the big 4...

Four years ago today we welcomed Ethan William Hart into our family. Weighing 8lbs 13oz and 21 inches long. Our second precious son and a wonderful gift from God!

What fun we have had watching him grow! He didn't stay in the "baby stage" long...he had a big brother to keep up with!

Ethan has brought so much joy and laughter to our home. He loves to be silly and have fun! He gives the best bear hugs ever..."so you can't breath"!! :)

One of our favorite things about Ethan is his "easy going" personality...he will eat almost anything, loves every sport, is willing to be the good guy or the bad guy when playing Star Wars, and just goes with the flow, as long as he has his juice! :)
Of all our boys Ethan has the most nicknames...E-bugs, E.W., Baby E, Bigs, E-biggins, Buga, The Biggins Buggins, Bugs, and just plain E. We sure love him and the special boy that he is! He lets his light shine for Jesus by singing and doing the motions so well. He is quite verbal, so you always know what he is thinking. It brings us so much joy to see his love for his brothers and how he always wants to be with them. So Ethan as you turn 4...may the force be with you!! Happy Birthday Buddy!

Puppy Time...

For those of you who know Ethan well, you know he loves stuffed animals or as we call them "lovies". He has tons of them! So for Christmas, when he was 1 1/2 years old we got him a huge(bigger than him at the time) dog stuffed animal...known as "Giant Puppy". Of course he loved it and had to have it with him all the time! He had to sleep with it, but he was still in the crib. So I would let him fall asleep with it and then go take it out of his crib, because I was too nervous about him sleeping with it or using it to help climb out of the crib.

We still have Giant Puppy...he's been along for car rides, sleepovers at Grandpa and Grandma Choo Choo's, camping and to the cottage! He loves to take baths in the washing machine! :) He is definitely Ethan's (huge) comfort...whenever there is sadness, sleepiness, fear, etc. you will find Ethan snuggled with Giant Puppy. To which we have this time each day(sometimes more than once) that we call "Puppy Time". Ethan asks for juice and then goes and snuggles with Giant Puppy.

Well little Levi has caught on to this routine, so now he also wants juice and goes and snuggles with Ethan and Giant Puppy. It's super cute, however I am quite surprised because Ethan is very protective of his Giant Puppy and normally doesn't want others to lay on it...for fear Giant Puppy will get too hot! :) But he lets Levi join him...I think Ethan learned that Levi has no sit in him, so he won't be laying there long.

This past Christmas we got Levi his own Giant Puppy, which he loves. However when Ethan is having "Puppy Time" who's puppy do you think Levi likes to lay on?!?

Last day...

Well today is Caleb's last day of school and I thought it would be fun to show you his picture on the first day of school.

And here is a picture of Caleb this morning on his last day of school!

He has definitely grown inside and out!

Caleb's teacher asked him some questions about what he thought of Kindergarten and here are a few of them...
The thing I like most about Kindergarten is gym class.
At school I like learning about "stuff".
At recess I like to play soccer.
My favorite Bible story that we've had this year is about David and Goliath.
Some of my friends at school are Blake, Andy, Tyler, Zac, Austin, and Nathan.
If I were the teacher I would teach "stuff".
At school I feel closer to God by reading the Bible stories and praying.

It was a great year! However we are looking forward to a fun summer and then it's off to 1st grade!

Go Hot Tamales!

This past Saturday was Caleb's last soccer game for the season. It has been so fun watching him, as well as his teammates just get better and better! Caleb had a great group of boys on his team! Unfortunately the teams change as the boys move up to the U-8 level this fall. So most likely it will be all different kids on his team. We are hopping we get another great group of boys and parents this fall. Kevin and my brother Nate will again coach Caleb's team. To end the year Kevin and Nate gave each boy a soccer medal. Caleb is SO proud of his medal...and we are SO proud of Caleb! I have said this before, but our family really, really enjoyed this year of soccer! Not only was it a joy to watch Caleb play and Kevin and Uncle Nate coach him, but watching Ethan's excitement for Caleb and his team! Ethan would be right in with the team(as much as he could), he would wear a red shirt to the games(Caleb's team color), and as soon as Caleb would have a break Ethan would have to be the one to give Caleb his water bottle. Ethan was definitely Caleb's #1 fan!
And for Levi one of his first words was G-O-A-L!! It will be nice to have a little break from practices and games, but we are looking forward to soccer starting up in the fall! A special thanks too, to all the people who came and cheered Caleb on! It meant a lot to Caleb, but also to Kevin and I as well!

Memorial Day Weekend...

We went camping up at the Platte River Campground for the weekend. The weather was great and we really had a good time visiting all of our favorite spots! The boys even went in Lake Michigan on Saturday and Sunday!! We ate lots of smores and took some fun bike rides, the boys didn't want to leave! Here are some picture...

Lord's Prayer...

So the other day Caleb comes up to me and says:

"I think we need to say the Lord's Prayer everyday, because on the days we say that prayer I am not naughty."

So Mom's prayers aren't helping you to be good?

"No, I think the Lord's Prayer works better."

Great Papa...

So after a great day of being outside our boys definitely needed a tub! I put all three boys in the tub together to scrub their feet...who are we kidding their entire body was mud! :) So the mud wasn't coming off with their "kids body wash" so I hauled out the big guns...bar of Dove soap! I start lathering the boys feet and legs up with it and Ethan says, "it smells like Great Papa!"

Video of Levi's "tricks"

Always on the move...

Awhile back I did a post about how Levi was eating stuff he pulled out of the trash, yuck!! So we put a child lock on the trash cupboard, however sometimes that cupboard doesn't always get shut and Levi's has a new trick with the trash. I bet you can guess what it is: Throwing "things" away!! Yes "things", not trash.

For the last few weeks we have been wondering where all his pipes are...the landfill! :) Yesterday Levi wanted fruit snacks, so I put some in a bowl and a few minutes later he gets up and throws his empty bowl away! He does the same with his sippy cups, as soon as his milk or juice is gone he goes and throws it away. Lovely!

Seriously you can't take your eye of the little guy for even a minute!! :) Whether he is climbing on the kitchen table trying to reach the dining room light or pulling all the toliet paper off the roll he is ALWAYS on the move!!

Yet he knows how to "work the system" too, last night at the grocery store he is riding in the cart smiling at everyone. And everyone comments, so he smiles even more and adds a wave. Then I am loading the van with groceries and he is sitting in the cart smiling and waving at everyone who rides by. What a kid! We sure love him! I have a cute video of him, but I am not sure how to post it so hopefully Kevin can help me post it this weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend as well!

Tip Toe Through the Tulips...

We took the boys out to Holland Saturday night...and it was cold! We watched the Dutch Dancers, took some pictures with the Tulips, and got some treats for our "Carnie Boys"! Elephant Ears and Cotton Candy...even Levi loves the Carnival food!! Here are a few pictures of the boys...

Cookie Monster...

"Caleb stole the cookie from the cookie jar...Who me? Yeah you! Couldn't be. Then who? LEVI!!"

Yup he LOVES cookies! He is the new Cookie Monster in our family! Caleb did hold that title, however Levi discovered the cookie jar and he sure loves what's inside!! He knows right where it is on the counter and walks up to it and lets out a loud squeal with arms raised for a cookie! And of course not for just one...

Program...

Yesterday Caleb's Kindergarten class put on a program for Parents and Grandparents. His class sang a bunch of songs they have learned this year and said the memory verses they have learned as well. All year they have been learning a verse to go with each letter of the alphabet. So at the program they each took a turn saying the "letter verse", Caleb's letter was C..."Create in me a pure heart oh God." Psalm 51:10 Caleb did such a good job saying his verse! Singing isn't Caleb's most favorite thing, but he did a good job, along with the motions. We were in the van on the way home and he says to me..."We were suppose to smile, but it's hard to smile and sing at the same time. I had to keep licking my lips, because they were dry from smiling so much." Oh Caleb! We sure love you! It has been a great year, with lots of new things...riding the bus, learning to tie our shoes, eating lunch at school, counting, reading, and the list goes on. Some things came easy and others took getting use to. For some of you this may come as a shock, but Caleb is quite shy at school. That is definitely not the case with family and friends, however he has come out of his shell at school and we are so proud of him! Caleb has a wonderful teacher, who has really made this a special year. He has made some really good friends too! We can't believe the school year is almost done and he is soon to be a First Grader!! Yikes!!

Caleb's favorite thing to do lately...

...catch FROGS!!
Last Friday he came home from school and caught 2 and then 4 more with Kevin's help when he got home from work. He has continued to catch them everyday since! I am kind of surprised too, because we have had a lot of rain lately. As soon as the rain stops he is "in" the creek, in our backyard searching for frogs. Yesterday he caught 6...his bucket was full of jumping frogs! Personally I like the small ones that he catches, but he seems to enjoy the big ones! Each night he lets them go back into the creek, so I think it is mostly the same frogs getting caught each day. You know he is not alone in this...he has his helpful side-kick Ethan right there with him, but Caleb is also getting the neighborhood kids involved as well. So far no frogs have made it into our house yet and here's hoping it stays that way! :)

Levi: 15 months

Levi went to the doctor this past Friday for his 15 month check-up. To our surprise he only weighed 27lbs and is 34 inches tall. I guess now that he is busy walking everywhere he isn't gaining as much weight.

For fun I looked back to see what Caleb and Ethan were at 15 months...
Caleb 26 lbs and 34 1/2 inches
Ethan 22 lbs and 32 1/4 inches

Levi is at such a fun age...he is learning new words and doing so many new "tricks" as we call them. His latest is saying "uh-oh", as well as panting and barking like a dog! He just loves our neighbor's dog Myah, a Chocolate Lab. He follows her all around, loves to get licked by her, and enjoys laying on her!! :)
Levi's new favorite place to be is outside swinging, going for bike rides, and as you can see from the photos climbing up on the tramp!

We sure love this little guy and we are having fun watching him grow!

GOAL!!

Keep an eye on #9 and notice the left foot!



Congratulations Caleb on your first goal of the Spring season...we are so proud of you!!

Special thanks to Grandma Choo Choo for getting a video of it and to Caleb's teammate Ryan for the asssit! This was Caleb's second game this season and boy we are having FUN!

Tacos...

Monday was Taco Night at the Harts...our boys think this meal is SO fun, because we use the "Lazy Susan" and they love spinning it around to get their Taco toppings...and you know "their spins" are always gentle! ;)

Well Ethan made a really great Taco, however he was only eating Fruit, Jell-o, and Chips'n Cheese. So I asked him why he was eating everything, BUT the Taco...his response:

"I just made my Taco for show"

Oma...

Today we are remembering one special lady,
our Oma...we sure miss her!

Sunshine...

Last week my mom and I are driving in the van with the boys...Caleb and Ethan are sitting in the backseat of the van, which some days can be a good thing and other days all you have is fights going on back there. But today Caleb was trying to have a "teaching" moment.

For those of you who know Ethan(aka "Bigs") you know that for the last year or so his favorite color has been yellow. However he doesn't call it yellow, he calls it SUNSHINE.

So my mom and I are listening to them in the backseat and this is what we hear...

Caleb: "Now Bigs I am in school, so I know a lot more than you and you can't call yellow sunshine. So Bigs say yel"

Ethan: "Yel"

Caleb: "Now say low"

Ethan: "Sunshine"

Caleb: "NO Bigs say yellow"

Ethan: "Sunshine"

Caleb: "Yellow"

Ethan: "Sunshine"

...my mom and I just laughed and laughed!! Nice try Caleb!!

Chicago..

To end Spring Break my parents and all of us headed down to Chicago! We went to Legoland and the boys had a blast seeing all the neat things built out of Legos and making their own creations! If your kids are in to Legos it's a fun place to go...from a dragon ride, to watching how Legos are made, and even a 4-D Bob the Builder Lego movie. We all really had a good time there. Caleb and Ethan are very happy with their Star War Lego souviners! We stayed overnight and so the boys also enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool as well...

Christmas in April?!?!

It was for the Hart boys today! This past Christmas one of the gifts my parents got the three boys was a Basketball Hoop. They have been so excited to actually use it. So last week Kevin started digging the 4ft hole it needed to go in...then poured the cement...and today the Basketball Hoop went up! Hip-Hip-Horray!

This Basketball Hoop is timeless...I am sure almost all of you have fond memories of playing "P-I-G" or "H-O-R-S-E" in your driveway. Or you have other special memories of shooting hoops with friends and family. Both Kevin and I are excited to make those special memories with our boys, as well as watch them make their own with their friends.

Special thanks again to Papa and Grandma Choo Choo for the Basketball Hoop and all the great memories that come with it!

Two quick stories...

The other night we were all in Caleb and Ethan's bedroom...Caleb and Ethan had just gotten their pjs on and I told them to go pick out a bedtime snack. They both come back with a pack of fruit snacks. And with that Levi walks out of their room, goes to the pantry to get his own fruit snacks, and then comes back to Caleb and Ethan's room to eat his snack with "the boys".


So the boys and I are in the backyard...Caleb and Ethan in the sandbox and Levi is in the swing(which by the way is his most favorite thing to do!!) So I am pushing Levi and I am singing "Levi..Levi.." to the tune of "Jesus..your my firm foundation.." Well Ethan could hear me and he starts singing "Levi..your my firm foundation.." Right away Caleb tells Ethan he cannot sing that song, that Jesus is the only firm foundation...not Levi!

change...

so tonight kevin tells me he thinks our blog needs a new layout/background. right away i am thinking no i like our blog just how it is...i like how it's always the same!

however after a little "exploring" we found a new background and did some other changes as well.

and this is one reasons why i love kevin...he's always ready for change or new adventures. he knows that i am not so quick to change, but does a good job encouraging me to at least try.

so with that, hope you enjoy the new layout! :)

5..4..3..2..1..

...Blast off!!

A couple weeks ago Kevin, Caleb, and Ethan made a "Bottle Launcher". Kevin got the idea from the TV show "This Old House". They have been having lots of fun with the launcher...they made one of the bottles into a rocket, however they found it doesn't go as high, because of all the tape and cardboard. But it sure looks cool up in the sky! You can put water in the bottle as well, which the boys love...because Kevin always ends up getting the most wet! :) Even little Levi loves watching it go!

Caleb was special this past week at school and the parents usually come in a day and do something fun with the class...so we brought in the launcher! It was a hit, the kids loved it!

Look at him go!!

We can finally say Levi is WALKING...he has been able to walk for awhile, but was still choosing to crawl most of the time. However during this past week he was choosing to walk more and more! Way to go Levi!

Here is a video to see him in action...not only is he walking, but doing it holding the new shovels we got the boys for the sandbox. Good thing I got three, because Levi really seems to like them! :)

Embarrassed...

This past Sunday Caleb and I are walking into church together and he asks me if I am embarrassed?? I also notice that his face is turning red as he walks next to me, holding my hand. I tell him no and ask him why? He says well your pants are short and you don't have socks on.

So I try to explain that my pants are called "crop pants" and they are suppose to be short, and that you don't wear socks with the shoes I have on...

*Sorry buddy fashion/clothing is confusing. And no YOUR pants aren't suppose to go above your ankles! :) Hopefully I wasn't too embarrassing for you!!

Our Levi...

Poor little guy, got his first ear ache...he honestly has been sick on and off with a cold(fever, runny nose, and cough) since January. The doctor also felt that he had a sinus infection and that's why he has had this cold for so long. So he is on some meds and hopefully will be better soon. He is such a trooper, you would hardly know he was sick. That is one of the wonderful things about our Levi...he is such a happy and easy going kid. We sure love him! As far as his walking, well he CAN walk...however he chooses to crawl. I will say as of lately he has been choosing to walk more and more. Which is a good thing, however I am worried because he is a MONKEY...he climbs up onto everything! His new favorite thing is to climb up on the kitchen chairs..to the kitchen table..and then to sit so proudly up there! He loves toilets and yes he knows how to open the lid and splash around...he can pull apart any drawer or cupboard in seconds!! He is definitely a boy of discovery and he has two older brothers to "watch". He is determined to get over the gate by the stairs. He does great climbing up or going down the stairs, but we still like to do it with him. He definitely keeps us on our toes...as frustrating as it can be sometimes, keep exploring Levi! We love your curiosity!

Buddies...

Ethan loves to climb in Levi's crib when he wakes up in the morning or from a nap. And they both love to be in the laundry basket...for what else "boat rides"!

Birthday treat...

Ethan, Levi, and I went to Caleb's school yesterday to bring him a happy meal for his lunch, as well as his Birthday treat. So Caleb goes to front of the class and the kids sing "Happy Birthday" to him and then comes time to choose someone to help pass out his treat...and he can't do it...he even says "this is SO hard" to all the kids with their hand raised, wanting to be picked. Caleb's teacher sees him struggling and says "do you want your mom and brother to help?" He says "no I will pick someone"...but he again just stands there looking at all the kids. So his teacher again trying to help says, "do you think your brother would like to help?" Caleb shakes his head yes and at that point Ethan runs up to Caleb gives him a HUGE hug and says "I love you!"

When Caleb got home from school I asked him why he had such a hard time choosing someone. His response "I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings". What a kid!! Well by not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings, he sure made Ethan's day!

Happy Birthday Caleb

Dodge ball/kisses...

One of Caleb and Ethan's most favorite thing to play downstairs is Dodge ball! We started playing it couple of years ago after watching one of Caleb's favorite movies "Chicken Little"...our families favorite line "hit the pig kids!" The teams are usually Caleb and me vs. Kevin and Ethan. Caleb over the years has gotten quite good at dodging the ball. In the back of my mind I thought that playing this was good. It would be "practice" for his future days of P.E. However it has shown to be helpful in another situation...Kisses! Caleb told us that there is a girl in his class that tries to kiss him. So Kevin asked him what he does...his reply "I dodge them!" That's right buddy, the only girl kisses you need are from your mom! :)

Brothers...

I recently took this picture of Ethan and Levi looking at books together...

A couple of thoughts...
First of all, it was a very sweet, as well as quiet moment the two were having together. Second, it shows how Levi is a climber and loves to climb up in that chair. Third, it makes me think how Ethan is "in the middle"...on the days Caleb is home, Ethan is the little brother. He follows Caleb around and does what Caleb does. He lets Caleb be the leader. But on the days Caleb is gone at school, I see a different Ethan. Ethan is the leader! He likes to be the big brother to Levi. Ethan likes to teach Levi things and he lets Levi follow him around. Last, it reminded me of the "same" picture I took a few years ago, in that same chair...

1,000 KinzCash!!

I am sure a lot of you know about Webkinz...you have a little stuffed animal, who has a "life" online. You have a house for your pet, jobs, food, games, money(aka KinzCash) and daily activities...one of them being the Wishing Well(kinda like a slot machine). Well today Ethan hit the jackpot with three wishing wells in a row...winning 1,000 KinzCash!! He was so excited!!! We have never had this happen before with Ethan or Caleb's Webkinz. So this is the exciting news buzzing around the Hart house, as well as the fact that it's Friday...pizza and family game night! Hip-Hip-Horray!!

Some pictures...

Levi had his one year pictures taken last week. The photographer then took a few of all three boys, as well as Caleb and Ethan alone. We were really happy with how they turned out, but more than that we can't believe how big our boys are getting!

cold = sleep?!?

poor little levi has a cold...i feel so bad for him, however to my surprise i have been able to get more sleep! crazy huh?!?! when it comes to sleep, levi is not the greatest. he takes wonderful naps, however during the night well that's a different story. but with this cold i have only had to get up with him 1-2 times in the night, instead of 6-8 on a normal night. sorry levi...hate your cold, but i sure love the sleep!