nana's house

my kids always love going to visit nana and papa!  

this absolutely warms my heart.

i love seeing my dad get down on the floor to play with the kids; and i love seeing the way they respond to him with enthusiasm, affection and delight.

there are always new toys to explore.....and there is never a dull moment at the o'polka's!

puzzles, games, crafting.....

and don't forget the fantastic company!

i'm so thankful that we live close to our folks so my kids can grow up knowing and enjoying their grandparents.  what a huge blessing they are to our family!

fun with nana and papa

this weekend we had a family reunion with my mom's side of the family and we spent the afternoon and night hanging out with my family.  i love watching hendrix spend time with his nana and papa as he really enjoys them, AND they really enjoy him!  ;)

before we went to the reunion we watched a central soccer game and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.  hendrix loved running around playing ball and chasing after the puppies.

my grandparents are pretty spread out location-wise.  i have some in new york, some in washington, and then some in oskaloosa (which is only about 45 minutes from where I grew up).  because of the distance, we didn't get to spend all that much time with them when we were growing up.  

i am really thankful that my son gets to have a different experience with his grandparents.

he gets to see his other grandparents this weekend for a birthday celebration.  what a lucky kiddo!

fun at nana's house

we spent the day at nana's house on saturday to celebrate our birthdays and hendrix always has fun playing with nana's toys.  he likes picking the ones he wants out of the toy box himself these days, because he is a big boy, you know.

another one of his favorite things about nana's house is the kitty.  he loves to play with turq (though I am not sure that i can say she feels the same way about him).  he chases her around the house and is so excited to touch her that he forgets how to be gentle....

he likes to play the piano and is just the perfect height to pull himself up to it and pound on the keys play.  he also enjoys sitting in someone else's lap to play, and just discovered this weekend that he can play with his fingers or his toes...

no trip to grinnell is complete without a trip to the dari barn (especially when you are a dessert queen like me!)  lol  it is a fun family walk as my folks only live a couple blocks away from this cute little ice cream shop.

i think he likes it, what do you think?

all that fun makes for a very tired boy.  

what a fun day at nana's. :)

Both my Valentines

This year I have two very special Valentines!

Few things melt my heart more than seeing the two of them together.  

We announced the exciting news that our family of 2 was going to be expanding on Valentine's Day last year with these fun homemade cards.

And this year he was the one spreading the holiday warmth!

Mom definitely loves her little man....

and he loves me :) 

but I love my big man even more....

because he's the one who gave him to me. ;)  

I love you, Bud, my Valentine of 7 years now.

I am really thankful for my mom who came yesterday to spend time with Hendrix so we could go out on a childless date!  It felt good to have just a little bit of just plain "us" time. 

And now we are working on helping Hendrix find a Valentine of his own!  

I'm wishing everyone a day filled with love and special memories.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Another Busy Weekend

Hendrix tried out one of his holiday sweaters on Friday night when we went to our downtown holiday kickoff event.  It was a chilly night so he stayed bundled up in the stroller and missed the chance to get photographed with Santa.  I imagine there will be another chance.  :)  We sang Christmas carols, saw the lighting of the Christmas tree, and just enjoyed some downtown shopping and kids activities with some friends.  I love this time of year!  

Hendrix is really enjoying standing these days.  He pushes off when he is in my lap, and is getting really strong.  He is such a big boy!

Hendrix helped Daddy fold laundry this weekend ;)

He's not quite big enough to sit in his high chair by himself, so my hubby put his teddy bear in there with him to prop him up.  It was funny to watch him slump over onto his 'friend'. ;)

Hendrix got some time with his Nana and Aunt Hannah this weekend.  We participated in a Progressive Supper with some friends from our church, and we hosted the soup and salad course.  My mom and sister came to help with Hendrix so I would be able to focus on hosting, and so we could enjoy some couple time as we went to the other homes.  It was such a fun day, but we really needed some snuggles with Hendrix when we got back!

Our little guy just keeps growing and growing....

We are looking forward to some special family time over this Thanksgiving holiday!