Henry's 5th Birthday Party - Hot Wheels Style!

Henry asked for a Hot Wheels birthday party, so we revved up our engines!

We had face painting, 

hot wheels car races and even

tons of fun outside (we had incredible weather)!

Ilana had a blast, too!

 Henry blew out his candles,

got hugs from his cousins,

 and even had Grandma there for the festivities.

What a great way to celebrate turning five! 

Four, Glorious Four!

The difference between age 3, 3.5 and now 4 has been tremendous. Here's the update:

First, Hank is 38.8" tall (25th percentile) and and weighs 31 pounds (10th percentile).

Hank is kind, sensitive, extremely intuitive and eager to please. He loves swimming, pretend play, costumes, superheroes, Hot Wheels cars, trucks and his blankets. His favorite show is Octonauts and his favorite restaurant is Illegal Burger, where he enjoys Mac 'n Cheese nuggets. 

Hank's independence is growing by leaps and bounds. He gets dressed by himself, puts his clothes in the laundry chute, is almost completely potty trained (he's working on becoming accident free at night - no more pullups as of Feb 18th, 2014!), and is beginning to play more independently. Just a few days ago, he actually left his room during quiet time on his own. Gone are the good old days of his waiting patiently for us to come get him!

When Daddy needs a wrestling partner or help making coffee, plowing snow, mowing the lawn or fixing things around the house, Hank is eager to volunteer. He also enjoy hiking, vacuuming, baking, reading and snuggling with Mommy. 

When he grows up, he plans on being a super hero. Sounds like a plan to us! We love you, Hank!

Hank's MSE Birthday Celebration

Montessori School of Evergreen (MSE) has a special way of marking each child's birthday.  

Here Hank is putting the months of the year around the sun.

Afterwards, Hank walked around the sun three times while holding the globe. 

After each rotation, his teacher, Yvonne, read a dictated sentence from his picture timeline which contained a photo from his birth and each year of his life.

Then it was time for singing followed by hugs from his teachers, Anne Marie,

 and Yvonne.

 Finally, Hank presented his class with a gift, in honor of his birthday. 
Now one of Hank's current favorite books, Frogs, sits proudly on his classroom library shelf.

We are so grateful for the wonderful, caring MSE community where Hank is blossoming.

Birthday Party Time

Today Hank and his friends dove into fun at the Tumblebugs gym in Evergreen.

 After an hour of romping, the gymnasts showed off their ribbons before heading to the party room.

This year, it was all about cars.

Following Daddy's tradition, Hank even got a fourth candle for good luck. 

Here's to turning 3 years old! 

Three Years Old!

Happy Birthday, Hankasaurus!

 

Hank is a thoughtful, outgoing and affectionate little boy (oh, and quite verbal, too).  He's definitely more on the cautious side now, as he no longer fearlessly climbs high jungle gyms or comes down high slides the way he did a year ago (he says he'll do this when he's a little older).

He loves his carbs and still avoids meat at all costs (except for turkey bacon).  Hank even has a favorite utensil - a yellow spoon with green dots.  It's the best part of every meal.

As far as interests go, Hank enjoys dinosaurs, trains, cars, trucks, blue blanket, green blanket and books.  Lately, Hank is into pretending to be various types of monsters, dragons, dinosaurs and animals.  His favorite shows are Go Diego Go and Mike the Knight.

He naps 2 hours a day and sleeps about 11 hours each night. Hank is also left handed, but appears to be right footed in sports.  We can't wait to see what changes come this next year. We love you soooooo much!

Here's the little guy's stats:
Height: 36.6 inches (10-20th%tile)
Weight: 28.2 pounds (20th %ile)

Joining JJ for his 3rd Birthday

 Today we headed to the Children's Museum to celebrate Hank's buddy, JJ's, 3rd birthday.  

The boys really got into playing with all the balls.

Hank also enjoyed being a firefighter as he practiced sliding down the pole.

 After working up an appetite, everyone enjoyed some lunch and cupcakes.

 What a great way to spend a good friend's birthday.  Happy birthday, JJ!

Birthday Play Date with Jennie

 Today Hank had another birthday celebration!  

Hank's friend, Jennie, invited us over to her Nana Pat's house for a play date.  Jennie's mommy, Lisa, baked up special cupcakes for us all to enjoy for snack.
Mmmmmm - cake!

 After snack, Hank got several gifts.  

Here he is reading his new "Poke-a-Dot!" Old MacDonald's Farm book where he gets to push in dots that make popping sounds as you count the animals on each page. 

 Hank definitely agrees that no child should go without one of these 

(shh - it may even be better than a new toy truck)!

 Of course, Jennie preferred to stick with her favorite, Curious George.

 Out of all the toys Nana Pat had for Hank to play with, he enjoyed Nana Pat's exercise balls the most.

Why does this not surprise us?!

Thank you, friends, for making Hank's 2nd birthday so special!!

Two Years Old

Today Hank turned two years old. . . . time for an update!

Hank is a small, but healthy little boy - 34 inches long (25-50th%ile) and 24 lbs 8 oz (10th%ile).  

Hank's favorite toys are trucks.  Trucks like "push" (bulldozers) and "dig" (frontloaders) are favorites.

Hank's favorite hat is his kippah.  He even sleeps with it.

He loves to eat with a spoon - no forks, please.

Food must be in a bowl or container.  Plates and baggies are so yesterday's news.

Meat just isn't cool, but spaghetti rules.  Baked Lay's are pretty good, too.

Going to the pool is the best thing ever.  Having to leave is the worst.

Baths are okay, especially when you get a stamp on your belly afterwards.

Dancing fast is fun.  

Being outside in the snow is fine, as long as you don't touch it.

Birthday Party Fun with the Family!

Today we celebrated Hank's 2nd Birthday.

 Hank invited Grandma Marcy, Aunt Rachel, Sierra and Ryder over for his party.

 After a yummy breakfast, Hank enjoyed opening his gifts. 

 Here he is checking out the new bath toys the Matz Family got for him.

Of course, what is a party without some good old fashioned play?!

Happy Birthday, Hank!  Mommy and Daddy love you!!

                 

Hank and JJ - Birthday Pals

We traveled to Evergreen today for a birthday play date for both Hank and his buddy, JJ, who just turned 2.    

The boys ran around, played with cars and hid in the cabinets together.

 After so much playing, it was time for a lunch break. 

 For dessert,we brought mini birthday cakes. 

 Hank promptly ate a piece, while JJ decorated his with his favorite toys.  

Happy Birthday, boys!

Mommy's Birthday!

For Mommy's 36th birthday, 

Daddy and Hank took Mommy for a ride on the paddle boats at the lake by our house.  

After that, it was a day full of playground fun and a trip to the ice cream shop.

Once night time came, the babysitter took over, and Mommy and Daddy drove into Boulder for a night of sushi and sake.  Check out our dinner . . . 

 And yes, we ate every last bite!

 Thanks to my boys for a great birthday!

Sierra's Birthday

Today Hank got to help his Cousin Sierra celebrate her sixth birthday at The Little Gym.

He loved all the activities, starting with the balance beam.

Then the girls crawled after Hank all over the mats.

After a quick photo break with Grandpa Eli and Daddy, Hank was ready for more action.

Nothing like getting on the jumping mat with the big kids!

Happy Birthday, Sierra!

Hank had a blast!

39 Birthdays . . .

Hank couldn't wait to help his Daddy celebrate his last brithday before the big 4-0!

It was a nice sunny day, so no better place to hang out than on the deck. Hank also couldn't wait to show Daddy his birthday gift.A new coffee mug with Hank's footprints. Hank made one last year, too. I think this may become a yearly tradition.Once Hank was down for the night, we enjoyed some wine and dinner with friends. Happy Birthday, Ari. We love you!!