Fall Fun

We have had a fantastic Fall and it is hard to believe that Winter is here.  We are absolutely loving our new house and neighborhood, and we've definitely been keeping the kids busy.  It is probably more accurate to say that they have been keeping us busy!

Halloween was a blast, so much so that we were only able to corner the kids for a few pictures.  Harrison was a cowboy, and relished the idea of being "the sheriff" that got to tell everyone what to do.  His natural leadership abilities shine through more and more every day.  At his school, they are harnessing his bossiness by assigning him to younger kids in the class to show them the ropes.  He is very into math and maps, and always has a new story to tell when he comes home from school each day.

The best way to describe Natalie lately is "on the move."  Her favorite part of Halloween was getting to join the crew as we walked from house to house collecting candy.  We did let her have a few pieces of candy and she like that, but not nearly as much as getting to say hi to all the neighbors and and say thank you each time they gave her a treat.

Tom and Harrison have had fun attending the KU football games in Lawrence on Saturdays.  Despite the Jayhawk's performances on the field, he always has fun seeing his cousins and his old Lawrence buddies.

We've been making a point to put the kids to work on the weekends.  Harrison helped paint the fence, loves to "help" mow the yard, and both the kids have enjoyed the never ending leaf pick-up process.  We posted several pictures of them playing in the leaves, and Harrison even took some of the pictures.  We think the ones he takes are better than ours!

Natalie is thriving at school, and is definitely picking-up on Harrison's affinity for counting and singing.  Her teachers are amazed by her expansive vocabulary, and were blown away when she said "rhinoceros" the other day while looking at an animal book.  She loves getting ready for school every day, and actually seems to like the cold.  We think that is probably because she gets to put on super cute outfits and show off her hat, mittens, and boots.

We have decorated the house for Christmas, and Harrison was a huge part of decorating the tree.  There are several special ornaments, and it is fun to tell him the story behind each one.  We're doing the Elf on the Shelf this year, and every day Harrison runs down stairs to find him.  He has named the Elf "Boone", and seems to be buying into the fact that the Elf reports his behavior to Santa Each night before flying home to find a new hiding spot.

More than anything, we love just hanging out together.  The kids have started wrestling and we're not sure how much longer Harrison will be able to "win" the wrestling matches with his sister.  She is very feisty and seems to grow by the minute.

 
We are all doing great and miss everyone very much.  More pictures and blog posts to come.

New Adventures

After a lot of unpacking and adjusting, we are finally settling into our new home and schools!  Most importantly, both kids are doing well with all the changes and seem to be happy in their new routines.  They both really enjoy their new rooms and are sleeping well (whew, says Mom and Dad)! 

Natalie has adjusted well to her new daycare and has bonded with her teacher.  She really seems to thrive on the routine and is making new friends.  Amy loves that she can visit her during the day since she is right downstairs from her office.  They are having fun in the car together everyday too!

Natalie is learning so much, so fast! Her language skills continue to grow, constantly surprising us with new words.  She is able to follow directions, and seems to enjoy cleaning up after herself.  She demands to wipe off her own hands and face after eating, and is starting to put her toys away when she is done playing.  We like the way this is trending!  And, she has officially discovered Elmo.  Sigh.  She LOVES him and is pretty sure that our phones exist only for her to watch Elmo's World.  She will bring them to us and ask Elmo, Elmo??? 

Harrison is thriving at his new school.  It has the same basic curriculum as his old school, which has helped a lot with the transition.  But there are a lot of fun differences too.  Now, the "school" part is over mid-afternoon, and he likes that he gets to stay for "afternoon fun-time."  They have a few pet animals too, which he enjoys taking care of.  Unsurprisingly, Harrison is well-liked by both his new friends and his teachers.  He can count to 100 now, and continues to memorize books and work on his phonics.

As usual, Harrison succeeds in providing us with great lines that we need to archive for future reference.  Recently, Amy was trying to talk to him about setting an example for his sister, so she can learn how to be a big kid.  His response: "Mommy, she has years before she will need to know that."  What do you even say?

Now that we are unpacked and a bit more settled, we are starting to be able to enjoy our new neighborhood, and a little bit of extra time spent not commuting.  You will notice pictures of playtime, park time, birthday parties, and lots of quality time with the cousins.  It has been fabulous to be so close to them!

Lots of New this Summer!

I know, I know, too long since our last post! This summer has sped by so fast and there have been so many major changes: jobs, houses, schools. We are just a few days away from moving into our new home and, as you can see, the kids have been busy helping us pack.

Natalie is getting ready to start going to school with friends everyday and we think she is more than ready! She is getting to be such a big girl since turning one. Her words are coming fast and furious. Here are the newer ones we hear a lot: fish, milk, hawk (short for Jayhawk!), duck, water, cup, bath. So many more, but she is really good at repeating words she hears and pointing to the object. She is also identifying all of her facial features: eyes, ears, hair, nose, and her personal favorite–sticking out her tongue. So cute! The most frequent comment we receive from folks after spending a few minutes with Natalie (other than how cute she is), is "she sure is busy, isn’t she?" She literally does not stop moving until she falls asleep. Too many things to discover. We think being around friends her own age is going to be great for her. They can be busy together!

Harrison has been such a trooper through all of this change. He is a lot like Amy in that he really thrives on routine, so we know changing homes and schools will be an adjustment. Several of his friends from preschool have moved on to kindergarten, so he seems to think that is where he is headed too. Thankfully, his new school is built around the same curriculum that he is used to, so that will be one less adjustment. And knowing that he will be so close to Johnny has helped make him very excited for his new home. We are all very ready to be settled in!

Enjoy the new pictures; we’ve been keeping busy with some fun things other than moving like a short lake trip in June, pool time, park time, and lots of family birthdays!

Four Years Old!

Believe it or not, Harrison is four years old and things are very much "happening."  Leading up to May 19, Harrison's teacher gave him a Union Pacific Railroad wall calendar.  We put in Harrison's room and each night he would count down the days until his birthday.  He got real satisfaction out of crossing each day off before bed.  This process is a reflection of how much of a little boy he has become.  We went to school on his birthday and brought cupcakes.  It was so fun to watch the birthday process at his school.  He walked around the circle of class mates and showed them one picture from each year of his life.  And then he had to answer a question from each child about his favorite things (eg, what's your favorite color).  Then everyone ate the strawberry cup cakes that Harrison was responsible for passing out to each child.

The day before Harrison's actual birthday, we had a get together for the kids in his class and a few friends and family.  We did the party at "Jump for Joy" and all the kids had a fantastic time jumping around on all the inflatables.

Harrison received many wonderful gifts this year on his birthday.  But by far his favorites seemed to be the watch he got from his parents and the flashlight he got from Tom's mom.  He loves walking around asking what time it is or better yet - telling his Dad what time it is.  The past four years have been amazing and every day with Harrison is a blessing!

Easter

We spent time in Kansas City and Topeka this year for Easter.  We had a great brunch and Easter egg hunt in Kansas City with Tom's father and brother and sister's families.  It was "organized chaos" and everyone had good time.  Harrison and Natalie had been having practice egg hunts (with Cheerios inside) each day after school, and the practice paid off!

 

It is so fun to watch everyone grow up together.  The past 4 years have gone so fast that it makes thinking about the future very exciting.  These 5 children are going have some fun ...

We all survived the sugar educed chaos of Easter morning, and then headed into Topeka to see Amy's family.  Harrison loves going to Amy's parent's house and always talks about how they included in him in some part of preparing the meal.  He got to help make whipped cream for the pie.  This made him VERY happy.  After the chaos of the morning, it was really nice to relax with Amy's sister's family, her parents, and her brother.

Birthday Fun

Happy Birthday Miss Natalie! We can hardly believe a year has past since you were born and joined our family. We are so blessed. 

Natalie has come so far! On Monday evening, she took her first few steps. They are few and far between right now, but she is incredibly proud of herself. She stops to clap, which makes her fall down! Of course, she is very motivated to catch up with her big brother and chase him around the house. Watch out, Harrison. One more reason to hear, “NO SISTER! GET HER AWAY FROM ME!!!” But it works both ways. Natalie barely got to open any of her own birthday gifts—Harrison got to them first and felt very strongly that she was too little to handle the task by herself. She was also apparently too little to be the first to play with them. We keep asking him how he will feel on his birthday if she takes his toys away. He pretends like he doesn’t hear us. Oh well. Learning how to share is a process, right?

They are both so smart. Natalie is trying to say words, make animal noises, and uses her index finger extensively now to show us what she wants. She tries to put on her own socks and shoes and brush her hair. She is also getting really good at puzzles and putting items inside their containers.

For his part, Harrison continues to develop his reading and writing skills.  He is starting to “read” from memory and identify several letters, and of course, his own name. And he is really excited to start learning about geography. We’re still working on the difference between planets, continents, and states, but he has great songs that he likes to sing from school to keep them all straight. Favorite recent question: “what continent does Johnny live on; South America?” We are all starting to get outside more and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. Say a little prayer for us that our house sells soon so we can find our new home in Kansas City and get settled! Enjoy the new pictures from this last month and Natalie’s birthday.

Happy Spring!

Watch Out, Here Comes Natalie!

We apologize for how long this post has taken! I think we have been a little intimidated to write this one since there is just so much to say about Natalie’s new developments. She is turning into a toddler right before our eyes. The highlights: teeth, crawling, standing, sign language, words, and finger food. And of course, all of this new mobility means one thing to Harrison: his sister is now officially in the middle of his business. Ten times out of ten, she would rather play with one of his trucks than her own toys. Harrison has very mixed feelings about this development. Sometimes, he embraces her by showing her how his toys operate and giving her hugs and kisses. Of course, we document these moments. But we are hearing a lot of “NO SISTER, THAT’S MINE!” from Harrison lately. We think this is pretty normal, but we are definitely working on the concept of sharing. And to be clear, Natalie certainly holds her own. She is very strong and really likes to tackle her brother. Of course, we document these moments too. 

Natalie started fully crawling a few weeks ago and is now a pro, as you can see from this video. She loves crawling under the furniture and looks for all of Harrison’s hiding places. She also loves to try to put every little crumb she finds in her mouth, so we are keeping our house very clean these days! We are so excited that she will be walking when the weather warms up. She is going to adore playing outside. Natalie has learned some sign language (“more,” “all done,” and of course, waving hello and goodbye.) And we are excited that she started saying a few words: “hi,” “more,” “mama,” and “dada.” She is such a smart little girl. She loves her books and is really figuring out cause and effect—deliberately dropping things just to see what happens, turning the light switches on and off, etc. She loves music, bobbing her head and shoulders every time she hears it with the widest smile. Along with mobility is finally coming some better naps. She is finally stretching her naps pretty regularly to an hour or more, so she can nap twice a day and give us a little more predictability in our schedule!

Harrison is growing too and continues to entertain and challenge us every day. He is starting to identify letters and sounds and he can now write “H.” We are all very proud. Like his sister, he continues to love reading and we are looking forward to helping him start to read himself soon. Harrison continues to crack us up with his increasingly refined negotiation skills (we’re certain he has a career in law if he so chooses). It doesn’t matter what we tell him he needs to do, he will make a pitch for what he wants and negotiate down from there. Time for bed? Harrison: “5 more books, Mommy.” Amy: “Harrison, I’ll read you one more book.” Harrison: “3 more books.” Before we know it, Amy’s reading 2 books instead of the 0 she started off with. Then when the lights are out, we negotiate how many minutes we stay with him in his room. He usually starts out with fifteen minutes and after that initial period, tries to renegotiate for more time. Sigh. No one will ever take advantage of this sweet child. He will wear them down first!

We have had a few really nice days sprinkled in the middle of snowfalls and Harrison has figured out how to peddle his bike (still with the training wheels). So much fun to take family walks now with him on the bike and Natalie in the stroller. We are all very excited for spring.

Christmas 2013

Christmas Morning Chaos

2013 was the first year our entire family has been together on Christmas.  Amy, Tom, Harrison, and Natalie could not have had a better time and will never forget this special time.  We celebrated Christmas Eve and Tom's birthday at home in Lawrence, and went to Topeka on Christmas Day to be with Amy's family.  It was wonderful to enjoy such a low key holiday close to home and with family. 

Harrison's request to Santa did not go unheard, and we were very happy to open a green tractor ("with a scoop") on Christmas morning.  Natalie was wild eyed the entire time and thoroughly enjoyed watch her brother rip into packages and play with his new toys.  Despite the fact that we feel like we live in a toy store, things are going great and we're all very excited about 2014.

We've posted a bunch of new pictures on Flikr from the last month.