Emily turned 2 years old last Saturday. We took her to Chuck E. Cheese for her birthday since the weather was not good for Disneyland. She loved all the rides at Chuck E. Cheese and she especially liked the freedom to run all around. We had a cute little birthday cupcake for her but she was not interested in eating it. Here are some pics of her special day.
Last Sunday was the Blessing of the Animals at our church. While most people brought their live pets we chose to bring Emily's stuffed pet bear, whose name is Happy. Father Norm blessed Happy and sprinkled holy water on him. Emily was so cute as she handed Happy over to Father Norm for his blessing.
We had so much fun with Emily, Lily ( Emily's sister ), and Angelique ( Lily & Emily's birth mother ) at the Pumpkin Patch last Saturday. Emily rode a pony for the first time and Lily loved the train. The girls are so bonded and had so much fun together. We are so thankful that we are able to see Lily so that they can grow up knowing each other.
Emily and I went to Babies's 'R Us last weekend and I bought her a Tinkerbell chair. It was on sale finally, I had been looking at it for some time. Doesn't she look cute sitting in it just before we went to church last Sunday?
Emily loves water. She was so ready to get in the turtle pool and splash around. She loves to be outside so she can play with her big dog, Morgan, and her sandbox too. I am so excited that she loves to go in her pool, being that I was a swimmer when I was younger. Can't wait to enroll her in swim lessons!
While I was in Fort Collins visiting Rachel & family, she told me about these really cool slow drip mini popsicles that she buys for Tyler. She told me they are hard to find in California. I lucked out! I went to Ralph's and got the last package. Only problem was, Emily wasn't real sure she wanted to try one. One lick and that was all she wanted. No problem, I finished the rest of it!
Lily has proven to be an exceptional big sister to Emily. She shares with her, kisses her and plays so well with her. Emily adores her and follows her everywhere, as this video shows.
Today we went to Emily's 18 month check-up at Dr. M.J.'s. Here are her latest measurements:
Here is a video we took last Sunday at church. It is the pre-school choir from our church's academy. In another year, Emily, will be a part of this wonderful group. She will start going to St. George's Episcopal pre-school in October of this year, 2 half days a week. Make sure you turn off the music at the bottom of my blog before you listen to the video.
We had a wonderful day with Lily last Saturday. Emily smiled and laughed all day with her sister. Their bond is strong and they play so well together. What a fun day we had!
Larry's mom hosted a wonderful adoption party for us last weekend. We had about 50 people attend. It was very special because three of my former foster children were there. I took care of them as newborns and look at them now. They were amazing at the party and were so sweet and loving. Their adoptive parents have told them about us and have pictures of us in their homes. The sweetest thing was when Alexis (the one in the pink dress with long hair) put her head in my lap after we opened all of Emily's gifts and just let me stroke her hair, like we never parted. What an amazing day! The video shows Alexis, Lauren and Brenna who are now 5, 6, and 7 years old.
While we were in Florida for Easter, my sister-in-law, DeeJay, tried to get Emily to play the piano. She really preferred to just open and close the cover but did try a few notes.
After many attempts to get Emily to drink from a sippy cup, my sister-in-law had us try just letting her drink from a cup without a lid. We gave her half of her plastic Easter egg to use. She did great and barely spilled any water at all.
Our Florida trip was fabulous. We stayed with my brother, John, and sister-in-law, DeeJay, in Gainesville. We were spoiled rotten while we were there and Emily was so happy there meeting all her new relatives. DeeJay cooked her heart out for us and we had so much fun hanging out with them. My nephew, Nick, and his new wife, Jessie, were able to join us for Easter with their adorable new puppy. DeeJay's parents also came for Easter, how I love them both! Emily was an angel on the flight there and back and we had so many comments about how beautiful and good she was on the plane.
I just love Emily's laugh. I had to record it because it is just makes me laugh too.
Yesterday we went to the Lamoreaux Justice Center and our adoption of Emily was finalized. All of the people who work there could not have been nicer. They really made the occasion so very special. The judge was so sweet and so patient. She allowed us to set up a video camera and tape the whole proceeding. They kept saying how beautiful Emily was and what a very special day this was. We invited family, our pastor, and some friends to share in this awesome occasion with us, including two of our social workers from Kinship Center. Here are some pictures of us at the adoption finalization.
We are so excited that Emily's adoption process is coming right along. On February 4th we sign adoption placement paperwork which makes her no longer a foster child. We become her "adoptive home", and her name changes to Emily Marie Phillips. On February 19th we finalize the adoption at the courthouse in front of the judge with some of our family, our pastor, and the wonderful social workers who helped to make this happen. Kinship Center (our foster/adopt agency) is having a celebration for us afterwards. What a blessing this little girl has been to us.
Emily looked so grown up in her new outfit we just had to take her picture. Then off to church we went. What a hit she was there! People were lining up to see her...so funny.
