Fun day for Miss H!

 

Hannah is such a happy girl, she is full of life!  Today was a fun day for her and I wanted to record it.  I wanted to attend a bible study at a church we have gone to a few times lately.  They offer childcare, so I signed us up.  Hannah was very excited to go to "school" like her big brothers.  She carried her backpack and lunch box in, then walked into her classroom without hesitating!  Today was a long one because we had a luncheon after the study, so she was there for 2.5 hours, and she did so well!  They said she got sad a few times, but always calmed down easily.  As we were leaving she kept telling me, "Mama, I had fun at school!  I had fun!"  I love her social personality, but gosh she's growing so fast! 

Anything with wheels!

 

While most kids are out at baseball practice, all Isaac wants to do is ride!  This boy loves to drive, always has and probably always will.  It makes me nervous, but something in him comes alive when he drives (any kind of vehicle), and I love seeing him so full of excitement.  After dinner today he immediately asked to go out and ride the dirt bike.  Carl said, "Maybe."  After pleading his case, Isaac finally gave in and said, "If I can't ride the dirt bike can we go for a bike ride?  Anything with wheels!"  That's our boy...anything with wheels!  As you can see Carl did let him ride the dirt bike, and Isaac loved every second.

 

(Special shout out to the Hrobars for letting us borrow this dirt bike!  Thank y'all SO much for being so generous!!!)

First Bike Ride

 

Last week Luke and I went on our first bike ride with him on his bike without training wheels!  He had asked a few days earlier if we could go, but I told him that he has to learn how to stop without crashing first (he crashes when he stops because he can't reach the ground well enough to stop normally).  So of course Luke started practicing his controlled stop immediately, and within a day or two he had it down.  I decided to ride my bike along with him (Hannah on my bike, too), which turned out to be difficult because I still had to help Luke start after each stop, and we stop every time a car goes by.  The starts were tough, but other than that it went great, he biked so well and had so much fun!  Then a few days later we went for a family walk and he wanted to bike.  Of course, we let him ride his bike and he went over a mile!  He never once complained about being tired, even as he pushed up the hills.  Our little man may be small, but he is fierce and oh so strong!

 

(Pictures are from his first bike ride.)

Luke's favorite book...

I know this is a strange post, a post about a book, but this is a special book.  We randomly checked out this book from the library over a year ago, and it immediately captivated Luke.  Ever since we found it we must check it out every time we go.  He sometimes asks to go to the library just because he wants to get this book.  It is a cute story, and it has great illustrations, so I don't mind getting it for him.  I love that my boy is still so in awe of trains, trains of all kinds.  I wanted to remember this book and Luke's love for it, so one day when he's grown I can tell him about this book and his love of the story.

Spring Break 2014

Spring Break 2014 started off with the best possible day...Hannah's birthday!  We spent her birthday celebrating her with lunch with Isaac, then lunch with Daddy (yes, we only ate with Daddy), then a fun afternoon at home playing outside and eating her favorite meal...pizza!  We gave her a Minnie Mouse beauty set that included a pretend hairdryer, curling iron, mirror, brush, lipstick, perfume, and bows.  It was small and simple, but she loved it!  All morning she was telling everyone about her new hairdryer. 

 

 

All 3 waiting anxiously to open Hannah's presents!

 

The next day was party day!  We started the day at the fire station for a birthday party for a dear friend.  It was fun to go back there this year, the boys enjoyed it just as much as last year and even Hannah loved it!  Although Hannah and Luke were not fans of the firefighter's firesuit and mask.  The picture above is Luke "driving" the firetruck.

 

After the birthday party we headed across town for Aaron and Ana's wedding reception.  It was a fabulous party, and we are all so happy for them!  The party was just perfect, they are a sweet couple with a lifetime of love ahead of them!

 

The next day we went to Soo Jin's house to celebrate her birthday with lunch.  It was a great time!  The kids love playing at her house, they love chasing and tormenting her cats.  Heehee!

After lunch we came home, Carson and Rudi joined us, because Carson wanted to try out the dirt bike.  Just the day before a friend had brought over a small dirt bike for Isaac to ride on, he couldn't wait to get on it!  Carson had never ridden one before, so he really wanted to learn as well.

 

It was so fun!  Both boys did great!!!  Isaac was a bit hesitant at first, but by the end of that day he was flying!  Carson really enjoyed it, and did so well!  The smiles on their faces were priceless!!!  This day was the start of a new obsession for Isaac.  Everyday of the break he talked about the dirt bike and begged to ride it.  He even cried when we didn't let him ride it one day.  The boy is hooked!  On Friday we took him to a friend's house, this friend is involved with motorcross and has a track at his house.  Isaac followed him around the track for a total of about an hour and a half!  Even after that he wanted to ride more.  While we were there the boys got to enjoy a show...there was another motorcross rider there, he rode fast and did some cool jumps for us.  The boys were in awe!!!

 

Hannah had her 2 year check up during the break...she did great!  She only cried a little during her check up and was happy the rest of the time.  She checked out fine!  She weighed in at 24.5 lbs and 32.5 inches tall.

 

Luke adores his sister...yes, they fight, they wrestle, and they argue, but they also play so well together, have so many of the same interests, and take such good care of each other.  One morning this week I was helping her eat her cereal, and he jumped in asking to feed/help her.  It was precious!  She was all smiles and he felt so big!

 

Speaking of big...this boy accomplished something huge over the break!  He learned to ride his bicycle without training wheels!!!  He has been close for months, but didn't have the confidence.  Hannah got a balance bike for her birthday, and he loves it!  He rode it a ton the first few days we had it.  Then he watched Isaac ride the dirt bike, and he wanted to try, but I told him he had to learn to ride his bicycle first.  Well, the very next day, he did it!!!  I think the balance bike helped build his confidence and the dirt bike motivated him.  I'm so proud of him!!!!  We practiced on the drive way, on the dirt road, and then back to the drive way...and by Thursday afternoon he was riding all alone on the driveway!!!  The smile on his face was adorable, I could tell he felt so big and so special, and he is so big and so special!

 

We ended the week with another birthday party on Saturday (one of Luke's school friends), church on Sunday morning, and a visit with great friends on Sunday evening.  It was a wonderful week, and I was sad to see it end.  I am now even more ready for summer vacation, time for us all to be together and make more memories!

 

Hannah is 2!

 

Of course there was a lot of swinging going on!

 

This boy could swing all day!

Isaac loved the jump house, and he found a fun place to lay and relax.

 

SO HAPPY!

 

Piggy CUPCAKES!

 

Hannah was not at all intimidated by the other kids in the jump house, she jumped and jumped and had so much fun!

 

 Movie Time...Charolette's Web on the back porch.

 

Hannah loves her cousins!

 

Our sweet Hannah turned 2 yesterday!  I cannot believe it, it's just crazy!  She is so fun, full of non stop energy, so silly, sassy, determined, talkative, feisty, and loving.  She loves all things pink, she loves animals of all kinds, and loves to be outside.  Hannah keeps us on our toes with her energy and nonstop action.  She is the biggest climber of all the kids, she does not let her size stop her, she is determined to keep up with her brothers in all they do.  Hannah loves to do gymnastics...she does forward rolls, tries to do head stands, and does perfect seat drops on the trampoline.  She loves to jump, not just on the trampoline, but on the floor too, she even jumps in her play high heel shoes!  Sweet Hannah adores babies, she plays with her babies a lot, but she also gets so excited when she sees a real baby and gets concerned when she hears a baby crying.  Hannah is little miss social, she talks to everyone everywhere, when out shopping she talks to everyone that comes near us and she asks questions about all that she sees.  She is pretty nosey, too, she's always asking me "Mama, what doing?"  or if she sees someone grab keys or put on shoes she immediately asks, "Where going?"  Hannah loves to have lunch at school with Isaac...because she loves  her brother, but also because she enjoys being around all the kids and getting all of their attention.  Hannah enjoys reading books, drawing and coloring, as well as watching TV.  Her current favorite TV show is Cailou, which drives us crazy, but the kids all enjoy it.  It is the only show that she sits to watch with full attention.  She does enjoy the boys' shows, too...I'm ready for the sweet girly shows.  Hannah's favorite foods are pizza, cake, bananas, and avocados.  Thankfully Hannah is not a picky eater, so meal times are always pleasant and easy with her.  Milk is her favorite drink, it's really all she wants.  Hannah talks so much, all day long, she amazes us with her vocabulary.  The funniest thing she says is "awesome" and I think she knows it's cute, so she says it a lot.  Unfortunately she also knows the word "MINE" and uses it a lot, too.  I don't like that one very much.  She talks a lot in her sleep, and often yells, "No, Mine!"  I think we need to work on sharing. 

Hannah adores her grandparents, all four of them are never far from her thoughts.  I love how excited she gets to go visit them.  She is well loved and maybe a little spoiled by them, but we are so thankful they share this special relationship with her.

Hannah loves her brothers, too.  She fights more with Luke than Isaac, but part of that is that they play with more of the same toys.  They may fight, but they also play so well together, those two are so funny together.  They really enjoy jumping on the trampoline together, and it often ends in a wrestling match...so silly.  Isaac is more of her caretaker, so he gives in to her desires more often, which means less fighting.  He is so sweet to Hannah, I'm so thankful for his compassionate and loving heart.

Hannah loves a good party and loves having friends over, so we couldn't let her big day go by with out a celebration.  Last weekend we had a little party with family and a few friends.  We rented a jumphouse from a neighbor, it was a huge hit with all the kids.  We also showed a movie outside once it got dark.  It was a special time to celebrate our little princess.

 

Our prayer for Hannah is that she would use her passionate spirit and love of people to share God's love throughout her life.  We are SO thankful for her, for the dynamic she adds to our family, and for the things she teaches us.  We love her more than words can express, and are thankful for everyday with her!

 

 

Date Night

We have been talking for sometime now about having some one on one time with each of the kids.  Then a few weeks ago Isaac asked to wear his "wedding clothes" aka dressy clothes, to church.  I told him no, but we decided that we would go on a date soon and I'd let him wear those clothes.  Last night that finally happened, we both got dressed up and went out.  After getting ready we were discussing where to go, he wanted to go to Chick Fil A, but I told him he was too dressed up for that.  Once I told him he couldn't play there in his dress clothes he agreed that Chilis would be a better choice.  It was hard to leave the other two behind, but it was so special to have that sweet time together to talk and just be together.  We talked a lot about school, although after my first question he told me that his brain wasn't working.  Ha!  He did eventually tell me that his favorite things at school are music, recess, and reading (reading to his teacher and reading to himself).  I love hearing his thoughts and getting that uninterrupted time with him.