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The more Emma Claire grows, the BIGGER her personality gets.

 She is such a ham. This is how she lounges in the evenings. 

Her newest thing is to stand in a "sassy" way. She puts her hands on her hips and says "sasssssssy". 

The day her Halloween costume came in the mail she HAD to wear it, even though it was pushing 90 degrees outside. She wore it even to walk the dogs. I hope that some of our neighbors peeked out their window to see this and got a giggle. 

This one just takes the cake. She HAD to wear these glasses. And she wanted to go (out in the rain) to tell all of her neighborhood friends about Jesus and pass out the little pamphlets she gets in Sunday school. Baby evangelism, anyone?  HA!

It really does just keep getting better. I can't wait to celebrate her birthday week this week! Today at the grocery store I let her pick out her cupcake mix and sprinkles. We aren't doing a party this year but are having a little get together with some friends on Halloween night. I'm going to make homemade pizza and cupcakes, and we will go visit our favorite neighbors to trick or treat. It might be small, but I think she is going to have a blast. 

 

 

Remember that time I was a blogger...

Well apparently I decided to just take the month of October off from blogging! Oops! This was an unplanned hiatus and I really have missed blogging. I'm going to attribute my silence to a few factors...first of all I am so out of space on my computer I can't even dump by phone (which is also SO full it won't take pictures), and second I dropped my camera two weeks ago and it's currently being fixed by Canon. So those two, er..three, things have just crushed my will to blog. Which tells you that I really am less of a blog writer, and more of a photojournalist at heart ;-) So on that note, I am now going to share a few (read: way too many) cute pictures with you...

This cutie will be TWO in only five days. I just can't believe it. 

Momma and Emma Claire love MOPS mornings. :-) 

I'm pretty sure her personality get's bigger each day. 

Proving my point about her personality. 

Pizza is pretty much the best thing ever. And getting to help mom MAKE IT?! Well I just don't think anything can top that. In case you're wondering she is giving an Emma Claire version of "thumbs up" 

I have been soaking up each day with my ONE year old before she turns two! 

 And just for fun...here's a look at what TWO years going by in the blink of an eye looks like.

Apple Pickin'

On Saturday morning we loaded up miss Emma Claire and drove 30 minutes west to an apple orchard. The last time we visited Stribling Orchard I was 30someodd weeks pregnant, freezing cold, and a little over the apple picking from the get go. This time the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny, and I was too busy chasing a toddler around to NOT have fun! We had a blast.

 

We met up with some sweet friends from church. 

 The guys. They didn't want to stop apple picking to take pictures. Too bad I made them. ;-)

For a fun flashback...here we are the last time we went apple picking, almost TWO years ago!

Time really does fly. I cannot believe that the above picture was taken TWO years ago! 

Emma Claire was obviously a fan. And her little cord dress is from baby Gap and has apple buttons. TO DIE FOR! Too cute!

I love this one. 

This cute little store is home to some amazing apple dishes. When you walk by and smell the heavenly cinnamon aroma it's hard to resist! Emma Claire got a pumpkin spice doughnut, I chose the famous apple turnover, and the husband got some apple bread. We were all happy with our decisions. 

And of course we had to hug some pumpkins. 

Now here's a funny story. Emma Claire ran right up to this pumpkin squealing and pointing, "TURTEY TURTEY!!!" Which means; "TURKEY TURKEY!!" ha! I was cracking up. It really DOES look like a turkey! 

Doughnuts=happiness. 

 This next picture is one of my favorites I've ever taken. We had a little picnic lunch after apple picking and doughnut eating and I snapped this while Emma Claire was praying. I just love it. The dirty little fingers, the way she is squeezing them together, the fact that she bows her head...I love it all. I pray ever day that she continues to pray this way and grows in her relationship with God as she grows.

Cuddling with Daddy, and enjoying Cheetos for the first time ever. She was a fan. 

Little shoes and daddy's boots. And some Cheetos. She was livin' the life, y'all. 

 We had a blast and can't wait to go back. We may head out to the orchard again once the weather is cool again. I am loving doing these fun fall activities with Emma Claire this year. The enjoyment she gets out of them makes them 100 times more fun. I love this age.

Late September Evening

Yesterday evening I had a family shoot around sunset. Emma Claire and I got to the location early and just ran around exploring. I love {almost} everything about this age. She is so inquisitive, brave, adventurous, and not to mention cute.

Oh the life of a toddler. 

This weather we've been having lately is just PERFECT. I wish it could stay this way all year long. It's cool enough for open windows yet warm enough we don't need sweaters. I love opening our windows and letting the cool breeze blow through. 

Nothing Special

I've been under the weather this week. It started Wednesday and is just kind of sticking around. I'm thinking it's probably allergies. Which is so unfortunate because we have had the BEST weather this week. So in spite of my feeling bad I've tried to get out with Emma Claire in this gorgeous weather as much as possible. Saturday evening I loaded her in the stroller and we headed out for a walk and some park play time. And I also grabbed my big girl camera so I could video some and get better pictures.

Something new- she LOVES the "srooo-low" And my jogger broke so we've been using the one that came with her infant carrier...she may love it but momma does NOT. Time to fix that jogger ;-) 

Before we went to the park we walked to the gazebo and clubhouse at the front of our neighborhood. I envisioned cute pictures of EC inside the gazebo or running around in the big green space. Did I get those? nope. But you bet I got some of her playing with her pile of rocks she gathered. 

 

When I laid down to get a better angle she laid down too. Cutie pie. 

I did get this one with the gazebo in the background that I love. 

 Once she had enough fun at the gazebo ahem...playing with her rocks, we headed to the park.

She had fun swinging in the "baby swing" for about 10 seconds. Then she wanted to swing in the big girl swings. So I let her...

And then I cried because she looked TOO BIG sitting in this swing! 

But she loved it. And miraculously didn't ever fall out, even when she did THIS! ha!

I tried ALL summer to get a cute picture of her with a dandelion. And I got one on this night. One  day before the official start of fall. Better late than never, right? ;-) 

After playing at the park we headed back to our street where Emma Claire found two of her favorite people. Izzy and Riley, the neighborhood kiddos. If they are outside playing, heaven help her, Emma Claire will go out and say hi to them. Since I had my big camera I asked them to take a picture with Emma Claire. I know she will FLIP OUT when I get these printed. 

Really, I need to just fasten my big camera to my neck. Because I seriously don't ever regret taking it out with me. I love the iPhone and its ability to instantaneously capture moments, but I really do cherish the big, beautiful, high res images that I get with my full frame camera. Especially when those images are of nothing special, just ordinary, every day life.