miss emma

Our little Emma turned 2 months yesterday.  She's getting out of that newborn stage and filling out all over...especially in her cheeks.  LOVE it.  At her 2 month appointment this week, she weighed 12 pounds, 2 ounces.  This actually puts her a pound and a half less than Livie at 2 months (but she's also an inch shorter with a smaller head...so really, she's a little chunkier all around) :).  

Besides being chunky...she's about the best baby anyone could ask for.  SO LAID BACK.  Almost to a fault...we have to be conscious to pay enough attention to her (for some reason another little girl is constantly vying for it).  But she does let us know if she's hungry or tired...which is a good thing :).  And she's so cuddly.  Love her so much!

Lately, Livie has been calling her "booger".  Yeah, she picked that up from Chad.  But it's so cute...she'll go up to Emma, and in a mothering sing-songy voice say, "Hi booger!  Hi!".  

Alex was over yesterday.  So fun to just be able to hang out while he's in town.  Here's a few pics of Liv and Uncle Alex.

so studious!

 veggietales :)

little booger

the new face Livie constantly makes...the one nostril scrunch...used when she's thinking or disgusted at something (which must be a lot!)

 and the best use of $3 EVER...found this gem at a garage sale yesterday 

(yeah, I'm talking about the slide)

pigtails, pumpkins, and our lake

We're all feeling better this week...not quite done with our colds, but we're getting there.  This little one seems to be holding on to hers more than the rest of us...

And we all seem to be a little tired too...

Livie let me put pigtails in her hair this week...a first. She was convinced that it was a good thing when she realized I had them too (well, a ponytail...but it was the same thing to her).  Here's her new "do":

Oh, and she found her nose this week too...this already may be one habit that's hard to break :).

Can you tell these two are sisters?  Hehe...so funny.

One highlight this week was going to Ackerman farms with my mom and Adalai.  The girls picked out pumpkins and visited the petting zoo...it was a perfect fall day.  LOVE this time of year.

House news...we now have the dam and lake dug out.  It honestly looks so much better than I could have ever imagined (and the waters not even in it yet)!  Hopefully by next June we'll have a swimming hole :).  Pictures to come.

he's back!

Chad left a week ago last Wednesday for his elk hunting trip to Colorado.  Here's some pics of his departure.  They took so much stuff...including 2 horses, a four-wheeler, and a motorcycle...quite the entourage.  They were prepared for ANYTHING!

He was gone a total of 8 days and 8 nights.  And from what I know, he had a GREAT time.  He's kind of made for the wilderness :).  And honestly, I love that about him...so I'm glad he enjoyed it.  

But it was hard to have him gone too.  The girls and I had quite the week.  From Friday on, we were sick with bad colds, coughs, and stuffy noses (yes, Emma too)...which made for long nights and tired days.  BUT we got through it with some help from my brother...he even surprised me with Starbucks one day :)...and some visits to my mom's and Andrea's houses.  Adalai and Livie were together a lot...which they loved...they've been playing so good together lately!

As hard as it was to be apart, I have to say it was so good for us too.  The time away made us miss each other A LOT and appreciate each other all the more.  You truly don't know what you have till it's gone.  

To welcome Chad home on Thursday night, Livie and I decorated the front porch with some love notes -  (thanks Andrea for that inspiration!), made cookies, and got sushi carry-out (his fav) :).  

And it was a WONDERFUL reunion.  Livie was glad Chad finally got home from "work" - that's where she said he was all week.  

Yesterday, we just spent the day as a foursome again...checked out the work done at the house (most of the lake is now dug out)...took naps...and even went to the Pumpkin Festival for a little bit!  Livie and Adalai were so cute on these rides...

And our evening was topped off with 29 kids and 1 great grandma taking a picture in a boat :).

13 of them are from the Herman clan...love them all!

weekend get-away

Who needs the cereal when you can drink the sugary milk??

Our little Emma is becoming quite the snuggler.  She loves to be held, talked to, and put in the sling...a combo of all 3 is the best when she's fussy :).

So, this past weekend was labor day weekend.  The first half of it we spent at Norris with the family.  It was our first night (Liv, Emma, Chad, and I) sleeping in one room together...didn't go too bad.  Livie woke up once (and stayed up for an hour)...but other than that, we all slept good.  The next day, Livie played and played with her cousins in the morning, then took a 4 hour nap in the afternon...I guess they wore her out!

And then Sunday, after church, the four of us headed to St. Louis for a little weekend get-away before Chad leaves on his hunting trip.  It was SO good to just GET OUT together.  It went so fast, but it was so worth it.  The girls got some good dad time...

We were laughing hard at these next 2 photos.  We brought a laundry basket for Emma to sleep in for the night :).  Poor little girl.  As the second child, you've been dropped and then forced to sleep in this:

The blanket makes it better :)...at least her feet can't get stuck in the slots...

On labor day, we headed to the St. Louis Zoo.  It was a GORGEOUS day and so fun!  

 Emma slept most of time in the stroller...such a good girl :).

She woke up just around noon, just in time to eat lunch and head home.

 So, our car ride home looked like this on one side...

 And this on the other...

And besides hanging out as a family (that was the best part)...here's my other favorite part of our trip to St. Louis.  Ted Drewes frozen custard.  Back in junior high and high school, my swim team would travel to St. Louis every summer for a swim meet.  When we weren't swimming, we'd always stop here to get a treat.  It has the best frozen custard of ANYWHERE!  So, I introduced Chad...he was easily sold on it as well.  We ended up getting a little somethin' both Sunday and Monday :).