Fun Pictures

These pictures were mixed in with some of the birthday pics and I wanted to share since I thought they were cute...

Precious Henry

Smiles for Mommy!

The budding artist

Playing with the activity gym

Eating cereal...

Tommy is 4!!

Tommy's actual birthday was yesterday, February 23rd. He had school and I was able to be the helper which he always enjoys. I let him pick out his own treat to bring to school for his birthday and he chose Fruit Gushers and Skittles. He also brought bubbles to pass out to all of his friends. He thought he was pretty hot stuff! After school we had lunch at Treat Street with Papa and Grandma Debbie which is always a favorite and then Grandma Debbie took him to the bookstore to pick out a book.

For weeks Tommy has said that he wanted to eat at Fricanos for his birthday, so once Nathan got home from work we opened presents and then headed out to dinner. It was a wonderful dinner "just our family" as Tommy always says :) We had a great time celebrating our precious four year old!

Opening presents

A Michigan hat!

For his last gift we sent him on a scavenger hunt around the house and yard. He had such a fun time searching for the clues and at one point told me, "the Easter bunny is so good at leaving hunts for me." Not sure why the Easter bunny was involved in the birthday celebration, but oh well :)

Tommy found the last hiding spot- and his new bike!

Tommy's Party- Batts Side

Sunday night we had Tommy's birthday party with the Batts side of the family. Tommy has insisted on a dog party since December- so a dog party it was! I had fun playing off of the theme and the birthday boy was pleased with the end result (which is all that really matters anyway!)

Annaliese, Ellie, and Tommy ready for the festivities- don't they look excited?!

The fishing pond became the dog pound this year. The youngest ones really believed there were dogs back there trading their dog bones for prizes.

Ellie's turn at the Dog Pound

The cousins were able to pick out a stuffed dog, a carrier for the dog, a leash, pillows, and then decorate a collar and name plate for the puppy. They had a great time and it was fun to see how into it they all were.

The cousins with their puppies! Annaliese with her puppy, Audrey with her dog Puddles, Ellie with her dog Katherine, Madelyn with her puppy Ginger, and Tommy with his dog named Tommy :)

Singing to the birthday boy!

The kids made ice cream sundaes in dog dishes

This is the face we got when he was told he needed to wait another couple of minutes before opening his gifts :)

Opening gifts

Audrey helped read all of the cards to Tommy.

Playing Wii with his cousins.

Tommy received lots of paint and painting supplies for his birthday so he insisted on creating a few masterpieces before he went to bed last night. Our little puppy slept well after his weekend of celebrations!

Tommy's Party- Plaisier Side

We've had a busy weekend celebrating Tommy's 4th birthday!! His actual birthday isn't until Tuesday, but he had two parties this weekend and I think we are all tired out. Saturday night we had the Plaisier side over to celebrate. Tommy loved being the center of attention and was definitely spoiled!

The birthday banner

The birthday boy through the years and the party favors.

The table- all set for the party.

Daddy, Tommy, and Mommy

The big four year old!!

Opening gifts

More presents

Riding his new scooter!

His new pinball game was a big hit!

Playing his new Wii! He is actually pretty good at it. He lifts his leg in the air like that every time he plays bowling :)

Playing with his art easel first thing the next morning. He was so happy with all of his gifts and keeps saying how much fun it was that all of his family came to his party!

Tommy's First Dental Exam

Tommy had his first dental check-up this past week. He was very nervous about it, but we talked about it lots and he was able to watch me have mine checked first before it was his turn. He did much better than I expected him to and thinks he is hot stuff. He is pretty proud of the fact that he has 20 teeth and will proudly tell anyone who asks!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Five Months Old

Henry Christopher- Five Months Old

Nathan and I can't believe how much you can love someone that you have only known for 5 months! Henry has brought so much joy to our family and we really can't remember what it was like before he was here! When things are going right in Henry's world he is a wonderful baby, but if he is upset- watch out! We've discovered that Henry has quite a temper and he isn't shy about showing it! It is fun as he gets older to see what his little personality is like and how is is similar and different from his older brother. Time seems to be flying and it's hard to believe that he is already this old!

His unofficial weight at 5 months is 16.5lbs

What's Henry up to at 5 months?

• He sleeps from about 6:30pm- 8am every night. For about a week he was getting up around 3am and talking and getting so wound up that he needed a bottle to go back to sleep, but that seems to have worked itself out and he has been sleeping through the night again.
• He eats about 6 times a day- which I guess averages out to about every 2 hours.
• He is eating cereal and tried squash today for the first time.
• He typically naps from about 9:30am- 11am and then again from 1:30pm-3:00pm. Sometimes he takes a little cat nap around 4:30pm.
• He sucks his left thumb to fall asleep and needs his glow seahorse that plays music.
• He loves to look at his hands, play in the activity gym, and the excersaucer.
• He is in size 6-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
• He laughs, makes cooing noises, and likes to interact with people.
• He loves the bath and his bottles, but still isn't a big fan of the car seat!
  

Grandpa's Birthday

Grandpa DeVries celebrated his 83rd birthday on February 3rd. The entire family gathered to celebrate on Sunday, even my cousin Nathan all the way from New York! It was fun to see everyone! Happy Birthday Grandpa!

The birthday boy!

Tommy helped to blow out the candles.

The Henrys

Grandma holding Ella.

Papa and Henry

Aunt Sarah and Tommy coloring at the "kids' table."

Grandma and Grandpa DeVries with all of their grandchildren (and spouses/ fiances) and great-grandchildren.

Grams and Gramps with the great-grandchildren: Henry (4 months), Tommy (3 years), and Ella (3 weeks).

Cooper Turns 2!

Our dog, Cooper, celebrated his golden birthday on Tuesday. He turned 2 on 2/2! He can be frustrating, but he is so good with Tommy that it makes up for his many short-comings. Tommy and Cooper play together all the time and Cooper lets Tommy pull on him, jump on him, wrestle him, and yell at him. He's also been great with Henry. One of our favorite things right now is when Tommy "whistles" for Cooper. I should try to get it on video- he really just sort of makes a yelling noise that sounds similar to a whistle, but Cooper almost always obeys and follows!

Happy Birthday Coops!

Cooper- 2 years old (and yes, he did manage to chew the end of his collar)!

Cooper's cake- Tommy helped me make scrambled eggs, mixed with rice and sprinkled with green sprinkles for Cooper- Tommy says that green is Cooper's favorite color.

Giving Cooper his birthday present.