I love this age

I love the ages both my kids are at now. They are amazing and so much fun in their own way.

Emma is 3.5 and wonderful. I got a lot of warnings about how this was such a hard age, and was kind of scared to see what it might bring. Overall it has been so much fun. She is so enjoyable to be around and great to talk to. I love our long conversations and watching her figure things out. She almost never has tantrums and if she does they are at home before bed when she is overly tired. We have found that although she does require quite a bit of structure to her day we very rarely have to discipline her. When we do discipline her she takes it really well and gets over it quickly. Yesterday she pushed Jack out of the way to get to a swing, he fell and was very upset. She went to time out without an argument then got up apologized to Jack and all was well. I think we just got very lucky with Emma, she has an easy going personality and just does not get upset about a lot. We went out to dinner tonight to The Cotton Patch with both kids and Andrew and I were joking how easy our life would be if we just had Emma:). She is a very energetic little thing and always on the go. She loves all kinds of activities and is always looking to try something new. She is beginning to learn to read which is THE coolest thing ever. She loves writing letters although could care less about numbers and counting. She seems to learn something new everyday. I love this age. I love my three year old and am so glad to be her Mom.

Jack is 18 months and this is where the fun begins. Jack is learning new skills and words everyday. He is in the middle of a HUGE language explosion and is talking so much now. He has gone from my laid back little man to a determined toddler. He knows what he wants and makes sure we do too. He is so very sweet and loving and spends a lot of time curled up on my lap or giving me kisses and hugs. He loves trains, cars, boats, and balls. He will throw a ball and chase it around, we spend a lot of time throwing a ball between the four of us. He is very gross motor inclined and loves to be playing, running, throwing, jumping or riding a tricycle. He makes me laugh all the time with his little games and new words. He is just starting to test us and push boundaries. He is trying to figure out who HE is and it is so cool. I love this age. I love my 18 month old and am so glad to be his Mom.

Andrew and I always agreed on two kids, it was something we talked about before marriage and agreed on. We have found so much joy in our kids and with our family we are now talking #3. It was the same when we hit 18 months with Emma, then came Jack. I love being a Mom, I love staying at home with my kids, our life is not perfect, my kids are not perfect, but it is the perfect life for me. I am so blessed to be a Mother of two of the worlds most amazing kids!

Jamaica 2010

Our trip to Jamaica was amazing! A full 7 days of relaxing and fun. We went back to the same resort we went to last time Sandals Dunns River it is our favorite resort so far, and was great to be back. I can not even explain what it is like to spend 7 uninterrupted days with my husband. We ate three meals a day together without cutting up food or trying to pacify a child, we talked more than we have in a long time, no one to interrupt and no one to scream over. Andrew and I look at these trips as an investment in our marriage. We totally reconnected and I am so glad we went. We were looking at ways to go back next year, but were very saddened to find out that our resort may not be there at all:(. Sandals the corporation actually rents the resort, the guy that owns it wants to sell it and is really high balling the price. So we shall see.

We went to see sleeping beauty at the local children's playhouse on Saturday. We went with Rensi, and our friend Chloe. We all had a blast, the girls loved the play and Rensi was the brave one getting up to dance when Emma and Chloe wanted nothing to do with it at first. Eventually all the girls got up. Emma of course loved Sleeping Beauty and was following her around. I am counting the days until Disney World I know it will be an amazing magical experience she is THE PERFECT age!

Prayers for our decisions

A very interesting opportunity has come up for our family, for Emma in particular. Just when we thought we had all her schooling and such figured out a wrench was thrown into the plans. God seems to know better than we do. One of Emma's teachers from her school last year (yes 12 months ago!) recommended her for a testing/trial program. We have always thought Emma was bright but as parents we are very biased. It seems someone else thought so too. I had a meeting yesterday to discuss this new program and school placement. It was amazing and interesting to say the least. I am still unsure if she will qualify, if it is the right choice for her, or our family. We have lots of balls in the air with this one. I am writing this for one reason we could really use some prayers and support that in the end we will do what is best for Emma and that everything will work out the way we planned. We are trying to keep our eye on the goal. Our goal being that Emma will find a lifelong love of learning and be challenged but not discouraged.

I am back

Sorry it has been so long since I blogged. Andrew and I spent the last week in Jamaica. The week before was spent in major preparation. Look for a lot of blog posts today as I am playing catch up. I have Easter pictures, Jamaica pictures and an interesting post about what is going on in our lives!