I have a problem . . . . .

My child is a princess, no doubt about it. 

But what is point of being a princess if you can't flaunt it, right? 

In search of all things pink for a reasonable price I found my newest addiction, Zulily. 

www.zulily.com

 Zulily is an online site that offers children and women's clothing/accessories at bargain basement prices.  It's kind of the Groupon of all things frilly.   And boy do they have frilly things.  Cute dresses, adorable shoes, cheap cheap prices. . .all at the click of a button.  They even have a phone app, so I can access this site from just about anywhere. 

Emma now recognizes the packages and prances around the house saying:

"Another Zulily package just for ME!"

Ah. . I've created a monster. . . .a well dressed, adorable monster. . . but a monster nonetheless.

Here she is in her newest Zulily purchase: a princess dress and pink flats.

Tea Party in the Park!

I wanted to try something new with Em and her quarterly photo sessions.  

I wanted a photographer who was more artistic and free form. 

 Someone that would let Emma's true personality shine and let her lead the way.  

I had admired my friend Heather's photography for some time and she agreed to take on project Emma.   She met up with us one morning for a tea party in the park. .  . .she let Em lead the way, and not only did Em have a fabulous time, but Heather captured some amazing photos. 

I had a really hard time narrowing them down, but here are a few of my favorites!!

If anyone is interested in non-portraity photos; Heather is your lady!  

www.heatherballisonphotography.com

(**Heather B. Allison Photography. All rights reserved. www.heatherballisonphotography.com)

Folklife

Last weekend we headed down to the Seattle Center for the Folklife festival.  It was a perfect day.  We ate fresh mini donuts, listened to international music, got to see a guy swallow a sword, watched a bunch of street performers and Emma got her face painted. 

Why is the face painting such a big deal you ask? 

This is our normal scenario:

Emma insists on getting her face painted. 

I oblige.

We endure the long wait.

It's Emma's turn.

Perfect!?!

Not really.

Emma then refuses allow the person to paint her face and offers her hand instead.  This is usually accompanied by some sort of spectacle and tears.   Sounds like fun, right?

This time was different. 

She announced immediately upon entering the park that she wanted to have her face painted. 

We found a stand and she picked a unicorn out of the painters book.  

We waited patiently in a line that seemed to inch along. 

Brian and I took bets on what would happen.

Emma's turn came around and she hopped in the chair, pulled her hair back, and let the woman paint. 

I about died.

Em wore her unicorn with pride, and I took as many photos as humanly possible. 

Definitely a perfect day!

Kitty Hawk or Bust!

It was about time. . . .after a year of discussing our next big adventure, in April we packed our bags, hopped a couple planes, jumped in a rental car and made our way to Kitty Hawk North Carolina.

Our vacations usually consist of a day here, two days there, and a hip hop and jump around Northern Va and Maryland and an occasional trip to the midwest.  This year I decided that I wanted to have a REAL vacation.  Combine all of our free time into one trip where we actually got to relax.  A vacation where I didn't have to spend most of it in a vehicle trying to fit everyone in.  This year we would go to one place and let those that wanted to see us (I mean Emma)  could come to us. 

Our friend Ryan scored us an amazing house on the sound in Kitty Hawk NC, and both Brian's family and my family as well as our friends Kara and Ryan came to the coast to enjoy the beach with us. 

We had a wonderful time, even though the weather wasn't optimal.  We fished for crabs, sat on the dock reading books, had a few good days on the beach, had big meals with family, and best of all, we got to relax.

Em and I cooking up the blue crab we caught right off the dock.

Our few days on the beach consisted of :

Emma making friends with the wildlife. 

She and Mr. Crow-like bird hung out for most of the afternoon.

Kite flying

Playing on the beach

.

  Hanging out with family:

The Ramey-Anderson-Schroeder Girls

Big bad Uncle Chad and Aunt Cory came down to spend a day with their god-daughter

 Emma and Kim had a fabulous time. 

Emma got to sleep over several nights and couldn't get enough of Kim time. 

These two are definitely kindred spirits.

 One night Em decided to "tatoo" everyone with their names. 

I think I about hit the floor when she started with Tooey.

New Camera Fun!

Its been a crazy few months, which has kept me from blogville.  I am slowly going through my photos from April and May and will post as time allows.

Here are a few of my favorites using my new camera!

Brian and Em at Justin's birthday.

Bubble!

The first (and probably last) time she's ever held a worm. 

 Old Man Tuck posing.  What a handsome devil!

Sunset in Kitty Hawk, NC.

Emma!!

My child in a nutshell:

Me, "Emma you dropped blueberries and ceral on the floor. Can you pick them up?"

Em, "No. Truman will get them."

Me, "Em, Truman's a dog, not your maid."

Em, "Mama, Truman's not a DOG!! He's a GREYHOUND!!"

In the car on the way to preschool,

Em, "Asher did you fart?"

Asher, "NO!!"

Em, "It's okay if you did. Everyone farts. I fart. Mama farts. Truman farts. And Truman farts are stinky."

Em recieved two vaccinations and she informed me, "That lady hurt me. You know, the shot would be a lot better without the thorn on the end. You should tell her."

My mom's birthday was on the 28th. We called her to wish her a happy birthday and Emma asked, "Are we getting on a plane to see grammy after my nap?" I told her no. She then stated, "It's grammy's birthday. We have to fly to see her to celebrate. We can pack all of the ingredients for her cake in our luggage. Okay, mama?"

My favorite Emma quote usually happens when I lay with her in her bed. She often states, "Mama, I really really love you!" And at that moment she could do anything she wants.

Three dogs. . . .three separate techniques

I brought home three 36" bully sticks and gave each dog one. . . .

I realized that not only do they have three distinctively different personalities, they also have three different techniques for enjoying a mega-treat!

The old man guarded his

Mazie laid on hers.

But this method posed a problem with making progress.Truman laid his out and treated it like a cigar. . and was by far the most successful.and decided that sharing with his dinosaur was okay!
"what'cha lookin at? I'm not sharing with you too!"