Happy birthday, Kellen!

Eight years ago yesterday, I began my parenting journey with Matt when we were blessed with you, Kellen.  I still remember so many vivid details about that day.  Matt and I took Bailey for a walk trying to 'move things along' and I had to continually stop for contractions; calling and talking to the doctor to check in; taking a warm bath to try and relax to discern whether it was real or false labor; timing contractions; calling and talking to the doctor again; taking our good ole' sweet time getting to the hospital in large part because Matt didn't believe I was 'really' in labor; having the doctor check me and then convince Matt that - yes, the baby WAS coming.  I remember scarier things, too....having to be put on oxygen because your levels weren't looking all that great, getting pitocin to speed things up, the doctor trying to break my water only to realize there really wasn't any 'water' to break, but then you got here, and despite having a perfect knot in your cord and the cord wrapped around your neck - twice, you were perfect.

And we were parents.

Parents totally and completely in love with you.

Eight years later and we're still totally and completely in love with you.

Happy birthday, Kellen!!

You have developed into such a wonderful young man!  I still call you my sweet baby because you will forever be that to me, but you are growing up before my very eyes.  So responsible, you enjoy - no thrive - on helping.  During school, you want to make everyone's lunches and get everyone's breakfasts ready.  You take your jobs very seriously.

You were such a great helper with Tatum and are even more so a help with Jacey.  When she wasn't quite as mobile and 'wiggly', you would get her up in the mornings, change her diaper and clothes, and bring her to me so I could feed her.  Once she started getting a little bigger, it was harder for you to do that, but you still are at her beck and call.  If she cries or needs something, you are typically the first to get to her to help.  In fact, you got her in the middle of the night last night when she was fussing.  It is so obvious that you ADORE her that it melts my heart.  And if she cries, for whatever reason, it just seems to literally break your heart.  You absolutely cannot stand it.  Period.  So much so that if she's crying and you can't help - you have to leave the room or walk out of the house.  You can make her light up like no one else in the world.  She has a smile and laugh reserved just for you, and you know it!

And Tatum....oh you two are typically so good together!  As she's getting older, the bickering is getting a little more common, but it's not bad.  You're typically good about sharing your toys with her, reading to you, and taking turns playing something she wants then something you want.  I couldn't ask for too much more.  Well, except maybe for the toys to go back to their places all of the time, but you guys are actually pretty good about that, too.

As for you and your dad, this year in particular has been your fishing year.  You guys have both really taken to fishing and that seems to be your 'thing' to do.  You get up virtually every Saturday morning and go fishing - typically to Jack's place, or to Central Park, and fish.  I'm thrilled that you get to spend that quality time with your dad!  And I am really touched that it happens to be fishing...which my Pap would have loved to do with you both if he had the opportunity.  I'm glad that you got the chance to meet him, even if you don't happen to remember it.

And us - we enjoy doing lots of stuff, don't we?  Our 'special nights' with picnic dinners and movies; you helping me bake a cake or brownies; reading, or playing games.  You are just so much fun to be around!

You're getting to spend a lot of time at your Maw Maw and Paw Paw's this summer.  I'm so glad that you're getting that quality time with them and that they're able to keep up with you!  Some day you will realize what a blessing this time and these memories are that you're getting to create with them.  I hope that you cherish the memories you're making.

About you this last year:
Sports/Activities:
Awana's at church
Upwards Flag Football
Upwards Basketball
CS Little League
Cub Scouts
Taekwondo
(Yes, you keep VERY busy!)

You enjoy your sports, you enjoy watching and sometimes getting to go to the Aggie football games, but the best and most important thing about the last year is that you made the most important decision of your life this past fall - while fishing with Daddy at Jack's place  - and accepted Jesus as your savior.  We are so proud of you and pray that we help to mold and shape you to grow in Christ!

So, to celebrate your birthday, we actually had a family celebration this past Sunday (on Jacey's actual birthday, but her birthday party was the day before - so it was ok).  I made a green dinosaur cake (at your request) and you opened just a couple of gifts.

But they were things that you had been asking for for quite some time....since before Christmas, I believe....

And I think you were excited to finally get them!  So we all have to admit that you outgrew your Leapster....

We did a small family party because the big celebration was a trip to the Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus ON your actual birthday.  So we gave you the tickets on that Sunday so you could look forward to the circus, then went last night.  You had a BLAST!

 

The tigers were taking a nap before the show.

You and Tatum could have spent a very long time just watching the elephants!

 

Exploring the elephant tooth on display.

Did I mention that you and Tatum would have happily spend the evening just watching the elephants stand around?

 

You and Tatum decided to get tattoos on your hands - both of them - and Tatum quickly made friends with this performer, who gave you guys LOTS of extra tattoos.

Dress up time!

Who's the ring leader?

 

Tigers!  Tatum was enthralled and I'm not sure she blinked at.all. the entire time this part of the show was taking place.

The Bionic Brothers. And yes, they were *THAT* amazing!

 

These ladies bent in ways that just made me hurt watching them.  Absolutely amazing.  It made me want to go home and stretch.  Not that I did, but I thought about it.

 

Another set of folks whose feats of strength were quite amazing!

 

Snakes!

And this guy, Mighty Meetal, managed to hold over a half a ton on his legs.  

That's weights and a handful of people just balanced ever-so on him.  

Incredible.  Paw Paw was duly impressed.  

This was by far the act he was most looking forward to during the show!

 

There were SEVEN people riding motorcycles in this cage.  SEVEN!!!  

 

A little someone was thrilled!  

Everything was 'awesome' and she couldn't pick a favorite!

 

With their costumes and bouncing around, they looked like little flames bouncing all over the place!

Getting ready for the grand finale.

The kids had such a good time!

Happy birthday, Kellen!  I hope that you not only enjoyed your birthday celebration on Sunday, but your birthday Skype with Aunt Boo, Mommy and Jacey, and your circus celebration.  You had quite an eventful birthday yesterday!

Your mommy and daddy love you so very much and are so proud of the gentleman you're growing into!

Shoes

I follow the Hendricks blog, and many of the posts there are some of the ones getting me thinking 'deep thoughts' here lately.

And some of the posts just open my mind to things I never knew existed.

Like sandals that could be tied in different ways.

With different colors.

Made by gals working to pay for their education.

In Uganda.

Where it seems like this type of experience just doesn't happen all that often.

If you want to learn more, check out the post here!

An effort thwarted

So I've been trying to reduce, reuse and recycle around here, and in general, lately.

But it would appear that my efforts are thwarted on the car seat front.  Jacey has now officially outgrown her infant carrier and base.  I have a new (to us) car seat that I installed late Monday afternoon once I had official doctor's growth stats indicating that she had 'graduated' from her carrier.

Sidenote: The thought occurred to me...I can no longer contain her in her carrier, which was a wonderfully calming method of containment for her in the mornings as everyone else was rushing to get ready and out the door.  No really...she many times would take a short cat nap in the mornings by the door and/or on the way to school.  She'll now be another set of feet in that crazy run-around mix!

We still have Kellen's infant seat (the same one Tatum used) that's 8 years old.  And bases...boy do we ever have bases.  We have given a couple away to some cousins for their second vehicle, but I still think we have three or four of them.

And it doesn't seem like - other than giving it away to someone - that I can get rid of this stuff in any other method other than the trash.  And that is just a shame because there is good life left in Jacey's carrier!  (I'll accept that Kellen's is too old and needs to be trashed, or recycled, but info on how to recycle said carrier would be greatly appreciated!!)

I can't take it to a resale shop and sell it.  I can't even donate it to Goodwill.  So I guess I will check around for ladies I know who are close to having kiddos and see if they're interested!

Update as of noon:  The carseat and bases have officially found a home and I'm beyond thrilled!

Scripture Memory (Verse 14)

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.’” Isaiah 55:8 (NIV)

Click here for the latest LPM blog post regarding the Scripture Memory Verses.

Happy birthday, Jacey!

At shortly after 11:34 last year, on July 17th....my beautiful babies looked like this:

This year, on July 17, 2011...my beautiful babies look like this:

What a difference a year makes.


Happy birthday, Jacey!

In just one short year you have proven that your Daddy is still a softie when it comes to his girls, your brother is still the best big-brother helper ever, and that your sister may have some competition in the strong will category.

I'm truly in awe that a year has gone by since you joined our family in person.  You have certainly made your mark in this last year, and made it clear - early on - that you weren't necessarily going to follow in your brother and sisters footsteps.  At least, not all of them.

Illnesses (multiple ones at that!) we had never experienced, middle-of-the-night ER runs, multiple chest x-rays, sensory issues, solid food issues, first-food sensitivities....you certainly wanted to make sure your mommy and daddy were well rounded in their parenting experiences!

You certainly kept the mobility trend going.  You were rolling over within days of being born, and you haven't really stopped moving since.  Your transition from crawling to walking was incredibly fast...although you were a little later to crawl than your brother and sister, you made up for that quickly by not 'cruising' too terribly much and virtually going straight into walking.  Steps at ten months and full-out walking at 11 months.  Your newest adventure in your eleventh month is climbing.  *sigh*  It's hard to keep up with you now!

Your personality has really started to show through more and more over the past few months.  For the most part, you're pretty easy going and laid back.  But then sometimes, the switch flips and I can tell that you have quite the mind of your own!  You already show a great deal  of empathy...I call you my 'sympathy crier'.  If either of your siblings are upset - for any reason - so are you.  You have no idea why you're upset other than you know they are, and that's enough.

Your adoration for your brother and sister just melts my heart.  Your brother can make you laugh, smile and squeal like nobody else in the world.  He's been able to do that from day one.  And he loves doing it!  He can't stand to hear you cry or see you upset.  It truly breaks his heart.  I'm not sure how this is going to work for us down the road....when one of you gets in trouble everyone will get upset?

And your sister...well, you two really enjoy sharing your room together.  On nights when she isn't here I have to remind myself that when you wake up, you're used to seeing her in the bed across the room.  When you don't see her, you get scared.  She's your comfort.  I think you two are going to have a lot of fun together now that you're getting a little older and can really play.  You two already like to have tea parties and play 'kitchen'.  I honestly think the 'pink level' in the house scares your daddy sometimes.

And speaking of your daddy.  Oh my....you just melt that mans heart.  Just this morning he brought you to me so that I could feed you and you, clear as day, said, "Da-Da".  If you could have asked for a pony he probably would have bought you one on the spot.  You love playing games with him...there is one he's dubbed 'hands-and-feet' because your hands and feet are together in front of you and he picks you up by them and lifts you up...you just squeal with delight when you guys play that game.  The other you love is a special version of peek-a-boo, where he covers his face with his hand and you move his hand with yours so you can see his face.  It's precious!

And me...well...you and I have our special moments quite often since you're still nursing.  Over the last couple of weeks you have decided that the food we eat just might be ok and have gotten a little more brave with what you're trying, but up until that point, it was pretty much you and me, sweetie.

Things you like:

• sucking your thumb - you seem to do this mostly when you're tired
• your lovey - when you're tired, you grab the lovey with one hand (typically you're right) and start sucking on your left thumb
• your blanket - you have 2 that are similar, just different colors; they're silky on one side and minky on the other
• your seahorse - tap on the tummy and he lights up and sings you to sleep
• your toys (and you have certain special favorites!)
• Food: refried beans; colby/monterrey jack cheese cubes; pancakes (Grandpa's! - you ate them for the first time just a few days ago); grapes; Nilla wafers; Ritz crackers; chicken; macaroni and cheese; pizza crust
• your sister's play kitchen and tea party toys

So yesterday we had your party at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house, just like we had done with Kellen and Tatum.  Here are some pictures of your party.  You had such a good time!

You wanted to get close to Joshua, and sitting in his mommy Krystal's lap was the only way that was going to happen.

Then we got ready for you to smash into your birthday cake.

You did a great job actually digging into the cake, but in true Hapes female fashion, you were more interested in the Oreos than in the actual cake.  Mommy tried to feed you some, but you weren't that interested.  You really didn't like the yucky stuff on your hands and wanted it off.

So after a quick wash down and wardrobe change, we let you eat and play.

And then we tried to open presents.

I say 'tried' because you were way more interested in playing in the play house than opening your presents.  You did enjoy sitting on your horse and managed to figure out how to go backwards, and had lots of fun going that!

All in all, it was a great birthday celebration.  Happy birthday, sweet girl.  You've come a long way from being our little peanut!

The Greatest Show on Earth!

Indulge me here, but let's take a photo-heavy trip down memory lane back to the first part of May, when the fam (a LOT of the fam, including Maw Maw, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jonathan) went to the circus.  Thank you to Paw Paw, who stayed and watched Jacey so the rest of us could go! 

  Excited for the pre-show!!

Tatum jumped right in on the action and had fun during the pre-show!  

She wasn't the least bit shy about joining in....

it reminded Grandma and Grandpa of another little girl from long ago....

The kids just had a blast with their Uncle Jonathan!

Tatum trying out the tightrope.

Mid-flip....this was pretty cool!!

A good time was had by all!  It was a great first-circus experience for the kids!!

My new favorite.....

A few weeks ago during a pool play date, a friend introduced me to hummus.  Now, I had heard of hummus before, but honestly just thought it was something that ultra healthy, hippy, crunchy people ate.

But, seeing as I was at a play date and had just informed my four year old that she had to at least try everything I had put on her plate, I thought I should set a good example.

So I tried it.

And I loved it.

Loved it.

LOVED IT.

Let me be clear....the particular flavor of which I am enamored is the roasted garlic.  I have tried the red pepper and found it is not as much to my liking.  That is the extent of my hummus exposure.

But on nights when I don't have to worry about the boys for dinner, the 'big girl' dinners look something like this.

In case you need an explanation, allow me....

On the small plate, you'll see a piece of lunch meat, apple slices, cheese cubes, and a hard boiled egg (minus the yolk, which none of my kids seem to like).  On the bigger plate, you'll see the hummus (of course!!), the carrot slices (another new favorite which now actually allows me to eat carrots without jaw issues), apple slices, cheese cubes, hard boiled eggs, and peaches.

These are the types of meals Tatum deems 'picnics' that she likes to enjoy on her tray in the living room.  She loves, loves, loves these types of meals.  And as you can see, they're super easy.

That means mommy likes them, too.

As an added bonus, I have to cook nothing, so they don't heat up my kitchen, which is a HUGE deal in Texas summer!

Truth is like a slap in the face

Isn't it?

If you aren't sure, read these couple of posts about all of the stuff we have and why organizing our stuff is most likely NOT our problem.

So what to do with these truths......

Bored....

So last weekend we were driving in the car, and had been traveling for probably about 30 or 45 minutes when Matt looks back at Tatum, who is just zoning out.

"Are you bored?" he asked her.

"No." she replied.

"Do you know what bored means?" he continued.

"No, what does it mean?" was the response.

"It means that you're tired of doing what you are doing and you're ready to be doing something else." was the explanation he gave her.

"I'm BORED!" she responded.  "I'm ready to be doing something other than sitting in the car."