Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
bumps & bruises, among other things...
...there has been an over-abundance of those over the last month. avery is generally known as the "clutz" around these parts, but even with that title, she's wow-ed us lately. we went blueberry picking this morning with poppa, katie & nonnie, and about 20 seconds after getting out of the car, avery had scraped a knee. about two weeks ago, she pitched head-first into our tv table, acquiring a nice gash on her forehead that had us wondering if we were going to be spending out saturday at the local ER. (thankfully, that didn't happen, and she's healing beautifully.) not to be outdone, our normally well-balanced em has taken !3! nosedives onto the concrete in the last 2 weeks. eesh. hopefully, this is growth-spurt induced, and will be over soon!
while they still make each other scream occasionally (you know, the whole she-looked-at-me-she-touched-me-she's-breathing-on-me kind of way) the girls are finally starting to play together. actually playing! chloe came over last week, and the three girls donned dress-up clothes and put on a *show* for the mommies. this basically involved hiding behind a blanket hung over a door, and then coming out to screech and run around the living room for about 4 1/2 minutes. the conclusion of their performance was to bend over and touch the floor - a 3 yr old version of a bow, i guess.
emery is responding to us when we speak in english or russian, and avery is even picking up more russian than she had before. em has also used "baby" russian, which is really exciting, espcially to daddy. i think it's hilarious that her first few words were - daddy, mommy, hi, bye, ball and be quiet (!directed at avery, of course!). what does that tell you about our oldest, when the not-quite-one-and-a-half-year-old knows mostly one syllable words, and then a "be quiet" gets tossed in the mix :) she's saying alot more now too, and is very good at letting it be known what she wants, pointing, nodding and shaking her head.
this is avery's last week of swim lessons down at the local pool - she has done a great job of jumping in and going under, blowing bubbles and doing back floats. she can't quite swim on her own yet, but is so close. if there were one more month of summer, i bet she could do it.
we have also been going to pick up our farm share every week, which the girls have really enjoyed. i'm thrilled to be getting fresh, organic produce for such a low price, and getting a chance to "play" in the dirt each week, without the burden of taking care of a garden.
in addition, we had a very busy month of july. uncle george came to visit from russia, and while he was here, peter's father had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery. that resulted in a roadtrip to TN, where the girls met their other three uncles - david, daniel & todd. we spent time with them and with grandma and grandpa in the hospital. it was no fun to see grandpa not feeling well (avery kept asking when they were going to be able to go feed the ducks, which is one of her favorite things to do with grandpa) but we got to steal grandma away from the hospital for one afternoon, and had fun with her at a local park. we were glad we got to see them, even though we wish it was for a different reason.
we were out pricing stoves the other day, and avery came across a mall jewelers catalogue. she perused for awhile before informing peter she wanted *this* ring. peter told her that's why you get a boyfriend, and he will buy you a ring, so when auntie lanie's boyfriend chris told her she would have to "work hard and save alot of money" so she could buy herself the ring, she just gave him an are-you-crazy look and said, "no, that's why i will get a boyfriend". she also recently told peter she was going to "grow a pair - a big pair!". not sure where she gets this stuff (peter.)
summer is winding down here, but we had a great long stretch of 90+ degree days. this was a very hot, dry summer - i wonder what that predicts for this winter? i'd still like to get in a couple more trips to the beach, but i'm also already looking forward to fall - apple-picking, the big e, leaves, halloween - and the crisp, autumn air.
i wish i spent more time keeping track of everything the girls say/do; so many times during any given day, i'll think "so cute - i have to remember to write that down", but with only two arms, and often one precious baby in each, i just don't have the room for a pen, too. :)
while they still make each other scream occasionally (you know, the whole she-looked-at-me-she-touched-me-she's-breathing-on-me kind of way) the girls are finally starting to play together. actually playing! chloe came over last week, and the three girls donned dress-up clothes and put on a *show* for the mommies. this basically involved hiding behind a blanket hung over a door, and then coming out to screech and run around the living room for about 4 1/2 minutes. the conclusion of their performance was to bend over and touch the floor - a 3 yr old version of a bow, i guess.
emery is responding to us when we speak in english or russian, and avery is even picking up more russian than she had before. em has also used "baby" russian, which is really exciting, espcially to daddy. i think it's hilarious that her first few words were - daddy, mommy, hi, bye, ball and be quiet (!directed at avery, of course!). what does that tell you about our oldest, when the not-quite-one-and-a-half-year-old knows mostly one syllable words, and then a "be quiet" gets tossed in the mix :) she's saying alot more now too, and is very good at letting it be known what she wants, pointing, nodding and shaking her head.
this is avery's last week of swim lessons down at the local pool - she has done a great job of jumping in and going under, blowing bubbles and doing back floats. she can't quite swim on her own yet, but is so close. if there were one more month of summer, i bet she could do it.
we have also been going to pick up our farm share every week, which the girls have really enjoyed. i'm thrilled to be getting fresh, organic produce for such a low price, and getting a chance to "play" in the dirt each week, without the burden of taking care of a garden.
in addition, we had a very busy month of july. uncle george came to visit from russia, and while he was here, peter's father had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery. that resulted in a roadtrip to TN, where the girls met their other three uncles - david, daniel & todd. we spent time with them and with grandma and grandpa in the hospital. it was no fun to see grandpa not feeling well (avery kept asking when they were going to be able to go feed the ducks, which is one of her favorite things to do with grandpa) but we got to steal grandma away from the hospital for one afternoon, and had fun with her at a local park. we were glad we got to see them, even though we wish it was for a different reason.
we were out pricing stoves the other day, and avery came across a mall jewelers catalogue. she perused for awhile before informing peter she wanted *this* ring. peter told her that's why you get a boyfriend, and he will buy you a ring, so when auntie lanie's boyfriend chris told her she would have to "work hard and save alot of money" so she could buy herself the ring, she just gave him an are-you-crazy look and said, "no, that's why i will get a boyfriend". she also recently told peter she was going to "grow a pair - a big pair!". not sure where she gets this stuff (peter.)
summer is winding down here, but we had a great long stretch of 90+ degree days. this was a very hot, dry summer - i wonder what that predicts for this winter? i'd still like to get in a couple more trips to the beach, but i'm also already looking forward to fall - apple-picking, the big e, leaves, halloween - and the crisp, autumn air.
i wish i spent more time keeping track of everything the girls say/do; so many times during any given day, i'll think "so cute - i have to remember to write that down", but with only two arms, and often one precious baby in each, i just don't have the room for a pen, too. :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
theology.
peter asked avery why she is so beautiful -
"cause Jesus made me beautiful - and mommy and daddy and emery"
"how could he make all of us beautiful?"
"cause Jesus is so strong...Jesus lives in my heart, and in your heart...how come your Jesus is in your heart and my Jesus is in my heart?"
ahh...morning theology class.
"cause Jesus made me beautiful - and mommy and daddy and emery"
"how could he make all of us beautiful?"
"cause Jesus is so strong...Jesus lives in my heart, and in your heart...how come your Jesus is in your heart and my Jesus is in my heart?"
ahh...morning theology class.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
babies don't keep
Woman, Uncensored: Babies Don't Keep
mother, o mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth.
hang out the washing, make up the bed,
sew on a button and butter the bread.
where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
she's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
oh i've grown as shiftless as little boy blue,
lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
dishes are waiting, and bills are past due
pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
shopping's not done, and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but i'm playing kanga, and this is my roo
look! aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
the cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
but children grow up as i've learned to my sorrow.
so quiet down cobwebs; dust, go to sleep!
i'm rocking my babies, and babies don't keep.
-ruth hulbert hamilton
such a good reminder...
mother, o mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth.
hang out the washing, make up the bed,
sew on a button and butter the bread.
where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
she's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
oh i've grown as shiftless as little boy blue,
lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
dishes are waiting, and bills are past due
pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
shopping's not done, and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but i'm playing kanga, and this is my roo
look! aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
the cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
but children grow up as i've learned to my sorrow.
so quiet down cobwebs; dust, go to sleep!
i'm rocking my babies, and babies don't keep.
-ruth hulbert hamilton
such a good reminder...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
happy birthday, emery jane!
you are one!
you are such an amazing little person. you are beautiful, with your little bald head and your toothy smile. you light up not only mommy & daddy's face, but avery's too. everywhere we go, people are compelled to talk to you or about you - your eyes, your smile, your attentiveness, your toes. one year ago today was one of the most wonderful, important, life-changing days of my life. i'm so thankful for the opportunity to have you. you filled a void in our lives that we didn't even realize we had.
you have seven teeth, you are taking steps, you are saying words like mama, dada,hello, wow, i love you, and even things that sound alot like avery and bailee. you love playing peek-a-boo, and singing songs, reading books, and particularly throwing things...anythings...
you wouldn't let us take smiley pictures of you today, but we did get a few of your serious, contemplative face. that's okay, because we see that face alot, too. you often look so serious that people think you're mad...i think it's because you're a thinker, someone who mulls things over...i guess time will tell. we took some pictures of you in front of the forsythia bush - that's because i always think of you when i see those beautiful yellow flowers. when i was pregnant for you, i would dream of what it would be like when you were here, and one thing i knew for sure was that our forsythia bush would be in bloom. we also took a picture with a magnolia flower - another springtime bloom, just like you.
you are precious - oh, so precious. you are loved - oh, so loved.
you have already changed the world.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
pooping on the potty?!? (not for the squeamish)
yep, that's right. emery went poop on the potty today. crazy! she was fussing like she usually does when her diaper is dirty, so i went to change it. when i laid her on the changing table, and undid the diaper, she had only gone a little bit, so i went towards the bathroom to wipe her off. as we went, she pulled her legs up underneath her, still fussing, so i put her feet on the front of the toilet seat and squatted her little butt back towards the bowl. she immediately stopped fussing, looked down, and pooped! she looked back up at me, smiled, and i cheered her on. looked back down, pooped, looked up, laughed, looked down, pooped, and then stood up on the seat! i asked if she was "all done", and she laughed and lunged at me. so, i cleaned her up, fussiness all over, put a diaper on her, and she went about her day. CRAZY!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
first puppet show
unfortunately, i didn't get any pictures of avery and van's first puppet show production, which was basically a display of them beating each other with their puppets. we were visiting with uncle roger and auntie donna at nana's house, and van and avery summoned us into the living room, where they had set up a makeshift curtain (all by themselves) and stood behind holding their puppets - van, a turtle; avery, a cowgirl. they just stood there, giggling, and then had the puppets say hello to each other, which quickly turned into the puppets hitting, and with both kids yelling "crush", the puppets tried to obliterate each other.
entertaining :)
entertaining :)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
flashback...
this was taken last july in stanley park. yes, emery looks very afraid - it probably has something to do with the fact that while i was snapping a bunch of pictures, avery kept leaning emery from one side of her lap to the other, going "whoooaa, whoooaaa"..... ahh, big sisters :)
Friday, February 19, 2010
a little about emery
not to be outdone - emery is growing by leaps and bounds too! she has 6 teeth now, the first two appeared right after the other on her 6 month birthday. she's now 10 months old, and is so, so close to walking. she has taken a few steps from mommy or daddy to the table, or ottoman, but only if there is something interesting there :) she says "uh-oh" if she drops something or falls down, and responds to you if you say woof-woof, or bye-bye... she waves, and reaches, and is 17 lbs! she adores her big sister, craning her neck to always keep an eye on what she's doing, and rewarding her silly behaviour with lots of big laughs. their newest 'trick' is squawking matches - great fun for mommy & daddy...
emery loves to eat anything and everything we're eating. she yells for us to share what we're eating or drinking, and will climb over any obstacle to get to an edible destination. she nurses like a gymnast- twisting her body all over the place, kicking her feet, arms wandering. her cloth bootie is now fitting 12-18 months or larger, and i can't wait for summer so she can show off her cute covers. she's loving the water right now, too - another reason we can't wait for warmer weather.
we just got our biggest snowfall yet this year last tuesday, and though it was half-gone the next day, we had time to go out and play in it. emery observed most of the wintry beauty from the comfort of my hip, but she also got a little sled ride, both solo and with avery.
she's making all kinds of funny faces and noises now too - trying to mimic everything we do. she's a fairly light sleeper, and doesn't like covers or blankets on her at all. she naps a little in her crib, but shares nighttime with us. we wouldn't have it any other way...
although she doesn't have any hair (still) she has beautiful blue eyes and a fabulous smile that catches peoples attention, even from across the room, and compels them to talk to her. she usually rewards them with a shy smile and then buries her head in my shoulder. sometimes she'll start a game of peek-a-boo with them, too.
i can't even describe how much i love this precious time with her. she is just...delightful.
emery loves to eat anything and everything we're eating. she yells for us to share what we're eating or drinking, and will climb over any obstacle to get to an edible destination. she nurses like a gymnast- twisting her body all over the place, kicking her feet, arms wandering. her cloth bootie is now fitting 12-18 months or larger, and i can't wait for summer so she can show off her cute covers. she's loving the water right now, too - another reason we can't wait for warmer weather.
we just got our biggest snowfall yet this year last tuesday, and though it was half-gone the next day, we had time to go out and play in it. emery observed most of the wintry beauty from the comfort of my hip, but she also got a little sled ride, both solo and with avery.
she's making all kinds of funny faces and noises now too - trying to mimic everything we do. she's a fairly light sleeper, and doesn't like covers or blankets on her at all. she naps a little in her crib, but shares nighttime with us. we wouldn't have it any other way...
although she doesn't have any hair (still) she has beautiful blue eyes and a fabulous smile that catches peoples attention, even from across the room, and compels them to talk to her. she usually rewards them with a shy smile and then buries her head in my shoulder. sometimes she'll start a game of peek-a-boo with them, too.
i can't even describe how much i love this precious time with her. she is just...delightful.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
she's a trip!
avery wasn't feeling good a couple weeks ago, so she had stayed up later and was snuggling with us as we were watching tv on the couch. the show we were watching had a pregnant momma who was sharing her worries about the delivery, and mentions how she's afraid to poop on the table... avery (whom we thought was sleeping) sits up, and with a completely disgusted face says "poop on the table?... (face changes to thoughtful)...i should do that!" hmm..that's definitely her father's side...
speaking of avery - she just turned 3! she thinks this means its time for her to go to school...everytime someone asked how old she was going to be, she'd respond with " i'm going to be three, and then i can go to school with my backpack, and leave the family at home!" she was the most excited for blowing out her candles on her birthday. we had a birthday party (that started out little, but did got bigger...that seems to always happen!) but my favorite moment of avery's birthday was that night. we were all snuggling in bed, and while peter played the guitar, we brought her a piece of cake and sang happy birthday a couple times, in english and russian, and she got to blow out the candles to her heart's content. her face just glowed as we serenaded her.
she's not even a toddler anymore - she carries on, even initiating, full conversations, and she comprehends so much. she's a wonderful little girl who loves her family and friends, loves to sing and use her imagination. yesterday we were playing out in the snow, and she had two mitten-fuls and was pretending they were her lunch. she often pretends she's a puppy named webster, and she loves being 'mama' to her baby doll. while her imagination reminds me of myself, there are many more qualities that link her to her daddy. she is always lining things up, and is fascinated with matching things. she talks in her sleep, is grumpy when she wakes up, and grumpy when she's hungry. she sweats alot at night, and everything has to have it's place, and stay there! she really likes drawing/painting/coloring and now stamping, thanks to a birthday gift from delaney and derek :)
for her birthday party, her friends delaney, derek, olivia, chloe, van, jack, and katie came. we filled the living room with balloons, but only the three oldest kids were brave enough to really play with them, due to the spontaneous bursting of several of the balloons...avery helped make her applesauce birthday cake, and i was very proud of my homemade pink sprinkles. we made our own egg-salad-smiley-face sandwiches, and snacked on fruit, popcorn and yogurt. i think everyone had a good time, and avery seemed to be thrilled to be surrounded by her besties. she kept responding to all the happy birthdays with a happy birthday back, but she definitely understood that it was her birthday. and though i thought she would, she hasn't asked about the next couple days being her birthday, too.
grandma and grandpa sent her some money for her birthday, and when asked what she wanted to do with it, she first said "save it for college", but then changed her answer to harmonica (?) i have no idea where that came from, but after about a week of searching, we finally found a "monica" for her today. she was so excited when she spotted it, the whole store noticed! she's been performing for us all day...
avery shea - three years old. :)
speaking of avery - she just turned 3! she thinks this means its time for her to go to school...everytime someone asked how old she was going to be, she'd respond with " i'm going to be three, and then i can go to school with my backpack, and leave the family at home!" she was the most excited for blowing out her candles on her birthday. we had a birthday party (that started out little, but did got bigger...that seems to always happen!) but my favorite moment of avery's birthday was that night. we were all snuggling in bed, and while peter played the guitar, we brought her a piece of cake and sang happy birthday a couple times, in english and russian, and she got to blow out the candles to her heart's content. her face just glowed as we serenaded her.
she's not even a toddler anymore - she carries on, even initiating, full conversations, and she comprehends so much. she's a wonderful little girl who loves her family and friends, loves to sing and use her imagination. yesterday we were playing out in the snow, and she had two mitten-fuls and was pretending they were her lunch. she often pretends she's a puppy named webster, and she loves being 'mama' to her baby doll. while her imagination reminds me of myself, there are many more qualities that link her to her daddy. she is always lining things up, and is fascinated with matching things. she talks in her sleep, is grumpy when she wakes up, and grumpy when she's hungry. she sweats alot at night, and everything has to have it's place, and stay there! she really likes drawing/painting/coloring and now stamping, thanks to a birthday gift from delaney and derek :)
for her birthday party, her friends delaney, derek, olivia, chloe, van, jack, and katie came. we filled the living room with balloons, but only the three oldest kids were brave enough to really play with them, due to the spontaneous bursting of several of the balloons...avery helped make her applesauce birthday cake, and i was very proud of my homemade pink sprinkles. we made our own egg-salad-smiley-face sandwiches, and snacked on fruit, popcorn and yogurt. i think everyone had a good time, and avery seemed to be thrilled to be surrounded by her besties. she kept responding to all the happy birthdays with a happy birthday back, but she definitely understood that it was her birthday. and though i thought she would, she hasn't asked about the next couple days being her birthday, too.
grandma and grandpa sent her some money for her birthday, and when asked what she wanted to do with it, she first said "save it for college", but then changed her answer to harmonica (?) i have no idea where that came from, but after about a week of searching, we finally found a "monica" for her today. she was so excited when she spotted it, the whole store noticed! she's been performing for us all day...
avery shea - three years old. :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
em's sleeping habits and av's photography skills...
she fell asleep like this :)
avery likes to take pictures - these are some she took on my camera.
her self-portrait
Thursday, January 21, 2010
its a beautiful day in january...
so we went for a walk at the reservoir.daddy and avery test out the ice...and fall...shocker.
even em was out strolling...
avery was rockin her sunglasses, as usual, and decided her baby 'emmas' needed a walk too.
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