Tutu TWO Year Old Party!

We went to a birthday party for Emmy's friend, Maeve. And Emmy just loves dressing up! It was a tutu party, so all the girls dressed up in their fabulous tutus. And, unfortunately, I did not get a cute group shot. But here are a few of Emmy dressing up like a "ballerina" which is one of her favorite things to do! She loves putting on shows for us and dancing, twirling, showing us first and second position and scooping her leg into an attitude, and finally bowing.







Brenner had fun dressing up in his cap and tie!



Here's Emmy and the birthday girl, Maeve.


This is Emmy's friend Ava and Brenner's gal pal, Ellie. Emmy is 1 month older than Ava, and Brenner is 2 months older than Ellie. We just love these girls!

Becca, Ellie, me and Brenner

Outdoor Fun!

We have been getting some nice weather, so Emmy's been having lots of fun with sidewalk chalk! Her favorite things to draw are lines and fish! And mommy is happy to help!





We have a great park that's about a block from home. Emmy LOVES the park!!!

My Emmy

Emmy likes to play dress-up. And Mommy likes to play too. Emmy is 2 1/2 and too cute for words. She's a sweetheart, a rebel, and an exciting little girl. Love you little miss!

Brenner's 6 Months!

It's been half a year...that went by fast!!! He's been growing and changing so much. I can hardly remember what he looked like when we brought him home from the hospital. There he was a tiny 6 lb. 13 oz. baby boy, and here he is an 18 pound baby boy that oozes with a charming personality!
Brenner's 6 months stats:
*18 lb. 10 oz. 80th percentile for weight
*28 1/4 inches long 95th percentile for height
Tallest kid in the class!

Brenner is such a good eater. It took him a while to get the hang of baby food. But he's now a pro! In the beginning he would eat about 1/3 of a container of food, and now he eats the entire thing! He even tries to grab the spoon and feed himself. And if he's not successful in taking the spoon from you, he'll stuff his fist in his mouth and smear it all over his face. But somehow, Mommy manages to keep mealtime pretty clean. So, no huge disasters yet. He enjoys eating: sweet potatoes, carrots, applesauce, and pears. He's even started using a sippy cup. Not a complete pro yet, but we're learning!








He officially rolled over 2 days ago!!! FInally! And I wasn't even there to witness it. But Wade and Emmy got to. Wade put him on his belly, and he rolled over to his back. I got him to do it for me again this weekend. It's just so funny because he's been on the verge of rolling over for sometime, but just couldn't seem to do it. And he's a big baby, so that's a challenge on its own. But he did it, and we were so proud! Emmy was quite excited too. She's been trying to get him to do it for sometime too. Emmy said, "Mommy! Brenner roll over!! Yay Brenner!"

He's not sitting completely by himself yet, but he can sit up for a couple seconds at a time. He either falls to the side, or gets really excited and falls backwards. He is really into his feet. He kicks his play gym when we put him underneath it. And he grabs onto his feet and plays with them all the time. He also enjoys spending some time in his jumper. But most of all, better than toys, food, mommy, or daddy, he LOVES... Emmy! These 2 are so much fun to watch. The excitement that they share is just unbelievable. The ages that they're at just seems to be perfect. Brenner is so interactive with Emmy. And Emmy just loves having him as her brother.




On occasion, Brenner will sleep through the night. Most nights, he wakes up 2-3 times. Right now, he still has occasional middle of the night feedings, but I'm hoping that will change very soon so we can both get a good night's sleep. Brenner boy...sleep for your mama. He takes 2-3 naps during the day. One in the late morning or early afternoon, sometimes a short one in the middle of the afternoon, and then another usually around dinner time. He loves being put to bed in his pack and play at night. I lay him in there and he kicks his feet and giggles as I place a blanket over him. As if he's saying, "Finally! Bedtime!"









We have so much to celebrate with Brenner's 1st 6 months. Wade and I are incredibly lucky parents to have these 2 fantastic and healthy kids. So here I am, humbled, and counting my daily blessings...

Potty Training: A Complete Success

What a smooth-sailing weekend of potty-training. The 2nd day of potty training ended with no accidents! Not one! I was thrilled for her. And day 3 was also a complete success. Thank you to my friend Lindsay, who emailed me a 3-day potty-training guide. It worked! I truly didn't think we would have it down this fast. She's officially a BIG girl! She gets excited whenever she tells us she has to go potty. "Mommmmmyyyyyyy, I have to go poooootttttttyyyyyyyy!" And then she runs and giggles all the way to the bathroom.

Potty-Training Boot Camp

We began full-on potty training today. She picked out her first big girl panties of the day, Tinkerbell. She was so proud. A few minutes later she ducked behind the coffee table and started to take them off. I immediately snatched her up and put her on the potty. And she went. We were both ecstatic! She picked out a Hershey kiss for her special treat. Then, she kindly asked for a diaper. And I explained to her that only Brenner wears diapers because he's still a baby. Emmy's a big girl now like Mommy, Mimi, Aunt Chelsea, and her friend Kamryn. So we get to wear big girl panties. Well that was alright with her. So she slips them back on. She spent the day coloring. She colored, colored, and colored. I've never seen a little girl color as much as she does.


Then she gets bored with her underwear and wants new ones. So, we end up swapping panties a few times, until Emmy is satisfied. I'll do whatever to keep her in these panties! About two hours later, she has her first accident on the floor. I explained to her that when she has to go potty, she's supposed to tell Mommy so I can take her to the bathroom. After I get her cleaned up, I show her the big mess she made on the floor, and we both say, "Ucky! Bleh!" All in all, it wasn't a horrible 1st day. The final tally was 5-2. Only 2 accidents! Go Emmy! Keep it up little miss!