Happy Birthday Hudson

Hudson is now 6 years old. Poor thing we used to celebrate his birthday with cakes and other dogs, then we went to only giving him a bone. This year he hasn't received his birthday treat. We plan to find a dog boutique where we can purchase his special bone, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe Rob is finally starting to treat him like a dog? Everyone told me that we would start treating him like a dog after we had "real" kids and I didn't believe them, but I do treat him like a dog now just not Rob. I do threaten to take him to the pound when he acts up at dinner time, but it only it tough talk. I will always have a special place in my heart for Hudson. Who would have ever thought our crazy dog would relax enough to let a child lay next to him. There is hope yet. Oh, and I am currently reading the book Marley and Me although it is about an out of control lab, it does remind me a lot about Hudson.

6-Month Check- Up Ellery

Ellery went to her 6 month check up today and got her shots. She cried through the shots, but is doing better after this round. She isn't near as cranky after getting them as she has been in the past. She does have a cold right now and blows nasty drainage out of her nose when she sneezes or just when she flashes you that cute smile. I am a bit disappointed in her stats. I know she is a petite child and not growing as fast as Mason nor near as big. It was extremely hard seeing it on paper today and her growth charts trending down and not up. Rob assures me she is fine and healthy and I am not starving her but it does make me feel somewhat like a failure. Anyways, she is doing great on all other aspects, just not growing as fast as we would all like. So we get to go back in a month for a weight check. Moto of the day is beef it up Ellery.

6 month stats:

Weight a whopping 14 lbs (13%), height 25.75 inches (49%) and head circumference 41 cm (12%)

We also took Mason in for a 2 year check up although he already had one in Milwaukee, we just wanted him to meet the Dr. and get a referral to the allergist to follow up on his possible peanut allergy. Anyways he is growing like a weed and doing great.

2 year stats:

His stats come in at a real whopping 32lbs (90%), height 39 inches (100%), and head circumference 49.5 cm (68%).

Worms

We have been spending a lot of time outside playing every evening and Mason goes from swinging, sliding, climbing, hitting the ball, shooting the ball, bubbles, and running around. We can also add worm holder to the list. I have been slowly picking weeds in the yard as we play outside and found a jack pot of worms in one flower bed. Mason would only touch them at first, but didn't want to hold them. He eventually warmed up to them and would hold them for a while and then toss them back into the dirt to watch them wriggle back into the soil. Rob grabbed the camera per my request but I failed to tell him it was on video so he took a short video of Mason holding the worm and then the photo opportunity was over once it was switched back to picture mode.

Daddy Brain Drain

Ellery was playing on the floor yesterday and happy as can be. All of the sudden she started crying and wailing. I thought maybe it could be a dirty diaper, but remembered daddy had just changed her. He did change her dirty diaper, he just failed to put another one on her. She was zipped up in her PJ's in the buff and had relieved herself and didn't care for the cold wet feeling.

Mason Monthly Picture at 6 Months

I know I am not supposed to do the baby compare, but I just can't help myself. Here is Mason at his 6 month monthly picture. He is cute, but not as cute as his sister. I was peeking at some of his old pictures and I can't believe how fast it has all gone by. I remember we thought he was such a big boy at 6 months, but we still think of Ellery as a baby.

6 Months Ellery

Ellery is now 1/2 year old. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. She isn't crawling quite yet, but she defiantly doesn't stay where you leave her anymore. She loves to roll and scoot. She tries to pull up on all 4's but then belly flops onto her face. She also cries for a toy and gets a bit upset when it is out of her reach or she pushes it out of her reach. She is also able to sit up on her own for a few seconds before she topples over. She has discovered her tongue and sticks it out constantly. We call it her old man face. She is taking solids like a champ. Things she has tasted to date: bananas, sweet potato, green beans, and plums. She hated the green beans and wasn't so sure of the plums. I did give her some puffs yesterday and she got very excited and tried desperately to grab them off the tray but she doesn't have that pincher reflex down yet. She is a great baby and usually always happy, but here lately when we have company, in loud household areas, or she sees someone new get to close to her she turns on her screaming/crying mode. I guess the stranger anxiety is hitting her early? She still sleeps through the night like a champ and she is starting to take a 2 hour nap every morning. I haven't mastered the afternoon nap, it is still a small cat nap but I'll take what she gives me. We place her in her walker and she talks to the toys on it but only moves herself backwards. We keep telling Mason he better watch out when she figures out she can go all around. Mason's new thing he tells Ellery when she cries is "its ok Ellery". He tells her that from his toy room, when he is sitting at the table, and even when they are stuck in the car together. It is very precious!

Swinging

Mason used to be terrified of swinging. Even when he was Ellery's age he would never relax into the swings at playgrounds. He had a look of terror on his face every time he swung. Now we can't keep him out of the swing and he requests to go higher and higher. We don't know what happened but he just decided he wanted to swing one day and has been loving it since. He does sit in a big boy swing and has to have assistance into the swing but once he slows down enough he does his own dismount. Since we have been spending a lot of time on our swing set we decided to get Ellery her own swing. She loves it and giggled and giggled the first time I put her in it. She stopped giggling when I got the camera. It has been a great treat having a play structure in the backyard. We use is daily.

Chef-Bord-Ar-Mason

Grandma Ellen got Mason a mini kitchen and he loves it. He says "I make it" and he brings you a cup of something he made. He gets really tickled if you pretend to eat what he made. He does make a lot of "waffles" and "pizza" it is really cute watching him with it. He is starting to do a lot more pretend play with a lot of his toys. The kitchen also comes with a phone and he was walking around and cooking while he was talking on the phone. We have placed the play kitchen in the main kitchen so Mason can cook while I cook. The other day I made zucchini bread and I had a shadow with me the whole time wanting to help with everything maybe I can encourage him to cook in his kitchen and stay out of mine!

Grandma Ellen Visit

Grandma Ellen came up and visited us for the past week. She was a huge help with the kids and spoiled them like crazy. Ellery loves to cuddle with Grandma Ellen and listens to her sing her lullabies all day. She even put Mason to sleep one time in the car singing him the alphabet song forward and backwards. We had a good time while she was here and Rob and I got some time to ourselves and went out on a date night. We went to downtown Omaha and ate at the Upstream Brewing Company and then walked the streets and peeked into some shops. It was wonderful atmosphere and I love the company I was in.

Millard Day Parade

We took Mason to his first parade experience this weekend. At first he wasn't so sure about everything that was going on and wanted to be held the whole time. He is our reserve child but once he warms up to the idea watch out.
We met some family at the parade and after watching Amber and Ryan pick up the thrown candy he slowly warmed up to the idea. He was completely enthralled after he got a taste of tootsie roll. He actually was more interested in trying to open every piece of candy he had already collected rather than collect more. It was his first candy experience with us and he had tootsie rolls, smarties, lollipops, and who knows what else. The moral of the story is that after his first candy experience he didn't take a nap later that afternoon. He didn't want to waste his sugar buzz on a nap. Ellery was a champ at the parade and was held by Judy and Jody the whole time. The only time she cried is when the shrine people came around driving their mini cars and honking. She is very sensitive to loud noises and large crowds of people. We could be raising another reserved child.

Swimming at the Hampl's

It started with smiles from the sidelines.

Then progressed to low key jumping in the water.

Then onto him jumping into the pool himself.

Then a small toss

Then it all ended with a flip.

A flip not encouraged by mom, but Mason watched his daddy flipping other kids who are 2 years older than him and then made the mistake asking his dad to flip him. I wish you could see his face a bit closer when he comes out of the water. He is a bit dazed and confused on what happened to him with a delayed cry response along with a request to get out of the pool.

A Hampl Holiday

Where do I start to explain the fun we had over the weekend at the Hampl Household? It is a kid paradise:

blow-up jumpers in the basement

We are seriously thinking about purchasing one of these for the winter. Hours of enjoyment for these kids.

a pool/blow-up climb wall with a slide outside

Mason was a champ and wore arm floaties and swam around himself, jumped multiple times from the ladder into the pool, and dismounted from his weekend swim with a flip into the water from dad.

nature trails to find bugs on. Bugs spotted on our nature walk include: Japanese Beatles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders, and preying mantis.
plum trees with fresh fruit
We would pick the fruit off the tree and eat it. I think Mason had 6 plums in one of our multiple trips. They also had a peach tree and Mason would take a bite of the peach but spit the peel out.

lawnmower rides

Not to mention all the other boys to play and interact with. Ellery is the only girl in the bunch.

The weekend was fabulous and we were even successful in finding a few high school girls brave enough to watch all 7 kids while we all went out for a bite to eat in peace.

Road Trip

We took a weekend drive down to Marysville, Kansas. We actually went a bit further and crossed the Blue Rapids River to Blue Rapids, Kansas. We question where they got the name from because the river doesn't have anything close to rapids. It is a 2.75 hour drive from our house and we stopped for dinner in Beatrice, Kansas. Since my mom blessed us with a GPS we were able to find a local cafe, my favorite, our friend Jason assured us that if we lived closer we would learn that these small town cafes lose their quaintness real fast. I ordered up a greasy chicken fried steak and devoured most all of it and Mason was in heaven because we let him eat pancakes. As we were leaving an elderly lady says "bring that baby over here" she had mistaken me for one of the local teachers. After explaining to her that we were just passing through and she didn't know us she insisted upon giving Mason and Ellery 50 cent pieces for their piggy banks. Mason was thrilled and blew her kisses and gave her hugs. I never let her take Ellery from me, but I did get close enough for her to coo and goo with her. So I disagree with my friend Jason, these small town cafes will never lose their quaintness in my book.

Shopping Anyone?

Mason went shopping around the house yesterday and was filling his cart with all sorts of toys and balls. We then placed Ellery in the cart and off he went around the house pushing her. I think she was thrilled to be a part of the action rather than watch from the side lines. When I went to take her out he didn't want me to take her, but it was making us a bit nervous watching him. I think these two are going to be two peas in a pod.

Meet Igor

Igor is the newest member in our family. He is the greatest pet because he is strictly an outdoor pet and requires no maintenance. He lives above our front door in the corner by the glass. was going to tear him down but before I did it I made the mistake of showing him to Mason. Mason is tickled with him and we set up a chair inside the house and step up onto the chair to get a closer look at Igor and his web. (I am not brave enough to go outside for an up close and personal view, not sure if Igor is a jumper) You can also see it from the stairs landing. Every time Mason goes up or down the stairs he says "Hi Igor" or "Goodnight Igor" it is precious. He is obsessed with watching or chasing bugs. He will say "I see it" and then "watch this" as he stomps on them. At his new school he has made pals with Nathan and when they are outside all they do is look for bugs.

Smelly Diapers

I think Mason makes us laugh daily. Since Ellery has been taking solids she is a bit more smelly. Mason was checking her and letting us know Ellery had an "ucky". He is really sweet to Ellery and will stop in the middle of playing and either give her a toy "here you go Ellery" or just give her hugs and kisses. Occasionally I find him pounding her back and he tells me "Ellery needs to burp". He also will let her lay on his bed but not anywhere near his favorite stuffed animal. Ellery just loves to sit and watch him.

Wine and Balloon Festival

We took Mason and Ellery to the 2nd annual Wine and Hot Air Balloon Festival this weekend. We were able to watch the hot air balloons blow up and take off from up close. When we said look Mason they are blowing up the balloons he started to huff and puff himself like he was blowing them up.

They also had a gigantic blow up slide that no 2 year old should be going down, but Mason insisted.We had to pay $1 to get on it and he went down it multiple times and it was a dollar well spent. The first time he went down he face planted at the end and the next time another face plant. On his 3rd attempt when I decide we should capture it on video he decided to flip himself over and go down on his belly.

Fire Truck

We just couldn't resist getting this one on video and we know it is terrible.

He is talking a lot and usually does very well. He gets into trouble in his pronunciations when he talks fast. We shouldn't encourage it, but we just couldn't resit sharing a laugh with everyone. It all started when we went to the store today and the firemen were collecting change in boots in front of their "fire frucks". Mason then came home and found his puzzle that had a fire truck in it and wanted to play with it.

We go Bananas for bananas

Mason eats a banana everyday for breakfast, per his request. If I'd let him live by this request he would eat a banana at every meal and snack. He goes bananas for bananas. I once gave him 7 bananas in 3 days because someone told me they were constipating and Mason was a bit loose and I was attempting to stop him up. It didn't work. Ellery is hot on his tail for eating bananas. She loves them as well. I think she is going to eat anything we put in front of her. We are going to try a veggies soon. Needless to say we go through a bundle of bananas very quickly in this house.

My Little Peanut

We go from one extreme to the other. I am a bit sensitive on how small little Miss Ellery is. Everyone thinks Mason is a giant for his age and she is extremely small. I can't change it and I do hope she is a petite one, but I would like for her to be tall. She is eating solids like a champ and she sleeps through the night so I know she is getting enough nourishment. She is starting to pull up on all fours, but I think she is going to be the child that rolls to where she wants to go. We can't leave her on the middle of the bed anymore because she is never where you leave her.

Hidden Treasures

Our house is a bit larger than our house in Milwaukee. I can still say that because we still haven't sold our house in Milwaukee. Anyways, I have unpacked boxes that have been packed up for the past 3 years and today I found a gold mine for Mason. I found dancing hamsters and I am ready to repack them. Mason was thrilled with the hamsters and so thrilled he thought he would bust out some dance moves. If you watch closely you will catch him watching the hamster to mimic its moves along with a reposition of his new favorite toy with a head bob. He danced with them all day long. It did keep him busy and Ellery got a kick out of them as well. She looks like a doll in the background, but she isn't a doll, just my small little peanut.

Play Dough

My Great Grandma gave me a recipe for play dough while she was visiting us the other day and I decided to try it today. Mason was thrilled and really enjoyed playing with it and Ellery enjoyed watching him play with it. I thought for sure he would mix them into one big ball, but he loved making them into balls, squishing them, and remaking them into balls. I should have known, he is obsessed with balls.

I have noticed Ellery is content as can be watching Mason run and play. She is crankier when he is napping because I think she realized how boring and calm things are.
Play Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup of water
2 tbls cream of tarter
2 tbls vegetable oil
Mix and bake at 350 deg for 5-10 min. Divide and color with food coloring.

Mr. Mom to Mr. Professional

Rob started his new job today. He has been unemployed for the month of July. It was my last hurrah as the "sugar mama". Rob has surpassed my earning potential therefore I am passing the torch to him to be the "sugar daddy". Although I did read something crazy that a stay at home mom is worth 117,000 a year and I work part time. So I am still contributing to the cause. Anyways Rob has enjoyed his time as Mr. Mom. He did threaten to dry the babies butts with a blow dryer, but I never caught him doing it, but that doesn't mean it wasn't done. Everyone did well and I must say he accomplished a lot and in a way I would never of dreamed of doing. I did learn that speed and accuracy aren't always the most important attributes in running the family It is nice to slow down sometimes and smell the roses and even go slow enough to watch them grow. It was fun watching him interact with the kids during the day and getting down into the thick of things. I used to joke and call poopy diapers "daddy diapers", don't get me wrong Rob changes diapers the point is he might have changed more the month of July than I did. He is really excited to start his new job and we are hoping to finally grow some roots and not move in 3 years.

I do have to make fun of Rob as Mr. Mom. He has been guilty of putting Mason's shoes on the wrong feet a few other times, but poor Mason had his shoes on the wrong feet a lot this month. A quote from someone who spotted Mason's shoes on the wrong feet before I did "does Mason have a medical problem that requires his shoes to be on backwards?" Poor kid, it didn't seem to bother him and I have to admit it did take me at least 30-45 min to notice.