Standing and a new pair of shoes

It really amazes me how fast babies or toddlers do things. One day they are going about their business, and the next, they are doing something totally new just looking at you like "yea, that's right, look what I can do!" Emme's newest trick is standing up in the middle of a room by herself without help or holding onto anything. Last week she started letting go of things while standing up for a few seconds and then all of a sudden, she is standing up on her own and thinking it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

It's so funny to watch her do this because she is actually really good at it after just doing it like two times, scary! Now, she is constantly doing what I call the "skier position" because she looks like a little skier going down a hill with her knees bent to get her balance. She gets quite a kick out of this as well because she will look at you when she stands up and starts clapping her hands with a huge smile on her face like she is really proud of herself. How fast she is growing up!

I figured it was time to get her some new shoes since she is cruising and standing up everywhere and the shoes she does have are alittle tight on her. To tell you the truth, babies don't really need shoes that much until they start standing up and walking along things because they are just crawling all over the place and not really using the bottoms of their feet. So we made a trip to Stride Rite and got her some nifty stage 2 shoes tonight, which are so cute and they make her feet look so much bigger than they are with these bulky shoes on. I definately think it's really important to get a toddler a nice pair of new shoes because growth and development of their feet is key. I also think it's a rip off for kids' shoes for the price they charge which makes me think I should get into the shoe business and make a ton of money! Oh well, our little bug is worth every penny :)

Emme is One!

Holy cow, my little girl is one! Where does the time go, really? I can't believe how grown up that sounds, I have a one year old! Emme's birthday party was a huge success, we actually had a ton of kids and friends show up and the kids loved the petting zoo we had in the back yard. I definately recommend that for a birthday party, it really made the kids' day I think. She got so many toys, it was ridiculous thanks to our great friends. We even stashed some away that we will take out here and there so she doesn't get bored of the things she has, they seem to do that quite frequently I've noticed.

She really loved the cake too once she figured out she could dive right in and squish the icing in between her little fingers. I'm sure she ate more of the icing than the cake, but whatever, it's her birthday after all, you gotta spoil them once and awhile!

Trip back to Wisconsin

Whew, has our vacation already come and gone? I can't believe our trip back home is already over but we had a great time. We were actually blessed with warm and sunny weather the whole time, can you believe it? If you are from WI or MN, you know how hard this is believe because at most, you get a few days in a row of warm weather and then it's cold weather before you can count to 10. My whole two week stay was beautiful, if not alittle humid, but you can't complain too much about that, it could be worse. Emme was a great traveler as well which I was worried about since I had to fly there myself a week before Brian joined us but she was absolutely perfect the WHOLE flight, I couldn't have asked for a better baby. She was good on the way back, alittle more figity just because she was teething but not too bad. Of course I ended up with a horrible cold the last few days we were there, I think that is a constant every time I travel I swear.

It was great getting to spend time with my parents and family as well as my Grandma and the Donald. Their new house is really beautiful and so nice to relax at. It feels like a little cozy retreat in the woods, very relaxing. We also got to see our friends Chris and Erica and their daughter since their family cabin is convienently just minutes from my Grandma's house. It was great getting the girls together to play again and see how much they have grown in the last few months. It was really hard leaving and coming home to no family but we are grateful to be able to visit several times a year.