A day at the driving range ~

Jeb took Emma to the driving range this afternoon to hit a few golf balls. Jeb said she started out hitting 1 ball out of about 5 swings, and by the time they finished she was hitting them on the first swing! Not too bad for her second try! He told her that if she would do 1 chore a day, for $1, she would have enough money by the end of the week to buy a bucket of golf balls. If she can do that, Jeb said he would take her every Sunday afternoon. She seems very excited about their deal.......I really hope she sticks to it!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

Don't be fooled by these chubby cheeks and sweet smile!

Busted.......

...........But she doesn't really seem to care! Ella is ALWAYS into something! She's not even a year old and has already started having "tantrums" when she doesn't get her way! She is, most definitely, my "strong willed" child. I think my mom gave me a book about that once, go figure! She's really very sweet and loving, we just have to work out those "kinks". It is, however, so hard to resist that sweet smile!!!

LPGA?

Since it finally stopped raining, Emma was able to break in her new golf clubs this afternoon. She did pretty good for never having picked up a club before. She seems to be really excited about practicing and learning how to play. She can't wait until we go back to Birmingham so she can play with Pop on the "Big Field"! Who knows, she might be the future of the LPGA!

Emma's solution to keeping Ella still ~

Pretty clever!

Just Playing ~

They were both concentrating so hard on the toys they were playing with that neither of them realized I was taking pictures. They were just hanging out, playing! It was so sweet! Emma was playing with her new Hannah Montana toys and she said she gave Ella all of the "chunky" toys to play with "so she wouldn't choke!" She's always looking out for El!

Nice try, Pop.....

.......but her AU cheerleader outfit is pressed and ready for her to where to the first game next weekend! Once she sees that eagle soaring she'll be an Auburn fan for life!

Still Partying!

Emma celebrated her 3rd and FINAL birthday party this afternoon, with family. Em's birthday has never really been just a birth"day"......it's more like a birth"week"! She got a few more gifts and, of course, another cake! Mimi and Pop got Em her very own set of pink golf clubs! Now she and Pop can play golf together when she visits! He was trying to teach how to hold the club and every time he'd swing it she'd yell "FORD!" instead of "fore". She has a lot to learn! We all had a great day! It's nice to have the whole family together every once in a while. I hope Em will realize, one day, just how many people love and care for her. She's a very lucky girl to have all of the grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles that she has, and there isn't one of them who wouldn't do anything in the world for this child! So, one more time......Happy 7th Birthday, Emma!

Life Long Ago ~

In school, Emma is learning about "life long ago"! They invited all of the grandparents to come on Friday and the kids got to interview them about how life was when they were in school. It seemed to be a learning experience for the grandparents, as well. They were speechless when they found out that they use computerized "chalk" boards now! I can't even imagine what they were thinking! Poppy (Jeb's dad) came for Emma and brought a picture of his first grade class and the school bell that they had to ring to bring the kids in. Emma was so excited to see him. I think he was just as excited to go. Poppy loves history, and loves helping Emma learn about it!

Em's first sleepover ~

For Emma's birthday, this year, we decided to do a sleepover! We agreed on inviting only 6 girls but somehow that turned into 9! Since Emma only had one friend that couldn't make it, we had 8 girls + Emma spend the night! This was the first time Emma's EVER had spend the night company.....we probably should have eased our way into it a little more! I moved as much as I could out of the living room and into my bedroom and pushed all of the furniture against the wall! We needed to make as much space as possible! Since this was a "Hannah Montana" sleepover, we decided to do a photo shoot (with the life-size Hannah cut-out) complete with hair, makeup and wardrobe. Luckily, I had two sweet friends that I roped into coming over and helping me do 9 girl's hair and makeup! WOW.......talk about MASS CHAOS! By the time we were finished taking all of the girls pictures (each with 2 wardrobe changes) you couldn't even walk through the house! We had several things for them to choose from to wear. Let me just say, each of them picked their own outfit and accessories........I had NOTHING to do with all of these different "looks". There were some good ones! The last girl finally went to sleep at 1:30 am! It was a LONG NIGHT! However, Emma had a blast! I'm so glad she finally got to experience the fun of a sleepover! It wasn't quite as wild as I thought it would be.......but next year I think we'll just stick to something simple! I'm going to need a couple of years to recover!!! These are just a few of the highlights......I put the rest in a slide show! Enjoy!

No, you're not seeing things........her hair IS crimped!

All of the girls with Hannah, after the photo shoot was over ~

I definitely had my hands full.......notice the bunny ears!

This pretty much sums up the night.......and the next morning!

Party Pictures!

Happy Birthday Emma ~

Emma's birthday menu ~ Chicken fingers, homemade mac & cheese and fried okra!

Her first painting with her new paints, brushes, and canvas' ~
Eating her "birthday sundae" ~
Sharing with sister ~
Sister thinking that was not enough ~

I can't believe Emma turned 7 years old today! It really does seem like yesterday when Jeb and I were looking at each other, each wondering if the other new what to do next! It's an awesome feeling to be able to look back and see how God's plan for our lives played out! If not for Emma, I'm not really sure where we would be today......but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be where we are now! Having Emma changed our whole outlook on life and what we really wanted out if it! When I found out I was pregnant we were both beyond terrified! At that time, we couldn't have dreamed that this situation would turn out anything like it has! I know I'm her mother, but Emma really is the most genuine, loving, caring child I know! She is absolutely one of a kind. If you've ever heard just a portion of some of the things Emma has come up with over the years, you know what I mean! She's had some doozies! We are so grateful to God for blessing our lives with her. I can't wait to see what the next 7 years bring and what HE has in store for her!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EM!

Quiet = Trouble ~

So, Ella's been sick...AGAIN, and we had to stay home on Monday. Since she refused to take a nap....ALL DAY....she was laying on her blanket in the living room watching Elmo, so I decided to unload the dishwasher in the kitchen. After a few minutes of not hearing a sound (Ella is usually "chatting" constantly) I went to check on her (thinking she might have finally gone to sleep) and this is what I found! Obviously she spotted her cookies on the end table and decided she wanted one or two.....or ten! She had shoved so many cookies into those chubby cheeks that she couldn't even close her mouth! When I gave her "the look" and told her she was in trouble, she held her little hand out and offered me a cookie too! At least she was willing to share! We're definitely going to have keep an eye on this one at ALL TIMES!

Ella's new do ~

Ella is finally starting to grow a little bit of hair (a very little bit). I usually have to clip it back with a tiny bow because it grows straight down her head....like a mohawk! Since she can't crawl away from me in the bath tub, I decided to try a new hairstyle! While it is VERY cute, I just don't think it would last through a whole day. Maybe all of that thick hair (that I just know she is going to have) will decide to come in soon!!