Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddy's and Grandpa's! Erika got all dressed up in one of her most adorable dresses that she has - all for Daddy! On Father's Day I get a little sad because I miss my Opa so so much. I still have not adjusted to not buying him and sending him some cards. He was so beyond special to me and I think of him always. Anyway...onto Erika's day.

Well, she was so excited about Fathers Day that she woke Daddy at 4:00 this morning. He attempted to snuggle her with us in bed but for some reason she doesn't really settle in the same way as if I did it with her. But I was half sleeping and so I really did not even think about what was going on. I had been pumping her up on Saturday night all about Father's Day, so she was probably anxious to see what all the fuss was about! Last year she was only about 2 weeks old at this point.

Erika and I went to the food store and to her favorite place...the butcher. We shopped for about two hours and Erika was so well behaved the entire time. At the butcher she gets such an enormous amount of attention that it would be difficult for her not to behave. What is ironic to me about the whole butcher thing is that I remember being little and going with my mother to the butcher and having the same kind of effect on the men that worked there. They really truly ADORE her! Then at about 2:00 Grandma and Grandpa came over for some cold cuts and cake.

Both pictures above are of Erika helping Grandpa open his gift. It is a wooden photo cube with a poem that Erika wrote and then it has 4 different pictures of Erika and Grandpa together. It is cute. And we think Grandpa liked it. Here is a video of him reading Erika's poem for him...


Lately it really seems like Erika is attempting to say almost every thing that we say. I don't know if we are imagining it or it is really happening but it sure does seem like she is very into imitating what we are saying. I don't know what the "rules" are as to knowing when she is ready to walk but she sure seems ready to me. She is standing on her own for longer and longer and when we hold both her hands to walk , many times she wants you to do it with only holding one hand. She loves "being walked."
I know I only have two more weeks of school left and then I have 2 months with Erika...but it is killing me more and more each day having to be apart from her. I wish I could be home with her now already! Two weeks...two weeks... In the picture above she is sitting proudly on one of my Opa's dining room table chairs. Eventually I changed Erika into something else because she gets very annoyed while trying to crawl with a dress on. Once she walks I can get out all the dresses again! One of my favorite things to do is put my hand on her chest and just feel her little heart beat. I remember the feeling I had when I did the same thing back when she was a newborn. Such an amazing feeling to feel that little heart beating away!

After such a fun day of playing with Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, Erika took a bath and went night night very easily. And now that is exactly what I need to do because I am dozing off as I am attempting to type this. I hope that Peter enjoyed his Fathers Day.

Here is a video of crazy Erika on her quad.