The Baby iPod

I haven't posted videos in a while, but decided these two were too funny not to share!

One of Emmaline and Owen's favorite toys is a Baby Einstein toy we discovered during a visit from our friends Sarah, Bryan and Luke last September. When they were tiny, they loved looking at the moving lights while I held it. Now that they're older, they can control it better, and Emmaline likes to rock out to the music! Also, notice her mohawk, it's getting darker!



This video was taken earlier this month. Lot's of yelling! :)

"Sarah, Your Shed is Almost Ready"

At our house, beautiful spring weather invites man projects. Such as building sheds in the backyard. :) We have discussed the need for more storage space for a while, so Vince, when he found out his brother Daniel would be on Spring Break from school, invited him to Dallas for week of shed building. Who needs the beach anyway?

Although sarcastic one-liners were tossed around by all (such as Vince announcing that he is working really hard on MY shed, ha!) :), I am pretty impressed with what they have put together so far. I enjoyed seeing Vince have so much fun working outside with his brother, and they didn't even let the sudden snow sleet and snow stop them over the weekend. It's almost done, and we will post pictures of Vince's Shed when it's complete.

Also, my mom came to visit for a couple of days, and my sister arrived the evening my mom left to stay for a few days. I had so much help and Owen and Emmaline had so much fun, we were all so sad to see our family leave. Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a more helpful group, especially while Vince was at work during the week.

Today it was just me and the kids, and I think they missed all of the activity. We did a little shopping for my friend Bianca's baby shower at my house this weekend, and spent a some time outside enjoying the gorgeous weather (and admiring Vince's Shed, of course).

Vince's Shed with the builders.

Working on Vince's Shed in the freezing cold.

The flash causes funny faces!

Owen's beautiful eyes (and strange appetite)

"Um, why am I in this thing when there are more than enough people here to hold me?"

Daniel aka The Manny aka Shed Builder

Aunt Lisa posing for a picture with Owen in his festive St. Patty's green before heading down to Austin.

I think Emmaline was trying to strike a cute pose too!

Precious!

"Helloooo out there!"

The Latest and Greatest

Well, nothing exciting to report, but I wanted to share a few cute pictures (the last two were actually taken a little over a month ago, but I have to share!). And, a few recent developments with Owen and Emmaline:
- Owen and Emmaline do NOT like green vegetables. It is a struggle to make the vegetables attractive to both of them, and I've done everything short of eating them myself! :) They're fruit kids, and who can blame them? I would personally rather eat apples and blueberries than green beans or peas!
- They are sitting up on their own with a Boppy pillow to help support. I feel a little guilty because, with two, it's hard to sit them up casually in my lap for constant practice, so they've been a little slower. We're working on it!
- Teething is in full force, ugh! So, drool, drool everywhere, interrupted naps and occasional crabbiness happens, but we have an arsenal of teething toys at the ready in the fridge. No teeth are visible yet!
- We had our first play group last Wednesday, and Owen and Emmaline were the youngest, with the oldest around 2. So cute! It was fun to get together with other moms my age who live in my area and watch my kids interact with others. They mostly watched the "big" kids play and played with a few toys. We're looking forward to more get togethers!

A playgroup picture, taken just as I was getting ready to head out the door with two tired babies. The other kids were so sweet to Owen and Emmaline!

Emmaline: "Chicky pink hooded towels are the next fashion trend."

Owen: "This towel is delicious!"

"No wonder Mom has so many pairs of shoes! So much fun!"

Owen: "Speaking of fashion trends, I say pulling your pants up to your knees and wearing cowboy boots will be the next!"

Emmaline: "The camera again? Seriously, we're trying to play here."

Love This!

This made me smile, and I had to share! Shout out to my mommy friends of preemies or have had a baby stay in the NICU...:)

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen
(Adapted from Erma Bombeck)

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments
for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.

"Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Marjorie Forrest, daughter.
Patron Saint, Celia. Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint ... give her Gerard.
He's used to profanity."

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."

"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy. She has just the right amount of selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.

I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

Birthdays and Valentine's Day!

At our house, February is like Christmas all over again with the many birthdays of our friends and family. Too many to name, but you know who you are! :)

This past weekend was our birthday blitz, with mine on the 13th and Vince's today (Happy Birthday Vince!), and Valentine's Day right in the middle. Oh, and a Happy Birthday today also my Mom, our niece Shilo and my friend Beth. My Dad's is on the 17th, my Uncle's is on the 18th, my friend Sarah's is on the 20th...it doesn't stop, but it's so much fun!

We went out to dinner at Celebration restaurant on my birthday, and it was a little late for Emmaline and Owen, so we had to hold them the entire dinner. They loved it, especially smiling and making faces at the other diners (who luckily loved it back!).

For Vince's birthday today, we met him for lunch, which really excited the kids, and Owen once again wanted out of his car seat so he could have a look around. I think our days of them sleeping in their car seat while we're at a restaurant are over!

Vince had flowers sent to me and Emmaline (awwwwww) for Valentine's Day, and we took a few cute pictures of Emmaline with hers. She was hilarious. Vince sat her on the couch and she had her hands politely on her knees until he brought her the bouquet. When she saw it, she threw one arm open for him to put the bouquet and when he did, she wrapped her arm around it! I wish I had had the video camera ready!

Our Valentine's Day flowers from Vince/Daddy.

Owen yells when he's happy, so we just had to take this picture!

Owen: "Hey guys, I'm worried Emmaline is going to crash into me..."

Emmaline: "I am going to laugh SO hard if I crash into Owen..."

"That's right, these are my flowers. They belong to ME. Mine. They're mine."

"Our Valentine's Day PJs from Grammy are the best!"

"Look out, we're scooting around! Crawling is right around the corner Mom! Hee hee hee."

Cute tummy time picture of Emmaline.

"Look, I'm scooting backwards!"

"I'm surrounded by toys, this is the life."

Six Month Photos

Emmaline and Owen had their six month photos taken today, and it was so hard to pick out of about 100 shots which to print! I took a few pictures from the CD and posted below, and unfortunately was "locked" by the photographer from rotating them (I'm obviously having issues with rotating pics and videos lately!). I also took a picture of their sweet outfits this morning. Definitely a keepsake!

Addicted to the Flip Video

Seriously, I cannot stop taking videos with that thing, and you would think my kids would be used to it by now! When they do something cute (which is, hello, ALL of the time), I grab it as quickly as I can and Emmaline becomes mesmerized and plays statue almost immediately (see unexpected exception playing in jumper below). Owen, however, doesn't seem to notice and I wish his sister would do the same!

Oh, and to listen to my kids yell in the videos, you can turn down the music at the bottom of the screen in the playlist graphic.

So, for your viewing pleasure are a few of the latest riveting videos of my children. Cinematic brilliance.