One Year Pictures

For Emerson's 1st birthday, we ended up having two sets of pictures taken. The first ones turned out great, but we realized that we didn't get any full length ones, so we decided to have a few more taken. Unfortunately, we don't have the first set digitally, but here are some from the second ones we had taken.

Birthday Parties

January has been full of parties. This year, we were able to go to Kate's Dora Fiesta. We missed her first birthday because Emerson was too little, but she had a blast helping Kate turn 2! I'm sure Kate appreciated Emmy's assistance in breaking in all of her new toys!

Last weekend, Emerson's cousin, Katie, turned 4. While Ben was busy helping to clean up, Em decided to hide out in a box. You can't be forced to vacuum if you can't be found!

One Year Old!

Our little baby is now a year old! Emerson spent her birthday relaxing and hanging out with Mommy. When Daddy got home from work, we all went shopping and to CPK where she had more than her share of delicious pita bread. Her biggest gift from us was a play kitchen which she loved. She even made pancakes and eggs for her daddy for breakfast the next morning!

On New Year's Day, we had a few friends and family over for a little birthday celebration. This time, she was more willing to enjoy some cake. She got lots of wonderful gifts including clothes, a slide (which Kate taught her the best way to go down was head first!) and a chair of her own that she was happy to share with her dollies.

First Christmas

Emerson has had a very busy holiday season. We spent Christmas Eve opening gifts at Grammy and Grandpa's house before going to church. It definitely was a fun Christmas with Emerson, Ben and Mackenzie. It's amazing how much two more little ones can add to the excitement of Christmas!

On Christmas, after opening gifts at home, we spent the day with family and friends. Emerson had a lot of fun playing with her cousins Ellie and Katie and her best friend, Kate. It was a very merry first Christmas!

A Southern Christmas (and birthday!)

We were fortunate to spend the weekend before Christmas down in Louisiana with Emerson's grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Our first day there was nearly 80 degrees! It made great weather for the family party where over 100 relatives showed up to Emmy's grandparents house.

Emerson had so much fun playing with her cousins, Kaleb and Nya. Finally, they are starting to interact and play together. GG and Granddad bought Emmy a roller coaster for Christmas and all the kids loved that - even the grown ones!

Emerson also had her first birthday celebration complete with decorations and cake. It was a great party, but surprisingly, Em was afraid to dive into the cake. She enjoyed the icing but couldn't be convinced to grab the cake. I'm sure that will change with time!

O' Christmas Tree...

We went to the country to cut down our Christmas tree. It was a cold day, so Em was very bundled. She picked out the perfect tree and has been very good about leaving the decorations alone.

Emerson also met Santa for the first time last week. She didn't cry, but wasn't too excited about sitting on his lap. We had dinner at the mall afterwards, where she relaxed with a little snack.

First Thanksgiving

Emerson had her first Thanksgiving dinner and loved it all, especially the sweet potatoes! Just watching her walk all over and seeing her smile makes me realize how much we have to be thankful for this year.

We also took her 11 month pictures. If you look closely, you can see her two little teeth. I can't believe her next set of pictures, she'll already be a year. Time sure has gone by quickly, but it's been more fun than I could have ever imagined.

Big Week!

Over the weekend, two of Emerson's bottom teeth became visible! She's been a tough little girl and didn't fuss much while they broke through. Emmy's also walking all over now and is into everything, especially messing up Daddy's tv! She definitely prefers walking over crawling and it has become her primary way of getting around. The video shows her walking across the living room, but she has also mastered turning around as well as pushing things (i.e. Jackson, other kids) out of her way.

Playdate with Amalie and Walker

Emerson had a playdate with Amalie and Walker a couple of weeks ago. Amalie is such a sweetie and was very patient when Emerson didn't want to sit for pictures. By the end of the night, they were having a lot of fun!

Happy Halloween

Emerson went trick or treating in her grandparents' neighborhood on Halloween. She was dressed up as Marie, the fluffy white cat from Aristocats. It was a beautiful night, but a little warm when you are covered in fur!