Friday, January 31, 2014

Hannah turns 2!!!

Wow! Hannah is turning 2 tomorrow! She is such a busy body and always on the go. Hannah loves Mickey Mouse and is having a Minnie party tomorrow. 

I've noticed Hannah is very particular about things. She pushes buttons, closes doors, and has to have everything in it's place. It's fun to watch her try to sit her dolls up just right. 

 Hannah has shown us she's very smart even if she doesn't talk much. When we drive past her daddy's work she yells out 'Daddy!' And she knows most of the food she eats (even though most fruits are called apples). I think my favorite thing is when she says, 'hold you' when she really means 'hold me'. I can never deny a little snuggle time with her! 

Hannah absolutely adores Abby, but I think Hannah gets her way most of the time! They both get jealous of the other one very easily. Abby tells me at least once a day that Hannah pushed her, took something from her, or yelled at her. It's usually comical for us to watch. 

Hannah's favorite toys right now are electronics...the iPad, iPhone, leap pad, and mobigo are her favorites. She loves watching Mickey Mouse on Netflix and knows to bring us the remote. She wants to wear dresses every day and follows what Abby does often. She loves saying 'hi!' and 'bye!' to her friends at the sitter's house. I'm not sure what her favorite food is....because she never eats her own food, but rather takes everyone else's food! 

It's been an amazing two years and I'm so very happy God lent her to us. I love you, Hannah!!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Abby is turning five!!

I remember what I was doing five years ago today. I had been on bed rest for a week with a doctor appointment the following day so I decided to make a trip to Walmart, just in case we might meet our baby the following day. I remember feeling huge, but so proud of my big belly! I remember trying to enjoy my time with Jeremy before a newborn would upset our normalcy. I remember anticipating my baby and how she would smell, look, feel, smile, and cuddle. I was scared of labor and delivery. I wanted to hold my baby!

My baby is turning 5 tomorrow. At 6:32 pm. She's growing more independent every day. She's smart, loves Legos and Barbies, thinks she's older than she really is, and doesn't listen well at all. She loves her baby sister, gets afraid at night and crawls in our bed, and tries to negotiate most things in her favor. I've watched her when she doesn't know I'm watching. She sings with all her might, talks to herself, uses manners around other people, dances around the house, and thinks she is hiding from us all the time. 

She is gorgeous. I watch her while she sleeps and notice she has a few freckles on her nose now. Her nose is still a cute little kid nose, her eyelashes are perfect, and she has the prettiest strawberry blonde, curly hair that gets complimented every where she goes. 

This past year has been full of changes. She started the year by going to a babysitter full time and now she is in a five day PreK program at St. Joseph catholic school. She loves school, even though she complains every day. She has made a few friends, but she's surprised me with how sensitive she is. She can be very assertive at home, but at school she seems to watch things going on more. We went to holiday world over the summer, to visit our friends and family in Indiana several times, had our first hotel stay over New Years, and had our first sleepover with Libby. 

I'm amazed by what I've learned since becoming a mommy. First, the relationships with other moms has been the most awesome!!! I've made friends from her sitters, school, and from when she took swim lessons in March. Abby has also helped me to see the world from a kids point of view. I've watched her figure out how to put puzzles together, decide which colors to use when drawing, get upset because her fort fell down, run super fast, learn to hop, and get scared during movies. She's made me aware of how kids interpret things. I definitely think more before I say things now. And, we constantly argue during clean-up time. 

I never could have imagined how much I could love someone. How much I want her to find her independence, but keep her sheltered at the same time. How much attention it would take to help her become smart, loving, caring, thoughtful, and generous. How much I want time to stand still when I'm with her. 

So tonight I let my four year old fall asleep in my arms. 
Because tomorrow she will be five!! 

My wish is that she grows into a thoughtful, caring, and well-rounded woman. I hope she never has to worry about how much she is loved. That she is healthy and happy. And I hope she knows how much I appreciate being her mommy. I love you with all my heart, Abigail Leigh! 

Birthday Date!

Papaw Haas gave Abby some money to get ice cream for her birthday. Somehow we ended up at Rainforest Cafe in the Opry Mills Mall. The girls were taken aback when we first arrived and the elephants started moving. 
I'm not sure they blinked for several minutes. 

This was the best I could do with both of them. 

We ordered dirt pudding and an ice cream sandwich. Abby shared both with her little sister. 

Hannah LOVED the fish!

She almost ran out of the store at one point because Jeremy and I were taking turns running after her. By the time I sat down and Jeremy stood up she was almost out the door! (Lesson learned- hold onto her better!)

The girls loved walking around and then listening to it 'rain' in the restaurant. 


After Rainforest Cafe we went to the Disney Store and the Lego Store. It was an awesome family date night. 






Abby's Fifth Birthday!!

How did my baby get so big?!!! We have both fallen in love with the newest Disney movie, Frozen. We had her birthday at a movie theater and invited some of her friends to watch the movie with us. Abby sat between her new friend, Mallory, and her oldest friend, Libby. Jacob & Rose from her former babysitter joined us as well as another newer friend, Tyler. 

Mallory, Abby, & Libby 

Libby & Rose

Jacob

Tyler

And, Hannah!! 

One of the parents said they heard one of the kids say, "This is the best party ever!" in the middle of the movie! That's what it's all about, folks. We are blessed to have so many people in our lives that will help us celebrate our daughter's birthday! 



Friday, January 3, 2014

Tyler's Birthday Party

Our good friend, Tyler, turned four today and we joined his family and friends at Chuck-e-Cheese for his party! I accidentally picked out a third birthday card for him, but he didn't mind I crossed through it!! ;) 
We gave him an IOU for a play date at the zoo once the weather is warmer. We can't wait, Tyler!! 
Hannah was a mess at the party!! She saw the cupcakes on the table immediately and wouldn't sit down until she had one. She skipped pizza and went straight for the icing. She ended up eating the frosting off 3 cupcakes! :-O It took her forever to settle down and take a nap after the party!!!

Again, we are blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives. We met the Graham Family almost a year ago at the YMCA. Tyler and Abby had swim lessons together. Jaime and I found out we have a lot in common and over time we've found out Mike and Jeremy have several similarities as well...including Harleys!!! 

Thank you for inviting us to your party! We hope you have a wonderful year ahead and we can spend lots of time with your family!!!

Hannah's not too sure of Barney!

How did we get Tristan, Tyler, and Abby in the same picture?! (Those kids were all over the place!!)

Wheeee!!!

I'm pretty sure they weren't supposed to be on there together, but they never told us to stop!! 


'I'm ready to get out, Mom!'

Cheese!!

"Look, Mom!!!"

Boys will be boys!!!








Abby's First Sleepover

Abby had her first (successful) sleepover last night with one of her best friends, Libby. These two went to the same babysitter from birth so they have been good friends for almost 5 years now. I have to say it is a blessing to know the Jerrell family and for our kids to grow up together. 

Abby and Libby played together great! They had fun sending stuffed animals down the slide, watching a movie while sitting on the same small chair, and even wearing similar pajamas! 

I loved listening to the girls talk. Abby was telling Libby that she left a stuffed animal at her Papaw's house over Christmas. Then I heard Libby say, 'Just retrace your steps and I'm sure you will find it.' Abby tried explaining to her that it was in Indiana and she couldn't just retrace her steps! This conversation went on for at least 5 minutes before they moved on to another topic! 

The girls stayed up until about 11 pm but then crashed pretty fast. This morning we made donuts for breakfast and they got to play for a little while before Libby got picked up. 

Thanks for the great memories, Libby! Let's do it again soon! 

New Years 2014!!



We spent New Year's Eve in Bowling Green, KY with our good friends: Mark Knust and the Fischer Family-Doug, Andrea, Alex, and Drew. We went out to eat, swimming, and ate lots of snacks! We couldn't have asked for a better holiday!

Abby got Legos from Uncle Mark!!

Hannah loves her doodle writer from Uncle Mark! 

The kids agree Uncle Mark is pretty awesome!!!

Abby and Hannah enjoyed the hotel (Mommy let them eat a donut in bed!! Bad idea!!)

Abby loves Alex....maybe a little too much already!!!