It was a Good Day to be a Hime Kid

It was super, satisfying, superb, family Saturday. We had cereal for breakfast, played animal parade with huge stuffies, went on two walks, had grilled cheese for lunch, took good short naps, watched basketball, played air hockey, pong pong, fooseball, Mrs. Pack Man, Twister, Guess Who, Doodle, made chicken pinwheels for dinner, had apple pie for dessert and watched Sound of Music for a treat! I need to document more when we have such a great, special, all about the kids, day. It was a fun day all around! Thankful for these special blessings and we love our kids. :)

A Much Needed Date With O

Happy Happy Birthday dear Love and Daddy

Just wanted to know
...that you are our favorite daddy in the whole world!  Love, Katie and Owen

And that you are my best friend and I wouldn't want to do life with anyone except you!  Love, me

A Wordless Wednesday Merry Christmas!

Christmas on the 8th

 Katie and Daddy have gone for the past three years to Disney on Ice.  It has always been a daddy daughter Christmas date, but this year Owen and I got to go!  We had so much fun anticipating the big day and celebrating a piece of our special holiday early.

 We ate breakfast at Whole Foods and let the kids pick from the hot bar.   There were scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, warm spiced apples, maple turkey sausage, burrito, potatoes, oj and coffee.  Plus, some really cute kids for company!

 Ready for the show to start!  And according to Katie we had to have popcorn, so we spent a whooping $4.50 on a small container.  :)

 This was Katie the WHOLE time. Mesmerized.

Owen liked most of the show.  He enjoyed when the Beast showed Belle the library and then the horse from Rapunzel.   What he really wanted to see was Cars-maybe next time buddy!

And when we got home Katie was on cloud 9. Can you tell she felt like a princess?  She kept twirling and twirling around.

And Aunt Brandi, we love our Christmas dress this year!

And Owen...he just loved being with Daddy, Mommy and Katie for a special treat!

Merry Christmas to our two favorite kids!

Wordless Wednesday

Owen Hime as John Brown

Racing Cars

Something Nana does exceptionally well when she visits is play with the kids.  I think every night they were tuckered out from all the exciting playing.  :)

Thank you Nana for racing cars!

Love, Owen

Three Out of Four

This past weekend Justin and I came down with 'normal winter colds'. We weren't feeling 100%, but not that bad.  Then last night/this morning Katie woke up with a fever. We think the cold virus must have morphed into the flu for her. She is resting/sleeping on the couch right now, poor little girl.  

But contrast that to Owen who is talking to himself while playing 'monster trucks' in his room. :) It is so. so. sweet. to hear his little voice saying, that cars are saving the day!, or jingle bells, jingle bells, or singing Rejoice, Rejoice, etc. 

Prayerfully the colds/flu will stay away from our joyful three year old and that the rest of us will be healthy quickly~especially Katie.  But right now his playing is warming my heart.

We're Under the Weather

Be back soon!

Life of the Hime Kids

I started this post about 4 weeks ago, but then blogger wouldn't let me post it since I was out of 'free' space.  I have spent probably too much time today finishing it up-who knows what the kids have done creatively to their rooms, but is has warmed my heart, brought tears to my eyes and I have relieved some fun fun memories.  I wish I would have intermingled photos and text, but alas I not going to spend more time. :) Thankful my kids played together this morning so that I could post this!
And there are so many days that I have wanted to write this post.  I want to record what our kids are doing and what we are up to in words.  I know the photos are great and that is more my cup of tea, but putting it all together is so neat.  I am very thankful that we will have this to look back upon.  So without further ado...
*this is a looooong post.

 Katie-

*What a creative young lady you are becoming!
*You are five and learning so much each day that you are now teaching or trying to teach us all that you know.
*For school, though you are not in formal school, we still do learning to read in 20 lessons and some math each day.  It has taken along time for you to grasp reading, but in the past few weeks things are clicking in your brain.  You have begun to write us notes and to sound out words you see.  It has been frustrating and fun to see you understand letters/reading.  Beyond 'subjects' you are doing a lot of art, outside playing, play dates, learning to cook and doing chores around the house.
*Your best friend is Owen followed by Catie Beth Muse then Laney Carson-your ping pong (pin pal)
*If you could, you would have me continue reading for hours on end the Little House on the Prairie series.  In your pretend play you are either the mom to Magnolia and Lily or you live on the Prairie like Laura, Mary, Carrie and Grace.
*If we are outside playing you love riding your bike, creating a garden with Owen, drawling chalk or playing tag.
*Your sleeping is great.  You normally go to be at 8 and sleep until 7. We still can't figure out a way for you not to wake up to go the bathroom...but we will take you being hydrated.  :) And your sleeping stuffy is Bunny.
*You love to go on dates with Daddy or myself.  The Tea Room is one of your favorites or breakfast at Whole Foods.
*It is still a struggle for you to follow through with your chores without losing focus and ending up on a different task then what I assigned.  But that is a struggle of mine and I understand!  As long as you have a companion or have recruited someone to help you, you can accomplish anything. Daddy has said you have a recruiter personality and that is so true!  You want people to come join you in your struggles and joy!  One more heart struggle is to trust-to relinquish control over your way and accept our authority. You do not have ultimate control and we are praying you understand this quickly.
*You can make meals now-you like to do sandwiches and chips/crackers with a few veggies put on the plates. Todays lunch was yummy-thank you!
*Chores that you do around the house are, emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, putting away your clothes and helping to set the table.
*If you could, you would dance the whole day in the kitchen listening to a variety of songs.
*You are definitely a affectionate bug.  This wasn't the case when you were little.  You were always wanting to get down and do your own thing.  But you love getting and giving hugs, sitting closely to us while we read or play games, physical affection is one way you show love...
*You love to play uno and do puzzles.
*You can talk and talk and talk and talk.  I don't think you ever run out of words!
*You have just started to think your own made up jokes are funny.
*We have listened to the Chronicles of Narnia a handful of times and you do not grow weary of listening to good stories.
*There are moments as I have watched you grow up that I wonder where the time went...you are getting so big.
*You have lost two bottom teeth.
*A favorite thing to do while playing is to drag everything out of your rooms to make some sort of house or vacation spot with pillows, books, dolls, animals.  Everything will be out in the living room in order to create this space.
*You love watching Angelina the Ballerina, Super Why, Curious George, some Veggie Tales, Bob the Builder (with Owen) and other movies.
*A few favorite foods-almost anything!  But pepperoni pizza, chocolate milk, pistachios, Lara Bars, apples, carrots and hummus, breakfast foods-scrambled eggs, noodles and sauce, hotdogs, cinnamon rolls...
*You love to read and read and read..every night we read the Bible and you amaze us with all the details that are stored away in your mind.  We pray those truths invade your heart!  You have sung many times and said this song/verse is about you...2 Corthinians 5:17, it is sung by the Rizers.  We are trusting God to make you a new creation-you have said you are in Christ!  We are SO excited about that...as we walk along side you we want you to know what that means and how that changes everything we do in life.

Birth to now

 

Owen-

*You are a piece of work.

*You are three and loving getting bigger.

*Every morning you do five push ups with Daddy.

*You won't allow us to call you our little boy any more-you are now a big boy.

*Your favorite friend is definitely Katie, followed by Noah Beaver or Evy Muse :).

*You'll play anything that Katie recruits you to play (dolls, fort, house).  But if given the opportunity to choose, you will play with puzzles, Muck (dump truck), Scoop, Moe (monkey), Clifford, Bean (bear) and Dog Dog.

*You love to wear your rain boots and work clothes-mostly overalls for working.

*When outside you are digging in the back garden, watering a leaf, riding your bike or cutting down trees.

*Your favorite foods right now is pizza, cereal, yogurt, noodles and sauce, hotdogs, bread and apples, though you pretty much will eat anything.

*You are working on your numbers and shapes right now for school.

*Almost every book you want to read has to do with a construction machine including street cleaners. And you can sit and read (flip pages) for quite a long time.

*You are taking swim lessons and can now swim to your coach for 3 seconds without help.

*Your sleeping is so much better then a year ago.  You sleep with Dog Dog and Bean. You go to bed around 8 and get up around 7. Lately, we have heard your feet tapping the floor in the middle of the night to come and snuggle next to me for 'two minutes'.  Then I put you back in your bed all happy and back asleep. And for naps you still take about an 1.5 hr nap around 1:00pm.  Oh, but Daddy also puts you back in bed at night to 'help' you stay in bed for sleeping.  

*You still suck your two middle fingers,  but we are going to help you stop probably after Christmas.  You are very content with your fingers and love to sit and cuddle.

*You are also a great encourager!

*You have just begun to sing your own made up songs.  You love to sing, "Rejoice, Rejoice Rejoice"  Or Old McDonald Had A Farm..."with a dog there, and a dog there, and a dog there, and a dog there, dogs were everywhere."  Though you say, there more like, "d'ere". 

*If you could grow up to be just like Daddy I am sure you would do in a New York minute!  You love helping him outside in the yard and you have the same spike in your hair since you two share the same cowlicks-something you love being twins with Daddy

*You love to watch Curious George, Super Why (I love that you answer the questions out loud the movie ask you :), Bob the Builder, Angelina the Ballerina with Katie and a few Veggie tales.

*You are a great helper in the house too.  You really have a servants heart.  You will help me cook in the kitchen.  Clean up any room in the house.  Take the folded clothes back to the correct room in Muck and wash the windows when I ask.  Right now you don't have any specific chores, but you do help with unloading the dishwasher with Katie and set the silverware at dinner.

*You are slowly growing in self control.  There have been less meltdowns and fits thrown as we and you have begun to pray for this fruit of the Spirit.  You are learning to ask people to reconsider if you don't agree with the answers to your questions.  A heart struggle of yours in complaining/falling apart in tears and we are praying that God will give you grace in this as well as strength to understand this life.

*We are praying that you will be courageous and humble.  That you would always find joy in serving and that your sweet smile would be a permeant fixture on your handsome face.

Birth to now

Sweet Kiddos, may you always be the best of friends!