Skaters Away!

On Saturday February 9, Emma went ice skating for the first time! Grandma Karen was in town for a few days, and she ice skated quite a bit when she was younger, so it was the perfect time for Emma to give it a try. What we didn't know until the last minute that it was a radio station-sponsored day, meaning we got in free as an added bonus. Although it was crowded, that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. The first few turns around the rink Emma insisted on holding my hand AND Todd's the entire time, but she progressed to just holding my hand and using the other for balance, then went short distances on her own! Towards the end of the session we obtained a "walker" which is designed to help young kids skate by themselves. It gave Emma more confidence in spite of the fact that she had to bend over to use it. The best part was, Grandma Coe and Aunt Linda met us at the rink and got to compare Grandma's walker to Emma's!

Littlest Pet Shop: Cure for Cabin Fever!

Emma started taking an interest in Littlest Pet Shop (LPS)toys a few months ago, and her Christmas list was reflective of her new obsession. She got several LPS toys for Christmas, both from Santa and from relatives, including a fairy roller coaster from Grandma and Papa Isch. Then, she got even more additions to her collection as a post-Christmas surprise! A girl from church gave Emma her collection, which included several playsets and little pieces, and soon after, her babysitter gave her several of her pets and accessories, too! Now Emma enjoys setting up all of the pieces, making our living room into a LPS town. She also likes to put on shows for us with the pets. It's a great way for Emma (together with Mom and Dad) to escape into a little fantasy world on a cold day!

Pretty Princess Party!

On Saturday January 18, we helped Emma's friend Maci celebrate her 5th birthday with a Princess party at church. With beautiful pink and black decorations and games like "pin the lips on the frog," it was a truly unique party, and the girls had lots of fun!

Belated Christmas!

A few weeks ago, after delaying our Christmas celebration for weather and illness, we finally took advantage of the unusually warm weather and had a get-together at our house that included Grandma Coe, Aunt Linda, Uncle Jason, and Grandma and Papa. Our Christmas tree was (miraculously) still looking pretty good, and we'd kept up our other decorations, too, so it really did feel like Christmas again! After a nice visit and dinner, Emma finally crept up to me and whispered, "Mommy, don't tell anybody, but when are we going to open presents?!"