A Tale of Two

Sibling rivalry is hitting its peak around our house! They are the best of friends and can find themselves in some pretty interesting situations together (unrolling multiple rolls of paper towels, crushing crackers into the carpet as part of their 'rockin' out party', water everywhere... then suddenly mass rivalry to snuggle on my lap, or play with a certain toy, or stand in the same spot. Both their feisty attitudes will come right out in these situations :) then watch out though if you get after one of them, especially if we give Emmy a count for something. Owen is her hero and he will swoop in to save her with all the courage of an almost 5 year old - 'Mom! Don't be mean to Emmy or I'll put you in time out!' It is so sweet to see him want to rescue her when 5 minutes before he was running away laughing because he took her favorite toy and she is screaming hysterically. I love that he does it too when we are at the park playing, he will defend her without question and it makes my heart happy. Owen has started coming in her room at night to say goodnight with the biggest hug and kiss and she loves her 'Owie'

Happy Halloween!

It was a rainy, cold day, but we had so much fun at the Trunk or Treat, then went to Mimi's and to Chel Chels for trick or treating time.

Todd and Jeff put together a pallet maze that Meredith had designed and the kids had so much fun running through it.

These make the best hiding places/punching bags!

Emmy's ears

Emmy has another ear infection, but every time Owen tells someone, he says, "Emmy has a ear confection". If only it was a that awesome...

School is here!

Owen started preschool this week. I wanted him to go to my friend, Jamie Camp's class since I have been working in her integrated program over the last year and it is awesome! She is an amazing teacher, great curriculum, and I love the model of special needs/typical peers. We had to stand in line in April to get him on the list for typical peers, since she only has a few spots, but considering we would have to wait overnight for Kindergarten if we were still in spokane, that wasn't anything big :)
He was so excited the night before he could barely sleep! I was definitely more emotional that first day while he was super excited. I am very grateful to be working only at Knolls Vista this year and to be just a couple of minutes away from him during the school day. Going in to work with the students who need Speech Therapy a couple times a week means I get to see him in action in class and it is pretty cool to be able to watch him learning!

Good night, Superman

Owen has a nightlight that projects a picture of Superman onto the ceiling. Emmy thinks it is the coolest thing and every night, she wants to go in and say goodnight to Superman. She is dramatic and will do a sharp intake of breath, put her hands on her cheeks, blows a kiss, and then says goodnight to him. It's pretty sweet.

August Lazy Days

It's finally cooled off to the high 90s :) and we have spent that last few weeks of summer soaking up our time together.  We went to Spokane and had an awesome day at Mobius, picked up Grammy for a week, and Owen went to the Demo Derby with Todd and his cousins.

Emmy and Owen love to dance - Owen's signature move is a spin and fall breakdance move; Emmy shakes her finger and moves up and down, or grabs her babies and dances them around the room. She is putting 2-3 words together and she and Owen love to make each other laugh.

The fair

We went to the fair this week and had quite the adventure! We saw Robbie showing his turtles, watched the Jest in Time circus, were almost trampled by some pigs, and had lunch at the auction. The kids were exhausted and I was too :)

Pals

I love listening in on conversations between Owen and his friends. Last week with Maddie... everything from a huge conversation about building plans while in the sand box - are you still making a swimming pool - yes - ta-da, here is my skyscraper. And then, the great negotiator - if you don't share your toys, snack ..., I won't be your best friend anymore.

Summer of Bliss

After a stressful year of lots of adjustments and doubting whether or not I should have switched to a school district job; school let out and I had almost 3 months of uninterrupted time at home with Owen and Emmy ahead of me. And it has flown by, in the best way - days at the lake, playing with cousins, day trips, park time, cuddles, books, building forts

Superheros unite!

One of Owen's favorite things to do while Emmy is napping is to play Superheros. We have found some costumes for our pretend play box, so we can dress-up like Iron Man, Captain America, Batman, and Superman. Of course there is stuff for fireman, S.W.A.T, pirates, knights, and more in there, so we have quite the combination of heros to save the day. You never know what emergency we might have to cover during nap time!

A Big Adventure

Trip to Grammie
Calgary - cold - zoo
Cousin time
Protecting Emmy at Mirabeau Park

Joy

And with that, the school year is done and I have almost 10 weeks off with my sweet babes. It almost seems surreal! I am very grateful for the time I have with them, so I can listen to Emmy's long string of chatter in the morning, without having to rush and get ready to go out the door, to play with Owen and hear him set up a big activity for Emmy and I - "Ladies and gentleman, enjoy the smashing party"

Heart Attack

Emmy was playing on the swingset today at Kami's house and I was standing right beside her when she was at the top of the platform for the slide, when she took two steps away from me and went right under the bar on the other side. She fell flat on her back in the grass, about 4 feet straight down. I just about had a heart attack - it completely knocked the wind out of her. I scrambled underneath the platform to get to her, but didn't want to move her until I knew she wasn't hurt. She was screaming hysterically and I felt about the same. Thank goodness she landed in the soft grass and that babies are so flexible!! Not even a scratch or a bruise

A New Year

Owen has been such a snuggler at night, I am grateful for those small moments. Especially when I see him sitting on the couch and his legs hang over the edge now - he is growing up! We celebrated his birthday in Transformer style

Baby girl still has a stubborn ear infection, we have made two trips to Spokane to her doctor and they recommended we try the penicillin shot this time. Double shots, one in each leg, two nurses doing them simultaneously, and lots of pain after for Emmy, broke my heart. Owen happened to be in the room with Todd when it happened and he was not impressed with the nurses; such a sweet brother :) Grammie ordered a clubhouse for Owen's birthday and Todd set it up inside for the kids to play with - they are so cute, playing peek a boo and taking all their toys inside

Sweet moment that I always forget to mention with Emmy - she loves to snuggle in when you pick her up and she tucks her arms under, between you and her tummy when she does. It is so sweet