The Henderson Family

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Princess Leia

Katie is so in love with princesses. Her favorite is "all the princesses...even Leia and Giselle." She's so darn cute with it. She wakes up and wants to get into her Aurora dress right away. After her awesome Princess Tea Party on Saturday (to celebrate her upcoming 4th birthday), she dressed up like (her version--since she doesn't have a costume) Princess Leia.

Ewwwwwww...Oreo Mouth!

No words are needed for these photos of Katie's nasty oreo mouth!

Delaney's New Do

We've been promising Delaney a haircut for a while now. She just had to do her dance recital first (it's much easier for me to do a bun with longer hair). Well, we finally did it--this past Sunday. We were hoping to do Locs-of-Love, but she would have to have her hair cut super, super short--which I'm not willing to have done. So, we had Donna cut it above her shoulders, which left Delaney with a nice 5" ponytail to hold on to. Her new do looks super cute on her, and she loves it. Thanks, Donna!

What Is That On Your Chin? Hmmm...Always Blame the Baby!

I had a really hard time titling this post. Last night we were at a friend's house for dinner, and Rowena was getting fussy. She was getting a bit hungry, but I was waiting until we came home to feed her. To help ease her fussiness and frustration, she was sucking on her thumb, my hand, arm, etc. Basically, anything she could get her mouth on. Well, stupid-ass mommy let her suck on her chin...and Rowena left her mark. I think she's laughing at me, saying to herself (think Stewie's voice from Family Guy): "God, Woman, don't you think? Did you think that sucking that hard on your chin that nothing would happen? That is what you get, woman, for making me wait, while you tall people sit around and talk nonsense."

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Some Belated 4th Of July Photos

On July 3rd, we headed over to (Ryan and Julie) Dillinghams for some great food, wonderful company, and the Plainfield Fireworks. On July 4th, it was pretty chilly and rainy. We still ventured over to our neighborhood's kick-ass annual 4th of July party. We stayed for quite a while. The girls had a blast with all the neighborhood kids--playing in the moonwalk, playing on the swingset, dancing to the DJ, and watching the fireworks. The 4th is one of my fave holidays! It's so festive and fun, with amazing food and fireworks. It's such a summertime staple. Anyhoo...the pictures below are from our time at the Dillys...

The tres yummy food!

Lounging

Pete was the Bags Champ against both Dillys

Taking a break from the pool, by watching TinkerBell

Reading books...taking a break from the Par-Tay

Ready for the fireworks...

Loving the sparklers

Kate passed out before the fireworks. And this is how Delaney and Grace spent the night...picking weeds

Will You Marry Me?

Now that Delaney is a "big girl" she gets to dress in those wonderful gowns at the doctor's office. When she went in for her 5 year check-up, she was asked to get into the gowns. When she did, Katie got very excited and told her "You look so beautiful, Delaney. I love your marrying dress."

So...naturally, they played princess. Delaney was the princess and Katie was the prince...and they married. The first picture is when Katie asked the princess to marry her and the second picture is the kiss. So darn cute.

Loving the Neighbors' New Pool

Our neighbors (the Ruch Family) got one of those pools that has the filter, chlorine, etc. And, in keeping with our intrusive behavior with them, our girls were in within minutes the first day! They're so nice to share all their cool stuff with us. I made up for it by making everyone lunch...

Why National Geographic isn't Allowed in our Home...

Two nights ago, Delaney is in her bedroom and lets out a huge *gasp*. Afterwards the following conversation takes place:

Delaney: "Daddy, you gotta come in here."
Pete: "What is it?" (as he enters their room)
Delaney: "Daddy, you're not going to believe this! You're not going to want this book in our house."
Pete: "Why not?"
Delaney: *gasp* "Because...there's a CARDINAL in it!" (as she points to the very, pretty, colorful bird).

(Delaney was looking at a National Geographic book on animals that Brian gave them several years ago).

Saturday, July 4, 2009

HAPPY 4th of JULY

HAPPY 233rd BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!!

One of my fave holidays!!!

Rowena Dale...at Four Months

WoW! Four months have FLOWN by! Look how big she's getting!!!

Rowena is growing like a weed. She's just our little (ahahha) chunky monkey. She's so darn cute and happy, it's great! The past four months have gone so quickly, and Rowe is growing and advancing all the time. She is now rolling over quite a bit, from back to front usually, but also from front to back. Sometimes she has hard time going to sleep for a nap--as she rolls over and isn't a fan of the new position. She loves time in her megasaucer and laying on the floor grabbing at toys. She's also entered the stage that everything goes right to the mouth. She's discovered her feet, but doesn't play with them too often. I wonder if her big belly gets in the way of grabbing her feet. (ahahah-just kidding, honey).

We started feeding her rice cereal on 6/27. She did pretty good...after pushing most of it out with her tongue. Since feeding her that first day, Rowe loves the discovery of her tongue. She sticks it out all the time and just smiles. Delaney and Katie are having fun with the permission to stick their tongue out at her.

For about a week or two now, Rowe has been needing middle-of-the-night feedings again. At least I got 2 months of sleeping through the night. The doctor said it is probably because her body is telling her/us/etc. that she needs more substance (i.e. solid food). She has been on rice cereal for a week now and we have introduced squash...of which she is obviously not a fan!

She received another 4 shots at her 4 month check-up. This time she dealt with the medicine much better. She slept well that day and was pretty happy (after her 2 mo. check-up, she was an utter mess all day). Here is how well Rowe is growing:

Weight: 14 lbs, 3 oz (75%)

Length: 23 3/4" (50%)

Head: 43 cm (90%)

She is definitely much bigger than the other two were. The highest %-tile we've been in with either of them was only 50th, and that was very rare!

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.