Long Time No Post

OK, so it's been FOREVER since I posted anything to this blog . . . there's been a lot going on since I got back from Italy!

In May Emmy and I flew to Asheville, North Carolina to coordinate a TQH weekend event and spend time with my dad and stepmom. We had a wonderful visit, though far too short to suit my taste. Emmy had a great time with Grandpa Fred and Grandma Cheryl, and especially enjoyed playing in the fountains at the Biltmore Estate and a sidetrip to Dry Falls (so called 'cause you can walk behind them) on the way back to Georgia, where she was able to stomp in puddles to her heart's content.

Our biggest news is that on June 9, Peter graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Five long years of non-stop studying (well, OK - there were a few breaks in there) are finally over! Now he's on to the challenge of finding gainful employment - any of you know anyone looking for an inexperienced but intelligent and highly trainable electrical engineer?

Peter's older brother, Ken, and his wife Heather and kids (Alex and Shelbie) were able to come for Peter's graduation. It was the first time we'd seen them in three years - they'd never met Emmy. She warmed especially to Uncle Ken, who tried every trick in the book to thaw her initial reserve, and succeeded in winning her over in short order. We're thrilled that they're planning on moving back to Southern California in the next month or two.

The graduation weekend was busy, with a party after the ceremony on Sabbath, and a family gathering in Crestline on Sunday to celebrate Peter's graduation, his stepmother's birthday, and his father's retirement from Loma Linda University. It was the first time that the whole family has been together since two of its members (Emmy and Gwen) have been in existence, and we had a great time spending time together. We're going to miss Ray and Gail when they move to Wisconsin next month!

In other news, Emmy is growing fast and seems to be ingesting caffeine on a regular basis - we can't figure out where she's getting it from, but it's apparent from her high energy levels that she's getting fairly significant doses.

She babbles a lot more now, and is slowly becoming more amenable to trying new words. Just this week she started saying Daddy, Mommy and baby (as opposed to Dada, Mama, and behbeh) and has recently added bow, bear, owl, Bambi, yes and a flirty "Hi!" to her spoken vocabulary. Her vocabulary of words she understands and can identify is huge - she's just not in any rush to say them. In the last week or so she began "singing" with me on the lullabies I've always sung to her before putting her down to sleep, which is almost unbearably cute.

Being outside - whether at the park, in Grandma's back yard, or at the Huntington Library - is Emmy's ultimate joy, especially if water is involved. I've learned to bring a change of clothes for her everywhere we go, just in case. Clothes are turning out to be entertaining, too - taking her shoes off and putting socks on her hands are more fun than you can imagine. The other night my mom and I tried a dress on for size, and she spent 15 minutes or so putting the diaper cover (with tag still attached) on her head like a hat and looking very self-satisfied with the results (see pic at left), which had us in stitches. She loves stories, and enjoys picking out books to read before her nap and at bedtime. She has become much more imaginative, and plays with her dolls and stuffed animals much more than she used to.

Just in the last couple of weeks, she's begun acting out scenes from her favorite movies. For instance, one day she found a ribbon, and immediately dragged Peter into her bedroom to get her stuffed dog out of her crib. She then proceeded to drag him into our bedroom, where she got a shoebox out of the closet. She took all of these things into the living room, and put the stuffed dog (coincidentally named Lady - we just discovered the name on the tag today) into the box, put the lid on top, and then wrapped the ribbon around the box. She then proceeded to unwrap the ribbon, open the box, and hug Lady - in imitation of the opening scene from Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" where Jim Dear gives Darling a ribbon-tied box containing a cocker spaniel (named Lady) as a Christmas present. She especially appreciates it when Daddy or I play along by reciting the appropriate lines for her as she goes through the motions.

Last weekend was eventful - on Friday we had lunch with one of my college roommates, Wendy Wareham, and had a great time catching up on news and meeting her two beautiful children, Clara and David (unfortunately I didn't think to get pictures!).

Saturday we were privileged to attend the 10-year wedding vow renewal ceremony for our dear friends Pat and Maria Diegelman. It was a lovely service, and we enjoyed the opportunity to spend more time catching up with old friends and to bid Pat and Maria a fond farewell as they move up to northern California - Pat's just been promoted to General Manager of the Il Fornaio restaurant in Roseville, and is already doing a terrific job getting the place running smoothly after years of mismanagement. Emmy loved playing with her "cousins" Erin Smith and Jamie Wallace, and did not want to leave!

Well, that's about it for now - I'll try to be more faithful from here on out. Thanks for bearing with me, and please keep in touch!