cool shades

Emma Jane was stylin' in another mom-made dress yesterday at the park. This one was a little short, but it looked cute with her pudgy little thighs. She also got to wear her new Hello Kitty sunglasses. She REALLY thinks she's cool when she's wearing her shades.

walker smooches

Our Walker is a good dog. He's not thrilled to have a toddler in the house, but he tolerates her frequent "kisses" and curious pokes. Here are some pics I took in the yard today of Emma Jane loving on her dog.

dirtying up the dress

I have successfully finished sewing a second dress for Emma Jane. She wore it today during our walk in the gardens. Wearing a pretty ribboned dress did NOT slow this girl down! She proved that she could still climb rocks, spin in circles and dizzily fall down in the grass, jump on benches, and even dump a whole pot of dirt on her new dress! That's our girl....

piggy love

Emma Jane has never shown much interest in dolls or stuffed animals, but she has recently become attached to "Pookie" the pig. I snuck in during naptime to take this sweet picture.

monkeying around at the capitol

With cooler weather finally here, we took Emma Jane for a stroll downtown today. We decided to walk around the Capitol grounds and she thought that was pretty cool. She climbed all the way up the Capitol steps by herself (with mom spotting her, of course) and when we got to the top, she tried her best to open the Capitol building doors. Since it was Saturday, she was out of luck. Emma Jane also enjoyed running all over the grounds, playing in the monkey grass surrounding a giant oak, and climbing the many fences protecting special statues and flags. Although we didn't learn much about South Carolina's history, we had a blast chasing around our little munchkin!

so.....I can sew!

As most of you know, I got a sewing machine for my birthday. My VERY generous friend Sara was kind enough to give me my first EVER sewing lesson. The project...a cute new dress for Emma Jane, of course! It's a pillowcase dress that ties at the shoulders. The steps for this dress are fairly simple and perfect for beginners like me. Beware...you will probably see Emma Jane in several of these dresses until I get the courage up to try something different. When we had the final (and only!) "fitting" today, Emma Jane was thrilled to run around the house in her new dress. If only I could figure out how to keep her from untying the ribbons!

ps...I made the hair clip she's wearing to match the dress. Yes, I am slowly turning into a domestic goddess (except for that whole cooking thing!).

hayride

Emma Jane had a ball at the Saluda River Club Fall Fest yesterday. She took her very first hayride (and it was a LONG one!). She enjoyed climbing all over the pumpkins again. I guess they do make perfect "seats" for her little tushy. This time last year I took Emma Jane on her first plane ride to see Paul in Columbia. She was only 3 months old. We took her to a pumpkin patch during our visit. I have included a picture so you can see what a difference a year makes!

just like daddy

Paul was mowing the lawn this morning while Emma Jane sat and watched intently from the playroom window. Yes, this was a very exciting thing for her to see since Paul hasn't had time to mow the lawn in quite awhile. For those of you who have spent a lot of time with Emma Jane, you know that she is not one to "sit intently" to do anything, but boy was she interested in watching her daddy! I got out the bubble blower mower that she got as a birthday gift (thanks Addie!) and took her outside to "mow the yard" right along with daddy. She loved it (and I'm pretty sure her daddy did, too!). Don't worry, the pictures with the real mower were staged, but she didn't know the difference!

another day of smiles

Emma Jane is full of smiles all day, everyday. Here are just a few I captured today.