Hannah's Second Birthday Party

Better late than never! We finally had Hannah's party. With the move mixed in there, we had to postpone it for a month. But it was an even more memorable day as we were able to reveal the sex of baby number two!

Everyone with their popsicle stick guesses! (Notice ALL the grandparents were right!!)

What a happy day, and we THANK everyone who not only came out to help celebrate, but also a special thank you to all the dad's who came and helped celebrate on their special day. 

Two.

I can tell that I have been having "mommy-issues" with Hannah getting older. Instead of 100 kisses a day, she has been receiving about 200. I say, "I love you" almost 40 times a day- because selfishly it is the cutest thing in the world when she says it back: "I-ow-vu!" I have been rocking her to sleep, and cuddling her non-stop. But the fact is- my little girl is getting older and more independent. Here is what we are up to at 2:

Best Parts of the Last Year:

Watching her learn and develop. It's so fun listening to her full sentences and connecting things and situations. She is no longer just stating words, but actually talking with the intent to interact and communicate.

Loves:

Baths, applesauce, bubbles, kisses, necklaces and bracelets, putting on mommy's shoes, bugs, birds, "choo-choos" being outside, walks, bike rides, fruit, ice cream, chocolate, Papa, kicking a soccer ball, gymnastics

Hates:

Meat...or almost any other food for that matter. Also absolutely hates when someone tries to do something for her. (Little Miss Independent)

Routine:

Sleeps 11-12 hours a night, takes a 3 hour afternoon nap Stats: Size 4 (moving soon to size 5) diapers, 2-3T clothing, size 6 shoes

Other:

Still cautious with her physical abilities, she doesn't shy away from trying...she just takes her time and reaches out for her mama and daddy's hand for security. She is getting to be less shy around new people and enjoys being around other kids. She is still a watcher and observer- she is not the leader of the pack. She is easy to transition and continues to be a pretty "easy" overall kid. (We are going to pay for it when she is a teen!...or with this next one.) She is still a mama's girl right now and I will take it because I know it probably won't last! We are starting to see signs of her testing her independence. She knows that her daddy will stick to his guns and hold her responsible, whereas her mama definitely needs to work on that more! We joke that she is obsessive about things like making sure doors and drawers are completely shut, there are no crumbs on the floor and that water is all wiped up. We got ourselves a little neat-freak! (She doesn't get that from me!)

Hannah, you have blessed our world with laughter and pride. You are loved beyond words. We spent your second birthday at the Como Zoo, Sea Life at the Mall of America, and IKEA. (Okay, the last one was more for me). You woke up to Elmo and chocolate chip pancakes and enjoyed playing with all of your new toys! Now on with your photos.

Hannah the newest two-year-old:

(When we say "Cheese!" this is what we get...)

Happy Birthday little girl! Mommy and Daddy love you!!

Happy Birthday (again, and again, and again...)

Meet Santa Bear...

Meet Justin-Bear..

(Yes, that is marker on her face...don't judge.)

Want to know how to keep a kid busy for hours on end? (literally) Hannah is obsessed with the gel window clings. Poor snowman didn't know what hit him.

This was quite the eventful 5 days. Thanksgiving mixed with some birthdays and add on some Christmas cheer and we are tuckered out. Justin turned a whopping 29 today. Another fun fact?...Justin is kinda a birthday-snot. :) Maybe it's because he has to share his birthday every year with his twin brother...but man, if I hear the phrase, "But it's my birthday" one more time...or the phrase, "It's my birthday, dinner, birthday lunch, birthday month...yadda-yadda." barf. But we still celebrated this old man turning 29 over the past 5 days.

He was treated like a king. Blueberry pancakes in the morning, awesome gifts...and a dinner that he feasted on. An appetizer of sauteed shrimp in homemade Benihana shrimp sauce and a main course of cajun chicken and shrimp pasta. The best part?...we found out Hannah likes shrimp! Yes, another food group!! Hooray. All of this was topped off with homemade cheesecake and a night out with his friends. Man, if I do say so myself, I'm a pretty awesome wife. :)

You deserve a special day Justin- we love you and Happy Birthday.

(That is the LAST time I am saying it.)

-

In other news, we chopped down our Christmas tree! Yep, headed out in the rain to chop down the ole' tree.

...and after all the hard and cold and wet work...we almost lost our tree on the drive home! Not to point fingers or anything...but Justin tied it to the car.

Hope you all had a fabulous long weekend! Let the Christmas music ring for the next month! It's my favorite holiday!

-

Oh, and if you were wondering what I am thankful for this year...it's that I am going to be an auntie in May! Congrats to my big brother and his wife Andrea!

13 Month Update

Favorite Food: Cheese, jelly, fruit, goldfish crackers, bread, eggs.

Least Favorite Food: Meat....or anything other than the foods listed above...and watermelon!...Who hates watermelon?!

Enjoys: Dancing and anything having to do with music. Walking behind her walker. Pushing buttons...cell phone buttons, television remote buttons...any kind of button.

Hates: When she doesn't get her way.

News and Notes: Hannah is cutting two more bottom teeth, so she will now have 8 total. She is no longer on bottles and sometimes goes down to one (3 hour) nap a day. She is working on feeding herself by using her own utensils. Being back at home full time has been a transition. It would be much easier if I did not have a teething child. Sometimes I would like to cry right along with her. :)

Hannah's First Birthday

So we have been busy. Very busy. So busy that yes, it's been a week and I have not posted Hannah's birthday photos yet. The climax has risen and fallen and I am sure few care anymore to see what all the fuss was about- but here they are anyway. Hannah's very first birthday party. It was a cold and wet day, but it was still a special one...

Thank you to all the parents who brought over their little tykes in the rain, thank you to everyone from the cities who drove out to Elk River, and thank you to our families for all of their help in pulling off Hannah's first birthday party! Happy Birthday little babe- we love you!
*Thank you to my dear friend Anne for all the great party photos!

Hannah's official 12 month update post will come next week after her 12 month check-up.

Baby's First Birthday

Dear Little Miss H,
Today was your first birthday. We celebrated, we laughed, and boy did you get spoiled! Your daddy and I wanted this day to be special. So here are some photos for you to look back on:

Once we were fueled up on birthday pancakes, we were out the door to Como Zoo...

You "pointed" at everything...

Daddy wanted this guy documented on the blog. (This was daddy's favorite animal...go figure.)

You even got your first taste of ice cream. You were not too sure at first, but then you liked it!

And lastly, a ride on the merry-go-round. You loved it all.

There was a whole lot of birthday celebrating going on this afternoon. But I stopped for a moment. Amongst the chaos of running around to make this day special…I stopped. Today is your birthday, but to your mama, today is the day that I gave birth to the most special little girl in my life. One year ago we had not the slightest clue what you would do to us.
Thank you for filling our heart with pride. Thank you for being such a beautiful, happy, healthy girl. Thank you for taking your daddy and I to a whole new level of love that we never knew existed.
We love you little munchkin. Happy birthday baby girl.