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All of the above...

Emme came out of the bathroom with my headband on today.

Rory's recent adventures...creating reasons for other people to come and play with her.  We had a princess castle making party where we painted a cardboard box like a princess castle.  The most recent was a tea party where all the guests dressed up and daddy served us "tea" (pink lemonade) and treats.  Appetizers=goldfish crackers, Dinner=ritz bitz crackers with cheese or peanut butter, Pre-dessert=gummy snacks, and Dessert=candy corn and candy.  Rory kept reminding Brad to "say things like a waiter says."  When he asked her what waiters say, she replied, "What would you like to order?"  Below is a picture of another one of Rory's party creations...a bracelet party.  Here are the guests showing off our bracelet entries.  I won the contest that Rory judged...which is a stretch since my bracelet collection was weak.  But the prize...snuggling on the couch with Rory.  :)

 

Emme likes lotion.  A few nights ago we forgot to put the lotion away after bath time.  Emme found it in the morning and entertained herself  quietly until Brad walked in to find her slathered up.

Rory's preschool had a field trip to the local fire station.  One of the firefighters dressed up in all his garb to help the kids become familiar with the sight in case they were to see a firefighter during a real fire.

 Rory cheesing it up in the back of an ambulance.  
During the tour of the fire truck Rory said something to the firefighter who replied, "You're not very shy are you?"

Emme and I took advantage of the nice weather and played on our front steps.

St. Louis Zoo

For the past three years we've had a standing Memorial Day date at Table Rock Lake in south Missouri with three other families.  The first two years included our children.  Then we wised up and sent the kids on vacations to the grandparents' homes.  (By the way...Mom, can I pencil you in for Memorial Day weekend 2009?)

This year Josh and Heather Haynes missed the lake trip since they were very close to welcoming to their son, Henry, into the world.  The rest of us missed seeing their faces, so we planned a trip for all of us to meet in St. Louis for a couple days in September.  This time the kids were invited.

One of my goals of the reunion...getting a picture of our kids together.  I threw this picture on here because I love how every other child is acknowledging Emme's tears...except Rory.

There was a lot of "stroller hopping" during the day.  

Emme's special friend, Chris.  Chris' wife is expecting their second son in November.  I think Emme is a little relieved to still be the special little girl in his world.  :)

Rory's posing.  Classic.  She wants to be a fashion model for Halloween.  No matter how hard we tried...she's all girl.  Remember when we didn't want you all to buy us pink clothes when we found out she was a girl.  She's definitely making up for lost time.

Smiles with her entire face.

This is a fake seal. It's a statue in the fountain.

After snapping a few snapshots of the goats, this is the moment when she informed me that "they do not like having their picture taken!"

Rory and friend, Molly Haynes.  We ate lunch with two of the families before leaving St. Louis for home.  Molly's family was there.  After getting in the car she fell asleep almost immediately.  Her parents informed us later that she was extremely upset to wake up in the car and find out she was on her way home and not back to the hotel to play with "her friends!" 

I think this picture is hilarious.  Love you Becca...and baby boy Maggio.

One of my newest friends, Henry Haynes.  He is a cutie!

We spotted Katie Holmes!  Who's that kid she's got with her?

Molly on daddy's shoulders.

Braden on daddy's shoulders.

Emme holding hands with Chris.  After our second day at the zoo, Brad and I took the girls to the gift shop for a souvenir.  (I'm a big fan of souvenirs.)  I couldn't get Emme excited about any of the cute stuffed animals.  Not even any of the penguins which were by far her favorite.  She laughed with glee when the puffins would splash in the water and swim.  The first animal Chris showed her, she hugged and took home.  His name is Elephant and he sleeps with her every night.

Braden, Greggory, Rory, Molly, Emme, and Anna (not pictured: Henry)

parade pics

Here is the little sister waiting for Rory's parade debut.  I cannot express just how excited Emme was for the parade.  Our friend/neighbor, Kayla, attended the parade with us to cheer on Rory.  We had our minds set on being the "best parade fans ever!"  So...we cheered for absolutely everyone.  [Dry cleaning company name]...yay!  [Lawn care company name]...yay!   The mayor of Liberty...yay!  Emme caught on pretty quickly and began screaming for everything we saw as well.  Brad has some terrific video footage of Emme looking like a college football fan as a float approached down the street.  Her little body stiffened up and her face turned red as she screamed.  It was hilarious!   I love her!

Here's Rory at the beginning.  We sat fairly close to the start of the parade route, so this picture truly is a "beginning" shot.  She's excited and waving.  Much more animated than when I dropped her off.

Here she is still talking to us as they drove farther away.
The parade route went down a hill, around the square, and back up the hill just one street over.  We sat on the hill as the parade went by, then cut through a side-street to catch it on the way back.  Here's Rory on the last stretch.  She looks hot and tired and cranky.  She is visibly "over it."

As mentioned earlier, we (Kayla and I) are equal-opportunity applauders when it comes to parades.  Absolutely every political group received cheers from us, along with requests for "stickers! stickers!"  We put every one of those stickers on Emme.  She campaigned for everyone that day.  And apparently the weight of the election was just too much.  She fell asleep soon after the parade ended.

Rory was in the Fall Festival parade Saturday with the other girls from her dance studio.  She was less than enamored with the "sitting on a parade float in the sun" experience...but reported having a fun time nonetheless.  The volunteer mom sign-up list filled up pretty fast so I wasn't needed to help out with Rory's group.  I walked Rory up to the parade line-up sight and boosted her up onto the flat-bed truck (with tires almost as tall as me).  After standing around for a few minutes smiling at my little dancer all in pink and decked out for the "glamorous" theme, I asked Rory if she'd be okay if I left and waited for the parade to start.  In a very serious tone, as if conducting a business deal, she replied, "No mom.  Do not leave! If you go, I will not be okay with you gone."  Sensing the urgency, and appreciating the fact she hadn't thrown a fit, I stayed a bit longer to ease her nerves.  She sat still and silent.  There was no interaction with the girls to her side, no questions about the parade, no conversation at all.  I could see the anxiety on her face.  In the midst of her excitement, the newness and "growing-upness" of this event was staring her in the face.

Eventually I left her, not before introducing her to the 3 older girls beside her, and a volunteer mom.  I reminded her a gazillion times to not stand up on the float.  I told her I'd wave to her twice while she was in the parade (once at the beginning, and once at the end), and then walked away.  

The emotions of that walk were surprising.  I stood on a sidewalk a few feet away behind a another car in the parade.  I "spied" on Rory for a couple minutes more just to make sure she didn't lose her cool after I left.  As I walked to find our spot on the parade route, inside my head I heard a tiny voice tell me that I'd just left my daughter on a crowded street.  The voice then reminded me that my daughter is only 4.

Fast forward to the end when I helped Rory down off the truck.  As she held my hand she said, "That was awesome!"

Pictures and video (if Brad can find the time to load it) to come!

People keep telling me I look tired.  I guess I am...but I wish I didn't look like it.  I want desperately to be one of those people who can say, "I just don't need a whole lot of sleep."  Or maybe I wish my kid would sleep in past 6am at least one day a week.

Emme and I had a nice morning together running errands while Rory was at preschool today.  Sometimes I look at her and wonder how much more i would know about her if she were the firstborn.  She's so much fun to talk to.  A couple times in Target she laid her head back against

 the cart, closed her eyes and said, "I'm sleepy."  Her little eyes squinted as she tried to keep them closed.  I said, "You're sleepy sweetheart?"  And through a slight smile she said, "Yep." It was obvious she was pretending with me...enjoying the uninterrupted attention of mom.  Interactions like these, no matter how simple, remind me that I am consistently unable to actually listen to her over the chatter of her big sister.  When both the girls are together we most often hear Rory being instructive, or the two of them competing for a toy or for attention.  The time with just Emme is a treat and I am realizing that next year, with Rory in kindergarten, will be a true gift.  A real chance to bond with my little girl.

To be really honest, I've looked at Rory and wondered how life might look had we completed our family after her arrival.  I feel as if recently I've gotten a slight grasp on how children change when a new one arrives.  Not necessarily negatively...just different.  It's inevitable due to the new dynamic, a new person to love, to compete with, to share with.  While I know that I wanted two children, sometimes I wonder...what if it were just the three of us?  How might Rory be different today?  

Interesting questions.  Ones I don't ponder for too long.  For as I look at each of the girls, it isn't too long before the other one runs into sight and makes my heart smile all over again.

Emme's turns the big 0-2!

We recently celebrated Emme's 2nd birthday with family and friends.  The temperature was great, but the rain-soaked ground kept all the party-goers inside.  Luckily we live in a two-bedroom apartment with it's own lobby area.   :)

Emme is a joy and challenge all wrapped into one little package.  The doctor has ordered more fats and proteins to help her move up to the next weight class.  So, in between shoveling cheese, peanut butter, and meats into her mouth, she entertains us with her new phrases like "Oh, man!," and, "I'm coming!"  She's testing boundaries and often tells us "no."  She can still shake her hips like they're not attached to the rest of her body.  And she loves to be loud.  She's scrappy and can now climb into her high chair by navigating the footrest and going up and over the table attachment. We've moved her into a big girl bed (a mattress on the floor underneath her sister's lofted, college bed).  She does fairly well staying put.  One day last week I walked in to find her sleeping half on/half off her bed.  (I guess that is how you "roll off your bed" when your mattress is on the floor.)  She has blossomed socially and yells loudly at everyone we pass on campus.  From across the way you can hear her calling "Hi! "Hello!" "Howdy!"  "Good morning!"  (The phrase varies depending on what Brad or I are saying to people as we pass.)  She gets giddy when she sees some people in the cafeteria, and heartbroken when they don't always sit beside us to eat.  Her vocabulary is growing and her abilities change every day.  She's a treasure and we're very blessed to know her.

Her birthday cake...an alligator made out of cupcakes.

Birthday face.

It was refreshing to find that Emme is a pretty good at receiving gifts.  She seemed genuinely interested in all her gifts (within the realm of a 2 year old's depth of interest).

These sunglasses rock!

We are forever grateful for the family and friends who shared this day with us.  Thank you for giving us your time, eating cupcakes with green icing, and pretending to be entertained by watching a 2 year old open gifts.