bits of the year

 

2011 was a year of settling into our new life.  

life with our first blonde baby.  what a joy he is!  such an easy-going, naturally joyful boy.  henry & merian both adore emmett.

 life in our new home.  this year we hit the 1-yr anniversary of being in our home & town.  it's so fun to start having history with our neighbors & friends.  we did a garden & enjoyed our yard in the summer.  we enjoyed doing a block party & having fun diving deeper into friendships.

 life with a kindergartner. henry finished up 4k and started kindergarten across the street.  he was SO excited to start school!  it was a hard adjustment at first to go to a more structured class & a full school day-- but henry's adjusted well & loves it now.  his favorite part of school?  recess!

 life with a toddler princess.  what a unique creature merian is!  she has the gift of compassion-- she is always working to help anyone who is hurt or sad in the home.  she is a doting mother to her baby brother, "emmett-boy", even though he already is almost her same weight!

a few things i never want to forget.  merian's song she crafted last year in the car on our way home..."home-in-again".  she belts it out all the time.

emmett's lifelong game of peek-a-boo, or "pah-boo".  he also just learned to add "ha" (hi) to his wave.

henry has taken an identity in helping me with the little ones.  i am SO grateful for his help.  that sweetie helps dress merian, keep an eye on emmett, or do whatever else is needed. 

it may not always be like this, but it's wonderful that in the last few months we've hit the sweet spot where the kids play together so well.  merian & emmett are almost inseparable all day as they play together all around the house.  henry is always the most sought-after playmate, so they often all play together.  don't get me wrong, the kids do fight!  but overall, i'm amazed how much fun they dream up together.