Happy 4th Birthday Henry!

This has been a huge year for you Henry. You became a big brother, a role you have embraced from the day Felix was born. He already looks up to you and his face has always lit up when you talk to him. I can tell you two are going to have a lot of fun together (and maybe get into a little trouble too :)). I couldn’t ask for a better big brother to Felix, you are caring and compassionate and set a great example.

You’ve always been a good talker but this year you learned how to use your words in more than just the obvious ways of communication. You learned how to make jokes and be sarcastic, you asked in-depth questions about the things going on around you and you began to try and “make conversation” with complete strangers.

You’ve always been friendly and outgoing but this year you encountered situations that in your own words “made you feel a little shy.” And that is OK buddy, we all feel a little shy sometimes. Your dad and I are so proud of you in those situations as we watch you slowly open up as you become more comfortable.

You continued swimming lessons this year and have been swimming short laps in class doing real swimming strokes (frank and murrays :)) with no help from the teacher or any type of flotation. I hope you never lose your confidence in the water. You also started soccer this year and we watched as you got frustrated playing on a team. You’ve told us you never want to play again but I think you just might change your mind.

This year you started telling stories and asking us to tell you stories. You want to hear stories about when dad and I were little (“ tell me a story about a time someone was mean to you when you were a kid” “tell me a story about a time you did something nice for someone”) and we do our best to remember the details of our childhood so we can share it with you. During these stories you often share your worry with me that you’ll have trouble finding a wife and that you just don’t understand why I can’t be your wife. I cherish these little moments we have because I know one day soon you’ll feel completely differently about this subject.

Your love for superheroes, especially Iron Man, has been so interesting to watch this year. You’ve never seen the Iron Man movies but through bedtime stories and books you have asked us all to tell you the story of Iron Man (and others). I love that when I’m telling stories you want to know all about Iron Man’s girlfriend, something you never mention to your dada.
Your love for your family is truly beautiful. You love your grandma Deb, grandpa Jack and grandma Aka with no condition. You get excited at the mere prospect of seeing one of them and we know this is because they are so good to you. Kids see the truth in people and you’ve always been a good judge.

So as your 4th year of life comes to a close I want you to know how proud I am of the person you’ve become and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings. You have taught me so many things and I am so very lucky that I’m the one you call mom.

An adventure with Felix & Henry

Two weeks ago Bill and I flew to Boston to visit Bill's sister Sarah, her husband Mike and their gorgeous new baby, Lily. We decided it was best to go without the boys so we could actually spend time with Sarah, Mike and Lily and also because the thought of flying to Boston with both boys made me want to pull my hair out. So my parents generously offered to watch the boys for the long weekend we planned on going. In a moment of some sort of insanity they decided they would take the boys to Kansas City to visit the Brockways and Hayes. So Felix took his first flight and Henry went on the first flight that he remembers (St. Maarten '09 was his last one, he can't really remember it). Needless to say, they had a blast and so did we. Here are some of the fabulous pictures uncle Dave took of their weekend.
Fishing with Bryan:

Eyelash boy:

Bubbles!

Hanging with Jenny:

Brotherly cuteness:

Six Months

It's hard to believe that Felix has been in our lives for six months already but at the same time it seems like we've never been without him. He continues to amaze and amuse us on a daily basis and is certainly the perfect balance to his brother Henry. When Henry cries, Felix laughs to cheer him up and when Felix cries, Henry does silly things to cheer him up. Watching their relationship as brothers grow is one of our favorite things. I love that only they truly understand their bond and I hope that they continue to learn from each other as the grow.

Here is our little man on his 1/2 birthday:



And here he is month by month for the last 6 months:

Babbles

Felix has been cooing and babbling for a few months and he certainly has a lot to say! I remember Henry being the same way and he definitely hasn't slowed down, we expect Felix will probably be a lot like his brother in the verbal skills department. Sometimes the babbles are cute, sometimes they're more like screams and often they're better classified as screeches. Parenting is often challenging but we try to focus on these special moments because we know in the blink of an eye he'll be nearly 4 years old and already know everything ;) One of these special moments has been happening for both Bill and I recently because while Felix is practicing all his sounds he's started to babble first "dadadadadadada" and now "mamamamamamama." We realize he doesn't really understand what he's saying yet and that he's just gearing up his tongue to learn how to make real sounds but that doesn't make these moments any less special.

He seems to save the mamammas for when he's really mad at us and I must say that when I'm trying to calm him down and he starts saying mamammama I can't help but smile.

He's witty

Henry has become increasingly entertaining as he gets older. We've always enjoyed his antics but lately it seems he has really upped his game. A few recent examples:

He was leaning over Felix who was laying on the couch.
Henry: "Hey buddy!"
Felix: coos and kicks his legs
Henry (having just been kicked in the chest): "Is that all you've got?"

Bill and Henry were sitting on the leather couch. Bill reaches his hand back on the back of the couch and feels something sticky.
Bill: "Best case scenario that is jelly"
Henry: "You can say that again!"

There have been more and I promise to get better at writing them down when they happen but wanted to share these two that were fresh in my mind.

Here he can be seen modeling some of the hottest looks for spring:

Felix Giggles

On Friday, February 26th the boys ventured to the Minnesota Children's Museum. Henry played hard for about 5 hours and Felix demonstrated for us his first official giggle. Cute, contagious and filled with harmonious fluctuations... Needless to say I am a huge fan!

Henry's Restaurant

On Friday evening Henry's Restaurant opened to rave reviews. Chef Henry made pizzas for everyone. As you can see from the photos Henry's philosophy is simple: work the dough well, use the best ingredients and a chef's hat MUST be a fedora!