Happy 2nd Birthday Emmie!

Dear Emerson,

You are one of a kind and I write that with a smile on my face!  You are a spunky, silly, cuddly little girl.  You are super independent and want to do everything by yourself.  You will protest big time if you don't get what you want!  You insist upon getting yourself into your car seat and you snap everything on your own.  You then cheer for yourself!:)  You aren't a fan of sitting for a long period of time. We were told by some of the older neighbors at the block party that you were the entertainment. Why? Because you don't stay still for a minute and you do not know your age! :)  You have a scream that turns heads and often gets a reaction.  Fortunately, you get over things quickly so the tantrum/scream session is usually short lived.  You love to sing and dance and are especially into FROZEN songs!  You also love your baby dolls and even named one of them Lucy.  Your favorite lovey is your soft Aiden + Anais blanket.  Putting you down for a nap and bedtime is super enjoyable because you love reading your books, cuddling while we sing and then down you go quite easily.  You often wake up looking for Dane.  You and your Daney are buddies and Maddie thinks you are hilarious.  Maddie takes good care of you and likes reading you books.  You've started looking through books on your own and "read aloud" to yourself.  The 1st grade girls at Maddie's school always want to pick you up and give you hugs.  Sometimes you like it and other times you don't.  You love playing outside, swinging, climbing and scooting.  You are quite a coordinated and strong little girl! You like to hang from the monkey bars and climb the "M" on the playground.  You can be shy in new situations and you watch closely to figure things out.  You and I have weekly visits with great grandma and you bring her so much joy! You give her nice hugs and kisses and she adores you as do the others we pass in the facility.  You also adore your Mimi and yell out her name when you see her in pictures.  You have always had an attachment to your Aunt Laura and want to be with her even over me at times.  You are a decent eater and you love noodles most of all!  Curious George is your favorite show, although you don't watch it too often. We can't imagine life without you and your spunk!  You've changed so quickly, and now that you are two, you are no longer a baby, but you'll always be our baby.  You are so adored, cared for and loved.  

Love always and forever, 

Mom

Here you are singing happy birthday to yourself and then you had to include your Daney...

 

Classic Emmie!  She loves to have fun!

She is way more into playing catch and playing with balls courtesy of her brother, I'm sure.

Here is Emmie's favorite baby, Lucy, and her green tube that she loves.  She also likes helmets and this one happens to be on backwards...some things can't be explained! :)

Emmie at the doctor. She did a pretty good job and got over her flu shot quite quickly.

Weight - 25 lbs. 9 oz. (53%)

Length - 34" (49%)

Just because it's fun...

Maddie 

Wt. 25 lbs

Ht. 33.25

Very similar! :)

Happy 5th Birthday Dane!!!

Dear Dane,

You continue to be our super special boy and we look forward to all of the new opportunities you will have as a 5 year old!  You adore your sisters and play well with Maddie and Emmie.  You and Maddie are creative together. You will put leashes on your stuffed animals and hold them over the stair railing to make them dance along with the keyboard.  You and Emmie are so silly together!  You love chasing each other around the house and she imitates all that you do!  You and daddy love to play and watch sports together.  You and I like to bake together and play games, whether they be athletic or board games, we always have fun.  You also play with Allie a lot and you two love being in school together although you are starting to make connections with other friends.  You love playing sports with the older neighborhood kids - especially baseball and basketball.  You are super interested in learning and you are very motivated to do what Maddie can do.  No doubt, you will be super ready for Kindergarten!  You've recently started a basketball class for 5 and 6 year olds and you love it! It's so cute seeing you out there with your arms up playing defense!  You know sports terminology, rules, players names and numbers.  It's a true interest to you!  You also like being a lefty and looking for players who are lefties just like you!  You are also doing choir and you have a sweet singing voice and can point out to daddy when he is off key or off beat!  We are still working on being ok with losing.  You don't like competitions because you don't want to lose, but I think you are getting better.  You are a sweet, sensitive boy and you don't like when your feelings or others feelings get hurt.  It's been an awesome adventure with you and we love you so incredibly much!!!

Love you forever,

Mom

 Dane sporting his new baseball helmet. It's been going everywhere with him!

 My handsome boy!  We love his "Dane Smile"

 He loves (along with everyone else) his new accordion!

 GOLDEN BIRTHDAY BOY!  Awesome balloon from the neighbors! :)

 We went to Moretti's for his birthday dinner.

 Dane's Purdue Tailgate, Park Ridge style!

Stats:

Weight - 37.8 lbs. (29%)

Height - 42.5" (42%)

BMI 14.7 (25%)

Health Info. - Dane has been getting migraines and headaches for a while now.  We will be taking him to the neurologist in February.

Sunny September Days!

 Fun at Pirate's Cove.  The kids most favorite thing to do there was the slide.

Dane and Allie's first day at Grace.

We have a tradition of going out to eat on the kids first and last day of school.  Dane wanted to go to the Choo Choo restaurant, but since it was closed, he picked D'Augustino's,

 Purdue Football season is underway!  Boiler UP!  Fun on Slater Hill:)

 Jill and Brad's Harvest Shower.  It was awesome for the adults and kids alike!

 We can't wait for the big day!

Emmie learns so much from her older brother! :)

 Block Party!  What a beautiful day!  The kids had SO much fun!

 Cousin sleepover to top off a super fun day!

 Emmie and Great Grandma (sporting a new hair cut!)

 My b-day cards from the kiddos.  They each picked out their own.  Maddie told me, "Mine is sweet and the others are hilarious!"

 Maddie loves picking out books and meeting with her book buddies every Wednesday!  She was excited to show Grammie her pug book!

 Cubs Game!  Cubs tickets were not easy to get for the first time in a while!  These 2 saw the last game of the regular season for the Cubs and had a great time.  Dane is very into baseball!