Holy cow...has it really been over 2 months????

I don't even know where to begin to catch things up!

I didn't even realize how busy I'd be over the summer. Getting out and doing things is a big part of our day and I have less and less time to update my blog or anything else for that matter. I did add two slide shows to my myspace, loaded with tons of kid's pics. It's private so you can't see it unless your a "friend", which means you need an account. Let me know if you have one and I'll add you as a friend.

I'll start with Ethan. He is absolutly amazing! He mimicks sounds and words and LOVES ALL FOOD....THANK GOODNESS! At this point, I don't think he's going to be a picky eater. Two in the family (Bert and Emily) are sure plenty. Matter of fact, he'll usually eat his jarred baby food and eat the rest of the 'real' food that Emily will not eat (itty bitty bites of course, which takes forever). Mac n Cheese, Fish Sticks, Rice, Veggies, ...you name it, he'll eat it! I don't think I could handle another picky eater (my friends could attest)! Basically, he stops eating when you stop feeding him. This means he poops a lot, but that's ok!

He's got the bluest eyes and has thick blond curly hair right now. He loves water and could kick back in the pool all day. He still sleeps about 12 hours at night, no interruptions, with a couple of naps throughout the day. He's still a cuddler and usually needs his momma to rock him to sleep at night, atleast 10-15 minutes. The latest 'new' thing is open mouthed 'wet' kisses. I cherish every one.

Emily is absolutly amazing too, however, she is TWO! She likes to test my patience and tolerance everyday and spends quite a bit of time in "Time Out". We do the "1, 2,3 Time Out" system in our house where we threaten time out, then count to three. Then if she isn't correcting whatever she was doing by three, she goes to time out. Her latest stunt is to count for you:
Me: "Emily, you wanna go to Time Out?
pause
Me: "one"
Emily: 'two"
Emily: "three" (then giggles)
ARGHGHGHGHG

Time Out Offenses:
Climbing on the coffee table
Climbing on the kitchen table
Climbing on the kitchen bar
Summersaults on the furniture
Using Ethans head/body as a spring board
Hitting anyone
Screaming
Spitting food out
Pysically Bullying Ethan
(gosh this list could go on and on)

However, between all the time outs, we do have the most AMAZING time together:
Backyard/outside stuff (trampoline, swings, sandbox, pool, hose, tricycle, bubbles, walks, the park, playing ball)
Smelling/taking care of flowers
Looking at moons and stars
Reading/Coloring
Blocks/Legos/Mr Potato Head
Watching movies (moo-moo's) and her getting all excited about the littliest of things
Her complete amazement and curiosity over being shown ANYTHING new.
Couch time- this is the half hour before bedtime where we sit on the couch and watch whatever
I'm watching. She has her blanket and sippy cup of milk and I stroke her hair or massage her
feet/legs. She'll reach up and stroke my cheek and say "nice mommy", and it makes all the crazy daytime stuff worth it!

My niece Kalee came to visit for two weeks the first of July. It was such a nice break. She's 14 and does exceptionally well with kids and I had no problem leaving the kids with her to run errands. It's really nice to just run to Walmart for a few things and not drag two kids in with you. I've also allowed a 14 year old neighbor girl to start babysitting here and there (shocking, I know). I'm not totally comfortable leaving her with them for long periods of time though. She is great at watching them while I run errands. I've also had her watch them a few times after a night shift so I could sleep. I think I'm really gonna miss her when the school year starts.

Other good news. My sis is preggers. "Aunt Kim" is due probably the end of February next year! I am completly stoked about this and cannot wait to start spoiling a little niece or nephew. He/She will be about 19 months younger than Ethan and all three of them will be growing up together at a good age. Can it get any better?

Alright, I think I will stop for now. While writing this, I've realized how much I miss updating this thing and will try to do so every week now, even if it's a short entry.