Snow Day

Well March roared in like a lion with a Noreaster dropping about 7 inches of snow on us. Thankfully, Joe is off work on Mondays so we didn't have to worry about him having to fight the roads. This was Emma's first REAL snow, so we decided to bundle up and head out for a bit. The pictures say it all:

We're going to do what Mom?

I don't think I like this:

No way! Get me out of here!Even Daddy couldn't make it better:

A view of our backyard:Snow is fine to look at from the nice warm house, but as you can see, Emma was less than thrilled with the idea of being out in it. Maybe next year she will enjoy it more. Hopefully you had a fun snow day as well.

Wii got a Wii!

While we may be the last family around to get one, we finally took the plunge and bought a Wii complete with the Wii Fit. Most times, Joe and I will play while Emma naps or is in bed for the evening, however Joe was playing one day while Emma was awake. She was at first very observant as to what her daddy was doing, but she soon became interested and wanted to try too. So with a little help from her Daddy, here is Emma doing the Wii Fit Hula Hoop. So cute!

Obamicon

In honor of our new president, I decided to have some fun with obamicon.me.
In all seriousness, this truly is a historic day, and I for one, am so excited! For the first time in awhile, I feel hopeful. Hopeful that change truly will come. I am proud to be an American and I welcome this new administration. Congratulations President Obama!

Merry Christmas

It's hard to believe this was technically Emma's second Christmas. Everything about it mirrored a first...her wonder at seeing a Christmas tree in with all its lights and shiny ornaments and her curosity peaked at the beautifully wrapped packages beneath the tree. But it was indeed her second Christmas. Unfortunately, Joe had to work Christmas day, so Emma and I headed over to my parents house to hang out until Joe got off work and would meet us there for Christmas dinner and presents. Emma made out like a bandit with great toys and pretty clothes and while Joe and I really didn't exchange gifts this year, the best gift we could give to each other was being together and watching our daughter enjoy all the wonder that is this season. Feeling a little nostalgic, here is a picture of us last year... a family of 3 for a mere 12 days:and a picture of our best present last year:

Now for this year. Here is Emma all dressed up for Christmas Eve services at church:

Emma enjoying some of her new presents:

Hello? Santa? The Christmas Ham:Me and my baby girl:Emma checking out the Christmas tree:
And here we are, a family of 3 for 1 year and 12 days. What a difference a year makes.

I hope your Christmas was filled with wonder and we send you best wishes for 2009.

Jitterbug

Today we were watching Happy Feet and Emma decided to dance along with the penguins. This kid is too much. She brings a smile to our faces everyday!

Little Lawnmower

Emma got this cute lawnmower for her birthday and she plays with it all the time. I love her little giggle at the start of the video. Enjoy!

It's the Big ONE!

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year, but indeed it has. This past Saturday, we celebrated Emma's First Birthday. We had a lovely party with family and friends and overall, Emma did very well considering we partied right through her nap time.

As a child, my mother made and decorated all of my birthday cakes, so I felt compelled to do the same for my baby girl. I found a great cake pan in the shape of a #1 and with a little help from Betty Crocker, we had a wonderful cake!

I also made some fancy cupcakes as well. The one with the candle on top was Emma's special cake to eat...more on that later.

Having a December baby born a mere 12 days before Christmas, I wanted to keep the colors as far away from Christmas as possible, so we went with a bright pink and orange. We had a lovely array of food and the centerpiece was a photo frame of pictures of Emma from birth throughout her first year.

After eating lunch, we sang happy birthday to our girl and gave her a cupcake to enjoy. She did not have the traditional reaction to this as most kids:

After cleaning her up a bit, she realized that she could eat this messy treat and it was pretty good! We then had a change in reaction:

So as you can see a fun time was had by all and here we are a family of 3 for one year:

To view all the pictures from Emma's big day click here: