Great-Grandma Erma's 92nd Birthday!

We took a little road trip to Brookings today to celebrate Erma's 92nd Birthday. Emma slept on the way to Brookings and then was a little bundle of energy when we got to Dennis and Jenny's. She did really well playing with everyone, and would even go sit on other people's laps, she was a little social butterfly.

The day ended up being beautiful, it was about 52 degrees, sunny, and no wind. We ventured outside to play in some leaves and on the playground set behind the church next to Dennis and Jenny's house. Emma and Malia had a blast playing together.

After playing outside for quite a while, we were herded back inside for some cake. Then we had some more cousin playing time. Emma did so well. She played away the afternoon and had no major meltdowns, which was awesome.

 She sure got tired by late afternoon and had some snuggles and Ipod time with Grandma Jim and Malia.

Emma slept the whole way back to Sioux Falls and is napping right now. We wore her out! It was a great Sunday spent with family, and it was nice that the weather could cooperate and be so nice.

Now back to reality and another week of work. At least we have Halloween to look forward to.

Also, Go Vikings!! (They need all the help they can get!!)

Zoo Boo :)

What a fun Saturday in the Nelson household. We started the day off by just hanging out at home with Emma and having some hard core playtime, as well as catching up with things around the house.

Emma was nothing but giggles and squeals and had a great morning. After a 2 hour nap, we decided to head out to a park near our house where they were having a "Trunk or Treat" gathering. It's basically what it sounds like, there were vehicles parked in the park, and you could go around and Trick or treat out of their trunks. It was basically just a community gathering type thing.

Emma doesn't really know what to think about all this Halloween stuff. She doesn't like getting her Halloween costume on (it's a ladybug this year), but once it's on it doesn't really bother her. She got a little overwhelmed by all the people and activity today when we were out and about, but overall she did really well.

And of course we had some picture time at home in between out outings:

Mommy's favorite ladybug

Have you seen a cuter ladybug??

Someone LOVES Halloween :)

The weather was actually pretty nice today. It was only about 44 degrees out, but the sun was shining and it wasn't too windy, so it was a pretty nice day.

We went to the Zoo Boo after Trunk or treating, and we had a good time. The zoo hosts a trick or treating outing where there is a path to follow and they have staff members handing out candy. They also have all sorts of Halloween decorations, Jack-o-laterns, and of course some animals to see along the way.

It would have been more fun at dark to see all the pumpkins and lights lit up, but with Emma, we felt like we had to go during the day. It got a little chilly towards the end, but it was really fun and we plan to do it again next year!

So, now Emma is napping. She was SO tired when we got home. She's been asleep for a little over an hour. I hope she sleeps tonight!! Apparently we wore her out :)

We had a fun, busy Saturday, and tomorrow we are heading to Brookings to celebrate Grandma Erma's 92nd Birthday. It will be nice to see family that we don't get to visit with very often. Hopefully Emma handles it well and isn't too shy.

Right now, I am relaxing and watching Hocus Pocus in the background while I blog. It is definitely Halloween season, and I love it!! I can't believe Halloween is this week, and October is almost over. However, we still have Thanksgiving and Christmas season to look forward to.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Girls Weekend

So, we decided to have a girls weekend this weekend. My grandma, Aunt Julie, Aunt Janel. and cousin Jenna came to Sioux Falls to do some shopping and to visit us. 

Yesterday, they came to town and shopped while I was at work, and after work we met up with them at the hotel and hung out. They stayed at the Ramkota, which has an indoor water park. Emma and Jenna had a blast playing in the water.

The adults had a great time visiting (and drinking) pool side. Emma did great at the hotel. She was a little overwhelmed and a little shy around everyone, but eventually warmed up and had a good time. But she was quite a momma's girl the entire night. 

Today, we spent most of the morning shopping at the mall, and then we ate out at TC's Referee for lunch before they all headed for home. 

It was a fun weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to shoot any pictures, but we had a great time and it was so nice to see everyone!! It was great for Emma to get to see some members of the family that see doesn't typically get to hang out with. 

It was a great weekend with great company :) 

Cold Season

Well, here we are, in dreaded cold season. Emma has had a cough and/or snotty nose since early September, and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. And of course, the coughing is always the worst at bedtime.

There isn't much you can give a 1 year old for a cold, but through trial and error and other parents' advice, I have found some remedies that make her nights a little smoother.

1. Vicks vapor rub. I love Vicks. We rub the vicks on the bottom of her feet and then put socks on her for night time, and it helps a little with her coughing. They also make a vapor rub for children that I put on her chest to help with her congestion.

2. Vicks Vaporizer. Again with the vicks. I bought a vaporizer 2 weeks ago, and I feel like it really helps. It gives off hot steam and you can put medicine in it to allow vicks to be in the air as well. I'm a fan of this, but it does take a lot of cleaning to prevent mold from setting in.

3. Honey. I have tried a half teaspoon of honey before bed to try to soothe a cough, and I haven't had a lot of success with it. I don't really notice a huge change with this one, so I don't use this one much. And they say you have to brush their teeth after you do this, because obviously honey has sugar in it and can cause cavities if it's left on their teeth.

4. Little Remedies Cough Suppressant. This is a cough suppressant made for little kids. It doesn't have medicine in it, just honey and some other natural ingredients to help soother the cough. I feel like this works pretty well, it's just nice to feel like I am giving her something that is helping her feel better.

5. Benadryl. If I am really desperate and Emma is really snotty, I give her a shot of benadryl before bed and it really helps clear up her nose for a more restful sleep. I don't think that is really the appropriate use for Benadryl, so I only use it when absolutely necessary.

6. Wedge. I did put a wedge under Emma's mattress to help elevate her head a little. This helps the snot not drain all the way to the back of her throat. Anything to help make the night smoother.

7. Sucking out her nose. I do this before bed if she is especially snotty. It helps keep her nose clear while she is trying to fall asleep.

There is no perfect solution for toddlers when it comes to colds. Some nights some things work, other nights you can do the exact same thing and have a miserable night. Like last night, Emma was especially snotty and was coughing a lot. I think I was up with her from 11:30-1:30am, just trying to get her more comfortable and soothe her coughing. And nothing was really working. Eventually, things cleared up a little and she slept peacefully the rest of the night and was happy as could be this morning.

I cannot wait for Emma to be done being sick all the time. She is a trooper about it, but the nights can be tough sometimes. That darn daycare and all their germs, at least when she starts school someday she shouldn't be sick as often since she is exposed to so much right now.

So, here are my helpful hints at trying to help a toddler with a cold. Like I said, there is no perfect remedy, but these are a few suggestions on how to help survive a tough night. :)

Fall Portraits...and other stuff

Time has been flying by, yet again. Where have the last two weeks gone? Well, they have been filled with work, Emma coughing and producing more snot than any other human being, and enjoying the wonderful fall weather.

I had my first pumpkin spice latte the other day, and it was amazing! We have been bringing Emma to the park quite a bit this last week to try and soak up the nice weather while we can. We also went out to John's parent's farm and got some awesome fall shots of Emma. She LOVES being outside, I don't know how we are going to make it cooped up all winter long.

Here are some of my favorites that John shot of Emma last week:

Who is this grown up girl, and where did my baby go? *Sob*

We do like to spend time in the garage when the weather is cold and rainy, and Emma can still burn off a lot of energy without having to go completely outside.

And on Sunday, it was sunny, there was no wind, and it was about 67 degrees, so we brought Emma to the park, and she had an absolute blast. She went down the slide about 100 times and had a smile on her face ear to ear. She has finally figured out how to go down the slide without tipping over, and she LOVES it!  She also just enjoys being around other kids and walking around in the park.

Sorry for the overload of Emma pictures, but it was time to catch up. It is a windy, rainy mess here today, so it's a great day to catch up on the stuff inside!

P.S. Emma is 16 months old today..holy Smokes!!!

Happy Tuesday Everyone :)

Happy October!

Holy smokes, how can it possibly be October already? Things have been pretty busy in the Nelson household lately.

This last weekend, my parents made a last minute decision to come and visit. It rained in Minnesota, so they decided to visit before they got too busy with field work.

On Saturday, we spent the day hanging out. It was a windy, chilly day, but we decided to head out to an apple orchard outside of town. It was pretty fun. We basically just looked around, and Emma had a blast walking around and looking at the animals. We also gave Emma her first pony ride at the orchard. She didn't really know what to think about it.

 I have a lot to teach her about how to properly ride a horse. Haha.

We also went out to eat at Old Chicago, which was delicious. Afterwards we went to a park since the weather was gorgeous. Then we spent the evening back at our house drinking beer and visiting. Emma was a little terror who would not go to sleep. She missed her afternoon nap, and then was having too much fun to go to sleep. I think it was about 9 pm before she was in bed, which is pretty late since she missed her nap.

On Sunday, the roofers came to re-shingle our house. It kind of sucked that they came on a Sunday. We really had no where else to be, so we got to hear a lot of pounding and banging on top of the roof.

My parents left on Sunday afternoon, and Emma and I spent the afternoon together while John had a photo shoot. In the evening,we ate out at Lone Star for Jeff's birthday. It was nice to see so much family in one weekend, it doesn't happen very often.

Yesterday I brought Emma to her 15 month check up. Everything looks good with Emma. She weighs 22 lbs 6 oz and is 30 inches long. She is getting so big!! She got three shots yesterday as well, and handled them pretty well. She cried right when she got them, but otherwise she did well. We had a Subway date after the doctor appointment, and then I dropped her off at daycare. She cried and screamed and reached for me when I dropped her off at daycare, break my heart. But she had a good day at daycare once she got over it.

I'm working call shifts this week at work, so my schedule is a little goofy this week. I got to stay home all night last night, so I'm hoping these next two nights go just as well.

It's so nice to have our new shingles up on our roof, and today a guy is coming by to fix our window. Its wonderful to have these things coming together so we don't have to worry about them anymore.

It was a fun weekend with family, and hopefully it's a great week with good call :)