glorious sunshine

The last two days have been glorious. GLORIOUS! I love it! We've had our windows open all day today and while it could stand to be a bit warmer, I will not complain! While I was making lunch I let Emery play with her new bouncy balls in the backyard. I was a little apprehensive about this because she's only 20 months but the yard is fenced in and I checked on her every 5-10 seconds from the kitchen window.

I bought the flourescent bouncy balls at Walmart this morning. 4 for $1 and Em was loving them. She was entertaining to watch. I feel like she's a very particular child. By that I mean she knows exactly where she wants to put each item and concentrates on accomplishing her goal. So while I was stirring the mac & cheese she would hold all 4 balls and place them in a pile on one spot of the yard. Then she'd study them; maybe pick one or two up to examine before placing them back down. Then she'd grab the whole group and move them to another spot in the yard. Sometimes she transported one by one. At one point she was moving the group from the back of the yard towards the front one at a time. She would grab the pink one, walk it all the way past the sidewalk and then into it's new destination (on a piece of grass that looked oddly like the one she just moved it from). Then she'd head back for the green one, the orange one, and the yellow one. Each time I checked on her she smiled, waved, and shouted, "mommy!" but kept on task.

Somehow, even with her careful methods she misplaced the yellow one. After her nap we headed back out to look for it. I thought we might split up and 'cover more ground' but she just followed right behind me saying, "umm..nope. ummm...nope" She's a regular bloodhound; we still haven't found the ball. I figure Nolan will find it later in the season with the lawnmower.

I just love experiencing the small things with her. I love to see how she interacts with nature, toys, and any thing she comes in contact with. Even though she's a happy baby, she seems to take things seriously. When she's trying to figure something out, she furrows her brow, holds her hands up and doesn't give up asking until I've given a satisfactory explanation. I'm excited (and a little nervous) to see how this will play out as she grows up.

Yesterday for dinner we met Dad at 'our place' in the park for a picnic! Here are some pictures but you can see more at Shutterfly! We hope you're enjoying the warmer weather as much as we are!