First week of August 2016

August is here and it's hot (of course!)

Despite the heat, Katherine and I are still walking multiple times a week.  It's brutal but we are still at it!

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I took Maxwell to the elementary school for his Kindergarten evaluation where they ask the kids a few questions to help them make sure that they are balancing out the skill levels of the kids across the classrooms.  It was so strange for them to take him back to the classroom while I sat in the lobby.  Just waiting, wishing that I could see what was going on.  He did a great job (I grilled him after to find out as much as I could) but it was hard for me because this is just another part of him growing up. 

Landen's turn to go was after Maxwell's and Landen was quite nervous and Maxwell immediately spoke up and offered to go back with Landen.  I was really proud of him for taking care of his buddy.

I had a business trip to Pittsburgh.  It was my first time to the city.  They had this huge dinosaur skeleton in the airport so I took a pic for Maxwell.

I was impressed with how green and hilly Pittsburgh was, not at all what I had imagined.

Facetime with the kiddos

Emmalyn seems to get that I'm out of town and not at home.  When we talks she keeps saying "I come with you Momma." :(

I thought this shirt was pretty funny because these are local phrases/words.  Most of them I had to ask the rep to explain to me.  :)

I spent multiple evenings this week doing an online drivers safety course to get out my recent speeding ticket.  Took a ton of time but worth it to not have the ticket go on my record!

It may be the hottest month of the but that didn't stop her from wanting to wear her hat and gloves.

mmmm.... chocolate deliciousness.  We don't need a snapchat filter to see what she'd look like with a beard. 

I will never tire of taking pictures of my kids sleeping.  It reminds me they are sweet and innocent (which sometimes, let's be real, that reminder is needed).

I brought Maxwell with me to the city offices to turn the stuff in for my ticket dismissal.  Because he was so well-behaved, I let him buy something from the vending machine (his first time ever!).

Clearly, he was very excited!!

My little sailor going to Kindermusik

Playing at the park during Maxwell's class

Having fun in class

Emmalyn got to go into Maxwell's class when they played with the parachute.

I am so blessed to have these two.

So, not only do we have Brittany and her family that have just moved in with us, now Peter's mom is moving in with us as well and will be living in our guest bedroom.  I have many concerns about the situation but ultimately she is Peter's mom and we are going to try to help her.  I started things out with a "bang".  I was coming back from being out at Kindermusik and pulled into the garage and ended up running over Donna's walker because it was placed right in front of the garbage cans on my side of the driveway and because of my height, I can't see the floor of the garage once I start pulling in.  What a start...

Mark and Mariah drove Donna to our house so we enjoyed visiting with them for a few days before they went back home.

Maxwell's competitive side was out in full force.  He's great at uno.

His smack talk is also strong.

Peter's view at work

I hit up my first consignment sale of the season.  It feels really weird to be buying winter clothes in 100 degree weather.

Making breakfast with dad

Emmalyn enjoyed the spatula with the cake frosting for Mark's birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Emmalyn is now big enough to open doors in the house. Ugh!

Maxwell loves the smell of essential oils.  Whenever he smells one he talks about how good it smells.

He's been more quick to cry and has been begging and whining all the time since Brittany's family moved in.  Emmalyn hasn't been listening as well, either.  They are clearly going through an adjustment to the changes in the house, hopefully they adjust quickly. 

Second Week of May 2016 - Dave Matthews Band!

Well, it finally happened.  I got a ticket in Texas.  We've lived here for almost 7 years so I consider that a good streak.  I was taking Maxwell to school one morning and was in the school zone just outside of our neighborhood.  It's an EXTREMELY long school zone because it goes past the high school, then the middle school, and the street that the elementary school is on.  Anyway, I never speed in the school zone. I'm super good about it and even though other drivers start speeding up, I don't.  Except, this one time, there was a car upside down on the high school grass (part of a don't drink/drive demonstration for the school, I guess).  I totally turned to look and my foot, just instinctively, pushed on the gas to speed up and when I looked back and realized I was speeding it was too late.  It was literally one second later but there were two motorcycle cops in the next driveway catching speeders.  UGH!!!!!  I was so bummed because really, I am super careful and never speed!

So the motorcycle cop pulls me over and because Maxwell's in the car it's not like I can cry to get it out of it or anything else.  I just kept thinking to myself that this was Maxwell's first real experience with a police man and I didn't want him to be scared or worried or anything else that could make it a negative experience.  So, I just kept a positive attitude and dealt with it.  At the end I asked if I and my son could get out of the car so that he could see the cop's motorcycle.  He said that would be fine and was nice to Maxwell while we looked at his bike.  (I was secretly hoping that after he saw how cute my son was and how great of a mom I was that he would cut me a break and tear up the ticket, but no such luck.)

At least in Texas, I can do a defensive driving course and it won't go on my record.  So bummed!

I took my lunch and ate with Maxwell at school.  He was excited to have me there.  (I didn't end up getting to eat it because I brought a salad from Chick-Fil-A and their chicken is fried in peanut oil and since it's a peanut free school they wouldn't let me open up the salad and eat it.  I just had to roll my eyes.  I'm an adult.  I can keep the other kids from touching my food.)

My little gentlemen bringing me a chair.

Maxwell got to read a book to his class - it was really fun to watch.

Playing at the park

Woo hoo - it's a little yellow flower on my zucchini plant!!  I am so excited for something to grow in my garden!

Playing at another park on another day.  We are certainly in the goofy smile phase.

Maxwell had his last Kiddy Keys group piano class with Ms. Leah.  He has enjoyed his lessons and learned a little.  I feel like it's been extremely slow paced and that nothing he's learned has really been internalized so I don't think we will do group lessons again but I'm glad we tried it.

This group of 4 cousins are so fun together.  It makes me so happy!

I had a rare relaxing evening.  Essential oil scented relaxing lotion, great music on Pandora, and reading the book for a new thing we are doing with the neighborhood girls - a book club!  I haven't read a book in years (it's embarrassing to say that because I read so much before I had kids!).

The Emoji Elf left another little emoji for Maxwell in the mailbox.  He was really excited.

Video - Emmalyn is such a sweetheart but then she turns naught so quickly.  Watch her be so sweet and then immediately transition into "butthead".

Emmalyn and her Kindermusik class with Ms. Carolyn

Max had to make an animal mask for Kindermusik.  He chose a turtle.  Unfortunately, I could only find pictures of a ninja turtle.  Of course, that was fine with him.  :)

Maxwell and some of the kids in his class.

The new tree is doing great!

Maxwell was running errands with dad and fell asleep in the car.  Rarely happens nowadays.

It's that time again!  Dave Matthews Band Concert time!  We went this year with our neighbors again.

We left with plenty of time to enjoy dinner this time.  It's always fun spending time with Chris and Mary Ann.

Better seats than last time but still doesn't really matter to me because all I see are heads.

The weather was great!  Not super hot and a nice breeze.  It was perfect.

Love the Dave Matthews Band!  And it was a great concert with some fantastic songs.

Here's the set list:

 

So tiny she can hide under the ottoman.

Since Maxwell loved singing the songs from The Sound of Music at school, I figured he might like the movie.  It was a little over his head but he liked some parts of it (until we turned it off at the point they escape the country).

Love those cuddles

Vdeo -Remember how I talked about how she can turn nasty?  Well, isn't 2 years old too early to be saying that she hates me??

And then she can be absolutely adorable.  The curl on the front of her head had grown longer but it's still curly!

Emmalyn is finally to the point that she doesn't ask for binky every time she is going to sleep.  Her naps are shorter than normal without it though.

I love hearing her talk!  She's getting sentences and understands so much and responds when I don't expect her to.  Although, "I don't want to" is now a part of her language and sometimes she will say no to her nap.

Maxwell still says "Cucancumber" instead of cucumber and "Deemember" instead of remember and I love it.  I will be sad when the days comes that he says those words correctly.  

We've been working with him a little on multi-digit addition (doing the carryover) a little with him but he's now working on it at school. 

He asked if Oma died from eating too much candy. (We talk about how eating too much candy isn't healthy.)  It's always unexpected when he brings up her death because he doesn't do it often.  I was stunned for a moment and then told him that she didn't die from that.  I didn't take the conversation beyond that. There are moments that it still seems unreal that I have kids that will never know my mom.  She would have loved them so much and been the amazing grandparent that they totally deserve. 

 ,Max likes to help me cook and every night asks what's for dessert - most of the time it's fruit or nothing.

Max loves trivia things.