Staying Home

I'm very thankful that I get to stay home with my daughter. She does adorable stuff all the time. The other day I had the video camera downstairs while watching kids. one of the others was eating when Emily started kissing Alberta, the stuffed monkey I got when I was about 11.

Here are a few recent pictures too! Check out the teeth!

Saying Goodbye to another Friend

I am not yet 30. At my age, you never think about friends dying. Its been almost 4 months since Cassie went to heaven after a battle with cancer. I still think about her often, and pray that no one else I'm close to ever has to go through what she went through. I'm fortunate though, because as a teenager I never lost a friend to a car accident or anything like that, Cassie was the first close friend that was young that I lost. When you lose someone you think of all those things you've always said you'd do and looking back at what I've gotten to do, I've had some great experiences. When I was 13 I said I wanted a nametag in Yellowstone that said Lori--Missouri. In other words, wouldn't that be the greatest place to work. Ten years ago, I got that nametag, had an extraordinary summer that I wouldnt have traded for anything. I spent the following two summers out west, loving the land, discovering things about myself, and making close friends that would move mountains for you if needed. Where am I going with this rambling? This week I got news that one of those close friends...someone I spent almost every waking hour with the summer of 2000 passed away. Melissa's family doesn't know why. She was 25 years old and simply didn't wake up Monday morning. She had three small children, ages 3, 4, and 5. So many questions left unanswered and again, all I can do is think back on all of the good times we had, from working at the sheep center, Melissa putting on the sheep costume while I sat beside her nearly frozen in the fourth of July parade, to the late night phone calls after the summer had ended. And then there's the past few years, we've both been busy with life, an email here and there, an occassional phone call, but not a lot of communication. But still, I will always think of her as a close friend. And now, the best thing any of us can do, whether you knew Melissa or not, is to pray for her family, especially her husband, as he is now faced with raising his family without a mother, and dealing with losing the love of his life.

While on a somber note, also pray for little Logan, a four year old little boy of a close friend of mine. This week they found out he has cancer and they have begun chemotherapy. Pray for his parents, Diane and Eric as well, because being a mother now, that would be my worst nightmare coming true.

Life isn't all somber, but with an email like this, I think I should wait until another post to add the funny antecdotes (however you spell it) of my life.

For all of you who think I've been cruel

Ok, you know who you are. Many of you out there think I've been totally cruel for not allowing Emily to have solid food. Well, Sunday, that changed. I finally decided we could give her a little solid food as long as most of her nutrition was still coming from breastmilk--regardless of what the gerber ads say about needing to be eating three meals of solid food by now. She started with rice cereal and wasnt terribly impressed. I'm not sure I blame her...plain rice isnt very exciting. Then we added a container of peach baby food with the rice. That was a little better. (Gerber gives some good coupons so I used them and bought a few things of baby food) Then last night, I peeled a fresh peach, added breastmilk to it and pureed it. She kinda gave me a look like that was more like it. It must have tasted better:) I'm not sure what kind of food she will try next. I only have a couple containers of food, so it will probably be something I puree. Hmmm..... I think her grandma has fresh peas in her garden so maybe we will go with peas.

I also have to admit, I felt a little guilty yesterday. When Emily woke up from her nap I told her she looked like Bozo the clown. I love my daughter and I think she's beautiful, but the poor kid has got her mama's hair and when it is humid (which it has been) even as short as it is, it curls in uncontrollable directions.

I got a couple pictures of her eating last night. She's sure she's a big girl and can use the spoon herself. She also has to take breaks while eating to suck her thumb:)

Outside Fun

We love to play outside, even on days when we are cranky, going outside can make us happy. So today we went out for a little while. I think the second bottom tooth isn't far behind the first one, and may even have come in this evening, but whatever the reason Emily was fussy but had lots of fun outside playing in her swing, trying to get kendall, looking at the flowers.

It's Finally Here!

After nearly 4 months of thinking Emily was going to get a tooth everytime she got cranky, she finally has a tooth! She won't let me see it, but she does let me feel (especially if there is something tasty on my finger). Everyone once in a while, I get a peek when she's crying.

Nothing else much new here. Just wanted to report on the tooth.

MORE VIDEO

Here's a couple more videos....and when I actually watch the other 16 I'll post any that need it, but I hate to bore everyone and it takes a long time to upload:)

Video Suprise

The suprise is I'm really not sure which videos I'm uploading:)

Can you believe how much she can do now? If only she could not cry when I walk out of the room.

That's all I have time to upload now, still have more cute video maybe more later.

coming attractions

I have been kinda busy but we have been using the video camera so as soon as i get a few minutes, there will be video!

New Things

Emily is growing so fast, and last week we thought she said hi, then when we were getting ready to leave for Texas on Friday her daddy asked her if she wanted to go bye bye and she waved at him and said bye bye. It was sooo cute! Anyway, she has that down now. And she makes some sound that means kendall...its the same everytime but doesnt sound much like kendall other than being two syllables while she is looking at the dog. No mama or daddy yet though. And on Saturday her cousin just sat her down in the floor and she just sat there. She didn't fall over for quite a while, so she's been doing that too. She did pretty good considering how long of a trip it was. And since she can sit on her own now, the clematis is in full bloom so i sat her in front of it for a few pictures.

I think she was trying to give me the flowers here....and probably babbling while she did it. She babbles all the time, and it will probably soon be more words than just babble!