The Big 2

Believe it or not, Emilie turned two last week! Here are some pictures from her big day.

With her "Up Cakes"

She loves the "pooh" her Daddy sent her

Shoes!

Her Rella dress

Her very own Rella Up Cake!

Rella is also a spoon...

Just ignore the time lapse.

After many unsuccesful attempts at a full blown update of the past few months, I've decided it is too dang overwhelming (or boring) to do and I have decided to give the Clif Notes version of an update. Nathan has been in Afghanistan since July, he is alive and homesick and should be home around February 1st. Emilie have been in Ohio since July. We are alive, not really homesick, but we do really miss Nathan! Emilie finally had tubes put in a little over a month ago and so far we have had no new ear infections (she has had about 15 in the last year so this is a HUGE improvement!) Emilie is the girliest of all girly girls. She loves Cinderella ("Rella"), Sleeping Beauty ("The Drean" as in The Dream, for Once Upon a Dream,) fancy dresses ("dancin"), tutus ("dancin"), dress up shoes ("dancin shoe shoes"), tiaras ("heir" as in hair), jewelry ("fritties" as in pretties), anything with glitter ("oohhh"), and anything to do with dancing. She is at such a fun and cute age and I am so sad that Nathan is missing so much right now. Luckily he gets to call pretty much every day so he is pretty well informed, so really I can't complain. Well, not too much anyway :) So that's the past few months in a nutshell. We aren't very exciting people. Now that I don't have the big update looming over my head I should be much better at posting on here. Thanks for hanging in there!


Emilie plays this game where she goes "night-nights" on the stairs. If only she enjoyed going to sleep in reality too!

Ballerina PJ's, Sesame Street toolbelt, doll stroller, puppy dog and a fiber one bar. Don't ask me where she comes up with these combinations.
Washing her toe-toes. Always having fun, always making a mess too!
A knight and his princess. Ben actually decided that Emilie should be a pink princess with sparklies for Halloween. (This is before the real Halloween, I would never put orange bows with a pink dress!) Reading on the stairs. Emilie sits all her dolls on the stairs and tells them over and over to sit. Then she tells me "sit Mommy, sit!" It's a very cute game.
The proper way to wear a crown. Riding the "hee-hee" (horse)
These are her favorite PJ's. They are her "Goo (girl) Rella" PJ's. She picked them out at Babies R Us and would wear them all day everyday if I let her. Personally, I think the crown and shoes add just the right touch!
Trick or treat at the zoo. I'll post pictures from the real Halloween when I get them from my sister. I actually forgot to bring my camera somewhere!

You know Emilie is sick when...

...she falls asleep watching Blue's Clues! Emilie has never randomly fallen asleep anywhere before, so she must be pretty sick. Please give me a few more days and I swear I will post a real update :)

Will Update Soon.

Scouts honor!

Ooohhh!

Emilie is in love with Sleeping Beauty at the moment. We downloaded the soundtrack and were dancing to it and this is what she does at the beginning of "I Know You."

Good Thing They're Washable!

A Germaphobe's Worst Nightmare!

I know I am totally failing at staying off the computer, but I am stressed and feel like blogging so that is what I am doing! If you know me well you probably know I am a bit of a clean freak/germaphobe and am a bit paranoid about contagious illnesses. I think some higher power is either trying to ensure that I have a stress ulcer or cure me of my phobias. You see, in preparation for Nathan to deploy he has to get a bunch of random immunizations. I'm not such a big fan of regular immunizations to start, and I'm always skeptical when it comes to the military injecting Nathan with who knows what (I know I sound crazy but I have a few conspiracy theories. I don't trust the Air Force.) So when Nathan told me he was going to get his pre-deployment shots today I wasn't thrilled, but whatever he has to get them and really it's not that big of a deal. Then he brought home this crazy pamphlet about the smallpox vaccine he was just given and says something along the lines of "I have to spray the shower with bleach." Ummm... what? Apparently the smallpox vaccine contains a live virus (not actual smallpox but something like it) and the injection sight is VERY contagious for about 30 days. Also, all bodily fluids can be contaminated as well, which Nathan just so happens to have a cold right now. So basically Emilie and I are supposed to avoid contact with Nathan for the next month and he has been instructed to do the following crazy things:

1. Keep the injection site covered with a bandage at all times to minimize risk of spreading.

2. Dispose of bandages by placing them in a Ziploc bag and spray bandage with bleach

solution and discard bag where no children or pets can reach.

3. Keep all dirty laundry separate and in a sealed garbage bag. Wash in hot water and with

bleach if possible.

4. When showering cover injection site with waterproof bandage.

5. After showering, spray entire shower and tub surfaces with bleach solution. Don't cover

injection site with a bandage for at least two hours after showering (what about #1?)

6. Wash hands with soap or use hand sanitizer after touching injection site.

7. Do not swim until injection site has scabbed over and scab has completely fallen off.

8. Discard scab in plastic bag and dispose where children and pets cannot reach. (Those last

two really makes me want to throw up!!!)

9. Do not allow anyone else to handle contaminated bandages, laundry or bedding until scab is

completely gone.

Basically Nathan has the plague and everything he comes in contact with is going to spread it. Okay, not exactly, but I do kinda feel that way right now. It is rare that cross-contamination occurs, but we are a bit freaked out right now. The best part is that Nathan could have just asked to be immunized in Afghanistan, but alas, he did not. I just hope we survive the next month without any smallpox outbreaks or nervous breakdowns. I'm sure I will relax in a few days, but rest assured, my house will be extra sanitary for a while!