In My Daughters' Eyes

Sisterly Love!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:47:00 GMT

Lately, Abigail and Emma have been loving on each other at the dinner table. They will hug each other and say things like, "I love my sister!" or "I love you!" to each other. It is nothing short of adorable. Seriously, I feel like I should be taping it to show them when they get older and butt heads. I did snap a few photos the other night (and they are shirtless as it was spagetti night!).

Emma and Abigail giving hugs at dinner. Super duper cute!

Also, since Sophie can sit up by herself, the girls have been playing a lot more with her. It is so neat to see all three of them interacting more now! And Sophie looks like such a biggie girl sitting up to play with her sissies! Check out some of their sister fun below!

All three girls playing together!

Playing together some more!

And just for the fun of it, we made paper crowns one day with Abby and Emma's names on them. They then decorated them with stickers. Here is Abby's (Emma had a bit of a meltdown so didn't end up finishing her crown).

With the first round of stickers (left) and her final product (right).

The Children's Museum

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:48:00 GMT

We decided to head to the Children's Museum the other day because we had not been there in a while and the girls had been asking about the Bob the Builder exhibit that was suppose to be there. So we took them and explored the 50 Years of Barbie exhibit, the Bob the Builder exhibit, rode on the carousel, and checked out our usual dinosaurs area. It was a great time, and the girls had a ton of fun. One of my favorite things was when we all sat down to draw and trace dinosaur fossils together. We passed the fossils back and forth and made fun drawings that we later hung on the refrigerator. During this ten minutes of time, Sophie, the wonder baby, somehow managed to unscrew her bottle while sitting in her car seat, and proceeded to pour it all on herself. Seriously, how can a six month old baby do that?!? It was not that big of a deal, though, as we were heading out of the museum to get the girls home for a nap anyways. Another highlight was that the girls are old enough now to ride on the horses that move up and down on the carousel, which they loved. All in all, a very memorable day!

The girls are super excited to head into the museum, as they run to the door (left)! Are those dinosaurs?!? (right)

Answering phone calls for Barbie (left)! Love it! And Emma checking out a machine in the Bob the Builder exhibit (right).

Abigail in Wendy's camper (left) and with Bob (right) at the Bob the Builder exhibit.

Abigail and Emma putting up and taking down rocks on a wall (left), and going down a slide (middle). Emma with Bob the Builder (right).

On the carousel, the girls got to go on horses that move up and down (left), and Sophie enjoying the ride, too (right).

Mommy Train!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:29:00 GMT

Just a fun few photos showing how silly my girls are with their Mommy! They love to act like I am a train, or a horse, or whatever. Here is an example of "Mommy Train!"

Sophie, Abigail, and Emma on the Mommy Train!

Biggie Girl!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:10:00 GMT

In February, Sophie, our little wonder baby, started sitting herself up from a laying down position all on her own. If she is on her back, she'll roll over and push herself up into sitting, then balance herself. Now these things are normally done by a 9-10 month old, but our little, oh-so-mobile, never stops moving Sophie figured out how to do it already. She is also getting on all fours and rocking back and forth, and often moves between sitting to all fours and back again. I am sure she will be crawling soon! And of course she loves to stand and mostly supports herself, so maybe she will also be on the move by walking in the near future! Check out the first time she pushed up to sitting from laying down...she was so proud of herself!

Sophie first realizing she did it (left), and then being very proud of herself (middle), and then going for a toy now that she is sitting up (right). Super cute!

Abigail and Emma's 3rd Birthday

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:29:00 GMT

Abigail and Emma turned three in February, and they had a great day ringing in the big occasion. In the morning, they put on their special shirts and got some photos with each other and with Sophie. Then it was off to a fun day at the YMCA, followed by a trip to the grocery store so they could each pick out a small birthday cake for that night. After lunch (which was a cooked chicken they picked out at the grocery store), and a nap, we headed over to their friend's house to play. Then it was out to eat at Red Robin, where they were pleasantly surprised to meet the actual Red Robin bird. The girls were also surprised by the waiters there as they sang to them and brought them a huge ice cream sundae (they only ate about a fourth of it b/c it was so big!). When we got home, we sang to them while Sophie was still awake (it was getting late and she needed to head to bed). Then after putting Sophie to sleep, we opened lots of cards and presents, ate some cake and ice cream, got a tubtub, and watch a bit of a movie. It was a wonderful day and night for them and all of us! Happy 3rd Birthday, Abigail and Emma!

Abigail and Emma on their 3rd birthday!

Abigail and Emma with Sophie on their 3rd birthday. I LOVE these photos! Sophie kept trying to talk to Abby or Emma, so it was hard to get her to look at me!

Playing at their friends' house, the girls hid in the closet. When I would open the door, they would start laughing and screaming...too funny! (left) Later, they all decided it was cool to drink out of blue plastic cups together! (right)

Sophie playing at their friends' house (left), and the girls blowing out candles on little cupcakes after we all sang to them (right).

At their friends' house, the girls thought the icicles outside the door were super neat (left and middle). Sophie out to dinner (right).

Emma and Abigail meeting RED, the Red Robin bird! I love their smiles! They were amazed and thought it was just for their birthday!

Emma (left) and Abigail (right) with their huge ice cream sundaes at dinner.

Back home, we took a family photo before Sophie went to bed (left). The girls told us how old they are ("three!") when we asked (middle), and checked out their cakes while we all sang to them (right).

Blowing out their candles (left)! Abigail (middle) and Emma (right) opening presents.

Curious George vintage lunch boxes (left)! Abigail tries it out as a hat (middle). Abby and Emma checking out the Tinkerbell figurines they got (right).

The girls pointing out which ones they like (left), and looking at a new game they got called Zingo (right).

Reading new Little People Flap books (left), and Emma showing one of her fun Dr. Seuss characters and books they got (right).

The Dr. Seuss characters interacting (left), and the girls getting a new Tinkerbell DVD (right).

Abigail and Emma's Third Birthday Party!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:41:00 GMT

On February 14th, 2010, we celebrated Abigail and Emma's upcoming third birthday with a party at our house. The girls were super cute and so excited about it all. They loved the decorations I put up (they chose Tinkerbell together this year as the theme), were thrilled about their Tinkerbell cakes, and could not wait to open all of their fun presents. It was mostly just immediated family and a few of their friends. When their friends showed up, Abigail said with a big smile, "All of my friends are here!" It was a-dor-a-ble! For their party, we had a ton of yummy food, had cake and ice cream, and opened presents. It was just perfect for them, and I think they had a wonderful time! I can't hardly believe they are three already! Such biggie girls!

In the morning, before the party, the girls played with PaPa (left). Tinkerbell birthday cakes (middle and right).

Photos of Emma and Abigail before the party. Tim and I made the shirts for them to wear, and they looked SUPER CUTE!

Before their friends got here, my parents gave out Valentine's Day goodies to them. Sophie (left), Emma (middle), and Abigail (right) really liked all that they got!

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Abigail and Emma (left), and them blowing out their candles (right).

Still working on those candles (left)! And enjoying their cake and ice cream (right).

Abigail (left) and Emma (middle) really liked the icing on their cakes! The girls had quite the funny faces after eating all of those colors (right)!

Abigail (left) and Emma (right)

Friends Kirsten and Addie (left) enjoyed cake and ice cream, as well as did their sister, Lily (right), with her mom, Hayley.

The girls waited anxiously at the bottom of the steps as Gramma and Grandpa brought down their new reading chairs with their names on them (left). After that, the girls opened their gifts in their new chairs (right).

Teamwork (left)! And getting fun purses with stickers inside (right).

Getting cool flipping race cars (left), and Abigail and Emma opening gifts (middle and right).

Emma and Abigail working on opening the big present from Mommy and Daddy.

It turned out to be a big tent that will go up in their room. Abigail tested it out by laying on it while Emma checked the directions (left). Sophie playing with MawMaw after the party was over (right).

More fun photos of biggie girl Sophie as she sits up to play with her penguin (left), and a spatula and plastic cup (right).

The girls in their new "reading corner" in their playroom (left), and having fun in their new ladybug tent that is set up in the playroom (right).

Sophie's Six Month Photos!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:28:00 GMT

We took some photos of Sophie when she turned six months old on February 14th, 2010. She did have a bad cold when she woke up, so her nose is a bit red and her eyes are a little tired looking. But overall, we think her photo session with us went great! There were a ton of cute ones, but here are just a few of them!

PARTIES!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:48:00 GMT

The weekend of Abigail and Emma's thrid birthday party started out with a lot of fun! First, MawMaw came into town on Friday to help with running errands and getting ready for the party. That Friday night the Olympics started, so the girls got to see a few skiers on TV. They thought it was super cool when they would "blast off" and jump, yelling out "wheeeeee!" Then, on Saturday, we got up early to head over to a party for their friends, Kirsten, Addie, and Lily. It was super fun, and the girls LOVE hanging out with their friends. They played with toys, ate cupcakes and Jimmy Johns, and helped them to open their presents. Of course, they were not shy in wanting to help test out the new things their friends got, but they were pretty good overall. Then, after a nap, we went over to a hotel to meet up with cousins Ethan and Austin, as well as Aunt Mimi and Uncle Ryan. They were staying at a hotel so the kids could have some pool time, so Abigail, Emma, and Sophie got to enjoy some water fun. Emma especially liked the hot tub (which was surprising) because it had tons of bubbles in it. After some swimming, we all headed out to dinner at Max and Erma's and then back to our house for some family time together. It was a great start to an already exciting weekend!

Friday night with MawMaw -- enjoying some goldfish before bed (left). At their friends' party -- Tim with Sophie (middle), and Abigail working a party horn (right).

At their friends' party -- Tim and Sophie (left), Abigail trying to get a balloon (middle), and both girls chasing balloons (right).

Their friends -- Addie, Lily, and Kirsten -- opening presents.

Abigail and Emma helping Lily open a present (left). Abigail demonstrating how to swim in new floaties (right).

Later, out to dinner with cousins Austin and Ethan (left). Austin and Ethan enjoying some Wii time at our house (right).

First Half of February

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:33:00 GMT

Let's see...the first half of February included a fun snow day outside making snowmans with Daddy, Sophie getting to try out a swing for the first time (in the snow!), Sophie holding her own bottle, fun puzzles from a friend, Valentine's Day, and great sister time! Abigail and Emma also learned to use the potty (yippee!) while we are still working with Sophie to get her to sleep through the night. Overall, it was a VERY busy start of the month! Check it out!

Abigail swinging in the snow (left). Sophie enjoying her first time in a swing (middle)! Emma also having some swing fun (right).

Emma and Abigail helping to build a snowman (left) and the end result (right).

Meanwhile, inside Sophie works on getting a Nuker to chew on.

On to building another snowman in the front yard with Daddy (left). Emma and Abigail with their second creation (right)!

Sophie holding her own bottle!

Abigail and Emma with some fun puzzles a friend of mine sent them to enjoy.

Our Valentine's Day! Abigail & Emma opening their cards (left), and Sophie with her first Valentine's Day card (middle and right). Of course she had to eat it!

Abigail and Emma being super adorable (left)! Emma, Sophie, and Abigail ready to head out to do some errands (middle). Sophie rocking her shades (right)!

Playing Catch-Up

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:41:00 GMT

So, let's try to get caught up a bit. Back in January, Tim and I took a little time to ourselves and left the girls for the weekend with his parents. It was the first time since Abigail and Emma were born that I had left them (almost three years!), so I was a bit anxious, but also excited. We went to Chicago for the weekend, enjoying dinner out with friends, the Shedd Aquarium, shopping on Michigan Avenue, and a romantic dinner out together (with no kids!). It was a wonderful weekend, and the girls had a ton of fun with Gramma and Grandpa! I must admit it was nice sleeping all night and sleeping in the next morning, but it was sure strange to not have anyone else to look after, pack up, clean up after, worry about, etc. I can't remember the last time when the only bag I had to lug around was my purse!

Photos of Tim and I before heading out to dinner both nights.

The day after we got home, I had walked out of the family room to get something, only to return to find Sophie had discovered a new toy....the box that holds all of her toys. She had somehow pulled it over the top of herself, and when I lifted it up to peek in at her, she just smiled and tried to pull it down over her head again. She played with this box for a long time, proud of herself when she would pull it down and surprised when I would lift it back up. It was super cute and shows just how ornery Sophie is!

This is how I found Sophie (left), and this is her reaction when I picked up the box to say, "peek-a-boo" to her (right).

Sophie trying to pull the box back down on herself.

She had so much fun with it (left)! Somehow she got herself turned around, too, and instead of her head, she got her legs in the box (right).

Sophie

Tim also had the fun experience of feeding Sophie her "mush" (rice cereal), which was the first time he has done that with her. She seemed to enjoy it!

Tim feeding Sophie (left) and her thinking, "Do I have something on my face?!?" (right).

Lastly, we all went to a bounce house one day. Abigail and Emma ran around like crazy while Sophie slept a bit and then hung out in the Snugli with me. The girls became more brave the longer we were there at the bounce house, and Emma even went down some really big slides by herself several times. The girls had a lot of fun, and I am sure we will make a return trip some time! We didn't take our camera into the bounce house, but we did get a cute photo of Sophie in her hat later when we got home. Check her out!

Sophie in her cute hat!

Where have we been?

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:12:00 GMT

Sorry again for not keeping the blog up to date! We have been busy as bees: from Tim and I having our first weekend away in three years (yes, I said three years), to Sophie's sleep training and starting solids, to Abigail and Emma starting potty training, I have not had time to update the blog. I will try to get some things posted tomorrow or at least by the end of the week. We also got a new kitchen table, which is super exciting! So check back a bit later for more fun photos and stories of our cozy life!

Organization...a Constant Battle with Kids!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:51:00 GMT

After all of the chaos of Christmas and the mass amount of new toys and things for the girls, we decided we had to come up with a new strategy for organization around here. So, after turning the dining room (which was rarely used) into a playroom, it was time to figure out just how to store all of those toys that were on the floor and in plastic boxes so that the girls could easily get them out to play with and put them away when they were done. So we come up with the idea of these "cube shelves" with bins in them for the girls to keep their toys separated and organized. We filled a whole wall with these shelves, divided up the toys so similar things would be in the same bin, and then used the opened shelves to store other toys. We stuck their bookshelf in the middle of all of this, Tim decorated the top of the shelves with baskets of animals, and ta-da! An organized, easy to use and clean up, fun-to-be-in playroom! The girls LOVE being in there, and they do a great job of helping to clean up before nap time and bedtime each day. We have made the rule that the girls must keep their toys in the playroom unless they are given permission to have them elsewhere in the house, and this has really helped to cut down on clutter in the other rooms. Of course there are days when the playroom looks like it exploded everywhere, but at least it is easy to pick up and put back in order. Also, getting a lot of boxes and toys off of the floor and into the bins and shelves has really opened up the floor space in the playroom, too. The girls are free to be creative and independent in there, and it is a lot of fun to just sit in there with them as they play. And Sophie enjoys watching her sisters move around and be active as she rolls around on the floor in there. Overall, we are very pleased with the result so far! Take a look at the new shelves and bins:

The new wall of shelves and bins in the playroom. The floor space is completely open in front of this wall now, which gives the girls a lot of room to play!

Rice, Rice, Baby!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:24:00 GMT

Sophie is getting to be such a big girl! This past week she had her two bottom teeth pop up, and then a few days ago, she tried rice cereal for the first time. She didn't know what to make of it at first, but I am pretty sure she liked it because when I put the bowl down for a second she started screaming for more! Emma and Abigail were great helpers, too, by feeding her some spoonfuls and talking to her while she ate. It was hard to remember just how much she would probably eat for her first try, but Sophie let me know by opening her mouth over and over for spoonfuls until she finally didn't open it anymore, so she must have been full. She is now eating it both in the morning and at dinner time, and she seems to really like it! I love that she already knows what is coming now when I put her in her seat at the table, and that she keeps opening her mouth for more to eat! I did forget how much comes back out that you have to keep putting back into her mouth, but it is still super cute! See Sophie's big milestone below!

Here comes the very first bite (left)......and her reaction of, "What is this?!?" (right).......

.....and then thinking, "Maybe this is not too bad" (left).....and finally enjoying it as she gets messy (right)!

More Snow Fun!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:13:00 GMT

Another day of snow brought more snow fun! The girls kept asking and asking to go out and play in it as soon as they saw there was more snow, so Daddy took them out with him when he took down Christmas lights outside. This time, Abigail made a snow angel, which is funny because we are not sure where she learned to do that or if she remembered it from last year (which would be pretty amazing!). Emma decided to "paint" the tree with snow, and of course they made snowballs to throw up in the air. They had a great time, but did get a bit chilly this time!

The girls making snowballs to play and trying to make a snowman (left). Emma (middle) and Abigail (right) as my little eskimos! Abigail is pretty happy about her snowball.

Emma painting the tree with snow (left) and then watching as Abigail makes a snow angel (right).

Jumperoo!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:57:00 GMT

Sophie is such a mover and a shaker as a baby that we decided to get her something fun to use all that energy in. She has been using so much of Abigail and Emma's old stuff that we wanted her to have something of her own, so we got her a brand new jumperoo. It is like an activity center that she can sit in and also bounce up and down. The seat rotates all around so she can play with different things, and it has several height adjustments so it can grow with her. At first she just looked at it, not really sure what she was suppose to do in it. But she is starting to build up her "stamina" to play in it for longer periods, and as of today, she just loves to jump and bounce up and down in it. It is like she forgets that she can do that in it, and then when she starts jumping she gets really excited and happy. Super cute! I think that this Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo is going to provide a lot of fun and entertainment for our little energy ball!

Sophie enjoying her new Jumperoo!

Snow Fun!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:34:00 GMT

The girls got to play in a bunch of snow after Christmas was all over. They got all bundled up in their snow suits, complete with coats, hats, and mittens. They had fun just walking in their boots in the snow, making footprints all over the place. They balled up the snow and threw it up in the air. They watched as Tucker tried to eat the snow. They tried to make a little snowman and had a snowball fight with Daddy. And last, they went up into their playset and went down the slide that was covered in snow with Daddy. In other words, they had a blast! Check it out:

Emma, Daddy, and Abigail ready for some snow fun! (left) The girls playing and checking out the snow (middle and right).

The girls throwing snow up into the air (left), and ready to head down the snow covered slide with Daddy (right). Tucker is ready for some slide fun, too!

Weeeeeeeee! Slide Snow Fun!

One Last Christmas Celebration

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:07:00 GMT

Later on Christmas day we all went back over to my sister's house and spent time together there, eating and relaxing as a family. Then, on Saturday, the day after Christmas, we had another gathering of family from Tim's mother's side at his parents' house. The girls enjoyed playing with other kids, eating good food, taking a whack at a pinata, collecting candy and treats, opening and exchanging presents, playing the piano, playing bells and singing carols, and much more. Sophie got to be the baby that represented Baby Jesus when Grandpa Dave told the story of Jesus' birth. And it was just wonderful once again seeing family members and spending time celebrating with them. Overall, Christmas was a BUSY few days of love, laughter, and holiday cheer!

Emma, Sophie, and Abigail (left) ready for the celebration to begin! And Abigail and Emma playing on the piano (right).

Sophie with Gramma Michele (left), representing Baby Jesus with Grandpa Dave (middle), and cuddling with Daddy (right).

Emma (left) and Abigail (right) taking their turns hitting the pinata.

Singing and playing bells (while enjoying lollipops) with Gramma (left). And Sophie playing with Mommy (right).

Later on Christmas Day....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:15:00 GMT

Later on Christmas day we celebrated with Tim's parents. Abigail and Emma were great helpers, handing out presents to everyone. The girls got some wonderfully fun things, including "Baker in Training" hats and aprons, cute clothes, and neat new books. They looked so cute in their new cooking attire! Abigail and Emma did an awesome job taking turns opening their gifts, and we are all so thankful for not only the presents, but the time spent together on Christmas day.

Emma and Abigail handing out gifts (left). Emma opening and showing a gift (middle and right).

Michele and Dave opening a gift with Sophie (left). Sophie looking cute (middle), and Emma holding a wooden Baby Jesus (right).

Abigail and Daddy having fun together while she wears her new apron and hat (left and middle). Abigail and Emma showing off their "Baker in Training" clothes (right).

Naptime! We are exhausted after all of that Christmas fun!

Christmas Morning

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:16:00 GMT

Christmas morning we headed over to my parents' house as is tradition to open presents and have a huge breakfast together with my siblings and their families. We all went there in our jammies, per tradition, and enjoyed a fabulous breakfast that my mom makes for everyone. Once all of our tummies were full, it was time to open presents (which the girls were amazed at how many Santa had brought!). We all found our spots to sit, and we took turns watching each of the kids open a present, going from youngest (Sophie) to oldest (Ethan). The girls got some great new toys including things for their doll house, a little laptop, new books that make sounds, fun new clothes, doctor kits, and so much more! Sophie got some new things to play with, too, including lots of teethers, and a new light up doll and rocking horse from her cousin Ethan. Abigail got a huge My Little Pony from her cousin Aubrey while Austin gave Emma a new Diego doll. The kids played with their new things while the adults opened all of their fun stuff, and after the mass chaos of opening gifts was done, we all sat around and chatted and looked at all of the blessings we had gotten that day from one another. Then we played and relaxed together for a while until it was time to head to our different houses to nap. Christmas morning is so much fun at my parents' house as it brings back memories from my childhood and growing up as we make new memories with our own kids there. It is by far one of my favorite moments of each year.

Sophie asleep in her car seat on the way over to my parents' house (left). All of the kids: Aubrey, Austin, Ethan, Sophie, Emma, and Abigail (right).

Sophie opening a present with Mommy (left), and Emma pointing at presents and opening one (middle and right).

Daddy reading to Abigail and Emma from one of their new books (left). Abigail excited about her My Little Pony (middle). And MawMaw reading to Emma (right).

Sophie asleep on MawMaw after all of the morning festivities (left). And A Family Photo (right)!

Christmas Eve in Fort Wayne & Lima

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:24:00 GMT

Our family has been struck by a nasty flu bug this past weekend and week, so I have not been able to get the Christmas photos up. But now that I am feeling a bit better, and trying to relax by sitting here as the girls nap, I thought I would attempt to upload some more photos. Christmas Eve we all went to Fort Wayne, IN to spend time with one side of Tim's family. The girls got to wear their pretty dresses there, which they thought was neat, and while there they got all kinds of nice presents from great aunts and uncles, as well as great grandparents. Later that afternoon we all headed to Lima to attend a Children's Mass with my family. The girls did a great job, at first, during the church service, but when it was time for the kids to head up to the altar during the homily, things went a little haywire. The girls started walking all around, not really staying in one spot. We ended up chasing them down (the church is circular, so they had a lot of room to roam!), and having to send them out to the car early with Daddy while I stayed with Sophie for the rest of Mass. After that, we had a nice dinner together and got into our Christmas jammies, ready for Santa to come visit Lima that night.

Abigail (left), Emma (middle), and Sophie with Grandpa (right) on Christmas Eve while in Ft. Wayne.

Opening gifts together.

Enjoying a lollipop while opening gifts (left). Sophie with Grandma-Great (middle), and playing with Gramma and a sleigh with reindeer (right).

Our Family (left) and Sophie (right).

Abigail, Sophie, and Emma getting a photo together.

Our Christmas

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:47:00 GMT

We had our family Christmas on Christmas Eve morning since we would be heading out of town for more fun Christmas festivities. The night before our Christmas the girls left Santa cookies and water on the fireplace, we read "The Night Before Christmas," and then it was off to bed. In the morning, tim woke up the girls by ringing bells to make it sound like reindeer. The girls came downstairs and walked in to the see the tree and all of the presents, and their reaction was funny as they just stood there with their eyes and mouths wide open, in a bit of shock. Then we all sat down, I handed out a gift to each girl, and they opened each gift slowly. They got excited about all of their gifts, but of course they loved some more than others. One of the best reactions came with Emma opening the Tinkerbell DVD as she started yelling and screaming with excitement, saying, "Tinkerbell! Tinkerbell! Tinkerbell!" They also loved opening their huge Buzz Lightyear and Woody from the movie, "Toy Story." Another funny thing was that they would open a gift, get excited, and then toss it back into a pile we made of all that they had gotten, ready to open another one. It was a very efficient assembly line, which was good because Santa brought them quite a lot of things! This was also Sophie's first Christmas, which was very exciting. Sophie got all kinds of baby toys, from teethers to ball poppers to noise makers. She basically sat and watched what was going on, just taking it in, as she so often likes to do. Tim and I opened our gifts after the girls got through all of their toys and had started playing with them. We did not let them get everything out already, but they chose a few things to play with, including a bunch of cooking stuff, while we busied ourselves with cleaning up and making muffins for breakfast. Tim and I got some very thoughtful gifts from each other, and overall, the gift giving for everyone was a tremedous success! We had to hurry up and get ready to leave shortly after breakfast as we had to get to Fort Wayne, IN to see other family. On a side note, we left everything laying around where the girls had put it in our family room, and when we returned Sunday after the weekend festivities, they were so excited to see all of their new stuff from Santa again! Our Christmas morning was absolutely wonderful and is a very special memory that I will keep for a long time.

Sophie opening her very first Christmas present and with that present (left and middle). Abigail excited about Buzz Lightyear (right).

Emma excited about Woody and opening another present (left and middle). Abigail showing off her new Tinkerbell doll (right).

Both girls checking out their new art easel (left), and Sophie surrounded by some of her new things (right).

Tim opening a gift from the girls (left), and the girls "cooking" in the kitchen with some of their new things (right).

Florida Highlights

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:52:00 GMT

Highlights and Memories from Our Florida Vacation using Photos from Gramma....

Playing in the Water......Beach Time as a Family.......Taking Walks Together....Exploring .......

......Relaxing......Building in the Sand.....

.......Swimming in the Pool......"Fishing" in the Pool......

.......Playing with Toys......Going out to Eat......Being Together......

......Brothers & Sons.....Uncle & Nieces.....Gramma & Granddaughter.....

......Alligators......

......An Airboat Ride.....Seeing New Things......

.......Touching and Holding An Alligator.....

.......Loving Our Time on the Beach......Tracing Mommy......

......Sand, Sand, and More Sand.....

......Living in the Moment....Sophie Experiencing Sand.....

......Smiles and Giggles......Sophie's First Time in the Pool......

......Family Pool Time......Playing Bananagrams......

......Fishing.......Creating.......

......Making "Sandmen".......Being on a Boat.....Driving a Boat......

........Dolphin Friends......

......Singing into a Shell.....and of course, Cuddling.....

What a GREAT vacation!

Florida! Day 7

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:50:00 GMT

Day 7 brought us boat, beach, and dolphin fun! We rented a boat for the day, so in the morning we got things packed up so we were ready to head out pretty early. On the boat, the girls looked around at all of the stuff as we went by, including nests of birds that were perched on poles in the water. Sophie took a nice little nap on her boat ride as I held her in her Snugli. We took the boat to a little beach that is really only accessible by boat. Once there, the girls "fished" with Daddy and Grandpa, pretending to catch fish while Tim and Dave actually did catch some. The girls enjoyed seeing the real fish, but they didn't really want to touch them. Abigail and Emma also enjoyed playing in the "muck" that was in the water. This beach had very different sand with some of it being very soft and smooth. Abigail and Emma helped me make "sandmen" for a while by using different things they found on the beach as the mouth, eyes, etc. Then we explored the other part of the beach, collecting some neat shells. While on the beach, we did spot a dolphin several times, but it was not close enough for the girls to really see it. Then on the boat ride back to the marina, we spotted two dolphins so we drove over to them. This is when one of my favorite parts of the trip happened. When we got up the the dolphins with our boat, they didn't swim away, but instead came up right to our boat and began playing with us. That's right...they swam up to our boat and then played with us by swimming around us, tossing things back and forth between the two of them, jumping out of the water around our boat, and more! It was AWESOME! The girls got to see them upclose and watch as they jumped, played, and swam around us. Literally we could reach out and touch them! This lasted for quite a while, too, and we got lots of photos and a video of them playing. (I will try to see if we can upload the video later, but I did put up some photos. It was actually hard to get really good ones as they were SO close to the boat!) One thing that was funny about all of this was that the girls had been calling to dolphins using a sound they heard while watching Diego. And every time they made the "dolphin call," a dolphin would show up or come up to the boat! It was amazing! Definitely not an experience you get everyday! I absolutely love dolphins, so it was so special for me to share that experience with my girls and family! It was AMAZING! Some other fun highlights from the day on the boat included the girls singing their ABC's over and over again into a shell that was shaped like a microphone, Abigail and Emma making Sophie smile and giggle as they sang to her, and the girls getting a chance to "drive" the boat with Grandpa. It was a wonderful final day in sunny Florida for us!

Sophie asleep on Mommy on the boat (left). The girls fishing with Daddy and Grandpa (middle) and playing in the "muck" (right).

Tim with his traditional first fish caught pose (left) and showing the fish to the girls (right).

Our "Sandmen" Creations (left), and the girls watching the water out the back of the boat as we go along the beach (right).

Photos of the dolphins!

More photos of the dolphins!

The two dolphins playing together (isn't that cool?!?).

Our Two Dolphin Friends!

Sophie laughing and looking so cute (left)! And Abigail and Emma singing to Sophie while Gramma holds her (right).

Florida! Day 6

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:52:00 GMT

Day 6 brought quite the adventure for us! We decided the girls were big enough to go on an airboat ride through the Everglades. Gramma and Grandpa had done it the previous year, so they knew what was involved and thought the girls would like it. So we headed out on our adventure! Gramma stayed behind at the airboat place with Sophie while Tim, myself, and Grandpa took Abigail and Emma on the airboat. It was awesome, to say the least! We got to see alligators super close up as they would come right up to our boat. It was so cool watching them swim in the water and come over to see us! There were also a lot of really neat birds to see, and at times we went really fast, so it was like a roller coaster ride for the girls. They really liked it and pretended to see everything by using Grandpa’s binoculars. It was super loud on the boat, and the girls wore sunglasses to help with the wind in their eyes. What was funny was that the guide used marshmellows to get the alligators to come over to our boat, so from then on out the girls thought (and still do think) that alligators eat marshmellows. When we got back, we went into the little "cabin" where they had a smaller alligator that the girls got to touch, and Tim and I got to actually hold. The girls also got their own toy alligator souvenirs, which they played with for the rest of the trip and play with now at home. After a nap and lunch back at the house, we headed to the beach again. We had a lot of sand time while there, building all kinds of things, including an alligator. The girls "traced" around both me and Tim, and around Sophie's feet in the sand. Sophie got to play in the sand a bit, which she liked at first but not for very long. We stayed and played for a long time on the beach since it would be our last day on that beach for this vacation. Our girls sure do love the beach! After we got back to the house, we all enjoyed some pool time, including Sophie. This being her first time ever in a pool, it was interesting to see how she would respond. She really just looked around and watched the water, enjoying all the sensations that were new for her. It must have worn her out, though, as she slept very well that night! Overall, a very adventurous and fun filled day!

An alligator upclose (left) and a bird we saw while on the airboat (right).

More photos of the alligators (coming right for us!).

Abigail (blue life jacket) and Emma (pink life jacket) touching an alligator.

Tim (left) and Geri (right) holding the alligator.

More photos of the alligators we got to see! Aren't they neat?!?

Emma playing with her toy alligator in the water and sand (left), and Abigail on the beach (right).

Emma playing in the sand (left), and Abigail busy building something in the sand (right).

Sophie at the beach (left), and our sand alligator creation (right).

Florida! Day 5

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:41:00 GMT

On Day 5, Uncle Dan and Sally had to leave to return home, so Tim and I took the girls on a long walk down to a really big bridge while they were on their way to the airport. On the way to the bridge we explored different plants and saw lots of Christmas decorations. Underneath the bridge, we could walk down to the water and stand right by it. The girls enjoyed throwing small rocks into the water, and what was funny was that the birds all started to circle us as they thought we were throwing in food. While there we were able to see a dolphin swimming around out in the water and under the bridge. Sophie just relaxed in the Snugli and enjoyed looking around the whole time, just taking it all in. We walked back to the house on the other side of the road so there was more new stuff to see with the girls. The girls pretended to “fish” with Gramma and Grandpa when we got back to the house, and later enjoyed some snuggle time with them.

Abigail checking things out on our walk (left). The girls throwing in rocks and being circled by birds that think it is food (middle). Emma looking so cool (right).

Emma and Abigail playing with the bridge in the background (left and middle). Sophie taking it all in (right).

The girls exploring the area by the bridge and trying to throw in a coconut (left). Snuggle time with Gramma and Grandpa (right).

Florida! Days 3 & 4

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:01:00 GMT

Days 3 & 4 in Florida consisted of more fun pool time and beach time. What was great about pool time was that the girls really got to swim a lot since Gramma and Grandpa had gotten them these life jackets that helped them stay afloat without one of us having to hold on to them. Don’t worry, though, as we all stayed close by them. But the girls got to play and venture around the pool easily in the life jackets and really loved being in the water. In fact, I think the girls would have stayed in the pool all day if allowed! On the fourth day we decided to head to a different beach called Tigertail Beach. It turned out to be a really windy day, so Tim decided to fly his kite there with the girls. Emma helped him by holding the bottom of it. Then Uncle Dan and Daddy decided to build some sand “creatures” and have the girls help them by putting shells on the creations. So the girls went to work, diligently finding shells and concentrating on putting them in just the right spot. Meanwhile, Sophie slept on me while I watched them work. We did not stay on the beach too long as it was so windy, and it looked like it might rain. At this beach there is also a playground for kids, so the girls got to play on that for a while, too. Once we got back home, of course they wanted to get into the pool. This time, while in the pool, they all spotted a little lizard on the patio wall screen. So Tim caught it and let the girls touch it and check it out up close. They thought this was pretty neat, except for the part when it jumped on top of Emma’s head! Later that night was all got dolled up for our traditional family dinner out. The girls got into their pretty dresses, and we got lots of fun photos on the dock at the house before heading to the restaurant. The food was super yummy! Overall, another fun few days in sunny Florida!

Day 3: Abigail (left) and Emma (middle) in the pool while Sophie and Gramma catch a nap (right).

Day 4: Abigail runs down to the beach (left) and plays with Grandpa in the sand (middle). Emma helps Daddy with the kite (right).

Abigail looking for shells (left), carefully putting them on the sand creature (middle), and working with Uncle Dan on the sand creature (right).

Emma looking around the beach (left), helping Daddy to shovel sand (middle), and picking out shells for the sand creatures (right).

Abigail and Emma working together on the sand creature.

Sophie drinking a bottle and napping on Mommy (left) while Emma looks arounds the beach (middle). Back at the house the girls swim together in the pool (right, Emma in red floaties and Abigail in yellow).

The girls spot the lizard next to the pool on the patio wall screen (left). Abigail looking at the lizard (right).

Emma looking at the lizard (left). Abigail and Emma checking it out while Tim holds it (right).

The girls looking at the lizard upclose (left). Meanwhile Sophie playing (middle) and taking a nap with Uncle Dan (right).

Photo Time! Dan and Sally (left), Dan and Sophie (middle), and Tim and Geri (right).

Emma, Sophie, and Abigail with Gramma and Grandpa (left), Our Family (middle), and Our Whole Family (right).

A New Year

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:03:00 GMT

We have been extremely busy with the holidays so I have not had a chance to update the blog. I hope to get the Florida stuff done soon and then post some holiday photos. We don't have much coming up in the next month, so I should be able to catch up. Anyways, to all out there, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that you have a Happy New Year! This new year promises to bring lots of firsts for little Sophie, lots of fun for Abigail and Emma, and lots of memories for all of us. I am looking forward to it! Welcome 2010!

Florida! Day 2

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:33:00 GMT

Day 2 in Florida included a nice walk, "fishing," and more beach time. In the morning, we decided to take the girls on a walk around the neighborhood and out to a small bridge that went over some water. Gramma and Grandpa had gotten them these plastic Dora fishing poles that have a pink plastic fish at the end of the line. So the girls cast it out by letting the line out while holding a button, and then they reel it back in by turning the handle, just like with a real fishing pole. Abigail and Emma had been using the fising poles to "fish" on the patio, but we thought it would be fun to actually use them off the bridge so that the fish would come out of the water for them. So we took off on a walk, exploring the plants and scenery, until we got to the bridge. There, Gramma and Grandpa helped Abigail and Emma cast out into the water below and reel in their fish. The girls thought this was cool and really enjoyed seeing their fish come out of the water. Sophie enjoyed the walk in her Snugli on Daddy. She looked around the whole time, falling asleep in it at the end of the walk until she needed some "Mommy time." Too cute! Later we all went to the beach again. There, Sophie fell asleep in this play thing we had brought with us. I am sure the warm weather and sound of the waves helped her to doze off. Meanwhile, Abigail and Emma again had a blast playing in the sand, waves, and shells. One of my favorite moments from the trip happened that day at the beach. When we first got to the beach, the waves were a bit higher than they had been on the previous day. After getting their shoes and things off, Abigail and Emma headed towards the water. I continued to organize the things we had brought with us, only to look up and see them talking to each other. Then they held each other's hand and decided to brave the waves together. It was ADORABLE. I mean, you could just see that they were talking it over, decided they could go out into that scary water, but do it together, holding hands. And they didn't even realize we were watching them. ADORABLE is all I can say about it. Luckily since I was by our stuff I had the camera within reach so was able to snap a few photos of the moment. Another fun experience for the girls that day was when Tim took both girls out into the water and waves with him. They enjoyed it, though they held on tight to him! Emma enjoyed the sand a lot that day, making all kinds of creations and pretending to mix "soup" and make "food" and all kinds of things. Abigail was pretty funny with the water as she often ran out to it and then would put out her hands and arms as if trying to tell it to "Stop!" She can be so dramatic at times! Sophie did not sleep the whole time, but woke up and "talked" to her toys and enjoyed a bottle. Overall, it was a really fun day again, and the girls were super tired when bed time rolled around! I belive this might have been the night when Emma fell out of her bed (they are used to bedrails at home, and we didn't have any there). What was funny about it was that she wasn't concerned that she fell, but just that she was having trouble climbing back up into bed to go back to sleep! This would not be the last time one of them fell out of bed during the night. Once Abigail fell out and didn't even cry, but when I went to check on her, I found her trying to curl up on the floor so that she could go back to sleep. It was so cute! Check out some photos from our adventures on our second day in Florida.

Emma (yellow stripes) and Abigail (red stripes) trying to "fish" in a puddle and looking at a plant on our walk. Sophie on our walk (right).

Abigail "fishing" off of the bridge with Grandpa Dave.

Emma "fishing" off of the bridge with Gramma Michele.

Sophie getting tired on the walk home (left). Sophie asleep at the beach (middle and right).

One of my favorite photos! Abigail and Emma braving the beach and waves together. SO ADORABLE!

Abigail checking out the water (left) and heading out into it with Daddy (middle). Abigail and Daddy getting hit by a wave (right).

Emma checking out the water (left) and heaidng out into it with Daddy (middle). Daddy and Emma waving at us (right).

Abigail telling the water to "Stop!" (left). Emma creating things in the sand (right).

Sophie talking to her toys and playing at the beach (left). Abigail and Emma helping Grandpa Dave with a dump truck full of sand (right).

Florida! Day 1

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:57:00 GMT

Since we have around 800 photos from our Floriday trip (I know, we were a bit snap happy with the camera, but could you blame us when our kids are so cute?!?), I have decided it would be best to blog about each day individually so I could sort photos that way. Our first day was quite the adventure. First we had to get all of our stuff and everyone to the airport. Tim dropped me and Sophie, along with all of our bags, off while he and Abigail and Emma took the car to park for the week we would be gone. The girls thought this was so cool because they got to ride a bus back to meet up with me. Check in and security stuff went rather smoothly considering all that has to come off (even Sophie's little shoes!) and be taken out of our bag (all of the electronics from camera to laptop to dvd player). It is so nice that our airport has a "family line" where we can take a bit longer and not feel so rushed. The flight itself went okay. We managed to get three seats together so I sat in between Abigail and Emma while Tim sat with Sophie across the aisle from us. The girls watched a bit of a movie, colored in their coloring books and notebooks, and stayed entertained for most of the two and a half hours we were up in the air. When we left our hometown, it was not that cold outside, but when we landed in Florida, it was hot! We met up with Gramma, Grandpa, and Uncle Dan at the aiport, loaded up the car, and headed to Marco Island. Once there, after unpacking and getting things organized a bit, we headed to the beach to play in the water and sand, as well as see the sunset. The girls had an absolutely FANTASTIC time! I was interested in seeing how they would respond to the beach this year. Last year they liked it a lot, and this year they seemed to just love-love-LOVE it! They were not afraid of the waves at all, running right out and into them and then running back up on the beach when they got wet. They played in the sand, threw shells into the water, carried water in buckets, and basically were the cutest little kids in the world! Seriously, moments like that just melt my heart when I see them experiencing life and loving it. After the sunset, we went back and tried out the heated pool, had some dinner, and called it a night. The girls were all exhausted from their travels and beachtime, and the next day was sure to bring more sunny Florida fun!

Emma and Abigail watching as our plane pulls in to load/unload (left). Sophie on her first plane ride (right)!

Abigail playing in the sand.

Abigail playing in the sand and waves.

Grandpa Dave with Sophie (left), and helping Abigail (middle) and Emma (right) jump over the waves.

Emma playing in the sand.

Emma playing in the sand and water, and both girls checking out the water (right).

Sophie with Mommy and Daddy.

Sophie's first time in the water as Abigail looks on (left), both girls enjoying the beach (middle), and Emma waving as Abigail throws a shell in the waves (right).

Seeing Santa!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:51:00 GMT

I am going to try to catch up the blog by starting with the most recent things and working backwards until I am caught up. This holiday season is keeping me busy, for sure! Anyways, this past Saturday, the 12th of December, the girls went over to the YMCA to see Santa. This year is so different from last year in that they have been watching Christmas movies and asking questions and trying to understand Santa, Baby Jesus, and everything that is wrapped up in this season. When they saw Santa, they stood there in amazement, just observing and taking him in. Then, when it was our turn to talk to him, Emma went right up to sit next to him, and continued to sit there the whole time with the BIGGEST, cheesiest grin on her face as she looked at him. It was so adorable! Abigail, surprisingly, became shy and didn't want to sit by Santa unless she sat on my lap. So I held Sophie and Abigail while the girls told him their names (including Abigail telling him Sophie's name), and that they both wanted "lots of toys" for Christmas. Santa told them he liked their hats, so Emma told him there was a "flower" on it and was super proud of it. Too cute! After they talked to him, we got a photo together, and then it was off to eat a little bit of a pancake breakfast they were having there at the YMCA. Overall, the girls did a great job with Santa and are super excited for Christmas.

Santa talking to Abigail and Sophie (left) and to Emma (right).

Abigail, Mommy, Sophie, Santa, and Emma

Sophie is amazed at meeting Santa for the first time!

On a side note, check out my three little monkeys all in the same jammies this morning...

Abigail, Sophie, and Emma

Where have we been?!?

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:44:00 GMT

I am WAY behind on this blog! I have not been able to catch up since before Thanksgiving! We have just been too busy around here! First, we went out of town for Thanksgiving. Then, when we got back, I had two days to pack for all of us for a vacation to sunny Florida. We then left for a week, returning late Wednesday night. So, I have a ton to catch up on here, but have no time as now I have to get some holiday shopping and errands done! Hopefully I will be able to post some photos from our Thanksgiving holiday and from our trip soon. Stay tuned! :-)

Weekend Visitors

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:51:00 GMT

This past weekend the girls got to have fun with their Gramma and Grandpa. They came into town for the weekend, which included a fun walk at the park, playing around our house, reading a lot of books together, and going out to dinner. Abigail and Emma got to show Gramma and Grandpa their "tower" they like to go to at the park where they "fish" with sticks. They also go to show them their playset outside as Gramma and Grandpa had not seen it completed yet. We also got to celebrate Grandpa's birthday (a little late) with presents and cards. Of course Abigail and Emma had to help him open his gifts and help him read his cards, which was super cute. Part of the reason Gramma and Grandpa came into town was to watch the girls for us while we went to the Colts v. Patriots game Sunday night, which was a birthday gift to Tim back in September. I will post photos from that later, but I wanted to say THANKS to them for taking care of our little girls! Overall, we had a nice weekend together!

Emma and Abigail throwing rocks into the water (left). Sophie catches a ride on her Daddy while on our walk (right).

Emma and Abigail walking with Gramma (left), and the girls getting a lift from Gramma and Grandpa on our walk (right).

Emma andAbigail showing Gramma and Grandpa how they "fish" at the tower (left). Sophie playing on her mat (right).

Emma and Abigail helping Grandpa open his birthday gifts and checking them out with him.

Emma and Abigail reading Grandpa's cards with him (left). Sophie taking a little nap on Gramma (middle), and Gramma reading to Emma and Abigail (right).

Smiles!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:36:00 GMT

We absolutely LOVE watching Sopie smile at things around here! She has such a cute smile with her open mouth and dimples! It just melts your heart! Here are some adorable photos of her smiling!

Sophie's "excited" look (left) and her "relaxed and happy" look (right).

And Sophie giving a BIG smile for you! Isn't she just ADORABLE! This is a great photo of her!

A Walk in the Park

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:20:00 GMT

This past weekend was so nice here, weather wise. The girls enjoyed spending time outside and walking in the park on both Saturday and Sunday. The park we go to has a ton of trails that you can walk on, but the one we went on both days was by the water so that the girls could throw in rocks and keep an eye out for ducks. There is a "tower" along the way that the girls enjoyed playing on. It is actually out on the water, so the girls picked up large sticks and pretended to fish with them in the water. On Saturday, Abigail and Emma actually climbed up to the top of the tower with Tim so they could look around. On Sunday, they didn't do that again but they did enjoy just playing in the water with their sticks. Then on the walk back they kept drawing things in the gravel and telling us they were making "letters" or "numbers." It was just a lovely day together at the park: walking, talking, and enjoying nature. Oh, and Sophie is now big enough that she can ride facing forward in our front pack. She LOVES looking around, and I think Tim is enjoying her more now that she is "into" things around her. She was super cute in the front pack, but of course, she decided to "eat" it most of the time she was in it, so there is a lot of drool on it! Guess we will need to throw that one in the wash...good thing we have two of them!

Abigail and Emma playing in the water with their "fishing poles" (left). Sophie enjoying her time in the front pack as she looks around (right).

Abigail (left) and Emma (right)

Looking down on the girls from up on the tower.

Emma and Abigail playing in the water (left), and Sophie looking adorable in her drool soaked front pack (right).

Abigail and Emma walking with Mommy and looking out at the water.

Backpacks, Bottles, and Sleeping Bags

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:22:00 GMT

It is so fun how the little things make life sweeter. For example, earlier this week, Abigail and Emma were trying to pretend they had backpacks on. Since I had gotten them backpacks that were stored away, I got them out for them to use. They were SO excited to fill them up with toys and books, and then put them on as they walked around informing me that they were "ready to go...to school!" They told me that Austin and Ethan (their cousins) go to school, and that to get there, they had to go wait for the school bus. It was so funny watching them walk around the house "looking" for the school bus and where the school would be. Then, Emma got an idea. See, both girls have been obsessed with Diego lately, so Emma announced suddenly that an "animal (was) in trouble!" Since Diego is an animal rescuer, the girls started to pretend they were one, too. And that meant their backpacks became their "rescue packs," just like on Diego. They hilariously ran around, searching for animals to help, and saying, "Activate!" in Spanish (which sounds like act-tee-va-tay), just like Diego. It took me a little bit to figure out what they were saying and doing, but then I was amazed at how they put all that together: Diego = animal rescuer = rescue pack = activate (Spanish). Now they love to run around with their backpacks on, either pretending to go to school or be Diego! Another little thing this past week is that Sophie is trying hard to hold her bottle when she is drinking it. It is so adorable watching her wrap those little hands around it and try to keep them there! It will be so nice when she can do it all by herself! She has also been trying very hard to grab her toys that dangle on her play mat, and she has been pretty successful lately! I love watching her eyes get so bright and big as she works her little fingers to grab something! The wonder and amazement on her face is truly wonderful to watch. A final little thing that made this past week fun would be the sleeping bags the girls played in during movie time one night. I had gotten them down for our upcoming vacation and thought it would be fun for the girls to use them for movie time. Abigail and Emma climbed right into them, snuggled up with their Blankies, and looked super cute! They would "hide" inside of them when they thought a scary part was coming, poking their heads out to check out what was happening in the movie. It made them seem like such big girls to me! Check them out:

Abigail and Emma with their backpacks/rescue packs on.

Sophie trying to hold her bottle as she falls asleep. And Sophie getting her keys on her play mat.

Abigail and Emma watching a movie in their sleeping bags.

Highchair & Boots

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:23:00 GMT

I have had some pretty long blogs lately, so I will make this one pretty short. The other day we got Sophie a highchair to match the other two that we have for Abigail and Emma. It is a space saver one that converts into a booster seat but that starts out being able to be reclined for her to drink a bottle in. It is so nice to have her now "sit" down to dinner with us each night at the table! And it brings back memories of when the girls were that little, which is hard to believe sometimes. The other fun thing I wanted to post involves a pair of boots for Abigail and Emma. Last August, their Uncle Dan got them each a pair of leather boots from Nordstroms to wear. At the time the boots were way too big for the girls, so I tucked them away in their closet until they could wear them. This week I pulled them out, and of course the girls wanted to wear them. So we put them on, and they showed them off to everyone at the YMCA. Abigail and Emma thought they were super cool in them, and well...they were! Plus they loved how the boots sounded in our kitchen as they went "klippity klop" across the floor. Just two little things that have added to the fun around our house: a highchair and boots!

Sophie in her new highchir & enjoying a bottle in it.

Emma & Abigail showing off their boots and then pointing to them. (The boots actually go up to the middle of their calves!)

Halloween & Trick-or-Treat

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:55:00 GMT

Halloween was a really fun and busy day for us around here. Since it was a Saturday, of course the girls had to wear their OSU dresses and cheer for the Bucks. They are so funny in that every time they see the dresses, they yell, "O-H!" or "Go Bucks!" During the day, we did some Halloween crafts, including making a Haunted House out of foam cutouts. The girls did an excellent job with it, and then proceeded to play with it all day, making their animals knock on the door and say, "Trick or Treat!" We ended up putting magnets on the back of the houses and hung them up on the refrigerator. When I told Abigail and Emma later that it was time to put on their costumes, they were SO SO SO excited! We got the girls all dressed up, and then decided it would be a good idea to practice trick or treating at our own house first. So Tim took them out to the driveway, let them run up to the door where they rang the doorbell, and when I opened it they said, "Trick or Treat," which of course came out sounding like, "Bick or Beat!" I gave them each a piece of candy, they said, "Thanks!" and after a few photos, we were ready to go! Our first house this year was going to be their friends' house as we went over to their neighborhood to go around with them. The girls did a good job in their neighborhood, and it was especially funny trying to get a photo of all six kids together. Sophie did an excellent job with her first trick or treat ever...she slept in her Daddy's arms most of the time! Then it was back to our neighborhood where I took Abigail and Emma around while Sophie stayed home to help Tim hand out candy. The girls loved trick or treating and were not shy at all about running up to the houses. In fact, it was hard for me to keep up with them! I was not sure how many houses they would last through this year, but they just kept going and going until I finally told them we had to head back home. Once home, they sat out with Tim for a bit to hand out candy, but then it was on to actually eating some of their candy. They tried a few different candies, I put on a movie for them, and it was a "no tub tub" kind of night! It did take a little bit for the sugar to wear off as the girls ran laps around our family room and couch. Luckily in the morning they had forgotten all about the candy, though Abigail did ask if it was Halloween and if she could wear her costume. I think Abigail and Emma really liked trick or treating and will look forward to doing it again next year. On a side note: when we got home to go around our neighborhood, Emma informed me that she had lost a shoe. I called our friends, and they looked around for it with no luck. So Emma had to go around our neighborhood with mismatched shoes. She was fine with that and still had fun, but then she pouted later that night about it and was upset the next day. So we went and got her another pair from Target, which she proceeded to wear the rest of the day. Then, two days later when Tim moved his car, there was the mysteriously missing shoe, right in the middle of our garage...go figure! Anyone need a black pair of size 8 shoes?!?

Abigail (right) and Emma (middle) showing off their haunted houses they made. Sophie in her "Baby's 1st Boo" shirt (right).

Emma, Sophie, and Abigail before they got their costumes on (left). Sophie looking at me like, "What am I about to wear?!?" (right).

Abigail and Emma practicing Trick or Treat at our house (left and middle). Sophie during the practice run (right).

Sophie sitting with our carved pumpkins.

Mommy, Sophie, Emma, and Abigail ready to head out to trick or treat (left)! The first house, their friends' house, the girls got ready before ringing the doorbell by fixing their witches hats (right).

Sophie at her first trick or treat (left) and then for the rest of them (middle). Abigail and Emma...trick or treating pros (right)!

Fun with Friends! Abigail, Emma, and Sophie with their friends, Lily, Addie, and Kirsten Jacobsen.

A Biggie Day!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:02:00 GMT

Well, I have already menitoned what a big day we had around here yesterday, but let me add a few details. First, on being silly for Halloween....well, Abigail and Emma have been acting super silly in terms of doing things for Halloween. They are constantly building "Halloween Houses" inside, which could be anything from a pile of pillows to a table covered with a blanket. They will take their stuffed animals and other toys over to the "house" and then will say, "Trick or Treat" to each other, pretending to give each other candy. Saying the "Tr" sound is a bit hard for them, so it actually comes out sounding like "Bick or Beat," which is so adorable! Yesterday Abigail decided to take a necklace and pull her hair back with it like it was a headband, put on a pair of play sunglasses upside down, and filled a purse with toys, declaring that it was time for Halloween. She said she was ready for it with her headband and sunglasses, and then proceeded to pretend to put makeup on from a fake baby powder bottle (it is for her doll babies). Emma thought she was hilarious and watched her in amazement. Check out "Miss Thing" below. Second, we decided to carve our pumpkins last night. This is another tradition that Tim and I started together, and I must say that we have had some great carved pumpkins in the last few years. This year was the first year that the girls got to help us while Sophie slept in her swing. (And let me add that Sophie was a champ sleeping in her swing so that we could get this done!) First, the girls helped put out paper bags on the floor. Then we carried in our pumpkins and got out our carving supplies. The girls were SUPER interested in seeing what was inside of the pumpkin and were amazed when I pulled the top off of mine. They tried to help scoop out the insides, but didn't really like the slimy feel, so instead watched intently as Tim and I cleaned out our pumpkins. They kept informing us if there was more goop in the pumpkin to scoop out. Being the good helpers that they are, they stirred up the bucket of "stuff" from the pumpkins and grabbed any stray seeds off of the floor that didn't make into the bucket. Once Tim and I started putting designs on our pumpkins, the girls got undressed and got to use markers to decorate their own pumpkins. You will see in the photos why we took their clothes off with the markers...... Anyways, they colored on their little pumpkins, but also kept close watch over what Tim and I were doing with our pumpkins. They asked lots of questions and watched very closely, putting their faces right up next to our pumpkins. We kept asking them if they were done with their pumpkins, and they would say, "not yet!" Then they would say, "It's perfect!" closely followed by a, "not yet!" When we had all four pumpkins either carved or colored, we took them outside, lit the candles insideof them, and snapped some photos. The girls thought this was so cool, and it was pretty funny to watch them check out the pumpkins while still in only their diapers. After bath and bed time for Abigail and Emma, I finally got around to getting things ready for Sophie's bath. Last night, I decided to give her a bath downstairs, which leads me to my third big thing for yesterday. I had put Sophie down on the ground by her blanket and with a nuk in her mouth. I had told Tim that earlier in the day she had been trying to roll over, curling her body over to one side before falling back onto her back again. Well, right after I put her on the floor on her back, she rolled to her side. I called to Tim to show him what she had been doing all day, but she didn't just stop there on her side...she kept on going all the way over to her belly! She rolled for the first time, and we both got to see it! I am thinking she was going after her nuk because it fell out of her mouth to land beside her shoulder. So when she tried to roll to get it, she just kept going all of the way over to find it! Once she was on her belly, she just kind of looked around, and then rolled back over to her back. I put her nuk in her mouth for her, got up to get her bath, and looked back to find her snuggling with her Blankie. It as ADORABLE, and all of that rolling must have been hard work! We are so proud of our little Roly Poly! She is only eleven weeks old today, so she is quite the ambitious mover and shaker! All-in-all, it was a BIG day for all of us!

Abigail being silly with her headband (a necklace), sunglasses, and purse. Check out that pose on the left!

Taking the top off of my pumpkin to show the girls (left), and them trying to scoop a little out of my pumpkin (right).

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) coloring on their pumpkins.

Abigail (left) and Emma (middle) with their pumpkins. And this is what happens when you have a naked Emma, markers, and my sneakers....(right).

Emma (left) and Abigail (right) checking out the lit pumpkins, looking at the candles inside.

Our Pumpkins! From left to right: Tim's, Abigail's, Emma's, and Geri's

Sophie RIGHT after she rolled, trying to get her nuk.

Sophie looking at me like, "What?!? Did I do something?!?" And me thinking, "You just rolled over!"

Sophie snuggling with her Blankie and nuk after rolling over for the first time.

Technical Difficulties!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:38:00 GMT

Yesterday was a really big day around here for us. Besides the girls being super silly about Halloween, we also carved pumpkins last night, and then Sophie rolled over from her back to her belly for the first time! I have some awesome photos from all of our activities, but for some reason, the website is having some technical difficulties. So stay tuned for a more detailed blog with super cute photos hopefully sometime later today!

Leaves and Duckies

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:48:00 GMT

It has been a family tradition for me for many years to catch a leaf each fall in order to have good luck in the year to come. I remember back to the days of running around in my parents' backyard trying to get one as they fell from the high trees above. And sometimes, I would be out there for quite some time! It always felt like such an accomplishment when you actually did get one, and no, my friends, it is not always easy to do! I actually keep the leaf each year in the house, and we often take photos with our new good luck charm. Once Tim and I started our own family, we decided to keep the tradition alive. So each year we have taken the girls out to catch their annual fall leaf with us. The first year we had to hold them, of course, as we tried to catch their leaf for them. Last year, they did better at catching them as they stuck their arms out, but we still had to hold them. This year they were so funny as they ran around trying to catch them. We did still end up having to help them by holding them, but they were much better at trying to grab a leaf as it fell by them. And this year was Sophie's first year to catch a leaf, which she did as I held her. After we caught our leaves, we each got our photo taken with our leaf, and then the girls wanted to run around and try to catch more. It was super cute. Then we decided it would be a good night to head over to a pond that is near by to feed the ducks that are usually there. We grabbed some old bread and headed on our walk to the pond. Tim had asked the girls if they wanted to wear hats, so he put two old hats of his on them, and boy, did they look silly. They have on bright blue pants, pink and white polka dotted jackets, and mismatched, too big for them hats. What walking fashion disasters! But we didn't care as we were just spending time together as a family. At the pond, we didn't see the ducks anywhere, but there were plenty of fish. The girls love tossing in bread into the pond, but we have to keep reminding them to throw in little pieces of bread. It was a beautiful evening here, and the fall trees, in all their colors, were reflected in the pond. Sophie slept through most of the fish feeding, but played a lot on the floor once we got back home. Overall, it was a great afternoon of fall traditions, family time, and fun! Oh, and Tim had a Diary Queen Halloween themed ice cream cake waiting for us when we got home from Lima...it was super yummy!

Sophie (left) and Geri (right) with their leaves.

Tim (left), Emma (middle), and Abigail (right) with their leaves.

Our family on "Leaf Day!" Tim, Abigail, Emma, Geri, and Sophie

Geri and Sophie at the duck pond (left), and Sophie sound asleep (right).

Emma (green hat) and Abigail (blue hat) discussing the bread and throwing it in for the fish. Don't they look silly!?!? Look how beautiful the pond is, though!

Tim and his girls at the duck pond (left), and Tim with the pond's reflection behind him (right).

The DQ ice cream cake that was waiting for us! YUM!

Lima Visit

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:47:00 GMT

This past week I took the three girls with me back to visit our hometown, Lima. It is always a good time as we stay at my sister's house, and the girls get to play with their cousins, their aunt and uncle, their MawMaw and PawPaw, and their Gramma and Grandpa at various times. One night while we were there, Uncle Ryan put together an obstacle course for the kids to try. It included: jumping on a bouncy ball around cones, running through ladder rings, jumping over a mounted board, running up and down a mound of dirt, spinning around on a bat with their heads, and tight walking a hose. The girls thought it was hilarious, espcially as Uncle Ryan helped them "jump" on the bouncy ball! Another highlight would have to be the Halloween flashlights we got all of the kids. They are just little pumpkin flashlights, but the four of them together had a good time running around with them and turning off all of the lights. One night we also played at my parents' house in their big backyard. While I tried to get the girls to play baseball and soccer with the boys, me, and my dad, they were more interested in playing with the wind chimes and picking leaves off of a bush. They had little grocery bags that they decided to fill with the leaves off of the bush, and they were determined to get them all. My sister and I also took on my dad and the boys in football, even scoring on a trick play! Other highlights included: seeing their cousins in their Halloween costumes, playing at Gramma and Grandpa's in their puppet house, and sleeping in the same big girl bed. We had a great visit, though it was a bit tiring as Sophie decided not to sleep a whole lot while there. I guess she just didn't want to miss out on any of the fun, even though it was night time! Thanks, Aunt Mimi, for letting us hang out at your house all week!

Emma (left) and Abigail (middle) bouncing through the obstacle course with the help of Uncle Ryan. Sophie (right) watched with Aunt Mimi.

Sophie (left) looking so adorable! And Abigail, Ethan, Austin, and Emma with their pumpkin flashlights (right).

Emma (left) and Abigail (middle) playing hide-and-seek with the trees. And the girls playing with the wind chimes (right).

Emma and Abigail picking the leaves off of the bush and showing me before putting them in their bags.

Emma (left) and Abigail (right) in their cute jammies, relaxing before bedtime.

Cousins Austin and Ethan dressed in their costumes of a Ninja Turtle and a Ninja.

ZooBoo

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:59:00 GMT

Each year we take the girls to the zoo for what is called ZooBoo. The zoo is decorated all up, they have trick or treating, and there are special animal shows and activities. Of course we also walk around and see the animals, too. In the past, the girls didn't say much about the decorations or the candy, but this year, being older, they really liked looking at all of the things that were up at the zoo. They didn't find any of it scary, but instead thought it was silly to see spiders and skeletons and witches and so on. As for the candy, as soon as they got that first treat, they wanted to sit down and eat it. They caught on fast to the fact that there were more "stations" to head to in order to get more candy. And they definitely wanted to eat everything they kept getting in their bags! They tried all kinds of candy that they had never had before, and when we told them that was enough for now, they didn't want to let go of their bags. They wanted to carry them around with them to make sure their candy was "safe," so to speak. They did enjoy some playground time in their costumes, too, which was fun to watch them running around in their dresses. And they loved running through a straw maze that was set up. Overall, we had a great time, and Sophie was even awake most of the time, enjoying her first ZooBoo!

The girls checking out some of the decorations with MawMaw (left). Each year we take a photo on this huge rock, and this is Emma's photo this year (right).

Abigail on the rock (left), and Sophie on the rock (right).

All of the girls with their Daddy at ZooBoo (left). And Sophie looking at her Mommy and trying to "talk" to her (right).

Emma and Abigail taking a break to get some candy out of their bags.

Our Family at ZooBoo: Abigail, Geri, Tim, Sophie, and Emma

Costumes

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:17:00 GMT

We have been out of town for about a week, so it is time to play catch up on the blog. This year, I was not sure what to dress the girls up as for Halloween. Sophie's costume was easy as she was just going to wear one of the girls' costumes from their first Halloween where they were caterpillars. I felt a little bad that she was getting a hand-me-down costume but that costume is just so adorable that I had to use it again. As for Abigail and Emma, I kept asking them what they wanted to be for Halloween this year. They even looked through a few magazines I had gotten at costumes and would point out things, but never the same thing over and over. Tim thought it would be cute for them to be dinosaurs this year as they are really into that right now. After looking around online, I thought it would just be easier to take them to a store and let them pick something out. The first attempt, at a Halloween store, did not work as they could not make up their minds (go figure for a two year old!). But the second attempt, at a Toys R Us store, worked out after several negotiations with the girls. On the way to the store, Emma decided that she wanted to be a lion, while Abigail decided she wanted to be a leopard. I had to tell them that those costumes might not be at the store, so they had to look around at others, too. They didn't really like that idea, but they didn't fuss too much about it. When we got to the store, they looked through all of the costumes, and they got super excited seeing all of the different options. But each time we would hold one up and ask if they wanted to be that for Halloween, they would say no and move on. We did find some dinosaur costumes, but none in their size, so that idea was out. I had seen a witches dress that I liked, but didn't see it in their size, so didn't show the girls. Well, Abigail found the witches dress on her own and proclaimed that she wanted to be that for Halloween. As I tried to explain that their size was not available, she started to cry because she apparently had finally made up her mind. Tim and I tried to get her and Emma to look at a pirate costume we found in their size, but they were not having anything to do with that. Then Tim found one of the dresses in their size in a completely different location of the store, so now we were stuck because Emma had also decided that she liked that dress for her costume. Therefore, we had finally found a costume they liked, but only one of them in their size. I asked the clerk to see if they could call another store to find their size, and we lucked out. So we drove to another store and picked up the costume, and it was decided...they were going to be witches for Halloween! I completed the outfit with some black tights and black shoes, and the girls decided it would be cool to wear black gloves (even though the gloves are way too big for them). Check out their costumes below!

Abigail and Emma, our Little Witches this Year (you've got to love how "proper" Abigail is sitting in her dress!). And Sophie, our Little Caterpillar (right).

Abigail and Emma holding Sophie (left), and Sophie as a Caterpillar (right).

Emma, Sophie, and Abigail

Happy...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:43:00 GMT

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM OUR ADORABLE PUMPKINS!

Abigail, Sophie, and Emma

Our Silly Pumpkins, Abigail and Emma

Our Littlest Pumpkin, Sophie

Sophie's Room

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:12:00 GMT

Tim and I had gotten most of Sophie's nursery done while I was pregnant, from taking down all of the old furniture and stuff in there to painting and redecorating it. We had gotten her bedding and used it as a template for colors in the room, using a cream, dark brown, and light and dark pinks. I had gotten wooden frames and painted them to match the pinks, as well as painting the letters in Sophie's name. We had all of the nursery furniture moved into the room from Abigail and Emma's room, and when we got them their big girl beds, we moved the two cribs into the nursery as well. Abigail and Emma slept in Sophie's room in the two cribs for quite a while, as there was no need to rush them into their big girl beds until they were ready to do so. When they both decided they wanted to move to their new big girl beds, we still kept the two cribs up as a "just in case" measure, even though we said we would not go back to cribs. Abigail and Emma have done awesome in their new beds, which they moved into in early September. I think it had a lot to do with waiting until they were ready to move instead of forcing it on them. Now that they are settled into their new room (which is actually their old nursery that is now all grown up with big girl beds and their dresser), we decided it was time to take down one of the cribs and officially make it Sophie's room. So on Sunday, we let the girls bounce and play in their old cribs for one last time, and then proceeded to take down one of the cribs (Emma's), rearrange the other crib, put on Sophie's bedding, and finish putting up her wall decorations, including her name. Even though Abigail has been sleeping just fine in her big bed, she did have a hard time with us moving her old crib and making it Sophie's. She cried for about a half an hour, saying it was hers and wanting to move it back, but finally she understood that she now has a big girl bed and this crib has to be for Sophie. Once we put on the new bedding, it seemed to sink in a bit more for her, and when we finally put Sophie in the crib, Abigail was just fine. I have to say, I just love Sophie's room. First off, the room's colors are so nice and "girlie" for her. And because it is just for one baby, it seems huge, compared to when we had to squeeze in two cribs. It is just a really nice, cozy feeling place to be. Sophie seemed to like her crib, too, as she "talked" and looked at the images on the bumper (I know they recommend not putting in a bumper, but I tie it up high so that she cannot roll into it later on but can still see it). And a milestone happened for us that day, too, in that Sophie fell asleep (on her own!) in the crib and took a nap in it for the first time! Anyways, it is nice to finally have the room done since I have been waiting to finish it for a long time, and I have been picturing it for an even longer time! Now the next step will be to move her into her crib overnight, which will probably not be for a little while yet. But we can definitely start trying out naptime in there! Check out her new room:

Abigail and Emma saying good-bye to their cribs (left), and Sophie's first time in her crib (right).

Sophie in her crib!

Two different views of her nursery.

Sophie's first nap in her crib!

Pumpkin Patch!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:24:00 GMT

Saturday was a beautiful day here in terms of weather. With it being a perfect fall day, we decided it was time to head to a pumpkin patch. We have started trying to make this a family tradition each year as we went last year as well, and we were looking forward to doing it again this year. The pumpkin patch that we went to was on a farm, and there were a ton of things for the kids to do. First the girls went to a barn to see a donkey (Abigail actually petted it), some goats, some piggies, a huge turkey (which the girls were not too sure about), some baby chickens with their mommy (which the girls LOVED), a bunny, and a baby cow. After seeing the animals, we walked through an old barn, watched people shoot out pumpkins into a pond, and then headed to a straw maze. The girls had a blast running around the maze and jumping over the straw. They also were silly and put their faces through huge painted cut outs that were all around, including a scarecrow and some pumpkins. Then it was on to the straw mountain, which was a huge pyramid made out of different layers of straw piles. Our little climbing monkeys loved the straw mountain, of course! There were other things to do, like an inflatable haunted house, a small train ride, and "jumping/bouncing" blow-up areas, but we decided to head to the main attraction...the pumpkin patch. We could have taken a hayride back to the patch, but we decided it would be more fun to walk. So off we hiked, and soon enough we were among hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins! As we began searching for our perfect pumpkins, Abigail and Emma were too cute, saying things like, "Hmmm..." and "Look at this one!" and "That is a big one!" Emma had watched me as I pushed a few over with my foot to have a look at all sides of the pumpkin, and from there on out, she kept lightly kicking each pumpkin she came to before commenting on it. Abigail kept wanting to head in different directions as she kept seeing more and more pumpkins and wanted to explore all of the paths. Sophie enjoyed the day in the Snugli with me, sleeping some of the time and drinking her bottle the other part of the time. Tim and I found our two pumpkins that we thought would be great for carving later, and since the girls were going to pick their own smaller pumpkins at the nursery, we then just walked around the patch together. Abigail and Emma tried to pick up pumpkins, sat on them, and examined them. At times we would come across a pumpkin still on its vine, and I would show the girls, trying to explain to them how pumpkins grow. As the hayrides would go by, pulled by a tractor, Abigail and Emma would wave at the driver and the passengers, and a lot of the time, they waved back at them, which they thought was neat. After paying for our two big pumpkins, we headed to the nursery so the girls could each pick out a little one of their very own. Abigail surveyed the selection and chose one pretty quickly. Emma just could not decide on one as she didn't know if she wanted a "big little one" or a "little little one," so it took her a while to find the perfect one that she wanted. On our way to the nursery, we had passed by pony rides, so after depositing our pumpkins in the car, we headed back for a pony ride. The girls did excellent on the ponies, this being their fifth or sixth time on one from being at various events (Thomas outing, State Fair, etc.). Tim and I didn't even walk with them as they rode the ponies, and they did great without any problems. After that, the girls were pretty worn out from all of the playing and walking, so we decided to head home for the day. When we got home, Abigail and Emma put their little pumpkins up on the front porch by our big pumpkins. The girls had a great time at the pumpkin patch as they kept talking about what they did and saw later that night. It was definitely a fun family day together, and here are lots of photos to help remember it.

Sophie in her Snugli (left). The girls looking at and petting (Abigail) a donkey (middle). The girls checking out the baby chickens with the giant turkey (right).

Watching the pumpkins shooting into the lake (left), and Abigail as a pumpkin (right).

Emma as a pumpkin...what a cutie!

The girls running around the straw maze.

Abigail at the top of the straw pyramid mountain (left). Abigail, Emma, Sophie, and Mommy exploring the pumpkin patch (middle ones). Mommy showing the girls a pumpkin on a vine (right).

Abigail with a pumpkin -- so adorable (left)! Both girls checking out the many pumpkins (middle and right).

More pumpkin fun! The girls exploring (left), trying to pick one up together (middle), and sitting on them (right).

Sophie, cute as can be (left)! Emma, Mommy, Sophie, and Abigail with our two perfect pumpkins (middle). Emma searching and searching for her perfect little pumpkin (middle). And Abigail with her chosen little pumpkin (right).

Abigail being silly as she waits for Emma to pick her pumpkin (left). Emma with her chosen pumpkin, finally (middle). And taking a water break because pumpkin picking is hard work (right)!

A Little Preview...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:25:00 GMT

We had a BIG weekend, full of adventures and errands. Saturday was a fun day as we all went to a pumpkin patch, and then on Sunday, we finished up Sophie's room (only one crib now!). So stay tuned for exciting blogs and photos from our weekend to come sometime this week (when I get a chance to go through the mass amount of photos we took!). Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

Cookies Cutters and Cookies

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:00:00 GMT

This past week I had given a friend a wedding gift from the girls of 101 cookie cutters. I have given this before as a gift, and it always seems to be a hit. This time, the girls did not want to let her take it home, though, as they wanted desperately to play with the cookie cutters themselves. So I figured it was time to head out and get them their very own box of cookie cutters. The girls were thrilled to get it, carrying it around the store until we had to pay for it. Then when we got home it was, "cookies...cookies....cookies" like a broken record, until I told them we would make them the next day. So on Thursday, with it being rainy out, I figured it was a good time to try it with them. And of course the girls had asked to make cookies since they had woken up -- they had not forgotten over night. So, following the cookie recipe on the side of the box, we mixed together all of the ingredients (of course, it was not exactly the right amount of flour or vanila since the girls helped with that). I rolled out the dough, and the girls each picked five cookie shapes from the 101 that came in the box. I proceeded to show them how to push them into the dough and take the shape out, and that is where the meltdowns began. Yup, meltdowns. Seems Emma did not want the shapes to be taken out of the dough...she just wanted to cut them and then ball up the dough, playing with it instead of making the cookies. She did not want to understand that the cookie shapes had to be cooked on the cookie sheet in order for us to have actual cookies. She also wondered where the cookies were that were shown on the box, as she thought those cookies came in the box. As for Abigail, she was okay with cutting the shapes out, but she wanted to do everything herself (Miss Independent that she is), so the shapes really didn't make it out of the dough in the shape they were cut out as. I was finally able to get some of the shapes on the cookie sheet to cook, and then both girls decided it was no longer cookie dough, but in fact playdough. And Abigail kept adding more and more and more flour to hers. Needless to say, Emma did not like the actual cookie cutting experience, and I had to use her dough and do most of it myself. The actual highlight for them was washing up the cookie cutters beforehand, and then washing up the dishes afterwards. They love to play in water and bubbles, so they stood at the sink and washed things for me as I finished up the cookies and got them into the oven. I guess they are still a bit too young to understand the whole cookie cutters = cookies idea, but it was a fun experiment, complete with meltdowns and even a few smiles. Later, after I put some icing and sprinkles on the cookies, the girls enjoyed eating them, which may have just been the best part for them! And Tim has been indulging in them as well, so they must not have turned out too badly!

Ready to attempt the cookie cutters (left)! And Emma pointing out the ball of dough that Abigail has made (right).

Both girls playing with the dough (left). Some of the shapes we actually got cut out: bells, pumpkins, dinosaurs, rabbit,s Christmas trees, bears, hearts, dog bones, and a house (middle and right).

The girls washing the dishes afterwards and enjoying it!

A Wonderful Weekend

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:31:00 GMT

We had an awesome time being back home in Lima this past weekend! It was Sophie's first car trip to Lima, and she did great! She slept mostly the whole way there on Friday and the whole way home on Sunday. While there, we all did A LOT! On Friday, we hung out and played with family. Abigail and Emma had a blast running around and building things with a toy tool set with their cousins. They also had a "dance party" where the kids all jammed out to music together. The girl loved playing the toy guitars that their cousins have! On Saturday, the girls got to spend time with their other Gramma and Grandpa, playing with a ton of toys as well as helping to pick things out in the garden. And Sophie had a milestone by having her first bottle that day! And Daddy got to feed her for the first time! Later we all had dinner together with Tim's parents, played some more at their house, and then headed back to my sister's house to play even more with my family! PLAY PLAY PLAY! And that wasn't even the main events of the weekend. On Sunday, the girls went over to see their Great Grandpa, and he got to meet Sophie for the first time. Then we all celebrated cousin Ethan's seventh birthday with a party at the YMCA. While there, the girls got to run around, swim in a pool for a long time, help break and hit a pinata, got a ton of candy, had cake and ice cream, and basically wore themselves out! They were fearless in the pool, jumping off of the side into the arms of Daddy and PawPaw. And they were so funny in hitting the pinata because they weren't sure how hard to do it, and it was a bit chaotic with everyone cheering and yelling to hit it. They got the idea pretty quickly that they were to pick up the candy and put it in their bags, though, and were quite proud of themselves when they filled their bags to the top. After the party, we all headed to a fall festival at a local church. Abigail and Emma got to go on a hayride through a cemetery, go through a bouncy maze, sit and "drive" a firetruck, ride on ponies, eat hot dogs and cupcakes, and take a minature train ride. The loved the bouncy maze and wanted to run through it a lot of times, and of course the ponies were a highlight for them. Sophie slept in her stroller most of the time, but did wake up to eat. We didn't head home until it was late, and after such a fun filled weekend, the girls were asleep in no time in the car. The trip home was very quiet, except for the occasional snoring!

Abigail and Emma in their OSU outfits for game day (left). The whole OSU crew together: Abigail, Emma, Ethan holding Sophie, and Austin. Go BUCKS!

Visiting Great Grandpa, we got a four generations photo (left) and one of Sophie with Great Grandpa (middle). Daddy feeding Sophie for the first time (right)!

All of the grandkids together: Ethan, Aubrey, Sophie, Abigail, Emma, and Austin (left). Sophie with her Uncle Jeff (right).

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) being silly at the birthday party.

Emma (left) and Abigail (middle) taking their turns at hitting the pinata. Ethan blowing out his candles as Abigail looks on (right).

At the fall festival (Abigail with Grandpa and Emma with Gramma), the girls took a hayride and got in a firetruck.

Emma (left) and Abigail (right) LOVED the boucy maze!

Gramma and Emma (left), and Grandpa with Abigail (middle). The girls with cousin Austin waiting to ride the ponies (right).

Riding Ponies!

Sophie sleeping in her stroller at the festival (left) and hanging out with Mommy after eating (right).

***More photos of the "dance party" and pool time to come later! Stay tuned!***

Who Needs Toys?!?

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:24:00 GMT

One thing I have learned over the years is that a big box is just as much fun as any toy you could get at the store! We had ordered sleeping bags for all of the girls from Amazon, and when they got here, they were in a very large box. So we took out the sleeping bags (which we played in for a long time, of course!), and then used the box as: a house for us, a house for our animals, a hiding spot, a cave, a car (we actually used a Sharpie to draw on wheels and windows), and a coloring "book." The girls played in it for hours, climbing in and out of it. I love when we can do things like this because the girls are so imaginative and creative! Kids are awesome like that...an adult would just see a box while a kid sees new adventures and experiences!

Emma (purple pants) and Abigail (pink pants) playing in the box together (left) and trying to hide from Daddy (right).

"Aren't we adorable?!?"

O-H-I-O!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:18:00 GMT

Warning! The photos you are about to view are so stinkin' adorable that you might find yourself smiling from ear to ear!

We absolutely love college football Saturdays! It means it is time for autumn: crisp air, leaves falling, pumpkins coming out, colors all around, and of course, cheering for our favorite teams! And we are BUCKEYE fans! So our girls cheer for "O-H" and "I-O!" Go Bucks!

Emma and Abigail

Buckeye Cuties! Emma, Abigail, and Sophie (I love the back of this onsie!)

"O-H-I-O!"

Mommy and her Buckeye Girls: Abigail, Sophie, and Emma

Go Colts!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:56:00 GMT

We just LOVE football season around here! And this year the girls are SUPER SUPER SUPER cute in their little cheerleading outfits! Abigail and Emma are too funny in their outfits because they love to wear them and twirl around in their "pretty dress," as they call it. They are great at yelling out, "Go Colts!" Plus they love to say they have on their "horsey shoe." And I think they are good luck for the Colts, too, seeing as they are 3-0! So the girls will just have to keep getting dressed up in their "pretty dress" so we keep going on this winning streak! Check out the Colts Cuties below!

Abigail, Emma (left and middle), and Sophie (right) in their cheerleading outfits...so cute!

Abigail and Emma (left) relaxing outside. And Mommy with her cutie Colts girls (right).

Our Colts Family: Abigail, Mommy, Sophie (not all that happy here!), Emma, and Daddy

My Buckeye Girls

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:37:00 GMT

O-H-I-O! Go Bucks! That's right...we are Ohio State fans in this house! And the other day the girls looked super cute for the game, dressing up in new Ohio State pink shirts and pig tails with ribbons. They have Ohio State cheerleading outfits, but we put them in these shirts for the game as they were going to be helping to rake leaves with Daddy later that day. Even though OSU lost to USC the week before, they looked much better than last year. And this past week they beat Toledo pretty badly, and I think it is because the girls got the hang of saying "O-H" and "I-O!" together, as well as yelling out, "Go Bucks!" In the afternoon, the girls helped Tim rake up the leaves in the front yard. They each have their own little pink rake, which they absolutely love. Once they had a big pile together, they got to jump in the leaves and have a great time. For a while they just sat in the leaves and looked at them, chatting with each other. I remember jumping in our leaf piles when I was a kid, so it is neat to see my own kids enjoying the same thing. I think the girls are really going to enjoy this autumn season! Plus it is nice to have some helpers with getting up all of those leaves!

Emma & Abigail hugging for the camera (left), and then posing in their Ohio State shirts (middle). Sophie in her "My First Buckeys Tee" (right).

Sophie ready for the game (left), and the girls all together (right).

My Ohio State Buckeye Cuties: Abigail, Sophie, and Emma (left). Emma & Abigail sitting in the leaf pile (right)...aren't they adorable?!?

The girls doing a great job raking up the leaves with their pink rakes.

The girls enjoying some sister time as they sit together in the leaf pile. So cute!

More Catching Up

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:11:00 GMT

In an attempt to catch up this month, here is another older blog. This one has to do with Sophie meeting her great grandma, as well as the girls having some fun with the water hose. First, it has been really nice that our kids have gotten a chance to meet so many people that love them. Earlier this month, Sophie got to meet her great grandma, as well as a Haitian friend named David. Of course they thought she was super cute! Sophie slept most of the time, but did open her eyes occasionally to check out what was going on. Later that day, since it was warm out, the girls were allowed to play with the water hose. They are so funny when they are allowed to do this because they take turns holding it and trying to get the other one wet. They usually end up spraying themselves with it while the other one runs around trying to avoid it, often screaming and laughing the whole time. They love playing in the water! They put their toys under the water, often pretending to give the animal toys a drink. They like to fill things with the water, like buckets or any container they find, and then they pour it out to fill it again. And they try to water the plants. It is just super cute to watch! Check out some photos from the visit and water fun!

Sophie with Great Grandma (left), and a group photo (right).

The girls having fun with the water hose by giving their hippos and turtles a drink.

Abigail (left) Emma (right)

This - That - And a Little More....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:07:00 GMT

I am going to try to play a bit of catch up for the month of September in the next few blogs. In this one, I am going to combine several fun activites together. First, on the new playset, we added the "Bronco Rider," and the girls LOVE it! They call it their "horsey" since it is like riding on one and has a horse face on it, and they have already gotten a ton of use out of it. What is nice is that Tim put it so that you can take it down easily and put up the baby swing so we can switch them in and out for when Sophie gets older. Another fun activity around here has been Playdoh. I realized that our Playdoh has been hidden in a box behind a ton of other toys for a long time, and most of it was dried out or was just plain gross. So my mom and I got some new Playdoh for the girls, as well as some Playdoh "toys" for them to use. And now that is all they want to play with when we are in the house. They love to be creative with it and make new things, and especially to combine the colors together. Lastly, Sophie made her first trip to the zoo when my mom was here visiting. It was a nice day, so we all headed there, seeing the giraffes and playing on the playground. Sophie slept some of the time, waking up to eat and look around a bit before going back to sleep. I am sure it is the first visit of many for Sophie! Here are three fun September activities to check out!

On the Bronco Rider: together (left), Abigail (middle), and Emma (right).

Playdoh Fun! Abigail is on the left, and Emma is on the right.

Going into the zoo (left), Sophie waking up in her car seat (middle), and Sophie with Mommy in the Snugli (right).

Big Birthday Fun

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:21:00 GMT

Tim turned THIRTY yesterday, and we all had a great day together celebrating. When he got home from work, the girls helped him open his presents and cards. The girls each got him a gift, which included a Colts football to throw with him, a new long sleeve Colts shirt, and a tie with photos on it of all three girls to wear to work. From me, he was surprised with tickets to the Colts vs New England Patriots game in November. To say the least, he was excited! Then, we all sang to him, which was absolutely ADORABLE hearing the girls sing (they don't sing all that often). And we decided to have cake and ice cream before heading to the park to take a hike together. After that, we ran to Best Buy so Tim could get something more for his new Wii game (he got a tennis game from his parents, and he wanted this motion thing to put on the wii-mote), and then it was to Max and Ermas to pick up our carry-out dinner. After dinner, Tim got to play his new game while the girls read and Sophie slept. Overall, it seems he had a great day, even though he was basically mourning his new age all day long. The girls thew the football with him last night and today, he wore his tie to work today, and he seems to already be addicted to his new Wii game, so overall I think everything was perfect for him. And we still have the game to look forward to!

Abigail and Emma helping Tim open his presents (left), and Abigail showing Tim his new Colts football (right). Notice his cool tie?!?

The girls helping Tim open his new Wii game (left), and Tim with his Colts tickets (right).

Emma and Abigail reading together (left) while Tim plays his new Wii game (middle) and Sophie sleeps in her swing (right).

Happy....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:29:00 GMT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!

WE LOVE YOU!

~EMMA, SOPHIE, & ABIGAIL

New Playset!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:05:00 GMT

An ongoing project around here has been a new playset outside for the girls. We got it shortly after Sophie was born as we found one we really liked while out and about. It has: a swingset, a climbing wall, monkey bars, a bottom play area, a bench and table, a slide, and a fort on the top of it. Tim has been working a lot on assembling it and all of its construction, and finally it is pretty much finished. The girls have been helping, of course, along the way. They helped us unload all the boxes and wood, helped carry things from the garage to the back yard for each step (there were 48 steps!), and would give things to Tim as he needed them, like a screw or piece of wood. It was super cute to see them pretend to work on it as well by hammering on the wood or using a socket wrench to tighten bolts or trying to measure with Daddy's measuring tape. They also spent time coloring on it and decorating it to make it their own while we worked on it. We still have a big swing thing called a Bronco Rider to put on it, and it needs anchored into the ground, but overall, it is ready to go! And the girls LOVE LOVE LOVE it! They climb all over it, slide and slide some more, and have a ball on the swings. They like to be on their bellies and go around in circles on the swings, as you will see in some of the photos. They also like the telescope that came with it, pretending to look all around at things. And the name was all Tim's idea, if you didn't already guess that! Here are a bunch of photos of the various stages of construction of the playset. We didn't take one each day, but you get the idea. Overall, it is a great addition to the backyard and our lives! Oh, and the girls will tell you that Sophie is "too little" to play yet on it, but she does have a baby swing waiting for her when she gets bigger. And the other day, Abigail and Emma just sat at the bench and table while eating a snack, just chatting away with each other. It was SUPER adorable! I have a feeling we are going to be spending a lot of time in the back yard!

After the first day of construction, the framework has been put together.

More construction! The girls enjoyed playing below (see the toys?) as we worked above.

The "fort" is just about done! This is Labor Day weekend so the girls had flags from Gramma.

Abigail and Emma enjoying the window in their new fort.

Peek-A-Boo! Abigail and Emma

The slide is done! Abigail and then Emma sliding down for the first time. Abigail seems to like it (right)!

Abigail (left) and Emma (middle and right) LOVED sliding down the new slide!

With the slide and fort done, the girls enjoyed some fun playtime on it.

After the swings were put up, the girls had a blast going in circles on their bellies.

The completed playset, front and back, with the girls swinging on it.

Abigail and Emma with their new playset. It is much bigger than their last baby one (in the background). I think we are going to spend a lot of time out here!

Go Colts!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:36:00 GMT

There are still some things to catch up here on the blog, but I wanted to post the photos from our "Colts Day" that we had yesterday. All of the girls have the cutest little Colts outfits, including a dress with a turtleneck. But yesterday we went with the Colts jerseys for Abigail and Emma, and a Colts hat for Sophie, as we were heading to the park in the morning to walk. At the park, the girls enjoyed throwing rocks into the water, seeing wildlife, and just spending time outdoors. Sophie slept the whole time in the sling on Mommy. Later, when we got home, the girls posed for some fun Colts photos. Though they didn't really watch the game as it was during naptime, I think their spirit was with the Colts as they won over Jacksonville. Looking forward to next week!

Emma & Abigail at the park: walking together (left), exploring (middle), and throwing rocks into the water (right).

Sophie: asleep on the way to the park (left), looking adorable (middle), and ready for a touchdown (right).

Abigail, Sophie, and Emma -- Our Cute Colts Girls

Photo Session!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:20:00 GMT

In honor of Sophie turning a month old today (already!), I wanted to post photos we recently had taken as a family and of the girls. They are super cute, and we are very pleased with how they turned out. Enjoy!

FAMILY PORTRAITS

SISTERS: Abigail & Emma

Abigail & Emma with Sophie

More of Emma & Abigail with Sophie

SOPHIE

SOPHIE in Daddy's Hand

State Fair Again

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:11:00 GMT

Still playing catch up on the blog, so I will make this short and sweet. We took the girls, all of them, again to the state fair while Tim's brother Dan and his parents were in town visiting. This time around, though, it was not nearly as hot, and we even had a rain shower part of the time we were there. The girls loved going through the little farm pioneer village again where they picked fake vegetables to later "cash in" to get a treat. And of course riding the ponies was a must for them. A new thing for them this time was seeing the huge horses that were there, as well as watching a bit of a horse show where the horses were all dolled up and driving carriages. Sophie was asleep in her stroller car seat most of the time but did get quite hungry by the time we left. I ended up having to almost sprint to the car to feed her as she went from sound asleep to starving in like sixty seconds! Overall, it was a fun day together and another great experience for the girls.

Abigail (left) and Emma (middle) collecting fake vegetables at the Little Farm Pioneer Village. Both of them walking togehter as they look for more "food" (right).

The girls collecting "food" (left), and both of them riding mini tractors with the help of Gramma and Grandpa (middle). Emma and Abigail with a large cow (right).

The girls trying to drive a real tractor. (It was huge compared to them, and no, they didn't really drive it.)

Emma (left) and Abigail (middle) loving the pony ride again. Both girls watching a horse show (right).

Sophie at her first state fair. Doesn't she look cozy?!?

Sophie's First Outing & Park Day

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:19:00 GMT

Sophie had her first outing when she was only six days old. It was nothing spectacular....we all just went to Meijer's & Costco to see if they had any outdoor playsets left. At first Sophie did not like being in her car seat, but she soon relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Sophie slept pretty much the whole time, including when she was in my Moby wrap at Meijer's and in her car seat/stroller at Costco. Sad to say, we did not have much playset luck at either place, but it was fun taking everyone out of the house. Abigail and Emma were super excited to get a playset, so they were a bit bummed and disappointed when we didn't find anything. (But don't feel too bad for them as they eventually got one -- details to come in a later post.) After running into those two stores, we also made the car trip to the airport to pick up Uncle Dan, but we didn't get out of the car. So though it was a bit uneventful, it was still Sophie's first outing with her family.

Emma (left) and Abigail (middle) ready to go look for a playset. Sophie (right) heading out and about for the first time.

Another fun first for Sophie included a visit to a local park that has a playground that Abigail and Emma love. We went when Sophie was a week old, and again she slept most of the time, staying in her car seat/stroller for the majority of the time. Abigail and Emma had a blast, of course, going down the slides and swinging high into the air. Check out our fun park visit below!

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) enjoying the twisty slide.

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) having fun swinging.

Sophie fast asleep while Mommy pushes the girls on the swings in the background (left). And Sophie still asleep later as Daddy takes a turn pushing Abigail and Emma on the swings in the background (right).

Meanwhile....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:22:00 GMT

While Mommy and Sophie were in the hospital, Abigail and Emma got in some fun summer pool time with their cousins. Check it out!

Cousin Ethan being silly (left). Abigail and Emma in the pool (middle). Cousins Ethan and Austin checking out the pool scene through the telescope (right).

Meeting People

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:40:00 GMT

When Sophie was born, she had lots of visitors besides her two big sisters. Everyone was so excited to meet her! Some of the visitors saw her when she was just a few minutes old, while others saw her when she was still in the hospital with Mommy. And we have had a number of visitors come to meet her after she came home. We have not gotten photos of all of her visitors, but here are a few of her family meeting her.

Aunt Mimi (left), MawMaw (middle), and PawPaw (right) with Sophie right after she was born.

Gramma (left) and Grandpa (middle) with Sophie right after she was born. Uncle Dan (right) with her later that week.

Uncle Ryan (left), cousin Ethan (middle), and cousin Austin (right) visiting Sophie in the hospital the day after she was born.

Great Grandma (left) and Great Grandpa (middle) meeting Sophie at home. Tim's side of the family with Sophie, including four generations (right).

Barbies!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:09:00 GMT

So I am going to do my best to back track a little and catch up the blog. I say I am going to TRY because it all depends on when and if I have enough time right now to do this! Anyways, let's flashback to the day before the birth of Sophie. Some of our family members came into town so they could be here for the "big event" the next day. My sister had brought with her some presents for Abigail and Emma, so the girls got to open them up that night. The main gift, included with stickers (which, of course, are always a hit with the girls), was a Barbie doll for each girl. Now, when I was little, I had a lot of Barbies and a whole chest of clothes to go with them. So watching Abigail and Emma get their first Barbie doll was exciting and made me a little nostalgic. It was so fun to see them enjoy something that I enjoyed myself when I was young. Anyways, the girls brushed the dolls hair, had them dancing and being silly, and basically really liked their new dolls. It is funny to think, though, how many more choices of Barbies they have now in stores because when I was little, there was basically one or two variations. Now, there are hundreds! The next day, when they came to see their new little sister at the hospital, they brought their Barbies along with them, which was super cute and sweet. Here are some photos from them getting their first Barbie dolls! (By the way, Barbie looks great for being so old!)

Emma (in yellow stripes) and Abigail (in red stripes) waiting to see what Aunt Mimi has for them (left), and the girls opening their present (right).

Emma and Abigail enjoying their new Barbie dolls!

Sisters playing together with their Barbie dolls (left) and giving you a smile (right). Thanks, Aunt Mimi!

Busy Busy Busy!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:26:00 GMT

So life around our house has been BUSY! With all that is going on....adjusting to having three kids, a newborn that is always hungry, sleeping whenever possible, house guests (though some have been quite helpful), doctor appointments, recovering from a c-section, and now a new gigantic playset that we are trying to build in the backyard....I have not had time to post anything to our blog to update it. We have tons of cute photos of Sophie, as well as Abigail and Emma, so I will try to get some of them up soon. Just hang in there as I try to get use this new life of mine! :-)

Our Newest Family Addition

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:56:00 GMT

For this blog, I will let the photos speak for themselves....and the captions will help, of course!

Our family before I headed to the hospital to have the baby (left). Mommy checking in to the hospital (middle). Sophie right after she was born (right).

Sophie right after her birth (left), and Daddy holding Sophie in the C-Section room (right).

Mommy and Sophie in the Recovery room (left). Emma and Abigail ready to go up to meet their new little sister (right).

Emma and Abigail meeting Sophie. They were so gentle with her, patting her on the head and smiling at her.

Emma (left) and Abigail (right) giving Sophie a kiss. So cute!

Sophie all bundled up with a bow hat on (left). Ready to head home! Sophie is in her car seat (right), looking so tiny, and ready to head home!

Daddy, Mommy, and Sophie ready to head home (left)! Sophie looking oh-so-adorable as we head home (right).

Later in the day, the girls played together in their sandbox, pretending it was a beach. They got on their tummies and gave each other kisses (left) and buried things in the sand together (right).

Abigail holding Sophie for the first time (left). Emma holding Sophie for the first time while Abigail looks on (right).

Both girls holding Sophie together. They are such good big sisters! They loved holding her.

Welcome...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:33:00 GMT

WELCOME SOPHIE KAYLEEN!

Born August 14th, 2009 at 1:54pm, 7 lbs 14 oz, and 20 inches.

(Of course many more photos to come soon!)

This and That...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:31:00 GMT

So this is a combo of several things as I am going to be a bit busy starting tomorrow, and I want to catch up the blog before then. First, the girls are so cute with their Daddy during what we call "down time" at night before they take a bath and head to bed. We usually watch a movie as a family, sometimes enjoy popcorn, and definitely snuggle and cuddle together. The other night, Tim was on the floor when Emma decided it would be a cozy nest to sit back behind him, nestled in his legs. Meanwhile, Abigail sat on his back and read for a bit before moving back to "nest" with her sissy. They were TOO cute, all cuddled up in Tim's legs and putting their heads back on his feet as if they were pillows. The second fun thing in this post deals with the chore of grocery shopping. The girls are good helpers when we bring home groceries. They like to take the stuff out of the bags and ask, "What's this?" before putting it wherever we tell them ("Take it to the fridge, to the pantry, to Daddy, etc."). The other night we went to the store a bit late, so we didn't put all of the pantry stuff away before dinner. Instead we left it on the kitchen floor to put away later, and when Tim and I looked later, we found the girls thoroughly enthralled with building a tower out of the groceries! There were a few cereal boxes, boxes of pasta, a few cans of stuff, and some salad dressing. It was so interesting to watch how they would build a tower out of these random things! Who knew that groceries could be so much fun?!? They actually built a great tower, but it fell down, so they just continued to try different combinations of the boxes and things. They loved trying to get it to stay, putting the different "shapes" together, figuring out that the big stuff had to be on the bottom, and just working together to build something fun. Third, and finally, we just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow we will be adding another daughter to our family, so there will be many more blogs about life through my daughters' eyes. Stay tuned!

Emma nestled in Daddy's legs (left), while Abigail reads on his back (middle). The girls enjoying down time with Daddy (right).

Emma and Abigail together, cozied up in his legs. Tucker also snuggled up to Tim.

The girls and their various grocery towers (Abigail in purple, Emma in blue).

More Children's Museum

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:58:00 GMT

On Sunday, since it was so hot out, we took the girls to the Children's Museum; it is so nice to have a membership so we can go whenever and for as long as we want. It was super fun again as there is always so much to do. The girls visited the dinosaurs, had a blast with these blast "things" that they put into a tower, rode on the carousel, played in the kiddie houses, fished in the water table, had fun at the sand table, and put puzzles together on the wall of magnets. Here are some photos from our day there this past weekend.

Emma dressed as a dinosaur (left), and both girls exploring a tunnel together (right).

Emma riding a giraffe on the carousel.

Abigail riding a horse on the carousel. This horse went up and down, which she thought was awesome!

Both girls played with these plastic things for a long time (left). They would take them out of the wall and put them in the holes of the tower. And the girls also played with magnets (right).

Indiana State Fair

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:28:00 GMT

On Saturday, we headed to the Indiana State Fair early in the morning, hoping to avoid a bit of the heat that the day was to bring our way. The girls were super excited to go see the animals as we told them that they would be able to pet and feed them. When we got there, they were very interested in all of the sights and sounds. There was just so much going on! We first saw horses just standing around as well as people in a rehearsal ring riding them. Then we got to see a ton of sheep, which was interesting for the girls because most of the sheep were shaved already, so they looked a little different to them. The girls kept trying to feed them through their cages, giving them the wood chips that were used as flooring for them. Needless to say, the sheep didn't want to eat the wood chips, but some of them did come over and smell the girls so that the girls got a chance to pet them. After that we saw goats, and then gigantic pigs and boars, which the girls just kind of stared at because most of them were just sleeping in the heat. After that, we took a long walk over to the kids' area of the fair, where they got to do something they absolutely love....they got to ride ponies! The girls did a fabulous job of holding on to the ponies by themselves as we walked close by them, and they kept smiling and laughing, saying "Weeeee!" and "Getty Up!" After the pony rides, the girls went to what was called "Little Hands on the Farm" where they walked through a bunch of different things, acting like farmers. This was also another highlight for them. They got to put on aprons and hats, plant seeds, pick pretend vegetables, take them to the market and sort them, get fake money for their products, and then got to "shop" with the fake money in a store where they came away with a real snack of their choice (they both chose string cheese). Also in this area of the fair they got to see a bunch of different kinds of tractors, and in one of the smaller barns, they got to pet and brush a real cow (it was huge!). The cow kept looking over at them as he ate hay, and his face was right there by theirs, so the girls were a bit hesitant at first, but they were also interested in the cow and wanted to stay right by it. I think that is the closest I have been to a cow before, and that cow's face is definitely much bigger than I thought it would be! By this point, it was getting pretty hot, so the girls sat in their stroller with the shade up and had a snack with their drinks. We had told them that they would see chickens and bunnies, so we decided to head to that barn for them. Along the way, they got to see the rides and ferris wheels, which they found fascinating. Finally, at the poultry barn, the girls got out and got to pet a ton of bunnies, as well as see a "baby animal" display that had baby ducks, chickens, quail, and bunnies in it. It was adorable! And the girls were enthralled by the baby animals! At this point of the day, it was getting pretty steamy out, so we found a spot in the shade to eat some fair goodies before heading out. Tim had the best buttered corn-on-the-cob, while the girls and I shared a funnel cake (they loved it!). At a health awareness station, we even got them emergency contact cards made with their photos on them before heading out, and the funny part is that both girls looked right at the camera and smiled so cute for them! We decided to head home after all of that fun, seeing as I am 38 weeks now and all of us were getting a bit overheated. By the time we got the car moving and the air conditioning blowing on high, the girls were sound asleep in their car seats. It was a very big and adventurous day for them, and we were only there half of a day! They had a great time, and even tonight wore their hats they got to keep from the farm exhibit, played with beach balls we got at the health exhibit, and colored chickens, ducks, and bunnies in a coloring book they got at the poultry barn. Definitely a very memorable day for all of us!

The girls checking out the animals and trying to feed them (left and middle). The girls riding ponies (right). Abigail is on the left pony with Emma on the right pony.

Abigail on a pony!

Emma on a pony! (She looks unhappy in the right photo because she was about to get off of it!)

This is at the "Little Hands on the Farm" area where they got to pick different pretend vegetables and put them in their baskets.

After picking them (left), they got to put them in the market bins while sorting them out (right). Don't they look adorable in their aprons and hats?!?

Getting up close to a cow! They got to pet it (left) and brush it (right). Notice how hot we are getting as their hair is wet!

In the bunny barn, they got to pet a bunny upclose (left), as well as go around to tons of cages to see and pet more bunnies (right).

Birthday Party Fun

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:54:00 GMT

Over the weekend we all went to a cousin's birthday party. It was for a little boy turning one, so there were lots of other kids there at the party. The girls had a wonderful time and were worn out by the time we left. The party had a luau theme, so the girls thought it would be fun to put on all of the leis that were there. They also had a great time playing with all of the other toys and kids that were there. But the hit was the new play set that had been set up in the backyard. It had different kinds of swings on it, a house to play in, a slide to go down, and a climbing wall. The girls absolutely loved it, and they did a great job as big girls on it! Abigail loved carrying around a telescope that was part of the play set, while Emma loved climbing up to the crows nest as well as swinging on the bar above the slide like a monkey. They also got to use squirt guns for the first time, and it didn't take them long to figure out how to get someone wet with them! It was great seeing family and spending the afternoon together. Overall, it was a wonderful party!

Both girls putting on all of the leis (left) and then playing in them (right).

Abigail and Emma thinking, "What?!? We don't know where all of the leis went!" (left). Emma (middle) and Abigail (right) looking adorable and having fun, luau-style.

Abigail with the telescope at the top of the slide (left) and looking through it (middle). Abigail ready to go down the slide (right).

Emma swinging like a monkey at the top of the slide (left) and going down the slide (middle). Emma up in the crows nest (right) -- can you spot her?

Emma is excited to find a squirt gun (left), and Abigail is proud of herself for squirting you (right).

Lunch Entertainment

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:36:00 GMT

Hello! So today as we were sitting at our table having lunch, looking out in the backyard at the squirrels that constantly try to eat the bird seeds, this HUGE thing flew into our view. I looked up in the tree and saw this large bird, which I think is a hawk, sitting there watching the squirrels with quite a bit of interest. I quickly grabbed my camera to snap up some photos of him. The photos don't really do him justice...he was HUGE! The girls were super excited about the bird and kept saying, "big bird!" and watching him in the trees. I first took photos from inside of the house, and then managed to get some after I snuck out to see him. Meanwhile the girls cheered me on from inside the house as they stood at the windows and watched. He flew around to a few trees and then to our fence before he took off. I tried to get one of him flying as his feathers really spread out wide and he was gorgeous, but couldn't. So here are some photos of him: in the tree (can you spot him?), up close (my best photo!), on the fence, and then up in another tree (the back of him so you can kind of see his tail feathers). Sorry if this doesn't interest you, but we all thought it was neat lunchtime entertainment.

Up in the tree and then up close

On the fence and the back of it

Stickers Everywhere

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:12:00 GMT

Lately the girls have enjoyed playing with their sticker folders. Inside of them are a bunch of different types of stickers, as well as a sticker book to put them in. The other day when I cleaned out our "junk drawer" I gave them a bunch of those labels you get in the mail, which they added to their folders. Well, Abigail has come up with the great idea that she doesn't want to put them in her sticker book, but instead put them all over herself! She usually starts with her legs, and then moves to her face and head. She especially loves the labels I gave them. Emma likes to put them on her face, but is not crazy about putting them all over herself like her sister. Instead, she would rather watch Abigail make a sticker mess of herself! Abigail is usually pretty proud of her little sticker creations that she makes on her legs, etc. And if she tires of putting them on herself, she moves on to anyone that is available. Even now, as I type this, Abigail has the idea to cover ME with stickers, so my arm, cheeks, and forehead are covered with smiley face stickers, various sports stickers, and labels! At least I will know my address if I get lost......

Abigail showing off some of the stickers on her legs (the labels).

Emma watching from the couch as she sits with Tucker and enjoys her Cheerios.

Pudding?

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:01:00 GMT

This blog is pretty simple. Abigail and Emma have only one question for you: PUDDING, ANYONE?!? The girls would sometime rather "paint" themselves with their food than to actually eat it!

Abigail Emma

The Children's Museum

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:33:00 GMT

Sorry that it has taken a while to get back to blogging. We were trying a new format and server, and well, it didn't work out. So now I am going to try to play catch up a bit. Here goes! Two weekends ago, Tim's parents came into town to see the girls for a bit. We ended up going to the Children's Museum for the day. There is really SO SO SO much to do there that you can't really get to it all in one day. Plus there has been a lot of new construction that was finally done when we went this time, so it was more spacious, offered even more to see and do, and was really nice all around. The girls did a ton of stuff, from seeing dinosaurs to train, playing in water and sand, riding the carousel (always a favorite!), to so much more! We stayed a long time, and boy, were they exhausted when we left! There is so much stimulus there! Each time we go there seems to be more and more they do and get into, so it is always fun to watch them try new things and experiment. And of course it is interesting
to watch how they interact with the other kids that are there, too. Anyways, we had a fabulous time there, and then later the girls played at home a bit more with Gramma and Grandpa. The next morning they played even more both inside and outside before Tim's parents headed home. Overall, the girls enjoyed their weekend, and here are some cute photos from our day at the Children's Museum.

The girls digging up dinosaur bones (left). Both of them putting together a dinosaur puzzle (middle). And Abigail picking up dinosaur eggs with dinosaur hands (right).,

Emma as a dinosaur (left and middle). Abigail also as a dinosaur (right).

Our little dinosaurs (left)! Gramma playing with the girls and dinosaurs (middle). The girls building something together with blocks (right).

Gramma and Abigail on the carousel (left). Emma and Grandpa on the carousel (middle). Abigail fishing in the water table (right).

Emma playing in the water table (left). Grandpa and Abigail playing with trains (middle). Emma (with a ponytail now!) playing (right).

Both girls enjoying the sandbox together.

Well...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:36:00 GMT

Well, the format and server Tim was trying to switch this to actually made things HARDER for me to use. So, now he is going to work on fixing this one up so that I can actually blog again. Hopefully there will be photos and fun things on here very soon! Please stay tuned and sorry for the wait! :-)

Please Stand By...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:24:00 GMT

We are currently switching over to a different server and format. Therefore, I have been unable to post anything new, but please check back soon as we hope to have this all worked out in the near future! Have a great day! :-)

SEVEN....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:17:00 GMT

I just wanted to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my husband, Tim.

It has been seven great years of adventures, memories, and love! Here's to many more wonderful experiences together!

(Photos from going out to dinner this weekend to celebrate. Yes, I am NINE months pregnant now!)

Bubbles Everywhere

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:30:00 GMT

It has been a while since the girls got a chance to have some bubble fun in our kitchen. So I filled up the bowls yesterday, they picked out some toys, and together they had a great time with bubbles. I am not sure what it is about the bubbles, but they love them! They would play in bubbles for hours if I let them! They played with the toys for a long time, covering them and then rinsing them off, and then stirring up more bubbles to cover them again. By the end of their bubble time, though, they got the idea to cover themselves and each other with the bubbles. So they "painted themselves" with bubbles on their arms, hands, faces, and heads. The funny part was to watch them do it to each other, as they felt the need to help put bubbles in each others' hair. Emma thought it was pretty funny when the bubbles would run down her face from her head, and Abigail made sure that Emma had plenty of bubbles on her head to entertain her! Anyways, by the end of bubble time, they were both soaked and happy as could be. Check it out:

Abigail playing in the bubbles and looking adorable!

Emma covered in water and bubbles (left and middle). Both girls enjoying bubble time (right).

New Umbrellas!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:49:00 GMT

Since the girls used some of our umbrellas to play out in the rain on July 4th, they have been asking for umbrellas whenever it is raining or even looks like it might rain. So the other day when we were out and about, we found some cute little purple ones that are just their size and have a large handle for them to hold. Now they have their very own umbrellas, which they think is so cool. We tested them out the other day when it was raining, and they were just too cute not to snap some photos of as they splashed around.

Emma and Abigail with their new umbrellas (left)! The girls splashing together (middle), and Emma with her umbrella (right).

Abigail splashing around (left). Both girls in a puddle (middle), and Abigail playing in the water (right).

Emma's turn to splash around (left). Both girls exploring a different puddle (middle), and Emma looking so cute (right)!

Look at our umbrellas (left)! Abigail with her umbrellas (middle), and Abigail twirling her umbrellas upside down (right).

Rain on our July 4th...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:13:00 GMT

This is a bit of an older blog that I never posted. It is from July 4th, when it rained most of the day here for us. After we went out to dinner together, Tim got out some umbrellas, and we let the girls run around in the rain out in front of our house. They loved holding the umbrellas! And of course they had a wonderful time splashing in the puddles and running around getting soaking wet. It is amazing how kids don't mind getting wet or cold as they don't even seem to notice! Anyways, Abigail and Emma played for quite a while outside, and then I just threw their clothes in the dryer so they could wear them to the fireworks later. (You can read what happened then in the older blogs.) Overall, it was super cute and fun to watch how they delighted in the simple pleasures of life, like rain, puddles, and umbrellas.

The girls with their umbrellas (left)! Abigail (middle) and Emma (right) upclose with their umbrellas.

Ready to go splash together in the puddles (left)! Emma (middle) and Abigail (right) having a good time in the rain.

The girls enjoying the rain, puddles, and their umbrellas!

It was a great time splashing around!

Super Adorable Girls!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:33:00 GMT

Before my parents arrived for their surprise visit this weekend, the girls and I played both inside and outside of the house together. And they just looked too adorable to not take photos of them! Outside, they love to run around our front tree, thinking the mulch around it is like a mountain to climb and play in. They give the tree hugs, chase each other in circles, and laugh a lot. They were very loving that day, too, giving each other lots of hugs and kisses, especially if anyone got an "owie." I just had to post photos from our time together! Oh, and thanks Aunt Mimi for the pretty new shirts they had on -- super duper cute on them!

Abigail (left) and Emma (middle) saying "cheese!" for the camera. Both girls on the couch together (right).

Emma giving Abigail a hug (left). Abigail giving a classic look of hers meaning, "What?!?" (middle), and Emma waving at us (right).

Emma blowing Mommy a kiss (left), while Mommy gives Abigail a kiss on the cheek (right).

Abigail being silly while hugging the tree (left), and Emma giving Abigail a hug (right).

Emma Abigail

Surprise!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:56:00 GMT

So Friday morning my mom called and asked what we were up to this weekend. In wondering what she was up to, I asked her why and found out that my dad and her were planning to come to a casino in Indiana that is not far from our house, and then they wondered if they could stop by to see the girls. Now it is always fun when my parents are here, and also very relaxing as they are so helpful with the girls and things. And seeing as how Tim planned to moonlight anyways this weekend (meaning he would be gone all night and then sleep the next day), I told them they were more than welcome to come on over! So my parents arrived Friday afternoon, and after hanging out a bit, we all went out to dinner. The girls were hilarious at dinner as they are infatuated with my dad (I think it is the lack of hair they connect with!). They would spontaneously wave and smile and yell hellos at him throughout the entire meal, which was too cute. After dinner we all went to Best Buy. Why, you may ask? Well, Tim had this idea that for our upcoming 7th anniversary, we should get a Wii to play after the girls go to bed at night. Thinking maybe I would be able to use it to shed some baby weight later, I agreed to it, so we got a Wii and several new games. After the girls went to bed, we all played it, and I have to admit it....it was a lot of fun! We played a lot of tennis, which took me a bit to get the hang of but was fun nonetheless. Then on Saturday, since it was going to be unseasonably cool here, I thought we should all head to the zoo. We needed to renew our membership anyways, so I thought it would be a good idea...until we got there and saw that most of the city thought the same thing! Still, even with the crowds, it was a great day. The girls loved showing MawMaw and PawPaw the various animals and places around the zoo. They saw the "fishies" and penguins, walruses and sharks, a tiger, monkeys, bears, birds, ducks, flamingos, lemurs, and the list goes on. Some highlights for them included playing on the playground there and seeing the dolphin show. At the playground, they just kept running up the ramps to the big slides and coming down a twisty slide where MawMaw waited at the bottom for them. Then they would say, "Again!" and run back to start of it, where PawPaw was waiting to give them a high-five. They did this for quite a while, just laughing and giggling the whole time. And usually Abigail is not a huge fan of slides, so it was fun watching her as she kept going down them! At the dolphin show, we sat in the Splash Zone this time, which was new for us. It was a really neat view of the dolphins, and we really got to see them upclose as they swam and jumped and waved at us. The girls kept asking for "More!" when they would jump out of the water, and yes, we did get splashed a little bit. After a picnic lunch by the White River outside of the zoo, we went back in for ice cream and to see the giraffes, zebras, lions, rhinos, and elephants. By this point, the girls were getting pretty tired as we had walked around and done a ton there, so we headed home. They were instantly asleep in the car, which I thought would happen. Later that day, we all just hung out and played outside as we were all pretty worn out from our fun zoo day. Tim even made us a "campfire" in his firepit, which was neat for the girls to see and watch. My parents left for home early Sunday morning, and I realized just how much it took out of me to do all we did the day before, as I was just exhausted from it all! I guess being 35 weeks pregnant will do that to you, but it was definitely worth the fun day we all had together! Thanks for the surprise visit, MawMaw and PawPaw!

The girls super excited to see MawMaw and PawPaw when they arrived. Abigail is with MawMaw, and Emma is with PawPaw.

Running from the zoo playground slide back to the ramp for another turn: Emma, Abigail, Emma, and Abigail.

Abigail (left in photos) and Emma (right in photos) checking out flowers at the zoo while waiting to get in line for the dolphin show.

Emma with PawPaw and Abigail with Daddy as they look at an elephant.

Sound asleep in the car! Abigail is on the left while Emma is on the right.

Painting Shirts

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:04:00 GMT

For a while I have had crafts laying around that I thought would be fun for the girls to do. So yesterday, I decided we should try one of them: painting t-shirts. I had gotten them just plain white little shirts and some fabric paints to use at Michaels. So I spread out some paper on the kitchen floor, put them in old shirts of mine, and let them get to work. For these paints, you had to squeeze the bottle to get it out, which they quickly caught on to doing. Abigail went right to work, putting some paint on her shirt and then rubbing it around in circles or making dots with it. Emma, on the other hand, took a while to warm up to the idea of getting messy from the paints, which is funny because she doesn't mind getting messy when we play outside! Instead she watched Abigail for a while, and then finally decided to give it a try. At first she just did little spots of paint, but by the end, she was spreading it and squeezing it all over her shirt! Abigail kept trying to make handprints with her paint, and even got the idea to stand up and make it "rain" on her shirt. When they had a lot of paint on their shirts, I told them they should walk on them to help spread and mix the colors. Though they weren't sure they should at first, once they started stomping on the colors, it was hard to get them to stop! They liked walking on them! In the end, I had to tell them time was up with the paint, or they would have just kept pouring it on the shirts. I grabbed some soap and washcloths, scooped up a girl, and took them outside to get cleaned up. I filled their buckets with soapy water, gave each a washcloth, and let them got to town scrubbing their hands, arms, legs, and feet. They thought this was just as fun as playing with the paints! Overall, they had a great time with this new activity while creating some really fun shirts (that are still drying at this moment)! Here are some photos from our craft time yesterday:

Abigail (left) getting started by making green circles on her shirt. Emma (middle) trying to squeeze some out of the pink bottle. And Abigail (right) squeezing some purple onto her shirt.

Emma (left) getting the hang of it and putting some blue on her shirt. Both girls (right) working hard on painting their shirts.

Abigail (left) and her final creation. Emma (middle) and her final creation. Both girls (right) with their finished t-shirts.

Pretty in Pigtails!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:50:00 GMT

So it has been a slow process of growing out the girls' hair, and yesterday I decided it was long enough for pigtails. So I got out the elastic hair bands, had them sit down, and pulled up their hair into some pigtails. And let me tell you...they looked ADORABLE! The photos below do not do them justice because they were just too too too cute! They were pretty proud of them, too, as they showed them off to all of their friends at the YMCA. Of course I had to take a lot of photos of them for their first pigtail experience. Later in the afternoon, we got out our pool in the backyard, and the girls had a blast splashing around and taking in some of their plastic animals and dinosaurs. At the end of the day, when I took out the hair bands, their hair stayed up and in the shape of the pigtails, which was funny to see. Overall, I think they liked being pretty in pigtails, and since we have enough hair for it now, I am sure you will see more cute piggytails in the future!

Abigail and Emma in pigtails (left). Emma (middle) and Abigail (right) looking so cute!

The girls sitting around before heading out for the day. (Abigail on the left, Emma on the right)

Pool Time! The girls playing with their toys in the water (left). Abigail (middle) and Emma (left) enjoying the summer fun.

Aren't they just too adorable in their piggytails?!?

Abigail Emma

Abigail (left) and Emma (right)

Hugs!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:50:00 GMT

Just wanted to post a few fun photos of the girls! The girls got these adorable shirts from one of my friends, and they just loved wearing them! They kept telling me (and anyone else who would listen) that they had unicorns on their shirts. Thanks, Maria, for the cute shirts! And while I was trying to get photos of them in their new fun shirts, they girls started acting silly and giving hugs to each other. They were just giggling and hugging, and it was just too wonderful to watch! I was glad I still had my camera out, so here are some snapshots I got of them being loving sisters.

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) showing off their new unicorn shirts.

Hugging Sisters! (Abigail is on the left, Emma is on the right in the hugs)

Fantastically Fun Weekend!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:10:00 GMT

We had a fantastic last couple of days! My mom (MawMaw to the girls) came into town early on Thursday and stayed until Sunday morning. We got to do a ton of things with her, and we all had a wonderful time. We did a bunch of shopping, played inside and outside a ton, went to the pool together, ate out several times, and just enjoyed having her here with us! The next time she comes to visit will probably be when this next little girl makes an appearance, which is really strange for me to think about. It is always such a treat to have my mom around here at our house, seeing our daily lives and being a part of that. I already miss her! Now I have a HUGE stack of clothes, shoes, diapers, wipes, and other adorable things for the girls and new baby sitting in my living room that needs to be put away, most of it courtesy of MawMaw, so THANKS for that! Overall, thanks so much for such a fantastically fun weekend, Mom! Here are some cute photos from our time together.

Emma (in blue) and Abigail (in pink) ready for another fun day with me and my mom (their MawMaw)!

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) relaxing after some fun pool time.

MawMaw reading to Emma and Abigail (left). And Abigail and Emma snuggling with MawMaw during movie time (right).

Rain and Fireworks

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:08:00 GMT

Happy Fourth of July to everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! We had beautiful weather here...except for the day of the 4th. It rained ALL day and night! We didn't have too big of plans as we were just heading to a few festivals and then to watch fireworks. Instead, we ended up playing at home, outside when it was just sprinkling, and on our porch while it rained. It was very relaxing, actually. We then headed out to dinner just to do something fun for the day. We kept checking the updates for the fireworks, and since they kept saying online that it was still going to happen, we kept the girls up and got ready to head downtown. We popped some popcorn, packed a big comforter, grabbed the DVD player and camera, and took our chances. Tim had a pass for an IUPUI parking garage that had a pretty good view of downtown, so we headed there to park on the top of it. We backed in, all piled into the back of the car with the trunk open, and waited. It was actually REALLY cozy and fun! We watched some of a movie, enjoyed our popcorn, and just spent time together as a family. It felt like camping! Tim and I kept watching the downtown buildings to see if the clouds would clear, and the radio station kept saying they would start in five minutes, in ten more minutes, in fifteen more minutes, etc. So we hung out in the rain in the back of the car. The girls did great and seemed to enjoy our little family adventure in my car. Then, at 10:15pm, the radio finally said they were going to postpone the fireworks until the next night as the rain was just not clearing. So we packed up and headed home, with the girls asleep in the car by the time we were out of the parking garage, of course. Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day, so we thought we would try again. The girls were so funny waiting for when it was time to go. They kept asking about more popcorn and "booms" (which they call fireworks), and at one point just plopped down on the floor by each other to wait. We went back to our same spot, though it was a bit more crowded with the nicer weather. This time, I knew I was pressing my luck keeping the girls up so late again. They did alright for a little while, but then they saw other people running around and wanted to do the same. Well, we were in a parking lot, so couldn't really let them run loose, making it a bit of a rough wait for the fireworks. I think I actually preferred being crammed into the car with it raining out! Anyways, we finally watched the fireworks, which were great, and the girls enjoyed them. They kept making comments like, "oh!....ah!...wow!....big!....boom!" and so on. Emma was so funny in that she kept trying to blow the smoke away that was left over in the sky. Again, they were asleep by the time we reached the interstate, and I bet they will be pretty grumpy today, but it was worth seeing their little faces light up when the fireworks actually did happen! And of course it made for some great memories for all of us!

Our Rainy First Attempt: In the back of the car (left) and waiting for the rain to stop (right).

Um...no fireworks tonight in this rain and cloudy sky!

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) sound asleep in the car on the way home.

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) waiting to go see fireworks the next day.

Aren't they too cute?!?

Our Sunny Second Attempt: Hanging out in the car before the fireworks (Emma on the left, Abigail on the right).

Silly Sisters

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:30:00 GMT

These are some photos of the girls from this past month of June. They are just to show how silly the girls are and how they love to play together. In the first ones, I had gotten a package in the mail, and the girls decided to climb into the box right before bath time (hence why they are only in diapers). The funny thing is that the box was not really all that big, so for both of them to sit in there, that was quite a feat! They also had to have their Blankies in there with them, as you will see. They sat in that box for a while, so they must have liked how cozy it was! In the second set of photos, the girls love to play hide, whether it is in a blanket, with animals, or under pillows. So these photos show a typical activity for them, to hide behind pillows, and of course, to bring some of their animals with them into their hiding spots. The girls are just so fun to be around at this age. Their imaginations are incredible, and they constantly amaze me with what they say and do. I also just love that they play together and enjoy being with each other right now. Of course, they have their moments of disagreement, but in the end, they are always there for their "Sissy," wanting to share in experiences with each other.

Abigail and Emma playing in a box together.

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) hiding with their animals under pillows.

Silly Sisters!

New Pool

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:30:00 GMT

This weekend we took the girls out to Menards to check out a few things and stock up on more sand for their sandbox. One of the things they helped to pick out was a blow up pool. They were too funny when it came to picking one as I would put a few choices out and ask them which one they liked. They definitely have their own opinions! We ended up getting a pool that has an attachable slide that happens to be in the shape of a whale. With how warm it has been, we decided it would be great to get it set up right away. The girls got into their cute swimsuits (thanks Aunt Mimi!), and were SO patient as they watched Daddy blow up the pool and slide. Then they helped fill it up with water, which they thought was pretty cool. They tried out the slide, but were more interested in sending their toys and boats down it than themselves. They played and played in the pool, splashing and bringing different things in and out of it. We had a snack break after a while, and both girls wanted to sit on my lap. While we ate pretzels and vanilla wafers, they were so cute, giving hugs and kisses to each other and me! Then it was back out to enjoy the water, though this time they used the pool to keep filling up their watering cans so they could water Daddy's plants. Overall, I would say the new pool is a hit, and it should get quite a bit of use throughout this summer! (And on a side note, I am now eight months along. Hard to believe that there will be another little one before the end of summer!)

The girls watching and waiting so patiently (left and middle). Then helping to fill up the pool (right). Abigail is on the left, and Emma is on the right in all of the photos.

Sending a boat down the slide (left) and playing in the water (right). Emma is on the left, and Abigail is on the right in both photos.

Emma giving Abigail a kiss during snack time (left) -- TOO CUTE! And the girls watering the plants (right).

Animals, Animals, and More Animals!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:52:00 GMT

This is just a random blog about how funny the girls are each day. They have really been into getting out all of their stuffed animals lately. They put them in laundry baskets and push them around, or line them up, or just bury themselves in them. They have a grand ol' time with these animals, and it just makes me smile that they have such imaginations. The other day they started piling them on the couch, got themselves up and under the animals, and played like that for a long time. They "hid" in them, made them talk to each other, laughed and smiled. It was super cute and just an everyday event that shows how funny the girls are. Just an ordinary day that is made extraordinary by these fun memories, memories only two years olds can create!

Abigail (left) and Emma (right) with some of their animals...

...and with more of their animals...

...and buried under all of those animals!

Family Fun and Thomas the Train

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:16:00 GMT

The weekend started on Friday for us when the girls' Aunt Mimi, Uncle Ryan, PawPaw, and cousins Ethan and Austin came to visit. The girls had been excited about them coming as we had been telling them the last few days that they would visit. That afternoon, with it being so hot out here, we took all of the kids over the pool that is in a park by our house. Man, was the pool packed with people! The pool has a walk-in shallow end with tall things that dump water and gigantic sprinklers. This was our first trip to the pool this year, so it was interesting to see how the girls would respond. Abigail was fearless and walked right in, finding it pretty cool to walk in and out, in and out, of the shallow end. Emma, on the other hand, was not happy with being in the water and was pretty scared of it for about a half an hour. Then she started to watch the other kids playing and having fun, so she sat on the side and splashed her feet in it. Pretty soon, she was ready to get in and walk around with her sister and the other people. Both girls just loved walking around and splashing in the water, so it was definitely a lot of work keeping up with them! They would even wade out to where it was pretty deep on them, so we had to keep a careful watch on them. There is also several slides at the pool: a big one, a medium one, and a baby one. Ethan liked the medium one and went on it several times while the girls went down the baby one a lot. By the end of the afternoon, they didn't want to leave the "wa-wa!" After a cookout and lots of good food, it was bedtime for the girls so they could be ready for their next big day, a Day Out with Thomas the Train. My nephew, Austin, LOVES trains and especially Thomas, so for his May birthday, we got him a ticket to spend the day with Thomas, and we all came along. So on Saturday, we packed up all of the kids and a lunch and headed to Connorsville, IN. We had to park at the High School and then took a bus over to the event, so the girls got to ride on their first school bus! They thought it was pretty cool, but wanted to stand up to look out the window. When we got there, we found that there was a lot more to do than just ride on Thomas. There were little trains running, games like putt-putt golf, a lego center, an animal area, and more. We decided to eat the lunch we brought with us first and then get in line to wait for our train ride. Riding on Thomas was pretty cool, and the girls enjoyed looking out the windows. Austin loved it, which was great as it was really all for him. When we got back, we were able to take a photo with Thomas and see him upclose. Then we headed over to the animal area, where the kids got to pet a donkey and ride on ponies. Let me tell you, the girls LOVED LOVED LOVED the pony ride! They held on great by themselves (even though we walked with them), and kept laughing, smiling, and saying, "Getty-Up!" to the ponies. After that, they got to feed a bunch of animals like goats, chickens, ducks, and a bunny. Since it was such a hot day the kids were getting a bit worn out by the end of that, so we headed over to get drinks and go to the gift shop, where the girls got train whistles. We took the bus back to our cars, said good-bye to our family, and headed home. The girls were exhausted from the day, but it was well worth it! Everyone had an awesome time and created great memories! Beware: there are lots of photos below of our fun day with Thomas. Oh, and now every time the girls hear or see a train, they call out, "Thomas!' -- too cute!

Lunch time (left)! The girls checking out what is all around them (middle). The kids all waiting for Thomas to pull into the station (right).

Austin and Ethan ready for Thomas (left)! Abigail and Emma looking out the train windows (middle). Abigail getting a drink while watching out the window of the train (right).

Abigail relaxing on her Daddy while looking outside of the train (left). Emma checking out her Thomas certificate (middle) and looking out the train's window (right).

The girls with Thomas the Train (left and middle)! Austin, Emma, and Abigail petting a donkey while waiting for the pony ride (right).

Abigail riding a pony! She kept saying, "This is fun!"

Emma riding a pony! She kept saying, "Getty-Up!"

The girls looking at the animals (left) and feeding goats (middle and right).

Abigail on the bus ride back with her huge lemonade (left), and Emma peeking at us on the bus ride back (middle). All four kiddos resting before we had to leave for home (right).

Another Fun Baseball Game

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:43:00 GMT

So it is time to play catch up with the blog! I will go back to last week for this one where we all went to a baseball game for Tim's program. It was an evening game, and it was a beautiful night for it! We sat out on the lawn again, so the girls got to run around and be "free" from sitting during the game. They first ran up to the fence and enjoyed playing around that, and they even got some free necklaces, which they thought was pretty cool. Then later we made our way over to a tee-pee that was set up, where did "laps" around it. They even threw a little baseball around with some other little kids that were there. Actually, it was really nice because the other people in the program had their kids there, too, so the girls had people to play with during the game. They also played with their baby dolls that they brought with them, which was funny to watch as they made the babies sit by the fence and later play at the tee-pee, too. Overall, it was such a nice night that time went by really fast, and before we knew it, it was way past bath and bedtime! Hard to tell how late it is with how light it stays outside right now! Check out our fun time below:

The girls checking out the game at the fence, and sitting together as sisters, having fun.

Emma admiring her necklace (far left), while Abigail tries to decide if she wants to wear hers (middle left). Emma playing peek-a-bee with a wipe and her baby (middle right), and Abigail running around with her baby doll (right).

Happy Father's Day!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:00:00 GMT

We had a very busy and fun weekend, but I will update on that later. First, I wanted to talk about our Father's Day that we had here. Tim had a wonderful day, starting out with getting to sleep in and then having a big breakfast waiting for him that the girls helped me make. Then we just hung out here in the morning with the girls, playing with them both inside and outside of the house. Around lunchtime, the girls gave him their presents. Of course they helped him open them, which was funny as Emma acted like she was reading the cards to him. The girls got him some new shirts, along with a glass business card holder for his office that was personalized with his name, chief resident, and IU on it. Over the last few weeks, we have been working on different fun, wooden photo holders that the girls have been coloring and decorating with markers. That was the final gift he got from them to help decorate his office: two elephants, a fish, a snail, and two little wooden people, all colored by them with their little faces as the photos. They were super cute, and the girls were very proud of them. After naptime, we got ready and headed to a cookout for Tim's program at someone's house, and then we headed out to eat at Abuelo's (Tim's choice, of course) for a festive Mexican dinner. After dinner, the girls played outside for a bit and then curled up to cuddle for a movie before bath/bedtime. Overall, it was a great day together as a family, and a special day for Tim as a Daddy. Hope everyone else out there had a wonderful Father's Day, and again, Happy Father's Day to my dad and Tim's dad!

Daddy getting a hug and kiss from Emma.

More hugs and kisses from Abigail for Daddy.

Emma, Daddy, and Abigail on Father's Day

BIG DAY FOR US!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:30:00 GMT

Today was a BIG day for us in that we found out where Tim matched for his GI fellowship. And I am so happy to announce that he got his first choice, a GI fellowship here at IU! He has been working hard for a long time to get into this program, and we are all so VERY proud of him! He is the only IU resident to match into the GI program this year, and there are only five total taken from across the country. I know he is super excited to get started but he will have to wait until he is done being Chief Resident this year. This also means we won't be moving anytime soon so we get to stay in our comfy house and enjoy Indy for a bit longer. It is so nice to know where we will be for the next few years, and then who knows what the future will bring. All I know is that Tim has done an awesome job in his residency, is an outstanding doctor, and will be wonderful this year as Chief Resident and in his fellowship that follows. Congrats to Tim! We Love You!

Tim finding out where he matched and then pointing to it on the computer screen in his office.

Tim with Emma and Abigail (left), Tim with Geri (middle), and our family (right) - Emma, Geri, Tim, and Abigail.

Congratulations!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:46:00 GMT

This past weekend we went to a wedding for one of Tim's cousins. It was a beautiful wedding and a fun reception. And it was extra special because the girls' Uncle Dan came in from California to attend it with us. The girls did a great job of being quiet at the church, and when it got to be too much for them to listen to, they got to go play in a Kiddie Room in the church. Then we headed to the reception where the girls were surprised by gift bags on their seats that had books, crayons, stickers, and plastic toys like dinosaurs and lizards in them. This was an awesome idea as the girls played with those things, especially the plastic dinosaurs, for the entire reception. We enjoyed great food, yummy cake, and fun music. Abigail especially liked dancing out on the dance floor, while Emma really enjoyed playing around the head table and all of its decorations. Plus, the girls looks so super cute in their fancy dresses, and the bride was absolutely beautiful! Overall, we all had a great time and want to extend our biggest CONGRATULATIONS to Janet and Craig (and Owen)!

The girls exploring the outside of the church (left). Abigail (middle) pointing out the flowers while Emma (right) smells them.

The girls in their pretty dresses (left). Abigail (middle) and Emma (right) looking adorable, as usual.

A family photo - Tim, Emma, Geri, and Abigail. And Uncle Dan with Emma and Abigail.

Emma playing with her plastic dinosaurs by giving them a bath in her water cup (left). Abigail making her dinosaurs climb up the chair (right).

Emma playing at the head table (left), while Abigail plays on the dance floor (middle). Emma giving Mommy a hug while Abigail plays with her dinosaurs on the dance floor (right).

All of the cousins (left), and Craig and Janet (right). CONGRATS AGAIN!

Water and Seeds

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:16:00 GMT

Sorry I have not updated lately! Last week was really busy for us, so I didn't get a chance. This blog is actually from last week when it was really hot out here one afternoon. We put the girls in their swimsuits and let them have fun in the water outside. First they helped Daddy to plant some sunflower seeds in pots. These were to be "their plants" to help take care of by planting and watering them. They did a great job patting down the soil and putting in the seeds. And of course, they loved watering them with their little watering cans. The sad update to this is that the pots have been attacked several times by squirrels in our backyard, and the seeds have been eaten up already. So, unfortunately even though these plants had a great start from the girls' hard work, they won't survive due to our squirrel "infestation." After doing this, we put out a sprinkler type thing that shoots water everywhere. Now the girls were a bit afraid of it at first, so Tim ran through it with them. After a little bit, Abigail was brave enough to try on her own, but Emma continued to stay away. The funny part is that even though they didn't really enjoy the sprinkler thing that much, they didn't want us to turn it off because they liked watching it go everywhere. Then they filled buckets with the hose, as well as their watering cans. They LOVE to do this for some reason. They just love to hold the hose and fill things up, dump them out, and do it again (not the most conservative thing in terms of water). During this time, Emma found it funny to spray the hose on Abigail, so Abigail returned the favor by dumping a watering can on Emma's head! Too funny, and they both laughed about it! Lastly, they figured out that they could "drink" from hose, which was absolutely hilarious to watch as they couldn't really figure out just how to get the water in their mouths, so they sat there with their tongues hanging out. At one point, they both tried to drink at the same time, so they were head to head with the hose between them. Check it out below! Too cute! It was a great summer afternoon playing outside with water and seeds. (Warning: Lots of cute photos below!)

Abigail checking out the seeds and the pot they will go in (left and middle). Emma checking out the seeds (right).

The girls filling their watering cans (left), Emma and Abigail watering the new seeds (middle), and Emma looking oh-so-cute with the hose as she fills her bucket (right).

Abigail looking adorable (left), and closeups of Emma (middle) and Abigail (right).

The girls playing with the hose and having a wonderful time! Aren't they just too cute?!?

The girls having fun - Emma on the left, Abigail on the right.

Attempting to drink from the hose - too funny!

Drinking from the hose together and having a great time! So adorable!

Weekend Fun

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:18:00 GMT

This weekend we were invited to a cookout at Tim's program director's house. Mostly it was for the chief residents and their families, though there were also other program directors there. It was nice because there were other kids there, and we could kind of just sit back and chat with other adults while they all played together. Cookout food is always great, and the girls loved the swing set they had in their backyard. They are both getting to be champs at climbing up ladders to go down slides! And Emma especially is great at climbing up the slide to go back down it. I love watching them interact with other kids, especially ones that are not their age. Overall, we ate, played on the swing set, chatted with lots of people, and played football in their yard (I'm told I have quite the arm!). It was really nice to just be able to relax and get to know some of the people Tim is around a little better. Oh, and the girls looked super adorable in some summer dresses and hair clips. Here are some fun photos from their time playing there:

Emma enjoying the slide.

Abigail enjoying the swing.

Abigail (right), both girls, and Emma (left) having fun on a plastic teeter totter.

Water Fun with Friends

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:43:00 GMT

It was pretty warm out here yesterday, and I suggested to the girls that we play outside in the water with their friends after their naptime. Well, as soon as they woke up, they had three words for me: "Friends...Water...Outside!" They didn't forget, so I called their friends, and we met up over at their house. The girls suited up and headed outside to play in the water table, enjoy some popsicles, fill up buckets with the hose, and run around being silly. Meanwhile, I got to chat and catch up with my friend over a nice, cool cup of Starbucks blended lemonade. It was a great afternoon, and it is always such a treat to see the girls with their friends (especially all grown up in their swimsuits!). We are all so lucky to have that family of friends in our lives!

All of the girls playing in the water table, and Emma taking a break while keeping an eye on the action.

Abigail (left), all of the girls enjoying popsicles together (middle), and Emma (right).

Emma with her popsicle, and Abigail enjoying her popsicle.

All of the girls filling buckets with the hose, and Abigail playing on the deck.

Residency Graduation

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:59:00 GMT

Well, Tim has officially graduated from Residency and is now taking on the position of Chief Resident. We are so proud of him! He has also applied to GI fellowships, which we will find out where we are going to be for that later in June. This past weekend we went to a dinner and ceremony with the girls and his parents to celebrate his graduation. The next day we went to see his new office as Chief Resident, and even though it needs some more decorations, it is a really nice (and big!) office. The girls "helped" Daddy organize his office by taking everything out of one of his desk drawers and playing with the paper and markers and paper clips, etc., on the floor. They also got to look through a microscope that was left in the office, which was funny to see. They didn't quite know what they were looking at or for, but they thought it was pretty cool, nonetheless. As Tim moves into the next chapter of his life in medicine, I just want to say congrats to him, as well as wish him the best of luck, though I know he will do great! (PS: There are a few more new posts below this one as I am playing catch up with the blog!)

Our Family at Residency Graduation: Tim, Abigail, Geri, & Emma. Tim's graduating residency class -- CONGRATS!

Emma checking out Daddy's comfy chair (left), while Abigail searches the desk drawer for things to do (middle). Emma looking in a microscope with Grandpa (right).

Emma trying to see something in the microscope (left). Abigail looking through the microscope with Grandpa (middle and right).

Tim in his new office (left) and with his helpers. Abigail helps him type (middle) while Emma checks out his name badge (left).

Grandpa and Gramma with the girls (Emma, left, Abigail, right) as we check out Tim's conference room.

Happy Birthday, Austin!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:42:00 GMT

We ended our busy and fun-filled Memorial Day weekend by heading to Ohio to help celebrate my nephew's fourth birthday. It is always so fun to get all of the cousins together to play and get to know one another. We played outside a lot, ate great food, and of course helped to sing to him and eat cake. The girls also helped him open his presents, and the big one he got from his brother (and family) was a new bike. It was so cute because my sister and her husband had Austin cover his eyes when they were going to bring in the bike, and the girls also covered their eyes with him. Abigail and Emma wanted to ride on his new bike, but they are way too little for it, so instead we let them ride his old bike outside. The bikes they have now at home are like big wheels, so to ride a "real" big kid bike for them was exciting and new. They did a pretty good job of pedaling and keeping balanced, too! It was a fun day together with family as we celebrated growing older together! (PS: There are other new posts below this one as I am playing catch up with the blogs!)

The girls playing with Austin in the sandbox, and all of the cousins singing to Austin.

Emma trying to ride a big kid bike (left), Austin riding his new bike (middle), and Abigail trying to ride a big kid bike (right).

All of the cousins: Ethan, Emma, Aubrey, Abigail, and Austin

Indianapolis 500

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:03:00 GMT

Last Sunday we went to the Indianapolis 500 race with my parents, and it was awesome! We went last year with them, so knew what to expect, but it still amazes me in terms of the number of people, the sounds of the cars, how fast the cars go, and just all that is involved with the greatest spectacle in racing. We park pretty far away and walk to the Speedway since traffic is so bad and doesn't really move that fast. Last year we saw some celebrities walk a red carpet, but they didn't have that event this year (though we did see Ashley Judd as she is married to Dario Franchitti). Our seats are pretty good as we sit right across from pit row and can see the finish line as well as the first turn. It was pretty hot when we first got there, so we stayed in the shade for a while until it started to cloud over. Once the clouds picked up, it was a gorgeous day and much more comfortable in terms of temperature. It is always fun to see all of the traditions they do, like the various people singing before the race, and the lining up of the cars with the announcements of each row. I love watching the drivers and crews get ready to start the race! And once they say those magic words, "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!" it is just so thrilling, and you feel alive with the sounds and vibrations! The roar of the cars as they shoot past you is just like nothing other in the world. It was a good race, of course with some wrecks and cautions, but some great passing moves as well. It is also cool to watch when they come into pit row...it is so fast and can change the lineup depending on how well the stop goes. This year, Helio C. won, and we stayed to watch him take his victory lap as well as kiss the road of bricks. When he first got out of his car, he actually climbed up the fence at the finish line, and his crew joined him up there. Overall, a great experience, especially watching those cars zip and zoom by! The girls, meanwhile, spent the day with their twin friends at their house. They got to play indoors with them, eat lunch, and take a nap there. After naptime, all of the girls went outside in their bathing suits and played in the water table and sprinklers. They also enjoyed a wagon ride together, tub time together, and dinner. They had a wonderful time, and I can't thank their family enough for keeping my day free of worry! And it was nice to come home after a long day and just have to put the girls to bed! The only thing is that I wish I could have seen them all playing together as they are just too cute, but my friend did send me photos from the day, which I will include for you to see. The month of May in Indy means racing, and to be a part of that is just awesome.

Mom and Dad at the race, and Tim and I at the race.

A view of the crowd from our seats. Just a massive amount of people!

The flyover (old war planes this year), and Helio winning the Indy 500.

Helio and his crew climbing the fence after his victory, and Helio after kissing the road of bricks.

The girls playing at the water table. Too cute!

Abigail (left) and Emma (middle) enjoying the water table. All four girls taking a wagon ride together.

Tub tub time together.

Happy Birthday to Me!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:35:00 GMT

Well, last Friday was my birthday, and the girls helped me celebrate by going with me out to dinner and then helping me eat my cake. They were such good girls at dinner. We went to Olive Garden as we had not been there in a long time. The girls ate cheese pizza and breadsticks like champs! And even though I had told them before we went to dinner that we would have cake when we got home, they did not forget! As soon as we got into the car after dinner, I asked them what we were going to go have, and they both said, "cake!" My girls really like cake...must take after their Mommy! This year Tim actually got me TWO cakes -- a regular one for my actual birthday and an ice cream cake from Diary Queen to celebrate when my parents came to visit for the weekend. Both were so yummy! The girls are also getting so good at helping to blow out birthday candles, though the trick is to get them to last through the whole "Happy Birthday" song before they try to help with them! And thanks, everyone, for the wonderful birthday wishes! It was a great day!

Me with my ice cream cake, and the girls helping me to blow out the candles.

The family celebrating my birthday (Emma is in green, and Abigail is in red).

Updates coming soon...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:09:00 GMT

Sorry for the delay in blog updates! Since the last one we have had quite a bit of activity around here! We celebrated my birthday, Tim and I went to the Indianapolis 500 with my parents while the girls played with their friends, then we headed to Ohio for my nephew's birthday party, then is was cleaning and doing things around the house, as well as running the usual errands, and finally it was celebrating Tim's graduation from residency and his new position as Chief Resident. Phew! I am tired just reading it all! So, I will post photos and journal about these experiences soon...I just wanted to let you all know we are still here and doing fine, but just have not been able to sit and blog for a while. Keep an eye out for the fun updates (and there are some adorable photos, of course, that will accompany the blogs!).

Zoopolis 500

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:36:00 GMT

Today was the Zoopolis 500! Dave and Michele happened to be in town today so we took the girls down to the zoo to see the animals. When we got there, we saw huge crowds and didn't know what was going on. Then we found out it was a BIG day at the zoo...the Zoopolis 500! All kinds of events were going on, including a "Got Milk?" stand that had a big (fake) cow and free milk, which was great for the girls throughout the day! Then there was the parade of animals (which was a huge fake cow, meerkat, and rhino), a real tortoise shell that the girls got to touch and see, and the appearance of race car driver Tony Kanaan. He is currently in the second row for starting the Indianapolis 500 race (position 6), and he drives car #11. But the most exciting part would have to be the actual race of the tortoises! They were hilarious! There was Lyn St. James, a medium size female, up against a few really small ones, and the huge, GIANT tortoise, AJ. It was funny watching the zookeepers trying to get the tortoises to head towards the food and keep moving! AJ did NOT want to race today, and just sat there looking around. Tony Kanaan even come down and tried to coax him with some watermelon, which turned into a staring match between the two of them...too funny! The winner ended up being Lyn St. James, and she enjoyed her food and glory in the makeshift winner's circle. Other things the girls got to do today included seeing a new monkey on exhibit (and, boy, was he loud!), watching a dolphin show (which was pretty cool, and where Emma kept clapping everytime they jumped out of the water), going on a carousel ride with Gramma and Grandpa, and enjoying lots of other fun animals. It was absolutely beautiful here today, and the girls got pretty tired out from the whole morning zoo excursion. They fell asleep in the car and then in their beds right when we got home. Overall, a fabulous day! Did I mention how much we love our zoo membership?!?

The girls with the "Got Milk?" cow (left), and our new monkey friend (middle). Gramma and Abigail walking together (right).

The girls watching the llamas with Gramma and Grandpa (Abigail in green hat, Emma in pink hat).

Emma and Gramma on the carousel (left), and Abigail and Grandpa on the carousel (right).

Tony Kanaan, race car driver (left). Lyn St. James (the winner!) alongside a smaller tortoise (middle). Tony Kanaan trying to coax AJ to move (right)...see how big AJ is in relation to Tony!

Grandpa pushing around the girls in the stroller (left), and two pretty worn out girls ready for a nap (right).

Indy 500 Pole Day

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:32:00 GMT

Last weekend we went to the Indianapolis 500 Pole Day which qualifies positions #1-11, and it was a great day for everyone! We had gotten the girls these big ear protectors for the loud sounds (they are actually for shooting ranges), and we weren't sure if they would keep them on or not. Well, they ended up thinking they were pretty cool wearing them around, so they had them on most of the time. In fact, when we took them off, they asked for them to be put back on. During Pole Day, you get to walk around and sit wherever you want. So we started out in the stands right next to pit row, which is always cool as you can see what is going on in the pits and the people that are involved in there. You can even see the drivers pretty upclose. We ate our lunch while watching in the stands, and the girls really got a kick out of watching the cars zoom by. They would follow them with their heads and then would say, "zoom zoom" to us after they went by, and Emma kept asking for "one more" car to go by. After awhile in the stands, we took off walking around the in field to the first corner, where you can get right up next to the fence and road. The girls ran around and played the rocks there, filling up their stroller with them and just being kids. Later we walked around a bit more, and the girls were hilarious. By far my favorite part of the day was when we started walking around because the girls held each other's hand, and then they decided to dance around together, which they thought was hilarious. It was so adorable! They even fell down together a few times and would help each other up, then dance some more! Too funny! After strolling around for a bit, we then went up into the grandstands to watch some more qualifying. The amazing thing is that even though we were right up next to the track and the cars were so loud when they went by, somehow Emma managed to fall asleep in the stroller for like a half hour. Abigail during that time was too interested in what was going on to sleep, so instead she played peek-a-boo from her stroller seat while enjoying some popcorn. We stayed about three hours and had a wonderful time! Check out how cute the girls were in their "ear muffs" and playing together.

Emma and Abigail with their ear protectors on, and them walking around, playing in the rocks.

Abigail (left) watching the cars while Emma (middle) puts rocks in her stroller. Abigail (right) looking oh-so-cute!

Mommy and Emma (left) as she points out cars to me (look at her squished face from the ear "muffs"). Emma and Abigail walking hand in hand together...so adorable!

The girls dancing together. Abigail smiling in the one on the left, and Emma smiling in the one on the right.

One of my favorite moments! The girls just enjoying themselves as sisters and friends.

Emma falling asleep somehow with all the noise (left), while Abigail plays peek-a-bee in her stroller (middle). Emma still staying asleep even as the cars zoom by (right)!

Tim enjoying the day of racing, and one of the cars that qualified that day.

Happy.....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:26:00 GMT

So far it has been a wonderful Mother's Day, which actually started yesterday for me. My family is so wonderful! We had a great day yesterday when we headed to the Indianapolis 500 Pole Day, which was awesome! The girls were so cute, and I will post photos later. We went out to eat for dinner at Red Robin (which I love), and then stopped to get a Dairy Queen cake, which I enjoyed most of last night and will continue to do so today. Also, on Friday, a gift arrived for me....two dozen red roses from the girls with a heart warming message! Now today I woke up to cards colored by the girls and a great breakfast. Sleeping in, the Indy 500, dinner out, Dairy Queen cake, roses, and of course, those precious cards with hugs and kisses from my girls....who could ask for more on Mother's Day!

So, I wanted to send out to all those wonderful mommies and mothers out there, for all you do each and every day, which is so very much.....

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Fun and Funny

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:02:00 GMT

So the girls get to watch a show on TV usually before naptime to help them settle down, or as I like to call it, they have "down time." Lately I have been putting on the show called "Little Bear" from our On Demand, and the girls just think it is hilarious. I mean, I love to sit there and watch them watch the show because their little eyes light up, and they really pay attention to it. And the best part is when they spontaneously laugh outloud at things on the show. Don't get me wrong; the girls giggle and laugh all of the time, but for some reason, watching them laugh outloud at the TV makes me feel like they are so grown up. It is neat and interesting to see what they find funny, too. And the sound of it....I am sure that any mom would understand that you just can't get enough of that sound...the sound of joy and happiness and laughter....the sound of contentment. It is a "real" laugh, not one that is brought on from tickles or being silly with them. But a real chuckle from their tummies, a moment that I think about often before falling asleep at night and which brings a smile to my own face. Anyways, I just think it is so precious and cute, so here are some photos from today's down time when they were laughing at the show. Also, with the weather being so nice (when it is not raining), the girls have been outside in their backyard playing like champs. They love to be outside, and it is a nice change of scenery for me, too! Here are some cute ones from playing and having fun outside tonight. Hope everyone got to enjoy the weather like we did! In other news, Baby Girl #3 is doing just fine, and I am almost 25 weeks along now. The girls are adorable with the whole thing, as they will tell you that a baby is in Mommy's belly, and they like to come up and talk to my belly and the baby. They tell the baby what their name is and then tell it to go "nigh nigh" in my belly. Too cute!

Abigail laughing at the show, "Little Bear."

Emma also finding the show quite amusing. (That is a sticker on her hand.)

Playing in their sandbox

Abigail showing you a duck and a goose (left), while Emma gets ready to go down her slide (right).

Congrats!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:13:00 GMT

Just wanted to send out a big CONGRATULATIONS to Brad & Andrea!

And welcome to the world, WILL!

Thinking of you all!

Indians Game

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:30:00 GMT

We had a busy weekend around here! We went looking for new twin beds for the girls, and ended up ordering them on Sunday (how exciting!). We went looking for new bedding for them, and ended up finding something we are going to try (has to go with the paint colors in there already as we don't want to repaint again). We visited the Children's Museum for a little bit to play and ride the carousel. And we went to an Indians game as it was a gorgeous day here yesterday! We parked at the zoo, walked over to the game, and enjoyed some lawn seats where the girls got to run around and play. It was so nice as we could basically sit on our blanket as the girls ran back and forth to the fence. We got them a big tub of popcorn, which they ate a ton of and kept coming back for more. They didn't really watch much of the game (which I knew was going to be the case), but were interested in everything else that was going on like all of the sounds on the loudspeaker, all of the kids running around and playing, and the crowds. Tim took them to get temporary spray-on tatoos, too, which they thought ware so cool. Abigail had a tiger on her arm while Emma had a butterfly on hers. Some observations that are amusing: Abigail doesn't care if her shoes are on or off, but Emma doesn't like grass on her feet so had to have hers on during the game; Abigail loved to carry around the popcorn tub while Emma loved to carry around her Blankie; the girls kept cracking up at this other little girl there who kept talking to them and dancing to the music; Abigail ended up dumping the popcorn in the grass later on, but that didn't hinder them from eating it, as both girls picked through the grass whenever they wanted a bite to find a piece of popcorn; and Abigail knew we parked at the zoo, so when we went back to the car, she had a bit of a meltdown, repeating, "zoo, zoo, zoo" over and over because she wanted to go in. Also, you will notice that Abigail's eye still has viral conjunctivitis. And the hats that say "Big Sister" are a gift from MawMaw, so thanks! Overall, it was a great time at the game, very relaxing and fun. Here are some photos:

Sitting with Daddy and Mommy at first as they check out the game and crowd. (Abigail is in purple, Emma is in white)

Daddy with the girls at the fence in front of our blanket. Emma and Abigail laughing at the other kids.

Emma being silly (left), and Abigail running around (middle). Both girls enjoying the big tub of popcorn (right).

Hanging out at the fence together (left). Emma with her Blankie and thumb (middle). Abigail with her tub of popcorn (right).

Both girls trying to find pieces of popcorn in the grass to eat. So silly!

Hanging Out

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:02:00 GMT

We did travel to Lima for a few days when we thought Abigail just had a virus. Tim was away in Texas, so we stayed with my sister for a few days, but mostly just hung out since Abigail was still running a fever all of the time and was so sick. It was nice to have help, though, with my family around. Plus Emma got to play a ton with her cousins while I took care of Abigail. Here are some cute photos of the girls just hanging out.

Emma likes to hide a lot, and here she is trying to cover herself up and hide in a huge quilt. And here's a close up of just how cute she is!

There were brief moments when Abigail, being full of Motrin and Tylenol, felt okay to play. Here is one of those moments when she put animals in a train. You can see in the second photo how her eye was looking, and this is when it was looking "good" in terms of the virus.

A Little Bit of Catching Up To Do

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:37:00 GMT

Sorry that there have not been many blogs lately. I thought I would do a little catching up today, though we have not been able to do a whole lot since Abigail got sick about a week and a half ago. To update that, she is better in terms of fever, eating, sleeping, etc. But she still has viral conjunctivitis in her right eye, which makes it swollen and fully of discharge. She has seen a doctor three different times, and as of Friday, it is still just a virus in her eye that has to run its course (which could last two weeks). Anyways, we were pretty housebound with the fever part of this virus, which lasted several days, but we did get to go to the zoo the day before her fever hit. We took the girls with my mom to the zoo for the morning last Saturday when it was really nice out here. The girls just love the zoo. They know exactly where they are at the minute we pull into the parking area. This zoo trip was full of a few firsts for them: they got to feed a giraffe, and they got to watch an elephant getting a bath. Both were super fun! I was not sure if they would be scared to give the food to the giraffe (which was a piece of fruit), but they just handed it up to the massive animal and didn't get scared at all. For the elephant bath, they just kept talking about how the elephant needed a "tub tub" as he was dirty and needed to get clean. I really enjoyed watching that as we were in the stands right up next to the elephant and could really see him upclose. Plus it was fascinating to watch this animal lift its legs and feet to be washed and eventually completely lay on the ground. They even washed his tusks and got him to stick his huge tongue out at us! So cool! Here are some photos from our time at the zoo.

The girls love to watch and feed the ducks.

The girls feeding the chickens (Emma in hot pink, Abigail in light pink)

Elephant Bath Time - Lifting a foot, getting washed off, and laying down

Some other wildlife from the zoo...a duck, flamingos, and a turtle.

MIA Lately

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:46:00 GMT

Sorry for the lack of blog action lately. Last week we were busy working on Baby Girl's room, and then Abigail started to get sick on Friday, and is still pretty sick at the moment. Hopefully this adenovirus (that is what they think she has) will leave her alone soon since it has been a week now (and a rough one at that)! I will try to post more stuff later. For right now, off to take care of my sick cutie. By the way, Emma has been a champ at helping take care of her sick Sissy and playing by herself this last week. What a sweetheart!

Easter, Finally

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:43:00 GMT

The girls have had a ton of fun Easter festivities over the last few weekends, but finally it was actually Easter Sunday for us. The girls got all dressed up in their cute dresses and found a bunch of different baskets from various Easter Bunnies to help them celebrate the day. We then had lunch with my family, and of course my dad wanted the kids to have one more Easter egg hunt. This time it was not a race, though, and was a bit more relaxed for the kids. They went around and found a ton of eggs, some with money and some with candy in them. Once Emma figured out there was candy in some of hers, she kept stopping to open them and eat it first before moving on to find another. Later, we visited one more time with Tim's family before heading home after an exhausting but memorable weekend. Here's Easter for us:

Emma (left) and Abigail (middle) getting Easter baskets from Grandparents Imler. Then, Abigail showing some plastic eggs to the bunny.

Abigail and Mommy pretending to "listen" to the eggs like a phone. And Emma playing the piano for everyone (middle and right).

Emma (left) and Abigail (right) getting their Easter baskets from grandparents Core.

Abigail checking out a new book she got (left), while Emma goes for the candy (right). Of course, of all the things in the basket, that is the first thing she finds!

Later, after we changed into playclothes, Abigail decided she was tired and relaxed on the floor for a bit. She had such a big, busy weekend!

A final Easter egg hunt. All four kids heading out to find the eggs, and Abigail finding one in the rocks.

Emma finding an egg, and of course stopping to eat the candy out of it.

Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:30:00 GMT

At one point in the weekend, after the party was over and everyone had left on their way, we took the girls down to the larger pond behind the house. The loved putting sticks and leaves in the water and trying to stir it with large sticks I found for them. We tried to do some turtle watching, but didn't have any luck finding them. Tim went around the pond and took some fun photos of us sitting on the dock so I thought I would share them. It was nice just relaxing after the fun-filled party.

Mommy, Gramma, Grandpa, Emma, and Abigail enjoying the pond and dock together.

The house with the dock. Don't we look so small?!?

Emma playing in the garden fence after we left the dock. I just wanted to add it as she is so concentrated!

Oh, and since this is the first time I have blogged in a few days, I want to send out a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Matt, Joni, and Noah as they welcome a new member of the family! Can't wait to meet Paisley!

Outside Fun in the Sun

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:12:00 GMT

After the Easter Egg Hunt last weekend, the girls played outside for a while with their cousins. It was such a beautiful day out! We tried for a group photo of the kids but I didn't get that great of one. Then the kids "fished" in the pond together, looking for the mysterious frog that is suppose to live in there. The girls "helped" the bigger kids fly a kite, as well as pulled one of their cousins around in a wagon. It was so nice to have the girls outside playing with their cousins! I just enjoyed watching them all interact. Afterwards, when we went back inside the house for some down time, we turned on a movie. The girls sat together in a chair, and before we knew it, they had fallen asleep on each other! That is the FIRST time they have ever done that, and what is amazing is that they slept for like a half hour together even with all of the noise and commotion going on around them. It was so precious and cute...a definite memory I will cherish in my heart for a long time!

Abigail, Emma, Avah, Owen, and Paxton

The kids all playing in the pond and searching for a frog. (Notice all of the pointing fingers.)

Abigail trying to help fly a kite.

Emma chasing the flying kite.

Abigail and Mommy together, and Emma playing with cousin Avah.

Awake one moment....asleep on each other the next! SO PRECIOUS!

Easter Egg Hunt

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:41:00 GMT

Disclaimer: A lot of adorabale, great photos ahead! One part of the Easter party we went to this weekend included an Easter egg hunt for the little kids. The girls did a great job running around and getting eggs into their buckets, though Emma still liked to open them as she went along to dump out the money. Abigail found an area where there were a ton of eggs, so she really filled up her bucket. I am going to let the photos speak for themselves, as they are just too cute! Sorry there are so many...I actually narrowed it down to these ones as there are so many on our camera! They look so classic to me, like they should be in a book or magazine. I just love them all! More outside fun photos coming in another blog, so stay tuned!

A play-by-play of Abigail finding an egg.

Emma finding an egg and then looking around (left and middle). Abigail finding another egg.

Abigail with an egg (left). Emma putting one in her bucket and then looking with Grandpa for another one (middle and right).

Emma showing Grandpa's bunny the egg she found (left). Abigail, with hair blowing in the wind, finding an egg and putting it in her bucket (middle and right).

Abigail reaching for yet another egg (left) and looking around for more (middle). Emma holding her bucket and watching the chaos (right).

Emma going for, not an egg, but the little fisherman in the pond (left and middle). And the girls checking out their eggs while on a wagon ride (right).

And It's A....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:19:00 GMT

GIRL!

Yup, we are having another sweet little girl come August! We had our ultrasound last week, and told our family over the weekend. I have not had a chance to post it up here yet, but here are a few photos from the ultrasound (there were a lot so I just chose a few). There's going to be a lot of estrogen in this house! And this little girl is going to have a TON of clothes to choose from! Not only will she have two of everything, she will have different colors to select from each day! Sounds like a good deal to me! We did take Abigail and Emma to the ultrasound, and they did a great job watching the screen. They kept pointing at it and saying, "baby!" And when we would say, "oh, there's the head," they would say, "head," and point to their own heads. Too cute! If you ask either one of them how many Sissies they have, they will tell you, "TWO!" I am sure they will be great helpers and big sisters to this new little one. Anyways, here she is!

Profile photo where she is all curled up (her feet are up by her nose with her hands). And a face photo looking right at you!

Look at those two little feet! And another great profile photo of our little girl.

Party Time!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:53:00 GMT

Saturday was the day of Gramma's party. A lot of family members came to it, so the girls had lots of other little kids to run around with during the day. We also got to see some relatives that we hadn't seen in a while. There was a ton of great food, yummy cake, and even a magician to entertain everyone. The girls help me make a gigantic card for Gramma, and they were awesome helpers in blowing out her candles on her cake. It was a bit hard for them to wait, though, for the cake to be cut, as they dug in with their forks before we could do so! What can I say...my girls love cake! There was also an Easter egg hunt for the kids outside, and later we took the girls down to the pond to look for fish, frogs, and turtles. I will post those photos later, but here are some from inside the party. Happy Birthday, Gramma!

Yummy Food! And Michele with her mom, or Gramma with Great Grandma

Singing to Gramma (Abigail in blue, Emma in pink) and helping to blow out her candles

Sitting with Gramma to watch the magician, and Emma trying to sneak chocolates

Whew! This party sure is making me thirsty!

In Other News...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:54:00 GMT

In other news, I did have an ultrasound last week that I have not had a chance to post yet on here. But keep an eye out for the new photos soon, and some new information we found out with this ultrasound!

SURPRISE!!!!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:46:00 GMT

We had such a big weekend full of so many events that I think I will divide it up into several separate blogs. The first really fun thing that happened was that we all went to Ohio to surprise the girls' Gramma for her birthday. Gramma thought that we were going to be coming into town on Saturday morning for a party they were having at their house to celebrate her birthday and Easter, but instead we drove in on Friday. Grandpa took Gramma out to dinner, and while they were there, we sent the girls in to surprise her. Then we came in next to say surprise, and were followed by a huge surprise, Tim's brother Dan and his girlfriend, Sally. They flew in from California to be there for the weekend, but Gramma had NO idea that was going to happen! So we gathered all of her immediate family together for a big dinner out Friday night. It was well coordinated...good job, Grandpa! Anyways, we were too busy videotaping her response and just enjoying the surprise that I don't have too many photos from it. But it was definitely a fun time! And Gramma was sure surprised and kept smiling the whole night!

Abigail coloring at dinner while Emma plays with these little guys she got at the Country Club.

The girls with Gramma.

(Great)Grandpa's Surprise Party

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:26:00 GMT

Last Sunday we all went to a surprise party in honor of my grandpa, or the girls' great grandpa, Bud. He turns 90 (wow!) this coming Sunday, and we all gathered to surprise and celebrate him. It was great to see how many people turned out. It was good food, great family, and fun memories. Because my grandpa loves polka dancing, there was even a live polka band that played. The girls LOVED the balloons and cake, chasing the balloons around the hall and eating any piece of cake that was set down on our table (sorry if they ate yours!). When the band started up, they were too funny, watching them play for a while, and then finally getting up to dance. Their cousin, Ethan, is a dancing machine, so it was really cute how the girls tried to dance with him. Mostly the girls twirl around in circles and think they are dancing, but it is super cute. Overall, it was a lot of fun, and I am glad we got to be a part of such a special celebration. HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA (and GREAT GRANDPA)! We love you!

(Great) Grandpa Bud - HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY!!!!

Abigail watching the band play music while holding her balloon, and Emma wondering if she is going to get another piece of cake.

The girls with their PawPaw - too cute! And I want to thank my sister, Emily, and her husband, Ryan, for hosting all of us all weekend!

Our Annual Easter Egg Hunt

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:46:00 GMT

This past weekend, since all of my siblings and their kids/significant others were in town, we decided to do our annual family Easter Egg Hunt that is put on by my dad at his house. Now, mind you, there are a lot of egg hunts during this time of year. But far and above those other ones, our family one is taken SERIOUSLY as it is a matter of pride and bragging rights for whomever wins each year. I am proud to say that I have won quite a few times, though this year, I came in second to my sister. I guess I should show good sportsmanship and congratulate her, though I think she was scoping out the eggs before the hunt started (just kidding!). Anyways, with the grandkids getting bigger, we decided to let them find their eggs first before the real competition between my siblings (and their significant others) got underway. This year the girls were old enough to understand what they were looking for, and they did a great job! I did run ahead of them a bit to help point out eggs for their buckets, but they did wonderfully with following me around and actually picking out the eggs from their hiding spots. Emma stayed right with me, but Abigail got sidetracked halfway through the competition, sitting down to open the eggs and "count" her money before tossing it onto the grass. Several times, one or both of the girls dumped their buckets and my mom had to help them pick up their eggs and money (which goes into their savings account). As for the winner...different people would tell you different things in terms of the little kids. Some say Ethan won...some say Aubrey...I say that it was Emma. So I guess we will just let them all think they are winners because in reality, they all are. It is just so neat that we still continue this tradition that I did as a little kid, that we as adults still really get into this egg hunt, and that our own children now get to join in the fun with us. I guess I just need to do a bit more training for next year's race for the eggs, prepping the girls before with practice runs here at home. Watch out guys...we are going to make a full sweep next year! And by the way, Tim did not come in last place, which is great for him!

And they are off! Abigail finds her first egg (middle photos) in a door corner, while Emma finds hers (right photo) in my childhood sandbox.

Emma (left photos) and Abigail (right photo) looking for more eggs. Mommy helping to point out eggs to her girls (right photo).

Looking for those last eggs together (so cute!). And Abigail holds up the final egg she found for us to see.

Coloring Eggs

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:24:00 GMT

It has been a while since I last blogged so I thought I would catch up on some things we did this last weekend. We had a very pre-Eastery weekend in Ohio with lots of family around. We went there for the weekend for a birthday party (which I will blog about later), and spent time with all of my siblings and their kids/significant others, so the girls got to see all of their cousins, aunts, and uncles on my side of the family. On Saturday, we decided to try to color some eggs for Easter with the kids. After boiling and preparing the eggs, we got all of the kids gathered around the table. We filled the color cups, gave out the dippers, and let them go to town. The boys, Ethan and Austin, did a great job with coloring the eggs, even dipping them in multiple colors to make really neat ones. The girls, on the other hand, did not quite grasp the idea. They understood that they had to put the eggs in the cups of color, but decided to use their hands to do so, spilling quite a bit of it everywhere in the process. We had to have an adult "man" each girl, which included holding the cups, mopping up the mess, and trying to keep them from actually painting themselves instead of the eggs. Emma loved the pink color, and it is a good thing as it dyed her hands bright pink that lasted for a while! She kept trying to put more than one egg in the cup, and after taking them out to dry, she would get another one that was already colored and turn it pink. Abigail did okay with her eggs, but then became more interested in combining colors together, mixing the yellow and orange cups together with a spoon. She also ended up with colorful hands that we had to scrub in the tub tub. Aubrey, being the youngest, got the pleasure of watching the whole fiasco without actually having to dye herself various colors. Overall, it was a fun time, a first for the girls, and definitely a great memory made by all.

Emma coloring eggs (trying the dipper before just going in with her hands). Abigail making her eggs orange (as well as her hands).

The "scene" of the egg coloring event. Aubrey watching the chaos.

Also, Aunt Sheila and Uncle Jeff got all the kids an Easter basket. Here Emma (left) and Abigail (right) check out the goodies they got. Thanks so much, Sheila and Jeff!

LimaLand

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:58:00 GMT

So it has been a week since my last blog, and the reason behind that is that we have been out of town. We left last week and got back into town last night. Even though we were gone about a week, Tim got to see the girls on and off during that time as he made his way to different GI Fellowship interviews. Overall, it was a wonderful week away from the normal routines we have grown accustomed to here at home. While in Lima, Abigail and Emma played and played and played with family. And all of the cousins were able to get together as their cousin Aubrey was in town for a few of the days while the girls were there. The girls loved playing with Austin's big train table and all of their other toys, as well as having "dance parties" in their room when we played jammin' music on their CD player. They watched fun movies together, took wagon rides outside, played on various playgrounds at my sister's house and at parks, and even got to spend some time with all four of their grandparents. We did some shopping, lots of hanging out, and basically had a great week together. Here are some highlight photos:

Playing at the train table in the boys' room. And cousin Aubrey looking oh-so-cute!

Watching movies together after the girls' bath time: Austin, Emma, Tim, Abigail, and Ethan

Ethan, Abigail, Austin, and Emma loved taking wagon rides together. Here is Uncle Ryan pulling them around the house and yard.

We went to several playgrounds and parks, but this one is at Aunt Mimi's house. Here all four kids are swinging together as I push them.

Fun filled days often made everyone sleepy! Here are Austin and Abigail falling asleep on Uncle Ryan. And of course, Emma being silly and hiding in the bedding, as usual.

Happy...

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:21:00 GMT

"Do You Know What Day It Is?"

Emma & Abigail asked you a question...do you know the answer?

It's a day for laughs, hugs, and good friends! HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

The girls just wanted to wish you all a Happy Green Day! Hope you didn't get pinched!

On another note, we had fun on our bikes again....check us out!

Emma (She is checking her helmet and then striking a pose on her bike for you!)

Abigail (She is saying, "Cheese!" in the first photo, and yup, that is chalk all over her from playing outside all day.)

"I Go Zoo!"

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:32:00 GMT

So whenever we ask the girls where they want to go or what they want to do for the day, they tell us, "I go zoo!" It amazes me how they never tire of seeing the animals and walking around there. So today, with it being a bit warmer, we all went to the zoo for a little while in the afternoon. It is great having a membership there as we can just go for a few hours at a time. Today when we walked around the girls enjoyed the fish, the shark touching area, and the dolphins, saw a horse eating and got to pet it, saw a lot of farm animals at the petting area, and got to feed some hay to the goats, a llama, and some chickens with a rooster. They also spent some time on the playground that is there, though it was a bit crowded with older kids. It was just a nice few hours together as a family. On a side note, the girls thought it was hilarious to keep stealing my sunglasses so they could wear them and look just too cool. Check them out below.

The girls watching the fish and the sharks. Can you spot the shark in the second photo?

Walking hand in hand with their Daddy, and them feeding the chickens.

Emma, looking just too cool for words. And Emma saying hello to a penguin her size (and probably asking for its ice cream).

Abigail thinks she is so cute (and she is!). And Abigail asking, "What?!? Do you have a problem with me?!?"

Bikes & Friends

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Though the weather outside has gotten cold again, that has not kept us from having fun on our new bikes! The other day the girls played inside on them for a bit, looking oh-so-adorable in their helmets! Then yesterday their twin friends came over to spend the day with them. The all played outside, inside, and just about everywhere! The even took a tub tub all together after dinnertime, which was pretty funny. After that, they settled down on our couch together to watch a movie. It was so cute as Abigail and Emma shared their blankies with them by covering up their friends' feet. It was a fun day!

Abigail & Emma on their bikes, and Emma smiling for the camera.

A tired bunch of girls! Look at how they shared their blankies with their friends. Too cute!

Be Prepared...A Long Photo Blog!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:30:00 GMT

Tim was off today so we took the girls to the Children's Museum. I had not been there with the girls since they were really little and could only crawl in the infant area. This time around they could do so much more and really had a FABULOUS time! The museum itself has SO much to do that we had to limit ourselves to a half a day there as they were so stimulated (almost overstimulated) the whole time! I think just one or two of the things they did today could last all day for them if taken out of context, but since we were there, we tried a ton of stuff. They had a bunch of new experiences, and we didn't even make it to half of the stuff there! So we ended up getting a membership so that when Tim is off, and the weather is rainy or too warm this coming summer, we can head there with them since we now know how much they enjoyed it. Needless to say, they were exhausted! So, take a look at the photos below and see just some of the things we did (I didn't even take pictures of everything!). Just FYI -- In all of the photos, Abigail is in pink, and Emma is in brown. '

Our first stop was a first for the girls...a carousel ride! They absolutely LOVED it and kept asking for more!

Next up was a playhouse just their size with furniture in it. They decided to have a tea party. The individual photos are taken through the window outside of the hosue. Abigail was checking out the fake food while Emma poured her tea.

After other playhouses, and a science center, we made our way to a place called "Playscape," which is designed for kids age five and under. They LOVED this area. Here is them playing in the water table section where they got to where aprons.

We spent a ton of time at the large sand table where they enjoyed pouring sand in and watching the wheels move on the toys there.

There was a coloring area where they could rub imprints of different things with the crayons, and a large playhouse.

At the garden area, the girls put on gloves and pretended to plant flowers and vegetables. Funny that they knew to put the gloves on without us telling them to do so. Wonder where they have see that before?!?

Anyone feel the need for speed?!? The girls pretended to drive this real race car.

In the Dinosphere area, the girls got to dig for a dinosaur! Check out those goggles and dig tools! Quite the little paleontologists!

The girls got to ride a real caboose, or what is called a tool car. They played in other fake trains (first photo), as well as danced on a mat that showed them on TV (second photo). And they put on a dinosaur puppet show with Daddy.

And in the Egyptian area, they built towers with building blocks.

Overall, the day was jammed packed with fun activities. It was so neat to see how the girls played and interacted with various situations and experiences now that they are older. I am sure we will head back as we all had a wonderful time!

Our Fun Weekend

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:22:00 GMT

We had a great weekend with the warmer weather here! The girls played a ton outside in our backyard and in their sandbox, as well as in their playhouse that we have on our porch. We also all went to the park several times to enjoy the slides, swings, and merry-go-round. We played with bubbles in the kitchen, making a mess and having a great time. And we hit the zoo for a while on Saturday, where even though it was really crowded, we got to run around and see a bunch of the animals. This morning, even with the sporadic rain, we took the girls over to a park by the water and let them throw in stones for a while, which they loved doing. We have just had a busy, but fun, weekend. Now hopefully day light savings time will not mess up their sleeping habits too much! Hope everyone got to enjoy their warmer weather weekend as much as we did!

Abigail and Emma enjoying some Bubble Time

Emma is "painting" Abigail's hair with bubbles as Abigail tells her where to put them.

Abigail & Emma All Bubbled Up!

At the zoo, the girls looked at animals together.

Later, they pretended to be asleep, covering up with a blanket.

This and That

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:33:00 GMT

So it has been a little bit since my last real blog, so I thought I would write one. We have been busy updating the blog with recent photos, as well as hanging them around the house. I will include a photo below that was not posted on the blog yet. Otherwise, the last two days have been wonderful here with the warmer weather, and the girls have gotten to play outside both days for numerous hours. This has really tired them out by the end of the night, as well as made them so hungry! They definitely have eaten more the last two days for dinner than usual! I really hope this weather sticks around because the fresh air is so good for everyone. Overall, the girls have been doing well and keeping busy with going to the YMCA as well as various playgroups. A funny thing that happened today was that when Emma got up, her hair was just absolutely crazy! She doesn't have a lot of hair, but the hair she has was sprayed out like a peacock on top of her head, as well as in the back. I thought it would go down as the morning went on, but it stayed just as it was, almost defying gravity! I showed her what it looked like in the mirror, and she thought it was so funny! We had to use a little water and mousse today before heading out anywhere to try and control it a bit, but it was a fun little thing that happened this morning. Well, I will post a few photos for you to view...nothing too exciting but a glimpse into our lives.

Our Family - Abigail, Tim, Geri, & Emma

Sleepy Girls After Playing Outside

Emma's Fun Hair This Morning

Abigail Wondering How Emma's Hair Looks Like That

Please Stand By....

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:53:00 GMT

Please stand by for technical difficulties as we are experimenting with different layouts and looks for the blog. It may look different each time you check it until we settle on a finalized version. Thanks for your understanding and patience!

Coming Soon..

geriimler@yahoo.com — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:20:00 GMT

Keep an eye out for new photos on the blog! The girls got their two year portraits taken yesterday so I will be uploading new photos for the background (of each girl and of the family), as well as putting some in a blog. So.....let the suspense build........

Our First Haircut!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:49:00 GMT

So even though the girls turned two this past week, they had not had a haircut yet because it took so long to grow the little bit that they had that it was hard for me to cut any of it off! But, alas, they were starting to get "tails" in the back where it was longer than anywhere else, so I thought it was finally time to part with a bit of that precious hair. After Tim got home from work today we got them ready and headed out to a place called Cookie Cutters, which is a place for kids to get their hair cut. In the waiting area, there was a small playground, which the girls loved. And then when it was time for the actual event, the girls got to sit in a car (Abigail) and train (Emma) and watch a cartoon on a television that was right there at the hair cutting station. Abigail was completely patient with the whole thing, mostly just watching the TV and not paying much attention to what was going on. On the other hand, Emma did not want to get in the train, did not like getting her hair wet with the spray bottle, and most certainly did not like sitting still for her hair cut. I tried to distract her and get her to look at the cartoon, but she was very preoccupied with the fact that she was strapped into the train and that someone was messing with her hair. Of course, after the hair cuts were done, the girls wanted to get back up and play in the car and train, even though they both wanted out of them just minutes before! The girls also got balloons when we left, which they were happy about. Overall, though, it was a good experience as both girls got a hair cut, there were no tears, and they are still such cutie pies!

ABIGAIL

EMMA

A Great Birthday

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:36:00 GMT

Yesterday we celebrated Abigail and Emma's second birthday. Their day was packed full of activities, including their two year check-up with their doctor. Just so you know, they are healthy and still growing! When they got out of the doctor's office, there was a fire truck in the parking lot by our car (not sure why it was there). The girls then got to see the fire truck up close and even got little firemen hats, which they thought were super cool! We also went out to dinner with Tim to Red Robin, which they love as it has balloons, crayons, kid cups, and great fries and grilled cheese! After dinner, we came home to sing to them over a small cake. Again, as we sang "Happy Birthday" to them, their little faces lit up, and Abigail even started to dance in her seat. They did an awesome job of blowing out the candles, and then devoured their slices of cake! Emma even tried to climb onto the table to reach the cake for seconds! The girls opened all of their cards from people, and then it was off to bathtime. Overall, it was a wonderful birthday for the girls. Here are some fun photos from their day of celebrating!

The girls sit with Daddy after dinner at Red Robin. And the girls smiling as we sing "Happy Birthday" to them.

Abigail (left, in pink) and Emma (right, in green) enjoy their cake.

Abigail Emma

Emma trying to sneak in seconds of her cake while Abigail looks on.

Opening some of our cards

Thanks everyone for our birthday wishes!

Thank You!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:16:00 GMT

We just wanted to thank everyone for all of their warm birthday wishes! We are so lucky to have wonderful family and friends in our lives! Mommy said she would post more photos from our fun day tomorrow, but we really wanted to just send out a big heart felt THANK YOU tonight to everyone. We had a wonderful birthday! Love, Abigail & Emma

A Family Photo (taken with a timer on a camera -- can you believe we all looked and smiled?!?)

Emma, Tim, Geri, and Abigail on the girls' second birthday.

A Special Day

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:14:00 GMT

Today is a special day for us. Two years ago the girls were born today, February 18th. It is hard to believe they are two already! Our family has two wonderful years filled with happy memories that make our hearts swell like the ocean. Thank God for our little miracles! I couldn't imagine life without them! Though it was a bit of a rocky start, and quite the surprise of an arrival, the girls today are growing, happy, healthy, loving sweethearts. I guess what I am trying to say is...

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, ABIGAIL & EMMA!

Two years ago, this is Abigail right after she was born and taken to the NICU.

Abigail upclose right after being born.

Abigail today...two years later!

Two years ago, this is Emma right after she was born and taken to the NICU.

Emma upclose right after being born.

Emma today...two years later!

This morning, as the girls eat breakfast, they wonder..."What is so special about today?"

Well, today is your SECOND birthday! Yeah!

Our Birthday Party!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:36:00 GMT

On Saturday we had a birthday party to celebrate Abigail and Emma turning two years old. (I can't hardly believe they are TWO already!) It was just a small party in that it was immediate family (parents, siblings with spouses and kids) and a few friends. Last year for their first birthday we had a huge party with a ton of people to help celebrate the milestone, but this year it was fun to just have a bit of family and friends over for the special occasion. We had a big lunch of all kinds of yummy food, followed by homemade cake and cupcakes, and then opened lots of fun presents. There were a lot of kids here as all of their cousins were able to come, as well as their other twin friends, so it was neat to watch them all interact. Everyone seemed to have a great time just playing and chatting. It was so fun to see the smiles on Abigail and Emma's faces when we sang to them. Then they actually blew out their own candles this year, which of course is quite different than last year when they hadn't gotten the hang of birthdays yet. The girls wanted to play with each toy, of course, so opening presents was a bit of a struggle to keep moving along. One thing that was a huge hit (and you'll see in some of the photos) were the ring pops someone gave them (which then we gave out to all the kids). Their big present from Mommy and Daddy were two new bikes for them, personalized with their names on them and everything. They got helmets to wear, and even though it was a bit chilly, they got to try them out in our cul-de-sac. The bikes are a huge hit! Some of the great other gifts they got included: lots of cute clothes, including swimsuits with flip flops and sunglasses, books, a bowling set, a tea party set, the Little People car and scooter, an abacus, a Mr. Potatoe Head family set, their very own name books, chalk and chalk mats, a hand-me-down crib for their babydolls, clothes for their baby dolls, chairs for outside in the summer, Madagascar 2 DVD, and so much more! We can't thank everyone enough for being here and for all of the great gifts! Needless to say, we have a lot of new things to help us make it through the end of winter! Overall, the girls had a great time, it was a wonderful party, and many memories were made!

"Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday Dear Abigail & Emma....Happy Birthday to YOU!!!"

Make a Wish and Blow Out Your Candles!

Opening Presents (Abigail on the Left, Emma on the Right)

The girls got so many fun new things!

More Fun Presents! And Mommy reading a card to Emma.

Abigail checking out the abacus. The girls getting their new bikes...notice the sunglasses and ring pop!

Testing their new bikes out inside the house.

All geared up, they are ready to head out! Here they go outside on their new bikes!

Abigail enjoying her birthday gift.

Emma enjoying her birthday gift.

Back inside, Abigail goes for the other gifts while Emma gets a cupcake...both still with their helmets on!

After the party, everyone was pretty tired out! Here are Austin, Abigail, Ethan, and Emma cuddling and relaxing.

Happy Valentine's Day!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:30:00 GMT

We know that Valentine's Day is not until Saturday, but we wanted to send out lots of hugs and kisses to our family and friends!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Emma and Abigail giving each other (Valentine) hugs!

Craft Time

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:02:00 GMT

Gramma and Grandpa Imler sent the girls a box of goodies for the upcoming Valentine's Day. We decided to open it early and take advantage of some of the things in it to have a little craft time today. Two of the things we opened included foam door hangers and foam stickers of cats and dogs. The girls selected the color of door hanger they wanted (both chose blue), and then they started handing me a cat or dog that they wanted to put on it. I would peel the sticker off the back of it for them, and then they would stick it down where they wanted it. I had to help a little with that as some stickers ended up half on the floor or on top of another one, but mostly they created their own little masterpieces. They had no idea that they are door hangers, so instead they wore them as bracelets and even danced around the kitchen with them on. I just wanted to share the crafty talents of my girls with you all! Thanks for the goodies, Gramma and Grandpa!

Abigail with her creation on her wrist and then dancing in circles with both of them.

Emma checking out what she made, and then dancing around with it.

Their Creations: Front and Back (They put stickers on both sides, of course!)

Just Too Cute

geriimler@yahoo.com — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:27:00 GMT

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share just how cute the girls are! Today, since we are snowed in again, we played inside the house. At one point, I looked up and saw both girls in the kitchen, coloring....under their table. They were just as content as could be, sitting there next to each other, sharing crayons and books, and being too, too, too cute! They sat under that table and colored for a good amount of time, so I snapped a few photos. Then, Abigail came out to sit in her OSU chair they had brought into the kitchen, and the next thing I see is Abigail leaning down to give Emma (sitting in front of her on the floor) a hug, and then rubbing her back. TOO ADORABLE! I luckily still had the camera by me and snapped a photo (though I was in another room so it is not very bright)! Then, Emma showed her Sissy something in a coloring book, which they "talked" about for a minute, before heading back under the table to color some more. Just a very nice, sisterly moment that I wanted to share since I was fortunate enough to have witnessed it. Enjoy!

Notice the selection (mess) they made for themselves in front of the table. Abigail is in pink, and Emma in purple.

When they thought I wasn't looking....Abigail giving Emma a hug, and then Emma showing Abigail a book. SO CUTE!

More Snow Fun!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:42:00 GMT

Yesterday, before the Super Bowl, we took the girls to play in the park as it was a bit warmer here and there was still a ton of snow to play in. We had to forge paths for them to be able to walk from the slide around to the steps, though, as it was pretty deep, and they didn't like to walk in it at first. They of course loved the swings, as usual, but then Tim came up with the idea to build a snowman for them. Now at home, we have books that have snowmen in them, but the girls have never seen one upclose before. Apparently the snow was great for rolling, and the girls watched in wonder as Tim made his masterpiece. It was so funny to watch them look up up up to the top of it! And Abigail tried to carry on a conversation at one point with it, though I don't think she got very much out of the snowman! After a while, Abigail decided to trudge off through the snow on her own, making her own path and enjoying it. She is definitely our explorer and adventurer! Emma just kept going down the slide and around the path back up to go down again...that girl sure loves a slide! Overall, our pants got really wet but, boy, did we have a great time out there! Now, today, when the girls see the snowman in the books we have, they have been so excited and shout about it since they have now seen one in person.

Abigail waving by the swings while Emma gets ready to push one. And the girls coming over to see what Daddy is making.

The girls checking out the snowman in progress. Daddy and his girls, Abigail & Emma, with his snowman creation.

I love this photo! Abigail and Emma (pointing) looking up up up at the top of the snowman as Daddy tries to put their hats on it.

Emma using the path we made for her to go back to the slide over and over again, while Abigail forges her own path through the playground.

All of our "snowprints!" Daddy's, Mommy's, Emma's, & Abigail's

Our Buddies

geriimler@yahoo.com — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:04:00 GMT

Last Wednesday, the girls got the chance to spend some time here at our house with their friends, Kirsten and Addie. Their mom and my friend, Hayley, was at the hospital having a baby! It had been a little while since our last playdate so the girls had a lot of fun playing together again. They got out just about every toy we have, had a picnic dinner here of mac-n-cheese, and just enjoyed being toddlers. Her girls talked our ears off by repeating everything I said, which was so adorable! Then, on Saturday, we headed over to their house to help celebrate Kirsten and Addie's second birthday. I can't hardly believe they are two already and that the girls will be two in a just a few weeks! Over there, the girls did a great job of nicely helping to open presents, loved the cake and ice cream they got to have, and boogied down on the piano with their buddies. Needless to say, the girls didn't want to come home for bathtime and bedtime as they were just having too much fun not only playing with their buddies, but playing with all of the fun toys there! I got some great birthday present ideas for Emma and Abigail, too, from seeing what Kirsten and Addie got from others! Overall, the girls have had a blast being with their pals again, and I just love seeing them together as it seems they are all growing up so fast!

At our house: (left to right) Abigail, Addie, Emma, & Kirsten

Abigail and Emma sitting down to enjoy some cake and ice cream at the birthday party.

Emma Abigail

Too funny! The girls LOVED playing the piano together. They danced and shook their shoulders to the prerecorded sounds. Here they are with one of Hayley's sisters and her mom helping to hold them all up to play and boogie together.

Snow Snow Snow!

geriimler@yahoo.com — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:46:00 GMT

Yesterday after naptime (and me shoveling half of the driveway and the sidewalk, thank you very much), I took the girls out to play in the mass amount of snow we have. I bundled them up with two pairs of pants, a onsie and sweatshirt, hat, mittens, and coats, and off we went. The girls had not seen this much snow before, so they were a little bewildered what to do with it. At first they just looked at it. Then they stood by it to see if it was taller than them. Then they saw I was making snowballs and wanted ones of their own. They quickly caught on to how to pick up the snowballs and how to throw them. They also really liked to stomp on the snow and snowballs. Then they figured out how to dig holes in the snow and really just started to explore it. I even got them to taste it, which Abigail thought was great, but Emma thought was a bit too cold for her. I caught Abigail "tasting" it off her gloves several times after I got her to try it! Abigail was a bit of a daredevil in that she waded into the deep part of the driveway that I didn't shovel. The snow came up pretty high on her legs, and she actually thought that was pretty neat to be "stuck" in the snow. Emma walked up and down the shoveled part of the driveway, stomping on the snow. In the end, we all ended up adding "sprinkles" (more snow) to our snow creations and pat, pat, patting them down. Overall, the girls did NOT want to come inside and had a wonderful time playing in all of the snow! Maybe we will head outside tomorrow for some more snow fun!

Emma Abigail

The girls measuring if the snow is taller than them....almost!

Abigail wading into the deeper snow and playing with snowballs.

Emma walking along the driveway, looking for more snowballs to stomp on.