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Celebrating 8 Years

Turning 8 was definitely great and possibly the best birthday yet! I am so proud of the little lady Emerson is becoming. I’m regularly blown away by her thoughtfulness and inquisition and while I caught a glimpse of a premature teenage attitude over the summer, she is silly and sweet to the core. Her enthusiasm for animals has not slowed down and to her list of interests I’d like to add tiny ‘surprise’ toys, Descendants and The Greatest Showman, math games, bracelet making, and the great outdoors (still a ‘yes’ for bugs and worms). We celebrated her birthday with the usual sugar overload for breakfast and a visit from her dad and I over lunch. Birthdays...

Golden Girl Birthday

For her very special golden birthday, my sweet girl wished for her very own locker to safely keep her very special treasures. Hours of painful locker assembly proved worthwhile when I saw just how surprised she was to wake up to a double-decker locker right there in her room. For breakfast we indulged in the traditional donut plate and when I showed up for lunch at school with Gaga and Mimi she was more than excited! After school we met her dad at the Nature Center for some play time and finally opened gifts at home before hitting up her choice for dinner — Pizza Ranch. It was a great day, and turning 8 really took it...

‘Tis the Season

The beginning of Advent this year was marked by another particularly special event which set our hearts and heads leaping into the Christmas season. Emerson wasn’t baptized as a baby and although we couldn’t come to a consensus on where that should take place when she was born, we finally agreed to have it done in the church she attends with her dad. It’s difficult as a mother to feel like an outsider when it comes to our children’s milestones but I keep reminding myself that parenting is less about control and more about letting go. As it turned out, this baptism couldn’t have come at a better time. The holidays can easily...

Shooting Star 6th Birthday

Meet my SIX year old, Emerson! As per birthday guidelines, we began the day with donuts and a birthday serenade by yours truly. Is there a better way? There is not. To make her day extra special, Gaga and I joined her for lunch at school and she goofed off in true Kindergarten fashion… Later that day, her dad joined us for pizza, presents, cake and to watch The Jungle Book because we are obsessed! We ended the day exactly where it started — with a plate of sugary treats, lots of laughs and a sleepy birthday girl. I hope all of her wishes come true this year and that her dreams are just...

Kindergarten Kid

As of last week, Kindergarten is in full swing! What a difference a year makes — Emerson spent her last week as a five-year old full of confidence and total excitement for the start of a new year. While much has changed at Spirit Lake elementary over the past 25 years, some things have not changed at all… such as Mrs. Hegeman. I never in a million years thought I’d be able to say Emerson and I had the same kindergarten teacher! It fills my mom heart to see her skip down those halls and into her classroom every morning and up to this point I still get a big hug before she leaves me to start her...