The Fall Blog That’s Now a Winter Blog

Since Emmett’s birthday, there’s been a couple big changes!

Birthday Girl

Sophie turned five. Five! Everyone says time flies, but for some reason that number makes it stick. For her birthday, Amanda organized another amazing party, this time with a rainbow theme! We got a little inflatable pool, a rainbow inflatable waterfall type thing, and overall, had a great time with a backyard party. The cake is where Amanda truly outdid herself. She made a multi layer rainbow cake that when you cut into it, M&M’s fell out of it. It was so professional!!!


RosenOgre

At the end of August, I started a new job with a local electricity management company called Energy Ogre. It was a big career decision, but when the opportunity came, it was too good to pass up. So far, I’ve really enjoyed it.

I’m still in marketing and am using video production to help tell the company’s story. It’s been very interesting to see how the business world is different than the tv one. The work life balance was a big reason I made the switch, and so far, that’s been a good move.

Terrific/Terrible Twos

Emmett is definitely going through a bit of a phase where he can get angry FAST! As soon as he turned two, words started falling out of his mouth. We could start to really get a sense of what he wanted. On the downside, like all kids, he wants what he wants when he wants it. This can be an issue, because sometimes what he wants doesn’t line up with what Soph wants. And that is a recipe for crying and shouting. I truly think we’re just in a little phase and he’ll grow out of it soon. On the terrific side, it’s amazing hearing him put these phrases together, seeing him be more assertive, and showing his own identity.

Some favorite phrases: “Sophie, Baka scare you?” “Hold you, hold you” “I wan you sit wih me” "Ow-wet"

Up In The Air

Halloween weekend, Amanda and I went up to Chicago for our first solo trip since the pandemic. Amanda’s aunt was amazing watching the kids, and we had an excellent time. We went for a fraternity brother’s wedding and it was just a great weekend seeing old friends.

The next weekend, we were back in the airport, this time headed to California. Another AEPi was getting married and since it was in SoCal, we took the opportunity to have the kids see their grandparents. It was a tough decision to have them travel with us, but after looking at Covid case numbers and talking with our pediatrician, we chose to have them go.

Amanda and I left the kids in LA with her parents while we went to Dana Point for a gorgeous wedding. It was so much fun to see the crew and be amazed by the gorgeous views. After a quick visit with our friends that moved from Houston to San Diego, we went back and rounded out the trip in LA. The kids had such a fun weekend!

We went to Dallas for Rosh Hashanah and that was really great. We enjoyed seeing my parents’ new place and the kids loved the pool. We also went back for Thanksgiving as well, and the kids loved it. This time, we stayed with my parents. Sophie LOVED playing with Babka, while Emmett was scared of the puppy. You’d think since we have Bali, he wouldn’t be scared of another dog. However, we think he might just be so used to Bali since she’s always been there, maybe he doesn’t see her as a dog? Maybe just another part of the family?

It was also great to see so many family and friends. We’re so lucky to be loved by so many.

Channukah Funnakah

It’s obvious to say, but Channukah is just really fun with the kids. We loved having them dress in their holiday jammies with their cousins, going to activities, and of course, lighting the candles. Muggsy doesn’t understand why he can’t hold the candle on his own, but he got better at lighting while we held the candle together.

Overall, I’m thankful for the return of family time and a bit more normalcy. A new variant, shakes things up again, but we'll just continue doing the best we can in the moment. 

Terrific Twos and Coming Up on Five

 This blog is waaaaaay overdue. S & E are well, a lot older than the last time I wrote, and plenty has changed!

Emmett’s First Words

Emmett started with a few words such as bye, shoes, socks, ball, hot. Now, he’s progressed to combine a few words. “Dadash, apen, alp, plis”. Which I’m sure you understand, “Dad, open, help, please.” In the last couple weeks, the combinations have really started to increase. Not a combo, but one of my favorites expressions is, “Heyyyyyyyy” whenever he’s not happy with what you’ve done.

Bali’s Favorite

When it comes to meal time, Bali is planted firmly next to Emmett. Not only is there an occasional drop, but Emmett definitely feeds her on purpose. He has no shame in it either. We say no, his palm opens and food drops straight to Bali. Like her sister did, Emmett enjoys filling Bali’s bowl. It’s super cute watching him waddle with the bowl in hand and put it down carefully.

Pause!

When the kids are done with their milk, they exclaim, “Pause!” Then, they so nicely go over to the sink and drop in their cup before running back. It's not some life changing moment, but we like it.

Cuantos Besos Quieres?

One of my favorite moments of the day comes when putting the kids to bed. We ask Sophie how many kisses she wants and she’ll reply with an amount for each cheek. Then, she’ll ask each of us. The max is five per cheek and so naturally, I often go with five and five! Recently, she’s started counting backwards and saying, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …blastoff!” It’s the cutest. It’s just so nice, and I know she’ll eventually grow out of this, so I’m savoring each one. Emmett having now watched this scene play out over several months will proclaim “TWO” and then give a kiss on each cheek.

Sophie Reading to Herself

Speaking of good night routines, Sophie now wants to read a book a night. Before reading, she often reminds us that her words are a little different than ours. That girl has some imagination! She can come up with a whole novel off the smallest picture. And it is also one of her ways of delaying bedtime. One book can easily go 20 minutes.

On the book front, we learned Eric Carle is Emmett’s favorite author! We knew he liked Brown Bear, Brown Bear, but he also likes The Hungry Caterpillar, From Head to Toe, and Watch Out, Giant!

First Haircuts

At the end of May, we decided it was finally time to get these kids haircuts! Neither kid had ever had one. Sophie's long hair wasn't really an issue, but Emmett was getting some crazy long curls. We really wanted to make sure he got to keep some of them, and thankfully he did. You can tell in the photo, the haircut wasn't his favorite!  It took me a while to adjust to his new look, but I've come around and he definitely looks handsome. 

End of School, Start of Camp

We wrapped up the school year, and I’m so thankful we were able to have them do in-person learning the whole time. The teachers and staff did everything possible to keep the kids safe and keep them on track. This summer, Sophie is taking swim lessons which is great! I really hope by the end, she's able to put her head under the water. I've tried teaching her in the past, but it hasn't quite worked out. On the weekends now, we get to practice a bit when we go swimming at a friend's house. Emmett is a big fan of the pool, splashing and getting on a floating raft. 

Frozen

I’m not talking about Ana and Elsa here, but this is the first time blogging since the February Freeze.

I won’t go into all the details about 5 days without spotty power and limited water, but it made for some interesting times for sure. Thankfully, we didn't have any damage to the house (that we know about so far).

I’ll always remember the four of us and Bali cuddling up into our bed to stay warm while we slept. 

The one good thing, Amanda's parents had visited the week before, which was nice. I'm glad they didn't get stuck coming in the storm. 

Vacation Time

Amanda and I each took our first flights in a long, long time. I went to Miami for my niece’s Bat Mitzvah, and Amanda went to Arizona for a trip with her mom and sisters. I think we both felt weird about flying, but then somewhat normal once it was done. This was also fairly soon after we were fully vaccinated. Stepping back into the world was strange but nice. 

Two Great!

Emmett just turned two and Amanda whipped together a really nice Brown Bear, Brown Bear themed birthday party in the park.

Emmett’s classmates joined for some doughnuts and watermelon. It was great a few family members could make it. The next night, we did a family zoom birthday cake call for his actual birthday. That boy licked all over that cake! He was going to make sure we didn’t steal his pieces.

Wrapping this up and everything is pretty good. We’re figuring out our late summer/fall travel plans. Will check back in after Sophie’s birthday!