Emma is now done with school as are all of the kids in the neighborhood at this point, making for some great big-kid-culdesac fun. At some point of almost everyday, Emma is over in the culdesac playing waterballoons, biking, tball, sidewalk chalk, etc. THIS IS WHY I LOVE LIVING HERE! I love my neighborhood. The houses are modest 1970's style, sandwhiched between 2 really nice new nieghborhoods so we lovingly refer to our houses as the ghetto. But it's really not true, because my neighbors are great and we all help each other out, watching kids, lending out various kitchen essentials, helping w. projects, etc. I never lived in this type of neighborhood growing up and am so excited for the girls to have the kind of place where there is always something to do, someone to play with, right outside thier door. Other than that, Emma has a few things going on this summer. She is going to a bible camp at church next week. Something I thought I would never do, because as a kid, I thought the words "vacation bible school" sounded like torture, a complete oxymoron. BUT- it sounds like so much fun and I think Emma will love it. Then we are off to CT for 10 days!!! Wow! I hope the trip goes well, considering what a difficult age Abby is right now, but more about that later. Then a sports camp in July for a few days. Other than that, we hope to get up the cabin a lot and before you know it summer will be gone. It goes way too fast!
How did Mike and I possibly get so lucky as to have 2 strong willed girls (bright side, bright side, bright side....)??? I am fast remembering Emma at 18 months and how difficult it was and we are now fully dealing with that with Abby. Not having the words to say what she wants, but wanting it so bad, and wanting it NOW, results in the loudest tantrums I have ever heard- she puts Emma to shame! And god forbid, if it is something she cannot have, like her 3rd cup of orange juice in a day, then she really boils over. The distraction techniques have not been working anymore and I try to just pick her up and hold her, but that seldom works anymore
either, so my only choice has been to just ride it out. There are so many periods of this throughout the day, that by the end of the day, we are both very tired and frustrated. Since I am trying to keep it real here, there have been some tears shed in the past few weeks (not Abby's) because I just look around and feel like Mike and I are having to work SO SO much harder than a lot of parents around me with such easy going, mellow children. I know that may not be true, but it really feels that way at times. However, there is a fantastic silver lining to this- I look at how smart, outgoing, intuitive, and funny Emma is and I know all this intensity will turn into a really wonderful personality. If I think of the future for my girls and what I want for them- I WANT the strong willed personality, I don't want pushovers or followers- I want LEADERS, who think for themselves. So I am thankful and need to remind myself of this often these days when I get frustrated. That's all about that for now- gotta go get Abby a cup of orange juice :) :) ;)
d some more water fun in the yard. I love summer- water is magical for keeping the kids busy and happy. Turn on the sprinkler and they are in heavan. We leave on Saturday for the beach house in CT and then have also planned a couple days up in Maine to show Emma where she was born, see some friends, eat some lobst-ah and all that good stuff. 
d some more water fun in the yard. I love summer- water is magical for keeping the kids busy and happy. Turn on the sprinkler and they are in heavan. We leave on Saturday for the beach house in CT and then have also planned a couple days up in Maine to show Emma where she was born, see some friends, eat some lobst-ah and all that good stuff. 
