2014 was largely consumed by this adorable little girl's arrival and subsequent growth. She is such a joy! Here are a few of the big moments from this past year.
February 28,2014, Emma Wren was born.
She grew rapidly but I don't have many pictures of the first few months because my phone from that time died and of course I didn't have them loaded onto the computer. I was trying to sleep whenever possible. Emma is pretty much a model baby except in the realm of sleep. She hasn't slept all the way through the night yet, at 10 months old.
In May, I drove up to Maryland with the children and with Brett's sisters, Allison and Melissa. A fun and exhausting visit!
In July, we went to Fripp Island with Brett's family.
Almost weekly throughout the summer we would load up in the van, drive to a cute local ice cream store (where the kids get free cones) and then walk around a fascinating old graveyard.
In September, I flew up with the children to Maryland for almost two weeks. We had a wonderful time, though we missed Brett terribly. He flew up on our anniversary and surprised, no totally shocked, me.
I held my breath as I watched my father ride a horse. I have ridden multiple times with every other member of my family but don't remember Dad ever ridding before.
And of course we spent lots of time in Cape May. Emma decided she didn't like the taste of sand very much, though this theory had to be scientifically retested every so often.
The cousins had tons of fun together.
And my sister Patience got engaged!!! To a wonderful Guy. They are tying the knot June 2015! It makes my heart happy to see her so happy.
While we were in Cape May, the children gained their first cousin on the Hawkins' side of the family, Alaina Harper. Emma and Evelyn both adore her.
Emma was a proficient crawler by 8 months old. Now she can explore to her heart's content!
This girl loves people! When she makes eye contact with someone, she smiles. Every time. She especially loves Evelyn and Alaina. She has been my earliest walker, taking her first consecutive steps on Christmas Eve, and talker. Right now we know that she can say: mama, dada, bye-bye, ball, baby, done, amen!, book. She sounds like she is trying to talk all the time!
She loves playing with the big kids (and trying to undo whatever they are trying to do) and also going off and exploring on her own. If someone goes outside without her, she cries. I think she would play outside all day if I could let her. She loves making music, banging on everything, swinging, dancing, going up stairs (and trying to launch herself down them backwards), splashing in water where ever it can be found, and throwing herself headlong onto presumably soft surfaces.
Emma brings a huge amount of joy to our family.
Evelyn has grown up so much! She is a daddy's girl, immediately crying for him if she is hurt or in trouble. "'Nuggly baby" (snuggly baby), seen above, accompanies her everywhere and must sleep with her. Evelyn is very tenderhearted towards all babies and dolls, caring for them tenderly and patiently. She and Nate both watch over Emma, share toys with her(most of the time=), and alert me if they think she is eating something she shouldn't be. Evelyn is a bit of a daredevil but not the most coordinated person to ever live, which isn't the greatest of combinations for self preservation but does make for some amusing stories.When she knows she is about to attempt a feat of which I will not approve she turns towards me, holds up both hands dramatically, and says, "Don't worry mom. Don't worry!!"
She also loves drawing, painting, dancing, and all other artistic pursuits that we have tried so far. Right now she is firmly entrenched in the "I must do everything myself" stage and likes to change her clothes, but prefers pajamas above all else. I love making her laugh and she keeps us laughing.
In December, Nate turned 4! He and Evelyn both love firemen and particularly a British children's show called Fireman Sam so his birthday was fireman themed. Nate's favorite things are working with Dad or Papa, snuggling, pillow fights, working with tools, playing puppies or monsters, watching movies, playing "fire rescue" with Evelyn or "Fixer Nate" with me (he comes and "fixes" things that are broken around the house). He is a sweet big brother.
He does everything very exactly, so does not like to attempt something when the result is unsure. I have no idea where that came from! haha
We have started doing little reading lessons together because he knows all the letter sounds and frequently asks what words say. If I keep it short and sweet he enjoys the lessons and he is starting to sound out simple words! So exciting!!
Nate is firmly entrenched in the "why" stage and I try very hard not to let it drive me crazy. Most of the time I enjoy helping him figure out the world.
Here's to another year as blessed as our last!! (And to one that will hopefully include more blogging)
Happy new year!!! It's fun to see how much your children are growing! We've got to get together soon!
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