Picture Overload

A sampling of the pictures from the past few weeks.

In the outfit we bought for her when we found out it was a girl!

Happy to be playing
Yes, I took her on the slide! It was fun and she loved it!

A cold and windy day at the pumpkin patch. Shorts? He never listens to me. Ever.

Obeo and Emma

All by himself- just like last year!

Don't get lost!

Grandpa, Jack and Mama

Rooey and Ems

Family in the cornfield

So tall! And still not yet 40 pounds!

On the train ride

Bampa and Jack cruising around

Family in the cornfield. Again.

Daddy O and Emmers

Trying to explain to him that we can wash the dirt off the pumpkins. He ended up getting an already picked pumpkin back at the farm because they were already clean.

Holy cow does he need a haircut!

I've got Sol

Guts!

Explaining to Daddy O how it's done

Too many cookies

Zebra

Ladybug

Happy Halloween!

Crying It Out

*She started waking up every 20 minutes at night (or at least it felt like it!) for her deedee (pacifier) so last night and tonight I swaddled her up, rocked her for a minute, put her in her crib with her deedee in her mouth and then walked out. Once the deedee fell out, she talked and screeched for about 5 minutes, cried for 15 and then fell sound asleep. Last night she woke up a time or two and fussed, but I didn't go in and she fell right back to sleep on her own. I'll do the same tonight. Now the question is, do we get rid of the deedees completely? She only uses them to sleep. Do we let her cry it out at nap time too? Apparently things get easier with the second kid. As she cried for the 15 minutes, instead of agonizing over our choice... I just turned the tv up louder. Hmmm.... what does that mean?!

*Tomorrow the kids will join me at school for the Halloween Parade. I'll put pictures up this weekend. We carved our pumpkin tonight. Only Jack has a carved one, we're too tired to carve one for each of us. How sad is that?? Jack absolutely would not touch the "seeds and guts" of the pumpkins. He was also the only kid at the pumpkin patch 2 weekends ago who spent the entire time searching the field for a "clean punkin". He was not happy with the level of dirt found on the pumpkins! What a wimp!

*Brandon took both kids to the pediatrician last week. Emma is 17 pounds at 4 months. We're waiting till closer to 6 months to start solid food. Fine by me, she'll be my baby that much longer! Jack got his flu shot- only a few tears!

*My mom, Emma, and I made the trip to North Carolina last weekend. We had a fantastic time at the wedding. Congrats to Becky and Joe! We also met new friends, hello to the Coronel Family! Glad you found the blog!

Much more this weekend... I'm off to bed!

Life

* Report cards were due yesterday. Conferences are next week. I can't wait till it's all over! There is just so much work involved with getting ready for both of those things. I have pretty demanding parents this year, so I guess I'm a little nervous about conferences. I've tried to kill the really difficult ones with kindness so far. Maybe that'll help me out in the long run.

* Brandon and I escaped to Door County last weekend. A woman from his work got married up there so we made a weekend out of it. It was so wonderful to get away. We slept in late (if you can call 8:00 late!!) and even went on a 10 mile bike ride through Peninsula State Park. The leaves were at their peak of color- so it was really beautiful. Jack and Emma were spoiled rotten by both Moe Moe and Obeo.

*Bampa and Moe Moe have the kids on a fun schedule of story times and playdates and art classes. Jack is loving his Pee Wee Picasso class. He is the king of glue sticks apparently! Today he is at his second zoo class with Brandon. The topic is horses. I'm sure he's having a blast.

*This morning we really started pushing the idea that when he turns three, his deedee's are going to be sent to Africa for the baby giraffes to use. (The kid loves animals, why not?) He'll always have his obeo (blanket) but it's really time for the deedees to be gone. The dentist he saw when he was one said they don't worry about the impact on the teeth until the kids are three. Another good reason to send them away. Jack uses both obeo and deedee at bedtime and then during the day if he needs a break. The rule is both things must stay upstairs and he's really good about it. I'm hoping our nice mailman, Alex, will play along with our shipment to Africa.

*Some shmuck stole our Obama yard sign last week. Jack was VERY upset by it and is glad to have a new one. We stuck it closer to the house in the hopes that nobody would take it. A neighbor from 2 blocks down said he's lost 2 signs already. I'm pretty sure that John McCain does not advocate stealing yard signs to prove a point. I'm assuming our thief is a McCain fan- why else would someone want to swipe an Obama sign?

*Emma's baptism is going to be on November 16th. I spent WAY too long designing the invitations- but I loved how they turned out. We're hoping lots of family will be able to come. You never know with the busy schedule people have these days.

*Next weekend my mom and I are off to North Carolina for a wedding. I hope the weather is nice- it's a wedding on the beach!

*Tomorrow we are off to the same pumpkin patch we went to last year. They still have that super fun slide and hay ride. I can't wait to see how much fun Jack has this year. He had a good time last year, but I really think he'll be into it tomorrow.

*Instead of making their Halloween costumes like a lot of moms do- I took the easy way out and ordered them online! It sure is nice to have them delivered to your doorstep! Jack chose his costume and Emma's. They are both darling. You'll have to wait till Halloween for the pictures!

And now for some pictures of the kids...

Cuddling

Little Miss Purple

Can't quite sit up yet, Mom!

Check out those jeans!
Snow Queen and the Tennessee football player

4 Months

Dear Emma,

You turned 4 months old 8 days ago. I'm pretty sure your brother got a blog post the very second he turned one month older. I hope you know that Mama being late with your letter doesn't mean I love you any less. It just means that our lives are so filled up to the top with fun stuff going on, I don't always have a moment to sit down and write. But I'm always thinking of you no matter what I do and I love you more each and every day.

Now that you are 4 months old you get to do even more fun stuff. We got out the Jumpy thing for the doorway and the Exercaucer. How you love both of those! Being able to stand up and play with all sorts of toys- all while screeching and watching what's going on... you couldn't be happier! You are absolutely enthralled with your big brother. You like to watch his every move and he is so happy to provide your entertainment. His favorite thing to do for you is jump on the bed while you lie back on the pillows and watch. He's only landed on you once or twice and you didn't seem to mind! Oh the joys of being the second child. Mama and Daddy aren't so over the top protective of you like we probably were with Jack.

Your hair has really changed in the past 4 months. It has gone from very black to very light brown. It still gets curly after your bath- we'll see if that continues! Your eyes are the prettiest shade of blue- but sometimes I wonder if they won't start turning just a little hazel like your Mama's. You have really started grabbing for toys and brining everything into your mouth. Jack gets such a kick out of showing you new baby toys he has found in the toy basket. Your favorite by far is the giraffe that Jack also loved. You are up to about 8 ounces every feeding now. You are probably more than ready to start some baby cereal, but we'll have to wait for the ok from Dr. Ubell. We had been giving you prune juice every couple of days to keep things consistent if you know what I mean... that's gotten much better lately!

You are a joy in our lives, Emma. We are thankful to have you happy and healthy in our family. We love you.

Love,

Mama and Daddy-O and Jack

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.