Norah--18 months

Weight: 23 lb 2.5 oz (51%)
Height: 32 inches (43%)
Teeth: A mouthful!

Oh, how we love our Norah.  She's still sweet, but adding in quite a lot of sass, opinions and attitude. Here's what she's up to and what we love about her.

• She loves books. Would happily read a dozen at a time.  Luckily, Emmett is a good brother and often reads to her.
• She is saying a bunch of words and repeats anything you say.  Our favorite is how she says "daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy..." as she runs to meet Clark when he gets home from work.
• She knows lots of body parts and a variety of animal sounds.
• She loves dancing and music.  She's got great dance moves and she'll often sing to herself.  Her repertoire includes E-I-E-I-O, Twinkle, Twinkle, ABCs, Happy Birthday and Let It Go. She also tries getting Alexa to turn on songs but gets frustrated that Alexa doesn't understand her--"Lela! Lela!"
• She gives sweet hugs and kisses.  For a while she'd grab my cheeks with both hands to demand a second kiss.
• She takes a good afternoon nap and generally goes to bed without a fuss. She loves, loves her binkies and only gets them at bedtime.
• She is good at playing. She's frequently carrying around baby dolls and playing with the toy kitchen. She likes to be anywhere her siblings are, especially if it's outside. She wants to do all the things the big kids do.
• She loves to play on playgrounds and doesn't hesitate to go down the biggest slides.
• She's a climber--climbs on stools, tables, counters.
• If her hair isn't clipped back, it completely hangs in her face. This is a bad combo when she has a runny nose.
• She has no problem going to nursery. She generally doesn't have any stranger anxiety or need to be near her parents (unless mom happens to be holding another baby).  She's an independent girl!
• She's great at using a spoon. Loves her morning cereal and milk. Doesn't love her veggies as much as fruit and pbjs. And candy and chocolate. She loves those when she can get her hands on them!
• She is the great un-doer in our house.  She can make messes faster than I can clean them up. She especially loves to unload drawers of clothing and get into the markers. Ironically, she's also better at picking up than either of her older siblings.
• She loves to wrestle with daddy--especially in our play tunnel.
• She says "nigh-nigh" and blows kisses to everyone before nap and bedtime.

 Cutest pig tails.

 Off to nursery! Not a tear or worry!

Playful smiles and games.

Emmett--6 years old!

Weight: 39 pounds (11%)
Height: 3 ft 6.5 inches (7%)

Emmett's 6-year-old birthday interview (conducted on Aug 14, 2017):
What is your favorite food? Maybe tacos. The regular ones.
What is your favorite dessert? Ice cream
What is your favorite sport? Soccer and tennis
What's your favorite thing about school? Specials. There's five--PE, technology, music, art and library
What is your favorite thing to do with dad? Play videogames
What is your favorite thing to do with mom? Go to play places like Chick-fil-A or when I help you make things
What are you really good at? Megaman and soccer and angry birds. Reading.
What is your favorite thing to read? Magic Tree House
What is your favorite song that you tell Alexa to play? Guns for Hands
What's something awesome you are going to do this year as a 6 year old? Have Christmas.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know yet. I might be an astronaut or a builder.

Friends: Ethan T, Walker, Declan, Alex, Ethan G, John Allen

Emmett's 6th birthday celebration:
To celebrate turning 6, Emmett got to invite a handful of friends to jump for an hour at SkyZone and feast on chocolate cupcakes. That evening we had a family party with oreo ice cream layered cake, presents and (forced) dancing. Some of his gifts included a soccer goal, a battery-powered toothbrush.

6-year-old Emmett:
Is 6 years old one of the magic years?  Because 6-year-old Emmett really is such a great, sweet kid.  There is relatively little drama or extreme emotions in his day (there are exceptions--he's still quite particular about some things).  He is quick to say "I love you" and give hugs.  He enjoys school, plays well with friends and siblings, and adores Norah.  This summary is a bit belated, but we are only five months into year 6, so here we go:

• Emmett LOVES to read and faithfully reads each night in bed. For a while he was only interested in non-fiction books, but then he got hooked on the Magic Tree House series.  We check out a big stack of them each week at the library.  He often reads a book in a day or two and doesn't have any qualms about reading more than one book at a time. He's also been reading the Geronimo Stilton series and recently started the I Survived books.
• He goes to the school media center before class starts nearly every morning for a new book (1st graders can only check out one book at a time).
• He's into making his own versions of origami and creating all sorts of things with paper, tape and a stapler.
• He loves playing outside, riding his scooter and bike, jumping on the trampoline. He really enjoyed and improved a lot at soccer this last season.
• He likes Star Wars and Pokemon, though not to a level of obsession.
• He loves the times he gets to play video games--either with dad on the xbox or on the computer.  Most of the computer ones are "educational." :)
• He loves stuffed animals. His current favorite is a small stuffed bull. He has a lineup that live on his bed.
• He has his Dad's knack for liking specific measures in songs.
• He often goes to sleep wearing a hat. Sometimes his snow hat, sometimes a baseball cap.
• Although he can hold his pencil correctly, he still prefers to fist it. :)
• Loves adventures, mountains, beaches, lists, learning new things, and being creative.
• Eats his meals starting with his least favorite item and working his way up to his favorite--saving the best for last.
• For Emmett, chocolate > vanilla > strawberry/berry anything. This is true for ice cream, for cake or any other applicable desserts.

 Still an artist when he wants to be!