Santa arrives via big blue hot air balloon!

Our local mall hosts a "Breakfast with Santa" each year. I bought our tickets on Thursday and found out it was also tether rides with Santa in a hot air balloon. A really cool idea but probably not for our 2 year old with a fear of Santa Claus as is!

We arrived at the mall this morning and there is a big blue hot air ballon being inflated. We go inside for the Chik-fil-a breakfast and activities. The Elves are creating balloon animals so we get in line. Moments later Emma starts pointing and yelling "Santi Caws" over and over again. We looked behind us and Santa & Mrs. Claus were in the air in front of the mall.

We were in Group B so we finish our breakfast and attempt to take Emma's picture with Rudolph. She gives him several high-fives and danced all around him but was not into a posed photo. We went to the reindeer food station and the ornament station...then it was time for our group to get in line outside. It was so cold - like 40 degrees out! Emma was having fun dancing around to the Christmas music and watching Santa go up in the big balloon with other kids...until they call for us to step up to the balloon. She freaked and started screaming. We got her calmed down and told her she did not have to sit in the balloon - just tell Santa hi with Mommy. We get up there and she is clinging to me and teary eyed but she does say "Hi Santi Caws" and gives him a wave and a high-five.

We ran a few errands around town this evening and the same hot air balloon was in the air. Emma kept asking "Why Santi Caws?" and we kept telling her he must be lost on his way back to the North Pole. We have a feeling that hot air balloons will be forever tied to "Santi Caws" after this morning!

Emma's random two year oldness.

I love how Emma is right now - stringing words together, new words everyday, giggling, putting together crazy outfits, snuggling with Mommy, loving on her Boo bunny, wanting to watch Wiggles and Dora all. the. time. I am trying to enjoy every moment - even the stubborn ones - because time is moving way too fast!

Trick or Treating

This year we decided to take Emma up to the Square for actual Trick or Treating. We have just taken her up to Granny & Diggie and GeeGee & Grandad's houses before. She totally got the idea and would say "tick or teat - two teats pease" when she approached the candy givers. She is totally into two lately. It has to be two toys, two books, two cookies, two pieces of cheese, you get the idea. She will be please to know that she has two cousins now. Peytonn welcomed a baby brother named Bennett this morning!

Pumpkin Patch...one visit, two.

I am so behind in sharing pictures! Our computer crashed on us but we just got a new one and thankfully, we had all our pictures on a back up drive. So here are a few of my favorites from our pumpkin patch visits. The first visit was with Jon's parents to our local Walden Farm and the second was with my family to the Pumpkin Festival in Westfield, IN. It was HOT out for both trips but it is finally feeling like fall weather now!

Pictures from Walden Farm here in Smyrna, TN:






Pictures from the Pumpkin Festival:

Emma's Big Girl Room...

We started this project about this time last year. lol My parents bought her a toddler bed because she was attempting to climb out of her crib at 16 months. She hasn't really slept in her room though - she cries and climbs out of her bed. She tends to fall sleep with me in our bed and Jon will move her to her bed after she's already asleep. Lately, she hasn't even been getting carried to her bed at all.

I came up with the idea to paint the lower part of her room green and add a pink stripe along the middle last November. We painted the green part back in like February! We finished the project this past weekend while my parents were in town for Labor Day. My parents bought her a pink Dora bedding set and we hung up a pink curtain too. She is calling it her "Emma pink go-go room." So far the Dora element of her room seems to be working - we're on night 5 of her sleeping in her room.

I found a seller on Etsy that sells cute fabric lined hanging frames and I'd love to get one in hot pink/baby pink fabrics for her room. Maybe a Dora print to go in the frame where the Pooh print is now too. I'm hoping to find some small blossom, butterfly, dragonfly and bee throw pillows to line the shelves to complete the look.

Here are a few pictures: