Hanewinkel House

No More Monkeys Jumping On The Bed

2010-12-18T19:51:00.001-06:00

There will be no pictures in this post. I thought I would spare everyone the gory photos. You see, last year (in May to be exact) Joel had a bicycle accident which resulted in the loss of his to front teeth (they were baby teeth, thank the good Lord). You can read about it in my May 2009 blog entries or check out the link at the bottom of this post. Anyway, today we had another "tooth incident".......
Jude was jumping on his bed (don't judge me! lol) when he tripped over his older brother's legs and slammed his face into his wall. Ryan & I heard screaming & crying so we ran into their room to find Jude's mouth bleeding. On closer inspection we discovered that he had knocked a couple of his front teeth loose. They didn't fall out, but he will definitely not be keeping them too much longer! Thankfully, his were also baby teeth. I am happy to say that Jude took it like a man & found the silver lining...
The Tooth Fairy will be visiting him sooner than he expected. :)
Am I the only one that finds it odd that, so far, we have not had one child lose their front teeth naturally?.....

To view Joel's accident photos go here:
http://hanewinkelhouse.blogspot.com/2009/05/bicycle-accident.html

snow, Snow, SNOW!!!!

2010-12-16T15:46:00.000-06:00

I know, I know... It's been a while since I have taken the time to update the blog. I have no excuse. That being said, I would like to show off some cuteness from everyone's first snow day this year! And, as it turns out, was Lucy's first adventure in snow land as well! Enjoy.

Daddy & his littlest snow bunny

Joel taking a break from his fort building endeavors. He stayed for 3 hours solid that day. The mini man is a glutten for punishment in the winter! lol

Jude & Rory eating snow (this has been their favorite snow activity for two years strong now)

Lucy's first "stand" with snow

I think she likes it

Mommy is so proud of her newest adventurer... And super tired!

A Hanewinkel Halloween

2010-10-31T21:24:00.000-05:00

Halloween is usually a pretty good time here at Hanewinkel House... Usually. For whatever reason though this year presented us with some interesting challenges. First, for whatever reason, none of the kids seemed to be able to decide on a costume. By the time the night before Halloween rolled around Ryan & I were about to pull our hair out with them and just start assigning costumes... "You WILL be spider man & you WILL like it!". Jude woke up Saturday morning with a cough that sounded croupy so we were concerned that he may have to miss out, and Lucy is cutting 6, that's right, SIX teeth right now so she is just miserable. We had meltdowns and runny noses and coughing and sneezing and griping and complaining... Our Halloween was going no where fast.
Then, the sun came out on our little family.
The kids finally decided on something they each wanted to be, and were all excited about their ideas.
Jude was feeling much better by Halloween morning.
Lucy loved having a costume on and seemed totally preoccupied from her recent state of misery.
Halloween turned out to be really great for us all. Maybe even better because of the rough start we had.

Joel got to cut all of the tops off of the pumpkins AND carve his very own. He was stoked.

Little hands were perfect for cleaning this pumpkin out :).

Yummy.

Jude got to carve his pumpkin too, with some help from dad.

The finished product. I know, this picture is awful but it's the best I could do.

And finally... Joel as "Aragorn" (from Lord of the Rings), Jude as "Bilbo Baggins" (from The Hobbit), Rory as the beautiful princess, and Lucy as the little purple dragon!

The School Of Life

2010-10-21T09:26:00.000-05:00

Some months ago I blogged about changes our family was making in our lives. Today I would like to blog a little about one of those....
Our family loves being together. We love to eat meals together, play outside together, watch movies together, learn together. Ryan & I have never really liked the idea of the public school system. The idea of sending your kid off for 7 to 8 hours a day to have their head stuffed full of "knowledge" that eventually gets forgotten about just never sat right with us. We have nothing against public schools, per say, but just never felt settled about that being the best way for our children to learn. This past summer I began to research different learning methods and the pros and cons of public or private schooling vs. homeschooling. I started to really watch more closely my oldest (Joel) as he went about his days to see what things sparked his interest and how he pursued learning on his own. That is when I came across a blog and then some articles on unschooling. Unschooling sounds, and is, very radical. The whole concept of allowing your child to set their own pace for learning, and giving them the freedom to learn on their own terms, is not a widely accepted one. I remember my first reaction to the "unschooling movement"... What is wrong with these parents?! How can they consider themselves responsible when they basically let their kids do whatever they want?! After a lot more research and prayer I began to understand first, my mistake in passing that kind of judgement on people I really know little to nothing about, and second, how much it really makes sense. I began to notice things about Joel's little life... I saw how curious he was during the summer time, how much he wanted to explore and learn new things. During the school year however, the last thing he wanted to do was learn anything besides new skateboarding tricks. Why was that? That's when Ryan & I read something about unschooling that helped to put things into perspective for us... When a child is forced to learn, forced to spend 3/4 of their life doing what someone else says they should do, and how they should do it, it begins to stifle that natural curiosity, that natural desire withing every child to learn and grow and expand their little worlds. They become resistant to "school work", and resentful about learning. Now, that being said, I do believe there are exceptions to that rule. I know there are many kids who do flourish and do well in large classroom settings, etc. I am speaking from my own experience and observations. I believe it is just as dangerous for me (or anyone else) to claim that homeschooling/unschooling is the best way for children as it is for others to claim that public/private education is the best way.
Back to the main point.... After much prayer and thought and research Ryan & I decided to withdraw Joel from school and begin our very own version of an unschooling journey. We are still discovering new & better ways to "educate" Joel, but so far we have found the best approach is in a sort of marriage between traditional homeschooling and radical unschooling. We give some structure, some non-negotiables for him everyday that have to be accomplished. Apart from that though we have adopted a lifestyle of learning in our family... We try to integrate learning into the framework of our lives, sometimes in sneaky ways, and sometimes in the "hey lets go research this" way. We want our kids to always love learning. We want them to view learning as something that is as vital and refreshing as breathing clean air. And we have seen a tremendous difference in our son's attitude toward the world and learning since we started this adventure.
I can't speak for other people, just for myself and my family, and I would definitely say that making that decision to keep Joel home has been one of the best we have made.
I know that unschooling usually brings up a lot of questions, so if you read this and have any to ask feel free to send me a message or leave me a comment.
Below are some pictures of Joel's latest "science experiment"... Dissecting owl pellets. Yum yum.

Turns out his owl must have dined on a small mouse and a shrew!

Pumpkin Patch Kids

2010-10-18T19:21:00.000-05:00

Today our family ventured over to Stuckmeyer's for a hay ride, farm animals, and plenty of pumpkin patch fun! The weather was stellar and we all had a blast! I think, in this case, a picture is worth a thousand words... Enjoy!

Lucy received her very own mini gourd for a souvenir... Which she refused to allow anyone to take from her! ....And then we saw this rad guy with his beautiful bike at QT on our way home. I just wanted to hug him! Aren't his "shades" the bomb?!

I Heart Smiling :)

2010-10-12T11:08:00.000-05:00

These past two months have been extremely stressful for us... I am hoping to be able to blog more about that in a few weeks. Yesterday I woke up after a night empty of sleep (teething baby + congested baby + 3 bad dreams = no sleep for mum & dad) and barely felt human. I felt like I had no blood running through my veins, and it took everything out of me just to stay sane. Days like that really suck, but they also make me appreciate even more the days that are full of simple things that make me smile. Here are some of those simple things...

When my husband does the dishes. There are few things sexier than my man with a dish rag lol.

When my kids all play together... Without fighting.

Lucy in a cardboard box. Really, I smile when I see any of my kids in a cardboard box! Hahaha!

The really cool toad that lives under my front porch and only comes out at night. We named him Stoic.

When I catch my brother (or any other adult for that matter) acting like a dork... We all really are just big dorks anyway!

There are so many simple things in life that make me smile, and I am so glad that, today, I woke up rested enough to enjoy them! :)

A Note From The Editor

2010-10-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

I am no preacher, no theologian, and certainly not the world's best christian.... However, after watching this week's episode of Glee I felt inspired to write a little about a pet peeve of mine. I don't even really know what you would call this pet peeve, but it is what it is. Here 'goes...

I think it is REALLY sad when someone has rejected Christ because of the way that person has been treated by Christians. It is sad on lots of different levels. I aim to address a couple of those levels here. First, shame on "Christians" for the way so many of us look down the long end of our snouts towards those we deem "sinners"... As if we are so much better, or so much more important. As if our hearts aren't marred by the blackness of pride and arrogance, and our shit don't stink. I really struggle with actually feeling embarrassed to call myself a Christian and be identified as "one of those", and I am not talking about Jesus. Let's just clear that up right now before I go further... I believe Jesus is the Way, He is Truth, He is Everything. I am NOT ashamed of Jesus... I am ashamed of the large majority of people who claim to follow Him but really have their heads so far up their own hinders they couldn't really see the Light if He was shining in their faces. Anyway. So many people claiming to be of the Christian faith have done little more than hurt others, make rules to cause other people to feel bad about themselves, and turn people off to Jesus. Shame on us. Christ dined with tax collectors (gasp!). He spent time with a prostitute to show her love and forgiveness when she was brought before Him for condemnation (double gasp!). He offered grace to one of His closest friends knowing full well that friend would deny having even known Him 3 times (triple gasp!). He healed the wounds of sinners. He washed the feet of the unworthy. He made wine from water when people were already abusing the drink, just to show His mom some respect. He interceded for forgiveness on behalf of those that beat Him, mocked Him, spit on Him, and nailed Him to a tree until He died. That's the Jesus I know anyway. The Jesus I know isn't afraid of people who come from hard lifestyles, or different sexual persuasions, or beliefs, or seriously messed up lives. He loves those people. He offers grace to us and love to us to cover a multitude of sins. Sins are still sins, and Jesus never excused them. He, being Truth, always sees us for what we are, loves us still, and offers us help. I don't claim to know what it is like to struggle with things like so many do... I only know my own life. But I do know that I am not going to treat someone poorly because they believe differently than me, live differently than me. Christ never did that. As a matter of fact, the only people in the bible Jesus ever treated negatively were the "religious" people that thought they were so much better than everyone else. He is our example, so maybe we should really take it to heart when He said to examine and remove the plank in our eye so we can see clearly before we try to remove the splinter from someone else's.

The other side of this that drives me nuts is this: People who do reject Christ based solely on the way other people choose to behave who claim to know Him. If people could just look to the gospels themselves and read about the true Jesus... I believe those people would see Someone very different from the self proclaimed "examples" who are themselves little more than modern day pharisees. God is Love. No He does not condone sin... But He is not afraid of your questions. He is not looking to point the finger and send people to Hell. He is looking to love, to help, to free, to answer, to save.

The Littlest Feet Have Joined The Ranks

2010-09-30T07:33:00.000-05:00

That's right... We now have 4 little pairs of feet hitting our floors! Lucy has begun her adventures in stand-up land. She has found the best spot in the house for mastering her skills... The train table where all of the other kiddos love to play!

She was so excited to see what everyone else got to see up there, but after a few minutes...

She was already wondering what other fun adventures awaited her...

So she still prefers to crawl! Hahahaha! Go figure.

Confessions Of A Serious Foody (or foodie)...

2010-09-26T19:33:00.000-05:00

I love me some food... I like to bake food, and fry food, and "crock-pot" food, and mix food, and season food. I like to try new recipes and use my neighbors as my guinea pigs. I like to score smiles and "yums" from my family with rad food skills. Food is good. I like red meat, and fish, and vegetables, and fruit, and pastries, and chocolate... I love food.
After having had 4 children I have really struggled with all of the body issues that come along with the little blessings. The stretch marks, and the lovely extra jiggly puff around my waist line... Yeah, those take some getting used to. I have come to the realization that I am not going to be able to "starve" myself back into pre-baby shape like a lot of women do, I have a very close relationship with food. I have just accepted that I cannot live off of vegetables alone, or one meal and two shakes a day. Some people can do that and more power to them. Does that mean I am going to eat whatever I want, when I want it? Heck no. But... When I make a fabulous pie for my family to enjoy once in a while, I full well intend to enjoy it too. Food is a gift from God. And, ironically, my little bit of extra from having 4 awesome little people is starting to become a reminder to me of how fleeting outward beauty is, and how precious it is to have a beautiful spirit - another awesome gift from God. My family needs me to be beautiful on the inside, a true beauty of the heart, way more than they need me to be able to prance around in my single-digit-sized-jeans. Do I believe we should take care of our bodies and be healthy? Absolutely. Do I believe we should be so obsessed with our bodies that it robs us of the peace and enjoyment having a happy life can bring? Absolutely not. So, I just want to encourage any curvy-licious ladies out there... Love yourself. Love your imperfections, and all of the "extras" that are really just reminders of all of the wonderful things you have accomplished. Love food, love playing, love laughing, and love life!

Many Adventures Sans Camera :(

2010-09-10T20:46:00.000-05:00

The past week or so we have had many great adventures... Gone to skate parks, hiked all over, roasted hot dogs over a bonfire in the back yard, gone to the science center, and celebrated my birthday (yea me! lol). And, me being me, I have completely left the camera behind for every single one of these lovely experiences! However, even though I will not be able to provide you with colorful pictures for your viewing pleasure, I will indeed tell you all about our fabulous experiences!
Joel has been improving more every day on his skate board, and has really been developing some sweet skating skills. Ryan has frequently taken Joel to some skate parks in the area and on one occasion the rest of us tagged along. Joel was flying around the skate park like a pro and trying really hard to learn from the other skaters there (who were so great about being patient with him and sharing their space). Jude and Rory took their tricycles with them and were so cute tricycling around the park, up and down the "hills" of concrete and so forth!
Recently my parents (Mema Pam and Pepa Mike) had all 4 of the kiddos over to spend the night (HALLELUJAH) so Ryan and I were able to get a full 24 hours of time to catch our breath and take a break from parenting. We went to Valley View Glades here in Hillsboro and hiked the 3 miles of rough terrain through the woods and fields. It was absolutely beautiful and the weather was perfect. We were able to soak in the peace of nature and revel in the serenity if just hearing the occasional bird or squirrel instead of the normal chaos of the 4 munchkins! It was lovely.
We have had a couple of bonfires in our back yard, which the kids love. The boys have been watching lots of survival shows with us on the Discovery channel so they were stoked (no pun intended!) to help Daddy get the fires started and collect wood to keep them going. We roasted hot dogs and found interesting bugs and fought off mosquitoes. I love it when summer starts coming to an end!
Today it was rainy and overcast so we knew we wouldn't be able to have any outdoor adventures. So, we decided it was the perfect day for a trip to the science center! It was such a wonderful time. Joel and Jude were selected to assist a scientist with some of his experiments/demonstrations with carbon dioxide and light bulbs and other things... They were so proud of themselves and so were we! We learned about volcanoes, saw huge life sized robot dinosaurs, watched coins get sucked into a funnel, and Joel and I got to put on lab coats and pretend to be forensic scientists! We had such a blast.
Life is so good... And we are learning how to enjoy it all, ups and downs, more every day.

A Zoo Experience.

2010-08-27T09:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to the zoo. For six hours. It was hell (for Ry & I at least). Let me tell you all about it.
We got up super early b/c we had planned to get there before 9 a.m. in order to get into the sting ray exhibit free. We pulled into our parking spot at 8:45 and then Rory blew chunks ALL OVER (she randomly gets car sick). We had vomit all over her and her car seat. I didn't think to pack her extra clothes (bad foresight on my part) not to mention an extra car seat. After cleaning her up and putting her in one of Ryan's t-shirts we finally made it into the zoo entrance at 9:15... Missing our "free entry" to the sting rays. Half way through our time spent with the amazing sting rays (they were SO cool and definitely the highlight of our day) Lucy decided she no longer wanted to be happy and started crying. She continued to cry for half of the day. She wouldn't nap ANYWHERE, wouldn't eat, and was just plain 'ole crabby. (As soon as we got home later she acted perfectly normal, go figure). Then Ryan got sick and was just tired and miserable the rest of the day... He was such a trooper to not pack everyone up and leave. He just stuck it out for the kiddos, he is such a great dad! THEN the pooping started... Lucy must have pooped in her diapers at least 5 times (to the point that we ended up running out of wet wipes and had to improvise), and then Rory had to make a few trips to the bathrooms for the same. Nothing like wiping butts ALL day at the zoo after spending your morning cleaning up vomit. Jude fell and busted his knee and skinned his hands. Joel whined a lot b/c his feet hurt (but he can spend an entire day outside in flip flops and he's just fine when we're at home. Go figure). There were no pumas, no snow leopards, no alligators or crocodiles, no polar bears.

But you know what?... We saw a baby elephant with it's mommy. We got to pet sting rays with our bare hands. We learned about the differences between male and female ostriches. We saw wild asses (hee-hee). The kids got to run around in water fountains till Rory's pull up almost fell off from being so heavy with the water. We got to pet guinea pigs and bunnies. The kids chased a chicken around and fed birds. We rode the carousel and ate dip 'n dots ice cream. We watched a black tree monitor do a funny little dance in it's habitat. We didn't have to pay a dime to get into the children's zoo b/c a friend blessed us with the tickets. We got to spend the whole day as a family, enjoying the wonders of God's fabulous creation... And no matter how bad the "bad parts" of the day were... I think all in all it probably was an O.K. day. :)

Me & Lucy, Jude, Joel, and Rory hiding behind me, petting the sting rays

They were so beautiful and fun to watch.

Ryan, Rory, Jude, and Joel getting ready to enter the penguin exhibit. Joel was our navigator :).

Jude on the carousel.

Jude and Rory watching the giraffes and ostriches.

Joel found out how huge an ostrich egg is.

Rory playing in the fountains :)

Jude and Joel checking out the meerkats.

And Thanks Be To God...

2010-08-21T08:27:00.001-05:00

This morning I woke up (for the first time in almost a week) feeling ALIVE!!! I felt happy and peaceful instead of feverish and just overall crappy. God is sooo good. There is nothing like a little bout of sickness to remind us of how truly blessed we are... I am so thankful to God for an immune system that fights off junky antibodies and for a husband who mans up and carries the load of the family while I have to stay in bed. I am so thankful for a washer and dryer to make catching up on laundry that much quicker. I am so thankful for a stove top to cook yummy breakfasts on. I am so thankful for the four little people that run around the house making it hard not to smile, even when I'm sick. Life is so good. :)

Bugged Out

2010-08-19T19:38:00.000-05:00

Everyone here has been sick lately... Boo. In between all of the fevers, coughs, snot, and strepp throat we have managed some pretty fun stuff though! Stuff like going to the City Museum, swimming with friends, skateboard parks.... All of which we forgot to take our camera to :(. However, the other day we woke up and ventured out onto our front porch first thing (which is our daily ritual) and found some pretty cool stuff! There was by far the biggest praying mantis perched on our pillar I have ever seen! This dude was at least 4 inches long and super handsome. Later that morning Ryan found a huge hornet dead in our yard so he brought inside and it is still sitting in a jar on my kitchen window sill. The kids were stoked to have such fun encounters with these beasts of bugs, and I must say that I was totally enthralled by the praying mantis... So, for your viewing pleasure I bring you... BUGS!!!

More to come when everyone is well again.

Original Artwork

2010-08-12T11:20:00.000-05:00

Someday we hope to actually get to really paint our house (the inside) but until that day comes we are stuck with fabulously white walls in most places. Having four kids, the white walls tend to get pretty gross. Ryan and decided to come up with a solution to that that would be fun for everyone.... We gave the kids crayons and said "go draw on the walls".
And they did.

What I've learned about gangsters (By Ryan)

2010-08-06T19:41:00.000-05:00

After working for the past three years with gangsters from the fine inner city of St. Louis, I'm pretty sure that I am like an honorary gangster or something. (I'm also pursuing a side career as a professional rapper now. I'm pretty freakin awesome. Like Eminem from the Bible belt.) Not only does being an honorary gangster give you street credibility, but it is also a great addition to any resume.

So there are things that I've learned about gangsters, and being a gangster that I never knew before. I would like to share them with you so that you too may get an idea of what it is like being GANGSTA. Keep in mind that this understanding of gangster has been gleaned from within the walls of an institutional setting so they may not necessarily reflect the true nature of a gangster who is free and on the street.

Here are the top ten things I've learned about gangsters. In no particular order:

1. Gangsters really like you if you bring them food. They are like dogs in this way. Many of them call each other "dog" so this makes sense.

2. Gangsters will get into fights with each other, literally punching, biting, etc..., over conversations that start about who has the longest hair. (Very shocking. And yes, if they don't have a gun they will bite.)

3. Gangsters don't really think it's funny if you ask them, "If your Dad is a Blood and your Mom is a Crip does that make you a Crud or a Blip?"

4. Gangsters will threaten to kill you if they are having a bad day because you casually mention their mother or their hood. Mention, like, "How is your mother doing?" and a gangster may reply (while grabbing the neck of your shirt), "What did you say about my mom you bleepity bleeping bleeper?! I'll bleepity kill you bleeper!". If this happens to you just keep smiling and mention that you have a good lawyer. This usually works.

5. Gangsters love to have pictures taken of themselves posing in all sorts of interesting ways. Squatting. Squatting with hand on mouth. Squatting with hand on crotch. Squatting while throwing up gang signs and pumping their fists.

6. Gangsters love gangster rap. You know that what you are listening to is gangster rap if every song contains the "F-word" more times than all of the other words put together.

7. Some Gangsters still believe in Jesus. They just believe that He is ok with them wanting to kill other people who disrespect them or pose a threat to their family or friends. They may even pray and read the Bible everyday. The gangsters who still believe in Jesus are all nicer than the ones who don't. The ones who don't seem to want to just kill everybody.

8. Gangsters like to "jone" on each other... Which means make fun of each other. This usually leads to fights when one gangster takes his "joning" too far. It's usually pretty hilarious before the fighting begins. Most gangsters are very quick witted and great at impersonating the idiosyncrasies of others.

9. Gangsters really like money, sex, and violence. These are their three favorite things. This probably isn't new information to any one. The gangster rap gives this secret away.

10. Gangsters seem to respect and respond to two things: Integrity and insanity. If you have to be around gangsters try to be a combination of these. If they think that you are crazy but that you still love them they probably won't hurt you... Probably... So don't let your guard down too much.

That's my list of 10 things I learned about gangsters. Feel free to forward it to Letterman. Hope you learned something. In summary: Gangsters can be really nice people. They are usually smart and funny. You just don't want to be around when the "GANGSTA" in them comes out.

Peace!

Slumber Party!!!

2010-08-04T07:25:00.000-05:00

Ryan's sister, Brooke, is in town so we were lucky enough to have our nephews come stay the night with us a couple of nights ago! Our kids had a blast entertaining our little guests, and we're pretty sure JJ and Sammy loved their first experience with staying the night away from mom.

(From left to right) Rory, Jude, Sammy, JJ, and Joel. JJ and Joel were super tired and a little frustrated b/c the smaller people wouldn't let them go to sleep yet :).

They finally zonked... After we took Rory back to her own bed. We loved how Sam was sleeping like a frog.

JJ wanted to help feed his mini-cousin, Lucy. He did such a good job!

Cancer Is Okay As Long As It Smells Good

2010-07-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that title is a little scary. At least, I think it is... But apparently the cosmetic industry disagrees. For some time now I have been researching the ingredients in our hygiene products (things like shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, lotions, make up, etc.). I have found A LOT of really scary things. The cosmetic industry is so huge and "powerful" that the FDA has had little to no regulations on the products put on our stores' shelves. Because of this most cosmetic companies use the cheapest stuff they can find... Synthetic chemicals and synthetic fragrances... A lot of which are carcinogens. Take for example baby powder. Unless you are using a 100% corn starch baby powder than your powder's #1 ingredient is talc. Talc doesn't sound too bad, does it? Well, talc that is unregulated by the FDA carries traces of asbestos! Talc is a carcinogen that has been linked to both lung cancer and ovarian cancer, so when you are covering your baby girl's bottom with it during diaper changes it goes straight to her female organs and can cause her to develop ovarian cancer when she is older. Yikes, right?
There is a really long list of toxic chemicals used regularly in our shampoos, soaps, lotions, toothpaste (yes, I said toothpaste), etc. etc...
Our family has made the decision to quit living in ignorance and start reading labels. I read the labels on EVERYTHING I buy now. Most of the time I carry a list of toxic chemicals w/ me to the store so I can double check.
Our skin is the largest organ in/on our bodies and over 60% of what we put on our skin gets absorbed into our system and goes to our internal organs. A lot of synthetic chemicals cannot be broken down by our livers either. I think it is worth the extra time to read labels.
I have started making our laundry detergent & cleaners, and will be making our shampoo and conditioner soon too. It may sound like a real pain in the you-know-what but it is actually fun to get to create things the way I want them and add whatever essential oils to them I want. There are a lot of great recipes online for these things. One really fabulous website to visit is www.safecosmetics.org which is very informative when it comes to how the cosmetic industry works and what we can do to change it.
And this is all about what we put ON our bodies... Just wait till I blog about what goes IN to our bodies! That is for a different day though :).

Bread Update

2010-07-28T07:46:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my bread actually turned out pretty good. Here are some promised pictures of the great creation!

A tired me enjoying the fruits of my labor :)

Bread Alone?

2010-07-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

There is a verse in the bible that says "man cannot live by bread alone...". All I can say about that is THANK THE GOOD LORD. Have any of you ever tried to make bread?! It sucks. I decided recently that as part of our "revolution" I was going to quit buying bread from the store and start making our own. For any of you that really know me you understand how seriously funny that is. Anyway, I have a neighbor/friend who's husband is a baker so he loaned me a few books about baking bread and showed some easy (at least he said they were) recipes to start with. Well, the first loaf I made could have broken our freakin' window if any of us had thrown it at one. Today I decided to try a different recipe. This is what I want to know... Has anyone ever successfully oiled plastic wrap?! These "chefs" are crazy! You should have seen me wrestling with the stupid plastic wrap in the kitchen trying to get it to submit to the dog-gone olive oil rub down. I can tell you this, this is the last recipe I try out of these retarded artisan bread cookbooks! From now on I am looking on the internet for a simple "bread for kitchen dummies" recipe. Who the heck has time work on one stupid loaf of bread ALL day long?! Stupid.
Hopefully my work will not have been in vain and the bread turns out great. If so, I will be posting pictures later tonight. :)

Keep It Simple

2010-07-26T08:33:00.000-05:00

Dishes and laundry. Dishes and laundry. Dishes and laundry. WILL IT EVER END?!?
This is usually how I feel.
But things are changing here at Hanewinkel House, remember?
Part of our family revolution is finding ways to simplify life so it is more free.
It seems like laundry is never ending. I can do 3 or 4 loads a day, everyday, and still have mountains of clothes and towels and the like waiting for me. I just want to pull my hair out sometimes! Well, that is one thing that needs to change... Needs to be simplified. Soooo, yesterday the kids and I decided to go through all of their clothes and give away a bunch to charity. We filled up a couple of large trash bags to give away, condensed the boys clothes into one dresser (and the closet), and freed up a dresser to use for art supplies! The kids are super stoked to be doing something to help others and it was a really great opportunity to teach them about needs vs. wants. Now I figure laundry won't be quite so burdensome anymore b/c there isn't as much for the kids to dirty up! We also have a fun new project to work on together b/c of this... We are going to paint the empty dresser, put new handles on it, and move it into the kitchen/dining area. We plan to fill the drawers with crayons, markers, paints, paper, etc. so all of the art supplies are totally accessible to everyone. We are really excited about this!
My absolutely fabulous husband came up with a super idea too, which we implemented last night. We gave everyone (including ourselves) one plate, one bowl, one cup, and one set of silverware. All of the "leftovers" we stacked and put away on the top shelves of the cabinets. From now on everyone is responsible for his or her own dishes... After meals we fill up the sink with soapy water and each of us takes a turn washing our own dishes. This way we will hardly ever use the dish washer (dishwasher detergent is super toxic and terrible for the environment) and their will no longer be dirty dishes piled in our sinks. The kids are totally loving this and feel so independent getting to be in charge of their own things!
These are just a couple of ways we are shaking things up here... Life is good and keeps getting better! :)

Field Trip

2010-07-25T08:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday our family took a field trip to Mastadon State Park for a "Pretend To Be An Archeologist" activity they organized for kids. It was so great! Some of the best people we know came with us... The Dodd family and the Struckhoffs (well, minus the girls who were at a baby shower and were missed). Between all of us we had 11 kids digging around for "dinosaur" bones which equals tons of fun. After the digging adventure we all played on the playground for a while, then headed to the creek for some food and swimming. There was a perfect swimming hole there and the little people got to swim with fish, pretend to be mer-people, and hunt for crawdads. We had so much fun!

Clark, Joel, and Cole digging for cool dino finds.

Mr. Andy swinging with Delaney. I think he needs a push.

Morgan, Joel, Jude, and Drew enjoying a dip.

Rory sporting some bright orange water wings. They are all the rage this summer. :)

Holly with Gauwin (I'm not sure I spelled that right, sorry Holly), Ryan and Clark, and Shawn...

It's A Family Thing

2010-07-23T11:01:00.000-05:00

Life seems to go by so fast that we all tend to miss a ton of the small stuff that really make living fun. Let me rephrase that... We usually LET life go by so fast. One of the biggest changes we are making as a family is to revel in all of the messiness and chaos that is life. I have always been prone to freaking out over spills or crumbs on the floor or the kids getting muddy outside. I seemed to have a "don't do this and stay out of this" list about a mile long for my children! While I was busy keeping the kids in order (ha ha right) I was actually missing out on so many opportunities to really live and enjoy every part of it. I was frustrated 60% of the time and tired the other 40%.
Guess what?! Kids enjoy getting messy outside, it makes them happy. If I let them do the things that make them feel happy and free (within reason, lol) than I in return begin to feel happy and free. Guess what else?! Kids are going to spill things and get crap all over the floors. But I spill things too sometimes, and how would I feel if there was someone standing over me huffing and puffing b/c they had to clean it up? I have wasted too much time being an uptight hellicopter parent and have finally decided to say to hell with it all! Literally.

We are embrasing this life as a family and we are going to start enjoying the fingerprints on the windows, they won't be there for very long. Every spill and mess is a representation that young life is abundant in our home. Every crazy idea the kids get to do something that they think will be super fun (like, for instance, peeing into empty juice bottles so they can see what their urine really looks like, hahaha they really did this!)... Let them do it! The laundry and dishes and all the other messes aren't going anywhere, so why should we miss out on so much fun with our kids for that?

This is part of our change... To love and laugh with our kids more than ever.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!!!

2010-07-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

Okay, so... Our lives have felt like a broken record for a while now... "Wake up, get food, clean, pray for bedtime to come fast, wake up, get food, clean, pray for bedtime to come fast..." and on and on. There has been very little contentment and peace, let alone actually really enjoying the kids! My mind seemed to be especially stuck in that survival mode rut that sucks the life out of everything. We desperately needed change. We prayed for change. I started looking for ways I could make even small changes around the house. It all started there.
I happened upon a blog about a traveling family (it's on my blog roll, check it out!) that just completely opened my eyes to how simple and fun and free life can really be. Reading those blog entries was like getting that first glass of cold, clean water after wandering aimlessly through the desert for days, not that I really know what that's like but you get the drift. Lol.
We have begun a revolution in Hanewinkel house! From how we are training our brains to think, to what we eat and clean with, to how we "flow" as a family... Everything is changing! This blog of ours is going to be our way of letting other people into our home to witness all of God's goodness as He helps us to really begin enjoying this season of our life. We will be posting more about each change we make and how it effects our family, and we will be doing this regularly. We invite you all to buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Standing Outside With My Mouth Open Wide...

2010-07-13T19:32:00.004-05:00

We had a FABULOUS rain the other day... Quite perfect for playing in puddles. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what we did! The kids and I ran around like crazy people and got soaked and had so much fun. Ryan came home and joined us for a little while too!
The ground has been so dry lately that the word "parched" is a serious understatement... We wish it would rain some more!!!!

I Scream For Ice Cream!

2010-05-28T20:18:00.002-05:00

Lucy tried her first bite of vanilla ice cream! And... She didn't like it. She made horrible faces and spit most of it out. Go figure! She's the first of all the kiddos to have that reaction to ice cream thus far. Here are some shots of her first taste!

2010-05-24T20:35:00.002-05:00

I recently took the little people up to Joel's school to watch his music class perform some of the songs they have been learning to play on the recorder. It was so much fun and Jude & Rory were so excited to get to see what their big brother has accomplished with his instrument so far. Joel is the one in the red t-shirt. His music teacher, Mrs. Francis, is a real sweetheart and was a great blessing to Joel all year. He will miss her very much when he moves up to the 3rd grade.

The boy in the yellow shirt next to Joel is B.J. and has been one of Joel's good buddies this year.

DS Buddies

2010-05-16T12:09:00.002-05:00

Joel and Jude each have their own Nintendo DS (which they LOVE LOVE LOVE). I took this picture a few days ago of them playing their game time w/ their best buds Cole and Morgan. Aren't they all so stinkin' cute?!

Long Time, No Post

2010-05-12T20:27:00.003-05:00

Wow, it has been a looooong time since I have posted any updates on the family here! So, without further ado, I will launch you all into a brief summary of the goings on at Hanewinkel house since February (my last update).

Joel celebrated his 8th birthday quaintly this year b/c he got sick and we had to cancel his party :(. BUT, he did get some awesome gifts and money (what kid doesn't like that?!) so he wasn't too bummed. I can't believe he is 8. Joel's soccer season is coming to an end now, and he has proved himself to be a true soccer warrior this year! He scored a couple of goals and did really well when he was placed in the game as goalie, but playing forward is his favorite b/c he gets to run all over the field, ha! Joel also made a clay sculpture of a dragon in his art class and was recently selected to be one of the 5 kids from his school to have his art work displayed at the local art fair... We just went to see it this evening and it was pretty cool! All in all, Joel is doing superb. A very fine fellow indeed!

Jude has fully embraced this whole "big brother" thing w/ baby Lucy. He is an excellent helper w/ all things baby and, out of all the kids, he seems to enjoy holding her and feeding her the most! It is really cute to watch. He has decided he wants to be a construction worker when he grows up (a carpenter who builds houses, to be exact) and has been having the time of his life watching new houses go up on our street. He gets out some of Ryan's nails and hammer and will scavenge for left over wood at the home sites to build his own little creations. And of course he has to have his shirt off for all the hard labor just like the real "workers"! He is such a character!

Rory is working toward perfecting the art of gab day by day here! She will talk to anyone who will give her an ear, and is always making up cute songs about her being a princess and daddy being her handsome prince... All whilst wearing one of her many tu-tu's. She is loving everything about being a miniature woman and insists on wearing lipstick every day (and sometimes even blush if mommy says it is okay). She acquired a battery powered pink mustang for her birthday this year and cruises up and down the street in front of our house every chance she gets! She is so "Hollywood", it's just adorable.

Lucy is HUGE! At 3 and 1/2 months she is already wearing a lot of 6-9 month clothes and has been rolling over ever since she was 2 months old! She actually just outgrew her cradle and is now moved in w/ big sister (who is very excited about that!). Lucy is so happy most of the time and started to grab at toys and trying to get a hold of her feet as well. She has turned into a mega drool monster and will soak anyone and anything she comes into contact w/ now! We can't imagine life w/out our little Lu anymore.

Baby Lucy!

2010-02-09T11:36:00.002-06:00

I know this is little "behind schedule" but we would like to introduce you all to our newest miniature Hanewinkel... Lucy Alina Hanewinkel born January 20, 2010 weighed 8 lbs. 7oz. and was 20 inches long. Daddy got to assist in the delivery which was super awesome! Lucy is such a doll and is doing great at home. Joel, Jude, and Rory have done a masterful job welcoming her into the clan and Rory is proving herself to be quite the big sister! We are so thankful to God for our new little blessing and consider it such an honor that He has increased our family again. Thank you Jesus!

Rory's Turn

2010-01-11T15:55:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Rory recouped from the little fever just fine and finally got to go play in the snow before everything turned to mush! Here are a few pictures of the little princess enjoying the indoor warmth after so much outdoor excitement. She literally ate so much snow that she practically "burnt" her cheeks from the cold and they are still chapped today! Hahahahaha!

Snow Day

2010-01-07T10:05:00.003-06:00

FINALLY a snow day for the kids!!! They have been waiting and waiting for this and woke up this morning with hoots and hollers of celebration when they saw that everything was white :). Unfortunately Rory has had a fever so she can't go play, but the boys took out a little cup and filled it up w/ snow just for her... They take good care of their little sis. So far this snow day has gone quite well, save one incident of Joel shoving Jude's face in the snow (I was impressed that he only attempted to do that to his little brother once!). Everything is beautiful and white, and the only thing left to do is enjoy some hot cocoa w/ mallows.

Jingle Bell Rock

2009-12-28T08:50:00.002-06:00

What a fabulous Christmas! Joel, Jude, and Rory got super blessed and Ryan & I couldn't have had more fun watching our little people tear through gifts and celebrate Jesus' birth! Story of the year... The kids got a Wii from their Grandma Kim and after we got it all set up at home Ryan and Joel began arguing over who has had more "play time" on it! Ryan starts playing Wii tennis and, after all his lectures to the kids about watching out for each other before they swing the controllers around, he actually swings his controller into the Christmas tree (knocking a bunch of ornaments to the floor) and then proceeds to hurt his foot on a toy while trying to perfect his mad Wii tennis skills. Gotta love the cruel irony of that! :)

Reindeer!!!

2009-12-15T19:11:00.003-06:00

We took the kids to see reindeer tonight (we were supposed to see Santa too but the line was about an hour long and outside in 27 degree weather... No thanks) and it was pretty cool. Turns out Dancer and Prancer were there for pictures w/ us!

Ryan, Joel, and Rory with Prancer.... Jude was too scared to get in this picture!

Joel, Jude, Rory, and myself with Dancer... Freezing in the sleigh! :)

Fun w/ Papa

2009-11-21T20:22:00.003-06:00

The kids' Papa Bob (Ryan's dad) came over this evening with movies and popcorn and spent some fun time with us before bed! Joel, Jude, and Rory just adore their Papa and asked me over and over again for the hour and a half before he came if he was "here yet"... Gotta love that! ;)
After our movie the kids talked him into playing some jax with them. Here are some fun snap shots of the action.

Homemade Fun

2009-11-20T12:19:00.003-06:00

Joel is our little creative wonder and he came up with the idea to build his own "go cart"... Here are the results! He covered a diaper box in foil and taped it to a skateboard. He was generous enough to share the fun w/ his siblings so I snapped a few pics of Joel and Jude be-bopping around in the homemade car :).

Yum, Yum, Eat 'Em Up

2009-11-09T14:52:00.002-06:00

The kids had a tremendously nourishing breakfast this morning... Donuts w/ icing and sprinkles!!! Way to start the day, eh?! Since Joel and Jude are "growing up" now and too sophisticated for sloppy donut eating, I decided to nab a couple of pics of Ro with chocolate face. I love how she admires the donut like it's a piece of art! Well, I guess in a since you could call it culinary art, but we aren't talking Ace of Cakes here... These are Walmart bakery donuts :)!

Trick Or Treat!!!

2009-10-31T19:40:00.002-05:00

Well, here they are... Our three little goblins pre-trick or treating. We had so much fun! First we went to Joel's school for a halloween celebration and the kiddos got to play lots of games and win prizes and candy. After dinner Grandma Kim came over and put on her costume... She was a big baby (seriously!) and the kids loved it! I took a picture of her with the kids but later realized I didn't have the memory card in my camera so I can't upload it to my computer :(. Happy Halloween Hanewinkel House!

Pre-Rain Play Time

2009-10-13T21:19:00.002-05:00

Just remembering the good ole days before it decided to rain every single day out here. We are now like prisoners in our own home... Sigh. :)

Good Morning, Sunshine

2009-10-01T12:02:00.001-05:00

Me and the Princess freshly out of bed (for your viewing pleasure). I still love my cartoons!

Our Little Archeologists

2009-09-16T18:55:00.003-05:00

Somebody bought the lot next to our house and the hole was recently dug out for the foundation to be poured... Thus leaving a huge mountain of dirt and rocks right by our house (temporarily, thank God!). Jude and Rory have had so much fun digging at the bottom of the hill for neat rocks and "dinosaur bones"! Here are some cute pictures of the wee people enjoying their excavations.

Ultrasound Results...

2009-09-11T14:40:00.000-05:00

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Eckert's Orchard

2009-09-07T14:41:00.003-05:00

The fam went to Eckert's today to go apple picking and all that fun stuff... And I forgot our camera. Grrr. However, we had a fabulous time despite being unable to capture some cute moments on film. Poppy Bob came too (which the kids were very excited about) and was just so much fun and such a blessing to have there! Jude and Rory were expert apple pickers... And though Joel didn't really get into the apple picking, he had a blast at the "carnival" area w/ all of the inflatable bouncers and mini golf! Love family time!!!!!

Dustin's Blog

2009-09-01T16:21:00.002-05:00

My brother, Dustin, just started his own blog where he will be posting poetry and songs that he writes... He is really gifted and I encourage any of you that have an appreciation for that sort of thing to check it out! He is looking for honest feedback of all kinds and he welcomes your comments. His site is www.poetofchrist.blogspot.com so get to it! :)

Special Visitors

2009-08-23T19:18:00.002-05:00

Today we had a very special visit from Ryan's mom (aka Grandma Kim) and she brought with her two very special little people... Joel's, Jude's, and Rory's cousins J.J. and Sammy! They live near Nashville, TN so we don't get to see them very often and everyone was really excited. J.J. is a few months older than Jude so they had alot of fun playing together (and Joel loved having someone else to follow him around!). Sammy is a few weeks younger than Rory so they played marvelously together too! We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire in the back yard and afterward played like crazy people out front! Here are some fun pictures of our time together.

Park Day

2009-08-21T14:41:00.002-05:00

It was in the 70's today and absolutely beautiful!!!! Needless to say we couldn't stay inside, so we had a little excursion at the local park... Joel started school yesterday so it was just the little guys. We missed Joel. :)

Rory was having a blast playing hide-n-seek with Jude and Ryan!

Jude is a master climber.

Rory loves the swings! It's hard to get her to do anything else at the park!

Jude was actually climbing down from the four wheeler because he was mad at me for trying to take his picture! Tee-hee!

Boy Time

2009-08-17T15:50:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the Hanewinkel men enjoying some quality time together... For your viewing pleasure! Ryan spends a lot of time reading to/with the kids (especially Joel and Jude) and they just soak it up. He is such a wonderful daddy!

Let's Catch Up...

2009-08-03T14:03:00.002-05:00

Just thought I would show you all how much fun we had on the 4th of July since I haven't been very diligent about posting updates lately! Joel was super stoked this year b/c he got to shoot off some rockets all by himself! And Jude and Rory, well, let the pictures show you how much fun they had... They really liked the black snakes that grow on the ground when you light them. Ha! More updates and pictures to come soon!

Hi! We're Still Alive!

2009-07-25T20:01:00.002-05:00

Hi all! Here's the deal... My batteries are dead in my camera so I haven't been able to get new pics to post on here. For some reason I just can't bring myself to post many updates w/out a good picture to go along w/ it! Why not just buy new batteries you say? Yes, that would solve the problem... If I could remember to leave Walmart w/ the stupid things actually in my bag! Oh well. Until then, peace out.

The Zoo!!!

2009-07-01T12:38:00.004-05:00

We took a family trip to the zoo on Monday and it was so much fun! Her are a few pics... Of course, I forgot to pull the camera out when the kiddos decided to play under a little water fall (obviously man made). Oh well.

Rory and me! Joel and Jude are behind me looking at the prairie dogs.

Huge African elephants (these are Jude's favorite at the zoo).

Hmm... Well, it was that time of year for the tortoises! All of the kids around were like "Mom and Dad, what are they doing?" and all of us parents were like "Um, just giving each other piggy back rides, dear.". Joel is still convinced the big one on top was just trying to climb out! :)

Ultrasound

2009-06-25T12:54:00.003-05:00

And here it is... Baby Hanewinkel #4's first debut! Due January 23, 2010.

Tadpole Update...

2009-06-24T17:07:00.002-05:00

Just an FYI... Apparently tadpoles like the heat about as much as I do... They are all now dead. :( So, sadly the kids were not able to watch them sprout all of their legs and hop away. There is always next year.

Hasta La Vista, Thor...

2009-06-23T18:33:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we all said "goodbye" to Thor. After battling w/ some serious behavior issues (and not making much headway) Thor finally broke the hair on the camel's back. The night before last he became extremely destructive in our house after seeing a cat in the yard... He overturned some furniture, jumped on top of my kitchen table, poopped all over the place inside and dragged clothes out of the laundry basket to cover it up, and finally bit me. Ryan and I decided that we couldn't risk the kids getting hurt the next time the dog loses control again, and especially with a new baby on the way. We sadly had to send Thor back to the rescue and hope he finds a good home that is more able to deal w/ his behavior (and doesn't have small kids!). See ya, Thor.

A Day In The Life Of A Hanewinkel

2009-06-17T18:09:00.003-05:00

I have to vent. Let me just fill you in on what a day here is like... We'll start yesterday afternoon.
It's a sunny day outside, the perfect day for playing in a sandbox or playing in the water... And that's exactly what my kids were doing. I needed to step inside with Rory for a few minutes, so the boys and their neighbor friend stayed outside at the sandbox. Five minutes later I open the door to check on the boys and all three of them turn to face me w/ a look of guilt written all over them. "What are you guys doing?" I ask them. "Nothing! Hey mom, stick your hand in this water!" they say to me as they all point toward the sandbox. "Why?... What's in it?" I ask. "Nothing!..... Well.. Just some water and sand... And some mud and grass..." they all answer back. A silence falls on the boys as I stare them down, knowing there is more to that answer than they want to tell me. "Well, and some of Thor's poop." one of the guilty party chimes in. "WHAT?!" I yell. That's when the fingers start pointing and everyone is laying blame on each other. I run in the house to get the heavy duty antibacterial soap and drown their hands in it, then I send them over to the hose to scrub themselves off. I sit Rory on the porch and proceed to dump the sandbox (and it's disgusting contents) onto the driveway and hose everthing off. During this time, I take the opportunity to scold all three children on how absolutely sick that idea of their's was and how sick they could have really gotten in return. Another period of silence falls. And that is when little Jude rats the older boys out... "They peed in it too, mom!". Fury burns behind my eyes as I turn to face them. "You did what?!" I ask Joel and Cole. Along comes another scolding that ends with me telling Joel it is time for him to go inside and Cole needs to go home. They were both so remorseful though that I decided to give them some mercy after all and told them that if they would promise to keep their penises in their pants from now on they could play a little longer outside.
After I finally get everyone settled in bed later that night I am so hungry I feel like I could eat our dog. I decide to make some popcorn. As I go out in the kitchen I notice a foul smell... That keeps getting worse the closer I get to the dog. Okay, scratch the whole eat the dog idea. Thor apparently has gas. Yea. I choke through the time it takes for the popcorn to pop on the stove, salt it, and lock myself in my bedroom away from Thor-the-farting-dog and his gag-igniting aromas. I finally fall asleep w/ a full belly... Hilight of the day right there.
So, here we are today... Ryan decides to treat us to lunch at Cracker Barrel! Yeah! Everyone is excited. We get to our table and place our orders... Then Jude says he needs to go to the bathroom. I take him to the bathroom and he informs me he needs to poop so he shuts and locks the stall door, with me on the outside. Not good. While Jude is comfortably perched upon his throne I am trying franticly to wedge my fingers in the door and undo the lock, to no avail. I finally decide to leave him and go find someone to help. A hostess had to come in with a pen and stick it in the door to unjam the lock... Thank God! Meanwhile, I am looking like a really incompetent mother. We get home, have nap time, and Ryan leaves for work. We have now come full circle. An entire 24 hour period in my life... And, yes, Thor still has gas. We will be trying a different dog food for him. He is lucky that everyone else in the family likes him so much right now, because if it were up to me he would really be in the dog house. Har-har-har!
And now, here are some pictures just for fun!

Tea Time!

2009-06-11T08:45:00.004-05:00

Just some cute pics of Rory playing tea time w/ her baby doll... She had to dress up for the special event too of course. :) Pretty soon that little corner of her room will be painted to look like a sort of flower garden. I am going to have a blast doing that! I don't want to start though until I know for sure how I want to do it... Otherwise things could get really interesting in her room! Ha!

A Confession...

2009-06-07T10:05:00.002-05:00

So, I just started this blog a few months ago. I think I have been pretty faithful about posting pictures and tid-bits about our doings... But I just found Facebook about two weeks ago, and now I feel like I have a secret life. I just need to get this out in the open, you know, lay the cards on the table so to speak. I feel like I married you guys here on blogger, and now I am involved in an intimate affair w/ facebookers... Why does it all have to be so complicated?! I guess, when it is all said and done, the internet is alot like old school mormonism... I am just a (wo)man taking several "spouses" to further my infiltration of the internet kingdom. Okay, I feel better now.

Tadpoles Galore

2009-06-06T18:45:00.003-05:00

Alright, I know this picture is pretty disgusting, but I'm sure you will all get over it! We took the kids to a nearby park a few days ago and went to the creek to hunt for crawdads and tadpoles... We totally hit the jackpot. We brought home 6 crawdads and dozens of tadpoles for the kids to keep in a tank here. Well, the crawdads didn't fare so well (they were all dead the next day), but the tadpoles are getting bigger day by day and the kiddos are really excited to watch them all make the amazing transformation into tiny frogs. Once that happens, we will be making another trip back to the creek to let them all go b/c the Good Lord knows I don't need 75 little frogs hopping around my yard. :)

Jude Says "Hello"

2009-06-04T18:20:00.003-05:00

Jude wanted to say "hello" to everyone! So... He made a funny face for you all in hopes of making everyone smile :). He is very excited to be a big brother again! Although, it took him a few days to understand that only mommy has a baby in her belly... (Not mommy, and daddy, and Joel, and Rory, and himself!). He also wanted to make sure I let everyone know that he wishes you all were here at our house today so he could play with every single one of you.

Look Out For Mr. Stork

2009-05-26T11:42:00.003-05:00

About a month or two ago Ryan and I started talking about him seeing a doctor to get the "big snip".... Well, I just found out I am pregnant :). This is baby #4 for the Hanewinkel crew, and now that all the seats at our dining room table will be filled we are officially closing up shop after this little blessing arrives. God sure works in mysterious ways!

I Got New Specs!

2009-05-24T18:58:00.003-05:00

I finally got my new glasses! I can't decide which pair I like best... The first pair is black with a hint of plum when the light is just right. The second pair is copper. It is so nice to be able to read without getting headaches!

Birds Love Me.

2009-05-19T19:04:00.002-05:00

Ryan and I took Jude and Rory to Suson Park today (it was beautiful outside!) and saw some fun stuff. First, in one of the barns there were a bunch of baby birds that were learning to fly and one actually landed on my shoulder for a while! The picture is kinda blurry so Ryan took another one of me petting it so you can see it more clearly. So cute! Then we saw a huge mama pig nursing a bunch of piglets! I think pigs are the most disgusting animals on the planet, and I pretty much hate them, they make want to vomit... But the kids really got a kick out of all of the little squeals! Out of all the farm animals we saw there Rory was actually scared of the ponies... Cute little ponies! Go figure.

A Bicycle Accident :(

2009-05-13T19:22:00.002-05:00

Joel was riding his bike this evening while Jude, Rory, and I walked Thor around our street. Then it happened. Joel tried to jump the street curb.... And wham! he took a major fall and did a face plant in the pavement. As he was hitting the ground I was running towards him and saw his head bounce off of the street (thank God for helmets) and his two front teeth go flying from his mouth. So, he has sadly lost his baby front teeth prematurely, but he is excited about having a cool reason for the Tooth Fairy to visit! We will probably have to take him to the dentist to make sure he didn't damage anything else in his mouth, but other than looking funny and having a fat lip he is doing great! He is such a trooper.

Congrats Sis!!!

2009-05-11T07:36:00.003-05:00

My sister, Paige, is graduating high school this month!!! She's totally stoked and so are we. :) Paige has been running track for a while and is a freakin' speed demon so she was able to get a hefty scholarship w/ Lindenwood University running track for them. Way to go Paige! I am so excited for her!

Isn't she so beautiful?!

Just hangin' out, enjoying the view...

Her hair is so gorgeous!

I think the barbed wire fence especially adds to this picture, don't you?

Introducing Thor

2009-05-08T19:03:00.003-05:00

So, Ryan and I have felt for a while that it was time to expand our family... Just not in the normal procreative way. We would like to introduce all of you to (hopefully) the newest member of the Hanewinkel crew, "Thor". We are fostering him right now just to make sure he will fit in well w/ us and the kids, and as long as he is well behaved w/ the kids and doesn't poop all over my house we will be adopting him. As you can see, he is absolutely gorgeous! He is a 3 year old Weimaraner. So far he has been really laid back and seems to be just about perfect for us but this is just the first day... Keep your fingers crossed! :)

Team Monsoon

2009-05-02T18:33:00.003-05:00

Joel had his first soccer game this morning... It was absolutely hilarious!!! All of these 1st and 2nd grade kids running around the field like maniacs, there was very little order but tons of fun. Joel is a total animal - he played the entire game w/out a brake (forward for the first half then goalie for the 2nd half) and here it is over 10 hours later and he is still playing hard outside w/ his neighbor buddies. For some reason I took pictures of his first practice instead of his first game (don't ask) so, since Jude and Rory were there cheering him on w/ us we just put all three of them on our post today! They are all stars! Go #4!! Woo-hoo!!

The Emerald Coast...

2009-04-28T12:31:00.004-05:00

Florida was AWESOME!!!! We practically mourned the loss of the beach during our trip home. Our condo was right on the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico and the view was unbelievable. At one point while Ry was in the water a crab crawled over his feet and totally freaked him out. We went on a dolphin cruise (which was a waste of time), ran around in the water and on the beach like little kids, went for walks in the sand every morning, and on our last full day there we went kayaking. During our last evening on the beach we filled up about 10 large ziplock freezer bags full of sand from the beach and when we got home we dumped it all in the kids' sand box and put the sea shells in it so they could have a part of the beach at home... They were stoked! So, the trip was wonderful and we have already been talking about moving there someday.

Just An Update

2009-04-16T21:07:00.005-05:00

Well, the kids are still hitting the easter candy hard.... The plus side to all of the sugar is that they totally crash at bedtime! Ha! Ryan and I leave for Florida early Saturday morning and the kids will be staying w/ my parents. We have been so excited about getting to "vacate" just the two of us that I haven't really thought about how much I will miss my three goof-balls... It started hitting me today as I was packing the suitcases. :( We need this break so much but we have only been away from the kids for this long once (when I was pregnant w/ Rory) for a week of summer camp when Ryan was pastoring the youth at our former church. Yeah, that wasn't the best of days... I spent every morning throwing up, and the bathroom was nasty, and the food was funky, and the weather was hot, wah, wah, wah. Anyway this will be really good for all of us and the kids will have a blast at my folk's with their aunts and uncles. Plus, Jude about went through the roof when I told him he could pick out some special food/snacks to take with him! He is our sugar tooth baby so he immediately started listing off every sugar cereal and cookie he could remember and the look in his eyes was intent on the greatest sugar binge of his 3 year life.
We will be sure to post plenty of pictures of our trip once we are home! Peace out!

Our Little Thespian...

2009-04-14T15:39:00.002-05:00

Our little man, Joel, had his first-ever school performance a couple nights ago! The students performed a narration of "A Duck Called Ping" which is a chinese story. They were so cute (even though we couldn't understand a word any of them said, ha!). Joel is in the white t-shirt holding the percussion sticks... Wearing a beak on his nose. That's my boy :).

To Snip, Or Not To Snip....

2009-04-06T19:30:00.004-05:00

Whew! Things have been super crazy around here lately.... But I finally find myself w/ a moment to spare for you fabulous friends! Okay, honestly, I found a new book series and for about 2 weeks I devoted myself to them and have read through all 8 books almost 3 times now. Now that my short-lived affair w/ Charlaine Harris' vampire novels has come to an "almost" end I can fill you all in on our current situation.
We have 3 awesome kids... We love our kids... If we could go back and do it all over again we would... That being said, we are done having kids. :) We feel like our child-baring years have come to a close and would like to do something permanent about that decision. Our "current situation" is this: I think Ryan should get a vasectomy since it is (a) cheaper, (b) safer, (c) easier, and finally... I gave birth to our 3 kids & feel that my body has put it's dues in. However, Ryan is a little apprehensive about allowing a doctor to cut into his tenders and perform the necessary procedure to sterilize him. I use the phrase "a little apprehensive" to spare his ego :). Anyway, if any of you have any experience w/ sterilization procedures feel free to send your comments, advice, etc. Also, I know this is a touchy subject for some people. Some of you may strongly disagree w/ altering our body's abilities to make babies and feel that is something only God should have a say in. I personally am of the persuasion that God gave us wisdom and expects us to use it in all major life decisions, including the size of our families.
And, sorry but no pictures this time!!! :)

Dustin & Brittany... Finally :)

2009-03-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my brother (Dustin) had just proposed to his woman (Brittany) and she said yes. Well, I finally got the pics I promised everyone! Aren't they so adorable?! We will be hearing wedding bells very soon. Her ring is to die for too.

Happy B-Day Joel!!!

2009-03-16T15:12:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Joel officially turned seven years old and we had a killer party to celebrate! It was absolute chaos at our house (in all the best forms) w/ so many kiddos running around... I tried to get pictures of him opening gifts and every time I would snap a shot someone would move their head or hand or a gift bag right in front of Joel's face :(. Oh well. This was the best one I got! Joel is on the far right and you can only see the top 1/2 of his head, ha! I did manage to get a super cute photo of Rory and her "Poppy" Bob (Ryan's dad) so I had to post that also. And, as it turns out, I accidentally posted the picture of Ro and Bob first so Joel is further down the page.

Jude & Rory Help w/ Laundry...

2009-03-09T19:32:00.002-05:00

Jude & Rory decided they wanted to help me fold a load of laundry this morning... Yeah, that always works! :) Rory (as you can see) ended up wearing big-brother-Joel's undies as a hat and I couldn't keep Jude out of the laundry basket! They are a couple of hams.

Rory's Cuteness

2009-03-04T14:49:00.002-06:00

It has been a while since I have been able to get some cute pictures of the kids and post them for everyone to see... The reason being that we have had, like, the plague at our house! Ryan is just getting over the flu, which he gave to Joel while Joel already had strepp throat, Jude also has strepp throat, and Rory has some kind of nasty respritory virus. Yeah, it's been loads of fun around here this winter. Anyway, Ro decided to pass the time coloring with a water marker and I was able to get a couple of cute shots! Our model is sporting a lovely powder blue princess night gown by Disney, trendy white socks, and has completed her ensemble with the perfect hair accessory from Target. Isn't she so cute?! :)

Vacation

2009-02-24T13:08:00.002-06:00

A few "posts" ago I told everyone about our decision to finally take a vacation this year by ourselves. Well, I am happy to announce that we have also made a decision on where that vacation will be! We will be going to Fort Walton Beach, FL most likely sometime in April. We are planning to rent a condo on the beachfront and stay for a full week! I can already hear the Hallelujah chorus! If any of you have been there before and know of some "must see" spots, let us know. And, a big "thank you" to everyone who sent us vacation ideas and tips.

Three Peas In A Pod...

2009-02-19T18:12:00.005-06:00

Here are some cute pics of the kiddos playing together this evening. It is so funny to me that, even though they have an inexhaustable amount of toys, they still prefer the laundry basket over them all. :)

What Happens When Momma's Not Well?

2009-02-19T08:54:00.004-06:00

So we have all heard the saying "if momma aint happy, aint nobody happy" right?... Well, I have a new version of that for you and it goes a little something like this... "If momma aint well, aint nothing else well". Some of you might be wondering why in the world I would post these pictures of my house online when it is in such a disgusting state, and this is my reason - For the last week or so I have not felt very well and it seemed like it was all I could do just to keep the kids clothed, fed, and safe. Some of you might have chatted w/ me on the phone at that time and listened to me whine about how trashed my house was. (It usually goes something like this... "Three days ago I had my house spotless and was caught up on the laundry and now I am laying here watching it be destroyed right before my eyes.... blah blah blah"). Now you can all see exactly what I mean when I say "my house is trashed". Okay, so maybe these pictures are a little embarassing but maybe they will also help some of you to feel better about yourselves when you look around at your place and realize how "together" you are. Yeah, good for you or whatever. Anyway, I have alot of work ahead of me... Pray for me! :)

It's Time

2009-02-18T08:58:00.003-06:00

This picture represents a huge desire in my husband's and I's hearts. We have been married for over eight years and have never had a vacation. I know some of you are thinking "What?! For the love of all that is holy! You guys need to get out more. You have to, for the sake of your marriage. For the sake of your sanity." and there are others of you thinking "Oh that's nothing. We've been married twice as long and never gone anywhere together. There so many other necessary things to spend your money on." Well, we have decided to jump on board with those of you rooting for our sanity and are hoping to finally be able to take a week off of work, parenting, bills, housework, etc. and just be together. That being said, we have no idea what to do or where to go. We love nature, but I also want to be pampered :). We can't afford anything extravagent like the Bahamas or whatever, but definately want to go somewhere "exotic" here in the U.S.A. so please help us! If any of you are traveling gurus or have a favorite vacation spot that is pretty cheap please email us or leave a comment with your tips and info.

Toddler Love :)

2009-02-15T20:12:00.005-06:00

Dustin's Valentine

2009-02-14T20:11:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I don't have any pictures to post concerning this (right now anyway) but I have some very exciting Valentine's Day news about my bro to report. Dustin, very romantically, proposed to his girlfriend of 3 yrs this evening and she said yes!!!! Yeah Dust!!!! I love Brittney and couldn't be more excited to have her as my sister-in-law. Our family is very happy for them. :) And, once I get a picture of their beautiful faces (and the beautiful ring) I will put it up for everyone to see.
Congrats Dustin and Brittney... And put on your seat belts. Ha!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-13T18:19:00.005-06:00

The kids decided to sit down and create some cute valentines for their grandmas (everyone sigh a collective "aawwww" here..) and we thought you would like to be a part of the festivities. :) You will have to excuse Jude hanging out in his skivvies... If it was up to him we would be a permanent part of a nudist colony!

Joel had his Valentine's Day party at school today and brought home a bag stuffed with cute valentines and candy from his classmates... But he was mostly excited about getting to play bingo in class instead of doing school work. Isn't that funny?! When I was in first grade I don't remember school work being so dreaded. You know, it sucked having to trudge three miles up hill in the snow with holey shoes all the way to school and all, but the school work was fun. Wink, wink.

The Park

2009-02-12T07:07:00.006-06:00

We took our little guys to Suson Park the other day while Joel was at school and it was so much fun. Here a couple cute pics of Jude and Rory playing. Aren't they so cute?! We saw horses and ponies, chickens, sheep, goats, pot belly pigs, turkeys, and a peacock! Their favorite part (of course) was the brand new play ground... Which is as much parent-friendly as it is kid-friendly.

A Proper Introduction...

2009-02-11T16:25:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the first ever Hanewinkel family blog!!! (This is so exciting, I feel like I am up for an Emmy or something). For those of you who are new to our family circle, or haven't seen us in a while, here are some pictures to catch you up! ...See above.

This evening has been full of adventures ranging from battles over dinner to the current thunder of our three munchkins dancing their hearts out to salsa music in the living room. Our life may be many things, but one thing is for sure... There is rarely a dull (or quiet) moment in the Hanewinkel house! We hope all of you enjoy what small window we can give you into our home through this blog. God bless!