Foley Easter

Emma greatly enjoyed her Easter weekend with the Foley family. She dyed eggs and added Mickey Mouse Clubhouse stickers after they dried. We saved these to eat later on. Then the great aunts put together a hunt in the front yard using plastic eggs filled with all sorts of goodies: coins, stickers, fruit snacks, and undies. There were a few other presents as well.

Spring Play

We had a few nice days during our Spring Break, which allowed us to get outside. Emma got a Little Tikes "Anchors Away" pirate ship water table for Christmas, so Scott was able to finally put it together. The mast produces a waterfall down the sail and a variety of spinners. It's a great outdoor toy. She also played with her soccer ball, lawn mower, and chalk.

R-O-B-O-T

After watching an episode of Curious George called "Robot Monkey," Emma asked us, "Can I make a robot, pleeeeease?" She talked about it so much for several days. So one Saturday morning, I went to the recycling drawer and pulled out a variety of objects (water bottles, tissue box, packing box, plastic lids, toilet paper tubes, and fruit cup containers) and gathered some art supplies (scissors, glue, pipe cleaners, wiggly eyes, feathers, crepe paper, foil, and tape). Emma and her Daddio had the best time building their very own creation. It was a fun project for a cold weekend. Emma named him Sketty. It was our first attempt at constructing a robot, so he was a little unstable and kept falling over. Each time Emma shouted, "Oh, no! He fell over!" I guess she wasn't all that pleased with the final product, because she wanted to take him apart. We tried to convince her to leave the pieces in tact, but she disassembled him bit by bit.

Emma the Baker

It's a long slideshow, but the last few pictures are priceless! You'll see that Emma LOVED baking and was so excited to eat a cookie when they cooled . . . but after her first bite she remembered that she doesn't like chocolate! "Ew, yuck! I don't like chocolate!"

Christmas Day

Emma was cranky from her incoming molars when she woke up on Christmas morning. As Scott brought her downstairs, she had her head buried in his shoulder and didn't even notice the presents or her HUGE new kitchen. She laid on the couch for an hour before she looked up at the fireplace and said, "Daddio, there's a cup in my stocking!" Game on! After checking out her kitchen, she used her new flashlight to investigate other gifts under the tree. Scott and I let her have a pacifier because it seemed to ease the pain. We took a break to try and eat buttered toast and then opened more from Santa. By 1:00, she was worn out. Take a look at how she fell asleep.

Cookies and Milk

Emma and Daddio set out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. One cookie, two cookies, three cookies, . . . and a glass milk . . . dumped all over the plate of cookies. Oops! We think Emma was trying to move the large mug when it tipped over. She was a little upset and asked Scott to get it off. I jumped to clean it up, but Scott said, "No, get a picture!" Emma also left some carrots for the reindeer. Santa and Rudolph must have liked them a lot, because there were only crumbs left! (Emma was willing to nibble on buttered toast in the late morning on Christmas Day. It was all she ate that day.)

Christmas Eve

It was on Christmas Eve that Emma began running a fever, refusing to eat, and would only drink milk. We opened some presents from each other, took a bath, and set out cookies for Santa. Emma was not enjoying our traditions much. She was generally uncomfortable. At times she had energy, but then would lay down and want to rest. We thought that she was battling a virus or maybe getting a cold. After a trip to the doctor and over a week of numerous symptoms (not eating was the most disturbing) we caught a glimpse of her two-year molars popping through! Well, two of her molars are visible. I guess this means we'll have to experience it all over when the other two decide to emerge! I think her new Mickey Mouse drum and all of her other wonderful presents brought her some comfort.

Christmas at Thanksgiving

We celebrated Christmas one month early with Scott's brother, sister-in-law, and niece while they are visiting from North Carolina over Thanksgiving weekend. It's a joy to watch the girls together. They had so much fun opening gifts from each other as well as presents from Great-Grandma Charlotte, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Ralph, and Aunt Melody. The Handy Manny toolbox was a huge hit! Grandma and Grandpa Foley had the house trimmed with Christmas decor to set the mood for our early celebration. It was a special time for everyone.

Fall is in the Air

After purchasing hay bales, pumpkins, mums, Indian corn, and gourds at a local home improvement store and Rader Farm, we decorated our front porch. We also picked up some Halloween yard decorations, which Emma helped me stick into the landscaping. She had a great time lining up the gourds on the bales and playing in the mulch while I finalized the arrangement.

Pumpkin Patch

One Sunday afternoon we ventured to a local family farm to search for more pumpkins and enjoy some traditional fall activities. We ran into several different friends who were also visiting the farm, which were nice surprises. Emma's favorite activities were playing in the corn crib, seeing the animals, and selecting mini-pumpkins in the patch. We also took a hayride, sat on a tractor, "rode" a wooden horse, and listened to folksingers perform. There were several other attractions aimed at older kids. It gives her something to look forward to when we go back next year. By the end of our trip, Emma was tuckered out. You can see in one of the final wagon pictures that she had her fill of fun for the day.

Pumpkins Creations

It's pumpkin time! Scott did the official carving, but Emma was a great assistant scooper. She liked the texture of the slimy seeds and stringy innards. We also used plastic "Mr. Potato Head" type jack-o-lantern pieces to create funny faces on three other pumpkins.

ISU Homecoming Parade

We took Emma to the ISU Homecoming parade in mid-October. It was a bit chilly, but warmed up considerably during the 2 hour event! Emma loved collecting the candy and seeing the different marchers.

Wet and Wild

Scott and I took Emma to Tipton Park a few times this summer. She had a blast with the water features. It was a lot of fun watching her facial expressions.

Elmo Party

The furry red Sesame Street monster, Elmo, helped Emma celebrate her second birthday in early July. Many family members were able to come to the party as well. It was great to see everyone! As this slideshow proves, she had a blast opening gifts. She's wasn't fond of the "Happy Birthday" song, and began to cry. Being the center of attention is a lot of pressure!

Discovery Day

Scott and I took Emma to the children's museum on the morning of her birthday. (July can be a brutally hot month, so we tend to opt for indoor fun most days.) We made paper bag puppets in the Art Studio. Guess who crafted the Batman puppet? Emma also really liked plexiglass painting. Notice the dual paint brushes. She insisted in having one in both hands and tried to use them simultaneously on the painting wall.

The Grand Tour

I took a few photos of the house before it became overwrought with boxes on moving day. We have everything unpacked now, but are still tweaking things. A few rooms are without wall decor, and we are searching for "den" furniture.

Home Sweet Home

Watch our house become a home in this slideshow! We began the process in mid-February and closed in late June. I've been saving the photos to share as a collection. I'll try to add another with the new grass soon.

Decatur Children's Museum

Back when I was in high school and college, I worked at the Children's Museum of Illinois. On this day we brought Emma. It was exciting to interact with new exhibits and interesting to see which ones remained after my ten-year absence. The grocery store, toddler backyard, skeleton on a bike, mechanics' garage, kitchen, and ambulance topped Emma's list of favorite spots. In the "Construction Zone," Scott built Emma a Lego race car and showed her how to send it down the ramp. There was so much to see and do that we didn't get a chance to explore it all before Emma had her fill.

Beardstown History

Papa Ross and Grandma Connie regularly volunteer at the Beardstown Historical Museum. They gave us a private tour of the many rooms on Thomas Beard, Rudy Black, the Illinois River, the Beardstown Ladies, and more. We also saw the jail and courtroom. Abe Lincoln tried many cases in the courtroom including his famous "Almanac Trial" in 1858. Lincoln successfully defended Duff Armstrong against murder charges. This is the only courtroom where Lincoln practiced law that is still used today. We let Emma sit in the judge's chair, which she loved. Before we knew it, Emma had picked up the gavel and rapped it several times on the podium! Order in the court!

Animals Galore

During the first week of "squatting" with my parents, we all ventured to the zoo. I thought that getting an early start would be good to avoid the heat and crowds. But it turned out to be an 80+ degree morning, and the zoo was hosting a free admission day. We made the best of it and saw many animals: flamingos, monkeys, turtles, zebras, camels, emus, alligators, meerkats, prairie dogs, and much more. We took Emma on a train ride and the carousel. She had so much fun, and didn't want to get off when the carousel's white tiger came to a stop.