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

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!

Kiawah Island and Easter 2012

We have had a busy April so far this month. The first week, for Spring Break, we went on the 3rd Annual Visit Aunt Kathy Murphy Trip. The first stop was again Charleston WV, and this year we made it there in time to actually walk around and see the Capital of West Virginia. This was mostly due to the fact that Mary woke up excited at 6:00 AM and got everyone else up to go an hour before we planned.


Seamus, Helena, Katie and Pat at the Bell in front of the Capital Building, WV


Seamus, Helena, Katie and Mary Ringing the Bell in front of the Capital Building, WV

After our stop in WV, we continued to my sister Kathy's house in Charlotte, NC. We relaxed and talked for as long as we could before we were convinced by Helena to got to the pool and swim. The pool ended up being curiously cold for the warm day, and the one who fought so hard to get us there did not swim at all. The next day we went for a boat ride around lake Norman, which is one of the largest man made lakes in the country.


Chef Kathy Murphy, Chef Katie and Chef Seamus cooking dinner our first night in Charlotte, NC


Waking up at Aunt Kathy Murphy's House


The kids getting ready for the boat ride


Katie and Pat at the front of the boat


Mary, Helena, Seamus and Aunt Kathy in the boat on Lake Norman

From there we went to Kiawah Island, SC to what the kids call "Aunt Kathy Murphy's Beach House." We stayed at the Sanctuary, future site for the PGA Championship 2012, a fact greatly appreciated by by golf dorks like Mary, Kathy and I. We then spend two days and three nights living the ocean life and spending a lot of time on the beach. Some highlights were Seamus and Katie catching a bucket full of hermit crabs, me catching a blue crab and Helena Mary and Kathy showing up with two buckets full of conks while Seamus, Katie and I were making sandcastles. The last night before we left a storm rolled in, so the timing of the weather this year was absolutely perfect for us. After out time on the coast, we drove back to "Aunt Kathy Murphy's City House." The next morning before we left, the Easter Bunny made an unexpected stop at my sisters house. The kids got to search for Easter eggs before breakfast. Shortly afterward we unfortunately had to leave, it was the end of a great visit and vacation.


Mary and Helena on the beach


Aunt Kathy Murphy, Seamus and Katie on the beach when we were "not going swimming yet"


The trio on the balcony of their room at The Sanctuary


Katie Beach Photo


Seamus Beach Photo


Helena Breach Photo

After stopping on the way home in New Philadelphia, Ohio we made it back on Saturday afternoon, just in time to settle in and get ready for Easter. We relaxed for as long as we could on Saturday, because we had a long day on Easter. The kids awoke to look for more eggs left by the Easter bunny, before we headed out to church. After the mass and the Blessing of the Easter Baskets we visited at Grandma and Grandpa Huddas' House and had Easter Basket Lunch. Afterward we briefly visited Aunt Carole and Uncle Pete's get together before heading to Grandma and Grandpa Murphy's for Easter Dinner. Good thing we had the Monday after Easter off work so we could recuperate before returning to work. This week was exciting too! We started swimming again, and this time their cousin Drew decided to join their class. Saturday was the start of their spring session of soccer, and they had a sleep over with their cousins Drew and Clay. While they were at their sleep over, Mary and I got to go to a movie that didn't feature singing rodents and ate dinner out without three other people eating off our plates. It was kind of a strange experience, but it was fun for us and the kids.


Katie and Helena searching for their Easter Eggs


Seamus waiting for the Easter Basket Blessing


The Family at Church on Easter

Easter Party 2012

On Wednesday my work had an Easter Party for the families of the staff. The kids were double excited to go: excited to party with the Easter Bunny and secondly to say "hello" to Sheldon the Turtle. After visiting Sheldon, the kids went to eat some pizza and drink juice, then got ready to search for Easter eggs. The found the eggs much faster this year than they did last Easter. After the egg hunt, they went to the gym to play games. There was a variety of activities for the kids to play with, balls, face-painting, balloon animals, etc. But since there was a parachute to play with, they focused on that and spent nearly the entire time there flapping the parachute. This was a good start off to an exciting week. On Thursday (Technically this morning)Uncle Chris came home from National Guard Training in Texas and finally got to meet the twins. Tomorrow Mary, the kids and I embark on our 3rd Annual "go See Aunt Kathy Murphy" trip. We will start off getting to her home in NC and then proceed to sunny SC to spend the some time on the ocean. We are all very excited to get going and have a fun trip. The photos are of the kids with the Easter Bunny in the Gym at my school.


Katie with the Easter Bunny


Seamus with the Easter Bunny


Helena with the Easter Bunny

Saint Patricks Day 2012

Seamus and Katie in their hats they made in Preschool

There was some excitement before the old St. Paddy's Day festivities this year. Our friend Kathy (Aunt Kathy Doggy to the kids) had one of her twin boys come home with her on the first Saturday of March. We were all very happy for her, and we have to constantly deflect the question "When can we go see the babies?" from three very eager but recently sick 3 and a half year-olds. A couple weeks later my sister Kathy (Aunt Kathy Murphy) flew into town from NC to spend some time with us and go to my sister Deb's St. Patrick's Day Party. This year that it fell on a Saturday,so we were able to sleep in, go to a nice lunch with with my sister Kathy and Grandma and Grandpa Huddas, and even take a nap before going to the party. The kids made it much longer into the evening this year, partly due to a great nap. The weather was so nice that they pretty much played outside the entire time and had a blast. The Tuesday and Thursday leading up to March 17th the kids learned about Leprechauns at school, which they called "lepers" at first, and made some pretty nice shamrock hats. On the Sunday the 18th, Mary the kids, and I tried to make an Irish Whiskey Cake for Grandpa Murphy. I think the kids helped more than I did, and the cake was received well at our visit to Grandma and Grandpa Murphy's house. Then last Wednesday, our friend Kathy (Doggy) got to take home her second born from the hospital,we are happy they are all home now. March has been a pretty busy month for us, so we are all looking forward to our annual Spring Break trip to visit Aunt Kathy Murphy in NC. March has been so busy that we have barely started packing that Mary and I are starting to freak out that we won't have time to properly prepare for the trip.


Helena refusing to take a picture in the Shamrock Hat she made


Mary and I trying to get a picture of Helena wearing the hat she made in Preschool


Seamus helping Mary decorate my Birthday Cupcakes for the St. Paddy's Day Party


Katie helping Mary decorate my Birthday Cupcakes for the St. Paddy's Day Party


Seamus, Aunt Kathy Murphy, Helena, Mary, and Katie making the Irish Whiskey Cake