When I was around 10 years old my parents called me into their room to tell me a big family surprise...We were going to be increasing our family by one! My first reaction was a puppy?!? They explained that Ellen and I were going to have a new little brother or sister.
When Emma was born there was over a decade between us. I was often referred to as her mother or told that I 'sure did get my figure back quickly'. It all became really fun when she was a bit older and realized how hilarious it was to call me 'Mom' in the middle of the mall and watch as I would cringe and smile. I always felt more like a mom to her than an older sister anyways. I always enjoyed taking care of her and doing all those "immature things" that I was technically too old to do - I might have enjoyed Disney World, cartoons, and silly games A LOT more than Emma did.
One hilarious thing about Emma is that she HATES confrontation...whether it be a discussion about opposing ideas or telling the waiter that they made your burger wrong, Emma is not a fan. When she was a baby, if you even raised your voice too loud (whether it be in a mean tone or happy tone) she would burst into tears. One of my favorite memories is when she was a toddler and my dad decided to turn the kitchen faucet into a water gun and attacked my mom with it. Ellen and I were laughing hysterically, but Emma heard my mom screaming and assumed Dad was hurting her and just LOST it. She started bawling and ran up to Mom to "protect her". We knew then that we had one sweet, sensitive girl on our hands.
Not exactly sure when this started, but when Emma was really young I was teasing her and I called her a nerd. Thinking she would just smile and take it like she always does, she surprised me by snapping back 'Whatever dork!'. And so the names Nerd and Dork stuck...much to my mother's dismay. We promise her that it's all in love, but she remains to be unimpressed.
A more recent favorite memory would be right before I moved to Singapore. I talked with my mom about how I really wanted a day with my Nerd before I left, but she was still in school and the holidays would be coming so there wouldn't really be a chance. I asked my mom if it would be ok for Emma to take a day off and she agreed. I showed up at Emma's school and waited for her in the lobby. I knew she was in between classes and that she would have to come to her locker. After waiting a lot longer than I thought (she has Ellen's sense of urgency and timing), she showed up and looked shocked to see me. I told her to grab her bags and run! It was so fun to see how excited she was - although she might have been more excited about the busting out of school part than the hanging with big sis part. ;) We had the best day...it happened to be SNOWING in Houston, Texas that day - which is pretty unheard of. We played in the snow, took goofy pictures, went shopping, watched a girly movie, ate junk food and just hung out. It made leaving for two years just a tad easier.
In the one and half years I've been gone, I've had to experience her life vicariously through Facebook and Skype which only makes me sadder about all that I'm missing out on as a big sister/second mommy. She has turned into one of the funniest people I know. Combine Ellen's hilarious humor with a bit of my attitude and you have Emma. She has a more explosive social life than my entire family combined. We are always amazed at how loved she is by everybody and how much fun she is to be around.
Flash forward to present day - Emma is 14...14?!? She has had her first boyfriend, first dance, 8th grade graduation and soon she will start high school! I feel like when I left home she was just a kid and now she's really growing up. In fact, I will now officially publicly announce that yes, Emma is now taller than me. When did this happen?! And yes Nerd, I know I sound like Mom...shut up.
I so wish that Nerd would be able to come visit Singapore, but with her being in school and the insanity of the long flight I just don't think it's possible. I promised her when I left home that in 2012 she and I would go on an adventure together - just the two of us. It will be nice to catch up where we left off :)
So, Nerd, I hope you haven't forgotten our plans...start coming up with ideas and lets get to work! I can't wait!
<3 Dork
When Emma was born there was over a decade between us. I was often referred to as her mother or told that I 'sure did get my figure back quickly'. It all became really fun when she was a bit older and realized how hilarious it was to call me 'Mom' in the middle of the mall and watch as I would cringe and smile. I always felt more like a mom to her than an older sister anyways. I always enjoyed taking care of her and doing all those "immature things" that I was technically too old to do - I might have enjoyed Disney World, cartoons, and silly games A LOT more than Emma did. One hilarious thing about Emma is that she HATES confrontation...whether it be a discussion about opposing ideas or telling the waiter that they made your burger wrong, Emma is not a fan. When she was a baby, if you even raised your voice too loud (whether it be in a mean tone or happy tone) she would burst into tears. One of my favorite memories is when she was a toddler and my dad decided to turn the kitchen faucet into a water gun and attacked my mom with it. Ellen and I were laughing hysterically, but Emma heard my mom screaming and assumed Dad was hurting her and just LOST it. She started bawling and ran up to Mom to "protect her". We knew then that we had one sweet, sensitive girl on our hands.
Not exactly sure when this started, but when Emma was really young I was teasing her and I called her a nerd. Thinking she would just smile and take it like she always does, she surprised me by snapping back 'Whatever dork!'. And so the names Nerd and Dork stuck...much to my mother's dismay. We promise her that it's all in love, but she remains to be unimpressed.
A more recent favorite memory would be right before I moved to Singapore. I talked with my mom about how I really wanted a day with my Nerd before I left, but she was still in school and the holidays would be coming so there wouldn't really be a chance. I asked my mom if it would be ok for Emma to take a day off and she agreed. I showed up at Emma's school and waited for her in the lobby. I knew she was in between classes and that she would have to come to her locker. After waiting a lot longer than I thought (she has Ellen's sense of urgency and timing), she showed up and looked shocked to see me. I told her to grab her bags and run! It was so fun to see how excited she was - although she might have been more excited about the busting out of school part than the hanging with big sis part. ;) We had the best day...it happened to be SNOWING in Houston, Texas that day - which is pretty unheard of. We played in the snow, took goofy pictures, went shopping, watched a girly movie, ate junk food and just hung out. It made leaving for two years just a tad easier.
In the one and half years I've been gone, I've had to experience her life vicariously through Facebook and Skype which only makes me sadder about all that I'm missing out on as a big sister/second mommy. She has turned into one of the funniest people I know. Combine Ellen's hilarious humor with a bit of my attitude and you have Emma. She has a more explosive social life than my entire family combined. We are always amazed at how loved she is by everybody and how much fun she is to be around.
Flash forward to present day - Emma is 14...14?!? She has had her first boyfriend, first dance, 8th grade graduation and soon she will start high school! I feel like when I left home she was just a kid and now she's really growing up. In fact, I will now officially publicly announce that yes, Emma is now taller than me. When did this happen?! And yes Nerd, I know I sound like Mom...shut up.I so wish that Nerd would be able to come visit Singapore, but with her being in school and the insanity of the long flight I just don't think it's possible. I promised her when I left home that in 2012 she and I would go on an adventure together - just the two of us. It will be nice to catch up where we left off :)
So, Nerd, I hope you haven't forgotten our plans...start coming up with ideas and lets get to work! I can't wait!
<3 Dork
such a great post! love all the pics. two beautiful girls inside and out!
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