I'm A Big Girl!

Look at me! I'm a big girl now in my Bumbo seat!!

Thank you Rachel for such a nice gift!

Dating My Husband

Thomas and I have had a really fun few months! For his birthday I got him tickets to The Piano Guys concert. We had an absolute blast! The Schutzmans babysat Emma for us, and we spent the evening strolling around Zona Rosa, eating at a nice Italian restaurant, and going to the concert. The Piano Guys put on an awesome concert.... spouting out funny jokes and playing beautiful music in a gorgeous theater! I had a great time getting all dressed up and spending the evening one on one with my husband.

Another weekend, Thomas surprised me and took me to Country Club Plaza. He set up a massage appointment for me that day and then we strolled around the plaza and ate at a really fun Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo. I don't think I've ever been so relaxed in my life! That massage was heaven and I actually found myself falling to sleep during it. The Italian restaurant was so fun set up family-style and underground with a lot of fun pictures and a cool atmosphere. And their calamari and sangria… To die for! While Ruth watched Emma overnight, we spent our night at the beautiful hotel right next to the plaza. It was such a wonderful break and very relaxing! I loved strolling around the plaza and stopping at Panera Bread for some tea since it was a bit nippy outside. We had a ton of fun! Although I must say, I really really missed Emma! She's my little pumpkin. I did appreciate the break though. LOL 

A couple of Sundays ago, Thomas and I decided to have a fall day and carve pumpkins! We got some apple cider ale and our pumpkins and went to town. It was a blast! Thomas had never carved a pumpkin before but nonetheless decided to carve a very challenging piece. He carved the face of Jesus. Unfortunately because this time of year is supposed to be a haunted and scary time, the piece may look a little ghostly, but it is in fact religious. LOL I think it came out pretty awesome! I carved a fleur-de-lis, which to my dismay didn't come out as good as I would've liked. I accidentally punched out the wrong pieces of the pumpkin. Lol It was a ton of fun though!

I think it's so important to continue on dating your spouse. It's been so special and wonderful for our relationship! It makes us better spouses to each other and parents to our children. I recently heard a talk on marriage and how it always should be kept a priority. The woman used the analogy that, just like on the plane they tell the adults to put on the oxygen mask first before assisting the children because otherwise you would be no help to them if you died, it is the same thing in marriage, that if your marriage gets ruined your children will be ruined by default. I want to always keep this in mind and keep my husband I priority. I want to always reserve time for him and make our relationship special!

Next week is the Christ the King Festival which we're really looking forward to! St. Mary's does an awesome job putting this thing together. They have booths set up themed all different types of countries with that type of food....which is infact FREE. *jaw drop* My favorite last year were the fried Oreos. Sounds disgusting I know, but they were actually delicious! I'm so glad I decided to try them.

Thomas has been working hard trying to qualify for the incentive trip with the Knights of Columbus. We are pretty sure that he's going to make it and only has a few more apps that he has to do in order to qualify. He's doing a fantastic job with the Knights of Columbus and will be the only guy besides one other person who qualifies for the trip this early on in his career. He's hoping to have everything done before Thanksgiving which would be great because that means he can take a break in December from his hard work. The incentive trip is March 2015 and it is to Spain and Portugal. I can't even imagine how awesome that would be! A completely free trip to Europe staying at five-star hotels! I was nervous about traveling with Emma, but Ruth assured me that so many wives bring their children and help each other out and that she would be there for me as well to help out with whatever we needed. Thomas' Aunt (her husband also works for the same agency and is trying to qualify) also assured me the same thing. We'll see how it goes! Might be the best trip of our lives or could be the worst! LOL but at least it's free and will probably never get this opportunity again!

Well that's all for now! I better take advantage of Emma napping and get some stuff done including fixing dinner before my husband gets home.

A Message From Little Miss Em

Hey Everyone!

I haven't been able to post in a while, mommy always hogs the iPad! Life has been pretty good so far, my mommy has finally figured out how to get me to sleep so I definitely feel much more rested! It was getting pretty crazy for a while there, but mommy and I are learning together! Mommy puts me down for about 4 naps a day and I've learned to go right to sleep instead of cry, well....sometimes. ;) After I wake up in the morning, mommy comes and gets me and brings me back into mommy and daddy's bed. The three of us spend some quality time laughing, smiling, cooing and having a great time together. I love this time of day because I get to spend it with daddy! I'm usually asleep when he gets back from work so this is a great time for us to hang out! 

After we all get ready and daddy leaves for work, mommy puts me down for a morning nap so that she can work out. She started a new fitness program for mommies and it's a challenge for them to lose their baby weight. Sometimes I get to watch mommy work out and I can't help but laugh at all her funny exercises.... sometimes I don't think she quite knows what she's doing. After my morning nap, mommy feeds me and then we have playtime together. She puts me down on my play mat and moves all the little toys around to keep me entertained! The little hippopotamus is my favorite!

Sometimes mommy will take me outside to go check the mail! I love this, it gets me out of the house and get some fresh air. Nothing worse than being cooped up in your crib all day! Then mommy puts me down for another nap and we do it all over again! 7 o'clock I'm usually in bed and sleep until 10 or 11, sometimes 12! 

Mommy doesn't really like to take me out too often as I get really fussy and grumpy because I've missed my naps. Because of this, daddy has generously offered to watch me on Saturdays so that mommy can go out and get errands done! Mommy says this is been a huge help to her, but I don't think I'm that much work. Although I must confess, Aldi trips really wiped me out! 

I'm really really really looking forward to this weekend! Sunday is the Christ the King festival in St. Mary's! I've never been to it before, but mommy says it's a blast and I'm really looking forward to seeing all the sights and smelling all the different foods, even though I can't eat them yet!

I'm really starting to get big now! I now interact with toys much more and love looking at the little birdies hanging above me in my bouncer seat! Mommy and daddy say they can't believe how big I've gotten! Definitely a lot more fun when you can start playing with things. Mommy is starting to bring out more toys and try out new things. This is something I didn't do before!.....and she wonders why I was fussy. ;)

All three of us have been doing a lot more now. Last Thursday, mommy and I went over to Ruth's house (Thomas' boss' wife). She has been so sweet and watches me for mommy to be able to go out and do stuff. I even spent the night at her house once! I have so much fun with her and she plays with me a lot. She has a lot of stuff for babies at her house since she has grandchildren. I am able to play in her swing, her bouncy seat, and she even puts on baby movies for me. We met her at hobby lobby last Thursday and got supplies to make our own wreaths for autumn. This was a lot of fun and mommy and Ruth made really pretty wreaths! They plan to make wreaths for every season. Mommy loves having someone that she can get together with and do fun stuff with. They plan on doing a lot of arts and crafts together and Ruth even offered to teach mommy how to sew! Here is the wreath that mommy made... Isn't it pretty!? 

Last Friday we got together with Jesus and Sarah for dinner and had a great time getting to know them better! What a delightful family and great time we had!

Every Wednesday, mommy and I go to Kansas City to a mommy's group with Kitty and Maddie and then for a chiropractor appointment. We have lots of fun spending time with my aunties and cousins! They're pretty awesome! Here's a picture from when we all went out to eat. Everyone has been saying how calm and chill Franz is, so I thought I'd copy him just this once and fall asleep. These Wednesday outings are a great way to get out of the house and socialize. Plus, I finally get to be around someone my own age and size who understand the same language!

Well, I better get going now. I'm starting to get tired and I don't want to get too grumpy for mommy.

Love you all!

Emma