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AUGUST 16, 2005 I've stopped trying to count now. Bethany says so much stuff now. I still can't understand most of it, but she's really putting out the effort. She is jabbering away. We do have some that we understand here and there. It's cute to see her changing so quickly. She's such a beautiful girl. I wish she'd stop banging her head when she's angry, but I think that will come when she is able to express herself in words. Emily has been wanting to be Dorothy all of the time. She also wants to dress up in her new Snow white outfit. Sometimes I call her Emily and she says, "I'm not Emily, I'm a princess (or Dorothy, etc)". At other times, she says, "No mommy I'm EMILY!" It's hard to keep up with her. Today was a hallmark day. Both girls went potty on the potty chair this morning when they woke up. We'll keep practicing. Maybe we can get them both out of diapers soon?
Princess Bethany Beauty in her crocks
Princess Emily Dorothy Snow White??
AUGUST 6, 2005 We had a birthday party for Emily at Pizza Hut in Great Bend. Several family members and friends were able to come since we had it back home. The kids all seemed to enjoy it, except for Bethany. She's still not really a crowd/noise person. Jaimee turned 21 that day too. (Dang you're getting OLD!) Emily spent the night with a friend for the first time that evening too. She stayed with Tonya and Kelcie. Tonya only had to call us once since Emily was playing her 'I'm sick' game so that she wouldn't have to go to bed. Silly kid.
Emily's 3rd Birthday Party. She wanted the entire picture of Dorothy from the cake, then she decided to eat it without a fork. She was a messy one.
Emily's friend Kelcie
Me and my sisters + all of our kids AUGUST 2, 2005 Bethany has gone crazy with the new words now. I surely can't capture them all, but I've tried to jot any new ones that I hear her say. 8/1 She started stringing words together, but said them one at a time. "No! Ish. Ish. Uh! (pointed)" (No, turn the fish toy back on!) 7/31
Bethany (18 mo) with cousin Jordyn (2 yrs) 7/30/05 7/29 JULY 29-30, 2005 Michael helped his friend Mike move into his new house. His fiance and her daughter Olivia were moving in too. Bethany and I spent the evening there on Friday. Emily finally got to meet Olivia on Saturday. She just went wild. They tore around the whole house, laughing and playing as if they had known each other forever. Bethany mostly just watched. She's not nearly as fast-paced as those two. She loves the rocks at Mike's house, just like she does at home. Bethany even said 'Mike' on Sunday. Olivia calls him, "my Mike" which is so darn cute. We're glad to have them here. JULY 24, 2005 We had a little family time this weekend at our house.
Emily & Bethany PJs, flowers, and Swinging, oh my!
Halle, Matthew, Christiane, Claire, Emily, Bethany 7/24/05
Bethany 18 months 7/21/05 JULY 18, 2005 Today we added another cousing to our klan. Christiane was born to my older sister Jennifer.
Cute Michael 7/18/05
Christiane born 7/18/05 Today was Bethany's 18 month checkup. She's 24 lbs (50th %ile) and 33 inches tall (75th %ile). Michael and I were trying to think how many words she's saying now: shoes, book, up, down, fish, dog, meow, more, wet, eat, dada, mama, sissy. I can't think of all of them. Just this week she started using momma and dada meaningfully in order to get our attention. She still signs more and points to herself for something she wants us to give her. If you can pair something down to a yes/no question, she has this over exaggerated head nodding that she does. Hopefully with more words, there will be less screaming. We're crossing our fingers. JULY 14, 2005 I got home late from work and then dealt with screaming Bethany and wired Emily. Jaimee was home this evening and Mike Freed came over. We all had a fried chicken dinner together. It was nice to be with friends and family. Mike entertained the kids with his antics. Emily flirts with him. Bethany did actually go up close by him this evening, but wouldn't go to him. When she got too close and he looked at her, she quickly ran away. She's such a scaredy-cat. Tonight I was reading from a kids prayer/poem book before the kids went to bed. I put Bethany to bed, but Emily stayed up a bit. She took that book and was 'reading' away in the sing-song rhythm that you use when you read poetry. She of course wasn't really reading, but she recalled some of the words I had said and filled in the rest with a-da-da-du-da-dee-da... I thought it was interesting that she changed her syllables as if she were saying different words. Bethany has been watching me when I get ready in the mornings. If she sees me put lotion on my face, then she points up to the sink and says, "uh, uh, uh!!" and then to her own face when I look at her. If I put deoderant on, she does the same thing, pointing to her arms. When I'm just holding a container in my hands by the sink, she lifts up her shirt or dress and points to her tummy. We've rubbed cream on her bug bites on her abdomen, so she must think that's what it is. She also loves to brush her teeth. She sees me with my tooth brush and she's over there in an instant. While I am getting ready, she's often getting into the bottom drawer and pulling out the hair dryer and holding it up at me saying, "shhhh, shhhhhh". If I actually turn it on though, she runs across the room as if she's scared. JULY 9, 2005 Bethany no longer uses a pacifier (or in Emily's terminology, "poosh"). She was mainly using it when she'd nap or go to bed, or when she was screaming in the car while we travelled. We went cold turkey and she did not like that at all. When she'd wake up, she went through fits of rage like some addict in withdrawl. We'd get her out of bed, she'd reach for her blanket and her poosh and when she couldn't find it the tantrum would commence. It was quite dramatic, complete with throwing herself down, kicking, screaming, crying, etc. We couldn't console her, so we just didn't try. We knew what she wanted, but she wasn't getting it. After a week or so, she just started reaching for her blanket. I do see her looking for her poosh still sometimes, but I just pick her up and quickly get her away from her crib. another milestone... JULY 2, 2005 You can't leave Michael at home alone, I swear. He will spend so much money. I got home from working yesterday and he had gotten a bunch of stuff to accessorize the family room downstairs. I'm not like that. I could have bare white walls and I'd be fine. Forget all of that, I'd still live in my little tiny trailer if I had to decide. Houses and where you live, blah, blah, blah. That's a bunch of bull to me but whatever. Bethany and Emily have been a little upended lately. Emily was sick again, throwing up on Friday morning. What a wonderful thing to wake up to at 5am. Today they were ticked off to see some guy in our kitchen and the refrigerator, washer, dryer, stove, and pantry cabinet in the dining room with the big table and their snack table scooted over to the side. We're happy to have a long weekend, but the kids always get out of whack when we go back home. They lose their schedule quickly. I bet the sitter has quite a bad time when all the kids come back after the darn parents having them for so long. If you didn't see the pictures of the girls in their pool last weekend, check out the picture page. It's too cute. I forgot to mention- the other night I came home from work to see the cabinet under the sink wide open (where all the cleaning agents are). There was a mound of towels browned with something heaped on the kitchen floor. I was curious. As I proceeded in the house, Michael was on the floor by the dining area, scrubbing furiously on the living room carpeting (which is not that old, mind you). He looked up briefly and said, "go get the girls!". I went in their bedroom, which is not where they usually are when I get home. Bethany was in her crib and Emily was just in the room. Emily looke at me and I asked what happened. She just said, "Daddy's happy" as she shook her head no. That confused me even more. Finally I asked if we could come out. We ventured out to the living room. Michael shared the story. He was using some stain in the dining area and Bethany had come up behind him and knocked the can out of his hand onto the new living room carpet and even onto the furniture. Michael used nearly all of the towels in the house to soak up as much as he could then he started scrubbing. Actually, I would have never known if I hadn't walked in when I did. He did a good job! I give him kudos for not killing Bethany while he was at it too. Good thing I walked in when I did.
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