Zoo Time and Hot Winter

January 3, 2010
After the first of the year the weather turned really warm. While the rest of the US was getting snow, San Diego was in the 70's and 80's. I had to pull together warm clothes for Emma to wear as all her summer clothes were to small. Luckily my sisters had given Emma some clothes a size to big last year and they really came in handy for the warm streak in the winter.
We spent the warm weekends at the Zoo. We took Emma on the bus and for the first time we got to sit on top.


We also spent time exploring all areas of the zoo like Monkey Trails and our new favorite, Elephant Odyssey.
Emma made fast friends with a tapir and she pretended to pet it and tell it stories while it licked her through the glass.

Emma also like getting to climb on all the cool new statues and boy is mommy's tummy beginning to pop. But the fresh air and walking is good for us all while the weather last.

A Short Visit

December
After ChristmasEmma's Grandma and Grandpa Sugar Pie came for a weeks visit during the Christmas holiday. I wish it had been longer as my dad made wonderful food for me to eat every day. Emma also enjoyed the being spoiled by grapefruit mornings and homemade pizza dinners.
Emma was all to happy to help out in the kitchen at every meal and my dad made use of her busy little hands.

Emma loved running in to wake Grandma and Grandpa up every morning and have tea parties in bed with them and all her stuffed toys. She loved all the extra attention and getting to choose to stay home with Grandma to read stories and build or help Grandpa shop for more yummy ingredients to keep mommy happily fed.

In the evenings Emma took every opportunity to snuggle in with her grandma after baths and play this little piggy.

But the trip was way to short for us all and are already looking forward to their visit in June when the baby is born.

Christmas 2009

December 22, 2009
This year Emma and I decided to tackle making a gingerbread house. Not too bad for our first time out. But truth be told, I'm really glad we only have to do it once a year. What a load of work. I did all the icing and Emma did all the candy parts. Great team work!


December 25, 2009
Christmas Morning
For Christmas this year Emma told Santa she wanted a red balloon. Santa said it wouldn't last long and what if it popped right away. Emma replied "That's okay, that's all I want." But leave it to Santa to still bring such a good little girl a very special dollhouse fully furnished and a family too.


Daddy had to finally go in and wake Emma up around 8:00 because we just couldn't take waiting any longer. We had a busy week, not to mention a full Christmas Eve so Emma was all to happy to sleep in.

She was over joyed with her dollhouse and started playing right away. Mommy and Daddy were prepared as well with extra accessories for the dollhouse and extra people as well as a few more special toys and puzzles. Mommy and Daddy also got a bit spoiled with new sunglasses by Gucci, Tom Ford, Maui Jim's and Porsche before we headed out to Grandma and Grandpa's house.


A very large train set was waiting for Emma and she was over the moon as she just loves Thomas the train.

She happily spent the morning helping pass out gifts, open gifts and generally get excited about all the good stuff everyone got.
After a morning of fun and then stuffing ourselves on some of Grandma's famous cooking. My mom and dad arrived safely from Colorado and joined up with us in RB. Then we all headed out to our home for some much needed sleep.

But first....
There were a few more gifts to open and play with before one last dance with Grandpa and then it was off to bed.
What a long but very fun filled and merry Christmas!

Christmas Photo Shoot 2009

Emma with Santa at UTC.

Grandma's 60th

December 12, 2009

After a short time home, we were off to Vegas to celebrate Grandma's 60th birthday. I had sworn up and down that I would never go to Vegas pregnant again, but such things can't always be avoided. Luckily it was a short one night stay and then home again. And even better it was a the home of our good friends Irene and Joe! They put on a wonderful party and invited Jean's good friends from all over. It was so nice to see Lowell and Nancy from Texas, as well as some of Jean's good friends from San Diego.
Emma was so excited about Grandma's big day that she wanted to help get her all her gifts to open and shared in the joy of each gift that was given.


It was a wonderful celebration of 60 years of a life full of love and happiness.

Colorado National Monument

November 28, 2009

On our last day in Colorado Grandpa took us on a drive through the Colorado National Monument which is about 10 minutes from his house.


It's a pretty drive and if you don't mind heights you will be just fine, I was scared to death the whole 2 hours but was fine every time we stopped at a look out.
It was cold and windy but a beautiful sunny day just the same. Some of the railings were a bit of a joke, I think the one in front of Emma and I in the picture below was just there so you would know there was a drop off. I just couldn't get that close.

Emma was so cute taking her cheeky monkey with her. She wanted him to see the sights and the snow too.
Auntie Bernadette came along too, so to enjoy a bit of time with her little Emma.
Peering over the edge was something I am just not good at but everyone else didn't seem to mind.
Donald got some great shots of the the monument. It was a great day for it.
On the way home Emma got REALLY hungry so Grandpa saved the day when he stopped at at store and brought out a banana for her and monkey to share. It was gone in a mater of seconds. I barely got these two shots in.

Hip Hip Ouray!

November 28, 2009

After a day of Black Friday Shopping, Donald, Emma, Grandpa Sugar Pie, Victoria and I all headed out to the Rockies to a wonderful little town called Ouray.

Daddy was all to happy to jump out in the freezing cold in his Kabob shop shirt to get this shot...notice the lovely Movember stash he has been growing :)

(side note: We are all really proud of all the work and fund raising Donald did during the Movember campaign for Men's health. He got his entire company to participate and raise funds. Donald raised $4,000 and was 193 in the Nation and his team was 155 for his hard work and fund raising.)


Emma and Daddy stepped out into the cold and Emma was a bit shocked once the first gust of wind hit her.


Tori and Emma walking the shops feeling a bit more comfortable in the cold.


Ouray is the place to go if you want to go ice climbing. No climbing was being done today but it still was pretty to look at.


They have these bridges you can walk out on, but I wasn't any good at being out there to look down at the ice so this shot of Emma and Daddy was as good as I could do.


Grandpa and Emma soon found the snow and Grandpa was all to happy to show Emma how to make snowballs.

Daddy and the camera soon came the target of Tori and Grandpa's snowballs. Donald did great dogging them.

There were some wonderful look out points as well as opportunities to get some clean snow for Emma to try :)
Emma enjoying her first bite of snow.


After a cool day out to Ouray, nothing beats a jacuzzi bubble bath!

Emma loves Grandma and Grandpa's jacuzzi tub and all the amazing bubble is makes. She had a blast and warmed right up!


And after the bath what's more Leppink then a hot game of Yahtzee!
Of course no one was very thrilled with Grandpa having Emma on his team to help him win.
But Emma sure had a blast! And Uncle Tim would have been thrilled to know that there is still so much love and fun being played around the table he made 10 years ago!

Then it was a horse ride to bed provided by Auntie Bernadette.