Where does the time go?

I am really embarrased that this blog hasn't been updated since October 2011 - yikes! I have no excuse...other than just life. Like John Lennon said, "Life happens when you are busy doing other things". We keep our days busy with school 2x week, library trips, swim lessons, bike riding, play dates, MOPS and soccer starting soon. My house project du jour is finishing up Henry's new room, so that he can get in a big boy bed. Attached are some every day pictures of life with Henry. So I spent some time catching up. Enjoy!

All Aboard!

Daddy had to work today (Saturday), so Henry and I took in the Greater Houston model train show without him. Mark was dying to go and I would have happily opted out, but I had fun. Henry liked the big trains on the floor the best. We really could have spent the whole day there, but thankfully the promise of Chick-Fil-A tore us away in time for lunch.

Christmas in St. Louis

The day after Christmas, we took off for St. Louis where we celebrated with the Bayes side of the family. Henry especially enjoyed time with his cousins, Ellie and Tyler, and becoming Tyler's shadow. But the highlight (for both Henry, his dad and Opa) might have been the snow - Henry found enough for a snowman and learned the art of snowballs. A fun time was had by all!

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Christmas anticipation reaches a whole new level at Henry's age. It could only be described at pure joy and it was a joy to witness it too. He appreciated every aspect and started to notice the details. So much so, that he told me that our 1/2 bath needed a green towel with a Christmas tree on it. I'll post an assortment of pictures from the season below. The first of which is our celebration of St. Nicholas Day (Dec 6), in which St. Nick brings pajamas and a Christmas book. You'll also see that Henry got into the shepard look throughout the season and even got Dad to join in.

Thanksgiving 2011

We were lucky to have Memaw and Papa come visit for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed the Houston Thanksgiving day parade and decorating for Christmas. And of course turkey, turkey and more turkey.

(Henry said that the snowman had a black belly button)

Henry for Mayor!

I couldn't resist snagging a couple of these posters while in Ft Wayne. They will look great in the play room!

Celebrating with Daddy

Since Mark's birthday and Henry's birthday are in the same week, we celebrated together after we got home from Fort Wayne. And this year, Opa got to be with us for the celebrations.

Playing school

It didn't take long for Henry to catch on to the school routine, so much so that he arranged his animals below a couple of weeks later. He made sure that the teacher, Boo, said "Good morning, class!"

Bayou Wildlife Park

In September, we went to a birthday party at the Bayou Wildlife Park in Alvin, TX. This place is a hidden treasure! They have a lot of non-native Texas wildlife that you see on a tram ride and very domesticated deer that roam the general grounds (and get into your snacks). Not seen in these pictures is a small petting zoo. Henry loved the deer, but was a little freaked at a antelope like creature that got too close to the tram and licked his face. He recovered enough to feed the camels, but it was a close call!

Hitting the green

Often after dinner, if it is a nice night, Mark and Henry like to get out on the fairway behind our house. We are usually dragging Henry off at the end kicking and screaming. On this night, he definitely had on the right shorts for the occasion.

Purdue comes to town

I just realized how far behind I am in the blogging since I haven't captured anything in September or October yet...yikes!

Last month, our good friends from Chicago, the Nee-Walstra clan came to visit Houston to see Purdue play Rice. The boys also saw the Texans play the Colts and that was the second disappointment of the weekend. But both games were both background to enjoying time with good friends. Henry especially liked that big boys Isaac and Elliott got to stay and his house and were good at wrestling.

Fort Wayne Fun

Earlier this month, we took a trip to Fort Wayne to attend Mark's 20th HS reunion. It was a great weekend! Not only did they have Indian summer weather, but we got to celebrate Henry's 3rd birthday with family and friends. We also made our annual pilgrimage to the zoo. Enjoy the pictures below of our visit: