Tip-toeing Through the Tulips

Emily decided that while our bathroom was being renovated, and we couldn't stay at home, she would go out and "See the world." She said that she needed to "find herself." We never knew that a 3 month old could have an identity crisis, but she made such compelling arguments that we decided to let her go and explore.

She decided that she wanted to go to Hawaii first. Since she had been born in Chicago in December, she'd had enough of the cold weather and wanted to go somewhere that she could feel the warmth of the sun on her face, and let loose. She tried surfing and discovered that she is a natural at the sport. Look at this kid Hang 10!

Her next stop was Paris, the fashion capital of the world. She is such model wannabe that she had to go to Paris to schmooze with the latest, up-and-coming designers and see their new fashion lines. Apparently, what Emily likes, sells, so they were eager to see what she had to say about their work and were showering her with free clothes. She gets photographed so often that if she is seen in their clothes, it's free advertising, so she was pampered with whatever new designs she wanted. Jewelry, too. Oh, and don't forget the shoes! And the bags . . . the list of loot goes on forever.

Following her short stop in Paris, it was off to London, another fashion center. She wanted to see what London had to offer, and since Mommy is always singing a song about London Bridge, she wanted to check that out. Plus, Daddy is a big Beatles fan and so she wanted to visit Penny Lane.

Of course, with Daddy being part Irish, Emily's next stop was Ireland. She loved the Shire and spent a lot of time there out on the ponds collecting her thoughts while floating in a rowboat. She was suddenly coming to the conclusion that she missed her life back home in Elgin. She missed her Mommy and her Daddy. She missed her Grandma Kathy and Auntie Mandy. She missed her Grandma & Grandpa Bellock. She missed having her diapers changed for her and her bottles fed to her at will. She wanted to go home; she just wanted to make one small stop on the way . . .

HOLLAND! Home of the Windmill. (Or as Emily saw them . . . Giant Ceiling Fans!) While in Holland, she tip-toed through the tulips and wore clogs. She decided that clogs were not her thing, too clunky. Clunky shoes are soooo last season. She visited Amsterdam so that she could go to the Vincent Van Gogh museum. Mommy is always talking about how wonderful Vincent Van Gogh's paintings are, she just had to see them for herself.

Having seen all that she wanted to see, Emily decided to head home. She told us all about her big adventure. She plans another trip across the pond soon, her next stop--Italy!

While in Paris, Emily was looking down on the Eiffel Tower. (Remember, she's bigger than the Eiffel Tower, but smaller than . . .)

London was an eye-opening experience for Emily . . . She had never before seen double decker busses!

Emily decided after leaving London, that Ireland was only a hop, skip, and a jump away. She decided to do neither, and settled for a boat.

In Holland, Emily found the mecca of "fans". She really loves ceiling fans, and these were even better.

Oh yeah, by the way . . . APRIL FOOLS!

You didn't really think that we'd let her go surfing, did you?