Emily is 5 Years and 1 Months Old!

Emily is now 5 years and 1 month old!  The days are flying by lately and we have been SO busy- it's crazytown around here! Here's what's going on this month:

- Emily had an amazing time on our Royal Caribbean cruise earlier this month.  She had a BLAST in the Kids Club area and we loved that they had activities just for us. On the last night of the cruise the leaders told all the parents to meet in the theater-- they led all the kids out onto the stage and they danced and sang/acted out a hilarious little song about being pirates!  It was adorable and our girl LOVED it. We are eagerly awaiting our next cruise- it was one of our best family vacations to date.

- Em can now read probably 35-40 sight words and can decode many more.  She is amazing!  She loves to read but gets frustrated easily when it's difficult to read really big, long books (like Berenstein Bears).  It's hard to convince her that it's a marathon, not a sprint...but I guess that's a trait she comes by naturally. ;)

- She continues to struggle with dance class... not really sure if we will continue or not as I am getting WAY tired of fighting with her each week.  Maybe in the spring they might have a combo class with jazz and tap or something like that, which might work better for her.  It's a shame because she certainly loves to dance a lot at home!

- We have had a bunch of really nice days- lots of pretty weather for playing outside.  We've tried to take advantage as much as possible- we know it will be cold and gray all too soon!

- She adores dressing in matching outfits with Audrey.  We have A LOT but I don't photograph them in each set (shocking, I know!)  Here's a favorite of mine- I love these dalmatian shirts!

- We are heading into the holidays with great joy-- lots of family together-time and visiting with friends.  Check back for more pics and more adventures!! :)

Emily's 5 Year Checkup

Today Emily and I went to her well-child visit at the pediatrician.  Her stats:

weigh: 44lbs
height: 43.75"

She passed her hearing and vision screenings with flying colors and things were going well in the appointment right up until the pedi had to examine her bottom area....and alerted me to the fact that Emily didn't have on any underwear!!!!!  How embarassing.... I almost died!  Emily was laughing like crazy-- I SWEAR she did it on purpose!!! She is a mess...she looked completely healthy and the doctor was very proud of her and how smart she is, how much she is reading, etc.  We had lunch together after the appointment and overall just had a great day together.  Love that sweet girl!

Potty Time, Excellent!

In true Ferguson fashion, it appears that Audrey is following Emily's footsteps and choosing, HERSELF, when potty training shall begin.  Just like Emily did, Audrey just completely refused to put on a diaper last Saturday.  We weren't going anywhere, just hanging around the house, so I slipped some panties onto her and let her be.  Imagine my surprise when she ran out of the bathroom and yelled, "I PEED A POTTY!" Sure enough, she had!!! I was so proud and made a big deal about it with Paul and Emmy joining in.  Audrey got to pick a "canny" (candy) and was thrilled with herself.  She has even kept it up- on Sunday we went to see my parents and she pottied all day there (she wore a diaper to and from their house, though).  Monday she had one little accident at school and today, Tuesday, she peed all day AND pooped on the potty!  I am insanely proud of her and this newfound habit.....maybe my Christmas gift from her can be no more diapers to change??? Whatever the outcome, she's had an amazing several days.  I am way proud!

Mommy and Daddy Vacation- Las Vegas 2012

Paul had a conference in Las Vegas a few weeks ago so we were very fortunate to be able to go together and enjoy a short vacation.  We definitely made the most of our time there-- we saw Rodney Carrington at MGM Grand, shot machine guns at a firing range, Cirque de Soleil's show Zumanity at New York New York, took a helicopter tour to over Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, and landing in the Grand Canyon, and finally saw Blue Man Group at the Monte Carlo.  It was a terrific trip!

Machine Guns Las Vegas:

Helicopter Tour:

Vacation 2012

We are home from our vacation and I am finally ready to update!  We left on November 2 and flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and drove to Lake Worth that night.  The next day we spent in West Palm Beach with my grandparents, who turn 90 and 98 this month.  It was amazing to see them and to see how well they still get around.  I was so glad they got to see/meet the girls (this was Emily's 2nd time seeing them, Audrey's first).

Sunday morning we arrived in Port Canaveral and Paul and his dad enjoyed a day at Kennedy Space Center.  Judging by the photos, I'd say they saw some amazing things, including the space shuttle Atlantis, which just arrived there recently.  The girls and Granny and I just hung around the hotel and played in the pool- heaven!!!

We left around lunchtime on Monday to board the "cruise boat" (as Emily called it) for our 5 night cruise.  This was our first time and though there are some elements I would definitely change (cabin much higher on the ship than our was, pick a ship with onboard activities for both children, choose a slightly larger room, choose a newer and bigger boat), we had a fantastic time.  The girls loved the experience and had a wonderful time at Cococay and Nassau.  My little world travelers, haha!  I ended up not taking a single photo after we left my grandparents' house-- the girls were just so busy I never had a moment when I felt safe enough to take my eyes off of them.  Luckily my father in law had his camera so we do have some photos of our trip.  We really loved the idea of cruising and enjoyed seeing new places....I can't wait to go again!

Audrey is 2 Years and 2 Months Old!

Sweet Audrey is 2 years and 2 months old and getting more fun every day!  This month was a big one for her and we have had such a great time!

- She enjoyed Halloween SO much this year.  She loved trick or treating and we even had a few "Hoarders" moments when she wouldn't put the candy into the bag- just kept all her candy clutched tightly in her fists!  It was too funny.  We had a fantastic time at the home of some friends who have a big Halloween get-together each year.  My girls were so happy that night! They also enjoyed their school parties and I enjoyed getting to read to their classes that day.

- My sweet girls became World Travelers this month on our cruise to the Bahamas.  We also got to see my grandparents, who turn 90 and 98 this month.  It was SO nice to see them while we were in Florida and I know they were glad to see the girls (and meet Audrey for the first time!)  I had a blast showing the girls and Paul around my grandparents' building and condo area, walking the beach, and showing off the super-fancy homes just down the road in Manalapan.  We had an amazing trip!

- Audrey can dress and undress herself now...this is somewhat amusing to see and sometimes downright shocking (like going into her room at 2 am and finding her completely naked!!!)

- We had our first snow this month (crazy!) and she had a BLAST playing in it for the very first time! 

- She has discovered Ovaltine (my accommodation for Emily wanting chocolate milk) and now constantly asks for "chockit mulk" haha!

- She can identify circle, square, triangle, and "twinkle star" shapes, as well as pink and green and sometimes red and blue colors.

- She has really been taking care of her babies a lot this month- so sweet to watch her love on them, feed them/give them a drink/ change their diapers, etc.  She is quite a good little mommy!

- She fell asleep in my arms again this month- I took a picture because you never know when they won't let you rock them anymore!

- We drove to Parkersburg to return Charlie to my mom and Audrey had a great time with Granna and Pop and getting to meet my dad for lunch.

- That's it for right now...lots more posts and photos coming soon!

Emily is 5 Years Old!

We've had a wonderful fall, celebrating the changing of the seasons and prepping for Emily's big birthday!

- We've spent lots of time playing outside and enjoying the swing set.

 - We took a trip with some preschool friends to a pumpkin patch nearby.  The girls had a great time riding the tractor and doing the corn maze, not to mention picking out their own pumpkins right from the patch! 

-Emily has started reading, and writing, A LOT.  As in, ALL the time.  She does an AMAZING job sounding out her words and although she uses a lot of what are considered "inventive" spellings, they are, for the most part, phonetically correct.  She is amazing!

- she is growing like a little weed again.  All her pants are a size 6 now because her legs are so long.  She also needs a mid-weight winter coat because her arms are too long for last year's, ha!  I will get on that task next week. :)

- she is sleeping much better lately- thank the Lord!  It has been a rough several months, for sure.  So glad she is back to sleeping more soundly and not staying awake for hours on end.

- she got a gorgeous little girls' vanity for her birthday and spends LOTS of time sitting in front of it now, practicing her dance moves and pretending to put on makeup.  So adorable!

Be sure to check back soon!  Lots of fun things happening in the next few months! :)