Happy Halloween!

I had to work at the Y today so Emerson got to wear her costume to the KidZone (daycare). That was at 8:00am this morning and she hasn't taken it off yet! We took groups of kids trick-or-treating around to different areas of the YMCA and they all got some goodies to bring home with them. Here are a couple of pictures that I took of Emerson all dressed up in her pink princess costume. Everything Emerson uses must be pink and she will only wear dresses. Fun but frustrating stage.

When I have to be at work at 8:00am, it's difficult to get us all out the door on time, so I tend to dress Camryn in her clothes for the next day at night, so all I have to do is change her diaper when I get her out of bed in the morning. We laid her down in Emerson's bed last night while Daddy helped Emerson brush her teeth and I was getting Emerson's clothes ready for the morning. I turned around and this is what I saw. And yes, those are my Care Bear sheets from 30 years ago!

No Nap

This is what no nap does to a tired girl. We transitioned a couple of weeks ago to the new "no nap" schedule for Emerson. She's always been a 10 hour sleeper. You put her to bed at 8, she'd be up at 6. You put her to bed at 9, she'd be up at 7. For a while, when we'd put her to bed, she'd be up until 10-10:30pm talking and singing in her room. I'd already be in bed, but Emerson would be singing "Old MacDonald" over and over. So, when we went in for her 3 year check-up, the doctor said that this is around the time that kids start to give up their afternoon nap. So we started putting Emerson to bed around 8-8:15pm and we never heard another peep out of her until morning. Well...then morning started arriving well before the rooster was singing. She'd wake up at 5am. We'd tell her to go back to bed...it was still night-night time. Then she'd get up at 6:15am. Go back to bed. Finally we got an alarm clock for her and covered up the minutes. We told her when the hour number said "7" she could come out of her room. We'd usually have to go in her room and remind her 1-2 times around 6:30am, but she'd stay in there until 7am. Now when she is waking up, she wants to play in her room until 7am. One day when I didn't have the energy, I said "yes" in a weak moment. Now it's becoming a habit. So, needless to say, she was up at 6:38am this morning and this is what happens when you don't get a nap and you are up too darn early in the morning.

I suppose I should go wake her up and get her ready for her swim lessons tonight. Maybe some day she'll get a hang of the new "no nap" schedule and actually sleep until 7am in the morning.

Emerson's jogger stroller she got for her birthday.
Emerson at Tumble Time at the YMCA.
This was at Harvest Fest in Rockford. This is our scarecrow that we made. It looks a little sad, I know. We changed its clothes and gave it a hat once we got home.
This is the VanOeveren family. My sister-in-law, Kim, took this picture. She does such a great job.

Emerson's new scooter she got for her 3rd birthday from Nana & Papa
At Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan
Emerson attempting to feed the giraffe's at the zoo.
The giraffes all lined up waiting for their biscuits.
Gramma & Grampa Herrick with Camryn.

Herrick Family Pictures

I've created this blog in hopes that it will be easier for everyone to look at pictures and happenings in the Herrick house.

Here are a few recent pictures from when we went and picked pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.

Even though there are only 4 of us in the house, Emerson felt the need to get 10 pumpkins. There were more, but we narrowed it down to 10 :)