Happy Birthday Baby Brother

Not the best picture ever but it is the most recent one I have of Matt and Em together. They were playing one of the racing games at Chuck E. Cheese and apparently concentrating really hard. We are going out to dinner to celebrate tonight so I need to get some pictures while he is in a good mood! Pizza, ice cream cake, and lots of presents might just do the trick. I can't believe my baby brother is 13--a teenager! We love you, Matthew!

Wicked Cool

In my best Bostonian accent: Wicked was wicked cool. The show was great--though a little slow at first. I don't think the regular theatre goers behind us appreciated Ryan's snoring! I loved the show -- especially the subtle, okay not so subtle, references to The Wizard of Oz. Some of the songs weren't as catchy as others but it was still really well done. We got to go on a backstage tour after the show (thanks to Rachael and her wicked connections!) and it was really interesting. We got to see all the props and some of the costumes. Lots of behind the scenes "magic". The show will be finishing its Chicago run in January so I am so glad we got to see it when we did.

After the show we went to eat at Brazzas, which is a Brazilian steakhouse where they bring the meat out on skewers and you pretty much eat until you sweat. They give you a little disk that you flip over back and forth and it tells the waiters that you either want more or need a break. It was sooo good. Who knew grilled pineapple could be so amazingly delicious? We were all so stuffed that we went back to Rachael's apartment and fell asleep. So much for a night out on the town! Seriously though, I am still full.

Oh and I am sick. Yuck. I have a cold and just feel blah. I am so excited for my Christmas break. I need it. My to do list grows by the minute. I really don't want to use my vacation to clean my house so I am trying to get everything done before then so I can sit back and relax. That is, if I remember how.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Emma had a great time playing with all her cousins and the mom's all loved the 2 minutes they sat still to have a semi-decent picture taken!

Baby it's cold outside

It is so tempting to stay inside these days. I have so much to do and lots of errands to run but, instead of crossing things off the list, Emma and I stayed home and played board games under blankets last night! Unfortunately Emma doesn't lose gracefully. I don't know where this came from--we have always played lots of games and we have never made it a habit to "let" Emma win (especially Ryan). She always acts like her little heart is broken and makes excuses like "it's not fair, I didn't know how to play". I try not to make a big deal about it and just let her know we will play again and maybe she will win next time. I am so ready for this phase to be over.

Other times, thankfully, she is a huge sweetheart! For example, I came home from Chicago last weekend and Emma had made me a welcome home sign and taped it to the front door! It was so nice to come home to smiles and hugs instead of whining and nagging. I guess I just need to leave more often!

Here are a few pics from Chicago. There were only a few decorations up when we were there but it was still very festive. And very cold.

Funny story to share: Emma and Ryan were riding in my mother and father-in-law's new Prius last weekend. Apparently a lot of the features in the car are voice activated, including the GPS. Clint was trying to see what the GPS could do so he said "Gas Station" very clearly. That prompt didn't work so they tried "Restaurant". Apparently Emma had other things in mind because very slowly and clearly from the back seat came "Disney World". I wish I could have been there!

God Bless America

Happy Veterans Day.

Beauty and the Treats

Emma had a great time this Halloween. I think she spent more time passing out candy than she did trick-or-treating. She loved seeing all the different costumes and she didn't want to miss anything so she sat on Nana Kathy's front step and waited for "customers".

Emma got her costume when we were at Disney this past summer. She wanted me to do her makeup just like they did at the bibbity bobbity boutique and thank heavens the weather was nice because "Belle does NOT wear a shirt under her dress". Um, I hate to break it to you babe but Belle doesn't wear flip flops either. What can I say--like mother like daughter.

The before:

And the after:

Now that Halloween is officially over I have thrown myself into Christmas projects. I promised myself I would keep it simple this year but I keep adding stuff to the list. I'm hoping to get a big chunk of my shopping done this weekend in Chicago. Mom, Alli, and I are going for a much needed girls weekend. Can't wait.

Never did get those pumpkins carved. . .

Time well spent.

We finally had our photo shoot. Emma did really well and put up with the weather amazingly well. That is until she got slapped in the face with a leaf--it was soooooooo windy yesterday! I took her to a beautiful park near our house and the leaves were all falling and it was actually a really nice day for pictures. I should point out that aside from a few little prompts from mom, Emma did all the posing on her own. I told her where to go and she took it from there. Thank goodness she likes having her pictures taken. I really don't know what I would do if I couldn't take pictures all. the. time.

Emma spent the night at her Nana's house on Saturday night so Ryan and I could go to a party. She is such a sweet talker! You know how we went to see HSM3 the other night, well Emma has been begging for the soundtrack all weekend. I decided to surprise her and stopped by the store to pick up the cd on my way to get her yesterday. Well imagine my surprise when I walked into my mom's house and saw the very same cd sitting on the counter. The little mooch got Nana to buy it for her! She also got them to take her to her favorite restaurant instead of the one they were planning on going to. Weekends at Nana's are great but, come on, how can I compete?

Just kidding, Mom!

Is anyone else ready for Christmas????? I am so excited. My shopping list is almost finished and my cards are about half done! I love it! Please don't remind me that we haven't even carved pumpkins yet...

So Excited

High School Musical 3 premiers tonight! I have to admit, I am probably just as excited as Emma. We are going out to dinner and to see the movie tonight and, amazingly, we talked Ryan into going to see it with us! I just hope he doesn't snore too loudly.

We are going to try again with Emma's 6 year pictures. I ended up getting sick last weekend so we are going back out tomorrow for round 2. I am crossing my fingers for nice weather!

Going Places

Our trip to Chicago was a lot of fun. Emma loved the train, though Mommy thought it was a little bumpy! Kit had a wonderful time seeing all her friends at the American Girl store. I must admit that I prefer the old store to this new location at Water Tower Place. It just isn't the same but Emma loved seeing all the new displays. She got the cutest little witch outfit for her doll and a few other things with her birthday money. Emma also got to have her picture taken and it was displayed on a jumbo screen for the whole store to see-pretty cool for a girl who wants to be a rock star!

We had brunch at the Grand Luxe Cafe with Alli, Rachael, and John and it was soooo yummy. After a little shopping on Michigan Avenue we went to dinner with my family for my mom's birthday. We took a taxi which was a total highlight for Em and saw a wedding party taking pictures in one of the little parks. Of course Emma wanted to stop and watch--she thinks all girls in wedding dresses are princesses!

Emma is such a city girl--we caught her spacing out a lot just looking around. We were at Crate and Barrel and Emma was standing at the window just staring out at all the people. I asked her what she was doing (cause it's just not like Em to be so quiet and still) and she said "just watching". She loves all the noise and movement. I think she will grow up to be like Alli and Rachael and leave her Momma for the city.

Last week Emma had her first field trip. We went to Funk's Grove and it was gorgeous. It was a morning spent just enjoying being outside and experiencing nature. It was fun to see Emma interact with kids in her class and to get to know some of the other moms.

We are heading back to Funk's Grove this weekend for their autumn festival and I plan to take Emma's 6 year pics while we are there. We still haven't gotten any pumpkins or mums so we definately have to do that this weekend. Emma has been home sick--yesterday and today--so I'm not sure if she will be up for another busy weekend. She is supposed to go to West's homecoming parade with Nana Kathy tomorrow so hopefully she feels well enough to go to school.

Time to end the epic post! Watch for new pics soon!

I Dare You

Ryan and I just started reading The Love Dare, by Stephen Kendrick and it is amazing. It is based on Christian principles and it has been a wonderful gift for our marriage. The book encourages you to focus on one dare per day for 40 days--some are pretty easy and some are going to be a challenge (don't tell Ryan that I looked ahead!!). With the crazy and stressed out lives that we have been living, it is so easy to forget to nurture our relationship. I will let you know how the next month goes. . .I love you Ry.

Yes I know...I am a very bad blogger. Things have been nutty around here. Emma is loving Kindergarten but we barely see each other anymore between all of her activities and Ryan's coaching schedule. We are definately going to be cutting back on stuff soon!

We are going to see Alli and Rachael in Chicago this weekend. Emma has birthday money just burning a hole in her pocket. I'm sure most of it will be spent at the American Girl store. We may go to Navy Pier and let her ride the big wheel--she saw it from Alli's apartment last time and has been begging to ride it!

Our computer crashed a few weeks ago so I have been trying to reload all my pictures. I have too many to keep track of and the list is growing. I just took pictures of two super sweet sisters on Saturday and they turned out really cute. I am getting more and more pictures to add to my portfolio!!

Emma had a great birthday. The celebration seemed to last all month with all the different friend and family parties we had. We went ice skating for the friend party and she loved it. I think there was a contest to see who could fall the most!! Guess who hung out in the party room and on the sidelines taking pics! Thanks to everyone who made her 6th birthday so special!

First Day!

Well it is officially Emma's first day of Kindergarten! She was so excited--she grinned all the way to school. Emma was thrilled to find out that one of her new friends was sitting at her table! Mommy did pretty well, only a few tears. I have been thinking about her all day and I can't wait to hear how her first day as a Kindergartener went!

Emma got a new backpack for her American Girl's as a first day of school present (it would have been for her birthday but I thought this was more fitting!) and she put it right on Kit and had her ride along in the car with us! She asked me to babysit Kit today so she wouldn't miss Emma too much! I love the way she is such a smart, growing girl one minute and then she reminds me that she is still my little girl. She always will be. . .

The Countdown Begins

There are only 5 days left until Emma starts Kindergarten. I am sad, excited, worried, and proud. It truly seems like only yesterday that she was learning to walk and saying her first words. We found out that there will be a little girl that Emma was great friends with at preschool in her class so her nerves have settled quite a bit. I am happy that she is so excited. Really. I will try not to let her see me cry Monday morning as not to upset her or make her nervous all over again. Emma starts ballet and gymnastics next week too so we will both be tired and looking forward to labor day break already!

To celebrate the end of summer we spent the weekend at the Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock. Emma's cousins, Isaac and Aiden, and Aunt Beth came with since daddy had baseball. We stayed in a villa so there was plenty of room to spread out and the kids had such a blast. The waterslides were great and Emma loved the wave pool. The view off of our balcony was amazing. We were able to see deer and lots of birds which is always more exciting when you're not at home!

Hello Life

We have had an awesome summer and as it is coming to an end we have been looking back. Emma and I had a wonderful weekend at the lake with Sara and her kiddos and as I was scrapping the pictures I started remembering all the fun and how nice it was just to sit and chat with a good friend. The kids had a blast playing in the freezing water, running on the beach, and eating ice cream, and I enjoyed being able to talk to Sara without a phone and a few hundred miles between us. I think it will have to become a tradition. Thanks again Sara for a great time and fond memories.

By the way, my journaling inspiration for this layout came from Ali Edwards Blog- aliedwards.typepad.com . If you are into photography or scrapping you may want to check it out. My journaling: hello life. hello outdoor fun. hello weekends at the lake. hello wind. hello glorious sun. hello sand between your toes and the freedom to run and roam. hello fresh air. hello exploration. hello friends old and new. hello boats. hello rocks. hello sand in your shoes. hello silliness. hello summer. hello good times and great memories.

Ready or Not

My first attempt at blog life. What part of me thought I would have time to contribute to a blog? Hoping this will offer me a way to keep in touch and stay sane by venting--even if no one reads this. I may not be the most productive blogger ever but here goes. . .

Yesterday was the last day of vacation bible school and, while we had a lot of fun, we are all exhausted and ready for normal bedtimes. Emma had so much fun and has been listening to the music from VBS constantly. We are getting to know the songs pretty well by now ;) Emma made a few new friends that will be in her Kindergarten class though it took a little encouraging on my part. You may be surprised to know that Emma is actually pretty shy when it comes to meeting new people and she was nervous because she only knew a few kids to start with. As we were saying our family prayers at bedtime Tuesday night, Emma asked God to "please help me not be nervous when I ask people to be my friend" Oh, if only it were that easy for me! We are so ready for the weekend. I have a date with the DVR tonight. Project Runway season 5 - Love It.