Birthday Babes.

I have been trying really hard to get to this post before the month of August has passed me by. Each darling dear had a birthday blog on their birthdays, but I have yet to share about their party! It wasn't in planning, but coincidence really, that Scarlet and Emerson ended up with birthdays exactly one week apart. I love this. My sweet sister is exactly two years and three days older than me, and we celebrated our birthdays together as kids because our parents coordinated a single party for two girls so close in age, and celebrate together as adults because we choose to. And there's something about sibling-hood that makes you realize even birthdays aren't all about you. They are meant to be shared.

We chose to celebrate a few days before Scarlet's birthday, and invited our nearest and dearest to join in the revelry. We stuffed our faces with wings, bounced in bounce houses, slid down blow-up water slides, and enjoyed a great day with family and friends.

A few of my favorite photos from the day...

Cupcake toppers from one of our favorite bakers in the 'hood, Deb.

When there is a chance of rain, it only makes sense to blow up one of the bounce houses in the basement. Just in case.

The sky cleared! Woohoo!

I think this might have been her attempt at posing.

And if ever a photo could capture the personality of Scarlet, this is it.

Hula hoop contest! I think Warren won this one. But Luke has the biggest smile on his face, and Will gets points for style!

The adults thought they were going to play corn hole without interference. Hah! There were at least 8 little ones who thought otherwise.

"Who is holding me? Oh hey, Uncle Godfather!"

Zooming from one thing to the next.

Enjoying their birthday cupcakes.

Little boys.

Lining up his bug keychains...with Will overseeing.

These two photos sum up the day. Total success.

Curls gone wild.

It's a fact. Scarlet has curly hair. Very curly hair. Emerson had curls up until about 2 1/2 years old, but his only curls at the tips in humid weather now.

Scarlet will one day cry about her hair. She'll probably tell me her hair is all my fault. She'll straighten it when she's old enough. And probably cry some more.

But she'll get loads of compliments on those curls. And one day, she'll love it.

For these curls, she can thank Mia.

Emersonisms - August Edition

At 3am, upon yelling for a drink, and chugging a glass of water..."sorry, Mommy. I just wasn't hydrated."

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"Do firefighters take gymnastics when they're kids?"
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In response to "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

1. A tornado chaser.
2. A Dad.
3. A Beatle. (the band, not the bug)

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Me: Emerson, tomorrow night we're going to Lancaster to have dinner with Uncle BF at a corn roast.
Emerson: Will his wife be there?
Me: Aunt Cheryl? Yes.
Emerson: OK.
Me: And Grandma Flowers, Jeeka, Poppy, Uncle Jared, and some others.
Emerson: Will a sheep be there?
Me: What? No.
Emerson: There's always sheeps in restaurants. I bet a sheep will be there.

I really don't even know what this means. But I guess we'll find out tonight.

Make new friends...but keep the old...

Make new friends...but keep the old...one is silver and the other's gold.

I'm pretty sure this was a girl scout thing. Interesting that I remember it, since I never actually made it to being a girl scout, just crashed my sister's troop meetings since my Mom was the troop leader. This girl never made it past "Brownies." Perhaps the brown uniform and sash were more my color than the green? Either way, a few things stuck with me...the three fingered "on my honor" salute, and this song.

We have so many friends, new and old, that we spend time with. And we recently had a visit from our favorite Kansanians, the Sheppards. So the Lipps, Zielinskis, and Sheppards headed to Zoombezi Bay waterpark one sunny Sunday afternoon! Six kids, and six adults is doable. Don't know what we'll do if we're ever outnumbered! Probably start taking Aunties (Jessica and Amy) with us!

Emerson and Teddy are just a couple months apart in age, and pick up right where they left off. Love seeing that youthful friendship. The adults tend to do this too. Six months between visits feels long, but we'll take it!

A lot of our time was spent in the wave pool. That's Emerson under the wave next to Jason, and the four Lipps! Norah is a natural at body surfing.

"HEY!"

Who doesn't love diving under the waves?

Fear not. That is NOT a shark under the water, that is Emerson Rex.

Nap time for Scarlet and Norah. This lasted about 20 minutes.

Totally beat after a long day in the sun.

Giggly buddies up WAY too late.

Baby giants? Or giant babies?

My kids are big. They start big, and they stay big. They certainly don't shy away from food, and gobble fruits and veggies, and pretty much everything else.

Like their Mom, they can't get enough macaroni (or any kind of pasta!) and like their Dad, they can't get enough cheese. Generally, though, I'd say their diet is really well-rounded. 

I had both kids at the pediatrician for their 1- and 5-year appointments this afternoon. After entering the world at 9.7 and 9.6 lbs respectively, Emerson and Scarlet continue to provide impressive statistics. 

Scarbaby weighed in at 25.6 lbs (96th percentile), is 31.5" tall (>97th percentile) and has a 18.5" head circumference (93rd percentile). This is actually "leaner" than Emerson at that same age. Yikes. 

Em weighed in at 52.5 lbs (93rd percentile and is 44.8" tall (86th percentile).

As I'm typing this, Scarlet is upstairs growing through her nap, and Emerson is devouring watermelon at the table. 

5 years of Emerson.

Our sweet boy turns 5 years old tomorrow. It's hard to believe that 5 years ago, i went to bed wondering if I would ever have the baby we'd been eagerly awaiting. He made us parents. And when he doesn't have us pulling our hair out, he has us laughing out loud. He's creative, sweet, energetic, mischievous, witty, and incredibly smart. He has a belly laugh at all things slapstick (e.g., Tom & Jerry, 3 Stooges, etc.) that would warm over Satan. There's not a thing about this boy that we'd change. And what a five years we've had!

Five things we love about our boy:

1. He has an appetite to rival professional weightlifters. The quantity of his 4th meal every evening continues to amaze us.
2. He loves his sister. He continues to express (as recently as a few days ago) that he will be marrying Scarlet when they're older. He loves her. He wants to spend time with her. And hopes they'll be close forever. We're so proud to raise a boy who loves his sibling this much.
3. He's fearless. He'll jump off a diving board and go down the tallest slide head first.
4. He's shy. He'll tuck in a little closer when walking into a new room, building, or environment for the first time. Especially when it's filled with people.
5. He's ours. He kisses us good night. He hugs us goodbye. He says prayers with us every night. And we love him so.

Your first day. I wonder what lies ahead for you...

An adventurous 1 year old.

A happy 2 year old.

A sweet 3 year old.

A darling 4 year old.

A rowdy 5 year old. Party on, Emerson.