Emma Grace's 1st Christmas Pagent

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The Picking of the Trotter "Great Tree"

We went to get our Christmas tree a couple of Saturdays ago. While at the Christmas tree farm the dreaded stomach virus hit little Emma Grace and the next week hit the rest of the family. Luckily we are all better now and enjoying the Christmas season. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends.

First Haircut

Emma Grace finally got her first haircut last Friday. As you can see by the pictures she doesn't really like to sit still, but she did very well.

A Quick Update

We have been very busy around the Trotter household lately. With me (Ashley) back in school and gone 50 to 60 hours a week we try to cherish every moment we have together. It has been a VERY hard transition, but we are doing our best! Emma Grace is doing much better in daycare and maybe one day I will do better with leaving her(but I doubt it!). Here are some pictures of things that we did this past month.

Lazy Days

Emma Grace had an experience that I nor Ashley got to experience when we were growing up. She got to go on 2 vacations in one year. She spent 2 weeks at the beach this year courtesy of her grammie and granddaddy Trotter. Her mom and dad of course had to chaperone this vacation with her so as to make sure she was having as much fun as possible. Her aunt Paige and uncle Eric even came down to help supervise. It was a relaxing trip for us simply b/c we didn't really have to play the full time parent role (feeding, changing diapers, bathtime, etc.) since her grand parents and aunt were so eager to jump right in and help. We did however verify that Emma Grace does not like the beach but really likes the swimming pool. I don't know what the difference is to her but maybe she is intimidated by the oceans size vs. the pool. I know it will take some time so I guess we will have to try again next year! I don't think she will mind.

Emma Grace 1- Day Care 0

Ok, before I start, I must say that Emma Grace is not a rebellious child or even a terror but she did get kicked out of day care. As a dad, I look at this in two ways. One, I don't know what we are going to do for day care since Ashley starts school in 2 weeks and this really is causing a stress factor of exponential proportions for me. -And- Two, the "hey guess who's kid got kicked out of day care?" type of pride that you can impress your guy friends with as they high five you and then you assure them that she was kicked out for stealing other kids toys or smashing play dough in their face. Of course, she is not that way at all. She just had a hard first 3 weeks and I am not sure that the lady that was keeping her was giving her what she needed as far as helping her transition into this new environment. That is just my take on it though. So, now we are faced with a new challenge that comes along with parenting and also learning a new side to parenting in which we have to come up with a plan in the event the first one breaks down...and do it without disrupting the flow of everyday life. I am certain that it will work out. We will have a week at the beach to let it all sink in. IF anyone knows anyone in the Griffin-McDonough area that keeps children, let us know.

Day Care Woes

Emma Grace started day care last week. I will be starting school full time the end of September so we are trying to get her acclimated to her new environment. Right now she is only going 3 half days. In saying this...she is home sick today with a cold after only her first week. I know this is something we will all have to get use to, but none of us are liking it right now! Here is a picture of how we both felt on her first day...

My Little Princess

Emma Grace went to her cousin Aubrey's birthday party this weekend. It was a princess theme party. Emma Grace dressed as a Barbie Princess courtesy of one of my "running buddies"(as Ben likes to call them). I had to make a few minor adjustments to the costume to make it fit, but she loved it. She ran around non stop the entire party, and did not care much for Cinderella!


Princess Emma Grace


On the way to the party



Emma Grace and Cinderella

The great ice cream social disaster...(or) Emma's scary ice cream machine

Someone famous, although I am not sure who, once said,"the quickest way to lose your ice cream freezer canister, is to take it to an ice cream social". Pretty deep huh? Due to this phenomenon, we had to rig our ice cream freezer so that we could make ice cream. It was Emma's first home made ice cream experience. It nearly scared the diaper off of her.

Emma Grace's 1st Birthday

Emma Grace celebrated her 1st birthday on May 16th. She had a great time and received all kinds of cool toys and pretty outfits. Here are some pictures of her on her birthday and pictures at her birthday party at Gran and Poppa's house.




Tasting her yummy cake



My 1st Birthday



Anxiously awaiting the arrival of her guests



Going for a ride in her new car



Posing with Mommy and Daddy

Happy Mothers day!

Today is Emma Grace's first mothers day and also Ashley's first being Emma Grace's
"mommy"! I just wanted to pay special tribute to her. As I have watched Ashley over the months, I have realized that her being a mommy is really quite a challenge and a reward for her. She always seems to know what to say or do at the right moment for Emma Grace. The thing is, I know its part instinct and all gift but I am still amazed at the fact that the woman I married is not just a great wife and friend, she is genuinely a great mother. She has helped me be a better dad just by letting me watch how she handles situations. Emma Grace loves her and that says enough but to see her handle the daily, sometimes not so blissful, things that occur while raising a child, you would think that she has been doing it forever. I think the times that she is frustrated are the times that I have been challenged to learn so that I can do my duty as a father. That is why this is a tribute to her. Happy Mothers day to you!

My Little Walker

Emma Grace took her first steps (without holding onto anything) yesterday. She was so excited and proud of herself. Everytime she walks she starts giggling because she thinks it is so much fun. I think our world just changed again!



Check out the flickr badge to the right to see a few photos of vacation...

Watch Out Destin...Here Comes Emma Grace

We are leaving Sunday to go to the beach for a couple of days...just me, Ben, and Emma Grace. I know what your thinking...I've heard it several times already..."ya'll are taking her by yourselves??"...The answer is Yes...we are the brave parents of an 11 1/2 month old adventurer. These days Emma Grace is "walking" everywhere...when I say "walking" I mean holding on to anything and everything and "walking" from place to place. What this means is...she doesn't want to be held or helped very much anymore. This new found freedom of hers has also led to some new personality traits...if you know what I mean...So watch out Destin...here comes Emma Grace! The following are pictures of Emma Grace trying to learn to feed herself and her on the move...

Emma Grace's 1st Easter

Emma Grace had a great first Easter. We spent Saturday with Ben's parents and Sunday we went to church and to my parents house for lunch. Emma Grace had a blast both days. She received 3 Easter baskets, 6 Easter bunnies, 6 books, and some candy...oh wait...that was mine and Ben's :) We read her a book to tell her what Easter is really about...she liked the pictures! We know that right now she doesn't really understand what's going on...or the difference between the easter bunny and Jesus...but we will continue to read this book to her year after year...and one day she will understand.

Here are a few Easter pictures...to see more click on the picures to the right. We hope you all had as nice of a Easter as we did!

A Mover And A Shaker...

That is what I have been calling Emma Grace this week. In one weeks time she has gone from crawling a little and cruising some to crawling and cruising everywhere. The days of sitting her in the middle of the floor with a toy are long gone...I tried it...she ended up right behind me! The following are some pictures that I took this week. The first one is the view that I see the most of these days...

A Mother and Her Daughter

Someone once told me that being a mother was one of the greatest gifts God could give someone. I have to say that I agree. Emma Grace is quickly approaching her 1st birthday which means I have been a mother for almost a year now. It has been the best year of my life. I've smiled more than I have ever smiled, I've laughed more than I have ever laughed, and I've cried more than I've ever cried. Being a mother has also given me a new appreciation for my husband. There is something about watching the man you love be so kind, gentle, and sometimes down right silly because he is so in love with his little girl. As we grow up most of dream of having the "perfect" life with the "perfect" family. When we are grown we realize "perfect" doesn't exist, but in my world I've got all I've ever wanted.

Emma's "Babbling Brook"

I figured that it was time to update the blog. The past few weeks have been filled to the hilt with new things that Emma has decided to start doing. She 'babbles' all the time. Not just any old babble, this is multi-syllable babble. It doesn't sound like much but I think I heard her ask me to put a tv in her room...it was sort of "aaayaaayaawannatvayyyaaammnn!" She has found that if she moves her fingers in unison, she can wave "bye bye" to herself. I don't know if this is how it is learned or if she just has a high opinion of herself. Actually, we have been teaching this to her for a while and she finally did it only her hand faces the wrong direction. It is cute none the less. During the same week, she decided that walking was a fun way to make mommy and daddy's back hurt. She is learning to walk a little. She loves this so much that it seems like she wants to do it all the time. I won't complain though, pretty soon she will be walking all the time and she will not be reaching for my fingers to hold on to so I will not rush it. She can however, stand in one spot by herself with no help and not fall down. Maybe its just me, but I am totally amazed by this. Its not that I think its odd, I just figured that she wouldn't be able to do it so fast. Emma Grace also has learned that her dad's head is funny looking and when he bends over she just laughs hysterically. I am glad that I can provide a little humor for her. Her personality has changed from one of dependence to more independent but she will remind you that she still needs you if you are gone too long. I wish that she would remain this way because I am having such a great time. WARNING! Sappy dad line ahead.......Being a dad is the greatest thing that has happend to me in a while.

Here she is at 10 months old.

"Hey"...its the universal word for Daddy(&Mommy)

Actually, in our house its the universal word for a lot of things. By the way, its my turn to write something in this blog thing. I had to get Ashley to give up the password. I think she was afraid that I might embarrass her with my "mad" blogging skills...what ever that means. Anyway, Emma Grace has started speaking. "Hey" is her "word". She uses it to describe her world. It is not uncommon for the monitor to go off anytime she is in bed. While we lay there in ours, out of the blue you sometimes will hear, "Hey". At breakfast, lunch and dinner you will hear it. When someone leaves, she tells them good bye by telling them "hey". I have heard that a baby must hear a word 72 times to somewhat understand or begin saying it. Well, I have said Daddy to her 772 times and I am her "hey". I am proud to be that also. I am blessed everyday when I see her smile back and me and utter that key phrase that has become so endearing to us.

It's Been A While...

I know it's been a while since I last updated our blog. I'm back in school full-time and it tends to take up all of my 'free' time. I will try to do better...

Emma Grace is doing well...she turned 9 months old last Thursday the 16th. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast. She is becoming more and more rambunctious every day. She is very active and always wants to play and jump. Unfortunately this excitement has carried over into the nighttime hours...she has stopped sleeping through the night...we have always been the 'lucky ones'...she began sleeping through the night somewhere around the 8 week mark. However, for some unknown reason she has now decided that 3 a.m. is her favorite play time! I always felt sorry for 'those' parents...we have now become 'those' parents! We're hoping its temporary!