This and That

Emma took her first bath in the big tub tonight! She had a great time splashing and was very sad when I took her out.

She is doing really well with her solid food. Tonight she tried and really seemed to enjoy avocado. We're giving her big chunks of soft fruits and veggies instead of feeding her purees with a spoon, and we're all having fun with it. She sure makes a mess though! This picture was taken early in the meal. She was much much messier by the time she was done!

Here she is trying banana earlier in the week:

She cut her second tooth today and got three shots at the doctor this afternoon, so she had a fairly painful day. She has been a trooper though. She is still measuring long and lean - 94th percentile in height and 60th percentile in weight.

Max was being a train engineer, and Natalie said, "You look really cute in that, Max!"

And these last few are just cute pictures from a week or two ago that I know I'll want to see when I look back at old blog posts.

Six Months!

Happy half birthday to Emma! I just love this age. She is so fun! She seems to change every day, which is so bittersweet. I love watching her grow and learn, but wasn't she just born?!

This evening I noticed her first tooth coming in! All of her drooling and chewing is paying off!

Her army crawl is improving every day. Today she moved around by pushing from her tummy to all fours over and over again. She's definitely mobile! I'm actually sitting on the floor typing this on the lap top, and she just army crawled over to see what I was doing.

She is the sweetest little go-with-the-flow sister. She is almost always happy because she almost always has something to watch or discover. She still adores Natalie and Max. Her eyes light up when she sees them, and they still get her best giggles. Sometimes we wish that she adored them a little less because she always seems to laugh at the crazy behavior that we're trying to tame!

She is the best little accessory. She clings to me like a little monkey when I carry her on my hip, which I love. I've really been enjoying her babyhood so much. I've learned that this time is incredibly fleeting, so I welcome every bit of clingy-ness.

Her six month doctor appointment is Wednesday, so we'll see how big she is then. And Pam is taking her six month pictures tomorrow evening, so stay tuned. The six month blog posts have only just begun!

Chow Time

Emma sat in the highchair and ate supper with us for the first time today! She had some sweet potatoes, carrots, and a rice rusk. She did really well for it being her first experience with solid food. Natalie and Max were so excited for her. I think we'll have some exciting meal times until the newness wears off!

Emma Scoots!

Emma is becoming more mobile with each day! Here is what she learned today:

Max's First Day of Preschool

I'm not sure how my little guy is old enough for this already, but Max started preschool today! He was a little nervous but mostly really excited. He was already familiar with the school and the teacher since Natalie has been going there for a year, so I think that helped him feel more comfortable. Watching him walk in the classroom with Ms. Larisa almost got to me, but I knew he was going to have so much fun, and he did. He was all smiles on the drive home as he told us about his day. He chose to play Legos, potato heads, and farm during "choice time" (so different from Natalie's choices of art and dress up). He says his favorite parts were the books and the slide, and he wants to go back tomorrow with Natalie.

Natalie's First Day of School

Natalie started four-year-old preschool today, and she couldn't have been more excited. She was dressed and ready early, and it was a sunny 70 degree morning, so we decided to walk. We walked through the college campus on our way, and she showed us the science building where she says she's going to go to learn how to be a nurse when she's older. (They took a tour of some of the college buildings last year).

She has fifteen kids in her class. Twelve of the fifteen went to school together last year, but they have three new kids in their class. On the way to school this morning we talked about being friendly and welcoming to the new kids. I told her that they might be nervous because they won't know the rest of the class, and I said that if someone needs a friend to play with that she could be their friend. I didn't really expect anything to come from that conversation, but I was so proud of her when I got an email from her teacher this afternoon telling about how Natalie tried really hard to help the new students. Ms. Larisa said Natalie, "desperately wanted to help them and get them interested in various activities." She said that ultimately, the new kids were interested in playing something else, which made Natalie cry a little, but I don't think I've ever been more proud of her.

More Pool Party Pictures!

Jordan's mom, Diane, took pictures at Callen's party last Saturday, and her pictures are way better than mine!

A Day in Emma's Life

Emma spends a lot of her time doing this lately:

Then there is the sibling love that is always borderline dangerous:

And of course lots of smiles:

Just another manic Monday

We had a big day today, or so it seems by looking at the pictures on my phone.

First up, we have a cute and scary pirate:

We all had fun watching the solar eclipse over lunch:

Some sweet sibling reading time:

We ended our day at preschool open house. Natalie is going Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings this year, and Max is going Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They're both really excited to start later this week.

Although not pictured, Emma had a great day too! She is wiggling all over trying to figure out how to crawl. Getting a good picture or video of that is up next on my blogging to do list.

Callen's Birthday Party

Callen has the best birthday parties! He had a pool party last year, and Natalie and Max have been asking to go back to that pool ever since. Their wish came true today! We celebrated Callen's second birthday at the fun indoor/outdoor pool and a nearby park. We all had a great time!

Authors and a Sitter

Natalie and Max started the day by writing books and making their own library. They were so excited! They started talking about it right when they woke up this morning before they even came out of their room. They made a baby book, a grown-up book, a train book, and multiple Wizard of Oz (their current obsession) books.

Today was an exciting day for Emma too. She learned how to sit up without using a hand for balance! She has been sitting like a tripod for a while now, but even yesterday she couldn't hold a toy with both hands without toppling over. Now she's a pro. Watching these kids grow and learn right before my eyes never gets old.

Catching Up

Natalie and Max were talking to Emma about what they saw outside the window when Max asked me to take a "family picture" of them.

We were all set to walk to meet friends at the park Wednesday morning when it started raining. The kids played out front in the rain instead.

We got free passes to Exploration Place in Wichita for completing the summer reading program at the library. We met my mom there on Thursday and had a great time.

Breakfast Date

I took the kids out to breakfast this morning at a fun coffee shop in Newton. They shared a breakfast burrito and a huge cinnamon roll. We sat outside in the almost-chilly August morning air! We had a great time, ran errands, and then played at a new (to us) park the rest of the morning.