Candy Machines

Savannah found a quarter the other day & was SO excited about it.
When I asked her what she wanted to buy, she didn't hesitate for one second...
"Candy that you never let us buy from the machines at the car wash"

I had to laugh. And then I had to let the kids indulge in a handful of stale, nasty chiclets the next time we were at the car wash.

I just don't know that I've ever seen them happier about a purchase. I guess there's just something completely awesome & completely timeless about a good old candy machine!

She's Busy

Savannah is a really sweet girl.

Today, after I decided to take a break from reading books to the kids, she volunteered to take over. She & Will snuggled close & enjoyed some time together.

Savannah is also a really crazy girl.

Today, after I decided to take a break from watching the kids playing outside, I found out she had been riding her bike on the trampoline. When I tried to convince her it was way too dangerous, she did her best to convince me of how fun & safe it was.

Tonight, after I put her to bed, I went in to check on her only to find her bed empty. After several moments of searching, Savannah finally emerged from her hiding place in the toy chest.

Savannah is just the busiest kid I know. And she's fearless. I really need a few extra arms & sets of eyes. Does anyone have some they can loan me??

Sleep At Last!

Lila is adorable, happy, giggly & sweet...but I just can't brag about her in the sleep category.

So, I'm happy to report that last night she pulled an 8 hour stretch, followed by a quick snack break & 4 more hours of sleep. HOORAY!!!! I woke up feeling so refreshed, so happy & so hopeful for more rest in my future.

Thank you, Baby!

I Think I'm In Love...

With this handsome boy!

Will was so proud of his new church pants. (He cruised around with his hands in his pockets all day long!)

Another Daddy's Girl

I am such a Daddy's Girl & have always felt so grateful for the close relationship I share with my Dad. There's something so secure, safe, and simply fantastic about having a good Dad.

So, of course, I love to see my girls bond with their Daddy. Lila has so much to say these days, and she just lights up for him.

Meeting Olivia

When Savannah was born, My cousin Natalie & her daughter Abbie gave Savannah a copy of "Olivia". Of course, it has become one of our very favorite books.

For anyone who knows "Jen Hinze", but never knew the pre-Rod "Jenny Stephens", I am a big fan of pigs. I even suckered my two sweet parents into buying me a pot-bellied pig (named Hamlet) for my 13th birthday. He was a GREAT pig...but perhaps we'll leave more of that story for a future blog post.

Anyway, I do love pigs, so Savannah & I were excited today to go to The Gap & meet the "real" Olivia (so random!) I must admit, Olivia was a little bit overwhelming. I just didn't picture her being quite so big. We took Savannah's book, hoping Olivia would sign it, but we were out of luck...I guess I forgot that giant stuffed pigs lack opposable thumbs.

At least Olivia provided a good excuse for us to have some fun girl time together!

Comments Anyone?

With freezing temperatures keeping us inside way too long, we really needed to escape the house today. What better place to run & be crazy than the mall?

After a long playdate, Jaclyn & I started laughing about all of the random "you've sure got your hands full" comments & stares we kept getting from people. So, I passed the camera to the mall cop to get a shot of what 2 double strollers, 5 worn-out kids, and 2 crazy moms looks like.

I suppose it really is something to stare at!

Bouncing Already

The "Johnny Jump Up" has been providing some serious family entertainment recently. Lucky Lila to have 2 older siblings who constantly entertain her.
(And lucky me for having 2 good helpers!)

Savannah & Will love kissing Lila

Lila Lovin' the Tub

Much like Savannah & much un-like Will, Lila LOVES her bathtime.

Satisfied Customer or Marketing Victim?

Will's obsession with "Cars" has been long-lived.

When he begged for this can of soup from the grocery store, I had little hope that he would actually eat it (he's just so picky these days!)

Well, I was wrong. Will completely enjoyed every bite of soup, happily chewing on Lightning McQueen, Mater, Doc, and all of his other "Cars" friends.

Savannah the Gymnast

She's always been our little monkey who just NEVER stops moving. Savannah keeps getting better & better at gymnastics (don't think for even a second that those glasses slow her down!)

Sisters...

Since I don't have a sister but have ALWAYS wanted one, I absolutely LOVE seeing my 2 girls in action.

Hair, Brains, or...?

Last night, Rod mentioned to me that he cut Will's hair.

This morning, I said to Savannah, "Did you watch Daddy cut Will's hair?"

Savannah said, "No, Mommmy, Daddy didn't cut Will's hair. Daddy cut Will's BRAINS."

After bantering with Savannah over whether the hair or the brains got cut, I called Rod to ask why on earth our daughter was insisting that he cut Will's brains.

Rod said, "No, Jen, tell Savannah that I cut Will's BANGS."
(And he did a great job!)

Big Sigh....

Perhaps some other moms out there can relate to Lila's
"Lonely Sock Collection".

I haven't yet fully accepted the fact that their mates are lost.

It's just so tragic.

My 3 Musketeers...

Having Fun Together!

Chillin' With Lila

No commentary needed.

She's a Roller

Little Lila has been rolling from her tummy to her back for a while, but today I caught her rolling from her back to her tummy--moving all over our wood floor.

Good work, Baby!

The House in Our Back Yard

Our Home was built in 1939. I love to imagine all of the families & children who have come in & out of this sweet little place over the last 70 years.

In the corner of our backyard, there's a wooden playhouse, which has been here for a very long time. The kids LOVE it. I enjoy sneaking up on them & hearing all of the imaginative conversations going on inside. Sometimes it's a store, sometimes a restaurant, sometimes a kitty house...the creative options are endless!

Today, I peaked in on Savannah, Will & Dre taking turns having birthday parties for each other. Too cute.

No More Dinosaurs.

Savannah has recently taken up "memorizing things". I suppose it's an early step toward a true interest in reading. She'll choose a book, or a magazine story, and ask me to read it over & over & over & over...until she can eventually do a pretty good job of telling it out loud (sometimes her "readings" are quite dramatic!)

Her latest is this Dinosaur book, brought to us by Stacey & Bill, originally from their Cheerios box (thanks you 2!) It's all about having pet dinosaurs (explaining to her why we can't have a pet dog was hard enough!) and she loves it.

Savannah has now learned from other books that dinosaurs are extinct...and she has been quite adamant about explaining to her younger siblings that there are NO MORE dinosaurs.

Will has several dinosaur toys, which he now carries around while sadly saying, "No more Dinosaurs, No More Dinosaurs..." So deflating to him, but pretty funny to us.

Super Daddy

Rod's a really good Dad. It just all comes so naturally to him, and it's obvious that he truly loves connecting with his children.

When I went to say "goodnight" to him, I couldn't help but think of all the wonderful Daddy stuff he had done today. So, Savannah & I talked about it & counted it all up...

1. Made a whole wheat pancake breakfast (he even freshly ground the wheat!)
2. Took Savannah & Will to Chipotle for lunch (their VERY favorite)
3. Took Savannah & Will on a Katy Trail bike ride
4. Tended Will & Lila while Savannah & I went to a birthday party
5. Took Mommy out on a dinner date (see picture)
6. Drove the kids to see Christmas lights "one last time"
7. Put Savannah & Will to bed

I'm sure there is much more I'm forgetting & lots more that I just didn't see...he's just a lot of fun with the kids & we feel SO thankful to have him as OUR daddy. Thanks, Rod, for everything. I love you.

My Girls

After partying hard all night long, and waking this morning at her usual hour, I was actually successful in getting Savannah to nap.

She is RARELY willing to even CONSIDER taking time out of her schedule to do such a thing.

When I ask her to take a rest, she says, "Mom, I just don't want to miss ANYTHING." In fact, about a month ago, she took a nap & woke up in hysterics, worried that SOMETHING fun MUST have happened while she was asleep. I had to assure her whole-heartedly that nothing at all happened while she was out.

She also told me, "Mom, I don't want to sleep, I don't want to eat, I just want to PLAY, PLAY PLAY". And that's exactly how Savannah lives her life.

So, I couldn't resist taking a picture of my sleeping angel.


And here's my other ball of energy.

Lila cracks me up.

She is just the happiest baby. SO quick to smile, always kicking her feet, constantly talking up a storm.

The two most frequent comments I hear about Lila are...

"Can such a small person smile any bigger?"

and

"Oh, what a cute baby! I thought you were carrying a doll!" (I seriously hear that one almost daily.)

So, perhaps these 2 girls will figure out how to entertain each other while the rest of us are trying to catch up on our beauty sleep!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Evening was a HUGE success!

Honestly, in our almost 10 years of marriage, I don't think we've ever enjoyed New Year's Eve so much.

The party started early, with an adults-only dinner at Cheesecake Factory (so refreshing to be completely free of kids!)

We then picked up the kids & took them to 2 back-to-back parties. Bedtime didn't happen until close to 2am. I really had absolutely no intentions of keeping anyone up until midnight, but somehow it just happened & we all just loved it.

We are so excited to find out what's in store for us in 2009.

Happy New Year everyone!!!