Sunday, June 6, 2010

Spencer Jordan is ADORABLE!

HE FINALLY ARRIVED!
 I have a brand new nephew
(The 21st grandchild on our side of the family)
and his name is 
SPENCER JORDAN HENDRIX!
He was born on June 5th at 7:03 PM,weighing 7lbs 6 oz, and is 20 inches long.
AND... he is just about the cutest baby ever!
 Here's some pictures... (I'm sure Jordan and Melanie will be adding their own pictures on their blog in a few days, but Melanie told me I could post these so all of you out of town people can get a good look at their beautiful baby...)

Congratulations Jordan and Melanie!


An Update on Miss Kellie

I realized that I haven't had a lot of posts about our little Miss Kellie lately. Part of this is, perhaps, that she isn't involved in a lot of activities beyond supporting her brothers in their activities. The other part is that it is kind of hard to post cute little stories about the cute little things she says because Kellie is not really talking.

For quite a while, we have known that her speech was not where it was supposed to be for her age. She does not talk in complete sentences yet, and although improving all the time, her vocabulary is extremely limited. Understandably, this causes a lot of frustration for everyone. After much trouble we finally got her an appointment to be evaluated and they determined that she does have a speech delay and will be joining preschool in the Fall where a speech therapist will be working one on one with her to help her learn to talk. We are VERY excited about this and hope to have her babbling away in no time.

Kellie has reached another milestone, though! She recently caught on and is completely potty trained! Wow, what a relief! We are SO glad she is no longer in diapers or pull ups.  Way to go Kellie!

Miss Kellie still has wild, beautiful, long curly hair. Because it is a challenge to get her to cooperate long enough for me to tame it- we have invested in a large assortment of pretty hair things. Kellie LOVES looking pretty and likes to say "TA-DA!" when she is all done up. My sister Jerri Lynn has a friend who makes adorable hair things and we loaded up on several of her creations. Kellie absolutely loves them! (Her website is www.flowerzinherhair.com) In the pictures above she is wearing some of her favorites...

We love you Miss Kellie!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Levi Loves the Pool!


This last weekend Levi went to the pool for the first time. I thought he might be a bit timid- but he was not scared a bit! He loved the water (specifically splashing in the water) and dove right in, even crawling around in the baby pool. I, however, did discover something very important: Wet, wriggling babies wearing sunscreen sure are slippery! :)

Fashion-Conscious Caleb

THIS

PLUS THIS


EQUALS THIS


QUESTION: DOES IT MATCH?

Caleb is always very concerned about "looking cute" and matching. Since he started dressing himself a while back wetried toteach him abut matching colors and patterns so you don't look too silly. He takes this VERY seriously. (More seriously than most 5 year olds, i think...) Anyway... I maintain that he can wear these two items together, even if it is a "bit busy".  Caleb was NOT convinced. What do you think?

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Friday, May 7, 2010

Principal's Award


Every month at Aaron's school they choose one student from each grade level to receive the Principal's Award . They select the student based on how well they follow the "Buffalo B's" which are: BE responsible. BE Respectful. BE Safe. and BElong.

Or... To quote Aaron: "You basically just do whatever they tell you to do." (I loved that!)

The kids get a T-shirt, a gold pin and a fun breakfast with the Principal. Congratulations Aaron! We are so proud of you!

Preschool Field Day


Caleb had his FIRST Field Day yesterday and it was COLD! The kids did get to participate in some races and games before it started raining and they moved the party inside. Even though the day was cut short the kids still had a great day. I think his tug of war with the rope might have been his favorite. We're so glad Kellie, Levi and I could go!

I'm Getting a NEW Nephew!


My brother Jordan and his sweet Melanie are adding another boy to this family sometime in June.  (In case you can't tell... I'm pretty excited about it!) This is their first baby and I was lucky enough to live close enough to go to her baby shower this last weekend. I took a picture of his gift before we left, but wouldn't you know it? My camera's battery died before I got to the shower, so I didn't actually get any pictures of Melanie. Oh well. I'll make sure my camera's ready when little Spencer actually arrives next month. :)

I had so much fun picking out a gift for the little guy. When I was little, my brother Jordan had the coolest bright yellow metal Tonka Truck that he used to play with all the time in our sand box. He still has it. Knowing that Jordan doesn't like to share his own Tonka... (at least he didn't like to share when we were little... that may have changed by now :) ) I decided to get Spencer his own truck, so he can be just like his Dad. I even labeled it for him. Also, you can't give a cool toy like a dump truck with out filling the back full of goodies... so naturally I had to get him a bear (since nobody should be born into this world without a teddy bear waiting for them) and who could resist a cute outfit with a dump truck on it? Too cute.

Happy New Baby to Jordan and Melanie! We look forward to holding and snuggling little Spencer soon!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Nicknames...

We purposely chose names for our kids that are hard to shorten or make into nicknames. I just never wanted my kids to have a childish version of their given name. For example... I like the name Mike- but hate the version Mikey. I like Jim- but not Jimmy. You get the idea...
Despite our best efforts, our kids have adopted some alternate names, and ironically enough, we are the ones who started them. I recently used one of these endearments in public the other day and got some weird glances.
Oh, what have I done to my kids? :)

AARON: When Aaron was born he was extra noisy fussy and was waking up all the other babies in the nursery.  His sweet nurse had to keep him with her when he wasn't with me so the other babies would rest. She kept snuggling him to keep him quiet and referred to him as her "sweet little teddy bear" when she told us about his behavior in the nursery. Thus his nickname AARON BEAR was born.
Also, his Uncle Jordan coined the term Double A for him. (Like the battery) Although not used as frequently, he has been called this on occasion too.

CALEB: We named Caleb before he was born. Aaron was not quite 3 and would come hug my big tummy. He would try to say Caleb, but since he was still learning to talk it would frequently come out simply CUB. This has stuck. I frequently find myself referring to Caleb as CUB, CUBS, CUBBY BEAR, CUBBY, CUB MAN, etc.

KELLIE: Kellie doesn't really have a great story with her nick names. She is sometimes called Kellie-girl, MISS Kellie or Girly. Lately she has simply been called WOMAN. I guess those names are appropriate, seeing whereas she is the only girl around here. :) Also, as a baby I affectionately called her my little FUSS- BUTT. Fortunately for her that name has seemed to drop off with age.

LEVI: Levi is frequently called BABY Levi by his siblings, spoken as if the "baby" part were his title, like Mr or Mrs. My nickname for him is a bit odder...  
JUNIOR BACON CRAB CAKES, or JUNIOR BACON for short. Let me explain. It just kind of slipped out one day. Matt sometimes calls him Junior, since he is the littlest around here. What goes with Junior? Why Bacon of course! (I've been to Wendy's a bit too frequently, I suppose) and the Crab part came in because he was fussy with his teething. Crab logically then gets expanded to Crab Cakes, which is also appropriate since Cake is sweet and so is Levi. I know it sounds crazy, but silly as it is the nickname stuck. I suppose I could try to replace it with something better, but I'm kind of attached to it now...

SO, while other people may look at me funny, at least I KNOW that JUNIOR BACON CRAB CAKES is really a sign of great affection for my baby. Here's hoping this one will wear off before he's an adult,or he may have some uncomfortable explaining to do... :)

Saturday, April 17, 2010

33 (a day late...)

Matt turned 33 yesterday, but unfortunately was in El Paso on a business trip so the partying got delayed until today. We spent a lot of time cleaning up the garage today (which is not much fun) but I made it up to him at the end of the day by making one of his favorite dinners, pork chops.
One tradition we've adopted the last few years is to take a few minutes to reflect and remember why I love each person on their special day. Here's some thoughts on Matt... )
MATT IS AGREEABLE.
Matt is so easy to get along with. He typically adopts a go-with-the flow kind of attitude, which probably helps when life gets crazy chasing out 4 little kiddos. I sometimes wonder if he isn't too agreeable... because sometimes it's hard to get his real opinion out of him. He genuinely enjoys trying to please the kids and I and frequently tells me, "Don't worry about me... I want what ever you want!"  (A girl's gotta love that!) He is typically putting our feelings first, though, which is very sweet of him.
MATT IS A GREAT DAD.
I love watching Matt with our little family. I remember watching in the delivery room as Matt picked up Aaron for the first time. I wasn't sure if Matt would be nervous since he had never really been around babies, but I was pleasantly surprised. He reached for Aaron right away and started dancing him around the room. He was so full of joy.
Caleb and Matt have a great relationship too. Matt really "gets" Caleb. They enjoy a loving, humorous banter and when Matt's had a rough day, Caleb is typically the first to cheer him up with his witty remarks.
Matt has a special relationship with Little Miss Kellie. She is convinced the world rises and sets with Matt. He tends to spoil her (just a bit) and I don't mind really mind being replaced by the "other woman" in his life. There is just something special about that Daddy-daughter relationship that is beautiful to watch.
I love his endless patience with little Levi. He is so gentle and sweet to that little guy and it fun to watch how secure Levi is in Matt's arms. Levi really loves him.
I couldn't ask for a better father for our kids.
MATT MAKES ME LAUGH.
I love that we still find things to laugh about. It is kind of fun to have been in a relationship long enough to have countless inside jokes. I especially love that we both enjoy watching silly shows like The Muppet Show, or PSYCH, and that we both laugh endlessly at the witty songs form Brad Paisley. It's really nice to have a best friend to giggle with.

I love you, sweetheart. Hope you had a great 33rd birthday. You deserve it!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

SNAP!

Our kids are pretty good sleepers but very rarely one of them will wake up screaming, which usually means one of  a few things.

1. They've had a nightmare and need some snuggles
2. They've had an accident and need to go to the bathroom and some dry sheets
3. They are sick and are about to vomit

None of these are things we look forward to, but part of being a parent is dealing with whatever late night emergencies come up. Here was our most recent experience...

3 am.
Caleb screaming.
Matt groggily jumps out of bed to go calm him down before he wakes up the baby.

MATT (whispering): Caleb... What's wrong?
CALEB: My underwear is all wrong!
MATT: What?!?
CALEB: It's itchy. My strap isn't right.
At this point Matt investigates and finds that his elastic waistband is, in fact, folded over on itself. He then proceeds to right this problem by pulling on it and giving it a good snap so it would lay flat.
CALEB (1/2 asleep): Thanks dad.
He then promptly fell back asleep.

Matt and I had a good chuckle over this. Who knew someone could be so grateful for having their underwear snapped?

Friday, April 9, 2010

Foxes


A family of foxes has moved in to our back yard and is living under our shed. We have spotted two adult and six kits. Unfortunately, they tend to be a bit aggressive and have been chasing the neighbors cats and have been tormenting our poor dog, so we have made a call to come and have them removed and relocated. Foxes are typically nocturnal, but you can see how brazen they are, as they are out in full daylight. Thought you might enjoy the photos...

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Conversations with Caleb...

CALEB: I am going to make a movie when I grow up!
ME: Well, if that's what you want to do Caleb...what kind of movie are you going to be in?
( I admit I was only 1/2 listening, seeing whereas he makes announcements like this every day- yesterday he wanted to be an astronaut... and because I was driving the car..)
CALEB,  (after a long, thoughtful pause...) : What do you do if you want to be a train in a movie, but you just don't look like one? I think I'd liked to be Thomas!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Just because we're cute...

People say Caleb and Levi look a lot alike. What do you think?
  
Miss Kellie was at a friend's house playing dress up and fell in love with this Easter Marshmallow Peeps dress. She  let us borrow it for the day so Kellie could enjoy it a little longer! (So cute- Thanks Alisha!)
Loving on my Levi Bear. (I love the grins he gives!)

Rolling... rolling... rolling...

Monday, March 22, 2010

Scooters and Sidewalk Chalk...

What better way to spend the first few days of Spring than to be outside in the sunshine, riding scooters and drawing pictures? Happy Spring!

Teddy Bear Picnic

Caleb's preschool class has been learning about families. To practice being good "Mommies and Daddies" the kids got to bring a special fuzzy friend to school for the day. They spent all day taking care of their bear guests and then before the end of the day the class had a teddy bear picnic, followed by a big buddy read-a-thon. 
It also happened to be St. Patrick's Day, which would explain all the green clothing. I unfortunately had a stomach bug, so Matt got to go in my place and read to Caleb and Teddy. It was a warm beautiful day, and I know everyone had fun!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Baby 'Hawk

I frequently have to laugh at Levi's crazy hair! It may be a little hard to see because his hair is still so fine, (click on the photo to enlarge it) but Levi 's hair is growing in thicker on top than on the sides and he is sporting quite the baby mo-hawk right now. Makes me laugh!
PS If you look closely in the top picture you can kind of spot his new teeth (bottom front)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Relatives...

Caleb has been learning to spell and write his last name in Preschool. He thinks it's pretty unfair to have to learn 12 whole letters when most kids get by with 5-6 letters in their last name. Anyway, I got a real kick out of him when he looked at the church logo on the hymn book on our piano.
CALEB:What's that say, Mom?
ME: It says The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
CALEB: Jesus Christ? He has the same letters in his last name as I have in mine. DO YOU THINK WE COULD BE RELATED?
ME: Well, as a matter of fact...

I just Love him!