May 2013

At the end of April, we went to Landon's 1st birthday party!  It was a beautiful April day, and we enjoyed some grilling out and present opening.  I think our camera battery was dead, so these are the only two pictures I have...Hanna and Papa walking!  For Mother's Day this year, Grandma Joyce and Grandma Mary joined us to help do some planting in our planter boxes on our deck.  It was a lot of work, and we are so grateful they came to help!

The kids enjoy playing on a blanket on the floor.  We use it to make a bed, or just a mat to play on.  Sometimes it's the littlest things.  

The Munger family came over to our house one night.  Stacey and I have been friends since meeting at Granite City (where I worked for 4 months) after college.  We are life long friends, and it's so neat to look back and see how far our lives have come!  I had Jack less than a week before being a bridesmaid in her wedding, and it was such a fun time!  Our kids are pretty much the same ages now, and it was a really fun time grilling out with them.

Last time at daycare.  More about this next month, but we are now adjusting to life with me as a stay-at-home mommy!  So far, I'm loving it!  (But I really miss teaching)

Omaha Zoo was next on our list this month.  We went for a family trip the weekend before my last week of teaching, so it was a nice getaway!  We stayed at a hotel, went swimming, went out to eat (at a fancy place....with 4 kids under 5), listened to some street music downtown Omaha, then woke up and had breakfast and made our way to the Omaha Zoo.  We went with the Sampsons, and it was a great 2 day trip! Tory and I have been friends since 9th grade, and our families are so very close.  I love that we live within 40 minutes of each other and that our kids are best friends too.

Neighbors.  Ken and Carol are our next door neighbors, and they are truly the best.  Just in the last couple of weeks they have brought us over a grilled pork loin, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, and then brought over some ice cream with homemade praline and fudge sauces....just because Jack wanted ice cream!  The other night, they brought us a whole freshly grilled pizza.  The kids LOVE seeing them outside working on their garden.  Carol gave Jack is own special tomato plant, complete with Dora gloves to keep on our deck and take care of.  He takes his job very seriously.  

Jack and Hanna's daycare buddies!  We are so sad that the kids won't go to Bobby and Vickie's anymore, but SO excited that they will be home with me!  Here is Jack, Bennie, Claire, Callie, and Jordy.  Hanna chose to remain unpictured.

6/2/13

Jack Stories

3 years 5 months old

-One-upping .  We went on a fun trip with the Sampsons to the Omaha Zoo, and I overheard Emery telling you about the last trip they took to the zoo.  She told you how she was holding a sucker, and looking at the monkeys, and a big monkey came and tried to eat her sucker!  You listened to her wide-eyed in amazement, and responded, “One time, I went to the zoo, and this huge monkey came down, jumped on my head, and ripped my head off!”  You cackled and were so proud of your story.  I’m not sure if Emery was scared or not, but you definitely like to exaggerate!

-Picking something.  “Eenie, Meenie, touch a mo”

-Fortune Cookie.  After eating Chinese the other night, we sat down to eat our fortune cookies together.  I opened mine up and read it, “You are good with your hands.”  Then it was your turn.  After insisting there was no way possible for there to be paper inside that cookie, you watched me open mine and then opened yours.  You pulled out the fortune and said, “How do Power Rangers love and kiss?”  It.  Was.  Adorable.

-Watching you play outside, you didn’t know I was watching.  You were wandering around (after insisting that you wear shorts (camo with Beatles shirt) when it’s 50 degrees in June).  You stopped, stared at Ken and Carol’s yard, tilted your head, and stuck your tongue out.  I have no idea why, but it was like you were enjoying your freedom and wanted to be a little naughty.

-As you were playing on the swing set, Daddy told you not to jump off the swing set.  You responded, “It’s good for me!” You then explained how you had to because you had to avoid jumping over splinters.

-Puzzles.  I am amazed at how you will just sit for sometimes up to an hour, just doing puzzles silently by yourself.  You can put up to 100 piece puzzles together by yourself.  These are hard puzzles that are 3D super heroes, and I have to say, you are better than me and you know it!  I hope this helps you to be a good problem solver.  I love you my big boy!

I love how much you love to help your sister.  She wants to do EVERYTHING that you are doing…and she wants EVERY toy you are playing with.  I can imagine that is tough.  You are very patient most of the time, and say things like “Here little Hanna, Here little cutie, or No Hanna, Hanna NO!”

Thank you for sharing with your sister, and letting her play with your toy just to satisfy her for a couple seconds.  You are the BEST big brother there is, and the BEST little boy a Mommy could ever want.

6/4/13

Hanna Stories

Tilting head: You’ve learned that being funny is fun, so something we laugh at is when you tilt your head to the side and attempt to walk straight.

Sniffing:  You still calm down and wind down by sniffing your shirt.  It’s a habit we may not be able to break.  But it is so adorable.

Whipping head: You have a minor attitude.  If it’s not your idea, your tired, teething, or grumpy, when we ask you a question or try to give you something or kiss you, you will grunt and whip your head away from us and hold it there.  If we stay close to you, we can watch you inch slowly back to see if we’re still there, and if you see us, you whip it away all over again.

Spinning: You love to spin in circles, get dizzy, and fall down.  Then get up and repeat it all again.

Eating: Everything.  And if you don’t like it, you throw it to the ground.  Or you chew it up, mash it on the counter slowly while watching our reactions, then eat it again.  Or you shout the same word over and over again until we figure out what you are saying…like “Deee, Deeeeeee, Deeeeeeeeee”.  After offering you multiple options, you finally said, “Ay oo (thank you) when we gave you a spoon. 

You are a social girl.  At your first story time at library today, instead of sitting on Mommy’s lap like Jack used to, you preferred wandering around and scoping the place out.  You also enjoyed poking other moms’ shoes, staring at people, and sticking your finger in your nose.  Every time I told you “No”, you would attempt it more slowly each time, looking at me with your testy-eyes.  I have a feeling you and I will have many more stare downs in our future.  But you are just so lovey!!

You are a flexible girl.  You can take your nap at 12:30 or 2:00 if we need you too.  If we need you to stay awake (like when we were at the zoo), you will wait until we get in the car to pass out.  Your bedtime has been pushed to 9:00 a couple of times already.  This NEVER happened with Jack, and we are so happy that you can roll with it at times.

You LOVE your big brother Jack, and want EVERYTHING he has.  And you want it NOW!  You will fight for it too, tug-o-war style, until you win.  Then 2 seconds later, you’re over it and move on. 

Sensitive.  If you even think we are going to say or have said ‘no’, you will get your pouty lip and just bawl.  You don’t like to be in trouble, but you also don’t like to not get your way, so it’s a constant battle.  Yesterday, Jack fell down and immediately started crying.  You ran, seriously ran over to him, crouched down, and hugged him.  It was the cutest moment I have ever seen.  I will never forget that!

I love you so much my spunky, cuddly girl!  I love reading with you, holding you, and laughing with you.

Love, Mommy