Lunch at school

Friday we had the pleasure of having lunch at school with the big guy!

It wasn't what I expected- I'll be honest, it's given me a lot to think about.

William was thrilled to see us and then promptly ignored us to goof around with his friends!

We then went on to have a great discussion with the four girls sitting around us before heading home.

Why yes, that IS a princess tiara Amelia is wearing!

On the way out, she turned to me and said "why does everyone want to talk to me?" Sorry big girl! When you wear your tiara out in public, you're going to have to talk to your adoring public!

Braids

Amelia let me braid her hair this morning. We had a little extra time, so I went a little fancy with a French braid. Reminder to myself: this requires both time and patience. Do not attempt without both. It isn't straight and isn't perfect. It probably won't last all day. But, we did it!

It's Monday!

4:30am- baby up, goes back to sleep
5:10- John's alarm going off while he is in the shower
6:40- William up to go to the bathroom, gets his pant wet washing his hands. Insists on new pants. Trip over train tracks on his bedroom floor getting new pants.
6:45- high pitched, electronic beeping... Coming from....somewhere
7:05. Amelia up

Wonder why I am so tired lately? I wish I liked coffee

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Weekend

What a gorgeous weekend! The weather was in the 70's and mild. Other than the fruit fly invasion we are experiencing, it is perfect!

We have a list a mile long of things to do around the house. The lawn needs attention, the cars need oil changes, the laundry pile is huge and if you are allergic to dust I think you shouldn't come over. We are seriously behind on everything!

But, sometimes you just need to get outside and enjoy each other and the weather! Saturday we ventured out to Babler State park to hike. We took a 2.25 mile hike with a lot of ups and downs. The big kids did great! They both hiked the whole thing! We were so proud of them! Gemma did a great job also, but she makes it pretty hard to see where you are going. Next time she will have to ride on someone's back to be carried. Mama wiped out pretty good and slide in her backside on some loose rock in a down hill section. Gemma came out without a scratch and mama has some pretty impressive bruises on her right hip.

For dinner on Saturday, we stopped by Ethel's as it has an outdoor patio with a play structure for the kids to play on. The last time we were there was the day I went into labor. So, Gemma and I recreated this look. I am so glad she is not inside me anymore! She is so big!

*actually, as the sun went down, the temp dropped quite a bit. It was on the chilly side. As I didn't bring her a jacket or a blanket, I ended up zipping her up inside my jacket.

Frankie

William was chosen to bring home the class mascot for the weekend. We were instructed to take him with us all over the place and then have William write about it in a journal. Here are some of the things we did;

1. We dressed our baby like a frog.
2-3. We took Frankie to the park so he could swing and do the monkey bars!

He also went with us to the store, to get new tires on the car, to a garage sale, out for lunch and on several other routine errands. Unfortunately, it was just one of those weekends where we needed to get things done and nothing very exciting happened.

Uh oh...

This face is a familiar one around these parts. This face coupled with drool by the gallons and constant chewing of hands can only mean one thing: teething ahead.

If she is like her siblings, we have maybe 3-4 more weeks to enjoy our toothless wonder before we start seeing the first teeth!


There isn't anything visible yet, so stay tuned...

Big Guy!

Here's one of the big guy- a skill he learned the first week of school. He now has had 4 weeks to perfect this...he is getting pretty good!

Rockin' and rollin'

Just rolling wasn't enough for this girl. Watch this! (video taken yesterday)

Rolling!

Wahhhhh! Where is my little baby going? Gemma started rolling on Friday and by Sunday she was a pro! By Monday evening, she is now rolling in both directions....slow down baby girl!

This just in

Amelia: my name is really Emma. You can call me Amelia for short.

Mama:......?
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How much longer can I resist?

At minimum, I am asked 39 times a day "guess what?!?!"

Every single time it requires my full self control to not say "chicken butt". You know, because I am a grown up and all.

That phrase is coming. Coming soon. Why rush it?

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You never can tell...

I put William on the bus in the first day of school without shedding a tear, which I think surprised everyone involved.

So I cannot explain the waterworks this morning when I dropped him off for his first running club meeting before school.


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This just in...

1. Amelia went to the dentist for the first time today. She was such a good girl. Especially when I had to leave her for a short time because I had poop running down my arm that needed immediate attention.

2. Gemma rolled from her back to her front today! I didn't even get to see it! I just set her down on her back and when I came back, she was on her belly! Also: crying. Because even though she did it herself, she wasn't happy about the situation.

Look who is coming to dinner

It's Gemma!

At mealtime, Gemma is either a) sleeping b)hanging out in the swing c) sits on a grown up lap.

She strongly prefers choice c. So, I dragged out and wiped off the baby high chair seat. Gemma loves being at the table and enjoys looking at her toys while we eat. I like having our whole family together at the table. Even if we aren't eating.

Swing!

Gemma's first swing was on Monday! Amelia loved playing big sister and pushing her. Gemma? She wasn't overly enthusiastic...she didn't hate it either.

Pecans

Can you spot the two pecans in this picture?

I couldn't either when Amelia asked me!

3 months old

Gemma was 3 months old today! (yesterday by the time this has posted).

As usual, I took many pictures with my big camera. All you get is the poor quality phone pics because they are easy.

Not much has changed since my update yesterday.

Two more things:
- a big thank you to my brother, uncle mike for the super sweet outfit she is wearing. Adorable!

- I keep hearing about how Gemma looks like her brother. What do you think?

Apple picking adventure

We ventured out into the woods yesterday to join in the group camp for our congregation. We ate lunch in the woods and then went on our annual apple picking adventure. The big kids helped the little kids and then corralled them back into the first class seats back to the parking lot and play area.

I thought there was a chance we would end up with some honey crisp apples. Sadly, they were all gone and we'll have to wait for them to show up in stores. We did manage to come home with a yellow apple - William's homework this week is to bring a yellow apple to school on Monday.

Baby boy quilt

This one is being delivered this morning to a sweet baby boy at church. It's always interesting to see what stands out in a picture after I've been working on it so close up for so long.

This one is quilted by me! (I usually don't quilt them myself)

First week of preschool

The first week of preschool can take a lot out of a girl!

Rolling

Here are the pictures of Gemma reaching and arching. Slow DOWN baby!

Ferry ride

Gemma's first ferry ride this morning!

13 weeks

Gemma is 13 weeks old! We are home on a Saturday for the first time in several weeks, so we pulled the camera out for another bonus week of pictures. We have big plans to go apple picking as a family this morning and lay low for the rest of the weekend. Our weeks have become so....overwhelmingly busy, we need the weekend more than ever to recharge and recover.

So, Gemma.

Gemma is obsessed with her hands. She holds her own hands, tries to shove both hands into her mouth at the same time and uses them to hit at and grab toys. Or my face. Or to knock the soap off the sink in the bathroom while I change her diaper.

This week Gemma has been sleeping terribly. Few naps and when she does they are short unless someone (mama) is holding her. As you might guess, her disposition has been extra crabby and unpredictable.

The possibilities?

HANDS! Hands are amazing! All hands, all the time.

Rolling. Gemma is starting to try and roll from her back to front. She is arching and reaching while resting her back. I'd say she is on her way, but has quite a bit of abdominal strength to gain before she actually gets it, but she is sure thinking about it.

Beginning, very early army crawling. I'd estimate about a inch in several minutes. Earlier this week, I observed her pull her knees up and under her while propped up on her elbows. This prompted me to drop everything and sit my baby down for a talk. There is no rush! You don't have to grow up so fast! It is okay to just lay there! Stop it already!

Teeth? The teething process has probably begun. Although I'm not sure is the main cause. I suspect the other three were more at play.

Amelia

This morning, walking back from putting William on the bus, Amelia skipped ahead of me. Take my picture on the step today she sang. She ran and plopped herself down on the front step before I could reply.

My heart sank. Gemma needed a new diaper. The camera was inside. The to do list was long.

The look on my face must have said it all. My sweet girl reached into her pocket and said, "Here mom! You can use my phone."

Out her pocket came a red plastic cell phone.

I stood dumbfounded. Amelia hopped up on the front step and then instructed:

Open the phone and then push the sheep button first, then press the yellow button with the cow.

Then she said "cheese" and waited for me to take the picture.

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Amelia had her first day of preschool this week. With William starting almost 3 weeks ago, she has been impatiently waiting for her turn.

She was thrilled to finally wear her new shoes and be off to school like a big girl. I did take her picture on the front step (which i believe prompted this morning's request) but only with our big camera. So, those may be coming in the next five years or so. No promises.

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Amelia started ballet last week. I was pretty nervous about how it would go. If you hadn't picked up on this, Amelia can be....stubborn. If she decides she is not going to do something, she is not going to do it.

Luckily, this was not one of those things. She went, she danced and she had a wonderful time. No reservations, no shyness or refusing to participate as my imagination had predicted (and with a new set of ballet shoes, tights and leotard, I'm already invested).

Again, pictures are on the big camera.....for another day!

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12 weeks old

Gemma is now 12 weeks old! Here she is wearing a 6-9 month outfit - shouldn't it look a little bigger on her? As a backdrop, we used my old holly hobby sheets from when I was growing up! Do they match? Is it my favorite? No. But it got the job done for today.

Gemma is so fun right now! She has discovered her hands this last week. She has been batting at things for weeks now, but suddenly she is grabbing at things. She is grabbing and capturing things in her hand. And she knows that she is doing it- and she is very proud!

We have laughing and cooing. We have smiles- those big, gummy grins that melt my heart. This week she also added in holding her own hand to the equation. So very sweet!

This has been a very long week. A very, very long week. Hopefully next weekend we'll have a little more time for our photo ops!

Issac

The remains of hurricane Isaac met up with us this morning at the bus stop. William insisted upon the umbrella because "he couldn't go to school wet!".

According to the forecast we are looking at a predicted forecast calls for rain in the neighborhood of 8 inches.

Reading to my sister

This boy sure does love his little sister! For now at least. When she starts getting into his stuff, he might feel differently!

After school one day this week, he decided Gemma needed some storytime while I tried to get dinner moving in the right direction (towards the table).