Bitter Sweet....12 months old

In this last month I find myself taking so many more opportunities to just sit back and look at Emmalee.  Jason and I could not be more proud of the little girl she is becoming.  She is so fun, full of life, happy, caring, and above all, loving.  When I look over the past year, and how fast it has gone, I am flooded with memories full of momentous firsts and memorable moments that will last forever, but more than anything, I am overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude.  I am so thankful that I am the mother to Emmalee Jaye, she gives me purpose and fills me with a joy that can not be matched by anything in the world.  I love her, more than I thought I could love anyone or anything, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE loving her so much!

Okay, now that my emotional rant is done, lets look at month 12 of Emmalee's life.  She had a whopper of a  month before turning one years old.  First of we had our first CHRISTMAS!  Such an amazing time of year to share with a child and the ones you love.  We were busy as could be, but had so much fun.  Decorating the house, the tree, cookies, holiday shopping, our family play, uncle Craig's birthday, cousin Brie's birthday,  and more cookie decorating, wrapping presents, holiday parties, Christmas light walks, cousin Rachael's birthday, snowshoeing, sledding, oh my!  What a fun fun season!  Emmalee loves the snow, not at fist, but now she is a HUGE fan.  We spent New Years in Lake Chelan as a family, and we enjoyed lots of snow fun filled activities  as well as some much needed family R and R.  I must say, we can not get enough of that place!  It is the best!

Next of course we celebrated Emmalee's big day!  On her actual birthday we had a pancake breakfast, which she loved, went to lunch in Fall City with daddy and grandma and grandpa, who gave her a enormous cookie, which she loved.  Then we had a fun filled evening playing in the yard, in the dark none the less, and of course Emma's first cake.  She loved it, and we enjoyed watching her eat it, but the best part was that she actually blew out her candle....wonder what she wished for?

The following weekend we had a lovely birthday celebration for Emmalee, filled with family, friends, and lot's of love.  Some of the people we hold most dear filled our home to come and help Emmalee celebrate turning the big 1!  Everything was done in a snow theme, in honor of the January snow that Emmalee was born in, and she enjoyed all the snowflakes, balloons, and birthday decor in honor of her.  Of course her favorite was her snowman cake, which she cautiously devoured!  She got some amazing gifts, but most importantly, she had a really fun time!  Thank you to all who came and made it such a special day!

What can I say?  We have had a great year, and while it is super hard to say goodbye to the first 12 months and all they held, we can't wait to watch Emma keep growing and becoming an even more amazing little girl!

Most Memorable Moments:

-First cake, cookies, sweets!  LOVED THEM!
-Sledding and snowshoeing, loves being in the snow.
-Her two top front teeth coming in!  So unbelievable painful looking, and so incredibly cute too!
-talking, so many new words and attempts at conversation!  "Backpack, rock, duck, grandma, grandpa, mommy, daddy"
-Laughing (always my favorite)
-So many hugs and kisses--lovable to the core.
-Opening Christmas presents, sort of liked it, sort of could of cared less. Was definitely a fan of everything Christmas, except for Santa.
-Brave explorer!  Loves to check out everything!
-Mommy's helper, love laundry, sweeping, wiping the floor with toliet paper that she unravels in huge wasteful amounts! ; )
-Loves people.  Despite some shy and cautious moments, Emma really is easy going and loves to hang out with others, especially her little peeps!