Home Sweet Home

We arrived home from our Christmas trip to Michigan today!!! We had a wonderful time spending over a week in my old stomping grounds. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!! (in about 21 minutes!) I will be posting multiple Christmas posts over the next few days!!! I took tons of pictures!!!

Emmy is 3 Months!!

"It seems like only yesterday we brought her home!"

Emmy Jane is 3 months old today!!! She is growing so fast and I am loving that I get to spend everyday with her to watch her grow and change!

• She is sleeping 10-12 hours at night!!!!!!!! She is awake most of the day but that is OKAY because she is sleeping all night!!!!!!!!!! And she sleeps in her big crib in the nursery! We moved her into her big crib on November 30.


• She laughs when you tickle her and smiles when you play with her. She coos often!


• She is sucking her thumb and taking a pacifier. She doesn't seem to want to choose between the two! One day she will suck her thumb and then the next day she wants her pacifier.


• She is only nursing. Usually at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm. Sometimes there is another feeding in the evening. She then sleeps all night!!! (sorry...had to mention that again!)


• She loves to be on the floor under her play gym or musical toy. She kicks and bats at the toys! She always wants to be where she can see everything!


• She is so happy in the morning! When I get her up and change her diaper she just smiles and laughs while I get her dressed for the day (and I haven't even fed her yet!)...I remember Keelin would just scream and scream and scream until I fed her in the morning.


• She likes her vibrating papazon seat and is not a big fan of her swing.


• She rolls from side to side but not all the way over yet.


• She likes to take baths!

I am sure there is much more that I could post about this ever changing child, but it is not in the front of my mind right now. Emmy is a wonderful baby and we love her so much!

Keelin is cracking me up!!!

Monday morning I decided to enjoy the nice weather by taking the girls for a run in their double jogger! (Drew pushes the double jogger when we all go running...but no Drew that day because he was at work!) I pushed the jogger running for the first time! Let me begin by saying I ran the whole time!! I only ran 2.13 miles so it was a start!!! Well...about a mile into the run Keelin pipes in by saying, "Don't walk Mommy, don't walk!" I was not walking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe running very slow! give me a break kid...this is my first time trying to run and push 40 lbs of kiddos not including the stroller weight!!!!!!!! Two more times during the run Keelin said, "Go faster Mommy, go faster!" Emmy was wonderful!!! I am so glad she can't talk yet!!!!!!!!!



Then...Monday afternoon...I took both girls to the post office to mail out our Christmas packages. The line was out the door!! Here I am carrying Emmy in the car seat, holding two packages with Keelin next to me holding the third package. Can you picture us??? Emmy starts to cry...I can't find her pacifier...great! I have to entertain Keelin because she does not have patients for waiting!!!! I had wonderful women around me in line who were very helpful!! Got to love kind people in a post office line!!!! Well...Keelin asked me about the package she was holding. (Here is our conversation...)
K: Who is it to?
Me: Jamie. Do you know where Jamie lives?
K: (pause) with Uncle Clay?
Me: not that Jamie! Jamie Irwin...she lives in the same place Uncle Taylor lives.
K: Where does Uncle Taylor live?
Me: I don't know...Where does Uncle Taylor live?
K: Co...lo...ro...do (very articulate!)
Me: You're right!
K: Where does Uncle Austin live?
Me: I don't know... Where does Uncle Austin live?
K: Co..lo..ro..do... Where does Kristin live?
Me: I don't know...Where does Kristin live?
K: Arizona
Me: Where does Uncle Jeff live?
K: Arizona... Where does Daddy live?
Me: (Thinking to myself: We haven't done this one before...okay...I'll play along!)
I don't know...Keelin...Where does daddy live?
K: At work.

Everyone in line started cracking up! Gotta love 3 year-olds!
Can you tell she is use to staying home with me all day?? In her mind...she knows that daddy goes to work everyday...so...I am working on getting her to understand that daddy GOES to work everyday, but lives at HOME with her, and Emmy, and myself!

Princess and the Frog

We took Keelin to see the movie, "The Princess and the Frog" yesterday. She had so much fun and loved the movie!!! This is the second time we have taken Keelin to the movies!! Emmy went too yesterday!

Keelin standing in front of the sign at the theater.

Keelin took her Tiana doll with her to the movies!

Thumb Sucker

This is how I found Emmy sleeping this morning...a thumb sucker she is...

Gingerbread House

Keelin and Emmy's Mamaw bought us a gingerbread House kit. Yesterday, Keelin and I decided to tackle the project! Keelin enjoyed eating the candy as we worked on the house.

Getting everything organized

Our completed house!

I squeezed the icing...Keelin put the candy on the house! It was a team effort!

SNOW!!!

Monday morning we woke up to a dusting of snow. Keelin was so excited! She wanted to go play in it right away!! She got herself dressed all by herself!!! although she was wearing a short sleeved shirt and a skirt with summer shoes!!! I made her put pants on under the skirt and boots!

It was packing snow...so snowballs were made!!

Emmy waited patiently with grandma while I went outside with Keelin. I had not feed her yet that morning, so she was hungry!

We even managed to make a little snowman with the little snow on the deck!

I can't image what Keelin will be like when we head to Michigan in 2 weeks!! She is going to be in snow heaven!!!

Keelin's Birthday Party

We celebrated Keelin's 3rd birthday Sunday afternoon after Emmy's Baptism. We invited family and friends over to mamaw and papaw's basement.

We took Keelin's new Dora tent over there.

Mamaw and Keelin using the tunnel in a different way!

Keelin loved hiding in the tunnel!

Everyone enjoying some food!

Keelin loved opening her presents!!! She loves everything!

I made her cake this year.

Blowing out the candles!

Everyone singing to Keelin

Keelin with Hannah and Kyle in the Dora tent.

(Jamie was taking pictures too! I captured her camera!)

When we tore down the decorations the balloons became a kicking fest!!

Keelin had a wonderful birthday!!!!

Emmy's Baptism

Emmy was baptized on Sunday, December 6th at Holy Spirit Catholic Church 8:00 Mass. Clay and Jamie Sills are both Keelin and Emmy's Godparents. It was a wonderful Mass! We invited everyone over for pastries and fruit following the baptism to celebrate!

Before leaving for church

The Baptismal Gown

Emmy wore the same gown Keelin wore which is the same gown I wore.

Emmy wore Keelin's bracelet

Keelin being silly


I forgot my camera!!! Can you believe it??? Kate took pictures for me and I am hoping to get some pictures from Drew's cousin, Jenny.

Emmy was an angel! She did not cry the entire Mass!

Father Burns

Parents and Godparents

Our family of 4!

Uncle Clay and Aunt Jamie

Godparents

with their two godchildren
Keelin and Emmy

At home after the baptism
(look closely at Emmy's butt!!!)

Do we have a thumb sucker like her mommy?

Grandma and Grandpa with Emmy

Keelin enjoyed opening Emmy's gifts for her

Story Time

My parents spent the week with the girls! I thought this moment was so cute! Grandma was reading to both girls!

Keelin Turns 3!!!

Keelin had a wonderful day today!!! When she woke up this morning around 7am, she came in to my room and woke me up. I immediately said, "Happy Birthday, Keelin!" Keelin replied, "Where is it?" I asked her, "Where is what?" Keelin said, "Where is my birthday?"
Can you tell she is in that stage where she has to see or touch something to understand it? Regardless... she sure did enjoy today!

Keelin's day started with her mamaw and papaw picking her up and taking her to the zoo and lunch! She had her bags packed! She was ready to go!!!

I made Keelin a cookie cake! She will have birthday cake this weekend for her party!

Keelin opened her presents in the early evening when Drew got home from work.

My parents arrived around 4:30 and where able to join in the fun!!

Great-Grandma Planck got her a beautiful Christmas dress!

Uncle Jeff and Shauna sent Keelin a Dora nightgown and a Dora play tent!

Drew and I got her golf clubs! Can you tell she is excited to learn how to play?

(The Dora sweat outfit is from her mamaw and papaw!)

Dress up clothes from Grandma and Grandpa

Singing Happy Birthday to Keelin.

(I didn't have candles!!!)

Happy Birthday, Keelin!!!!

• You love Tinkerbell, Dora, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Jasmine, Mulan, Mickey Mouse, and many other characters!!!
• Your favorite cereal is Lucky Charms! and you want to eat it every morning for breakfast! You also demand a trip to the grocery store if we run out!
• Other foods you love include, chicken nuggets, apple sauce, mac'n'cheese, cheese, milk, fruit snacks, apples, bananas, donuts, cottage cheese, turkey sandwiches...
• You watch Dora and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV in the morning.
• You are potty trained!
• You like to sing nursery rhymes!! I won't list all the ones you know because there is a ton! Your favorite right now is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".
• You can sing the ABC song and count to 15.
• You like to say, "I want to do whatever I want!"
• You still take a long nap in the afternoon. (Break time for Mommy!) and you only want to wear a pull-up diaper and nothing else when you sleep.
• You love Emmy and want to hold her and feed her and play with her!
• You nurse and burp your baby dolls.
• You love books and we read together everyday!
• You love movies and you know how to put them in the DVD player all by yourself.
• You play soccer, basketball, golf, and baseball outside.
• You do "flips" (forwards rolls) in the living room.
• You love to play with your doll house, Strawberry shortcake dolls (which were mine!), and make salads in your kitchen.
• Whenever you watch "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", you run to me when the queen turns into the witch.
• You love to eat apples because of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
• You love to go running with mommy and daddy in your jogging stroller. You love to run on your own too! and you always expect to go to Donut Bank after a Saturday morning run!
• You love to wear dresses!!! and play dress up! It is hard to get you into regular clothes sometimes!!
• You pray before you eat and go to bed! Every night you say the same prayer! "I pray for mommy, daddy, Keelin, Emmy, Moosie, Papaw, Mamaw, Kate, Kristin, Clay, Jamie, Missy, Toby, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Jeff, Great-Grandmas, Rosie, Uncle Taylor, Uncle Austin. I pray for all these guys." You don't change anything and everyone is always listed in the same order or you start over! You are very routine and in particular about this!!!!!!
• You love to play, talk, sing, love, dance and smile!!!!

We love you so much young lady!!!! We love to see you grow and learn! You make your mom and dad so proud!!!