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.
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.
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!
