LISTS

EMMA

• is a cheese FREAK! Every time I open the fridge, she runs to it and tries to get the cheese out of the bottom drawer. Even if she has just had a full meal that included cheese. She will eat cheese any time that I offer it to her.
• luckily will eat sufficient fruit to support her cheese habit. She doesn't love it like Anna, but she eats enough of it.
• eats a lot in general. She definitely consumes more calories than Anna. Her favorites are sweet potatoes, rice & beans, and of course, cheese.
• only says "Mama". She makes lots of other noises, mostly grunts, sweet humming noise and giggles. I think Anna said words a little slower than her friends too.
• LOVES LOVES LOVES for me to read to her. She is constantly bringing me books throughout the day.
• was 25% in weight and 90% in height for her age at her 15 month check-up.
• goes to sleep like a dream.
• is totally addicted to a tiny bunny one of our babysitter's gave her when she was born. It reminds me on Lionus and his blanket. If I have forgotten to bring it to bed, or worse - it's in the laundry, she DOES NOT go to sleep like a dream.
• wakes up at about 6:45-7am.
• has learned to feed Junior (well at least she watches with great interest, stick her hands in the bin and will pick up stray pieces of food and put it in his bowl). She gets great joy out of picking up the full bowl of food and taking it outside for him. It's pretty darn cute... one of these days I'll get a video.

ANNA

• talks constantly. I can understand about 95% of what she says. She is very animated and so so cute.
• does not like to wear dresses. She loves to wear "long shorts" and t-shirts.
• is taking swim lessons. They are private lessons with a sweet teenager who is about to head to A&M for college. We go once or twice a week. "Miss Sarah" makes her put her face in the water. Anna doesn't like this, but she seems to like the idea that she has swim lessons. I got her some tiny goggles, which she calls "Sun gobbles". It is hilarous. Today she had a really good lesson and put her face in the water without complaining.
• was potty trained at the beginning of June. She was wearing real underwear for about a month, except at night. Accidents were rare. Then, 2 weeks ago, she started having accidents. Then LOTS of accidents. Many times they seemed intentional. She doesn't respond to treats.
• is wearing diapers again.
• eats like a bird, but thankfully she will consistently eat healthy food.
• loves to drum. I actually have a picture I'll post soon.
• does NOT go to sleep like a dream. hardly ever! I think I need to work on that!
• wakes up at 6:20am every morning, give or take 10 minutes. While I am not an early bird myself, I have enjoyed that she can come into our room by herself and get in bed and cuddle with me.
• LOVES to cuddle!!!

ANTON

• took an online class (Health) this summer to make room in his schedule for at least one fun elective down the road. He seems determined to take band and soccer all 4 years of High School, which takes up all his free electives.
• loves science. He's constantly trying to explain things to me and ask me scientific questions. It all just makes my eyes glaze over. He and Tony sound like the biggest nerds when they are together sometimes. I'm so proud of them!!!
• wants to study bio-mechanical engineering in college. Something to do with robotics and prostetics (he wants to make them work like Will Smith's fake arm in I-Robot). I guess that is coming up soon!!! Well, it's still 3 years away, but my it is going by fast!!!
• is at UM Army this week. It's a mission trip in Texas. They fix up people's houses who, for various reasons, cannot do these things themselves. Tony is on the trip too. I miss them!! But I am glad they are serving the Lord this way.
• is GREAT with the girls!!!!! It has been nice to have him around during day some this summer. Besides just being fun to be around, I have gotten to run out for quick things while he's home with the napping babies. If only he would change diapers!!!
• loves to play video games. I guess it's a guy thing.
• plays the drums for youth worship almost every Sunday morning. It's really fun to watch him, and he really enjoys it.

I'm sure I could add more, but it's late and I need to sleep!!!

SUMMER!

It's been awhile. I'm starting to feel like this is a monthly newsletter instead of a blog. In this very long issue...

• Bedtime photos from a few weeks ago
• Braces off (June 18th to be exact)
• Kings Harbor Fountain
• Father's Day
• Day with Joanna
• Teenager party
• 4th of July/Aidan's Birthday Party!!

Emma LOVES getting ready for a bath (ie getting naked), brushing her teeth and taking the bath. She HATES!!!! getting dressed after the bath, but I don't mind because she still usually goes down very easy.
If Anna is a good girl and takes a bath with Emma, she gets a little piece of candy after Emma goes to bed. The bribery usually works. She loves to jump.

Nighty-night kisses with Pappa... Anna, by the way, still does NOT go down easy, but we love her anyway!

Anton's new smile :) By the way, that's our bike trailor hanging in the garage. Tony insists on getting both cars in the garage, so he' s been quite creative about squeezing in all the gear we keep accumulating.

The fountain at King's Harbor is SOOOO much fun!

My matching girls at Sharky's before getting wet in the fountain.

My beautiful family at church on Father's Day.

One of those goofy things about me... I LOVE to watch them all from a distance when they're all together! One of my favorite times to do this is on Communion Sunday at church when Tony and Anton go get the girls from the nursery so that we can bring them up for communion. I get to look across the room and watch them coming in and I think WOW!! thank you GOD!!!! Here they are taking the girls to the car. :)

Joanna got to come play with us one day while her mom was at work meetings. We had lots of fun!

Best friends!!!! :)

Just moments before the cute snuggly moment above! I'm not sure if they are laughing or fighting. You never know with these 2 fiesty girls!

Tony made a "fountain" for the kids for our backyard. They love it!! It is soooooo hot these days that Anna doesn't even ask to go outside unless it involves water. Not even to go to the playground! She'll go sometimes if I suggest it, but sometimes she even says she doesn't want to. Poor Junior isn't getting his daily walks this summer. We do usually makes it to the playground once or twice a week if I can get us all out the door early enough. Anyway, here's the fountain (just in case you can't tell, it's just a regular hose with a spray nozzle mounted on some wood - gotta love being married to a handy engineer!!!)

My birthday was on the 2nd, and Gram sent me some fun clothes which I got to wear on a very fun date with my wonderful husband! She also sent some 4th of July goodies to get us in the patriotic mood...Even Junior is feeling very patriotic!

Tony got out our big flag to hang out front and Anna really loved waving it.Anton had a pre-4th party on Friday night. Anton made all his friends play that relay race where you spin around and then run and pour water from a sponge into a bucket on someone's head. It was really fun watching them have such a good time.Just because I like this picture of him... :)

After the race they had a water fight with the hose and then filled up water balloons. Guess who decided to be a teenager too...
Anton's friends were sweet to let her butt in!
Yummy dinner. Anna loved hanging out with the big kids!!
We didn't have time to do the cake thing while getting ready for the babysitter the night before, so we ate it with Anton's friends. Yeah God for giving me life!!!!

On the 4th, Tony took Anna and Anton to the Kingwood parade while Emma napped at home. Then the girls and I went to Aidan's birthday party while Tony and Anton shopped for gear for our trip to New Mexico that is coming up soon. Here we are decked out in our 4th of July bling from Gram...Emma at the party.

Aidan with his new BLUE stroller. He was always playing with Anna's at playday, so his mom suggested it when I asked about what he might like. I was excited to get him something he likes so much! I was bummed I didn't get more pictures, but my batteries died. It was a wonderful celebration with wonderful friends. Yeah God for making Aidan!!Tony and Anton got a new backpack for the girls (now we have one for each of them). Anna really likes the new one because there is a little mirror attached to the front shoulder. INGENOUS!!!! I rarely have either of them in the backpack when I am by myself, but I am really impressed that Kelty thought to add the mirror so we can see what they are doing when nobody else is around to tell us. Anyway, Anna liked looking in the little mirror too. Any hey, Anton's big enough to wear the backpack this year!!!!!!Random cute picture of Tony and Emma on Sunday... Anna finally decided she wanted to wear the cute American Flag tank my mom sent... on July 5! (she's yelling at me "don't take a picture!")

We finished the weekend with fun play in the "fountain".

Tony and Anton took Anna to the fireworks nearby on Saturday night, so I stayed home with Emma since she had already gone to bed. It occured to me that I didn't even know what the Declaration of Independence said, so I looked it up. I got the gist of it, and I thought it was very beautiful and inspiring, but to be honest, I had a hard time understanding the old English style of writing. Anyway, I also looked up the lyrics to the Battlehymn of the Republic, which the KPHS choir performed so beautifully at their spring concert. I had always assumed it was a revolutionary type of song (the lyrics were actually written by an abolitionist at the beginning of the Civil War), but it was nice to look at the lyrics and feel patriotic and grateful to God for our country. This is my favorite verse. May we honor Him as a nation and be good stewards of the great blessings He has given us...

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.