It’s beginning to look a lot like…

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That’s right boys and girls, Christmas! It’s just around the corner. Now that Emma is 2 years old and has a better understanding as to what Christmas means to her (Toys, Presents, Fun, etc.) we have been using the phrase, “Santa is watching” liberally as a disciplinary tool to keep Emma focussed on being good. Of course as a terrible two-year-old she has been calling our bluff and when asked if she is going to be naughty or nice she responds, “naughty”. It doesn’t matter that we remind her that Santa doesn’t bring toys to the homes of bad girls and boys, she insists that she is going to be “bad”. Hopefully Santa will be forgiving to our little brat.

In November Emma’s cousin Jessie came to visit for five days, and my parents came for four. It was nice to have visitors and Emma was extremely happy to see her Grandparents whom she had not seen in six months.

Emma’s vocabulary continues to impress us. She seems to express herself with new words every day and Elena and I constantly look at each other in wonder as we try to figure out where she learned a particular word or phrase.

“The Little Mermaid” and “Lady and the Tramp” have been played with such frequency that the DVD player no longer requires either disk as it can play them from memory.

Elena and I have been very busy ramping-up our business and are excited with where we are and how far we have come. That’s pretty much why I have been rather silent on Emma’s blog lately. Hopefully that will change as things stabilize.

Pictures From The Fair

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Emma and Owen posing for a quick photo opp.

This weekend, Elena, Emma, Jessie and Me went to the local fair. The theme was “Yesteryear Village” where we saw replicas of Saloons, Stables, Houses, Fire Stations, Churches, School Houses, etc. from the early 1900’s. It was a beautiful clear, sunny day, and the temperature was just right (a breezy 74 degrees). There were a lot of activities to do and Emma had a great time playing around and making arts and crafts. We met up with her buddy Owen and wandered around the fair together. The first attraction we encountered were the pony rides. Emma seemed to be somewhat indifferent to the animals until I tried to sit her on top of one. Although I was standing right next to her and promised to hold her the whole way through she immediately started to shake her head from left to right and began to wail. I tried to calm her with reassuring words but in the end we had to abort the mission. Perhaps next time.


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Next it was time for a little ring toss with Daddy…

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…and some of Emma’s world class kisses.

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A pirates Hat…

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A quick snack…

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A walk through the garden…

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Some arts & crafts…

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And a picture with a mule named Ted.

Hawaiian Delight

Emma got a visit from Aunt Jen, Uncle Fernando, and Cousin Jessie today. They will be heading back to Hawaii soon so they decided to spend the day playing with Emma. Although Emma is typically shy and reserved she warmed-up to them quickly. Uncle Fernando sped around with Emma in her new car, going-up and down driveways in the neighborhood which Emma thoroughly enjoyed. It was great to spend some time with them and hope to see them again this summer.

Things That Make You Go VRooooom!

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Yesterday Emma’s cousin Jessie gave her a brand new car. Emma was really excited and had a blast driving around in it. It’s fully-loaded with a trunk in the front and a horn on the wheel (which Emma promptly leaned on). A true Floridian indeed.

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Emma also got to meet her Uncle Fernando and Aunt Jennifer for the first time yesterday. It was great to see them.

If you could talk to the animals…

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Elena, Emma, and Jessie were invited to the zoo this week by Emma’s friend Owen. They had a great time looking at the animals together. Emma is also eating more and more solid food with each day. Elena and I put a plan together to wean her off breast milk and have been acting on it. As a result, Emma is sleeping though the night now which is a God-send for Elena and me. We also learned that we needed to let go a little with the baby monitor. We turned off the motion sensor when Emma turned 11 months because we were getting too many false alarms in the middle of the night due to her increased mobility. In the last month we also no longer sleep with the monitor “on” in our bedroom. Emma tends to cry and complain in her sleep. That sound, amplified and delivered to our bedroom ensures that her Mother and me don’t have a restful night. Our door is kept open so when Emma really wants us she cries out loud and we tend to her. It has done wonders for us. I only wish we would have thought to do that sooner. You live and learn I guess.

-Mark