Parent/Tot Swim Lessons.... CHECK!

For the last two weeks, Ember and I joined Aleecia and Addilyn and about 7 other parent/tot pairs for swim lessons at the Aquaplex. It was alot of getting them comfortable in the water. We worked on "jumping" in, reaching for the side and climbing out, kicking, blowing bubbles, floating on our stomachs and backs, scooping with our hands, and bobbing. Ember did get better at most things and could do a few of them really well. Here are some pictures from a few different days!

Jeff and Dustin were there for the last day!

Friends! Friends all around!

We had a week full of FRIENDS for Ember! We saw her friend Addilyn pretty much every day this week because of swim lessons and then Amber and Harper came up for a visit!

Amber and Harper came to our house first and we got lunch at the new Some Burros and then went to the park to play for a little bit before the luminous clouds and thunder forced us home.

Harper kept sticking her butt in the air and Ember thought it was fun to climb on her!

That night, Dustin, Ember, and I went over to the Mews so we could all have dinner together! 

Addilyn gave Ember some shoes and a hat that she didn't need anymore. I put both on Ember to try them out and this is what she did to her hat! :)

The next night, we had our next door neighbors over for dinner and Ember got to play with Evelyn too. They are so close in age that they are similar in so many noises and movements it is hard to tell which one made the noise or movement. It was fun to get to know our neighbors a little more! We like them alot!

Red, White & Bears!

Oh how fun 4th of July is in a small town! Aleecia's family was in town and Paul was nice enough to head downtown at 6:30 am with all of our folding camping chairs to get us a GOOD spot because almost the whole town of Flagstaff thinks it is a good idea to come downtown for the 4th of July Parade! We got a GREAT spot! (Thanks Mr. Kuzdas!)

Here is Ember ready to watch!

4th of July Family Picture :)

It was fun to share the event with good friends!

Now let the parade begin! It was TWO HOURS LONG! I never knew parades could last so long so here are just a FEW of the pictures of things in the parade

There was a real bald eagle! It was really cool to see!

Jeff's dad was in the parade playing his big brass instrument! 

Ember did really good until the very end she got pretty tired! 

Once the parade was over, this is what San Francisco Street looked like! This parade is definitely a hit! But we totally thought it was worth the crowds and busyness.

We headed home after the parade and let Ember take a nap! As soon as she was awake we were off again for our next 4th of July adventure - BEARIZONA! Julie Mcdonald (Joey's mom) had a free car pass so we all carpooled and got to go in for free! 

Ember and her Uncle Joey

We walked around (this wasn't all here when Ally and I went right when it opened) and saw baby bears, raccoon, a sleeping beaver, baby peacocks with their mother, and much more!

Then we went to The Raptor Show and they had hawks and owls fly only inches above your head and land on poles in the back. We didn't realize that when we sat down there was a pole right behind us! So cool though!

Lastly, we drove our car through the park and saw more bears, buffalo, wolves, big horn sheep, and more!

This little bison was born ON THE 4TH OF JULY! Just a newborn!

It was a VERY FUN trip and we were very grateful to Julie for sharing her pass! Ember did really good while we were there as usual but passed out on the way home!

Hope everyone's 4th of July was as blessed and memorable as ours!! 

8 Months Old!

On the very last day of last month, Ember started crawling. And she has not stopped moving since! She got better and better at crawling every day and still continues to get faster and more coordinated! She loves it! And after only about a week and a half of crawling, Ember decided that she would pull herself to standing too! I turned around one day I was in her room and she was standing in her crib smiling at me - so proud! And that was our cue to lower her crib down so she doesn't fall out. Then she started pulling herself up on anything that she could reach - her toy basket, daddy's lap top case, the couch, etc. There were quite a few other new things this month as well. Ember finally got to sit in the shopping cart like a big girl. She loves looking around at all the things and people and chewing on the cart and mommy's purse. She got to go to her first 1st Friday Night Art Walk in downtown Flagstaff. We had to move her baby bathtub into the big bathtub for bath time instead of the sink because she was splashing water ALL OVER the kitchen and us when it was in the sink. She loves bath time so much that when we turn the water on in the bath tub, she immediately starts crawling toward the bathroom (as Maci tries to run and hide). One time, she even pulled herself up on the bathtub and looked like she was trying to jump in! Ember got to try some more new foods this month - she had avocado, sweet potatoes, sweet peas, and bananas. She ate all of them but sweet potatoes and bananas are definitely her favorite. She also gets very excited for meal time and will crawl over to her booster seat when we ask her if she wants to eat. We went down on a mini vacation to the Sheraton Crescent in PHX and Ember got to go swimming for the first time. She seemed like she didn't mind it but also didn't absolutely love it. Most of the time in the pool she was just chilling with her fingers in her mouth. Ember got to celebrate her Daddy's first Father's Day with him and went to Texas Road House for the first time. She got a little scared when the servers did the "Yehaw" after the birthday song. Ember seems to know the concept of throwing a ball back and forth and does pretty good except for when it accidentally goes behind her. Ember and Mommy went to the Flagstaff Public Library for story time and Ember got to go down a slide and swing in a baby swing for the first time also this month. Her personality is coming out more and more. She loves to put her hands in the air and then slam them down to the ground. She loves smacking her lips together, repeatedly saying "dadadadad" or "bababababa", and making spitting noises. Sometimes Dustin and I cannot talk because she gets louder and louder as if trying to make more noise than us. She loves stroller rides and being able to explore. She is not so fond of her car seat and the changing table at this stage in life but overall Ember is so content and happy and we definitely could not ask for a more precious baby girl! 

An Evening at the Park

One night after dinner we walked down to Fox Glenn Park and Ember got to swing for the first time and go down a slide with mommy for the first time! It was so fun to watch her try new things!

Here she is on the swing! She liked it after she figured out she needed to hold on rather than bob back and forth hitting the front with her face and then the back with her head : (

Then we ventured to the slides. She liked these too since mommy went down with her! 

Then we just hung out in the grass! The weather was GORGEOUS!