Emmy Summer Updates

Emmy is 15 months old today. Since I haven't posted what she is doing lately, I wanted to take some time to do so. Emmy literally started walking almost on her 1st birthday. She was taking a few steps here and there, and while we were in Forth Worth, she started taking off. I'm not sure whether she was just ready or that my grandparents have carpet and that helped her to walk. Needless to say, she was excited to walk to everyone and has been all over the place since. RL and I will say, "I'm gonna get you", and she will take off almost in a run now. She is so cute trying to run, waddling back and forth! She is waving hello and goodbye. Her wave looks like a Miss America wave, and she gets a big grin on her face when she waves. It is pretty cute. She claps her hands, kicks her feet, just started giving hugs, and even more recently has given kisses to mommy. Her kiss is a wide open mouth coming straight for my mouth. It is the best and makes me so happy!

She doesn't have too many "words" yet, but says ma, da da, and the beginning sound to many words (Buh for book, bunny, bath and ball; duh for dog; nah for snack; muh for milk). I've tried sign language to avoid those frustrational moments when she cannot tell me what she wants, but it hasn't taken too well. I'll keep trying! She is learning her body parts, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, head, fingers, toes. She says "mmmmm" when we ask what a cow says.

We are absolutely in love with this stage. She is such a sponge, soaking in everything around her. She amazes us with something new all the time. I wish we didn't live so far from our family and close friends so everyone could see her more often! We had a great summer of traveling and relaxing some too. We are ready for fall now!

Here is Emmy at 12 months at the airport on our way to Fort Worth to visit. First Steps!

 

 Happy Fourth of July in Fayetteville with family!

 

Beach trip with the Gearharts in July!

 One of my favorites! My dad pulled her down to the beach every day in the wagon.

 

A great ending to our summer...and our first trip to the Homestead.

Happy 1st Birthday...3 months later!

Yes, it has been three months since Emmy's first birthday. Our little girl is almost 15 months now! I will post updates on her in my next blog, but I want to share about her big day first! We decided to keep her party small, just a few couple friends that have babies. I got in trouble by several friends that weren't invited, so we ended up inviting more! Next time we will know that everyone wants to attend first birthday parties! The weather was beautiful, and we grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and the babies played in the playroom and in the baby pool, well sort of! RL filled it up too cold and they all cried when they got in! We all got a laugh! It was really fun having everyone over and getting the babies together. We don't do that often enough! RL and I made cupcakes, and I must admit they were really good! We also made Emmy a "smashcake". She wasn't at all sure what to do when we set it in front of her and started singing. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and stared at the cake. We had to put some on our finger and let her lick it. Finally, RL handed her a big hunk of cake and she started digging in. A couple minutes later, I took it away fearing how much sugar I knew was in it! Here are some pictures of our sweet little one year old's big day!

Gone But Never Forgotten

I have so many things that I would like to post, from Emmy's first birthday to all of our summer trips. For now, something takes precedence. I want to post a tribute to my Grandaddy. Grandaddy passed away on August 19, 2012. He was 88 years old. He was one of the most amazing men I have ever met. Anyone that knew him, would definitely never forget him. He was a family man... kind, sensitive, passionate, smart, and devoted. He never met a stranger, and he was so proud of every member in his family. Growing up, Jessica and I spent so much time in Fort Worth visiting Grammy and Grandaddy. They took us on our first beach trip...Galveston, Texas! We spent countless hours playing in their pool and having tea parties on their deck. Grandaddy was always a big part of it all. He was an amazing cook. His breakfast spreads were unbelievable, and we had to have his tapioca pudding every time we visited. There are so many things I will never forget about my Grandaddy. I am a better person for knowing him, and I feel so fortunate for having him in my life for so long.

I am especially fortunate that he got to meet his great-granddaughter, sweet Emmy, two different times. We visited in September when she was just 4 months old, and we visited again about 6 weeks before his passing. We happened to be in Fort Worth on Emmy's first birthday. Even though I know Emmy will not remember these visits when she gets older, it was so special for all of us. We captured a few pictures of Grandaddy with Emmy on our most recent trip. They are below. We will never forget such a wonderful man that made this world a better place. I love you, Grandaddy.

Grandaddy holding Emmy in June

 Grandaddy and Emmy, Emmy 4 months

 Celebrating Emmy's first birthday, June 30, 2012:

Grammy, Jennifer, Emmy, Grandaddy, Alex, and Candy

 My Amazing Grandfather