lunch money

Emma Jane attended her first rock concert today where she quickly became a front row groupie and even got to have her picture taken with the lead singer! Okay, this may be slightly misleading, so here's the real story. Our very cool neighbors play in a kids' rock band called Lunch Money and they play at all kinds of children's events around Columbia. They even have 2 Cd's out and were kind enough to give us copies a few months ago. Their music is very upbeat with fun, silly lyrics. Today we attended one of their free concerts downtown in the lobby of an old theater that is soon to be renovated. We weren't sure how Emma Jane would react to the loud music, and she seemed a little overwhelmed at first (it was VERY LOUD!), but she was soon ready to jump out of daddy's arms and hit the dance floor. We were a little worried about letting her go out into the middle of all those big kids, not to mention the fact that it was very likely she might walk right up to the drummer and grab his drumsticks (which, thank goodness, she did not). To keep her from running right into trouble, Paul held onto her belt loop at first, but then we decided to just let her go and see what she would do. To our surprise, she knew just what to do! She danced and jumped and squealed right up to the front row. Since she recognized our neighbor Molly, the lead singer, she kept trying to wave to her and shouted, "Hiiiii!" over and over. Paul and I had so much fun watching our girl groove to the music. She even had her first experience with sidewalk chalk outside the theater. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around downtown Columbia enjoying the beautiful weather. We are so lucky to have a girl who keeps us on the go!

verbal explosion

Emma Jane surprises us everyday with new words and phrases. At this point, she can pretty much repeat any 1-2 syllable word she hears and she works really hard to get those 3-4 syllable words out! Although not everyone may understand her, WE do and it is so nice to be able to communicate with her. There are a few downsides to this new found verbal ability....this girl is BOSSY and a little too honest! Here are a few of her favorite phrases:

"It smells good!" (referring to Paul's cooking, of course!)

"Sit here, mom." (she loves to take you by the hand and lead you someplace)

"Snack, please!" (her idea of a snack isn't always the same as mine!)

"Wheee sky, fly...fly..." (her plea for Paul to throw her up in the air)

"I see you!" (she loves to hide and peek out at you)

"Hey you guys!" (not sure where she got this one)

"Off radio!" or "Off fan!" or "Off light!" (EVERYTHING has to be off when we leave the room...she's a conservationist!)

"I carry you!" (which means, "please carry me")

"Walker....where are you?" (she calls to him in the yard)

"Pee-uuu, stinky!" (referring to her diaper pail)

"I scared, mom!" (says this anytime I leave her alone for two seconds!)

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10!!" (she loves to count, but she skips nine!)

"All by myself!" (she says this A LOT!)

"Poor flower! Boo Hoo!" (she demolished a flower at the gardens and this is what I said to her, but now this is what she says when she sees any flower that has been picked, including the one Paul picked in the front yard and put in a vase!)

easter joy

What a beautiful day to celebrate Easter! The perfect weather, flowers in bloom, and precious family time have been wonderful reminders of the life God has blessed us with. Emma Jane started out the morning with homemade "awfuls" (waffles) made by her daddy. She then discovered her Easter basket surprises...thanks Easter bunny! We then went to the Capitol for a nice picnic and walk around the grounds. Emma Jane walked up the Capitol steps all by herself today! It is so hard to believe that she can do that. She was desperate to get in the Capitol building and tried every single door she could find. She had her first "tree climbing" experience, too! Okay, not really, since Paul sat her up in the tree and held onto her from behind. Every day we spend with Emma Jane is always an adventure!

egg hunt? nope!

We went to the St. Stephen's Preschool Egg Hunt yesterday. Emma Jane is enrolled in the 2-year-old class beginning next fall. Kaitlyn invited Emma Jane even though she isn't an "official" student just yet! The girls sat and colored for a few minutes before the outdoor egg hunt. Since the egg hunt was on the playground, Emma Jane had absolutely NO interest in finding eggs. She wanted to check out every piece of playground equipment instead! We would point out eggs that were blatantly sitting in front of her and tell her to put them in her basket, but she would shout, "NOPE!"