Tonight we had a wonderful time eating dinner and playing at our house with the Hamilton's and then went out to a local coffee and donut shoppe to enjoy a special event. They were offering their homemade donuts combined with a local ice cream.
Papa was able to join us for the special treat! That makes it doubly sweet!
Zack chose a strawberry sundae which was a strawberry donut with strawberry ice cream.
I chose an ice cream sandwich which was a glazed donut with bourbon honey ice cream. That's right, people. Ice cream and donuts together. Unbelievable! They had a maple bacon donut that I really wanted to try. Maybe next time!
Gwen had to go to the hospital today for her ultrasound to check for hip dysplasia. It ends up that she does have bilateral dysplasia. I'm trying my hardest to get an appointment for tomorrow with her doctor. Besides Dr. Papa, that is. (He is already being subjected to an arsenal of questions -and tears- from me!) Please say prayers for my sweet girl. I will keep everyone updated as I know any more details.
Emma was waving to everyone in the hospital as they walked by.
This one is for Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jerry! :) Oatmeal with blueberries and dippy eggs and toast- old habits die hard apparently. One must always wear as much food as she eats in our house.
Oh my sweet, sweet Gwen. May God bless you little one and heal your hips.
Emma started going down the big slide again tonight. Who hooooo!
This was Emma waving at her new friend.
Emma made some new friends at the park tonight. They were nice enough to play with her for a while even though I am sure it wasn't the most fun thing for them to do.
Emma ate her first lunch at the park today. We have eaten outside before but this was her first time enjoying a meal in a picnic setting with friends outside instead of just us and Papa.
Playgroup finally resumed for us today. It was at a park nearby and Emma loved it! She woke very early this morning so we got to the park and played/ate for two hours. She was having a ton of fun but I was the killjoy of the century and made her leave before she was ready because I knew she needed a nap. I felt like the worst mama ever as we are leaving and she is tugging against my hand and crying. I felt awful; but sure enough as soon and we got home she fell asleep right away. The saying goes that you must be a parent first and friend second. Let me just say, parenting sucks sometimes when you both want to have fun but know better. Had we stayed and skipped her nap what would have happened? Well, she gets sloppy when she's sleepy, so her affinity to get into scrapes at the park was going up. She would've been a grump the rest of the night and who knows what else (she's never entirely skipped a nap before). Could we have stayed? Yes. Was it the best choice? Well, that depends on who you ask. I was having fun too. Maybe next time we will be irresponsible and stay. But this time responsible mama won out. And we shall hopefully have a fun and happy evening ahead!
In the mornings Emma loves to help me get Gwen. She likes to pull down the bumper and pat her arms and head. I think Gwen likes the extra love.
Another beautiful day graced us in Kentucky. Uncle CJ mailed Emma and Gwen a package of sand toys which Emma promptly used to dump and fling sand into the rocks. There's nothing better than sunshine and some fun in the sand to mark the end of the day.
Sometimes my phone automatically does things to my photos- like this one. It made an animation out of a few similar photos. Neat!
Emma loves to catch the bubbles at storytime.
Emma was being very brave and going down the big slide at the park, but the last few times we have been there she's only wanted to go down the little slides.
Gwen has begun to smile socially already- at 7 weeks! It's stunningly beautiful. Here's a little smirk. I'll keep working on trying to get that beautiful smile captured. It takes my breath away. She loves to be talked and cooed to and will give you smiles when you tell her how pretty she is. It's adorable. Both my mom and I think that she may start to babble early- she moves her mouth when you talk to her as if she wants to talk too. It's adorable!
So I tried to get a smile and the mouth moving in a video, but I didn't succeed. But I figured it would be nice to see a little "live" Gwen anyways.
Emma loves to open and close the shutters on her new house.
The doorbell is her favorite part. Luckily, it's not terribly annoying so hearing "ding dong ding dong" a thousand times in a row doesn't make my eye start ticking.
My three true loves...
This weekend MawMaw and Uncle CJ came to visit us. It was marvelous! The only complaint I had with their visit was that it was far too short. It was Uncle CJ's first time meeting Gwen and we had a fantastic time eating some delicious meals and being able to talk and catch up in person. As an added bonus, MawMaw didn't get sick and have to go to the ER and end up in the hospital with emergency surgery this trip. What a blessing!
Emma loves holding Gwen. When I pick her up Emma will sit down on the floor or on the couch and hold her arms out to hold Gwen. I love their love for each other.
Gwen loves to snuggle. She's such a good little baby!
Luckily playsand is inexpensive, because Emma loves to scoop it up and toss it on the ground outside of the box instead of IN the box. In this photo (and the one below) you can see the hard work and muscle Zack has been putting into the yard. Angus and Ava (and the shade and root systems from our Ash and Maple trees) have made our backyard a mudpit underneath the trees. Zack is working on putting river rock into the muddy part and reseeding the rest of the yard. It's looking nice and will be really pretty once he's finished!
I was instructed to put cinnamon into the sand to help naturally repel bugs (there is a lid as well, but bugs are notorious for going where they aren't invited, right?). It made her sandbox smell soooooooo good. Emma keeps trying to eat the sand. Blech.
This was Emma's first time checking out her new playhouse. MawMaw and Pop gave Emma and Gwen their Christmas presents early this year. They got two big gifts to play with during the nice weather- a new house and a sandbox. Emma loves them! Gwen will be all over it next summer. How fun!
Mom taught me how to get Emma's hair into a little Pebble's/Cindy Loo Who ponytail this weekend. She needed it! Her hair is long enough now that she needs it pulled back so it isn't in her face. She doesn't like wearing headbands anymore but has been handling her hairtie pretty well. She even brought me her brush and patted her head yesterday so that I could do her hair for her. It must feel nice to not have it falling in her face. I think it's adorable to have it pulled up as well.
**Mu ha ha!!** Adorable? Yes. Ornery? Absolutely!
The girls and I have been keeping so very busy just living life. Meals, playtime, walks to the park, and just keeping things in order fills up our days. We walk almost every day (only skipping a walk if it's terribly rainy) and get lots of fresh air in. With the girls' new house and sandbox we are outside even more! It feels so nice to enjoy the nice weather.
Emma discovered her shadow for the first time last week at the park. I didn't understand why she was looking sideways and running around until I figured out that she was playing with her shadow. TOO cute!
Just look at those big, beautiful eyes. I am eager to see what color they end up being. I was looking through old photos of Emma and hers seemed to change to her light blue color around 3-4 months of age. We shall see! If they don't change they'll be a gorgeous shade of blue. If they do change I'm sure they'll be magnificent as well. God has blessed me with two wonderful little girls. I am a very lucky mama!
