Hank is done with the helmet!

He's a totally different kid without it, he almost seems more serious, but it didn't take long to get used to not wearing it, and he's still our normal, smiley guy. 

The Bishops visit us!

We had a great afternoon at the park with them. Hank just adored big kid Anderson. 

Charley always adores him, and can sometimes be a bit clingy, but they played really well with lots of pretend road trips and playing "Restaurant". 

Photos with Santa 2016

A friend of ours hosts a party every December and Santa is there, so we feel pretty lucky we have the opportunity for photos without the chaos and line at the mall. He even hands out presents! If only Charley and Hank wanted anything to do with him...

Hank at least quit crying, but Charley was not getting one step closer. 

Cousin Sawyer's 3rd birthday party

We made a day trip to Houston for the "Rapunzel" party, and it was a lot of fun! Charley and Sawyer always play together very well. 

Hank loved the bounce house, but he wasn't too sure about the party favors.

And the weather cooperated to play outside. The girls were worn out, and Charley and Hank napped almost the entire way home. 

Dave's birthday and the Trail of Lights

 We baked birthday cupcakes for Daddy, and my little helper always likes to test them. She iced and decorated this one all by herself!

 It was a really cold night- in the 30's!- so Charley was in no mood to say cheese. (Although she insisted on riding on Dave's shoulders!)

Hank really loved the lights, especially from his cozy spot. 

What we've been up to this Fall...

 We made it out to our second tailgate of the season over Thanksgiving. The Gages were in town so we were able to visit with them at the tailgate before they went to the Texas/TCU game. 

Playing games in the man cave is always an enjoyable afternoon, especially when we can put the garage door up and watch the rain. 

 We do a fair amount of hanging around the house. 

Going to Grandma and PopPop Rowland's house always includes a trip to their awesome neighborhood parks! 

 Baking goodies with this excellent, little helper. 

Bundled up for church

We had a cold snap finally and actually had to put sweaters on. I knew I better snap a photo before it's 70 degrees again!

Smiley Hank

Hank is really getting a personality, and he's always smiling! Definitely thinking he'll be the jokester of the family.

Our girl is growing so quickly!

After we voted, I rewarded Charley with a ride on the wild boar. Only at Fiesta grocery store...

"Painting pumpkins"

It wasn't quite paint, but Charley and Anderson certainly enjoyed themselves. 

Charley is an excellent big sister

Park playing

And a random angelic, sleeping face. 

Hank can get around well at the park now. But you just have to stay on him to quit putting the rocks in his mouth. That boy!

Picnic with Grandma Rowland

We met at a shopping center in north Austin that I knew had some cool marble cows for climbing, but I didn't realize how much Charley and Hank would enjoy it. We spent over two hours climbing, exploring and just enjoying the nice weather and shady spots. Oh and collecting acorns (aka pulling them out of Hank's mouth constantly)!

Our little monkey in the monkey grass :-)

Hank has new toys!

Enjoying his very own tractor and fire truck. Of course big sister takes a turn as well. 

Hank's first birthday party!

We had a good crowd to help us celebrate, but I failed at getting many photos. Hank was not too sure of all the people as you can see, but Charley was totally in her element. As you can also see ;-)

 Hank spent a lot of time in his new truck being pushed around by anyone willing. 

 Hank was pretty much done by this point :-(

 Charley taking a turn with Anderson's Hulk mask. We may need to rethink her Halloween costume. 

Charley and cousin Sawyer played well together also. They are just  month apart.

Birthday boy!

It sounds cliche, but we just can't believe it's already been a year since Hank burst onto the scene. He is really a happy little guy and ALL boy! Give him a ball or a rock and he's entertained. His favorite thing right now is to play catch- as you can see in the last photo. He tolerates his helmet and (almost) daily physical therapy well. He's had his fair share of illnesses given big sister's germy toddler hands and being a Fall baby, but even his reflux days and early hospital visit seem like distant memories. We are crazy about him and can't wait to see what the future holds.