With me starting work, the kids also started daycare again. Eric and the kids and I went and toured about 6 different places before deciding on a Montessori school in Frisco that is on Eric's commute to work. We really like it so far and the kids seem very happy there! It is a smaller school owned by a little old Indian lady named Miss Faye. She is great. And pretty much all the teachers there are Indian as well and have years and years of experience. I can tell they love the kids and are very experienced and knowledgeable about teaching them. When we toured the school I was just so impressed with the calm and order that existed there. I have never felt that in a daycare before and it definitely sold me on the place. And so far it seems to be going really well. The kids are happy to go to school and happy when we pick them up. Levi says his favorite thing is to play legos with his new friend with the spiderman sweatshirt and to do the poking activity (he pokes shapes out of pieces of paper with a little dowel thing- this a Montessori activity to strengthen attention and fine motor skills). Emery can't tell us about her day (obviously) but the teachers report that she naps well (which is amazing!) and eats well and she seems happy.
About Emery's language, I was a little worried because up until about a week and a half ago she seemed stuck at about 6 words. And she had had those same 6 words for a while and she never imitated sounds. BUT, right after her 18 month check-up (which she was over a month late for) she suddenly started talking more! She's got about 20 words now including her new favorites "mine!" and "ta!" (stop- which she says while holding her hand out in the common "stop" gesture). She is growing in her independence too and wants to do things like a big girl like refuse to wear a bib, insist on trying to drink from an open cup, and put her clothes on by herself. Ever since she started school she is also very interested in the toilet and will frequently point to her bum and then run to the bathroom, lift the toilet lid and ask me to hold her while she sits on the potty! She even tries to wipe herself with toilet paper although she has yet to actually pee or poop on the potty. But I am wondering if this means she will potty train younger and much easier than Levi did! At her age, he definitely was perfectly content to stay in diapers!
Other big exciting news lately is that Eric surprised me on Christmas with the news that we are going to Thailand for our anniversary this year! I was shocked and sooo excited! We've had two planning dates so far and now have our itinerary for the trip planned out and our hotel reservations made. I can still barely believe we are going and I am just so excited. I mean, we've been seriously wanting to go there for about 3 years now and I just can't believe the time has finally come! I am a little apprehensive about being gone from the kids for so long (11 days!) but I think it's just going to be an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can't wait to feed the elephants, hike the forests, stand-up-paddleboard at night in the ocean and just general experience Thailand with my amazing husband. We need this break to just be together kid-free and I am so, so much looking forward to it.
With Thailand as our motivation and the New Year as a good starting time, Eric and I have recommited to new exercise goals and so far so good! I decided to follow the youth's new program and also make spiritual, intellectual and social goals for myself as well. And I have been really engaged and trying on all of them (well maybe not so much the intellectual one). The social and spiritual ones are really important to me and I can feel that God is also engaged and wanting me to meet my goals. My social goal is all about improving my relationship with Levi using a 5:1 positive to negative interactions model and hair bands to remind myself. It's had a rocky start but I think it just such a high priority for me and I really want to be successful at it! I'm going to review all my goals later today and adjust and recommit to them.
Anyway, so that's what's been going on lately. And now for some pictures of my cute kids, our gradually coming together house, and the amazing holidays that we got to spend with both my family and Eric's! We super lucked out this year in that we got to spend a lot of time with both of our families and it was so relaxing and fun and amazing. We are seriously blessed beyond measure!!
Emery taking after big brother and "fixing" things
Sometimes these kiddos just crack me up! I love how convenient it is to be able to give them their snacks at the peninsula while I'm working in the kitchen- usually menu planning, putting away groceries or doing dishes.
Levi is getting more into Legos and likes to show off his creations- especially to Auntie Katie or Daddy.
Emma came by and helped me put up Levi's mountains one Saturday morning. We were intimidated at first but they actually went up pretty easily and it only took about an hour and a half.
Levi was so excited to see them!
Emery and Silva are still close and getting more into playing together. They get excited to see each other at family dinner and give each other hugs while Silva exclaims "Emmy! Emmy!"
We love to bake together! I usually give Emery a little bowl and a little wooden spoon too and put just a smidge of each ingredient in her bowl too for her to practice her stirring.
Can't believe the positions my children contort themselves into while they watch tv! It's a very rare occurrence for Emery to actually sit on the couch and watch anything but this time I was sitting with them and couldn't help but notice that she was practically doing yoga while watching haha.
When Daddy gets home in the evening the best play times start!
The RS had a play date at a trampoline place in Frisco and my kids loved it! Especially the ball pit. Which was a little scary because it was super deep and Emery kept sinking down in it and I would have to reach in and pull her back out again. Anyway, once she got really deep and stuck so I actually had to jump in there and get her and my phone fell out of my pocket! And oh man, it is so hard to find anything once it is in the balls!! I felt around and around where I was standing when it happened and I could not find it! Thank heaven there were other RS sisters there! One of them held Emery for me and the other called my phone while I stood in the spot where I was when it fell out and thank goodness I could feel it vibrating through balls so I just felt my way toward the vibrations and found it. It was a scary little bit for a while though! I was really worried we wouldn't be able to find it! So I will be super extra careful from now on and never take my phone into the ball pit!
I just have the cutest family!
Emery's hair is now long enough for a ponytail and it is so adorable!
While we were in CA for Christmas (which was just the best) my parents took us and the kids to the Sonoma County children's museum and it was awesome! It was a lot like the children's museum in Portland except more compact and better in my opinion. The activities were more engaging to the kids for longer periods of time. I was pretty impressed.
One of the nights we were there, my parents watched our kids and we got to go out with my sibs and their significant others. We went to Screamin' Mimis and to see Knives Out. It was soooo great to spend that time together with them!
We also went on a family hike up Canyon trail to Lake Ilsanjo. Emery didn't want to ride in the ergobaby at first but after a few (many) adjustments, she got comfortable enough that she actually fell asleep!
At church Sister Wiseman actually took our family's picture with a real camera and then got each of us a hard copy print. I just took a picture of it with my phone though.
Wearing grandma's reading glasses and looking like the cutest little librarian ever.
We got Emery a little chair for Christmas and she loves it. What with that, two more bookshelves I painted and the vinyl from Papi and Nona, her reading nook is now complete!
We all had fun at the annual cousins bowling night!
Declan is especially sweet and cute with Emery.
My silly goose running around with no shirt and Levi's Catboy mask on her head.
She tries to put on her own pants now!
Last Saturday we had a light dusting of snow. Levi was sooo excited and had a great time playing outside with Daddy while I hid from the cold in our nice cozy house.
A perk to shopping at Kroger and Costco, thanks to car carts I always have both of my kiddos seated and contained while I shop! And contrary to what Levi's face looks like in this picture they both love it too.
