Play Ball!

Ben and I are playing on our church softball team (I had to sit out last season bc Emma was on the inside!), and, of course, we're dragging Emma along for more sports exposure! My mom usually keeps an eye on her while we play...along with all her other admirers who come to watch. The bottom pictures are from Saturday's Braves game, which they unfortunately lost! Ben went with my dad, Kent, and Rick to Atlanta Saturday and Sunday for the game (Kent's 25th birthday). He had a great time and now thinks it would be good to go down to more games. : ) My mom, Mary Matheson and I went to the zoo and shopping Saturday then spent the night in Columbia. We had a great time, but I didn't take pictures since Ben had the camera. Not that this trip to the zoo was anything to capture for Emma yet...next time maybe!

Meeting Elizabeth and Swimming!

Unfortunately, Emma delayed her arrival until after our good friend, Elizabeth, left for Honduras...she was home for a family wedding, so Emma finally got to meet her! It was so great to catch up with her a little during her brief visit, and we're looking forward to seeing her more when she gets home for a longer time in the next few weeks!

Emma and Mommy got to swimming a couple of times last week! What fun! Emma LOVES the water and can be hard to hold because she is constantly trying to get her face in the water! I was getting together with a few friends last Thursday to plan for a women's ministry we're trying to organize, and it was so wonderful to have water to jump into after lunch and planning. We are working on getting together a calendar of events with some purpose for women of all walks to join us when able. We are so excited about the opportunity and know we'll all be blessed by these "organized" meetings/activities...we just hope we are able to include many other women in this blessing!

Aunt and Uncles

Emma had fun with her Aunt Heather and Uncle Michael and Uncle Judah all week-end too! Heather and I stayed with the kids (go figure!) as the guys went and played golf Saturday. We hung out some more when they got home and then all went out to eat. Dinner is so different with 3 children! : ) Still wonderful, just different! I had to include the second picture bc of Emma's expression; too funny! I think the camera just caught her at an awkward moment bc she really did enjoy Uncle Michael and really loves the camera! : ) Emma did a lot of staring at her Uncle Judah over the week-end...even when she was out of the car and had other options. She did have great fun with him entertaining her in the car, and I was thankful to have him back there as well. We weren't too sure about her in the seat for a 5 hour trip, but she did well.

Fun With the Cousins

Emma had a great time "playing" with her cousins! She, of course, mostly watched, but she is growing more and more intrigued by older children, so it was quite entertaining for her! Matthew and Mikayla were great about wanting to play with Emma too! Mikayla especially loved giving her different toys to play with whether we were in the car or in the house. She pushed her in the stroller a couple of times when we took short walks too; what a great help! The middle two pictures are Matthew and Mikayla reading and playing with one of Emma's musical books and Mikayla instructing Matthew on how to dance. The dancing was so cute; Mikayla made up a dance with some Happy Feet stickers she had. So creative!

Mikayla's Great Photography

Our niece, Mikayla, wanted to use the camera and take pictures once I started snapping pictures...she took both these pictures, and I thought she did a great job, so I thought I'd post them! Emma was always interested in what Mikayla and Matthew were doing, so she was looking in every picture Mikayla took of her!

Meeting The Last Living Great!

We finally made a trip down south to see Ben's grandmother and take Emma to meet her! Grandmama LOVED holding Emma and watching her play! After our long trip down Friday, Emma didn't want to be held a whole lot; she was ready to stretch out and move around. She was a little more manageable Sunday when we visited, but I think she's mostly just getting to the point where she doesn't want to be held...how sad! Emma also got to meet her Great Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Faye Friday night!

Happy Birthday Amy!

Okay, so this is a b'day shout out to my friend Amy who doesn't blog, so she'll probably never look at this! BUT, I wanted to include it anyway...we surprised her and took her out for a night on the town last week for her 30th. It was a great evening out together celebrating her life. Kinda reminds me of the good ol' college days when we tried to surprise each other every year, which was tricky since we all expected it! : ) And, Beth, she was excited, not annoyed by our volume! ; )

More Mother's Day

Once again...first child has millions of pictures taken! The top one is Mommy and Emma on our first Mother's Day! Unfortunately, I forgot to get one until that night after a LONG day, so I look rough, but it's still a memory! : ) The middle pictures were taken on the golf course. When we got back from Lancaster, my dad and Ben went to play golf and my mom and I went along to take a walk and enjoy the scenery (and amusement as neither had played in a LONG time!). I LOVE how beautiful golf courses are! The bottom two are of Emma in the garden too...her G-Daddy gave her her first clover necklace. : ) Mother's Day was wonderful but nowhere near as wonderful as motherhood itself! Emma's smile warms my heart every time beyond belief, and I can never be thankful enough to the Lord for giving her to us or to the Lord and Ben for allowing me the opportunity to spend my time as a homemaker enjoying her to the fullest! And so ends my mass blogging for the day...

Mother's Day

After church Sunday, we headed over to my grandparent's house for lunch. Emma's Uncle Rick had a great time seeing and playing with her--it's been a while since he's been able to visit. As you can see, he was very happy to see her, and she was showing off her good motor skills! : )

The other is a pic of her trying to show off her crawling attempts to Uncle Kent! Lastly, up top is cousin Will checking out Great Granddaddy's garden that we all love so much...and Will trying to blow dandelions!

Visit With More Greats

We took Emma to visit her Great Grandparents (Mrs. Howell's parents) last week-end! MiMi and PapPap were on cloud 9 as they visited her (I guess mos grandparents and greats are!)! She enjoyed playing in MiMi's bed with her and checking out the new scenery! PapPap had a great time holding her and talking to her too despite his hurting shoulder. What a blessing to be able to share so many generations within our families!

Life With Emma

Emma had her 4 month check-up and shots last week, and you can see her little band-aids on her cute thighs in the top picture! She was such a trooper and played like nothing had happened when she got home. Mom and Dad dreaded the shots all week! I prayed and prayed for her (and for her whimpy mom to take it better than last time!)...finally, I began to see the shots as what they are: temporary pain that makes us stronger in the long run...I began to think how much the Lord must dread our upcoming pain as well, but He knows we must endure to be stronger in Him. Parenthood really is teaching me so much about God's character! I still had to let Daddy be the one to hold and comfort her through the process, but she did so well and calmed down quickly this time. Maybe I won't be such a whimp next time! The next two pics are of Emma in her new hat we got her...wasn't sure she would wear a hat, but she's loved herself in it when I put it on her; I love the way she's starting to throw her arms around on the Bumbo to relax too! : ) Finally, you can see I saw my lizard friend again the other day! I just had to take pictures of him blowing up his thingy, and I love that you can see his little ear; it will be so much fun to show and teach Emma all these things one day! Not rushing that day here though--I LOVE her age right now!

Basketball and such

Emma's first outing was to a basketball game at 2 weeks, and she's been going to them since! She actually got into watching the games during Daddy's season...so I'm posting a few pics from the last game. She really loves watching sports with us, so we're hoping that sticks and she one day enjoys playing them as well! The bottom picture is Emma with Mommy and Daddy at her first Homecoming at Ebenezer! It is one of my favorite Sundays at church throughout the year (it's a close run in with Advent Sundays) when we celebrate God's faithfulness in the rich history of the church with a guest preacher (DJ's brother Matt this year) and dinner "on the grounds" following the service. It's always great to celebrate and catch up with old friends and members that come back to visit!

One Happy Family

Yes, happy is what we are any chance we get to go to the beach! Ben and I decided to go to the beach Friday morning...and after checking the weather and finding a great deal on Hotwire, there was no turning back! What a much needed week-end together at our favorite place!

Emma loved walking in the sand and had Daddy helping her move along...

Mommy and Emma enjoying relaxing on the beach...

As you can see by the smile, Emma is a beach lover like Mommy and Daddy!

Though the air was VERY warm, the water was not...Ben got in a little more than I...here is a picture of him catching a wave. This past week-end was the our 5 year meeting anniversary, and it's the same date and place we went last year when I gave him the news of little Emma being on the way! A lot has happened since then, and it was a wonderful time to relax and enjoy the many blessings we have received! We have to admit, we are looking forward to going back with the family in June and having extra hands for Emma!