Christmas Day 2010

What a joy it is to see your child's expression on Christmas morning. The first thing Emma said when I got her out of her crib was, "did Santa eat my cookies & drink milk." I told her we had to go see. Then she noticed as we walked down the stairs that there was stuff in her stocking. She was very excited to see Santa ate the cookies & drank the milk. She said he needed more.

The large Minnie & Pluto were the first things Emma saw under the tree from Santa. "Santa brought Emma a big Minnie & Buto". We actually had Emma's kitchen on the opposite side on the tree so she would have to walk around to find it. She loves it & keeps calling it her "table with a microwave & frigerator." We had to coax her into open her stocking & other presents. Santa could have just brought her those 3 items & I think Emma would have been just fine. As she open her puzzles, videos and books she noticed her small Minnie & Daisy that were not wrapped, then her morning was complete. This past week she started asking for a Daisy & thankfully Santa picked one up on a killer sale.

We headed to my Mom's for lunch & to open presents with my family. Emma was very excited & kept trying to open gifts before it was time. Emma got a red car to ride outside from Nana, a shopping cart from aunt Beverly, play food & dishes from aunt Karen & Uncle Bob and a gift card from Michael. She crashed soon after presents but it was too late for a nap she see spent the rest of the evening watching a new Mickey video & playing in the bath with her Mickey bath toys from Grammy & PawPaw. That was a great way to end the Christmas festivities.

Her kitchen

She carried her new Disney characters around all morning, including the Mickey she got for her birthday which never leaves her side.

Pink rubber duckie from her stocking (she is such a girl & loves pink)

"Making pizza"

"Making coffee"

Alphabet & numbers puzzles

The one moment she laid her characters down in the recliner.

I just thought it made a funny pic

Trying to wait patiently with cousin Morgan to open presents at Nana's house.

Still waiting

Time to open

Showing her the dishes from aunt Karen & uncle Bob.

Do you notice a trend, Emma's hair is always hanging in her face.

The gang is all here opening presents.

Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas Eve was at our house this year & we spent it with Chris's family opening presents & eating, of course. Emma was very excited to finally be able to open presents. For the last week Emma would say several times a day, "its time to open presents now." I think next year we will get one of those Christmas countdown calendars to help her out.

Christmas Eve morning, wearing Daddy's shoes

Dancing in Daddy's shoes

Standing on her head, an Emma signature move (usually when she is tired)

Chris's family

Opening the legos from Uncle Shawn while wearing her apron from Grammy & PawPaw

Holding her Abby Caddaby doll from Grammy & PawPaw

Playing legos & with her Elmo medical kit from Grammy & PawPaw

Showing PawPaw her new Minnie jammas from Mama & Daddy

(the ones from her birthday are already too short)

Her 1st lego creation = house, complete with a door, flowers & a garage

Christmas Cookie Decorating 2010

Here is our 1st cookie decorating experience with Emma or at all. Neither Chris or myself have ever done it (that we can remember). Chris had to squeeze the icing on the cookies since it just kills my hands (I must go back to the dr) & Emma did most of the sprinkles. It was a huge mess but we had a great time.

A christmas tree, a heart, Emma blog of green & I don't remember what that red blob is, sorry.

This is suppose to be a cat face. I had trouble with the whiskers.

Our finished products - snowman, snowflake, balloon, kite, star, scripples, smiley face & just sprinkles

Our 1st Gingerbread House

I call it "our" 1st because we all took part in it. It was too hard on my hands to do the icing so Chris did that part & Emma & I added all the candy. She had a great time & even wanted to do another one. Our kit even included a santa & christmas tree to decorate which are both very sad looking, but we enjoyed the whole experience. We didn't even eat very much of the candy. It was a great day for an indoor project since its cold, rainy, snowy mix outside today.

She actually got one for Christmas last year from the Summerville CofC while she was in the hospital in Charleston but she was too young to do it then so I just saved it. Funny thing is, when I opened it, it was a completed house, not a kit. So since I had already told her we were going to make a gingerbread house, we had to get in the car to go get the one I just saw on sale at Target. Silly me, I thought I wouldn't have to go shopping this weekend, but it wasn't bad at all.

Oops I uploaded my pics backwards again, so sorry. Enjoy.

We finished, for real this time.

This is suppose to be a santa but he looks like he is melting.

A closeup on our sad tree.

She decided it needed a little more icing.

The finished product, not too bad for our 1st time + a 2 yr helped.

Adding on last piece

Taking a quick taste

Thinking real hard where to add the next gumdrop

Intently watching her Daddy add icing details.

She just stuck her finger in the icing & isn't very happy about it.

The completed house Emma got last year & no we don't plan on eating this one.

Christmas Decorating

This year Emma was able to help decorate the Christmas tree & loved every minute of it. All of the ornaments she put on the tree are on the bottom of course & she would put several on one limb. It took her a while to figure out to put them in different places. She also loves our stockings & the lights we have outside.

She is so into Christmas this year, she even sat on Santa's lap, but we have no pics to show for it, Mama is too cheap to pay $17. Now Santa had to coax her into but, she did it, but she wouldn't really talk to him. He looked to me for what she wanted for Christmas & I mouthed Minnie Mouse & she was just beaming after that. She asks for a big Minnie Mouse almost every day & we tell her she has to wait & see if Santa will bring one.

These pics are posted in the wrong order, actually backwards but I didn't want to start over. So sorry.

The finished project

Our stocking on the stairwell, we don't have a fireplace or a mantel.

Emma's new cheezy smile, which includes throwing her had back.

"jingle bells, jingle bells"

Updated Adoption Profile

Well we finished the updates for our adoption profile, again. Doesn't seem like we just did it? In fact it was 9 months ago we send them 50 copies & updates for the website but they are running out of profiles which means many birth mothers have seen our profile but nothing yet. Our time will come.

I sent the hard copy to the printer yesterday & hopefully it will be here by the weekend so we can get them ready & send them to Lifetime. I will post a pdf copy of our entire profile just in case anyone is interested or knows of someone who may be considered adoption for their unborn child. Their is a new link on the right side of my blog now if you want to view the website condensed version.

More Thanksgiving

Actually I totally forgot I took these 2 pictures at Mama's house. We were all so excited to see each other, minus Chris that we were too busy to take many. Plus the kids would not be still. They literally ran & played the entire time. This is all we have to show for Thanksgiving, except a bunch of sick people. Chris had (still has) the shingles, Morgan started with a cold, then Emma + a fever, then me, my sister Beverly, Mama, my sister Karen. We definitely shared the love & germs this Thanksgiving.

Emma with her great grandmother, Gram. Emma is her 15th great grandchild.

Cousins playing. They were actually doing ring around the rosey.

Caroline, Alex, Carson, Morgan & Emma in her tutu, coming to check things out.