The Lavin Family

Christmas in January

2012-01-04T12:08:00.001-08:00

Well, we did NOT celebrate Christmas in January, of course, but here I am making my Christmas post in January. Oh well!

A few weeks before Christmas, we had some really cold weather (at least, cold for these parts...) Hannah really enjoyed wearing her jacket, snow cap, and mittens!
She was quite excited for Christmas too. She kept asking, "when is it gonna be Christmas?"
To kick off our Christmas break, we went to see Zoo Lights!
Then on Christmas Eve, we went to my parents' house in the morning. We did our "big" family gathering at that time. Instead of going straight for the presents, Hannah and Zoey went for the toy drums (makes sense to me...)
Then they were enthralled by the little music box (the little bear inside turned when wound up). We couldn't pull them away from it!
Finally..presents!

My sister, Jasmyn, bought a "fancy" camera with all kinds of capabilities that ours doesn't have. I of course let her try it on us! I love how she edited this one!

The 4 grandkids sitting on my parents' front porch.
That evening, before preparing for Santa, Hannah and I played her new Memory game. She even beat me!
This picture cracks me up, although the lighting is not the greatest. We talked about leaving milk and cookies for Santa, and Hannah was all for it. But, when it came time to leave the plate out before going to bed, she was quite upset that she didn't get to eat the cookies ("I don't want Santa to get them...I want to eat them!")
Next came Christmas morning! Santa sure was good to Hannah (she was, afterall, on the good list...)

Prior to Christmas, we had talked about it being Jesus' birthday. The first thing Hannah said was, "Can I blow out the candles for him since he is just a little baby?" So, we decided to start a new tradition: birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas night! Hannah was very excited to blow out the candles (and yes, excited to eat it too!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

I wish I could just learn my lesson: if I would just do some shorter posts more often, then I wouldn't be so behind on my blog and it wouldn't take me so long to update it each time. I'm still working on that!

So, this post was SUPPOSED to be done weeks ago during Fall Break, but it wasn't. Better late than never. My sister and I took the kids to Vertuccio Farms. Hannah had a blast (well, all the kids did!) We started with the inflatable horses.
The donkey was very friendly, and let the kids touch him. I was surprised that she even wanted to! She thought he was "so cute!"
Riding the train with Zoey was probably the highlight! These two girls were great about sharing the wheel!
These two little chicks also loved observing the little chicks...and sheep. Pardon the pun on that one.
I have never seen a bike quite like this one before!
Hey, this corn is really tall!
Can't leave without pickin' out a punkin!

Also during Fall Break, Hannah and daddy had a ritual of heading to the park to feed the ducks. Hannah loves feeding the ducks!
Can you tell?
She also loves helping mommy make cookies!
Putting flour on daddy's face doesn't hurt either!
Then the weekend before Halloween arrived before we knew it! Hannah was quite disturbed by the innards of the pumpkin!

On Halloween, I took her to the Halloween Parade at my school. She had watched "Dora's Halloween Parade" several times, so she thought she was quite special that SHE got to go in a parade too!
I love this pic of her in her angel costume. She was smiling a lot, but it was almost impossible to get a pic of her smiling with her eyes also open, and facing the camera. She looks so sweet and innocent here (don't let her fool you!)
Walking up to strangers, saying "Trick-or-Treat", and getting candy in return is one of the coolest things ever!

Yep, posing again. Head tilted. She's kind of giving the "model" smile (where they don't actually smile, they just slightly turn their lips upward). And look how her legs are crossed...model!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

THREE!!!

2011-09-18T15:30:00.001-07:00

Hannah turned 3 on September 16th! Where is the time going? Daddy brought home flowers for her (he said they were for mommy too!)She had to smell them...
Hannah was so excited to see that the candles were for HER to blow out!
She loved her new Dora dollhouse!...
And her Tinkerbell jacket

On Saturday we celebrated with friends and family, and we rented a Dora bounce house! Hannah LOVES bounce houses. She was quite excited to see it in her backyard!
Time for some snacks.
Presents!

Time for more jumping. Zoey and I kicked the boys out so they wouldn't bother us!
Whew! Tired..These two girls just needed a quick rest.
Mommy even came in to bounce with me!...
And so did daddy!
This is just so much fun!
Later in the day my family came over to celebrate with me too!
The morning after...look at these new clothes!
Hannah...Happy birthday sweet girl. There are so many things I love about you...here are just a few.

I love your smiles and your laughter...especially when daddy is tickling you and you end up laughing so hard that you can barely catch a breath.

I love how, now that you're in a big-girl bed, you still lay there in the morning and wait for one of us to come get you. I guess right now we don't need to worry about you wandering the house. (whew!)

I love how your "radar" goes on the moment you spy candy, cake, donuts, or anything sweet! Wonder where you get that from?

I love how you "take care" of your babies--you love them, feed them, give them their naps, and even burp them! It is so fun to watch you being their little mommy!

I love how you sleep with about 5 different stuffed animals, and before bedtime you have to make sure that they are all covered up along with you!

I love how much you love our dog Taylor and kitty cats Cosmo and Wanda. You are so gentle and caring towards them.

I love how you often make random observations about various things:

"Daddy you're a boy and I'm a girl and mommy is a girl too." (as we are driving in the car)

"Mommy I'm not mad at you, I'm happy at you. And I'm happy at daddy too. I just am." (as we are at the store in the shopping cart)

"Mommy I'm nice-ing you." (After I asked her if she was being a good girl).

And I also love how you mix your phrases up:

Jim taught her to "wash it down" when she is eating, meaning take a drink. The other night she took a big sip and said, "Ahhhh I gotta wash it off mommy)."

Oh Hannah...we love you so much! Happy Birthday!

H is for Hannah!

2011-09-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Hannah will be 3 in a few days! It's so hard to believe! She is growing up right before our very eyes. She can write the letter "H"!!! She is very excited about her birthday and can tell everyone that she is almost 3!Hannah's perfect "H"
More beautiful "H's"...

Life's a Beach!

2011-08-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a nice trip to Coronado Island (San Diego) a few weeks ago. Jim's sister Therese rents a house there for part of the summer, and she invited us to stay with her. It was perfect weather. We all had a great time! Hannah was very good in the car on the way there and back (as opposed to last year when she hurled twice on the way there...glad there was no repeat of that!)

Being on vacation is so exhausting that on the second day there, Hannah decided she needed a 10 a.m. cat nap. It only lasted about 15 minutes though...
The cat nap gave her just that little bit of extra rest she needed to survive all day at the beach! She was a trooper even without her normal nap time!

We told her to smile, but she is scrunching her nose--she does that a lot when she thinks she is smiling. Looks a little goofy and could be some great blackmail pics someday...
Daddy dug this GREAT hole! It was loads of fun to jump in it and then climb out--over and over again.
Trying to bury mommy in the big hole.
I wish the pics had turned out more clear...maybe a little sand on the lens? (notice that Dora is standing in the sand behind Hannah to the right. In case you're wondering, Dora loved the beach too!)
Running around the big hole!
Skipping around the big hole...
Jumping in the big hole...
Sitting in the big hole...this is the best day ever!
By the 3rd day at the beach, Hannah figured out her limits. She came up to me and said, "Mommy I'm tired. I wanna lay down."

And she did...slept for about an hour and a half!
Hannah loved riding on the big boat (Coronado Ferry on our way to Seaport Village)

We love Seaport Village! Hannah thought the big lobster was pretty neat too!
Hannah slept like a baby (pardon the pun). Jim decided to go in and arrange her dolls around her and take a picture (no, she wasn't just automatically sleeping like that!)
Yeah for park!
We took a walk around the Hotel Del Coronado...( and maybe I even sort of pretended that we were staying there...)

We couldn't head back to sunny AZ without first taking a pic next to the blue M & M!!! Hannah wanted to bring him home!
Oh...home sweet home. We really missed you Taylor! We had a great time in Coronado, and loved the place Therese rented. But, it's always good coming home too!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2011-07-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Hannah loves to sing (let's hope that she didn't inherit my voice...) Anyway, there's this episode of Dora where the "singing bridge" sings the song wrong, and you have to try to figure out what part is wrong. He sings "Twinkle Twinkle"...etc. and then at the end he sings "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you ate for breakfast--"

This is Hannah's interpretation of that:

Productive Summer!

2011-07-02T16:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day Daddy! Hannah and Daddy just getting ready to enjoy a swim on Father's Day.Hannah has been very busy this summer! She survived swimming lessons (she can, by no means, swim, but is much more comfortable in the water...thank goodness!) She has been going to the movies on Mondays with mommy, her Aunt Jaz, and cousins. She has been playing and enjoying the pool. She has also taken time out of her busy day to show the kitty cat how much she loves her...
And, she is a BIG helper with laundry too...
Oh, and taking a moment to show more love to the kitty cat while gently pulling on her tail can't hurt, right?
BIG NEWS: We finally moved Hannah out of her crib and into a big girl bed. The bed itself isn't here yet, so for now we are just having her sleep on the mattress on the floor to get used to being out of her crib. Plus we had the new sheets, and she just HAD to sleep on them!

On the first night, she went to bed pretty easily, but at about 10:15 we heard a thud! We went to check on her, and her head was on the bed, with the rest of her body on the floor! So Jim took some of the couch cushions and put them next to the bed so she has more room to roll around a bit. She sure moves a lot when she sleeps! Please don't pay attention to the messy room...as soon as the actual bed arrives, we will be reorganizing a bit, and there will of course be a bed rail on there so she doesn't fall off.
Now, this next story was a complete shocker for me. Jim was eating some chips and bean dip. Hannah decided she wanted to try some (mind you, she is extremely picky). I thought for sure she would not like it. Well, not only did she like it, she literally licked the can clean!
Notice the side of the can--it's HOT bean dip! We were cracking up!
Just gotta relax a bit after sooooo much bean dip...
One of my July outfits...
This is Hannah singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star:"

Twinkle Twinkle little star

How I wonder what you Oooor

Up the Up the

World so high

Wike a diamond in that sky.......

Twinkle Twinkle little star

How I wonder what you Oooor!

Catch Up from May

2011-06-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

As usual, my post begins by explaining that I have been a horrible blogger and haven't made a post in over a month...also let me add that when one doesn't blog often enough, her posts are REALLY long when she finally does.

It seemed like the month of May lasted about 5 days...it went by really fast!

Hannah was invited to a Princess birthday party for her friend Diane. She was soooo excited to dress up and go to the party! She loved the bouncy house...
...and the pizza was pretty yummy too!
Hannah really hasn't been too interested in going in the pool. This happened last summer. It is so disappointing--we have this refreshing pool in the backyard (gated of course), and all she wants to do is walk around it. She hates to be splashed and has an absolute meltdown if water gets in her face! I bought her this Dora float ring, hoping it would motivate her, and this is what happened:

She just "floated" on our bed. She starts swim lessons tomorrow...I may have to leave the state while she has her lessons. She will be a tough student!

I love this picture...just enjoying a popsicle (NOT after swimming, of course).
On Memorial Day, we went to my sister Jasmyn's house. They had some water activities going on. It took about an hour, but she finally decided she could touch the Slip 'N Slide.

But, time for a quick nap. Standing on the Slip 'N Slide is really tiring...
It took more negotiating to get her in the little pool (this makes zero sense to me), but her she is sitting down. She doesn't look very happy though...
Last week, Hannah's babysitter had a little "graduation ceremony" for the preschoolers, as Hannah will soon be moving to the 3-year old curriculum (say it isn't so! My baby...) This totally cracked me up--look at these little gowns! She even had little hats for them, but she misplaced them before the ceremony, so they kind of look like they are just in a choir!
Hannah is soooo serious--no beach ball throwing for this one!
Later they had some outdoor activities. In front of her is a snow cone--I don't know if she got brain freeze or what, but after two bites she wanted nothing to do with it (again, I often wonder if my child could possibly be from Mars!)
Now time for the ring toss--no cheating involved!
I call this one "Hannah Potato Head"
A few weeks ago, we had an afternoon graduation party to go to. Hannah opted out of her nap that day. She normally takes a 1.5-2 hour nap in the afternoon still. So, of course, at about 4:15, she completely conked out in the car. That was a fun afternoon, let me tell ya.
I love this picture! Hannah is still practicing her smile. She really loves Taylor, they are buddies!
Time for bubbles!
Another edition of the Hannah Funnies:

Hannah: "Mommy, I talking. I talking mommy. Mommy. MOMMY! I talking. I am. I talking.

"Mommy, can I have a bite of your drink?"

"Oh no, daddy has muddy on his shoes!"

"Mommy I like apples. I eat them sometimes. I not going to eat this apple now. I don't want it. I like apples." (Hannah is extremely limited with fruits and veggies---she won't touch them. I am finally bribing her into at least eating a bite or two. The conversation above was after eating a few bites of apple).

"Mommy, I'm pooping. I'm pooping." ( I checked her pull-up and she had not pooped--so I said, " Where, in your imagination?") Hannah replied, "No, in my butt!!!"

Easter!

2011-04-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny came to the Lavin house a day early this year because he knew we had a very busy Easter planned! Hannah really enjoyed seeing all of the neat things in her basket! Not sure what happened to the coloring of this pic though.Later we made Easter cookies together! She is a great baking assistant!
We even have matching aprons! About halfway through, Hannah randomly said, "But..cookies can't talk mom, they just can't. Well, I disagree Hannah! They talk to me all the time!
Easter Sunday! Hannah really loved her pretty purple dress and her Easter bonnet!
We went to my sister's house for an Easter egg hunt.

Looking for eggs (although if you look in her basket, I'd say she has already done quite well!)

This is her "model" look (you know how in magazines the model is usually looking away, with a serious look on her face, and her hair is slightly tousled by the wind...)
An attempt at a pic of all the kids. Zoey had already been stripped of her dress (to keep it from getting too messy.) Kaden is trying to stop Zoey from walking away. Gavin is smiling for the camera, just like a good boy! Hannah isn't sure why they are all standing there!
I made this Easter Bunny cake for later, during our visit with Jim's family (of course, I didn't take any other pics there...oh well). I turned this the right direction in iphoto, but when I went to upload it, it was the wrong direction. This is so irritating! (Does anyone know why it does this?)
This picture is from March. Hannah and Jim were watching March Madness basketball and playing basketball together outside. She insisted on the orange tutu...I think her outfit is madness!
Also from March...Mirror, mirror on the wall...
Who's the fairest of them all?????
I think the answer is obvious!

Ostrich Festival and More

2011-03-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the Ostrich Festival in Chandler. Hannah and I rode the little elephant merry-go-round. (Please disregard the grumpy look on Hannah's face; I'm pretty sure it's just the camera angle and the lighting!)The ostriches stared us down! It freaked Hannah out a bit!
We went into the petting zoo...lots of goats and sheep.
Caught this one licking his lips! I think he was hungry for some cotton candy!
Hannah rode on Daddy's shoulders!

Ostrich Festival Recap:

We decided that Hannah is a "cheap carnival date."

She didn't really want the yummy carnival food...she just ate what I had brought for her.

The petting zoo wasn't her thing either, so we didn't have to buy any animal feed.

She was too little for most of the rides, so again, we didn't spend much on that.

So....

Corndog: $4.50

Animal Feed: $3.00

Pony Rides: $5.00

Unlimited ride wrist band: $25.00

Taking Hannah to the Ostrich Festival: PRICELESS!! (literally!)

On a completely different note, below are some pics of Hannah and her cousin Tommy playing "Hide and Seek."
Yes, above they think that Jim can't see them hiding behind the poles! They got such a kick out of it!
Sharing a snack together.

Practicing Her Smile

2011-02-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

We have been trying to teach Hannah how to smile; also known as showing her "happy face". We've had some hits and some misses with this...

Getting close, just not quite there yet.
Instead of a "happy face", this is the "leave me alone" face.
Ooooh, look at that one! Close, but looks quite posed!
Aaaah, now that's a HAPPY face! I love this face!
Mmmm, enjoying a cupcake (and as the mom of a child who until recently wasn't much interested in cupcakes or many other treats, I am the one smiling behind the camera!!!)
Hey, another (almost) smiley face!
Now THAT is a serious smiley face! Wish it weren't so blurry!
Other funnies by Hannah:

Me: Hannah, do you need to go potty?

Hannah: Yes I don't!

Hannah: I wanna watch the eck-you-ers (The Rescuers; one of her newest movie discoveries)

Hannah: No, I'm serious! (more like "see-we-us")

Sometimes Jim and I will sing along with whatever movie she is watching. Her response often goes like this: "No, don't do that..." (she must be tone deaf because Jim and I both have really good voices..)

The other night at bedtime, we laid her down and turned off the light. She quickly sat up and said, "Mama I can't see my eyes! I can't see my eyes!" We just didn't have the heart to tell her that she won't be able to see her eyes unless she is looking in the mirror!

She cracks us up!

She is seriously growing up waaaayyyy toooooo ffaaaaasst!!!

Dora

2011-01-17T06:58:00.001-08:00

Hannah has a new obsession...Dora! She loves watching Dora on TV! I am having to limit how much she watches because she could literally watch Dora for hours and hours at a time! That is just too much TV! Thank goodness for the DVR...she just watches the same episodes over and over. We got some Dora toys as a hand-me-down..including this Dora doll. She LOVES her!Just patting her on the head to make sure she's comfortable
I am trying to teach Hannah to smile for the camera..this is how it turned out!
Now for Mommy bragging time:

Hannah is doing sooooo well on the potty! We have been potty training since Christmas. Right now, she is wearing pull-ups and pretty much keeps a dry pull-up all day because she is going so much in the potty! She'll have maybe one accident each day. There are also times when she doesn't want to go potty b/c she is playing (or watching Dora...). There is some bribing involved, but for the most part, she goes when we put her on! She still hasn't gone #2 yet...which I hear takes longer. She also doesn't tell us when she needs to go yet...so we need to work on that too. She's been waking up dry in the morning and dry after naps for the past 3 weeks! She's doing so well and I am so proud of her!!!

December to Remember!

2010-12-30T21:09:00.001-08:00

Well, December has been a very busy month at the Lavin residence! Here are a few snapshots from our month...

In this first picture, Hannah is watching the Charlie Brown Christmas movie and whistling along with Charlie and the gang..

I think she is watching the Charlie Brown Christmas movie AGAIN here...good grief!
This one cracks me up...Jim had taken her outside and set her down on the chair while he was skimming the pool. He helped her strike a pose. In case you're wondering, she is wearing her church clothes, minus the skirt. She has on her nice red shirt, her little leggings (my sister sewed them and calls them "baby legs", and some really stylin' tennis shoes. She had on some really cute glittery loafers for church, but we decided the tennies were better for playing outdoors. This could for sure be a blackmail picture someday!

Hannah experienced her first candy cane (much to my dismay...). She's even trying to share!

On December 23rd, aka Christmas Eve Eve, we had Jim's side of the family over for our Christmas celebration. We always do a little skit, telling the story of Jesus' birth. Hannah was supposed to be an angel and that broom is supposed to be a prop. She looks more like she's trying to ride the broom. Good grief...
On Christmas Eve, we went over to my parents' house. We had to take the annual family picture near the tree. As usual, Hannah is not really cooperating!
Hannah along with my sister's kids, Kaden (left), Gavin, and Zoey sitting next to Hannah.
Just the girls...Hannah and Zoey...twinsies!
Hey..this is fun! What's next?
Unfortunately, I didn't even take any pictures of Hannah on Christmas Day! She was a bit overwhelmed with everything. Each time she'd open a present, she wanted to stop and play with it for awhile! We did get a lot of footage on video camera, but nothing with the regular camera. We had a very nice quiet Christmas at home. My parents joined us for dinner (my sister was with her in-laws on Christmas Day).

December 29th was Jim's birthday. Hannah decided to begin the day by sitting on our dog Taylor!
Later on, we had lunch and gave dad a little birthday treat. I made a homemade ice cream cake (actually there wasn't any cake in it..just cookies, ice ream, and coolwhip). Hannah wanted nothing to do with it (big shocker!) She wasn't too happy with the crushed up cookies...we are noticing she doesn't like her food mixed together...
We can't believe that the new year is right around the corner! Hannah has spent the last 5 days of 2010 practicing going pee pee on the potty! She's doing a great job (with the exception of a few minor accidents). She is so proud to wear her "big girl underpants" (we use this term because of the Sesame Street book, in case you're wondering). She sits right on the big toilet--she doesn't even want the little seat on top! We are so proud of her! No more diapers!

I'll end this post with just a few funny Hannah sayings...

"It's mines" (she adds an "s" to the end instead of saying "mine".)

"I want pickabutter mama"...(peanut butter).

"I wanna watch the Snurfs" (Smurfs...she got a dvd for Christmas)

"I don't like it!" She says this about just about anything healthy...

Happy New Year everyone!

Santa Santa Santa!!!

2010-12-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

I had been debating over whether to take Hannah to see Santa at the mall. On the upside, I could get the cute picture of her sitting on his lap. On the downside, it would be really expensive, we'd probably have to wait in line, and she'd probably freak out and refuse to sit on his lap after waiting all that time.

So, after much debate, I decided to not mess with the mall. Fortunately, Hannah's babysitter had Santa come to her house over the weekend, and all the kids were invited to come visit and sit on his lap! And it was free!

I didn't really think she'd go for it. But somehow, Ms Kris, Hannah's sitter convinced her to sit on his lap! Without tears!!!
He pulled a bracelet out of his bag for her.
She loved admiring her new bracelet!
Now off to a completely different topic...

I had this great idea (at least it seemed like a great idea...) to cover the top of the coffee table with wrapping paper. It's multi-functional. It obviously adds to the decor of the room, but also allows for Hannah to be able to color and use Play-doh on the table without me having to clean up after her. Since she is so in love with Charlie Brown right now, I used the Charlie Brown Christmas paper. Pretty neat, huh?

Here's the problem...

Apparently she didn't quite get the point!!!
She decided that it needed to be unwrapped! Oh boy, so much for my bright idea...

I decided to rewrap it, but this time I had her watch me wrap it. We talked about how Mommy was going to put paper on the table and that Hannah needed to leave it there. So far it has survived the evening...so I guess we'll see!!!

H is for Hannah

2010-11-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

Look at the super cute outfit that my Aunt Jasmyn made me for my birthday! Yes, you heard that correctly! She made my matching shirt and skirt!

P.S.--the only reason I'm smiling here is because my parents bribed me with M&M's to smile. It worked. I have them wrapped around my finger!
See, this was before the M&M bribe. I'm not really smiling yet. Instead I'm giving the "what are you going to give me?" look...
Even though Halloween is over, I really love pushing my little Halloween bear around in his stroller.
Awwwww...

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T21:08:00.001-07:00

We had a busy Halloween weekend!

We took Hannah to the Pumpkin Patch. She was quite impressed by all the pumpkins!!! However, I think this is the only picture of her smiling. She was also very serious at the pumpkin patch!
I'll just give this one a big wet kiss!!!

Still no smiling
No, not yet, no smiling yet.
Later...we carved them. Dad had control of the camera.
Then on Halloween day, Hannah and I made sugar cookies!
Hannah really loved playing with the flour!
Then it was time to put on her Viking cheerleader costume! (Unfortunately the costume didn't bring the team any luck...)

At the end of the evening, Hannah was completely tired! We brought out her little couch and put it in the driveway where we sat and waited for more Trick-or-Treaters. She laid there and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown." She watched that movie 10 times over the weekend! She loves it! All the parents who walked up with their kids got such a kick out of her. She has a serious poker face on--she didn't even flinch when people commented how cute she was!
Happy Halloween!

A Visit with Family

2010-10-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hannah really loves her family! She loves playing with her cousins. A few weeks ago Luke came over to play. He and Hannah really enjoyed coloring together!Then, he read her a bedtime story (which was apparently VERY funny)!!!
During Fall Break, my cousin Heather came to town with her little boy Liam. Hannah is just 3 months older than him.

We started their vacation here with a visit to the zoo. Hannah loved the Little People play area. It sure was a warm Arizona day in October though!

That night, Hannah and Liam enjoyed milk and a movie! I was relieved that Hannah shared her couch. She became a little possessive of her things while he was here! We are still working on sharing!
One day we went to the "Hangar Cafe" at the Chandler airport for breakfast. It is a neat little diner located near the runway. You can watch the planes take off and land while you eat! We loved this view of the two kids walking together. As you can see, Hannah had pulled one of her pigtails out and I hadn't had the chance to fix it.
We also visited the aquarium at Arizona Mills Mall one day. It was really neat! Look at those stingrays!!!

We stood inside the tunnel and you can take your picture from the outside.
We also took a day trip to Tucson to visit my Uncle Rick and Aunt Cheryl (who live in Tucson). My cousin Caitlin is holding Liam (her first cousin once removed). My sister Jasmyn is on the left, holding Zoey, and her son Kaden is in the middle.
Of course we had to allow for some park time! Look at these two cute kids on the slide!
Liam is a sweetie. What a great smile!
Heather and I only got one picture together. Heather actually just held her arm out and took it. She's taller than me, but I made sure that I stood on my tippy toes while she bent down a little. It's nice to be taller than her!
Also during that week...my nephew Kaden celebrated his 5th birthday!
...And my niece Zoey celebrated her 1st birthday! There's me and my sis Jasmyn and our two girls...they are 13 months apart!
Do you think Zoey enjoyed her cake?
Yep, I think that's a fair assumption!

It was a busy week, but it was a great week!

Soon...Halloween!!!

The World's Worst Blogger!!!

2010-10-11T22:47:00.001-07:00

Well, I think I have won the award for the World's Worst Blogger! It has been so busy lately and my evenings (after Hannah goes to bed) are filled with cleaning or getting ready for the next day. It feels busier than ever!

So...here's Hannah's 2nd Birthday Post Part 2

I made a little Elmo poster for the door.
And an Elmo cake to match! The cake didn't actually taste that great--the frosting had so much food coloring in it that it tasted funny! But, it sure was fun to make and to look at, and Hannah got a kick out of it!!!
Cookie Monster cupcakes, round 1...
Cookie Monster cupcakes, round 2...
Family and friends came over to celebrate! Hannah sure did have fun sitting at her little picnic table with the other kids!!! (Is Gavin looking to swipe some food off her plate??? Hmmmm...)

Meanwhile, Tommy and Katie are having a deep dinner conversation!
Oops...blurry!
When it was time to open gifts, Hannah was much too busy playing. It was like pulling teeth to get her to open anything!
Kaden was quite willing to help though!
What??? A pink and purple Radio Flyer Tricycle! Yippee!!!
Aunt Jaz gave me these really cool boots. They zip up. I love to run around in my t-shirt, diaper, and pink boots! Not only do they keep my feet nice and sweaty, but the whole concept drives my mom crazy! She thinks I am obsessed with the boots!
A few days later...

Hannah also loves to imitate me putting on make-up. It used to be easy--I would just give her the blush brush and she would "pretend". Now she wants to be more like me! She has to open the container, and just "pretending" doesn't really work! Did she get enough blush on that brush?
Yes! Hannah has a pink chin! Oooohhh..I'm not supposed to worry about make-up until the early teen years. We're in trouble!
Is this a sign of the Terrible Two's???

Hannah's 2nd Birthday...Part 1

2010-09-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

So, since Hannah really isn't "big" on birthday cake, I decided to do a practice round before her birthday, The reason the frosting is blue is because these were my "trial" Cookie Monster ones...Look at all those gifts! Ridiculous!
Hey...this is kinda fun...
What could this be?
Elmo cupcake for Hannah's birthday
Hannah loves her new baby doll, Marcia. Marcia can go in the bath with Hannah! Hannah loves pushing Marcia around in the stroller.
Just pouring milk from the sippy into her new "teacup"
An attempt to get a nice pic of me and Hannah
Jim and Hannah--nice pic?
Hannah got this new couch. She loves "sharing" the couch with her babies!

Things we love about Hannah...

She LOVES LOVES LOVES to play outside! As the mornings and evenings are cooling down, she BEGS to go out ("Wanna go out-soide...") I think she may have an accent!

She has very sensitive ears...if she hears Jim open the door, she automatically wants to go "out-soide". I think she is also starting to catch on when I spell words instead of just saying them. Can't pull one over on her!

On that same topic, she loves to walk to the park by herself and pull her own little wagon. It cracks us up!

Loves M & M's. Just another bad habit we've started...

She is talking soooo much we can't even believe it! When the cats go near her things, she says, "no kitty cat, it's Hannah's"...

This part I guess I don't love so much...she is still quite the picky eater! Her palate has expanded a bit, but still will NOT eat any fruit or veggies (this includes watermelon and strawberries, which kids are supposed to like). She has finally branched out to juice though, and enjoys her juice box in the afternoon (100% juice, no sugar added--of course!)

When she's eating, mom is NOT allowed to help her put food on her fork. In fact, the food has to be placed on the fork just perfectly or else a whining session follows...

She blows on her ice cream, as if it's hot.

Still prefers to stand in the bath most of the time. Not very safe...hmmm...

She is terrified of flies! It really humorous. She completely freaks out when she sees one.

She is very attached to both mom AND dad nowadays. When one of us leaves the room, she says, "where's dada?" (or mama).

She HAS to have ice in her water (otherwise it's no good!)

She enjoys admiring herself in the mirror (don't know where she got this from...)

Photo Session!

2010-08-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we had Hannah's two-year pictures taken. A friend of my sister's, Carlee Komar (ohsnapbycarlee.com), was offering special pricing while building her portfolio. Here is a sneak peek of some of the pics she took:

I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures! She is in the Gilbert area and is very reasonably priced, so give her a call!

Besides our photo session, one thing I also wanted to share is Hannah's most recent funny sayings. She comes home from the sitter's house (we call it 'school' though), and I think she is just repeating what other kids say, because there is no other explanation for her random comments!

She sounds like a little robot:

He ya go...(here you go)

Otch dis guys...(watch this guys)

Ont dis one, ont dat one...(want this one, want that one)

Taaaaaank you (thank you)

Hode it hode it! (hold it, hold it)

I have two! (she says this when she has "two" of something)

I saw Kwis, I saw Eesa, I saw Aytee, I saw Baxton, I saw baby Ava, I saw Baby Aiden (these are all the people she saw throughout the day!)

Another one of my favorites: When Jim goes in the swimming pool, she points to him and says, "Dada aked" (naked). I have used this word after her bath. She will also do the same to me in my swimsuit, or if she happens to walk in on me while I am changing. The funniest part is, sometimes she will just walk around saying, "mama aked, dada aked"--and repeat that over and over (like a robot!) I REALLY hope she doesn't do that at 'school' or her sitter may think we are nudists or something! It's completely innocent, really, just working on 'vocabulary'!

Oh how she cracks us up!

Our little sweet pea will be TWO in less than 2 weeks! Where is the time going? Maybe by her 3rd birthday I'll be able to say she is eating better... ha ha!

Hannah's Little Wagon

2010-08-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Jim took Hannah to the park. She INSISTED on bringing her little wagon. Notice her baby doll, Mandy riding in the wagon. I was able to snap a few pics just as they were returning.She looks like she means business!!!
In the background you can see the wagon she was SUPPOSED to ride in. Instead, that wagon stayed empty and she walked all the way to and from the park (with Jim following her, of course)...dragging along her little wagon.
I think she has a little strut in her step!
This last picture happened on a different day. Gotta love the diaper, no shirt or shorts, tennis shoes and socks look...and this time she isn't taking Mandy for a ride, just the Mega Blocks!
Oh, I think this little wagon is here to stay for awhile!

San Diego, Day 3!

2010-08-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well, on our third day in San Diego, we woke up to this...I tried to convince myself that it was going to clear up, but no! It was just an overcast day!
We decided to spend the day at the Coronado Beach. For a few brief moments, I "pretended" that we had stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado! Maybe someday...

Trying so hard to get those glasses on. So close!
After the beach, we stopped by a little park in town to let Hannah run off some more energy. It was a great plan: let her play in the park, then hit the road to head back to AZ. For sure, she would sleep in the car, right? Afterall, we purposely hit the highway during what would normally be her naptime.

Sorry...I became a little sidetracked. Back to the park. Look how GREEN it was.
See, doesn't she look tired?

Well, in case you are wondering, our grand plan didn't quite work. Hannah fell asleep, but awoke after a half hour, and was very upset to be stuck in her car seat. Needless to say, it was a loooong trip home. But we had a lot of fun while we were there, and it was a much needed change of scenery and getaway from the heat! Adios, San Diego!

San Diego, Day 2!

2010-08-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

First of all, I must apologize, because this will be a really looong post! I have so many good pictures and had trouble choosing which ones to post, so please bear with me!

Prior to going to San Diego, I had looked at the weather several times (if you don't already know this about me, I can be a bit obsessive...). Anyway, just curious how the weather was going to be while we were there. Forecast: sunny, 70-73 degrees all three days. Woo hoo!!!

So, when we woke up on our second day there to this weather, you can imagine my disappointment!
It was cloudy and a bit chilly. What? I want sun!!! Here is another view...
Hannah didn't seem to mind what the weather was like, she was just so glad that they had Elmo on in the morning, just like home...
We of course decided that a few clouds were not going to ruin our beach time. Hannah was a bit hesitant of the beach at first. It definitely scared her a bit, but then when she realized that there were lots of sand toys, her mood changed!
Just doing a few squats...

I love how she is holding the bucket in this picture, as if it is a purse instead. Oh, and she didn't want to go anywhere NEAR the water.

I love this picture. I'm not sure if the flash went off or what. But I love her smile!
It's a miracle!!! We are both smiling at the same time!!!
Hannah and daddy looking at the ocean, discussing life...
Jim on our deck. Watch out girls, this is going to make it to the Swimsuit calendar!!!
After Hannah's nap, (which I must interrupt myself to mention, that Hannah napped like a champ! We put her straight down in her pack-n-play, and she didn't even fuss, not once!!!) we decided to take the ferry over to Coronado Island for dinner. It was only a few blocks down the road to catch the ferry.

Again, only 2/3 of us are smiling...
This is near the restaurant where we ate dinner. Hannah really loved running around in the sand. She didn't want to eat dinner though, which made us rush to finish eating. Oh well...

The dock to get back on the ferry.
Side note: Hannah has started saying, "I don't like it!" We have no idea where she got this from, but when we said, Hannah do you want to ride on the boat again?" She replied, I don't like it boat." Ugh!!!
But, as you can see above, she did like running in the grass.

This is how we ended the evening, back in our room (after the complimentary cocktail hour), to a wonderful view again!
Day 3 to come soon, and I will try to condense as much as I can!!!

San Diego, Day 1

2010-07-27T10:27:00.001-07:00

I am a little behind on my postings! Last week we went to San Diego for a few days. We had a very nice time getting out of the heat. Traveling with an almost-two-year-old is interesting!

We hadn't even made it across state lines when Hannah threw up in the car--not once but twice!!! Two times pulling over, two changes of clothes, lots of baby wipes and lots of mess!!! The funny part is, Hannah has only thrown up three times in her whole life, and two of those times were on the way to our vacation. Oh well...maybe we can embarrass her someday with that information!

Somehow we still made it to San Diego in record time. We were able to check in early and walk over to Seaport Village--our hotel was just across the street!

Here are Jim and Hannah noticing a ship.

Here they are looking at a kite. I think Jim's head is blocking it though.
Walking around in the village. Wearing a jacket in July--you don't do that in Gilbert!!!
Me and Hannah--she's smiling but facing the wrong way!
Nice family pic!
We rode on the carousel. Jim took this picture of the 3 of us--not bad!
Like mother, like daughter!
Sorry this one is a little blurry. We sat her on the horse at the end. She was a little unsure about that!
We had a nice afternoon in Seaport Village. Hannah hadn't really napped much in the car, so by the time we left, she was DONE! We went back to the hotel room, put her to bed (and I must brag that she went right to sleep, no problem!), and then Jim went back out to pick up dinner and we just had take-out in our room with a view. It was so relaxing! Come back soon to hear about day 2!!!

Hannah Playing

2010-07-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hannah sure does love her baby! Here she is getting Lucy (her baby) ready to watch Elmo.Taking Lucy for a ride in the stroller. (Thank you to my friend Lori for letting Hannah borrow the stroller).
"Hannah swimming!" She laid down on the ground and did this on her own. So funny!!!
"Hannah in time out." She did this on her own too. Kind of makes me wonder if she takes time-out seriously...
"Hannah all done time out." Okay...
Hannah decided that it would be much more fun to RIDE in the baby stroller than to push her baby around in it. Love the Hollywood sunglasses too!
Okay Lucy, you can ride along too.
Hey, I just noticed the cute puppy on my p.j.'s!
We borrowed this mini dvd player for Hannah to use on our vacation to San Diego. We thought we'd let her try it out the night before. She LOVED it! Couldn't take her eyes off it!
I'm sorting through my pics...more on our trip to San Diego soon!

Elmo Drama

2010-07-18T22:10:00.001-07:00

Hannah has a t-shirt that says "I love Elmo" (actually there is a heart instead of the word love). Since she is obsessed with Elmo, I of course couldn't resist when I found an adult-sized Elmo shirt at Walmart, so I bought it for Jim (he thought it looked "cooler" with the sleeves cut off, so he got the scissors out to take care of that).

So...is it too much to ask for a cute picture with them in their "matching" shirts?
Apparently so, because she is doing just about anything EXCEPT smiling.
In the picture below, she really wanted to get down. But we weren't giving up. After all, we are the adults here, and she should listen to us, right?
OK, look at that poor face! She was SO mad at us that we were still trying to get her to smile in a picture!
Don't worry, we finally let her go and play!

How to eat an Oreo

2010-07-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

HOW TO EAT AN OREO

BY: Hannah

STEP ONE: You need to break the Oreo apart, or have your mom do it.

STEP TWO: Use your right index finger to remove the nice creamy middle, then eat it.

STEP THREE: Break the rest of the cookie into little pieces, just to irritate your mom, but don't eat them!

This is what you have left:
After eating (or should I say NOT eating) her Oreo, Jim was eating yogurt and Hannah kept saying, "want bite." He was eating blueberry yogurt, and kept giving her bites of just the creamy part, without any blueberry pieces. She must have issues with texture because she will not eat any fruit or anything mushy (although she does love mac and cheese, which I guess is mushy, so who really knows what her issue is!)
After a few bites, a little blueberry snuck into one of her bites. Oh, how I wish I could have gotten that look on her face on camera! She spit it out, and gave Jim quite the look of, "how could you???"
The picture above doesn't do it justice, but she would not take any more bites from him after that. It may look like she is smiling, but she was actually shaking her head and saying NO.

Oh, that picky little girl of ours...

She continues to crack us up with her little comments. I don't know where she learns half this stuff. Here are some new phrases:

"I don't like it"--she said this one evening when I gave her a few cracker goldfish. I KNOW she likes those! Don't know why she said it. But apparently didn't want them at the time.

"Hannah tursty" (thirsty)

"Where dada go?"--sometimes says this when Jim leaves the room.

"More bee buff"--(more cheese puffs) I have resorted to bribing her with cheese puffs to get her to finish her lunch. It hasn't worked for fruit or vegetables yet, but those cheese puffs sure do get her to eat her turkey!

I just bought Jessica Seinfeld's book that has recipes for sneaking healthy foods into your meals. I'll let you know if it works. I better get started...time to puree!

NO!!!

2010-06-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...is the cabinet growing hands and feet?

Me: "Hannah, please come out of there and eat lunch!

Hannah: "No!!!"
Me: "Please hurry! I made you hot dogs!"

Hannah: "No!"
Me: "Hannah...come inside! It's getting too hot outside to play."

Hannah: "No!" (sitting on daddy's Viking's football is much more fun)
Me: "Hannah, come on, we need to change your diaper and then go to swimming lessons!"

Hannah: "No!"

Me: "Come on, right now!

Hannah: "No!"

Me: "Hannah...."

Hannah: "Stop it!" (yes she really said this to me, told me to stop it)
Walking around in her diaper and daddy's dirty hat is much more fun than swim lessons!

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

My parents came over a day early to celebrate Father's Day! We enjoyed some swimming and good food. Hannah loves spending time with her grandparents!Hannah gave this book to her dada on Father's Day! It's called "I Love My Daddy", and she loved reading it with him...
over and over again!
Then they practiced singing the ABC's together. Hannah will say the first few letters (well, the letters themselves are a little hard to hear, but she has the tune of the song correct), then she'll go, "YEAH!!!" It's really cute.
Ha! We tricked her into looking at the camera!
Happy Father's Day honey! We love you sooooo much!

A day at the Phoenix Zoo!

2010-06-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

We decided to take advantage of the "unseasonably cool" Phoenix weather (a high of 90 degrees in June) and went to the zoo with my sister Jasmyn and her kids.

The trip started off quite interesting! On the way to the zoo, my two nephews Kade and Gavin were in the backseat of the van and kept insisting that something smelled like poop. We didn't smell anything, and of course we were driving, so we just figured we'd do a quick diaper check once we parked.

Once we arrived at the zoo, Jasmyn went to get Zoey out of her car seat...and....HOLY CRAP! I really mean it--she had pooped completely through her diaper, all over her clothes, all over her car seat--everywhere! It took us 10 minutes and almost all of the baby wipes to clean her up. I really wish we'd taken pictures of it. I have never seen anything like it!

Below--Zoey, all smiles, and Hannah refusing to look at the camera.
The tiger is a really big kitty cat!
Hannah loved looking at the giraffe. I think she was in awe of how big they really are.
We stopped at the splash pad, which Hannah was afraid of, but Aunt Jasmyn convinced her to get her feet wet!
Water break!
The elephants are neat...and a little smelly too!
It's lunchtime! What? Hannah would rather play in the dirt than eat? Hmmmm...
Hannah hangin' with Aunt Jaz.
The orangutans were so funny! This one pulled the palm leaf around for a while, then covered himself with it.
Me and Hannah at the top of the kids' playhouse.
Here Zoe Zoe, let me help you eat a cereal puff! They are really yummy! (this is one of my favorite pics)
Boy, that was quite a busy day.
P.S. Why didn't I take any pictures of my sweet nephews? Oh well...next time!

What a Difference a Year Makes

2010-06-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

I came across this picture from last June...almost one year ago to the day! Look at how much she has changed and how much her hair has grown! Jim and I joke around that she is a "little person" now.

June 2009
June 2010
The white stuff on her face is powdered donut. I needed to run into Fry's (really quickly) to get just ONE thing...and of course at the door they had complimentary coffee and donuts. Hannah begged me for one (just by the look on her face, those sweet little puppy dog eyes), so she of course got her way! Then on the way out, she said, "more cake," and yes, everyone, she got another one! Don't worry--they were just the mini donuts, not the full-size ones!

Hannah's vocabulary is really growing lately. She is speaking in phrases and sometimes even sentences! It is really amazing all of the words she picks up. Here are some of her most common ones:

Kitty cat naughty

Tayla lay down (Taylor the dog)

I hungy

I want tweat (treat)

I want milk/water

I go downstess (downstairs)

Dada go outside

Sometimes she refers to herself in the third person, which is also a hoot!

Hannah silly

Hannah poo poo (she is starting to tell me when she does this!)

Hannah toot toot (yes, this too--sorry for all the potty talk!)

Hannah's toys

Hannah's soos (shoes)

Hannah do it

Some of her words sound a lot like each other, and can be tough to decipher, unless of course you use the process of elimination to figure them out:

cackis= glasses

cackis=crackers

bocket=bucket

bocket=blanket

Other cute words:

beppus=pretzels

ookies=cookies

bips=chips

bengin=penguin

ocean=lotion

sunscween=sunscreen

In the bath the other night, she was holding two bubble wands. She held them up and said, "I have two!" We do a lot of counting...but this was so cute. She has done this a few other times with other objects.

Last but not least...this is Hannah singing the ABC song:

" a c c c w c c c a n o p "

Perfect Picture!

2010-05-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

As I was getting Hannah ready for bed on Mother's Day evening, it occurred to me that we hadn't taken any pictures together. I really wanted to get a picture of the two of us. So I threw her dress back on, ran downstairs, handed the camera to Jim and said, "she's tired and fussy and probably won't smile but I really want a picture of the two of us so just take a picture, even if she's whining and throwing a fit!"

And guess what???

Miraculously, she looked toward the camera and smiled! And also coincidentally, we were color coordinated!
This just made my day!!!

Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T15:32:00.001-07:00

It has been a wonderful Mother's Day! Jim started off the morning by getting Hannah out of bed and bringing her in to me holding a Mother's day card! It was really sweet. He then ran out and brought home iced coffee...yum! Next we took Hannah to the park. Taking Hannah to the park is something that I really cherish, so today I wanted for us to go early before it got too hot! Even when it is 85 degrees outside, with the sun beaming down it can be really unpleasant. Hannah loves going down the "side". The small slide was in the sun and very hot. Hannah was a little unsure about the bigger slide, but Jim held her hand and she LOVED going down!We caught her giggling, but looking away!
One, two, three...
Made it to the bottom! Yippee!
This is one of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken! Just that look of absolute joy melts my heart! What a GREAT Mother's Day! When we came home, Jim made some brunch and surprised me with some Mother's Day gifts. Now we are waiting for my parents to come over for dinner. I am so blessed with such an amazing family! Happy Mother's Day to ALL the moms out there!

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-04-30T20:52:00.001-07:00

Everything from the 80's is coming back into style right now. So, if Hollywood is looking for a cute little girl for a Strawberry Shortcake movie, I have the PERFECT little girl:Strawberry won't turn toward the camera...uh oh...Sweet profile though!
Strawberry is not listening to the director's orders... call her agent now...she may need to be replaced!!!

Just a few other cute things about Hannah right now--

She recognizes so many objects, and likes to point them out:

airplane

doggy

kitty cat

balloon (boon)

flowers

bubbles,

mama/dada outside (she says that when one of us goes out..)

Elmo (still obsessed)

Is really using words right now! She will ask for:

milk

water

cack-eh (cracker)

more (mo)

teet (treat)--I've created a monster on this one

outside--would probably spend the entire day outside if we let her

help (usually involving toys)

stuck (when something is stuck--we've been working on this word as opposed to whining)!

Other cute things:

Will hold onto the stairway bars, stick her head up near the slats, and say, "HUN" (she hears me doing this!!!)

LOVES going to bed--stands outside her crib, shakes the bars and says, "go night night" (yes we are spoiled)

Likes to give the cats their cat toys and say, "hee ya gooo!"

Will just lay down on the floor (on her belly, butt in the air, sucking her thumb), when she's worn out. Just for a few moments--power rest...

I know I will think of like 10 more things after I publish this post!

Smart, Sassy, Silly

2010-04-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am officially the WORST blogging mom. I just can't seem to keep up with everything. I could come up with a zillion excuses, but I'll just leave it at, "I'm always so busy!"

The week before last was a little rough--Hannah was just really fussy, not eating more than two bites at a sitting, coughing a lot, just not herself. I took her to the doctor, and she was just fine--no ear infection, strep throat, or breathing problems--which was good--but didn't explain all of the whining! Until...making her giggle a little showed her third molar coming in! Finally my sweet pea is getting some teeth. She still only has the two front bottom teeth, with a lot of gum in between, then her molars--looks kind of funny! This week has been much better. She has actually gone up to her highchair and reached for it, saying, "I eat." Whew!

In the midst of all this fussiness, Hannah still loved going outside to play. When Jim was putting on her shoes, he kept pretending that he couldn't get it on her foot, which was apparently quite funny to her! She laughed uncontrollably! We took pics of it since she usually isn't very cooperative in the smiling department when it comes to pictures. This was too funny though--if you could only hear her giggles right now!!!
I just love that picture above--look how tan they both look! See any resemblance? ha ha!

We took this as a great photo opportunity and switched spots so that I could "pretend" to not be able to put on her shoe also and get the smiling picture...
This picture was taken a few weeks ago--she came home from the sitter's with a nice "slicked back" hairdo and three little pony tails. I can never get her to sit still long enough for that!
Mommy and Hannah reading the Froggy book. Hannah loves moving the frog--it makes a noise.

Easter Sunday 2010

2010-04-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, Yes, I am a few weeks behind...

For Easter we went to church and then to my sister's house for an Easter brunch. After brunch, she and I hid about 100 eggs for the kids to hunt. I was really looking forward to watching Hannah hunt for eggs again. During her first Easter Egg Hunt at school, she went a little crazy and had sooooo much fun finding eggs!

One small problem--my sister has two yellow labs, who, although sweet, have very loud barks and as soon as she heard them barking, wanted nothing to do with hunting for eggs and was pretty much just attached to my hip! (The dogs were in the side yard locked away, out of reach of the kids--but apparently their loud barking was enough).

Here is one shot my sister got of Hannah before Turbo and Thunder started barking...
Photo-op.....nice family pic!
Hannah and Daddy...doesn't her smile almost look FAKE? Is she just posing?
Hannah and mama...why the scared face Hannah? (maybe the dogs were barking again!)
Sisters...our outfits are completely coordinated, and we honestly didn't even plan it! Hot stuff!!!
Cousin Kaden making Hannah laugh hysterically.
Uncle Joel also making Hannah laugh hysterically..take a breath Hannah!
Hannah and Zoey having a quick diaper change. They say women like to go to the bathroom together, so why not a quick diaper change together?
Hey...we're cousins, but in a way we are more like sistas, right? Let's shake on that!

Hannah's First Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well, as a teacher, I have survived 11 Halloween parties, 11 Thanksgiving feasts, 11 Christmas parties (the number would be 12, but I was on maternity leave during one Fall), 12 Valentine's Day parties, and 12 end -of-the-year parties. That is a grand total of over 50 school parties! Yikes.

I FINALLY had the chance to enjoy a school party as the parent, instead of the teacher. Hannah's sitter had an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids on Friday. We had the day off from school, so I took her there just for the party. It was really fun to be on the "Mom" side of things. I think she was actually a little confused at first, because I usually drop her off and then go. She kept looking at me, as if to say, "why are you still here?"

So of course, I wanted to take lots and lots of pictures. Here is Hannah with her bunny ears on, enjoying snack before the big hunt. Of course, there will be no smiling!
Can I please go look for eggs now?
Aaaahh! Found one!
It is sure sunny out.
Found another one!
Hmmm this bucket is getting heavy!
What? no more eggs?
Look at Hannah on the BIG GIRL swing!

Two Birthdays and Ranch Dressing

2010-03-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring Break was realllllly busy!

We had family in town, which was really fun! Jim's nephew Ryan, his wife Rebecca, and their daughter Bryn visited from WI. Bryn's first birthday was just a week away, so we celebrated early. Here is Hannah at the park enjoying Bryn's birthday festivities (thanks Tommy for sharin' your wheels,,,)
Ahhh...playin' at the park takes a lot out of ya..Hannah needs a rest...
Later we went to Tailgater's for dinner. I had made the mistake of introducing Hannah to Ranch Dressing...here she is dipping her french fries!
Maybe it would just be easier to drink from it...
Then it was time for cake! Elmo cake that is! When Hannah celebrated her first birthday, she wasn't very interested in cake. She poked at it, but wasn't sure if she REALLY wanted to put it in her mouth. So, to see her so involved in this birthday cake almost brought tears to my eyes! I'm not kidding! It was a bit of a relief to see a 1 1/2 year old devour cake, as quite often she pushes food away, saying, "noooooo".
Hmmmm...do I have food on my face?
Good stuff...
On the 21st it was my mom's (Hannah's grandma's) birthday! We went to Aunt Jaz and Uncle Joel's house. Hannah found Cousin Gavin's shopping cart right away! (Hannah has a shopping cart at home, which she generally chooses NOT to play with. However, the fact that this particular shopping cart isn't hers makes it that much more appealing!) Below is the "I better hurry before he catches me" face!
Just checkin' to make sure she's still "in the clear!"
My mom said that all she really wanted for her birthday was a nice picture with all 4 grandkids...

Sorry mom, these crazy kids aren't cooperating!
Take 2...getting closer...
This is the best one. The girls look FABULOUS. It's not their fault that the boys look a little silly...
Earlier that day... Grandma got a GREAT picture of Hannah and Zoey...girls are usually pretty cooperative!!!
Whew...what a busy week! Happy Birthday to all and to all a good night!!!

18 Months Old!!!

2010-03-20T20:23:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm 18 months old today (actually on the 16th, which is when these pics were taken). That's right it's my half birthday! What? Pose for a picture? OK...First, I need a snack and a drink.
How big am I?
Soooooo BIG!!!

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

2010-03-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

We have been pretty busy lately! I really love playing in the sand when we go to the park, so my mom and dad got me my very own sandbox! The weather had been a bit chilly, but I insisted on playing in it anyway!So focused...
Okay, I'll look up for just a second, but gimme a break, I am NOT gonna smile!
Mom loves this look...spoiled?!?!?!
The other day my dad was playing with me in my swing. He does silly things that make me laugh. He was trying to get me to lift my arms and laugh.
Getting closer...
Yeah! I did it! Arms in the air and I'm laughing too!
We had lunch with grandma on Monday. She was makin' me giggle too! She even shared a little bit of ice cream with me!
We have relatives in town. Here is the lowdown: Far left, cousin Tommy, then Luke (hard to see him), Hailey, Bryn (visiting from WI) and me. I am 3 months older than Tommy and 6 months older than Bryn.

Luke, Me, Bryn, Hailey
Me with Bryn. It has been really nice to finally meet her! I think we'll be great friends!
Today I am officially 18 months old! My mom will take some pics of this special day (my half birthday) and post them soon!

Severe Silliness

2010-02-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

I sure do love reading books with my daddy! He is a really good reader.He uses funny voices, and he makes me giggle!

Earlier I was busy trying to put on his shoes. They are a little too big for me, but that makes it much easier for me to try to put them on.
Getting closer...
Now, that's just perfect! Boy, these sure are heavy shoes!
I also got a new chair. It is really fun because it is just my size (almost). I need to grow just a little bit more, because when I'm trying to climb up onto it, it can tip over! So for right now, I can only use it on the carpet when mom and dad are watching, even though my mom really bought it for me to use outside.
And then, I found one of Mommy's flip-flops. I even got my toes between the part where they go! So what if it's on the wrong foot!

Share the Love!

2010-02-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

I just wanted a nice picture with my daughter...could she please just cooperate for a few seconds?Okay, better.
Here dad...this is for you!
Hannah loves this little Valentine book!
Hmmm, usually I'm NOT supposed to rip paper, but now they want me to???
Ohhhh! Spread the love!
Daddy's little message to Hannah! So sweet!
...And his message to me! Potato Art is what we call it. Awwwww!!!

Randomness

2010-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

I have been TERRIBLE about keeping up with the blog lately! I think I only took about 6 pictures during the entire month of January, which is so rare for me. I usually have at least a zillion! So, as Jim and I became quite teary-eyed the other night watching home videos of Hannah, and as we cannot believe how big and grown-up she is, I decided to post some pics of how she looked last year at this time...Same cute cheeks, but look how short her hair is!
Little love bug!
And now, a year later...she is trying to walk in mommy's shoes (well...maybe just her slippers!)

Silly eskimo jacket...it was a very cold day!
Just a few more quick notes about Hannah...

Loves to read books

Points to her shoes and says, "soos"--this is the cue that she wants to go out and play!

Loves to repeat things

Every time we drive by the park, she points and says, "side" (slide)

If you say, "What's your name?" she'll say "Anna" (we need to work on the initial /h/ sound)

If you ask her what a lion says, she'll say "raaaaah"

If you ask her what Taylor (the dog) says, she'll say, "uff uff"

Of course, she won't actually do this "on demand." She does this all the time at home, but try to show others what she can do, and she becomes "quiet Hannah!"

Lipton Lifter

2010-01-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

Over at Uncle John and Aunt Vickie's house, and just decided to go through their cupboards. Wow, look at this really neat red and yellow box I found. It's full of neat things!The obvious choice is to spread them all over the floor!
I should put them back, so that I can take them out again!
Better hurry before I get caught!
I really want to keep this special box. I must figure out a way to sneak it into my bag...

Spaghetti, anyone?

2010-01-09T13:59:00.001-08:00

Hannah has a love-hate relationship with spaghetti. When she first started eating "real" food, she love spaghetti. Couldn't get enough of it. It made me so excited to see her happy eating spaghetti! Then one day, she decided she just didn't want to have anything to do with it. Why? Did the spaghetti hurt her feelings? Did the spaghetti do something mean to her? No. There was no reason to dislike spaghetti. When I'd put it on her plate, she'd look at me as if to say, "you expect me to eat THAT???" Well, as you can see, we have made a breakthrough!!!Hannah has decided to reconcile with spaghetti...
Look at that face!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Toilet Paper Caper

2010-01-03T17:21:00.001-08:00

There is a thief in the neighborhood.

This thief is believed to be armed and dangerous.

This thief is suspected to be responsible for a string of robberies in the south Gilbert area.

The Police Chief has found very damaging evidence:
The suspect has been caught!

The suspect is trying to get away from the Police Chief (aka mom)...

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-29T19:34:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and were very spoiled by grandma and grandpa (and Santa too!)

Hannah in her church dress on Christmas Eve...stealing gifts...

Christmas morning! What on earth is this? Let's climb on it!!!
This looks neat!
All unwrapped! A red radio flyer wagon!!
A-ha! I did it! (Pictures of Hannah in the wagon to come soon!)
OOOhh this makes animal noises!
Aahhh nice, hair in the face AND not smiling.
Daddy will help with this one...
Over at Aunt Jasmyn's house...new shoes are so fun!
HHmmmmmm sitting on this couch that is just my size...
It's just so fun to get up and down!
We are so thankful for being able to spend Christmas (and Christmas Eve Eve) with family!

2009-12-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

Slept in past 8 am...check!

Ate a good breakfast...check!

Played with my toys...check!

Went to the park with my daddy...check!

Came home and ate lunch...check!

Fell asleep immediately after lunch in my highchair...check!

Little Helper

2009-12-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been a really good helper. This is me cleaning the table (actually I undid most of the toilet paper roll first, then used it to clean...)This is me getting my shoes ready so mommy can put them on my feet (actually, when I start to get a little fussy and really want to go outside to play, I grab my shoes while simultaneously whining, and bring them over to mommy. This is my clue to her that I want to go out. On this particular day she wouldn't let me go out and play because we were just getting ready to leave, which caused me to whine even more).
This is me helping carry my purse (aka diaper bag thief. Mommy is trying to load the car and can't find my diaper bag loaded with the essentials: diapers, wipes, snacks, sippy cup...)
Please excuse the sideways pic. Mommy turned it around in iphoto and has no idea why it won't show up the right direction on the blog. Anyway...this is me "helping" with the ornaments on the tree. Well...let's be honest...I am trying to remove yet ANOTHER ornament from the tree. What a good little helper...

Funny Stuff

2009-12-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

I've decided to take some time to recollect and share all of the CUTE things Hannah has been up to lately. I kept a little journal while I was pregnant, and continuously added information to her baby book during her first year, but haven't done much else since! She does so many things all the time that just make us CRACK UP!!!! First of all, she is obsessed with this one snowman ornament on the tree, and she takes it off, and then tries to put it back on (by setting it on the branch). I was so nervous about putting the tree up because I thought she might rip the entire thing down, but she has been really good, other than her slight obsession with a few of the ornaments. (I tried to bribe her, but she refused to face the camera...)I have added several random pictures. These first few are of her eating a yummy Christmas cookie with green frosting! Messy?
MMMmmmm...look how yummy my cheeks are...Mommy is always kissing them!
Hannah has been showing some serious signs of independence lately! I wish words could explain how cute, touching, funny, etc. she is. I'll do my best to pass it on! One of the things she has really wanted to do lately is feed herself with a spoon/fork! She'll eat mac & cheese/hot dogs almost independently with a fork. She has even been scooping up ice cream and yogurt almost all by herself to eat it. In other words, she doesn't need help from her parents anymore!!! Here she is eating some yogurt.
MMmmmm...did I even get any of this yogurt on the spoon?
Oh yeah, let me slurp it off!!!
Besides eating with a spoon, here are some more cute hi-lights of Hannah's hilarious happenings:

**She loves to read books! She will often go get one of her books, and bring it over to Jim on the couch. He will set her on his lap, read the book, and then when it's over, she will get off his lap, take the book back over to the messy toy area, and get another book. This cycle repeats several times!

**She imitates so many words. She will pick up her toy phone and say what sounds like "LOW" (hello?!??!!!) She also walks around pointing at things and says what sounds like "ut's that?" She purposely throws her sippy cup on the ground while in her high chair and says, "uh oh!"

**Mommy's little helper: she loves to close the pantry door and the dishwasher, and to pull the decorative towel off the oven door and start wiping the floor with it. The funny thing is, I don't scrub the floor on my hands and knees, so I'm not sure where she gets this one!!

**Careful little cookie: One night I made her some Easy Mac for dinner (I know, the most healthy choice out there), and after I took it out of the Microwave it was very hot so I blew on it. Ever since then, whenever I make or reheat mac and cheese, she starts blowing into the air. Sometime she even blows on lunch meat and crackers! That is one of my favorites!

**She loves to draw on her Magna Doodle toy. Today I looked over, and she was LAYING on the ground, coloring. I couldn't even believe how grown-up she looked while doing this!!!
Creating a masterpiece!
This is comfy!
I just can't believe how much she has changed since she turned one, which was just a few months ago!!!

Hannah we love you so much! Thank you for making us laugh each day! xoxoxoxoxoxo

Go Vikings!

2009-12-07T20:32:00.001-08:00

Just getting ready for the Vikings game! I wore my purple to bed the night before, just for good luck!
Dad, leave me alone! I'm not a toy!
It looks like I'm smiling, but I'm throwing a little fit here...
Is this how it goes?
Oh, now that's perfect! The Vikings lost, but there's always next time!!!

New Swing

2009-11-29T13:07:00.001-08:00

I really love my new swing! Thanks Aunt Jaz and Uncle Joel for getting this for me for my birthday! Thanks Uncle Joel for helping to hang it. I go in it everyday!I rotated this picture in i photo--not sure why it wouldn't upload the right direction. Oh well.

Jim, Hannah, and Mandy (the doll) snuggling on Thanksgiving morning.
Yo yo yo. I'm so cool. I think I'll start a new trend: jammies and sideways baseball cap. Feel free to copy me.

Hannah loves Taylor so much! She thinks Taylor is her very own giant toy. Taylor puts up with a lot. This picture would have been even better if Taylor were wearing reindeer antlers...hmmm..

Cute Little Stinker

2009-11-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me the other day that not only have I not blogged since Halloween, but I hadn't even taken ANY pictures this month! It's been one crazy month.

First of all, Jim started coaching basketball, which almost makes me a single mom during the week. He works so hard, and I respect and appreciate all the time he puts into it! Sometimes he leaves the house at 6:30 a.m. and doesn't get home until 8:30 p.m. This makes me really unmotivated to make dinner! Plus, it's nearly impossible with a 14 month old. She really prefers to have me all to herself once we are home and isn't so big on me spending time in the kitchen! (Although, on a side note, she has been crying and throwing little fits lately when I pick her up from her sitter--apparently she is having so much fun that she doesn't want to stop! This, by the way, does wonders for my mom self-esteem...) Anyway, on the days he gets home earlier (6:00), I still have the same problem of trying to have dinner ready. It's practically impossible. The key is to whip something up while she's safely strapped into her highchair, chomping away (that is, when she chooses to chomp rather than throw everything on the floor).

It's really tiring for Jim as well, but he never complains. His glass is half-full..."basketball season is only for a few months".

So, as I realized that picture taking was essential, trying to get a good picture was a whole other story. Hannah is very smiley. She walks around giggling and smiling non-stop, until the camera comes out. Then she just manages to ever so slightly turn her head or pout for the camera.

Here she is learning how to color. She's really good at it. I noticed after uploading this one that her nose is really runny, so please just ignore the snot!
Not smiling or looking at the camera.
Oh hey...I got a smile! Of course it just had to be blurry!
Hmmm...Nice profile. Oh, and this is why we have a pool gate!
Oh this would have been so cute if it weren't blurry!
Smiling! But also looking down...
Playing peek-a-boo by hiding behind the chair. She had the best smile a few seconds prior to this picture, but my camera ran out of batteries and I had to run and get more (of course). So this one is just so-so.
Ahhhhh finally... Jim came home and is teaching Hannah how to talk on the phone. She always holds the phone to the back of her head instead of by her ear! Oh and it's upside down. However, it sounded like she said, "bye!"
Oh clapping and smiling!! Yeah!!!

Little Ballerina for Halloween

2009-11-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hannah really enjoyed twirling around in her tutu!Magic wand...check! Cute shoes...check! Tutu that is slightly too big...check! Pumpkin bucket to use for candy collection...check! Why exactly does a ballerina need a magic wand?

Stir, stir, stir...
You can't tell in this picture, but the cat is on the other side of the gate, and Hannah was laughing hysterically at her. I was just glad to capture the entire outfit, even though she's facing the wrong direction!
A smile would have been nice here! Oh well!!!

Pickin' Out Pumpkins

2009-10-25T15:13:00.001-07:00

Mommy really wanted to take me to a pumpkin patch. I was very curious and really enjoyed looking at all the pumpkins! As usual, I wasn't really into smiling on demand, but this is just partly due to the fact that I have never seen so many pumpkins in one place, and quite frankly I was just in awe. The other reason is that I had fallen asleep in the car on the way to the pumpkin patch, and my parents woke me up just to get these pictures! So I decided not to smile much...

Hangin' Out

2009-10-25T14:59:00.001-07:00

I've had a lot going on lately! I mean, I have been really, really busy. Here are just a few of the things I've been up to...

Here I am opening a belated birthday gift. This time, I actually showed interest in opening a gift.
This is me at the play area at San Tan Mall. I know I look really serious, but I'm just thinking about all of the fun figurines that are around me.
My mom took me out to breakfast with one of her friends. I kept running away and mom would have to chase after me. What a fun game!

This is my Aunt Jasmyn holding me upside down. This picture was taken just a few days before my new cousin Zoey was born!
And here is Zoey! By pure coincidence we have matching dresses. We almost look like twins.
Don't I look excited to meet my cousin?
Look at this little sweetie. It's so weird to see a newborn again! It's hard to believe Hannah was ever this small.
Here I'm hangin' out with my daddy. He's reading me a book. I really love reading with him. Look, we're in our Vikings gear...this was taken on Game Day!

Little Viking

2009-10-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, the Vikings played the Packers on Monday Night Football. That was a big event at our house as Jim is a HUGE Vikings fan! A really sweet lady that he works with had bought Hannah a little "Minnesota" cheerleading outfit, so I thought it would be cute if she wore it for the game. It is a size 2T and either I though the outfit was smaller than it actually is OR I was thinking that Hannah is bigger than she actually is...this is pretty funny!
She's swimming in fabric! Oh well...there's always next year!
Peek-a-boo! Hannah cracks herself up by bending down and hiding behind the coffee table for a few seconds, then popping up. We of course act scared and giggle with her. She is so funny when she does this and I end up laughing so hard I end up crying!!!

The Great Outdoors

2009-10-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying this cooler weather! I've been spending lots of time outside. While I was playing out in the grass with my mom, my dad was in the pool playing with the dog (he's crazy--the water was pretty cold!)We went for a walk and stopped to play at the park for awhile...

This is me "hangin' out" with my grandpa at the park for my cousin Kaden's birthday party.
It was a motorcycle theme and I got to sit on a Harley! (Don't worry--mom's friend is holding me so I won't fall!)
Mom put this silly party hat on me! Don't I look excited? I wore it just long enough for grandma to take a picture of us! That was sooo thoughtful of me!

Birthday Party!!!

2009-09-20T15:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday party! My family came over to celebrate with me. I started off the morning by playing with my singing purse. This was a gift from one of mommy's friends. She let me open it before my birthday. It sings and talks when I open it.Later in the day I put on my birthday outfit! Grandma was holding me. I really love visiting with her!
Next we went swimming. The water was actually a bit chilly because it was windy out, but I had fun anyway.

Grandpa was hangin' out with my cousin Gavin.
Tommy and Uncle Joe were playing too!
After I got all dried off and ate my dinner, it was time to open presents! Mommy and my older cousins did most of the work for me.
I got lots of cool toys (a really fun talking telephone, a swing for my patio, and a toy I can either push around or sit on and ride). I also got new jammies and lots of clothes! I got a few boks too--I really love looking at books! I may be a little spoiled...
Mom and dad put this monster bib on me before letting me loose with the cake...
Mom helped me with my first bit. You see, I'm not so crazy about getting my fingers dirty! I'm such a girl!

Mmmmmm, that's more like it!
The next morning, mom put me in one of my new dresses for church. I played with my new phone for a little while first.
After church I sat on my new riding toy. I have soooo many things to play with. How will I choose??

Hannah's Birthday!

2009-09-16T20:04:00.001-07:00

Happy First Birthday Hannah! We love you so much! Dad's friend that he teaches with gave you this really cool desk. It used to belong to his daughters, but they're older now and don't need it anymore. How very nice. The only problem was, when it came time for you to open your presents...you were more interested in this desk and your cool new kitchenette!

Dad kept trying to help you open your gifts, but you were just a little unsure! I admit, I was a little disappointed...I thought maybe you'd show some interest in ripping the wrapping paper. Afterall, you love ripping magazines and the newspapers!
Auntie Heather sent you a really cool book and some new pajamas. There was also a dollar bill in your card. This you found very exciting!
Forget about my new Elmo giggling doll, I'm still holding my dollar.
New shoe in one hand, dollar bill in the other...

The Papmers box is not full of diapers, it's full of clothes. I thought she'd enjoy tearing the paper and pulling things out of the box, but no...
Hey look, still holding that dollar in my right hand!

Let me down! I want to walk around, not sit here and play with my new toys!
Well, I wanted to finish Hannah's birthday post by sharing just a few of the things we love about her...

*We love how she hobbles around like a little mummy

*We love how she prefers to be fed rather than feed herself...perhaps doesn't like getting her fingers sticky?

*We love how she shares with others--she hands you the toy, you hand it back, she hands it back to you again, etc...that is sharing, right?

*We love how she can always tell, even from far away, that the pantry door is 1/8 of an inch open...just wide enough to sneak inside...

*We love how she prefers to walk around in the bathtub instead of sitting...although not very safe...

*We love how she wiggles her tush and bends her knees to do a little dance when Elmo starts singing during Sesame Street!

*We love how she giggles and waves her arms around when mom or dad walks in the room.

*We love how she reaches for the crib when she is sleepy, literally reaches away from us; she just loves to stretch out..then sucks her right thumb and twirls her hair with her left hand...EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Hannah! We love you!

Nostalgia

2009-09-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I am getting very sentimental now that my baby's first birthday is just a few days away! I truly cannot believe that she is already going to be ONE year old! At the same time, I cannot imagine life without her and can barely imagine what my life was like before she was born. So I decided to post a few miscellaneous pics of her...from when she first came into the world to now...September 16, 2008...
Although we both look happy as can be, we were scared to death! What are we supposed to do with her? What if we have questions? How do you take care of a baby?
These next two photos were taken by Tami Proffitt...two of my all-time favorites!

First Halloween. Doesn't she look excited?

January 2009...the beginning of a new year!
I love this one. She didn't take an afternoon nap, and by dinner time, it was just too much! She had to rest!
Sitting and crawling

And this one was take just today! Look at that precious smile! We love you Hannah and can't wait to celebrate your first birthday! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Watch out here I come!

2009-09-01T21:19:00.001-07:00

Hannah came home again from the babysitter with her hair all done! She's looking mighty serious here! Future sumo wrestler???
I just love reading my books!
This is my half walk, half dance!
cha cha cha!
Ok, gettin' the hang of this...
My grand finale!

It is hard to believe that Hannah will be ONE in a few weeks! This year has gone by sooooo FAST!!!

11 Months Old!!!

2009-08-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that in one month we will be celebrating Hannah's 1st birthday!!! Where has the time gone? Believe it or not, this top was mine when I was a baby...passed down to Hannah from my mom!

Here, take this fake remote that doesn't have any batteries and actually doesn't even go to anything! ha!

My shy smile...

Just takin' a bath with my cousin Tommy. He loves the water, but I'm still a little unsure...

Hair Hair Hair

2009-08-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

As you know, my baby has some crazy long hair! When she was born, everyone kept saying it would fall out or turn blond...but it's still long and crazy..although it isn't as dark as it was at birth. When Jim picked her up from the sitter on Monday, she had cute little pig tails. I haven't yet tried this at home and am unsure how on Earth they get her to sit still for that long! Watch out Pebbles

I'm really upset because I just bonked my head while trying to crawl underneath the chair and mom isn't giving me any sympathy! She keeps telling me not to play there, but I haven't been listening...

I love these pics of her in the bath. When her hair is wet, it looks even longer and almost looks like it is thinning out. So I tried a mohawk. I thought it would be too long for one, but...

Awwww look at that face! Jim has a picture of himself from when he was little taking a bath in the kitchen sink (I'm sure that wasn't his choice) and this pic is definitely his "mini me"

Playdate

2009-08-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

I just always seem to be a little behind on my blog! I can't believe the summer is over and it is back to school! The summer isn't technically over, but my break is! Last week my friend Melissa came over with her little girl Katie. Katie is just about 2 weeks older than Hannah. Katie is adorable and a very good little girl! She and Hannah played well together. Katie can take a few steps at a time, and Hannah was quite mesmerized by this (I thought maybe she'd teach Hannah to walk, but no such luck yet!) We went for a swim (sorry no pics of that--too hard with two infants in the water) and had some playtime inside.

Beach Babe

2009-07-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful time in Coronado, San Diego last week!!! Jim's sister, Therese, was so great to us! We stayed with her and she was our "nanny" here and there so we could go to dinner, go on bike rides, and just have some Jim and Robyn time! Here are some pics of Little Miss Sunshine enjoying the sand!

Not sure I like her playing with the umbrella pole...

Next year, we're building sandcastles!

Oh boy, the beach is tiring!!!

Thank you so much for having us Thereseki!!! We had a blast!

Ghetto Mom

2009-07-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

I did the tackiest, most embarrassing thing today. First let me give you a little bit of background: Every few months or so, we get a flier in the mail telling us that there will be a donation truck in our area and if we have any items to donate, we can leave them out in front of our house to be picked up on that date. So I leave my bag of really old, weathered clothes outside, along with our old lawnmower that doesn't even work. Around mid-morning I am driving down the street and I notice a house a few blocks away that also has their donation outside. There is a really nice, leather loveseat with a bunch of stuff on top. For some reason the stuff catches my eye, and this is what I see:
A really nice toddler toy! So I decide that I am just going to drive by, slow down, hop out, grab it, and keep going....I know it sounds bad, but afterall it IS a donation, right! So as I get close to stopping, the owner of the house comes outside to put more stuff out, so I get a little embarrassed and keep driving. Then I decide that I will just turn around and ask him if I can have it! I know, totally ghetto, right! His wife walks out as I'm asking him, and aside from looking at me like I am a complete weirdo, they were very nice. Luckily Hannah was in the car with me, and I just explained that I have a 9month old and she would just LOVE to play with it! I did play dumb at first and asked if they were having a garage sale and could I buy the toy (I know they weren't having a garage sale on a Thursday in 110 degree heat, but what the heck, it helped break the ice). They were very nice to give it to me (OK actually Hannah) and even threw in a little piggy bank toy that makes noise, sings, counts, and has little fake coins. Don't worry, the fake coins are big so they are not a choking hazard!

I get home and tell Jim the story, and of course he orders me to "never tell this story to anyone...how embarrassing!!!" But I can't help it! I told my sister and she referred to it as "dumpster diving", but I prefer to call it "asking". You know what they say....One man's trash is another man's treasure! AND I just read an article that said Jessica Alba takes things out of the trash all the time and refurbishes them, so if she can do it, I certainly can too!! ha!

She wouldn't even look up at the camera because she was so interested.... Why does this little book that's attached only have one page???...
Later when I went to Target, I found out they are selling them brand-new for 39.99...looks like mommy made a good deal!

These are my dancing legs...

This is a totally separate day...Baby food can still be a battle at times. When she's not interested, she's not interested...and she is very good at rubbing it all over her face, ears, hair, etc. Good thing bathtime is right after dinner!

This is the 4th of July. She loves looking at books!

And now, for a very special moment...standing by herself! Jim and I both got to see her do this. We were so excited! She does this for a few seconds and then just sits down. The most exciting part is that she usually just stands straight up from a sitting position, without using anything to pull herself up. woohoo!

We're off to San Diego! We'll bring back some beach pictures!

Entertainment

2009-06-29T15:32:00.001-07:00

This is Hannah watching a Baby Einstein video. It's hard to believe, but she will literally sit there like this for 1/2 hour and watch in awe of the happenings on the screen. It's pretty entertaining to watch her watching it!

We have spent a little money on toys for Hannah, but most of her toys have been given as gifts or handed down from other people. We have about 1,000 toys lying around the house. Toys that light up, toys that shake, toys that rattle, toys that make strange noises, toys that beep, toys that play music, toys that sing to you, toys that imitate animal sounds, toys that are soft and cuddly, toys with ultra-bright colors, toys that stack...you get the idea. But what you see below is one of Hannah's favorite things to play with:

Yes, that's right, old water bottles. They make a wonderful crinkling sound and are really fun when they have just about an inch of water left in them! And then there's this next wonderful discovery:

Hmmm, an empty baby wipe box. I think I might be able to use this as a way of pulling myself up to the standing position. It's just the perfect size and shape (NOT!)

Oops, it tipped over. I wonder why that happened. Well, I'm not finished exploring this fine mechanism yet...

Oh look, this one is even bigger and has a blue lid! Now this is the perfect device for helping me to stand! I might even climb up on it and sit on it, which will really freak my mom out!

Needless to say, we had to remove Hannah from all of these dangerous non-toys, so we went to the pool. It was her first time in the kiddie pool. Although she crawls all over the place at home, she is still uncertain of crawling around in the tub or kiddie pool. She wasn't too crazy about the waterfalls either. But once she adjusted, we had a great time!

Father's Day and More!

2009-06-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from our niece's wedding (Mary Wilson--Jim's niece--remember he is the youngest of 9 kids--I know, it's hard to believe we have a niece that's old enough to get married!)
JIm calls this one her "fake smile".

Deer in the headlights look.

That's more like it!!!

On Father's Day, we went to John and Vickie's house. Here is Hannah surrounded by guys... cousin Luke, Jim, Uncle Dick, Uncle John, and Jim's dad Gramps, who is hidden by Hannah.

I just love my dad so much!!! He is so funny...
Except when I don't get my way... Actually this picture was taken when I was trying to get a good picture of Hannah for Father's Day. She kept crawling all over the couch, of course, and I was afraid she was going to fall off. So after trying to reposition her about 10 times, she got upset at me. I'm sorry!

Chicago or Bust!

2009-06-22T15:34:00.001-07:00

Hannah and I went to Chicago last week to visit my cousin Heather and her family. Her and her husband have 2 boys--Owen (4) and Liam (6 months). We had a great visit. The weather was a bit cloudy all week, but it was a nice change of pace from the heat. We had a little rain here and there. The scenery was beautiful--everything is just so green there!

I was so proud of my little sweet pea on the airplane! She fell asleep on my lap BEFORE take-off on the way there and then slept through most of the flight! She was only awake for about the last hour. On the way home she was a bit more grumpy, but did fall asleep about an hour into the flight and then slept most of the time. One easy baby I tell you! She kept looking in between the seats and giggling at the passengers behind us. She was completely cracking herself up! So funny!

This is Hannah's first time in a real bathtub (no baby-sized tub here)...sharing some suds with Owen!

Hangin' out in Liam's crib with Owen...I've learned to pull myself up to a standing position and hold myself up!

Look Liam, this is how you sit up. You are so close! Soon you will be able to do this without being propped up!

I just can't sit still for very long!

Enjoying the beautiful Chicago Botanic Garden!

My mom is sooooo funny!

The Bikini

2009-05-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, before Hannah was born, we didn't find out whether we were having a boy or a girl. However, we both agreed that if we were to have a girl, that she wouldn't get earrings until she was old enough to know what they were and to take care of them, AND we wouldn't put her in a baby bikini! No if's and's or but's...those were our girl rules.

Then Jim's sister, Mary Irene, came to visit from Minnesota. She brought Hannah some really cute outfits. She also brought Hannah a BABY BIKINI!! Mary Irene is fairly conservative and so we were just shocked at the sight of it. But, since it was from her, we decided it would be OK! It's an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, flowery purple, very cute bikini!!!

Here is Hannah getting ready for the water! Enjoying the nice cool water with mom!

I always have fun with my dad!

Look how cute we both are!

Oops...mom forgot to turn this the right direction before she uploaded it. I hope my tan lines aren't too obvious!

Wow...fun in the sun is so tiring! I am ready for a nap!!!

Now I wonder if they'll let me get my ears pierced...

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-05-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a few weeks since I last updated our blog! What can I say, other than life has been so HECTIC with the end of the school year. Jim and I (and Hannah too!) are now officially on summer break, although Jim will be teaching summer school in June, so not as much of a break for him. Hannah and I will be busy hangin' out together, hitting the pool, maybe the mall too! Don't tell Jim! Anyway, I promise I will have a more exciting blog with more information soon. I need to upload some photos. For now, just enjoy these pics of Hannah crawling EVERYWHERE! Oh and one more thing....my sister is expecting a GIRL to balance out her life with her two darling, yet crazy, boys! Congrats Jasmyn and Joel...we love you and are so haaappppyyyy for you!