Michael is 4!!!

Michael is 4? How is this possible? How is it possible that this time, 4 years ago, I was at Presby Dallas, trying to figure out this new position in life God blessed me with...being a Mommy! It is surreal, becoming a mommy, at least it was for me. One moment I was pregnant, being wheeled into surgery, the next thing I know, Dr Lutich placed this little person in my arms and POOF! I was a Mommy! I have loved EVERY moment of it! Honestly, I think looking back on what we have gone through to get to where we are today, Geoff and I are pretty darn lucky. Grant it, Michael gave us a run for our money, and I know this is only the beginning, but by God I would not change a single thing! Every moment, every event we have gone through, has made us the Parents we are today. From having absolutely no idea what in the world we were doing the day we brought Michael home from the hospital...1. We set an alarm clock to wake up every 3 hours to make sure he ate...(Rookie Mistake:) 2. Staring at the monitor, anticipating his wake up for a feed, burp, poop, anything that makes these little humans stir...(Rookie Mistake #2) 3. Taking Michael to Children's for his first hospital trip at 5 weeks, followed by his first ambulance trip to Children's Dallas...(Welcome to Mommyhood) 4. Surviving Colic/Reflux...(What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?) 5. Children's Hospital Trip #2 for RSV...(Thank goodness for Children's Legacy, that is all I can say)

6. Tubes..best decision ever! 7. Taking several plane rides to Boston, Atlanta, South Carolina and to top it all off, Hawaii...Michael was the best traveler ever, minus the puking in the woman's weave on the descent into Atlanta...although, I think she deserved it:) Michael taught us so many things over the course of our crash course into parenthood, no book could have ever taught us. Through everything we have experienced with Michael, I think the most important lesson we learned is to have faith. Not only faith in that we know what in the world we are doing, but faith in the fact that God blessed us with this little boy and knew that Geoff and I had some clue as to what we were doing. And you know what, he was right. He blessed us with another crazy little boy to follow in his Big Brother's footsteps!

 I think Geoff and I have done a darn good job navigating this new found territory and I cannot wait to see what else our little boys have in store for us!
Happy Birthday Michael Geoffrey Hatch! We love you to the moon and back:)

Halloween...a little late

I had big plans for the boys costumes this Halloween. I figured it would probably be the last year I was able to choose their costumes and could make them match, like last year, when they were Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. I had everything planned, Michael was going to be a big, strong Fireman and James was going to be super cute Dalmatian puppy. Unfortunately, when I presented this plan to Michael, he did not agree with my costume choices.
Michael wanted to be a Transformer. Not just any Transformer, but Optimus Prime. And to top it off, Michael then informed me that James was to be the Transformer, Bumblebee- well, we had to negotiate on this one- James would be a Bumblebee, however, a real bumblebee, wings and all:) Thank goodness we already had a bee costume that James could use.
I have to admit, the boys were pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself:)
 
At my school, they held a Halloween Costume Parade. I had the boys in it, of course, and Michael did such a great job! Last year he was very overwhelmed by all of the people and the cheering so he spend the parade outside with Miss Erin. This year, he did great! He was still timid, however, no tears and he stayed in the gym:) James was a total HAM! As the teacher was introducing the 7th grade contestants, James decided to march his little Bumblebee self in front of the kids and DANCE! The entire middle school then began to chant, "Bumblebee! Bumblebee!", and James continued to dance and wave to his fans. HE is such a mess, but I have to admit, he was a precious little bee:) 

Our good friends, the Kotaseks, came over to trick-or-treat with our boys, they have two little ones, Parker and Mason, who are close to Michael and James' age. We had pizza and went our way with our little men dressed in superhero costumes to receive ridiculous amounts of candy in a short 1 hour period. Needless to say, we had a great time:) Lord only knows what Michael will decide he and his brother will be next year:)

SMU Tailgate

There is nothing better than a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the SMU BLVD! We took the boys out for the first SMU home game tailgate and the boys had a blast! The weather was perfect, low 80's and sunny!!! Here are some of the pics of the gorgeous day!!!! James was a little nervous about the Alumni Band, however, he loved when the football team, school band and cheerleaders came down the Blvd:)

September, REALLY?

We have had a fast and furious August that has now made me realize it is September and I have so much I need to do! But before I start on my To- Do List, I need to reflect a little on what has happened over the past several weeks.

#1 KV Ranch- I totally realized I forgot to mention the amazing time we had at our friends Julie & Richards ranch in Hillsoboro- it was so nice to get away for a weekend and just hang out with friends. No cell phones ringing, errands to run, or worries at all! We just relaxed, let the kids play, watched some Mickey, ate some yummy food, namely the venison thanks to Robby and Amy, and indulged in some good wine and adult conversation. Michael was so great! He has had a fear of dogs for just about a year since he was bit, and when I mean fear, this was screaming, shaking, could not function fear of dogs! But, thanks to Scarlet and Chachi- his fear disappeared thanks to this Magical Ranch and pooof- Michael's fear is no more:) By the end of the trip, Michael was chasing Chachi around the house and hanging out on the floor with Scarlet watching TV:)
(Michael hanging out in the "big" pool:)


(Miss Abby and James swimming)                                   (Michael & Chachi)



 (James hanging out with Bren)
 
 (SWEET BREN)

#2 Michael had his 1st OFFICIAL day of preschool. He has been going to Preston Park Montessori, AKA Heaven, for 1 year now, but he is now in the Primary Classroom and is in a uniform, which I think makes it more official:) Yes, Michael and Lindsey are still in the same class, they have been together since they were 4 months old and it is going to break my heart the day they have to go to different schools, Lindsey lives on the other side of Hillcrest, therefore, they will go to different Elementary Schools- but, they will reunite for the same High School:) Have I mentioned that Michael not only refers to Lindsey as his "Best Friend" but now he calls her his "wife" and Lindsey insists Michael is her "husband"! Anyway, I digress- Michael loves his teacher, Ms. Raina, and he has learned so much! I love watching him grow and have a love for learning!

 
(Michael and Lindsey on a breakfast date at IHOP)
(Michael and Lindsey Dinner Date after swimming)

#3 James is at Shelton with me again for another year- hopefully, he will be joining big brother next year at PPMA and follow in Michael's footsteps of amazing teachers:) Currently, James is 1 of 4 boys in his class! Yes, all boys!!! So funny because the entire time Michael was at Shelton, he was out-numbered by girls! James loves his teachers, Maria and Isabel, and calls Maria "mommy" which makes me see he really does love his teachers:) One afternoon he had a meltdown because he wanted to go home with Maria and not with me:( Thats a good thing though- I want him to love school and to love his teachers:)

#4 James had his tonsils and adenoids out this past Thursday:( He was such a trooper! The surgery went well, I was told in the Recovery Room that his tonsils were "huge" and that it was a good thing we went ahead and had them taken out- good to know:) I stayed the night with James at Children's Plano and that was just awful- everything went well, but we were both very happy to come home the next morning and crash- James especially has happy to not have to be woken up constantly for stats, medicine, and other babies crying down the hall- Our little man has been through so much this year and I truly hope and pray this will be all coming to an end sometime soon! It is so hard to watch your child hurt and know there is nothing you can do except say extra prayers and cuddle to give them some comfort. Honestly, James is such a happy baby, you would never know he has so much going on with him. We are so lucky to be blessed with the 2 sweetest little boys in the world. They are so sweet and so special. Michael has been such an amazing big brother. He has been catering to James since we got home from the hospital and is on top of him to make sure he always has his "Abba" or Agua, and lets me know if he needs anything:)

So, August, although it went by fast, I am glad it is over. I am happy the 1st day of school is behind us and James' surgery is now in the past. The only thing I wouldn't mind revisiting is the "Magical Ranch":) I told Geoff he needs to look into investing into some land:)

I hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day weekend:)

Kate

Dis-Connect

Okay- how is it possible that I only have 1 more week of glorious summer break before I have to go back to the real world of work? I mean really- where did 10 weeks go? It seems like a lot, 10 weeks, but in reality, it truly just flew by! Thinking back, we did a lot...we went to the beach, we went on countless playdates, hung out in the sandbox, had a few picnics (before the 100+ weather), went to San Antonio, had a sleepover, played with cousins and friends and took tons of naps, which might have been one of my favorite parts and lots and lots of swimming:)

With James' current medical issues, I am not able to do with him the things I did with Michael, which initially made me sad. I can't take him to Gymboree for play class, I can't take him to Willow Bend to play in the morning or the Science Museum to run around- well, I could, but I would be risking him getting sick from other kids:( I did take him to a bouncy-house place and unfortunately paid for it later with a really nasty cold...I try to look at the fact that he had a blast! I can't help but think he is missing out, but then I have to remind myself that he is 15 months and he won't remember it...but I will! SOOOOO I had to make James' summer memorable for both of us and that we did! We played, we chased each other around the house, we did Sean T's Insanity and we danced!!! The boy LOVES to dance and he LOVES to sing!!!! He is so full of life and reminds me everyday that we can have just as much fun at home as we do at any play-class or camp:)

Michael has continued going to PPMA all summer- it turns into a camp over the summer with different themes each week- I think his favorite so far was the Space Week- He came home telling us about all of the planets, how they rotate, which ones have moons and rings and that "The sun is a burning star!" I LOVE his school and I love how excited he is to go every day! They had an "Astronaut" come and read them stories about space and the planets and he could not get in the car fast enough to tell me all about it! I can't believe how fast our little Michael Man is growing up and that in 2 VERY short years, he will be in Kindergarten!!! AHHH! How is that possible!

Now- I have 1 more week to savor my time with my boys before work life sets back in- I have absolutely loved being home these past 2 1/2 months and am so bummed it is coming to an end:( Being a stay-at-home mommy was never something I envisioned for myself and I LOVE what I do! I think I am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that James is our last baby and I want to absorb every moment I can before August 6th!

Happy Summer!!!!

Happy Birthday To Me

So, I celebrated my 31st Birthday by arranging a Girls Happy Hour, and let me tell you, it was so much fun! There were about 15 of my close girls who came to toast with me another wonderful year of being young:) We met at TruFire in Frisco which is oh so yummy, and has the most delicious cocktails- needless to say, I must go back there again soon, and maybe bring Geoff with me this time:) It was relatively an early night because Michael had an 8:00 am soccer game, of course, but that is okay because I love watching him play!

I can't wait to see what wonderful things will happen this year!!!!

Summer Fun!!!

How can June almost be over? It seems like it just started! We have had so many fun adventures over this past month!

The 2nd week in June, the whole family, Hatch side, headed to Charleston, South Carolina to Isle of Palms- This was our 2nd time to be in IOP and INCREDIBLE does not begin to describe the time we had. 8 adults and 6 kids under one roof was crazy, to say the least, and so much fun.
 

The boys LOVED spending time with their cousins and we loved relaxing and hanging out with the family. Michael has been to the beach a few times already, however this year, he really enjoyed the beach and the waves. This boy truly is fearless, which is kind of scary for this mama. At one point, a wave completely knocked him off his feet, where his feet were literally up in the air...I quickly grabbed him and flipped him upright, waiting for him to grab me so I could take him back, however, he laughed and couldn't wait for the next wave!!!

 

James, who is still not walking, well, at least not on his feet, giggled every time the waves reached the shore and his little knees sunk into the wet sand. His squeals and claps melted my heart as I witnessed his excitement and awe of his first encounter with the ocean- so magical! I swear I could see unicorns and rainbows bursting from behind him each time the waves reached his sweet little toes:)


 
We played on the beach, built sandcastles, jumped in the waves and lounged by the pool. We watched the kids splash in the pool, race against each other in the water, climb the winding steps to the roof to each popsicles and cuddle under a blanket while watching cartoons. They screamed in excitement over the Flying Nemo that Nana and Pops brought from Boston, fought over IPads and IPhones to play their games, and giggled under covers when it was time to go to sleep.


Needless to say, it was an amazing vacation full of memories and firsts for all of us. I can't wait for the next time we are all together again!

Thank you Nana & Pops for the incredible adventure!