Emma's Self-Portraits

As promised...pictures of Emma. Taken by Emma.

These are just a few of the MANY that I've discovered on the camera. They've been taken when she's SUPPOSED to be in her room RESTING if not napping....

I've had to delete SO MANY random pictures of her room and toys and tv shows that she's taken just so we can have room to take "necessary" pictures.

Maybe she needs a kid camera for Christmas?

Hi!



Wasnt ready for that one!



Chocolate face ... "Am I caught?"

This one cracks me up everytime I see it!

You lookin' at me?!

My Favorite Holiday Cards

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Hello All!



For the last couple of years, I send out very few Christmas cards. But it's only because I spend several hours making and personalizing them for my parents and grandparents, (ie emma's grandparents and great-grandparents.)



I make them out of the foam sticker kits and I have such a BLAST making them! Partly because the only mess that’s made is the sticker backs. And Emma can make some at the same time.


I bought a big bucket of winter foam stickers that a lot of different shapes like penguins, snowmen - which you can actually dress up with scarves and hats and mittens...so cute! The kit also comes with five different colors of 5x7 sized foam backgrounds - red, blue, black, yellow and white. It also included the same five colors of letters. There was even a sheet of white dots to look like snowflakes!


Each set of grandparents and great-grandparents got their own personalized card with an updated family picture. And if they were especially lucky and I felt adventurous, there was also a family newsletter included.


This year, since I’ve depleted my foam sticker supply, I’m hoping to use Shutterfly to not only send Christmas/Holiday cards for the family, but to also show off our new addition to the family that should be making his arrival soon! 

Here are a few of my favorite things I found while browsing the site:
-- Christmas cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards
-- Canvas art http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art
-- Christmas photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Home Stretch

About a month left to go and I'm SO TIRED!

My house is a complete disaster.  

My checklist just keeps growing.

I've been going through old toys and clothes and trying to find where I "stored" all the other baby stuff in my house. (It's been more like Hide and Seek...and I think the game is pretty much tied!)

But the start of my projects for COMPLETE organization is on hold until this Saturday afternoon when a piano will finally be gone from my house... and  I can get some furniture rearranged. I'm a little frustrated with that. I'm feeling the urge to nest and organize but have no room or supplies to get it done correctly the first time...! Luckily some of that can be put on hold a little longer until the Queen of Organization ... AKA MY MOM! ... can get here and help with the insanity!

I am grateful though, especially for such sweet generous friends who were giving clothes away and thought to ask me if I wanted anything!

We are still trying to get Emma's big girl room put together and have fallen severely behind schedule of that as well. Add more frustration.

I have gotten a few things done like getting the pack and play out, set up and ready to go. We got a little dresser that will double as a changing table and both are set up in a little corner of our room. While doing that and hunting for all the pieces of everything, I stumbled upon a box that had about 4 packs of newborn sized diapers left over from Emma! It was like Christmas! I was certain that I had given all of those packs away as baby shower gifts over the years. Now we can stock up on larger sizes instead of figuring out how many packs we'd need of newborn diapers.

More of my sweet friends hosted a baby shower for me in early October and I got some amazingly thoughtful and HOMEMADE gifts! I also continued a "tradition" with a journal.
--When I was pregnant with Emma, a friend of mine got a journal and had all the guests write down their advice for me in it -- I thought that since this time I REALLY feel like I don't know what I'm doing, I wanted to get advice, whether it be about sibling rivalry, the difference between boys and girls or both. I wanted as much help and advice as I could get!

Our camera has pulled a couple of disappearing acts since July and I just refound it, so I'll be posting the pictures of the great outfits and gifts that I got from the shower. I'm telling you there are some CUTE things! I know I probably shouldn't have "favorite" gifts, but I think I do. :)

I'll also be going through and hopefully posting something soon about our budding photographer Emma! Her self portraits are HILARIOUS!

Emma was Tinkerbell again this year for Halloween. I was SO happy to hear that was what she wanted to be. That meant that I didn't have to put much, if any, thought into a costume for her. (that sounds awful, I know, but remember...I'm SO TIRED!)

Since Halloween was on a Sunday this year, we had our trick or treat days the day before. Our church hosted a Trunk-or-Treat and chili cook-off around lunch time. And then that evening we went to the mall and did some more trick-or-treating there.

Sunday, the Primary had their presentation and it was Emma's first one. She had a line and needed minimal help! I was SO proud of her!

She's very excited to see her "broder" and asks everytime I say "Ouch!" if her "broder Liam" is hurting me. She's even tried to tell him to stop a few times! Very funny.

Emma loves Pre-K and always has stories about who had the snack bag and who was the helper and what she did that day.

Matt is still working nights at the hospital as security, but recently applied to work for the city in the animal welfare division. We're hoping we hear something soon.

Until next time...