a little documentation

Let it be known that our daughter actually wore a bow for a whopping 5 minutes.  And has since refused again.  Oh well.

Spaghetti night was a hit!

He's Back!

Daddy is finally home from a short mission trip to Amsterdam.  We are so glad that he had such a great experience, but we are thrilled to have him back home!  Our church is partnering with my old college buddy, Rob, who is missionary there.  The hope is to help start a new church in the city.  Mike, Brad and Tim spent 8 days learning the culture, spiritual dynamics, and the city itself.

Mimi, Granddaddy Pete, and Aunt Kaye all came for the first part of his being gone. It was a great help, great distraction, and fun visit! We ate out, went to the pool, shopped a little, watched movies, and just had a nice time being together.

My kids are both totally head-over-heels for their daddy.  I kept them pretty preoccupied while he was away.  He was certainly missed!  I praise God for the Internet and Skype!  Saturday afternoon he was greeted at the airport with 3 of the largest and cheesiest grins!

[special thanks to mimi for the pics... and she evidently has my syndrome of always being the one behind the camera!]

Some things

Lots happening around these parts.  And lots of catching up to do on this here blog.  Unfortunately, no pics at this point.  Our camera has been on a bit of an excursion with daddy.  Soooo, bullet points are in order! 

• Hannah is finally signing "please".  So cute.  She signed "more" and "finish" for about a month and has refused to do that anymore for several months now.  Now she says more and just takes off her bib when she's done.  Guess that works too.
• We met Jackson's teacher last night.  She was so sweet and gentle.  This will be her 19th year teaching and she loves it!  We toured the classes, library, gym, cafeteria, etc.  One classmate, Madeline, was a girl that he "played" with as an infant.  Her mom and I were in a new mom's group together when they were newborns.  I have pictures of the two of them crawling around together.  Another classmate is a little girl that lives in our neighborhood that he has met before.  And, we met two little boys that Jackson instantly wanted to start running around the school with.  I feel so good about this coming year.  He was upset to leave last night and said he wanted to "stay and learn some things".  :)
• Jackson and Hannah play "mommy and daddy" together... they push the stroller around with her baby dolls, feed the babies, etc.  So cute to watch!
• Hannah has acquired one of my old purses and carries in around on her arm and shoulder.  She finds all sorts of random toys to carry around.
• Hannah is now book-obsessed.  All day long she picks them up and backs herself up to someones lap to have it read to her.  Jackson reads some to her too.  He gets frustrated, though, when she flips the pages too early or slams it shut on just the second page.  He doesn't believe that he did the same thing 4-5 years ago!
• Jackson has attended a VBS this week and loved every minute.  He sings the songs ALL DAY LONG.  It has been a great outlet for his energy on these very hot days.  Mommy has enjoyed the quiet mornings while Hannah naps.
• Our dear friends, the Isaacs, are moving across town.  :(  They have already closed on the new house and are moving things gradually as the girls finish school next week.  We are so grateful for all the card games, kid swapping for date nights, playing in the cul-de-sac, sledding in the snow, and many more fun times together.  Jackson will especially be sad as Luke is one of his best buddies!  Thankfully, he'll get to see Luke at church and we'll have to be intentional about getting together with them.

Coming soon - pics from a visit from Mimi, Granddaddy Pete, and Aunt Kaye....

little fish

Jackson just wrapped up a session of swim lessons.  I tried the last couple of summers to show him some things, but still felt like he'd learn and listen better from someone else.  Jack loves Mr. Jay, his instructor.  He asked me if Mr. Jay could become his kindergarten teacher too! 

Jackson has alway been really comfortable in the water... I just wanted his skill level to be equivalent to his level of confidence!  Especially since my eyes have to cover two kiddos now.  He's doing a freestyle stroke and beginning to pick up a little backstroke - not perfect but a great start.

12 Month Digits

Forgot to post this earlier... Hannah had her 12 mo check up on Wednesday.

Weight - 19lbs, 10 1/4 oz (25%)
Length - 30 1/2 inches (90%)

Long and lean!  She lost 1/2 a pound since a week and a half ago.  Probably due to walking up a storm and to switching the whole milk.  She's a sipper, not a guzzler!  Hannah took the shots and bloodwork like a trooper with little crying.

Celebrations

Thursday morning, Hannah's birthday, the three of us went into her room when she awoke to sing her happy Birthday.  She smiled so big but was totally clueless as to what in the world her crazy family was up to! Then came a cupcake for breakfast and opening presents from Mommy, Daddy, Jackson as well as several packages sent from family in TN.  We gave her a little kitchen set, play food, and shopping cart.  Big Brother gave her the cooking pots and pans to go with it.  I thought this might be a toy she would grow into, but judging by the play food ALL OVER MY HOUSE and the time spent playing -- it has been a hit for both her AND Jackson.  (Who likes to play restaurant, not kitchen, he insists!)  The rest of the day was spent at a pool play date, nap, back to the pool for Jackson's swim lesson, a very quick dinner, then off to daddy's softball game.  She was a happy little clam amongst the busyness.

On Friday we went to the zoo and grandmother came with us.  Hannah was very excited about the animals!  She waved to them, blew them kisses, and kept reaching out to hold them. We picked up an annual membership again, so I can't wait to make it a regular venture.

I'm One! 

Saturday we had a small family party for her.  She loved the attention and all the presents.  The bubble machine was a big hit for all!  By Saturday afternoon she came down with a fever and we spent some restful time at home that night and Sunday. 

On Monday we went to a fun Memorial Day party with some great friends.  Jackson and buddies spent the day running from kiddie pool to kiddie pool, sliding on the Slip and Slide, and water gun fights.  He is still talking about it!

Sweet Birthday Girl

My baby is one year old.

*sigh*

I'll admit - I am strugglin' with it! This year has passed too quickly.

I'm bracing for the trials of toddlerdom. No longer does my sweet baby girl hear the word "NO" and smile, OBEY, and move on to something else. Now she gives us that little impish grin while disobeying. She's also dabbled in the tantrum waters a few times. Seems like forever since we conquered this stage with her older brother.

I'm also bracing for the joys of toddlerdom. Walking, talking, seeing her personality come out more, and exploring every facet of her little world. In can be such a fun age! If this morning's birthday cupcake is any indication, she'll be diving into life full-force!

So here's a little of what our little princess is into right now...

Hannah, at age one you are walking most of the time. You fall frequently, but you get up every time without any frustration. You love babies, animals, wagon rides, swinging at the park, being outside, tea parties, books, baths, and music. You really love to dance and it cracks us up! Every time Jack goes upstairs without you, you call for him ("jaht jaht!"). You love for him to chase you around. Your favorite foods are ALL types of pasta, chicken, peaches, guacamole, green beans, and yogurt. You still generally eat everything we give you, but you are starting to avoid peas.

Right now you dislike hats and remove all bows the second they are put in your hair. Hannah, you love to flirt and wave at everyone in the stores. Ever since our camping trip where daddy let you bounce on the air mattress, you LOVE to bounce and climb on beds and couches! You like to "wrestle" a little with daddy and Jackson.

Above all else, you most prized possession is your little pink lovey blanket. Nothing calms you down faster! You cannot hold it without also sucking your thumb. I am so pleased that that is the only time you suck your thumb, though! We are currently on a serious hunt to find a duplicate just in case something were to happy to the beloved blankie.

You transitioned well to whole milk and we can't wait to turn your seat around later today. We hope you will enjoy being in the car more now! Hopefully the drive to the zoo tomorrow will be a breeze.

Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl! 

da Bulls

Last weekend we went to a night out at the Bulls game with our church. SO much fun! I don’t know what Jackson was more excited about – seeing the smoke coming from the bull after the homeruns OR the hotdog and soda he got. Hannah liked the people watching mostly. We left early and just in time to miss getting soaked from a really nasty thunderstorm.

Snugglin' up with Mr. Joe

walking video

Hannah is quite the high-stepper now! She's taking steps all the time and grows in confidence every day. I think the highest step count is around 20 at a time.

In the video below you'll also see how she loves on her baby dolls. Big brother can't stand to have a video without him in it, so he is reading a book loudly in the background to show off his new skills too.

[Good news! After a lengthy conversation with the maker of our camera, we discovered that I would need to mail it to them along with $90 dollars (ridiculous!) to fix it... which made me bold enough to get rough with the camera and got it working again. ]

Dedicated to the Lord

On Mother's Day, both Hannah and cousin Caleb were dedicated at our church.  Hannah was unusually fussy and flucuated from smiling and waving the the congregation to wiggling and wanting to be down to crawl around.  Weeks before a few people had mentioned that they had never seen her cry or fuss - guess she had to prove herself! 

Here's a copy of the letter that we wrote to her and Mike read out loud:

May 9, 2010
Dear Hannah Elyse,
We prayed that God would give us another child and He blessed us with you. You have been such a gift to our family. Mommy, Daddy, and Jackson love you very much. Your big brother completely adores his little sister. Hannah, you are such a sweet baby, and you bring even more joy to our home. Your laid back demeanor and crinkled-nose grins melt our hearts.

 Hannah, we know the One who created you has mighty plans for your future (Jeremiah 29:11). We are so excited to watch you grow and see the lady God molds you into. We promise to keep praying for you every day. Our prayer and hope is for you to grow up to be a godly woman who loves God with all of who you are (Matthew 22:37). We pray that Christ is not just first in your life, but that He IS your life (Deuteronomy 30:20, Colossians 3:3-4). Our desire is for you to experience the joys and successes that this life has to offer. But, more importantly, we pray for you to passionately love God and desire to follow His will and direction above all else (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We picked the following verses out for you and pray that they will be true of your life as you grow:

This is what the LORD says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:23-34

As your parents, we commit to do our best to love God first and foremost in our lives, to love one another faithfully, and to model lives surrendered to God (Galatians 2:20). As you are God’s gift to us, we accept the responsibility of being faithful stewards in raising you to know Him as the Lord of your life.


We love you so very much!

Mommy and Daddy

[Thanks Aunt Cheri for sharing pics since our camera died during the ceremony!]