Pigtails!

Abby has just enough hair to make two little pigtails. I just think it is so darn cute!

Abby yelling at me b/c she is tired of me taking pictures.

Just one more big smile.

Pigtails or no pigtails, this girl makes my heart glow.

Welcome to our Castle

One gift the kids got this year was a fort making kit. They absolutely love it and it makes for some serious fun when we are stuck inside. We have made an igloo, a tunnel, and a castle. I think Emma's favorite has been the castle b/c Princess Rapunzel and Princess Ariel have a place to play.

Our castle.

Can't wait to see what ideas we come up with next.

Emma at 4

We recently had Emma's 4 year well check and I wanted to do a blog post about it so that it is recorded.

Weight: 27lbs (5%)

Height: 36 in. (2-3%)

Her weight for height is better this year then last. Yippee! We were really worried about her size going into the appointment because she has been refusing the eat dinner and sometimes lunch. The doctor told us to remain positive and not to force anything on her. Try to keep meal time a happy time and not have it turn negative. Also, she suggested offering a healthy snack before dinner and try to increase her protein intake.

I also found this Mommy & Me interview and thought it would be a great time to do it.

My interview with Emma. If you click on the image, I believe it will enlarge. She was a hoot to interview, especially since I had no idea that she loved zebras.

My 4 year old on the day of her class celebration. These two pictures were taken with Emma's new camera that she got from her sweet Nana Solomon for her birthday.

Emma you are a beautiful girl and I hope nothing but happiness comes your way. We love you so much!

Hanukkah 2011

Happy Hanukkah! We had a great time celebrating this year. Emma and Abby loved lighting the candles every night and Emma loved helping Andy sing the prayer. We did not do gifts every night this year b/c otherwise it would have led to an overwhelming amount of toys. Instead, I took an idea from an Advent calendar and implied to Hanukkah. Each night the kids got to do something different like open a gift, have a picnic dinner, eat chocolate gelt, etc. I loved changing it up and will probably do it again next Hanukkah.

The lighting of the candles.

Our Hanukkah envelops. One for each night.

Present opening.

Abby super excited about her new toy.

Buddies

During our visit with our family, Emma and Nolan just clicked. They are the same size, quiet at first, and into the same things. These two were best buds and loved being together.

Enjoying a snack together.

They loved running around together.

Also during their visit, Kate loved helping with Abby. Kate is such a sweet girl and will be such a big help to her mom when her new sister arrives.

Last cuddles with Gammie before the vacation ended. Kate and Emma are very obsessed with her.

We had such a great Christmas with our family. I miss them like crazy when we are apart and am always trying to figure out a way to see them more. My new kick is to buy a second home (a very big dream) or rent a home for two weeks in the summer (more practical).

Farewell 2011, Hello 2012

Even though I am not done with some of my 2011 post, I want to do this post now before I forget.

2011 was a great year for our family. We created many fabulous memories together. Some of our favorite highlights include:

-Going to the Rodeo for the first time.

-Celebrating my Grandfather's 80th birthday in Minnesota and introducing Abby to all my Minnesota family.

-Abby learning to walk.

-Emma graduating from private speech therapy.

-Taking a glorious trip to Vail.

-Running the Capital 10k for the first time.

-Introducing Abby to Andy's family while visiting New Jersey.

-Emma taking dance, swim, and gymnastics lessons.

-Andy developing two new patents.

-Emma getting her first haircut.

-Taking Emma to her first movie.

-Donating breast milk to the milk bank for premie babies.

-Celebrating Abby's first birthday and Emma's 4th birthday.

-Going and seeing the bats for the first time as a family.

-Taking the kids bowling for the first time.

-Listening to Abby talk.

-Spending time with my best friend, Elizabeth.

-Auntie Amy visiting and cooking us a delicious meal.

-Emma learned to use the potty.

-Enjoying the holidays with our loved ones, especially Kate and Nolan. Love watching the kids play together.

We hope 2012 will be another fabulous year. Some things we are looking forward to and wanting to accomplish are:

-Our first trip to Disneyland.

-Welcoming two new members to our family. Baby Erickson and Baby Solomon/Vargas are both due in May.

-Seriously organizing this house and cleaning things out.

-Attempt to make my cooking blog public. I started it last summer and I have not been very good about keeping up with it.

-Strengthening my muscles in my upper leg to help fix my knee issue so I can enjoy long distance running again.

-Getting Emma to sleep through the night in her bed.

-Make a small vegetable garden.

-Expose the kids to more Spanish.

-Taking advantage of our beautiful weather days before it gets too hot.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2012!

Bowling

The weather was not ideal while our family was in town, so we decided to take the kids bowling one morning. The kids were very excited to try it out for the first time. Kate and Emma were thrilled to wear bowling shoes. They do not make them small enough for Nolan and Abby.

The players.

Thank goodness for this handy ramp.

A little coaching from mom.

Nolan giving it a try.

Abby's turn. She liked it on her first try but then refused to participate again.

Watching the ball.

Kate giving it a try.

The end results.

The kids did great with their first time. We look forward to taking Emma again because the kid loves bowling.