Emma: 25 Months

Oh what to say about this bundle of cheese other than that it is incredibly hard to get a photo of her minus the squinty grin but I managed to find a few from this past month.

Boy does she ever love her "Tarbucks" dates! She yells out with glee every time we drive by one (and I love that she still thinks they are a novelty).

Really into animals - asks to "ride chicken" every time I mention our local produce stand

Thinks every bird is a chicken

Favorites are monkeys, piggies and spiders (which points out have their "arms up")

Also loves a friendly "Titty Tat"

Would wear her rain boots to bed if I let her

Talking a and putting together 4 and 5 word sentences at times

Beginning to stutter (ridiculously adorable!)

Takes a "hands on" approach to art

Hits at times but then quickly switches to gentle rubs when caught

Puts herself in time out

Her sister is her best friend

Won't let us drop Isla off at school without her

Enjoying time alone with mom and dad while Isla is away - always wants to spend it at Trader Joe's

Says "watch me!" and then jumps from stairs or curbs

Forward facing in the car ever since our Utah road trip

Has discovered how to reach and climb

Pronounces the word hiding as "hining" - makes me smile every time
Actually says a curt "What?" when you call our her name
Whenever a question is asked "Who wants to _____", she pipes up with an emphatic "ME!!"

Learning to count (has one-two and eight-nine-ten down)

Jumped up on the growth chart for weight at 28# 13 oz (75%ile) so switching from 2 to 1% milk!

Height = 34 inches (50%ile)

Pooped in ducky potty twice last week!!!!!!

Asks for Daddy and then follows with "Daddy at work"

Has enjoyed her own room for this month at least

Still in crib for now

Obsessed with apples

Knows how to use my smart phone better than me

Says and understanding "oh" after you tell her something (like that she needs to lay down because it's nap time)

Loves to give hugs and snuggle 

Can you say "CHEESE?"

Isla 49 Months

This bundle of personality is getting so big! We had the sweetest conversation the other night about heaven. She wanted to know if there would be food in heaven and I told her there would be FEASTS! A little later, she wanted to know more and I said that there would be no more sadness or tears or crying or hunger....at which point she cut me off and said, "But if there's going to food, we're gonna be hungry!" What a very smart girl.

She's all about mommy. In her dream world, I think I would go everywhere with her and always been the one to put her to bed. We are encouraging more one-on-one time between daddy and her but she told me the other day she "mostly likes to do things with him in the Fall like sledding." This one is a work in progress....

Isla girl has developed quite the imagination! My sister kindly chose the word imaginative vs calling her a liar. We've heard some "creative stories" lately that she claims to be 100% true but seem a bit questionable - like that she threw up a breakfast while at the Hertzogs or that they saw monkeys at the fair... We have been told some outright lies in relation to her behavior though too so we're working on that. The other day I spotted something dark brown around her lips and asked what it was. She told me it was "leftover dirt from when we were gardening yesterday." Hmm. It was later that night that she came downstairs 45 minutes after I had put her to bed to tell me I needed to put the chocolate chips up on a higher shelf so that she couldn't reach them. Ha!

Her brief phase of taking occasional naps is gone again. She does seem to really need the "quiet" time to herself and will ask for it at times (especially when there is a toy she wants to play with by herself!) 

The other day I set out some new pjs in her drawer and she was almost beyond herself with excitement. She asked who had gotten them for her and was saying this like "I LOVE owls! I just love polka dots!" As she was putting them off, she exclaimed "Just a second Mom. I'm going to give you a hug and a kiss!" She's a sweetie!

She is obsessed with band-aids and always tells me she's bleeding. Usually after "quiet" time, there are band-aid wrappers everywhere for the wounds she developed while reading up there? She did have 3 immunizations at her (late) 4 year appointment last week though. Her eyes welled up with huge crocodile tears and it was the first time I think I've ever really seen her honestly and truly scared (unfortunately she looked just in time to watch the needles go in and blood drip down her arm...) She took it like a champ and I think in the end her mother was more heartbroken than her so we all had a frozen yogurt treat that night (again, I think we won the parents of the year award in her book!)

Dr: "What do you do in the car to stay safe?"

Isla: "Wear a seatbelt!"

Dr: "What do you do when you ride your bike to stay safe?"

Isla: "Wear a helmet!"

Dr: "What do you do when you cross the street to stay safe?"

Isla: "Hold up a flag!"

LOL. This girl must have grown up walking downtown Kirkland...

I introduced Isla to the idea of turning her pages and pages of artwork into books (patting myself on the back for that one!) She loves the idea and I'm sure will have authored a whole series by oh, say, tomorrow. At her appointment, the doctor asked her to draw a person and apparently she draws like a 5 year old! It was deemed so because she accessorized (added shoes and curly hair!) and the arms she drew were coming out of the right spot - who knew?!

She is MADE for preschool! Last week she was yelling out her goodbyes from the car to a couple of new friends she's made. I love watching this happen!

Isla figured out how to get start pedaling on her bike on by herself this week. Hooray!

She dresses herself totally and completely and has her own ideas of what "matches." She loves to set out her outfits the night before but usually changes her mind again by the time morning rolls around. She likes to accessorize and the sock choice gets me every time...

Isla is SO excited to be a big sister again and asks regularly why the baby isn't here yet. She's an awesome playmate to Emma and I know she'll be a big help when baby is here. This girl is something else and I love her to pieces!

Spontaneous Baby Shoot

We spontaneously pulled off a last-minute, DIY baby bump shoot this blustery afternoon on a random outing to the park. I was told I might regret it if I didn't get a few shots of the girls with my belly so, though I would ordinarily never select 38 weeks as the optimal time, I went for it anyway since it's now or never! The beauty of this casual shoot was that I didn't even think about it beforehand so our outfits were what they were - rain gear - and that was good enough!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ridiculously Blessed

We just came through a pretty crazy week, attempting to balance work, meetings and even some fun. We coordinated a crazy number of babysitters (6 in 5 days!) and our kids more or less have been jumping from house to house since Friday to make it all work but we managed.  And now it's Monday, our one-day "weekend" and I'm so filled with gratitude on this cloudy, slow day.  At my MOPS meeting last night, I chose the word "savor" as my one-word prayer request for where I am right now.  I want to slow down and enjoy this season, the sweet moments with my kids, the opportunities to lay on the couch and rest, laughing with my husband, nights out on the town with friends.  I was tempted yesterday to gripe and whine that both our jobs require us working on the weekend but then I paused and was thankful for all the positives come from it - such as having a slow Monday morning at a coffee shop together when everyone else has to get up for work.  I was reminded in my devotional (Jesus Calling) today that "When you try to live independently of Me, you experience emptiness and dissatisfaction. You may gain the whole world yet lose everything that really counts."  Such wonderful food for thought for me today!

Wilson Fam Vacation 2013 - Fort Stevens Part 2

One of the cloudy morning, we headed over to Seaside to play dirty tourist (and I only say that because most others touring there were staying in hotels and didn't smell like campfire smoke...)

Graham has really fond memories of going on the carousel and bumper cars as a kid so was really excited to introduce them to our kids. Isla was totally uninterested in the bumper cars (until after the fact) and I guess Emma sort of was too but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She looked totally petrified for most of it but was pretty happy afterwards (maybe because it was over?)

The carousel was more of a hit though again it took Emma awhile to warm up.

When we got back to camp, the sun appeared so we made a run for the beach!

It was REALLY windy though...

...perfect for flying kites!

Graham had a blast with my dad's stunt kite, chasing down fellow beach-goers and coming within inches of their heads. That man may be 30, but he certainly still is a boy at heart!

The ladies and the kids tried to be closer to the water but ended up running for cover from the wind next to one of the dunes. It was a relief to be able to open our eyes again!

On our last day there, we went on a fort adventure. Isla thought the bunkers were pretty cool though it did open up a topic we've never discussed before: war.

A few of us broke into spontaneous song and harmony in the battery. Man, the echo in there makes anyone sound amazing! We sang Jesus Loves Me per Isla's request and little did we know we had an audience who broke into applause when we were finished. I need to find that video - it really did sound incredible!

On the other side of the bunker, we discovered this trail and so we embarked on our own little nature hike. The colors were so gorgeous!

The kids found a lot of cool stuff, including long grass that they used to tickle Grandpa.

And wouldn't you know it, the trail was lined with a couple of pear trees! The boys went to work nabbing us all a little snack.

I guess she's a jeep girl, just like her mama.

And in case I've lost you all with the length of these trip posts, let me bring you back with this one last picture. Here is Uncle Josh in his camping best. I'm pretty sure he ordered this lovely number late one night after watching an infomercial. Thankfully he got two for the price of one so both he and Uncle Ben were able to sport them around camp one evening. 

We were all jealous. So very, very jealous.