Soaking it up

Emma and I have been trying to soak up these last couple of months of just us.  Emma obviously still doesn't really know what's coming, so mostly I am trying to plan lots of fun activities for us.  And sometimes, we just plan to stay home and be silly together.  I cannot believe how fast Emma is developing right now.  It makes me super grateful to be at home with her, where I can see it daily.  She speaks in full sentences, and we can hold actual conversations now.  They're usually very random conversations, and I'm probably the only person who can understand all of it, but it makes the day so much more entertaining to have someone to talk and listen to.  She also loves to talk to the dogs, which is hilarious.  She tells them when she'll be right back, says bye before we leave, and I can hear her saying things to them just like I do (mostly no, which is making me just how aware of how often I say that).  Here are some pictures of some of the fun times we've had lately.

Chasing Daddy at the playground

Her new favorite activity: feeding the ducks

Moving all of her diapers to the baby's room!

Playing dress up

Checking out the water at a Concert in the Park

Wearing her tutu on her head...she thought this was hilarious

Our "J" activities

Turning into such a good helper

"I" week...the colored ice was a big hit

Water Fun

Emma has loved water this summer.  We bought her a water table, and she would stay out and play with that thing for hours.  Or until she splashed all of the water out of it, which is apparently the most fun part.  It has been the best $25 I could have spent.  She has also been loving her inflatable pool.  Her favorite place to go is the water park.  She didn't like it last year, but now that she's old enough to stand up in many places and walk around, she can't get enough of it.  We've taken advantage of their twilight deal a couple times, where we pay 1/2 price if we get there at 4pm or later.  I am hoping to take her back a few more times before the summer is over.  I didn't get her signed up for any swim lessons this year, but next year she will for sure be ready.

Back from Chattanooga

We got home Sunday from a week in Atlanta and Chattanooga.  Nick and I had been contemplating going on a mission trip for a couple of years, but we were both a little apprehensive.  Our church has started doing a Family on Mission trip to places that aren't too far away.  This year they went to Chattanooga, so we thought it would be a great first trip.  We worked for 3 days at a children's home doing all sorts of various activities and projects. Neither one of us had any idea what to expect so we were a little anxious, but now that we're home, I can definitely say that it was a good experience for us.  It certainly solidified my desire to be a foster parent someday.  There was one little boy that I fell in love with.  It has been a little hard to readjust to "normal" life, but I hope that in some way we had an impact on him and the other kids.

We didn't feel comfortable leaving Emma for a week, so my parents and sister went down too and watched her during the day.  I'm sure she had fun, and that this week will be full of getting all of us back into our routine.  We didn't have to be in Chattanooga until Tuesday evening, but decided to drive down to Atlanta on Sunday.  This will be our only vacation this year, so you know I have to cram as much into it as possible!  We were able to do some shopping at Ikea and American Girl Place (Emma LOVES her itty bitty baby), and visit the children's museum and CNN Center.  Monday night we met my parents and sister at Turner Field for a Braves game.  Emma had been to a game when she was 3 months old and again last summer, but she had never been too interested in baseball.  This year she loved it!  She stayed up way past her bedtime, but was so great.  She has been asking to sing Take Me Out the the Ballgame every day since then.  We were able to get Braves games on tv the whole week, and she would always ask us to find "baseball game" and sit on the couch with us to watch.  I, of course, am thrilled that she loves baseball, but sad we can't see their games here.  We had been talking about Chipper for several days, but unfortunately he was hurt and didn't play.  She will probably never get the chance to see him again.

We did have some free time in Chattanooga, though not a lot.  We were able to take her swimming, to the children's museum, and to play in the water outside their aquarium.  We planned on walking around the riverfront, but it was really hot!  Or so we thought...then we got home, and it's seriously 100 degrees here!  We had a fun week and got to spend some good time with each other.  I'm always sad when vacation is over and Nick has to go back to work.  But, he'll be off again for a few days in October when we meet our baby girl.  That obviously will not feel quite the same as a vacation, but I'm glad he'll be here!

Here are some pics from our week!

Emma thought she should read my book as well...Parenting the Strong Willed Child.  So far, I don't think she's learned anything.

Emma's Birthday Weekend

We got home late Sunday from Cincinnati.  Unfortunately, we hit some traffic from a wreck on the way home, and had one over-tired toddler in the backseat.  She amused herself by throwing goldfish crackers everywhere.  We were all pretty cranky by then.  But other than that we had a great time.  Our weekend was pretty busy, and Emma definitely did not get enough sleep, which I will be paying for this week!  We headed to the zoo first on Saturday morning, along with everyone else it seemed.  It was hot but we left without sunburns, which I am always thankful for.  It's still a little hard to take Emma to the zoo, because we have to use the stroller and so we're constantly taking her out and putting her back in it.  She can't really see the animals in the stroller, but she can't yet walk through the whole zoo, and she's definitely too big to carry.  Hopefully, next time I will have a better carrier that works for older kids too.  Anyway, we had fun seeing the animals, and Emma even got to pet a few goats and play in the kids' area for a while.

Daddy is so fun!

Mommy got a real hug...hardly ever happens

This was her favorite goat...she wouldn't pet any of the others

We finished Saturday off by doing a little shopping for Mommy...which ended up being for Emma, since she got new shoes and Mommy got nothing!  We also picked up the last of Emma's birthday gifts at Toys 'R Us, since our store didn't carry them and I didn't want to pay for shipping.  We woke up Sunday and drove to Ikea, where we spent way too much time, and got some great stuff, mostly for the kitchen.  After that, we drove around for way too long looking for a Chick-Fil-A, only to remember much too late that they're not open on Sundays!  After lunch, we stopped by at the Children's Museum.  Emma loved it!  It wasn't too big, but had a lot of small areas just her size and toys for her to play with.  Her favorites were the water and sand tables, the building/hammering station and the kitchen.  She was at such a great age for it, and it made me really excited about taking her to the one in Chattanooga in a couple of months.  When we were at the one in Chicago last year, she couldn't even walk yet, so this was a lot more fun for her.  I wish there was something like it closer to BG.

Emma is obsessed with water suddenly...she loved this fountain

Mowing

Getting Mommy wet!

Helping Daddy build

They had several different kinds of drums...too bad we don't have these at home!

We had a great time and I wish she could take more trips like this.  Even though we were busy and all a little tired, we have so much fun spending time together, and we never seem to have enough of it.  And just for fun, here are a few pics of Emma and some of her birthday toys.

Sometimes I really wonder what she's thinking

Happy Birthday Emma!  I hope you had a fun weekend.  In just a few short years, you'll want to spend your weekends with anybody but your Mom & Dad.  But for now, we are loving spending time with you and watching you grow.  We love you!

New Beginning

I know, I know, what's the point of having a blog if I never update it.  I've been sort of busy, for the 2 people (probably overestimating there) who read it.  I'm almost 18 weeks pregnant with our second child (woohoo!) and have not felt so hot.  Seriously, the idea of looking at a computer made me throw up most days.  But, I'm hoping that all of that part is over with now, so I can enjoy being pregnant before it's almost over and I'm miserable again!

But I mostly wanted to blog today about Emma.  My baby (ha! not so much) is two years old today.  She is quite the character.  We still enjoy going to storytime at the library, and she loves going to "play with boys and girls" or "see babies."  We've been to the park a few times this spring, and she won't get off the swings.  She has no interest in anything other than swinging.  She still loves to read books, although she can't sit still long enough to get through many books anymore.  She has so much energy, and her new favorite activity is running circles around our couch.  She tells us to "get Emma" or asks for "more Mommy get you."  I can't keep up with her.  I don't think we're into the terrible two's yet, but she is getting more independent and at times, defiant.  Fortunately, we usually get by with only one time out per day, and only one or two toys put up.  Ha, I think that's pretty good.  She is talking like crazy, and picking up new words all the time.  We really have to be careful with what we say around her, because she repeats everything.  She opened her presents from us yesterday and got some from her Nana and Pop this morning.  Her favorite was definitely her power wheels, but she also got a basketball goal, which should be fun for Mommy!

Emma at 8:12am on her 1st birthday
May 20, 2010

Emma at 8:12am on her 2nd birthday
May 20, 2011

Emma's backpack...how grown-up is she?!

She calls it her tractor

Happy to help Mommy with the coupons

A little unsure about it this morning

She needs some practice

Emma, I hope you have had a great birthday!  I know you don't even know what it means yet.  We have a few more fun things planned for you that I think you'll enjoy.  I never thought two years could pass by so quickly, but it sure has.  I'm excited for you to meet your new brother or sister, because you're going to be a great big sister, but it's bittersweet.  Your Dad and I are so enjoying this time with just you.  You will never know what it has meant to me to be able to stay home with you, and I am not exactly looking forward to putting you in preschool (but I will).  You and me are so similar, and sometimes we butt heads.  But I am so glad that you have such a strong personality.  I think we're driving Daddy nuts though.  Happy birthday!

B & Red

I have been trying to do some education and fun activities with Emma.  We started with the letter A, and now she thinks every letter she sees is A.  But that's ok.  This week our focus was the letter B and the color red.  I have a couple of videos I like, but I try (usually) to limit our tv time, so I've been searching for ideas and crafts.  I usually print out a couple of color sheets, so she can color, and we have lots of books to read from.  This week, we had some fun new activities.  We finger painted, made a sticker / stamp paper, played with our first sensory box, and had daily snacks to go along with our letter of the week (bread, banana, blueberry yogurt, bagel).  On each Friday, we round up some of Emma's favorite things that start with that week's letter (ball, Bible, B book and banana for this week) and take a picture for the alphabet poster we are making.  Here are some pics:

Apple & A Book!

We practiced counting to 10 by tracing our hands

B is for Bible (if you can see the Bible for all the paint)

Red B stickers, B stamps and crayon

Banana, Ball, Bible and B Book

I am still cleaning up the red rice