Blink! ... all about Henry

Something is different. It happened so fast, we hardly noticed it was happening at all. The past 6 months have been a time of change for our family. We welcomed sweet, happy Wyatt into our family at the end of May and what a significant and life-changing event! I am constantly amazed at how wonderfully he completes our family. He is growing and changing so fast, it's crazy! However, the change that has me most puzzled right now is the growth we're seeing in our firstborn.

It's like we blinked and Henry was no longer a toddler. He is a talkative, smart, funny little boy who loves to entertain and play with his baby brother. At nearly 3 1/2, he is constantly surprising us with the workings of his mind, like when we were listening to a song recently and he said, "Hey! Those words rhyme!" When did he learn what a rhyme is? Now we are constantly playing the rhyming game and let me tell you, he is totally out to win!

We have been so blessed by the instruction Henry is getting in Preschool and Sunday School and get so excited when he asks new questions about God and Jesus. The way his little mind comprehends God's love is a precious gift that I treasure with all my heart. I often giggle at the things Henry wants to thank God for (blankie, doggie, his boxers...) but truly am just overjoyed that he knows where our thanks is due.

While he is a wonderful, sweet little boy, he is also a sensitive, emotional being and Jim and I are still figuring out how to best discipline and love our child, without breaking the spirit that God put in him. He feels things very strongly -- something that he might have gotten from his mother, I'm not sure -- and so battles are often loud and long. As frustrating as those moments (often daily) can be, the resolve at the end and eventual improvement and understanding (as little as they may be!) are so worth it.

Anyhow!!! One of the awesome parts of having a child grow up is that he starts going to school and having Christmas programs and Christmas parties!!! If you've actually read this far, thank you! It's been a while since I've really sat down and talked about my Henry and how proud we are of him. He has gone above and beyond anything we expected from him as a big brother and as impossible as it seems, making us love him more and more every day.

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And now...here are pictures of the newest performer in the family!

TA-DA!!!

Isn't he handsome?

Here he is (with Nate!) on stage whilst hundreds of parents and grandparents took thousands of pictures of all the kids

They are obviously totally into their performance

So, these next videos are very pixelated and probably only enjoyable for grandparents, but they crack me up as they give a great look at Henry's personality.

Here is when he discovered where we were amid the ginormous crowd:

Don't ask me what they are singing about. All I know is that most of the other kids are doing similar hand motions while Henry does his own thing in this next clip.

This next video is actually hysterical. Henry is displaying his interest in the story being narrated by his teacher, and though he misses the part where they are supposed to say something, he is nevertheless excited about it.

And here is where he had his wardrobe malfunction:

Darn clip-on ties! How cute is he trying to put it back on, though?? Hee!

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These next pics are from Henry's class Christmas party. We have a terrific group of kids with moms who are all very involved. We were all there at the party with wee ones in tow, and we all had a blast!

Here is Henry and Nate doing what else?? Playing with trains. :)

The chimes ring! Attention class!!!

It must be someone really important on the phone...

Here is Henry paying close attention during class time. It was almost too much for me to see how well behaved he was in the class. He even raised his hand to talk! What?!?!

I helped out at a craft station making Christmas party hats with the kids. Henry was amused that I was there at the little tables doing crafts with them. Here is Henry in all his bobbled glory:

Nate and Henry making gingerbread houses, which they got to eat for snack time!!!

(I won't lie -- I wanted to make one, too...and eat it)

Here is Mr. Line Leader, about to lead the class to some play time in the gym.

What a happy day! What a great group of kids!