ring bearer ready

somebody has been practicing for his very important role this evening. 

if only he will look cute in the pictures and cooperate during the ceremony......

pretty pretty princess?

my little boy who loves to play with dirt and sticks, also loves to play with my jewelry and heels.  he has broken a couple bracelets and a necklace of mine, so jewelry is usually a no-no at our house.  i think this is why he was so excited when he got his hands on some of the jewelry from riley's 'pretty pretty princess' game. 

at first he seemed very calm and reserved as he was awaiting her reaction to him barging in on our game...

she was just so patient and kind and willing to let him interrupt us.

and i think he abused her kindness.  

way to ruin our game, little guy. ;)

wordless wednesday {cupboard invasion}

baby sign language

we started teaching hendrix some baby sign language a while back, and so far the only word we have had real success with is 'milk'.  since he seems to get the concept, i thought it might be fun to help him expand his sign repertoire so i checked out this movie from the library. 

he absolutely loves it.  he is super fascinated with the singing and the children.  i think his favorite signs right now are the ones for puppy and kitty. (though he doesn't do a very good imitation of them, he likes it when we do them).

he doesn't sit still for very long, of course, and so he usually watches the little 25 minute clip while he is standing up to the ottoman.

he actually wore out that first movie, so we had to get the next one in the series this week before mommy and daddy went insane with the repetition. ;)  he flaps his arms and his little hands open and close like he is trying to do the actions, but he doesn't quite know how to put it all together yet.  it will come.

it is fun to see the wheels turning in his little head, and i can't wait until he can communicate with us a little bit more effectively.  :)

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. :)

party week, day three

today is my birthday.  


for those of you who have been keeping up, yesterday was my anniversary, and the day before that was my husband's birthday. 


we have this one really big party week every year, and during it we have far too much cake, enjoy some presents, but most importantly, we make time to spend together just having fun. ;)


the kids (i nanny for) threw me a nice birthday bash yesterday.

 hendrix is becoming a pro at opening presents which will serve him well as he celebrates his own birthday before we know it!

the kids were enthusiastic about giving me their gifts and it was a lot of fun to feel special and loved!

aren't these smiling faces just adorable!?!?

then we left our little muchkin home with a baby-sitter (who is a sweet friend of mine), and enjoyed a very special anniversary date night.  

it was so fun to go out to eat and to a movie and not have to pack a bib or sippy cup.  

i love my cute little hendrix, but i love a few hours alone with my hubby too. ;)

now i get to celebrate my birthday with my own little family tonight, and my parents and siblings tomorrow.  

it's a great start to a new year!

oh, and if anyone is wondering, i am still twenty-something. ;)

four years

four years ago today i married my best friend.

bud and i started dating in 2004 and since then we have both adapted to many various roles.

boyfriend. girlfriend. fiance. husband. wife.

daughter-in-law. brother-in-law. sister-in-law. son-in-law.

student. teacher. intern. nanny.

father. mother.

and through all those changes, i am pleased to say, that bud has always been my best friend.

i love you babe!

happy anniversary.

happy birthday daddy!

guess who got to eat birthday cake today?  oh, and he loved it.

we had a pizza party lunch to celebrate my hubby's birthday

he really liked the stepping stone that hendrix made just for him with his very own footprints in it.  :)

happy birthday daddy!

wordless wednesday {cart cruisin'}

great big helpers

do you see the adoration in hendrix's eyes?!?  :)

no longer a stationary subject

mr hendrix doesn't like to be cooperative for mommy to take pictures of him anymore.  he doesn't. sit. still.  since he has learned how to crawl he is constantly on the move.

oh, and have i mentioned that he took his first steps over the weekend?  

it was only a couple, and he hasn't done it again since even though we have been encouraging him to try. i am sure that it won't be long now and he will be a pro.  he is feeling a lot more comfortable at keeping his balance as he cruises around things, and even lets go to lunge (but keeps his feet planted....silly boy).

basically i have a whole lot of pictures that look like this....

...and this.

can't wait until i can catch some of him walking!  ;)  i am really thankful that i can adjust the shutter speed on my camera, otherwise i am certain all of the pictures of him would be nothing but a blur!