The beginning of summer!

Once again I must report that I have another sick kid. Micah had to go back to the doctor this week due to a terrible cough and runny nose. I took him in only to find out he has another ear infection, I'm praying the medicine will work quickly and he'll be back to himself soon.
Micah got a few toys for his birthday that are teaching him to write his letters. Before his birthday he couldn't even write his name but now he's great. The kids love drawing with markers and crayons. They spend a lot of time each day coloring and writing, it's been really nice as I can be in the kitchen getting stuff done while they're in there too. Emerson is so cute when she's drawing, she wants to be just like Micah. Here she is tracing her hand.Here is Em's cute grip on the pencil...she's probably going to be lefty. She switches but she's much better at everything with her left.
Micah wrote Emerson & Emmie, he was so proud of himself and I think he did a great job.
Emmie's newest favorite activity is "organizing" my pantry. First I move all the glass jars and then she stands on a stool and moves the cans all around. The other day she spent 45 minutes in there and I just enjoyed the peace and quiet.

I have more pictures to post from a play date this morning so hopefully I'll have time later today.

No good, very bad day

That's what we've had around here today, a no good, very bad day. It didn't start with Micah's last day of swimming classes, I don't think he cared but he had a great lesson and even got a few skills marked off. We'll at least be taking the summer off, but we're not sure if he'll go back in the fall since he's starting preschool. Preschool is such a big step for him, 3 days a week and I'm not sure I'm ready to add another thing we have to be at and not to mention the crazy amount of money it would cost to do both! I so wish we had a neighborhood pool here, that's the thing we miss most about Houston, at least Sea World's water park will open soon.
The day progressed with a quick trip to the doctor for Micah. He started getting a sore throat last week and has followed that up with a nasty cough that chokes him at times. I thought it was simply a cold, but Zac kept thinking it was in his chest. This morning Micah told me he wanted to go to the doctor so I decided I would take him. Good news...it's just a cold, bad news Emmie has it too! The doctor did give us stronger cold medicine for both kids and it makes them sleepy.
Once we got home Emmie managed to shut her finger in the hinge side of the pantry door. She was helping me by closing the door but being her goofy self she was using her back side. She managed to get her finger in the door and not really realize what was causing the pain. I was standing right there at the sink but by the time I could get the door open her finger was pretty flat. She cried hard but didn't want to put ice on it. Micah was so sweet, he ran to her crib and got her snuggie to help her feel better! It must feel better as Zac said when he asked her about it tonight she just said this one and held her hand up.
The horrible day continued at lunch...Emmie somehow managed to fall from her chair onto the floor and hit her eye on the edge of the table. Of course more crying followed but we survived.
Micah is my living proof that boys have too much energy. Micah watches tv in the afternoon while I cook and I tell him no less than 5 times everyday to quit jumping on my couch. Today I went as far as to ban him from sitting on the couch. Shortly after said banning he went out to play with Emmie on the deck and within a minute he was screaming and crying. I went out to figure out what was going on only to find he'd jumped like a crazy man onto our patio furniture and scraped his back on the arm. He'd hit it so hard that it was scraped and already had a bruise! I tried to explain to him that this is precisely the reason for my reminders not to jump on furniture but I think it was lost on him.
Next in Micah's tragic day was the bubble bath I drew this evening. For some reason he just thought this was the worst thing I could ever do to him. He refused to get in it even though Em was already happily playing in it. He wanted a shower instead, I told him he could take a shower but it cost him his nighttime book. I never thought he would take that offer but he did, I guess he really didn't want a bubble bath! Last in his tragic day happened while he was brushing his teeth, after rinsing his mouth he was getting down from the sink, slipped and hit is chin on the sink. He burst into tears and was almost inconsolable. He finally went to bed and I thought he might need a little extra hugs and kisses but no...he told me leave him, he just wanted to go to sleep.
All in all...I wish to never repeat a day like this but it ended with ice cream for everyone. We'll wake up and pray the kids are feeling better and that the day goes more smoothly.
I'll try to post pictures later this week, but the kids haven't been in a picture taking mood so no promises. I also updated the Micah-isms on the left side of the page. I'll be adding Emmie's comments too as she is starting to say funny things, I just need to remember them. Good night!

It's late, how about some pictures?

We've been practicing more with our camera lately and now I'm sharing the fruits of our labor. I am still learning to use the camera and getting better at working in photoshop.
We bought Micah a toy for his birthday that teaches him to write his letters and I have been amazed at how quickly he has learned his letters. Here is a picture of him practicing on the magna-doodle, we're so proud of him!
And now a few pictures of us just playing around and being silly today.


I'll find more to post soon!

My baby is FOUR and too many pictures

I can hardly believe Micah turned four last week. I know it's cliche but it seems like yesterday that I was an inexperienced new mom with a tiny baby. I remember thinking as my mom left after that first week, how in the world will I take care of him? Well I guess we did it...he's already made it to four! He is overall a sweet, kind and thoughtful little boy who plays well by himself and when his sister is nice, he plays well with her! We had his 4 year appointment this week and he did great. He was 36 pounds and 40" tall. He also did a wonderful job with the 4 shots he needed! He did awesome and didn't even cry! What a big boy and boy was I shocked!
He was so cute, we left and got out at Lowe's a few minutes later upon which he declared the shots didn't even hurt anyone, just like they (the nurses) said!

Micah had his first real birthday party. He had a big one at one year but I truly doubt he remembers anything that isn't captured in pictures. And his 3rd birthday was missed by Zac & I during the debacle of a move to San Antonio. We visited an indoor playground shortly after we moved here and upon entering he declared that he wanted to have his birthday party there. Remember was at least 6-9 months ago, maybe more...he's such a little planner! Well Zac & I discussed and decided he rarely asks for anything so we would comply and invite friends for his party. He was so excited!
We invited 7 friends plus he & Emmie for a party last Saturday morning. He was so excited to turn 4 and even more excited to have a party. I think the kids had great fun, the place we had it was so wonderful. They gave a party "person", no clue what her title really was but she was there to help me keep everything organized and take care of anything I could imagine. She was incredibly helpful and made the party so nice for me. When I asked Micah what kind of cake he wanted he said, "tiny cupcakes". Imagine him making a tiny circle with his fingers and thumbs about 2" in diameter. Who knows where he got this idea but I obliged and found someone online (Bakerella)who had made cupcake balls. The basis for the cupcake balls is cake balls which were a familiar recipe to me. The cupcake bites were a success! He loved them and if I can brag a little, I thought they were adorable and even had one request to make them for someone else's party!The birthday boy at the top of a slide.
My cute little girl sliding...too bad she had found her ridiculous pacifier. I am hesitant to take it away all together like my instincts tell me too because if she doesn't have she chews/sucks on her fingers. I am terribly afraid of her becoming a thumb sucker, it's not something I can take away later in life! Emmie & Claire playing on the pirate ship.
Micah has always be sensitive to loud noises so I guess we shouldn't have been surprised when he covered his ears while everyone sang Happy Birthday!
Emmie enjoyed her cupcake! We had big cupcakes and little cupcakes. There was no theme as Micah said he didn't care as long as there was tiny cupcakes!Here is the birthday boy opening his presents. He was so excited about the party, friends and presents. All in all I think everyone kids and parents had a fun time and he loved it!Micah had a ton of presents from grandparents, cousins, Aunts and family. Here he is opening the first set of presents from Granna & Da and Mom & Dad. He loved every single present he got but especially his Cars race track, he had been telling everyone that asked how much he wanted it! He has actually played with every single present he got a lot. I'm just so thankful that we obviously have done something right, he was grateful for the presents and truly excited about each one regardless of what the present was. He's so sweet.
Here is Emmie modeling a dress I made for her. I'm considering making and selling these dresses but I just can't decide. Regardless of what I decide, I think she's adorable in it!Here is what I get a lot when I want to take a picture of Micah...he loves showing off his talent.
A few cute pictures of the kids playing in the bounce house. And just in case anyone is wondering it is in fact still setup in our formal living room!Micah being silly in the bounce house.One more of cute little Emmie, well just because of her sweet smile and I love the clip I can now put in her hair!Last picture of this overloaded post...Emmie carrying her cell phone and wearing her heels!

With that I say goodnight, it's late and I'm tired.

Another crazy month!

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated. I sound like a broken record, always wondering how time passes so quickly. I'm little worried about the future since I've heard time passes even faster as you get older. April has been a busy month for us although as I type this I can't put a finger on what we've actually done, but I'll try to figure out the details as I type and upload pictures!

The first weekend of this month was the Texas Relays in Austin. This is a huge tradition for my dad he always brings a cute little old man from Lewisville to Austin and they watch all the relays. He always meets my cousin Melissa for dinner and while she was out of town his sister & BIL were watching Avery her sweet little girl who is 2 weeks older than Micah. If you're still following this story, you're doing good. I talked to Dad on the way to Austin and we decided we would drive to Austin and meet everyone for dinner at Shady Grove on the river. It was a beautiful dinner setting and great to see everyone and catch up. We hadn't seen Avery since Christmas of 2001 and she was huge, just like Micah! The restaurant had an outdoor play area that the kids ran off tons of energy and had a blast. It reminded me that I need to make sure and make plans with my cousin Melissa to get the kids together and play more often. Here is a picture of the munchkins!

Here are the kids preparing to race across the grass. Check out the attitude that Avery is giving! Look at the hand on the hip, I pray Emmie didn't pick up anything! And I have no idea what Micah is doing.

Emerson went to the doctor at the beginning of the month only for us to find out that she had an ear infection that hadn't healed from March. We got her medicine the same day but she was still exhausted! I have kids that don't just fall asleep, like me, they are bed sleepers. That information makes this picture even cuter in my opinion. I was doing dishes from lunch and the kids were watching Elmo. Emmie was very quiet and I asked Micah if she was still watching Elmo, he answered yes. After a little bit I realized I hadn't seen her moving around, when I went to check on her I found this... and don't worry no child was harmed in this picture!


I have figured out that I enjoy sewing cute little tops and dresses for Emmie. I have been experimenting with quite a few types of tops and dresses. I have even sold one to a friend! I'm starting a business or anything but I do think it would fun to make dresses for a few friends' little girls. I made a dress for my friend's little girl and had Emmie model it for me. As a disclaimer this was the same day as the ear infection and her Aunt Casey said I was mean to make her model, thus the horrible face on my model.

This is a dress that I gave to my friend Liz's little girl. She is Micah's age and I think this dress is adorable and looks so cute on her!

We had a play date with our MOPS group this month. It was at McAllister Park which as Micah said is a park we've never been to! Our MOPS group joined with another group due to lots of women dropping and it's been the best thing I could have asked for. We all met and let the kids play while we talked and supervised. I got a few pictures of the kids playing in the dirt of all things and a partial group picture, there were 2 kids that didn't want to be in it!


The little girl with my kids Claire. She is a few months older than Micah and they play great together! If it's possible I think he might have a little boy crush on her! At the least they play great together and the moms can sit and have adult time while they play.
Last in month is news that Emmie finally has enough hair for a ponytail! While at Claire's house the other day her mommy gave us some hair rubber bands so we tried them out. She doesn't quite have long enough hair to pull back the front but she has her own version of a girl's mullet in the back. She wore the ponytail all morning and even let me do it again to show Daddy last night. Here she is right before bed modeling the ponytail!

Visitors

We have had tons of visitors over the last month and I'd like to blame my delay in updating the blog on them! Just kidding...Zac's parents came first. Granna came first and we played like crazy. We went down to the zoo area and rode the train there, had a picnic at Brackenridge park and then played our hearts out. The kids had a blast with Granna, they spent tons of time outside running their energy off! Da came on Friday night and spent Saturday with us and Emmie is once again enamored with him. Emmie thought she was funny and decided she would refuse to call Lee, Granna, instead she insisted on calling her G.G. (my mom). Granna tried to bribe her to say Granna and was unsuccessful with a m & m but did get Granna out her for a Rolo! She's a smart girl, only give up what they want for the best candy! She did not say Granna again, she's a punk and she knows it. I have no pictures of her visit, I'm not sure how I dropped the ball so badly, maybe they'll visit again and I'll take some.
About a week after Granna & Da came G.G. & Grandpa arrived. They were here a long time and we played like crazy. We visited Sea World on the Tuesday of spring break and it was insane, we left after only a few hours. My mom brought Emmie beads (think Mardi Gras) and the kids have loved them, especially Em who is finally get a few girl things to play with. My sister also got Em some plastic bracelets and she loves it all. Here are both kids & Grandpa playing beads.

I'm sure we did lots of fun things but they all leave my mind right now! Here are a few pictures my dad took of the kids watering the bulbs we planted a month ago. They got a little too much water and have been recovering but now there are 10 bulbs total and the kids love to check them daily. Here's Emmie watering them with her supervisor closely watching.

The kids also have a tradition of making pancakes & bacon with Grandpa, here they are waiting and watching.

Here is the only proof I have that we briefly visited Sea World. I love this picture because it captures just how funny I think Emmie is...she's waving her little heart out at me. And poor G.G. who is riding a ride designed for the smallest of children...better her than me!

My parents left on Wednesday afternoon and my sister came on Thursday night so after enough time to wash the sheets we were ready. Just kidding, I had a great time with my sister here, it's relaxing and always so fun. We spend a lot of time just playing and visiting. The kids love playing with Aunt Casey and I enjoy just hanging out. Here is Micah displaying his creation. My parents got him a set of kid k'nex for Christmas and he LOVES building with them.

After my sister left, my sweet college roommate Crystal came to town. We realized that it was the first time we saw her since Micah was about 3 months old! It was a wonderful visit with her & Rosey. We were blessed to spend a ton of time with Rosey & her kids and even spent Saturday night on the Riverwalk without kids or husbands. It was a great time to catch up and reminded me how nice and easy old friends are. I sometimes feel like making friends now is hard, with kids & husbands to mesh also, it was just so refreshing to see a friend that you had before all the other stuff. We were able to start off right where we left off. Of course we did a little reminiscing and we had a few laughs over the past 8 years but it was a truly wonderful time. We missed our other roommate Kristin but she had too much going on to come and visit, but she was missed greatly! Crystal is hoping to visit again (hopefully before Micah's in junior high) and I'm praying that happens and that maybe Kristin can come next time.

Now onto this week with no visitors. I decided again tonight to practice with my camera on manual mode. It's a lot harder than it seems but here are the results. The kids were playing the backyard and as always love getting their picture taken but don't always have a camera ready face! Emmie's silly face...these two pictures are unedited.

Emmie showing me how to use the bell on the trike.

Emmie playing don't spill the beans. Her playing this game really means she just moves the beans around but she loves it and has fun. I think her Aunt Casey might be secretly wishing for another little bean counter!

And lastly my two favorite pictures...Micah being silly...
And...for posterity sake, a picture of Emmie's first scratch. I'm not exactly sure how it happened but it involved the trike and ended with her crying. She'll be fine it's only a scratch and shouldn't scar.


Well that was a much longer post than I thought it would be. If you visited and felt I didn't cover a highlight of your visit, sorry! It's hard to remember everything that happened over the past month to post. And please forgive any spelling or grammar errors as I type quickly and edit it in my head so I don't catch everything!

Another post so soon?

I know everyone will be shocked to have another post so soon but prepare for pictures! I took the kids to Micah's swim class this morning and then off to an indoor play area to burn off some energy. I went armed to both with my "big"camera, determined to shoot on manual mode and learn about the camera and how to work it better! First here is the first critter that Micah has brought into my house. He & Emmie were playing outside yesterday and they ran in the house to show me their "roly poly". The bug was released alive, I think, after a few drops on the tile.


Micah is doing great at swim class! He's working on his skills, especially his back float and what they call "streamlines". They are the beginnings of him learning to do swim strokes. Here are a few pictures of him in the pool! The first picture is the back float, next he's on the left waiting to do a streamline into the water and through the hoop.

Here he's in the water with his coach working on his streamlines back towards the wall.

Now onto the fun...here's Micah driving the trains. It's a cute little train set that requires the kids to turn the wheels with their hands to make it go. Micah was tired from swim class but managed to go around a few times before finding a new interest.

This place is very cool, it has a ton of climbing things. The kids loved the pirate ship one today, here is picture of the kids walking up the plank and of Em sliding down a long slide. She loves slides and is crazy adventurous!

Here are the kids under the pirate ship. They were pretty much in the dark but loved running around this pole and chasing each other. And, here is Miss Em looking at me, I just thought it was cute!

Here are the kids swinging and sliding together!


That's all the pictures I have time for but if I find cute ones I missed, I'll post them too. It's late, almost midnight, so I'm not proof-reading this, I'm just praying there are not any major spelling mishaps!