Summer

This summer has been fun!  I was worried coming into the summer that we would be bored, and go a little stir crazy, but the month of June was the complete opposite!  We stayed busy almost every day with friends or family either coming over or us going to play some where.  It was great!  Although I will admit, it wore me out some days.  July started out just as busy, but has slowed down the past week.  It's been nice to slow down a little, have time to catch up around the house, and have time to just play as a family.  The boys are playing really well together these days!  They will play trains, push around cars together, Isaac will read to Luke, and their favorite new game is Hide and Seek.  Their giggles are precious to me, I love when I hear them from another room playing and laughing together.  Of course, it's not always laughs and fun, they have their fights, but they are always short lived and they get back to playing together.  They have one common love and that is their sister!  I am not sure who loves her more, they are both crazy about her!  Luke refuses to say Hannah, he calls her Grace.  Every morning as he's coming down stairs he asks for Isaac and Grace.  His face lights up when he sees them!  Isaac wants to be involved in everything I do for either of the little ones.  He is quite the little helper these days. 
This afternoon my eyes filled with tears as I sat with Hannah and Luke, we were watching TV and Luke reached over, grabbed Hannah's hand and sweetly held it as we sat together in the chair.  Whenever she cries Luke is the first to say something, always saying, "Uh-oh!" as he points to Hannah.

The summer is only halfway over and I'm sure we have a lot more fun times ahead, including plenty more swimming, playing with friends, going to parks, and storytime.  I can't wait to make more memories!

3 and 4 months

Wow, Hannah is now 4 months old and I never got around to posting a 3 month update.  Oops, sorry sweet girl.  I'll just give a big update that encompasses both months. 
In the last couple of months, Hannah has started to really come to life.  She started cooing just before 3 months, but now by 4 months she is really "talking" to us.  Hearing her talk is precious, she makes the cutest most expressive faces, like she's really into whatever she's telling us.  She has also started cutting her eating times short because she wants to see her brothers or just because she has something to tell me.  She will talk to me, then smile real big and laugh.  Her ticklish spots are her tummy and under her chin...oh I love tickling her and hearing that sweet giggle.  Right around 3 months she started making the cute spitting face and noises.  It is still cute, but getting really messy.  She has been chewing on her hands for about a month now and drooling like crazy...almost like she is teething already.  Hannah loves her brothers!  They can crawl on her, put their faces right in front of hers, and she just smiles!  She loves the attention!  She also enjoys watching their cartoons, the girl will twist her head all around just to find the TV.  I've also found that the TV aids in tummy time, if she can see it when she lifts her head up she won't complain about being on her tummy.  Don't worry, I don't let her sit around and watch TV.  She is a content baby, usually pretty mellow, as long as she can see those around her.  She is sleeping well, she naps two to three times a day, in her bed and goes down around 7:30 for the night.  The nights are still inconsistent, although she typically sleeps until any time between 4 and 7.  If she's up early she will go back to sleep after eating, and usually sleeps another 3-4 hours.  Hannah still loves being outside, and has found a new fun activity...swimming!  The girl is completely content in the pool, just watches everyone swim around her.  She is growing well, I can't wait to take her for her 4 month check up to find out how much she has grown! 

This week has been challenging, as it's been raining everyday, so we've been stuck inside, but even with these hard days I feel like we have all adjusted well to our new routine.  I think the days are getting smoother and we have settled into a routine.  I love my 3 little ones that God has blessed us with, He created them each so differently, but they compliment each other so well, and oh how they love each other!

Isaac is 4!  I know, I can't believe it either!  He is the most amazing 4 year old, he is wise beyond his years, he has a tender spirit, he is stubborn and strong willed, but so sweet, too.  We love this boy so much!  This year I asked him some questions, so I thought I'd share those with you instead of my usual drawn out description.  Enjoy!

His favorite toys:  4 wheeler
Favorite things to learn:  draw and counting
Favorite snacks:  cinammon toast crunch
Best show on TV:  Jake and the Neverland Pirates
My teacher says:  I'm well mannered and have really opened up this year.
My favorite activity:  swimming
Favorite foods:  Mac and Cheese and Yogurt
Favorite color:  Orange
I love to go outside:  and swim and drive my 4 wheeler
Favorite Song:  Zaccheus
Food I dislike most:  Broccoli
With Mama and Daddy I like to:  swim, tickle, and go on bike rides
What I think everyone should know:  About Jesus!  That He loves you and takes care of you!
Best Friend:  Taylor
What I love to do with Luke:  Run into each other.
Favorite thing about Hannah:  Her smile!
Favorite animal:  pig
When I grow up I want to be:  a daddy and an ambulance driver
Favorite place to go:  Emmy and Gumby's house

Isaac is so silly sometimes, I loved hearing his answers to these questions...some of which surprised me and some of which I could have answered for him.  He loves to learn, he is a sponge, he remembers everything we say!  He can count to 40 in English, and 10 in Dutch and Spanish!  He wants to know how everything works, and of course why.  Isaac loves to pray.  He prays before every meal and at night before bed...he is sure to remind us if we forget.  He has gotten a little bit whiney lately, but I think part of that is just to get attention, since he's now fighting with two others for attention.  He loves his brother and sister, he and Luke have so much fun together!  He is always watching Hannah and wants to know where she is at all times.  His new favorite toys are the sandbox and a 2 wheeled scooter.  These 4 years have flown by, he has taught us so much, and we are excited to see what the future holds for this incredible little guy!

Luke is 2!

Last week Luke turned two years old!  My baby boy is 2!  The past two years with him have been amazing, he is such a fun boy and is finally starting to show others how fun he really is!  He has always been shy, and very much a mama's boy, but in the last couple of months he has trully blossomed!  He nows fusses when Isaac gets out of the truck to go to school because he wants to go with him.  I never thought that day would come!  He loves to play with other kids, he follows them around, and copies what they do.  He thinks he is so big when he plays with the "big" kids.  Those that know him well know that he has the biggest smile that lights up his eyes, and know that he is a fun loving, silly boy!  Luke has started to talk more and more, he tries to say words more than ever, and he loves to tell us things.  I think about 80% of his words are in Dutch, he loves to speak Dutch!  He also really likes to "count," he points to items one at a time and counts with the same inflections we use...it is so cute!  Luke knows his colors, knows his train characters from Thomas, and knows exactly what he wants.  He is definitely my strong willed child, so he makes some days challenging, but he also has times when he is my most obedient and easy going child.  To say that Luke loves trains is an understatement, he is obsessed with them, cannot get enough play time with his trains.  His favorite toy these days is his train table, he will stand at the bottom of the stairs, point upstairs, and yell choo choo!  If I don't go with him he yanks the gate open and crawls on up.  I did mention his strong willed attitude, right?  Luke also loves to watch trains on TV, Thomas the Train and Chuggington are his favorite shows, he could watch them all day!  Luke is crazy about his little sister, when she is on the ground or in her car seat on the ground he will run to her, kneel down, get in her face, and "talk" to her in a high pitched sweet voice.  He also kisses her on the head and puts her pacifier back in her mouth when it falls out.  He has a major soft spot on his heart for his precious Hannah.

I love Luke with all my heart and am so thankful for him and what he brings to our family!  I cannot wait to watch his personality grow as he learns to talk more and share his heart with us.

2 Months Yesterday

Hannah is now 2 months old, yesterday was her big day.  :-)  She is doing so well and is a great baby!  I can't believe how fast she is growing, it is exciting to see, but also sad that my baby is growing so fast.  She currently wears 0-3 and some 3 month clothes.  She has become much more alert in the last couple of weeks, she is observant like Isaac was, she watches everyone and everything.  Emmy noticed the other day that when I walked away she would follow me with her eyes.  I think her favorite place to hang out is on the floor, near a window, with her brothers playing around her.  She enjoys when they come to talk to her and love on her...I would find it annoying because they get right in her face, but she doesn't seem to mind a bit.  Her absolute favorite place to nap is in someone's arms; she is not particular about who's arms, as long as she's being held she is happy and sleeps sweetly.  She is nursing about every 3-4 hours, and has taken a few bottles really well.  Hannah is sleeping really well at night, I usually feed her at about 10 then put her down for the night and she sleeps until anytime between 5 and 7.  Yesterday she celebrated her 2 month birthday by sleeping until 7:45, it was wonderful!  She is a smiley girl, and her smile lights up her face, I love it!!!  Her smiles are still unpredictable, which is so fun because you never know when you're going to get a smile.  Hannah has big deep blue eyes, they are gorgeous, and get people's attention every where we go.  She does really well in the car, she sometimes cries when we first get in, but as soon as we get moving she calms down and usually falls asleep.  Often she will fall asleep in the car and continue to sleep in her carseat when we get home.  She has been to many places, which I don't really like to do with such a little baby, but with two older brothers life must go on.  She has been shopping, and does well, typically I put her in my Baby Bjorn carrier; she has also been to Isaac's school, and even to church a couple of times.  She has done well every where we've gone...I hope this continues.  Hannah has Luke's love for pacifiers, she loves her paci and falls asleep with it for her naps.

I am so blessed by this baby girl, it already feels like she's always been a part of this family...I am so thankful the boys are still so in love with her!

Easter

The bunny at the church egg hunt.

Our Family Easter celebration

The boys enjoying their Easter goodies from the egg hunt.

Cousins!

Making our resurrection rolls.

Easter Sunday

Hannah got her first bottle!

Church Egg Hunt

This Easter I wanted to be sure Isaac understood why we celebrate Easter. I wanted him to know it's not about the Easter bunny, but about Jesus and that He died for us. I found some great activities to do together in the days leading up to Easter as well as on Easter morning. I also bought a couple of books to read together. The first activity was Resurrection Eggs...there were twelve eggs each with a symbol in it and a bible reading to go along with that symbol. The readings and the eggs told the story of Jesus going to die on the cross and then rising from the tomb. I was so excited about these, as we sat down that first day, 12 days before Easter, and began reading Isaac announced, "We have these eggs at school, this last one is empty because Jesus isn't in the tomb any more!" Oh my, I was shocked at his knowledge and a little bummed that my activity wasn't near as great any more, but also very thankful that he was learning about Easter at school. We continued to do the eggs everyday anyway, and he really enjoyed them. Luke joined us, too, but he didn't really understand what we were doing. On Easter morning I had planned to make resurrection rolls with the boys...it was a very neat recipe, basically you take a marshmallow, which represents Jesus because it's white and He was sinless. Then you dip it in melted butter to represent the oils and in cinammon sugar. Then you put it on a flat crescent and wrap it around the marshmallow, this represents to tomb. After cooking it you cut into a roll and it's empty, showing us that the tomb was empty on Easter morning. As we made them we read through the story in the Bible. We had a great time making them and reading, as we were finishing I asked Isaac what he thought would happen, he quickly said, "The marshmallow will be gone because Jesus isn't in the tomb any more." What!?! For a second I thought he was a genius and had figured it out, so I asked how he knew that...you guessed it, they did this at school. Really? Again, my great activity turned out to not be orignial enough. But again, I am SO thankful that he is in a great school that is pointing him to Jesus and teaching the Truth.

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Saturday we had our families over to celebrate with a delicious potluck lunch, a fun Easter egg hunt for the kids, and then some swimming! Yes, it was plenty warm enough for swimming! I am so thankful we live so close and are able to celebrate the holidays with our families. Sunday morning we decided to take Hannah to church with the family, I was a little nervous, but hopeful. She did great! She fell asleep during the worship time and slept the entire time! Whew! The boys had a great time at Sunday school, they always do! Sunday afternoon our church hosted an egg hunt and potluck dinner, it was so fun! The kids had a great time hunting for eggs, playing with their friends, and even a little playtime with a real bunny! The boys loved that! I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I am so thankful the Lord has blessed us with an incredible church family!

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice and your amazing love! I hope everyone had a good Easter!

Cole's surgery

Our first, and biggest baby, Cole, had surgery to repair a torn ACL just over a week ago. He had started limping at least a month ago, and eventually got to where he didn't even use his back right leg. We were getting really nervous, we thought it must be the hip displasia that we knew was inevitable. Carl took him to the vet to get him checked, where they determined it was his hips or maybe a torn ACL. Of course, it required an x ray to determine the answer, so that's what we did. The x ray proved it to be his ACL, which meant surgery which is not fun, but thankfully also meant that he could be healed and back to normal again soon. Our vet in town offered two types of surgery that cost a pretty penny, but Carl has a friend with some connections for a vet in Navasota that could do the surgery a different way and much cheaper. Naturally, we called him, and got Cole in for surgery the next week. The surgery went great, and now after 8 days he is walking around using it better than he did before the surgery! We are so relieved to see our boy getting back to himself and able to walk around like he should. Hopefully this will be our only dog surgery to endure...it was not fun!