This morning we went with doughnuts in hand to our local fire station 12 to meet the firefighters and say thank you for all that they do. We also went because Henry is all fireman all the time. As I write right now he is pretending to fight a fire.
We were greeted by 3 of the nicest firefighters in the world. They showed us the trucks, hoses, turnout gear and basically all the cool stuff. The only thing was that Henry did not say one word or even look at the firemen. He was so in awe he was speechless, which is not very common for our Henry. It actually looked as if we were punishing him by taking him to the fire station...pretty funny.
Better luck next time I guess. The firefighters did say we were welcome back anytime :)
Trying on the turnout gear. The whole outfit weighs 70 lbs!!!
I am in shock that my little baby is 9 months old! Even in more shock that she weighs in at 23 lbs 13 oz and is 28.5 inches long. That is 100th% for weight and 90th% for height...WOW! Henry weighed the same at this age but was 1.5 inches taller.
her hair is red and falls in a natural mohawk!!
she loves to stand by things!
So time to eliminate the afternoon bottle which I do not think she will mind because she is loving solid foods so much. She does love to eat but is not really motivated by food all that much unlike her brother at that age!
She does have the same love for being busy and constantly moving like her brother. So maybe her chunky monkey form will come in handy to keep up with her constant on the go mentality. A question that is often asked in our house is "Where is the baby?" She loves getting into everything and some of her favorite activities include, but are not limited to:
*opening all the kitchen drawers and emptying them *following her brother around the house while he crawls too! *crawling into her brothers room and trying to get into the bed *pushing her way into any room in the house and looking for trouble *grabbing the dogs and climbing them *grabbing her brothers toys from him *screaming and laughing if no one is looking at her *babbling and yelling all sorts of sounds *and my favorite throwing her water off of her highchair once every 30 seconds!
Here is a video of her just hanging out. Sorry for all the shaking :)
She truly is a delight and 9 months may be my favorite age ever! She is always smiling and chatting. She adores her brother and daddy. You should see her little face light up when either of them come into the room. She and I have a special thing going on too and I find her to be my little zen maker in the household. She is just the perfect little daughter and personality. She is so mellow and sweet but if you push her or try to get her to do something she does not like watch out. I like that about her and think it will take her a long way in life. She and Henry continue to be so incredibly different. One thing they have in common though is that they both are perfect (I can say that because I am their Mom) and I have never loved two little people more!!
trying to get brothers toys and get into his bed at the same time
bedtime snack with her boys and dogs! Stay tuned because tomorrow morning we are bringing the fire men doughnuts!!!
We have been having so much fun enjoying this holiday season. Our advent calendar is in full effect and this year we have tried to incorporate some experiences into it rather than just a toy or candy. This has been a challenge because Henry lacks patience but as the days go on he is getting into it a bit more. We have gone and looked at lights, made Christmas cookies, went on a shopping trip to buy Reese a present, etc! Believe me we have had our fair share of hot cocoa and treats too, baby steps!! It has been great and as they get older I would like to make it more about helping others and doing holiday activities...one day I hope.
Thought I would catch you up in pictures because my time is limited now that Reese is on the move and into everything.
Went on a play date with our friends the Faw's. The boys are so funny together!
Reese and Waverly hanging out!
We went to a Santa's breakfast with the Hubert family. We met halfway at the Mcmenamins in Centralia and it was so nice to see them.
The whole gang. Funny how the 9 month old is the only one looking at the camera.
Can you tell which two kids were bothering Santa the most at the breakfast. This was after each of them had time with Santa. They stood there and harassed him for a good while.
The littles, they love each other and it shows! The bigs, they are trouble and it shows!!! It was sweet to see them together again and they both have grown up so much!
we picked up this snowman, who Henry named Jackine, in Centralia at a consignment shop. He now lives in our front yard.
The Birkholz men hanging lights. Bill says it looks a lot more fun in the picture than it was.
Most days around 4pm we get a bit stir crazy and have the 4 o'clock rock block. Here below is our party in full effect.
We also play band
and in general we just hang out and wait for Bill to get home. By the way Reese thinks everything Henry does is funny.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Anyone who knows Henry knows that he is constantly in motion. He even dances and jumps most of the time when watching the TV. So in an attempt to make Henry's day we took advantage of the nice weather (no rain) and headed out to the park. Reese has had a horrible cold which had made us a bunch of cooped up chickens!
As we walked I definitely felt the chill of winter setting in which made me think of the hot chocolate I bought at Costco yesterday :). Once at the park I was amazed at how much my little Henry has grown in strength and ability. He can do anything at the park!! He was a climbing machine and also showed some great balancing as he played on all the stuff we used to consider the big boy stuff. I guess I realized how fast he is growing and how he truly is one of the big kids now. As much as I wish he could stay my little boy forever I also realized an insane amount of happiness and pride come when watching your kid do something new! I literally was jumping up and down saying "Hooray!!", thank goodness the park was empty!
Here are some pictures of Henry in his element.
crossing the bridge
hooray I did it!!!!
the spiderweb, we may have been singing spider man theme while he did it!
Reese joins in the fun just as any little sister should!
Thanksgiving was a success! We traveled down to Portland and enjoyed a wonderful dinner (prepared by the Piper's) with the Piper's, Grandpa Steve and the Seminarios. Here is the embarrassing part where I tell you I forgot my camera so I have no proof of the amazing time we had. You will just have to believe me when I say Lucy is adorable and the kids had so much fun playing with each other. Henry and Oscar had a great time together too and expended a lot of energy!!!
We came home Friday night late and the kids slept wonderful (thank goodness because Henry was 2 naps short and definitely showing it!) We awoke the next morning and decided to take a trip to the tree farm to get our tree. We got a noble fir this year and it took Henry a while to find one he liked. We had a great time and for those of you who know me well know that a day at the tree farm is like a day at the spa to me, I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
father and son bonding!
bringing the tree in
he is quite helpful
on the hunt
heading out
We got the tree home decorated it and put on our new ornaments. Henry chose a fire truck and our family ornament this year is a bakery shop with Santa inside. Henry loves to play with them and it marks yet another set of ornaments to mark this time in our lives.
our family ornament Today we visited Santa and it went perfectly. Henry worked on his list this morning so he would have something to show Santa.
We were the first in line and that made us all happy. Henry was a bit quiet with Santa but warmed up quick. Reese wasn't too sure but as long as she had Henry in sight she was fine. She even put her hand on Henry's lap during the pictures as if to send Santa the message that they are a package deal. Pictures went well and they are going to be on our Christmas card so stay tuned...
waiting for Santa
ready to show the list
The house is decorated and the new stockings are on their way. My next adventure is making my advent calendar full of books and activities for Henry and Reese, wish me luck!!
Reese is officially crawling like a big girl. No more army crawl but a full fledged real crawl!! Here is a video before tubby.
Here she is into everything
she is pulling up to a stand
Our afternoon bike rides are getting better and better as Henry gets faster and also is able to ride in a straight line so we stay out of the street. Our daily rides are the best part of all of our afternoons.
he loves it!!
happy to be in the backpack!
Here is my little rider.
Pajama day at school was so fun!!! He took forever in his drawer to pick the perfect pair! He just loves school and he has stopped crying when I leave. He is actually quite happy to say goodbye so he can play.
We also went to Portland this past weekend to celebrate Cousin Lucy's first birthday. We had a blast and Henry and Reese love their sweet cousin. Lucy is so wonderful and she and Reese had quite a fun time playing together and stealing toys from one another. The birthday was a hit and Henry loved playing with all of the toys Auntie Anna and Uncle Andy had just gotten on an IKEA run!! Today is Lucy's real birthday...Happy Birthday Lucy!!!! I forgot my camera but I got a few with my phone.
We had a great day and night for Halloween. Spent the afternoon at Microsoft trick or treating at the stores, decorating pumpkins and having fun.
We headed home filled the kiddos up with some dinner and then headed out for trick or treating around the neighborhood. With the Hubert's gone and me an arm down we decided to hit the streets as a family this year.
Henry loved it and his trick or treat got louder at each door. HE even gave a comment to each person. He told the lady who gave him skittles that he loved skittles all day long. I just love how he always has to get the last word in.
We gave him a handful and let him go crazy. Saved a couple pieces for him throughout the week and gave the rest to our trick or treaters. He didn't even question us on this and I loved it!!
Lots of fun was had by all. Reese made a cute dog and loved watching all of the kids. Henry let everyone know he was prepared to save them and their cats!
Halloween was a success!!
Watching a Halloween show with his loot after a long night of trick or treating!
Happy Halloween! Today is filled with lots of fun and I promise to take many pictures of the fire chief and his little fire dog. Until then I have a picture catch up to do.
Bear with me, I broke a little bone in my elbow yesterday while I was changing Henry's sheets so I am going to do just short little explanations.
Henry always pretends to be Bill!
We have been taking lots of bike rides in the afternoon to enjoy the awesome fall days we have been having. Here are some fun shots.
Henry and I ran a race this past weekend. Henry did a 300 meter race with a bunch of kids and he did great and loved it!!! They chased Batman.
pre race pose!!!
stretches with Batman
The finish
Also Henry's class had a Halloween party and I went to help. It was great and I just love his school!
Frosting cookies with friends
Reese came to help
Today I learn how to wrangle 2 kids with one arm...so far so good!!! Happy Halloween!!
