It all seems worth it at times like these. My only question, will she like this as much when she is 16? Regardless of what the future holds, I am quickly and systematically becoming a third wheel around here.
7.20.2009
And now...the rest of the story.
Miss Emma feeding "Baby".
O-dawg at 9 months. He now has 4 teeth, and is beginning to balance without holding onto things. I see his bright smile more than not. He is a happy little guy, and has amazing tolerance with his sister.
The cat made friends quickly. She is trying to resist the charm of the children, but who can resist them?
Emma got used to her new home quickly. I believe this was a day or two after we moved.
And for all of you who can relate, and for those who tolerate crazy moms, a crazy baby shot. He loves avocados!
O-dawg at 9 months. He now has 4 teeth, and is beginning to balance without holding onto things. I see his bright smile more than not. He is a happy little guy, and has amazing tolerance with his sister.
The cat made friends quickly. She is trying to resist the charm of the children, but who can resist them?
Emma got used to her new home quickly. I believe this was a day or two after we moved.
And for all of you who can relate, and for those who tolerate crazy moms, a crazy baby shot. He loves avocados!
6.19.2009
Don't make me gag
A few days ago I was in the bathroom. And, as many of you can relate to, my children inevitably end up there with me more times than not. On this particular day, Owen discovered the toilet paper stand, which is a free standing type. It was great fun for him, and as hard as I tried I could not convince him otherwise. He pulled it down and I grabbed it before it bopped him on the head. Then, as I was occupied (for like 7 seconds, I swear) he pulled himself up and figured out how to unroll the toilet paper, which was much more fun. Emma thought she needed a turn too, so it wasn't long before there was toilet paper everywhere and a baby who did not want to sit down.
After I had the toilet paper rolled back up, I noticed Owen chewing. Oh boy. The standard finger sweep in his mouth did not produce anything. Clearly, he had ingested some of that wonderful t.p. The boy does not have a stomach capable of handling all of his impromptu snacks, so it was a matter of seconds before he began to gag.
The amazing thing was my reaction. As he began to make to sounds associated with eating things that should not be eaten, I calmly held him and instructed Emma to take a step backwards. I held onto my son and made sure that he was positioned on the rug, and as the toilet paper came up, I had the presence of mind to wait for round two, which came a moment later. I then plopped him on the floor, wiped him up and gathered the rug up to throw into the washer. My blood pressure did not rise, I didn't yell at Emma, I didn't freak out in the slightest. I was calm. Calm! No panicking. I marveled at this uncharacteristic approach of mine (I am the one who once ripped my husband's head off because Emma "is bleeding!" and he was calm while I was not) and was pleased with the conclusion that I came up with for this phenomenon.
I am officially the mom of...a boy.
6.09.2009
pig's
A few weeks ago I put Em's hair in pig tails for the first time. She seems more like a little girl all the time. She is watching her first movie for the first time right now. It is a veggy tale movie from a good friend.
Over the weekend we took family pictures with my family. Successful? I don't know. Owen slept really poorly the night before, and didn't take a nap that morning. His eyes looked red and puffy, and he looked so tired. But they'll do. It was all in all a pretty good time.
Our life has settled down into a routine again. It feels good to be back to the day to day stuff.
Over the weekend we took family pictures with my family. Successful? I don't know. Owen slept really poorly the night before, and didn't take a nap that morning. His eyes looked red and puffy, and he looked so tired. But they'll do. It was all in all a pretty good time.
Our life has settled down into a routine again. It feels good to be back to the day to day stuff.
6.02.2009
Hello
Little Owen loves his mama. Here he was flirting with his Aunt Kari. He would hide under the blanket and pop back out. It was very fun. He does smile, but it is very hard to capture.
Emma with her pig tails.
We were outside enjoying the weather in the front yard. This guy loves to sit in the grass. Admittedly, he loves to taste the grass sometimes too.
It was pretty sunny out. It's definitely not a great shot, but we tried.
And now for some tidbits:
~I gave Emma a haircut yesterday. I may have gone a little short, but I think it turned out ok. It was certainly fun!
~Owen is officially a crawler. He has been mobile for several weeks, and has been army crawling for about two months. But I recently tried to show him how to stay up on his knees. He just didn't have the patience for it, but he has decided that it may be worth the extra time. He has only gotten and faster better at it in the last week.
~I have my garden tilled and almost all planted. It is a lot more work than I remember! Then I realized that I never helped much with planting. When I started the tiller for the first time last week, I immediately thought of my grandpa. The sound brought back a vivid picture of him. I remember him walking behind his red tiller for so many summers. I regret not learning more from him, not spending more time with him, and not helping him more. I walked behind the tiller as he had done so many times in his life, and thought that if he could see me now he would get quite a kick out of it. He may also chuckle at me crooked rows that I planted, and my cucumber hills. He was an amazing gardener, and an amazing man, and we all miss him so much.
~Owen is a tough dude. He doesn't get bothered by falling or bumping his head. He is a mellow little guy. I think he's pretty smart. He can pull himself up, but he is also getting really good at sitting back down. Hmm...look at him!
Emma with her pig tails.
We were outside enjoying the weather in the front yard. This guy loves to sit in the grass. Admittedly, he loves to taste the grass sometimes too.
It was pretty sunny out. It's definitely not a great shot, but we tried.
And now for some tidbits:
~I gave Emma a haircut yesterday. I may have gone a little short, but I think it turned out ok. It was certainly fun!
~Owen is officially a crawler. He has been mobile for several weeks, and has been army crawling for about two months. But I recently tried to show him how to stay up on his knees. He just didn't have the patience for it, but he has decided that it may be worth the extra time. He has only gotten and faster better at it in the last week.
~I have my garden tilled and almost all planted. It is a lot more work than I remember! Then I realized that I never helped much with planting. When I started the tiller for the first time last week, I immediately thought of my grandpa. The sound brought back a vivid picture of him. I remember him walking behind his red tiller for so many summers. I regret not learning more from him, not spending more time with him, and not helping him more. I walked behind the tiller as he had done so many times in his life, and thought that if he could see me now he would get quite a kick out of it. He may also chuckle at me crooked rows that I planted, and my cucumber hills. He was an amazing gardener, and an amazing man, and we all miss him so much.
~Owen is a tough dude. He doesn't get bothered by falling or bumping his head. He is a mellow little guy. I think he's pretty smart. He can pull himself up, but he is also getting really good at sitting back down. Hmm...look at him!
5.22.2009
home sweet home
Well, it has been awhile. I get further behind with updating this blog, and then wonder what to put on it. Here are a few tidbits of the last few weeks.
We got our new house. Moving went really well, and we had awesome help to get the job done. Emma was a champ. When we moved in August it really seemed to take her a few weeks to get used to the new house. This time, however, she was really excited from the get go. I picked her up from her friend's house and brought her to the new house. She ran into her purple room, where all of her things had been moved to, and then proceeded to run into Owen's blue room, our red room, and ran around the kitchen. She has not missed a beat. Owen has adjusted well also. We are extremely happy, and are getting more and more things unpacked and put away. One of my favorite perks of our new abode is the fenced backyard. Emma can open the door to the backyard and go out by herself. She has been delighted to go pick dandilions and drive her mower on the deck. It's great.
We also got a cat. Emma and Owen both love her, and she kind of loves them back. She is a very patient and loving 5 month old gray kitty we adopted from the pound. I think her name is Ally, but she has a few different names right now. The others are "meow" and "kitty". So we'll see who she really becomes.
More pictures to come!
5.02.2009
4.28.2009
Because it just tastes good
A few days ago I looked up good activities for two-year-olds. I got such great ideas and suggestions. Several people said that they like to color with crayons that don't have the paper on them.
Today, I told the Em that I was going to put the baby down for a nap, and that she should color for a few minutes. I unwrapped the red crayon and told her to use it, and wasn't it cool that it didn't have a wrapper anymore? Off I went.
While calming the baby, I thought to myself, "She is being so good. I think that I'll give her a treat for staying out of his room while I try to get him drowsy. She is such a good listener today!" I put Owen down, and went to find her.
It was very quiet in the house. I had to really look for her. And I found her standing by the fridge, really close to the fridge. Hugging the fridge, trying to hide by the fridge.
Then I see two pieces of the crayon in her left hand, and her right hand is in her mouth, with two more pieces of crayon. Red crayon mess. Why, why do toddlers eat strange things? I didn't know if I should give her a treat, because she did stay out of his room for several minutes, but it was because she was eating something inedible.
Last week we went to the park, and two days in a row she ate sand. I have read that the mouth is a way that they explore and learn, which is understandable. But why would you repeat it? Sand in your mouth has got to be disgusting!
Three days ago I was in the bathroom, and Owen started to cry. Then Emma began to comfort him. I marveled at how attentive she was being. I imagined me walking into the room and finding Emma trying her hardest to make it ok for him, and then I would swoop down and grab him and we all celebrate.
I think I still had an adoring smile on my face from this fairytale as I walked into the living room. There I find Owen on his stomach, yelling from anger as much as anything, with Emma sitting on him. She was perched on his bottom and patting his back.
Sigh.
She explained it well though. With a burst of excitement (and a smidgen of hesitation) she exclaimed, "I'm riding Owen!". She thought it was darn fun. Thus, the lesson of "You can't ride Owen" followed.
It's tough being two. It is a world of rules that you don't understand and logic you can't follow. Why is it ok to ride daddy and not Owen? What is ok to eat, and what isn't? And the list goes on...
Today, I told the Em that I was going to put the baby down for a nap, and that she should color for a few minutes. I unwrapped the red crayon and told her to use it, and wasn't it cool that it didn't have a wrapper anymore? Off I went.
While calming the baby, I thought to myself, "She is being so good. I think that I'll give her a treat for staying out of his room while I try to get him drowsy. She is such a good listener today!" I put Owen down, and went to find her.
It was very quiet in the house. I had to really look for her. And I found her standing by the fridge, really close to the fridge. Hugging the fridge, trying to hide by the fridge.
Then I see two pieces of the crayon in her left hand, and her right hand is in her mouth, with two more pieces of crayon. Red crayon mess. Why, why do toddlers eat strange things? I didn't know if I should give her a treat, because she did stay out of his room for several minutes, but it was because she was eating something inedible.
Last week we went to the park, and two days in a row she ate sand. I have read that the mouth is a way that they explore and learn, which is understandable. But why would you repeat it? Sand in your mouth has got to be disgusting!
Three days ago I was in the bathroom, and Owen started to cry. Then Emma began to comfort him. I marveled at how attentive she was being. I imagined me walking into the room and finding Emma trying her hardest to make it ok for him, and then I would swoop down and grab him and we all celebrate.
I think I still had an adoring smile on my face from this fairytale as I walked into the living room. There I find Owen on his stomach, yelling from anger as much as anything, with Emma sitting on him. She was perched on his bottom and patting his back.
Sigh.
She explained it well though. With a burst of excitement (and a smidgen of hesitation) she exclaimed, "I'm riding Owen!". She thought it was darn fun. Thus, the lesson of "You can't ride Owen" followed.
It's tough being two. It is a world of rules that you don't understand and logic you can't follow. Why is it ok to ride daddy and not Owen? What is ok to eat, and what isn't? And the list goes on...
4.23.2009
I'm here, just busy
Trying to get two small children to do anything that resembles posing fora picture is a challenge, to say the least. On this particular day, the children were accidentally dressed in matching outfits. Now, what mother doesn't think that's cute? So of course I tried to get them to "be cute". No dice. Emma was too interested in her corn to sit still, and Owen wasn't particularly happy with the entire affair. But, life is real, so this is what it really looks like.
The winter was long this year, maybe it will be every year! We did thumb our noses at Mother Nature on occasion, and ventured out long enough to realize that it really was a bit cold to be outside.
The O-dawg loves his feet. He loves having them bare so he can examine them and taste them. I don't think that my body could ever do this. Well, maybe at one time, but it rebelled at least a good quarter of a century ago, and now I would be embarrassed to say how close (or far) I can come to my toes.
Come on, you don't stretch either.
Emma's gracious grandmother (I should say one of them) shared her keyboard with her for her birthday. We think that little Emma is musical, so Nana got a chance to share her love of music. It was a joy to watch, I took a ton of pictures. Emma graduated from banging on as many keys as possible to pressing them one or two or several at a time quickly. Of course, I think that music is in her blood, but of course I am biased. A few days ago she turned the keyboard on, began to play and sang "Jesus Loves Me".
You can call me anytime during the day Oprah, we would love to come on the show.
Cute post-bath baby.
The winter was long this year, maybe it will be every year! We did thumb our noses at Mother Nature on occasion, and ventured out long enough to realize that it really was a bit cold to be outside.
The O-dawg loves his feet. He loves having them bare so he can examine them and taste them. I don't think that my body could ever do this. Well, maybe at one time, but it rebelled at least a good quarter of a century ago, and now I would be embarrassed to say how close (or far) I can come to my toes.
Come on, you don't stretch either.
Emma's gracious grandmother (I should say one of them) shared her keyboard with her for her birthday. We think that little Emma is musical, so Nana got a chance to share her love of music. It was a joy to watch, I took a ton of pictures. Emma graduated from banging on as many keys as possible to pressing them one or two or several at a time quickly. Of course, I think that music is in her blood, but of course I am biased. A few days ago she turned the keyboard on, began to play and sang "Jesus Loves Me".
You can call me anytime during the day Oprah, we would love to come on the show.
Cute post-bath baby.
4.14.2009
black and white kick
I love Picasa.
My little guy is pretty serious, but he does smile and laugh too. His favorite person might be Emma. As a mom, I don't know how I like being the second fiddle! He is scooting around like crazy, and really knows how to move around. He squeals with delight and screams when he is mad. And mad he gets! He loves carrots, squash, and tolerates green beans. Peas are a different story. You would think that he ate dirt after each bite. I love peas, so I am not sure what the problem is. I think he is just like his dad, in many ways. (who also isn't crazy about peas) I am amazed at how much individuality there is even at this young age.
Emma has a stuffed butterfly that she plays with for long stretches each day. One favorite thing that she does is she drops the butterfly, picks it up, and says "Butterfly, did you fall down? It's ok butterfly". She loves to take care of it. She is a daddy's girl for sure. When he comes home she runs to meet him and loves to spend time with him. Emma loves toast and most foods, and likes raw carrots after she saw how much her brother likes them. She loves to be outside and loves going for walks. She is a joy and we are enjoying her very much.
I have 200 pictures on the camera to put on the computer. I have 180 to order. I am behind.
We are going to start packing soon. It feels daunting, but we are really excited to get to our new home. We are going to have to just do a few boxes a day for the next several weeks. I thought it was going to be really scary to have a house of our own, but so far it has been a relief. It will be nice to be accountable to ourselves and be able to make decisions and paint and update when we want to. It is also a great feeling to be paying towards something.
Ahh...I feel like a grown up.
Already??
My little guy is pretty serious, but he does smile and laugh too. His favorite person might be Emma. As a mom, I don't know how I like being the second fiddle! He is scooting around like crazy, and really knows how to move around. He squeals with delight and screams when he is mad. And mad he gets! He loves carrots, squash, and tolerates green beans. Peas are a different story. You would think that he ate dirt after each bite. I love peas, so I am not sure what the problem is. I think he is just like his dad, in many ways. (who also isn't crazy about peas) I am amazed at how much individuality there is even at this young age.
Emma has a stuffed butterfly that she plays with for long stretches each day. One favorite thing that she does is she drops the butterfly, picks it up, and says "Butterfly, did you fall down? It's ok butterfly". She loves to take care of it. She is a daddy's girl for sure. When he comes home she runs to meet him and loves to spend time with him. Emma loves toast and most foods, and likes raw carrots after she saw how much her brother likes them. She loves to be outside and loves going for walks. She is a joy and we are enjoying her very much.
I have 200 pictures on the camera to put on the computer. I have 180 to order. I am behind.
We are going to start packing soon. It feels daunting, but we are really excited to get to our new home. We are going to have to just do a few boxes a day for the next several weeks. I thought it was going to be really scary to have a house of our own, but so far it has been a relief. It will be nice to be accountable to ourselves and be able to make decisions and paint and update when we want to. It is also a great feeling to be paying towards something.
Ahh...I feel like a grown up.
Already??
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