Sunday, March 25, 2012
Animals all around
We went to FL in February and stayed at Disney's Animal Kingdom. We had a wonderful time with family (visiting Uncle Tim & Aunt Alex AND Granny & GranDad were there as well!) There were lots of animals outside of our room right off the balcony. The kids loved it. We went to the Animal Kingdom theme park, to LegoLand (amusement park) and did some swimming and shopping. A much needed family break after Phil's aggressive travel schedule in Jan/Feb. Here are a few pics... Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Academic Fair
Ella was one of 3 kindergarteners asked to participate in her schools academic fair. This being the first time around, we weren't really sure what to do/expect but she did a wonderful job! She decided to do her project about Libraries and where they started, how long ago, how they are organized, etc. It was a lot of work but she really enjoyed it. She helped me type it up and selected all of the pictures and color backgrounds. We were so proud. The board was on display for the entire school and families to see. Great job Ella!
Also, at the fair, they had some Math games going on. Henry competed in the 'suck on a hershey kiss without chewing it and see how long it lasts' competition and WON! Here's a picture of him concentrating... he's not competitive at all.
Also, at the fair, they had some Math games going on. Henry competed in the 'suck on a hershey kiss without chewing it and see how long it lasts' competition and WON! Here's a picture of him concentrating... he's not competitive at all.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
He's going to be outnumbered
We went to the doctor yesterday and found out that Henry (most likely) will be outnumbered officially b/c baby #4 is a girl! I think Phil and I were pretty shocked b/c we really thought it would be a boy. But today, the news has settled in and we could not be happier! We love baby girls and feel so blessed that this baby is healthy and growing just fine. Henry is an amazing loving brother and will protect his sisters like crazy. The kids are all super excited. Henry wanted to snuggle with me during the ultrasound, Betty was waving to the baby on the monitor and Ella just held my hand and squeezed it throughout the appt. Ella can't wait to take care of this baby and Betty - well, she's practicing loving babies all the time. I bet they'll be super close. It was surreal to find out the gender this time since we haven't ever done that before. We can't wait to meet her...we're keeping the name a secret but thought we'd share the gender news. In honor of the announcement, we've changed the blog to girl colors... :)
Monday, February 6, 2012
Pretending it's March
We had a crazy warm day on 1/31 - we took advantage and went straight to the park. We can't wait for spring!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Best Friends
Seriously... does it get any better than this? I captured this shot just before bathtime. Oh the love!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
I guess it's time...
I start posting again! Time flies and we've really been having fun. I feel like this past year has really been a time for me to just cherish our family. We are so blessed and I'm hanging on to these family times because I know that the kids are growing up, I'm getting older and we'll look back on these times as the best of our lives. I know that and am savoring each day (not every moment, but the day in general.) Here's a little update on each of our kiddos (updated photos on the right)and the family:
Ella - she's 6 now. Some days she seems like she's 10. She LOVES kindergarten and is really doing well. She's excelling academically. It's really amazing. She's reading on her own, doing math and making friendships that I think could last a lifetime. I have friends still from kindergarten and she's met a great group of girls this year that we adore. Her teacher, Mr. Keck, is young and cool and she thinks he's just so fun. She loves to learn and is growing each day. Ella had the role of 'little mouse' in our local production of the Nutcracker ballet. She had so much fun and all of the practices were worth it. She cried when it was over... perhaps from exhaustion but also perhaps because she loves to be in stage (4 performances and she's hooked!) She is currently taking ballet and tap, took tennis again in the fall and is starting soccer later this month. She loves to compete and enjoys staying active. Ella is my beautiful, sensitive soul.
Henry - he's 4 and such a little dude. He loves all things masculine... physical play, dinosaurs, 'bad guys,' sports and video games. Now that Ella is in school full time, his relationship with Betty has been so fun to watch. He is a doting big brother but also a bit of an antagonist. His laughter is contagious and his personality is always one to have fun. He's gotten over (most) of his frustration when he can't do something and just tried harder. He's really doing well in school, becoming more and more interested in the academics part as well as arts & crafts. He had his first friend birthday party in the fall and at least once a week, he makes plans for his next birthday party (he obviously had a good time!) He is involved in tennis and soccer and will do his first 'legit' tee-ball this summer. He loves a silly story and uses his imagination to the fullest extent. His imaginary friend 'Dan' has a lot of experiences that Henry relays to us but when you try and ask him about the reality of Dan and he looks at you and often says: "Are you crazy? Don't you know Dan isn't real?" It's hysterical. While he loves physical play, he's one of the first to want to snuggle with me and I love it. Something special about a little boy and his Mom. Henry's our fun loving, happy boy.
Betty - talk about growing! She's just over 21 months (stuck between 1 1/2 & 2) but going on 3 it seems. She's semi interested in potty training (pretty much everything is poo-poo) and her language skills are exploding. You can see her learning new words and saying them each day. Simple sentences are starting and it makes communication so much easier. One she's stuck on is: Lee-La = Candy. It's pretty cute. I don't have the heart to correct her yet. She also loves Melmo (aka Elmo.) She is a tough little girl but somewhere between a tom boy and princess. She loves to play dress up with Ella (girl loves heels and a tu-tu) but also plays cars with Henry. She holds her own with the 2 big kids and does her best to hang with them all day. About a week ago, she decided she was 'done' with her crib... crawling out multiple times in a night. So she's now in a big girl bed (a trundle bed) in Ella's room. She loves the freedom and I think she feels like such a big girl. Betty loves to dance and run around (she rarely walks... it's constant running.) She's getting so big and we love her so much.
As for Phil and I, we do our best to keep up. Phil's busy season has started and so he's traveling a lot but also spending lots of free time with the kids. They love him so much and he's the best father. So much more than I ever hoped for and we are so blessed by him. He's so fun and funny and gives so much of himself. I'm in awe of how he juggles the kids, a demanding job, still involved with CardCare and still has to deal with me (I've never been low maintenance.) In case you don't know, I'm pregnant with #4 (our last) and am about 3 months along. This pregnancy has come with more nausea and exhaustion but we're doing well. I think we may find out the gender of this baby in advance which is not something we've done before. So that's exciting and actually, not too far away. I'm feeling pretty good and am looking forward to getting back to feeling normal in the next few weeks. I still go into CardCare twice a week while the kids are in school and enjoy my time there. It's demanding at times (coming out of the holiday season) but I seem to have a decent balance for the moment.
As for my extended family: My brother (Chris) and sister in law are expecting their first baby (a girl) in April and I'm excited to watch their lives change and meet my first niece. My other brother, Elliot, is starting a new adventure in Iowa for the next 2 1/2 years as a grad student and teacher at a small college. My Mom is in the process of selling her condo in Toledo to move to Indiana - I'm excited to have her closer for sure. My dad and step-mom are still in Colorado but are traveling constantly for work and play and we see them quite often. My in-laws, Doug & Sally, now go to our church so we see them weekly there (which is so wonderful) and then here and there throughout the week. Phil's brother and sister in law, Tim & Alex, are still in FL and keeping busy with work. We miss them and can't wait to see them in February. Like I said earlier, we are so blessed and are enjoying life right now. We look forward to the future, this new baby and what 2012 will bring. Happy New Year and I hope to be back on again soon.
Ella - she's 6 now. Some days she seems like she's 10. She LOVES kindergarten and is really doing well. She's excelling academically. It's really amazing. She's reading on her own, doing math and making friendships that I think could last a lifetime. I have friends still from kindergarten and she's met a great group of girls this year that we adore. Her teacher, Mr. Keck, is young and cool and she thinks he's just so fun. She loves to learn and is growing each day. Ella had the role of 'little mouse' in our local production of the Nutcracker ballet. She had so much fun and all of the practices were worth it. She cried when it was over... perhaps from exhaustion but also perhaps because she loves to be in stage (4 performances and she's hooked!) She is currently taking ballet and tap, took tennis again in the fall and is starting soccer later this month. She loves to compete and enjoys staying active. Ella is my beautiful, sensitive soul.
Henry - he's 4 and such a little dude. He loves all things masculine... physical play, dinosaurs, 'bad guys,' sports and video games. Now that Ella is in school full time, his relationship with Betty has been so fun to watch. He is a doting big brother but also a bit of an antagonist. His laughter is contagious and his personality is always one to have fun. He's gotten over (most) of his frustration when he can't do something and just tried harder. He's really doing well in school, becoming more and more interested in the academics part as well as arts & crafts. He had his first friend birthday party in the fall and at least once a week, he makes plans for his next birthday party (he obviously had a good time!) He is involved in tennis and soccer and will do his first 'legit' tee-ball this summer. He loves a silly story and uses his imagination to the fullest extent. His imaginary friend 'Dan' has a lot of experiences that Henry relays to us but when you try and ask him about the reality of Dan and he looks at you and often says: "Are you crazy? Don't you know Dan isn't real?" It's hysterical. While he loves physical play, he's one of the first to want to snuggle with me and I love it. Something special about a little boy and his Mom. Henry's our fun loving, happy boy.
Betty - talk about growing! She's just over 21 months (stuck between 1 1/2 & 2) but going on 3 it seems. She's semi interested in potty training (pretty much everything is poo-poo) and her language skills are exploding. You can see her learning new words and saying them each day. Simple sentences are starting and it makes communication so much easier. One she's stuck on is: Lee-La = Candy. It's pretty cute. I don't have the heart to correct her yet. She also loves Melmo (aka Elmo.) She is a tough little girl but somewhere between a tom boy and princess. She loves to play dress up with Ella (girl loves heels and a tu-tu) but also plays cars with Henry. She holds her own with the 2 big kids and does her best to hang with them all day. About a week ago, she decided she was 'done' with her crib... crawling out multiple times in a night. So she's now in a big girl bed (a trundle bed) in Ella's room. She loves the freedom and I think she feels like such a big girl. Betty loves to dance and run around (she rarely walks... it's constant running.) She's getting so big and we love her so much.
As for Phil and I, we do our best to keep up. Phil's busy season has started and so he's traveling a lot but also spending lots of free time with the kids. They love him so much and he's the best father. So much more than I ever hoped for and we are so blessed by him. He's so fun and funny and gives so much of himself. I'm in awe of how he juggles the kids, a demanding job, still involved with CardCare and still has to deal with me (I've never been low maintenance.) In case you don't know, I'm pregnant with #4 (our last) and am about 3 months along. This pregnancy has come with more nausea and exhaustion but we're doing well. I think we may find out the gender of this baby in advance which is not something we've done before. So that's exciting and actually, not too far away. I'm feeling pretty good and am looking forward to getting back to feeling normal in the next few weeks. I still go into CardCare twice a week while the kids are in school and enjoy my time there. It's demanding at times (coming out of the holiday season) but I seem to have a decent balance for the moment.
As for my extended family: My brother (Chris) and sister in law are expecting their first baby (a girl) in April and I'm excited to watch their lives change and meet my first niece. My other brother, Elliot, is starting a new adventure in Iowa for the next 2 1/2 years as a grad student and teacher at a small college. My Mom is in the process of selling her condo in Toledo to move to Indiana - I'm excited to have her closer for sure. My dad and step-mom are still in Colorado but are traveling constantly for work and play and we see them quite often. My in-laws, Doug & Sally, now go to our church so we see them weekly there (which is so wonderful) and then here and there throughout the week. Phil's brother and sister in law, Tim & Alex, are still in FL and keeping busy with work. We miss them and can't wait to see them in February. Like I said earlier, we are so blessed and are enjoying life right now. We look forward to the future, this new baby and what 2012 will bring. Happy New Year and I hope to be back on again soon.
Friday, May 20, 2011
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