Merry Christmas

Emily must have been a very good girl this year because Santa spoiled her rotten! We spent time in Connersville and Cincinnati visiting with friends and family. Emily was great with all of this activity! She was just a little social butterfly. We didn't get too many good pictures of her because she wouldn't hold still long enough. She was having way too much fun opening presents and playing with her new toys to cooperate for photos. Here are a few of the better ones:

Getting her first gifts out from under the tree

At the Botanical Gardens Christmas flower and train show

Playing with her toaster, blender and coffee maker (thanks BeBe) that go with the fabulous new kitchen her Auntie Anne got her. She already loves "cooking" in her kitchen!

Brr, It's Cold!

It is absolutely frigid here today. What a change from Florida! The weather is forcing us to be huddle up inside but that doesn't slow Emily down too much.

Emily and her Daddy went to a "Dad's Night" that our Parents as Teachers program put on. They both had lots of fun. Emily wasn't too interested in doing the Christmas themed activities they put together. She much preferred leading the other kids in activities on all the other toys around like the stairs above.

Watching football with Daddy

Getting ready to go out last night and visit our friends new baby girl, Audrey.

Florida

We went to Florida over Thanksgiving with Cameron's family. This was Emily's first trip to Florida, first time on a plane and first time seeing the ocean. We all had a great time!

We spent Thanksgiving with the Day's who were nice enough to cook for us all and entertain us. Emily decided it would be a good idea to jump in their pool on her own but she wasn't as freaked out by it as us adults were. We also had nice visits with the Coombs and Tilkas as well as lots of pool, beach and outdoor time. The weather was great after the first day so Emily got to play outside a lot which she loved!

Here are just a few of our photos and we're pretty sure BeBe has hundreds more...

On a plane for the first time. She really did pretty well on the plane considering she is a very busy 18 month old who was contained for 2 hours. She took a good nap both directions which helped!

During a walk around the condo grounds, Emily decided she had to stop on this walkway and put all of the leaves between the cracks.

Emily's first time seeing the ocean. She liked the looks of the water but HATED the sand. She would start whining and reaching for Daddy as soon as her feet hit the sand. Someday when she is covered head to toe in sand, we'll show her the video of her freaking out.

Cameron's grandma bought her condo in Sarasota when Cameron was 3. It became a tradition to get a picture of him by the complex sign everytime they visited so we did the same with Emily.

At the beach watching the seagulls. We tried going again to see if she'd like the sand better but she didn't. She loved the seagulls though!

Mommy and Emily at the beach

Relaxing in the pool

Fun in the Fall

This past week has been pretty action packed for us. The weather has been nice so we've been taking full advantage to get outside while we still can. Emily turned 18 months old and celebrated by getting her H1N1 vaccine. Cameron has been on vacation so we've been trying to keep him entertained. Now we're getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Emily riding the lady bug at the play ground

Checking out her reflection at the sculpture park

Emily's first visit to the zoo. She loved the penguin house and watching the penguins swim by. Here she is giving daddy some love with the penguins watching in the background.

18 Month Check Up

Emily had her 18 month check up today. The doctor said she is doing great (they like the fact they don't see her very often). She weighed in at 24 lbs 10 oz (56%) and was 32" tall (62%). Best of all, she got NO shots...though we are going in Saturday for her H1N1 vaccine. Otherwise, not much is new. We're our usual busy selves getting ready to go to Florida next week.

Emily loves to swing

Looking up at Daddy at the playground

Getting ready to go up to bed

Nice Fall Weekend

The weather in St. Louis was beautiful this weekend so we took full advantage to get outside and play!

Walking on the Katy Trail

Posing with Daddy on the Katy Trail

Getting ready to go down the tube slide

Helping Daddy fix the MG

Happy Halloween

We went to Chicago for Halloween to celebrate with the Meyer's, Doyle's and other friends. Emily had a great time playing with all of the kids! They were running wild most of the time but all seemed to get along fine and there were no major fights.

Having a snack with Max to keep their energy up for Trick-or-Treating

Our little pirate

Romping in the leaves with Ruby

Walking with some of her trick-or-treat loot

Admiring Daddy and Uncle Matt's pumpkin carving (Daddy did the skull and cross bones one)