My Favorite Emma pic to date......

More Catching Up...

One of the reasons I completely abandoned my blog last spring was that I became obsessed with gardening! I mean that I became a total plant geek. I never knew how fun and therapeutic it could be to play in the dirt. I just fell in love with planting things and caring for them and watching them become beautiful....in a way, I find it similar to being a mom! All I read for months was gardening books so I could learn as much as possible about what I was growing. I would get up early so I could go work in the garden before anybody was even awake. Jack and Emma learned to love it, too! Jack would ask everyday if we could go outside and garden! It turned out to be a very rewarding hobby......but also an expensive one, and at times, a frustrating one! Don't' even get me started on how I loathe Japanese beetles! I have included some pictures of some of gardening pride from this past spring. I am already excited to get out in the dirt next year!
Last Spring also brought another new baby to one of my dear friends! Keira and Brandon welcomed their first child, Aiden, on May 5, 2009. Jack and Emma's circle of friends is growing bigger every month it seems!

Catching Up....

Last February, one of my best friends since high school became a first time mommy! Michelle and Brian welcomed Mariella Grace on February 13, 2009. The day they brought her home from the hospital, I flew to NJ for 4 days to be with my best buddy and her new family! It was such an honor and a privilege to be there with Mariella at the very beginning of her life, and to watch Brian and Michelle step into parenthood! I got to watch them give Ella her first bath and go to the first pediatrician appointment, too. And, of course, I missed my little family while I was away, but I got to talk to them on the webcam everyday!

In March, the new family came to Ohio for a visit, and Jack and Emma got to meet Ella for the first time! They thought she was so cool! Rachel, Michelle and I also went out for our annual Christmas dinner (yes, in March), which has been a tradition since we were sixteen years old!My mother-in-law, Linda also celebrated her birthday in March, and Joel painted the most beautiful watercolor for her! He took a picture of the two of them that was taken on the day he graduated from the police academy in 2001 as his inspiration and created the most beautiful painting ever! I was so impressed and I really wanted to keep it to hang in my house! This photo of the painting doesn't even do it justice! My hubby is so talented!More catching up posts to follow......I have way too much to say to include it all in one post!

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I have been a very bad blogger.

So, it has been 8 long months since I last updated my blog......such a bad girl am I! My friend, Mary has just started a blog, and I am now remembering how fun it is to blog about the little ones! So, thank you for re-inspiring me, Mary! To bring my blog up to date is going to be a huge project! But, I must start somewhere.......hope you like my new template.......that is, if anyone even looks at my blog anymore! More posts to come!

Lovin' the Fresh Air!

Just had to post this cute pic of my babies. It was so wonderful to open the windows and smell the fresh air today! Jack and Emma obviously liked it, too! Emma was standing there and Jack walked over and threw his arm around her shoulders as if to say, "Isn't it grand, sis?" Of course, I immediately went for the camera! Here's hoping spring is here to stay!

Daddy's Girl.

When I married Joel, I loved him so much and knew he would be a great dad one day. My mom told me once that you have a whole new love for your husband once you see him as a daddy to your children...and she was so right! I just had to share these pictures of Joel and Emma because they are just so sweet. I look at the two of them often and think about the day Joel will walk her down the aisle, and then dance with her at her wedding reception. It is far off, I know, but that is a special memory I have with my dad so I look forward to Joel and Emma sharing that, too!

One Thing I Forgot to Mention...

This is exactly why I need to write more frequently! Thanks for the reminder, Rachel! And for everyone who wasn't there...a couple days after I hurt my back and couldn't even function in my motherly role, Rachel came over to play! She had brought Jack's birthday present over, which he is still obsessed with. It is a police helmet with a handset that has flashing lights and makes lots of noise!

It came with a police badge and a speed limit sign and 2 tickets for "breaking the law". It is the perfect Jack gift since he worships his daddy, the policeman! After playing for awhile, and me whining that my back hurt the whole time, Rachel offered to stay to put the kids to bed for me! So when bedtime rolled around, Rachel took the kids to wash their hands and brush their teeth and I just got to watch, which was great! The funny thing is, Jack will NOT ever let me brush his teeth. He thinks sucking the toothpaste off the toothbrush and then drinking water from a dixie cup and spitting it all over the counter is adequate oral hygiene. I have to pin his arms down at his sides to be able to barely get the toothbrush over his little teeth! But when his buddy Rachel comes along...he is the perfect angel who gives her the toothbrush and lets her brush his teeth! I think Rachel may have had a magic wand in her pocket.

Emma is obsessed with her toothbrush, too. She uses it more as a teether, though. She keeps a death grip on it and sucks on it until you pry her little fingers off of it and take it away. Once you take it away, she screams as if you have taken her whole arm with it....but not with Rachel! Emma actually handed her toothbrush over to Rachel! I have to fight that toothbrush battle every night at bedtime when Joel is at work!

So then Rachel got the kids in their jammies. We said prayers in Emma's room and put her to bed and then went into Jack's room to do the bedtime song medley (Happy and You Know It, You Are My Sunshine and then the ABC's). I think Joel and I are pretty cool when we do the medley together, but Rachel and I were incredible! Jack actually sat on the edge of his bed and danced and clapped while we were singing! Of course, Rachel and I jazzed it up with some of our own cool dance moves, so I can't really blame him. Jack thought Rachel was so cool, in fact, that after we said good night he came right back out of his room! I think he thought we were going to have big fun without him and he didn't want to miss out.

It was a very fun night for Rachel and I, and especially for Jack and Emma! Jack talked about Rachel the whole next day...and a couple days ago there was another friend of ours over here named Jen, and Jack kept calling her Rachel! Doesn't that say it all? :)

What We Have Been Up To...

First of all, I could kick my own ass for not writing on a more regular basis! Something cute, funny and memorable happens everyday and I worry if I don't write it all down that I will start to forget some of it! I will be a better blogger in 2009. In fact, I was at the bookstore the other day and I bought something there to also help preserve my memories of motherhood. It is called a promise journal and it has little quotes and sayings and scripture about mothers and children, and it is in a journal format so I can write in it for Jack and Emma. So whenever they do something cute or funny that I want to remember I will write it down in my new journal. My other 2009 goals are to cook more often...I have a great kitchen...I should probably use it. I think I may quit wearing bras altogether, too. They are uncomfortable and I really don't have anything to put in them...I am going to own and be proud of my 12 year-old boyish figure in the new year!

But back to the present...since I last wrote a lot has happened! Jack turned 3 and he has since pooped on the potty a whopping one time! He has very little interest in the potty. He asked me the other day, "Can Jack poop in his pants?" Yes, he talks in the third person, and he really said that. I said that I would not be mad if he pooped in his pants but that it would make me really happy if he would poop on the potty. My happiness obviously means very little to him. He proceeded to poop his pants and then politely asked me to change his diaper. At least he said please. So, anyone who is wondering about Jack's potty training...it is still a work in progress. Emma however, makes such a production about pooping her pants that we have enough time to put her on the potty and she is happy to deposit her treasures there.

She is 15 months old and she poops in the potty more than her 3 year-old brother! She is 15 months old and also refuses to walk on her feet, though. She is a knee-walker. I have never seen a kid do this before, and it really is funny to watch. I really think she walks on her knees so that the fall to the ground is shorter when Jack knocks her over. She is a very sturdy knee-walker, and she can walk on her feet all by herself, she just prefers not to! What's funny is that Joel and I will refer to her as "knee-walker" instead of "Emma" and Jack has picked up on it. Occasionally you will here him call her knee-walker like that's her name. It is hilarious.

We had Jack's 3rd birthday party earlier this month, too. It was a Thomas the Train party. It was not near as chaotic and crazy as Emma's party! There were a lot less people here for Jack's party. Partly because everyone was coming down with the flu, and also because the snow that day made it hard for people to get here! We had a great time, though, and more importantly, so did Jack!

Jeff, Janey, Gabe and Katie couldn't make it the day of the party, so they came up the next day and we had a great time all together! I was so happy that I finally got a picture of all 4 kids together! Jack and Gabe are both 3, born a week apart exactly, and Katie is 6 months older than Emma. I am going to treasure this picture and that memory forever!

About a week after the party, I hurt my back! Not an injury that is conducive to mothering and housekeeping! And I am so embarrassed to say that I did not hurt my back working out or doing something fun...no, I was simply bending over to plug in the Christmas tree! Isn't that pathetic? And it got to the point that I had to go to the doctor and get medicine in order to function because it hurt so bad! I will admit that I am the worst and whiniest patient ever. Nurses are not good patients. As soon as my back started feeling better, both kids and I all got sick. There was so much snot in this house! Thank goodness that is all in the past! Everyone here is feeling good now.

We took the kids to the zoo to see the Christmas lights earlier this month, too. It was so cold that I could not feel my face! Emma was so bundled up that her arms were stuck out to the sides and her hat kept falling over her eyes. She was probably wondering why we had her wrapped up like that since she couldn't even see anything! Jack had a good time, though, and so did Joel and I. We went to see the zoo lights on our first date 6 years ago. I remember it was so cold that night, too, but I didn't complain because it was our first date and I didn't want Joel to think I was a whiner! Of course, I have no problem complaining now since he married me. After 2 hours of almost freezing to death, we called it a night. The lights were very cool and pretty, but thinking back on it, I don't remember seeing a single animal!

I had a memorable experience at work this month, too. Have you ever felt like you were in exactly the right place at exactly the right time exactly as God had intended you to be? It was that kind of experience.

I got my assignment when I got to work at 7 and learned that one of my patients had been made a hospice patient that day, but since there were no beds available on the hospice floor, he was going to stay where he was on my floor. I had no problem with this as I feel that a nurse is a nurse is a nurse and I will care for any type of patient. I'm happy to take care of anyone who needs a nurse. I read in the patient's chart that he was expected to live 2-3 more days. I went to see him first after getting report, and although he didn't make any sense when he was talking, I know he understood that I was there to take care of him. I gave him medicine for pain and to relax him some, got him comfy and went to see my other patients while he rested. I peeked in at him every 20 minutes or so to make sure he still looked comfortable.

Around midnight, he was stirring a little so I went in and washed his face and brushed his teeth. I put a little pink pillow that one of the volunteers had made behind his neck. I combed his hair and even put some Blistex on his lips. He looked so peaceful and comfortable when I was done that I just had to stop in his doorway on my out to look back at him again and it made me smile. About 20 minutes later, I went in to the room next to his to check on my two patients in there and one of them asked for a sleeping pill. So I went out to get it, and as I walked by, I glanced into my buddy's room like I had been doing all night, and I noticed that his breathing pattern had changed.

So I went in and put my hand on his chest to see if he was breathing, and sure enough his chest rose and fell under my hand. And that was the last time. His last breath. Right under my hand. I left my hand there for a bit to see if there was anything more and then put my stethoscope on his chest to listen for heart tones, even though I knew he was gone.

I stayed with him for a few minutes before I went out to the station to ask another nurse to get that sleeping pill for my other patient. And then I went back in to see my buddy again. It was really special to know that in the 86 years he was here, I was the very last person he saw, heard, and felt.

I like to think that he was so comfortable in my care that he felt like it was okay to let go. The only thing about the experience that really bothers me is that his wife will remember getting that phone call from me that night for the rest of her life. I told her everything I just told you, though, so I hope that she found comfort in knowing I was right there with him. It was actually a very spiritual experience being there with this man as he took his last breath...it kind-of felt like while I was holding one hand, God was holding the other.

My job isn't always like that, of course. Sometimes it is frustrating, and sometimes it is fun...it is never boring...and sometimes, like that time, it is a true honor.

I promise to write all about our Christmas fun very soon. Right now, though, I must call it quits for the night! Christmas has turned my house into a disaster area, so I must go to bed so that I have energy for disaster recovery tomorrow. In these three days since Christmas, I have had to look at the poem I keep on my fridge quite frequently in order to keep my cool amidst this mess! And so, I will leave you with that...

Thank you, dear Lord,
for things to do;
Tasks to complete,
that are never quite through.
Thank you for the laundry,
that piles up so fast;
For the tub I just cleaned,
though I know it won’t last.
Thanks for the toys,
That litter my floor;
For the mud-caked shoes,
that sit by the door.
Thank you for the fingerprints,
On once-clean glass;
Thanks for my carpet,
Now covered with grass.
Thanks for the kitchen,
That never stays clean;
For the skillets to scrub,
That lay in my sink.
These things in my life,
Just prove that I’m blessed;
God gave me a family,
I can live with the mess.
By Sheila Hammock Gosney

It Was 3 Years Ago Today...

...we met Jack Steven Vogel for the first time! It is almost impossible to believe that there was a time when I didn't even know Jack...a time when he didn't even exist! How amazing it truly is to fall in love with a perfect partner and then go on to create actual people that love you, too! I know, I sound so cheesy, but I am so emotional today. It is my anniversary of becoming a mother, after all, and that is what I wanted to be for as long as I can remember! I didn't decide until I was 20 that I wanted to be a nurse, but I think I knew I wanted to be a mom by the time I was 6.

We had such a wonderful day celebrating Jack today! Emma spent the day with Grammy so that Jack could have Joel and I all to himself! He asked a couple of times where Emma was, but I really think he was just checking to make sure she wouldn't be imposing on his day anytime soon. We went to lunch at Cane's, which was sooooo good.

Then we went over to the party store to get the supplies for Saturday, and we let Jack pick out a balloon. He picked Scooby-Doo. Joel clipped the balloon to Jack's coat and he looked so cute walking out to the car with that balloon blowing in his face! We had plans to go to the movies at 1:00, and it was only 12:15 at this point, so we went into the pet store and looked at fish and birds and bugs and lizards and turtles. Jack thought this was so cool. He asked if we could go there again tomorrow! Finally, it was time to go to the theater. We bought our tickets and then let Jack pick out whatever candy he wanted...BIG decision for a 3 year-old! He decided on Gummy Bears. Before we went into the theater, though, the three of us stuffed ourselves into the photo booth there and got the funniest pictures! Jack was hilarious...he was looking at us like "why the hell are we sitting on top of each other?" And then our faces showed up on the screen inside the booth so we could see if we were sitting in the right place and Jack looked so surprised and excited to see us there! The machine counts down from 5 before it takes each picture so Joel and I were posing for 5 seconds each time and Jack was just laughing! The pictures turned out so cute...I am going to keep them forever. The movie was very cute. We saw "Bolt" and I would so recommend it! It was very funny and a very good friendship story.

After the movie, we finally came home and Jack took a 3 hour nap! When we left him in his room it was obvious he was so tired, but not ready to stop having fun. Once we came downstairs, we could hear him singing happy birthday to himself. He really likes that song. While he napped, I finished decorating his birthday brownies, and Joel worked out and then started dinner. My parents came with Emma and we all had Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder that Joel made. It was delicious! My birthday brownies were quite good, too! Jack was so funny when we sang to him, he just grinned and grinned. And he blew those candles out so fast that my dad and Joel didn't even see him do it! We gave Jack a (Fisher Price) digital camera for his present and he loooooves it! Hopefully, he loves it enough that he will quit trying to take ours! He has already taken a good amount of pictures, and it came with a USB cable so I can upload them onto the computer!

He also got his first set of real golf clubs from my parents, the golfers. He practiced putting here in the living room and it was so cute watching my dad teach him how!

It was easy to see that Jack had a wonderful birthday today. What makes me happiest is to look at his face and see there that he knows how much he is loved. It is amazing that you can know someone for a time as short as three years and yet love them more than anything else you have ever known.

Once things had quieted down, I sat in the recliner and rocked my tired little Emma, and then Jack crawled up on my lap, too. Having the two of them still in my lap lasted only for a moment, but it was a wonderful moment and I soaked up every bit of it.

Jack and Emma are sleeping now, and I am excited to go to sleep, too! This was one of those days, though, that I had to write about so I would not forget how wonderful it was!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have a countless number of reasons to be thankful today...and everyday. I love this picture so much...my two greatest accomplishments...and two of the many things I am thankful for!

The World According to Jack...some of his favorite phrases these days!

1. "OH...MINE...GOD!" He hears me say this when I am talking on the phone...of course, I say "Oh my God", but I like his little take on it.
2. "NOOOOO, EM!" this is commonly heard when Emma comes remotely close to anything that Jack considers to be his. This phrase is always accompanied by outstreched arms and his little hands waving wildly as if to keep Emma away like she is a disease. His new favorite possessions are the catalogues that come in the mail and advertise toys!
3. "Can Jack have that toy?" usually followed by "Can Jack play with that toy?" As he pages through his catalogues or watches the commercials on TV, this is what we hear at least 100 times a day. Joel and I have been telling him that when he poops on the potty he can pick out any toy he likes...and yet I am still changing diapers full of toddler goodness. What's funny is that when Jack asks now, we say "What are we going to tell you?" and he smiles real big and says, "Poop in potty!" Yes, Jack, that is right, just do it already!!!
4. "CHECK IT OUT!" This phrase is also used as he thumbs through his catalogues. This is one of my favorites, because he is so excited when he says it!
5. "THAT'S COOL!" Another phrase he picked up from me. In my world, everything is cool. I didn't realize how much I said it until he started saying it, too!
6. "DAMN IT!" My fault...oops. The funny thing is that he uses it in the appropriate context.
7. "I want sumpin!" translation: I want something. The annoying thing about this phrase is that he never specifies what it is that he wants! He will just hang off your leg and whine repeatedly "I want sumpin, I want sumpin!" These are the times I wish Jack had a mute button.
8. "Get out your big bed!" This is what Jack says when he walks into our room in the wee hours of the morning. Usually followed by, "I go downstairs!" Once downstairs, he blesses us with a symphony of "I want sumpin."
9. "I WANNA GET OW A HERE!" translation: "I want to get out of here." Frequently heard during time out or nap time.
10. "You go to work and be a nurse?" This is what Jack says to me when he sees me in scrubs. I taught him to answer the question, "What do nurses do?" The answer is "take care of people." Jack says it "take cow a pople". Very cute.

The other day I was sitting in the recliner just watching Jack and Emma be, and I thought how much I love Jack's little language. I laugh to myself all day when I hear him talk, and I thought I had better write down all the cute things he says now before he learns any more! Emma is certainly developing her own little language, too. Right now, though, it consists of "Mama" and "yeah". She will answer "yeah" to any question you ask her. It is so cute when you ask her something like, "Are you going to love me forever and ever, and always think I am the coolest person you know?" and she smiles a shy little smile and replies "yeah".

Halloween cuties!

There is no time to write anything at this moment because Jack is hanging on my leg begging for more candy. But, I just had to post this pic...my new favorite! Have you ever seen a sweeter Spiderman and Snow White?

Dinosaur cuties!

I actually got Jack and Emma to sit still together long enough for me to get these pics! I had to bribe Jack with popcorn, of course. Heaven forbid he do something merely for the fact that it would make me happy! Though, I should add...the other night when I was leaving Jack's room after putting him to bed, he said, "I love you, Mommy" as I was about to pull his door closed. Usually, I have to say it first, but not that time! I thought my heart would explode right out of my chest! And he said it so genuinely. There are no sweeter words in the English language than those three put together and said by a child. I am so blessed!

It is so fun...

...to play with my blog! So many templates to choose from...this is the one I like best today! Here is our latest attempt at a family picture. One of these days, I will get a picture where both of my children are smiling and looking at the camera at the same time!

Why...

does part of my last post look single-spaced and the other part look double-spaced??? I did not do that! Are there any superstar bloggers out there that know how to fix that? Here I am making my blog all pretty with my new template...and now it is being a pain in my ass! This is how I feel right now...Emma will illustrate my frustration for you...

Long time, no write...

I have a very good excuse for not writing in a while...I have taken up reading! Michelle recommended some books to me, saying how they were sooooooo good, and she was right! It is the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. I am on the second book now, and I have my mom reading the first. Thank you, Michelle, for the recommendation! I had forgotten how much I like to read! I also recently read James Patterson's "Sunday's at Tiffany's" with some girls from work. It, too, was excellent, and I would highly encourage you to read it!

Since I last wrote, we have done some exciting things! Emma had her first birthday party, which was very fun! She was much more dainty when eating her smash cake that Jack had been at his first birthday party.

When she was done, though, it was easy to see why it is called a "smash" cake.

Emma had zero interest in opening presents, so I did all the work with my little helpers, Jack and his girlfriend, Elena. Elena is the daughter of one of my best friends, Jamie. So, I am sure you can imagine what it is like having two 2 year-olds help with opening gifts. They fought over every toy! It really was funny! Joel and Jamie played referee and eventually both Jack and Elena went to time out. I even had to take one toy that they refused to share and put it in time out before Emma even saw what it was! It was very classic birthday party chaos. Once all the party guests left, Jack and Elena played much nicer together, and Emma was content playing with a pink bow that had been on one of her gifts. It really was a very nice day!

Later that week, Emma went to the doctor for her 1 year check-up. She is in the 75th percentile for height and only the 20th for weight! She doesn't even weigh enough to move up to her big girl car seat yet! When the doctor asked if she was walking yet and I said no, he seemed stunned. Based on how early she started crawling and cruising along the furniture, he expected me to say yes. He said she probably was capable of walking but was just lazy! I agree! Her majesty, as we call her here, is sooooo lazy! That girl still won't even hold her own bottle! She can hold toys, a sippy cup, and feed herself, but she refuses to hold that bottle! Now that she is one year old, we are switching her from formula to whole milk, which she is tolerating well....a lot better than Jack did! But, she will only drink the milk from a bottle, and she won't hold it. When we ate dinner tonight, we put her in her high chair and gave her chicken and strawberries, which she was happy to feed herself. We also gave her a sippy cup of milk and she screamed for a half-hour at it! I let her win and finally poured the milk into a bottle. I thought my head may explode if I didn't. And that would've been one more mess for me to clean up.

The following Saturday, we went to a local pumpkin patch. Joel and I were so excited...Jack and Emma seemed bored. Joel and I were walking around and talking real excited like "Ooooooo, look at this cool pumpkin!" and our kids were looking at us like we were losers.


We picked out two pumpkins in the patch, which I thought was really fun, and then we got to take a hayride back up. Later that day, Jack and Emma were both acting real pitiful...runny noses, watery eyes and the most pathetic little cough you ever heard. Jack understands "blow" when you hold a tissue to his nose, but Emma just does not get it. With her, you just have to wait for the snot to start dripping and then wipe it off. And you have to get it before she takes her hand and spreads the snot into her hair and her eyes. If you don't get the Jack snot in time, he either uses his shirt sleeve or the curtains or he walks along the couch and drags his nose on the cushions. I am not kidding...it is gross. I cleaned the sliding glass doors in the kitchen today, and found lots of little boogers on the glass. I could tell who they once belonged to because some were down low, like Emma must have done a crawl-by boogering, and others were grouped together on the edge of the door near the corner of the kitchen where Jack stands for time-out. I guess picking your nose is a good way to pass time when you are bored and stuck in one place. Maybe that's why people do it when they are sitting in traffic? Have you ever noticed that? You are sitting in traffic and you look to either side of you and in your rearview mirror and everyone is discreetly "itching" their nose.

So my week has consisted mostly of snot, with poopy diapers thrown in here and there, as well. I had to work Monday and Wednesday, which one may think would be a nice break from the cooties, but remember...I work in a hospital. In my world, there is no escape from the cooties.

Something wonderful happened on Thursday when Jamie gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Owen!! Elena is now a big sis! Joel and I went to visit them in the hospital on Friday night. Owen is soooooo adorable, and he looks just like his beautiful mommy. I am so happy for Jamie, Greg and Elena now that their family has one more! And of course, holding a sweet angel of a baby in my arms totally made me want another! I think Joel may have felt a bit of a baby itch when he held Owen, too, but he certainly isn't looking to start pro-creating again just yet!

So, that's my story...hopefully, my babies will be feeling better before I have to go back to work on Wednesday...and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Joel and I do not catch this cold of theirs! That is one thing I would be okay with Jack and Emma not sharing!

Do you...

like my new template??? :) It is very Lauren, I think!

Emma's first hair cut!

I decided to take Emma for her first haircut on Friday. Now that she is a year old, I figured I would get those wing things she has growing on the side of her head snipped so that all her hair can grow out at the same time. The sides have been growing since she was born, but the back all fell out and then started to grow again and she was left with a head of hair of about 10 different lengths. So anyway, that is why I wanted to get it cut. I explain because you know there are always people that will say "Oh my gosh, why did you cut her hair???!!!" and they will say it like I chopped her whole head off. To which I would like to respond, "I pushed that head of hair out of my girly part last year, so I think it is up to me what I do with it now." I don't say that, though. Honestly, though, I did feel weird after seeing Emma with her new do...she suddenly looked like such a big girl...all those teeth, and her new cute little bob...where was my baby girl? I am getting used to it now, though, and she does look really cute. She was such a good girl while getting her hair cut, too. I was very proud...but then I had to claim Jack, who was screaming to high hell during his hair cut. :) One day, Emma will probably do the same...probably about the same time Jack learns not to mind it. That way I will always have a screamer. Yay. Here's a before and after shot of Emma...




She got to sit in a car, and what was so funny was that she didn't even realize she could play with that steering wheel until the very end, and then she looked up at me like "Oh my gosh, I could've been driving this whole time!?" She's so cute. Here is a look at how well Jack tolerates a haircut...
That poor woman...she was so sweet and patient! I can not imagine listening to all that screaming all day long! There must be liquor behind that door that says 'Employees Only'.

One Year Old!

I just can't believe my baby girl is a year old already! The time really does fly when you are having fun! And this last year has been so fun. Being a mother of two definitely brought new challenges to our lives...but also more joy and love than I thought possible. It is pure magic to form relationships with your children. Watching them form a relationship with each other...just priceless. Not to say they always get along, but Emma's smile is so genuine when Jack is around! And I love the way Jack talks to her. I think most of the time he is being a mimic to me. The other morning I heard him say "How you doing, Emma?" and when she cries, he says "Oh, honey!" Whenever Emma is off exploring the house Joel and I will say to each other "where's Emma?" or "what is Emma doing?" Now about 50 times a day, Jack will ask me "what's Emma doing?" even if she is sitting right in front of him. It is really cute.

To celebrate Emma's birthday on Saturday, we also made a point of celebrating Jack's anniversary of becoming a big brother. So there was a present and a balloon for each of them.


Jack did such a good job of singing "Happy Birthday to you" to Emma, and he even helped her blow out her one candle. I made birthday brownies with cream cheese icing and tons of sprinkles. I wrote "Emma 1" on the brownies...tried to keep it short because I totally suck at writing with icing...it looked more like Erman 1. Oh well, she can't read yet. So we put Emma in the highchair in just a bib and gave her a brownie. She looked at it, tasted the icing, and then just picked the whole thing up with her little fist and went to town. That poor brownie didn't stand a chance against her. She was simply adorable covered in icing! She went straight to the tub afterward and then fell asleep in my lap while she was having her bottle. Too much birthday fun for that girl! We got her a baby stroller that will also help her learn to walk as her gift. She looked just like a little mommy pushing her baby around the house. Jack got a John Deere tractor that pulls four animals. When you push the farmer's head, it plays "Old MacDonald". Jack thinks it is the coolest toy. What was funny was when Emma would take a break from walking her baby and come over to see what Jack was doing. She is so sneaky. She would snatch that farmer and then crawl like hell to get away with it. Jack would stand there and yell, "No Emma! That Jack's farmer!"

We had a wonderful little birthday celebration just the four of us that morning. Emma's party is this next weekend. It will be fun to see what she does with her smash cake. I remember at Jack's first birthday party when we gave him his cake...he was very slow to examine it, slowly tasting the icing, and then it was like a light bulb went off in his head and he thought, "What the hell am I wasting all this time for? Let's just get down to business!" And he leaned in towards his cake and using just his little mouth, destroyed it. It was classic. I am excited to see if Emma uses that same method!

So now I am the mother of two toddlers. Wow. I want the time to slow down! I love them little so much! I know I will love them as they grow up, too...but there is something so special about being able to pick up your child and put them on your lap. I love knowing that right now whatever problems they face I can fix, just by wrapping my arms around them. I wish it would always be that way. Having Emma turn one has made me such an emotional little mommy this past week! Not only that, but my 10 year reunion was also this past Saturday, and seeing so many old faces made me so nostalgic. I loved seeing how much people had changed, but also stayed the same. I had a wonderful time catching up with old friends. It was a great weekend...and then I got sick. Too much fun, maybe? Jack had a little cold and I am sure he just passed it on to me. If only he was so good at sharing toys! Like I had told Kristi, there is no such thing as a sick day once you are a mommy! Today, I think Jack and I are both feeling a little better, and Jack and Emma are both being perfect little angels...so far. Well, my big girl is now tapping my leg with a big old grin on her face. She is simply irresistible...I must go play!

What a week!

As anyone in the Columbus area knows...wind can be one hell of a bitch when she wants to! That wind storm on Sunday took out the rest of the tree in our front yard that had been struck by lightning only a couple months ago, and it also beheaded my lilies. Guess I won't have to cut those back this fall, as Mother Nature has already taken care of that. Keeping things in perspective, though, the damage done here was so small compared to what we have seen and heard of happening to others. I feel blessed that we all remained safe and still have a place to call home! We did lose power Sunday night...and it did not return until Wednesday! Poor Joel...Sunday was his 30th birthday...what a way to celebrate! We spent Sunday night here. Getting two small children ready for bed by candlelight was a bit of a challenge...for all of us! I was a nervous wreck having so much open flame around my babies, and we only had one stinkin flashlight! And I am one of those people that must sleep with a fan blowing on me...oh, it was so hard to sleep that night with the only noise being the snore of the birthday boy! I hoped and hoped the power would be back on by Monday morning...no. Joel had already gone to work and I was thinking I would just roll with the punches. I would go with the whole 'when life hands you lemons, make lemonade' way of thinking. I thought we could have a nice quiet day coloring and doing little projects that don't require electricity. Then I realized that I couldn't make coffee. Big problem! Screw lemons! I need coffee! Especially because I had slept horribly, Jack woke me up at 7 a.m. and I had to go to work that night at 7 p.m. and stay up until the next day! I went to call my mom to see if we could go over there and found my land phone was dead and I had no signal on my cell phone! So I packed up some things, put the kids in the car, and headed over to my parents house...of course, stopping for coffee on the way.

My parents live only about 7 miles from us and they never even lost power! Good thing, since we invaded on them and stayed til Wednesday! Everyday, I would come back home and pray for power. No such luck. When I came on Tuesday, though, I did find a whole lot of standing water in my kitchen from all the ice that had melted in the freezer. That was a super fun surprise. It was easy to see that Jack, too, was getting frustrated and also missing home. I had asked him, "Do you miss our house, buddy?" to which he replied, "No! I miss my bed and I miss my fingset!" That was the cutest comment! Thankfully, the 'fingset' had not been affected by the wind storm!

Wednesday morning was when Joel came home to find the power restored. Yay! So we packed up again...our three loads of laundry, our 7 bags of refrigerated food, our two kids, and what was left of our sanity. I know my mom loved having us there, but I am sure she was quietly dancing inside at the thought of peace and quiet as we left! In the short time we were there, Emma had pooped in her bath tub, splattered macaroni and cheese all over her walls, and had some fun in diet coke that had spilled all over the kitchen floor. Jack found her bottle of Oxy-Clean and soaked himself and their leather ottoman within minutes of our arrival on Monday! All the chaos did provide much laughter for my mom and I, and it was really fun doing everyday mommy things with my mommy.

After coming back home on Wednesday, it was back to the usual. I love electricity, and I love my house! I had to work last night, too, so tonight is really the first night I have spent relaxing in my own house since last Thursday! I also had worked last Friday and Saturday nights, and then Sunday was when the wind bitch came. Whew. I am very happy to be sitting here blogging, knowing that soon I will get to go to sleep in my own bed with my hubby, with my fan blowing in my face, and that tomorrow when Jack wakes us up, no matter how early, we can make coffee!