Congrats to Brooklyn!

I don't think I have ever blogged about Brooklyn and the speech therapy she started this summer. When she turned 2, I noticed that she wasn't talking as much as most of the 2 year olds I was around. Our pediatrician didn't seem concerned since her understanding of language was so good. (she understood everything at an early age and used that to get by instead of talking) A good friend who is a speech therapist did an informal evaluation and it was determined that she was a little below average, but not severe enough to qualify her for therapy. She suggested giving her until she was 2 1/2 and then re-evaluate. We also did a hearing test at that time and her ears were perfect.

I did not see a big improvement between 2 and 2 1/2, so I contacted the Early Intervention program (which is free to those who qualify) to ask if she could be evaluated. I chose Children's Therapy TEAM to be her provider (after some recommendations from friends) and they evaluated her speech and language skills. Brooklyn was placed with an awesome therapist named Jessica, who I ended up recognizing from college and we had some mutual friends. She was nothing but great with Brooklyn over these past 3 months. Brooklyn has been going 2 days a week for 45 minutes each day and has loved it. Jessica made it so fun for B. There was never a day that Brooklyn hesitated going back with her. I can't blame her. She got to color, paint, play with bubbles, and use chalk during her therapy. As rewards after, she would get to choose between the swings, trampoline or ball pit. This place is fun! Emma asked every time we dropped B off if she could go back there and play. Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed back.

As of today, Brooklyn graduated from speech therapy! We are so proud of her and the progress she has made. I believe part of it is age and the decision to begin talking, but a huge part has been the therapy. She is talking in partial sentences now and asking questions. Her progress in numbers is amazing too. She had a 78 on her expressive score in May and today scored a 114. She went from being below average for her age to normal. Her articulation scores are still a little low, but leaps and bounds above where she was. She had scored a 65 in May which was considered "severe" and she is now at a 84 which is just slightly below the normal for her age. She is doing great and I can hear her speech improving daily. It is so fun to finally hear her sweet little voice!

Thank you to all my speech friends and to Jessica. I have a new respect for therapists in all the different areas after being up at that clinic 2 days a week. They all seem to have a passion for helping people and really work hard to do their job and make it fun.

4th of July

I was determined to post this before July was over and I have barely made it. I still have our Mtn. Home Retirement weekend to post and that was in June. I am behind. My spare time during the day is spent balancing cleaning up and organizing our house to sell it and having fun with my girls.

We went to Branson over the 4th of July weekend with John's parents. We got there on Thursday night late and went straight to bed, so we could get up early the next morning and hit the parks. We went to Silver Dollar City Friday morning and stayed for about 3 hours. (Ah, the joy of season passes is that you don't have to feel guilty when you go for a short time) The crowds were surprisingly low, so we were able to ride the rides quickly. We also went to a magic show. We went back to the condo for Brooklyn to take a nap and the most unusual thing happened! Emma fell asleep on the couch! I say surprising because this girl gave up her nap when she was about 3 1/2 and has maybe taken 5 naps between then and now. (that's 2 years) 3 of those naps were at Disney World. It worked out great because we knew we would have a late night.








The girls (and us) woke up and we went to White Water. It was our first time there this summer and we had a great time. Emma went down her first "big" waterslide with me. At the end, she said she didn't like it, but just the other day she told me she wanted to try it again. We'll see. We stayed there until they closed and then had dinner at the condo.

John's parents watched the girls that night and John and I went to Branson Landing (along with everyone else in Branson that weekend) to watch fireworks and listen to some bands. It was fun, but I'm not sure the traffic back home was worth the night out.

On 4th of July, the weather was a little gloomy. Before the rain started, we went to a park to play. There is also a creek there, so we played around in that for a while. B took a nap and then we headed over to the swimming pool for a little while before dinner. Ate some yummy burgers and then went to a parking lot for John and his Dad to show off the fireworks they bought. Most of you know that I'm petrified of fire and fireworks are on the top of list of things I really really dislike. I sat in the back of the car and tried to keep my mouth shut. After the people next to us shot a rocket right past John's head, I insisted we pack up and leave. :) There were about 4 major firework shows going on that night. From the condo balcony we could see 2 of them. We had great seats and no traffic to get through at the end. Just straight to bed.

Art Camp

Last week, Emma went to Art Camp at the Nadine Baum Studio in Fayetteville. It was from 1:30-4:00 each day and she loved it! It was a mixed medium class, so they sculpted with clay, painted, made sketch books, etc....For anyone who knows Emma, this was right up her alley. And for anyone who knows me, you know I was jealous that Em was getting to go to Art Camp and not me. :)
I was in Little Rock for their "Art Show", but John went and took pictures for me.




Emma's description of the island was this, "It is an island where the turtle and princess live. They also have a slide and a diving board."





The canvas is what they worked on all week. Each day they would learn how to draw the next part of the picture. At the end, they had drawn mountains, grass, trees, sunshine and the sky. Not bad for a 5 year old.

I did ask Emma what the red was (thinking parts of it kind of looked like blood) and she told me some were flowers and some were the apples on the apple trees. I should have known that!





As much fun as the Art Camp was on its own, I think it helped that all of these fun friends were there too!

One on One Time

My sister will turn 40 tomorrow, but I was able to celebrate with her and Terral, my parents and a few of their friends last Thursday night. Brooklyn and I went down to LR on Thursday afternoon. We went to dinner that night (and Cathy and I shared a sitter) and then the next morning Terral and Cathy left for Memphis while Claire stayed with my Mom, Brooklyn and me at Cathy's house. We had a great time! Claire still takes 2 naps, so during her morning naps I got to take Brooklyn swimming in the backyard. It was awesome having the pool right there. It was so easy! It was great to do that with just her since usually my time at the pool is split between 2 girls. My Mom and I ventured out with both of the girls and went to a neighborhood park on Friday. Then headed home for both girls to take a nap. After naps, we played, gave them a bath and went to bed! That night, my Mom, B and I all slept together in a king size bed. Hillarious, but actually was manageable. Saturday was much of the same day. When T and Cathy got home that aftenoon, B and I headed back home. She is our late sleeper, so I took advantage and slept in until 8:30 on Sunday morning. She got up at 9 and we went to the grocery store quickly and were back home when John and Em got there! I loved my time with Claire and loved watching B and her together. They are only 15 months apart and will be best of friends growing up. I also think B likes the fact that she is bigger than someone! My time with B got me excited for the school year. It won't be long from now that B and I will be hanging out alone every day together while Em is at school. AH, can't believe its almost here.








Emma did a fun little Art Camp at the Nadine Baum Studio in Fayetteville last week. It was for 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon each day and they played with clay, painted, crafted, etc....She had a blast. Since her Art Camp was all week long, she was not able to go to Little Rock with me and Brooklyn. It worked out really well because it enabled John and I to have some good one on one time with each girl. John went to Emma's "Art Show" on Friday and then they headed up to Branson. They ate dinner out at Branson Landing on Friday night together. Apparently had a good time throwing their leftovers into the water to the ducks. John's Dad was in Branson at their condo, so they went back there to spend the night. The 3 of them got up the next morning and went to Silver Dollar City. John has been wanting to take Emma through the cave there, but we never could with Brooklyn in tow. It is just to much walking for a 2 year old. They did that on Saturday and Emma loved it. They rode a few rides and then headed back to the condo to practice snorkeling in preparation for our rescheduled Mexico trip in November. John said she did good, but really just wanted to swim normal, so they did. John's Mom and Grace came up to Branson that afternoon and they all ate dinner together. John ventured out that night with Grace and Emma to The Track to ride go-carts and play putt putt. (unfortunately, no pictures to document the occasion)
It was a great weekend for Emma and John. I love when we are able to have one on one time with each girl. I think they need it and we do too!

For Sale by Owner!!

We finally have the house sell-worthy and everything is ready to go! We have created a website for showcasing the house, which makes getting the news out much easier. Plus, being able to see color images helps a lot, too. And all our neighbors won't steal our flyers trying to see how much we're asking. Call it environmentally-friendly FSBO real estate. That's the way we roll, yo.

Anyway, the house site can be found here. Please share it with friends, family, or yourself to help us get the word out. Between the blog, Facebook, & Twitter, surely we can find SOMEONE to buy the house, right? Once we sell the house, we'll get a rent house and break ground on the new house in Harber Meadows! Rockin'.

Our Family

I am so behind on blogging, so at this point, I will start backwards and catch up that way. Today, Emma wanted to go outside during her "quiet time" and paint with water. She was out there for a while before she ran back in to tell me to come look fast. (in this heat, the water drys quick!) This is what she painted: Our little family of 4. Pretty cute, huh?

As for Emma's outfit, you never know with her. Jeans and a leotard over the top in 90 degree weather. Go figure.....

Happy Pink Barbie

Everyone else might see this picture and say, "Oh, that is Ariel from The Little Mermaid." For our family, her name is "happy pink Barbie." This title was given to her by Brooklyn and it has just stuck. Brooklyn does not talk a ton and does not say many things completely clear, so to hear her say this clear as mud is hilarious. "Happy Pink Barbie" has become a necessity at bedtime and is always close by Brooklyn. We finally rented The Little Mermaid a few weeks ago and let her watch the actual movie. She loved it, but still does not want to call her Ariel. You might notice she is missing an eye. Brooklyn was very concerned about this at first, but now doesn't care. She is still her "happy pink Barbie".

Have I mentioned that I love this age so much? I could squeeze Brooklyn to death over all the cute things she is saying right now.

Layton Faye Elleman

On Thursday, June 25th, Allyn gave birth to Layton Faye Elleman. I was in Little Rock, but was able to make it back to NWA in time for her arrival into the world. On my 3 hour drive back, I counted up that Allyn and I have been best friends for 26 years. Our friendship is one that I treasure so much. The older I get, the more I realize what a gift it is to have a best friend that has known you your entire life. We have been blessed with being able to live in the same town even as adults and watch eachother's children grow up.
I knew I couldn't miss Layton's arrival. The Elleman's are family to us. We are hoping that Davis and Emma will make us actual family at some point! :)

I took a lot of pictures, but I just loved this one of Carley and Davis holding Layton for the first time. They were both so excited!

Sweet Sisters

I have a slew of pictures to post and blog about from our fun weekend in Mountain Home with John's family. Both of his parents are retiring after 35 years of work in the same place. It was a fun weekend, but overwhelming to blog. So, I'm starting with the easier blog.

We left Mtn. Home yesterday and traveled to Conway to drop Emma off with my parents. She is going to spend the week with them in Little Rock and go to Vacation Bible School. Brooklyn and I have a few appointments to be here for the first part of the week (and we are hoping Allyn will have her baby too), so we are going to go down to LR towards the end of this week.

Emma has been looking forward to go to GG and PaPa's house and going back to VBS. She was a little unsure about going alone, but she got over that quickly. Brooklyn, on the other hand, has had trouble warming up to the idea of Emma being gone. Sweet little girl loves her big sister so much. She did not get to upset when we left Conway yesterday (as you can see, she fell fast asleep in the car), but I really think she was thinking Emma would be back in a few hours. We got home and Brooklyn and I went to the grocery store. This was our conversation going home:

Brooklyn: Emma home now?
Emma: No B, Emma is spending the night with GG and Papa for a few days.
B: NO, Emma, my home, NOW.

B had a hard time going to bed and after going in there the third time, she asked if she could sleep with Emma's "baby purple bankies". I think she might have just needed something of Emma's to help her through the night.
She has asked for her multiple times today and after getting a new leotard, wanted so badly to just show Emma.

The love goes both ways. When I talked to my Mom today, she said that the first thing Emma prayed for at dinner last night was Brooklyn. When they went outside to play, Emma picked a flower specifically for B to have when she gets there. My Mom said that Emma mentioned today that she missed Brooklyn. My Mom took Emma to the $1 store after VBS to pick a few things out and my Mom said that on the way there, Emma said, "GG, can I pick something out for Brooklyn too?" So, when I briefly talked to Emma today she told me all about the little white bear she bought for B at the $1 store.

I knew kindergarten was going to be an adjumstment for all of us, but I'm begining to think it is going to be even harder than expected. It is amazing to me how much I miss Emma and how much I miss hearing E and B play together during the day. Yes, they fight sometimes, but more often they play really well together. Brooklyn seems like a lost duck around our house today. John reminded me that B has never really been without Emma.

I love sisters!

Anniversary Date

After going back and forth on where to eat for our anniversary, we went with our regular special occasion restaurant. We went to Bordino's, which is a fun little place in the heart of Fayetteville on Dickson Street. The food is always so good and the atmosphere is great too. We had a great dinner and when we walked out, the sky was amazing! It was a pinkish, redish, blueish, purplish color with a full rainbow across the sky. (those of you in NWA will understand my grammatically, incorrect colorful description) John was dying that he did not have his camera to take some shots. We had a great night together and did something kind of fun in honor of our anniversary that might be revealed later if the details work out.

The girls and I did sit down on Wednesday afternoon to look through our wedding album. Brooklyn kept looking at me in my big white dress and saying, "Mommy, white Barbie!" She thinks anything that wears a dress (stuffed animals included) is a "Barbie". I love it.

The last picture in our album is John and I dressed in more casual clothes leaving the reception. I told them that we were about to leave for our honeymoon. Emma asked, "What is a honeymoon?" I told her it was a vacation that you sometimes take after your wedding. Without hesitation, she responded, "I want to go to Chuck E Cheese for my honeymoon!"

That little story will make for a great rehearsal dinner story later in her life!

Happy 9th Anniversary to Us!

9 years ago today at 11:00 AM, John and I were married. It was the most fun day of my life. The first thing John and I talked about in the limo after our reception, was how fun our wedding day was and how we wish we could rewind 3 hours and do it all over again. To this day, we still say that. It was so fun and so wonderful to have all of our favorite family and friends all in one place for just a few hours.

When I look back at pictures, I still love every detail about the day. The bridesmaids' flowers and my bouquet were EXACTLY how I had them envisioned. They were my favorite detail of the day. I still remember the nervousness I felt at the back of the church listening to Leah sing Amazing Grace acapella a few moments before I walked out. (Sometimes I watch our video, just to hear her sing that very song) I remember hearing the trumpet in the balcony and I remember seeing John at the end of the aisle. I remember the words that Sam and Dr. Horne said. I remember the feelings running through me when John sang. I remember lighting our unity candle and hugging each of our parents. I remember kissing John and nearly skipping out of the church. The reception was just as great. A dreamy wedding cake. An amazing ice sculpture with votive candles lining each tier. The icing on the cake was getting to be with our favorite friends and family. Although we didn't get to talk to each one, or spend near the amount of time as we would have liked with them, they were what made our day what it was.

Our wedding video is on VHS and our VCR has been broken for probably a year now. I love watching our video on our anniversary and will be sad to not watch it tomorrow. In fact, last year Emma watched with me. This year, we will just have to replay the memories in our head. Maybe this will make us take our video and have it copied to a DVD.

9 years later, I still love John like I did that day, but about 100 times more. Isn't it amazing what can change in 9 years? 1 apartment, 2 houses, a dog, 6 jobs between the two of us, fun vacations, much laughter, some tears, and 2 precious girls later, here we are.
I could not ask for more.

Fun Family Weekend

We went into this weekend with not very many plans, but ended up staying pretty busy. I got up early on Saturday morning and did our big grocery run. It was nice being able to go before the crowds. I came home and as I was putting groceries away, John decided to take the girls down to the creek in Johnson. Emma and John have been down there before exploring, but Brooklyn did not get to go last year. We got them dressed and put their rain boots on so that they could wade through the water. They headed off and I spent about an hour and a half at home alone catching up on things that needed to be done.








On Saturday evening, we went over to the Hannon's house for a 40th Anniversary party for John's parents. They were in town with John's aunt and uncle because they were flying out of XNA the following morning to go on a cruise. How fun is that? We took advantage of them being here the day before their anniversary and had a fun family dinner for them. Amy and Sam just had a fun patio built in their backyard, so we spent the whole night out there. It was really fun.










John and I heard that the Drive-In was playing UP, so we decided to be brave and try the girls out at their first drive in movie. John and I used to go there all the time, but have not been since Emma was born. The price per car has doubled to $11, but it was still a bargain for all 4 of us to get into a movie for $11. Plus, we had popped our own popcorn at home so we saved in concessions too! The girls loved that they were in their pj's and watching a movie in the back of my car with their pillows and blankies from home. It was a late night, but they both did great and enjoyed the movie. We didn't get them in bed until about 11:00 and figured we would pay for it today with grumpy attitudes, but they did great today. I hope it is not going to catch up to them tomorrow! It is not normal that they get to stay out that late, so it was a treat for all of us.








Today, we slept in a bit and then went to the late service at church. We ate pizza with some friends after church and then headed home for B to take a nap. Around 5:00, we headed out to the pool with the Robinson's and stayed until it was time to get home for baths and bed. It was a really fun weekend full of family, friends, and being outside. I love summer.

Silver Dollar City with the Walker's

We spent the day at Silver Dollar City on Saturday. The drive to Branson is only 2 hours, so it makes for an easy and very fun day trip. John's parents gifted us with season passes for Christmas, so when you pack your own lunch it is almost free. (although you have to spend a little money on the yummy frozen lemonade, kettle corn, ice cream, etc...) Along with our season passes, it comes with a few guest passes to use during certain dates of the year. We invited the Walker's to go with us and we had a blast. Molly and Emma are both 5 1/2, Brooklyn 2 1/2 and Morgan 1 1/2. Sweet Morgan was a trooper all day and poor thing was not tall enough to ride some of the rides. She wanted to so badly!

This was a whole new year for B. She reached the 36" in heighth that most of the rides require, so she was able to ride almost everything Emma could. Brooklyn's favorite thing were the big swings. She really wanted to do them and I wasn't sure it would go over well, but at the end of the ride, she looked up at John and said, "More please!".

Emma decided she was ready for a roller coaster. Bret, John and I took Molly and Emma on Fire in the Hole first and they were not to crazy about it. Surprisingly, Emma still wanted to try Thunderation. This did not go over well. Poor Emma was crying at the end and John felt terrible. It was very jerky for a little body and she actually has a little bruise on her back. She has told us a few times that she does not want to do that again.

John's parents were in Branson too, so they met us out there for the last few hours we were there. We were able to eat dinner with them and ride a few rides.

We had arrived at SDC around 11:30 and we left the park at 7:00. It was a full day and a no nap day for B. She did great and for some reason stayed awake for the ride home. We gave a quick bath and then put them in bed. Never heard a peep!

Thanks Walker's for going with us!!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had been hoping for a long weekend with no rain, but that has not happened. It did end up being sunny for most of Saturday, which was a nice surprise. The four of us headed to the Mud Creek Trail for a bike ride on Saturday morning. We were out there for about 2 1/2 hours and it was great. Emma rode for longer than ever before, but then decided to get in the "bike tent" with Brooklyn for the rest of the time. Saturday night, we rented movies and ate pizza at home.

We went to church on Sunday morning and then ate a yummy lunch at Jose's. Kids Eat Free on Sundays at Jose's and it makes for a great after church lunch. On Sunday evening, we headed to a surprise party for Jordan Eoff at Penguin Ed's.

Today has been pretty uneventful. Emma woke up super early, but John was nice enough to get up with her. I woke up around 9:00 and made star shaped pancakes in honor of Memorial Day. We got out to run some errands after breakfast. Our main task was to go to Petsmart for a new dog food container, but we walked away with more. A new fish! I am not a huge fan of fish, but I have to admit, this one is pretty. I think Emma finally decided to name him "Swimmy".

I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon making a yummy ice cream dessert to take to the Vaught's house tonight for dinner and mopping our nasty floors.

Most importantly, thank you for all the men and women out there who serve our country! We sleep more soundly knowing that we are watched over.

Destin Vacation-Continued

Since most days of our Destin Vacation were spent doing the exact same thing, we have decided to blog an over view and a link to our pictures on Picasa. So, what did we do on vacation every day? We were in the sun, sand and water most of the time.

We went to the grocery store the first morning we were there and stocked up on groceries to use for our breakfasts and lunches. We ate dinner out the rest of the nights besides a pizza night in order to watch American Idol. (go Kris!!) A typical day would start with us waking up and eating breakfast and then slathering on the sunscreen. Most days, we would start at the beach and then go to the pool, but sometimes we just went straight to the pool. Emma loved the sand at the beach this time around, but Brooklyn was not so sure. She would eventually adjust to being at the beach, but each time it took about 15-20 minutes of us holding her and easing her into it. They both LOVED the pools. There was one pool that the girls could swim in and jump in from the sides over and over. The other pool had a lazy river. It was our favorite! We all got in our tubes and floated around and around and around.

Brooklyn took a nap each day. Sometimes Emma would rest inside during that time or John or I would take E to the pool. Usually after naps, we would clean up and get ready for dinner. Most of our dinners were good, but our favorites were the Back Porch and Harry T's. At Harry T's, we were able to sit at a picnic table down on the dock. It was perfect for watching the boats come in.

On Mother's Day, we drove 45 minutes into the Seaside area for the evening. It is one of my favorite places ever and such a treat to get to be there on Mother's Day with my family. Last time we were at the beach we stayed in Sea Grove and LOVED it. We decided to stay in Destin this time and it was great. No complaing here at all, BUT next time we will go back to Seaside/Sea Grove. There is just nothing like the quaint, beach town atmosphere of that place.

One morning, we headed across the street to the Gulfarium. It was not Sea World, but pretty entertaining. The dolphin show was the highlight of our time, along with the necklaces we let the girls pick out at the end.

Like John blogged earlier, Kate and Travis decided to make the trip with us at the last minute. We never get to see them and their sweet girls, so that was really fun. The girls loved having playmates at the pool and beach! We ate dinner together a couple nights and that was great.

I love family vacations! Vacations are not as relaxing as they used to be prior to kids, but they are so fun. I love being able to give undivided attention to my family and not have to worry about chores around the house or answering phone calls. I mentioned last year after our St. Louis vacation that my most fond memories as a child are traveling with my family. Fortunately, I had a Dad who loves (and still loves) to travel so we went to a lot of fun places. It usually wasn't the cool place where we went, but the time we got to all spend together without the cares of stuff at home.

Here is a link to the rest of our pictures. I just posted some of our favorites b/c there were so many!

Summer is Here

School is officially out for us and we started the summer off today by cleaning last years baby pool and testing the waters. I love simple, backyard fun and I am glad it is back for another year.
This past week, we have been eating outside whenever we can, eating popsicles, playing at the water table, blowing bubbles, jumping rope, hopscotching, chalking, swinging, jumping, sliding, swimming (as of today), and much more. I always begin to miss our school year routine about the middle of July, but for now, I like these laid back days of not having to rush around in the mornings!

Happy Peonies

Emma's last day of school was on Tuesday and Brooklyn's is today. E and I dropped B off at school and headed to the Farmer's Market. We could not resist these beautiful peonies. Not only are they SOOOO pretty, they smell awesome.
From the Farmer's Market, we went to eat breakfast at Rick's. We found a perfect seat in the "Cake Walk" and were able to eat our muffins and watch them decorate the cakes. I could have spent my whole day watching. When we got back in the car, my whole car smelled like peonies. It was great!
Emma is at a friend's house playing for a bit and I'm about to go pick her and B up. I should not be blogging (should be cleaning!), but I could not resist the urge to share my "happy" for the day.

Naptime Craft

All Mom's with both preschoolers and toddlers know that there are some crafts that should just wait until the younger one is taking a nap. This one does not have to be because I'm sure Brooklyn would love scribbling away with some markers, but I saved it for Em to do while B was taking a nap.
I love this blog and get a lot of great craft ideas off of it. I saw this post this morning and immediately got my sharpie out to squiggle away on a piece of paper. I actually remember having a whole book of these squiggly things when I was little and I would spend hours coloring it. I know, I'm a coloring nerd. I showed Em the blog and then let her loose with her markers and squiggly page. She has been working on it for about 20 minutes now and is loving it. All you need is a piece of paper and some markers or crayons. Simple craft. Love it.

Last Day of Preschool

John started posting our vacation, but has not finished. (we might end up posting the link to our Picassa pictures since all 5 of our days there consisted of the same beach/pool routine)
I'm interrupting to post about Emma's last day of Preschool. I can't believe it! In 3 short months, she will start kindergarten.

The last day of school consisted of a couple hours at school and then a Park Play Day at the park down the street. All the parents joined them at the park for a picnic and to watch them play. It was a fun day for everyone!
Emma has loved Mrs. Wardle and I have too. She is great with the kids and really, really loves them. I pray that E's kindergarten teacher loves her like she has been loved this year. Here is a picture of E and her teacher on the first day of school and then today at the park.