Our Little Hiker

Emerson has grown to love hiking as much as we do. He does very well riding in the hiking backpack and grins and shrieks when we pass other hikers.

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon we hiked to the top of Crabtree Falls. We took turns carrying the papoose, which gets quite heavy especially on steep inclines. The view was worth it.   

After some snacks, Emerson enjoyed getting his feet wet in the cool mountain stream at the top of the trail. He seemed fascinated by the colors on the smooth rocks and not at all bothered by the cold temperature of the water. 
At the top!

Boys in the Bath

On a visit to Emerson's cousin Lincoln's house, the boys were excited to show off during a "double bath". Lincoln was thrilled to teach Emerson how to dunk mini basketballs and Emerson mostly wanted to explore the bath tub fixtures. There was a lot of splashing and excitement and we all ended up soaked, especially Nana.

I am sure the boys will love these pictures when they are about 14 years old.

Cooling Off

Some hot summer days called for water play. We are not sure what Emerson loves more - the hose or the watering wand?

Emerson has also gotten to spend some afternoons swimming (with the assistance of his crab float), in "the big pool" with his buddies Bryce and Samuel. 


Daddy was being so funny.
Getting ready to give Samuel a little pat on the arm.
Emerson's buddy Bryce enjoyed showing off his tongue tricks.

Tough Guy

Emerson had his first run in with a wasp, but other than looking like he "lost the fight" it didn't seem to bother him.

This is his "tough guy" face.

Cousin Lincoln sleeps over

In mid June while Jennifer and Erik enjoyed a day and night on the river, we got to keep Emerson's cousin Lincoln. After an afternoon at Olin Mills having their pictures taken together, Lincoln got to unwind, have a snack and play with some of Emerson's toys. 

Relaxing with uncle Jeremy on the couch. Lincoln "eyed" Jeremy's popsicle until it was gone.
We enjoyed an evening walk. 

Then it was pajama time.

The Frog Pool Escape

Early in the summer we bought Emerson a frog pool. Assuming all kids love water, we thought he would enjoy it. He has grown to like it, but still spends most of his time trying to figure out how to escape. It seems, standing in the pool, walking around the pool and playing with the water hose is way more exciting.

The first time he got in, he had to think about it for a long while. It took some heavy encouraging.
He really wasn't so sure at first, but soon began to enjoy himself.

Pool time is always short. After a few minutes of fun he is usually up and busy planning his next move.
He has gotten very good at crawling out of the pool.
He's out.
He's gone.
Ahhh - the water hose.

We always laugh and say "forget the pool, he's got work to do". He grunts and works so hard to pick up the hose and drag it around behind him.

A Family Anniversary

On June 7th, we celebrated our 5th anniversary. It was a hot day so we headed to the Natural Bridge Caverns. We also toured the wax museum and checked out Foamhenge. We joked that it felt like we were on an elementary school field trip.  

Foamhenge. What were we thinking? It was 100 degrees and definitely not worth the walk up the hill. If you haven't been, don't waste your time. You can see everything you would want to see from the road.

Emerson seemed to love the caverns. He often talked (yelled) much louder than our tour guide. Everyone on the tour seemed to enjoy his echos, but probably didn't learn much. He especially let us all know he was with us, when the tour guide turned off his flash light to experience total darkness.



That evening, Emerson stayed with his Mimi and Papa, while Jeremy and I finished off the fun day with a nice anniversary dinner. Happy 5 years!

Caught Ya

It only took a second and ... whalla.

At least he tried to help clean up!

Radio Flyer

For his birthday, Emerson got a Radio Flyer wagon from his aunt Jennifer, uncle Erik, and cousin Lincoln. He loves it! He can push it, pull it, put his toys in it and then take them out. He has also discovered how to get in and thinks it is great when mama and daddy push him around the house or yard and let him roll down the driveway.