My spiffy little man

Henry, in his Sunday attire, excited about another new day:



...and planning on being well hydrated.

PS Grandma J, the pants fit great and we got lots of comments on his sweater vest and matching socks!

We're still here!

Yes, everyone, we are still alive. Henry has been A-OK for just over a week and I'm over the mono so we're doing fantastic. I think Jim picked up the mono, but also seems to be doing better each day.

Jim and I are certain that Henry was hoarding new knowledge while he was sick b/c the moment he woke up all better, he was jibber-jabbering away with all these new words and talking to us like it was all very normal. He also has been known to be very moody in the past, but since he's been well, he has turned into this funny, always happy little boy. I probably just jinxed it but whatever. He has been SO fun!

Here are my new favorite Henry-isms:

Bless you mama/daddy
(oh yes, after we sneeze OR burp)

Ho Ho Ha Ha??
(wanting HoHoHo Hosanna over and over and over)

He is totally into giving eskimo kisses...shoot

When we all sit down at the table, he throws his hands out, waiting for us to pray so he can eat. :)

Throwing his arms out and saying, "TA DA!"

Here's a pic of him two weekends ago when we visited Jim's parents in Lyden:



That is all for now. Many things to do...life of a mother, you know.

Zoo trip #2

We were able to do a few fun things while my mom was here and going to the zoo was one of them. It was so fun - Henry was WAY more into the animals this time!

My best friend...Goat

"Mama...the kitty is looking at me!"

Yep. He's not a baby anymore!

Yee-haw!

Green! There's green everywhere!

I'll tell you what...having a really sick child is so sad! We found out yesterday that Henry has ear infections and a sinus infection and will mostly likely hold his fever (which has been steady at 102) for a few days. Everything is different. He didn't wake up until 9 am this morning, he ate one, that's O-N-E, nibble of banana and three Cheerios, and then asked for "nigh-nigh" at 10:30 am. During this period of awake time, we pretty much just sat on the couch and watched "Poo Poo," with the occasional chuckle at silly Pooh leading to a round of coughing to which Henry would sincerely reply, "No...no..." Poor kid - he doesn't know what to do with the "stuff" that gets coughed up and he looks at me so desperately to help. He pretty much just swallows it back down. Usually during his protesting of the nasty stuff making it's way into his mouth, he ends up blowing two lovely streams of green liquid from his nostrils. Blech.

Anyhow, we're holding up just fine. It seems that Henry knows what his body needs and is very good at asking to just go to bed. Such a sweet boy.

Here's a pic of him this morning watching his favorite bear:

All I have to say is...

http://www.nkotb.com/

Last week

...was great and awful at the same time. My mom was here, which turned out to be a total God-send because we found out I have mono and let's just say my body went nuts on me. Anyhoo, we're pretty sure Henry has it too, but it just manifests as a really bad cold in small children, which he has to the 10th degree. Poor us. But thank heavens for my mother, who watched Henry SO much while I kept having to go to the doctor and have all sorts of tests done, etc. It was perfect timing and Henry just loved having her here! We were able to fit in a couple fun things, like going to the zoo and seeing some good friends. Thanks, mom! We love you and miss you!

Here are a couple picks from last week:

Henry, showing Grandma how he feels about her



Henry and Grandma...double trouble

Hello, thirty!

That's right. Today, I'm the big 3-0. Woot! I say, bring it on! I'm not really big into my birthday, but I enjoy getting older and starting new eras in my life.

This morning, Becky and Sarah brought me a balloon, a present (THANK YOU TO ALL!) and a yummy treat from Starbucks. Happy birthday to me, indeed. :) Henry kept begging with an overload of pleases to have some of my toffee nut latte. How do you say no? Of course he loved it. I pictured him saying, "Mom...Happy Birthday. Bottoms up!" What was actually coming out was "Mmmmm... MMMMM."

A boy after my own heart. :) I know my mom will especially love these pictures!

Easter No. 2

This was Henry's second Easter and it turned out to be a great day! For the second year in a row, we had Easter dinner at Nina's house (thank you!) so there was lots to keep Henry busy and lots of delicious food. Here are some pics of the day and of course, Henry's Easter outfit, thankyouverymuch.

I love Easter! (or toys)

Easter dinner at the kids table (ha!)

How do you get 2 toddlers to sit still so you can take pictures? You give them eggs!

Yeah...it still doesn't work. But how cute are they? Jack was the very best behaved.



I love me some cute Eater babes. :)

How sad is my baby?!?!

My poor baby has pink eye in both eyes and is the saddest thing I've ever seen. I must say, putting eye drops into little eyes that are scrunched shut so tight you can't even begin to figure out how you can peel them apart, is not easy. But after this last application, with much screaming and protesting and scrunchy eyes, Henry looked at me and said, "Mo, mama? Peese? Mo?" (he was asking for more) Seriously?

;

So sad! Probably even more sad than these pictures is the fact that it is SO HARD for me not to stick my fingers in his eyes to get out all that nasty green gunk that is stuck to his eyelids and eyelashes. DRIVING. ME. CRAZY. But helping my "picking" addiction for sure. See the positive side!

A day at the park

Just a few pics of our fun time at Shute Park yesterday afternoon. Henry's gross motor skills have improved dramatically in the past couple months and he was all over the playground running, climbing, and sliding. Jim and I were so proud. He was not at all afraid of heights and went down some very big slides all by himself. So fun!

My Owie by Henry

Let me tell you the story about my eye...

Oh, alright. I'll reenact it.

I was laying on the carpet with my wooden puzzle,

and for some reason, my head fell,

And then I looked like this:



Mom could not figure out how in the world I cut my eye what with only the carpet surrounding me. She thinks it must have had something to do with the puzzle piece in my hand but it's a fun little secret I'm going to keep to myself.

The End

Learning new things

Like how to clean your nose.



You must get both sides.

And how to be cool.



Because what is cooler than wearing no pants?

Meme

Yes, AJ, I've done this already but I'll add a new spin to it and do one for Henry! :)

**6 Non-Important Things/Habits/Quirks about Henry**

1. There is no such thing as Henry being in the car and also having shoes on. We're talking the garage is still closing and "Thump. Uh ooooh." Shoes have hit the floor.

2. Henry loves Winnie the Pooh, but calls him Poo Poo. This is especially funny to me, when we stop doing any Winnie the Pooh activity and he says, "Bye bye Poo Poo."

3. Henry LOVES our cat, Sam. He loves to chase Sam, pet Sam, help Sam eat - I even found him rolling around on a square of sunshine coming in from the window yesterday, just like Sam was doing. I am okay with any and all interaction Henry has with the cat EXCEPT when Henry tries to poke that one private area underneath Sam's tail. That is when mommy jumps up screaming, "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

4. Henry is afraid of bath bubbles. I'm serious. We're working on it.

5. Henry loves to sing and for us to sing to him, but he is very particular about when we may sing. He has been known to throw his hand over my mouth and say, "No." Talk about humbling.

6. I'm stumped. The child has so many quirks, but it's hard to think of ones that aren't relevant to every other toddler in the world. So for #6, though it is common knowledge and not a surprise, I will say: Henry loves him some food. :)

And I will leave you all with this lovely picture of Henry, partaking in one of his favorite activities...coloring with Poo Poo. :)

Who shall I tag? Anyone who has a child who wants to Meme about them. :)

New do

Jim thought we should buzz Henry's hair so I did it for fun to surprise him and then I cried b/c he looked so different. I know hair grows back, but it's that he looks so much less like a baby and way more like a little boy. Sigh. You should have seen Henry once I was done. Even he was looking in the mirror like, "Who is that kid?" :)

I am overwhelmed!

Last night, I sat staring at Abby during dinner and was just in awe at this absolutely beautiful, tiny baby girl, with a little pink bow in her hair (of course!). She's just the most perfect little being. I watched her mommy, who is strong and stubborn and amazing because she loves her friends so much. Behind me is baby Jack. Sweet, darling boy - cuter than any button I've ever seen - sleeping peacefully next to his mommy, who also would do whatever it takes to be there for her friends and loved ones (which says a lot for a mother of an infant). I see Carson and Ethan playing a game at the end of our table - heads together, giggles uncontrollable. When did they become little boys? Next to me is my own sweet baby boy, with spaghetti noodles stuck to every inch of him, making everyone laugh with each attempted bite. On the other side of Henry is my husband, who is making trains on the table for Henry to "choo choo" at and is just the greatest man I know. I think of adorable baby Isaac, at home with his mom and dad. Another great story of life and God's hand in it.

Jen tells us all that her and Trent are expecting a little girl this summer.

I have to say, I feel so full. Full of love for these people, full of the life God gave me, full of contentment for where we are. I love that I have friends that are as close as siblings - not just my girls, but their husbands as well. I love that when Jen says she's having a girl, I feel like we're all having a girl. I love seeing the joy on her face at getting to walk to the "pink" side of the stores now. I love that she's been our guide to motherhood - and such a good one at that. :) I love these kids, who are growing up together, jumbled in age. I love these great men, who are great dads and great friends. I love my girls, who are truly my sisters.

Anyhow, I just felt like typing out my feelings. I am so overwhelmed with joy and love and happiness and I wanted to share it. :)

Babies, babies, everywhere!

So, we've been hanging out with this adorable munchkin, Jack, for a couple months:

Is he not the cutest thing ever?? By the way, he's making goo-goo eyes at his daddy.

Then, this week became baby week 2008. Sarah and Eric welcomed their baby girl into the world on Monday afternoon. Here are a couple pics of sweet Abby:

Then, on Valentine's Day, Stacy had her baby girl Peyton and Jenna had her new little guy Isaac! Of course, I didn't remember my camera for the V-Day babies. The way my brain works these days, it's a good thing I remembered the diaper bag! Henry has spent so much time in hospital rooms this week, I think he is going crazy. Every time we walk down the maternity ward, he looks me in the eye and says, "No. Down." Hmph. Well, all I gots to say is he better get used to hangin' around babies who are younger than him. He's no longer the baby of the group!