Here are a few random thoughts and updates about our life before I share pictures from our fun and travels lately. This is the past few weeks up until this past weekend (I'll put that in a separate post)
This spring has been super busy for us with little time at home because we have been working hard to get our cows out to summer grass, still working on our house, and trying to get ahead on a few things since Chance will be gone a lot during June for wheat harvest, all while working jobs with long hours and lots of travel. Thank goodness for my little brother Sam who has been working 7 days a week to help us around our place this past month. Don't know what we'd do without him!
On top of being super busy, it's compounded by the fact that Henry is changing so much every day and he is getting so good at a ton of skills...running, throwing the ball, dancing :) and most of all, talking. Our baby is definitely not a baby anymore. He is saying so many words and is very good at repeating when you ask him to say something. He has learned to say and identify a lot of his body parts, even things like elbow and knee...which is really cute to hear him say. I keep meaning to get a video of him that I can share...seems like I always get them when he's in the bathtub. Hopefully one of these days!
He is also getting to be much more headstrong/stubborn (I have no idea where he gets that from!) and we are on our way to the terrible two's for sure. I say all the time that living with a toddler is like living with a person who has multiple personalities that emerge from minute to minute. It's a whirlwind, but when he puts his arms around my neck and says "love you" it all melts away. Good thing toddlers are cute and give lots of hugs!
Playing with Uncle Sam
These two trouble makers...
Loves riding on Daddy's shoulders
I always struggle with what to plant on my porch each spring, and this year was no different. I'm not great at growing plants and flowers but I love them, so I'm trying to learn by trial and error :) These pictures are actually a few weeks old - with all of the constant rain we've had lately, they are exploding out of their pots!
Hostas I'm trying to get started from my Nana's flower beds back home - they're finally in our flower beds! (pictures in next update)
Thanks to Chance and Sam for installing my hanging basket chains
Ended up with too many flowers and not enough pots...a metal tub will do!
We have quite the garden this year thanks to my husband and brother! Chance planted the onions and green beans and I planted all of the others. Sam has kept it weeded and has been picking all of the veggies as they ripen. Thank goodness (again) for Sam!
This year, we have green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, acorn and butternut squash, tomatoes (TONS), okra, onions and asparagus (comes back every year), and a couple of peppers (green and jalapeno). We've already had to replant all of our okra so fingers crossed we don't have any other big issues. If all of our tomato plants produce this year, I'm going to learn to can!
This was taken when we first planted everything back in May - I need an updated picture for sure!
In his spare time (wait, what's that?!), Chance has been busting his butt to get our master bathroom finished. He installed the new drywall and the walls and water sealer paper for our walk-in shower. He also installed a heated floor that will go under the tile (yay!). Aren't you jealous at how handy my husband is?? :)
I just ordered our new lights, vanity and toilet topper cabinet, so we should have those soon. Chance will install the tile and we will be on our way to a bathroom! I'll try to take more pictures and post in another update.
The last weekend in May (after Memorial Day weekend), Chance and I went to Manhattan for a night to attend a reception for some dear friends. They donated money to the new Flint Hills Discovery Center and the money was used to build an Immersion Experience Theater - so cool! We had a fun evening and were even able to visit Chance's sister Hope and her husband Tyler at their new house in Manhattan.
Date night :)
Pretending to be an auctioneer
Celebrating Horizon Ranch
We made it home on Sunday and started another crazy week, complete with Henry starting swimming lessons! Talk about a logistical challenge when we're both headed to different parts of the state, then have to juggle getting home in time to cook supper (or like we've been doing lately - pull something I've frozen out of the freezer), get our swimsuits on and get to swim lessons by 6:30PM...it's like a sprint to the finish! Not to mention the late bedtime it gives H and the restless nights we've been getting after lessons. There's only 8 of them right? He's done so great and loves it, which I'm hoping will translate to the rest of our pool time this summer. Fingers crossed!
(L) Lessons with mom; (R) ice cream treat with Daddy afterwards
Finally got him his own tool set so he'll stop stealing Chance's haha!
Two of Sam's big projects when he first came were our front flower beds and walkway, along with our summer garden. He has worked so hard to get all of the stones in and laid - now it's my job to fill it with plants!
Random picture of the wheat - ready for harvest!
(side note, this was taken a couple weeks ago)On the 2nd, I hosted a Pampered Chef party at the house, and it was a lot of fun! I'd never even attended one before, so it was fun to get to learn more about the Pampered Chef tools and to earn a few free ones to try. Of course, it's always fun to have a girls' night, and especially when your husband helps to deep clean the house beforehand :)
On our 2nd night of swim lessons, Daddy was able to come with us. It was super exciting, except it was also super distracting to this little "Daddy's Boy". Needless to say, we spent lots of time practicing getting out and jumping back in while yelling "Daddy watch!"
Talked to my mom and dad on Facetime
Two weekends ago, Chance and Sam spent Saturday at the ranch checking on cows, so Henry and I had a fun day at home. Since it was supposed to be hot that day, we filled up his kiddie pool so it could warm up while he ate lunch and took a nap. Turns out, the cold water didn't bother him :)
I was determined to make a big batch of breakfast burritos to stock up our freezer, and it literally took me half of the day to get them all the way done. I ended up making over 50 of them and it saves us a TON of time in the morning for breakfast!
Later that afternoon when the boys came home, we all got our gear on and headed to the neighbors' pool. Henry practiced the things he's learned in lessons and we all got to cool off from the heat.
He is really loving the water this year and I'm so glad since it's been a long time since last summer. Now my fingers are crossed we can get him confident to start learning how to swim soon :)
On Sunday, the entire family (minus Sam, plus our babysitter Emma) headed to Manhattan for Chance and I to work at a trade show for our jobs. We stayed with Hope and Tyler and Emma kept Henry at their house during the day. It was a fun trip except Henry never sleeps when we're away from home - he did pretty well on Sunday night, but Monday night he was literally up for 3-4 hours in the middle of the night. Whew, this kid kills me!
Emma took a lot of cute pictures of their adventures during the trade show, and we managed to snap a few when I quit early one of the days and we headed to the water fountains next to the convention center.
Loves Uncle "Ty" and Po-Pee (Pokey)
Aunt Hope has magic powers to get H to go to bed!
While we were at the show on Monday, Emma took Henry to a playground around the corner from Hope & Tyler's house. I headed back to the house during our afternoon break, and took them to the Discovery Center. Henry had a lot of fun and we will definitely be back for another visit during our next trip. After that, we got H dressed and headed across the street to the water fountains. He loved it and we all had fun cooling off and enjoying the sunshine :)
We love Miss Emma!
Emma said this was his favorite thing at the Discovery Center!
Dress clothes + water spouts = not able to go back to the trade show after this!
Finally asleep - and pretty much too big for the pack & play...
Sleepy boy doing sidewalk chalk
After the show, we headed home Tuesday evening and got everything unpacked. It was a weird week since we didn't get a full weekend, plus it was a short work week, so I was very ready for the weekend! We had another jam packed time this past weekend plus, I'm writing this blog post from my parent's dining room, so there'll be lots of exciting things to share in the week or two to come!
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