Milestone success...

Potty training is under way at the Hummel household..and so far has been less a little less painful than I imagined.  Here is Graham making his famous "beaver face" and holding a BIG fuzzy ball.  If you will notice on the shelf he has a little mason jar full of SMALL fuzzy balls, we were just waiting on the "big one" to bring on the reward.  I won't dishonor the child by going in to detail about the BIG ONE.

 

Here we are at the toy store picking out anything he wanted.  It was obvious he doesn't quite get what "anything you want" means.  He picked a very modest play dough truck - this is after he told Mike he really wanted a ball pit...good Christmas gift idea.

 

He insisted on looking at his special truck the whole time the high school employee rung us up - hey sir, you were three once...let's see a smile.  He has played with this thing for hours today.  This is his first official play dough toy.  Also, a great gift for Christmas this year.  This is going to the best Christmas thus far, because EVERYTHING is so exciting to G.  May the Lord, bless us with childlike faith.

 

Let's Hear it for Big Fuzzy Balls

Be still my heart...

Mike came home a few weeks back and "demanded" we all load up to go see a hot air balloon that was on the UTD campus.  My kids were so excited.  It's funny because Graham was super interested, but cautious as usual.  He really wanted to watch it, but not ever stop touching his mom (just in case the hot air balloon got crazy and came for us). 

 

 

Track was also intrigued, but really scared.  The second the fire would start up he would turn to Mike and start wailing.  Maybe I should use loud hot fire when I need to get his attention at home.  I kid, I kid...

 

It was a great experience and my husband gets an A+ for first noticing that there was a hot air balloon (serious)  and then thinking the babies would love it. 

 

Let's Hear it for Hot Air

No chairs...

Well this week I had to remove the temptation for my youngest child and store the dining room chairs in the hall closet!  Amazing.  I also informed Mike that this child may look more like me, but he has MIKE HUMMEL all over his personality.  Stubbornness Leadership here he comes...

 

Let's Hear it for This Child Made in His Image

One of Mike and I's goals for all of our children is to teach them kindness and to serve others.  Christmas time makes this easy, because there are so many "no brainer" programs already set up.  We have done angels, shoe boxes for prisoners and bought diapers and formula for families in West Dallas.  This year we did Operation Christmas Child through our church, Watermark.  Graham is 3 now and can at least recite back what you are telling him, even if he may not "get it".  So this year we packed 5 boxes...one for each Hummel...and we sent them across the world for other babies to experience Christmas and to tell them about Jesus.

 

Ill be honest it was a touch harder than we imagined with the shopping and the "mama can I have that?" "I wish I had that?" "Is that for me?" questions.  In all, both boys handled it with grace and did not fuss about these toys not being for them.  Why would they, they "tried" them out to the best of their ability while packing them.  The germs will die on the plane ride, right?

 

The loot...

 

G checking out the coloring book before packing it... 

 

Mike explaining that these are for OTHER children AGAIN... 

 

Trying out the goodies before we pack...Wait is that my husband with one of the toys IN HIS MOUTH? - good parenting. 

 

Now he has the hang of it...

 

Tracksters getting in ont he packing action...

 

and the best smile we have caught on camera in a long time...sweet child.

 

Let's Hear it for Operation Christmas Child

 

So BIG...

Look at this little guy being so BIG.

 

Here is Track's first experience with a tooth brush.  The child started getting teeth at 3 months old, so I'm not sure why Mike and I JUST started brushing his teeth at 15 months.  Oops.  If I'm being honest Graham only gets his teeth brushed about three or four times a week (you know regular bath schedule) and that might be exaggerating.  I better get on the good hygiene routine...

 

When do kids start going to the dentist anyway?

 

In more Track news, he LOVES to slide down the slide BY HIMSELF.  This is a new trick at 15 months that is so cute and fun for me.  It's nice to go to the park and the boys can almost play by themselves without me feeling like someone is going to break a leg.

 

 

All these sweet big changes in my youngest only to go back through them all in a few short months with my new youngest.  Ha.  Mothering is so fun.

 

Let's Hear it for Track Who "They" Say Looks Like Me

We were selling the house...

and it SOLD... 

 

We put the house on the market a few weeks ago on a Wednesday and had two full price offers by that same Friday.  Wowzers.  Apparently, the housing market in Richardson is HOT HOT HOT.  I also know this because there are NO houses on the market to BUY BUY BUY.  So at the end of this month we are moving out of our first home and into....well, really we have no idea. 

 

Here is what she looked like on her last days.

 

 

Front yard that we landscaped amateurly and professionally 1600 times.  I will not miss you and your dying ways.  Porch swing, you will be dearly missed.  This is where we sit and stay while we wait for Mike to get home or where I take a fussy baby to calm down.  Who am I kidding...I'm packing it up, packing it in, and taking it with me.

 

Entry Way...where I pile all kinds of stuff to "return" or "remind" (ie. Mikes wallet). 

.

 

The Dining Room.  I will not miss the color I messed up 4 times on the wall.  Nor will I ever try a "yellow" again.  However, we have had some pretty eventful dinners in this space with the little boys.  I will always remember sitting at this table, in this room, for breakfast every morning with the boys and talking about the day and thanking the Lord for Mommy and Daddy and Track and Graham. 

 

Oh the Window...  I will probably miss this window the most.  This is where we watch for daddy to come home and I snoop out whats going on in the neighborhood.  Many a good conversation, with a friend, has been had sitting in this window while the boys napped. 

 

Laundry Room...I will not miss the tight space and elevated washer and dryer.  So high when I am pregnant, which is ALWAYS, that I can't get in washer.  But it has been worth having an easy to fix pier and beam house that you can get into the crawl space, which is directly under the washer.

 

Living Room.  I bought those bar stools with bestie Jodi for $5 each or something close to that.  She told me at the time they were probably worth $45 or something.  She ALWAYS knows what she is talking about or at least how to make me hurry and make a decision...DEAL DEAL DEAL. 

 

 

 

The Kitchen.  I still love these cottage style cabinets.  I'm going to take them too. 

 

Note to self...Microwave under the counter - not convienient, but nice looking. 

 

 

Master Bed Room.

 

Master Bath...I will NOT miss you.  You don't function right and it is our fault.  No storage space, no counter space and no place for shampoo and the like in the shower.  Bad design.  Sorry about that.  I can count the number of times we have showered in here.  Hence why you get the award for cleanest room in the house. 

 

Guest Bath...I have good memories of bathing the babies, brushing their teeth and potty training in here, but you are a bath room and you stay pretty dirty - so for that - I won't miss you.  Another note to self, do not buy a TV stand for a sink vanity...stOOpid and also silly.

 

Mike built us this deck when I was pregnant with Graham in 2009 and it has been a great place of refuge for us in nice weather.  Mike loves to read on the deck in the morning and now that the boys are old enough they love to be outside.  I will miss this spot, but not too much - I will just get Mike to build us a new one. 

 

This has been a wonderful first home.  We have been here 6 years.  We renovated, got our first puppy, brought home two babies and the Lord blessed us with a third pregnancy here.  It has been a good place, but it is time to move on.  More space, less chaos and a new start in the Reservation or Prairie Creek.

 

Let's Hear it for Our 1st Home.

Graham turns THREE...

Graham had his 3rd birthday party.  We did a "repeat process" at Mimosa Park and it was great and EASY.  Here is the birthday boy the morning of... sportin some Christmas Jammie's in October.  I should have though of that before I started snapping pictures.  Good mom.

 

A few of the decorations...nothing fancy.  Most of the good stuff is packed away for house showings.

 

The two boys with matching "sweaties" and a mama stuffing her mouth...nice.

 

Getting ready for the "hit" of the party.  My in laws will laugh at that pun - trust me.

 

Graham and his friends...

 

Anabelle Kate...

 

Brynn Self...

 

Knox...

 

Etan Self (Mark my words, this will be Tracks partner in crime I can already tell)...

 

The Tracksters...

 

The pinata or as G calls it the "Re-Ya-Ta" was awesome.  The kids were super excited to hit it and watching them almost hit each other and swing a dangerous bat wildly in the air was worth lots of belly laughs.  I won't ever have another toddler birthday party without one.  It was filled with bouncy balls, whistles, straws, play dough and glow bracelets....BIG HIT.

 

Here is G blowing out his candles on another Hail Mary Tart...

 

The birthday cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes - Pumpkin Spice...delicious and cute.  Sorry about the "biz shot" of Mike.  Whoopsies.

 

Mama and a tired baby.

 

G with a Kombucha moustache thanks to the Dyers.

 

Me and apparently  my only friend - Kels.  I promise I have other friends, but for some reason I don't force them to take pictures with me.  Kelsey - your "pose" might be too much for a 3 year old's birthday party and your hair is so GIANT and RED....awesome.

 

Drum Roll Please...my favorite gift this year - compliments of Kels.  

 Graham kept saying when he opened it, in amazement,..."mom, is that me?"

 

All and all we had a great birthday party and it was fairly simple.  Mike and I thank the Lord often for giving Graham a kind and gentle spirit.  He is seriously sweet to his core.  It makes me nervous that the Lord has big plans for him.  Which, I know would be a good thing...yatta yatta.  I just hope the big plans are close to his Mama.

 

Let's Hear it for a Fast and Great 3 Years