Uncle Scott!!

Uncle Scott came up to spend the the afternoon with us, and Em was sad to see him go. He doesn't have a clue what she's trying to babble to him yet, but it won't be long before she's telling him secrets and he's giving loving uncle advice.

Auntie L Comes to Visit

Auntie L came to visit for the weekend. She would be quick to admit that she's not entirely sure what to do with wee little ones, but we think Em has nonetheless taken quite a liking to her, and is using all her toddler force to win her over to the baby side!

Garage Sale Day

So every year, Sleepy Hollow (our neighborhood) and Scotch Plains has a town-wide garage sale day in May. Karen just happened to run across one house in particular that had nothing but high-end baby stuff galore that was barely used and seemed brand new! Needless to say from the picture, she practically bought them out, and a confused Emily thought it was Xmas morning all over again. Stephanie would have grabbed the camera to take a picture of the stuffed minivan had she known what was about to peel out of it.

This is just some of the loot.

"It's all for me?!?!?"

Emily's Daycare

Here's Em at daycare, so immersed in her book, she's oblivious to the fact that mommy has just walked in to pick her up.

Wait, I know you!

Emily Hates Grass

This is what happens when your child is born in March, is so tiny through the summer, and then spends the winter mostly indoors. Spring rolls around and she inevitably doesn't like the grass.

...And some time later

Some time later, we've moved to the shade so we don't get sunburned, and it just doesn't get any better...

Driving Home From Daycare

Karen snapped this picture on her iphone as she and Em drove home from daycare. We will assume the car was not in motion at the time. :)

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!

I am not happy.

Just taking a stroll down iphoto memory lane and came across a couple of pics from Mother's Day last year...

Can you believe how little I am? I'm not even 2 months old here!

Kentucky Derby Day

The Kentucky Derby is a big event at our house. Tradition calls for a special horsey outfit for Emily for the big day, and Stephanie gets giddy breaking out her mint julep recipe. This year our friend Karen came up from south Jersey to join in the festivities, and we had a ball.

Obviously Teddy will enjoy the races too

Not exactly a traditional Derby hat, but it'll do!

"This knee ride is just not the same as a horse mom!!"

Sleeping "B"Eauty

So Auntie Joy made these pants for Em for Christmas, along with matching pairs for her mommies! (Picture to come... ;)

It didn't take Em long to eat the B off, so now she's just plain EAUTIFUL!

Baby Babble and Nose Blowing

Sorry the video is a little dark. We were having a relaxing night in the florida room and Emily started imitating Karen blowing her nose, and it was such a riot, we had to grab the camera.

Emily.... Out

This is what the aftermath of a hard partying weekend looks like nowadays.

How Not to Open a Cabinet, by Nekked Baby

What can we say, she's persistent!

Where's Teddy?

Jersey Reunion Weekend

This weekend we had a reunion weekend in Jersey with our friends (and honorary Aunties) Joy and Allison, and Scott and Jay. Em got a sit and spin for her birthday from Joy that she is in love with! Definitely requires a bit of adult supervision for now, else she'll spin herself right onto the floor. And it's all fun and games until someone starts crying! :) Once Em wore herself out, we got to have an adult night (which mommy and mommy desperately needed) that kept Karen up until the peek hour of midnight, and Steph and Joy gabbing until 4am! We can't wait to have our Fire Island reunion weekend this summer. Emily and Sadie are going to love it!!

Snuggling With Sadie

We are incredibly blessed by how gentle and patient Sadie is with Emily. She tolerates a fair amount of baby patting and poking. In her defense, Emily is pretty sweet as well. She strokes Sadie's ear like she does those of her little stuffed animals. Inevitably we'll find Emily sucking on the thumb of one hand, while stroking Sadie's ear with the other. There's definitely some baby/doggy love going down at our house.

Emily's 1st Birthday!

Emily had a wonderful 1st Birthday. She got some toys and clothes - including this birthday girl dress. We had dinner at our favorite Hibachi steakhouse (ok, admittedly that was probably more for the benefit of the adults) and then celebrated with birthday cake at home. Our little monster cake eater baby-handled it like a pro.

Me and mommy!!

My very first birthday outfit

Grammy and Papa got me a musical table

Wow, this cake is mine, all mine

Big bird's head burning is SO funny

Ummm... Is your piece bigger than mine?

OK, I will share one bite. But just the one.

Some of My First B-Day Gifts

Emily received a couple of her gifts from Grammy and Papa this morning. They're as big as she is but she's doing her best to pick them up and drag them across the room!

I love my giant puppy!

I love my giant bear!

OK, the orange yarned hair baby keeps staring at me grammy

Rub a Dub Dub

Emily absolutely loves her bath time and splashing around in the water. And she's a pretty good sport when mommy gives her goofy hair styles like this one. If she has a penchant for mohawks and spiky hair cuts years from now, we'll know who to blame... mommy!

What Are You Looking At?...I Haven't Done Anything... Yet...

With Emily, there is no mercy. Dare to get in the way, and brace yourself for being run over. We are so blessed that Sadie is so patient with her. And that this thing doesn't have heavy wheels. Poor pooch has been run over more than she'd care for. And Emily is quicker with this thing than we are. You just can't jump out of the way fast enough. Come over, she'll show you!

Our Big Snow Day

Here's a picture of our big snow day here in Jersey. Nobody was commuting to work in this, so we all stayed home and just enjoyed the powdery white view.

Humming, clapping and ... almost walking, oh my!

Emily has been trying to hum Jingle Bells for months so we figured it was about time to get it on film.

Emily shows she's not just a one trick pony. She can wave and clap too!

Belated Christmas in North Carolina

We had a wonderful belated Christmas celebration in North Carolina with Grammy, Papa and Uncle Scott. Emily got so many great toys she didn't know what to play with first. But, she eventually got her hands (and mouth) on everything. Her talking doggy and Tickle Me Elmo are a couple of her favorites. This year, like most years, Karen got coal in her stocking. Stephanie didn't because she was very good.

Who's going to blink first?

My very first Elmo!

Hangin' with Uncle Scott

So, so sad that it's all over

Panda Love

Christmas In Kentucky

We spent Emily's 1st Christmas in Kentucky with Grandma and Grandpa Smith. She loved the baby settee that Stephanie played on when she was little. (Yes, that's a picture of her framed above it.) Em hasn't even had an opportunity to be good for a whole year, and she got so many gifts from everyone!

Yes, Stephanie had long hair... once.

Another helping of turkey and stuffing and Stephanie is going to break the baby couch

Emily is so proud to sit in a chair just her size

Just some of the gifts Santa brought Emily this year

Why are baby toys so well packaged that it requires the child and two adults to get into them? Hello Grandma Smith!