Emmett is talking more, pleasantly doing things when asked, and being a very nice big brother. Not to say that he was not a wonderful little man before this month, but it seems like he has officially moved beyond the “terrible twos” and he’s gliding nicely into the three’s with a sense of confidence and goodwill. (As Emmett leaves this stage behind, however, Riley has picked up Emmett’s mantle and has run with it.) Emmett has developed a new fondness for all things-Barbie. Both he and Riley love to watch Barbie of Swan Lake, which they were given by their babysitter. And often, a poor choice can be nipped in the bud with an offer of watching Barbie.

We have a new flock of baby chickens in the garage. After an alarmingly high mortality rate during the first few days, we have managed to stay stable at 24 new birds. Riley LOVES the chicks. He enjoys checking on them every few hours. He snuggles them, pets them, and tells them “night-night.” Offering to see the chicks is a great way to lure all of the babies upstairs when it is nap- or bedtime. Tessa says “buck-buck” when asked what sound a chicken makes. And she has also been heard to ask to see the chicks. She is crazy verbal for a one-year-old.

Tessa is walking everywhere. Riley likes to yell, “Tessa is walking!” when she chooses to hoof it on two-feet. (Versus crawling.) her balance is developing nicely. Oddly enough, Emmett is more likely to give her hugs if she is standing. But Riley likes to push her over. He thinks that it is less of an issue if he pushes her over with something, like taking a toy and using it to unbalance her. Regardless, we are working on putting the kabosh on that one…

Riley likes to point things out to everyone. If Daddy yawns, he’ll say “Dada tired.” If he sees a bruise on Mommy’s leg, he’ll say “Mama ouchy knee.” He’s the resident newscaster, keeping everyone in the house up-to-date on the goings on and ensuring that no one misses anything. He has an important job and takes it seriously.

Do you know how sometimes you work and you work, and still you seem to end up in the same place at the end of each day? Sometimes this can be a frustrating thing, and sometimes-if each day, although the same, is a great day-it can be wonderful. Well, we are all mostly having great days. Tessa is walking; I am talking more and more each day; and Riley just started school and is loving it.

Riley and I are playing outside a ton and enjoying the warmer weather. Tessa is also playing outside, but since she’s just starting to walk, she mostly rides in the backpack when everyone goes out. Check out the pictures of Riley and I splashing in the snow melt. We were both mud-balls when all was said-and-done, but we loved every minute of it.

We are getting a new flock of chickens in about 2 weeks, and Riley keeps asking, “Baby chickens?” They’ll live in the garage until they get bigger and until it’s warm enough for them to be moved into the coop, so we are all looking forward to being able to watch and play with them. Just another sign that Spring is on it’s way!

Sorry, there is nothing fantastically funny to report. Everyday high-jinx and wrestling and painting and dressing up and playing outside and exploring. More of the same. Treading water, but in a good way.

Talk soon,
Emmett

Tessa was super-cute in her new, purple tutu. And she dug right into her pink, frosted cupcake! In short, she celebrated her first birthday like a pro. We had the regulars come over to lavish Tessa with love, and she got some wonderful birthday presents. Stuffed animals, a talking soccer ball, a talking book, some clothes, a picnic basket… So many things to play with! Tessa still prefers the tissue paper to the toys being unwrapped, but she is slowly getting into the toys themselves.

We celebrated a day early, and that entire day was about Tessa. She got presents from Mom and Dad that morning, and she got to eat her favorite breakfast-eggs. We all played together around the house before nap: At the chalk board, with our farm animals, downstairs on the trampoline. And then right after nap, everyone showed up to play with us! As was each and every recent birthday, it was great.

Everyone else had a great time too. I was showing off for the guests, as usual. And although Emmett wasn’t feeling too well (we were all just about to get a cold that only now is making it’s final rounds in the family) he enjoyed unwrapping presents and eating cupcakes. Mom and Dad had a good time keeping an eye on us and chatting with everyone. Good times.

Talk to you all soon,
Riley

I would like to say, as a post-script, that Tessa does seem to be a bit advanced. She’s getting into her terrible two’s already, is what I am trying to get at. Diva-like behavior took hold right after the party, and although it’s not constant, it is fairly consistent. She’s more demanding than before. And, with a focus that’s kind of creepy, she will not be deterred. Finally, the tantrum that comes when she doesn’t get her way is reminiscent of, well, me! We’ll see what Mom and Dad do to nip this in the bud, so stay tuned…

Check out the new pics Mom just added. They are from Mom and Dad’s cell phone cameras, and some are from as far back as this past summer…

Enjoy!

The holidays this year were so much fun! For Hanukkah, we learned the prayer and how to light the candles on the menorah. We all wanted to blow out the candles, as if they were on a birthday cake. But after the first night, we caught on to the fact that they are supposed to burn all the way down. And although we kept it pretty low key for all of the holidays, we all loved going over to Pop-pop’s house to open presents and to have Christmas dinner.

Pop-pop gave Emmett a camera, which he is still figuring out how to use. But it’s great because he can take pictures on it, he can review the pictures he’s taken, and he can upload all of the pictures to the computer! So far, he’s mostly taken shots of the floor, so we haven’t uploaded anything. But he’s a really fast learner, and we are all sure that before we know it, he will be giving lessons on how to frame the perfect shot.

Pop-pop gave Riley a huge 4-wheeler. It rumbles, it plays music, it moves. Everyone thinks it’s fantastic. Even our little cousin, Ellie, loved playing with it. And she usually likes shoes and hand bags. That’s how cool it is.

Tessa got some clothes from Pop-pop, which is nice because she’s set up for a lift of hand-me-downs unless her closet is otherwise augmented through gifts.

Mom and Dad got us great stocking stuffers too. We got a Beauty and the Beast book, which Riley and Emmett constantly “take turns” reading. We got a bunch of things that roll or bounce or shake, and Tessa got a teething necklace that both she and Emmett like to chew on. Believe it or not, these little stocking stuffers were almost more of a hit in the house than the big presents were.

But hanging out at Pop-pop’s, helping everyone open their gifts, and eating dinner while watching Beauty and the Beast and Cars 2 on the television was what was the most fun. You can check out the pictures, we all loved the unwrapping (except for Tessa, who just loved the wrapping and tissue paper). And we loved playing with everyone who was there.

Next month, we have Tessa’s first birthday, so there is another present holiday to look forward to. Then, after January, we have a lull in holidays until next October. Mom and Dad were thinking of celebrating Emmett’s half-birthday instead, so we’ll see if that happens. They were also talking about just having one huge party for all three of our birthdays next December… There are a lot of ideas on the table. We’ll see which one works out!

Have a wonderful New Year’s!
Emmett, Riley and Tessa (T-bone)

Riley’s birthday; Halloween; and Emmett’s first day of school… So many things happened this past week, and they all went great!

First, Riley’s birthday… He was very excited for the first time ever to see what was under the wrapping paper. He played a bit with the tissue paper, but not much. He got a Thomas the Train flashlight, and so did Emmett, and they have both been big hits. He also got a chalk board that he draws on, a block-train he disassembles, some books he reads over and over, and some blocks he stacks. All very exciting things. Mom and Dad gave him a race track, and he and Emmett enjoy racing their cars all the way to the end. He asked for doughnuts in lieu of cake. Mom and Dad put a candle on top of an iced star, he blew it out (and theoretically made a wish) and then went to town. The icing got all over his hands, but he ate all but two bites of the doughnut. He loved it! I had fun being played with and cuddled by all of the guests. Mom and Dad have some great pictures of me, Riley, and Emmett before, during, and after the party-so check out what’s posted.

Then came Halloween. Like years past, we went over to Grandpa Bob’s (or Pop-Pop’s) and we hit up the entire cul-de-sac. I was dressed as a kitty cat, Riley was a spotted doggie, and Emmett was Spiderman. I was very excited to go along, as this was my first real Halloween. Next year, I’m hoping to hold a big bag of candy and say trick-or-treat when we go up to everyone’s front door. Since I’m not really walking yet, I just enjoyed being carried by Mom and Dad. The boys, though, did great with taking not one, but two handfuls of candy from every house. When someone wanted to give just one piece of candy to Emmett or Riley, they made it clear that they expected more than that. For the most part, everyone was happy to give them extra candy. Although neither of them said trick-or-treat, they both said ‘hi,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘bye.’ So some of the nice-ities were observed. The funny thing though was that Emmett didn’t want candy after we’d all come in to check out our haul. He asked for cheese.

Finally, this past Tuesday, the day after Halloween, was Emmett’s first day of school. We were all very excited about it, but – if truth be known – a bit unsure of how things were going to go. When Mom and Dad took him into his class room a bit early so that he could meet the teachers, he wasn’t happy about it at all. He wanted to go in the front door of the school building, not the side door that led directly to the preschool classroom. Also, there were no kids in there yet and everything that Emmett knew about school included the fact that there were a lot of other kids involved. But once Mom and Dad led him through the front door and around the hallway to the preschool classroom, and once the other kids arrived, he fell right into the swing of things. No crying. Just excitement. His teacher said he was the star of song-time and that he was full of big, belly laughs that made the other kids stop to see what was so great. Emmett’s teacher’s exact words were, “he was very charming.” He made an art project that he brought home and put up in the kitchen, and he was excited to do it again the next day…

Except that we had a blizzard and class was cancelled the next day. We have some pictures of the boys playing in the snow with Dad. Hopefully, Mom gets around to posting those too. What’s up with Me? I am staring to furniture surf, and generally pulling myself up on everything. I enjoy copying when someone makes a clucking noise with their tongue. I also will scrunch up my face and snort. This is super cute, I’m told. And it also shows off all of my teeth! My favorite toy to play with is a set of keys, and if someone takes them away from me (usually Riley) I cry until I get them back. Believe me, I know how this works….

Well, next time we blog will be after Thanksgiving. Dad is looking forward to some good time off from his Master’s Program at school and Mom is hoping that the new year brings a bit more calm days for everyone here… Stage 5 Clinger anyone? (Riley you know I’m talking about you!)

Take care,
Tessa

These past few weeks, and the weeks to come, are much about anticipation. Emmett starts school on November 1st; Riley turns two on October 23rd; and I, Tessa, am on the cusp of a bunch of milestones. And Halloween is right around the corner! Everyday is fun and full of cute, sometimes new things. But soon, a ton of stuff will change.

After a couple of weeks of neanderthal-like behavior, Emmett has calmed down and has settled into his role of the learner. Although he is super smart, he still hasn’t been speaking a lot. But in the past two weeks, or so, he’s been picking up a bunch of new words. Riley is the real talker, and Emmett copies him. I think it makes it easier for Emmett, since he feels he can tell us all what he wants. His favorite is “no, no, no!” He almost never says the word just once. It’s always repeated in triplicate, with a slight Italian accent. Don’t ask, we aren’t sure why. Emmett also now says Riley’s favorite word (poop), but not in conjunction with potty training, which is what Mom and Dad are really hoping for. When he starts school he will be going for four mornings a week, for two and a half hours a day. Lots of learning! And also lot of playing. We all think that he is going to LOVE it!

Riley, we all agree, is a little bit of a show-off. He is clearly very smart. While Emmett watches and figures out how everything is working like a scientist, Riley repeats everything he hears trying to get the laugh. He is very expressive verbally. He will say a word over and over and over until you repeat it for him, thus validating his learning. He still thinks that everyone is poopy and will tell you so. But when asked, Riley do you have poop? He emphatically shakes his head no, even though many times he for sure needs a new diaper. He acts out parts of Finding Nemo and Monsters vs. Aliens, two of Emmett’s favorite movies. He really is quite silly. (He has also just evidenced behavior of a two-year-old. He’s defiant, easily frustrated when he doesn’t get his way, and often mad about it all. We hope this passes quickly.)

While Emmett is poised for a huge leap in his learning, and Riley is becoming more and more of a goon each day, I am quietly making headway through all of my first year milestones. Like Riley before me, I am an army crawler. I am thisclose to crawling, though, that it seems like it could happen at any moment. I am also pulling myself up on things, but not furniture surfing just yet. I am eating like a champ, still, and trying my hardest to talk Mom and Dad into letting me have some solid food. When they feed the boys, or even themselves, I stare at their food longingly. Mom has started giving me thumbtack sized pieces, but I would like more…

We all have our Halloween costumes. Emmett is going to be Spiderman, Riley is going to be a white, spotted dog, and I am going to be a kitten. We are going to wear our costumes to Riley’s birthday party, and then again, of course, on Halloween. We are going to Grandpa Bob’s (or Pop-pop as well all call him) to trick-or-treat. Emmett and Riley have already been practicing. It’s going to be fantastic.

I’ll have Mom post pictures after the 31st, but check out the ones that I just put up. All great.

Talk soon.

Love, T

Turns out, when you throw a sippy cup-even an empty sippy cup-at a plasma screen TV from roughly 3 feet away, you can break the glass. Did you know that? Well, now we all know that. And we can tell you, Mom and Dad were not very happy to learn that fun fact. Worse yet, it could have been more of a mystery. Not the actual breaking. Just the implement inflicting the damage. But a sippy cup leaves a mark. A small spot of milk from said sippy cup was left behind at the scene of the crime. And so, Mom and Dad had found the blunt object, so to speak.

But that was just the start to a great (said with some level of sarcasm) week. The video baby monitor made its way into the pond, too. By this time, Dad mentioned something to Mom about keeping a tab so that they could be paid back for all of the unnecessary out-of-pocket expenses once we were all old enough to get jobs. We are assuming this was said tongue-in-cheek. At least, we hope so.

The icing on the cake was, well, not really icing at all. Emmett woke up Saturday morning, in a fairly good mood we have to admit, with puke all over his crib. When Mom came into the room, Riley pointed at Emmett and said “Poop.” Two mornings later, after Mom had gotten sick, Dad walked into find Riley pointing at the corner of his crib making a funny face. When he looked closer, he saw that Riley had also gotten sick sometime during the night and was indicating that it was a bad scene. A short time later, Tessa threw up all over herself in her car seat. She was almost literally swimming in it. Riley, who sits next to her in the car, leaned over, pointed at her, and said “Poop.” A little more than 24 hours after that, Dad, himself, was the last to get sick. Although, when he did, everyone else was asleep so there was no one there to point and enlighten him.

On a lighter note, Emmett had learned almost all of the letters of the alphabet, which we are told is a feat for someone so young; Tessa is army crawling all over; and Riley is repeating everything that he hears, and his favorite word is-wait for it-Poop.