Your First Halloween

Emma Bug, Sorry, it took me so long to do a scrapbook of your first Halloween. You were such a cute little bug. I can hardly wait to see pictures of you in your costume this year.

Thoughtful Oz

Dearest Em,

Allow me to introduce you to your tiny cousin Oscar. He lives in New York with your Auntie Suzy and Uncle Tim. He is one month old now and is growing rapidly.

He sleeps a lot, eats a lot, poops a lot and is just finding out what "tummy time is all about." He has sweet smiles, dark muddy blue eyes (which will probably turn dark brown) dark hair, and a sweet disposition.

He will soon have his first Halloween. Your Auntie Suzy loves Halloween and has been known to even dress her kitties in costumes. I wonder what costume she will have for him this year?

I'm hoping you will be good friends and have many adventures at Diva's and Poppa's house. You will have to teach him a few things (like how to wrap Poppa around your little finger) and where Diva keeps the toys. You can even teach him how to dance, color, and how to pick strawberries.

I love you sweet girl and am so glad little Oz will have you for a playmate.

Now your Diva will have her favorite girl and her favorite boy!

Looking forward to seeing you in your Halloween costume.

Your Diva

Emma learns about Art

Yesterday was another learning day for Miss Emma and her very knowledgeable Poppa. They set out to create a masterpiece for Diva's refrigerator (which has never featured a young budding grandchild artist before!) Poppa decided that she was into Contemporary or post modern art with a definite flair for the abstract . She worked very hard and was most diligent with her choice of colors. (This Diva can hardly wait to take her to the Crayola Factory when she gets a little bigger.) Mom and Dad took a field trip into Harrisonburg and Waynesboro using Poppa's GPS. They really enjoyed being able to get around so quickly by punching in Sonic, Walmart and Target. The GPS certainly has made our life easier. Diva has plenty of pictures to choose from. Now all I need is a magnetic frame to show it off. More fun today. We ate all our berries before we could make our pies so looks like it's back to berry batch for us today.

Emma Learns about the Wind

Poppa and Emma were sitting on our porch swing this afternoon discussing politics and world affairs when sudden showers appeared making the temperature drop and the wind pick up.

Using every moment for a teachable moment, Poppa decided to teach Emma about wind by letting her feel the wind blow and watching Diva's ribbons dance in the wind.

The discussion was rather one sided but went a little bit like this:

Poppa: Emma did you know that wind is the fastest growing source of electricity in the world?

Emma with soother in her mouth says nothing but reaches out for the pretty ribbons beginning to dance in the breeze.

Poppa: Some experts say it can sometimes be the cheapest form of any kind of power. Generating power from the wind leaves no dangerous waste products behind. Best of all, its supply is unlimited.

Emma with her finger in her mouth begins to contemplate the validity of this statement while Poppa explains further.


What followed was a discourse on wind farms, the jet stream, global wind patterns, plus land and sea breezes. The discussion was possibly more than one little explorer could handle, so of course she ran to her Diva and instantly fell asleep. Some how I think I got the best part of the day. I got to kiss her little head, hold her close and whisper prayers over her while she slept. It amazes me that she seems to be growing right in front of us. I miss my baby but I'm enjoying this bright inquisitive little person.

A Berry Sweet Day

We went strawberry picking today. The fields were very crowded this morning and the sign said they were picked out. We were disappointed but decided to head to the Farmer's Market in Dayton instead. This was the cutest thing at the Farmer's Market.




We ate lunch at the Thomas House which features Mennonite Cooking. The food was good as always and their rose bush was bursting with color. I tried to get Emma to sit down by the rose bush but she would have none of it. Lucky for me Mom sat down and held her so I could catch this picture of my girls. Aren't they both gorgeous? Not that I'm at all biased!



We decided to stop by the strawberry field on the way home and buy some berries. This time they were open and we were ready to pick. Emma and I examined all the rocks in the parking lot before sitting under a big shade tree to eat grapes and swap stories. Mom and Dad made short work of picking. It was so much fun watching Emma discover Strawberries.

Hmmm....What are these?

I think I'll take a closer look!

Maybe I'll just poke one.

I'll just try one!

The many faces of berry addiction!

Needless to say Virginia grown Strawberries are delicious and picking them from the field is half the fun. Emma decided Dad needed some help picking so she went out to help. All in all it was a berry sweet day....now to find some strawberry recipes. I'll post pictures of our creations tomorrow.

It amazes me how much Emma can communicate without very many words. She said the word, "Birdy" while watching the birds eat at the feeders and points to the cats and says "kitty". When this girl gets her words I'm sure she will have many stories to tell. Sure wish I had half her energy!

Mr. Wonderful and I have to work till noon tomorrow so we will have to have an afternoon adventure. Stayed tuned.

The Wading Girl

Here's the Divine Miss Em wiggling and dancing in the new wading pool in the back yard. Mom bought her this swimming hat, shirt, and skirt all on sale at Target. The water was very cold but our girl danced and waded to her heart's content.

Hopefully the sun will warm up the water tomorrow for another wading session. If not Poppa and Dad hung the baby swing from one of our cherry trees for her enjoyment.

I'm sure there will be more pictures coming and Mom even took a video of the splash party. We had strawberry pancakes for supper and I've got a recipe for strawberry pie from my mom that you know we will have to fix.

More adventures will have to wait till Saturday afternoon as Mr. Wonderful and I are working with volunteers Saturday morning.

I did notice Mr. Wonderful reading the story of the little "Red Hen" to Emma before dinner. Of course he added suggestions on how the little red hen should have diversified her efforts , obtained a small business loan, and employed her friends to help make a marketable product thus adding to the economy and multiplying profits. What a guy!

Second Full Day with Emma

Emma loves bubbles so naturally her Poppa had to buy her a bubble gun. She likes to pop them and is pretty good at blowing them too. It was fun to watch her chase the bubbles in the wind.

Yesterday was a catch up day for sleep. Jet lag hit mom and dad pretty hard. Emma hasn't adjusted to the time change and new bed yet either so has been very restless and waking frequently. You know if baby doesn't sleep neither do Mom and Dad!

Berry picking is scheduled for this afternoon. I think Becky was a migrant worker in another life. I've never seen any one who can pick berries faster than she can. My mouth is already watering for field ripen berries.


Ever the educator, Poppa had to show Emma all the different trees in the back yard and explain each one to her. She liked the feel of the leaves except for the pine needles. She was attracted to the Maple leaves....do you think it's because she partly Canadian?




Outdoors can be exhausting and even little explorers need a break. Poppa and Diva did our best to wear her out. Why do they call it babysitting.....you never get to sit?

Mom and Dad took a much needed break to go to a movie and dinner while we took charge of the little one. We got lots of smiles, and stole lots of kisses. Bath time was fun, but cuddle time was even better.

Check back with us tomorrow and see our"berry special" girl in the Strawberry Patch.

First full day with Diva

Our Canadians arrived right on time and Miss Emma went right to Poppa . (They have a special connection....she bats her eyes and he turns to mush!) After collecting baggage and several attempts at putting the car seat in correctly, we were off to Chick-fil-a ( Becky's favorite). On the two hour drive home, all of them fell asleep in the back seat ( hey, it's a long plane ride and Momma are the last to get any rest!)



Wednesday was spent shopping for the girls, and Barnes and Noble for the Daddy. Emma was quite patient riding in the buggy while Mom bought replacement dishes (broken from the flight), baby food, and lots of things she doesn't have in Canada. Conversation went something like this..

Becky:....."Do you know how much I pay for this in Canada?"

Me: "No, I don't have a clue."

Becky: "At least twice as much"

Who knew how much excitement you can get from baby wipes and cereal? Needless to say there were many conversations that started this way. The merchants were pleased to take our money and the car was packed by the time we got home from shopping and grocery buying.

Lunch was spent at (you guess it! Chick-fil-a!) Emma delighted her Diva with her new trick, drinking from a straw! Any guesses who bought her the Daisy bib? I was also introduced to baby place mats. Plastic colorful mats that have sticky strips that you peel to stick to the table and keeps it from sliding. Emma loves finger foods and loves feeding herself. She enjoyed the freedom and mom enjoyed the clean surface. Clean up is easy too, just by rolling up the uneaten food in the mat and tossing it.

Emma enjoyed our big back yard where there is always a new discovery. She liked the grass and enjoying rolling in it. Poppa especially liked her new hat. No outside retreat is complete without a ride in the new red wagon. Emma and Poppa took it out for the inaugural ride. It was hard to decide who had the best time....Emma or Poppa!




Last night we ate at Cracker Barrel....this time both a Mommy and Daddy favorite. We made a quick trip to Target for a wading pool for Emma and some allergy medication for Mom. Both Emma and Mom have allergies. Em is cutting more teeth so this Diva wiped lots of runny noses and drooly chins yesterday.

Emma loves her bath time but we only have a shower. Leave it up to Poppa to come up with a way to keep our baby happy and clean. He bought a small pond liner for a water feature that is black plastic and fits inside the shower. As you can see Emma liked the concept really well! When she is done it is easy to empty the water down the shower drain and easy to fill from the shower head. Emma slept all night long which definitely makes for happy parents. More adventures today! Stayed tuned!

Count Down to Virginia Visit

The Cats are all looking out the window and waiting for the Divine Miss "Em". They had better get their rest in now. I'm sure she will find them fascinating and will want to play chase. JJ will be a nervous wreck for the next three weeks . Lucy is a little braver. They may want to retreat to the basement or attic till they get used to having a little person in the house.



Pop pop spent some time putting the little red wagon together for his girl and bringing down the high chair, changing table, baby bed, Emma chair, and assorted toys. The wagon has a back and also a safety belt! He still needs to hang the baby swing. We've heard from reliable sources that our girl is a real swinger.



This Diva is prepared to be on the run for the next few weeks. Miss Emma is a free spirit and likes the wide open spaces. Fortunately we have a big back yard for her to explore and plenty of time to make discoveries.



These anxious grandparents are all set to have big goofy smiles for the next three weeks. We leave this afternoon about 2 o'clock to pick up our Canadians in Richmond about 5 p.m. First stop after the baggage claim?.....why Chick-fil-a, of course! Stay tuned for the adventures of Diva and Em. Keep us in your prayers as we travel.

Coming this spring!

Dear Emma Bug.....Just got the confirmation that you are going to be bringing your momma and daddy to come see us May 27th.

Your Poppa and I are so excited that we are counting off the days. I'm glad you love New York because you know we will have to go visit your Auntie Suzy and your Uncles Tim, and Andy.

You are going to be the big girl cousin. How bout that? I know you are used to being the little cousin in Canada but here you will get to be the oldest. How fun is that?

I'm wondering if you will chase Diva's fat Cat JJ? I bet they will run! I can hardly wait to chase after you myself.

I wonder if your Momma will take you Strawberry picking?


Miss you sooo very much. Sending you hugs and kisses!

Your Diva

Hello!

Hello....Is this my Emma Bug?

Look at you Miss Thing? You are walking and are such a clever girl. Every now and then your sweet momma will ask me if I want to babysit you. I always laugh and say:"Sure, come on over!"

How I wish we lived close by so we could watch you grow. You are changing so rapidly now and learning new things every day.

Will you even remember us the next time we see you? You would enjoy seeing all the baby animals in the nearby farms. We would practice our animal sounds. I bet you will be good at them.

Your Poppa misses his girl too! Be sweet to your parents.

Miss you soooooooo much,

Your Diva

Your First Birthday!

Dearest Emma Bug......It's almost your birthday! You will be one year old. It's a big celebration for you and your momma and daddy. No doubt they will be thinking about their journey to the hospital in the very worst of weather so you could be born.

They will probably remember long sleepless nights and adjusting to having a brand new baby in the house. They will probably think about all your firsts...your first smile, your first solid foods, the first time you turned over by yourself, the first time you were able to sit up by yourself, the first time you pulled yourself up, the first time you crawled and so many more first. They will probably come to the conclusion that you are one remarkable grrrl (but then we've always known that!)

You are passing by babyhood now and launching into the world of being a toddler. This year you will master walking, running, climbing, eating with a spoon, climbing stairs, and many other things that will surprise and amaze your mom and dad. You will begin talking and putting together words and sentences. You have always been able to communicate but this year you will learn new skills and the world will grown a little less threatening as your skills increase.

I hope you enjoy your party and being the center of attention. We look forward to seeing your pictures and videos of your big day. I hope you know you are loved and prayed for every single day. You have made a huge impact on your Diva and Poppa.

Missing you more every day,

Your Diva

Reading With Diva

Dearest Emma,

It won't be long till you have your first birthday. You have grown so quickly and have learned so many new skills. What a clever girl you are. I could hardly believe that you were crawling the last time I saw you. I loved hearing you laughing and giggling while you made your way to my waiting arms.

I miss reading to you. Your momma tells me that you enjoy books and I am so glad to hear that. There are so many wonderful books to share with you. I hope you will enjoy some of the books that your momma enjoyed when she was a baby. I know she has a copy of "Baby's Birthday!" I read that book so often to your mom that I still have it memorized. I wonder what will be your favorite book.

Your Poppa and I miss you and love looking at your pictures and telling each other our favorite Emma stories. Know that you are a special little girl and we love you with our whole hearts.

Your Poppa and Diva

Emma Meets Santa

My dearest darling Girl.....What a joy to witness some of your "firsts". You are growing so quickly and learning so many new skills. Very soon you will be walking and running in every direction except your Diva's arms.

It is really hard for your Poppa and Diva to live so far away from you and your parents. It saddens us to know we will be missing your first birthday soon.

I love watching you crawl. You made my heart smile whenever you smile. You remind me of another little girl.....your sweet momma.

Your Poppa and I miss you so much. Thank you for your recent trip to Virginia. We enjoyed having you for your first American Thanksgiving and for my birthday.


Know that your are dearly loved and cherished.......Me miss you!

Look how you have grown!

Dearest Emma Bug,

What a difference a few months can make. Look at you sitting up all by yourself so independent and so clever. You know that your Diva loves your little overalls too (they remind me of another little grrrl ....you sweet Mommy.)

Of course both your Poppy and I become big piles of goo whenever we see your sweet smiles and your face light up whenever you see us. We are so happy to be able to spend 10 whole days with you and your parents. I promise to spoil you and give you lots of kisses. We'll sing songs, read books, and tickle you too.

We love you so much, and what fun we will have! Hope you are all rested up because we want to squeeze a lot of Emma time in while we are here.....We have lots of memories to create in a short time so don't be surprised if we hug you a little longer and take more pictures of you than necessary. Just indulge us.....we're first time grandparents and don't know any better.

Love you sooooo much,
Diva

Making Monday Memories...with Emma

Making Monday Memories.....

How do create an instant love affair? Here's our recipe.

Take one part baby,
One part longing grandparents

Mix in time, distance and desire.

Add financial difficulties and personal injury.

Slowly let it simmer for 4 months.

Add in passports, international travel, and a" 5 minute meltdown 10,000 feet in the air".

Sprinkle with jet lag, a very tired Mommy and Daddy, lots of luggage and baby items and present it wiggling and cooing to an appreciative audience.

Then stand back and listen for the "ohs and awes" and rave reviews.

Well, at least it happened that way with us.

Miss Emma is everything we every hoped for and then some. Yesterday we got to babysit for about 4 hours and found her to be delightful, entertaining, full of energy and yes....we found out our baby has a temper too!

Girlfriend absolutely adores "Poppy" (but then, so do I). Mr. Wonderful was so funny and delightful. When he held her and walked with her on his shoulder she snuggled really close and both of them were caught up in an invisible dance of adoration.

He would smile over at me and say, "Am I doing this right?" I would smile back and say, " Do you hear any complaints from her?" Emma is very generous with her smiles and girlfriend loves to make sweet baby noises. If she takes after her Momma and Diva she will be talking up a blue streak by the time she's a year old.

We are totally smitten by our first grandchild. Everything she does is delightful. Mr. Wonderful laughs at her smiles and coos and is instantly transported back to the time when we were first time parents. He has all the right moves now and much more confidence in his "baby reading" skills. It seems to me he walks a little taller and is much more observant to her every gesture.

Watching people play with babies is now one of my favorite past times when not actively engaged in the game myself. Life is amazing, looking at this incredible gift from God we can only imagine what she will see and experience in her lifetime. Today I am content just to lavish love and affection on Miss Emma and "steal kisses".

Labels: Monday memories

Diva meets Darling

Dearest Emma.....At last we have you in our arms . We were so excited to see you and your very tired parents at the Richmond Airport at 11p.m. It had been a hard day for all of you and I was so afraid you would take one look at me and start screaming for your Momma.

I wouldn't have blamed you and I had already made up a number of excuses to explain away your behavior but to my great surprise and delight you let me hold you. You seemed to think Diva's wheel chair made a great rolling stroller . You rewarded us with some toothless grins and we were totally captured and captivated by you.

I was surprised at how blond your hair is, your pictures make you look like a redhead. I love your azure blue eyes and your smile that could light up a city block. You are such a big girl. I adore your little chubby cheeks and your giggles could make a statue smile.

You have a definite personality already. We found you to be enchanting as well as equipped with a fine set of lungs and definite likes and dislikes. Watching you jump in your jolly jumper has become one of my greatest joys and holding you in my arms is the best medicine ever.

Watching you sleep, is like a whispered prayer. I've been waiting for you all my life and just didn't know it. Watching you grow and experience new things this next three weeks will be so much fun for us. I know you will not remember this visit but your Poppa and I will never forget the "first time we saw your face!"

All my love my darling Emma girl!
Diva

Countdown to the Divine Miss Em!

Dear Emma Bug,

Every time I think I have found my new favorite picture of you, your mama and daddy take even cuter pictures. Trying to find a favorite is almost impossible "cause you get better looking each day!" How is that possible?

The tickets are purchased and you all will soon be flying to Virginia into our waiting arms. Do you know how hard it is for your Diva to wait? Almost impossible!

Your Auntie Suzy and Uncles are already getting excited to see you too. We have so many new experiences for you and it will be much fun to see you do so many "firsts".

Poppa and I laughed and laughed at your first "music video". Who knew you would be such a good dancer in your jolly jumper. You Go Grrrl! We definitely were delighted at "our bouncing baby grrrl".

We are counting the days till we can pick you up from the airport and then "Let the spoiling begin!" Know we love you so very much and consider you a gift from God.

Get plenty of rest girlfriend....you will need it for this wild and crazy side of the family.

All my love,

Diva

My Easter Emma.....

Dearest Emma Bug,

Look at you Girlfriend. You are getting so big and now have the biggest smiles for your Momma and Daddy. Your Poppa and Diva look forward to seeing new pictures of you each week as you are growing and changing so rapidly.

This will be your very first Easter. Easter is such a special time!
It is a time of new life.....everywhere we look in our country home there are new babies. You will like the baby lambs, calvess, baby goats and even new kitties that live under our shed.

The flowers are starting to bloom and the dull, brown scenery is starting to turn green and spots of colorful flowers are starting to pop up every where. Your Poppa and Diva are already starting to dream of our summer garden with lots of fresh vegetables and yes lots of Daisies too!

We are working on an Easter box of you and your parents. Yesterday your Poppa and I were able to go to our favorite place (The Green Valley Book Fair) and bought all kind of wonderful books for you and your momma.

The one I liked best for you is called What I Like About You by Colleen Ludington. It has wonderful pictures and perfectly describes you. I liked these lines from the book.

"You're a gift sent to me from God up above,
Perfectly , delightfully created in love.

When I am with you and when we're apart,
You're always here with me- right here in my heart.

You have a purpose no one else can fulfill;
No one can replace you-no one ever will.

We are so excited about seeing you sweet face soon. Hope you feel better soon. It has been an eventful month for you with your first immunizations and first cold.

Know we pray for you every day and can hardly wait to hold you in our arms.

Your Diva

My Little Red Hair Grrrl....

Dearest Emma Bug,

Oh my goodness, look at you Miss Thing! All dolled up with the bluest of eyes and is that red hair I see? What a precious, dear, sweet face! How I long to hold you, kiss you and pamper you and your parents. I think for now that this is my favorite picture of you.

Your Auntie Suzy and I have an exclusive club for the Blue Eyed Girls in our family. Since we were the only two we were the only members. We are thrilled to see your bonnie blue eyes (inherited from your daddy I'm sure!) We may have to have a special ceremony to welcome you into our club.

I think we are slowly making plans to come see you and bring all of you back with us for a visit. Your Uncle Andy, Uncle Tim and Auntie Suzy will be so excited to see you in person. We may have to draw numbers to see who gets to hold you first!

I'm waiting on my first smile from you. Hope it comes quickly once I have you in my arms. Your poppa is already talking about taking you to all of his favorite places. He is just as eager to show you off too.

Sleep well little one. You are growing and changing day by day. Such a talented girl. We love your videos. You can tell your Diva all the secrets you've been keeping.

We love you Emma Bug.
Diva