I am Almost There...

...My goal is to be caught up with photos/posts by Christmas Eve Day. Lord knows that when Christmas hits I will have about a zillion and three photos...so here is another little photo-dump. Another little holiday tradition. Justin and I decided that each year we will both take a day off of work and celebrate the season with Hannah. This year we found ourselves at the the Macy's 8th floor exhibit followed up by a little action at the Mall of America enjoying Underwater World. Hannah loved every bit of the day (especially running around in the endless skyways downtown). Okay, I take that back....she did not love every bit of the day...she hated sitting on Santa's lap (which we all witnessed) as well as eating at the Rainforest Cafe. (Those huge gorillas and thunderstorms are very scary to a small child.) ....we learned the hard way and ended up torturing poor Hannah for an entire hour as she clung to us burying her face in our neck. On the bright side- I have not had the chance to cuddle her like that in forever...so selfishly it was kind of nice. :)

On with the photos:

I know that we go to the Underwater World a lot. (Enough to know that it is not called "The Underwater World" anymore...but hey, "Camp Snoopy" will always be "Camp Snoopy" so back off.) But we get in free and Hannah is more and more interested every time that we go.

...just for giggles, I'll leave you with this:

Happy Short Week Everyone!

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Oh and SO EXCITED! Brad and Andrea found out the sex of their little one today...but they are not sharing until Christmas. I think I am most excited for that "gift!" On top of that, their little one's due date is May 18th!....That was Hannah's...until she decided to come two days late.

Catching Up...

I have a memory card full of photos waiting to be edited and posted on this blog. Photos filled with memories getting Hannah into the holiday spirit. But I have no time. (That is a common theme, I know...) So here are a few old ones that I found and hopefully soon, once holiday shopping and gifts are wrapped I will get the chance to post a few more...

Behold: Hannah's first gingerbread house.

And lastly, One quick photo from today's (horrible) Vikings game...

4th of July

We have just returned from a wonderful weekend up at Smith Lake. We stayed for three nights and...well- let's just let the pictures do the talking because I am tired and have nothing to say.

This was the first time to a start of a new tradition...We took the newest generation (Hannah and her cousin Cullen) to Paul Bunyan Land. Justin grew up going here with his cousins and so it was a special day for him to pass this childhood tradition onto his daughter...After you enter, this GIANT Paul Bunyan greets the children by saying their name. He said, "Hello Hannah and Cullen!"...obviously the kids were thrilled:

This place is complete with rides, attractions, a candy store and a petting zoo. Hannah loved it and cannot wait to go back next year...

Well that about sums up our 4th. It was a hot, yet very fun time at Smith Lake. More pictures to come later, but for now- off to bed because we have a busy week getting ready for my brother's wedding next weekend!

My First Mother's Day

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new and beautiful."

~Unknown

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Today I celebrated my very first Mother's Day- and for the first time I celebrated from the "other side." Being a Mother is something I celebrate every single day. Every moment Hannah smiles at me, every time she tackles me with a sloppy kiss, or each new milestone she reaches - I celebrate the honor that it is, to be Hannah's mother. Today was no different it was just formally recognized. We had an entire day of activities planned, starting with church and ending with carnival games.

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We headed to the Mall of America to dine at Tucci Benucch. Then our plans continued to the new "Sea Life Aquarium" (Formerly known as "Underwater World"). I am not sure if Hannah or her Uncle Brad enjoyed it more.....Finally, it was all topped off with Dad and Justin competing in some random carnival game. (Nobody won. Go figure.) Oh boys and their competition... Enjoy some photos from our day:

My Dearest Hannah,
You make being your mother easy. I never imagined loving something so small, so very much. Thank you for being the most beautiful daughter, I love you so much!

To all the other Mothers out there- it's good to be "on the other side." I hope you had a wonderful Mother's day.

Baby's First Easter

Happy Easter!

Hannah was spoiled by the little bunny over and over again. Enjoy some photos of her very first Easter celebration.

Behold, my new favorite photo of Hannah. She is wearing her Grandma's crazy Easter hat.