This and That

Emma loves her scooter. She is really fast on it, and graceful (if one can said to be graceful on a scooter). She loves to ride it when we go on walks or just to the corner if we are out front. I was really touched when she was helping Delaney to use it, because it can be hard to share.

I was feeling sort of unmotivated the other day. It was gray and cold outside, and I was thinking about how I did so many more creative things at home when I only had one. Delaney is a lot more active and doesn't always stick with little experiences I set up for her the way Emma did. She is also so busy interacting with Emma that I get kind of lazy. I needed to do dishes, so I decided to set up our water table in the kitchen. Delaney had been interested in the one at Emma's school the day before, so I set about scrubbing all the nooks and crannies. It was kind of a mess from sitting outside. I set it up on some beach towels and filled it with warm water, sea shells, kitchen utensils and other goodies, and she loved it. She played in it for 45 minutes and I got my work done. I was even able to sit down and enjoy watching her play.

Sometimes I wonder why we don't paint very often. I guess this picture is a reminder. I know, what a grinch I am! I love it when the weather is warm and we can just hose off outdoors. Emma's nickname for Delaney is Big Eyed Chub Chub, which I think is hilarious. She still has the big eyes which you see here, but has really lost her chub chub as she approaches her 2nd birthday. The other day she was saying Big Eyed Chub Chub over and over in the car in her gravelly little voice and it gave us all a laugh.I love how self motivated Emma is. She is such a busy girl and does not need to be entertained. This is great on one hand, but can be very messy. She is constantly taping and shredding and creating. Wads of wet construction paper are her constellations drying on the edge of the sink. Rolls of tape disappear into thin air. I find weird little piles of stuff in drawers and cupboards. Her stuffed animals are always taped, bandaged and wrapped in a myriad of dishtowels. She is sort of like a maternal rat with her nests and lovies. This is her telescope. She was busy in the kitchen for a long time when she called me in to look at the universe through her wonderful creation.

Bathtime Fun

We made bathtub paints the other night and tried them out.

The girls loved it.

It made for a very soapy tub, but the clean up was easy.
Recipe...2 T. cornstarch
1/3 cup liquid soap
a few drops of food coloring

Emma Succumbs and Delaney & Papa Pix

Emma was helping Sam replace a part on the toilet when she got very, very tired. She made a little bed in there and asked for some bread. When Sam came back in to work she had fallen asleep. She had what Delaney did, but it seemed milder.

Here are a few shots I love of Sam and Delaney goofing around. She was in a silly mood, crawling around the kitchen very fast and getting in my face to grab the camera.

Here's What The Stomach Flu Looks Like At Our House

Emma was on her own while I tended to Delaney. She snacked on the couch and watched hours of television with no intervention. She was quite happy.

I made Delaney a bed on the kitchen floor so I could fix Emma some food. She was on a bummer. I sure am glad we have a washer and a dryer now. They were a great help.

What's Going On

Our pomegranates are ripe and delicious. Emma and Delaney love to go out and eat them in the yard. This requires nudity on their part and they are happy to oblige.

Delaney woke up from a particularly fussy night looking like this. She must have banged into the wall scraping her nose. The bridge was pretty swollen and she had two little shiners to show for it.

Here she is after climbing into the tub during my shower...in her pajamas. I was kind of frustrated, but then I had to just laugh. She is a tricky girl.

Here is Delaney with her pomegranate beard. Boy was she a mess.

More Emma Funnies

Emma and I are snuggling at bedtime. She is drinking water and doing this irritating gulping swallow she does sometimes that fills her with air. I am trying my hardest to ignore it when she says, "Mom, I think hormones make me do that."

I am crawling on my hands and knees in the hallway killing ants and singing to Emma as I go (to keep me from going insane and entertain her at the same time). "Where are you going little ants," I sing. Emma says in an obvious tone, "Mom, they're just random ants!"

Sam went out to the living room to see what Emma and Delaney were up to. Emma was holding Delaney tightly, wrestling and pretending to bite and scratch her.
Sam: "That seems to be a little rough."
Emma: "We are playing dinosaur."
Sam: "I don't think Delaney knows how to play."
Emma: still chomping and scratching at Delaney..."She's the meat."

Summer News

We are enjoying our summer and time off with Sam. We have been to the Natural History Museum, the Nature Center, the beach and on a camping trip. Emma has started at a new preschool that she seems to really enjoy. We have been reading and hanging out with friends and family as well...all the ingredients for a good summer. Here Emma and Delaney are squooshing in the mud at Mud Mania, put on by Rancho Los Cerritos.

Camping

We had a wonderful time on our camping trip near Lake Arrowhead. Dogwood campground was good to us and provided us with tons of dirt, the opportunity to make smores and enough room for 3 other families. The girls are great campers! No surprise really, because they love to explore and dig in the dirt. I have never seen Delaney quite that dirty. Emma is ready for another trip soon.


Our tent was actually quite comfortable, a palatial palace really, with enough room for 2 inflatable mattresses. During the set up, which took awhile, I told Sam we should just get a little tent and sleep on mats, but during the night I changed my mind. It was quite cushy and awesome to camp without any aches and pains!


Without rice crispy treats and smores where would marshmallows be?? The girls were big fans of smores...Delaney just took off with a bunch of marshmallows because it was easier.

Summer

We are enjoying summer and the new house. The girls have adjusted well and love the bigger space. We have been swimming at my mom's pool. It is so warm this year, and the girls love it.

Emma is into some alone time with me. What's new? The other night while putting her to bed, she told me I could go. I joked, "Are you trying to get rid of me?" She laughed and patted my arm endearingly and said, "I'd never get rid of you." Whew! What a sweet girl. She has been making up songs. The latest overheard by Sam, "I don't have to do what my mom and dad is telling me to do." It could be an opera!! She hates brushing her hair, going to bed, and naps. She loves something sugary, reading chapter books, her new bunny bed, snuggling, twirly dresses, and barbeque sauce on everything.

Delaney is enjoying throwing things into the toilet and then fishing them out. That thing in her hands there, yup, that went for a swim. You'd think a toilet lock would be strong enough to keep the persistent out, but you'd be wrong. She's also throwing things into the shower while I am in there. Why are they always electronic devices?? She is climbing furniture, destroying library books, eating unpleasant things off the ground, going down large slides at the park by herself, and generally keeping me on my toes. That girl lives life-full tilt!! Her newest words are helmet, bike, and bite. She loves watermelon, oatmeal and avocado. She has a throaty little laugh that is very endearing.

Popsicle Weather

It has been very hot here recently, and this allows Emma to indulge in two of her favorites, one old and one new; popsicles and dresses. We are reading the Little House series, and she has decided she wants to be Mary. Really now, who doesn't? Ahhh...but in reality she is so like Laura it makes me smile while we read. Every morning she selects a new dress from her extensive collection (a very timely gift of used clothes from a parent at Sam's school). She especially likes her "calico" dresses. The other day on the way to the park to meet some friends she said, "Miles can be Almanzo and I'll be Laura. Oh shoot...we need to get a gun."

She brought popsicles out back the other day. I started to share mine with Delaney. It was quickly taken over by the little dictator. It made her instantly happy and then completely miserable. I wish I had a video of it. She grabbed it in both hands and sucked the juice out of it like her life depended on it. Clinging to it the cold began to be a problem, but she wouldn't put it down or let me take it. She cried and cried, and I finally I couldn't stand her misery, so I took it away. No more popsicles for that girl.

These are a Few of Their Favorite Things

Here is the infamous partially eaten cake. I'd have to say that birthdays and birthday cake are one of Emma's favorite things. Here are Sam and Emma blowing out Sam's birthday candles. He had a #1 because he is a number 1 dad and husband.

Emma is into special time with her mom. Any opportunity to be alone with me, even in the car driving somewhere, is referred to as "feshal time." She knows that her dad and I go on dates once in awhile and has been asking to go on one with me as well. Her love of reading continues. We are reading The Jungle Book. Some of it is a little beyond her but she insists on finishing it. She loved Riki Tikki Tavi. It was scary! Lately she likes to pretend that she is an orphaned animal in need of care. She'll say, "I'm a baby (insert animal here) who lost its mom and dad." At other times she is the rescuer and finds kittens and dinosaurs who need a mother. She has a pretend sister named Ben. Ben is pretty good at doing and knowing all about things that Emma hasn't experienced yet. She has a great imagination!!

Delaney loves to take a bath or watch you take a bath or stare at the empty tub with hopes of taking one. She is very excited about dogs and makes a panting noise to tell you about them. It is often the first thing out of her mouth in the morning. The girl also loves to eat and she wants what you are having. She loves yams, bananas, oatmeal, chicken bones, turkey meatballs, avocados and nachos. Okay, I was kidding about the nachos. She growls and waves her hands when she wants more.