Our Baby is 5 :(

Happy Birthday Sweet Emily.......I suppose that should have been the title, but I am feeling a bit sad. The time has slipped through our fingers and I am hoping we grabbed on to as much of your toddler days as we could possibly stuff into our memory banks!
A few things are still true even as you grow up......you will always be our baby and you know that and make sure your sisters know that too. Even though you are a big girl who can do everything on her own (and has been able to for a while) you completely enjoy being the baby of the family.
I don't even know where to begin to recap your year.....so let me just jot down a few things that are simply Emily......
"I'm seriously" is one of your most often used phrases. This means you are serious about what you are telling us.
"By the way" is another phrase you say often, which makes be laugh ever time I hear it for some reason. Just sounds funny coming from a little person.
You speak very clear and use some mighty big words for a 5 year old ie, that is inappropriate! I died laughing when you said that to Abby because she was pulling her shirt up for everyone to see. Preschool this year hasn't really been your thing for some reason. I haven't figured out what the deal is. Needless to say you have missed your fair share of school. Though you do seem to like it when you are there. You and Mary are still best buddies. She gave you a Barbie with puppies that poops for your birthday. You and your sisters loved it.

Today we are heading to the rodeo for your birthday with your Aunt Ruth, Natalie and your MawMaw. 5 years ago today we had plans to go to the rodeo before our little Emily was born, but you decided to come a little bit early, so those plans got pushed aside for a trip to the hospital.
So very thankful for the day you were born my sweet Emily. You have a smile that lights up my heart every time I see it.

I LOVE YOU EMILY.....HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY!

Does the Toothfairy have wings?

My lost tooth is gone is Abby speak, but what she is really saying is my loose tooth is gone! Just to clear that up....in case anyone was wondering.

Abby lost her second tooth today. She was bound and determined to pull that thing out TODAY! She let me try to pull it out, but I think it hurt a little too much so she decided to do it on her her own. She had her bloody paper towel that she had to keep changing out as it became too bloody for her to use. She worked and worked at it, as she said, "twisting and pulling, twisting and pulling".
She was so excited when it finally come out, good thing since the new tooth had already popped up weeks ago! She drew all kinds of pictures to tell the story of her lost tooth and taped them to the back door, so everyone would know the story when they arrived home. She even took her tooth and tooth pillow to her art class to show everyone!
She was excited to put it under her pillow that night. Hoping for dollars not coins. The rest of the day I got 500 questions about the toothfairy.
The most memorable, "Do Toothfaries have wings?" I said, "I don't know I have never seen the toothfairy." again well do you think they have wings? Fortunately Emily piped up, Yes, they have wings, I saw it on a commercial and they have wings so they can fly.
She decided to try putting it under her pillow the next night to see if the toothfairy would come back.....and I am sure you can guess the ending to that story!

Copper Mountain Ski Trip

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emily's 5th birthday cards

Presto Blocks Girl Birthday Invitation

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Snowmobiling In The Stratus Clouds

Abby has been learning about clouds at school and when we got the the highest point on our snowmobile trip (12,000 feet) we were up with the clouds we couldn't even see the Continental Divide until we dropped a bit lower.
The sun was gone and the snow was coming down on and off. We had dressed in our ski gear but the guides suggested, since we were from Houston, to go ahead and put snowsuits on. We looked and felt like marshmallows! And before we left David and I were starting to sweat like pigs! Fortunately, that didn't last too long.
Olivia got to ride with the guide, so she had an extra fun ride!
At one point the girls got to ride on little snowmobiles but only round and round a track.....they wanted to take off on the trail, but they loved having control for a little while. I was impressed Emily could actually drive it and stay on course! They loved it.

Olivia


Emily in the tan and Abby behind her.



David had Emily on his snowmobile and she kept dosing off! It was funny, the guide told him that would happen with little ones her age. How you drive and try to hold on to a sleeping kid....I don't know how David did it!
We stopped on the way down for some yummy hot chocolate, that Emily gulped down before any of us had finished!
Before we knew it our tour was over....and it was time to get out of the marshmallow clothes....but all the girls wanted to do was play in the mounds and mounds of snow everywhere!

ski school complete

No pictures of the great day we had. It's hard to bring a camera to the slopes, especially when you are in ski school all day.
It was a beautiful sunny day. We could not have asked for better weather for learning how to ski.
The girls had a blast. I actually enjoyed myself and didn't fall once! David said he shouldn't have bothered with ski school but after 15 years he was thinking he might need a refresher course.....apparently once you learn how, (just like riding a bike) you don't forget.
Olivia was our star skier. She picked it right up and her instructer said she was really good and ready to go. Abby is good but needed more practice. They both went on the ski lifts multiple time and went on a trail that I didnt' even go on during my lessons!
Emily had a blast and made friends with the lifts guys that were running the magic carpet. Her intructer said she did great for a 4 year old. And even though she didn't know it is was already using her edges to turn. She had fun and wants to go back. Which see will, as she was not ready to try out the lifts and go down a trail.
We will take a break tomorrow from sking and go back Saturday for more sking. This time as a family!

The Ski Trip Begins and so does the Silky Saga!

It was a very long travel day.....we started by car then plane, train, bus, then another car and at last after 14 hours we arrive at our destination.....Copper Mountain Colorado!
Unfortunately before we even left Houston we realized two of our children had left there silkies!!! Of course the oldest was beside herself and pretty much cried the entire trip except when she was sleeping!
We stopped at Walmart to buy our groceries for the week, and David told her we would buy her another one there. Well it wasn't you typical suburban Walmart....the baby section was some what lacking, so we ending up with a maroon size 20 slip, that we cut in half so they could each have one. Not that Abby really needed it, she never cried or was bothered by the fact that she did not have her silky.
We arrived in the dark and it was very very cold in the negative degrees and it seemed like it took forever for our condo to warm up!
We are hoping for a sunny day tomorrow as we all head off to ski school!

Shout out to Jenna

Well I hear my niece Jenna is not liking that I am not keeping up with the bloggings of the Princess Talk. So hear is a shout out to you Jenna.....I am glad someone besides your sweet little cousins are reading our blog.
Goodness knows I have plenty of stories to tell.....that, unfortunately, didn't get told in November, December and now January.....probably to be forgotten forever.
But here is one I will always remember.....
Abby's favorite place to spend the night these days is with her cousin Jenna. She could spend the night there every weekend and be happy and apparently she wouldn't mind going to live with them! On one of her returns from Jenna's house I asked her why she liked to go ove there so much and did she just want to go live with them? She didn't answer but the look on her face said it all.
Thank you Jenna for always asking Abby to come spend the night....she loves it and she loves you!

Note to Santa

The cookies and milk were set out for Santa tonight as usual, but this year I also found a special note for Santa. Had to snap a picture to remember this one. I am curious about the reason for this note, especially considering my conversation with Olivia couple of years ago when she asked me for the truth......"Was Santa real?" I won't elaborate on that story now....but one day!

Silent NIght

Emily had her preschool Christmas program Sunday afternoon. Silent Night was the song her class was too sing. Of course she has been singing that song day and night for weeks, she busts out singing at random times. Though this child really always has a song heart. She sings a lot.
Anyway back to the story. That afternoon, her voice is the voice you hear above everyone else in her class. Pretty cute.....glad she knew all the words. When we were leaving a lady comes over to me and says, "good thing they had her singing up there."
She was no doubt very loud.
The next Monday at school the director makes a comment on what an "enthusiastic" singer she was, and how she really surprised her teacher since she never sang at all when they were practicing!
Stubborn Emily....I am not surprised at all.

White Elephant

I was shopping today with Emily and Abby today. We had been in one store a while when Abby said, " Momma, why are you buying a gift for a white elephant?" A big smile came across my face and the lady beside us started laughing. I had been talking on the phone earlier to my sister telling her I was going shopping because I needed a present for the white elephant. It was obvious that Abby had been pondering my words for sometime and finally decided to ask.
Too cute!

A New Family Tradition???? Creekside CampOut 2010

BABY, it's COLD OUTSIDE!!!! That was what I was saying at 4 am when I woke up and had to tromp to the bathroom, actually I was saying that at 10:30 pm when I put the down comforter over my head to go to sleep!!
Yes, the Simpson family finally went tent camping.....sorta....yes, we were in a tent and yes we were outside but we were only 15 minutes from our house in The Woodlands at Creekside. They provided the fun and food and you just brought your tent and sleeping gear.
David planned for this months out. I thought I was going to get out of it but as the camp out came closer, it really sounded like fun. Of course Olivia started having "issues" with going even though both of us were going. Which is really why I decided to go because Olivia definitely wasn't going if I didn't go. Fortunately, she got over her issues and went and had a blast.
We arrived about 3:00 in the afternoon Saturday. Started setting up our tent only to discover the cover to the tent had been left at home. Thank goodness we were only 15 minutes from home,because back home David went. Good thing he did seeing as the next morning we woke up to a soaking wet tent with frost covering everything left out that night!
We had loads of fun, lots and lots of crafts, an awesome playground, nighttime scavenger hunt, movie, making smores, hot chocolate, popcorn, yummy barbecue dinner, hanging out as a family and of course sleeping in a tent!
It was freezing cold but we survived. This was the Saturday night we "fell" back for daylight savings, we were up at the crack of dawn and our hosts had breakfast ready early. Needless to say we ate and quickly packed it up and headed for home. When we got into the car the temperature in the car said 38 degrees....no telling what it was before the sun came up!
Of course my camera went dead after dinner so I have no pictures of our tent or our lovely sleeping arrangements.
Everyone agrees we must go back next year....especially since we were too tired to play flashlight tag! Which is what the girls were most looking forward too. Poor Emily was ready to go to sleep when we were on the scavenger hunt. We came back made smores had hot chocolate and did a few more crafts and she was begging to go to sleep. I took her to the tent to make the beds up and get dressed for bed. By the time her sisters got there, she was sooo excited about going to sleep she was bouncing off the tent walls!
Everyone fell asleep quickly even though lights out was midnight and there was plenty still going on around us. It was a cold night but the girls slept perfectly, they had two grown ups keeping them very warm!
We made some great memories last night....Thanks Daddy for planning such a fun outing for us! We love you!

Happy Halloween 2010

Last night we had all the cousins over for our annual trick or treating! This year we added a new cousin....Linley! Sweet baby Linley wasn't even three weeks old yet but we think she had fun! Also this year Allison, Emma and Meagan joined the fun and everyone had a blast.
Emily was Minnie Mouse, one of her favorite characters ever , so far in her 4 years on this earth! She had to go trick or treating on her scooter and no one was going to talk her out of it. She had been planning it for days. When asked how she was going to carry her candy bag, she already had a plan. She was a mess on that thing and by the end of the night she was shoeless and had a bloody toe that she didn't even know about! All she knew was she had fun.
Abby was Supergirl this year. She picked that costume out quickly when we went shopping. Olivia was a witch, a cute witch that is. I remember when I was a witch as a kid and I wasn't very cute looking. Wonder where that photo is??? We took our annual picture on the stairs with all the cousins, this year it was more chaotic than ever......but oh such great memories!