Merry Christmas to All

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a fantastic time!! Miss Emma thoroughly enjoyed all of the presents that she received!! More pictures to come soon!

Cookies with a 2 year old???

I'm not sure WHAT I was thinking when I decided to make cookies last night WITH Emma!! Actually, she had a great time....and she was SO proud to be helping Mommy, but talk about extra work! I put all of the ingredients on the table. Emma was standing on the chair. I turned to get something out of the fridge, turned around and Miss Em is "fingerpainting" with the contents of the egg that she has just broken all over the table. I quickly cleaned her up (after laughing at her giggling with delight at her accomplishment). Next I turned to put the rag back in the sink. When I turned around Emma had climbed up on the table, had her hands in the bowl with the dry ingredients, and she was about to make a second successful attempt at throwing the dry ingredients into the air only to gently be caught by.....her HAIR!! Those of you that have met my child (or you can somewhat tell from the pictures), she has some AMAZING hair!! However, when you throw a bunch of flour and sugar into it, it suddenly becomes a MESS!! I so wish that I had taken pictures. She was so happy with herself! However, I had left my camera at school..GRRR! So, you will just have to make your own image in your head. People always say that the two's are "terrible". I am finding that they are absolutely delightful! True, I am never quite sure what she will do next, but I can almost guarantee that it is going to make me laugh!

Our "poopy" weekend

Our weekend was actually wonderful...I will get to the title in a few minutes. Emma and I went to Billings to do Christmas shopping for Daddy:) We had a great time...minus the madness at the mall experience where I suddenly wished that I had a button I could push on Em's stroller that would put a gigantic bubble over her. I could just see the nasty little germ monsters making their way to my precious girl's lips...UGH! Also, in any store that she was in a cart. I wanted to make a sign that said, "I know I'm cute...but keep your hands OFF!". Why is it that complete strangers feel like they have to touch her. So, Purell once again gets a boost in the economy from the obsessive mother who bathes her child in hand sanitizer anytime anyone gets near her! I swear that I should buy stock in the stuff. Dear Santa, In case you are reading this....just fill my stocking with hand sanitizer please!

Anyway, we met Becky in Billings. We had a great lunch and then we did some shopping and had some great laughs. It was a much needed break from everyday life. Emma was so sad to see Becky say good-bye. The alligator tears must have fallen for at least 15 minutes!

Yesterday, we gave the Grizzwolds (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie) a run for their money. Much to my husbands chagrin we put up lights on the outside of the house! We bought a new snowman this year...and he just HAD to be put together. So, I was happy when the weather warmed up! (Tim said, "No lights outside if it stays this cold!!!" Last week it was below zero, but it was a balmy 30 degrees yesterday!). We were able to get all of the lights up during naptime, so we did not have our "little helper". However, after she woke up she did "help" me to make an enormous wreath for the front of our house. We made it out of a hoola-hoop and the left over branches from the tree. Every Christmas ball that I put on....Emma took off. It was a fun little game. She would laugh and laugh and run away from me with the ball.

Now, for the reason for the title. Emma successfully went poopy on the potty 2 times this weekend!!! WOOHOO! It is just a start, but I am SO excited about this new adventure. I'm sure when Emma is 16 and reads this BLOG she will be SO excited that her Mom shared this information too:)

Life Typically Evolves

There is a family that we know. They have three daughters who are now 25, 21 and 18 years old. In January the oldest daughter will be having a baby, and in May the youngest will be graduating and going to college. The mother of the three girls will suddenly have an "empty nest"....however, she will begin to watch her grandchild each day as her oldest daughter goes to work. Life has evolved for this family...it has come full circle...that is the way that life is "supposed" to happen.

Why doesn't it happen that way for everyone?

It is during the holiday season that I find our donor family weighing heavily on my mind. Their oldest child of two tragically lost her life in a skiing accident at the tender age of 17. I have a deep connection with this family...even though I have never met them. My heart hurts for them as they go through another holiday season without their child. It brings the question to my mind...does life evolve for all of us? Their daughter missed out on going to college, being independent, having a career, experiencing the joys of getting married and having children. Her parents missed seeing their daughter live to experience her life journey. Did her life evolve? Did it just evolve in a different way? Why do some get the joys in life while others have the sorrows, or are the sorrows evenly distributed? I truly think that some people experience much deeper heartache and pain than others will ever feel....but WHY??

Every Day...A Miracle

It is so easy, in the every day hustle and bustle to forget what is truly important to us. I have found myself thinking about my husband a lot this week. It is amazing how much our relationship has transformed since the birth of Emma. I think any couple that has a child experiences this transformation, but to have a child with medical needs...it changes the shape of you as an individual, it changes the way you think, and I think that you have to go through the initial shock at your own pace...then find your soul mate again after the shock wears off. True, Tim and I have been together every step of the way. We have made every decision regarding Emma together, however at first we were both angry at what had happened to our family, this was not what we had "planned". Looking back it feels as if it was someone else's life. Life is so much better now, and we are finally getting back to what is truly important to us...our family.



When Tim and I were dating I received flowers A LOT. Our first Valentines day he made Lobster fondue and a fabulous dessert. When he went away on trips he would leave little notes and gifts around my house. He would write love letters to me that would melt my heart. Luckily, I hung onto those letters. I come across them occassionally and I read them again. It brings me back to those "simple times". Then, I find myself wondering "where did that romantic guy go". Well, he IS still in there!! It's just in a different way. You see, every time that I go to bed I open a beautiful little box next to my bed. On the lid there is a mother holding a child and it is carved in wood. There are roses carved on the sides. When I open the box I look on the bottom where it says "Every Day...A Miracle". This box was a gift from my loving and romantic husband when he returned from a trip. On the inside of the lid there is a picture of our precious girl sitting on my shoulders. Looking in that box takes the weight of the world off of me. Each night I blow a kiss in the box and I close it. I am reminded again and again that every day is a miracle. It is a miracle with Emma, it is a miracle with Tim, it is a miracle with each person that I connect with every day. Life is a miracle, and how amazing it is to see the miracles that surround us when we stop to think about what is truly important to us.

Chocolate Lover

Emma has a sweet tooth at a young age! There was a chocolate fountain at our Thanksgiving feast, and she was not happy unless she was up next to the sweet fountain and someone was scooping some wonderful chocolate into her mouth!! Who can blame her....after all chocolate is a girl's best friend, right??