sunday afternoon

My mom kept Emmy for Joe and I last night so we could go watch the Bama game with friends. As we were driving home Joe admitted that he already missed her. We woke up early and got ready for church and remembered the good ole days when all you had to do was get yourself clean. Nobody pulling at your pants, wanting to play with your makeup or dragging your clean clothes all over the house. It was also kinda dull. I don't know how we were happy before we had her, what did we do with all that time!? 

I barely made it halfway through church when I pulled her out of the nursery to come join us. While the boys went to get the cars, we went out to the little garden behind the sanctuary and took a few pictures. I just love my new camera. It's a pain to carry something so large and fragile but there is no way I could capture moments like this without it. After church we went to lunch at the Summit. Emmy didn't last long, her nap 2 hours past due, but I was able to get a few pics of everyone playing with her.

malibu beach

Part 1:
 The travel should be part 1. Chronologically, that would make sense. But I didn't use my fancy camera while traveling. And that post is going to be useful and well thought out. This post is just about Malibu Beach. It's also mostly just pictures. 

Malibu was my favorite part of our trip (yes, even better than Disneyland!). Ashlyn told us the temperature drops when you get over the mountain and close to the beach. I believed her but it wasn't until I felt it that I truly understood the difference. It's like going from summer to fall instantly. As soon as we could see the Pacific, I mentally made a check on my bucket list.  Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and now the Pacific Ocean and it did not disappoint.

After we climbed down the particularly steep and slightly dangerous terrain, we were greeted with heavy waves crashing on rocks. The beach reminded me of the beach in Scotland. This sand is not soft and fine like on the gulf coast. The water is cold and the sound of waves crashing sounded like thunder. I loved it. I love to be around the beach but I hate the Florida heat and humidity. I could live in Malibu forever. Except, of course, it's apparently very expensive. 

school time

Isn't that just the sweetest smile you've ever seen?!

Emmy started with a new teacher at her day care about a month ago and we are so in love with her! She is a sweet, no nonsense woman. I have been looking forward to getting in her class because I've seen her with other kids and she is the perfect teacher. She is fun and joyful, allowing the kids to play and freely roam throughout her room. She is often found with two kids in her lap, reading them a book while the others go about their own interests. 

The thing I love most about her, though, is her stern side. She isn't mean and she never yells at the kids but she knows what they are capable of learning and she encourages them to be obedient, helpful and to listen. I noticed Emmy's behavior changing almost immediately so I asked her teacher to teach me as well. I want to reinforce her rules to make it easier on everyone. 

When we fix her bottle Emmy promptly sits down to wait for it. When she makes a mess, we point at it and say "Pick it up!" and she does. She runs around picking up books and bringing us toys that she wants us to play with or read to her. It's hard to explain how quickly her communication is developing now, she understands our requests and compliments and tries to repeat them leading to the sweetest mumbo jumbo of vowels and consonants. 

Everything is easier now. Joe and I rarely debate chores. We have  a routine that is comfortable for everyone and Emmy's sweet and silly nature make her such a joy to be around.

Most days go something like: 
7:00 Joe showers
7:30 I wake Emmy 
8:00 Joe takes Emmy to school
9:00 I leave for work
4:30 I leave to pick Emmy up
5:30 I get home and start dinner
5:45 Joe gets home and we eat
6:15 Family time
7:00 Bath and bedtime cuddling (better known as Emmy wallering time)
8:00 Emmy goes to bed

We are a little spoiled because of my work schedule. I like that I get some time in the morning to myself, to get ready without a kid pulling on my pants or curiously putting all of my makeup in her mouth to see what it feels like. It really makes me feel fresh and brighter about my day. 

I spend most days looking forward to the time when we get home and have our family time. I know this sounds cheesy. As I type this, I'm thinking.. who are you? and shut the hell up, no way is life this perfect! And it's not! Believe me. But today it was. Most days it is really great. Most of the time we are so happy and I can't imagine it will ever be easier and more enjoyable than this. Life really is laughing and loving for now so yeah, I'm going to be cheesy and I'm going to appreciate it because I know it won't last forever. 

 Here is a little clip of Emmy being goofy during cuddle time...

   

Bell doesn't even have to bark for her to give us her "surprised" look - if we mention Bell, she gives us this look and starts laughing which gets us all laughing too.

christmas pictures

Last year, Joe and I decided to do 5 Christmases in 5 days so that we could see everyone since we knew that we would not do 5 Christmases in 2012. And then we did. 

We do love our family and it was hard to tell them no. But by the end of the Holidays, we were exhausted and decided to be more proactive in next year's planning (we'll see).

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Our first Christmas was in Huntsville with Joe's dad's family.

This is the only pic I have, which I stole from my sister in law, It's Emmy with her Bell, the talking dog from Hallmark. I think I loved this more than her!

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On Christmas Eve we drove to Centre to join Joe's mom's side of the family. They live on Weiss Lake so we went outside to take a few pictures and well, they didn't go too well. 

Believe it or not, this look wasn't even directed at me. I don't know what happened, I just looked at the camera and these were their faces. I laughed hysterically, then regrouped for one good one.

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Then we drove back home and met my sister and brother-in-law to make cookies, watch Home Alone and drive around looking at lights. Courtney takes the most amazing pictures and it's always so hard to choose which ones to post! 

Emmy loves her Uncle Alex but that doesn't mean she's going to share her apple!

She stayed up way too late. All the traveling got her schedule off and this is her happy as a clam at 10pm. 

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My dad and his wife came over Christmas morning with Courtney and Alex. We had to wake Emmy up at 10 so we could open presents with her! I might have been more excited about her new toys than she was. 

But she did love getting into her daddy's stocking (check out her hands)!

and... my favorite gift of all was what me, Courts and Alex got for Joe: karate lessons!

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We left to go to my mom's house around lunchtime. Mom loved holding Emmy while we opened our presents. In all the chaos of ripping presents and tossing bows and ribbons, Emmy fit right in. She just crawled all over it tossing ribbons behind her. 

The whole family at the table... except Courtney who didn't make one single picture because she took them all. I guess next year she's going to have to get a tripod for that camera!

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Our last Christmas was back at our house on Thursday night with Joe's dad and sister. We had a blast with all of our family but I think next year will have to be a little different. Joe and I need to focus on our little family and make sure that we do what we want, not just what everyone else asks us to do. 

This was still one of my favorite Christmases of all time. I imagine it only gets better as they get older and more aware of what's going on. I can't wait until next year!

christmas with emmy

People said the Holidays are more fun with kids and we have definitely found that to be true! Despite the week at the hospital, Emmy's first December has been so full of joy. 

Strangely enough, she developed a strange sort of chipmunk laugh at the hospital and it has kept Joe and I laughing since. She tries to listen to our conversations and laughs when we do. She laughs when she thinks of something funny and at almost everything Rufus does. 

Her happiness is contagious and Joe and I needed that more than she knows. She is making her parent's marriage better without even trying. 

She also enjoys unwrapping presents, which has been fun for her and not so fun for me but since she's laughing about it I can't bring myself to stop her. She has crawled under the tree a few times and tried to pull it down and has been responding to "no ma'am" very well! She just smiles back at me and moves on to something else. 

We got so lucky with Santa this year! We weren't sure if we wanted to brave the largest mall in Birmingham to wait for Santa but we knew we needed to do it for Emmy's sake. After church on Sunday my mom and Rich took us to lunch at the Summit. It was raining and cold but when we walked out of the restaurant, Santa was just sitting in his chair with no one around! I asked if he was "open" and he said his camera man had bailed due to the rain but that we could take our own pictures for free. Heck yes!! 

Emmy loved him, look at her smile!

5 month photos

I'm not sure captions are necessary - just check out how stinkin' cute this kid is.

I managed to get my sister into one of the pictures... isn't she beautiful!? Thank you lil' sis for taking these amazing pictures of Emmy!