Jason's Deli Picnics

We were invited to both the Atlanta and South Carolina Jason's Deli Company Picnics this year, and we were able to attend both. Lucky for us, the Torrence family (and Emily's friend Olivia) were at both too, and the girls had a blast playing together!

 

 

The Children's Museum of Atlanta

Emily LOVES going to the Imagine-It Children's Museum of Atlanta. We went several times in September and she couldn't get enough of it. She talked about the exhibits for weeks. Her favorites were the grocery store area and the fishing pond. Here are a few pictures of her adventures:

 

25 Months

I'm not really sure when I will end the monthly updates on Emily. Fouad and I talked about doing it after she turned two, but she has changed so much even since her 2nd birthday, I feel like I will want to remember the little things that she did month to month. This month was no exception! Here's the update on our big girl:

*As you can see from the photo above, Emily has learned to smile on command. This might not sound like a big deal, but believe me I was almost out of ideas on how to make her laugh or giggle while taking pictures. Now she will just say "CHEESE!"

*Emily has started to talk herself out of being scared of things. For example, EVERY time the dogs bark at the front door she is startled, then she will announce that it's "just the neighbors." She also has had a fear of the vacuum for months, but now she will open the cleaning closet randomly and announce, "just the vacuum." Hilarious!

*As I mentioned in an earlier post, Emily has been enjoying time with her friend Olivia. They are so sweet together, and they really miss each other when they are apart.

*Emily has started taking a music class and she LOVES it. We had some trouble getting her to pay attention in dance class and gymnastics, but she has a blast and is focused for the entire 45 minute music class. I highly recommend The Music Class if you are in the Atlanta area. We initially did a one-time class that focused on Disney music, and she loved it so much we signed up for the 10 week session.

*Along with her music class, Emily has really developed a love of singing. She loves to sing songs from daycare (like Baa Baa Black Sheep), music class, or even songs that she makes up.

*Nap time has disappeared, but quiet time has started in it's place. Emily is doing well with quietly playing in her room (while I watch on video monitor) for about 30-45 minutes. After that, she's ready to continue her day with Mommy. Of course, Emily still naps wonderfully at daycare.

*Emily has some funny new phrases this month including "Oh my dear!" and adverbs like "really" or "very." She will tell us that her food is very hot or that she can jump really high. I love that her language skills are continuing to develop!

*Her memory is astonishing. She can remember the tiniest details from a conversation or sequence of events. She is constantly reminding me of things that I said or that we have seen.

*Pretend play has continued. Emily's favorite activity this month has been "cooking" and her specialties are coffee, tea, cookies, and pancakes. Each of these items always has a special flavor, like blueberry coffee, banana tea, or garlic pancakes. She loves to pretend and it is so adorable!

*Emily has started to enjoy movies and will request certain ones. Her current favorites are Little Mermaid, Elmo's Potty Time, Finding Nemo, and Up. I'm so glad it's not the same one over and over!

Emily & Olivia

Emily and I have been spending a lot of time with my friend Jenn and her daughter Olivia, who is three months younger than Emily. When we first started our playdates, the girls would play alongside each other, but not really together. Recently, they have really started to enjoy playing together, and I am just thrilled that Emily has a really good friend. An extra bonus is that I enjoy hanging out with Jenn, so we all have a great time! Perhaps the sweetest moments are when they randomly give each other hugs or hold hands, or when Emily asks me in the morning if we are going to see Olivia today. I'm so glad she has someone that she enjoys having fun with!

Here are some pictures of the girls during our various playdates:

Tutus and Bubbles!

Lunch Break!

Playing together so well

Aren't they so sweet?

 

 

The Torrence Family also has a house on Lake Lanier that they so kindly invited us to in August. Emily had a blast playing with Olivia in and out of the water!

On our way! So excited!

Daddies and their girls in the lake

Ready for a boat ride!

Too much fun makes a sleepy girl

Emily's First Trip to White Water

We didn't know if Emily would enjoy going to White Water this summer, so we weren't going to plan a trip until next year. Her Uncle Andy was dying to have her come and play at the park, so we decided to do a little test run of White Water for a few hours. Needless to say, she loved it! We could have easily stayed longer. We ended up going back a couple of weeks later. Here are a few pictures (and a video!) of her first trip:

 

 

Happy 2nd Birthday to Emily!

Our sweet little friend turned two on July 18th. It's hard to believe that two years have passed since this beautiful little girl joined us! She has made us a family, and made each day more interesting and fun!

Emily had her family and friends join her at nearby Gary Pirkle Park for a Sesame Street themed party. We love this park because the playground is covered, and we were able to rent the pavilion nearby to offer our guests some shade. It was a beautiful day, and we really got to enjoy spending time with everyone that loves our little girl. Here are a few more pictures that our friends snapped from the party:

 

 

 

Here are some of our favorite things from this month:

* When asked how old she is, Emily will say, "No two...three!"
* She's back on track with her nap schedule again! Woohoo!
* She loves to have her toenails painted by her Aunt Nadine
* She has started to sleep with a stuffed animal. Her favorites are kitty cat and baby bear.
* Emily will describe things as "perfect!"
* She's starting to recognize letters and will ask "What letter is that?"
* We have turned her car seat around and she loves it! She will tell us when we are "almost there" or when we pass "BIG trucks!" She also keeps requesting to drive...oh boy!
* She is obsessed with birthdays and asked me all month about when she was going to share cake with her friends and blow out the candles. Needless to say, she was a pro by the time her party came around!

Something that Fouad wants to remember...

Fouad wanted me to make a short post about our bedtime routine so that we can remember it when we look back and read this years later.

Emily loves when Fouad sings "Hotel Yorba" by the White Stripes as her bedtime lullabye, but she calls it "Watching" or "Daddy's Song." Mommy can only sing "Mommy's Song" AKA "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" (lucky me...) or sometimes "The Way You Look Tonight." Emily gets her favorite flower print blanket and the stuffed animal of the moment (right now it is Baby Bear) and she lays her head on our chest while we sit in the rocking chair and sing. When we finish singing she is usually exhausted and ready for bed. She gives a big hug and a big kiss, we put her down, she makes sure we cover her up, and then we say "Goodnight Emmy." She'll look up and say, "Sweet dreams?" and we say, "Sweet dreams!" Then she does the same thing with "I love you Emmy?" Then we close the door, and she is a perfect angel for the rest of the night. We do this the exact same way every night!