Best Valentine's Day Ever!!

The husbands in our Bible study group got together and decided to surprise the wives with dinner (we usually do dinner on Wed. nights)...and what a VERY PLEASANT surprise! They pulled out the fine china, flowers, heart candy, the sparkling grape juices, and a very good meal! We had a love song playlist for background music, too. It was perfect and so fun to celebrate with our friends! The women planned a couple of "valentine" activities...one being making each other valentine cards, which is what we're holding in the pictures. It was just a very fun, special evening!

First Holiday!

I guess technically MLK, Jr. Day was her first holiday, but we don't really get into celebrating that one...I know that shocks you all! You can see Emma smiling as she was playing with us on her boppy. She's wearing her "I love you" shirt her Aunt Mary picked up for us. : ) Daddy got his first smile on Valentine's Day, and it just about melted his heart! She's been sharing lots of smiles since we brought her home, but she actually made eye contact with him while playing and flashed one that day. She is smiling, talking and moving more every day. She even stand up for us when she's really ticked! ; ) Mommy's heart is warmed daily by Emma; I just can't believe the Lord has blessed us with this miracle of life! Psalm 8:3-4

Reunion

This is a group picture from when some of our wonderful friends (Elizabeth's LU roommates) came to visit! It was a blessing, as always to share in their company and catch up on life! Philipians 1:3

Can we say first child?!

I mean...after the first, who has time for all these pictures??? : ) Our precious little girl is growing quickly! She was 11lbs. 12 oz. and 22 3/4 in. last week

These pictures are of her clean and "fluffy" after a bath, which she likes MUCH more since leaving the sponge bath...her "sitting up" so Mommy can take her picture before our first "unassisted" shopping trip...Daddy giving her a bottle; Daddy loves his feeding opportunities now...and Mommy and Emma after their first walk. Poor next children...so many fewer memories in pictures for them! ; )

Beach on the brain

I wrote in another entry that we bought Emma 2 "beach" outfits (of course, they are really for the whole summer, but the beach is what Daddy has in mind!). Well, we had to go to Babies R Us over the week-end to buy a car seat part, and as always, Ben and I ended up back in the clothes! The sundress and matching hat on the right were our purchase this time; we did resist the matching shoes somehow. We bought the other 2 last time. Emma is trying out her cousin Will's aquatic swing in the pic on the right. I'm not sure about her expression in the picture, but she seemed to love the swing! Nothing to do with the beach, but we spotted a tiny tooth bud on Emma's bottom gum last week! Hopefully it will stay as is or fade back and we won't have one of the rare early teethers!

Super Bowl

Go Colts! Okay, I'm not at all a Colts fan...when it comes to the pros, I have joined Ben in being an "avid" Broncos fan (we have to agree on ONE sports team), but I was glad to see the Colts win--mostly bc of all their "tragic" stories during pregame stuff. Emma's first Super Bowl Party...she did well sitting, sleeping, and being passed around by lots of our favorite teenagers. : ) She saved most of her nightly fussiness for Mom, Dad, and DJ times.

SNOW

Emma and Tanner both had their first snow this year! Tanner was much more excited than Emma...big surprise! Daddy built us a fire and played with Tanner. Then he and Emma took a nap together. This is her favorite place to sleep...in our bed in the middle! : ) Unfortunately for her, those times are getting a little less frequent; she actually doesn't seem to mind much, though.

One month!

We cannot believe it's been a month already! Emma continues to amaze and bless us. We took her in for a weight check yesterday, and she is now 9 lbs. 11 oz. She's certainly a good eater! We hope to slowly start introducing her to a bottle this week to work toward a little more freedom and flexibility; hopefully that will go well! These pictures are of Emma showing off her fine motor control...with Mommy's help, she can hold her rattle and say, "Go Tigers!" (Mommy helps with the talking part)...the other picture shows off her independence as well as her motor skills. Ben was trying to put her pacifier in the other night when it fell out and she complained, and every time he tried to help, Emma would stick her hand up to try to do it herself! We're hoping this isn't the start of a strong-willed childhood! : ) Obviously, Emma's getting more purposeful with the hands, she is starting to follow things with her eyes well, and we are starting to hear some new noises. She is quite the "talker". We took her to church for the second time this morning, and it was much better than last week. We actually made the whole service; last week, we had to leave just as the sermon got started. We are getting more sleep and are starting to work toward a little more schedule as Mommy and Daddy are learning her cries better.