February

I can't believe this is the last week of the month. Time is flying. That means that in one month Sarah will be turning 4 and in two months Emma will be 1. That's crazy!

Emma is doing well these days with rapid changes. She is now getting 4 teeth at once but is being a real trooper. She is also crawling...sort of. She will crawl for about 1-2 feet until she finds that isn't getting her to where she wants quick enough so she'll fall down into GI Joe army crawl to speed up the process. She is waving hi and saying mama/dada more. She is also willing to try new foods and would rather feed herself than take something from the spoon unless she is really hungry.

Sarah is doing well and is counting down until her birthday and summer time. The birthday because we are planning a party at the local big bounce and summer because she can wear the new summer dresses I've been picking up as I feed my online shopping habit.

We enjoyed a nice long weekend in Telluride before Valentines Day. We had a great time visiting with family, eating yummy food, basking in the Colorado sun and taking a few hours to ski...just Kirk and I. We joked as we rode the lift up for the first time that it was like a date. A date that we haven't had in quite some time. It was nice to be out again on the skis and know the girls were in good hands with Kirk's parents back at the townhouse we rented. Plus we had a rare opportunity to see a lynx on one of the runs.

Kirk is preparing now for his big two week adventure with our friend Brant. They will be fulfilling a life long dream of fly fishing the waters in Patagonia, Argentina. I'm excited for them though I'm sure I'll be standing at the door waiting for his truck to pull up when he comes home.

Sarah outside having a tea party with the gang enjoying a nice winter day full of sun.

Sarah doing my hair during the Super Bowl.

Having a party in the princess tent. I think they had emptied an entire bin of little critters and such into the tent and then piled in for fun.

Another tea party this time it was indoors with daddy as an attendee.

Playing dress up - Emma in the Princess Tiana gown.

Life was rough when this was the view during dinner after a day of skiing in Telluride. Palmyra Restaurant was amazing and very good with the kids.

Our date on the slopes. We didn't realize that our faces had this purple hue to them until we returned back to the townhouse. The kid's sunscreen was like Crisco. (California Baby sunscreen) which is what we used and it worked well.

Downtown Telluride shopping.

Riding the Gondola from Mountain Village to downtown Telluride for shopping. Sarah was in heaven!

Shake your groove thang

Found another fun clip of Sarah in her pjs before bed one night (she added the necklace and shoes to properly accessorize the outfit). Shake your groove thang!

9 months old!

Emma turned 9 months old on January 21st. She had her 9 month check up last week. All went well.

Height: 29 inches

Weight: 23 lbs

Given her weight and height, she has now been upgraded to a larger car seat and is out of the carrier. That's a bummer for me since the carrier was so convenient to pop in and out of the car. She is still trying to figure out crawling. She will be on both knees rocking back and forth when stationary. But if it's time to move, then she is down pulling herself across the floor in a pseudo GI Joe army crawl. She is a feisty one especially when something she wants is taken away either by her sister just because or for her own good. She has a knack for picking out things she shouldn't have like cords, carbon monoxide detectors, etc. The top teeth are taking a slow time to appear with the neighbor to the two top front teeth appearing first. We've started finger foods slowly given Emma is plagued with a sensitive gag reflex like her sister.

We purchased a new camcorder months ago and are now getting around to figuring out how to upload videos. Hope you enjoy this small clip of Emma (aka baby bear, baby Sumo, and inch worm) taking a bath.

It's a New Year

We hope everyone had a nice holiday season and New Year celebration. We enjoyed quiet time at home since all four of us seem to be nursing a cold of some form. Below are pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Kirk and Sarah constructing the ginger bread house...very carefully with precision.

Kirk and Sarah with the finished product. Soon the roof started sliding down on both sides so additional support was set up.

Taking Emma (aka Baby Shrek - reference "Shrek the Halls" DVD for the thumb sucking baby) for a spin while Sarah was enthralled with her packaging 'pops'.

Sprinkling reindeer food on Christmas Eve so the reindeer had a snack while Santa was busy inside.

Sarah at her school Christmas program.

Emma ready for Christmas.

Finally Christmas morning. Sarah was allowed to open her stocking after the shock wore off over the new Barbie house from Santa in the background.

New Barbie house with Barbie car and the 2010 version of Ken in the car. What happened to the old fashion Ken? Nowadays he has a surfer hair cut and wears Vans.

Santa's present for Emma. The wagon is premature but will help once she is more mobile. For now she enjoys riding in it.

Sarah is all set for camping next summer with her new Princess sleeping bag.

My mom, Grandma Ann, made Sarah a sleeping bag for her baby dolls so they can join us on camping trips as well.

We went through a series of outfits throughout Christmas morning. This one seemed to last the longest. Princess Jasmine top with pajama pants and Princess Jasmine pumps.

What the heck is going on?

Taste testing the presents is the best way to go.

Emma loves her new Mickey Mouse from Santa.

The aftermath. The kids are in there somewhere.

Our friend Mikie sent the neatest shirts for the girls from Alaska.

"Because I'm Awesome!"

Loving her new Cabbage Patch baby.

After Christmas we received 4-6 inches of snow in Farmington followed by a few days of colder weather. We were so excited to break out the new sleds and go for a ride!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

We enjoyed a visit with Santa, Durango style, this past weekend. We drove up near Durango Mountain Resort to Rapp Corral where we enjoyed a horse drawn sleigh ride through the fresh snow. During the sleigh ride we sang Christmas carols. When we returned from our ride back at the stables, we were met by Santa making a surprise visit who arrived via horse drawn sleigh. Santa hugged each kiddo and then presented them with a present that was direct from their list! (preplanned of course between the corral and the parents). We enjoyed hot cocoa and sugar cookies while the kids unwrapped their gifts and played in the snow. Afterwards, we drove back down to Durango to have dinner with our friends but dinner was cut short due to Emma having a mild volcanic eruption all over her and her car seat. Good times! But we all seem to be doing well, knock on wood, as we coast into the Christmas weekend. We are going to enjoy the holidays at home just us and then hope to venture off to Chama, New Mexico to visit friends and do come cross country skiing. It will be nice to break out the skis again.

Emma looking mildly amused by the outdoor sleigh ride fun. It was snowing and a bit chilly so she was trying to hang in there the best she could before getting sick later at the restaurant.

Sarah over the top thrilled with her new Belle Princess Barbie doll from Santa.

During the sleigh ride. This isn't the best picture of the kids since Emma looks pissed and Sarah looks out of it. :-)

Sarah checking out the horse drawn sleigh as it arrived to pick us up.

Sarah playing in the snow with her friends.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving celebration. We enjoyed time spent with Kirk's family at our house this year. Kirk's aunt, uncle, cousin and parents joined us for a wonderful day. We ate, drank and enjoyed stories. The girls had a great time as well.

Sarah post Thanksgiving dressed as a princess (as she always is) coloring a turkey picture. She put the headband on herself to spice up the outfit a smidge.

Turkey cupcakes made an appearance again this year along with Gaga's famous cherry cheesecake.

Emma having a nice relaxing moment with Uncle Jim. She was so interested in his go-tee.

Kirk took his parents flying the next day to Monument Valley. The day was perfect for a picturesque flight. They had a great time.

My gorgeous husband doing what he loves. What beautiful country.

I ended up fighting a stomach bug or food poisoning (jury is still out) for a couple of days but am back on the saddle. I just hope the rest of the family stays healthy.

We are excited for December to be here. We are busy lining up activities for the month to celebrate the holiday season. May the magic of the holidays be with you!

6 months!

Ms. Emma is now 6 months! Wow, time is flying. She had her 6 month check up last week with the following stats:

Weight: 19 lbs 14 oz

Height: 27.5 inches

In both the weight and height categories, she is off the charts. Our doctor was joking that maybe she needed 'Baby Spanx' similar to those highlighted in an SNL skit he apparently watched the weekend before and thought was funny. Jokes aside, she is healthy and proportional. :-) Emma is able to sit by herself for brief periods until she falls over. She is a very happy baby with a very healthy appetite. Her favorite is still the oatmeal cereal she now gets three times a day. We call it prison slop. We keep trying to introduce root veggies and peas but it's slow. She isn't a fan...still. We are excited for the next 6 months which will dramatically change the game here in the Johnson household. We can't wait!