zoo for two

Emma Jane met Addie at the zoo today for a quick visit. The girls enjoyed the aquarium most where they could stand right next to the tanks and point to the fish. Emma Jane got so excited that she fell off the step, but don't worry, she got right back up without a fuss! Our cuties also enjoyed "petting" the bronze lion cub at the zoo entrance. Zoo days are always fun!

color of choice

Emma Jane has been showing preferences in many things for awhile now...tastier foods, special blankies, and certain toys. Now she is showing an obvious preference in color. In the pool of colorful balls she has, she ALWAYS chooses the turquoise ones to play with. She will sit in the pool, pick up a ball, carefully examine it, and dump it if it isn't turquoise. She takes at least two turquoise balls out of the pool and carries them around the room. If she loses one, she goes back to the pool and chooses another turquoise ball to replace it. Who knew a one-year-old could be so particular?

up...up...up she goes! down she goes, too!

Emma Jane is learning to climb the stairs...actually Emma Jane CAN climb the stairs all by herself! We just put her in front of them and up she went! Of course, I am standing close behind her with hands at the ready the whole way up, but she hasn't needed me yet! What a little monkey!
ps....as of today she is now climbing DOWN the stairs! (See new pics added at the top.) She was very cautious about it, but we won't completely trust her just yet!

party girl

Emma Jane's first birthday party was so much fun! She woke up from her nap to discover Addie and Kaitlyn in her room to start the party! The girls laughed and giggled all afternoon and the parents thoroughly enjoyed watching them together. Our dear friend Amanda (aka...Kaitlyn's mom) took loads of incredible photos with her fancy camera. Thank you, Amanda! We are so grateful to have these amazing pictures to help us remember this special day. Emma Jane loved her cool birthday presents, but I am sure if she could tell us, she would say she loved the company most of all! We are so blessed to have such good friends to help us celebrate Emma Jane's first birthday.
As far as party preparations, Paul and I had fun getting ready for our guests. I tried to be creative. The invitations, party hats, and birthday banner were all created by me! Paul cooked a FABULOUS dinner and baked the cupcakes too! It was a perfect, low-key celebration for our girl and one we will always remember.

Birthday Party

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finger lickin' good

Emma Jane's first birthday party was PERFECT! She and her pals, Addie and Kaitlyn, were adorable in their little party hats. Here is a short video of Emma Jane's first cupcake experience. She daintily dipped her index finger in the icing and licked it off. She was very tentative and ladylike with that cupcake. For some reason, she takes eating VERY seriously and rarely makes a mess. More birthday pics to come....

patriotic princess

Here are a few pictures of Emma Jane showing her patriotism! Bedtime kept her from staying up to see fireworks, but she really enjoyed watching Paul light sparklers. We gave her a little American flag and she proudly marched around waving it...luckily without putting out an eye! She did try to EAT the flag a few times. I hope that's not considered flag defacement!
Today was also very special for our girl because we had an early birthday party for her. Since we will be going home for her actual birthday, we wanted her to be able to celebrate with her best buds, Addie and Kaitlyn. Pictures from the party will be posted soon!

tutu cute!

Emma Jane's Aunt Cindy made her a tutu when she was just a few months old. We tried it on her then, but she couldn't do anything but lay there in it! Now that she's mobile, and I MEAN MOBILE, I thought I'd put it on her again for fun. There's nothing cuter than a little girl in a tutu! At first, she swished around in it and thought it was great fun. After awhile, it started to bug her when it poked her everytime she bent over or sat down. In the last picture, you can tell that she has had enough tutu! Thanks again, Aunt Cindy! These pics are priceless!

busy day

Today was a busy day for us! We met the usual crew for lunch and the girls had fun jabbering about who knows what across the table. We were also invited to an early Fourth of July neighborhood party by one of our friends. Emma Jane had fun waddling around checking out the scene. She especially enjoyed listening to the guitarist and even showed off some of her dancing moves!

museum stampede

I took Emma Jane to Edventure for the first time today. It's a great children's museum with lots to see and do. She is still too young to do many of the hands-on activities, but she was in awe as we walked through the exhibits. When I finally took her out of the stroller, she went hog wild and squealed in delight. She couldn't believe that her mama would actually let her explore in such an interesting place. Let's hope that she is just as enthusiastic when she can actually understand what the exhibits are trying to teach!