Happy Father's Day

Father's Day was a beautiful day. The sun was out....Emma was in a great mood. Sunday morning church service was awesome. And once church was over it was time to go over to the inlaws where my MIL was cooking lunch. Steak day at the Hill House is one of my favorites and this one did not disappoint.

Emma made her daddy a incredible gift. She made him a crown so he could be king for the day. He wore it proudly! Happy Father's Day Honey!! Thank you for being such a wonderful daddy to our daughter and for loving both of us so very much!

Sweet Sleep

I love to watch Emmaline sleep. It is something I thought I would outgrow as she grew older. But I haven't. As she gets older, she doesn't fall asleep as easily, so one Saturday, when she fell asleep in the car, I just sat and watched her as Steven drove. Her cute little profile still looks the same now as it did in November 2004 when I was only 28 weeks along. I had to have an ultrasound done in the hospital after I was in a car accident and started contracting. She had not cooperated during my 20 week u/s nor the one I had just had the previous week. so that was the first time I "saw" her sweet little face. I wasn't able to get a picture then, but that memory has stayed with me and I think of it whenever I see her sleep. I love you baby girl!!!

Cousins

Ethan and Emmaline are only about 6 months apart. Ethan is the older of the two, but neither one remembers life without the other. Emma LOVES her cousin. On Sundays if possible, we all try to gather at Grandma and Grandpa's house for some family time. This Sunday the weather was beautiful. Grandpa built a swing for the kids, and both of them have enjoyed it. They usually swing one at a time, but this time they decided to try it together. I would have to say it worked rather well and they certainly had a blast!

Sydney is still too small for the swing, so Grandma volunteered to keep a hold of her :-)
This picture has nothing to do with the swing or cousins, but I thought it was too funny. Who on earth thought she needed to wear a helmet to ride the big wheel????
And let's not forget that she refers to this particular bicycle helmet as her "walnut hat". Her Uncle Micheal bought the kids some helmets a couple of years ago so they could be outside and help Grandpa pick up walnuts and not have to worry about getting hit in the head by falling walnuts. Having had one of those things land on my head....I can tell you it hurts!

Out and about in Richmond

I am sooooo behind in my blogging, but I WILL get caught up....eventually :-)

This year when we went to the botanical gardens besides going to admire the orchids (again), we went to see the new butterfly exhibit. I loved it, but Emmaline.....not so much! She loves to see butterflies when we are just out and about, but she was not happy being in an enclosed area with them. I think she thought that they were going to "get" her. So her Mimi took pity on her and took her out to play in the water fountain. :-)

This butterfly decided he liked the top of my dads hat!

Emmaline was so much happier once we let her out of the butterfly house!

Emma and daddy stopped to smell some roses. They did smell really good!

Ross and Elaine in the rose garden.

That evening after we got ourselves all cleaned up from being out in the heat all day, we dressed ourselves up and went and had our pictures taken while we dropped Emmaline off. Then we headed over to The Original Bookbinders Restaurant to celebrate my dads birthday. If you ever have the opportunity to eat there......do it!!! Their specialties are steak and seafood....YUM!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!! I hope it was memorable for you. I know I will always remember it. I love you!!!

All in the Family

While we were in Richmond for my dad's birthday, we had the opportunity to have some pictures done. It was a beautiful evening and we were looking forward to a wonderful birthday dinner at The Original Bookbinders. Thank you to Wendy for taking these great pictures! (and for watching Emmaline for us :-))

Mimi and Papa with their sweet Emmaline.

Mom with Emmaline, Dad, Me Steven, my Uncle Ross and my Aunt Elaine

Three Generations

Dad & Elaine, Me, Emmaline

I am so thankful for my family. It was a wonderful blessing for me to have been able to go to Richmond for a few days to not only celebrate my dad, but to be able to spend time with my aunt and uncle. My aunt struggles with MS and it is hard for her to travel. Thank you Ross and Elaine for coming to the States to see us!!! I know your brother appreciated it, but so did I!