A LOOK BACK AT EMMA's 1st YEAR

SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

OCTOBER 08

NOVEMBER 08

DECEMBER 08

JANUARY 09

FEBRUARY 09

MARCH 09

APRIL 09

MAY 09

JUNE 09

JULY 09

AUGUST 09

SEPTEMBER 09

Its been a wonderful, precious year with Emma ~ we looked forward with eagerness to watch what God has put inside her blossom in the months and years ahead.

WALKIN' TALL

She went from walking while holding both our hands, to one of our hands, to practicing with a walker and BOOM... she took the first steps on her own and its been all walking since.... a week before her first birthday

Check out this video clip a day after she started walking on her own !

A Week with Oma and Opa

Dale's parents, "Oma & Opa" came to visit us for a week. They had a great time playing with Emma and she really enjoyed being with them. Oma took Emma and I shopping .... and we loaded up on some new toys and books. Opa did alot of exploring by bike. We all were able to enjoy lunches and dinners together , some swimming at Whiskeytown Lake and some hiking at Lassen Volcanic Park. Dale and his Dad also tried to hike to the top of Lassen Peak but due to an earlier rock slide only 1/2 the trail was open, so they braved a different trail to the top of Brokeoff Mountain .... more about this in a later posting. The night before they had to leave, we had an early birthday celebration for Emma with Angel Food cake, peaches, ice cream and some gifts. She had a little bite of cake but really enjoyed the cut peaches and ice cream much better.

An added bonus for the Kuklas, Emma started taking some steps during their visit.

SAN FRAN

We met my sister, Sheila, her husband, Dino and their 2 girls, Corrina and Angela in San Francisco for a couple days.. Aug 22 and 23. Corrina was performing with her dance academy at Pier 39. It was so great to spend some time with them, enjoy some cooler weather and see some dancing. Emma had a great time playing with her cousins. We also spent some time walking on the coastal trail, on the northwestern edge of the penisula ... really nice.