The Hank Show

As I write this, it’s actually March. Better late than never to catch up, right?

November was awesome! We had so much fun with family and friends. Tyler returned from his work trip to China in the first part of the month. Hank was so excited about his Dad coming home, there was no sleeping until Daddy arrived. Tyler brought some treasures back from his trip, along with some great stories, cultural lessons (ask him about the drinking games and etiquette sometime) and some photos. We’ll have to have him do a blog entry about his trip one of these days. Hank especially loved a jade dragon Tyler brought for him and was fascinated by the Chinese money and how different the coins look from American coins. While in China, Tyler visited a pearl market and a silk market and brought back treasures from both for me – I love them! And of course, tea. We enjoy drinking our “tea from China” very much!

Hank could not contain his excitement for the holidays this month. He loves Thanksgiving (“yummy food and spending time with Grandma and Aunt Laura at Grandma’s house”) and he knows that Christmas is not far behind Thanksgiving. In fact, Hank was so excited about Christmas coming up, he took out and set up his Nativity set before Thanksgiving! At his (repeated) request, we had the tree up and the house fully decorated (including the lights outside!) by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. That’s really something for us as we seem to have become procrastinators on things like that since Hank was born. (One year, we didn’t even put ornaments on our tree)

At preschool, Hank and his pals learned about the first Thanksgiving and had a Thanksgiving celebration. They worked together to make cornbread for “the feast” and had fun making crafts like a thankfulness turkey and fruit and vegetable prints. Hank has really been enjoying preschool. He’s also been having fun playing the violin. He spent time in November preparing for his very first violin recital in December. He had fun practicing on “the big stage” with Alexis.

Hank was beyond stoked to spend Thanksgiving with his Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Jon and Aunt Laura, Uncle Josh and Aunt Dayna, Uncle Amos and Aunt Shannon, Aunt Donna, Uncle Dick and many of his cousins at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Hank helped make one of his favorites, carrot cake, for the special family dinner. Uncle Jon smoked a turkey and it was delicious! Hank had fun running around and playing with the cousins who were there.

November was SO fun! It was busy too and we often found ourselves without a camera so we don’t have a ton of photos from this month. But here are a few in no particular order – enjoy!

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October was full of celebrations. Hank and several of his friends (and cousins and an uncle) all celebrated thier birthdays in October. We also had fall festivals and Halloween in October, it was a busy month!

We spent lots of time outdoors enjoying the lovely weather. We went to parks and played with friends, played outside at home, worked in the garden and just enjoyed being outdoors. Hank continues to enjoy playing violin and learning new things. He really likes using the bow. He enjoys baking, pizza and cookies being among his favorite things to make. Kai and Connor had thier birthday party at Austin’s Park and Pizza. We’d not been there before and Hank absolutely loved it! He’s been asking to return since the party. He really likes rides and Austin’s Park is just the right size for a child his age. We had a great time there.

Hank had great fun dressing up as Diego and attending various Halloween parties and fall festivals. On Halloween, Hank had his 4-year well check (everything is awesome!) and everyone at the pediatrician’s office was dressed up in the style of the 1950s. Hank was so pleased when he went trick-or-treating at Grandma’s house and she was dressed that way too. He went trick-or-treating with his cousins, David, Tori and Michael and they were fantastic at helping him not feel afraid (some people handing out treats were dressed in rather scary costumes).

Near the end of the month, Tyler left for China (work) and Hank spent some special time with GG and Grandad. We went to the zoo together and had so much fun. October felt like a wave of parties and gatherings and it was an absolute blast!

 
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We can’t believe Hank is already 4 years old! We’ll never forget the day he was born, but time has certainly passed quickly since that day! Hank had a blast celebrating his birthday with friends and family. He wanted to have a dinosaur train party at our house and was very specific about who he chose to invite. He named each person and asked me to “make a list”. It was very organized and rather adorable.

His party was a blast. Hank’s preschool teacher and our family friend, Ms Valerie, made Hank the most perfect Dinosaur Train cake. He was SO pleased with it and excited about it that whenever a new guest arrived at the party, he would take them to see the cake first thing. Hank really likes dinosaurs right now and he felt his party was perfect. Grandma helped sew some fabulous tails (GG and Mommy stuffed and finished them) which delighted the children. They had fun trying them on, having races, playing dino ball (that was a sight to see, young children trying to hit a ball with a tail attached to their bodies). Very Fun.

Tyler made a giant triceratops puzzle from foam and cardboard and the children had the best time searching out the bones in our yard and helping to put the dinosaur together. They loved it! Of course, they loved demolishing the dino as much as putting it together. Once the triceratops was constructed, we tried to get the children to sit by it for a photo. (Not all of the party guests made that photo, but hey, we tried.) The moment the photos were snapped (on various cameras), the children jumped up and began tearing apart the dinosaur. The glee on their faces was priceless! We constructed and deconstructed the dino countless times throughout the afternoon, it was great fun.

Opening presents with that many young guests was something else. Hank really wanted to open his gifts and tell his friends thank you so he sat down in a chair and began opening them. It was like a present opening party. As many children as could got in on the opening presents action and everyone was excited with the discovery of each new gift. This party marks a new record for our family. Most children in our home at one time (19). Fortunately they were accompanied by their parents so the adults weren’t out numbered. 🙂 We’ve certainly had that many people at our home before for a gathering, but its always been adults. This was our first time having so many children at our house at one time. It was a success! Hank loved his party and had such a great time with his friends and family! 

The birthday fun didn’t stop there though. For dinner that evening (the day of his party), GG and Grandad took Hank out for dinner before they left town for thier home. Hank had pancakes for dinner! He loves having breakfast for dinner and we don’t do it very often so it was a special treat. Later in the week, we hosted another birthday party for Hank. Again, this one was his idea and he was very specific about the guest list. Hank had a birthday movie night with his “grownup” friends (we often call them his village). He planned the menu (little [pulled] pork sandwiches, rice with chickpeas, broccoli and “salad for the grownups”), we had cake (more Dinosaur Train cake – it was awesome!) and we watched whatever Hank wanted to see. Hank chose to watch an episode of Mama Mirabelle (about fossils) and introduced his adult friends to the world of Pocoyo, Everyone had a great time and after Hank went to bed, the adults stuck around for a more mature film (Wild Target, which everyone also enjoyed). Hank just loved getting to spend time with his special adult friends and it made us happy that they love Hank so much they were willing to watch kid shows with him. We are so blessed with good friends!

Hank’s birthday was another adventure! He had preschool that morning and his classmates made him a birthday banner and a hat. He wore that hat all day long. After preschool, Hank had lunch with Daddy. He could choose the restaurant because it was his birthday and he chose a local deli. The same deli where he broke his finger a few years ago. He remembers that but it doesn’t keep him from going. He says he really likes to eat there. We’re glad because we like to eat there too. After lunch we went for ice cream. Hank loves “the blue kind” (cotton candy I think), so of course that’s what he ordered. Messy, but wonderful. Later in the day, we went to a pumpkin patch and Hank selected a pumpkin to carve with Daddy. Since Daddy was leaving for China (work) the next day, he and Hank carved the pumpkin that night. Hank wanted to make a “surprised faced pumpkin” so that’s what they did. He got to stay up past his bedtime, eat whatever he wanted and spend time with his favorite people. It was an excellent day!

 
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September seemed to fly by for us. After we left the cabin, Hank spent a few days with GG and Grandad driving through New Mexico on the way home. He had a great time visiting museums, eating junk, sleeping in a hotel. Hank loves to sleep at hotels because its the only place he’s allowed to jump on the bed. He had an excellent time jumping on the bed during his stay with GG and Grandad! He also saw lots of dinosaur bones and told us we *have* to go to that museum with him sometime soon.

Hank spent special time with his cousin, Ainsley. They made up stories and did shows for GG and Grandad, including making a volcano out of the sheets and pillows on their bed. We got to celebrate several birthdays with friends (and family had birthdays too, but we didn’t actually have celebrations with them this year as we weren’t in the same towns). We had a few visits to museums. Hank and Ainsley had an absolute blast playing together at the Mayborn Museum. And we had lots of fun enjoying the good weather and playing outside. Hank was so excited to get to play with his cousins, Kai, Connor and Mia in September. He didn’t get to see much of them over the summer so it was such a treat to play with them. Hank and Tyler had a special “guys weekend” in Arlington where Tyler went to a Rangers game with his dad and some friends. Hank visited the Fort Worth Zoo and where he got to feed a parrot and touch a snake. They aslo visited with some of our friends who recently had a baby. Hank was keen to help Laura open the presents he brought for baby Hadley. He helped choose them and couldn’t wait to share.

Hank began preschool in September. His teacher, Miss Valerie, is wonderful. Hank loves preschool and has lots of fun whenever he goes. He’s still learning to play the violin and is preparing for his first recital (in December). He was SO excited to get a lesson with the bow this month and now he gets to play using his bow. Its wonderful seeing him learn and grow and discover and master new things! Here are some photos from our adventures in September in no particular order, enjoy!

 
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We had a blast at the cabin in August and September. We love heading there around that time to escape the Texas heat, get a change of scenery and have a bit of a calm before all our fall commitments kick in. This trip was lovely and everyone had a wonderful time!

Hank enjoyed feeding the deer every day – we’re so blessed to have them come and eat right out our hands. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that they are in fact wild animals (some with very large antlers). We went fishing at the pond near out cabin, threw countless rocks into the river, went for rides on the 4-wheeler, played archery, baked and cooked, made s’mores, played, hiked, relaxed – it was wonderful.

We took a few day trips including going to Colorado and hitting a wildlife refuge on our way there and back. Hank calls the refuge “the Mountain Zoo” and he had a great time walking around and checking out all the animals. We spent a day at Ghost Ranch and had a magnificent time hiking out to Hayden Quarry, a site of immense geological and educational value. Its famous for its rich deposits of Late Triassic dinosaurs and has been being studied by paleontologist for over 130 years. Hank was sad he didn’t get to see any fossils or bones when we got to the quarry, but excited to get to see and hold some in Ghost Ranch’s Hall of Paleontology. He thought it was so neat that Ghost Ranch’s resident paleontologist, Dr. Alex, knows Dr. Scott the paleontologist from Dinosaur Train (a show Hank really enjoys). Dr. Alex took us on a private tour of the facility including showing us some catologing in process. It was very cool. 

There was a studio tour happening while we were visiting the cabin so we went on the tour and saw lots of interesting art. We found a new (to us) coffee shop and cafe with fantastic panini and smoothies that we plan to frequent on our next visit. And we learned that the Chama Public Library has a storytime for Hank’s age group. We went to the storytime and Hank was the only child there that day. He had a blast and got all the librarian’s attention. They read stories, sang songs, made a painting and had a snack. It was a nice way to spend the morning.

We had a few special visitors at the cabin this time, bears. We saw two different bears and Hank gave them both names, Blackberry Rose and Almond the Bear. He said Almond the Bear was his favorite, we think that might be because we saw more of Almond the Bear than we did any other. I guess the bears were just out and about in general because in town, there was an enormous bear at the top of a pine tree near the grocery store. The police came out and put tape around the area to discourage people from hanging out by that tree. The bear looked far too large to be that high up the tree, but they are excellent climbers after all. We spent some time visiting with Paul and Carlotte, Tyler’s Uncle and Aunt and just generally had a great time.

When it was time to leave the cabin, we were all sad to be going. But we’re looking forward to our next visit. Hank is hoping for snow next time. Here are some photos from our time at the cabin this summer in no particular order.

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The big news lately is Hank’s violin. After asking to play violin for over a year, he finally gets to!

His teacher (and godmother), Alexis, met us at the violin shop to help Hank choose the best violin for him. I didn’t realize they made them so small. Hank tried out a few violins and Alexis measured to make sure we found the best size for him. He plucked a few strings to hear the sound and had a great time choosing his first violin.

The next day, Hank had his very first lesson with Alexis. He had a blast! He was thrilled to learn a song on his first day playing violin and was keen to share it with anyone he could (he showed Daddy within minutes of his arriving home from work). Its only been a few weeks and Hank knows two songs now (which he likes to play for people. He gave his GG and Grandad a concert last weekend and some of his friends a concert the week before). He’s excited about learning to use the bow and is working very hard on being patient and practicing what Alexis teaches him so he can use the bow one day.

Hank said, “Mommy, I’m going to learn to play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and then I’m going to play at your show!”. Its wonderful to see him so excited. And his violin is just adorable. He really likes to practice and enjoys bowing at the end of each practice session (or “concert” depending on who is around when he practices). Here are some photos from Hank’s adventure with Alexis choosing a violin and from his very first lesson.

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July was full of celebrations. Not only did we celebrate Independence Day (with an exellent fireworks show at Uncle Josh and Aunt Dayna’s house), but Tyler and Sarah celebrated thier birthdays, so did Tori and a few of Hank’s friends so we had lots and lots of cake that month. Ben, Nancy and James came for a quick visit and Hank had a blast playing with his cousins. We hosted several playdates, played at water parks, visited libraries and museums and parks and pools and friends’ houses and restaurants, gone to baseball games, baked lots of cookies and done lots of swimming. It was a very full, very fun month.

Hank went to a vacation Bible school at a different church (our church didn’t have VBS for his age and he really wanted to go to VBS) and he had a great time. It was a drop off program and he had a blast making new friends, learning about Jesus, singing songs and making crafts. He still sings the songs from that VBS and plays the CD he won there any chance he can. In July, Hank also continued his CANTA class, learning Spanish through music. He likes to watch his favorite shows in Spanish now and we think that’s great fun.

It was a wonderful month full of great times with people we love. Here are some photos in no particular order.

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Our June was full of parties. We celebrated several of our friends’ and family members’ birthdays as well as Grandad’s retirement. One day, we went to three birthday parties in a row! We also took our friends, Lilly, Greta and (their mom) Valerie, to the Mayborn Museum to check out the newly re-opened historic village. That was loads of fun! The children got to ring the church bell, grind corn, churn butter, play old-time games, visit and old store and grind coffee, pump water – all the things people did to live life long ago seemed novel and fun there. And of course there’s the museum. We had a blast there as usual. We also visited the Blanton Art Museum several times in June for storytime and creative fun. One of the times we went, we were joined by our friends, Henry, Edie and (thier mom) CaryAnn. Another time we went with Hank’s friend, Ben and (his mom) Karen. It was wonderful seeing what each child was drawn to in the museum and stopping every so often to hear a story. Hank loves going to that story time so we often go without any of our friends. Hank prefers one docent in particular, Ms. Vicki, and she always has some theme planned for that weeks storyime. We played at water parks, did crafts and visited various storytimes (Spanish, at church, at the library) with our friends.

Hank has been enjoying his swimming lessons with Coach Isaac and at the end of June began another session of CANTA, the musical Spanish class he loves so much with Miss Natalie. We’ve had special playdates with friends and even celebrated Grandad’s retirement with him at a special party. June was a very full month for our social calendar but we all had a blast and loved getting to spend so much time celebrating life and other special things!

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May was another super full, super fun month for us. GG and Grandad came for a visit and Hank had a blast playing with them. Tyler played in his first golf tournament since his knee surgery. There was a flag dedication celebration at Tyler’s office and Hank had so much fun waving flags around. Sarah sang the National Anthem while they raised the American flag and everyone had a great time. We hung out with family and friends a bunch in May. Most notably, Hank (and Sarah) went to the zoo with his friends Lilly and Greta (and thier mom, Valerie). So fun watching the children play and observe the animals there. We had a potluck picnic with some friends – and lovely weather for that too! And we went to see Hank’s cousin, Michael, in one of the male leads in his school play, Annie. Michael played Rooster and he did a great job. Hank brought Mr. Bear with him in case things got scary. We think Mr. Bear liked the play too. Hank also met some EMTs while we were out for family breakfast one day. He talked to them about how they help people and they asked him if he wanted to check out the ambulance. They spent quite a bit of time with Hank answering his quesitons and showing him around the ambulance. It was really neat. Here are some photos from May in no particular order:

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