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August, 2008 Busy Summer!Hey all!
We've been having a very fun summer here in HOT & HUMID Georgia.
In late spring, Ben finished up his first t-ball season. We had so much fun in this Christian sports league. The goal wasn't to just play ball, but also to teach kids Christ-like character. Derek and I were very pleased.
We went to the Renaissance Festival in May where we got to see re-enactments of Medieval events and the types of people we'd been studying in our homeschool unit. Knights and Kings and Queens were all present and accounted for. We saw a jousting display and ate steak on a "stake". Ben and Jack got jester hats as souvenirs -- too cute!
Other than that we've been swimming a lot, waiting for our garden's tomatoes (unfortunately deer and tomato worms have been eating more than we have), attending summer vacation storytime and watching kids' summer movies at the local theatre. Also, Ben joined the summer golf program, and lastly, a stray kitty has adopted US! We decided to name her Nickel. She's very cute. Come visit, and see for yourself!
We hope your summer has been just as fun,
Love,
Michelle
April, 2008 Winter and Spring 2008Hi all!
This year started off with a relatively cold winter here in Warner Robins, but that didn't stop us from celebrating Jack's 3rd birthday or from Nana & Papi visiting us for that special occasion. Nana and Papi were able to visit the few days before Jack's official day, and we had so much fun. We played at a local park, spent time chatting on the porch and ate yummy meals. We were sad their visit was so short but happy they got to visit at all during tax season!
Jack is now 3, and he's a pretty funny kid. Of course he loves shadowing his big brother, Ben, professing a love for robots (woe-bots) and Legos (weg-oes), but he is a more rough and tumble sort of kid, fascinated by big machinery, garbage trucks and trains. Don't get me wrong, though. He still loves his blankie, and we don't go many places without it. Ben's lost 5 teeth now, and he's reading everything he can get his hands on, ESPECIALLY if it has to do with the vacuum cleaner and other household items. He still loves robots and is very excited to explore the bug world in the backyard.
Easter snuck up on us (as I'm sure it did for everyone), and we chose to go to Harvest's Saturday night Easter service. After the service, they had an egg hunt, jumpers and slides for the kids. I think every kid in the county came to play. It was lots of fun.
Now that the weather is warming up, the boys are outside more (bug hunting), I'm golfing with my girlfriends, and Derek either golfs or fishes...depending on his mood. Derek and I are still enjoying our Bible Study on Tuesday nights, and Ben has started playing T-Ball in an Upward Sports league at a nearby church. We are really pleased with this league as it is so Christ-centered -- great for kids AND parents. We look forward to summer and hope that those of you far away will come visit...you are always welcome!
Love,
Michelle
January, 2008 Holidays to Remember! 2007Hey all!
Gosh, I've taken too long to update our holidays for you, but here is the rundown.
Thanksgiving -- We met Derek's Los Angeles sisters, Michelle and Kim, at the Georgia Aquarium the day before Thanksgiving. We had a great time and would love to go back! That evening Derek's Alabama sister and her husband, Jennifer and Brad, arrived in Warner Robins and we all had a German feast that was ready for us in the crockpot -- thanks to my cousin, Kristine, for the recipe. Since Derek's family is half German, I think this was a special meal and may become a tradition! The next day we had our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, and we all had fun catching up with each other's lives. Our visitors left by the weekend and the boys were sad to have the aunties who spoiled them with gifts leave. "Mommy, can't we get another toy?" At this point de-programming was needed.
Scottsdale, AZ -- In mid-December we flew to Scottsdale to celebrate my parents' (Nana and Papi's) 40th wedding anniversary and Ben's 6th birthday! Wow time flies. It was so nice for me to be around my family during the Christmas season -- our visits are usually scheduled at different times of the year. My sister, Lisa, and her sweet 2 year old, Karsen, were so much fun to be around. I think Nana and Papi are still missing having all their grandkids together in one place. Unfortnately the weather was freezing and there was no golf to be had, but Derek caught up on some of his reading while the Turley clan messed around and engaged in general silliness! With all the new toys, though, at this point de-programming was needed.
Christmas -- All was quiet at the Hartman household for Christmas. I don't think we've ever had visitors here on the actual day (come visit if you can!). Since we got back from AZ within a week of Christmas Day, the fresh Christmas trees were pretty well picked over, but Derek found a half priced "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree that we decorated with about half of our ornaments. On Christmas Eve we celebrated at Harvest Church with their first service in a new building. It was so special to have a place of our own. We are so blessed with the friends we've made there. God is doing amazing things! Is that really a surprise?
Christmas Morning -- Santa brought Legos and trains. There were two happy little Hartman boys that were occupied for pretty much the whole day, playing with new toys and showing each other creations they had built. Derek and I enjoyed our quiet day too, thumbing through new books, trying on clothes and watching Ben and Jack play. Jack still asks if Santa's coming back tonight, and Ben wants just one more toy. MORE de-programming!
New Year's Eve -- It was a quiet one, and we hope that 2008 will be a time of loving others and finding joy in everyday things, not just for us but also for you!
Keep in touch,
Love,
Michelle November, 2007 Fall Fun!We've had lots going on this Fall. Early on we had a visit from Deb -- one of my great friends from California. She was able to tie in a visit with a business trip to Atlanta, and we had a great time. Deblit! Thanks for coming to see us!
 On the school front, Ben is a Kindergartner this year, and we're homeschooling. This has been so much fun, and at the same time a BIG learning experience for me. We're learning what "works" and what doesn't with regard to his learning and my teaching styles. But looking at the big picture, this is only Kindergarten and the boy is reading -- woo hoo! We've been using a great curriculum called "KONOS" in addition to "Sing, Spell, Read and Write" and "Math-U-See". Ben loves math...big surprise. Check out the pictures of our "ear unit" where we created an ear for Ben (and Jack) to crawl through under the dining room table.
Another homeschooling activity we've been involved in is a Tuesday afternoon co-op where Ben goes to "class" with other 5 year olds, learning math for one hour and organized play for another. Jack goes to the nursery, and I have been an assistant in the sewing class (WHAT?!!?!?!?!?). Although I was an assistant, even "I" learned some skills these nine weeks, and working with older kids was really fun.
Derek has been spending a lot of his time working on model aircraft. He's so good at it...they all look great to me. I have been scrapbooking in my spare hours and reading. My book group has been so much fun each month. We've added a few new faces, and the discussions have been awesome.
The fair came to town in early October, and I think Ben pet every cow in the Cow Barn. He's like his daddy and loves animals. The tooth fairy ALSO came to town in October. She brought Ben a gold dollar coin for his first tooth. She's going to have to save up...he's got another one that's super wiggley!
Halloween this year wasn't much different than last. Ben and Jack haven't realized they can optimize their candy acquisition...yet! We hit about 7 houses in our section of the neighborhood when they were ready to come home and eat some of their treasures.
We're looking forward to Harvest Church's Fall Festival this Saturday at "The Peach Place" aka Lane Packing Company. Derek and I are also in one of Harvest's Community Groups on Tuesday nights, which has been a blast. We've met some great people and are learning so much about God's love.
We hope y'all are having a fun Fall and are looking forward to Thanksgiving!
Love to all,
Michelle
July, 2007 Sum, sum, summertime!Wow, the summer's more than half over, and we've posted no new pictures! Sorry! Here's the latest...
In May we spent 3 days in St. Augustine, FL for a little R&R -- a new place for all of us. We played a little golf, listened to a timeshare spiel, hit the beach and had some awesome fried shrimp at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called O'Steens. The boys had a blast, and Ben said it was his best vacation EVER! The following weekend we visited Derek's brother, Rick and family, in Decatur, AL. Our visit was timed with a great hot air balloon festival, which was so neat. We had a great time catching up, and Ben and Jack LOVED hanging out with their older cousins.
The rest of our summer we've been at home in Georgia. One of our cutest pastimes has been watching Baby Reid. Our friends, Michelle and Barry, had Reid in April, and when Michelle went back to work, we agreed to keep Reid most weekdays. He is SO cute, and Ben and Jack have been very excited to have him part of our daily weekday routine. After the first day, Ben asked why Mr. Barry was taking Reid away...he thought Reid was his new baby brother!
 So, as the weather's been heating up, we've been hitting the pool. Ben is taking swim lessons and is doing great. With lots of encouragement from his instructor, Steven, he's swimming on his own and has just started jumping into the pool by himself. Those of you who have met Ben know how cautious he is, so this is really a great achievement!
Derek has been fishing and golfing -- he loves to be outside when it's hot. I've been golfing too, but I've also added some scrapbooking to my hobbies. I've met some wonderful ladies to scrap with monthly. If all goes well, there's a retreat in September with my name on it!!!!
The rest of our summer will include planning for Ben's kindergarten school year here at home. We are all very excited, as I've chosen a great curriculum (KONOS) for wiggly boys like Ben. We'll be sure to give you updates as the year progresses.
Come visit! We'd love to see y'all!
Love,
Michelle
April, 2007 Happy Easter a little late!I just realized that we hadn't posted our cute Easter photos, so this will be a short but sweet update with the Hartman Fam. The weekend before Easter weekend our church (Harvest) had their annual Easter egg hunt at Lane Packing Co., which we affectionatley call "The Peach Place". There were lots of fun "kid things" to do, including scooping up lots of plastic eggs filled with candy. We invited our friends, Dawn and Zach, and met up with them for play and lunch. Derek came too! He has finished building his boat, and it is down by the river; however, turkey season has begun and any activity in that area on a Saturday or Sunday is risky (especially if he's not covered in safety orange!). So we convinced him to join us.
We had a lovely Easter weekend. We spent the last part of it with our neighbors, the Culpeppers, watching the last of the Masters Golf Tournament and having some adult conversation -- always a wonderful thing!
Love to all,
Michelle March, 2007 Trip to AZ!During the first two weeks of March, I took Ben and Jack to Scottsdale, AZ. Spring is my favorite time of year probably because I spent a lot of them in Arizona. The weather was beautiful, and we played outside every chance we got. We got the opportunity to not only visit with my immediate family, but also the boys got to meet my Aunt Arlene for the first time, and we visited with my dad's Uncle Wesley and his family. What a treat! I just wish we would have taken lots of pictures!
The first weekend we were there was really windy, so Nana bought some inexpensive kites for us all to fly at Arcadia Park. How fun! Ben and Nana did great with the Cars kite, and Lisa and Karsen got that Winnie the Pooh kite really really high. Even Papi gave it a try. The only crab, unfortunately, was (not so little) Jack...boo hoo!
Between visits to parks and Auntie Lisa's house, we hit the Phoenix Zoo, the local library and lots of places that serve great food! On a few evenings, I got the chance to spend time with friends from high school while Nana and Papi watched the boys. JoLynn and her family arrived from Colorado, overlapping the last 3 days we were there. We hit the train park on Monday and the kids had such a great time.
So, all in all, we made the most of our 2 weeks and spent time with family and friends. We all missed Derek terribly, but I think it was fun for him to have a little Spring Break of his own. He finished his boat and is soon to launch it down by the river. Spring has arrived here in Middle Georgia -- the trees and shrubs are blooming in all colors imagineable. Please know our door is always open to y'all. Come visit!
Love to all,
Michelle
February, 2007 Jack's 2nd Birthday!Woo hoo! We can't believe our little baby is...well...not a baby anymore! Jack turned 2 this weekend, and we celebrated with a fun family dinner at Sonny's BBQ. Add a few prezzies and homemade cookies with sprinkles, and you've got a hit! Jack is such a fun little guy whose favorite activity is playing in big brother Ben's room. It's a never-ending supply of toys -- cars, trains, animals, legos and books. Sure they argue from time to time, but it's also fun to "catch" them hugging and saying "hug" or "I love you".
Some other fun happenings since the beginning of the year include my trip to Seal Beach to visit great friends (Sara, Jay, Sam and Anna Bullock) for a long weekend in January. Derek was a champ to watch the boys for 4 whole days while Sara and I hit the hot spots (Taco Surf, Trader Joe's, Cafe Lafayette). She was so great to coordinate visits with lots of friends, and I had a blast getting reacquainted with Sam and Anna.
Check out the boys' hippie pictures. How did we go so long without haircuts for Ben and Jack?!!! Now that their hair IS cut, Jack really looks like a little boy and Ben looks like a teenager! We need to start NOW for that teen boy fridge fund.
We hope all of you are healthy and warm. I plan to take Ben and Jack to Arizona for the first 2 weeks of March. We (including Derek who sees this as his fishing vacation) can't wait!
Love to all,
Michelle
December, 2006 Christmas 2006!Hi all!
Ok, so we're amateurs...we could have gotten away with 2 toys for Ben and a big box for Jack!
 We had a very fun Christmas this year despite the excess. We started a week early by traveling to Alabama to visit Derek's sister, Jennifer, and her husband, Brad. We had to cut our visit a little short, but Derek got to see her sing in her church's cantada...what a voice!Santa brought the cool Lego Buzz Saw Racer for Ben, and he didn't even notice the bike until Derek pointed it out to him. Oh well, Ben will ride and pedal when HE is ready. Isn't that just SO Ben?!! Jack thoroughly loved all his garbage truck gifts too. He may work for the santitation department someday!
We hope that you've enjoyed your holidays this year as it comes to a close.
Wishing you great things for 2007,
Love to all,
Michelle
December, 2006 Ben is 5?!!!We can't believe that we have just celebrated Ben's 5th birthday! Time flies! We had a great weekend, and Nana (Michelle's mom) came to Georgia for the special day. Between Legos and remote-controlled pets and trucks, Ben got every gift he could ever want, and now Christmas is just around the corner. What is Santa to do?
 In the past we've reserved putting up Christmas decorations until after Ben's birthday, but he's informed us that he wants "Christmastime" to begin earlier. It is so fun to see Christmas through his and Jack's eyes. Thanksgiving was fun with Aunties Michelle and Kim from Los Angeles. They came with us to Ben's storytime and soaked in all the fun playtime that Ben and Jack could offer for 3 days. We are so thankful for healthy and loving families to celebrate special days in our lives.
This next weekend we get to visit Derek's younger sister, Jennifer, and her husband, Brad, in Alabama. We're excited to celebrate an early Christmas and see Auntie Jenn perform in her church's cantada.
We hope your Christmas is filled with love and joy. Remember...it's Jesus' birthday!
Love to all,
Michelle October, 2006 Halloween and Other Stuff!Hi all,
It's been so long since we've posted recent news and photos. Wow, the year is going by so quickly, but don't we say that every year?!!
Summer was really fun (hot and humid too). Ben spent a lot of time learning to swim, Jack has learned to get around in record time, Derek found favorite fishing holes, and I played weekly golf with friends from my ladies' golf league. As the school year started to approach, we made a big decision to keep Ben home for his pre-kindergarten year and test homeschool waters! So far we've all been loving it -- even Jack! We focus mainly on reading and language arts and jumble all other subjects into a basic topical study (seasons, holidays, animals, etc.). We thought we'd give it a try this year, knowing he could easily return to traditional kindergarten next fall if necessary, but things look great so far.
In early October we celebrated Derek's 40th birthday! We also joined a small group at Harvest Church that is focused on community outreach. We've learned a lot not only about needs in Warner Robins but also more about ourselves and those in our group. As the weather has cooled down, we've enjoyed regular trips to the "Peach Place" and outdoor playdates. Storytime at the public library is also part of the weekly routine, and this year Ms. Sonya scheduled a day for all kids to come see and ride a real school bus. Ben and Jack were thrilled.
Ben decided to be a healthy caveman for Halloween, and Jack wore a hand-me-down Frankenbaby costume that Ben wore a few years ago. We had lots of fun visiting with neighbors and seeing other little kids trick-or-treating throughout the neighborhood.
Leaves are changing color even though it's still warm enough to wear short sleeves. Autumn is here!
Love to all,
Michelle June, 2006 Summertime!Who knew that summers could be soooo busy? Here's a little rundown of what the Hartmans have been doing...
After Ben's last day of school -- we had him in preschool 2 days a week this past year -- the boys and I jumped on an airplane for Phoenix! Derek stayed home for work, golf and lots of fishing. We spent 2 weeks with my parents aka Nana and Papi. We had so much fun with them, Auntie Lisa and Cousin Karsen. Unfortunately, during our trip my ailing grandfather, George Turley, passed away. My parents, Lisa and I drove down to Mexico for the funeral. It was so nice to be able to say goodbye and spend time with loved ones we hadn't seen in a very long time.
Shortly after our return to Warner Robins, Derek's sister Michelle came to visit. She's a middle school science teacher and chose to spend some of her California summer vacation in hot, humid Georgia! We had a great visit and hope to see her return sometime soon.
Other than that, we've celebrated Father's Day and our 5th wedding anniversary. Jack is walking and Ben is swimming. Derek's fishing and I'm golfing. We've definitely got lots going on but would love a visit anytime from family and friends!
Have a great summer!
Love to all,
Michelle
April, 2006 Happy Easter!Well, spring is in the air here in middle Georgia. The weather is beautiful, the flowers and trees are blooming (some of us are sneezing) and Easter is here! Ben had an egg hunt at school this past Thursday, and this year he's quite aware that those little plastic eggs contain CANDY! We also attended Harvest Church's egg hunt Saturday morning, which was held at Lane Packing, a.k.a. The Peach Place. If you've come to visit us, no doubt we dragged you there for your touristy peach "fix". It was a really fun morning with lots of eggs to find, inflatable jumpers for the kids, music from one of the worship bands and an appearance from that scary Easter Bunny. Ben still can't muster the courage to come within 10 feet of that furry guy. I tell him it's ok...Easter really isn't about bunnies and eggs, right?
 Easter morning we attended Harvest for a great service and had a nice brunch at home. The boys got toys in their Easter baskets this year -- lego trucks for Ben and a big race car for Jack. We're trying to LIMIT CANDY INTAKE. We think the alternative was a huge success.Other spring activities for the Hartmans include golf for Derek and me, Bowfin fishing for Derek and lots of outdoor playdates for Ben and Jack. The weather is so nice right now, we can't in good conscience stay inside when summer is just around the corner.
We hope your Spring is just wonderful, and for those far away, we'd love to see you sometime soon!
Love to all,
Michelle February, 2006 Jack is one!Well, we can't believe our little Baby Jack has had his first birthday! We had a small celebration Thursday with his favorite people -- Mommy, Daddy and Ben. Not that we were at all questioning whether he'd enjoy his first piece of cake, but he thoroughly enjoyed his birthday cupcake (see photos)! I was thinking that if we left him in the highchair long enough, he'd eat and lick every last crumb and bit of frosting, and there would be no cleanup (just kidding). Ben loves birthdays, so he got to enjoy every aspect of his little brother's special day. Derek even threw them in the bathtub together before bedtime. Time sure flies! Don't blink!
Hoping you enjoy your holiday weekend!
Love to all,
Michelle February, 2006 New year, new fun!One of our resolutions for 2006 included doing more fun family activities. The bowling alley in Warner Robins has recently been updated, so we decided to go bowling one Saturday afternoon. Ben especially loved it. He locked in his own unique style...carry heavy ball to foul line (which he crosses half the time), chuck ball toward pins and try to kick it for good measure, then dance, dance, dance! For his turns, we were able to put up the bumpers, and with this HUGE advantage he beat Mommy by one point in the first game. We are so proud. Derek got to gloat about his awesome bowling skills, and Jack spent those couple of hours eating lots of Cheerios.
We also hit the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences another Saturday for the Robot Rodeo. Ben, who loves robots to an obsession, loved all the robots in the exhibit as well as the one that he and Derek built themselves in the kids' activity session.
As for the remainder of January we spent time getting back into the routines of work and school, where Ben has performed the role of 4 year old boy perfectly. We've also made an effort to eat healthier here in the deep south...not an easy task! Ben has finally mastered potty training, and Derek and I couldn't be more thankful. He just decided one day that he was a big boy and has had only one accident since. Whew!
We hope all of you are enjoying these winter months!
Love to all,
Michelle January, 2006 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Anyone who wants to "bah humbug" the holidays should have a 4 year old boy in the house on Christmas morning. What fun we had watching him open his favorite gifts -- toys! The favorites were undoubtedly, robots and any type of vehicle with wheels, but the biggest hit this year was a 2 disc set of Animusic -- music synchronized to computer generated animation. Ben has watched each disc many times, and he has named the songs he likes best with unique names known only to Ben. Unfortunately this makes it difficult for us to help him play which song he wants to watch.
Jack's happiness was found in the far more simple aspects of Christmas...twinkling lights, noisy wrapping paper and yummy cookie crumbs I gave him. Although he got plenty of toys, he would have been so happy with a box and some bubble wrap (supervised play, of course!).
We enjoyed our week between Christmas and New Year's Eve, but we were so happy to receive Nana and Papi Turley (my parents from Scottsdale, Arizona) New Year's Eve. We had such a great visit which was too short. Ben and Jack had so much fun playing with their grandparents and sharing precious time with them. Between naps, rain and football games, we snuck in a trip to Lane Packing Company and strolled around Perry, Georgia, enjoying some beautiful January weather. Nana and Papi left this afternoon, and there were more than a couple tears as we saw them drive off to the airport. Ben said, "I will try not to cry when I'm missing you."
So our 2006 has been off to a great start, and we hope that you enjoy the beginnings of this new year too.
Love to all,
Michelle
December, 2005 Ben's 4 years old!Today we celebrated Ben's 4th birthday! It seems like just yesterday when we brought him home from Long Beach Memorial Hospital in the pouring rain. He's a pretty happy 4 year old. We let him open presents this morning and the main theme was pajamas and robots! He even got 2 pair of robot pajamas. He loved the attention and is looking and acting like the big boy that he is. Later we sang happy birthday and ate cake -- Ben's favorite!
It's hard to have a birthday in the middle of this holiday season, but so far Ben's not disappointed. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our wonderful friends and neighbors, the Culpeppers, and later that evening, Derek's sister, Jennifer and her husband, Brad, arrived for the long weekend. It was fun to visit with them and catch up on the events of past months.
After Thanksgiving, all of the Hartman men battled the seasonal "crud" or respiratory viruses that have been floating around (I never came down with it -- woo hoo!). It appears they're almost well, with Jack bringing up the rear. He loves to suck his thumb as he falls asleep, and one night his nose was so stuffed up, he couldn't simultaneously breathe and suck his thumb, leaving him crying and Derek and me up most of the night. We are so blessed with boys that sleep well that we could hardly complain of losing just one night's sleep in the past few months.
Enjoy your preparations for this Christmas season. Take time to love each other, and celebrate Jesus' birthday!
Love to all,
Michelle November, 2005 Our new web home!
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