can't catch me!

As most toddlers do, Emma Jane LOVES the tv remote! We even took the batteries out of an old remote so that she could have her own, but she knew the difference. She won't even touch the one she's allowed to have. Knowing that I would soon chase her down and insist that she surrender the remote, she took off up the stairs with it! I grabbed the camera and followed behind her. Since she can't yet climb the stairs without full concentration and both hands, she would put the remote on the stair above her, climb up to it, and then move it up to the next step before climbing up again. Smart girl! You can see in the last picture that she was very proud to have tricked mommy!

chillin' in the chair

We have quickly discovered that Emma Jane likes to do things her own way. She has an adorable hand painted chair in her room that our good friend, Barrett, painted for her. Every time I have tried to sit her in it, she wiggles to get off. Yesterday, she decided she would find a more interesting way to sit in that chair...backwards! Now she can't get enough of it, but I have to stand on guard so she doesn't fall and break a leg!

struttin' her stuff

For her birthday, Emma Jane received a new tutu complete with dance lessons from her sweet "big girl" friend, Ella Catherine. When she saw Ella Catherine dancing in the cd made just for her, she was thrilled! You can see her happily pointing to the computer screen while she watches her lessons. Although she's still too young to learn any true dancing moves, she had NO problem strutting her stuff in that tutu! Maybe we have a little ballerina on our hands...or maybe just a little showoff!

summer day

Here are a few pictures of Emma Jane on a typical summer day...having fun in her playroom, chilling on the porch in her swing, and frolicking in the grass with Walker. We keep her busy!

emma jane and garrison

These past few days we were lucky to have a visit from my good friend Marlene and her sweet little boy Garrison. Emma Jane was thrilled to have someone "little" to play with and she intently watched his every move. She was proud to show off the toys in her playroom and seemed to have no problem sharing (maybe because she realized he's a lot bigger than her!). We took our visitors to Edventure and everyone had a great time. In the afternoons, we also took walks at the Riverwalk. It was so much fun and we were sad to see them go today.

girl in a hat

I've already explained how much Emma Jane despises wearing hats, but when I sneak one on her she looks pretty darn cute! Here are a few rare pics of her wearing a hat, but you can see in one of the pictures that she has her hand on it ready to rip it off!

and she was swingin'

Emma Jane received a late birthday present today. After a lot of research, Paul and I purchased a plastic swing/slide to put on the screened-in porch. It is officially called the "Swing Along Castle" complete with a small slide, climbing pad, "look-out" station, and toddler swing. Paul put it together tonight and we set Emma Jane loose to check it out. She liked the swing at first, but then seemed to be saying, "Is this as high as this thing will go?" She had more fun pushing the swing while not sitting in it and playing with its straps. The slide was something new for her, so she really seemed to enjoy it, although she's not quite ready to slide independently. All in all, she seemed to think her new present was pretty cool!

fort fun

These are just a few pictures of Emma Jane playing in her fort. She loves to crawl in it to "hide" and she cracks up when you peek inside to find her. I also caught her "standing on her head" which she does all the time, but I've never had the camera handy until now. She is one happy girl and it's so much fun to see what she's going to do next!

walking walker

Our gentle giant of a dog came back home with us after staying with Paul's parents for a few months. We weren't sure if Emma Jane would remember him, but she certainly did! We are pretty sure she even said "dog" yesterday. She gets giddy when he's near, but he is still pretty indifferent. Here are a few pics from our walk yesterday. The first is of our two "babies" in the car and the second is after our walk during a rest break. As cute as we think Emma Jane is, it's actually big ole Walker who gets all the attention at the walking park. No one can pass us without commenting on his size!

partying again

We attended Emma Jane's first birthday party to celebrate her friend Lily's first birthday. The birthday girl was precious (Lily is obviously the one in the tiara and adorable outfit!)and Emma Jane knew all about how to party! (She's had lots of practice lately with her own parties.) It was fun watching the babies play. I really like the first picture because it was taken when we first got to the party and it looks like she is being shy holding onto daddy's hand. With over a week of full-time daddy-time, he is now her favorite! She wouldn't let him out of her sight at the party. I guess I have to be happy about that, but I bet it will be all about mama again next week when he goes back to work...maybe... Anyway, during the party Emma Jane was more interested in exploring the park and pool deck so most of the pictures are from her adventures. Enjoy!