Halloween 2009

The days leading up to Halloween were full of a very excited Emmy telling us tales of spooky ghosts and introducing her to some classic Halloween TV specials like,"It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Keith and her carved a pumpkin (he carved, she said, "Make it a happy pumpkin, Daddy!"

She went as a Princess this year, which she was very excited about. Keith and I took her around to about 5 houses this year, and she did perfect! And she didn't even try to go into the houses like last year LOL!

Happy Birthday to me...

Yesterday, October 23, marked my 36th birthday. It was a nice day at work, no bad phone calls,(always a plus) lots of"Happy Birthday's" from my coworkers and my Facebook wall was covered. Made a girl feel special. After picking up Emmy and waiting for Keith to get home, we went for dinner at Boston Pizza where Em was very well behaved. We had a lovely dinner, and then spent 30 minutes in the washroom as Emmy was fascinated with the automatic foamy hand soap dispenser. Poor Keith was probably thinking we had deserted him as his daughter was ensuring her hands were the cleanest in the world :).

We came home and Keith took Emmy into the kitchen where obviously he was trying to get her to do something as she was talking in her faux whisper..aka a loud whisper you can hear across the room but is super-cute as she is actually trying to be quiet.

Here is what she brought me:



I had to scan it because it is completely captures a 3 year old's artwork...or perhaps just my 3 year old's typical artwork, but I think it's just perfect. It's a moment in time.

After that, Keith surprised me with a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, which Emmy was EXTREMELY excited about. I am guessing we will be eating cake for a while as there is only the three of us. LOL

So, overall I am a year older, grateful for the time to spend with my loved ones, friends and maybe to have made the difference to a client or two.

Thankful...

I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving day...

I am thankful to God for the many blessings in my life, for the health and happiness of my family.
I am thankful for my family, for Keith and Emmy, and the joy they bring to each and every day.
I am thankful for my extended family, my brother, sister-in-law Julie, my niece Melissa and nephews Malcolm and Micah. Although I don't see them as often as I'd like, I am thankful for our relationship.
I am thankful for Keith's family, who have always made me feel included, cared for, and a part of the family.
I am thankful for my Aunts Anne and Trudy, who really have become closer thanks to the power of the internet. They both sent gifts for Emmy, despite never meeting her and really make me feel valued and that Emmy is part of their thoughts. Since my own parents have chosen to ignore their children/grandchildren, it makes it so valuable. Family is valuable.
I am thankful for my job, and the power I have to help people in need. At it's core, that is what I do. I remember telling a friend once that my job was what I dreamed to attain, and that was 5 years before I got the job. It truly is my dream job.
I am thankful for my friends, who despite my short-comings and screw-ups, still like me.

I know there are lurkers out there who never comment, it would warm my heart if you would tell me what you are thankful for.

The Wiggles invade Prince George

On Saturday, the event that Emmy had been counting the sleeps down to finally came. That would be the Wiggles concert, of course. To be honest, I was kind of dreading it as the last concert we went to (The Backyardigans) was so terrible that Emmy wanted to go home at intermission and we had to convince her to stay. So, I was expecting the worst.

And I cannot express just how wrong I was. Yes, internets, I am admitting I was wrong.

This was no cheap production. The sets alone were beautiful and colourful. There was no guy dressed in black that we had to pretend we couldn't see operate a puppet on the stage. *cough*Backyardigans*cough*
The Wiggles themselves were energetic, charming, funny and proved themselves to me anyhow that they know how to entertain.
Emmy had a great time, was clapping along, woohoooing after the songs and singing and dancing. I have to admit, I had fun as well. I was never once bored and the 90 minutes flew by. It was a great family afternoon out (Keith came home early to come with us).

I have added some pictures and video. The video is of my favorite part where Emmy sings along.

Things I will miss when she grows up...part 5,71

As infuriating Emmy can be at times, this is such an incredible age as she is such a little person now rather than a baby or even a toddler. She comes out with things that are so mature for a 3 1/2 year old!

Some of my recent favorites are:
-When I pick her up from daycare, on the way home she says, "So, how was your day?". She asks Keith as well when he gets home.
-She asks us to turn up music in the car and she sings along, which is the cutest thing ever.
-She asks where my coworkers are. Apparently she is concerned they work too hard and too long. LOL
-The nights she comes and sleeps in bed with me. There is nothing better than snuggling with my baby girl.
She recognizes Keith's work, my work, and the "Princess castle" aka the Sikh temple as we drive by them. She has only been to our workplaces a couple of times.
-She has an incredible memory. She was telling me yesterday that the book I was reading was from our neighbour.This is true - when I broke my ankle back in 2007, our neighbour dropped off a bag of books to keep me entertained while being laid up. It's not like we talk about it often, but she remembers!

Here are some pics and a short video from her most recent swim lessons.

Fall in Prince George

I have absolutely NO complaints about our fall so far. We have been enjoying a beautiful late summer, even hitting 30 degrees C last week. 30 degrees!!!

This weekend has been more normal as fall is making it's way here with blustery, cold winds. You will notice in the pics that Emmy is sportin' fall attire for PG - sandals with a winter jacket LOL.

October will be a fun month - Em starts swim lessons again, The Wiggles are coming to town, and "Where the wild things are" will be released to the movie theatres. This was one of my most beloved books as a child and I will admit, I am excited to take Emmy to the movie.

Here are some pics from today...

Excitement on Blair Crescent

We live in a nice, quiet crescent. We don't tend to get too much happening on our block...in fact, I think the last time there was any sort of emergency vehicle on my block was when I broke my ankle and and we had to call an ambulance. That caused all the neighbours to be abuzz for days.

Yesterday around 5pm, I had picked Em up from daycare and had pulled into my driveway as usual. I went to the backseat to unbuckle Emmy from the car seat and she started talking about a man. I didn't understand what she was saying, but unbeknownst to me, a man had walked up behind me as I was unbuckling her. When I stood up, I saw him, which gave me a fright as I didn't see him walk up or hear him for that matter. He was probably around 40-50, stocky build, 6' or so, with close shaved graying brown hair.

He had leaned over and was talking about my tires as he was touching them, referring to them as "heavy". It was quickly obvious that this guy was not all there...either off his meds or needs some new ones in a hurry. He was talking gibberish as I quickly ushered Emmy to the front door. I just knew that this guy was trouble and my first instinct was to protect my daughter and get her away from this guy.

He walked behind our carport as I was desperately praying that I could get the door open without dropping my keys for once. I kept telling him to go home and that my husband would be home in a few minutes (Keith was due home in about an hour). As I was opening the door, he reached into the carport and started touching Keith's spare tires that are in the corner, wrapped in plastic. Side note: Buddy?? What's with the fascination with the tires????
At this point, he started swearing and getting angry. I thankfully managed to open the door and get inside and lock it again.

I grabbed the cordless phone as I could still hear him ranting outside the door. I turned a movie on for Em as I called 911. I just lost it when the dispatcher answered and started crying. They took a description and dispatched police. I looked outside and he was pacing in the carport at this point. I looked again a few moments later and he was gone, or at least out of sight.

The cops found him still hanging around the house. Apparently, he is new to town and that was the third time he was picked up today. The cops kept taking him to the hospital, and they kept releasing him. (WTF???Buddy obviously needs help!) He also is known to be violent so the cops told me I did the right thing by calling.

So long story short (too late, I know!) he was on his way to talk to a mental heath social worker. Probably released 10 minutes later, but hopefully they dealt with him.

The good news? With all the stress I have had with Emmy not listening to me lately...she did exactly what I told her instantly as I tried to get her in the house. No back talk, no delaying. I asked, she did. Must have been my tone? Whatever it was, it worked.

Swimming Lessons, Part Two

Emmy officially passed "Sea Turtles 2" last night and is officially a "Salamander". She had to repeat Sea Turtles 2 the last time, as she just wasn't showing her comfort in the water. She also was the youngest in her class and it was her first lessons ever. However, repeating it was all she needed as she did great this time. Her comfort levels with blowing bubbles, putting her head under the water and jumping in have all improved greatly. Even Keith said last night that he saw a huge improvement from last time he went.(He attends the last class each time). She will start her next lessons on Sept 29, 2009. I am also hoping to put her into a dance class and/or a gymnastics class but I am awaiting for our new Leisure Guide to come out to see what is offered. Keith is not so excited when I mentioned gymnastics...after all, she in 50% my DNA, but I just calm him with the fact that I didn't start breaking bones until my 30's*GRIN*.

Here are some pics from last night...

Emmy's first day at the lake

On Wednesday, Aug 24, we finally made it out to the lake. By finally, I mean that the last time we were out, I was pregnant with Emmy. It was a perfect day weather-wise, and we all had a good time. I am still recovering from the massive sunburn I received despite the 2 coats of SPF 50 I had put on. Ugh.

2009 PGX

This afternoon, we took Emmy to this years Prince George Exhibition. To say she had fun would be an understatement. Such a difference from last year. A. She is a year older and just that much more aware, B. it was a gorgeous day, unlike last year.

We had some fair food for lunch and then Emmy went on two rides. It was the first year she got to try the rides and makes me wish we had a bigger fair where she could have tried more.

We toured the animal barns, but Emmy just wanted to get back to the "Fishy ride", so it was toured quickly. Emmy got another ride on the fishies and even won herself a stuffed duck at the duck game. Daddy won her a mini guitar at another game.

I have to admit, I have fond memories of my Dad at the PNE when I was young. My room was always filled with HUGE stuffed animals won from the games. My dad was a wizard at the baseball into the basket game, although now I think, "what didn't I know at that time?" since I tend to be jaded about my youth now. Ahh, that's a whole other post...lol

Bottom line, Emmy had lots of fun, we spent lots of money without much to show for it and she had more sugar than she's ever been allowed before. Sounds like a great family day to me.

Here are some pictures and video...
Emmy on the fishy ride




And Again...




And yet again...





on the fire truck on the car ride



with her goodies from the fair

NOTE: The only kid screaming (even in joy)is Emmy lol

Bye Bye Pull-ups

Today, Emmy's Daycare provider advised me that Emmy can come in panties to daycare now, as she has proven she can remain dry all day and use the toilet. We weren't sure when this would come as she has 4 year old in pull ups still. However, our little girl proved to Denise that she is a big kid. It' bittersweet really. My baby is growing up. However, I AM DONE CHANGING DIAPERS!!!!!! Oh yeah, baby!!!

Here is a cute video of Emmy cooking some pancakes (imaginary) for her Daddy and me, and informing Keith what he needs to do before he can get an egg. By egg, they are referring to Kinder eggs, which we gave Emmy as rewards when she pooped on the potty.
She shuses me at one point as I was laughing so hard.
Not sure what crackaroni is... LOL

Emmy's first movie (in a theatre)

Today, after much anticipation, Daddy and I took Emmy to her first movie at the Famous Players 6 at Parkwood Mall. We went to Ice Age 3. Em calls the Ice Age movies the "Elephant" movies and she has been excited since Friday when I told her the plan. It was almost like Christmas around here, counting down the sleeps and everything.

She was actually free admission-wise, Keith and my tickets cost around $20. The the concession robbed Em of any inheritance. Oh, I kid, kinda.
We got her the Ice Age combo so she could experience movie-style popcorn, and a Strawberry Fruitopia (which was the closest thing to a "healthy" drink they had outside of the extremely expensive water. She absolutely adored it.
The movie was good, not as good as the first two, but funny and enjoyable the same.
Some highlights of Emmy's first theater experience:
1. Emmy saying, "Is my elephant movie coming on after all the commercials?"
2. During the movie, the word "stupid" is said, which is a no-no word at daycare and at home. Emmy says emphatically (and loudly) to the screen, "You no say that word!" which caused parents around us to giggle.
3. Emmy's laugh, which is quite distinctive and the kind the just makes you laugh with her, causing random strangers to laugh with her.
4.Keith and I actually went to a movie again. The last movie we attended was 50 First Dates, many moons before Emmy was here.
It was a great outing out for all of us.

Imaginary friend? Check.

Emmy introduced us to her imaginary friend this weekend. Although age seems to change from 1 to 3 intermittently, the other details are very consistent. Emmy's friend is named "Lisa" and she does everything with her from riding her trike to playing on her new swing set. I have moments of "This is normal part of childhood, right?" but have managed to Not Google it. That is a big accomplishment for me, being as neurotic as I am. LOL

Speaking of the swing set - Keith did come through with his promise of a swing set should Emmy be potty trained. Months ago, I swore she was done - then she took a giant leap back. Not good. However, she is definitely done now - I would say night too, but my aforementioned neurotic-ness prevents me from letting her sleep without a pullup - even though she always wakes up dry and takes it off herself when she has to pee in the morning. I promise I will let go of this before she's 20 LOL

I don't want to jinx it...

But the weather for the past week has been beautiful!! We have been outside as much as we could be to take advantage of it. The weekend has just flown by with the gorgeous weather and being outside. Emmy is still enjoying her swimming lessons, and did learn the hard way on why you don't run in the change rooms as she fell hard on Thursday, but was fine - just lots of tears and hugs. Didn't even get a goose-egg..Other than that, everything has been good. Good news? We have had a fabulous week. Bad news? Absolutely nothing witty to say. So here...look at my kid instead...LOL
I think she's pretty cute!!!

Swimming Lessons

Last week, Emmy started her first swimming lessons. She is in "Sea Turtles 2" which confuses me as she has never been in Sea Turtles 1...oh those wacky lesson names!
Anyhow, her first lesson last Tuesday, she played shy the whole half an hour, but still threw a fit when it was time to go. Thursday's lesson she was much more social, and interacted well with her instructors and keeps asking daily if she has swimming lessons tonight.

Here are some pics...

I am thankful

for so many things in my life. Keith, Emmy, my friends, my family, my job - I know I have many blessings in my life. And I am grateful for each and every one of them.

Yesterday, as I was out on my lunch break, I narrowly missed hitting a truck that ran a stop sign. The driver was going so fast I didn't even see a license plate, let alone get it. I had to slam my brakes on so hard that I am sure I left rubber on the road.

If I was going any faster down Victoria Street, I don't know that I would be here to write this blog post. It was that close. Although I was doing under the speed limit at the time (the upcoming light was red} I would say he was going at least 70 KM/H.

So, I am thankful. thanking God for keeping me safe. I am sure Keith and Em appreciate it too :-)

Another Optomitrist appointment

I took Emmy for her check up on her eyes since getting her glasses. All was going well, and then the optometrist said Emmy would need a patch as she has a lazy eye. What????? Since when????? He mentioned nothing of this last appointment!

Images of my daughter playing pirate for the next few months went through my mind. I mean, come on now...she was in a brace for the first 6 months of her life, now needs glasses and a patch????

My initial panic was for nothing, as Emmy passed the sight test the second time with absolutely no hesitation. Sometimes, a 3 year old just doesn't want to tell you what the pic is Doc...she can be a bit moody.She's 3!!

So, all is well, Em doesn't need a patch and her eyes are working well with the glasses.

Recent pictures

These are recent pics of Emmy as the weather seemed to *finally* take a turn for the better and we began to experience some spring-like weather. Despite saying that, it still snowed a week ago.

All of these were taken during the shed building extravaganza (more about that in a later post).



Flashing the biggest smile I have ever captured on camera


Just a nice pic...of course, I am biased LOL


Emmy with her Tonka Fire Truck. Daddy let her pick a toy from the Walmart toy section - and this is what she fell in love with.



Blowing bubbles. I could not get this to work - Em had no problems at all! LOL


The look I get when I ask Em to smile.

Lactose Intolerant?

Emmy has never (since switching off formula) been a big milk drinker. It often stressed me out as I would offer milk consistently, but she would not drink it. I gave her calcium and vitamin D enriched orange and apple juice instead of milk, figuring she just didn't like it. I also gave her appropriate calcium supplements depending on how much juice/cheese etc she had consumed during the day.

The past week, I have discovered she will drink flavored milk, her favorite being strawberry. Eagerly, I pounced upon this as I could control the amount of flavoring/sugar that she was getting in the drinks.

Coincidentally, this past week, she also has had more stomach issues this week. I have been trying to figure out if it is just a bug or whether it is something else.

Today for example...I have changed 3 poopy (nasty scale of 10+)pull-ups. Em only wears pull-ups when she sleeps at night/nap time - so to have 3 in one day is nasty! She has complained twice that her tummy hurt today and she has had 3 cups of milk today in total (breakfast, lunch and snack). So I am wondering if she is reacting to the milk or just has a bug? She is not acting sick,no fever or sluggishness etc which leads me to believe its the milk. And then my neurotic mind starts thinking maybe the reason she wouldn't drink milk before was that it made her tummy hurt but didn't express it? And by me flavoring it, she thinks it's a different drink??

So I will maybe switch her back to juice for a few days and see if that changes things? Gosh, will I ever feel secure I know what I am doing at this parenting thing???

Baby Talk

I often get asked if (and when) I am going to have another child. I often (and by often I mean about 50 times per day) think about it and weigh the pro's and con's. Invariably, the conversation turns to Maddie and that is the selling point. If someone could guarantee me that should I get pregnant, I would get to hold a living, breathing baby at the end of my pregnancy, I would go drag Keith's butt inside and get to work on it.

However, as you all know, no one can do that. So, instead I toss and turn about it.

The Pro's
A baby
A sibling for Emmy to grow up with
A baby

Con's
The chance of repeating the pain I felt at Maddie's passing.
I am 35, which means that whole "Advanced Maternal Age" thing which basically means higher risk, which I would be anyhow because of Maddie.

I know that my baby ache is amplified as I have a pregnant coworker who is absolutely adorable with her belly(she is due in June).

I would love to get pregnant tomorrow. However, I need to lose weight and I need to have my blood pressure meds changed to something that is safe in pregnancy. My hope is that by losing weight, I can get off the meds as my blood pressure spiked in pregnancy with Maddie and after I broke my ankle when I gained way too much weight. However, the weight loss is slow.

So, the final word on the subject? Yes, I want another child, my body aches to feel a baby move again, however...

"Where did it come from?"

"Why?" phase passed? Check.

This weekend, Emmy has entered into a new phase. She asks where everything comes from. I do mean everything. From the food she is eating to the shampoo I wash her hair with to the grass on the lawn. Everything. Anything. Cannot escape the questions.
Ah, I kid about trying to wanting to escape the questions. It is cute and it's all learning. It's just how many times can you say something came from the store? Or from a friend? Or from the store?

I admit I have started to mix it up a bit and answer "China" or "Auntie Poppy's" to keep myself fresh and excited about the questions. It doesn't phase her in the least either way.

Happy Mother's Day

I sit here and contemplate my third 'Mother's Day' blog post, and I cannot believe that this little wonder of a girl has been in our lives for three years. I know I will say it every year, but the past three years seem to have passed in an instant.

I took this picture this morning - Emmy actually gave those flowers to me on Friday when I picked her up from Daycare. Each child made one for their Mom - and it was so adorable. Emmy is so proud of hers, pointing out the stickers she put on the holder, "See the bumblebee sticker, Mommy? A bee goes Bzzzzz!" etc about all the stickers (there are about 20-30 of them)

Some recent favorite moments courtesy of Em:
Last night as I watched the Vancouver Canucks game, she was cheering "Go 'nucks go" beside me without any promting from me, she just started chanting it.
When she got her glasses and told me that she was beautiful, just like her Mommy.


I know Mother's Day is to honor the Mother, but I wouldn't be one without my Emmy. I am just so grateful and thankful for her. She brings our lives focus, constant entertainment, and so much love. I could not ask for more.

Bespectacled Emmy

Optical Appointment

Emerson went to the Optometrist today for her first check-up. She was referred from Northern Health as she didn't pass one portion of her eye check-up at the preschooler health day last Saturday. On their referral, she passed everything except they noted her left eye was not at a passing level. Today, it was determined that Emmy needs glasses, and a pretty strong prescription at that. Since I wear glasses and have since I was 14, I am not terribly surprised, but am a bit sad about it. I was truly hoping she would get to miss out on that 'treat'.

I worry that she will be teased in elementary school. I was never teased for my glasses, as I was older when I got them. The amount of teasing I got in elementary school about my weight...I shudder... Kids are merciless.

So we picked out some cute frames and paid for them (ouch!) Thankfully, my insurance from work will reimburse $200 which is 2/3 the cost anyhow. Thank you, insurance! I just got paid yesterday, and I'm broke already - daycare, car insurance, and now Em's glasses off the one paycheck. OUCH! As Keith always says - you can't take it with you.

Holidays, dentist and more...

I have been home with Emmy for the past 11 days as her daycare was closed for holidays. It has been utterly fantastic to have this time with her - waking up when we were ready to, not to an alarm - having the time to spend together. We went swimming twice and she is signed up for lessons for June. We also went shopping, had lunch out, and just enjoyed the time together.

On Saturday, I took her to a development check put on by Northern Health. Emmy was tested at the 42 month level (she is 38 months) and she scored above average in all categories (fine & gross motor skills, problem solving, and communication) which is fantastic. The only thing she couldn't do was say her full name(first, middle and last) as we have never taught it to her - just her first name obviously, and she couldn't throw a ball overhand (we always encourage underhand). Her vision/hearing was fine. They did recommend an eye test as they noticed something with her left eye, so we are heading there next Saturday.

I took her for her first dentist visit today which went perfect. No cavities and Emmy was an angel for the dentist and hygienist. She had her first cleaning completed and laughed when she had to use the suction - it was very cute.

We are back to the grind tomorrow - back to work and daycare. Makes me a bit sad but I know I am lucky to have a job that has such good hours, and EDO days (every second Monday off with pay) to give me that extra time with her that other working Mom's may not get. I am thankful for that.

Emmy's first driving lesson

When will it be spring???

Click the picture for a larger view.

Easter Sunday

Emmy's Easter Basket full of toys, and the basket to collect eggs

I have to tell you, this day has been just amazing with Emmy. I could not have asked for a better one at all.

Emmy slept with me last night, as she has been requesting lately. I don't mind at all, as it gives me a sense of peace to see her and to hear her sleep soundly beside me. We watched Dora the Explorer before drifting off to sleep.Keith, as usual was snoring on the couch downstairs.
This morning when we awoke, I bathed her and then we went downstairs where I had hidden 9 eggs with toys in them, 3 Dora eggs and 6 Little People, for Em to have a small egg hunt. Then she opened her Easter Basket that had a Princess theme,. It had a Princess dress, tiara, earrings, ring and wand. It also came with limited candy which was a big selling feature for me!

Emmy also got a new game for her Leap Pad My First Computer, appropriately a Disney Princess one which Em absolutely adores. Keith then took her up to see Grandma for a couple of hours (I didn't go as I am not feeling well).

I rested as they were gone, and the first thing Em did when she came home was hug me and tell me that she missed me. Awwwwww. Then later as I was on my computer, she said that she wanted to sit on my lap because she loved me. Double Awwwwwwwww.

My little girl makes me so happy.

Noodles & Ichiban

My intent of this video was to capture what Emmy stated her plans were that day, which originally were to go visit Grandma and Aunty Poppy after putting on her stylin' hat. Of course, once the camera was on, her plans changed to shopping for "noodles and Ichiban". Ahh to be young again...

Emmy and the Easter Bunny

Click the picture to enlarge


As you can see, Em's picture with the Easter Bunny went far better than last year's Santa picture. However, Emmy still was not too excited about it once we were there. All week, I had been telling her we were going to visit the Easter Bunny on Thursday, and she was extremely excited. Then when we got there, she got all shy and wouldn't smile. She also looks like she is trying to get away from the bunny. Despite no smiles, she is adorable and was so cute afterward when she got her bunny ears and was pretending to be a bunny and hopping around.

I think they call it quirky

As Em was napping today, I played Monopoly on the computer. You know, 'cause the house cleans itself.

As I kicked the computer player's asses, I actually felt bad for them.

I felt bad for a computer generated player. There must be something wrong with me.

Birthday party for Chris and Tony

Emmy (posing so nicely when Mom asked her to smile pretty) with 4 year old Christopher




Check out the height difference between Tony & Em...Tony will be 3 in April and, of course Em has been 3 for over a month.









On March 21, 2009 My friend Poppy had a joint birthday party for her two boys Christopher who is turning 4 and Anthony (Tony) who is turning 3. She picked Emmy up from daycare and I met them at her house after work. After having cake and presents at Poppy's, we went to Bubba Baloos for some playtime. It was a fun night all-in-all. Emmy chose some beads as her present with the tickets we won in the arcade, which some kid promptly stole from her. The worker gave her 3 replacement neckkaces, which made Em look like she was auditioning for "Girls Gone Wild", but cured the tears.

Backyardigans Concert

On March 18, 2009, Keith and I took Emmy to see the Backyardigans live in concert. As we had seen Sesame Street Live a few months earlier, our hopes were high for this concert, since Sesame Street was awesome.

Sadly, we were disappointed.

Given, I was worried as Backyardigans is not Emmy's favorite show, but she was really excited to go. I figured seeing them live would help.

My first and foremost complaint would be that there was a lack of audience interaction. The characters never once left the stage to interact with the audience, and outside of one character, they never really involved the audience at all.

Second complaint was that one of the 'characters' was just a stuffed animal being moved by a very obvious set person. They would crouch on stage and move the stuffed animal around. So.very.lame.

Overall, I would say it was quite boring, not at all well-produced, and even the characters didn't seem to know what they were doing. Emmy actually wanted to go home at intermission, but we did stay until the bitter end.

Emmy at 3 years

At 3 years Emmy;

• weighs 32 lbs which puts her in the 65 percentile for weight
• is exactly 3 feet tall which puts her in the 28th percentile for height
• can sing the entire alphabet song without any help
• can recognize and count numbers to 20
• Her favorite toys include her Dora mermaid, her Ariel doll, her ponies and her coloring books
• Her favorite shows are The Little Mermaid trilogy, Alladin, Beauty and the Beast, pretty much anything with a Princess in it, and the old standbys old Wiggles and Dora/Diego.
• Her eyes seem to be continually changing and now I would say they are no longer blue, but rather green/hazel mix.
  

We will be going to the Backyardigans live show in a few weeks which should be lots of fun.

"I'm missing a piece, Mommy!"

Oh the fun I am going to have when Emmy is 17 and I can show her the stories I have on here...coincidentally for the world to see.

Last night, I was getting Emmy ready to go out for dinner and she was looking at her 'girl parts'. She says, rather startled, "There is a hole in me, Mommy! I am missing a piece!"

After I stopped giggling and was able to regain composure, I assured Emmy, that she was absolutely perfect.

Recent tidbits...

Last week, Keith had put his back out, which was causing him great pain when moving, especially when standing from a sitting position. Unfortunately, he tended to curse when he did this, usually muttering under his breath. No worries, right?

Until last Sunday when Em was fighting with the blanket as she was laying down to sleep. Frustrated, Em said, "Sonofabitch" which coincidentally was the phrase Keith was muttering all the week prior. I had to leave the room I was laughing so hard and I didn't want Emmy to think I was encouraging that language.She hasn't said it since, thankfully!

****

This morning, when Emmy needed her night diaper changed, she specifically asked for Keith to do it. I cannot say I felt slighted. The closer we get to having her fully potty trained, the more tedious the diaper changes seem. Maybe it is because they are fewer and we are getting out of practice???
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When I was growing up, I remember my Mom constantly complaining about my naked Barbie dolls all over the playroom. Okay, Mom, your revenge is sweet and complete. Emmy got a lovely Ariel mermaid Barbie for her birthday from Kadence and Landon, and once home, Ariel was out of her box has not seen clothes since, let alone her other doll in the picture who she has had since Christmas and I have yet to see her dressed. What is that sound?? Is it my Mother laughing?

Videos from Em's birthday

Fun on the slides...




Opening presents at home from Mom & Dad
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Fun with the blowy things LOL Yes, that's a technical term.

Emmy's Third Birthday Party

On February 22, 2009, Emmy had her first 'official' birthday party (meaning with friends) at Bubba Baloos (a childrens play center) in town. All her daycare friends were invited, and most came. Tatiana, Kadence (Emmy's closest friends at daycare), Caitlin, Landon (Kadence's little brother)all came to join in the fun. My best friend Poppy brought her two boys Christopher and Tony, and her older boys Vinnie and Eric as well (they played laser tag) Everyone had a great time.

My baby girl is three!!! Where has time gone????

Pictures from the party are below:

Three years ago today...

I went to work at PG Taxi where I was an administrative assistant/data entry clerk/payroll guru/girl who did everything and 2 1/2 hours later I left to go to the hospital to check in for my C-section. I could have stayed at work as my c-section didn't happen until 7 that evening...but that's all 20/20 hindsight.

Three years ago today, my little girl was born and our lives changed in that instant, for the better.

Happy birthday my precious Emerson Faith...Mommy and Daddy love you more than words can express.

I will post pics tonight and from her party on Sunday...

Pictures & small update

I have been sick since Thursday, so nothing witty today. I have also had to reformat my computer not once, but twice since then, so possibly lots of swearing.
A few cute tidebits courtesy of Emmy:
"Look at my boobies!" (then she dissolves into giggles)
"Look at my tail" (she puts both legs in one pant leg, which of course ends badly with her falling) See below for why...
She is absolutely OBSESSED with all things Mermaid. She asks to watch the three movies constantly, pretends to be a mermaid in the bath, and constantly talks about them.

Otherwise, we are still chugging along with potty training - and all seems normal on that front. I cannot believe in less than a month, my baby is going to be 3!!

Here are some cute pics I took last night of Emmy and her Daddy

Emerson versus the crayon

Not sure if she was trying to use the crayon as a lipstick, or whether she was channeling her inner Joker. Either way, the end result was a trip to the bath.

Who is this child???

My disclaimer: I am in no way complaining.

Today, Emmy asked to use the potty every time she needed to go, and was successful with both peeing and pooping on the potty. She wore a diaper only for her nap and bedtime - she went diaper less at all other times of the day. Huge, HUGE step forward for Emmy!

She is possibly in the midst of a growth spurt as my normally picky and slight eater was an eating machine today! She had Rice Krispies for breakfast (and asked for seconds - which I nearly fainted at as she has NEVER asked for seconds of anything except freezies!) She had Dora 'soup' for lunch and ate a healthy amount of brown rice and veggies for dinner. Add in her snacks and her actually asking for food several times today, and you have a very surprised Mom!

It's all good - just Em keeping me on my toes as usual.

Because I know this is important to you,,,

After my previous post about potty training, I have backed off considerably with Em. Basically, if she asked to go, we would absolutely encourage it - but we left it in her court. Since then, she has peed successfully on the potty after asking several times.

Today Emmy went poop on the potty (which she has been avoiding like the plague) unprompted, and unassisted. She nonchalantly pulled down her pull up, went potty, and (thankfully) yelled to me, "Mommy, I went peepee in the potty!" I went over to inspect and it was full of poop! I then thanked the heavens that she hadn't chosen to sit on anything before yelling to me *gag*

So, it was celebration time in this house today as she absolutely refused to go before...she would wait to poop when her diaper was put on at nap time or bedtime.

Huge step forward for Emmy! Yahooo!

Recent favorite things

• Whenever I say to Emmy, "Aww you are my little baby girl," Emmy says,

"No, Mommy I am not a baby, my name is Emerson". It just makes me giggle.

• When Emmy asks to watch Madagascar, it sounds like "Magic-car-car"

Happy New Years....

Just like that, the eagerly anticipated holiday season comes to a close. It was a good year, with a few resolutions for 2009.

• Lose weight.
• Potty train Emmy (sooner rather than later please!)
• Continue to work hard at work and do the best job I can do.
• Be a good friend, a good partner, and a great Mom.

Potty training is not going well - Em refuses to go on the potty - will hold pee/poop until we put a diaper on her for nap or bed. When awake, we constantly ask her if she wants to use the 'big one' (bathroom) and she has access to the regular potty whenever she is in the living room (most of the time). I just don't know where to go from here. I want to leave it for her to do and be ready for but it seems like we've gone backwards here.

Ugh

More Christmas video

Merry Christmas from our house to yours...

I started this week on a low note as I received a call Monday morning from my Dad that my Grandma passed away late Sunday night. That weighed heavily on my mind since as I couldn't make the trip south to pay my respects to the woman I dearly loved. Between work, Christmas and bad weather all across the province, there is just not much I could do to get down there. But I did send flowers, and a letter sending my love.

I was worried that this would impact Christmas, but thankfully, watching Emmy in her glory opening gifts made my sadness disappear. This was the first year she really 'got' Christmas. She was so excited opening gifts this morning...it made my week.

This morning we spent as a family, then we went to Keith's brother's for Christmas dinner. It was a great day. We all got spoiled rotten gift-wise.











Video
Emmy unwrapping her Dora doll

Ahhh...men

Keith and I had our very first outing together today without Emmy. Grandma offered to babysit, so off we went to eat and shop for a couple hours without Em. It felt so weird to not have her there. We either have Emmy with us or she is at home with the other parent.

So, Keith and I decide to go for lunch. Our first childless lunch date in 34 months. Where does Keith suggest to go?

Arby's. Because they have roast beef, you know.

I told him in no uncertain terms that 1. I did not want to go somewhere with a drive-thru, and 2. I would be blogging about this later.

For the record, we went to Boston Pizza...and it was yummy.

Birthday Party

Emmy was invited to a birthday party for one of her daycare friends this past week. It was held at Bubba Baloos, which is a cool indoor activity centre in Prince George. Emmy had never been, so I was excited to see how she would enjoy it.(For the record, she loved it)


Here are some pics and video from the afternoon.