Ponytails, Tap Shoes & Monkeys

We've enjoyed having relaxing weekends the past few weeks, and therefore don't have many pictures to show for it. A few of our non-photographed highlights (good & bad!) have been attending sweet Gracie's first birthday party, celebrating my own big 2-6, LOOSING an hour of sleep while everyone else gained one (yes, we set our clocks forward instead of back...so I guess we really lost 2 hours...we're such idiots), finishing (almost!) Christmas shopping, and some good 'ole fashioned heavy duty cleaning of our house. Again, not too many pictures to share, but I couldn't keep these few to myself...

We tried a ponytail for the second time...again, a failure, but we're getting closer! Talking on the phone (which is really Aaron's radio remote). Emory has 45 second conversations with herself, and it is hilarious!

Being at the dance studio with me all of the time is beginning to rub off on Emory. She got her first pair of tap shoes, and while being WAY too big, she tried them on and loved them. She's actually learned some stuff from watching me teach, and made lots of tap sounds with her new shoes!

Of course, a true tapper always has her Ball Popper in tow...

And we never thought there could ever be another animal to take the place of Douglas! I'm not sure the monkey will do that, but she sure has taken a liking to him! When Emory wakes up, she has to leave her paci and Douglas in the crib, and lately, since she can't have her comfort items, she's been carrying the monkey around. And, of course, this is accompanied by lots of monkey noises!
But who wouldn't love a monkey-loving kid that looks like this?!?