Movie Night

We went to Palm Desert with The Parlas this summer. It was fun for the adults and for the kids because we all had someone our age to hang out with. We did our best to beat the heat and so for one of the nights we decided on a movie night. We took the kids to the store to pick out a special food item and then brought them back to the hotel to watch a movie. They loved it.

Fourth of July

I love the community that we live in. For just about every major holiday, they throw some kind of festival, but the 4th of July is my absolute favorite. It's an all day event. They have 1k, 5k and 10k races in the morning, pancake breakfast, parade, games, booths, food, live music and FIREWORKS. They do not mess around with the fireworks. It's a good 20 minute show with "bombs bursting in air" right over your head. It is truly amazing to watch. This year was the first year that Emily loved any kind of fireworks. She had so much fun. In fact, yesterday as I was taking a morning walk with them she asked to see them again as we passed the giant lawn that they were displayed from.

Here are just a few photos from the day:

Oh, say can you see? This girl is adorable.

Emily's first gum experience---the parade participants threw candy and gum out to the kiddos.

Emily and Ella enjoying the candy...

My parents came out in the evening for the experience. I'm pretty sure they did not leave disappointed! My kids loved having them there too.

Waiting for the fireworks with their glow in the dark necklaces.

Kinley--17 Months

Kinley is interested in just about everything that she is around. As the younger sister, she tries hard to keep up with the "big" kid activities. She's certainly more of a thrill seeker than Emily was and she keeps us on our toes.

She's my snuggle bug. She will often stop what she's playing with, come over and give me a hug and go back to what she's playing.

She seems to loves music. She often grabs the harmonica and plays it (better than I do), drums and guitar. She picks up the rhythm of songs quickly and tries to sing along. Her current favorites are the ABC song, the Handy Manny toolbox toy song and the Strawberry shortcake toy song.

Kinley will run across the room, throw her body onto the couch and then say, "owie."

She calls Emily "Ah-me"

She frequently pats our head and says "duh, duh, goo" and runs away....yes, she's playing duck duck goose. A game she must have picked up while at daycare because we have never played it at home....until now, now it's a daily occurrence.

She loves windows. She wants the window down in the car as often as possible. She loves to look out the window and motions for me to open the blinds. She loves our neighbor James and since he is often playing outside, she'll look for him and start calling out his name, which sounds more like "jehms" When she finally sees him she smiles and claps.

She also says Mama (mommy), Dada (daddy), Grandma and Papa (she said Papa for the first time today when he came to take care of them while I got away to the doctor).

In the food category, Kinley says banana, yogurt, yogurt drink, bar, cheese, strawberries, blueberries, cracker, bread, agua, leche, tofu, chips

Misc: she says cloud, chair, car, ball, book, balloon, mickey, minnie, goofy, donald duck, manny, bye bye, help, trash, sissy, helmet, please, diaper, poo-poo, pee-pee (maybe time to potty train), hello, dog

As I write this I feel like I'm forgetting some more commonly used words. There are new words coming up every day. She's definitely a parrot and will try to say anything we say. It's certainly a lot of fun. I look forward to more direct communication because we're definitely still going through a lot of scream fests. I know it's gotta be just as frustrating for her as it is for us.

I am Mom

I wake up to either the sound of Kinley whimpering because she wants out of her bed or the sound of Emily trying to be quiet as she exits their bedroom in the morning (either will happen between 5:30-6:30 am)

I am able to decipher what Kinley's pointing finger means when aimed at the refrigerator or pantry

I frequently sit on the floor playing with Strawberry Shortcake, puzzles or reading books

If I sit on the floor, chances are Kinley's little rear end will start backing up toward my lap

I know the different sounds of cries---the fake ones for consoling to the loud ones needing immediate attention

I have tiny little holes in the mid-section of just about every shirt I own from holding one or both of my girls

I will either have chalk, food, snot or dirt on me at some point of the day

I tear up when Emily breaks out of her shell and does something she fears

They crack me up when I hear things like, "Oh Kinley, you look so pretty today" (My best guess is because I dressed Kinley in a skirt rather than jeans, although, I admit, she did look quite pretty.)

My heart has two sets of legs and currently rest on a 3 yr old and 17 month old...they are getting so big.

I am content. I am Mom.

It's going to be a good summer

Mother's Day

I'm still surprised every day how much I fall in love with my girls. They each fill a place in my heart that I didn't know was empty. We have a lot of laughs and of course some tears too, but I feel so complete with them.

Being a mother is the most exhausting yet rewarding responsibility. I hope that they know just how much I love them and cherish our relationship. I didn't get a picture of the three of us together on Mother's day. We had a lot of fun running around an outdoor shopping area, eating at Cheesecake Factory, shopping, taking naps, getting a pedicure and having dinner with my parents.

My mom and I took Emily to get our nails done (sorry Kinley....you weren't old enough yet) and we had a nice relaxing time. I look forward to doing that with both girls in the future!

Easter

I am a sucker for making memories with the girls. When Emily was a little over a year old, we learned about a fantastic spring event complete with egg hunts, bounce houses, food etc...We've made it become our family tradition. This year, Brian had the day off of work and I had to take it as furlough, but it was so worth it. Emily had a GREAT time on the big slide and in the bounce houses. To our excitement she even LOVED the egg hunt. She has had major cry fests out there before and I was expecting that this year too, but I guess as she grows the crowds may be a little less scary....I don't know, but whatever the case she was so much fun to watch out there.

I've been struggling with the whole Easter Bunny thing....I couldn't decide if I wanted to make the Easter Bunny this mysterious character who drops off baskets of goodies on Easter morning or what. Looking back on my childhood, some of my favorite memories are when my sister and I would run down the stairs to see what was in our baskets. So, I decided to stick with the same traditions in our home. We had a talk about Jesus' death and resurrection....although the description of death was more like sleep and the resurrection was more like waking up. Emily learns a new scripture each week in Sunday school and this past week was "Jesus is King." She will say it whenever asked about her memory verse. I can't wait to see her relationship with this King she's learning about blossom.

and Kinley....well, we can't exactly go theological with her right now, but we certainly pray and share lots of love and giggles with her too. She had a great time with all of the Easter fun. I just love her sense of adventure. She takes it all in. She's so fun.