California

(*in a little Australian accent*) "here we see a little creature called a Daniel. I'm not quite sure what type of animal he is. Let's take a closer look shall we?" ~ Amanda

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!

My little doll with her Auntie

I LOVE LOVE this one. So precious!

See Emmy trying to grab his head.. Yeah I am pretty sure she scratched him.



Sisters and Cousins

First Piano Lesson

Daniel's First 4th of July

Emmy's first 4th of July

WEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! I mean Wii! ( she wasn't actually playing, just captivated by the pretty moving objects)


Our sweet baby girl at her first fast food joint. In my humble opinion it is the only fast food acceptable, as well as Chik-Fil-A of course.Emmy didn't get to eat any of the wonderful In-N-Out, yet...that will be for when she is a bit older.


















Doesn't she look super cute in the hat?!


Little fingers and hands.















That's all folks. Sorry there isn't a lot of dialogue. No time. Enjoy the pictures. There will most likely be more.

Just a little shout out to Doc and Marcia! Thanks for reading the blog! Love and miss you!

Stolen pictures.

Here are some pictures from our visit to CA over 4th of July weekend. Our camera batteries died the last day we were there. I just plugged them in this morning to recharge so I will be able tp upload the pictures that we took. I stole these pictures off Abby's blog.

Emaline looking at Daniel. She loves him and can't wait for him to be able to play. I'm pretty sure she was getting ready to catapult herself at Daniel. See how her hand is resting on Abby's arm...leverage to get some good air.


Little Daniel. He's so cute!



Matching cousins. Too cute


See how Andrew is holding Emaline's hands? That's so she doesnt grab his eyeballs out...she definitely thought Daniel was a toy.


Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Daniel is crying because Emaline kept hitting him in the head and trying to pull him closer so she could chew on his head. See her hand...it looks like a sweet love tap, but it wasn't.

Oh and 2 billion points to Andrea Gass who thinks Emaline is the cutest baby she has EVER seen( and you aren't even related to us). Have I told you that you are my favorite? (besides family of course)

Back in the Day and my "Ta Dah" List

I got a chuckle today as I was hanging Emmy's clothes on the line to dry. I thought if my great grandparents and even my grandparents saw me doing this, would they think I was nuts for not using the "latest" technology to dry my clothes. And then I thought, would they be shocked that I make my own baby food and use cloth diapers. I am sure they rejoiced when jarred baby food hit the shelves and disposables diapers were introduced. But there is a sense of accomplishment for me when I make Emaline's food, gather her clothes off the line before the storm starts and see all of her diapers folded and colorfully lined up in her drawer. Yeah, we do it to save money and be a little bit healthier (and dare I say, green), but I also really, truly and completely enjoy doing those things. It's fun.

Since Monday here is what is on my "Ta Dah" list. ( A "to do" list can seem ominous, long and laborious...it's more fun to celebrate what I actually got done instead of having what I didn't loom over me)
~Washed, folded, put away ALL laundry
~Cleaned the kitchen
~Made an inspiration board
~Worked
~Washed, folded and put away diapers
~Ran errands to get ready for CA(Wal-mart, Target, Staples)
~Went to Bath and Body works at the request of my sister
~Went to the grocery store
~Cooked dinner
~Exercised
~Hung curtains in the guest room
~Watered the plants
~Cleaned the bathrooms
~Vacuumed
~Wrote a letter to my Compassion child
~Packed
~Knit 2 reusable coffee cup sleeve/cozy
~Played with my cutie cute daughter
~Took a walk around the neighborhood with my family
~Showered and fixed my hair

Ta Dah!!!!!
( raises arms in the air in triumph and then gracefully curtsies)

Long Over due update: Father's Day, Emmy Cuteness and Random Stuff

As y'all might have guessed, it's been a bit busy here. This has been a crazy week and I am glad that it is over. Work was pretty stressful this week...almost downright rotten. But it's in the past and I am thankful for the weekend. So here is what has been going on here:












Wukoki Ruins






Random Stuff:
~I am back on the workout wagon. We have a treadmill that I use during Emmy's nap time. I am doing what my mom calls "Treading". You do 5 minutes as hard as you can( like you think you are going to die at 30 seconds), then you do 5 minutes at a lesser pace, then 4 minutes as hard as you can, then 4 minutes at a lesser pace and you keeping going, 3, 2, 1 minutes. It's rough!!! But man does it get your heart pumping! It basically turns out to be 2ish miles in 30 minutes. I love and hate it all at the same time. But, I have been able to fit into my pre-preggo jean shorts and I am wearing a size 6 jean! WHAT! To be honest I think that the size 6 must be a typo on the label...I haven't been a size 6 in a few years. But I'm not going to complain. I have about 7-10 more pounds I want to loose. My goal is to have it al gone by September. 9 Months on, 9 Months off....so close!
~My garden is growing well. I have tons of buds on my 6 Stargazer Lilies. The hollyhocks are coming up as well as the zinnias. Nothing is blooming yet, but I don't really expect it to in the first year. We'll see. I try to post pictures.
~ Saw the movie Australia! I LOVED IT! Of course, if you know me I have had a love for Australia since I was little. The movie is a combo of Last of the Mohicans, Pearl Harbor, Quigly Down Under, Gone with the Wind and mixed with enough quips, cuteness and cleverness that it is able to stand on it's own


Father's Day:
We celebrated Andrew's first Father's Day, with a great breakfast of egg mcmuffin knock-offs at home. YUMMY! Then we packed everyone in the car and went to Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument. It was one of the Fee Free Days at the national parks. It was a wonderful day. We hiked a mile through old lava flow and then walked through two sets of ruins. It was really fun. Emaline did GREAT! She slept during the first little hike and all the way to the first set of ruins. It was just a great family day exploring things that are basically in our backyard.

Lava Flow Trail



Emaline:
~ She is crawling!! I can't believe it. She isn't quite efficient at crawling yet, but she is getting the hang of it. She mainly uses her arms to pull herself towards her object of desire. Every now and then she will use her feet and sometimes she will even get up on her knees. It precious.
~ She has tried zucchini, peaches, plums, apricots, and chix,apple and sweet potato. She likes them all. I am pretty convinced that she will eat anything if it is mixed with sweet potatoes.
~ We still love our cloth diapers. I mean really really really love them. I was pleased when my mom said she liked them as well. And were easier to use then she thought.
~ She is talking a lot more. She makes mamama, baba, gaga and something that sounds like goilygoily sounds.
~ Her favorite toys are her cell phone, board books, disc, stuffed animals...pretty much anything that she can hold and put in her mouth.
~ No teeth yet, but I think it is just around the corner.
~ As always, she is just super happy and smiley. She is a very content and pleasant little girl.

Wupatki Ruins(Below)


Hmmmm I think that is it.

Update: 6 Months Old, Family Visit

Emaline had her 6 month dr visit. She weighs 14 lbs 1 oz and is 25.5 inches long. I think the dr said she is in the 25th % for her weight and the 50th % for her length. Other adjectives like perfect and divine were used by the dr. Emaline likes to stand holding onto the coffee table. She makes a motor boat sound with her lips and tongue. She LOVES peek-a-boo. She has a new little smile where she wrinkles her nose and eyes and sticks her tongue out while smiling. She has made an attempt to eat puffs, but is not too interested in them. She is also showing interest in crawling. She got herself up on her knees today and likes to scoot around in a circle. She hasn't gotten the hang of forward/backward motion yet. New foods she will be trying are: peaches, plums, zucchini and spinach. This is from today. Emaline sitting up all by herself. So cute!

This was from Saturday. I LOVE THIS OUTFIT!! We got it at BRU and I think she might have to wear it everyday until she grows out of it.


Emaline always want our phones so I gave her one of our old ones. She loves it.
Emaline and Gramps.
The grandparents.

Our new grill courtesy of Tony and Sandy! Thank you so much!

This was taken a week ago from last Tuesday. This is the sweetest shade of pink. She just had her bath so her skin is glowing. She is so pretty!

This is our little goof!

That is all I have energy to write about. OH. My sister has pictures up on her blog of their little son, Daniel. He is so cute and tiny. Can't wait to meet him! Also in baby news, my sistercousin, Amanda is PREGNANT!!!! YEAH! Abby, Amanda and I have done every major life event within one year of each other, graduating, marriage and now baby!! The next generation of the "Texas" trio. Congrats, Amanda and Jay. Looking forward to your baby blog! love you.

It's a BOY!!

My sister had her baby this morning. I believe around 4.30 am. She had a little boy~ Daniel Peter. He weighed 5 lbs 1 oz and 18.75 inches long! No pictures yet, but I will post them once I get them.

Congrats to Abby and Travis and little Daniel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One Week....

And Emaline will be 6 months old!! Wowzers!! Time sure does fly. We have been loving every month, week, day, hour, minute, second, nanosecond...you get the idea. I will save all her milestones and likes/dislikes for next week

Not sure that this picture show it well, but she is sleeping with her little tush in the air. SO CUTE! It is hard to get good sleeping pictures because the flash or the sound of the camera usually wakes her up.

The white in her mouth is not a tooth, just a reflection of her tongue from the camera flash.


Emmy's other nickname-cuddle bug.....This is hands down the best part of the day!!


She has gotten the hang of holding her own bottle.

This outfit is SO cute. She will soon be too big for it, so she wears it often. I am on the hunt for more like it in bigger sizes. Its a waffle knit snap-up suit. She looks like such a big girl when she wears it.


I have been wanting to post about her books for quite a while now. So here goes!

Her Favorite books:

Sheep in Jeep
Sheep in a Shop
( there are I think 4 more in this series, that I have been keeping my eyes open for at the used book stores)
* We have the board book and the paper version. I like the board book best because she likes to grab the pages and stuff them in her mouth. They will last much longer than the paper ones.
The Max Series- We have Max's Birthday. It is simple and just cute. I laugh every time I read it...it is just so silly. Who gets a windup lobster for their birthday?! I am also keeping my eyes open for the rest of this collection.

We have a few others like Curious George, The Giving Tree, The Kissing Hand, Someday...but those are bit too long for Emaline right now. Oh and I like the Baby Einstein board books. They have great pictures and are educational at the same time. We have Mama and Me that we read to her, but really Emmy just likes to eat the pages.

These are some books that were recommended that I am going to keep a lookout for:
Yummy Yucky
Diary of a Worm
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus- Andrea also recommend this whole series. They look super cute.
Fancy Nancy
The Very Hungry Caterpillar- We want all of this series. They are so pretty.
Have You Filled A Bucket
The Nothingest Girl in the World
This book I see in most of the stores here in town and it looks super cute...especially since we plan to take Emaline hiking...ALOT!
Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?


Andrew and I both LOVE to read and I hope that Emaline will follow suit. I can't wait until she is old enough to inherit my entire collection of Trixie Belden books. Oddly enough, I remember the day I got my very fist Trixie Belden book. My family would spend weekend afternoons at Half Priced Books. I found Trixie Belden, Book #6- The Mystery in Arizona. We bought it, I read it(most likely started reading it on the way home) and began getting the rest. My dad and I would scour all the used books stores looking for them. I was in the 4th grade when I started reading them and I believe I was 20ish when my dad found the last one I needed. I used to want to be Trixie Belden.

So until next week! And I will have much to blog about. My sister is due on the 14th of June, so really any day now we could be getting a call that Emaline's first cousin has arrived! We are all very excited! Andrew's parents arrive on Wednesday. They are coming to watch Andrew play in a disc golf tournament....but really they are coming to see little Emmy-cakes! (It's ok, Tony and Sandy, we know the truth:-) ) My dad arrives on Thursday and my mom arrives on Friday, also for the tournament, but again, it's to see Emmy. We love that all y'all love her so much! ( and yes, I said all y'all...its a legit phrase...I'm from Texas, don't be jealous!)

Much love!