in a pickle

Paul was able to leave the hospital at noon yesterday so he took his two girls to lunch. At the restaurant we discovered that Emma Jane REALLY likes pickles! She didn't even pucker or make a sour face! After letting her hold the whole pickle and suck on it a bit, Paul cut it up into bite size pieces and she ate the whole thing!

bumblebees and leaves

I took Emma Jane to the zoo again today. First we have to walk through the botanical gardens to a tram that takes us to the zoo. I think Emma Jane likes the gardens much better than the zoo. She seemed to have a lot more fun on our walks in and out of the gardens. She points to the animals at the zoo, but I think they are too far away to really hold her interest. She would much rather walk around and pick up leaves and pinestraw. She also spied a bumblebee in the flowers today! It's nice to see her appreciate the simple things life has to offer...for now!

sprinkler discovery

Emma Jane had her first run-in with a sprinkler today, literally! She just walked right into the path of one at the botanical gardens. After her initial surprise, she ran right back into it for more! She was soaked by the time we left, but it was well worth the pure joy it brought her. I guess we need to get a sprinkler for the yard now....

friends and fountains

Emma Jane met her buds for lunch today. After a quick lunch, (she was so excited that she couldn't stay seated in the highchair!) we took the girls to look at the fountain in the courtyard of the shopping plaza. Emma Jane was enthralled, but she wouldn't touch the water when I held her close. As always, it was fun watching these girls do their thing!

hamming it up

Yep, there's no doubt about it. Our girl knows how to ham it up!

sneaky monkey

Emma Jane has gained insight into the art of sneaking. She LOVES getting into the wipes box on her changing table shelf. We tell her "no" and we know she knows that it's something she's not supposed to do. Today I caught her in the act! Check out her expression in the video I've posted. She has also become quite the monkey and gets herself into some pretty precarious situations. Today she climbed up onto the couch in the few seconds I walked away from the playroom. This couch has a wooden frame and isn't very low, so she had to really work to get up on it. When I walked back in, she was ecstatically jumping up and down on the couch in triumph! Of course, I had no idea how she got up there, but she showed me right away. She climbed into the basket of books next to the couch, perched her feet on the tallest book in the basket while holding onto the side of the couch, and then climbed up onto the couch. Later tonight she also climbed the changing table to get to the wipes box that I had placed on top to get it out of her reach. I sent Paul to grab the camera and we got a few pics of her going up. She actually made it to the top, but I had to grab her before she fell. Apparently we have a little daredevil on our hands! Uh oh!

wagon ride

We took Emma Jane on her first wagon ride walk today. Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill gave her a Jeep wagon for her birthday. She likes riding in it, but still doesn't understand the concept of staying seated. Throughout the walk we had to watch her like a hawk to make sure she didn't stand up and tumble out!

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!