Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all! Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday!

Four Months!

Wow! How did four months pass by so quickly? Nora is getting so big. At her check-up, Dr. Boyce said she is in the 95% for height. I wonder if she got some of the tall genes in our family. Nora is so alert and doesn't like to sleep much during the day. This is ok because she sleeps alot at night. Nora loves to smile and laugh, especially at Emma. She is such a sweet, cuddly baby!

Visit to Santa

Visiting Santa takes on a whole other meaning when you go with a three year old. When Santa asked if Emma if she had been good, she looked at me with a guilty face. Too funny!

Snow!

I just had to upload and post these picture of the first big snow. I was quickly reminded that it takes longer to bundle up a toddler to go out than they actually spend out in the snow. Oh, well. She was one happy kid today.

THREE!!

It is hard to believe that Emma Katherine Trees is three years old today! The time has flown by quickly. Emma is so bright and happy. She loves to sing and can name a song within the first few beats. She loves to dance, too. Emma loves books, animals, dolls and Princesses. She is always up for some TV time with Dora, Mickey Mouse, Jungle Junction, Olivia or Elmo. Emma loves to go to school and she likes to show you all the neat things she has learned. We are so lucky to have such a happy, healthy little girl. Happy Birthday!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Emma's Stage Debut

I took Emma to the Indiana State Museum today for her first musical. It was called, "Snowflake Sam and the Best Gift Ever." It was a really cute musical that was a perfect start to the holidays. The cast asked for volunteers throughout the play. Each time, other parents and grandparents pushed their kids up there. Emma patiently waited with her hand raised. At one point, she looked at me and said, "When will it be my turn?" I guess the old saying of "Good things come to those who wait" is very true. Emma got picked to go at the end. Boy, was she thrilled. She ran up there. She even got to keep instrument (a lovely kazoo). I was so proud of her! When the musical was over we made a trip over to Celebration Crossing. We visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus. We also rode on the train and said hello to Raggedy Ann. Oh! I forgot that we made a craft that went along with the musical. We made a quick trip to the Odd Indiana exhibit (very interesting what people give to the museum) and then we headed home. What a great way to start out the holidays!

Thanksgiving

Nora got to meet her cousins, Hannah and Cole this past Thanksgiving holiday (Uncle Luke and Aunt Amy, too). She thought they were pretty neat. Hannah had a lot of fun making her laugh. Cole would cruise in and say, "Baby!" or "Nora!" and then cruise on out. It was great to see the Pridgeon Family. We are looking forward to our visit to Orlando to see you guys and Mickey! I had to post this picture of the girls in their turkey shirts and bows. Now on to a big birthday and Christmas. As Emma would say, "Hippie!"

Three Months

I can't believe Miss Nora is already three months old. They grow up way too fast. Nora has a big personality and is smiling all the time. She has learned how to "talk" to us, too. She figured out if she does it at the dinner table, she gets alot of attention. Nora is also squealing and laughing. That is the best. She loves her big sister and dogs. She sees them and laughs. We are very lucky to have such a happy healthy girl!

"It's Gonna Make a Big Snow Tomorrow."

Only Emma can describe the first snow of the season so well.

Poof!

Emma LOVED Halloween this year. She asked several times each day of October, "Is it time to Trick or Treat?" She was overly excited. Nora didn't seem to care too much. The pictures say it all.

Miss Indiana 2030

Yea, we have big dreams for the girls. I think that working towards the Miss Indiana crown is a good goal. We have a long way to go and no I don't plan on putting Emma or Nora in those "Toddler and Tiara" pageants. We can dream, right? For now, we can hang out with royalty. Emma had the chance to visit with the reigning Miss Indiana, Gabrielle Reed. Such a nice girl! Emma somehow got her to jump in the bounce house with her. We had a good time at the festival in Zionsville. Emma entered the costume contest and won third. She was mostly excited that she got to talk in the microphone. What a great afternoon. Thanks, Michael, for inviting us!

We also managed to get to ZooBoo this weekend. You gotta love trick-or-treating right next to the animals. Emma loves racing the cheetahs and did it in full costume. We had perfect weather for the day. Kind of wish the ZooBoo was more than once a year.

Nora just went along for the ride all weekend. She slept through most of it. Maybe next year she will be ready to show off her costume. At least we can start working on her walk and wave for the Miss Indiana pageant!

Trip to Poseyville

Last week, I got brave and decided to make the drive to Poseyville. It is about 3 and a half hours. We all did really well. Emma watched a movie and slept, Nora slept and I had my Diet Coke, snacks and XM Radio. We were excited to be home the same time of the Westside Nut Club Fall Festival in Evansville. I had not been in years. This festival has almost 150 food booths. They have it all. I enjoyed fried cookie dough, a Walking Taco, chicken and noodles and kraut balls. Emma loved the Pronto Pups. It is a hot dog dipped in pancake batter and then fried. Yum! Emma got to ride the ferris wheel with Papa. It is her favorite ride. Before we headed home, I got some pumpkin doughnuts from the Donut Bank. Those are a piece of heaven. So glad we went.

The next day we took the girls up to Hirsch's to get Nora weighed on the meat scale. This is an old tradition in Poseyville. We had Emma weighed when she was little: http://indianatrees.blogspot.com/2008/03/small-town-traditions.html I had them weigh Nora at the price of Filet Mignon. Nothing but the best! Emma didn't want to get weighed and stayed on the other side of the meat counter. I love that Hirsh's is a true "General Store". We bought meat for dinner and two new outfits for the girls. I am eyeing a few outfits for myself up there.

We had a great visit with Momo and Papa. Lots of yummy food and fun. Emma said her favorite part was playing with the "Garage toys". It is funny what they recall. We are looking forward to another visit very soon!

Pumpkin Patch

Nothing says pumpkin patch like a 88 degree day. That was the weather here today on 10/10/10. We made our annual trip to Stonycreek Farm to gather up a pumpkin or two. It was so hot and dusty. I tried to get some picture to capture the moment. You can see a common theme with Emma's poses. She was sort of cooperating. Poor Nora. She was just too hot for any of the fun. The one good picture I did get was spontaneous. I am sure there is a lesson there. All in all, we had a good trip and got some great pumpkins!

Huge Smile

Nora has been smiling the past week and I finally caught it in a picture. This smile melts my heart. The dimples are pretty sweet, too.

Go Ben!

We made it to our first I.U. football game this past Saturday. It was Nora's first big outing and she did really well. Emma is an old pro. This was her third season of football and tailgates. Four years ago, my family met and immediately made friends with a great group of people at a tailgate. Most of the group is from Bloomington and are teachers. The group includes Ben Chappell's parents (who is the I.U. starting quarterback). The group from B-town has known Ben since he was little and many taught him in school. They are all a wonderful bunch of people and have welcomed us to their clan with opened arms. Since Emma could talk, we have been teaching her to say, "Go I.U.! Go Ben!" Every time she sees an I.U. shirt or a game (even basketball), she shouts this. One time she saw Peyton Manning on TV and said, "Go Ben!" Ben's mom often jokes that Emma is Ben's future wife. I think that would be a great catch for Emma several years down the road. This Saturday, we made it to a good spot at The Walk so we could see Ben. Emma got to give Ben a high five and said, "Go Ben!" It was too cute. Many thanks to Shirley, Chuck, John, Gloria, Lynn, Scott, Laura, Steve and the rest of the gang for taking such good care of us at the tailgates. We can't wait for many more!

Conner Prairie

I took Emma to Conner Prairie today for one of the Prairie Tyke classes. I thought it would be fun for Emma to have some time with me all by herself. We sure did get alot out of this class. It was well worth the money. We got to pick apples on the prairie, make a craft, have a snack, sang some songs, learned all about apples, strung some apples, took a heyride and got a apple slushie and doughnut. We even got a couple of crafts to do later. I highly recommend these classes for those of you in the Indy area. Can't wait for the next one! (You can click on the collage to make the photos bigger).

Go Colts!

Let's hope all the blue will help the Colts win tonight!!!

One Month

Does Nora look a little older? Well, maybe a little bigger. The picture on the bottom is when she was a few days old. The picture on the top was from today at one month. She looks so sad in the pictures. I think she did smile at me today. If we could only get a good sleep schedule going...

I love saying that- "The Girls." Sometimes it is hard to believe I have two sweet little girls. We finally got Emma to sit still long enough to take a "sister" picture. It took a few bribes, but we got it. Emma, Nora and I ventured out to the park this week. It was nice to be able to actually play with Emma. Before I had Nora, it took all my energy to walk there. I know Emma was excited to ride in the new stroller. Nora is getting so big. She is sleeping longer through the night. She still loves to eat. Nora seems most comfortable up on your shoulder or stretched out on her belly. She was too cute hanging out on the Boppy today. So relaxed. Life is good here at the Trees House!

Week of Fun

This past week was full of activity. Nora got to meet her cousins, Carter and Sadie, along with her Uncle Matthew and Auntie Debbie. She also got to snuggle with her Great Grandma Imy. Great Grandma loves the babies. This is her ninth great grandchild (#8, Baby Kate arrived in June). We had so much fun visiting. The visit was too short!

Nora's life is jam packed with things like eating and bathing. She does not like the bathtub just yet. Emma tries to sing to her, but that doesn't work. I am sure she will like it soon enough.

Emma requested that I post a picture of her. She is adjusting to her new role. She is full of new sayings. She told me yesterday that, "This is an option" when picking out something. She also told me that Target had, "Sweat Pea Tea." I asked her to repeat that and she said, "They have sleeping tea." Too funny!

I have been trying to get a picture of the girls together, but is tough. I do love this one. Nora has been watching Emma alot more. I hope they continue to be good friends!

Meet Nora Elyse!

Nora Elyse Trees arrived into this world on Saturday, August 14, 2010. She weighed in at 8lbs. 7 oz. and is 20 and 1/4 inches long. She has a ton of hair and long eyelashes. Nora is a pretty happy baby as long as she is eating and being held. She is a good sleeper, too. Big sister, Emma, is adjusting well to her new role. She loves to hold her and kiss her. She also likes to be a good helper by bringing us diapers, pacifiers and wipes. Emma is very curious about "Baby Sister" and asks many questions about what she can eat, if she can play and if she can walk. Her questions are pretty funny. We are all adjusting well to our new family and loving every minute of it!

To the Zoo...Finally!

We finally made it to the zoo this past weekend. The weather cooperated and it was a great day to see the animals. The animals were all very active, including this bear. I think he posed for me. Emma fed the giraffes and then moved on to hear the tigers and lions roaring. We also got to see the younger elephant playing in the water until it's mother came over with food. Emma got to race the cheetahs, too. That new exhibit is really cool. The zoo people said that the cheetahs really do come up to the glass and race the people. They were being pretty lazy when we were there. All in all, it was a fun day. Emma is already talking about a return trip with her baby sister!

Big Girl Room

Here is Emma giving a tour of her new "Big Girl" room. Thanks to Mimi for her bedroom furniture. It was her furniture as a little girl. Thanks to Momo and Papa for sanding and painting the furniture. Thanks to Daddy for painting and fixing the room. Emma loves it!

The "Big Mobie"

I got brave enough to take Emma to her first movie in the theater. I have to admit, it was for me, too. We went to see Toy Story 3. I love these movies and was dying to see it. Emma did great. She weighed just enough to keep the seat down (Only after the movie did I see the booster seats). To our benefit, we were the only people in the theater. It didn't matter because Emma really behaved herself. The only time she talked out was when she got upset about the toys needing to get home. She was really upset with tears. I assured her that the toys always get home. I had to hide my tears at the end. :) The 3D glasses were cracking me up. She kept hers for a souvenir. After we left, Emma said that the "big mobie" was fun and she wanted to go to another one. Guess the day was a success!