If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

The Normal Public Library had a family story hour on Saturday morning with a special guest. The mouse from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff came to reenact his most popular story. There were coloring pages, a matching game, snacks, and a photo op, too. Emma wasn't too sure about her new furry friend. Can you see how she is clinging to Scott?

Pumpkin Decorating

Scott had a good time decorating two small pumpkins with funny face pieces that Grandma and Grandpa Schultz bought for Emma. She was quite active as we attempted to do this family project: climbing the stairs, playing with CDs and DVDs, taking comic books off of the shelves, typing on the antique typewriter, running around with the TV remote, reading books, etc. We managed to get a few pictures of the times she joined the fun!

Curtis Orchard

On a 60+ degree Sunday, we took Emma to Curtis Orchard in Champaign. My parents met us over there for an afternoon of fall fun. We took a wagon ride, walked through a maze, met ducks and goats, ate in the cafe, explored the pumpkins, and played on the kiddie equipment. Our favorite activity was the pony ride!

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

When I arrived home from work one day, I found Scott in the kitchen washing dishes and Emma asleep on her Super Girl pillow in the family room. This tired tike had decided to skip her nap and was too tuckered out to keep her eyes open at 5:00 P.M. Since it was time for dinner and we wanted her to go to bed and sleep through the night, we decided to end her cat nap.

Emma's Purse and Chair

Grandpa Mike bought Emma a little purse, and she had such fun carrying it on her arm during a visit in early October. Grandma Jill's decorations soon became Emma's toys as well. Here she found a teddy bear in a small wicker chair on the sun porch, but it wasn't the bear she was interested in!

Botanical Garden

Scott's cousin exchanged wedding vows at the Missouri Botanical Garden in early October. We left Emma in Decatur with Grandma and Grandpa Schultz for this occasion, but we hope to take her down to explore the grounds this spring or summer.

River Otter Snuggle

On our way to Decatur, we turned around to find a little girl snuggled up with her river otter about to doze off. It was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Foley during their recent trip to the zoo.

The Zoo with Grandparents

Papa Ross, Grandma Connie, and Scott took Emma to the local zoo one day while I was educating America's youth and leading an after-school workshop for teachers. Papa Ross may have had the most fun seeing all of the animals! The river otters were favored by everyone!

Super Girls Shirt

Scott discovered this "Super Girls" T-shirt at Old Navy. Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl sparkle on this pink 3T top. She's so stinkin' cute!

Fall Fun Festival Parade

During the last weekend of September, we took Emma to Beardstown for the annual Fall Fun Festival. She immensely enjoyed the parade's floats, bands, characters, fire trucks, and dancers. One organization was handing out flags to children, and boy, did Emma love waving that flag! A light rain interrupted our fun as it steadily increased and the temperature quickly dropped, forcing us to head back to the car early. It literally rained on our parade!

Shoe Shopping

Emma is growing like a weed, as would be expected for a little one. She received a pair of Pediped shoes from friends as a gift when she was born and was big enough to wear them at one year. Just a few months later, she is ready for the next size. I went to VonMaur to find these wonderful kicks and couldn't decide on just one pair. Emma had a great time pretend shoe shopping when I brought them home.

Carousel

Grandma and Grandpa Foley and Scott took Emma on the double-decker carousel at the Springfield White Oaks Mall. An enormous smile stretched from ear to ear as she whizzed around and around.