13 MoNtHs!!

The Many Faces of Miss Emslee Jo

At 13 months, Emslee is getting to be pretty mobile. She's walking, unsteadily, and not for long distances but seeing as how she took her first step in February, this has been a long time in coming. It seems that overnight she has begun talking. Yep, that's right. Talking. And not just jibberish either. I've been absolutely amazed at everything she suddenly knows how to say. She can say
Mommy
Daddy
Josh
Todd
Baby
Bobby - (she says this while signing please...so I'm guessing in her world it means please??)
I Love You (you have to listen closely for this one - it sounds a lot like i wug ooo)
Bye Bye
Thank you (also known as Aay ooo)
She is certainly growing up too fast! She is the cutest little pseudo-mommy. She drags her baby doll around by the arm all the time, saying baby baby baby and giving her kisses. She loves to eat green beans, macaroni and cheese, cookies, and her favorite drink is cow's milk.
She still despises her car seat, but we've finally gotten to the point that she falls asleep by the time I get to the corner on our street, so I can handle her fussing about it for the 2.5 seconds that she actually does.
She still has a Texas-size crush on her Uncle Josh. He can tell her she stinks and it still makes her smile. He just has a way with her, and she adores him.
We are so grateful for our beautiful little lady. She makes every day an adventure!

Things I've learned

I've been thinking a bit lately about how much life has changed in the last 13 blissfully wonderful months. I feel like I've learned a lot along the way, and figured I would jot it down so that I don't forget.
Watching someone else discover the world is WAY more fun than discovering it for yourself~A kiss can fix almost any owie~Motherhood takes the patience of Job~I have never felt so tired~I have never felt so fulfilled~Everything feels easier in the morning light~Every little girl needs her daddy to be her superhero~Sometimes the dishes don't get done, and that is perfectly okay~This is harder than it looks~This is easier than I expected~Pick your battles~So glad I have my mom to give me advice~Never doubt your instincts~Remember to count to ten~Emee shredded the toilet paper...again...calm down, it's not that big of a deal~Well-meaning strangers are not to be taken seriously~And even some well-meaning relatives~Nobody knows my child like I know my child~I have the best job EVER!

Emslee's Easter dress, times two

I made a dress for Emee, and I was intending for it to just be a spring-ish dress. When I got done I thought I could possibly use it as an Easter dress, but I wasn't quite certain. Todd and I were shopping in the mall while he was here visiting, and I found a cute little dress boutique that I couldn't resist. So for Easter Emslee (aka, lil Miss Spoiled) got two dresses, three pairs of shoes, and loads and loads of candy. She, of course, shared the good majority of that candy.

The Easter bunny must love this little girl.....this is what Emee found Easter morning.

Emslee modeling the colorful dress I made. I think it turned out pretty darn cute!

Emslee, Braxton, and Darby posing for an Easter pic. I love how Darby and Brax look so incredibly cute in this photo, and Emee is crying. *Sigh, my little girl.....

The beautiful frilly Easter dress I just love! She's only going to wear ruffles like this while she's little, so we better enjoy it while we can!

Happy Easter sweet girl!

Our egg hunting adventures

We had a lot of fun hunting for Easter eggs in Nick and Jan's massive backyard. Emee was so funny, she would only pick up two eggs and then she wanted nothing to do with the rest of them. Her hands were full, and she was satisfied. That's just fine, she is one little girl that doesn't need any extra sugar in her life. She's sweet enough already!

Emee getting ready to hunt with her Uncle Josh.


Grammie Jo and Daddy trying to convince her to put her eggs in her basket.

Karyn and Darby, also on the hunt.

Emslee holding her two prized eggs. Grammie was so cute helping her find eggs.

Easter

We had such a great Easter! Nick and Janica were gracious enough to invite the whole crew to come to their house, watch conference, celebrate Easter and the April birthdays. So fun! My only complaint was the snow. Blah. But other than that, there was a fabulous time had by all.

Of course, I have to have at least one shot of Nick being weird. Yes, that is a boiled egg in his mouth.

Karyn, Emee, and I dyeing an egg blue. By the time we were done, Emee was also a pretty shade of blue.

All smiles. Emee just loves her Kare-Kare.

Grammie Jo and Dabs getting ready to dye an egg. These sweet girls sure enjoyed themselves.

Fishy! Fishy!

Emslee absolutely adores taking baths. But then, I've never met a child that didn't. I love shampooing her hair and then sculpting it into all sorts of random forms. We have such fun! I'm so glad my little girl was blessed with so much long beautiful hair!