Our new table

We just purchased this little table this past weekend. We love it! I'm guessing the novelty will wear off eventually but Ada and Emmet are really enjoying it right now. It is the perfect spot for eating snack, coloring pictures and reading books at. One of the best parts...it folds up so I can stash it under the couch when I need to.

Ada's first pony

Although Ada's hair looks fairly short it turns out it is indeed long enough to put the top part in a little pony tail. She sat so nicely on my lap as I sprayed her hair with the "No Tangles" spray, combed it out and put it in a pony tail. So sweet.

Emmet, the push toy and the purse

So, the other day Emmet insisted on walking around with a purse over his shoulder. He would have a little mini fit every time it fell off of his shoulder and would smirk and walk away after I'd help him pull it back up. Roger wasn't so keen on the idea of Emmet walking around with a purse but I think it's adorable!

Ada & Emmet kiss

I absolutely had to post this little video clip. It's just too darn cute. They were very lovey towards eachother all day the day this was taken. Some days they fight all day, complete with hair pulling, biting and slapping. Other days, such as this day they are very affectionate. Try to ignore the fact that Ada is walking around with a giant death trap (a.k.a. plastic bag) I wanted to catch the kissing and we had just gotten back from the store. I promptly threw it away after I captured the kiss!!!

The Walker

Emmet has finally begun to figure out the walker contraption. This makes me smile as it puts my mind at ease a little. The day this video was taken he was still a bit wobbly. As of yesterday he is obsessed, it's all he wants to do and he's figured out how to turn it etc. Ada has been a little possesive over what she thinks is "her" walker but she's starting to leave him alone now so he can work on these new skills.

Emmet's hats

Emmet is completely in love with hats lately. Well, let me clarify that, daddy's hats. He will not wear his own hats but cannot resist daddy's hats.

Spoon practice

Who knew practicing using spoons with chocolate pudding could be so fun?

Night night

One of Ada's favorite things (and Emmet sometimes too) is going "night night" on the dog's bed.

The perfect step-stool

While unloading groceries I put the cases of soda where I always do before putting them away. When I turned around this is what I found.

Talk to the animals

So, a few weekends ago we decided to take Ada and Emmet to a local farm that is open to the public for produce and has a petting farm too. A & E were quite crabby that morning but we thought a change of scenery might do the trick and pull them out of their sorrow. Unfortunately that wasn't quite the case. The whined off and on the whole time we were there. They both loved seeing horses up close and enjoyed playing with some kittens. I accidentally let a whole bunch of goats out of their pen. They're sneaky little buggers. We had to put Ada and Emmet back in the stroller so Roger and I could strategically capture the goats and get the back in their area. Whew! We visited all the animals but it was a quick trip with lots of whining. Here are a few pictures.

Ada & the animals

Ada's new favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see? She loves going through the animals and saying their "sounds". I was able to catch some of this on video today. So cute!

Emmet in the sand

We've gotten into a routine of going to the park every morning. I feel more comfortable letting them roam around there than I do in our own yard. It seems when we're at home Ada wants to go in the road and Emmet wants to play with the hose, which happens to be right next to our egress window. I get too stressed out trying to make sure they're both safe. At the park there are things to occupy them and safer places to roam. I was able to get some video today. It works well right now. Ada swings and wanders all over. Emmet likes to play with the buckles in the wagon and fill up the cup holders on the wagon with woodchips. Today he ventured into the sandbox. I imagine once he starts walking things may be a little different!

* It's kind of a bummer. The quality of the video is not the same on the blog as it is on my computer. Not sure how to fix that so we'll all just have to deal with it for now.

Fun at the park

Ada has been "counting" lately and I've been desperately trying to capture it on video. This is as close as I've come. She does not say "one" but usually will say "two" and "twee", but of course not this time. It's still darn cute though.

Ba-Bye Greg and Gina

Well, the time has come to say goodbye to Greg and Gina. On Wednesday evening we had their "last supper" with Mom, Doug, Dad and Julie. We had a nice time despite the underlying sadness in everyones hearts. Thursday morning we said our tearful (I couldn't stop crying) goodbyes and watched them drive away in their big yellow truck. Ada started crying when she saw me crying but she quickly stopped crying to focus on saying "eye" and poking me in my eye and wiping my tears. I just can't believe they're gone. I spoke with them tonight and unfortunately "Cecil the Diesel" (their car) broke down in the mountains about 3 hours yet from Grand Junction. What a mess. I feel so bad for them and wish there was something I could do. Greg will be back on the 28th to continue working and waiting to sell the house. I can't imagine how hard that will be for the two of them. They will get through this and will be stronger because of it. It's so quiet next door. I didn't realize how comforting the sound of their garage door or cabinets shutting was. Here are a few pictures from moving day. Ada and Emmet were both so excited to see a big truck in our driveway. Ada kept saying "guck" and Emmet said "da" (his word for everything) and just wanted to touch it. They both enjoyed their inside tour with uncle Greg.

Dancin' time!

After an afternoon in the lake we had some fun listening to Greg play his music and dancing. Ada is with Roger. Emmet is dancing with Grandpa. Kelly is rocking Joshua. Jeff is dancing with Jacob and Gina is singing along! What fun!

Lake Okauchee

Woo hoo! I figured out how to share a video! It's a pretty lousy video (blame that on me) but it gives you an idea of our day.
L-R
Gina, Greg, Emmet, Roger, Ada, Great Grandma, Grandpa, Jeff, Jon.

A day at the lake!

Emmet and Gina

Ada and Grandpa

Emmet and Daddy

Ada with Grandpa and Great Grandma

Ada and Great Grandma having a great time! (I love this picture)

Yesterday we spent the day at my grandparents house on Lake Okauchee. I have such fond memories from my childhood of spending summers at the lake, this visit brought many of those memories front and center in my mind! My cousin Jeff, along with his wife Kelly and their two kids Jacob (almost 3) and Joshua (4 months) came down from Michigan. My cousin Jon and his wife Katie came in from Chicago. Greg, Gina, Dad, and us of course, made our way to Oconomowoc for a fun filled day. It wasn't quite as relaxing with all the little ones around as it once used to be but it was great getting to see them experience what we all grew up with. Ada turned into a fish...she absolutely loved being in the lake with Gina, Greg, Grandpa, Daddy, Great Grandma, Jeff and Jon. Emmet spent some time in the lake as well but wasn't quite as comfortable with it as Ada was. He clung to Gina for the majority of the time (thanks Gina!) in the water but otherwise enjoyed playing in the grass on shore, eating chips and sitting with me. We spent the rest of the time eating, playing with children and dancing to Greg's music. What a great day! It was sad to say good bye as we don't see eachother often enough. We all left exhausted but with fond memories!

Future Van Goghs?

I've been running out of activities to keep these two monkeys busy so I bought some washable crayons and let Ada and Emmet try them out...safely contained in their high chairs of course. While it only occupies them for 5 minutes it's so much fun to explore something new. AND, we now have our very first fridge art from A & E! I love it!

Thugs in the kitchen

About the only thing Ada and Emmet want to do lately is unload the kitchen cabinets. It keeps them busy but makes us feel a little "coo coo bananas" with stuff all over the floor. I pick it up and put it away, they take it out - OVER AND OVER AND OVER! They think it's great. Me? Not so much.

By the way...

No one properly warned me that diaper changing would become an Olympic sport at this age. It's like WWF around here during diaper changes. I'm usually out of breath and sweating when it's over. I clap and cheer for myself if no one has run off with the poopy diaper and/or box of wipes or painted themselves with the A&D ointment. When will this phase end?