Josh is 2 1/2

I am not sure how this slipped right by my conscience mind but Josh is now 2 1/2 years old. Perhaps it was just denial that our baby is getting so big. He is definitely our rough and tumble little "big" guy but at the same time has his moments where he wants to do just what big sister is doing whether it be dressing up or putting babies to sleep. Of course, often times, the babies get a whacked on the head or really patted to sleep. Over the past six months, it has been great watching Josh grow and change. We now get to hear bits and pieces about what happened during his day. We also know that his best friends are Rossie, Anna Beth and Barret. They love playing fire trucks together. Sounds like the sophomore class boys should also start their own air guitar band! He picks up so many things from his friends at school and his sister and is quite the little talker. In fact, lately, I think he talks every bit as much as Emma. It is impossible to get a word in edgewise with those two and even more impossible to listen to everything, which is what they both want. I am working on completing a questionnaire with Josh like I have done with Emma in the past so I will post those responses soon. Also coming up is 5 (or more) things about Josh so be on the lookout.

Museum of Discovery

Last winter, the Museum of Discovery was closed for renovations. Before they closed, we had visited on several occasions and while the kids had fun, it definitely needed to be updated. After being closed for 9 months, the museum reopened in January. A couple of weekends ago, the kids and I headed over to check out the newly renovated Museum of Discovery and we were not disappointed. There is one area for kids 5 and under, which is where we started. I think this area is still a work in progress because it was pretty much the same. However, we spent a little bit of time in there before I urged Emma and Josh to check out the other exhibits with the promise that we could come back. As it turns out, they had so much fun in all the other exhibits that they never wanted to go back to that area.

There is so much more hands on then there was previously so even if they didn't completely understand, they loved all the things they could touch. In addition to all the exhibits, we also watched a science demonstration that Emma said was her favorite part. I tried to feed her the answers to the questions but she wouldn't shout them out. I think that the exhibit both kids liked the best was the one about the body. There is one area where you run in front of a screen and it tells you how fast you are, you can also check your balance, heart rate, how much blood is in your body and it goes on. By far, the favorite part of this exhibit to Josh was the area that demonstrated how fast a sneeze travels. There are doors that you open and when you do, you get sneezed on. He loved it and did it over and over and over again! As it turns out we didn't even get to see the entire museum before it was closing so we'll definitely have to make another trip.

Some of our favorite Sesame Street Friends!


Not sure they have a future in news since they were more interested in seeing themselves!

Wordless Wednesday - Caught in a Spider's Web!

Strutting!

While at the zoo, Josh wanted to walk every now and then instead of riding in the wagon. I don't think words can do the following video justice so enjoy. He was cracking Brad and I up!

Black Eye

Josh recently had a run in with a table at school and the table won hands down. I received a text from Brad while I was waiting on my flight out of San Francisco saying that Josh had hurt his eye but he was okay. After I landed in Little Rock and was on my way home, Brad called to warn me that it was pretty bad. I never imagined it would be so swollen and it was the first thing he pointed out to me when I got home; as if I could miss that. Poor little guy could barely see but we had been told that he acted fine all day and the only time he cried was right after he hit the table. He is so tough and now he looks it too! I am just hoping the eye clears up before school pictures next week.

Birthday Party Fun

Anna, Libby's little sister, turned 2 on February 18th and we were lucky enough to get to celebrate with her. The party was a Minnie Mouse theme and they had the cutest decorations. Their were Minnie Mouse ears for the girls and Mickey Mouse for the boys. There were a few games before pizza and the most delightful little treat; strawberries topped with sweetened cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs. Yummo! After dinner, it was time for cake. We sang and then Anna went to blow out her candles but had a little help from her friend Josh. In order to capture it on another camera or video, we sang again and this time Josh was not going to be outdone. As soon as we hit the last note, he went in there and blew out Anna's candles. She kind of gave him this look like "What's the deal?" but didn't mind otherwise. After treats and opening presents, we danced with some of our favorite Nickelodeon characters on the Wii. Josh was funny because he just sat there and watched the TV or everybody else but didn't care to dance. I think he was just biding his time until he could take a spin on Anna's new plasma car; that may just be his impetus/reward to potty train. Thanks for letting us help celebrate Anna!

Best friends!

The Birthday Girl!

President's Day Weekend

We got a visit from PaPa and MeMa over President's Day weekend. The week leading up to their visit, it was pretty much all they could talk about. In fact, their upcoming visit prevented Emma from being able to take a nap at school. Now if you'll buy that, I've got some ocean front property in Arizona to sell you. Anyhow, I digress. They had just arrived when we got home Friday night and I think Emma and Josh would have busted through the restraints on their carseats if possible. That night, MeMa sang songs with Josh and played his guitar; he was definitely MeMa's boy the entire weekend after that. The weather wasn't the best on Saturday so we hung around the house before the kids and I headed off to Anna Banana's 2nd birthday party. The following morning I was off bright and early to catch a flight to San Francisco for a conference so I missed the rest of the visit but from the sounds of it and the photos, I think everybody had a great time.

Sunday afternoon, they took a trip down to the river to the newish Two Rivers Bridge. On the way over the bridge, Emma spotted a turtle and was so excited to tell me about it on the phone. On the other side of the bridge is a great big grassy area and from what I hear, they wore themselves out running around. The next day was beautiful as well so they headed outside where both Emma and Josh demonstrated their ability to hit a ball off a tee. Now, the question is where do I find some girl's softball in Little Rock. Again, I digress. To end out the fun weekend with PaPa and MeMa, they went out to eat at the Purple Cow and must have eaten well because both kids got some purple ice cream for dessert. I think it is safe to say they had lots of fun and cannot wait to see PaPa and MeMa again. In fact, after I got home Tuesday evening, Josh gave me about 10 minutes and then he was looking for Grandma. We hope to see them again soon!

ER Visit

After almost 17 months without a visit to the ER, we decided that last night would be a good time to break that streak. I was sitting on the couch and Josh was standing beside me and had his arm hanging down between my leg. I was not squeezing it or anything but when he pulled it out, he evidently popped something out of place. The poor bubs started crying and screaming for an icy. He sort of calmed down and stopped crying sitting on my lap but as soon as you touched or moved his left arm, he was screaming in pain again. When he was calm, he kept telling us that it was his wrist that hurt; I was thinking I somehow broke the poor boy's wrist and couldn't figure out how that would have happened. After calming him down again, he told me in a said little voice "I'm okay" and asked for my phone. I handed it to him and when he tried to move his left arm to look at photos, the screaming and tears began again. At this point, Brad packed him up and headed to the ER. Fortunately they sort of fast tracked him through triage since he was hurting so much. After getting a description of the problem from Brad, the doctor diagnosed him with a clear cut case of Nursemaids Elbow. They manipulated it a bit and heard it pop back into place. The nurse then went to get him a Popsicle to distract him with and see if he would start using the arm again. If he used the arm, they were good to go; if not, it was off to x-ray. Fortunately once they popped the elbow back, he was fine. When they arrived home, Josh came walking up the stairs and when he saw me said "I'm okay Mommy, I'm okay." Apparently Brad did not prompt him to say that. Thankfully it was an easy trip to the ER and hopefully we can start our streak again and break 17 months this time around!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Earlier this month, the kids and I headed to Louisville to celebrate G.G.'s 90th birthday. Unfortunately Brad was not able to make the trip but he saw us off at the airport and cautioned me to not lose his children! I really do think he was concerned that I would come home with at least one less. I have to say that both kids did really well on all of our flights and Emma made a great spotter, finding us the first row with three seats available on each leg. When we landed in Louisville on the way out, somebody told me that my children were very good fliers. That was such a nice thing to hear especially since we were past their normal bed time at that point. The flights back went almost as well but about 10 minutes before we reached the gate in Little Rock, they were done. However, all in all, they made it an easy trip for me without having Brad along.

We were greeted by Bo when we arrived in Louisville and headed over to my Aunt Marth's house to surprise my Grandma. She didn't act surprised but told me that she assumed we were coming. Josh took a few minutes to warm up with all the new people around and for some reason, when he is feeling shy, he likes to stick his tongue out and lick me A LOT; weird I know. Anyhow, once he warmed up, he went and found a toy vacuum, which he played with non-stop until we left. Thankfully there are four little cousins right about the same age as Emma and Josh so they all had a big time. Ally is ~9 months older than Emma and they hit it off from the start. The last time they were together was over 2 1/2 years ago but you wouldn't know it. The first night in town, the girls had a sleep over, which they both enjoyed.

We spent the next day hanging out at my cousin Lauren's house before the big party. The girls had a great time playing "going to the beach" while Josh pretty much did his own thing. He really enjoyed playing guitar, pulling around a suitcase and vacuuming. The party was at the Audubon Country Club and G.G. had a wonderful time. There were lots of friends and family there to celebrate her birthday and she certainly enjoyed being the center of attention. The kids had fun running around and I would have to say their favorite part was the cake pops.

The next day was more hanging out with a trip over to G.G.'s house. This visit was a little nerve wracking for me as G.G.'s house is immaculate and there are many things that little hands do not need to touch. Fortunately we made it out of there with the only damage being the spot on the glass door that Josh had to lick; again with the tongue. We ended out the day with a fun Super Bowl party with the extended family on G.G.'s side.

By Monday morning, I think the long nights had caught up with the kids and in spite of how much fun they had been having, they were done and ready to go home. I figured I would have two grumpy kids on my hands when we got home since we had to be at the airport during nap time and after the trip to Arizona, I didn't think they would nap on the plane. I was so wrong about that when it came to Josh. As soon as we started taxiing down the runway, Josh was out and slept pretty much until we landed in Chicago. Emma did not sleep but we did relax and read books on the flight. We had good luck with our travels and got home right about on time. Emma and Josh were certainly excited to see Daddy waiting for us and I think they were both glad to be home. It was a wonderful trip and I am glad we were able to be with G.G. to celebrate her birthday! Happy 90th G.G.!

Cute cousins ready to party

Birthday girl

Sisters

The pied piper

Jump Shots

I may be biased but I think the boy has some game!

The Zoo

Thanks to the relatively mild winter that we've had so far, we have been able to make use of our zoo membership in January and February. We generally have a route that we follow. We start at the lorikeets, then move to the lemurs followed by the chimps and gorillas. We then do a quick pass by the orangutan who is usually sleeping under a blanket. Then it is up to the python followed by the penguins, elephants, tigers, giraffes, you get the point! This last weekend though, we started on our usual loop but after the gorillas, Emma and Josh threw me for a loop. I asked where they wanted to go next and while Emma answered elephants, Josh responded "snakes." We rarely go into the snake house because they never ask so it was a nice change even if it did mean checking out a bunch of slithering reptiles. They also have some smaller monkeys in the reptile house that Emma was terrified of the last time we stepped foot in there. Last weekend, she felt so brave standing there watching them. I should note that they are behind a wall of glass but kudos to Emma on her new found bravery! She was also brave enough to go look at the giant tortoises, which I may not have mentioned before but they also terrify her. Mind you, this is the same girl who laughed when a huge male lion was up on his hind legs roaring at her. Josh's big fear last weekend was that the gorillas or lions would poop on him. I must say he was a little braver this last trip too and walked right up to the penguin exhibit without fear of the penguins swimming behind the glass. It is so amazing what is scary and what is not to a child. We love having a zoo so close by and can't wait until the cheetahs arrive this spring!

Emma, the Penguin

Josh thinking that he is as tall as Sissy...Note the hands in the penguin standing

Our Newest Family Members

I am happy to introduce our new goldfish, Franklin and Black!

Franklin looking at his reflection!

Black

Emma's class at school had a beta fish earlier this year named Franklin but as Emma put it, he went to see Jesus back in October. Last week, they finally got a new beta named Thomas and so far so good. She has loved watching and feeding the fish at school and has asked on a few occasions for one so last weekend, we decided to give it a try. Emma was so excited because they had a pink fish tank. Of course we couldn't just get one since Josh wanted a fish too so they both now have their own tanks in their rooms. Emma wanted to name her fish Franklin in honor of her first fish at school. Josh decided a great name for his orange goldfish would be Black so there you have it, Franklin and Black. I will say this, Black is going to be one chubby little fish as long as Josh keeps feeding him since Josh doesn't really get the concept of "a little pinch." Josh wants to touch them all the time and thinks they can come out and play but so far I think the only thing that has gone in the water is one of Emma's hair clips that Josh was "washing." Hopefully they'll last a while!