So here are a few pictures to catch up- there are a lot more, but they are on other people's cameras! :)

Here's Emma Kate enjoying the bubble machine- she was running up and down this strip of grass and just making all kinds of funny noises and screams, she was having such a blast!

Gretta was mesmerized by Emma Kate's craziness, she quite enjoyed the bubble machine too!

Emma Kate showing off one of her new favorite sundresses, unfortunately I spent the whole week taking pictures with a smudge on the lens... :(

Showing off her butterfly boots

Working in the garden with Daddy- she was such a big helper, tilling up the soil, digging rows, planting beans... no plant is safe when she has a tool in her hand! She's getting better about knowing which plants are to be left alone- "to grow, grow, grow" as she says...

Pictures are still to come... we've been dealing with another family crisis- Mom (Mimi) woke up Sunday morning feeling extremely weak and sick, and over a few hours was feeling well enough to crawl into the car to get back home. After no improvement and possible deterioration through the day, she finally went to the ER and got examined. A CT was performed and they concluded that she was bleeding from her spleen. They suspect that the CMV that she had been battling for weeks had apparently taken it's toll and weakened her spleen to the point that I guess it ruptured (I'm a little hazy on the details of what exactly the pathogenesis was). She was taken to surgery in the middle of the night and had her spleen removed. She is currently in the SICU and pretty well doped up on Morphine. She will be there for a few days before moving to a regular room. We're not sure how long she will be in the hospital. We understand that she is doing well, is comfortable, and is pretty sedate. We plan to head that way to help out however we can before leaving for Cincinnati on Monday.

A great day for a great party!

We've been busy lately making plans for the "Thank you" party for friends and community members who helped get us through our tough times last winter, and finally the day arrived. We had gorgeous weather, a wonderful setup, and a lot of great people showed up! It was wonderful to see everyone and get a chance to say thank you, we had a delicious lunch and played fun games! The music was a great backdrop to the party, and even the kids were venturing out around the farm exploring things and having fun. Emma Kate warmed up to so many people and was having a blast, even skipping her nap didn't seem like a problem! We were so touched that so many people traveled long distances to be here with us, and we are so thankful! We will be putting up some pictures soon, there are a lot to post from the last week or two that have been building up- things have been so busy here (I find myself saying that an awful lot!) and I have yet to get around to it!

DORA!!

We accomplished a lot today, and one thing was errands... we bought some new summer clothes for Emma Kate, since apparently it's going to be hot now... :/ She had SUCH a ball going through them at home and "trying them on." I think she would have been occupied for *hours* if we had let her. We also got her a set of Dora sheets for her bed (Daddy's idea) and she was ecstatic!!! It was hilarious, she got so riled up over it and of course it was right before bedtime. I wish I had a picture of the joy on her face when she laid down on her Dora pillow, with Boots right beside her head. I think she was even talking to them a little bit!

Here's a little glimpse into our safari adventure... it was so much fun!!

Uncle Maffis' (Matthew's) med school graduation weekend!

We're back home after a great long weekend in Richmond celebrating my brother Matthew's graduation from MCV with his MD! We had so much fun and were happy to see so many family members there too! We're so incredibly proud of Matthew, and excited to see how the next 4 years go while he does his residency in orthopedic surgery at UNC! The picture above is one you will be familiar with by the end of the post- Gretta was having flash-backs to when Emma Kate was in the hospital- she got to take so many naps in arms and was just loving it! :)

There's "Uncle Maffis" on stage, cap off, getting hooded! Woot!

Gretta keeping herself entertained on the floor at Matthew and Chelsea's house

Pre-graduation lunch at Tobacco Co in Richmond, it's been eons since I've eaten there- what a cool old place that is!!!

Dixie dog enjoying her last few weeks of pug-fun. She has stayed with Matt and Chelsea or Mimi and PopPop's since mid-December, I think, and will be coming home this summer, but she has definitely enjoyed having a fenced back yard and other dogs to play with! She's going to be so bored when she comes home, after all, there's no more chicken poop to eat in the yard. :/

Gretta enjoying a dance with Auntie Jamie and cousin Ben

Emma Kate had so much fun with one of my old dolls, "Squeak Baby." She loved having all the different stuffed animals at Mimi and PopPop's house, and especially had fun putting diapers on and taking them off of various dolls and animals... :)

Emma Kate figuring out the Magnolia tree

Gretta- you guessed it- taking a nap on Daddy's shoulder!

Emma Kate and PopPop watching gifts being opened

Gretta- you guessed it- taking a nap on Mimi

Happy happy times! :)

Emma Kate playing in Mimi's shoes- she had so much fun on this little pathway through the back yard- she went back and forth on it countless times, often trying to avoid stepping on the spaces between stones. It was so fun to watch her entertaining herself!

Emma Kate, informing me that she, in fact, could *not* smile, because her face was (and I quote) "Very dirty, dirty."

There he is, the man of the hour, and finally done.

On the way home today, we thought we would stop for a quick visit at Va Safari Park, near Natural Bridge. Little did we know we were in for hours of fun! They have a cute little gift shop that was fun to walk through, a wonderful zoo exhibit- including 2 tigers, some very horny warthogs, various monkeys, kangaroos, tortises, goats, llamas, and so much more! Then we were off to do the drive-through safari, which was miles and miles long! It was quite impressive! We saw tons of animals, and so many of them came right up to our car even though we didn't have any food for them! It was so cool! Emma Kate had a big goofy grin on her face the whole time, and would squeal out about the animals when she saw them! Even Gretta was quite entertained! We will definitely be stopping by in the future- it happens to be very close to the half-way point to Mimi and PopPop's house, which is a convenient place to take a break and wear out some girls!! :)

Safari Gretta, complete with ample drool... :)

Safari Emma Kate, fully equipped with her safari hat that was officially (in her words) "a little bit too big"

This is how I feel some days... :) The kangaroo exhibit was so cool- you actually get to walk through with them! Unfortunately, all the many kangaroos were passed out in the shade in the area separate from where we could walk, but it was neat to look at them- we even got to see one of them hopping along to join all the others in their nap. Very cool!

I think Emma Kate would get a big kick out of riding a tortise...

This poor little pot-bellied pig actually had her belly dragging the ground! She was very friendly though and hung out at the fence with us for a little while!

Emma Kate and some Emus- what bizarre birds! They *really* wanted some grain! Emma Kate kept saying "hey, where's my grain, lady!" just like we do when we see Charlie in the barn...

Gretta checking out some zebras and lots of llamas

The camels were incredibly friendly and brave! There was even a sign up saying that the camels are known for stealing grain buckets, and sure enough, as we rounded the corner, we saw a fourth GIANT camel, chewing and *swallowing* a grain bucket! It was crazy!!!

There are more pictures to come... We only had our camera with us for a small portion of the weekend, so we're waiting for more pictures to be posted! We had an amazing time after the hooding ceremony at the Agecroft house in Richmond, and got a lot of beautiful pictures in the gardens! Hope to post them soon!

It's official!!!!

6 1/2 months old and Gretta crawls!!!