Big Girl!

Emma is beginning to put two and two together and is trying her best to become mobile. She is beginning to want to stand a lot, but is still very unsteady on her feet. (Thankfully). She loves pulling to standing while you hold her hands and has the most proud smile on her face when she does it. When hanging out on the floor, she is finding new, creative ways to move her legs and learning balance in various positions. I can tell she is trying more manuevers and becoming more daring, because she falls over more often on her brave days.

She has also switched herself to two naps a day from three, and is trying new foods all the time. She is getting better at eating puffs, and no longer acts as though I am poisoning her when I give them to her. Emma is the cutest chewer!







Sweet sisters!!

Potty Trained?

We officially started training on April 26, one month ago. Since then, we've had two pee accidents and three poop accidents, but no accidents in the last two weeks. Not too bad, right? We still have a little struggle getting her to poop in the potty, but she still does it. She just gripes about it beforehand. I was really thinking it was going to be more difficult, and I'm thinking it normally is, and I just lucked out. Let's hope it's this easy with Emma, too!

Time Out!

We have had a few days recently where Lilah has really been testing the boundaries and my patience. A frustrating morning ended with Lilah in her room for a big time out. She screamed it out and came out a more well-behaved little girl on the other side.
After nap, we took a walk to the mailbox and back (a half mile round trip). She really wanted to run around and play with her friends instead, but I had to get back inside, so I told her we were only going to the mailbox and then back inside. As we were walking back from the mailbox, she was running a little ways ahead. I nicely reminded her that we couldn't play when we got back home, that we had to go right back inside. I think the time out earlier worked because she shouted over her shoulder, "Yeah! Okay, Mom! Yes, ma'am! Thank you!" Funny girl!

Sunny Days

The sun has FINALLY started to make a regular appearance after too many months of rainy days. It was been SO nice to get outdoors! Lilah and the chickens have been bonding, and Lilah tries hard to keep them supplied with worms. Emma just enjoys sitting outside, taking it all in. Yay for sun!

Adorable Emma

I took a few pictures with my phone during mealtime the other day with Emma. She was so cute and making so many funny faces, so I have to share them. Adorable!

I love her pouty lips!

What a sad face!

More Lilah

Up until this week, Lilah has always said 'mease' instead of 'please.' I don't know why, and we've worked on saying it with a P, but she never changed. This week though, she says it nearly right. It's 'pWease' instead. Still cute.

Zoo!

Jonas took the day off work on Friday and we headed to the Greater Vancouver Zoo. It was just over the border and so easy to get to! It was also Emma's first time out of the country. It's a smaller zoo (compared to Seattle) but I was pretty impressed. The animals were SO close. Nearly every one of them was right up against the rails, sometimes at close at just a few feet. There was the cutest little spider monkey with a little baby on its back, a peacock that walked right up to us on the main path, and the coolest raptor show I have ever seen. Jonas was even grazed across the face with the wings of an owl! We had such a fun day!
My biggest complaint was the chain link fence everywhere. It made it tough to get good pictures, but this one isn't awful. You can still see the ultra-cute baby monkey hanging on to her momma. SO adorable!

Lilah's attention span was a little short by the end of the day. She'd run up to another area, take a quick look at the animal, and then say, MORE ANIMALS! and run off to the next place. It made for a pretty quick tour of the zoo, and a tired Lilah from running everywhere. Lilah was only disappointed that the zoo didn't have elephants, penguins, or dinosaurs.

More Lilah

I have been so tired today, and I just wanted a minute ALONE in the bathroom. Lilah insisted on standing there, watching me, and so I asked her for just a little privacy. "I need some privacy, Lilah. Just a little time to be all by myself!" She looked at me sheepishly, with her fingers all pinched together - "Some privacy, momma?"
Sometimes it's hard to stay annoyed.

Outdoor Playtime

As I am loading these pictures, Lilah is looking over my shoulder. When she saw the first one, she said, "hey! Lilah finding worms!"
Yesterday was not so cold, so we were able to play outside for a bit with the chickens. The chickens and Lilah are equally excited about finding worms in the dirt, so they get along very well.

Another picture of Bandit. What a pretty bird! As Lilah saw this picture, she said "look ma! My chicken!"

Even Emma enjoyed the afternoon outside.

Touch Tank

Lilah loved the touch tank at the Marine Center that we visited this morning. Afterwards, we went to McDonald's with her friends (this particular one has a great toddler play area). On the way home, I was trying to keep her awake by getting her to tell me about what we had done that morning. She didn't mention anything about touching the pretty pink, purple, and orange starfish, just that we went down the slide and ate ice cream. Oh well.

Lilah and her friends (Keira on the left with her mom Megan and brother Gabe, and Nick and his mom Bernadette on the right).

More Lilah

Lilah, Emma and I went to visit the touch tank at the marine center today in Bellingham. I took Lilah to the bathroom while we were there, and once she was done, I went to the bathroom too. When I was finished she said, "Momma! You no pee pee in your panties!" Such great encouragement. Thanks, Lilah!

Potty Time, Excellent!

We ran out of diapers for a day last Monday, so I decided it was time to try to use the potty. I really enjoy the freedom that diapers allow, not having to ask Lilah every few minutes to go to the bathroom, or having to make special stops when we are out shopping. I figured it was time though, as all her friends are starting to potty train too. I didn't think it would go so well, especially since my heart wasn't really in it, but Lilah is a pro. She's only has two accidents, and now I hardly have to ask her. She has trouble getting her pants back on the right way most times, but I can't complain. She even poops in the potty too! I still put her in a diaper for bed and naptimes, but so far so good! Way to go, Lilah!!!

Naked Chef

Lilah and I made cookies last night. It was her first time helping with cookies, but she is a regular at the countertop, watching whatever I'm making. She loved cracking the eggs the best, but wasn't able to stay up for them to finish baking. First thing she said to me this morning was, "Eat cookies!"

Cheep, Cheep! Month Three

I have updated pictures of most all the chickens. Their coop is outside in the backyard now, and on nice days I let them go free range. They LOVE being out in the yard. Bandit and Ella Buttercup especially love to flap their wings and run so fast. Very funny to watch. Meanwhile, Daisy is busy keeping his girls in line and making sure they don't stray too far away. What a nice rooster.

Daisy

Pearl, showing off her pretty wings.


Eloise

Ginger

Bandit

Ella Buttercup

Mother's Day

What a blessed momma I am! I have the most wonderful daughters!

A lot has happened since we've been home! We have been back since the Friday before Easter, but it has taken me a lot time to catch up! The girls and I had a marvelous trip to North Carolina. It was so hard to leave, especially when we came home to weeks and weeks of rain. It's still raining and showing no signs of clearing or warming up anytime soon. It's May already! Come on, sunshine! We were spoiled back home, and I think the dark skies are bringing me down a bit. Even Lilah has been grumpy and acting up, and I think it's because she's not getting the daily hours outdoors that she got at Nana and Papa's. Please bring on the sun!

Emma is as happy as always.

Since the last time I wrote, she has started sitting up totally unsupported. I can leave the room with her sitting and not worry. That's so great!

For some reason, Lilah has suddenly taken notice of her. One day she said, "hey look! Emma sitting up!," and now she plays with her! Well, sometimes at least. Other times, I'll surround Emma with toys on her playmat, run into the kitchen for a few minutes, and come back to find Emma still sitting in the middle of the mat, with all of her toys moved to the top of the coffee table or at least four feet away. Lilah will be innocently playing nearby. The toy sharing lasted about a week, and now Lilah doesn't want Emma to touch any of the toys, no matter how disinterested Lilah is in playing with them. Poor baby!

With sitting up came riding in the shopping cart too! Emma's first ride was at Sam's (with the double cart) when we were visiting Nana and Papa. What cute sisters!

We had a great Easter and have spent every weekend doing activities around the house, getting ready for spring. We moved the chickens outside on the one nice day we had, and now they aren't enjoying the cold rain so much. They have grown SO much! And on the chicken news front, we have only seven hens now, and Daisy is officially a rooster. She's quite pretty, and it's really funny to hear her practice her very juvenile crow. It is hard for me to call him a him. We think we'll keep him for a bit at least. He keeps the girls in line (hens) and is so pretty to look at. I will have to take updated pictures!

I have a ton of pictures on my camera to share, which I will have to post another day. Today's photos were from my camera, so they aren't the best. More to come!