Emmy's big break

It was Saturday night around midnight when we heard a big ker-thunk. Emmy has fallen out of her bed before but usually she just wakes up and climbs back in. This time she was screaming hysterically and saying that her arm hurt. She is typically pretty hysterical if she comes out of a deep sleep, so we just got her calmed down and put her back to bed. The next morning she was still favoring it a little, but Blake had told her if she quit crying she could have a piece of candy. So from that point on we didn't know if she was really hurting or just wanted candy. I was leaning towards the latter since she was using it, acting pretty normal, and not complaining too much. When Uncle Sean, Bone Expert, came home he took a peek and said that we should probably go get an xray just in case. He was also very VERY nice and went ahead and splinted it for Emmy just like they would do in the hopsital. So this is how she looked with her splint.

So you can imagine my surprise when we went to the doctor and the xray looked like this!

So I don't know if that's really it, but it was completely wonky like the one above! She broke both the radius and ulna bad enough to almost need surgery! I felt like a complete mother of the year, but you saw her! So we were treated to a giant pink cast, that Emmy calls her pink arm. Bless her heart she's holding up pretty well, but you can tell from her eyes that it's going to be a LOOOONG 5 weeks in this cast and then potentially more weeks in a short cast.

She's not letting it get her down! Baths are no fun and pretty much most summer activities are out, but at least there's movies! I think we'll be watching a lot of those! I will say that it is going to be the SMELLIEST cast in the history of 4 year olds. Playing outside in August makes for a quite a funk. Just don't get too close =)

Cupcakes: 11 months

I can't BELIEVE that this is the last cupcake picture. Where did my tiny baby go?

 At 11 months Beckett:

• Is finally communicating! Everything is "dat dat dat" and he's pointing to let you know what he wants
• His little personality is really coming out. He is a flirt and make googoo eyes to get his way. 
• Has two favorite tricks: Making kissy faces and raising his hand above his head and squealing

• Is EVERYWHERE digging in everything
• Has started "jamming" to tunes

• The goat noise is back in a major way! This time accompanied by emphatic hand gestures and foot stomping. That means you guessed right at what he wants, he wants something really badly, or he's REALLY excited. 

• His hands are so big that he can palm and then throw a ball

• Loves to roughhouse. He loves to be thrown around on the bed and loves to be bounced and thrown up in the air.
• Seems to grow more hair everyday
• Has finally started showing an interest in trucks and balls. he's really into zooming the big ones up and down the hall
• Is drinking well from a sippy cup, until he throws it on the floor, along with all the food he doesn't really like. He's eating almost 100% baby food. 
• Is a toot! Somehow the terrible twos have started already. He pitches a fit when he doesn't get his way and has started "the flop" already if he doesn't want to be picked up or do what you want him to do or just wants to play.

10 month pictures

I cut it even closer this month but these were technically taken on the last day of his 10th month. One more month.. I can do it! MAN is he a cutie. It looks like he's going full on GQ in these. She took these pictures in the first 30 seconds after we got there. Thank goodness she is fast!

After that , FORGET IT! There was a lot of his favorite new tricks (squealing with his hands in the air)

a kissy face or two(his other new trick)

and lots of Emmy's favorite flat out ignore you (SO glad they both got that trait.)

 Maybe he just wasn't a fan of the outfits ? Who knows! I know that he's pretty much going to do things his way though. For some reason that doesn't really surprise me!

Clara's little birdie shower

Clara is almost here! Laura and Sean have been living with us for a little while, so we had to kick her out of the house for a little while to get ready. We based the shower theme off of her pottery barn bedding, which has little birdies as an accent. I have been dying to try poof balls, as I call them, and I think I'm done =) They are a lot of work, but they SURE do look cute don't they? Here's the spread,

including tea cakes, tortellini pesto skewers, mini hummus shooters, chocolate filled strawberries, and this guy . That's right, my aunt is crazy and made a fruit baby!

As guests arrived the left their thumbprint for a tree for Clara's room.

We also gave everyone a birdseed ornament and a Princess Clara tea cake for their favor. 

 All the guests brought a book for Clara, and Laura received so many nice things!

 I thought I'd also take a picture of the next to last rocking chair. That's right. After Laura's kids are done I'm hanging up my paintbrush (for rocking chairs at least.)

It was so  glad to do this for my sister. I can't explain how excited I am for her to be become a mother and for me to become an aunt again! Clara we can't wait to meet you!

Happy Birthday to me!

It seems like every year just goes faster and faster. 30 never scared me or caused me any grief, but 35 is the one that really is going to make me feel old. I can't believe I'm almost there!

We celebrated this year with a night out for me and Blake and then a lunch and desert with my fam. Beckett and Emmy decided I was not entitled to a nice relaxing lunch and acted like crazies the entire time, but why should I expect any different =) By the end, we pretty much felt like this!

 and maybe a little like this (niko niko and chocolate bar back to back will do that to you)  

But even through my children are crazy and my face is stuffed, it was a fun way to spend my last year before I round up to 35 (eek!)

finally.... mexico!!!

I think we all thought that the day would never come, but FINALLY we were off to Mexico!! All of us were in serious need of some sleep, being able to actually go to the bathroom by ourselves and adult beverages by the pool. We ended up at a hotel that had a lot of kids, but somehow we managed to avoid them most of the time! We also somehow managed to repeat almost the exact same things we did on the last trip. Obligatory Mexican the first night to get into the spirit.

 And after a day of sitting by the pool we hit up the "bennihana" for some rice beating heart and onion train action! We sat next to some Brits which we pretty much stalked for the rest of the trip.

 After stuffing ourselves we headed over to what we were SURE would be an AWESOME night club. I'll let you look at the picture below and let you see just how awesome it was. If you're saying "Oh no they didn't...."

 YES THEY DID!!! Galaxy is the world's first Star Wars/Space combo nightclub. Not only was the millenium falcon there, so was an astronaut and a space shuttle. We're not quite certain if they weren't aware they weren't the same thing or not. We just went with it.

 After being the only people in the club for about thirty minutes we decided the club couldn't handle us and you guessed it... went to bed!

After a few days of surfing the waves and lounging by the pool....

We decided to all take an adventure to Rio Secreto. Basically a farmer found this huge underground river on his property and it's actually one of the longest one in the world. We took an insanely bumpy ride way back onto the property and descended into the "underworld" after being blessed by a Mayan priest. You gotta love our beautiful wetsuits. Glad I did all that Insanity before the trip! (ha!)

It was actually a really cool experience as there was no lighting or modernization of the caves. At one point they turned all the lights off and we sat in silence. I can't imagine the "oh S*(&" moment and ancient Mayan had as he ran through the rainforest and all of the sudden went kerplunk into a cenote!

By the fourth day (and about 356 times of hearing Party Rockers) I think we realized that over the past two years we had gotten a lot older, needed a lot more sleep, and just couldn't hang the way we used to. (Ok, that last statement is for myself. I'm pretty lame.) But what a great time to connect with my bestie and recharge a little. Even if there's no more kiddos, we're going to have to make this a tradition!

Happy 4th!

My two little firecrackers:

We spent the day packing for Mexico and fighting B's fever. We did manage to squeeze in a little bit of pool time. Emmy practiced jumping in the pool and Pops kept telling her to shut her mouth when she jumped in, but if she did that, then she couldn't concentrate enough to jump. It's amazing to me! The Blake face is key to concentration =) Given the fever and one worn out little girl we didn't even do a sparkler. Can't say I'm TOO sad about that, and there's always next year!