Rub-a-dub-dub

Now there are 3 in the tub!

Jacob and Hannah were taking a bath last night. It was time for Luke to nurse. So I thought I'd nurse him in the bathroom while I watched the kids play in the tub. Luke was not interested in eating -- sort of unusual for him. Instead, he craned his neck to watch big brother and sister in the tub. In a matter of minutes, he was undressed and happy as a clam to be in the bath with Jacob and Hannah. Just days earlier, I said I thought it would be too chaotic to have three in the tub at once. It proved to be a happy and fun time for the kids! Luke was watered by both Jacob and Hannah this time. He loves bath time!

Missing our cousins.....

Today I was working on organizing pictures into folders on the computer. It turns out I was a bit camera happy at Christmas. I took over 200 pictures in the month of December! Jacob and Hannah had fun looking at the December album that I put together and remembering our trip to see their cousins at Christmas. What a fun time watching the cousins play together! This year we were a productive bunch -- 3 new additions in a matter of 6 months! There will never be a dull moment when the Kachelein Clan gets together :-)

Here are some of my favorite pics from Christmas.........








We look forward to seeing you all again soon!! WE MISS YOU! love,

Growing Up

Our little girl is growing up! She has pretty much accomplished potty training -- in a week! She is doing her best to keep in stride with Jacob. Her other big milestone -- which she is a lot happier about than I am -- is deciding that naps are a thing of the past. She now turns into a pumpkin at 6:30. Gone are the days when Hannah used to love to read to baby Sophia as she settled down for her nap. Now my afternoons are filled with two giggly children running about the apartment. A blessing in disguise -- Jacob is worn out and ready for bed as early as 7:30 most nights.

Hannah is very nurturing and is also becoming interested in helping with household tasks -- from laundry to baking to cleaning. It is fun to involve her in my daily tasks as much as possible. The past few mornings she has asked to sit on the counter and help me get my coffee ready. Her favorite way to help is still loading up the washer. Actually she and Jacob have been known to fight over who gets to put more clothes in the washing machine. If only this enthusiasm for helping out would last into their teenage years!

A Happy Valentine's Day

We celebrated Valentine's Day together at supper time. I think my Mom instilled in me the art of making holidays special for my kids. In Mom-fashion -- I made heart shaped pancakes for the kids, we used festive plates and even lit a candle, and had pink grapefruit. For dessert we all enjoyed homemade chocolate suckers. The kids were so anxious to open their Valentine packages...can you tell?? Of course, Luke is still most interested in tasting the paper.

The kids love giving Luke hugs and kisses. Today he received too many to count. He is a happy recipient!
I hope this is a Valentine's day they will remember...

joining the ranks

After reading a few blogs over the past few months, I have been inspired to join the ranks of fellow bloggers. This will be an attempt to keep friends and family updated with the latest happenings in the Haertel household.

First Report:

1. Hannah is starting to potty train! Yippee!! I am thrilled! I decided about a week ago that she wasn't ready after making a few attempts to train her. And that I was going to wait until it was warmer -- hence less layers to peel off in a rapid race to the toilet to avoid an accident. I should have learned from the first time around that they will do it when they're ready. Not when Mommy is ready. :-) Nevertheless -- she's doing great! Her potty chart is filling up quickly and we passed the big milestone yesterday -- her first #2 on the potty.
   
2. Luke had his first real bath tonight (in the big tub) - with Jacob. They both loved it. Jacob had fun squirting Luke and pouring water on his head. It's amazing how mild mannered Luke is -- that is unless he's hungry or has pain. It's so fun to experience all of the firsts with my children. I love watching the wonder and joy in their expressions. Luke is sitting up on his own, eating three meals of baby food a day and sleeping through the night. He's growing up so fast!

3. Jacob is enjoying his friends at preschool and Bible study. He just turned 4-1/2 yesterday and keeps telling people he's going to be 5 soon! He is so eager to be older and to grow up -- if only he knew.....
   

Hopefully this attempt to keep a blog will continue. It will be a great way to record milestones, quotable quotes, etc. - to one day add to my scrapbooks. (if I ever get caught up)