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!

Happy Half Birthday!!

Emma turned 18 months today! Can you believe, she is already that grown up? To celebrate, we took her to the pool for the first time.

She's ready to GO!



She took to the water like a fish!



Of course Emma had to take my glasses and model them:


After just a minute of being in the pool, she went to put her face in the water:


She was a little startled:


But went right back to do it again:


And this time she came up proud of herself:






She even started swimming a little by herself:




And got in her float:


Then she was tired from all of her swimming and needed some juice:


And some food:


After a good nap and a fun afternoon, she drank her milk in her cute new pajamas that Mimi bought her. Emma didn't want to take the tutu off before I put her to bed!




Happy 18 months, Emma! I love you.

Signs of Life

Sometimes I walk into a room and I see sure signs that Emma has been busy at work. They always bring a smile to my face, so I thought I'd share.

She always pulls these out of the pantry into the middle of the floor:


This might not be typical, but this is a sure sign that Emma has been in the kitchen because every single door is closed and all drawers have been pushed in. She is mommy's little helper when Daddy comes through and opens EVERY SINGLE door, cabinet and drawer.


To most people these handles are in the correct position when they're down. Not to Emma. In her mind, these belong up at all times! We put them down every now and then and she notices and immediately puts them all up.


Of course there are always toys in the floor or a golf ball in your shoe and you'll know Emma has been there too. She's constantly curious about everything and I love it!

Breakfast of Champions!

I grew up with my grandmother making chocolate and biscuits for us in the mornings. All the grandchildren love it and request it every time we visit. That doesn't change just because I'm thirty now!

I woke up to this at Mema's house. It is truly a breakfast of champions (chocolate & biscuits, egg, and country ham):


Emma's first taste:


Me and Emma digging in:


She obviously is going to follow in our footsteps and love it as well...she had chocolate all over her face by the time she was done:


The woman behind the magic and my grandfather:

First Hair Cut

Emma had her first haircut on Friday. Such a big girl! I think it looks cute:


It had gotten quite long in the back within the last few weeks. The only problem with that is the front was nowhere near that long so it looked funny. Here is a before shot:


Now we can start it out at the same length and hope it all grows at the same rate from here on out. I of course saved all the hair that was cut and will put it in her baby book.

She is feeling much better now and has not had a fever since early in the week. Her cough is almost gone but it does come back now and then.

Got the Fever

Emma continues to run a fever and I took her to the doctor this afternoon. She has had a hint of a cough and her doctor thinks the fever is a result of that. Her ears look great, her throat is clear, there are no rashes in sight, and her appetite is in full swing, so he didn't prescribe her anything for now. If her cough worsens or she becomes hoarse, he will call her something in. Her fever tends to subside during the day but all morning and all night she runs a little below 101. Please pray for a speedy recovery!

Father's Day

A special note to my dad:
Dad~ Thank you so much for being the great father that you've always been to me. You've always been supportive, encouraging and honest which are all things that mean so much to me. I appreciate everything you've done and still do for me. I still call you first if I need advice and it is so comforting to know that you're there to listen. I wish we could be together today but I'll see you soon. I love you and miss you!

Josh's Father's Day weekend:
We went to Mississippi for the day to visit with some of Josh's family that were in town for Gabriel's fourth birthday.

On the way we decided to stop for a little treat...Chick-Fil-A milkshakes! We got an extra little cup and gave some to Emma and she was in heaven.




This is her being upset after I tried to take it from her so that I could stir it around to allow the shake to come out of the straw:


And happy again now that it comes out like it should:


The birthday boy while we all sing 'Happy Birthday' to him:


Emma tried crawfish for the first time last night and to no surprise, she LOVED them!



With all the big boys at the table eating crawfish:


Watching a DVD on the way home...


She doesn't look sick at all in the picture above, does she? But when we got home, she was burning up and we took her temperature and it read 102.8! Poor baby!! We have no idea what was/is wrong with her. I thought it might be a result of an allergy due to the crawfish, but with the only symptom being a fever, that is probably not the case. She is eating fine and shows no sign of feeling badly. We put her right to bed with a dose of Motrin and she slept all night long.

This morning she woke with a 100.5 fever but another Motrin dose, it has broken. If it comes back today, then we're going to the doctor tomorrow. Otherwise, she already has an appointment on Tuesday, so we'll just talk to the doctor then.

Emma made Josh a tile with her footprints on it:


And as soon as she saw it, she must have remembered making it, because she lifted her foot right up to it!


These are pictures of us making the tile above earlier this month:



Emma made a tile for Daddy, but Nala had different plans! She brought him a chipmunk bright and early. And it was THE biggest one she's ever caught. She must love her Daddy! haha Josh didn't love the chipmunk since it meant he had to chase it around for 10 minutes before he could catch it. Oh, the joys of having a cat.

Happy Father's Day!!