Sunday, January 15, 2017
Hank's Astronaut Training Party
Last weekend Hank had a NASA Astronaut Training party with a bunch of his friends. The kids went through five levels to work towards becoming an astronaut by the end of the party. I tried to incorporate Hank's ideas as much as possible while also trying to tie the whole theme together. I think it turned out pretty well! The kids seemed to all have a good time, lots of food was eaten, and lots of joy could be found across Hank's face for pretty much the entire party.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Hank: 4 Year Stats
It feels like Hank hasn't been 3 for a long time, but he now officially can call himself 4 years old. He's grown so much this past year - physically, emotionally, academically, and socially. The jump from 3 to 4 years makes me feel like he's a fully grown little guy ready to take on whatever comes his way. Hank is enjoying his first year of preschool going two half-days per week (Rainforest 1 Classroom), swim class (Advanced Preschool Level), and gymnastics (Squiggle Worm Group). He's a man who likes a plan, and he likes trying to be as old and as cool as his big sis. He does a pretty good job at it. Below are his answers to my list of interview questions:
1. How old are you? Four.
2. What is your favorite sport? Bike riding.
3. What is your favorite television show? Rusty Rivets.
4. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe.
5. What is your favorite toy? My new Millennium Falcon.
6. What song do you love? "Ghostbusters" theme song.
7. What do you want to be when you grow up? An astronaut.
8. Who is your best friend? Owen.
9. Who are your friends at school? Ryder and Sydney.
10. What is your favorite book? My "Firefighter LEGO" book.
11. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride bikes.
12. Where is your favorite place to go? Pump It Up.
13. What are you really good at? Doing crafts.
14. What is your favorite food? Mac and cheese - or just plain cheese.
15. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? New York City!
Hank went to the doctor this week for his annual check-up. He's been really preoccupied at the thought of having to get a shot, and he had to get his DTap, Polio, Varicella, and MMR ones this round. He was really good about it up until it was time for the needle to go in. He cried, but I was so proud of his willingness to let the nurse do what she needed to do even though he was nervous. After he finished she told him that aside from flu shots/mist, he wouldn't need any more vaccines for seven years. That helped him get some perspective. His poor leg was sore for a day or two, but he seems to be feeling much better now. At the doc he measured 43 inches tall (95th percentile) and weighed in at 39 lbs. 2 oz. (75th percentile). Still a really big boy!
Hank is so smart, and he's constantly surprising me with what he knows. He's been reading BOB books to us for the past several months and he's doing a great job taking off with his preschool skill set. He has found a passion for doing arts and crafts at school as well, and currently his biggest thing we should work on him with at home is to use a wider array of crayons when coloring and doing a better job at staying in the lines. Hank views tasks very literally at times and tends to not get too showy with his artistic capabilities (which is odd, given he likes doing art, right?). If that's the big thing to work on, I'd say he's doing pretty darn well.
1. How old are you? Four.
2. What is your favorite sport? Bike riding.
3. What is your favorite television show? Rusty Rivets.
4. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe.
5. What is your favorite toy? My new Millennium Falcon.
6. What song do you love? "Ghostbusters" theme song.
7. What do you want to be when you grow up? An astronaut.
8. Who is your best friend? Owen.
9. Who are your friends at school? Ryder and Sydney.
10. What is your favorite book? My "Firefighter LEGO" book.
11. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride bikes.
12. Where is your favorite place to go? Pump It Up.
13. What are you really good at? Doing crafts.
14. What is your favorite food? Mac and cheese - or just plain cheese.
15. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? New York City!
Hank went to the doctor this week for his annual check-up. He's been really preoccupied at the thought of having to get a shot, and he had to get his DTap, Polio, Varicella, and MMR ones this round. He was really good about it up until it was time for the needle to go in. He cried, but I was so proud of his willingness to let the nurse do what she needed to do even though he was nervous. After he finished she told him that aside from flu shots/mist, he wouldn't need any more vaccines for seven years. That helped him get some perspective. His poor leg was sore for a day or two, but he seems to be feeling much better now. At the doc he measured 43 inches tall (95th percentile) and weighed in at 39 lbs. 2 oz. (75th percentile). Still a really big boy!
Hank is so smart, and he's constantly surprising me with what he knows. He's been reading BOB books to us for the past several months and he's doing a great job taking off with his preschool skill set. He has found a passion for doing arts and crafts at school as well, and currently his biggest thing we should work on him with at home is to use a wider array of crayons when coloring and doing a better job at staying in the lines. Hank views tasks very literally at times and tends to not get too showy with his artistic capabilities (which is odd, given he likes doing art, right?). If that's the big thing to work on, I'd say he's doing pretty darn well.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Hank's 4th Birthday
Hank's birthday is here and we're ready to party! He started off the day with his first day back to preschool. He was pretty happy with the birthday crown they presented him with along with being sung to by the entire class. He came out of school and was greeted by some balloons that Lyla, Jack and I picked out for him. That kid LOVES balloons! We swung through the McDonald's drive-thru on the way home. After devouring his Happy Meal, he asked if next time he could order chicken nuggets AND a cheeseburger. I told him not get ahead of himself - there's plenty of teenage years to eat the entire menu still to come.
After a restful nap, we headed out for swim lessons. That was an unexpected plus in his day, as he was treated to a "Happy Birthday Hank" message on the lane assignment screen. The deck managers and his teacher knew about his birthday, and they chatted him up about his big day and sang to him at the end of his lesson. He felt super special that everyone knew about his birthday. Following swimming we had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Hank went with his usual mac and cheese and played to his heart's content on the tablets they hand out to play on (the true draw for eating there!). We came home for lots of present opening and some mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. Hank was treated to video and text messages from family and a surprise birthday visit plus snacks and presents from his friends, the Durhams. He was super excited about all his Power Rangers, Dino Trux, and Legos toys.
This birthday has been so special. Hank was so excited, and he had so much pure joy throughout the day. He was very grateful for all the attention and made sure to acknowledge to me at the end of the day how loved he felt by so many people. I felt overwhelmed by all the great people that Hank is surrounded by in his life. It feels good as a mom to see him so well-liked, highly regarded, and profoundly loved by so many.
After a restful nap, we headed out for swim lessons. That was an unexpected plus in his day, as he was treated to a "Happy Birthday Hank" message on the lane assignment screen. The deck managers and his teacher knew about his birthday, and they chatted him up about his big day and sang to him at the end of his lesson. He felt super special that everyone knew about his birthday. Following swimming we had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Hank went with his usual mac and cheese and played to his heart's content on the tablets they hand out to play on (the true draw for eating there!). We came home for lots of present opening and some mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. Hank was treated to video and text messages from family and a surprise birthday visit plus snacks and presents from his friends, the Durhams. He was super excited about all his Power Rangers, Dino Trux, and Legos toys.
This birthday has been so special. Hank was so excited, and he had so much pure joy throughout the day. He was very grateful for all the attention and made sure to acknowledge to me at the end of the day how loved he felt by so many people. I felt overwhelmed by all the great people that Hank is surrounded by in his life. It feels good as a mom to see him so well-liked, highly regarded, and profoundly loved by so many.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Hank-Isms 2016
Another year of Hank means another year of unexpected and hilarious quotes from our young quipster. Below are some of the highlights this year:
January 9: "Good eye Ly, good eye." This was said after disagreeing with Lyla over what a piece of equipment at the gym was, then realizing afterward that she was right.
January 11: "Do you know what I'm doing Mom? Toothing on my hands! I'm tooting on my hands so I don't get my toots on the couch." Such. A. Boy.
February 20: When Dustin and Hank got in the car, Hank said to Dustin, "When I grow up I'm going to drive the car". When Dustin asked if he thought Paga would let him drive his Challenger, Hank said, "Yes, and while Paga is working, Maga and I will race!".
February 20: Hank and Lyla were discussing something Ken said on a "Barbie" show. Hank thought he said "swan poop". Lyla thought it was "schlawn poofahs". When challenged about it, Lyla said, "No, he said 'schlawn loofahs' because it was a schlawn poofah that fell off the back of Barbie's car."
March 1: Pointing to a picture of Elton John on the van's video screen, Hank asked, "Is that President Monson?".
March 30: After treating the kids to ice cream in lieu of dinner, Hank asked, "I'm all done with my ice cream - can I have dessert now?"
May 22: Hank: "I'm said I didn't get a treat." Me: "Why did you get a treat Hank?" Hank: "Because I didn't eat my dinner." Me: "Bingo." Hank: "That's not a bingo Mom."
May 28: After seeing flashing lights and hearing the siren of several police cars whizzing by us on the road, Hank rubbed his hands together and yelled, "Oooo, somebody's goin' to jail!".
June 6: Hank asked Maga a question and she didn't have the answer right away. Hank said, "Maga, if you don't talk you are a statue, and people are not statues."
June 12: "I went down two degrees! Now I need to be zero degrees." This was said after Hank's fever broke following a nasty ear infection.
June 17: As Uncle Dylan was showing Hank some of his animal skulls, Hank said, "Yeah, and I know you shot him".
June 30: "I don't like Home Goods. It gives me the 'gimmes'."
July 19: "That girl knocked the ears off the eyeball face of the ball."
July 23: "Jack's diapers smell like Buffalo Wild Wings."
July 30: After receiving a packet of peanuts on the airplane, Hank turned to Lyla and said, "Lyla, want some of these air nuts?"
July 30: "I've gotten carsick before. I've been homesick before too. I usually get sick at home though."
August 20: Looking at the Provo temple as we passed by it in the car, Hank asked, "Where's the Angel Ramone?" (meaning the Angel Moroni).
September 16: "I'll share my Legos with any kid. Or any adult. Except for Jesus. He can have His own Lego set."
October 27: For Hank's Share Day at preschool, he brought in a small toy car that Maga brought home from Montana. Apparently during his turn to speak he said, "This is a car. My Dad's Mom got it for me."
October 29: Hank and Lyla were playing in the bathtub. Dustin overheard Hank saying, "Where's my penis? Peek-A-Penis!". This came after a round of "Peek-A-Butt".
December 27: When at the USS Hornet checking out the jets on the deck, Hank said, "Maga, will you get me one of those planes? You can get them online." Dustin replied, "Buddy, those cost about 40 million dollars." Hank then said, "Maga, how much money do you have?"
January 9: "Good eye Ly, good eye." This was said after disagreeing with Lyla over what a piece of equipment at the gym was, then realizing afterward that she was right.
January 11: "Do you know what I'm doing Mom? Toothing on my hands! I'm tooting on my hands so I don't get my toots on the couch." Such. A. Boy.
February 20: When Dustin and Hank got in the car, Hank said to Dustin, "When I grow up I'm going to drive the car". When Dustin asked if he thought Paga would let him drive his Challenger, Hank said, "Yes, and while Paga is working, Maga and I will race!".
February 20: Hank and Lyla were discussing something Ken said on a "Barbie" show. Hank thought he said "swan poop". Lyla thought it was "schlawn poofahs". When challenged about it, Lyla said, "No, he said 'schlawn loofahs' because it was a schlawn poofah that fell off the back of Barbie's car."
March 1: Pointing to a picture of Elton John on the van's video screen, Hank asked, "Is that President Monson?".
March 30: After treating the kids to ice cream in lieu of dinner, Hank asked, "I'm all done with my ice cream - can I have dessert now?"
May 22: Hank: "I'm said I didn't get a treat." Me: "Why did you get a treat Hank?" Hank: "Because I didn't eat my dinner." Me: "Bingo." Hank: "That's not a bingo Mom."
May 28: After seeing flashing lights and hearing the siren of several police cars whizzing by us on the road, Hank rubbed his hands together and yelled, "Oooo, somebody's goin' to jail!".
June 6: Hank asked Maga a question and she didn't have the answer right away. Hank said, "Maga, if you don't talk you are a statue, and people are not statues."
June 12: "I went down two degrees! Now I need to be zero degrees." This was said after Hank's fever broke following a nasty ear infection.
June 17: As Uncle Dylan was showing Hank some of his animal skulls, Hank said, "Yeah, and I know you shot him".
June 30: "I don't like Home Goods. It gives me the 'gimmes'."
July 19: "That girl knocked the ears off the eyeball face of the ball."
July 23: "Jack's diapers smell like Buffalo Wild Wings."
July 30: After receiving a packet of peanuts on the airplane, Hank turned to Lyla and said, "Lyla, want some of these air nuts?"
July 30: "I've gotten carsick before. I've been homesick before too. I usually get sick at home though."
August 20: Looking at the Provo temple as we passed by it in the car, Hank asked, "Where's the Angel Ramone?" (meaning the Angel Moroni).
September 16: "I'll share my Legos with any kid. Or any adult. Except for Jesus. He can have His own Lego set."
October 27: For Hank's Share Day at preschool, he brought in a small toy car that Maga brought home from Montana. Apparently during his turn to speak he said, "This is a car. My Dad's Mom got it for me."
October 29: Hank and Lyla were playing in the bathtub. Dustin overheard Hank saying, "Where's my penis? Peek-A-Penis!". This came after a round of "Peek-A-Butt".
December 27: When at the USS Hornet checking out the jets on the deck, Hank said, "Maga, will you get me one of those planes? You can get them online." Dustin replied, "Buddy, those cost about 40 million dollars." Hank then said, "Maga, how much money do you have?"
USS Hornet Visit
Last week we drove out to Alameda to board the USS Hornet for a tour of their ship. Going to the Midway in San Diego was such a big hit with the kids that I thought this may be similarly enjoyable. Although smaller and not as well-kept, this ship did not disappoint! The kids liked touring below deck, checking out all the different rooms that were tucked away down below. We also took a quick peek at the planes kept on the deck of the ship. The highlight of the visit, though, was when some of the docents opened up one of the jets for the kids to climb into and check out first-hand (complete with a real helmet!). I also didn't know that the Hornet was part of the rescue mission after the astronauts returned from their first trip to the moon. There were some neat NASA artifacts to check out as well. I like the field trips we take where we're learning something new AND having a blast. We took a bit of a bad turn when Jack fell and busted up his nose fairly badly, but all was seemingly set right with a trip to In-N-Out for lunch. We especially loved that Maga and Paga were there to accompany us on our field trip that day.
Post-Christmas Sacramento Trip
The day after Christmas we packed up and went to Sacramento for the day to spend time with our Keough cousins. We committed to far less traveling, but a two hour trek didn't seem too unreasonable to be able to spend time with family! We kept it pretty low-key and pretty much hung out around Uncle Aaron and Aunt Kristen's house for the day. Jack had been having a hard time since the beginning of December between colds, viruses, fevers, tummy aches, and too much partying (what can I say, it's been a rough month for the poor guy). Because of this, we took off around 6pm that evening (a little earlier than we usually would). Turns out we didn't get home any sooner as traffic was at a complete standstill for 1 1/2 hours at Altamont Pass while a crew cleaned up a major traffic accident and airlifted someone off the scene. I felt trapped, but it was the biggest blessing that: A. We had no where we had to be (and no one had school or work the next day!), B. Fussy Jack slept through the entire thing (and he NEVER sleeps well in the car!), C. Hank and Lyla were able to watch a video quietly in the backseat - then also fall asleep, D. No one had to pee, and E. We had no emergencies of our own. Perspective does wonders sometimes! We got up and running eventually and made it home around 10pm. It was a short visit, but everyone was good about leaving since we saw the Keough cousins again two days later when we all met up at the Oakland Zoo for some quality animal watching. We sure do love our Cali cousins!
Christmas
This Christmas we enjoyed a more low-key holiday. It seems like we've been running around nonstop for months on end, so it was crucial that during the Christmas break we just relax and stay put as much as possible. Christmas Eve we went over to Aunt Joan and Uncle David's house for some dinner, conversation and mingling with relatives, and a visit from Santa! Jack still has a strong fear of Santa, but Hank and Lyla were both really excited to see him right before his big night.
Christmas came on a Sunday this year, which was really nice. It's hard for the kids to postpone opening gifts so they can go to church, but I think it brings a nice focus on the true purpose of the holiday and celebrating our Savior's birth. We checked out what Santa brought before church, then did the opening of presents post-sacrament meeting. This year Santa brought Lyla a Popple and a Hatchimal, Hank got a Power Rangers Dino-Charger Gun and giant stuffed Baymax, and Jack got a Beatbo and light-up Pillow Pal of Marshall from Paw Patrol. Many Lego sets, stuffed animals, DVDs, crafts, and assorted toys of all kinds were opened as well.
After a nap for Jack, we headed over to Maga and Paga's house for a Christmas Dinner with a few other folks from the ward. Again, the kids had a bit of a hard time postponing getting gifts until after dinner, but they held it together pretty well. It was a long and very exciting day (when it was just us, no less!) and we ALL were ready to hit the hay till bedtime rolled around. Another great Christmas in the books for the Tillman family.
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