a weekend with the hensons

Friday night was girl's night. Joe had a work party so we stayed home, watched movies and Emmy got to try ice cream for the first time. It was magical.

Emmy is really starting to appreciate her toys. This is the face we get all the time now. She holds and pats her soft toys, smacks the hard ones to hear the sound it makes and puts everything else in her mouth to see how it feels.

I just love her... snot, drool and all (and look at those teeth!!).

Then we did a little of the dreaded baby-proofing. We have avoided it because we believe in teaching her natural boundaries and how to use the stairs, not avoid them. But we didn't want her pulling bleach or heavy pots out of the cabinets so a few precautionary steps were taken. We'll make up our mind about the stairs when she starts walking (and she is so close!).

Then I did a little "gardening" with my sister's help. Basically, she held a shovel full of dirt while I shoved these into the planters. Somehow, I developed a rash or several small cuts on my arm from holding the tree. Then, Courtney dropped the shovel on my head and Joe laughed while she apologized profusely. I will not be including a picture of our backyard because it looks terrible for this very reason.

 We had evergreens like these for 2 years and they died during last summer's drought. I had never watered them but I'm going to do better this time. They look stately and I am proud of them when I pull up the drive. Completely worth the rash.

Sunday morning we got all dressed up and went to church. I love this dress on Emmy. I bought it over a year ago, online at Gap for something like $7. It was the only size still available and I was sad I wouldn't get to see her in it for so long but this dress was made for her. It is so sweet, soft pink with ivory stitching and the silhouette is just beautiful. I wish I could have her in it everyday. Except it has to be ironed and I don't even iron my own clothes so that couldn't happen.

After church we went to a local greek restaurant. Emmy LOVED their hummus. She also liked the salmon and rice. Saturday night she tried a little fried grouper and went nuts over it. I am so relieved that she is getting more open to food. We still feed her out of the plum organic pouches at least once a day. I like that there are fruits and vegetables mixed together so even if it's a step back on baby food vs people food, I think the nutritional content is worth it. 

We made a quick stop at World Market for Easter decorations. I felt a little bad waking Emmy up to go in the store but she found a comfy spot on Joe's shoulder. It reminded me of long Sundays with my family when we lived in Gulfport. My grandfather was an Episcopal priest so we were at church every Sunday and we stayed for most of the day. The memories of that church come back so easily. 

I remember every hall, every room, the bricks in the garden, the bell that we rang just before service and for some reason, the kitchen. The taste of donut holes, apple juice and animal crackers take me back to that church, running around in a pretty dress, ducking under tables and playing with my friends. We could see the ocean from the church and there is something so infinite about the ocean that helps a little girl understand God a little better. 

We started going to church more often again after Emmy was baptized. Our priest said that his biggest pet-peeve was to baptize a child in a beautiful gown and then never see them again. It had been a while since I had been to church regularly and I wanted Emmy to have the memories I have about church. The sooner and more often we take her, the more likely she is to make friends, to feel comfortable and to find her own way with religion. Sundays with church are fun but the afternoon naps are the best.

Oh, and this was my little Easter centerpiece project... kinda cheesy but I couldn't help myself. The bunny looks a little sad because I got bored with it and wanted to take a nap so i just called it done. I want to have more spring in our house, I get so excited about each season now. Kids really do make the holidays so much more fun!