My Emmie Mae went #2 in the potty today! She has been going pee on the potty fairly regularly over the past week which is super exciting but today before nap she said she needed to go poo and then she went and did it on the potty! She is so proud of herself and so am I! I'll be honest I've been kind of resisting potty training her but maybe it's time for me to go out and get her some big girl underwear! I feel like with her, I am so much more willing to keep her a baby than I was with Levi. With Levi I was (and maybe still am) always pushing him a little bit to the next milestone and expecting more maturity whereas with Emery I nursed her longer and coddle her more. Which is interesting because with their personalities, Levi actually wants to be helped more whereas Emery wants to be more independent with everything! It's odd, now that I think about it and realize that I push my more timid child and baby my independent one! Probably Levi could use a little more snuggles and patience and Emery a few more chances to be challenged. I know that if I do, she will surprise me. Like the potty training thing. Or the fact that she is very quickly learning all her colors.
In other news, Levi started soccer season again. He had his first game yesterday. It's crazy how much difference a year can make! Even though the boys are only 4 and still play bunch ball, they all attend so much better, get the point of the game and actually understand the lines on the field! Haha. Levi said he had fun at the game but to be honest he only kicked the ball once, for a goal kick. He just doesn't really have the personality to dive into the fray and so he follows at a distance. Maybe he will warm up to it a bit as he gains confidence? He does tend to be hesitant about new things and it was his first game of the season with only 1 practice under his belt (he missed the first two due to having to quarantine thanks to exposure to COVID at school). I hope he actually likes soccer and that I'm not just pushing him into it because I like it! I want him to have fun, and he says he does, but I still wonder if maybe it's just not the best fit for him. He is very into pretending to be a ninja or have superpowers... maybe we should have him try martial arts instead? I think that could be good for him from an anxiety-managing and confidence-building standpoint as well. Maybe we will try that for a winter/spring sport after soccer is over.
Last weekend I got to do a girls' getaway weekend with Katie to go wedding dress shopping in Utah! It was soooo good to see her and get to spend so much one on one time with her before her big day! It was busy because we planned practically the whole wedding in a weekend haha but also relaxing because I could sleep in and didn't have to do any parenting! The moment the freedom hit me the most was when I got my rental car and all I had to do was unlock it, put my bag in the trunk and then get in and go! It was sooo fast and easy! No car seats to install, no kids to buckle, no scrambling to manage a million things. It was so nice! We stayed with Kendall's family while we were there which was super nice because then I got to meet them. They are very sweet and have an exuberant, lively young dog named Spook. Katie and I went to three different dress shops and at shop number three she found her dress! It is GORGEOUS on her and I can't wait to see Kendall's face when he sees her in it! So that was exciting. And also while we were there we got to eat some of my UT favorites I have been missing: Cafe Rio pork, JDawgs and SweetToothFairy cupcakes. We also drove by Oma and Opa's old house and sat on the grass outside their old church building and took a little trip down memory lane. Actually, all of Utah is pretty nostalgic for me. I just lived there at such a fun and formative time in my life. It's where I had my first boyfriend, chose to serve a mission, chose my career and met and married Eric! I just have so many positive memories there with friends and family and Eric scattered all up and down the Wasatch front. Practically everywhere I went I had a memory of some kind attached to it: dates, good times with friends, family moments. It was odd to be there and try to remember that Auntie Connie's house isn't Auntie Connie's house anymore and that she has passed. Maybe it's because I didn't go to her funeral, but I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn't just drive over by Cottonwood canyon into her neighborhood in Holladay and see her. She is almost simultaneous with Utah in my mind...at least the Salt Lake Valley part of Utah. Thinking of her makes me think of summertime, of fresh cherries from her tree, of swimming in the pool with my siblings and lounging on the inner tubes, of her little black Scottish terrier, of quilts and her store, of Easter Sunday and orange rolls, of playing cards with my aunties at the kitchen table and laughing so hard I practically peed my pants, of Thanksgiving and decorating gingerbread houses, of dear sweet Paul and my cousins and their constant family dramas, of the time they were remodeling their kitchen and I accidentally knocked a heavy clamp and it flew off and hit me in the jaw, of the time we put so many trick candels on Auntie Mary's cake that she couldn't blow them out and the cake had to be sacrificed to prevent a fire, of the time I got my car stuck in the snow in their culdesac and Paul had to help dig me out, of the time I accidentally backed into Vicki's car and the shocked look on her face as I did but the way she instantly forgave me and never made me pay a cent to fix it, of sitting on the vent by the outside stairs with our towels spread over them to warm up after swimming, of blue and white tiles and soft, slightly flowery scents, and of course of Auntie Connie herself with her dark hair, mischevious eyes, quick laugh, strong opinions and soft hugs. I loved going up to her house while I was at school at BYU. I loved her mirror in the bathroom wreathed with white metal vines. I loved the way she called Paul "Bear." I just love her and miss her and him both.
Anyway, speaking of family, I also got to see Matt and Greta and their kids and Holly while I was up in Utah. I spent pretty much all of Sunday with them. It was so nice to get to talk to Holly so long without any distractions and catch up on her life. I wish she and I lived closer to each other! And of course, it was so nice to see Matt and Greta and Anson and Ben and Rachel. Rachel is the cutest little chunk who is really into climbing everything. It was so refreshing to see her and remember what typical development is supposed to look like. The way she would just squat down and pick something up from the floor and stand back up and start walking with it like it was nothing was so impressive to me since that's something that the kids on my caseload have to work so hard and practice so much to achieve. It was like a little reality check. Like "oh yeah! That's what it's supposed to look like!" Anyway, and then Ben reminds me so much of Emery both in looks and his loud, exuberant voice! And Anson reminds me of Levi with his creativity and distractability. Our first two children really are so similar in so many ways!
So yeah, the trip to UT was wonderful and productive and I kind of just want to do it all over again! Haha. But I am very excited for Katie's upcoming wedding and that I will get to see her and the rest of my family (minus Natachia who doesn't want to travel so close to her due date) so soon! We've got our plane tickets and everyone's outfits except mine and it's all just so close and exciting. Poor Katie is stressed with a million things to do but really it's all coming together just fine so far! She and Kendall have got their apartment and she's got her dress and a seamstress doing alterations. They've got their engagement photos done and back and their color scheme picked out. I know it will all be wonderful even though it's a bit sad that they can't have a reception yet due to COVID. I think it will actually make it kind of intimate and nice. And give us all another excuse to see each other next summer to have a big party! Haha.
Anyway, this is getting long and I should probably go. Life marches on at a pace that surprises me. Summer is already drawing near a close. Eric and I have finished our laundry room (except the decor) and keep going on to the next plans. The kids keep growing and learning. My caseload evolves and changes and I learn too. There are hard things and good things and stressful things and exciting things and boring things. I have walked away from Facebook maybe two weeks ago now and it has been very helpful for me. Now I just have to get my news doomscrolling under control! Haha. Anyway, I leave now with just a few photos of late summer in the Martino household:
