Only Emanuel

The weather was beautiful today, so we decided it was a great day to head to Chalco for a walk. When we got to the bridge, 17-month-old Emanuel laid down by the edge to look over. Soon he was laughing hysterically. I just couldn't figure it out- what was so funny about a shallow little creek? I knelt down close to him to see things from his perspective.... he was spitting over the edge. Only Emanuel would think of something like that!

Ben's 3rd Birthday in the Jungle

Spring in VA

Happy 1st Birthday Emanuel!

Sightseeing in Virginia

We all had a busy week! Ben and Emanuel had so much fun playing with their uncles, and it was so nice for Tito and I to be able to go out together!

We did a lot of sightseeing this week. Jim, Micah, Ben and I went downtown and saw the Iowa class battleship USS Wisconsin. We were able to go on board and tour a part of the ship. While not exactly like Tito's ship (the USS Arleigh Burke) it was very similar. We saw the tiny bunks sailors sleep on- poor Tito, no room to move at all!

Peter, Micah and I also visited the Great Dismal Swamp. Mosquitoes everywhere! Even with bug spray they were swarming and eventually chased us out! It was beautiful there, but definitely a very dismal place to live. Click here to read about its role in the Underground Railroad.

Of course we also visited the beach! Ben was very excited to run and dig in the sand. Peter, Micah and Jim all got in the water. Brrrrr- it was cold! They are crazy. Jim found two great seashells- a conch and snail shell. He also found a Hot Wheels car in the ocean! Ben was happy about that since they are his favorite toy!

Emanuel is almost crawling now- he has a sort of hybrid mix of the army crawl and regular crawling. He is very interested in "grown-up" table food now and goes after any person he can who has it! He hasn't quite mastered feeding himself Cheerios or other finger foods, but he is always happy to practice. He also likes to babble. He has discovered he can raise his voice and enjoys doing so!

Everyone had a great week.

Settling in

The boys are doing great. They love to go for walks outside, and they both really like the swings. They could swing all day. They love being in the play room at the Y. It's so much fun to play with the new toys and all the other kids.

Ben's favorite things to do these days are play with his cars and train, of course. He's also into his soccer ball- every time we go outside we have to bring it so he can play. He also likes to collect pinecones, flowers, leaves and sticks. He's getting to be a very fast runner and loves to hear it. He can talk better each day too. Blue Clues and of course Toy Story are his favorite shows to watch when he takes some downtime.

Emanuel rolls. He rolls all over the apartment. He loves to play Peek-a-Boo and put everything in his mouth. He likes going fast in his stroller and being outside. Emanuel's favorite pastime by far is eating. The fact that food has flavor was the discovery of the century for him! He also enjoys all his musical toys. He is such a happy baby.