Let Me Show You!

Josh happily playing with his toy...Emma oblivious!
Emma becomes aware and tries to take said toy...Josh protests.

Emma says "Okay, here's your toy back but I'll show you what you're supposed to do. Push these buttons!".

Emma reiterates "Push these buttons!".

Emma gives up and Josh goes back to happily chewing on the baseball.

Emma says "I tried to tell him but he wouldn't listen so I'll just read my book!".

First Haircut

A few weeks ago, I decided that it was finally time for Emma to have her first haircut so we headed off to our local Pigtails & Crewcuts. The goal was really just to trim it up a bit and try to start evening things out so you couldn't tell too much that it had been cut. I was specifically told by Brad before Emma and I headed out not to let them take too much off. My biggest concern and probably the reason that it took 28 months before Emma had her haircut was how she would react and whether she would sit still. Thankfully Pigtails & Crewcuts is totally geared towards kids so they are very patient with antsy little children. Emma's biggest issue was just holding her head still because she wanted to look around.

The kids get to choose to sit in either a plane, taxi, or vintage car. By the time it was Emma's turn, the taxi was the only option available but she totally thrilled with the seat. They also have suckers and animal crackers to keep those little hands busy. I can only think of one occasion that I am aware of where Emma has had a sucker so it was a rare treat for her and we actually ended up going through four because she somehow kept dropping them on the ground. She did great though and didn't mind too much when she got her hair blown dry at the end. I think she enjoyed the special treatment. To top it all off, each kid gets to pick a toy out of the treasure chest when they are done; Emma chose a pink, plastic lei. It was a great experience all around and yes, I did splurge and get the first haircut package, which included a card with a picture, the date, and a clipping of her hair. We'll definitely be headed back there and I would totally recommend Pigtails & Crewcuts if you've got one nearby.

Already trying to multitask while she drives!

8 Months Old

It's Baseball Season!!! Cards Fan Already!

I am getting to be such a big boy and my Mommy and Daddy can't believe that I will be celebrating my 1st birthday in 4 months. I am turning into quite a character and love to be entertained by my sister; thankfully she loves an audience! She can make me laugh like no other. Emma and I are definitely starting to fall into our natural roles as big sister and little brother. I am often told, "no Josh", "mine Josh", "don't touch me Josh" so on and so forth and you know what, I kind of like to egg her on a little bit as judged by the huge smile on my face when I invade Emma's space.

"No Touch Me, Josh!"

According to my sister, my full name is now "baby Josh"; I really don't think she says it any other way but that's okay because I sure do adore her and in my book, she can do no wrong.

I haven't mastered the art of crawling yet but I am trying my best to get up on all fours. Just because I am not crawling does not mean I am not getting around as I can scoot myself all over the place. I am such a pro at sitting up anymore and am happy just to sit and play with toys a lot of the time. If I need you though, I can definitely get your attention as I am a pretty talkative/vocal little guy. I have tried loads of fruits and vegetables and seem to like them all but Puffs make me really happy and I am getting so good at getting them into my mouth. On a side note, Puffs also make my sister very happy and she loves to "share with you, Josh", which really just means I better hurry and get them into my mouth before she eats them all.

Let's Eat!

At eight months, I still have a huge toothless grin and it doesn't really look like there are any teeth on the horizon but you never know. This past month I learned to clap and wave.

If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands!

My Mommy and Daddy think that I mimic people much more than my sister ever did. Emma was so proud though because she was the one that showed me how to wave. Actually, everything that I do or learn to do is for Emma at least in her mind. Lastly, at eight months, I am closing the gap to my sister weighing 21 lbs to her 27 lbs according to the scale at home. Until next month, Josh out!

Easter 2010

We returned home from church on Easter morning to find that the Easter bunny had arrived. It was convenient that he waited until Emma and Josh were out of the house to go to church so that we didn't have to deal with bringing all of our goodies with us. Emma was excited to see that Josh got a teething ring, aka ring ring icee, which she quickly informed him was for applying to bumps, bruises and other boo boos. However, I think he'll use it with the intended purpose of teething in mind right now.

She'll be proud of this one some day!

Josh is excited...Emma will be proud of this one too!

Look what I got!

After checking out her goodies, Emma enjoyed a special treat, a chocolate donut!

We then rounded out the morning by dyeing Easter eggs since we hadn't gotten to it earlier. Thankfully, the power of a baking soda/lemon juice mixture restored Emma's hands to their natural skin tone. This was Emma dyeing Easter eggs last year!

Don't forget about me!

After all the morning fun, we got to spend the afternoon with a wonderful family that we know from church. Emma thoroughly enjoyed hunting Easter eggs and then running around with her good friend, Charlie. Josh enjoyed sleeping the afternoon away in the fresh air in Mommy's arms.

Good find!

Great jumping point!

More jumping!

Still No Photos but Funny

I mentioned in the previous post that Emma hates when her brother cries and will try to console him and tell him that she loves him. She talks to him all the time and has the cutest little voice when she is asking him a question or telling him about something that she has done, is doing, etc... She has also taken to repeating things that are said to her when she is doing something wrong.

Example #1

Josh has a major thing for hair. It doesn't matter whose it is, if a head full (obviously Brad is exempt!) of hair comes within his little grasp, be prepared. After he grabs hold, Emma can be heard to say "No, no Josh, don't pull _____'s hair". I'll admit that the "no, no" is probably my doing as usually I catch Emma right as she is about to say, stand on top of the sit and spin that clearly is not meant to hold her or climb up onto the kitchen table and I need her to stop in her tracks.

Example #2

This just started a couple of days ago and I think she must have picked this up at daycare. On one occasion, Emma took a kick from Josh as she got right up next to him and his legs just go so it wasn't on purpose. However, Emma looked at him and asks "Why Josh, why?". She did this again after he pulled my hair the other night; "Why Josh, why?". It cracked me up when she asked him that and I am not sure the context in which she is learning it but we haven't had any notes home so I have to assume that it is harmless.

Funny how a two year old can teach you a lot about your own behavior!

Overdue Updates

I realize that I have been MIA and need to get back to the the blog. In all honesty, I just haven't had the time (i.e. I've been lazy) to grab any photos off the computer. An Easter post is yet to come as well as news of Emma's first haircut, which was really more of just a trim. Also, Emma has her first swim lesson this weekend and I am sure that there will be plenty to report from that!

We stayed busy last weekend with a trip to Riverfront Park where we met up with Anne, Charlie, and baby Michael. Emma and Charlie had a great time playing in the water while Josh and Michael slept. Lesson learned for next time: Bring a towel and change of clothes for one soaking wet little girl. Emma, Josh and I also attended Everett's 3rd birthday party. There was a piñata and while Emma showed good form, she needs to work on her power! Sadly I have no photos from either event but Emma had a great time.

It really causes Emma great concern when Josh cries and she can be heard to say "No cry Josh. I love you!". She can certainly be sweet to her little brother. However, at other times, she can also be the typical older sibling. With Emma, "what's hers is hers and what belongs to everybody else is hers". At least Josh is still at the point where he doesn't care if she takes something as long as she gives him a replacement but I know those days are short lived so clearly we need to work on sharing. Overall though, she does love "her baby Joshua"! Anyhow, that is just a brief update on us. More updates and photos soon.

Wordless Wednesday - Joshua

The Zoo!

Last Friday, we took advantage of the nice weather and struck out for the zoo. We got there early but it was quite clear when we left that we were not the only ones with that idea. Emma and Brad had gone on a field trip to the zoo last fall but Joshua and I had never been. It was a great morning to be outside and clearly the animals were enjoying it as well. Emma would spend some time watching a particular animal or group of animals and then look at us and say "I want to see something else". It isn't the biggest zoo in the world but it was nice and there were actually several places that Brad and Emma had missed in the fall. Emma's favorite is still the zebra although she really like the lion, giraffe, and mingos (flamingos). Josh was so impressed that he fell asleep sometime after we saw the lions. I know he'll enjoy it more "When Josh gets bigger" as Emma puts it. Do you think she hears that phrase a lot? We had talked about it previously and decided to purchase a family pass so I see many more trips to the zoo in our future. One lesson we did learn for future trips is to bring the wagon because if/when Emma wants to get out and walk, we won't be pushing around an empty stroller.

Wordless Wednesday - Emma's Biggest Fan

Road Trip

The weekend before last, we packed up the car and programmed the Garmin to take us to Uncle Dale, Aunt Michelle, Thomas, and Garret's house so we could be there for Garret's confirmation. Emma was a mostly patient traveler who did not nap at all either way and Josh did pretty well (see previous post) but gone are the days when we could make short (< 30 min) stops. When we finally reached our destination, Emma had to blow off some steam and literally ran in a circle between the living room, kitchen, and dining room for 20 minutes straight. We had a great weekend in spite of the rain and cold on Saturday and Emma tried her best to wear Garret out; "Get me Garret" was heard quite often at which point he was expected to chase her around the house. Garret was not the only one put on the spot as "Get me Chelle" was also heard and Uncle Dale got to play pony. She definitely took advantage of all the attention and even took a nap on Mema's lap; I am still in awe about that! On Sunday morning, we headed off to church to see Garret get "infirmed" as Emma put it. Even though we were at a different church, Emma just marched on up there for the Children's Message and did great sitting and listening as she always does at our church. When the Pastor blessed her during Communion, he told her "You are a beautiful young lady. Keep listening to your Mom and Dad". Hearing the first part, Emma quickly piped up with "I have a dress", which made Pastor laugh as he responded "Yes you do and it is quite a pretty dress". The one thing I know for sure is that if I want Emma to do something I can always appeal to her vanity! We're glad we were able to make the trip and be with Garret on his confirmation.

Putting Uncle Dale to Work

Can We Take More Pictures? Yes, Garret, We Certainly Can!











Icing!!!!