Just Not Ready!

It's so hard to believe that in less than 2 weeks, I'll be back at work, and Hanna will be returning to Nat's every day! Just thinking about it last night brought tears to my eyes. I know, I need to just get over it, and deal with it, but I am just not quite ready yet! I feel like I haven't had enough time with my sweet girl.  I'll never have enough time! I do understand that most parents would LOVE to have a few weeks off with their little ones, much less 2 months, but hey---it's a perk of being a teacher! I'm going to miss the morning snuggles, sweet kisses, pajama days, and just the love that she shows me throughout the day! I'm even going to miss the temper tantrums that I'm beginning the see, the picking up of blocks that I do at least 15 times a day, and the sound of Yo Gabba Gabba that is constantly playing on the TV in the background!
I am extremely blessed though to know how happy Hanna is at Nat's each day! She has been going there once a week throughout most of the summer, and it just makes me smile to see her reach out to Nat when I get there to drop her off. Her big grin just says it all!! Hanna has made some of the bestest friends there, and she just lights up whenever she sees them. Nat has become so special to us over the past year, and I can't thank her enough for the care and love to shows my sweet girl each and every day!
So, for the next 2 weeks, I'm going to spend as much time as I can with my angel. I'm going to try not to worry about the laundry that needs to be folded, the dishes that need to be put away, and the other things that really don't matter. We are going to soak up each and every minute of the summer vacation that we've got left!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears.....OH MY!

So far this summer, Hanna and I have made several trips to the zoo. The older she gets, the more fun it is to go! To watch her eyes light up when she sees an animal makes this mommy so happy.  Our first trip was with two of Hanna's best friends---Drew and Daegan. Kim and Morgan are two of my closest friends also, so we all had a great time walking around and visiting with each other.

Hanna and I then had a "Mommy-Daughter Day" at the zoo. We were supposed to meet our sweet friends, Amanda and Becca, but because of an emergency, they were unable to make it at the last minute. We decided to go anyway! I really enjoyed this time with my sweet girl and it was such a special day. She is growing up so fast, so I'm really trying to cherish these special times that we have together. I think her all time favorite animal was the gorilla! She was shaking because she was so excited. I just wish could've understood what she was saying to him.
She also LOVED the fish in the aquarium. She kept trying to grab them through the windows, and didn't understand why she couldn't get to them!
Trips like these are just one of the many reasons why I LOVE being home all summer! Boy, I'm going to miss this in a few weeks!!

The Cutest Kid on the Block

About a month ago, we had Hanna's 1 year pictures taken. We decided to do them a little before she actually turned one because I knew it would be getting HOT soon, and we definitely wanted outside pictures. I contacted an old friend Liz Myers with Zil Photography (http://www.facebook.com/zilphotography)  and asked her to do the pictures. One word to describe her......AMAZING!!! We headed down to Riverfront Park, and it was the perfect spot! Hanna was all over the place---picking up grass, crawling away from us, and was much more interested in the people and things around her than smiling for the camera. Liz was so patient with her, and we all had so much fun, and definitely got our workout! If you know Hanna, you know that she has quite the personality----Liz was able to capture this in her pictures! Her facial expressions are priceless, and I had the biggest smile on my face looking through the pictures. Thank you Liz for a fun and awesome afternoon!!!

I'm in Heaven!!

So, I am seriously LOVING summer vacation so far! I sit back and think about how different this summer is compared to my previous summers. I think back to the summers where I slept in, watched several hours of television, shopped, made several road trips, went riding on the boat every weekend, and laid out in the sun all that I wanted! But, I must say that I'm loving my days now so much more!!! We've only had 5 days of summer vacation so far, but I'm really in heaven! So far, we've had a pretty relaxing couple of days. We've completely taken away Hanna's bottles, so she seems to be waking up a little earlier. We're definitely working on stretching that out some in the morning, but even if it is 6:30, seeing that bright smile makes getting up so much better! We take it easy in the morning----eat breakfast, read some books, walk around the neighborhood, watch some cartoons, and then it's nap time.....for both of us!:)
After her first nap, our day really begins. So far, we've been to movement/song class at the library, played in Hanna's new swimming pool, gone on several BRIEF shopping trips and lunch outings, and today, we even had our first play date! Hanna's sweet friend Becca came over to play. These two are absolutely too cute to watch! They've been together at Nat's since they were only a couple of months old, and it has been so amazing to watch them grow up into the precious little girls they are becoming. They had so much fun playing with all of Hanna's toys, and splashing in her swimming pool. It was also good to have some adult conversation and interaction!
I am really looking forward to the next two months with my sweet girl! We have so many fun things planned, and I'm just so lucky to get to spend this time with her!

Mommy's Little Fish

A little skinny dipping

This picture was too cute not to share! Her look is priceless!!

She sure does love Becca!!!!

The Big ONE!

It's so hard to believe that my sweet baby is ONE! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was holding this tiny baby in the hospital thinking, "Oh my goodness! She's really mine! Now what??"

Over the past year, I have learned so much by being a mommy. It is definitely the most difficult, but most rewarding and amazing job ever. I love watching her grow up into the beautiful little girl she is becoming. Each day, she does something new and I learn something new! At the age of ONE, here are some of her favorite things to do:

• shaking her head no
• dancing and clapping to every song she hears
• pointing at new and interesting things
• walking holding on to anything and everything (and a few steps by herself!)
• playing in the lake, kiddie pool, or any type of water
• Riding on the boat
• playing in Dixie's food and water bowl
• Opening every drawer and cabinet in the house
• Chewing the coffee tables or other wooden pieces of furniture (she's my little beaver)

As you can tell by reading this list, she is definitely very active and keeps me busy! That's one reason I haven't updated this blog in almost a month!
Yesterday, we were able to celebrate her birthday with our closest family and friends. Hanna is such a lucky little girl to have so many people who love her so dearly. She had so much fun playing with all of her friends, and her favorite thing of the entire day..........EATING! I think she ate her weight in pizza and cake. Here are a few pictures of her special day:

Easter!!!

So.......Easter has always been one of my favorite days of the year! It's such special day, and there are so many reasons to celebrate this day. The number one reason being that HE is risen and that all who believe will have eternal life. How amazing is that just to think about???
Easter was extra special this year, because it was Hanna's first Easter. You would have really thought it was Christmas in April, but I loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, Jason had to work on Easter Sunday. I guess that's one downfall of any manager's job. Hanna woke up in a GREAT mood that morning and couldn't wait to see what the Easter Bunny brought her! Okay....she had no clue what was going on, but I sure was excited!

 We celebrated Easter with Jason before he headed to work. Who would've thought Hanna would've loved her new pacifiers more than the dancing and singing bunnies and other Easter goodies??

Hanna and I then headed off to Sumter to spend the day with my family.....something I have always done. We went to church and then went to mom's to eat a yummy lunch! The rest of the day was spent dying Easter Eggs, opening more Easter goodies, and playing in the new inflatable "water park" that mom got for all of the girls! They all put on their new bathing suits, and had a blast. Hanna wasn't sure about it at first. The water was cold, and she did not like it splashing in her face. She was just sitting there shivering! We then turned the water down, so that it wouldn't splash her and she loved it! She is definitely a little water baby!

Stay at Home Mommy for a Week

So, words won't even explain how much I have enjoyed being home with my sweet girl this week. I guess that's one of the perks of being a teacher. This week has made me even more ready for the summer. We have had so much fun together, and I'm so sad that the week is almost over. Luckily when I head back to school, I only have 6 weeks left, and then I'll be home with her for over 2 months! So far this week, we have been to Sumter for a few days, been to a birthday party, went out on the lake with daddy, cleaned the house, went on several walks around the neighborhood, shopped, and went to dinner. We still have another trip to Sumter to make so that we're with our amazing family for Easter Sunday! Throughout this week, Hanna has even realized that it's fun to sleep in! Never would I have thought that I would be up before she is. She has been sleeping until at least 8:30 for the past 4 days. Monday is going to be so hard on both of us!! I hope Natalie is ready for some sleepy babies Monday morning!:) Here are just a few pictures of our week so far. I'll try to post more later!

Just having fun with the camera at Gammy's house

More fun outside!

Hanna loves to help her daddy drive the boat!