Monday Update

Around the House: Thankfully, the yardsale went great! I got rid of tons of stuff and the weather could not have been more perfect. I only had 2 bags of clothes and a few baby odds and ends that went off to Goodwill. Lots more room in the basement now, yeah!

In the Kitchen: Just finished a batch of German Chocolate Cupcakes with Embry. No reason other than I had the box of cake mix in the cupboard and was hungry.

New with Embry: Lots of firsts last week for Embry! First dentist appointment... she did great. I found a very kid friendly dentist in town and we love it. The best part is the gigantic bird cage in the waiting room with step-stools all around it so that kids can get up close to see the birds. First movie at the theater...she loved it. We went to see "Up," which was very cute as most of the Pixar flicks are. I highly recommend it to anyone with kids (or no kids). Embry sat through the entire thing without any troubles and ate an entire bag of popcorn! First pair of flip-flops...hilarious. She has been asking for these for months now, since I wear them all the time, but I have been putting it off in favor of safer and more rugged shoes. I finally gave in when we were at Old Navy the other day. She was so excited, but she cannot walk in them at all. Though, it doesn't stop her from wearing them every chance she gets. I just have to be very patient as she shuffles slowly to the car and through the grocery store. And finally, first time swimming in the big pool at school. Embry's school has a really nice pool that is open to all of the students and families every Friday night. So, last week, we went for the first time and Embry just loved it. I wasn't sure how she was going to behave when we got there because she isn't that fond of getting water anywhere near her head or face. We did spend the first 20 minutes sitting on the steps, but after a while she was jumping in and kicking all around the place. It was great fun and great exercise for me swimming her all around for 2 hours. We loved it, and can't wait for next week!

New with Matthew: Matthew's events this week were not so enjoyable. After 6 months of ear infections we finally went to see a specialist to check his hearing and make sure that he's not sustaining any permanent damage to his ears. All the news was good, though, his hearing is normal. But the exam was not fun at all. A nurse and I had to restrain him while the doctor examined his ears more closely. It always breaks my heart do nothing while your child cries, even if is he was in no pain, he really hated to be held down. But, 5 minutes later he was fine and I was thankful for the lack of short-term memory in toddlers.

I am Thankful For: The good news about Matthew's hearing, and the ever patient big sister who waited with Daddy in the waiting room for over an hour.

The Weather Outside: Well, it has stopped raining for the first time since about 6:30 this morning. Whew! I'm not sure I'll ever get used to the wet season here. At least it keeps the temps down. Cloudy and 70 degrees sure beats sunny and 90! (that comes in a few weeks).

I am (still) Obsessed With: Do I really need to say it? We were without Internet service all weekend long and I almost went crazy. 3 days with no "Lost!" But, I guess it was for the best. As my husband put it, "It was nice catching up with you this weekend!"