Emily's First Birthday

Emily Rose Ritter turned one on September 8, 2009. We had a big birthday party for her here at home. The festivities included a pinata, a jumpy house, and, of course birthday cake.









We took Emily to the San Diego Zoo on her actual birthday. She loved it.

Yosemite and Bass Lake

During the first week of June, we traveled with family to Yosemite and Bass Lake. The weather was a tad cool and wet for June but we did not care. Emily loved the outdoors with so much to see and do.


Bass Lake was great. For some of us it was our first trip. For others, it had been more than three decades since the last visit. Mike learned to water ski at 5 years old on Bass Lake. Brother Dan caught a, yes, you guessed it, bass.

Flower Fields

On a Sunny Saturday recently, we visited the Flower Fields in Carlsbad just a few minutes from our house. Every year, they plant acres of amazing flowers which bloom on a hill overlooking the blue Pacific. It was great family time and a wonderful opportunity to make full use of my Nikon D60 camera.

Omaha Trip

We recently visited family in Omaha, Nebraska. I had not yet met this side of Elicia's family. They were very excited to meet Emily. We were the guests of Valerie and Jeff who treated us so well.










Emily loves her Aunt Valerie.










Emily had fun playing with Grampa Byers.










Nana, Mommy and Grampa Byers

Easter 2009

This year for Easter we visited Eggapalooza at Daybreak Church. Emily got to spend some quality time with the Easter Bunny and enjoy the many festivities. It's quite an event and we hope you can join us next year. We also spent time on Friday and Sunday celebrating the Greatest Comeback of All Time - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The weekend was capped off with family time at Grandma and Grandpa Rios's house.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'

Emily has learned to roll over. We think she's had some trouble due to her, um, large mid-section. You can see her first attempt on the video takes awhile but the second one comes quickly. They say you gotta roll before you crawl. Right?

Emily's Christian Dedication

Emily was dedicated back to God yesterday at Daybreak Church on her 6 month birthday. We acknowledge that she is a gift from the Lord and we celebrate with the members of our church who have prayed for us and for her. Thanks to all of you who prayed for our family during the pregnancy. The Bible says the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective and we know God answers prayers.

Peas Please

Emily is starting on solid foods. She has been eating cereal for about a week and had her first vegetables this last weekend. Yummy!

Emily's Video Debut

Once again, Daddy had the camera in Emily's face.

Emily Update

Emily Rose is now 5 months old. She continues to be a happy and healthy baby. She smiles often, and loves to be out socializing. She loves watching football and enjoys spending time on her activity mat and exer-saucer. See?

The Beach....in January

The Southern California weather has been Summer-like lately. We have been checking our calendar to make sure it's really January. This was a great opportunity to introduce Emily to the beach and ocean. As usual, she loved it. We took a long morning walk along the coast in Carlsbad just a few miles from our house. Later in the day, we met Grandma and Grampa Rios down south on Coronado Island. We all saw a spectacular sunset

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Mommy and Emily enjoying the beautiful winter weather in Carlsbad.


The Carlsbad Ritters about to witness an amazing sunset.


God showing off.

Big Bear Trip

The Carlsbad Ritters celebrated the New Year by taking a weekend trip to Big Bear, CA. We met our friends the Longs and the Lindquists for a weekend in the Southern California mountains. Emily got to spend time with the three Long girls (Katelin, Courtney and Charlotte). Charlotte and Emily were born one week apart. Mike and Elicia got to snowboard/ski and enjoy time with good friends. It even snowed some while we were there!

Christmas 2008

The Carlsbad Ritters stayed home this Christmas and again hosted family and friends. We were part of three celebrations at our home. This is something we love to do....share our home with loved ones.

Here is Emily with Grampa Ritter, Daddy and Mommy on Christmas Eve.



Emily Rose loved her first Christmas. She's a very social baby and enjoys meeting people. Here, she is posing in her Christmas jammies.




On Christmas Day, there was a feast and presents!



On Christmas Eve, we attended worship services at Daybreak Church with Grampa Ritter and Brother Dan. We loved celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. He is the real reason for the season.