3 Year Pictures

Some more birthday presents

Emily has been so excited that a few of her birhtday presents were delayed . . . she keeps asking if she can have her birthday again! :)
Emily LOVES games and she was just so excited to get one of her own. We play it all the time, although the rules haven't yet been followed. She just loves moving the players around the board! Thanks, Aunt Tracie! :)

This is Chester and he's from Aunt Jill & Uncle Nathan. At last, Mary has a friend! :)

Emily received a few new dresses from Cochranes and she asks to wear one everyday -- thank you! They were a big hit!! :)


Ben & Laura got Emily a lawn chalk painter and a bubble blower . . . she couldn't wait to use them! :)

And this is a dress from Grandpa & Gramsy Lewis for the baby doll they got her at Christmas. She doesn't have very many clothes for her babies and she was so excited to dress Kari! :)

"Hey, Mom . . .

. . . Look what I can do!"

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Alex had his first hotdog this week. He ate the WHOLE thing, along with some baked beans and strawberries. He was a machine and just loved every bite! :) Emily helped me with some gardening and loved using her new tools! :)

Isn't she cute with her little gloves?!

We bought a "pool" this weekend and the weather was perfect for warming up the water. Emily had a blast splashing and kicking, but Alex wasn't sure about it! (I'm not sure the water was warm enough for him yet.)

She insisted that Alex be in the pool with her . . . I think she likes having someone to play with! :)

Playdate Birthday Party

We had play date at our house today and celebrated Emily's birthday again. She LOVES having friends over and was really excited all morning. This is a picture of her with her friend, Jake. She adores him and follows him around everywhere! :)

All the kids sat around Emily in the grass and sang "Happy Birthday" to her and then gobbled up the "E" cupcakes I made. Overall, Emily had a very fun morning! :)

6 week check-up

I went in today for my 6 week check-up and everything from the surgery looks to be healing well. She said I can get back to my regular life and daily activites in about a week or so. I'm feeling much better (with loads of more energy) and will be glad to get back to normal! :)

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I love you all! :)

Emily's Birthday Tea Party

We had a tea party themed birthday party for Emily today. We set up her table and chairs outside and she had a little garden party with three of her friends. Emily has been excited about this party for weeks now and she had an absolute blast! :)

I made a teapot cake and I have to say, it turned out ok. I'm no expert but I was pleased! And Emily loved it, so that was what mattered! :)

These four girls were just the cutest at their little tea party! :)

This was the wrapping on one of Emily's presents . . . isn't it beautiful? My friend Wendy is so talented! :)

Mia and Ella got Emily a birthday cake set for her kitchen. She instantly opened it up and started serving cake to everyone. It was priceless! :)

And Jade got her a bathtime baby that can go in the tub. Emily was begging for a bath . . . that had to be a first!! ;)

These are some books and clothes from her Grandad & Grandma Cochrane . . . she's going to look so cute in those dresses this summer! :)

Mia, Jade & Ella -- they were so adorable in their matching shades! (Emily was on overload and had NO desire to get in on the picture . . . we'll see what we can do with photoshop!)

These are some gifts from Emily's friend Kari (actually one of my good friends, but Emily absolutely adores her)! I didn't tell Emily that Kari was coming to the party until today . . . she wouldn't have been able to sleep had she known! :)

Emily's Birthday

When we went to wake Emily this morning, her first sentence was "I want cake". Think she was ready for her special day? :)

And she came downstairs to find our present to her all set-up in the Family Room. She loved it and couldn't wait to sit in one of the chairs!

And then she also got to open her present from Nana & Papa -- she wanted to wear them to church but I didn't think a sweater and corduroys were appropriate for a warm sunny day. She was ok with waiting until Fall. :)

And this is the birthday girl before church . . . look at how tall she is!!

Emily is Three!

That's right, she's three years old. Can you believe it? In some ways it feels like an eternity (we can barely remember our lives without her) and in other ways only a few minutes! She is an amazing little girl. I know, I'm biased, but she truly is. Her personality shows more and more everyday and she is an absolute joy to be around! And her smile is infectious and makes everyone around her laugh. She can be quite the cheese-ball! :)

Her favorite activities are "craft-time" (which she requests on a daily basis, if not more often), cooking with Mom, playing in the yard with Dad, going to church, or watching a movie while being snuggled. She adores her little brother, although he gets into all of her toys. She demands (yes, she is strong-willed) to give him a hug and kiss everytime he lays down for a nap and she loves to make him giggle. (And there is nothing more precious than the two of them making each other laugh!)

Emily's gross-motor delays seem to have mostly gone by the wayside. She is still not jumping, but has started running and climbing and she's becoming more courageous in trying new things. Plus she does this little "bunny hop" that's hilarious! I doubt she will ever be my adventurous child, but she makes up for that in so many other ways! :)

She talks. Man, does she talk! She talks from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to sleep (and even that doesn't slow her down -- she's been known to chat in her sleep). And if she's not talking, she's singing. One of her other favorite things to do is sing Sunday School songs. Her favorites are "I've got the joy, joy, joy" (which she calls the "doy" song), "This little light of mine" (which doesn't have a title, she just requests it by holding up her index finger), "Jesus loves me", and "Jesus loves the little children". She is always dancing or singing and she can't wait to learn more songs.

Emily is hilarious! Or at least we think she is and she says some of the funniest things:

* "I'm not tasty!" (Which is a quote from an Easter egg hunt we had. Nelson told her she was so close to an egg it was going to bite her. That was her response.)

* "Snuggle Me." (She says this when she is going to bed and wants us to crawl in with her and sing songs.)

* "I can't want that." or "I can't like that." (We love the grammer of this sentence.)

* "Why he tell me not?" (Another wonderfully structured sentence.)

She is simply an amazing kid and we feel so blessed to have her in our lives. She will be going to preschool in the Fall (two mornings a week) and she can't wait for that to start. She is always excited to see you and she's animated in everything she does. She is simply amazing . . . what else can I say, but "Happy Birthday, Emily"! We love you! :)

(These are a few of our favorite pictures from the last year.)