A Special Visit

We are very blessed by an amazing man, Robert Kohler, aka Carl's Grandpa.  I am so thankful that my kids are getting the chance to know their great grandpa, a man of God who loves like the Lord calls us to, and lives his life with God as His focus.  He is a wonderful example to us, he encourages us every time we speak and even through his precious cards he mails to us.  Over Thanksgiving we had the chance to spend an afternoon with him, and it was such a blessing to us as a family.  We drove down to his house where we spent some time visiting and catching up before heading out to lunch.  Isaac and Luke had a great time listening to grandpa's stories, checking out his pet birds, and even putting bird seed out for the birds outside.  Grandpa also took us out to "the beach" so the boys could run and play, he couldn't have picked a better thing for them to do, they loved it!  It was a park on the bay in La Porte, the city put sand down by the water to make a beach, so the boys had a blast playing in the sand and on the water's edge.  It was so sweet to see the kids playing alongside their great grandpa.  Sadie, one of Carl's cousins, was able to join us at the beach, it was great catching up with her.  She is so great with the kids and they adore her.  We were sad to leave, but eventually had to head home.  The boys had a great time playing with grandpa, getting to know him a little more, and spending time as a family.  I am so thankful for the man we call grandpa, and so thankful for his love.

Thanksgiving 2012

Every year Isaac's school does a Thanksgiving program and feast.  It always a special time to support my big boy in his efforts and watch him as he joyfully sings his little heart out.  This year Carl was not able to go with me because he had to work, and Luke and Hannah were both sick, so it was just me and my boy.  They did a great program, during which they sang a few songs (This Little Light of Mine, Hello Mr. Turkey, If You're Thankful and You Know It, and He's Got the Whole World) and they shared a few of their memory verses.  Isaac sang every song and did many of the hand motions as well.  He seemed to really enjoy being up there on the stage.  After the program we all enjoyed a Thanksgiving Feast, it was fun to visit with some of his classmates and their parents.  Each child had made a placemat on which they wrote their name and on the bottom completed the sentence, I am Thankful for..., Isaac finished it with, "my whole family."  My heart melted when I saw that.  He truly has a heart of gold!

8 months...it can't be!

Today our Hannah turned 8 months...it just can't be, how did that happen!?!  She needs to stop growing so fast!  I just asked Carl to tell me about Hannah and he said, "She's a go getter; when she wants something she goes after it and makes sure she gets it."  He is so right, that is my girl...she's very aware of her surroundings and knows what she wants when she sees something.  I love her determination and spunk.  My girl is so fun, always ready for some fun and always moving.  She's not crawling yet, but she is rolling and scooting her way around the room.  The girl is loud, she is a talker and wants to tell everyone what's on her mind...kind of like her mama, I guess.  ;-)  Hannah LOVES her brothers, her face lights up when they come in the room, and she immediately starts "talking" to them.  She is eating well, she's really started enjoying solids and is becoming less picky.  Her favorites are avocado and banana.  She hasn't mastered drinking out of the sippy cup, but she likes to chew on it.  She has started to get more weary of strangers, but it's hard to figure out when she will get upset and when she will be fine.  I think the more tired or hungry she is the less she likes strangers, but again, it's very unpredictable.  She has started going to the church nursery, and it went well the first 2 times, but this past week she did not want to be there, it broke my heart.  I hope this phase doesn't stay too long.  So I know I posted last month that she had her first tooth, but I think I was wrong, it sure felt like it was through, but we can't see anything, so I guess not yet.  We're still waiting.  This month we took a trip to Dallas to visit friends, we did it in one day, but it was a fun day!  Hannah did great in the car and enjoyed visiting with everyone. 
Life these days are hectic, chaotic at times, but I wouldn't change a thing.  My kids have taught me to slow down a little, not worry so much about being right on time or making sure the house is perfect, life is more about having fun and enjoying each other. These days will be gone in a blink and I want to make sure we've lived life well.  I'm so thankful for our sweet girl and the way she has changed us...for the better!

Halloween 2012

 Ready to go Trick or Treating!

 Driving from house to house to trick or treat...there's no better way.

 Taylor and Isaac at gymnastics...best friends!

 Cubby and Jake ready for the school Halloween party.

 Pumpkin Patch!

Halloween 2012 was a fun time!  We had a few different celebrations leading up to the actual day, which was extra fun for the kids because it meant they got to dress up multiple times.  It all started with a party with Isaac's school friends, there was lunch, a bounce house, and pumpkin decorating...plus everyone in costume!  Oh speaking of costumes, this year we had Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates), aka Isaac, and his buddy Cubby, aka Luke.  Hannah was none other than the sweet Minnie Mouse.  The next party was a birthday party for one of Isaac's best friends, and again they got to go in costume.  Isaac's Jake hair was a hit everywhere he went, and he loved wearing it!  The birthday party was fun, turns out Spiderman is a huge hit with Isaac's buddies at school, it was the theme of the party and 4 of the kids were dressed up as him!  The boys had a blast running, jumping in the bounce house, and just playing with all their friends.  The day before Halloween Isaac got to wear his costume again, to gymnastics this time.  It was a great Halloween themed day of fun.  Finally, it was Halloween!  I told Isaac the day before that it would be Halloween the next day and he couldn't believe it!  He was thrilled and so anxious for the day to come.  On Halloween day Isaac had a Pumpkin Patch day at school.  Thankfully, I was able to go volunteer and get in on some of the fun.  I love watching him with his friends and seeing him in that environment.  I started the morning helping the PE teacher with games, I got to help with the 3 and 4 year olds.  It was a blast!  Isaac was more outgoing than I expected, he really enjoys his school!  After that Isaac and his class was headed to chapel, so I snuck in there...they've always said parents are welcome to attend, but because of the little ones I have never been able to do that.  It was a special time, and I'm so grateful that I got to experience that with him.  That day they happened to be learning about Hannah and her prayer.  What a great day for me to be there!  Isaac was over the moon to see me there, I sat behind him, he could hardly focus he was so excited.  Later I helped out with crafts in a couple of classes, then headed out to the pumpkin patch to help Isaac decorate a pumpkin and watch him play with his friends on the playground.  He was really into the sandbox that day, so I helped him build a sandcastle.  I love seeing the kids play, there are so many different personalities!  After school we tried to take it easy and relax a little to get ready for the evening fun.  The Stocktons came over for a pizza dinner, which was a fun treat for all of us.  Then we all got ready to head out!  Isaac and Taylor were so excited!  Taylor was dressed as a Texans cheerleader, and I must say she was the cutest one I've ever seen!  Luke was ready to go, too, even though he didn't really understand what was ahead of him.  Our friends from the neighborhood, the Parkers, came over to trick or treat with us...and to our suprise Ella (Isaac's friend) was dressed up as Izzy (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates)!  We had the whole gang!  After a little photoshoot, the kids loaded up in Isaac's Jeep and Ella's Gator and we headed out for some fun!  Daddy put a light on the Jeep so Isaac could see, it was the coolest thing in Isaac's world!  The kids did great driving around, we stayed out for an hour and a half, stopping at every house that had their porchlight on!  Luke started saying, "Happy Halloween!" that night, and he told everyone!  Hearing him say that was my favorite part of the night...I still ask him daily to say it.

Growing and Changing

 Hannah was sitting here watching the boys bike, she was hollering at them, I think she wanted to join in the fun.

 I don't think I gave him permission to get this big...he's growing too fast!

This boy loves to be with the big kids, even if he's on the tiny bike, he's in his happy place when he's outside.

The kids are all growing and changing each in their own way.  Hannah is our social butterfly, she talks and smiles at everyone she sees.  She loves to grab things, especially hair and necklaces.  She hates to lay down, she wants to sit up and play.  If the boys get to close to her with their toys she reaches out and grabs for them...this doesn't always go over well.  Today I took Hannah to the doctor for an immunization, she was amazing!  She grabbed the nurses thermometer to help her take her temp, then she smiled and didn't even flinch with the shot, and after the shot she was Miss Happy as the nurses passed her around and loved on her.  Her joy is contagious!  Isaac wants to bike all day every day!  He loves to ride in the driveway, on the street in front of Oma and Opa's house, and even around  the block in the neighborhood (a whole mile!).  He has always been a talker, this has not slowed down, but lately he has really gained a big interest in learning Dutch and Spanish more thoroughly.  His memory amazes me!  His favorite word is "Boca de incendio" or fire hydrant in Spanish...he yells it out everytime he sees one.  Luke is Mr. Copycat...he copies everything that Isaac does, it's pretty funny.  He is becoming a real boy now, not a baby boy any more.  His newest joy is driving the PowerWheels vehicles, especially the jeep.  When the battery starts to get low and the jeep slows down he yells, "Go, go, go!!!"  He has a need for speed, just like his bro and his daddy.  He is talking more each day, I love to hear his little thoughts and to hear him try to form new words.  I am so proud of him for the leaps he is making in speech!  His newest phrase is "No way."  It's pretty funny, he says it all the time!  He has finally decided that he likes Sunday School, and now tells me when we drive by, "Mama, me go school."  This makes me so happy because he cried every Sunday for over year!  Whew, glad that's over! 

7 months cutie

Happy Hannah is now 7 months old!  This is not a 7 month picture, this is actually about a month old, but my most recent pictures have not been transferred to the computer yet, and I thought this was a fun picture to share.  This was taken on our trip to Disney World, the three little ones had a great time and were ready for another fun day when I took this picture. 
Hannah has earned the nickname Happy Hannah because she is overall a very happy baby!  She smiles so big when you give her your full attention and she just loves to watch her brothers play!  She is starting to get really curious and wants to get right in there with them.  She has started rolling around and has figured out that she can roll herself over to their cool trucks and cars...so far the boys think it's great, but I'm sure they will soon get annoyed by her trying to get their toys. 
Hannah has a tooth!  She has not been sleeping well the last few weeks and I was trying to figure out what I should do about it.  She typically doesn't cry when she wakes up, but will talk very loudly in her crib for up to an hour in the middle of the night!  Then a couple of days ago I realized that there may be a little tooth poking through, sure enough there is!  Only she had to be different, she got a top tooth first!  I think the other top one and the two bottom ones are very close as well, so I'm thinking that all of the teething is what's been messing up our nights.
She has started to eat solids, and she does better everyday!  At this point I think bananas are her favorite!  She is definitely not a big fan of the cereal.  She still will not take the bottle, actually she now refuses it and gets very upset when you try to give it to her.  Oh goodness, did I mention we have a bit of a diva on our hands?  :-)
Hannah loves to be outside!  The other day I had her outside in her jumper while the boys biked and drove vehicles on the driveway, she was on cloud 9!  She was laughing and hollering at them, it was precious!
She is sitting up really well, can basically sit unassisted.  She is not trying to crawl yet, but I think it will come soon. 
These months go by faster and faster, before I know it I will have to start planning her first birthday party!

6 month old Hannah

Hannah Grace is now 6 months old, half a year already...it's just not right!  She is growing, learning new things, and changing daily.  Some of her favorite things are sticking out her tongue, "talking," watching Isaac sing and play his guitar, jumping in her jumperoo, and being outside.  She has started sleeping on her stomach, still in her swaddle blanket (with her arms out).  She is very ticklish, she laughs so hard when you tickle her!  She is still a very mellow baby, which was such a blessing on our recent trip.  We went as a family to Disney World, and she was the best baby!  She slept most of the flight on the way out there, she was very chill in her stroller all day everyday, and she adapted very well to all of our crazy adventures.  Another thing she loves, is big Disney characters!  She gave them the biggest smiles and reached out to them everytime they came near her.  It was a precious sight!  On the flight home she talked a lot, a lot!  After landing, the man behind us said, "That was quite a dissertation you gave us."  I tried giving her baby cereal a few weeks ago, but it didn't go so well, so we gave up.  I started again yesterday, but she still needs practice, her silly tongue pushes all the food out.  This past Sunday she went to the church nursery for the first time, granted, Carl and I were in the same room the entire time, but she was by herself and did great!  Baby girl is growing too fast, so we are trying to savor every moment with her, and enjoy all the sweet baby things.