Emerson - 18 Months

Weight - 22lbs. 2 oz (43%)
Length - 31.5" (39%)
Head - 46cm (42%)

18 Months and FULL of spunk!  Emerson has an opinion and she will make it known.  She can be a riot and she enjoys making people laugh.  She loves to tell people hi, hello and bye.  She will also scream and throw a fit when she doesn't get her way.  She loves to sing songs, read books and will still cuddle up before she goes to sleep.  She wants to hang with the big kids and she thinks she is one of them.  She wants to do everything on her own and will often push us away if we go to help.  She still takes off her socks and shoes and throws them when in car seats and in her stroller.  She also throws her drinks and food, which drives me a bit crazy! (I seriously don't think she drinks enough because she loses her cup after it hits the floor twice.)  She still loves baths and showers. After swim lessons, Maddie and Emmie shower together while singing songs and doing a shower dance. It's so cute to see them in action.  She is a little busy body and loves to climb.  She will pull a bar stool over, climb up it, and get onto the counter - scary.  She will pull up on handrails and hang from whatever she can find to hang on.  She adores her cousin, Charlie, and calls him "Char Char." She also loves looking for our neighbors and will call out to "Ro Ro." I am curious to see how she will grow and progress.  At this rate, it's looking like she will be our little firecracker!!!

Spring Break in Breckenridge

We kept the family tradition alive by stopping at Beau Jo's for some honey crust pizza on the way to Breck.

 We had beautiful weather!  A bit warm some days, but the snow was still pretty good! We got dumped on mid week so we got a morning of powder skiing in.

 We rented a house that was a 10 min. walk into town and to the slopes.  There was also a park and ice skating within a half mile.  Perfect for the kiddos!

 Flat Stanley came to Breck!

 We took the gondola to the top of the mountain so that we could ride the mountain coaster.  Maddie was so funny on the gondola - she loved it!  She was standing much of the trip.  She also went super fast on the coaster - this girl loves a thrill.  (Not sure how I feel about that!)

Dane was much more cautious.  He rode the coaster, but we had to go slow (I controlled the speed) and was very concerned about the doors on the gondola closing too soon.  He would say "hurry" and wanted to be last out of the gondola.  He takes good care of his family.

 Nico shared his googles with Dane - super cool!

 The hot tub felt so great after a day of skiing!  The kids loved going in it too!  They loved playing with water bottles in it and also playing a few games of telephone.  They liked running out of it to eat potato chips as well!

 This was spotted from the hot tub.  The kids named him Foxy Woe and we only saw him once although we looked for him often.

 Heading off to ski!

 Getting our equipment!  We stored at the bottom of the mountain which was super nice and convenient.

 We all skied together on our last day and had a quick break for lunch.

 Riding the chair up together.  Can't wait to go back!

It was so fun having Papo and Grandma and Grandpa Welke with us.  Grandma Welke took care of Emmie while we had our fun.  We are so thankful to have such awesome parents/grandparents!

Spring Break in Breck Videos

Maddie and Dane made up "Bubba Twins" a few years ago.  I bought them the same shirt for skiing, making them "Bubba Twins."  They are goof balls! 

My little skiers!  They did awesome!  Maddie REALLY loved it and she had the confidence as well.  Dane was great too, a bit more cautious and he would get nervous when it got a bit steep.  We did take him down some easy blues, but learned he wasn't quite ready due to his confidence.  Once we stuck with Peak 9, all was perfect! :)

Dane 4 1/2

Dane is growing up before our eyes.  He loves to hear stories about when he was a baby and we have fun looking back at old pictures and videos.  He is still my sensitive, sweet, sporty little Dane Train. As always, he is into every aspect of sports.  From the team mascots, to the players names and numbers, to various plays, positions and his favorite...buzzer beaters!  Basketball is his favorite and has been for forever.  He still doesn't like the idea of being on a team as he just likes to play.  He is currently doing hockey and is starting to get that competitive edge.  He loves riding his scooter and his bike now that the weather is warmer.  He has recently gotten more into drawing and enjoys making pictures for Matt and I.  His drawings are often sports related...shocker!!!  The other day was rough with Emmie, spills, etc. and Dane went and made me a card.  He will make up little projects using things around the house such as old containers and popsicle sticks.  As far as playing goes, he enjoys Legos and his basketball and football guys.  His writing is also getting pretty good and he likes to count to 100 and do simple math problems with his cousin, Allie.  Maddie and Dane are best of friends and they really do look our for each other. Maddie knows how to push his buttons and we are working on ways to handle that other than hitting...been our struggle these days.  His other interests are music and he has a sweet little singing voice that he clearly did not get from his daddy! :)  I feel SO blessed to call this sweet little guy my son.