Happy...

We are in Iowa for a long weekend, which is wonderful because I was so ready for a change of pace! The drive went wonderfully and we didn't even hit any deer on the way this time.

We'll be busy having fun for the next few days...

To be continued!

Missy Mae in the Middle

Sometimes I worry about Emma because she's a middle child. I mean... she only got to be the baby of the family for such a short amount of time. Luckily, this little girl came built in with a personality that refuses to be ignored. Whether she's grabbing our hand to lead us to what she wants, nudging her way in for a cuddle, teasing her siblings, or showing us the "Emma-tude" with a tantrum, Emma shows us that she is a force to reckon with. She tries to keep up with Sarah and still manages to have her own preferences too. We love this little girl!

She loves her sunglasses, but ALWAYS prefers them on top of her head

Ready for some stroller action

Goof-ball Emma... you can see her eyes and mouth through the plate. So funny!

I just love this shot showing how great Emma's relationship is with her Dad. Her little dress tie came undone and Dennis is fixing it for her. I love how she's hugging his legs.

Bedtime Battles? Nope... just a little fun with Daddy.

Emma loves food! I think it's so funny the look she gets on her face when she's about to dig into something. "Watch out cake... here I come!"

Another day... still loves the cake.

Always ready for a good time

Catching up is hard to do...

Blogging world: it's been a long time! Sometimes I just feel like a crazy little mom running around like a chicken with its head cut off. It's usually fun, but stressful and chaotic too!

In the past few weeks we've: celebrated Dennis's birthday, enjoyed the college football season, taken Sarah to her first dentist appointment, and I was lucky to get to have my mom come visit for a week.

Birthday Bash
Being such a sweet dad that he is, Dennis chose Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday dinner. Sarah and Emma were in heaven, of course. What a treat!

Vroom... vroom!

Emma lovin' on Chuck... she's always lovin' on something!

Sarah and Dennis's favorite: the wave runner
It took us about 20 minutes of persuading to get Emma out of the maze toy - even then we asked another little girl to help Emma down to us!

Innocent bystanders

Happy Hawkeye
It's fall and that means two things to my Hunger man: farming and football. A local farmer had Dennis plow a field the other night (it's not Iowa farming, but it was farming nonetheless). And... we've all caught the Hawkeye spirit for football season. Every Saturday Andrew dresses up in his gear, Sarah cheers alongside Dennis, and we enjoy a good game.

Ready for game time

Sarah kept putting Drew's hat on him backwards - so sweet.

Open Wide
Sarah had her first dentist appointment last week. Dennis and I talked about it, and we decided she would probably get really nervous and wouldn't sit still. Any way it went, we were going to let Sarah take the lead and go with it. That morning, I had Sarah pick out a special outfit she wanted to wear, and I kept coaching her that "just Mommy and Sarah" were going to the dentist. (She liked that a lot)! So, I had my appointment first, and she watched and played and was perfect. She even got a little too close a few times and had her face right up at my mouth - just trying to check things out. Then came her turn... she got a little nervous, but when I asked her if she wanted me to sit next to her she said, "Yep, then I won't be scared." That was it. She sat there, let them clean her teeth, floss, and x-ray. What a little angel! Now every time we drive by the dentist's office on our way somewhere, she points it out and tells us all about it.

They gave her sunglasses "in case the light was too bright." They were a big hit.

Nice teeth, girl!

Mommy-Daughter Time

My mom and I kept pretty busy while she was here between the shopping, baking, making cards, feeding kids, and having a great time. I love it when my mom comes because I have a friend with me all day to talk to and play with. A couple of the nights she was here, Dennis had meetings at night so we even watched a few chick flicks. It was a fun week, and I was so sad to see her go. Here are a couple pictures of one of our shopping trips, but I can't believe we didn't even get one picture of us together!

The girls liked sharing the teeny-tiny cart at Old Navy

Sarah tried on a hat at every store we went to... she looks so en vogue.

One of these things is not like the others...

I went through all my old files to find Sarah and Emma's six-month pictures to compare with Andrew's. I think that S & A do have similar features... there is something about the head and cheekbones. But, then you can kind of tell E belongs in the same family too even though S & A mostly take after Dennis and E takes after me. Maybe they're all just a mix of us!

Picture order: Sarah, Emma, Andrew

Regardless, I am a biased mom and I think they are all incredibly cute!

Happy Half Birthday!

Happy half birthday to a happy boy! Andrew is six months old... I can't believe it. It seems like just a couple of months ago that we brought this little guy home, but at the same time it feels as if he's always been a part of our family. To me, the first six months of a baby's life are the most demanding for the mom but then it just gets better and better. Their little personalities emerge more and more every day, and (for my kids at least) they become little cuddlebugs.

I am so excited to be Drew's mom and watch him grow. It astounds me that I will watch him go to school, get baptized, go on a mission, and have a family of his own someday. There is just something different about girls and boys when I think that my little boy will one day be a MAN. It is a big job to think of the part I play as his mother to do all I can so that will become the man he should be.

At six months old, Andrew:

• is on a great schedule... eats every 3 hours during the day and sleeps nearly 12 hours at night
• loves oatmeal and rice cereal
• has tried applesauce and carrots, but isn't too sure about it yet
• giggles when Sarah plays with him
• lights up when Daddy comes home
• loves to cuddle with Mommy after eating
• sits up on his own
• rolls around the whole room to get toys
• doesn't like to be left alone in a room (unless he's going to bed)
• quickly falls asleep when put in his crib
• loves to have something in his hands to explore
• is happiest first thing in the morning after being fed
• nicely puts up with a lot of slightly rough play from his older sisters
• has a very sweet smile that lights up our days

Splash!!!!

What is it about summertime that brings back those wonderful childhood memories of running through the backyard sprinklers? I remember begging my mom to turn on the hose and just let us go wild...

Well, times have changed and so have the sprinklers! Fairly close to where we live there are a number of "spraygrounds" to play at. They are just like a regular city park - free and open to the public - but with levers, buckets, and fountains of water. For Labor Day, we took a family day to play. We went out for pizza, hit the sprayground, got ice cream on the way home, and topped it off with home-grilled steaks. It was a great day!

What a blast... Sarah with cousins Sammy & Caleb (in town headed back home from Texas)

EEEEEEEEEK!

Take that!

Emma's getting in on the action too

Just lovin' on the pole

And lovin' on Andrew's toy. Emma always holds things like she's holding her own little baby.

Mmmm... ice cream. You like yours Emma?

Y-U-M-M-Y!!!!

Ready, Set, Dance

This fall, Sarah is taking her very first dance class. She started last week, and is absolutely LOVING it! She has class every Monday - they do tap and ballet. All the girls wear black leotards and pink tights... so cute! Sarah just loves putting on her dance clothes. In fact, it's hard to get her to change back into street clothes after class.

I like to peek in the window and see what she's learning. It's so good for her to get some time away from me and learn to follow directions from someone else. It's also really nice for Emma to be the "big sister," even if it is for only 45 minutes. And Sarah feels like she is special to get to go to dance all by her big self. Every week, as she's going into class she tells Emma, "You're not going to dance class, Emma - only Sarah!" She doesn't mean to taunt her, but it sure sounds like it.

Seriously... makes me melt

Our little ballerinas

The choo-choo line
(Sarah is in front)

Here's a shot through the mirror (again... Sarah is the first kid right behind "Miss Nancy")