Santa Strikes Again

Well, Chris and I honestly thought Emerson would be too young to be afraid of Santa at 6 months, but boy were we WRONG! She was fine the entire time in line, and as Chris went to hand her off to Santa, the bottom lip came out and the tears came streaming down her face. She cried and cried, poor little thing. I ended up holding her and she quit crying but did the whimpering thing long enough for us to snap a picture. Afterwards she was fine again and we took a few cute pictures.

Before Santa. Looking cute in her pink vest.

Next in line to see Santa. Still happy girl.

Another cute shot of happy girl.

When terror strikes Towne Center.

Terrified of Santa!

Still terrified, but a little better since I am holding her.

The best shot we got, notice her hand on his belly!

Baby happy again and ready to shop!

Santa did not go over very well with most of the Riley kids this Christmas (as you can see below). Madison has the death grip on Brian. They could use that as a good technique to make her behave..."Be good or we will take you to see Santa." I bet it would work like a charm!

You can see where a few of our other friends tortured their kids with Santa, too.

http://www.connorwelch.blogspot.com/- little Connor

http://www.thelittlegreenfamily.blogspot.com/ - little Bella (they do a nice set up at Lenox Mall, don't they?!)

For the entire play by play on Madison and Carter's visit with Santa, please check out their website at http://www.madisonriley.blogspot.com/

This is priceless, when a boy picks Madison up for her first date, I want to be there to show him this picture! Pure terror.

Thanks, Grammy!

A big thank you to Debbie D. for coming to Charleston a few times over the past few weeks and helping Chris and myself out while we get ready for Christmas. We pulled out the holiday decor and did some Christmas shopping too! We really appreciate it and Emerson loved visiting with you. Looking forward to Christmas!

Fridays = Fun!

Today was a fun day for Emerson. She went to Kindermusik in the morning, got to swing for the first time at the Pirate Playground and played dress up with her ballerina tu tu.

Kindermusik: Today was Chris' first time to come to Kindermusik with us. He was not sure what to expect, but ended up loving it. I was so glad he came and liked it because I already signed us up for next semester! Emerson started it in early September and at first just watched but now she is interacting and really enjoying the class. I highly recommend it! I think Emerson was glad to have her Daddy there watching her, she would see him sitting across the room and give him the biggest smile.

Swinging at the Playground: Since it was in the high 70's today, we went on a walk around the neighborhood. We stopped at the Pirate Playground to watch the kids playing and I saw the swings and decided to give it a try. She sat on the front side the entire time and held on for dear life, but seemed fine with it. She did not like the sun in her eyes though. You can see Emerson kicking her feet a bit in the video. We will go again this weekend with Chris and try again.

Tu tu: I know one day Emerson will get me back ten times over for all of the silly pictures I have taken of her. She loves her tu tu and we had fun playing dress up. As you can see, Emerson is working on her sitting skills. She will get tired after a bit and either catch herself with one arm and get back up or just fall over completely. It doesn't seem to bother her a bit though!

Our friends Tracy and baby Alyssa.

Emerson is watching the little boy next to her swing.

A Family Visit

Last Sunday, my Aunt Christi and Uncle Ed (Dad's brother) were in town from Charlotte, visiting my Grandmother. They came by to visit and meet Emerson. Nana, Aunt Pam and her boyfriend, Jack, came as well to see Miss Emerson. Mom was also there. She was nice enough to come twice in December to take care of Emerson while I did some Christmas shopping and get the house ready for the holidays. We had a fun time catching up on my cousins, Caroline and Michael and showing off Emerson's talents. She did lots of talking for them, which got a lot of laughs.

That night, Chris, myself and Emerson went to the Mt. Pleasant Christmas Parade. We had a good time and Emerson did not mind the fireworks. We hung out with the Moye Family and had a nice evening.

Aunt Christi was getting her baby fix!

Notice my mad photography skills- I got the fireworks in the picture.

Full Moons

Emerson received a package of stylish winter clothes from her Great Aunt Linda and Great Uncle Jack the other day, so we tested them out on our walk. It was chilly so we went for two spins around the lake. Emerson must have been cozy under that hat, mittens, longsleeve onesie, pants, socks and blanket that she feel asleep. The moon was so full, it was beautiful. I got a few pictures of it and then when we got home, I saw another moon! Emerson is so hard to keep still for those diaper changes, she wiggles away. So I thought it was fitting to get both moons in one day!

Thanksgiving 2008

Sorry this is so late, but I wanted to get these picture up of our first Thanksgiving with Emerson. She is 5 months in these pictures. We spent the holiday in Aiken. We decided it was best to not go to Atlanta since all the kids were sick. We will have to make up for it over Christmas. Melissa and Thomas spent the holiday with his family, so we missed them as well.

We mostly hung out at the house in our pajamas but did manage to hit the park for a nice walk a few times. I just made a little slideshow of the highlights. In the picture where Jacki is holding Emerson in the kitchen, Emerson had just taken a bite of rice cereal and it looked like she had buck teeth, so we got a kick out of that. Kristy came over and gave Emerson a Christmas gift (that cool nursery rhyme cube I showed you in a previous post) and I got a few good pictures of them.

Chris and I are so thankful for everything we have. Our little angel and our family and friends!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Please note we are not driving in the picture above. We pulled over in a parking lot to feed her lunch. Just like her mom, Emerson likes being in the driver's seat!!!

Hot Stuff!

I am VERY behind on my posts, but this little pose that Emerson struck today sent me over the edge. My mom and I laughed for about 10 minutes. You will see this picture again, promise. Stay tuned because I have a lot more fun videos and picture to post, just need to finish my Christmas cards first! Thank you Polk Family for the precious little Christmas socks, they totally make the picture!

Emerson Playing

Yesterday morning Emerson was having so much fun in her exersaucer I thought it would be cute to tape her. She is so happy first thing in the morning from her 12 hours of sleep! I wish I could get 12 hours of sleep a night. But Chris and I are certainly enjoying our evenings!

Emerson loves her books!

I have been trying to teach Emerson how to give kisses, last night she planted one on me!

Emerson's Baptism

On November 9th, we held a double baptism for Emerson and her cousin, Carter. Both babies were baptized at St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church downtown Charleston. The church has a special meaning to us because Chris and I were married there in July of 2005.

The gown that Emerson wore has the neatest story. It is a Courtois Family tradition- it is 103 years old. It was made for Emerson's Great Grandmother's (Memere) Sister, Annette Dufort, and has been passed down over the years and has been worn over 45 times. The gown was hand made by Valerie Provost Livernois- and it is not just a dress. An ensemble really, consisting of a long silk and Belgian lace gown, a silk long petticoat, long cotton petticoat, a band, a fully embroidered jacket and shawl, a cape, and an embroidered silk bonnet. Emerson wore the gown and Carter wore the cape to keep the tradition going. Thank you, Memere for letting Emerson take part in this very special tradition.

We decided on a double baptism so we could have all of our friends and families together for the occasion. We had the best time. Thank you to everyone that came to Emerson and Carter's baptism. We are so blessed with such wonderful family and friends! Enjoy the slideshow.

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