East Texas Adventures

Emmarie and I loaded up for a four day visit with GiGi in East Texas.  I haven't been to my Grannie's house for more than an extended weekend since Emmarie was born, so we were overdue for a nice trip.  Having time like this in the summer to visit with family is one of the greatest blessings in my line of work.

Early (for us) on Monday morning, we started to 4.5 hour trek to East Texas.  Of course, it rained heavily for almost the entire journey.  This turned our 4.5 hour trip into about 5.5 hours.  I cannot complain though, we were blessed with a safe journey roundtrip, and that is much more than many of the cars that we passed could say.

While I was driving, Emmy was in the back seat watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I bought her a set of two dvd players for the car when she was six months old.  We started using them on car trips this year, and let me tell you those things are the best Black Friday purchase I made that year.  We have definitely gotten our money's worth out of them already.  Currently she only uses one of the TVs, but if someone else were riding in the car with us, you can connect another screen so they can both watch.



We made it to GiGi's house around 2:30 in the afternoon.  She had food ready for us, and we spent the afternoon and evening hanging out, watching Disney Jr., and playing.  Emmarie was really into all of the dolls and stuffed animals that GiGi has at her house.   She was also into GiGi's portable vaccuum.  I joked on Facebook that we had only been at Grannie's house a couple of hours and she already had her vaccuming in high heels.










The next day, we made a trip to Center, TX, a nearby town.  It is about 30 miles away, and it is the CLOSEST Wal-Mart to my grandmother's house.  I don't care how you feel about big box stores, but when you get out in the sticks and the closest one is that far away, you will start to feel the twitchy stirrings of withdrawals.  GiGi's DVD player wasn't working, so we picked up a new one for movie night.

By chance of fate, my little cousin Joey happened to be playing in an All Stars Tournement game in Center that day, so of course, we needed to attend and cheer him on.





We got to see a lot of our favorite East Texans at the game.















Some of us had to go out to the car to cool off because we couldn't take the heat...or perhaps the bad calls the refs were making.











Wendy and Marlee made plans to come to GiGi's house the next morning so that we could go antiquing and hang out.  MiKayla decided that she would go ahead and stay the night with us.  She and Emmy had so much fun playing and being silly.











We went to a few stores and found a few cool trinkets. We ate lunch at a newish Mexican Resturant in Hemphill called El Tio's.  The food, salsa, and company were great.





We rented a couple of movies from Red Box (I love that they have these in little towns too), and we headed back to GiGi's house to eat and get ready for church.

 Mikayla and I sat in the back of the Tahoe, and we got a little photo happy.





Marlee and Emmarie were rock stars at church.  Everyone wanted to hold and love on them.




The next morning, we took a few pictures out by the pier of Mikayla in some of GiGi's dress up clothes and hats.  Then it was time to start saying our good byes.  Wendy, Mikayla, and Marlee headed back to Kilgore.

We helped GiGi put all of the toys and the doll house away.  She made us one more great lunch so that we wouldn't need to stop to eat on the way home.



We took a few more pictures, and then sadly, it was time for us to get on the road.

















Bradley had called us several times everyday he missed us so much.  He isn't used to being at home alone anymore.  I think he enjoyed the peace and quiet the first day, but after that he was ready for us to come home.



There were others who seemed to miss us as well.





Emmy napped and watched MMC all the way home.  The weather was great, and we only ran into light traffic in Houston on the way back.





We enjoyed our Summer jaunt to GiGi's house, and we are already planning another trip back.

Beach Fun Saturday

On Saturday, we loaded up with the Gerdes family and went to Matagorda Beach.  This beach has gotten so much nicer than it used to be when I was little.  They charge a yearly fee now for a beach pass, and the funds are used to keep up with cleaning and maintaining the beach.  It has made such a big difference.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and we knew it was the perfect weather for a beach day.

When we got to the beach, the wind was blowing really hard, and the tide was in.  The waves were five-to-seven feet high just 50 yards off the shore.  This is not ideal weather for fishing, so Bradley was a little disappointed.





Emmy didn't care.  She just wanted to get into the water.





She kept saying something about bunnies, but we didn't know what she was talking about until we started walking out toward the water.  She was calling the white caps on the waves bunnies.  She wanted to go see the bunnies.



She loved the water...even when the waves threatened to knock her down.  She persevered through it all.  I being the Nervous Nancy that I am when it comes to her safety was a basket case, and I was so afraid that she was going to get pulled in by the strong tide.  So needless to say, Emmy didn't get to stay in the water all that long.



We had a wonderful picnic lunch out on the beach.  Sandwiches, grapes, apple slices, chips, and sodas never tasted so good.







Everyone else got back in the water one more time, and then after drying off, we were ready to go.







Emmy cried for a few minutes because she did not want to leave the bunnies.

We went to a little riverside park, so the boys could do a little fishing.  Emmy had fallen asleep in the truck so we all piled in to enjoy the air conditioning.  We played a party game that I downloaded for my iPhone that is tons of fun.



Have I mentioned that I love their yellow Jeep?  I was very psyched to be the driver of that fine piece of machinery for the day.

25 Months

Now that Emmy is two, I will keep posting her monthly pictures, but I will try to dial it back on all of the minor details that my posts have been filled with.  At this point, she can talk, eat what she wants (within reason), hop, run, jump, sing, dance, (insert many other rowdy activities), and is starting to function like a "real little person."

When big things happen, I will make sure to include them in her update, but I am trying not to set the bar overly high for myself the next time around.  I am also trying to blog more frequently, so I won't have to use her monthly update to try to cram everything we did that month into it.

With that being said, I think I will still do favorite things because that does seem to change some.

Emmy Loves: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mickey Mouse (pronounced Mika Mouse), Minnie Mouse (pronounced Mina Mouse), swimming, her puddle jumper, her BFF Abby, blue berries, the water slide, opening presents, her yellow convertible (it has come back out of retirement for a fun game of back & forward in the livng room), dolls,  and babies (because we have seen TONS of new baby boys lately).

Big New Things/Highlights of the Month:

Emmy now attends Sunday School at church.  This is still a work in progress because if I take her out to drop her off, she cries and wants to go with me.  If Nicole walks her out there, she is fine but still clings to the teachers.  They tell me that she really loves snack time.  Something every mother can be proud of .

She wears Pig Tails.  Since she is two and not one, we now wear two ponytails when we can. (No this will not extend over into year three.  Two ponytails is our max).

She is a swimming machine.  At the very begining of swimming season (late May), we could not trust Emmy in the water at all.  She thought the whole swimming pool was a water bottle and she KEPT DRINKING THE WATER.  Then we got the Puddle Jumper, and I am telling you people, it has changed our lives!  She swims all over the pool.  She floats on her back.  She blows bubbles.  She jumps into the water fearlessly.  It is like that thing changed her into a mermaid.  I. Love. It.

She has a Best Friend.  We have been hanging out with her best friend from daycare a lot this summer, and it is just so cute that they are starting to actually play when you put them with another tiny person.  Like actual do stuff together as opposed to sitting near each other playing individually.  When we take them swimming, they want to jump in holding hands.  It is precious.

The 4th of July

On Wednesday night, we went to a fireworks show in Eagle Lake, TX.  Abby's mom, Julie, invited us to attend with them, so we met them at their house and rode together.  It was out in the middle of nowhere, but there were so many cars that pulled up to the fences surrounding this huge field.

And let me tell you, they put on an AMAZING fireworks show.  It was a full thirty minutes of explosive family fun.

Emmy really enjoyed watching all of the pretty lights, and she kept putting her fingers up to the sky trying to "touch them."  It was adorable.





















Afterwards, the girls chatted the whole way back to Abby's house.



The next day, we were invited to a Bar-B-Que and swim day at the Gerdes's house.  The food was amazing, and the company was, as usual, phenomenal.  Emmy loves the water so she was in full star mode in the pool.











I got a few pictures of her in her Fourth of July shirt before she changed into her bathing suit.




Once she got into the water, there was no turning back.  We were all having a fabulous time as well.  Blayde even had watermelon on ice for after we finished eating.  Hostess with the Mostess..What! What!





























It was a wonderful day with family, and it gave us time to take a break from our busy schedules to pause and reflect on what the day really stands for. I am so very thankful to live in this country, and I hope and pray that I will always be part of the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." Happy 4th of July!

Emmy's BFF

In case you hadn't heard, Emmy has a BFF.  Her name is Abby.  They go to school together.  They hang out and stuff.  You wish you were cool like them.

This is the feeling that I get when these two interact.  It's like they are rubbing it in everyone else's faces that they are friends.  I. LOVE. IT.

I think it is so sweet that she is finally big enough to remember someone enough (outside of our family) that she likes, knows their name, and enjoys spending time with. 

We have had two playdates with Abby so far this summer, and I foresee many more as long as Emmy keeps acting civilized. 

We went swimming this morning, and both girls seemed to have a really good time playing in the water.

I forgot to take any pictures the last time we hung out, and I almost forgot this time.  I only have two pictures, but that's okay.  We had fun.

My Little Houdini {Emmarie's Escapades}

If you know Emmy, you know that she is a climber.  She has been able to climb onto the counter at her Nana's house since she was 18 months old (much to our detriment).  So, it has been an great conundrum to me that she has stayed in her baby bed when we put her in there.  She jumps, screams, and throws a fit if she isn't tired, but she stays in the bed.

Until today.

I put her in her baby bed for a quick nap because she was worn out from her play date, and she started throwing a tantrum.  I tried to console her, but in the end, I walked out to let her finish her tantrum.

I was sitting in the guest room reading some blogs when I heard the crying stop.  I thought that was quick, but maybe she is playing with her dolls. ( I knew she couldn't be asleep)

The next thing I knew, in toddled a certain little blue-eyed girl with fresh tears staining her cheeks.

I put her back in her bed and told her not to get out.

She got right back out.

This time, I put her back in, but I hid around the corner so that I could see how she was getting out.

She pushed herself up like she was climbing onto a balance beam, put one leg over, changed her grip, brought the other leg over and THAT'S WHEN I BUSTED IN LIKE GANG BUSTERS.  I scared the socks off of that kid and put her back in her bed.

She then started crying and screaming again but did not get out of the bed.

My sister showed up shortly after, and I may have had her call Emmy's name so I could try to get her escape on tape for Brad.  Unfortunately, she is too crafty to be fooled by such shallow schemes.  She started climbing out but stopped short and said that she needed help.

I am not sure what to do at this juncture.  She isn't ready for a toddler bed, but I also don't want her to get hurt climbing out of her bed.  Hmmm.  Decisions. Decisions.