End of September 2016

I volunteered again to help out at the elementary school during Kindergarten Lunch Time (again- at 10:30!)  It's a tight run ship during that half hour.  The kids just sit there and eat.  They aren't really allowed to get loud and talk a bunch.  Towards the end of lunch they will play some calm music as well but that's really it.  The kids are getting the hang of it - I was needed far less than the last time I came.

Landen

Avery

Mr. Dimple

His lunch is usually a slice of deli turkey, apples, cheese, snap peas, crackers or pirates booty, and some dried blueberries.

He is wiped out from those long days from 7:45 - 2:55

My car is always a mess, especially since now Emmalyn is big enough to contribute to the mess by bringing stuff into the car.  

I had one last work trip for the month - I went to a leadership summit for the Network of Executive Women in Orlando.  It was a great conference plus it was a lot of fun that I had a good group of friends from work there too.

Unfortunately, it appears that Emmalyn has gotten Hand Foot and Mouth Disease when she went to Britt's church (when Peter and I were in Chicago).  So it was hard to leave her knowing that she was sick.  

Kallie, Kari, Beth, Amy, Jessica, Stacey

Beth!!  Her office used to be right next to mine and it was great.

A couple of us went to Downtown Disney for dinner.  Dinner was just eh but it was fun to walk around and I got a couple of Disney shirts for the kids.

This musician was playing a didgeridoo.  It was impressive!

A picture I got of Emmalyn in the morning.  

Hanging with dad at Maxwell's tennis lessons.

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He's on the right side, smallest kiddo there.

Snapchat entertainment with dad

We had some time before the dinner gala so we went to get pampered!

I sat with Laura, who works for one of my clients, at dinner.  It has been fun building a friendship with her especially since she was pretty cold and aloof when I first joined the team.

Facetime at bedtime.  So glad I can still see my kids even when traveling!

Red carpet

We clearly were letting loose!

Kari Jessica and Beth

We decided to leave the party and go to Kari's favorite line dancing club.  We all piled into an Uber and it was non-stop laughs.

This line dancing place was like nothing I've ever experienced.  They lined danced to everything from country to Brittney Spears.  It was a ton of fun.

We had an epic time!

Amy Purdy was the keynote speaker in the morning.  She was great!

Never a shortage of cheese

Playing with one of the toys from Peter's birthday

We were "BOO'd" by our neighbors!  The kids were really excited!

A big moment happened this week.  On Sept 26th, it was the first morning that when Emmalyn woke up, I didn't nurse her.  It was time to be done nursing.  I was really proud that I nursed her past 2 1/2 years.  She was so upset with me.  I had even prepped her a few days ago and told her that she was a big girl now and didn't need Momma's milk.  In the saddest voice ever she goes, "I'm not a big girruhl... I'm not!...I'm not a big girruhl."  ("Girl" is a two syllable word for her.)  It was super sad.  Then when Peter came into the room she told him she wanted to nurse.  It was so hard for me not to give in!

The next day on the 27th was rough again.  She had slept horribly and was up at least 6 times crying and whining throughout the night.  When I said no, she yelled at me, "I...want...to...nurse!!!!" Multiple times.  She was so mad at me.  I felt awful :(

Emmalyn is such a Momma's girl and misses me a ton when I'm not there.  She just clings to me and begs to go to work or wherever with me.  She's getting feisty though too.  She hit me today when we were in the eyeglasses store because I was stopping her from running around. 

Maxwell still says, "Demember" instead of "Remember" and "Cucancumber" for "cucumber" and "panacake" for "pancakes".  I love these little things.  :)

December is here!

Not quite a milk mustache...but a whipped-cream-on-top-of-egg nog mustache :)

Woah - - putting up the Christmas tree at the beginning of December?  I must be on the ball this year.

Emmalyn put up a few ornaments... and took down a bunch...and put up a few...and took down a bunch...

Maxwell helped out almost the whole time.  It was funny having him help this year instead of just stressful.

Maxwell calls this our "fake Christmas tree".  He's very specific.  Ha!

Putting the star on the top

Emmalyn playing at the little playground at the mall with Brittany during the day

Waiting for his flu shot

Video - (Even if you don't normally watch my videos, you should watch this one!) Max is initially happy about getting his flu shot... until he connects the dots and realizes it will be like the *4* shots he had to get during his 4 year check up.  I think he's still traumatized from that.

He did a good job, whimpered and cried just a little but got over it very quickly!

I had an end of the year meeting for work in Cincinnati.  We had our celebration at the MLB park.  It was very cool.

They welcomed us up on the jumbotron

"Oscar" the airhead came to visit us during the meeting.  This is me and Michelle.

Nana arrived to my house while I was traveling home.   The kids were very excited to see her!

Eating ice cream with nana

Another day, playing in the sun at the park

Silly kids

Nana taught a painting class in the neighborhood.  We did these really cute trees.  She's such a great teacher!

Emmalyn is talking more and more..  she now says, "Um, I don't know" and then one night this week I told her goodnight and she responded with "Goodnight, Momma".

It's funny because she LOVES the little Christmas animated musical toys (looks like a stuffed penguin, for example).  They scared Max, even up until last year.

She can find the app on the iPad that has the animals sounds (the first app we ever got Maxwell).

Emmalyn lately has not been going to sleep often during her second nap.  She will just lay there for awhile and eventually call for us without falling asleep.  She has started sleeping with the purple puppy dog that Grandpa and Nana gave to her when they were here last.  Sleeping with the puppy dog only started because she threw a fit one night when I made her stop watching videos of puppies with daddy on his phone.  And now she will grab him at night to cuddle with him.

She still has that little rash on her face around her mouth.  I have tried washing it frequently and putting lotion on it, I've tried Vaseline, lavender, etc.  So many things and nothing has cleared it up for good.  I still think it's from all her drool and I sure hope it doesn't stick around util she fully stop drooling.


When I started to say "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite..." as part of our routine Max told me to say it at night because it gives him a headache.

He is so sweet and so smart but still not very social.  We were at our friends Andrea and Jeff's home this week and their daughter Sadie (age 6) was so frustrated because Maxwell wouldn't play with her.  I have be trying to get him more time with kids other than just his cousins.

Maxwell can count to 100!