The potty monster

I have created a monster....

I was relaxing the other day and reading the Sunday Pioneer Press when a front page headline caught my eye "Diapers? We don't need no stinkin' diapers!" It was an article about potty-training infants. Nothing I have not heard before. The parents are basically trained ( I still find it hard to believe that a 12 week old can do this on their own) to know when their infants are messing or wetting their diaper and they set them on a little bowl, a sink, or a tiny potty. I still find that to be extreme. HOWEVER, they had a bunch of specifics in their article about how the US is far behind the world in the age kids are potty-trained. Many are trained by 1 year old. That being said, I knew this was something Tim and I would have to tackle with Emma at sometime, so I figured I may as well start introducing the potty to Emma.

That night, I could tell when she was messing her diaper, so I set her on the potty. She went!!! She actually did! She was excited because I was excited and I proceeded to give her M&M's. Well, ever since then, she wants to sit on the potty - I am sure just to get M&M's. No other success's, just the first time. Emma usually wakes up from sleeping at night, with a dry diaper, so I am starting to get in the habit of putting her on the potty to see if she will go. Today, no such luck.

So, today we went to Walmart to do some Christmas shopping and Tim and I discussed buying Emma a little potty and some little undies - which are SO CUTE! I came home from Walmart with the potty, undies, pull-ups, and a book on potty training. So, I got them out and Emma loved them all! She had to sit on the potty immediately. Then she got up, got some toilet paper to "wipe herself". I figured, okay, put the diaper back on - which she absolutely REFUSED! Finally, I wrestled the diaper on her and went to put away my groceries. Before I know it, I look over and her diaper is OFF and she is sitting on the potty, then climbing off.. sitting on it... climbing off. Such a fun toy! I try to get the diaper on and she refuses again. So, I put on a Dora pull-up. Next thing I know, that is off and she is doing her dance on the potty again - on/off/on/off. She would not stop until I put the potty chair away while she was sobbing.

Finally, while I was making lunch she seemed content pulling all of the pull-ups out of the package and putting her Dora undies on - over her diaper.

I am happy she is enthusiastic about the potty, but she still doesn't get it. Which is fine, I was not expecting her to get it right away as she is so young, but I know many people are successful in potty-training young toddlers. What the heck - might as well try.

This weekend we are off to Milwaukee to visit family and friends. Tim is off hunting (last time this year!) to S. Dakota to find more pheasants, so Emma and I are going with Mom & Dad to Milwaukee. Should be lots of fun!

New words

Emma has been really starting to talk and imitate a lot more - her new favorite words -- Uh huh and NO. She uses Uh Huh ALL THE TIME. "Emma do you want peaches?" - Uh Huh. "Emma do you want to take a bath?" Uh Huh. "Emma, do you want to run around the house like a mad girl?" Uh Huh. I am trying to persuade her to use yes instead of Uh Huh, but it is not working. And that no word?? It is a long drawn out, whine of a "No". Always said with intent and force. Great. She has started to say Thank You, which is nice. Although, some of these words probably only Tim and I understand. But, that is okay.

Thanksgiving here was good. Nice, quiet, and relaxing. We had plenty of food, which Emma did not eat much of. I think she is turning into a picky eater. For Thanksgiving, she only ate ham and dinner rolls. Not the sweet potatoes, stuffing,or potatoes. She didn't even want to try the other stuff. She would either turn her head away and say "NO" when I tried to feed her or take it off her plate and put it on the table, which is her sign that she is done. But, even through her pickiness as an eater, Tim and I not making another meal for her. I have read many articles that say do not make picky eaters another meal as they will just get used to that. So, Emma some meals does not eat much. Then we just feed her a bigger snack. She is a solid kid, I am not worried about the weight yet.

Kristen and I ventured out shopping at 5am to hit the deals while the guys stayed home with the babes. It was fun, frustrating but fun. Not frustrating because of the crowds, but frustrating at the oblivions out there! I want to Target to find a portable DVD player for Emma for a Christmas gift and there was a HUGE line just to get into the store. Crazy, I know (this was at 6am). Target was NOT AT ALL organized for the crowds, it was horrible really, and there were a few people trying to find the portable DVD players. Well, this one older woman was complaining that they did not have any (and dumb sales woman for saying that she did not think they had any) and the older woman says "Well, how can you not have any? That is false advertising." Whatever lady, it is not. THEN at Toys R' Us, this one guy was totally complaining to one sales woman monitoring the line (which, was wrapped all the way to the back of the store) about how Toys R' Us was horrible at monitoring the crowds, he could not believe the lines were that long, and couldn't they have more check-outs? Excuse me stupid man, if you are going to complain about the long lines and crowds on Black Friday, you should not be out. That is my philosophy, you know how bad it is going to be, so don't go out. I have to commend Wal-mart about how well organized they had it at 5 am. All the door busters were spread throughout the stores and all sales people had maps as to where the deals were! It was pretty impressive.

This past weekend we went home for more deer-hunting and no deer. It was a depressing hunt for me as I did not even shoot my gun and then my husband gets 8. Whatever.... We enjoyed some great family time, pizza, and a night parade in Durand. Emma did really well at the parade - she was pointing at a lot of the lights and seemed to enjoy it.
The picture is of Emma on Wednesday night, the night before Thanksgiving. Cute little outfit, eh? She LOVES this Christmas outfit. I think she would wear it every day if I did not hide it on her. I bought her the cutest little dress for Christmas (red, plaid, very cute!) that she liked in the store and now refuses to try it on. *Sigh* remembering the days where I could dress her in whatever she wanted and did not protest. Anyway, along with her Christmas outfit, she had to wear my polka-dot sandals. Quite the combo, don't you think?

Cold no more

Finally! There is a sneeze and cough free house! Emma thankfully, had hers run her course. I however, went to the doctor on Friday and discovered I had a sinus infection. Ugh. Now, I am medicated and feeling much better!

This past weekend we were in Durand for the Wisconsin Deer Opener. Tim, deer slayer, Heuer managed to shoot 4 deer this weekend. I shot none. Hmm... hopefully next weekend will be better for me. As a party however, we managed to get 8, so that is pretty good. That means next weekend may be fairly relaxed in the woods - which is fine by me!

So - what about those Packers! Are they looking great or what? I must admit, I watched part of the game today and read the book for book club (the Prodigal Summer) on and off. Since the Pack looked awesome, I thought I could get away with that this time. The book is good - just slow going. Very "wordy". Which I know makes no sense, but if you read this book, you would get it. I like descriptive words to form the mental picture, but this book I feel goes overboard.

I love Thanksgiving and am very much looking forward to the upcoming holiday. We are having a very low-key holiday. Tim and I are cooking cream of mushroom soup, cornish game hens, ham, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, stuffing, pecan pie, and dinner rolls for four and a half people - the half being Emma. He and I have trouble sometimes downscaling our meals, so then we end up with tons of leftovers- which is fine with me! Then next weekend is back down in Durand for the last weekend in deer hunting. So busy - but I love the hussle & bussle of the holidays!

Emma is back to her chatty & feisty self. Not much to describe on that front - just jabbering away and growing more stubborn by the day. I can tell she is starting to mimic much more with words. When Tim and I tell her something, she tries to say it back. I am very much looking forward to that so she can TELL me what she wants and not jabber it. She received a very cherished toy this weekend from her Nana. We have a pheasant in our yard that we call Bob. We see Bob a lot of the mornings in the back yard hanging out. Well, Emma loves Bob. She will look out at the windows and look for Bob. One time Bob was really close in the front yard and she could barely contain her excitement. Anyway, my Mom found a rooster beanie baby and showed it to Emma who exclaimed, "BOB!" right away. It was pretty funny. So, now she carries Bob with her almost every place she goes.

On that note, I am off to make popcorn and watch an old Soprano's. Man, I love the Soprano's. I believe I was a mobster's wife in my past life as I typically have dreams of being in the mob. Or Tony Soprano's girlfriend, which is weird.

stupid cold

So, Emma and I have been sick about a week - seriously? Enough already. It is not bad on either of our parts - just incredibly annoying. My nose has been stuffed up with sinus headaches all week. Emma is suffering from sneezing and coughing. I am ready for it to be done! At least Emma has been in fairly good spirits throughout it all, although she has not been sleeping as well. I can hear her coughing at night, which does not leave her with fruitful sleep. From Kristen's suggestion, I put Vicks on her chest last night, but that did not seem to help. I guess we just need to ride it out. I thought about taking her to the doctor, but without a fever, I don't know if it pays. Any advice from other's out there would be appreciated.

The past week (besides the colds) went pretty good. Nothing new to report on Emma from daycare as she continues to enjoy it and do well. Work for me is good, work for Tim is good also.

Getting ready for the holidays will be the next thing. Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away, which I can hardly believe! We are having a small Thanksgiving here, so that will be nice. Then - Christmas shopping! It will be a lot of fun shopping for Emma this year as everything I see I think "Emma would like that"! Kristen and I went out last year the day after Thanksgiving at 5am and will probably do that again. As crazy as it sounds, it was kind of fun. We both found some great deals and were back at home by 7:30.

Emma, the other night, replayed her bed time routines on her babies. I got out an ice cream bucket for a bathtub for her babies along with a washcloth. She put all of her babies in the tub and washed their hair. She then threw them on the towel and dried them off and layed them on a pillow and covered them up. She got a book and jabbered a story to them and sang them a song. Then she looks at me and says "Shhhhh!" So, the babies must have been asleep. It was very cute.

This picture is from this morning, Emma was eating a cookie:


The rest of the day won't bring a lot of action either. I am watching the big game now (GO PACKERS!!). Then, I hope to go for a run when Tim comes home from the cabin and have some much deserved me time. Even if it is only for a half an hour to take a shower; I need some me time.

Happy week everyone!

illness through the house

Just a quick update to say we are still alive and kicking - although not too much. Both Emma and I are suffering from colds and with how cold and windy it has been outside, we are just laying low in the house; which is nice. This past weekend we were up at the cabin, which was fun. Tim went deer hunting and got two deer. Emma and I bummed around the cabin, visited Tim's family, and then enjoyed my Mom and Dad's company.

Work is good, daycare is good. That is all for now. I am going to sit on the couch and put my feet up in my NyQuil haze.

Peering through windows

YEAH HALLOWEEN! I was so excited for today for some reason. I knew Emma would not get a lot out of it yet, but still I was so excited to share this day with her. I called Tim this morning and asked him if she was excited or acting any different. Of course, he said no - she was pretty oblivious, but still, I was excited. I left work at 2:30 today to pick her up from daycare and get ready for the evening. She had a Halloween party at daycare and I feel HORRIBLE that I did not provide little goodie bags for the other kids there. Tim and I talked about it, but decided no because they did not need all that sugar. Well, lo and behold, Emma got goodie bags from all of her friends. Now, I am the bad parent.

Anyway, Emma and I got home, made some homemade chicken nuggets along with mashed potatoes and Stove Top, ie. her favorite meal. I guess I was hoping that she would fill up on food and not eat as much candy. After supper, we got her dressed up and out the door we went. We went trick-or-treating with my sister Kristen and her two girls. Tim got the trailer hooked up to the lawnmower and we threw pillows and blankets in the back and went across the street to pick them up. Here is all three of them - cozy in the back. Kaylee lasted about two houses, but Kyra and Emma were in for the long haul. When it was all said and done, I think we went to 13 houses, MUCH more than I thought we would make it to. Emma loved it. She was clapping her hands in the trailer and was so excited to go up to the houses, but then was pretty shy when people came to the door. However, before they would, she would go right up to the door - or peer through the windows. She was pretty upset when we were done. Oh - did I mention she was a monkey for Halloween? The costume worked pretty well, as she was wearing her baby legs, fleece pants and then her costume over the top. It was nice and roomy for the cold Minnesota evening. Although both Kristen and I said it wasn't as cold as we thought.

All -in- all, a very fun evening. The last picture is of her going through the candy at the end of the night. She filled up her little bucket. She was looking at her candy and either taking bites out of some of it, through the wrappers, or threw it aside.

Finally - fall!

Finally we had a beautiful weekend before the cold of winter starts. We took advantage of it and were outside A LOT! Mom, Dad, Kim & Andrew came up on Saturday. Emma really liked Andrew and enjoyed playing in the leaves with him and showing him her dollhouse. Then, that afternoon we (including Craig, Kyra and Kaylee) went to Aamodt's apple orchard in Stillwater. After eating apple donuts and kettle corn, it was time to go home and get ready for my date - yes, that is right, Tim and I went on a date. We found a teenager in the area (our daycare provider's daughter) that wanted to come over and baby-sit Emma, so we went out. Jessie had a lot of fun with Emma and said she would come back anytime! Tim and I went out to a restaurant called Axel's in Mendota Heights and had a great time.

Sunday was a more low-key day. Tim was gone all day, so Emma and I continued to play outside. That night, we made cut-out Halloween cookies. This was the first time that Emma has made cookies and she had a FABULOUS time! She was in charge of the cookie cutters and later on, the rolling pin. She couldn't get enough of the cookie making and was very impatient for all the rolling that had to be done. However, once they came out of the oven she wasn't that interested in eating them. Which is okay too :-)

All is good with Tim and I. It has been pretty busy around here. Now, the deer hunting starts, so for the next 4 weekends Tim will be busy with that. Work for me is good, I am still enjoying it. Tomorrow we have a Halloween potluck, so that is nice. I plan on leaving work early so I can come home and get stuff ready for tomorrow night! I am pretty excited.

Emma continues to sing, dance, and jabber. Sunday I was getting pretty frustrated with the little monkey as she would not let me put her pants on, she kept standing on the cooler and chairs and tipped over her plate at lunch and was throwing her food all over!! AUGH - that kid!! So, we met Tim for lunch that day and in the car on the way there, she started singing to her back-pack. Kristen gave her a little M&M backpack that Emma loves! She was sitting in her carseat and starting singing "BahPah, BahPah" (the backpack song from Dora the Explorer) "BahPah, BahPah" -and then started jabbering the rest. It was the sweetest thing and it made my heart melt. It is funny how I can get so frustrated with her one second and then completely melt the next. Like Tim always says, " It is a good thing kids are cute!" Haha - Happy Halloween!

In circles

Just the past two days, Emma has found it to be so fun to run in circles. Tim was sweeping out the garage and she continually ran around the dirt pile - round and round- then she stopped and fell over. It was find of funny. Then, tonight when she was done eating, she decided to run around the table. No falling this time while doing that; however, she did continually try to walk away with her monitor (which was still plugged in) and fell over twice when the cord was tight. Ahh... Emma... So cute!

She has also been a very good Mommy lately to her baby dolls. She always likes to have a baby by her and she will offer the baby what she is doing. She brushes her teeth and then she puts her brush up to her babies mouth. She puts on shoes and then she puts shoes on her baby.

Okay, Grey's is back on- gotta run!

Been Farming Long???

So, Emma had the pleasure this past weekend of farming with Papa. Tim was away this whole weekend pheasant hunting, so Emma and I made our way to Durand. This made Emma very happy as she mentions Papa and Nana quite a bit and enjoys saying Hi to them on the phone.

Dad was finishing up combining corn this Saturday and Emma and I rode with him. She was a bit leary when she saw the combine coming her way, which I don't blame her, it is a lot bigger than her! But, she handled it like a trooper. As we were climbing up in the combine, she just hung on to my neck a bit tighter, but didn't cry at all. She was pointing all over, looking at the corn and enjoyed the ride. After awhile, when Dad only had about 2 rounds left, she thought that combining corn really couldn't be that hard, so she started to help him steer. She did a pretty good job too! That is good, I have always told Tim that our children (like that? children?? Wishful thinking...) are going to spend summers on the farm so they know what it is like to work. Emma is just getting ready.

Then the next day, we joined Papa at the big barn to take a look at the cows. While Emma has been there before, we never really captured it with pictures. She was a bit more scared of the cows. She always had to be held, especially when she saw the tractor coming in to feed the cows. She did really well when we were in the other barn looking at the calves. She stuck out her little hands to pet them and actually had one calf suck on her fingers. Which was bad, because then she wanted to suck on it too. Yuck.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Finally we had a little sun on Saturday so we could play outside! It was much needed.

Rain, Rain Go Away....

Sorry, It has been awhile. I guess I have not had too much to write about and I have been tired. I think the rain is bringing me down.

Today was a good day with the girls - we made apple pies at Kristen's house (read Kristen's blog for some cute pictures of our day). We made 12 mini pies and 6 half pies; half pies because both Kristen and I agreed that a whole pie goes to waste in our households. The girls, with the exception of Kyra, were asleep for most of the pie action, but we had a little craft project that they found excited for like 5 minutes. We made little ghosts out of newspaper and white garbage bags. Nothing exciting, but they dress up the house a bit for Halloween.

We finally got outside to play in between rain showers. See picture of the 3 cuties today out in the rain.

Work is good for me and for Tim. Tim has a new boss that is keeping him on his toes, which is good. He needs someone to do that, haha. Emma is good. She is still agonizing over her sore finger, which unfortunately got bumped again today. Tim bought her galoshes to wear out in the rain, although we still don't have a rain coat for her, so Target bag, here we come!

Here is an example of Tim and Emma playing with her ponies and little people from the other day:

Emma: "DaDa" and tries to put the King on the horse
Tim: (as the King falls off the horse) "Oh No, The King must be drunk."
Emma: "DaDa - Abbda" As she still tries to put the King on the horse
Tim: (after Emma knocks the horse over) "Oh-Oh, the horse died."

Nice, right? Teaching Emma about life, one horse at a time.

What every Mother thinks....

Why do we even buy toys?? Emma was having a great time playing with our pots and pans tonight while I was doing the dishes. While she was being very loud, I was happy to have the 5 minutes without her crying at my legs or crawling though my legs (which is her latest thing) to do some dishes.
We have been having a very busy time lately out enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Yesterday we went to Hawkins Hallows, a pumpkin patch, with Kristen, the girls, my Mom, cousin Carrie and her daycare kids. While the weather could have been a bit better (at least it was not raining!) Emma had a great time. She loved looking at the chickens and was not the least bit afraid to stick her little mittened hand right up by them. Then she was crawling up the hay bale mountain and through the tunnels and running through the corn maze, where she had to stop at EVERY ear of corn, point it out, and say Abda. I think Abda is her word for everything. All-in-all, it was a great time and I want to thank Carrie for planning it for everyone!
Today it was just Emma and I, as Tim was hunting (which, he did shoot a duck and goose and they are sitting in my garage right now. yeah me....) Emma and I went to Aamodts Apple Farm, which is a nice little orchard in Stillwater. We ate pumpkin pie, went through the petting zoo, and ate some Kettle Corn. It was a good time and what a GORGEOUS day for it. This afternoon was low key. We played around the house, went to church, and made pizza - Yum! The Dora socks have unfortunately lost rank to her new favorite pajama's which she insists on wearing at all times. She would wear them all day if we let her, but they are summer pajamas and not good in the cold. If we put them on her at night, we put on socks and an extra Onesie also as they are not warm enough. Although, she is usually carrying them around with her or trying to put them on over the clothes we have chosen for her.
This morning the little monkey was in such a good mood - I love it when she wakes up happy - it makes the day start so much better! This morning for instance, she was so happy to have orange juice instead of her prune juice/apple juice concoction we mix for her. Not that I blame her, mind you, but she was dancing around doing her happy feet while drinking her orange juice. The prune/apple juice does not get the same reaction.
Unfortunately this morning, she cut one of her little fingers which proved to be a problem for her all day. While I did put a cute little Care Bear band aid on it, she had to pull that one off. But, she kept the "decorative one" on her other hand just for show. The meals proved difficult for her as she was actually missing a pretty good chunk of skin on her finger and that did not bode well with salt. She would start crying and tearing up, as I suppose it was burning, and stick her finger out for me to kiss it for her. This continued through dinner and supper. She would take a few bites (eating with her hands and not her fork) start crying and stick out her finger for me to kiss it. Needless to say, they were long meals. Cute, but long.

The Giggle Factory

Today Emma and I had an outing with the Mom's group of Stillwater/Lake Elmo (which, yes, does include my sister and her girls). We went to the Giggle Factory in Hudson, which is pretty much a padded, indoor park. They had a little section for the little kids, which was a tiny slide, foam shapes, etc AND a big section for the kids with like 4 slides, tunnels, climby things, etc. It was fun. Emma had a GREAT time. She really liked going down the slides and climbing through this rope tunnel section.

This afternoon I went to work for an employee party and Tim came home to stay with Emma. She took a 4 hour nap!! From 12:30 - 4:30, she was asleep! I cannot believe that. She never does that for me - she must have been pretty tuckered out. (I still keep thinking of all the cleaning I could have done during that time!) The work event was fun - then I met two college friends (Katie & Megan) for happy hour. That was a great time. It seems as though I hardly get out now with Emma, so it was great to be able to meet both of them out for drinks, fun appetizers and a yummy dessert.

Tommorow we are meeting Mom, Carrie, and her daycare kids at the Haunted Hallows pumpkin park or something like that. In honor of the occasion, I went to target and bought junk food for us to eat at lunch! (a treat, like Kristen and I keep saying) I bought 7 different kind of lunchables - okay, so I tend to get a bit carried away sometimes- and twinkies and hostess cupcakes - YUM! Kristen is bringing the chips and snacks. I think it is supposed to be a beautiful fall day, so Emma and the girls should have fun picking out pumpkins and stuffing scarecrows.

All else is really good with us. Emma is as feisty as ever (of course) and we are just enjoying life. Tim is going hunting this weekend, so I am not sure what Em and I will do. Probably just hang out.

Hmmm.. funny Emma stories... let's see...We were out swinging yesterday while Tim was tilling the garden. Well - Emma was swinging and I was pushing her. She LOVES swinging. She swang for like 20 minutes when I was finally like, it is cold, we have to go in. She refused to get out of the swing. She clamped her little legs together around the bottom half of the swing and stiffened out her arms, so I could not get the two sections separate. Yeah - nice... finally after some crying, I got her out of there.

(She loves Hostess cupcakes - I gave her a sneak taste test!)

Hmmm - otherwise, not much is new. More later! have a fabulous weekend!

I am not done with her yet!

Another work week - less time with Emma. Yesterday was not a good day. I did not want to get out of bed (I pressed the snooze button twice, which I rarely do) and did not feel like going to work. I told David at the park & ride, that I had a feeling it was going to be a bad day. Work wasn't too bad, but when I was dropped off at my car, I knew what it was - I DID NOT HAVE A CAR SET IN MY CAR!! It was 4:45, so I called Tim right away so he could leave work and meet me at daycare. AH! I got Emma and we decided to walk around the street a few times as I did have a stroller and Tim got there as quick as he could.

Lately I have been coming home with a headache and I just wasn't feeling all that good yesterday. Emma was really whiny and did not want to sit down in her high chair, she only wanted to be held. It was a hard night for some reason. But when she was finally sleeping and peaceful, I feel guilty at being short with her. I feel so bad sometimes because she doesn't understand if I have a headache or am tired, she just wants attention. Especially when she comes home from daycare. Last night, I got to bed around 9pm to read my book for bookclub and I brought her into bed with me so she could sleep by me. I remember telling Tim right after she was born and I was back at work fulltime that the evening goes by too fast and I don't feel like I get to spend good, quality time with her. So, I would bring her into bed with me so she could sleep by me. I would tell Tim "I am not done with her yet! The night went too fast." Anyway - all is good now. She is sleeping. I am getting ready to take a shower and read more of the book - which is really good. It is "Those Who Save Us" by Jenna Blum. A story about a mother and daughter learning about each other and the struggles the mother lived through being a German woman during WWII. When I am done, if you want to borrow it, you can.

Anyway, I have to run. I will post more later.

The Breakfast Boycot

Lately Emma's little personality has been coming out - (I know Mom, she is such a little Kelly... Man, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that!) in every way possible. The past few days, it has been with breakfast. It seems as though she is a little stubborn when it comes to eating. Yesterday she was reading books while sitting at her little cooler table and sipping some juice. I was making eggs, ham, and jam toast for us for our real breakfast, so when it was done, I put her in her high chair with her books. She started eating her jam toast while reading her books; not a good combination. So, I took the books away and told her "No reading Emma while we are eating." She looks at me right in the eyes and pushes her plate away. I tell her again, keep eating Emma and then we will read books and push the plate back at her. She pushes it away. So fine, Emma did not eat breakfast. Do, does that make me a bad Mom? I figure not as I cannot start giving in to this kid already.

This morning it was the same thing. She has been really into playing with her babies lately and she brought one down with her after she woke up. She was feeding her babies fruit loops and had her baby right by her at her cooler table. The eggs were done, so I pick up Emma to put her in her high chair and she will not bend her legs in her high chair. She points to her baby, "Baby" and starts crying. So, we go over to the baby and pick her up. I try to put Emma in her chair again with her holding her baby and still she will NOT bend her legs. Now, Emma points to the other high chair and says "Baby". So, I have to put her baby in the other high chair first. Then I put Emma in and push them right by each other - then she is happy. Sigh.... That kid.

Not much is on the agenda this weekend. I think we are going up to the cabin this Saturday and then we have a block party picnin on Sunday. Plus, Mom and Dad are coming up for a bit this weekend also. Should be good.

Below is a picture of stubborn Emma. Not quite to a boycot stage, but lately she has been wanting to eat with her feet on the table. Man... she is so much fun now...


and from a year ago... man they change so much so fast!

And finally - quiet

So, the dishes are done, the house is picked up (as well as it will get tonight) and I am showered and ready for bed. The house is QUIET! Which is nice. Tim is still at class and Emma is sleeping. Nothing too eventful going on. I am getting sick of all the rain we have been having! I think we are finally supposed to get sun tomorrow. We have a busy few days coming up - tomorrow is work, Thursday is a play-date with Molly, and Friday is the Apple Orchard with the Stillwater Mom's group, which I am pretty sure I am joining. We talked about going to the cabin this weekend, but now I am officially a hunting widow and I don't know if I feel like being at the cabin with just Em and I with no car. But, we will see.

Emma is good - her Aunt Kristen was very sweet to pick her up from daycare today as traffic was HORRIBLE and Tim had class. So - I now owe Kristen a fun cocktail and dessert somewhere. That is okay - just a good excuse to go out. Anyway, Emma brought home her creative project for the day - a mask that looks like a bird. She colored it herself! She laughs whenever anyone puts it up to their face. It is pretty cute.

She has adapted her own kitchen table. One weekend when we were unpacking the cooler from coming home from the cabin, we left the cooler in the kitchen. From that day forward it has become her table. (about a month now) Tim has brought in a little chair for her and every meal, that is where she has her appetizer - aka. Fruit Loops, cheese, raisins, or something of the sort. When it is not meal-time, she enjoys snacks - or the occasional puzzle or book.







Anyway - got to run, we have visitors (just the neighbor lady!)

Our own little holiday!

Oh YEAH! GO PACKERS!! Today is our own little holiday in the Heuer house - Packer vs. Viking game day. I think that no matter who is favored to win, both Tim and I know that anything can happen on this holiday. Even though the Packers are playing better this year and ARE favored to win, I still know that anything can happen today. Hopefully Brett throws his one touchdown pass for the record!

Okay - that's enough for football talk now. It has been a very dreary weekend around here - which is kind of nice. Yesterday Tim and I washed windows, I cleaned out the fridge. We were able to get a lot of stuff down that we don't normally do. That mundane stuff that we don't enjoy, but on a rainy weekend we get around to it.

Emma played all weekend - so she couldn't have been happier. She got to go to Menards with Daddy, which she loves! They also went to Cub where she gets a free cookie - so she loves that place also. Last night it finally got a bit better, weather-wise, so we went around to all of our trees and put trunk protection stuff on them so the deer and little critters do not eat/scratch them. Tim got out the lawn-mower and we all climbed on. For anyone that does not know, Emma LOVES lawn-mower rides also. (see picture from June of this year)
-Anyway - so yesterday, we were outside, thought all was good on the lawnmower when Tim had to go up to the garage for something. Emma sees her little car and decides she wants to ride that instead of her lawnmower. So, what does Mom end up doing?? Pushing her all around our yard in her little car. She would get out, help us around the trees, then climb back in her little car and look up me. ALL AROUND THE YARD I DID THIS. I know, I am a sucker for this little girl. She wanted nothing to do with the lawnmower after that. I figuered I got a good workout and she had some fun too!

Today, obviously is the Packer game (which I am watching as I type - I will not spell check it today, so sorry for any typo's DAMN!!! INTERCEPTION.... YEAH FOR THE FLAG!! Anyway...)

Emma has these Dora socks, which she loves. Every morning, she sees them in her laundry, because she wore them the previous day, and pulls them out. She will throw them at me, turn around, and back up to sit in my lap. Then, she points at her feet. EVERY DAY she does this. So, what Tim and I have started doing as the Dora socks are too small, is put on another pair of socks and put her Dora socks on over her other pair.
If she is not wearing the Dora socks, she is carrying them around. I bought these for her in the dollar section at Target last year, so I do not know where I can get another pair like it, but I will have to find out.

Other pictures from our lazy weekend - Emma playing dress up in my shirt and her falling asleep today after lunch.




And FINALLY - GO PACKERS!! ( Emma IS a packer Fan, even if Tim won't admit it!)

Finally - the weekend

Happy Friday! Does everyone have big plans for the weekend? I don't - and I am loving it! The week always fly right by and even though I work 3 days and have 4 days off, it is always nice when it is the weekend.

What beautiful fall days we have been having! Tim, Emma, and I have been trying to take advantage of them as much as we can. First- the week recap....

When I last left you, Emma and I had had a busy night playing outside. Apparently, all the fresh air made her NOT want to sleep. She woke up Tuesday night around 11:00pm and was awake - wide awake. We could hear her talking in her crib, so we let her talk. Then, she started to whine and then cry. So, maybe an hour later, Tim got up with her, rocked her a bit and laid her back down. SAME THING... Then, I brought her into our bed, she was rolling over me to get out, crawling over Tim - anything to be out of there. So, we laid her back down. Around 1:30am she started to cry - really cry. So, around 2:00am - after about 3 hours, we caved and gave her a bottle. I know, I know... bad Mom, right? Well, after 3 hours of not sleeping and knowing that I needed to get up in 3 and a half hours, I caved - Deal with it :-)
That put her right to sleep. I noticed today a new tooth popping up, so maybe that was bothering her.

Wednesday night by cousin Lori and Aunt Linda came up to visit, so they, Kristen, and I went to Nacho Mama's in Stillwater. That place is FABULOUS! I recommend it to anyone that is feeling like good Mexican and yummy margarita's. After a few cocktails, we came back here and watched Dirty, Sexy, Money and when they left I finally got some sleep.

The rest of the week went well. Thursday was a cleaning/laundry day - so nothing exciting there. But, today Kristen and I got the kids moving early and had breakfast at Panera (YUM!) and then went thrift saling. It was a successful trip! I got Emma some clothes for next year and Kristen went hunting for the elusive double stroller and was successful! This afternoon we went to the park, they came over here for supper and now Emma has crashed! She has fallen asleep on Tim in the recliner with her arm up in the air. Pretty funny!

No real plans for the weekend. I would like to get my fall/Halloween decorations up and wash windows - AND - cheer my boys to VICTORY! Hopefully Brett does well in the dome and WINS!

No picutres this time - maybe tomorrow if Emma and I get outside. There is another thrift sale I would like to go to in the morning - probably around 8, so Em can stay with Tim. Then her and I need to do a little shopping for Tim's b-day and plant some flower bulbs. It should be a very nice weekend!

Happy weekend!

Mom guilt...

Does it ever go away? I don't know if I have felt such guilt before. All Mom's probably know what I am talking about. Is it selfish of me to want to work part-time, even though I have Emma? So, I feel guilty about working. But, then I feel guilty about not working because then Tim has to support all 3 of us. I feel guilty about Emma being in daycare... about wanting to sit down for 10 minutes when I get home for work, but Emma wants to play. The list goes on and on - and- from what I hear, I have a lifetime left of it :-)

The work week is going well. Emma continues to do well at Theresa's and took, what I consider to be a normal nap, a 2 hour nap there. Previously we were lucky if she got an hour, but I am assuming that her comfort level there is finally good.

As I mentioned previously, the weekend was great. Saturday morning I got some "me" time, which was greatly needed! I got my haircut, did some shopping and splurged on a Caramel Machiatto at Starbucks - YUM! That afternoon, we dug potatoes in the garden and I got ready for the pajama party. Talk about the best way to get ready - "Um, Tim, I have to go put on my pajama's and get ready for the party!"

The party was a great time - Thanks Katie!! We all just reminisced about old college times - what great memories we have! It makes me realize how far we have come! It has been 5 years since I have graduated from college - that is crazy to me. It is fun to get together because some of my memories seem to be fading a bit and I need other's to remind me of all the details of our past together! It is nice to see that I have such a great and supportive extended family.

Sunday was a golf outing (another thing to feel guilty about as I was not spending time with Emma). However, we had a GREAT time; as did Emma with her Aunt JIll and Uncle Dave (who says that he and Emma are buds now!) The golf outing was a benefit sponsored by some friends of ours who had a daughter pass away in a car accident. The money collected goes for a college scholarship - so a very good cause. It was a beautiful day to be outside and spend time with friends!

Some pictures - usually always pictures! Emma in some cute purple Baby Legs! Reminds me of leg warmers- but how cute (and of course, sucking her thumb)!


Another picture - Emma sitting and posing for the camera.

The other two pictures are from this evening with her playing outside. It was such a beautiful night out, so we played with the flowers, dirt, and went for a quick walk.




Have a great week everyone! GO PACKERS!!!

quick post...

While it is commercial time during Two & A Half Men and the popcorn pops (yum!) had a busy weekend. Got 4 inches of hair cut off, bought some fun PJ's for the even more fun PJ party, and golfed. Emma was great for Aunt Jill & Uncle Dave while we golfed and had a great day at daycare (and has finally started letting Theresa take off her coat and shoes!)

I plan on posting some pictures later on and will tell more.

One more try ---

Okay, Let's see if it works this time. Molly gave me a few suggestions as to why this may not be working.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro2kVkaG6MY

Above is the link to the video on YouTube... OR - let's try this once more.