Father's Day 2019

Father's day 2019-the kids were thrilled to give Daddy their gifts on Sunday morning 6/16. We went and got him donuts for breakfast, then he opened his book from Ruby, his playing cards from Annie, his collapsible Frisbee from Henry, and his golf flip flops from "all of us"! The kids have become quite the gift givers, and they get so much joy out of picking something out, wrapping it themselves, and making, decorating, and writing in cards.

Annie's face says it all! Steven, Henry, and Annie played war all morning before church with the playing cards.

Ruby's book was "My Dad is Awesome". Here is Steven reading it to them! Ruby was proud.

After church we drove up to Nashville to drop the 2 big kids with Steven's mom. She took them to a couple of nights of her church's VBS.

On the way back home, we met up with Steven's Dad at Chuy's in Franklin to treat him to a Father's Day dinner. He opened his gift from us and Ruby got some special one on one attention. 

 

 

Happy Father's Day, Steven! You are an amazing father and husband. We love you so much!

**Annie is 5!**

How can this be? Our sweet, sassy middle child is FIVE??? Man, does time fly. Below I will list some of her faves and some things about her. We had a great time celebrating her bday, and I will post those soon, too!
1. What is your favorite color? Rainbow (she also often says purple-it used to always be pink!)

 2. What is your favorite toy? Unicorn stuffed animal

3. What is your favorite fruit? Peaches

4. What is your favorite tv show? Pinkalicious, Daniel Tiger, Caillou (I hesitated to even put Caillou bc she never watches it, but it was on her mind for some reason)

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chicken nuggets and fries

6. What is your favorite outfit? Elsa Anna dress up clothes

7. What is your favorite game? Greedy Granny

8. What is your favorite snack? Cheez it’s, straight pretzels, Goldfish

9. What is your favorite animal? Unicorn, pony, horse

10. What is your favorite song? Frozen CD

11. What is your favorite book? Angelina Ballerina, Pinkalicious, Jesus Storybook Bible

12. Who is your best friend? Nora Kate, Owen, Connor

13. What is your favorite cereal? Strawberry Mini Wheats

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike with my new helmet

15. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Pink blankie, unicorn (so many stuffed animals surround her in her bed)

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Donuts

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Chicken nuggets and fries

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A pony trainer (also a mommy and baby nurse)

21. What are some of your favorite places to go? Chuck E cheese (the last time we went was last summer!), old McDonald’s (Grandpa takes her when she visits), church, school (I added this question this year bc I some of the ones above end up being repetitive) 

 -Annie has matured immensely over the past 6 months. She is able to handle her emotions more appropriately and has mostly good days now. We went through some tough times-I'm not gonna lie-so I am so pleased to see this progress. She would get easily frustrated if she couldn't do something, and was (still can be) highly reactive. She has such a sweet, loving personality, and her passionate side will serve her well in life, she just has to learn how to control it. I can see this starting to take place. I love the conversations we have and the "girl" things we can enjoy together (doing hair, painting nails, etc). I can see a future buddy in her once she grows up, and that makes me happy! 

-She is not going to kindergarten next year (our choice). I just felt in my gut that we should wait, and I am at such peace with this decision. There are several reasons for this decision (above mentioned is one). She would be turning 18 the weekend she graduates high school, and I just don't like that thought. She has also just grown up so quickly-I think partly because she is the middle-and I want to slow her down a bit. This may be partly a selfish decision, but I believe another year of maturity and another year at home will only be a good thing. Also, Ruby is July bday, and we both automatically assumed she would wait to start school, so if we do it for her, why not do it for both. I have also felt so affirmed by all of my teacher friends about this decision. Anywhoo, enough about that. I have done some extra things with her at home and next year her 3 day a week preschool is supposed to be focused more on kindergarten readiness, so I think we are in a good place. I am just going to try to enjoy her being little while I can!

-Annie has spent the night with grandparents a lot, but she had her first friend sleep over at Nora Kate's in January, and she had a blast! They entertained her well playing, baking, and watching a movie. In fact, they generously have her over often, and she always loves the time with her friend! I think they are a big reason why she has developed a love of baking, which is great! We gave her a baker's kit for bday (girl colored bowl and measuring utensils, etc).

-I hosted a baby shower in January, and she was such a helper! She was so cute hanging by my side and doing whatever little task I asked of her. She felt big, and she acted big!

-We had a snow day in January (and no snow actually came). Steven was working from home, so I took the kids to Let's Play for the day. The 2 big kids ran around the entire time together and were thick as thieves. Afterward, I heard Annie say-Henry you’re my best friend ever!!

-We had some cold days in winter where the kids played outside, then I would have hot cocoa ready for them by  the fire. Annie showed so much hot cocoa excitement!! She was thrilled and enjoyed every stir and every slurp.

-Annie is very compassionate, and it is so sweet to see. She does not get this from me. She is a little care taker. She checks on Steven and me when sick. If her siblings get hurt, she will check on them and pat them/rub their back/etc. For as emotional as she is, she is not needy when sick herself. She says she wants to be a nurse or baby nurse, and if she continues to have this personality trait, I can definitely see that happening.

-She always wants to name her babies Alisha or sometimes Rachel. When playing family her kids names are Alisha and Martin. Ha!

-I bought some tortellini from Costco after she raved about the sample, and she just loved it every time I made it at home! We all laughed at her as she relished in her meal. Nobody else thought it was that great!

-We had this conversation: Annie-Mommy, when you have a baby do they give you medicine? And you fall asleep, and the doctor cuts you and gets the baby out? Me-Yes, that’s what happens sometimes/to some mommies. (Pause-I thought we were done) Annie-What about the other way? Me-Well, God makes it where doctors can help mommies get their babies out safely. (pause-I was hoping this would suffice) Annie-How? Me-Well, god made mommies special and only mommies can have babies. Babies come from a mommy’s girl parts. Annie-What? Me-repeat the whole girl part thing. LONG pause....Annie-Oh!! That’s cool!!! (Then she moved on to a totally different subject. I loved her response! She didn't say gross or weird, but cool!)

-We get tons of frogs in our pool box in spring bc it's warm in there, and Henry always gets them out and plays with them. The girls are the audience, and one time I heard screams and cries inside, then realized it was coming from Annie. Evidently the frog had jumped out of H's hand directly onto her face. Steven and I could not stop laughing. Of course Annie. Only Annie. Poor Annie.

-We had family in town and the cousins were all together on the hammock. She was assigned as messenger to come in to get blankets for hammock people, but totally broke down when I told her she needed to report back it was time to be done. Aunt Mae and I cracked up over this middle child problem who always complies and does what others ask, then has to contend with disappointing others when things go awry.

-She told me after church holding back tears that she almost cried when she saw Ruby on playground (preschool and bigger kid playgrounds are separated by a fence). Asked why and she said bc she wanted to hug her. She said she sat on bench til she felt better. (This is the maturity I've mentioned. It sounds so funny to hear her articulate it, though!)

-We cracked up over this-Steven was swimming w Annie and she said, “I love you, daddy. Nora Kate’s daddy is pretty good, but I like you better” 

-Steven said something about putting on his swim trunks, and Annie said, "Ommm, you said trunks!!" Like swim trunks was a bad word. ha!

-She is not a performer like her bro, but she will sing for us occasionally. Seek ye first most recently.

-I was telling her how right after she was born and I was holding her, she turned her head toward me and just stared and stared right into my eyes. She said, “I guess bc you were so pretty." Awe:)

-She loves Ruby after she wakes up from her nap (Annie doesn't take nap anymore). She tries to cuddle with her and wants to hug and kiss her (Ruby is usually resistant). Recently Annie said,  "I love you in my heart and I’ll never stop loving you" during one of these post nap times. 

-When Annie gets excited, she does some crazy dancing. She has her own style, and it cracks us up. She is also a hard clapper when she is happy about something.

-One phrase of hers that I don't know where it came from-"Mommy, I’m off like a shot!" meaning I'm leaving quickly!

-She's asking lately for a side ponytail. She wants her clothes to be comfy-not "crunchy". Otherwise, she is ok with whatever! Went through a phase of throwing a fit every time when putting on socks. Steven was the one in charge of this task-getting the "ball" the right way for her. She can be a mess if she's fouled up about something like this!

-She took ballet this year and did amazingly well. She goes every Mon morning and loves it. She never complains or fusses about it. She had spring recital in May and was super! I wasn't sure how she would be about the stage, etc, but she was great! She loves her teacher Miss Hannah and particularly a friend named Ellie. 

Friend party

We had a final celebration with school friends on Friday (3/1) after Henry's bday. Having a bday in February is tricky, because the weather is so unpredictable. Several years it snowed on his bday, and several others it was sunny and mild. My preference is always having an outdoor party at home, but that has only happened on 2 of his 7 bdays! We have to think creatively since our house isn't really big enough to have a bunch of people inside . When Henry started kindergarten, we started the "drop your kid off" kind of party, and that helped with the crowd. Anywhoo, this year we did a big party at Stars and Strikes. We don't usually spend this much $, but we had a big gift card that Steven had won at his company Christmas party, so we used that to help with the cost. The best thing about having it there was that they have a party host who is specifically for you...she was great help! Below are some pics of the celebration!

Our host was a balloon artist extraordinaire, and she kept the kids entertained making them whatever they wanted. When Henry arrived, she had this hat ready for him, plus a flashing Happy Birthday button!

He picked 3 colors for his baloons-red, orange, purple.

He requested Wild Kratts for a "theme"...which consisted of a WK cake topper and WK themed goodie bags for the party guests.

Lincoln and Harvey arrived first. I snapped a shot with Henry's bday message above before it got changed.

Let the bowling begin!

Henry with some more buddies-Sarah Elizabeth, Abby, and William.

Goodie bags with zebra striped cakes, fruit stripes gum, some plastic animals, an animal fact card and gel pen...and a wild Kratts tag!

My girls were happy to have Nora Kate come!

The boys were pretty competitive! Other friends here are Hudson, Dawson, and Jackson. That's a lot of "sons"!! haha

And Carter is in this one!

The girls stayed on the "girl side"...funny how they naturally divided! We ate pizza and had lemonade/fruit punch. Zoe and Patty are in this shot.

Balloon flowers!

Here is the whole gang! Sixteen total if you count the littles (Ruby and Clayton). Fourteen bowled.

And the silly shot!

Henry with friends surrounding him being sung to. He was happy if you can't tell! I just frosted a funfetti cake with green and added lighter green grass and propped up some wild animals on top. It worked and was super easy and stress-free to transport.

Henry got wonderful gifts from his friends. Very special!

Afterward everyone went to the arcade area and Henry got some time in the ticket booth. He got to grab the flying tickets that were being blown around, and at the end he could trade them in (for a set amount) or keep what he grabbed. He traded which was a great choice. All the friends got an arcade card to play a few games before parents picked them up. This part made me SOOO nervous, because parents weren't there (for the most part) and they were running free using their cards. I decided to plant myself by the door so no one could escape wo my knowledge. The teacher in me was cringing, and I was literally sweating. I have them their gift bags as the left so I could mentally check them out! Ha

Grabbing tickets in the wind! He had to push them into a ticket slot once he grabbed them.

One last shot in the prize (aka junk and trinkets) area....Jackson and Henry have become big buddies at school this year, and I'm so thankful! Here they are posing for a final picture! 

 Happy 7th birthday, Henry! We loved celebrating with you. You are blessed to be surrounded by people who love and support you!

More bday

We brought home the decorations from Grandpa's house and kept the party going!:)

It is hard for me to swallow the fact that we have a 7 year old, but the fact remains that we do! Henry has matured so much over the past year, and he is really a sweet, kind-hearted kid. I'll try to put a bit below about him. For his actual Bday (a Tuesday which means a long school day), we opened gifts as a family (he got new golf clubs bc he had outgrown his, balls, silly string, yarn, a puzzle, and a model car for him and Steven to put tghr), and we went out to get ice cream (Oreo-his fave!). It was a good time.

-He didn't really have anything he wanted for his bday and said the thing he wanted I probably wouldn't get him. I coaxed him to tell me what, and he finally said a baby brother:) I told him he was right, probably not, but God was ultimately in charge of that so you never know! Sweet boy. After thinking some more, he came up with yarn, a calendar, playing cards, and silly string:)
-Henry was baptized in September. He kept bringing it up and asking about it, so we said we would find a time to talk to Peter about it. Then he kept hounding us if we had talked to Peter. We figured we had better act on it if he was basically begging for it! Anyway, Henry has always been very sensitive about spiritual things (was saved just before turning 5) and very much understood its meaning and wanted to be baptized. All of his grandparents came, and Grandma actually baptized him with Peter assisting. We came home afterward for lunch and cake to celebrate. It was a special day, and we are so thankful for his desire to follow God at such a young age.
-Henry played basketball in winter and did great! Probably his best sports experience so far. Steven assisted and ended up being sole coach more often than he'd planned. But we all had fun going and watching. So many folks started mentioning how much he'd grown in winter-getting taller! And his appetite is bigger now. The kid I never thought would eat doesn't have trouble now! I think some of this physical growth has helped him with confidence in playing sports. He takes golf lessons every other week and has made a lot of progress here, too! It is nice to have a sport we can practice without a team, and he and Steven enjoy hitting balls in the backyard AND shooting hoops in the driveway together.
-We started a behavior/chore payment plan (allowance?) in fall, and it works great. He has loved earning money, and it has been a good way to teach him to tithe and save. Some things he has bought w his money-Hobby Lobby beads and string, then made everyone jewelry. Double-sided markers and a hard sided art book that he is constantly drawing in. Gum packs all his own! And most recently a snow cone maker, 3 flavors, and a pack of cones/straws for it. Big investment! :)
-Henry loves to play games, and card games are kind of a new discovery. He's enjoyed war, Uno, etc. He plays Bubble Gum in a Dish with the girls:) He plays with LEGOS and can get into the zone in his room for hours building. Then sometimes he will go weeks and not touch them. He loves Wild Kratts and Word Girl. He is able to process some real movies now (which I never thought his sensitive side would allow!), so he has seen stuff like LEGO movie, Peter Rabbit, Christopher Robin...there are more, but I can't think! He would rather just watch Wild Kratts than anything, though. 
-I hear him and Annie playing family, and they talk about naming their kids. The names he picks are Chris and Becky (hilarious!). He is awesome to play with is sisters and is a good, gentle friend to them. Oftentimes more gentle than them!
-Henry is such a gift giver. He loves making cards, elaborate crafts, etc, for people. Little holidays like Valentine's and Mothers day (in addition to Christmas of course) are very important to him and he wants to give gifts for them. He bought me yellow flowers (my fave color) for Valentine's day with his own money. He is always in the yard gathering bouquets of flowers and little treasures to give me. He is a sweetheart.
-He loves art and music. The right side of his brain can sometimes go into overdrive! He is also great at math and comprehension/Grammar/handwriting. He would still rather be read to than read, but if we look at his 1st grade year overall, he has had tremendous growth in this area. We are pleased with his progress! He loves to think things through and really understand-and asks so many questions in the process! Jackson in his class has become a good buddy, and evidently they have been planning a play date, so we are making that happen this summer! They've been "designing a rocket" together.

There is SO much more, but I had better stop. We sure do love you, buddy! Can't wait to experience the next year with you and watch you grown. You are a great kid.

Henry's family celebration

Family all came in to TN the weekend before Henry's bday (which also happens to be Grandpa's birthday!) It is a great way to get everyone together during a dreary winter month! Below is Ruby all packed up and ready to go! She loves a full backpack on her back and is always ready to travel!

 Having Grandma DeWitt close to us has been so great! She has come to every kid event (thanks to Grandma toting her everywhere), and I am so happy that our kids will have vivid memories of her being around!!

February birthday buddies!

Aunt Mae never disappoints with a cool cake.

The weather was stormy, so my mom cancelled coming. Still, we had fun eating and opening gifts. Grandma gave him the sequin snake above from Rain forest Cafe.

Together-Henry showing 7 and Grandpa showing 1 (bc Henry is 7 and Gpa is 71 this year)!

Slurping down some bday punch!

Grandpa and Peggy surprised us with a garage set up as a party room! They are so good! And I covet their CLEAN, ORGANIZED garage!

Henry showing gpa the card he made him-complete with feathers, beads, etc.:)

Henry was thrilled with $ from Gma DeWitt. She colors cards to help with her hand exercises, so the new expectation is that she gives one with each gift! If anyone appreciates some art, it's Henry!

Lighting candles together!

We went to church together on Sunday-here are the 6 cousins.