Friday, March 4, 2011

Emma

Today I write about Emma. She is my very last baby ever. The girl that has completed our family. Emma is the tiniest one with the biggest personality and has been fighting her way to the top of the pile since she was born in order to make a place for herself in our household and she has succeeded!

The best part about gathering photos for this post was that I started school for photography when Em was two so most of her images are digital and all organized on my computer. What a great walk down memory lane.



This was a wall in Emma's nursery. Her sisters
put their hands in paint and we used their
hand prints as "grass" in this flower bed.



 Emma, 15 mins old being inspected by her new big
sisters (Dad took these pictures)

 Emma Dianne Simpson

This man was not so into the whole baby thing until
he saw this baby that looked just like him. He has
been quite smitten with her ever since...

Steve and I were older as far as parents go when we decided to have a baby. We had our big girls from my first marriage and we thought it would be fun to have a baby together. When we found out we were going to have a girl I can't tell you how relieved I was because let me tell you, I know about girls. I remember Steve's mom looked at us when we told her we were having a baby and she said, "at least one of you knows what you're doing..." That's hilarious. 
 The best part about Steve being a new dad was that he loved her so much and loved every moment with her that it really didn't matter if he knew what he was doing, he knew he loved her and she made sure he got the experience he needed. Dad changed a gazillion diapers and when I went back to work he had her for twelve hours a day three to four days a week. By the time she was two he had been fully trained. The two of them are like peas in a pod and she knows she's Daddy's favorite, just ask her.

 I call this, Me and mini Me





When I told my dad that we were having a girl I expressed the feeling that I wanted to be able to add a boy to Steve's life. My dad answered by saying, "I never cared if I had a girl or a boy, my daughters can do everything a boy can AND they can have babies, so who cares?" I think Steve would be so lost without this little girl.

I'm pretty sure we would all be lost without her. She is the perfect fit for her sisters. She loves them and wants to be just like them but has found a way of doing that without losing any part of herself. Amanda was crazy about the idea of Emma and checked off the days on her calendar for nine months. Both girls where there when Emma was born and they have been such a huge part of her life ever since. They have promised to be all up in her business for ever. I made them promise this when I realized how old I would be when she becomes a grown woman. I know in my heart she will always have them and will be as close as I am with my sisters.




 Four  generations of girls...


Me with my pile of girls

 This is the sort of thing that happens to
 a baby sister.

oxoxoxo
Mandy with Em

Emma smiles for Alix during a picture.

Emma and Mandy. Emma has a really hard time
 making it a day without Manda



 Emma with Chelsea, Alix's BFF, another of Emma's
many sisters.

Emma is very into her family and has friends at school that she absolutely loves. She is crazy about her aunts and her uncle Mike. Uncle Mike is also the dad of her two cousins that she is in love with. To Emma, Max and Nora might as well be her siblings. Max was born a month after Emma but she still thinks she needs to mother him, and now that Nora has come along she really has someone to mother.

 Emma and max having snacks

 Playing at Grandma's

At the San Clemente Pier

Emma and crazy Nora

With Grandma

When Emma was two we found out she is very allergic to animals, mostly cats. That's when our kitty moved to the garage. The problem is she just loves the little furry animals so much. She has a toy dog that she drags around on a leash and a cat that meows and moves around with batteries. However, every chance she gets she visits Atlas outside and she even has a little bird maned Charlie that lives in her room. She's not allergic to birds.

 This is from a photo shoot Emma asked me
to do. She asked me to take some pictures of
her with her daughter.





This is Charlie 

I have been a photographer for the majority of Emma's life so I'm going give you a peek into her life through the following images. They kind of tell her story. I'm so glad I'll have all these images and more forever. 
(film)
 Emma gained the nick name Tiny E from her Auntie Michelle. Saturday Night Live had a skit called Tiny E, about a tiny Elvis that sat on the dash board of a car. Emma had so much hair when she was a baby we thought she looked like she was wearing an Elvis wig...


 Tiny E



 During this stage her DR. said she had a "Yani mullet"


 Grandma






Dress-up (this happens on a regular basis)

"Hey Girls!" The tradition of making friends
with oneself in a medicine cabinet mirror.






(Digital)




So small with so much attitude
and hair

Emma is a fan of tea parties.

 Chatting with Grandma about her bang trim

Ready for her make over... Not sure if I am







Being engulfed by her hair

The many faces of Emma...


 With Grandma
talk about mini me...









Em and Grandpa













 That's right... the pistol





 Girls should always be glamourous, even 
when fishing









Well, I can guarantee this is the tip of the iceberg of who Emma is. She a teacher, mother, friend, sister, baby, niece, cousin, daughter, firecracker, comedian, actress, model, and pistol. She's a writer, and artist. She's only 7...
Buckle up it's gonna be a wild ride on the Emma train.


PS Emma Simpson approves of this blog entry. ;-) 
























15 comments:

  1. Awesome post Kel, so many great photos and memories. She is a little pistol alright. :)

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  2. Hi Kelley (& Emma!)

    You’ve certainly captured a lot of memories here. I’d have to pick out the following images as my highlights:
    - 025_23A (sorry maybe it’s just the mundaneness of the everyday interactions in this shot that gets me as a father)
    - FH00017 (just a cute shot of her with her sisters) and
    - IMG1247 (the expression in those eyes!)

    Talking of eyes, is it your post production or do all the ladies in the Simpson family have such strong blue eyes naturally? They say the eyes are the windows to the soul and certainly from the photographs you’ve shared of Emma, Amanda & Alix, there’s an inner strength seen in those eyes. It can be bad enough being at the other end of a cutting ‘look’ from any women but goodness help the person who gets such a look from the Simpson ladies - those piercing eyes could slice through you like a hot knife in butter ;-)

    Best wishes,

    David

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  3. David,
    Thanks a million times for your comment, and for stopping by. I loved your comments about the eyes, I believe you are right. A perfect day to be reminded of the inner strength of these ladies. As a Mama I sometimes worry about them and it's nice to be reminded of that inner strength they all posses. It is something passed down from many amazing people who have gone before these girls. I have to tell you many people have commented on each of their eyes. I do post them but most of the time I don't have to do much because doing so would take them too over the top.
    Steve laughed when I read your comment aloud. He said he's had a hot poker run through him many a time in this house...
    That's hilarious.
    Thank you again for your visit!

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  4. Kelley, what a wonderful series of shots, absolutely captivating. I love them all, so don't ask me to choose a favourite!
    Your girls are a credit to you both.
    As for that David, lad, he's a silver tongue devil with the 'eyes, flirt line!
    But you all do have very nice eyes...
    All the best
    Noel

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  5. LOL, Noel! You're so darling, you make me laugh all the time. Thank you for stopping by. I do love that the eyes tie all my girlies together. Since the big ones have a blue eyed dad, I'm glad Miss Ems got my eyes because she is the only bluey from the Simpson family and she is connected to her sisters in this way. Every one knows blue eyes are the best...(a long lasting family feud). Thanks for the nice words!
    Wonderful to hear from you!

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  6. Such pretty girls!! I loved these pictures. I teared up when I read "Steve would lost without his little girl"! I have a sister. No boys in this house. We are very close to our dad. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't trade us for a boy. Loved these!

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  7. Hi Kelley! It's me again... I just wanted to let you know that you won this round of Captcha Balderdash! It featured you in my post today and will link to your blog on my FB page and Twitter account. The definition was hilarious!

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  8. Hi Kelley, I stopped by to congratulate you on winning Captcha Balderdash...I confess, I was one of the voters. Your definition was spot on and made me laugh.

    Your post on your daughter is amazing as are the pictures!! I'm glad I stopped by I think I'm going have to follow along!!

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  9. Hi Kelley! Congrats on your awesome win over at the Breakroom :) Your family is lovely and your pictures are wonderful! We are also "older" parents in a blended family... it can be loads of fun :)

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  10. @Kelley Thank you so much for providing such a fun place for me to go every morning! Thank you for the "plug" that was so awesome! I never win anything!
    @Saimi Thanks for stopping by what an honor to have you and thanks for the vote! Thanks for the sweet words abut the post!
    @XLMIC Thabk you very much!! How fun! Oh, and yay for the blends, never a dull moment right? Thanks you for the kind words!

    Thanks to you all wonderful having you here!

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  11. I'm delighted to find your blog. There are soooooooooooooooo many fabulous pictures here, all gathered in one place!

    If it were me, I'd break this post up into lots of snippets and stories. MAN, you've got some fabulous pictures of your beautiful Emma here. Her personality leaps off the page, as do the personalities of her Daddy, her Gram, you, and so many others.

    Break it down for us, bit by bit!!! As someone with an eye and skills like yours WELL knows: a picture is worth a thousand words. And sometimes, a great picture has earned the right to have more of its story told!

    I'm a fan!!!

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  12. Susan, What great feedback! I'm really going to take that to heart and see what I can do about it. Processing... processing...

    Thanks so much for stopping by! Love your blog!
    Kelley

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  13. What an amazing post. Your photos are simply beautiful. I actually found myself getting teary eyed.

    My son is a photographer. I can't wait for him to see your work. He will be quite impressed as am I.

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  14. Emma is lucky to have mom who's a photog... and also such a great mom. I love that you put all of these together complete with commentary, and clearly Emma is one special little (well, not that little any more). :)

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  15. @Marla and Mike thanks for stopping by! And thank you for the kind words! I can't tell you how thankful it makes me.

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