December 2008 Photos

We have been quite busy the month of December. Please enjoy all of our photos!!

http://photos.walmart.com/shareethumbnailshare/AlbumID=41560308/albumcount=1/p=699271230428584782/l=15199835/g=3242809/cobrandOid=1011/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB/pns/share/p=699271230428584782/l=15199835/g=3242809/cobrandOid=1011/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Emily Kaslyn Turns ONE!!!

It's hard to believe that a year ago today - we had a teeny tiny infant in our arms. It's been a good year, an unforgetable year, and we've all grown a lot in our lives. Emily has been an absolute blessing, and we are so happy to have her as our daughter.

She had a great first birthday party. We had lots of friends and family here. Thanks everyone!

Here are some pictures from her special day:

Mom & Dad helping Em open her presents-

A family picture-

Her birthday cakes -

Diving in!!!

Yummy!!!

Thanks again everyone for all the presents - and for coming!!!

Walker Family Christmas

Emily has been quite busy...this is her 3rd and LAST Christmas for 2008--held the day after Christmas. Mom, Dad, Casey and Mike came over to celebrate with us. Winnie and Otis had a great time playing together. Emme had fun playing with all her new toys.

Here are a few pics:

Here's Em in all the wrapping paper-

Mom, Dad and Emme -

Mike FINALLY got his Griddle!! Yay Mike!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas at the Hanson's

On Christmas Day, we went to Bonnie and Tom's to celebrate. The food and the company was fabulous as always!!!


Here's Tom's LARGE remote:





Emme eating Grandma's yummy Banana Cream Pie! Yum!!




Em with Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Tom:



Family pic:




Kacey's teeny belly!


Our princess angel:

Christmas Eve

Surprisingly, Santa came to our house on Christmas Eve. He had a lot of houses to hit on Christmas Day, so he thought he'd get ours out of the way first. Emily's first Christmas was great. It was just Kory, Emily, me, Otis (the dog) and Aunt Bea (the cat). So it was special to be just our little family.

Here's Em sitting by the tree and getting ready to rip them open!



Here's mommy with her new necklace that Em (a.k.a Daddy) got her for Christmas. It's GEORGOUS! It is diamonds and tanzanite (Em's birthstone).



Here's Dad giving Emme kisses



Here's Em with her new basketball game. She loved it. Nice job Santa!!



Otis even got a present. Ya think the bone is big enough??



Merry Christmas Everyone!!
Love,
The Marions

Fly Swatter?

We think Emily has a new profession to "aim" high for:

Snow Day!

Well Emme and I are stuck home on this beautiful snow day. It really is pretty outside - especially because we don't have to go anywhere and Daddy is home safe and sound. It's been a rough December already for our truck drivers!!

Thought I'd post some pics from the last week or two.

This is what happens when your skinny baby has a HUGE head! If the shirt fits her shoulders, then I can't get it off her head. Too funny. Thanks Grammy for putting some buttons on it for me!

First taste of sugar cookie frosting..Yummy!

I think Em ate a little TOO much frosting!!!

Madi and Maya came over last night to give Em her birthday present. Thanks girls!!! You are so much fun!

Emily will be 1 in a week from today. I can't believe how fast this first year has gone. In a way, I am sad that she is no longer a baby - she on to her toddler years. I am happy to have had such a wonderful first year with her though. She's just such a special part of our lives. We love you Em! Stop growing so fast.

Visit with Santa

Emily got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what she wanted for her first Christmas. We all wonder what she told him!!!

Our Trip to Indiana

We went to Indiana for Kory's Grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. I say "we" loosely because Kory didn't make it down so it was just me and Emme. We left on Friday morning with Bonnie, Kacey, Tony and Kalli. It was a fun trip down! Em did great. Then Friday we went to dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Carol and Uncle Jim. It was lots of fun. Saturday morning - Tom and Kory were supposed to head down, but the roads were too icy and decided they better stay home. So we got up early and went to Grandma Marion's for a visit - it was nice to see her, Randy and Bernita. Then we went to the anniversary party at The Good Table. Yummy! There were lots of family there and everyone had a good time. Then we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house and relaxed for a few hours. Em got in a great nap, so I was happy about that. Then we all went to church together. After church we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's for another meal of appetizers. It was delicious and we were stuffed!!! We got back to the hotel around 10:30 and crashed. Then Sunday morning we got up, had some breakfast and got back on the road. It was a fun weekend - but exhausting! I was busy taking care of Emily - so I didn't get a chance to take many pics. Here are a few:


Em with Aunt Cheryl & Uncle John:


Em with Aunt Kalli (home from Portland):


Happy 60th Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!!!


Emme and Mommy all dressed up:

Mommy and Daddy-to-be:

Also wanted to thank Kalli for keeping Em overnight on Sunday night. Gave us some time to relax and enjoy the day. Kory had to work Sunday night - but it was still nice.

Christmas Tree?

I know - it's been 3 years since we put up a Christmas tree. We decided it was time with a little one roaming around. She deserves to have a real Christmas. So we did some decorating - but nothing too over the top. Thanks to Auntie Ali for making Em her stocking. She loves it!!!

Emme is 11 Months Old

One more month until my little peanut is 1 year old. I can't believe how fast this year has gone. She was busy this month with learning how to Christmas shop like the pro's, wearing an adorable flower Halloween costume, and playing with all her new friends. We put up our tree today (YES! WE actually put up a xmas tree) and she is loving to gently touch the ornaments. Let's hope the tree can remain standing for another 4 weeks!!!

Emme got to meet her new teeny tiny friend named Anika yesterday. She even got to hold her hand which was so cute. Thanks Matt & Brenda! She's adorable. Em had her first TWO turkey days on Thursday. Her first one was at Grandma Bonnie's and the second was at Aunt CeCe's. She loved all the fixin's.

She is still sick and we're all hoping she starts to feel better soon. It's been a long month with her being sick non-stop. So please wish her well!!!

Here's some cute new videos from this month:






Here's the 11 month photo link as well: http://photos.walmart.com/shareethumbnailshare/AlbumID=37816958/albumcount=1/p=792301228094124244/l=15108841/g=3242809/cobrandOid=1011/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB/pns/share/p=792301228094124244/l=15108841/g=3242809/cobrandOid=1011/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Why Kory doesn't work in an office....

The Cutest Baby Ever

Ok - so we might be a little biased.

It's been a while...

Apologies for not writing more often, it's been a busy couple of weeks. Since the last post a lot has happened. Let's see..Grammy kept Emme at her house for 4 whole days so mommy could work on a big work project. I missed her a lot - but I was able to get some work in. We also went to Kacey and Tony's Halloween party and had a great time! The following weekend - Kory and I went on a date while Kacey and Tony babysat Em for us. We went to a movie, dinner and out for ice cream...and we were home by 6:30pm. ha ha Only WE could do that and still have a great time!! Work has been busy. Kory's busy getting the semi ready for winter. We are not looking forward to another WI winter with a lot of snow predicted again. Hopefully they are wrong!!

Emily has been sick NON-STOP since the end of October. Everyone keeps telling me - "welcome to motherhood". It's awful!! She started out with a stomach bug and was very sick for 5 days. I stayed home with her for 3 full days and tried to get her to eat the best I could. She ended up losing 1 lb which is a lot for my 18 lber :) We even had to take her to the Dr to get her to give a urine sample. Good luck getting a 10 month old to pee in a bag - especially when she wasn't eating or drinking anything! Finally we got her to pee and everything was okay. It was just a virus that need to work it's course. Then as soon as she felt better from that - she got a nasty cold. Started out with a bad cough that lasted about a week, then turned into a runny nose and congestion - and just this past weekend turned into a cough that sounds like croup!! I swear it's been one thing after another. Oh! I forgot - after the start of her cold - she got conjunctivits (eye infection) and had to get her very first prescription. It was quite funny because Grandpa Randy (aka Dr. Marion - the eye Dr!!!) called it into Walgreens for us and I went to pick it up. The pharmacist asked me about Emily's info then said who is the referring physician....I said Dr. Marion. She was like..oh...is that her Daddy? I said...NOPE! Her Grandpa :) Too cute! We'll have to save the prescription label for her baby book.

Here are some new pics:

I want to eat those cheeks!!

Emily's first Christmas present- (from Aunt Kristen)

Em's first prescription -Eye Drops from Grandpa Randy-

Yummy - I am a messy eater!!!

First Haircut

Grammy (Hair Stylist Extraordinaire) gave Emme her very first haircut on Friday night. It was just a trim, but it was much needed.

Before

After

Thank you Grammy!!

Mommy even saved a few hair clippings for Em's baby book.

Halloween Road Trip

Emily's first Halloween was a BUSY evening!! Kory and I got her dressed in her cute flower costume and then we went across the street to see Kathy, Andy and the boys. After that, Emme and Mommy drove up to Columbus to see Shelly, Jason and the girls. They were so cute in their costumes. Madi was Daphne from Scooby Doo and Maya was Minnie Mouse. After Columbus, we drove to see Aunt Kacey. She was very excited to see Emily in her costume. Then we drove the short drive to Aunt CeCe's and Uncle Mike's. By this point, Emily was getting a little fussy!!! So we didn't stay too long and headed next to Grandma Bonnie's and Grandpa Tom's house. We stayed there for a bit and fed her some dinner. Then packed her up again and headed down to Grammy and Grandpa's in Illinois. Wow that was a busy evening. Emily did good getting in and out of her costume at each stop!!! The flower was too puffy to wear in her carseat. I think she enjoyed her first halloween.

Sun Prairie to Columbus =16 miles
Columbus to Cottage Grove = 23 miles
Cottage Grove to Cambridge = 13 miles
Cambridge to Johnsburg = 70 miles

Halloween Road Trip = 122 miles!!!

She also wore her cute skeleton shirt on Thursday, so thought we'd post that pic too:

A Card from a Friend

I received a card from a very good friend a few weeks ago when I was going through a rough patch. I keep it posted at my desk and I read it almost every day.

I believe in you...
in your spirit,
your goodness,
in the way that you face each day
with a commitment
to your life
and the things
that really matter.
I believe in the decisions you make,
in the careful consideration
you give each challenge,
in the perseverance
you've shown
when others might have given up.
I believe that you possess
an extraordinary strength
and endless reserve of resilience-
even more than you realize.
You are a person of enormous courage,
someone truly special
in this world,
a rare and beautiful gift
to all of us...
And I hope you'll never forget
that I believe in you.


Thank you for that card. It is so special to me. I am so thankful to have you (and your Harry Potter wand) in my life.

More Emme Videos

Here are some videos that Kory took of Emily playing in his office:

Daddy - what is wrong with this STUPID door???




Oh...now I got it. What is in here?

Standing Up Video

Here is the video I was talking about - Emily is standing up all by herself for the FIRST time!!!

Double Digits!!

Emily is 10 months old today. Happy October! We can't believe it's almost Halloween already - where did the summer go?
Emme surprised us this weekend by pulling herself up to her knees and then to her feet!!!! I think we will have a walker by Christmas, but we'll see. She is always on the go.

She has been very sick the last week though. We are not sure what she had, but it was no fun for any of us. I missed 3 days of work and she was very sick. We took her to urgent care and to her regular doctor. It was not fun spending 3 hrs at the clinic trying to get a 10 month old to give a urine sample!! Especially one who wasn't peeing because she'd hardly eaten anything in 3 or 4 days. She did finally pee in the bag and they ran some tests, but everything came back fine. Which meant what she had was viral and had to work it's course. When her underarm temp was up to 100.8 on Fri, I was freaking out!!! Finally she woke up Sat morning with a smile - and I was so excited!! I had my baby back - sort of!!!! She is a bit needy right now - so I hope she is good for Chris tomorrow. Seems all she wants is mommy....constantly - and sometimes even mommy can't "fix" it. So I'm not sure if she's still a bit under the weather or if she is just feeling super attached.

We haven't taken any pics since the last time we uploaded, so here is the same link again for her 10 month pics: http://photos.walmart.com/share/p=483201224549798055/l=14955462/g=3242809/cobrandOid=1011/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

We do have a video or two that we want to post, but haven't had time to upload them, so I will try to do that this week sometime.

Happy Halloween!!
Teresa, Kory & Emme

Last Swimming Lesson

Emme had her last swim lesson on October 15th. I am just a little behind in updating it. She got her first "report card" and aced it with flying colors! yay!





Grandma Bonnie came to watch - in her sling and all! Here's a pic of Emme and Grandma before we left for the pool:

Grandma Bonnie had rotator cuff surgery about a month ago. Hurry up and recover Grandma :)

I love being a mommy!

I got to spend the last 5 full days with my daughter and I have to say I really do love being a mommy. I find it completely amazing that you can love this little person with every ounce of your being. Every day is an adventure and she is learning and growing and turning into this beautiful little girl - both inside and out.

I took off Thursday, Friday and Monday to visit with my family down in Illinois. My Grandma (Dad's mom) and my Aunt Carol (Dad's sister) flew in from South Carolina on Thursday and then Cori, Jeff and the girls flew in on Friday. We had such a nice time! On Saturday we celebrated my cousin Jeanna's wedding at a reception (they got married in Jamaica a few weeks ago)which was lots of fun - although a little chilly for the kiddos. Then on Sunday we went to Harms Farm (my aunt and uncle's place) and had lots of fun playing on the pumpkin train ride, the fun house, the petting zoo and even the jump house. Ok - so Emme couldn't do everything - but she got to watch her cousin Mikaiya have a blast!!

Other than that we just hung out with the fam and went to bed early! ha ha Three kids under the age of 3 were EXHAUSTING! But we had lots of fun. Everyone helped out with the kids and made it all seem easy.

Although I woke up this morning and got Emme out of her pack n play and noticed she stunk - but not like poops. It was dark in the basement (our sleeping quarters), so I brought her upstairs and turned the light on and she was covered in vomit. Ugh! I was like OH NO! Of course she was smiley as always, but stinky!!! I guess she must have gotten sick at some time during the night. I am so thankful she didn't choke or anything - although I had the monitor on her but I was still so worried. Today she seems a little cuddly and affectionate, but hasn't gotten sick again.

Here are some fun pics from the weekend:

The girls playing-

Emme, Mikaiya and Braenna - the 3 grandkids-

Aunt Cori playing with Mikaiya and Em-

Great Grandma Harms (Mom's mom) with some of her great grandkids-

Emme all bundled up at the wedding reception-

Great Grandma Walker (Dad's Mom) with Emme-

Aunt Carol (Dad's sister) baking cookies with Mikaiya-

Here is the entire photo link for Emme Month 10 - I will continue to upload this month and post her official 10 month blog closer to her birthday. We just have a lot of pics from this past weekend and I wanted to share them all - http://photos.walmart.com/share/p=483201224549798055/l=14955462/g=3242809/cobrandOid=1011/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB