Emmalyn's 5th Birthday Party!

First day of preschool for my last!

It was a bitter-sweet day... bitter for me, sweet for Emmalyn. She has been so excited to start school! Every fall morning, in Emma's eyes, she saw all her siblings (x Maddy) leave home to have adventures she had missed out on! Emma's outgoing personality craves to interact with others, whether at the grocery store talking with every grown-up that passed or at the playground making best friends, she would never see again. I'm grateful she loves going to school, and will finally have her own adventures!!! But I have to admit that having my fourth child be so independent and extroverted is a learning curve that is sure to whiplash me every step of the way. I'm not sure that I'm ready for this whirlwind child!

Happy 4th Birthday Emmalyn!

Loves clothes. Especially shoes! 

Asks to pet every dog she sees. 

Sings to the radio in the car.

Misses her brother at school yet loves alone time with me.

Recently cut her own hair. 

Has amblyopia but hides her glasses/patches all over the house.

Her favorite show is Heidi. 

Loves her sister's makeovers. 

Still fiddles with my hair when sleepy. 

Has dad wrapped around her little finger! 

Makes me smile every day! 

Happy Halloween 2015!

We braved the pouring rain to collect as much candy as possible!

Emma - Sofia the First

Sam - Indian Jones

Maddy - A Shadow 

Christian - Teen w/a green mask 

Your my best friend

You know when you walk in the door and everything is clean, including the dust off the washer and dryer, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I want nothing more than the happily ever after that we promised each other 20 years ago. But I also know God does not work like that. There will be obstacles to learn from.. hurdles that seem too high, canyons that are too wide, teenagers and toddlers that just don't give a f* about the relationship that mom and dad strive to keep hot. But it's OUR relationship, and we are the only ones that can keep it loved!

But hey looks like we're on the upswing... You know me, I love my research!

Our little rainbow turned out to be such a blessing! Even when I'm upset with you or you with I, she reminds us both how easy it is to just love! How can I not be happy feeling our daughter's excitement when you walk in the door! "Da-Da home"! *Not to say that the other kids don't give me warm and fuzzy feelings too, just that I have to PULL it out of them. ;)

One more just for fun.. as I'm always blogging just before bed with a little one sleeping next to me. I COULD be sleeping... 

Bad boys, bad boys!

These two were delighted to have Uncle W* visit in his police car! Sam was full of questions and Emma pushed lots of buttons.

Happy 3rd Birthday Emmalyn!

Big Birthday Wishes

What my 3-year-old wished for

What my 3-year-old got

Desperately wanted

Received this low-maintenance version

Grandpa has one, she wanted her own!

This was more her size

Keep dreaming big Emma, I love your spirit! 

Sweet mornings

Maddy waking ME up singing... 

"Good morning, time to get up!"

What a change from me pulling blankets off her and bugging her every morning with the song... "Good morning sunshine, time to get out of bed!" Guess she decided to play Freaky Friday that morning.

Sam snuggled in bed Saturday morning.

"Sam, I wake you with a back rub every morning before school, do you think you can give me one today?"

Grumpy Sam - "No!" Exits my bed, and leaves me bummed.

10 minutes later.. a sweet change of heart.

"I'm sorry Mom, you deserve back rubs too."

He gave me the most epic back massage, that boy has talent!

Christian having his first Jr. High girlfriend has its perks.

Lately, I don't have to tell him twice to get out of bed, nor do I have to remind him to brush his teeth every morning.

Poor Emmalyn always strapped in the freezing car seat while I take her siblings to school each morning. 

Emma - "I stay wit Brobber"

Me - "Christian has to go to school."

Emma - "I stay wit Dada"

Me - "Daddy has to go to work."

Emma - "I stay wit Dog."

Sigh... "Come on Emma time to go."

Thank heavens for Emmalyn!

It's easy to understand why her sister insists on taking her everywhere. She brightens the darkest of times. When you think a task is impossible, she turns your thoughts hopeful! When you're anxious, hold her, and she fills you with calm. When you're crying, she'll smile and dry your tears. 

Watch her excitement as she plays the day filled with fun and laughter. Emma is pure sunshine. When the rain comes, she lights the dark with her rainbows!

Garbage Monster!

Emmalyn wakes up extra early on Wednesday mornings. She hears the first pass of the garbage trucks, and my dream gets interrupted by this 2-year-old insisting we go see.

Nap Time Solution.. ABCmouse.com

Time and time again I have to come up with new solutions for getting Emmalyn down for a nap every day. Sam no longer naps, so I'm always trying to figure out ways to get Emmalyn down (which takes anywhere from 5 min to an hour) while keeping Sam occupied. Once again I needed a new plan. Hoping this one sticks!

Sam loves ABCmouse! In the past, he's always played in the mornings. But often we would need to remember, as mornings can easily go south. Hopefully, this new time will work out better!

Mornings with Emmalyn

My day starts with this little one twirling my hair around her tiny fingers. I open my eyes to darkness once again! Why does this child have to wake before the chickens? I wish I could say I welcome this and love waking up to my sweet Emma. But regret sets in that I stayed up late to savior some adult time! The hair twirling does not feel blissful. No, it hurts! 

I know from experience that there is no way I can get her back to sleep. Staying in bed will only result in more hair knots. With my other kids at this age, I felt more accomplished! I had taught them to appreciate the moment, fall back asleep, and keep their dreams alive! It's not working with this kid! So I take a deep breath because I've resigned...I HAVE TO GET UP!

Keep in mind the little one to my right is still fast asleep! Therefore, I "ninja" out of bed. I can only imagine how funny this must look. But trust me, he needs to stay asleep! Sam always needs more sleep...his mood depends on it.

Coffee is now my new best friend. I recently discovered how much impact it has on the start of my day. It gives me something to look forward to and makes that trip downstairs seem tolerable. "COFFEE MUST HAVE COFFEE!" I'm sure I must look like a zombie. Picture it...hair all knotted, no makeup, and I walk funny (my body contorted all night because I've been "sandwiched" between two growing kids).

So, coffee in hand and juice in Emma's, we head to the couch for snuggles and "Sponge-Bob." I love my alone time with my last little one! And with the hustle and bustle of busy life, it's nice to be still and enjoy her littleness. 

Yes, waking up sucks big time! But once the snuggles begin, I'm glad we're up. Later, Sam will venture downstairs and join us on the couch. I'll then have snuggles and hair twirling from both of my littles!

Now, if I could get them interested in Grey's Anatomy!

My girls on thier 1st Birthday

                Madelyn                                                                          Emmalyn

The picture of our two girls on their first birthday. Maddy had classic Minnie, and Emmalyn loved her pink Minnie dress. That's about where the similarities end. Maddy was shy and clung to me, whereas Emmalyn was silly and outgoing, taking in every part of her party. Maddy had long hair and big brown eyes. Emmalyn's eyes are still changing. They've gone from deep blue to green, and now hazel. Maddy took a few first steps on her birthday, and Emma was running about.

I love that our two girls are so different. Both are one of a kind and have brought me so much joy! 

Emmalyn's 1st Birthday Party!

Emmalyn enjoyed her party so much! I mean really, really enjoyed it. I've never known a 1-year-old to be that engaged in a party. She loved seeing all her guests, clapped and danced when we sang the birthday song to her, and she played with ALL her cards and new toys. The only part she didn't enjoy was her cake. Yep, you read that right! She didn't want anything to do with her cake. GaGa made her a separate smash cake all her own, but she didn't even want it on her high chair! After lots of coaching to get her to taste it, she pushed it off her tray! Smash cake smashed into the carpet. Little stinker! So instead of birthday cake, she enjoyed her first See's Chocolate. Yum!!!

I can't believe she's already one! Seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. Emma is so loved by everyone the other kiddos would fight over who would get to hold her next. Now they fight over who gets to play with her! I pray that we have many more happy and healthy birthdays.

Happy Birthday Emmalyn!

We celebrated today by buying a new pair of shoes at the mall! And then this evening, her first cupcake with the never-ending birthday song. Sunday is the big party out at Wenzel Mountain. Everyone is invited!

Emmalyn 7 months!

She still hasn't cut her teeth and is very juicy. She's perfected crawling! But just like when Maddy was a baby, she also won't crawl on hard surfaces. So when going from the carpet to our tile floor, she goes from hands and knees to hands and feet. Our little monkey!

Emmalyn 6 months old!

13lbs 7oz

24 inches

She has the cutest way of crawling. First, she gets up on her hands and knees, then sticks her butt up in the air and lunges forward. It's too funny!

Emmalyn 9 months old!

Emmalyn is 9 months old today 16lbs 4oz!!! 26 3/4 long.

Emmalyn 7 months old