Emma's First Prayers

I have been trying to catch Emma on video saying her prayers, but every time I go to try she catches me and stops! Finally got her to kind of do them today, so sweet...Jesus and Mary must be all smiles hearing little chilren say their prayers!

A Fun Frog Song

Interpretation:
There once was a green little frog, frog, frog
Who played in the wood on a log, log, log.
A screech owl sitting in a tree, tree, tree
Came after the frog with a screech, screech, screech.
When the frog heard the owl in a flash, flash, flash,
He leaped in the pond with a splash, splash, splash.

Sarasponda

Interpretation:
Sarasponda, sarasponda, sarasponda ret set set.
Sarasponda, sarasponda sarasponda ret set set.
A doray-oh, A doray boomday-oh.
A doray boomday ret set set, ah say pa say oh.
Boom-be-da, boom-be-da, boom-be-da, boom

Angel loves this song and when she asked me what it meant, I had no idea!! Apparently you can check HERE, but not much! Just a fun sounding song to sing!

Emma Bemma Boo

Emma is definitely not my "little baby" anymore. She has gotten so big...think she will be wearing mostly 2T clothes in no time which Angel took a long time to do. We call her our little monkey-do because everything that Angelica says, does or goes....Emma is right behind doing the same thing, or at least trying to! She has a huge desire to be just as big and able as her older sister. This little girl has the sweetest nature and loves to snuggle and give kisses and always wants to have attention on her and words of approval! On the other hand, this little one has the strongest will and temper...and I thought Angel had one! She doesn't give up and fights for her cause. I am learning how to effectively handle her melt downs and avoid them in simple ways as well. She is getting better with "obeying" and manners and apologies etc.

We are still waiting on her last first molar to come through and hoping the other teeth are soon behind....she has been a very slow teether...which I am telling myself is a big contributor to her pickiness with foods. So different than her sister who ate everything we eat since she was little and still does today. Emma would rather have her cheese, yogurts, applesauce, STRAWBERRIES or fruit of any kind all day. Although she will eat chicken nuggets, teriyaki chicken and hot dogs of course. She wants to hold the big girl cups ALL by herself, she is doing better eating cereal like a big girl with milk (although she likes to drink the milk before eating the cereal), and loves peanut butter and jelly and would eat peanut butter all by itself. Hoping that her food selections start to widen though as dinner times can be a little challenging!

Emma wants to get into her car seat and buckle herself because "Gel-Ka" does it. We have taught Angel how to buckle herself completely in her car seat so when we move her to the back of the van when the baby comes she can get in and be a big help to mama! So Emma can get in the seat, but the buckling isn't happening and she isn't pleased with us helping!

She loves animals....she loves to chase birds thinking she can catch them, she loves to pet dogs, she LOVES BEARS and would spend all day at the zoo. So far doesn't have much fear.

The big accomplishment of yet though has happened this week. Emma has been a co-sleeper since she was basically two months old and gave up the bassinet. She was a very avid nurser and like Angelica would always pinch, touch and twist my neck while she nursed and in order to fall asleep (so weird and hoping it isn't a genetic trait we have going on here). So in order to fall asleep she needed mama's neck....believe me I have tired to come with inventive ways to make a fake me neck! Starting at the end of July, I was able to just open my door and tell her to go night night for nap time....she would go get in my bed and fall asleep!!! This got me thinking that maybe we just needed to bypass the whole sleep training in the crib thing and go right to the bed. Again, so different because we just moved Angel out of a crib this year as well!!! But after so many attempts of 6 hour screaming sessions in the crib.....I decided to give the bed a try. We found an exact match to the one we got Angelica for $5 at a yard sale on craigslist. So Monday I got it all set up and nap time put her down. Monday was a rough day and night and she did end up back in our bed around 1am. However, Tuesday was better and Wednesday even better. Today it only took 5 minutes for her to stop fussing at nap time and hopefully tonight will be easier as well. Last night it only took about 30 minutes or intermittent crying and she stayed the whole night again for the second time in a row. I have been amazed at how she "loves" the idea of the big girl bed but cries when she knows she doesn't' have my neck to hold. When I go in to check on her she immediately reaches out her little hands to grab it. I do admit that I miss my cuddly little bed buddy, but very thankful that she will be sleeping on her own before this baby arrives. The next step is to move she and Angel in together...one step at a time though.

She loves to go potty before and after her baths (and would like to go whenever Angelica goes....which is actually happening more often now so keep your fingers crossed that we might be potty trained before this baby comes!)....her hair is starting to thicken and grow and she has curls that pop up in the back....she loves saying her Angel of God and Hail Mary prayers....and is also getting excited about the baby coming and wants to play with her she says. All in all....my girlies are growing and it is so true that these moments fly by and hopefully we can savor each one as they happen....and I am glad I have this blog to help me record some of them.

Sweet Thoughts

It has been awhile since I gave an update on the girls. Angelica has grown and matured in leaps and bounds this summer. She is getting so excited about this new baby coming and being a big sister and mama's big helper. She still makes it known that she will be the "biggest" but she has really been encouraging and helpful with Emma these past couple of weeks. She tried to "teach" Emma her prayers, how to put on her shoes and lots of other things throughout the day. Angelica loves to kiss my belly and has to say goodbye to the baby as well as mama whenever I go somewhere or at night time. She really likes to ask if the baby is kicking and feel my tummy and has even started to ask with her baby dolls how big the baby is.

It is so incredible to watch her imagination grow, her knowledge increase and her love of learning. She is so independent and gets so proud of herself when she does and learns new things. She asks so many questions (including still the dreaded WHY about 100 times an hour) but studies everything and really likes to rationalize things. She is obsessed with asking what time it is, what temperature it is, what the weather is like and loves to be mama's back seat driver. She always asks which way we are going, when to go at the green lights and does very well with recognizing where we are. She loves to read and is getting excited about starting some preschool this year! She has a passion for singing and really loves to learn and say all her different prayers. A few fun and sweet moments of late:

-Angelica has her set prayers we say at bedtime. Lately I have really been incorporating a time where I just let her thank Jesus and petition Jesus for special prayers...more of an open dialogue. It is sweet and interesting sometimes what she says. For example: the other night her exact words were "Thank you Jesus for helping me keep my fingers out of my nose today!"

-This afternoon she told me that at naptime today she said a prayer to Jesus to help Emma stop crying and he did!!! Ah, the power of immediately answered prayers...hehe.

-Every time Angel hears a siren or sees a firetruck or ambulance drive by, she asks to say her prayers for the people. We say a Hail Mary and Angel of God and then just ask Jesus to help whoever is in trouble and keep them safe. I was bringing in groceries the other day and was busy so she heard a siren and all by herself when in front of our Mary statue with Emma and was leading her in the prayers. Melt a mother's heart!! A funny incident: Last Sunday we were driving home from church and an ambulance went by....so we said our prayers. Then she got really upset and frantic and when I asked what was wrong she said "Mama, Jesus can't help the people and keep them safe today." When I asked why she responded, "Because Jesus is at church today!" I laughed and then had to come up with an explanation....I had just been in church explaining to her about Jesus being present in the tabernacle etc....already trying so hard to understand the mysteries of our faith!! So funny!
-Yesterday we were doing errands and I was at a red light. Angel usually tells me when to turn as the light turns green, but I made a right turn. Angel got very upset that I turned on red and I had to try to explain some drivers ed to her! She doesn't miss a thing!

The Sisters Shop

Angelica and Emma have finally been playing together...as in actually using their imaginations and peacefully playing...not the battle of the wills or the age difference being a big issue. I knew we would get to this stage and it is so fun to watch. I caught them playing store the other day (thanks again to their Aunt Ann for the gift last year) and snuck some footage until I got caught. It cracked me up how Emma was so polite and they pretended to buy and eat the foods. Fun times ahead and brings back lots of memories from my childhood!

Never too Old...

...or too young to read or be read to. So sweet!! Angel tried sitting on Emma's lap and that didn't go over so well!!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad Hartsell (and Grammy & Grandpa!). Wishing you another year of married bliss...hopefully a little less challenging and stressful! Your love is a blessing and example to us all, wish we could be there to help celebrate. Miss and love you lots.

Zoo Adventures

This past weekend we took the girls to Port Defiance Zoo...it was a beautiful even HOT day and we managed to pack everything in. Angelica loved the penguins, the live show and liked the big walrus from a distance. Both the girls had a BLAST riding the camel and talked about it for days! They loved the aquariums and trying to feed the birds. The zoo has a great children's section with things to climb on and play on, water fountains to play in, a big slide and goats to pet and feed. Emma LOVED the goats and would have fed them all day...Angel on the other hand wasn't thrilled with the experience. Angel walked the entire day and was such a fun little trooper! At the end of the day they enjoyed TWO rides on the carousel and had to switch riding on the horse to the pig and then enjoyed some yummy ice cream (which Angel had been seeing and asking for all day around the zoo) while we watched a peacock strut around. We decided we need to do this more often and should have bought a membership as it would pay for itself in three visits....definitely want to check out the Zoo Lights in December. Good family fun!!!

Happy Birthday Mom and Marmee

Happy Birthday Mom. Glad to hear you had a good day and we look forward to celebrating with you on Sunday! We love you lots and hope you have another great year ahead!!!!

Congrats Congrats Congrats

To my good friend and college buddy Beth....she delivered TWO healthy baby boys yesterday. She had been having regular checks for awhile and had been very uncomfortable these past couple of weeks but was trying to keep those babes in as long as possible....to see her journey you can check out her family blog. Yesterday she gave birth to Blaine and Christian....two good size babies for twins...one was over 5 pounds and one just under. I haven't seen Beth since my wedding 6 years ago when she was expecting her daughter Beth, now a big sister!!! Wish I was closer to help and meet the babes...keep us posted with pics...and I am dying to know if they are identical or not!! Please keep them all in your prayers as they adjust to these two new beautiful additions!!! Love and miss you guys!

Small Things

This week we have been busy doing errands every day it seems. Sometimes it is the small things in life that you appreciate, enjoy and just want to say thank you for. Since I have been in the car a lot this week....I want to say a special thanks to hubby who fixed the entire driver door weather seal that was FALLING off for forever and also replaced our broken cup holder console. Both these small fixes and conveniences made me very happy and made me think of you!! And to boot he found all the parts at the dump!!! Go hubby!! (Now if we can find a new driver's seat....hehe, you know me always have something to add to the honey do list!)

Happy Birthday Dad & Grandpa

This picture is a few years old, but I love it. Happy Birthday Dad....we miss and love you so much and hope you had a good day and have another healthy and happy year ahead!! Hope we can catch up with you soon!! Here is a little birthday message from Angelica and Emma!!

Ready to Ride

Our Growing Girl

On August 10th, we had another ultrasound of our sweet little girl. At 27 weeks, she is weighing 2 pounds 3 ounces and is 30% for growth measurements. Amazing to see her arms and legs and that sweet little face. Mama is doing alright....I got blood results back that I am anemic so trying to take my prenatals, iron supplements and eat meat (as my Meme says). Hopefully this will all give me some energy back! The last hurdle...here we go!

Little Arm and Hand

Little Foot

Belly and Sweet Face

Looking right at you!

I Love this Picture

Angelica with her Great-Meme on the ferry on the way to Pike Place Market.

More Cousin Bonding Time

When we left Pac Beach we took the scenic drive through the Olympic National Park. We had wanted to stop at the Hoh Rain forest....but the weather wasn't great, we didn't bring strollers or rain gear....so with three little ones decided we needed to plan for that trip next time. The rest of the family headed home but we decided to extend the vacation a little bit. We stopped in Sequim and found a nice hotel for the night....with a POOL which is what the girls were excited about. We went out for a yummy dinner first and then went back to take a dip. The girls have only been in a real pool a couple times and so they were excited. Emma LOVES the water and thinks she can just take off. She loved the hot tub and swallowed a good amount of water walking down the steps thinking she could just go all the way on her own!! Angelica was still a bit timid and loved to SCREAM partly with excitement and part fear. So after awhile of getting to her to calm down and listen to me so she wouldn't swallow water...she did GREAT. The puddle jumper float we have is AWESOME. She finally let me let go and was swimming on her own. By the end of the night she was going the length of the pool....as long as we chanted "Arms out like a T, nice and calm" over and over. We were so proud of her and I know with more pool time she would do great! I loved being in the water because I felt so buoyant and so NOT pregnant! Albert was cute and loved the water as well.

The next day we checked out, did a little shopping in the cute town of Sequim (it is dangerous to let me and Megs go into a scrap booking-stamp store!) and then headed to Hurricane Ridge. Of course we picked probably the worst day to go as it was rainy, overcast and VERY foggy. It is a windy drive up and supposedly very beautiful.....we got glimpses of it on the way down since it had cleared some...but definitely need to do the trip again on a clear and sunny day! The big lookout on top was well, all fog! oh well, we enjoyed perusing the gift shop, the information lodge and grabbing some lunch in the cafe before we headed back down. We think it would be a lot of fun to go snow tubing there during the winter!!!

Where the view should have been!!

Notice the shirt, Grammy & Grandpa??

Emma LOVES Bears

This first video is Angel just trusting me to let her go on her own, and the second is when she was doing great and swimming the length of the pool!!!

Bowling 101

The beach resort had a small 4 lane bowling alley so we decided to give it a go. We first headed to the park nearby and let the girls played while we waited for it to open. Angel is getting very brave with what she will attempt to try and play on now....makes mom a bit nervous sometimes!! Then it was off to bowl. We had one lane with the bumpers up so Angel could play and then another lane that my dad, Pepe, Megs, Alli, Michaela, Jason and I played on. I wasn't sure if Angel was going to enjoy it or not....SHE LOVED EVERY SECOND and played the entire time!!! We taught her to walk up to the line, spread her feet, place the ball and push hard....and she did great!!! She was so funny....she would watch it every time and wait to see how many pins she knocked down....and when she would get them she would jump in the air and cheer and then give everyone high fives!! So cute. She was definitely our little cheerleader and would do the same thing when we did well. She knew which ball was hers and by the end of the time was doing everything all on her own...including finding and carrying her own ball. Maybe we have a little bowler on our hands.....which that gene does seem to run in the Hartsell side of the family. Jason and I had not been bowling in six years and were not sure how we would do. I was having some great luck and doing quite well......even better than my hubby until the pressure was on and he started catching up. But great ending.....he scored a strike at the end of the game and ended up only being one point behind me and had another bowl to go. So I was joking (not really) and yelled "Gutter Ball" and guess what? It was!! So I ended up beating him by 1 point!!! We both broke 100 but my dad still came in first!! We need some more practicing!!! It was a lot of fun and we will have to take Angel again soon!!!

Beach Fun

The girls loved the water....Emma especially loved walking into the water and then running away from the waves....they both got their pants soaked!! Angel enjoyed finding shells and treasures on the beach and then spent most of her time playing in the sand. Jason was trying to build a big sandcastle but the girls had fun knocking them down and sticking feathers in it! It was so neat to see my parents and my grandparents with my girls...what special memories they will have!! We were laughing really hard because Angel's pants kept dropping lower and lower but she just kept on playing! They would have stayed for hours except Emma (who was drenched from going in the cold water) was shivering and ready to get warm. Such a peaceful spot and hope to get back one day soon!!

Walking with Meme

Jason throwing Alli into the ocean

Emma heading for the water

Emma with Pepe

Emma with Meme

Alli and her friend Michaela braving the cold waters

Angel searching for treasures

Let the sand fun begin!!

I wonder who is having more fun?

PRICELESS!!!