weekend with Izzy.

This weekend we had Izzy, Steve's dog, stay with us. She is a pretty good dog. Ethnie was in heaven. She mostly took care of her all by herself! She was very responsible; she took her outside to go to the bathroom, played with her in the yard, gave her water and treats, and made sure she always had a blanket while she slept. We have been thinking about getting a dog for a couple of years, but didn't know if it would be a good fit for our family or what kind of dog to get. We now know that Ethnie would be a great dog owner and that a smaller dog would be the best fit. Izzy is about 10 pounds and Ethnie was able to take care of her with ease. Emmett also loves dogs and doesn't care if they lick him or run by him. We had a fun time with you, Izzy! Come back soon!

to walk or not to walk...

Emmett has been giving us the impression that he wants to walk since he turned 11 months old. He is now almost 14 months and still won't walk on his own. He takes 6 steps or so and falls, but we don't think that counts. He is totally ready; he just needs to trust himself. He loves cruising around with his walker toy. Lately, he wants to walk around the block with it. He can't steer yet, so he gets very frustrated when he runs into the grass or something else. In the meantime, here are some photos to enjoy:

Out for a stroll with Papa. They were twins that day :)

cute boy

what to do with the art?

So, Ethnie has made many art projects from pre-school and day care in the past. She is also constantly drawing and coloring and wants to hang everything on the refridgerator. Well, the fridge ran out of room a long time ago and the art projects and pictures started to pile up fast. 

Luckily, I had some canvas-covered frames Emmett had gotten for a gift when he was born. Since there was no room to hang them in his room, I stored them away for future use. And, tah-dah! This is what I did with them. What do you think?

This one is still on the fridge. I need to find a cute frame.

Hanging in the playroom/office. I glued the projects onto the canvas.

 They look cute from outside looking in! 

a favorite.

 

For all you moms out there with small children: this book is ADORABLE! It's a silly spin on the classic Rapunzel. The prince tries multiple times to tell Rapunzel to throw down her hair, but each time she hears him wrong and throws down something that sounds like what he says. It's become one of Ethnie's favorite books. I love it too; so cute! 

fair fun.

Matt's parents and I took the kids to the Washington County Fair over the weekend while Matt was at class. We had a nice time! It was Emmett's first fair and the weather was nice. Here are a few pictures I snapped off:

A county fair is always a great warm up for the State Fair.

Ethnie's favorite fair food.

Having a good time!

This calf is only 8 days old.

Stilts man.

Ethnie's first time on a pony. She was so proud of herself!

favorite moments of the day.

Ethnie said two things tonight within 30 minutes of each other that I must share.
Moment #1: We had a few guys over tonight. Everyone was in the living room chatting except for Ethnie and I; we were sitting in the dining room together. I told her to go and get her pj's before I put Emmett to bed. She went and grabbed them and came back into the dining room. I asked, "Why did you bring your pj's in here." She replied, "Well, I'm going to put my jammies on in here because I don't want the guys to see my vagina."

Moment #2: Ethnie sat at the table and ate some plain tortilla chips for her bedtime snack. After she was finished, she got up and started doing a silly march/dance around the table. When I walked in I asked, "Ethnie what are you doing?" She replied, "I'm just so proud that we don't have spicy chips anymore."

Never a dull moment!!

making progress.

As many of you know, Ethnie has had a difficult time accepting and warming up to Emmett as a permanent resident of our home. It has been a big adjustment for her. Most friends or family members we know have had their children closer together in age than we have. Commonly, when a toddler is having a hard time adjusting to their new sibling, they will act out by throwing more tantrums or doing things they normally would not do in order to get their parent's attention. For us, that is not the case. Because Ethnie is 4 1/2 years older than Emmett, she can openly tell us what she is thinking or how she is feeling. At times, that can be a bit scary!!! Although it can be unsettling hearing our daughter say things such as, "I don't want a baby living with us anymore.", "Emmett can't come with us.", "He's disgusting.", or "I don't like him at all."; we know it is all part of the adjustment and will pass someday.

Well, I am thrilled to tell you all that Ethnie is now starting to show Emmett some affection, and instead of introducing him as just 'Emmett', she now introduces him as 'my brother' with a smile on her face! She has also stepped up in the 'big helper' department. She feeds him, holds his bottle for him, helps him try to walk, and is constantly moving "dangerous" objects out of his reach. She is truly turning into a great big sister, which in turn makes me a very proud mom!

dear ethnie,

to my sweet little girl,

Ethnie, I have been thinking a lot about you the past few days because I am blown away by how grown up you are. Time has flown by and now you are 5 1/2 years old and entering kindergarten in the fall. It amazes me how this milestone has approached us so quickly. You are now a school-aged big girl!

I want you to know how proud I am of you! You have had a major adjustment in your life in the past year; welcoming a baby brother into your world. Although at times it has been hard, you have been such a great helper to me and are a very caring big sister. I know you love your brother and will be a great role model for him to follow. He loves you SO much and already worships you! I also know you will watch out for him and be his friend. Just yesterday, you said to me, "Mom, I want Emmett to grow up big like me so we can play ball together." I know that day will come very soon for you two!

I am so impressed by how friendly and kind you are with other kids. Every time we go to a playground, lake or pool you always ask another child if they would like to play with you. By the end of our time there, you always seem to have a little group following you around having fun. You never judge other kids either. Everyone, to you, is a friend.

I really feel like you are such a unique little girl. Your silly thoughts, ideas and actions always make me smile. I feel so lucky to be your mother and look forward to all of our fun adventures together! You will always be my sweet little girl.

love, mom. 


 

he's getting closer...

Within the past week, Emmett has made some serious progress toward walking! Matt, Ethnie and I have been sitting in a circle on the floor and Emmett will try to walk to us. The most progress he's made is walking 6 steps on his own! He's at that stage where he is very excited when he tries to walk and it works against him because he falls over. He also needs to learn how to bend his knees while he walks. We think he will definitely be walking all on his own by fall.