Movies: Take Two

The countdown begins to my first day of work which is Friday! I only have a few days left so I'm trying to squeeze in some fun. So today me and Emma went back to the movies and saw 'Monsters versus Aliens.' It was supposed to start at 10:00 but they didn't start rolling until 10:15! Don't they understand that there is a room full of children and we wanted to get the show on the road? I thought we might have to leave before it even started but thankfully when the lights went down and the music started, Emma became very still and interested.

Here are Emma, Colton & Lily ready for the show to begin:


She really loved the popcorn but she didn't want me to help her hold it. Anytime she noticed my hand touching it, she pushed it away. She wants to do everything all by herself.


We pose for a quick picture as Emma shovels in popcorn:


In the end she lasted through about an hour of the movie. I thought that was pretty good. It was fun, free and something different that we could do with our friends. Definitely well worth it!

7 Year Itch?

Nope - not here! Just 7 wonderful years of marriage. I can't believe seven years have come and gone, but I wouldn't have wanted to spend them with anyone else! Josh, you are the husband I always prayed for and the amazing father to our daughter that I knew you would be. Thank you for loving me and putting up with me. I look forward to all the years to come.

Seven years ago today:

Monkey See, Monkey Do

In the set of food and pots that we got to go with Emma's new kitchen were two round sausage patties. Last night Josh was playing with her and (don't ask me why) he decided it was a good idea to stick one of the patties to his forehead. I could hear her laughing from the other room. She thought daddy was so funny. I told her not to encourage him but she wanted him to do it over and over. Right afterward, it was dinner time. She had some cucumber and THIS is what I glanced over to see...Emma with a piece of cucumber stuck to her forehead:

This monkey stuck that cucumber on her forehead and thought it was the funniest thing. She mimics everything we do now!

At the same dinner, we gave her some watermelon. She was so happy about it but she was SO messy by the end of it.


Today we went to Martina's for a day of fun in the water. Here are the kiddies in the pool:


Then shortly thereafter, here is where Emma ended up. She felt it was too rough in the pool with the boys going down the slide. She was much more comfortable on solid ground.


I like this picture because from their faces, it looks like they've been caught doing something bad.


I took this picture during dinner tonight. I cut her corn off the cob for simplicity and she ate nearly all of it. But when she saw me eating it on the cob, she just HAD to have mine. She was proud of herself for holding it like a big girl. Priceless.

Big Girl Toys

When I was a little girl I had a Strawberry Shortcake stove and fridge. My Aunt Vanessa kept it all these years for me and gave it back to me recently so that Emma could play with it. How sweet and special!

Emma adores the kitchen and we play in it all the time. I went and bought her a little set that had some pots, pans, and groceries in it. She already had the shopping cart, so now she continuously takes things out of the fridge and puts them in her cart and then vice versa.

Here she is on 4th of July weekend playing in it. She always goes for the apple juice first!



I think it held up quite nicely for being about 28ish years old, don't you?


Mimi & Papa got Emma this couch (which is surprisingly comfortable even for adults!) and a basketball goal.

She loves lounging on it at night and drinking her milk.


It also folds up so she can sit on it like a chair. This was after her check up appointment yesterday. She had to get 3 shots so I let her watch a little Mickey before her nap to relax her. She looks pretty comfy to me.


Do you think we have enough 'basketballs'? These are just the ones downstairs!


Now the downstairs is full of big girl toys. As they get bigger, so do their toys!

18 Month Stats

We went for Emma's 18 month check up yesterday. She is doing great and on track with all developmental areas. Here are the stats:

Weight: 25 lbs. 9 oz. (50-75th percentile)
Height: 32 in. (50-75th percentile)
Head: 19 1/4 in.(95th percentile)

I couldn't believe that she only weighed in at 25 pounds! She looks and FEELS heavier than that. The nurse who weighed her couldn't believe it either, but she double checked. Emma is just very sturdy I suppose. :)

No matter how much time passes between visits, Emma NEVER forgets how there is a clear jar of tongue depressors (to her it is just a big jar of sticks) on the counter. As we walk in the door to the exam room, she is already asking for one. I always give in and eventually give her two because she wants one for each hand. This time she got greedy and wanted another one but I said, "Emma, you already have one for each hand. You don't need another one." So do you know what that little girl did? She handed one to me and then proceeded to ask for another one. I thought it was pretty clever of her to do that. She was like 'now I only have one - so can I have another now?' haha Just for the record, I didn't give in. I didn't want to start a chain reaction of her wanting 10 the next time we went in.

Children's Museum

Emma and I spent the day with Papa on Friday and went to the Children's Museum. Emma had a fantastic time exploring everything it had to offer.

I had to tear her away from the WaterWise exhibit. She was soaked all down the right side of her body by the time I dragged her away.








On the Pirate Ship looking overboard:



Turning the big wheel on the ship:



The pirate ship even had a kitchen inside of it...which of course, Emma enjoyed opening and closing the cabinets fifty times before we could move on.


Then we headed to the grocery store. It was fully equipped with grocery carts, baskets, foods of all kind, and two checkout aisles.



We finished in the infant/toddler area. They had several of these beach balls that Emma collected and brought to me.


These chairs were the perfect size for her. She backed right into it and sat for a few minutes while she played.


A little boy was throwing a ball up in the air and Emma thought it was the most hilarious thing. This is her laughing at him each time he threw it up. (These are also good shots of the adorable outfit that my mom made for her.)




Then we headed to lunch where she had a fun time with some crayons:




We ended the afternoon with a cupcake...it was delicious!!


Then she slept for 2.5 hours and afterward we headed to the pool for a little while before we met Johnathan, Blythe & Jay for dinner.

Aren't Emma and Jay cute?


Here they are in their hats:


Thanks Dad for a fun day!! We miss everybody already!

Summer's Baby Shower

We had a baby shower for my friend Summer who is expecting a baby girl in 3 weeks. We can't wait to meet baby Sophia! I hope Sophia and Emma grow up to be great friends just like their moms.

The spread:


The diaper cake:


The tirimisu cheesecake:


A picture of us with the Mother to be (as usual, Summer's eyes are closed - sorry! We didn't capture any with your eyes open...we'll work on that for next time.)



I can tell you that I know this baby will be well dressed because she got some of the cutest outfits. The first one Summer opened was pajamas with duckies on them. It made me want to tear up because my favorite little outfit of Emma's had duckies on them and it made me realize how fast she's growing up. I love watching her grow up, but there is something about those tiny footed pajamas with the ducks on them that will always pull at my heart strings!

We had a great time at the shower and look forward to meeting Sophia SOON!