Dollar Bill

December 12, 2009 by Adam in Emma

It seems that Emma will do just about anything for a dollar bill, including staying in a desk on a bet from Sam.

Barbie Madness

December 01, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma's been doing fairly well these days, with countless little stories about her life.

Jamie and the kids went to Target over the weekend, Emma returning with footie pajamas and a new Barbie.  She wanders around combing the doll's hair, but when mixed with sword fighting with Sam, it can get pretty comical.

Last night in the bath, Emma was singing a somewhat inappropriate version of Jingle Bells, though familiar from my youth.  She then wanted me to pretend to be the teacher and send her to the principal's office.

I bought a Lego advent calendar for the kids. Emma not only remembered it from last year, but she remembered the rules about when they could open it.  Tonight after their chores, they'll open the first one.

Emma's Sick Today

November 12, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma woke up last night with a fever and sore throat.  I gave her some Motrin so she could sleep, but she was pretty miserable when she got up this morning.  Jamie's watching her at home and she'll be out of school for the rest of the week due to rules about fever.

I think Emma's still working through some of the issues about what's going on.  She was working on spelling the other day, telling me sentences so that she'd use the words properly.  They tended to be things like "How will my family get along?" and other other family-themed sentences.  Last night I told her a bedtime story about the King and Queen moving to different castles that she seemed to like, though she did request a more exciting one after that.

I was so proud of Emma today

September 27, 2009 by Adam in Emma

I was so proud of Emma today. We started this morning with bike riding, went back home to pack a picnic lunch, headed back to the park for lunch and more riding. After several hours of practice, she got to the point where she could ride without me touching her for five or ten seconds. It was pretty cool.

Emma and I went to the park after school, pra...

September 26, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma and I went to the park after school, practicing bike riding. She did pretty good, not quite getting the hang of it, but by the end she had the steering and pedaling down pretty well. With a few more practice runs, I'm sure we can get the balance figured out. We took a break and ran into Yayoe and the rest of her band playing Ukuleles. They were practicing for a real gig, but for the time being it was Emma and I's personal musicians.

Emma and I do mad science in the kitchen

September 23, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma and I do mad science in the kitchen.

Emma has gone to war, specifically against th...

September 22, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma has gone to war, specifically against the wart on her big toe. We picked up some Compound W and she's been cheerfully putting it on twice a day. She does say that it tickles a little, but it's a big improvement over the freeze stuff.

Emma and I made sourdough bread for Talk Like...

September 19, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma and I made sourdough bread for Talk Like a Pirate Day. Sadie sent it along in her care package, singing its praises. Right now they're on the cooling racks and I'm eager to see how they turned out. Update: Everyone loved it.

Emma decided to "sell" assorted items in our ...

September 18, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma decided to "sell" assorted items in our house through a series of clever videos.

Emma and I had an evening to ourselves, as Ja...

September 17, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma and I had an evening to ourselves, as Jamie went to the gym and took Sam to go swimming with Chase while she worked out with M.

Emma declared that she wanted to have Chinese food. I was originally skeptical, but she suggested a compromise where we could walk there. That sealed the deal and I asked if I could invite someone along. She thought it a fine idea, so I called my mom up for an impromptu dinner outing.

The walk over the hill was lovely and cool. Emma chattered away about everything and it was fun to see the neighborhood. The house at the top of the hill has started their annual graveyard for Halloween. The last of the roses were still in bloom along the hidden path we take to get down to Three Forks Wok & Grill.

Food was good and Emma impressed my mom with her chopstick skills. We got home and she had a bowl of ice cream while I cut out the game pieces that Sadie sent. Then it was off to bath and bed, reading storybooks and looking through a book of Fairy Art that I found at the library.

I drove Emma to school today, which was a big...

September 09, 2009 by Adam in Emma

I drove Emma to school today, which was a big treat for me. I think it was the first time she'd ever ridden in my car, as I was testing out the new car seat she'd be taking to school when she carpools with Sophia's family. Along the way she asked that a skateboard be added to her birthday list. I can tell already her teen years will be exciting.

She just called me a few minutes ago, asking when I'd be coming home. Now she's excited to do her homework with me, which was one of the things I told her I liked about her going to school. It's funny how these small traditions bring me great joy.

I walked Emma around at the ice cream social ...

September 09, 2009 by Adam in Emma

I walked Emma around at the ice cream social tonight. She had a pretty good time, finding her best friend Stella in the crowd. Best of all, their family isn't moving away like they'd planned. She also found Isabella and the three of them ran around like wild monkeys for awhile.

Once we got home, Emma and I packed our lunches together. Her first lunch was an orange, a juice box, and crackers and cheese. I ended up with lots of fruit, yogurt, and a sandwich.

I'm taking Emma to school tomorrow, which I'm very excited about. Her teacher is Ms. Stewart, the same as Sam had so long ago.

Emma got her haircut today after school

June 11, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma got her haircut today after school. She was very excited, spending a bunch of time combing her hair after she washed them.

It's remarkable how quickly Emma seems to be ...

April 17, 2009 by Adam in Emma

It's remarkable how quickly Emma seems to be growing up.

She can now read and write, though admittedly she needs lots of practice before tackling a novel. What most impresses me is her willingness to keep trying, even though it's tricky. I think having an older brother pave the way helps immensely.

Sam was praising Emma on her drawing skills. The other day she made a story using an unused present I bought for Sam years ago. We took Emma's story, packaged it up, and sent it off to be turned into a book. That's where the present part came in - it had special pages you wrote on and it came with a free book out of the deal. Now she's terribly excited to see how it'll turn out.

Emma's also gotten into online gaming. When it's a dreary day after school, she'll play Wizard 101 or Club Penguin. Already I've had to fend off requests for her to become a member. Of course, it was so sunny yesterday that we spent the afternoon exploring the yard and finding bugs. That's way more fun than video games.

The kids were fighting the other day and I ma...

April 10, 2009 by Adam in Emma

The kids were fighting the other day and I made the apologize to each other. Sam's apology was pretty weak, so I pointed to Emma as a model of good behavior. "That's the way you should apologize, Sam."

Emma then decided to demonstrate how it's done for Sam. She punched Jamie hard in the stomach, put on her most apologetic face, and sweetly said "I'm sorry."

We all laughed, which I'm not sure sent the right message.

Emma called me nearly in tears the other day

March 11, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma called me nearly in tears the other day. She told me that "the keyboard was undetected" and she couldn't play her new favorite game, Wizard 101.

Fortunately I was able to swap out the cool-but-cheap wood keyboard and put in a standard one. Now she's back to playing her online game as much as we'll let her.

Emma's been learning all sorts of things lately

January 30, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma's been learning all sorts of things lately. Yesterday she showed off her sewing project. The general shape was a tube, and I think the general idea was to make it into a hand warmer. I had fun using it as a ghost tube puppet, though.

She also made a ground hog for school, using a paper cup, tongue depresser, and assorted colored paper.

I've been most impressed by her reading. She's really taken to it this year and can sound out even really complicated words. One of my favorite parts about being a parent is watching my kids grow and learn. Emma's at a fun age where the curtain is drawn back and the mysteries of the world are revealed to her. I love her expression of joy when she learns something new.

Emma called me at work again yesterday, askin...

January 08, 2009 by Adam in Emma

Emma called me at work again yesterday, asking if I would join her club, which was all about marine biology. I agreed and she informed me that it would cost me a cent, which I pretended to stuff in the phone. Upon my arrival, she declared that I missed the club, but that I had all sorts of homework to do.

Somehow while going downstairs she got sidetracked and ended up playing Club Penguin.