TheLinharts

Happy Birthday!

Over the last few weeks, we've had the privilege of celebrating two very special little people!

Our big boy turned 6!!!!

I am constantly amazed by this little man. He's curious as ever, always learning new things. He loves to learn about animals (especially cheetahs and falcons and anything fast!), and says he wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up. He's the BEST big brother, so caring and quick to help his siblings, and loves reading with them and playing pretend. He has a little (or a lot) of that Type A-first child-perfectionist in him (nothing like his mother...haha), but we're working on that!

He has a passion for music - he has 699 songs on his Rdio account and has more CD's in his collection than I've owned in my entire life! He's been "practicing his shoots" (basketball) a lot lately and is getting pretty good! He and I verse each other in basketball games and he usually wins (he gets to be the Jayhawk team and he tells me I'm Louisville :)). He's been practicing his football and baseball with Dan, and just yesterday, he hit the ball so hard that he dented our window frame on the front of our house- oh, boy!

He's also eating us out of house and home- it seems like he's always hungry! I think we will be putting our Costco membership to good use in the coming years.

Sometimes he acts tough,

But I know he has a soft spot for his mama! He was so proud to take me on a date the other day. He chose to take me to IHOP, held the door for me, and paid the bill (dad may have helped with that one). I loved every minute. He even waited so patiently for me to get ready (better learn that early!)....

He's been counting down the days until he goes to kindergarten. He wrote a little note to his teacher this afternoon and has spent two days sharpening his brand new pencils by hand. I have to say, I think I am just as excited by this "back-to-school" thing as he is! Every new stage of his life has brought such joy and blessing to our lives, and we can't wait to see what this year brings!

The one thing he was worried about was his kindergarten shots. (Now Ellie says she doesn't ever want to go to kindergarten because she doesn't want to get her kindergarten shots- hah). So we went to his well-child check last week. I went solo with all the crew, and thought, "Oh, I got this!". Caleb started out so brave- checked out healthy! and is above the 97th percentile for height (where does that come from?). We always do the shots at the end, so by that time, the kids were really getting restless. William was throwing a fit because he couldn't play in the doctor's trash can- EW! (you know, the kind of fit where he is arching his back, throwing his head around, rolling on the floor). So I picked him up and it was all I could do not to drop him. Ellie was in the chair having a meltdown because I "hurt her feelings"- I was trying to talk with the doctor, so I ignored her incessant (and increasingly forceful) "tapping" on my arm and asking for applesauce and granola bars. The icing on the cake was when the nurse came in with the shot; my brave boy suddenly had a weak moment and he literally jumped up off the table and ran out.the.door. Seriously. I was left standing there with two crying kids wondering "What the heck do I do now?". The nurse chased him down and coaxed him back in the room. He reluctantly got his shot, and immediately started smiling afterwards. Then he called Dan to tell him how brave he was....lol! So we headed home, and about 4 hours later returned for Ellie's well-child checkup....as we walked in, I just said, "We're baaaaaack!". Not to mention the 2 hour trip to Wal-mart afterwards to get school supplies....it was a LONG day!

So, the morning of his birthday, he woke up to streamers and a special breakfast (he chose pancakes), and of course got measured by daddy-

Grandma and Grandpa Linhart took him to Texas Roadhouse for his birthday, too (Ellie loved the peanuts!) :

And our little Ellie-belle turned 4!!!

She woke up to a room full of balloons, and she chose a bagel and peaches for breakfast:

Here's her new puppy, she named "Honey Foodie"

She is so full of life and always keeps us on our toes. She's taken up gymnastics and it's been fun to see her competitive side come out.

We often wonder, "how does all that personality come from that tiny little body?"

She so passionate about everything she does (as long as it was her idea!). She's quite opinionated, and loves to pick out her own clothes and shoes (the girl loves shoes!). She makes friends easily and doesn't know a stranger. In fact, just the other day we were taking a walk at the park and she saw a couple fishing with a young girl near the pond. She ran over and said, "Hi! I'm Ellie! Can I do that???" They were so sweet and handed her the fishing pole-

She even caught a little fish :) I didn't even have to touch the worm, so I was happy with that!

She's very nurturing, and loves caring for babies and helping me in the kitchen. She can be such a great little helper

But don't let her fool you- she'll be the first to speak her mind and isn't easily persuaded!

She has a strong and confident personality, and I'm so proud of her determination and zest for life. And there's nothing cuter than seeing her little self standing at the top of the stairs asking for another kiss and a snuggle.

We celebrated both of their birthdays with a Wild Kratts themed bash at the pool! There's nothing better than celebrating with great friends and family- thank you to everyone who helped make the day so special!

We had the extra-special treat of having my family with us for the weekend. The kids were thrilled to spend time with their uncles. Caleb loved being one of the "big boys"!