down on the farm.

We live not even twenty minutes from the best farm in Georgia. I look forward to the Fall every year because of this farm. They have a corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, a cow train, all kinds of animals, pig races, a jumping pillow, slides, corn cannons....the list goes on and on. It is enough to keep my two year old (and two adults) entertained for days. Emma Kate enjoyed the commotion, too. She just slept right through it.

My two boys checking out the farm and planning what to do first.



The jumping pillow. P loves to jump....


and jump....


and jump....


and jump....


and jump some more.


Snoozy Emma Kate. Let's see....I think she was just 8 days old here.


The cow train. Poor daddy.



Our best group shot (minus Taylor). This is about as good as it gets these days. P is not really into my camera lately.


Emma Kate's first pumpkin. I just couldn't resist....


P painting pumpkins. Don't tell my husband, but pink is P's new favorite color since EK's arrival. I'm sure this won't last long.


Isn't this place pretty?


We ran into Jeremy, Jill, and Jackson (and baby Truett) at the pig races. So much fun!


Soo wee!


Those little boogers are fast. And, oh so cute. It took me three races to get these pictures. Don't they look like Wilbur from Charlotte's Web? I almost snatched one up and hid it in my sling to take home with me. Not sure the dogs would like an additional roommate, though.


Our view from the hayride. I wouldn't mind taking one of these home, either. Maybe I should just retire and buy a farm. That's the plan anyway....


We had a blast at Southern Belle farm. Can't wait to go back in the Spring for berry pickin'.

her royal highness.

Princess

Emma Kate

sister love.

I love my new baby sister because....

she

makes

a

good

concrete

truck

track.

surprise for p.

Some sweet friends of ours sent P a cookie gram after Emma Kate was born. A "Congrats On Becoming a Big Brother" cookie gram. You should of seen the look on his face when the doorbell rang and the delivery lady asked for him.



Chocolate chip. His favorite.


Thanks Joey and Leslie for making our little man's year. Y'all are the best!

county fair.

Despite Taylor's utter despise of fairs, we took our two sweet kiddos to the fair in our county. It took some convincing on my part. Proceeds from the fair went to benefit the Kiwanis Club, which many of our friends are members. So, I guess you could say that our trip to the fair was a charitable operation. When I put it that way, Taylor hesitantly jumped on board. I just knew P needed to have a good time, and that is just what he did.

My two favorite boys taking it all in....



Sweet Emma Kate was only six days old, so I kept her safe and snug in the sling, tucked away from the hands of those germy carnies.


To my surprise, P had an absolute blast in the kiddie section. He usually isn't a fan of doing things by himself and most of the rides he had to ride alone. He did great!

He took this Jeep ride very seriously. He never stopped steering, even for a second, and kept his eyes on the road the entire time. The Jeeps behind him kept running into his. You should of seen the look of concern on his face. He's a good driver. He already tells Taylor and I how to drive.



P kept wanting to ride this train. It was not a slow kiddie ride. It reminded me of the Mine Train at Six Flags. It was fast, had hills, and slung the little riders all over the place. But P was insistent, so we let him give it a try. The first four or five times around, there was a look of sheer terror on his face. After he figured out how to hold on tight, he squealed with delight.



And, of course, we had to play a game or two. P wanted to play the Goldfish game. Um, nope. Not gonna happen, buddy. I still have vivid memories from when I was little of winning a goldfish at the fair and having to flush it down the toilet not even two days later. I think I was told that it was going to fish heaven. But, I knew where it was really going. To some dark and stinky sewer drain. No goldfish game for us. We ended up playing the fishing game in which he fished for fake fish. I liked this one better.



P watching the Ring of Fire with his fishing prize.


He wanted to ride that crazy thing so bad. (it's kind of like the Looping Starship at Six Flags.) Not sure where he got his adventurous side, but it sure wasn't from either of his parents. We are both terrified of heights and carnival rides are just not our thing. It took taking him over to the ride entrance and having him stand in front of the height sign to convince him that he wasn't big enough to ride the Ring of Fire. He told Taylor, "Maybe I can ride that next year, daddy."

We finished off our evening at the fair with a guilt-free funnel cake and then headed home. It was a great time benefitting a great cause.

first doctor's appointment.

We took Emma Kate for her first pediatrician's visit when she was six days old. Just a basic check-up, complete with weight and height measurements and a thorough baby physical. No shots yet. Not until her two-month visit. (Thank the Lord!) According to our pediatrician, she looks great!


She weighed in at 8 pounds, 7.8 ounces....only 2 ounces less than her birth weight. Not too shabby, since I'm breastfeeding. According to the doc, most breastfed babies don't regain their birth weight until four weeks.


Getting measured in the "height box". She was 20 inches long. Not sure how she lost a half an inch since birth....


Looking forward to watching her grow. Let's see how much she weighs at her four week check-up.

five days old.

Check out Emma Kate's professional pics here taken at five days old by Jenn McPherson, a sweet friend and incredible photographer. Also, see Jenn's link in my sidebar to take you to her website. I absolutely love her work!

emma kate's homecoming.

After four days in the NICU, we were more than ready to bring our Emma Kate home. And big brother was dying to finally get to meet his "baby dista". The NICU would not allow children visitors, so P went four whole days without meeting her. Poor thing. He went door to door in the hospital looking for "her room". We didn't want to scare P by telling him she was sick, so we told him than she was sleeping in the nursery and we couldn't bother her. That worked. Sort of.

We arrived home to find our yard decked out in "It's A Girl" decorations. Thanks, Rita! This was a sweet surprise!




Her first of thousands of car seat pictures. She slept the whole ride home.




Proud daddy.


Proud Beme.


Proud Grandpa. (My dad is so in love with this baby girl)


Proud big brother. Enjoying his "it's A Girl" cookie.



Big brother/little sister pics coming soon. It took a few days of them warming up to each other to get those shots. P loves her so much, though. He just shows his affection when he thinks no one is watching.

Sweet Emma Kate....



Our friends and family have been amazing over the past few weeks. All of the visits, cards, gifts, flowers, and meals have been wonderful and greatly appreciated. I don't know who is more spoiled, EK or P? i think P may have received more gifts....he even got a Leap Frog from Granny and Aunt Jenny.


Glad to have you home, baby girl.