Visitors from Nebraska

Back in January, Grandma Mike and Grandma Susie came down for a visit. The kids were very excited to show Grandma and Grandpa around College Station (the six of us went on a walking tour of campus, visited the A&M bookstore to stock up on Aggie merchandise, enjoyed quite a few meals at local restaurants, and shopped for real-deal cowboy boots), but they also enjoyed just relaxing at home with two of their favorite people.

The weekend started with presents, which were very well received, especially because we're planning a trip to Disney World next week.


There was lots of book reading, for which I was grateful, as I'm pretty tired of reading 10 Friendly Fireflies to Hallie and books about Wolverine to Will.


One afternoon we all (minus Hallie) watched the Transformers movie during what would have been Will's nap time. Will was the only one who didn't take a nap that day.


Grandma and Grandpa bought Will and Hallie their first pairs of cowboy boots.


And no visit would be complete without a trip to the park.


During Grandma and Grandpa’s visit, Uncle Joel, Aunt Teresa, and cousin David drove down from Dallas to join in the fun for a day. The kids really love Joel, Teresa, and David (as do we, of course) – Hallie sweet-talked Joel into reading her LOTS of books, and David was a very good sport about playing Transformers with Will for what seemed like hours. The family-focused weekend was a great one, made all the more special by the Packers’ NFC Championship win over the Bears!



Visit again soon, Grandma and Grandpa!

Hallie's 21-Month-Old Bath Pictures

Hallie is nearly 22 months old, so it’s about time I post her 21-month-old bath pictures…



A week before Hallie “turned” 21-months-old, Will started preschool here. With Will gone three mornings a week, and for the first time since my maternity leave, I’ve had time at home during the day with only Hallie. It’s been enlightening – Hallie, as it turns out, is a completely different child on her own than she is when she’s around her big brother. As a little sister, Hallie is obedient, cooperative, and playful; as an only child, Hallie is WILD. I'm fairly certain she’s testing her boundaries, trying to figure out how far she can go without the watchful eyes of her brother tracking her every move (Will prides himself on protecting Hallie, but also sees it as his duty to “keep her in line”). Thankfully my watchful eyes are still pretty good, and I’ve been able to slow her down.

Hallie is as chatty as she’s been since she was nine-months-old, and what we can understand of this chattiness is increasing every day. Her words are clear enough and her grasp of the English language is such that much of the time she can carry on simple conversations.

Hallie loves whatever Will loves, so on any given day she’s drawn to Mario, Buzz Lightyear, or Ironman. On her own, Hallie loves babies, animals, books, singing, sunglasses, the Cat in the Hat, Elmo, raisins, cookies, and her pacifier. She still refuses to eat about 50% of the time, but sleeps like a champ. I see less and less baby and more and more toddler in her every day, and sometimes that makes me sad…

Kiss!


Cheese!


Pretty. Almost angelic, if I may say so myself.


Stay tuned for Hallie’s 22-month-old bath pictures in less than a week!

Sports Fans

It's no secret that Tom and I are sports fans. We love football most of all - specifically Iowa Hawkeye football, followed by Wisconsin Badger, Nebraska Husker, Michigan Wolverine, and Green Bay Packer football - but we also enjoy Detroit Tiger baseball, college basketball, and professional soccer. We have tried to instill in our kids a love for sports, both as participants and as spectators, and on some days, I think we're doing a pretty good job.

About a year ago, gearing up for the 2010 Hawkeye bowl game.


Our move to Texas took us out of Big 10 country for the first time in many years. We won't be able to watch, because of the television options here, very many of our teams' games (except for the Packers in the Super Bowl - Go Pack Go!), so in the name of sports fan-dom we've decided to also become Aggie (Texas A&M) fans. Will and Hallie bought into the craze immediately.

Almost exactly one year after the above picture was taken - gearing up for the 2011 Texas A&M bowl game.


And our closest relatives - Uncle Joel, Aunt Teresa, and cousins Katy and David - are helping us keep the spirit alive. (Not great pictures of the kids, but the aprons Aunt Teresa made for us are perfect!)


Gig 'em, Aggies!

Wrastling

Tom and Will have always loved “tickle fights”. These tickle fights, however, have recently evolved into all-out wrestling matches – complete with tackling, jumping off furniture, and the occasional injury (usually to Tom ☺). At first only Tom and Will participated, but once Hallie realized how much fun they were having, she joined in and renamed the activity “wrastling”.

Point Tom


Point Hallie


Advantage Will/Hallie


Game, Set, Match.

"Ahhh..."

There's nothing like a cup of good, cold juice.

No, Thanks, I'll Stay Right Where I Am

Though she went through a period of contempt for and fear of water, Hallie now loves bathing and swimming. So much, in fact, that she refuses to get out of the tub once bath time is over. Most nights we have to drag her, kicking and screaming, out of the tub and to her bedroom to put her pajamas on, and this doesn’t happen until 20 minutes after Will has already gotten out and all of the water has drained.

You'd think she'd get cold...

Merry Christmas!

Just seven days after moving to Texas, we packed our bags AGAIN and headed north to Illinois to celebrate Christmas with the Muellers and the Ekenas and to meet baby Lily. (In case you’re wondering, between November 11th and December 28th, the four of us drove approximately 5,660 miles and Tom and I flew 1,865 miles. Our kids are solid road warriors and Tom and I are exhausted.)

Sara and Jeff had a crazy December as well – they welcomed the four of us, my parents, and Jeff’s parents on and off for Christmas just days after both giving birth to their first child and moving into a fixer-upper house in Washburn, IL. Thanks to a lot of hard work prior to Christmas, the painting was done and the new carpet and windows had been installed, but there were still plenty of jobs for us to tackle while we were visiting. Hallie and I helped by holding the baby.


We also spent plenty of time playing and relaxing and eating and celebrating.

We made a gingerbread house...


...and played outside in the snow (a highlight for Will, a lowlight for Hallie).


We dressed up in silly costumes...


...and helped take care of Lily.


After six days of family fun, we hit the road, bound once again for Texas.

Merry Christmas!