Christmas 2015

This year was Emerson's first Christmas! We had a great couple of days celebrating with our family!

On Christmas Eve, Jason's mom came over for dinner and presents. The kids were excited to start opening gifts! We ended the night with games.

 They were also excited to leave out the cookies and milk for Santa.

 Christmas morning was so fun!  The big kids each got and new bike and stockings full of goodies from Santa. :) Baby got a rocking horse.

 After tearing thru the gifts at our house we headed over to the Larson house for breakfast and more fun!

 This Nerf crossbow from Aunt Brittany was a HUGE hit with the kids both big and small!

 More games

 I made a tray full of cookies and might have gone a bit overboard, but I don't care!  It was so fun to bake them all. :)

 Family picture time to end the day.

Before Christmas

Every year we do our best to take advantage of the whole Christmas holiday. We drive around and look at lights, enjoy light shows, watch Christmas movies, decorate gingerbread houses, and most importantly visit Santa. We took our annual trip to Crown Center with our great friends, The Keeleys

We like to go visit Santa on weekday evenings, but this year (and last I think) we went on a Sunday morning. We enjoyed a nice breakfast together and then arrived a little before they opened so we could wait in a little shorter of a line.

I knew Reegan would be perfect for Santa and I hoped Gavin would be (he cried the last 2 years but told me this year he was a big boy and wouldn't cry), but I had no idea what Emerson would do. She doesn't cry much at all, is very go with the flow and lets anyone hold her. Except Santa apparently. Can't blame the poor girl, shes never seen a beard like that before!

 It was pouring that day so we didn't get to do any of the outdoor activities.

 Waiting in line for our turn to sit on the big guys lap.

 Love these sweet friends

 Poor little Emerson, but I kind of love these pictures!!!

After Santa we came home for late naps and to watch the Chiefs game. We finished the night with gingerbread decorating.

The finished products. Pretty cute I think!

9 months

These last 9 months have flown by. I can't believe my little baby is getting so big. It is surreal. 

Emerson continues to be the sweetest, most wonderful baby I could have ever asked for. I don't deserve to be her mom, and I am so thankful and humbled daily for this job. 

 She weighs 17 pounds which is 30%ile and 28 inches tall which is 78%ile. Tall like her siblings!

 4 teeth and on the move. She army crawls everywhere. She is our most vocal baby and loves to talk to us. Giggles just a little but gives us big smiles all the time.

She is a great eater. Still nursing and eating 2-3 meals a day of baby cereal, puffs, yogurt melts (her favorite), banana, strawberries, sweet potatoes, cheerios, and any other solid food that we are eating and can share with her. She also has baby food occasionally as well.

This month has been a little more difficult with sleep. She has had a cold (and showed up to her 9-month appointment with an ear infection) and teething so her sleep has been restless.  She wakes up a lot and sometimes wants to be up for the day at 2am, and it takes a while to get her back to sleep. We are frustrated and tired, but know its a phase. We have lucked out with her so this short period is, just that, short.

We love her more and more every day.

Christmas Time

It's a Christmas miracle, I blogged!!!

The weekend after Thanksgiving we did what most everyone else in the US did. We decorated for Christmas. Jason and Gavin went out and found us a second tree and we had a great day decorating.

 We took a break Saturday night and went to help my parents decorate their tree and eat dinner.

 Gavin found this Santa hat when we were going through our decorations and didn't want to take it off!

Baby loves being one of the big kids, and really loves that she can crawl and get where she wants to be. Our first Christmas movie of the year.

 The following weekend we went to the OP arboretum for the luminary walk. I loved it and think this will be such a great tradition! Hot cider by the bonfire singing Christmas Carols.

 Baby was there, she was asleep in the carrier.

 There's the baby. Still sleeping

 We finished decorating on Sunday

My favorite part of the tree is that on the bottom half, all the decorations are facing the tree. All the super heroes, princesses, santa's, everything are looking in towards the tree. I've thought about turning them around, but I can't bring myself to do it. I love them being backwards!

catch-up

Sweet Emerson now sits, plays and is starting to crawl like a big baby. She's growing so fast and just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. 

 Gavin is completely obsessed with Spider-man. The Halloween costume was perfect for him and he now wears the costume any chance he gets.

 For his birthday last year he got this large stick-on for his bedroom wall. Right over his bed. Again, he loves it.

 This baby loves doing what the big kids do and that includes swinging at the park.

 Big sister decided it hair salon day and little brother was the recipient.

Sunday evenings Reegan goes to Awana at our church. Before daylight savings Jason and I would take these silly kids to the park. Nows its too dark, so we go grocery shopping, not nearly as fun but necessary.

 Emerson loves looking at herself in this mirror after diaper changes

We spent a beautiful fall afternoon at the zoo, the fresh air was needed and the running around made for an early bedtime.

My special helper! Reegan usually wants to do exactly what I am doing and loves to help. Emerson is a glad participant.