Happy Fall 2010!

It's hard to believe, but this is only one year ago! We took Emrey back to the same pumpkin patch that we went to last year (which is actually at her school) and she loved climbing on the pumpkins and throwing them too...She was so involved in inspecting them, it was difficult for me to get her to look at me while she was sitting in the chair!

Trying to get Emrey to pose for a photo with some of her friends....impossible!

The actual night of Halloween, we took Emrey to a "trunk or treat" at a local church. This was something I had never heard about before, until moving to Texas...maybe they do it in your part of the country? Basically, people park their cars in a parking lot. Each car competes in decorating their trunk and has a little game for the kids to play before they get their candy! Emrey had a blast going from car to car. She did not quite understand the concept of putting her candy in the bag, and wanted to eat each one, as she got it!

This woman was TAKEN by Emrey and just thought she was the cutest thing!

Giraffe and baby belly....

Emrey's good friend Rowan came dressed as a sailor!


After the trunk or treat, we went over to some friends where we walked a couple blocks and gave Emrey the true trick or treating experience of going house to house! Here she is with "pappa Tommy" who carried her most of the way. It was hot, and she was a trooper to stay in her costume!


Going from door to door

Kisses from dad...


Ellis and I were dressed up together as a costume, no...he was no Richard Simmons and I was not "where's Waldo" we're the couple from Juno!!!

Potty Bootcamp!

Here's the original photo Ellis Texted me right after she first initiated and said she had to go all on her own! He said she was sooo excited to go play in it,once it was up!
Great Job Emrey, we're really proud of you!!!

We decided to give potty training a try, even though it's getting really close to baby #2's arrival! After seeking much advice from those who have fearlessly gone before us, we decided to attempt a potty training style called "potty Boot-camp". It consists of three intensive days, spent at home. Day #1 begins by announcing "there will be NO MORE DIAPERS" to your child, first thing in the morning, when their diaper comes off! From there, you allow your child to run around in "training underwear" for that day, trying to catch them every 10 minutes or so, to get them to sit on the potty. The tricky part is getting them to sit on the potty long enough to actually do something. This involved many little bribes, including food, t.v. and watching little mini-movies on my i-phone. Accidents are expected and part of the learning process. Eventually, at some point in this first day, the child will finally piece together the idea that they are supposed to keep their pants dry and that their "business" is supposed to go on the potty, not in their pants. The goal by the end of this day is that they will "self initiate" and tell you they need to go on their own, which is when you dance and sing and give them their "big treat"!!!

Day #2 is similar, except the kids go naked, so they can really be in touch with any wet sensations.....It's been pretty hysterical, exhausting and exciting all at the same time. I have to admit, I had serious doubts about Emrey initiating at all...but she did, on the second day! I was at work on sat. morning, so Ellis had the honor of spending the morning with her, running around, reminding/questioning her about whether she needed to go potty...after a couple accidents in the morning, apparently, she looked at Ellis said "pee-pee" and went running on her own to the potty!!!!! Needless to say, we were both ecstatic..Ellis emailed me at work and I was so psyched!!! What was most fun, was to see her face when she got her big reward, a tee pee! We just completed day #3, which was hugely successful, only one accident (late in the evening when she was tired) and even with a short trip to the park (potty and all, we HAD to get out of the house!)

This was about a month ago, doing some prep work, just getting Emrey to sit on the potty with her clothes on...reading her Prudence book...Once upon a Potty

watching wonder-pets

Emrey looked a little nervous about going poop on the potty when we first read about it!

Attempting to bribe Emrey to stay on the potty with treats etc...

Calling cousin Anna to say Happy Birthday!

This was the "big reward"...a Tee pee!

Playing in the tee-pee with Daddy

One of the books we've been reading for the past month to try to get Emrey comfortable with all the potty lingo.
The little girl in the book's name is Prudence and it is by far, one her favorite books, currently!

So, now we're in what's called the "maintenance phase"...the toughest by far...because now, we have to venture out of the house and attempt to go about our everyday activities, while I simultaneously remind Emrey about the potty every 30-60 minutes. We're not expecting it to be easy, but we're hoping for the best..and figure we can always come back to it after the baby arrives, if it doesn't continue to go so well! Goodnight for now...we're all pretty tired here in Houston!

Emrey's new "Big Girl" bed!!!

After settling in for a few weeks, we finally bought Emrey a mattress for her new "Big Girl" bed. We thought it would be great if we could transition her to a bed before the baby arrives, so she doesn't feel like she's getting pushed out of her crib when the baby starts sleeping there. I had found a great Jenny Lind style bed at a thrift store and have been painting it white to fit with her room. She came with me on Tuesday to pick out a mattress for it. She loved jumping on all the beds at the store and the salesman was pretty nice to let her do so. We brought it home and have started by just laying it on the ground. Emrey thinks she's died and gone to heaven, with her very own big girl bed to jump on! Tonight is the second night she's slept on it and I have to say, she is doing terrific at night! She has been talking a bit more than normal, but usually goes right to sleep. Now naps have been a different story.... I think because it's light out, she doesn't quite get the idea that it is time to sleep. Both days, I have ended up going in multiple times finding her reading, laying on the floor in the middle of the room, pulling all her diapers out....I finally gave up and put her in the crib, so she could get some rest! She of course, did not like this...but she would make for a pretty unhappy camper with no nap! So, we'll keep trying to do the nap in the big girl bed, but for now, she's doing pretty good! I will try to post a picture or two once I get her bed all put together and get a bed rail to keep her in at night!

Summer is Over???

I am psyched to say that summer may be coming to a close in Houston! That means we go from "hotter" to "hot". It's not fall and there are no changing of leaves, but I'll take it! We just returned from a whirlwind vacation, traveling from coast to coast! Emrey and I got to hang out in NH/Boston with the Hollo clan for a couple weeks and then we flew out to Portland to meet up with Ellis and to celebrate Jesse and Becky's wedding on Labor Day. Below are a few photos in and around Portland, as well on our way to the wedding. I was slightly distracted when at the wedding with a toddler, so no pictures from there...

Hanging out with Zorro before the wedding

Waiting with Aunt Alice for the train....

The wedding itself was amazing. It took place in a beutiful park, overlooking Portland and the surrounding mountains! They couldn't have asked for a nicer day! We got to ride the MAX, eat some great food at the "trucks" and spend some time with the west coast Downs family, as well as the Kings. After the wedding we loaded into the car and drove to Seattle, where we stayed with an old friend of Ellis', way back from his days in Germany. They were so gracious to host us and show us a bit of Seattle! How nice to wear fleece and jeans again, it's been a while! Here are a few shots of our time in Seattle.

Taking the ferry to downtown Seattle

Riding the Ferry

Buddies...born a week apart

When we returned to Houston, Emrey started attending a Mother's Day Out program two mornings a week. I was a little nervous about how she would do, but from day one, when Ellis dropped her off, she ran into the classroom and never looked back! She is extremely social these days and loves to meet and play with new kids. It probably also helped, that she has a special friend in her class, who she's known since being in utero!

August in New England

flying the kite with Pappo

Here are a few photos from our week here in New Hampshire. We are missing Ellis terribly, but also having a great time with family! Emrey has had a blast with her cousins, Josh and Anna (who is only two months older than her). It has given her an opportunity to practice sharing more frequently, which will be helpful when her younger brother or sister arrives!

So far, the weather has been gorgeous and we are really loving the cool days and hanging out at the lake. We've gotten to go to a farm nearby that has pick your own peaches and apples, as well as lots of other yummy treats. The last two days have been a little rainy, so we've taken advantage of some indoor activites up at the north end of the lake. There are a few shots of Emrey and Anna riding some of the Kiddie rides at fun spot, which is something like a chuckie cheese on steroids!

Cousin Anna loved the peaches

Eating fresh peaches off the tree

Exploring at the farm

Reading books with Pappo

And the infamous... "treats" from Pappo

Rainy day riding the choo choo at Fun Spot

Here is my most recent attempt to get out and use my SLR camera to take some shots of Emrey. We had a semi-nice evening last night and Emrey was out helping us remember to slow down long enough to "smell the flowers"! She loves watching Bailey catch the frisbee and going outside to blow bubbles. The bummer is that we usually have to wait until after 8 to go out these days, since it's so hot during the day. She's growing so quickly and definitely has a mind of her own. Her favorite phrase these days is either "I do it" or "No"...She is able to say her full name and tell you that she is "one and a half"!