Our darling Emma turned two August 23rd! We did what she loves to do best- we took her to the park and made her pasta! I love 2 year old birthdays! I figure I have maybe one more year until the "birthday demands" kick in. We always let the birthday child pick an activity and dinner (within reason) on his/her birthday. Since we home school we can almost always celebrate on their actual birthday depending on Dad's work schedule. I don't do too many parties (Only for big years, like when Brad turned 8 and was baptized we had a big party. We will probably do something special for Savanna's Sweet 16 NEXT year- yikes!). I love that some of my family and friends go all out with the parties every year. I love attending when we can and enjoy how creative they are, but throwing my own parties stresses me out. The preparation, the hosting, the cleanup- yep, the whole thing! Maybe I will enjoy that more when I have a bigger space, a bigger budget, and more time (so when ALL my kids are grown and gone, I will throw myself some amazing birthday bashes)! For now I much prefer a family activity and special dinner. One day, and then back to real life! Savanna's birthday is next month and she wants to go get her hair done at a Salon (dyed and cut), she wants to shop with her anticipated birthday money, and then she wants to pick up her best girlfriend and go eat Sushi. LOVE it! One day, super fun, DONE. :)
Okay, back to Emma. Here she is in all her cuteness:
She refuses to let us pick out her clothes. She picks out all her own outfits (mostly skirts and dresses). Savanna says we should nominate her for "What Not to Wear." She might win with this one!
She is still loving her doll and stroller from her Auntie for her birthday as you can see!
Benjamin lost his first front tooth when he fell off a bar stool on our tile floor. He lost his second front tooth last week when he fell on Brad's foot while jumping on the trampoline (AKA Brad kicked him in the face "accidentally")! Dang Boys!!
Brad had his first soccer game today! He is having a blast. He is such a team player. His team's name is The Scorpions. I love going to the games. Now that he is getting older they are becoming much more coordinated and competitive. Emma loves going too. Every time Brad would get the ball she would scream, "Thank you, Brad!" She cheered for him and waved and clapped. Totally cute!
Our garden is doing awesome! I have enough greens for smoothies usually once or twice per week. Having fresh herbs is amazing! I use the basil and parsley a lot, and the kids love to go out and pick fresh cilantro for their burritos or tacos. Our tomatoes and cucumbers should be ready to harvest in the next couple of weeks as well. We haven't had a very hot summer so it is taking a bit longer. We just planted some kale too.
But our pumpkin patch is doing the best! We have several large pumpkins, and the kids can't wait until they turn orange.
Not too much else to report here! James is officially off training and has started graveyard shift. I absolutely love it, and he absolutely hates it! He sleeps until about 5pm so we have dinner together every night. He helps me at the hardest part of my day with cleanup, baths, and bedtimes. He leaves at 8pm (all the littles are tucked in and the house is clean!), and I blog, read, hang with Savanna- whatever- and then go to sleep. I wake up and he arrives home within an hour and we all have breakfast! The only downside on my end is keeping everyone quiet and having the baby nap downstairs during the day. His body, however, is having a hard time adjusting to being up all night. Plus graves are dead boring so the time drags. He will have this shift until January and then he will be one of the first people to pick their shift instead of the last! In the mean time he is having a great attitude and is just grateful to be out on his own without a trainer breathing down his neck!!
School is still going well. I feel like we just hit a good groove. Savanna is super motivated. The boys are always excited to learn. Benjamin is doing so well with his reading and has gone to the library twice to get more books. I am going to spend tomorrow putting together some "toddler totes" I read about to keep Emma occupied while I do school with the older kids. Having her whine and run around during the bulk of our school morning is pretty distracting. I'm going to make her a rice table with cups and funnels and spoons. Maybe I'll add some dried beans too. Savanna's daycare had one when she was about Emma's age and she played with that ALL day. Someone suggested paint brushes with water and cardboard. Maybe some homemade playdough and cookie cutters. She needs simple, hands-on, independent activities to keep her happy. And then everyone else will be happy too (That's the plan, at least)!
August 19 - Sept 8, 2012
