Christmas in Texas

We spent Christmas in Texas to see both of our families and it was wonderful! We spent the first half in San Antonio with Wade's family, and the second half at my parents' in Austin. But I never thought we would make it. We were supposed to leave Virginia on Friday, and didn't leave until Saturday due to delays. So, we got up Saturday morning at 2:30 am and got ready for our 6 am flight. We flew into Detroit and our connection was delayed to lovely winter weather up north. Many hours later, they boarded us only to have us sit on the tarmac for nearly 2 hours. Then, we flew to Minneapolis, only to be delayed once more for our connection to San Antonio. I tell ya, why we flew the northern route...I have no idea. But, it definitely felt like Christmas being surrounded with 13 inches of beautiful white. We were about ready to call it a Christmas in Minnesota. Other than that, it was quite a Christmas. Emberlyn held off long enough. She showed off her walking capabilities that I knew she had all along! What a stinker! She holds out her hand to you, palm side up, and says "awk" which means walk. So, we hold out our hands to her and she runs right along and dives into your arms. Her new nickname is Little Frankenstein due to her balancing act. It's really funny to watch. A BIG thanks to our families for being incredible hosts! I'm so glad we got to see each of you. It wouldn't have been a Christmas without you in good 'ole Texas. Thanks for letting our craziness into your homes, and we can't wait to see you again! We love you all!

New Kicks Make Her Wanna Dance

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And that's how to do the "Converse Dance." In case you were wondering...

14 Months and Growing...FAST!

Emmy's Words

Emmy is talking so much and we are loving it. Here are a few words that she says.

dog: "dah" (Or sometimes she'll just pant with her tongue hanging out. This is the sign she's learned for "dog.")
lion: "roooarr" (She growls.)
cracker: "crackah" (EVERYTHING she eats, she calls a cracker.)
this: "dis" (She'll point and want to know what everything is. "Dis?" and sometimes "Dat?")
dolphin: "dah-hin" (And she says it two very distinct phrases. She learned this from her bath toys. And it's her new favorite word. But she can clearly pick out a dolphin from other animals. But she tends to get the other sea creatures such as sharks and turtles confused as dolphins too. But Mommy and Daddy are still VERY impressed!)
cow: "moo moooooooo" (It's the cutest thing ever. Whenever she sees a cow, in a book or on the tv, she says "moo mooooooo". And sometimes she'll just "moo" for no reason while she's playing. So I call her our little cowgirl.)
horse: "hose" (She can decipher between cows, horses, dogs, fish, cats, sheep, monkeys...she knows exactly which is which. You can ask her where is the..., and she'll point right to it. She's pretty amazing. And growing up too fast!)
mama: "mama" (sometimes Emmy is mama, but mostly mama is mama. It's funny how she looks at herself in the mirror and says, "mama." What a silly girl. Especially when she sees pictures of herself, they're all "mama.")
dada: "dada" (Dada is always dada, but sometimes strangers are too.)
Emmy: well, she doesn't quite say "Emmy" yet, but when we say: Where's Emmy? She'll stick her hands to her tummy, as if to say, "Here I am!" It's very cute.

We're off to Texas today, and I bought some new and fun activities to do on the airplane. One of which, is a box of sign language flash cards. She has really enjoyed learning signs. So, I thought what a fun way to learn even more signs! The camera is already packed, but I promise...more pictures to come of our sweet little miss!

1 Step, 2 Steps, 3 Steps, 4!

Success! Yesterday afternoon, I stood Emberlyn up, and held onto her hands, and told her to walk to me as I let her hands go. She walked 1 step! And then we tried the same thing again. 2 steps! And again. 3 steps! Yay! Wade and I are thrilled! This morning, she walked 8 steps all by herself! We couldn't believe it! Any day now, the running and hiding game will begin. GO EMMY!

And her very first pigtails! She looked SO cute!

Cute Cute Cutie

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!