that's how i know

henry has become a little bossy.

i hear that this is normal for two-year-olds....so i guess that makes me feel slightly better about it.

slightly.

he lets you know exactly what he wants, and he usually needs whatever-that-something-is instantaneously.  he stops what he's doing and yells his demand at the top of his lungs.  for example, we'll be playing legos when suddenly i hear: bloooow nooose!  then i must dash off to find a tissue and hold it over his nose immediately or the world will seriously stop turning and fish will learn to fly (or we'll just have snot everywhere).  same goes for pretty much anything else:  color!  pooh bear!  blanket!  

we need something.  we freeze.  we shout.
we indulge him in his demands within reason, because, well, blowing your nose seems like a perfectly reasonable request.  he just has to demand it.

you get the picture.

there is one exception to the rule however.

this particular need is so important, so crucial, that it must be requested with delicacy and refinement.

henry will gently take your face in his chubby little hands, firmly pressing his palms into your cheeks, and pull you down so that you are evenly face to face with him, noses literally touching.  his eyes wide, his eyebrows slightly raised to indicate just how grave his appeal will be, he looks deeply into your own eyes, merely inches from his.  you can feel his hot little breathe as he inhales, preparing for the delivery, like a lovesick man that is willing himself to propose even though he is not confident in the answer.  then, in barely more than a whisper, his voice reflecting the urgency of his heart's desire, he states:

have chocolate.  please. 

and i give him some chocolate.

and that is how i know that this boy is truly my child.

Christmas Celebrationing Take Three: frolicking

While Nana pretty much runs the show in the kitchen....the barn is definitely Gunka's domain :)

It was so incredibly nice outside for Christmas that we were able to play without freezing!

Kaydyn and Henry "helped" Gunka get some grain for the ponies

Then it was time to swing

AND now for the frolicking :)

ps....in case you were curious about henry's current health situation, he is on the mend!  he is starting to conquer his rsv and the double ear infection that he developed.  whew! 

Christmas Celebrationing Take Two: Santa Clause Is Coming to the Country :)

henry and I are relaxing at home today.  he has RSV :(  so we are watching elmo movies and cuddling on the couch as i type this up.  on the bright side, he no longer has yucky diapers.  maybe his plan is to contract every illness he possibly can so we will just get all of this out of the way at once.  then he'll never get sick again.  right?

bright and early (actually... not bright and early, since we are up before the sun) on Christmas morning.  The anticipation just got to henry and he could no longer sleep :)

h and gunka cuddling by the Christmas tree

Then Santa breezed in from the North Pole for a special hello.  (guess he can handle all those sprinkle smothered sugar cookies just fine)  the kiddos were thrilled!

 for the most part  :)

 Henry scopes out the sleigh bells

 Kaydyn was so excited :)

and of course he brought some toys for the good girl and boys :)

Don't think I can explain how fun it is to enjoy the holidays with little people who believe in the magic of it all :)

Christmas Celebrationing, Take One: the bitty bakers

If you haven't guessed from the title of this post, my recap of our Christmas shall be appearing as shorter installments :)  I took quite a few photos and this just makes it easier for me sift through the madness. AND...why not prolong the joy as much as possible?  After all, you can find me humming silver bells and deck the halls in july (Austin will confirm this)

It just isn't Christmas without baked goods smothered in sugary sprinkles and nonpareils.  

Henry and Kaydyn were introduced to the tradition this year (Bryson was a little bit too little this time around...but his day will come :)  )

cutting shapes

 george, you are officially a turd.  love, me

 frosting

sprinkling

a little taste-testing....just to be sure we have the correct amount of sprinkles i'm sure.

 yep, looks like we've got it covered.

another quick sample

 :)

 the bitty bakers enjoying the fruits cookies of their labor.

 i took so many photos of this crazy group, and this is the best one :) and my personal favorite (captures the essence of the moment quite well)

they even practiced some self-control and saved some for santa

 :)

tune in next time to see if jolly old saint nick survives the sprinkle overdose to bring a special delivery :)

one more hour.

sooooo.....i really hate to beat that old "if only there were more hours in the day" horse....but......

seriously.

i would really looove to have a few more hours in my day.

this past weekend was the first weekend that we spent at home, just the three of us, in, well, a long enough time that i can't remember the last time that happened.  

trying to keep up with extra-curricular activities has proven a little difficult lately with all the wide-ranging things we've had happen this past month, both good and, ummm not-so-great (like henry having almost three weeks of explosive, chronic diarrhea...i won't say more, and you're welcome :)  )

(AND here's the good)

We celebrated Henry's second birthday.

A few Christmas celebrations flew by!

New Year's.

Austin and I went to a Bronco's game in Denver.

In between the events and the traveling we worked, taught dance classes, and took care of an unhappy henry (see chronic ick mentioned above), and all the other random minutiae that goes on.  

When we weren't running around like crazy people, we were enjoying precious time and the company of each other and family that we don't get to see as often as we would like.

I also started to work on some writing projects that I have had on the back burner....so any other writing (blogging) got pushed aside for a bit because of that.

Needless to say, the 'ol bloggo has been sadly neglected.

Soooo, ummmm, here are some random photos that can give you a glimpse into what's been going on until I can get my act together :)

henry received some crayons and markers for his birthday and Christmas, and has since been a coloring fool.  he will sit and color for hours at a time (such a prolonged attention span devoted to one activity was unheard of at this point...now I can cook dinner while he happily colors at his table that we conveniently pulled into the living room)

 What did I say.....he loves to color

 my attempt at making a snowflake for him to color.  the only "white" we had this christmas :)

 on this particular day, I stayed home with a sick henry and printed off a bunch of free Christmas coloring pages.  we spent the better part of the day coloring our brains out, and here is the beautiful result.  the best Christmas decor in the apartment.

 the proud artist stands back to admire his work whilst sipping his apple juice.

Henry also received a fish for his birthday--his first pet!  Elmo has a pet goldfish named dorothy ("dorky" in henry speak).  So our Beta is named dorky, naturally.  Henry picked him out as well as the bright orange rocks and plastic plant for the aquarium.  He was super excited the day we brought him home.....and has all but forgotten about him since :)  except for when its time to feed him now and then.  

A couple shots from Henry's sesame street-themed birthday party.  I was so busy with everything that I realized I hadn't taken many photos until it was pretty much too late.  Ah well, we had a ton of fun, and Henry was a very lucky boy to be surrounded by so many people that love him.

  

AND we got to go meet Santa Clause of course! My parents and I took Henry to storybook island to meet the jolly man himself.  (bonus points if you correctly guess Santa's proxy for the night ;)  )

 Henry really was excited....I promise.  Don't let the photos mislead you.

AND i thought i would add this image of a poster i made for henry for a birthday gift.  we put it on display at his birthday party, and soon it will be hanging on his bedroom wall :)  thought it would be a nice way to remember him at this age  (if you click on the photo you can sort of zoom out to see what it looks like whole)