We had orientation at Emily's new school today. We went to her room, met the teachers and then she stayed in her classroom while Mark and I made our way to the fellowship hall to pick up car pool tags, drop off health forms, pay fees, sign up for PTO and to sign up for other activities. I volunteered to help with Fall Family Night and also volunteered to help in the school library.

The whole orientation was incredibly organized and thorough. I loved both of Emily's teachers and got to meet some of the other students and parents. There will be 9 students and 2 teachers for Emily's Monday, Wednesday, Friday class. The classroom is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Even Mark appreciated her classroom. Here are some pictures.

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I took the kids to the park in Hedwig Village that is next door to the Spring Branch library. We got to the park at 9 and played until the library opened at 10. They had a great time at both places, it is a great set up for little children. Emily picked out a few books for herself and for Mark. She also found some children's audio books. I know I will regret it soon, but she really enjoyed listening to her new book on our way home from the library. The audio book is "Oogie Cooder the Party Animal", it is a children's book about a quirky little boy but I'm not sure yet why he is a party animal. We've only gotten through the first few chapters. But don't worry Ben, we can start it over next time so you can have a chance to catch up.

When Emily was about Mark's age (she was 8 months and Mark is now 7&1/2), I taught her a "yay!" trick. When I said "yay", she would raise her hands over her head. Yesterday I started teaching Mark the trick and he took to it very quickly. But, he likes to raise his arms and then hear me say "yay". He thinks it is hilarious. Here is a video link of Mark's new trick.

And here is a link to the post of Emily doing the same trick. This old post was before I had an iphone that took video, so there is no video, just pictures.

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We had a great time celebrating our anniversary with a night out with our friends. Both Emily and Mark had exciting weekends of their own as well. Ben's parents took Emily with them to Austin for the weekend. She had a great time being the center of attention and seeing all the family in Austin. She went swimming with Cassidy and her cousin Jack at Great Grandma and Grandpa Karcher's house and even got to ride on a glass-bottom boat in Aquarena Springs. Apparently she also learned how to play the ukulele - see link below. Thank you Grandma and Papa for taking care of Emily all weekend and for showing her such a good time!

Meanwhile, Ben and I were able to spend some extra time with Mark. He especially enjoyed the opportunity to play with all of Emily's favorite toys with out her throwing any fits and demanding that he stop and play with his own "baby toys". Here are some pictures of Mark enjoying his uninterrupted free for all in the playroom.

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