Showing posts with label Henry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Henry. Show all posts

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Updates, 100 days, and Oatmeal

Life with three children ages six and under can be messy at times.
And chaotic, even for the most organized mama, like me.
I like to have things planned out, scheduled, organized, and clean.
Something I am definitely learning during this season of motherhood is that sometimes it is what it is.
And that joy can still be found 
in the oatmeal on the floor and in the crayon drawings on the new train table.
: )

To combat my wild schedule, I bit the bullet and ordered an Erin Condren Life Planner.
I have been window shopping her site for at least six months.
I had to persuade David that spending $65 on a planner was worth it, but I think he, too, understood my need to have a better way to keep track of the comings and goings.

Point in case:  I totally forgot a play date and didn't show up or call.
I've never done something like that before.

Thankfully, she currently has five kids at home and was so gracious and understanding!
{Sorry, Pamela! XOXOX}


An update on the kids:

At age two, Henry is starting to talk in small snippets of sentences.
He loves to brush other people's teeth, just not his own.
He loves oatmeal, yogurt, blueberry muffins, and cookies.
He could drink a full gallon of milk every. single. day. if we let him.

He sleeps through the night so hard that we often don't hear a peep from until at least 8:00 every morning, if not later.

He is a book worm already and enjoys trains, bugs, cars, and dinosaur books.
We read to him for 20 minutes every night and put him to bed fully awake.

He loves to gives hugs and kisses and put on other people's shoes.
He plays independently and rarely requires me to entertain him. 
He likes to mimic Harbor by sitting at the homework table with paper and crayons.

He loves to slide at the park, the bigger the better.
And he wants to touch all the dogs and point out all the airplanes he hears overhead.

He is a great cuddler and lays his head on your shoulder when you squeeze him.
When I rock him at nap time, my heart cries that he fills my entire lap now.

He has started yelling, "You!" when we say, "Love you!"
He is truly the apple of my eye!





Harbor, at age six, is in love with school.
He has only missed one day this entire year for sickness.
And he cried when he couldn't attend.

He is in the Gifted program and reading on a 2nd grade level.
He never has to be asked to finish his homework or complete his Math.
He aims to please and wants to be the best at everything.
He is honestly harder on himself than we are.

He loves to read Magic Tree House chapter books and play with Lego's.
He refuses to break his Lego's a part after finished, and we therefore have a huge 
and growing collection sitting on his dresser.

We still read to him at least 30 minutes every night, weekends included.
It is my favorite time of the day to be with him.
: )

He is a wonderful big brother and asks to hold Hollin almost daily.
He hates white milk but loves sweet tea.
He loves broccoli and wants to eat a salad at restaurants when we eat out.
He is such a big help to me.

When I see him in carpool line, my heart leaps each and every day.
He is quiet and reserved at home and I have to pry and work to get details about his day,
 but he is so sweet and such a good boy!





New potty training undies that we aren't quite ready to use, but still getting excited about! 


I recently had a girls' night with Harbor's teacher and two other moms as a local bakery.
The husbands kept all the kids so we could visit.  Hollin went with me since I exclusively breastfeed and we had a great time.  I got there at 7:30 p.m. and looked at the clock and realized it was 10:00!  I don't think I've had a late night like that since Hollin has been born.
I made cookies and brought them to the bakery for a little extra fun!



Valentines have been made and the kids just had their "100 days of school" party this week.


100 days smarter!
{I wish kindergarten could last forever!}




Despite living in Colorado and having an abundance of snow, school has only been cancelled once.
I bundled up the little ones for a quick photo shoot in the front yard.
I happen to love the snow, even though driving in it isn't the most fun.










And a dear friend of mine, Melissa, is starting a photography business
 and asked if the kids would model for her.  
We had a great time and I'm thankful to be in a few pictures as opposed to behind the lens.


As a side note, I'm knee deep in hair!  
I've hit the postpartum stage of losing it all and having baby bangs.
David recently remarked that I have a blonde halo around my forehead.
Ha!
I was tempted to decline being in the pictures, but I know the right thing is to be in them and just own this season, bald or not! 
: )









Hollin, at five months, is such a tiny little thing.
A sweet thing, but a dainty one!
She is almost six months, but just now coming out of three month clothing.

She is nursing exclusively and is a very laid back eater.
Compared to the boys, her latch is more relaxed, like we have all the time in the world.
And for her, I do!
: )

I plan of introducing cereal for the first time at six months.
She sleeps in a bassinet beside our bed and sleeps through the night most nights,
 occasionally waking to nurse once.
She has a beautiful white sleigh style crib and custom made bedding, monogrammed,
but I haven't the heart to put her in it, though I'm sure she is ready.
I just adore having her near me.


She babbles and smiles and will laugh out loud from time to time.
She loves to be held and snuggled and smiles at most anything.

She does, however, have a very serious face for strangers.
She cocks her eyebrows up and sets her mouth in a straight line.
No amount of baby talk can crack her serious face if she isn't sure about you.
: )

She enjoys bouncing in her jumper and having tummy time.
She cries seldom, but when she does, she really does!
She sounds like a car alarm with a slight pause in between yelps.
When she cries like that, all the boys, big and small, come running for her.

Her hair has a touch of red and her eyes are a deep blue.

I love her little face so!

What would I have missed had we only had two children?
Oh, Hollin! 
 You are mine and I am yours! 

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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Missing May

I really am missing May.
When I taught, I waited, and waited for May to arrive.
It meant end of school, the arrival of warm weather, and summer time.
 
May!
Where have you gone?!
 
This May, we spent our days eating chocolate pudding
 

 
using all of the powder room toilet paper and getting caught not replacing the roll!

 
{Oops!}
: )

 
Playing at the park
{It did snow on Mother's Day here in Colorado, but it was our last snow!}



 
And riding bikes.
 
David splurged and bought a Trail Rider tandem bike for Harbor, which attaches to his bike.
Henry attaches to Harbor- which allows for the new baby to eventually sit beside Henry.
It was a big purchase {not cheap!} but so SO worth it.
Those boys of mine ride almost every single day.


 
On cooler days, we've stayed busy with crafts.



 
And more recently, a sweet, dear friend of mine, Melissa, offered to take some photos for us.
Melissa is a new friend here in Colorado and her husband works with David.
She did a wonderful job- and we were so excited to use the shoot as an opportunity to announce our newest little one's name.
: )
 
Cannot beat beautiful Colorado backdrops!








 
She took hundreds for us, but those are some of my favorites.
Little Hollin is loved so much.
 
I've connected with the same uber talented woman to design Hollin's crib bedding that designed Harbor's over five years ago. She lives in a different state, so it is all happening long distance, but if you are in the market for crib bedding, visit: http://www.pishposh.com. She is excellent!
 
Hollin has started to receive a few things in the mail from friends and family, like this precious box all the way from a darling friend, Annette, in Michigan. We love and miss our Detroit buddies so much. Moving cross country grows your heart {and your Christmas card list!} in the best possible ways!  Thank you, Annette!

 
I started working on a few festive 4th decorations and got the hair-brained idea that I could assemble my own giant pinwheels from card stock and grommets.
Thanks a lot, Pinterest!
Ha!
They took forever, but my mantle is finished.
 
Hopefully, a 4th of July post will be coming your way soon.
I love documenting all the holiday decor for my kiddos so someday they might not forget all we worked on together.

 
This guy has officially ended his baby days.
He is 16 months old, talking up a storm, and sleeping from 8:00 pm until about 7:00 am straight. His favorite foods are cheese, bread, cookies, and milk.
He asks for all of them by name.
He is no longer nursing- and though I'm sad about that- I am glad we made it to 16 months and have weaned before Hollin arrives. He is a precious boy and has a big personality.

 
This little boy is a great big brother and is my quiet, introverted son.
 
He loves to draw, design machines, read, do crafts, and play outside.
He loves to eat pasta, nutella, apples, and Sonic Jr. burgers with chocolate shakes.
He also has his first loose tooth!
: )
 
He is currently taking swimming lessons and has been enrolled in an "invitation only" Classical Academy for kindergarten. We have been on the waiting list for months, but thankfully have secured a seat. He will only be gone a few hours each day {about 3.5}, which gives us the opportunity to home school in the extra hours he is at home. It is a uniform only school, so I'm excited to see how he enjoys it.  It has been tough finding the right solution for our family, but we're hopeful a kinder/home school mix in a classical environment will be a good fit for our Harbor. He is nervous and isn't too thrilled about going -he wants to stay home and school here- but socially, he really needs to be involved outside of the home, especially in music and PE. I'd love to keep him home with me, but I think the Lord would have me try this option first. As a former public school teacher, I am a big fan of the public system. I saw SO much good there, but I really felt, after looking at our local options, that this may be a better fit for him.


My boys keep me busy.
There is hardly a moment to myself, especially entering this 3rd trimester and working on baby related things.
It is a fun, but busy season of life for us.

 
Lately, Harbor has been working on different biomes and has been using my phone {supervised, of course} to look up pictures of plants and animals. Our house is plastered in his art work. It is a fun place to spend my days.

 
The boys have been consuming lots of watermelon

 
and popcorn
: )

 
Lastly, we took a family trip home to Arkansas over Memorial Day and I hope to share those photos soon. My family threw a wonderful surprise baby shower, and it was a great treat!

{Memorial Day Arkansas picture}
 
 
In other new, just for documentation purposes on my part, the last month has been really difficult for me health wise. I'm not one to tell many people or share news that is less than happy, but at 23 weeks I was hospitalized for extreme chest pain. Ultrasounds of my spleen, liver, and gallbladder revealed multiple gallstones, sludge, and a stone stuck mid way in my bile duct. Apparently, this is pretty common in pregnancy, but can be managed with diet. Sadly, diet hasn't been helpful in my case as my attacks come from about anything- fruit, apple juice, and even toast. Since then, I've been hospitalised twice more. I've been monitored each time, given IV fluids, morphine, and had more ultrasounds. Stones stuck in the ducts can be very dangerous- and even deadly- and they are extremely painful. I had both my boys without epidurals and I would rank the attacks up there with natural labor. They last about six hours each and leave me needing fluids and pain medication. This last hospitalization was this week, and the surgeons agreed that surgery to remove the gallbladder is just too dangerous as Hollin's chance of survival is not great. My uterus is too high and the risk of blood clots in my lungs too dangerous. It is a difficult situation. We're praying for a smooth final trimester and know the Lord is ever close at hand. Please pray for me to endure and to manage this pain effectively. Living here without family means the whole crew winds up in the hospital for seven hours while I lay hooked up to machines. My Hollin is worth it and I'm determined to endure to the end. The Lord is always good, always!, and I know nothing happens that He hasn't already foretold. I'm thankful for His promises and believe them without question, without doubt.
Just keep me in your prayers as we head to our September due date.
 
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