Em and her Daddy!!!

This morning Emma woke at 6am. Richard doesn't have to get up that early and I of course don't have to get up until Em does. Richard got out of bed very quietly, and got Emma up. As he was getting her I could hear him over the monitor telling her good morning and that he loves her. Then he changed her diaper, cut her up some fruit, and made her some cereal. Since she wanted to watch Elmo he put a towel down on the carpet and let her dance around while she ate. All the while he let me sleep while he watched her and got himself ready. While I was drifting in and out of sleep I was thinking about how wonderful he is as a Husband and Daddy. So here's my shout out to my Mr. Wonderful!

Although I have some precious pictures of Emma and her Daddy when she was first born and through her first months, they are downloaded in a different spot and hard to get to so I'm starting from her 10 month mark!

Richard and Emma the morning he returned from his deployment to Iraq. He was gone for 6 months and was so excited to be home with Em! It didn't take her long at all to get used to him! He was so amazed by how much she'd grown, of course, and jumped right back into "fantastic daddy" mode!

Daddy and Daughter enjoying a beautiful day at the park. This was only a few days after his return and she already didn't want to leave his side. Daddy's always up for doing fun things with Emma!
Our Family on the 4th of July just a few days before Emma's First Birthday! We had a party outside while Richard and Aunt Wee Wee shot fireworks! Emma loved the explosives...I hope she doesn't follow in her Daddy's footsteps in the occupation field!

And the most recent picture of Emma and her Daddy. Precious.

Everyday when he gets home from work Emma gets super excited and starts dancing for him, running in circles and doing flips! It's so cute! It's like she's putting on a performance! They always have their own special time in the evenings while I cook or take a walk or just take a break. They have a Popsicle, share an apple, or play in Emma's kitchen. And when it's time to wash Emma's hair, Daddy's on the job. She NEVER cries when he does it and always cries when I do. In the end, no matter what those two do together they always seem to have fun!

So while Fathers Day is still a few months away, I just wanted to share my little take on Emma's Daddy and what he means to her...and me!

Into Everything!

I'm sure that most of you have heard me say "Emma Bess is a mess" but here lately, that's been quite the literal statement! She's into EVERYTHING! It sometimes drives me a little crazy being the neat freak that I am, but I'm trying to let go and enjoy the moments like these because I know that it won't last forever and I'm going to play these precious little explorations over and over again in my head!
But for now, I'm going to share just a couple with you!

So, I hear Emma playing in the pantry early one morning while I'm trying to enjoy my morning cup of energy, er coffee. I get up to see what she's up to and on my way I hear the sound of noodles hitting the floor...an entire box of spaghetti noodles.

She was enjoying the photo ops that this fiasco was affording her!

And the next day...on to the return address labels. These ended up in her hair, on her arms, on the floor, chairs, and even a couple on my jeans that I only noticed when I was out walking Maddie and trying to be friendly to my neighbors. I can only imagine what they were thinking!
OUCH!!! It hurts trying to pull these off, huh Em? But she obviously didn't mind the pain. She plastered them all over herself only a few days later when another batch came rolling in!
Our Emma Bess IS such a Mess!!!

But then you see this precious little sleeping face and it makes all the clean-up of noodles and stickers and anything else those adorable little hands can get into just fine.

Now, if only we could tackle those tantrums...

Wedding Festivities

Last weekend, one of my dearest friends decided to tie the knot! We have such a rich history as friends and it was such an honor to be included as a bridesmaid on she and Tony's Wedding Day!

Congratualations Julia and Tony! January 3, 2009

This is Julia and I on the night of the Rehearsal Dinner. Isn't she beautiful!

Us just moments before she said "I Do!"

My best friend, Jennifer and I at the Reception. We were both feeling great at this point!!!

Richard and I at the reception! I think this is before Richard decided to play the air guitar for the entire crowd. Nice, Richard.

Julia and I taking a break from the dancing!

For Julia and Tony, I wish you both tons of happiness! I will never forget the memories we've made and the priceless times we've had together! Congrats and I love you!

Scary Santa

As you can see, Emma was not a big fan of Santa at the mall in Virginia Beach! However, when I removed her from his lap she very calmly said "Bye Tanta!"
I'm thinking this photo should absolutely go in her Senior Yearbook!
Sorry for the delay in postings and I'll be sure to catch up as soon as our house is back to normal from all the holiday festivities!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!