The grandparents had to go home. We let them go, but not without a little guilt. The day they left Julia didn’t have much to do with them. It wasn’t from not liking them, it was because they were leaving. It was a moody pout. Emily enjoyed the “one last” game – one last kiss, one last hug . . . We will be seeing them in a month or so.

Every time we are together the Mama attempts a photo of the girls with their Grandparents. It is always quite a bit of work to get a shot. All the traditional posed photos either had someone not looking at the camera or very serious faces. We don’t live in the early part of the century when that was cool, so we are opting for the absolute silly photo instead. Enjoy the fun of the moment!

Just a few fun highlights from the game:

• Both girls enjoyed getting their ball in the holes.
• Emily would move the ball to where she wanted to hit it from.
• Julia had a special high-five she shared with her Daddy when each hole was completed.
• Daddy’s feet made great bunkers to help guide little balls.
• On occasion we would have a ball leave the putting area, but none of the times was it the girl’s fault.
• If we had really kept score Grandpa would have won. He played the most consistent game.
• We had a great time together!

Emily was talking Grandma to the hole. She wasn’t giving instructions she was just being her usual magpie-self.

A great Pa-Pa grin.

Sweet Daddy giving his little girl some assistance. Julia insisted in holding her putter backwards like this the whole time.

Mama giving a little putting lesson to Emily. By this point in the game she was listening to instructions a little better.

The classic well earned high-five exchange!

A little post-golf ride at the barnyard.

Emily is fascinated with watching videos. She insists that Grandma video everything she does and then wants to watch it immediately. Too funny!

Julia was not interested in looking at the camera. She wasn’t feeling well this day and wanted to cuddle more than usual. Mama doesn’t like for her little girl to be sick, but the mama enjoyed the extra holding time and nap with her little girl.

Emily jumping into the pool and loved it. She did it over and over.

This year we went on the perfect evening. The day had been hot, but not humid. The evening brought warm and comfortable weather. A light breeze made it perfect. School was still in session so there were not many people out at the park. The girls enjoyed sitting and eating their snacks. They bounced between different laps, especially when someone still had a treat. We spent the later innings over at the playground with the girls. They enjoyed walking around the outfield, watching for the mascots, listening to the different music, actually watched the game some, learned some baseball terms, sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, and said cute things.

To our surprise Julia was not terrified of the mascots this year. She willingly had a photo taken near them. Maybe next year, she will want to give them hugs. We look forward to our next trip out the the ball game.

Don’t let the lack of grin fool you, Grandaddy was a happy man. We know you are grinning on the inside.

Emily wanted to join the team

Our hug with the mascot. He flirted with Julia and she was happy, but not going to touch him. Emily was so happy to be picked up!

Julia wanted to join the team even though she couldn’t hold still enough for a photo. She had to be just like her big sister.

We had a double baby shower in Orlando for Sabah & Doug and Jennifer & Gary over the Labor Day holiday. It was a short visit, but a good time just to catch up. We don’t all get together that often, so it is great when it does happen. The new parents got lots of fun and useful things. So, for the next two months this is the official photo of the Edward’s family. After the new baby comes we will have to find another excuse to get together for an updated one.

Emily was learning how to use chopsticks to eat her dinner. Grammy was helping me out, so that I could offer attention to Julia. Emily was very enthusiastic about wanting to use chopsticks, but couldn’t hold it tight all the way to her mouth without help. She ate shrimp and squash with the chopsticks and the broth soup and rice with the soup spoon. She seemed to really enjoy the dinner as long as the cook didn’t make any fireballs.

We celebrated Julia’s birthday with a visit to a corn maze and pumpkin patch. The day was overcast and cool with a steady breeze. We dressed Julia in her Halloween cow hat for a fun look and to keep her head warm. She enjoyed her ride in the front pack around the maze and patch. Grammy and Granddaddy joined us for our fun farm day.

Emily enjoyed hiking the maze trails, walking through muddy puddles, and flying over big ones. She wanted to punch her card at each of the posts. And for some odd reason she wanted to walk in the back of the group. She loved riding the tractor wagon to the pumpkin patch and looking at the different pumpkins in the patch. Emily also tried her first corndog as she shared her mother’s one.

A fun visit with our Florida grandparents just came to a close. Visits are too far apart and always too short. Especially at the speed the girls are growing. During their visit we went to visit the Mayfield Dairy and saw how they make jugs, fill them, and move ice cream around the plant. We also ate some yummy ice cream. During their visit we ate good food, splashed at pool time, did some shopping, and stopped by a park for some quick play before a storm blew in. In and between all the other activities there was also a lot of play, hugs, and stories.

I lucked onto the idea of the grandparent photo by the swing. It worked really well to keep the two year old contained and looking somewhat toward the camera. You can’t get enough photos of grandparents and their grandkids.

(15 months) Mommy, Daddy, and Emily took a vacation in late April to Florida. We spent a day with Aunt Jolie and the extended family. Then Emily traveled on to Miami with Grandma and Grandpa while Mommy and Daddy took a couple of days to visit the coast. For the last part of the trip Mommy and Daddy joined Emily in Miami for a couple days of play. Emily enjoyed her visit with her grandparents and didn’t miss Mommy and Daddy too much.