We LOVE Fruit!

The kids absolutely love fruit! They end each evening meal with fruit. We had a leftover fruit tray with fruit dip that the kids absolutely loved!

Welcome Home Uncle Barry and Happy Birthday Uncle Paul

We had the pleasure of having John's brother, Barry and his wife, Sheilena as well as John's other brother Paul and his family visit us this weekend. Barry just returned home from Afghanistan after having been deployed for the last year. It was also Paul's birthday earlier in the week. It gave us good reason to celebrate. The kids all had a blast and so did all of the guys! We hope to be able to get together again soon!

Hudson playing

Hudson keeps getting bigger and bigger! It is amazing to see him grow. He loves being outside and playing. He also loves playing with sports balls and running. His new thing is to walk around with his hands behind his back. I am not sure where that came from!

Reagan swimming show-off

John got the chance to visit Reagan's school and her class showed the parents what great progress they had made during the year. She loves to swim and has done a great job throughout the year. She also loves wearing her Tinkerbell swimsuit!

Hot Weather

We got the kids a small pool to enjoy the heat in the backyard. Hudson liked looking at it, but nothing more. Unfortunately, since he has tubes he is not a fan of the silicone ear plugs he has to wear! By the time we get those in, he is not happy! Reagan, on the other hand, asks every day for us to put the pool in the yard again! She hasn't talked her Daddy into a "real pool".....at least not yet!

Chilling Out at Home

Both the kids love to be at home and play. Reagan has now started to wear some of my high heeled shoes and tries to take Hudson to school. They have finally reached the point that they tolerate each other well and most of the time, they get along. I hope that continues forever! As you can tell from the photos, they love hanging out with each other and don't forget the ice cream sandwiches!

Reagan's Swimming

Reagan is lucky enough to go to a great pre-school that has a pool on site with swimming weekly. She has done so well that she is now swimming twice a week and is constantly asking me if it is "swimming day." Here is a video from a few months ago of her swimming at school......

Hudson's Words

Hudson is getting bigger and bigger as well. He now has a handful of words that we can understand. I think that his first words were "Da" for Daddy and "Booper" for Trooper the dog. He now says Mama, hot, Rah-Rah (Reagan), nana (banana), nite-nite, and runs around chasing the cats saying something that I can't quite catch. It is amazing to watch him grow and change before our eyes!!

Reagan Logic

It is hard to believe that Reagan is approaching the age of four! She constantly keeps us on our toes and constantly comes up with new things to say. Here is a sampling of some of the things she has recently told us......

**Mommy, I want to go to the Piggy Restaurant because its my favorite! (The Piggy restaurant is the BBQ restaurant nearby that has a Pig on its sign)

**When saying night time prayers, she always thanks God for her "nite-nite." It is her blanket that she has had since she was a baby. Last night she told me that if cats prayed, they would thank God for their poop box so they have a place to go to the bathroom.

**Mommy, we need to go to "Old McDonald's" (McDonalds) to eat because we haven't been there in a long time!

**Every night at dinnertime she wants to play a game. This involves us coming up with words that start with a letter she chooses. It works out great until she decides that she wants to use the words that we are coming up with!

Hope Happenings

Well, we have decided here at the Hope Household that we need to share some of the photos and everyday happenings that make our life so satisfying. Our kids certainly give us entertainment and enjoyment, and there is no better time than Mother's Day to start this journey....