Girl's Gone Crazy!

This weekend, all the girls, that is Mandie, Shalet, Becki, Abby, Carolyn, Jenni, Kim and I, took a trip to Chicago! We had so much fun! None of us had ever shopped the Magnificent Mile (not that any of us have money to do it, either), but we went anyway! We stopped for some shopping in Pleasant Prarie on the way down, and stayed up late Friday in our hotel rooms and talked the night away. After breakfast the next morning, we headed to Navy Pier to check out the view of the city, and glance at ourselves in some crazy carnival mirrors. The smell of all the carnival type food made us all hungry, so we headed to an awesome Chicago Style deep dish pizza joint, and shared some yummy pizza. Then off to more shopping! We hit the mile, and although we didn't buy anything, it was fun to look at the $6,000 leather couches, and $17,000 paintings. It ended up raining later in the afternoon, so we headed back to Pleasant Prarie for some last minute deals, and then to one more Outlet Strip for some last minute shopping. Although we knew that our children were at home fast asleep, we didn't want the trip to end. We got some killer deals on clothes for ourselves and our kids, and had a great time doing it.

It is so amazing to have friends like these. I think it only happens once in a lifetime. We are all in the same situation, and we understand each other's needs, and I think that has made us such wonderful friends. I am so grateful for all of them, and I can't wait until we get to do this again!

The Talented Trio

Or should I say, the talented duo plus one.
One day, while I was on the computer, Noah came to me and announced that he had a trick to show me. I looked to my right, and he was balancing a spoon on his nose while standing on one foot! What amazing talent and agility! Little did we know that Annie had the same ability!

This morning Noah displyed his amazing ability at our Primary's variety show. I don't have it on video however, this is how it went:
Noah walks to the stage, turns and says, " My name is Noah. First I balance the spoon on my nose like this..." Then he does his trick, we all laugh and clap, and then he takes a bow. I couldn't see from the tears! I was laughing so hard!





Cooper's amazing talent is that he can stand up. Ok, so it's not that amazing, and he's not even standing on his own, but we think it's cute. He could care less about being on his belly or thinking about crawling, but stand him up and let him try to balance, and the smiles and giggles start flowing!

I Did It!

I know this is going to be the dumbest thing that I have ever blogged, but I am completely proud of myself, and because it's late, and I have nobody to share it with, you all have to be the recipient of my news.

I GOT INTO SMALLER PANTS!

Five pair, to be exact.
I have been pushing myself so hard to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight (pre-Noah pregnancy weight, that is), and even today I had convinced myself that I was not seeing any progress. But, I decided before I went to bed that I would pull out a pair of pants and see. When those fit, I grabbed another... and another....and another... I found myself doing the Napolean Dynamite "yes!" (imagine the fist) everytime I put a pair on. Good gravy, I am excited!
I still have a long way to go, so I will keep pushing. I hope all of my exercise buddies keep me going! I love you girls!

Noah's Little Friend

We played outside the other day, and much to our surprise, we brought a friend inside with us. Annie wasn't keen on the idea of holding the bug, but Noah had a blast! Shortly after this, the lady bug crawled up his nose, he did a little jig, swiped his nose, and there was no more of our little friend.

 

Pete Passed Boards!

That's right, he worked his tail off and it paid off! He got great scores: He was tested in two different areas, and his scores were 100% and 98.4 %. He did great! Now we just have to wait for graduation. He still has a lot to do, but with this out of the way, there is only one more thing to worry about!

March in a Nutshell

Influenza, National Boards Exams, two more ear infections, a sinus infection, Spring Break, The Wisconsin Dells, a fractured rib, 15 inches of snow in one day, new baby laughs, the truffle shuffle, a few nights in a hotel, lost cell phone, new cell phone, sweet baby pictures, a birthday party, trying to eat better, dinosaur hair, La Fluers Gym, hunting for Easter eggs, and again, more insanity.

Annie Is Two!

I can't believe my little girl is two! It's pretty amazing. Since I've already written about her birthday party, I thought in honor of her birthday I would write about her sweet life (since it's not very long so far)!

When Pete approached me about having a second child, I kind of freaked out. Noah was 18 months old, and we knew it would take a while to get pregnant, and Pete thought it was the right time. I wasn't exactly sure, however I made an appointment with my doctor in Utah while I was on vacation to make sure things were on the right track, and they were. It took about 8 months, and even with all the doctors help and medication, I was still shocked when I found out I was pregnant.

The pregnancy went well, with a few little hiccups on the way. We had decided again not to find out the gender of the baby, and deep down I thought it was a girl, but I didn't want to jinx it, so I told everyone I thought it was a boy. My due date was April 23, and on March 31 I went in for my 36 week check-up, and the doctor informed me that I was in labor. So we headed to the hospital and about 6 hours later Annika Love Emmons was born. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 20 inches long. For being almost 4 weeks early, she was pretty big.






The day she was born Pete told me that he KNEW we were having a girl. I laughed and said that I understood because he was pretty sure it was a girl. "No," he said. "I knew it was a girl because after you went to the bathroom during the ultrasound, I asked and she told me it was a girl." At first I was a little upset, but then I decided I was really proud of him for not telling me. However he told most of my friends and my family, so it wasn't a surprise to most people!

Annie has amazed me the whole time she has been here. She was much slower as far as developing than Noah was. She was also much larger. She hit 20 lbs at 6 months! She was such a rollie pollie thing! Her rolls were never ending, and I loved it! It was so much fun to watch her learn all the little baby things, like crawling and walking, and now talking!





At 14 months Annie decided it was time for us to make a trip to the ER. While at church she managed to slam her finger in the hinge side of a heavy wooden door. It ripped her nail off, and fractured her tiny little thumb. Of course, I was a wreck, and Pete was the rock, thanks goodness. She had two different casts in two weeks, but her thumb healed fine. Other than the scar from the thread, you wouldn't know anything ever happened. Since then we are extra aware of doors and fingers in the same vicinity.




Annie has become quite the dancer, which of course couldn't make me happier. I always said that I would never force her to be a dancer, however, I think she was born with rhythm. It doesn't take much more than a faint beat, and Annie is shakin' her butt! She spins, jumps, sways and freezes. It's great to watch, and could entertain me for hours.

Now, Annie is a little girl; no longer my baby girl. She talks to me, and I understand it. She helps me with her baby brother, and loves to hug Noah. She loves to play dress up, but can tackle her brother at the drop of a hat. She has the cutest curly blonde hair, and is the only grandchild out of 13 with brown eyes. I love that she is my only daughter- I feel like maybe one day we might be best friends. Right now she is kind of a daddy's girl, which makes Pete happier than anything.

Here are a few rough translations of Annie's language:
"youra cara dirtya"...your car is dirty
"bibi"...binkie
"pepe"... Cooper
"Tot totwit"... hot chocolate
"totwit miwk"...choclate milk
"God God" Child of God
"I toming wowah!"... I'm coming, Noah!
"tome on dyes"...come on guys

I love so many things about Annie, and I feel so blessed to have her as a daughter. She learns something new everyday, and makes us laugh hysterically most of the time. She is so witty already, and she enjoys making us smile. She is perfect to me in every way, and I love every bit of her. Here are a few things I love about Annie:

The way she signs "I love you" and then makes me kiss her fingers; her curly hair and cute belly; the way she does the 'truffle shuffle'; how I can bribe her with salad, and that she likes to snack on chinese rice noodles; how she hugs Noah every morning; that she thinks anything with lace or a skirt makes her a princess; her love for books and her brothers; her big hugs that wrap around my neck; how she plays with my hair to calm down, and that she can't control herself when my hair is curly; how she mimmicks everything I say; her big cheeks; her singing and dancing; her snuggles; and so many more things, too many to count.