Thursday, December 16, 2010

A Rare Moment...

I love rare moments like these - when it seems as though being brothers means being good friends.  I am glad I caught this one on camera.  Hunter & Kellen really look to be enjoying each other. 

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Are You Ready World (am I)?

That's right world, tomorrow Kellen makes his debut ....  My little guy starts preschool!  We worked really hard  on getting potty trained and getting ready for this day, and now I am not sure I am sold on sharing this little face with the world.


Actually, I know this is a great move for Kellen and he has reached this stage where he needs the structure and experience.  This is the right thing to do and the right time to do it. 

But as a reminder to Kellen... You will always be my baby!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

The First Snowfall of the Season ...

The first snowfall of the season is always an exciting event.  People panic about driving, my husband and many like him hit the roads and begin cleaning up the aftermath, and parents of active children are reminded of how exciting and beautiful a good snow fall is to our kids...






Faces & Reactions like these make me wish I was still a kid and every new experience was exciting and fun.  I guess that is why they say the best way to see the world is through the eyes of a child.  Looking at these faces, there is no mistake that the world is filled with wonder  ...


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

"Forever Family Day"

I thank God for my kids everyday, but on 11/12/2010 we celebrate "Forever Family Day" and it really hits me how lucky we really are. These faces, their voices, laughter, remind me how generous God is.


I could not imagine our lives without moment like these:


Hunter & Kellen giving love

                                                    

                                                    Eli & Hunti-poo sharing a brother moment

Happy Adoption Anniversary boys - I am so glad we are a "Forever Family"




Sunday, November 7, 2010

Baby Hornaman

I was just looking at the blog and realized that I am way behind on my posts. The start of school, Halloween, and some new house projects have been taking up a lot of time lately. Also, from about the July to September, I think I spent every waking minute between our bathroom and the couch as we are expecting the newest addition to the Hornaman family.



Baby Hornaman is expected to arrive around March 11, 2010 and we could not be more excited!!!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

It's not summer until ...

The pool opens ...

Last week it was finally warm enough to make our first pool trip of the season! We all had a blast.

Hunter and Kellen had a great time showing off their beach bods ...




Practicing their strokes...




And all the time managing to be adorable ...






While Eli spent time at the big pool obviously trying to impress the girls with his goofy faces ...





and his apparent mastery of deep water meditation?





If these happy faces are any indication of the season ahead - bring it on!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Blue Bird House - A Joint Effort

So a few weeks ago, a volunteer from the local nature center offered to help Eli's class build Blue Bird houses. Scott and I try to rotate out for school events so that there is always somebody to share Eli's fun days at school. In the past, it seems to have worked out that I get field trips and scott gets activities at school... except for this year! Yeah, I either totally underestimated the complexity of a Blue Birdhouse or overestimated my ability to follow simple instructions. To make a long story short, here is a great picture of one of the other boy's gramps helping Eli to rebuild his birdhouse after I managed to screw up the very first piece! If you look behind Eli and this helpful soul, you will also note that most of the kids in Eli's class have completed their birdhouses (Eli noticed, to which he stated..."I knew Scott should have helped with this one.")
Eventually the construction of the birdhouse was completed and we brought it home. Next step ... figuring out how to mount it. I can take credit for this. Trying tp redeem myself, I bought the supplies and mounted the birdhouse while everybody (specifically, Scott and Eli) were out of the house. With a little artistic help from Hunter and Kellen, we now have a Bluebird House that any Bluebird should be proud to call home.

Monday, May 17, 2010

A Sunday Date with Kellen ...

I love to spend time with our boys. When I watch them together, I laugh and realize how lucky we are. I love to watch the three boys together, but I also feel like it is important to spend a little one on one time with each. A couple of weeks ago I posted pics that I took on a Sunday morning date with Hunter. This week was Kellen's turn.

No matter who comes with me on Sundays... the routine is always the same. We go to church and then we walk to Duets - my favorite coffee shop. Kellen thinks he is a mini adult, so he likes to share a frappe' with mama (he has good taste). After a treat at the shop, we walk back to the car and usually spend some time at the community park - the kids love the trees and the fountain. Kellen knows that I am always armed with a camera and he lives to ham it up!

We also went to the local greenhouse and took advantage of the nice weather and beautiful scenery for some pictures. I am a bit partial, but I love these pics...



It was a great Sunday date!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Hunter

There are times when I get to stand back and really watch my kids. I get to be a part of their moment without having to make meals, or get them ready for bed, or chase them around saying, "no, no." I get to stand back and enjoy everything about them. Hunter and I got to share a morning like this the other day. It was so fun to stand back and watch him discover and just be Hunter. While I watched him play, I realized how fast time flies. On April 24, 2010, Hunter turns 3 and I can't believe how lucky we are to have this little boy as our son.

When Hunter came to us, we did not know how long he would be part of our lives. All we knew was that we were going to treasure every moment with him. I remember watching him and trying to store every sound he made, every cute thing he did, and all of the quite time together. Now that he is going to be 3, these memories come flooding back.

I look at his soft skin and I remember the first time I caressed his head until he fell asleep ...




I look in his eyes and I am transported to the many times he watched my face as he drank his bottle in my arms ...

I love to watch Hunter run because it reminds me how free he is and how much he has overcome in his 3 years ...

Most of all, I love to see him smile because it reminds me of the joy he has brought to our lives. His laughter is contagious and the smiles he gives so freely, brighten even the darkest day.


Wishing Hunter a year full of joy, laughter and love - the same gifts he gives to us every day.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Monday, April 12, 2010

There are reasons

That Mondays are not so bad. These are mine ...

1. Whenever I get home, there is someone to make me laugh...



2. There is always somebody ready with a big hug and adorable smile ...



3. Faces like this help put things into perspective ...

Monday, April 5, 2010

Hornaman Easter

So, our Easter did not turn out as we had planned at all. However, all things aside, it was a good Easter. The kids all slept in and then when they were all bathed and dressed for the day, the Easter fun began. Once the baskets were found, it was time to enjoy the beautiful day. The boys had a great time playing bubbles,

and a few rounds of peek a boo...
.
The boys had a great time enjoying the good weather and each other. Mostly, Scott and I had a great time watching the boys. The day reminded us how lucky we are to have the gifts we were given. Our lives as a family have always taken unexpected turns, but days and moments like we shared on Easter Sunday help to keep it all in perspective. Life is good and the unexpected/unplanned can bring the best memories ever. I love these boys...

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy 9th B-Day Eli

On March 28, 2010 my oldest, Eli, turned 9 (I know, this post is behind). Eli spent the weekends at his dad's place, so whe he got home on Sunday, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Brenke's in Excelsior. The night was complete with cupcakes, candles, and fun.
In addition to spending time with his brothers, Eli also got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa and his buddies (cousins), Megan and Desiree. Here is a great pic of Grandpa with three of the six grandkids.
Entertainment was not in short supply. Eli's B-day is so close to to Easter that Grandma made sure there were eggs to color. Everybody got in on the fun ...


Megan's hands show that kids had a great time and they were up to coloring all the way to their knuckles ...
But the end product was well worth the mess.
The B-day celebration was a lot of fun and a great way to recognize a special day. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa. Most of all, Happy Birthday Eli!!!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Spring Fever ...

The boys have been just dying to get outside after a long winter of being cooped up. There are days when we have to double check the locks because they will try to let them selves out of the house to bask in the spring sun. This weekend, I could not help bundling them up a bit and taking them outside. We let them out and they had a blast ..
Hunter could not get enough of the spring weather and the open space. He had a blast playing peek around the trees ...

Kellen felt the need to be the director of activites (a true boss even when he is outside). Here is a pic of our little Brutis bossing Hunter, the squirrels, and maybe the ants?

I think daddy had just as much fun as the little guys. Here is a great pic of daddy with his two minions!

Overall, it was a great time outside and enjoying the spring. I think it made Hunter and Kellen realize how lucky they are to have each other. True brothers ... The worst of enemies and the best of friends ... Here they are taking a break from annoying each other and showing how much they love each other.