She's walking!!!!

This post is sort of behind the power curve but that's okay. Emma took her first two steps on April 9th actually to Hunter. He had a play cellphone in his hands and was telling her he would give it to her if she came and got it. She kept reaching for it and squealing in protest and he just kept telling her to "come to brother" we were all in the room watching when all of a sudden she took two completely sturdy steps to Hunter took the phone, sat down and put it to her ear and said, "eh?" trying to mimick hello. We all were so excited I of course cried daddy did a little too. She continued to take a few steps here and there for a couple weeks and on the 19th she got brave and took eight steps to me. Now she is walking anywhere from eight to ten steps at a time off and on throughout the day. She still prefers to crawl if she really needs to get somewhere but she seems to like the walking. Deke and I can't believe how sturdy she walks completely controlled it is amazing. Also a lot of the time she is walking with stuff in her hands usually a baby doll that is half the size she is. Which is precious. That moment when they walk for the first time is so amazing it is such an accomplishment. I can't believe how fast it goes. It is so exciting but it is also such a big reminder of her growing up. Yay Miss E!!! Anyways now about her egg hunt. The whole time the kids were dying their eggs Emma was going crazy wanting to hold one. I tried explaining to her that she could play with them when they dried but lets face it she is a one year old so you can guess how well that conversation went. She loved watching Hunter and Ave hide them for each other around the house but was frusterated that I wouldn't let her intervene in the process. Finally the next day we took her over to the park with a basket to let her take a turn finding some eggs. Ave insisted that she would "hide" them for her. Avery laid them around on the grass in a small area and handed her the basket. Without any prompting she took off for the first bright blue one she saw by the tree. Obviously watching her older siblings had helped her prepare. She sat and held it for awhile, held it up in the air for me to see and clapped for herself. I told her to put it in the basket which she did for a second and then promptly took it out again and tucked it into herself like a football and did a one handed crawl to another blue egg that she had spotted. She kept holding it out to me smiling as if to say, "Look I finally got to hold one!" Then she would furrow her eyebrows and look down at it wondering what to do with it. Eventually Avery starting pointing out where the eggs were in the grass and she walk/crawled over to find the rest of them. Once they were all gathered she sat down on her bum and played with them for about twenty minutes. In the basket, out of the basket, in again. All in the basket now dump the basket. Even taking them and putting them off and on her lap. It was really cute. Then she got the idea to take two and smack them together which cracked them opened to her delight. Then it was drop the camera and run over and take them before she tried putting the shells in her mouth. She had a lot of fun, Avery and I had a lot of fun laughing watching her "find" them and listen to the little squeals of delight when she picked up a new one. She is adorable, I am enjoying her sooooooo much.