Sea World in December

We love being close to Sea World and especially like to use our passes in the middle of December when the weather is nice and the crowds are small. Each time we go, the kids get more brave with their experience. This visit included petting flamingos, the boys' first roller coaster ride without a parent and a Sesame Street live show (E only cried a little bit as she hates "live" characters or anything dressed up for that matter).

First Lost Tooth

After months of wiggling, M finally lost his first tooth. That thing was hanging by a thread. We tried to pull it a couple of times but it is so hard to get a hold on such a tiny thing...and, to be honest, I don't think I can do it. I make Marc try. The thought of the possible sounds and sensations that may accompany pulling a tooth do not appeal to me at all. M wasn't too into it either...so it fell out in his sleep and he woke up with it just hanging out in his mouth.


As an aside...M's second tooth came out the same way, and was actually swallowed in the process. Oh well, he wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy so he wouldn't miss out on any cold hard cash!

Give Thanks

SO FUN to have guests for Thanksgiving. Julie, Jimmy and MA came along with Adam and one of his Air Force buddies. It was so fun to have a full house although it was a challenge to keep enough food on the table for two HUGE men (plus Jimmy and Marc). No joke, Adam and his ex-NFL friend could have eaten my table and still been hungry.
E loved having her boyfriend (aka Jimmy) and the boys used Uncle Adam as their interactive human jungle gym. I kept waiting for the blood to flow...but we made it out with only a few tears.
The kiddos were thrilled to have MA and they all wanted to hold her. E was in her face all the time trying to help with her binky and give her loves. Ah, a girl after my own heart!

Ode to the Trampoline

We sure love to jump on the trampoline around here. The grandparents got together and purchased it for the kids for a birthday gift this year. It has been nothing but wonderful and a great way to get our some of the plenitude of energy we seem to have in excess. The best times are when an adult feels like getting "their jump on" or when they are convinced that they will love it. Thanks grandma...you know all the fun things to do!

Hallow's Eve

I guess it should make sense to me that my children are becoming much more opinionated about what they want to be for Halloween. This year, they started "deciding" what they wanted to be about July. About two weeks out, I made them commit. They are into Star Wars (as usual) and all other super heroes. So, M finally decided on Darth Vader; a decision I am sure was assisted by the fact that I purchased the D.V. mask last year and he wants to wear it every day. B took a little bit longer, but settled on Batman. E didn't have much choice. I have been looking forward to having her be a little witch. My mom made this costume for me when I was her age and she gave it to me after E was born. So, that made her an even cuter witch for me.
Since Halloween was on Sunday this year, we just did the trunk or treat at church and then had dinner with a few friends on Sunday. I let the kids give out some candy to the neighbor kids and they seemed really happy to have that important job.

Baby MA and Grandma H

We got to take a quick trip to Houston to see the newest cousin...sweet little MA. Julie and Jimmy had their first daughter this week and she is such a doll. I just love the tiny babies, fresh from above. How darling is she...and of course she has to have a bow right away.
The other bonus to the trip was getting to see Adam and my mom (who got to come home from her mission for a couple weeks to help out).
We had a wonderful couple days there and can't wait until we will all be on the same continent again.

Biker Momma

E definitely loves bikes...but not and of those "baby bikes", no...it has to be the hot wheels of course. Our driveway has a little slope to it and she squeals with delight as she zooms down onto the street.
The first time she did it she climbed onto the bike and went down on her own. I turned around in time to see her halfway down the driveway. So, I bolted after her and was sure she would either crash and fall off or cry from surprise. Nope, neither...she was so excited and happy with herself. So we spent the next hour dragging her back up the drive for more.
Now if we could just teach herself to get back up the drive...I'd have it made in the shade!

Down at the Farm

We went to a lovely little farm just outside the city limits with B's preschool class. It was pretty fun if you ask me...or E or B. Highlights include, but are not limited to when the farmer was milking the cow and he squirted the audience, the hayride, the fairy forest complete with cool faced trees, lots of touching animals, friends and a picnic to boot.
I just love to see the kids grown and their independence flourish (most of the time when it is not mis-directed against me).

NYC+DC-CHILDREN =GOOD TIMES

PART 1 : NYC
What a great girls' trip. Marc sure knows how to spoil me. I spent almost a full week back east with fabulous friends in September. To say that we lived each moment to the fullest would be a serious understatement. This was not a trip for sissies...oh no, we had it planned by the hour and we kept to the schedule to try to fit it all in. One of the most common phrases of the week was "can you even imagine how this would be if we had our kids here right now?" It was so fun and we fell onto our pillows each night with pure but happy exhaustion.
Seriously, I cannot even remember everything we did...but here is a small list: Yummy pizza in Brooklyn at renowned Grimwalds, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, walking tour of Union Station and its surrounding neighborhoods, Central Library, Empire State building, shopping, Broadway musical, Jimmy Falon Show, the Met and Cloister museums, China Town, Little Italy, bike around central park, etc, etc, etc.
To say that we did A LOT in the three days is an understatement. It was wonderful and so much fun to see the girls (two of the crew had the nerve to move away). Can't wait to do it again...thanks to Mel for making it happen!!

PART 2: DC
So, after a morning of breakfast and biking central park we misjudged our time and nearly missed our bus to DC. We literally ran for our lives...sweating all the way. Then Abby and I enjoyed our most relaxing portion of the trip...a four hour talk on the way to DC. We had already agreed we would use the time to catch up on much-needed sleep...but that was a useless idea. Hours of uninterrupted chat time...seize the day, right!? So, we got to DC and were picked up by my lovely friend, Jenna. She obliged in taking us on a mini car tour so that Abby could take in a few of the sights (she had never been to DC). Then we headed to Kimberly's for the evening. Unfortunately...the craziness took a toll on my traveling buddy and landed her with a major migrane that put her out of the fun for the night. So, we put her to bed and ate and had over a dozen of my closest friends from DC. We sat out on the deck and talked till the wee-ish hours of the night...or at least until we were all blinking back the sleep. The next day I enjoyed church in my old ward before heading back to the airport where, our flight was canceled and we had to re-book for the following day. Darn...
So, I got in a day late, slightly worse for wear but happy.

Preschool here I come...

B was so cute getting ready for preschool. He had his "All About Me" poster ready...which he HAD to carry by himself. He was so excited to do his homework (let's hope that never changes). I think dropping him off was much harder for me. I have never actually sent my kid to a preschool (one that I wasn't actually teaching/co-op). I felt guilty.
His teacher is the nicest southern lady with big bangs and scrunchies. She is perfect and the kids all LOVE her.
The biggest problem of the day was trying to tell sissy that she didn't get to stay at preschool also. I think that is the sad thing for the youngest...they always want to go along with the big kids. Soon enough, young one...soon enough. (sniff, sniff)

First Grade

M started first grade today! Where does the time go. I remember how long the summer seemed like it would be as I welcomed him home from his last day of Kinder. But, in true life fashion, it was but a blink of my eye and I am already sending him off to 1st. Tomorrow...college.

He was excited and ready to learn. Much more sure of himself than last year. When we got to his classroom he went right to his desk and got to work. I had to call him to turn his face for a picture. I am his teacher thinks I am a kook...but I just love to get those pictures so I can document how eager he is. I hope that never changes.

He seems to be really excited about the year and not really phased that there is only one girl from his last class in his new class. His teacher seems great...first year teacher...so hopefully it will be smooth sailing for her. I know that M will be helpful to her and I can't wait to see how much he learns and matures this year.

B is FOUR!!

Four short years ago today, our little family of three became a whoping family of 4 with the arrival of our vibrant and strong B-Man. We love this fierce little spirit and can't wait to see what he decides to do with his life and how to channel all of his will and desires.

As tradition stands...B chose all his meals beginning with a breakfast of champions...doughnuts, gogurt and fruit. Next we had a fun little party...mostly it was a monster party with a hint of star wars. He requested the Anakin vs. Obi Wan lava planet battle...yeah, and I am not a cake maker/decorator so I was just a bit intimidated.

We played fun games outside and ate lots of monster snacks. B requested that I make goo...another thing I think I would outsource in the future. He seemed pleased and I haven't heard of any of our guests ruining any furniture with it yet...bonus.

At the end of the day, my little monster Jedi seemed pleased...

We LOVE the Beach!!

I almost forgot how much I love the beach. We went down to Corpus Christi and had our first Texas beach experience...and I have to admit, it was much better than I expected it to be. There was plenty of sand and the water was warm...what more could you ask for? The sand seemed very unique and the kids enjoyed digging huge pits almost non-stop. We did a pretty good job not getting sunburned and got to play with some great friends. It made me want to become a beach bum...I just love it so much. E took to the sand like a crab and was joyously dipping her Doritos to cover each chip with bits of sand before eating. Yum! For me the only down side was getting stung by tiny jelly fish. Luckily I was the only one who really got a bad one and the sting only lasted for about half an hour. Upon discovering the little jelly fish, the boys also made a little prison for as many jelly fish as they could capture. We had a fun time keeping E from taking a dip in it...but they loved it all.

I look forward to many happy returns...

Naughty Painters

So, my friend has this saying that goes, "I can't be too mad if I wasn't watching them." That is pretty much how I felt about this situation. I love letting the kids paint and they love it...but it seems like lately, simple paper is not enough for our budding artists. Does this indicate a future as tattoo artists? I hope not...but it was pretty funny after my initial annoyance at having to clean them up. B was upset that I was taking a picture...he gets very embarrassed and hates for people to look at him.

Classic

Just a classic pic of our little eater. I love that this girl will at least try just about anything. She is very, very independent and insists on feeding herself. I love watching her...she will hold the spoon in one hand and grab food with the free hand and shovel it into her hand. A utensil decoy...very smart, young one.

Sticker Charts

This summer I made sticker charts for the boys. It was an attempt to keep us all sane and motivated and it worked some of the time. They got points for things like keeping their pants dry, being gentlemen, "whine free" days, healthy dinner eater, obedience, etc. Then there was a chart of rewards they could earn. I spent a lot of time trying to come up with really good things that I thought would be fun...and do you want to know what happened!? After reviewing their prize options, M said that he wanted to add one more thing in the blank line at the bottom. "Great," I thought...what was it going to be...a vacation to the beach, something from the lego store...nope. He wanted to get out the Halloween bins and play with the costumes and spider webs...and what was more interesting - he gave it the highest point value on the page...above Sea World, bowling, the zoo, ice cream....hmmm, go figure. Next summer I am going to have them make up their own incentives!

Airman Adam Hrncirik...Reporting for duty

I really hate to admit this....but I am pretty sure I have taken my freedom for granted until now. There is just something about having a family member in the military that makes you feel really proud and grateful...not to mention your baby bro! This is the boy I used to change and feed and carry around singing "The Skeeters and the Bedbugs" song to in a chipmunky voice. This is the boy I couldn't imagine was old enough to drive, let alone carry a weapon. But, he enlisted in the air force and rocked basic training as he embarks a three year journey to becoming a member of a special forces team.

We had the privilege of going to his graduation from basic in San Antonio. I won't even go into the details of our ghetto fabulous hotel or tell you how long it took to get the smell out of our clothes because the week was wonderful. Adam is hardcore to say the least. Out of...oh, I can't remember how many there were...but he was at least in the top 5 (not percent...I'm saying #5 or better) of all of the graduates. Based on the sheet they gave us of all their physical stats...he was either 2nd or 3rd overall physically (when ranked in running, push ups, pull ups, sit ups, etc) and he graduated in the top 10% and was awarded "Honor Graduate". I was as proud as any "mother" could be...and I am not even his mom.

The boys were so excited to see him. They idolize their uncle. I just loved that we were a part of it and I LOVED that M was saluting like all the airmen during the ceremony. I also had to document the level of order and cleanliness never before seen or embraced by little bro...just had to show it for posterity's sake.

All Grown UP

E thinks she is so big...but I think she still kind of likes being a baby. I watch two kids once a week for my friend. The youngest is six months younger than E. So, I pulled our bouncer back out for her. Now, E's favorite thing to do is to climb into the bouncer and be a big baby. The funny thing is, she plays in it more now than she did when she was a baby.

Family Reunion...TX Style

So, there are family reunions...and then there are family reunions in small town, middle of NOWHERE TX. Marc is very supportive and maybe, just maybe, I with held the complete truth of total travel time to Seymour, TX from Austin...but I am glad we went (because according to him, we won't be going "all the way up there" again...smile...sigh). So, let's just set up the stage for you...first, we drive up to Dallas, which might as well be Alaska. After the first 15 minutes in the car, the kids are already "done" and want to know how many movies they "have" to watch before we get there. Luckily we have family in Dallas...so we play with cousins, eat yummy food and pretend that we won't have to journey farther into the wilderness in the morning. Bright and early...it is already a balmy 90 degrees at least, we pack up and head north-ish, I think. We follow our trusty google directions for another 2 hours or so until we get to the part where we should be getting where we're gettin' to. The directions just tell us to drive but not where to exit so we drive past both of the two "exits" for Seymour. Marc asks, "I thought it was downtown...where's downtown?" "We just passed it," I say.
SO, we take our next turn onto a small street with trailers, houses and a few businesses (none of which are open). We pull into the gravel parking lot of a strip mall kind of thing and a man comes out of one of the "closed" stores. "Can I help Ya'll? he asks with a charming southern drawl. "Yes, we are trying to find (show him the address)." "Oh, you must be here for the big "Hensrick/Vita" reunion, right?" Wow...when our reunion makes the local paper and all the residents know about it...you know you are in a small place. Kind of nice... but forget about privacy in a place like this!! He kindly pointed us in the right direction...which wasn't hard considering that there were only two main streets in town...and we arrived at our destination. It was kind of like a metal "barn" structure with plywood walls inside and almost no moving air...which might not be too bad except it felt like it was about 120 outside. Eme spent her time gazing at a picture of a local priest on the wall while Marc braved the heat outside with the boys. There was a bounce house and unlimited desserts so we might as well have been at Disney World as far as the kids were concerned (see pics of some happy kids).
Mostly, I caught up with some aunts and a couple of cousins and then there was the room of others I mostly don't know. I liked watching all the "old timers" interact and share their stories with each other. My Aunt Mildred celebrated her 80th bday and my Aunt Gladys (who shares a bday with Adam) had her birthday that very day. Call me crazy, but even though it was less than exciting and it took forever to get there...I like the idea of my kids knowing where they come from.

Until We Meet Again...sniff, sniff

I cannot believe I will not physically "see" my parents for a year and a half. It didn't seem like such a long time before now. My parents accepted a call to serve a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Czech Republic (aka...the motherland). Of course I know that they are needed and that they are preforming a very important service...but let me be just a little bit selfish for a minute.
I am pretty much the same person I was back in high school...but ya know how it seems like your children have grown while you were away for a weekend...yeah, multiply that by five million for how much the grandparents will miss of the little ones while they are away. It just makes me so sad that M will be almost eight when they get back, B will be in Kindergarten and E will be talking. Surely I am just being a little emotional about this...but my kids adore my parents and I know how much they love watching my children grow up and what a sacrifice it is for them. I guess I have a ways to go in my love of all mankind before I go on a mission...but for now, I will just give my kiddos a squeeze for my parents and countdown the time until we can all play together again!

It seems like just yesterday...

that I was rubbing my large belly wondering what this bundle of joy would look like and if she would be calm or crazy....and now she is 1!! It's just not fair that they grow up so fast! I love her so much it is silly.
She is very independent (a third child for sure). She can do it by herself or at least she is going to try it! She is walking around and showing us just what she wants.
For her birthday we just had a couple little friends over for cake. I was sure that she was going to dig right in...but she had to be persuaded to even taste the cake. Hmmm....wasn't expecting that from our big eater...maybe next year.