Focus Rally America

Brian and Ryan have an interview with an online web show similiar to the Amazing Race. If the they get picked they will travel across the US in a Ford Focus using only social networking to figure out where to go. Both need more Facebook friends and twitter followers. Please help to make this happen. ..

Friend them on Facebook

Brian Schroeder
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1432256955

Ryan Hester
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=685653491

or follow brian via twitter @ http://twitter.com/architectbrian

Videos of Emma

For those of you that live far away I wanted to give you some brief clips of my talking, walking, bed stealing, baby loving machine.

I brought a new dog bed home last night and Emma quickly claimed it for her own. Here she's putting her baby to bed.

After putting her baby to bed she decided that it was her turn to try out the dog bad. She stripped down to her underwear and put herself to sleep in the new dog bed. Who needs a toddler bed when you can have a Big Shrimpy dog bed!

I posted this one as an example of her nonstop chattering. .. and I love it when she says Katarina!! Katarina was my first cabbage patch kid and the only one that Em has kept the name. All of the others have become mere variations of doll. . . I think we have "baby doll," "doll doll," and "orange doll."

This morning she tried to reclaim her thrown. If you can't make it out she's saying, "Excuse me, Truman!" At least she's polite as she's trying to push him off the bed. . ha! Thank goodness he's so patient!

Brian wants Em to be a famous musician. . or at least that's how it seems with all of the harmonicas he's purchased. Here she is giving me a little blues concert.

oh, the almost 2's

My angel has morphed into an almost 2 tantruming monster.

Developments of the past week:
Em loves to go limp and throw herself on the floor to get her way. My reply, "please don't give yourself a concussion."

Em hates napping and will tell me she's not napping. My reply, "you must nap," followed by a marathon wait. Today I waited 2 hours for sleep fairy to arrive.

Em has decided that when frustrated that throwing what ever is in her hand and yelling, "NO AHHH" is okay. My reply, please don't throw things and I take that item away.

My patience is challenged daily but our "good times" still outweigh the bad (for right now).


Here are a few "better sides" of Em.

The model.

The thinker.The clown.

The angel

Hanging around

Em's studying up to one day work at the store. Today she pulled up a box, dropped in her pillow and doll, grabbed an Orijen brochure and caught up on her studies.

Doesn't this look comfortable. . . .

not really.

Yay for stripey feet!

Taking a break. She pulled up her blanket and asked me to cover her. I guess a box is a good a place to rest as any. . . .

She wants to tell you a little secret. Her birthday is coming. . . .

Houston!

Em and I took a quick trip to Houston to visit my sister and her family before they moved to Saudi Arabia. We flew down on a Monday and came back that Thursday. It was a whirlwind trip but it was great to see Ang, her husband Mike, my step-mother Karyn, and to finally meet my two nephews.

Houston was HOT. Houston was HUMID. Houston had very few coffee shops. Houston was everything I pictured Texas to be like. I'm glad I don't live in Houston.

Em and her two cousins; Owen and Carter

Ang, Owen, Me and Em. Look at Em's face. I think it says, "Houston is for the birds!"

Em and Owen hugging Steiger the coolest boston terrier I've ever met. I had hopes that he would come stay with us if Ang couldn't get him into S.A. but Karyn took him back with her to VA. I'm just glad he's got a good home. Trying to get all three kids to pose is nearly impossible. Here's a "decent" shot.

Owen and Em.

Em and Owen are almost 2 months apart and got along fabulously! Carter giving Em the stare down. I don't know what it is, but every time I look at this picture I laugh hysterically. To me it says "the meeting of the minds".

Swimming in September is unheard of in Seattle.

Not in Houston.

Ang and Owen showed Em the ways of the splash pad. Em's first experience with cheetos.

Three ducks tucked in for the night.

This look says it all. Carter was enamoured with Em the entire trip. It was very endearing.
Em in all her cheesy glory.

Taking a break couch shopping.

A rare quiet moment with Karyn. Em loves having an Aunt that is just as girly as she is.

(hence the giant flower)

Kalaloch 2010

For Labor Day we packed up the Blazer and U Haul trailer for our annual trip to Kalaloch. The weather was absolutely amazing this year and the rain held off until the day we left. This year there was a kid explosion . . .there were at least 10 small ones and 9 different families. Em was a real trooper and continued with her "go with the flow" attitude. She's absolutely amazing.

Blog. . . .

I've been away so long that the task of getting restarted is rather daunting. There is so much that has happened in this last month that I don't even know where to start. This post is to get me motivated to jump back on the blogging wagon. . . . here are a few major Emma milestones over the past month:

Em potty trained herself. We're diaper free, except for sleeping.

Em is speaking in full complex sentences and has mastered the use of the word "mine".

Em now understands that running involves more than just pumping your arms and yelling "go, go, go!"

Em has shown that "hop" and "jump" no longer mean "fall on your butt and giggle". I think she's actually left the ground once or twice.

Em loves her Airplane book and makes me read it over and over and over again.

Em now informs me when she's ready for bed. I usually hear "Emmy sleepy time," as she's walking to her crib.