Christmas Morning

This Christmas was very special to me. It was my Emma's 1st Christmas and Madison is now old enough to really understand Santa and the spirit of giving. Madison received a letter from Santa earlier this month so her excitement began early. She was nice to her sister because Santa was watching and even tried to help Mommy clean because according to Mommy, Santa doesn't like dirty houses. Santa promised a Littlest Pet Shop so that was all she could talk about for weeks.

We spent Christmas Eve in our house baking cookies and waiting for Daddy to get home from work. Once Daddy got home we placed the cookies near the tree and Madison went to bed early. Everyone knows Santa won't come until you're fast asleep. As soon as both girls were down for the night Sam and I wrapped all their gifts. (Yes, we procrastinated) We wrapped Madison's Littlest Pet Shop, Moon Sand, Cupcake Maker, V-tech V Motion system and game, Handy Manny and some clothes. For Emma we wrapped her Leap Frog activity table, clothes, a musical elephant, and some rattles and books.

Madison was our alarm clock on Christmas morning. She came in screaming, "Santa came! Santa came! We have gifts under the tree and he ate all his cookies". So off we went to open gifts. Emma was more interested in the bows and wrapping paper so her siser helped with her gifts.

Later that day we went to Sam's parent's house to exchange our secret Santa gifts and eat tamales. Madison received some soccer gear and shoes from Grandma and Emma a Go Baby Go Infant Activity toy which was a HUGE hit with her. We in turn gave cousin Toni a Gymboree outfit and bath towel and uncle vincent two Texas Tech (yuck) hats.

To cap off the day we took Madison and Emma to the movies to see Marley & Me. Thankfully Emma slept through most of the movie. Madison loved it and now wants a lab. Of course when we saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua she asked for a little Chloe (chihuahua from the movie).

We had a great long day filled with gifts, food and family. What else could a mom ask for.

Emma's 7th month

So much has happened this month on Emma's end. She is now very mobile!!! Emma started semi-crawling around 6 1/2 months but is now a pro at 7 months. She's also started eating more solids. Her favorite new food seems to be pureed chicken. She'll eat it with any veggie but she prefers carrots. She also likes to snack on fruit puffs and biter biscuits.

Our girl still has no teeth but her big sister didn't get any until 9 months so I'm not expecting any of them to come soon. But she is sitting on her own... FINALLY!

Great weather for a day out

We have been having great sunny weather lately so I decided to take the girls out instead of Christmas shopping. We went to the zoo and had so much fun enjoying all the animals, the cool breeze and of course some ice cream.

A Longhorn Christmas

Today was an eventful day for the girls. My sister is a Junior at The University of Texas at Austin and invited us to a Winter Festival put on by the Hispanic Business Student Association. So at noon we headed off to Austin. Thankfully Emma cooperated in the car seat and we even snuck in a trip to the Gymboree Outlet on the way.

Madison had a blast looking at the "fake snow" (which was really just foam) and "fake Santa". He was way too skinny to be the real thing. Even Madison knew that. They had a tom of activities from cookie decorating tables, face painting, ornament decorating and even a bouncy castle. Even Bevo, our beloved mascot, made an unannouced appearance. Madison was excited to see a REAL Longhorn. All in all it was a great day to be out and I personally enjoyed being on my old campus again. Click HERE to see more of our pictures.

Sesame Street Live

Last week Sam and I took the girls to their first live show together. Madison loves Sesame Street and she couldn't pass up the opportunity to see their newest friend, Abby Caddaby! They both had a terrific time. Madison of course knew all the songs by heart. Her favorite is "Elmo's World". She had a great time helping Elmo decide what he was going to be when he grew up. Apparently he wants to be a cowboy, a fireman, a forest ranger- that boy can't make up his mind. Madison decided she was going to a ballerina when she grew up. Emma just enjoyed the loud noises and lights. He eyes were wide eyed and on the stage the entire time. I love these little outings with them.

Mommy is a BOOK FAIRY!!!

So recently I have become quite obcessed with children's books from Usborne Books. A friend of mine is a consultant and has convinced me (without even trying) to become an independent consultant myself. My biggest incentive for joining is of course the consultant discount and the opportunity to share these great books with all my friends and family. Not only do will I be selling books but this company has great activity books, puzzles, card games and more to keep the kiddos entertained.

So if you're looking for a unique educational Christmas gift idea check out my latest e-show HERE

Bookmark it and please share it with other book loving moms, friends, neighbors, teachers, etc. If you'd like to host a home show or catalog show and earn FREE books for your family email me at sandra.vigil1@gmail.com. You'll get hooked just like I did!!

A Portrait of Emma by Madison

I love her laugh.....

The next Mia Hamm... let's rethink that

This past Saturday was Madison's first soccer game. Her and Molly joined together. Soccer was all she could talk about. Then came game day! My poor small child was playing a somewhat rough sport with older, bigger and tougher children. She did well, mainly stayed out of every ones way and just ran up and down the field. The soccer mom in me couldn't just let it be so I coached my daughter to be more aggressive and take the ball away. She cried after the first chin bump but was brave enough to go back in. Again, I encouraged her to get the ball and kick it to their side of the field. I could tell she was gaining confidence. Then a huge kid kicked the ball straight into her stomach and knocked the air out of her. Needless to say she was freaked out and didn't want to go back in. Who could blame her? Luckily, the fun outweighed her fear of the ball and she's once again looking forward to her next game. I'm so proud of her!

Happy 1/2 Birthday to Emma!!!

Our little Emma turned 6 months old yesterday! I can't believe how fast this milestone came. Here are a few fun facts about the youngest little Vigil:

* Emma weighs 18 lbs 13.5 oz and is 26 1/4 inches long!!
* She likes to suck 2 fingers on her right hand
* She has no teeth
* She loves her exersaucer and bumbo
* Bath time soothes her
* She has eaten squash, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, carrots and has sucked on watermelon
* Madison makes her laugh
* She loves to people watch. She is happiest walking around a store looking at all the new faces
* She loves having little conversations with anyone
* She loves rolling over, especially when she's getting a diaper change
* She has not sat up on her own yet
* She has been to Austin
* Our nickames for her so far have been lovey girl, sweet baby Emma and Emmita
* I love putting BIG bows on her! Her hair fell off last month and she's now a baldie!
* She sticks her tongue out when she smiles.

Trick or Treat!!

Another Halloween and another set of adorable costumes. As always, the girls were a big hit around the neighborhood. Madison was an adorable little ballerina and Emma was the cutest most fluffiest chick ever! The girls had fun trick or treating around our subdivision. Madison got way too much candy and Emma just enjoyed the walk. She loves people watching!

Click here for more Halloween Pics!!

Sister Sister

Bootius Maximus

A conversation with my 3 year old

Madison: Hey Mommy, I kicked your bootius maximus
Me: What's a bootius maximus?
Madison: Coach Jimmy said that is what you call your booty.
Me: Oh, you mean gluteus maximus?
Madison: No, I mean bootius maximus Mommy.
Me: I really think its gluteus Madison.
Madison: You're so silly mommy! I don't have any glue in my bottom!!

The things she learns in school!

Emma's 1st roadtrip

So we finally ventured off to another city with Emma. Austin is only an hour and a half away so we figured Emma could tolerate the car seat for that long. She did ok but got fussy once we got into Austin and hit lovely game day traffic.

We visited my sister, Aunt Nini, and had a blast. Our first stop was to the BEST wing place ever, PLUCKERS!! Then it was off to the co-op to get the girls some new Longhorn's gear. We decided to leave early to beat the traffic back and thankfully Emma slept the whole way back. She had enough excitement for one day I suppose.

It was great being in Austin. I miss it so much especially on game days when everyone is wearing their burnt orange attire and cheering on the horns. (They beat OK State by the way! Hook 'em)

The cutest flower girl.....

This past weekend one of my best friends, Linda, got married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. Madison was asked to be the flower girl and she enjoyed every minute of it. She just loves being the center of attention so this was perfect for her. She did so well!! Followed the wedding coordinator's directions and for the most part stayed still during the ceremony. She was a little confused with the whole rehearsal aspect of it though. She thought it was the actual wedding! She was so tired that she fell asleep during the rehearsal dinner and was so upset the following morning because she missed the cake. I think she gets the love of cake from her daddy!! I reassured her that there would be more cake the following day.

The next day we spent the morning getting our hair done, which she loved. (She gets the love of being pampered from mommy.)I was relieved that she remembered her instructions from the rehearsal and walked down with Linda's nephews without any issues. Once again, she knocked out during the reception and missed the cake! Luckily, she didn't remember the next morning.

We are all so happy for Linda and Javi! They had an amazing wedding and I'm sure they'll have an amazing marriage.

Emma's Little Quirks- 5 months

Emma is now 5 months and I just love how her little personality has been developing. She is still a more calm child than her sister. Emma loves being outside and looking at children run around. She gets very excited especially when she sees her sister interacting with other kids. Speaking of Madison, she seems to be the center of Emma's world lately. Every little noise or movement Madison makes causes Emma to bust out laughing. It is the cutest thing!! I just love to see them play and interact. I'm so glad they have each other to grow up with.

Emma is such a morning person. She'll wake up in the morning and start cooing and "talking" to the birds on her crib sheet. If I walk and say good morning she gives me the biggest toothless grin ever! I just love her to pieces.

Playtime is so fun now. She loves being in her exersaucer and putting all the toys in her mouth. Infact, everything seems to go in her mouth nowadays- her hand, my arm, stuffed animals, everything. She also loves laying on her tummy near our sliding door and looking out the window at the birds in our yard.

We started solids this month and Emma is the best little eater. So far she has had bananas, apples, pears, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes and has loved ALL of them. She didn't care for cereal much but who can blame her. She's still nursing and hopefully will continue to do so atleast until the end of this year. It's become a challenge to keep up with her demanding appetite.

Emma is 4 months old

Today my Emma, my little ball of chubbiness, turns 4 months old. She is growing like a WEED!!!! She is already 16 lbs and is 24 3/4 inches long- all above average. Dr. Lantry said its common for breastfed babies to be on the chunkier side so she is perfect. Everything else seemed normal. She received 3 vaccines so she was not too happy about that.

Emma started laughing this month. She has a funny little laugh, sometimes I don't know whether she's laughing or crying. She smiles at herself in the mirror and is VERY ticklish, which I love. She's a pro at holding her head up now but has not rolled over. I have a feeling she'll be a late crawler/walker, which is fine by me.

A new school year a new start......

Madison has been attending Montessori school since she was 2. For the past year and a half she has been in the Orientation Classroom with Miss Lisa. This school year she is in the Primary Classroom with children ages 3-6 and has two new teachers: Miss Laura and Miss Lauren (how is that not confusing for a 3 year old)

Some of her old class mates have joined her in her new class. Her best friend is of course Molly. Madison and Molly are inseperable at school- from what her teachers have been telling me. Madison enjoys working with any kind of puzzle and LOVES to climb the climbing wall in her playground. I'm very excited to see what this year brings.

Emma- The first 3 months

These are Emma's first few journal entries from her babysite


Birth
Emma Nicole Vigil was born on May 5, 2008 at 12:49 pm!! Our baby girl weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and measured 18.5 inches.

Our little one was born via c-section and everything went very smoothly. Dr. Jacobs and her team did a great job. The surgery started at 12:40 and 9 minutes later we had our little girl and a few minutes after that she was in my arms and learning how to nurse. After spending some one on one time with her both grandma's came in to the recovery room to meet our newest princess. Madison came in with them but was a little shy at first.She just kep staring at her in amazement. I guess she couldn't believe it was actually "her baby Emma"

She is just perfect and resembles her big sister so much. Madison is loving having her around. She's such a big help and wants to help me do everything for her baby Emma. We couldn't be any happier with our new little family.

06/09/8
Emma is officially one month old already. She is growing so fast and changing every single day. She started smiling at around 2 weeks old and looks simply adorable. She'll smile when you talk to her and after nursing. Emma's personality so far is much different than her sisters. She is calm and passive and really only fusses when its time to eat. Her little neck is also getting stronger. She struggles a bit with tummy time but if I lay her on my chest she'll pick up her head for a few seconds at a time.

She visited her pediatrician for her 2 weeks and 1 month check up and everything looked perfect. At her last weigh in she was 9 lb 13 oz and was 21.5 inches long!!

Emma is such a perfect angel and we are all enjoying her.


07/08/08
Our little Emma is 2 months old now. These past few months have flown by!! She is starting to show us more of her personality. It seems that Emma will be our serious baby... or atleast that's what she's been lately. She's selective with her smiles but when she does its the cutest thing. If I try to make her laugh by making funny noises or silly faces she'll look at me like I'm crazy! Such a different baby than Madison was at this age. I love seeing the similarities and differences in them. Emma loves being outside (when its not too hot) and loves looking at leaves or birds. If it rains, the sound of the rain soothes her.


Emma is still nursing with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Mommy's milk has made her gain a whopping 3 lbs in a month!! She went to her 2 month appointment with Dr. Lantry and she seems to be perfectly healthy with the exception of a little cold she caught this week. Her next visit to Dr. Lantry is in 2 months.

08/05/08
Today our little Emma turned 3 months old. I can't believe how fast this milestone came. She continues to be a very calm and quiet baby. My favorite time with her is in the morning. She always wakes up in the best of moods and greets mommy with a huge smile. Emma is also starting to coo and "talk" alot more now. She has such a sweet little voice. We're getting close to her first real laugh but she's making us work very hard for it. Her favorite place to be, besides in mommy's arms, is her swing. Emma just loves looking at the birds in the mobile. She probably sleeps more in her swing than she does in her crib.