The Bertino's

Wow, I Promise To Be Better!

2011-12-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been August since I have posted! I am not going to try and catch up on all that I have missed. Just a synopsis! The kids are growing beyond belief! Cole is as sweet as ever and thinks he's a comedian, and Emmy is as sassy as she has ever been! She might be a bit like me ya think? Cole has had an awesome first semester of first grade! Emmy is loving Mrs. Tinas and being home with dad...well, maybe now that duck hunting season is coming to an end, she will be home with dad! I will start with Christmas and go from there and make a resolution to be better organized with my time so I can blog a little more! I did change my picture on the blog to represent how we spent our fall season! I thought Nathan, Monica, Jackie, Lindsay and the rest of my Texas friends would want to be reminded in case they have started to forget who won! GO CARDS! (can you tell I'm on break so I can blog?)

He Jumps!

2011-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been no secret to those who know me well, that I have a major fear of water! I do not swim well, and usually never. I am not comfortable going underwater and really could care less about going to pools. Cole loves being in the water, but hasn't been all that comfortable trying to learn to swim. A teacher had us over 2 mondays in a row, and the 2nd time, right before we left he told me he wanted to jump off of the diving board! I could not believe it! The kid who has never really gone under! He did it, and I got it on camera! He was so excited to call Dan and tell him he did it! Then, for 3 weeks all he wanted to do was take Dan somewhere with a diving board to show him!

Wow! BEHIND!

2011-08-14T19:47:00.001-07:00

Well, 8 weeks later, I am just getting around to posting pics of my summer OFF! What? Yes, I had 8 weeks off with my family and didn't blog! So what was I doing you ask? Enjoying my family, keeping the house picked up and chasing Emmy! We had such a great summer! We didn't do near as much as I had planned as the heat became too much for me! We even let our 6 flags tickets go to waste! Poor Cole read a billion hours to earn them and we didn't go! We did however, spend lots of time at pools, my sisters, friends houses, sew etc! SO, I will try to catch up on some of the outings, but not all. THese are from a picnic Dan and I took the kids to at Indian Camp Creek, and a LITTLE fishing back in June.

Up North!

2011-07-02T07:30:00.001-07:00

THis year we took our family vacation back to Lutsen Minnesota with The Hudsons! The weather was less than desireable but we were able to find lots of ways to have fun! The kids had a fabulous time and so did we! We only got to hike once but we threw lots of rocks, did the alpine slide, looked for moose, ate donuts, played play dough, danced, wrestled, fished, saw wolves and bears and enjoyed company!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Just Plain Fun

2011-06-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Dans parents called recently and asked us to come for a bbq with his sister and her boyfriend and family. They bought the kids a little blow up pool and a sprinkler. The day was beautiful, the company was perfect and the kids had so much fun! Cole, Lily and Brittan made up make believe games as they ran through the sprinklers and Emmy stayed in the pool all day!

It's Magical

2011-06-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a student from my class invited my family to her birthday party at the Magic House. We decided it would be fun to go. Cole was not in my class this year but got to know my kids well from being in my room before and after school. Emmy had never been to the Magic House so we thought it would be fun. The party was great and then we headed out on our own to explore. Cole and Emmy had so much fun! Cole loves going to Childrens Village to do all of the pretend play. HE also enjoyed Snow Whites exhibit just because of all of the musical instruments they had. Emmy loved all of it! She was banging on drums, playing in sand, water and then of course also found Childrens Village and the baby doll nursery. She is obsessed with baby dolls so we thought we would never get her out. Come to find out after about 15 minutes of playing in there, she undressed a male doll. It had the real anatomy and she was not having that! She took one look at that babies penis and yelled and threw the doll and did not return to the baby doll nursery! It was such a fun time!

Splash Time

2011-06-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Recently we had a really hot weekend, and Emmy absolutely hates the pool unless it is a zero entry, so my mom and I decided to take the kids to a splash park. We thought it would be the best of both worlds for the kids. Cole of course went nuts! He immediately made friends and began running and splashing, but it took Emmy a little bit to work her way into getting sprayed with water. Once she figured it out she loved it. I never put her suit on because she was so unsure in the beginning! It turned out to be a wonderful day!

Best Job In The World

2011-06-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

I think every mom will agree that being a mom trumps any job you could ever have! It can be so challenging at times, but the rewards are far greater! I am so lucky to have such sweet children. I am also so lucky to have been raised by an amazing mom. I love knowing that parts of the way I was raised and loved by my own mom will be seen in my parenting to my own children. I have also been blessed (some would look at it differently) to have been given two other "mother" role models with a wonderful mother in law and the sweetest step mom you will ever know. How can you go wrong with 3 beautiful ladies in your life right?
Today I will reflect on being a mom to Cole. He has been the easiest child EVER to raise so far. I realize that we have lots of years ahead, but I am hopeful that his personality will remain the same! He has always been so happy! He has this bright funny attitude! I call him "querky" at times. He has this ability to perform and make people laugh with this wittiness! He also has the biggest heart. He will hug you for know reason, or walk by and say "I love you." Of course he isnt perfect, but its such a rarity for him to be difficult. He goes with the flow, but is such a rule follower. I was so proud at his kindergarten award ceremony to learn that he was one of 2 kids in his class to be chosen for the etiquette award. Dan and I always say if our kids do not earn straight A's or go to Harvard that's ok, as long as they are kind, sweet and set good examples, its good for us!
Emmy came along 5 years later and threw me for sort of a loop. Not sure if its the second child thing, or a girl thing. Havent quite figured that out yet. She started off pretty rough! lol. SHe has changed so much though in the last 6 months. She has become so sweet. She loves her brother so much and can be caught several times a day with her head on his shoulder saying "aww." If he cries she rubs his head and pats his back. She is very independent but also very cautious. She will test the limits. Its been very interesting so far to try and figure out "what works" with parenting her. I would not trade her for the world. She is all girl from the dolls, to the cuddles, to the bows to the dresses...and her favorite...SHOES!
SO back to my blog. On Mothers Day we had my mom and dans mom over for BBQ and playtime. It was a beautiful day and we had such a great time sitting and talking on the deck, watching the kids play!

My Montage 6/10/11 at OneTrueMedia.com

2011-06-10T06:31:00.001-07:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Birthday Boy!

2011-06-10T06:14:00.001-07:00

I am not sure where time has gone but my baby boy turned 6! We had a 2 party day! He really wanted to have his school friends too, which poses a small..ok..large crowd problem! He wanted to have a bounce house, so we decided to rent it for the day and have a party for school friends, and then a few hours later, our friends and family. It worked perfectly exhausting! lol. No really, we had a ball and most importantly COLE had a blast!
Although he turned 6, he remains the sweetest child I have ever known! His heart is as big as this world. He is so creative and caring! Most of all he is so dang funny! I am so proud to be his mom!
I put a bday party montage in the blog below.

Easter In June!

2011-06-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

ok..not really..just way behind on my posts! What happened? Here are a few pictures of our Easter! Dan had to work so it was myself and the kids on our hunt! Emmy was not in the best of moods for hunting so Cole got them all to himself! We spent our day with our family at Dans parents house with my mom!

Easter Village With The New Addition

2011-05-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Every year we have taken Cole to Purina Farms to see Easter Village. All of the baby animals are out for you to pet, and its decorated for Easter. It was a perfect weather day so Dan and I took the kids...Mimis first time to Easter Village. It was too fun! The kids loved the animals, but both of their favorite things were the dog show! Emmy and Cole danced to the music and clapped and cheered at t dogs performing. We finished the day with lunch and the park!It was truly a perfect family day!

She Speaks!

2011-05-03T20:33:00.001-07:00

Emmy talks so much more at 16 months than Cole ever did. It cracks me up! She is saying lots of little sentences like, "Dada go bye bye" and "Thank you mama" when she gives me something. She also says tons of single words such as more, down, please, thank you, eyes, mouth, nose, dogdog, night night, play, swing, outside and many more. I just love listening to her. In this clip right at the beginning you can hear her say "Thank you mama" then a few other words like "go". SHe was being silly in this clip. I really just wanted my sister to get to hear her talk since shes so far away! So here ya go Mindy!

I'll Wear My Pearls

2011-05-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Emmy has been obsessed with her beads since St. Pattys Day. She always goes to find them as soon as she wakes up and puts them on. On this particular day, we were taking the kids to Purina Farms to see the baby animals. I had her cute dress on, and her shoes, and of course she had her beads on already. Well, when I went to pick her small bow, she threw a fit because she wanted the big flower. I finally gave in and figured it wasnt a big deal, I could just switch them later. Then, she threw a fit and wanted to pick her shoes. I didnt give in, but let her carry them around. At 16 months, she is already very into picking her things to wear!

Sunday Funday!

2011-05-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, it was a beautiful Sunday and Dan was on duty, so my mom packed up and came over for the day. We took the kids to the path where I run, because the day before I had run by the creek bank and thought Cole would love it because he LOVES throwing rocks in the river and lake. I was right! Cole had a blast throwing rocks, and Emmy, well, she kept trying to take the plunge into the creek! She may not leave home without her beads, but shes all about the dirt! While exploring, mom and Cole found a HUGE oyster/clam shell still in tact! It is too cool!

Happy Birthday Aunt Stace!

2011-05-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

In April we celebrated Aunt Stacey's 30th birthday by hanging out with the family at Dans parents house! It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun hanging out everyone! Cant believe Stace is 30!!!

Play Ball! ...or Not!

2011-05-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last month we got Cole on a last minute team for his first year of coach pitch baseball. So last minute that they didnt even have a practice, just showed up for the first game. Well, Cole freaked out! He needs a little prep time on what to expect about some situations, mostly when he is going to be singled out (such as batting.) I had to run Emmy to the Dr, so I met Dan and Cole at the field. When I drove up, I could see his head was burried in Dan. I knew it wasnt good. I went up and he was freaking out crying, but wouldnt explain why. I kind knew in my mind it was due to no practice, even though he knew 2 kids on his team. We couldnt get him to let go of us and we were quickly losing our patience. Finally the 3rd inning (last inning) he decided to play after I had spent the first 2 innings playing catch off to the side with him. He later told us, he didnt know the difference between baseball and t ball. DUH! WHY DIDNT YOU JUST SAY SO! He was worried about the pressure of not hitting it. However, he played the last inning and loved it! Because of the weather, they have only had 1 other game in 4 weeks! These pics are of this 1st particular game!

Imagination

2011-04-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

Cole has an imagination that impresses me! SO many times Dan and I will be doing something around the house and discover Cole has turned something simple into a "contraption" like his cousin Maddy does! On this day we had been to Costco to stock up on paper towels and toilet paper. We were eating lunch and turned around to find Cole dressed up and fighting paper towels!

You Scream, I Scream, We all scream for Ice cream!

2011-04-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

Coles only dessert weakness is ice cream! Fine by me cause I would do anything to get some fat on that boy. About once a week we take him for an ice cream cone. We decided this time at Fritz we would let Emmy have her own too! Lord what a mess! There was music playing so she was trying to dance and eat ice cream at the same time! The pictures speak for themselves.

Spring Break With the Stocks!

2011-04-25T12:57:00.001-07:00

I need to start by saying, you know its a best friend when you can pick up right where you left off...and so can your husbands! After almost 20 years of being in STL we have seen each other at least once a year, and have seen each other through so much! Now we try to enjoy one adult vacation, and one family visit a year, but as we have more kids and the economy worsens, 1 trip a year has been more normal lately...which we HATE! Anyways, we fought over who was coming this trip and who was going. We saw each other at disney world for 1 hour, yes 1 hour back in October so we had a lot to catch up on..as if our 3 time a week talks do dont enough! lol! We gave in and the Stocks came to STL! We had a blast! We went to opening day at the horse races, cupcake bar, winteries (our favorite) Dogtown St. Pats parade and ended with a short road trip to memphis!

St. Pattys Day Cottleville

2011-04-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

The small town we live near is called Cottleville. About 3 years ago they began doing a St. Pattys day run and parade to follow. Downtown St. Louis does the same thing, but this is 5 minutes away vs. 30. This year my friend Tiffany and Karl and I decided to do the 7k before the parade. It was sponsored by the fire department and went to a great cause. I have been running for 1 solid year now and decided this would be a great way to push myself. I run about 4 times a week (not inthe cold weather though) BUT ONLY DO ABOUT 2 MILES OR SO, SO THIS WOULD DOUBLE my daily run. I was a nervous wreck! I did it and was so excited! I ran my fastest time and felt really good! After the run, a whole bunch of us met with the kids and cocktails and watched the parade! We had such a good time! Cant wait till next year!

Tramatic Experience

2011-04-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

Just another deifference between my kiddos! Cole loved haircuts from the first time he did it and still asks weekly if he can have one! Emmy on the other hand...not so much! Her hair was a mullet, and its super thin and wispy, like wheat blowing in the wind. So my girlfriend Christy owns a salon called SalonChristy in manchester (plug to her)and opened her shop one morning to cut Emmys hair. OH MY GOSH! She freaked out. I mean tears coming from every which way! It took Dan and I to hold her and Cole took the pics! She looked so much better once she was finished...and we brushed it!

Diva

2011-04-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

These pics were too cute not to post! We were going to sweet Tessas bday party and she needed her party clothes of course. It turned out to be a beautiful day so sunglasses from her bday were in order!

Dynomite!

2011-04-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is Cole and Emmys favorite song...alays have to dance when the music plays!

WOw...way behind!

2011-04-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

I think this is the farthest behind I have been ever! Whew! So I will try to cover some ground here. In February we celebrated the kickoff of Mardi Gras (which is the 2nd largerst to New Orelans) by going to the dog parade in Soulard...and hell no we did not take Hank! We did how ever take my mom, and met some friends down there! Cole absolutely LOVED petting everyones dogs that were not in the parade, because the parade was bring when you have dogs all around you! Emmy had fun once I let her down and she could run to her heart content, or I grabbed her! Either way, we had fun!

Love Is In The Air

2011-02-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

I mean, on a beautiful sunny warm day, especially since the horrible winter we had, people are just plain happy to be alive! You seem to forget you have troubles! Last weekend we went with friends to the zoo on a perfect 60 degree day! Everyone there was HAPPY! EVen the animals! The bears were even kissing! The orangutan was spread eagle, and the kids were in a great mood! What more can you ask for!

Peek A boo

2011-02-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a clip of Emmy mimicking her baby saying "peekaboo." She says a few other words in the clip too. Excuse her hair, we had just taken the pony out, andher too bid dress, but I wanted her to wear it with the hearts near Valentines day. It was actually might neices when she was a baby and shes now in 8th grade...or 7th...I forget!

Emmy VS. Usher

2011-02-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Emmy loves to dance! If she hears music from a toy, video game, radio or someone singing, she will stop to dance! I caught a few moments of her dancing recently...some serious moves!

Strike!

2011-02-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

On our last snow day after 2 days of snow days, we met some friends and took the kids bowling. I am completely bored to tears by bowling, and so is Cole, but he will do it when we are invited! I am not sure why I do not like it, just a weird Brookism I suppose! The kids did have a great time being together and dancing to the music that was played. Emmy was a tropper as usual!

Time To Get Creative

2011-02-13T07:00:00.001-08:00

On day 3 of being at home from the "blizzard" (ha)we decided to make note boxes. These were essentially valentine boxes. Both kids painted and colored their boxes, and then we got out note pads and wrote notes to each other. This was so fun! Being a teacher, it was the mastermind of myself that it was a great way for Cole to practice his writing, and reading since he would be getting notes from Emmy. I was so excited to listen to him read all of hte notes with minimal help! (Thanks Mrs. Champion) This has continued after 2 weeks to be fun for us. I write notes and stick them in almost daily and he gets so excited to have mail and read it! Emmy just likes to put markers in the box.

Decorations

2011-02-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

On another stuck at home snow day we got out Emmys magic noodles that she got from Delaney for her bday. Cole was very excited to get to play with them too since "whats coles is coles, and whats emmy's is also coles". This quickly turned into "take advantage of the helpless one."

Bored With A Box

2011-02-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

Winter has been really hard on STL this year! The kids have been stir crazy and we were rapidly running out of idea to entertain ourselves. But on this particular day, amazon delivered out diapers for the month and the box for them was much needed on this snow day!

My Party!

2011-02-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

SInce Emmy was born right smack dab in the middle of the Holiday season, we decided to have her bday party later in January to give people a chance to calm down a bit! I booked her party for Gymboree play and music. I used to take Cole here often when he was 1 and 2. It was the perfect set up for her age and group! They had so much fun dancing, playin and singing, and the parents did too! I stuck with my Minnie Mouse theme to get a second use at her Disney World outfits. I did of course have a new shirt made with the number 1 on it! I couldnt resist! I made all of her decorations, including the hats, thank you cookies and minnie mouse cupcakes. I actually had a lot of fun making them! It was snowing crazy that morning and I was so worried it wouldnt happen...but thankfully it slowed down about the time of her party and we had a fabulous time!

Miss My Brother

2011-01-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

THe day we went back to school after cycle break, Dan said she found Coles pajamas he took off that morning and carried them around all day. She wrapped them around her head, carried them, snuggle them and even took them down the slide. Too sweet!

Our Family Snow Day

2011-01-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

Our first few snows Emmy didnt know how to walk so we never took her out. On the 11th, of Feb we had a good snow and Emmy was able to come out! By the time you get her all bundles up Im dying from all the layers I have on! It taskes 30 minutes to bundle us all up and only play for 30 before we freeze! As always, Cole had a ball with Dan and Hank and I pulled Emmy on Coles old inflatable sled!I had even bet at work on that date to be our first snow day and won 36.00!

Little Behind! Happy New Year!

2011-01-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

THis New Years is was our most laid back yet! Emmy was sick and we had gotten no sleep from the night before, so we cancelled out plans for people coming over and had a quiet night at home. I was able to snap a few pics of her smiling before putting her to bed! Last year we came home from the hospital on a snowy New Years Eve, and this year we were just as tired! lol!

Brothers Are The Best

2011-01-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

I am skipping a few posts and will go back later. Emmy is happiest when Cole is playing with her. Dan says when we are gone during the day, Emmy walks around holding his picture frame kissing it and saying "CoCo." At night when he plays with her she gets so excited! He flies her around the house on her car and plays hide and seek with her. This is a video from the other night when Emmy was on the "roller coaster."

My Baby Is 1!

2011-01-11T12:01:00.001-08:00

Where does time go? It seems like yesterday that I woke up at 3am to time contractions! Dan saying even after I had timed contractions for hours, with contractions at 4 minutes apart, "I dont think shes coming today." (2 weeks early)Ha, if only he could have felt what I did! I knew she was! After a very quick and very painful labor (because I waited to go to the hospital until I was dialted to 6.6 and 3 minbutes apart)I delivered sweet baby Emmy Lynn in the most peaceful delivery I could have imagined! Cole came in just a few minutes later and said "Hi Captain Princess Emmy, I am Cole, this is your mommy, daddy, gigi, papa, Aunt Stace and Nainee." It was probably the sweetest thing I had ever witnessed!
Now a year later I am just as blessed to have her. She is spunky, witty, funny, sweet, sensitive and so much more. She is walking, saying lots of words and loves to make you laugh!
On her first bday she woke with 101 fever so off to the dr. we went. This was her first fever. They said she had an ear infection and a cold. We were just having out immediate d=family over to celebrate so it wasnt a major deal other than the fact that she felt like crap! My sister was very lucky to get lots of cuddle time that day. I picked a minnie mouse theme for her bday so we could rewear an outfit I had made for Disney. I made her cute little party hats and cupcakes. SHe enjoyed pizza and of course her first cake! She was very dainty while sticking one finger in at at time! It was fun to watch! Cant wait for her party in a few weeks!

MY SISTER!!!

2011-01-11T11:54:00.001-08:00

On the 27th Mindy and the family came to celebrate Christmas and be hre for Emmys first birthday. The kids had a blast as usual. Cole idolizes Mammy and Phia and I swear I dont hear from him the whole time they are here! Unfortunatley Emmy was sick and was not herself. She pretty much stuck to me like glue and had a low grade fever. We did take the kids to the hotel to swim and pretty much just stayed here and played games, talked and laughed! My kind of Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

On Christmas eve we had Dans family over for dinner. My mom had to work so she didnt drive all the way out. We enjoyed talking and Cole talked me into opening Grandma Felicias presents she had sent. We made it an early night so we could feed the reindeer and get ready for Santa. We know in Cole fashion, it would take 3 hours to finally get him to sleep. Once he did, Dan and I had out tradtional Christmas eve together of wine, Christmas vacation and getting ready for Christmas Morning!

Christmas

2011-01-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! Very low key that daay! Cole woke up at 4am bawling his eyes out because he wanted it to be time to wake up. So we help him off from going into the living room unitl 7am on the dot. NO HE DID NOT SLEEP ONE MINUTE OF THOSE 3 HOURS! We had to wake Emmy up. Cole as usual ran into the living room with his high pitched excited voice rambling all of the things he could see at first glance. Emmy sat on my lap for a few minutes looking at Cole as if he were crazy. Then she began to see things she liked and took off! Once we finished at our house we headed to Dans parents for the day with my mom as well. The kids had a wonderful spoiled Christmas!

Perfect So Far!

2010-12-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

This Christmas has ben much anticipated because it is Emmys first Christmas and Dans fist Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off! Since Dans shifts are 24 hours, it is aoways hard when he has to work Christmas day! When the weatherman predicted snow for today I got so excited! I really hate snow after living here for so long now, but the idea of a white christmas got me pretty excited! Since we didnt have plans until this evening, we bundled up and headed out for a family snowball fight and snowman building! This is the perfect snow for it! We had so much fun having our snowball fight. As usual, I was ganged up on! Cole and I built our first snowmen ever! So fun...we are off to a perfect Christmas, I have the spirit!

And shes off!

2010-12-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

The last few days Emmy has been walking more and more. She did just a few steps a few days ago, now to long stretches at a time! If she really needs to get there she says "forget it" and drops to her knees! I hate that it all goes so fast, but Im dying to put her in all of her dresses and she face plants in them if shes crawling because her knees get stuck in the dress! Here are a few clips of her trying, and one of her dancing!

He Brings Me To Tears

2010-12-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have written it many times before, but Cole has a mind that doesn't quit. When he says thought provoking things, you can tell he has thought of them a million times in his head before it comes out. His heart is so big and fragile. He can be the typical bratty 5 year old at times, and shows a jealous side when it comes to Emmy, but he amazes me with the things he says. Sometimes he will make you cry because of how damn funny he is. He is a witty as the day is long. Other times he makes you cry because of the sweet things he says (introducing Emmy to the world at the hospital comes to mind) and other times he makes you cry because of how hard he thought of something.
Tonight I drove Cole and Emmy around to houses that had their light displays set to music. When we would find a good one, we would all 3 sit in front of the house and laugh and watch. On our way home we were discussing our favorite ones of the night, and the conversation went to Santa, and how he does not die. (that was a previous weeks talk) He then goes on to say when he dies he will get to see him grandpa (my dad) and his great great great grandfather in heaven. Then he says, "Mom, what will you say to your dad when you see him?" I tell him I will say how happy I am to see him again and how much I have missed him. Then he says, "Mom, when you die, I will be so sad. But it will be ok because I will be a grown man with my own children. And on the rainy days I will say "mom, thanks for the rain. And when it thunders, i will wonder if you bowled a strike. And when I see you up in heaven, I will ask you if you won that game." As we continue to drive, I have tears running down my face. Then he says, "mom when I die, Emmy will be all alone. She will be so sad mom. But it will be ok, because she will be like the kid in the movie Home Alone and know all the tricks to do if bad guys come. Mom, I am so excited about Christmas."
I mean, he kills me with how much he thinks through things! And I just love how he brings it back to his age by ending with how excited about Christmas! God love him.

Old Time Christmas

2010-12-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

Sunday my mom and I took the kids to down town St. Charles Old Time Christmas parade. Not sure if that is the name of it, or if I made that up. Anyhow, Betsy told me about it and said they were going, so decided to join. Its so neat! Its all the old Christmas characters like Jack Frost, the Cratchets, Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker etc, along with all of the different countries St. Nicks. You just walk long the streets, and you will run into these characters. Each character has a trading card that they will give the kids that tells who they are. It is adorable! Cole loved trying to find them all. Then, they all join in a little 5 minute parade where they come through the streets. We had so much fun, mostly watching Coles face. We stopped in a little cookie shop and had fresh baked cookies and wandered in and out of shops. It was cold, but fun! Cole is already talking about next year and we have read the cards over and over!

The Grinch

2010-12-20T08:17:00.001-08:00

Saturday we went to have breakfast with the Grinch! The YMCA hosted the event. It was really cute. You got to have pancakes, go on a scavenger hunt, face painting,crafts, cake walk and of course the picture with the Grinch! Cole had a ball doing the scavenger hunt and the crafts! Emmy at this age is just along for the ride. The last stop there was the picture with the Grinch. They had a professional photographer taking pics so I cannot wait to get those because I am sure he caught even better Emmy screaming pics! Needless to say Emmy is not a Grinch fan! Cole could get her to calm down for a moment, but not long. She wa picture worthy when Dan and I sat too!

Cookie Time!

2010-12-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Cole has been begging to make and decorate cookies! Tonight I knew we were having Allison over while her mom was out for a bit, so I got the essentials so they could have a cookie fiasco! I have like 100 cookie cutters so they were excited to cut out their names and other random shapes. They had a blast decorating and Coles face was covered in icing! They are such sweet friends and play so well together!

Boucing Time

2010-12-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday a couple of friends and I took the kids to Jump 4 Fun to let them run crazy and jump to their hearts content. This was Emmys first time at a bounce place. She had a great time and Cole of course had a blast with Allison! When its this cold outside we havet o do something to get the crazies out!

Traditions

2010-12-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

A few years back when Cole was obsessed with Thomas a colleague told me about a small mom and pop hardware store that set up an amazing train display for people to com elook at. Cole was 2.5 that year. We took him about 5 different times that year because he could not get enough if it. We have seen it every year since. THis year they moved just the train display out near us in a building. Last night we took the kids to see it. I just love the old mand passion for his trains and the fact that he does this for kids to see. Cole still loves it just as much and Emmy was mesmerized!

First Snow

2010-12-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had our first small snow of the season. We got like an inch, but that is enough to make Cole want to go out and frolic! The kids had spent the night at gigi and papas on Saturday night so it took me a long time to get there with the crappy roads yesterday. I decided to stay a while and let the roads clear some! (they really need to rehire all the layoffs cause that was a joke) Cole and gigu bundled up to go out and get some snow for cole to eat. Today Dan took him out and played and made a few passes on the sled! I took Emmy out on the deck briefly (30 sc) yesterday so she could touch her first snow!

Poor Second Child!

2010-12-13T12:48:00.001-08:00

I totally forgot to slap Emmys 11 month sticker on! So, at 11 months and 2 weeks, here it is! Technically she is still 11 months! She thought it was hysterical to run like a maniac from me! Everytime I would try to get in front of her she would turn the walker around and take off laughing! So yes, at 121 months she is full of personality! I love her to death! Shockingly, she is just taking a few steps at a time, but pretty much in a full jog behind the walker! Please ignore the crazy all different color polka dots, too small pants play clothes! lol! It was a day at home!

Party At The Station

2010-12-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had Dans Christmas party at the firehouse. Dan was on duty and on the ambulance, so we knew we probably wouldn't get to see him. We had just finished dinner when they all had to leave to go on a call for a full arrest, but thanks to Jake (for taking the next ambulance for Dan while we were there)we were able to see him! Santa came and the kids played like crazy fools! It was a great time!I snapped a few shots of the kiddos before we went to the party too!

Tree Decorating

2010-12-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

I was so nervous about putting up the tree early because I was worried Emmy would destroy it all! I finally felt bad for Cole so we put it up and let Cole really do most of the decorations while we guarded the ornament box from Emmy. She could care less about the tree, but was trying her hardest to dump all of the ornaments out! I always love decorating the tree and thinking about all of the stories that come with each one!Cole got all excited listening to the Christmas music and began some crazy dance!

No Stoppin Her!

2010-12-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

I havent updated in a while, because I am too busy chasing or trying to find Emmy climbing in something, on something or up something! She is so high maintenance and could not be MORE OPPOSITE of Cole. Hes no angel, but he was not realy mischevious, and only had to be told no once as a baby and toddler. He didn't care to get into trouble like Miss Priss. Thhese are a few photos of where Emmy can be found on any given day at any given moment!

All Done!

2010-11-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

Emmys newest words! The last few weeks she has really started to parrot the words we say. After about 4 meals of us saying "all done" when we are finished, she began saying it too. We make our hands shake when we say it, but she just waves and says it. That is her new word for everything now!
Side note, last week at her 10 month check up she was 17.9 pounds (17th percentile) and 75% for height. She is a petite little thing for now but is very healthy and never stops eating!

Dancin, Dancin

2010-11-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

Emmy is a dancing queen! If there is anyone singing, or she hears music of any kind she will stop mid crawl, no matter what she is doing or where she is and dance! This typically looks like her rocking side to side on all fours, while standing or sitting. Yesterday at Toys R Us while Cole was showing us EVERYTHING in the store he "is getting" for Christmas, we came upon a Mickey Mouse that dances. Emmy thoroughly enjoyed it!

Trick Or Treat!

2010-11-02T18:47:00.001-07:00

Aww....Halloween! Coles favorite time of year! This year we had a snag in our Halloween tradition. Dans mom and dad have never missed a Halloween with Cole, and this year the newest addition of the pig. They were going to be out of town for his cousins wedding, but scheduled their flight to be home on Saturday so they could trick or treat with us Sunday. Unfortunately, Judy became extremely sick when they reached Arizona and was hospitalized with double lung pneumonia. The next day she became even more sick and is currently still in the hospital(day 6) in Arizona. We are really hoping she will be released by the end of the week...so with that said, they were unable to trick or treat with us. But here is what Cole said to her on the phone on Halloween. "Gigi, I will save my chocolate for you."
We did have someone new though this year! My mom never gets to make it to Halloween with the kids because of her schedule at work, but since it was on her day off she got to see the kdis trick or treat!
The kiddos had a blast and at times Cole was running so fast his cape was flying behind him!

Double Digits!

2010-11-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Oh my lord slow down time! Emmy Lynn turned 10 months old! Is this really possible? This is such a fun age but I just hate how fast it goes! RIght now she is standing alone all the time and clapping at herself for doing it! She is obsessed with patty cake and "how big is emmy?" She is saying momma, dada, CoCo (cole)and on occasion one big word sitdown. She has a climbing skill that will land us in the ER at some pouint I am sure! She is always climbing into baskets, moving chairs to climb on the coffee table and standing up in her high chair. We say "sitdown" so much each day that she can say it quickly in a low tone while waving at you as she is standing on the chair!
She is pretty much eating any table food we are. Still getting some baby food because some of my dinners are too spicey! She has taken 1 step so far and I am pretty sure by next week we will be at 4 to 5! Lord help us!

Carnival Day

2010-11-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Cole, Emmy and I got to attend Coles first school carnival! Cole had so much fun seeing friends from school and playing games, face painting, bounce houses etc. It is so funny to see the awkwardness between the kids when they see each other outside of school! We had a very good time (despite a random parent asking me to watch thier kid for an hour while they volunteered.) Emmy really wanted out of her stroller so that was a bit of a challenge, but overall it was great!

Zoo Night!

2010-10-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went with friends to the zoo! We missed last year for some reason and decided to go tonight. The kids get to dress up and go around the zoo. They have spooky things in different spot for the kids to see....and some sppoky trees that walk right out of the bushes and scare the crap out of you in my case! The kids had a blast! COle is Batman Brave and The Bold, and Emmy is a pig. They both were so cute! Emmy ripped her hat off about 100 times, but just as I do with her bows, just keep reapplying! Emmy got 100's of compliments for being such a cute piggy....brought me back to Coles peacock costume when he was 1!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-28T19:49:00.001-07:00

Last night we went to the little roadside stand to get our pumpkins to carve. We of course had to add one more pumpkin to our pumpkin family this year! I thought maybe this would finally be the year that Cole would touch the pumpkin guts, but NO! He said "mom they are slimey." We had both kids sitting on the island while we were cleaning them out. Emmy immediately pulled to a stand, stuck her hands in and started flinging pumpkin guts everywhere, trying to eat it and going back for more. Cole couldnt believe she was doing it! It was pretty cute. She did not make it through to the final product, so we had to take pictures outside tonight as well!

Old Family Farm

2010-10-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we took the kids to the little pumpkin farm around the corner. I fell in love with it 2 years ago when my mom and I stumbled upon it. It is just a man and wife who open up their farm during the fall to come see their animals and run around. They have cut the corn into a maze and have a few pumpkins you can buy. I just love it because it reminds me of something my dad would have done jsut to watch people enjoy it. Cole loves finding all of their cats and going in the chicken coop. This was Emmys first time there. She thought it was great. She stood right in the face of the sheep and when he would BBBAAAAA at her she would startle and laugh. SHe and Cole had a great time on thier little playground they built this year. Coles favorite was the barn cat that followed him through the maze. Cant wait to go back next year!

Rotten!

2010-10-17T20:24:00.001-07:00

So we took our annual trip to Eckerts to go apple picking this weekend it was just plain "rotten!" We got there and took our tractor ride to the orchard and began our hunt for the perfect apples....and kept hunting....and hunting! So, you must know this is my favorite outing of fall! Cole loves apples so much and I love getting him in the trees etc! Well, we all found 1 apple to eat, and not a single apple in our bag. This has never happened before! So, we went over and let the kids play in the play area which they were jsut fine with! Emmy,liked petting the pigs, especially the one that oinnked everytime you touched it! I got slobbed on by a camel and cole enjoyed the bounce house....so even with no apples, we still had a great time with friends and family!

Wishes Do Come True!

2010-10-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

There really are no words to describe our vacation to Disney other than amazing and exhausting! We were so fortunate to have been able to go this year, and to be able to have Dans parents with us to share it. Cole was mersmerized by the details and fantasy of it all. Emmy could not have been more perfect. I thought for sure we would have major meltdowns and crying, and I do not think she idd it once the entire trip! We literally were gone for 12 hours a day riding rides, walking, eating and laughing! Well, and taking shuttles...Dan was not so "magically happy" at how many times he had to fold the stroller a day! lol! I could go on and on, but it would bore you! I cannot wai tto go again when Emmy is 5 to see her face light up like Coles!

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The Gardens....AGAIN!

2010-10-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have told you my favorite place in St. Louis is the Botanical Gardens, so on cycle break some friends and I went again! I have definately gotten my moneys worth from the membership this year! I t is so peaceful to me, and the kids have such a wonderful time! Here are some pics of our day!

9 months...ok so now 9.5!

2010-10-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

The day Emmy turned nine months old I sat and wrote this great blog, and added her pictures and then the computer somehow erased it. So, now 2 weeks later i am finding time to sit down and update as much as I can until the point of disney!
So at 9 months Emmy weighed 19 lbs! That was a 3 pound jumnp from her previous weight and that should put her on the charts finally!
She is still a huge ham! She has lots of tricks now and loves to show them on command! She will wave, clap, stand without holding anything and do "so big!" Usually she does them all while standing and falls, then claps at herself again! I love her to peices! Her favorite game is still pee-pie!

Spidey Fingers!

2010-09-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Cole had his first soccer game last weekend. It was their teams second game but we missed the first because we were out of town. It was so fun and frustrating to watch! I am not sure how many times I yelled "get the ball Cole!" He wasnt quite sure what the heck to do, and certainly didnt like 15 kids running right at him!LOL!When the coach asked after the first period who wanted to take a break, he raises his hand and sits on the bench. I told him, no way, you get your drink and go play. At the next break he raised his hand again. GOOD LORD! Finally, the coach asked him if he wanted to play goalie. I thought I might puke when he said yes. I mean, who wants their kid as goalie to get their feelings hurt every time they get scored on. I was sick! The poor kid had only been to 2 practices and no games and had no idea what the heck to do. A coach showed him quickly his are and what to do. That little dude turned into spider man with web like fingers! He only let 1 get past him ( and had no help from his team..lol) and saved or blocked 6 goals! He was totally lucky on one as it came flying at him and caught it out of nowhere! He loved playing goalie! I think because he has a certain area to protect he has more of a purpose instead of running all over the field chasing a ball. He does however, smile the whole time hes running!

Attack Of The Goats

2010-09-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so its cycle break which means 3 weeks of playing around town! We havent been to Grants Farm this year, so we went with some friends. Its a right of passage for those of you not from STL to feed the goats and pretty much get mauled. I held Emmy and tried to help Cole as the goats moved in teh for the kill! Cole and I laughed hysterically the whole time I was yelling to him "run for your life cole, just keep moving." After the goats we walked through to see the other animals, the elephant show and enjoyed a snow cone and lunch. They had a Budweiser clydesdale out for us to take a photo with. Man those things are massive! It was a wonderful day with friends on a beautiful day!

Let Me Tell You

2010-09-29T10:09:00.001-07:00

Emmy woke up today ready to tell the world how excited she was to be 9 months! Big girl!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wheres Emmy?

2010-09-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Playing Pea-Pie is Emmys favorite game! Even when shes crying if you say "Wheres Emmy?" she will laugh and snort! Here are a few videos of her doing this recently.

My Futures So Bright!

2010-09-20T22:44:00.000-07:00

Cole really wanted Emmy to wear her sunglasses the other day. Then he wanted all three of us to wear them and take a picture! Excuse my greasy hair!

Headed North

2010-09-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday our family and my mom packed the truck and headed to Madison for the weekend to see my sister and her family. Since Im on my cycle break it was feasible. The kids traveled like champs. We stopped once there, and once coming home 6 hours each way! My mom got to be in the back with the kids. She said she was ready to bail between the crazy sound toys Emmy had, and the music Cole had going on my phone, and the radio. She and Cole slept once or twice. Cole was ready to jump out of the car within seconds on pulling on their street. HE and Sophia went immediately across the street to the park. They all played ALL WEEKEND! We also took the kids to the Halloween store so they could find their costumes. We visited and laughed several times until we were on the verge of wetting our pants. I hate that we have to come home! We miss them so much!

Hook'em! \m/

2010-09-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

For football season I wanted Emmy to have a cute little Texas Longhorns outfit. None really did the trick for me so I had someone make one for her like the Cardinals one I had made! She looks so cute and is ready to cheer on her team!

Soccer

2010-09-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

Cole has had 2 practices so far! We missed the first game since we went to my sisters, so I can't wait to watch him this weekend in his "first game." Not sure that he really cares all that much about soccer, but as long as he's having fun I don't mind!Just like in T-ball emmy is his cheerleader!

My Montage 9/12/10 at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-09-12T13:03:00.001-07:00

We spent a wonderful day at the botanical gardens yesterday. The kids had so much fun and Emmy enjoyed "playing" like the kids. Couldnt have asked for better weather!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Good Times

2010-09-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend it was our friend Mikes birthday so they had us over for bbq! yum! We had a great time hanging out and letting the kids play. Her sister and her family came too so it was party! Happy Birthday Mike! Got some cute shots of the kids.

Old McDonald

2010-09-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

After the firehouse last weekend I met my mom at Suson Park. Again, we had not been there sine Cole was like 2. It was a beautiful day so we took some cheese balls so we could feed the ducks....well geese! Cole threw the first cheese ball and it was all oer with! They flocked like mad! Next we went in and saw all of the animals and then to the park. Before we left we went back to the bridge and Cole finished throwing the cheeseballs. My mom and I's favorite Cole quote of the day was while we were eating lunch a grandaddy long legs crawled under the table. Cole freaked out and my mom says "Cole its just a grandaddy long legs, they dont bite." Cole looks at her and says seriously "well, wheres his momma long legs?"

Hurry Hurry Drive the Firetruck

2010-09-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

I always hated that song from Barney but it seemed fitting. Last weekend, Cole asked if we could go see Dan at the firehouse....not something we do often enough for some reason. Cole had not been for a ride in the engine since he was really little so we all piled in for a ride around the neighborhood. Cole was so excited! Once we got back we did the usual things he likes to do...play in the weight room, jump on Dans bed, play with a hose and run crazy...even enjoyed a little lunch with the guys.

A Day With Cole

2010-09-04T20:55:00.001-07:00

Today I took Emmy to the babysitter (thank goodness for her at the last minute) and Cole, Aunt Stace, Heather, Issak and I went to the Cardinal game. Each year through my mother in laws work we get tickets to the game, meet 2 players with autographs and then tour the dugout, camera opportunity etc. Well, for the first year ever, Dans parents had plans, Dan was working and so our annual Cardinal Day got all screwed up. I knew this ahead of time so Aunt Stace decided to go and I thought it would be fun to just give the boys some mom time, so Heather and Isaak also came with us. Cole brought his hat that he has brought the last 3 years for the players to sign. Then we went and got a great spot on the field to take pictures of the players. Fredbird played with the boys and they laughed so hard! They got their faces on the jumbotron so i took a picture of it! Some of the players paid no attention to the fans, and others were all about high fiving, talking hugging etc. Cole wanted 1 player to get close so I said "tell him its your bday." That worked...and Cole said he was 6! lol! Then he did it again and he told them he was 7. It was hysterical. He really enjoyed slapping hands and knucks! The game was not so good since we got beat, but it didnt matter because I had so much fun with Cole!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

8 Months

2010-08-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Emmy turned 8 months old! We cannot believe it! Time has gone so fast! She is such a mess! At an early age she is already BIG TROUBLE! She is a climber and into everything! She tries to climb in the tub all of the time (hence the picture I took) and if its quiet you know to find her in the bathroom playing in the toilet water! Thats her favorite thing! I put the sticker on her butt this month naked since she heard the water for the bath and made a run for the tub! You can see in the one picture she is trying to climb in! Later after bath, she escaped and we found her back at the toilet but it was closed so it wasnt as much fun! She is now always saying mamammamm, dadadadad. She understands the word "no" and cries as soon as you say it to her!

Yay For Family!

2010-08-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend my sister and her girls came in town to visit. We had not seen each other since April! We were so excited to hang out and do NOTHING but visit! We took the girls to see their old friends (which tugged at my heart strings) and went to Ted Drewes for custard, went shopping and to the water park. Cole was in hog heaven with the girls as always! Emmy was a hoot and loved all of the attention! We are so lucky we get to see them in September too!

A Kid With Character

2010-08-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

At our school we are trying to help our kids build character. We have adopted 5 words at our school that we are trying to teach and model for our kids. These words are respect, responsibility, kidness/caring and self control. The last 2 months of school we have been focusing on respect which we tell the kids "treat others the way you want to be treated" is the definition. We have talked in depth about how that looks to a kindergartener. Then once a month we have a Kids With Character Assembly" where all of the kids wear their Castlio t-shirts and come to the gym. Each teacher recognizes 4 kids from their class who have shown that character word and the students come to the front of the assembly to receive an award. Afterward we all do the "Tootie Tah" dance to celebrate!
Well, I am the proud mom of a "kid with character!" Cole was recognized for showing respect because he helped the new student in his room with getting through the lunch line and showing her around and making sure she had someone to play with at recess! I am so proud of him!

Tunnel Of Happiness

2010-08-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

One of Coles favorite toys as a baby was his caterpillar. He has been waiting for Emmy to be old enough to use it. Tonight I had vowed to only sit and play with the kids putting all housework, laundry etc off for another day. SO we got out the caterpillar for the first time! Emmy LOVED it. She had so much fun crawling after Cole! She was so tickled it was non stop snorting from her! She snorts when she laughs! She crawled and chased him in this tunnel for 25 minutes! So glad we can use it with her!

Hot Day At The Zoo

2010-08-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday party for a friends 2 year old at the zoo on Saturday. It was 100 degrees and full on humidity. The party however was perfect! The kids picked animal hats to wear when we got to the zoo. We first walked with Mason through his favorite part of the zoo. Then, we went to a tent and had PBJ and fruits and veggies. Next we went on a scavenger hunt in the insectarium. Cole had so much fun! Then they came and took us to a private room with TONS of hand on preschool activities. They also had live animals in there! Cole loved that! They also did an educational demonstration about the animals and everyone could touch! We got to touch a hissing cockroach! Then we ate the precious lion cupcakes the zoo had made! It was a perfect party! Thanks Mason for inviting us!

Im With The Band

2010-08-19T20:34:00.001-07:00

I was trying to get dinner ready one night and Emmy was at melt down mode, so I got out the pots and pans and some spatulas. Emmy enjoyed banging, but then enjoyed the instrument in her mouth much better! Cole enjoyed it more! He played for about 30 minutes! Yes, I listened to that banging for 30 minutes!

Tea Anyone?

2010-08-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Now that Emmy is getting a bit older, I have bought a new toy or two. Until now she has been playing with all of Coles old baby toys. I found a great deal on Amazon and snagged a cute little singing tea set. Cole, Emmy and I sat on the rug one day and had a tea party. It really looks like she is doing it, but only because ANYTHING you hand her goes to her mouth!

Wish Mine Was That Cute!

2010-08-10T16:56:00.001-07:00

The other night we were waiting for Cole to "get naked!" Emmy was already naked, but house rules are Cole HAS to get in first even though they bathe together! Meanwhile, Emmy was crawling around naked and she looked so cute standing there with her dimpled butt! Wish someone thought my dimpled butt was that cute and worth a picture! Of course, moments later she peed on the floor and the dog drank it up!

Happy Birthday Papa

2010-08-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my father in law, and my moms bday! We went to Dans parents house to celebrate papas bday. Cole was so excited for Papa's bday party, but asked who all Papa invited? I told him Aunt Stace and our family were the lucky ones to be invited. It was such a beautiful evening, for once this summer! We sat on the patio and played and talked. Cole was the photographer instructor. He was telling everyone where to sit, and what faces to make for pictures. (he may be just like me!) We had a wonderful time visiting and celebrating! Cole ended up wanting to stay and spend the night, so we came home one less child....

Last Game

2010-08-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Cole had his last t ball game on Saturday! It ended with a double header! This was actually the teams best games all season! IT sure was fun to see how far they had come! Cole enjoyed both games. Next up....soccer!

Hello Unicorn!

2010-07-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

Cole had a small, ok, large mishap at school today. It was rest time and the teacher heard screaming, so she went over to Cole and he told her he wanted me. She thought maybe he was just missing me, so she sat and talked to him about his wii games etc. All the while, his face is covered with her stuffed brown bear he got to lay with today since he was "sunshine student!" After a bit she asked him if he felt ok. He pulled the bear off his face and said no. She was shocked at what she saw. He told me later that he cam back from the restroom and when he went to lay down he hit his head on the shelf. Not sure how long that was before the screaming started. She called down to tell me he was with the nurse. Then the principal came down and said, "just want you to know it looks really bad, so dont be alarmed." WOW! It sure did, and apparently it had been worse! Poor baby, he went back to class after some ice. He started telling everyone that he and brown bear got in a fight! In this photo, you can see over his right eye and between his eyes is swollen. This is 6 hours after it happened. (we were icing it again before bed) It actually starts at the hairline and goes down between the eyes! His teacher is getting a small treat from us tomorrow!

7 months!

2010-07-29T19:30:00.001-07:00

Today Emmy turned 7 months! I know, I cannot believe it! We put on one of my favorite outfits that I have been waiting for Emmy to wear since before she arrived! Betsy gave this to Emmy for my shower, and it has hung so cute on her crib because it matched so good with her bedding! The top was still big, but it still looked adorable on her! The bow was so big it wouldnt even stay up! lol! The 7 is again on her back because she is on the go!

Game On!

2010-07-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we thought we would let Cole pick what he wanted to do that day. I had a coupon (go figure...I know) for Incredible Pizza Company, so we went there. Unfortunately, we did not stay because you "have to" buy a buffet for each person to come in and play. No thanks! So we went to Dave & Busters for Coles first time! He was in game heaven! He and Dan had fun playing a few games, then Cole only wanted to play the games that he could win tickets with! There is one picture that looks like Dan on his 21st bday in Vegas, and in my mind I can fast forward and almost picture Cole there too!Emmy and I were mostly spectators at Dave & Busters but still had a great time!

Fast Forward

2010-07-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, Emmy is apparently on fast forward! I told you recently (about a week ago) that I saw Emmy pull up at the sitter, then she came home and pulled up on the magazine rack, also the laundry basket and them climbed in. Now she has it down pat! She is very proud of this new skill and is now waking up in the middle of the night and standing up, then screaming until I go in, and then she smiles! She hangs under the bar stools and found the banister railing to pull up on! Tomorrow she turns 7 months.
We had her doctor appointment today. She is 80% for height and took a tumble on weight to the 15%. She now weighs 14 pounds. We are going to all formula now except the early morning feeding. I have been making her baby food since she began eating, and today we got the green light for meats! Hopefully this will help her gain weight. We kept trying to increase the amount of ounces in each bottle, but she got more spitty, so we backed off. She seems to be able to take more now, so hopefully we can get some rolls on her!
The doctor did the normal "heres what to watch for" speech. He said, "this month you will notice her showing an interest in crawling, or improving om it." Im like, uh, that was a month ago! He was pretty surprised. Then he said, "well, she may start to try and pull up to a stand in the next month or so then." Uh, yeah, we have been doing that for a week. He was very shocked that its a daily skill. He said "well, in all my practice, only one child has walked at 8 months and she may be the 2nd, and I want you to call me if she does!" LORD NO! Im hoping she will be happy with this fun skill for a while! She hasnt mastered getting down from the stand, so that is causing lots of bruises from just letting go and going backwards on her head! Maybe thats what we will work on!

One Tired Dude

2010-07-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Cole started Kindergarten 2 weeks ago! He is doing so well! He loves going to school everyday! He has made so many friends already. He gets so shy at the end of the day when he comes down to my room and all of my kids holler "Hi Cole!" He hates the attention and is so embarrassed! His teacher says he is doing great! He goes full day. This is a BIG change since he only went 2 half days of preschool for 1 year. Since the first day of school he has fallen asleep in the car within minutes on the way home. The second day when we got home he said, "Mom, you need to tell Mrs. Champion she wore me out!" I laughed so hard, and of course told her! Then 3rd day, he was just about to fall asleep and he said, "mom, she did it again" as his eyes were closing! He is dead asleep by 9pm each night and STARVING by the time we get home! I'm just glad he is having a ball!

WHAT?

2010-07-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

WHAT? Is what I said when I went to get Emmy at the sitters today. Right when I came into the living room I watched her pull up on Mrs. Tina! I have seen her pull up to her knees, but now to a stand! Tonight when I put the laundry basket in front of me she crawled over and studied it. Then she pulled herself up to a stand and reached in. Then she proceeded to climb into the basket! I could not believe it! My computer was in the magazine basket next to the laundry basket to I grabbed it and started taking pics! SHE NEEDS TO SLOW DOWN! For goodness sake shes only been crawling 2 weeks!

He's Off!

2010-07-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Cole officially is a Kindergartener! I had many tears the day and night before! Dan had the tears or "sweat in his eyes" the day of. (incase you missed that story, last year after Coles flu shot he said, "Im not crying, I have sweat in my eyes!") Cole and I met Dan at school early and we all 3 walked in together! Since I had my own group of kindergarteners, Dan walked him down to his room and got him situated when the bell rang. He didn't cry a bit and was so excited!
It was (is) the weirdest thing to turn around at school and see my little boy there! The little boy who was just born, crawling, walking and talking. I still tear up thinking about it! When I saw Cole at the first recess he ran up and hugged me and I said "hey buddy, how is it? He said, I really like this place!" His teacher told me when he heard my voice in the hall with my class he said, " I hear my moms voice!" He seems to be adjusting well so far! He is very young to be in kindergarten so I have been worried, but it seems he is going to be just fine! Thanks for all of the prayers and calls to get me through this milestone!

Don't Let It End!

2010-07-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

This picture is hysterical to me! How ironic of all nights! We tried to put Emmy to bed tonight at her normal time. Mind you she had only slept 45 minutes ALL day! I kissed and hugged her and told her how sad I was that my break was over. She must have heard my words and thought "hey, this party ain't over yet!" I heard her talking about 10 minutes after I put her down and found her pulled up on the side of the rail babbling and smiling form ear to ear! This was the first time she had figured this out, so obviously the mattress will be lowered, but it was the perfect night for this!

Good Bye Summer

2010-07-11T20:39:00.001-07:00

Well, tonight it is a "work night!" UGh, how sad it makes me! Like maternity leave being over all over again! The breaks are so awesome, but it makes it so hard to go back. Dan is home so much, so it is just so nice for all of us to be home (well, ok, not REALLY home) together! This summer was awesome! We did everything I wanted to and more! I just wanted to take Cole as many places as possible since he starts kindergarten this week. (tear) I feel like once the kids start "real" school, you just don't have the time you used to for fun experiences as often! Emmy was such a trooper at every place we went. Never once did she cry, unless it was time to turn her around in the infant carrier for a nap. I am going to miss 24 hours of her sweet smiling face every day! I hate that I will get about 6 hours if I am lucky! Tonight at dinner I asked her if her cheeks ever hurt from smiling so much! I am glad that I got to see her crawl for the first time on my break!
Cole starts school Thursday! I am baffled at where the time went! I think of sweet little Cole in a school of big kids and mean kids and it makes me so scared for him. He is so sweet and I hope Dan and I have raised him with good morals and the ability to be a leader and not a follower! I will be kickin ass and taking names if anyone messes with my baby!
How lucky though that I get to be with him everyday! I am looking forward to our drives to and from school just talking! I love him more than words and this is such a monumental step in his life. Tomorrow is his open house so I have grandparents on duty to go with him to his room since I will be having my own in my room. They will be armed with my camera!
So, with tears in my eyes from thinking to much about my kids in this post, I say.....THIS WAS THE BEST SUMMER EVER! God truly is good!

Cave Dwellers

2010-07-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

On Friday we went with the Glenns to Stanton, Mo to Meramec Caverns. We took an hour or so long guided tour of the cave, which was also Jesse James hideout back in the day. It was really interesting and had some amazing things to see. I had a brain fart at some point because I forgot to put the battery in my good camera which resulted in having to use my camera phone. It was hard for me to mentally overcome this! ha! However, the pics were ok since I had purchased a new phone the day before. It didnt work well in the dark, but a few are ok. After the tour, we took a short boat ride on the meramec river. We all enjoyed the day!

Pearly Whites

2010-07-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

Cole had his first (I know, I know) dentist appointment yesterday! He was so excited to go! Dan said "he may look like me, but he talks like you!" He is so friendly. The nurse or dentist would be explaining something and would use a word that would spark a story and off he went! He told them more stories! It was so cute! They asked him what animal they should use on the tool, but that they didnt have any snakes...which led to, "well, my cousin Mammy has a snake in a cage. She feeds it mice. And my cousin Phia has a dog named Japper dog." Typical kindergartener! The funniest was when they were doing x rays. They got to the one we all hate that you bite for the back and its really uncomfortable. Well, he moved a little so the xray was blurry. She told him it was a little blurry so they might need to do it again. Cole says, "Well, we should probably just wait to do it again until next time!" You could tell he hated that! They let him hold the suction tool and use when he wanted so he thought that was fun! Then when she was using the spinny tool to clean behind his top teeth he was laughing uncontrollably because it tickled! So the first visit was a success and NO CAVITIES! I didnt figure he would since he hates sweets!