Barker Reunion 2009

Ammon's immediate family had a "reunion". I think we can call it that because there are 2 married couples and a grandbaby. :) We met half-way in St. George. Emma had several tantrums on the car ride up. She's used to sleeping on her tummy, so had a really hard time sleeping in her car seat. Like her mom, she is a monster without sleep. (Thanks again Jana for helping out with her. You are a saint!) We got into St. George around 6ish, had some dinner, and then the girls went to Footloose at Tuacahn. It was SO good! Jana's old roommate was one of the leads, and Ren was played by Thayne from So You Think You Can Dance last season. He always annoyed me, but it was still cool to meet a sorta-celebrity. :) Kira, Jana, and I stood in the longest line just to get his autograph and picture. Of course none of us had a camera, but luckily Jana knew someone else (of course she did) who attended the show and had a camera handy. YES! :) We got back from the show super late and I crashed when we got back to the condo. The next morning we woke up UNBELIEVABLY early and headed off to Zion National Park. It is gorgeous, and was about 15 degrees cooler than we were used to, so if felt nice. We hiked Angel's Landing, which was about 1200 feet in elevation. It was steep, so naturally I got a little dizzy--being scared of heights--but it was gorgeous! Ammon backpacked Emma up, and I took her back down because I didn't want her going on the last 1/2 mile of the hike where you are basically crawling on your hands and knees because it's so steep! Once we finished that hike, we went on Weeping Rock, which was a very beautiful natural waterfall.



















Emma had about had it since it was around 3 and she hadn't had a nap or lunch, so we booked it home. Needless to say...once her tummy was full and she had a bath, she took a great nap! The rest of the family went swimming while Ammon and I joined Emma with a nap. The pool in St. George was unnecessarily cold compared to what we were used to. :) Becki and Dallin then taught us how to cook an amazing meal, and I shared my budgeting tips with the fam. We also decorated our family reunion hats, and took our family pictures with our camo bandanas (in remembrance of Elder Kimball...11 months to go!).


We then read scriptures, and got caught up on what we missed on So You Think You Can Dance, of course! :) (By the way...AMAZING show! My favorites were Gravity, Ruby Blue, and Ade's solo. HELLO!) The next morning we woke up early again, went to the temple, ate lunch and Denny's, and headed home! It was super short, but very fun to see everyone. Can't wait for next year!

Here are a few random summer pics...

Emma's 1st Birthday!

Most of this is me writing in my "journal" for Emma's memory book. Feel free to skim & just look at the pictures if you don't like reading (like me) :)

The invites:



Emma woke up at 8:00 (the exact time she was born 1 year ago) on her birthday, which is extremely rare for her to do. Because she was up so early, we got started decorating! We had enough time to decorate the strawberry light fixture, and #1 on the wall before Grandma called and invited us to go to Big Surf.


Emma was in such a good mood (probably because I was), so we hopped into our swimmies & off we went. I had to fill out paper work for Emma's season pass at Big Surf. It was so weird to write down her hair color, eye color, age, and birthday...and then date the bottom with the date, which WAS her birthday! :)

Emma loved Big Surf, but after 3 hours of fun, she definitely needed a nap, and I needed to go back to decorating. Madi came and helped me decorate the front of the house, and babysat Emma while I ran to the grocery store.





Jana was the first to arrive at around 6.

Then came Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Loagie, and Jess with some condiments and fruit...which was a big help!



We ate dinner (Ammon grilled hamburgers & hot dogs) and then we started opening up presents because Madi couldn't wait any longer. Emma did a great job of opening up presents by herself (not at all like her mom).




After opening up a present or 2, Uncle Ty, Aunt Jenn, and Cousin Cam came to the party!


Cambryn did a great job of letting Emma enjoy her day. She only played with the gifts that Emma wasn't playing with at the time.

Emma got a pink & white barking dog (that barks when you pull it) and clothes from Logan & Jess; an alligator bubble dispenser, bubbles, and a baby doll from Ty, Jenn, and Cam; legos, a popper, color shape & number flash cards, a book (brown bear), and clothes from Grandma, Grandpa Brown & Madi. She also got soft books from Great Aunt Lynnette, a pop-up toy from Great Grandma & Grandpa Barker, and a tide pool, books, and cell phone from Grandma & Grandpa Barker that she opened a week ago when Grandma was in town.

After presents, we played a game called "How Well Do You Know Emma". I asked the following questions:
1) What date was Emma born? 6/16/08
2) What was the day of the week? Monday
3) How much did Emma weigh at birth? 8lb 13oz
4) How long was she? 20 1/4 in
5) What was her first word? mama, dada, baba, wow
6) What time was she born? 8:00 AM
7) Who was she named after? Emma Smith & a distinct impression I got while in the temple.
8) What is her middle name? Doesn't have one
9) What do you love most about Emma?
10) What do you want to tell Emma when she can read this?

After presents we sang "Happy Birthday" and blew out the candle. Then we all ate the amazing cake that I made from scratch(I forgot to bring the ice-cream out! dang it!). Emma got the biggest piece and ate every bite!




Then we played outside with her toys until everyone had to go home. Emma was such a trooper. She got a little upset in the middle, and just wanted me to hold her. Maybe a little over-stimulated? Otherwise, she had a great day! Thanks to everyone who made it special!!

Happy 1st Birthday our little Emma Shortcake! We're so glad that you decided to join our family a year ago. You are such an amazing spirit & have truly blessed our lives! LOVE YOU!! :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

she's getting so BIG!

Tuesday Emma is 1 years old...SO SAD! I miss my little baby! She's growing up so fast, and I'm not ready for it...mainly because I'm not ready for another baby to take her place. :)

Emma's current events:
1) Emma took her first steps at 10 months, and has walked everywhere since 11 months. She finally will wear shoes, which is a blessing! :)
2) Emma's hair is long enough for those lil piggy tails & Pebbles's ponytails.
3) Emma loves swimming...almost too much!
4) Emma loves getting into everything, and still puts everything into her mouth.
5) Emma has started jabbering, but only knows a few real words. Her favorites are "wow", "dadda", "momma", and "baba",
6) Emma loves to play peek-a-boo, and loves to be chased.
7) Emma sleeps around 12-13 hours a night, and takes between 2 and 3 hours worth of naps during the day. She's still a growing girl, but loves sleeping like her Momma! :)
8) Emma loves it when Daddy gets home from work. She won't even let me hug or kiss him when he's holding her. She always pushes me away.
9) Emma's next doctor's appointment is on the 24th, so we'll know her percentiles then. I'm going to speculate that she's in the 90th for height, 80th for weight, and 90th for head. Any other guesses?
10) Emma loves singing and dancing! We'll have to video it next time. Until then, enjoy the pics! :)








Oh, and did I tell you that we painted our den in stripes because we recarpeted? It's like a light beige color in matte and semi-gloss. Thanks Rach for the idea! We love the room, but didn't enjoy the stress during finals! :)