Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I want S'more

It's summer. Time for camping, fishing, and campfires! Or, maybe not since the low yesterday in Memphis was 80 degrees. So instead I whipped up some yummy treats via my kitchen oven. Below is a step-by-step picture guide for making S'mores.

Step 1: Put graham crackers on a cookie sheet. Place chocolate squares and marshmallows on top of each graham cracker square.


Step 2: Place cookie sheet with S'mores in oven at 350 for 5 minutes.


Step 3: After 5 minutes set oven to broil on lo setting for 1-2 minutes until light brown on top.


Step 4: Enjoy S'mores!










Monday, June 22, 2009

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband! Dave, you are a blessing to all who know you. Emily is a lucky little girl to have you as her Daddy. And I am especially blessed to have such a great partner in this challenge known as parenthood. We're a great team baby! Love you!





This weekend Dave and I took Emily to Pop and MeMaw's house in Montevallo, AL. Saturday we went swimming in the pool. Daddy and Pop went to Wal-Mart to buy her this large crab floaty. Emily seemed to really enjoy it.




Emily debuted her itsy bitsy teeney weeney yellow polka dot bikini. It sure was cute, but after 20 minutes in the sun we added Daddy's giant white T-shirt to her ensemble.




She has recently entered that "separation anxiety" phase which means she pretty much wants Mommy all the time. We had fun and although she was either in my arms or actively looking for me, she wasn't scared of the water at all. Daddy even splashed us a couple of times jumping in and she laughed. That's my girl!





Below is a video clip of my adventurous little girl. Daddy's arms wore out before she got tired of this game. That little laugh is just too cute!




Pop sure enjoyed his time with his girl. And Emily LOVES her Pop. He makes funny noises.



After pool time, we took Emily inside for lunch. She is the funniest kid ever. And by the way, this handy little contraption is a mesh feeder. You can stick frozen fruit like bananas, apples or even just ice inside it and close it up. Then they chew on it and you don't have to worry about large chunks of food getting caught in their throat. It is a GREAT teething tool and it teaches them how to chew. This picture just cracks me up!



Sunday morning Daddy and Pop went to pick blueberries. They took Emily on a short ride around the yard first. She did great. My little country girl.



As I was packing up to get ready to come home, Emily enjoyed a little "Curious Buddies" DVD. This pose is too cute. And I just have to point out the pink sneakers. Love them! It was a perfect first Father's Day. Thanks to MeMaw and Pop for a great time as usual.




Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I'm A Redneck Woman...


Yes, that is an inflatable pool in my front yard. Wait, it gets better. I got in the pool with Emily! It was the only way to get her use to the idea. All in all, it was a great evening. Emily loved it. And, as an added bonus, we attracted the attention of several of our neighbors who we rarely visit with. What a nice way to catch up! This weekend we are going to Montevallo for Father's Day to visit MeMaw and Pop and go swimming in the big pool. So I figured it would be a good idea to get her use to a small pool first. Here is a little video and some pictures. And save your comments about being a redneck because next weekend we plan to bring out the lawn chairs too!


Check out that face! Love that girl!


Because this is how every working Mom relaxing when she gets home from a long day, right?


What a view. I love ruffles! :)

Monday, June 15, 2009

Cafe Piazza



Ah! Date night. My favorite. Even better is impromptu date night! Saturday evening I suggested walking the .75 miles up to the square and having dinner at our favorite little Italian eatery. Dave gave in quickly to my request. Probably because we had both had visions of each other being carried away to Oz Friday night. Friday evening the Memphis area saw more than 3 small tornadoes touch down in various locations, one as near as 8 miles north of our home. We couldn't reach each other by cell phone or reach Emily's Daycare for more than 30 minutes. The worst of it hit right before 5pm. I couldn't even leave my office to go get Emily because of the rain and 75 mph winds. Finally all three of us were safe at home. There was a lot of lovey dovey in our house after that kind of scare. Power was out for more than 14 hours at our house, and this morning my boss's house still does not have power. We fed Emily by candle light and spent a few hours reading.

So anyway, back to date night. Yes, Saturday night Dave treated us girls to an evening out. We strapped Emily into the stroller and walked up to Cafe Piazza. If you are ever in Collierville Dave and I will probably take you to this little gem. They have delicious food, a cute atmosphere, very reasonable prices, and are located on the historic Collierville square, just 5 minutes walking distance from our house. Emily was a good as gold through dinner. Even the people at the table next to us stopped to tell us how good Emily was and how sweet she was. Although we know we have the best kid in the world, sometimes it's nice to be reminded by non bias strangers to confirm our suspicions. After splitting a pizza and some fried calamari, and Emily's banana puffs and pureed carrots, we walked home. It was the best date night in a long time. All three of us were together, we were in no hurry, and life was good.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Polar Bear Viedo

I tried to explain in a previous post just how cool these polar bears were. But I think this video can do a much more convincing job. Just watch Emily's face! She was amazed. PS. now that we have the cord to upload videos to the computer, you can bet there are going to be many more video posts! Wahoo!!!!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I'm a Big Kid Now...


Yesterday, Emily turned 8 months old. How in the world did that happen?!?!? Last time I checked she was still a baby, now she's an army crawling, outdoors lovin', standing on her own, person! Our agenda yesterday included some time in her new swing. After 10 minutes though she was nodding off, so we came inside for some snuggle time. Her and I climbed into the recliner and within 3 minutes she was fast asleep. For almost 2 hours she slept in my arms as I read 150 pages of Breaking Dawn while Dave watched the Braves. It was perfect. Of course, if Emily's next word is "Edward" I'm probably going to be in trouble with Dave.


Emily's new pink swing.



Peek-a-boo! I see you!


She is so proud of herself!

Standing up all on her own. Too busy to look at the camera.


Look Mom, one hand!

All tuckered out. Snuggling with Daddy on the couch after a long day.