catching up?

Maybe I'll catch up this time... I haven't written since July 21st, and it is now November 14th! So much time, so many changes!



Sofia...

* Started Kindergarten. She is there all day, from 9:00-3:45! It took some getting used to for me, that is a long time not to be with my little girl! For her, I think she got upset the 3rd day of school, but once we figured out that what was upsetting her the most was waiting for the other kids to be quiet in the hallways while walking to specials, we decided she was OK. She seems to really thrive this year!
* She loves Music, even is OK with PE (though she tells me she doesn't like the games).
* She is reading sight words, spelling phonetically, counting to 100.
* She is enjoying swimming lessons, although had a little upset last night. It was her first time in the next level class, and for some reason, she took one look at her teacher (who looks like a very nice guy, really) and started screaming! Finally I got it out of her that she thought she was going to be with the other guy. It just follows, she gets an idea in her head, and it sticks! I'm not sure where it came from, but anyhow, we got her into the pool, and I think she will be fine. She told me she would work very hard to get to the next level where the other teacher is.
* She just started taking dance again, and is completely in love, as always!



Emerson...

* Started preschool at Dos Pasitos. He is there T-W-Th from 8:45-11:45. It is a nice break for me! The transition was hard, he was very resistant to going at first, but seemed to be OK when I left, so we kept at it. Now he loves it! His teachers all speak Spanish to the children, and he is singing a few songs in Spanish. Really cute to see!
* Kent took him for his first haircut Saturday. Yes, we saved a lock of that blonde stuff! :)
* Sofia may be "the boss", but Emerson is "the enforcer" these days. He tells me, "If that car crashes into that house, the car is going to jail!" This morning, it was, "If that birdie crashes our window, the birdie is going to jail!" Sofia didn't quite agree with the ultimatum for the poor birdie.

What else?
Halloween...

Sofia dressed as a very cute Pipi Longstockings! She has, just as last year with Mary Poppins, fully embraced the character. The best movie is the original one from Sweden, overdubbed in English, from 1960. I like her love of Pipi because she is an empowered little girl! But, we have had to have some talks about how she responds to adults... probably Mary Poppins has the politeness that adults expect, while Pipi may be better for interacting with friends.

Emerson said he wanted to be "nothing" for Halloween up until the last minute. Suddenly, he decided he wanted to be a "baseball guy". So, Grandma Norrie and Grandpa Jerry scrambled to find him a Rockies t-shirt and ball-cap. He loved them, but when it was time to trick-or-treat, he didn't want anything to do with them, so he was just "Emerson".

Now, we're almost to Thanksgiving! Kent and the kids threw me a wonderful birthday. Kent has such a way of making my birthday special every year, even when it's not expected at all! Honestly, I'm happy with a yoga class and an hour to sit and read!

I'll have to update again soon...

new phase

A few months ago, around the time of Sofia's 5th birthday, Emerson was in a hitting phase. He would out of the blue come over and swat me! I tried very hard to stay calm, to not give it attention, to say "that's not OK" and divert his attention, but he would get so angry that I ended up having to put him in time-out. That phase lasted about 2 weeks, and seemed like the most miserable 2 weeks ever! I hated putting him in time-out, and wished I had another (better?) way to deal with it.

His new phase is licking me. Um, I guess it's more peaceful than hitting, but I do not like it (Sam I AM!) The other day, he licked my armpit, and said "I taste mommy's armpit!" Oh geez... talk about inappropriate!

When he's not licking or hitting me, he's burrowing his fingers into my armpit. Also no fun.

My mom says he must be a tactile kid! I guess so, since the reason why I don't sleep well with him next to me is because his little fingers are always crawling over me!

In general though, he is very cuddly, sweet, and wonderful. Very helpful. Protective. When I use the toaster oven, he stands in front of it, hands up, and says "So hot, mommy! Be careful!" Then he hands me the tongs, and says "Use this." In Telluride, he slept in a bunk bed, and I said "Uh-oh, I might hit my head when I get up!" Emerson, without saying anything, put his hand over my head to protect me.

He has had quite a few tantrums lately, and when he does, he kicks and hits. My temper rises. The best way to deal with these currently (because it's always changing!) is to tell him it's not OK to kick and hit mommy, and put him in his room. After I've calmed down, I slowly open the door, and enter the room crouched on his level. Often he is still screaming and thrashing. I wait for him to show signs of calming, then I say "Oh, Emerson, Llama Llama Mad at Mama!" (That's the name of one of his latest favorite books.) Usually that grabs his attention. Then I can get the book and start reading. After a few pages, I can pull him into my lap and finish reading. All better, tantrum over. Whew! I hope this strategy can keep working for a little while, so I can work on the next one!

Emerson's Birthday - he's TWO!

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. Has everyone given up on me yet? Thanks to Stella, for mentioning to my mom that she hasn't seen any posts lately, I'm motivated to get back in! :)

Emerson turned 2 on July 14th. We were on vacation - Tina, Ben and Nik came to visit from Berlin, and we took a 10-day whirlwind trip around Colorado, stopping in Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs, Palisade, Telluride, and Salida. Emerson's birthday started in Telluride, and ended up with pizza, brownies and ice cream in Salida.

Emerson woke up in a happy mood (usually he's a bit grouchy in the mornings)! I said, "Today's your birthday! Happy Birthday!" Emerson responded "I get motorcycle!" Immediately, I remembered the day about a month ago when Emerson was playing with Vincent's motorcycle, and didn't want to let go. I said to him, "Maybe you'll get a motorcycle for your birthday." Obviously, he remembered, and his comment sent me on a mission to find a motorcycle! Luckily, Salida has an amazing toy store, and I found a Playmobil police officer and motorcycle. Emerson was thrilled! We've since lost the helmet, but he still carries that motorcycle around with him.

And now I know to be careful with what I promise! :)

Sloans Lake Wordle

Here's a visual representation of our blog, by way of wordle.com

We got a wood fence up this weekend, whew!

Fia Learns to Ride Her Bike

In case you were wondering, the balance bike birthday gift (collective gift from the whole family) for Fia 2 years back really paid off. She learned to ride a bike last week on the first day she tried, and b/c she had the sense of balance from the balance bike - she didn't need training wheels AT ALL!! This video is soooo heart warming, if you listen closely at the start, you can hear her saying "I think I can, I think I can" from the little train that could book.

Way to go Fia! We love you so much and I'm so proud of you and your "can do" spirit! She has had a few spills (none too bad) since this, and she is gritty and just gets back up and keeps going. What a spirit she has!! love love love - from Daddy :-)

me and my two brothers - fia's perspective

Today Sofia asked me if Nana and Papa (my mom and Clark) "made" uncle GAB. I answered, no, Mia and Papi (my dad and Matilda) did. Then she wondered who "made" uncle Robin. I answered, Nana and Papa did. You can guess the next question... so, who made you? Well, I answered, Nana and Papi did. Oh, she said. I could see the puzzlement on her face. I explained that a long time ago, before I was born, Nana and Papi were married. Then they decided that they didn't get along and decided to not be married anymore. (More puzzling.) So um, I thought, what experience could I draw on that Sofia could relate to? Oh yea! She came home from Avery's Birthday party Saturday irate at Torin for not playing her game! (She was Tinkerbell, sliding down the slide. Torin decided the slide ended in the toilet and Tinkerbell died... Sofia did NOT like that game!) So, Sofia, I said, remember how you and Torin were playing a game, and then he started playing his own game, and you didn't like what he was playing? Yea. Well, you decided not to play with him anymore, right? Yea. So, Nana and Papa once played a game. Then after a while, they decided they were playing different games, and didn't want to play together anymore. OH! So, do Nana and Papa play together now? Oh yes! They play very well together! OH! What about Mia and Papi? Yes, they play very well together, too! OH!

Case closed. Until next time, when Sofia wonders where we all come from!

how dinner gets made when emmo is sick