Laleblog

What does not kill you make you stronger...

2012-01-08T10:08:00.001-06:00

Mom: "Emily, don't eat that crayon!"
Rachel: "Nana, it's ok...it's non-toxic."

Pack leader

2012-01-07T10:27:00.001-06:00

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This is how it starts...

2012-01-06T18:31:00.001-06:00

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What in the world have I gotten myself into?

I think she needs more numbers

2012-01-04T19:21:00.001-06:00

Rachel, Mom, and Dad were playing a game and Mom made her and Dad pick a number between 1 and 10 to see who would go first. When she played with me, after they left, she said, "Let's do it like Nana does. Daddy, pick a number between 9 and 7." Then she groaned when I guessed that it was 8.

She loves to read...

2012-01-04T08:44:00.001-06:00

December 2011

2012-01-01T22:03:00.000-06:00

Dear girls,

Santa Claus has come and gone, and we're going screaming into the new year, literally. The two of you are at the age where you antagonize each other (and us) and I don't think there's been a single day during this break where at least one of you wasn't crying about something.

And that makes me sound like a mean and angry father, which I'm not. There have been a lot of great things that happened this month, and the two of you also continue to surprise us with everything you know and do, including how well you get along (sometimes).

Emily, in the past month, your speech went from barely understandable to WOW! There have been times over the past couple of weeks where I did a double take because the words that you spoke came out of your mouth so clearly that I had to check to see that it was you who had actually spoken them. You've gone from your toddler abbreviations of words, like "Pahk" for Sparky to actually saying two syllables, "Pah-chee." We were laughing when you started doing this because it seemed like everything you said sounded like "butt cheeks" which you've been saying for a while now, thanks to your mother and sister. You have monkeys on your pajamas: "Mah-chee" Your blanket has become a blankie: "bahn-chee." You get the point.

Rachel, you were focused like a laser on Christmas. You were doing everything you could to make sure that Santa knew that you wanted an iPod this year for Christmas. You wrote a letter, drew a picture, and you made sure to tell Santa when we went to visit him.

Secondary only to Christmas and the iPod was staying up to ring in the new year. It seemed like you'd asked at least once a day, every day, for the past two weeks if you could stay up until midnight. You have an acute understanding now that there is something special about that transition from 11:59 PM to 12:00 AM on the last day of the year.

On Christmas morning, both of you actually slept in. But once you got up, it was on. Santa had left a few things unwrapped, and once Nana and Grandpa got here, we started with the unwrapping. Both of you had quite a pile, and Rachel, you tore into your things like a wild woman. The very first thing you opened was your new phone. Except it's doesn't work like a phone. Santa left you a note saying that he'd run out of iPods this year, but that you could still play games and take pictures with this phone just like you can on an iPod. You didn't seem to mind at all, and you really enjoyed playing with it.

Emily, you opened about three things and decided you were done. You wanted to play with the things you'd already opened and didn't want to both with the rest of it. When you finally did get everything open, you had racked up three new train toys, since you'd really grown to love watching Thomas and Friends over the past month or so. In fact, every time you come out to the living room in the morning you ask us for "Choo-choo train," meaning that you want to watch Thomas.

When New Year's Eve rolled around, we had a small party with just the four of us and Nana and Grandpa. They left around 9, but Rachel, you continued to play games on the Wii right up until midnight. I was really surprised that you lasted the entire night, but you still had energy left when it hit. You even got to learn a little bit about time zones becuase we watched it change to 2012 in New York and hour before it was 2012 here.

Overall, 2011 was a really great year for both of you. As wel roll into 2012, there are going to be lots of changes for both of you. We can't wait to see how you handle them because we love to watch you both learn and grow.

Your Mommy and I love you both very much.

Love,
Daddy

That's why the field is so slippery

2011-12-24T17:03:00.002-06:00

We are watching the Cowboys-Eagles game and there's a big helmet to helmet hit on a punt. The ref throws his flag and Rachel says, "Ooooh, he threw a banana on the field!"

I think she missed a step in the process

2011-12-21T19:53:00.001-06:00

Merry

2011-12-18T19:48:00.001-06:00

Finally got the tree up and decorated...

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-12-09T20:13:00.001-06:00

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November 2011

2011-12-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

Dear girls,

Your grandparents are here! You were both so excited to see them...even more excited than your mother and I, I think. This has been a month chocked full of new things for both of you, so let's get started.

Emily, you have started learning how to play games on mobile devices. I never thought that a couple of years would make the difference in how you learned to use a computer, but it's amazing. Rachel, you learned how to use a computer by manipulating a mouse, and Emily, you've learned by touching a screen. Every computing device you come in contact with, the first thing you do is try to touch the screen.

That's probably because we have more touch screen devices in the house than anything else. Between our two phones, an iPod touch, and an iPad, you have plenty of things to learn on. And you're learning very quickly. You started by insisting that you turn off the iPod in the morning, so I showed you how to touch the pause button on the screen - the lines, or "yines" as you say it, so every morning when you wake up you ask me to get you out of bed so you can turn it off. You've also started asking for certain games by name - "Ahnie Bord (Angry Birds)? Oopah why (Super Why)?" I can't even begin to imagine when computing is going to look like 5 years from now, and how you'll both adapt to it.

You've been talking up a storm lately, strining together 4, 5, even 6 words to make sentences that we are getting better and better at understanding. You're also starting to use your manners saying, please, thank you, and excuse me (the latter was the hardest to get you to start doing), usually on your own, but sometimes we still have to gently remind you.

Rachel, we discovered this month that you really like math, and you're really good at it! You flew right through the easy addition and started right into double digit addition, multiple number addition, and subtraction. Just last week, we started talking about multiplication. You've been brining us your writing board and asking us to write math problems for you so much that we decided to buy you some math workbooks, and we even got you the first grade level ones! I hope that this love of math continues throughout your life, because it can really take you places if you do well with it.

You also started riding the bus to school this past week. It always amazes me how independent you are. You had been begging us for a long time to ride the bus, and now that your grandparents are here, we have someone that can meet you at the bus stop in the afternoon. We decided to give it a trial run coming home one day this week, but you liked it so much that you asked if you could ride the bus to school the next day. So the last half of this week, you rode the bus to school. That actually works out pretty well for mommy since she doesn't have to take you and because the ride to school is easy. There is only one place to get off. We'll see about you riding the bus home every once in a while in the coming weeks.

You both are really enjoying having Nana and "Wompa," as Emily calls him, around. Emily, you're finally old enough to really remember and have fun with them both. You were starting to come into that a little bit last year, but this year, you're really making memories. You and Rachel helped Nana make pies for Thanksgiving dinner, and you've been playing Wii almost every time you go over to visit.

We're really looking forward to Christmas and watching you both open your presents. We haven't gotten a tree up yet, but Emily, you're already fascinated with all of the lights that are up in the neighborhood. Rachel, you've already started on your list of what you want for Christmas, too. One of the first things on your list - an iPod. I don't know if Santa will be able to bring you one of those, but we'll see.

We love you both very much, and as always, we can't wait to see what the next month brings for the two of you.

Love,
Daddy

October 2011

2011-11-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

Dear girls,

Fall is here. Halloween is over. Your grandparents arrive in a couple of week. Let me repeat that...your grandparents arrive in a couple of weeks! We've had another adventurous month, and your father actually got out his real camera and took a bunch of pictures of you this month.

Emily, I think we know what you're going to be when you grow up. You're bound to be a lobbyist. This past month, you started lobbying to stay up later. You start you lobbying even before we think about bed time, usually right around the end of dinner. We'll be having a perfectly lovely conversation, or getting you to finish up your food, and you'll turn and look at us with frowning eyes and say, "No night night." You'll repeat it over and over again until you get some kind of response out of us, or some reassurance that it's not even close to bedtime yet.

Your speech has really improved a lot over the past month, and we can pretty much understand everything you're telling us. We still have to use context clues every once in a while, but most of the time, you're pretty clear. At least to us. We'll see how clear you actually are when your grandparents arrive. I have a feeling we're in for a couple of months of translating for you until they brush up on their toddler speak.

Rachel, you've been doing really well at school. You got your report card and it was all great news! Your mother and I had a conference with your teacher this past month and she had nothing but good things to say about you. We're very happy that you've adjusted to school so well. Not that we ever had any doubts.

You are also getting along really well with your dance class. Every time I take you, I watch in the window as your teacher shows you what she wants you to do, then watch as you concentrate to get as close to what the teacher was doing as you possibly can. You try really hard and you're doing a great job.

We've been spending a lot of time outside over the past month, since the weather has finally cooled down a little bit. It's nice to not worry about sweating so much while we're outside, but we have had to use an awful lot of bug spray.

Emily, you finally got your very own hearing aide this past month. You've been using a loaner for almost a year and a half now, and we finally got around to buying your own. You also had another hearing test this month, and you seem to be doing really well. Of course, your hearing aide wasn't turned on for the first half of the test (my fault), but you still did really well.

Rachel, you've been working very hard at reading, writing, and spelling, and now you're starting to blow us away with your mad math skillz. I was worried at the beginning of the year that you'd be bored in school, but you've done a great job and it looks like you're learning a lot. We're very proud of you.

This past weekend, I took the two of you to the air show at Randolph AFB. I always enjoy going to these things, and I was so thrilled that the two of you had such a good time, too. Emily, you were so excited to see all of the airplanes, and it was amazing to you that every time you turned around there was another airplane to be seen. Rachel, you did a great job walking around because I know that it was a LOT of walking. You didn't complain at all, even when your sister got to be carried and you still had to walk. I can't wait to take you guys again next year.

Finally, you both did a great job trick-or-treating, and I'm so happy that Emily decided to go door to door also. Of course, getting free candy is a strong incentive. Rachel, you had a little bit of trouble with tripping over your horse legs, but you did a great job, espeically considering that we walked a lot farther than we ever have doing tricking or treaing before. I hope you both had a great time doing it.

As always, we can't wait to see what the next month will bring. We love you very much.

Love,
Daddy.

Emily shows them who's boss

2011-10-21T18:20:00.001-05:00

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Em stood there yelling at the dogs that were barking for about 30 seconds.

Raaaaiiiiiiiin!

2011-10-09T15:09:00.001-05:00

We got over 2" of rain last night, and the creeks are full.

I went down to the Grissom trailhead of the Leon Creek trail and took these pictures of the trail underwater.

While I was down there, a guy came down on a bike, evidently thinking he was going to ride under the bridge. When he saw how deep the water was and how fast it was moving, he changed his mind.

Bowlin

2011-10-08T19:05:00.001-05:00

September 2011

2011-10-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

Dear girls,

School has started, and fall is in the air. Wait...no it's not. It's still blazing hot outside, and probably will be for another month. We live in Texas, after all. Anyway...here we go with this month's installment of "what you did last month"

Emily, this has been quite the month for you. I think we're going to refer to it as the "me too" month. You've finally gained an understanding of what everyone is doing around you, and you want in on the fun. Whenever Rachel says she wants to do something, you follow right up with a cheery "me too!" You've gotten very good at communicating what you want, and when you want it. You've also gotten a lot better at differentiaing your words....either that, or we've gotten a lot better at understanding what you want.

You've also started changing up some of your words this month. In the last week, you've changed from calling us Mama and Dada to Mommy and Daddy. Actually, Da-tee. You also started calling bananas "nanny" instead of "nana," while referring to your Nana the same way (nanny). So that confusion is still present and we have to use context to figure it out.

Rachel, you've been doing well at school, but your teacher tells us that sometimes you don't finish assignments during the day. We are going to have a conference with her in October, but I'm not sure if you're not finishing because you're a perfectionist, or because you're talking to your friends, or what the deal is. I do know it's not because you can't do the work, though.

The 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks was this month, and there was a lot of TV coverage about it. I remember when it happened and the discussions we had at my school about whether it was appropriate to talk about it with the youngest kids at the school. We knew that those children had seen a lot on TV, and now, as a father of a kindergartener, I can understand the concern so much better. Rachel, you were very worried about the people who died in those attacks and asked a lot of questions about airplanes and tall buildings. I can't imagine what those kids who witnessed those attacks as they happened 10 years ago must have felt. As adults, it's very hard for us to understand why people would do such horrible things, and your mother and I have tried our best to reassure you that some people are just not nice, but that you shouldn't spend you time worrying about it because we are going to do our very best to keep you safe.

Along the lines of keeping your safe, you also started worrying about earthquakes and thunderstorms a lot more over the past month. We had a tiny bit of weather which made you scared, but you spent an entire weekend worrying about earthquakes because there was one in the news early in the month. It's very interesting to see you try to process the things that adults take for granted every day, and to watch you worry about things that no one has any control over.

And for something you do have control over, Emily, you've started going potty in the toilet quite a bit now. You still don't usually tell us when you need to go, but when we sit you on it, you will make a little tinkle for us. You're not afraid of it like Rachel was at your age, and I think it won't be long before you're ditching the diapers altogether.

Your Grandpa Rick came down for a visit at the beginning of the month, and the two of you were so happy to see him. Your grandparents have decided to come to Texas a little earlier this year, so you'll see them again before Thanksgiving!

Your mother and I love you both very much, and can't wait to see what the next month will bring. We also can't wait to see what you both want to be for Halloween!

Love
Daddy

Our day at Sea World

2011-09-25T15:55:00.001-05:00

Since it was going to be another hot day, I decided to take the girls to Sea World to cool off.

Back on the bike

2011-09-18T16:28:00.001-05:00

19.1 miles. Just under 2 hours. I rode almost the entire Leon Creek Trail, but turned around about 4 miles from Loop 1604 because I was beat. It felt good to get back on the bike...it had been about 4 months since I'd been on the trail. Saw the remnants of a brush fire, lots of dry areas that usually have water, and a few very skinny deer that had ventured out in the middle of the day.

August 2011

2011-09-01T22:52:00.000-05:00

Dear Girls,

Aaaand, it's back to the "normal" routine. Everyone is now back to work, school, and day care. And while I'm glad that we're back into some sort of routine, I really am going to miss the relaxed feel of the summer. What I'm not going to miss is the heat. It has been an absolutely brutal summer - probably one of the worst I've ever experienced in Texas. It's been so hard to do anything outside, and I'm looking forward to a break in the heat so that we can start to play outside again while the sun is up.

Rachel, you have finally started kindergarten. You're so excited to be in school, and I can see your love for learning every day, even if you are doing things you already know. You have already made new friends, and you're getting the hang of being on your own at school. When you were in ECE, someone walked you into school, took you to lunch and sat with you throughout, and basically held your hand through everything. You have to be a little more independent in kinder, and you're doing great with it. We had a friend help you out during the first week, but since then, you've been taking care of yourself.

You're also back to taking dance classes, which you really seem to enjoy. Since they're on Saturday mornings now, I can take you. We've added a new piece to the routine of going to dance class, and that is to stop in at Panera before we go. You have fallen in love with their chocolate chip bagels, and Daddy or Mommy gets a little morning pick-me-up.

Emily, you are back at Miss Rosalinda's and you have become quite the Chatty Cathy. You're pushing your sentences to four words or more now, and we are getting really good at understanding exactly what you're telling us. You still speak in that toddler talk that only family members really know, but we know that soon, we'll be able to stop translating for you.

You seem to have finally warmed up to talking to your grandparents online. Every time you see me taking my laptop back to the bedroom (that's where we talk to them from), you'll start chasing after me, asking over and over again, "Nana? Nana? Nana? Nana?"

There isn't really a lot to say about the rest of this month. We spent most of this month trying to stay cool...so much so, that just about the only pictures I have of both of your are in the kiddie pool or playing in the sprinkler.

It also doesn't help that I've been so completely crazy busy at work that I'm not even writing this until the middle of September, and trying to remember the things you both did 6 weeks ago is really hard. I promise I'll be better about that in the next few months. As long as things at work slow down a bit.

Your mother and I both love you very much, and we're looking forward to watching you learn and grow over the course of this school year.

Love
Daddy

First Day...

2011-08-22T09:06:00.001-05:00

Today is Rachel's first day of Kindergarten. We celebrated by taking her to breakfast, then walking her to her classroom.

Thirty four years ago, I was doing the same thing...

Lunch with friends

2011-08-20T13:31:00.001-05:00

I had to stand and eat, since all the chairs were occupied.

Someone like chocolate chip bagels

2011-08-20T09:49:00.001-05:00

Rachel and I stopped at Panera for breakfast on the way to her dance class this morning. When we got to class, I turned around and saw this. I couldn't help but laugh. Rachel had no clue. She kept saying "What? What's funny Daddy?"

July 2011

2011-08-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

Dear girls,

We are in the dog days of summer. July is behind us and in just a couple of weeks, we'll all be back into our regular routine for the year. This past month, you spent a lot of time with your mother and very little time with me. I've been working 10 hour days, which means I'm leaving the house before either of you get up, and by the time I get home, it's almost bath and bed time for both of you. Having Fridays off is nice, but the whole rest of the week, I miss you both terribly.

Emily, you turned 2 years old this past month. We had a small family gathering for your party, and you got to talk to Nana via Skype when you blew out your candles. It seems like it's taken you a lot longer to get to 2 years old than it did your sister. I don't know why that is, but I'm happy that you're growing up and starting to communicate with us more and more.

You're talking all the time now, and have expanded into three word sentences. A lot of your words still sound alike, so we have to use context to understand what you're saying, but you keep trying until we get it. One of the really exciting things to happen over the past month or so is you coming up with a name for your sister. Obviously, you can't say "Rachel," so it comes out at "Ya-ya"

You also have begun identifying things that belong to you and to other people. You were doing this last month with your things, but now you're starting to get that there's some order of ownership to the stuff in our house. "Mama tair, dada tair, yaya tair" you told me the other day while pointing to each of our chairs at the dinner table. For the past few months you've been saying "sky!" whenever you saw an airplane, then one day, this past month, you just came out with it...air-pane!

Emily, you have really gotten into reading books. You have your favorites that we have to read every night before you go to sleep. You will sit and let Rachel read to you, too. Although, more than anything, you enjoy looking at pictures and talking about them. When Nana sent you both a book of pictures from our trip to New York, and a copy (for each of you) of the Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge, Rachel sat down and immediately started reading the book, and Emily, you sat down and started looking through the photos.

Yaya...or Rachel, I mean, you have been going to summer camp a couple of days each week, and you're really enjoying it. You go on different field trips each week, and you're quite popular with the older girls who also attend day camp. You, in turn have picked up on, like, some of, like, their, like, nuances. I can only hope that when you start Kindergarten in a few weeks, you get over those things.

You know exactly what day you start school....I wouldn't say you're excited or anything. We've been school shopping for you already, and I think you're fully prepared to start the new school year. I know you're going to miss some of your friends who are going to other schools, or are still in ECE at Braun Station, but I'm sure you'll make plenty of new friends.

Rachel, you had your first ever trip to the dentist this past month, and everything went really well. No cavities for you. You got stickers, a pencil, and a brand new tooth brush just for going. I think you're sold on the whole dentist thing.

We've been taking both of you to the park to play with friends in the mornings before it gets too hot, and in the afternoons, we've been staying inside, or playing in the pool. We've also been to Sea World a few times this summer because your mother and I got season passes for free. We bought the two of you passes, and they've already paid for themselves.

The two of you have really been playing well together the whole summer. You will go into one of your rooms and play, and play. Of course, there are always little fights here and there, but I'm constantly amazed at how well the two of you get along. I hope that continues as you get older.

We love you both very much, and look forward to what the new school year brings.

Love,
Daddy

June 2011

2011-07-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

Dear girls,

What a month! We had a birthday! and a Big! Trip! to New York! So without any further adieu, I bring you June 2011.

Rachel, you turned 5 years old this past month. What a turning point for you. You are growing up so quickly, and there have been times over the past month where you've told us that you don't want to grow up. But there have also been times where you tell us about how you can't wait to go to Kindergarten, then turn 6, then go to first grade, and so on. You're feeling a little conflicted, and I think part of it has to do with the fact that your sister has really come into her own this past month, and I think you're feeling a little jealous.

I get it, baby girl, I totally do. If there's one thing I can relate to with you, it's being the oldest child. Your mother and I have noticed that you've doing a lot of baby talk this past month and craving a lot of attention from us, and we've been really making an effort to spend some alone time with you so that you get all of our attention during that time. It certainly is a balancing act having an almost 2 year old and a 5 year old, especially when the younger one is so demanding of your time.

And that almost two year old would be you, Miss Emily Marie. You are quite the little girl. There are days where you make us smile and laugh so hard, and there are other days (sometimes just minutes apart from the smiling, laughing days) where you try our patience to the very end.

You have started talking up a storm, and are saying two-word sentences all the time now. "Up pea" "Mine oos" "Mine bank" "Ma pea" and we pretty much know what you're telling us most of the time. It's been so nice to have you be able to communicate with us, but the times where you flat out don't want to do what we're asking are the most frustrating. Especially when we're on a 4 hour plane ride.

We visited New York at the end of the month, and it was the first time in a year that Emily had been on a plane. Since we flew before your birthday, Emily, we decided that you could go as a lap child to save us some money. And trying to save money was where we went terribly wrong. You did not want to sit on anyone's lap, let alone be in one spot without moving around very much for 4 whole hours. You only wanted your mother, when you wanted anyone at all, and your poor momma was at her wit's end somewhere over South Carolina.

Once we got to New York, everything got better. You both got to meet your newest cousin for the first time (as did your mother and I), and you both had a great time playing in the parks next to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Britton's apartment. Rachel, you were already a pro at riding the train from our trip 3 years ago, and Emily, it took you a few days, and one disastrous trip during rush hour, but you finally got the hang of it too.

We didn't get to do a lot of touristy things, but overall the trip was a success. We'll have to go back when both of you are bigger and Emily can sit still through all of the touristy stuff like bus and boat rides. I'm sure that we will not take another 3 years to go back, because ever since we've been back, Emily, you have been asking about the baby every day.

Right before we left for New York, Rachel, you started dance classes. Your Nana paid for the classes for you as part of your birthday present, and we decided that you would take the summer off from soccer. Just one class in, and I think you're loving it. We'll have to see what the fall brings, and you'll probably have to decide if you want to play soccer or continue in dance classes.

Next month we have another birthday, I go back to work, and the summer starts to wind down. I hope that we can enjoy the rest of the summer as much as we've enjoyed the first part. Your mother and I love you both very much!

Love,
Daddy

Day trip to Gruene

2011-06-30T15:09:00.001-05:00

The best way to beat the heat

2011-06-29T16:48:00.001-05:00

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NYC via Retro Camera

2011-06-25T21:31:00.001-05:00

I took all of these over the past week with the Retro Camera app on my phone.

Our drive from JFK to our temporary home in Washington Heights:

The Cloisters:

Central Park Carousel:

Gratuitous subway shots:

Natural History Museum:

and other miscellaneous shots:

Geeking out at the Lego store

2011-06-22T12:30:00.001-05:00

George Washington Bridge and the Little Red Lighthouse

2011-06-21T19:14:00.001-05:00

Today we trekked down many steep hills (and back up again when we were done) to see the little red lighthouse under the George Washington bridge. We even got to go up onside the lighthouse as there was a school group that arrived just ahead of us, and the lighthouse was open for them.

Central Park carousel playing "Ring of Fire (mp3)

Central Park carousel playing "Ring of Fire"

2011-06-20T15:33:00.001-05:00

Central Park Carousel

2011-06-20T13:16:00.001-05:00

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Magic Fingers

2011-06-19T20:16:00.001-05:00

Rachel, while playing with an iPad: "Our fingers are magic!"

This is city living I can handle

2011-06-19T18:51:00.001-05:00

Emily and I went for a walk in Inwood Park, just around the corner from Sarah and Britton's place.

Emily and the Henry Hudson Bridge

2011-06-19T12:37:00.003-05:00

She actually stopped and let me take her picture.

Cousins

2011-06-19T12:37:00.001-05:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Scott Laleman" <scottlaleman@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 19, 2011 11:54 AM
Subject: Cousins
To: "posterous@posterous.com" <posterous@posterous.com>

Thank you note

2011-06-10T22:03:00.001-05:00

Rachel told me tonight, "Daddy, I think that for everyone that bought me presents, I should send them a card."

"You mean a thank you card?"

"Yes. If I make the card, will you make the envelope?"

"Sure I will."

This is her thank you note to all of you.

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

2011-06-09T08:02:00.001-05:00

I can't believe you're turning 5 years old today. It's gone by too fast.

I was laying in bed last night thinking, "We only have 3 more cycles of this (5 years at a time)" and you'll be all grown up."

Five years used to be such a long period of time. Now it's just a blink of the eye...

You said to Mommy last night, "I don't want to grow up!"

I'm right there with you, baby girl...right there with you.

But I also can't wait to see the young woman you'll become.

Like I said when you were born...I never knew my heart could be full of so much love.

Happy birthday, my sweet girl.

May 2011

2011-06-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

Dear girls,

May has come and gone, and now we slide into another summer, full of vacations and birthdays.

Rachel, in a few days, you will finish up preschool for good. You're going to be an honest-to-goodness big kid, going to school. Not that you haven't been going to school for the past 2 years, but now it starts getting to be a big deal. There will be tests, and measurements of your success. Of course, your mother and I aren't really all the worried about how well you'll do in school. Like I've been saying for months now, you're already reading and writing way above your age level, and I'm more worried about you being bored rather than worrying about you trying to keep up.

Another thing you'll be finished with in a few days is soccer. We decided not to put you in a league this summer, just to give you (and us) a bit of a rest. We weren't as happy with your team and coaches this go-around, but we certainly have seen a lot of improvement in your play since last summer. We'll take another look at soccer in the fall, or maybe give you some other choices of things to try out.

Emily, you're getting to be such a ham. One of the things I've noticed about you this past month is your awareness of cameras. I've been able to get great candids of you for almost two years now, but now you've started posing. And what a pose. You'll tilt your head up, bare as many teeth as you can manage, and say "sheeeez" through your clenched teeth. It cracks me up every time. And then there are the times you don't want to be bothered by the paparazzi, and you'll turn your head or run away, yelling "NO!" at me.

Your speech is getting better every day. Most of the time now you'll tell us what you want. We may have to listen to you 3-4 times to put together what it is that you're telling us, but we usually get it, and you've stopped getting so frustrated with us when we don't understand the first time you tell us. Oh, don't get me wrong, you still have quite an attitude sometimes, but you're getting more patient with us as we try to understand you. And when it's something you can't quite explain, or you just want us to come with you to do something, you'll wave your hand at us and say "Mon, mon" (as in "come on").

Rachel, your birthday party is coming up this weekend, and I can tell you're still trying to figure out why it is that we don't have your party on the same day as your birthday. You keep telling everyone, "My party is on Sunday, but I won't really be 5 yet." We've invited a lot of your friends, and we're having it exactly where you asked: Pump It Up.

Emily, I am really impressed at how much you're growing up. Like I said last month, you have an independent streak that's going to kill us, but I think it will serve you well in the future. You and I got to spend a morning together this past week, and it was really fun to spend time with you without your sister around. You are quite a different kid when you're not having to share toys, and share my attention. I don't remember that you've ever helped wash a car...maybe you helped with your mom's at some point, but as soon as I got out the bucket to wash my car, you went and found all of the rags, threw them in the bucket and started washing, despite my protests. You did a great job, too! You're one smart cookie, and you love playing in the water. I can't wait to take you swimming this summer.

We're really excited to take both of you to New York this summer to meet your new cousin, and to see the sights in NYC. I'm also looking forward to spending my time off with you. Any time we get to spend time playing together is time I that cherish and love. I love watching the two of you grow up, and I love watching you learn.

Your mother and I love you both more than you will ever know.

Love
Daddy.

Emily and Daddy's morning together

2011-05-31T11:31:00.001-05:00

Emily's sitter is out of town, so we got to spend the morning together. After breakfast at Wendy's, we went to the park, then came home and washed my car. While I was waxing, she played Indy Car driver.

Braiiiiiins!

2011-05-29T19:21:00.001-05:00

While we were skyping with Mom and Dad tonight, Rachel made this face and said : "Do you know if you go like this, you can see your brains?! "

Too smart for our own good...

2011-05-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

Monica: "So, later for the P - A - R - T - Y...do you want to go?"

Rachel: "You mean party? What party?"

Don't be mean

2011-05-25T11:50:00.001-05:00

Rachel has been walking around the house lately singing Taylor Swift's "Mean" which she said she learned from a friend at school. She actually heard it while she was roller skating last weekend, which I think is why she started singing it so much. But she screws up the words.

"Soooome day, I'll be livin in a big ole ciiiity, and aaaaall you're ever gonna is be mean."

Someone's got a new boyfriend

2011-05-21T20:47:00.001-05:00

Head, shoulders, knees and toes....

2011-05-09T10:28:00.001-05:00

OK, maybe not all those parts, but she does know a lot of them.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T07:56:00.001-05:00

The girls were practicing being mommies with Raggedy Anne and Andy this morning.

April 2011

2011-05-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

Dear girls,

The first thing I want to mention this month is that the two of you now have a new cousin! Your Aunt Sarah and Uncle Britton had their baby girl, Sabrina on April 15. You got to "meet" her when Grandma and Grandpa went out to New York and we talked to them all on the computer. We're all going out to New York in June to meet her in person, and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Emily, we'll start off with you, and the question of the month: who in the heck taught you the word "NO"? It seems like that's all we've heard from you this month. One day, you just started shouting out "NOOO" as clear as day. "Emily, do you want some milk?" "NOOOO!" "Can you please eat some of your meat?" "NOOO!" all the while vigerously shaking your head.

I guess that's not a totally fair classification of the words you're saying, it just seems like all you say is no. You've also started saying "please," but you have to be prompted, and you'll try repeating most of the words we say. You've also started stringing two words together to form sentences, which is very exciting for us. You'll say "zzhoos ah" (shoes off) when you come in the house, and "ma puh" (more please) when we prompt you to ask for something.

Along with this new found language has come an independent streak that's going to kill your mother and I. You are pushing your limits, and we have to remember to inform you of everything we're planning on doing before we do it, or you'll throw a fit because it doesn't necessarily fit in with your plans. Sometimes, even when we do let you know what's coming up, you don't want to have anything to do with it. And you like to go off exploring on your own. We were playing in the driveway the other day, I turned to talk to Rachel, and the next thing I knew, you were at the end of the driveway about to go into the street.

Rachel, we got you all registered for Kindergarten next year, and you'll be going to a new school. I think you're going to do just fine, as you've continued to improve your reading and writing with every passing day. The other day you were reading out of a 2nd grade book to me, and you did a really great job with it!

You have really been enjoying playing soccer, and you even scored a goal! Of course, the ref blew the whistle right before you scored, but it still counts in our minds! When you first started playing soccer last summer, I wasn't sure how you would do because you didn't seem to like the games very much, but now you look like you're having so much fun out there.

You've also become very concerned with your birthday part, as birthday party season appears to be in full swing. You keep telling us where you want your party and talk about it on an almost daily basis. You tell us about the kids in your class that are already 5, and we can tell you're very excited to turn 5 yourself. Even though it's still over a month away, we're already planning for the big day.

We are looking forward to May and all of the new things you'll learn. We are always amazed at the new things each of you show us every month. We love you very much.

Love
Daddy

An Easter Bike Ride

2011-04-24T10:24:00.001-05:00

Today, Rachel and I took a bike ride along the Leon Creek Greenway with Emily in tow. We rode 2.5 miles, and Rachel didn't get tired until we were close to the end.

2011-04-24_0934.kml Download this file

Viva Fiesta!

2011-04-16T14:06:00.001-05:00

We went downtown to Main Plaza earlier in the week. I love shooting with the Retro Camera App for Android. Almost enough to make me not carry my regular camera. Almost.

March 2011

2011-04-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Girls,

Another month goes flying by. It seems like they go by faster and faster. You are both growing up so quickly, and while it's exciting for us to see you do and learn new things, I know that one day I'm going to turn around and you'll be leaving home. We had a lot of fun this past month, and we got to spend a lot of time with you because of spring break.

Rachel, you got to do a lot with us during March. One of the most exciting things for us, and I know for your Grandpa Rick, was the fact that you caught your first fish, ever! We had gone out fishing for the day just to putt around on the boat, but we ended up finding a great fishing spot and you caught four fish. You were pretty happy with your first one, then it seemed to get less interesting for you with each subsequent catch. On the last fish you caught, you didn't even want to reel it in. Nana had to do that for you.

Emily, you were not so excited about the fish. When we tried to show it to you, you screamed and yelled, and tried to get away from it. The problem was, there wasn't anywhere for you to go on the boat. You did a really good job of being patient while we all fished, though, and you really enjoyed the water splashing all over the place while we drove the boat around.

You have been very excited about going to play at the playground, though. You really like going down the slides, and climbing up on the equipment by yourself. I think you would go down the slides all day, if we let you. You always have the biggest smiles when you're coming down. You still need to work on the body control a bit, but it's getting better!

You started cutting some more teeth at the end of the month, too, Emily. Your teeth have just taken their sweet time coming in, but you don't seem to have any problems eating. And speaking of eating, you're getting really good at using your spoon and fork to feed yourself.

Rachel, you started playing soccer again this month, and this time, you're with a whole new group of kids. Your mother and I were a little sad that none of the kids you'd played with before were on your team, but it's a good experience for you to play with different kids. You having played before seems to put you at a bit of an advantage, too, as you seem to be more confident in going after the ball.

You've continued to get better and better at reading, and you've even started reading books to your class. Your teachers tell us all the time how amazed they are at how well you read, and how much confidence you have. We're very proud of you for being so quick and eager to learn new things, and your love of reading. You read to one of us almost every night, too.

Your grandparents left at the end of the month to go back up north. Rachel, you were very sad about the whole thing. You cried and cried when they left, and I know that this is going to be a yearly thing. Emily, I think you knew that something was different, but couldn't quite grasp what had happened. When they got home, we skyped with them like we usually do, but it's been 4 months since we'd done it, and Emily, you have a completely different understanding of the world now than you did 4 months ago. When you saw your Nana and Grandpa on the screen, you smiled shyly at them. I know you recognized that, but weren't quite sure what they were doing in my computer. After a while you warmed up and started playing with them. It was really interesting to see how your mind worked, though.

This next month will be very exciting. You're going to get a new cousin! And maybe your Aunt Sarah will start blogging again...

We love you both very much!

Love
Daddy

A good day of fishing

2011-03-18T14:38:00.001-05:00

We took the whole family out on the boat today to see if we could get Rachel to hook a fish. She ended up with 4.

I did pretty well too...

The bigger largemouth was 17 3/4 inches and 3.1 pounds. The crappie would have been a lake record had we taken it in - 1.3 pounds, 14 inches.

Catch of the day

2011-03-15T16:34:00.001-05:00

Day Trip - Luling, Texas and Palmetto State Park

2011-03-14T21:28:00.001-05:00

We decided to take a little day trip to the east today. We went to Luling and hit the Oil museum, had lunch at City Market and ended up (completely by accident) at the old mill and cotton gin. From there, we headed to Palmetto State Park.

Pictures taken with the Retro Camera app for Android

Taken with my regular camera

Spring has sprung

2011-03-11T13:53:00.001-06:00

February 2011

2011-03-01T20:38:00.000-06:00

Dear girls,

We're now a full two months into the new year, and what a year it has been so far. Emily is growing and learning so fast, and Rachel, it seems like every time I look at you, you've grown another inch. It never fails to amaze me how quickly the months go by, and how different you are at the end of each month.

What a difference a month makes in the weather. We had a snow day at the beginning of the month, and even though it was less than 1/2 an inch, you both went out and played in it like it had snowed a foot. By the end of the month (OK, it was really two days after the snow day), we were wearing shorts and t-shirts.

Emily, your words are coming fast a furious now. You make an attempt at repeating just about everything we say to you. You're not quite there yet, but you sure are trying. You will babble on and on to us, and I know that you're actually saying things in your mind...we're just not getting them. That's been leading to some frustration on your part, and I remember this part of toddler-hood with your sister vividly. This sweet, happy little girl that we laugh and play with suddenly turns into a screaming, crying mess for apparently no reason. But there is a reason: you are mad because we don't understand what you want.

We're pretty sure you understand everything we say to you, though. Even if you can't tell us what you want, we will question you until you nod your head. We're getting really good at this little game of charades you play, while at the same time trying to get you to verbalize what it is you need. You do a great job of listening to us, too, when you want to. Your grandparents have you doing things around the house, and you are able to follow directions very well. We can't wait until your speech becomes really clear and we can start having conversations with you.

Rachel, your teacher keeps telling us what a smart little girl you are, and it's getting close to the time when we'll need to decide where we're going to send you to school next year. We have some options, and I'm sure every parent with options goes through the agonizing choices of deciding where to send their child for their first "official" year of school.

You are so far ahead of the curve, it scares me. You are already reading and writing, things which I didn't know 4 year olds could do. I always thought that kids learned to read and write in Kindergarten, but you are blowing me away. I'm actually very worried that you will be bored next year. Not every student in your kindergarten class will have had the educational opportunities that you've had up to this point in your life. You're a very lucky girl for being able to go to school for two years already, and have great teachers that have helped you learn to do so many things.

Emily, your sense of humor really started to come out this past month, too. Your whole personality has been fun to watch, but you recently started doing things to try to make us laugh, or would do things to try to get us to make you laugh. You have silly walks that you do, and you'll walk around with your head thrown back making funny faces.

Another thing that's fun about your personality is your boldness and shyness. Let me explain. You are one of those kids who, if you're near an adult you know, you're the most playful and friendly kid in the world to complete strangers. When we're in a restaurant, you'll sit there and wave at people, reach out like you want to touch them, and generally act like you're not afraid of anything. However, if one of those people you wave at, or reach out to touch tries to touch you, or takes a step toward you, you cower and try to hide yourself. It's the funniest thing to watch.

We went to the rodeo again this year, and both of you got on the pony ride. Rachel, you were ready for it, and were asking about it. Emily, I was shocked that you wanted to go. As we stood there watching the ponies walk around in a circle, I asked you, "Do you want to get on a pony?" and I pointed at it, so you'd know what I was talking about. You nodded your head yes. I had prepared myself for the worst...I was ready to hand you over the fence to your mother the second I put you in the saddle because I was sure you'd start crying. But there you sat, calm as could be, like it was the most natural thing in the world for you to be riding a pony.

Rachel, you of course, wanted to go on all the rides. I love that you're not afraid of anything like that. You even took your little sister on some of the rides with you. I can tell we're going to have a lot of fun when you get older and we can start going to Six Flags and Sea World. This year, you wanted to go on the big slide, and I was fully prepared to let you go all by yourself. Your mother was a little worried that you'd get scared going up the stairs, but you told me you could do it. I don't think the guy running the ride thought you could handle it, though, and he handed me a burlap sack to ride down on, but didn't charge me to go, basically forcing me to go up with you. We also rode the Ferris Wheel again, and you have absolutely no fear of heights. If I'd let you, you probably would have hung halfway out of the car we were riding in so you could see everyone else on the ground.

Emily, you loved looking at all of the animals. We've been reading books to you about animals and making the sounds at you, but it freaked you out a little bit the first time a real animal (other than a dog) made a sound. You were standing there looking at the sheep when all of a sudden one of them bleated, and you turned tail and ran over to me. It didn't take long before you were back at the fence, though, looking at them again. You got to see lots of animals in person for the first time: goats, sheep, roosters and chicks, pigs, and cows.

Finally, Rachel, you got to go camping for the very first time this past weekend. We've been talking about taking you camping for a long time, but just hadn't found the right time (or had someone to spend the night with Emily). The last time your mother and I went camping was right after she got pregnant with you, so you've actually been camping before, just not since you'd been born. You were very excited to go, and you and I stayed up really late, and watched all of the stars come out. I don't know if it was the staying up late, or sleeping on the ground, but you were worn out the next day, and fell asleep in the car on the way home. I hope you had a good time...we're looking forward to going camping with all of us sometime soon.

March is the last month that your grandparents will be here, and spring break is coming up soon! We're really looking forward to a week off to spend with both of you, and not having to worry about work or when we have to be somewhere. We hope the weather cooperates so that we can go and do some really fun things, too. We love you very much.

Love,

Daddy

Today's bike ride - Leon Creek Trail, Grissom Rd. to Ingram Rd.

2011-02-20T17:47:00.001-06:00

Click here to download:

Leon Creek Trail - Grissom to Ingram.kmz (14 KB)

I decided to start in the same place I did last week, but take the creek part of the trail instead of going back into Cathedral Rock Park. I was surprised to find that the entire trail is finished from the split where the portion from Cathedral Rock Park will come in, all the way to Ingram Road. This area of the creek has been used for "mudding" for a long time, so there are well established vehicle trails along the creek.

I was amazed to see the extreme topography in this part of the creek. At one point, there is a sheer cliff with about a 100 foot drop to the creek.

I'm attaching a google earth file that contains the pictures I took along the way today.

Leon Creek Greenway Trail, Grissom Rd to Cathedral Rock Park

2011-02-12T15:04:00.001-06:00

I took a little bike ride this afternoon on the newest (unfinished) part of the Leon Creek trail. This time I rode from the new trailhead (under construction) at Grissom Rd. and Leon Creek, and rode the portion that connects to Cathedral Rock Park, a little ways west on Grissom.

Because they're almost the same thing...

2011-02-04T12:49:00.001-06:00

"It looks like I'm in heaven, but I'm just in the Wii Sports Game."

Snow Day

2011-02-04T08:37:00.001-06:00

January 2011

2011-01-31T20:59:00.001-06:00

Dear girls,

It's the beginning of a new year. This year is going to bring so many things for both of you. The two of you will no longer be the only children in our family. Your Aunt Sarah and Uncle Britton will be having a baby soon, and hopefully, we'll get a chance to meet your new cousin sometime this summer. That means that the two of you will be taking a big trip. Later this year, Emily will start to talk (in a way that we can understand you), and Rachel, later this year, you will start Kindergarten. There are going to be lots of new things this year, and we are looking forward to every one of them. For now, though, let's take a look back at the first month of this new year.

Emily, just in the past week or so, we've noticed a marked increase in your "talking." You will babble on and on, just like you're having an actual conversation. It's too bad we don't know what you're saying most of the time. Of course if you want something from us, you'll still use the "point and whine" method, but we're trying really hard to break you of that and getting you to say what it is that you want. You have said some new words this month, like apple, out, off, on, and milk. You even said what sounded like "agua" when you wanted a drink of water.

With your freedom of movement has come a love for being outside. Every chance you get, you point to the door and whine, letting us know that you want to go outside and play. Along with going outside is dragging your coat everywhere with you. You love putting on your coat, and you get really excited when we tell you to go get it so we can go outside to play.

Both of you are getting better at sharing, but we can tell it's going to be a long road. It seems like you have this built in thing where when one of you starts playing with a toy, even if the other hasn't wanted anything to do with that toy for months, the other one of you will immediately want to play with it. I guess it must be something that just happens naturally with siblings...you have to just bug each other like that.

Rachel, you got some new shoes a little over a month ago, and they have shoestrings rather than velcro. You've been watching very closely and are learning to tie your own shoes. You can do it about once out of every 10 times, and you're so proud of yourself when you do get one tied. I'm really impressed because I didn't learn to tie my shoes until I was in kindergarten or 1st grade.

You have gotten very good at spelling words. You still ask us what a lot of signs and things say, but you're sounding them out more and more, and spelling things in your head more too. Along with that, you'll write words by trying to sound them out. It's still slow going, and you tend to spell faster in your head than you do on paper, but you're really getting there.

You have also gotten really good at reading. I'm amazed at how quickly this skill has progressed for you. It seems like you went from not being able to read very much at all, to reading entire pages by yourself. You still stumble over tricky words, but I can tell that you are going to be a great reader.

Emily, this next thing has progressed a lot over the past few months, and I didn't mention it because I'd hoped you'd outgrow it, but it looks like you're going to be our "softie" girl. Your Aunt Sarah had a "softie," a blanket that she would carry with her everywhere, and you have really taken to your Winnie-the-Pooh blanket. You will drag it with you all over the house, even tripping over it from time to time. If it's in your bed and you can't reach it, you will go into your room and cry until we get it out for you.

The flip side of this is how independent and friendly you've become. You are testing your boundaries with us by walking away from us and playing on your own. You have also started waving to strangers everywhere we go. If we're sitting in a restaurant, you'll turn around and wave as people walk by (sometimes you'll try to wave with a fork in your hand and almost stab people). You'll wave to people on the street. You'll stare at people until they wave at you. Your little personality is really starting to shine.

We'll probably take a trip to the rodeo this coming month, and Emily, I can't wait to see how you react to the animals. You were a little too small to know what was going on last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing how you are around a bunch of live animals. As always, we can't wait to see what new things this next month brings for both of you. We love you very much.

Love,
Daddy

December 2010

2011-01-01T20:07:00.000-06:00

Dear girls,

Here we are, at the end of another year. As we look ahead to 2011, I'm very excited about the possibilities the new year will bring. Your mother and I are both looking forward to the changes we will see in you, and watching your grow into little people.

Emily, you have been learning a lot lately, and are trying to talk a lot more. We've been trying to get you to stop whining and pointing at things you want, and getting you to tell us what it is you want from us. You will say "UP! GO!" when you want up which is actually you saying up, down. You just haven't gotten the D sound going yet. And eventually you'll get that up is one thing and down is another. Which I think you already partially understand, but you just like saying them together anyway.

You've started feeding yourself with silverware (for the most part) and will try really hard to use your fork to stab your food. You still have some trouble getting food on a spoon, and when someone helps you, you sometimes have trouble keeping it upright and keeping the food in place, but you're working really hard on it, which is what's important.

Rachel, you have been sounding out words you see for a while now, but this past month you started doing words in your head. You'll tell us that you know how to spell a word (that you haven't seen on a sign on the side of the road) and you'll start to spell it. Usually, you'll get the phonetics right, but we'll have to correct you on a letter or two. It's really impressive!

You were so excited for Christmas this year. You really tried your very best to be good so that Santa Claus would come to our house. Last month, when the mailers started coming with all of the toys listed, you would get out a marker and circle all of the things that you wanted. The things you REALLY wanted, you'd draw circles AND arrows on. I hope you enjoyed everything you go for Christmas.

Emily, you still don't have much of an idea what Christmas is about, but you certainly enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper. It was fun to watch both of you girls on Christmas morning, playing with everything you'd gotten.

As always, we are very excited to see what the next month and year will bring for our family. We are so lucky to have such wonderful girls. We love you very much.

Love,

Daddy

Successful launch

2011-01-01T17:51:00.001-06:00

Emily - December 2010

2010-12-26T15:58:00.001-06:00

...and to all, a good night.

2010-12-24T22:21:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas.

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-16T21:03:00.001-06:00

Rachelism

2010-12-14T07:02:00.001-06:00

"These pants are a little not-too-big for me."

Saturday ay the Lake

2010-12-11T14:49:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's December. Yes, we're wearing shorts.

November 2010

2010-12-09T21:44:00.001-06:00

Dear girls,

Another month has passed us by, and here it is, almost the middle of the next month and I'm just writing to you. I really need to get on the ball.

So Emily gets to talk top honors this month because THE WALKING! It finally happened. And the whole thing just underscores how different you are from your big sister. When Rachel started walking, it was a few steps here and there, but mostly she preferred crawling for what seemed like a really long time after she took her first steps. But Emily, you took right to it. Maybe it's because you were older when you started walking, but literally, one day you were standing on your own, the next day you were walking, and a couple of weeks later, the crawling was almost completely done. Your preferred mode of transportation is now walking, and you never had the problems standing up that Rachel did. You were standing without assitstance before you could walk, and things have just taken off from there.

Rachel, you have really been taking off academically. You've been practicing a lot with your writing lately, and have gotten really good at asking us how to spell things and writing them down. Your drawings have gotten more and more clear as well, and a couple of weeks ago, you brought me a drawing of a woman, a man, and a little girl, and told me that you'd drawn your Aunt Sarah, Uncle Britton, and their baby (who is expected to arrive sometime in April). It was very easy to tell who each person in the drawing was.

You've also gotten really good at sounding out words, and you're starting to read things as you see them. Of course you'll always ask us first what something says, and usually we'll make you try to sound it out on your own. You really like to lean over and read the names of songs off the display on my radio.

Emily, you've moved from eating in a high chair at home to eating in a booster seat, though it seems like more often than not, we can only get you to sit still to eat a few bites. You'd much rather be walking around, and it's really hard to argue with a 1 year old who would rather throw herself out of her chair (and throw her food on the floor) than listen to reason.

Even though you don't want eat sometimes, you're always willing to brush your teeth. You love using your toothbrush on the 5 teeth you have in your head. You even understand when I tell you to brush your fronts. You used to walk all over the house with that thing in your mouth and it made me nervous that you would fall on it, but you'd throw a fit when I tried to take it away from you. Now you understand the ritual: when I tell you it's time to brush your fronts, it's about time to finish and put it away.

Rachel, you have gotten very good at planning ahead. You started picking out your clothes for the next day a few weeks ago, I guess because you didn't like the clothes we were picking for you in the morning. Now, before you go to bed at night, you'll tell us what you want to wear the next day, and if you forget, you'll tell us before we have a chance to pick out something for you in the morning. You're always sure to ask us if it's going to be cold or not, so you know if you need to wear long sleeves or short sleeves.

Your grandparents are now here for a few months, and the two of you couldn't be happier. You both love hanging out with them, and it's nice for us to be able to have them pick you up from school and day care, and have some other people around to keep you busy. We always look forward to this time of year, and I'm sure the two of you do, too.

We love you very much, and can't wait to see what Santa Claus brings you for Christmas.

Love,

Daddy

Rachel, mall cop

2010-12-05T10:46:00.001-06:00

The security guy at the mall let Rachel hop on his Segway. His suggestion, not mine.

We have a walker!

2010-11-14T13:01:00.001-06:00

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Watch on posterous

Get up, stand up!

2010-11-13T18:17:00.001-06:00

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Watch on posterous

Red and yellow, kill a fellow.

2010-11-11T14:11:00.001-06:00

Found this little guy hanging out today while I was cutting branches and clearing brush on our land. Luckily I had my phone with me so I could Google images of coral snakes to confirm that it could, indeed, kill me. I didn't have anything to strike back with since I'd broken the blade on my trimmer earlier in the morning, so I just took a few pictures and let it slither away.

Thunderbirds!

2010-11-07T20:03:00.001-06:00

Rachel and I went to the park just south of Kelly Field today to check out the Thunderbirds. They were the headliner at the Lackland Air Fest.

October 2010

2010-11-07T13:02:00.001-06:00

Dear Girls,

There are a lot of things this month that I could just say "ditto" on from last month. The walking, the teeth, Rachel constantly wanting to play with her new friend, and so much more, but I suppose since I'm already a week late in writing this, I should come up with some of the new things the two of you have done this month.

We had another great month with the two of you, and I am constantly reminded of just how different the two of you are. Emily, you still aren't quite ready to start walking on your own, but you're much more willing to walk around holding our hands than Rachel ever was. When Rachel was learning to walk, she wanted to be carried more than she wanted to try walking, but it seems like every chance you get, you're giving us your hand so you can stand up and walk with us. We finally got you to keep a pair of shoes on, and now, we can't go anywhere without you wanting to put them on. You went 14 months without wearing anything on your feet, and you took to these new shoes (which are actually your sister's old shoes) really well.

Rachel, you have been playing soccer so well over the past month, and I think the change in the weather has a lot to do with it. For most of your games the weather has been very comfortable, in stark contrast to the heat wave that we had nearly every game over the summer. Starting earlier makes a difference, too, and you've been playing a lot and really making an attempt to kick the ball. I don't know that you're going to be the next Mia Hamm, but you look like you're having fun, and that's what really matters.

Your grandparents came to visit for an extended weekend in the middle of the month, and we got a little preview of what our winter is going to be like. And that would be JOYOUS because we'll have some extra hands to help out with the two of you. It's amazing how quickly we forget just how nice it is to have two other adults around to help us entertain you two.

Emily, your audiologist decided that we weren't going to try that new hearing aide after all, and they've let you stay with the one you've been wearing all along. To be quite honest, we were kind of happy with that decision. We were very nervous about trying to get you to wear something new on your head. You had another hearing test with your hearing aide on, and you showed that you can hear sounds at almost a normal level. We were very excited about that because it showed us that the hearing aide is doing it's job. Of course, we know that you can hear just fine without it, too, by the way you react to your world around you. We see you react to sound all of the time, and it always makes us feel good to know that your one good ear is doing great things for you.

Rachel, you continue to do very well in school. Even though we haven't had a formal conference with your teacher yet, the few times that we've spoken with her in passing, she has nothing but good things to say about you. She seems to think you're going to be quite a leader when you get older because you tend to take charge of things when you're at school. You do a great job at home too, playing with your sister and helping us around the house when we ask.

The one thing we (and others) have been really impressed with this past month is when we ask you to do something and you respond with a cheery "OK Daddy!" or "OK Mommy!" Someone even asked how we got you to do that, like it was a trick or something. We just said that we'd been working very hard on getting you to do the things we ask you to do the first time we ask.

The last thing we had going on this month was, of course, Halloween. We had a great time carving pumpkins, and I have to say, I'm very impressed, Rachel, that you're not afraid of, or grossed out by pumpkin guts. It's one of those things...either you are or you aren't, and you don't mind at all sticking your hand into a pumpkin and pulling out a handful of slimy, gooey stuff.

We had a bit of a "Toy Story" theme going on this year, and Rachel, for the first time ever, you went trick or treating beyond our block. After we took you and Emily to a few houses close by, I put Emily to bed and you and Mommy went trick or treating all the way down our street and onto the next block.

Emily, we were very impressed with you at Halloween. You do not like things on your head, and the few times that we'd tried to put your costume on you we were met with crying and pushing and not just general unhappiness. But Halloween night, not only did you let me put it on you, but you left it on for over an hour!

We're very excited to get through this month next month because, at the end of it, your grandparents will be here for the winter! We can't wait to see what the next month is going to bring for both of you, and we're looking forward to all of the new milestones you'll set. We love you very much.

Love,
Daddy

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:17:00.001-05:00

Smiley

2010-10-31T16:54:00.001-05:00

Friday night lights

2010-10-29T19:58:00.001-05:00

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-27T20:20:00.001-05:00

Annika's birthday party

2010-10-24T19:36:00.001-05:00

We had a good time in Austin today.

These were taken with the Retro Camera app for Android.

This is what happens when you ask the tiny humans to help put things away.

2010-10-24T12:31:00.001-05:00

Everything ends up on the second shelf.

Leon Creek Trail - north end

2010-10-10T15:24:00.001-05:00

I took a ride on the new northern part of the trail today and took pictures along the way.

Must be the beans we planted

2010-10-02T19:32:00.001-05:00

"Mommy my shin gardens are hurting my legs."

Sunset

2010-10-02T19:28:00.001-05:00

September 2010

2010-10-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

Dear Girls,

September seemed to be a longer month than the last few, and I think that's because we're back into our work routine. It's weird that we have less time with you, but it seems to go by more slowly than it did during the summer.

Rachel, you started playing soccer in a new league, but with almost all of the same kids you played with before. We're really happy that you're getting to play with kids you know, and your mother and I are happy that we get to keep hanging out with a really great group of parents.

You're not shy at all about making new friends, as we find out every time we go to the playground. Recently, you found a new friend right next door. The little girl that lives next to us is a year older than you, and a few weeks ago you were both playing outside at the same time. You asked if you could go over and play with her and the two of you ran yourselves ragged. From that point on, you have been asking almost every day if you can go over to play with her.

Emily, when you decided that you were ready to walk, you jumped in with both feet. You've been all over the house this month, and you've really taken to the walker that your grandparents got you for your birthday. You get the biggest smile on your face when one of us offers you a hand or a finger. You'll grab on, stand up, and start following us around. I've been trying to get you to balance a little more holding my hand lower when you're walking with me so you're not pulling on me so much, but just holding onto something while you balance yourself. You've also started funiture surfing over the past couple of weeks, so you're figuring out that you can get around without us, or your walker.

We're trying to get you to make the transition from bottle to cup, so we've been giving you milk in a sippy cup this past month. Over the summer, you didn't want to have anything to do with milk in a cup. I don't know if the taste was different, or if you were just getting too much in your mouth at once, but you'd take one sip, make a face, and push it away. Now, you'll drink for a while before you decide that you've had enough. It's still not enough to replace the bottle, but we're getting there.

Rachel, you're such an inquisitive little girl. I bet some day you're going to be a scientist or a mechanic...someone who takes things apart and finds out how or why they work. You've been asking a lot this past month about life and death. You've begun asking about why people and things die, and what happens when they do. We went to a wedding reception at the Witte Museum earlier in the month, and they had displays of bugs. You wanted to know all about if they were dead and what would happen if they weren't dead, and why they were dead. It's a little morbid, but your questions are very mature.

Emily, you are getting even more teeth, and have been gnawing on everything, especially your hand. I have a feeling you're going to get a lot of teeth in your mouth all at once because you're chewing in places that don't even look like they're getting teeth yet. You finally have all four of your front teeth - two on top and two on the bottom - so that little baby look is going away and quickly being replaced by a little girl look.

On one final note, you had another hearing test at the end of the month, and you did so well! They plugged up your good ear so you were only hearing with your hearing aide, and everyone was very excited when you showed that you were hearing very quiet sounds. That tells us that the hearing aide is really helping you, and we're really happy about that. Next, we'll be trying a new hearing aide on you to see which one works better. But just to know that what we've been doing is working for you is very encouraging.

We're very excited because your grandparents are coming this month for a few days, and it won't be long before they're here for the winter. You both are so excited to talk to them every week, it's going to be really fun to have them around for a few months.

We love you both very much, and can't wait to see what the coming months will bring.

Love
Daddy

Some random photos

2010-09-27T21:10:00.001-05:00

We went out to dinner at Little Red Barn over the weekend for Monica's dad's birthday.

Another Soccer Saturday

2010-09-27T21:07:00.001-05:00

As opposed to Misterssippi

2010-09-26T21:22:00.001-05:00

"do they have girls in Mississippi?" "yes, why?" "well because its called MISSissippi....so they do have girls there."

Gaga

2010-09-26T21:21:00.001-05:00

Rachel was singing a song that she heard at the reception tonight..sort of. It went like this: "ba ba ba booger face ba ba booger face"

Spinning

2010-09-26T21:20:00.001-05:00

"mom, i was doing ring around the rosie and now the house is moving around. do you feel it moving around?"

Time Out

2010-09-26T21:19:00.001-05:00

"ummmm.....mom, can i get out of time out?" "rachel, i didn't put you in time out to begin with. why did you go?" "because i was being mean to emmy?"

Head, shoulders...

2010-09-26T21:18:00.001-05:00

"mommy, when you made me why did you put my arm on my shoulder?"

Headlights

2010-09-26T21:17:00.001-05:00

"daddy, do you have your light heads on?" "Rachel, you mean my headlights?"

"Oh, yes."

Underpants

2010-09-26T21:15:00.001-05:00

"i see france, i see london, i see emmy's underpants"

Black Sheep

2010-09-26T21:13:00.001-05:00

Rachel was singing on the way home from soccer practice: "Blah, blah, black sheep, have you any wolves? Yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full."

Broken Moon

2010-09-26T21:11:00.001-05:00

Rachel quote of the day: How come at night time when the circle moon is out you could only see part of it like its broken?

Ho - ho - ho

2010-09-26T21:10:00.001-05:00

"Ok Emily, you be Santa Claus and I'll be your deer."

Life's a beach

2010-09-26T21:08:00.001-05:00

Rachel was putting together her state puzzle. I asked her what state she had put on she said "Florida. But it's not a state, it's a beach!"

I <3 NY

2010-09-26T21:06:00.001-05:00

"New York....where the lady holds her ice cream up"

Toys

2010-09-26T21:03:00.001-05:00

"Mommy, can I play with some of the toys that we're not buying today?"

Mother's Day

2010-09-26T21:01:00.001-05:00

The restaurant we had breakfast at was playing an Abba CD. I said, "must be Abba day" and Rachel, without missing a beat, said, "No, it's Mother's Day!"