Sisters

Well, it's been a while since I've written because we had my beautiful sister visiting from Boston! She was nice enough to make a cross country trip out of her vacation and visit Betsy in Ohio and then came down to see us here in Houston. Unfortunately, the weather was hot, muggy and overcast most of the time she was here, but we still had a blast. We explored the underground tunnels of Houston, finally showed Sarah "Kemah", and did a lot of reading with Emrey. I love my sisters so much and every time we get together, I realize how much I miss living near them, especially now that Emrey is on the scene. We continue to dream about living closer to each other, hopefully some day we can make that a reality. Here are some shots of Sarah and Emrey over the past week.

Cousins

Here are a few shots from our recent trip to Ohio that I promised I would get up. There are some really sweet ones of the girls together as well as with Josh at a fun little kiddy park that we took them to. Emrey had a blast watching all the commotion going on around her, as she is still happy as a clam to sit and watch all the action. She gladly added to the chaos with her shrill little scream whenever she felt necessary.

We got to be there for Anna's baby dedication!

With Nanna

And Pappo

Josh was very sweet and took care of Emrey on this ride.

Hungry Girls....

A common scene, trying to get all the hungry mouths fed!

Emrey LOVED this little doggy and laughed and laughed whenever it came around, I think she thought it was like a little Bailey!

Miss "Personality"

Well, it's been a while since I've written. At first, it was because I was waiting to get pictures from my sister (from our trip out to Ohio) so that I could post some really cute ones we got. But, then things just got busy....

Ellis and I celebrated our third anniversary! We've been outside a little more since things are starting to cool off, relatively speaking. Emrey had her first virus and was no fun to be around for a few days last week and we spent Labor day at home, hanging out with friends and eating great food the whole weekend.

Despite my not writing, little Emrey continues to plod along, developing her vocal cords and acquiring new skills daily. This week, I have been impressed as we watch her little personality emerge. She has developed a hatred for diaper changes and the wiping of her face after meals. She now arches her back, like she's in the circus when we go to do either. Other behaviors of note: she is imitating....and it's really cute. I've had a little cough the past couple days and she has begun imitating my cough and then looks up at me with a big smile, looking for a reaction (which she usually gets). She has also started signing the sign for milk. With one of her little, chubby hands, she will make the motion of milking a cow, while the other is clawing at my shirt! She loves to eat and is eating all sorts of little finger foods, cheese, bagel, mango, banana (a favorite), pasta etc...She has just about mastered getting the little chunks into her mouth, but needs some help with the slippery ones. She continues to be totally content sitting, while other kids crawl and run around her. She is showing some signs of reaching for objects, but still hasn't figured out she needs to put her arms out behind her when she's falling back :( This has made for many tearful screeches when she's playing by herself. She'll get it eventually.....

she loves reading books!

Go Red Sox

This weekend, we traveled up to Dallas to watch the Red Sox play the Rangers and to hang out with my brother, sister in law and their beautiful boys. Being the new mother that I am, I was trying to look out for my little one and suggested we go to a day game vs. an evening game, so she would be awake and happy. Well, I forgot that day games in August, in Texas are very different from Boston day games. I think it would be an understatement to say that it was hot? Luckily, we were able to find some seats in the shade and that made a world of difference, but it was still HOT! Next time, I think we'll push Emrey to stay up a little later. It was so sticky at the game that taking pictures was not on our mind, but here are a few shots of Emrey on the trip up, at the hotel and hanging out with the Hollo boys, who are sooo much fun.

At one of our many pit stops, Emrey was all too excited to get into the drivers seat!

I only feed Emrey on white sheets when staying at hotels :)

Matt was very sweet with Emrey, he's a great big brother.

Mango from the farmers market

The beach

Here is a link to photos from our most recent trip.

Port Aransas

Yes we were traveling again...We went for the weekend, down to Port Aransas, which is a Peninsula that is just north of Corpus Christi. It is a pretty drive, very different from what we saw the past couple weeks in the northwest. It was completely flat and lots of cotton fields on the way. I thought that was interesting, but it turns out, I was the only one that was seeing cotton fields for the first time..

Anyhow, Below are a few pictures I took of Emrey last week on her Seven Month Birthday! It's hard to believe she is seven months! She is changing every day. She is still not crawling, but is certainly no the timid, quiet, "sit-still" baby she used to be. For starters, she is making all kinds of fun sounds (loudly), (Dat, dat, dat, mamammmmmm, hiiii) that will soon be words! She is also lunging at things and reaching out for Ellis or I if we are within arms distance. She is dangerous when she is anywhere near the table, as she will grab at anything she can get her hands on. We've had several near misses so far. I'm certain that she understands many of the signs we have been teaching her. Although she is still not signing back, I feel she is right on the verge of putting it all together.

Welcome Home

Well, we're adjusting to being home and back on Central time, Emrey is slowly catching up, but still a little off. I got a few pictures of her playing so happily in her room yesterday, it was as if she was seeing all her toys for the first time again! We also finally put her highchair together, there is a short clip below. And, I am continually amazed by the baby contraptions that are available. The last few pictures are of Emrey devouring a banana. This little contraption enables you to put whole foods in a little mesh container, so that the kiddos can just suck the food out through the wholes without choking on large pieces! It worked great and I was surprised she loved it so much, as she refuses to eat bananas when I grind them. It must be a texture thing?

Vacation

After two long weeks of taking planes, trains and many automobiles, we are home. What a trip! Below, you'll find a few of my favorites from our recent vacation to the Pacific Northwest. If you would like to see the rest, feel free, this link will take you there.

Northwest Vacation

We left two weeks ago, for Seattle, where we met Ben and Kath, my brother and sister in-law, and their three little boys. We toured all around the Olympic Penninsula, camping in some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. We made it out to the Pacific, swam in hot springs, saw some HUGE trees and had great campfires almost every night. Next, we took a ferry up to Vancouver Island to visit Victoria. Afterward, we headed back to Seattle, where we sampled many delicious treats at Pike's Place Market and took the elevator ride up the space needle. After Seattle, we jumped on a train to Portland where we hung out with Uncle Jessy and Aunt Becky for a few days. Then we jumped in the car yet again to attend a wedding in Ashland. While there Emrey was reintroduced to the King family and received more than enough attention! Finally we made it back out to the Pacific coast to visit the beach and say goodbye to the Northwest. This was the trip of "first's" for Emrey, as you will see below in the pictures. She was a real trooper with traveling, but she was definitely ready to get back to her crib by the end of the trip.

After her first night of camping, she survived!

First Hike, at the top of Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park

First Boat ride/First trip out of the country! Taking the Ferry from Port Angeles Washington to Vancouver Island, CA with cousins Bryce and Drew.

First Double Decker Bus ride, in Victoria, CA.

First time feeding the birds with dad, in Seattle, down on the water.

First adventure up the Space Needle!

First taste of bread! She loved it and cried when we took it away.

First nectarine, non-pureed that is.
First train ride from Seattle to Portland.

First meeting with Grandma Dot!