Our Sweet Joys

As I was rushing to finish last night's post, I realized that I forgot to mention a bunch of little things that I wanted to mention here. Even though PJ does not blog, he contributes by reminding me constantly: "You need to put that on the blog!" after something particularly funny or important happens in our family. So I have a running list of the things that if PJ were to blog, he would mention.

First important thing is mentioning the day when Emerson finally first said the word "Papa" - 18th of May 2013. For the longest time, Emerson called every family member "Mama". Each time Emerson called PJ Mama, PJ would respond "I'm Papa!". Finally, in May, Emerson's tongue turned in such a way as to be able to make the P sound and say "papa" for the very first time in his life! It was very memorable, especially for PJ! Since then he's been able to say Grandma - Mawmaw, Grandpa - Bawpaw, Babushka - Baba, and Dedushka - also Baba. We're getting there, people! Be patient and happy that you are not at least called Mama!

Back in May Emerson also had his 15th month checkup. He checked out to be in the 5% for height and 20% for weight. So in reference to other boys his age, he is a tiny guy. BUT he is in the 75% for head circumference, so that tiny body has one big head on top of it! During that well-child visit, the doctor commented on what a great personality Emerson has. That despite the poking, prodding, and looking, Emerson stayed calm and happy, and relaxed. The doctor said that 15-mo appointment are the worst in terms of behavior. Toddlers at that age do not want to be messed with, but not out sweet little guy. He did get two shots in each leg at the very end, so that did not go so well, he was not happy about that.

Both Emerson and Ophelia had ear infections in the beginning of June and were on antibiotics. So we saw the doctor a couple more extra times after that and every time Emerson sits still and calm while being examined. All the doctors and nurses have asked me: "Is he always this calm during doctor visits?" And he is! Maybe he is taking mental notes on how to be a doctor in the future!

This month we have been taking Emerson to nursery at church and he has loved it! He loves the various activities and having other kids around, singing time and snack time. So far I have been staying with him for half of it and then sneaking out and we had no issues at all. I think all those times of me taking him to the babysitting room at the rec center helped. He loves his rec center babysitters and knows them by name. He gets excited to go there every time! The babysitters have told me once that they want to adopt him! Of course! He snuggled and hugs on them, who wouldn't want to have a sweet boy like that? They have no idea that he wakes up at 5:30 am every morning...

Ophelia is our little creative bug. She loves to do any kind of crafts. She loves coloring and drawing. She can pretty much write all of the letters of the alphabet. When she colors, she does so using all of the colors possible, using each crayon or marker or pencil. She loves to come up with games for us to play for FHE. The other week, we played who can crawl under a string tied to a chair, while it was being lowered each time. Kind of like limbo. Good times!

She is also such a curious little girl. I love the questions that she comes up with and we are getting to the point where I don't know all of the answers and have to google them. How do ants kiss? What is inside of our bones?

The other Sunday, while I was getting ready for church and putting on my mascara, she asked: "What are you doing, mama?" I said: "Putting on mascara." She goes: "To scare everyone?" ....Logically! Never thought that "scare" and "mascara" are so similar sounding and in the mind of a 3-year old mean the same thing! Love that girl!

Also, she told me the other day: "Mama, I LOVE sugar!". Great! Just great! What kind of a mommy dietitian am I now? She does love her veggies too though, which has been a good influence on Emerson as well, so I guess not all is lost :)

Awa!

"Awa! Awa! Awa!" is all I hear these days, because that's what Emerson calls Ophelia and he wants to play and be around her all the time! Sister and Brother love is so special and so neat to see. Here is Ophelia reading Emerson's favorite book to him:

I love that Emerson barely fits into Ophelia's tiny lap and she has trouble seeing the book around his big head! He has absolutely no reservations backing up into her lap when they're watching TV, reading books, or at story time at the library. Absolutely melts my heart to see them being kind and loving to each other. This must be what our Father in Heaven feels for us looking down on how we treat our earthly brothers and sisters.

Another month and then some passed before I am sitting down and catching up on our summer life. But here is what we've been up to lately...

Until the mosquitoes got really bad and the temperatures unbearable, we played in our backyard. Slip'n'slide!

Father's Day 2013. We had Grandpa and Grandma over here and had a nice dinner. Emerson has been all about Grandpa lately. He runs to him when Grandpa first come in and snuggles up to him whenever he gets a chance. So sweet :)

This is one of our new kid-friendly dinner ideas - octopus pasta. Angel hair pasta poked through a turkey dog and boiled. Fun and easy to make, and most importantly the kids eat it! The kids have not been very good eaters lately, so this saved the day.

The only thing that the kids DO eat any time of day is fruit! Emerson loves it all. Here he is working on an apple:

Also, there are two little mice living in my tupperware cupboard lately:

We have been having some lovely family get-togethers. The kids love playing together. They giggle, laugh, run around, and get so excited being around each other. Love it!

Ophelia has not been going to dance classes in the summer, but she still loves dancing. Here is a little impromptu freestyle dance from her:

We have been going to lots of splash parks and pools this summer and that has allowed us to be outside and not be scorched by the hot Texas sun. Since PJ has been on vacation, he has been joining us, so I have an extra hand to snap a picture or two:

Emerson has been getting so brave and fearless...of anything. It's not a good thing when we're talking about him running around a pool or running in the pool. I've caught him dozens of times just taking a step into the pool with no regard as to whether there will be a step or shallow water in the pool or NOT!!! Also I've pulled him out of the water a dozen of times, when he was completely submerged under and freaked out...The trouble is that the little stinker will not wear any sort of floaties or vests either. Is that normal for boys not to learn from their past experiences??? I'm learning that with this guy, it is :)

I have signed up Ophelia for her first ever swim class this summer. She has mainly learned how to go down into the water all the way and hold her breath. Also they've been working on their kicks. She has loved her class! Her confidence in the water has definitely increased and she loves showing off how she can go under water. At least with her, I have no trouble having her wearing her floaties when swimming in the deep waters.

Here they are doing their class "cheer" at the end of a lesson:

One of the splash parks that we went to has a little "dinosaur dig" area. The kids had a good time exploring it:

I did have 3 relaxing days this summer :) Grandma and Grandma came to stay for two night at our home while PJ and I escaped to San Antonio. Oh, it was sooooo nice! So nice to talk to each other uninterrupted, to eat a meal at a restaurant without being rushed out by some fussy kids, to truly enjoy being with your eternal companion, focusing only on each other. Ahhh! This is what we have to look forward to in...16 or 17 years :)

We got into some crazy downpoor on our way there, but that didn't stop us from having fun. We stayed at a Bed and breakfast in the King William district, ate out all we wanted, went to the temple, shopped at the mercado, watched a movie in a movie theatre, took a boat ride on the riverwalk. It was a blast! Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa! When we came back home the house was spotless, kids still alive, and Grandma and Grandma all packed and ready leave :) They were ready for their break, that's for sure!

The Butterfly Garden Experience

I just can't say enough good things about Ophelia's preschool. I am dedicating this whole post to them and the amazing job that they do. Ms. Carol and Ms. Janine are the two teachers, who dedicate all their time to creating a wonderful nature-centered learning environment for the kids. The school is based on the Waldorf method, which is all about creativity, imagination, nature, a daily rhythm, and art. The school is also called the Forest Kindergarten, because the children spend the whole time outside. They do projects, play in the mud-kitchen, eat snacks/lunch, paint on the huge white paper board, play games, swing in hammocks, explore the forest, do story time - all outside. Here is Ophelia with Ms. Carol:

Ophelia was always curious about nature and the outdoors, but after attending this school, she has become a totally outdoorsee person. Nowadays, she asks me all the time to go play out in the backyard, and she'd rather do that than watch TV! She has become into collecting rocks and has a her rock collection/treasure box. She recognized different kinds of birds. She picks up rolly-pollies without a wince (Yuk!). She loves picnics. Here they are painting with dirt:

Cold, hot, rain, or sunshine, they are always outside. Except for thunderstorms, when the house has some craft stations for them to do. Here are some heart rocks that they did back in February. Ophelia has her two rocks on the bookshelf in her room.

Something cool that the teachers have noticed is that Ophelia is very sensitive to others' feelings. She is very compassionate. This boy in the picture was new and kind of shy. Ophelia was there for him on his first day of school to show him around, tell him what things he could do, and made sure he was not feeling sad. So sweet!

Today after school, she told me that there was a new girl at school that she was protecting from being pushed by a boy. She said: "I said to the boy, Don't touch her!" She may be small, but does not allow to be messed with :) Here they are mixing the batter for muffins for their morning snack.

Some more art exploration, paper plate lady bugs:

This was their thumb-print ants. Ophelia kept saying: "This is path!" and I did not understand what she meant at first, but then I realized she probably means Math!

This is another boy, Lois, who never had a buddy at school until Ophelia came. They became "best buddies" as Ophelia says. They hang out together all the time at school. He always sits next to her at snack and lunch and they play games together, games involving bad and good guys, sometimes chasing and/or protecting, as I gather... It seems that she mainly hangs out with boys at school. She may be becoming a tomboy!

I also love that the school has so many animals for the kids to observe and play with: dogs, cats, chickens, guinea pig, rabbit, a tarantula, a frog, and tadpoles. They let the kids feed the chickens and the other animals, pet them, and also learn about them. The chickens were brought in as baby chicks, so the kids have the chance to watch them grow actually! Here is Ophelia swinging on a swing:

Everything is done outside as I said. Here is another art project in the yard:

She comes home with dirt and sand in her lunchbox, shoes full of mud and dirt, paint on her clothes and face. But most important, she comes happy to have spent her day at school!

Last Friday they had a reptile show and all kids and their parents were invited. So me and Emerson came too. Emerson did not need to go the this school to become outdoorsee. I think he was born loving to eat dirt and rocks, playing in the mud and poking at bugs. Must be a boy thing. Anyway, Emerson was not into sitting still and listening/watching the show about reptiles, so he roamed the school yard. Everything was fine until he was chasing a chicken and tripped and fell on a CACTUS!!! Not good! The cactus had no big spines, but mostly those pesky tiny ones that are so hard to see and get out of your skin. I spent 2 hours getting the spikes off Emerson, his clothes, and me! What a disaster! A little Ibuprofen, a good nap, and he was good as new, but for a while there I was panicking trying to get cactus spikes out of a squirmy, freaking out 15 month old.

I do want Emerson to go to the Butterfly Garden eventually. Unfortunately, they start at 3 years of age...or maybe fortunately, because by then they hopefully learn not to run into cacti...

Let the summer begin!

All the cabinets in the house have become pretty much free-for-all play areas. Sigh! But when I have to get dinner done, anything works to keep the kids happy and entertained. Emerson also loves taking all of the silverware out of the dishwasher and putting it either on the dishwasher's top rack or bottom area, where the drain is. Then he closes all the silverware compartment's lids and shuts the dishwasher door. I guess that's what order in the dishwasher seems to be like to a 15-month old!

Bath time giggles with Papa:

Our newest Craigslist purchase. This will be perfect for summertime adventures in the backyard. Emerson has not mastered the climb up the stairs to get to the top, and it's a good thing. His head has enough bruises as it is without this.

We made it out to the splash pad and officially opened the outside water-play season!

This is all new and exciting to Emerson. He was so excited the whole time!

Here are his squeals of excitement:

Ophelia got too cold towards the end:

Mother's Day is the best, most wonderful, relaxing, awesome holidays of the whole year! PJ let me have the whole day off my full-time mothering job! So I went to workout at the rec center in the morning, did a little shopping, (then we had to interrupt my day because of a new car purchase, which is a pretty sweet Mother's day present), then I got to go out with a friend and have a pedicure followed by an ice cream cone. It was heavenly! A much needed break. I came home to find one very tired Papa:

Thank you, love, for letting me relax and taking on the tough job for the day! This was the best present ever! I love you!

Another sunny day in Oatmeal. Hanging out with the cuzz:

Here is our sweet little girl and her colorful artwork. She loves to incorporate as much different colors as possible whenever she is drawing or coloring or painting. I love it!

It was Ophelia's bestie's birthday and we got to go to the splash pad again, this time to celebrate Lois's 5th Birthday.

Mmmm, cake time!

The summer in Texas has officially begun! Woo-hoo!

Get Your Sparkle On!

We've been getting ready for Ophelia's second big performance since January and here is our little star. LOTS of improvements since the last time: no nose picking, skirt raising, or even running off stage. She did so amazingly well! I don't know if every Mom goes through that, but I start crying at the beginning of each of her performances...is it anxiety or excitement to see your child on stage? Or just pure joy because they're so stinkin' cute or sadness because my little girl is growing up way too fast?



Pictures from the gig:

Counting the flags above the audience

The star

Aryan race

Kisses for the fans

It's super fun to see Ophelia perform, but we're thinking of trying something different next year. When I told her the choice is between singer's company, music classes, or gymnastics, she said she wants to do gymnastics. We'll miss Ms. Janell and Singer's Company, but it will be good for us to move on!