Our Princess

Emma Claire Wilhelm
Age: 2
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Song: The Apple Tree Song (passed down from Grandma Ann)
Favorite Toy: Her dollhouse and dolls
Favorite Food: PB&J and Hello Kitty Fruit Snacks
Favorite TV show: Dora and Diego by a long shot

How do you capture the excitement and preciousness of a 2 year old...they are always on the move. With the sun out today the light in Emma's room was just too perfect to ignore. It wasn't the most ideal time to take pictures of Emma because it was close to naptime, but we tried it anyways. She is too smart for me. I had to play ring around the rosies so that when we all sat down I would sit her right down where I wanted her and then snap a few. I sure love this little girl. She is so full of life and so much fun to be around. I try and hold on to every precious moment I have with her as my only girl.

Snow Day

When we woke up this morning there was 1-2 inches of snow on the ground. I remember being so excited as a child when my mom would wake us up and tell us it had snowed. Usually that meant that school was cancelled because we lived in Tokyo and our bus ride to school was at least 1 hour. Emma was the first to wake up...and not happy I might add. As soon as I showed her all the white snow outside, her mood immediately changed. The next to wake up was Andrew. He was no less than thrilled to see all the snow. I couldn't wait any longer and so I went into the boys room and woke up Peter. Last time it snowed Peter was so disappointed that there wasn't enough snow to build a snowman. The first question he asked after I woke him was, "Is it deep snow?" His already big eyes grew even bigger if you can believe it as I lifted him up to see outside his window. Although they were excited to go out and play, I told them to wait for the sun to come out. Lucky for us the sun did make its way out and we quickly got on our snow clothes for some fun. I was lucky that I could pull up my snow pants...zipping them up was another issue. I guess I am bigger now than I thought. We all love to play in the snow and have been so lucky to have had at least one snow day each year we have lived here. The best kind of snow is the one that stays for a day or two and then melts away!

Emma Turns TWO

This is how I imagined Emma would be on her birthday. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" was a little too close to home when we celebrated Emma's 2nd birthday on Saturday. I am going to contribute that to the fact that she has been a little under the weather. Anyways, we had a low key, casual, and all out PINK birthday for Emma. When I say everything was pink I am not kidding...plates, napkins, tablecloth, cups, balloons, cupcakes and frosting, birthday banner, and finally the birthday girl's dress. A bonus $7 purchase at Target! It was all too much fun decorating. Well, the tears slowly faded after we realized that all she wanted was to open the presents on the table from Grandma and Grandpa. After a few opened presents we were finally able to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY and saw a smile on Emma's face as she realized she was going to get to eat a pink cupcake! Her big present waited for her outside. Dad spent more than a couple of hours in the cold the day before putting together the most adorable play house. She was so excited and although she kept telling us she was cold, she insisted on staying outside a little longer to play with her new house. Here are some more pictures of Emma's special day:

The Funnest Time of the Day

Emma has always loved to play in the bath....what child doesn't like to play in warm soothing water??? Bathtime is not a daily event for Emma, although I'm sure she would love it. Tonight I was all ready to get her pajamas on and put her to bed...but Emma had different plans. She was determined more than ever to have a bath. She was even clever enough to tell me that she had a stinky diaper...which she DID NOT! If I just had enough energy I would give her a bath everyday. With the will power she is displaying I might not have much of a choice. It sure is fun to watch her play. Her favorite things to do in the bath are to swim, fill up her cups with water, and she has recently been fascinated by her foam letters and numbers. They are GREAT and have given us a reason to practice our letters and sounds. Since she is almost 2 I really don't expect her to know that much. Somehow Emma always seems to surprise me with how much she already knows. She sure keeps me on my toes.

S l e d d i n g...into the NEW YEAR

Some good friends told us of this great place to go sledding...the best part was that it was FREE! I guess the rest of Washington knew that though because the line to park was long, but we still got a parking spot and only had to wait about 20 minutes. With only an hour and a half drive, we were surrounded by snow and beautiful mountains. We sure had a great time and are sure to go back again this winter. The best part of the day...doghnuts and hot chocolate!