Fall Fun 2016

We have been making the most of our unseasonably warm weather this Fall.  The kids are thriving at school and we’re all keeping busy.  We can't believe the school year is already one quarter of the way done.

Halloween was big hit this year.  Harrison was a Red Power Ranger, and Natalie was a black cat.  A very excited black cat!  She was at the front of the pack running to house to house.

Both kids had fun with school parties and parades, and we gathered with neighborhood friends and family for trick or treating.  

Harrison and Tom went to the first KU football game of the year.  The Jayhawks won and that doesn’t happen very often.  Harrison was most impressed with the band and the popcorn!

Natalie had an absolute blast at our neighborhood’s Fall Festival this year.  They block off the streets and the kids have a blast.  Harrison has enjoyed this the last few years, but this is the first year that Natalie seemed to really take it all in.

We took a family trip to a local pumpkin patch and apple mill.  The tractors and pumpkins were great, but the apple donuts stole the show!

Natalie has started playing soccer too.  She’s on a team (the “Navy Seals”) with a few other kids from her school class.  She’s the only girl on the team right now but has no problem holding her own.  She still likes to come over for “huggy breaks” now and again, but she is having fun and getter more used to the event each week.

Natalie definitely has a big brother and isn’t afraid to get dirty.  She loves to go down to the creek and throw rocks in the water.  Sometimes we’re even lucky enough to see ducks!

Harrison has been doing yard work this fall.  It’s pretty funny, and surprisingly helpful!  He can mow the front yard with close supervision, and likes to use the shovel.  We had to laugh when he said “you know this is hard work, but sometimes you have to do hard work even if you don’t want to.”  

We're all doing good and having fun.  We all keep each other busy and happy!

First Day of Kindergarten

Goodbye Summer!

This summer passed by so fast!  It feels like the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for Harrison.  He gets ready to start kindergarten tomorrow and we're all feeling a little nervous and excited (okay, Mom is trying really hard not to cry, but it's not about her!).  This week has been spent getting to know our new classmates and teacher, dropping off school supplies, and figuring out where everything is.  We are thrilled to be in the same class with so many neighbors and new friends.  It's going to be a fabulous year!

We had such a fun summer.  We celebrated a long and lazy Fourth of July weekend at the lake with friends, which was a ton of fun.  And we just wrapped up a week at the beach on Captiva Island, which was magnificent.  The kids loved being in the water and exploring this lazy beach town together.

Both kids have made lots of progress in the water this summer!  Harrison has more than gotten over his fear of the water from last summer.  He's diving for rings and finally putting his swim stroke together.  He will even jump off the diving board now.  Natalie still wants to wear floaties, but she is venturing out from the edge of the pool and trying to swim with Mom and Dad.

With the fall approaching, the kids will start some new activities.  Harrison just began taking piano lessons and will start another soccer season with "Coach Tom."  Hopefully he can play basketball in the winter, and he will possibly take karate lessons.  We're also looking into a theatre camp for the winter break---he has been really into singing and dancing lately!  Natalie is hoping to try out gymnastics.  She still gets a little separation anxiety, so we will take baby steps since she is barely three!

Happy new school year!

Summer Fun

The kids are having a great summer so far!  It is so fun to always kick it off by celebrating Harrison's birthday.  He had a great birthday week, celebrating with his friends at the gym, and with family at home.  We can't believe he is already 6!

The kids moved to a new daycare down the street from where we live and are together during the day for the first time ever, at least until Harrison starts kindergarten this fall.  He will also attend this daycare for after school care though, so it is a good change.  The kids love being together and Mom and Dad love having a single drop off and pick up every day!  Harrison advises that he gets to hug his sister several times a day now, so we think it's a win-win.

Other than school, we are having fun spending time in the yard, and spending time with friends.  We just enjoyed a fabulous Fourth of July weekend with a bike parade, followed by a nice long visit to the lake.  Enjoy the pics and stay cool!

Bike Parade

Boat Ride at the Lake

Snacks at the Pool

Big Guy

Pool at the Lake

All Kinds of Action

We’ve had a fantastic start to the spring. Natalie’s 3^rd birthday, Easter, soccer, swimming lessons, and all sorts of other activities are keeping us busy and happy.  We’ve been blessed with good health, great weather, and loving friends and family.

We spent Easter at Tom’s Mom’s new house.  The kids love spending time with “Gi Gi”, Richard, and their uncles, aunts, and cousins.

 

Natalie turned 3 in April.  It's hard to believe this little fire ball is 3 years old.  She really wanted a big girl bike for her birthday and she can't wait to try and keep up with her brother.  Amy's parents and brother came-over along with Tom's Mom and Brother.  As you can see, Natalie was ready to get moving on the new bike ... !

Both kids have been taking swimming lessons.  Once Harrison finally got used to putting his head underwater it was hard to get him to do anything else.  He just loves dunking his head under and trying to get to the bottom.  Natalie is getting acclimated to the water and seems to love it.  She loves jumping off the edge and really enjoys the independence of bouncing around in the shallow end.

Harrison is playing soccer this year on a team with kids that will go to his elementary school.  We had 18 kids that will be in Kindergarten next year or the year after, and we split everyone into three teams.  Tom is coaching again everyone seems to be having a blast.  Harrison has fun playing and being with his friends.  He's very focused on defense and it is great to see him play with purpose.  

Both kids have been having fun with art projects and drawing.  Harrison wanted a place to display his work.  We let him choose what he hangs up in his room and everyone once in a while he feels the need to swap one drawing out for another.  

More than anything, we all like relaxing and spending time together.  "Relaxing" may not be the best word choice, but we definitely like spending time together at home!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2015 Minutes

2015 felt like about 15 minutes.  A very action packed 15 minutes!  The last few months have been particularly busy.  We celebrated Thanksgiving in Wichita, enjoyed Christmas at home, celebrated Tom and Amy’s birthdays, started another soccer season, had snowball fights, and graduated Natalie to a big girl bed.  Wow!

We spent Thanksgiving with Tom’s extended family.  Tom's aunts, uncles, and cousins from his father's side of the family gathered in Wichita with his grandparents.  We were certainly grateful to see four generations of family celebrate the day together.

Christmas was very fun this year.  This was the first year that Natalie really "got it" and Harrison was in full blown excitement mode.  We spent Christmas Eve at Tom's sister's house, along with about 30 other family and friends.  Christmas Eve is also Tom's birthday, and Amy and the kids helped make it special.  They worked very hard to make a "custom" birthday card that Tom will remember forever.

Christmas morning was a blast.  Santa dropped off quite a haul and the kids, and they enjoyed many special gifts from friends and families.  Harrison is really into Legos, Transformers, Star Wars, and baseball gear.  And Natalie is having tons of fun with a small doll house, puzzles, and more puzzles.  Santa brought them a Paw Patrol "Paw Patroler" toy that they actually share quite well!

For the most part, we've been incredibly lucky with the weather.  Between the random 60 degree winter days we have only experienced one real snow, and the kids made the most of it with snowball fights, sledding, and hot chocolate!  And the weather didn't stop soccer for Harrison.  He has had fun with an indoor league and made some new friends (like the giant stuffed dog below).  Soccer, and what seem like weekly birthday parties for friends, we've stayed pretty active.  

Amy also celebrated a birthday in December.  To celebrate, we decided to get fancy and take the family out to dinner at a nice restaurant.  Going out to dinner with everyone is always kind of a gamble, but we knew it would be a "memorable experience" no matter what.  Fortunately, the kids were incredibly well behaved and we all had a wonderful time.  It was the perfect end to an incredible 2015.

Most recently, Natalie has graduated out of her crib and is now sleeping in a big girl bed.  She was actually starting to jump out of her crib, so it was time!  She's adapted really well to the new bed, and does seem quite proud of this big milestone.