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!