"Houdini" turns 2!

Our sweet baby boy turns 2 today! I guess we can't really call him our "baby" anymore, but he'll always be my baby boy! As I was sitting making his birthday poster last night, I was reflecting on the past year and I couldn't help but smile. He has changed so much. Here is just a snippet of that....

• He no longer looks like a baby, he is definitely a big boy now!
• He loves balls....footballs, baseballs, basketballs, soccer balls....it doesn't matter what kind. As long as he has something to throw or kick he is happy!
• He loves shoes! He loves to try on any pair he sees lying around and it is pretty cute to watch him toddle around in shoes WAY too big for him!
• He is the strong and silent type. He had tubes put in his ears in January and his hearing has definitely improved, along with his talking. He still doesn't say much, but he knows how to express what he wants and he is really coming along!
• He LOVES music! Even though he may not sing the all of the actual words, he knows the tunes and sings them perfectly! I love to watch him dance (he still has his happy feet!).
• He is an excellent brother, both big and little. His sisters love to play and tease with him and he loves the attention that they give him, and he is so tender and gentle with Harrison. I love to watch them interact.
• He loves all things electronic. Remotes, cell phones, computers, etc, etc. And surprisingly he can get most of them to work already! He loves buttons and it so funny to see how drawn to these things he is! If you leave something lying around he gravitates to it instantly!
• His nickname is Houdini. He is so sneaky and quiet that sometimes he manages to escape without being noticed! He snuck out of nursery 2 Sundays in a row. He was so mellow and mild until he hit about 18 months and since then he has been going, going, going all the time! He definitely keeps us on our toes!
• We can't resist his sweet smile! He is such a sweet boy and I love that amidst how busy he is, that he will take the time to cuddle with me!
• He gives some of the very best hugs!
• He still loves his soft blankets, and we sometimes tease and call him Linus, from Charlie Brown. They are security blankets for sure and we are working on taking it less places, but it is a miracle worker once it is time for a nap or bedtime! So, Mom and Dad are clinging to it a little as well still! ;)
• He is a climber. He loves to climb on anything and everything. And he doesn't have much fear.
• He love bath time. He has always loved water and bath was one of his first words! The moment he hears the bath water he comes running!

Our sweet Mr. Lennon is such a good boy. We love him so much and are grateful every day that he is part of our family. We don't know what we would do without all of his busyness! I love watching him grow into such a fun little boy and I can't wait to see how he continues to blossom this year! We love you Mr. Lennon! Happy 2nd birthday baby boy!

SOCCER!

Aleece participated in soccer again this spring and loved being able to kick around the ball on the soccer field with all of her friends! She took a much more laid back approach this season and just enjoyed being on the field! She ALWAYS had a smile on her face! She had such a great team and we are thankful to Coach Brandon for all of his time spent coaching the team! They all truly had a blast this year! (Despite how hot it got!!!) Go Bengals!

Leecy's Kindergarten Graduation!

Aleece graduated from Kindergarten in May! It's hard to believe it's already been a year since she began school! She grew leaps and bounds this year and made so many great memories and wonderful friends! She absolutely adored her teacher Mrs. Strock and she overcame many fears! She blew away all of the kindergarten teachers with her reading capabilities and was reading better than most of the 4th graders in the school! She got to read for the principal and she was regularly tested in the library on all of the books she was devouring! We are so proud of her and how hard she worked this past year! We hope she gets a teacher she loves just as much for first grade! Aleece participated in her kindergarten graduation, which for her was a huge step in the right direction! She has been so shy and we were a little worried that she wouldn't want to participate....but she did amazing and we think it is so awesome to watch her grow! The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is so true! We do as much as we can as parents, but without the wonderful help of teachers and grandparents and so many others, our children wouldn't have the opportunity to do so many things in life! So here is a BIG thank you to all of you out there who are helping our children to learn and grow in so many ways! We love you Leecy T!

Lainey's preschool graduation

Lainey graduated from her first year of preschool in May! She is still so tiny, probably a good 6 inches shorter or more than most of her preschool buddies, but she has such a big personality! She learned so much this year in preschool! She memorized scriptures, she learned lots of fun, new songs, she made some great friends, and she learned so much about all of the letters and their different sounds and all of the numbers, etc. She is such a smart girl and I love that once you get her talking, she will talk your ear off! :) She gets to attend the same preschool next year and we are so glad! She loves Ms. Tami and we love all that she is learning! Way to go Bugsy! We love you!

Getting caught up....

Okay, so I am WAY behind on blogging. We have had a crazy, busy and fun summer already and life with 4 kiddos keeps us busy even when we think we have nothing going on! :) So here we go, hopefully I can get caught up!