An Unexpected Visitor

A couple of weeks ago Mimi and Emily clipped a rose and put it in the kitchen.

It was very lovely but I noticed that the leaves were a little chewed up.
Now, I didn't know what it looked like when it came in the house (whether or not the leaves were as well munched as they were at the time I inspected) but I did see something else in the bottom of the glass "vase."
Now, I may be sleep deprived but I figured that these two clues could mean only one thing... we had a visitor that came in with the rose!
Luckily, Emily had just received a new bug jar so we removed the leaf with the caterpillar as well as an extra one...
and put them in the jar.

It was the perfect place for Emily to keep her new friend and be able to check in on him regularly...
until he got out the air hole... twice. The first time Daddy found him up on the lid. The second? Well, let's just say we may soon have a moth or butterfly flitting about in our house! We should be able to tell you which because after the great escape we found another caterpillar out on the rosebushes and as soon as we put him in our bug jar he spun a cocoon (or chrysalis if it's a butterfly) in between the two leaves we provided. Hope he makes the change soon!

Sick!

On May 13th Everett got upset for the first time.

It was right when I told him that his big sister was SICK and he would not be able to be anywhere near her until she was better. He decided that it was a good time to give her another princess. You see, he got seven for her but had only given her 4 so far. That day it was time for Rapunzel!
Emily looked terrible and didn't feel any better...
but was happy to watch Tangled for the first time with all of her princess friends.
She also watched Everett on TV - but that's as close as she could get.
It was a long few days for everyone.

20 Minute Zoo

On May 10th, Emily's class was headed on their last field trip. Daddy took Emily so that she wouldn't miss out...

on the "20 minute zoo!"
The Orange County Zoo is very small, focusing on animals and plants native to the southwestern United States - a mom in the class deemed it the 20 minute zoo.

Daddy did a great job of taking pictures of Emily with her friend Emory (very much like Emily, talkative, smart, outgoing),
Ava (Emily talks about Ava all of the time but I have never heard Ava speak - only cry when separated from her mom. On the way to school Emily used to tell me that Ava wasn't going to cry that day, and she would check in on her when everyone was playing outside),
the javelinas,
the whole group,
and her teachers (Miss Carrie left, Miss Jackie right).
He even got a picture of Emily having her snack. Apparently she walked up after a lot of the other kids were sitting and eating and her teacher told her to pick a spot to eat... Emily went to an entirely different table.

She didn't miss out on the peacocks though...
nor the chance to chase them away with the rest of the kids.
We may be visiting this zoo a lot since the LA Zoo is a bit of a trek. But, Emily might have an issue with that - she wanted to see the elephants and tigers!

Having a Baby is Great!!

Okay, so I know not everyone can just get a baby - and some kids have one or two already - but, in my opinion, having a baby is GREAT! Here is why...

They are really cute,
and make funny noises.
Also, they bring presents when they arrive!!
Really!
Belle AND Cinderella! He must have been listening to me reading him all of those princess books while he was still in Mama's tummy!
They also balance out a picture... one baby for Daddy and one baby for Mama.
AND... are you ready for this? They like to be snuggled...
and stared at.
You might think he looks a little worried...
but I just give him a little pat...
and cuddle him REALLY close to make him feel better.
It's true, sometimes babies cry...
but mostly they don't.
And just when you think they have run out of surprises for you, they find more princesses!!

For that, they deserve some hugs...
and adoration.
There is a slight problem, however, when they get to ride out of the hospital with your mama and without you. I recommend you jump up as soon as you get the chance...
and welcome them home with a good book...
more snuggles...
and some kisses too.
What do you think? Are you sold? Well, if you need any more convincing then just consider this... when you have a baby at home you can learn some great tips about how to feed and care for your own baby dolls! I don't really know how the milk gets in there but it seems to work for Everett!
And those are my thoughts for now.

~Big Sister Extraordinaire, Emily Rose

Meeting Everett Videos

Emily Loves the Water...

Whether it be in a pool or at the beach... Emily loves the water. Back on April 27th Emily had her last swim lesson with Mr. Shane - time to move on - but before we left Emily went out to see Octavio and his friend working the backyard. She LOVES to go out and say hello to them and this time she was dancing...

and comparing lawn mowers...
until the grass was free and she could run out to trim a few areas he missed.
At swim she did her usual tricks... swimming out to Mr. Shane,
cheesing for the camera,
floating on her back,
and kicking across the pool on the mat.
Soon after we got home, Dele came down to visit! Emily had saved her Easter present from Dele until she saw her... sock puppets!
They successfully made a "snake monkey" - there was quite a bit of laughter throughout since the puppets were too involved for Emily's level.
The next morning we were off to the beach!
Emily was excited to show Mimi and Dele the sand crabs...

and this time she even held them in her hand! (this beach has REALLY small sand crabs)

Emily also discovered the saltiness of ocean water and thought it funny to get a lick when the tide would come in. Sigh.
We finished up our day with a little "pic-a-nic" (Emily-ese), another Emily favorite!!!