme.

I'm an agent, going on a mission, rescuing the president.
I'll use my book to locate the treasure, their captive resident.

I'll need someone, to occupy the mastermind, lucky I have the Queen.
She'll keep him busy by comparing her tactics to those of Hillary.

I'll use the meatballs and the sauce as my ammunition.
I'll use the mozzarella cheese as rope to bind the henchmen.

Lacking a swiss knife, I'll use my lightsaber
To fight and melt steel dooor-ors.
If all else fails, I won't worry
I-I will u-use the Force.

The Next American Idol

2008-02-28T08:35:00.002-05:00

Emmie is starting to sing at random points during the day now. She loves the "Wheels on the Bus" song and can be found randomly during the day singing "Beep, Beep, Beep, Ahhh to" (translation: All through the town). Or like last night while we were visiting friends she was walking around in circles singing "ashy, ashy" then she would scream/laugh and flop down on the ground. Being the observant parents we are, it took us at least five minutes to figure out that she was doing ring-around-the-rosie. Watch out American Idol, Emmie is coming soon.

JAMBOG

2008-02-27T08:04:00.005-05:00

or Jonses' Annual Midwinter Blues Online Game

Phase One:

Lets start at the very beginning,
a very good place to start
To win I will need A Book to read
To win I will need some Food or Drink (Food or Drink)
And now to list a few more things
Saber of Light, that Yoda used to fight
Queen of Cold and Ice

To be continued in phase two (if possible).....

Disclaimer: I am not a musical genius and there was Elmo's World music playing in the background as I tried to write this. =o)

My little maid

2008-02-22T10:09:00.002-05:00

Emmie is usually very helpful when I clean on Friday morning. She puts the pillowcases in the laundry basket and even follows me around with her little vaccuum cleaner while I am using the real one. Today she decided that the kitchen floor really needed to be mopped. She knows I hate mopping. (I finally decided last week that if I get a swiffer wet jet mop I would be more inclined to mop but I'm waiting until they have the $5 off coupon in the paper to get it.) So in order to help she opened up the water filter spout (we have a 2 gallon brita filter container on our counter). If opened all the way, like she did, it stays open until you flip the lever to close it. By the time I got to it, there was about a gallon of water on the ground. Well, at least the floor is clean now. =o)

Pictures from Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T14:53:00.002-05:00

Chad and I were able to go on a date Tuesday night to celebrate Valentine's Day. We like going a few days before or after to miss the crowds. We tend to get better food and service that way. We went to Dutch's Daughter and had a wonderful evening despite the ice storm that was fast approaching. We both had soup, salad, steak, and the most delicious raspberry cheesecake. So Yummy! Here are pictures to prove that we do dress up once and awhile (and that we still exist since most of my posts are of Emmie). =o) This is one of my new shirts too.

Looking pretty while Chad tries to get the tripod adjusted.

All dressed up as out to dinner we go. =o)

Fun with shoes (and friends and granola bars)

2008-02-12T13:15:00.001-05:00

Emmie loves putting on my shoes and walking around. A right of passage for any young child.

More pictures with Abby. They were both posing. They ran down the hallway and stopped at the end and then asked for "cama, cama?" So we got the camera and took some pictures.

Say "Cheese!"

The results of Emmie eating a chocolate chip granola bar. Notice the unfinished part on her sleeve. She stuck it there to keep for when she got hungry later.

Fun with books

2008-02-12T12:45:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Sarah who tagged me for this fun task. =o)

The rules:Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

From Moneyball by Michael Lewis (A really interesting book if you enjoy baseball. There is a little bit of foul, no pun intended, language in it though.)

"When, in 2001, for the second year in a row, they lost to the Yankees in the fifth and deciding game of the play-offs, the Oakland front office was certain that theirs had been the better team and that it was the Yankees who had gotten lucky--and that the Yankees front office knew it. And that some fraction of the $120 million the Yankees had paid Jason Giambi after the 2001 play-offs to lure him away from the Oakland A's was to prevent him from ever again playing for the Oakland A's.
At any rate, by the beginning of the 2002 season, the Oakland A's, by winning so much with so little, had become something of an embarassment to Bud Selig and, by extension, Major League Baseball.

I tag Heather, Janice, Jenny, Beth, and Leah Z. (It can be your non-Ben post. =o))

Lightbulb

2008-02-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

"Go get bebe?," this is what Emmie said (yes, said) to me yesterday after we dropped off my friend Sarah and her almost 7-month-old at one store before we went to a different store. She didn't understand why we weren't going the same place as her little friend. The lightbulb has gone on this past week and Emmie is starting to communicate a lot more. She walks around the house saying "mommy, mommy, mommy" and then runs over to me and yells "mommy!" and gives me a hug. Every once and awhile I'll be in a different room and I'll hear "mommy?" and after I reply, there is a long string of gibberish and then she'll walk out to the room I'm in and look at me like "do you agree?" It's quite cute.

She, for the most part, understands how to use "yes" and "no." We play 20 questions quite frequently now to find out what she wants. It's usually pretty effective but there are times when she's tired and the answer to everything is "no, no, no" accompanied by emphatic shaking of the head.

I think it may be a bad sign that my child watches too much tv when she bring the remote to me and says, "tee, tee, tee, tee" on a consistant basis. (She just brought me my sneaker and pointed to the knot and said, "out, out, out." I'm swelling up with pride.) She even asked to watch "melmo" this morning. I usually let her watch it if I have something (like blogging) that I want to get done that she can't help me with. She usually "helps" me do some chores in the morning first before we get to that point so I don't feel too bad. =o) And right now she seems to be content pulling all the shoes off the rack and bringing them in the house to try on despite her "tur-tul" (baby einstein) video being on. Ooo, now she's moved onto bringing the plastics into the house but to prevent contamination she put a snowglove she found on one hand to protect herself.

Chad is quite proud of Emmie's speaking ability as she now says "Go Terps!" and "Tur-Tul" when asked too. He had one of his Maryland shirts on last night and she was pointing at it and saying "tur-tul." He was glowing with pride. Now we have to work on "Go Blue!" and "Wolverines" but those might be a little bit longer in coming.

On a more me note, I found some really cute tops at Ann Taylor Loft yesterday so that made me very happy. I have several skirts that are suitable for a fancy evening out but I had yet to find tops to go with them but I solved that yesterday with 2 tops for under $40. Hurray for me! Valentine's Day here I come! =o) I would show you via link but they aren't available on the website anymore. =o/ One's a saphire blue short-sleeved wrap top and the other is a burgandy sleeveless that is hard to explain but the straps are a black strip of material that laces through the back and front of the shirt to gather it and then ties in the front.

My presence is being requested in the other room by my daughter so I will take my leave now. =o)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-17T15:09:00.001-05:00

This month is going by so quickly! We finally got our truck back on New Year's Eve. We're so thankful to have it back. It is running great and looks even better.
Enjoy the pictures! =o)

PA Farm Show

2008-01-17T15:03:00.001-05:00

Emmie likes her tractors.

Dad can we get one?

Cute chick =o)

Farm shows are exhausting!

The annual butter sculpture. The kids are trying to take a cow on the bus.

Playing video games with Daddy

2008-01-17T15:02:00.000-05:00

One Cool Chica

2008-01-17T14:57:00.000-05:00

Playing with sunglasses Aunt Melody gave her for her birthday.

Christmas Morning (con't)

2008-01-17T14:44:00.000-05:00

Emmie's big gift was a rocking horse. She loves it! She'll climb on and off and on and off and is a pretty proficient rocker. (Please excuse the runny nose. It didn't want to stop all morning. =( )

Christmas Morning

2008-01-17T14:25:00.001-05:00

Emmie looking at all the presents. She knew what to do with them as we had already opened gifts at 3 other family functions.

Uh-oh! Spilling her breakfast before we opened gifts.

Emmie's farm set from Aunt Allison and cousin Kaylie.

My gift from Chad. They match my necklace from last year.

Chad's gifts (I got him the Transformers movie too).

Fun with Friends

2008-01-17T14:19:00.001-05:00

Emmie and Abby always have a fun time when they get together

Merry Christmas to All!

2007-12-21T09:37:00.000-05:00

While I still have time before Christmas is upon us, I wanted to make sure to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy and blessed New Year! My New Year's resolution is to try and blog a little more frequently. =o) Ok, you can stop laughing at me now. =o) Enjoy the pictures I finally put up (from September). Merry Christmas!

Getting ready for Christmas

2007-12-21T09:32:00.001-05:00

"Mom, I think this ornament needs to go up there."

"Perfect!"

This is the way a construction worker puts together his kid's toys.

Yeehaw! Testing out the finished product.

Cousins

2007-12-21T09:26:00.000-05:00

Kaylah taking Emmie for a stroll.

Emmie wasn't to interested in taking this picture until she got to hold Carter.

We got to visit cousin Kaylie and Aunt Allison on our trip to Michigan.
Kaylie was great about sharing all her toys with Emmie.

Picture Update #2

2007-12-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

Emmie likes to help me do the dishes by asking for "bubus peace."

With her beard so snowy white

Emmie's big into the leg warmers style.

She wasn't too crazy about the snow. She pretty much refused to walk through it.

Photo Updates 1

2007-12-21T09:13:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite things to do at the end of September is go to the fair.

Emmie's trying to "honk" the horn on the tractor.

All that tractoring is hard work!

Our big girls! Last year Emmie was only 6 weeks old, Kaylah was only 8 weeks and Abigail was only 5 months.

She fell asleep eating lunch two days in a row. She must have had a busy morning.

Emmie loves going down her slide when we play outside.

Elf Yourself =o)

2007-12-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

Check it out:

Merry Christmas!

Visit www.officemax.com to do yourself. =o)

Updates all around....

2007-11-19T11:52:00.001-05:00

First, Emmie had her 15 month check up complete with 3 shots last week. She is now 22.5 lbs and 30 inches tall. She is doing pretty well but has had a slight cold the last few days and a crazy schedule so her joyful and obedient spirit has taken a slight vacation for the time being which in turn tends to affect her parents' joyful spirits. We're all working on that one though.

We finally go approval last monday to get a rental car after 3 weeks of wheeling and dealing. We now have a pretty cool black Dodge Dakota with a V8 and satellite radio. Normally the insurance would only pay for a regular 4-door deal but since that was the only vehicle they had at the time we went to pick it up they gave it to us for the same price. Lesson to take away from this whole rental fiasco: Make sure you have rental car coverage on your collision policy. That way, no matter whose fault it is, you can get a retal car right away. We found out after the accident that we didn't have the $24 a year rider on our policy that would guarentee rental car coverage. If by chance it had been declared a no-fault accident and we had rented a car thinking the other insurance would assume responsibility, we would have given ourselves a nifty little christmas gift of a hefty rental bill. So make sure your coverage is up to date. =o) Btw, they are repairing our truck and we should have it by the beginning of December.

Dancing Queen

2007-11-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

Emmie loves to dance. Most recently she found a song on the new Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack that she really enjoys. When she stops dancing in the middle if you look to the side you can see Chad's shadow. He was trying to get her to start dancing again. You may have to double click they play button to make it work.

Wonderful news

2007-11-01T13:07:00.000-04:00

Well, it finally happened, a little bit of a surprise to most of you I know....we finally got cable Internet! Gotcha, didn't I? You had to admit you thought for just a split second I was pregnant again. =o) Anyway, I am very happy now. This might actually lead to me posting more than once a month and maybe I'll even throw in a video or two of Emmie. =o)

In other news, Emmie decided that she really liked the blood aspect of Halloween and proceeded to fall head first into our magazine stand last night right before bed. She ended up with about a half inch long cut (it wasn't quite a gash, the skin just split) on her forehead that of course bled profusely all over her face, clothes, mother, and father. Needless to say she wasn't thrilled with the blood running all over her face and kept trying to wipe it away with her hand and fighting against the paper towel Chad was using to try and stop it. After the bleeding and Emmie calmed down we were able to check the wound and after debating a trip to the emergency room for stitches (it was about 8:30 pm) we opted for some steri-strips and a bandage (we figured that was about what they would do at the ER anyway as the cut wasn't really deep) This morning she was no worse for the wear and playing around like normal.

Another adventure we are in the midst of right now is sorting everything out from an accident we were in on Oct 20th. Chad and I were on our way up to Sight and Sound (A Christian Theater) in PA for an overnight trip to celebrate our anniversary when we had an unexpected turn of events. We were on a two lane road driving towards a construction zone when suddenly a suburban pulled around a stopped truck into our lane. We didn't know what was going on but Chad slammed on the brakes and tried to get as far to the right as he could without plowing into the guardrail. All I remember thinking is ok, we're pretty much stopped. Why isn't he stopping or going around?!! Then CRASH!! the front left corners of our vehicles hit. It was all a little surreal. The airbags didn't go off and thank the Lord, no one was injured. Our truck on the other hand was undrivable (but the engine was still running, Chad had to shut it off, so that was good). We'll probably have to replace the bumper, grill, the lights on that side, the side panel, the hood, the driver side door (Chad had to come out my side because he couldn't get the door open wide enough to get out), the wheel (which looked like it was broken in half) and the tire, not to mention any internal damage that we couldn't see. But also another praise (at least so far) is that the truck is still valuable enough for them to be able to complete the repairs without having to total the vehicle. The repair shop is still working on the estimate so we'll see about that one. Anyway, come to find out, apparently the truck in front of the suburban stopped suddenly (he left the scene after the accident) and the driver of the suburban slammed on the brakes (he didn't have ABS), went into a skid, lost control, and swerved into our lane. You could see his skid marks on the road come from his lane into ours. At first it seemed like it would be pretty cut and dry with the insurance companies but unfortunately, the other driver after finding out that he was going to be found at fault (and not the mystery driver in the truck) has proceeded to lie to his insurance company possibly taking something I had said in speculation after the accident (that the truck may have slammed on his brakes because the lane shift in the construction zone may have made it seem like we were coming towards him) and using it to make it seem like we were at fault too. I'm pretty confident that the insurance companies will get things figured out correctly but it's so difficult knowing that something I said could be potentially casting doubt over our integrity. I hate this feeling and it's killing me not knowing what's going on.
On a bright note, since we were ok, we were able to get a cab and then a rental car and still enjoy the weekend. If any of you are up in the Lancaster area of PA you should really try and catch a show at Sight and Sound. They do an incredible job. =o)

Blue Ribbon Winner

2007-10-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

If I could brag on my hubby for a minute...Chad's picture of Miguel Tejada (a Baltimore Orioles player) on a rehab assignment playing for the Keys won a blue ribbon at the county fair. =o)

Emmie =o)

2007-10-11T10:59:00.000-04:00

Emmie is finally starting to get hair. When she gets warm or it is humid outside she gets little curls around the back of her head. She gets that from her mommy. =o)

Swinging like a big girl

On Thursday night when we were gone, Emmie wore her Maryland jersey so that she could match Chad who was wearing his and watching the game at home. She also liked to "help" my Grandma water her plants. Her MiMi taught her how to do it at home.

Family

2007-10-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

My cousin Dan and his girlfriend Kristen drove about 200 miles roundtrip in one day to see us and meet Emmie. (This was a couple days after they finished a cross country road trip from Vancouver to Toronto.) Was that sweet of them or what? =o)

Four Generations...such a special moment

We're still alive =o)

2007-10-10T09:07:00.000-04:00

After a 2 month hiatus I figured it was time to post again. The past two months have been very busy but fun. Emmie and I took off for a week in September to visit my Grandma in Canada. That was a very fun trip (pictures to follow). It was fun seeing friends in Michigan and showing Emmie the places I went as a little girl. (Not that it made that big of an impression at this point in her life). Emmie did great on her first flight and even got to sit in her own seat for part of the time.
Chad and I are in the midst of starting up our own electrical business so that Chad can take over for his Dad in a couple of months. We're thankful for the opportunity to start things up with several clients already waiting in the wings.

Sorry this is so short but I want to post some pictures too......=o)

Birthday Girl

2007-08-10T09:55:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe that Emmie's been part of our family for one whole year already. It has been so much fun to watch her grow both physically and mentally. I love being the one she wants when she's scared or happy. It's amazing to see how much personality she has already. Happy Birthday Emmie! May God grant you many, many more birthdays in the joyful years to come!

The traditional cake-all-over the face pose. =o)

Is this what you're supposed to do with the box? Emmie has already learned how to slam dunk on her daddy.

We went to an O's game on her birthday. Temp at 7:05 pm: 101 degrees =o)

Emmie's name is the first one on the list. =o)

One thing I have to get used to with having a cute child is being on TV. So far all three minor league games we've been to Emmie's been on the big screen. This time we were walking into the game and the cameraman spotted us (aka Emmie) and in a flash was doing a close up of us to go on the regional game coverage (MASN for those of you who know). Unfortunately we weren't taping the game =( Ok, Ok so maybe I enjoy having and bragging about my cute kid. ;o)

7 things about me

2007-08-10T09:23:00.000-04:00

Well, Elisa tagged me with this eons ago and I am just now doing it. I am such a blogging failure. =o) I'm not going to tag anybody mostly because everyone I know has already done it. Wait, I'm talking to Jenna right now and she still hasn't done it so I tag her. =o)

1. I actually look forward to doing my taxes each year and I do them by hand (not by computer).

2. I stayed up to 2 am three nights in a row to finish the last Harry Potter book.

3. I was a captain on my swim team in middle school.

4. I hate leaving dishes in the sink overnight.

5. One of my goals in life is to watch a ballgame at all 30 major league ballparks.

6. I've been to 30 States, 5 Canadian provinces, and halfway down the gulf side of Mexico. Now I just have to get across the ocean.

7. I have both American and Canadian citizenship.

Yeah!! I made it! Hopefully there was at least one thing in here you didn't know about me. =o)

Summer fun

2007-06-29T13:12:00.000-04:00

These are the most recent pictures of Emmie. All taken within the past week or so....

Emmie loves to eat her duckies while swimming

Not quite sure what to make of the catapiller MiMi is showing her

A comparison shot...bigger than the dog, smaller than mommy

Our little clover princess

Cute pictures

2007-06-29T13:07:00.000-04:00

Extra paci's are always good things to have when sleeping... (look in her hand)

Teddy bears too =o)

Where's Emmie?

Peek-a-boo!

The Tupperware photos

2007-06-29T12:59:00.000-04:00

Every child needs tupperware photos. I have mine, Chad has his, and I'm sure all of you have yours. Here are Emmie's. =o)

Hmmm.....which one to play with?

Ahhh...just right!

Have to dig deep for this one....

Perfect! It matches my eyes!

Since you last heard from us....

2007-06-29T12:45:00.000-04:00

Emmie is now almost 11 months old. She's not quite 20 lbs and is just under 28 inches tall. A couple of days after my last post (which was right after she turned 9 months) Emmie started walking around. Within a week she had figured out how to stand up by herself and by all rights became fully engrossed in the toddler ranks. Crawling quickly became a thing of the past and just within the past week she has figured out how to walk backwards and "twirl" (walk) around in circles.
We joined the summer reading program at the library and have enjoyed reading books together for prizes. She got the biggest kick out of the larry boy sticker she "earned" from the librarian for completing the first list of activities in the program. Now granted while I want my daughter to enjoy reading, I must confess that my motives are not completely pure....I'm going to really enjoy using the coupon for the free ice cream cone from Chick-fil-a that comes in the little goody bag she received for participating. =o)
Well, since most of you would rather see pictures instead of reading my ramblings, I'll say good-bye for now so that I can post the pictures before Emmie wakes up.

Riding along in my automobile....

2007-05-09T20:29:00.000-04:00

My baby beside me at the wheel....

This is how Emmie honks the horn on her new car.

She stands up and presses her belly against it to make it squeak.

When she's not driving, she's flying.... =o)

Thank you Hil, for introducing us to the wonderful world of mini pops.

Just the right size for little hands and mouths. =o)

To all those people out there who say Emmie looks like her daddy, you're right!

Now we all know what Chad would look like if he were bald. ;-)

Hickory, Dickory, Dock....

2007-05-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

So the other afternoon I was sitting in our living room reading a book while Emmie played with her toys. I happened to glance over at the kitchen just in time to see a little brown streak scurry across the floor. Determined not to freak out, I slowly walked out into the kitchen to check if my eyes had been deceiving me. Now why I even bothered to look I'm not sure because there way no way I was going to get anywhere near to said rodent if I spotted it. So when Chad got home later in the day he set up mouse traps and checked them several times throughout the evening with no success. The next morning, just when I was beginning to think I had been seeing things, Chad's mom came down to let us know they had caught the little furball upstairs. Vindicated, I went throughout my day. Just when we were getting ready to leave to go somewhere, Chad calls out from the living room. "I see him!!" Chad proceeded to chase the mouse into our pantry where he (the mouse) hid for a few minutes and then came out and started to nibble the peanut butter on the mouse trap that Chad had set. Apparently, he was just a little baby mouse and therefore too small to set off the trap. Fortunatly, Chad was able to catch him and let him go outside. Hopefully, that will be the end of the mooses (as Chad calls them) for awhile. I can't see how they could like living inside when the have a cornfield right across the street to play in. =o)

In other news, Emmie had her 9 month doctor's visit today. She's a healthy 27.25 inches tall and 18.5 lbs, the 50th percentile for both for her age. This means that despite being able to down almost a whole hot dog in one sitting, she only gained a pound over the last 3 months. This is probably due to the fact that she is crawling all over the place now. She is standing very well by herself, is walking around when she has something to hold onto, and will even venture to take a step by herself now and then. Her favorite pastimes are climbing the 12 stairs up to MiMi and Poppy's house when mom or dad happen to leave the door open, "dancing" (holding her hands together and twisting side to side) when she hears music, and riding in her car outside (pictures coming soon).

Happy Easter

2007-04-05T16:49:00.000-04:00

HE IS RISEN!

In Honor of April 15th

2007-04-05T16:39:00.000-04:00

Emmie saw Chad and I working on our taxes and so she decided to do a little bit of auditing on her own....

We'll just count these items up here.... (notice the standing on her own)

Ummmm....something is not adding up quite right

Have to pull out the calculater for this one....

There apears to be a serious problem here....

In Honor of April 15th

2007-04-05T16:34:00.000-04:00

Just Kidding!!

Time for my monthly post =o)

2007-03-25T10:38:00.000-04:00

The past month has gone by so quickly I didn't even realize it had been that long since I last posted. Some of the highlights from this month are:

-Emmie is crawling all over the place now. The other day she was in the hallway in view of Chad and I while we were talking in the living room. Next thing we knew Emmie had disappeared down the hallway and into the bathroom (I had left the door open because I was in the process of putting away towels) where she was kneeling beside the toilet with her hands on the seat peaking into the bowl. Thankfully we caught her before anything more interesting happened.

-As soon as the crawling clicked in, the pulling up started. Emmie now enjoys pulling up on any object and letting go to see how long she can stand by herself. I think her record so far is 20 seconds.

-Emmie is becoming a little clingy now too. If she is tired or hungry, she follows me around the house making pitiful whimpering sounds until I pick her up and hold her. I took her to get pictures done a few days ago and unfortunately the only appointment they had open was right in the middle of her tired/hungry afternoon time. Therefore, it was a very short lived experience that resulted in one wide-eyed scared picture and a daughter that promptly started crying and crawling toward her mommy everytime she was set down. Needless to say, no pictures were purchased at the end of the session. But I must admit, it is a wonderful feeling to know that Emmie feels safe and protected in my arms.

-March was the month of Aunty visits. Emmie has a lot of real aunts and adopted aunts. First adopted Aunt Cami was up from Florida for a wedding and came to visit. Then just a few days ago, my sister Melody was out to visit from CA and she got to meet Emmie for the first time. Lots of fun there.

-Emmie's had a little bit of a stuffy nose the past week and just yesterday started coughing and sounding a little worse than before. So being to good mother that I am, I left her home with Chad for the afternoon and went shopping with Beth. We finally realized that we only live about an hour apart so if we meet at the outlet mall in the middle we can see each other and shop at the same time. Life is good.

-I've been walking a lot now that the weather is starting to warm up a little bit. 10 laps on the driveway is a mile so I try to do at least a mile a day. I usually push Emmie is the stroller. She enjoys the ride and usually falls asleep around lap 5. So not only do I get Emmie to take a nap, I'm able to work on my figure a little bit at the same time.

-I noticed yesterday while trying on clothes that walking has helped return my backside to my prepregnancy norm or even a little better. After notifying my wonderful husband of this news, he promptly replied that I should have bought the mirror in which I had made this observation. =o) I love my hubby. Actually, I found his remark pretty funny (he was just teasing) so no need to post comments in my defense. =o)

Until next month...=o) (but hopefully sooner)

Still growing....nothing outlasts Emmie....

2007-02-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

Yes, Emmie Rose is six and a half months old already. At her last doctor's appointment she was 26.5 inches long and 17.5 lbs. Congrats to Tif for guessing her weight exactly the morning of without even seeing Emmie. Emmie has become quite mobile and enjoys army crawling/rolling all over the place and exploring. She has learned how to get herself back into a sitting position after she gets on her stomach to get something. It is so much fun watching her learn more and more each day. We went through a week of teething last week. Emmie now has her top front left tooth (to match to pair of front teeth she has on the bottom). When she got her two bottom teeth in she really wasn't that fussy so we thought we got off easy. Errr..Wrong answer. She was constantly whining for about 4 days straight and poor thing, it didn't help that she had her first cold too. So a sore mouth with a stuffed-up nose, that made for a few late/sleepless nights for all of us. But she's over her cold now, so she's been pretty happy the past few days. =o)

First Snowfall

2007-02-03T11:48:00.000-05:00

We had our first small snowfall last weekend. Emmie found the snow to be interesting and cold. She wasn't too thrilled with the whole bundling-up process but she did like sledding down the driveway with her daddy.

Warm and toasty

For some reason mommy and daddy seem to think this is fun...

Pennsylvania Farm Show

2007-02-03T11:37:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of January we went with our friends David, Hilary, and Abbey to the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg. We enjoyed walking around and looking at a lot of interesting things and eating a lot of good food. We can't wait for next year!

Which came first, The Emmie or the Egg?

A sculpture sure to clog your arteries =o) Yes, that is the liberty bell made out of butter.

This one goes out to all the PHCers out there.....

Emmie Rose

2007-02-03T11:16:00.000-05:00

I predict good things for your future

One night Mom was out shopping and I was getting bored. So I was telling Dad how bored I was so he put me up on his shoulders. I liked it so much that he let me sit there and suck on his hair for a whole half hour before Mom got home.

I like to pretend I have long hair

Stretching is a vital part of working out. I call this the foot-in-mouth stretch.

Christmas and Football

2007-02-03T10:57:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve at Mom-mom's House (Chad's Grandmother)

Playing with Cousin Kaylah and Aunt Jenna at Mom-mom's house

Emmie truly is her Daddy's little girl

Chad and Emmie on Game Day. Go Terps!

Everything Changes So Quickly

2007-01-17T14:29:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and are having a wonderful new year. We're fairing pretty well. Chad and I had a stomach bug over the weekend (always fun) but it was only a 24 hour thing and we're pretty much recovered. So far Emmie hasn't gotten it and we're praying it stays that way. Right now she's out in the other room talking with her daddy. Her language skills consist of growls, squeals and giggles. I must admit I enjoy the squeals and giggles much more than the growling she does when she gets tired or hungry. She smiles a lot now too. She also is rolling across the room and starting to pull herself forward with her arms. She managed to turn on the cd player the other day and looked up at us with a big grin on her face and then went contentedly back to listening to her baby cd. We are in the teething process but it has been remarkably calm so far. She has one tooth that has broken through on the bottom and the other bottom one doesn't look too far behind. As always, I will end this post with a promise that I hope to have more pictures up soon. =o)

Pictures

2006-12-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

Yippee!! Here are some pictures for everyone. =o)

Dandylions in December

Emmaline Rose (almost 4 months)

Merry Christmas to All!!

(Many thanks to Jenna for the use of her wonderful photography skills)

A Merry Christmas To All

2006-12-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

Well, despite my best efforts, blogger just doesn't want to upload my pictures right now. =( Anyway, Merry Christmas to all. We're doing well here. Emmie is now 25 inches long and 15 pounds 13 ounces. She's still not sleeping through the night but we're working on that one. =o) She likes to grab for everything and can roll over. Her favorite new pastime is sucking on her toes or chewing on Mom thumb (which she is doing right now). We hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas and a blessed new year and hopefully I will be able to get some more pictures up sometime in the near future. =o)

Just a quick note...

2006-10-31T19:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, we're still alive. =o) Emmie is trying to adjust to the time change. So that's our biggest challenge right now. Chad had his wisdom teeth out a week ago and recovered very quickly. We're both very thankful for that. I'll try and get some pictures up soon. It takes awhile on our computer to shrink the images and then finding time to post is a whole other issue. Since we have dial-up and are using Chad's parents phone line, we don't want our computer usage to tie up their ability to use their phone. So as much as I would like to be on the computer all day surfing and posting, it would be very inconsiderate of me to do such a thing. So in the meantime, I will try and post as often as I can and get pictures up soon. =o)

More Pictures from the Fair

2006-10-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

We had fun with all our friends at the fair. The picture below is of Chad and Emmie (6 weeks), David and Abby (6 months), and Brad with Kaylah (8 weeks). Even from the time we all found out we were expecting, the guys were excited about being able to take their daughters to the fair together.

Watching the dog show and waiting for Emmie to burp. =o)

Chad holding the cousins. Emmie had just spit out her pacifier and wasn't too happy.

Finally some more pictures

2006-10-18T21:22:00.000-04:00

Here are the promised pictures from the fair. Granted it was almost a month ago...I'll get caught up sometime soon....I think =o)

You can't really see her in the stroller, but this was the first day we went to the fair. It was bright and sunny out.

Here's Chad holding his little country darlin'. We had her all dressed up in her shortalls.

The tractors were so big you could sit in the wheels. =o)

A Weekend of Friends

2006-10-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we were able to go down to school for homecoming weekend. It was wonderful to see friends and fellow former PHCers. We had fun showing Emmie off at work on Friday and I had fun cheering while watching the Alumni vs. Students football game on Saturday. Alumni won 18-12 (no goal posts for extra point attempts). Go Kneppers!! Emmie stayed home with her daddy on Saturday because I had a bridal shower to go to in the evening down by school. The shower was filled with laughter and joking and more chances for to catch up with friends whom I haven't seen in a couple of months. Oh, and Jeanette makes a mean pan of lasagna. So if you ever have the chance to eat some, I would highly recommend it. =o)

Sunday we went over to Chad's grandmother's house to watch the Redskin's football game with her to help celebrate her 86th birthday that was yesterday. I hope I'm that alert to football when I'm her age. She knows the numbers of the big players. Like when Clinton Portis made a big run she said, "That was number 26, wasn't it?" Too fun.

Monday brought more company as one of my bride's maids who was in town for the week stopped by to meet Emmie. We had a good time catching up and doing some shopping for a baby present for Emmie. Unfortunately, my daughter does not have a mother who will spend $15 on a pair of baby blue jeans so we had to forgo the cute little jeans with flowers on them. But we found a couple of cute outfits and an even cuter jumper outfit for chuch so all was well. I am very thankful for garage sales and baby fairs. I'm able to let other people buy the cute, expensive stuff and then have their child wear it twice before they outgrow it and then I can buy it from them for 10 percent, if not less, of what they paid for it. =o) Life is good.
I'll try and get some pictures up in the next post.

Sitting and Swinging

2006-09-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

I've been trying for the past two weeks to get these pictures to load and they finally cooperated today. Yippee!!

We've had Emmie out every day this week and she handles it really well. We've been to the Great Frederick Fair twice so I'll be posting pictures from that hopefully sooner than I got these up. =o)

"I think I got the hang of this sitting up thing."

"Mom and Dad make it look so easy."

"I think I'll stick with my swing."

One Month Old

2006-09-08T18:26:00.000-04:00

Emmaline is 1 month old today. We had our one month check-up and she is now 22 inches long and weighs 10 lbs, 3 ozs. She's in the 75th percentile for both her height and weight. (That means if you lined up 100 children her age by height/weight from smallest (1) to biggest (100) she would be number 75). Here are a few more pictures of her.

Emmie with Rebekah. Rebekah was the flower girl in our wedding.

Emmie holding onto Daddy's hands.

Who me? Pacifier? I don't know what you're talking about....

Emmie watching her first Orioles game with her Dad.

Ok, I caved, this naked baby picture was too cute not to put up.

Our Moving Crew

2006-09-08T18:06:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to our wonderful friends

for all their help on moving day.

Sarah put on her maid outfit and scrubbed

our bathrooms until they sparkled.

David (right) and John taking a breather in our new place.

John came all the way from Ohio to visit Dave and Hil and ended up spending all day Saturday helping us move. What a guy!

Resting after a long day.

Vanessa (left) and Hilary getting their stairmaster workout in.

We lived on the third floor so everyone got a great workout.

Danny did a great job supervising...and he did an even better job running up and down the stairs all day.

Settling In

2006-09-02T13:26:00.000-04:00

Well, we have been in our new home a week and the boxes are getting unpacked and stuff is getting organized. Emmie is adjusting but still working on sleeping through the night. I haven't been really good about keeping her on a schedule so that's probably why. =o/ We'll be posting more pictures soon once things get a little more organized and I have some more time. =o)