Hi! After 2+ years of living with the little green aliens (I don't hate them, they simply do not portray my expressions properly) I FINALLY figured out where the regular smileys are hiding on my keyboard. When on your regular keyboard, press and HOLD your mic button. This will give you further options: mic, clipboard, settings SMILEYS!!, etc.
It gives you many many emoji options, including animals, hearts, coffee, even an awesome dinosaur!
Hope this helps, give it a try!