One month update...

Has it already been a whole month? Emmie is four and a half weeks old and things are going really well! She is such a sweetheart and it just seems as though she's been with us forever.

Here is a quick evaluation:

Happy Newborn: Check. (she's only waking up once during the night - can you believe it???)
Happy Parker: Check. (minus a few typical 2 year old tantrums) Happy Mom: Check. (I haven't felt this good in months! Really!) Happy Chris: Check. (As the saying goes, "Happy wife = Happy life", right? jk)

Happy Roxy: ...Okay, that one's a negative.....Sorry Rox, it's impossible to keep everyone happy around here! I'm afraid you're even one step further down on the totem pole than you were before Miss Em arrived. We still love you though!

Some things you just don't show a 2-year-old

Last Saturday my Mother-in-law and I looked out to see Chris' Dad showing Parker how to shovel up the dog poop into a bag with a play shovel in our backyard. "Oh goody", were my thoughts, "what a great pastime to teach a 2-year-old......"

My fears were validated as Monday rolls around. I look outside to see this:

I go out to investigate.

Me: "Parker, what are you doing?"

Parker: "Shoveling dog poop!"

Ah, sick. Or should I say, Oh crap.

Me: "Oh -let's not do that... Come play ball with me instead."

Parker: "No! Pahkah (Parker) pay (play) with dog poop!!"

And there you have it. Everyday this week, as Parker went outside to play, he sifted around doggie poop with his play gardening tools & refused every one of my offers to play ball with him. Looks like Parker has found a new hobby. (And it looks like Chris is going to have to be more on top of cleaning up Roxy's business!)

THANKS GRANDPA!!! :) We owe ya one.

A night out with a happy 2-year-old

We don't go out to eat eat much, but Chris hasn't had a day off for a while and won't for another ten days or so, and we had some time last night so we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Chili's with the kiddos. In addition to our meals, we ordered the bottomless tostada chips. When the waitress brought them to the table, Parker's arms shot straight up in the air while joyously he yelled out, "Chiiiiiiiips!!", making us all laugh. Yes, this kid loooooooooves chips and salsa & was pretty excited to dive into this dish! So Chris and I enjoyed some good conversation while Parker munched ravenously on his chips & salsa all the while flirting with the adjoining booth and passing waitresses. When we announced to Parker it was time to go, he frantically picked up all the remaining chips he could possibly contain in his little hands and jumped out of the booth. We preceeded out of the restaurant with our 2-year-old leading the way, with his pile of chips clenched tightly in between his chest and two hands as if was escaping with handfuls of gold from the pirate ship on the Goonies. Talk about a serious kid on a serious mission!

Maybe you had to be there, but I wish I had my camera because it was a pretty funny sight and we had some comical stares as we weaved our way through the dinner crowd still waiting to be seated.

In hindesight, I guess we should have gotten him his own little to-go box...we'll know better next time. I think it's safe to say that Parker has a favorite restaurant! I have to admit, it IS excellent chips and salsa! You'll have to try it out for yourselves!

Thanks

Hey thanks everyone for all your great advice on the double stroller! It's so nice to have all of your hands on input to take into consideration for the big purchase! We'll hopefully get out to buy one in the next couple of weeks when Chris has a day off of work...I'll let you know what we decide! Meanwhile, if anyone has any additonal thoughts, feel free to leave them!

Thanks again!

Double time

Okay, so the time has come to purchase a double stroller! The question is, WHICH ONE?? If anyone has any opinions or advice on what kind is better - side by side, back to back, different brands, what you do or don't like about yours, etc. - please leave a comment and let me know! I appreciate ANY input you may have on this topic, because I am clueless! So if you have one that you love or that you hate, or any other advice, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks so much! :>

Parlez-vous francais?

Alright, so I did take a french class back in the eighth grade. That was fifteen years ago, and no, I don't remember much! But enough to realize that my 2 year old is apparently bilingual (okay - TRIlingual if you count his sign language abilities), with his second language being french! This petit genie (little genius) constantly interjects "le" and "a la" into his speech. Where he picked it up is beyond us, but it sure gives us a good laugh. (Okay, so maybe these terms just mean "the"(I think?), but it's still impressive, right?? Kidding, of course...) Here are a few examples of his everyday use of this language....

I'll be changing Emmie's diaper, and he'll say:

"Mama - le bebe has LOTS of a la poopies!"

We'll be fixing him a waffle, and he'll say:

"Mama likes a la waffles, too?"

We'll be at the park and each time he gets to the bottom of the slide he'll say:

"Gen! Gen! (Again!) Pahkah (Parker) go down le slide a la gen!!

He'll be stacking up his pile of books (a new favorite pastime) and he'll say:

"Pahkah (Parker) a la bead (read) le books to le bebe."

There you have it! Like I said, petit genie! We're getting his papers ready to send off to Harvard this fall.

Au revoir!

3 weeks old!

Emmie is 3 WEEKS OLD TODAY!!!

Time is sure flying by and we are just loving this sweet little girl more and more each day (if that is possible!). She had already gained a pound at her two week appointment, which I was a little surprised at seeming as she only wakes up twice during the night to eat. This is such a change from Parker, who ate every 2 hours round the clock for months and months!! I am overall feeling really good, and so far this two year old and a newborn thing has been much easier than I anticipated! :> ( I am sure I am speaking far too soon.... stay tuned!)

SHOOT

I love love LOVE good photography! Life goes by so quickly, and capturing & recording moments on film that will in turn last a lifetime is truly something I feel is so important. My Grandma, who passed away when I was 16, (& who we named baby Em after) was our family photographer, taking pictures of not only every get together or event, but much of the day to day. It's a good thing, because if it weren't for her, I'm not sure I'd have but a few pictures from my childhood! I once told her that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up, & so on my next birthday she gave me a camera. Ever since, I've been the camera-crazy one of the family.

There is nothing like being able to look back at photographs from the "good old days" and the power that gives us to stir up memories from the past, that we otherwise may not have remembered. Take it from my experience this last year with the death of my brother...When you lose someone you love, the pictures that you took the time to take or have taken, suddenly become absolutely priceless. You'll never regret taking a picture, you'll only regret NOT having taken more. So GET SNAPPING, whether you do it yourselves or hire a professional!

My high school friend, Amanda Petersen, is a photographer and she did a photo shoot for Parker's 2-year-old pictures this last July..... Below are some of the awesome pictures she took. I think they turned out so adorable & couldn't resist posting some of her work! Don't worry, included in her pricing is the copyright and CD of these images, so it's all good to post these. We went and did a newborn photo shoot with Baby Emmie this morning, which was so fun and I think that they too will turn out great, too! I will definitely post some of her pics when they are done in a few weeks! Thanks so much Amanda! You do amazing work!

If you want to check out more of her work, (and you should!!) you can go to her photo blog at http://www.amandasimages.blogspot.com/, or her photo website http://www.amandasimages.com/











Alright. I'll admit it.... I think he's pretty darn cute!!! :>

Life is good...

Let's face it...the recovery/aftermath of having a baby is so not fun for our bodies! I've been awful this past 11 days at making phone calls about this new baby, calling anyone back, taking pictures, and posting pictures of our sweet baby girl (& boy!) on our blog - just to mention a few of many things...If you fall into any of these categories (in the phone call department) I apologize! My excuse is just that - my body HURTS and my hands have been full with a newborn and two year old. (Does anyone else post partum feel like a football player with pads in ALL places, or is it just me? So high maintenance, I swear! But so well worth it, too... :)) My main issue is my back, (okay and maybe we'll include the torturous beginning of nursing once again) but we won't get into that and I am fine. I think in a couple of weeks it will all be good!! The KIDDOS have overall been awesome- I'm just waiting for my body to recover and have been taking any spare moment I can find to sleep rather than make phone calls. Having said all that, our little household of 5 (counting Roxy) is doing GREAT and I am LOVING having two kids! So far little Em sleeps a ton (I know that will soon change) & is just the sweetest little addition to our home & Parker is adjusting surprisingly well, minus a few jealous breakdowns earlier this week.

So I'll stop with the rambling & let you see the couple of pictures I managed to take today of our little Emmie 11 DAYS OLD....If you look closely, you can barely see her adorable little dimples (courtesy of her Daddy). They are slightly covered up by her shirt... How fun that both my kids have dimples! Thanks Chris! :)
Must be naptime again
A smile in her favorite state of being - asleep!
I just want to thank everyone for your sweet comments left on our blog, your phonecalls, emails, etc. through this last couple of months and especially this last week and a half! We are so blessed to have such supportive, loving friends and family & we appreciate all of you so much!!! (Even though I don't always call back right away!! :) )