A review in pictures

Fun with Moe Moe and BampaMy 2 trouble makers
Passed out

I will NOT smile nicely for this picture!
My Mom Rocks. Obviously!
Attempt #1 at family picture
Attempt #2 at family picture
Dr. Ali

Go Brewers!

Burning Up

Emma had her first illness over the weekend. On Saturday night she woke up with a temperature of 101.4

A dose of Tylenol did the trick and brought the fever down. The fever came back off and on Sunday, but was gone by Monday morning. The poor girl still has a stuffed up nose, a cute little cough, and a bunch of sneezing fits.

I guess that's what you get when you have a big germy brother smothering you with kisses all day!

Because it's Important

Get the facts at www.barackobama.com

100%

Wahoo! He went #2 on the potty tonight!!! And to top it all off, when I went to put a fresh pull up on him this morning, he insisted on wearing his Kung Fu Panda underwear instead! Hooray!

Of course I wouldn't be surprised if we go through a few set backs in the next few weeks... but it's sure looking great right now!

Potty Training: The Update

Am I going to jinx myself by saying it's 99% done?

The only issue is that he doesn't quite like going #2 in the toilet. Here are the facts:

*He prefers pull ups over regular underwear. Hmmm... how to convince him that cotton little boy underpants with Cars, or Superman, or Kung Fu Panda are the way to go...

*He stays dry during naps AND at night!

*He gets really annoyed when I ask him fifty thousand times if his "tank is full" and then occasionally drag him into the bathroom to "try to empty his tank". Why can't I just let go and allow him to tell me when he has to go? He has proven that he can do that, so I just need to shut the heck up and leave the kid alone.

*He gets a kick out of standing on his stool and peeing into the toilet from that height. We could really use a urinal around here.

*He got about 7 monster trucks and a large bag of m&ms for his efforts over the past week and a half.

*If only we could convince him to go #2 in the toilet. Any ideas?

*Aside from going #2 in his pull up, he hasn't had any accidents in about a week.

*He even went potty at church on Sunday!

We're so proud of him!

Worth the Wait...

I got some adorable pictures of Emma today...

Sitting in her new Bumbo seat! If she'd take her eyes off of her big brother for just a second, maybe I could get some good pictures!

A little boy's dream come true! They chopped down one of our Maple trees because it was rotting from the inside out. What they left us with was a huge hole and a ton of dirt and woodchips. Bring out the monster trucks!

Potty training... quite possibly one of the most challenging parts of being a parent. He's doing really well. We don't push it when he doesn't want to sit on the potty, but we do quite a talented potty dance when he does! He's wearing pull ups all the time instead of big boy underpants. I've heard that doing that can cause some confusion for the kid because it feels just like a diaper. So far, that hasn't been the case. He tells us when he needs to "empty his tank" and has really only had a handful of accidents since Sunday. We're well on our way! I think the proud look on his face while we're dancing after he has peed in the potty is worth all of the worries about if this is the right time for him. It clearly is!

3 Months

Happy 3 Month Birthday, Precious Girl!

Mama got home late and you went to bed early, so we didn't get to take your awake 3 month pictures. We'll do it tomorrow afternoon. It'll still count, I promise. You are loved more than you'll ever know. We are so lucky to have you in our family.

Love,

Mama, Daddy-O, and Jack-a-roo

Too much going on...

School has started for me and suddenly we're all in a daze around here. Lots going on...

*Jack and Emma are having a grand time hanging out at home with Moe Moe and Bampa (Brandon's parents) while we're at work. Emma is napping better and Jack is doing a pretty good job of letting Moe Moe tend to Emma without getting too jealous. We are forever grateful for their help!

*My class is great this year. I have 12 kids, 8 girls and 4 boys. They were a little chatty on Friday, but fantastic overall. It's amazing how you forget just how exhausting teaching is after a long summer. Boy am I glad it's the weekend! I'm teaching a unit on nutrition in science right now. I added it to the 2nd grade curriculum and took out plants/bees/flowers cause they get some of that in 1st grade. The kids are really excited about the 5 food groups- and this unit goes perfectly in 2nd grade because we require them to bring a healthy snack every day. You should see the junk food they bring to eat in 1st grade!!! Going back was a little hard at first, it was sad to leave my little Emma Lem (and of course Jack too!). Knowing she's in good hands in her own house makes it a lot easier though.

*I am only working half days on Tuesday and Thursday as my maternity leave. It's FANTASTIC! Getting to come home early and be with the kids 2 days a week is going to make this school year just that much better.

*Potty training, potty training. I think Brandon and I just need to bite the bullet and do this thing. He's so incredibly ready (I believe). I think I'll go out and buy a few more pairs of big boy underpants for the little man tomorrow.

*Emma Lem is getting so big! She is just so much fun right now. Laughing, smiling, sucking on her hands... I just love her to bits! She's going to bed earlier now, between 8:30 and 9:00. She gets up between 5:30 and 6:00. She could be outside looking all around all day and be happy as can be. She also loves watching her big brother. I can't wait to see them grow into best buddies.

*We've finally decided on a window and roof company to handle our home improvement projects. We'll be getting a brand new roof and replacement windows on the 2nd floor. We'll need to save up for awhile before we can replace the windows on the 1st floor. These projects should get under way in the next 2 months. We can't wait! It feels good to have the decision made. Just think... no more climbing on a ladder 2x a year to put up storm windows and screens!

*We now have a cleaning service coming to clean the house every 2 weeks. You have no idea what a gift this is. It is probably one of my best dreams come true! We still swiffer the dog hair and wipe down the bathrooms... but to not have to do major cleaning anymore??!! It's so incredibly wonderful!!! The best money we've ever spent. For real.

And now, the pictures!

Baby girl

Finley and Emma

Love those hands!

Can we just go to the park now!!! I've been waiting for so long!

I'm ready too!
Chillin' at the park
Boys in the sand
Waiting for the Harley Davidson 105th anniversary motorcycle parade to start. Yes, it was loud. No, we don't need to ever go again!

More pictures are up on Flickr too.