Ready or not, here it comes

Did you ever think about all the preparations that we make to pull off a great holiday? Not just talking about gifts, but every little thing that eats up so much of our time before Christmas. Last minute wrapping, food lists, shopping, baking, making decorative bows out of ribbon (yes, I did this today...glitter everywhere), cleaning...and the list goes on.

Sure, many would argue that not all of those tasks are necessary, but we all put ourselves through at least a tiny bit of pain to pull off the perfect holiday (whatever that means to you). Of course, it becomes all that more important when you have kids. You want to make sure everything is perfect (if you are me, at least) and that everyone has a great time. I try to enjoy every part of the holiday preparations, but sometimes it is hard when there is so much to do. Tonight I had a few last minute errands to run and I took Katie along (even though we were out past her bedtime). She loved it...it was dark out, she could see Christmas lights everywhere, we went to the town center where people were out shopping and enjoying their time together. Yes, that is what the holidays are all about.

So on this 22nd day of December, I say I'M DONE! I do not plan on doing anymore wrapping, cleaning or shopping. Maybe things won't be perfect, but they will be good enough...and I will spend more time with my family.
(NOTE TO JR: You can edit this post, just like you editted my Christmas card letter...but I won't care)

Sadly, I still have school work to worry about...but there is always Sunday ;)

HO HO HO MERRRRRY CHRISTMAS!

Stickers, sisters and snow

We've had a busy month, as Emily has changed from a baby to a toddler. She is on the move and loves chasing after her sister. Sometimes she does need to get away from all the chaos...but she never goes too far, especially when she finds a stash of Sissy's stickers under their art table.

"Oops you found me!"

Daddy has been enjoying his time with Emily too. Here they are in their favorite activity...vegging. This is how he "babysits" :)
Speaking of babysitting, here is super Grandma displaying her methods for grandchild-watching.

Step 1 - give them candy and cookies

Step 2 - dump toys out all over the playroom (yes, Katie has named her own room in my parents' house)

Step 3 - put children in buckets for the night, hope they don't escape

Step 4 - if they are both too rowdy, put them in the bucket together. Push 3 year old to the bottom and hope for the best. (At least Emily seems to enjoy it)

Although we had a few inches of snow last year, I'm beginning to lose hope for a white Christmas. Fortunately a local town center makes "fake" snow for kids a few times a day. All the adults thought it was a pitiful display, but Katie enjoyed it and didn't know it wasn't real. She even dressed for the occasion (snow flake vest from Gma!)

Hope everyone is ready for the holidays. We are anxiously awaiting Christmas morning and hope the girls have a great time!

Merry Christmas everyone...hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Emily's walking videos

By popular demand, here are a couple quick videos of the walking queen!

Here she comes world!

A few days ago, Miss Emily started to walk. She can only make it about 5-8 steps and looks like a cross between a waddling penguin and Frankenstein. It is too cute!

Will post a video as soon as I can get one! I've also updated Katie's funny comments to the right.
Link here http://babylamken.blogspot.com/p/what-did-she-just-say.html


Jr - hope you are happy my blog is alive again

End of summer

We've had a busy month with lots of fun. Mom Mom (the girls' GREAT grandmother) arrived earlier this month to celebrate the upcoming birthdays. Katie has been having lots of fun with her...bossing her, doing stickers, coloring and puzzles. They are best buddies!

We FINALLY got Emily to the beach this year. After about 30 minutes of packing and prep, we made it over to Wrightsville (which is only 10 minutes from our house). Now that the tourists are gone, we got a great spot near the pier and in the shade!

For the first couple minutes, Emily wasn't so sure about the sand...until she realized how great it was. She loved sitting in the surf and letting the water come splash over her legs. Even more than that, she loved picking up the wet sand and trying to eat it. This girl will eat anything! Below are some pictures of our day (2 hours) at the beach...

We've been enjoying the nice weather lately and are thankful the sweltering heat is gone. We can't believe that in less than a week, we will have a one and three year old! Emily's two bottom teeth have started to pop out and she is standing for short periods of time. I'm not sure she will walk by her birthday, but she is getting close. I will save the reminiscent thoughts for her birthday post, but what a year we've had!

My baby girl (both of them) are getting so big!

Hiyaaa overload

Wanted to play with movie maker today...I love it!

All I can say is...HIYAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Friendly girl

Emily's new thing is waving. She waves at cashiers, she waves at me when I walk into a room or open her car door, she waves at strangers. She is even starting to say "haaayyyaa" which I suppose means "hi" and may be her first word (after Dada).

I haven't gotten the haaayaa on video yet, but here is a quick glimpse at her waving. Will try to get a better video later!

Giggle girls

Emily's favorite person is Katie, of course...

Emily can crawl!

Life has been crazy here, so I know I'm missing a lot of updates on this blog. Just wanted to share our biggest milestone in awhile - Emily crawled last night!

By the time I got the camera, she was a little tired out...but here is a quick video.

Book recommendation: I LOVE YOU (A rebus poem)

We picked up a new book recently - I LOVE YOU (by Jean Marzollo). It is a rebus poem (where the pictures are read as words) and it is adorable. It is rare that I recommend a book, but we're loving this one for many reasons - it is short, Katie can read it herself and the message is so cute.

Here is a link to all the pages in the book. So cute!
http://www.jeanmarzollo.com/books/iloveyourebus.html

Every bird loves a tree

Every flower loves a bee

Every lock loves a key

And I love you.

Anti Cilantro?

I probably need to start throwing some more info into my blog that is NOT family related, but it is tough...mainly because I have no time! I just started a new MBA course (Strategy) and it requires team work. Our meetings have been running about 2 hours long, twice a week (at night). I just want to pass this course and be done with it...group work, UGHHHH!

Anyway, here is my random post for today. I found this article interesting because I am one of those people that can't stand cilantro.

Cilantro Haters - It's Not Your Fault!

"I'm eating...nahnah"

Katie at the local blueberry patch...nothing more needs to be said.

Let her eat cake!

Grandpa goes in for surgery tomorrow, so I hope this video cheers him up while he's in recovery for a few days.

Yes, this is the girl that wouldn't touch sweets for the first 2 years of her life.

What did she just say?

We all know that Katie says the funniest things...and I'm sure Emily will too (if Katie lets her get a word in). I realize that I need to start writing them down or else I will forget everything in about 10 years.

If you'd like to see the list of quotes, I've added a new page to the blog. You can get there by clicking the link in the upper right of the page (What Did She Just Say?) or bookmarking the below URL. I will update it often, I'm sure!

http://babylamken.blogspot.com/p/what-did-she-just-say.html

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope all you mommies have a wonderful day today and get a few minutes of rest!

Hubby took both girls out to the store this morning, so I am actually drinking my new Keurig coffee (Island coconut...smells like a tropical vacation!) and playing on the computer. It feels strange not having someone telling me to scoot over so she can look at videos of herself.

Anyway, I was doing some reflection and checked my blog posts from May of last year. What a crazy month! I found out I was having another girl, we went to NC to search for new houses and we sold our VA house. I can't believe that 1 year later, we are settled into the new house and have a 7 month old! Time flies :)

Just heard the garage door go up...my alone time gift is over, but that is OK because I know Katie can't wait to sing "Happy Mothers Dayyyy to Mommmmyyyy". Have a great day, ladies!

Update: She ran in the door yelling "MOOOOMMMY, come down heaaah ("here"). Happy Mother's Day...I got your flowahs (flowers) at the stooooore."

Anniversary berries

We've been enjoying the warm weather and recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary by going to the local strawberry farm. It was AMAZING...and Katie was in heaven. She picked her own berries (ate some along the way) and we all shared the most delicious homemade strawberry ice cream. You can see that Katie enjoyed herself by the sticky mess she made...

This is the child who used to hate anything sweet. Ice cream? YES PLEASE!

Emily also thought the farm was great. She's had strawberries in her baby food, but I'm not sure she is ready for the real thing yet. She probably would have bit into this berry if I got any closer. The berries were bright red and HUGE...you can sort of tell by the example below.

Emily also turned 7 months old, a few days before our anniversary. She is getting so big. She loves to eat and SMILE. No, she never closes her mouth. We think she is trying to catch flies with her mouth always hanging open. :)

The girls are having lots of fun together, now that Emily is starting to sit up and interact more. Here is Katie making Emily laugh...again.

Hole in one?

She probably got her golf skills from her Grandpa (or Uncle Mikey)...they all seem to be equally "skilled".

Already best friends

Katie doesn't need to do anything to make Emily laugh...normally she just walks into the room and Emily perks up. Here is Katie trying to encourage her though. Yes, they are wild women!

Happy birthday Grandpa! Wish you were here to giggle with us!

Roly poly!

Emily finally figured out how to roll onto her big belly...and now she won't stop!

Funny girls

Emily thinks Katie is the funniest thing in the entire world. Katie can walk into the room and Emily will laugh.

Here is a short glimpse of the hysterical laugh Emily makes when Katie gets her going. Sometimes she can't even catch her breath...of course, she normally stops when we turn on the camera.

Munsters!

Our recent conversation...

Katie: There are pink munsters outside our windows!

Mommy: What should we do about it?

Katie: We can eat them, they taste like pizza

Her imagination amazes me!

Dancing with angels

There are not words to describe Layla Grace's story. At two years old, she got her angel wings today after an awful battle with neuroblastoma. Her struggle and treatment were shared by thousands on Twitter, as her parents reached out for support and to share her story.

In the end, it was so rough on such a little body. I can't imagine what her parents are going through right now and hope that they know she is up in heaven with all the other children affected by NB. At the bottom of this post are some links to Layla's story, but be prepared...they are heart wrenching and the worst nightmare any parent could imagine. Here are some recent messages from her parents:

Layla hasn't woken up at all today. She slept through diaper & clothes changes, books, & me reading sweet cards that have been sent to her 7:13 PM Mar 7th via Tweetie

Layla is still sleeping. Occasionally she makes noises that indicate she's in pain, but she hasn't woken up in a few days. 8:23 AM Mar 8th via web

Mommy is rocking Layla. She has only opened her eyes once today. Her feet are getting cold too. 11:17 AM Mar 8th via Tweetie

Layla went to play with the angels early this morning. Rest in peace precious Layla. 11/26/2007 - 3/9/2010 about 8 hours ago via web

Article: http://www.examiner.com/x-30706-Suddenly-Famous-Examiner~y2010m3d9-RIP-Layla-Grace-Cancerstricken-toddler-who-gained-fame-on-Twitter-passes-away

Layla Grace's blog: http://laylagrace.org/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/laylagrace

Rest in peace Layla Grace

We will all keep fighting for a cure!

Emily is a little jumpy

We broke out the Jumperoo a couple weeks ago. Emily wasn't too sure about it, at first, but now she really has the hang of it and thinks it is pretty funny too!

Most everyone knows by now, but we had a great trip to Chapel Hill. The neuroblastoma decreased in size again! I don't have an exact report yet, but it looked to be about 50% smaller from what I could see!

The doctor also noticed Emily's eye (which is partially blue/gray and partially brown). It is called partial heterochromia (or sectoral heterochromia)...see link for more info. Apparently it is more common to have one eye brown and one eye blue (complete heterochromia), but Emily has half and half in her right eye. There have been some studies linking it to neuroblastoma, but I couldn't find much information on it. Still researching!

Katie enjoying the NC snow!

Katie keeps us laughing!

I've heard Uncle Mikey called a lot of things...but Prince Charming hasn't been one of them! ;)

Bruja - this video below is for you!!!

Katie has been busting out the Spanish...much to our surprise. She started counting in Spanish at the kitchen table one day while counting the points on her fork. She is just like a sponge! (Yes, she needs work on cuatro a.k.a "rahroh"...it is pretty funny though)

My birthday wish - curing childhood cancer!

I got my birthday wish! Thanks to Facebook, I was able to raise money to Fight Neuroblastoma. I was aiming for $150 and I just reached it thanks to my great friends and family.

If you would still like to donate, here is the link.

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/birthdays/265872

Thanks so much to Mom, Dad, Teddy, Linda and Ken. You guys are the best!

Bargain: Diapers and formula at Target

Target is offering a great deal for anyone that needs diapers or formula.

Steps:
1. Go to the baby section at target.com
2. Put 3 items in your shopping cart (to save 10%) or 4 packs (to save 15%)
3. Spend $50 and get free shipping (this is easy to do if you pick one of the boxes of diapers...best value for the money anyway)
4. Enter code: URTYJLI8 for an additional 10% at checkout

Note: I had 1 box of formula ($90), 1 box of diapers ($35) and 1 small pack of diapers ($6) in my cart. The extra 5% (between getting 3 and 4 items ended up being about 6 bucks) was more than a pack of Up & Up diapers...so I added an extra pack of diapers to get to 4 items and my total actually went lower than it was with only 3 items.

Overall, I got formula for about $3 per can cheaper than in-store and got about 300 diapers for about $30 (and it will be coming right to my front door). This is a great deal and works with all the name brands, as well as the Target brand!

I started back to work in January and it is evident by my lack of updates. Hopefully I can get on the ball, as we've had some great times with the girls and I've also been busy with my bargain shopping!

I know everyone is more interested in the girls, so I'll start with them. Emily had her 4 month check up yesterday and is 12 pounds, 14 oz (about 25th percentile) and 24 inches (about 45th percentile). She is a big smiler and loves to talk (we call it "squawk" which you will understand after listening to this video). She "talks" for long periods of time, but usually clams up when we start the video.

Katie has had an eventful month too. She had her FIRST haircut, which consisted of cutting about 10 hairs in total. We did take care of that long front bang of hers and now she has a cute little bob. She was a great client and sat still the entire time...no crying! The fun airplane seat (don't be jealous, Uncle Mikey) and cartoons helped a bit too.

Grandpa was in town for a couple days and stayed with us, so he got to witness the first haircut. They celebrated by playing some "soccah bawl" after we got home (check out the hair - no fly aways!). Katie loves her GAMPAHHH!Emily is starting part time daycare and doing great so far. I'm also starting to read and implement GTD (Getting Things Done), in hopes of achieving this thing called "stress free productivity". Hopefully that means we can get more done and maybe I'll have time to post more often.

Happy 4 month birthday baby girl!

Katie's 1st library book

Went to the library today to get a book on tape (to help me pass the time on my VA trip). I let Katie pick a book to check out too.

She had a selection of about 5,000 books and what did Miss Katie pick as her first library book?

"Throwing Tantrums - Help me be good"

Enough said. :)