Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Monday, June 03, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Update 4-21-13
What a week. Poor Henry was under the weather and I didn't know why. I thought maybe it was all the cloudy days in a row or maybe he was growing and just extra sleepy. Well now I know because now the rest of us have it too-- runny noses, tired, sore, grumpy. And, of course, he is now fully recovered and can't understand why the rest of us are walking around like blobs.
Soccer is in full swing now. This year is a little different than the past years. This year they keep score and have goalies. Henry was terrified about his turn at goalie. But he did it twice last weekend and he did a really good job. Man I have to say it is hard to watch your kid do something that you know scares him and to know that it may not go his way. He let a few goals thru and then one of the kids said so nasty stuff to him. Then he messed up a drop kick and I could see that he was on the verge of losing it. He did lose and it ran over to Papa crying. But he pulled it back together and did a pretty good job. He cried the whole tide home though and Wade and I dealt with a parenting challenge that we hadn't before. I'm not sure how we did but I do know that he is going to be a goalie again next week because his coach told me after the game that he was great at it, so I think I need to find a way to toughen up before next Saturday.
Aside from her cold, Georgia is good. Growing, talking, successfully letting us know what she wants and yelling if we don't make it happen fast enough. What can I say, the girl is bossy. But she is also very sweet. She had her first debris appointment last week and it went well. Henry has had two filings in the past few months and it's all because we waiting to long to get him to the dentist so with G we are starting early. She needs to go to the doctor too but I'm really struggling with what to do about her vaccinations right now so I've been putting it off. She is up to date on everything except the MMR and chickenpox. I just feel like I want to delay those shots but I'm not 100% sure.
Well I'm posting from my phone so I'm not going to do anything special with the photos from this week. Here they are, in a chunk. Enjoy.
Soccer is in full swing now. This year is a little different than the past years. This year they keep score and have goalies. Henry was terrified about his turn at goalie. But he did it twice last weekend and he did a really good job. Man I have to say it is hard to watch your kid do something that you know scares him and to know that it may not go his way. He let a few goals thru and then one of the kids said so nasty stuff to him. Then he messed up a drop kick and I could see that he was on the verge of losing it. He did lose and it ran over to Papa crying. But he pulled it back together and did a pretty good job. He cried the whole tide home though and Wade and I dealt with a parenting challenge that we hadn't before. I'm not sure how we did but I do know that he is going to be a goalie again next week because his coach told me after the game that he was great at it, so I think I need to find a way to toughen up before next Saturday.
Aside from her cold, Georgia is good. Growing, talking, successfully letting us know what she wants and yelling if we don't make it happen fast enough. What can I say, the girl is bossy. But she is also very sweet. She had her first debris appointment last week and it went well. Henry has had two filings in the past few months and it's all because we waiting to long to get him to the dentist so with G we are starting early. She needs to go to the doctor too but I'm really struggling with what to do about her vaccinations right now so I've been putting it off. She is up to date on everything except the MMR and chickenpox. I just feel like I want to delay those shots but I'm not 100% sure.
Well I'm posting from my phone so I'm not going to do anything special with the photos from this week. Here they are, in a chunk. Enjoy.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Weekly Update 2/3/2013
It's Sunday night and I feel pretty comfortable typing up this weekly review, I'm confident that we will not be up to anything exciting tonight. I hear there's a big game about to start but we rarely get to watch big games these days. Last week we attempted to watch a KU game and Georgia hurt herself 2 or 4 times in the few seconds that both sets of eyes were on the screen and Henry did his classic "Mama look. Mama look. Hey Mama, look" thing that he's done since he was a baby, only he used to say "Mama yook. Mama yook." Anyway it becomes insane to try to watch so we normally just turn it off. I'm sure we'll try again tonight but I don't have much hope that it will pan out.
This was a nice quiet week. We had some cloudy days, a little snow and then yesterday and today it was sunny, jacket weather. Henry had a dentist appointment on Thursday. We are in a serious battle with plaque in Henry's mouth. The pH in his mouth is such that plaque hardens really fast so after a couple of cavities and a lot of hard plaque that I can't brush off, we've starting doing dental cleanings every 3 months. After his appointment he and I ran to get some cupcakes at our favorite cupcake shop. It was the last day for 3 of our favorite flavors, so we had to stock up. That evening we had the science fair at Henry's school. He didn't participate, I think because he didn't really understand what it was all about. After discovering what it's all about I imagine that he'll do it next year. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.
We got to Skype with Annie and Alex this week. I love Skyping. It's like having my sister here in the room with me. We try to do it once a week but, honestly, I would do it once a day if I could.
On Friday I had to work a long day so Wade and Georgia spent the day together. It's so nice that he works at home now. The flexibilty is really changing our family dynamic. Wade and I just need to get better at communicating with each other about what needs to be done. Once we figure that out I think we'll be really happy with our new situation.
Georgia is really changing these days. Her personality is changing and developing every day. She's learning new words and also learning to communicate without words. She points a lot. Shakes her head yes and no. Grunts for no and giggles for yes. She LOVES books. She grabs them and then backs right up on the nearest lap. Today she did it with a blanket and I think it might have been the cutest thing I've ever seen. She doesn't need to grunt for one thing, cookies. That's one word that she says clear as day. She also loves playing the piano, taking baths, eating at restaurants, swinging at the park, going for walks, dancing and getting in to Henry's toys. She is discovering how fun it is to make people laugh and has so many facial expressions and can get a chuckle with a silly walk and a goofy noise almost every time. Yesterday she fell on the rug and bonked her face. She was doing that crying so hard that she makes no sound cry. Yeah, it was sad. Once she calmed down I was searching her face to find where she bonked. Looking for blood or a red spot but I couldn't find anything. I said, "where did you get your ouchy baby?" and she wiggled down and pointed directly at the spot on the rub where she took a spill. She did the same thing to Wade. It was pretty funny.
On Saturday we decided to run a few errands, including going to the Toy Store to find a Valentines Day gift for Willem and shop around for the kids. Georgia fell in love with the blue Rody. Henry fell in love with the next series of Lego Hero Factory guys. I swear they make a new one of those every year just to suck all the money out of the parents.
In the evening I made some turkey burgers and we watched some KU basketball (kind of).
This morning Henry was up early and he was ready to roll. We ate a big breakfast and got busy working around the house. The boys cleaned out the shed, picked up the lawn and took down the top floor of his tree house, while Georgia and I sorted laundry, baked cookies, made a grocery list, took a bath (for fun), took a nap and ate cookies. This afternoon we went to the store and bought a mop. I mopped my floor for the first time in 5 years. It was nice to actually get the floor clean instead of pushing things around with a swiffer. We had a late lunch at Yello Sub and then threw the frisbee until the sun went down enough that we needed coats. Now I think I'll make some pita and hummus for dinner, roast some veggies and maybe defrost one of those cupcakes. Have a great week friends.
We got to Skype with Annie and Alex this week. I love Skyping. It's like having my sister here in the room with me. We try to do it once a week but, honestly, I would do it once a day if I could.
On Friday I had to work a long day so Wade and Georgia spent the day together. It's so nice that he works at home now. The flexibilty is really changing our family dynamic. Wade and I just need to get better at communicating with each other about what needs to be done. Once we figure that out I think we'll be really happy with our new situation.
Georgia is really changing these days. Her personality is changing and developing every day. She's learning new words and also learning to communicate without words. She points a lot. Shakes her head yes and no. Grunts for no and giggles for yes. She LOVES books. She grabs them and then backs right up on the nearest lap. Today she did it with a blanket and I think it might have been the cutest thing I've ever seen. She doesn't need to grunt for one thing, cookies. That's one word that she says clear as day. She also loves playing the piano, taking baths, eating at restaurants, swinging at the park, going for walks, dancing and getting in to Henry's toys. She is discovering how fun it is to make people laugh and has so many facial expressions and can get a chuckle with a silly walk and a goofy noise almost every time. Yesterday she fell on the rug and bonked her face. She was doing that crying so hard that she makes no sound cry. Yeah, it was sad. Once she calmed down I was searching her face to find where she bonked. Looking for blood or a red spot but I couldn't find anything. I said, "where did you get your ouchy baby?" and she wiggled down and pointed directly at the spot on the rub where she took a spill. She did the same thing to Wade. It was pretty funny.
On Saturday we decided to run a few errands, including going to the Toy Store to find a Valentines Day gift for Willem and shop around for the kids. Georgia fell in love with the blue Rody. Henry fell in love with the next series of Lego Hero Factory guys. I swear they make a new one of those every year just to suck all the money out of the parents.In the evening I made some turkey burgers and we watched some KU basketball (kind of).
This morning Henry was up early and he was ready to roll. We ate a big breakfast and got busy working around the house. The boys cleaned out the shed, picked up the lawn and took down the top floor of his tree house, while Georgia and I sorted laundry, baked cookies, made a grocery list, took a bath (for fun), took a nap and ate cookies. This afternoon we went to the store and bought a mop. I mopped my floor for the first time in 5 years. It was nice to actually get the floor clean instead of pushing things around with a swiffer. We had a late lunch at Yello Sub and then threw the frisbee until the sun went down enough that we needed coats. Now I think I'll make some pita and hummus for dinner, roast some veggies and maybe defrost one of those cupcakes. Have a great week friends. Sunday, January 27, 2013
Weekly Update 1/27/2013
Hi. We're back. The funk finally caught up with us and poor little G got it this time. Two weeks ago we took her to the doctor and discovered that she had a double ear infection and gunk in her chest. We were concerned about the flu because it's so bad this year but it turns out she had the same cold that Wade and I had been struggling with for almost a month. She was given antibiotics and ear drops but we had no luck getting either one of them down. She seems much better now though. Then poor Henry picked up a stomach bug on Friday. He was supposed to go to KC with his Grandpa Benda to visit his cousin Campbell, but instead he was home, staying close to the bathroom. He also seems to be feeling much better now. It wasn't easy to find activities to keep Georgia busy while she wasn't feeling well, but the girl LOVES taking baths. So we did a lot of that.
And we watched a lot of Yo-Gabba-Gabba, which seems to be the only show Georgia likes to watch besides KU basketball.
The sun was out yesterday and it was super warm, so while the boys relaxed, Georgia and I played with her lady bug and I snapped a few photos. I trying to work on taking just every day photos.
In the afternoon we headed out to lunch at First Watch with the Benda's. Henry and Grandpa Benda played tic tac toe and giggled and acted silly while I tried to keep Georgia busy. Georgia ate turkey burger, cheese sandwich, watermelon and strawberries. This is a ton of food for her.While we were eating it occurred to me that it's not that Georgia doesn't like solid food, it's just that she prefers milk and she will not eat when she's not hungry. So, if I catch her with solid food before we nurse, she'll actually eat quite well. Yesterday afternoon the boys played Wii and organized the study while I cleaned the car, went to the store and then made dinner for our friends that just had their 4th child. I made cookies which are already gone this morning, but in my defense, we gave over half of them away. I'm being told now that I need to make another batch. :)
This was Wade's first week working from home. He had a meeting in Wamego on Thursday but the rest of the week he was home designing, cleaning up the study, and staying in his pajamas. He is much happier with this job change. Things at my work are not so great. They laid off 5 people this week, employees that had been there for over a decade. We have been considering our options and planning for what we would do if something like that happens to me. A scary thought. To be safe I've been registering to win the HGTV dream home everyday and I'm pretty sure we're going to win. Charleston here we come! But in all seriousness, now that Wade is on a better path with his career I think it's time for me to really focus on what I want to do. I thought finishing my degree would provide options for me or at the very least some security at my current job. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case. What to do now????
We don't have much planned for the next few weeks. The weather right now is in the 60's so it's time for us to get outside and clean out our garden beds and start planning what I'm going to plant in March. I'm thinking broccoli, salad greens, cauliflower, strawberries, raspberries, potatoes and tomatoes.
Well I'm off to bake some cookies before Georgia wakes up from her nap.
The sun was out yesterday and it was super warm, so while the boys relaxed, Georgia and I played with her lady bug and I snapped a few photos. I trying to work on taking just every day photos.
In the afternoon we headed out to lunch at First Watch with the Benda's. Henry and Grandpa Benda played tic tac toe and giggled and acted silly while I tried to keep Georgia busy. Georgia ate turkey burger, cheese sandwich, watermelon and strawberries. This is a ton of food for her.While we were eating it occurred to me that it's not that Georgia doesn't like solid food, it's just that she prefers milk and she will not eat when she's not hungry. So, if I catch her with solid food before we nurse, she'll actually eat quite well. Yesterday afternoon the boys played Wii and organized the study while I cleaned the car, went to the store and then made dinner for our friends that just had their 4th child. I made cookies which are already gone this morning, but in my defense, we gave over half of them away. I'm being told now that I need to make another batch. :)This was Wade's first week working from home. He had a meeting in Wamego on Thursday but the rest of the week he was home designing, cleaning up the study, and staying in his pajamas. He is much happier with this job change. Things at my work are not so great. They laid off 5 people this week, employees that had been there for over a decade. We have been considering our options and planning for what we would do if something like that happens to me. A scary thought. To be safe I've been registering to win the HGTV dream home everyday and I'm pretty sure we're going to win. Charleston here we come! But in all seriousness, now that Wade is on a better path with his career I think it's time for me to really focus on what I want to do. I thought finishing my degree would provide options for me or at the very least some security at my current job. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case. What to do now????
We don't have much planned for the next few weeks. The weather right now is in the 60's so it's time for us to get outside and clean out our garden beds and start planning what I'm going to plant in March. I'm thinking broccoli, salad greens, cauliflower, strawberries, raspberries, potatoes and tomatoes.
Well I'm off to bake some cookies before Georgia wakes up from her nap.
Monday, December 17, 2012
12/8-12/15
We had a quiet week and weekend. Henry stayed home from school on Friday with a sore throat. He was down all day and pretty slow on Saturday but by Sunday he seemed to be feeling better. He spent a hour with Aunt Kelly playing video games and then went with this Uncle John for a late birthday gift. John has a friend that runs the video projector at the KU Union movie theater so he took Henry to watch one of his favorite movies with the theater all to themselves. I think he had a pretty good time. They played tag and explored the projector room. Henry loves being with John. He came home in a great mood, despite his lingering cold.
Georgia also seems to be a bit under the weather. But it takes a pretty serious cold to slow her down. She was busy exploring and hiding behind the Christmas tree and just generally getting in to things in her usual style.
This week and weekend we finished up our Christmas shopping and finished decorating the house. I have a few projects to finish; gifts for my sisters and Georgia and Willem, but I feel pretty good about where we are at with being prepared for the big day. I really hope to make it as magical and special for Henry and G as it was for me when I was a kid. I loved Christmas.
I have to say one more thing. We had a difficult week in our country and there are a lot of parents that do not get to spend the holiday with their children. It's heartbreaking. I'm holding my babies a little closer, giving extra kisses, playing a little longer and slowing down to enjoy my family every day. Keep your loved ones close.
Friday, December 07, 2012
11/25-12/7
Seven
The Bean is seven. Seven! It feels like a big deal. Like, it could be the biggest birthday since one. I'm not sure why but, for me, 7 is a milestone. It's just full on little boy time. No baby bits left at all. Hand dimples: gone. Neck: fully grown in. Chubby cheeks: see ya. And it's not just the physical changes that I notice with Henry. He is really pushing for his independence right now and he is showing all the obnoxious little boy tendencies. Farts have never been funnier. His fingernails are always dirty. He loves to throw thing, break things, build things and talk about gross things...He's loud and silly and physical. But in true Henry fashion he is also so much more than that. He's sensitive and loving and unsure sometimes. He's a joy and he's growing up so fast.
So for this seven year old's big day we started with his favorite, Rudy's pizza. He sat at the head of the table and didn't even have to eat a salad with his pizza. A first in our house. Then we headed off for bowling. Henry loves to bowl. Uncle Sergio won, but a good time was had by all. After that we headed to Gigi and Grandpa's for cake, ice cream and a good old chili cook off. Uncle Sergio and the boys won that also, but the girls put up a good fight. Henry opened his gifts and made a volcano, built a hero guy and played Angry Birds. Then Papa, Mama, and Aunt Kelly took him on in a basketball game. He's a pretty good shot people.
Aunt Annie and Uncle Sergio gave him a circuit builder that he has been playing with for weeks.
By the time we got home everyone was exhausted.
So for this seven year old's big day we started with his favorite, Rudy's pizza. He sat at the head of the table and didn't even have to eat a salad with his pizza. A first in our house. Then we headed off for bowling. Henry loves to bowl. Uncle Sergio won, but a good time was had by all. After that we headed to Gigi and Grandpa's for cake, ice cream and a good old chili cook off. Uncle Sergio and the boys won that also, but the girls put up a good fight. Henry opened his gifts and made a volcano, built a hero guy and played Angry Birds. Then Papa, Mama, and Aunt Kelly took him on in a basketball game. He's a pretty good shot people.
He requested lemon cake with lemon icing and birthday cake ice cream sandwiches. He wouldn't tell me what he wished for.
Aunt Annie and Uncle Sergio gave him a circuit builder that he has been playing with for weeks. 
By the time we got home everyone was exhausted. Wednesday, December 05, 2012
one
November, November, November.....whew...
It's December 5 and I feel like we are just now coming up for air...just in time for Christmas. But we did have a great time. Georgia's first birthday was a beautiful day. For mid-November it was sunny and warm. We had a party for her and just invited family, which for us is a lot of people, Wade and I both have 3 siblings. Our house is tiny and was packed to the gills and I'm pretty sure there wasn't enough seating, but we don't have a lot of complainers in our families, so it wasn't a problem. No, the seating wasn't a problem, the fact that the birthday girl decided on that day that she was going to take a 2 hour nap at 12:30 when the party started at 1:00, that was a little problem. Wade's dad, Grandpa Benda, had driven all the way from Western KS for the celebration and he was ready to see his granddaughter. But in the end I think the nap worked out pretty well because all the adults got to visit and Henry got to play soccer with Grandpa Benda and Uncle Sergio. By 2:00 GB was getting impatient and headed in to her room to watch her sleep. Then they started taking photos of her sleeping (which I totally get, I take them all the time, here is one from Monday- and I have about 200 more on my phone).
Anyway, she woke up once the paparazzi came in and we decided to open presents rather than jump right in to cake. Here she is looking tired, confused and happy. She didn't seems nervous or shy. She wasn't sure about all the people, some of them she doesn't see very often, but she was up for it. Henry gave her a small gray cat and she hugged it and said "oh". that's what she does these days. She loves to hug stuffed animals (and some people, Grandpa Heiman and Henry are usually the lucky ones) and she points at everything and says "AH" or "OH". It's the sweetest thing, like she is amazed and interested in everything around her. She got shoes and a car seat from Grandpa and Grandma Heiman. An ASPEN jacket from Grandpa and Grandma Benda. A stuffed turtle from Aunt Lillie and Uncle Scott. A fuzzy coat and red hair clips from Uncle John and Aunt Lydia. (Sorry I am writing all of this out for posterity sake, feel free to skip to the next paragraph.) Mittens and a hat from Aunt Susie and Uncle Ted. A wooden sorter toy from Aunt Kelly and Cooper. And little gray chucks and a cupcake blanky sleeper from Aunt Annie and Uncle Sergio.
She was funny with the cake, which was to be expected since she hates anything that isn't milk, cheerios or Annie Cheddar Bunnies. She poked at it, took a few bites and then was ready to be done. After that it was time to play and take photos with the Benda's. Overall I would say it was a success. I can't say enough how blessed my children are to have these people in their lives. Every single one of their relatives brings something unique and special to the relationship and I can't imagine doing this without them. I love them all and feel their support and generosity every day. It takes a village to raise children and this is the village I want my children to grow up in. So lucky. So so so thankful.
I will post about Henry's birthday celebration tomorrow.
It's December 5 and I feel like we are just now coming up for air...just in time for Christmas. But we did have a great time. Georgia's first birthday was a beautiful day. For mid-November it was sunny and warm. We had a party for her and just invited family, which for us is a lot of people, Wade and I both have 3 siblings. Our house is tiny and was packed to the gills and I'm pretty sure there wasn't enough seating, but we don't have a lot of complainers in our families, so it wasn't a problem. No, the seating wasn't a problem, the fact that the birthday girl decided on that day that she was going to take a 2 hour nap at 12:30 when the party started at 1:00, that was a little problem. Wade's dad, Grandpa Benda, had driven all the way from Western KS for the celebration and he was ready to see his granddaughter. But in the end I think the nap worked out pretty well because all the adults got to visit and Henry got to play soccer with Grandpa Benda and Uncle Sergio. By 2:00 GB was getting impatient and headed in to her room to watch her sleep. Then they started taking photos of her sleeping (which I totally get, I take them all the time, here is one from Monday- and I have about 200 more on my phone). 
Anyway, she woke up once the paparazzi came in and we decided to open presents rather than jump right in to cake. Here she is looking tired, confused and happy. She didn't seems nervous or shy. She wasn't sure about all the people, some of them she doesn't see very often, but she was up for it. Henry gave her a small gray cat and she hugged it and said "oh". that's what she does these days. She loves to hug stuffed animals (and some people, Grandpa Heiman and Henry are usually the lucky ones) and she points at everything and says "AH" or "OH". It's the sweetest thing, like she is amazed and interested in everything around her. She got shoes and a car seat from Grandpa and Grandma Heiman. An ASPEN jacket from Grandpa and Grandma Benda. A stuffed turtle from Aunt Lillie and Uncle Scott. A fuzzy coat and red hair clips from Uncle John and Aunt Lydia. (Sorry I am writing all of this out for posterity sake, feel free to skip to the next paragraph.) Mittens and a hat from Aunt Susie and Uncle Ted. A wooden sorter toy from Aunt Kelly and Cooper. And little gray chucks and a cupcake blanky sleeper from Aunt Annie and Uncle Sergio.
She was funny with the cake, which was to be expected since she hates anything that isn't milk, cheerios or Annie Cheddar Bunnies. She poked at it, took a few bites and then was ready to be done. After that it was time to play and take photos with the Benda's. Overall I would say it was a success. I can't say enough how blessed my children are to have these people in their lives. Every single one of their relatives brings something unique and special to the relationship and I can't imagine doing this without them. I love them all and feel their support and generosity every day. It takes a village to raise children and this is the village I want my children to grow up in. So lucky. So so so thankful.
I will post about Henry's birthday celebration tomorrow.
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