Clara's Winter Village

Of any of my kids (so far) Clara is the one who loves to be outdoors most. Be it cold or hot, digging and building outside are her favorite things. Our recent snow falls have been a great source of building material for our little construction worker. She recently donned the snow suit and set to work. Even I was surprised at her industriousness. After only an hour she had created an entire snow man village! Ugh, 'snow man family' actually, she tells me.

Molly's Milestones

Our Molly turned 8 months this past week and she's been busy trying keep up with the big three. She's up on her knees, though she still prefers the low crawl for speedy maneuvers. She's also begun eating 'finger foods' and I recently found her standing in her crib after nap time. Her are a couple shots of her recent progress.

Pop

At first, Christopher wouldn't read to me (Adam) his assignment from class tonight. So I suggested that he read to his baby sister instead ... and this worked! It's pretty cool watching him learn to read - and dangerous too. We have to be careful when spelling things at the dinner table now because he picks up on what we're trying to say. That's a good problem, I suppose.

More costumes

Molly wanted to get in on the act also. (Note - this image was taken with my new BlackBerry and the other with the iPhone - hence the "flash.")

Dress up time

Tonight the two older girls got into the dress up box and put on
random things. Clara's wearing a yellow and black tutu from when her
mother was the same age while Sabrina has on a blue dancing outfit.
Christopher is just wanting to be in on the action and not wearing any
costumes. Those of you who know him will understand.

Pig Tails or ?

Would you call these pig tails or what? Sabrina has taken recently to having her hair pulled back at the beginning of the day. Pretty cute if you ask me.

Hanging around at Todd and Heather's

Took this snapshot whenever we were in Louisville last week at Todd and Heather's. This post is for two purposes... 1. To update the blog and
2. To test this update method using the new BlackBerry

Molly's First Cereal

Thought you'd appreciate this image of Molly. It was taken on the first day she ate some cereal. It's a little old (November 1st) but it's worth sharing. Enjoy!

Breakfast with Santa 2010

This year there were no deer hunting mishaps when we visited with Santa. Thought you guys might enjoy these two images.

Photos from Totter's Otterville

These photos were taken back in September, but I'm pretty sure they weren't published on the blog. Sabrina demonstrates why it's important to use hand sanitizer while Clara gives direction to her fellow firefighters.

Zipper help

Couldn't pass this one up. Christopher is helping Clara zip her coat
while Sabrina watches.

Oh Deer!

Thanks everyone for the help tonight. It was fun to process these
bucks so quickly.

Too Funny to Pass Up

There are several things I've been meaning to share recently... but this one couldn't wait for chronological order.
Below is what happens when you are trying quickly to prepare for guests and your 20 month-old is 'just a little too quiet.'
By the way, Dawn, not regular shampoo will remove Vaseline from hair.

Wool Fest 2010

We went on our annual fall trip to the KY Wool Fest today in Falmouth. We had a great time and took several photos along the way. Sabrina, like her sister and brother before her, danced along to the bluegrass tunes at lunch. Clara found a $5 on the ground that she traded for a jar of sorghum later. We'll be making sorghum cookies sometime soon.

Clara at Tumbling

Tonight at tumbling, Papa was able to sneak into the room and take a few photos. Clara certainly looks like she's in her element on the trampoline.

A Limerick

After this particularly full day of domestic adventure, my husband remarked to me that we must have enough comic fodder for a poem or a sitcom or something.
How does one deal with a 5 year old boy who has been promised cake after he gets into his pajamas, but who has instead been caught peeing in his clothes hamper?
First, you have him transport soiled clothes in a plastic trash bag to the laundry room.
Second, you take away the cake and, as an added bonus, make him watch the rest of the family eat the last of it. Finally, you write a limerick, of course.

There once was a boy from Nantucket
Who saw fit to pee in a bucket
He asked for some cake
Said it was just a mistake
But mama said, "No. You can suck it!"

We're now going to enjoy alcohol and hope tomorrow is a better day.

Family photo at Wood Lake Nature Center

This photo was taken on September 11, 2010 at the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, MN. Clara was Oh So Happy to be in the photo. We have many more images to post from our trip but for now it's time to catch up on some sleep.

Camp Gray bedding down

It's late and we're hanging out at Jeff n Rebecca's.  It was a good day visiting with Nonna and the Hoeben's (catchy name, eh?).  We're planning to leave on Monday morning at 9 a.m. 

Peace out!

Rosemount, MN

Christopher is riding a swing contraption at Uncle Kenny's house.
Hopefully this will make up for the closed Legoland at Mall of America
- but I doubt it. Only ice cream can replace legos.

Disappointment

LegoLand's a bust. Not open till later this year.

Wood Lake Nature Center

Clara and Christopher playing in the play area at Wood Lake Nature
Center, Richfield, MN.

How would you pronounce Osseo?

Well, with approximately half an hour sitting at the DQ/BP while
changing diapers, feeding Molly (for the second time in 2 hours),
going potty and dolling out pudding as a peace offering, we had plenty
of time to debate the issue. In the end, it took a phone call from one
of the locals to settle it.
It's AH-see-OH, for those of you playing along at home.

Can't win for losing

Update:
It is now 4 hours later. We have seen the Chicago city skyline up
close. We have navigated the Chicago highways. And 5 minutes before
stopped briefly for dinner, Sabrina finally gave in to the sleep she'd
been fighting for 2 hours.

Interesting Google searches along the way:
91.1 radio mom
North-west Indiana wind farm
Michael Jackson's boyhood home
Sear's Tower (now called Willis Tower)
Ikea Chicago
...what will we google next?

Adam Howard
c - 859.992.3515
e - adamhowardky@gmail.com

Escape from Rennselaer

It's Friday September 10th and we are in a little town in
north-western Indiana called Rennselaer. We're on our way to Minnesota
to see Nonna and the Hoeben's. We pulled over at 10:40am EST for a run
to the grocery store, lunch and potty break. We expected to be back on
the road in 20 minutes. One hour and forty-five minutes later, we've
officially dubbed this part of the trip "Escape from Rennselaer."
Somehow we've managed to lose Sabrina's nuk (thank goodness mama
packed a spare) and Adam spilled gas on his hands in the last fill-up.
We're 30 miles outside of Chicago, it's bright and we're wearing
sunglasses... "HIT IT!"

Adam Howard
c - 859.992.3515
e - adamhowardky@gmail.com

Our Girls

The first photo of our 3 girls together... what beauties. Papa, look out!

First time in the corner

Sabrina spent some time in the corner tonight. It was her first time.

Early Morning

This photo is from an early morning at the Howard Home. The sky was
radiant that morning and I'm sure the photo below doesn't do it
justice.

Family photo

This photo was taken last night shortly before the kids were in bed.

Family birthday

Today, August 30th, is the official Adam and Annette wedding anniversary. So, we celebrated the birthday of our family tonight with a special dinner. We had a lovely evening where everyone came to the table dressed in nice clothing and using their best manners. It was pretty amazing how well the kids responded to the formality of everything.

On a related note, at one point Annette got up and started gathering plates and spoons for the dessert. Here's a conversation we think you'll enjoy:

Christopher: Mama - Why are you getting out those spoons?
Mama: Because I like to eat my cake with a spoon.
Christopher: I like to eat my cake with ice cream.

Early Morning Magic

Waking up to a foggy day feels a little magical... especially as school is starting and that 'fall feeling' is creeping in. This magical morning was full of surprises as the fog outlined a perfectly crafted spider's web. What fun to discover.

Little Man in Uniform

In trying to process our eldest making his way into 'formal schooling' both of us have been affected by different elements. For me, it is unbelievable to see the transformation from baby to big kid that seemed to take place as soon as he put on the uniform! We're so proud of our baby...er, little man!

Cool photo

Adam here ... I snapped this image of Clara while we were at the hospital when Molly was born. If you haven't seen Clara recently, she's had much of her hair chopped off. Its cooler and much easier to wash - though she still isn't very cooperative. Anyway, I found this when I was looking for another image and wanted to share it with you. Christopher is with her as she's pointing to something outside the hospital window.

Molly Playing

Hard to believe she's big enough to be playing already, but Molly has taken to batting at her jungle animals very well... always with a little help from her friends!

There's No Place Like Home

Backyard Discovery

You never know what you will find when you step out the back door with two curious preschoolers. On this particular day, we found ourselves eye to eye with a praying mantis! Every day is an adventure.

Camp Out!

We didn't have any smore's last night but we did read Jack and Annie
books by flashlight. Clara, Christopher and Papa slept out on an air
mattress on the back patio. We watched clouds come and go and woke up
to a rabbit munching on some grub about 20 feet away.

The photo below was taken on Sunday morning. Sabrina inspects the
book collection while Christopher protests the sun from underneath his
blanket. Clara, who was up at 5:30 am at least, is getting herself
dressed.

Baptism

Welcome Molly Elizabeth to the family of God!

New Tricks

It's been nearly 7 weeks since Miss Molly joined our ranks and she is surely getting bigger (we hate to say growing up) every day. She's learned some new tricks in the past 2-3 weeks that we had yet to share... so here is Molly Beth - smiling.

Special breakfast for a special day

Christopher woke up early this morning since today is the day for his
birthday party. He told me since today was a special day he should
have a special breakfast.

I brought him with me to 8 am mass but not without a quick stop at
McDonalds first.

This photo was snapped in the church parking lot.

(If you look closely his shoes are on the wrong feet.)

Editors note: Annette went to 4:30 pm mass last night.