Who's a Big Girl?!?!

Just for you Aunt Connie

Our Turkey Travels

It's been a while since I last posted. And a lot has happened! It was about this time last year that I started this blog, near my birthday. This year I got to celebrate my birthday with my entire family, and the turkey of course. My birthday fell on Thanksgiving and we decided to spend the holiday with my family in Illinois. So, we drove the 14 hours, and my parents along with my sister and one of my brothers drove up from Texas to meet us there. This was the first time Wade's been to Illinois and there's still family he hasn't met, so it was really neat to introduce him to where I grew up. Our trip was wonderful, and went by way too fast. Emberlyn's now 14 months and cruising. She's still trying to gain the courage to walk on her own. I was sure that she'd be walking at LEAST by Thanksgiving, but not so successful. It's ok, it's in the NEAR future, that's for sure! She's learning and learning! She knows so many words it's amazing. She really tries to repeat everything you say. Her favorite words are: Dada, duck, ball, and her newest "cracker". And boy does she love to eat! We had a Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt's house, and Emberlyn sat at the table and ate ham, ham, ham, and more ham! She was the very last one at the table still eating. Everyone got a kick out of that! She's also quite the dancer. Grandpa played the harmonica for her, and she'd stand at his lap and pick one foot up and move her hips. And we woke up to a special treat on our last day. SNOW! Now, we're just gearing up for our trip to Texas for Christmas. Only this time, we're flying! See you all soon! We love you!

Nearly Walkin' and Talkin', but Always Cute as a Button

She's almost a-walkin' and a-talkin'! Not too much longer! She's getting really good at holding our hands and walking EVERYWHERE! She likes to grab onto the back of my legs and walk around the kitchen with me while I'm doing the dishes and doing laundry. She's a character! And when she feels adventurous, she'll only hold onto one of my hands and attempt to walk next to me. Here are a few recent pictures of our little lady... 13 1/2 months already!

Emmy the Ladybug With Her Pumpkin Too

Happy Halloween! Meet Emmy the ladybug!

She's cute, fun, and such a big girl!
Stand up and give a twirl.
You are the cutest bug we've seen.
Emmy, Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It's hard to believe that was us exactly one year ago!

It's Wade's birthday today! And we just want to say thanks for being a fabulous husband, a fantastic father, and an incredible best friend. Here's to another amazing year! Love you more than anything! Happy Birthday!!!

Emmy's Search for the Perfect Pumpkin...and a Few Farm Friends Too

The 3 of us headed to the Hunt Club Farm to find Emberlyn a pumpkin. And she had an absolute blast! They have so many activities for the kids including carnival rides, pony rides, hayrides, and a petting zoo. She was in love with the horses, but unfortunately, was just a little too small to ride them. The weather was absolutely perfect too. We couldn't have done it on a better day. So here are some pictures of Emberlyn's little adventure. Enjoy!

The Botanical Gardens Photoshoot

Emmy and I have been sick this past week. I caught a sore throat last week that I couldn't shake. I lost my voice and felt miserable. Then a couple days later, Emmy was stricken with an ear infection. It's been a pretty difficult week for us. But fortunately, the photoshoot came just in time. Last Sunday, we headed to the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk. What a neat place! We were so lucky to have perfect weather too! Our great friend, Lindsay, took some AMAZING shots of us. Emberlyn did wonderful. She's a natural! She needed no direction. She knew just what to do. We had a really great time! Lindsay sent me the top 85 pictures, yes 85, and Wade and I can't seem to narrow it down. They're all TOO good! She posted just a few on her photography blog. So if you'd like to take a peek...
http://ltcphotos.blogspot.com/

On the Move

Emberlyn has been on the go! She has finally learned to pull up! She first started learning in her crib two weeks ago, and this last week she's learned to pull up on tables, toys, walls, Mommy and Daddy...anything she can get her little hands on. She's even started crawling up the stairs! Daddy was so impressed. They crawled up the stairs together 3 times! Now, we're trying to teach her to go down them backwards. She's getting brave these days! She's been learning to walk behind her walker. It's a toy that she can stand behind and push. And she smiles the whole time. She even lets go of things to balance. She can balance for a couple seconds, and then quickly grabs back on. It's the cutest thing to watch. Her newest game is being chased. I'll say, "I'm going to get you!" And she'll start crawling away, faster and faster while giggling! We are having so much fun watching how independent she's getting. But I think she's even more excited about it! She loves to have conversations with us. We'll say something to her, and she'll babble back at us. And it goes back and forth. It's funny how she's starting to learn how when one person stops talking, then it's the other person's turn. Daddy always comments on how much she analyzes. We can tell that she's always thinking about something. She's such a relaxed little girl who sits back and takes things in. She's really picking up on the signs that I've been teaching her the last couple months. She can sign the words: hat, flower, dog (which is also "flower" for her, so we're working on this one), book, more, milk, drink, and eat. And she has discovered her tongue! She talks with her tongue hanging out. And she crawls like a little puppy, panting and everything! I think she's imitating our dog, Avery. Emmy loves to make people laugh! We've got some more fun things to do this month! Coming up: trip to the pumpkin patch to find Emmy a pumpkin, Emmy's 1 year pictures that will be taken by my good friend, celebrate Daddy's birthday, and play dress-up for Halloween. This will be her second Halloween, but FIRST Halloween costume, very exciting! Many more pictures to come!