Farmers Market

We had been hearing about the farmers market from a lot of people in town. We decided to give it a try. Emily enjoyed looking at all the fruit and vegetables. Unfortunately it started to rain while we were there so it turned into a short trip, but we still got some yummy fruit and veggies!

Carthage Jail

On the way back to Kansas, we decided to stop by and see Carthage Jail. Emily had just fallen asleep before we arrived, so once again, Chad and I took turns going on the tour. Due to time, I only went on the tour of the jail itself, but it was amazing to see.

We were already aware that our daughter must be part fish, due to her love of water. While I was on the tour, Chad was watching Emily outside on the grounds. Apparently they were doing some watering of the plants and a large puddle was on the ground. With a big smile on her face, she plopped herself down in the puddle and said, "Swimming!"

We hit a VERY LONG detour on the way home due to flooding.
This is how Emily chose to entertain herself! Ha! What a good sport.

Nauvoo Trip

Chad, Emily and I went on a trip to Nauvoo this summer. The pageant was outstanding and the temple is breathtaking. It was a fast weekend trip, but well worth it. Emily followed suit and decided that sleep was not needful, but was in good spirits all the same. It was very humbling to be there and think of the early saints. It was a great experience.

Emily had to keep things interesting in the car,
she sampled a few crayons!

She decided a few phone calls were in
order when we arrived at the hotel.

We arrived early at the pageant, but seats were still hard to find.
People had come and claimed their spots early on in the day.

They had lots of activities to do to get you in the
pioneer spirit while you waited for the pageant to begin.

We attended a little puppet show while we waited.
They gave Emily a sock puppet to take home with her.

The pageant started at sundown. Emily loved the singing and dancing. She kept running up the isle closer and closer to the stage. Once we thought she might try to join the actors on stage.

The temple looked very majestic at night.

The next day we took a tour around some of the pioneer sites.
We went to see how they made bricks. Emily loved climbing the
wall they had. They even gave us a couple of bricks to take home.

We also took the time to go on the Community of Christ
tour of the homes of Joseph and Emma. We were not allowed
to take pictures, but it was neat to see.

Chad and I traded off baby duty and attended the temple.
It's always wonderful to attend the temple!

We had a great time in Nauvoo!

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!
(My dad's birthday is today and my mom's is on Monday.)

You guys are the greatest!
We love you and hope that your birthdays are terrific!
We can't wait to see you in November.

Love,
Amy, Chad and Emily

Our Baby Is Growing Up

Our baby is growing up! Emily is 21 months. She is full of personality and energy. She is very independent and has strong opinions about how things should be. Emily is also very loving and sweet and loves to give hugs and kisses. She loves to read, sing songs and go swimming. Emily wants to be involved in everything that is going on around her and is very observant. She also has a good sense of humor and loves to laugh and have fun!

Our friend let us bring Emily to the pool at her apartment complex the other day. When Emily woke up from her nap I told her that when Daddy was done working on the yard, we were going to go swimming. She was instantly excited, running around saying, "swimming, swimming, swimming". We collected all of our swimming things, including a blow-up turtle we got for her this summer. As soon as Chad walked through the door, she took the turtle and her swimming suit and said, "swimming, turtle, now Daddy!". She had the time of her life at the pool. She loves the water!

Last night when Chad and I were putting Emily to bed, Chad had held Emily for a little while. He gave her a hug and kiss and then put her in my arms so that I could rock her. She sat up, put her hands towards Chad and said, "More Daddy!". She just can't get enough of her Dad. It was so sweet!

Emily likes to "help" me make dinner and bake. She will bring the Bumbo seat to me and say "Bumble bee, make". This means for me to put the Bumbo seat on the counter and put her in it so that she can help me make what ever we are making.

Her latest phrases are "I don't want it!" and "I want it!" We don't know where she's picked them up, but we aren't too fond of them. It is cute to see her learning to express herself though. She's sure growing up fast!

"Got You"

Got You is Emily's favorite game to play. She makes requests to play it all day long. It is her game, so she makes and changes the rules constantly.

The game has evolved since it's beginning a couple of months ago. It started off as a daddy-daughter game. Chad had to chase Emily around our couch and living room over and over wearing his graduation hat. (Emily doesn't really understand the whole concept of "tag" so it's just a chase game.) Over time she has added new "rules" to the game. For example, you might have to get "down there" (on all fours) and chase around the couch. Other times you might have to wear a different hat or wear a blanket as you chase. Sometimes you even have to have the toy Jayhawk in your hand as you chase. Her newest rule is "Mommy, Daddy" which means the game cannot begin until everyone is involved. HA! It has been really fun to hear all her ideas about how the game should be played. It is also fun to hear her squeals of delight as she runs around the room.

Chad a has been so good about playing and made it really fun for Emily. She asks for me to play it with her when Chad is gone, but it's just not the same as when Daddy is home! As soon as he walks in the door she runs excitedly to Chad and with a big smile on her face says, "Got You"! He enjoys himself almost as much as she does. I appreciate how involved Chad is with Emily. They are best buddies!

Summer Sidewalk Sale

Every summer they have a big sidewalk sale downtown.
Chad wanted to get a Francis Sporting Goods t-shirt,
which is popular item around here. Emily had a great time shopping.
She wanted to walk and hold the bag as we walked down the street.

On the way back to our car, we stopped off at
the park to give Emily a little time to play.

Great Harvest Tour

In July, Emily and I went on a tour of Great Harvest Bread Co. with our church playgroup. Baker Bob gave the tour and was really great with all the kids. He told the kids the story of the Little Red Hen and let the kids help make the bread. The store is pretty small so everyone was very close together, but the kids had a wonderful time. Emily was a bit timid, given the small space (and Baker Bob), but she warmed up and enjoyed herself.

Baker Bob showed the kids the wheat and let them see how
they grind it into flour.The kids were aloud to touch everything.
Very fun if you are a 1 year old!

After they added all the ingredients together,
he let the kids climb up on a stool and look down into
the mixer to see how they mix the dough.

Afterwards, he gave some of the dough to each of the kids
to roll and play with. Emily loves playing with play dough,
so she caught on fast!

When everyone had rolled their dough they put it
in a pan to "bake"and put it in the oven. Because our tour
would be over before the bread was ready (and because they
wouldn't be able to eat their dough...they rolled it on the ground, etc.)
Baker Bob had some warm bread from the oven for everyone to try.

Emily loves bread but she was more interested in playing with the step
at the time the bread was served. I helped her out! YUMMY!

The pictures don't really show it, but Emily had a
great time on our tour. We even got a coupon so
that we could come back and get a free loaf of bread!
Thanks Baker Bob!