Emma Updates

You are one handful of a kid!

This has been long overdue, but it has been a pretty crazy couple of months. Still, it is a new year and I am determined to capture our family memories better. So, here I go. Alot has happened since I last wrote. Here's a quick recap:

1. DISNEY CRUISE!!! What do you get when you put a boat, unlimited free ice cream, and lots and lots of princesses all together? . . . .Four days of heaven, that's what you get! We had such an amazing time on the cruise. I'd like to start a savings account now actually to take another one in 2-3 years. Then you'd be old enough to go in the kid's clubs! You met princesses (you were so excited you even hugged the photographer that took your pictures with them), swam all day, and once in awhile got a nap in. You only fell asleep at the dinner table once :) We had the late dinner on the cruise and after a full day of fun, by 8:00 you were pretty much toast. Every night we got to see a fabulous Disney show, complete with dancing and singing--and all Disney! It was fantastic. And they even put ketchup in the shape of Mickey Mouse on your plate. Seriously, it was such a wonderful vacation. Thank you Grandma Lulu!!

2. Preschool. We have had lots of changes around here. Dad is down here now--hooray! He got a job at Youth Villages. But, it also became necessary for Mom to go to work. So, she started teaching Spanish at Union Pines High School at the end of August. That meant full time childcare for you and Lucy. It has been pretty tough on everyone. We started at Cybered, and in order to get in to their Preschool program, they told me you had to be potty-trained. YIKES! Thus began one terrible awful no good weekend of crash potty training (a.k.a you running around without a diaper, peeing on the floor every half hour while drinking apple juice and eating cheetos, while I try to enthusiastically role play with you the proper way to stay dry and go potty.) This did not go well. I lost my patience multiple times, yelled a few, and finally ended the day in tears. It was horrible. But, they let you start anyway--and then told me you could use pull-ups. Wish I'd known that at first! They were great, but an opening came in a cheaper preschool which was closer to my work so we took it. The teachers at Vass Lakeview Childcare are sooo nice and kind and wonderful. They love you and hug you every day. I'm grateful to have such kind people taking care of you and Lucy. It is a blessing.

You are such a bright girl Emma! You can already write your name and you recognize several letters. Your memory is remarkable and your pitch is pretty good as well. You make impressive connections and you sound so grown up sometimes. Grandma Lulu says you are 2 going on 16. You can have some serious attitude at times. You can really get a rise out of Lucy when you want to.
We adore you Emma. I just love looking at you and listening to you. You are so fun to talk to. You don't quite grasp the meaning of the word "because" so you'll say things like "Mom, I want a drink because I do and so I do." So much of what you say clearly only makes sense to you. You used to love me to kiss you on the eyes at bedtime and wouldn't let me leave without doing it. And we are lucky that you are pretty easy to soothe. You'll just say "we'll do it tomorrow."
You love playing the (as you call it) "pssst pssst game" with Daddy. This is when he hides from you and when you come looking for him he says "pssst psst" until you find him. Never gets old.
You are getting better at brushing your teeth. You never let me forget to do the "errrr." That is when you make a face to show your front teeth so we can brush them. Very funny.
Oh, and the coloring. Girl, I've never met someone who loves to color as much as you do! You will spend so much time coloring. You love grid paper and will carefully color in each box a different color, calling it a rainbow. And you are really careful with a picture, picking each color carefully and staying in the lines remarkably well. Another favorite activity is dot-to-dots. You ask for them over and over again. No matter how intricate we make them, you seem to be able to keep up!
In short, you dazzle us every day. We love you Emma. You are really a wonderful blessing in our home. On Wednesday you turn 3! It is so hard to remember that you are only 2. We love you!!!