Presents Galore

We had yet another Christmas yesterday! I just can't believe all the presents. To be honest, its a bit over whelming for me, and I haven't gotten through it. I can only do about two at a time, and then I need a break. I can tell you so far I've gotten the greatest dog book and a train. Today we're off to great-grandma E's for....wait for it.....yeah, you know.....STRUDLES! Don't be jealous!

As luck should have it!
HAJ

Surprise!

Yesterday we had a surprise birthday party for Gma E! She had no clue. We just told her we were going out to dinner to celebrate, and when we got there, her closest friends and brothers and sister were there! She was so surprised, and even shed a few tears. My great auntie M made her a book that recapped pictures of her whole life. Gma just loved this book! I'm so glad I was here to celebrate with her, because she the best Gma in the business, and I love her very much.

Happy Birthday GramE,
HAJ

We've made it home! We got a new computer so we have to blog by phone today. There is only major loads of laundry going on today. Love, HAJ

Noel

Merry Christmas everyone! Santa came to Aunt Niki and Uncle Larry's house. I can't believe he found me down here in Texas, but he did. We all must have got our apology letters in to him in time, because we made quite the load. He even ate the cookies, and the reindeer ate the hay. All of the reindeer even signed a letter for me, so now I have all of their autographs. I can't believe that this guy just comes and leaves presents; its too good to be true! I'm going to be good all year this year, just to make sure he comes again next year.

Merry Christmas!
HAJ

Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Today my cousins and I are in full on prep mode for the BIG MAN's visit tonight. Some of us a little more desperate than others. There has already been one "I'm sorry about yesterday" letter written to Santa this morning, along with a "last minute" letter when someone remembered they forgot to ask for a certain toy. We have cookies, milk, and a bag of hay for the reindeer sitting by the fireplace ready and WAITING! Oh the waiting...its TORTURE!

Happy Christmas Eve from Texas!

HAJ

Jump Jump Everybody Jump

And more jumping! I love jumping!!

Month 18 Archives

Dear Henry,

Yesterday you turned 18 months old. That's like, a real age. People ask, "How old is he?" I say, "Oh, he's a year and a half." What? Its like saying, "Oh, he's 9. Oh, he's 38." I just need a sec to get used to it. And you're a big boy. Yesterday someone couldn't believe you were just a year and a half. They said you looked like Brian Urlacher. I'd take it as a compliment...maybe even foreshadowing.

I read somewhere that when a baby is 18 months old, they know, on average, 12 words. And when they turn 2, they know 12,000 words. So we are ready to hear all you have to say. I mean you talk constantly, and sing, but I can't understand most of it yet. Since winter is here you've added boots, gloves, hat, and coat to your vocabulary. My favorite addition of late is when you sing the E-I-E-I-O part of Old McDonald right on cue. And after six months of sleeping with your Bob the Builder doll, you require it, you care about, and you ask for it. "Bob?" Along with your blanket, which so far remains nameless.

Its Christmas now as I'm writing this, and we're in Dallas with G&GM. You've been loving playing with their little dog, Sugar, and so far she seems not to mind you. The other night we went driving around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights and you about flew our of your car seat you got so excited. You definitely have the Christmas spirit little one. As long as Santa says the required 20 feet away, like the restraining order says, you're a little beaming light of all that is good.

Merry Christmas, and a slathering of kisses....love, Mama

Texas Day 1

We arrived safe and sound in TX yesterday. The flight was great, and if I do say so myself, I was great! I didn't cry once, and I loved looking out the windows and playing peekaboo with the kids in the seat in front of me. I think we'll be doing a lot more of this flying thing.

When we got to Fort Worth, Gammy and Grandpa took us to the Fort Worth Stock Yards, aka Cow Town. We saw an amazing parade with long horn cows in it, and then we got our picture taken with a real horse with a real cowboy (he thinks he's John Wayne.)

Then we did a little shopping and went to dinner at a place called Booger Red's Saloon. Where they specialize in Buffalo Butt beer. Here's why they call it Buffalo Butt. And this is what it looks like on the other side of that wall! But there were a few things that concerned me. Like I'm not sure if this is up to code or not. And I wonder what this beer tastes like? They had super cool saddles as barstools. Its Daddy's dream to have these at his bar some day, even Mama was down with it.

Today we're doing a little more last minute shopping, and then steaks for dinner! Yay! We're off to Houston to see the rest of the fam tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Eat and run,
HAJ

PS - Special shout out to G&GE celebrating their 38th anniversary! That many years is way beyond my brain works. See you next week, and I love you!

We made it to Texas y'all!

Travel Time

Well folks, today will be spent packing, doing laundry, organizing,etc.... Tomorrow we're off to Texas! Postings will probably be a bit more sporadic, but nonetheless will continue. There will be so many adventures there for me.....lots of bloggable (its a word!) material. So, this is not a good-bye, but only a "see you later alligator."

The waiting is the hardest part,
HAJ

False Alarm

So Saturday morning I woke up at 5am crying. I know. I can't believe it myself. My ears kinda hurt, and there was dried boogers in my hair, and all of it was bugging me. Daddy got me all cleaned up, and I went back to bed. Later that day, Mom's worried I have an ear infection, (she doesn't want me to get on a plane on Thursday with an infection) so she hauls me off to the Minute Clinic. The doc at the Minute Clinic won't treat me because I'm not 18 months old (I will be on Friday, but don't get me started.). Mom talked her into looking into my ears anyway, and she said that I definitely did have an ear infection and I need to see my doctor. Crud.

This brings me to yesterday, which was the soonest I could get an appointment, so I trucked on down to the clinic and saw my A-#1 doctor. She looks in my ears and sees nothing. Whew! So, either my super hero power is super healing powers or the doc at the Minute Clinic is a wack-job. I'm pretty sure I have super healing powers though.

My father didn't raise any idiots,

HAJ

Missing: One Pheasant Family

Yesterday I was busy helping Dad shovel off the snow from the deck. The pheasant family has been fully buried for two weeks. Poor boogers. Its actually getting a little better here this week; we'll be in the 30's! Hold you hats!

I absolutely love going outside and playing. Well, not really playing. Mom has me bundled up so tight that I really can't move. And if I fall, I surely can't get up. So I mostly just stand there and supervise any activity. But, if you try to take me in the house, I'll only go kicking and screaming. I can't do much out there, but its sure better than being inside.

There's no free lunch,
HAJ

Hank's Dream Introduces...

I'd like to present to you a new feature on the Hank's Dream blog: we've been thinking about it for a while, and we're very excited for this next project. I've decided to start reviewing restaurants! Now these will be done from the perspective of a little kid, and not some stuffy, old adult. I go out to eat with my parents at least 4 times a week, if not more, and I have a lot of knowledge about dining out. I have a few favorites, and a few places I probably won't go again. I will share my knowledge and experiences, and hopefully give you a few new places to make your parents take you for a nice lunch.

We're going to start with our new favorite restaurant, Joey's Seafood and Grill. It just opened up in Golden Valley. We went for lunch yesterday, and for lunch last Saturday too. Foreshadowing....we love it. When they sat me at the table, they had nice, clean high chair. This is a plus, trust me. Then they gave me a small container of goldfish crackers. Creative! I loved them and they kept me busy while waiting for my meal. Along with watching the fish in the aquarium. The waitress even knew I'd love watching the fish, so she sat me at the closest table to the aquarium.

They have a nice selection on the kids menu, including fish and chips, corn dogs, and hamburgers. Along with a few other seafood goodies. Last week I had the macaroni and cheese. This was kid style mac & cheese, (think Kraft), but they added extra melted cheese on the top. It was very good, yet very, very messy. I don't think Mom will let me have that again. Today I had the mini corn dogs - I hated them, but my parents thought they were great; very crispy. I just have never had them before and wasn't down with them. They also have a great selection of sides for kids, besides french fries (which are very good with some kind of yummy seasoning), they have fruit, yogurt, and rice options.

OK, do you want to know why I didn't like the corn dogs? I was thrown off my game right before my meal arrived. Guess who showed up, out of the blue?! Man, is he kinda scary when you see him in real life. I kept my distance, but I did get a candy cane out of the deal. I just couldn't focus on anything after that. I'm still reeling.

If your parents take you to Joey's Seafood and Grill, (I see one is opening up soon in Sioux Falls!), they might want to try the Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos. My parents HIGHLY recommend this dish, and Joey's is known for their fish and chips, as well as an extensive beer and wine selection. And if you have a non-fish lover in the group, there are burgers and many chicken selections.

Out of a possible 5 H's, Joey's Seafood and Grill gets.....HHHH1/2

Slicker than a wet noodle,
HAJ

Captain Kyle, Entertainment Director

Last night when Mom and Dad went out, my cousin Kyle came over to watch me. We had a great time, and he brought his fancy camera and we took a bunch of pictures. He posted more on my comments section of yesterday's post....check 'em out!

We did all kinds of stuff....we had a fashion show, we ate, we drank, we danced. And when all was done, I just had to crash. It was so fun hanging out with Kyle, I hope he comes over again sometime. Mom and Dad hope so too because he fixed the DVD player (that wasn't broken, just user error) and he didn't think midnight was late when they got home!

Moment of truth,
HAJ

PS - All photos courtesy of Cousin Kyle, have you ever seen anything so clear? What a talent.

At Leat the Ice Held

Now that I'm into hats, I'm loving this Cookie Monster one my cousins got me in Turks & Caicos! Thanks guys, now I see the thrill!

So, Daddy got back late last night from ice fishing in Canada. He said it was the worst few days of his life. It started out bad and just got worse. His fish finder broke, he ran over his NEW ice house with the 4 wheeler, he lost his auger cover, then they ran over the ice house again. If that wasn't enough there was a small fire, then the 4 wheeler broke down, then there was a massive blizzard and they were almost stranded on the ice, if not for some nice locals to help them out. They also refered to Daddy and his buddy as Twin Idiots from the Twin Cities....all in fun. Anyway, he finally made it home around midnight, so we're just glad to have him back.

A day late and a dollar short,
HAJ

Tacos and Boots

What could be better than tacos for lunch and static in your hair from your winter cap you ask? How about NEW BOOTS! I got new Cars boots today, and they even light up when I walk. I can't really see that though, but you can when you watch me walk! It might not be a big deal to you, getting new boots, but for me its a relief. Remember how I talk about my "thick" feet, not necessarily wide, but "thick"? Well, I was having the darnedest time finding boots to fit my feet into, and without boots Lini wouldn't let me play outside i the snow with the other kids. I know. So now I'm ALL set......just in time to go to Texas where its 83 degrees. I just can't win.

Have a little nip,
HAJ

PS - I need to send a special shout out to Auntie Gina, for its her birthday today! We won't say how old, but she'll always be younger than Mama.

Patrick's Three!

Saturday night was Patrick's birthday party! He had a Thomas the Train themed party because he absolutely LOVES Thomas! He even got a Thomas cake! Everyone was there including Frannie and Lucy. Mom took this picture of Frannie's bottom and Frannie was so embarrassed, so I decided to take it one step further and put it on the Internet. Rosaleen was there too. I guess she'll probably kill me someday for putting that one on the Internet too. Patrick got lots of trains, tinker toys, and are real live computer. I can't wait until I'm as big as him!

Attention span measured in micro seconds,
HAJ

Sick Day

Well folks, I'm sure you noticed I was not here yesterday. I had my very first official sick day. I even missed school. I guess almost 18 months is a good run without being sick, but it finally happened. Just to ease your minds, I was really only sick on Sunday. No fever or puking thank goodness! I felt great yesterday, and today I'm a million bucks. But Mom didn't want to expose me to the other kids at school, so we played hookie.

I was weird being sick, and I didn't like it at all. I would walk over to Mommy and want to be picked up, and then when she did, I would do the "back arch" move, and want down. Then when she put me down, I wouldn't put weight on my legs, and I would lay on the floor and whine until she picked me up. Then I would do the "back arch" move......do you see the pattern? The whole day was filled with those kinds of actions. I just mostly was tired and had a bad cough and I think a sore throat.

But today I'm great! Don't you like how I'm learning to smile for the camera?

Colder than a Midwestern Minnesota Welldigger's gizzard,
HAJ

PS - Thank you all for your readership. If you notice my little ticker in the bottom right corner, we finally have 10,000 hits! What an amazing milestone!

No Pictures Please!

That dang paparazzi won't leave me alone! Don't make me go Sean Penn on your behind!

Keep your nose out of my business,

HAJ

Two Of a Kind

Two of a kind. Wasn't that a bad Olivia Newton-John movie in the 80's? Anyway, Daddy and I have matching hats. We woke up to -3 this morning. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it this year. Its just been so cold that your boogers freeze as soon as you walk out the door.

Sweet fancy Moses,
HAJ

PS - Shout out to my main man Patrick who is THREE today! Can't wait to party tonight Dude!

Happy Holidays!

Hey everyone.....go ELF YOURSELF!

HAJ

18 Month Check Up

This is me chomping on an M&M Mom used to distract me after my flu shot today. It worked. Along with the sucker later, all is forgiven. So yes, we made it to my doctor appointment, with no problems. And not that you want to know, but yes, its snowing another 2-4" here today. More expected this weekend. I'm not sure what's going on, but the oldies are saying this is what it was like when they were kids.

Here are my stats, cuz I know you're dying to know:

• Weight - 29lbs 11oz - 91% - Mom thought I'd hit the big 3-0 this time, but no go.
• Height - 33" of long and lanky-ness - 76%
• Head - 49.5cm - 91% - The usual, I'm an ego maniac.

Doc said I am happy and healthy and that Mom and Dad are doing a great job! She was very impressed when I stood on my tippy toes and tried to jump. I'm sure no other kids my age even attempt such feats.

With a full head of steam,

HAJ

Can't I Discuss Anything But Snow?

I'm busted. You can tell this isn't a really recent photo since there's no snow on the ground. We got another 6" yesterday. Jeez. Last winter we didn't see snow until February. Today Mom didn't even make it to her dr. appointment. Instead of a half and hour, it took her an hour and a half to get there, so she had to cancel. Tomorrow I have my 18 month check up....I think I have to get a shot.....maybe it'll blizzard again tonight!

Tip of the iceberg,
HAJ

Hello There

Hello there. Its snowing again. Blizzarding in fact. The powers that be are saying 4-8". 16 more days until I'm in Texas.

Another dog day afternoon,
HAJ

Yay For Yogurt In a Tube

I've discovered yet another food, or maybe its more of a way of eating another food that I'm just loving! Go-Gurt! Yogurt in a tube! I wish I would've thought of that one, I'd be a millionaire by now. I had the blueberry flavor, and its really good, and not really too messy. Grab tube, slurp it down, and you're on your way. Maybe I should be their spokesman.

Don't do as I do, do as I say,
HAJ

Reindeer Run 2007

As you may or may not have heard, we got about 10" of snow yesterday, give or take. That being said, and everyone around here knew it was going to happen....we still went out and did the Reindeer Run of 2007. In all fairness, they said the snow wasn't supposed to start until around noon, and we thought we'd be done and home and warm and cozy by that time. Boy were we wrong!

There was no snow on the ground when we headed out for the day. But by the time we got to the lake were the even was taking place, it was a full on blizzard. It sure didn't stop man nor beast from showing up! We went with Jerrid, Brooke, P-man, and his mom and dad, Martina and Brian. After some careful consideration, Mom and Martina decided to stay back with me and P-man in a nice warm tent. They decided it was too much for us and they didn't want our cheeks getting frost bitten.

I was happy to stay back, but sounds like everyone else had fun walking. Even though its called a "run" they mostly walked, and ran a little. Don't let Daddy fool you when he talks about how he once ran "during" a 5K, and how he now has a trick ankle.

Afterwards we all headed out for bloody mary's and apple juice! Then P-man headed over to our house to play and hang out during the blizzard. Mom tells me some of her favorite days are blizzard days, now I see why.

Silly as a goose,
HAJ

PS - Shout out to Uncle Derek!! Happy Birthday buddy! Call me and I'll take you out for a big steak dinner! Love you!