More pics!

Here are some more pictures. (Yes Jill, Tuan and I are in some ;o) Some of these I tried loading last time but they didn't take.

My dad has lots of thornless raspberry bushes in his backyard. Emma had fun picking some and even more fun eating them!

At the 2005 reunion my cousin and her daughter posed with Emma and me. We are the same age and both named our first daughters Emma.

Crazy how much they grow and change in just two years!

We stopped using disposable diapers as a back-up in April. He is usually always bare-bum at home and we use poquito pants that I made the rest of the time and while we're out. But I was a bit apprehensive about going to the reunion where everything was new to Daniel. We did really well! We never missed a poo and since we were able to do laundry at my grandma's home, we never ran out of one-wets. Here Tuan is giving Daniel a "potty-tunity" :o)

My sister and brother-in-law brought the three car train that his family made for their dad. He gave the cousins tons of rides behind their 4-wheeler. Everyone LOVED it! Thanks Matt!!

2007 Reunion

Ok - so it's been two weeks since my last post. We left for a family reunion just after my last update and it has been a bit tricky to get any kind of routine back. First the train-wreck of a house needed to be tidied. Then I realized that we left our BBLP (Baby Bjorn Little Potty) at my grandmother's house and it took until last night to get it back! (Long story - perhaps it would bore you). So - we are back and everything is well and I just didn't want anyone to worry about us. (If no-one was worried, please don't tell me - my fragile ego can't handle it.) And while I am dying to get to work on my latest crochet project (see below) I am taking the time to update my blog for you, my loyal readers. Ain't I great! Here are some fun pics of our great time at the reunion.

This is what they should look like when I'm done.

On Friday we went to the lake - Daniel enjoyed floating but got a bit nervous when Emma took the wheel! You can imagine why.

After swiming all afternoon, Daniel was plum tuckered out.

After the reunion, Emma had a chance to play with lots of her grandpa's cool water toys! She loved the water squirters.

More pics to come when I get more time. Both kiddos awake now.

Girls in Tears and Dumping Princes

Each Tuesday Emma, Daniel and I go to a playgroup. So we drop Tuan off at work and then head to the city park for a change of pace from the park we go to every other day. After about an hour the library opens and we cross the street and go in. They have a nice room downstairs with puzzles, board books and bead track toys. We always leave the library with several books to read that week. Two weeks ago, these are the two titles that Emma insisted we check out. She would not leave them and carried them out herself! They both have bright pink covers and are found in the young adult section located right next to the childrens section. Emma loves to find paperbacks there and last week the new titles were: Sweet Valley High Kiss of a Killer and Clueless Cher Goes Enviro-Mental. Sheesh! Oh, the book she asked for on the car ride home was titled Dump Trucks. Go figure!

Mommy, sing A-B-O-T-P

My dad got Emma a set of alphabet bath toys. For at least a month she asked us to sing the ABC song to her. This is how she asked for it.

In other news, Emma has been postponing her nap until she finally just crashes wherever she happens to be. She still needs a nap every day, even if she doesn't think so! LOL So she will usually crash around 5 pm or so which means a very late night for us. An interesting side effect of this is that she will just lay down and go to sleep (we all go to bed at the same time now) and when she wakes up to move to the middle of the bed she no longer nurses back to sleep. So my baby is nightweaned! I don't think that I am entirely ready for her to be done nursing altogether, but I will say that I am glad to have my nights back. Wait - who am I kidding? There is still Daniel! ;o)

I juss full.

Me: Emma, would you like any more to eat?

Emma: No, tanks. I juss full.

Too cute!

I have finally made it to a great local health foods store and purchased some stevia. Check out the link for lots of great info on it. Basically, stevia is an herb that is 200 times sweeter than granulated white sugar and calorie free! It is much more healthy than sugar and especially splenda et al because it is a plant and not artificially made. I have been testing it out in baked goods. Don't these banana carrot muffins look scrumptious? No sugar! Just stevia. Tonight I put a teaspoon of cocoa (unsweetened) plus a pinch of stevia powder into a cup of milk. It was the yummiest chocolate milk. Tasted like creamy, sweet dark chocolate in a cup. So - are you running out the door to get some of your own?

no wunner

Looking back over the last few months I can see a pattern. It is this:


Wake up lots of times every night. Every few times play for a bit instead of nursing right to sleep. Grin and coo so that Mommy feels bad for being irritable.


Within a week, learn to do something new and exciting like roll over.


Wake up lots of times every night . . .


Within a week learn to army crawl your cute little butt across the floor.


Wake up lots of times every night . . .

Within a week learn to sit up unassisted.


Wake up lots of times every night . . .



Within a week learn to crawl on your hands and fet with your cute little bum sticking up in the air.



Repeat ad nausium.



If Mommy seems a little it cranky, simply grin, stick your tongue out and pat her back each time she picks you up. Apparently this just melts her heart.



Love,

Daniel

Mating pan-tates

After watching Emma pretend to cook and bake with various baskets and pilphered kitchen utnsils I decided that I wanted to have a playkitchen for her to play with. My object was not to stifle her imagination but to help enhance her creative play with a few props. So I looked around online and decided on a playkitchen. I didn't want a plastic toy, so I saved up for a wooden one. Ta-da!


I then scoured the 'net for free crochet patterns for foods. This is what I have made so far.
In case you can't tell they are bacon, carrot (Sarah, the carrot remark still rankles! lol), tart (pie), strawberry, onion (looks more like garlic - actually pink garlic since Emma soaked it and the strawberry in a tub of water!), tomato, green apple and donut with sprinkles.
We found some pots and pans and wooden spoons at Target and now Emma will "cooking dinner" and "mating pan-tates" (making pancakes) with "it's hot mommy" pans. :o}

P.S. Don't forget that this week (July 2-8) is boycott Nestle week Don't forget to call their hotline and tell them you won’t be buying any of their products.
The number to dial in Canada is: 1 800 387-5536.
The number to dial in the USA is: 1 800 225-2270.
The lines are open from 8 am to 8 pm.

I can't!

What can Emma not do?

Emma cannot (at this time) unhook her car seat buckle to unlock the car door from inside the car.

What can Emma do?

Push the power lock button before Mommy helps her into her seat.

Guess what happened today?

It seems that I am to be plagued by a lifetime of car lock travails. In Emma's first year alone, I locked us out of the car at least 12 times. When pregnant with Daniel, I locked us out 3 times in one week! The first day we moved in to our new apartment I met our new neighbors and then borrowed their phone to call a locksmith later. I honestly try so hard to avoid this problem. I know I am susceptible. I have two spares. I leave the key in the door until the kids are in their seats. I try to always have at least one car door open at all times. I told myself that if somehow Emma and Daniel got locked inside, Emma would be able to unlock the doors. But that was before we re-adjusted her car seat straps to fit more snugly. Today I unlocked the doors and put Daniel in his seat. It was super hot in the car, so I turned it on and cranked the air up. I left the front door open (gravity pulled it in so that it just latched). Emma was playing in the front ("I'm driving, Mommy") while I checked our plans with my sister. I buckled Emma in and closed the door. When I went to open the front, it was locked. I knew right then they were locked inside. I held it together for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of explaining to, pleading with and (I'm ashamed to admit) yelling at Emma to unlock the door I gave way to panic. She was tired and scared and couldn't do what I was asking of her. My spare was inside the car along with our cell phone and my children. Emma began to cry which set Daniel off. She finally fell asleep. Tuan had a spare, but we had to wait for my sister to drive by his work to pick it up. While she was gone, Daniel had cried Emma awake and himself to sleep. I never want to feel again the feeling of being forcibly separated from my children. Being forced to watch as they scream and sob in vain for your touch is a torture no mother should have to endure.