Images...

The pictures say it all.

Happy Birthday, Emma Katherine!

Wow! It is hard to believe that Emma is 4 today. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were bringing her home in the snow? Emma is so grown-up now. She is such a fiesty, smart little girl. I adore the fact she loves all things "girly," loves to sing and dance and knows the words to most pop songs better than I. She is a great big sister. Emma's favortie things are Hello Kitty, Dora, princesses, cheerleading, Build-a-Bear, music. She loves to eat pancakes, Pop Tarts, pizza and tacos. Emma knows what she wants and has no problem making that clear. :) She loves school and can't wait to get there each day. Did I mention one of her favorite places is I.U.?

We love you very much, Emma Katherine!! Always remember birthdays are big. Happy Birthday!!

The Great Pumpkin

This past weekend we made our annual visit to the pumpkin patch. The weather was unseasonably warm with highs in the 80's. It was odd putting on suntan lotion as we jumped in the hey wagon. Emma was a pro as she picked out the biggest pumpkin she could fine. Nora wanted to bang on all of the pumpkins like drums. We found two great pumpkins to take home and called it a day. Emma is counting down the days until Halloween so she can go trick-or-treating. I am just looking forward to her candy!

First Birthday

How did Nora grow up so fast? Seems like we brought her home last week! She is such a bright-eyed little girl. Nora loves to dance, sing and do anything her big sister does. Nora knows how to walk, but seems to think crawling is much easier. She doesn't have a favorite food, but does like to grab ice out of any cup she sees. Nora is a joy and we are very grateful to have her in our lives. We love you Nora Elyse!

Summer

Love these summer pics. Nothing better on a hot day then a splash in the pool and the taste of ice cream!

Grandma Imy's Big Bash

This first picture speaks for itself. Great-Grandma with 9 of her great-grandkids. Baby Lila is not here because she was just born in May and wasn't up for a plane trip. Great-Grandma is in Seattle visiting her now.

Cousin Emily hugging Miss Nora.

Above is Sadie and Emma modeling Great-Great-Grandma Emmert's hats. The last picture is of the girls and their Great-Grandma at her big bash. Happy Birthday!

Zoopolis 500

I love living in Indianapolis during the month of May. There is an excitement in the air all in the anticipation of the Indianapolis 500. I love the checkered flags, the sound of the race cars and the track. We hit the zoo today to experience the Zoopolis 500. This celebration has been going on for 30 years. The Zoopolis 500 is when the zoo has some of their turtles race in honor of the Indianapolis 500. We had a great time watching this race, meeting the 500 Queen and princesses and to top it all, driver Tony Kanaan! I was already a big fan of T.K., but he is a class act. He signed autographs and posed for photos with all the kids. What a guy. After a quick race (those turtles moved fast), Dan the turtle won. What a great day!

Watch Out!

We have a crawler! Nora is working very hard at it. She is growing up so fast!!

Opening Day!!

In our family, Opening Day is National Holiday. We cannot wait to watch our beloved Cardinals play. My parents had the opportunity to go to St. Louis today to watch the game. Since I couldn't go, we celebrated here at our house. We have plenty of Cardinals shirts for everyone to wear. Matt asked Emma if she had on her Cardinals shirt and she said, "No, Daddy. It is my Alvert Pujols shirt." I tried to teach her "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," but we still some work to do. Matt was singing it and said, "Root, root, root for the Cubbies" and Emma corrected him by saying, "No, no, no! You have to say Cardinals!" I guess she learned the right parts of the song. The Cardinals fans have taken over the house. Poor Matt still cheers for the Cubs. I think it is time for him to switch. Go Cardinals!

Chick-fil-A

If Emma could eat out every day, she would request a trip to Chick-fil-A. She can't get enough of it. To be honest, neither can I. You can't beat their chicken sandwich or their ice cream. I have also learned that their staff might be some of the nicest in the business. They are always gracious and help me when I am trying to juggle money, kids and food. During one trip, I was trying to get the girls in their seats and before I could turn around, an employee had my food at my table with napkins, straws and ketchup. So nice! I also love how they always say, "My pleasure." There needs to be more of this in our crazy world.

Anyway, I took some funny pictures of the ladies at lunch. Nora thought she was hot stuff in the restaurant high chair. Don't you love the chair cover? Momo made that for us! She could have her own business with all the beautiful things she can make. In typical Emma humor, she requested to have her picture taken with the Chick-fil-A cow. What a character. We had a great afternoon lunch outing in the warm spring weather. Now where did the sun go???

Little Leprechauns

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our Little Leprechauns! The weather was beautiful (70 degrees) and we were super excited to head downtown to the parade with our friends Jeanne, Brody, Lucy and Annabelle. The parade was filled with bands, a few floats and lots of people throwing candy. Of course, a St. Patrick's Day parade is not complete without some bagpipes. The kids loved seeing "Blue" and "Boomer." They were hysterical and did not disappoint. Before we left for the parade, Emma set up a leprechaun trap in hopes she might catch a little critter. She decided Dots, raisins and a shamrock cookie would lure him in to her trap. When we got home, the leprechaun had stolen the treats, but got away. He did leave some treasures for Emma and Nora. Emma just couldn't believe it. St. Patrick's Day proved to be full of green fun!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
— Dr. Seuss (I Can Read with My Eyes Shut)

We celebrated the great Dr. Seuss today by making a hat like the Cat and the Hat ("This is indeed a hat"), had green eggs and ham for lunch and read many Dr. Seuss books. Poor Nora couldn't handle all the excitement.

My two favorite quotes from Emma this morning were, "Can we make red eggs next week?" and "I am finished eating (only one bite eaten). The green eggs and ham are a little bit of gross."

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! We love you and all your books. Do you have a favorite?

Teaser

Such a tease, but we love it!! We have been trying to enjoy the warm temperaures knowing it won't last. Nora enjoyed the new view from the stroller and I couldn't keep up with Emma. She was so excited to go anywhere (note the purse). Emma was in a sharing mood and let Nora try out her car. I think the picture tells the story of how much Nora liked it. I love the picture of Emma on the slide. She wanted a snack and said, "I want to eat it outside." She looked so cute reflecting out on the pond. We wish the warm weather was here to stay!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!! Emma has been looking forward to this day since Christmas. Emma got an outfit for her Lovebug Build-a-Bear as a gift. She gave Nora a little penguin. Emma had a big party at school and got to exchange valentines. After school, we made "heart" cupcakes for a snack. Emma says she is "makering" them. They are yummy (I had to taste one). The girls got to wear their matching shirts and hairbows. I have been making the bows and getting better with practice. We are sending much love your way on this fun day!

Ice Ice Baby

Yes, I know this phrase has probably been misused over the past week, but it works so well! We had almost 3 inches of ice hit the ground on Tuesday and were frozen in the house. It seems as if the whole community shut down Tuesday and Wednesday. The schools have been out for 4 days. Removing the ice has been a battle, one which I chose not to fight. Matt was in Chicago this week and got to experience the blizzard. The picture of the snow is from his office. There is a car in there! I think he got around Chicago in 20 inches of snow better than I did here in 3 inches of ice. Emma, Nora and I spent the days being lazy, doing craft projects and playing. The dogs did give us some drama. Sheldon slipped on the deck and hurt one of his paws. There was blood everywhere. He is going to the vet tomorrow. Lamont slid through the Invisible Fence and took off in the neighborhood. I thought he was never coming back. Thanks to the quick thinking of our neighbors and some boys from my school, we got him home. I love this picture of Lamont and Emma watching the plows on our street.

Everyone is back home now and resting. Emma is looking forward to Valentine's Day. She asks every day if it is the day. Miss Nora is sitting up on her own and trying to move. I think we are going to have our hands full! She goes for her 6 month check up this week. I can't believe it.

Where does the time go?

Let's hope this week is uneventful and peaceful. A beach is sounding really great right now!