Baby D, Part 1

This past Sunday we were able to participate in the Baby Dedication "Baby D" ceremony at church. We were scheduled to do it last Fall but my dad had his heart surgery so we decided to postpone it to the Spring. It was such an amazing day and we were so glad to have our family and friends there with us as we asked for their continued prayers and support as we raise Emily Jane to know and love the Lord. Here are just a few pictures of the day...and stay tuned for a few professional pictures in the next few weeks! (A great surprise from the church!)

 

We love you Emily Jane and are so very proud of you precious girl!

  

Emmy loved getting to spend time with Alice, Lauri and Jesse's little girl.
 All she wanted to do was kiss the "baby" :)

  

Emmy loved having a chance to play with Papa earlier in the day, those two are so darn cute together!

 

Our reserved table at church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cape

After everything we've been through these last few months, I wanted to do something extra special for Josh. He has been simply amazing...the way in which he supports me, understands me and loves me is beyond words. He is such a wonderful man, and I am truly blessed to have him as my husband. By surprising him with a little getaway, just the two of us, I wanted him to feel just as special as he makes me feel, every day. I knew how hard it would be for both of us to be away from Emmy for a few nights, but I also knew how very much we needed this time together. So, I happened upon a little B&B off the coast of FL and without hesitation, I booked it! It was so fun surprising Josh :) And this past week, over his Spring Break, we took our trip together. Together, we fell in love with what the locals call the Cape, officially known as Cape San Blas. It was simply beautiful, quiet, relaxing and exactly what we needed. We had such a great time together and will treasure this place always.We promised each other we'd come back, as often as we can, to our little slice of paradise....



Cape San Blas Inn, Wendy's breakfasts were ahhmazing!



The table where we shared breakfast with the new friends we met each day. It was so fun to share stories and have the chance to meet so many good people from so many different places, even Germany!



The Inn had canoes and a kayak for us to use



We went on a 2.5 hr canoe ride on St. Joe Bay where we saw star fish, crabs and even fish jumping in front of us



We enjoyed the hot tub at the end of the pier late one night, so relaxing



Back deck of the Inn with a great view of the Bay

Across from the Inn was the beach, and as you can see it was almost always empty, which totally spoiled us! No hotels or highrises, just homes. You might also be able to see that on this day, we had 20-30 mph winds!

On that same windy day we decided to use the bikes they had at the Inn and ride down to St. Joe Park. It was a very windy 14 miles there and back, but SO worth it! You can hardly see it, but there is a little bench in the distance...like a scene right out of a movie, absolutely beautiful :)

The dune path to the beach

After our 14 mile bike ride, we stopped at this little place called Cone Heads to split a Banana Split. This is BEFORE....



And this is AFTER :)

The sunset on our last night there..Josh and I almost missed it as we were coming back from dinner so we parked the car and took off running...just in time to see God paint the sky for us. Perfect end to an absolutely perfect trip...sigh ;)



 

 

Smelling the flowers....

On Sunday we had a chance to finally get to the Indianapolis Zoo, it feels like forever since we've been able to go (and not freeze!) So here are a few pics of us at the Butterfly Pavillion...and Emmy "smelling" all the flowers. She loves smelling flowers, and it is hilarious the way she does it. She pretty much breathes out instead of in, but boy does she look cute doing it. And she does this with all flowers....even ones in pictures or books. :) There's also a picture of us with the elephants, we had the rare treat of getting to see one taking a bath. Emmy loved it, and so did we!

Sweet Emmy Jane....smelling the flowers :)



I can't believe Josh caught Emmy "mid-sniff"!

 

She even likes to smell the plants :)

Pigtails :)

 Miss Katherine decided to get a little creative with Emmy's hair today and gave her.....her very first pigtails! She had just enough hair to put up and boy did she look cute! Katherine sent Josh and I the second picture and then I took this first one when we got home. I don't think Emmy even noticed them until dinner tonight, and then, "Whoosh", they were gone! :)

 

 

 

Outside!!!

The past two days it was so nice outside! We couldn't wait to let Emmy run around in the backyard, and boy did she run! She LOVES being outside! We had so much fun and it gave us just a glimpse of what great times are awaiting us this Spring and Summer! We can't wait!! :)

Held

"This is what it means to be held.
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was that when everything fell, we'd be held." 
-Natalie Grant "Held"

It's been a little while since I've posted because the last few weeks have been pretty hard. Josh and I lost another baby on February 12. We are saddened by the reality of another loss but hopeful in God's plan for our future....whatever it might hold. After our first loss, we were so completely blessed by the birth of our Emily Jane, who has changed our world forever. We are so thankful for her, what a precious gift she is to us. And as we stand here again we know, we will get through this....stronger than ever. That doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt or that it isn't hard. But we will hang on tightly to the Lord and to each other...enjoying each and every day we have together.

16 months already?!

I had great intentions of updating the blog with Emmy's 15 month stats right away, but since she will be 16 months tomorrow....I guess I better get it done now! So, here is a quick update on Little Miss Emmy Jane :) and a few pics of us playing in the snow for the first time!!!

What is she up to now? Emmy talks all-the-time! We can't understand every word quite yet, but as she's talking her face gets all serious sometimes like she is telling us the best story, it's hilarious. Emmy is also such a sweetheart...she wants to give kisses all the time, even to strangers, yikes!
Favorite things: She loves her books! She'll run over to her basket or shelf, grab one, (or 12) bring them over to us then she'll turn around and back up until she's sitting in our lap. It is so stinkin' cute! She also loves shoes, not wearing them on her feet, but her hands!
Favorite food: She's definitely my child and loves dairy! Yogurt, cheese and especially her milk :)
Teeth: 12+ and getting more every week!
Emmy's 15 month stats: Weight: 26.1 lbs  88%
                                           Height: 30.5 in   46%