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Holly Dotty Christmas

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Kindergarten here we come - We know we'll have lots of fun!

After a whole summer of waiting, the big day finally arrived -- Emily started kindergarten on Aug. 11. She had already met her teacher, Mrs. Wengerd, at the Welcome Back party, so that helped ease the nerves. It also helped that one of her best friends, Addie, is in the same class. It was all smiles - and no tears for anyone - on the first morning.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The first day was a half day, but she's had seven full days since and loves every minute.     

We're back!!

Yes, it has been an entire year since we posted, but I am determined to get back on track. I won't bore you with all the reasons that you've missed the last 12 months of our lives, but I probably will not ever get you completely caught up either! I kept thinking about the HUGE milestone we celebrate tomorrow - Emily starts kindergarten - and knew I just had to get back to recording the girls' adventures. 

We'll just start with Vacation 2011. We just returned from a few days at the beach. It was our first trip since Emily was a tot, and she was eager to go back. We started our trip by visiting an old baseball friend in Mobile. Our friend Ed Easley plays AA ball for the Mobile Bay Bears and we got to see him before the game. Thursday afternoon after we got settled in - and Lauren got her nap - we headed to the beach. Who woulda thought she wouldn't like the sand? The minute I set her down she started screaming. So...it didn't take us long to get in the water where everyone was happy. Jeff and Emily enjoyed some sand time while L and I rested in the shade.

Each day was a little more of the same - one trip to the beach and one to the pool. Em's swimming has really improved this summer, plus she and Jeff did "stunts" in teh water. She loved it all, but Lauren never really enjoyed herself too much. Unless of course you count the time she spent in the condo squeezing sunscreen all over herself!! Lauren's favorite past time right now is dancing, so when we were inside we kept some music going most all the time. Her little hips can swing back and forth to any beat!

Summer in St. Louis

For Mother's Day, we gave Mommy tickets to a Cardinals game on July 31. We got to spend the whole weekend in St. Louis - which I discovered is a very fun city. We went to a children's museum called the Magic House, the game, and the zoo. The Magic House had lots of cool, interactive things that I could do - like a construction zone, raise the American flag and pretend to be a judge in court, work in a store and be a doctor. Lauren was too young for the fun stuff, so she got bored and fussy. (That's her in that carrier Daddy is wearing below)

Our friends, the Sneeds were also visiting St. Louis, so we met up with them at the ballgame. We got to see the Clydesdale horses - and Albert Pujols hit a home run! You should have seen me waving my Foam Finger! Mommy and I had a good time at the game. We've decided that noise makes Lauren mad when she is tired. After about two innings, she didn't like the game any more and she and Daddy had to go walking. We left early because eeryone was getting tired but the Cards did win the game. Oh! I almost forgot my favorite part of the night - riding the train. STL has a cool train - the grownups said its like a subway but not underground - that we got on near our hotel and got off right by the stadium.

Sunday morning we packed up and headed to the zoo. Mommy had told me it is one of the best zoos around. We saw everything from hyenas and baby elephants to penguins to monkeys. It really was fun. On our way out of town we drove by the Arch and the stadium. I asked what all those people were doing there that day and Mommy said they were going to another game. I said next time we go to St. Louis, I want to go to 2 games AND go up in that Arch!

Playing store has become a new favorite.

Let's Go Cards!

At the zoo

Pictures...FINALLY!

After some technical difficulty, I finally am able to share some pictures of Lauren with you. (Although I am still not able to format them the way I would like) I'll start at the beginning so you can see how much she has changed in just 3 short months.

 

2 weeks old

about 8 weeks

12 weeks - Lauren's first day of "school"

14 weeks

Thumb stuff

Some of you know of our struggles to help Emily overcome her thumb-sucking habit. A few months ago her dentist reccommended some bitter tasting nail paint that was supposed to discourage nail biting and thumb sucking. It worked for about two days, but apparently Emily sleeps so deeply that the foul taste did not phase her in her deep slumber. So we stopped using the stuff after about a week.

A few nights ago she found the bottle in her drawer and asked us to put it on her thumb. Could it be that she is finally ready to kick the habit????

Jeff obliged and coated it well and tucked her in. She then proceeded to call him back to her room several times asking him to take it off. He finally started ignoring her calls. When she called again he said "I'm not coming. What do you need?" Her response "I had a bad dream!"

We both laughed immediately at her clever, desparate reply. Now she just has to learn that you have to actually go to sleep before you can use that excuse!

Little girls in church

As a parent, I sometimes wonder how much Emily understands about "big" church. Last week I got somewhat of an idea...

We had just settled into our pew when I noticed she had some dirt under her fingernails. Embarrassed, I picked up her hand and attempted to clean them. She immediately pulled away from me and whispered in my ear "You're not supposed to do that in church!" So true.

Then during the offertory, we had a guest soloist. She was about as soprano as it gets, and after she hit a long, HIGH note, Emily asked "why is she screaming?" Even if she wasn't enjoying the music, at least she was paying attention. At the end of our service each week, we sing a little 3-line choral benediction. For the first time last week, I noticed Emily singing along. Must admit that made my heart swell.

Welcome Lauren Reese!

I know, I know… I am a terrible blogger. I really do have a list of pretty good excuses (new baby, lack of Internet, FB is easier), but there is NO excuse for not sharing my precious girls with you. I’ve also been trying to decide if we’ll move the blog and what the new address might be. But in the meantime, here’s a brief recap.

Lauren Reese Adkerson arrived 3 days after the last post – on Sunday, April 11. She wasted no time making her entrance. I woke up in labor around 5:00 a.m. and she was with us by 1 p.m. She was perfectly healthy and precious. We all fell in love instantly.

She was quite the sleepy head for the first few weeks; we usually had to wake her up to eat. Of course she eventually “woke up” but has continued to be a good sleeper. From birth she has never really gotten up more than once a night. At ten weeks now, she typically goes down around 8 p.m. and sleeps until about 4 p.m. No complaints here! She does want to be swaddled when its time to sleep. Otherwise she wiggles so much she keeps herself awake or wakes herself up. Thank goodness for the Miracle Blanket!

Recently she has fallen into a pretty reliable nap schedule – 1 to 2 hours mid morning and another 2 to 3 after lunch. Again, no complaints. She has a healthy appetite and doesn’t mind taking the bottle when we need her to. Lauren starting showing us her beautiful smile at about 8 weeks of age.

Big sister Emily has been in heaven since Lauren was born. If we had a dollar for every time she has kissed the baby, both girls’ college would already be paid for! It really is sweet to see her interact with Lauren. She can be a big help when she wants to, and she can replace the pacifier faster than you can blink.

Emily has kept busy herself. She has continued to go to school while I have been home. She enjoys it so much, we decided it was best for everyone to keep her in her routine. At school she participated in the St. Jude Bike-a thon where she raised money for the hospital then rode her bike for a period of time at school one day. She even got her picture in the newspaper! She has begun to take dance classes – which she loves – and she has taken a liking to playing golf with Jeff. She even gave me a lesson the other day, telling me to “chuck up on the club.” I believe the proper term is “choke” but at least she’s been listening! Lastly, she just completed a two-week set of swimming lessons where she did great! On the first day she had no interest in putting her face in the water, but by the start of week two she was bobbing under the water non-stop.