Three Kids Smiling

Not just any random kids, but my own...

And, dare I say that Emily is beginning to look more and more like a "middle-schooler" every day?

Busy Weekend=No Blogging

Busy for sure, but fun nonetheless. On Friday afternoon, we went over to my parents to swim with Jack and Suzanne. It was fun, and as usual, Jack and Julia were so cute together. We came home Friday night and, I stayed up way too late watching recorded tv.

On Saturday we had a birthday party to go to which was nice, although I did have to spend the first 45 minutes or so following Julia around because she refused to go play with the other kids by herself. She warmed up though after a while and was fine. We ended up being invited back to my parents to swim for a couple of hours after the party. It would have been a waste to go all the way home to get suits though, so I told the kids they could swim in their clothes. I might have earned the "coolest mom ever" award, but I can't be sure. It was all good, until we got there, and Julia refused to go in the pool without me. Thankfully, my sister Heather had two suits with her, so I borrowed one and Julia went in. She let me hold her in the water for a few minutes, but then retreated to her usual spot on the stairs and that was that.

Somewhere, between Saturday and Sunday (when we went back to the pool for the day) Julia decided that not only would she let me hold her in the water, but that she would swim by herself all over the shallow end and what the heck, jump off of the side without anyone catching her. It was like a switch in her head flipped, and she suddenly gained the confidence to know that not only could she do it, but that we would all be "right there" if she needed anything. You could tell how physically hard it was for her, but she kept right on going, pausing only to snack and go to the bathroom. It's hard to put in to words how proud I was of her. I will be anxious to see how she does when we go to a pool party on the 4th, not at my parents house and with people there that she knows only vaguely or not at all.

I am not sure what will be going on for week. Tomorrow is my turn to water the garden in the outdoor classroom at the Goode School and I think after that we will run errands. Beyond that? I don't know. But hey, it's summer? We don't need to have a plan now, do we?

Why I Feel Old...

...and oddly excited about it at the same time.

I was reviewing the summer reading list for the middle school and actually saw books on it that I remember reading as a kid. More importantly, I remember reading and loving them.

Little Women
The Ann Of Green Gables Series
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Call Of The Wild
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Tuck Everlasting
The Outsiders


So I am totally geeking out here and thinking it would be cool for her and I to read them together and then, like, discuss them. Like a mother/daughter book club.


I can't wait for "To Kill A Mockingbird," "1984" "Catcher in the Rye" and "Brave, New World." No, I am not kidding here!

Kid Cuteness

From the pool yesterday...

Clearly, Julia was not thrilled with the idea of having her picture taken!

Julia

"Are you supposed to throw things at Mama?" (Me to Julia after getting clocked in the head with a toy).

Julia: "No."

Me: "So, Julia, what are you going to do with the toy?"

Julia: "Throw it at Dee Dee instead." (Her nickname for Katherine which I think was derived from teaching her to say, Katie).

Funny. I thought she was going to say that she would put the toy away or play with it the right way, not throw it at someone else instead!

Technical Question

So, I downloaded FF3 the other day and now, some (not all) of my bookmarks are showing up in my drop log. I can't seem to figure out how to get them out of the log. I am sure it is just a setting that I am not seeing or something, but I didn't know if anyone had any idea how to fix it?

FYI

Snapshots By Sharon has been updated, a number of times since I last linked from here.

You Know What's Hard?

When you have 2 kids who from all accounts (professional, medical, observational and otherwise) thrive on structure and routines, when you yourself are about as unstructured and "non-routine" as it gets.

How the heck am I supposed to expect routine and structure from them, when I can't even force routine and structure on myself, no matter how appealing and beneficial it seems like it could be for all involved?

I don't think I ever gave a thought to how much I would have to change (beyond the expected changes that come with taking care of and loving another human being) as a result of being a parent.

It's a vicious circle isn't it? Beyond that though? It lends credence to the fact that some things, even as obscure as structure and routine (or lack there of) can be conditioned and learned, as much as it's possible that the skills and traits needed to be structured or "routined" can be part of ones genetic makeup.

FYI

Confessions Of A Stay At Home Mom has been updated.

Does anyone else...

...somehow fell "smarter" when they wear glasses? I know, it makes no sense, but I do.

Attitude Is Everything

"This freakin' stinks!" Ryun, after a brief episode of pouring rain at the game last night.

A little while later...

"This is the best baseball game I have ever been to. I have never been to a baseball game where is has rained!" Katherine

Anyway, with the exception of some drunk, old dude throwing his arm around me to sing, "Sweet Caroline" at the end of the 8th, last night's Paw Sox game was fun! And actually? The drunk, old dude singing Sweet Caroline was pretty funny too. Julia had a few moments in the beginning of the game where she was slightly overwhelmed with the whole situation, but after saying a couple of times that she wanted to go home, she warmed up to the idea and was fine. I was surprised that she actually stayed awake for the whole game, but, she was asleep about 5 minutes after we left the parking lot.

All three kids, smiling at the same time! As Emily said, "It's a miracle!"

About 45 minutes before game time, according to the clock there.

That's Clay Buckholz, making his way out to stretch before the game. Katherine, in one of her "Katherine moments" said, just after Clay took his place on the mound, "Hey, where's that guy that threw the no-hitter?"

Emily and Katherine were all excited to sit "by themselves" in the row right in front of Ryun, Julia, and I .

Katherine is standing behind me as I type this and said that this caption should say, "Emily and Katherine being weirdos." So, there you have it.

This was Julia's first official baseball game. I think she liked it!

Julia decided that she liked the view from the floor.

How cute is she?

Ryun and Julia spent some time enjoying the game together.

Sometimes Honesty Is Not The Best Policy

Like, for example when it's going to cost you a few hundred dollars a year extra on your car insurance for an accident so minimal that it almost doesn't even qualify as one.

GRRRRRR.....

What Time Is It?

SUMMERTIME!

Sorry, I was channeling High School Musical there for a minute.

I was reminded today of two things, which aren't even academic in nature, that make The Middleboro Elementary Schools tops in my book.

Every morning, each class at the HBB School takes part in a flag raising ceremony. The class goes outside to the flag pole with the assistant principal. Each student takes part in the unfolding of the flag. It is then carefully attached to the pole and risen. They say the pledge together with the vice principal and head in to start the day. I like it because it gives much more meaning to the importance of the flag than a simple "saying of the pledge" in the classroom, and it also provides a hands on, engaging activity for the students to get involved in.

The other thing was something that touches me ever year when I hear about it, and always forget to mention it. On the last day of school as the buses are pulling away, every teacher and staff member, as well as the principals and vice principals come out of the building and wave as the students leave. it's such a nice send off for the kids.

Anyway, it's official! School's out for the summer, and I could be more excited about this then I was when I was a kid myself.

Sleep

It started sometime just before we decided to put Julia in a bed. She suddenly refused to go to bed in her room, and instead fell asleep on the couch. Sometime before Ryun went to bed, he would bring her up to bed and she would spend the night in her own room, with few exceptions. It was not ideal, but at least she was in bed at a normal hour and not screaming crying about starting the night in her room. Sometime about a month or two ago (I am so tired I have lost track) she started waking up screaming and scared every single night, about 4-5 hours after falling asleep usually. Trying to console and convince her to go back to sleep in her own room has not worked, so she has been spending every single night in our bed. This means I have been getting a crappy nights sleep, and, dude, I can't take it anymore.

So, I am looking for any suggestions you have toward accomplishing the following:

Julia, going to bed in her own room awake, every night, around 7:30 (ish) falling asleep, staying asleep through the night, and waking up around 7. I would like for this to happen every night but, for right now I'd settle for 50% of the time, or even 30 %.

So if you have some miracle solution, or even something that you think may work? Please, share!

Does anyone...

...(ahem Jay, Suz, Heath) how to make a picture not "right-clickable?" I realize that this doesn't exactly prevent copying of the picture (because I am pretty sure that it will just end up somewhere on the computer anyway) but it will prevent the "average joe" computer user from copying pictures and figuring out where they end up even if they don't copy them. I was thinking of posting some pics that I took over at the photography blog, but wanted to "protect them" in case I decide to sell them at some point.

So, all you computer peeps out there, a little help please?!?!

Thanks!

End Of School Year

As much as I am happy to have summer come at the end of every school year, there is a certain amount of sadness attached to it as well, this year, for some reason, more so than others.

Could it be because this year symbolizes the end of an era? Emily is officially leaving elementary school in three days, after all. And me? I am the soon to be mother of a "middle-schooler." How the heck did that happen?

Anyway, I am sure that when the alarm doesn't go off at 6:00 Friday morning? Somehow the sadness of the school year ending will disappear.

Julia

I had noted over on Twitter (updates on the sidebar over there) that there are times when I feel like Julia could be somewhere on the "Autism Spectrum." There are also times when I feel like she could have OCD, ADD or Sensory Integration Disorder. So, me being me? I decided to look in to some of the symptoms of each thing and compile a list of those that apply to her. I am putting the list here for my own purposes of keeping track in a more permanent place.

OCD Symptoms:

-need to have things "just so."

An example of this (one of many) occurred the other day when I had the laundry set by the cellar door to go down to the washer. She was getting dressed for the day and as she was walking to put her clothes in the dirty, I told her to just put them in the basket by the door. She absolutely refused because the dirty laundry? Belongs in my bedroom, not by the door to go down stairs.

-need for symmetry, order, and precision.

Photographic proof (and again, just one of many, many examples).




See how the top one is "missing" a piece? We were playing a game in which we were taking pieces away by their color (find the one with the green and purple circles etc.) and she would not continue the game until we put the missing piece back. Even as I tried to explain to her that this ways the way the game was played, she was angry, almost to the point of tears.

ADHD Symptoms:

This one is a little tricky because she is a toddler and they are not expected to have a long attention span. The only thing that makes me wonder about this is her "space cadet" behavior. The speech pathologist at school notices this a lot. When you ask Julia to do some age appropriate task that by all accounts she should understand, she will either stare blankly, or talk about something completely unrelated to whatever is going on. It's really difficult to tell if she really doesn't understand what is being asked of her, or if she is just off in her own little world distracted by her own thoughts.

Sensory Integration Disorder:

Julia has hypotonia (low muscle tone), poor coordination and balance, and occasionally still does the hand flapping thing. The eating concerns she had have basically been resolved with a couple of months of intense OT. She also must wash her hands and face immediately upon eating because she hates the feeling of being sticky, or having anything on her hands or face. She is ok with something like sand, that will run through her fingers but not stay on them, but not cool with something like the remnants of a waffle with syrup, or a granola bar. These are all classic signs of sensory processing problems.

Autism/Aspergers/PDD-NOS:

-delayed motor development.
-hand flapping (occasionally).
-sameness/routines.
-unusually passive (at times).
-comprehension lacking ( again with the does she really not understand or is she off in her own world?).
-laughing randomly at something that isn't obvious.
-needs major social prompting and cues (for example at school she needs to be told and sometimes physically directed over to where the other kids are to play).
-still does parallel play (playing next to but not with her peers I would say about 75 % of the time).
-seems extremely comfortable with family, but beyond that doesn't always make eye contact with other familiar but not someone she sees regularly people.

That, I think is a pretty inclusive list. I could site about a zillion other examples of these behaviors but, I don't think I need to do that here.

It's silly for me to be worried about kindergarten now, but, I have to say it is very hard for me to imagine her surviving in such a structured setting. I am also having a hard time imagining her reading, or doing math or anything else that requires a great deal of though and concentration, at least not without major assistance. While part of this is the Mom in me going through the, "Oh my God, my baby is growing up" thing, this feeling of "Is she really going to be able to do this?" is much stronger than it was with Katherine or Emily, especially Emily, who is poised to take over the world any day now.

Yes, I Am A Total Geek

Check out the latest New Kids On The Block video. They've all aged quite well, but, Donnie is still my favorite.

What I Need To Today

...food shop.

...clean the house.

...pack for Emily.

...prepare for the yard sale.

...re-organize the office.

What I Want To Do Today.

...none of the above.

Yay.

The Attleboro Job

Heh. This is a funny blog entry about a not so funny situation regarding the stealing of some of the NY Giants Superbowl Champion rings.

End Of The Year Teacher Gifts

Every year, I try to come up with (or copy someone else's!) creative ideas for teacher gifts. Last year, we made little books titled, "What I Learned In Mrs.______Class." The year before that, I complied a list of summer-type recipes, and made each teacher a scrapbook-style recipe book. This year, I have three teachers, one teacher's aide, a Title I Reading Teacher, and three specialists (OT, PT and Speech Pathologist) to buy for. Obviously, due to the sheer number of people, money will be a factor in my decision. I have a couple ideas in mind.

For the classroom teachers, I was thinking of putting together a bag of school supplies for the classroom next year. With budget cuts and even without, more and more teachers are having to pay out of their own pocket for things such as pencils, crayons, glue etc. At least this seems like a useful gift, and not something that will sit on a shelf and collect dust.

Another thought I had was making fortune cookies, an idea I found here.. I could buy the cookies, and dip them in chocolate, dip them in to some sprinkles, and put them in Chinese food takeout containers that I could get inexpensively enough at Michael's.

I am still thinking about what I could get for the Title I teacher. I was thinking a gift card to Borders maybe, since I am assuming someone that teaches reading would like to read?

I am also trying to come up with a creative idea for the OT, PT, and SP.

Any thoughts or ideas you would like to share?

Rather than link...

...to each one specifically, I will just announce that I have updated all of my blogs, in which the links to can be found on the right side of this page.

Julia's IEP Review

A couple of weeks back, I had Julia's IEP Review meeting, in which her concerns, vision statement and annual goals were updated.

Here's what I included for her parent concerns and vision statement:

Parent Concerns: Our immediate concerns for Julia lie in her gross motor, speech and language, and sensory processes. Specifically, our concerns relate to Julia’s overall muscle tone and balance, comprehension of materials and tasks being presented to her, her social skills and interacting with her peers, and her sensory motor and planning skills.

Vision Statement: Our immediate vision is for Julia to improve her overall muscle tone and balance, comprehension of tasks and materials being presented to her, social interactions with her peers, and overall sensory and motor planning. Looking to the future, we are hoping that this school year will adequately prepare Julia academically, physically, and emotionally for kindergarten.


Julia has four parts to her IEP; general curriculum, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech and Language. Within each area, specific accommodations are listed as they apply to Julia's needs.

General Curriculum/Speech and Language:
Extra wait time, short, simple directions after obtaining eye contact, cues and prompts to complete tasks, and cues before transitioning or changes in routine.

Occupational and Physical Therapy:

Encourage prone positions, encourage weight bearing prone positions suich as kneeling, encourage stair climbing, work on vertical service like black board or easel, encourage movement activities and position change.

Each area also has a measurable goal which are as follows:

OT: Julia will improve sensory processing, sensory motor development, and fine motor development.

PT: Julia will demonstrate improved postural strength, proximal stability and strength, endurance and balance.

Communication (Speech and Language): Julia will follow two step directions in small group therapy sessions with 80 % accuracy, and will answer "Why" questions when reading a book or playing a game with 80 % accuracy.

General Curriculum: Given decreasing prompts, Julia will increase her time spent on non-preferred activities through out the school day.

There are of course, all kinds of benchmarks that are listed to achieve these goals.

She will be particpating in the sensory-motor OT/PT group that she has been next year, 2 times a week for 45 minutes each. She will be in a small group speech session for 30 minutes per week and in a co-treat speech group for 30 minutes per week.

Overall, i am pleased with how this will play out next year. Silly me is already getting nervous about kindergarten because it's hard for me to imagine her being in a structured setting for an entire day. I never really had this concern with Emily and Katherine but this is Julia. And Julia? She's just not like Emily and Katherine were at the same age. It's hard to put it into words though. Anyway, worrying about kindergarten now? It's just a little premature!

Book Signing At School

Last week, Jeff Kinney was at The Burkland School as part of the PTA sponsored Scholastic Book Fair Family Night. The kids were super-excited to meet him. He did a wonderful presentation and then signed copies of his books. I have almost finished the first one myself (after his presentation I thought it might be fun for Em and I to read it at the same time) and am looking forward to the second. It was a great family night, and I was the official PTA photographer.

Here's a shot of Emily and Katherine with Mr. Kinney.

Why Do I Feel Guilty?

Because I don't want my kids to do SHARP this summer? Maybe it's because the only reason I don't want them to do it is sheer laziness? It would mean two weeks of being out of the house by 8:30 in the morning and dude, it's summer. I am so looking forward to just relaxing and not having to do the "rush rush" of every day life.

It's not like we don't have an action-packed summer planned already. We are vacationing in NH for a week, Cape Cod for another, and they will be going to a week-long Girl Scout Camp...not to mention spending plenty of time over at the pool, and whatever other fun things we plan. I think we are going to try and reserve the library pass to go to the Museum of Science to see the Baseball Hall Of Fame Exhibit. We also just got tickets to go see the Pawsox.

So really, it's not like SHARP is the only thing they would be doing,if they were, an d I am taking it away.

Grr...mom guilt? Take a hike!

Lessons Learned From Today's Festival...

...at which I set up a table of my photographs to sell.

In list form because, dude, I am tired.

1. It's hot sitting in 90+ degree weather for hours on end.

2. Note cards are a HUGELY popular item. I need to remember this for the future. I sold out of those today. (I made 20 total, 2 different pictures, grouped in 5's and sold them for $5.50).

3. Coasters are popular too. I need to look in to buying them in bulk though because even though I sold them today, I really didn't make much money off of them. I sold them "cheaper" than I should have.

4. I really do have talent! YAY! It has been officially confirmed by people who aren't members of the family, aren't friends, and don't know me in any way.

5. Even though I didn't make my table fee back, I am very pleased to have sold anything at all. This was the first time I have ever done anything like this, and it was a HUGE boost of confidence to have people both admire and purchase some of my work.

6. Bluegrass Music? I am totally hooked. I don't think my foot stopped tapping to the beat all day!

7. Sitting in the sun, even despite it being hot, listening to the music and just taking in the sights and sounds around me was a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

8. Heading over to my parents house for a swim and dinner, was a very enjoyable way to spend the early part of the evening.

9. Emily is funny. Actually, I already knew that but it was reinforced today when on the way to the festival she asked, "Can I share in the profit?" (This after I told her in advance that I was there to make money, not spend it, which translates in to "Don't ask me for everything you see there because I am not going to buy it").

10. Preparing for one of these vendor fair type things takes A LOT of work. It was well worth it for me in this case though, and I would gladly do it again.

This one's for...

Metroman!

FOUR THINGS ABOUT ME!!!!!
Well, it starts with me, but I really want to know about YOU!

This one is a bit different from others we've seen go around. Four things about me that you may or may not have known in no particular order.

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Video rental store clerk
2.Filene's sales associate
3. Front desk clerk in college
4. Customer Service Rep for the Cable Company (a job which I don't recommend if you are looking to remain sane).


Four movies I've watched more than once:
1. The Breakfast Club
2. Back to the Future Trilogy
3. Return To Me
4. All Six Star Wars movies

Four places I have lived:
1. Middleboro, MA (currently)
2. Plymouth, MA (2nd apartment after we were married)
3. North Andover, MA (while in college)
4. Carver, MA (where I grew up, and also where our 1st apartment after we got married was located)


Four T. V. Shows that I watch:
1. American Idol
2. LOST
3. Amry Wives
4. Extreme Makeover Home Edition


Four places I have been:
1. New York
2. Ohio
3. Florida
4. California

(and just because I feel like mentioning it Canada and every New England State)

People who e-mail me
1. Mom
2. Heather
3.Suz
4. PTA members and school volunteers

Four of my favorite foods:
1. My chicken broccoli and ziti
2. Anything made by my mother
3. Pretty much anything that I don't have to cook
4. Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich at Red Robin

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Chapin Beach in Dennis, MA
2. Florida
3. Stowe, VT
4. outside in general (but it's raining and yucky...boo hoo)


Four friends I think will respond:
1. No one
2. No one
3. No one
and...wait for it...
4. no one


Things I am looking forward to this year:
1. SUMMER!!!!!
2. Being elected PTA President
3. Vacation in the White Mountains of NH and at Chapin Beach on Cape Cod (two of my favorite places in the world)
4. Living in the moment (Eckhart Tolle style)

Confession

When my kids do something wrong, I question whether or not a did a good job teaching them right from wrong. I almost always feel horribly guilty.

"Mom" guilt is a wonderful thing.

I have no idea how to get beyond that. No idea, especially when I know that deep down, my daughter knows that it would be inappropriate to kick another student, no matter what they said or did. If she knows, then why did she do it?

Hormones? Poor judgment? Maybe this kid had been giving her such hard time that she had just reached her breaking point? Who knows.

Either way? I need to stop second-guessing myself. It just makes matters worse, and can't possibly be good for my mental health.

So Much To Say, So Little Time

So what do you get when that happens? An entry that sums up an entire couple of weeks in two words.

Very busy.

Ok, Ok, I'll elaborate.

Let's start with the dream I had last night. It entailed a visit to the dentist in which my teeth were basically rotting out of my head. Nice, huh? Anyway, when discussing the options with the doctor, he said the best option would be to just give me something for the pain, and let them continue to decay, until they fell out. Dreams about teeth never mean anything good (trust me I have looked it up) but in this case, I am hoping that the dream was just a little reflection of anxiety about the dentist appointment I have coming up next week. Because otherwise? I am doomed.

I posted pictures of the trip to Vermont, but I didn't elaborate any further than that. It was all that I expected it to be and more. I am still in awe of the scenery. I am still in awe of the atmosphere at the Lodge. The people were just so...nice. We had all but one of our meals on the property. The food was delicious. On Saturday, we took a two mile walk on one of the trails through the woods. Aside from being exceptionally hot, it was probably the most beautiful part of the trip. On Saturday morning I got up at 5:30 to watch the sun rise over the mountains. I don't think I ever ever felt as at peace as I did in that time. At one point on Sunday, one of the bellhops asked us if we were enjoying our stay and I said that we were, but that I was sad that it was ending. He said, "It stays with you though." I couldn't have said it better myself.

It has been, and will continue to be a busy month. Just the this week alone is going to be crazy. Today, I remembered at the last minute that Katherine was going to the book fair at 2. It was noon when it occurred to me so I had plenty of time to get Julia and I ready and out the door. I love that they allow parents (allow and even encourage) to come to the book fair to help their child select a book (or in Katherine's case, three books). It's just one of many ways that I feel Middleboro encourages parent involvement. While there, I realized that Julia practically has celebrity status in Emily's classroom, as her class was walking by and almost every student (and the teacher) said smething like, "is that Julia?" or "Hi Julia." It was pretty funny but Julia had no idea what to make of it. We ran a few quick errands before we went back home. After the kids got off of the bus, they played in the yard for a while and then I brought Emily to voice. Ryun will be heading out for poker in a little while. Tomorrow I am volunteering at the Goode School to help assemble the take home book bags all of the kids get over the summer. Wednesday morning I will be at the MECC helping out with Earth Day activities. Wednesday night is Principal's Pride Night at HBB, as well as Family Night at the Book Fair(also at HBB), at which I will be working. Thursday is the 5th Grade Field Day and I will be there for a couple of hours in the morning while Julia is at school. Friday is the Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast at MKG, as well as the Student Of The Month Lunch, which I will be attending with Katherine who was chosen for that honor for the month of May. Friday night I am supposed to be going to a Crop (scrap booking) for the night (I am undecided on this right now but I always have so much fun when I go so I probably will). Saturday I am jumping head first into this "I really should sell my pictures" thing by setting up a table at a Bluegrass Festival in Carver. I am excited and nervous at the same time about this but unless I take the plunge, I will never know, right? I have a good selection of matted 8x10 photos and am making note cards with two of my favorite pictures (which I will sell in groups of 5 ). I am also going to sell coasters I had made a while back with my favorite ever beach picture on them. I am going to try, to fit in between all of the stuff going on to put together an album of some of my work.

Next week? Doesn't look to be any less busy with a graduation party, 4 doctors appointments for various members of the family, a PTA meeting, volunteering in Julia's classroom, a field trip with Julia's class, two concerts (Emily is in her school chorus concert, and her end of the year Burtwood School recital), a Girl Scout Meeting, and a yard sale at the end of the week.

It's all good, and I love volunteering, and I am glad the kids are involved in their various activities, but, I am not going to lie. I can not wait for it to be over and for summer to begin.

Happy Birthday...

...to Emily, who will be 11 at 5:48 pm precisely.

I could do the usual, "Time passes too fast" thing, but y'all already know that, don't you?


She will be back from her camping trip around 11, at which point we will celebrate with a visit from my sisters and Jack, cupcakes, presents and a trip to the playground if the weather holds out.

Happy Birthday Emily!