late night ice cream

We decided to be fun, exciting parents tonight and took Emma Jane to an ice cream shop after dinner. She thought this was pretty cool. Lucky for me, she preferred Paul's butter pecan over my mint chocolate chip. More ice cream for me in the future!

little gym

Emma Jane's sweet friend Lily invited us to "bring a friend" week at Little Gym today. As I knew she would, our little monkey loved it! She enjoyed almost every part of the class with the exception of the parachute ride where all the babies sat in the middle of a parachute while the parents held the sides and walked around in a circle. She was the only baby who wouldn't sit down, so she unfortunately FELL down a few seconds after the chute started moving. She does NOT like losing control and immediately started crying. It was pitiful to watch her cry while we pulled her around and around in circles with the other happy babies! Don't worry, she got over the parachute trauma quickly. Emma Jane's favorite parts of the class were the bubbles and playing with the balls. I was surprised to see how quickly she caught on to the concept of walking along a balance beam (with mama holding her up, of course!). Yes, I was very proud of our little gymnast!

it's all greek to us!

Marlene and me in Santorini, Greece



Marlene and me in front of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece



Not exactly Greece, but as close as we can get right now!
Greek Festival in Columbia, SC





We went to the annual Greek Festival today. Emma Jane really loved watching the young Greek dancers perform. Paul bounced her up and down while she happily clapped to the music. She also made friends with a cute dog! Unfortunately, it was VERY crowded so we walked around for a bit and headed to our favorite Greek restaurant instead! Emma Jane LOVES pita bread with hummus! In honor of today's Greek experience, I am adding a few pictures of my trip to Greece with Marlene a few years ago. One day I hope to go again...it is an amazing place!

visit from grandma di

My mom rode back to Columbia with us to stay a few days. Emma Jane had a big time with her Grandma Di. We went to the zoo, Edventure, and Riverwalk and did a little shopping, too! We tried out Emma Jane's special ladybug backpack that helps us keep up with her a little better. She seemed to like the independence and didn't even realize that she was being "reined" in! I think she even likes wearing her "big girl backpack" and it came in handy to hold my cell phone and keys when we took her for a walk at Riverwalk!

spooning the pudding

Emma Jane can officially eat with a spoon all by herself. Of course, it has to be something like applesauce or pudding that will stick to the spoon. She then uses the spoon like a dipstick, dipping it in and licking off what sticks to it. It's a start! Believe it or not, she does this with very little mess! Here is a video of her spooning up vanilla pudding tonight. She loves being such a big girl!

fun in florida

Our trip to Panama City was a whirlwind! We had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. The best part of the trip was celebrating my grandparents' 70th anniversary. The party was held at a condo on the beach. It was the first time my grandparents had seen the gulf in a long time. They loved it! I took Emma Jane for a walk on the beach and she STILL is not thrilled about the sand! I took her shoes off at first and that was a BAD idea. I put a burp cloth on the sand for her (the only thing I had handy at the time) and she stood on it and cried! When I put her sandals back on, she timidly tiptoed through the sand until she realized that there were some cool things to see and do on the beach and then she suddenly forgot her sand phobia. Throughout the week Emma Jane had a great time playing with Grandma Di and Grandpa Ron and Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill. We made a quick trip to Holy Nativity to see friends, so we had to get a picture together in front of the school. We also found time for swimming with Aunt Scott and Cecil at the Yacht Club, and we took a trip to Sand Destin to have some more swim time with Amanda, Mike, and little Kaitlyn. Even though we were both exhausted after this trip, we enjoyed every second of it! We only wish Paul had been able to go with us.

kaitlyn's barnyard birthday

Kaitlyn, the last of Emma Jane's good buddies, turned one this week. Emma Jane had a blast at Kaitlyn's barnyard themed party today. Amanda and Mike went all out with an amazing cardboard box barn they created and painted pink! The precious party hats were made to look like barnyard animals. Emma Jane was a whirlwind of discovery at this party! She got herself into a bit of trouble as she continuously tried to take ice out of the drink tub. Her favorite parts of the day were the yummy piggy cupcake she messily devoured and a wagon ride around the barn! What a wonderful way to celebrate yet another sweet friend's birthday!

zoo day

Emma Jane and Lily had fun exploring the zoo yesterday. Some of the highlights include...feeding a giraffe, riding the carousel, and kissing a gorilla! Okay, the gorilla kissing took place with protective glass in between Emma Jane's lips and the BIG furry gorilla, but she tried!