The Henderson Family: September 2008

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Favorite Hat Day

Today was "Wear Your Favorite Hat" day...so this is what the girls wore..

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Kate just really cracks us up sometimes. I wish I kept a list of all the things that girl does! I have to share these two things...

1. Tonight we were watching the Emmy's and in the beginning Howie Mandel and Jeff Probst were on the stage-with a few others. Katie looks at the TV and gets all excited and says, "oh, look, Uncle Joe and Uncle Jeff." ahahahaha

2. The girls have big sunglasses...because they're so trendy and they crack me up. With Katie's new bob cut and how white-blond her hair is, when she puts them on, all I can think of is Paris Hilton. So-I tried getting her to say "That's Hot!" but instead she said "That's Warm!" I mean-come on! That's not only hilarious, but pretty clever!

Don't get me wrong, Delaney cracks us up all the time too...she's quite hilarious. These things just happened with Kate within the past couple of days, and were a clear memory in my mind. I do need to start writing the things these girls do that crack us up...

Happy 5th Birthday to Griffin! (OMGosh!)

I can't believe our kids are getting so old! Today we went to Griffin (Brown)'s 5th birthday party at the Brunswick Zone...and the girls had their very first bowling experience. Delaney did great, and Kate did pretty well too. I think both could beat Uncle Wesley! The girls LOVED it! I think we're gonna go back when Uncle Brian is in town. Also-Henderson Clan...this would be something tres fun to do when you're in town for Christmas!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Happy Birthday, Cookie

We wanted to make a cake today, and Delaney said it was for Cookie's birthday (btw-Cookie is Delaney's webkinz). I guess he/she is 6 years old today. So-we had a cake and sang Happy Birthday. I'm sure (Jeff) Cozzo was happy that he was here to help us celebrate!

The Girls and Dogs like IKE!

After we got the basement mostly taken care of, the girls and dogs went out to play in the neighbors flooded yard. They had a blast, but because it was so cold, we didn't stay out long at all!

Damn you IKE! You flooded our basement

That's right...the 2+days that it has been raining straight in Illinois proved to be too much for our pump, which quit so conviently during the middle of the Bears game. We went downstairs to check out some annoying alarm going off. My VERY smart husband happened to buy a flood alert 6+ years ago when we moved here. Thank goodness for his thoughtfulness! It saved our basement!

I think it took about an hour to get the pump working again, after many failed attempts. We ended up only having about 2-3" of water, and since our basement is a split level-it only affected 1/2 of the room. I moved out the toys and stuff as quickly as I could as PJ worked on the pump. Then I ran and got the help of our awesome neighbor, who helped Pete with some stuff, like moving our heavy, HEAVY couch and the chair. Curt ripped up the carpet, I ripped up the padding, and Pete carried load after load after load (etc.) upstairs to the garage. Then we swept and shoveled the water to the pump. Once the pump started working, the water left quick.

I have a lot of laundry to do-like towels and such, and we purchased some fans to dry things out. Underneath the stairs is cleaned out-thanks to Pete and Cozzo. I guess I can go through that stuff now vs. this spring! ahaha

Luckily the water didn't even climb the bottom stair-so our carpet on the higher level in the basement is all good-as are all the toys and furniture. Thankgoodness (again) for Pete's smart move 6 years ago, our neighbor-Curt, and Cozzo. Whew. Now-it's time to relax...I mean do homework.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

School, Butterflies, and Grasshoppers

The girls enjoyed their first full day of school...and their first Show-and-Tell Day. Delaney brought in her Webkinz, Cookie, and Katie (surprise, surprise) brought in her princesses. I have NO idea what they share with their classmates, because neither will tell me too much. But-when picking up Katie from school yesterday, she ran out with the biggest smile on her face and telling me all about the Big Bad Wolf who huffs and puffs and blows the houses in. It was pretty cute. She seemed a little dazed or distracted when I was watching her through the classroom windows during rug time, until it was story time. Delaney seemed a bit antsy when I peeked in on her class during Show-and-Tell time. Girls walked home, the 'secret' way, and enjoyed playing outside until about 6:30 or so. It has been so beautiful here lately, that our windows are open 24-7 (Thanks, Feldco!!!), and we've been outside quite a bit.

The bushes around our deck...that haven't been destroyed by Riggs napping on them, have bloomed and are attracting a lot more than a thousand bees this year. The very first day of school, the girls and I watched, touched, and were in awe of all of the grasshoppers, butterflies, and bees (which we didn't touch). It was pretty amazing.

Katie ended up finding a (sigh) dead grasshopper, so it became Delaney and Julia's pet. They made it a home, bed, and playground. So thoughtful!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Ahhhh...NFL! It's Great to Have You BACK!

Here's to our LOVELY CHICAGO BEARS! Not many expect much of you...but I'm hoping you can at least pull off a winning season, to match that of our beloved CUBBIES and the White Sox! Come on...make Chicago a WINNING CITY!

We all enjoyed breakfast this morning, with lighter hearts as the Cubs finally broke their 6-game losing streak to the Reds last night. We're getting all full with some yummy cheesy-scrambled, toast, and sausage so we can have enough energy to root on the Cubs this afternoon and DA Bears this evening! The girls even brought their doll and puppy to the table for our weekly weekend breakfasts together.

Rain (gear)...on a Sunshine Day

The girls new rain gear arrived just a day after the storms...go figure. But that didn't stop Katie from donning her new apparel and going outside. The best part, was watching Pete open the impossible package...and Kate letting him know that he wasn't very good at it! ahahah.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Well, the time has come (sniff, sniff) for Katie to start school. I was curious to see how she would do, as she's a bit more attached than Delaney. Luckily, Delaney went to school before Katie (i.e. all last year), and Katie saw how much Delaney LOVED it! Well, that love for school is either genetic (think of me...still in school at 31 years old) or Delaney's positive attitude transcended down to Katie.

Both were super excited, and couldn't wait to get dressed up for their big day. Both will have Show-and-Tell on Tuesdays. Delaney can't wait to bring "Cookie" (her webkinz) and, of course, Katie will be bringing her princesses (no surprise there). Here are pics from their first and second days of school.

And, the second day of school...rainy and chilly. Perfect for their new Puma warm-ups!

Delaney is eight and she is starting to really grow up on us. She is smart and caring, sensitive and competitive. She is great with her siblings; such a wondeful big sister. She loves school and reading, but not as much as playing video games and running around outside. She is in ballet for the 5th year and she is hoping to start baseball this spring.

She hate scary movies and noises and is afraid of the dark. She loves nature and all things animals. I'm surprised she hasn't asked to not eat meat. She likes jokes and tries her hardest to fit in. She knows how to push people's buttons, but also knows how to really be there for someone who is hurting. She is amazing at video games, but gets frustrated with them too.

She does well in school-both with behavior and academics. She loves Brownies and has many friends. She has the desire and determination to learn and try everything--academic, sports, etc. Just not all tv and movies.

Katie is now six and starting first grade. She is quite the young lady. She is funny and smart and sassy and determined. She can be so supportive and nice and helpful, yet also stubborn and angry. She knows what she wants and how she wants it, and is not always willing to have it any other way. She loves to cuddle and be around others. She enjoys books, tv, and Barbies. Her favorite show is Glee and she often plays Glee (pretend, that is). She loves scary things like Harry Potter and roller coasters and very kid-friendly things like Pokemon and Blue's Clues.

She is all girl...with her skirts and dresses, playing dress up, loving the color pink, and Barbies. However, don't be surprised if you find her climbing a tree or wrestling with the neighbor. Her vocabulary is amazing, but not as much as her imagination. Her favorite foods are nutella and jelly sandwiches, butter noodles, yogurt, and apples. What is she most looking forward to this year? Learning how to read.

Rowena is three and is getting so mature! Her language, vocabulary, and speech is amazing, and it's almost like it developed over night! She asks questions and will tell you how it is. She is funny and she cracks us up. She loves to watch TV and movies and it is surprising the various genres she will pay attention to for long periods of time. She loves to "play toys" and it is fun to watch her play pretend and make the toys talk and walk. She's getting very good at video games--Mario Party on GameCube is her favorite right now. She also loves to cook and bake.

She's excited to start school in the fall. She knows her alphabet and can identify some letters with words. She can count to 14 and then skips to 17. She can also recognize her numbers too. She loves to play games; some of her favorites are Candyland, Go Fish, and SkipBo. She loves crafts, going for walks, and playing at the park. She loves her friends, and even more-her siblings. She wants to do everything her sisters do, and help Charlie whenever possible. She can be very sweet and loving yet fiesty and determined.

Charlie is one. Can you believe it? We can't either! He's walking and climbing and loves to get into things. He loves cords, and drapes them around his neck like a scarf. He likes to climb onto the table and then just smiles at you. He knows when things are off-limits and will wait until you are watching before he starts, just to hear you say, "no, no, Charlie" then he'll smile and walk away. He loves to tease and play tag. He lovs swings and slides, and being outside. He laughs and cries and that's about all you hear from him.

The boy loves to eat and enjoys his milk or juice. He's tiny and quiet, but he is ever so sweet and fun. We love our Little Charlie Boo-Boo.