Hobbies

Emerson still goes to gymnastics on Tuesday and my mom or Jason (if he is off of work) take her since I work on Tuesday. It breaks my heart that I can't take her! I get sad every Tuesday. She asks me to go with her all the time. She says "I want Mommy to take me to gymnastics, not Grandma or Daddy!" :( She is still a big momma's girl! I went with her from last January until I started work in late October. I was able to take her once during Christmas break though and hope to a few more times before she has to go to the preschool class by herself when she turns 3. :( My mom said she is doing great and still loves it. I could switch her to a class on Thursday but it's different teachers and I LOVE her teachers as they are the only ones she has had as well as Landon when he was in class. It would also be all new kids then the ones in her class since September. I guess I will eventually have to switch. Right now Landon has to go too since there is no one to watch him and he is so good and sweet as he just sits up against the wall and observes as he is not interested in going to the preschool class by himself. The teachers are so nice as they let him go play on the mountain at the end of class and let him get stamps. Jason said he looked so cute last Tuesday when he took them and he kind of felt bad for him as he sat up against the wall and observed for 30 min. :(

Landon has enjoyed playing baseball and t-ball in the yard for a few months now. He's not that great at catching, nor really wants to try, but loves to hit the ball off the tee and really, really loves to slide....over and over again in the house or in the yard or anywhere for that matter. Our church was hosting a baseball clinic the first Saturday in February and we decided it would be good to try that first before enrolling him in a league....$25 vs. $140. We wanted to see if he would like it in an organized setting since he tends to march to the beat of his own drum. Jason was one of the coaches and helped out with Landon's age group of about 6 kids. It was rough in the beginning as we were expecting, but once he got comfortable and started having fun with the other kids sliding and hitting he was good. Landon is just one of those kids that is stubborn, persistent, and wants to do what he wants to do so that can be a problem sometimes. One child was having a difficult time too with his dad (I guess 5 year old kids and their dad coaches butt heads a lot!) and Jason went over and talked to him and started working with him so Landon kind of got jealous and decided to snap to it as well as the dad of the other kid working with him helped. When Landon came home from the clinic all he talked about was when his next game was and how much fun he had. So we decided to attempt t-ball for this season. The teams are being formed this week and it will start in the next 2 weeks. I'm excited for him! It should be interesting though as they are 5 year olds. I think it will be good for him as they group them by schools so he will meet kids that will go to school with him next year and live in our neighborhood. Jason is suppose to be an assistant coach too...let's hope he goes with a lot of patience! :)


Landon resting after a long morning at the Dierkers Champs baseball clinic. They were suppose to be listening to Larry Dierker (he goes to our church) give a pep talk, but they were exhausted. I did not send the camera, dang it, as I didn't think Jason would have time to take pictures.

Gymanstics with daddy

Ducks with Grandpa & Grandma

Another fun Friday excursion with G&G to the duck pond!!

We Have Butterflies!

We have had chrysalis' for about 10 days now and yesterday I noticed that we finally had a butterfly. By this morning we had three and we are waiting on one more, assuming he's not dead from all of the commotion of my two rugrats. Not sure if butterflies can hear, but I bet they are ready to be released after all of the ruckus in our house! They like drinking from the oranges and are starting to flutter around a lot. Once the other one hopefully transforms we will release them which the kids will like. The kids have really enjoyed watching the life cycle and especially enjoy checking them out now that they are butterflies. They were giggling as they watched them move, eat, and flutter. Landon also asks a lot of questions and enjoys learning as he's a sponge and is so curious. This has been a great learning experience for the kids! I have learned a lot too by just reading the information sheet....they eat with their feet, have 10,000 eyes, and fly 1,000 miles in their lifetime.

"Baby"

Although Emerson can definitely be classified as a tomboy since she loves dirt, bugs, cars/trucks, and all boy things she also has a very girly side. She loves dolls, dress-up, being motherly, carrying around purses, and wearing necklaces, bows, and dresses. She keeps telling me she wants a princess birthday party after I gave her some choices as to what kind of party to have for her upcoming 3rd birthday in May (gasp! 3 years old??). When I asked her if she wanted a Minnie Mouse party she said, "No, I don't like Minnie! I want a princess party!". Her latest obsession is her baby dolls, particularly a little bitty baby that she carries around with her everywhere. "Baby" has already received a bath and her shirt has been washed as she has been to Sunday school, the playground, Target, everywhere in the back and front yard, Five Guys Burger & Fries, and many other places. She has also gone on many car rides and has been to both grandparents house as well as to a surprise anniversary party last night. I believe she has also gone on rides and walks around the lake. "Baby" is Emerson's new BFF!! :) I asked Emerson what her name was and she said "Emerson", but we still call her "Baby". When we were at Target last week of course "Baby" couldn't stay in the car so she came on in with us. As we were shopping Emerson decided that "Baby" would be safer inside her shirt, so she stuffed her in there for safe keeping for the rest of our shopping trip. It was cute and Emerson sure thought it was funny too. She also enjoyed sporting a Easter hat from the dollar section. We love the dollar section...cheap entertainment and goodies!

Emerson has also been very dramatic lately. Anytime anyone says "My _____ hurts" or "I don't feel good" she follows up with the same thing or that something is wrong with her too. It's non-stop. It's hard to tell when she is being honest or is just wanting some attention because she complains sometimes even before Landon does. Most of the time it's "My tummy hurts" or her legs or ears. She even does it with her baby dolls as she tells me her baby doesn't feel good or her baby feels better or doesn't feel better. One morning she even brought her doll and its blanket and pillow into the bathroom while I was getting dressed and got the baby all covered up and told me the baby wasn't feeling better. Hilarious! I guess it's just the dramatic girl in her!

Another funny random thing I want to remember (I'm going to add more to this post as soon as my poor brain can remember!) that she does is she calls Taco Bell, Jingle Bells. She has only ate there maybe 2 times and not even at that location. When we pass it on the freeway she says "There's Jingle Bells!" as the kids love to point out and name everything they see when in the car.

Entertainment

The one and only positive aspect of having a million houses built around us and the constant dirt, mud, traffic, and lots of noise including a bunch of yelling not done in English, is that the kids have built in entertainment all the time. Whether it's a bulldozer, backhoe, 18 wheeler, tractor, or tons of men working the kids enjoy watching out the windows for hours. And I think our loud children are a source of constant entertainment for them too! There is always something going on. And, unfortunately it looks like the lot on the other side of our house (by the kids windows) will be under construction soon. I'm SO done with the construction! So it looks like the kids won't be sleeping or napping for a few weeks! The builder (not our builder) next to us has caused us one headache after another...cut phone line which resulted in no phone/internet for 28 hours, over spray paint on our windows and a/c unit, broken fence, damaged grass/landscaping, constant dirt/mud and trash all over our driveway and yard, etc. I just keep reminding myself that it will be nice for them to get all of these houses done at one time and in a year we will have peace and quiet, clean streets, and sidewalks everywhere.

Here Emerson was watching the 18 wheeler and fork lift unloading pallets of grass. She watched the "tractor" as it came and went unloading grass next door for about 30 minutes.





How often do you see this on your street? Forget a truck to carry irrigation tubing, why not run down the street rolling it?? It's hard to tell in the picture but he was sprinting down the street, so fast that I could barely get a picture. Nothing ever ceases to amaze me!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Valentines Parties

On Wednesday the kids had their Valentines Party at school. Emerson's was in the morning during drop off time. The teachers said they weren't doing much and I didn't have to stay but I am SO glad that I did. They started off with a snack and then they had to go to chapel in the middle of their snack. Most parents snuck away but Emerson grabbed my finger as she loves to do and said "Mommy go to chapel with me", so I went. It was so cute! They talked about God's love and the heart and sang a few songs....Jesus Loves Me, The Bible Song, and another one I can't remember. She sang along and did all the hand motions. It was precious and music to my ears to hear lots of 2 year olds singing. So sweet! When chapel was over Emerson decided to run up the aisle of the sanctuary to get to the front of the line of her class (she has learned all of this from home...competition!) and as I was telling her to stop running she went splat head first onto the tile floor as they were exiting when she bumped into another kid....the one she doesn't care too much for and complains that this child always hits her and the same one she bit. So, she was screaming bloody murder holding her head and I carried her back to the classroom. In between sobs she kept blaming the other kid for pushing her, which I don't think he did. He was trying to get to the front of the line too. So that made for a difficult exit for me as she was clingy and upset. When she is sick, hurt, or upset she wants her Mamma! Luckily her awesome teachers distracted her and I was able to leave. And go run an errand in the freezing rain and sleet. It was SO cold! Landon's party was after lunch. Jason even came for a few minutes. He felt like he needed to come as Landon asked him on Tuesday night if he would be there so Jason would feel guilty if he didn't make it. Landon doesn't ever forget anything so he would be upset if Daddy wasn't there. They made ice cream sundaes, had a snack, and had a craft activity. It was a precious little flower arrangement that the kids made. Of course Landon was glued to his girl Julia. They melt my heart watching them as they are such good friends and are so good with each other. Arranged marriage!!! :) Landon preferred eating the candy and lollipop instead of the ice cream. It was a fun little party as he has the best teachers and group of kids in his class. There are several moms I'm friends with as well as kids that Landon already knew. What a great class for his last year of preschool!

Two precious videos of Emerson singing. Sorry they are not the best quality. I only had my regular camera with me and used the video camera function for the first time. It was hard too with her sitting in my lap so I had to hold it out without seeing what I was doing.

Home Alone

Landon spent the night Monday night with Nana so Emerson got the house all to herself. After school Nana met us to get Landon and then we came home. I figured I would get a lot done with just one kid....boy, was I wrong! She is such a needy mama's girl and just followed me everywhere calling my name and asking me to sit with her or play with her. I guess she didn't have brother to entertain her (and beat her up!) so I was next in line! Once Jason got home she played with him most of the night and got his undivided attention. She can be a daddy's girl sometimes. She also took a bath in the big tub all by herself. I think she enjoyed being home alone as she doesn't get it that often since we no longer go to speech therapy and Landon doesn't have school anymore on Tuesday/Thursday. Dinner and bedtime was definitely easier and not as crazy.

Bug & Snake Lover

Our butterfly caterpillars/larvae were delivered today (poor things must of been cold out on the front porch!) and the kids were SO excited. Landon received the butterfly habitat for his birthday...thanks Jalei, Lane and Elliot! They loved watching them crawl all in the cup and Landon wanted to learn all about their life cycle and when they would become butterflies. He wanted to know how long 3 weeks was and said it was too long! He's very excited! Emerson would literally not put the cup down as she was obsessed with the caterpillars. All she wanted to do was to watch them while giggling and turning the cup all which ways. I moved the cup far on the counter and she was crawling on the counter from the bar stool just to reach it (it's now hidden as we don't need caterpillars crawling in the kitchen). She has this thing with critters and bugs. She loves them and is not afraid of them AT ALL as she always squeals with delight and wants to pick them up. While Landon prefers to stomp on them as he says bugs are bad. Last night she was playing with the million play plastic animals that we have and her favorite is always the snake....it freaks Jason out as he hates snakes with a passion. She even sticks the snakes in her purses and carries them around the house. We always worry about her just picking up a real snake with no fear. So, we asked her last night as she was playing with it what she would do if she saw a real one outside. Her response...."pet it" (as she demonstrated on the plastic one with excitement)! Yikes!! Crazy girl! She also loves the snake exhibit at the zoo as well as Landon. Both kids love looking at pictures and learning about them but that't the extent of Landon's "snake love". We don't have to worry about him petting one! He will come running to tell us that he saw one while Emerson will be hanging back making it her new pet.

We're looking forward to watching the butterfly life cycle! Stay tuned for pictures soon.

Snow Day 2011

What an interesting week we had last week, as did the rest of Houston and Texas! Wednesday was crazy with all of the rolling blackouts as getting to the kid's school and work was an adventure with traffic and all of the traffic lights being out. I don't think the kid's school ever lost power but at the school that I teach at we had 4 blackouts just in the time I was there from 9:15-1pm. It was an interesting day of teaching, or lack thereof. The kids behaved well but the schedules were off as well as attempting to feed the whole school lunch in about 30-45 min. while there was still power. You should of since us teachers frantically race to the microwaves to warm our lunches when the power came back on. It was quite an interesting day!

On Thursday before all of the craziness began we met my friend Mandy and Landon's friend Julia at McDonalds for lunch. The kids behaved SO well and had a blast playing for almost 2 1/2 hours in their favorite play area while we chatted. It was so nice as the kids were good and we were able to catch up. Landon is in love with Julia as they are in the same class together at school and have known each other since they were 6 months old (her birthday is 3 days after Landon's). They play so well together and all he does is talk about her when he gets home from school. Landon is glued to her! It's so sweet and I am so glad they are friends as it's good for both of them. It melted my heart to watch how sweet they played together. I'm so sad for the school year to end and I know Landon will be very sad too.

Jason left work on Thursday around 2:30 as his work shut down due to all of the hype from the meteorologists. I'm sure people from up north think we are crazy! His work was also shut down on Friday which was a good thing due to the ice on the roads. We had a great snow day home as a family on Friday. We actually had a little bit of snow that could be seen on the roofs, flower beds, and on the kid's swing set. It wasn't the 1-3 inches predicted but we got more than the rest of Houston. It appeared around 5am and the kids were up bright and early around 6:30am wanting to see and play in the snow as promised for the past few days. We started the day off with some pigs in a blanket for breakfast and then moved on to painting some ceramic critters, coloring, and playing with stickers and had some dance offs as the kids still love to dance and sing to all kinds of music. It's fun playing dj for them as they are music lovers....some of their favorites are The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, and Katy Perry. We eventually got all bundled up and let them play in the "snow" for a few minutes until it was too dang cold for us. There was enough snow for Landon to scrape off of the slide a few times and throw. Guess it was good enough for him. No snowman though! They wanted to swing and play some more but instead we let them play in the heated garage with their train track set while watching their Disney shows and eating a snack. Later Jason aired up the jumper in the garage and let them have at it. What more could a kid ask for? They then spent the rest of the day in there. It was a fun family day and the kids had a blast and were surprisingly very well behaved!

















Holding the ice that was formed in the bottom of the toy shopping cart. The kids liked stomping on the broken pieces when I broke it on the concrete.