pics in order

1.Henry in the backyard today running around.

2.Emma on their toy Harley.

3.Henry showing Daddy what a dinosaur looks and sounds like!

4.Emma looking sleepy this morning.

5.Always together:)

6. Emma was feeling yucky today-she's got a bug of somesort(waiting on test results).

7.Henry lounging on the couch with his "bankie".

I know...another post?! But this time it's to get everyone caught up on Henry and Emma and not just their little social lives! So...we are back into the routine of reading every night and several times a day again. Not really complaining--it's just that I read all their books so much that I can now read them in my sleep. We are trying to get them to help pick up toys or at least put away ones that they have quickly become bored with. This works sometimes, but not all the time. We haven't been in the bathtub in weeks. And NO, I don't mean that we haven't bathed them. Our kids now prefer to shower instead of taking a bath! This is indeed something to be happy about. It makes "bath time" so much easier. They also brush their own hair now. The next step is brushing teeth(already have the toothbrushes and toothpaste). And also potty training is in the near future. Something else we are looking forward too. I say that now--we'll see how it turns out! The other plan is to have them in toddler beds by Thanksgiving-hopefully sooner. Lots of plans--we'll see how things go. This being 2 and 1/2 thing is hard work for them and for us. Henry is really attached to me and has been for several months now. I can't leave the room without him chasing after me and crying out for me. Emma is a little more independent. Some sort of whining is an almost constant(except when they are asleep) at our house. They are finding out that they don't want to play with each other all the time and they want their own space sometimes. We've survived kicking, hitting, tackling, and biting each other so far. No serious injuries thank goodness. And they are now very good at saying "no". We have been working on our manners-thank yous, excuse me, please, your welcome, sorry, yes mam(sp), no mam(sp), yes sir, no sir, etc. Progress is being made and more and more we are understanding each other. Both of them will talk and carry on conversations. It's just hard to understand what they are saying sometimes. Emma talks more clearly than Henry, but he's starting to pronounce things more clearly now. And they still have their own little language. All in all, they are developing just as they should be and in most cases they are ahead of their age group.

Update-Emma had some kind of virus that's running around. She seems to be doing better, but now she has what they call a "viral rash". It's a rash that can sometimes appear within 24 hours after the fever has broken and will disappear in a day or so. She looks all speckled and still a bit pale(paler than usual) and is still a little clingy, but she's getting back to eating better and playing more.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

We went out to eat with the Martin(my) side of the family and then some. I believe the final head count for today's Father's Day lunch was 16. We took all the Dads/Daddys to a local restaurant--The String Bean in Richardson. This place is family owned and the food is always good-good old fashioned home cooking. We got Daddy a new picure frame to put one of the portaits that were taken when Granny and Grandpa came to visit in. He'll add it to his collecion of Henry and Emma pictures he keeps on his desk at work. And we also got Papa one too-he'll most likely keep it at the house. We had a great time at lunch visiting with everyone and then went over to my parents for a brief visit. We missed today's nap too so the kids were pretty tired when we got home. They had their bedtime milk and changed into pjs and are tucked in and asleep. Daddy says he had a good day and that's all we wanted. Their were a few of our "Daddys" that couldn't join us today and we just want to say Happy Father's Day to Grandpa, Uncle Kasey, Unce Mike, and Great Granddaddy! We love you!

And to all those blogger daddys out there,

We wish you a Happy Father's Day!

Mikey's Bday Party

We've been very social lately. Today we went to Ali and Nathan's for their son Mikey's 4th bday party. Jason works with Ali and we've all become good friends. They had a bounce house there, balloons for all the kids, and a pinata to beat on(the older kiddos did that). We tried out the bounce house thinking the kids would love it-they hop around here all the time and they loved the one at Beth's school Halloween festival. I guess that's another thing that has changed over time. Back then they loved it-had trouble getting them to come out and let others have a turn. This time it was the opposite-either Mama or Daddy had to be in there with them and even that didn't last long. So we headed to the backyard and played on the swingset-slide,rockwall,sandbox. Henry and Emma were the youngest there, but they did ok. Emma is a bit more social than Henry, but I know he'll come around. We ate hotdogs(Henry had 3) and cheetos and had punch, but didn't stay for cake and presents. The reason we left was the kids and Jason and I managed to sleep in today so we skipped taking a nap before the party. Big mistake! Lack of sleep set in and our two little party people were starting to show their tired. So we decided that it would be best to leave. And of course on the ride home they both fell asleep. They had a great time. So thanks to Ali, Nathan, and Mikey for having us and Happy Birthday Mikey!!!

June BBQ

We just got back home about 30 minutes ago from a BBQ party hosted by a good friend of ours and his family. John is a coworker/good friend of Jason's and he and his family invited us over tonight for a bbq. John's niece, Cheyenne, is about a month older than Henry and Emma and the three of them had a lot of fun. There were three older boys there-Christian(John's nephew), Austin(their neighbor's son), and Andrew(son of one of Jason's bosses) and they were really good about playing with the three younger kids. They blew bubbles, played with cars and Transformers, played in the kiddie pool, and played with the family's new puppy. The kids had a really good time. They went to bed without a bath--sticky and sweaty, but somehow I don't think they really cared. And we can always take one in the morning. John and his family were more than generous and we thank them for their hospitality. Good people. Good times.