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.

"It's me, Natalie!"

Natalie and Harrison are really starting to "play" together.  We've had a ton of outside time this fall and hope the snow stays away as long as possible!

Halloween

Harrison and Natalie had a wonderful Halloween.  Our neighbors had a little party and then we all headed out to trick or treat together.  It was much warmer this year, and the kids are starting to really get into the concept of free candy.  Batman and our little Owl were a hit! 

Summer 2015

We cannot believe that this is the final weekend in August.  The summer moved fast – just like Natalie and Harrison!

At the Lake

We went to the lake with our close friends, who are kind enough to invite us to their amazing place every year.  It's become a tradition that we hope continues well into the future.  Harrison and Natalie look forward to seeing their friends and riding the boats.  Harrison is pretty much convinced that our friend Todd owns the entire like.  And that is why it is called "Todd's Lake."

Fourth of July in our neighborhood perfectly captures why we love it so much.  The city blocks off a long stretch of street, and there is a kids parade.  The neighborhood kids decorate their bikes, wagons, and strollers, and then  parade together down the street to a church parking lot for popsicles.

July 4th Parade

Parade

Harrison attended his very first soccer camp.  It lasted one week and Tom was able to work from a park bench and watch Harrison practice every morning.  The weather was great and Harrison had a great time.  He really liked the coaches and the kids got along great.  On the last day of camp, the kids got to wear costumes.  Harrison "dressed up" like a soccer player. 

Soccer Camp

Natalie loves being outside, and we've been fortunate enough to enjoy countless afternoons and evenings just playing in the backyard.  One of Natalie's favorite activities is "painting" the house and toys.  She uses a paint brush and bucket of water to paint, and this can keep her busy for minutes on end.  (Minutes are a very long time for Natalie.  She does not typically stay in one place for very long.)

Painting

Both kids love some good old fashioned sprinkler time.

Sprinkler Fun

Harrison enjoyed a 3 night sleep over with Amy's parents.  He certainly enjoyed being the center of attention with Grams and Grandpa.  They went to the park, watched movies, visited a science activity center, visited Grandpa at his work, and just had an all around blast.  The plan was for this jigsaw puzzle to last several days.  But Harrison knocked it out in about an hour.

Puzzle King

Natalie showed an early interest in potty training, and we're going for it.  She's doing remarkably well and the entire family is ready to be done with diapers once and for all.  But even with frequent sprints to the bathroom, we can still enjoy indoor "picnic" dinners.  

Picnic Time

Harrison took swimming lessons this year.  He loves going to the pool and splashing around, but he's been hesitant to go under water or attempt to swim on his own.  The swimming lessons were great, and now he is going under water with goggles, and trying to float on his back and use a kick board.  The light has gone on, and we're going to try and do more swimming lessons this fall.

Swimming Lesson

Tom and Harrison got quite a surprise on Father's Day in the form of Royals tickets.  The Royals suffered a rare home loss, but Harrison wasn't discouraged by the 10 run deficit.  He made it to the 8th inning, and left the ball park yelling "LET'S GO ROYALS" at the top of his lungs.   It was pretty funny how many other fans jumped into the chant in the concourse and parking lot.  Everyone appreciated his spirit!  Natalie has also been known to start the impromptu "LET'S GO ROYALS" chant at the grocery store or restaurant.  

Ball Game

Harrison officially started the kindergarden program this year at his Montessori school.  He's one of the older kids in the classroom now, and that will allow him to work on his leadership skills as he helps to develop the younger children.  He's fully adjusted to his new school and very happy.  Here is a picture before heading out to school on the first day of kindergarden.  Natalie was very proud of her big brother, and she would like to go to kindergarden too ... ASAP.

First Day of Kindergarden 

We are all happy and healthy.  Tom and Amy are busy with work and even busier trying to keep up with the kids.  We would not have it any other way!

Planning Next Move