Another milestone

Emma is reaching new heights! She can not only reach the bathroom faucets without a stool, she can now (as of last week) pull them on. If her hands are soapy she still needs help, though. I wish I could put books on her head and keep her from growing so fast. :)

Little Miss Independent stills needs to be snuggled every now and then. At nap time today she said, "I want to sit on your lap." Once there, she snuggled right up and nuzzled my chest and legs. She tries to get into as small of a ball as possible, which is really cute. But she has gotten so big that there is no way for her to fit completely on my lap any more! If she doesn't sit on the bed/floor between my legs I can't see over the top of her head!

Strange morning

Earlier this week when Emma woke up she asked me to snuggle with her. So I hopped on her bed and she crawled on my lap. I sat there with my arms around her, snuggling her close.
Emma: "Mommy, if you died... and we stuffed you...you would make a great Halloween decoration."
Mommy (trying hard not to laugh or focus on the died part): "Um, OK... don't you think it would be creepy to see me stuffed all the time?"
Emma (giggling): "yeah I guess so, but you'd make a great Halloween decoration."
Mommy: "What made you think of that?"
Emma (giggling): "It came from a monkey's tummy."
Mommy: "A monkey's tummy? That's silly."
Emma (still giggling): "Yeah- that monkey!" and she points to the monkey on her dresser drawer knob.
We both started cracking up and that was that.

Preschool Pictures

Stair Master

Emma has never been super coordinated, which we think, is because she is always growing. It's hard to be comfortable in your own skin when it keeps changing. When she was just 2 and a half a great aunt (who happens to be a preschool teacher) gave us some tips and advice for encouraging Emma to climb down stairs like a big kid. Alternating feet as she steps down, only touching each stair once. In other words not doing the step, together, step together motion. It wasn't something that we worried about or even gave much thought to until recently.
Emma turned 4 and she was still going down the stairs with the step-together pattern. Every once in awhile I would say, let's go down the stairs like a ballerina. We would point our toes and reach for the next stair. She liked it but not enough to keep it up for non-ballerina descents. Two days ago I realized for the very first time that Emma was descending the stairs by alternating her feet!  Of course an accolade was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Emma smiled and thankfully didn't go running away saying, "No! Don't look at me!" I wonder if she had been walking down the stairs like that for awhile before I noticed.

Boys and Girls

Last week or the week before I was commenting to Steve that Emma hasn't started asking about how boys and girls are different. This weekend all of that changed!

Steve usually gives Emma a bath at night and reads her stories. While they were going through this process Emma asked, "Do all boys have a penis?" Steve asked how she knew about that word (or something like that). Emma said that she asked what is was at preschool when she was looking at an art book. (They had been studying Michelangelo so Steve and I assumed she had been looking at "David".) Steve started to sweat balls while waiting for her to ask the next question. "Daddy, are you a boy?"  So it wasn't the worse case scenario, yes was the easy answer. And Steve was most grateful when she didn't ask him if he has a penis.

So the days are upon us when at some point I am sure Emma will want to know what parts Daddy and all other boys have and why us girls are different.

Telling Jokes

Emma has been using language creatively lately by rhyming and making up words and songs. The other night at dinner we were all talking about the dog and how since Chloe has lost some pounds she isn't as content to sit still.

Emma declares, "Is she a lost and pound dog?"

For some reason this absolutely cracked me up, which had Emma laughing until tears rolled down her cheeks.

Emma is 4!

Emma is 4 going on adult- at least according to her!

The celebrations started with a visit last weekend to Great Grandma's where she served up Emma's requested foods. On Friday Great Grandma made apple pancakes for lunch (with two-bite Halloween brownies for dessert). For Saturday's celebration lunch she served raviolis (with meatballs, garlic bread and salad) and chocolate cake with raspberry filling and vanilla frosting. Emma and I stopped at Jewel on our way into town to pick up the cake, and we left the store without paying for it! Grandma laughed but I think she was also mortified that her name was attached to the cake "reciept." I went back to the store and confessed. They had no clue but happily took my money. :) Emma enjoyed her visit with Great Grandma and Sandy. When we left she said she wished she could stay at Great Grandma's forever.

While we were enjoying the Halloween brownies that had ghost and pumpkin sugar sprinkles Emma was making jokes about their being ghosts in the room and finding it all very humorous. At one point she giggled, "I love ghosts! They are my favorite flying animal!"

I went to Emma's preschool for her birthday celebration on the morning of her birthday (the 19th). I shared a lot of stories and pictures and Emma walked around the sun for every year. The kids loved the homemade applesauce and butterfly spritz cookies.

That night we had our family birthday celebration with mashed potatoes (requested menu item that Great Grandma and I didn't think went with raviolis) and squash. For dessert I made and decorated insect cakes because there were 4 different insect shapes and they all have 4 wings (or wing parts). Emma loved it! She told everyone that she had insects for her cake because they have 4 wings and she is 4. Too cute.

Friday lunch was Culvers, cousin Patrick's treat. Friday night we had another celebration with Aunt Margaret, Uncle Dominic and Baby Patrick. This time we had some delicious ice creams and chocolate chip cookie bars.

Then on Saturday after celebrating with Madison who turned 9, Aunt Darcy and family had a cake and presents for Emma at their house.

I think the celebrations are over for now, but the presents are still arriving!

Perfect Fall Day- take 2

We had to make up for a lost fall day so on Saturday we all loaded up and headed in the direction we had tried to go on Friday- Cross Plains. We opted for a different farm, though, because we also wanted to pick our own apples. When we pulled in my hopes fell. The pumpkins were already picked for us and grouped into large and small "patches" on the ground behind the hay wagon and tractor. But again Emma piped up with, "That is a pumpkin patch!"

Inside the small shop Emma was taken with the apple pies and really wanted us to buy one. We opted for apple donuts instead. Emma also helped Aunt Susan pick out some soaps for a present for someone. Outside we sat at a picnic table and feasted. Aunt Susan bought some apple cider and the snack was enjoyed to the last drop.

Emma borrowed a wagon and picked out pumpkins for our relatives coming for a visit next week. We thought we could have a pumpkin decorating day with Emma's cousin. We filled the wagon and then went on the hay ride. Emma was timid at first, but then she seemed to like it. She helped answer the questions about bees when we stopped at the hives! (Steve stayed behind, and when Emma saw him napping on a bench she promptly ran over and woke him up.)

We picked lots of yummy Empire apples and some Red Cortlands. Emma decided that she didn't want to try the tire swings under the oaks. Then before leaving the farm we bought some cider brats with apple-onion relish to-go.

The drive to Blue Mounds State Park was beautiful. Although she repeated what I had said earlier it was still adorable. "Look at this beautiful country-side we are driving through!" It was followed closely by, "Can I have a snack please?"

At the park we found this awesome oak and maple shady spot with picnic tables and sat down to feast. We had the cider brats (delicious!), fresh apples (yummy!), and some cheese from home. Emma then enjoyed her caramel apple that she had convinced Daddy to buy when they paid for the 19 pounds of apples we picked! Check out the video.

The day ended with some swinging and a quiet ride home. It was the perfect fall Wisconsin day! (Now we just need to find a real pumpkin patch.)

Perfect Fall Day- take 1

On Friday Emma and I had this great plan to spend part of the morning picking pumpkins from a pumpkin patch. So we hung some laundry on the line, had breakfast, packed a snack and finally loaded up in the car. While I was doing these chores, Emma was telling all of her stuffed friends and babies that we were going to the pumpkin patch. She was very excited.

On the way Emma started coughing, the remains of a stubborn cold. She also started snacking and drinking some water. Do you know where this is going? She started to have a tear-jerker coughing fit somewhere along the Beltline (the east-west highway route). and then I looked back in the rear-view mirror at one point just in time to see the foamy, spit-up flowing out of her mouth. The Beltline is always crowded so it was hard to get over and we had just passed an exit. So I tried to get her a wet wipe, merge, and then exit all at once. (There is no place to pull over on the shoulder along that stretch.) I was frazzled because I wanted to stop, wipe her down and give her a big hug. She was obviously upset because spitting up is no fun and her clothes were all wet and icky. Of course we had no change of clothes so we had to get right back on the Beltline and head home. I made the mistake of saying we wouldn't be able to go to the pumpkin patch because we wouldn't have enough time after changing her clothes. Emma started balling and sobbing. I feared for another spit-up incident. I finally calmed her down. At home she changed quickly and I decided to try following these pumpkin signs I remembered seeing on the other side of our neighborhood.

Emma was happy that we were at last going to a pumpkin patch. We had a beautiful drive out past Cottage Grove in the countryside along a road we had never been on before. But the pumpkin patch was a complete disappointment (to me). They had a box to drop your money in and neat lines of pumpkins in size order. That was not a pumpkin patch! And then I realized that I only had $7 in cash. Since Emma went right for a good sized pumpkin we could only get one pumpkin. When I said I was disappointed that we didn't go to a pumpkin patch and that we only got one pumpkin, Emma vehemently replied, "That was a pumpkin patch!" and then, "Maybe we can get more pumpkins later after you get some more money."

No More Scissors

About a month ago this was the verdict I gave to Emma. And i will say it again. No more scissors!

Emma has a fun craft area set up right near the computer desk, with the idea that we can see it (mostly) from the kitchen and desk area. It should work out so that we know what is happening in the craft area. Because let's face it, a preschooler won't ask for permission to do inappropriate things with the art supplies! :)

So I know that Emma has scissors and that she was making a giant mess by cutting paper after paper into small bits. And then I got distracted. When I finally checked back in, I noticed that Emma was using the scissors to cut the ear fuzz off my stuffed koala bear. Of course I got mad but tried to keep my cool. That worked OK as I walked the scissors over to a high shelf and said no more scissors, you know that scissors are for paper only. That's when I spied the pieces of a dress on the floor, next to the dress that had been pulled from the drying rack. And then I noticed that some spider plant leaves were lying on the floor. So I lost my cool a bit and got pretty mad. Thankfully, my friend called me on the phone and helped me find the funny in the situation. Later that day, I noticed that Chloe was also missing some chunks of hair that I found in a pile in a corner when I went looking for them.
That was quite the cutting adventure! Hopefully for the last time.

Except that I forgot to tell Steve why Emma's scissors were up high. He gave them to Emma when she asked for them one day while I was out running errands. I came home and found that she had again cut up something she shouldn't have. I guess it is a good sign that I can't remember what it was!

Frances

We're playing...

...Frances family.
...Winnie the Pooh family.
...Strawberry Shortcake family.
...Peter Rabbit family
... any family she can think of that is not our family. Except when Emma plays Mommy and the rest of us are somebody else. If we are lucky we get to play ourselves.

Right now we are playing Frances family. I am Frances. Emma is the teacher. Chloe (our dog) is Albert, and a blue stuffed bear is Gloria. We had morning meeting on the kitchen floor where we shared our pumpkin pictures. (This was a sign left over from my graduation party that I put in her craft area earlier today. Emma traced all of the letters and the jack-o-lantern and added her own pictures of her mom, dad and Gloria.)

Just a couple of minutes ago we hung up some circles to mark the passage of days (like they do in Emma's preschool). Getting circles of paper for this project was an ordeal! Emma tried tearing circles but that didn't work. After whining and crying for a bit she was finally able to ask nicely for her scissors (see the next post titled "No More Scissors"). After littering the floor with failed attempts she asked me to cut out circles. She still wanted me to do it after I drew circles for her to cut around. Circles are hard to cut out! Since I was Frances I hung the circles on the wall (cork board) while she explained the whole process in preschooler-English.

She just told me that she is not the teacher and she wants to play on the playground. I am the new teacher I guess! And what is the playground she is talking about? The couch! We turn up the cushions so that Chloe doesn't sleep on the couches, and they make a great pretend playground. I suppose it is a softer landing than outside on the play structure!

Butterfly kit

Emma got a butterfly kit from Nanie and Papa. She had fun placing the stickers on the plastic picture and watching the caterpillars grow. Until the butterflies needed their mesh carrying bag, she used it as a pet and baby carrier.
Nanie and Papa happened to be at our house when the caterpillars formed the chrysalides so they helped Emma transfer them to the mesh bag. Then we waited and waited. Finally one morning as we were clearing up the breakfast dishes we noticed a flurry of wings- some of the butterflies had hatched!
We put in a couple of cut flowers and sprinkled them with sugar water, but we only saw a couple of them eating over the course of the few days we kept them in the mesh home.
When it came time to release them, Daddy helped her. One butterfly stayed in the bag until the next afternoon when Emma and I shook it out. Not five minutes later a robin flew down to the ground and gobbled it up. Emma was upset at first, but after hearing that it was good for the robin to eat, she was amazed by the process.

It's on the ground!

This morning Emma and Steve had a fun daughter-Daddy outing to the zoo. When they got home Emma came in and found me at the computer.
"Mommy, can we buy me some more silver shoes?" she whined.
I noticed that there was one silver shoe on her foot; her other foot was bare.
Daddy: Do you want to tell Mommy what happened to the other shoe?
Emma: No. Mommy, could we please go buy more silver shoes right now?
Mommy: We aren't going to the store, and I think I need to hear what happened to your shoe.
Daddy: she threw it out the window.
Mommy: What? She what?
Daddy: she just kept saying, 'it's on the ground. My shoe is on the ground.' By the time I realized what she was talking about we were way past the spot.
Mommy: Did you have to pull over?
Daddy: No, I didn't pull over. It happened under the J---tunnel.
Mommy: Wow, that is a busy street. Emma, that is a much too difficult road to pull over on; there really isn't a spot to do that there.
Daddy: I wanted to go back because I feel bad about littering. I just hope that she learned her lesson.
Mommy: oh boy. I am sorry that your shoe is lost, Emma.

Insert some tears and frantic running around and you get the gist. I guess I should have told Steve that she tried to throw something out the window earlier in the week so since then I have been keeping her window high up and locked. Ooops. :)

Treacherous Threes

I thought we had it made when Emma sailed through the terrible twos without it being too terrible. I was completely taken unawares by the treacherous threes! Everything is her way- even after she screams and cries for help. "No, I can do it myself." Why ask for help then??

There was a stretch of no naps, which just made the tantrums and whining pretty much constant. When we ask her to please stop whining she replies, "but I like to whine and cry." What can you say to that?? At her conference at the end of March, her preschool teacher said, "Emma never cries or is upset here." Are we talking about the same Emma? According to some other moms and my doctor, this is normal behavior. They save all their frustrations for at home. Lucky me! (But I would rather have to deal with it then her teachers.)

As you can imagine, I was not really inspired to write about the daily battles or have to read them again later. :)

Things have sort of settled down a bit now thankfully. Emma is back to being the sweet little girl that she is. This morning she told me that she was fussing and crying when Daddy left because she loves him so much that she didn't want him to go to work. Too cute.

She has become more fond of playing outside now that the weather is sometimes better than during March. Nanie sent her new clothes and a home-made backpack. We can hardly get the dresses washed fast enough to keep up with her. Today was the first day she remembered to take the back pack to preschool. I can only imagine the tales she will tell anyone who listens!

Confusion

So Emma and I were sitting at the table the other day having lunch. Actually I had finished eating and Emma was still slowly working her way through the meal. I took the opportunity to plan out the cross-stitch words for my latest project. Steve's godson, Zachary Paul, will be one year in August so I hope to have the announcement done before then!
Anyway, I was talking out loud to myself about which name I wanted to pencil in first, Zachary or Paul. Emma hardly misses a thing and this was no exception. "What did you say?" she asked.
"I am putting the names onto my chart so I will be able to stitch them on the fabric."
"Whose name?"
"Zachary."
"Zachary lives with Aunt Darcy, Uncle Steve, Madison and Jared."
"That's right, Emma."
"Why did you say Paul?"
"Paul is Zachary's middle name."
(Blank stare) Then Emma asks, "you mean the Paul that lives with Aunt Lauren?"
"No, Emma." :) I continued to explain that her middle name is Katherine, her first name is Emma and her whole name is Emma Katherine V-. I continued, "Zachary's first name is Zachary, his middle name is Paul and his last name is K-. Zachary Paul K-."
Emma replies, "That is really confusing, but OK."

Keeping it real

This past weekend Emma had a blast entertaining her Aunt Margaret, Uncle Dominic and baby Patrick. She is such a wonderful big cousin! She helped feed Patrick and gave him lots of attention and hugs. Emma also loved having another doting aunt to play games with her. Duck, Duck, Goose and butterfly matching were big hits. On the last night that our family was visiting, Emma told Aunt Susan that she didn't want them to leave in a sweet, dripping with sentiment and not whining kind of way; it was very dear.

A day or two later in the week Steve, Emma and I were eating dinner at the table. Emma started talking about how she got to sit on the big chairs because baby Patrick was sitting in her chair and then she said something about wanting to be like baby Patrick.
Daddy (soothing and trying to make her see that she is special): Emma, as great as baby Patrick is we would never want to switch. We love you and want you to be who you are right here with us. We want Emma to be in that chair.
Emma: why?
Mommy: because you are our little bear cub.
Emma: and because I fall off of the big chairs.
(Laughter abounds)
Daddy: Yes, Emma, we want you to be safe.
Mommy (to Daddy): all that sentimental heart-warming stuff and she says that.
Daddy: Oh, Emma, you are just keeping it real, aren't you?

PS The picture is of Emma trying on a Great Horned Owl mask for the Wonder Bugs program. I added feathers to the "horns" later.

Crunchy Carrots

Aunt Susan got her first acceptance letter into audiology programs so we all went out to celebrate to Audie's Burger Hamm (AKA the Great Dane).

Emma was a champ waiting for over half an hour for a table and she only squawked a couple of times about being hungry while we waited for our food. I read her some of the menu options and asked her to choose. Mac and cheese, burger, meatloaf, dinosaur nuggets, etc. Emma chose dinosaur nuggets without flinching or second guessing. You would have thought that dinosaur nuggets were a known and loved quantity, which they aren't. We also ordered her a side of dipping veggies with ranch dressing.

Once dinner came, I was almost as excited about the dinosaur nuggets as she was! They were actually shaped like dinosaurs. I had fun naming them for her and she had fun making them try to bite my cheeks. Eventually she got around to trying some of the veggies (celery, broccoli and carrots). She didn't peep about not liking her veggies, but when the waitress came by to see if we needed something, Emma tried to pass along her concerns right to the restaurant staff herself.

Emma was politely and rather quietly saying, "Next time....next time," while trying to get the waitresses attention. Just as the waitress was walking away and gave a cursory glance at Emma, Emma finished her statement, "Next time cook the carrots."

We couldn't stop laughing. Until Emma tried drinking the ranch dressing that is.

Pre-ballet

Emma loved dressing up as a ballerina for Halloween as you may remember. So late in the fall I registered her for pre-ballet. The first class was supposed to be last week but it was canceled due to the blizzard. So two days ago we went to the first class.

Emma slept an unusually long time on Tuesday afternoon so at 4:10 I had to wake her up. Little miss cranky proceeded to whine her way through getting dressed in her pink tights, black leotard and pink skirt. The outerwear (coat, hat, boots, etc) situation was a whole other round of fun! :) Then we were off to a local elementary school. We made it into the gym just as class was starting so we quickly put on her ballet slippers and Emma was ready to go. Except that when Miss Mary (a sub as it turns out) invited Emma to join them, Emma buried herself in my coat. Emma refused to join the 5 other girls out on the circle until I asked her if she wanted me to go with her. "Yes." So I walked her out to the circle and started stretching with the class. Emma kept her feet curled up underneath herself, but after a couple of minutes I snuck back to the side of the gym. Emma watched most of what was going on and did not participate much. When they were lining up, I went over to help Emma. That was when she moved away from me and found her own spot. (yay!) Emma seemed to prefer the galloping and skipping portion to the dancing portion. She kept falling down (on purpose) every few steps and then stayed sitting when the girls were learning plie, passe, and releve. I am sure that being woken up did not help her state of mind! Still, she seemed to enjoy herself and I think it will prove great for her balance and coordination!
At home Emma liked having me do plie, releve and passe while saying the words. She absorbs so much through watching first. I can't wait to see her next Tuesday (and the many Tuesdays that follow until the recital in April)!

Redefined

Tonight after dinner for 5 minutes of fun Emma had Daddy go with her to Mommy's school. When asked what the name of her school is (to clarify the Mommy part) she said Toad Hill, which is in fact the name of her preschool. Needless to say she did not really enlighten us at all. :)

She took Steve to a vacant space on the dining room floor and said, "OK. This is where Mommy's school is at. Everybody sit down. Daddy, sit down. No, like this." She showed Steve how to sit, and I helped clarify by calling it criss-cross-applesauce. She kept muttering stuff and reminding Daddy to sit "like this" every time Steve lifted his knees off the floor. She didn't understand what Steve mean when he said, "Old people can't sit like this for too long."

"OK! Now it is time to get up." And then my memory is fuzzy for a minute or so because Emma moves and talks at lightning speed! Steve and Emma started moving and dancing and then running in place. And then...

Emma exclaimed, "OK! Let's run in place. Yeah, everybody run around. Run in place." And then she takes off jogging around the room and swinging her arms while shouting, "Let's run around in place! Run around in place everyone." She didn't notice that Daddy was running in place and therefore not moving. :)

Fun-uary

Emma has been really getting into dramatic play. She has fun dressing up to go to the ball like Cinderella. She also likes to host dinners, go to restaurants (like Audies Burger Hamm, just two twists away on the twisty chair), have parties, and travel to Seaberry Beach (with Strawberry Shortcake and friends). The third picture doesn't show it too well but Emma is stirring walnut stew on her kitchen stove. The funny part is that she is actually stirring almonds in the pot. Emma also enjoys playing with her doll house. She was laughing in the second picture because of something that she put in the refrigerator- the baby doll from the house! (Should we be worried about that?) The final picture shows Emma playing with a doll's towel in her playroom in the basement. Having a mirror to admire herself in is the prefect form of amusement!
The first picture shows a rare moment for this month: Emma outside. Apparently Emma is not as excited about playing in the snow as I am. It is a struggle to get her to go out and play outside. One night Aunt Susan was going to go walk along the street by our house and Emma asked to go with. To encourage her to be outside I was eager to let her go. So we bundled her up and off they went. But oh yeah, Emma got to ride in the wagon. So much for getting exercise! At least she was outside.
And today, on the last day of the month of Fun-uary, we just got some new snow. There is plenty to play with and lots of fun to be had! Emma is asking me right now if she can.... watch a movie. :(

Chubby Snowman

Scene: dinner time; bright kitchen on a chilly January night; Emma, Mommy and Daddy sitting around the dinner table; everyone is eating and it is quiet....

Emma: A chubby little snowman had a carrot nose. Along came a bunny and what do you suppose? That hungry little bunny was looking for some munch. He ate that little snowman's nose- nibble, nibble, crunch!

(Mommy and Daddy are speechless for a moment with smiles on their faces.) Then...

Mommy and Daddy: Emma, that was wonderful! Did you learn that at preschool? What a lovely recitation! (Clapping and laughter fill the kitchen)
Emma (looking shy): yes!

(more accolades and exclamations of praise)

Emma: A chubby little snowman had a carrot nose. Say it with me!

Everyone: A chubby little snowman had a carrot nose. Along came a bunny and what do you suppose? That hungry little bunny was looking for some munch. He ate that little snowman's nose-nibble, nibble, crunch! (repeat 2-3 times)

End scene

Notes: After hearing constantly for the last few weeks that Emma does not want to tell us about preschool it was pretty amazing to hear this recitation for the first time in perfect form! It was a bright spot of the week!

Christmas 2010

Our first Christmas celebration occurred when we visited Emma's godmother's house the weekend before Christmas. Emma had fun checking all of our vital signs with her new doctor's kit.

Aunt Susan went back to CA for the holidays so it was just the three of us plus Chloe. We enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve by going to church and having a simple dinner. The next morning Emma was up early and wanted to wear her blue Christmas dress right away before going downstairs. (She requested a dress to go with her silver shoes so I made her a blue, crushed velvet dress with silver accents. She loves it!)

Santa was good to Emma and brought lots of toys. Emma was thrilled to discover that the milk, cookies and carrot were nothing but crumbs that morning. "Rudolph liked his carrot." After opening presents and eating breakfast we loaded up the car and headed to Great Grandma's. I, of course, forgot the camera. We had a wonderful time visiting with Great Grandma and her nephew, Chuck, Jude his wife and their son Marc.

We let Emma sleep by herself in the guest bed while we crashed in our sleeping bags on the living room floor. It actually worked out quite well. It was the best night of sleeping it Great Grandma's house since Emma was born! Yahoo!

Welcome Chloe!

After waiting for a long time, paying to be on the waiting list with the breed matching program (and having one dog, Miss Ranger, not work out) we finally got an encouraging call in September from the Dane County Humane Society: we have a 6 year old lab who loves kids. Really? Sounds to good to be true.
When I got the message I promptly called Steve and emailed Susan- we might get a dog! Can we all go meet her ASAP? I think it was that same day that we headed to the DCHS and met Chloe. Chloe's previous owners had fed her tater tot casserole, which caused Chloe to become ill. The family was struggling financially and ended up not being able to afford the vet bills so they had to surrender Chloe. It is such a sad tale, especially considering how awesome Chloe is!

When we went into the small room to meet Chloe, she seemed at ease with all of us right away. And she seemed interested in Emma. Chloe is a large yellow lab who at the time weighed 95 pounds. Emma was of course a bit nervous at first but she gave Chloe hugs and toys by the time we left. We took Chloe for a walk and decided that she needed to come home with us. (WE asked Emma if she liked Chloe: "Yeah. I want to take her home. Can she come right now?"

So we adopted Chloe and kept her name. Emma and Chloe are the best of friends! Emma hugs her, rests on her, plays with her and orders her around, too. And like all small children, she also sometimes pulls Chloe's ears. Time-outs have become somewhat regular around here for dog abuse infractions and other three-year old behavioral oddities. :) But through it all, Chloe still gives Emma kisses and wags her tail. I even think that Chloe misses Emma when Emma is not around.

Thanksgiving 2010

Still traveling back in time....

For Thanksgiving we rented an SUV to carry the dog and 4 people up to St. Louis Park to celebrate with Emma's Aunt Margaret, Uncle Dominic and baby Patrick. It was also Patrick's baptism weekend. What a fun time we had! Except that poor Emma got sick towards the end and missed a day or two of preschool if I remember correctly.

Going back to Emma's third birthday

The weekend before Emma's birthday we celebrated with Great Grandma and also took Emma to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. That was a grand time! Emma loved the dolphin show the best. We took a self family portrait while waiting for the show to start. There was some Hawaiian theme for the day so the first so-many people got real flower leis. Sometimes Emma still retells this part of the day: I said there was a seal swimming in the water and Mommy and Daddy said no there wasn't. But then Mommy looked and said, yes you are right Emma. There is something swimming in the water. It's a sea lion." We were walking up from the basement display area and hidden in the walls along the stairway was an aquarium area for the sea lions. If it hadn't been for Emma we would have missed them! (This is also an example of Emma's crazy good memory. It is actually shocking sometimes how well she remembers things that have happened a long time ago.) Emma got a new dolly from Great Grandma that she promptly named Baby Abby.

On Emma's birthday we had a small gathering of immediate family only. I tried to make a Jell-O aquarium with dolphins and a turtle but it didn't turn out like I had hoped. Did that phase Emma? Of course not! "What is that swimming in the Jell-O? A dolphin!" squealed Emma as she reached her hand in the fish bowl to pluck the toy out. After cake (Emma requested white cake with chocolate frosting so I made a triple layer cake to account for her three years) Emma opened presents. We gave Emma a book about a baby dolphin and the dollhouse that Great Grandma and Grandpa built and gave to me when I was a little girl. Emma loved it!

Happy new year

Emma helped ring in the new year at her godmother's house this year. She made it all the way to midnight and actually slept in somewhat! She was obviously tired and bit cranky, but the house was full of older kids who all stayed up, too. She would not be the first one to sleep! Emma seemed to have fun with the girls, playing dress-up and putting on singing shows on stage. It was really fun to watch!

And actually, Emma loves to sing. She makes up songs all the time and then asks everybody to sing with her. The noise would shock most people I think since no one knows the words or the tune; it's quite the scene. Thankfully there is no documentation of such occasions!