My Soccer Star

It was hard to watch Ethan play. I wanted to go in and score a goal from him. He is only 4 years old and I was screaming from the sidelines. Scary.

Ethan's best buddy!

The players and the cheerleaders.

Kisses are dry

Our bedtime routine is short and sweet. I would like to emphasize how sweet...

brush your teeth

go potty

get jammies on

read books/scriptures

prayer

kisses and hugs

extra personal story (princesses for Holland and cars/trains for Ethan)

I was turning out the light and Ethan says to me so sweetly, "I need more kisses, the kisses are drying up." I melted. I love that little cutie patootie.

My Funny Boy

(Lake house in Holland, MI)

Yesterday morning Ryan's car broke down on the way to work. I jumped out of bed rushing to get ready. In the meantime, Ryan went to wake up the kids and get them ready and in the car. They were both asleep, but as soon as Ryan opened the curtains and blinds Ethan said, "Are you waking me up?"

I guess he knows the drill. Funny kid.

p.s. Ryan's car has been towed to the shop (by me) and he got to work in time. Me, on the other hand, missed boot camp. Argh!

Heeeeere's Ethan

This kid cracks me up. He comes up with some of the funniest one liners. While in Michigan, he came running down stairs and said "Here is me!!" He said it with so much enthusiasm I could not correct him. In fact he has a couple words that I never correct because they are so sweet to me.

For "airplane" he says "airclane"

For "very" he says "bery".

If he really wants to make his point he will say "bery, bery, bery". I love it! And my absolute favorite thing he said in Michigan, " You guys better not be bery sleeping"...TRANSLATION: "Grandma & Haili, you better not be sleeping right now".

Caution

You must always wear your safety goggles when vacuuming.

That hurts...

I was mad at Ethan the other day and I scolded him in my "motherly tone". He went off crying because that is what he has been doing lately. So a few minutes later I went to check in on him....

ME: Why are you sad?

ETHAN: My ears hurt

ME: Why do your ears hurt?

ETHAN: Mommy's too loud

So, I take it Ethan does not like it if I yell at him.

Sorry, please, thank you and you're welcome...

Ethan is probably the most polite boy you know. He says "sorry, please, thank you and your welcome" on every occasion. It is really sweet and he is seriously the sweetest boy in the world. I know, because I have checked ever last inch.

He is such a little joy. He laughs at everything. And he laugh is the best because it is almost like a little growl. I love how he gets really hyper in the evenings. He bounces off the walls and does the goofiest things -- it is so funny to me.

Everyone tells me he looks like Ryan, but I am sure the only thing he gets from me is sweet disposition!

Three

We celebrated Holland and Ethan's 3rd Birthday this week.

I have to say, the birthday of Holland and Ethan is truly a special day. It took us years to get pregnant with them. Then, those two little babies tried to come early (22 weeks) which resulted in bed rest for me (3 whole months). Once they arrived they had a month stay at the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). We had some major ups and downs during that time and it is a miracle they are here with us today. So every 27th of September is a HUGE celebration for our family.

Can the twins really be 3 years old? My friend Mandee once said, "Who pressed fast forward on my life?" It really feels that way.

We planned a little cowboy/cowgirl Hoedown for my little ones. Since Ryan had school on the 27th, we celebrated the day before with all of Holland and Ethan's favorite 3 year olds. The kids woke up to lots of presents, balloons, and treats for their big day.

Here are some photos to capture the FUN day!

The Invite...

The Party...

HOLLAND

ETHAN

We made sure to sing "Happy Birthday" to each of them separately. They felt special to be the center of attention. When the day was over and the friends had left we all took a nap. Later that day the kids spent hours playing with their new toys. It was really fun to see them so happy. I hope you had a great day. I love you both so much!

School is SO cool

I realize blogs have been buzzing the last few weeks with photos and posts about first days of school. My children are among the millions who started school this month too. They are both 3 years old (literally on Saturday) and have started their first year of pre-school.

So here is how it went...

Tuesday

9:00-wake-up, eat breakfast, getting dressed, take pictures

9:30- rush off to school...Kids are at school for just an hour because their teacher wanted to ease them into school.

9:30 to 10:30- I run some errands and then rush back to school to pick up my kids.

10:30-Pick up kids. They don't want to leave. I knew they did not need any easing into school. They prefer to paint then hang out with me. Am I already outdated?Oh well. I bribe them with gum to get them to leave with me. Apparently, school is soooo cool.

Thursday

8:00- we get started a little earlier this day because it was a mad rush to get ready on Tuesday. Eat breakfast, talk about how exciting school is, talk about all the kids in school, etc.

9:15- More pix because this is a "real" day, and head off to school. (plus I had to get more pix of their cute new school outfits)

9:30- The twins are running for the door and excitably talking about story time. Ethan trips because he is still getting used to his new shoes. He cries for a minute and then he manages to swallow the tears and head up the stairs to school.

The twins take of their shoes and sit down with Miss Nancy for story time. As I leave, Ethan he turns to me and says "See you later, mommy". It was a bittersweet moment for me and I can still picture his cute smile as he said it. He gave me the 'I am so grown up and so excited to be at school' look.

9:40- As I am walking to my car, a mom whose son goes to the same school approaches me. She wanted to tell me something about Holland and her little boy. Let me back up a little....Her son and my daughter met about 6 months ago during church. They had a little "moment" where they were asking about each other. It took is both by surprise because it was so flirtatious.

So, when Holland went to school for the first day, the same little boy asked about Holland. He said to his mom, "who is that new girl at school...she has a cute face". It was adorable to hear that because I do have to agree, she has the most adorable faces I know. And we may have a little crush happening between the two.

12:00- Pick up twins from school . They finally painted a picture and had stories to tell!

p.s. potty training is still in process. Poor Miss Nancy has had to deal with a couple accidents already.

p.s.s. Ryan started school a few weeks ago. He loves it. I do not have photos...but apparently he looked hot.

BTW...

...I got his hair trimmed.

Yes, I actually paid money

to a professional so my little

boy did not look like

Bozo the Clown.

Doesn't he have the cutest face?

He is seriously so cute...

I could just kiss him forever.

To cut or not to cut...

That is the question I pose to all my blogging friends.

Ethan with short hair @ 11 months

My little Ethan has the cutest curly-out-of-control blond hair. Ryan has been bugging me all summer to chop it off. I just can't do it. Perhaps he has bad haircut. That cold be the case, because I don't really know how to cut a little boy's hair. Maybe if I took him to a real hair stylist, his hair would not look a little cuter.

Anyway, I don't know what to do.

So, I thought I would throw it out there to all my fellow bloggers.
Should I cut it off?

If you wanna help a mother out, leave me a comment with your opinion. I will forever be thankful.

These photos will give you an idea of what his hair currently looks like...

Horsin' Around

I couldn't help it, I wanted to post more horsey pix.

His First Tinkle

After months of flushing the toilet, handing mommy toilet paper, and watching us go pee (sorry for the visual)....Ethan went pee-pee in the toilet for the 1st time. Ethan is officially a big boy! I am so, so proud of him. Now the hard work begins.

I would love some advice because this is my first kid to train. Hopefully Holland will follow in his footsteps. Way to go Little Brother!

Matching Sweaters and Screaming at Santa

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Love Ethan, Lake & Holland

Have you ever worn the same outfit as someone else at a party? It happened to me once on a double date. The girl and I were wearing the exact same outfit. I was embarrassed..but still thought I looked cuter :) My sisters and I sometimes wear the same stuff at family events. Saturday was a matching day for me too -- with Kendee. I promise we did not plan it. Don't we look cute?



It was a big picture day. We managed to survive the ice storm just long enough to get some great pix of the Rowley family. We took photos of the kiddies with Santa. Oh man, that was a nightmare. My kids were screaming and shaking. I don't have a clear picture of it, but you get the gist.

The 3 little monkeys were cute as could be while they held hands through the mall.
Don't you love the Holidays? I do...can't get enough of it lately.

KJ, I hope we can do it all over again, minus AXIS and ALLIES. Thanks for another fun night Rowleys.

Dancing Babies

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!This is my favorite...

Friends

I love when they share with each other, when they hug & kiss each other, and I LOVE when they hold hands.

I am blessed.

More photos of my little ones.

I am feeling a little sentimental today. I am so grateful for my healthy children. I am so grateful to be a mom. I am so greatful for my children's unexpected kisses, their big hugs, and their cute words. I must add some of my favorite words to hear:

Holland: The papa, The mimi (those are the names for my parents), The mama, The daddy....she adds "THE" to everything.

Ethan says everything with an Italian accent: Ma'ma, Pa'pa, Mi'mi, Da'da,Bye'Bye, Tur'tle...where does he pick this up?

I am so blessed.

Will Go Pro

Ethan and Ryan went to hit a buckle of balls last weekend. It was so cute to see Ethan's face when he realized he was going out with Dad...ALL BY HIMSELF. My kids are so used to sharing everything. It is high time we allow them to do stuff individually.

My little boy is so cute. Just look at him golfing. I am no golf professional, but I am sure he is really good. Look at that form...he will totally go pro!

My Firstborn times two

I am posting my cute babies for a blogstyle scavenger hunt. All of my posts today have been for the "hunt". They are my firstborn times two. We recently had their 18 month appointment. Holland is above 90% for head, height and weight. Ethan is 90% for height, 50% for weight and 20% for head. They both say ball, doggy, daddy (or dad), ducky, hat, hot, head, squirrel...just to name a few. Holland makes a cute cow sound and Ethan can growl like a tiger. I swear I hear a new word/sound everyday. They are the best!