Cycling with Emery

In an effort to figure out activities we can do as a family, Ben and I purchased this great Chariot bike trailer/jogging stoller for Miss Emery. She loves it! Technically Emmy is supposed to be six months of age before she uses the trailer, but she has such great head control (and girth!) that we feel safe tooling around the neighborhood nice and easy with her. Now that the weather is finally cooling down, I plan on taking her for a spin every day.

Emmy and the Exersaucer

Ben and I were like ships passing in the night last week. Ben headed up to Baltimore to visit his younger brother for the weekend and then went directly to El Paso for work for the week. Meanwhile, I headed up to Notre Dame the same day that Ben came home from El Paso. All in all, Ben did not see Emery for TEN DAYS. I would die. I don't know how he did it. I mean, I miss her if I leave her for two hours! Needless to say, when Ben came home from work last night and saw Emmy for the first time since leaving town, he made a bee line for her. And she seemed just as glad to see him.

Catching up with Daddy

We put Emery in her exersaucer for the first time last night and she loved it! Ben and I were able to eat an entire meal uninterrupted while she played. And this morning I was able to fold a whole load of laundry while she entertained herself in it. What a lifesaver!

I couldn't believe how quickly Emmy caught on....she was pushing buttons and spinning wheels almost immediately. And smiling and laughing. PRECIOUS!

She's a little too short to reach the ground in it, so we had to improvise and shove some magazines under her feet. Oh well, it's not like I have much time to read anymore.....the magazines better get use somehow.

Hmmm....she took a few minutes to take it all in before she went nuts playing with everything.

Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame!

What a whirlwind weekend! Alison and I loaded up Hayes and Emery and flew to Indianapolis last Friday where we then rented a car and drove three hours north to South Bend. Whew! This was Emery's second time flying and Hayes's first. The babies were extremely well behaved on the airplane....all weekend, actually. We are so fortunate. Anyways, once on campus we met up with Mom, Dad, Nanny, Spark-e and Maddux (they drove from Atlanta so that the dogs could join us). The next morning, Alison's hubby met up with us. Seriously, I don't know how we kept track of everyone. Saturday was gorgeous.......and the Irish FINALLY beat Michigan State in our own stadium. It's been years (I think 16) since ND prevailed over the Spartans in Notre Dame Stadium. Making the victory even sweeter is that Alison and I got to spend time with our dear friend and former roomie, Liz, and her wonderful husband, Dan. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard--but in the interest of keeping this blog PG, I will refrain from repeating the story Liz shared that had all of us wetting our pants. Just know that I am still laughing about it. In addition to our college roommate, two of Dad's college dorm mates were also in attendance. Gary (Phrogg) flew up from Dallas and Dan (Mini) came in from DC to partake in the festivities. I love that my dad still keeps in touch with his college friends.....and I know that Alison and I will, too. Monica and Katie, you two had better get your rumps to a game with us next year!

Hayes and Emmy napping Sunday morning....poor little things were wiped out!

Celebrating our big win at the tailgate.

Perfect football Saturday in South Bend. How funny that South Bend has some of the worst weather in the country yet football Saturdays are almost always gorgeous.

Class of 2031!

Dad with his grandbabies and Gary/Phrogg

The Stephens family in front of Alumni Hall.

Me with Liz, Maddux and Emery.

Taking a break on "God Quad" (so named because this is the quad that houses Sacred Heart Basilica and statues of Mary and Jesus).

More Grand Haven Excitement--Dad's 60th birthday!

My dad turned the big 6-0 while we were all together in Grand Haven....Dad's birthday is August 30th. My mother-in-law sneakily had this incredible cake made and surprised Dad (all of us, really!) after dinner at the Spring Lake Country Club. The cake was amazing.....it looked just like a real Delta jet. For those of you who don't know (and are wondering why on earth someone would want a replica of a commercial airliner for a birthday cake), Dad was a pilot with Delta for 25 years. He retired several years ago but flying is definitely in his blood. The cake was so special--and tasted great!
The birthday boy and the super cool cake.

Emery with her Uncle Jerry, Aunt Korey and Austin at the legendary Fricano's Pizzeria.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weather in Michigan last weekend was FREEZING. We took Austin to the playground and had to bundle up like it was the middle of winter. Well, the middle of winter in South Carolina......early autumn for the Great Lakes region.

Grand Haven Sip N' See

Emery had such a big week! She experienced her first airplane ride (everything went very smoothly!), her first trip to Michigan, her first blast of cold weather, her first time meeting her Aunt Korey, Uncle Jerry, Cousin Austin and LOTS of dear friends. Ben's parents hosted a sip n' see for Miss Emery on August 29th at their home in Grand Haven. My in-laws went all out: a bartender, caterers, live music, etc. The party was supposed to take place in their beautiful backyard but the weather did not cooperate. Crazy weather for August! The temperatures were only reaching the low 60s during the day and persistent wind and drizzle made it feel even colder. The bulk of the party was moved indoors but we all had a great time! Emery is so fortunate to have such wonderful grandparents and family friends. My parents also made the trip to Grand Haven to help Emmy make her debut. I love that my parents and Ben's parents all get along so well......makes life very easy and holidays even more special.

Emmy with her mom and grandmothers

Grandpa, Granny, (Mom and Dad to me!), me and Emery

Mom and I did not plan to dress alike! Aunt Korey had to sneak around in order to hold her niece because if Austin saw her he became VERY upset.

On our way home.....flying with an infant is quite an adventure, but we made it with little difficulty.