Second Birthday!

That's right, Emma is 2...and two and half months.  Needless to say, I'm a little behind on my blogging. So lets get caught up, shall we?

Emma turned 2 on June 20th -- we had a special dinner of homemade pizza and some cupcakes to finish the night.  Emma opened a few presents from us and enjoyed her special day.  Throughout the evening, she would randomly break out in song, "Happy birthday to Emma."

The happy birthday girl!

Monkey birthday balloons. 

Emma is picking just the right one...so many choices!

She got it!

Emma is modeling a number of birthday gifts.  Thank you to Uncle Jon and Aunt Amy for the awesome mower.  Thank you to Jessica for the sweet Baltimore Orioles can cozies / wrist bands (which Emma confiscated from Momma and Daddy's portion of the gift).  Emma is also sporting her new pink Crocs which she got from us.  These quickly became her footwear of choice and Emma wouldn't leave home without her "cawawks."

Curious George was the special guest at Emma's big birthday bash which took place the following weekend.  Melissa outdid herself and flashed her cake baking skills with a killer Curious George cake!  Not only did it look amazing but it was also delicious!  Probably the best chocolate buttercream frosting that I've ever eaten...yum!

Besides the cake, we had all of Emma's favorite foods including bananas, animal crackers, banana bread, "dippy dippy" for the fruit, sugar cookies, and of course cupcakes (with aforementioned top notch frosting).

A few of Emma's favorite friends were able to make the party.  From left to right: John, Kya, and Colin.  They were loving the sand and water table.  I think at one point we had to refill the water portion because John had drank most of it.

Every now and then Emma made her way over to see how her friends were doing, but most of the afternoon she spent on her brand new tricked-out tricycle.  Partly because she liked riding it, but mostly to make sure that none of her toddler friends got their hands on it.

She even helped me wrench on it a little bit to fix the alignment.

Among the many other birthday gifts that she got, Emma really loved her bubbles and new reading chair!

Also in attendance: the parents of toddler friends, Auntie Megan, Grandma and Grandpa B, GG, Grandma and Grandpa Stull, and Uncle Larry and Aunt Julie.

Emma had a great birthday and really enjoyed her friends, family and delicious goodies at her party.  We also had a great time reflecting on the past year and the first 2 years of Emma's life.  I can't imagine what the past 2 years would have been like without Emma but I can tell you that it wouldn't have been nearly as wonderful.  She adds immeasurable joy to our lives every day and I'm looking forward to what the next year brings. :)

With love, and happy birthday wishes, from Minneapolis,
Jason, Melissa, and Emma

Miscellaneous

Here are a few pictures that fell through the cracks and didn't make it on the blog - until now!

These pictures go way back to August of 2012.  Emma was 14 months and just discovering the wonders of bubbles.  I love the concentration on her face as she goes after the bubbles.  I'm not sure she got any of them, but it wasn't for a lack of effort.

Check out these curls!!  Plus, who doesn't like pictures of a smiley sudsy baby?

Emma's helping me tune my guitar.  Remember the mini-mohawk that she sported for the first 14 months of her life?

Emma is turning into a great baker like her mother and a great brownie batter eater like her father.

I can't believe I haven't documented this fun little outing with Emma's little friends.  We had a sledding party at Sarah, Dan, and John's house on March 10th.  Emma was a little hesitant at first but then couldn't get enough.  She even led the charge of the kiddies on the big toboggan.  John, Colin, and Emma are quite the crew!

One of Emma's favorite past times is building and hanging out in couch forts.  She routinely requests that her mother or I "builda foet."

We are almost getting caught up!  Stay tuned for more.

With love from Minneapolis,
Jason, Melissa, and Emma

Easter (Finally!)

It's only a couple of months late, but here is a recap of our Easter weekend.

We stuck around town for the holiday and hosted my family.  My mom and dad drove up for a long weekend and brought Grandma Marge (my mom's mom) along and as a very special treat, Justin flew in from California for the weekend.  Emma loved having her Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle and Great Grandma (GG) at her disposal. Emma's daycare was closed the Friday before Easter so the crew arrived on Thursday to stay home with her on her day off. 

Saturday night, Grandma Becky, GG, Momma, and Emma colored Easter eggs.

Emma loved walking around in her Grandma's shoes and playing cards with GG.

The Easter Bunny visited our house and left behind a great Easter basket for Emma and also hid a few eggs.  Emma loved exploring her new goods, especially her choo choo train. 

No Easter is complete without an Easter dress and bonnet.  Emma was well equipped with both.

 

It was a fantastic weekend capped off with a fantastic meal complete with ham, cheesy potatoes, deviled eggs, corn, homemade crescent rolls, and Melissa's famous chocolate chip cheese cake.

The Easter baskets, bonnets, and meal are all fun, but what really made the weekend special was great family.  Melissa and I really enjoyed a wonderful weekend filled with love and great family, and nobody enjoyed having her family around more than Emma.

Happy belated Easter from Minneapolis,
Jason, Melissa, and Emma

Spring Sing

In April, Emma and her classmates treated the parents to a delightful concert.  They sang classic hits like, "Falling, Falling - Autumn Leaves are Falling" and "Shovel the Snow So, So."  Not to mention timeless tunes such as "Rain and Thunder," "Hello Mr. Turkey," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  

Please enjoy!
Jason, Melissa and "Super Star" Emma