Six Months Old

We've reached the 1/2 year milestone! Emma is sitting like a champ these days with some support from her arms. We've introduced her to rice cereal, peas, green beans, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, and pears. She's also on her way to getting her first tooth, or so we think!

Goodnight Hug

Emma snuggled up with Lola one evening before bed. Don't they both look so soft and cuddly! What a pair!

Strike a Pose

Here are the many faces and poses of Emma in the span of 5 minutes! What a character! Minnie would be proud!

Merry Matte Madness

Mommy had some fun playing with Christmas photo mattes and pictures of Emma.

Happy New Year!

This collage highlights some of our favorite moments in the past 6 months with our baby girl. We welcome the new year and look forward to learning and growing together as a family. Happy 2009!

The Great Eight of 2008

The Write Stuff

Scott continues to write during his free time. His short stories appear monthly in News and Views for the Young at Heart. This year Scott made appearances at Illinois State University’s Milner Library, Peoria Civic Center, and Bloomington Junior High School to talk about his experiences as an author. His fourth book will be released in the spring. Visit his website at http://www.scottwilliamfoley.com/ to keep up on all of his writings.

Kristen's Consulting

After leading numerous technology workshops for her school and district, Kristen began sharing her knowledge with other local educators. As a professional development consultant, she has led several SMART Technology workshops for local teachers K-12 through the Regional Office of Education. In addition, this past spring she designed and presented a workshop on guided reading for intermediate level teachers in the area. You can check out Kristen’s classroom website at www.district87.org/staff/foleyk.

Mr. Mom

As you know, Scott took a year leave of absence from teaching to be a stay-at-home dad. He enjoys his time with Emma immensely and calls it the best job in the world. Together they take walks to the park, explore fun toys, exercise, read books, and much more. Emma is quickly becoming a little daddy’s girl!

Brothers and Others

Scott’s brother, Larry, his wife, Missy, and their daughter, Sydney, continue to do well in Gastonia, North Carolina. Sydney turned four this summer and is excited about the arrival of her new cousin, Emma. Kristen’s brother, Chad, lives in downtown Chicago and works for Deutsche Bank. He continues to train for and race in triathlons and tackled the Chicago Marathon again this year. His girlfriend, Stephanie, is a gem!

Amendment - Chad and Stephanie are engaged!

The Grandparents

Connie and Ross have been dabbling in many hobbies during their retirement. Connie recently became a licensed real estate agent. She also keeps busy with quilting and shopping. Ross can’t say no to a school bus assignment or transporting cars for the local dealership. He loves traveling to car shows and working on his own classics. Mike is still enjoying retirement and has most of the home improvements completed. He also spends a lot of time volunteering for Jill at Dennis School. Jill is counting the days until retirement in 2010 when she and Mike can spend more time with their first grandbaby. All four grandparents are thrilled about the arrival of darling Emma and love her to pieces.

Fun with the Foleys

In January, Kristen began documenting our journey to parenthood through a blog. It is a wonderful way for us to share updates with friends and family. Perhaps you found out that we were having a girl, saw Kristen’s tummy grow, or watched a video of our precious babe on this website. Check out all of the fun at http://www.funwiththefoleys.blogspot.com/.

Beautiful Baptism

Emma was baptized on Sunday, November 30, amidst the love of family and six inches of fresh snow. We were so happy that her godparents, Chad, Larry, and Missy, were able to be a part of this special occasion. While it may have been the first big snowfall of the season, it will go down in history as the day our angel was given a new life in Jesus Christ.

Emma's Arrival

The birth of Emma Claire ranks far above all of the other tops for 2008. She was born on July 9 at 12:01 P.M. by C-section. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 9 oz. and measured 20 inches. Emmy’s cheerful disposition brings us so many smiles. We feel blessed and honored to be the parents of a beautiful, healthy, and inquisitive baby girl.

Holiday Montage

Here's our holiday slideshow with pictures of Emma's first Christmas. She loved opening her presents. It's amazing how a 5 1/2 month old can tear paper and pull tissue out of bags. While the wrapping was very interesting to her, Emma was good about exploring the gifts. She was showered with toys, books, clothes, and keepsakes galore!

Jump, Jump

Uncle Larry, Aunt Missy, and Cousin Sydney bought Emma a Baby Einstein jumper for Christmas. This was her first time exploring it, and we'd say she likes it quite a bit. What a fun way to play and exercise!

Merry Christmas!

The Foleys send Christmas wishes to all of their friends and family! Thanks for being such loyal visitors and sharing in our joy! And it is so true . . . good things do come in small packages!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Emma posed for quite a few pictures last week in hopes of selecting the perfect photo for a Christmas card. There were so many great ones to choose from.

Peas, Please!

Emma has been eating rice cereal for a while now. We tried peas for the first time earlier this month. We captured our endeavor in eight minutes of video and share the final minute with you here.