Easter Celebrations 2014

We had lots of fun celebrations this year to celebrate the season of our risen Savior!

We attended an egg hunt at my work on the Sunday before Easter. It was rainy that day so it was held indoors. It was super crowded, but the girls still had fun!

They got to meet the Easter bunny and take a pic with him. This was Luci's first time! According to her, this was the REAL Easter Bunny! :-)

We got to visit with Presley for a bit on Good Friday!

On Saturday, I took the girls to our church in FSM's Easter Egg Hunt! Luci had one of her bestest friends come too!! These girls are a sassy mess, but they had the best time!!! They also got a TON of eggs!

Emmi was more interested in her paci than hunting eggs!

On Saturday night, Luci and I made a bunny cake. We made one a few Easters ago and decided to do it again. We did a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Luci decided that she wanted to be solely in charge of decorations...and she was! :-)

On Easter morning, the girls woke up and discovered their Easter baskets. The Easter Bunny had also hidden a few eggs around the house for Luci to find!

The girls and their Easter baskets on Easter morning!

Easter Morning pics!!!

Doesn't get much better than this!!!

We had Easter church and lunch at my parent's house. After lunch, Luci and I dyed Easter eggs. She also did a mini project with Mimi and made us matching headbands! ;-) 

Don't worry...these are just for fun! 

And just because...first Easter versus 5th Easter...!!

New Pictures

We had the pictures of the girls made back at the end of January and then the first of April.

Emmi was 4 months in the pink glitter ones and 7 months in the Easter ones. Luci was 4 in both!

 

And here is my most favorite picture ever!!! hahaa!!! Gotta love a good blooper pic!!!

Luci Update

Luci is growing so fast...I seriously just blinked and she is now almost 5. We will register her for Kindergarten in 10 days. WHAT?????!?!?! I honestly just can't believe it. 

She has started Tball this spring. She is doing so well...and having so much fun. I just love stepping back and watching her play and laugh. I love her joyful spirit so much!

She is starting to learn to sound out words. We have been working with her readers that she gets sent home from preschool. She is so proud of herself when she successfully sounds out a word. I just love it! She also made it in the "100 Club" at preschool. This is a BIG deal around there! Being a member means that you can count by yourself to 100! 

We are starting to prepare for her FIFTH birthday party! Luci gets soooo excited about her party every year. This year we are having a girly craft party with cupcake decorating! I think it will be a very memorable party for her!

She loves her little sister so much. And Emmi really responds to her as well. I can't wait to see this relationship develop and blossom. 

I'll update more on Luci later when I do her 5 year update!

Part-Time

Mitch and I have known since I was pregnant with Luci that when she got ready to start Kindergarten, I really wanted to be working a schedule where I could take and pick her up from school. This is really something that I have prayed about for almost 5 years. I truly like what I do...and I like the folks I work with...but I love my girlies more than anything...and it is hard balancing both...while working full-time. Now that Mitch has finished his Master's, I am going to start working part-time in the same office I work in!! I will essentially be doing the same job...just with a few less duties. I will work Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm. I am sooooo excited for this extra time with my girls. It is going to be somewhat of an adjustment ...and Emmi is starting a new school...but it is oh so worth it!

"And so it was...that she, having waited long & endured patiently, realized & obtained what God had promised." Hebrews 6:15

Emmi Update - 7 Months

Emmi turned 7 months old on March 30th!!! She is starting to rock back and forth. I suspect she will start crawling in the next few weeks. We are not ready for a crawler on our hands! We have been trying to prepare Luci for a while for this. We are repeating over and over to her again about keeping small pieces in her room and off the floor. I think we are going to just end up putting a baby gate on Luci's room. I am so afraid of Emmi picking up a Barbie shoe off of the floor and putting it in her mouth.

Emmi is a pain in the bobo to eat with at meal time. Sorry, just being honest here! It has always been important to Mitch and I to have family time at the dinner table. We eat at the table together almost every day. So, we just naturally had Emmi with us at the table every night for dinner. Well, this little toot just doesn't want to sit there. She wants to eat our food...and eat the entire time. She just screams and yells us at us...the.entire.dinner. I am seriously not joking. We feed her baby food, mum-mums, crackers, and bottles. She isn't ready for table food just yet...so we have to endure her poor table manners for a few more months! Ahhhhhh!!!!

Emmi is eating baby food twice a day with a little cereal in it to thicken it up...and no schedule what so ever for bottles. Luci was very scheduled...we just never really could get Emmi on one. We just feed her when she wants...usually it is 4-6 ounces every 3 hours...but that is not necessarily every day. She usually has a 6-7 ounce bottle with 2-3 teaspoons of cereal in it before bed.

Emmi had bronchitis (and her first round of antibiotics) last month. She has had RSV and bronchitis. We took her back to the doctor yesterday for her persistent cough, and he has decided to treat her for asthma at this point. We are doing a trial treatment to see how she responds. Hopefully we will know more when we go back for her 9 month check-up.

Because of the sickness issues that Emmi has had, she is not sleeping very well at night. There have been more nights than I count when she has been up every hour...sometimes 30 minutes at a time. I am hoping as she gets better, the sleeping will too. I am not sure I have ever been this tired!

She is such a happy baby most of the time. She smiles and laughs so easily. She dislikes being on her tummy...and when someone walks out of the room!

When we went to the doctor yesterday she weighed 16lbs 11oz. She is a growing girl!!!

7 Months!

Both of the girls at 7 months!

Emmi Update- Months 5 & 6

Oh my dear, sweet Emmi...how we love you so...you have made our world more happier than we could imagine. Your sister just adores you...and I hope and pray you guys will be the best of friends all of your life!

What have you done during months 5 and 6:
Rolling over back to front and front to back- 5
Started sitting up - 6
Pick up toys- 5
Pass toys from hand to hand- 5
Sleep somewhat through the night- 6
Stranger Anxiety- 5

During 5 months, you were diagnosed with RSV. You had an xray and breathing treatment in the doctor's office and then a week of round the clock, every 2-4 hour breathing treatments for the next week with Tucker the Turtle. Mommy and Daddy were so happy when you started breathing better! It was so scary!

During 5 months, you took your first trip to Texas to see your cousin Jocie get married! You were such a good girl!

At your 6 month appt, you weighed 15 lbs 15.5 oz and were 27 inches long. This puts you in the 50th percentile for both.

You have the best little laugh and we love to make you laugh...but we have to admit, that bottom lip pucker you do is pretty cute too!!

We love you sweet Emmi Reese Cup!!! Always know these 3 things...

1. Mommy and Daddy love you and have always wanted you.
2. Mommy and Daddy love each other very much.
3. Jesus loves you more than anyone, and he blesses our family daily.

Thank you for making our little family complete!!!

5 Months!

6 Months

At your 6 month appt.

Things coming up...

Mommy will leave you overnight for the first time with your Daddy while she goes on a girl's trip.

You will head back to Branson for a weekend trip.

You will sleep consistently through the night. (ha!) 

Color Days 2014

Every January Luci's school has a month of "color days". Tuesdays-Fridays the kids are encouraged to wear the color of the day. They try to make several things coordinate with the color of the day...learning, coloring, food, etc. We have a lot of fun with these days, and I try to document these every year, although I think last year was the first year that I blogged about the entire month! (See 2013 here.) We only missed one day this year (white day)!

Red Day!

Green Day! (Mommy coordinated too!)

Yellow Day!

Blue Day! (Lil Sis had to coordinate too!)

Orange Day! (Someone was awfully silly!)

Purple Day!

Brown Day!

Black Day! (She is also showing off her "Share Day" toy too!

Pink Day!

Gray Day!