Birthday Memories

We finally have a working computer and I can now share some of what has happened in the month of December. Here are pictures from Emma's BIG day. As you can see, she really enjoyed her cake. It was evident that she knew she was the center of attention. Emma was such a good girl the day of her party. Everyone had a grand time!

Santa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emma will either love or hate this picture some day. Happy Holidays!

Computer Down

Our computer is in the shop. It is so frustrating. I have tons of photos to post. I hope to do this later with Matt's work computer. Stay tuned!

Off to watch my beloved Hoosiers play basketball. Can Coach Crean beat those UK Wildcats? Growing up near Kentucky has fostered a bigger rivalry for UK than Purdue. I sure hope my Hoosiers look decent. This is always a memorable weekend for us. Four years ago Matt proposed to me on the way to the IU/UK game. True love. True fans.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!!

I cannot believe Emma is one year old today. The year has flown by, but it has been magical. Emma is the most precious gift and I treasure every moment with her. This picture was taken last night by Kristi Hibbetts. Doesn't it just capture Emma's personality? You can see another picture of Emma on Kristi's website: http://www.khibbettsportraits.com/ (Click on Visit Blog)

Happy Birthday, Emma Katherine!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Sharing

Emma has proven that she can share with everyone!

First Hair Cut!

As you can see in the "before" pictures, Emma was in need of a hair cut. We made the short trip to the local Cookie Cutters for our first cut. My only request was NO bangs. :)

Emma only fussed a little bit when they broke out the hair dryer. She was way too busy driving the car and watching Elmo on the TV. Seriously, they should put TV's in the grown-up salons.

The end result was fabulous! She even got a clip and sparkles in her hair. I may have to go there to get my hair styled. :)

Momo and Papa's House

Last week we made the trip to Poseyville to visit Momo and Papa. Emma had a grand time with all the extra attention. Momo gave her all kinds of new foods and snacks to try. Papa took her on the ferris wheel at the mall. We aren't sure if Emma will be up for that again. I think Emma enjoyed her special seat on the couch the best. Our visit was great, but too short!

Happy Birthday, Momo!

We love you! We hope you have a fabulous day. Remember, birthdays are BIG!

Honoring Our Veterans

Today we honor our Veterans. We thank them for keeping our country free and safe. Here are photos of my Grandpa Harold Veith (Army) and my Grandpa Jim Wood (Navy). They served our country during World War II.

Also, I am sending a special shout-out to Matt's cousin, Bebe and her husband Chris. They served in our U.S. Coast Guard. Thank you!

Happy Birthday, Sheldon!

Sheldon is two years old today. He is such an old acting two year old. We decided last night that he would be a good dog at the White House (not that we are giving him to the Obama girls). Happy Birthday!

Yes We Can!

I am still blurry-eyed from the late night of Election Day TV. I couldn't get enough of it. We are big Barack Obama fans in our house. When we moved from Chicago to Indy in 2005, he even made our con list (Con- not getting to vote for Barack Obama anymore). I have enjoyed discussing the election with my students. Yesterday, we held a third grade election complete with voter registration cards, voting booths and long lines at the polls. Here are some funny things they asked:

1. Who counts the votes?

2. Who says, "You win!"

3. When does George Bush have to move out of the White House?

4. Does the new president have to sell his house?

5. Does the president have to be married?

6. If the president gets married, do they have to pay for the wedding?

Our country has changed for the better. What a great priviledge to be able to vote for our country's leader!

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On a side note, Emma had tubes put in her ears today. She did very well with the procedure and is back to playing and stealing my pilgrim decorations off the tables. She even had to take one pilgrim with her as she napped. :)

Welcome, Baby Cole!

Matt's sister, Amy, had a baby boy on October 24. Cole James Pridgeon weighed in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces. Everyone is happy and healthy. Big Sister Hannah loves him very much!

Happy Halloween!

Sorting the Candy

Emma took it upon herself to help us sort the Halloween candy. I think she could have done this for hours.

(Please excuse the loud T.V. in the background. Matt has had a terrible ear infection this last week and he can't hear anything!)

Festive Wear

We have been sporting a festive shirt every day at school this week. Emma's teachers are loving it. They spent Wednesday morning trying to get her Trick or Treat shirt to glow in the dark. Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Lamont!

Lamont is three years old today. One of my students summed it up by saying, "For a dog, he is getting old." Lamont still acts like a puppy. He is a 70 pound puppy. Happy Birthday, Lamont!

Healing and Performing

Poor, Emma. She has been through the ringer the past week. She started running a high fever last Saturday night. It is her ears. AGAIN. Yes, this baby has had more antibiotics for her ears than I have. We are on the mend, but she did spike a fever last night, so we are off to the doctor today. Good thing I am on fall break. We are also set to meet a ENT in a few weeks. Aside from her yucky ears, Emma is growing up fast. She is crawling and "cruising" everywhere. She looks like Spiderman as she attempts to scale the walls. She is squealing and giggling. She loves to "run" from you and is playing peak-a-boo. We got some of her tricks on the video. Emma has learned to clap, blow kisses and shake things and does them on command (most of the time). I think she is saying, "Dada, Oh, Yeah, Dog and Book." She is so much fun. I can't believe her first birthday will soon be here!

It's the Great Pumpkin!

Saturday, we visited the local pumpkin patch. Our visit included a hayride out to an actual pumpkin patch where we got to pick out our pumpkins. After our hayride, we wandered around the grounds and enjoyed all the fall festivities. The fall colors were beautiful. Too bad the temperature was 86 degrees! We looked and looked for the Great Pumpkin, but he could not be found. We had a fantastic fall day!

Visitng My Cousins

We made a day trip to Chicago on Saturday to meet my niece, Sadie. The cousins had a good time playing together. Carter had the best time playing with his Uncle Matt. We even got the chance to see Carter at his soccer game. Even though the visit was short, we had a wonderful time.

Peas... Not So Much

So, we are trying to get Emma to eat table food. She has been excited about most all of it until we tried peas. The video explains it all!

Hanging Out at the Park

We've recently discovered our neighborhood park. Emma is finally big enough to sit in the baby sings. She loves these swings and squeals with delight as she goes. She also loves the blue bouncy seat. Emma loves it so much she is now bouncing on everything try to make things go. The park is so exciting we have to go each evening!

Tiger Trot

Yesterday, we participated in the First Annual PTO Tiger Trot. Our PTO organized this event with the goal of not having any more fund-raisers for the students. The Tiger Trot had a decent turn-out. At the end of the walk there were cookie samples of the cookie dough the students will now be selling. I will be curious to see if there is a Second Annual Tiger Trot. Doesn't Matt look handsome in the Tiger Trot shirt? (Minus the Cubs hat- I will let him enjoy the wins for now)

It's Over (for now)

The first round of ISTEP is over. I made it out alive with no major casualties. I only had one that cried and one major bathroom issue. However, I am still trying to figure out where "tracing around a figure" is one of our third grade standards...

Eating Like the Big People

Emma thinks she can eat like the big people these days. Any time we are eating, she is climbing in your lap to get a bite. One evening she swiped all my chips into her lap and was shoving them in as fast as she could! This is a picture of Emma with her first official order at The Roost. It is our favorite breakfast place. Emma LOVED her pancakes.

Roll Call!

This picture cracks me up. Everyone is lined up and listening. Wish I could get my class to do this.

It's Like the First Day of School

Matt made his first official game day trip to Lucas Oil Stadium last night for the Colts home opener. He was so excited that we waited in the drive-way for 10 minutes for his ride. I thought he looked like a kid on the first day of school. Too bad the game didn't end up better. Can't complain too much. At least the Colts still have their star player (sorry Patriot fans).

Sick Baby

Poor Emma. She was in her new school for 2 days and she now has a terrible cold and cough along with pink eye. You feel so bad for her because she doesn't know how to cough and can't blow her nose. We also have to put drops in her eyes which is torture. Oh, well. This too, shall pass.

Emotional Weekend

It has been an emotional weekend at our house. Matt's grandpa passed away late on Sunday night. He was 95 years old. I love this picture of him with Emma. They were both doing alot of thinking. Matt's grandpa was a baby hog that day and would not give up Emma! He called her "little guy."

On a happy note, my brother and his wife had their baby girl today (yes, on Labor Day). Sadie Elizabeth Wood weighed in at 6lbs., 8 oz. and was 19 inches long. My brother says she has lots of dark hair and long eyelashes. Everyone is doing well. Carter is excited about being a big brother.

Matt summed it up by saying that his grandpa "tagged" Sadie and told her to get on down here. He certainly guided her here.

Crean and Crimson

As my brother would say, my life is now complete. I got my picture taken with Coach Crean. Yes, I used my baby to get the photo. Don't be surprised if you see this is on our Christmas card.

First Tailgate

Emma went to her first I.U. football game today. She was ready to cheer on the Hoosiers in her onesie that said, "Real Babies Wear Cream and Crimson". She was also sporting her cream and crimson hairbow and I.U. pacifier. It was a beautiful day in Bloomington. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. This made for a hot day. We didn't make it to the end of the first quarter. We spent the rest of the game at the tailgate. That was a good place to be.

(Check out the construction on the stadium. Man, Coach Hep had a great vision.)

Sign of the Times

Two things hit me this week that made me realize kids know more about our culture than we realize.

1. I was reading some writing assignments in the first grade hallway. They all know how to spell "Wii" but none of them can spell the word "play."

2. One of my students looked at the new Time Magazine (http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101080901,00.html)and said, "Is that Barack Obama?" I said, "Yes. How did you know?" He said, "That is who we are voting for."

Jealousy

The local news did a story today about students arriving at I.U. for the new school year. Every year I see this, I am hit with a wave of jealousy. I have no desire to live in a cramped dorm room. I don't miss studying. I never enjoyed the drama of the sorority house. I do miss the people and the experiences. When in your life are you that close to so many unique people and when are there that many fabulous opportunities at your finger-tips? I guess you can say I am mostly jealous of the fact these freshman have absolutely no idea what they are about to experience. It is beyond great. I only hope they enjoy each day as much as I did.

On the Move

Emma is on the move and she is fast!



(Yes, I bribed her with the sippy cup).

I Love My Books!

Emma is in love with her books! You can only imagine how excited I am. She has been picking them up and turning the pages like she knows how to read. She gets so quiet and serious when I read to her. We have to read at least three books before I go to school each morning. I think we are going to have to get her a library card very soon!