Blueberry pancakes

Emma and Carter helped Grammy whip up some yummy blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  We have some aspiring chefs on our hands!

Hide and seek at the Park

Emma and I had a rousing game of hide and seek at the park near Grammy and Grampys house. All the laughing and running was a good way to keep warm too! Emma also discovered how to balance the tire swing when she didn't have a friend with her (she experimented with me sitting on one side, but soon learned that didn't work so well!).

Playdough factory

The playdough factory station was a huge hit with all the kids this Christmas.

The healthy chefs

Carter and Emma mix up some yummy Kale chips at Grammy and Grampy's house.

Great Grandma and the kids

Great Grandma, Steve and Patty, Scott and Sonja and Logan came to Grammy and Grampys house to celebrate a belated Christmas with us. It was so nice to see everyone again.

Storytime

Aunt Deirdre has Carter, Tate and Emma entranced by her storytelling!

Santa delivers

Emma dictated a letter to Santa this year...

Dear Santa Claus,

I give you some stickers. I hope you give me a Lightening McQueen for Christmas. I hope you give me a lot of presents. I hope you have a good Christmas. And I hope you get cold because if you wear a Santa coat and and a Santa hap you will get cold and you will shiver. We will build a snowman. May you get me some arms and a hat and a nose and a face like that one and a scarf. I love you dear Santa. I hope you have a good Christmas. Love, Santa and Emma

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

The Children's Gym

Emma started taking some gymnastics classes this month. She (and an old friend from her school, John) made their way around the balance beam. They got pretty good at it...and were even hopping across it by the end of class.

Tillamook Forestry Center

On our way back to Portland, we decided to make a quick stop at the Tillamook Forestry Center. The center and the surrounding forest was amazingly beautiful. We can't wait to go back in the summer to enjoy hiking on some of the trails. Inside the center, Emma got to try out an old school phone, and try her hand at churning butter (which is a pretty tiring process). They also had a Christmas wreath making class that we stayed for, which was a great way to start off the holiday season.

Emma doesn't like to get her pants wet while out in the rain, so her newest idea is to role up her pants as far as she can, so they are mostly covered by her raincoat. She is such a practical gal!

The big "G"

We enjoyed a wonderful family vacation to Garibaldi for the Thanksgiving weekend. Emma thought it was pretty cool that there was a big "G" on the hillside. As we were driving into town, I mentioned that we should get a picture of the big G. Emma proceeded to say, "Daddy, stop the car, Mommy needs to take a picture of the big G". It was a very relaxing stay, and we all enjoyed taking a dip in the pool, especially our little Emma.

Fun at the Rollercoast!

Emma wasn't so sure she wanted to go out on the beach when we first arrived at the "rollercoast" (emma's name for the oregon coast), but she ended up having a lot of fun balancing on the driftwood and searching for feathers and colored stones. It was a beautiful, calm day at the beach!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were very fortunate to be able to spend Thanksgiving with great friends, and enjoy everyone's superb cooking talents.

Happy Halloween!!!

Little mouse, aka Emma, had a fantastic time trick or treating, and hanging with her pals this Halloween. She was a little hesitant knocking on the neighbors doors at first, but after we met up with a couple of the neighbor boys, she went up to the doors sans the parents! Then, to top off the evening, Emma got to hang with her two best pals, Cash and Elias. Couldn't ask for a better night!

Jumping Salmon

On our way back from Hood River on Saturday, Emma needed to stop for a bathroom break, so we decided to stop at the Fish Hatchery in the Gorge. We had not checked this out before, but I have to say there is something very soothing about watching salmon jump out of the water. I think I could have sat there all day. Here is a brief little clip of the jumping.

Apple picking 2011

We had a beautiful day apple picking in Hood River this year. It was a warm, clear day, and we had magnificent views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams! Emma obliged me by holding up this huge apple next to her head, similar to a picture we took when she was a baby. Happy to see that her head is now bigger (although not by much) than the apple!

Minneapolis fun!

Emma (and me too) had a great time meeting baby Reese. Emma had so much fun playing with Isabel, and LOVED getting to hold Reese too. Congratulations to Stacy and Tom on their new addition!

Techy girls

Isabel and Emma are showcasing how kids start to know more about technology than their parents...they start young!

Family

Grandpa and Grandma drove us up to visit Emma's new cousin (and their first grandSON), baby Reese. Emma had lots of fun visiting Isabel and Reese at their house.

Harvesting

Well, Grandpa Thier and Uncle Nathan were actually a little too quick with the harvesting process this year, but we did get a chance to ride in the tractor and dig some ground. Grandpa and Uncle Nathan showed us how the GPS, and auto-steering in the tractor works. This basically means the tractor pretty much drives itself, and you get to relax and take in the peaceful views of the farmland.

Baking with Grandma!

Grandma and Emma made some delicious cookies together. Emma assumed her usual role of ingredient dumper, and taste tester--a role she is mastering quite nicely.

Grandpa's funny farm

No, this wasn't Emma's Grandpa's funny farm, but it was a fun farm to go play at. They had lots of things to do, and lots of animals to see. We got the full effect of all the wind get in SW Minnesota too--it was a chilly day!

Fall Fun!!!

Emma had loads of fun playing in the leaves with her cousins, Haley and Chloe. They even helped Grandma clean the leaves off the back porch. Such helpful young ladies!

Icecream lipstick

Emma is learning the ropes of how to apply just the right amount of ice cream lipstick from her big cousin Haley.

Packing up

Emma was ready to go visit Grandma and Grandpa and her cousins. She tried packing herself into the suitcase (and successfully fit into it), but I convinced her it would be more comfortable to ride in a seat.

Timbers!

We enjoyed our first soccer game today. It was pretty exciting watching all the action on the field, and in the stands (there are some huge soccer fans out their!) Emma enjoyed hanging out with friends: Jon and Jon, and Mitch and Shelley--and occasionally checked out the soccer action. She was also a big fan of all the stadium food!

Sauvie Island fun

We took a quick trip out to farm country for some corn, peach and blackberry picking. Emma and Elias had a grand time searching for sticks, and running up and down the rows of blackberries. They even took the time to pick (and sample) a few of the berries!

Mt Adams huckleberry picking 2011

We headed up to Mt Adams for our final camping trip of the summer. We had a swell time checking out the natural bridges, ice cave, and of course huckleberry picking. We got to take in this beautiful view of Mt Adams on our drive home too!

Scooting!

Emma has been taking her scoot bike out for a spin every evening. She is getting pretty good, and tells us that when she turns 4, she's going to get a bike with pedals!

Oaks Park

Emma completed her summer reading program at the library, and earned a pass to Oaks Park. She had lots of fun riding the carousel, but her favorite new ride was "Big Pink", the very tall, very fast slide! Emma was joined by her pal Elias for a fun day at the park!