Every Day is Independence Day

 Spring is finally here, and it seems to be inspiring goofiness in Harrison and independence in Natalie.  Take a look at some of their favorite sayings over the past few months and you’ll see what we mean.

From Natalie:

• Natalie do!
• I can do it!
• My turn!
• Right here!
• I don't like it.
• More chip dad.
• Walk away!
• I help!
• No touch, I do!

From Harrison:

• Get this... (something random)
• I don't have to go to bed; I’m nocturnal.  That means that I stay up all night and sleep during the day.
• Mommy, are you allergic to traveling?
• Roger that
• You got it
• I love you too much to argue (this is his way of shutting down a conversation to get what he wants)

We’ve had a wonderful start to 2015 and are very excited for the spring and summer.  Harrison had 11 days off school for spring break.  And he got to spend a few nights at his Grandparents' house in Topeka.  This was his first “sleepover” and we were more nervous than he was.  He told us that he would miss us, but that he was brave.  He stayed only two nights, but insisted that next time he would stay 100 nights.

Natalie’s language and independence are exploding.  She has been very into drawing with crayons and doing anything outside.  We’ve never met a child with so much energy and drive.  If she wants something there is almost no stopping her.  We’re keeping a very close eye on her, but she’s getting really good at going up-and-down stairs.  She’s always thought she was really good … but her skills are starting to catch-up with her ambition, which makes things much safer!

Amy has had a very busy start to the year at work, and Tom has had several trips out of town to Phoenix, Chicago, New York, and Minneapolis.  We’re staying home for Easter in Kansas City this year and we’re all very excited.  We’ll still see friends and family, and enjoy multiple Easter egg hunts!  Summer will be here before you know it.  Soccer season starts soon for Harrison and we’re all looking forward to our family vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  We’re driving so hopefully we make it!

We’re all good and hope everyone else is the same.  We’re so blessed to have these children in our lives, and to have the opportunity to share these experiences with so many family and friends.

Holiday Happenings

Happy New Year!  Our family enjoyed a fun and healthy holiday season this
year, but what a whirlwind!  We were all over the state, and the boys even
headed to Colorado!  We enjoyed a great early Christmas brunch in Wichita
with Tom’s paternal grandparents and all of the cousins.  As hard as we
tried, Natalie just wasn’t having any of the Santa Claus experience.  Even
with Dad holding her!  So you should be able to see the requisite Santa
picture, with Natalie mad as hell.  We will treasure it always.

Tom and Harrison took their first “boys only” getaway to Vail right before
Christmas.  Harrison went to ski school and Tom got some “me time” on the
slopes.  We think Harrison largely enjoyed the experience, but definitely
did not like the sense of being out of control on his skis. Go figure.  The
boy likes to be in control.  Of everything.  Nonetheless, he enjoyed the
time away with Dad, the chance to be out in the snow, and of course, the
plane rides!

While the boys skied, Amy and Natalie went to Topeka to meet our newest
cousin, Miss Lucy Louise, and spend time with Aunt Kelly.  It was wonderful
to spend some quality time with Grams and “Pops” in Topeka and with Kelly’s
little family.  Lucy is beautiful and the kids can’t wait to get to know
her better.



Christmas was a joy.  Harrison’s big gifts were transformers this year,
while Natalie loved her new baby doll and stroller.  They continue to do a
much better than expected job of sharing their new toys and playing well
together, which we love to watch.  We were able to take a lot of time off
work this year around the holidays, so we all got a little spoiled with
lazy days and nights together.  Last week was definitely an adjustment!
But we are all settling back in to work and school life and so far and just
hope for continued health this winter season.



Enjoy all the new pics of the holidays, skiing, and play dates.  Hopefully
it shows that we are having a blast with these kiddos!

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.