WOW! Time For An Update!

Damn Facebook. It's my new blog. Downloading photos from my phone is so easy on Facebook! Can't do that here. I have to download something. Facebook is great for all the big and some little things, but the thing about Facebook is, I can't post milestones my kids meet without sounding like a complete brag whore or annoying mom. And I can't find my baby book since the move.

I decided to log onto the blog tonight to see pictures of Emily at Nathan's current age of 2.5. He
is already 2.5????

So I'm logging this information for my future entertainment:

Tonight, Nathan named most letters of the alphabet. We are still working on colors. So far he has blue down. And maybe red. Sometimes. Green and yellow and all the rest are complete guesses.

We have not started potty training yet. Whereas with Emily, she was already in underwear at this point. Second kid? Having a boy? Jury is out. I'm claiming sheer laziness on mom's part.

He loves to sing and dance.  The kid can sing all lyrics to any pop song on the radio. Kid you not. His mother's child. Not much of an attention getter. The moment someone gives him a compliment, he hides in my shoulder. His father's child.

He LOVES books. He can count to 10. He loves trains, cars, airplanes. Anything with wheels.

Still takes 2 hour naps, and sleeps 12 hours at night. Love my sleep trained kids!!!

He is STILL BREASTFEEDING. Yep. I said it. We do it for 5 minutes before nap and bedtime. 10 minutes total all day. Don't care. He's my last kid. I'll chalk it up to that. Spoiled rotten. Me? Sucker. No wait, that would be him.

He's a sweet, gentle kiddo with a little bit of boy spice. But not too much when compared to other boys. He doesn't get the art of rough housing or wrestling. Could be because he has a very sensitive and loving big sister:

Emily. She lost her first tooth this year! She rode her bike briefly without training wheels a month ago. She is excelling in 1st grade. Still a perfectionist. Still gets easily frustrated, but still an amazing human being who thinks on such a deep level. She still has issues with watching movies. She bawled at Frozen. I mean tears, snot and the ugly cry. The whole shebang. She just gets things. She is so caring and loving of friends, and always tries to be the clown making them laugh. She is sooooo incredibly smart. A ginormous lover of math and her reading skills top the charts! She has wonderful writing and her spelling is getting better every day. She is so focused and loves to build and create things with paper. She loves her baby brother and they play nicely together most days. Some days she gets frustrated and a little jealous of the time he takes away, so I remember to do date days with her a couple times a month. Just me and my girl. Love her. Did I mention she's funny, so beautiful and so smart? She really enjoys softball and plays soccer in the fall. She's been a rockstar swimmer since 4 years old. We'll keep that one in our back pocket for now. She can join swim team later. Like waaaay later. We will start her in tennis this summer as she has a mean swing!! She is the most amazing big sister. She loves Nathan with all her heart and she thinks of the best imaginary games for them to play. They will complement eachother as life goes on.

We moved!!! Oh, this house is beautiful. Edmonds, WA is an amazing town. You know everyone here. Ferries, trains, restaurants, everything. We will never leave.

That is all. I hope I got it all. I probably didn't. For all other updates, join Facebook. But for bragging updates, check here. It's my continued baby and kid book for Nathan and Em.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

 New Grandma with Emily in 2008

With Nathan in 2012

Happy Mother's Day to my mom. 

You are so important to us and so loved!! 

Thank you for all your support and love the last 36 years of my life.

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We hope all of our friends had a wonderful holiday. 

Many wishes of health and happiness in 2014.

Emily was a doll with Santa. Nathan? Yeah, he wasn't a big fan.

We had a lovely time this year. Despite the tears, Santa brought Nathan a basketball hoop and Emily a Doc McStuffins medical kit. We were surrounded by family for one whole week, which is the best gift of all. Good food, great wine and family. Isn't that what it's all about? 

Matt and I made an offer on a home in Edmonds a couple weeks ago. 

We hope 2014 has a kind start and the deal goes through. 

It's a short sale, so many complications can potentially be involved financially. 

However, they more than likely will accept our offer, and hopefully the bank will do the same. 

Here is the link to the home.

http://www.redfin.com/WA/Edmonds/16012-74th-Pl-W-98026/home/2718656

It definitely needs some TLC and needs to be expanded into a 4th bedroom for our needs, but the home already has so much of the charm we desire. 1930s cape cod styling, wood framed ceilings, multi-panel windows with a view to the sound. And it's on a half acre of land, so we won't be a whisper away from the neighbors.

Wish us luck!! 

If we get the home, our summer camping trip just might move into our backyard!

Snow Day!

Snow days in our neighborhood are so much fun! This was the last day of school before Christmas break. I'm pretty sure the kids weren't disappointed. 

In fact, Emily excitedly said to Nathan, 'Sissy gets to stay home with you, baby!'

All the kids come out to play first thing in the morning. 

We had a massive snowball fight and the kiddos sled down the hill. 

This was Nathan's first introduction to snow. He was excited at first, then over it 10 minutes after that. So I snuggled him up in the stroller and he happily watched the big kids and adults have fun.

Emily, Tyson and Kayla (or as Nathan says, La La)

Hot cocoa and a playdate at Kayla's house followed.

What a great day!

Holiday Season 2013

Here are the kiddos! Emily, 5 1/2 and Nathan 15 months. Hard to believe, really. We had a lovely Thanksgiving this year at Mark and Sabath's house. And now, blink! It's almost Christmas! Emily will be getting a bunch of random small gifts and Nathan will receive a little basketball hoop from Santa. He loves balls! Go figure. :)

Emily is really enjoying Kindergarten. She reads basic books quite fluently now, she really likes math. She says her favorite subject is Science. It's amazing how fast they learn once they are in school every day, 5 days a week. She gave soccer a go this fall and now she'll be moving on to gymnastics for the winter. She continues to do swimming lessons here and there. She's a natural at that! She is growing up so fast. I sometimes catch myself just staring at her in awe, until she says 'why are are you staring at me mama?' Now I understand why I asked such a question to my mother.

Nathan is walking, saying about 7 words and definitely understanding the world around him more.  He's such a sweetheart boy, very sensitive to those around him. He's gentle and gives Emily so many kisses, especially when she is hurt or starts to cry. We love him and Emily so much. They really do love eachother...it's great to see that sibling bond happening so quickly.

Happy Halloween!

13 Months & Kindergarten Update.

Nathan with 90-year-old Great Grandma Bessie. They were buds at the last Mullet gathering.

 

Our kiddos, cutest EVAH!

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Nathan is now officially over 1 year old. I seriously can't believe it. He's crawling up and down stairs on his own, so now we are to the point where he'll disappear and play downstairs happily by himself.  Or he'll crawl upstairs to play in his room or sissy's room. What a relief to know he knows how to get down stairs without tumbling now. This makes my life so much easier. Emily and Nathan are playing a lot more together, and now Emily is realizing Nathan always wants to be with her, so it is adding a tiny bit of frustration. But she really does love him so much.

Nathan is a sweetie, so mellow in nature. He's social with others: waves hi to everyone and LOVES giving other babies kisses.  His sleep habits are not as wonderful as Emily's were, but that would be pretty hard to top. Emily was a rockstar sleeper. Nathan is cutting a few more teeth, so I think that's a reason why he has been waking at night. Ergh. Not much of a talker this one, but he certainly understands what we say. Oh - he's a super big fan of Papa. :)

His new tricks? Standing solo for long stretches and taking a few steps here and there. He's super close to walking. He is also voicing his opinion more these days during diaper and clothing changes. He's learning if he pokes Emily in the face, she doesn't like it, so he does it more to get the reaction. So anyway, here we go into the 2nd year. Hooray! ;)

Emily is really enjoying Kindergarten. Her teacher is fantastic, and I'm having a wonderful time helping out in class my one morning a week. I'm getting to know the kids very well, and I'm becoming more comfortable working with them. The class had their first math test yesterday with partitions up and all. I felt really proud about how all of them performed. It was a 4 page test that took 25 minutes, and they all finished! I'm really proud of how well Emily has adjusted to full day kindergarten. We haven't had any more than maybe one really tired, meltdown kind of day since she started. She definitely feels at home at her new school.

Happy 1st Birthday, Nathan!

 Nathan, or 'Goo' as his big sister affectionately calls him, turned 1 on September 9.

Oh, sweet boy. How we love him! He's such an easy-going, happy dude.
He's about 25th percentile for weight and height, so he's on the smaller side. But he's cruising around this place like a champ - crawling, opening cabinets, cruising furniture, crawling up stairs. Basically, he's preparing us for his big walking debut. Emily didn't walk until 14 months, and I bet he'll do the same.

He has TWO bottom teeth! If you'll remember, Emily didn't get one tooth until the age of 2.

He's a great eater, eats everything! He especially loves meat and veggies. Not a huge fruit fan, but he does like bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe and blueberries. He definitely loves sweet treats more than Emily did at this age. He dug into his birthday cupcake without much hesitation.

He's a pretty good sleeper without much protest: 2 naps during the day and about 10-11 hours at night. He has been waking up around 4:30 a.m. the last week, so I hope this phase passes. He hasn't done this since 6 months old, so I think it's some kind of growth spurt or milestone sleep disruption.

Now that Emily is in full day Kindergarten, I have lots of alone time with Nathan. I am so lucky I get to have this time like I did when Emily was a baby. It's so very important to me (thank you, Matthew!). So we are back to stroller walks, library time, baby playdates and music classes during the week. Brings back many memories.

Nathan isn't much of a chatter like Emily was. He makes a few animal noises here and there and says 'uh-oh' and that's about it. He definitely understands what we say though and follows pretty good direction. So far, if we tell him 'no thank you' when touching something he's not supposed to be, he's pretty good at listening. That will change!!

We kept our celebrating low-key for Nathan's 1st. We had grandparents over one night for dinner, and a few baby friends over in the morning of his birthday for cupcakes.  He was very happy to see everyone.

Emily is a great playmate and a wonderful babysitter for me! She is very aware of what he should and shouldn't be doing, and she is quick to tell me if he needs a diaper change. They are little buddies.

Happy birthday, Nathan! We love you!!!!

11 Months Old, Summertime and Kindergarten!

 Oh my word! What a summer we've had here in Seattle. It's the best I can remember temp-wise. 

75-80 degrees every day from June until September. Little rain, lots of fun. 

We didn't travel anywhere, but we sure kept busy.

Nathan is 11 months old, going on 1 YEAR! Oy vey. He's such a little cutie with the sweetest demeanor. We took the kiddos camping with friends a couple weeks ago, and it was the best camping trip yet. Both kids played hard, slept hard and loved it. We took Emily for her first time when she was 2.5, so having a baby was definitely different. Lots o' stuff to pack! We could barely fit Jonas in the car, but a miracle repack job by Matt made it happen. 

Nathan did fantastic. He loved playing in the sand and looking at all the tall trees, birds and dogs around the campsite. He didn't put any dirt or rocks in his mouth, which was totally unexpected and shocking. His fave spot was in the pack with Papa. Unforgettable.

At 11 months, he's attempting to stand up solo and signing 'more' at the dinner table. He's getting his first tooth now, too. No true words other than 'uh-oh' and babbles spoken yet, but he does know what a sheep says: 'Baaa-aaa-aaaa!' He's sleeping well, eating well. I'll start taking him to library story times and music class next month. He dances to everything! This kid is a maniac when it comes to music. Enjoy some pics of our camping adventure:

Emily was a flower girl this summer for our cousins Adam and Christina. She was edible. Purely edible.

Took Emily to the Fair this year again - just her and me. We had a great time. She was big enough to ride on the BIG rollercoaster this year. Woot! She loved the thrill.

 Emily is starting Kindergarten September 4th! I'm really having different feelings than expected at this point. It's all so exciting, but at the same time, this has been the longest I've ever been away from her in a weekday. Think about it...the teacher will see her more in waking hours than I will! It's a lot to wrap my brain around. We went school shopping the other day and, clearly, Emily will be one of the the stylish ones in class! She's such a sassy pants. She's ready to start. Her teacher's name is Mrs.Verrall and she will be attending a k-8 Co-op in Edmonds, the best school academically in the district. It was a lottery drawing to get in, so we are feeling incredibly fortunate. We believe in the public school system, but parent participation being required is what makes this school stand out. She'll do great, and I will be there every step of the way to see her succeed! Oh, the places she will go!

Look Who is 10 Months Old!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_videoeditor&v=ctnpkOB1ylA


Nathan has developed quite an affliction with music. Since about 6 months old, I noticed him dancing to such simple things as the dog lapping up water, a clock ticking and clapping and singing...immediately. This video is of him 'singing' with his stand-up toy during one of its songs...something I noticed he was very enthusiastic about a couple weeks ago. Notice how he pauses then sings when the singer does. I was really impressed!!

(You'll also notice big sissy playing with her toys in the background. Too cute!)

He is an absolute love. I adore this age so much!!! He's just happy to be alive, noticing everything. Today he laughed uncontrollably over virtually nothing for 20 minutes. Everything was making him laugh...mostly his big sister's crazy, loud antics. A baby's laughter is such a joyous sound.  They are not touched by the world's pain yet. It's an amazing time of life.

We love him so much...our wee blue-eyed, blondie. Such a little hunk-a-lunka with a smile that melts hearts everywhere. He's now pulling himself up to standing, army crawling, showing the sign 'all done', and waving 'goodbye', 'hi' and 'night-night.' His first word is 'uh-oh!' He eats all sorts of food. Still on 2-3 naps with 12 hours at night.

Life is good. We are so glad he's here. With a dog, a cat and two healthy kiddos, our family is most certainly complete. We are so grateful.

Xoxo.

Last Day of Preschool

Our little graduate off to Kindergarten!

We are so very proud of our sweet Emily, now a graduate of preschool. She can write her name, all the letters of the alphabet, do basic math addition and subtraction, and she can read beginner 3-letter word reading books. She's come a long way since 3 and she's ready to DOMINATE Kindergarten at Maplewood Co-op K-8!!

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And look who is 9 months old!!

Little Nathan is eating almost everything we put in front of him, as well has baby food 3 times a day. He is sleeping a full 12 hours at night with 3 naps a day. He is up on all fours now and lunging/rocking forward to grab things. Pretty soon, he'll be crawling all around this joint! He says dadadada, mamama, vavava. He's a pretty easy going baby, sleeps on the go like a champ. He loves to be held and talked to and he smiles at every stranger, but definitely prefers to be held by Mama. We love him to bits!

Happy 5th Birthday, Emily!

Dearest Emily: 

Your outgoing personality practically bursts out of the seams of your soul. It's only fitting your birthday is the anniversary of the day Mt. St. Helens blew its top. At times, it seems your exuberant, infectious laugh can be heard from miles away. Lord knows the entire staff at MLT pool has heard it. Your glowing smile paired with your beautiful blues melts our hearts. You are the funniest kid we've ever known, you are confident yet emotional and sensitive. You are incredibly smart and you are passionate about the people and things in your world. Kid, you WILL move mountains one day. We are so darn proud of you. Happy 5th birthday to our Emma Lemma! Love, Mama, Papa, Nathan, Jonas and Pumpkin the cat.

 

 Emily had an awesome time with all her friends!

The following day, we had family over to celebrate. 

What a lucky girl!

Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate this very special birthday. Love to all!