Fef and Funshine

Elijah Star Fish!

2012-02-11T12:03:00.001-05:00

We received a new picture as a gift, and it came with cardboard, corner protectors on it. While Dustin and I were hanging the picture, Elijah turned into "Elijah Star Fish." He is quite the imaginative little guy!

Yay for Emme!

2012-02-09T21:03:00.002-05:00

After only two days of potty training, Emme had success tonight! It was even a number two success! Yay for Emme! Elijah has been a great big brother to Emme. He very patiently sits in the bathroom with her and brings her lots of books.

Let the Potty Training Begin!

2012-02-08T12:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I had to post these potty pictures. Little kids are so cute on the potty, especially with their little books! Too fun! Emme hasn't actually gone potty on the potty yet, we have only tried once yesterday and once today, but she LOVES to sit on it. And that is half the battle. It took me a week and a whole package of as he called them, "his poo cookies" to get him to sit on the potty. Emme seems content to just sit there and read books to herself.

ABC's

2012-02-08T10:02:00.002-05:00

Elijah has known his ABC's for over a year now, but recently Emme has started to sing along with him. She knows some of the letters, but mostly just dances while he sings. It is funny though because she says "a" just like the girl on My Fair Lady, before she is taught how to talk properly.

Cuties!

2012-02-08T09:59:00.003-05:00

Emme and Elijah have discovered that they love Cuties! Elijah will sit and peel two, one for each of them. Emme patiently sits next to him and waits for him to feed her. It is really cute and really funny!

Monster Truck Rally

2012-02-05T18:54:00.003-05:00

Grandpa Tuggle took Elijah and Dustin to the Monster Truck Rally for Elijah's birthday. They had a blast. They were able to go down to the pit and see the trucks up close before the show. Elijah's favorite truck was the Git-R-Done truck. Elijah was so excited once the show started, that Dustin said he sat there for the first little bit just twisting his little hands together (that is what Elijah has always done when he has gotten really excited and overwhelmed.) Then they got Elijah some cotton candy which was a hit (notice the blue goatee in the picture!) All three of the guys came home completely exhausted! Thanks Grandpa for an awesome birthday!

Little Miss Territorial!

2012-02-04T16:00:00.002-05:00

Last night my parents stayed with us for a late birthday celebration for Elijah. ELijah has a full size bed, so they were going to stay in his room. Which meant that Elijah was going to sleep in Emme's room on the floor as a "way fun campout." Unfortunately that is not how it all worked out. Elijah made his bed and got all situated and then we put Emme in her bed. She was not having it, she kept getting up and laying in his bed on the floor and kicking him out. So then we tried to have them both sleep in Emme's twin bed. Emme was not pleased. She kept getting out of bed(which she never does) and yelling at the top of the stairs. Poor Elijah got kicked out of that bed too and sent to the floor. Emme got so mad that he was in her room, we eventually moved Elijah into our room for a "campout" and Emme got her room back all to her self. Thankfully, Emme slept soundly, content in winning her battle for EVERYTHING hers, and Elijah was thrilled to be able to sleep on the floor in mom and dad's room. Hopefully Emme will not try to kick Gideon out of her room in a few months. Lol She is one opinionated and territorial little girl!

The Kids' New Stats

2012-01-30T16:10:00.002-05:00

Both kids had doctor appoinments today. Elijah his 4 year and Emme her 18 month check-up. I was very excited because both of them have grown quite a bit. Elijah - (38" tall - 8th percentile)(31lbs - 10th percentile) Embry - (31" tall - 22nd percentile) (19lbs - 1st percentile) They are both still on the long and lean side, they look like standing frogs when they are naked. LOL But like I said we are excited they both have gained weight and height.

First Day of Nursery

2012-01-29T16:08:00.003-05:00

Today was Emme's first day of nursery. I was all prepared to have to stay in there with her today. But as soon as I took her in she didn't need me anymore. She walked right in and sat on the nursery leader's lap and started playing with everyone. So, I left and went to my class. The third hour of church the teacher brought her to me because she needed a diaper change. I took her and changed her and then asked her if she wanted to go back to nursery. Her response was "yeah, yeah." She ran all the back to nursery and went right back in without even saying bye to me. I have to say I was a little sad that she wasn't the least bit upset by me leaving her for the first time. But I am also glad that she is confident enough to be okay by herself. She is growing into such a big kid! Where did my little baby go? It is going to be very weird the next few weeks, to not have a kid with me through all of church. Makes me wish Gideon was coming a little bit sooner. LOL

Elijah's Birthday!

2012-01-26T18:09:00.002-05:00

Elijah had a very fun birthday today. Daddy took the day off and we surprised Elijah by taking him to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. He had a blast! Then when we got home he got his giant cookie cake and presents. Elijah was also very excited because over the last few days he has gotten lots of mail. He LOVES getting cards and letters in the mail. Happy Birthday Elijah! We love you!

Happy 4th Birthday Elijah

2012-01-25T21:59:00.006-05:00

It is crazy to think that Elijah has been with us for 4 years! It seems like he has always been a part of our lives. Elijah is a funny little guy who loves to laugh and wrestle. He loves his imaginext toys, and he is a lot of fun to play with. Elijah has the most amazing imagination of any little kid that I have ever been around. Elijah loves to sing along to the radio with me. He actually knows most of the words to alot of our "go to" songs. Elijah loves to go shopping of any kind and he likes to keep track of the list and tell me what we need. He is taking a gymnastics class at a local gym that he loves. He is an incredibly flexible kid! Elijah says the funniest things. His newest saying is "yep, yep." It always makes Dustin and I laugh. Elijah is a great little cuddler and he loves to be all warm and snuggly under the blankets. He loves to be a helper and he will do anything you ask him to, if you say it is for Emme. He is a great big brother to Emme and I am looking forward to seeing him with Gideon. He has already decided that Gideon is going to look just like him and be "his twin."

Emme at 18 Months!

2012-01-22T21:02:00.003-05:00

Emme turned 18 months today! Next week she will start nursery. She could have gone today, but mama wasn't quite ready. LOL Miss Embry is a funny little kid. She is extremely opinionated and she definately thinks that everyone needs to listen to what she has to say. She is never quiet, her normal voice is kind of a yell. She tries to "mother," and take care of Elijah all the time. Most of the time he lets her. Her favorite thing to say right now is "oh, yeah." Both in an excited "oh, yeah!" way and in the "oh, yeah" I remember now, kind of way. She LOVES to eat, and will eat anything you put in front of her. She lets you know what she likes by yelling "YUMMY!" She loves to dance and will insist on watching music videos every night when Daddy comes home. She also loves to sing and will sing by herself or along with anyone or anything willing to sing with her. She loves dog-dogs, especially her My Pal Violet dog that she got for Christmas. Emme has been sleeping in her big girl bed for a few weeks now, and we haven't had any problems. She really likes feeling like a big girl. Overall, Emme is an extremely happy kid, and she makes all of us laugh all the time. She is definately a goober, and we are very blessed to have her as a part of our family.

Emme's First Braid!

2012-01-17T11:26:00.002-05:00

Emme's hair has gotten pretty long over the last few months, so I have had to get creative about how to keep it out of her face. Thankfully, she is amazing at sitting still. She lets me do anything I want to her hair as long as I show her herself in the mirror afterwards. Oh, and I have to tell her how beautiful she is. LOL I guess she is just like every other girl, and she loves being told she is pretty!

28 Weeks!

2012-01-16T20:13:00.004-05:00

Great Mornings!

2012-01-15T08:45:00.002-05:00

Elijah made his way into our bed around 6:00 this morning. He promptly cuddled up to his warm Daddy and fell back asleep. Dustin and I were both startled when we heard the squeak of our door opening again at 6:30! It was Emme, who proudly pranced in our room with her dog-dog, a book and her blankie! She has apparenly figured out that she can get out of her bed by herself. I guess Emme is not afraid of the dark at all. She must have gotten out of her bed, opened her almost closed door, run through the hall and then opened our pretty much closed door (it just wasn't latched) and then come through our dark room to the bed. LOL Pretty good for a not quite 18 month old! After about a half hour of giggling, tickling and goofing around, mom and the kids got up and headed downstairs. The bed just is not big enough for daddy, a seven month pregnant mom, a big body pillow, an 18 month old and an almost 4 year old, who despite being tiny takes up more room than the other 3 of us combined! LOL And I am about to add another one to the mix! I guess it is a good thing that despite the complaints, we all really do love the chaos!

Big Girl!

2012-01-06T09:17:00.001-05:00

It is official! Emme is a big girl! She slept all night in her big girl bed last night! Yay!

Thank-You Nana and Pop-pop!

2012-01-03T13:04:00.002-05:00

We got Emme's new big girl bed all set up this weekend. And she LOVES it! She wanted to sleep in it last night, but Mommy is not ready for that yet. She is still just way too small when she lays on it. LOL Her bed isn't all put together yet, I ordered her a fun pillow with her name on it and my Grandma Dexter is making her a quilt. But for right now it is perfect! Thank-you Nana and Pop-pop for the awesome Christmas gift!

Elijah is a Sunbeam!

2012-01-01T17:18:00.002-05:00

Today was Elijah's first day as a Sunbeam! He loved Primary and is excited to go back next week. The Primary President stopped Dustin in the hall and told him that Elijah had even raised his hand and answered a question in Sharing Time! What a big boy! Emme was excited today because both kids got to wear new church clothes. Emme LOVES to look pretty!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T09:01:00.004-05:00

2011 has been a fun year for us. We got to visit with the Tuggles in Illinois, Nana and Pop-Pop in New Jersey and the whole Coffman family at Andrew and Lacie's wedding. We moved into a bigger place in hopes of getting more room. Only to find out we are expecting a third little Coffman. We are all looking forward to meeting little Gideon in April. We have watched Elijah grow from this little guy... Into this little man! He has gotten quite the vocabulary the last few months, and he is just way fun to talk to. He is a great big brother to Emme and it is awesome to watch them interact. Emme has changed so much this year! She has grown from this little baby... Into this big girl! We have watched her change from a little bug on the floor who couldn't do anything fun, into a running and dancing crazy lady! LOL She has learned to sit, roll over, walk and to do the stairs. Now there is nowhere that is safe from the Miss Emmers! Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Elijah and Emme together from 2011!

Emme at 17 Months!

2011-12-27T16:43:00.002-05:00

Emme turned 17 months old on the 22nd. Thanks Grandma and Tapa for Emme's way cute boots and dress!

Christmas at the Coffman's

2011-12-17T18:20:00.002-05:00

We had Christmas at our house this weekend since we are going to my parent's house next week. Elijah has been very excited about Christmas. Emme really had no idea what was going on, but she decided she liked Christmas once she started getting handed presents!

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-12-07T20:15:00.002-05:00

Here at the Coffman household we've begun getting ready for Christmas. Since we don't have a fireplace in our new place, we had to get creative with our stocking placement.

The kids were very excited to put the tree up--especially Eli.

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Emme Dancing

2011-12-05T17:59:00.005-05:00

Emme and Elijah love the music channel SWRV. They love the songs that have a good beat. They dance to it every night before bed. We have been trying to get video of Emme dancing for a little while now, but she always freezes when she sees the camera. But today apparently the combination of her pretty dress shoes and her monkey backpack made her less shy. Elijah was pretending to be Wall-E while Emme danced tonight.

Grateful

2011-12-05T11:51:00.002-05:00

This morning Emme was especially grouchy before breakfast. She is like her mommy, and she needs time to wake up (about 45 minutes) and either milk or breakfast in her tummy before she is ready to be around people. And I am ashamed to say that I had definately had enough by the time I put them both in the bath at 9. But once I got her in the tub and I was watching her play, I realized that I really do have it easy. I have great kids! They both are so happy and healthy. They both are goofy and quite ridiculous at times, but they are perfect for us and our family. And really when they are grouchy it is for a good reason, and it is easily fixed either with food, a snuggle or a long nap, often for both mom and the kids. LOL I realized that I have everything that I have ever or could ever want. I have a great husband that is an amazing Dad to our kids and who really does take care of me. He makes us all feel loved everyday. I am grateful has a great job that provides everything that we need and which allows me to stay home. We have been blessed with another baby, which we didn't necessarily know we wanted and needed, but has already blessed our family immensely. This pregnancy has been my easiest yet, and it has been a joyous thing from the moment it happened. Which has been an especially great and healing thing for me. Both Dustin and I have great families. My kids have two amazing sets of grandparents! I love that my kids have so many people and relatives that they know love them. Elijah and I play a game in the car sometimes, and I will ask him who loves him. And I love hearing the answers he gives. They range from his nursery teachers, to my parents dogs, to his Great Aunts and Uncles to his cousins. There is no greater feeling in the whole world than feeling loved, and I am so glad that my kids get to feel that so overwhelmingly. I think that feeling has greatly influenced them and the confidence they feel in themselves and in the world around them.

Bows, Bows and More Bows.

2011-11-30T12:07:00.002-05:00

Emme's hair has gotten too long to just leave, because it gets in her eyes and nose. Gross! So, I have been trying out some new hair styles for her. The hardest part is getting her to sit still long enough for me to do anything that looks decent. LOL Today we tried two ponytails and bows. She seems to like it. We will see how long she leaves it all in.

It's a Boy!

2011-11-21T19:08:00.001-05:00

Well, Elijah was right! We are going to have a boy!

New Pictures of the Kids

2011-11-14T10:13:00.002-05:00

Sorry the pictures are so small. We had them taken at JcPenney and I guess they have decided to only let people steal the small pictures. LOL

Emme at 15 Months

2011-11-03T14:42:00.002-04:00

Embry turned 15 months at the end of October, and on Monday she had her 15 month check-up. Emme now weighs 18lbs and she is 30in tall. She is still in the 1st percentile for weight, but she is growing, so the doctor isn't too concerned. She had to get 4 shots at this appointment, but she was very brave. Emme did not cry until the 4th shot! She is pretty tough from having a big brother. I tried to get a good picture of Emme, but as you can see it didn't go very well. When you tell her to smile she makes this kind of scary, toothy grin. Oh well, that's our Emme.

Emme's First Haircut

2011-10-29T20:16:00.002-04:00

I have been debating for a few months now about whether or not to give Emme a haircut. Finally today, I got tired of thinking that my baby had a mullet. So, I broke down and trimmed about an inch off of the back of Emme's hair. I was so worried that I was going to regret my decision to cut it, but I actually love it. I think it makes her hair look thicker. And, it makes her look like a big girl.

Big Brother Elijah

2011-10-28T14:14:00.002-04:00

Elijah has been very excited the last few months because he found out that he is going to be a big brother again in April. Elijah has decided that the baby is going to be a boy. He does say though that "even though he wants a boy, he will be happy with whatever Heavenly Father gives him, even if it is another Emme." He even knows what the baby's name will be whether it is a boy or a girl. Everyday he asks me if today is the day that I am going to push the baby out. I told him a few weeks ago that the baby was too small and that it needed to grow some more in mommy's tummy before it could come out. I told him the baby was only about the size of his hand. He got a huge grin on his face, cupped his hands together and said "oh mom, push the baby out now, I will carry it around and take care of it for you. I will take care of it just like I take care of Emme." It was so cute. Elijah loves to come to the doctor with me so that he can hear HIS baby's heartbeat. Dustin and I are both very excited that Elijah is excited. Elijah acted very similiar when I was pregnant with Emme, and they get along great, so we are hoping that this baby and Elijah will have the same relationship. He is funny though, this time around he has been more curious about how that baby managed to get into mommy's tummy. He told me the other day that he thinks Daddy put that baby in my tummy, and that daddy will help me get it out by holding my hand at the hospital. Too funny!

Emme the Monkey!

2011-10-28T14:03:00.002-04:00

Emme has become quite the climber over the last few weeks. She climbs on everything. She climbs on her brother's stool, and even pushes/carries it to what she wants and then climbs on it. She climbs on the couch, Elijah's bed, chairs and even the foot stool to the living room chair. I have found her dancing on the kitchen table and everything! When she gets up onto what she is climbing she raises her arms in the air and yells "ta-da." She is so proud of herself. I am worried about when she finally falls off of something and the reality of gravity sets in. I guess then we will see how daring she really is.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

Halloween Pumpkins

2011-10-19T17:04:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we picked out pumpkins, and Elijah was thrilled that he was able to find a green one. On Sunday Dustin helped Elijah carve the pumpkins. Neither Elijah or I wanted anything to do with the pumpkin carving process. Emme on the other hand wanted to dive right into the pile of pumpkin guts. YUCK! I guess she really is a daddy's girl and Elijah is a mama's boy.

More Pictures of Fun with the Briseno Family

2011-10-17T16:26:00.002-04:00

Fun With the Briseno Family!

2011-10-17T15:05:00.013-04:00

This past weekend, my best friend Carmen and her husband John and their daughter Alexis were able to come up to Wisconsin to visit us. We went to a pumpkin farm and picked pumpkins and went to the petting zoo. After that we went to the Zoo Boo by our house. We had a great time and we are so grateful that we were able to hang out with the Briseno Family! Alexis picked out her own pumpkin Elijah and Emme on the HUGE pumpkins Farmer and Pumpkins Picking Pumpkins Playing in the corn Petting Bunnies Carmie and Alexis Best Friends and Kids Emme insisted on holding Elijah's hand. Too Cute!

My Elijah

2011-10-08T10:32:00.002-04:00

For the past few months Dustin and I have been trying to come up with ideas for Elijah for Christmas. Since it seems like lately we have been traveling alot, I had suggested one of those portable tV/dvd players that he could watch on both car and airplane trips. We have actually almost bought him one before our last several trips, but have always ended up deciding not to. There is just a part of me that can't do it. I remember all of the fun that my sister and I had playing with and talking to each other on those LONG summer car trips. I want Elijah to have memories like that, and I want him to be able to continue to entertain himself, and not be dependant on tv. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why people have tvs for their kids, and I am so not judging them, and I know I would have totally wanted one as a kid. But, I realized that I would miss Elijah talking to me in the car, and on the airplane if he was watching movies. I recently drove down to Illinois by myself with the kids and Elijah talked to me the whole way there. I loved it! He sang along to the radio with me, and he talked to me about his amazing observations of the world. I had the sun roof open, and he was telling me what all of the clouds looked like, and how beautiful the trees were now that they were changing colors for Fall. I love hearing his thoughts and how he describes things. I LOVE that Elijah has an imagination and that he can turn anything into entertainment. So, I have officially decided that I won't buy a tv/dvd player for my kids. I am selfish, I want them to have to talk to me and to each other.

Andrew and Lacie Coffman

2011-09-28T14:36:00.004-04:00

Last week we were able to go to Utah to attend Andrew (Dustin's youngest brother) and Lacie's wedding. We had a great time visiting with all of the Coffman family, and we are very happy and excited to get to know Lacie. Congratulations Andrew and Lacie!

A Long and Busy Month!

2011-09-27T16:17:00.002-04:00

Well, our move is complete, mostly. I still have some odds and ends to hang and organize, but overall we are all very happy with our new place. Because of our move we have not had internet for the last several weeks, so I will try to post this week with photos and updates about what we have been up to. Love to you all!

Packing!

2011-08-24T20:32:00.002-04:00

Emme and Elijah have been surprisingly helpful while I have been packing. Elijah wants to pack everything, "to make sure that it all gets to the new house and nothing gets lost." (this is one time when his OCD is actually a good thing) And Emme is very good at packing herself into every box that I put together. She also likes to walk around the house picking up random things and dropping them in any open box she can find. So, I am sure there will be alot of sorting to be done at the new place.

Oops!

2011-08-21T21:00:00.002-04:00

So after I spent over an hour making all of these posts I realized that I had posted them in the wrong order. So please scroll down four posts and read them all from the bottom up. Sorry, I am dumb.

Jingle Bells

2011-08-21T20:44:00.002-04:00

Lily found a cute stable where Elijah got to ride a pony named Jingle Bells. Elijah had a blast! He was so excited the whole time. He kept saying that he was a Woody Cowboy. The only thing he had a small problem with, was that he had to wear a helmet instead of a cowboy hat. But he decided very quickly that it was not worth not riding the pony over.

Jersey Shore

2011-08-21T20:29:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday we went to the Jersey Shore. Thankfully Lily asked around and found a beach that the Greasers, Guidos and Juicers usually avoid. LOL The kids had a great time in the water and in the sand. Emme LOVED the sand so much, she even ate some. YUMMY! There were tons and tons of shells on the beach, and Elijah went around collecting all of the "really big, awesome, not broken ones." The guys spent their time swimming in the deeper water and riding the waves into shore. This resulted in lots and lots of shells in their pockets and scrapes on their shins and feet. It was perfect weather for the beach, and everyone had a great time.

New York

2011-08-21T20:05:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, Brian played tour guide and took Dustin, Andrew and I to New York for the day. Lily graciously volunteered to watch the kids for us. We got to visit Times Square, which was very busy and overwhelming. We also found a very cool fountain (in temperature as well as in appearance) where we were able to soak and rest our tired feet. We also got to see Trinity Church, Wall Street, Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. We were able to go to the site of the Twin Towers, and we walked through the museum/memorial. We also walked through Little Italy and Chinatown. Thanks Brian for showing us an awesome time in New York!

New Jersey

2011-08-21T19:50:00.004-04:00

This past week we were able to go and spend a week in New Jersey visiting Nana and Pop-pop Coffman. Lily and Brian took us to see and do some really fun things, so I am going to make several posts with pictures from different parts of our visit. This post is pictures of Nana and Pop-pop with the grandkids. Elijah found the infamous pop-guns in the basement, and after that no one was safe from getting shot. ELijah had a great time being chased and shot by Pop-pop.

Fun With Dress-Up

2011-08-11T17:54:00.002-04:00

Emme has gotten to the age where playing dress-up has become an everyday occurrence. Emme loves hats, shoes, pretty dresses and anything that is shiny or sparkly.

Sweet Moments

2011-08-07T09:45:00.003-04:00

Emme called Elijah by his name yesterday! She calls him Eli-ah. It was so cute to hear her little voice trying to really talk to her big brother. I am so grateful that my kids get along. I feel like you can truly tell that they love each other and want to make the other one happy, most of the time. Now that Emme is getting older, we have had to start disciplining her occassionally. The main thing that she gets in trouble for is biting. When Elijah is being too rough with her, or she feels like he is not being nice, she will bite him (hard) on his arms or legs (sometimes his butt). Until recently when I got after her she didn't seem to care about or understand what I was saying to her, or why Elijah was upset. But the other day, she bit Elijah and he started crying. I made her stand up and I explained to her why Elijah was sad and then I told her to hug her brother. She teared up and gave him the biggest hug I have ever seen. Then she talked very quietly to him like she was trying to soothe him. Elijah hugged her back and told her "I love you Emme Ems, but you can't bite me. It hurts real bad." It was very precious. Sweet moments like these help make the bad days seem not so bad. They make me remember that even when my kids have grouchy days, that it just a moment (or phase) and that it will pass.

Tuggle Bear

2011-08-04T09:58:00.003-04:00

Elijah has a bear from the Build-A-Bear store, that he named Tuggle Bear. The other day, we were at the mall and we went into the Build-A-Bear store. They have a new version of the "Tuggle Bear," that Elijah and I were talking about getting for Emme. After we walked away from the bin with the "Tuggle Bears" in it, a lady ran over and grabbed one. Apparently she had heard us talking about the bear, because she took it over to her son and husband and said "I think we should get this bear, it is called a Tuggle Bear and it is very soft and machine washable." She did end up buying the bear, and we watched them stuff it for them. When it was all stuffed, she handed the bear to her son and said "here is your Tuggle Bear, be nice to Tuggle Bear and love him very much." Awesome! There is another little boy out there now, who will be calling his bear Tuggle Bear. Too funny! (Tuggle Bear is wearing one of Emme's shirts and some of her old booties because after seeing all of the animals dressed up at the store, Elijah said he didn't want his Tuggle Bear to be naked. It was immodest! What a goof!) (Also Emme has decided that she has to be wearing her jelly shoes and her yellow head band at all times. She only takes them off for baths and for bed.)

Feeding the Geese

2011-08-03T15:15:00.003-04:00

The kids and I went to the park today to feed the geese. Elijah did a great job feeding them. He even got bit by one goose, and he wasn't even phased. He just said "wow, that goose is very hungry."

Embry Elizabeth at One Year Old

2011-08-01T15:26:00.002-04:00

Emme had her one year doctor appointment today. She now weighs 16lbs 4oz which puts her in the 1st percentile (sad I know) Emme is 28 1/4in tall (21st percentile) And her head is 45cm which puts her in the 46th percentile (she is kind of like an orange and a toothpick!)

E-L-I

2011-08-01T11:15:00.002-04:00

Elijah has known his whole alphabet for awhile now, but recently he has wanted to learn how to write his letters. Since he already knew how to spell his name, we learned how to write E-L-I first. After just a few tries, he is a pro. E-L-I is our big and very smart man!

Splash Pad

2011-07-29T14:14:00.002-04:00

Thanks Adams Family!

2011-07-26T11:07:00.002-04:00

The Adams family sent the kids fun Minnie and Mickey Mouse shirts for Emme's birthday. Elijah wanted me to post a picture of he and Emme in their shirts so that his girls could see how much they both liked their shirts. Thank you! (Elijah is wearing safety glasses because he is an imaginext robot)

Happy 1st Birthday Embry!

2011-07-22T08:28:00.002-04:00

It is amazing that Emme has only been with our family for a year. It seems like she has always been with us. Emme has one of the silliest personalities that I have had the opportunity to know. She is never quiet! Emme always has something to say, and she makes sure everyone hears her. She loves to wrestle and roll around and play rough with Elijah and her Daddy. She loves her sleep! And will tell you when she needs a nap or wants to go to bed. Emme is a great eater, which is a great switch from her brother. Emme loves books, and will continue to bring you book after book after book to read to her. She LOVES music! She dances to any kind of music, anytime, at any place. She is a groovin' machine! Happy Birthday my little Emme Ems!

Happy 1st Birthday Party Emme!

2011-07-18T20:50:00.001-04:00

Polka Dots and Stripes

2011-07-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

Birthday Hats!

2011-07-14T15:53:00.003-04:00

Emme is having a Minnie Mouse birthday this year! So we had to get these adorable headbands!

Crazy Hair!

2011-07-13T14:46:00.002-04:00

Emme likes to rub her food in her hair while eats. This lovely hair style was compliments of mashed up bananas! Elijah tried to make his hair crazy too, but his hair is to short. Plus, thankfully Elijah is a very neat eater.

First Ponytail

2011-06-27T15:33:00.002-04:00

Sunday Best

2011-06-26T19:47:00.000-04:00

Sibling Love

2011-06-23T14:44:00.002-04:00

Emme at 11 Months

2011-06-22T14:44:00.003-04:00

Emme is 11 months old today! I can't believe that she is almost a year old! Emme is such a happy baby. She always has a big smile ready. She likes to talk to Daddy on the phone, even when he isn't really on the other line. She holds the phone up and says "Da Da? Da Da!" and then she just smiles and dances while she chatters. Emme is an incredibly fast crawler, and because of that she isn't really interested in walking on her own. She does think that everyone should be willing to give her a finger to hold onto and walk with her as long as she wants you to. We had a lion walker that Elijah used, that Emme has been using. The only problem is that she has figured out that if she puts the seat down(to make it a little scooter thing) and sits on it and yells long enough Elijah will come behind her and push her around the house. She LOVES books, especially the kind that play music. I have been weaning Emme slowly for the last few months, and we are almost done! Yay! She has been really great about it, and thankfully she loves solid food! Emme goes into her bed for naps and for the night awake, and she is amazing at going right to sleep. It is funny because we can hear her over the monitor, turn on her glow worm and dance until she literally falls over asleep. Emme loves to dance! Anytime she hears any kind of music she immediately starts moving. Dustin and I joke that when she dances it really looks like she feels the music inside her little heart and soul. She even tries to snap her fingers! LOL We are so grateful for Emme in our family! She has brought amazing amounts of joy to all of us.

Imaginext Space Shuttle

2011-06-09T14:35:00.002-04:00

Elijah is a very spoiled little boy (thankfully he is not bratty about it). He has learned that if he asks for something little, nice enough, he is more than likely going to get it. Unfortunately, the Imaginext toys that he has gotten into lately are a little expensive. Especially once you get into the big Imaginext toys. Dustin and I have been trying to teach Elijah that money is not always unlimited. So, Elijah has been saving his "moneys" for the last few weeks to buy the Imaginext Space Shuttle Station. We knew is was unrealistic to expect him to earn all the money himself, so once he saved up $11, we covered the rest. We went to Target today and he was able to buy it. In the car on the way, he was singing "I get to go to Target and get my awesome, awesome space shuttle. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!" He also suffered a little bit of back seat driver road rage when a lady turned in front of us into the parking lot. He yelled "hey you lady, you better not buy all the Imaginext stuff. I got my moneys with me today." Then he told me to drive faster so we could get there before they sold all of them. What a goober!

Happy Birthday Dustin!

2011-06-09T08:58:00.000-04:00

The Little Gym

2011-06-06T14:21:00.003-04:00

Elijah and his Little Gym class Emme was very excited to be in the gym today, instead of watchng from the waiting room Elijah getting his medal and certificate Today Elijah graduated from The Little Gym. We are very proud of him. He has loved going to class every Monday, and coming home and showing off what he learned. He is signed up for the summer camps and next semester, so he will be able to continue doing gymnastics.

Fun Nursery Picture

2011-06-05T19:12:00.002-04:00

Elijah drew this "Elijah" in nursery last week. We were all very impressed with how well he drew himself. Elijah drew eyes that look like real eyes that even have eyelashes, hands with fingers and lots of hair on his head. We think he is a pretty smart little dude.

Beatiful Kids

2011-06-02T11:19:00.002-04:00

Anytime the kids and I go anywhere, we are stopped by people who want to ooh and ahh over how cute they both are. And well look at them, who wouldn't think they are adorable. LOL It is always amusing to me when the person doing the oohing and ahhing is completely opposite of how you think you should look. Example: the kids and I went to the post office the other day, and when we got out of the car, there was a rough looking man and a lady on a Harley waiting behind our Jeep for the drive up mail box. I pulled Elijah out of the car and the man said to the lady "Geez look at that adorable little guy, he looks like Dennis the Menace. SO cute." Then we went around and got Emme out and he said in a very excited voice "Oh goodness, there are two of them, I can't believe how adorable they are. Oh, and that one is a girl. Jeez, how adorable are they." Funny! I always tell Dustin about the nice things people say, but I think he thinks I am exaggerating a little bit. But last night we all went to Wal-Mart, and a lady stopped us and told Dustin how beautiful Emme was, she said that she was the prettiest baby she had seen and then went on and on about how Dustin is going to have his work cut out for him keeping all of Emme's suitors at bay. It is nice to hear people say that your kids are cute. It is also nice to have Daddy hear people say how cute they are.

Enjoying Some Nicer Weather

2011-06-01T10:18:00.002-04:00

Camping With Daddy

2011-06-01T09:46:00.003-04:00

Dustin and Elijah went camping on Monday. As much as Emme and I wanted to go camping with them I know it was great for them to be able to go alone (next camping trip Emme and I are so going too.) Elijah had an awesome time digging holes, burning sticks, roasting marshmallows and cooking hot dogs.

Elijah Being a Great Big Brother

2011-05-26T15:55:00.003-04:00

Reading With "Tapa"

2011-05-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

Emme at 10 Months

2011-05-24T16:00:00.002-04:00

My little Emme girl turned 10 months old this last Sunday. She has been and is an amazing addition to our family. She is so happy all the time, and she giggles more than any baby I have ever known. She is very determined and she gets very upset at herself if she can't do exactly what she wants when she wants to do it. She and Elijah are hilarious to watch together. Unfortunately for Elijah, Emme has figured out that he does not out weigh her by much (only a 5lb difference between the two)and so she takes advantage of that by using her body to push him around so she can get his toys. They love to wrestle with each other and with mom and dad. Emme also likes to bite Elijah to get her way. We are working on that, but she apparently loves to bite, more than she minds being scoulded! LOL She loves food and loves to eat, which is an awesome difference from her brother. Emme can walk while holding onto just one finger, and she is getting much more daring about letting go of things as she makes her way around the house. She will be walking on her own very soon.

Milwaukee Brewers

2011-05-23T08:28:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a great day! Dustin was able to get us tickets to go to a Milwaukee Brewers game. The tickets were for a suite right behind home plate. And let me say they were SWEET seats. The suite was fully catered, plus the drinks were included, and there was air conditioning. The game was great as well, the Brewers beat the Rockies 3-1. I have been officially spoiled now, I don't know if I can go to a game and sit in the regular seats again. LOL Also, yesterday was the longest that I have ever been away from Emme. Overall we were away from the kids for about 8 hours. Dustin may say differently, but I think I did pretty well. I am sure that it helped alot that my parents were able to come up and watch the kids for us. I knew that we in good hands. It was nice to have time with just Dustin. It reminded me of before we had kids. Like I said before, it was a great day!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T15:27:00.002-04:00

I am grateful to be a mom. I am so thankful for Elijah and the joy and purpose he has brought to my life. He is a great kid and a good boy. I love my Emme, and the silliness and happiness she has brought to our family. The greatest compliment that I have received, or can ever receive, has been when people have complimented my on the behavior of my kids. I am grateful to have happy and confident kids. I am grateful for my mom and the happy childhood that she gave me. I am grateful for the example that she set for me and for the unselfish way she raised me. I am so thankful for every sacrifice she and my dad made for Erin and I. I have always appreciated it, but since becoming a mom myself, I can better understand all that their sacrifices encompassed. I am so glad that my mom is only a phone call away, and that she gives me advice without judging me. I am grateful for my mother-in-law Miss Lily. I am grateful for the way she raised her son, and the example that she set for him.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T09:34:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!!! Hope you all have a great day!

Happy Spring! Maybe...

2011-04-25T15:53:00.003-04:00

Well, today was the first day that is was actually warm enough outside that we could wear jackets instead of coats, and that under those jackets we could all wear short sleeves! Yay! Emme had her 9 month doctor appointment today, and we were able to find out how big she has gotten. Embry now weighs 15lbs 4oz, which means that she is only in the 3rd percentile for weight. She must take after her brother, he is only in the 3rd percentile for his weight as well. She is also 26 1/2in long and in the 15th percentile. The doctor is a little concerned about her size, and so he took blood to run a panel of blood work. When Elijah was this age (and this size) his doctor ran the same panel. She was very brave and did not cry a single time when they drew the blood. Elijah on the other hand couldn't watch and said that he had to "look at the puter on the desk while they hurt Emme."

9 Months

2011-04-22T14:01:00.002-04:00

Embry is 9 months old today! Emme is very feisty, and once she sets her mind on something there is no changing it. She loves to get into trouble and to do things she is not supposed to, all with a huge grin on her face. She especially loves to sneak up the stairs and hide up in her room. She also loves to be in the kitchen to "help" me cook and load the dishwasher. She LOVES Elijah and wants to be involved in everything he does. She says both mama and dada, and I am excited for her to start saying Elijah. She walks while holding onto things, and she tries to let go of things to stand by herself. Emme has a great deep little giggle and a smile that lights up her whole face. We love that she shares both with us very often.

Emme Can Walk

2011-04-20T13:51:00.003-04:00

Last night I decided to bring in Elijah's old walker from the garage to see what Emme would do with it. And she walked! She grabbed right onto the handle, and off she went. She is actually really good at it, especially for only going to be 9 months on the 22nd. I tried to get a better video so ya'll could see her awesome skills, but brother was quite jealous of Emme getting video taken, and this is all I could get. But I think it is still cute.

Happy Snow Covered Easter

2011-04-20T13:34:00.002-04:00

The Easter Bunny came early to our house this year. The kids got their easter baskets, or in Elijah's case his Easter pirate ship, today because we are going to my parents this weekend, and they will have another Easter there. The Easter Bunny came to Green Bay along with snow. Last night we got five or six inches of snow, and had quite the thunderstorm to go with it. Dustin and I didn't know there was such a thing as a thunder snow storm until this year. Who would've thought there could be snow, thunder and lightening all at the same time? Especially when last week we had tornadoes and rain storms. There were 10 tornadoes in our area last week! Crazy Green Bay weather.

Emme has Two Teeth

2011-04-15T16:18:00.001-04:00

If you look closely at Emme's bottom gum, you can see her two little front teeth.

Stairs

2011-04-15T15:21:00.002-04:00

Grandma and Tapa Tuggle

2011-04-07T23:10:00.000-04:00

New Pictures

2011-04-07T23:01:00.005-04:00

Poor Emme Girl

2011-03-31T15:56:00.002-04:00

Poor Emme girl has had a stuffy nose for a few days now, that we associated with the new tooth that she had cut. But last night Emme had a rough night with a horrible cough and a fever of 101.5. We took her to the doctor this morning and turns out she has a double ear infection. Poor thing. As you can tell from the pictures, she is pretty pathetic and just plain sad. Elijah on the other hand is feeling great and has been trying to make Emme happy. Unfortunately Emme is not so into playing with her brother today. Hopefully tomorrow after a few doses of antibiotics she will be her normal happy self again.

Stairs!

2011-03-29T17:25:00.003-04:00

Emme has decided that she can do stairs now. Yikes! We are gonna have to get a baby gate quick.

Cutie

2011-03-29T09:53:00.002-04:00

Emme wore this hat to the Little Gym yesterday and caused quite a fuss. All of the ladies went on and on about how adorable she was. Thank you Auntie N!

Apples and Peanut Butter

2011-03-25T10:20:00.001-04:00

Nothing goes better with Jake and the Neverland Pirates, than apples and peanut butter. Elijah has decided that he LOVES both!

8 Months Old!

2011-03-22T14:09:00.002-04:00

Embry is 8 months old! She has recently started crawling, and since then has decided she needs to walk. She has been pulling herself up to things, and holding on by just one hand. Yesterday she was feeling especially daring and she let go of the foot rest she was holding onto. She stood for a second by herself (just long enough to get a huge grin on her face) then she tried to take a step and she face planted. She was so pleased with herself that she didn't even cry, she just rolled over and pulled herself up again. Also yesterday she tried to follow Elijah up the stairs. She made it up onto the landing, and was thinking about the next step when I caught her. I think it is time to get a baby gate. Emme has become quite the talker. She will talk to Elijah and I from her car seat while we are driving. She likes to call out "Mama," just to see if I answer. She likes to sing to the radio with us, which is way funny. She has opinions now, and she lets us know that she very strongly feels they should be considered. Overall though, she is amazingly easy going, and very calm. She waves hi now by putting her fist in the air and twisting it. She especially likes waving hi to herself in the mirror. She LOVES Elijah and has to be involved in everything he does.

Musical Table

2011-03-12T15:52:00.002-05:00

Emme and Elijah love to play with the musical table together.

Castles and Dragons

2011-03-11T11:38:00.002-05:00

Elijah wanted to post a picture of his castles and dragons. He wanted to set them up all nice so you could see all of his "way fun stuff." We have spent a lot of time playing with these toys since christmas.

Crawling!

2011-03-11T10:55:00.002-05:00

Emme has been trying to crawl for a few weeks now, but last night she succeeded! I was in the kitchen making dinner, and Emme crawled from the couch in the living room to the kitchen counter. Then this morning she crawled that same distance twice while I was making breakfast. Woohoo! Elijah is so excited that she is crawling. (I don't think he fully understands that now none of his toys are safe!) LOL Fun, fun stuff! I will try to get some video of her crawling this weekend. Also another milestone for Emme. For a few weeks now, she has been saying "Nana Mama." But the last two weeks she has been saying just "mama." I love it! What a big girl.

Elijah's Deep Thoughts

2011-03-09T09:30:00.002-05:00

Elijah is hilarious! I love listening to him tell me about things. He seems to be at an age now where he is trying to figure out how things work, nd why things happen the way they do. The last few weeks Dustin has been working longer than usual hours at work, and Elijah has definately noticed. He asks me all day when Daddy is going to come home that day. Yesterday Elijah, Emme and I were getting shoes and coats on so we could go to the store, and Elijah and I had this conversation. "Mama, it was nice of Daddy to buy me these new shoes." "Yep, your Dad is a pretty nice guy." "Yeah. He works alot so he can buy me nice things." "He does." "Like he buys me new fancy shoes, and icees and cookies, and nice clothes." "Uh-huh." "Yeah he has to work alot, and he is gone alot. But it is okay cause I am happy when he comes home, because he plays with me. I love Daddy." "I love Daddy too." "And Emme loves Daddy too!" "Yep." That afternoon we were watching Bizarre Foods while eating lunch, and Elijah had a realization about food. The host Andrew was eating turtle, and Elijah turns to me and asks: "We don't eat animals do we?" "Well yeah Big Man, we do eat animals. They taste good and they are good for us." "NO! We not eat animals! That not nice!" "Elijah, we do eat animals. That is why Heavenly Father made animals, for us to eat. We eat cows, pigs and chickens." "NO! NO! NO! I NOT EAT ANIMALS, I LOVE ANIMALS! I love COWS" Yeah, I didn't know what to say, especially since he was eating chicken nuggets at the time. So, I just told him that it was good love animals. And thankfully that was the end of the conversation.

Jenny Jump-Up

2011-03-03T10:23:00.002-05:00

This is what the kids do every morning while I take me shower.

OshKosh Babies

2011-03-01T14:38:00.000-05:00

Elijah

2011-02-28T17:03:00.002-05:00

Elijah is a great kid. He is going through a very obstinate three year old phase right now, which has made for some not so good days for he and I. But I try to remind myself of all of his good qualities. He is always kind to other kids, and he is an amazing big brother. He is stubborn and tough. He is good and sweet. And he feels truly bad when he makes others upset, and is quick to apologize. He is hilarious, and I love his songs and stories. I love you Elijah! You are a good boy!

Embry is 7 Months Old

2011-02-22T14:10:00.002-05:00

Miss Emme is 7 months old today! Emme is a happy and content little girl. She rarely ever cries but when she does, it is very sad and pathetic. She has figured out that she can yell though and she uses that to get attention quite a bit. Emme tries and tries to crawl but she just can't get the hang of how she needs to move her legs. She can get up into the crawling position and then rock, but once she tries to move she face plants (or as Eli says she "bites the dust". She is an awesome roller though and can get to anywhere she wants to be that way. She can pull herself up to things, and she can stand there by herself. If you hold her hands she actually can walk, and she much prefers that to crawling or rolling.

Potato Heads

2011-02-22T10:13:00.002-05:00

Over the last two days and nights we have gotten around 15in of snow. Even church was cancelled on Sunday. The Little Gym was closed yesterday, so Elijah was very sad that he didn't get to go to his gym class. The kids and I haven't gotten to leave the house in a few days, so we have played Tato Heads and Toy Story toys alot.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T13:07:00.003-05:00

Alright, so I hate Valentine's Day. I think it is the stupidest holiday ever thought up by the card and candy companies. I have never liked the balloons, stuffed animals and the candy and lets face it, pink and red really do look horrible together. I have never thought that I needed a holiday to remind me that I needed to show the people I love that I love them. But, I think this year that I maybe did need a shot in the bum from cupid's arrow to remind me that I have a great husband and great kids. I am grateful that Dustin is the great guy that he is. He is a great dad, and Elijah and Emme adore him. He has a great job that he is successful at, and he provides everything that we need and some of the things that we want ;) LOL. I am glad that he does listen to me "some of the time" when I talk to him about random things. He can always make me laugh even when I am very grouchy and sometimes mean! And overall I am very glad and grateful that he is my valentine. I am glad that I have two great kids. It was fun to watch Elijah enjoy Valentine's Day. He loves candy and cards and flowers enough for both he and I.

Solid Food!

2011-02-07T15:23:00.002-05:00

Emme started on solid foods a few weeks ago. So far she likes cereal, carrots, mangoes, applesauce, cottage cheese and yummy yogurt.

The Little Gym

2011-02-07T14:46:00.004-05:00

Today was Elijah's first class at The Little Gym. He is in the Funny Bugs class for the 3-4 year olds. He did really well, especially for his first time. Elijah is amazingly coordinated and strong. He was able to do a "Held Chin-up" today, which the teacher said usually takes the whole semester for the kids to be able to do. He was a crazy monkey on the rings, and he said that the balance beam was his favorite.

Sorry the videos are shakey, but Emme was trying to eat the camera the whole time.

Elijah's Birthday

2011-01-31T13:30:00.004-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa Tuggle and Aunt Marge were able to come down on Friday to celebrate Elijah's birthday with us. We had a fun visit with the Tuggle family, and we are glad that we were able to spend time with them. Elijah was very excited to blow out his candles and to share his cake and cupcakes with everyone.