Emma learned to ride a bike today! Last week I took the training wheels off her bike. She tried it and was too scared. So we took off her pedals over the weekend and she used her bike as a balance bike. It didn't take her long to figure out how to balance and get going on it. She got braver and braver each day. Yesterday and today she decided to ride down our driveway to get a better coast going. Our driveway is quite steep. Once I saw that she was backing up on the driveway to get going faster and faster, then I figured she was sufficiently skilled at riding a bike.
So tonight we put on her pedals and in a few minutes, she was off and going. We were out there for 20 minutes and in that time she figured out how to start, stop and turn on her bike. Once she got going, she was trying to go faster and faster. It was quite heart breaking that it was bed time.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
G-U-M
Emma LOVES gum. Up until recently it has been an almost nonexistent treat in our house. Literally. I wouldn't let her chew gum in the house. It seemed to me she was too little to keep it in her mouth. So occasionally she would ask Grandma Marsha for a piece and Grandma Marsha would share her beloved gum. However, I haven't been as generous with my gum. Lately in church Emma has asked me to smell her breath as proof that she needed gum. Sorry kid.
Emma has recently started learning to read. We have a collection of early readers called Bob Books. They are a series of short books that help kids learn to read. Emma read about two of them and decided she didn't like them. Aaron was trying and trying to get her to read them. No luck. So he offered her a bribe of gum. Totally worked. So we negotiated a deal: she reads two Bob books and she can have a piece of gum. Emma was ecstatic - not because of her accomplishment of learning to read. Nope, she was excited that she had control over when she gets gum.
Now, every morning she asks to read two Bob books. There has been at least one morning when I had to explain that we need to eat breakfast first before we chew gum. To ask for her gum, she refers to it as G-U-M. So John doesn't know what she is asking for and ask for some himself. So there is a lot of discussion about G-U-M in our house.
Recently, Grandma Lindy offered to buy her a pack of gum of Emma's choosing and then Grandma would buy the same pack so they could chew the same G-U-M together. So we have been FaceTiming Grandma Lindy and reading to her. Emma loves that she has her own G-U-M and that Grandma is chewing the same flavor.
There was one night when she went to bed with gum in her mouth. Aaron remembered and went upstairs to find it and throw it out. I would just like to point out that I was sat a meeting when the decision was made to let Emma chew gum after brushing her teeth. So Aaron sticks his fingers in her mouth to fish out the gum. He can't find it. So he fishes some more and more. Emma is asleep through this whole process. Finally Aaron found it had fallen out of her mouth and it was on her neck. Emma didn't remember any of the experience the next morning. If she ever needs surgery, we don't need general anesthesia, we just need to wait for her to go to sleep.
Emma has recently started learning to read. We have a collection of early readers called Bob Books. They are a series of short books that help kids learn to read. Emma read about two of them and decided she didn't like them. Aaron was trying and trying to get her to read them. No luck. So he offered her a bribe of gum. Totally worked. So we negotiated a deal: she reads two Bob books and she can have a piece of gum. Emma was ecstatic - not because of her accomplishment of learning to read. Nope, she was excited that she had control over when she gets gum.
Now, every morning she asks to read two Bob books. There has been at least one morning when I had to explain that we need to eat breakfast first before we chew gum. To ask for her gum, she refers to it as G-U-M. So John doesn't know what she is asking for and ask for some himself. So there is a lot of discussion about G-U-M in our house.
Recently, Grandma Lindy offered to buy her a pack of gum of Emma's choosing and then Grandma would buy the same pack so they could chew the same G-U-M together. So we have been FaceTiming Grandma Lindy and reading to her. Emma loves that she has her own G-U-M and that Grandma is chewing the same flavor.
There was one night when she went to bed with gum in her mouth. Aaron remembered and went upstairs to find it and throw it out. I would just like to point out that I was sat a meeting when the decision was made to let Emma chew gum after brushing her teeth. So Aaron sticks his fingers in her mouth to fish out the gum. He can't find it. So he fishes some more and more. Emma is asleep through this whole process. Finally Aaron found it had fallen out of her mouth and it was on her neck. Emma didn't remember any of the experience the next morning. If she ever needs surgery, we don't need general anesthesia, we just need to wait for her to go to sleep.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
NPR
I love NPR. In fact it is the only radio station that I listen to (except on the 2 weeks of the year they ask for money - then I listen to country music). The first time I remember listening to NPR was when I was in college. I was in my roommate Maria's car and she had it on. There was a story about how children in Wisconsin were over weight and it was creating a problem. The school district was thinking about purchasing more school buses because the kids the same number of kids couldn't fit on the seats as in previous years. At that moment, I knew that this was my radio station. I didn't really listen too much to NPR until I had a commute. I rarely drove my car in college so it wasn't until I had moved to Houston and was working that I became an avid listener. When I stayed home with Emma I missed listening to NPR. Oh how I missed it. The clock would hit 5pm and I would have this strong desire to listen to the radio.
I was taking Emma to preschool and the radio was off. Sh asked to listen to the radio. She has done this before but I thought she might just be bored of her CD that we sometimes listen to. I asked if she wanted to listen to her CD. Nope. Did she want to listen to music on the radio. Nope. Then she explained she wanted to listen to talking. I giggled inside with joy! I asked her why she wanted to listen to talking. She told me she just likes to listen to it! Be still my heart!
I was taking Emma to preschool and the radio was off. Sh asked to listen to the radio. She has done this before but I thought she might just be bored of her CD that we sometimes listen to. I asked if she wanted to listen to her CD. Nope. Did she want to listen to music on the radio. Nope. Then she explained she wanted to listen to talking. I giggled inside with joy! I asked her why she wanted to listen to talking. She told me she just likes to listen to it! Be still my heart!
No Treats on Sundays
Emma saw my candy bar that I got in church for Mother's Day. She asked what it was so I told her. She asked if it was ours to eat. I told her it was mine but if she ate her dinner she could have some. She politely told me, "I don't want any. I am trying not to eat treats on Sundays." Then she ran off. She clearly has never had Toblerone before.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Handles and Pretend Play
John frequently rides on Aaron's shoulders. Each time he does, he finds a different "handle" to hold on to. Sometimes it is Aaron's hair. Sometimes his nose, his eyes, or his cheeks. It is never his chin, which is what Emma would hold onto when on Aaron's shoulders. I seem to remember the chin being the most logical handle when on my dad's shoulders. Today, John just stuck his fingers as deep as he could in Aaron's ears. I honestly love to watch John on Aaron's shoulders because it just looks hilarious and Aaron is a great sport and just lets him hold onto whatever he wants.
Today Emma had a friend over today. They played "Relief Society." One might ask what that is since it is pretty vague. Here is what you do:
1. Prepare a lot of food.
2. Set up chairs in a semi-circle
3. Pray
4. Eat food.
Pretty well sums up 17 years of my experiences in the organization. Emma's inspiration for this is my preparing stuff for my calling as Relief Society Meeting Coordinator, a.k.a. Enrichment Person.
John also engaged in pretend play today. He pretended to call Avrin on the phone and chat with her. He told her that he loves her. It cracks me up that he talks on the phone to Emma's imaginary friend/sister. I can't help but wonder if in a few years John will turn to me and ask, "So who is Avrin?" I wonder if he knows that she is pretend and doesn't exist.
Today Emma had a friend over today. They played "Relief Society." One might ask what that is since it is pretty vague. Here is what you do:
1. Prepare a lot of food.
2. Set up chairs in a semi-circle
3. Pray
4. Eat food.
Pretty well sums up 17 years of my experiences in the organization. Emma's inspiration for this is my preparing stuff for my calling as Relief Society Meeting Coordinator, a.k.a. Enrichment Person.
John also engaged in pretend play today. He pretended to call Avrin on the phone and chat with her. He told her that he loves her. It cracks me up that he talks on the phone to Emma's imaginary friend/sister. I can't help but wonder if in a few years John will turn to me and ask, "So who is Avrin?" I wonder if he knows that she is pretend and doesn't exist.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Ideas
Boys have ideas and girls have ideas and these are not the same ideas. For example:
1. John took apart his peanut butter sandwich and stuck the peanut butter side to his face, under his nose. The he said, "Look at this!" Quite proud of himself. In fact he repeated this several times throughout the meal. I had debated about giving him a shower before dinner since he had been playing in the sandbox. I chose wisely to postpone that shower until after dinner.
2. Why did John need a bath? Because he was playing in the sandbox. I didn't want him to play in the sandbox so I could avoid giving him a bath tonight. He got the idea to climb under the sandbox cover and play in the sandbox anyway. This is just a fabric cover on the sandbox that Velcros on to it. So he was hunkered down playing in the sand. Pretty sure I would have just played with something else. Emma did.
3. In this same meal, John told me (rather excitedly, in fact) that he could stick his straw up his nose. I told him not to do that.
4. I know that boys and girls have different ideas because neither Emma, nor I, not my sisters growing up have ever thought to do anything like that.
5. Fire ball. This is a game that Aaron told me about that he played as a kid. You douse a tennis ball in kerosene and then light it on fire and kick it around in a field in Arizona. I was an adult when I first heard about this. So were my sisters. We had never dreamed of any such thing.
6. Emma on the other hand looked at her strawberry and asked what would happen if you stuck a straw in a strawberry and drank the juice. So I gave her a straw to find out. Turns out it didn't work so well.
1. John took apart his peanut butter sandwich and stuck the peanut butter side to his face, under his nose. The he said, "Look at this!" Quite proud of himself. In fact he repeated this several times throughout the meal. I had debated about giving him a shower before dinner since he had been playing in the sandbox. I chose wisely to postpone that shower until after dinner.
2. Why did John need a bath? Because he was playing in the sandbox. I didn't want him to play in the sandbox so I could avoid giving him a bath tonight. He got the idea to climb under the sandbox cover and play in the sandbox anyway. This is just a fabric cover on the sandbox that Velcros on to it. So he was hunkered down playing in the sand. Pretty sure I would have just played with something else. Emma did.
3. In this same meal, John told me (rather excitedly, in fact) that he could stick his straw up his nose. I told him not to do that.
4. I know that boys and girls have different ideas because neither Emma, nor I, not my sisters growing up have ever thought to do anything like that.
5. Fire ball. This is a game that Aaron told me about that he played as a kid. You douse a tennis ball in kerosene and then light it on fire and kick it around in a field in Arizona. I was an adult when I first heard about this. So were my sisters. We had never dreamed of any such thing.
6. Emma on the other hand looked at her strawberry and asked what would happen if you stuck a straw in a strawberry and drank the juice. So I gave her a straw to find out. Turns out it didn't work so well.
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