Brotherly Love

I'm glad my boys have each other as they grow up.  I've worried that the 4 year age difference would make it hard for them to stay close as they get older.  Well, I can tell you they have their moments that make me wonder, but then I see the crazy ways they connect. 

Andrew and Mason both have crazy senses of humor.  Andrew left the note below on Mason's lunch sack this morning hoping he would take it to school and make his friends think this note was from me.  Nothing like a brother to play a practical joke on you and embarrass you in front of your friends.  I love how he spelled "SWEETIE".  I cracked up laughing! 

Slightly crude humor to share but too funny not to remember forever on our blog.  And no, Mason did not take it to school.  Andrew was too impressed with himself to keep it a secret before school.

OK, I know there is a bit of a jab at me in here since I do put notes in their lunchboxes sometimes that tell them how great I think they are and how much I love them.  I think you can't ever tell a kid too much how great they are or how much you love them.  Any kids that make fun of my notes secretly wish their moms would leave them notes too...that's what I tell my boys anyway ;)

A girl and her Granny

On the days I work at home, this is how Melanie and Granny spend the early afternoon.  Granny is crazy about her little Great Granddaughter and Melanie is crazy about her.  She smiles so big when Granny talks to her.  I love the sweet connection they already have.

 What a cozy spot for a little nap!

Those hands have loved a lot of babies!  It started with her baby sisters, her own two boys along with nieces and nephews.  Then her grand children, great grand children, and now she even has 3 great, great, grandchildren.

Tricks and Treats - A Happy Halloween

Halloween is FUN!  I love carving pumpkins, creating costumes, and of course trick or treating.  So needless to say, we had a great time last night. Andrew has been planning his costume for weeks.  He is just like me when it comes to Halloween.  He looks forward to all of the fun.  Mason does too, but at his age sometimes he is unsure if he should be too excited about Halloween.  Some kids act like they are too big for dressing up and trick or treating.  I tell him I never outgrew the fun.  This year I was thrilled when he decided (at 4:00pm on Halloween) he wanted to dress up.  We put together his costume quickly and I have to say it was HILARIOUS!

 My nerd, my little pumpkin, and my flying ace.  Be sure to notice their throwing up pumpkin on the steps.  Andrew picked that design :-)

 Our sweet little pumpkin!  I was going to dress her like a ghost with a cute little white tutu but Mason insisted she should be a pumpkin just like he and Andrew were.  He loves tradition.  He was right, she was an adorable pumpkin.

 I loved Masons brief case for carrying his candy.  He was the funniest Nerd.  He was acting it out all the way.  Andrew is so creative.  He came up with his costume himself.  I helped him with the scarf but he found the rest.

 Here they are waiting for tricks or treats!  Notice the "KICK ME" sign on Mason's back.  He was kicked a few times in good fun.

Here is Andrew with all of his loot!  He had a blast.  After we finished dinner, Andrew wanted to go to a few more houses.  Mason wasn't wanting to do anymore so I took Andrew for a bit longer.  He is just like I was as a kid...and still am, he doesn't want all the fun to end.  Once we finished up he was ready to dump out his candy.  He was thrilled when Mason gave him all of his too.  I love these kiddos!  They make simple things so much fun.  Just think, next year Melanie will be ready for some candy too.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Well, a Scientist of course.  We call him Dr. Funkenstein.  Today was the day to dress up as "what you want to be when you grow up" day at school.  He wanted some crazy hair so he could be a bit of a mad scientist.  I love this little guy!  He loves to go all out and dress up on these fun days at school but he also stays practical.  When I asked him if he wanted some black round glasses to wear he said, "Mom, I don't wear glasses."  We have to keep it real.

IT IS GREAT TO BE EIGHT

My little guy Andrew is now a big eight year old.  He woke up this morning and came in my room, woke me up and said, "It's my birthday!".  That is the life with a new baby in the house.  Usually I wake the kids up with singing Happy Birthday and treat them to a special breakfast.  With a new baby, he had to wake me up :-)

So now, here are 8 of the many things that make Andrew the special boy he is to our family:

1.  When Andrew is interested in something he is ALL IN!  He was doing a project at school about Tornadoes so he wanted to make a tornado model that required using dry ice...we had to squash that idea but I love that he wanted to go big!

2.  He has a smile that lights up the room.

3.  Football is really something he has gotten better at this year and he LOVES it!  He wears some type of football jersey nearly every day, Pittsburgh, Longhorns, MV Tivers, Baylor Bears...he is a fan of many :-)

4.  Andrew is crazy about his great grandmother.  She loves him so much and might spoil him just a bit.  He asked her to make her special sugar cookies for his class snack this week.  She couldn't wait to do it for him.  I catch him some evenings watching Wheel of Fortune with Granny in her room.  SO CUTE!

5.  This kid is a FOODIE!  He loves to try new things and has a very discerning palate.  We took him to PF Chang's for his birthday dinner.  The waitress was cracking up because he didn't want the stuff on the kid's menu.  He wanted a spicy shrimp dish and lettuce wraps.  That's my boy!

6.  Snuggler.  Does a mom need to say anymore... I love that about him.

7.  This boy has been an early bird since he was a baby.  He doesn't want to waste any time snoozing.  He might miss something great.

8.  Andrew accepted Christ this year and has really grown to a mature young boy.  He asks so many deep questions that Mark and I both know God has amazing plans for him.  We love watching his personality blossom in Christ.

We love you, Roo.  God blessed us richly when he gave us such an extravagant gift!

A Dedicated Brother...

Andrew is full of questions about his baby sister.  He is inquisitive by nature anyway, add to that his love and concern for his baby sister, and he is intense!  When he rides in the backseat with her he always consoles her so sweetly when she cries and gives me the play by play of everything she does.  When her blanket fell on the floor at church yesterday and he was quick to ask me if I should cover her up with it anymore. 

From the day she was born, he would ask me when we were going to take her to church.  I told him she had to get bigger before we would take her to church and one day we would stand up in front of our church and make a promise to teach Melanie about Jesus, just like we did with he and Mason.  I explained it was called a baby dedication.  The first Sunday we took Melanie to church he asked if we were going to take her up front.  I told him no, she would be bigger when we do that.  We waited a couple of weeks before we took her back to church, but again Andrew asked if we were taking her up front.  I told him no again and explained it would be several months.  He then asked me how the baby dedication worked.  I told him we go up to the altar with brother pepper in front of our church family.  He then interjected, "Do you hold her up like this", demonstrating by holding his hands way above his head and trying to sing the native African chant at the beginning of the Circle of Life song during this scene of a familiar movie:

I couldn't help it, I cracked up laughing!  I explained it isn't like the Lion King movie.  Now he was totally serious when he asked but when he saw me laughing, he got silly and said Dad or I should do it to be funny.  Mark held back his laughter (for a while) and explained to Andrew that being silly when we are making a promise to God was disrespectful to Him.  Andrew understood what his dad was telling him but I couldn't help but giggle at how his little mind was trying to envision how it worked and the Lion King scene is what came to mind when I was explaining the formality.  But, like Andrew, I have one more question.  Who's the monkey, me or Mark...or in keeping with the movie, is Brother Pepper the monkey?

The Payoff

Little babies are front end loaded.  Well, sometimes they are back end loaded as well, but that is another story.  The first few weeks are intense to say the least. 

Sleep deprivation, breast feeding, burping,

diapers, bathing, spit up and diaper blowouts. 

You stay busy.  Just when you think you may be to the point of exhaustion...

when

you

get

one

of

these

then you suddenly remember how great these little sweeties are and you get a new rejuvenated spirit.  God is good.  He knew just when to time those first sweet smiles to bless a tired mamma's heart.

FINDING HER HAPPY PLACE

We have all been working to find our new normal around the H. home.  They boys are back in school and football has started along with AWANA so we are busy during our week nights.  Little Melanie is growing and changing a bit every day.  She has begun to have a bit of tummy trouble so she is unhappy much of the time unless someone is holding her.  There is always a good supply of people in this house ready to hold her except for first thing in the morning when we are trying to get the boys off to school.  Melanie will usually sit in her bouncy chair for a bit and be happy but not this morning!  She was fussy to say the least.  Mason looked at me and said, "Melanie needs to find her happy place".  I laughed so hard when he said those words!  Mason is the most patient of everyone when Melanie gets fussy.  He will hold her and talk sweetly to her.  I love to see that connection between them.  It was funny to see even Mason have enough of the crying.  Don't worry, we didn't let her cry long.  She is officially spoiled :-)

And later this morning she found her happy place...

I am hoping we have found some of the reasons for her fussiness.  I gave her formula in a bottle for the first time on Friday and Saturday morning she was covered in a red rash.  We think it is a cow's milk sensitivity.  So now I must stop eating all dairy products and any other food item that contains milk proteins for a while.  Hopefully this will help Melanie feel a bit better while her little digestive system matures and can better digest cow's milk.  I'm on day two so wish me luck.  Just so you know, milk products seem to be in EVERYTHING so this is quite a task.  But hey, Oreo cookies are milk free so I can live ;)

THE BIG TWELVE

No, this post is not about college football but believe me, this house is keenly aware it is football season.  Today Mason is turning 12.  It has been a blessing to raise him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he is becoming.  I love this kid so much, here are 12 reasons why:

1.  Mason has a great quirky sense of humor, just like his mom, so we laugh together often.
2.  I've watched him be a hard worker this summer.  He mowed our neighbor's yard to earn his own money and has done a great job.  He is even mowing our yard for dad!
3.  He is becoming more patient with his brother and is being a good example to him
4.  He is so loving to his baby sister.  She is only a few weeks old and I can tell she knows his voice and likes to hear it when he is home.
5.  He is trying new things like playing guitar and beginner band percussion.
6.  This boy is a great friend.  We have new neighbors and he couldn't wait to invite the kids over to swim and ask their son (who is 10) to go bike riding with him.  He loves to make people feel welcome.
7. Football is his favorite sport.  He doesn't let his smaller build stop him.  He plays hard and loves every minute of it!
8.  Mason continues to be a good student and work hard.  He puts his studies first.
9.  Maturity is blossoming in him.  I can see a bit of the man he is becoming and it is wonderful. 
10.  New foods are not always fun for him but he is boldly trying new things.  He even decided he likes fried okra!
11.  The little girls next door (ages 5 and 7) came over to see if Mason could play.  He didn't make a face and tell me he didn't play with little girls.  He went outside and played so sweetly with them for a few minutes before dinner.
12.  He loves the Lord and is learning to be His feet.  He invited several neighborhood kids he has been playing with to go to church on Wednesday night.  When I asked him if they had fun he said yes but he was most excited that they would be learning about Jesus.

Every year with Mason is a new adventure.  He takes us to the next phase of parenting and teaches us so much in the process while we try to teach him.  We are truly blessed to be his parents.  We love you, Mason.  Happy Birthday!

Back to School Blues

For the very first time the boys were not overly excited about going back to school.  I think it is because they do not want to leave their new little sister behind.  They are just smitten with her and it is so cute.  I have to admit, since I am home right now, I hate to not have them home all day too.  Once the day arrived they were pretty excited and ready to go back. 

It was an interesting morning.  Getting 3 kids ready to go in the morning is quite different!  Mark was home but was leaving for the airport that day.  He was able to take the kids for their first day.  You know I couldn't stay behind so Melanie and I went along too.

Here's little Melanie riding with her two big brothers to their first day of school as 6th and 2nd graders.  Doesn't she look excited?

Boy do I love these not so little guys!

We dropped Mason off at the intermediate campus and drove around to the elementary building.  I asked Andrew if he wanted me to walk him inside on his first day.  He had a funny look on his face and said, "no way mom"  I guess second graders don't need mommy to walk them inside.  At least Melanie will let me walk her in someday...I hope not too soon.   :)

Here she is!

Melanie Grace decided to make herself known a little over two weeks early.  She was born at 9:24am on Tuesday, August 3rd.  She weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 inches long.  Needless to say, we are all in love with our new little bundle of joy.

We have been home since August 4th and so far little Miss Melanie is doing great.  She is eating and sleeping like a pro.  I almost hate to say that since things can change on a dime!  I am convinced that she is going to fall right into place in this family.  :-)  The boys are so sweet with her.  They can't wait to see her first thing in the morning when they wake up and they make sure the kiss her before they leave or go to bed.  It just melts my heart to see the love they have for her immediately.

I'm off to my newest job on the milk train!  The hours are rough but my new boss sure is cute! :-)

COUNTING DOWN

We are counting down to the arrival of sweet Melanie.  The boys are getting excited.  Andrew is making sure he is ready to jump in and help his little sister.  He helped Mark put the stroller together and made sure he read all the instructions so we knew how to safely take care of his sister.  It was so cute.  He practiced pushing it all around the house and clicking the infant carrier in the stroller as well as removing it from the stroller.  He informed us we could not put the baby in the bottom basket.  It is for carrying stuff, not the baby.

Mason keeps telling me he is ready for her to get here.  He is helping me with everything these days.  If he sees me carrying anything or trying to sweep the floor he jumps up and says, "I'll get that mom".  I am getting spoiled!  He is going to be such a blessing to his wife someday. 

Melanie is going to be so blessed with two big brothers that love her so much.  I know we will have plenty of fun together and she will love her brothers just as much in return.  I pray they will all be close in spite of the age differences.  This household is about to get even more active and exciting...if that is possible!

A little scare

I had trouble sleeping Thursday night...no surprise, I am nearly 8 months into this pregnancy!  This was a little different.  My back hurt and I could feel mild contractions.  They went on throughout the night but were in no way consistent.  I woke up the next morning still feeling them so I sent a text to the girls at the office that I would be in later.  As I slowly got around and dressed for work, I realized I had not felt the baby move all morning, which is UNUSUAL for baby Melanie, she is a mover and a shaker!  I was just overwhelmed with a really uneasy feeling. I called my OB and they wanted me to come in for tests.  I called Mark to see if he could come also.  He asked if I should stay home and rest until the appointment but I told him I wanted to go on to the office to get my mind off of it and I didn't want to upset the kids since I was a bit emotional about it all.  I did not want them to be worrying.

I headed to the office, still no movement in the car.  I prayed for God's strength and protection.  I tried to keep busy but my mind would wander.  Then, about an hour before the appointment, I felt a little movement.  PRAISE GOD!  My heart leaped out of my chest.  I kept waiting for her regular somersaults but nothing more came.  Finally the time came for the appointment.  Mark and I went back and waited for our doctor.  He came in with his usual calming manner made us feel comforted without saying much at all.  He felt around on my stomach to find out how little Melanie was positioned and then placed the Doppler machine on my stomach.  We immediately heard the sound of her strong fast heartbeat.  Mark smiled at me and I couldn't stop smiling at him.  It was such a relief to hear that sweet sound.  After some fetal monitoring and a sonogram, our doctor felt sure all was OK.  Melanie had just found a new position with her head pressing on by back.  His orders were to take it really easy this weekend, stay out of the heat.  I am terrible about wanting to push myself to the limit.  Mark was glad to hear the doctor say to take it easy since I don't always listen to Mark when he tells me I am doing too much.

Later that evening we took the kids and granny to eat Chinese food and pick up what we needed for the July 4th weekend at the store.  I picked up a few more things for the baby, pacifiers, hair bows, and a couple of winter outfits on clearance.  Mark walked over and showed me a "pregnancy listening device".  He said, "this way we can let the kids listen to the baby's heartbeat"  I smiled and told him I thought that was a great idea.  That evening we let the boys and Maddie, our neice, hear that wonderful sound.  I wish we would have had the video camera recording their reactions.  The wonder in their eyes was amazing.  It brought tears to my eyes.  God has richly blessed us with this surprise.  His plans and purposes are always better than anything we could dream up on our own.  The joy He gives us in His will is indescribable.

How's this for a sweet little girl's bedding?

I'm into birds these days so I thought this was sweet for our little baby girl. Now I need some vintage bird prints and an old birdcage to hang in the corner of the room.  Oh, the possibilities ;)

A GOOD LAUGH REDUCES STRESS...

This is what I saw when I looked in the back seat on our way home from Memphis.

 

How cute!  He was snuggling his doggy named Sammy.

Another tired little boy takes a break from doing his homework.

I am so glad we have never given in to the DVD players in the headrest of the cars.  We have some of the best conversations when we are riding down the road together.  It would be a shame to miss those because a silly DVD took over our time.  On really long trips we have taken a portable but that is rare for us.

I hope the rain comes and goes before Saturday so we can go camping.  The boys have been looking forward to a camping trip but our schedule has been hectic.  If we wait too long I don't think I will fit in the tent!

A TRIP TO MEMPHIS

We made a quick trip back to Memphis to see family.  Unfortunately, my dad is not doing so well so we made a weekend trip to see him and my mother and lots of family we love and don't get to see often enough.
 
We had lunch with Aunt Teresa (my sister), Uncle Clint and their sweet little boy Winston. 

You can't go to Memphis and not eat BBQ! 

Andrew was digging in!  If you look at Mason's plate, you will see he finished his sandwich before I could even get my camera ready!

I must have liked those ribs...and the beans...and the cole slaw :-)

Andrew took this picture of my sweet sis and I.  Good times :-)

An Easter Portrait in the making...

We attempted a quick family shot before our Easter early service at church.  In true H. family form...we couldn't find the tripod so mark was trying to place our camera on top of the historical sign in our front yard to set up an acceptable angle so we could use the timer on the camera.  I laughed and loved the test shots Mark took more than the final product.  It shows who we really are...

 Let Mom fix your hair real quick...I know you are almost 12.

I've almost got it.

 Nice invisible plants in the planters on the steps...I'll get to it before summer is over, I HOPE!

 Nice Shoes.

 You can see baby girl under that big belly!

 We really are happy people!

This is my favorite.  I don't even know what we were giggling about but this is what we spend most of our time together doing.  I hope this is how our boys remember their childhood.

 There's handsome daddy!  We were still giggling about him running and tripping up the stairs trying to make it into the shot before the timer clicked.  He didn't fall, we aren't that heartless.

OK, this will do.  Aren't these guys so handsome!  I love them in their little suits.  I know it is old fashioned but Andrew's little seersucker suit is just so "southern gentleman".  It must be my Tennessee upbringing shining through.

Out of the Mouth of Andrew...

We had a fun Easter Sunday at home.  Church, lunch, naps and egg hunts.  I love simple days.  Andrew had asked me to wear a little dog tag type necklace he had gotten at a community egg hunt and he would wear one too.  They had eggs and bunnies on them and they weren't the type of necklaces meant to last. 

While we were snuggling on the couch watching a movie, his chain broke and I told him to hand it to me so I could fix it.  He looked at me and handed it to me with a scrunched up nose and said, "These necklaces aren't very good.  They are kind of D*llar Generally".  It took all I had not to crack up.  I guess he remembers the HUNDREDS of times I have reminded him that many of the toys at D*llar General aren't the kind of toys that last really well so he should think twice about buying some things there.  Now I promise, I am not a dollar store snob.  I buy lots of things there, but there are other things I won't buy there.  Most of the time you really do get what you pay for when it comes to items you want to last.  That being said,  I don't think the people at D*llar General would appreciate the new phrase he has coined! 

ANDREW'S BAPTISM

Oh Happy Day!  Andrew was baptised on April 3rd.  He had spoken with our Pastor a few weeks earlier and talked about the prayer he prayed asking Jesus into his heart.  At seven years old we wanted to be sure he understood what he was asking and the truths of the gospel.

The event was made even more special since his grandfather performed the baptism.

I cried tears of joy knowing Andrew has established the basis of his relationship with Christ.  There is truly no greater joy!  It is humbling to know Jesus came and accepted the task of becoming the sacrifice to save my little boy.  He loves Andrew more than I can even imagine...so many times more than I do.  It is hard for us to grasp that level of love.  Now I get to see my little boy make his first public testimony saying he is accepting that love and choosing to love Jesus and live for Him.

AMEN!