End of July 2016

Summer is 2/3s over! :(

She's so particular....first off she needs multiple blankets (on top of the pjs and sleep sack! Don't know how she can sleep with that much heat), then puppy goes on the left and turtle goes on the right but usually turtle isn't covering her face.

Emmalyn is making good progress during swim lessons.

Here's Maxwell's progress for his last class with Coach Katie. She's been his coach since he was 18 months and she is leaving Aquatots.  Pretty bummed about that but we are going to have her come over and teach Maxwell privately and take both kids out of Aquatots.  Maxwell has seen her every week for more than 3 years, it would be so sad if they didn't see each other any more.

Last class - with Coach Jada as well as Katie

Look at that face - she's up to something

She got a wound on her face but keeps picking it so I am keeping a bandaid on so that it can heal.  She is the worst at constantly picking her wounds!

Maxwell and Sanjinuh have been in the same class for awhile and developed a cute friendship.  They are good buds and it's sad that they won't get to see each other anymore.

Taking a nap with Uncle Joe.  Joe and Britt are going to move back in upstairs and so they have moved a bit of their stuff over to our house.

The kids got their passports!  We can all go international now.  Maxwell was super excited.

Look at that cucumber we picked from our garden!

Brittany took Emmalyn to the dealer to get some work done on her car and she sent me this picture and said that Emmalyn had a conversation with the giraffe, "I like your piggy tails.  I like your shoes.  I like your tail"  in the sweetest voice ever.  :)  She is certainly learning how to give compliments.

The owl that we are now using to try and protect the garden from birds.  For Emmalyn, he's another friend to play with.  (She told him she likes his eyes.)

At Kindermusik, Emmalyn decided she wanted to sit with Ms. Carolyn and not Mom.  

Giddy up horsey

I let Maxwell come to Emmalyn's Kindermusik class and he got to sit outside the room and play on his ipad.  The class is in a church that is empty on Saturday so he was safe but it felt like he was so far away and I kept checking on him throughout class.  Of course, he was fine.

Emmalyn likes to play peek-a-boo with the scarf and when she puts it on like this, she wants you to say "Emmalyn where are you?  I can't see you." and then she'll put it off and magically I can see her again.  :)

Last soccer game of the season.  These two have been a great team.

Look at Maxwell getting into the cluster around the ball!  Being around Preston's influence has really helped him be more aggressive during soccer.

Taking charge of the ball

Team picture.  The two boys to the right of Maxwell live in our neighborhood (Griffin and Kinsler but they are moving away which is a bummer.  We've played with them a couple times.)

Emmalyn is doing great at putting together these simple two piece puzzles.  

We spent more time at the FAC, mainly enjoying the lazy river which both kids love.

Tired post-swimming face (and those curls!)

Emmalyn riding her tricycle while Maxwell rides his bike with training wheels

We had a playdate at Luckshya's house (another boy from preschool - this group of boys is really keeping their friendships alive)

Remember how he always had his feet crossed when he was a baby?  It is still his natural tendency today.

Don't these flowers look awesome??  I didn't have to do a thing to get them.  They just came up again from what I planted last year - score!

A fun flashback picture my cousin found of my dad in high school.

I took the kids for dinner at Tokyo Joes.  Max liked using chopsticks.

We now have Coach Katie and Coach Jada coming over to give the kids private lessons next door.  Maxwell's lesson is an hour and Emmalyn's is a half.  I was hoping to stay out of the pool but because Emmalyn is used to having me in there with her for lessons, we are going to have to work on transitioning her to being in there without me.

Maxwell is acting like a teenager - - exasperated sighing and then whining all the time, talking with attitude, arguing and talking back so we had a conversation tonight about that not being okay and there will be consequences.  I sure hope this is a little quick phase.

Emmalyn tells you when she doesn't like something (like beans - "I don't like beans"). And, she's working on learning colors and her default is always purple.

The Halloween fun continues!!

We have had so much fun in October.  As I am going back to blog all about it, I am reminded about what a full month it was.  I don't think we've ever done so many fall/Halloween activities!

Maxwell has achieved all the skills in his current swim level - that means he's going to graduate to the next level!

Ready to go to class

Max and the best swim coach ever - Coach Katie.  She was annoying to me (it makes sense when I learned that she was 16 because her approach in communicating with me was what irritated me the most - she just didn't know any different) when we first started lessons but I have grown to love her and she and Maxwell have a special relationship.  Can't have anyone else but her teach Maxwell!

Maxwell with his certificate of graduation!  He's moving on to Level 5!! We are quite excited that he didn't get stuck in level 4 for a long time.  Katie's done a great job of continuing to challenge him even though he was a pro at the needed skills.

All handsome for school picture day

Here's how the pictures turned out.  I didn't like them enough to buy any so all I have is the proof sheet.

Every once in awhile we have a little fun at work.  I was out at retail and lunch with some of my team and my Perfetti client and we some how came up with the crazy idea of doing a little food eating competition.  So we all tried to eat as many of the cheese puff balls in a minute as we could.  I don't remember who won, but I know it wasn't me.  I laugh too much at what everyone else is doing to focus only on what I'm doing.

Back at work we had our annual Halloween celebrations with people dressing up in costumes and decorating their work areas/departments.  For the first time, we also were able to bring in our kids to "trick or treat" through the office.  So Brittany brought all the kids up after Maxwell got out of preschool and they got LOADED up with goodies.  We had so much stuff that we had to empty everyone's bags out in my office at one point and then kept going.

Landen the farmer, Hayden the bat, Maxwell the pirate, Momma the daily, and Emmalyn the cute Halloween baby

Trick or treat!

Cute kids!

It takes like 10 pictures that look like this with only one kid looking before you get one that is decent.

  

I thought we'd only be there for a short bit but the office is big and the kids kept wanting to do more... plus my kiddos are so cute that we were frequently slowed down by my friendly co-workers wanting to gush over their cuteness to me.  :)  We ended up finally getting out of there after 5:00.

But the fun didn't end there...that night there was a carnival at Maxwell's preschool.  They had lots of games for the kids to play with a bunch of non-candy prizes/treats.

Racing cars

Throwing the rings onto the pirate hooks

I think the adults were pretty impressed with his skills.  :)

Emmalyn got to expand her solid food choices to pears, which she enjoyed.  She is back to cooing and talking to herself before she goes to sleep.  I'm glad she's doing it because I enjoy laying there and listening to her after she nurses in the middle of the night.  Such a sweet girl...