Hello from Florida!

We really have been having a wonderful time while down here, I feel like we live here again! It has been great to visit with so many family and friends- and it is just so nice and cheery to be outside.
We have been cramming in activity after activity that it is almost exhausting! Although- we did stay in our PJ's the other day until almost 3pm....but that is a rare exception- we were spending a lazy morning watching Mama Mia- what 18 month old doesn't love Mama Mia??
Our mini road trips are about done- we visited Gainesville & Orlando, and I think we have one more small trip down to Miami. Little Emma has become quite the traveler!

She loves loves loves playing outside. Especially since she has discovered sidewalk chalk. I like my theory of preferring she colors on the back patio instead of the front yard driveway... because if she falls in the pool I can just scoop her out.... but if she runs in the road- well... not so easy.


She wasn't very happy when I brought her inside. But-while playing outside with the bubbles, one accidentally popped in her eye and she was not happy about that, so I tried to rinse it with water....even MORE not happy about that.

Here she is planning her escape..........


...unfortunately she underestimated the size of her head when trying to escape through the doggie door.


Lucky us! We were able to squeeze in another visit with Catherine & Audrey while they were here visiting. Auntie Carrie came too- and Emma is in love.


Dancing with Carrie....


We celebrated Hanukah on one night all together when everyone was in town at the same time. This was such a fun night, and mom & dad prepared a delicious feast. I didn't get many pictures...but I DID get a snuggie blankie! woohoo!!!!!!! I'm looking forward to cozying up on the couch back home with my new blanket with sleeves!

Although it baffles me as her mother.... and is hard to admit.... but I do think my daughter much prefers her Aunt Stephanie over me!!!!!! She asks for her quite often, and when Steph walks in the room Emma begs to be held by her, no matter who is holding her/playing with her at the time!!!! This has been the case since she was a month old!!!!!


Visiting Grandma for Christmas. We were able to enjoy an extra day in Orlando this year and Emma got a lot of playing time with Grandma and her cousins. She spent several hours.. yes.. HOURS... in the playground with everyone and was then exhausted for the rest of the day.

She was showered with tons of stuffed animals... so many in fact that she thought their mini poodle was actually a stuffed animal and was trying to pick him up to play, so cute!

We enjoyed a nice lunch together after the playground and then opened presents the next morning.


Emma posing for the camera at dinner... I think she looks like a 'tough girl' in this picture, but my poor baby was just too exhausted to smile!


I didn't get very many pictures of Emma & Audrey playing together while we were visiting Gainesville.... they had a ton of fun together. Audrey remembered Emma from their last visit, but I think Emma is still too young to really remember. When we arrived Emma was too busy exploring all of Audrey's toys instead of playing WITH Audrey... but she eventually warmed up!
The two girls played and giggled together and it is just so sweet to watch.

We brought them to a gymnastics playcenter- Emma LOVED the trampoline, and spent most of her time jumping on the trampoline or playing in the foam pit. Here she is rolling around in the pit- it was extremely difficult for her to maneuver around in there.


Peek-A-Boo! ....trying to climb out of the pit. (if you ignore the stuffy nose, I think this is the cutest picture ever!)

Road Trip!

Ahhh, finally! We got on the road last week Thursday morning to head down towards FL. Neither Felix nor I really knew what to expect, travelling with an 18month old and a dog, but we did it! The DVD player and lots of snacks were definitely the key to our successful trip!

And plenty of people warned us that we would drive each other crazy during the wild ride, but to both of our surprise... we didn't even get into one argument! It was really a nice mini family vacation and such a treat to get to spend so much time together.

(this picture was taken on our day trip to Miami.....I didn't get any pictures on our actual road trip to West Palm, but the car was a bit more crammed with stuff!)


We arrived on Saturday afternoon, just in time to enjoy a nice dinner with the family and celebrate Hanukah. Emma picked up the Hanukah traditions pretty quickly, knowing that the menorah needs candles picked out for it, she even started filling in the words to the Hanukah song, and then really enjoyed opening presents. By the 2nd night, she grabbed everyone's presents saying "open, open".


We had a great time visiting Lauren in Miami for her birthday. I especially enjoyed it....... Emma chased Lauren all over the place and had a blast- and then passed out the minute we got in the car!


Then, we threw a small surprise baby shower for my sister- can't believe we were able to keep it a secret the whole time, but we pulled it off!
Emma striking her usual pose for the camera.....

And the guest of honor.... due any day now!!!!

I'm so excited we will be here for the birth of our new baby nephew!!!

Oh Happy Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it really happening?????? Our kitchen cabinets have arrived!
This has been a long journey, and we are still quite a bit away from being finished, but my goodness, to sit in the living room and look over at our beautiful shell of a kitchen is simply amazing.

Prepping the room for paint...


Ceiling painted. Check. (except the purple paint that was supposed to dry white, didn't quite dry white. so we now have purple ceilings......nothing a coat of paint can't fix!).
Walls painted. Check.


Bring in the cabinets boys!!!!!!!!!!

.
Initial installation...


So there you have it! We have a HUGE peninsula, I'm talking.....EIGHT FEET LONG by FOUR FEET WIDE! I can't believe it!!! I thought it was only going to be 5 feet long, what a nice surprise!

I broke down and ordered laminate countertops. I was really trying to avoid them, but with granite still a few years away in our budget- and the tile seeming to be too big of a project, we went with the laminate. I'm told I won't be disappointed.... we won't see the finished project until we get back from FL, so I'll have to wait a while to see for myself!

Next in goes the tile on the kitchen floor. We have to touch up some paint before we leave town. Oh, so much to do and so little time. But we are ALL more than ready for a nice little vacation!

I am excited to post finished pictures once we get back.... and secretly hoping that maybe Santa will come down our chimney and sweep up all the construction mess off our floors while we are gone!

Show Me Your Muscles!

Tucking in Matti......

....and snuggling.


MUSCLES!!!!!

Cheek to Cheek

I told her to put her cheek to me and smile, and she did. But the camera was set for 3 flashes- and she sits there with her eyes closed, posing until the flashes are finished.......

.....so I changed the setting.....and look at how cute she is!

.....back to the closed eye pose....I was hysterical laughing while Felix took the picture.


Here is the tutu I made her for Halloween that she wants nothing to do with. Felix stuck it on her head, which I think is really the only way she lets us put it on her.

"SMILE!" that is what she calls the camera. What a great smile!




Lots of trucks in the driveway as the neighbors were having their driveway paved. The two of them were having a blast running from window to window watching. Emma was giggling as she ran across the house following Matti. Too cute!


Our little dancing machine! Enjoy.

We Hate The Cold!

On Wednesday, Emma & I met up with some friends at the park- but it was way too cold outside, I don't think anyone was having fun. Emma actually kept her little mittens on the whole time!


Stuffed in the swing with all her winter gear on. We played for about 20 minutes before ditching the park for Panera Bread with our friends for some warm lunch.


We came home for a quick nap and then met our friend Declan at the YMCA indoor playgym. Declan is fearless and so he is teaching Emma how to climb and jump. She was trying to follow him around and more often than not would end up going down head first on these things, but she still had fun! And she is endlessly teething, so still sporting the bib!


......nothing beats a hard day better than a chocolate covered pretzel before bedtime!

Happiness is ON THE WAY!

One month into the renovation, and the bathroom/laundry room are nearly done. We have some finishing touches left, but it feels nice to have a guest bathroom downstairs and to be able to do laundry in a nice bright & clean room.
Felix breaking in the washer/dryer in the new room for the first time! So exciting.





And here is phase 2. The kitchen.
The wall has been taken down (plastic sheeting is in place of old wall), support beam has been securely put in place, and we are just taking it day by day as work gets done. As soon as we can get the room framed, the floor leveled, electric and plumbing put in, and the drywall put back up- then we are ready to install the cabinets! Of course, after that we have to make the countertops and put down flooring.

It is definitely getting a little rough trying to survive without a kitchen, in a construction zone, with a ruthless, destructive, barking dog and a sweet playful toddler. Our house smells like sawdust when you walk in and it is nearly impossible to keep it even remotely clean. We have finally given in to frozen meals for dinners. I am exhausted, but thankful that we are really able to make this happen.

Halloween

Picking out a pumpkin at Adam's Farm (I need a new camera that is much more user friendly!).

feeding the goats

conversing with the cows

ahhhhh. true love.


Pumpkin carving time! Felix tried his hardest to carve Elmo out of this pumpkin with just a kitchen knife....




We went trick or treating in our friend Marcys neighborhood with the other kids...Emma was Elmo of course, and Felix- a Black Bear.

Also making their debut was the swine flu, the joker and his ladybugs



After she got her first treat, she promptly sat on the ground waiting to eat it. I thought this was going to be a very long night....

I think her favorite part was petting all the doggies that came to the door.

.....and by the end of the night, she was walking up to the doors by herself!