Gwen's communication

Gwen is not a big talker but she has been making progress towards talking. She now says:

- ma/mom

- no (said very sweetly - for now)

- yeah

- uh-oh

- oooo! (with an inflection like when she's excited)

- oh (for the first part of open, accompanied by the sign)

- hehehe (when she cracks herself up)

She has tried to say the words "roll," "thank you," "circle," "up," "down," "Emma." She manages to get the first sound usually or a middle sound (thank you was gutteral like a guh guh but with inflections like what I usually use). 

She can make a lot of different vowel and consonant sounds and will occasionally try to imitate a word - particularly ones repeated by her siblings. 

Her animal sounds include those for: monkey, dog, cat, horse, lion/bear/tiger, snake, giraffe (hum), wolf, owl, alligator/crocodile. 

Her hand signs include: more, please, help, book, open, milk, cracker, cheese, banana, all done, thank you, again, bird, chicken, pig. 

She's growing and keeping up with us pretty well now!

Summer went way too fast

Our summer break was exactly two months long and it didn't feel long enough. The kids are happy to be back in school, though. 

We had a pretty relaxed time celebrating mine and Henry's birthdays this month - went to the Museum of Flight for Henry's and mostly hung out at home on mine since Henry and Gwen were sick (runny noses, crankiness for Gwen). Bry got sick too after my birthday and I've just had some sneezing. Emma has been fine which is good. 

Gwen's canine teeth have started to come through! She says some animal sounds now and says "MA!" when she really wants my attention, but still isn't saying much else. She knows a little sign language and can sign: milk, eat, more, please, banana, thank you, help, crackers. Mostly she screams or grunts when she gets frustrated or upset or is trying to get our attention, so that hasn't been fun but we're trying to help her with communicating. She is laughing more these days and that's been pretty great. 

We got a dog almost 3 weeks ago now. He's almost 11 months old now. The first few days were dreadful for me emotionally and mentally but things have gotten better as he has gotten more settled and I've gotten to know him more. He's a great dog and we all like him. 

Easter

We had a quiet Easter at home. The kids looked for Easter baskets before church. I left early to practice with choir before church. The church meeting was nice even with having to play pass-the-baby with Bry who was conducting the meeting and sitting at the front of the chapel where I went when the choir sang (two numbers - a prelude and an interlude). Trickiest bit was trying to pick her up from him while holding my choir folder but it was pretty slick. 

After church the kids got to hunt for eggs - Gwen's first time really participating. She caught on pretty well. 

All three kids reached for the stuffed animal in their basket first. They are my children. :) 

Henry helping Gwen find eggs.

Henry lately

Henry has been doing soccer this season and loving it (even with some of the games being in the rain). Bry is coaching the team which has been a new experience but he has been learning and doing a great job. 

Henry also participated in a kindergarten spring program. He was one of a few kids who got a speaking part and he did great. They sang songs, of which my favorite was one about worms. They had to be wiggly worms at one point and Henry was one of the wiggliest. It was such a cute program I nearly cried but I managed to hold it together. It was a special thing to see - something Emma missed out on without knowing it her kindergarten year since it was virtual/online then. 

(Belated) E's birthday

 I thought I had posted about Emma's birthday but evidently not. She got to be baptized on her birthday so it was a very special day in January. Quite a few friends and family were able to make it, including family that watched from home thanks to Google meet. Emma was so happy after being baptized she hopped while in the font and skipped after getting out. 

The above photos were taken the week before her birthday. All the photos below were taken on her birthday. 

Opening her new scriptures.

Fitting them in a new bag.

Wearing a blanket on her head and looking at books. Ha.

Assembling her new scooter.

Canada trip - Calgary week

 From Waterton area we drove up to Calgary and stayed a week. We were able to check off everything we'd hoped to do which included seeing the neighborhoods and schools Bry grew up in / grew up going to, got Peter's Drive-In, spent a day in Banff, made a trip to Drumheller, and went to the Calgary Stampede on opening day (which was crazy - we would have gone a different day but it was our last day). 

Mount Norquay Lookout in Banff

The mountains were so interesting and varied. 

Gwen likes going places in the Ergobaby carrier.

Silverton Falls was a good short hike

Lake Louise is GORGEOUS.

I don't know what he was doing but it looks like he's hiding.

Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. DINOSAURS! Henry had looked forward to this day for weeks, or maybe months. We went with Bry's sister Laurel Lee and her daughters who were also staying in Calgary after the reunion. 

At the Stampede we saw motorbike stunts, got frozen lemonade (because it was HOT - the previous day we had a crazy huge but brief hail/thunderstorm but all the clouds blew away and the sun made it's presence known), saw a few draft horses, watched a Paw Patrol story time then waited to meet Marshall afterwards. Our time at the Stampede didn't go quite as we'd hoped and we didn't see as much as we would have liked but for a few short hours we got to enjoy it (for free because of an opening day special allowing free admittance and Mark dropped us off so we didn't have to deal with parking). 

These two melt my heart sometimes. They did this and giggled.

Gwen did a good job hanging out in her stroller most of the time.

Picture with Marshall! Gwen stared at him and didn't cry.