Short (But Sweet) Visits From Grandma

This past weekend, Dena (Paul's mom) came to visit! We had a great time. It started off with the Chaplain Corps Anniversary Dinner on Friday, and not only did it mark the 233rd anniversary of the Chaplain Corps but it also marked the first time I left Emersen with a babysitter who wasn't a relative! Nicole Smith (I know, but still...no relation!) is a very dear friend of ours and she was Emersen's first babysitter! I was naturally nervous, more so because I wasn't sure how Emmie would handle having someone else there to comfort her. Someone who wasn't Paul or myself. Turns out, all concern was for naught. She did really well! Nicole played with her, and had a grand time. She was upset after Valerie left (she brought my dress and stayed awhile) but all was okay after Nicole fed her one of her favorites foods...a pickle! I don't yet have any pictures from the dinner, but it was a fantastic night. We met Admiral James Simons, and his Chief Of Staff! Chaplain Brown ( a man near and dear to our hearts, we were stationed with him at Cherry Point) met Dena and insisted she and I meet the Admiral. What an honor! This is not normally bestowed upon sailor's wives and moms! Shortly after dinner, there was a cake cutting ceremony and man the cake was tasty! Once we had eaten our cake and made the rounds, I was ready to get back home to my sweet girl and my feet were KILLING ME! Stay at home moms don't typically spend the day in four inch heels you know! Although, I was feeling like such a lady in my dress, heels and freshly manicured fingernails. (Thanks Mom!)

Saturday we spent shopping! Well, at least a little bit of shopping, and some printing of portraits for Mom to bring back to Texas with her.

We also found a skosh of time to spend hanging out on the floor with everyone's favorite tiny friend. She was more than willing to ham it up for the camera! I know that doesn't shock a single person out there who also knows this baby's mom! Emersen really took to her Grandma! It wasn't long before they were hanging out, laughing and playing with her Elmo that she loves more than any of the other thousand toys she has! (Although my old cell phone is a close second.) We went to lunch at Famous Dave's where Emersen ate and ate and ate! Apparently, she really likes barbeque! Hmmm...there must be some of Paul's genes in there after all!
On a completely different note, Emersen has a deep love for Arrowroot cookies, and since we ran out before Nana could ship us some...I broke down and bought her Biter Biscuits. (They have a few too many chemicals for my liking, but hey...they keep her entertained for about twelve minutes!) Although Nana did save our lives a couple days ago by shipping two boxes of the naturally made practically chemical free Nabisco arrowroot cookies. (Thank You Nana! Even though you are in Cabo San Lucas right now, swimming up to a bar in a pool and we are freezing our bums off in the rain!) As you can see from the grime on her face, she had a great time with the biscuits, chemicals and all...and I had a "great" time scrubbing her cheekies!


It's that time again! Most of you will remember that every so often I take Emersen's picture with her Build-A-Bears. The most recent addition is Chilly The Penguin and his little friend. Build A Bear sends coupons, or we'd never even entertain the idea of purchasing these overpriced, but incredibly adorable and soft friends. I believe this is the fourth or fifth picture in the series so far. I can't believe how my tiny baby has grown! Those bears used to be bigger than her! Then there was the picture where she looked like one of the stuffies! I'll continue to mark her growth with these bears as long as she'll let me!
Now, I know you can't see her precious face in this picture...but her face wasn't the point! The purpose of this photo was to show you her first pair of shoes! Real shoes, with rubber soles and velcro (God Bless the inventor of that stuff!) to keep them on! They are precious, and just a size two! They were also on sale, so I bought another pair in the next bigger size! Nothing like the realization of your little girl growing up than watching her walk around a store with her shoes on! My how time flies when you are having a blast!

Well, it's this mommy's bed time! I have to be careful with bedtimes because I never know when my little monster (sweet baby girl during the day, monster at four a.m.) will wake up!