Emily still hasn't really gotten the hang of her Jenny Jump Up, but she has figured out another way to enjoy it. Hey, whatever works and keeps her happy! :-)
Weigh-in time
10 years ago
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Making Some Noise
Emily is becoming more and more vocal these days and seems very proud of herself for her efforts. In addition to the shrieking, she's also been doing this low, husky growl thing which we've yet to figure out. Like the shrieking, she seems to be happy when she does it so I guess it's just her way of learning to vocalize. Let's hope this stage passes quickly. :-)
I was finally able to get a quick video of "the growl" while at the pool the other day. Watch out Linda Blair! ;-)
I was finally able to get a quick video of "the growl" while at the pool the other day. Watch out Linda Blair! ;-)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day!
Wishing a Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful dads in our lives! We love you all and are forever grateful for all that you do for us and our families.
A special message too for my better half for being the best husband and father anyone could ask for. Our girls are so lucky to have such a fun and loving dad who they can look up to as they get older. You have a special way with each of them and I look forward to seeing these bonds grow with each passing year. We love you very much!
Father's Day 2011
We're missing our dad today since he's traveling back to Indiana for work. :-( We had a wonderful time this morning though and are happy that he can spend the evening with his dad tonight. So, if you see the guy in the photo below, be sure to wish him a Happy Father's Day! :-)
A special message too for my better half for being the best husband and father anyone could ask for. Our girls are so lucky to have such a fun and loving dad who they can look up to as they get older. You have a special way with each of them and I look forward to seeing these bonds grow with each passing year. We love you very much!
Father's Day 2011
We're missing our dad today since he's traveling back to Indiana for work. :-( We had a wonderful time this morning though and are happy that he can spend the evening with his dad tonight. So, if you see the guy in the photo below, be sure to wish him a Happy Father's Day! :-)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Safari Park
While in Natural Bridge, we decided to try out the Virginia Safari Park before heading home. Although the safari park is advertised as a "180-acre drive-thru adventure," I must admit I was a bit skeptical of this billing and thought we would be in and out in no time. This was certainly not the case and we all had the best time while we were there. The park is very well maintained and consists of a small zoo complete with giraffes, tigers, flamingos, monkeys, and even an aviary where you can feed the birds.
The big attraction though of course is the drive-thru safari. Upon entering the park you can buy buckets of food that you take with you along the 3 mile safari road which consists of over 1,000 animals...all of which you can feed from your car! The whole thing was amazing and it was surprising to all of us to see just how close the animals would come. The animals weren't aggressive (except for the ostriches...more on that later), but were very forward and had no problems approaching the cars and even sticking their heads in hoping for food. None of them were rough though and if no food was available then they simply backed away and moved on. We were given instructions though not to try and pet them or feed them out of our hands...just the buckets...and it went great.
Here are a few pictures from our safari experience. Be sure to check out the slide show on the right hand side of the page for more great pics though! Enjoy!
Sarah & Grammy feeding one of the first animals we saw.
Steve...with his new buddy in the background. :-)
Feeding the birds.
Petting the Burmese Python. I was not a fan of this guy, but figured I better give it a try since Sarah had already done it! :-)
In addition to the pictures, we also got a few really good videos of the experience. Here is one where Sarah & Daddy are feeding the animals together.
The next video is of me feeding an overly aggressive ostrich. Let me first say that I'm not a huge fan of big birds. I find them to be scary and mean and if possible, I choose to stay away. This guy however didn't give me much choice once he realized I had food. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the safari park, I did not enjoy this particular incident.
When watching the video, please note how my daughter is laughing at me while my husband seems to be ignoring my pleas to move the car forward. I think it's safe to say I was begging him at one point and yet we did not move. When the bird finally did back away, I was then concerned that he was going to stick his head through the sunroof. I'm pretty sure that would have sent me right over the edge! :-)
The big attraction though of course is the drive-thru safari. Upon entering the park you can buy buckets of food that you take with you along the 3 mile safari road which consists of over 1,000 animals...all of which you can feed from your car! The whole thing was amazing and it was surprising to all of us to see just how close the animals would come. The animals weren't aggressive (except for the ostriches...more on that later), but were very forward and had no problems approaching the cars and even sticking their heads in hoping for food. None of them were rough though and if no food was available then they simply backed away and moved on. We were given instructions though not to try and pet them or feed them out of our hands...just the buckets...and it went great.
Here are a few pictures from our safari experience. Be sure to check out the slide show on the right hand side of the page for more great pics though! Enjoy!
Sarah & Grammy feeding one of the first animals we saw.
Steve...with his new buddy in the background. :-)
Feeding the birds.
Petting the Burmese Python. I was not a fan of this guy, but figured I better give it a try since Sarah had already done it! :-)
In addition to the pictures, we also got a few really good videos of the experience. Here is one where Sarah & Daddy are feeding the animals together.
The next video is of me feeding an overly aggressive ostrich. Let me first say that I'm not a huge fan of big birds. I find them to be scary and mean and if possible, I choose to stay away. This guy however didn't give me much choice once he realized I had food. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the safari park, I did not enjoy this particular incident.
When watching the video, please note how my daughter is laughing at me while my husband seems to be ignoring my pleas to move the car forward. I think it's safe to say I was begging him at one point and yet we did not move. When the bird finally did back away, I was then concerned that he was going to stick his head through the sunroof. I'm pretty sure that would have sent me right over the edge! :-)
Dream Big
Earlier today I went to pick Sarah up from summer camp and found her reading a book with one of the counselors and two other children. They were almost done so I waited at the back of the room for them to finish. The book was about a fireman and when they were done the counselor started asking each of the kids what they would like to be when they grew up.
Here were their responses:
Amelia: "I want to be an animal doctor!"
Christian: "I want to be a police man!"
Sarah: "I want to be a hair dresser!" (PAUSE) "No, I want to be an animal doctor AND a hair dresser!"
Needless to say, I'm hoping she goes with the animal doctor! :-)
Here were their responses:
Amelia: "I want to be an animal doctor!"
Christian: "I want to be a police man!"
Sarah: "I want to be a hair dresser!" (PAUSE) "No, I want to be an animal doctor AND a hair dresser!"
Needless to say, I'm hoping she goes with the animal doctor! :-)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
New Adventures
We've been living in the apartment in VA for six weeks now and while it has gone better than expected, we are all starting to get a bit stir crazy and are in need of some new adventures. We really wanted this summer to be fun and exciting for everyone since it's a definite change from our normal routine so what better way to do this then to do something completely "out of the box?" We're not usually this spontaneous, but sometimes you just gotta go with it, right? In the spirit of adventure, we set out this weekend for something new. Here are a few pictures of what we saw along the way.
Enjoy!
Look familiar? The site was truly amazing and something we never thought we would see in our lifetimes. It's size was awesome and breathtaking to behold.
You cannot normally get this close, but we were fortunate enough to be alone at the site so we took this quick picture of Steve & Emily.
One final shot before our departure. Truly amazing.
It was wonderful to see a legend like this firsthand. Oh, one last picture. Here is the official "signage" as you approach the structure welcoming you to...
Foamhenge!!
Were you thinking we went 'across the pond' on the spur of the moment? Wouldn't that have been wonderful? No, we weren't that fortunate, but we were able to take in the majestic site of "Foamhenge" in beautiful Natural Bridge, VA! :-) Sarah spent the weekend with my mom and Natural Bridge was a good half-way point to pick her up on Sunday. Steve and I arrived a little early and couldn't help but notice "Foamhenge" on our way in. Of course we had to stop and neither of us could stop laughing as we took in this unique site.
Quick Fact: While the original Stonehenge was constructed in several phases spanning 1500 years, Foamhenge was built in just 10 days! Amazing! :-)
We hope you've enjoyed this educational and memorable trip into Southwestern Virginia!
Enjoy!
Look familiar? The site was truly amazing and something we never thought we would see in our lifetimes. It's size was awesome and breathtaking to behold.
You cannot normally get this close, but we were fortunate enough to be alone at the site so we took this quick picture of Steve & Emily.
One final shot before our departure. Truly amazing.
It was wonderful to see a legend like this firsthand. Oh, one last picture. Here is the official "signage" as you approach the structure welcoming you to...
Foamhenge!!
Were you thinking we went 'across the pond' on the spur of the moment? Wouldn't that have been wonderful? No, we weren't that fortunate, but we were able to take in the majestic site of "Foamhenge" in beautiful Natural Bridge, VA! :-) Sarah spent the weekend with my mom and Natural Bridge was a good half-way point to pick her up on Sunday. Steve and I arrived a little early and couldn't help but notice "Foamhenge" on our way in. Of course we had to stop and neither of us could stop laughing as we took in this unique site.
Quick Fact: While the original Stonehenge was constructed in several phases spanning 1500 years, Foamhenge was built in just 10 days! Amazing! :-)
We hope you've enjoyed this educational and memorable trip into Southwestern Virginia!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Emily - 10 Months
It doesn't seem possible, but our little girl turned 10 months old last week. The time has gone so quickly and it's hard to believe she will soon be a toddler. She is pulling up on everything...and everyone...and will "walk" with assistance. She has also finally mastered the art of crawling which we are very excited about. Until now her version of crawling was more of a military crawl on her belly which looked rather exhausting. In the last week or so however she's finally learned how to go on all fours and seems to like getting places faster.
Another big first is the appearance of her first tooth! It's still a little hard to see, but we can feel it which is exciting. It's taken awhile for her teeth to come in so it will be interesting to see how quickly the rest will take. Pretty soon her baby grin will be gone so we'd better take as many pictures as we can. :-)
Emily is also starting to get more vocal which has been rather interesting. "Ma Ma" seems to be her word of choice right now and while I'd like to say that she is using it correctly, it's really hard to know if it's directed at me or if it's just coincidence. :-) There is however a down side to her new found vocal ability and that would be this incredibly high pitched shrieking she has started doing. To call it high pitched really doesn't do it justice, but it's honestly the best description I can come up with. People now turn and stare at us when we are out in public and I actually saw a lady flinch one day in the store because it was so loud. Needless to say, we're not eating out much these days because it seems to get worse when she has an audience. Keep your fingers crossed it's a phase that passes quickly!
Below are a few pictures from her 10 month photo shoot. She's definitely getting big and it's getting harder and harder to get her to sit still for the pictures.
Emily with "Mr. Ears" the Bunny...sort of. :-)
Below is a video of her crawling. I hope this loads and you can view it without any problems! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9QUOUxD7lM&feature=player_detailpage
Another big first is the appearance of her first tooth! It's still a little hard to see, but we can feel it which is exciting. It's taken awhile for her teeth to come in so it will be interesting to see how quickly the rest will take. Pretty soon her baby grin will be gone so we'd better take as many pictures as we can. :-)
Emily is also starting to get more vocal which has been rather interesting. "Ma Ma" seems to be her word of choice right now and while I'd like to say that she is using it correctly, it's really hard to know if it's directed at me or if it's just coincidence. :-) There is however a down side to her new found vocal ability and that would be this incredibly high pitched shrieking she has started doing. To call it high pitched really doesn't do it justice, but it's honestly the best description I can come up with. People now turn and stare at us when we are out in public and I actually saw a lady flinch one day in the store because it was so loud. Needless to say, we're not eating out much these days because it seems to get worse when she has an audience. Keep your fingers crossed it's a phase that passes quickly!
Below are a few pictures from her 10 month photo shoot. She's definitely getting big and it's getting harder and harder to get her to sit still for the pictures.
Emily with "Mr. Ears" the Bunny...sort of. :-)
Below is a video of her crawling. I hope this loads and you can view it without any problems! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9QUOUxD7lM&feature=player_detailpage
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Mr. Rolling Cooler Cooler Roller
In preparation for our trip last weekend, we decided we needed to get a cooler for our food & drinks. Now, had we known before we left Indiana that we would have use for a cooler than we certainly would have brought ours from home, but that was not the case. Since most of the prep work for the trip fell to me while Steve was at work, I took the girls and headed to the store for everything on our list...including a cooler. I thought the cooler Sarah & I selected was genius because it was large enough to hold everything, was $20 less than the competition, and had wheels! It was so great in fact that Sarah was able to wheel it around the store for me.
When Steve got home that evening I could tell he did not share our enthusiasm for this wonderful find, but I wasn't really sure why. To his credit he didn't say a word even though he had to know his man card was about to take a huge hit! :-) It wasn't until we were driving to the campsite the next day that he shared with me the Real Men of Genius video clip from You Tube. Needless to say, I haven't stopped laughing...nor has anyone else who saw him that weekend. I will say though that never once did he actually roll the cooler...except to humor me for my photo op. :-)
Thanks Sweetie, for being such a good sport!
The Hauler of the Hotdogs
To truly appreciate this story, be sure to check out the You Tube clip below. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B07dsTXSZkE
When Steve got home that evening I could tell he did not share our enthusiasm for this wonderful find, but I wasn't really sure why. To his credit he didn't say a word even though he had to know his man card was about to take a huge hit! :-) It wasn't until we were driving to the campsite the next day that he shared with me the Real Men of Genius video clip from You Tube. Needless to say, I haven't stopped laughing...nor has anyone else who saw him that weekend. I will say though that never once did he actually roll the cooler...except to humor me for my photo op. :-)
Thanks Sweetie, for being such a good sport!
The Hauler of the Hotdogs
To truly appreciate this story, be sure to check out the You Tube clip below. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B07dsTXSZkE
Buggs Island 2011
We spent the Memorial Day weekend camping at Buggs Island with some great friends and their families. While the name makes you think of mosquitos and other creepy crawly things, it's actually part of Kerr Lake which is a reservoir bordering Virginia and North Carolina and is absolutely beautiful. Building development on the lake is very limited so all you see are trees for miles. I've seen two bald eagles "in the wild" in my lifetime and both times have been at Buggs Island. We saw one on Saturday while out in the boat and watched it fly for quite awhile and it was amazing.
The last time we camped at Buggs Island was seven years ago so it was just Steve & me hanging out and sharing a few "adult beverages" with friends. My how time changes. :-) This trip included 6 adults, 7 kids, and 2 dogs so while it was a little different than we're use to, it was still a lot of fun. Sarah loves the water and pretty much stayed in her swimsuit the entire time. She had the best time playing with Kylee & Kate and the three of them are now BFFs. :-)
Emily did great too and we're pretty sure she's going to be a water bug like her sister. She would start kicking her legs like crazy whenever she saw the floaty we had for her because she knew her turn in the water was coming up. She would sit and float for what seemed like hours and the older kids had so much fun with her too. It's a bit challenging to camp with a baby who is crawling and starting to pull up, but she did great sitting in the pack-n-play and kept herself amused with whatever toys were in there. We're so fortunate to have two kids who are pretty flexible and go with the flow when it comes to things like this.
As for Steve & myself, it was so nice to spend some quality time with some wonderful friends. We've done a pretty good job of staying in touch since moving to Indiana, but it was so nice to just sit and visit with everyone. A big thank you to the Hughes family for letting us spend the weekend with them!
Below are some pictures of our weekend. Be sure to check out the slide show on the right hand side though for more! :-) Enjoy!
The gang!
Emily hanging out in the pack-n-play.
Sarah with Erik. Should we be worried? :-)
The girls...Kylee, Sarah, & Kate! :-)
This s'more is messy, but good!
It's a rough life. :-)
The last time we camped at Buggs Island was seven years ago so it was just Steve & me hanging out and sharing a few "adult beverages" with friends. My how time changes. :-) This trip included 6 adults, 7 kids, and 2 dogs so while it was a little different than we're use to, it was still a lot of fun. Sarah loves the water and pretty much stayed in her swimsuit the entire time. She had the best time playing with Kylee & Kate and the three of them are now BFFs. :-)
Emily did great too and we're pretty sure she's going to be a water bug like her sister. She would start kicking her legs like crazy whenever she saw the floaty we had for her because she knew her turn in the water was coming up. She would sit and float for what seemed like hours and the older kids had so much fun with her too. It's a bit challenging to camp with a baby who is crawling and starting to pull up, but she did great sitting in the pack-n-play and kept herself amused with whatever toys were in there. We're so fortunate to have two kids who are pretty flexible and go with the flow when it comes to things like this.
As for Steve & myself, it was so nice to spend some quality time with some wonderful friends. We've done a pretty good job of staying in touch since moving to Indiana, but it was so nice to just sit and visit with everyone. A big thank you to the Hughes family for letting us spend the weekend with them!
Below are some pictures of our weekend. Be sure to check out the slide show on the right hand side though for more! :-) Enjoy!
The gang!
Emily hanging out in the pack-n-play.
Sarah with Erik. Should we be worried? :-)
The girls...Kylee, Sarah, & Kate! :-)
This s'more is messy, but good!
It's a rough life. :-)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Wedding Weekend
My brother Matthew got married a couple of weekends ago in Augusta, GA, and Sarah was asked to be their flower girl. She was very excited at first, but as our trip drew closer, she started to get a little more hesitant about the idea. I'm happy to say though that her reservations quickly faded once she saw Kate, my brother's new wife, and all of the other girls. She was so excited to be "one of the girls" for the weekend and everyone kept commenting on what a wonderful job she did. Steve & I were just hoping she actually walked down the aisle once the doors to the church opened, but she walked down with a big smile on her face and we couldn't have been more proud. :-)
As part of her "big weekend," I promised Sarah I would take her to get her first pedicure on Friday morning. She didn't really know what to expect, but the thought of getting to pick out her own nail polish was enough to get her in the door. We found a little shop near the hotel and we both had the best time. They even did a little flower on each big toe which she absolutely loved! Not to worry though, her shoes for the wedding were little ballet shoes so the flowers didn't show for the big day. :-) I also asked the girls to paint her finger nails, a lighter shade of course, so she was very proud of herself when we were done.
Here are a few pictures from our trip to the "Nail Garden!" :-)
Getting started...feet in the bath!
The massage tickled a bit, but she did great!
Getting the polish.
I had to have a picture of this. Too cute!
The finished product. :-)
On Saturday morning we attended a bridal brunch with everyone and then went and had our hair done for the wedding. Neither Kate nor myself really had any special ideas for Sarah's hair so we let the girls at the salon work their magic. Sarah loves the curls she gave her and even commented on how she looked like "Apple Dumplin," one of her baby dolls. She looked so cute when it was done, but it was a challenge to keep it looking so nice for the rest of the afternoon.
Here she is at the salon. :-)
Curls anyone? :-)
Finally, here are some pictures of Sarah in her dress. She loved being with Kate and the bridesmaids and didn't seem to be scared or nervous at all. In fact, at one point I had gone to see Matthew and she told Steve that he could leave too so she could hang out with the girls by herself. :-) Right before the ceremony, Kate gave her a pearl bracelet to match the one she received from my brother as a wedding gift. Needless to say, Sarah was very excited about this and wanted to show everyone. It was a wonderful weekend and we're so happy everything went so well!
For more pictures please be sure to check out the slide show on the right hand side of the page. Enjoy!
Sarah in her dress.
Sarah & Kate with their bracelets. :-)
Sarah & Daddy
As part of her "big weekend," I promised Sarah I would take her to get her first pedicure on Friday morning. She didn't really know what to expect, but the thought of getting to pick out her own nail polish was enough to get her in the door. We found a little shop near the hotel and we both had the best time. They even did a little flower on each big toe which she absolutely loved! Not to worry though, her shoes for the wedding were little ballet shoes so the flowers didn't show for the big day. :-) I also asked the girls to paint her finger nails, a lighter shade of course, so she was very proud of herself when we were done.
Here are a few pictures from our trip to the "Nail Garden!" :-)
Getting started...feet in the bath!
The massage tickled a bit, but she did great!
Getting the polish.
I had to have a picture of this. Too cute!
The finished product. :-)
On Saturday morning we attended a bridal brunch with everyone and then went and had our hair done for the wedding. Neither Kate nor myself really had any special ideas for Sarah's hair so we let the girls at the salon work their magic. Sarah loves the curls she gave her and even commented on how she looked like "Apple Dumplin," one of her baby dolls. She looked so cute when it was done, but it was a challenge to keep it looking so nice for the rest of the afternoon.
Here she is at the salon. :-)
Curls anyone? :-)
Finally, here are some pictures of Sarah in her dress. She loved being with Kate and the bridesmaids and didn't seem to be scared or nervous at all. In fact, at one point I had gone to see Matthew and she told Steve that he could leave too so she could hang out with the girls by herself. :-) Right before the ceremony, Kate gave her a pearl bracelet to match the one she received from my brother as a wedding gift. Needless to say, Sarah was very excited about this and wanted to show everyone. It was a wonderful weekend and we're so happy everything went so well!
For more pictures please be sure to check out the slide show on the right hand side of the page. Enjoy!
Sarah in her dress.
Sarah & Kate with their bracelets. :-)
Sarah & Daddy
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