Emma 19 Months

Emma is officially our goof ball and loves to make us laugh. She knows how to get the crowd going and is a good social laugher, always inserting her fake cackle when appropriate. I ADORE these jammies by the way!

Emma started talking this month! She says elbow, cheese, please (sort of sounds like a bee buzzing), duck, amen, Isla, tickle tickle (sounds like she's gargling) and dog. She attempts to repeat things after you which is new.

If you ask her a question, she'll almost always respond with an exuberant "YEAH!" It's the best. If ever you're feeling doubtful, you can ask her things like "Do I look OK?" or "Am I a good parent?" or "Do you want to go grocery shopping?" and she'll answer you like it's the best suggestion she's ever heard in all her life.

We are officially a BINKY-FREE household...for the next 7 months at least!! We took away Emma's binky just before our anniversary getaway (good timing!) and it went fairly ok. I was expecting much worse. I took away the one she always held in her hand first and replaced it with her stuffed piggy "Olivia." Then came the one in the mouth which resulted in some sad bedtimes, increased cuddles and shortened naps. BUT, it didn't last long, she's adjusted now and her dentist will thank us. She dropped her AM nap this month and now sleeps once daily.

In other news, her mother finally figured out how to do her hair and we went from this:

....to this (her first ponytail!): 

.... most often this: 

Emma loves being outside and has joined me out there on many occasion over the past week. She's been "helping" me plant my garden and seems to eat a mouthful of dirt every time. 

 She loves to snuggle, one of the many things I adore about her. She'll sit in your lap for long periods of time and keep you company, especially if you are rubbing her back! She's a hugger and a kisser and gives both out frequently. I love how her face lights up when either Graham or I arrive home and she comes running to greet us at the door.

 She is very much like her Daddy which is so fun. The other day he set her up with a magazine and a cozy blanket and she sat there on the couch for a good 20 minutes reading. She's laid back and usually isn't in any sort of a hurry and spends her day savoring and taking things in. I think she's going to be a wanderer too! She isn't hardwired with the same innate need to be within 10 feet of me at all times (like her sister). She sees no need to "check in" and will just take off in any and every direction.

It's been sunny in Seattle (have you noticed!!!?) and so we've been spending a lot of time at the park. Emma is my little dare devil and seems to have no fear! She can maneuver the play structures with ease and has even been caught at the highest parts, grabbing the bars and leaning out to look down at the ground below. Her favorite activity is the slide which she's managed to figure out all by herself. She's also mastered the art of going down stairs standing up which she thinks is pretty cool. She's actually pretty good at it but it sometimes nearly gives me a heart attack.

 Emma has grown really interested in babies this month which is super exciting to me. She went from being incredibly jealous when I would hold and feed her cousin a bottle a couple months ago to wanting to get in on all the action. My parents watched all 4 grand kids and she reportedly fed Lilly both of her bottles AND burped her. I watched them last week and she did the same. In fact, she would hear me burping Lilly from another room and come RUNNING to help. Yay - big sister prep!

 On another note, she just adores her Grandpa. I don't know if he's been sneaking her doughnuts on the side to win her favor or what but these two have a really special bond that's heart-warming to watch. Every time I say the word "grandpa," she looks out the front window to see if he's here. Uncle Ben came for a visit this month and Emma wasn't shy at all. She seems to really enjoy all the men in her life! :)

She got to jump on a trampoline for the first time and LOVED. IT. I could not get her to come off! She loved laying on her back while the other kids jumped around her. If they stopped jumping, she'd thrash her legs and try to get herself going again - so hilarious! She could hardly stay on her feet but had an absolute ball.

We just love our little goof!

Isla 43 Months

Oh dear Isla pie, you are....

....ever so into your little baby doll. You even went as far as to convince me to make her a binky that we taped to her face. You get her dressed in her pjs every night, swaddle her and put her down in the oatmeal carton next to your bed. Sometimes you wake up telling me you didn't get enough sleep because your baby kept you up.

 ....really into my Tupperware. I never have any when I need it because you either have them filled with water and piled throughout the house or you are using them for your pretend picnics.

 ....still doing daily "quiet" time though in reality it is anything but quiet! I think you desperately need to revert back to naps but you fight them with your ever-so-strong will power. But anytime we strap you in a car seat in the afternoon, you are asleep in seconds. Go figure!

 ....a little heater bug! You are always claiming to be hot and are rarely found fully clothed. I feel like the thing I say most often each day is "Isla, where are your pants?" You also love to change into your swim suit. The instant you found out we are going to Hawaii, you began to pack. I find backpacks and bags everywhere ready "for Hawaii" and your swimsuit is always in them. We have you booked for swim lessons in June and you are insisting that you will wear goggles so you "don't get your eyes wet." :) You don't hesitate one bit to tell everyone we meet about our trip.

....into asparagus! We just discovered this yesterday (yay for spring produce!) but I think you had 4 helpings at dinner alone and kept asking if you could have more. You also would eat raisins all day every day if we let you (see picture above).

....a great eldest cousin. You love your cousin Gid and especially like telling him exactly what to do. Sometimes he wants to play his own way but usually he's a good sport.

....a crack up. Lately we've been talking a lot about the weather. You coined a new term: "sunny clouds!" They are the white puffy ones we see in combination with blue sky. I love the way you think! You are also really into discussing days of the week, months of the year and the time of day. You have your birthday memorized and are beginning to be able to determine the hour of day by looking at an analog clock. 

 ....very into coloring. And taping. I think we've had a school of seahorses taped to walls around the house for a good month now. You used to just tape up tiny torn pieces of plain white paper but now you're displaying some real works of art. I love it!

....officially done with your very first dance class. I LOVED watching you "perform" on this special day. You were so brave going to this class every week and made me proud as I watched everything you learned.

....talkative yet shy, curious about everything in the world, a mama's girl, concerned for others' well-being, a great leader, a tender-hearted soul. I love you sweet girl!

Zoo FAIL

Who leaves the eastside for the zoo at 3:15 PM on a Tuesday afternoon? We do apparently! What zoo closes at 4 PM? The Woodland Park Zoo apparently! Oops. Thankfully my husband is a creative genius and turned what could have been a really disappointing sunny afternoon/evening into a fun outing. 

The girls were happy to play at the park right next to the zoo for awhile. 

 

Then Graham found a Fred Meyer gift card in his wallet and decided our next mission was to purchase a picnic dinner solely on what was left on the card. It turns out there was only $4.37 remaining...so we stretched our self-imposed rule and spent a whopping $12. If I can say so, it was officially the weirdest picnic menu ever: General Tso's Chicken, fried rice, a southern green pea and bacon salad, a loaf of rustic bread, a wedge of mushroom blue cheese and some olives. By the time we made it to our dining destination (The Locks), the 63 degree Seattle day had turned rather frigid so we threw our blanket down inside where we had a good view of the fish ladder. The girls thought it was the best thing ever (despite the sour expression on Isla's face below) and kept telling us so. 

 After our meal we watched the water flow and the birds that were gorging themselves on the small fish pouring through.

 

 

 

 

 Twas an unexpectedly fun evening!

Pre-Easter

We both have to work Easter this year so I decided to put together a pre-Easter celebration on Palm Sunday. We all know I'm big on traditions and Isla's at the age where we can really begin to start some fun annual activities. I like the idea of keeping bunnies and egg hunts and baskets and fluff separate from Easter Sunday so that we can make sure our kids are raised understand the real reason we celebrate Easter. But I'm still trying to figure out a balance between what we will make a part of our family and what we will leave out - not an easy task! This year Isla and I did a special little project earlier in the month and created our own homemade set of Resurrection Eggs. It's been a neat way to teach Isla the story of Easter.  

 I let her paint an egg carton pink and hopefully we'll pull it out every year and count down the 12 days to Easter while recounting Jesus' death and resurrection. We also spent an afternoon dyeing some real eggs for our Pre-Easter breakfast. Isla loved the half and half approach and did a great job!

 The girls were delighted to see some special baskets waiting for them on the front porch when they woke up. I neglected to discuss with Graham whether we were going to be an Easter bunny family or not (he grew up with the Easter Squirrel) and he went ahead and told Isla that the baskets were from the Easter Rabbit. Isla spent the rest of the day running to the front door, trying to get a glimpse of said Easter Rabbit. Oops.

Isla helped me make their little "baskets" out of supplies we had lying around the house earlier in the week.

 Emma loved her little wind-up hopping bunny 

 And the girls immediately went to work making a nest out of the Easter grass for their little bunny and chick.

My house is now covered in Easter grass 

 

 After naps, we went outside to do an egg hunt.

 Isla hunted for the both of them and Emma filled her bag with dirt. 

 

 Emma suddenly grew very interested in the eggs when she realized there were SNACKS inside! Cheerios and mandarin orange wedges - every kids' dream! Honestly, my kids couldn't have been happier. :) 

We closed out the day feasting on roast lamb, tomato bread salad, sauteed potatoes and zucchini, and Resurrection Rolls (which were a miserable failure) with friends. Twas a great day!