I Can't Drive 55!

I came home from Target the other night to a wonderful surprise. I noticed that the garage light was on when I pulled into the driveway. Our garage door opener is on the blink so I honked for Brad to come outside and help me bring all of the bags into the house. As we were coming through the front door, he wanted to bring all of the pop out to the garage fridge. As I opened the door to the garage and walked down the step, there was a big red car in our garage and my brother Scott was standing next to it. I jumped and screamed at the same time. That little turkey surprised me. I had just called him about and hour before that to see if he was coming down to our house for the family wedding the next day. He told me on the phone that he wasn't coming. I didn't know that he was already on his way to our house.

He drove his 1979 Trans Am to our house. He figured that he averaged around 6 miles per gallon. Yikes! Scott has had this car for about 20 years but has had it in storage for the last ten years. My dad bought him collector plates to put on the car.

He has been working on fixing up the car for the past few months to get it ready to give to Tyler. Tyler will be 16 and DRIVING at the end of October. He'll have to get a good paying job to afford the gas. :)

Brad and Scott did a burn out down our block and he took Emmy for a ride in the cul-de-sac. Emmy was having fun in the car while Scott was waxing it. Wax on, Wax off. :)

Ready, Set, Go!

I was sliding Emmy around in the tub last night. Each time I would pull her feet, she would yell out...Ready, Set, Go!! It was so cute.
Last night we were watching Little Einsteins. Emmy was singing away during the opening song...like she knew all of the words. In the song they count backwards from five. Emmy followed right along and sang 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
Brad and I just stared at each other with big eyes...thinking...counting backwards is really not normal for a two year old...is it?
She's a sponge...I'm excited to teach and show her new things every day.

Cutest Little Sister

Erin's doing well and is the happiest baby ever. She constantly has a smile on her face. She's teething right now so I usually have a bib on her throughout the day because she drools so much. So far nothing has poked through her gums, but she seems uncomfortable at times. I have given her Tylenol and baby oragel for relief.

She still fits into 0-3 month clothes at 5 1/2 months of age but is becoming a little chunky monkey.

She likes to sit in her bumbo, her bouncer or her jumper.

Erin seems to have her own look. She doesn't really look like Emmy, but I think she's starting to resemble daddy a bit.

Toy Story

The DVDs of Toy Story 1 or Toy Story 2 are often played at our house. Emmy constantly asks to watch Buzz. Woody, Buzz & Jessie are words she spits out very clearly. We have other activities during the day, but she watches these DVDs in the morning and then before bed.
Brad and I thought she was ready to go to the movie theater and see the latest Toy Story 3 movie. She got so excited when the movie started. She turned to Brad and whispered softly the word "Buzz" to him. She really loved the popcorn and junior mints too.
We brought Erin with us to the movie. We were worried that Erin was going to be the one making all the noise, but half way through the movie, Emmy started to get a little restless. I thought she was fine, but Brad was a little embarrassed and took her out of the movie. I stayed with Erin and watched the rest of the movie. It was such a cute movie. I'm sure we'll be buying this DVD when it comes out too.

North Shore

Emmy & Erin's daycare scheduled to have vacation the first week in August. I decided to stay home with the girls as Brad was starting his first day in his new job and obviously wouldn't be able to be home with them.

Brad's mom and dad were planning on going up to the North Shore with Bob & Edna for a few days and invited us girls along with them. I didn't hesitate a bit...I packed some bags, got the girls in the car and headed north.

Deb called me as I was driving on the freeway. She asked what mile marker I was approaching. I told her, "I just passed mile marker 199." She replied, "That's where we are!" They were literally about a half of a mile behind me. We timed that perfectly! They were driving from Alexandria. I was coming from Minneapolis.

We drove into Duluth and headed right for the main attraction, which was the tall ships that had arrived earlier in the week. My camera battery was dead, so I didn't get any pictures of the ships. The pictures that you see here are grabbed off of their website.

We stayed at a hotel in Superior, Wisconsin. We were able to get adjoining rooms which was nice because once I put the girls to bed, I went into Deb & Jerry's room where they quickly got a
game of 65 going. It's a fun and cheap card game.

We got up early the next morning and planned to go see the Glensheen Mansion which is on the north side of Duluth.

This 39 room, 27,000 sq. ft., house which stands on 7.5 wooded acres along the shores of Lake Superior, is absolutely beautiful. The construction on this home started in 1905 and took three years to complete. It's amazing to see some of the technology that they had back in that era.

The home was originally equipped with a central vacuum system, a whole-house humidification system, and artistically concealed radiators for heating.

They don't allow photos inside of the mansion...just the outside.

The formal gardens and naturalistic landscape have retained much of their original design. The cost of the mansion back in 1905 was $854,000. In today's market it would be the equivalent of $30 million!

The cemetery just west of the home allows for quiet neighbors. :)

After the Glensheen tour, we took the scenic drive up the North Shore. We stopped for lunch in Two Harbors at a quaint little cafe. After lunch, we continued our journey north and made a stop at Gooseberry Falls where Emmy and I got to dip our toes into the water. The scenery was awesome! It's such a beautiful part of Minnesota.

After Gooseberry Falls, we traveled farther north to Splitrock Lighthouse. By now, we had all gotten a bit tired so we just got out of the car and walked around for a few minutes.

We traveled back to Duluth around 6:00 pm and then packed up my car so I could get the girls back home. I had such a wonderful time getting away with the inlaws. I just hope Bob, Edna, Deb and Jerry had a relaxing time with Erin & Emmy.

Emmy standing at the top of the Glensheen vegetable garden. The carriage house is in the background.

Their working fountain and view of Lake Superior. Hi Grandma Debbie!Front door of the Glensheen Mansion.
Emmy at Gooseberry Falls.

Emmy with Uncle Bob & Papa Jerry.

Me & Little Miss Emmy. What a view!!!!

She was mad at me because I wouldn't let her walk by herself next to the waterfall.
So precious with Papa Jerry.

Bob & Edna out for a lovely walk.

Emmy's Two Year Stats

Emmy had her two year check up yesterday morning. She weighs 26 lbs 12 oz and is 33 3/4 inches long. She's still smack dab in the middle of the percentile chart. Her head measures 49 cm which is in the 50-75%ile.
Emmy did really well at her check up. Her pediatrician does a great job with her. She asked Emmy if she could see the puppy that was in her ears, mouth, nose, tummy, etc. Emmy sat really well the whole time and let her search for that puppy. Most kids her age don't tolerate the doctor's office really well. I think it was just a good day for little miss Emmy. Her doctor said that Emmy is above average for her development.
She received two shots - HAV (Hepatitis A Vaccine) and PCV13. One shot in both arms. She was not happy about these shots and cried pretty hard. She was fine by the time she got to go pick out a sticker.
Her next check up isn't until next year when she turns three.

Emergency 911

I got a new phone a few weeks ago. This tiny Samsung Seek has a touch screen and took me about a day to get used to. I had to make some adjustments to it because Emmy would grab it at any chance and start to push buttons. I have my contacts set up with photos on the main screen. So, Emmy sees a picture and then presses her finger on the screen and it dials that person. She has called so many people. I set up the phone to lock when the light dims, however, there is also an "Emergency Call" button on the same screen where you are supposed to enter the lock numbers. Seriously...not cool. Emmy has dialed 911 three times in the last two days. I'm having a flashback to when I was five years old. My friend and I used to dial 911 and hang up. We thought it was funny. It wasn't so funny when a policeman showed up at our front door. I'm now waiting for the cops to show up at our door any moment.

Erin's Rolling Over - Back to Front

Just two days after she learned to roll from front to back, Erin rolled over from back to front. She was able to kick enough and roll over, but her little arm kept getting stuck. She quickly learned how to free her arm and roll over continuously. She loves to roll over on her left side.
I was really excited for her when she rolled over. She started crying when I clapped and yelled!!

I Can Count to 10!

Just overnight Emmy has learned to count to ten! She does really well and each number comes out very clear. I know she probably doesn't understand counting and they are more than likely just more words to her at this young age, but I think this is so awesome!! She's a little sponge! She's learning new things every minute of the day.