Posts Tagged ‘Hannah Michelle’
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Our family is packing up our house for a big move to Texas. We leave next Wednesday, so we are working hard to get everything squared away in time. Thankfully, a lot gets done when Jonathan is at home and we can work together. But, I’ve still found that there are some lessons we’ve learned NOT to do when packing up your entire house.
1. Pack up all your toys – While it might seem like a great idea to clean up the toy room, it’s dangerous territory when your two toddlers have nothing to play with.
2. Pack up all your medicine – Sure, you haven’t been sick in months, so why do you need 3 bottles of NyQuil? Trust me on this – packing up all your medicine is like asking to get sick.
3. Have your oldest get pink eye – See #2. Told you I was asking for it.
4. Have your youngest get pink eye – Could I really expect her not to get it, since big sister is all she has left to play with {see #1}?
5. Get sick yourself – See #2 and #3 and #4.
6. Start The 30 Day Shred – I blame this fully on Alicia’s amazing results. Once I saw her before and after pictures, I went out that afternoon and bought 30 Day Shred. I’m on day 5. And I’m really, really sore.
7. Volunteer for anything – I volunteer for things before I even think. It’s a good habit that comes at bad times. Thankfully all my friends are gracious enough to overlook when I back out of my responsibilities at the last minute {Sorry friends!}.
8. Be hard on yourself – Let’s just say I haven’t been the greenest human lately. Or the most time conscious. Or the most loving. Or the most hygiene prone. Or anything else I strive for.
9. Be overly hard on your kids – Moving is hard for kids. They don’t fully understand what’s going on. And while it’s frustrating to explain for the fourteenth billion time what it means to “pack” I need to cut the girls some slack.
10. Not ask for help – I’m blessed with friends just waiting to help us. And I take advantage of it when I can/need. And that means thankfully I have dinner provided for us every night this week. Can you say awesome? {Thanks friends!}
What are some of your packing tips? Any crazy stories of packing with little ones?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
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I lost Molly tonight.
The girls and I went to the library late in the afternoon and Hannah asked to take Molly along. I allowed it. At one point she set Molly down and I reminded her to hold on to her. The girls played, I read. And we left.
When bedtime came around the “great Molly hunt” that happens every night began. Like a punch in my gut, I realized Molly got left at the library. No sweat, right? We’ll just go there in the morning and all will be well, right?
Sure. Maybe most rational people {like Jonathan} can think that way. But not me. No, I’ve spent the last hour searching for a replacement Molly. All I can think is “What mom, what good mom, loses her daughter’s favorite bear?” What if someone took Molly? What if she’s gone forever?
Told you I’m not always the most rational person.
What if? Well, Molly is just a bear. And keeping track of a bear doesn’t actually show my ability to parent {right? please say no.}. And Hannah might have some sadness if Molly doesn’t resurface, yet I’m sure in time it’ll get better.
We said a prayer tonight that Molly would show up tomorrow. As soon as the library is open we’ll be there. Here’s to trusting God for Molly Bear!
*Update – We went to the library as soon as it opened this morning. I ran in alone, searched all the spots that we had gone yesterday before asking at the children’s desk. They had nothing and sent me to the main desk. I anxiously asked if they had a bear, and the librarian said it didn’t sound familiar but that she’d check. Lo and behold, I spotted Molly as soon as the lady opened the cabinet doors! Praise the Lord!
Hannah squealed when I came back out to the car with Molly in hand. She is one happy little girl: http://twitpic.com/34fhw4
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It’s hard being a mama. And some days I can focus too much on the hardness, and forget just how amazing this journey is. Being in Texas I had the chance to remember all the reasons why I love being a mama to my two precious girls. There are plenty more than I listed, but here are my current top ten:
1. Laughter. There is nothing so amazing as hearing my daughters laugh.
2. Walking into the kitchen to find Julia eating cooking dough straight out of the bowl.
3. Hannah’s tight hugs right before bedtime.
4. Julia’s inquisitiveness about everything.
5. All the dancing and twirling that comes with young girls.
6. Squeals of excitement each time Jonathan comes home from work.
7. Requests for “snuggles and kisses”.
8. Julia’s confidence that she is loved.
9. Hearing “Jack! Jack!” followed by giggling, running and laughter.
10. Sisterhood. A bond that is beautiful and wonderful to see grow.
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
A Texan Family Picture
Posted on: October 31, 2010
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We got back yesterday from a week long trip to Texas. We traveled down to Houston to celebrate Matt and Kristen’s wedding, then headed to Austin to visit friends, and ended the trip spending time in Ft. Worth with family. It was a wonderful trip and the girls did amazing.
As evidence from the photo, Hannah has discovered her nose. She doesn’t actual pick it, so much as just “hang out” there. I’ve tried discouraging it, but everything I’ve tried just makes her laugh. Hmmm, not quite what I was going for. Other than discovering body parts, Hannah’s vocabulary is increasingly daily. She’s mostly into animals, either saying their names {cat, dog, duck} or making the animal noise associated with them. The newest Hannah-ism – she’s taken to carrying Molly {her bear} around in her mouth while growling. It is hilarious.
Julia seems like she gets older and wiser every second. Jonathan taught her how to wave her index finger and say “I don’t think so”. Oh man, that had us laughing for days. She’s now a little parrot, repeating everything we say. It’s been a good reminder to say good things and speak edifying words. Julia’s also taken to being really interested in the map. Perhaps it’s because of the trip, but she’s always asking us to “show me” where we’re going.
Jonathan has really been enjoying the football season. He’s doing a much better job of keeping track of the teams than I am, which doesn’t really surprise anyone. He hasn’t had as many “honey-do” projects, so he’s weekends have been more free {if that’s actually possible for any husband and dad}. He was a groomsmen in Matt’s wedding and I must say looked quite dashing in his tuxedo.
As for me, I’m always up to some new project. Unfortunately I didn’t make it the whole month without sugar. I cracked at the wedding, when several people said “you aren’t having wedding cake?!”. Shamefully enough, once I caved, I caved big time and consumed too much sugar on our trip. I’m having to evaluate how it’s effected my body {more tired, headaches, etc} to decide if I really want to be intentional in cutting out sugar more long term. As for my crazy 100 mile running challenge, I’m a wee-bit behind. I didn’t do any running while we were gone, but I’m hopeful I can make it up in the coming weeks. We’ll see!
Potty Training Your 1 Year Old
Posted on: October 21, 2010
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{Be sure to check out my Fall Apron Giveaway!}
I’ve started potty training Hannah.
Before you think I’m crazy {after all, she’s only 16 months old}, it’s not quite the potty training one might think. There’s no bootcamp or hours spent locked in the bathroom. It’s just a s-l-o-w process of getting Hannah comfortable with going on the potty.
When Hannah turned one, I introduced the potty to her. In the beginning she really wasn’t all that interested, but after a couple of months she loves it. She’s started communicating when she needs to go, which is great, since this girl poos 5-7 times a day. I’d say we are about 50/50 on actually being on top of things. But 50/50 means I’m only changing 2-3 dirty diapers in a day, which is amazing!
We did a very similar method with Julia, slowly introducing her to using the potty at an early age. Even though she wasn’t fully potty trained till this summer, she has exclusively pooped in the potty since 20 months. For that reason alone, I love starting potty training young. I know that Hannah is her own person and might very well take longer. But, it’s been wonderful seeing her excitement for the potty and the bonds that are happening between her, Julia and I as we are walking down this newest adventure together.
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
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Our family’s educational plans {at this point} are to homeschool the Windhamettes. For various reasons we love the idea and I have been looking forward to both the challenge and excitement of being their teacher.
At the beginning of September we started “school”. Tuesdays and Thursdays for 15-20 minutes the girls sit in the kitchen writing or reading. Hannah doesn’t do much other than scribble on paper, but Julia has really taken off over the last few weeks. We have books that can be written in with dry erase markers, so she practices her numbers, letters, shapes and identifying colors. It has been an absolute joy {most times!} and she is loving it {most days!}. We’ve taken a couple of “field trips” around the neighborhood to learn about different things in our city {what are/how fire hydrants work, why we don’t feed wild animals, etc}. I keep it pretty low key, going at Julia’s rate and allowing her to decide how things go {like when to stop – she usually wants to go past the time limit but Hannah doesn’t}. Our school days are making me look forward even more to our time when we really start “schooling”.
Pumpkin Patch Kids
Posted on: October 6, 2010
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I have a slight obsession with a local apple orchard. I can’t help it. All you can pick and eat apples? Um, yes please. Plus, the atmosphere is so comfy and inviting. I took the girls there last week for a photo shoot. Not sure why I ever thought two toddlers would sit through pictures, but I tried it none the less. And then about half way through I broke our camera. A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Thankfully, Leah was there and used her camera for me.
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College football is in full swing and we are keeping to my plan of actually watching games this year. I’ve seen more games this season then perhaps in the last 10 years {when the Titans first went to Tennessee}. It’s been a lot of fun actually, and I’m really excited about this Saturday’s Texas vs. Oklahoma game.
Jonathan and the girls survived their first weekend without mama this month. I think they might tell you they barely survived. The night I came home, Jonathan kept repeating “I’m so glad you’re home.” He has always been very appreciative of the work it takes for me being at home with the girls, but I think my time away made us both realize how important it is that we are in this together. It was good for all of us {perhaps me more than them ;)} and my time away made me love my time here even more.
Hannah has finally gotten all her teeth, which we’re hoping means less crankiness. She’s started talking more {besides just grunting} and will now say: Mama, Dada, Jack and Thank You. She’s also started signing: water, please and sometimes “more”. She doesn’t sign all the time, but will when prompted. It’s pretty cute to see her get really excited when she’s done it correctly and gets what she’s asked for.
Julia seems to be getting smarter by the minute. We are loosely doing preschool twice a week. I set aside time in the morning to go over shapes, colors, numbers and/or the alphabet. We have dry erase markers and books for her to “write her letters”. She really likes it and seems to enjoy the structure. Today we had “school” outside and learned all about fire hydrants and how they worked. She loved walking around the neighborhood and park pointing out all the fire hydrants.
I’ve had a really great month. My trip to New York, the change of the weather. It’s been a good September and makes me look forward to the next few months before winter hits.
And last {but not least} I feel I should mention Jack. I realize he hasn’t made it into any family pictures. It’s hard enough to wrangle to toddlers let alone a dog. But this month was a pretty big deal for Jack; he was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. He went on some medication last week and already we can see an improvement in his energy. Now hopefully his hair will start coming back.
Very Chic Style of a Toddler
Posted on: September 27, 2010
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It’s Monday and my brain and body are recovering from a looong weekend. Our family has been a little sick and it hit me hard Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday. Bummer. I figured a good way to cheer myself up {and hopefully brighten your day too} is by posting some adorable pictures of the girls.
What you get when Hannah demands to wear socks {even if she technically already is wearing socks}:
Like sister like sister:
{Not sure what Julia’s doing in this picture. Her face reminds me of Penelope.}
Cry Baby Cry
Posted on: September 22, 2010
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Have I ever mentioned that Hannah is a mama’s girl? Never content to be next to me, she needs to be on me {or being held}. For the most part I love it. But let’s be honest, when you can’t set her down to go to the bathroom all day long it gets a little tiresome. We have been working with her, getting her to be around other people without crying. With our friends that she sees often she does fairly well {or maybe not and they are just being kind!}. But if I am in the room and she can’t be with me, this is usually the result:
Look at that sad face!
And that’s when she’s with Daddy and Julia. I’d hate to see her with a stranger!
I know she will out grow this stage. I remind myself of that when the frustration sets in. It’s a sweet time in our relationship and I am learning to love it completely {even if that means I only get to pee when she’s asleep}.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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