Vanity

A girl who falls asleep with a mirror under her head might be considered vain....

unless she's 5 mo. old and then it's just cute!!

Sunday Style Section

Her Sunday outfit this week...one of my favorites!  We got to show it off to a new crowd...we went to Summerville Baptist with Paul's parents.

Cute little ladybug outfit!  This was a consignment store find.  You can't really see it in this picture but there are ruffles on the bottom of the dress!

LOVE the shorts!  This is Emmie's first pair...they're courtesy of Alyson in NJ (she was my roomie freshman year of college)!  The other great thing about this outfit?  She can wear her flower with it!

What a cool cat!  This was her little pool cover up and her HOT sunglasses...also courtesy of Alyson.

And...saving the best for last...

Look how happy she is to be at the pool!!!!!!!  That's a girl after my own heart!

Ever since Emmie learned to roll onto her stomach this is what she looks like about 5min after I lay her down on her back in her crib....

The first night she did this we went through a few minutes of me turning her back over and her waking up, getting mad, and turning back onto her stomach and then we compromised by me letting her sleep on her stomach if she wouldn't sleep with her face smashed into the side of the crib!  LOL. 

One of my favorite things is sometimes she'll be laying on her stomach playing and she'll get tired and lay her little head down and suck on her thumb and just zone for a few minutes...so cute!

Baptisim

So as I mentioned yesterday, Emmie was baptized yesterday.  We had such a wonderful day and I can't wait to tell you all about it! 

We've been going to the early service at church but we baptized her at the later service so it was quite nice to get to sleep in a bit and not be running around to get to church in time.  The early service is good for us now because Emmie is so much more pleasant in the afternoon if we go to the early service but now that she gets food and nurses at breakfast time I feel like I'm running a mad dash getting us together in time to be at church at 8:30!  So it was nice to sleep in some, plus my mom was at our house so she could help me get Emmie "together".  We got to church and put Emmie in her gown and took some pictures.  I LOVED her gown which my mom smocked so it makes it extra special!  Because we were there early we got to take some with extended family as well.  Both sets of grandparents were there, both uncles, and both great-grandmothers!  Emmie did sooo well during the baptisim.  I was sure she was going to cry but she did GREAT! 

It's funny because I was excited about having her baptized but I didn't think it would be an emotional thing.  It definitely was.  It made me really think about the responsibility we have to teach Emmie about Jesus and grow her in the Lord.  It also meant so much to me to have so many of our family members there.  It made me think of all they did for us and what wonderful Christian examples they have been for us.  Emmie's baptisim was also special because Duff James baptized her and he helped marry Paul and me and he's also our Sunday School teacher. 
After the service we went back to our house where Emmie took a nice long nap while we ate a yummy dinner (thanks mom!) and had beautiful flowers on the table (thanks Gin-g and Abby and Ben Novak who sent flowers to Emmie!) and enjoyed each others company.  Emmie got up after we finished dessert and we were able to get lots of family pictures...including the elusive picture of the 4 generations on both sides of the family!

To finish the day off Emmie, Franklin and I went over to Rebekah and Ryan's house for a spontaneous play date for the girls!  They had a great time playing with all Addison's "big girl" toys.  It hadn't even occured to me to go get Emmie toys other than her little hanging toys but she had so much fun so I made a quick

wal-mart trip today!

Sunday Style Section

We had some cooler, rainy days earlier this week and I dug these pants out of the drawer.  I had found them at Children's Place quite a few months ago and I LOVE them.  They are so mch fun and they go great with Emmie's flower!

Emmie was baptized today (more on that tomorrow) and this was the dress she wore.  My mom smocked it and also made the slip and it's FABULOUS!  I included some detail pictures below.

This is the cute Strausburg dress she wore afterwards...it's one of my favs!

5 Months

I am 5 months old today!

• I wear a size 3 diaper (or I will when I finish the last few size 2 diapers)
• I'm about 25 3/4in.
• I wear size 3-6mo clothes (I can wear some 9mo dresses and onesies)
• I eat oatmeal for breakfast (with some prune juice mixed in...yumm) and peas and rice cereal for dinner and tomorrow I'm going to try butternut squash.  My mommy is making my baby food.
• I can roll from my back to my front (and from front to back).

• I can sit up by myself for a few seconds.
• I'm getting my first tooth (bottom left) and so is my friend Addison!
• Sometimes I will reach for people.
• I'm taking naps in my crib (FINALLY)!
• I sleep from about 830 at night until 730ish in the morning.
• This month I went to the zoo for the first time and I could have cared less about the animals but I loved looking at the other children.
• I love to pet Franklin and he no longer licks me as much because that means he has to get close enough for me to pet him!
• I can pretty much scoot and wiggle myself to where I want to be...within a small area that is.
• I love to just lay on a quilt and play...my playgym is still fun but I like to lay on the quilt and just roll around too!
• I've started noticing other babies and think they're pretty neat to look at and talk to!

• Mommy and Daddy are teaching me baby sign language.
• I love to put my feet in my mouth...who needs to suck on a thumb when you have toes!

• I love to go on walks and to lay in the hammock and talk to the trees.
• I suck on my thumb when I'm tired and I sing a "sleepy song".
• My favorite songs are "Wheels on the Bus", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "Amazing Grace"
• When I'm starting to get tired I like to read books.  It's very relaxing.
• If you tell me I'm cute I'll give you a big smile!
• I love to laugh...there are so many funny things in this world!

Sunday Style Section

This week was a strange week in that we didn't have ANY new outfits!  That's right...we've FINALLY worn all the outfits in her closet (the ones that fit her that is).  Sunday Style Section is a little bit different this week but hopefully still just as enjoyable!

Bunny slippers!  Just what every little girl needs for hanging around the house!

Ok, I know this is a wierd thing to have on the Sunday Style Section but this is my favorite sleeper EVER...there's something about how cuddly she feels in it...I think it's because it fits tighter than most sleepers.  Plus it's pink and green.

This is Emmie's new mouth "style"...the Cabbage Patch Doll look. 

At first we thought she was just doing this because she'd figured out that she could do something new with her mouth but today we decided that maybe she's using it to put pressure on her gums. Why you ask?  Becuase she's getting a tooth!!! 

And last but not least this is Emmie's Sunday dress (if you remember it's one that Gran smocked).  This time we added a bow (hanging on by a hair!).

A Big Day!

Today we had a VERY big day.  We started off the day by going to the zoo with Tiffany, Mason, and Josie Favati and Alison and Julia Lunsford.  Josie is 3 weeks younger than Emmie and Julia is about 3 months younger.  Mason is 4 and he was our tour guide!  I hadn't been to the zoo in FOREVER and I had quite a good time.  Emmie was very fascinated with all the other children at the zoo! 

Emmie, Julia, and Josie (note that all 3 girls have bows!)
(Mason was riding the train when we took the picutres)

Tiffany and Josie and Alison and Julia

This afternoon I made my first batch of babyfood...peas (gag).  I STRONGLY dislike peas and after purreeing them I dislike them even more...yuck.  Fortunately, Emmie was quite fond of her peas and she scarfed them down like they were the best things ever (which they might be when you've been eating rice cereal for a month).  The peas were easy to make...just steamed them and purreed them and put them in an ice tray to freeze (however I did have to hunt all over Columbia to find frozen peas that didn't have salt added...I finally found them at Earthfare).

Mom!  This is GREEN!  Is it moldy cereal?  Not sure how I feel about GREEN...

...yummmmmmm!

Deals and Steals

So...right before Emmie was born I started "couponing" but I wasn't very good at it and I didn't spend a ton of time working on finding the deals.  After she was born and I was sitting on my couch for a few months because it was too cold to go anywhere with a newborn I started REALLy getting into the couponing.  I've been amazed at how much I save every week and it's become a challenge to find the best deals.  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm very competitive...I like to think in this situation it's me vs. me...how high of a percentage can I save??  This was one of my best weeks yet and I just needed to brag on myself :)

At Kroger I saved 52% and got some great P&G products...I paid under $3 for each one!  (Not Pictured: a box of Honey Bunches of Oats)

Bilo was my big stop this week and I saved 40%.  I also got a lot of stuff that wasn't a "good" deal but that I needed...some produce, table salt, and cereal for Emmie.  The Meal Deal this week was great and I was very glad that we have our new freezer (a birthday present from my parents for our bdays)...there's no way all the frozen stuff would have fit in our inside freezer!

Last but not least...PUBLIX.  I have FINALLY achieved my Publix shopping goal - to have greater than 50% savings...drumroll please...this week I saved 57%!!!!  I was SUPER excited when I handed the cashier my coupons and watched my bill PLUMMET!  I was also proud of myself for making it to Publix on the first day of the sale so that I could get the penny item (4 rolls of toilet paper!).  I'm going back to Publix tomorrow to get the John Frieda shampoo...2 bottles for 99 cents each...whoohoo! (they were out of stock today but they said they'll get a new shipment tomorrow.)

Sunday Style Section

This week Emmie had LOTS of cute outfits (and accessories) to wear!

I love this dress...I think it's such a classic little girl dress!

What girl wouldn't want a flower headband?  This was one that Paul's mom got for her and I've ordered her more and am waiting on them to come in!

I love this dress...it's so springish and I love the sleeves!

This is by far my favorite outfit of the week!  My mom made this for Emmie and I LOVE the watermelons!  I was also super excited to get a bow in her hair (it's literally haning on by a hair but it's in there)...I think it makes her look so little girlish.  Sadly Emmie spit up all over the dress at church (but managed to completely avoid spitting up on the bib she was wearing) so she didn't get to wear it very long.  I can't wait for her to wear this dress again!

Happy Mother's Day...

                    ...to all the mother's in our lives! 

I had no idea the love that a mother feels for her child until I became a mom myself.  Being a mom is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am so excited this mother's day to be a mom to the sweetest little girl (and the best puppy).  Since becoming a mom I have a new appreciation for my mom and also for my grandmother, Paul's mom, and Paul's grandmother.  I was so blessed not only to be born into a family with wonderful mothers but to also marry into a family with wonderful mothers.  I couldn't have asked for anything better! 


Here are some pictures of Emmie with all the mothers in her life!

Lots to Celebrate!

Happy Birthday to Emmie's Uncle Ben (aka THE GIANT)!  He's 20 yrs. old today.  It is also Emmie's Gran and Grandaddy's 31st anniversary!

We are also late wishing Emmie's daddy and Uncle Blake a Happy 27th Birthday!  Their birthday was on April 24th and we enjoyed having Blake, GG, and Coach at our house to celebrate!  

PS.  This is the hammock that Emmie, Franklin, and I got Paul for his birthday...we've all enjoyed using it!

yummm...

Emmie found her feet a few weeks ago but has only recently discovered how tasty her toes are!  She puts them in her mouth at every opportunity...her favorite is to put them in her mouth when I'm trying to change her diaper which makes my job quite challenging! 

Friends!

On Sunday our neighbors Rebekah and Ryan and their baby Addison came over for dinner.  I met Rebekah when Emmie was around 3 weeks old.  Addison is 9 days younger than Emmie and I've really enjoyed having someone to talk to who's experiencing all the ups and downs of motherhood at the same time I am!  While the guys were outside manning the grill Rebekah and I FINALLY got some pictures of the girls together!  We were just impressed that they were awake at the same time...usually one of them is asleep and the other awake.  I think these pictures are adorable!

(Emmie is so cheesing it up for the camera)

(I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!!!)

After we took the pictures one of them started fussing and the other one immediately joined in.  I don't think they appreciated that Rebekah and I thought that was funny...they were looking for some sympathy!

Sunday Style Section

This little cherry dress is one we've had for awhile but this is the first time she's worn it...we don't have many outfits that are red and I think she looks so cute in it!

This was her church dress this week...unfortunately we weren't able to go to church this week because she has a cold so we couldn't take her to the nursery.  This little smocked dress is from a consignment store near our house called Daff-a-deals (for all you Columbia moms it's across from the Target on Two Notch and I highly recommend it).  It's FABULOUS...they have so many cute outfits at GREAT prices!