Memorization and Teeth

Our church is doing a really fun children's program during Wednesday night Bible study. The kids have memory verses each week and the girls are really doing well with their memorization. Need proof? Here it is!

And, in Levi news, he has some teeth! One lower tooth and three upper teeth popped through in the last couple days. It was high time that happened as he has made Mommy lose some sleep because of his complaining! It was also nice that his teeth all came in at once....the best way to do it, I think! Although I'm glad he is getting his teeth, a part of me is sad because I think babies stop looking like babies once their teeth come in. They are all of a sudden kids after that! And, he was my last little gummy-faced baby!

Bravery

Erika is normally pretty timid about new things. She loves adventure and being active, but it usually takes her a few times to warm up to certain activities. At Matt's company picnic this weekend, however, she showed her daring side by braving the Frog Hopper! Every summer, we get to have a company picnic at a local amusement park/arcade place. It's a ton of fun.....the kids love the indoor play structure and arcade games and bumper boats and mini-golf. And, this year, Erika tried her first ride! She had never seen the ride in action so she didn't know what exactly it was going to do. You can't really tell from the video, but the first dip it took downward, her face had a "I'm-not-sure-if-this-is-fun-or-scary" look to it, but after some encouragement from Mom, she did great!

And, some other random cuteness.

Beach Day

The weather finally decided to be somewhat decent so we headed to the beach yesterday! It was Levi's first beach trip and he loved it! He is crawling now so it was a little annoying trying to keep him contained on the blanket, but he did great. Now, officially, all of our kids love the beach! The girls could play in the sand for hours and hours and Levi looks like he's well on his way to doing the same.

Yep, I love it here!

It was a beautiful beach day! A little windy, but not too terribly cold. The sun was out the entire time as well.

Hooray! Our first family of five picture! Mind you, Levi has been part of our family for 7.5 months, but it seems his father has some aversion to family photos.

Cute little beach-goer!

He loved dipping his toes in the water. So sweet!

Everyone liked getting their feet wet.

Erika loves the water. She did not love the waves crashing into her. She did, however, get over it pretty quickly.

Daddy and Laurel chasing waves.

Mommy and Levi applauding the beach.

Love

I love these three incredible little people!

They are so fun and funny and loving and smart. They love each other, they love their Mommy and Daddy, and they love to play and have fun. It is such a joy to be with them every day and watch them grow and change and mature and turn into the people that God has planned for them to be. We are so blessed to be in charge of them and to love them....God is good!

New Tricks

Levi started crawling in earnest today! He has been rolling to get where he needs to go, but realized that was not the best method. For the past couple of weeks, he has been scooting somewhat, but not really "crawling". Well, now we can officially say he is an army crawler. And a fast one at that! He is pretty fast and can now get into everything. Luckily, I have two extra sets of eyes that help me keep him in sight.

Here are the videos of our latest accomplishments.

Erika is quite proud of her advancement in hula-hooping. She is much better than she was, but I haven't told her yet that she has a ways to go yet!

Laurel would literally bounce her way through life. She loves the hippity-hop!

Levi's crawling! He is somewhat distracted by the camera and then equally distracted by Wyatt's paw.

So You Think You Can Dance

Lucky for Matt and I, and really the world at large, the kids seem to have inherited their mother's dancing skills!

Independence Day Weekend

We had a super busy and fun holiday weekend! On Saturday morning, we drove down to Corvallis to see Matt's family. His aunt and uncle were visiting from Oklahoma and it had been over a year since we had seen them. We had a great time playing badminton, running around the yard, and eating the most delicious brunch ever! Erika, Laurel and Levi liked playing with their cousins and all the fun new toys that Grandpa and Grandma have for them. On Sunday night, we had some good friends come over for dinner and the girls did some pop-its and sparklers to warm up for the big time the following evening. Monday was spent playing in the sprinkler and then putting on a small, but enjoyable for our little kids, fireworks show. For me, the best part of the entire weekend came on Monday night as we were watching our little firework show. Matt was lighting ground flowers and a few fountains on the street. Sarah, the girls and I were sitting on the curb watching. One of the ground flowers came toward the curb and some of the dead, dry grass caught on fire. Nothing huge, about 3 long pieces of weed caught on fire. I had a water bottle for the very purpose of putting out fires so I just poured some water on it. Erika was a little apprehensive of the fire and when I poured the water on it, she was amazed that I was able to put it out. She looked at me in complete awe and said, "You are a superhero and a firefighter!" I love my little girl and her admiration for everything I do!

Saturday at Grandpa and Grandma Hammar's house with the cousins.

Levi's cousin, Judah, had to make sure Levi's eyes were okay.

Swinging...a fun pastime for all the Hammar kids.

Levi adores the swing. I like to stick him in it when he's grumpy at night because it calms him down.

Running through the sprinkler. Laurel made progress this year as last year she wouldn't go near the water.

Levi's face is hilarious! He didn't like the initial cold shock, but learned to deal with it.

Getting drinks.

Levi learned to enjoy it.

Erika is probably the best water adventurer we have.

Laurel being daring.

Levi did not get to do sparklers or pop-its, but liked watching his sisters.

Daddy handing out the pop-its.

Laurel would throw hers on the ground and then shout "I did it!" It was pretty sweet.

Ready for our version of a fireworks show.

Erika loved the sparkly fountains.

Here are some videos of sprinklers, pop-its and sparklers.

Busy Week

It was Vacation Bible School week, which is super busy for our family. Both Erika and Laurel were able to attend this year. I taught the preschool games/activities portion so I am still recovering and trying to get my energy back! Levi was able to spend the mornings that we were at VBS with Grandma Parnell. I am so thankful that my family lives close enough to come take care of my kids for me. And, I got some much needed breaks this week while she watched all three kids. It makes me love my kids even more after I get a break from them. They seem a lot cuter and sweeter! Thanks, Mom, for all your help!
A busy holiday weekend is in store following our busy week. We look forward to spending time with our family in Corvallis, seeing our good friends who live in Portland, and celebrating our independence with some of our church family.

Levi loves his baths! Since he is now a pro at sitting up by himself, bath time is a lot more fun with splashing and exploring rather than just laying there.

Play time with Grandma. The girls were having a picnic on one blanket while the boys had a picnic on the other. Poor Levi gets stuck with the dog.

Erika found that it was hilarious to put a cup on her brother's nose.

And it was!

It stayed that on his nose for a super long time. Enough for 10 pictures anyway.

We had a closing program on Thursday night to end our VBS. Every age group performed a song or a memory verse and we recapped the week for the parents. Then, the kids took the parents to their different classrooms to meet the teachers and show what they did all week. It is always a lot of fun to watch my kids perform and to meet people from the community who attended our VBS.

Levi liked watching his sisters.

Laurel wanted to sit with Grandma rather than with her class.

Erika and Laurel's age group performed two songs: Jesus Loves Me and My God Is So Big. They did a great job! Laurel left the stage after the first song (Jesus Loves Me) but then decided she wanted to join in on the second song so she joins the group midway. What a goof! They were super cute and we are very proud of them.