Beach Girl

We have been so lucky this weekend with the weather. We have spent nearly every second outside. And it's been fantastic! She's been able to play with her water table since the cold and rain have finally gone away. We took her to the pool, which was way too cold. But, of course, fearless Emmy wanted right in! So, Wade got in with her and was teaching her how to float on her back. Then we went to the beach and she had so much fun! She doesn't like the feel of dry sand on her feet, so I sat near the water with her because she loved feeling the wet sand between her fingers and toes. It was great watching her have so much fun, but then she started piling the sand on top of her head. I don't know where she got this. She likes to dump water on her head when she's playing outside. But, the funny thing is, when I'm giving her a bath, she hates it when we pour water on top of her head. She won't even do it to herself! But, outside, it's another story. Everything wet or soggy goes on top of her head. Little stinker. So she had an absolute blast. We were pleasantly surprised. Wade and I were reminscing about last summer, when she was 9 months old and hated the beach. She screamed every time we put her feet in the sand, and wanted nothing to do with the water. But, my, what one year does! She's a total beach girl and loves the water!

Berry Pickin' Girl

Neither Wade nor I have ever picked strawberries before, so it was the perfect occasion when we heard about the Pungo Strawberry Festival. Emberlyn had her little basket and we went up and down the aisles collecting the best berries we could find. Emberlyn helped pull a few off of their stems. Then she decided she wanted to dump them out into the dirt, and place them one by one back into the basket. She loves the outdoors, so this was a perfect way to spend our Friday afternoon.

Hours of Fun!

I bought Emberlyn a water table for the summer. I thought it would give her something fun to do outside on the patio. She loves coloring with sidewalk chalk, but with this humid weather coming through, I knew a water table would do the trick. I was right! The second I put it together, brought it outside, and filled it up with water, Emmy was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She started out in a dress, and then after a couple of buckets of cold water over her head, I decided to strip her down to her diaper. She had a blast! Please ignore my dead plants in the background. I really need to get those replaced!
Happy Mother's Day!!!

Visitors From Florida

One of my best friends from Florida, Katie, and her beau Luke, came to visit Emmy and I for a couple days last week. We had so much fun with them and were very sad to see them go. Here are a few cute pictures of Emberlyn's new obsession, BUBBLES!

Springtime Flowers

Emberlyn and I had a few days of gardening here at the house. We bought 2 flower pots for the patio and a bunch of flowers for the front. She was quite the helper when it came to digging holes and filling dirt in around each flower. But once that dirt gets on her toes, she's done! Emberlyn does not like to get messy. She also got a metal turtle that sits next to the flower pots. She picked it out herself.

First Trip to the Zoo

We met my friend Dynelle and her little girl, Evey, for a morning at the zoo. We beat the heat, but we certainly didn't beat the crowd. There were so many children, and of course Emmy didn't want to be in the stroller, watching all of these other kids running around. So, I let her out, and run she did! We had a short and sweet trip just to see the coolest of the animals, the elephants and giraffes. Emberlyn was in heaven. She was making the sound and flailing her arm to imitate the trunk of an elephant. It was really cute.



And she found the giraffes to be really neat. Well, until one turned her direction and started walking towards her. We were on a bridge above them, but got a really good view. That particular view was enough for Emberlyn. She ran the opposite direction and tried to hide. I can't wait to go back and take her through the rest of the zoo. She knows so many names of animals. I know she will find it to be nothing less than amazing!

17 Weeks Along...and Exhausted

Where did that boost of energy go? Last time, I got a great boost of energy into my second trimester. This time, exhaustion is setting in. It might have something to do with the fact that I've got a little one to take care of this time. I find it really hard to stay awake during the day, so I try and eat well, go on a walk daily, and get plenty of sleep at night. The pregnancy is going very well. I've started to feel him kicking around in there. I've even been able to feel little kicks while my hand is rested on my tummy. And if I watch carefully, I can see the kicks too! To think he's still so tiny... And I ask Emberlyn, "Where's your baby brother." Half the time, she'll touch her belly, but the other half, she'll touch mine. So, she's understanding that "baby brother" means "Mommy's tummy." But still has no idea that a baby is growing in there. She's been really interested in her baby doll. She carries it around like a little mommy. She feeds her baby her "bottle" which is Emmy's sippy cup. And she'll share her crackers with her baby. And she'll help wrap her baby up in a blanket. I know when this baby boy arrives, she's going to be so eager to help. What's new with Emberlyn: I've been sitting her on the potty after bath now, since I've discovered this is usually when she has to go. And she's gone pee-pee twice on the potty so far! And she'll clap her hands right away. I'm so proud of her! She is getting to be so big.

Easter Sunday

Today we got together for Easter dinner with our good friends the Corbetts and the Gorskis. The dads set up an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Emmy ran around as Wade and I pointed out the eggs to her. I took around 50 pictures of her, but here are a few of our sweet little miss.