Emmy In A Swing

Since Emmy is still a baby and can't crawl or walk yet, it is hard to get out of the house and keep her entertained.  She mostly just sits in the stroller.  I have found though, that she enjoys watching little kids.  Anytime there are kids around playing, laughing, running and screaming she gets all smiley and giggley.

I took her to the park to see if she would enjoy the fresh air and people watching.  She was all smiles and very curious.  I saw a few little kids playing on the swings, and was hesitant at first, wondering how Emmy would handle it.  We walked over and I plopped her down in one of the baby swings.

After a few gentle pushes she lit up!  I think we found her new favorite thing!

We Have a 5 Month Old

These months seem to be flying by!

Grandpa Mike Comes to Town

The visits just keep on coming and this time it was Grandpa Mike!!!  We spent a great few days with Grandpa here in Memphis.  Emmy hadn't seen him in a few months and was excited to show Grandpa how good she had gotten at smiling.

Grandpa took us all to the Rendezvous, a famous BBQ place in downtown Memphis.  It was fun to try a new place, but I still think Central BBQ is king in Memphis.

Most of the trip was spent relaxing at home, but my dad and I did get out to see a Memphis Grizzlies game at FedEx Forum.  It was an added bonus that they played the Lakers, our favorite team.

  

After taking Dad to the team store for a Grizzlies hat, we headed to our seats, which were pretty great!  We were heading up the escalator to the upper deck when we saw a nice door with velvet ropes blocking it called the Tennessee First Club.  It looked very V.I.P. and exclusive.  We joked about how we wished we could go in.  Well, once we got to the top we couldn't find our section and an usher pointed us back down the escalator because our seats...WERE IN THE TENNESSEE FIRST CLUB!  We were such high rollers.

We actually are huge Lakers fans, and there were a lot of people wearing Lakers gear around us, but we wore the Grizzlies gear for one specific reason:  THE LAKERS NEED TO TANK THIS SEASON TO KEEP THEIR UNPROTECTED DRAFT PICK!  The more they lose, the better for the franchise at this point.  We caught ourselves a few times cheering for the Purple & Gold and had to hurriedly hush ourselves before we blew our cover.  The Grizzlies ended up winning, and we had a great time.

We also went with Grandpa to the National Civil Rights museum at the Lorraine Motel.  The wreath on the balcony behind us is the spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.  To be honest, I was not expected the museum to be so well done.  It was a really great experience.  Thanks Grandpa Mike for the fun trip!  Come back soon!

What Would Emmy Do?

Sean has been running for president of his MHA Student Association.  

He came up with a couple of silly little campaign slogans, and the class favorite was "What would Emmy do?"  I guess you could say Emmy is his campaign mascot.  I feel sorry for those he is running against, because Emmy is everyone's favorite.

This is his last few days of classes before the election date, and it is time to really lay on the campaigning!  Before he left for class this morning I suggested that I make him a campaign button with his favorite slogan.  He obliged, and while he got ready for school I made it for him.

He wore it to work and class today and said it was a huge hit!  I really feel sorry for his running mates, and Emmy and I think he is a shoe-in to win!

Emmy Rolls Over

Cory and I regularly read websites that detail the stages of development for children.  Recently we have noticed that most sites talk about the possibility of babies who are Emmy's age rolling over.  Emmy, up until about two weeks ago, HATED tummy time.  She wouldn't last more than 10 seconds on her belly before she was having a meltdown.  In short, we didn't think she was going to roll over any time soon.  We were wrong.  

She ended up surprising us one day and started to lift herself up while on her tummy.  I hurriedly got my phone out to film her and we were lucky enough to catch on video her rolling over for the first time, 

Idaho Trip

Emmy and I got the lucky chance to take a flight up to Idaho to visit Grandma Paula and meet her Great Grandmothers on her maternal side.

This was Emmy's first flight and she's only 4 months old.  I was definitely nervous to fly with a baby, it always sounds like it is a stressful event.  Luckily the first flight we had the whole row to ourselves, were able to sprawl out, and had plenty of room to nurse without bothering anyone or feeling like our privacy was being intruded upon.

Emmy was a super flyer, I don't think she really even noticed we were on a plane.  Sean was pretty jealous of Emmy's jet setting because he had never ridden on a plane until he was 15!

We met up with Grandma Paula in Minneapolis and had a few hours of layover so we got some lunch and headed over to the Mall of America.  It's just a tram ride away from the airport. We of course stopped by the Disney store.  Lot's to see and cute shops.  It was freezing cold outside so we stayed bundled up and it was nice and cozy for Emmy in her moby wrap.

It was so fun to get to Idaho, Grandma Paula had set up the guest room with the crib me and my sisters used as babies and even had the quilt and crib bumpers she had made.  You could tell getting ready for her first granddaughters visit had been a labor of love.

The trip consisted of naps with Grandma, baths with Grandma, walks with Grandma, diaper changes with Grandma, and pretty much everything with Grandma!

Emmy's Great Grandma Carol had made her a precious little elephant stuffed animal.  Elephants are Emmy's favorite, so needless to say she loved it.

Aunts soon came into town to visit and got some much needed time with their favorite niece!  Emmy spends most of her time on her back since she can't roll over yet and loved playing, kicking, and talking to all the visitors.

Emmy also made a trip to Boise to visit and meet her Great Grandma Carol.  She was so excited that she was talking and yelling the whole time.  Great Grandma Carol got a kick out of all of Emmy's yelling.  She also loved watching the fan spin and Great Grandma kept her entertained with that.

We tried leaving town after a week, but because of some mechanical issues with a plane we ended staying 4 extra days, which was a treat for Grandma!  We went on long walks and Emmy wore her warm winter coat since it was so much colder in Idaho!

We had a lot of fun, and Emmy can't wait to go back and visit when she is bigger and can play with the dogs and pick strawberries with Grandma Paula.

Emmy Reaches 4 Months

This little girl is getting bigger and bigger!

Valentine's Day

We celebrated our first Valentines Day as parents.  Emmy was in tow to our "romantic" valentines activities.

Somehow our stake conference was scheduled for Valentines weekend, so this made for an afternoon valentines lunch and an evening at the Saturday adult session.  Again, very romantic!

We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Bahama Breeze, for an afternoon Valentines Day lunch.  It is definitely a different experience having a baby hanging out with us.  We enjoyed ourselves and Emmy got the best seat in the house, and ate lunch with Dad.

       

Sean and I exchanged gifts in the afternoon as well.  After almost 3 years of marriage we have learned to just let each other know what we really want!  Sean had asked for cream cheese brownies, and I had my eyes on a big ol' box of chocolates!  We both thoroughly enjoyed our chocolate comas!

Later that evening we found ourselves at the Adult session of Stake Conference.  Again, Emmy joined us and was such a sweet little angel.  She fell right to sleep in Daddy's arms, I guess she found her valentine!

Our little valentine!  

Grandma Page and Halls, TN

Grandma Page came for a visit this week and spent a lot of time hanging out at home with Emmy.  While most of the time was spent relaxing at home, Grandma did pry herself away from the baby girl one day and headed with me to Halls, Tennessee.

Halls is only about an hour and a half to the north of Memphis, and it was once home to my great-great-grandparents.  Mom and I thought we would check out the town on a mini family history excursion.

Halls is also where my great-great-grandparents first met missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Two missionaries were traveling by train across the state and one felt prompted to get off the train in Halls.  The other objected, having heard stories that missionaries weren't received kindly in those parts.  When the train pulled into Main Street Station the missionaries got off and started walking down the road.

Here is Main Street in Halls, where the missionaries got off the train.  They made their way through town and at some point eventually made it to our family home, where my great-great-grandmother was "up to her elbows in flour".  She didn't answer the door at first but after the second knock heard a voice in her head tell her to answer it.  She did, and the rest is history, as they say.

After some time on Main Street, we head to the local cemetery, not expecting to find anything, but curious nonetheless.

While walking through we found two headstones with our family name on them.  Haynes was my grandmother's maiden name.  We have no idea who Julia or Don are, or if they are in our line, but the census in 1900 for Halls was 395 people, and in 1950 it was 1,808.  What are the odds that in a town of less than 2,000 there were two unrelated Haynes families?

It was a really neat day trip with my mom to cap off a fun visit.

Emmy Eats A Lemon

Below you will find a video of Emmy tasting some of the lemon from Cory's water.  She clearly thinks it's sour.  Then again, she doesn't pull away.

A Visit from Grandma Paula

We enjoyed a quick visit from Grandma Paula this week!  Emmy was sporting a new winter coat and we enjoyed some walks in the brisk air.  It is always fun when Grandma visits!

Saturday Afternoon Nap

I came downstairs today to find these two cuties...

I thought it seemed a little too quiet!

Emmy Rae is 3 Months Old

Such a big and beautiful girl!

National Championship

The College Football Playoff National Championship was played on Monday night.  As a family we watched it.  We weren't rooting for either team, but I was surprised how handily Ohio State beat Oregon.  Final score: 42-20.  I was accepted to Ohio State for my Master's program, so basically I am an honorary alumnus.  Go Buckeyes!  Just kidding.

Also of interest was how intently Emmy was watching the game.  She may have inherited my ability to tune out everything else going on in the world when I watch television, especially sports.  We both were in a trance.

Bring on 2015!

2014 was a great year for the Gilmore Family!  Most importantly, Emmy came along, but so many other memorable moments were had.  I would summarize a few of them, but the reason I keep this blog is so I never have to do stuff like that.  If you are curious why 2014 was such a good year for us, you can read all about it on this very blog.

New Year's Eve this year consisted of us discussing some of our resolutions together.  Emmy's is to learn to walk.  I mean, how do you top that?  All of my resolutions sounded silly compared to hers.  Nevertheless, we have them, and they are secret.  If we tell you what they are, you can hold us accountable, and the pressure would be too much for us.  

We had the sparkling cider ready for midnight and watched the ball drop on Dick Clark's 2015 New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.  That is the real name of the show.  I wonder how long they will continue to keep Dick Clark's name on it.  Anyway, while we watched, we enjoyed some chocolate fondue!

On New Year's Day we lounged around the house and ate our black-eyed peas for good luck.  Every year like clockwork my Grandma Wilma calls me and asks if I ate my black-eyed peas, so it must be an important family tradition, and I will not be the weak link in the tradition chain.

We are really looking forward to 2015!

The Boys Are Back In Town

The Brothers Anderson were all in town visiting their family for the holidays this week, which gave us the chance to spend some time with them.  We met at Uncle Lou's for lunch and had some fried chicken with the whole Anderson gang, and then just Trevor, Kyle, Brett, and Holly headed back to our place to visit and play some games.  Emmy, our little social butterfly, had a great time meeting everyone.  It was fun hanging out, and messing with Holly's brain with my game playing strategy.  We are looking forward to Brett and Holly's wedding in Houston.  See you guys in May!

Family in Town Once Again

Emmy has finally met all of her grandparents!  Cory's dad and his family came into town over the weekend to visit, and we had a great time.  They pulled in on Saturday night, and it just so happened to be Davis's 17th birthday.  Happy Birthday!  He chose Red Robin for dinner, so after some yummy birthday burgers we headed home for the cookie cake Cory baked!

I am not the enforcer of the Official Birthday Rules, but Davis did not blow out the candles with one breath.  I'm pretty sure that means his wish doesn't come true.  Better luck next year, Davis!

As part of the celebration, everyone took turns holding Emmy.  I was very impressed with her uncles.  Here is Uncle Logan.  AKA Uncle Log (not the hunk of wood). AKA Uncle Buckets.

Uncle Noah resisted at first, but when you throw a baby at him, his uncle instincts kick in.  

Uncle Davis was pretty sweet with Emmy, although when she got a little fussy he seemed to be more uncomfortable than she was.

On Monday we took a drive and toured Memphis.  It was freezing cold, but we managed to have a good time.  We stopped by campus to see where I work and take classes.  Go Tigers!

After campus, we headed downtown and saw the Mississippi River, Beale Street, FedEx Forum, the University of Memphis Law School, and quite a few other sights.

Still freezing, but still having a good time.  It is always a treat to see family!

Christmas With the Gilmores

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Emmy opening a present from Grandma Page and Grandpa Mike

Emmy opening a present from Grandma Buzz

What a merry Christmas it was for the Gilmores here in Tennessee!  Emmy loved all of her gifts.  We let her open all of her things first.  She was in a good mood, and we were more excited for her gifts than our own, anyway.  Cory and I got some great gifts, though!  I have a new book to start reading.

Cory has some hair to straighten!  Thanks to everyone who sent us gifts.  I hope you can forgive us that we didn't take pictures of each individual gift.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, and calling family.  A few Skype sessions were mixed in, too.

Cory had planned to make enchiladas for dinner, as a continuation of one of her childhood traditions.  I was excited for them, but the time came to start prepping and we realized we didn't have ground beef.  In case you didn't know, grocery stores aren't open on Christmas.  So we shed a few tears and put it behind us.  We ended up going to a Chinese buffet.  It was pretty good.

Emmy's first Christmas with the family was a great one.  I can't wait to do it again next year.  We hope you and yours enjoyed the holiday season, and were able to give/receive some meaningful gifts.  I have tried to get through the entire month without ever saying, "reason for the season", but we do want to share one last video with you.  Traditions can be fun for a family, but the Savior should be our focus at this time of year, and always.

Merry Christmas, from the Gilmores!