Another Snowy Day

They talked up this snow storm as being the biggest one of the season, but we got less snow over the weekend than the last time it snowed. Even though there was only 3 inches outside, the kids still wanted to play in it, so they ventured out this afternoon. Jacob was disappointed that he couldn't make a snowman, but he still had fun throwing snow at Daddy. They came in after about 30 minutes to enjoy dinner and a movie before bedtime. As much as I don't like driving in the snow, I hope that we get at least one good snowstorm so the kids can go sledding and build the elusive snowman. We'll see...

Ellie poses for a pic. in the middle of the backyard

Jacob shows Daddy a big snowball he found

Emmaline stayed warm and toasty inside with me while I baked cookies

Emmaline's Weekly Pic.

Here are Emmy's pics. of the week. She is getting so big. She gets on her hands and knees now, so crawling is probably right around the corner. Emmaline can also stand up if you put her next to something. She will be mobile any day now and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. It has been nice being able to leave things laying around and not have to worry about that a little one will put them in her mouth. Hopefully, we can have things baby-proofed again before she makes her first move!

Emmy really resembles Mommy's side of the family in this picture because she has her eyes closed.

A Visit to Cincinnati

Today we went to the Down Syndrome Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We had originally planned to leave the kids with my mom, but she ended up having to work, so it turned into a family trip. The last time we were at the clinic, was in May, so we were looking forward to seeing what the specialists had to say about Emmaline. Dr. Patterson was amazed at how well Emmy was babbling and that she could sit up on her own. We thought she was doing great, but it is always good to hear the experts confirm it.

After the dr.'s appt., we went across the river and had pizza at Dewey's on the Newport Levee. Then, we went back into Cincy to see my sister, Katie, at her work. She works at Duke Energy and they have a large Christmas train display in the lobby of her building. The kids loved the trains, but I think they loved seeing their Aunt Katie the most. We even got to go across the street to have frostys at Wendy's compliments of her co-worker, Joyce. Yum!

Gabrielle and Emmaline

Gabrielle and Jacob

Nathan, Jacob, and Ellie

Katie and Jacob look at some of the trains

Emmaline loves kisses from Daddy

Today was really long, but it was a fun day filled with several impromptu stops that made some great memories for our family.

Kids' Christmas Program

The children's program at our church was today. They did two performances of "Charlie Brown's Christmas". Before each performance, the 2 1/2 year olds to kindergarteners sang some songs. Jacob and Ellie did a great job at their concert (Jacob's term for it). Jacob is quite the ham and could be heard over the rest of the kids most of the time. His directors actually requested that he be at both performances because he knew the words so well and was so loud I knew that would come in handy one day!). Ellie did good up until the 2nd performance when she and her best friend, Emma, decided to keep changing from the front row to the back on the risers. By the end of the 2nd show, you couldn't even see Ellie because she had decided to sit down and rest. Oh well, such is life with a 3-year old. Here are some pics. and a short video from tonight:

Emmaline plays with Mema and Papaw Kevin

She was concentrating really hard to stand up, so her tongue is sticking out!

First Performance:

Ellie is in the front row, second from the left

Jacob is in the top row, third from the right

Second performance:

Jacob is at the top, third from the left

He saw me taking his picture, so he took time to pose

Ellie leaving the stage

Here they are singing "Jingle Bells"

Ellie is in the front, second from the left

Jacob is at the top, fifth from the right

Just like Mommy

This is a picture of Gabrielle. Notice the doll up her shirt. I asked her what she was doing, and she said that she was feeding her baby from her tummy, just like Mommy. I find it amusing that the kids think I nurse Emmaline from my stomach, but it is even funnier that Ellie pretends to feed her babies the same way. It is such a privilege to breastfeed our babies (I just hit the 5-year mark last month...don't worry, it was 3 different kids in that time period!) and I hope that Ellie makes that choice for her family when she becomes a Mommy.

Christmas Party at Grandma's Work

Every year, Nathan's Mom's work throws a Christmas party for the kids. The past few years it was held at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, but this year, they decided to hold it at her work. It wasn't quite as fun, but the kids still had a good time. They saw Santa (for the 4th time this Christmas season), decorated cookies, made crafts, and danced to Christmas songs. Enjoy the following pics.:

The kids with their presents from Santa:
Gabrielle got a horse, Jacob got a moose, and Emmaline got a polar bear

Ellie and Jacob with the cookies they decorated (and then ate!)

Doing crafts

Visiting with Frosty

Emmaline's Heart Update...

There really isn't anything new to report with Emmy's heart condition. The hole is still there, but she isn't having any symptoms, which is great. The cardiologist says that surgery will most likely take place when she is between 3 and 5 years of age. He was pleased with her weight gain and overall health, so we don't need to go back for 9 months. Keep praying that God will choose to heal the hole in Emmaline's heart before surgery becomes necessary. We know miracles are possible!