It's October...which means, PUMPKINS!!!

Pumpkin pictures are a must in the fall, but so far October has been so busy for us. I was getting worried that we might not get a chance to have all the fun a pumpkin patch can offer.  So to make sure that I at least got my pictures, we decided to take a quick trip to the a local church pumpkin patch.  They have a beautiful display of pumpkins, lots of great picture settings, but not really any fun activities for the kids.  They do have this cool old truck, which the boys were drawn to (of course).  Hannah just enjoyed running free and touching all of the pumpkins.  It was a fun time, and I was happy with the pictures.  (I am trying to let go of the idea that I need a perfect picture of all three kids looking at me and smiling.)

A new adventure...

Our Luke, he's always been our shy one, not too sure about new places or new classes.  We tried soccer camp this summer, and it was 50% successful.  But we really felt it was time to get him in another sport, to try another class of some kind.  He has been to watch Isaac at gymnastics for years, so we thought it would be an easier transition, plus I feel gymnastics is a great sport for little ones as it teaches great body awareness and so many other basic skills.  I've asked him many times if he wanted to try gymnastics, and he always said no...which baffles me because he's so strong, he loves to jump, flip, roll, etc...he's meant to do it.  So a few weeks ago he was doing seat drops and straddle jumps on the trampoline, and loving it, so I asked again...he said yes!  I asked again that afternoon, he still said yes to trying gymnastics, so I called to get him in.  We went in for a trial class the next day, and he had absolutely no hesitation! (He was pretty excited to wear his big brother's gymnastics clothes.)   He went right in, and got right to work!  He did every single thing the coach asked of him, no fear and no trouble at all!  I was so proud of him!!!  His PE teacher at school just told me a few days before this class that he does not participate in her class, just watches.  I expected a lot of that at the gym, but he never stopped, he did it all!  He had so much fun, I could see it on his face and in his eyes throughout the entire class.  Afterwards he told me that he wanted to go back the next day and the next and the next.  Whew!  Success!  So as I signed him up for the class his coach came over and said he needed to move up to the next one, he's ready.  Okay, we put him in the 3-5 year old class.  Last week was his first time in that class, and again he did wonderfully!  If he wasn't sure of a skill he watched the other kids and copied what they did.  I love watching his confidence grow as he spreads his wings and tries new things! 

Sidenote....my blogging days have been slow due to a SUPER SLOW computer.  However, Carl just recently fixed that problem for me, so brace yourselves for lots of new blogs soon!  :-)

Our girl is 18 months!

Mama and Hannah before church just a few days before she turned 18 months!  This was her first Sunday, in months, to stay in Sunday School for the entire service!

These two have really been enjoying their time together, while Isaac's at school.  At first they were very sad and missed him, they still do miss him, but they've bonded and Luke has really taken on the big brother role.   He takes such good care of her, and they play really well together...whether it be with dolls or trucks.

Taylor and Hannah...great friends!  Taylor loves to help take care of Hannah, she is such a little mama!  Hannah adores Taylor, or TayTay as she calls her, she gets so excited when she sees her and even when she sees a picture of TayTay.  It's a sweet friendship!

Hannah loves the magnadoodle!  It's one of her favorite toys these days, she "writes" on it all the time.  And she carries it around on her head, it's hilarious.  She writes alone and with assistance, she is definitely more into the arts and writing than her brothers.  (She even holds the pen nearly perfectly.)

Hannah is our water baby!  I know I've mentioned it before, but the girl loves the water!  She is so comfortable just playing and floating around.  I love seeing her so happy!

These two are buddies!  Hannah calls for him all day while he's at school, and when she sees a school bus she hollers, "ISAAC!  BUS!"  While we wait in the car line for him after school she giggles with glee and squeals when we start to drive.  I love how much she loves her brothers!  Isaac feels just as strongly, he has asked multiple times if he can marry her when he grows up.  He is so gentle and sweet with her, almost always giving in to her when she wants something, and protecting her when she's in trouble.  I pray this bond continues to grow and he continues to take care of her as they grow up.

Her recent obsession is her back pack.  She wants to carry it all the time, if I even look at it before leaving she wants it.  She yells, "bag!" until I put it on her.  Even when it weighs as much as her she manages to carry it around.  I think she wants to be big like her brothers.



Hannah is all girl!  She loves accessories (as shown above with the bag), she loves shoes, and even bracelets/necklaces.  She is also a baby doll girl.  She plays so sweetly with her babies already.  She feeds them, which I never even had to demonstrate, she pretends to bathe them in the dishwasher, and she puts them to bed in the baby bed.  Then she so sweetly pats the doll and says night night.  It's so amazing to see the way God made her with that mothering instinct.

Hannah is our spit fire, sweet, spunky, loving girl.  She has taught us all so much and opened our hearts even more.  My sister asked me the other day which is harder, boys or girls.  In my opinion, they are both equal, just difficult in different areas.  Hannah is a busy body, she wants to be involved in everything, do everything her brothers do, and talk about it all.  The girl is a chatterbox!  She says SO many words, talks nonstop, and copies all the things we say.  Her favorite new words are:  sorry (followed by a pat on the head), bus, baby, play, go out, run (while she tries to run), ride, and bike...those are just her favorites.  She still won't say Luke, but says Isaac all day long!  While we're out she tells everyone, Isaac...Daddy.  When she plays with a phone she always puts it to her ear and says, "Hi Opa!"  This cracks me up because she rarely talks to Opa on the phone.  She sees "Cheese!" and smiles anytime she sees anyone holding a camera.  Hannah is still a great eater, she is not at all picky.  Many have referred to her as a bottomless pit.  Even with her love of food she has stayed small...she weighs only 20.10 lbs and is 29.75 in.

Hannah, Hannah Banana, Hanney...we all love you so much!  Thank you for stretching us and teaching us every day!  Thank you for filling our home and hearts with more joy every day!

Luke's First Day of Preschool

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL!

Last week Luke started preschool, he's attending the same school that Isaac did, so he's very familiar with the school and many of the teachers.  We were still very nervous about how it would go.  Luke is very unpredictable, every time I think I've got him figured out he surprises me again.  So I've learned just to prepare as best we can, and then pray for good results.  We went to meet the teacher the week before, he got to see his classroom, his teacher, and some of his friends (one of which he knows very well).  That went great, he was only a little nervous, and very excited afterwards.  This gave me hope that day one would go well. 

The first day was gradual entry...I went in with him, stayed in the room about 30 minutes, then headed out to a meeting for the parents for about an hour, before going back in to get him.  He could not wait to get going that morning, and he did great going in, played well and was only a little shy, but when I mentioned that I had to leave he immediately got sad and began clinging to me.  He asked me to stay, or could he go with me.  His assistant teacher noticed his sadness, so she took him from me and I left the room.  I was sad to leave him so sad, but knew he'd be okay for that short little while.  When I came back to get him he was all smiles!  The teacher said he was fine and had fun!  He was very excited, told me they had a snack and played with play doh!  He made a rock out of play doh and even brought it home.  Whew...day one, done...successfully!

The next school day I decided would start best if I brought him in through the car line.  I always walked Isaac in the first few days, but really felt that Luke would have a harder time with that separation if I was in the building.  So that morning after getting Isaac off to school I told Luke that we would head out early and pick up some donut holes on the way.  We did just that, and he was thrilled!  I got him out of his car seat while we waited in the car line and let him eat a couple of donut holes to ease the nerves.  This really helped get his mind off of it, I think.  He did ask me, "Mama, can you walk me in?  Can you stay again today?"  I told him no, and reminded him that his friend would be there and that his teacher would love on him if he got sad.  He was okay while we waited, but definitely got more nervous as we got closer to his turn to get out.  Once it was time, he nervously got his bag and lunch box, went to the teacher and got out.  No tears!  He very shyly and nervously said bye and love you, and he was off.  I was in shock, could not believe it went so well!  I worried and thought about him all morning, but thankfully being so familiar with the school and his teacher, I knew he was in good hands.  That afternoon when I went to get him he was all smiles!  His teacher couldn't bring him out, so another teacher who we know well, put him in the car.  He was so happy and very talkative!  This teacher mentioned that she had seen him a couple of times throughout the day and he was always smiling!  That made me happy!  His teacher  popped her head in when she walked by and said he had a great day!  He was very normal, not sad or scared, but silly and talkative.  I think he enjoyed having his own school to talk about, he told me all sorts of things.  I did find it funny to hear his description of his day, versus the way Isaac decribes his day.  Luke is very matter of fact.  "We had shaving cream to play with, they drove cars in it.  I did not, I wanted to paint.  I painted with red.  No play doh today."  I asked if he sat by anyone at lunch.  His response, "No, I did not sit by anyone."  This concerned me, I thought he sat alone.  "No, someone sat next to me."  Ha!  He's so funny!  He had green on his face, so we asked if he painted with green, but he insisted only red paint.  We asked why he had green on his face, even just inside his nose.  He didn't know.  Then it dawned on me, icing!  I asked, "Did you have cake at school?"  "Yes, I had a cupcake...with green icing, but it's cleaned, she cleaned my face."  When we got home Oma called to hear about his day...he was in such a silly mood, he would just say that he did something fun, then he'd run away giggling.

Today was Day three, and it went great!  He only asked one time for me to walk him in, and when I said no, he was fine with it.  He was still a little nervous getting out of the car, but he did not look back.  After picking him up I only heard good things!  He seems to really enjoy school!  I'm so proud of our peanut for handling this change and challenge so well!  He is a lot more grown up then we realize (which is good, but also a little sad).  I am so thankful it has gone so easily, what a relief!  I'm excited for the memories he will make and the adventures he will have!

Summer time fun!

Our summer was pretty low key, we mosrly stayed local which meant A LOT of pool time!  The kids love the water and love the outdoors, and summers in Texas are too hot to be outside without water.  Isaac is a true fish; the boy never stops swimmimg.  This summer he started to learn how to swim freestyle, how to dive, and how to swim down to the bottom of the deep end to retrieve toys and things.  He is so comfortable in the water, I think it's his second home.  Luke enjoys the pool, but some days he's happy to just play on the side with a water gun or other water toys.  He spends a lot of time on the shelf playing, or floating in his Lightening McQueen float.  In the last couple of weeks he started walking across the rocks, which makes me so nervous, but he is very careful.  He can swim very well, when he wants to.  The last few weeks he didn't swim at all, just played on the shelf and floated in his float.  I didn't push him, I know he can do it, so I am confident of his ability if he falls in, but I'm not going to make him do something he doesn't want to do.  This past weekend the boys were talking about swimming, and Isaac told him, "You can't swim, you won't put your face in the water, you can't really swim."  Well, nobody tells Luke that he cannot do something.  That afternoon we got in the pool, and he immediately got his goggles.  He told me he wanted to swim to me, and he did!  No hesitation, no problem, just like the little fish he was earlier in the summer.  I was so proud of him!  Hannah is a fish in training, the girl has absolutely no fear of the water!  It's incredible to see how comfortable she is in the water.  She is very careful getting in and out, and understands the dangers, you can see that in the way she moves in the water.  She loves to float in her float, she spins in circles and smiles the entire time!  She also lays back in her float, kicks her feet up, and relaxes.  She has awesome control of herself in the water.  She has started kicking her legs well, and really enjoys getting down on her hands on the shelf and kicking her legs behind her (she even does this on the edge of the shelf or steps).  As soon as she hears anything that sounds like it's time to swim she starts to yell, "Wim!  Pool!  Suit!"

I love seeing how different each of the kids are in the water.  They've all grown to love the water at different paces, and all enjoy doing different things in the pool.  I'm so thankful they are all very careful and cautious around the water.  We made so many sweet memories in the pool this summer, I can't wait to make more in future summers!

Surprise!

 

My sweet mom, Oma, turned 70 this past June, so a couple of weeks ago we threw her a Surprise birthday party!  It was put together by Soo Jin and dad, but we all had a hand in keeping it a surprise.  She was trying to make so many plans for that weekend, it got very difficult to come up with little lies.  Finally the day came, we had told her that we were coming over to watch football and some friends would be joining us.  These friends were going to bring all the food, she didn't need to do anything.  Thankfully, these friends are really that amazing, so the story was believable.  We got there early because I had asked her to go shopping with me.  We like to go to Hobby Lobby together and find things to make for Hannah.  I told her I wanted to make her a new dress, so would she like to help me.  Of course she would, so off we went.  I kept her busy shopping for a while, then headed back for the fun.  I had texted Carl along the way home, to let him know when we would arrive.  Unfortunately he got all 3 of my texts as we pulled up!  Soo Jin saw us go by as the texts came through, so they rushed everyone into the master bedroom.  We walked in, everything looked normal, no big deal.  Then all of a sudden, people started flowing out of her room, saying "Surprise!"  and "Happy Birthday!"  She was completely surprised and thrilled!  We enjoyed a nice evening with a good dinner, some cake, and great friends.  There are no words to explain how much we love Oma and what she means to us!  I hope that this party showed her how special she is, not only to us, but to so many people!  Happy 70th Mom!!!

The First Day of Kindergarten

Yes, he is Class of 2026, and this shirt should fit him by then.

 

Enough pictures, he's so excited and ready to go...but mama needs more!

 

Running to the bus stop, he could not wait to get there!

 

Here he goes, getting on that BIG bus!  All alone!!!  Don't cry, don't cry (mama, not Isaac, he was beyond excited about that moment).

 



Yes, I put him on the bus, then jumped in my truck and raced to the school to make sure he made it there and to get a few pictures of him in his room.



 

After school cupcakes to celebrate the First Day of School!

 

 

Isaac started Kindergarten on August 26, and wow, it was quite a transition...for me!  He could not wait, he was so ready to get his back pack on and get to the bus.  I don't think he cared about the rest of the day, it was all about the bus!  While eating breakfast, he said, "Mama are you going to bring me to school?"  Oh goodness, he is waivering, was my thought.  I said, "No, you are riding the bus like you wanted, you want to right?"   "Yes!"  Thankfully we had 3 sweet neighbors riding the bus with him, and one promised to look out for him.  I needed that to make me feel better about it.  We all went to the bus stop together, the boys ran the entire way.  We had to wait a while, so the kids all played together, Isaac seemed completely ready, no nerves at all.  (I may have had some butterflies in my stomach.)  Once the bus came, he jumped right on, he didn't even hesitate, and he was off.  He waved through the window with a big smile.  Our sweet boy has waited 5 long years to ride that big yellow school bus!

 

Once the bus pulled away, I went home, got in my truck, and went to the school.  I caught up to the bus, watched it turn out of the neighborhood, go down the road, and into the school.  Whew, that was a good feeling.  The school was so busy, I found a place to park, and started to walk in.  I ran into a neighbor, one of our good friends, their little girl was all ready to start her Kindergarten year!  Once in the building, I peaked into his room, there he was, sitting at his seat, looking a little scared, but coloring his paper.  I snapped a picture from the door, which caught his attention, so he looked up and saw me there.  He smiled a big smile and waved to me.  I went in, gave him a big hug, and asked about the bus.  "It was great!"  He loved it!  To my surprise he had walked from the bus to his classroom all alone!  He says nobody helped him.  I couldn't believe that, and I was so thankful he made it.  He told me later that he came in the same doors that we had come in for meet the teacher, so he knew how to go.  Thank goodness he is so good with directions!  I only wanted to stay a few minutes, but he was very clingy, which made it hard to say goodbye.  I was doing fine until then, that made me sad, I know how nervous he gets in new situations, so it was hard to leave him alone.  His teacher noticed our hesitation, so she came over to love on him and distract him, so I could leave.  I had to let her know again that he would be a car rider home because he was trying to insist on the riding the bus again.  Oh that boy.

 

Once I got home it hit me, he was gone, all day!  It was so quiet at the house, the weather was rainy, which was not good for the mood, and Hannah kept looking for him and calling his name.  Luke was very grumpy, he didn't want to do anything.  So we watched some TV and just relaxed a while.  Finally we all got it together, and started to try to make the new normal.  It was a good rest of the day, but it was long.

 

We got to the school at 3:00 to pick him up and the line was SO long!  In my excitement to get him I had forgotten that I was low on gas, so my gas light came on.  Oh no, I could not be the one that runs out of gas in the car line!  I was so nervous!  Thankfully it was not as hot, due to the rain, so I shut the car off while we waited.  We waited and waited, but finally at 3:35 we picked up our Isaac!  We were all so excited to be back together!  We came home to hear all about his day, and I couldn't keep Luke away from him!

 

He really enjoyed the day!  He told me, "Mama, we got to go to music class!"  And, "She read the same book we read last night!"  Another thing he mentioned was that the playground was so crowded that he couldn't get on the equipment.  He played alone that day, but still had fun.  I asked who he sat by at lunch, his face lit up as he said, "My teacher sat by me."

 

It was so good to have him back home, I was so thankful to hear about his great day and how much he loved it!

 

The next morning I opened his door to go get him, and he jumped out of bed.  He was ready to go back!  That sure makes this so much easier!  We miss him so much, Hannah and Luke still do, but knowing he's happy and having fun makes it a little bit easier on us all.