Wordless Wednesday!

Birthday Party Recap!

Emily had the best birthday weekend anyone, young or old, could ask for!  We have nearly 150 pictures of the occasion(s) so I have added them all here and I'm only going to show some of my favorites in the post...otherwise, I would crash everyone's computers!!

So- it all started on Friday afternoon.  Granny, Grandaddy, and Grandma Frances all drove down during the day and Daddy got off early from work- so we sent the grandparents to pick Emmy up from school.  When she got home we opened present from the family since we figured Saturday would be pretty hectic.  

This box from Uncle Bill is as big as me!

Seeing all the packages in the living room.

Her very own umbrella...a huge hit!

Opening the horse from Uncle Bill.

 

 

 

 

We had a nice dinner at home, played a while, and then went to bed.  On Saturday morning we ALL headed to Dancenastics so Emily could have her own cheering section there!  She did such a great job:

Then it was time to get down to business.  While Paul and I ran around town like crazy people collecting food, balloons, cake, etc., Emily went home and played with her new toys.  SOMEHOW my in-laws got her to take a nap...to say I was amazed would be the biggest understatement!  I was completely stunned when Paul and I arrived at home and it was quiet inside!  We quickly got things ready- the party was getting closer!

         

Only SOME of the food- the kitchen was full too- BBQ, baked beans, pasta salad...you name it, we probably had it!

Right as we finished up the party guests started arriving and Emily woke up from nap.  We quickly put on our farmer shirts (you have to dress the part!) and went out to greet everyone!  Watching Emily greet her friends was SO precious- she ran to every one and gave them a huge hug.  It was so sweet!

Then the entertainment arrived- the horses!  We had a horse named Makayla, a donkey named George, and a miniature horse named Charlie.  The kids went CRAZY riding them and had so much fun.  Even some Mommies rode the horses (DeeDee and I did...the things we do for our kids!)  The horse owners were SO great and even painted the manes and tails for the party.  It was fabulous!

The kids had a great time playing with sidewalk chalk, riding Emily's cars around the circle, and playing in the "Needle in a Haystack" game- we filled her baby pool with hay and put small toys and candy inside.  The kids could dig through the hay and find prizes to keep!

Soon everyone had to leave...but not before getting their great treat bucket:

Emily had so much fun that day and has continued talking about it non-stop.  We had such a great time hosting everyone and I have to say I was a little sad on Sunday when I didn't have her birthday party to be thinking about!  It's been so much fun getting ready for it!  I also MUST thank my in-laws- we truly couldn't have pulled this off without your help and we really appreciate the babysitting, food prep, setup/ cleanup/ etc. that you did.  You're the best! :)

I'll leave you with 2 pictures that melt my heart- Emily with her friends Eva (from preschool) and Derrick (Miss Jamey's son).  She was THRILLED to see them both:

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who came, who helped, and who gave me ideas for the party.  We had a blast!!  

Make sure you check out the pictures!  Again, click here to see all the pics of Emily's special day!  

1, 2, 3!!

Today Emily is THREE!!

ONE year old 10-21-2008

TWO tears old 10-21-2009

THREE years old TODAY!!

Happy Fall, Ya'll!!

We took our girls to the pumpkin patch yesterday and met up with some friends.  It was so much fun! Here are a few of my favorite pics-- they are ALL in the Picasa album though- link on the left side!

One- Word Wednesday

When you look at this picture, what ONE word comes to mind first?  For me, it's JOY.  Paul's joy at having his two sweet girls cuddling in his arms.  Audrey's joy that she is getting to snuggle up and sleep on someone's chest (if you've been lucky enough to meet that little princess you know that is her FAVORITE place to be!).  And Emmy's joy is written all over her face-- she loves her Daddy so much! This picture is my joy too because these 3 are my whole world.  There's a Brooks and Dunn song that goes, "I'll never beat the view/ of my front porch looking in" and it's SO TRUE.  I am so lucky to have these 3 as my view, from my front porch looking in.

Pretty Princess

I love these new pics of sweet Audrey:

Don't you? :)

Shared Pants

I was giving Audrey a bottle 2 nights ago and heard Emily start giggling from the other room.  This is NEVER a good sign, so I got up to see what was so funny.  It turns out my sweet big girl had stolen the pants belonging to my sweet little girl.  Here's Emily, wearing size Newborn pants!  

She looks really proud, right?! :)

Emily's Trip to the FAIR!

The other night we had an opportunity to take Emily to the fair.  Our friend kept Audrey for us (in addition to her not being quite ready for "fair people" it was a little cold and windy too!) and Emily, Paul, and I packed up and headed to the fairgrounds.  Emily was SO excited in the car and kept telling us about all her friends who were going to the fair with us (apparently the backseat was filled with little children we could not see!)  It was so cute.  She also kept saying that she was going to the fair like Oso, as in Special Agent Oso from Playhouse Disney.  There's an episode where he goes to a carnival, and she remembered it! 

When we got to the fair we paid approximately half of my bring-home salary to get us in and buy her a few tickets for rides.  Seriously... how do families afford it when they have a lot of children?  It was over $30 just for admission, parking, and enough tickets for 2 rides.  And Emily was free!  But I digress...

Anyway, we walked around the fair for a while and Emmy really enjoyed all the lights and games and rides.  Eventually she settled on riding a carousel.  I rode with her (lack of safety straps...I swear sometimes going to these things feels like you're taking your life in your hands!) and she was SO happy.  It was precious!  She was yelling, "Look at me riding a horse! I am SO HAPPY!!!" I about melted right there. 

Then we walked around some more and she made a big decision...to ride a roller coaster!  That's right folks...I let my baby ride the roller coaster.  And I didn't even pass out from holding my breath during the entire ride!  She LOVED every second of it- I wish we could bottle up that joy and sell it...I have never seen her so overwhelmed with happiness before.  As scared as I was (honestly, I was freaking out inside but tried to play Cool Mom and hold it together) it was worth it to see her so incredibly happy on there.  These pictures do not even come close to showing her joy!

After the rides we ate ice cream (Emily's choice...neither Paul nor I would have picked ice cream in 40 degree weather!), hot dogs, french fries, and my favorite....funnel cake!  I spilled powdered sugar all over myself and Paul and Emmy had a great laugh.  Emily scolded me for making a mess and Paul said I looked like a carnival worker...so all in all, a great success. :)

We walked around and saw the animals and Emily really enjoyed that.  Paul and I were quite shocked at how watching a cow poop at the fair could cause now THREE nights' worth of nightmares for her though....she is waking up and telling us the cow pooped on her floor, pooped on her toys, etc.  The other night our conversation sounded like this:

Emily, screeching from her bed: "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY!"
Me, running to her room and flinging open the door: "What's wrong?!"
Emily: "There was a cow."
Me: "Where was a cow?"
Emily: "At the fair. He pooped."
Me: "Yes, there was a cow at the fair. And he did poop.  But he's not here now.  Emmy needs to go night night now so she can feel good tomorrow."
Emily: "But there was a cow!  And he pooped on my Big Mickey!"
Me (stifling laughter): "Honey, there was a cow. But he is NOT in Emily's room.  He's at the fair.  He pooped there.  He did not poop in Emily's room."
Emily: "Why are you smiling? There was a cow and he pooped!  Why are you laughing Mommy?!"

It's been interesting getting through this cow-poop fear...I swear, you never can tell what things are going to freak her out! 

After the cow (and the poop!) we headed back home.  That night when Emily was lying in her bed I asked her what he favorite part of her day was.  She said, "When Mommy and Daddy take Emmy to the fair and I ride the 'oller coaster that looks like a crocodile!"  Too sweet. 

Travel time!

We headed to WV last weekend so Paul could meet up with the hospital personnel he needed to see and I could house hunt a little bit.  We drove partway and left Emily with Granny and Grandaddy and she LOVED spending time with them.  They made her her "own room" with a big girl bed in it and she was SO excited to sleep in there!  It was precious!

Then we took Audrey and headed North.  Paul had great meetings and we may have even found our house (more on that once we know for sure).  It was a great trip and we really enjoyed ourselves.

On Friday we came back to spend the weekend with my in-laws.  One day we took Emily to a school playground...all the pictures are in the Picasa albums but here are a few of my favorites:

When we first pulled up- she was so happy!