The Marcum Munchkins

Our Christmas 2011

2012-02-10T20:05:00.028-05:00

Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year! We love Christmas and celebrating the birth of our Lord. We were able to have lots of family time and to carry on with some of our Christmas time traditions. Dad took 2 weeks off work and we were so glad to have him home with us.
This year besides venturing out to look at Christmas lights, baking and building our Gingerbread house, we tried something new. A trip to the Galt House in downtown Louisville to see the amazing KaLIGHToscope exhibit. We walked thru many light displays crafted by artists from China.
I would have loved for this picture to be on our Christmas card.

The Holy Family at KaLIGHTOscope

Baking Christmas cookies... some for Santa

Chocolate dipped pretzel sticks with sprinkles
Embry mid-taste. Yum!

decorating our Gingerbread house

Ta-Da !!

Christmas with the Morris'
We drove to Florence, KY (near Cincy) to Uncle Jerry and Aunt Aprile's
Embry and Madeline posing by their life like Santa

the kids opening their presents...
Vaughn may be little but he knew what to do

Christmas Eve
After Christmas Eve mass, we headed to the McKnight's

Family Photo

Aunt Di and Ashley always decorate their tree so pretty!
It makes for a beautiful photo

Vaughn enjoying (and Dad, too) one of his Christmas gifts

Cousin Ashley and Embry doing some interactive reading

Christmas morning... waking up to see what Santa brought

yeah!! princess dress up clothes

what is it, what is it?

Thanks Santa! Embry loves her Easel!

Look what I got!

Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's

Christmas at Grammy's

Christmas seemed to come and go so fast! Amid all the hustle and bustle, presents & Santa, we are trying to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. Embry is starting to understand. When she prayed Christmas night, she told Jesus Happy Birthday and thanked him for sharing his birthday with us (the presents) and for sending Santa to deliver them. As a mother, the things your children say can melt your heart and make you laugh. This one melted my heart.

Fall Fun

2011-12-23T09:52:00.002-05:00

We started the Fall season with a
birthday party for Miss Embry. She
turned 3 years old and we celebrated
with a bounce party at Sigs Sportsplex.
A fun time was had by all (even the
adults who jumped and played in the
foam pit...you know who you are).
We had a good turn out and enjoyed
catching up with family and friends.

Vaughn was baptized in October by Father Bob at St. Joe Hill.
His Godparents are his Great Aunt Cretia and Great Uncle Jimmy Heil

posing for a picture in their Halloween shirts

Our two little cuties...aka Minnie and Mickey Mouse
Happy Halloween!

A trip to the World's Largest Halloween Party at the zoo
Embry was sooo excited to get her picture taken with Shrek & Fiona

Our Time Away

2011-09-28T15:03:00.016-04:00

It's been 6 months since our last blog post. A lot has happened since then. Easter was a little different for us this year. We spent it moving our belongings out of our house on the River and into our temporary home at Grammy's. Our sudden move was due to the rising river waters which ended up surrounding our home. Our town of Utica was told to evacuate and the utilities were cut off. Our stay at Grammy's lasted a little over 2 months and then we moved to another temporary location. We are now living around the corner from our original home until a new (bigger!) home is constructed on the River. We can't wait and things sure aren't moving fast enough!

The River creeping into our yard

Our little ones are growing so fast! Embry just turned 3 and Vaughn is now 8 months old. Embry is growing out of toddlerhood into a such a big girl. Vaughn has learned to sit up, scoot/crawl, and he loves to stand and bounce. He's got 5 teeth all in about a 3 week time.

Although the River isn't right out our window, it is only a block away. We did purchase a Mariah run-about boat from Brandon's uncle. The River is so much more fun when you can play on it.

We recently took a vacation to Orange Beach, Alabama (outside Gulf Shores). We arrived just as tropical storm/hurricane Lee was leaving. It was great to spend some family time at the beach.

It's nice to finally get back to blogging and share our stories with you.

Disney Princesses on Ice

2011-04-01T23:06:00.015-04:00

Two weekends ago we headed to Evansville, IN to see Disney Princesses on Ice. We met up with the Prather's on Friday evening for dinner and some swimming at our hotel. On Saturday, the girls (Mom, Embry, Sara & Gracie) headed to Roberts Stadium to watch the Princesses. We had such a great time! The show was awesome! I think all the moms enjoyed the show just as much as the daughters. It brought us back to when we were little girls. The guys hung out at the Prather's and after the show we headed home.

Embry before the show with her princess shirt

Mickey & Minnie introduced the show

Tinkerbell came out before each scene

The girls HAPPY at intermission

Watching the show

The Princesses
(minus Snow White...didn't get a picture of her)

Ariel

Belle

Sleeping Beauty (awake)

Cinderella

Catching up......

2011-03-29T22:36:00.012-04:00

Valentine's Day

2 GR8 KIDS (my message on a heart)

Mardi Gras

Our homemade masks

St Patrick's Day

Goin' Green

Our Irish...St. Patrick's Day dinner
Loaded Potato Soup, Green Kool-Aid and Green Beer (the beer was for Dad)

Snugglesaurus

2011-03-25T23:13:00.005-04:00

The perfect dinosaur name for our little guy!

He's so cute & chubby...we love to snuggle with him

A Few Firsts

2011-03-23T23:11:00.006-04:00

First Bath
(in the tub after the cord fell off)

First Smile
(Embry was talking & playing with him...she thought he would like the doll)

First Laugh
(should have got this on video)

Salon de Dad

2011-03-22T22:39:00.006-04:00

Dads can do nails too!
One Sunday evening, Embry wanted her nails done.
Mom was tending to Vaughn, so Dad stepped in.
He did a pretty good job for his first mani/pedi and it probably won't be the last.

Introducing...

2011-01-31T19:28:00.011-05:00

Vaughn Allen Marcum
born January 21, 2011 at 7:26pm
10lbs. 1oz. and 23 inches long

We had a quick labor, contractions started at 1:45pm and he was born less than 6 hours later

Vaughn's first photo

Big sister Embry meeting her brother for the first time

Our family of 4

what a big boy!

the "Thinker" pose

The proud big sister...such a big helper

1 week old

Babies are such blessings and miracles from God!
Thank you for their good health!
First a beautiful baby girl and now a handsome little boy!
Our hearts are so full with love and joy!

"Frosty the No Man"

2011-01-15T17:08:00.005-05:00

We finally got to get out and play in the snow!
We threw snow at each other, Embry got to take a ride around the yard on
our sled and we built our first snowman.
Embry loved watching "Frosty the Snowman" during Christmas time.
She even wanted him to come to her house to bring presents with Santa.
I guess he's the one that brought the white Christmas.

Embry was so excited to play in the snow and she kept asking to make Frosty.
We decided to make a miniature version of him on her slide.

Here's Embry with her "Frosty the No Man "(as she calls him)

One last shot of Frosty before he headed down the slide

Happy New Year! 2011 Here we come!

2011-01-07T09:55:00.019-05:00

We had a little party at our house for New Year's.

The kiddos... Ben, Gracie, Embry & Brody

We had a mock New's Years countdown for the kids at 10pm
(they ended getting to celebrate again for the real thing...
none of them went to sleep)

Having fun with our New Year's accessories

Waiting for the ball to drop...

Mom and Dad

Sheryl & JD

Sara & Justin

CHRISTmas time...

2011-01-01T19:56:00.031-05:00

The Morris Family
The gift giving this year began with Mom's side of the family.
We went to Aunt Lovie and Uncle Jerry's house to celebrate.

Cousins (minus Samantha)
Jacob, Seth, Tanner, Madeline & Embry

waiting to open presents...
Seth, Tanner, Jacob, Samantha & her boyfriend, JB

Uncle Jerry, Aunt Aprile & Madeline

Embry posing by the Christmas version of Aunt Lovie's dog, Rudy

Embry ready & waiting patiently to open her presents

CHRISTmas Eve

At the McKnight's
After Christmas mass, we headed to Dad's side of the family.
We went to Great Aunt Diane and Great Uncle Bob's

Embry looking so precious in her Christmas dress

Our family :)

Embry and Grandma

CHRISTmas Day

We woke up to this...a white Christmas LOVE IT!

Our Christmas tree after Santa's visit

Getting into her stocking

This year opening presents was so much fun

Say Cheese! Embry got her own digital camera
(now she can leave mom's alone)

a book all about Embry

Our Christmas morning picture

After we finished up at our house, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's
Embry and Aunt Wendy getting ready to pass out the presents

a shot of the family

Embry in her new car ( a princess corvette)
Thanks Aunt Wendy & Uncle Ricky!

Dancing with Dance Star Mickey

Around dinner time we headed from Grandma and Grandpa's to Grammy's
There we had Christmas with the Heil's

a new tricycle

and PJ's

We had a wonderful Christmas! It is by far our favorite time of the year!
Spending time with family, the excitement of Santa and most importantly celebrating
Jesus' birth! We are so blessed!

Christmas Craft Project #2

2010-12-24T23:50:00.008-05:00

Our next Christmas craft was homemade ornaments.
a little flour, salt and water and there you have it

After we made the dough, it was time to make the different shapes.
We chose hearts (for Jesus' love) and stars (the North Star).

We baked the ornaments in the oven and let them cool.
The next day it was time to paint and decorate them.

The finished "works of art"
Now to put string through them and hand them out

Christmas Activities

2010-12-22T22:49:00.019-05:00

This year's Christmas festivities included several parties, a trip back to the
Lights Under Louisville and Christmas Caroling at Grammy's.

LIGHTS UNDER LOUISVILLE at the MEGA CAVERN

We loaded up the Excursion with Mom, Dad, Embry, Grandma, Grandpa and Grammy and headed to this holiday light spectacular. The Mega Cavern is located under Louisville and is 100 feet below the ground and 17 miles long. It is located under the Louisville Zoo, the Watterson Expressway (I-264) and the Airport. During the year the cavern is used to store boats, buses, etc. and you can even reserve a spot in it in case there's a major disaster. The ride through (in your own vehicle) the Mega Cavern lasted about 30-40 minutes and they played Christmas music the whole time. There were about 500 lit characters with 2 million lights. The drive is slow enough that you can roll down the windows (not cold down there).
Embry got to sit on Grandpa's lap to view the show.

Embry enjoying all the lights

Some of the light displays

they had themes...

CAROLING AT GRAMMY'S

On Tuesday evening, members of Grammy's church came by her house to do some caroling. Mom, Dad and Embry headed over to hear the singing.
Grammy's neighbor, Ina, came over too with her grandkids.
There were about 30 people...youth and a few adult chaperones
(all packed in Grammy's living room).

Grammy with some of the ladies from her church

Gabby, Embry and Gavin waiting for the
caroling

Christmas Craft Project #1

2010-12-21T15:04:00.008-05:00

To keep us busy during the day while the temperatures outside were freezing,we decided to get Christmas crafty.

The constructing of our Gingerbread House

checking our materials

The structure is up
(note the icing on Embry's face)

The finished product
(we didn't get much candy on there...Embry kept eating it)

The Gingerbread House was so much fun to make.
Embry did most of the work (and eating).
I think we'll add this as one of our Christmas traditions!

The Big 3 0hh... Happy 30th Birthday Aunt Wendy

2010-12-17T12:21:00.006-05:00

30 30 30 30 30 30 30

Happy Birthday
Aunt Wendy!

We love you!

30 30 30 30 30 30 30

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-17T10:58:00.026-05:00

SNOW! Definitely a good sign Christmas is coming! Our first snow was December 1st and it's snowed several times since. We've got to get out and play in it!

THE COUNT DOWN HAS BEGUN

a gift from Grandma & Grandpa
an advent chocolate calendar

Our countdown to Santa

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Remind you of anything? How about a scene from the movie
"Christmas Vacation"
The Griswold House...Louisville style
We were driving around looking at Christmas lights and we found this one.
People were getting out of their cars to take a closer look.
It even had a Santa and reindeer roller coaster.
I like to decorate but sometimes... Less is More

O CHRISTMAS TREE

Embry posing

Embry's Christmas collection

ST. JOE HILL CATHOLIC CHURCH CHRISTMAS PARTY

Embry and her cute shirt

Grandpa, Embry & Grandma waiting for our turn to eat

We thought we'd try introducing Embry to Santa here instead of at the mall.
Our photo with Santa
This is as close as Embry got. She cried!
Embry said, "Momma Santa is scary"

Despite not sitting on his lap, he still had a present for her.
A Mickey Mouse microphone

TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

Embry is learning a lot about Christmas this year. She has learned a few Christmas carols with Jingle Bells being her favorite. She has learned about giving presents to others and that if she's good Santa will bring her presents. She helped decorate our Christmas tree and hang her stocking. Besides learning those things, we are trying to teach her the true meaning of Christmas. We've told her about Jesus and his birth and that he is the reason for the season. She is looking forward to celebrating Jesus and his birthday! She wants to sing him Happy Birthday and go to his birthday party.

Sesame Street presents...The Body

2010-11-26T23:43:00.014-05:00

We visited the Louisville Science Center last weekend
to see the Sesame Street exhibit.
Embry had been asking all week to go to the museum.
The exhibit was interactive and all about the body.
We had a fun time...all 3 of us.

Mom and Embry posing with Ernie before entering the exhibit

Dad and Embry with Big Bird
What a cute picture!

Embry and Elmo

Dad trying real hard to get the heart to beat
Embry helping the lungs to breathe
(They both walked under the big nose upon entering this area and got sneezed on)

Embry's favorite part when watching Sesame Street...
La La La La....Elmo's World
Laying on the bean bags watching the show

Posing inside Elmo's World

Her chance at fame and being on TV
and what does she do? Starts picking her nose...classic!

A Trip to Atlanta

2010-11-23T23:34:00.014-05:00

We headed down to Atlanta, Georgia to visit the Perrer family the first weekend in November. We arrived Friday evening, checked into the hotel then headed to the Perrer household. We all enjoyed some tasty pizza and Brandon was surprised with a chocolate birthday cake. Matt baked it himself. It was yummy! On Saturday, we had a busy day. We headed to the Children's Museum and then to the Aquarium. On Sunday, we attended church with The Perrer family.

The picture above...Embry milking her first cow. You actually had to squeeze and pull the udders for the liquid to come out.

Embry and Daniel playing with some trains

Time for a little painting

Instant friends

I think they were trying to count all the fish

They decided to lay down to check out the starfish

The reason for the trip was to be there for the Baptism of the newest member of the Perrer family.
Ellasyn (aka Ella) Dawn Perrer was baptized on Sunday, November the 7th, 2010.
Look how precious she is!

The Perrer Family
Matt, Megan, Daniel and Ella

Brandon and Ella
Brandon is Ella's Godfather

Silly Faces :)

2010-11-20T19:24:00.012-05:00

Embry has learned about different emotions and the faces that go along with them (Thanks to Elmo). I thought it would be fun to capture a few.

Happy

Sad

Surprised

Confused

Angry

Halloween Happenings

2010-11-04T14:37:00.023-04:00

Embry dressed up as a Lady Bug this year courtesy of Allison Boggs. Embry loves bugs (as you could tell from her birthday party), so the costume was perfect. Allison wore it last year and let Embry borrow it. Halloween this year was fun! Embry liked dressing up! We went to 2 parties and did a little trick or treating.

THE LOUISVILLE ZOO

The first party we went to (2 weeks before Halloween).
The world's largest Halloween party!
Their motto "Be Seen Not Scared"

entering the zoo

Shrek and Fiona
I like Shrek, Embry..NO WAY

on the merry-go-round
And what did she choose to ride on? A bug...butterfly

our hero

finished walking thru the zoo
a quick family photo

HALLOWEEN GOODIES FROM MOM & DAD

Embry got Mickey Mouse dressed up as skeleton and he plays a little music.
She loves it and takes it everywhere.

UTICA HALLOWEEN PARTY

Friday night, before Halloween, we headed up to the Community Center in Utica.
They had candy stations set up and gave away some cute door prizes.

TRICK OR TREATING

Utica had their trick or treating on Saturday. Embry only went to about 5 houses and was done.

On Sunday, we went to Grammy's house to Trick or Treat. She lives on a small street and the neighbors wanted to see her dressed up.
We trick or treated with Gavin, Gabby and Conner (aka The Toy Story Gang).
Dad grew up with their parents.

Embry was excited to go with Gabby. It was nice to go with some older kids.
It helped Embry know what to do. Embry said "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" at each door.

posing with Pooh Bear at one of Grammy's neighbors

We hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween! We're worn out from it!

Puddle Jumpin'

2010-10-29T22:57:00.008-04:00

On Tuesday, we had an awful storm. It's been awhile since it's rained, so we didn't mind a bit.
Once it finally stopped raining, we headed outside to play in the puddles. Embry loves to play in puddles and luckily we have a few good spots in front of our house.

Her jumpin' face

Stopping for a moment so mom can take a picture

definitely not a clean sport

It's Fall Ya'll.....Festivities, Football & Fun

2010-10-11T20:50:00.025-04:00

Last Saturday, we headed to Huber's Family Farm for some pumpkin picking. The farm has so much to do. They have a restaurant, winery, market and kids area. Depending on the time of year, they grow just about everything. Last month you could pick apples, this month...pumpkins, of course.

Tractor ride out to pick our pumpkins

Posing on some of the pumpkins

Embry found one just her size

It was a hot day (90 degrees), didn't feel too much like fall.
After getting pumpkins, we played in the kids area then decided to stop at the soda shop.
Embry had a Pink Pig (cream soda) Float, Mom had a Goat Float (coke) and Dad had good ol' chocolate ice cream

After Huber's, we went to Harvest Homecoming.
It's a festival in New Albany, Indiana. They have lots of booths, entertainment and kids rides.

One of the booth tops, a scarecrow driving a tractor

Boy Scout booth

What's fall without football
Cousin Tanner at his football game
#25

Tanner out on the field
He's a wide receiver

Tanner running out to tell his teammates the next play

More football...
Cousin Seth plays flag football
He's a lineman and kicker
#8

Get 'em Seth

We got around to working on our pumpkins Monday night.
Embry used stick ins for her pumpkin (like Mr. Potato Head).

The carving begins

Scooping out the inside

Embry with our masterpieces

A visit from the Tooth Fairy

2010-10-10T20:11:00.008-04:00

Embry went to the dentist a few weeks back and we found out her chipped tooth needed to be removed. After a 2nd opinion, her front tooth was pulled out due to an infection that wouldn't go away. She did great! The dentist numbed her gum and she laid there perfectly still. Afterwards, she was ready to pick a toy from the toy box. She chose a ring and a bracelet.

The visit from the Tooth Fairy came way too soon. Mom thought we would have a few more years before the visits started. Embry got $5 for her tooth since it was a special situation...way too soon and it was pulled out. We even got to keep the tooth for her baby book.

In bed (with a cookie) ready to put the tooth under her pillow

Under the pillow and ready to go

The next morning, WOW she found the money

Showing off her $$$$$

A letter to the Tooth Fairy... Thanks for stopping by but please don't visit again for a few years. Embry brushes her teeth everyday, drinks lots of milk and takes her vitamin. She's been doing a good job of taking care of the them and would like to keep them for awhile. Thanks, Mom

Say Cheese

2010-10-08T09:15:00.005-04:00

Embry had her 2 year pictures made at Click Portrait Studio.
Instead of scanning in the pictures, I just took a picture of a picture.

The collage we got of some of the pictures.
I love the tutu and Embry did too.

Outfit change

The pictures turned out good considering it wasn't the photographer I requested and that it was right in the middle of nap time.
Note to self: no matter what...schedule picture time earlier in the day.

Birthday with Bugs

2010-09-28T08:52:00.025-04:00

We celebrated Embry's birthday with a small party after we returned from vacation. The theme "Bugs". Embry loves ladybugs and butterflies. Her outfit was so cute. It had ladybugs at the bottom of the shirt and shorts. I also found a ladybug hairbow to go with it. With the time of year, it was hard to find bug stuff but we found a few things. We had cut outs of butterflies and bumblebees. A butterfly streamer set and found some plates and napkins with butterflies. I also used bug stickers to decorate. We had a ladybug cake and pinata.

The guests

The homemade ladybug birthday cake Mom made. The red on the ladybug turned out a little too dark. We also served dirt cake with yummy gummy worms (the oreo makes great dirt).

Embry getting the hang of blowing out the candles. Busted! We caught her having a taste test.

Another thing she's getting the hang of...opening gifts.

Pinata time! We opted for the pull-the-string version so no one would get hit with a bat/stick.
Birthday girl went first.

Our Summer Vacation

2010-09-22T11:10:00.069-04:00

Alas, our summer vacation finally came. Everyone needs a vacation (even stay at home moms). Labor Day 2010... our vacation destination was St. Augustine Beach, Florida. We left on Embry's birthday and decided to make the drive in 2 days. We stopped for the night at the halfway point...Macon, Georgia. After we settled into our hotel, we were off to celebrate Embry's birthday. When asked where Embry wanted to have her birthday dinner, she responded "pisa" (translation pizza). We went to a place called Giuseppe's Pizza and boy was it delicious!

Embry enjoying her slice of pizza.

Present time!

Blowing out the candles! We made a birthday hat but the birthday girl wouldn't wear it.

Arriving in St. Augustine Beach, we decided on a hotel since it was just the 3 of us. The Hampton was great. We had a complimentary hot/cold breakfast every morning. Yum! Our hotel room, however, only had a shower. No bathtub. Embry got to take her first shower while there.

The balcony and our view. Nice!

THE BEACH

Each day we made it to the beach for about an hour or two.
The waves were big and the sand was nice and flat.

Doing some playin'

Each day a sandcastle was built & the beach ball got kicked around.

THE POOL

After the beach adventure each day, we headed to the pool to relax.
It was nice...we pretty much had the pool to ourselves.

THE HISTORIC FIRST CITY

Each day, between breakfast and lunch we headed into St. Augustine City (just a 15 minute drive from the beach) to explore the sights. There was so much to see! From the first jail and school to the Fountain of Youth. So much history!

St. Augustine was founded September 8, 1565 by Don Pedro Menedez. The city was founded 42 years before Jamestown and 55 years before Plymouth.

We took a trolley the first day to learn all the hots spots.

Our first stop, the Castillo de San Marcos.
It's the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S. The Spanish built it to protect St. Augustine from pirates and Great Britain.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is America's first parish.
Very beautiful inside and with Spanish influence.

Posing outside a gift shop with our friend the pirate. Embry's talking like a pirate. AARRGH!

Another place we visited was Ripley's Believe or Not Museum.

Mom posing with the fattest man. Who's bigger?

Dad and Embry together still not as tall as the tallest man.

Another spot we visited was the most sacred acre of land in America per Pope John Paul.
This is where the first mass was held and the start of Christianity in our country.

PLACES TO EAT

We headed to the Conch house. We had some good food and a great view.
They had little Tiki Huts over the water you could sit in but the wait was quit long.

The Reef was another good spot to eat at. Good seafood and also on the water.

After 3 nights of seafood, we went to Amici's. Yummy Italian food (but no Villa Romano)!
Photo courtesy of Embry (she took a great picture)

At Amici's, before the Lemon

after the lemon
What a face!

The last night we were there, we headed out to get more seafood.
When you're on the ocean, you gotta eat seafood.
The Santa Maria restaurant was so cool. They had port holes at each table so you could feed the fish. The waiter brought out a basket of bread and the catfish loved it!

Embry peeking through the hole as she threw the bread.
There were tons of fish and they were piled on top of each other.

On the way back from our vacation, we stopped to stay the night in Atlanta to visit the Perrer's and their new baby, Ella. She is so precious! Embry played with Ella's big brother Daniel.

One last stop before our vacation was over.
The National Corvette Museum.
(can you guess whose idea this was?)

Embry in the driver's seat (and loving it!) of her first corvette.

Mission Possible !

2010-09-16T18:49:00.003-04:00

The day has come! We're boaters! Well, Dad and Embry are boaters! Mom has to wait...no boating while pregnant. Dad put the boat in the River at the end of August. It floats and runs! Way to go Dad! After 6 years, all your hard work has payed off. Who wants a boat ride (at 60mph)?

1950's Birthday Celebration

2010-09-04T23:57:00.020-04:00

SURPRISE! We gotcha Grammy! She had no idea! In honor of Grammy's 75th birthday, we had a surprise 1950's Sock Hop. It was so much fun! The invitations were sent out and I included this phrase..."Be a cool cat. Come to our bash in your 1950's threads". We had about 30 people show up and many were dressed in their 50's outfits. We had food that was served back in the diner's in the 1950's. The menu included slider hamburgers with fries, chips or onion rings. For dessert, we had Root Beer floats (along with birthday cake). We served Coca Cola in the glass bottles like they had in the good ole' days. While everyone ate, we played 50's music. We had a blast! Did I already mention that? After eating, we played a few games. We played the Price Game (how much an item cost in 1935- the year she was born), Name that Tune from the 1950's and we did some drag racing.

some of the decorations

a poster I made with some pictures of Grammy when she was younger

waiting for Grammy to arrive

Grammy showing off her tasty Coca Cola

Thinking about blowing out all those candles
yep, all 75 of them (thanks to Cretia)

Brandon, Embry and I dressed up with our photo prop.
The car was a hit!

Embry in her little poodle skirt.
What a cutie!

Brandon and I with the birthday girl.
Did pregnant women in the 50's wear poodle skirts?

The Owen Family...Ray, Amanda, Gabby and Conner
Ray grew up across the street from Grammy's house

On your mark...get set...GO!!
Our drag racing! It consisted of 50's era hot wheels and some straws.
Grammy waved her scarf for the cars to go. You had to blow through the straw to get the cars to the finish line.

The birthday girl getting in on the action

Enjoying the party with a little cornhole
Would they have played this game in the 50's?

Chillin' on the deck, enjoying the view

We hope you had a wonderful and memorable 75th birthday Grammy!
We love you!

Fun time Gym time!

2010-09-02T14:32:00.016-04:00

Two weeks ago Embry and Mom ventured out to the Sigs Sportsplex in New Albany, Indiana. It's a big gym that teaches cheerleading, gymnastics and swimming. On Mondays and Tuesdays, they have toddler time open gym. We decided to try it out! They had everything...bounce houses, trampolines, gymnastic equipment to play on and lots of balls to play with.
Embry had a lot of fun. We'll definitely be going back soon! Afterwards, we headed to McDonald's for a refreshing moovie (translation from Embry language - smoothie).

Embry on one of the trampolines.
She was jumping, so that's the reason for the picture smear.

Embry on the crayon balance beam.

She then noticed the soccer ball. I had a hard time getting her to do anything else.
She loves kicking and throwing the soccer ball and playing basketball.

The foam pit. She wouldn't jump in, so I would drop her in.
We did this a few times and she was done. Back to play ball.

Before we left, she played a little in the bounce house crawling through the tunnels
and bouncing around.

Never a dull moment....

2010-08-22T12:25:00.012-04:00

You never know what to expect during the day at our house. One day, we were playing dolls and Embry wanted Mollie to wear a diaper. We found some diapers Embry had outgrown and this is what happened. Embry was amused, Mollie not so much.

Another day, Embry got a hold of the camera and figured out how to take pictures.
Her first shot.

The last shot. One of the shows she likes to watch on Sprout.

The Happy Couple !

2010-08-16T19:09:00.007-04:00

On August 12th, Brandon and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. It's been 4 wonderful years! I love him more and more each day. He's an awesome husband and father!

then...

and now...

First came love then came marriage then came Brandon and Beth with a 2 year old and a baby carriage.

I cross my heart and promise to...
give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true...
In all the world, you'll never find...
a love as true as mine.
(lyrics from our wedding song..."I Cross My Heart" by George Strait)

4th anniversary gift ideas include fruit, flowers or appliances
Brandon and the Hawaiian shirt (with flowers on it)I got him (I had to get creative)

The edible arrangement fruit flowers Brandon got me
It was delicious and nutritious!

For our anniversary, we went out to dinner and to see "Dinner with Schmucks".
It was nice to have a date night. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for watching Embry!

A trip to Northern Indiana

2010-08-14T20:03:00.023-04:00

Last weekend we headed to Northern Indiana to visit some friends for a multipurpose party. The Allen's were celebrating a house warming party, their daughter's 1st birthday, an anniversary and an MBA. Wow, lots of reasons to celebrate! We headed up Friday afternoon for a 4 hour road trip with the Boggs's. On Saturday before heading to the party at the Allen's, we went to the Fort Wayne zoo.

We had a fun time! Daddy enjoyed spending time with his college buddies and Embry got to play with some new friends.

Thanks to the Allen's for inviting us to their home!

Daddy, Embry, Allison and Aaron walking thru the zoo

Trying to get a picture of the girls on the turtle...Embry, Allison and Katy

Embry grooming the goat

After the zoo, we headed to the Allen's on Sechrist Lake for their get together. What an awesome place they have!
Embry enjoying the lake

Chillin'

Embry and Daddy having a nice sit in the water

Embry and Hadley

The birthday girl... Miss Hadley
It's fun to be 1 !

Embry and Gabe having a tea party

Mackenzie joining the party

Embry's first trip on the River

2010-08-04T18:12:00.007-04:00

Our neighbors Ed & Brenda invited Embry to go on a boat ride.
Embry with her life jacket on and ready to go

On the boat ready to pull out of the dock

There they go.....

Enjoying the ride and the River

Dad said Embry had a good time. She enjoyed the ride. She's ready to go again... next time on DADDY'S BOAT !

Thanks Mr. Ed and Ms. Brenda !!!

Embry counting to 10

2010-07-31T15:15:00.004-04:00

For a few months now, Embry has been counting and she's up to 20 these days. Here's a little clip of her about 2 months ago counting to 10 (just now uploading videos). Notice how hard she is concentrating. Her face cracks me up.

Our Little Firecracker

2010-07-22T12:26:00.002-04:00

Getting ready for our 3rd of July party

4th of July on our way to church

Another Zoo Day

2010-07-19T17:27:00.009-04:00

Another trip to the zoo and we decided to take Dad along with us. This was a hands on trip. Embry didn't want to just see the animals, she wanted to touch them as well. We visited the petting zoo where she got to pet several different goats. At Lorikeet Landing, she kept reaching her arm out for the bird to land on and finally one did. Embry enjoyed every minute of interacting with her zoo friends. She wasn't scared a bit.

At Gorilla Forest, measuring up

Since Embry couldn't pet a (real) gorilla we opted for one at the gift shop

Family photo with one of the dinosaurs at the Dinosaur traveling exhibit
They moved and made dinosaur noises.

The big T-rex

Take me out to the ballgame

2010-07-17T21:49:00.010-04:00

A few weeks ago, Aunt Wendy & Uncle Ricky invited us to a Louisville Bats baseball game. Aunt Wendy's employer was having an outing there. We got there a little bit after the game started. It was Embry's first baseball game. It was very hot but we had a good time. We had pizza and snow cones. Embry played in the children's play area and got to ride a carousal. We stayed just long enough for the"Take Me Out to the Ballgame" song during the 7th evening stretch. Embry loves that song! We all sang and cheered then headed home.
Ms. Hollywood heading into the game.

Makin' Popsicles

2010-07-01T10:47:00.006-04:00

Making popsicles is something Mom used to enjoy doing when she was little. Remember good ol' tupperware? While Embry and I were out shopping, we found this popsicle container. Embry was excited! She loves popsicles. We decided on green lemon lime kool-aid. Mom poured and Embry put on the lids. We let them freeze overnight.

The next morning Embry wanted her popsicles for breakfast. We decided to eat breakfast and have a popsicle for dessert. She's happy to try her creation.

A yummy summer treat. Dad and our neighbor, Taylor, enjoyed one too.

Summer Summer Summertime

2010-06-29T11:41:00.011-04:00

Playing in the pool and riding the bike

Enjoying blue skies and living on the river

2010 Graduates

2010-06-04T08:24:00.009-04:00

Congratulations to the 2010 graduates in our family!
Way to go!
We are so proud of you!
Here's to the next chapter in your life!

Embry's 2nd cousins Kalli and Kati Heil
They graduated 8th grade and were confirmed at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Look out high school here comes double trouble

Embry's cousin Tanner graduated 5th grade at Christian Academy

Embry's cousin Jacob also graduated 5th grade

Embry's cousin Madeline (and also Jacob's sister) graduated kindergarten

Have a great summer vacation!

Elephants, Rhinos and Giraffes..Oh my

2010-06-01T09:43:00.011-04:00

Our first trip to the zoo for the summer came last week. I'm sure it will be one of many. It was a beautiful hot day!

I love this picture! He looks like he's smiling for the camera!

Date Night !!!

2010-05-19T16:11:00.014-04:00

Mom and Dad had a date night last Saturday. Boy, was it long overdue. The last time we had a date was back in the fall for a UofL football game. Embry got to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa for a few hours. We decided (or I decided) we should go bowling. We hadn't been since we were dating. Brandon had been doing a little trash talking saying how I was gonna go down. I told him I was a pretty good bowler and that I planned on kicking his butt. That's exactly what I did all 5 games. I tried to stop at 3 games but he wanted to keep playing. My high score for the night was 154 and his was 122. He was, however, a good sport about losing. He said our next date night would involve speeding. Maybe we'll go go-kart racing. I'm sure he'll beat me at that. I'm more of a joy rider unless I'm late or in a hurry. We both had a good time and look forward to the next one.

Look at that form!

He likes to throw the spin

Final score one game
Unfortunately, it doesn't show your full name but I know who won and so does he

March for Babies

2010-05-16T23:21:00.008-04:00

This year I decided I wanted to do a walk for the March of Dimes. They are a non-profit organization that raises money to help premature babies and pregnant mothers. The money is used for research, education, community services and to help hospitals save the lives of many babies. As a mother, this organization touched my heart. I wanted to walk to support my niece, 3 nephews and several of our friend's children. I originally planned to walk with my moms group but that fell through so I walked with Brandon's grandma, her neighbor and 2 friends. We walked under the name Sellers Ct. Sweeties (Brandon's grandma's street name) for Duke Energy Gallagher Station. Duke Energy was a big sponsor. The weather was gorgeous and the five mile walk was not bad at all. We walked through the Clark State Forest in Henryville, Indiana. Brandon's grandma timed us...1 hour 5 minutes. We had fun and raised money for a good cause. It's good to know the money is used locally, too. Hopefully, this will become an annual event for us.

Brandon's 74 (almost 75) year old Grandma just finishing up the five miles
WAY TO GO!!

March of Dimes website www.marchofdimes.com

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T10:49:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the Momma's out there. Mother's are special and they should be celebrated everyday!
I've been called a lot of things but Mom is by far my favorite.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you and miss you so much!

For Mother's Day, I got a book I had been wanting and a pearl bracelet that says mom. The bracelet actually came 2 weeks before Mother's Day. It was at Kohl's on sale for $10 (originally $45) and I had a $10 off coupon. Free is definitely a good deal.

Embry and her present to Grandma

And this is why I LOVE Kentucky...........

2010-05-02T20:33:00.007-04:00

My home sweet home!

The first Saturday in May.............
The Run for the Roses...........
Go Baby Go! Talk Derby to me!
And they're off...
THE KENTUCKY DERBY

There's nothing like Derby time! The city of Louisville comes alive! So many festivities leading up to the race - it's so exciting.

Congratulations to the winner of the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby...Super Saver and jockey Calvin Borel.

In the picture, Embry's posing with one of Mom's previous Derby hats.

Love this video!
From you tube "Run for the Roses-Dan Fogelburg"

Horsin' Around - Derby Style

2010-05-02T10:12:00.010-04:00

THE MAKING OF THE GARLAND OF ROSES
We went to the Kroger's in Louisville/Middletown for the making of the Garland of Roses. It is placed on the winning horse of the Kentucky Derby in the winners circle.

The Garland is 122 inches long, 22 inches wide, weighs about 40 lbs. and contains 400 roses.
The Garland was first designed in 1932 and Kroger's has crafted it for the last 23 years.

A shot of Embry and Mom with the garland in the background
We even got some souvenir rose petals

FEST-A-VILLE ON THE RIVER WATERFRONT
The Entrance to the Chow Wagon
Lots of food, music & entertainment and people watching

THE STEAMBOAT RACE
Here comes the Belle of Louisville

Our annual family steamboat race photo from our deck
Embry waving to the media helicopters

The Belle of Louisville (the big steamboat) making it's turn

THE PEGASUS PARADE PREVIEW
The pegasus float that symbolizes the Derby

a glance at some of the floats

Embry & her tattoo

That's a big dog

No fear of clowns here

Earth Day

2010-04-30T15:22:00.006-04:00

We celebrated Earth Day by planting some flowers, making a windsock and making an Earth Day book. Embry likes helping out with the activities and Mom likes learning new things. In our Earth Day book, we wrote down interesting facts about Earth Day (it started in 1970) and ways to help out. We've been recycling for along time but recently we've started turning off the lights when we leave a room and turning off the water while brushing our teeth.

Our windstock. We made it from a 2 liter coke bottle, wrapping paper, tissue paper and string. We used materials we had on hand. It looked pretty neat when the the wind blew. However, our Earth Day project became litter a few days later when it showed up missing after a windy weekend. Oops!

Embry watering the daisy seeds we planted.
(we'll keep you posted as they grow)

More flowers...Snap dragons

Utica Tea Party

2010-04-28T13:28:00.005-04:00

Tax Day...April 15th. No one likes paying taxes but everyone loves getting the return. We decided to have a Utica Tea Party(pretending to throw tea bags into the river) to show our unhappiness with the government.

a video...

Girls just wanna have fun !

2010-04-21T22:48:00.006-04:00

Dad went out of town a few weekends ago to hang out with his college buddies. Embry and I had 4 days of girl time. We played,did some shopping and volunteered at a baby fair. We got to visit with the Allen's and Zeb as they drove thru to drop off a car and then meet up with Dad. On Saturday morning, Embry and I were dancing to some music and decided we needed some instruments to play. We made tambourines with a few household items. We used plastic bowls, uncooked pasta and tape. Pretty simple. We even decorated them. Then it was back to the music!

making our tambourines

and a video of Embry

La La La La Elmo's World.... & Sesame Street LIVE

2010-04-13T15:50:00.008-04:00

A few weeks back Mom and Dad took Embry to see Sesame Street LIVE. She LOVES Elmo! She calls him Mel-mo. She wakes up saying Elmo and goes to bed talking about Elmo. We let her watch a little tv, mainly Sesame Street and when Elmo's world comes on she cheers. At first, we didn't know what she would think of a life sized Elmo in person. We had awesome seats (7 rows from the stage)! She waved to all the characters and we sang along to the songs. We had a blast! All of us!
Above, Embry watching the stage
with her Elmo shirt and doll.

Embry's favorite part...Elmo's World

Oh my gosh... Zoe is looking right at us! WOW!

Ta Da....

The end of the show

Thank You for Easter

2010-04-09T19:41:00.015-04:00

What a wonderful Easter we had. Embry enjoyed her Easter basket and the goodies that came with it. For breakfast, she had a chocolate sucker. So yummy! We got ready and headed to church. The weather was gorgeous! After church, we went to Aunt Lovie's to spend time with the Morris side of the family. We had a good meal and an Easter egg hunt. From there, we went to Great Grammy's house to celebrate with the Marcum's. God is good! We feel so blessed! We have our faith, family and good health! Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross and saving us from our sins.

The Easter Bunny brought Embry a life jacket.
We're getting ready for boating season!

Embry getting into her basket.

She got a basketball goal. Future star?

Family Easter photo taken outside of church.

Cousins on the Morris side (we missed you Samantha)
Jacob, Seth, Tanner, Embry and Madeline

On the hunt... found one

just swingin'

At Great Grammy's helping get ready to fly a kite
with Daddy, Grandma and Embry's friend Savannah

There it goes... Embry pointing to get it up in the air

He Lives !

2010-04-03T23:00:00.004-04:00

The Easter bunny and basket of goodies are fun but Easter is so much more than that. I am thankful for my Christian mother for taking me to church when I was younger. I grew up Baptist but now attend St. Joe Hill Catholic Church with Brandon and Embry . I miss the good old hymns that we used to sing. I have a lot of favorites and "He Lives" is one of them. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice.
"He Lives"
Chorus:

He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

Stanza 1:

I serve a risen Saviour; He's in the world today.

I know that He is living, whatever men may say.

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He's always near.

(chorus)

Stanza 2:

In all the world around me I see His loving care,

And though my heart grows weary I never will despair.

I know that He is leading, thro' all the stormy blast;

The day of His appearing will come at last.

(chorus)

Stanza 3:

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian! Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!

The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find,

None other is so loving, so good and kind.

(chorus)

Lyrics ~ Alfred H. Ackley, 1887 - 1960 Music ~ Alfred H. Ackley, 1887 - 1960
www.greatchristianhymns.com

These are a few of my favorite things

2010-03-31T14:41:00.009-04:00

Miss Embry with a few of her favorite accessories.

Her raincoat that Aunt Diane bought her.
She wears it rain or shine, inside or outside.

Embry with her purple crocs courtesy of Gracie Prather.
When she gets up, she wants them on and likes to keep them on.
Since Embry likes hers so much we got Dad a pair for boating.

St. Patrick's Day GONE WRONG

2010-03-28T21:33:00.007-04:00

This St. Patrick's Day started out to be a good day. We got all dressed up in our green and got together our food for our Irish dinner (corned beef and potatoes). For dessert, I thought Embry and I could make green cupcakes for dad. We started mixing the ingredients...eggs, vegetable oil and cake mix. Embry cracked the eggs and began to stir all the ingredients together. Then something went all wrong. Just after I snapped a few of these pictures Embry developed hives all over here face, around her eye and ear. I figured whatever was causing the hives must have been on her hands and then she touched her face. I scrubbed her down and called the doctor. I figured we needed a dose of Benadryl. They wanted to see her right away. Dad had taken the Excursion that day to work (with the car seat in it). We waited for him to get home and off to the doctor we went. We have been following doctors orders...no peanut butter, fish etc. until she's 3 due to possible allergy. The doctor concluded it was the raw eggs that caused the problem. We are currently in the process of getting a food allergy test done to check for other allergies. Fun, fun...not so much. Lesson learned - Embry and baking don't "mix".

The finished product. I put icing on them at about 8pm after everything calmed down.
Dad still enjoyed them just a little later than planned.

Something about Embry

2010-03-22T16:02:00.002-04:00

Well.....I was straightening up around the house and I turned around to find Embry's hair sticking up. I started cracking up. She didn't know what to think. I asked her what happened and that's when I looked a little closer. SNOT !!! Embry had wiped her nose and apparently got it in her hair. She had been sick with a cold for the last week and a half. Poor girl sneezed and sneezed and sneezed. Thank goodness she's all better now.

An Eggs-tra special day at the mall

2010-03-21T21:26:00.006-04:00

On the first Tuesday of the month, the GreenTree Mall in Southern Indiana has Club Mom. They have entertainment for the young kiddos not in school. Embry and I try to go every month. For March, we were entertained by Melchior Marionettes based out of Indy. It was a fun time! After the show, there was a mall wide Easter egg hunt. The older kids got most of the eggs but Embry ended up with 2.

Embry posing with one of the eggs she found.

West bound and down

2010-03-13T10:08:00.022-05:00

The last week of February we took a road trip. And boy was it a long one! It was 16 hours one way. Dad had a conference in Austin, TX. He has a cousin there so we decided to make it a family trip. We loaded up the Excursion (& Grammy too) and headed on our way. After the first 8 hours, we stopped to stay the night in Little Rock, AR. It was a neat river city. We stayed at the Legacy Hotel & Suites and it was pretty cool. It was built in 1913 as the Hotel Freiderica and is on the National Historic Register. It is full of antiques and many aspects of the hotel are in original form including the staircase.

After staying the night in Little Rock, we loaded up and headed to our destination. While Dad was in the conference, Grammy, Embry and Mom hung out. We walked around a few blocks downtown and checked out the hotel shops. One day Dad got out early so we headed to the Austin Children's Museum. Embry had a blast! She got to drive the Metro bus with Dad and Grammy as passengers. She got to make noise with pipes (Dad called them didgeridoos-google it).

After the conference was over, we headed to the Texas Capital Building in Austin.

The Capital had an area for kids to play dress up.

Embry debuting as a cowgirl and winking to the crowd.

Dress up for the whole family. We had so much fun. This is were we spent most of our time. Mom loved the raccoon hat. Dad prefers modern day horsepower than to that of actual horses. He looks ready to work in the field.
Grammy and Embry have on their bonnets (Grammy has an apron on too).
Check out the picture quality it kinda goes with the era.

After our hotel stay, we spent 2 nights with Brandon's cousin Jason and his wife Amber.
Embry got to play with her second cousins Kaleb and Autumn. She loves them!

We ate at ,the Oasis, a beautiful restaurant on Lake Travis.
The view of the sun setting was breathtaking.

We left Austin and started our journey home. On the way back, we stopped to visit Brandon's other cousin David and his wife Christie. They live in Jonesboro, AR with their boys Christopher and David. We stayed the night with them. Embry was very entertained by the boys. She loved playing with them and their toy cars. We arrived home late on a Sunday night and all of us were exhausted. We had a great time! Thanks to the York's for their hospitality!

Mardi Gras

2010-03-07T21:44:00.007-05:00

So...Mardi Gras was a couple weeks ago and I love King Cakes. I few years back every year I would order a King Cake straight from New Orleans. Now they sell them at Kroger. I always wanted to go to New Orleans during Mardi Gras but never made it, so instead I celebrate at home. Last year, I attempted to make my own King Cake. The recipe called for cinnamon rolls with the cream cheese icing. It turned out ok but this year ours came from Kroger. The cake came made, so all I had to do was spread the icing and sprinkle on the colored sugar. It was Yum-O! The story behind the King Cake has christian roots. It represents the Wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus. A plastic baby (representing baby Jesus) is baked into the cake. Whoever finds the baby is said to have good fortune for that year and gets to bring the King Cake the following year.

My creation

In New Orleans for our 1st anniversary (August 2007)

In the French Quarter, New Orleans (August 2007)

Snow Daze

2010-02-17T21:08:00.007-05:00

Thank you groundhog. Well, these past couple of weeks have been quite chilly and full of snow. We've had several snow storms. The first couple were just 3 or 4 inches. The last two were 7 and 8 inches. We've got just over a foot on the ground. It's nothing compared to what they have got in the northeast but it's plenty. We usually have one big snow each winter but so far February has been all snow. No complaints here though, we LOVE playing in it!

Tasting the white stuff

Her first snowball (she wouldn't give it up)

Sledding around the yard

And Mollie, bouncing in the snow

Happy Valentine's Day !

2010-02-16T20:12:00.002-05:00

Our little artist

2010-02-15T20:50:00.006-05:00

Lately, we've being trying new things... crayons, painting and stickers. The stickers usually end up on the paper but the crayons and paint not so much. As you can tell, Embry has become her own canvas and our walls a close second.

loving every minute of it

our beautiful wall decor (ahh...her first letter Y)

Back to Bloggin'

2010-01-31T14:18:00.014-05:00

It's been a long time since our last post. Our technical difficulties are over. With a complete new set up and digital camera we are back in business. Since it has been a few months, here's a quick look back at what we have been up to.

New Year's at the Prather's
The boys (& Gracie) rockin' in the New Year with Rock Band

Christmas

Thanksgiving

Hiking on Dad's birthday

Halloween

Technical Difficulties

2009-11-21T10:19:00.003-05:00

So...we haven't been able to post in awhile due to our computer. It crashed about about 6 weeks ago. We have gotten a new one and have since replaced the keyboard and mouse and probably the monitor next. We can't upload any photos because the computer has decided not to recognize our digital camera. Look's like we'll be getting a new camera too. I have lots of pics to post from Halloween and Brandon's birthday. I'm hoping to have the pics posted in the next few days.

Not too happy with the new computer...Can you tell?

Embry's Birthday Bash

2009-09-16T22:40:00.009-04:00

We had Embry's birthday party on Saturday the 12th. Boy, was it fun! We rented the community center in Utica. Embry had a great time and we had a good crowd (around 70 people including kids). We had a ton of food that all tasted yummy (thanks Grandma & Great Grammy for all your hard work!). We got to see some of our friends babies for the first time.
Nice to meet you Reese and Hadley!

Everyone singing Happy Birthday. Mom and dad trying to get Embry to blow out the candle.

Embry had no problem eating her cake. She even shared with Gracie and Brody.

Embry opening her presents. She sure got a lot of good gifts.

Happy 1st Birthday !!!

2009-09-06T00:40:00.006-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday Miss Embry!!!
We Love You !!!

The day has come when our little girl turns 1. Wow... what a year! She has grown so fast. From tummy time to sitting up to crawling and now walking. She amazes us every single day.

Just a year ago...
born: 9/5/08 9:26pm
9 lbs. 9 1/2 oz. 22 in. long

A glance at the past week

2009-09-05T23:06:00.024-04:00

Today on Embry's birthday, we went to the Utica homecoming parade. She seemed to enjoy it. We walked around after the parade to check out some of the booths. They had a "baby" contest but Embry was too little. ??? Yeah, the contest was for children 2 and up not babies at all. Oh well, we'll get em next year.

The birthday girl with Grandma and Great Grammy

Dad pulling one of the engines out of the boat. Embry with her hammer helping.
(Dad wanted me to post these :) )

Sunday the 30th, we went to the Frazier International History Museum with Grandma and Grandpa. It was an overdue Father's Day present for Grandpa. Our favorite part of the museum was the Fountaine Ferry exhibit. For those who are unfamiliar with Fountaine (pronounced Fountain) Ferry, it was an amusement park in westend of Louisville on the Ohio River. It opened just after the turn of the century and was open for 64 years. There were rides, games, skating and a swimming pool. Our parents and grandparents had lots of fun times there. It closed suddenly in 1969 due to segregation and riots. As we walked thru the exhibit, you could hear the visitors tell their many stories of the park as if they were kids again.

Mom and Grandma playing one of the games at Fountaine Ferry

Grandpa with Embry taking a boat ride

On Friday the 28th, mom, dad and Embry went to the Kentucky State Fair. It was Embry's first fair. Mom grew up going to the fair every year. The crowd of fairgoers, as always, was interesting.

Mom and Embry with Freddy Farm Bureau
(he talks to you!)

Checking out all the animals at the fair
(the cows didn't really want their picture taken)

Embry in the convertible police car

Our Summer Vacation

2009-08-27T21:57:00.020-04:00

We were ready for a vacation! This summer we decided to head to Myrtle Beach, SC. It had been a few years since we had been there and we wanted to go back. Myrtle Beach is home to one of Brandon's all time favorite Italian restaurants (Props to Villa Romana - Brandon loves ya!). This was also Embry's first time at the beach. We packed up the Excursion and headed out with our friends, the Bowyer's, last Saturday night. We decided to drive at night so the kiddos could sleep. We arrived at lunchtime on Sunday and our vacation began! To the right is the view from our balcony. I love waking up to the ocean.

The condo complex we stayed in

Our family beach photo

Embry excited to be at the beach

Embry splashing around and loving every minute of it

Embry hard at work with her sand toy

Taking a break from the water

Embry and her Dad getting ready for the pool

One of the condos many pools

Embry in her float.
It was hard to keep her awake when she was in it.
She would get so relaxed.

Embry and Mom in the lazy river (Mom's favorite!)

Our group at dinner at The Pier 14 restuarant

Headed out on a dolphin cruise

We had a fun cruise and got to see lots of dolphins.
We even came home with a small pet shark ( a dead one) and a hermit crab.

We had a wonderful vacation and some great family time.

Embry's Baptism

2009-08-09T20:39:00.003-04:00

Embry was baptized on Saturday at St. Joe. She did a great job! I thought she would get upset when Father John poured the water on her but she didn't. She never shed a tear. It was actually quite funny. She was being such a ham! She kept waving to Father John throughout the mass. A few pews were reserved for our family so they could have a good view(and hopefully some good pictures). We had a great day. We are so proud of her. Katy and Aaron Boggs are Embry's Godparents and Allison is their little girl.

A trip to Lake Cumberland

2009-08-02T11:01:00.017-04:00

This weekend we took a trip to the Heil's house near Lake Cumberland. What a beautiful place and a nice getaway! We went down on Friday and came back Saturday. It was Embry's first family sleepover. Grandma, Grandpa, Great Grammy, Great Uncle Jimmy, Great Aunt Cretia, Kamber, Kati and Kalli were there along with the 3 of us. The house has 2 bedrooms with a loft for extra sleeping. The Heil's put a lot of work into it and they did a wonderful job. It's just a few miles from Lake Cumberland. We headed back early so we didn't get to see the lake. We had a fun time with family and hope we get to go back soon.
We missed you Aunt Wendy, Uncle Ricky and the York families!

Grandma and Embry on the back porch

The living room and bedroom we slept in

The girls .....

Our healthy breakfast pizza - Kalli's creation

The view

In the woods at the creek

more pictures of the creek

Naptime

2009-07-27T12:40:00.003-04:00

Our Little Race Car Driver

2009-07-24T22:12:00.008-04:00

The Boat is a Float!

2009-07-22T16:49:00.006-04:00

Well........ It's the moment we've all been waiting for. The Cigarette boat was finally introduced to the Ohio River. It's been 5 years since Brandon bought the boat. He got it a couple weeks after we meet and has been working on it each summer since. I thought I'd never see the day. I'm actually proud of him for his determination to get it running. He has rebuilt the engines and done some other things to it. The model of the boat is called the Mistress. Funny name, huh! It definitely fits. He has been spending a lot of time with it. He loves that boat! The picture to the left was actually the second attempt to put it in the water. The first time Brandon and Jeff used the truck to put it in at Duffy's Landing. They had a wiring problem and had to pull it right out. Then came the next problem...the truck. The truck didn't want to pull it out of the water. Finally, with the help of a few guys getting in the back of the truck they got it out. The second time went well. The Excursion handled it with no problems and it got to go in at the ramp next door. After a short while in the water, Brandon brought it back in due to a transmission problem. What does that mean? More working on the boat.

A shot of Brandon from our deck.

Brandon pulling into neighbor Ed's dock while Jeff watches.

A Day at the Pool

2009-07-18T12:09:00.008-04:00

Cousins Tanner and Seth invited us to go swimming at their neighborhood pool on Monday. We had a fun time! Embry got to play in the baby pool where she could stand up and play with her water toys. Mom took her to the big pool for some splashing and bouncing around. We played, had lunch then played some more. We even got away with no sunburns!

Embry doing the back float with Mom's help.

Seth's new do!

Embry's new toy

2009-07-18T11:56:00.006-04:00

Embry got a Little Tikes outdoor playground last week. She is just a little small for it now but once she starts walking it will be perfect. We got it for over half off so we couldn't pass it up.
The ladies put it together (without instructions) while the guys worked on the boat.

Embry trying each piece out.

Ta Da... We did it! Grammy, Grandpa, Embry and Grandma posing for a picture.
Embry loves going down the slides and through the tunnel.

Let Freedom Ring !!!

2009-07-06T20:34:00.008-04:00

We hope everyone had a safe, fun and happy 4th of July. We certainly did! Our festivities started on Friday night at our house for a cookout. We had a good crowd and some pretty good food. Embry got to play with Allison, Brody, Ben and Gracie. The neighbors had a few fireworks that we got to see. On Saturday, we were exhausted from the night before so we just stayed around the house (it was rainy, too). We were excited to see how Embry would react to fireworks but both nights she didn't make it. She was sound asleep. Brandon, Mollie dog and I watched fireworks from the backyard on Saturday night. The neighbors put together a nice fireworks show for us. The fireworks along the Kentucky side of the river were very colorful. It was neat to see the fireworks along the tree line of the river. On Sunday, we got dressed in our patriotic gear and went to church then to Gracie's 2nd birthday party at the Prather's. The homemade mexican food, desserts and ice cream were delicious!

Happy 4th of July from the Marcum's !

Our fireworks

The Birthday Girl

Gracie opening her presents

Ben posing for a picture with Embry

Happy 5th Birthday Madeline !!!

2009-07-01T09:55:00.013-04:00

Cousin Madeline had her birthday party on Saturday. We went to Jump!Zone and there were lots of inflatables.

Mom and Embry in the dinosaur inflatable. She had a blast!

Dad and Embry loving the inflatables the big slide not so much.

There was even a 3 and under play area with toys just Embry's size.

She liked this slide especially going up it.

Jedi Jake

2009-07-01T09:45:00.004-04:00

Cousin Jake (on the right) getting ready to participate in a light saber duel at the Star Wars Celebration at the Jeffersonville Library. Way to go on the Star Wars Trivia! He sure knows his Star Wars! Any challengers?

9 Months Old

2009-06-18T20:43:00.007-04:00

Embry turned 9 months old on June 5th. We went to her 9 month check up on Monday. No shots but the visit turned into a sick visit because Embry was running a fever with no known cause. It was her first fever. They checked her and ran some tests - all turned out ok. Now she has a rash but it doesn't seem to bother her. The Doctor said it seems to be a viral infection.

The pics I posted are my second attempt as a photographer. Since it is summer I thought I would get some pictures with the river in the background. They turned out ok. It's hard to believe her first birthday is just around the corner. Time goes by so fast!

Congratulations Graduates!

2009-06-13T09:42:00.010-04:00

Congratulations to all the graduates! We've had several in the family graduate this year from kindergarten to college.

Cousin Rob graduated with a degree in medicine and Cousin Ashley with her master's degree.
(sorry, no picture)

Cousin Samantha graduated from Carroll County High School and is college bound to NKU. Below with Samantha, Aunt Aprile graduated from nursing school and Uncle Jerry finished his master's degree last fall.

Cousin Seth at his kindergarten graduation at Christian Academy.

Cousin Kamber graduated from 8th grade and also had her confirmation.
Look out high school her comes Kamber.

Huber's Farm

2009-06-08T11:32:00.026-04:00

On Saturday, we went to Huber's Farm with the Southern Indiana moms group. We had a fun time and met some new people. It was a family event so dad got to come too. We had dinner and went on a tractor ride tour of the farm. We saw grapevines, apple trees, strawberries, ponds, goats, cows, donkeys and ducks. After the tour we went to the play area to enjoy the scenery and rest of the day.

The tractor ride tour. We can't wait to go back in the fall!

Mom and Embry relaxing on the swing.

The ducks waiting for the kids to feed them.

Thanks cousin Kati !

2009-06-05T15:28:00.004-04:00

Embry's cousin, Kati, made us a special gift. Kati wrote a poem about Embry for school. Great Aunt Cretia had a picture of Embry blown up and they copied the poem over it. What a neat idea! The poem is so sweet. We have it proudly displayed in Embry's room. Thanks Kati !

Brown County, Indiana

2009-06-02T16:27:00.008-04:00

On Saturday, while dad was hanging out with his buddies in Alabama, Embry, mom, grandma, grandpa and great grammy went to Brown County. For those who have never been, it's a nice place to visit for the day or weekend. It is about an hour away from our house. Brown County is full of things to do, especially shop. The streets are lined with many types of shops from art & crafts to clothing. They have several places to eat, too. We had a wonderful time! Grandma and grandpa got to spend some good quality time with Embry. I think we were all exhasusted by the time we got home. Thanks to grandpa for carrying Embry around when she didn't want to be in her stroller!

Mom and Embry outside the winery just hanging out and taking a break while everyone was inside tasting some wine. Mom sampled some pepsi.

Grandma and great grammy drinking it up at the winery!

Congratulations Jillian and Tony !!!

2009-05-24T22:50:00.008-04:00

Congratulations to the Mr. & Mrs. !!!

On Sunday, Embry went to her first wedding reception. Mom used to work with Jillian. Tony caught the garter at mom and dad's wedding.
Embry and mom at the reception having a fun time. Dad was at the Indy 500 race.

Embry and mom dancing!

A Trip to the Zoo

2009-05-22T21:07:00.006-04:00

Last Monday, mom and Embry went to the zoo with the Southern Indiana moms group. Embry was so excited, as you can tell in the picture. There were a total of 7 kids in our group and Embry was very entertained by them. She did a lot of people watching, as well as, checking out a few of the animals. The weather was perfect and the crowd wasn't too bad. We were only there for about 2 hours and Embry was ready for a nap so we headed home. We saw ducks, orangutans, flamingos, penguins and a leopard just to name a few.

The penguins, I think, were Embry's favorite. She laughed and watched every move they made. It was feeding time so they were pretty active. The leopard was having a tasty treat of his own (I think it was another animal lower on the food chain).

What's Embry been up to?

2009-05-18T22:38:00.002-04:00

Well..... Everything! She's growing so fast! She is starting to get a lot of hair. As you can tell from the picture, she now has enough for a ponytail. She has 4 teeth and another is making it's way through. We have started brushing her teeth and she likes to brush them herself (there's more chewing on the toothbrush than brushing). She is about to start stage 3 foods as soon as we finish whats left of our Stage 2 stash. She hasn't found a food she doesn't like. Embry has began to try to feed herself. It can get pretty messy. She also has been drinking apple juice from a sippy cup for the past 2 weeks. Embry can clap, wave hi/bye bye and give hi-fives. Two of our favorite things she does are superhero and raising the roof. It is so funny when she does them. Embry has become mobile. She scoots everywhere (no crawling) and has began to start pulling up. Embry loves to play peek-a-boo with her shirt, play ball and play with bubbles. Embry is becoming such a big girl - she rides in the shopping cart, helps take her clothes off and uses her finger to point at things. We recently went on her first swimming adventure. She liked the water and was
very comfortable in it.

Happy Mother's Day !!!

2009-05-10T21:07:00.005-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! Whether you're a new mom or have been a mom for years, this day is for you! For those mothers who are no longer with us, we miss and love you!
There is no greater gift than being a mom!

Derby Festival 2009

2009-05-02T21:29:00.013-04:00

Derby time is here again. What fun! The city of Louisville comes alive during the 2 week celebration. There are so many exciting events to attend. We would have liked to have gone to the parade but with the wind and chance of rain we decided at the last minute against it. We didn't go to Derby this year. It's a long day and mom didn't want to leave Embry. Maybe we can go next year since she'll be a little older. Below are a few pictures of the Derby events we did go to.

Grandma welcoming us to the Derby Day party at Great Aunt Myra's house.
How cute! Cream cheese dip that spells Derby.
Dad and Embry with the Derby party host Great Aunt Myra.
On Wednesday April 29th, we decided to have a party at our house for the boat race between the Belle of Louisville and the Belle of Cincinnati. The Belle of Cincinnati turned around right by our house. The race winner was determined by the boat who received the most points by completing tasks and crossing the finish line. And the winner was..... the Belle of Louisville. Yeah!
A family photo with the Belle of Cincinnati from our deck.
Cousins Tanner and Seth posing for a picture.
On Saturday, April 25th the balloon race took off at the Fairgrounds and landed at the Summit in the east end part of Louisville. Luckily, we live just across the river from the east end. This is a view from our deck. The dots in the sky are the balloons.
On April 23, 2008 we went to the balloon glimmer with the Bowyer's. The glimmer is a little smaller than the balloon glow. It was held at Waterfront Park in downtown Louisville. The balloons were setting up waiting for it to get dark.
A family shot with the balloons
The balloons glimmering

A Visit from Derby's Past

2009-04-28T13:29:00.010-04:00

Derby Day 2008 (pregnant with Embry)

The view from our seats - about 25 rows up from the finish line.

The Run for the Roses (Derby race) 2008

A view of the spires from the Paddock.

Derby Day 2006

A picture of the stands.

A shot of one of the jockys after a race.