Fright Night I

We had a great Halloween with Em (aka Little Miss Wonderbread). She was a good sport trick-or-treating (mostly for our benefit because let's be honest, the kid only has 2 1/2 teeth at this point). Not that we didn't have enough candy of our own to pick through, but there's something a little exciting about the unexpected morsels you may score from others. :)

Wes, Karen, Scott and Linda

The Many Faces of August

We obviously have some time on our hands this morning. The jumperoo eventually lulled Emily to sleep, so we're enjoying some quiet, and a walk down memory lane. Here are some pics back from the Summer. (As always, if you click on a picture, you can see it much larger, and in better quality.)

Some Oldies But Goodies

We're hanging with Em this morning and as she joyfully jumps in her oh-so-favorite jumperoo, we were reminded of some good pics we took last month. This is what happens when you jump so hard you pass out.

Up, Up and Up

We've gone from sitting up on our own to flat on our belly up to a sitting position. It's only a matter of time...

And The Winner Is...

WONDER BREAD!

After weeks of heated battle, the little bread that could eeked out a victory by the narrowest of margins over the poor sweet tootsie roll. We had no idea when we put it out there how passionate our friends and family would feel about their favorite costume. We've heard stories that ranged from attempted bribery with cookies, computer hijacking, attempted erasing of one's computer's cookies, to celebrity vote begging. (Shout out to Belinda Carlisle.) One day Emily will look back on pictures of her first Halloween and know just how truly loved she was.

Labor Day Weekend - North Carolina

Labor Day Weekend brought Emily face-to-face with her first lake experience. Granted she was immersed in the jumbo party raft so she only got a taste of the water from the mesh netting that let water in from the bottom, but she seemed to enjoy it. Soon enough she'll be jumping off the boat house roof, unlike her mommy here who was a big chicken and didn't do it.

We're In Trouble Now

Lounging in her boppy tonight, we looked down and realized Emily had pulled herself forward and upright. She was half way home to pulling herself onto the floor and we quickly realized neither our world, or hers would ever be the same again. No doubt, she was quite pleased with herself.

It's an Out and Out War! -- Costume Big Picture - See Photos Immediately Below

So since it seems there is an all out war between Tootsie Roll lovers and Wonderbread dieheards, I thought perhaps I should provide a little more insight into the overall big picture idea of each.

Tootsie Roll:  Our little nugget will be dressed in candy's finest and will be transported door to door while sitting in a large, homemade candy bucket, surrounded by other scrumptious morsels. 

Wonderbread: The same little nugget will be dressed in loaf's finest, and will experience her 1st Halloween from an A&P shopping cart, surrounded by a giant canned ham, mustard, and other sandwich necessities.  

Lil Crab:  If the crab wins, Emily will be sacrificed to a giant pot of melted butter and lemons.

Choose wisely. 

Cousin Kelley and Nick's Wedding

This weekend we attended Karen's cousin Kelley's wedding in Annapolis, MD. It was a beautiful ceremony, and we had such a lovely time at the reception. I don't think anybody had as much fun, with as many dancing partners as Em did.

Karen, Cousin Mike and Katie

Em showing off her new dress with Grammy

Fighting to stay awake with Papa

Losing the battle with mom

Unplanned, but color coordinated outfits for Sunday Brunch!

HALLOWEEN COSTUME...?

What do you think? Halloween isn't far away. We have a number of options, but we want to know what you think. Should Emily be a Tootsie Roll? A Wonder Bread? A Lil Crab? Or maybe there's one we've missed. Take the poll to the right and vote for your favorite...

OTHER POSSIBILITIES TO BRING ABOUT FUTURE THERAPY

I'll Make It Worth Your While

Stephanie will pay top dollar for someone to find Karen a pair of pants like these. And if they can't be purchased, Joy, start working, Christmas is just around the corner...

The Joys of Tummy-Time

Thanks to the gift of a digital slr, we can now show you in quick shutter time, just how quickly tummy time can go from an "Ok, I'll tolerate this" experience to "you have been given your 2 second warning to get me up" to "oh wait, that was a cool sound" to "alright, you've distracted no one, I want up!!"

4th of July Weekend - Fire Island Reunion 2009 Part II

4th of July brought Fire Island Reunion- 2009. Or, according to Allison who has had her head in books for too long, Reunion-2008. Our trip got cut a little short, but boy did we have a blast while it lasted.

We now require about 10x more space, and 20x more gear

Snugglin' with Auntie Joy

Taking a break from my busy day to eat

No Jay, I don't think I'd like to sit on the cooler today

4th of July Weekend - Fire Island Reunion 2009 Part I

Baby Em and Mommy

Em sporting her new beach outfit

Hanging with Auntie Joy and mommy at the beach house

Check out my beach gear

And some people like to ride horses on the beach...

Cousin Mike and Katie's Wedding

Karen's cousin Mike got hitched to a great girl (Katie) in York, PA this weekend. It was a beautiful wedding and a heckuva reception, and we just had a ball. Em had a dance partner practically the whole night!

The Bride and Groom

Scott, Karen, Aunt Pat and little Em

Ginny, Steph, Karen, Kelley and Em at the reception

Cousin Kelley's Bridal Shower

We drove to Annapolis, MD to visit Kelley, family, and friends to celebrate her upcoming wedding in August. It was a very lovely day. Emily met her two "great" aunts (grin grin -- Aunt Lori is holding her in pic two below) and cousins Kelley, Keri, and Cody. We had a nice time catching up with everybody and watching Kelley (with helper Cody) unwrap all of her loot!

1st Visit to Kentucky!

We knew she loved the car, but we didn't know she loved it that much! We drove 12 hours each way to Kentucky and back with all of us, Sadie, and Aunt Laurel! (pictured below) in the car, and it just flew by, with Emily sleeping the majority of it. Unfortunately we spent about as much time in the car as we got to spend at grandma and grandpa's, but it was so worth it. We were able to go out for dinner a couple of times, and enjoyed one evening with a pretty water view. Emily even scored some great music and books at the mega children's bookstore. She encountered her first kitty cat (and perhaps in turn, Emily was the kitty's first baby), and they were both mesmerized. But we think she liked dancing with mommy as grandma played the piano the best!