Oh Happy Day!

At the end of April, Ted, Erin and their 10-month old daughter, Aislinn, made their first trip to the east coast all the way from California. Aislinn did pretty well with her first big plane ride!



Yummy! These wicker coasters sure do taste good! :) Someone is definitely teething! Isn't she soooo cute?? It was so much fun to meet her in person--only the second friend who's child I've gotten to meet. What a blessing! I can't wait to see her again at Christmas time when they are home again!

I have known Ted since the 9th grade, so when he walked up to the door carrying this little girl on his hip, I had a brief moment of shock! But, once I saw him as a daddy to little Aislinn it was just amazing. He and Erin are absolutely wonderful parents with her--and Erin is a super trooper right now while Ted finishes up his dissertation. Watching Aislinn's bright eyes, happy face, and alert personality (and fascination with the ceiling fan) were testaments to how much and how well she is loved.

Finally, we managed to catch Aislinn without something in her mouth! Here's a pic of the the three of them. I can't say we got to catch up on much going on in our 'adult' lives but we certainly stayed entertained by Miss Aislinn. I learned that her current favorite daily activity is: Petting plants and trees!

Pure Happiness!!! Aislinn hung out on my lap with me in the recliner for a good 45 minutes. I have missed so much being around little children and she really made my day! She spent most of the time stuffing her face with Rice Puffs cereal which we set on my tummy in little bits at a time. Each time I open and close the recliner we're still finding rice puffs popping out!

And aren't we cute in our matching outfits? And we didn't even plan that!

As we said goodbye, Ted said to Aislinn 'Wave goodbye to Aunt Emily!' Oh, did that melt my heart. If I can't have my own children I want to be 'Auntie Em' to all of my friend's kids!

Ted, if you're reading: I'm thinking about you as you work on this last stretch of your dissertation. Sending you Super Computer-sized homework batteries!

Much love to the three of you and can't wait to see you again! Thanks for always making time for me on your short visits home. And, Erin, thank you for welcoming me into your life.

Long Time No See: Deb, Erika, Renee, Kate, Jess and Sarah

"Make new friends, but keep the old;
Some are Silver and the other Gold"
--Favorite song from my days at a Friend's School--

Finally, the pictures I promised from the visits! Here's me and Erika, me and Renee, and Deb. Sadly I did not take pics on the days that Kate, Jess, and Sarah visited! Next time I will (which means they'd better come back! haha. Y'all come back now, ya hear?).