Family Pictures & Pumpkins

What better way to spend an awesome fall day than to get family pictures taken??!! Of course we haven't had many awesome fall days, so we got pretty lucky last Sunday. The weather was gorgeous, the fall colors were gorgeous, and my family of course was gorgeous!!!! And after getting pictures taken we continued to take advantage of the amazing weather and went to the pumpkin patch in Mitchellville. What a great way to end the weekend!




Here's my girly girl taking a leap of faith into a huge pile of hay. The picture looks hazy because of all the dust flying, but she had so much fun I just had to get a picture. She also found a really great pumpkin this year and came home with some little pumpkins and Indian corn as well. It was such a great day. We're especially thankful knowing there may not be many more awesome fall days in 2009!!

Emma's UNI Teddy

Okay, so I sent a photo of Emma from Shutterfly to my blog (see previous post), not knowing what was going to happen, so I figure I'd better explain!

When Emma was probably 8 or 9 months old I took her to Cedar Falls to visit my college roommate and great friend Mindy and her husband Matt, who is also a great friend. It was UNI's homecoming weekend, so we attended the parade and walked around campus a little bit. Mindy ended up buying Emma the tshirt she has on in the picture and the cute little UNI teddy bear as well. As you can see in the picture, Emma loved this teddy bear. After our move to Des Moines, however, her UNI teddy just got thrown in with all her other stuffed animals and dolls.

Over the next couple of years Emma didn't really have a favorite stuffed animal or doll to speak of. We've always considered her our little social butterfly, and this holds true with her toys as well!!

A few weeks back Emma kept seeing a commercial on tv for some Tinkerbell toy. It's cute, but she thought it was absolutely amazing! I told her that if she wanted this toy, she would have to earn it. Yes, you can teach a 4 year old the concept of earning your keep. Anyway, a friend of mine and I had decided that we were going to have a garage sale. What better way for Emma to earn money (or for Mommy to get rid of some clutter) than to sort through her toys and get rid of some!! She wasn't too hip at first, but shortly after telling her she could have all the money she made, she was suddenly gung ho!!

Emma must have heard her Daddy use the word remove several times because as we were going through her toys she was telling me whether she wanted to keep them or "remove" them. It was cute! Anyway, so we get to her UNI teddy bear, which I might add hasn't really come out of hibernation much since moving to Des Moines. She gave me this shocked look and exclaimed, "No Mommy, we just can't remove that! She's my favorite!" So the UNI teddy got thrown back in the pile of stuffed animals, me of course expecting another season for hibernation!

Emma gets to take a stuffed animal or doll or whatever to Pre-K with her for nap time. Last week I asked her to go grab whatever it was she was going to take and out of her room she came with her UNI Teddy. And since that day, she has slept with her old friend just about every night. She still loves that teddy even after all this time!

So what's my point?? I guess it's that even at the age of 4, even if you make new friends many of us still find comfort in our old friends. It's like your favorite t-shirt. You can always buy a new one, but nothing compares to the feeling of wearing that ratty old t-shirt that your husband wants to rip into shreds because there are so many holes in it!! So to all of my new friends and my old friends, I thank you for just being my friend and for loving me just as I am!!!

Emma's UNI Teddy

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1st Day of School

Emma poses for her very first "First Day of School" picture.

Last Thursday JC took Emma to her new school, Altoona Kidsworld, to have a visit. Knowing that she'd be starting pre-kindergarten there on Monday, we figured it'd be better than just throwing her in for a full day. The day of her visit she was so excited because they got to make cupcakes that looked like sweetcorn! They took cupcakes, frosted them, and then put rows of yellow and white jelly beans on them. Of course you can't have sweetcorn without butter, so that was a lemon flavored Starburst. To top it off, one of her teachers found black and white sprinkles and put them in salt & pepper shakers. The kids had a blast, and it was a great experience for Emma's first outing.

On Monday Emma put on her new outfit that Grandma Connie bought her and was very excited for her first day. And of course, Emma got through the day wonderfully. There are about 30 kids in her class and she has four teachers...three are there most of the time and one is a floater who helps out when the classroom is overflowing with cute little four-year-olds who are begging for their attention!

On Tuesday they got to bake cookies and on Wednesday they got to play in kiddie pools for water day. Today she took Share Bear, her favorite Care Bear (probably because it's purple, her favorite color), for Show & Tell. She's getting a little more outgoing, and is making some new friends, and is really enjoying her new school. I know we made the right choice, and with any luck, next year when she walks into her school on the first day of Kindergarten, she'll have some familiar faces that she can already call "Friend".

Long Time No Blog!

It's been awhile since I've posted on our family blog, so I thought I would update you on what we've been up to. This summer has been very busy. We've been camping, been to weddings, and spent many weekends visiting family and friends. In addition to that we've been to the zoo and the Science Center, which I posted earlier this summer.

Since we haven't had anything really specific to report on, I thought I would include the latest pictures of Emma playing dress up. Last Sunday we actually had a day of rest, which I was always taught was SUPPOSE to happen on Sunday! Somehow that went by the wayside!!! Anyway, Emma is very creative when she dresses up, as you can see. She is at an age right now where it's just amazing to just sit and listen to her. She's one amazing girl!




Below is our latest family picture. We took it before we left for my cousin Johnny's wedding. Thought we should since we all coordinated!!

Last, but not least, Emma has broken out of her shell a little bit. She's kind of a chicken when it comes to trying new things, so I was amazed when her friend Dillon convinced her that riding a motorized scooter was safe and fun!! She found out he was right...SHE LOVED IT!!!!!

Red, White and Blue All Over!!!

Despite rain and cold weather, our 4th of July weekend was really fun. We started the weekend at a pool party at my sister's house in Boone Friday night. After some swimming and food, we headed to Mom's house. My sister Jill came up from Missouri with her family, so the girls were excited to get to have a slumber party in Grandma's room! Saturday morning we headed to Williams for the parade. It was rainy and cold, but the kids were excited. We met Janell's family there, so all the grandkids celebrated the 4th together, which was very fun for all of us. The kids got tons of candy and had fun riding the train and jumping in the big balloon! After riding a few rides and talking to old friends, we went back to Grandma's to spend the rest of the day playing on the swingset, grilling out, and just enjoying family.

Saturday evening JC, Emma, Brianna and I headed back to Williams for the Little Princess program and to listen to the band in the park. Okay, so it was only JC and I listening to the band...the girls were lured back to the merry-go-round, slide and swingset! Of course we couldn't miss out on the fireworks. This was Emma's very first fireworks experience! No, we haven't intentionally kept her from it...every other year she's fallen asleep before the fireworks began!!! She liked the colors, and her favorites were the red, white and blue ones, but she spent the entire time with her ears covered!! The kids were so exhausted that all of them fell asleep on the ride home that night.



Sunday morning we all went to church with Grandma at Rose Grove church. It's this neat little church out in the country that Emma's Great Grandpa used to attend. It's become a Halsne family tradition to attend church there for their annual Independence Day service. Other Sundays the church is closed so it's a rare opportunity and droves of people come out to share in the experience. The church has wooden floors and wooden pews, and the front of the church is absolutely amazing. There was one couple at the service who had been married for 60+ years and they were both in their early 80's. How awesome to be able to spend that many years with your best friend! Another member of the congregation has been attending this annual service for many years, as he is the ripe age of 91! It was truly an honor to be in the presence of all these wonderful people who had experienced so much of life!




Last, but not least, Sunday afternoon we went back to Janette's in Boone for another pool party! This time it was to celebrate Zachary's 7th birthday, which is July 6th. I can't believe he's already 7! We each got sunburned despite caking on the sunscreen, but it was so much fun. Emma is still a little fearful of deep water and refuses to swim by herself on a floatie or with a life vest, but we still had fun swimming with her in tow! Zachary had three friends with him, so the pool was filled with water fights, chicken, and a lot of action! Once they left, we stayed for another hour or so and had fun just relaxing in the pool. Emma doesn't take naps anymore, but she sure passed out on the way home that night! I was a little worried, but she actually went to bed earlier than usual too, so she must have been exhausted. It was such a great weekend, but way too short!!!

4-Day Weekends Are Awesome!

Last weekend JC and I took two days off of work to have a sort of mini-vacation. It was a wonderful 4 days! Thursday we went to the Science Center with Grandpa Dick and Grandma Connie. Emma had fun seeing all the fun things, the humongous hair dryer making a beach ball look like it's floating in mid-air, the large pit of soap to make your own bubbles, and the place where Daddy made his own rocket to fly. Emma also got to go to her very first movie in a theater! Of course it was the I-Max Theater, so maybe not such a good choice for her first time! We saw Night at the Museum 2...also probably not the best choice for her first time. Emma spent the first 45 minutes clenching my arm! After awhile she relaxed a little bit and was able to enjoy the rest of the movie. She did really well, only had to leave to go potty once, and told us in the end that it was awesome!

Emma got to see herself on television doing the weather...Grandpa encourages her!

On Friday, JC and I took Emma to the Blank Park Zoo. Emma loved looking at all the animals. We got to sit through a show with The Birdman, and Emma loved the talking birds! She said her favorite part was the lions, the tigers, and the monkeys. Our timing was perfect because by the time the show was done and we were walking to the gift shop it started to rain.

Emma was a little nervous about going over the swinging bridge, but she did it all by herself and was very proud!

Emma and JC take a break at the Blank Park Safari.

FEED ME!!

Emma and I pose for a picture with the giraffes.

Saturday we spent some time with Grandma Barb. It was a gorgeous day out, so Emma set up her own little car wash. Grandma got out all the 3-wheeled vehicles and Emma drove them through the "car wash", also known as the Finding Nemo sprinkler! She had tons of fun. Sunday afternoon we spent with Grandpa Dick and Grandma Connie for Father's Day, then finally headed home for some relaxation before starting another work/school week! It was a great 4-day weekend!!!

Emma drives one of her "cars" through the car wash.

BBQ, Birthday Cupcakes, Mosquitos and Emergency Room Visits!

Memorial weekend was a busy one for the Horton family. On Saturday JC and Grandpa Dick started smoking ribs at about 8 am for an 11 am BBQ. It was very fun. Friends and family were there to enjoy ribs and beer butt chicken, in addition to other good food! I even got a wonderful birthday surprise...when Mom & Janell showed up, Jill, Madison & Brayden were with!! Nobody can ever keep a secret in our family, but they kept this one! After filling up on food a few of the kids, even the ones without swim suits, jumped in the VERY COLD pool for a little dip! We wrapped up about 4:00, so JC and I got on our suits to fulfill the promise we made to Emma...it was a chilly promise kept!




Some of our friends couldn't make it to the BBQ at 11, so they showed up at 5! We warmed up the meat and brought the food back out and had another BBQ!!! And of course the food was just as amazing the 2nd time around. The second shift finally left shortly after 10, so it was a very long day, but very fun! Sunday wasn't as busy of a day, but we spent part of it doctoring up our mosquito bites from the BBQ...they sure were biting!





Monday we spent at Saylorville Lake with some friends that are in business with us. Emma had so much fun! She has been getting into soccer a lot more lately, and there were three brothers at the picnic who are amazing athletes. The three of them kicked the ball around with Emma and she loved it. We were at the picnic until about 6:00, so Emma slept like a baby that night! Unfortunately JC and I spent three hours in the emergency room. Emma had wanted a piggy back ride, so as I was pulling her onto my back I lost my balance and fell. I ended up landing on my knee and got a really bad sprain. I spent a week with an immobilizer on my leg, and two days on crutches. It may have ended on a bad note, but all in all, we had a great holiday weekend!

When Elmo Grows Up

Friday night JC, Emma, Grandpa Dick, Grandma Connie and I went to Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up. This was the third year we took Emma. She's kind of outgrown Elmo, but when we asked if she wanted to go she was still very excited. We had already gone just the three of us, and last year we took Grandma Barb, so this year we asked Grandma & Grandpa Horton to go with us. It was a very fun night.


The show was terrific. Even at our age, JC and I thought it was a great production.



Daddy & Emma at intermission.


Grandma, Grandpa and Emma pose with Grover after the show.


Can you tell that Emma had a rainbow snow cone and I had a cherry slush? Even my teeth and Emma's lips were stained with color. They were delicious though!

Night Away From Home

Last night we headed to Cedar Rapids to spend the night in a hotel. We had a lot of fun. Emma has wanted to go swimming ever since the snow melted! We made plans to go and meet my college roommate's baby boy in Urbana today, so we thought we'd treat Emma to a night of swimming. When we got there Emma was hardly even in the room before she had all her clothes coming off to put her swimming suit on!! Then the little turkey wouldn't go in the pool any further than the steps!

I slept with Emma that night. By 5 am, Emma was lying perpendicular to me, at times with her feet pushing in to my back...other times with her feet ON ME!!! I told JC I was never sleeping in the same bed with her again. My back is killing me tonight!! This morning, before we headed for Mindy's & Matt's house, JC took Emma swimming again, but only after she promised she would actually swim! And she did...JC had her jumping into his arms from the edge of the pool and everything. Hopefully she'll get more used to the water now that we have aquatic center passes for this summer!!


We got to meet Jensen today. He's such a little cutie. Emma loves babies, so she had fun talking to him and swinging him in his swing. We also took a walk and went to a couple of garage sales, in which Emma came home with lots of "new" summer clothes. We had a great visit, I got my baby fill for the weekend, we had some lunch, then headed for home! Overall we had a great day!

Haircuts, Tub Time and Just Plain Silly!

AFTER - Emma decided she wanted to grow her hair out. You might say that four years old is a little young to make a decision like that, but she was 100% set on growing it out. So in order to do that, we knew we had to do something different. The photo doesn't do it justice, but Emma's hair looks so cute now. Our hair dresser thinned it out and put layers in it, then of course cut the bangs that were driving Emma NUTS! We were a little worried about thinning it out possibly making the curl go away, but it actually did the opposite. Now Emma has gorgeous body in her hair and it looks great!
BEFORE - Emma's hair hadn't been cut since November, so it was getting pretty thick, especially on the sides.
Emma loves to play in the tub. She got a bath time Ariel for her birthday and now also has a bath time Aurora and Cinderella. Add a swim time Barbie and you've got yourself a pool party!
Emma likes to dress up and be silly. In this picture, Emma pulled one of her sweaters out of her drawer and started running around with just that and her panties on. It was pretty cute, especially when she put the hood of the sweater up and jumped on Daddy's lap!

Happy Easter!

This year was a lot of fun for us at Easter. Emma was very excited for the Easter egg hunt. We went to the park in Blairsburg. In the past they have had a lot of kids show up, but this year Emma only had 6 kids in her group...and they had 120 total eggs for that group alone!! Her bucket was FULL of eggs, and they sure didn't skimp on the candy either! Hopefully Mommy can keep her hands out of it!!
Emma runs out in front of Grandma and Aunt Janell to find some eggs. At first she hesitated a little bit, but once she saw all the eggs laying on the ground, she took off! She couldn't decide which way to go first!
Emma with a bucket full of Easter eggs! She couldn't wait to get back to the shelter house to crack open the eggs and see how much candy she was taking home.
Emma and Brianna take a break from hunting on the merry-go-round. This was Emma's first Easter egg hunt, but Brianna's second. And when we got back to Grandma's house, they wanted us to hide eggs again so they could find them.
Despite JC and Emma teasing me because I want a family picture taken at every holiday, they still posed and smiled for the camera for another family picture.

Come on spring!

My family recently got a chance to all hang out at Grandma' house for the weekend. We celebrated birthdays, and it was a nice weekend for the kids to actually get to play outside! We had so much fun, and it was nice for the kids to be able to run off some steam!

Emma was very excited for the first day of spring. I think she thought it was going to be like turning on the lights...all of a sudden it would be nice out and the grass would be green and daisies (her favorite flower, I found out...mine too)would miraculously pop out of the ground! She's been a little disappointed, especially when we've had the flurries we've had this past week. Where is spring?? Hopefully we can find it and keep a hold on it...at least until summer!!!


Here's my buddy Brayden. He's 5 months old and very fun. His smile makes you warm inside and that red hair is so cute! Finally, I have somebody on my team...we red-heads need to stick together!!


The girls typically play well together, and this weekend they were very good. Sometimes it gets a little hairy and Madi and Emma fight like sisters. But they're the first ones to run into each other's arms for a big hug after not seeing each other for awhile!


The kids pulled out Mom's blow-up ball gym to bounce in. Unfortunately I went home with two pairs of white socks that are now black!