We Love California

We decided to take a little family vacation to California.  Anna and Jake are living there for the summer so we had a free place to stay right near all our favorite places.  Our first day there, Anna and Jake laid some big news on us.  They are pregnant!!!  Emmy will be getting a new cousin in December!  We were so excited to hear the news.  It added something special to an already great trip.  While in California, we got to see Anna and Jake, visit Great Grandma Wilma, take Emmy to Seal Beach and we snuck in some much needed Disneyland time!

It was Emmy's very first trip to Disneyland, but hopefully will not be our last.  We actually only went for a few hours in the evening, but it was still really fun to take her into the park and experience some things.  Emmy was very curious on the tram ride from the parking garage to the entrance of the park!

Emmy is too small to ride a lot of the rides, but there is still plenty to do with a baby at Disneyland.  We took her over to the Mad Hatter and tried on various hats and Minnie headbands.  She wasn't a huge fan of having things on her head.

Still adorable, though.

The picture above is right before we got on Alice in Wonderland, which was also Emmy's first Disneyland ride.  We have video of footage of her taking it all in.  She was wide eyed the whole time and just kept looking around at all there was to see.  It was so fun watching her little self on her trip through Wonderland.

What a cutie!

Emmy was absolutely over the moon watching the Electric light parade.  It was definitely her favorite part of the day.  She was such a trooper all day and was in such a good mood despite the long hot day we had.

We are glad we got a few hours as a family at the Happiest Place on Earth!

We took Emmy down to Seal Beach for a fun day in the sun over the weekend.

This is the cute little shell shop Sean's Grandpa Walker would always take him to when they would go down to Seal Beach Pier.  We had to stop in for some memories and to show Emmy her father's life history.  We even picked up an ornament to hang on our tree this Christmas.

Emmy rode on Daddy's chest while we walked along the pier.  Sean mentions the seal statue every time we visit and insists on rubbing the nose for good luck.

It was great weather, and after a walk on the pier it was time to get in the water!

Emmy's first time in the ocean!!!

She was giggling and squirming playing in the shallows with Daddy.

We packed a lot in during this trip.  In addition to Disneyland, the beach, and Grandma Wilma visits, we were able to catch an Angels game with Anna and Jake.  Sean grew up going to Angels games with his family and he was excited to break out his Mike Trout jersey his parents gave him a few birthdays ago.

Emmy was a trooper and liked looking out over the field.

It was a great game to go to because we saw some home runs and the Angels won!

Emmy didn't quite make it to the end of the game, but she loved snuggling up with Daddy, and appreciated him covering her ears when the fireworks were going off so she could keep sleeping.

One of the last things we did before leaving was attend church at the Seal Beach ward where Sean's Grandma Sherry and Grandpa Art lived.  We decided to go so we could introduce Emmy to Sean's Great Aunt Marlene, who is his Grandma Sherry's youngest sister.  We were glad to be able to see her.

It is always fun to go back to California and this trip was no different!

Great Grandma Wilma Meets Emmy

Sean's Grandma Wilma had a bad fall in her driveway this year, and was in the hospital for quite some time with some different problems.  She was having a tough time, but seemed to be always making great progress and improving no matter what she faced.  I knew Sean was anxious for Emmy and Wilma to meet and since she had been in the hospital so long it seemed like a good time to go for a visit since she definitely needed some visitors to help raise her spirits.

Emmy was comfortable with Great Grandma right away!  She had fun playing and snuggling in the bed.

Emmy also met her Great Uncle Pat for the first time this trip!  She thought he was funny and giggled at the faces he would make.

Emmy liked meeting all the members of the family for the first time.  Here she is with her Great Uncle Pat and Daddy.

Grandpa Wayne Visits

My Dad had a work conference in Memphis this year, so he scheduled in some time over the week to come and visit us!  He stayed downtown near the University of Memphis Law building but then made it out to see us a few nights and stayed with us before he left on Saturday!

He was determined to babysit, and he did!  Emmy went down to bed and was already asleep when Sean and I left, but I think it still counts!

It was nice for Emmy to get some grandpa time, they played and explored the house!  We took my Dad to Putt Putt Golf, since he enjoys it and we have never been.  Emmy was a trooper and enjoyed every minute.  She was all smiles, because Grandpa Wayne was destroying Mom and Dad on the course.

Grandpa enjoyed seeing how well behaved, happy, and easy going Emmy is all the time.  We missed Kimberli and Emmy's 3 teenaged uncles, but look forward to seeing them in the fall!

Being Sick Is No Fun

Emmy had a rough evening.  She was teething and having a hard time sleeping.  She would just cry and cry and cry, and only wanted to be held and snuggled close.  We would give her Tylenol to try and ease the pain, and it would help but she would still be moaning while she slept.

She was so sweet and snuggly, but it was so hard to watch her in so much pain.  Sean took this video of her trying to relax and sleep.  She is so pitiful, it is so sad to see her like this.

She did finally get relief from her achy teeth and was able to sleep.  Poor little Emmy Rae

Pink Pedicure

I got anxious to give Emmy a little pedicure.  Her toesies are so cute, and I thought for summer she could use some pink polish.

Since she is so squirmy when she is awake I waited until she was napping.  I snuck in and painted her toenails while she slept.

She woke up to cute pink little piggies!

Jack's Baby Blessing

A week after driving 10 hours to Houston for Brett's wedding, I drove 8 hours north to Indianapolis for John Joseph Naylor VI's baby blessing.  Little Jack is the son of John Joseph Naylor V, my best friend and old roommate.  I was flying solo for this trip and so I indulged in my guilty pleasure road trip food: Mountain Dew and Cheetos.

On a side note, this was my first time in Kentucky (driving through) and Indiana.  I had no idea Kentucky was so beautiful.  At least Western Kentucky was.  I made it to Indiana and met Jack for the first time.  He was so tiny compared to Emmy.  I forgot that Emmy was that small once.

Joseph and I got in a round of golf on Saturday before the blessing on Sunday.  Joseph did a great job and I was honored to stand in the circle to bless Little Six.  After church, everyone got together for some good food and visiting.  Joseph's parents gifted him and Abbey all six John Joseph Naylors in chronological order. Pretty cool legacy!

I'm glad I was able to make it to the blessing.  The Naylors are a great little family.  Jack is cute and Joseph and Abbey are already great parents.  Hopefully Jack has the game someday to woo Emmy.

Dad's 1st Birthday

Fiesta Forever!  It was Dad's birthday while we were in Houston for the wedding this weekend.  Since we were so busy with wedding festivities and getting geared up to drive back home, we decided to have Dad's birthday on Saturday night before his actual birthday on Sunday.  

We went out to eat, which I always love, and tried an awesome Mexican place in Houston.  Mom and Dad really love Mexican.  Dad's two friends Kyle and Trevor Anderson came with us.  They are fun, and Dad for some reason thinks they are quite hilarious!

Since we were at a Mexican restaurant they brought Dad out a sombrero to wear while they sang some crazy song in Spanish.  I don't understand Spanish, but Dad seems to always know whats going on.  Also, I found out that on your birthday you can get a free dessert!  Dad is the luckiest.  Hopefully when I get older he will share some of that ice cream with me!

A Houston Wedding

#BrettHollyWedding2015HoustonWeHaveAProblemSpectacular

One of my best buddies, Brett, tied the knot in Houston!  He married Holly Larson, who happened to be my mixed doubles partner on the BYU Intramural Tennis circuit of 2011.  We won the championship and a cool t-shirt.  It is humbling to know that I am the common bond between Brett and Holly, and basically am the reason they are even together.  You are welcome, guys.  They were married in the Houston Temple on a beautiful day.

It was a great weekend full of happiness and celebration.  It was also another reunion of the Forbidden Fruits!  Here we are in the traditional Flying V formation.  I loved seeing all my roommates again and goofing off like old times.  For Brett's bachelor party the night before we went to Top Golf and then got some Whataburger.

I brought my girls with me on the trip.  We drove to Houston from Memphis, which ended up being about 10 hours,  Emmy's first road trip!!!  We drove through the middle of the night so that Emmy could sleep most of the trip.  That was a very good decision.

She was so cute in her little dress.  

Once the ceremony was over and pictures were taken, we got a quick family photo in front of the temple.  It was a warm day but not unbearably hot.

After a quick nap for Emmy in the afternoon, it was time for the reception!  I just have to say at this point that Brett & Holly's reception was the fanciest of all the roommate weddings to date.  There was a cocktail hour before the actual reception, where we could get endless flavor combinations of Italian cream sodas.  Delicious.  Then there was an actual sit-down dinner provided.  Delicious.  Brett wrote and performed an original song for Holly.  Not as good as Two Dreams, but still a nice gesture.  My favorite part of the night though, had to be the unveiling of our party shirts.  Mama Anderson outdid herself and made each of us our custom shirt.  Mine featured Mickey Mouse.

I take it back.  My favorite part of the night was hanging out with this little girl!  She had so much fun dancing with Cory and me.  She really was a trooper through the whole day.

It was a fun party, but Emmy was ready for bed when we got back to the hotel.  She has pretty much outgrown her little bassinet, but she slept well.

The next morning, while Brett and Holly were heading off to their honeymoon, the rest of us woke up for one more day in Houston.  We decided to head down to Johnson Space Center and check out what NASA was up to.  Emmy took her time getting ready in front of the mirror.

NASA!!!

NASA!!!

Mission Control for the Orion Missions to Mars!!!

Big Rocket at NASA!!!

So...NASA was alright.  You saw the highlights in the pictures, but I thought it was going to be a little bit cooler.  We didn't go see the astronaut training facilities because we had to drive Joseph to the airport, but Kyle and Trevor said those were pretty cool.  We let Emmy get acquainted with Kyle a little bit more since we agreed that if she turns 18 and Kyle still isn't married, we might try to arrange something.  This could be the start of something beautiful.

After a long day at NASA we just kind of lounged in the hotel room.  Emmy and I ate some Whataburger and watched playoff basketball.  When Kyle and Trevor got back from NASA we all went out for my birthday dinner.  Did I forget to mention that Brett planned his wedding on my birthday weekend?  Jerk.

In all seriousness, so many of my adolescent memories are great because of my friendship with Brett, Kyle, and Trevor.  Since leaving BYU, the chances for us to see each other are rare, which is why I cherish opportunities like this one.  I have always appreciated that we have the ability to get together and it feel like no time has passed.  I love these guys, and couldn't be prouder of Brett for marrying Holly.  He married up.

Congrats again to Brett and Holly!!!

BYU Kids

Emmy is a BYU girl, she comes from 2 recent BYU Alumni and has had both sides of the family buy her BYU gear to wear to represent her future alma mater.  Sean says she has already committed to BYU for the class of 2037!

I took this picture on a whim when she was looking cute one day, and Sean entered it into an Instagram contest called #byukids.  She is the only winner in our hearts, the cutest #byukid!

Say Hello To Seven Months

Emmy recently graduated to being able to sit in high chairs and shopping carts.  She is so surprised and shocked about how much she had been missing. 

Happy 7 months Emmy Rae!

Aunt Sarah & A Zoo Trip

Aunt Sarah Came for a visit this week.  It was super fun for us to see her and for her to come see us in Memphis.  We had a great few days and we were happy to show her around Memphis.  Aunt Sarah loved getting Emmy up from her naps, changing diapers and helping Mommy around the house.

One of our favorite stops was the Memphis zoo.  It was a perfect day to go, such great weather and the animals were out and about, which always makes for a fun time.

Aunt Sarah loved Emmy's sun hat, and couldn't believe how big she had gotten since the last time she visited.  She said it is so different seeing all those rolls and pudge in person than it is seeing it in pictures.  Now she understands why people are always commenting on how big she is.

We saw tons of fun animals, the elephants were still Emmy's favorite!  Dad came straight from work to spend some time at the zoo with us, too!  Aunt Sarah's ticket got all of us into the Panda exhibit for free!

Thanks Aunt Sarah for visiting and loving Emmy!  We loved having you and had tons of fun.

Mother's Day

Cory celebrated her first official Mother's Day this year.  We celebrated last year when she was pregnant, but this year was even better.  Emmy just absolutely adores her Momma.  I love my girls, and am grateful for all the things Cory does for Emmy and our little family.  Plus, if you are going to be a momma, it helps when you are ONE HOT MOMMA!!!

Methodist

My first year in the University of Memphis MHA program is in the books, and it was a success.  I worked as a research assistant on campus with flexible hours, which was great to spend mornings with Cory and Emmy.  With the semester ended, and summer starting, it was time for me to start my Summer Internship.  I landed an internship with Methodist University Hospital, and it will even become a graduate assistantship once school starts back up.  In other words, I will be working there for the next year until I graduate.

Emmy was born at Methodist Germantown Hospital, so it is fun to think about working for a hospital in the same system.  It should be a really great experience!