Merry Christmas!

Santa arrived safe and sound at our house! He brought Emily a tent and a desk to draw on. He didn't seem to mind that we had no ornaments on our tree.
Emily woke up to find her toys all set up and ready to play with.

I had to put the finishing touches on the gift that Cadence gave to Emily. She loves this toy so much!

After presents were opened, we sat around in our PJs and watched 007 movies!

You may not be able to see from this photo, but up on the mantle you'll find that the three kings made it to the manger! They love the Baby Jesus!

Boiled Peanuts!

I remember the first time I had boiled peanuts. Rob and I were in Georgia visiting Kelly and Travis. We stopped at a roadside stand and bought a bag. I was skeptical, but after the first bite, I couldn't stop eating them.

I got a recipe for boiled peanuts and the recipe calls for "raw peanuts and a lot of salt". SO true! Oh my goodness, you have to use lots and lots of salt. I found some raw peanuts at the grocery store yesterday, rinsed them, and then soaked them overnight. I got up early this morning and began the exciting (and quite stinky) process of "bow-lin" me some peanuts!

Can't you almost hear the bubbling water?

Don't forget the salt. LOTS of salt.

Now, the water boils down, so you have to add more during the cooking. Oh, and when you add more water, you have to add more salt.

You'll know the peanuts are done when the peanuts no longer are crunchy. This takes about five to six hours of boiling time. Mmmm-mm! Deeelicious!

One, Two, Three Kings!

I showed Emily the three Kings yesterday. They've been traversing throughout the livingroom to get to the manger. They should arrive Christmas morning. We're excited for them to see the Baby Jesus!

I just love the tongue in this last photo. Too funny. I'm surprised at myself for allowing Emily to play with this Nativity set. It's a bit old. It's the one I grew up looking at. I'm so glad that I'm able to share it with Emily.

Sleepy Beauty

I woke Emily up from her nap this afternoon by snapping photos of her feet. Sleeping baby feet are so sweet and soft and kissable and I was trying to capture that for the world to see. But, my camera is just too loud for naptime photo-taking. So this is the look I got when she woke up:

Sweet.

So after she woke up a bit, she was showing me her book. I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to get photos of her feet. I can't help myself...

Newborn Shoot

I just posted a preview of my photo shoot with Baby N today.

A Book. And Some Toes.

I love it when she flips through her books. It's so neat seeing her take everything in. While she read, I took pictures of her feet. Because I can. And because they are really so cute.

How much longer do I have until they get ugly and start to stink?

So...

I've been feeling a bit uninspired lately. I was in a funk. A bit grumpy, in fact. Sorta like this:
Only without the hat. Because it doesn't fit my head. I know this because I tried it on.

But this little girl keeps me on my toes. And she cheers me up and makes me happy. Unless she's being a pain in the bo-hiney, and then I'm not cheerful and I'm not happy. BUT, look at this face:

I melt.

And I giggle at things she says, like "Momma" and "nose" and "wheddigo?"

And then I kiss her chubby belly and soft cheeks until my lips get chapped.

Just Wanted to Share...

When someone/something is lost/missing: "wheddigo?"
When looking for the lost/missing person/thing: "whe-yah-yooouuuu?"

See Ya Warm Weather

I hate cold weather. It makes me ache and my skin gets dry and itchy. And I get cranky. I get crankier each year. I just hate it. I want to go south with the birds. I'd much rather be too hot right now than too cold. Blah!

How is it I used to play in waist deep snow as a kid (knee deep to those that weren't height challenged)? I would make snowballs with my bare hands and eat icicles from our roof (I didn't know the cat would get stranded up there and use the roof as his toilet). I would pretend my steamy breath was smoke from my pretend cigarette.

I loved sledding on the ski hill and coming home to take a warm bath. I loved climbing under the covers and warming my cold, crisp sheets by kicking my feet.

Not anymore. Poo on cold weather and poo on snow and sleet and poo on any outside degree under 70.

Here, now that I've poo'd on your good mood, look at Emily. She's cute and pretty and enjoying one of the last warm days of this year.

Taking Inventory

Emily loves Nana's cupboards. I think she enjoys the "freedom" of opening the doors and seeing, touching, counting, and rearranging what she finds inside. At home, she doesn't have access to the kitchen, so this new found freedom has her getting into trouble a lot.


"I just KNOW there's another can of olives in here..."

Counting M&Ms

Emily loves M&Ms. The sign for candy is to point to your cheek with your right hand and make a twisting motion. I guess it's supposed to mimick the drill of the dentist when he is filling cavities. I don't know. Anyway, Emily knows this sign very well. She makes it often and I'm afraid she's going to end up with a hole in her cheek. She's already made her dimple deeper.


So yesterday she made the sign, I gave in, because I wanted some candy, too. We had the M&Ms laid out on the coffee table and I was counting them out for her, one by one. She started counting, too. "Two...two...two...two." She's learning to count! I think she's getting very close to reciting Calculus equations. Surely by next week.


See how cute her mouth is when she counts? "Two...two...two..."
And she obviously doesn't eat the chocolate fast enough because she gets it all over her face!

I'm Back!

Sorry I neglected the blog. I've been up at Mom and Dad's and now I'm back for a few days. I just didn't have time to blog while I was there. So, please allow me to unpack my bags and edit a few photos...

Tell Me What You Think!

I just posted some more photos of Baby H on my photography blog. Please let me know what you think!

Whoever Smelt It...

...dealt it!
In the zone:

Halloween

I don't have very good photos of Emily all dressed up. She wouldn't let me put freckles on her little face and she refused to hold her basket and chicken. But, she had a good time Trunk-or-Treating last night. Emily loved getting candy and seeing all the kids (and grown-ups) all dressed up.

After we got home, she wanted to check out her loot.

She spent the rest of the evening asking for candy and throwing fits because we wouldn't give her any. And yes, I have sampled her candy to make sure it's safe and good enough to eat. I'll probably have to sample some more today. And tomorrow.

Coloring

Emily asked me if she could color today. Well, she doesn't ask, she signs, and it's not a question, it's a statement. How could I say no to this face?
She paused during her coloring to gnaw on a nearby soda carton. She's getting her canines and she's gnawing on anything and everything, including me. "No bites!" means nothing to this kid. It just makes her laugh. And then I laugh. And then she bites me again. I think I'm a bad mom.

So, Emily colored and I took photos. And then I saw her feet. I can't resist her feet! I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe it's the fact that I know in a couple of years they're going to start stinking and getting ugly. I don't know, but all I do know is right now, they're so cute.

Emily decided to check out what I was doing under the table. I can't slip anything past her. "Just keep coloring! I'm takin' pictures!" Nah, she joined me under the table. It was kinda like a tent, only not as dark, so it was all cool with her.

Then it (I) became boring and she climbed back on her chair to color. And then she climbed on the table. And I snapped pictures. See, I'm a bad mom. I let my kid climb on the table.

But see, I can't resist the feet. They make me smile and make my camera take lots and lots of photos.

"Oooh, wassat?" Her exact words. So she reached and reached...

...and reached. Holy cow, kid. How strong are your toes? Think I should get her into ballet or something?

It was my Sudoku book she was reaching for. And she colored on it. I think I'll keep it forever! I hope she didn't hurt her toes. But don't worry. I gave them lots of kisses.

Kinda Icky

We've been sorta holed up in our house for the past couple of days. I was sick and now Emily is sick and Rob is getting sick. I hate it when Emily is sick. I can't fix it. But, I can take photos!

You'd never know by the looks of her belly that she threw up her breakfast.

Faker.

Hop!

Emily hopped for the first time Thursday night. She was watching Blue's Clues and Joe was hopping like a frog and Emily crouched down real low and popped up. I yelled for Rob to come look because she was about to hop. We watched her and encouraged her for a couple of minutes and then it happened...hang time. Needless to say the hang time lasted all of a fraction of a second, but there was definite air between the carpet and her toes. I'm just so proud.

Here are some photos from yesterday.