i'll huff and i'll puff...

One of Emma Jane's favorite toys is a plastic birthday cake with candles. It was a hand-me-down from her cousins and BOY does she love it! As soon as she sees it she shouts, "dee day! dee day!" which we can only think means "birthday". Putting the candles in and out of the cake entertains her for several minutes (which is a record for her short attention span). Now she even "blows" the candles out when she has placed all four candles in the cake. Here is a short video I took today. I only wish I had gotten a better view of her face as she blows out the candles. She really pokes those lips out!

the secret to keeping a toddler happy

Keep her busy! Today we had a full day. We finally had a morning that was warm enough for some outside playtime. After that, we met our buds for bagels and a trip to Target. Emma Jane also had fun with bubbles, painted (with water!), clowned around in her playroom tent, and enjoyed her time with daddy when he took study breaks. Whew! What a day!

pigtail princesses

Emma Jane wore her cute curls in pigtails for the first time today! She looked adorable, but wasn't thrilled to have those rubberbands in her hair. She kept tugging at them and saying, "Oh no!"

Today we had a playdate with Emma Jane's friend, Lily. Lily also had her hair in pigtails so these two cuties made quite a pair! It was fun to see them laugh and giggle together. Emma Jane is lucky to have such good friends!

picture perfect day

With so much rain this winter, we haven't been able to enjoy the botanical gardens as much. The sun came out yesterday so I took the opportunity to finally take Emma Jane for a walk. Here are a few cute pictures from our little excursion.

escape artist

Emma Jane can now open most of the doors in our house. Thank goodness for the baby gates in her room and playroom. Without those, who knows where this little explorer might go! In this video you can clearly see that her plan of escape was thwarted by the baby gate outside her bedroom door. With blankie in tow and shouts of "bye!" she obviously had big plans!

shoe showdown

Ever since I got her a pair of Croc knockoffs, Emma Jane has recently become obsessed with putting on her own shoes. For some reason, she refuses to sit down while putting her shoes on, so the whole process can be a little tricky, especially since she gets mad if you try to help her! Here is the video I took of Miss Independent trying her darnedest to get those shoes on today.

playroom playdate

Addie and Kaitlyn came over to play today. Emma Jane was so excited! She jumped up and down and laughed and giggled for the first half hour. She was very generous with her hugs for Miss Shelly and Miss Amanda too! We had a great time watching our girls interact. There were only a few "sharing" issues, but Emma Jane promises to keep working on this!

showing some 'tude

Emma Jane has just recently started to groove out to the music I play in the car. On the way to Target today she was sitting in her carseat sporting her pink Barbie sunglasses while jamming out to Dave Matthews Band. I had my video camera in my purse, so when I parked the car I thought I'd try to catch her in the act. When I asked her, "Emma Jane, will you dance for mama?" this is what she said....



Where in the world did she get THAT attitude?!?

the world according to emma jane

Emma Jane's list of words continues to grow. She surprises us everyday when she says something new. Here are a few of her favorites:

Oh no! (anytime something goes wrong)

I do! (this is her indication that she wants something)

"eese" or "pppp" for please

"nuuu" for thank you

outside (said pleadingly while trying to get out the front door)

dog (hasn't attempted to say Walker yet)

Maggie (when pointing to pictures of our black lab who passed away just a few months after Emma Jane was born)

eyes, ears, nose, toes, knees, teeth, elbow, etc... (she KNOWS her body parts!)

"mone" for phone (said at the top of her lungs when she hears one ring!)

"uhmote" for remote

"ahhh dun" for all done

"I sawry" for I'm sorry

"doo doo" for Blue's Clues (her new favorite show)

no no touch it (unfortunately she hears this A LOT from us!)

"walwa" for walrus (for some reason she loves walruses!)

I poop! (yes, this is a little embarrassing, but I'm glad she's telling us!)

down and up (while climbing stairs)

off and on (she loves light switches!)

"uhdee" for again (over and over to her daddy when he's throwing her in the air!)

"ahdee" for amen (after prayer time)

"Di" for Grandma Di (my mom)

"Aine" for Grandma Jane (Paul's mom)

"Dot" for Aunt Scott

sock and shoe (she tries so hard to put them on by herself)

and the list goes on....but we are so proud to hear Emma Jane's sweet little voice each and every day no matter what she is saying! Of course, when I try to catch her saying anything on the video camera, mums the word!

social bug

Emma Jane knows how to have fun!



Our girl LOVES to hide...



....ALL THE TIME!



Sitting pretty in front of the fireplace



Being shy with Granddaddy Walker



Mommy and me



Lunch with KK



Fun with Grandma "Di" and Grandpa Ron





Hanging with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill




Garrison taught me how to play golf...



how to read a book...



and how to vacuum!!!



Lunch with Mary and Santi



Aunt Scott loves me!!



Relaxing with Mary in Bridget's reading corner



Where in the world are we!?!



Snacking with Miss Margaret



She thought the cafeteria benches were balance beams!



Goofing off with Aunt Scott, our favorite principal!



We had such a wonderful time visiting with family and friends in Panama City. Emma Jane was thrilled to be the center of attention everywhere we went! We spent time with both sets of grandparents, had dinners and lunches with our friends, and even enjoyed some playtime at Holy Nativity where Emma Jane met LOTS of kids who were more than happy to entertain her.