Rachel & Eliza

Aunt Julie and Bart visited us and I just love this photo of Rachel with Eliza. Eliza is such a trooper!

Emily's 3rd Birthday

Emily had an excellent 3rd birthday party this year at Wendy's Gymnastics. Emily loves gymnastics and is getting very independent at it! We had lots of friends come to the party and enjoyed beautiful strawberry cupcakes.

Holiday Times

We've had a fun and full holiday season this year. Today is the last day before going back to our regular schedule and I really hate for it to end. Today was a fun day, especially with Rachel. She got a sewing kit for Christmas and delighted it completing every pattern in her book this afternoon. She is so proud of her work! She sewed a purse, a bracelet, a chick, and a door hanger for her room. She was so sweet and joyful with her creations. She said "I am really sewing just like you, Mommy!" It made me very proud of her too. I just can't believe I have a daughter old enough to start sewing with me. Pretty cool.

Other holiday happenings:

- Gran & Popio visited us for 5 days, baking cookies, pies and taking the girls to see Alvin and the Chipmunks

- Brian got a new Macbook for Christmas

- Lynette got a lovely outfit from Ann Taylor, complete down to the accessories

- Went to COSI with the Thompson family

- Went to Michigan to the Root Grandparents and the Marisch Grandparents

- Emily and Lynette both got sick and are on antibiotics

- Lynette knitted Christina a scarf and fingerless mittens (pure fashion) for the girls

- My work was crazy with Jan 4 EDW Go Live looming

Happy New Year 2010!

Girls apart

For the first time ever, Rachel and Emily were apart! It was funny in a way that we did not realize that it would be a big deal for them both, but it really was. Rachel headed down to Cincinnati with Gran and Popio for a couple days to visit Aunt Edeen and Uncle Neal, and their big dog, Lydia. When I buckled Rachel into her car seat for a final goodbye she said in a small voice "Mommy, I'm really going to miss Emily"

Emily for her part was (unfortunately) very very sad when she got dropped off at school Monday without Rachel. Her teachers told us they saw a side of her they had never seen before and it look her over an hour to join the group in their routine and activities. Poor darling!

We've been in communication regularly and are looking forward to Rachel's return tomorrow night. At home here we enjoyed the time with Emily alone - tonight she got a special treat of going to Graeter's for ice cream after dinner and to the toy store after that to get a small gift for Rachel's return.

Christina & Jim's Wedding

The girls were awesome! They both made it down the aisle without event. The M&M bribe was effective! Have you ever seen two more beautiful flower girls?

Rachel's going to St. Joseph Montessori!

Today I submitted Rachel's enrollment package for St. Joseph Montessori School. I am so completely thrilled and excited for her to start school there in the fall. She was SO crazy about it when we went for the admissions interview. She did not want to leave and wanted to start immediately. Funny how you just know when something is meant to be - and this is one of those times.
I started looking into Montessori back in the late 90's when I met Martha McDermitt and she shared with me a little but about Mostessori philosophy and the work that she herself did with Maria Montessori opening schools all over eastern Europe. What an inspiration she was to me and now to have my very own child enrolled is a fulfillment of a dream of mine.

Inevitable

I guess it was inevitable but you never think it will happen to you... Emily drew with crayons all over the wall in the dining room this morning. And then took an ink pen to her pajamas too. She had to sit in time out for two minutes! Rachel has never done anything like this and I honestly don't think she would.

Emily - 22 months

Well time flies. I had almost forgotten about this blog to be honest.

Today was a great quote from Emily. She did not want to go to school today. She was out sick all week last week and the adjustment is of course a challenge. Upon being informed that it was a school day today she responded "Mommy, I'm not happy anymore. I'm mad."
How impressive. I told her teacher because I was so proud of her using her words to tell us how she was feeling! Emily, it took your mommy more than 35 years to be able to determine and then articulate how she was feeling. You go girl!

Emily - 10 month update

Emily got two new teeth for Christmas. It seemed like just all of the sudden we found that her two front teeth had cut through the skin. Amazing to us because she had not been upset or fussy that we had noticed. Here are some of her other recent milestones:
-She just started waving bye bye. She knows to do it at the door or window.
-If you ask her to where her ball is she can choose it out of a little pile of toys.
-She can say "All done" and give the baby sign for it
-She loves to play "Where's Emily" and crouch behind a footstool and pop up to "There she is"
-She's figured out the sippy cup for drinking water with meals
-She can balance unaided for several seconds and can cruise along the furniture like a pro
-She will now disappear out of sight if you get distracted as she is a fast crawler these days

Rachel quotes

Rachel has been saying some of the funniest things lately. I wanted to jot some down before I forgot.

"Yes, Your Grace" with a curtsey to Daddy
"Turbo wants a grey teddy bear for Christmas. He's having his Christmas today." (imaginary friend... about 5 days after Christmas)
"Mommy, we forgot to see the sunset today. You know that I love to see the sunset, right?" (so we went for a walk to watch the sunset the next day)
In response to the question what was your favorite Christmas gift... "The orange"
"Let's pretend we're skunks and spray Daddy"
"I love classical music" This is a big thing lately - she is a constant demand for classical music. Emily got her a (plastic) violin for Christmas.

Thanksgiving Dinner

We cooked lots and lots of delicious food. It was just the four of us home for a relaxing Thanksgiving day. We had turkey (brined and grilled), mashed potatoes, honeyed carrots, broccoli puree, yorkshire pudding, cranberry salad, and gravy. Wow. As you can see from the photo, Emily's favorite was the cranberries.

Can you see them?

The little teeth are popping through!

Trick or Treat

A Pumpkin and A Princess

First tooth

Emily's first tooth came through this weekend. On Friday I thought maybe she had an ear infection because she was a little bit fussy and needed lots of TLC. But low and behold it was a tooth. Another milestone in the little one's journey.

Emily's working on crawling

She is getting very close; each day I think she is going to start crawling. She is just simply the most adorable, balanced and easy going child I have ever been around. Emily is our beautiful little sweetheart!