From easy baby to crazy toddler...overnight!

It really seems like one day I was saying to someone, "Emersyn is such a dream.  She is so good, so easy, so chill and goes with the flow" and the next day I was saying, "Who is this crazy toddler?  She's a monkey, she's into everything, and really knows what she wants!"  Now I know all parents feel this way and are amazed at the transformation from baby to toddler.  I think I just really had myself fooled that Emmie would continue to be a piece of cake.  And in the big picture she is still soooo good and soooo sweet.  But she is cracking us up lately with her determination to do everything that Maddie does, her histerics when she doesn't get what she wants, and her ability to turn everything into a climbing apparatus.  I see a Fisher Price car garage toy, she sees a jungle gym!  She is still a pipsqueak, but she's trying so hard to be big  She is full of shenanigans.  Here are some highlights that I don't want to forget.  She has crawled up onto the kitchen table, stood on the kitchen desk and living room end table, hangs from the refridgerator handle and the bar in my parents' bathtub, and we found her sleeping last night in nothing but a diaper.  She managed to get off her one-piece footed pj's!  She loves to put shoes on in the house, but insists on taking them off in the car and outside.  She managed to get one sock on all by herself the other day.  She loves to take showers and brush her teeth.  She loves playing with my phone and actually unlocked it and messed with my keyboard settings.  She really wants to do everything Maddie is doing, especially coloring!  And speaking of Maddie, I cannot say enough about how proud I am of her in her role as big sister.  She often shows more patience with Emmie than the rest of us!  She is understanding and nuturing in a way that is beyond her 5 years.  Now, don't get me wrong, she gets frustrated with her whining at times, but often Maddie can cheer her up if she's in a mood.  Maddie was talking so much more at this age, but each day Emmie is saying more and more.  She just can't tell us exactly what she wants so it often ends up as "eh, eh, eh!"  And lastly, I have to document her absolute obsession with her belly and her thumb.  She started sucking her left thumb last winter, but then over the summer added rubbing the belly along with thumb sucking.  Whenever she needs to soothe herself, the left thumb goes in the mouth and right hand goes to the belly.  We even cut slits in her one-piece pj's so she can rub her belly and keep her onesies unsnapped when she's at home.  Sound familiar Mia?           

Here is Emmie doing her new dance spin move and of course the thumb and belly routine. 

 Oh Emmie, no matter what new tricks you have up your sleeve, you will always be my sweet baby.  Just look at that face, so lovable! 

December 2011

It was an action-packed December with visits to Santa, a visit from our Elf on the Shelf "Pop Pop", parties and of course the actual holidays. 

Santa rides through our neighborhood on a fire truck every year and we have missed it in recent years.  This year we got together with a bunch of neighbors and it was so cute to see the kids get all giddy and scream with excitement to see Santa! 

Last year was our first year that we had an Elf on a Shelf.  Maddie named it Pop Pop and she liked it and it was cute.  For anyone who doesn't know, the Elf comes with a book that explains he came from the North Pole and has magic and flies back to the North Pole each night to report to Santa if you've been good or bad. Each morning he is in a new spot in our house and we have to find him.  So it is obviously a good behavior motivator.  Well this year, the Elf was a big deal.  The day we decorated the house Chris talked about Pop Pop from last year and wondered if he would come back.  Well, Pop Pop arrived back at our house on December 1st and his first spot was in Maddie's bed on the pillow next to hers.  She went up to her room and found him and came running downstairs out of breath and screaming, "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy, he's here, he's here, he's REALLY here!  I can't believe he's here!"  And burst into tears.  Literally, tears were streaming down her face and she was shaking.  It brought tears to my eyes, it was such a magical and special moment and Chris and I just looked at each other in awe.  Every day finding him was fun and Emmie even knew his name and would say "Pa Pa" when she saw him.  

Here is Chris reading the book to Maddie 

Here is Pop Pop in our tree next to Pandora, the bird (see story below). 

We were at Pier 1 picking out an ornament for an ornament party that I was going to and Maddie asked to get a new ornament for her tree in her room.  I agreed and she picked this lovely, large bird and named her Pandora.  The rest of the day and night she played with it like it was her pet and wanted to put it all over the house.  I finally convinced her that the bird was meant to be an ornament and she remained on our main tree the rest of the season. 

What's a Christmas season without a gingerbread house?  Chris is so good at stuff like this so I was happy to let him be the supervisor of decorating.  Em of course had to get in there too!

We had quite the experience going to see "The Real Santa."  There is a Santa at Merrifield Gardens in Falls Church who has been there for 30+ years and delivers a very beautiful message about the true meaning of Christmas.  His story is really cool and we heard about him through Paul and Michelle who went to see him with their kids.  Paul had gone to see him when he was a kid!  We heard it was busy and crowded so we planned to go on a Tuesday evening instead of a weekend.  Best quote of the season was by Chris when he said, "Isn't there a Santa in Loudoun County we could see?"  But I talked him into it.  Well it was neat, but WAY more crowded than we expected for a Tuesday.  And after waiting more than an hour and a half, watching Santa take his very sweet time with each family, we played the baby card and went to the "those with babies" line in front.  Otherwise we literally would have been there until 10 pm.  I was a bit distracted by the time we got up there and Santa scolded me for not paying attention!  He gave Madeline very specific instructions to put an apple in her shirt under the tree and he would place a present there in its place.  Luckily, she was able to repeat the instructions to me!  

CHRISTMAS EVE!

We went to my parents' house on Christmas Eve.  The lack of pictures is a direct result of Emersyn's new facination with climbing on the kitchen chairs.  We were opening gifts in the family room and Emmie was more interested in the pita chips and sitting on the big chair so I did a lot walking back and forth.  She was very tired by the end of the night and did the funniest thing.  She is super flexible and crawled into an empty shirt box and curled herself up like a cat and started sucking her thumb.  She repeated this the next night at the Moskal's house (see picture and video below).  This kid is developing quite the personality!

 Getting milk and cookies ready for Santa

NOT!

CHRISTMAS DAY!

Christmas morning started off in a very non-Normal Rockwell kind of way.  Chris and I stayed up late because he got a call from work due to an alarm going off at his office.  Then he got another call at 6a.m. and decided he needed to go in.  So I just stayed awake and waited for the girls to wake up.  Luckily he got home just before they woke up!  We did our stockings first and Emmie got yogurt snacks in hers.  When Maddie took the package out of her hand to open it for her, she lost it.  Cried solidly for a good 5 minutes.  So instead of smiles, laughter, and joy on Christmas morning, for a brief moment we were sleep-deprived, crying, and waiting patiently for little sister to zip it so we could open more presents!  Once she had the whole bag to herself, not just a handful, Emmie was fine and peace was restored.  Again, she didn't care much about the gifts, just sat in the new cardboard castle and ate her yogurt snacks.  We went to mass with my parents and had brunch here afterwards. 

Before.... 

  After...

Look at that handsome Grandpa!  Looking good Dad. Best Christmas gift was having everyone healthy and at home this year!

First order of business at the Moskal house that evening was skyping with Kim who is in Iraq.  Kim spoiled the girls once again and we got to open her gifts while skyping which was so fun.  Emersyn was really into it and had lots to say in her own little language.  She loved it! 

 There she is on the screen.  Kim, you made it into the family Christmas pictures! :)

Dress up outfits from Aunt Kim

Samie is right...we need to save this next picture for her rehearsal dinner someday!

Cozy in the box!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night (in a box)!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AT GREAT NANA'S

The fun continued on the 26th at my Nana's.  It was just our family, my parents, and the Flemings and for a Riordan family gathering, that is considered a small group (only 14)!  Aunt Lorraine brought over her new golden-doodle puppy Riley and he is so cute.  And my cousin Ruby got engaged just before Christmas!  So happy for her, she deserves so much happiness! 

More boxes, yipee!

"Oh Nana, you look more comfy than a silly box!"

NEW YEAR'S EVE

We had a chill New Year's Eve this year which was perfect for us.  We went to the Baumgartner's and had pizza, some good seasonal and home brew beer, a dance party with Liv and Mads, put the kids to bed, hung out on their beautiful 3-season porch, and pretty much missed the actual turn of midnight because we were opening the champagne!