Emilia's Choice

On Emilia's actual birthday, I asked her where she wanted to go: Chuck E. Cheese's (where she's been begging to go for weeks and weeks) or the Zoo (where we've been multiple times this summer). To my surprise, she adamantly proclaimed she wanted to see zebras, elephants, and alligators - so off to the zoo we went! The weather was perfect, and we had a great time.

Before we left, Emilia opened her gift.

Watching her alligators

Princess Party at the Park

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, year two has flown by! Today is technically her birthday, but we celebrated Saturday morning with a Princess Party at the Park (unplanned alliteration; don't knock the English teacher in me). We had a great time with beautiful weather, good friends, and delicious cupcakes. My mom was even able to travel from Charlotte to celebrate with us! We loved having her (especially Emilia...Mamaw could not leave her sight without explanation of whereabouts).

 Ready to go!!! "Come on, Mom!" "Open!"

 Trying to be a big girl on the jungle gym!

Learning Physics with Ean

At two, Emilia can do this:

• Physics (LOL! Just kidding!)
• Count to 13 (jumps to 16)
• Say all of her ABC's
• Recognize all of her letters
• Know the colors red, green, blue, and yellow
• Sleep in a toddler bed
• Walk up and down steps by herself
• Take off her diaper and some types of pants
• Freely bounce on springs or air (bouncy houses), but not jump with two feet off the floor
• Say two-three word sentences and questions: "Where is Mamaw going?" "What's that?" "I want it right now!" "I am two." "Kiss it." "More milk please, Mommy." (you get the idea...my kid talks A LOT...from two parents who talk a lot, not too surprising)
• Come get me, dragging me by the hand, saying "Come here, Mommy." Or "Get up, Mommy!" Or pushes me out the door saying "[W]eave!"
• Hum recognizable tunes
• Sing "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Jesus Loves Me," "Pat the Bible," and other Bible class songs
• Has a strong fascination with Disney Princesses - namely Belle from Beauty and the Beast
• Watch Beauty and the Beast over and over and over again without getting tired of it (I love the movie, so I don't mind too much)
• Find a way to make me laugh everyday
• Show her affection with neck and leg hugs and multiple kisses!!!

My Next 30 Years

Tim McGraw's song "My Next 30 Years" has been a favorite of mine since freshman year of college. My roommate, Christi, and I would listen to that CD over and over, belting every word to all the lyrics. As an 18 year old, I distinctly remember thinking that 30 was such an old number, and couldn't possibly imagine being that old. Oh, how God loves to play the time game with us.

The past 12 years have flown, yielding many joyous and sad experiences (but mostly joyous): college - life-time friendships, boyfriends, spiritual awakening; saying goodbye to loved ones; traveling Europe; a career in teaching; meeting and marrying the love of my life, Philip; greeting Emilia into the world. Can the next 30 years possibly go by as fast as the first?

Thirty and Flirty!

The Monday before Thanksgiving, God blessed me with the gift of turning 30. Yep… the big 3-0. (All of you who remember the year 1980 should feel very old right now. Carter was president, right?) Though I am not quite adjusted to leaving the roaring 20's behind, the world hasn't crashed in on me, so I guess I'm handling it pretty well!

My husband treated me to a wonderful weekend where he cooked (several meals from scratch), cleaned (dishes, swept, mopped, scrubbed), and sprinkled gifts throughout the week. The biggest of all was celebrating with my family at Paul's for Thanksgiving. As we are driving down, Philip drops the big surprise - we're going to the Rockettes with backstage passes in mid-December!!! I LOVE going to shows and celebrating the season in style! May God continue to bless my next 30 as much as he has my first.

Birthday Girl…The Cake!!

Philip and I were curious how Emilia would like her first bite of cake. She loved it!! In fact, when she finished her cupcake, she was upset that she couldn't have another one. Oh dear!

Birthday Girl!!

We have arrived! Emilia survived her first year with us, as crazy as it was. However, we still had lots of laughs and adventures. Today, we had a little party with family, fun gifts to open, and her first bite of cake. She enjoyed it all very much! Our pictures-o-plenty really capture her elation and curiosity of what was taking place.

Birthday Girl!

A book from Grand T and family was her first gift. She was so enamored with it that it was difficult to get her to open the rest. Eventually, she did and was very happy with those gifts, too.

Asking for "more" presents…

Or maybe it's because we said the word and she wanted to sign it...

Flipped over the horse to see how the wheels work.

Do we have an engineer on our hands?