Look What the Kids Won (Mostly for Emma-James)

Jason and I took the kids to the APPLE FESTIVAL over the weekend here in Johnston. Its a wonderful event at the Johnston Memorial Park that the town Chamber of Commerce sponsors every September. Its an event where local artists and crafters can get together to sell their items. I was hoping to participate this year but due to lack of time and money, I wasn't able to enter. Next Year though for sure!

Anyways, as we were walking around we noticed that the Johnston Insider. The local paper here in our town was hosting a raffle. All the items were wonderful but one in particular caught our eye. A handcrafted wooden Dragon to be exact. Those of you who know Emma, know that she is head over heals in love with anything related too DRAGONS, so it wasn't a shock to us when she asked us to buy it. How could we resist not entering? For $5 dollars we scored 6 tickets. The odds looked good as it was already the end of the first day and there were only about 5 tickets in the cup. So to put the odds in our favor we purchased 6 more tickets. Total cost $10 bucks. Plus we really love the Insider and they have done some wonderful things for myself and our girl scout troop so I was happy to help!!

This afternoon they called to let us know that we HAD WON!!! Yup. We are now the proud owners of this beautiful handcrafted dragon. I am so excited and Emma-James in as happy as you can imagine. Our original goal was to wait for her to get it for Christmas, but honestly, who could wait 3 months for that!! One of the ladies who was at the fair came to our house personally to drop it off. She even took a few pictures of Emma holding her new "pet" and a group shot of the kiddos. Here are a few snapshots I took myself after she left. Oh, and before I forget. We also scored a $25 dollar gift card to a local consignment shop that sells these handcrafted toys. So we made out pretty good!!

Emma-James and her new "pet" Dragon Cutie Pie

 

The Gang with the Dragon. Emma is looking less then enthused because Oliver was touching her Dragon and she wasn't having it

 

The Girls at 2

I was really hoping to compare the girls at age 1 like I had done with the boys. Unfortunately, because of a fire near our apartment that forced us to evacuate we ended up loosing a lot of pictures of Olivia's first year. Jason had taken the hard drive out of the computer just in case our home caught fire Sadly, after we returned and started it back up, we lost everything. It was deviating. Thankfully, I was able to find a bunch of pictures of Olivia's 2nd year.

Olivia May 2

 

Emma-James Eileen 2

 

Ezme Anabella 2

 

Similarities:

*All the girls love to talk A. LOT. (much like there mommy)
*All the girls have/had curly hair (though Olivia's straightened out when she got older)
*All the girls are stubborn as heck
*All the girls enjoy to argue. Even Ezme at 2!!

Differences:

*Ezme has a large birth mark on her bum in the shape of a heart.
*Olivia has always been the tallest kiddo in the family and still is
*Ezme has blond hair
*For the first 15 months Ezme's eyes were blue
*Olivia and Emma-James had brown eyes from birth

As they all get older and start truly finding who they are, its going to be very interesting to see how different and alike they really are. The one thing I do know is this. I love them all to bits and pieces and even though some days are harder then others and I am always tested. I wouldn't change a single thing. XoXo!

The Boys at 1

Owen Xavier

 

Oliver Sebastian

 

Similarities:

*They both have dark eyes
*They both have huge dimples on both cheeks
*They both love to smile
*They both love their sleep. 7pm-7am with naps during the day (mostly Oliver)
*They both LOVE their mommy and prefer me to Daddy
*They both love to cuddle
*They both are content to play by themselves all day

Differences:

*Oliver has bigger ears then Owen
*Owen had and still has more hair then Oliver does
*Owen's hair is stick straight black hair
*Oliver's hair is light brown with blond streaks with curls
*Oliver at 1 weighed 5 pounds more then Owen did at 1
*Oliver was fully walking at 11 months where Owen walked at 14 months
*Owen slept through the night from day one where Oliver would wake up once or twice

Here are just a few similarities and differences I have seen between the boys. Its amazing how they can both be born from the same parents but be completely different in some ways and completely alike in others. It makes you wonder though. Does nature vs. nurture really play a role in how different your kids are from one another. I am almost 100% sure. As I look back and think there were things that happened during my pregnancy and after Owen arrived that didn't happen with Oliver. Just a thought.

Little Buddies

Love these two to bits and pieces!!

 

First Week of KINDERGARTEN!!

I still cannot believe that I have a 3rd grader, a kindergartener and a Pre-Schooler. Where is the time going???? My kiddos are growing up way too fast. Here are a few pictures of Emma-James and her first few days of school. As you can see, she doesn't seem to have a care in the world. She is too excited.

Emma-James wanted me to take a picture of her Panda backpack and her hair bows I made for her

 

Posing for the camera. Such a ham

 

Cheese!

 

Taking the bus to school on the first day (annoyed that I wanted to take another picture)

 

Second Day of School. Ready to go.

 

By Far.....My most favorite picture of Emma-James. She is so adorable!!

 

Hairbows

Made some hair bows for the girls for the first day of school. Think they came out great. Need to make some more for sure. They want hair accessories to match every outfit they have. Busy mom for sure!!

 

Random Playing

We scored this great original play kitchen that I once had as a kid. It was free on the side of the road and we scooped it up!!! Couldn't believe how great it looked for someone having it for 30 years. Love free stuff. And I would say from the look of these pictures, the kids enjoyed it too!! Thanks to Nana and Papa for the kitchen play-set toys. They are a great addition to the kitchen!!

 

 

 

 

Ezme Turns 2!

Don't let that blond hair and hazel green eyes fool you. This little girl is 100% ours. And let me tell you, she is the sweetest little girl EVER!! She has a passion for everything. She loves her big sisters and big brother but her heart belongs to her baby brother Oliver. She will do ANYTHING for him. Currently Ezme has an obsession with Boots. She wears them all the time. Morning, Noon and Night. She loves to pick out her own clothes and shoes and doesn't want anyone to help her. She can easily get her shoes or boots on herself, dresses herself for the most part and is excited to start potty training. She is completely into the idea. I however am not. Her vocabulary is HUGE so I wont even try to tell you all the things she can say now. She doesn't have a problem telling others to leave her alone if they are bugging her but has a heart of gold. Ask her for a hug and kiss and she will gladly give you some. I am so proud of all the things Ezme has accomplished this past year and so excited to see what the next year holds for us. Happy Birthday Big Girl. We love you!!

Two Year Stats:
Height: 34 inches
Weight: 30 lbs

Minutes Old
Ezme Anabella Martin Rodrigues
September 8, 2009
8lbs 2oz 20 inches
5:25pm

 

Home from the Hospital

 

One Month

 

Two Months

 

Three Months

 

Four Months

 

Five Months

 

Six Months

 

Seven Months

 

Eight Months

 

Nine Months

 

Ten Months

 

Eleven Months

 

One-Years-Old Happy 1st Birthday Ezme!!

 

15 Months

 

18 Months

 

Two-Years-Old Happy 2nd Birthday Ezme!!! xoxo