South Carolina Christmas

We spent Christmas in Carolina this year with the Stone relatives. Emerson loved all the holiday trappings, including the giant tree!

He posed for Daddy to take an aerial shot (click to enlarge the picture and see his happy face). 

Emerson's doppelgänger looked on while he enjoyed Grandma's books and toys. 

The Stone men got together to show some family love.

We checked out Bucky's Bar-B-Q and had some delicious pork and sides. (Notice Grandma Stone's hand in the bottom left of the picture. This is the only photographic evidence we have that she spent Christmas with us--she was very elusive! But we all enjoyed her "special goodies"--especially chocolate covered pretzels and homemade peanut butter cups.) 

Another favorite activity was a carriage ride around Fountain Inn, a cute little town near the Stones' home. Emerson loved looking at the lights and seeing the decorated houses. 

We spread out the present-opening over a few days so it wouldn't be too overwhelming. Emerson opened his Goodnight Moon game and shouted "Goodnight Moon!", leading Eric to believe that he was a prodigy and already knew how to read. No, he just recognized the cover illustration from the book.   :-)

South Carolina weather in December is a little nicer than we're used to, so we were able to get outside for a nature walk. (Here, we're headed from the Stones' house to the nearby pond.)

Christmas morning anticipation with Uncle Neil!

He headed down the stairs to see what surprises awaited...

After many rounds of unwrapping, some Christmas fatigue set in.

A favorite activity was sitting at the piano with Mom or Grandma and signing Christmas carols. He perfected "Jingle Bells" and got pretty good at "Go Tell it on the Mountain." (He also said lots of funny things, like Eric sit on couch in other room!" to get him to leave the room during piano time.)

After a fun and eventful few days, it was time to head home. We flew back to Kansas City on Christmas Day. Emerson serenaded our fellow passengers with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Jingle Bells." He finally got tuckered out and slept for the last few minutes of the last flight.

We hope you had a merry Christmas!

Emerson's California Adventures

We just got back from a lovely visit with the Roberg relatives in California. Emerson got to meet his cousin Cayman for the first time. 

He also enjoyed some hot tub swimming.

We checked out some lovely views--this one is near Kendall's house in Glendale...

...and this one is at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. We were lucky that our trip overlapped with a visit from Grandpa George!

Emerson had some time for an old favorite--sliding...

...as well as a new adventure--hiking.

Here's the tired boy sleeping on the night flight home!

Monster Party, Daddy's Birthday

Emerson was really excited about Halloween this year. He had this great monster costume, and when he wore it to school on Halloween, he said it was going to be a "Monster Party." We did a little trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, and Emerson did great. Not so much with the part where you say "trick or treat," but he really mastered the part where you get candy and say "thank you." (This was quickly followed by "another house.")

Then we had another fun celebration for Daddy's birthday. Emerson was an expert due to his own recent birthday, so he helped Daddy blow out the candles on his cake. Happy birthday!

Emerson also loves belting out his favorite songs at top volume. It took a little prompting to get him to perform for this video, but then he got into it: Emerson ABCD

Catching Up, Turning 2

We've got a little catching up to do...this post goes all the way back to September and October. 

This shot is from one of many trips to Bass Pro Shops. The stuffed game animals and live fish tanks are always a big hit. 

This is from back when we were still enjoying some late-summer warm weather!

Mimi and Grandpa Carl came to visit for Emerson's 2nd birthday. He was a happy kid.

Grandpa and Emerson had dueling harmonicas.

It's always fun to go to the barbershop with Mimi and Grandpa. These next two shots are pre-haircut...

And this was post-haircut! (And post-purchase of Halloween pumpkin.)

And then our biggest boy turned two! Grandma Lori and Grandpa Scott Skyped in for the celebration. What a fantastic kid.

Labor Day in Carolina

 Over the Labor Day weekend, Alison and Emerson got to take a (too) short trip to visit the Stones at their new home in South Carolina. Before the trip, we told Emerson that Uncle Neil would be there but not Uncle Eric. He repeatedly stated his knowledge throughout the trip.

Although we didn't have much time, we tried to make the most of it. We checked out the Greenville Zoo.

We saw some fountains in the appropriately-named town of Fountain Inn.

We explored the pond near Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was pretty, but there was a little too much nature for Alison and Neil's tastes...

Emerson hitched a ride with Grandma.

We also visited Falls Park in downtown Greenville.

Emerson has picked up some weird new sleep preferences, and he took them to a ridiculous extreme at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He kept requesting "more blankets," and this eventually included a towel, an extra crib sheet, and a nursing cover. There is also a pillow and multiple stuffed animals. Silly baby!

Young Adventures (Idaho)

The Young family reunion in Idaho was our final destination. We arrived in Idaho in the late evening, just enough time to check into our hotel and...go to Burger King for a Franken-sandwich? Based on an insider tip from Eric, Brandon ordered a Whopper with chicken nuggets on top. He reported that it was "too much--like putting spaghetti and meatballs on top of a pepperoni pizza." 

One of Emerson's favorite activities throughout the trip (and all the time, really) was looking at videos of family activities from previous days.

Mom and Dad joined in on the fun too.

Alison's aunt and uncle own a family fun center, so we got to spend some time there. Emerson loved the water slide in the toddler area!

We also got to relax at Hayden Lake with Young family relatives.

Emerson chilled with Great-Grandpa Young...

And took boat rides with Grandma and Grandpa, and Eric and Mom.

The location couldn't have been better.

We had some lovely lakeside family gatherings.

One highlight was a Bingo game with fun facts about each family member.

For a change of pace, there was a hike through the scenic woods.

Emerson had his own special wading pool--with a great view!

When someone spotted a parakeet perched on the screen door of the house, everyone assumed it belonged to Alison's cousins and had somehow escaped. Well, they do own a parakeet...but this wasn't it. They are kind-hearted souls, so they now own two parakeets...

Swimming in the lake was cold but worth it.

Grandpa completed a swimming challenge, with Brandon as lifeguard (services not needed!).

One feature of the Young reunion every year is the family picture, with matching shirts for each family group. Of course, we had to include Uncle Neil in our pictures! Emerson was very fond of him.

Another reunion event was the family talent show. For the Stone contribution, we recited poems about ducks and sang a song about ducks...with an appearance from Emerson/Donald Duck.

Then it was on to Silverwood, an amusement park.

The toddler water zone was a big hit.

Time to relax and refuel...

After an action-packed few days, we headed to the airport. Emerson napped until the last possible second.

He enjoyed pointing out the airplanes and other vehicles.

During a short layover in Denver, we grabbed some chicken nuggets and watched Mickey Mouse videos.

Arriving home on the night of July 4th, we saw fireworks from the air and during our drive home. At one point there were cars lining the side of the freeway and people with lawn chairs watching the patriotic display.

Here is a compilation of some of Emerson's favorite moments from the Idaho portion of the trip: