Who knew a pile of dead leaves could be so much fun?
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Merry Christmas!!!
We had such an awesome Christmas this year. This is the first year that Emerson 'got' Christmas, she recognized Santa or "Ho Ho" as she called him, as in "Look Mommy, there's a Ho Ho" when we drove down the street and saw an inflatable one in someones yard. The whole season was magical for her and it was really awesome to see it through her eyes.
We didn't put any presents under the tree until after Emerson went to bed, so she sure was surprised when we told her to come see what Santa left. She saw her kitchen and immediately screamed "Daddy, it's a kitchen!!!". She was blessed to receive many generous gifts from friends and family.
Emerson and Buzz Lightyear (Mrs. Nesbitt) having a post present opening breakfast.
One of Emerson's favorite gifts, her Jasmine sno-globe that her father got for her. He went to 2 different malls 2 days before Christmas to find this for her.
All dressed up and busy cooking dinner for the family in her new kitchen. Lets just say that we all ate a huge amount of deliciously prepared plastic food! We were fortunate enough to spend Christmas with our loved ones. We had a great meal and great fun after dinner, enjoying being together and playing our new Wii (our family gift to ourselves). We are truly blessed and so thankful for all that we have. Praise God for all His blessings, especially for giving us his Son.
We didn't put any presents under the tree until after Emerson went to bed, so she sure was surprised when we told her to come see what Santa left. She saw her kitchen and immediately screamed "Daddy, it's a kitchen!!!". She was blessed to receive many generous gifts from friends and family. 
Emerson and Buzz Lightyear (Mrs. Nesbitt) having a post present opening breakfast. 
One of Emerson's favorite gifts, her Jasmine sno-globe that her father got for her. He went to 2 different malls 2 days before Christmas to find this for her. 
All dressed up and busy cooking dinner for the family in her new kitchen. Lets just say that we all ate a huge amount of deliciously prepared plastic food! We were fortunate enough to spend Christmas with our loved ones. We had a great meal and great fun after dinner, enjoying being together and playing our new Wii (our family gift to ourselves). We are truly blessed and so thankful for all that we have. Praise God for all His blessings, especially for giving us his Son.She is not a queen
Because her mother is still alive.......
So she's a princess. Emerson received this Princess dress-up outfit for her birthday from her Tio and Tia, and she just loves it. It's usually accessorized by her wand (because she is a magical princess?) and her ballet shoes, for dancing of course. We think she is a beautiful, magical, dancing princess.
So she's a princess. Emerson received this Princess dress-up outfit for her birthday from her Tio and Tia, and she just loves it. It's usually accessorized by her wand (because she is a magical princess?) and her ballet shoes, for dancing of course. We think she is a beautiful, magical, dancing princess.
Monique and Puppy Woof Woof
Say "Hello" to Monique and her new nemesis, I mean friend, Puppy Woof Woof. Emerson received the toy dog from her Grandma and Grumppa for Christmas (she named it herself). When turned on, the puppy sniffs, barks, walks, wags it's tail and whines, but in a cute puppy way. It's actually the perfect pet. Emerson loves it and Monique doesn't seem to mind sharing the house with the new pet. I guess we'll keep her. Or him.
In the (St.) Nick of time!
Well, I set a goal to have this finished by this Christmas, and after weeks of diligent work, it is finally done. I am proud of the way it turned out. I chose it for Rico because of his love of animals. And singing.......
I think they all look nice together, better than the grocery bag that served for Rico last year. His conversion is complete!!!
I think they all look nice together, better than the grocery bag that served for Rico last year. His conversion is complete!!!
Monday, December 28, 2009
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Sunday, December 6, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
This past Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to be invited over to Tio Aurelio and Tia Dailen's beautiful house to eat. They cooked a full spread and everything was wonderful! Emerson wore her new black and pink dress and looked super cute. Of course, she didn't eat one bite of food. Too excited I guess.
Sitting at the table with Grumppa, Lilly, Grandma, and Laura.
Tio Aurelio 
Grandma and Grumppa
Dailen and Sarah (and dessert!)
Grandma, Grumppa and Emerson.
We had a wonderful time eating and visiting with everyone. It was also nice to give the mess and stress over to someone else. It was a relaxing day! We are thankful to have been able to spend it with our loved ones. We are abundantly blessed.
Sitting at the table with Grumppa, Lilly, Grandma, and Laura.
Tio Aurelio 
Grandma and Grumppa
Dailen and Sarah (and dessert!)
Grandma, Grumppa and Emerson.
We had a wonderful time eating and visiting with everyone. It was also nice to give the mess and stress over to someone else. It was a relaxing day! We are thankful to have been able to spend it with our loved ones. We are abundantly blessed.4 days and 14 pairs of panties
That's what it took to get Emerson potty trained. We had been trying to get Emerson potty trained for a few months now with very little success. While Emerson had exhibited a lot of the signs that she was ready, she just wasn't ready emotionally. So we decided to back off the training for a while and then set a date to get it done. We had a 4 day weekend over Thanksgiving and after reading about the best strategies, we hunkered down with a chart, stickers and prizes. After sitting down with Emerson and letting her know that the training was in her hands, we took off the pull-up and let her hang around bare bummed. And something finally clicked and the rest of the weekend was a breeze. Emerson got a sticker every time she was successful and you can tell by her chart that she did a great job over the 4 days! We are so proud of her for reaching this milestone. She is still in a pull-up overnight, but she usually wakes up dry, so it won't be long before we are completely trained! GOOD JOB, EMERSON!!!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Emerson
It's hard for me to believe that my baby girl is now 3 years old. She seems like such big girl and appears to be growing before our eyes. On one level I am happy that Emerson is growing and maturing like she should be, another, very weepy and irrational part of me wishes she would just stop growing right now and stay this age forever. Where is my baby going? She is turning into a little girl :)
Emerson seems to have grown in leaps and bounds this past year. Some of the highlights:
**Since Emerson's 3 year appointment isn't until next week, I am not too sure exactly how tall she is, but she has grown. Pants that previously hit at the ankle are now knee high capri's. She's getting heavier as well. She LOVES to stand on the bathroom scale. That makes one of us!
**Emerson continues with Speech Therapy. She will start ST with the school district the week after Thanksgiving. She had been receiving ST through ECI at Easter Seals and we are sad that our time with them has ended. We are going to miss her therapist, Miss Diana. Thank you Miss Diana for all your love and support. Based on how much progress she has made the last little while, we are sure she won't need speech therapy much longer.
**Potty training - well, what can I say except that we are working on it. Emerson exhibits ALL the signs of being mature enough and physically ready to become potty trained, however she is still pretty attached to her Pull-ups. We have a 4 day weekend coming up, so get ready, because my next post may be to announce that we are potty trained! Wish us luck!
**We love Emerson's sense of humour. She loves to play jokes on us, especially her dad. She is intentionally funny and that's so cute to see.
**Eating isn't the issue it used to be. She is still picky, but not as picky as she has been in the past. She also goes through what Rico and I refer to as "Eating Days". These are days when she cannot get enough food in and seems to eat everything in site. She'll then trend the other way and have a light appetite for a few days, meaning she only eats one serving of food. No matter how old she gets, there is nothing I love more than watching her eat!
**Disney princesses are a big part of her life right now. Probably because I use princess panties to bribe her into using the potty (don't want to pee on Cinderella, do we?). She knows all their names and has a few books and a DVD about them. The DVD is a sing along DVD - karaoke for kids. Emerson knows the words and sings along. It is so cute. She is also very firm in her desire that Rico and I NOT sing with her and the princesses.
**Emerson knows all her ABC's and can count up to 20. Rico and Grandma have been working with her to meet the same goal in Spanish. She blows us away when we go out somewhere and she can "spell" the words she sees.
**She knows how to use the iPhone better than I do.
**She's in her big girl bed. The mattress and box spring are still on the floor, and will probably stay there until she is tall enough to get into a higher bed by herself. She had some serious sleep challenges after transitioning into the big girl bed, but they are mostly resolved. She still gets up at least once a night, which we will take any day over the 20 times an hour she was doing a few months ago. We are hopeful that she will revert to her previous habits of sleeping the whole night through in her bed by herself. She did it once, she can do it again, right? RIGHT?
**Monique and Emerson are starting to become friends, Monique much more reluctantly than Emerson. Emerson wants to (((HUG))) Monique, and all Monique is ready for is a discreet pat and brief ear scratch. BUT, I often catch Monique in bed with Emerson at nap time.
**Bath time is still her favorite activity of the day, next to riding the trike. Probably because it involves water. I often have to bribe her to get out and that usually involves some sort of game the involves hiding from her dad.
**This girl LOVES to dance. She is enrolled in Kindertots at school and every Tuesday she puts on her tights, leotard, skirt and ballet shoes and dances. She also loves to dance at home and her favorite dance partner is her dad.
Having Emerson in our lives is the best thing that has ever happened to us. We can't imagine life without her and are so thankful that she is happy and healthy. We are blessed!! Stay tuned for more adventures of Emerson!
Emerson seems to have grown in leaps and bounds this past year. Some of the highlights:
**Since Emerson's 3 year appointment isn't until next week, I am not too sure exactly how tall she is, but she has grown. Pants that previously hit at the ankle are now knee high capri's. She's getting heavier as well. She LOVES to stand on the bathroom scale. That makes one of us!
**Emerson continues with Speech Therapy. She will start ST with the school district the week after Thanksgiving. She had been receiving ST through ECI at Easter Seals and we are sad that our time with them has ended. We are going to miss her therapist, Miss Diana. Thank you Miss Diana for all your love and support. Based on how much progress she has made the last little while, we are sure she won't need speech therapy much longer.
**Potty training - well, what can I say except that we are working on it. Emerson exhibits ALL the signs of being mature enough and physically ready to become potty trained, however she is still pretty attached to her Pull-ups. We have a 4 day weekend coming up, so get ready, because my next post may be to announce that we are potty trained! Wish us luck!
**We love Emerson's sense of humour. She loves to play jokes on us, especially her dad. She is intentionally funny and that's so cute to see.
**Eating isn't the issue it used to be. She is still picky, but not as picky as she has been in the past. She also goes through what Rico and I refer to as "Eating Days". These are days when she cannot get enough food in and seems to eat everything in site. She'll then trend the other way and have a light appetite for a few days, meaning she only eats one serving of food. No matter how old she gets, there is nothing I love more than watching her eat!
**Disney princesses are a big part of her life right now. Probably because I use princess panties to bribe her into using the potty (don't want to pee on Cinderella, do we?). She knows all their names and has a few books and a DVD about them. The DVD is a sing along DVD - karaoke for kids. Emerson knows the words and sings along. It is so cute. She is also very firm in her desire that Rico and I NOT sing with her and the princesses.
**Emerson knows all her ABC's and can count up to 20. Rico and Grandma have been working with her to meet the same goal in Spanish. She blows us away when we go out somewhere and she can "spell" the words she sees.
**She knows how to use the iPhone better than I do.
**She's in her big girl bed. The mattress and box spring are still on the floor, and will probably stay there until she is tall enough to get into a higher bed by herself. She had some serious sleep challenges after transitioning into the big girl bed, but they are mostly resolved. She still gets up at least once a night, which we will take any day over the 20 times an hour she was doing a few months ago. We are hopeful that she will revert to her previous habits of sleeping the whole night through in her bed by herself. She did it once, she can do it again, right? RIGHT?
**Monique and Emerson are starting to become friends, Monique much more reluctantly than Emerson. Emerson wants to (((HUG))) Monique, and all Monique is ready for is a discreet pat and brief ear scratch. BUT, I often catch Monique in bed with Emerson at nap time.
**Bath time is still her favorite activity of the day, next to riding the trike. Probably because it involves water. I often have to bribe her to get out and that usually involves some sort of game the involves hiding from her dad.
**This girl LOVES to dance. She is enrolled in Kindertots at school and every Tuesday she puts on her tights, leotard, skirt and ballet shoes and dances. She also loves to dance at home and her favorite dance partner is her dad.
Having Emerson in our lives is the best thing that has ever happened to us. We can't imagine life without her and are so thankful that she is happy and healthy. We are blessed!! Stay tuned for more adventures of Emerson!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Emerson!!!
Last weekend, we celebrated Emerson's 3rd birthday!! Can you believe it?! Emerson is 3! When did that happen?
We celebrated by hosting the Third Annual Post-Halloween Costume Party at the house with our our friends and family that we love and that love us. It was awesome. We got the BIG BOUNCER (it was taller than the house) and had food, drinks and lots of fun. The kids bounced and played on the swing set and had cotton candy and then after we sang happy birthday to Emerson, everyone got to decorate their own cupcakes!!!
Michal Riley gets the award for the most creatively decorated cupcake. She used all media available to make this masterpiece.
Kiara's was equally beautiful!
Tio Aurelio looks great in the Princess Leia hair! It's a good look for him. Maybe Emerson will let him borrow the costume?
Kiara and Emerson in the big bounce house. It has a big slide that was a big hit.
We are so thankful that everyone could come over and celebrate with us. Thanks everyone for helping Emerson have a great birthday party!
We celebrated by hosting the Third Annual Post-Halloween Costume Party at the house with our our friends and family that we love and that love us. It was awesome. We got the BIG BOUNCER (it was taller than the house) and had food, drinks and lots of fun. The kids bounced and played on the swing set and had cotton candy and then after we sang happy birthday to Emerson, everyone got to decorate their own cupcakes!!!
Michal Riley gets the award for the most creatively decorated cupcake. She used all media available to make this masterpiece.
Kiara's was equally beautiful!
Tio Aurelio looks great in the Princess Leia hair! It's a good look for him. Maybe Emerson will let him borrow the costume?
Kiara and Emerson in the big bounce house. It has a big slide that was a big hit. 
Kiara, Cassie and Taylor putting the swing set to good use.
Ewa and Cassie.
We are so thankful that everyone could come over and celebrate with us. Thanks everyone for helping Emerson have a great birthday party!HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY EMERSON!!
Biker Chick
For her 3rd birthday, we got Emerson this super cool pink tri-cycle. It has a steering/pushing handle on it that can be removed as she gets the hang of pedaling herself around. We've been getting a lot of use out of her new trike. We trike to get the mail everyday after work and she trikes around the neighborhood with her dad on weekends. And apparently, it's a pretty comfortable seat for watching a Disney Princess movie!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Princess-cess
Emerson's new friends, she even took the picture. They hang out with Lightening, Mater, Woody and Buzz. We are healthy consumers of Disney around here!
Happy Halloween!!
We love Halloween around here! Emerson was Princess Leia! Again!!! We just ordered the next size up costume and here we are. Emerson's father has decided that she is going to be Princess Leia every year until she asks to be something else. Emerson doesn't mind, as she really likes the fact that she is a Princess.
Same genre, different quadrants.
We had fun with our new pumpkin decorating kit. And that's Emerson's painted pumpkin from Thanksgiving. This is our alternatives to carving. I like the pumpkins to last all fall season and they don't if they are carved, so we leave them intact. 
Our good friends Amy, James and Alex came over to trick or treat with us and enjoy pizza, beer and treats afterward. Alex reprised his famous Yoda costume and we had a matched set again this year. The kids had a great time going around the neighborhood. They had even more fun answering the door and handing out candy to the older kids after we got back from trick or treating. They took their job very seriously and handed out ALL the candy.
One last final treat. CLIFFORD!
We are big fans of Clifford, the Big Red Dog around here. When we found out Clifford was going to be touring around San Antonio, we made sure to go and see him. Emerson got to sit on his lap and get her picture taken. Emerson was a little hesitant at first, but very quickly warmed up to her favorite big red dog! SAPD Community Outreach was there and were doing child safety kits which we took advantage of. There was also a balloon animal artist there and Emerson received a sweet monkey, which she loved until it unwound! :)Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Emerson's POV
Emerson fancies herself something of a photographer. She loves to play with the camera and take photos. Here are a few of her shots. We don't thinks she does too badly. Maybe she's going to be a future photographer like her dad?
Friday, October 16, 2009
Just a swingin'
Emerson is one lucky girl. Her "Grump-pa" Patrick bought her this new, super cool, old school style swing set. It's just her size, so it's perfect for her. They don't make them like they used to. The swings are plastic, the chains are covered, the slide is plastic and all the bolt ends are covered. She loves it, of course, and has been making full use of the nice fall days we've been having. Daddy still needs to anchor it *hint hint*. Note the unfinished sand boat in the background...needs sand....after it gets a coat of paint. This is my job, so I guess *hint hint* to me.
Notice the lush green grass....we've had some rain....well, a LOT of rain....Thank God.The Dancing Queen has new clothes
My boss, Benita, made this adorable dancing skirt for Emerson. As soon as she puts it on, she immediately has to put on the shoes. The skirt is made out of tulle and ribbons that are 'larks head' knotted around a length of button hole elastic. I think Benita could sell these, they are so cute, and easy to make according to her. This day Emerson was dancing and photographing (that's another post). She looks so cute, I think you all will agree with me that this girl has the legs of a dancer!
Happy Thanksgiving!
On Sunday, October 11, we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. We had about 12 people over, which made the "kids table" a necessity. The kids didn't seem to mind. Emerson was happy to host her special friends, Taylor and Cassie. They made her Thanksgiving so much fun!
Eating and drinking with old friends and new.... 
Decorating with our new pumpkin decorating kit......
We had a great day. We are thankful that we got to spend it with family and friends who love us. We are very fortunate to have these people in our lives. Thank you all for sharing the day with us!
Eating and drinking with old friends and new....Painting pumpkins on the front porch......
Decorating with our new pumpkin decorating kit......
We had a great day. We are thankful that we got to spend it with family and friends who love us. We are very fortunate to have these people in our lives. Thank you all for sharing the day with us!
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