Emily is ONE YEAR OLD today!!!

We always heard they grow up fast, but wow..........
Gramps and Grams Buss came to enjoy the occasion with us! Emily drew a crowd when she busted out her busy ball popper toy!

Grams taught Emily lots of fun new games!
Shopping at IKEA!
Emily loves IKEA as much as the rest of us now!
Puppy dog cupcakes, and hats for one and all. :)

Learning how to open presents!
These goggies taste good!

Whoa, sugar rush.
This is the best birthday ever!
You can see Bridger stayed close by to clean up the floor.


When Em was cleaned up and put to bed, we played a rousing game of Settlers of Catan. My parents celebrated their 34th anniversary this weekend as well. :) What a blessing!

treats!

So yesterday Emily was playing on the rug in the living room while I was in the kitchen. I thought she was amusing herself by trying to drink from her sippy cup. (She usually just licks the bottom of it...??? whilst being very happy to have a sippy cup in hand.) But when I returned a minute later to see how she was doing, I found her gnawing on one of Bridger's half eaten doggie treats. Mmmmmm.
Bridger has never really understood why we buy him doggie treats anyways. He considers himself a people.

The 4th

We went to the Messers for the 4th, and had a wonderful meal and fireworks show! Emily dressed in her red white and blue, but slept through all the fireworks. :)
Today Emily is sick. She woke up crying at 4am with a fever of 103. It's been 103 most of the day and she's been miserable... not as happy as she was in these week old pics. :) She's been throwing up and just all around miserable! We pray she'll be better soon.
Dinner time!

To Bako for Father's Day Weekend!

The evening we arrived in Bako, my parent's house was without power for about 4 hours.... during which time Emily became very attached to this froggy lantern my mom had.
Emily applauding us for bringing her to spend time with her Grandma Buss. They had lots of fun together! Scott and I even got to steal away and go see Prince Caspian while the grandparents babysat! That was sure a special treat! We got to use some free tickets someone had given us back at Christmas! Thanks mom and dad!! Great movie, huh?! Loved it!
Grandpa Buss... with Emily describing to him the many wonders of the froggy lantern.
Emily with Great-Grandma Buss, who gave her this new book that can go in the bathtub or anywhere! Her tongue has been sticking out a lot these days... maybe because of teething?? (which the book is also good with!) Thanks Great Grandma Buss!!
Daddy's first Father's Day.... a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
Em's game face... she likes to make us laugh

Everything but walking!

Emily has changed soooo much this week. She's gone from 2 teeth to five! She easily gets from laying down to standing up. And she's now crawling (in her own special way -- hopping both knees forward at the same time)! So many milestones all in a matter of a few days. I guess all that ocean air was great for her development!
A goofy picture, but it shows some of those teeth! Thanks to Sam and Diana for the outfit! It's super cute!!

Camping at New Brighton State Beach

Last week we spent a wonderful five days camping at the beach....
in tents...
with our dear friends the Messers!
The weather was perfect in the Santa Cruz area! It was our third year in a row to do this outing.... and the second time to enjoy it with the Messers! It was a great vacation with very sweet friends!
Above, Emily is sporting a hat that her mom's mom's mom made for her! :)
Emily and dad walking along the bluffs
She can stand up if she holds on!
Elly carrying Emily around at the dog beach.... thank goodness for many helpful hands!

Memorial Day Weekend

Grandma Donna came from Montana to stay with us from Thurs - Tues. We had a great time!
Emily enjoyed her first Memorial Day and wore her red white and blue proudly.
There was plenty of time for playing on the floor....
And trying on the new clothes grandma brought....
and a trip to Leatherby's Family Creamery....
where the ice-cream is larger than life....
and very yummy!
We drove toward the coast for a very cold and breezy coastal hike....
and eventually got to the sand and waves....
Emily enjoyed the beach, and the snuggles as we all tried to stay warm.
Then we trekked a few miles back to the car, and headed for IN N OUT.
Thank heavens for blankets.... and fun times with family!

Playing with our new color select feature of the Canon





Being silly

Reading Daddy's book to him
So I always thought bloomers were just for looks. But when I found her after naptime like this, I learned that when bloomers aren't put on, they can't serve their purpose of keeping diaper tabs out of reach of baby fingers.