Can you say "KISS" !

I just had to post this funny picture of Emma. I was finally able to get a picture of her with her cute personality. It wasn't until I got a closer look that I realized that she has a tongue like Gene Simmons from the rock band KISS! Too funny. Also, the other pictures aren't the best quality, but she has this toy fish that she loves to play with and her favorite thing to do is stick the whole tail in her mouth. She then proceeds to stick other things in there as well. I don't think she has quite figured out that only so much can go in her mouth at a time. I guess she can still try though.

Alive and Well

So we FINALLY got the Internet hooked up at our new house and now I can feel a little bit more connected to everyone again. We moved into our new home last Thursday and it has been so nice not having to drive back and forth from home to home like we were doing before. At first I was really nervous being in this big house alone, but now that we have been here a few days it is getting easier. It is such a blessing to have a place of our own. Gracie is a little overwhelmed with all the extra space and places to explore, but Emma has been doing great. She is trying so hard to crawl. She get so close, but can't figure out how to coordinate her hands and legs at the same time. She gets so frustrated that she can't do it, but is getting better every day. She is also getting a tooth! We have been waiting for this day for awhile and it is finally here. She has been a trooper and gives the funniest "gummy" grins.


Oh, We went and met our neighbors the other day and it was a lot of fun meeting new people. It was funny because when we introduced ourselves to our neighbors right next door they said, "Are you Mormon, because so are we." I guess the name Emma sent them in that direction for some reason. Anyway it was kind of funny. We didn't know them because they go to the Spanish ward. They also have a 16 year old daughter who I'm sure we will get good use out of for babysitting purposes. More than anything it is just nice to know and feel comfortable with the people around us. It makes us feel more at home.


So here are some of the pictures of the paint job on the house. I am taking a serious break from painting and so there are more pictures to come when I get everything done.

Living Room
Before

After

Kitchen
Before


After

My Husband "The Master"!

So it isn't "official" yet, but this past weekend Mike returned to Ohio State to defend his thesis and he passed, so he is on his way to receiving his Masters Degree. It is incredible all the blessing we have been receiving. Mike has had to really put a lot of extra effort into finishing his research early and also completing his thesis while working 50 hour weeks. At first it seemed like such a daunting task, but I know that he has been helped and blessed throughout the whole process, which has made it really not too bad. There have been a couple stressful days for him, but on the whole things have gone really smoothly. I guess his "defense" went really well. The professors on his committee were very complimentary and Mike commented that it was actually "fun" to present his research and to discuss it with his committee members. It was just such a relief to feel pretty much finished. He only has a couple minor formatting corrections to make to his paper and he will be on his way to graduating. Woo Hoo! So, just when Mike thought that he was going to have more time, today he was called as the ward executive secretary. It will be nice to be able to serve in our new ward. I'm grateful for my husbands example of working hard at whatever he's asked to do.

We are slowly, but surely working on moving into the new house. I had high hopes and ambitions of getting everything put away and ready for when Mike got back from Ohio this weekend, (Ha Ha) but of course my ambitions were unrealistic. It will be nice when we are not driving back and forth from the house to the apartment, but we are really blessed to be able to have our temporary housing for another week and so we are taking full advantage of this time. For my sister who is anxious to see the "slightly finished" paint job, don't worry photos are on the way.

I also have to mention how funny Emma is getting. She is at the point where she can, and will, grab anything within, and without her reaching distance. She gets bored so quickly of her old toys and wants whatever she is not supposed to be getting into. She can't quite crawl yet, but she does roll and scoot herself backwards pretty well. She is so close to crawling even though her dad keeps telling her that she is not allowed to get mobile until she is 2. Sometimes I wish that were the case because I am realizing what a handful she is going to be once she starts moving even more. Oh, the things you take for granted before you have kids. All of you mothers out there are SAINTS! It really is a lot of fun though so I can't complain too much although at dinner last night we went out to eat and she had her hands in daddy's pasta, water and she was bound and determined to get at the Sprite as well. We are going to have to really keep and eye on that one. She makes us laugh.

Our "Cabbage Patch" Doll

So over the past couple of months we have heard from countless people that Emma looks just like a cabbage patch doll. That's the first thing strangers will say, "Oh look she looks just like a "Cabbage Patch" doll." It must be true if so many people agree, but what do you think?





Our little "Emma Jeanette" (That could even be a cabbage patch name):) is 7 months old today. I keep talking about how big and grown up she is getting, but she just continues to change so much and it has been a lot of fun to see her progress. She has decided that it is fun to pull on mommy's hair and to grab Dad's glasses. She loves Gracie and likes to pet her when allowed. I think I will have to watch them pretty closely now that Emma know how to grab and Gracie sure know how to tell you when she doesn't like what you are doing. Gracie has been so good with Emma from the very beginning though. She's really patient with all of the "squealing" and attention that Emma gets. She's always pretty careful around her, but I'd be mad if someone pulled my tail. So here's Emma in her Halloween costume. We were so excited that we found it. Emma's bedroom has a ladybug theme and I just like ladybugs in general. We have the hardest time getting any good pictures of her. She is constantly moving and doesn't quite know how to "ham it up" for the camera yet. She just stares at it. She sure smiles for us on a regular basis though.






Emma and Mike have been really patient with me this week. I have been trying to get all of the painting done this week since our stuff is being moved into our house tomorrow. At the beginning of the week I had high hopes and aspirations, by the middle of the week I was in chaos and despair, and by the end of the week I really didn't care too much anymore. I just tried to focus more on what really "needed" to get done instead of trying to do "Everything". Sometimes I get these grand ideas and I think for some reason that I can accomplish them in a short amount of time. So I had a major reality check this week and I'm sure I'll have another one next week when I'm trying to get everything put away in our house. Poor Emma needs more mommy time so I'll have to adjust my expectations for myself and the house. It will be very nice to get all of stuff back finally though. So this post is forever long, but I just have to make a shout out to my hubby who is going to "Defend" his thesis this coming week. We are so proud of him and all of the hard work he has put in in order to get his research and thesis done on top of moving and starting a new job. It will be so nice for him when it is all over and he finally has a diploma in his hand. We wish him luck and wish we could be there to watch him present.