Emmy Lou's Adventures

Birthday Vids

2010-06-27T23:33:00.003-04:00

Birthday cupcakes on the train

How three-year-olds play hide-n-seek

Emme and mommy opening the DNA strand

from auntie Kelsey. My favorite part: Mommy!

Someone already popped these poppers!

Birthday Fun

2010-06-27T22:49:00.007-04:00

Emmeline had quite a birthday! The celebrations began on Tuesday, her actual birthday, with a train ride, cupcakes and a nice, long visit to the library. Later that day she had a lovely father-daughter dinner with daddy at Red Lobster. On Wednesday Emmeline celebrated with her friends at school and brought popsicles to share. It was a perfect treat as the day was very hot and humid. Then this Saturday her birthday party was held at Bellevue State Park. She and her friends had a great time playing on the playground, digging the sand, playing hide-and-go-seek, baseball, and soccer. The Little Mermaid cake and cupcakes was a huge hit! This evening her friend Estella came over with her mommy to have a belated birthday celebration. They were not able to make it to the party so to make up for it we ate dinner together, had MORE cupcakes and opened some presents. Emmeline had a wonderful birthday week and was just as sweet and gracious as could be. We cannot wait to see what the upcoming year will hold for our darling little Emmy Lou.

On the Wilmington and Western Railroad...so excited!

Whoa! Careful!

We brought cupcakes to enjoy on the train.

Emme picked out an orange dreamsicle cupcake.

She later said it was her favorite part of the day.

Emme in front of the engine.

Birthday hugs!

That was super fun!

Little Mermaid cake (strawberry!) and cupcakes (chocolate!).

Emme picked out the flavors herself.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

"Happy birthday to you!"

Make a wish!

Haley, Emme and Elisa

Yum!

Red strawberry cake tongues!

Even though there was very nice sand at the playground,

the girls gravitated towards the horseshoe sandpits.

Emmeline's auntie Kelsey is a geneticist and she got Emme

a blowup DNA strand. Let me tell you, it is no easy

feat explaining what DNA is to a three-year-old!

Feeling Nostalgic

2010-06-24T23:02:00.000-04:00

I always get nostalgic around the time of Emmeline's birthday. I have been looking through old pictures and videos and came across this video of Emmeline playing with wooden fruit. She is about 16 months old (October 2008) and is just starting to articulate words. In this video, I ask her to identify a strawberry. See for yourself how cute her response is:

Happy Third Birthday!

2010-06-22T09:35:00.004-04:00

Today is Emmeline's third birthday! We are planning cupcakes for breakfast, a scenic train ride through Brandywine Valley and some time at the park. Her birthday party will be Saturday at Bellevue State Park. More pictures to come:

Emmeline Louise ~ June 22, 2007 ~ 7:31am

8lbs 14oz ~ 21.5 inches

Darling Emmy Lou ~ June 22, 2008

Happy First Birthday!

Cheeky little Emme ~ June 22, 2009

Happy Second Birthday!

Precious daughter ~ June 22, 2010

Happy Third Birthday!!

Wilmington Blue Rocks Friday Night Fun

2010-06-19T00:17:00.004-04:00

Tonight we joined some of our friends at the Wilmington Blue Rocks baseball game. At the ticket booth we got free general admission tickets (I have no idea why) but once we got to the G.A. section, there was no where to sit. We went to customer service and they upgraded us to seats right behind home plate. After the game, we got a fabulous fireworks show which they put on at summer Friday night home games. What great, cheap fun! Besides cuddling and joking with her friends, I think that Emme's favorite part was the blue water-ice:

Haley and Emmeline

Alison, Kevin and their new son, Bryce Tyler.

Lucy and Emmeline sporting blue tongues.

Fireworks! I love watching Emme watch

fireworks.

Emmeline's Graduation

2010-06-10T22:26:00.009-04:00

Emmeline receives her diploma and graduates

from the toddler room to preschool one!

The graduates of the toddler room perform a rousing

rendition of "Fire Truck!". My favorite part of the video

is the end when Emme runs off the "stage" to give

her parents hugs and kisses.

We just couldn't be prouder of our sweet little daughter.

Congratulations, Emmy Lou!

Belated Easter Post

2010-05-11T14:10:00.006-04:00

Better late than never, right?

Posing before the hunt

Lucy and Emme

...and they're off!

Checking out their loot

Oh! Candy! I like Easter!

Can I eat this?!

YUUUUM!

Emme's first Easter Egg Hunt

A New Fav: Waffles!

2010-02-15T20:14:00.002-05:00

One of Emmeline's new favorite things to request for breakfast (brunch, lunch and snack) is waffles. I think it probably has something to do with the syrup satisfying her sweet tooth (pst! Its sugar-free! Don't tell!). Or it could be the fun of dipping the waffle pieces in the syrup (she insists on having them separate, like french fries and ketchup). It is probably a combination of both. One thing is for sure - I have never seen a cuter waffle-eater in my life:

Snow Day!

2010-02-10T13:34:00.004-05:00

We have had quite a bit of snow here in the Mid-Atlantic over the past four days. Emmeline does enjoy the snow, but not for long. She does not seem to take after her cold-weather, North Dakota parents!

Yay! Snow!

Yum!

Our little angel's snow angel

No, Emme, the carrot is for the snowman's nose!

Emme and our snowman

Hehe!

Snow bunnies

Trudging through the snow

Emme going into our gate; Frosty looks on...

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-01-20T20:47:00.007-05:00

Everyone is back to the grind here in Delaware. I am back teaching my fifth graders and it feels like I never left. Emmeline transitioned right back into her routines like she has never done before. Once we were back for the holiday I expected her to have a troublesome month getting back to her old ways, but was pleasantly surprised. When we got home and she was back in her crib, she snuggled right in like she missed it.

The same holds true for school. Emmeline had just a small adjustment make into school, but is napping great and really missed her friends. As much fun as we have traveling it is amazing to see how much people need routines and especially little ones. We are all thankful to be home, in our own space safe and sound.

Emmeline and Hannah, bedtime pals

Grandma Sandy, you know a lot about playdough.

Sledding with Kelsey in North Dakota, What fun!

Uncle Nathan you are a great storyteller.

Cuddling with her buddies Inara and Auntie Kelsey.

Emmeline Louise and Santa Clause

2009-12-11T23:23:00.004-05:00

Last Wednesday Emmeline and I met friends at the Christiana Mall. I suggested that we go see Santa, and considering her response last year, I figured that she would be less than excited to sit on Santa's lap. I was, however, greatly mistaken. She decided that she wanted to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what she would like for Christmas. What a complete and total surprise. Paul was not with us and I must say that I wouldn't have endeavored this without him; I thought she would have retreated from Santa's workshop immediately. Instead, she was content to stand in a very long line so that she could see Santa and tell him what she wanted for Christmas. She told him, "A toy, present and books." Ok, Emmleine Louise. Not a problem:

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

2009-12-09T20:38:00.002-05:00

We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving this year. It was just the three of us for most of the day and we celebrated in the morning with our usual traditions. We watched the Macy's parade, made monkey bread (caramel and cinnamon biscuits) and made cranberry bread to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. We had dinner with our neighbor Rachel and her family. It was so nice to sit around a large table with family gathered around. And this Thanksgiving we are more thankful than ever that even though our families are 1,500 miles away, we still have a lot of places to go and people who love us right here in the Mid-Atlantic.

Sweet Emmy Lou, our little turkey
(her teachers took this pic at school)

Wishbone

2009-11-09T20:16:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday we had a turkey dinner and since then Paul has been drying out the wishbone. Tonight he and Emmeline made wishes and broke it. Emmeline won the break and when I asked what she wished for she said, "I wished for more turkey!" Only two and a half more weeks, Emmy Lou, and your wish is granted!

Make a wish and pull!

"I win!"

Fast Fading Fall

2009-11-08T20:59:00.004-05:00

This morning Emmeline and I took a walk to Cool Springs Reservoir which is, as you know, one of our favorite places to walk. It was a gorgeous day, 60s and sunny. We are trying to enjoy as much of the last vestiges of fall as possible as the colorful leaves are almost gone and trees are halfway bare:

It was so bright out that we had to bust

out Emmeline's shades.

Squinty!

Yay! Leaves!

She loved the sound that the leaves made as she

walked back and forth through them.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:54:00.002-04:00

We had a really quiet, uneventful Halloween this year. We had all sorts of fun plans with friends but, alas, Emmeline came down with pink eye and an ear infection. We thought it was best to keep her away from other kids. We did, however, take her out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood for a bit. She had a great time seeing the other kids in their costumes and going up to all of the houses to get treats. In no time at all she had the hang of the trick-or-treat tradition. When we got home, we Skyped with both sets of grandparents and let Emmeline have a lollipop. It was a nice, quiet evening; just a bit lonesome.

Emme and daddy on the front steps.

Emmy Lou the cutest dino this side of the Mississippi

and mommy on the trick-or-treat trail

Hold still! The flash is slow!

Emmeline dumps out her loot, looking for

her new favorite sweet treat: lollipops

Yum!

Pumpkin Carving in Trinity Vicinity

2009-10-25T22:07:00.003-04:00

Today we went to a neighborhood pumpkin carving and crock-pot chili fete. It has been nice to meet more people in our neighborhood and be a part of the community here a bit more. I even went to my first neighborhood association meeting last week! (Boy was that WAY more heated than I ever thought it could be!). We had a great time carving pumpkins and eating good food. You can see that Emmeline enjoyed the food a bit more than the carving:

Carving pumpkins in beautiful Trinity Vicinity

Emme tried to help and pay attention...

...but the treats were much more intriguing!

What?! I've only had three pieces of corn bread...

Her first lollipop. These little sugary

delights are all that she can talk about now.

Hmmmm; I wonder...

...I guess I'll just try it.

Oh! That's delicious!

Happy 30th B'day hubby!

2009-10-15T22:26:00.002-04:00

On Saturday October 10, we surprised Paul with a party at The Arsenal in Old New Castle to celebrate his 30th birthday. Paul's folks surprised him the day before the party and then stayed with us for about ten days. About 25 of our friends were able to make the Oktoberfest-themed party and we had a blast. Paul was completely surprised, though he said he had an inkling that something was up when I was leading him to the room where we held the party. And now, of course, he says he is beginning to find all sorts of holes in my story leading up to the party. I do not have a lot of pictures to share as of yet. I hired a professional photographer for the event so that I did not have to worry about taking photos. I did take some pictures of the poker game (I set up a table so that the gents could place a nice, long game after dinner) and Kate also sent along some photos that she had taken. You can see what fun Paul had:

What's going on?

I love the look on everyones' faces in this picture. Paul's

parents are to the left: they are so happy to be sharing

in this fun day! Paul looks slightly smug and Emmeline

looks as if she thinks the party is for her.

The game: very intense.

Mike is teaching baby Milly the finer points of

the game.

Is that your poker face, Paul? Are you bluffing or just

happy to be drinking Guinness?

The game continues...late into the crisp, fall, Delaware night.

The cake from Serpe's bakery; finest Italian bakery

around!

On Paul's actual 30th b'day (the 15th), his parents,

Emmeline and I visited him at his school and brought

cupcakes and presents. He had to stay at school late

for a workshop that day, but we had fun visiting especially

since his parents had not yet been to his school.

Busy Bs

2009-09-22T20:22:00.022-04:00

Another busy week has gone by here in our household. We just realized that we only have pictures to post from the weekend as we find little time during the week for anything other than work and school (*sigh*). But when the weekend comes, boy do we play hard! Last weekend Emmeline was a wonderful little helper in the kitchen. She helped mommy make scones on Saturday morning and helped daddy make homemade pizza dough in the evening. On Saturday after scones we took a walk to Cool Springs Park, then nap, a visit to Delaware Day for Kids on the Wilmington Waterfront and finally, homemade pizza for dinner. On Sunday we did nothing but lounge and play in our pajamas, eat eggs and Paul's delicious crock-pot potato soup. Feeling much less adventurous than the day before, we took a leisurely walk around the neighborhood later that evening and we were out of our pajamas for only about an hour. We had a great weekend; just wish it could have lasted a bit (OK, a lot) longer.

Cool Springs Park on a nice, cool almost-fall morning.

Emme and daddy taking a rest to watch ducks

on the pond.

The duckies. Emmeline was convinced this was a

mommy and a baby.

The pond has only had water in it for a

few months but the lilly pads are already

growing flowers. There are both white

and pink flowers growing there.

When I say "Smile!" this is the cheesy

face Emmeline makes.

Making pizza dough with daddy!

"I'm squishing the pizza dough!"

Eating grape shaved ice with mommy at the waterfront.

Eating sweet things for Emmeline is like an art, a refined

skill. In this picture, she is being very precise as she

gives me just a very small sample of her treat.

Oops! She started to giggle and had a hard time keeping

the shaved ice in her mouth.

"C'est magnifique!"

Here, daddy! Your turn! (Shaved ice is one of Paul's favorite

sweet treats, too!)

That was good!

Emmeline has several firstborn, OCD qualities. I am frequently reminded of my older brother when she plays or cleans. Emmeline does not like it when things are out of place or things are completed out of order. One of her most overt OCD tendencies is to line up her toys (usually her tea cups shown above) in a row. This picture was taken during our Sunday hermitage.

Transitions

2009-09-12T21:36:00.012-04:00

We have had a busy few weeks in our house, to say the least. Emmeline has started day-school and Paul and I have both been working full-time. I have been avoiding this post because I am not able to articulate how difficult this transition has been for us all. I am one of four children who was raised by a full-time stay-at-home mother and a full-time working father. I always thought that I would be able to figure out a way to stay at home with my children but as it turns out, the reality of modernity and my career aspirations have caught up with me.

My mom and dad sacrificed tremendously to give me and my siblings the advantage of having a stay-at-home mom. Indeed, they are still sacrificing for this decision as my mother is still struggling to find her place in the career world. Currently my baby sister, Jacy, is a junior in high school and my mom is taking courses towards becoming a medical transcriptionist. (She wanted to be a court reporter when she graduated from high school but the closest program was in the Twin Cities. And finding a co-signer for her student loans was out of the question). I see how much she is struggling for her niche in the work force and know that she and my dad still to this day have to feel the financial consequences of providing us with a stay-at-home mother. At the same time I am proud of and grateful for my parents' conviction in keeping us kids at home until the age of 5.

My parents raised me with the model of one parent staying at home full-time and the other working full-time, but they also told me that I could be anything, go anywhere and do anything I could possibly imagine. And I did. I went to college, went to grad school, all because I felt compelled to do so. And I love my work. But the first and only thing I wanted to be was a mother. When Emmeline was born, everything else dissolved. In that first year of her life I had convinced myself that I was never going to finish my dissertation and that financially we would just make it work. Well, now that she is two years and three months old, I find myself in a position that I had never really imagined. It may seem funny to you, I know, considering my years and years of school. But it is the truth. Paul wasn't ready to have a baby until he decided to have Emmeline. What else was I supposed to do while I waited? To be sure, I love my work but thought that as an academic my schedule would always be flexible enough to stay at home with my babies at least part time.

You cannot live comfortably for very long in the Mid-Atlantic on the combination of a school-teacher's and grad student's salary. And so it is. I applied for a few jobs last spring, got incredibly lucky, and was hired at a local community college. My new co-workers, male and female alike, are bountifully supportive of me being a new full-time working mommy. Emmeline's school teachers are amazingly warm, understanding and uplifting. I really couldn't ask for a better working academic environment for me or a better day-school for Emmeline. But it is still hard. I miss my Emmeline more than I can say. I know she is happy and well cared for but I am still devastated. The mornings are the worst. We are used to cuddling in bed for as long as we want, watching Sesame Street and lingering over breakfast. Nowadays our mornings are all business as we get up, get ready, eat and leave. Emmeline is generally excited about school but is upset in the morning. She seems tired, she does not have an appetite and fusses on the way to school. She cries once we arrive and starts to scream "I want my mommy!" when I pass her off to her teachers. I tell her I love her, tell her she will have a wonderfully fun day and blow kisses with a smile. But as I leave the building I cry on my little teaching outfit and stumble towards my car. I feel awful. I usually call a few hours later and her teachers assure me that Emmeline was fine by the time I pulled out of the parking lot and is having a great day. Even so I still feel like an awful mommy. I hope we both get over it soon. *sigh*

Work and school have not been the only things on our agendas lately. We have still found time to spend with our friends and enjoy these last wonderful weeks of clear weather. Soon fall will be upon us and in the Mid-Atlantic that means rain, rain and more rain!

Emmeline insisting that Elisa and Haley

participate in singing and playing "Ring

around the Rosy" whether they wanted to

or not!

Emmeline, Elisa and Haley: group hug!

Emmeline's 2nd day at school; this and the next picture

cost me dearly when she realized that after our

painful goodbye I was lurching around the corner

taking pictures. Big oops on my part, but I couldn't

resist taking a picture or two.

Emme hanging out with her new friends on the playground

having a snack; you can see she is still upset :(

Emme and Milly at Stapler Park. Emme thinks Milly is her

sister...awwww!

We ordered take-out sushi last week; Emmeline

LOVED it! (I made sure that there was no

raw fish or shell fish, of course)

"More shoe-shi please, mommy!"

Cool Springs Tilton Park; the new water reservoir a few

blocks from our house that just opened a few weeks ago.

Emmeline playing on the balustrade with Ursuline Academy

and fountain in the background.

These little fish heads have motion sensors on them;

last Saturday was about 85 degrees so I let her get

as wet as she wanted. I figured it might be the last

chance she will get in a while.

The first time I have witnessed her building

significant structures with her blocks; WOW!

Labor Day fun! Daddies and babies: Mike and Milly - Paul

and Emmy Lou

Us girls. Kate's mom, Sharon, Milly, Kate, Emmeline

and Me. What a beautiful backyard garden, Kate!

At Glasgow Park in Bear, DE - Labor Day. Paul, Estella and

Emmeline

This evening at the Trinity Vicinity Neighborhood

picnic. We have lived here for over three years

but have not gotten involved in the neighborhood

association. Having a baby sure does eat up your

time and energy!

In front of the Wilmington garden contest first

place winner for a potted-plant garden.

Trying to figure out how to blow bubbles.

She looks like such a big girl in her jeans,

hoodie and piggy tails. Interesting note: she

insisted on bathing and sleeping in her piggy

tails tonight. We really don't know what has

come over her...

Birthday Bonanza

2009-08-23T21:09:00.008-04:00

This Saturday our family was invited to three events all of which were starting at 4:00. We struggled to find ways to attend all three, and after an elaborate plan all it took was a bit of rain to solve our dilemma. Last night we attended a wedding reception for our neighbor Rachel and her husband Gener. We all had a great time eating, laughing, and celebrating. Allison and Emmeline had fun enjoying some cake, my two sweet treat bandits. I, on the other hand, got the pleasure of meeting a wasp up close and personal. (I was stung) In my defense, I was protecting Emmeline and another little girl named Ella; better me than them.

The rain caused the birthday parties to be moved to 12:00 and 4:00 today. The first celebration was for Emmeline's good friend Estella. She turned three on Saturday. The party was at Milburn Orchards which if you read the blog on a regular basis you should recognize as the same place that we did our berry picking this summer. The party included feeding the goats, a hayride, and, of course, cake. Emmeline really enjoyed feeding the goats although she was not always sure that they were only going to lick the food out of her hands. Daddy had to be the brave example, hooray for chivalry. The hayride, not unlike swimming, was a no go. She got onto the trailer full of hay, but quickly decided she did not want to go for a ride. For Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Kim, it was a carbon copy of the carousel incident in Toledo.

After a fun filled time of presents, cake, and sand box we were on our way to Kennett Square, PA, the mushroom capital of America. Our birthcenter friends Josie, Sky, and Avie invited us to celebrate Avie's second birthday. Avie turned two on the 18th. There house was somewhat nestled in the woods with plenty of green space for the kids to run around, and they also had a pool that was about two or three feet deep for the kids to swim, of course Emmeline wanted nothing to do with that. Instead, she spent most of her time in a swing that they had hanging from a tree. Allison and I took turns pushing her in the swing, and it wasn't until dinner time that she really started to play with the other kids that were at the party, maybe it was the cake that made her feel more comfortable.

What a bonanza of birthdays!

Emmeline swinging at the orchard

Deep concentration

(It's a lot of work sucking your thumb and feeding Milly at the same time)

"See Emmeline the goats will only lick the food from your hand"

"I love baby goats"

After a bit of modeling, she had no reservations about feeding the goats

Hayride, have fun everyone. We will watch.

Yum, Cake!

"I can swing all day"

Here we are swinging some more.

Mommy, trying to convince Emmeline that there is more to life than swinging

(As you can see, she wasn't convinced)

Taking turns with Sabine

We did have a few moments of hide and seek.

The game is still a work in progress (We like to run and count)

Enjoy this short video of Emmeline bouncing on a ladybug ball

Summer '09 Camping Trip II

2009-08-21T21:48:00.010-04:00

On Monday, August 10 we loaded up Jacy and Emmeline into the CR-V and drove 518 miles to Maumee Bay State Park in Ohio. We met my parents there and spent one wonderful, hot mess of a week on the banks of Lake Erie. We had all sorts of fun, adventures and good food. (We also got a tad sunburned, I came down with a virus, and the family dog got sprayed by a skunk AND got into a dog fight...). I am sure that it will become an annual tradition:

Emmeline enjoys dusk on the beach.

Jacy and Emmeline play in the sand.

Beautiful Jacy.

I love the Midwestern sky, especially right before

a storm

Our campsite was right on a small pond. Emmeline

enjoyed watching the sun going down every evening.

"Daddy, I said 'good-night' to the sun!"

Playing 'Ant in the Pants' with pa-pa at the campsite

What?! Emmeline is in the water?! Must be because

grandma and pa-pa were there to hold her hand...

On Thursday, August 14 Paul and I had our first overnight trip away from Emmeline in honor of our eighth wedding anniversary (actually on August 17). We went to Put-in-Bay, Ohio a small island in Lake Erie. This is a picture of our B&B, Ashley's Island House. Emmeline stayed at the campsite with my family. I was repeatedly assured that she had an amazing time without us but we still missed her like crazy. We couldn't help ourselves from looking at pictures of her on our phones several times.

Since it is a small island and there is a hefty

charge for cars on the ferry, most people get

around on rental golf carts or bikes. We had

fun tooling around on our little electric cart.

We toured the Heineman Winery on the island.

Admission included a glass of wine and a tour of

their crystal cave.

Heineman winery workers discovered this crystal cave

(the world's largest geode) in 1897 when they were

digging for a well. Proceeds from tours of this cave sustained

the winery during prohibition.

All of the winery's grapes are grown on the island. An

amazing feat considering the island's small size.

The Put-in-Bay ferry that took us from Port Clinton, Ohio

(the "main land") to Put-in-Bay and back again.

Auntie Kelsey and Uncle Paul joined us for three nights.

Emmeline would not let Kelsey out of her sight!

"Kewsey! Read to me!"

Camp fire, family, cheap beer, good food: Ah, life is good!

Pa-pa and Emmeline at the Toledo Zoo.

Grandma and Emmeline discovering the monkeys.

Grandma and pa-pa had so much fun showing their

granddaughter all of the animals.

"Waddle, waddle, waddle!"

Emmeline watches some Sesame Street in the camper while

Jacy devours the Twilight series. I got her hooked! Have

you read it? If not, get on it! You'll love it!

We went to the Maumee Bay street fair on Aug. 15

and Jacy entered the talent show. And she won!

See for yourself her winning performance...

Auntie Jacy is Here!

2009-08-05T01:29:00.010-04:00

My baby sister Jacy arrived on July 30 and we are having a blast! It is now a tradition for Jacy to visit us all by herself during the summer for a week or so. This is the fourth summer that she has made the journey all by her lonesome. Now she is 17; I wonder how much longer she will be interested in spending part of her summer with a couple of old married folks and her little niece?:

Auntie Jacy has arrived!

Kate, Mike and Milly joined us for pool fun and dinner on

Saturday; Milly LOVES the water!

Emmeline prefers to stay out of the water. She likes

to take water out of the pool and pour it into cups

and bowls. I hope she grows out of her fear of water

soon. She won't even let us wash her hair in the tub.

Jacy feeds Milly a bottle. I can't believe how long it

has been since anyone fed Emmmeline a bottle. My, how

time flies...

Emmeline gets to feed Milly again. Open wide!

Emmeline and her friend Elisa at Bellevue park on

Sunday. Another fun night of free music!

Emmeline concentrates on Jacy's feet as Jacy explains

how to jump off a cement block.

Oh! That was fun!

Swinging like a monkey on the top of the slide as

daddy anxiously polices the situation from behind.

Choo-choo, cha buggy! Maybe Central High's yearbook could

use another picture or two? This would be a good one...

Emmeline saw this stone wall and said: Humpty

Dumpty sat on the wall?!

Emmeline Louise and Jacy Kaitlyn

Us girls

This morning: eating a peach in pigtails. The pigtails lasted

about ten more minutes. I can't even describe how cute

Emmeline is in pigtails, barrettes and clips but you will

hardly ever see pictures of her in them. She gets pretty

frustrated with them and I get equally frustrated as she pulls

them out. Her bangs then hang over her eyes and I want to

scream! Arg!

Playing in the sand at Rehoboth Beach this afternoon.

Notice the Dora Band-Aids on her knees, compliments

of tripping yesterday during our walk. She is such a little

tomboy! Scruffy, scrappy, and no patience for fluff! And, no,

she did not get in the ocean. Not even close.

Auntie Jacy and Emmy Lou; so happy to be together!

Yummy little toddler.

Diggin' with daddy.

Working hard.

Ice cream!

Pure contentment.

Another annual tradition: burying Jacy in the sand.

Emmeline was very worried about poor Jacy under

all that sand.

But was reassured as Jacy continued to smile throughout

the burying process. (If you can't tell, this is one of Paul's

favorite traditions, too!)

Kiss, kiss!

Berry Fun Adventure

2009-07-25T22:23:00.012-04:00

This sunny, hot afternoon we ventured to Milburn Orchards in Maryland with a few friends. We picked blackberries and raspberries, got up close and personal with the barnyard animals, and sampled other fresh fruit and ice cream. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. The fall harvest and activities are supposed to be spectacular:

Paul used to pick raspberries with his grandparents

near Grygla, MN when he was a little boy and had

fun passing on his berry-picking expertise to

his daughter.

Ah! What a gem!

Here's another good one!

Haley and Emmeline were berry-pickin' experts in

no time at all.

Though we kept telling Emmeline to wait to eat the berries

until we got them washed, she absolutely could not wait.

This looks good enough to eat!

I had better test one, just to make sure...

Oh, yes! That's yummy!

Our blackberry haul.

When all the red is gone from the berry, it is perfect

to pick and eat. The red means it is under-ripe

and will taste bitter.

After picking berries, we introduced ourselves to

some barnyard animals. Here the girls are discovering

a donkey.

A cute vid proving that Emmeline knows what

a goat says!

The goats hoped we had some food for them.

Sweet little babies.

A couple of turkeys discovering a turkey.

Yum! Nothing better than a fresh peach...

...except for maybe watching a toddler eat one.

On to the ice cream!

Emmeline was REALLY excited about the ice cream.

"So I says to Mabel, I says..."

There's that look of Paul's again.

The orchard has toddler-sized wooden vehicles scattered

throughout. Here the girls take a ride in a school bus.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round!"

"Don't make me come back there!"

We had a berry wonderful time!

Summer Days

2009-07-19T21:36:00.007-04:00

Over the past several weeks, our family has been able to spend more time together. I had the week after the fourth off, and was able to get in some much needed Daddy, Daughter time. Emmeline and I were able to play in the park, visit some friends, and just hang-out together, I had a blast. I was able to have Emmeline to myself because Allison has been busy writing her dissertation. She has made considerable progress, but it is a bit like running a marathon; it takes some time. Since then Allison and I have been busy watching some of Emmeline's friends while their parents have celebrated anniversaries or gone to see the new Harry Potter (Which we will see on Tuesday). We also celebrated Elisa's birthday yesterday. The video below was from Thursday when we watched Milly while Kate and Mike celebrated their anniversary.

On the flip side we have also started to experience some of what is often referred to as the "Terrible Twos". Emmeline is becoming more possessive of her things and wanting to lay claim to other friends toys or snacks. We have seen this activities most often when friends come to our house. It seems that territory brings the behavior out most of all. When she is at someone else's house or in a public place then she is her usual sweet self. She is more willing to take turns, share, and just enjoy being with her friends.

Emmeline loves being active. At least once a day she needs to get out and experience life. When we were together for my week off we made frequent trips to the park. We read stories and listened to music. We would go on walks around the neighborhood or go for a run in the baby jogger. This week on Thursday both Allison and I took Emmeline in the baby jogger for about three miles each. It is amazing that she will sit in the jogger for long stretches at a time when we can't really get her to sit in a regular stroller. When the two of us went running it was quite refreshing to have her along. She sang songs, pointed out birds and trees, and encouraged me along the way "Good job running, Daddy". I think that I ran the whole time with a smile on my face which is saying something when you run with the baby jogger. She also still loves to dance. "Daddy dance with me" which means that she wants me to hold her and dance together. Below is a video I took when I had my time off. She is dancing with a picture of her second cousin Caeden:

Here are some of the fun summer activities that we have been doing together.

Homemade popsicles "Kinda Sweet"

Swimming on our deck, as you can see she really loves getting in the pool

Sharing her popsicle with Mommy, how sweet.

Open wide! You too Milly

Feeding her friend, baby Milly (She had so much fun)!

Sitting with her friend Haley at Elisa's birthday party.

Emmeline is eyeing the cake. (Sweet Treat Bandit strikes again)

Daddy's First Post: Fourth of July Camping

2009-07-05T13:44:00.010-04:00

This weekend marked another year for our country. In our little world it marked Emmeline's first camping trip. We went to Killen's Pond State Park in southern Delaware. It is about 10 miles south of Dover. Emmeline was excited the entire week leading up to camping and she had no idea what we were about to set out to do. She often said "Go camping with Nathan" or "Go camping with Grandma and Grandpa, and Odie". By the end of the week we were able to convince her that we were going camping just the three of us, "Emmeline go camping self and mommy and daddy come with." We arrived at the campground on Friday around noon had lunch and then checked into the site. We set up the tent and unloaded the car, it was a primitive site so we made several trips to the car. After nap time it was time for Emmeline to head to the water park. I was a bit jealous that I never went to a campground with a water park before, "In my day, we didn't have water parks. We just splashed in puddles and called it swimming." Boy am I getting old!

Emmeline had a great time at the water park, but not for the swimming. She got into the water about up to her knees and that was it for her. Her real enjoyment came from people watching. She could not get enough of watching everyone else playing and splashing. She watched people like Grandma Kresel watched the Tuppas.

We had the Fourth of July, swimming, fires, bugs, sleeping bags and the like, but my favorite parts of the trip involved some first time treats. Emmeline had her first taste of my favorite, shaved ice, on the steps of some government building. She kept calling it ice cream, but thats okay with me. The other first is a Grandpa Danny favorite, crackers and milk. It reminded me alot of growing up and having that as a bedtime snack. She had so much fun dipping the cracker into the milk and I had so much fun watching her.

Overall, camping was a great success and we are all looking forward to doing it again in August with Grandma Jeanne, Grandpa Kim, Auntie Jacy, and Odie. Hopefully, others will be able to join in the fun.

Emmeline helping to make Oatmeal Cookies

for camping

Having a bit to eat before checking in, we arrived too early!

Check out the new camping chair, Oh yea and the kids pretty

cute too.

At the water park, look at all the people

Yogurt and strawberries a staple of a good breakfast,

at least in Emmeline's life

Yogurt day two, still waking up.

Yummy, crackers and milk

I really enjoyed that snack, I think I will save some for later.

Walking a stone labyrinth in a church courtyard.

Grape shaved ice, it was a hit! Both for Daddy and Baby.

Miscellany of Adventures

2009-06-29T23:50:00.014-04:00

Last Monday was Emmeline's birthday and I had her all to myself most of the day. Paul was able to spend a few hours with her in between summer camp and his evening grad class. During those few hours, we snuck in a trip to the library and a meal complete with cupcakes!

So excited!

Make a wish, birthday girl!

Sweet, silly two-year-old!

Emmeline's purple birthday cupcakes; notice in the pics

above that I did not get the cupcakes frosted until AFTER

we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Oops! We had a very

small window of time with Paul that day, after all.

Last Thursday we met Paul in Brandywine Park after his day

of summer camp. Emmeline loves to throw pennies in

the fountain; she doesn't quite know what a wish is,

but every time she sees a fountain, she says "Emmeline

make a wish!"

Pictures from last Friday at Bellevue State Park:

Those eyes are soooooo Paul.

Elisa, Emmeline and Ezra. I can't believe how long

her legs look here.

Emmeline has the sweetest curls; I am glad

I have a few pictures of the back of her head so

that I will never forget how precious they are.

At the Philly zoo on Saturday:

Emmeline was thrilled about this cheese because one of

her favorite youtube videos is that of Ben Stiller and Telly

Monster singing "People in your Neighborhood." In the vid

Stiller dresses up as a hunk of cheese.

"Call me swiss cheese, Brie or Mozzarella.

A cheese is a really great fella!"

Discovering the waterfall in the Big Cats exhibit

Learning all about birds at the zoo's new

Avian center

I finally got around to sufficiently cleaning out the

back yard and deck. We put a sand table back there

for Emmeline because she so much loves

playing in sand.

That's all for now, folks!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Emmeline!

2009-06-22T13:16:00.005-04:00

As I am writing this, the birthday girl is taking her usual mid-day nap. She is still recovering from our Father's Day celebrations yesterday. She woke up at about 7:20 this morning and opened some presents before Paul left for his first day of teaching summer camp. After a birthday breakfast, we Skyped with my parents and Jacy; they sang "Happy Birthday" to her and watched her open some presents that my mom had left for her. She played with play-dough (even though the package says it is OK for two-year-olds, I think I am going to hide it and wait for a little while), tried out her new easel and read some new books. Her friend Ezra came over for a play date and then we walked to the nearby cafe for lunch. More birthday pictures and narrative soon to come!

Our big girl: two years old!

Darling little one year old

Welcome to the world, Emmeline Louise!

June 22, 2007 ~ 7:31 am

8lbs 14 oz, 21.5 inches long

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T21:42:00.006-04:00

We had a lovely Father's Day here...and I sincerely hope that Paul would agree. To start off the day, Emmeline and I treated Paul to his favorite breakfast: biscuits and gravy! We then travelled to Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum. Located in historic Fairmont Park, it is by far the best children's museum I have ever visited. The building itself is gorgeous and there are numerous interesting, engaging and educational exhibits. Plus it is just a plain ol' good time. If you live in the greater Philadelphia area or ever find yourself nearby, please pay them a visit. The admission is a bit steep ($15 for anyone over one year old) but it was worth it.

It was a bit overwhelming at first so we started off small and made friends with a turtle:

There was a great water-works exhibit near the entrance and Emmeline spent a considerable amount of time playing in the various tubs and fountains:

This piano claims fame from the movie Big starring Tom Hanks. I know that a version of it also resides in New York, thanks to Erin's blog, but have no idea which is authentic:

Though Emmeline was old enough to enjoy most of the exhibits, there were several toddler play areas throughout. Here she and Paul enjoyed hoping on the lilly pads in the forest corner:

My favorite part of the museum was the Alice in Wonderland exhibit. It was complete with a hedge maze, tea parties, costumes, Wonderland animals and characters and so much more. Emmeline was a bit put-off by the large cheshire cat hanging out in the tree ("Emmeline scared of cat, mommy!") and it took some prompting to get her to enter the exhibit:

Uh, I don't know about this!

A funny flamingo...

Painting white roses red before the Queen

of Hearts notices!

Tea, daddy?

Hello, Alice? Are you in there?

This was one of those illusions where the room

got smaller as you walked further into it

Playing on a child-sized porch on a child-sized house.

Helping out in the garden.

Playing nurse in the children's hospital nursery.

Night, night baby!

I think the child-sized Shoprite grocery store was

Emmeline's favorite part of the museum. It was complete

with carts, plastic produce, meat, bread, and empty cans,

bottles and boxes of actual groceries. They even had little

check out lanes!

Operating a crane with mommy but mommy didn't

know what she was doing.

In the child-sized subway with daddy.

Stuck in traffic and pooped out!

Our fun did not stop there! After a brief respite at home, we grabbed philly cheese steaks from Paul's favorite place in Trolley Square and headed to Bellevue State Park. They have summer concerts almost every Thursday and Sunday at 6:30. We went last Sunday to listen to Irish folk/pub tunes and had a blast. This evening's show was equally enjoyable with Americana/ country music. The only thing that could have made it better was if Emmeline's grandpas could have been with us. We sure did miss them today...

Perfect Father's Day fun!

Oh! Bubbles!

And just for good measure, you can see for yourself how much fun Emmeline had at the concert:

Happy Father's Day to all and to all a good night!

Boot Camp and Birthday, Part I

2009-06-15T11:20:00.004-04:00

We have had a fun and interesting couple of weeks here. My mom arrived on June 3 and stayed until June 13. The purpose of her trip, besides getting Emmeline all to herself, was to babysit while Paul finished his last week of school and I was off at dissertation boot camp. Yes, everyone...I am in dissertation therapy. For two solid weeks, I haul my laptop and a selection of books off to campus where I am chained to my computer and am expected to write, write, write! Actually, I am in boot camp now, but I needed a mental break. And I miss my baby. What I want to get out of this boot camp is lots of words on the page and a momentum that will carry me through the rest of the summer. I need to get this done and off my plate. My goal is to finish by the end of next summer. I want to beat Jacy to her high school graduation!

Mom and Emmeline had a great time together last week. Emmeline was still a bit clingy when I was around but when I was gone, she and gramma were best friends! They went on walks, took frequent trips to the cafe around the corner from our house, read ALOT of books, and got to know each other through some serious one-on-one time. Sadly, I have dropped the ball on my photographing. I can't believe I have been so neglectful. I didn't get many picture of my mom's trip here but one of my photographer friends took pictures for me at Emmeline's birthday party last Friday. I will post them as soon as she sends them. For now, here is a super cute picture of Emmeline contemplating her Serpe's cake (photo compliments of Kate...thanks Kate!):

Emmeline's actual birthday is not until June 22, but we wanted to have a party for her while my mom was here. We hosted the party at Bellevue State Park and thankfully the weather was agreeable. Our house is just too little for all of those toddlers! All of Emmeline's little friends were able to attend and our final count was twelve toddlers and one baby. What fun they had! It was so nice, also, for my mom to be able to spend time with all of our friends and be a part of Emmeline's Delaware birthday party. Last year we didn't make it to North Dakota until after Emmeline's birthday and it was torture for my parents. My poor dad was left out this time, but we will be seeing my family in August. We are going on a road trip this August to meet them half way and camp for a few weeks. We have not taken Emmeline camping yet so we just made reservations to take her for a few days at Killens Pond State Park over July 4th weekend. Hopefully she likes it otherwise we will have a rough go of it in August!

Pictures and narrative of the party soon to come...

"Emmeline almost Two!"

2009-06-02T13:55:00.000-04:00

My dearest Emmeline,

It is hard to believe that you will be turning two years old in less than a month. Your spirited, beautiful, wonderful life has deeply and profoundly changed me and your daddy in ways that we never could have imagined. Every single day I am astonished by your strong opinions, loving nature and outright precociousness. You make us laugh like we have never laughed before and keep us busier than we ever thought was possible. We have marveled at and adored you since before you were born. Before your birth, we gushed over every strong kick and stared at your ultrasound pictures endlessly. On the day you were born, we fell in love with you instantly and were in awe of your beautiful features (especially your eyes) and mammoth size! When you were a newborn, every tiny move and coo was a source of wonder and every slight cough was a trigger for anxiety and concern. You soon learned to grab for objects (oh, how fun!), sit up on your own (good job baby!), crawl (watch out kitties!), walk (running VERY soon followed) and communicate through signs and words (very quickly you mastered different inflections and nuances of usage). Now that you are nearing your second birthday, you are more lovable and interesting than ever. When you are left to your own devices to play, you ping-pong around the house, resting only for a cuddle, story time, or snack. Occasionally you will spend time reading books to yourself (you start every story by saying, "One day...") or playing with your dollhouse. You are becoming quite good at playing independently and reading to yourself, but you would much rather be cuddled up on one of our laps, sucking your thumb. We are able to carry on long conversations with you about things that happened in the past tense (you are still talking about the zoo trip from earlier this month) or even about abstract things (you understand what it means to *think* about something. You say, "Emmeline is thinking about grapes!" or "Daddy is thinking about sleeping!"). Right now your daddy is especially fond of the way that you tell him about the way things "go": "Cows go moo!" or "Odie (grandma and pa-pa's dog) goes slurp, slurp, slurp!") You know that your birthday is coming up very soon: "Emmeline almost two!". You have even learned to hold up two fingers! We are constantly dumbfounded about the new things that come out of your mouth. Your expanding vocabulary certainly keeps things new and interesting for us! To say that we are looking forward to watching you as you grow is an understatement. Every day with you is the sweetest day.

As you grow, I hope that you come to realize that you are descended from rather amazing men and women. On May 9, your auntie Kelsey received her Doctorate of Arts in Biology from Idaho State University (I can't believe that my little sister is a doctor):

You and daddy stayed in Delaware while I went to Idaho to witness Kelsey's hooding. It was wonderful to be there for her and it also afforded you and I the opportunity to finally ween. When I came back from the three-day trip, I told you that mommy's milk was all gone. You fussed for about 30 seconds, but then you were content with your thumb. Now that it has been a few weeks, you still talk about nursing but do not ask for it. I am glad that it was so easy for you; had you been upset about it, I don't think I could have followed through. I am still sad that you are not nursing anymore, but since it seemed to be no big deal for you, it was clearly time. I am so thankful that it was an easy transition for you.

On Mother's Day, when I was still in Idaho, your great-grandma Alice passed away. I am not yet able to articulate the experience of that day or of the week that followed. To be sure, we were all glad to be together, celebrating her life but these things are never easy. I really don't know how any of us would have gotten through it without your sunny smile and sweet giggles.

By the time you are able to read this you will already know what a special, loving and spirited woman she was. I am thankful that she knew you and that you were able to spend so much time with her, though we lived so far away. Great-grandma LOVED babies, having seven of her own, fourteen grandchildren, countless great-grandchildren, and even one great-great-grandchild. She was so excited for your arrival and knew somehow that you were going to be a girl:

Here she is making her prediction in March of 2007.

And here you are meeting for the very first time

in September of 2007; your first trip to North

Dakota after your birth

She couldn't see very well so she liked to feel her

way around!

With great-grandma in March of 2008

July 2008

Hitchin' a ride; Christmas 2008

March 2009

As you can see, you brought so much joy to your great-grandma in these last two years of her life. Indeed, you have brought so much joy to us all. Your daddy and I are so wholly and completely in love with you and cannot believe that you are ours.

Your mommy forever and always,
Me

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

2009-05-31T23:42:00.010-04:00

I turned 29 today and it was one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Today was a wonderful day, but the celebrations began yesterday and will continue all week. My birthday is also a kind of warm-up for Emmeline's birthday; she is getting good practice at blowing out candles and opening presents.

To kick-off my birthday weekend, yesterday I ran my first road race since the fall of 2005 (I DNFed the Philly Marathon and dropped at the half - 13.1 miles). Today was only a 5K but it was still plenty hard for me. I have really only been back into running for about a week and a half and I signed up for the race because I wanted to keep myself motivated. The race was for Girls on the Run and ended up having 1,300 registered runners. The program is for girls 3rd-8th grade and has a ten-week training season that leads up to the 5K race, while also teaching them about motivation, healthy living, and positive self-esteem. I thought it would be a fun way to get back into the running mode and it turned out to be a great road race with a challenging course. Emmeline had fun dancing to the live music, eating cookies and watching out for me on the course. Paul prompted her to yell "Yay mommy! Go mommy!"; it was so adorable. I think that next year when I turn 3o I would like to run another full marathon. We are hoping to do a half marathon in September to see how our old geezer bodies hold up.

Yesterday evening we went to Jessop's Tavern in historic old New Castle. It is one of our favorite restaurants and is famous for their sweet potato fries. Our babysitter, Christina, was with Emmeline so that we could linger a nice, long time over our scrumptious food (I had roasted duck with apricot sauce) and wine.

Today Paul and Emmeline cooked me a wonderful brunch and we skyped with my parents while we ate. I took advantage of our beautiful weather as I worked in the yard and got some more things planted while Paul and Emmeline napped. Then we went to the Birth Center picnic and fundraiser. TBC is celebrating their 10 year anniversary and new water birth suite. Their celebration/fundraiser included a silent auction as well and I had the winning bid on a few baby items that will be great gifts for all of those preggos I know! They also had a clown show, music, and crafts set up for the kids. Emmeline had a lot of fun making a "jellyfish":

Go easy on the glitter!

Putting on the tentacles.

Ta-da!

The park had these cement tubes (old culverts?) for the kids

to play in; I think Emmeline and her little buddies look

like little criminals plotting their next move here.

Whoa! The big kid slide! This really

made my heart jump...

Tons of fun!

While we were at the picnic, some friends of ours (Martha and Mamar) invited us over to their house for an impromptu dinner and birthday cake. They live only five blocks from us and Emmeline and Ezra, their son, have become great friends. We try to get them together once or twice a week. It is so nice to have regular play dates to look forward to during the week, now that our babies are too old for the Mom's group meetings at the Birth Center.

Martha, Mamar and Ezra just came back from

France on Wednesday so they had some really

yummy cheese to share.

What a spread! I felt like we were at a little French

bistro!

Wow; what a yummy cake! The wine was great, too!

I have also never heard anything more sweet than

my little daughter singing "Happy Birthday

to mommy!"

Practicing eating very nicely for her own

birthday cake...

...but being a little bit silly, too.

Handsome Ezra

My mom is arriving on Wednesday and I have it on good authority that she is bringing birthday goodies for me in her suitcase (is it wrong to still be so excited about birthday presents from my parents?). On Thursday we will be going to Wilmington's annual Greek Fest with my mom and a group of friends. Kate is making my favorite (carrot cake!) so that we can belatedly celebrate in proper fashion.

I truly am one lucky lady.

Nohk-e-nohk

2009-05-07T14:14:00.003-04:00

This afternoon I was holding Emmeline on my hip as I was closing the curtains in her nursery for nap time. She grabbed hold of the Pinocchio marionette hanging in her window and says, "Good night, nohk -e-nohk. Kiss on the nose (she kisses him). Xylophone in his belly!" (because he has stripes on his belly). Isn't that cute? Just thought I would share.

"Spring" in North Dakota

2009-05-03T22:12:00.008-04:00

Emmeline and I ventured to North Dakota March 28-April 5 (yes, I know I am posting out of order. Just chalk it up to editorial privilege). We had all sorts of fun, but stayed pretty close to my parents' house. It was so nice to relax, eat someone else's cooking and spend time with my family. Unfortunately, the Red River crested on March 29 and parts of the city were closed down. It brought back a lot of memories from the 1997 flood when Paul and I were juniors in high school. That year the dams broke and about five weeks of school got cancelled. Hundreds of houses either suffered water damage or were a total loss. It was a very sad time. Thankfully this year in Grand Forks the flood seemed to be safely contained behind the new dikes and concrete retaining walls.

Snow was in abundance there and I had made sure to pack Emmeline's warm winter clothes and boots. She, pa-pa and Uncle Nathan had fun building a snowman outside. Well, actually, Emmeline wasn't thrilled about the snow, but humored us long enough to take pictures:

There is nothing better than a cuddle with

grandma on a snowy day.

Emmeline and auntie Jacy playing the piano

together

Emmeline was thrilled to meet Paul's cousin's new son:

Caeden Michael

We made a trip to one of my favorite childhood spots in

Grand Forks: the public library

I don't know what this pirate ship is doing in the library,

but she had plenty of fun walking the plank! Yo-ho-ho!

My dad enjoyed spoiling her every chance he

could get; here she is eating peaches and

cream...

...and here they are sharing cake and ice cream!

(I think these two pictures were taken on the

same day.)

For some reason on this visit, Emmeline

was hesitant to sit with my grandma Alice.

My grandma figured that the best way to

get Emmeline to cuddle with her was to

bribe her: it worked.

A new Elmo! For me?!

Emmeline cuddling with her great-auntie Darlene

Emmeline playing wii with Jacy and her

"friend" Dan. Emmeline was not sure what

they were doing but that did not stop

her from mimicking them!

Na-ma had fun dressing Emmeline up in

hats and all sorts of girly things...

...but she soon lost interest.

Emmeline is sitting in the passenger seat of auntie Jacy's

new car; yikes!

Fabulous friends and fun

2009-04-29T22:00:00.006-04:00

On April 19, we met with a very special group of people at Bellevue park: our Birth Center friends! The Birth Center does an amazing job preparing their moms and dads for before, during and after birth. As a result, there are a lot of classes! We got to know several couples through our Birth Center classes and later when Emmeline was about three weeks old, we started going to mom's group once a week. Though our mom's group has officially disbanded, we have tried to keep in touch with everyone. We do see a few of our TBC friends on a regular basis, but it is a rare and special occasion to see everyone. A few could not make it to the park that day, but most of us were there:

I have known most of these babies since they were newborns. Since I had not seen some of the babies since before they were walking very well, it was very surreal to see them running around and climbing on the playground equipment.

Emmeline and Elisa see each other on a fairly

regular basis; since Emmeline feels comfortable

enough around her, she was stalking Elisa for

her snack.

Oh, thank you, Elisa. That is some very good

sharing!

There has been some really nice weather here in DE. This past weekend and Monday got up to the mid-80s. For us that means park, park, park (once or twice a day). The above pictures were taken last week when we were still in the 60s. Emmeline had fun pushing her baby in the swing and also swinging with the baby.

"Cheese!"

I love her little fingers, here, keeping

her baby safe in the swing.

Emmeline continues to LOVE the swings. It seems to be the only thing she is interested in at the park. She will swing forever if we let her. She started to say, "Push Emmeline faster, higher!" When all three of us were at the park on Monday, she demanded, "Mommy, daddy, push Emmeline together!" We must have looked pretty silly both pushing her at the same time. She has started to pronounce her name perfectly, stressing each letter. The way she says "together" is so cute but I can't figure out how to spell it phonetically. It is as if she over pronounces the "th" or pushes her tongue out too far. I need to get it on tape.

We had Kate, Mike and Milly over for dinner last Friday. It was fun to show them the renovations to the house and Paul's new baby (a flat screen TV)... you can see it below behind Kate's head. We are amazed at how fast Milly is growing and all of the things that she can do. Emmeline continues to be a little bit jealous of Milly, always wanting the person holding Milly to hold her, too. But she is also completely in love with Milly. She can't keep her hands off her! She will be a wonderful older sister some day...but not any time too soon!

On Saturday, Paul and I went to Something Intangable at the Arden in Philly. It was a wonderful play. Our friends Kevin, Alison and their daughter, Haley, watched Emmeline for us so we could go. The girls had a great time playing in the pool and running around their beautiful, large backyard. We have one more play to go to this season at the Arden but I do not think we will be renewing our subscription. There are a lot of great Wilmington theaters that we would like to support. Plus the time spent driving to and from Philly, the parking and the huge chunk of time away from Emmeline on the weekend does not seem worth it.

Happy spring to all! We hope that wherever you are, you stay healthy and avoid growing a curly tail!

A short trip to see pa-pa and "nu pa-pa" (great-grandpa) in Washington, D.C.

2009-04-18T21:29:00.011-04:00

Today we travelled to Washington, D.C. to visit with my dad and grandpa. They were in D.C. because my grandpa, who served in the navy during WWII, was sent there as a part of the Honor Flight Network. The program sends veterans to D.C. to see the memorials, the city and Arlington as a way of thanking them for their invaluable service to our country. My dad joined his dad on the adventure as a volunteer. Since they were only two hours away from Wilmington, we couldn't resist the opportunity to see them. We had a great time but it was a very short visit. As you can see below, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

It was a welcome respite from our busy and slightly stressful spring. In the past three months we have had three or four family bouts of the flu and/or colds, had a flooded house and an under-construction house. We have been displaced to a hotel and to the welcoming house of friends (Kate and Mike, you are truly angels!). We have been busy little travelers as we have made two round-tips to D.C. and I had my first weekend away sans baby and hubby to NYC to visit Erin and Shay (both dear high school chums of mine). Emmeline and I also spent 9 days in a very flooded ND in March. In terms of careers news, I have recently accepted a job offer for a full-time Assistant Professor of English position at a local college and Paul has started a Master's program in Applied Technology in Education.

Whew!

For now, enjoy these most current pictures from today. A backlog of pictures and narrative is soon to come:

Two cool chickadees arriving at Arlington

"Ehmine 'cited see pa-pa!"

Translation: I am excited to see

grandpa!

Emmeline and pa-pa at Iwo Jima memorial

All of the vets and volunteers sitting down

in the shade for lunch. Dad said there were

138 on the plane from Grand Forks! The vets

came from the surrounding areas in ND and MN

Pa-pa sharing his fruit cup

My grandpa Roy, Emmeline, me and dad

Emmeline handed great-grandpa a flag and

said "Thank you." I prompted her, of course.

Such a short visit...

...time to say good-bye already.

But the weather was so nice we stayed

at Arlington for a few more hours.

And we stopped to smell the tulips.

And enjoyed the spectacular views of D.C.

And smelled more tulips!

And even more tulips!!

Emmeline especially liked the purple

ones. In the car on the way home she

kept saying "Ehmine smell puhple ones!"

Sick baby + little sleep + hot day + short,

tease of a visit with beloved pa-pa=

cranky, sweaty baby

A Tale about Emmy Lou

2009-03-10T22:08:00.009-04:00

I would like to tell you a story about a little girl named Emmeline who lives in Delaware with her mommy and daddy. She is a very sweet, curious and lovable girl who loves going on adventures and playing with her friends.

One of her best friends is named Estella, who is exactly 10 months older than she. They love to play together, eat snacks together and learn from each other. They even have fun at Baby Loves Disco, a dance club for babies!

Emmeline's newest friend is Milly Rose.

They are about 18 months apart, so occasionally

there is a lull in conversation...

Sometimes Emmeline and her friends

have a lot in common

And sometimes they are very different.

But she loves them all, just the same.

Emmeline's mommy and daddy love her very

much. Sometime she gets spoiled by her mommy

with sweet treats. Her mommy has a little bit

of a sweet tooth, too.

Emmeline's daddy likes to take her

on many exciting adventures!

Sometimes he even lets her drive!

Emmeline is a silly little girl and loves to

make people laugh by making funny faces...

...and by dressing up in mommy's hats!

Emmeline is also very precocious and curious

about the world around her.

She is intimidated by nothing, no matter

how big or different it may be.

She is always up for an adventure,

no matter where it may lead her.

And she is living happily ever after.

Fun with Peek-a-boo!

2009-02-26T21:52:00.004-05:00

I couldn't resist sharing this series of peek-a-boo pictures:

Emmeline's best "cheese" smile

Peek-a...

...boo!

This is funny!

You can't see me!

Here I am!

I'm cute and I know it.

I'm hiding again!

Hi mommy hi mommy hi mommy!

Where's Emmeline?

There she is!

Emmeline's Top Ten at 20 months

2009-02-22T22:09:00.002-05:00

Emmeline at the Franklin Institute

on Valentines Day

For this month's update, I thought I would share Emmeline's current Top Ten favorite things:

10. Watching people coming to or going from our house while standing on the first-floor window ledge: "Weendow! See 'em!"

9. Saying "Emmeline do it!" to almost everything.

8. Standing on the step-stool at the sink to help mommy do the dishes or insist that it is time to "wash hands!"

7. Bubbles! In the sink, in the tub, in the air...it doesn't matter.

6. Carrying photographs of her family and friends around the house with her. She likes to eat with the pictures propped up around her or let the photos watch her play. The other day she put all of the pictures in a doll stroller and declared that she was pushing "errybody."

5. Sesame Street characters, but especially Elmo and Abby Cadabi.

4. Being a mommy to all six of her baby dolls.

3. Playing with friends! She can't get enough of those play dates!

2. Going on excursions anywhere but her favorite destinations are the library, the park, and Kate and Mike's house (Miny! Tate! Mike! Home! See 'em!).

1. Anything sweet...cake and "i-peen" (ice cream) are her favorites. She asks for ice cream about ten times a day, though she only gets it very rarely.

Hugs and kisses

2009-02-13T21:44:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow for our Valentine's treat to each other and to Emmeline we are going to The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The last time we were there was two years ago for Valentine's Day when I was five months pregnant with Emmeline. Then we went to go see the traveling King Tut exhibit and we almost didn't make it due to a huge ice storm. This time we are going to see the Narnia exhibit. We are so excited! Tomorrow the Franklin also has a special Narnia Family Fun Day with a Prince and Princess Ball, live animals, caricature artists, face painting, and all sorts of crafts and activities for little ones. This evening I picked up a little princess tutu and scepter wand for Emmeline to wear to the Ball. She is not really into dressing up yet, but I thought it would be fun to try anyway. Can't wait until tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Wackiness in Wilmington

2009-02-12T00:10:00.011-05:00

Ok; so...yeah. Here are the last few weeks here...in a nutshell.

On January 23rd at 3am, Paul woke up thinking that he was hearing rain. In actuality, our second floor bathroom had flooded and leaked down to our first floor and then to the basement (thanks to the city of Wilmington working on the pipes up the block). When the city turned the water back on, our 109-year-old pipes couldn't handle the water pressure. We are still dealing with the mess and it will take some time to get back to normal around here. The insurance company is taking care of everything but it will take time before all the repairs are completed. Here is our first floor knotty-pine ceiling leaking from the second floor:

And my books. My precious books...wet, wet, wet. See the picture frame the in the upper right-hand corner of this picture...our undergraduate diplomas were on the wall in those frames and they also got drenched. We were able to save them, but they are pretty wrinkled:

But we were able to get our minds off things that Saturday by spending the evening with some of our Birth Center friends:

Emmeline sitting on Haley; tee-hee!

Alison, Haley, Elisa, Deborah and Emmeline

having story time

On Superbowl Sunday Paul went to go play poker and watch the game with friends and Emmeline and I went to the Delaware Museum of Natural History. We had a great time there but it was nothing compared to the Natural History Museum in NYC!

Emmeline working on an underwater

puzzle

Learning how mosquitos work

Oooo! Dinosaurs!

Emmeline sees the turtle shell hanging

on the wall and does the sign for "sleep".

She thinks that the turtle is napping in

his shell

The museum had an underwater display under

glass on the floor. Emmeline was a bit

apprehensive to stand on it alone and hugged

the wall

The best part of the museum for

Emmeline was the outdoor garden.

It was one of the first nice days here,

though there was still a bit of snow on

the ground

What a pretty face against a clear blue sky.

We visited the park last Monday (and every day

since then). We are loving the nice weather here.

She couldn't stop giggling when I put her in the swing.

In other news, Paul has started a Masters program in Education at Wilmington University. He has class once a week and should finish the program in a year and a half (or so). He and I have also started running again. Paul is doing better than me. When he gets home from work, he changes clothes, puts Emmeline in the baby jogger and runs to the park while I get ready for class. I am so jealous when they disappear around the corner as I hoist my heavy teaching bag to the car.

I have just finished teaching the winter session and started the spring semester this week. On Friday I also had a phone interview for an assistant professor of English position and on Monday I was offered a second on-campus interview. I am very nervous about the second interview as it also includes a teaching demo. I feel quite a bit out of my league here and also feel conflicted about what will happen if I am offered the job.

This past Monday, Emmeline and I got to babysit Milly while Kate went off to teach her first class since last spring. At 3pm I made the mistake of telling Emmeline that Milly and Kate were coming over; she then asked about them every two minutes for almost two hours. Every little noise on the street prompted her to run towards the door, yelling "Mini! Tate! Mini! Tate!" Once they did arrive, Milly was a very good baby but she did scream for about 20 minutes at one point. While Milly was screaming, Emmeline said: "Mini, bye-bye?". It was so cute. Emmeline spent the rest of the time trying to hug and kiss the baby. She has such a nurturing disposition.

Lately Emmeline has become more interested in "big-girl" books. Those little board books just aren't gonna cut it anymore. She likes the longer, more involved stories now. She has five favorites:

This is a very sweet book about a father and

daughter going "owling" in the night. She and Paul

like to make the "who who who who" sound together.

I was introduced to "Little Hoot" on my friend Erin's blog. It is

about a little owl who feels jealous about all of his little animal

friends who get to go to bed at a reasonable time and, because
he is an owl, he has to stay up late playing. The illustrations are
so cute.

I love reading this book with Emmeline because I used to read it

to Jacy when she was little. It is also a rhyming book, which

makes it even more appealing. It is about a family with seven
children who all have very different demanding culinary tastes.

This is another story about a daddy and a daughter. Trixie's bunny

ends up in the washer at the laundromat and the traumatic
event causes her to say her first words: Knuffle Bunny!

This is my favorite. I can't find a picture of the cover but

this is from the inside. It is called The Cat at Night by Dahlov

Ipcar (1975). We bought it from the Goodwill for 50 cents

about a year ago and it is the best 50 cents I have ever spent.

It is about the fun adventures that a cat has at night and all

of the things that he can see with his kitty eyes in the dark.

The story is cute and I love the bright colors and fun pictures.

Emmeline loves that the kitty looks like our Rudy.

Wooly Baby

2009-01-27T21:46:00.005-05:00

My friend, Josie, just started her own company, Wooly Baby (www.wooly-baby.com). She makes baby, toddler, and children's slippers from recycled wool and leather. Her slippers are gorgeous, unique and are of impeccable quality. Emmeline now has two pairs and I couldn't be happier with them. In December Josie was kind enough to grant my special request and made one pair out of a sweater that Paul and I bought when we were in Ireland before we were married. Since I never wear the sweater anymore, I am glad that we were still able to find a use for the well-made Aran Island cable-knit pattern. If you are looking for a unique gift for someone or for something to keep your little one's tootsies warm this season, please visit Josie's website. In buying her product, not only will you be supporting a small business, but you will also be recycling!

What?! 19 months old, already?!

2009-01-22T20:48:00.006-05:00

19 months sounds a lot older than 18 months. Doesn't it? I can't believe how fast our little baby is growing. I know that parents say that all the time, but I really can't. Emmeline has always been a little ahead of the curve (or at least I like to think so) and she certainly shows no signs of slowing down. She is now regularly speaking in simple sentences. Among others, she says: "I do it!", "See them", "I see you!", "There she is!", "Fix it!", "I hold it!", "I love you!" and she adds "Hi" to most peoples' names (including the cats). She sings parts of quite a few songs. This month's favorites include "The Wheels on the Bus," "Sing a song" (from Sesame Street), "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee," "Row row row your boat," and "Shoes" (also from Sesame Street). She is getting quite adept at recognizing letters and can just about put her entire alphabet puzzle together by herself. She is getting better about responding to commands like, "Can you please bring that to mommy?" and "Can you help clean up, please?". She likes to be a little helper by cleaning up her tray when she is done eating, putting things in the garbage ("Away! Away!") and putting dirty dishes on the counter.

In addition to these very positive growing and learning experiences, she had her first major meltdown last Friday. She screamed, whined and threw things for about an hour. I spoke to her calmly, got down to her level and tried to get her to look me in the eyes. This didn't really seem to work so at one point I put her in her crib to calm down while I sat in the rocker and continued to speak calmly to her. This didn't work either. She probably doesn't understand all of what I am saying but at least she hears that my tone is calm and even. Hopefully she got then hint that screaming and throwing things doesn't get results. Even if these things didn't seem to work in the moment, she hasn't had another temper tantrum yet. Here's hoping!

Reading Elmo with Uncle Mike

Reading with Ezra; how cute are they?

Santa sent mommy a Kitchenaid in the mail;

packing popcorn is Emmeline and Rudy's favorite!

The static cling has been really bad

at our house; see how it is sticking

to her jeans?

She has so much fun with this stuff but

it is horrendous to clean up. I was finding

pieces of it everywhere for several days.

Mommy's Little Adventure

2009-01-20T21:49:00.017-05:00

On Saturday, I had a little adventure of my own. My friend Mel, and I, walked down to Wilmington's train station at nine in the morning to wait for Barack Obama to arrive. Wilmington was his first stop on his whistle stop train tour to the White House. He was actually picking up Joe and Dr. Jill Biden, as they live in Greenville, DE (suburb of Wilmington). They were not slated to arrive until 1pm, but we knew that we had to get to the station early. And, oh man! Was it coooold! In the past week we have been experiencing the coldest weather that the Mid-Atlantic has seen in several years. And, I know this is nothing compared to the 30 below that my parents and Paul's parents are experiencing but it was still cold.

Our excitement started at Dunkin' Doughnuts on West ninth and then we headed down the six or seven blocks to the train station. Poor Mel had to pee because of the coffee, but there was no porta-potty in sight! When we arrived, we stood in a long line to get through security tents set up outside of Riverside Park. Once through security, we were able to get into the park by about 9:45 and then ran to get as close to the stage as possible. We were probably about 150 feet away.

And then...we waited. Toes frozen, noses running, pulses rushing, and, in Mel's case, bladders filling! Thankfully, there were all sorts of things to keep us occupied during the four-hour wait. For one, Mel and I had not really chatted since before Christmas so we filled each other in on all the goings on. Two, people were squeezing, nudging, and budging their ways to get closer to the stage so it sparked a few tempers. We were already packed as tight as sardines so this made everybody irritable and defensive. One lady directly behind actually us lit up a cigarette. Are you kidding me? People had their children there and we were all so close that I could smell aftershave and egg-breath. Lighting up in this crowd was unbelievably selfish. So, there was a bit of an argument and in the end, she put it out. A total of three people fainted close by us; perhaps they had a touch of claustrophobia? Three times the medics rushed into the crowd that was already bursting at the seams. It was all very interesting and, at times, kind of scary. I understand why people felt compelled to bring their children but I felt scared for them. There was a seven-year-old with his mom right next to us and every time the crowd swelled or pushed, I tried my best to hold my ground so that I wouldn't fall into them.

So, finally at about 12:3o Mayor Baker, Senator Jack Markell and others came out to say a few things. Then Delaware's very own Joe Biden came out with his wife, Jill. He talked about his daily commute to Washington everyday for the past 36 years and how that daily commute began right there at the Wilmington train station. He quoted James Joyce, saying "When I die, Dublin will be written on my heart." He then said, "In that same way, when I die, Delaware will be written on my heart." I am sure his wife had something to do with this, as she was an English teacher, but I was so impressed and proud in that moment. For those of you who don't know, I was on the verge of becoming a Joyce scholar before I was decided on Shakespeare. I have a great love for Joyce and this mention of him made me love Biden even more.

Then...Barack and Michelle Obama alighted the stage. They announced him and the crowd roared, but I couldn't see him because I am so short. There were two very tall people in front of me and I couldn't maneuver enough to get a good sight of him. And I started to cry. For the first time in my life, I am truly proud of my country. I have hope in the future of our country and faith in our new administration. This is the only presidential election that has gone the way I voted. I made this pilgrimage (though small as it was) and I was disappointed and exasperated that I couldn't get a good view of him. I could hear his voice. Then, I caught a quick glance. But the crowd shifted again. Then, I caught another glance and lost it again. It went on like this until they all left the stage. It also didn't help that directly behind Obama was a TV spotlight. Even if I would have been tall enough to see, I would have been blinded by the light.

Obama spoke a great deal about Biden and Delaware, which I thought was truly kind. This stop on the train tour was intended to focus on Biden and his hometown more than anything else. It shows a generous nature that Obama honored Biden in that way. Obama also spoke about the winter cold, but that spring would come again. Hope. That is what won our hearts and the election.

I hope that some day I will be able to articulate to Emmeline how important this moment in history was. Obama's presidency is unprecedented in many ways and is important to so many people for a great number of reasons. From my perspective (though young and naive as I am) I can see my country changing. I can see the tides turning. I can see a new era of democracy and policy. I have faith. I have hope. I can see a better future for my child: better public education, a cleaner earth, and opportunities that go across class boundaries. How profound it is to live in a country where the bright dawn is on the horizon.

Me and Mel with Barack. He is up there

on the podium next to that darned spotlight.

Barack, Jill, Joe and Michelle

"Spring will come again!"

Lovely MLK Day at Longwood

2009-01-19T22:52:00.004-05:00

Since Paul and I both had MLK Day off from teaching today, we wanted to treat our family to a little adventure. We decided on Longwood Gardens and spent the snowy afternoon wandering through its warm greenhouses. They have an indoor children's garden which we figured would be great for Emmeline to play in. She had a lot of fun, but with 17 fountains she got a *bit* soggy. Next time we must remember to bring her a change of clothes.

Longwood was started in 1906 by Pierre S. du Pont when he bought the Peirce Arboretum to save it from the lumber industry. Longwood now encompasses 1,050 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows. You can see over 11,000 different types of plants and more fountains that any other garden in the US (info from website).

We haven't been there for three years and then it was also on a snowy day (Valentine's Day, actually). We really need to go back in the spring to see the grounds; so far we have only explored the conservatory and greenhouse. Impressive as they are, we are anxious to venture up into the adirondack-style tree houses and watch towers and wander through mazes of groomed hedges, gardens and ponds.

But for today's adventure, we enjoyed Longwood's exotic plants and indoor splendor. It made our trip all the more fun to see the snow lightly falling from the windows of the greenhouses:

Paul and Emmeline winding their way through

the children's garden path

The children's garden boasts all sorts

of twists, turns and tunnels.

Emmeline is pointing out to Paul that the fountain

spit up water intermittently

This is a silly picture but I still like it; I was trying

to get Emmeline to smile at the camera but

she had other ideas...

Emmeline was a little nervous about the

"drooling dragon"

Emmeline discovers a fun fountain that

was timed to slither like a snake

Discovering yet another fountain; all placed

conveniently at toddler-height. It was nice

of them to provide towels!

The plant was tickling her right ear; see the snow

outside?

Pretty hibiscus!

Tropical plants with a snowy backdrop.

African mint hanging from the ceiling and

exotic lilies flanking the walk

Longwood Garden grounds in the snow

Happy Birthda, Na-Ma Sandy!

2009-01-17T12:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday mom and na-ma! We hope that this tree we planted in honor of your birthday will flourish and grow to be as beautiful as you. We love and miss you!

Bunch of Belated Business

2009-01-16T14:09:00.008-05:00

OK, so it is bothering me that I am so far behind on Emmeline's blog. We have had so many interesting adventures and happenings here, there, and everywhere that I am not able to gloss over them or let them go by without giving them due attention. I am unable to move forward with the blog until I post some pictures and comments about a few things that have happened since Thanksgiving. So, the first (and probably most exciting!) thing that happened was that Kate and Mike finally had their baby on December 2nd! Emilia Rose (she will go by Milly) was born at 3:11pm, weighed 6lbs 9oz and was 20.25 inches long:

Sweet Milly Rose

Mommy and baby

I think Emmeline was a little jealous but

she was pretty excited, too.

Emmeline really wanted to play with Milly

as she plays with her baby dolls (roughly,

that is.)

Emmeline was disappointed that she couldn't

climb into the bed to snuggle with Kate; she

is one of Emmeline's favorite snuggle buddies.

She had to make due with Kate's finger.

Milly is now six weeks old and is doing great. Kate and Mike are both really tired but are positively glowing. We have been able to spend some good time with them since we have been back from the Midwest and it is so much fun to hold that little one. Emmeline squeals with delight when she sees Milly and talks about the baby and "Tate" (Kate) several times a day. It is pretty cute. We look forward to watching Milly grow and having lots of play dates!

On December 6-7 we travelled to NYC to see our friends Erin and Charles and their son, Baird. (Rumor has it they are moving to Brooklyn!) It was a quick trip but we were itching to get to NYC and wanted Emmeline to see Rockerfeller Center. Unfortunately the closest that we could get was about a block and a half away. The people traffic was unbelievable and since we had two toddlers in strollers, we decided not to muscle our way through. But luckily Charles works in a huge building close to Rockerfeller so we went up to his office (42nd floor, I think) and had a great view of the city. If I worked in that office, I would never get any work done! We could see Rockerfeller Center from where we were, but it was pretty tiny:

You can see the rink and the tree in the upper

right-hand portion of this pic. You can see

Emmeline's head at the bottom, looking down

on the city.

That's the Empire State Building behind

you, Emmeline! What a view!

This picture (and the next) are courtesy of

Erin; she has a really nice camera!

The three of us in Times Square...brrrr!

Emmeline watching the light show in

Lincoln Center

Baird did a great job sharing his toys and space

with Emmeline; it is nice for him to have practice

as he will have a new brother or sister in July!

Raiding the 'fridge; monkey see, monkey do!

Our last stop before we left the city was Magnolia

Bakery; we always gotta get our cupcake fix!

Emmeline's first taste of a Magnolia

cupcake; it looks like her eyes are

rolling back in her head from the

yummy goodness

That was gooooood!

Christmas adventures, to be continued...

Pretty Portraits

2009-01-08T14:02:00.007-05:00

I know I am behind on my posts. And I really don't have enough time to write a long one right now (Emmeline should be waking up from her nap any second). But I have been itching to post something so here you go. The following pictures were taken on Dec. 26 by a family friend photographer when we were in North Dakota. She did a wonderful job. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do:

The three of us

All of us!

Eighteen Months Old

2008-12-22T23:19:00.002-05:00

Dearest daughter,

You are 18 months old today and your daddy and I couldn't be more in love with you. You are bright, beautiful and oh so busy! You make us laugh so very much every day with all of the silly and adorable things that you do. We are amazed at how much you can say and do and all of the things that you have learned. Your vocabulary is expanding every day (today you learned "chilly" and yesterday, "itchy"...both courtesy of na-ma). You can identify several letters and can count to four! You can also sing/hum the tune to several songs. Your favorites right now are "Row, row, row your boat," "Twinkle, twinkle," and the ABCs.

At 18 months, your other "likes" include listening to music and singing (especially music including Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street gang), sweet things like strawberries and graham crackers, coloring and scribbling, looking at books with photographs of real babies and animals (even better, ones with lift-up flaps); you have also taken to any book with Santa in it and have been reading The Night Before Christmas with pa-pa every night before bed. You absolutely love climbing stairs anywhere you can find them, chasing bubbles, banging on computer keyboards, carrying a cell phone around on your shoulder and saying, "Hi, daddy! Hi, daddy! Hi daddy!". You have a very nurturing side as you care for your baby dolls and are gentle with animals; you especially like puppies, kitties, and birds (you do the cutest sign for "bird" and say "tweet, tweet"!). One of your greatest pleasures is cuddling up with someone under a blanket and sucking your thumb while you squeeze that someone's index finger. At the present you are having quite a bit of fun exploring na-ma and pa-pa's house and all of the fun things in it. You have found Jacy's old kitchen set, complete with plastic food, appliances and dishes galore! The glittering Christmas tree with all of the presents underneath it has also caught your attention. You have already said "op it" (open it) several times since we arrived in North Dakota last Tuesday. We can't wait to watch all the fun you will have this Christmas!

Your dislikes are getting dressed, winding down for naps and bedtime, getting cleaned up after meals and snacks, sitting in one place for more than a minute (oh how you squirm on the plane!), North Dakota's very cold weather (it takes your breath away), waiting for anything or anyone for more than five seconds, getting into the car seat or stroller, and the vacuum.

The list of your "likes" is much longer (and I could have kept going) than your "dislikes" because you truly are a happy baby. You have a very outgoing, friendly, and cheery disposition. You make fast-friends where ever you go and are very interested in new people and places. Though it may take a minute or two to warm up to someone, once you are comfortable with them they become your new best friend. A few weeks ago, you met one of my classmates for only a few minutes on campus and couldn't stop talking about him for several hours: "Bob?! Bob?! Bob?!" Yesterday at na-ma's Master Chorale concert, you made friend with 2-year-old Lucia. She was actually a little shy, but you went right up to her and said, "Hi! Hi! Hi!". Within minutes you two were holding hands and tripping up and down steps together.

Tonight your na-ma, pa-pa and I looked through pictures of me when I was your age. Our birthdays are only 22 days a part so you are almost exactly the same age as I was at Christmas time 27 years ago. You and I look so much alike that we kept seeing you looking out at us from those old pictures. (I will add some pictures here on the blog once I figure out na-ma's scanner.) You look like your daddy, too, but I will need to inspect his toddler pictures once we are in Minneapolis next week. One thing is for sure, your size comes from your daddy!

Emmy Lou, even though you are still little, we are so very proud of you. You are learning and growing so much every day. We love the little person that you are becoming: so curious, independent and sweet with a touch of spit-fire. It is such a profound pleasure to watch you grow, learn and experience the world. We are so deeply thankful that you are ours.

We love you little one,
Mommy and daddy

Hi, Na-ma!

2008-12-12T12:48:00.005-05:00

Today Emmeline said "na-ma" (grandma) for the first time without me prompting her though we have been working on "grandma" for some time now. I brought the laptop into the kitchen to check my email while she ate breakfast and when she saw it she said "na-ma?!". We got on Skype as soon as possible so that Emmeline could see and talk to na-ma. For several weeks she has been saying "pa pa?!" (grandpa) whenever she sees the computer or the phone. She has also been able to recognize Jacy and say her name since August when she came to visit. We have pictures of everyone on our 'fridge so that she can match names with faces. She loves to talk about my brother Nathan ("Nay-nay") though we never Skype with him. In the picture that we have displayed of my brother-in-law, Paul, he has some facial hair so everyone with facial hair is "Paul" to her (strangely enough, even bald, African American Gordon on Sesame Street). For some reason, it took her a bit longer to get the hang of saying "grandma." My mom is tickled pink. And it happened right on time; we leave for the Midwest on Monday!

I don't have any current pictures of Emmeline with my mom (we haven't seen our families since beginning of July!) so you will have to content yourself with these pictures of Emmeline "helping" me bake a cake a few weeks ago:

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

2008-12-11T12:19:00.009-05:00

So, here is my very over-due Thanksgiving post. Quite a bit has happened around here since then, but I might as well start at the beginning and go from there.

Our Thanksgiving celebrations started Sunday, November 23. We had Kate and Mike over for an early Thanksgiving dinner because their baby was due on the 25th and we wanted to make sure that they would get a proper turkey dinner. (Their baby was finally born on Dec. 2; more about sweet Emilia Rose in a following post). On Wednesday night Paul and I made lefse a traditional Norwegian flatbread made from potatoes. My mom started making it when us kids were little and a few years ago she and my dad gave Kelsey and I all of the equipment. Kelsey by now is already a lefse expert, but this was my first solo attempt.

This is Kelsey making lefse in her kitchen

in Idaho; isn't she cute?!

First you have to boil potatoes and then

rice them for the dough

From left to right: the pastry board, pastry

rolling pin and the lefse griddle

Lefse cooking on the griddle

Paul was the official lefse flipper!

Ta-da!

And just to make sure we were doing it right, we video conferenced with my parents and Jacy over Skype (you can see my mom in the foreground and dad behind her) It was a lot of fun. We felt as if we were making lefse together despite the 1,500 miles that separate us. We have been Skyping a lot lately so that my parents and my sisters can interact with Emmeline. It has been a great way to keep Emmeline reminded about her family and it has been fun for them to see her play, eat, take baths or whatever. It is so much more fun than pictures.

On Thanksgiving Day, Paul and Emmeline watched the parade. Emmeline now knows who Santa is and names him whenever she sees him. I made Monkey bread that morning and brought some fresh lefse over to Kate and Mike's (they were still waiting for that baby!). Later that evening we went to one of my professor's houses for dinner with her family. She has invited us to Thanksgiving for several years now. We are so thankful that she and her family invite us to share their company and holiday with us.

Monkey bread: our traditional breakfast pastry

that we make for Holidays.

Dinner was late so we put Emmeline

in her pajamas.

She had fun showing off for everyone.

Yum! The desserts! We brought the pumpkin pie.

The remnants of our lovely dinner...

Emmeline was completely pooped out

and fell asleep on the ride home.

On Friday, we were invited to our neighbor's parents' house in Newark for chili and cornbread and tree decorating. We have decided not to put up a tree because of our very curious little toddler and three cats so we were glad to have a tree to decorate. Emmeline did a good job and got the hang of it pretty quickly. Though once the tree was decorated, she started taking the ornaments off.

Paul showed Emmeline how to hang the

ornaments

Soon she could do it on her own...

...but then started to take the ornaments off.

Silly girl!

Emmeline has learned to say "Cheese!" for the camera

That Friday night Paul got a poker game together with some friends at our house. We forgot to put the poker chips away so Emmeline made a bee-line for them the next morning. This kept her occupied for close to an hour which is rather incredible. She sorted them, stacked them, put them in things, threw them down the basement stairs, hid them, and rattled them in different sizes of containers (what beautiful music to Paul who was still sleeping!). We also practiced her colors and counting. She has got white, red, blue and black down!

Ooo! What fun!

Even more fun when they are

dumped out...

I'm 'all in'!

A Week from H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

2008-11-21T21:52:00.008-05:00

Well, we have had quite a week here. I know I say that often, but this week it is especially true.

We parted ways with our part time nanny, Tara, on Monday. She was wonderful with Emmeline but there were some serious things that we could not overlook. We wish her all the best and are sad that she will not be with Emmeline anymore. So, we have been scrambling to find a new solution since I am not finished teaching until Dec. 10. Our friend Melanie (Estella's mommy) watched Emmeline on Wednesday and our friend Martha (Ezra's mommy- he turned one on Wednesday!) watched her on Friday. On Monday, our friend Alison (Haley's mommy) will be helping us out. Beyond that we have no idea. Cross your fingers (and toes).

On top of that, my mommy-wagon pooped out on Tuesday for the third time this fall. We were told that it can be patched up to get us by for a few weeks. Beyond that we have no idea. Cross your fingers (and toes) again.

The logistics of all of this are becoming very hairy. We have one working car and Paul and I are working in opposite directions of our house. Emmeline and I have been waking up early to drive Paul to work and then I have been dropping Emmeline off wherever or bringing her with me to campus (sorry, fellow office mates!). When Paul is done with school, he either has to hitch a ride from a fellow co-worker or wait until 5:30 when Emmeline and I can get there.

Work, of course, for both of us has been ever-present and stressful this week. Prepping, grading and teaching. We were both supposed to be observed on Friday; me by my dissertation advisor (it actually went well, thanks for asking) and Paul by his assistant principal (he wasn't able to make to Paul's class because there was a snowball fight that morning and as an administrator, he had to dole out suspensions). Ah, life.

The silver lining is this: Oftentimes in our most trying moments, we are given the opportunity to realize how very fortunate we are. We have very dear friends and they are graciously coming to our aid. It truly takes a village to raise a child and since our genetic village is in North Dakota, Minnesota and Idaho, our Delawarian village has come to the rescue...again and again and again.

If I had written this post at any time during the week it would have had a much different tone. But it is Saturday night, I am eating a fajita made with steak that Paul just grilled, drinking a glass of cabernet, listening to Prairie Home Companion via podcast and do not have to look at my students until Monday.

Last Saturday we got together with our

Birth Center friends. The girls were thrilled

about the bubbles!

Almost got it!

Estella and Emmeline making a mess

AAhh! Time for a break from all their

hard work.

A few still moments

2008-11-15T21:18:00.004-05:00

It is rare that Emmeline sits still long enough for me to get a good picture of her. In these three pictures she was sitting on my lap intently watching Sesame Street clips on Youtube:

Emmeline is becoming more independent in her play; looking at books, coloring and pretend play (like cooking or being a mommy to her baby dolls). Another rare still moment:

A few weeks ago, my friend Kate and I went to the Flavour of Britain in Wilmington. It is this great little teahouse run by a British couple. Unfortunately they have decided to close in light of the recent economic downturn so we wanted to get in one last afternoon tea service. They were selling everything: the rest of their merchandise, fixtures and some furniture. I spotted a wooden toy box hand painted with scenes from Alice in Wonderland. I knew it would be perfect in Emmeline's nursery. Janet, one of the owners, told me they had it imported from England when they moved here and that it had been signed by the artist. She let me have it for $100 but seemed a little sad to be parting with it. I am so glad she let me have it; it will be a treasured piece of furniture for years and years to come. It is also nice to have a piece of the teahouse. It will be sorely missed:

Doesn't it look great under the window?

It irks me that I couldn't center it perfectly

because of a dumb ol' heating vent on the floor

Detail of top (Alice is rather ugly, but I think that

makes the painting more interesting)

Detail of front

Our Little Genius...seriously

2008-11-14T14:32:00.003-05:00

Emmeline's vocabulary and intelligence is surprising and thrilling me every day. I am so proud of her. She started saying a few more complex sentences in the past week. When she is looking for a toy, identifying a character in a book or playing hide-and-seek with Paul or I, she says "There she is!" (always "she" probably because it is just us girls most of the week). She is also picking up expressions that Paul and I say without realizing that we are saying them. She has copied Paul's "Oh man!" and my "Ooffda!", though hers is just "Oof!" She is also picking up inflections that we use. Her "wow!" sounds just like mine; I didn't realize this until I exclaimed "wow!" while watching TV on Wednesady and Paul teased, "I thought we put Emmeline to bed."

Emmeline also started to understand the concept of numbers, which is actually pretty abstract so I am incredibly impressed. Whenever she has two of something (usually her baby dolls) she says "two!". She can also identify the letter "B"; she tries the others, but is usually wrong. Still, I am thrilled about "B"! At least she knows the name of the letters even if she can't identify them yet. She knows the titles of most of her books; if you ask her to bring a specific one to you she is able to identify it and say the title, though in her own toddler-speak. Hop on Pop sound like "Pop pop" and Everywhere Babies sounds like "Evvy".

Yes, I am bragging (hey, it IS my blog) but these examples also reveal how language (and behavior) is learned. Not just learning how to say words, but what they mean, how they are inflected, how to use them, etc. We are constantly reminded now that we have to watch what we say and how we say it. Emmeline has picked up some of the not-so-nice things that we say to the cats when they are being mischievous, one being "Hey! Hey! Hey!". She has recently started to repeat this when we are trying to get her to do something against her will. It sounds pretty awful when she decides to say this in public. We have made a resolution to always speak in calm tones and use gentle language. I hope we remember our resolution when she is throwing her food from her high chair or coloring on the 'fridge.

Halloween 2007

2008-11-02T12:52:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share some pictures of Emmeline's first Halloween last year because I am feeling particularly nostalgic today (see previous post). What a little sweet pea!