Her sweet face...

......has kept me going this week.  For reasons I won't mention publicly, the past 2 weeks have been particularly hard for me.  I am wrestling with some upcoming decisions, and it has really taken a toll on me emotionally.  But despite this, Emma never fails to get a smile on my face.

We kicked off last weekend with dinner at Carolina Brewery...we have been going there for years and years...and love to get the nachos and share them  (and drink their beer!).  I'm sure Emma is yelling for "another round" here.

True to his nature, my dad is teaching Emma how to "pull my finger."  The classic farting joke from elementary school...smh.

Don't worry...no one is actually farting....Emma jut thinks it's hilarious to yank on grandpa's finger!

Saturday was Emma and Mom day, since Brent was working.  One of my sweet tutors, Jess, gave Emma this gigantic coloring book.  After a trip to Walmart for more washable crayons, we dove in to a morning of coloring.

I also got Emma her very own ladybug plate and utensils.  This is sooo corny, but it has been so neat to watch her learn how to feed herself.  She gets so excited when she does it on her own:)

Clearly, someone else thinks it's nap time....

Sunday afternoon, Emma's friend Nash had his 2nd birthday party at Playnation!

BIG slide...

Brent will kill me when he sees this photo......Love you babe!

Emma is getting to be such a big girl!

"Life is just a tire swing...."

Nash's uncle Clint...and our dear neighbor!

Sweet Brittni - and Emma was way more interested in what the kids were eating than taking a picture.

First taste of cheesy puffs!!  Success!  She couldn't pop them in her mouth fast enough!

And her first cake pop!

Tuesday evening, I had had a particularly hard day, so my dad stopped by to cheer us up!

He is sooo silly!

Emma loves to plop herself down in grandpa's lap.

Three generation selfie

Once again, the ladies at daycare have made me feel inadequate as a mother....side braids into a high pony tail.  Don't look for this from me.

Google has these things called "Awesome photos."  I don't know anything about it, but once in awhile there will be effects in my pics...like snow falling on some of the snow pics from last week, or this progression of giggles!!

Even at my worst days, my most greatest accomplishment is being Emma's mom.  She loves to yell my name whenever she needs anything.  It's like her version of "help, except it comes out "MOM!"  It rarely gets old, even as annoying as it can be when I hear it every 5 seconds.  I have come to realize that at the end of the day, my family is what makes me "tick."   I can live with emails not being returned on time, or papers not being graded....but if I go to bed feeling like I have cheated Emma or Brent out of the love and attention they deserve, I have lost.