Illini Homecoming

We took Emerson up to U of I this weekend for her first football game. Although the Illini lost, it was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun!

The Alma Mater statue stands at the corner of the main campus and welcomes her children to the university. Emerson and Ben still have about 18 more years, but I think they are looking pretty ready!

Country Babies

It was a beautiful day out in the country!

Uncle Ron had given Emerson and Ben Pioneer onesies when they were born, so we did a little photo shoot out on the farm today. Emerson may be a city baby, but she and Ben loved playing in the corn field. I really think one of these could be on the cover of a Country Living magazine!

Nine Month Pictures

We had Emerson's nine month pictures taken this weekend. She still loves being in front of the camera!

Nine months

Em turned nine months this week, and we now have a very difficult time getting her to sit still for the penguin pictures!

She has had a rough week fighting a cough and runny nose. We've tried to spend more time at home to help her rest which has given her more time to play with her buddy Jackson. I think he puts up with her squealing and pulling his fur since she has figured out to drop treats from her high chair. Bowie hasn't found Cheerios and Puffs to be quite worth all that!

Making Apple Butter

It's that time of the year - the Hemann clan gathered at Uncle Ron's farm to make apple butter. Emerson and Ben are still a little too young to stir. Maybe next year!

Emmy is loving trying to walk behind her new walker. It's her new fake smile with her eyes closed that makes me laugh.

Emerson's First Trip to the Ocean

Emerson saw the ocean for the first time when we spent a week in Orange Beach, along with her Grammy and Grandpa. We were lucky to have a whole week of warm days and sunny skies. It was a quiet time of year at the condo where we stayed, so we basically had a pool to ourselves for the week. Emmy liked floating around in her crab but loved being out and "swimming" even more. We also sat in the ocean and let the waves rush over our legs which we all enjoyed. We spent a windy day exploring Mobile, went to Pensacola to watch the Blue Angels and enjoyed quite a few delicious dinners!

Emerson learned a couple of new tricks during the week. She can now wave bye bye and patty cake. We're still working on "So Big".

Labor Day Weekend

We had a great time in Louisiana over Labor Day weekend despite Gustav cutting our trip short. Emerson met her cousin Nya and Great Aunt Marilyn both for the first time. She can’t wait for Nya to get a little bigger so they can play!

GG decorated the house for the LSU Tigers, Illini and UK season openers, so Emmy cheered for all of her favorite teams! Emerson also had a lot of fun following her big cousin Kaleb around, driving around the house, and swimming with Kaleb and Grandpa.

Unfortunately, the hurricane forced us to evacuate early and did a lot of damage to the area, but we are fortunate that everyone is safe after the storm.

Play Time

We had a relaxing weekend with a lot of playtime. Some of Emmy’s favorite toys are the dump truck, blocks, and Ducky. And there’s nothing better than reading with Daddy before bedtime on a Sunday night!

So big!

Our baby is into her big girl car seat and stroller. She loves the freedom of her new stroller and the holder for her sippy cup!

Emerson is also standing in her crib on her own. Fortunately, she's still a good sleeper and doesn't spend a lot of awake time in there. But, it looks like we need to lower it as far as it goes already. Wasn't she in the bassinet just yesterday?

Busy Summer

Emerson has had a pretty busy couple of weeks. Between learning new things and playdates, she's barely had time to show off her crawling skills for the camera (or her mom hasn't had time to download them)!

Emmy has turned seven months, learned to drink from a sippy, feed herself puffs, and had her first trip to the farm (including the world's largest picnic in Fancy Farm!).

Emerson also got to play with Amalie and meet her baby brother, Walker, who is such a cutie!

She had a playdate with her cousin, Ben, too! It is so much fun to see them interact with each other now. I think they are earning their nicknames of Pebbles and Bam Bam.