Season Opener

Did you really think that Emma was not going to get dressed up for Clemson Football??? Like Mommy like Baby!

Here Emma is staring at Yiayia trying to figure out what the heck is so funny!
You've got to admit, that's pretty darn cute!
Daddy's not amused...

But, hey! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!!!

11 Months Old

Well, I say it every month but I just can't believe Emma is 11 months old. She's doing great and really getting around on her own pretty well. She's into everything and it's all we can do to keep up with her. Here are a few pictures of her playing at home on her 11 month birthday...

Hmmm...what can I get into next?
This looks like fun!
But Daddy is always more fun!
I'm so cute!

Gooduh!

Emma doesn't say very many things aside from baby babble but she does sometimes say "Gooduh!" which I am pretty sure means Good dog! She speaks the truth. Poor Tibby. Emma just climbs all over her. Even the couch isn't safe! What a gooduh!

So everyone says that the tv will turn kids' heads to mush. But Emma loves buttons so much that we got her her own little tv to play with. She spends hours a day in front of it and it keeps her occupied long enough that Mommy and Daddy can go for a walk or out to dinner and Emma doesn't even realize we're gone! Now, now...don't get all freaked out! Of course we wouldn't leave Emma home alone. Geez! Sydney is always there with her!

A little jockey

Watching this movie it is clear to me that Emma just wants to ride horses. Here she is working out those leg muscles she'll need for riding two point!

Now that Emma is almost a year old, she's experimenting with new foods. She lovees scrambled eggs!
But feeding herself wears her out!

Jager Cameo...

Today Thea, Uncle Jeff, and Jager came to play! Emma was excited at first but then she realized that she wasn't allowed to smack Jager the way she does Tibby!

So Mommy got some play time with her nephew...
So did Daddy!
Jager is still getting medicine for his acid reflux but he takes it like a champ!
Emma decided that she'd just play by herself since she wasn't getting any attention.

Poor Baby!

While everyone else was playing with Jager, Emma decided to hang out with Uncle Jeff and talk Tiger Football.
Finally Daddy got around to playing with Emma again.
Here Emma is giving Jager "the eye" telling him to stay away from her Daddy!

Copycat...

Daddy was playing with Emma at the grocery store while Mommy was shopping the other week. While he was pushing her in the buggy he started bobbing his head from side to side and after some intense staring, Emma decided to join in. We thought it was just a one time thing but as you can see, she thinks that this is a lot of fun. She's such a copycat!

After the barn...

Although Mommy loves the smell of a horse farm, Emma had to have a bath when she got home from visiting Doc.


Then a little play time before Daddy puts Emma to bed...



And here's your kiss goodnight!

A day at the barn!

WOW! We had an amazing day! Mommy and Daddy took Emma to Clemson go visit Doc, our horse. Mommy's had doc for 17 years and he's the best horse in the world! We don't get to see Doc very often because we live too far from him. But when we do see him, boy do we have fun!!!

Emma had her first riding lesson today... Hold on to the lead rope, Emma!
I've got 'em, Mommy! Let's go!!!
Still holding on!
Wow...Horseys are big!

Emma's first riding lesson.

Not much introduction is needed for this video...Emma absolutely LOVES riding. She was so excited she didn't know what to do with herself! She just kept yelling and shaking Doc's makeshift reins. She's a natural horse lover! And Doc...what can I say. I've never met a horse as sweet and patient as him. He taught me how to ride and I can't wait for him to do the same for Emma. We're off to a great start!



Yes, I'm learning new video editing techniques.

More fun at the farm...

We are so happy that Emma got to finally meet Melvin and LeRay. They own the farm where Doc lives and they take such good care of him. No one loves horses more than Melvin! Doc's lucky to live in such a great place!



Sydney had fun at the barn, too. She helped Mommy go find Doc when we first got to the barn. Running around nearly 60 acres made her a little hot so she laid down in a creek and got very muddy. I guess she needed a bath anyway!

Daddy and Emma had fun hanging out together while we talked with our friends...
There's nothing better than being outside with great friends, lots of animals, and the smell of horses (only horse people will get that last part). We had such a great time. I hope it isn't so long before we get to visit again!

BATS!!!

So here's one way to deter any of you who may be wanting to visit us...This is the 3rd bat we've had in our house in 18 months!!! The first suffered an attack from Napoleon, our cat. He lived through that but didn't survive the rabies test I had him take...

We aren't allowed to get rid of our bat friends until the fall because we don't want any poor baby bats to be left behind. And you thought that YOU couldn't wait for Summer to be over.

As you can see, my brave husband battled our little intruder tooth and nail...and super soaker. He stood ready at any moment to shoot the flying beast down should it get too aggressive! Seriously, though...at least he didn't use a real gun!



If you look closely, you can see the bat's silouhette in the background against the wall.

Emma's Name Day

Today was Emma's first name day. As you know, Emma's full name is Aemeliania. She is named for Saint Emilianos (sometimes spelled Aemilianos) who stood up to the iconoclasts during the 9th century. In Greece, name days are very important and are celebrated much in the same way we celebrate birthdays.

"According to the Greek Orthodox tradition, nearly every day of the year is dedicated to a Christian saint or Martyr. When someone is named after one of those saints, that day becomes their "name day" and, traditionally, is celebrated."

You might even be surprised to know that you also have a name day...Try looking your name up!


Here's a link to a brief introduction to Emma's saint: http://home.iprimus.com.au/xenos/emilianos2.html

Chase!

As Emma gets older, she teaches us new games to play. This one is called chase.

Daddy has added on a new ending to 'chase." The game is now called 'Chase and Drag!' Hey, whatever makes the kid smile, right?

Food is Fun!

It's a good thing Emma got those new teeth because Mommy's making her put them to work! She is actually really good at feeding herself certain things but today's dish was bananas and diced apples which were a little too slippery for Emma to grasp so Mommy had to help a little. Don't tell the pediatrician (or Yiayia) but Emma had a little bit of Mommy's turkey dog today and she LOVED it! Can I just say that Mommy is SOOO happy that someone else will be eating the same thing as her on Thanksgiving for once!