our big girl

i have been meaning to do a post about emma for a while now. she has just gotten so big and so independent! we've been really busy so i haven't done a great job capturing all that she has learned and accomplished lately, but here's a peek at two of her recent big "moments." i love this girl to pieces!

our local library has a rule that you have to be able to write your first and last name in order to get your library card. emma has reached that accomplishment! last friday, after story time, we headed over to the counter and applied for emma's own library card. she did such a great job!

getting ready for the headshot. don't you love her with her little purse?

cheese...

the librarian was super nice and didn't mind the kids crowding around behind the counter to see the picture

waiting for the card to print out (not sure what elise is looking at)

here you go, emma!

an official library card holder!

emma is also playing soccer for the first time, through the ymca. her very first practice was a bit rocky in the beginning. she didn't want to be out on the field without either me or allan, but now she just runs out there and does her thing. can't wait for her first game this thursday!

and this is just a cute picture of emma holding up her letter cookies. she was so excited that two of them got stuck together and spelled 'hi!'

family time!

my parents and aunt from hong kong came to visit us last week and the kids had such a great time with them that they barely slept a wink. as soon as morning came, they jumped out of bed ready for another fun and adventurous day. my aunt does tai chi every morning so the kids watched her intriguingly while she did it in our yard. the kids also couldn't get enough of gong-gong and po-po (grandpa and grandma). my mom said that each morning she would find the kids sitting on the floor in her room staring at her until she woke up. they are so silly! we went on many walks, played at the park many times, had lots of great food, went to toys 'r us to pick out goodies (spoiled!), and us girls got to go shopping sans kids one night! the best part for me was getting to sleep in because my mom and aunt took care of the kids and fed them breakfast in the morning...yah! the last time i saw my aunt was 4 years ago. so glad she was able to come with my parents to visit us again!

my three little turkeys

lucas and gong-gong

the whole gang, but separately b/c we needed a photographer

my sweet girls

my aunt (my mom's sister), me, and my mom

fast friends

last summer i got to spend a weekend in seattle with a gal from my church who is originally from hong kong. it was neat and refreshing to spend time chatting in cantonese with her, which is something i don't get to do very often now that i'm away from home. she was able to teach all three of her kids to speak cantonese even though her husband is caucasian and speaks zero chinese. it makes me really, really want to teach my kids chinese! anyway, we became fast friends and my kids have come to ADORE her daughter and son even though they are way older. they came over for a visit the other night and after lily and riley played some cool tunes on the piano for me (they are both phenomenal pianists!) riley captivated lucas and emma with a bedtime story. the next day, i took my parents over to their house for a visit and here are some pictures of the kids with their newfound friends. pretty sweet.

siblings

elise & elisa

lucas, emma, and riley

doing the robot

a simple room for e&e

a while ago i posted about elise moving into a big girl bed and the two girls moving into the same room together. i promised to show a picture of their new digs, so here it is. it's pretty simple, just like the rest of our house, but that's the way i like it!