Finally

I'm finally getting things up and running since the Great Computer Crash of 09. Today is just a quick post to say that we are still alive and all is well. We've had a very busy couple of months and I'm just now getting my pictures sorted out. I hope to have a holiday post up in the next couple of days.

Emory Riding Range!

This brave little cowgirl definitely belongs out here in the wild west. Our playgroup went horseback riding a few weeks ago. As we were getting ready to go that morning, I let her watch the Riding the Range episode of the Backyardigans. By the time we got to the ranch, she was ready to go! She still talks about it, "Emory riding range" "Emory cowgirl, yahoo!" "Emory riding purple horse named Abby". She rode all by herself while I led the horse around the ring and up and down the street (aka dirt road in the middle of the desert). I was so proud!

Aunt Miss Angela

We were so lucky to have Aunt Angela come visit for a week in October. Emory had a blast and is still talking about Aunt Miss Angela. We tried to do everything there is to do out here in only a week. We went to the botanical gardens, the lake, Sedona, The Grand Canyon and to see a couple plays. Emory got to eat out at a Mexican restaurant for the first time and loved it.

I even got to have some child-free adventures thanks to Aunt Barbie and Uncle Bill. The Grand Canyon is unbelievable but I'm not quite ready to take Emory just yet. We can't wait for her next visit.

WooHoo!!!!

EMORY PASSED HER CORN CHALLENGE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!


Okay, so I started this post about a month ago. Our computer won't let me upload pictures from my SD and I can't find the cable that came with my camera. We've done so much since then that it will probably take several posts to catch up. The biggest thing for us is the update in her allergies. We have successfully added corn back into her diet. I'm still smiling over this one. We are currently only avoiding tree nuts. That's easy, people understand TN allergies. Foods are labeled well for nuts.
We went out for her first kids meal the day she passed her test and she loved it! All of this happened just in time for Halloween. The only candy she had ever gotten to try were lollipops from Yummy Earth and they are not very sweet. After trick or treating we let her have some smarties and nerds. She was so excited! You can't imagine how much this has changed our lives!

Firefighter Emory

We took a tour of the fire station this morning with our mom's club.

The station is just a couple blocks from our house so Miss Christa, Noah and Eli met us at home and walked over with us. We met 9 firemen and 2 EMTs in all and they were very friendly and welcoming. Can you imagine letting 15 kids, most under the age of 3, run around in your house. They let the kids play in the fire truck, try on helmets and boots and take turns with one of the hoses. Of course, Emory played shy and wouldn't get in the truck or try on the hat or boots. We had a wonderful time and they said we could come by to visit anytime.

Tiny Dancer

Emory started dance class tonight! She, like most toddlers, loves to dance and I couldn't believe it when I found out that our gym offers classes starting at age two. She was so excited because she got to wear her new dance dress and dance shoes. She had a blast! Eric and I watched part of class through the window. They played with streamers, bells, dots on the floor and I don't know what else.

She wasn't so great about taking turns or letting the teacher help her do things. I'd love suggestions on how to make her understand those concepts. I'm really hoping that watching the older kids in class will help.

Carolina Girl (at heart)

I forgot how much I love the beach! I'm completely torn between two states. We really do love living out here, however, we really love the beach. It is very hard to live so far from all of our family and old friends but we have some wonderful new friends. I think we will probably wind up in the Carolinas, you know within driving distance of the beach and UT Football. We would also be able to have Sundrop and Tony's milkshakes whenever we wanted. We had such a good time this week.

We started the weekend with the Southeastern Gunters. Emory had a blast with her cousin, Merrin. Those girls are going to be trouble one day! They only see each other a few times a year but you would think they played together every day. Their favorite activities were dancing, riding in the golf cart and jumping on the beds.
We were lucky enough to have the Kearneys share part of their vacation with us as well. Emory loved playing in the sand with Nolan and in the waves with Miss Tasha. It's so fun to hang out with old friends!

Emory LOVED playing in the waves (big surprise)! We would be sitting there playing in the sand and she would slowly back up but still be digging in the sand until she thought she was far enough that we couldn't catch and then take off running to the ocean. She didn't even mind when a wave knocked her over. She also happily stuck her face in the water to blow bubbles. I'm glad she not afraid, but she is definitely a handful. She wanted to catch every bird, kite and airplane that she saw and would run after them saying "Emory reach it". She was so much fun to be with!
We finished our trip by staying with Grammy for the weekend. It was such a relaxing way to end our trip. I'm going to have a rough time getting Emory used to just being with me again. She's had such a busy two months! We went to Tennessee, Montreal, had Granmomma and Grandaddy come visit for her birthday and then went the beach. It is good to be home but we will definitely miss everyone.