Big Boy Emmett

My baby boy turned 2 a couple weeks ago and I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge his rapidly moving progression towards "big-boy-hood"!

His stats at 2:

h: 40%

w: 22%

head: 73%

He's no longer the chubby baby whose thigh and neck rolls had to be diligently cleaned out... but he's still got the large head to house his intelligent brain!

 For his birthday we did not have cake because he won't eat it. Instead we had his absolute favorite thing: fresh fruit! We lit and blew out the strawberry-candles a dozen times because he thought that was awesome and was laughing so hard we couldn't resist his requests for "again?" He didn't even hesitate before devouring his entire bowl!

 Gwen and Caroline approved!

Trying on his new cowboy boots. His current favorite things are cars, TRUCKS, trains, buses, and any other vehicle. 

While he's still happy, sweet and mostly easy going... he's not afraid to dish out the stink eye when mom blocks his view of construction vehicles! 

He loves riding his car-car all over the place, swinging, and playing "money" (one for the money) with Daddy. His favorite books are Freight Train and his new truck book. His favorite show is probably still Baby Signing Time, though he always asks for Batman, lol! He is very verbal and talks our ears off with demands and stories. He knows the names of 2 dozen friends and will randomly ask about one or another during the day ("Mommy, where's Remi?") and I get to come up with really creative guesses about what his friends might be doing at any given moment! When he wants something, he either politely says, "Emmett have it? Hold it hand?" before taking it... or... he'll just take it. Yeah, we're working on that one! He loves numbers (Chicka Chicka 1-2-3 is also a favorite book right now) and ABCs (his favorite is X. Sometimes E. Everything is X when he says it is. He will adamantly insist that a B or an S are both X and he'll get quite upset if you don't concur!

It has been so fun the past few months to really see his personality come out-- this boy definitely has preferences!  

 Loved the hat... the beard only lasted about 20 seconds!

 He adores fresh peas!

 And loves to be silly with his sisters. He loves to hold hands or sit in laps of his older sisters... or older friends (sorry, Jacob!!! He just adores you so much!)

 And for fun--- a little walk down memory lane. 

4 days old. His entrance was quite unforgettable!

 One week. Photo courtesy of my talented MIL. 

 Our chubby Buddha belly baby!

 A wonderful crying spell that got captured. I figured it could stand in for all the other fits! Mostly bc of  *gasp* being put down!

 Boy loves to eat!

I miss this sweet cherub face!

Luckily I have this one to look at now!

Happy Birthday, Emmett! We adore you!

Monkey Caroline is 5

My Crazy Caroline is 5 today! 

Hard to believe it was 5 years ago when she was so tiny and new.

She makes the strangest faces...

 

 but that shouldn't be too surprising, since at only a week old she was already practicing these exotic face contortions! :)

She her beautiful, adorable, "I'm-so-cute-you-can't-resist-my-whims" face is precious, though.

Then, and now. 

Her favorite color is yellow. It suits her personality too!

  She is an active, outdoor, mess-lovin, athletic gal who astonishes me with her natural physical talents! Besides her penchant for exploration of all things sporty, she has a wonderful gift for loving people---ALL people, complete strangers no exception---without reservation. She feels and shows her love generously!

  Sometimes she look... or even ACTS...like a gremlin

 but then she pulls out an exalted face like this and we can't help but be energized by her enthusiasm for life!

 She is a happy, passionate girl! Watch out world! She's 5 now!

Braggin on my Gymnast

Sometimes a mom's got to brag on her kids. Mom prerogative. :)

My Caroline is a gymnast. She was pretty much born that way! It has been very exciting as a parent to see the natural talent (aka recklessness!) being shaped and formed into confidence and skills! Caroline has been taking a cheap-o class at the local rec center for a year and a half and her enthusiasm is beginning to bear fruit!

She rocks at back walkovers!

Has just recently become more confident and adventurous in her gymnastics jumps off the vault! About 75% of the time she does a "helicopter jump" and manages to land on her feet!

She swings around like a monkey on the bars

and touches her toes to the bar like a pro.

She's added a spring to her forward somersault.

Her form on the beam is improving

 She still insists on holding her teacher's hand, but races out in front of her anyway! Her teacher keeps telling Caroline that she can do it without assistance, but that will have to be our next accomplishment because right now she refuses to let go!

She is pretty excited about her beginning cart wheel

 and finishes it proudly!

Of course there is plenty of trampoline and running 

  and leaping!

Sometimes I still see this incredulous timid face, but most of the time she is gung ho about anything!

Check out her forward flip on the bars unassisted... and the awesome celebratory dance afterwards!

 

I'm proud of her for sticking with it and making such progress. It is exciting as a parent to see your child's self awareness and blossoming confidence. When it comes to gymnastics, she hardly ever says "I can't". It is a huge reward for ME to see her so self-assured!

Been Livin it Up!!!

"Where have you BEEN all summer?" you ask... my answer is, "LIVING!"

I can't believe we've only got a week of summer left. This time has truly sped by! Perhaps it is because we have seen so much growth, learning, completed projects, and a healthy dose of fun?

Emmett went from scooting in an army crawl...to full on crawl...to pulling himself up and toddling his first steps with a walker! He's in the "troublemaker" phase of life and we LOVE it!

Caroline went from crazy athletic bundle of energy to a crazy athletic bundle of energy who is pretty much ready for preschool (she has been working on her letter recognition and early reading) and she is looking so grown up in her FIRST haircut ever!

Gwen went from being scared to put her face in the water to swimming like a fish (actually, she insists she swims like a mermaid) and trying to see how long she can stay underwater. She also went from a toddler bike (her gangly legs were WAY to long for it) to getting a big 20 inch bike that she can balance on up and down hills without training wheels! (We haven't put the pedals on yet, so can't officially say she rides a bike... yet). She's really excited to start 1st grade and show off her reading and math skills that she's been honing with daddy all summer! 

Both girls also learned a few sewing skills this summer. From small hand-stitched pillows to mini quilts...but the crowning achievement was definitely Gwen's completed cute little bag! Yes, she sewed that herself! (I helped with the cutting, ironing, and turning it right side out. whew getting the whole bag through that tube was a chore, I tell ya!)

As a family, we took a trip to Virginia for a Hart family reunion---  we experienced the Atlantic Ocean for the first time!

  So here's to a great summer, as it begins its departure. The Ohio Allans have definitely enjoyed it!