Scarlet O'Hara

It seems we have a little actress on our hands....but really, we all knew that right? No surprise on this end. However, it's getting much worse.....no, that implies that the acting is a bad thing.......it's getting much more pronouced shall we say? It seems every time our Emma is looking for a bit of attention or gets into trouble (and wants to avoid the dreaded timeout), she'll fake "fall", rub her little head and say "Ohhhhh, you okay?" She's looking for one of us to say, "Oh, Emma, are you okay?" and shower her with magic kisses (YESSSSS, they work now!!! HAHAHA!) and hugs. But see, these "falls" take a good ten seconds (I mean, really, if you're going to do it, why not make it look realistic- not Emma, she doesn't actually want to get hurt) and are usually accompanied by the most fake cries you can even imagine! Usually we just ignore these incredibly dramatic scenes, but sometimes when I'm feeling slightly less patient or in the mood to humor myself, I say "Oh yes, Emma I'm fine. Thanks for asking!" This response is never welcomed, let me tell you! She doesn't like putting on the drama for no reason and gets mad as a hatter when I give the incorrect response. Poor Scarlet.

Emma's little obsession with elephants has led to her new favorite pasttime: "Watch baby el-fant Dumbo" (very specific so as not to confuse us I guess). She especially likes the "Baby Mine" scene because that's the song we sing to her before she falls asleep......she usually will crawl on my lap and want to be cradled when this scene comes on. How precious (although an outsider might find this giant toddler being cradled like a baby rather funny).

Daddy's favorite cartoon has now become one of Emma's favorites as well. "Spudge Bob" (Spongebob Square Pants) has caught her eye and found a special place in her heart......though I LOATHE the show and won't let her watch it except on rare occasions. Although it's funny, it's AWFUL for kids and I will never understand how it found its way onto mainstream kid channels. Still, Emma loves him because Daddy does, so it must be cool right?

Bela is getting soooo strong. She's becoming increasingly difficult to diaper and can push herself up with straight arms while on her tummy. She's wanting to crawl and sit up soooo bad, but it'll be awhile. Her favorite thing to do is watch Emma, who makes her smile and giggle all the time. Although Emma loves Bela too and plays with and cuddles her, her new favorite trick is to say "Bela hold you!" (like she wants to hold Bela) and when I pull Bela out from her chair or carseat to let Emma hold her, Emma jumps into Bela's spot and says "Mommy hold Bela". Dang, outsmarted again! She loves all of Bela's contraptions (mainly because they have buckles) and doesn't really want to share them, although has yet to really complain about it (she just gets them in a sneaky way).

Emma is really starting to understand the camera phone with Grandma and Grandpa since we use it so much. Yesterday when Grandma said "Emma, what are you eating" she turned around and opened her mouth to show the screen what was in there (cereal). We laughed so hard, but it speaks volumes for what this camera phone has really allowed- a strong relationship between the grandparents and the girls that has never missed a beat despite miles in between. In fact, every day when Emma hears Daddy jiggling the door handle open, she says "Grandpa home!" and then "Grandma home?" and finally 'Daddy!"

Her new favorite stomping ground: Wal-Mart's fish section (cheaper than going to an aquarium right?) She could spend hours staring at those fish. And really I could too. So we hang out there a couple times a week! Hahaha.

The pictures are from the very cool Discovery Museum in Charlotte, Bela's first cereal attempt (which is very successful now- she loves the stuff!) and around the house.