Hectic year!

We have been so busy with the kids, I haven't had a chance to update anything lately. Will post pictures soon!

A year of life for Nevan.

We have been blessed w our third baby for a year now. Nevan is our Christmas baby. His birthday is December 15, 2011. He has brought so much joy into our lives! The transition from 2 to 3 children was extremely difficult but seems to be finally easier. Nevan is a very happy boy who loves to be held as well as in the action. He can't get enough of Clare, whenever she walks by or talks to him he repeats 'Ca' or 'Sis' over and over. He will sit by Paul for long stretches of time and play cars or blocks which is very sweet. Hands down, Nevan is a baby, he loves constant attention and is very content to be held all day long. He is a big boy but is fairly small (weight wise) in comparison to Paul at this age. Nevan started walking about 2 days after his first birthday and still only says a couple of words consistantly. He loves to be roughed up and wrestled by Daddy and Paul. It will be so fun to see Nevan react to the new baby! He will be 18 or 19 months old when number 4 comes along.

Update for the Hinkle clan!

Whoo hoo! Blog is working again! Somehow I locked myself out for months! Irritating!

Anyways!

We are pregnant again, currently 15 weeks along. We are so excited for this next blessing, it is so much fun w Clare and Paul being more aware.

Clare is almost 4. She is so much fun and such a Momma's helper and Daddy's girl! She loves playing w her many dolls (honeybaby, sarabelle, clarabelle, baby dream, tiny baby, Mosem and China baby). We had Clare in 3 days a week Preschool for about a month, but we just didn't feel it was a good fit.

Paul is 2 and absolutely hilarious all.the.time. he is a total Momma's boy. He says sweet things all day and is a great little problem solver. He is obsessed w spiderman and swords. He prefers to play w his bro or sis but isn't to interested in making outside friends (unlike his super outgoing sis). I can't get enough of Paul, he is such a blessing. He seems to be musically inclined, not so much singing like his sister, but he catches beats really quick and plays air guitar anytime he hears music.

Nevan is 1 years old! He started walking just after his birthday, we spent a lot of time holding off walking due to our Chiropractor's recommendation, not easy. He doesn't say a whole lot beyond grunts but he sings whenever we are singing. He finally is sleeping through the night. A month ago he was waking 6 times per night and it quickly tapered down to 3 which after a year of 6 or more nursing sessions a night, 3 was welcomed, but for the last week he hasn't been getting up! He has a very pleasant and happy attitude. Loves to be roughed up and in the action.

We had a very blessed Christmas, hope you did too!

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New blog

Alright, so a follow up to my last post...

I have a new blog to keep up with, this hinkleclan blog will stay as it is, dedicated to our daily happenings and this new one www.countrycatholicliving.blogspot.com will be dedicated to my opinions and research on various topics including but not limited to, Catholicism, abortion, vaccinations, circumcision, homebirth, breastfeeding, natural health alternatives, organic food, vitamins and supplements, and peaceful attachment parenting.

Please follow me if you are interested :)

Thankful Thursday

Tonight I am just sitting in bed, catching up on some articles that my fellow bloggers have put up. I am always reading blogs that contain the following topics, Catholicism, Vaccinations, Abortion, Peaceful and Natural Parenting, and Conservative Politics.

I am sitting in bed, Nev is layin next to me, Clare and Paul are both in bed sleeping, Josh is playing Call of Duty and I am all caught up (sort of) on housework. I am thinking about how grateful I am to have so many good friends who have provided me with so many avenues to form who I am as a mother today. I am shocked at how much I have changed since I first was pregnant and then gave birth to Clare. My ideas of parenting have pretty much done a 180 (thats when they turn completely around...right?) I am also so grateful that my husband is so smart and supports me in everything we have chosen for our family. He truly is a wonderful leader, husband and father. It gives me so much comfort to know he has researched almost as much as I have on Vaccinations, more than I have on Catholicism, Abortion and DEFINITELY WAYYY more on Conservative Politics or Politics in general. He is a wonderful support.

I dont like to post to much about topics that interest me, I tend to stick to my kids and just posting about our day to day lives but I think I will start incorporating some articles and various tid bits of information I am researching as I research. I can only imagine I will lose blog readers, but since I have a pretty minimal following- I think i'll live. Part of my reasoning behind blogging about topics that are important to me, is to have a place where I can compile all my research and put all my random articles I have in my inbox and my husband's inbox in an organized blog.

Anyways- I hope yall stick with me and dont EVER feel forced to read anything I post and please drop me a comment or question- I ALWAYS will respect everyone's opinion and rights as a parent.

God bless!

Happy Birthday Paul!

Well, Mr. Man turned 2 on Friday. If you ask him how old he is, he says "Free" (Three) and holds up one finger...hmm.

Paul has been such a joy, he is so articulate and funny. He LOVES to play with Clare (she loves playing with him as well). He is obsessed with rescue vehicles especially FIRETRUCKS! We took Paul to see a firetruck on Friday, Josh is friends with the Fire Marshall through his store and he has told us many times to bring Paul by so we took all the firemen some Braum's Icecream and got to see a firetruck. Paul sat in the front seat, "drove", hit the lights, and made LOTS of siren sounds. Paul also received a Fireman hat and some stickers.

We had a family and friends party for Paul today for Cake and Icecream. While getting everything set up, Paul literally helped me decorate. He recognized that most everything (table cloth, plates, cups, napkins etc...) was red or blue and he brought out various red or blue items, including a lady bug stuffed animal, his coveted truck book, spiderman book, train set he received from Gma and Gpa Cihak, cars...all colored blue or red.

We had our family here and some dear friends that drove out from Cashion with their five children, Peter is their youngest and he is about 2 weeks older than Paul. Marigold is a little less than a year older than Clare and then they have Oliver who is 6, Ben who is 8, and the oldest sweetie who 'trained' our puppy all afternoon, Lily who is 10.

Paul also received a firetruck that makes all the noises and siren sounds of a firetruck in action...sidenote- this is not an appropriate toy for car rides...unless you enjoy being the only person pulling over frantically looking around, waiting for a firetruck to zoom by! haha! Thank you to his God Parents Paul and Susan! We miss yall so much!

enjoy the pics :)

Paul

Paul is the funniest kid, he can talk completely in full sentences now which is why when he SCREAMS just to scream instead of asking for what he wants I crack up...

Today I gave Clare a glass of water and Paul immediately SCREAMED "AHHHHHH"...my immediate reaction was to laugh much to Paul's dismay...he screamed again "AHHHHHH", I asked Paul if he wanted water "Yes, I want a glass of water yes" - me: "dont you think we can skip the screaming and drama Paul?" Paul: "AHHHHH" (which means GET ME WATER NOW).

Paul also just asked me for a plate, so I grabbed him one of his spiderman plates, then he asked for a spoon, so I got him a spoon, then he asked for a yogurt ... okay, I start walking to the fridge...Paul says "Yogurts are in the fridge Mummy"... *thanks Paul*.

Sleep much?

One thing I love about babies and children growing is that when they are born they obviously sleep a TON, then they slowly start to wake up constantly to eat for about three months, then they get into a great pattern of maybe waking up once or twice...Nevan Jonathan is the exact opposite...

Nevan went from sleeping 5 hour stretches from 6 weeks of age...to waking up EVERY hour! This little guy has been getting up at three AM for the past 2 1/2 weeks and staying awake until about 10 AM...yeah! This is awesome.
Don't be fooled by these innocent eyes :)

Lame days at home

Well, since we are a one car family, I spend A LOT of time at home with the kids, sometimes I really struggle with this because I LOVE to be busy and run errands. Clare seems to take after me in that sense, she likes to run errands and behaves much better when we are out and about. Lately, with Josh's store opening we have been spending EVERY day at home ALL day. You would think that being stuck at home I would be able to keep up on laundry and cleaning but I feel more behind than ever! I had to enlist Josh today for some household help :( . Josh is so helpful anyways that he was happy to help me, but I still feel guilty for it. But he also got a better idea of why I was getting behind...

Dear little Nevan, bless his happy little heart- he is hurting so bad with his teeth coming in, he constantly wants to be held and loved on. This stage has caused some jealousy among the siblings, Paul especially. Clare tends to stay up with me at night though and goes to bed when I go to bed, she loves to just snuggle and I love it to because often times Josh isnt home till late anyways. Backt o Nevan, poor baby, he just smiles but cries while smiling- I promise you have never seen anything so pitiful. However he does enjoy his exersaucer and bumbo for about five minutes a day...yes only five minutes.

Paul continues to amaze me with his talking and singing.
Story-
He saw some change on the counter and asked for it, I gave him 2 pennies. Paul looked at me and looked back in his hand and said "I want more! I dont want 2 pennies, I want THREE".
-Maybe I am overreacting...but my boy knows that three is more than 2 and he wanted three AND he conveyed the message CLEARLY in a full sentence! Paul might be turning 2 next week, but I say he is 2 going on wallstreet :)

TJMAXX is officially an outdoor dog, he stays in the backyard ALL day and comes in at night to his kennel...this truly is the best sort of dog!

Things and Stuff

Clare received her first hair cut from Mommy yesterday, so her little curls are now above her shoulders and much much easier to brush. Clare also doesnt really like me to put her hair in pony tails or do anything with it, she seems to prefer it messy and in her face so I figured a short haircut was in order. Lucky she has curly hair so you can't tell how uneven and horrible I am as a hair cutter.
Paul is slowly potty training which really means he is just running around the house naked (Thank you Lord for hardwood floors). He also still is a shrimp! He only weighs 24 lbs so he (as pictured) loves to hang out in the swing.
Nevan! This guy can now sit unassisted in his play center! He also is rolling over with a purpose and TEETHING! Kill me now! This is what normal parents go through with their teething kids?! Fevers, crying, fussiness, the runs, sleepless nights! WHAT?! Clare and Paul NEVER went through this...their teeth just magically appeared! I ordered a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace from Poland which are supposed to be the cure all for teething ailments so my complete sanity is vested in this one little necklace and it better work!
I hear we are in for some tornado warnings soon, so I am mentally preparing myself with what to do...I have never been very far from family or tornado shelters so I am not sure what I will do in the event of a tornado (better figure it out fast!).
Off to do laundry and LOTS of cleaning!
God Bless!

The boys

I want to just blog about my boys. . .

Joshua-
I went to stay with some friends for a week with the kids so Josh could really focus on working and his store... we had a blast, Josh came to get us yesterday and took me out for dinner. We got home around 8 pm, I put the kids to bed and Josh worked on his store schedule for the entire night and then went to work at 5:00 am. I am so blessed he is such a hard worker, loving husband and great father.

Joshua Paul-
Paul as you can see has some green crocodile shoes that he literally is OBSESSED with. His typical outfit is Crocodile shoes, tuxedo pants (from Christmas) and his firetruck shirt, he actually went 6 days wearing the same thing. Paul loves his crocodile shoes so much by the way that he even wears them to bed and in the bath!
He is the CUTEST talker, he talks in full sentences and has full conversations with EVERYONE, especially his beloved "bo bo". He is so funny, and loving- he gives me hundreds (no exaggeration) of kisses a day, he loves Nevan or "my nevs" as he calls him. I just can't get enough of him.

Nevan Jonathan-
One word to describe Nev: HAPPY
Nevan is the happiest baby I have EVER been around, if you so much as look in his direction (and he is aware enough to know) he SMILES and even laughs at times. He smiles as I nurse him and as I change him and even when I lay him in his cradle.

There- I just needed to write all my happy thankful blessings down about boys today :)
Clare is a blessing too...but I will write about her again another day :) <3

Random pix and Life

As you can see
As you can see we have a puppy, who was not supposed to get in the bath but did anyways. His name is TJ maxx (yes, some people name their animals after fancy designers, but that didnt fit for us).
Paul is also now in a big boy bed, which basically means I am so tired by the end of the night just chasing him back to bed. Paul is also pictured with his favorite blanket and stuffed bear "Bo".

Country Week

This past week, I took the kids to the country to stay with some friends for a couple days, we had such a fun time! We played outside CONSTANTLY , jumped on the trampoline, played baseball (with a big stick and a soccer ball), we ate awesome food, played with baby ducklings, rabbits and a snake. I cannot wait until JOsh and I can finally build a house- because we are headed to the country!

Zoo Zoo Zoo

Josh and I decided to take the kids to the zoo to see the new elephant exhibit. The kids LOVED the snake exhibit- which I could barely handle walking through...but I sucked it up and we all enjoyed it.

Riverwalk and Downtown

Josh and I took the kids downtown to go on the riverwalk and grab some dinner...next time we go - we plan on taking a carriage ride.

Funny Updates

Clare funnies:

At bathtime the other night, I got Clare all stripped down and told her to go to the bathroom for bath time... Clare: Just one sec, I just have to do something really quick - *Clare runs to the back door, dramatically swings it open* GOD BLESS AMERICA!

I listed off all the things we had to do one day: Breakfast, gym, naps, zoo, dinner, bedtime...Clare's response- "well, at some point I need to stop by the hosbibble and have my baby"

Whenever I tell Paul to do something, Clare chimes in and says "Paul, say YES MAAM to your mother"!

As Josh layed Clare down, and turned to walk out of the room she said "Daddy, please dont leave me, your breakin my heart, bless my little heart".

While Paul and Clare were wrestling which turned into a fight, Paul started singing "I Belong to Jesus" in between punches.

Backyard pics!

Clare and Paul LOVE LOVE LOVE the backyard...

Nevan and Clare WBC

Took Nevan in for his 2 month WBC and Clare's 3 year old check up yesterday.

Nevan is in the 98th Percentile for height and 95th for Weight. He weighs 16 pounds and looks healthy healthy. Nevan is now laughing and smiling ALL the time, he eats whenever he wants which is probably about every 2 hours or so. He loves to cuddle and sleeps pretty much in our bed...since he basically nurses all night.

Clare is now 3! She is in the 95th percentile for height and 75th for weight, she is pretty much wearing 3t, although most all of her clothes fall off her waist. She weighs 33 pounds and is tall although I cannot remember what the doctor said her height was.

Letter to Clare

Dear Clare,

Three years ago today, your Daddy and I were given the best gift we could have ever wanted. You were born in the afternoon and were 7 lbs 11 oz of perfection. You have changed our lives forever. You have been such a joy and have brought countless daily smiles to our faces. You have been truly loved since the moment we found out we were pregnant with you. I always knew I would name you Clare. Clare means clear, bright and pure and your GodMary thought of the middle name Noelani which means "Beautiful girl from Heaven". Your name couldnt describe you more perfectly. I feel so honored to be your mother and try and cherish every moment that God has given us. I look forward to continue to watch you grow, always remember that you are truly loved. You were born on one of the feast days of St. Bernadette, I cannot wait to read to you about her amazing life.