Mother of Invention

Henry does enjoy science, creating things and now inventions.
H: When I grow up I am going to be a person that invents things.
Me: That sounds awesome. What kind of things will you invent?
H: Radios.

New blog

Hi - now that I am home with the kids - I am doing lots of wonderful projects and to document them I have set up a new blog http://glittercrafts.blogspot.com/
Some of you might have heard that I love glitter even more than my kids

love glitter.

Anyway, I am enjoying finding things to do with the kids - and they just LOVE art projects.

Social Commentary

This conversation came out of the blue.
H: Sometimes boys marry boys.
R: Oh, when would that happen?
H: If there aren't enough girls around or if no girl wants to marry you.

Halloween pictures

We had a good time hastily trick-or-treating under the umbrella in our neighborhood, and had slightly less rain while going around Ardmore. Yes, I know I should have posted these weeks ago, and thanks to Jen for calling me out on that. Here goes...

Religious License

Well - poetic license that is. Claudia and Henry enjoy listening to his CD from Bible school this summer. Claudia and I have been doing that some lately and she has been singing some Christmas songs at school. She has been sort of changing, sort of mixing them all together. Mea culpa.

Original lyric: Jesus is my friend.
CJ lyric: Jesus is my fault.

Original lyric: It is Jesus' birthday.
CJ lyric: It is Jesus' birthday - it is my fault.

My Danny

Claudia has taken to calling her dad by his name - Danny. She actually rarely calls him Daddy. This morning she was talking to herself saying - I am going to save it for Henry and my Danny. It is sort of strange and endearing at the same time. Also, during my computer time this morning she put green tomatoes in the TV stereo receiver. A real accomplishment! Her Danny will not be pleased.

Staying home

Well, I have mentioned this on facebook, but realized I hadn't on the blog. I (Rachel) have decided to quit working at the library and am going to stay at home with the kids. Henry is going to Pre-Kindergarten for full days now and Claudia and Walter will be home with me. I have mixed feelings about leaving work, but not about being home with the kids. I am really inspired to be home and am looking forward to doing crafts and singing songs and other fun kid stuff. My first official day in my new job is next Friday. I have already bought the supplies for making Halloween cards. Here we go ... and time keeps flying by!


Danny with Henry (2) and the Baby Claudia.

Car Songs

Claudia enjoys singing and this morning made up her very own song, complete with swimming or some sort of flowing hand motions:

"Swimming in the water, Swimming in the ocean with your Daddy, swimming, swimming, that is a song."

Then asks - "Do you know that song Mama?"

I did not, but now I do!

Walter, Walter I've been thinking ...

Recent adventures

Baby Love

Walter is growing and changing - we are getting coos and smiles!
Henry loves Walter, as he puts it, more than a baby blue tailed skink. Aawww!

Three's a charm

A Day at the Lake

We had a great afternoon at the lake - making it Walter's first trip to Hyco. He was a champ getting in a little life jacket. Henry and Claudia enjoyed splashing around, swimming and riding in the boat.

More pictures

Sorry for the delay, some of these are a few weeks old. We'll get some more recent ones downloaded to the computer soon. Walter is definitely not a fan of bathing or diaper changes, as you can tell from the screaming shots of his first bath.

Be sure to read the post below for recent kid stories as well

Kid quotes

Just a few quick exchanges:

Rachel: "We need to go to the grocery store today because we don't have anything to fix for lunch"

Henry: "We could just have Cheetos and watermelon"

Rachel: "That's what you had for lunch yesterday"


Claudia has inherited my fondness for baby toes (and gently squeezing them). She also has a cute propensity to use the wrong pronouns, so she's often coming up to one of us holding the baby swaddled in a blanket and saying "Where him toes?" or even "I need him toes". And the cycle begins anew...

It's a Boy!

Walter Daniel Stinehelfer was born this morning at 10:36am weighing in at 7 lb 6 oz and just shy of 21 inches long. He looks great! Currently sleeping. Mom is good - pictures below!

Baby Three - What will you be?

As many of you know we like to beat ourselves up and not know the gender of our kids until they are born. Same kind of scenario for names - right now we have Eleanor and Walter as front runners, but no promises.
It is funny, but Henry and Claudia both want a girl baby and are pretty firm about it.
The other night Henry said I really hope the baby is a girl and I said that even if it is a boy we will still love him. Henry said - I really want it to be a girl. No concessions there - I tried.
Then this morning I asked Claudia what the baby should be named and she said Eleanor. I said if it is a boy it will be Walter. Walter, she said, no, it will be Eleanor.
We'll see how far this whole "mother's instinct" thing works out for me.

A kid by any other name

Henry talks about wanting to be a grown-up more than I would expect at the ripe old age of four. He sometimes says how he wishes he weren't a kid which is sad to me, but I know I had the same thoughts. Anyway, he and I were riding back from school the other day and had this conversation.
H: Henry and Claudia are not grown-up names. They are kids' names.
R: They are kid names now when you are kids and they will be your grown-up names when you are grown-ups.
H: Can I change my name when I'm a grown-up.
R: Yes - you can. What would you change it to?
H: (thinking) Josh.
R: Wow - like your uncle.
H: Yes.
R: Is that a grown-up name?
H: Yes.
R: What should Claudia's name be?
H:(more thinking) Rachel

Counting Down

Just 25 days until the baby's due date. All my doctors visits have gone well and the baby has assumed the correct head down position. Now ... it is like watching water boil. Once there is news it will definitely be posted here and probably facebook too! Wish us luck! And for those sports fans out there - yes, soon we will be playing zone.

Happy and Messy Kids

We are settling into our new home and really enjoying it. MOST of the boxes are unpacked. Danny and his mom have been painting away and the nursery is just about the last room to finish - just in time! 6 weeks and COUNTING! We have been really busy but found time to go to the zoo and Henry and I went strawberry picking with his class. Fun times!

We are lame

I have no real post, I have no pictures. We are officially lame.

Our quick updates:
Claudia is a singer and is a true 2 year old and becoming more willful everyday - "Me do it!"
Henry is a super 4 year old and really enjoying school
Danny is finishing his last month of pharmacy school and has a job at Forsyth Hospital starting mid-May
Rachel is still pregnant - it takes longer to grow the third one, trust me
We are moving into a house in Winston in early May - yay! - two and a half times the size of the one in Durham - echo, echo, echo

All the news that's fit to print!

Henry, the bird savant

Henry has an amazing knack of identifying all sorts of birds. The boy loves birds! We do have lots of bird books, but I am totally amazed by his memory for birds. We also have several feeders in the yard and he can name pretty much every type of bird that comes to the feeders. The other day he was looking through a bird ID book and was pointing out herons, egrets and then really surprised me and pointed to the cormorant. Wow - he is good!

Me, Claudia

Claudia's vocabulary and sense of self is moving right along.
Whenever she has done or will do something she says: Me, Claudia.

R: Who spilled juice all over the floor?
C: Me, Claudia (and pats chest)

D: Who's gonna give Daddy a kiss?
C: Me, Claudia (smooch)

CHEESE