Mid-month update

Thought I would take a few moments and update on what's been going on here. The month has been a quiet one so far. Delmar & I have both been sick but praise God Emily hasn't gotten anything yet. Well, that's not quite true, she did manage to get one bug.

Lucky for us, it was an award! On January 13th she received her first BUG award. This is an award that is given to a student for Bringing Up Grades (BUG). To be eligible for the award, students must maintain a combination of A's or B's and cannot go down a letter grade in any subject. She had all A's and B's and brought up every grade. The school had an assembly for the third graders and Delmar and I were both able to be there. We are soooo proud of her!!!

We also got to go to a birthday party. I've been babysitting this guy since he was 13 months old and now he 5!!!!! Happy Birthday Tristin!
We have gotten quite a bit of snow. Last week we were able to make snow ice cream and from the looks of things this morning, there may be a chance of another batch today. :o) That will make Emily and Delmar both VERY happy. Me, I would LOVE to be able to get up some morning when it is snowing like today and just be able to go for a walk. It is soooo quiet when the snow is blanketing the ground and everyone is still in bed.

On a final note, KitCat has taken up residence in Emily's cradle. Guess he thinks it's far enough away from the kiddo's that he won't be bothered. Emily has found it quite funny and enjoys covering him up "because he is cold". :o)



I pray that you are all having a safe month with all of the crazy weather happening everywhere.

It's time for school again!!!

I think Emily was a "little" excited about her first day of Second grade. She was up at 6:20 am ready to go! Here are our annual first day of school pics. The second one is of her and her new bus driver. For the last 3 years, her driver has been Twilla and we loved her. I don't know about Emily but I was sad to not see her this morning. But, alas, change happens and now we introduce Mable. I hear that she is also wonderful and loves the kids and honestly, that's all that really matters. YEAH!!Have a blessed day,

Happy Birthday Emily Rose!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, today our baby is 7 years old. It amazes me how time flies. Every year on her birthday, I recall the day she was born and the horrible time she had just trying to breath. I remember laying in a hospital bed after a C-section being told that my baby, just hours old, would need to be flown from from Effingham to Springfield because they didn't have the equipment or doctors needed to keep her alive and the aweful feeling knowing I couldn't go with her. I can picture in my mind, the first time I got to hold her 2 days later, on MY birthday and thanking God for the most wonderful birthday present ever and for having the best husband in the world after hearing that he didn't let ANYONE hold her, not even himself, knowing that I should be the first. Then, after a week, the IVs came out and we got to take our baby girl home.

And now, look at her, she can read her own birthday cards:This morning, we tried to convince Emily that she should wait to open her presents at her party but she told us, "But we always have a party in the morning!" So, she opened her presents from us this morning and was very happy with her new Littlest Petshop Clubhouse and Dora Leapster game.

After unwrapping the gifts, Emily and her cousin Baylee, who is with us for the weekend, decided it was time to wrap up daddy!

I will post more pictures of the party later.

Have a blessed day,

Another Lost Tooth

Emily lost another tooth today. She is up to FOUR for those keeping track!

Have a blessed day,

3rd Lost Tooth

This one was knocked out with a little help from her friend Lilly. Apparently they were fighting over a toy and Lilly just let go and Emily popped herself in the face with her own hand and knocked out the tooth! The toothfairy was gracious and left another 2 golden dollars and the tooth.

First Day of 1st Grade!!!

Today our baby started 1st Grade. I can't believe the summer is over all ready. So much happened this summer. Emily learned how to ride her two bike without training wheels, she lost her first (& second tooth), she started swimming without floaties in the pool. She is growing up so fast. Here are a few pics from the first day of school.

Emily & Daddy:

Emily & Mommy:

Emily & Harrison:

Emily & Twilla the busdriver. This is her 3rd year riding Twilla's bus.

More of Emily Rose

2nd Tooth Gone!!!! This tooth was loose at her dental appt. over a month ago and Dr. Larkin said it really needed to come out since the adult tooth was all ready coming in. We tried getting her to wiggle it, we tried to wiggle it, we tried everything to get it out of her mouth. I even had Jenny & Tori try to sneak in for the pull, but it didn't work. So Monday I called and left a message with the dentist to schedule a pull and guess what? The sucker fell out Monday afternoon when she bit down on Fruit Loop!

I personally think she has some kind of separation anxiety with the teeth in her mouth. When she lost the first one, she wanted to write a note to the tooth fairy asking her to leave it. And she asked to do the same thing again. So we did and Emily was relieved that it was still here when she woke the next morning. And she got TWO GOLDEN DOLLARS!!!

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Here is a picture of the kids coloring on our new deck. They all seem to like being in the the fresh air without actually being outside. It also helps keep the toys contained and not scattered all over the yard!

Go Emily, Go Emily!

As of June 10th, Emily is now able to ride her 2 wheeler without training wheels. She is so proud and we are proud of her. Now we can't keep her off of it. She has had a couple of accidents but she just gets right back on. She started out on her small bike but as of today has graduated to her big bike except for when the chain comes off. She may need to use her birthday money for a new bike if it keeps happening.

Our Baby Is 6 Years Old Today

I can't believe that Emily is 6 years old! It just seems like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital after a week in the NICU at St. John's in Springfield. She is growing like a weed. We measured her this morning and she has grown 1 3/4 inches since November. But, true to herself, she has only gained 6/10ths of a pound. We still haven't figured out where she gets her build.

We spent the morning just hanging out waiting for daddy to get home from checking in at work and then went to CiCi's pizza for lunch. She got a free buffet and a bunch of tokens for the game room there. Too bad most of the games weren't working. We then went to Menards and to Walmart to pick up her Hello Kitty birthday cake.

Here are a few pictures from today.

Birthday breakfast:

Favorite birthday gift from mommy & daddy:

Birthday brownie (we are having cake & cupcakes for her party tomorrow):

Last Day of School!

Today is Emily's last day of Kindergarten! She will be an official 1st grader when school lets out. I can't believe how fast this year has gone. Here are some pictures before school. I will also post more after school with all the babysitting kids. Today is the last day here for Antonio and Lauren but I will be picking up 2 more after we get back from vacation.

Harrison, Emily & Antonio:

Harrison & Emily:

Emily & Twila the bus driver: