Yacking in a Bucket

She likes the sound her voice makes in the bucket.

Cracker Snacker

Peek-a-Boo

Peeeeek-a....
Whoooops!
Peeeeeek-a....

Boo!

She's so fun.

11 Months

-Emily gives kisses. Especially to her dolls. Sometimes to Mommy and Daddy.

-She points and says something that sounds like, "Wassat?" But I'm sure she's not already asking...is she?

-When I ask her where my nose is, she points to it and then claps. She does this when I ask her where my eyes are, too. So cute.

-She finally has six teeth; four on top and two on bottom.

-She weighs 19.5 pounds and is 28 inches tall.

-It's getting more and more difficult to photograph her with the stuffed kitty cat.

Kelly's #1 Son

He is sweet. He is two. He is a big brother. And he is a big helper. Last night at the family get-together he was "cleaning up" after the grown-ups while the grown-ups watched. Kelly was feeding Caiden, for the umpteenth time, and Travis was talking to Rob in the livingroom and the rest of us were being entertained by a very determined two year-old. It was sweet. It was funny. And it was messy. Michael and I were reminded of our days of making Talatta*. Instead of stopping him, I grabbed my camera and began taking pictures. It is my duty.

*Recipe for Talatta:

1 Sink full of cold, dirty dishwater

1 or more dining table chairs, pushed up to sink

1 or more kids to mix and stir dishwater

Before making Talatta, wash a buttload of dishes, making the water extra greasy and extra chunky. Add chairs and kids and sprinkle with love and fun.

Makes: Minutes and/or hours of fun!

We missed Aaron, Tammie, and the boys last night. Hope you are all feeling better!

Mirror, Mirror...

She doesn't just think she's cute--she KNOWS it.

Another Nature Photo

...from the back yard.

See our pretty weeds? And our dead grass?
See my crying daughter? "Momma! Come baaaack! Don't leave me, come back!"

Berry-licious

Don't these berries look so tastey? I want to pick them and eat them. But I won't, because I think they're poisonous. But they are pretty.

Bathtime Buddies

Emily discovered that she doesn't bathe alone.
"Hi! I'm Emily!"
"Wanna play?"

Fun with Blocks!

Emily loves knocking down stacks of blocks. She doesn't like watching, though.
She looks so proud in this picture. You'd think she stacked that tower of blocks.

Caiden

Here is Sir Caiden. He is so quiet! He squeaks some, but that's it. I think he was in "company mode". He was very still and had his eyes closed pretty much the whole time I was visiting. I did get to see him open his eyes. He's just so cute and tiny!

Cousins

I caught Corgan and Emily playing in the drapes yesterday. They played so well together. It was a treat to see them enjoying each other. This is my favorite picture from yesterday. It kind of says it all.

I will get pictures of Caiden today. I've seen him and he is pretty darn cute.

She's Clapping!

We have been working and working with Emily to get her to clap. Today while she was watching Backyardigans she just started clapping. It was pretty cute. The sound is something I will never forget. I love it!!!
She also puts her arms in the air if you ask her how big she is. I'm melting here.

Nevermind the Booger

In an attempt to get a picture of her top teeth, I got a terrific view of a really crusty, really big booger. Don't you want to just pick it? I don't. But I know Kelly wants to pick it. She's a booger snatcher. Click on it, see how big it is. It's gross!
She has three top teeth and one more on its way, in addition to two bottom teeth. She is very snaggley right now. She got the top right side tooth first, then the left front, then the right front, and now she's working on the left side. Too bad she can't eat corn on the cob and artichokes! That'd be fun to see.

Family Day Out

Yesterday we went to Southlake Town Square and walked around. We had lunch at the Cheescake Factory. It was such a nice day that we ate outside! Emily loved being outside.

I thought it'd be a fun learning experience to take some pictures of the cow sculptures around the square. I took a couple of pictures and then in the distance I saw these two ladies with cameras similar to mine, except they had freakin' huge lenses. I was like, "Wow, look at those freakin' huge lenses!" We began walking towards them and I quickly hid my camera in the stroller. I didn't want them giggling at my tiny camera. We approached them and Rob made mention that I was embarrassed and had hid my camera from them. So, of course I say, "Wow, your lenses are huge!" They laugh and tell me my camera is nice. It turned out that Rob knew one of the ladies and she has invited me along on some of their photography outings. I am very excited. The go to the zoo and parks and places like that. I hope she calls...

D. Appalled at Her Mother

Aww, look at that face! She is so happy! But, she's got soap in her hair.
So, I dump water on her head.

And she doesn't like it.

Hence, the face.

I am so mean.

Congratulations, Mom! You have won a picture of Emily! Hang it on your fridge! Frame it! Send it back to me along with twenty bucks and I'll get it autographed for you!

Thanks for playing. This was fun!

Guess the Expression

Is Emily:
A. Astounded at how funny her mother is?
B. Tired of having her picture taken?
C. Seriously considering finding new parents?
D. Appalled at her mother?
E. Pooping?
F. Ready to get out of the tub?

I'm sure everyone is on the edge of their seats wondering what the expression could be! How 'bout we have a contest? Does that sound like fun? Does it sound like I'm a Pioneer Woman wannabe? Well, I could never compare to her, but I want to have as much fun as she does and as many fans as she has. I don't have a junk drawer full of awesome prizes, but I do have a cluttered desk with lots of crap on it. I could rifle through and find something I don't want anymore and give it to the winners. But don't let that stop you from guessing. Please, delurk you lurkers. I wanna see who checks in on Emily.

The contest ends Monday evening around nine-ish or so. There can be more than one winner.

It's Quiet. Too Quiet...

I've been told this would happen. That when your child gets too quiet, that you should begin to wonder what they're up to. I just didn't think she could get into anything yet.

She emptied that whole container of baby wipes before I even noticed she was doing it. It was a new refill pack, too. That's what I get for not paying attention and watching the boob tube.

Valentine's Day Memories, Vol. III

Valentine's Day was a huge popularity contest in junior high. As a fundraiser, the student council would sell candy-grams. A student would pay two bucks for each candy-gram they wanted delivered to their friends. Then during third period, the student council members would start delivering the candy-grams. Some of the students would end up with two, three, even four of these special deliveries, while I would end up with none. Every time. Nobody loved me. If I had been smart (and rich) I would have bought a couple for myself. Then I wouldn't have looked so pathetic.

BUT, now I am the most popular girl at my house. Well, second most popular. Rob makes me feel like a queen and it makes up for all those stinky years when I didn't have a Valentine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Memories, Vol. II

The first time Valentine's Day meant something other than just giving a little card to a classmate and receiving the obligitory card in return was when I was in the sixth grade. This was just after moving to Alturas. I didn't know anyone, and no one knew me. Or so I thought...

I had just walked home from school (I didn't ride the bus for fear of the teasing) and I remember hearing a knock at our front door. My mom answered the door and then called for me. Someone was at the door for me? I get to the door and standing there was Bill, a classmate of mine, holding a single rose and a giant candy Kiss. Holy freak, I was shocked!

I don't know why I was shocked. Probably because a boy had never made this gesture before. Bill had shown interest in me from the time we moved to Alturas. The first time we played volleyball in PE, I served a perfect set. He ran up to me afterwards and said, "You're a damn good player." Ooh, cussing; how sexy, right? I don't think I'd ever heard someone other than Poppy cuss (except for when Mom was really mad, but that's a whole other post).

I remember eating that giant kiss bit by bit and my family respecting the fact that the huge piece of chocolate was mine and only mine. Well, that's what I thought until one day I came home from school to bite a piece off and for some odd reason there was only a tiny bit of chocolate. I knew how much I had eaten, I took a mental picture each time I put the kiss away.

"MOOOOOooommmm!!! Somebody's been eating my kiss!!!!" I was livid. That was my sweetheart kiss. I wanted to cry. EXCEPT, it wasn't really MY kiss. Mom had replaced the giant kiss with a normal sized kiss and had bitten off parts of it to make it look like mine.

Valentine's Day Memories, Vol. I

Valentine's Day was a big day for me when I was little. It was fun going with Mom to pick out the Valentine's cards I'd give to my classmates. I remember signing each card, trying hard not to make it too obvious that I liked a particular boy. I'd usually end up giving him the ugliest card to throw him off.

The class would exchange cards and have a party with punch and cookies and cupcakes. I don't remember anyone ever not getting the same amount of cards as everyone else. There were many times I wanted to leave someone off my list. There was the girl that stole my flip-flops and that boy that picked his nose with his thumb. But, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had left someone off the list.

I Have a New Blog!

I have started a new blog. I have added the link under "Check These Out." It's called "My Little Hobby." I will be posting pictures that I will be taking with my new camera. Let me know what you think.

Oh, and here's Emily:

The Big Ten

Emily turned 10 months old on Wednesday.
She started taking more steps on Tuesday night. She is taking more and more each day.
She has four teeth, but the fourth tooth keeps disappearing under her swollen gums.
She got her first haircut on Wednesday.
She'll moo at a cow picture, baa at a sheep picture, and quack at a duck picture.