Summer Fun

4th of July

The lake!

Holding a parrot and not scared at all!

Hanging out with Mom

Swimming lessons

Big girl in a BIG chair

Losing teeth

Lots of pool time

Dad's lunch at school

Girl friends

Dinner fun

Harrison's 7th Birthday (5/19/17)

Harrison's birthday was also the last day of school.

Amazed!

Poor Chuck E Cheese

The boys worked up an appetite. 

Happy Birthday Natalie!

It's hard to believe ... but Natalie turned 4 this week!

Holidays

Our sincere apologies for waiting so long to make this post.  We had a fantastic Christmas holiday, and it was action packed with family and fun.

For the first time ever, we ventured away from hope for Christmas.  We drove to Steamboat, CO and joined Tom's sister's family for a week of Skiing.

This was Harrison's second time skiing, but he really caught on this time.  He was in ski school for 4 days and he was riding the ski lift and going down blue runs by the end!

Natalie was in Ski school too and seemed to enjoy the process as much as she did the actual skiing.  Most of all she just liked being outside and playing in the snow.  And she loved all the young ski instructors that made her feel special.  

Harrison and Tom got to ride the lift together after Harrison's ski school.  They will both cherish these memories and look forward to many more ski trips in the future.  

Tom and Uncle Ryan won't be able to keep up with Harrison and John for much longer.  The boys (and Dads) all loved skiing together.  

The kids could not get enough of the snow.  Even before we went skiing they wanted to go play in the snow, "eat" icicles and make snow angles.  

We still decorated the house for Christmas before we left town, and the kids loved setting up the tree. Natalie was very happy to have the chance to place the star atop the tree this year.  That has been Harrison's job in the past, but he was kind enough to share the fun with sister this year.

Harrison started basketball this winter, and he really likes it.  He's definitely more focused and interested in basketball than he has been other sports.  All those hours of dribbling a ball in the garage are starting to pay off!  Watching Harrison and his kindergarten friends play has been a highlight of the Winter season.  

Natalie finished out the soccer season with mixed results.  She was really good but lost focus after the first part of the game.  She would be very excited, score the first goal, and then move on to other interests.  It is fun to start the process getting her involved in social activities and she just loves being around other children.   Swimming lessons are next!

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!