It's been a long time...

Wow! It’s been a long time! We have been really busy with trips and being sick! I’ve had 2 horrible colds in the last month. I think that pregnancy magnifies the cold and makes it absolutely terrible to live with! We took a trip to California and Las Vegas in November. It was our last vacation before the baby is born! We had tons of fun! We went to Disneyland and had breakfast with all of the characters. Emma still talks about it! We also went to the Wild Animal park and had a great time and saw some back parts of the Wild Animal Park that we had not seen
















before thanks to our “tour guide” Nichole! Las Vegas was a great time with the Merrill’s. Emma had a really good time playing with Jeremiah, she still talks about him. We saw the Dolphin habitat with a baby dolphin and the Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy with the white tigers and lions. We also saw a mermaid swimming in a fish tank at the Silverton (a casino off the strip). I think this was one of Emma’s favorite things. And of course, we gambled a little and won, which is always better than losing!

This last week Jerrod went to a conference in Chicago at the Hilton. Emma and I joined him on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. The Hilton is a very old and VERY nice hotel! It was decorated for Christmas and was BEAUTIFUL! There was a life size gingerbread house that Emma really enjoyed playing in. She found a playmate to play with and they both had a great time! Emma enjoyed riding in the cabs with no car seat, I know, real safe huh? Parking is outrageous in Chicago, so it’s cheaper just to park at the hotel and take cabs everywhere. On Thursday we went to the Aquarium, which was another fun adventure. I’m not too much into fish, but Emma really likes them and had a great time! She really liked the dolphins and picked out a stuffed dolphin to take home with her. She really surprises me sometimes what she remembers. We went to the coral reef exhibit and felt some coral, some smooth and some rough. When we got home, one of her cups has the little mermaid on it with some coral. I pointed it out to her and asked her if she remembered the coral at the aquarium. She began telling me about how she felt it and it was smooth and rough! The child amazes me sometimes!