Birthday Celebration

On Saturday, we made a quick little day trip to Atlanta to help my sister celebrate her birthday. While we were there, we took advantage of a beautiful day and hit the Atlanta Zoo. Although some of the animals seemed to intrigue Emma, she was mostly into eating her snacks and chewing on her snack tray (as pictured above). Claire informed us that her favorite animal was the elephant, but she also talked endlessly about how "that big, mean gorilla wouldn't share his food." We were fortunate enough to catch the feeding of the gorillas, and as Claire said, the biggest gorilla of them all chased off the smaller ones while he grabbed up as many pieces of popcorn and carrots as he desired. It was definitely entertaining, and it all added up to a very fun day!

The Visiting Prince

This past weekend, my parents stopped in for a night before going to Atlanta for my sister's birthday celebration, and Jeremy was awarded a small break from his princely duties. Claire's BaBa temporarily filled his shoes. Somewhere there are pictures of the two dancing in the hallway, but they must be on another camera. Perhaps those will be posted later.

9 Months Old!

Emma is officially 9 months old! She had her well check today, and she is now 19 pounds, 12 ounces, and 28 1/2 inches long. As I have done on her big month milestones in the past, I attempted to take Emma's picture with her dolly friend. Now that she is so mobile, it is getting pretty hard to get her to sit still! Dolly also got taken down and beaten up a bit in this most recent photo shoot. I'm sure Emma was just trying to love on her.
The last picture is of Emma's most recent trick - fishy lips!
On a final note, we wanted to take this moment to wish Aunt Stacey a Happy Birthday. She is 420 months old today!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope that your day is full of smiles. . .

hugs. . .

and love!

Big Girl

Last night, Emma finally figured out that she could pull herself up in her crib. As you can see, she sure was proud! I knew this day was coming soon, and had planned to lower her crib in advance. However, I think I hesitated on it because taking her crib to its lowest level seemed to be just one more sign that my little baby is growing all too fast. Anyway, the crib has now been lowered. Unfortunately, I am still left with the frustration of a baby that wants to continually pull herself up and cry for a rescue rather than sleep. As they say, "This too shall pass."

Super Bowl Sunday

Earlier today, Claire and I worked on a cookie cake to take over to the neighbors' house for the big game this evening. Although we're not really big Super Bowl people, we took the theme and ran with it as we decorated our cake. Claire's favorite part was cleaning out the icing tips. I can't say that I blame her.
The best part about the Super Bowl is that it is a good excuse for a get together. We had fun visiting with everyone. The little girls stayed true to their inner princess, and the little boys kept themselves busy with the usual trucks and airplanes. Sweet Emma wandered around and found various things to chew on. All were content!

P is for Pizza

Claire's class at school has recently been studying the letter "P", so yesterday they went on a field trip to a local pizzeria. The restaurant was open just to our school, and each table was set up with all of the ingredients needed for the kids to make their own pizza. After they made the pizza, all of the children were taken into the kitchen for a tour, and to see their pizza go into the oven. Minutes later they were eating their yummy creations!

The Family Band

As I was preparing dinner the other night, Claire (I mean, Sleeping Beauty) and Emma provided some entertainment. There's nothing like a classic bowl band!

Reaching New Heights

Emma is really moving now! Not only is she moving, but she has also been pulling up on things and climbing. The other day, I thought she was "helping" me unload the dishwasher, and then I turned to find her climbing onto the dishwasher door. Having my camera handy, I snapped a picture real quick. Unfortunately, I missed the ear-to-ear grin she had on her face when she turned to look at me. She was so proud!
On Tuesday, Claire and I watched as Emma climbed to the top of the stairs (with me right behind her). When she made it to the landing, Claire and I were giving her big claps and cheers. Emma was so excited that she decided to clap for herself as well. As far as I know, that marked her 1st hand clapping. Way to go, Emma!

Meeting Lauren

On our way home from Mobile, we decided to stop in Auburn to meet our newest little friend, Lauren. She was so precious and tiny! I can't believe that Emma was that small only a few short months ago. They grow so fast!
In addition to meeting Lauren, we were able to enjoy a yummy dinner with the Plaisance family, and let the kids get some quality play time in. Claire set to work with some tools and making William laugh, and William had fun dressing Emma up in one of his baby sister's new outfits. He was so proud of himself! I cherish these moments when we can sit back and watch these 2nd generation friends play. They always have so much fun together.

The Royal Family

Saturday night was the big event. The theme of this year's Etruscan Ball was "Rock & Roll Heaven". Jeremy's parents made a beautiful entrance as King and Queen, and the other Etruscans put on a great show. Better yet, I had one night as an official princess. Julie, Kristi, and I even had tiaras!

Mardi Gras Time

This past weekend, we made a trip down to Mobile for Jeremy's parent's Etruscan Mardi Gras Ball. This was a special year because Jeremy's parents were the king and queen! Saturday morning we took the girls down to the location of the Ball to see the decorations going up. Claire was in heaven dancing on the huge ballroom floor with "Prince Jeremy", and practicing her curtsy on stage.
After the decorating was finished, the King and Queen were free to join us for lunch at Wentzel's in downtown Mobile. An added bonus was that we got to visit with Jeremy's Aunt Lyn who was in town from Virginia. We had a great time!