It's a Dress Up Party!

We had Annie's Birthday party this Saturday and it was so much fun! It was a dress up party, and we ended up with 3 Supermen, a few princesses, a cowboy, a monkey, a jungle explorer, a mini pirate, and a surfer dude. It was great. She got a lot of fun gifts, and it was great to have all of our friends here to help us celebrate. Thanks to everyone who came!

Look for more about Annie on her birthday, April Fools Day!

The Wisconsin Dells

For a few days out of Spring Break this year we headed to the Wisconsin Dells again. It is known as the biggest Waterpark in America. We had a blast! We shared a condo with some friends again, and the kids loved it. I slacked a little on the picture taking...I didn't want to take our nice camera into the waterpark (especially after we lost Pete's cell phone), so all of our pictures were taken in the house or inside the playground. Sorry!

Annie was a little hesitant in the water... she isn't as brave as Noah. She was pretty content to just splash around in the little kids area, and do a few small slides with Pete. Noah on the other hand, is a maniac in the water! He would go on the big tube slides and body slides over and over again. At one point, after we hadn't seen him in a few minutes, we casually started looking for him, not worried at all. A woman came to us and asked us if we had lost a little boy in orange shorts. Not wanting to admit that we had, we said that we were just starting to look for him. She told us that he was with a lifeguard, and was probably just looking for us. When we finally found him, the lifeguard informed us that he had to jump in the deep end of the wave to pool to save Noah. Apparently, he had gone in while there were no waves, which is fine because he knows how to swim. But when the waves came on he wasn't strong enough to hold his head up. So he got in trouble and promised to stay out of it until we said it was ok to go in, and he stuck to his promise. We took him in later the next day. Cooper was not impressed with the cold water, and was happy to just be held the whole time. We did take him with us on the family tube slide, and he screamed the whole time.

Here are a few pictures of our adventures... minus the waterpark!

Cooper is 5 Months!

Cooper is 5 months old now, and I can't believe it. He is talking in his little baby talk a lot now, and he thinks his hands are awesome! They are always in his mouth. His favorite toy is his red monkey...he has this little jig he does everytime he sees it. He absolutely adores Noah and Annie, and they are pretty good at making him laugh.

These pictures were taken by my friend Jenni Gilbreth, and she did a great job. I love the one in the blue beanie-it matches his eyes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 
What a face!

 
Dad's Lady Luck...isn't it a bit early for a drink?

 
"Rub my belly for good luck."

Just Pictures

 
Pete gave me flowers last week, because it was a particularly rough week. I was just testing out the camera.

 
Annie loved the flowers. I took some pictures of her trying to eat the flowers as well. This was my favorite of her and the flowers. For the Emmons clan... doesn't this resemble a young Jordan?

 
Just another flower.

 
Cooper thought Pete was pretty funny.

 
Cooper laughing at Pete.

 
I gave the kids "dinosaur hair" in the tub.

 

Annie looks more like she belongs in Whoville, not so much like a dinosaur.

The Current State of Illness

I sent Pete to a hotel last week, for two days.

Everyone finds this so funny, which I guess it really is, but I did it for a good reason! I didn't want him to get sick, or even more sick than he already was for boards on Saturday. So Thursday and Friday night I made him stay in a hotel, nice and comfy, while I was home sick, with three sick kids. I am insane. And, no, my idea didn't work. He got sick anyway.

Friday morning, I woke up and called Pete (at his hotel) and told him that I was pretty sure I had the flu. Not the "I have the flu cause my stomach hurts" flu, but the body aches, chills, coughs, can't seem to function flu. Sure enough I did. My doc, who I was ever-so-happy to see that day because she can pass out drugs, did just that: she gave me a prescription for tamiflu (which is also a fun word to say). I couldn't teach my class on Saturday, so I just stayed home with sick kids. I don't remember the last time I felt so terrible.

Like I said before, Pete did get sick. He wasn't as sick as I was; he lost his voice, and felt pretty run down, but he is on the uphill side of it now. I am still recovering. I sound like a 20 year smoker, and cough like one, too. I am trying to take it easy this week, because Saturday I have a fitness training in Chicago, that will last me about 12 hours. Now, not all of that is a work-out, but about 70 % of it will be, so I need to have some energy.

Noah is recovering well; he has a little cough left and I am praying that he doesn't get anything else. Annie ended up with another double ear infection, and Cooper has a sinus infection. He has probably had that for a month, and they are just now treating it. However, last night I got more sleep than I have in a week, and I am hoping it just gets better.

Who Takes Care of the Sick Mom?

So, everyone, yes EVERYONE in the house is sick. I'm not sure that has ever happened to us. And it couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time... Pete has boards on Saturday! It's his last part, and now he is sick! Hopefully he will feel a little better by then, but judging by the way the week has gone, it's not lookin' so great:

Sunday: We wake up in the morning, all feeling a bit crummy, so we decide not to take all the germs to church. This was a good call. Within two hours, Annie's eye gets all goopy, and Pete says, "does that look like pink eye?" Sure enough, it is.

Monday: Noah wakes up with two eyes crusted together (sorry for the graphic) and has to miss school. He is pretty bummed, as he is the "special kid" this week (he gets to bring snacks and books to read). This also means no gym for mom.

I haven't mentioned Cooper yet; he has been sick for two weeks with a yucky cough. He has been to the doctor three times, and all three times they have said we just have to ride it out. Thanks, doc.

Tuesday: Noah and Annie are feeling a little better in the morning, but by the afternoon, Annie has a fever. I decide not to take her tempurature at this point, because I already know how the week is going. That evening, I start feeling really crummy. Oh, and Pete gets pink eye.

Wednesday: I decide I can't take it in the house anymore, so we go to the gym and to school. (I think I have mentioned before that the only thing that will keep me from the gym is a bunch of sick kids) I work out, not up to par, but I make it. Annie's fever hits 102 degrees (It's a secondary infection). That evening, I decide I am full out sick. I sleep on the couch, so that I don't infect Pete. I wake up 5 different times, with different sick kids.

I want to note that I did not take contagious kids to the gym!

Today: I still feel crummy, Annie is over it for the most part and Noah just has a cough left. Cooper still sounds like he is hacking a hairball. And guess what, Pete is sick with whatever junk I have, two days before boards!

I rarely get sick enough to feel like I have been knocked off my feet, or hit by a train, but that's what I feel like. Since I have been a mom, I haven't been sick enough to need medicine to knock me out at night, but I sure need it now. However, I can't take it because I have three sick kids who need me in the middle of the night! What I wouldn't give for some Nyquil or Alka-Seltzer Flu. All I can say is, when the heck is Spring going to get here?

February in a Nutshell

The weather is still cold, still lots of snow, sick kids, flashdance, lots of exercise, studying hard, fun at preschool, new laughs and smiles, Ring Around The Rosie, Valentines Day Hugs and Kisses, a new vaccuum, and much, much more insanity.

Four Months Old

 

Cooper is four months old now! We can't believe how fast he is growing. He is still a bit of a runt compared to the other two kids, but he amazes us everyday.

 

Yesterday he tried to roll over, and he really likes to grab things and put them in his mouth. His favorites are burp cloths or blankets. He also likes to cover his face with the cloth, and from what we can tell, he is playing peek-a-boo, or at least a four month old version of it.

 

His smile will melt your heart, and honestly makes me want to cry each time I see it. His laugh is even better, and he will soon follow in the best sounding laughs ever: Noah and Annie.

 

We are so glad this baby is here, and healthy and happy. We love him so much and can't wait to see him grow and accomplish so many more things. I hope these pictures make you as happy as they make me!