Henry's Christmas

We thought that Henry's gift would be a surprise for him, but it turned out to be a surprise for us. Henry found his gift in the closet long before Christmas. We didn't make a big deal of it, just shut the door and moved on. I wrapped it up a week or two ago and Henry seemed to forget about it once he couldn't see it.

Christmas morning we brought it out for him to open. He didn't seem overly excited, but we figured this was due to the abundance of gifts he had already opened from our extended family.

Once Henry had the gift open he did not get excited about Elmo (as he did when seeing it in the closet). Rather, he calmly reached into the opening of the box and pulled out a previously owned toy that he had tucked inside at some earlier time. He was more thrilled with locating the "lost" toy than the new one.

Maybe next year we'll just wrap up the toys he already has and give those to him again!

Awaiting Christmas

We normally don't let Henry stand on the furniture,

but this was too cute to tell him to get down!

Another Party!

This last picture shows Henry's love of ride-able toys. At Levi's he hardly leaves the tractor, so last night Matthew's bike seemed like a natural fit!

the Christmas Party

Today was our first Christmas party of the season. We go to the gym so that there is plenty of room, and the kids can run and play. We participate in the yearly traditions and eat homemade ice cream. The party is definitely a favorite.


Henry thought that the abundance of space and basketballs was fabulous. To the point that he did not want to do anything else but practice his dribbling. I didn't get many pictures of him, and this one isn't perfect, but there is just something about it that I like.

My God is So Great...Yeah!

This has been Henry's favorite song for me to sing at bedtime lately. I think it is because of the motions we do, but tonight he helped in singing and signing.

Me: My God is so Great
Henry: Yeah (little head nod)
Me: So strong and so mighty, there's nothing our God cannot do
Henry: Yeah
Me: My God is so Great
Henry: Yeah (little head nod)
Me: So strong and so mighty, there's nothing our God cannot do
Henry: Yeah
Me: The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handywork too
Henry: Yeah
Me: My God is so Great
Henry: Yeah (little head nod)
Me: So strong and so mighty, there's nothing our God cannot do for you
Henry: Yeah...gin (again)

He seems to giggle the most when I use his hands to do the motions instead of mine. His favorite part is the strong and mighty, probably because he gets to show off his muscles!

Pickin' Blueberries

Tonight was pancakes with blueberry sauce. Henry loves pancakes and tonight we discovered he likes them dipped in blueberries. Normally he hands us a piece to dip for him, tonight we put a little on his tray so that he could dip his own. As you can see it got a little out of hand!

Our Little Cowboy

Last night Henry found our cowboy hats...he thought that he should try it on. He wore it around for quite awhile. He was adorable. I wasn't able to get a picture from the front, but we thought that these were cute anyways. Scott was impressed that Henry carried it around pinching the top - like a real cowboy!

The Big Brother

Since we have shared the news with our parents, we are now sharing with the world. We are expecting a little one in June. We are very excited about this new addition to our family. Henry helped us tell our secret last night:


He doesn’t really understand, but he was definitely hamming it up last night, so we think that he is at least catching a little of the excitement!

We started a blog for our little one as to not over run this one with pregnancy nonsense. Feel free to check it out for more info by clicking HERE.

The New Reading Seat

We were at Grandpa and Grandma's for lunch on Sunday. The boys were playing when Henry decided to start reading instead. Levi thought this looked like a good spot too. For a few brief moments they shared the seat.

Why Did I Marry Him?

Today I listened to the Josh Groban Christmas CD. Yes, Christmas music already I know. This is not something I make a practice of, I was just sampling it. I did come home and tell Scott this though, that was the mistake.

Let me back up by saying that a couple of years ago I bought his first CD and loved it. I listened to it non-stop and Scott just couldn't understand why I liked it so much. He had his own opinions about it, but we won't go there.

So I say to him that I listened to the new Josh Groban Christmas CD and ...

Before I could get the words out he throws his head back and with arms up says in his best imitation voice "I loved it!"

Yes, that is why I married him, because he always makes me laugh, and knows how I react to everything, even Josh Groban.

Halloween Continued

For more great Halloween pictures check out Olivia's blog. What a cute pair of veggies!

Daddy's Boy

Henry has gone in spurts as to whom he is drawn to. Tonight it was Daddy. Scott had a council meeting, so while he was getting ready Henry and I played in the basement. Henry and I drove trucks on the playstation. Scott came down before leaving as I asked Henry if he wanted to "drive". He nodded yes, took the controller and brought it over to Scott. This was then followed by "Up please" and onto Scott's lap he went. I found this hilarious, especially since when he said "Up please" to me it was to sit NEXT to me, not on my lap.

Scott isn't sure why the turn of events, but he is enjoying it.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Henry has a tendency to unroll the toilet paper when given the opportunity. This is usually because I forgot to shut the door. Today was one of those opportunities. A puddle of paper was all that remained.

When Scott got home Henry was showing off his handywork.

Scott: Henry did you unroll the toilet paper?
Henry: (slight smile)
Scott: Henry who did that?
Henry: Beawr?

Apparently the 8 inch tall stuffed bear has the dexterity to unroll toilet paper.

Future Driver

Henry has a couple of favorite toys at Aunt Olivia's house.

This is one of them:

Henry loves to "drive" and shift the gears. Lately he has taken this to a new level. It is no longer a stationary toy for him. He picks it up and walks it through the house.

He is a boy on the go.

What an imagination!

Happy Halloween

Happy Birthday

Happy 30th Olivia!

Couchful of Cousins

Saturday our extended family got together to visit with my cousin Rachel and her son Zach from Washington. We took the opportunity to attempt a picture of all of our kids. This was the best of all of my pictures. With this many little ones, one good picture is quite an accomplishment!

Pop Anyone?

Every Monday morning is similar at our house. We wake up, find juice and Mr. Rogers, have breakfast and then attempt to clean up from the weekend. This last part usually means that Henry has freedom while I quickly pick up the old messes while he makes new ones.

This morning he found the box of pop that was on deck to go into the fridge. Since he couldn't get that door open he found the next best thing in his mind.

Henry was pretty proud of himself too. He seems to have this thing lately for setting everything on the toliet. I think that it is because the "table" is just his height.

I'll just have to remember to warn Scott of the cans that had some rough handling.

The New Meijer Greeter

Henry has been getting up early this week. Around 5:00 am on average. Today I was wishfully thinking that we could sleep in since it is my day off. We did, kind of. Six fifteen I heard the little guy. I dozed while he watched Mr. Rogers and then up we were. Because of our early rising, and the threat of bad weather, I thought we should head to Meijer right after breakfast. Henry was chipper to say the least. He said "hi" to everyone we saw. A few people even got the greeting more than once. Lucky them.

Weather note: I am so glad that we hurriedly shopped this morning to beat the weather, only to leave to store in a torential downpour when now it is bright, sunny and blue in the sky. It is going to be that kind of day, I can just tell!

Mmmm Mmmm Good!

Henry has a tendency to eat more than one dinner. This is due to the fact that he is hungry before we are so he eats first. Unfortunately he then thinks that he needs more when we eat. Tonight he went from my lap to Scott's in order to get more food. He was especially excited by the veggies in Scott's soup:

The Traveler

Henry is so excited to go to Grandpa and Grandma's for the night. When I got out a bag to pack up for him he carried it around all morning saying "Bye! Bye! Bye!"

I've Been Tagged

Sonny tagged me to list things about myself that start with the letters of my middle name. My middle name is Rose, so:

R - Random. You may have already noticed this by the things I post on the blog. Scott sometimes has a hard time keeping up with me because I change topics so often. Luckily my mom and sister are used to me, so I'm not alone in this (they have their moments of random too).

O - Organized. This is true in most areas of my life. I am known for this at work, but am slightly lacking at home. I working on this though, slowly.

S - Spacially Challenged. This is related to two areas of my life. I can never gauge how big of a container to grab for the leftovers. Nine times out of ten I have a tupperware that is twice the size of the food. Also, I am still working on how to get my van into a parking spot without being crooked or futher to one side that the other.

E - Easy Going. This is something that I am not. I am trying to be more laid back and to be someone who "goes with the flow". This is hard for me as I am a planner and tend to get worked up very easily. I feel as though I am attempting the impossible with this one.


The other part of being tagged is that you tag more people, as many as the letters of your middle name. There aren't a lot of bloggers that I know left who haven't been tagged, so...I'm tagging some non-bloggers that I know read this. Brenda, Rachel, Aunt Joan and Mom - you can leave your "tags" in the comments.

Wake Up Ritual

When Henry wakes up in the morning we have typically the same routine. Gather Mr. Bear and blankie and any other "friends" from overnight. Then attempt to get them all into the kitchen to pick up the juice. Then depending on the time we either watch Mr. Rogers in our bed, or hang out on the sofa. The other morning Henry thought that we should linger while getting up. It took an hour for him to finally get off the couch.

Nap time has its own routine too. Whether Henry wakes up happy or upset a drink and snack usually follow. Today he walked around the kitchen with his sippy until he blurted out "crackers". So, even though it was close to lunch, we got the graham crackers. Henry hung out with all of his "friends" while he ate. He is pretty snuggly after waking up. I think that it is one of my favorite times with him.


Henry thought that one cracker per hand was better than just one.

Henry's New Game

We started this with Henry the other night. I thought that he had a good time, but I knew that he did for sure when he kept trying to get on the sofa today. He would grab a ball and stand by the sofa lifting one leg and then the other. Luckily he is just a little too short to make it on his own yet.

Training Season

Henry has been perfecting his throwing for weeks. As much as we try to stop him from throwing dangerous things, we encourage everything else. And we wonder why when we tell him to stop he looks at us like we are nuts!

This was last night's training session. Henry likes to throw a pack of fruit snacks around the kitchen. I tried to capture the action, but didn't realize that the camera was turned when I did it (oops).

Wednesday Lunchtime

Henry spends Wednesday with Aunt Olivia and Levi. What do they do all day? No one knows for sure, but today Henry enjoyed lunch. Check it out HERE.

Hunting Fever

Last night Scott was looking through Sunday's ads for hunting supplies. He was shocked that it was the week of the duck opener and there were hardly any sales.

I had no comment on that one. Deer hunting I can see there being big sales/ads etc. Duck hunting, not so much.

Despite the disappointment he continues to count down the days, and has even taken up Matt's description for the time. Only 3 more sleeps!

I don't know which he is more excited for, the hunting, or riding in the new duck boat!

Henry and the Three Bears

Henry has taken to sitting in his toy tote in his room. Tonight he climbed in and looked around for his "friends". All of the teddy bears went in, it was Henry and the Three Bears. Apparently it was a little crowded, so one by one they were evaluated and thrown out. However, Henry then got lonely and let them back in.

It makes me wonder what goes through his little head sometimes.

Pumping Iron

Now that vacuuming before dusting has been determined as the correct order, a bigger challenge has cropped up. When do you iron...before the clothes dry or after? My mom always ironed the same day as the laundry, so before the clothes was totally dry. I have always done it the next day (or sometime after) so the clothes is dry.

After Henry was born I only ironed clothes as necessary. Before I went back to work I figured I should take care of the lines of laundry that were still hanging in the basement. I think it took about 3 hours to get through it all. It was about 3 months worth of laundry so I guess it balances out. Scott felt like he had a closet of brand new clothes.

I have been trying to keep up on it a little better since then, but it still has a way of getting out of hand. I'm not sure why though, tonight I did all that was in the basement, and it was only 6 items, completely do-able. So why then do I end up with lines of wrinkly clothes?

It leads me to think that if I ironed right before hanging it up to dry it would be less intimidating.

I even have a brand new iron. My iron from college finally bit the dust. Don't get me wrong, it is still sitting next to the new one. If that doesn't make me want to iron I don't know what will.

The Sleepover

Last night Levi stayed with us while Matt and Olivia went away for their 5th Anniversary. We had a great night playing, going to the mall, and just trying to "contain" ourselves!

He's Mine Too

I took this picture because Henry was happily riding in the new Hip Hammock I bought. (He was having fun, I think that the flash just stunned him.) Anyways, when I loaded the picture onto the computer, I finally saw that for a moment there was a slight resemblance. So many people say that he is a little Scott that I was beginning to feel left out. My father-in-law told me a while back that Henry does have my eyes, I think that this proves it, at least a little.

I'm sorry, WHAT???

Things you never thought you would hear your husband say:

"I need stirrup pants"

Scott was looking through a hunting catalogue tonight and this is what came out of his mouth. He tried to justify it by saying that his pants ride up in his waders so this would help.

I'm not so sure. I think we would have another round of issues if these worked out.

A Pre-Dinner Snack

Yesterday while I was making dinner Henry was running around the house. Normally this is not a big deal, we shut the doors to rooms that are not kid-friendly and he is free to roam. This time I forgot to shut the bathroom door. I realized this when he threw my facial soap into the kitchen. I picked it up to tell him not to throw soap when I saw this:

Rather than having the "don't throw" talk, we had the "we don't eat soap" discussion.

14 Months on the 14th

Henry turned 14th months today. To celebrate we took him bowling. Well, not really.



Henry loves to throw things as you may have noticed at the end.
We are working on that.

8 Things...

I read a blog that had "8 things others may not know about me". I wasn't sure if I could come up with 8 things of my own, so I thought that I would give it a try.

1. When I was little I didn't want a job in numbers - I am now an accountant.

2. I spoke with a "british" accent the entire summer after 7th grade.

3. My husband is the first and only guy I've kissed.

4. My family calls me "Fluffy"

5. I wore my hair in a ponytail every day of 6th grade.

6. I grind my teeth at night, I have a bite splint but haven't worn it in almost two years.

7. I watch Baby Boom and The American President anytime I see it on TV.

8. I love to watch the Food Network Channel

I did it - 8 things you may not have known about me, but you do now!

Tuesday Trouble

A barrel of monkeys?

Nope, a box of boys!

Just hangin' out

The Reading Corner

Reading books is part of Henry's bedtime routine. He knows that the books on his nightstand are for that night and when they are gone we are finished and it is time to sleep. In order to eliminate the pile I drop the ones we are finished with onto the floor between the chair and the nightstand. The pile stays there until I pick it up the next morning. If Henry gets to it before I do he often ends up in his own little spot "reading".

My Little Helper

Today was "clean the refrigerator day!" What fun! Well, maybe not fun, but at least it left a sparkling appliance and a sense of accomplishment. Henry played by himself during the first half of the event, but decided to help with the second half.

First he emptied out the door while I was loading a shelf. He was less than two feet away from me and I didn't even realize he was doing it. Once he had everything out he started to put it back in. The shelf wasn't cleaned yet, but at least he gets the idea.

Then while I was working on the door he decided that he should re-organize what I had just done. He was very gentle with the containers, no splitting or dropping.

Back to "Normal" Life

This morning the doctors declared that Scott could go home. They never came up with anything to explain what has been happening, so hopefully nothing will happen again.

Back to life, the clock has started ticking. We pray that it will be a long time before it stops again!

Time Stands Still

It is only Tuesday night, but this week seems forever long. For the past two days time has stood still. Four "episodes", two ER trips, two nights in the hospital and many tests later, we are still wondering. Scott has been having some chest tightening and numbness which has in turn led us to the hospital.

We have been amazed at how quickly a ticking watch turns into a stopped one. Go to this test...wait...the next test...wait. We are still waiting. They have determined that this has nothing to do with his heart, and are currently ruling out his brain, neck and head arteries. They aren't expecting anything, but we should know first thing in the morning for sure.

We are heavily relying on what "they say" lately, but it seems we have no other choice. It is the dilemma of wanting something to come up, but being relieved when nothing does. We are praying that night will bring good sleep for both of us and a new morning that brings Scott back home.

Henry, however, has been enjoying his week and his first sleepover away from mom and dad. He has been working on perfecting his walking and let out a record belch this afternoon. I'm not sure what they do over at Auntie O's and Uncle Matt's, but Henry is loving it - and we are grateful!

It Started with a Box

I brought home a box from work. It has turned into Scott and Henry's new "thing". It started with Scott pushing Henry around the house in the box. That wasn't too much fun for either one. Scott told Henry he needed his help on something in the garage. I had no idea what he could be taking about. They came back with twine to tie to the box.

Sometimes they drag race down the hallway, other times Henry is chauffered around the living room, down the hall, into his bedroom, back up the hall and into the kitchen. Henry then needs company, so each pass through his bedroom he will pick up another "friend" and they join him in the box. Every once in a while someone doesn't make the cut and Henry displaces them from the box.

Henry will giggle, sometimes. He has this look about him as they ride around, we aren't exactly sure what he is thinking though. Perhaps he is having fun, but not as much fun as us so he doesn't want to hurt our feelings.



I tried to capture this in pictures, but there is just something missing. Maybe this video will paint a better picture.

This is the Boy...

This is the floor.

This is the chair that sits on the floor.

This is the cup, that sits on the chair, that sits on the floor.


This is the boy that throws the cup from the chair onto the floor!


My name is Henry and I have a problem.

I like to throw my cup onto the floor when I have finished drinking from it. Sometimes I even look like I want to drink from it so that an unknowing accomplice will hand me the cup to quench my thrist. I then take a half of a sip and throw it to its demise.

My latest approach is to throw the cup to the floor and then say "UH-OH" as if it were an accident, or should I say "accident"?

I thought that this would lessen the hostile stares my parents give me, but it hasn't. They have tried time-outs, ignoring me and even slapping my hand once.

I am too stubborn though, I will not be broken.

The Birthday Event 7.14.07

The preparation for Henry's birthday began before the actual day. Of course there was the purchasing of food and tableware, but there was also the cake. This was a dilemma for me. I wanted to make it for Henry myself, but I wasn't sure what to make, or when I would make it. My parents were gracious enough to take Henry and Levi on Friday so that Olivia and I could make the cakes.

We made Henry's cakes to fit his barnyard themed party. They of course took longer than planned, but were adorable in the end. I definitely could not have done it on my own, or with little boys under foot too!










Saturday, the 14th, was Henry's big day! Despite the rain and somewhat cloudy weather, the sun did shine here and there, and Scott's family made their way to the cottage. Henry just loved all of the attention. He received many wonderful gifts and immediately wanted to play with them all. Henry didn't do too much damage to the cake but I think he still had his fill. It was a good time, and we think that Henry enjoyed his special day!

The Little Man Hug

Monday we took another trip to Costco. Henry got to ride in the cart with his cousin Levi. Henry lasted for quite a while in the cart, until Levi even wanted to share a little man hug. As you can see, Henry wasn't so sure, maybe another time.

Swimming and Baked Beans

It was hit or miss if Henry wanted to swim in the float or just walk around in the water. When he was happy in the float he couldn't

stop splashing and giggling!

Baked Beans have become one of Henry's favorites. If there is anything else for dinner, he only wants the beans!

Another Cottage Weekend

Another set of cheesy pictures! What a HAM!