first haircut

yes...it has been a long time since we have blogged! trying to catch up today so here we go.....we took henry to our friend lindsey to cut his hair for the first time. he did great! he wasn't quite sure about what she was doing but as long as he had his puffs & something to play with he didn't care. thanks linds for getting rid of the mullet that was forming!!

here is my side view!

365 days of fun

let me just say that this should be my favorite post of these past few months of blogging but it has become my worst nightmare!! i have been working on this 365 day video of henry for the past two weeks. everytime i try to link it to the blog it won't work! i am so not computer literate even though i like to think i am but really- i am far from it! so anyways- enough about my griping but i just had to get it out & vent a little. not to mention- i wrote a little paragraph about this post the other night as a draft and then i was just going to come back the next day to work on posting the video....i thought i had saved it but i guess not because it was ALL gone! so, i will try again and i hope it will be just as good. :)

the past year has flown by so fast and has definitely been the best year in my life. before i had henry i always wondered why my friends with kids were so "obsessed" with their kids- i mean, it was in a good way- don't get me wrong- but i really didn't get it. i knew how much fun kids were- i loved Lucy like crazy & i loved being around kids but it really didn't hit me until that exact moment the nurse put henry in my arms for the first time. the emotion overflowed. two days later when we couldn't take him home from the hospital i had to get brett to make phone calls to our family about it all because i couldn't even speak i was so upset. the thought of anything happening to my new little buddy just overwhelmed me. i was not one to cry when i was pregnant or after when i got home with him- maybe because it all came out of me that day in the hospital! what i am trying to say is i TOTALLY understand why my friends are so "obsessed". i became obsessed at that very moment- 6:42 am november 27th 2007. every day he has brought us smiles & laughs. he makes me want to get out of bed in the morning even on those days when i am so exhausted!!!

my boss, cindy, was very sweet and gave me such a fun baby shower a few weeks before henry was born. when she mailed out the invitations she included a small piece of paper and had everyone right down a piece of advice for me. i will never ever forget what my mom wrote. it made me cry that day & it makes me cry every time i read it now. here is her two cents:

"Soon you will have someone else to love and you will know why i love you so much".

it is so true. i never knew how much my mom & dad have loved me until i had been blessed with henry. i am just thankful to the Lord for this beautiful gift that he has given us. he is a miracle and i am so excited to share his past year with you. enjoy the video.....i think it is kind of cute!

(click on the link below....once it comes up you might need to click on slideshow in order for it to start. i never could get it onto the blog- sorry about having to do the link. maybe one day i will be smart enough and figure it out!)


http://picasaweb.google.com/lindsayboner/Movies

My Pal Pop Pop

Pop Pop is awesome- he plays games with Goose and this past trip they really got into some animal flash cards....here is a glimpse of them and their routine...we treasure the time we have with all grandparents. Can you tell I am without camera???

This needs no explanation- too funny of Brett and Henry- post-Thanksgiving dinner entertainment. If you don't giggle while watching something is seriously wrong....

George Part Deux

So- I still LOVE George. In fact, George is my hero right now. As I struggle to be a parent, I really find some joy in putting the blame or cause to be a good listener on someone else. And at times I go to bed frustrated that a 2 year old can cause me to feel defeated- like I lose control and feel helpless to the clever offensive and defensive tactics of a toddler, for goodness sakes! I read something tonight that really hit home. My friend Julie Tassey's Dad, Robert Wolgemuth, wrote a great book called, The Most Important Place on Earth. In a chapter on discipline (kindly entitled "Discipline is not a Dirty Word") he writes this:
"I want you to know something that's critcally important about the uses for the word discipline. The noun is the goal, and it's the result of the verb. In fact the noun is the great reward of the verb".
So as I struggle to be disciplined in my routine with Lucy (being mindful of setting the appropriate stage and timing-getting dressed, breakfast, dinner, bathtime, bedtime) I was reminded that my discipline in my attitude and actions toward Lucy will inevitably allow her to learn discipline and as a result be disciplined. Disciplined as in- know when to be obedient and when to push herself towards a goal (I already have high hopes for athleticism and academics!).
George is my out- he allows me to focus on his reward of telling Santa what a good listener Lucy has been, or to tell the stories of her good choices of obedience and kindness at home and at school. Below is a video of Lucy finding George this morning....I love it!

HFB is ONE!!!

we had BIG birthday celebrations with our Thanksgiving turkey! Henry hit his 365 days and my cousin mark turned 27, last thursday, Thanksgiving day. sorry mark- from now on you have to share with henry!!! we ventured to uncle steve & mary beth's house in the early evening for a delicious meal but we decided to start the night off with cake celebration first- my kind of order!! desserts first! we had so many great pics from the birthday cake that i couldn't decide which to choose so i just posted them all. henry wasn't so sure about the birthday cake until i shoved the icing in his mouth. then he proceeded to get his hands all in it and lick it up! he didn't do a face plant, which i was really hoping for, but at least i know he has my sweet tooth!

happy birthday little buddy (and mark too :) ) - the year has gone by way too fast!

(i am working on a one year video so hopefully i will have that posted sometime this week- stay tuned!)

the birthday boys

my attempt at making birthday hats- not very martha stewart but hey, i tried! of course henry kept his on for all of 10 seconds!

mark's giant cupcake

hen's big cupcake

checking it out

the goose & uncle mark showing henry the ropes

me shoving the icing in his mouth.....then he finally realized it is soooo good!

yummy!! so good!

i think we can say sugar overload!!!

yay- i'm one!!

GEORGE

We were given "Elf on a Shelf" by Honey this past week. As a former teacher, I love behavior modification tools that are positive. We brought this little elf out the night before Thanksgiving and after much discussion- Lucy named her elf George...not sure why but it is Stephen's "go-to" name when playing legos- so she must have wanted to suck up to Dad. George is AWESOME. Here is the deal- George leaves our abode each night to report to Santa on Lucy's behavior that day...and when he comes back he is always in a different spot. The search for George is hilarious- George can't talk but you can talk to him. And you cannot touch George or he will lose his magic. So- Lucy loves to hunt for George each morning. And frequently can be heard telling George, "I am bein' such a good listener".
We struggled with bath and bed time last night. As you may guess, George is sitting on the towel rack in Goose's bathroom this morning. Will let you all know if it works- good thing George is clever too- hoping he will help Mama out this week and correct the stall tactics that have become a habit pre-bedtime.
GEORGE- help a sister out!! xxoo.