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.