Emery the Big Girl

March has been a busy month for us! Emery is growing up before our very eyes!  We've introduced potty training.  I can't say it's been a success, but given her stubborn personality, we've taken a more laid back approach.  She's wearing pull-ups/diapers during the day, recognizes the feeling, but I'm just holding back a little!  Partly I don't want to push her too fast, and partly I'm not ready to let go!  But mostly, I'm letting her take baby steps into it.  Evan learned at school in Minnesota and the peer pressure helped tremendously.  Emery is just her own independent little lady ... see photos below!

Loving her new Dora potty book from The Tobaks!

Big girl!!!  This lasted 30 seconds before she ripped them off and wanted her diaper back on.

She usually goes only with wearing the wings!

Another milestone...

Emery visits the Dentist

Emery was such a great little patient at the Dentist office! She allowed Evan to go first, but quickly jumped in the chair and asked the Dentist to come count her teeth!  The staff was great and took to the opportunity and allowed the hygienist to finish with Evan while Dr. took Emery!  I must give credit once again to the Nickelodeon franchise called.....Dora the Explorer! They have a book for everything!  Potty training, dentist, new school, sharing, manners, what's next Dating?!

I wish the pediatrician office was as great as the Dentist!  Huge playroom/waiting room, Toy Story on the big screen, safari toothbrushes, goody bags, pick your own toothbrush, and a special coin for the "gumball/toy" machine!  Emery has all her baby teeth, and then some!! She actually has an extra tooth!!!

And Emery has taken to having her friends in her bed with her ...just as Evan did, and just as I did as a child.  She always asks to have at least one book in with her too!  Each night we line everyone up and have lots of room...but each morning I seem to have to search for my little girl among her "friends"!!!  The big girl bed is not too far away...

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

It's official, we have a baseball player in the family!  Evan played tball this past fall with the Park & Rec and now is part of the official Little League!  Alex is an assistant coach and loves it!  Emery & I sit on the sidelines cheering the team on!  The kids have had lots of practices, but only one game so far! One rainout and one week was skipped for the St. Patrick's Day parade/festivities

St. Patrick's Day is a huge deal in Dublin :)  Our team had most participants for LL and won a pizza party!  It was a cold/rainy day...but they were sooo cute giving high fives to the spectators!

Missing 4 players!

Coach Alex field prepping!

I only included this, because it's the only photo I got of Emery during the game!  It totally reminds me of a Celebrity picture in one of those In Style/Star Magazines!



Batter Up!

Buddies!

Ahoy Mateys! Evan is 5!

Is it really true? I can hardly believe our sweet sweet son is 5 now.  He is full of energy, curiosity, and compassion.  He lights up my world and still sings "You are my sunshine" with me every night at bedtime!  He's changing every day and becoming such a gentleman.  I just could not ask for a better big brother for Emery.

We had a lot of fun putting Evan's party together this year, but most of all I loved watching Evan interact with all his friends!  I've been volunteering occassionally at his school since it's a co-op program and it's been a great way to get to know the kids in his class too.  They are really a great group of kids and get along so well.  We booked a pirate theme party at Pump It Up (a bounce house) and had his party during last Thursday.  School was out for parent conferences. 

Evan received so many great gifts and I just loved how excited he was for each one!  When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he was adamant that he didn't get "books or clothes...they are boring".  He's really gotten into Legos.  I steered away from them with Emery around, but she's just as curious and loves playing too! It's amazing how long he can play and how focused he is playing with them. Reminds me so much of how my dad used to work on his model boats.

Evan's must have gift...Mega T-Rex  (about a week before his birthday, I began piling up the wrapped gifts and packages from family in formal living room.  Evan told Alex that he didn't want Mega T-Rex anymore. Alex was suprised and asked why--knowing it was #1 on his list since Christmas.  He confessed to peeking at the present, feeling really sad when he did, and tried to justify that he didn't want to get two of the same present.  

He also begged Alex not to tell me...so I don't really know about it!)

Poor Emery just didn't grasp the whole birthday thing.  She said next is her birthday and got upset with every card he opened.  I felt so bad that she just didn't get it!  Luckily I saved a few Valentine's gifts for her.  The big brother that Evan is bought her Baby Ariel doll with HIS birthday money!! He insisted and I can't tell you how proud of him I was! 

Evan really wanted a new fish to take care of and so from us he got the tank, and a trip to Petsmart to pick out his new pet.  Welcome to the family "Spike Underwater Sales", lol.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful gifts for his birthday!  Next on the to-do list : Kindergarten registration !!!

Emery's Intervention

For a long time now, Emery has been battling a terrible habit and it was time for an intervention.  I tried on my own to solve the problem without seeking professional help.  It was inevitable so our pedetrician suggested ignoring the situation...don't draw attention to it.  Guess that's what the media should do to all those celebrities who are troubled.  Ignore them, but they just keep falling right back into old habits.

The same was true for Emery.  I ignored her situation but she kept on.  Nothing was helping her.  She was in need of INTERVENTION!

 So after a family meeting, Alex and I decided to take her in to see a specialist.  I made the appointment this morning and they said, bring her in right away ...we have an opening!  Unfortunately, insurance didn't cover the visit, so we it was all out of pocket.  Here's the result:

So for months now, Emery has been twisting her hair off to where it breaks off on the sides.  The doctor actually recommending shaving her head if igoring her didn't work.  I am too embarrassed to show what it looked like on the before.  Basically it was so short on either side of her head that the longest pieces were in the very back...think what a mohawk would look like before it gets all the gel and mousse.  Ponytails just weren't helping and her baby fine hair hardly had any volume or curl left...just scraggly!!

We went to the kids salon and the stylist worked her magic and it looked adorable!  These photos are right when we got home...so there's some slight bed head from the car ride.  But overall I am pleased and treated Emery to some special sparkly headbands.  As we got in the car, Evan still couldn't resist the temptation and said "Emery, your hair IS short like a boy."  Yep...he said it.  I quickly recovered and offered him a sparkly headband since that's what boys wear.  He got the point.

Hopefully this will help "mask" Emery's shorter areas, and help her hair grow back...No ponytails should help too!  I was suprised as well to see so much of her hair bounce back up into curls!  I really like it and hope she'll enjoy wearing the headbands!!

We're BACK!!

Happy 2012! 

 It's a new year and new beginning...especially since my last post was July 2011!

I never expected to be as busy as we were last year!  California has been very good to us so far and there's so much to do!  Evan has been involved in soccer, swim lessons and t-ball (where we met some great new friends!)  He's enjoying preschool too and preparing for kindergarten next fall!  Emery is a social butterfly and a sponge!  She knows her ABCs, counts to 20, counts to 15 in Spanish, knows her colors, and her vocabulary is far beyond what Evan's was at the same age.  She keeps all three of us on our toes and quite the drama princess!!!  We enjoyed many visitors in 2011 and look forward to more this year. 

2011 was a rough year for me, so I am encouraged by a new fresh beginning in 2012! 

I'm excited that this was one of my new year's resolutions to update my blog more often!! ;) Check!

Happy New Year and we wish you a happy, healthy year full of wonderful memories!!

Loghan & Evan rockin' it out!

Look out Elton John!

Happy 4th of July

We've had a much lower key holiday weekend this year!  Normally, we are attending a small town parade, hosting a huge BBQ and watching fireworks from our cul-de-sac.  We decorated our wagon for the Dublin Farmer's Market children's parade and the kids won $10 gift certificate to Cold Stone.  It was cute and great way to get involved.  Evan started his summer camp this week too.  He really enjoyed it and I've enjoyed having some fun playdates with a new friend and her boys.  Emery even keeps up with the boys! Her boys are 3 and almost 5.  We've met at the rock park each time having a picnic, walking the trails and splashing around in the sprayground.  (I love it too, because the kids take really looonnngg naps afterwards!)







What a happy bunch!  (Even I was disappointed sinced our streamers fell off in the car!)

But we fixed it and all was good once the kids got lollipops! 





As we were leaving the farmer's market, the last booth was two cheerleaders and Emery stopped to watch.  I couldn't believe my eyes! I will never forget this moment and cherish it always.  She mimicked everything they did...even sticking up the Number 1!  Alex and Evan were almost to the car and happened to stop and I pointed at them to come back and he took these shots!

All dressed up for a July 3rd BBQ!