Double The Blessings, Twice The Love

TIDWTFT

2012-02-02T12:15:00.002-05:00

Emma and Josh have been so funny this week. They are constantly interacting and communicating with us, its such a fun experience.

Both:

1. They love the bath. Like they beg and beg to go in the bath. This is quite a turnaround from the two infants who used to scream bloody murder when we tried to bathe them. Or the two one year olds who I used to have to get in the tub with. But its changed and now they want to go in every single night for at least 30 minutes.

2. They are learning how to pray. The know how to fold their hands in the praying position and they can repeat short prayers. They also say "Jesus loves me" Its so precious.

Emma:

1. She is very observant. She tries to match items together or count them. She also likes to tell us when something is out of place by saying "Missing One" or "Something else"

Josh:

1. He is a major chatterbox. He will sometimes talk the entire time that I bring him home from Dan's parents' house. He will tell me everything he sees, everything he ate, everything he did. He talks so much!

Health

2012-02-01T19:52:00.008-05:00

This month, I have decided to focus on Health. I am going to be honest up front though. I am not going to be able to give up pizza or chips. I am not looking to be a size 4. I am still going to have a chocolate chip cookie (or 4) when I want to. My goals, however, are to make some changes in my life that will encourage me to be healthier.

Its funny because I try really hard to instill healthy eating habits into Emma and Josh's every day life. They eat $40 worth of fruits and veggies each week. I don't give them juice because I read an article about sugar and juice (or something like that...) When it comes to my own eating habits, however, I tend to be a lot more well, relaxed. I consider Wheat Thins and a diet Cherry Pepsi to be a suitable lunch. If I look back at the end of many days, I realize that I haven't had a drop of water and maybe ate the end of one of the kids' bananas. Not the picture of health.

I also want to focus on more physical activity. I have gotten a lot better with this by taking Zumba but I want something that I can do almost every day. Since we spent a lot of money on a treadmill several years ago, it made sense to incorporate that into my goals.

When thinking about my Health goals, I focused on small changes but changes that I feel will have a big impact for me.

My Health goals are:

1. Drink 100 oz of water per day

2. Eat one fruit, one veggie and one fruit/veggie smoothie every day

3. Run 500 miles by the end of the year. (I did the math, its 1.5 miles per day. I can do it!)

4. No snacks after 7 pm, except a handful or fruit or veggies

5. Take better care of me by getting new skin, hair and body care items

I have a feeling this is going to be a good month and I am looking forward to it!

Wordless Wednesday: Old or Young, We Still Have Fun

2012-02-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

First Wrap Up

2012-01-31T20:03:00.004-05:00

I only did my first month of the 12 in 2012 project for half of January but its already making a huge impact for me. I can feel the effects of the organization I have started in my life. It felt good to clean things up, sort things out and instill a sense of order to the physical things in my life.

I was able to get through my list of areas to organize except for one- recipes. When it came down to it, I just got too overwhelmed. I've collected recipes in an expandable file folder since I got married in 2003. As I started looking through them, I saw several that I could remember making and some that I never tried. I also found some handwritten recipes from my mom and even one from my grandpa. I don't know how to organize something like that. So instead, I put them all back in the folder, except the family recipes. I looked at my grandpa's handwritting for a long, long time and then put those aside. I put the expandable file folder back in my pile of things to work on. I plan to come up with a way to organize my paper recipes and my Pinterest recipes and my family recipes but I need more time.

I also did a lot of work on organizing me. To do this, I focused on figuring out what I want to do with my life and really concentrating on what's important to me and what I have to be thankful for. I started two journal projects (One Sentence Journal and a Gratitude Journal) I only spend a couple minutes each night writing the entries but the reflection on the one important moment and the 5 items that I am grateful for has really started to change my mindset. No matter how stressed I am during the day, I end the day focusing on what really matters.

I am excited to move onto the next month and my next goal. I look forward to continuing to grow in this goal, too! Onto February...

My one and five year plans aren't too exciting but I would like to share my Personal Mission Statement. I enjoyed writing it and recommend writing your own so that you can keep perspective on what matters to you.

I want to be known as a woman of patience and kindness.
I will seek to give more than I take and smile more than I frown.
I will strive to love what I do and make a difference while doing it
I want to dream big and never give up
I want to remember how blessed I am and I want to be thankful for what I have
I will believe in the goodness of people and let people see the goodness in me
I will be true to my priorities and never forget what is important to me
I will be the kind of person my parents and my children can be proud of

Daddy fun

2012-01-30T06:07:00.006-05:00

Since they are getting more interested, I have been doing more craft type activities with Emma and Josh. They don't always last long and they normally end up with someone eating something and me running to fish it out of their mouth, but its still fun. Dan decided he wanted to get in on the action so he made paper airplanes, stars and hats with them and they loved it!

Dan folding a hat

Emma wearing the hat

Josh flying an airplane

And when they got tired of the paper items, they spent time just looking outside and the snow and the deer. I love how sometimes they can just find their own activities!

The organizing continues

2012-01-29T13:41:00.004-05:00

I've crossed a few more items off of my ten places to organize. One area I really focused on was all of our cleaning supplies and underneath our bathroom and kitchen sinks. I couldn't believe how disorganized it was! What I did was:

1. Take everything out and put it in one central location
2. I cleaned and wiped down all of the items, they just felt better when any drips of cleaning supplied were wiped away
3. I consolidated items (I swear that I had 4 bottles of open Windex. Seriously? 4 bottles) I also got rid of old items
4. Under the bathroom sinks, I only put a couple items. Like one toilet cleaner, one shower cleaner, one Lysol, etc. I also stored the items in plastic baskets and so that they stay together and don't look messy

5. Under my kitchen sink, I also stored items in plastic baskets and organized them my type (soaps, detergent, cleaning supply)

Overall, I got rid of a ton of items and the areas feels a lot cleaner.

The status of my organization is as follows:

1. Spice cabinet- DONE

2. Sock drawer- DONE

3. Craft stuff- DONE

4. Toiletries

5. My car

6. Toys

7. Kid's clothes- DONE

8. Home inventory- DONE

9. Under sinks- DONE

10. Recipes

In reviewing the list, I have decided that there is not much I can do about the toys right now. The problem is that Emma and Josh really haven't outgrown many of their toys, they have actually just started playing with a lot of things. If I really think about it, the toys are pretty well organized. I use four canvas totes in the family room (one for trucks, one for cars, one for little people stuff, one for books) I use the wood crates for all of the Melissa and Doug toys and we keep those separate. Downstairs, we have two big toy boxes and although I try to keep stuff organized, a lot of times the toys just get dumped into there. But all considered, the toys aren't too bad. So I am going to cross that off my list!

My goals for the next couple days are toiletries, my car and my recipes. I have also been working a lot on organizing me and will be ready to share all of that in a couple days, too.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Pigtails

2012-01-27T06:00:00.002-05:00

Emma's hair is getting long but she will not let me put a clip or bow in it. Well, she lets me put it in and them promptly yanks it out. (While telling me "Emma no like it!") So I decided to try a new option and bought tiny rubber bands to do pigtails. Success! She doesn't pull at them (although Josh tries to get them) and they look so cute. I need to try to get them in better so they are straighter and tighter but at this time, I am happy to get them in at all.

There is something about putting pigtails in her hair that makes her seem so, I don't know, grown up I guess. She looks older and the fact that she has enough hair on her tiny head to even put in pigtails just amazes me. Wasn't she just a bald cue ball baby?

View from the back

Side view

My big girl

TIDWTFT

2012-01-26T06:00:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a nice week, we had a good one here and are looking forward to the weekend.

Emma:

1. Her newest phrase is "Emma no like it." She tells me this often, even if she really does like the item. She did it the other day with grapes (she would eat a full bag if I allowed it) and when I asked her "Really?!" she said "Kidding!"

Josh:

1. He has a really good memory and good association. He can hear a couple notes of a song on The Einsteins and immediately know what episode it is. So smart!

Wordless Wednesday: Super Emma

2012-01-25T05:48:00.003-05:00

Snowtime

2012-01-24T06:00:00.005-05:00

On Sunday, we still had several inches of snow but it was in the mid 30's so we bundled up Emma and Josh and went outside. Its the first time that they have actually played in the snow and they liked it. I even made us a snowman!

Rolling the snowman

The finished product. Everyone lost interest before I could "decorate" him so we just left him alone

Emma loved running in the snow

Josh was a little more laid back

Emma standing by our big pine tree. She loves that tree

Dan showing Josh how to throw snowballs

Snow fun

Piggyback

2012-01-23T13:14:00.003-05:00

Dan introduced the kid's to "piggy back rides" this weekend. The problem? Dan has a bad back so he really shouldn't be giving a lot of piggy backs. The solution? Mom gives the kids a piggy back at the same time!

I also get a nice work out, carrying 50+ pounds of kid on my back. Of course, in typical toddler fashion, someone starts pulling hair and being crazy and the fun is over!

Socks, kid's clothes and crafts, oh my!

2012-01-22T12:57:00.005-05:00

I spent a lot of time cleaning out and organizing some of the other areas of our home this weekend. I am up to two full garbage bags that were thrown out and 3 bags ready to go to Goodwill. Dan was gone a lot of the day helping his parents with some stuff so it left Emma and Josh to "help" me organize!

Some things I did to help organize these areas:

1. Socks- this one was easy. I through out a ton of socks! I looked through each sock and if there was even a tiny hole, it went in the trash. If they had dirt stains, same thing. After that, I went through and matched up the socks and put them into two boxes in the drawer- white sport socks and all other socks. And if they didn't have a match? Well most of those I threw out too. Except for a couple that I thought were "newly unmatched" But that black and white check sock that I keep praying will find its match? See ya!

2. Kid's clothes- I made huge progress in this area. I set up containers in their closet to collect the following:
1. Empty hangers
2. Items to donate
3. Items to sell at MoM club sale

By the time I got to their closet, I was out of Rubbermaid containers so instead, I just used empty diaper boxes and it worked just fine.

I also cleared out a drawer to store items that don't fit yet like Christmas Pajamas I bought on Clearance, cute summer items I picked up at the end of last season, etc. Instead of jamming up their closet, these items are out of the way.

Huge, huge difference and it feels a lot more organized!

3. Crafts- I would love to have the space to set up craft items for the kids and for me but right now, we just don't have the space. Instead, I got some of those Rubbermaid plastic drawers and organized all of our stickers, paper, pipe cleaners, play-doh, etc. Nothing fancy but it feels a lot better than bags of items all around.

Next items on my list are: Under the sinks and recipes

Home Inventory

2012-01-21T13:20:00.002-05:00

As part of my Month of Organization, I decided to tackle a Home Inventory. This item is near and dear to my heart because I am an insurance adjuster. I have stood in the middle of people's flooded basements or fire ravaged houses and seen every item they own destroyed, its very sad. If I ever am in that situation, however, I want to make sure I am prepared with a documented list of the items I own. So here is what I did:

1. Created a spreadsheet for each room in the home

With Dan's help, we went through each room and listed out all of the items. At first, we focused on big items like appliances and electronics. After that, I tried to list as many of the small items as I could list.

2. Photographed each room

I did a couple photos to show the overall layout of the room. I then took pictures again of the big items and photos of each drawer/cupboard.

3. Focused on valuable or high end items

Once we were done in each room, I did a separate spreadsheet for items like jewelery, higher end electronics, designer purses, etc. Its not like I have a ton of this stuff but I spent extra time photographing and listing these items since they do have a higher value

4. Organized receipts and owner manuals

We don't save every single receipt but we do save them for our more expensive purchases so we went through and organized all receipts and owner's manuals. We also made sure that receipts for jewelry and other important documents were in our safety deposit box

5. Store our Inventory

We loaded the photos and spreadsheet onto the computer but also backed it up onto our External Hard Drive. My plan is to also burn it on a CD and save it in the safety deposit box.

I am glad I decided to focus on this project. God forbid we ever have something happen at our home, I feel like we would be prepared to document and submit a claim for our personal property. My plan is to revisit the Inventory once a year to add items or re-photograph additional purchases.

Here is a good article that I found about doing a Home Inventory:

http://www.mygreathome.com/safety/home_inventory.htm

Marching to their own beat

2012-01-20T06:12:00.002-05:00

You know what I love about my kids? Their ability to have fun, no matter what. I could give them some random toy that I found in the closet and they will treat it like its the coolest thing ever. This drum I gave them? Love it! They played it like crazy. Gotta love their enthusiasm.

Places to Organize

2012-01-19T20:17:00.003-05:00

I thought about it and identified 10 physical places in our home that could use organizing. Those places are:

1. Spice cabinet

2. Sock drawer

3. Craft stuff

4. Toiletries

5. My car

6. Toys

7. Kid's clothes

8. Home inventory

9. Under sinks

10. Recipes

I started already with the spices and even took some after pictures. I had some before pictures, too, but they didn't make the cabinet look as disorganized as it was so I skipped those!

One important thing I did was go though my spices and I pitched a bunch of stuff. I didn't see many expiration dates on the items but if I remembered having it when we got married 8+ years ago, it went in the trash.

I also bought some glass spice jars from Amazon. I like that they are air tight and that the all look the same, I think it helps things to look cleaner. Other than throwing out a bunch of stuff and placing all of my spices in jars, I also placed other items in similar tupperware and cleaned everything up. I think it looks pretty good.

Full view of the three shelves

Close up of the jars I bought on Amazon:

I feel good about getting this done. Over the weekend, I am tackling sock drawers, my car, crafts and kid's clothes. Wish me luck!

I have also done a lot of work on my "Personal Organization" and will be sharing my mission statement and Life Plans soon, too!

TIDWTFT

2012-01-19T07:46:00.002-05:00

Both:

1. They are really into repeating everything they hear. Dan and I took this opportunity to teach them some funny lines from movies or TV shows. The cutest one is from a SNL episode with Will Ferrell. If Dan or I say "Yikes" Emma and Josh will both say "That's rouuugggh"

2. I have to reach them at least 5 books before bed. They still love "Goodnight Moon" but also love "Guess How Much I Love You" and just about any other book they can get their hands on.

Emma:

1. If she is sitting next to me, she will pull my arm around her and say "cozy." If I try to move my arm, she will put it back around her.

Josh:

1. He is so polite! He is always saying "Thank you" if you give him and has even added "Thank you much mama!"

Wordless Wednesday: Feed me, feed me!

2012-01-18T05:47:00.001-05:00

They like me, they really like me

2012-01-16T21:57:00.004-05:00

In this week's installment of "I promise, my kids really DO like me" I bring you this gem:

I swear I could do a weekly picture of one or both of the kid's not wanting anything to do with me in a picture. If the camera isn't around? They are all over me. If I ask Dan to grab it to try to get a picture, they either start crying or looking completely disinterested. Sigh.

Organization

2012-01-16T06:00:00.004-05:00

Its funny that once I got my own house, I became a clean and organized person. My parents will gladly tell you stories of how disorganized and messy my room was when I was growing up. But then I got married, bought my own house and couldn't stand the sight of a pile of laundry sitting around for more than 2 minutes. Go figure.

I feel like my focus on organization is not solely about my house, although there are things in my house that do need to be organized. I will tackle some major organization issues with things like our sock drawers (and let me tell you, all those mismatched socks that we keep praying will show up are the first to go!) and my spice cabinet, but I also want to focus on some bigger issues like organizing my priorities, my day and well, my life. So yeah, a little bit deeper than our sock drawers.

My goals for the rest of this month will be:

1. Pick 10 areas of the house to organize
2. Fill two bags for Goodwill
3. Organize my Pinterest board and come up with a way to plan projects
4. Write a personal mission statement
5. Come up with a 1, 5, 10 year (is 10 years too long? I don't know!) plan

Lots to do in 15 days but I am up for the challenge.

"If you can organize your kitchen, you can organize your life"

12 in 2012

2012-01-15T12:37:00.005-05:00

After I posted about Happiness a couple weeks ago, I have been looking for ideas on how I could focus more on what matters to me. I came across a blog and fell in love with the idea, I really think it will work for me.

Melissa over at MaMe Musings is going a 12 in 2012 project. She has come up with 12 words that reflect her core values and each month, she will blog about each value. Love it.

I sat down last night and wrote down a huge list of things that are important to me and was able to come up with my list of core values. So for this year, I will focus on:

January: Organization
February: Health
March: Motivation
April: Kindness
May: Frugality
June: Faith
July: Family
August: Creativity
September: Joy
October: Companionship
November: Tradition
December: Happiness

I am really looking forward to this project and think its just what I need to restore full happiness to my life.

I am planning for tomorrow to be my first post. Even though I am halfway through the month, I have already been focusing a lot on organization this month so I think I will be able to back track a bit and be ok!

2 Year Appt

2012-01-13T20:17:00.002-05:00

Emma and Josh finally had their two year appointment today. Josh didn't scream as much at first and honestly if Emma had not riled him up, he would have been fine. Emma started screaming the minute we got into the room and only quit when they were done weighing her and then for a few minutes when the doctor came in. Josh played with the doctor's tools when she gave them to him and even let her check him out a little. Im glad the appointment is done and that we get another 6 month break. I can always hope next time will go better! Here are their stats:

Emma: 36 inches (95th percentile) 26lbs (25th-50th percentile)

Josh: 37.5 inches (95th percentile) 27lbs 8 oz (25th-50th percentile)

They each grew an inch or more and and gained a couple pounds. The doctor was happy that they try so many foods and use so many words. She couldn't believe that they both have peed once in the potty and can use 3-5 word sentences sometimes, too.

I am glad its Friday. Oh and remember how I talked about blogging more about me and happiness and stuff other than the kids? Well I didn't forget about that, its coming!

TIDWTFT

2012-01-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Emma and Josh have been a lot whinier this week but also a lot more fun, too. Its a weird thing because when they are whiny, things are just so miserable around our house. (Josh will follow me around and say "Carry me, Mommy" about a million times until I finally give up and carry him and try to make dinner with one hand. During this, Emma is just screaming for no reason. Help) But then there are these moments that are just so cute and so funny, too. So its a trade off, I guess!

Both:

1. Before they go to bed, they now require a kiss and a hug. So we place them in their cribs and then I have to go to Josh's crib first and then Emma. I get a big kiss on the lips from each of them and a hug. Just precious.

2. If you ask them "Where is daddy" they will always say one of two things- either "work" or "sleeping" If you ask them "where is mommy" they always say "Zumba"

Emma:

1. She is borderline obsessed with bodily functions. She toots often and tells you about it. She also likes burping. I try not to laugh so that she will quit doing it but its just so hard when her little face comes close to mine and she says "Emma tooted"

Josh:

1. If you ask him if it's hot or cold outside, he will say "Nope. Freezing!" He is such a character.

Wordless Wednesday- Bathtime

2012-01-11T13:03:00.001-05:00

TIDWTFT

2012-01-05T07:40:00.004-05:00

It was nice to be off from work on Monday because this week seems so short, its already Thursday! Most of the pictures in this post are from New Years Day, which is when we got to celebrate Christmas with my grandma.

Both:

1. They love to run away from me when I am trying to dress them. Or comb their hair or teeth. Or change their diaper. Makes for an interesting morning! They also like to take their diaper or clothes with them and then hide them.

2. It amazes me to watch them interact together. They are constantly trying to make one another laugh. And they also soothe each other, too. The other day, Josh had some sniffles and seemed kind of sick so I was holding him and said "Come on, Josh, its ok" When I put him down, Emma put her arm around him and kept saying "Come on Joshie"

3. They both always want what the other has. If Josh is using one of his trucks, Emma will stand behind him and say "Emma turn" and Josh does the same thing.

Emma:

1. Emma says a lot of words but she doesn't talk as much as Josh. She is more expressive though and she likes to tell you what she is doing. Her new favorite thing is to tell you she is going to cry before she does it. (We hear "cry" a lot...)

Josh:

1. He is talking so much now. He is up to three words in a row but not necessarily in a sentence. He will say "Outside. Snow. Freezing" I did hear him say "I want more" though, which is a sentence in the correct order.

Wordless Wednesday Picnic

2012-01-04T10:02:00.002-05:00

I like when people do Wordless Wednesday posts. Since I am done with my 365 Project, it will be a great chance to particpate. Today's photos are of Emma and Josh but I hope to get out and get some other photos and practice my photography skills.

Happiness

2012-01-03T13:06:00.002-05:00

I started this blog to chronicle my journey in getting pregnant. Once I got pregnant, I continued to document my pregnancy. And after Emma and Josh were born, there was no question to me that I would continue to blog to document the life of my children. Over the past two years, I am amazed to look back at my blog and see how much Emma and Josh have grown. From that amazement, however, has come my desire to grow as well.

Like any mother, I put all of my energies into my children. Sure, I still do things for myself but they are my priority. What I want to work on is making myself and my happiness a priority, too.

I've been thinking a lot about happiness lately. I am happy. I laugh and I smile. But I want to be truly and deeply happy. I want to do things I enjoy. I don't want to sweat the small stuff. I want to figure out what I want from my life. And I want to work towards that!

My plan is to continue to document Emma and Josh's life in my blog. But in addition, I want to blog about my journey towards discovering happiness and finding it in my life. I want to be able to share the things that make me happy with others, in hopes that happiness really is contagious.

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~Margaret Young

New Year, New Blog

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

New Year, New Blog? Ok, maybe not a new blog. I happen to like the little sweet peas at the top of my blog. But this year, I plan to blog about more than just Emma and Josh. Of course a lot will still be about them but I feel like I have a lot more to share and I am looking forward to expanding.

So here's to 2012 and all the exciting things that are to come!

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending" Carl Bard

365 The Birthday 365

2011-12-31T07:30:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Dan's 33rd Birthday so I was able to get my last set of photos for my 365 Project. I feel like I just started it and I can't believe its over. I am really looking forward to my blog next year though. There will still be a lot of pictures but also a lot of other things, too. So stay tuned!

Dan with the kids

Josh bringing Dan his present

Helping Dan open his present

Emma and Dan's mom

Emma and Josh

“All of life is a journey- which paths we take, what we look back on, and what we look forward to is up to us. We determine our destination, what kind of road we will take to get there, and how happy we are when we get there.”

TIDWTF

2011-12-30T07:00:00.004-05:00

I have skipped my post the past couple weeks because I was busy with Emma and Josh's birthday and then the holiday. Although I am almost done with my 365 project (one more day!) I still plan to keep up this post. I also have plans to change my blog to include more things other than Emma and Josh updates as we get into 2012.

Both:

1. They are constantly laughing at one another. They also have what appear to be "inside jokes" The newest joke is that one will say "one....two....grapes!" and throw their hands up in the air. Both then laugh hysterically. I have no idea where this came from.

2. Today is Dan's birthday but when you ask them whose birthday it is, they say "Birfday Jeesus!"

Josh:

1. He actually went pee on the potty! We have a small frog potty and I try to put them on it before their bath. Josh has been asking for it more and last night, I put him on it and when he got up, he had peed!

UPDATE: Emma went pee on the potty tonight, too. Can't believe it!

Emma:

1. She is getting a little bossy and likes to say "Emma turn" and "Emma do" a lot lately. We are trying to work on sharing and a lot of times she is good with it. But a lot of times she will do something like take a big bite out of a cookie and then "share" it with Josh!

Snowman 364/365

2011-12-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

Emma loves to dump out all of our Christmas cards and look through them. She also really likes one (I think its from my sister) that has a snowman on it. She brings it to me and says "so man" and then she carries it all over.

Looking at the card

Holding it

Up close

Even kissing it!

Buzz 363/365

2011-12-29T07:19:00.002-05:00

Dan has been begging me to let him trim the back of Josh's hair. He said it wouldn't really count for his first haircut since he was just going to take a little off the back so I finally gave in. He just trimmed up the back so it wasn't so long and he looks a lot better! Now, he doesn't have a mullet even though its still really short in the front.

Examining the clippers

Getting a little trim

Eye on the ball 362/365

2011-12-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

Dan and Josh were kicking around the soccer ball in the hall and Dan said to him "keep your eye on the ball" (ya know, cause he is two and two year olds are so coordinated...) Almost immediately, Josh dropped down and put his little head and eye right on the ball. So precious.

Christmas Day 361/365

2011-12-27T06:00:00.004-05:00

We spent Christmas Day at my parents and then visited my grandma at the hospital. Emma and Josh looked so cute dressed up (although I forgot that I didn't have black shoes for Josh so he wore tennis shoes and I forgot black tights for Emma so she had leggings on!) They were so funny when they opened presents and would say "wow!" or squeal. They also tried to open everyone's presents. All in all, it was a nice day.

Josh

Josh on his new trike from my parents

Emma

Emma checking out my mom's candle holder

Emma on her trike

Emma sitting on her present (She must be smart, that present was a Sit N' Spin!)

Josh, sportin' his tennis shoes

Opening up presents

Christmas Morning 360/365

2011-12-26T17:00:00.004-05:00

Emma and Josh slept in past 7:30 on Christmas morning but once they were up, they were excited to open some presents.

Josh coming down the hall

Emma coming down the hall

Their gifts. They got an easel, growth charts, shoes, 2 books, 5 Melissa and Doug toys (they love the musical instrument set) and Chutes and Ladders.

Checking out the gifts

Emma opening

Josh opening

Me showing them Chutes and Ladders (our plan is to buy them a board game each year. Last year was Candyland)

The aftermath

Christmas Eve 358 and 359/365

2011-12-26T12:11:00.005-05:00

I took a couple days off from posting pictures since things were busy and crazy with Christmas. I have a bunch of pictures from Christmas Eve so I will post those first. We had a nice time having everyone over although my grandparents weren't there. My grandma got sick the night before Christmas Eve and is still in the hospital. We expect her home any day now but please keep her in your prayers.

Emma and Josh in their Christmas pajamas

Josh and my dad

Emma eating one of her many plates of food

Josh sliding down my dad's legs

Emma and my parents

Josh with my sister

Emma singing into her Elf microphone

Josh checking out some pictures with Dan's brother and dad and my dad

Christmas Cookies 357/365

2011-12-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

Emma and Josh were in heaven when I let them split a Christmas cookie. The problem? Once I give them a cookie, they continue to ask me for more!

He has mastered watching TV and eating a cookie

Notice the crumbs on her face!

My little cookie monsters

Lunch 356/365

2011-12-23T13:18:00.002-05:00

Emma and Josh were sitting at their picnic table and I asked "What are you doing?" Their reply? "Eating lunch!" Obviously! I love how they are playing and interacting together.

Pretty girl 355/365

2011-12-23T07:02:00.003-05:00

I got these pictures of Emma and am just amazed to see what a grown up and pretty girl she has become.

Balloon Hide 354/365

2011-12-21T11:47:00.001-05:00

Emma loves hiding and she loves balloons so she has been having a blast with the birthday balloons!

"Where is Emma?!"

"There she is!"

Helping 353/365

2011-12-20T14:49:00.003-05:00

Josh is always saying "helping" and likes to do whatever I am doing, whether its folding laundry or doing chores. He is in love with the play vacuum because he can easily push it around.

Ball Pit 352/365

2011-12-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

Josh got a ball pit for his birthday and he loves it. He also does not feel the need to wear his clothes when he is in it, obviously. I chased after him this morning after I took off his pajamas and put on a new diaper but he kept yelling "play, play!" so I finally just let him go!

Birthday 349-351/365

2011-12-19T06:43:00.009-05:00

I have over 200 pictures from Emma and Josh's birthday so its hard to go through and select a small amount to post.

We had such a nice, nice birthday. We did an Elmo theme, so I hung up some decorations and we had Elmo balloons, napkins, tablecloths and cups. The party was small, with only our immediate family there and it was at 2 so I made two appetizers I found on Pinterest (bacon wrapped chicken bites and spinach/artichoke puff pasty wheels)

Emma and Josh were very excited about the decorations and loved chasing around the balloons that we blew up. (Of course, they eventually started biting holes into them so those were removed from the party)

The completely understood the concept of presents. They tore into them and were excited to see what was inside. Their first present was a Rock with Me Elmo from my parents. Emma took one look and screamed "Elmo" and Josh said "Oh boy!" Emma also got baby dolls (she loves the one that plays Peek a Boo) and a My Little Pony baby (that you can feed. Her and Josh both love to feed it!) Josh got a Little Tikes Grill (so he can be just like grandpa!) and a Ball pit/tunnel (he and Emma spent two hours in it yesterday) They also got a lot of other stuff including clothes, a play vacuum, Leap Frog items, puzzle, books, Cookie Monster, games and Mr Potato Head. We are so fortunate to have a generous family.

Emma and Josh also loved the cake and were able to blow out the candles. I don't think I will ever forget the look on Josh's face when we started singing, he looked so happy. Emma was too busy blowing to look happy, she started blowing right away!

It amazes me that another year has passed. Its a reminder to me to enjoy every moment, even when things are difficult, because it will just continue to go faster!

The cake

Josh with the presents

Emma learning how to blow her party favor

Josh, Dan and my grandpa

Emma, hiding the the Elmo balloon

Josh and my sister

Emma with her balloon (she kept saying "blue one")

Josh with his balloon

Emma rolling on her balloon

Josh sitting on his

Probably right before they started biting the balloons

Emma helping Josh with his party hat

Josh refusing to wear his hat

Emma wearing her hat for all of one minute

Emma and me (Im a good girl and wore my hat)

Opening presents

Playing with Elmo

Checking out presents

Josh, Dan and the vacuum

My dad, Emma and Cookie Monster

Cake (notice Emma blowing and Josh's cute face)

Emma eating cake

And Josh!

Joshua Robert

2011-12-17T06:00:00.002-05:00

Josh is such a fun little boy to be around. He laughs at everything and has an infectious smile. He is also very loving and tries to kiss and hug just about everything he sees. Josh's favorite things are his trucks and he can name every single on one his truck video or in his truck books.

Josh always wants to help me put things away or clean up. He even knows how to unplug the vacuum and tries to help me carry it to the closet. When I give him something, he always asks "Emma" to make sure I give one for her, too. He is really developing into a caring and thoughtful boy.

At two years old:

- He wears size 4 diapers but again, we will try size 5 soon
- He wears 24 months and 2T but he still wears some 18 month pants because they are loose on him
- He likes to play with his food more than eat it but he does love bananas, toast, and cheese
- He recognizes a lot of letters including Y, O, S, D, E. He can count 1 and 2 and then 3 and 4 but has not put them together. He can also say 4 syllables and even said "excavator"

12 months

13 months

14 months

15 months

16 months

17 months

18 months

19 months

20 months

21 months

22 months

23 months

Emma Sophia

2011-12-17T05:20:00.010-05:00

In the past year, Emma has turned into such a cuddly and sweet little girl. She has golden blond hair that still has curls in the back. Her favorite things to do are hold Baby Lucy and suck her thumb. Oh and eat! She loves to eat. She easily eats more than Josh and sometimes, I think she might eat more than me.

Emma is very loving. She likes to give kisses and she likes to take care of her dolls. She is very determined and will try to find a way to do something, even if you tell her "No!" She is also very independent and wants to do things for herself.

At 2 years old:

- Wearing Size 4 diapers but we are going to try Size 5 soon
- Wears 24 months and some 2T
- Loves to eat basically anything, she even tried a banana pepper the other night (and loved it!) Her favorite things are bananas, waffles and cookies
- Sucks her thumb, mostly when she is tired
- Can say 4 syllables together (Like "Birthday Party") and can count to 4

12 months

13 months

14 months

15 months

16 months

17 months

18 months

19 months

20 months

21 months

22 months

23 months

Emma, boxes, table 348/365

2011-12-16T04:42:00.004-05:00

Emma was so determined to get a big box under our little picnic table. She came up to me and say "Emma. Boxes. Table" and then ran and got the box.

She tried it this way...

...and then stopped to think.

She then flipped it the other way!

She finally gave up on the box and just climbed under the table

Bundled Up 347/365

2011-12-15T06:00:00.002-05:00

Although its still pretty warm here for December, Emma and Josh are still pretty bundled up in the morning. I bought them some new hats, which I think look really cute.

Emma seems to love her hat...

...but Josh is seems kind of indifferent!

My morning 346/365

2011-12-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

I was running behind in the morning so I left Emma, Josh and Dan in the family room so I could finish getting ready and I came back to this- two eating English Muffins and watching TV and one on his I-Pod. Looks like they are all just relaxing!

Move! 345/365

2011-12-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

I love that Emma and Josh can make a game out of anything. Yesterday, they enjoyed pushing Dan when he was standing up and saying "move" It amazes me what keeps them entertained.

Come on daddy, move!

That's what I am talking about!

Why aren't you moving?

Ok, I will just make you move!

Choo Choo 344/365

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

We took Emma and Josh to see a really nice train display and they loved it. Emma kept yelling "wow!" when the trains went by and Josh tried to grab them. They both also yelled "go, go, go!" or "choo choo" when they went by. It was so cute!

Santa 2, Emma and Josh 0 343/365

2011-12-10T21:38:00.005-05:00

Just to make sure Emma and Josh are completely tortured, we took them to see yet another Santa. Verdict? Still not a fan. I was prepared this time and had showered in case I had to make an appearance in the pictures. I also have scratch marks on my back from Josh clawing at me while trying to escape Santa.

Right when we sat down. Josh is two seconds away from crying

Both trying to escape

Notice how I just keep on smilin'!

Different pose, same outcome

Hurt 342/365

2011-12-10T06:36:00.003-05:00

I think Emma and Josh like to get kisses because their new thing is to hold out a body part and tell me "hurt" because they know I will kiss it. Normally its their finger or arm!

TIDWTFT

2011-12-09T05:39:00.003-05:00

Its hard to believe in just over a week, Emma and Josh will be two. I can't believe it!

Both:

1. They like to say "More" a lot when asking for things. I hear "more waffles" and "more Einsteins" a lot.

2. They do not say "more milk" though. They just hold the cup upside down and say "empty" and then look at me.

3. They are starting to do some counting and recognizing letters. Emma actually counted to 4 the other day and Josh is really good at recognizing letters like "A" "Y" and "J"

Emma:

1. She loves to get in my makeup drawer when I am getting ready. She pretends to put on powder and brush her hair. And she thinks my mascara is a pen!

Josh:

1. He finds the cutest things funny. The other day I said to him (after he was climbing onto my table) "please sit down on your butt" and he looked at me and said "butt" and laughed. And then said "butt" again and giggled uncontrollably. So cute!

Pop It 340 and 341/365

2011-12-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

All the boxes we are getting delivered for Christmas come with an added bonus for Emma and Josh- bubble wrap! They love it so I let them play with it (supervised, of course.)

Normally, they just pop it with their hands...

But today, I caught them jumping on it like crazy people, trying to get it to pop. And once it did pop, they would laugh hysterically!

Starting with little jumps...

...which turned into full jumps!

Jump!

New additions 339/365

2011-12-07T06:00:00.003-05:00

Emma has always had one baby (that she recently started calling "Baby Lucy") but all of a sudden, she wants to bring a total of 5 things out of her crib and she calls them by name. So without further adieu, please meet (from left to right)

Hula (AKA Huley the doll from Hawaii with the yellow hair)
Eddie the pink seahorse
Bunny the blanket
Molly the dolly
and of course, Baby Lucy

Try waiting for a certain two year old to get out all THOSE names in the morning before she will get out of the crib!

Truck Video 338/365

2011-12-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

Dan found a truck video for Josh at the library and he is obsessed with it. It has 10 different kind of trucks on it and each truck has a song that goes along with it. Josh has his favorites (excavator, bulldozer and impact hammer) and he constantly asks for them. He will also say "next" if the video lands on a truck that he doesn't want to see but not before he names each truck. He knows every single one (even the feller buncher and the delimber!)

Christmas pictures 337/365

2011-12-05T05:54:00.003-05:00

We took a family picture for our Christmas card, which I posted below, but we wanted to try to get a few pictures of Emma and Josh dressed up. Of course, they weren't really cooperating so we only got a few. Im sure we will try again in the next couple weeks!

Christmas Card

2011-12-04T19:57:00.002-05:00

I created our Christmas Cards at Shutterfly, I love them and can't wait to get them!

Oh Holy Night Religious Christmas Card

Shutterfly Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Santa Fail 336/365

2011-12-04T12:54:00.005-05:00

We took Emma and Josh to see Santa and again, they did not like him one bit. We took them to the same place as we went last year and they actually had the same Santa. He claims to remember Emma and Josh from last year and maybe he does since they looked like this:

Anyways, here they are on the way to see Santa:

We couldn't get them to go up together since I had to carry them both. Emma went first and she sat for a second (I think because Santa promised her a candy cane...)

But after a second, she freaked out!

Josh was upset from the time he sat down until the time he tried to climb out of Santa's lap (which was like 2 seconds!)

Twin Buddies 334 and 335/365

2011-12-02T06:00:00.003-05:00

Emma and Josh were playing so, so nice together today. It just made me realize what a special bond they have. Its a bond that I hope continues to grow and is with them always.

Josh hugging Emma

Dancing...

..and more dancing!

Handsome Josh

Crazy Emma, running to the camera

TIDWTFT

2011-12-01T07:49:00.004-05:00

I really need to start writing down the things I want to remember because I am constantly amazed and how much Emma and Josh are doing! Of course, when I go to type up my post, I can't think of most of it but I'll try.

Emma:

1. She now wants to carry around a whole armful of toys in addition to her baby doll. We named them all and she asks for them by name including Eddie the Seahorse and Molly the Dolly. The cutest thing is that I asked her what her actual baby's name was and she said "Bay-be Lu-cy" which is the name of my friend's baby.

2. I gave her a banana for breakfast and she gave me this huge pout. When I asked her what was wrong, she said "No bana. Grapes" She definitely has an opinion now!

Josh:

1. In the morning, he wants me to let him out of the crib right away. He then runs down the hall, eyes barely open, and heads straight for his breakfast.

2. He likes to put puzzle pieces in the wrong spot and then he says "no" and moves it to the correct spot.

The thing I like best about both of them now is that they are constantly expressing their feelings. They say "funny" "afraid" "cold" and they are using the expressions at the correct time. They laugh and they pout, its just amazing to see how they are becoming their own people. I really love this age!

Box 333/365

2011-12-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

What keeps Josh occupied for endless amounts of time? A box, of course!

Hat 332/265

2011-11-30T06:00:00.003-05:00

When my grandparents were over, Emma grabbed my grandpa's hat and wore it for awhile. I practically had to beg her to give it back.

My grandparents got a kick out of Emma wearing the hat

My grandpa watching Emma

Cool Emma

Loves the hat and her puffs!

Trains 331/365

2011-11-29T06:00:00.003-05:00

Emma and Josh have this small train and they love it! Emma especially likes to lay on her stomach and watch it and Josh claps as it goes in a circle.

Setting up the train

Josh clapping

Emma watching

More Thanksgiving 330/365

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Dan's parents were just coming home on Thanksgiving from their almost 3 week trip to Hawaii so we celebrated Thanksgiving with them on Saturday. I made a turkey dinner and we had a nice time!

Emma and Josh getting into the tree

Josh and Dan's mom

Looking through our Hawaiian souvenirs

Josh reading with uncle Kevin

Dan's family (minus his brother Don)

Thanksgiving 328 and 329/365

2011-11-26T06:48:00.001-05:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving at my parent's house. Emma and Josh ate a ton of food and the only thing they didn't try was the sweet potatoes because they had nuts on top of them (and Josh is allergic) But other than that, they did great. I can't believe this is their second Thanksgiving, they were so much older this year and even got to sit at their own table.

Josh liked the "Monkey in the box"

Dan and Josh (I think Josh was watching "Cars" on the TV)

My sister, me and the kids

Our family picture

My grandparents and Emma

My dad and Josh

Emma, taking a break from playing with blocks

Another Daredevil 327/365

2011-11-25T06:00:00.003-05:00

Josh has turned into a daredevil, too. I caught him jumping off the arm of the chair into the actual chair. He yelled "jump" right before he jumped and then when he was done, he kept saying "fun!" So cute.

Carefully climbing onto the arm of the chair

Standing before his big jump

Mid jump...

And he's done!

Kiss 326/365

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Both Emma and Josh love to give kisses. They give them to characters in books, each other and even the wall. Today I caught Emma giving a kiss to Quincy from "Little Einsteins" and she even let her baby get in on the action.

Spider 325/365

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

We have a large spider that has made its home on the glass outside of our picture window. Emma and Josh love this spider! They want to feed it, give it toys and they always say they will catch it if it falls, its so cute.

Josh looking at the spider

Trying to get a closer view

Emma checking it out

Josh telling me the spider is sleeping

Play 324/265

2011-11-22T05:49:00.004-05:00

One thing that has changed with Emma and Josh is that they like to play now. I can give them a puzzle or a truck and they will play with it. They also are starting to play together, too. Of course, they still like to sit and watch Dan play games on his Ipod, too! And they ask for the games by name (I hear "fruit," "trucks" and "birds" alto when they sit with him)

Josh with a puzzle

Emma with a puzzle

Playing together

With the beloved Ipod

Free Falling 323/365

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Josh taught the kids how to "free fall" in the bed. Basically, they just lean forward and fall face first into the blankets. Emma loved it and did it about a million times!

She's up...

..and falling...

..almost down! (and look at her face, its priceless)

And down!

Hangers 322/365

2011-11-20T07:00:00.003-05:00

Even with a house full of toys, Emma and Josh still love to sit in Josh's cribs and play with hangers. Go figure!

Emma and Josh and the hangers

Josh was looking for the hanger that had Mickey Mouse on it

Of course one of them had to put the bigger hangers over their head!

Play area 320 and 321/365

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

The mall closest to us has an indoor play area and Emma and Josh love it. Of course, they also love running out of it so I normally end up chasing them around the mall, but its all fun, right?!

Josh trying to catch Emma (while he yells "run" and "fast")

Climbing the slide

Emma at the top of the slide

Josh at the top of the slide

Emma smiling at herself in the goofy mirror

Josh has the best smile

Stickers 318 and 319/365

2011-11-18T12:21:00.003-05:00

Emma and Josh love to play with stickers. I peel them off and hand the sticker to them. They then place it on their paper and we talk about it (like what color is the sticker, what is on the sticker, etc) Of course, sometimes they decide they are done and just stick them on their faces!

Josh concentrating on his stickers...

...and Emma concentrating.

Both putting stickers on their faces or peeling them off!

TIDWTFT

2011-11-17T12:34:00.002-05:00

I am home all this week with Emma and Josh so we've been able to spend a lot of time together. They are constantly surprising me with the things they know or are able to pick up. Also, today they are 23 months old and its hard for me to comprehend that in one month, they will be TWO!

Josh:

1. When he can't find something, he puts his hands up like how you would when you are saying "I don't know" but he says "gone"

2. He has progressed from saying "no" to "nope" He says "nope" a lot.

3. When I am taking him to time out, he starts trying to desperately hug and kiss me to get out of it. He also yells "hug" and "kiss" like maybe that will stop be from putting him in the pack n play!

Emma:

1. When you ask her where my parents were last week, she says "boat" (they were on a cruise.) When you ask her where Dan's parents are, she says "Ah-why-e" for Hawaii.

2. She likes to pass gas and then tell you about it by saying "fart" Um yeah, that is embarrassing!

3. She knows how to cuddle up to you if she wants something, especially food. If you have food and she wants it, she will put her little head on your shoulder and pat your back until you give her some.

Breakfast 316 and 317/365

2011-11-17T12:14:00.005-05:00

Well my Canon is back from being repaired, YAY! I am behind on pictures but plan to take a lot through the end of the year as I wrap up my 365 project so I think it will all even out.

Today, Emma and Josh were so cute as they ate their breakfast:

They started like this. For some reason, Emma had moved her plate to the floor...

It wasn't long before Josh picked up his plate...

...and moved to be closer to Emma!

Of course, he didn't want to be THAT close. He had to keep moving his plate away from her!

In usual Emma fashion, she thought that was so funny!

Risky Business 315/365

2011-11-15T11:55:00.002-05:00

I caught Josh in the nursery, dancing and playing. He had taken his diaper off and was a bit surprised when I found him!

Sit Down 314/365

2011-11-13T13:33:00.001-05:00

I was finishing up pancakes this morning when Emma and Josh started yelling from their cribs for me to come get them. So I quickly grabbed them and dropped them in the living room before I ran back to the pancakes. As I ran to the kitchen, I told them "sit down in your chairs and wait" I meant for them to sit in their little Land of Nod chairs but when I came back, they were both cuddled up in one chair and both said to me "sit down!"

My View 313/365

2011-11-13T07:11:00.001-05:00

If I try to get away for a few minutes, this is normally what ends up happening. Both kids follow me and at least one ends up screaming for me!

TIDWTFT

2011-11-10T05:50:00.002-05:00

Dan's parents are in Hawaii for 3 weeks so Dan is home this week with Emma and Josh. Next week is my turn! He has done a great job with them so far although I am pretty sure they've been in their pajamas all week!

Josh:

1. When you read to him or he watches TV, he laughs when things are funny. I don't know why I find this so cute but I think its because it makes me realize he is getting to be such a big boy- he gets when things are amusing! And his laugh/smile? Its the best!

Emma:

1. She is starting to say a lot more of two words together. My favorite? Emma Groves. Its what she says now when you ask her name. Just about the cutest thing I've heard.

Im not too into blogging since my camera is gone. My work camera takes horrible pictures so I am hoping my Canon is back soon so I can get back into the swing. I will probably take about a hundred pictures to make up for these couple weeks.

Almost Friday!

Massage 312/365

2011-11-10T05:48:00.003-05:00

Emma and Josh got a hold of the foot massager and before we knew it, they both were sitting and standing on it! They loved the movement and they loved how it lights up and gets warm. Again, is amazing that they can find fun in any item!

Throwing Leaves 311/365

2011-11-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

When Josh sees a pile of leaves, he loves to get right in the middle of them and start throwing!

Helper 310/365

2011-11-07T08:25:00.003-05:00

So we had to send our camera to Canon for repair (the USB cable accidently got yanked out so the ports on the camera were not working) so I've obviously been slacking on my Picture of the Day. Im trying to take some pictures with my work camera, which obviously takes horrible photos, but until the Canon Rebel comes back, it will be my only option.

Check Emma out, helping with the leaves!

TIDWTFT

2011-11-03T05:39:00.002-04:00

It always amazes me how much Josh and Emma change in one week. We had a fun week with Halloween plus the weather here has been beautiful so they kids are able to go out a lot during the day, which they love.

Josh

1. He has such a good memory. We have a small table in our bedroom and about two months ago, Emma tried to climb up on it and slipped off. She cried but didn't get hurt. Whenever Josh sees it, he goes up to it and says "Emma, Fall, Hurt." I don't know how he remembers it!

Emma:

1. She loved the candy from Halloween, even though I only gave her a handful of M&M's. She keeps asking me for more and yesterday, she got sight of a small fabric ball on the floor and ran up to it yelling "candy" When she picked it up and realized it wasn't candy, she looked at me and gave me a sad face, so funny!

Halloween Part 2 307-309/365

2011-11-02T06:00:00.004-04:00

These are pictures of Emma and Josh actually trick or treating. I gave them a couple M&M's and that was basically all they talked about after that. They kept saying "candy" The neighbor also had some big blow up items and they kept saying "scary" but then wanted to go up closer to see them. So cute!

Dan taking Josh up to a house

Me and Emma

Dan's mom, me and the kids in front of a Halloween display

Dan and his dad

Emma and Josh with their trick or treat buckets

Halloween Part 1 304-306/365

2011-11-01T05:55:00.005-04:00

I have a bunch of Halloween photos so I am going to divide them up into two posts. Emma and Josh had a nice Halloween and got to see my family and Dan's. They loved going door to door and even said "treat, treat"

Josh and my sister

Emma as Elmo

Josh pulling the pumpkins

Emma sitting with the pumpkins

Emma kept stealing Josh's bucket

Even though they look bored, I promise they had fun!

Pumpkin Head 303/365

2011-10-31T05:52:00.002-04:00

Emma loves putting things on her head and her trick or treat bucket is no exception!

Treadmill 302/365

2011-10-30T07:00:00.002-04:00

Leave it to Emma to use the treadmill for cooking. That girl loves to eat!

Remote 301/365

2011-10-29T07:23:00.002-04:00

I came in to find that Josh had removed the back from the remote. I asked him what he was doing and he said "'mote" and then "broke" I figured he tried to turn on the tv and couldn't so now he was trying to fix the remote!

"Hmm, wonder what's wrong?"

"Maybe if I take the back off..."

"What? Im just trying to fix the remote!"

My Guy 300/365

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Oh how I love moments like this!

TIDWTFT

2011-10-27T07:45:00.001-04:00

Emma:

1. She loves to eat. She will finish her meal and then try to move onto mine. She also makes me nervous because she shoves so much food into her mouth. I counted 15 yogurt melts and put them on her tray. I turned for a second and looked back- she had put every single on in her little mouth!

Josh:

1. He loves when I blow on his belly even though he wiggles away. But the second he is away from me, he kind of scoots back and says "Josh. Belly. Blow" So I do it again and he goes crazy, moves away and then comes back. So precious!

Both:

1. They can repeat the entire alphabet, I can't believe it! They say the letters so clearly, too. When it come to "W" though they say "Double Ewww" Cute, cute.

2. They have started saying two words together and the ones I hear the most often are "more milk" and "sit down"

3. When I read "Goodnight Moon" they both fight to point out the mouse, which shows up on most of the pages. They can find him in about two seconds. And if I ask "How big is the mouse" they both say "tiny" because I always told them to look for the "tiny mouse"

Bumps on a Log 299/365

2011-10-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

Emma and Josh, sitting on top of their picnic table...

...And Josh being super silly!

Cleaning 298/365

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

I met this woman and she said to me "I bet your house is so clean since you aren't home all day with the kids" and I politely smiled and said "no, I'm always struggling to clean, too." I wish I would have had these photos to prove it!

Our family room, cleaned up

Our family room, after Hurricane Emma and Typhoon Josh spent 5 minutes in it

Leaves 296 and 297/365

2011-10-23T18:49:00.004-04:00

It was nice out today so we got outside and Emma and Josh loved the leaves!

Running through the leaves

Emma and me throwing leaves

Emma in the leaves

Josh in the leaves

Up to their necks in leaves

Back In 295/365

2011-10-22T05:51:00.000-04:00

This time, I caught Josh trying to get back in the crib and then doing some kind of acrobatic yoga move!

Glasses 293/365

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Josh and Emma both love glasses. Dan wears them so they are always trying to get his. We decided to make them each a pair out of pipe cleaners and they were a huge hit!

TIDWTFT

2011-10-20T06:00:00.003-04:00

Well hello again! Another Thursday, they seem to come pretty quick lately. This week, Emma and Josh turned 22 months and honestly, I couldn't believe it. In less than 2 months, I will have 2 TWO YEAR OLD TODDLERS at my house. Amazing.

My TIDWTFT is about both Emma and Josh, they are doing a lot of the same things this week.

1. Dan taught them "rock, paper, scissor" and they do it pretty good. They have a little trouble making their fingers into scissors but they are getting it.

2. They have started calling me "Mommy" instead of "Mama" and for some reason, it completely melts my heart. It sounds so, so cute.

3. They repeat just about everything they hear. (Every.thing. Now is a good time to clean up the language!) They have heard me say "Oh boy!" and "Oh no!" and both of them say it a lot now.

4. I am amazed at what they understand. They like to turn off the light and say "dark" and then turn it back on and say "bright." They also can find items by color. I ask them to find me a "yellow fruit" and they will bring the banana. They have a harder time actually identifying the color though. If I ask them "what color is the banana" they might say "red"

5. They have pushed their bedtime to 7:30. For the past year, they have been going down at 7:00 but just this week, they would not have it. So we started doing 7:30 and they go right down. We like the extra time with them but it does feel weird since we've been so used to them going to bed at the same time.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Boat 292/365

2011-10-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

I heard a big crash (which is never a good thing...) and then heard Josh say "boat, boat!" so I ran into the living room. I was happy to see he had just turned the picnic table over and was now using it as a boat. He played in it for a long time.

Fashion Continues 291/365

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today I look at Emma and notice she has pulled her arm out of her shirt just like Josh did the other day. Of course I had to snap a picture!

Early Spooky 289 and 290/365

2011-10-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

I decided to put some Halloween themed clothes on Emma and Josh today because, well, Halloween is only two weeks away. Mine as well get our use out of them!

Emma in her outfit, chewing a banana

"You get your foot away from me...!"

Josh in his shirt, with his banana

"Love my mummy"

Another Fashion Statement 288/365

2011-10-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

I was folding laundry and Emma found Dan's old basketball jersey from high school. She kept saying "dress, dress" so I tied it up and let her walk around in it.

Side view

Front view
(and yes, that is Josh. Without a shirt. Trying to get out the front door.)