Christmas Pictures

After dinner on Thanksgiving we decided to take advantage of the beautiful afternoon and take some pictures. Here's our little cutie!

How can you resist that face?

"I'm gonna get you Mama!"

 Our family Christmas picture

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at our house with Megan and James. It was a nice dinner together as family. Its hard to believe that it has been a year already since Megan and James moved here. We are so happy to have family close by and to have them as such a big part of Emma's life. 

Matt carving our awesome turkey.

The fam

Emma holding court over the dinner table.

My delicious, golden brown apple pie. 

Christmas fun

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. One of the things I am excited about this year is dressing Emma in all of her cute winter/Christmas themed outfits. She has a lot of cute ones that I have been saving until Thanksgiving ended. She's growing so fast, I know that there will come a day very soon when she will want to pick out her own clothes and she won't really care what I want her to wear. 

 It's hard to see here, but she has her hair in 2 cute pigtails

I just love this outfit! The fun red and white colors and the cute little dog are just too cute!

She's on the move so much now that it is hard to get a good picture of her.

Once in a while she does stop for a snack break though :) This girl still loves to snack! Just like her Daddy. We are counting down the days until we leave for sunny southern California to be with our extended families. Only 21 more days!

Busy busy

Emma loves to dance. This may or may not be my fault :) Generally if she hears music playing she will stop what she's doing and dance a little bit until it stops. It is not uncommon to look in the rear view mirror and see her bopping along to the beat while she's in her carseat. 

Emma, like Matt, enjoys snacks.... A LOT. She is pretty good about sharing though and she likes to feed people. Daddy on the other hand, is not so good about sharing his food. He's learning though :)

Our poor attempt at a self-portrait. My cute girl and her pretty blue eyes.

Emma likes to do whatever Mommy is doing. She has called and texted people from my phone, ordered movies on the TV, and now she tries to email people too. Sadly for her, we don't let her play with the computer.

She's as playful as ever and is generally a very happy child. We have been through a very busy season, but are trying to enjoy as much time as we can together as a family. She's growing and changing so fast that I want to remember and cherish this time while she's still little!

Fall in Indiana

Fall has got to be one of my favorite seasons in Indiana. The weather is crisp and cool, the leaves turn beautiful shades of red, gold, and orange, and the skies are bright blue. During October Mema and Papa came to visit and we took advantage of the beautiful fall weather.

We went down to the Huntington Reservoir and took a short walk around.

Emma loves to be outside almost as much as her Daddy.

3 generations of Lomicka's

Mommy and Emma

The beautiful trees

The water levels are pretty low right now because we have had a very dry summer and fall. I am hoping that this warmer weather lasts for a while longer. I am not ready for snow yet!

Pumpkin Patch

This year we went to the pumpkin patch 2 times. One time, Emma and I went with our friends Amy, Josiah, and Julian. The next time we went as a family along with Mema, Papa, Auntie Megan and Uncle James.

Our second trip was on a very blustery day. It was one of the first cool days of fall.

There weren't as many pumpkins this year. The pumpkin farmers were really hurt by the cold spring. But we still found a few to take home with us!

I like this one!

This picture is from our trip with the Spallinger's. It was a much warmer day!

Sorry

Sorry its been so long. Things have been a little nuts around here. I'll do a picture post now and some updates tomorrow.

We went and watched Megan and James race at the track. Megan spun out and won her races. James came in a noble second.

We've enjoyed the warm weather and the outdoors. Emma has decided that grass is fabulous, the outside is her friend, and any body of water must be explored. IMMEDIATELY.

Paint samples were bought and a color was selected for the dining room. We finally have a nice dining room to use!

Many evenings were spent and Auntie and Uncles house. Snacks were consumed and a good time was had by all.

Mostly Emma practiced being cute and cheesing it up for the cameras. Especially when she wants something. We are in trouble very soon.

Check this out

I have followed this sweet blogger, Megan for quite some time. She is expecting twins any day now after enduring the loss of her precious boy Cohen over a year ago. She does great giveaways and discounts and has introduced me to some pretty awesome designers and etsy shop owners. This week she's featuring a shop called Gussy Sews. They are also on face.book and Twi.tter. You can check them out at this link

http://www.inthiswonderfullife.com/2011/08/giveaway-discouont-monday.html

Summer Days

We've been enjoying the slightly cooler weather around here. Praying it stays around for a little while. Emma finally got over her fear of the grass and now enjoys roaming the yard picking up leaves and twigs and bringing them to me.

She also enjoys taking Hudson's ball and running.... er, crawling as quickly as she can. Then we throw it for him. He runs happily, she squeals with glee, and all is well in the Lomicka yard.

Occasionally we just sit and ponder things.

Or cheese it up for the camera.

Now give me that camera! She has gotten to the point where she wants to see the picture on the back of the camera and she's rather impatient to see it.

Of course with summer time we have to clean up after Hudson's incessant shedding. She's interested in the Swiffer. I figure if I work this right, it could really turn out in my advantage!

Heat!

After one of the longest, coldest winters on record we have gone on to one of the hottest, driest summers. Most days have been in the 90s with a relatively high humidity. I was looking forward to going to some of the festivals here in town this summer, but I don't really enjoy roasting out in the sun and Emma gets rather cranky when she is out for a while so we've been spending a lot of time having playdates at friends houses. It's so wonderful to have so many great friends now who also have small children around Emma's age. We can get together and talk while the kids play. It's helping Emma learn how to share and it is good for my sanity not to be cooped up all the time! I was looking forward to taking her to the splash pad this summer, but since she's not walking, that's not really an option! There's always next summer!

Don't. Even. Ask

As of today, Emma is 15 months and 17 days old. And no, she is still not walking. I don't know what to do to change that. We try to help her walk. We put her on her feet and hold her hands to walk with us. Sometimes she humors us, other times she simply plops down on her bottom or refuses to put her feet down all together. We have until 18 months old and then her doctor will step in. I don't get it. She pushes her shopping cart all over the house, walks around while holding on to all of the furniture and pulls herself up on everything. Just no walking. It's a good thing you are so cute Little Bit, because you are getting too heavy to carry around everywhere!!

I'm gonna be" that mom"

Emma's getting bigger and this is pretty much how I feel about it.

Maybe if I close my eyes real tight and pretend I can't see it then it won't really happen. I was the mom who cried on my child's 1st birthday, and they weren't happy tears. Sad that her first year was over already and it was all happening to fast. The thought of sending her off to school in a few years makes me panicky and emotional. I am going to be the mom that's sobbing on her first day of kindergarten. Yep, that's me. I'm not ready. Nope. Not ready for her to run, not ready for her to go to school, not ready to see her do things on her own and not need me. My baby is growing up too fast and I don't like it. Not one bit.

Its been a while

Sorry I haven't been around to blog. It took us a while to figure out how to upload photos on our new computer. Things around here have been good. Hot and rainy, but I'll take it over the snow and cold. We've been hanging out, having fun and playing with friends. Still no walking on her own, but she'll walk behind her shopping cart. That's my girl!

This is her cheeser face that she does when the camera comes out.

We went swimming with our friend Emma Grace.

Here's her shopping cart. She desperately needs a haircut so her hair ends up like this in a pony tail most days. I dig her Pebbles look.

Summertime Fun

I can't believe that May is almost over! June will be here soon and with that comes lots of trips, plans, and visitors. In June we paint our kitchen and the Phipps' kitchen. Then we have the Monty family trip to Branson. 12 hours in a car with a toddler who hates being in her carseat. Yay for us! We are looking forward to spending time with my family and seeing our sweet nieces Addie and Kacie. In July Matt and I will spend the weekend in Chicago to celebrate 5 wonderful years of marriage and then my dad comes out to visit the next weekend. In August Matt's parents come out for a visit and then my parents will be here for Labor Day! Lots of visitors! Lots of trips! Lots of fun! We are excited to see our family and can't wait to share many of the pictures we take :)

Day 13: A Photo that makes you laugh

The Aftermath. This is what happens when you let a 13 month old feed themselves pasta. She had fun. The stuff on her forehead is from her putting her face on the tray to try to get some of the remnants. She is definitely her father's daughter! Ha!

Day 12

Something I never leave home without: my cell phone

I think this is probably true for most people now but especially now that we have a child, people need to be able to reach us. The people that call/text me the most often are Matt, my sister Megan, my mother in law, and my sister Heidi.

Day 11.... or something like that

Day 11: TV shows that your currently addicted to

Matt and I have watched NCIS for a long time, so that's probably our number one. My top 5 favorite shows are

NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Pregnant in Heels, Bethenny Ever After, and Deadliest Catch.

Other shows I enjoy are Top Chef, Cake Boss, Survivor, Chopped, and Diners Drive Ins and Dives. Love me some Guy Fieri!

Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without
Day 13: A photo that makes you laugh
Day 14: A website you love to visit
Day 15: Share a Bible verse
Day 16: Describe your dream house
Day 17: What’s in your purse?
Day 18: Photos from around your town
Day 19: Something you miss
Day 20: Nicknames
Day 21: Favorite Movies
Day 22: Share the oldest photo that’s saved on your computer
Day 23: Something you fear
Day 24: A photo of somewhere beautiful
Day 25: 3 things you hope to accomplish by the end of the year
Day 26: Something that stresses you out
Day 27: Your favorite poem
Day 28: A photo of the inside of your car
Day 29: 5 things you are thankful for
Day 30: a picture from today

Day 10: Something you are afraid of

Although Matt might tell you otherwise, I'm not really "afraid" of too many things. But there are a few that really make me want to scream or cry. Some are silly, and some are more understandable. Firstly, I am afraid of all small furry animals. I am serious. Guinea Pigs, hamsters, mice, rats, rabbits (except the floppy eared kind), squirrels, etc. Anything smaller than a cat and I want to stand on the table and scream.

One word: Aviaries. (Squirm)

On a more serious note, as a child probably all the way up through the time I got married my biggest fear was losing my father. After losing my mother as a very young child, the thought of losing my dad was more than I could handle. Now that fear has been somewhat transferred to my husband. The thought of losing my husband and raising Emma without him is terrifying to me.

Day 9: Favorite Quote

"Worrying is kind of like a rocking chair. It keeps you busy for a while, but you never get anywhere."

AND


"...People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

~Maya Angelou

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

In July of 2008 Matt and I went to Alaska for 13 days. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We hope to go back one day soon.

Sunset at sea

Totem pole in Ketchikan

One of the beautiful pictures out of the helicopter on our way to Mead Glacier

On the drive from Talkeetna to Whittier. We got out and walked around and took some pictures. It was so beautiful and serene.

A mama bear and her cub in Denali National Park. You are not allowed to talk at all if you see a bear. They do not want the bears to become accustomed to hearing the human voice. It is supposed to keep them afraid of it.

Hiking near Horseshoe Lake

Denali

A red fox with her dinner.

Yes, I did get that close to a real moose. My husband was freaking out.

Glacier pics.

If you ever have the chance to go to Alaska, please do. You won't regret it.