Emma Girl Designs

Hello... (Echo Echo Echo)

2010-05-06T12:04:00.005-05:00

Well it would seem that we fell off the face of the earth around here... Oops. Nothing or no one really to blame for this, but myself. Yes there have been some hectic times but there have been some lazy days of doing nothing as well... so where do you start... I think with today (or yesterday anyways) :o)

My little baby graduated pre-school last night. He is such a handsome, fun loving and joyful kid that I am overwhelmed at times with this little person god has granted into my care for a short time. Watching him last night in his little celebration makes me realize how fast time goes and how fast my little man is growing. Sniff sniff. I keep telling myself everyone goes through it and they have all survived and that there are so many more moments to look forward to... but I want to make sure that I keep these little moments tucked away as well.

Sorry for a sappy first blog back! I will try and be better in the future... but I have alot of trees to climb, holes to dig and hugs and kisses to receive, so we will see if I can squeeze some posts in now and again. ;O)

YIKES!!! Where did Summer Go!

2009-08-23T21:18:00.014-05:00

As you can tell, I have been slacking off on the blogging again... the little everyday things of going to the library, pool, golf course, stroller ride, etc. have been consuming my extra time.

Lets see... what is blog worthy from this summer... aka I have pictures of. ;o)

Putting up Sweet Corn has become a family affair... well the shucking and hairing of it anyways... everyone seems to disappear for the boiling and bagging of it. ;o)

4th of July... Kids had a fun day hanging out in Clay Center and seeing the Parade, Petting Zoo, Games in the Park & of course the fireworks.

Went to Calamus Lake for a quick getaway for Terri & Dana's Anniversary... the sand at this lake is amazing... the kids loved it.

It has been a good Summer and we are going to enjoy any good weather that we have left.

Memorial Weekend

2009-06-22T17:30:00.005-05:00

As you can tell, I am a bit out of order... oops.

We had a great Memorial Weekend... you couldn't have asked for better weather!

We spent Friday night down at the river with some friends and Saturday and Sunday at Lovewell with more friends. The Voorhees family came down from Lincoln and Garrett got some tubing time in with Jake.

And Emma got some driving lessons on the Jet ski... EEK!

The other part of the time we spent hanging out with the Shuck's... they have a beautiful new camper that they let us stay in with them... THANK YOU! Tenting it is way over rated.

Cuddle Time... so sweet!

2009-06-22T17:23:00.003-05:00

Emma had just woke up from her nap the other day and came out in the living room and Garrett said "Mommy I love her, can I hold her in my lap". OF COURSE... sniff sniff.

Zoo Trip

2009-06-22T17:06:00.008-05:00

The Lunstra's and the kids and I made a trip to the Lincoln Children's Zoo while they were back in early June... I think this is the time that we went last year as well... Might become a yearly thing!!! We had a great time... 3 young boys and 1 little girl add up to a whole lotta FUN. ;o)

My Little Butterfly...

The crew... Garrett, Brennan, Aiden & Emma

Chillin with Bear...

Wrapping things up with a little tour on the train... Choo choo.

We had a great time... couple of pics I would love to post... But Love Amy to much to actually post them... ;o) Can't wait to hang out with the Lunstra gang again.

Oops... It's been awhile!

2009-06-22T17:04:00.002-05:00

Well I had a couple of friends... hmmm what is the word... Oh Yeah Chastize!!! me for taking so long to blog... My apologies... I will try and get better.

Happy 4th Birthday... To my Little Man

2009-05-17T15:51:00.013-05:00

It is so hard for me to believe that my little boy could possibly be turning 4 (on Monday). Time has just been flying by... and I am so glad that I am able to stay home with them and enjoy every moment of it (ok... may not EVERY moment ;o)). This past week has been spent trying to plan the perfect party for him... I think it was pretty close!

He wanted Buzz Lightyear, and since this is an older character finding things was sometimes a bit of a challenge.

Hence, why I had to come up with my own cake. (Not sure why this rotates when I upload it... Sorry)

We had a Space Scavenger Hunt, Bubbles and a Pinanta... What a hoot!Blew out the candles... Twice.The crew... minus Emma and Dylan (cousin)

Then of course there was presents to open and a whole new set of toys to be played with. Every year we have said we are never doing this again... but I have to say that the joy on Garrett's face with each new game... the silly cake I made... pizza... pinata... and gifts, made everything worth while.

Summer Approaching... new styles

2009-05-17T15:38:00.009-05:00

It has been crazy hectic around here with planting... preparing for Garrett's 4th Birthday... keeping up with the shop... and just trying to find time to enjoy the beautiful spring weather!

I have been working on a couple of new styles for summer:

Many many more in the shop... waiting on some new fabric as well.... Don't you just LOVE summer!

Garrett's favorite new pastime

2009-04-25T07:40:00.003-05:00

It has been beautiful weather here this last week and the kids have been outside as much as I will let them be... hence coming in for tubbies has turned into a nightmare. ;o) In all of this wonderful outdoor time Garrett has finally figured out how to climb the tree in our front yard. With a little ingenuity... hence the wagon he can finally get up there. Hope that this adventure doesn't turn out to be our first broken limb... sorry for the pun!

Spring???

2009-03-25T11:18:00.004-05:00

Not much new here... just trying to stumble through the 50 mph winds the last couple of days... and enjoy the "warm" 57 degree day we are supposed to have today before we have a week of 30's & 40's!! It's a good thing that is officially spring... Right!

The kids have made the most of the couple of really nice days (aka 73 degrees) that we had last week.

Busy Busy Busy

2009-03-05T12:58:00.009-06:00

It seems that the first few months of this year have just flown by. Trying to keep up with Garrett in school, Emma thinking she is 2 (well acting like it anyway), Clay being a farmer (shouldn't it slow down in the winter) and my business booming... I don't know where time has gone.

Few things we've done or had happen in '09 so far:

1.) Building Snowmen:
2.) Sometimes getting a peaceful meal at our house is tough... Clay has come up with a sure method.

Garrett has hit a stage where he is VERY picky about what he will eat... but he has to try everything. UGH

3.) The kids, Grandma Terri and I visited the Lincoln Children's Museum

The kids had a great time and I really enjoyed watching them explore all of the little areas and think for themselves.

4.) There is rollerskating in Fairfield on Saturday nights and we took Garrett and Emma for the first time last week. I think it is cute that they are doing something their dad did when he was their age.

and dad even put a pair on!

5.) Emma's 1st bib booboo! With the new floors the kids love to ride Garrett's trike around the kitchen and dining area... well Emma was cruising along and didn't stop in time and rode of the 3 stairs that lead into the garage. Yikes... Got a gash from inside of her nose to the corner of her lip... I think mommy cried as much she did! :O)
Don't mind our hair, we lost our barrette somewhere in the crash as well.

As for me, I have had some good luck lately with my business and have started selling wholesale to Babyworks ( division of Milkworks) in Lincoln, Divas & Darling in Lincoln and Bellybump in Omaha. All of this with the custom orders that I receive and my etsy shop... I haven't had much time for posting to my blog. I will get back into the swing of it!!

Christmas!!! Little behind...

2009-01-22T08:01:00.004-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas... a time full of Family, Friends, Food...etc! The kids were an enjoyment to watch opening gifts... ooh and the anticipation of Santa... to be young again.

And in the Fisher family tradition we started since we moved home... we all got the flu... except Garrett.

Trip to Omaha

2009-01-01T21:04:00.007-06:00

On Dec. 22nd we made a quick trip to Omaha to visit some of Clay's cousins that were in town for the holidays. It was good getting to see people we hadn't seen in awhile and some of their kids that we had yet to meet. The kids had a good time playing and the adults had some free time to spend chatting. We stayed the night at a hotel in Omaha and the kids were thrilled that they were going to get to go swimming... a rare treat this time of year around here. They spent a good hour in the pool with dad and uncle Evan... I think a good time was had by All.
Poor girl... I forgot her swimsuit so she had to swim in her onesie... It didn't slow her down a bit though.
Garrett impressed us by floating on his back by himself for the first time without us even asking.

Garrett's Christmas Preschool Program

2009-01-01T20:48:00.003-06:00

Garrett goes to a little preschool in town that he absolutely loves! Well for the last couple of weeks he has been walking around the house singing the cutest little christmas songs, so I was all pumped for the big program... I mean he's going to be great right? WRONG Don't get me wrong he was pretty cute standing up there dancing around and smiling like a goof, but hardly a note came out of that little mouth. Oh well... next year right.
Check out the chapped cheeks... too much time out in the -15 windchill. Thanks Dad. ;o)

And we can't leave Emma out... if her big brother is dancing she better be able to as well.

Remodeling... UGH!

2008-12-14T11:13:00.006-06:00

Since we have moved into this house (3 years ago this month) it has been one project after another. However, this project is one that I have been pushing for rather hard. Clay was in total agreement with me that it needed to be done, but agreeing on the color has been holding us up for quite awhile now... I gave in and agreed so we could get it done.

Here is kitchen floor before:

The Dining room had the dark brown carpet (see Firefighting kids to see this) and now we have this running through both:

We had ALOT of help!

Firefighting kids

2008-12-14T11:04:00.005-06:00

Clay is on the Volunteer Fire Department here in Clay Center and a couple of weeks ago they had to burn down an old house here in town. He came home to get something and had his full gear on... the 1st time that the kids have seen this.

Emma wasn't so sure about him at first but then she figured out who it was. Garrett thought this was pretty cool since his preschool class had went and visited the fire department and rode on the truck. And who wouldn't want to try on the cool hat?

As you can see by the floor we are in the process of remodeling the kitchen and dining room with wood floors... pics on that yet to come.

Decorating the x-mas tree

2008-12-12T16:53:00.005-06:00

It is tradition around here to decorate the christmas tree the friday evening after Thanksgiving (sorry no T.G. pics), but this is the first year with TWO sets of hands wanting to help. As is another tradition around here... when we plugged in the strands of lights only 1 set out of 8 worked. Hence, we put decorating the tree on hold until the next day.

We got some new lights (Thanks Amy) and got them on the tree as well as the ornaments... only a couple broken.

This was pretty funny to little miss thing... not so much for Mom.

Garrett got fed up with me changing everything that he put on and telling him no. (I need to work on that. ;o))

Garrett's 1st ER visit

2008-11-16T13:49:00.003-06:00

The Culprit...

For those of you that don't know last Tuesday Garrett fell off the fireplace and cracked his head open. Thank Goodness that Clay was home at the time... it's amazing how a cool calm person such as myself (;o)) can fall apart when it is their own child.

We took him down to the local clinic and they sewed him up with 7 stitches and we were home having ice cream in about 20 minutes... got to love small town ER's! I am amazed how well they handled everything and how good they were with Garrett.

Poor kid is a bit embarrassed by the whole thing and everyone asking what happened... but I will show you a pic anyway.

My Little Treatsters

2008-11-05T22:38:00.005-06:00

I believe that Garrett is still young enough that I get to choose what he is for Halloween... and I found the cutest Turtle costume.

And Emma got Garretts first costume that he had... a little pumpkin.

This was a night that I will remember forever, to watch them be excited for something so "silly" and little miss Emma showing an independent streak a mile wide. Who knew she would be able to walk 3 blocks and climb all of the stairs to peoples houses... and she doesn't even get to eat the candy! Adorable.

Fall Fun

2008-11-05T22:32:00.007-06:00

In between helping out at the farm this last week the kids and I have found the time to have some fun in the yard... while the weather was nice.

Emma was the first one into the pile of leaves (I know not much of a pile... but I wasn't brave enough to tackle the back yard yet!). Garrett wasn't far behind though...
Check out that outfit... got to love when 3 year olds want to dress themselves. ;o)

Birthday Surprise

2008-10-18T20:47:00.006-05:00

I have this great friend here in Clay Center that treats me waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to good! For my birthday last week she got tickets to the Nebraska vs. Oklahoma Volleyball game... plus some other goodies. We took half a day off from farming (Thanks honey) and went to do some shopping and goofing off before the game.

The game was great and the Huskers cleaned up in 3 sets... for our sake it could of at least went to 4. ;o) Did I mention that Jordan Larson is absolutely amazing to watch... unbelievable what she can do!

I just want to say again, Thanks for everything that you do for me and my family Robyn!!! You and your family are the best.

New Camera

2008-10-12T12:54:00.001-05:00

FINALLY!!! I got a new camera for my birthday... hopefully no more crappy pictures from now on. ;o)

Emma's Dedication

2008-10-10T07:20:00.007-05:00

We had Emma dedicated at church last Sunday. My friend Robyn stood up for us and gave a couple of her wonderful words of wisdom and then Pastor Green had everyone who wanted to (which was alot of people) fill out words of insight on how to raise a christian daughter. We are overwhelmed on all of the good information and tidbits that people gave us, I just hope we can put all of this information to good use!

Christmas in the air?

2008-10-07T19:45:00.005-05:00

I have started making all of my things for my shop for Christmas this week. Seems a bit strange to be starting it already, but with harvest and my 2 rascals time will fly and I need to be ready. Here are a couple of the things that I have put together so far...

and this lounge set... so many cute christmas fabrics yet to go!

Not nearly as cute on the fireplace... but my model is asleep...

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-07T19:22:00.005-05:00

Every year since we have been here we have taken the kids (Emma went when she was a month old last year) to the Pumpkin Patch, which is about 10 minutes from our house. It has got to be one of the funnest Pumpkin places that I have ever been too... they have:

a slide down into a bunch of corn

a petting zoo

an old fashioned had pump duck race

a barn full of games (tick tac toe, milking a cow, riding a pony, checkers, face painting, etc.)

photo ops all over the place

huge slides that you ride gunny sacks down

a blow up bouncy house

Prairie plunge (ride in a wood seat on a wire down a hill)

corn maze (we didn't find our way out)

Trike track
And a hayrack ride to go out into the pumkin patch and pick your pumpkins.

The kids and grandma fisher and I all had a great time this year and can't wait until next year.

Pear Pickin

2008-10-07T19:15:00.003-05:00

A block from our house an elderly couple has an orchard of apricots, apples and pears. They put a sign out along the road whenever something comes ripe for free whatever is ready. The last thing that was ripe was pears, so the kids and I walked over and picked a basket full of them. They have one of the long pickin sticks that they just leave out with the trees and Garrett just has a ball pulling the fruit down... sometimes more than I want! I was quite disappointed when the pictures of Garrett wielding this didn't turn out... darn camera... time for a new one, but here are some of the pears that we picked.

This bunch made a tasty batch of pear butter.

Emma Eating The cake I made

2008-10-03T08:41:00.001-05:00

Since we had the wedding on Emma's birthday, I wanted to be able to have some pictures for her book. So I decided to make her a doll cake and we had Clay's parents and brother over for supper.

The picture is horrible, but I think the cake turned out pretty well for me doing it! It didn't matter one bit to Emma though... she dove right into it.

Happy Birthday Emma!! Mommy prays that all of your hopes and dreams may become reality someday. (sappy I know) ;p)

Emma's 1st Birthday

2008-10-03T08:36:00.005-05:00

Here is Emma on her 1st birthday... she was adorable in her little red polka dot dress at my cousin Jayme's wedding. The wedding was in Manhattan, KS so we didn't have a party for Emma, but her brother did sing her Happy Birthday at the reception.

It was a beautiful wedding... Congratulations Jayme and Kenny Coffey.

Both of the kids had cold (runny nose, cranky) you know everything that could possibly make a 4 hour drive even more enjoyable. All in all, they both did a good job and did well at the wedding.

That could also be because they stayed in the basement at the wedding and ate Quiznos.
Yeah... it is time to go home... another 4 hours!
We did get to see the Steffensmeirs (friends of ours from Austin) before we headed home. It is amazing how much things have changed since we all hung out in Austin!

Last year at this time...

2008-09-19T20:57:00.002-05:00

Last year on this day, Garrett and I played 9 holes of golf, went on a bike ride to the library and had an all around great day! It was even good enough that I started having contractions around 12:30 that night... a day before my scheduled C-Section. The time has really flown this past year... I can't believe that My little baby girl is going to be ONE tomorrow! Where did the time go.

We have a wedding in Kansas tomorrow, so we won't be celebrating her birthday until another day, but I will post pictures of the wedding and her birthday soon... maybe even a picture of the cake that I am going to try and make her. That depends on the outcome though! ;o)

Garrett's 1st day of Preschool

2008-09-15T17:23:00.004-05:00

Well today was the big day for Garrett!! He has been waiting all summer to be able to put on his "Cars" back pack and head to school like a big boy (well however big you can be at 3). He did a great job of getting up when I told him and getting on his clothes, however, he was little to excited to eat... his teacher said he made up for it at snack time!

Mrs. Jones is his teacher and I specifically picked this Preschool because of her, but when Garrett came home today it was clear that I had made the right choice... I might have a hard time being as "cool" as Mrs. Jones!

Emma in her new hat!

2008-09-15T17:17:00.003-05:00

I found the cutest hats on etsy a while back and it got cool enough out today for Emma to wear her winter one.

I put it on her and showed my mom the other day and she said "she looks like a movie star"... I had to agree. ;o) Do you think I might be a bit biased!

Can't wait to see how cute she is going to be in the hot pink one I got her for Spring.

Salsa

2008-08-30T22:04:00.002-05:00

Salsa is a staple at our house, it must be something that we picked up in Texas. However, it is hard to find a salsa that we like around here so I started canning my own. So ever year at this time I spend hours in the kitchen blanching, peeling, pureeing, and simmering just the right recipe so that we can enjoy the perfect salsa all year round. I have had good luck this year with my peppers (habaneros are nice and hot), but my tomatoes aren't doing as well, Thank goodness for the rest of the families gardens!

Thanks Marilyn, don't these tomatoes look beautiful?

On the Dot Creations GIVEAWAYS!!!

2008-08-22T09:17:00.005-05:00

This is the last day for the giveaways that have been happening all week long at On The Dot Creations. You should all check them out and see if you can be one of the lucky ones to win some of the yummiest items!

http://onthedotcreations.typepad.com/

I wish all of you luck in being chosen, but you need to hurry for the end of the day deadline. ;o)

Goodies from Lemon Tree Studio

2008-08-08T09:34:00.005-05:00

I read LilyEdens http://www.mylilyeden.blogspot.comblog everyday, she is so creative and funny that I am inspired every time that I read it. In addition, she has this adorable etsy shop Lemon Tree Studio http://www.LemonTreeStudio.etsy.comthat has all kinds of little treats that would brighten anyones day if they received them. I shouldn't tell you all this, but on Fridays she has a freebie friday where she has a "Goodie(s)" that she gives away if you respond to a question she poses. Well I happened to answer one of her questions right last week (Thanks to Emma being born chubby) and I won some GOODIES... here they are!

I am so excited to use the letters, which say August, and the adorable moon and stars fabric... hmmm.... think creative! Thanks LilyEden

Too Big!!

2008-08-08T09:31:00.004-05:00

I know that I can't be the only one that sees the cutest outfit and has to buy it knowing that it won't fit... Emma that is! I found this swimsuit at Target, but they only had it in a 2T.

Couldn't pass it up though... I just justified that she can wear it next year.

Sweet Corn

2008-07-31T22:38:00.007-05:00

I have been waiting patiently all summer long for the sweet corn to be ready. Clay searched and searched for the perfect seed that would make the sweetest ear of corn... did he find it?

He sure did!!! and ALOT of it. He told me to come to the farm so we could bag up and freeze some I had no idea how much he meant. After six hours of shucking, silking, blanching, stripping and bagging we came up with somewhere around 50 bags of corn to be frozen... did I meantion we still had a cooler of corn left that we decided would have to wait for another day! Come December I will be glad that he picked so much. ;o)
As you can see we made it into a family party.

We are such task masters!

Maybe not... Grandpa set up the pool for him to cool off after all the hard work. Emma had the hardest job of all!!

She Supervised!!

Safety Patrol

2008-07-21T21:33:00.004-05:00

The kids and I were at the library here in town the other day (we go pretty much everyday I'm off), but we happened to be there the same time as Bill (the local bike guy). He came up to Emma and I and asked if we would be there for 5 minutes, I said sure. He comes back with a whole assortment of kids bicycle helments... did I mention that we always ride our bikes down there. Emma has a seat that is attached to the back of my bike and I never really thought about here needing a helmet... Bill did!!
Therefore, he fitted this adorable little ladybug helmet so that it fits my little "bug" just perfectly and boy does she look cute in it. I said Bill, "what do I owe you?", he said just be careful. What a great guy!

Blogs readability!!!

2008-07-17T18:36:00.000-05:00

Movie Reviews

A friend of mine had this posted on her blog so I thought what the heck I will give it a try... I think my blog is more along the lines of grade school! Who comes up with this stuff. ;o)

4th of July Craft Show

2008-07-10T22:54:00.004-05:00

On the 4th of July a town about a hour away has a huge craft show in their town square and it is a rather neat event that I enjoy going to. My booth was in a wonderful location this year (aka under a huge shade tree) and business was pretty good to boot. My friend Robyn went with me and I am extremely blessed that she is such a wonderful person and makes life so much more enjoyable.

Garden or Weed Patch

2008-07-10T22:53:00.001-05:00

This spring and summer have been pretty wet for around here, hence my garden is an overgrown mess of weeds. Now that things are starting to get back into a normal routine I told myself I was going to get out there and weed the devil out of it. ;o) (lol) Yeah, I will believe it when I see it too.

Garrett did go out and help me pick some sweet peas for all of about two minutes before the mosquitos swarmed us.

He did rather enjoy eating them though!

Lincoln Childrens Zoo

2008-07-10T22:24:00.010-05:00

Back in June Robyn and I took the kids to Lincoln to the Childrens Zoo and it was a thrilling time for all of us... we milked a cow...

Became a butterfly...

Saw a beautiful white peacock...

Came out of our shells...

Played with a bald eagle...

Rode a donkey...

AND a train...

Phew... what a busy day!!

It's been awhile.

2008-07-10T22:22:00.002-05:00

Well things are starting to get back into full swing here with the "ickies" being gone and the 4th being over, so I am going to just do a random catch up of things I wanted to blog about and haven't had time.

The "Ickies"

2008-06-23T12:08:00.003-05:00

This last week has been full of the kids and I have the "ickies" (aka a cold). Garrett is to the point of feeling pretty much back to normal but my poor little girl is really struggling with it. Hopefully her ickies get better soon.

I am hoping later this week to get pics of the zoo and some other fun stuff posted. We'll see. ;o)

Lunstra's Came to Visit

2008-06-13T22:55:00.004-05:00

This past week Amy, Aiden and Brennan came from Colorado to hang out with us for a couple of days. The boys played well together and noone got hurt... we just won't mention the golf cart incident... how is Brennan's eye?

We went to the park, rode our bikes, ate Ice Cream Cones with EXTRA sprinkles and went to the pool... okay two pools.

Sorry Ame... you should have sent me some pictures and then I might not have posted this one... but you look so darn cute!

We love having the Lunstra's here and Garrett can't wait until them boys come back and play with him again. I told him that it is our turn to go see them....

Goodies from Holland

2008-06-13T22:44:00.002-05:00

Ali came back from Belgium for Ashley's wedding and brought back one of my favorite treats!!! In Austin, the guys would come over from Holland and they would bring Sirrop (Stroop) waffles, they are wafers with a cinnamon caramel syrup in the center.... can you say YUM!

As if that wasn't enough she brought back a huge assortment of Belgium chocolates. What a great sister-in-law.

Sad Time

2008-06-08T07:37:00.003-05:00

For those of you that didn't know, Clay's grandpa Cliff passed away on Friday, May 30th, he was 85. He will be greatly missed but we all know that he is in a better place and is watching over us... Clay asked him to watch over Garrett and Emma, I know they couldn't be in better hands.

Henry Doorly Zoo

2008-05-26T13:10:00.007-05:00

On the way home from the wedding in Iowa we decided that Garrett might like to see the animals at the Henry Doorly Zoo.

The day turned out to be the nicest of the weekend... sunny (warm) as you can see Garrett had to wear Emma's pink sunglasses since we seem to lose all of his hats!

It as at this point in our day that I am starting to notice that Garrett isn't acting like himself. He is wanting to ride in the stroller (not run around), not talking, and feeling pretty warm. I think he is getting dehydrated and am pouring water down his throat. We plug on.
In the gorilla exhibit we are seeing if we could measure up to a Gorilla... Emma thinks she can! Garrett, is still looking a little peaked, but we move on to the Cat Exhibit. We know it is time to call it a day when the only thing that excites Garrett in the whole place is a bench in front of a huge fan where he wants to curl up on dads lap and take a nap. So we called it a day and headed for home... while Emma is still being a trooper.
We got home later that evening and I took his temperature... 103 degrees... maybe Garrett was the trooper after all?

Ashley's Wedding

2008-05-26T12:57:00.005-05:00

This weekend Clays cousin Ashley got married in Des Moines and Garrett was the ring bearer. Clay had asked her if she was sure she really wanted Garrett... he made it down the aisle and even bowed at the altar like he was supposed to... but he didn't make it back down the aisle. oops! I think he did a pretty good job and he sure looked handsome doing it.

We very rarely get dressed up as a whole family, so I took advantage of this and we got a decent family picture.

Besides Ashley, Emma was the belle of the ball. The photographer took a boat load of pictures of Emma... I told the photographer that she must know moms are suckers and I would have to buy most of them... she just smiled! hmmmmmmmmmm

My little boy is 3!!!

2008-05-21T20:42:00.007-05:00

Garrett turned 3 on Sunday, so we threw him a family birthday party at the house. He is always ready to burst with excitement when he knows his cousins are coming over... hence no nap. However, I think everyone had a good time and nobody got too wet in the water balloon toss.

Think he got the candle out? Look at them cheeks.
Here is one of the big gifts of the day... he is actually pretty good at riding it already.

Your turns coming Em... not too soon though!

What a beautiful day

2008-05-17T08:16:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that the kids and I ended up spending most of it outside... so much for getting anything done for Garrett's birthday party Sunday. Oh well.

Garrett loves to swing, so while I was out there pushing him I put Emma in the baby swing for the first time and she loved it!

Now I will never be able to get out of the backyard. ;o)

The one distraction I did have for them was Pin Wheels. I had to buy some Pin Wheels for my garden, to try to keep the stinking rabbits from eating everything off (they already at 4 Jalapeno plants) so the kids were pretty fascinated with those.

Hopefully this beautiful weather is here to stay for a little while.

Time to crawl?

2008-05-07T22:50:00.004-05:00

Emma is mobile... Ugh!!! She can pretty much maneuver herself all over the living room now, nothing is too far our of her reach. She pulls herself onto all 4's and rocks back and forth... thankfully she is no further than this. As cute as this is, I have to say that it rather saddens me to think of my little girl doing these things... before I know it she is going to be walking.

Nebraska Tulips

2008-04-30T21:38:00.002-05:00

Ali has her blog setup now (www.aliandshannonbelgiumlife.blogspot.com) and I was able to see all of the beautiful flowers that she is seeing over there. There are fields of tulips in a kaleidoscope of colors... well here are my 3 that have come so far this spring. ;o)

Killing two birds with one stone

2008-04-24T13:48:00.004-05:00

With Clay working late in the field, everything takes twice as long... so here is the solution to speeding up one part of our day.

Emma even helps wash Garretts hair!!

Clay got started planting on Monday, the chances of thunderstorms tonight are 80% so he might be getting a little time off... hmmmmm who am I kidding, there is always something to do this time of year.

Goofing at the Golf Course

2008-04-23T21:44:00.004-05:00

Saturday was another nice day here... you think it is here to stay? Anyways, we took the kids and went and played a couple of holes of golf. Emma is pretty good at pulling the flag for us...

And she is thinking about picking up a club too...

Garrett just acts like he is one of the guys on league night!!!
Clay took the pictures on his cell phone so they aren't the best quality, but they sure are cute.

Big Girl

2008-04-16T14:04:00.005-05:00

Our neighbors had a little girl on Friday and I got to see her on Sunday (what a cutie), but when I came home I about cried when I realized how BIG my baby has gotten. Until that moment I still saw her as the little bundle that I brought home (Clay laughed at that) then proceeded to say look... she can stand on her own, she can sit, roll over, etc. They grow way to fast!!!

To further emphasize this point, Garrett has outgrown his shoes Again. When we were at the store getting him new ones he informed me that he needed a backpack, so that he could get ready for school. (He wanted me to point out that it is a "cool" Cars one) He will start preschool in the fall and he is so excited he can hardly wait... mom is still working on accepting this.

I have to throw this last picture in to show how much hair my little girl has finally gotten!

Another windy day

2008-04-05T17:17:00.006-05:00

It actually warmed up yesterday and today, but today was extremely windy, so we tried to make the most of it.Contrary to popular belief, flying a kite on a windy day is harder than you think. Clay blamed it on the cute fish kite we have (Sorry Ali), but once we moved out of the neighbors yard and to the golf course it went way up and looked neat.

And as you can tell by the smile on his face Garrett thought it was pretty cool.

Emma didn't think it was too bad either... from what she could see out from underneath her big hat.

My little mommy... Garrett?

2008-03-26T09:45:00.004-05:00

I thought it was pretty cute this morning when Emma started crying and Garrett wanted to feed her...

I got some explaning to do!! He thinks that if Mommy can feed her from her "belly", he can feed her from his "belly". Oops... my bad.

Easter

2008-03-26T09:27:00.004-05:00

Garrett kicked off Easter a day early with an Easter Egg hunt in the Park at Fairfield. Terri and I went to a bridal shower in Omaha that day so we didn't get to go, but Evan and Clay did a great job taking pictures and filming it so that I could see. Note: I dressed Garrett in the clothes underneath the oil stained work jacket that dad put on him! ;o)

After church on Sunday we went out to eat at the Garden Cafe with the Fisher clan. As you can see Garrett is missing from the picture... large group, late lunch, crying, naughty child.

Both kids crashed on the car ride to Doniphan to see the Schroetlin side of the family, where Garrett had another Easter Egg hunt. Candy, candy, and MORE candy.

I had to put this picture in here... doesn't it look like the rabbit is about to take a bite out of Garrett's head? No wonder kids are afraid of the Easter Bunny!

Crazy Cousins

2008-03-18T19:25:00.005-05:00

It was redrilled into my head today that my mom is a saint. To be able to watch the kids all week long is AMAZING. She has been watching Brian's kids while he is in Vegas (lucky dog) and today Dylan needed a shot at the clinic so they came over to our house to play! Boy was Garrett ever excited that "the girls" were coming to play.
Well when you get 3 kids together that are all almost within a year of each other... CHAOS. But a great time was had by all and noone was seriously injured... I think Cierras feelings were pretty hurt when she got in the baby swing and couldn't get out though... ;o)
Here are some pics of the day:

King of the Wild Frontier!!

2008-03-18T19:03:00.007-05:00

Uncle Evan went skiing this past week and he came home with a couple of presents for the kids...

That folks... is a Coon skin hat, just what every 2yr old needs! Well shoot can't leave Emma out...
Thanks Evan! Boy if the people in Austin didn't think we were Hillbilly's before, here ya go. If you look closely at Emma's picture you'll notice how well she handles that there shotgun.

Cierra's Birthday Party

2008-03-15T18:48:00.005-05:00

My niece Cierra turned 4 on March 8th (silly camera date stamp is messed up) so we went to a party at the Back Rib in Hastings.

Garrett, Cierra and Faith had a great time playing with the bubbles and balloons... and things got really crazy after they ate some cake. Everyone had a good time, we always need an excuse to get together and EAT of course and catch up on everyone's news.

Golf Time!!!

2008-03-01T18:58:00.000-06:00

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we couldn't wait to hit the golf course!!! Try out the new clubs (which are awesome, hope I can do them justice this year) and enjoy this day with the kids. Clay has been showing Garrett how to hold the club and he gets in a few good shots here and there, but loves to be in the golf cart. Emma called an end to the round... we forgot to bring the diaper bag... oops.

This allowed us to get some other things done: car washed, front porch swept, and Garrett a trip to the park. He's building up his stamina and he can peddle his tractor clear to the park and back, I had better start getting into shape or I won't be able to keep up with him.

With this taste of spring the next week is going to be tough, but this day was a very special treat.

Touch your toes

2008-02-27T23:17:00.001-06:00

It has been cute the last couple of days, Emma enjoys eating her toes lately and I'm trying to keep Garrett flexible by touching his. Since Clay is about as flexible as a board (Sorry honey) I've been telling Garrett that it is fun to stretch and touch our toes... when he doesn't believe that I just tell him that Emma is really practicing and that she will be more flexible than him when she gets older. Nothing wrong with a little sibling competition right... well it is a little one sided.

Busy Busy!!

2008-02-16T21:58:00.000-06:00

This has been a busy but fun week. We started the week off with Cliff's party on Sunday, then we went out for Valentine's Day with our friends Robyn and Scot V. I recommend seeing Fools Gold... if you are a guy I'm not sure Clay would say the same thing... Chick flick!

Garrett was in little boy heaven on Friday when we went to John Deere Days in Fairfield... he had a great time even though he didn't get his name drawn for the raffle. Emma however, was a luckly winner and now is the proud owner of a miniature "mower", she was so excite... Oh wait, that was Garrett.

After that we went to ny nephew Dylan's 1st Birthday Party... what a handsome little dude! From the noise level I would have to say that all of the kids had a fantastic time. Not too mention all the little green stained faces running around (note to self, no green frosting for Garrett's b-day).

Too top the night off, we dropped the kiddos off at Grandma and Grandpa Fishers and we went to the Opera House for a little Karaoke. Rowdy Crowd + beer + bad singers= Great Time

Finally Today!! I made Clay a dinner of Fried Chicken with all of the trimmings and a Better Than Anything cake for dessert. With Clay out of the house at a reception in Glenvil, I'm able to update everyone on a great couple of days.

Happy Birthday Cliff

2008-02-12T20:41:00.000-06:00

Clay's grandpa Cliff turned 85 on Monday and the family had a party for him at College View (it was a good time). I forgot to take a camera... oops, so I found this picture from a couple of weeks ago to post.

That was the upside of the week, the rest of the week was spent trying to stop Garrett's cold from being passed around to all of us... pointless!! Once one of us gets sick the rest of us might as well try to get it immediately and get it over with. Clay is just coming down with it... we'll see if he is done by Valentine's... or his Birthday (16th).

Ok... so the snow is pretty

2008-02-06T16:38:00.000-06:00

The drift in our backyard was taller than Garrett, I think we had somewhere around 6" total. Today was a bit chilly but sunny and we were able to get outside and enjoy it for awhile. Clay says that I never take a picture of him, so here you go, I actually got one of him working !! ;o)

Our wonderful neighbor came over yesterday while it was still snowing and snowplowed our driveway so Clay only had a little to do... Oh and I guess the mountain in the back, my hero.

UGH!!!!!!!!! More Snow

2008-02-05T18:41:00.000-06:00

For anyone that is having cabin fever (that'd be me) today was a bummer, pretty but a bummer. We had somewhere around 3" so far and it is still snowing. I'll post pics tomorrow when it is done. Garrett never ceases to amaze and entertain me on these days though, who knew he could pull Emma in his little wagon.

We had a Super Bowl party with 6 couples and 10 kids... it was alot of fun and what a Game!!! Having all of the kids over made us more aware that we need to get Garrett out more with other kids, he is a bit bossy and agressive (you would never think he is two years younger than the other kids). We made the decision to enroll him this fall in preschool so that he has a couple of years of that before he goes to kindergarten.

Garrett has taken an interest in painting, thanks to uncle Brian and Aunt Misty's christmas present. I was completely taken by suprise when he refused to use his fingers (it is fingerpainting) and had to have a paint brush since he didn't want to get dirty. Guess if it isn't dirt it isn't worth getting dirty.

Four Months Already!!! We started Emma on rice cereal a couple of weeks ago. She took to it just like she took to nursing, fabulous. Just like her mama, when it comes to eating we are pros at it.

First Blog!!

2008-01-04T19:31:00.000-06:00

Greetings!! I have finally set everything up... I think and have started blogging. My first resolution for 2008 is to become an avid blogger so that we can keep Ali updated on the kiddos while she is in Belgium.

The big event for today was taking down the christmas tree, or as my two year old put it "ruining Christmas". This year seemed like the Griswalds (why aren't the lights working) around here, so for the first year since I can remember I am GLAD christmas is over. By the day after Thanksgiving next year I am sure I will be back into the swing of things.

Well first blog down and hope that there are many more too come!