Half way there

The bad news is, my summer vacation is half way over. The good news is, I still have a month off. We have been keeping ourselves pretty busy and the time is flying by.

Eric was promoted at the end of May to branch manager is now making a much longer drive to work then ever before. He is hoping to get an assistant in his new branch soon but probably not before the summer is over. In the middle of June, he helped work the Life Teen Convention at the Scottsdale Double Tree and we were lucky enough to spend a night at the hotel with him. Emma and I also made it back one day for lunch and swimming at the hotel. He says doing the convention is work but I still think he has too much fun doing it to call it work. For his birthday, the kids and I, Eric's family, and my parents all went in together and got him the reloading press he's been wanting. My dad also gave him a giant work bench to mount it on so he has a pretty decent set up. Since starting his new job, Eric hasn't had much free time and has skipped playing Ultimate Frisbee which he normally does on Wednesday nights. He also hasn't had much time to go out shooting or hunting but I am sure that when he gets more settled at work, he will.

Emma and Josh have both been in swim lessons all summer long and are making terrific progress. Emma is starting to swim (actually swim) independently for the first time and Josh no longer screams his head off when we go to a pool. We have been catching up on play dates with friends we don't see as often as we used to and attending our summer movie club on Fridays. The new bunk beds were delivered 2 weeks ago and Emma loves sleeping on the top bunk. We are going to move Josh from the crib to the toddler bed in the next few weeks and he seems eager to sleep on the new bunks too. The kid's Ya-Ya got them matching sheet sets for their new beds which they love. Both are at a stage right now where they are each others best friend one minute and worst enemy the next. They play together so well at times, laughing and being silly and other times I can't keep them from screaming at each other or pounding on each other. Can't wait to add another one to the mix!

Emma is still as sassy as ever and is the strongest willed thing I know. My mom laughs and says she is just like me, fantastic. She is so smart and has a memory unlike any 4 year old I have met. I truly am not being bias either, I have worked with children for too many years now and know the difference. She loves school and misses her preschool teacher and friends a great deal. Every day she asks me when school starts again, I can only hope this love for learning is always in her. Lately she has been making up new words to songs she knows and loves singing to herself when she thinks no one is listening. She has learned most of the songs we frequently sing at church and can be very good during mass. She loves her new sister and rubs my stomach often. She likes to feel the baby kick and continually asks when she will be here. She is always suggesting names for the baby but seems stuck on Rosie right now.

Josh is our crazy little guy. He is so sweet and lovable but the terrible two's continue to get in the way. He is definitely trying to find himself and figure out what he can and can't get away with right now. He loves rough and tumble play and loves to make Emma scream. He goes after her with everything he's got just to have her run away, I swear if she stood up for herself that he'd leave her alone. He is very loving to other children smaller than him but often in a rough way, you can tell by his face he means to be sweet unfortunately it comes in the form of a squeeze to strong. Josh's best buddy is Eric and when dad is around, I am practically invisible. I am amazed at how bright Josh has turned out to be too, he is already using words correctly that most 2 and 1/2 year old don't say, like actually. What 2 year old says actually and uses it right? At the beginning of summer vacation I began potty training him and after one terrible week, he had it down. He wears underpants all day long and only occasionally has a small leak but will tell you right away he needs to go. Josh talks about the new baby often but I know he's got no idea what's in store, he will be a great big brother though.

As for me, I am 25 weeks along now and feel very pregnant. I can't complain much though, its been nice being off from work and spending a lot of time in the pool. My belly is huge even though Eric says it's no bigger than with Josh, I think he's just trying to be nice. I haven't done much with my time this summer beside the normal day to day stuff. I have been planning my little sister's baby shower (she is due 3 weeks before me) and getting together with friends for girl time, so I guess I've been busy enough.

We just got back from 5 days in California with my grandparents and luckily Eric gets another week off in August before I go back to work. I am enjoying being home and excited to see what the rest of my break will bring us.