Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma Welke

We got to spend the weekend before Christmas with grandpa and grandma.  Unfortunately, the kids were not feeling so well.  Grandma even got to take Dane to the doctor while they were up for a visit.  They both had croup and it hit Dane harder than ever.  They say it lasts up to 7 days....we are on day 8 currently and he is still not 100%.

 They loved their gifts!!!  Maddie asked for Saige and Dane wanted more sports gear. They also got an awesome microphone.  Thank you g-ma, g-pa and Cesta Family! :)

 We also got to celebrate G-pa's birthday!

Emerson

 Papo getting some time with Em's.  She usually gives him some big old smiles!

 Emerson loves to lay on the floor, stretch out and look at the lights on the Christmas tree.  She made this Christmas season even more joyful for us.  I just can't get enough of her! :)

My 5 Year Old on Sprout!!

We submitted a birthday message to Sprout the Friday before Maddie's birthday (which was on a Monday) on a whim.  We didn't think there was any possible way she would get on the show, so you can imagine how surprised we were when we saw her.  I started screaming, then Maddie and Matt.  It was so funny and Maddie had the cutest smile on her face the rest of the night.  Such a fun way to end her birthday! :)

Maddie (5 year) and Emerson (2 month) Doc Visits

I have a bunch more to add, but wanted to get this down before it's forgotten!

Maddie:
38 lbs. (25-50%)
43 1/4" (75%)

Emerson:
10 lbs. 14 oz. (50%)
23" (75%)
Head - 37 cm (25%)

 The girls have a lot in common!  They are both long and lean, have dry, sensitive skin and make me stay away from dairy (If I consume, they spit up like crazy).  We will see if Emerson has as much energy as Maddie.  Maddie was a bit longer and heavier than Emerson at the same age.  Madeline is quite a hyper child and showed this to the doctor today.  The doctor told Madeline that she was funny and Maddie responded with, "You are too!" Maddie's shy side is pretty much gone.

5 Year Old

We had a small party for Maddie's 5th Birthday.  She wanted a snowflake theme and REALLY wanted a pinata.  On her actual birthday we went to the EXPLORATORIUM and she loved it.  Matt has made a tradition of taking the day or 1/2 of the day off work to do something fun for her birthday.

Maddie's 5 Year Letter

I have written my kiddo's letters on their birthdays, but haven't posted them to the blog.  After realizing that some are missing, I decided to start including them on the blog.  I need all of the organizational help I can get at the moment!


Dear Maddie,

My first baby girl is 5 years old today.  The big event this year was becoming a big sister again!  This time you really knew what was going on and embraced your role from the second you learned what was happening.  You are always so good with Emerson and will often call her your baby.  She is very lucky to have such a loving big sister.   You and Dane are buddies and the two of you look out for each other and play so well together.  Together, you attend preschool at Grace, sports class, choir and Sunday school.  If you get something, such as a lollipop from TJ’s, and Dane isn’t with you, you always ask if your brother can have one.  If someone treats him unfairly, you don’t like it one bit.  He is the same way with you.  I hope that you two continue to support each other and love each other the way that you do now!

You completed another year of preschool and continue to amaze us with your quick learning ability.  You learned to write your name this year and your drawing has improved.  You are also learning how to read and are such a little eager learner.  Your shy side is going away as well and you are becoming Miss Personality!  You are still a little quick to cry – still working on this, little Miss!!!  You also know what is right and wrong and you will fight for what is right!  You love doing arts and crafts and are into the Rainbow Loom at the moment.  You also enjoy playing with your American Girls and love taking pictures.  You like to dress yourself and you are still my fancy girl.  You don’t ever want to wear pants unless you can wear a skirt over them.  You definitely prefer dresses and would wear one every day if you could.  You are a bit messy – I am worried what your room will look like when you are a teenager!   You also enjoy your sweets and put your hands into everything.  You are a very tactile kiddo and sometimes that gets you into trouble.  You love playing with all of your cousins and they are your best friends.  You are still a bit of a mama’s girl, but you and daddy are very close as well.  You’ve been going to Indian Princess outings and enjoy trips to ABT and Home Depot with Daddy (whom you are calling sock these days).  You and daddy take a sock off each other and it becomes this big silly game.  You act like you don’t really like it, but you do.  You still come into our room when you wake up and climb into bed with us.  You’ve done this for as long as we can remember and it is a great way to start the day.  The only exception is when grandpa and grandma stay the night.  In that case, you head straight to their room with a handful of stuffed animals for them to sleep with.

Maddie Grace, we love you so very much.  You are growing up so quickly and I really can’t believe you are 5 years old.  We will continue to enjoy every hug, kiss and special project made just for us.  Thank you for all of the joy you’ve brought into our lives.  Keep being creative, kind and for just being you.

I love you to the moon and back,
Mom

A Letter To My Emmie Girl

Dear Emerson,

We are so overjoyed with your arrival into our family!  You can’t understand the amount of love we have for you.  You have been such a good baby.  Your dad and I weren’t sure if you were a boy or a girl, but I think we both thought that you just might be a boy.  (Many people I would run into out and about would tell me that I was having a boy, based on the way I was carrying you.)  During the first trimester, I thought you were a girl!  Maddie adores you and has been calling you her little goober girl.  Dane loves you too and talks to you in the sweetest voice.  He tells you, “You’re such a cute baby!”  Your cousins want to touch you and love to look at you.  You are the easiest little newborn and we love those few hours of the day when you are actually awake so we can look into your adorable eyes and talk to you.  You rarely cry, except when you are hungry. 

2 weeks old today!  Happy Halloween! You were a cute little Minnie Mouse today and had your first bottle.  Grammie stayed with you while daddy and I took the older kids trick or treating. 

4 week old today!  You are a dream baby!!! We all love you so so much.  We are starting to see smiles on your precious face.  You also have a bit of baby acne – you are just like your sister!!  We are taking pictures tomorrow, so you know how you looked at 4 weeks! J

6 weeks old on Thanksgiving!  You haven’t quite been yourself as I think you are thrown off being in a new place with A LOT of noise!  You spent your first Thanksgiving in Kokomo and met Uncle Joe, Ava and Nico for the first time.  We all took turns holding you and trying to soothe you.  I felt bad as you were so so so not your easy baby self!  We are so very Thankful for our Emmie girl – we count our blessings each day.

Safe to say that we love you like crazy.  You are such a joy, such a gift and we hope you always know how special you are.

Love you forever, 

Mom

A Thankful Thanksgiving

 Maddie, Claire, Dane and the rest of the preschoolers put on a little Thanksgiving play.  They were to wear white under their costume and Dane told me he would take his jersey off for the play...

 The Thanksgiving bloody Mary, silly hat, hot tub tradition continues...

 A pre-dinner picture with all of the sweeties!

 Emerson's 1st Thanksgiving.  We are SO thankful for such a sweet little love bug.  She is so adored! :)  The camera seems to add 10 lbs. to her as she really isn't a chunky baby!

 We celebrated Maddie turning 5 with a special cake batter pancake breakfast, which the kids loved, of course.  We then had ice cream cake later - what a lucky and loved little girl!

Emerson's First Month

Her stats:

9lbs. 6.5 oz. (50-75)
21" (50)
36" HC (50)

 This picture was taken at her first doc. appt.  So tiny!

 Her big brother and big sister have been awesome with her!

 My angel baby at 4 weeks old.  Such a sweet, sweet girl!

 My one month old stretching out!  She still loved to curl up at this age.

Emerson usually likes taking baths.  I bathe her when the kids are asleep as I can actually take my time and not rush it.  When she was about 5 weeks old, Maddie asked why Emerson never takes baths!

Halloween and Fall Fun

 We had a most wonderful October, welcoming and bonding with our Emmie girl.  There were also a lot of fun festivals and events that month!

Some highlights include:
*Seeing real bats at the River Trails Park District
*Going to Boo at the Zoo - the bat house was so cool and a bit spooky!
*Maddie winning the costume contest at EPLC Halloween Party!
*Walking to the patch and picking out our big pumpkin
*Carving our jack and baking the seeds - yum!
*Trick or Treating!  Unfortunately it was a very WET experience!  The kids went out, got soaked, came in, changed, and went again with daddy to a few of our neighbors. :)  They had a ball!