Saturday, May 19, 2012

Seamus 4th Birthday Letter


5/19/12

 Dear Seamus,

Another year has gone by and we are quickly approaching your 4th birthday. I can’t believe how fast time is going by. It’s seems like just yesterday we had moved to the new house and you and your sisters were all in the same room in your cribs. Now you’ve gone from toddler beds to big kid beds and you have your own room! This year has again brought a bunch of milestones. You started playing soccer for the first time while your dad and I coached. You have made some huge improvements and love to kick the ball in the goal and have snack time. You also like to play hockey in the driveway with your dad and Katie. You look so cute with the big stick in your hands. You also started taking swimming lessons without us. No more mom and dad having to hold on to you. You, your sisters, and your cousin Drew have become regular fish. You love to show off and swim underwater. If you were just a little bit taller you would definitely be in the next level class, you’re more than ready! This year you also started preschool 2 days a week at the Romeo Community Center. You go on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-1:30, and even eat lunch there. You’ve got a Buzz and Woody backpack and lunchbox which you love. Your teachers Ms Sallie and Miss Jaimie say that you have come a long way this year. You were a little nervous about going in the beginning and missed Grandpa when he dropped you off sometimes, but we haven’t had any tears at this point in months! You know all of your letters both capital and lowercase, can write your name even though sometimes your “s” ends up backwards, and know your numbers 1-10. This year we again went to see Aunt Kathy Murphy in North Carolina. You love going to see her so much! It’s definitely the thing you look the most forward to all year. We went to the ocean again, or her “beach house” as you and your sisters like to call it. We caught some hermit crabs or baby crabs according to you and you were sad when we had to let them go. Seamus, you have become a pro at riding your bike. Sometimes you zoom around so fast that you actually fall because you can’t turn on such a little bike at that speed! The 3 of you got a play house for your birthday and you all love to fight over who’s going to make us pretend food from the kitchen. You are still our most sensitive child and love to tell Mommy and Daddy that you love us. You are the best little boy in the world and I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring us! It has been an honor seeing you grow for the past 4 years and we thank God everyday that we are lucky enough to be your parents. We love you Seamus!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Katie 4th Birthday Letter

5/19/12

 Dear Katie,

Funny, sweet, crazy Katie, where do I begin...? You’re going to be 4 soon and a whole year has gone by again in the blink of an eye. We’ve given you a new nickname this year. It’s CBO- which stands for Chief Bossy Officer. You are the one who loves to be in charge, you tell your brother and sister what to do, and keep Mommy and Daddy informed on naughty behaviors. In other words, you are just like your Mother! You have grown so much this year. We had to buy you all new pants at two different times throughout this year. You must have grown about 3 inches, easy! Sometimes I think about the sweet little bald baby you were and try to picture it today with all your wild and crazy curly hair. It’s tough sometimes, you have by far changed the most. This year has been a good one for you. You started preschool at the Romeo Community Center. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00-1:30 you go to preschool, eat lunch, and even sometimes get picked as the Happy Helper. You’ve put your Disney Princesses backpack and lunch box to good use this year. You absolutely LOVE school and according to your teacher Ms Sallie and Miss Jaimie, have excelled. You’ve made lots of new friends and are always the first one to give us the story of what happened at school that day. You can write your name really well, know your numbers from 1-10, and know most of your letters both lower and uppercase. This year you also started playing soccer. You’ve made a new friend at soccer named Charlotte and the two of you love to team up and pass the ball to each other. Swimming lessons are going well. You love to be noisy and splash around. Maybe next year when you are a little better at following directions you’ll even be able to go up to the next class. Katie you are the sporty one, you LOVE playing with anything related to moving around or shooting. Hockey, golf, basketball, riding bikes, playing in the dirt or sandbox, you love it all. Unfortunately your allergies don’t though and you’ve had some scary moments this year as well. The doctors are starting to think you may have asthma and we now have a nebulizer at home for you just in case. We try to remind you to take it easy sometimes but with you it’s all or nothing. You’ll play hard until you’re bright red and wheezing. Seamus makes an attempt to try and wrestle with you sometimes but you almost always win! You are the best helper we have and help Daddy clean up all the time and help Mommy cook dinner. Katie, we love how intense you are when it comes to life and hope that you keep that quality, it will take you far. Always keep your sense of humor too, because it is what keeps you grounded. We love you very much Katie- our little CBO!

 Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Helena 4th Birthday Letter

5/19/2012

 Dear Helena,

Our little Bean, you’re going to be 4 soon and aren’t quite so little anymore. This year has gone quickly, sometimes I feel like we’re going to wake up and be dropping you off at college. You’ve had a busy year. You started taking swimming lessons without Mommy and Daddy being in the water with you. You were a little timid at first but have decided that it’s fun and kick your little legs all over the pool now. You also started playing soccer. Most days you’re not so sure you like soccer and would rather pick blades of grass and just run. You’re coming around to the idea of playing on a team though and actually like to play goalie if Mommy is there to help you. This year you also began going to preschool at the Romeo Community Center. Ms Sallie and Miss Jaimie both say you are a very independent young lady and love to try everything for yourself without help. It gets you into trouble sometimes because you don’t always want to listen to directions, but you’re working on that. You know all of your letters, both capital and lowercase, you know your numbers from 1-10, and you can write your name even though it’s messy at times. Just like your Mommy and Daddy you have the worst handwriting right now. We’re not sure if it’s because you’re a lefty and just need to practice some more, or if you just want to rush through and get done so you can move on to something new. Helena you are our girly girl, you LOVE pretty things, and getting dressed up. When we went to Kiawah Island in South Carolina this year for Spring Break, the only souvenir you wanted was a pretty purple dress. You would much rather get your nails painted than get dirty, but you’re not opposed to doing both. You love playing pretend games, whether it’s with your Rapunzel dolls, playing princesses, or playing in your new playhouse. Sometimes we need to remind you to get your head out of the clouds and pay attention. You march to the beat of your own drum and love to sing and daydream. Sometimes you are so lost in your own little world that you run into things and are klutzy. Maybe one day you’ll learn how to do both… One of your favorite things to do is hang out with Grandpa Huddas. The two of you have a very special bond that few grandfathers and granddaughters are ever able to have. You were so excited when he told you he got a new camper with a spot just for you in it. I know you’re looking forward to going camping this summer at Yogi Bear! I hope you have many years of being able to have those types of memories with all of your grandparents. Helena you will always be our baby girl! Thank you for still wanting to be held when you wake up from nap and letting us hug and kiss you all the time. We love you Helena!

 Love,

 Mommy and Daddy

Friday, May 18, 2012

Stupid Roof!

Oh the joys of being a home owner... A few weeks back we had a really bad wind storm here.  Wouldn't you know it, a big chunk of our upper roof blew off!  Luckily Grandpa H was here with the kids and called me at work to tell me.  Since it was raining, Grandpa and Pat got up there and put some tarps down until we could get it fixed.  Yesterday the crew finally made it out to give us a new roof.  Since we're doing that, we figured we'd get some new siding too.  Pictures of that to come in a few weeks!
Before
During
After... but before new siding and trim

Seven Ponds Field Trip and Mother's Day

Last week the kids had their final preschool field trip of the year to Seven Ponds Nature Center. It's a pretty cool place to go located off of Dryden Road about a half hour from us. I took a half day off work and went with the kids. It started with a picnic and then a presentation by one of the naturalists. After the talk got to take a nature walk and see lots of cool things! The best part was watching all of the kids try really had not to veer off the path since there was poison ivy in the area. Luckily we made it through without getting itchy!
Looking at a Hummingbird
Picnic Time!
Helena's favorite, a baby dear!
Outdoors on our walk, looking at spiders and feeling trees
Mother's Day was this past Sunday. We went to church and Pat got sick so I had to take him home. Grandma and Grandpa H brought the kids back to their city house for me where I met them afterwards. Grandpa and I cooked breakfast and the kids enjoyed seeing Apollo and Venus, the dogs. After breakfast, we went to see Grandma Murphy to say Happy Mother's Day. To be honest, as far as Mother's Days go it kind of stunk... Pat was sick and the kids were tired and cranky, but it was nice to see everyone!
Opening the gifts the kids made for me at preschool

Twins Visit and Birthday Play House

We are way behind on posting so I'm going to attempt to catch up in the next couple days. A few weeks back our kids were finally healthy enough to go meet their new baby cousins in person. The trio were sooo excited to meet baby Erik and baby Roarke. Katie especially couldn't wait to be able to hold them and just wanted to touch them the whole time we were there.
Watching Roarke play
Holding Erik
The final pictures are what the kids convinced us they needed for their birthday this year. We had been thinking about getting them some type of play house but didn't anticipate one quite so elaborate that we'd have to actually build. Grandpa H helped us with the bay window, but Pat and I did the rest completely by ourselves. We are so proud!