Summer Fun

Here are some pictures of Emma at her summer activities. We are taking a music class and going to baby gym and visiting local parks. She loves the gym and is now trying to do forward rolls in her crib. Emma also flops down on her rump on all surfaces. I think she is testing to see if they are trampolines. She also loves this one park that has sprinklers.

THE 4TH

Our 4^th was very quiet this year. We were all tired from camping so we went to a neighbor’s party, ate some BBQ and let the kids play together. We drove home that night so fireworks were limited to those on TV in New York.

Camping

Yes, we went camping. We went to COLLINS lake; this is a place where Garrett and I were taken as kids. It was fun to remember our past, but it was a lot of work with a toddler. She had a blast, but we were exhausted chasing her away from all the dangers. Emma loved digging at the beach and watching all the wildlife - There were dear in our campsite and birds, squirrels, fish etc. There was very little sleep and lots of dirt. Emma did not like S'mores - not surprising really as she doesn't like food in general, but she decided that she loved juice, which I rarely give her at home. Her favorite activity was driving Grandpa's boat. She insisted on sitting in his lap and holding the wheel. It was an adventure!

Easter

We had a cold, but fun Easter. Patrick took her to an egg hunt at Garrett’s church and I met them there later. She went to another hunt at the Park near my mom’s house and we had a brunch with Auntie Neale Ann. She LOVED dying eggs, but she loves any craft activity. Owen and Emma chased each other around on her new pink car. They tried to help decorate the bunny cake, but ended up just getting covered in frosting. Overall, a fun weekend!

I am a fish!

In \ preparation for the summer, Emma has been taking swimming lessons. Our first session at the YMCA was not great, but now we have Doctor Katie, who is awesome. She is a professor and has been teaching mommy and me swimming for 50 years. Emma loves it and has learned to jump in, hang on the side, swim underwater and blow bubbles. She even floats on her back in the bathtub.

I love my Bird!

So for Owen's birthday, the kids went to Stuffing Bears (and had lunch at Johnny Rocket). Emma had a hard time decided what creature to make, but after several, "No"s to Daddy's suggestions, she picked a bird. Now, I hate birds, but she loves them She didn't want any clothes on it and she didn't like the sounds. She did like 'washing' her bird in this air stream in the store. Any she LOVES this silly parrot. She cries when I won't let her hold it during mealtimes and she greets the parrot upon entering the house with a hearty, "Hi Bird!" She feeds it crackers and pats it while saying, "Oh baby, hi bird." We don't know why she loves it, but it is really cute to see her play pretend.