Holy Crap - if you only knew what it took to get this post done.....

OK, Forgive this post please!!! If you only knew how many times I started it and then lost it, and had to start over, you would understand why it looks the way it does. I promise to be more on top of this for those of you far away!!!!! This time though, you just gotta deal:)

OK ok OK, I know! It has been over a month. Finally I sat down last night to catch up and as I fell asleep at the computer typing, I somehow lost the whole post! Argh...
So, here we are with an almost 5 year old - who I am registering for KINDERGARDEN today - and almost 5 month old. Where does the time go?
I went back to work on Feb 6th, teaching dance at Gustavus College, in Saint Peter, MN. Thankfully my mom was willing to watch Olive during the day and then pick Emma up from daycare, and Elliott watches the girls from 5-8pm. However, poor him (or poor Olive?), Olive often cries the whole three hours! Double argh!
I have enjoyed every minute of being back in the studio, even with the pumping and the 2 1/2 hour total drive time each day.
So... to catch up...

Here is sweet Emma in a crazy outfit concoction that she came up with at my mom's place. Of course it was taken so long ago I do not even remember why we were there! Emma has had a real breakthrough lately, slowly getting over being so mad at me for having to split my time between her and Olive. Don't get me wrong, she LOVES Olive and dotes on her all the time. I am certain she would happily take care of Olive all on her own if we would let her. She laments daily about how much she loves being a big sister - but her behavior towards me in the past four months would suggest I have broken her heart!

Before I went back to work I took my mom and the girls to American Girl Store for dinner - they all had to wear the matching dresses that my mom made them for Christmas.


Emma surprised us with a loose tooth!!! She was telling me in the car one night, how her tooth was wiggling. After many previous false alarms, I didn't really believe her. When we got into my mom's house that night I was SO surprised to feel it actually wiggle!!! It was such a fun moment, to be part of that milestone. Above is a picture of Elliott getting ready to tie some thread around her tooth to pull it out. Emma decided she wasn't quite ready:)

Olive officially 4 months old and roley-poley! 95th percentile for weight and height, very similar to Emma. I finally bough her some 9 month PJ's today (she is almost 5 months old now that I post this blog!) and they have some room for her to grow, but fit nicely!

Finally, Valentine's morning, Emma lost her tooth! Actually, she pulled it out after the root broke free when she was eating heart shaped pancakes. She was so excited! Apparently the Tooth Fairy was not prepared that day, because not only did she leave Emma's tooth for her, but she also left $10!!!! How ridiculous is that? The Tooth Fairy told Emma she would be better prepared next time, and the rest of her teeth would not bring so much money. Fortunately, Emma was more excited that the Fairy LEFT her tooth for her, just like the other kids at Carol's house!

A rare quiet moment...

DATE NIGHT!!!! THIS NEVER HAPPENS!!!!!

The "Spy Kids"...
Olive, turning 5 months next week (and Emma 5 years this month!!!) has finally figured out rolling back to front, but can't get herself back to her back, much to her anger:) This past week she finally found her feet and toes - and they immediately go in her mouth or at least her hands the moment I put her on the floor. She is also a real talker, making noises just about all the time. If she is quiet it usually means she has positioned herself so she can see the TV (not my intention of course!). She has smiles but does not give them away too freely, and her laugh is one grunt that /i work very hard for. She laughs the most at silly Emma, and even then it is more like a grunt than a laugh!
Emma is becoming such a big girl - very sensitive to all that is happening around her. She tried to put her hat on oer her bike helmet the other day and I laughed. She immediately took it off and said she didn't want the other kids to laugh at her:( Currently (at 6:45 am) she is in the basement riding on the new Razor scooter I bought her as a surprise yesterday! She was SOOOO EXCITED! All the kids in the neighborhood gather and ply each afternoon, and I thought Emma was ready for something more than her $5 garage sale princess one with a wobbly wheel:)!!!!
We are waiting to find out if Emma will get to go to the STEM Magnet school next year, she is number 7 on the waiting list. We think it is something she could really sink her teeth in to and the curriculum is very hands on.
More current pictures to follow soon - I PROMISE!!!

LOVE TO ALL