Updates

So I haven't been the best at blogging lately. It seems like we have just been incredibly busy. Doing what, I am honestly not too sure, but I know I seldom have the chance to sit down at the computer and do an entry.

Emily is back in school after a LONG Easter Break. Yes, they do still call it Easter Break here, which I find refreshing. We were all ready for her to go back to school, she missed it, I missed it. She loves her teachers and loves learning. They are studying jungles this terms and she is quite excited. Today she made a toucan at school, very very cool.

While on break from school Emily developed a behavior that has tried us as parents more than just about anything (including potty training which REALLY says something). She started throwing temper tantrums. I, incidentally, thought it was the terrible 2s. In our house the 2s were a cake walk. The 3s? Looks out! So she started throwing fits, and I do mean fits, if she didn't get her way. Throw things, cry, scream, hit, type of fits. We were at our wits end.

So we started a treasure box at the recommendation of our sister in law Trina, who did something similar with her son. She gets stickers for good behavior. We are going for the positive reinforcement here. When she gets 5 stickers she gets a treat out of the box. So far we are two days into it and it has been amazing. She loves to do things to get her stickers. And the fits are drastically reduced. So keep your fingers crossed for us! I feel like it really plays on her desire to be good, and encourages her to really try for something. And I am starting to realize she would do just about anything for chocolate. . .

So today she made her bed, cleaned her room, picked up toys, ate three fantastic meals, took a bath, brushed teeth, got dressed in the morning, sat through scripture reading, and prayed with only a minor amount of parental prodding. Is she perfect? Of course not, she is still 3. But she is trying so hard and the result is our darling little girl is back. Let's hope the novelty of this program takes a long, long time to wear off!

Hannah is doing great. She is a fairly easy going little one. She loves to play, to read, to play with play doh, and to snuggle in my bed with Emily and watch Curious George. She also loves Pooh Bear. She is talking a lot more now, trying to say all sorts of words and expanding her overall vocabulary by leaps and bounds.

We are getting SUPER excited about our move this summer and about our two week vacation back to the US. We are debating trying to do Disney World, but aren't sure how much the kids would get out of it at this age. Anyone with any experience on this?

Anyway all is well for us. Hopefully there will be some more exciting posts soon! Below are pictures of the girls from a week ago today at a branch BBQ. Emily doesn't like many of the aspects of church here, but one thing she does love is being a sunbeam with her friend Radena. They are really cute together.