Hannah and Will's World

New site

2010-04-01T13:00:00.001-04:00

We are switching over to a new site. Please update your links!

http://kateandwilson.wordpress.com/

Big Kid

2010-03-29T22:49:00.001-04:00

Look at me playing with my toy!

We're back!

2010-03-27T22:27:00.007-04:00

We're back from sunny Florida (and yikes - 36 in Boston felt chilly this afternoon when we landed!). We had a wonderful trip. The house my parents rented was beautiful and literally sat right on the beach so we were able to go back and forth to change diapers, get out of the sun, and take naps (and we took lots of long naps!). We had only one rainy day and warm temperatures which gave us lots of time for running on the beach, swimming in the pool and walking around beautiful Naples. We got to celebrate Uncle Eben's birthday and spend lots of time with Aunt Allie who finally left Hanover for a week, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tom who joined us after spending the first part of the week in Miami with his family. Hannah and Will were in heaven with all the extra attention and were sad to say goodbye to everyone on Friday, although Hannah was awfully excited to get home and see the rest of her babies - only 'baby' and 'Wally' made the trip to Florida.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Sorry to post so many but there were lots and lots of good ones to share (and there may be a few more once I get video and pics from my Mom and brother!).

Playing with Papi on Day 1...

Loving the pool (and loving Hannah's post nap hair!)

Walking on the beach was a popular late afternoon activity (this is pre Will spitting up everywhere- sorry Allie!!)

By day 2 Hannah had graduated to swimming in the pool solo as long as she had her arm 'things' on. By the last day I was even letting her swim while I sat fully clothed on the side of the pool. Definitely time to start swimming lessons for this girl!

More walking and thumb sucking practice!

Hannah LOVED running in and out of the surf. The water was a little chilly for swimming (except for Uncle Eben!) but that didn't stop her from running in and out for hours at a time.

Lounging in the late afternoon....

More swimming!!

We spent one morning out on a boat and here is the happy couple practicing their smiles for the wedding and working together to remove the cover from the boat- at 8:30 in the morning we were looking for sun not shade... it was a chilly boat ride!

And we went to Red Sox spring training game. Hannah LOVED it. She loved seeing Wally as we expected, but she also really seemed to enjoy the game and in fact sat through all nine innings very happily. Guess we have a new fan!

Wally was supposed to sign hats and books for a couple innings at the beginning of the game but when went down to let Hannah say hi he was already leaving. I turned into a pushy Mom and literally chased Wally out of the ballpark shoving Hannah at him the entire way. We did manage to get her hat signed and she got to touch him. And then I spent the next hour explaining why he had to leave early....

And we went to the Naples zoo. Hannah was a little tired but has not stopped talking about seeing "George", the monkeys were apparently a hit despite her showing little interest when we were actually there!

We found a playground yesterday on our way to our hotel in Ft. Myers and Hannah was in heaven!

And we finished up our vacation with a yummy Italian feast in Ft. Myers. Hannah was covered in spaghetti by the time the meal was over - a perfect end to a fabulous vacation.

Now back to reality...

Hand Me Downs

2010-03-12T11:33:00.002-05:00

Will hasn't had to wear very many of Hannah's clothes yet, most of what she had was pink or purple and since the only way people can tell whether infants are boys or girls is by the colors they wear, we've been sticking more with red and blue. BUT we did have a few outfits that were reusable like the one below. It has a snowman on it so I decided we had to wear it today now that winter weather appears to have returned to Boston.

Here's Hannah on Christmas 2007 (2 1/2 months) in the snowman outfit....

And here is Will today (3 months)....

This is the position Will was in when I went to get him from the backseat of the car today. Doesn't look particularly comfortable to me but he seemed happy enough. This is what he does whenever you put him in a bouncy seat now, he's working on head control I guess.

Spring!

2010-03-07T21:05:00.002-05:00

We got a taste of spring this weekend with temperatures in the 50's. We spent as much time as we could in the warm sun outside soaking it in!

We also let Will try out his bumbo seat for the first time. He can't sit in it for long yet but he enjoys it for short periods and Hannah enjoyed reading to him!

Keeping Busy

2010-03-03T14:30:00.007-05:00

I'm just about done with my maternity leave, I head back work on Monday. It went so quickly and as expected I'm sad thinking about leaving Will home three days a week. I'm also pretty sad to be leaving Hannah behind again. As challenging as the last couple months have been (new baby brother, big girl bed, 2 and winter all at once was a lot), we've had an awful lot of fun while I've been home. Hannah's pretty chatty these days and listening to her take care of her babies is like watching myself in a mirror. I find myself chuckling at what she says a good portion of the day and even at 5:20 in the morning, it's nice to be greeted with a good morning smile. Since Hannah doesn't have a baby book, I felt like I should document what she's like as a (almost) 2 1/2 year old and how we've passed these winter months.

I can't truly capture the amount of time that Hannah spends taking care of her babies. Wally, Emma, Jake, Baby, Other Baby, Dolly and (curious) George are each diapered, fed, burped, rocked to sleep and read to at least three times a day. I am not exaggerating when I say that Hannah spends the first hour she is awake each morning tending to her babies. And then I usually have to convince her to come to breakfast. She brings at least one just about everywhere lately - they've even been rotating and taking turns at daycare. Dolly went one day last week and Baby went this week. When we've been visiting my parents Daddy is always left to tend to those that are left behind. I tried to video Hannah tending to her brood last night but she got kind of shy when the video camera came out (sorry about the one pigtail - must have been a rough afternoon at daycare).

Wilson and I joined a gym in January which happens to have a Kids Gym. Hannah and I have gone a few times and she's turning out to be quite a gymnast. She loves hanging on the monkey bars and climbing - I think the playground is going to be more fun than ever this spring. And I think we may be looking for some gymnastics classes next winter. The funny part about the gym is that we have to walk past some windows overlooking the pool to get to it. Hannah is completely freaked out by the people in bathing caps and googles. When we went earlier today we had to walk as far as from the windows as possible and we were not allowed to stop - Hannah actually ran. I guess swimming lessons are on hold for now.

Note the lonely girl in the back of the gym. We had the entire place to ourselves!

Playing outside on the days where the temperature has permitted it. The swing set in the backyard continues to be a hit even though it doesn't have any swings on it right now!

I'll admit to taking lots of random car rides in January/February in search of drive thru caffeine. Hannah now recognizes Starbucks as "the place where Mommy gets her coffee" (we have a drive thru about 10 minutes from here and it's been a great late afternoon outing many many times). She also readily points out Dunkin' Donuts ("donuts" or "Where Mimi gets her coffee") and McDonald's ("french fries") when we're driving around. Anytime we're in a drive through line she pipes up from the back seat "Chicken nuggets and french fries, please." Ooops - I think we've created a monster!

Hannah's a big fan of the Berenstain Bears (or the 'Huggy Bears' as they're called in our house), Sid the Science Kid, Clifford and Curious George and we tend to succumb to an episode or two of TV in the late afternoon. She's pretty much given up her nap but does sit on her bed and read books for a while every afternoon. Despite the non-stop talking she does while she's up there, she comes down refreshed and ready to go again.

She's a pretty happy little girl most of the time. She loves coloring, stickers, playing in her kitchen and her little toy house that we have set up in the basement. She sings good night to all her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends almost every night (or instructs me to sing to them). She's adjusted pretty easily to life with a baby brother and he smiles from ear to ear when she comes over to talk to him.

Thumb

2010-02-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

Snow and Sleeping

2010-02-21T07:19:00.002-05:00

Hannah, Will and I spent a few days down in CT this week visiting Mimi and Papi and Mia while Wilson worked and enjoyed some bachelor time. Hannah was pretty happy that it was warm enough to play outside and that there were enough adults around so that someone could stay inside with Will while she got to play outside (and thanks for taking her out Mimi!).

Will was once again so stimulated and excited by tummy time that he promptly fell asleep - in the middle of the kitchen table. I'm not sure how we're ever going to get this kid to do tummy time - he's fallen asleep doing it twice more since then!

Valentine's Day in Falmouth

2010-02-15T14:28:00.003-05:00

We spent a lovely Valentine's Day in Falmouth visiting with Nana and Grandy (and they cooked us a delicious Valentine's Day dinner). Will got to sleep in the cradle that his Dad slept in when he was a baby - and the cradle that his Nana and Grandy made themselves.

Hannah got to help Grandy fill the bird feeder. She loved it after watching 'birdhouse' episodes of Curious George and Sid the Science Kid recently (we're a bit obsessed with both these shows).

Will and Hannah enjoyed their Valentine's Day dinner together.

'Mom's Little Love Bug'

We love coloring at Nana and Grandy's house.

And snoozing the morning away.

Oldies but Goodies

2010-02-10T12:16:00.002-05:00

My cousin Emily shared some Xmas pictures with me today that I just had to post. Hannah LOVES her aunt Sarah- this picture just about sums up their relationship... lots of laughing!

And here's Will meeting his lovely cousins (or second cousins or whatever they are) Emily and Liz. They're typically responsible for my kids looking hip - these NYC (for a bit longer Emily!) girls know where to shop (lucky us)!

Happy Guy

2010-02-09T21:29:00.003-05:00

Will is turning out to be a very happy little guy now that he can express himself with some smiles. When he's awake - he's usually flashing his toothless grin at someone. We actually got outside today as it was warm enough (and I figured it was our last chance for a bit given the impending snowstorm) and he was so happy when we got home. Who wouldn't be after a cozy nap in the fresh air!

Looking a bit evil in this one...

Tired

2010-02-08T21:54:00.001-05:00

Apparently tummy time was a workout today! Will fell asleep five minutes in!

Happy Monday!

2010-02-01T13:15:00.000-05:00

Will Meets Great Nana Jane

2010-01-30T20:08:00.002-05:00

Will, Hannah, Mimi and I took a trip up to see my grandmother on Thursday. Will enjoyed meeting his great grandmother - and Hannah enjoyed wandering the halls with her baby stroller and meeting all kinds of people. We're looking forward to getting up for another visit soon!

(I just thought this was a funny picture so I had to post it.)

Winter Wiggle Relief

2010-01-28T21:58:00.004-05:00

Hannah recently started a class at Gymboree which she does on the weekend with her Daddy. As an added bonus, we get to use the Gymboree playspace during the week during their open gym time. We tried it out yesterday while Mimi was visiting and had a great time running, dancing, jumping, singing and just getting the wiggles out in general. We will definitely be spending a lot more time there in the coming month - the snow and cold may keep us inside but that doesn't diminish the energy level of a certain two year old!

Movie star look on the way ....

Singing and dancing....

Smiles

2010-01-26T22:21:00.001-05:00

Somebody was all smiles at the mall today while I was changing his diaper (I think he likes shopping!). Thank goodness for camera phones!

Winter Weekend in CT

2010-01-16T21:53:00.005-05:00

Hannah, Will and I have been in CT for a few days visiting with my parents while Wilson takes advantage of the warmer temperatures and goes skiing (or 'kiing as Hannah calls it). We've been having a great visit and have stayed very busy with some shopping, a visit to the nicest public library I've ever been to (the play kitchen and bank were enough to entertain Hannah for hours), and lots of playing outside and in Mimi and Papi's basement.

Will has been content to lay in the sunshine ....

Hannah has really enjoyed tearing apart my parents basement and finding all our old toys. These giant 'ball' bean bags have been a huge hit for this girl.

This is what happens when Will gets hungry (and Mom is still sleeping!). It's literally the only time he cries but he makes it clear when he's ready to eat...

His pout is about the cutest expression ever....

Seriously - stop taking my picture and feed me!

Today we went to a great children's museum in Middletown, CT called KidCity. Hannah was in heaven - despite being a tired little girl - and had a ball exploring the exhibits. To be honest I'm not sure who had more fun - Hannah or Papi. We'll be visiting KidCity again I'm sure!

Riding in the playcar with Mimi....

Will wasn't really into the museum - he just slept while we were there....

They had a great table set up for playing with the toy dinosaurs. I think this might have been Papi's favorite exhibit. And the look on people's faces when they came around the corner and saw him in the table was priceless!

Guess it's good we wore this today...

2010-01-10T16:45:00.003-05:00

Time to get ready for Red Sox season!

Baths!

2010-01-09T22:30:00.002-05:00

Here's another comparison of siblings. Here is Hannah at about three weeks in the bathtub -

And here is Will at almost four weeks in the same bathtub - unlike Hannah he does not scream during his baths. In fact, this kid isn't much of a screamer at all. He has a pretty calm demeanor and really only cries when he needs something. He's content to sit and listen to his sister and watch things go by - and I guess we can only hope this continues!

Haircut!

2010-01-09T22:23:00.003-05:00

Hannah got her first haircut this morning. When we first talked about getting a haircut, she was less than thrilled. In fact we had to abort a trip to Snip-its on Thursday after Hannah made it clear that she was less than enthusiastic about scissors getting near her hair. This morning, Wilson and I planned a sneak attack and brought her to Snip-its without talking about it beforehand. After she and I walked in, and she saw that you got lollipops, a prize AND got to watch TV while you got your haircut, she decided to give it a whirl! We're pretty pleased with the finished product (although I'm still trying to get a decent picture of it), and I don't think it'll take as much convincing to get Hannah to go for her second haircut!

Messy!

2010-01-08T16:26:00.002-05:00

This post is for those of you that think I NEVER let Hannah get messy. Desperate times calls for desperate measures and with a two in a half year old that has suddenly given up napping (except for rare, wonderful days) we're often looking for a good late afternoon project around here. Today we tried out the new sponge painting set that Santa brought (what was Santa thinking?!)! It was a big hit - get ready for many masterpieces from Hannah in the future.

We also let Will try his playmat for the first time earlier this week. Hannah decided she needed to show him exactly how the playmat is used - just like a good big sister should!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T20:57:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

We rang in 2010 on Cape Cod with a very relaxing few days. Hannah got to attend her first circus with my parents as part of First Night (and Wilson and I got to nap while they were gone!) and we discovered you can see the fireworks from my parents kitchen which made ringing in the New Year very warm and cozy!

Will has started 2010 off with a bang and is giving us some long stretches of sleep at night and continues to be a very mellow and easy going baby.

We came back home in time to spend 24 hours visiting with the Doyle clan who are in town for the holidays. It was so good to catch up with them and get to know baby Jack a bit more. We failed to get any pictures of the 'boys' together but the ladies had fun catching up and chatting over several meals (and snacks) together.

Christmas

2009-12-28T21:51:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Hannah is starting to understand the Santa concept (and was in fact a bit freaked out by the thought of him coming into our house while she slept and had to make sure he was gone before she came downstairs Christmas morning) and had such fun Christmas morning opening her presents and playing with all her new toys.

We were lucky enough that everyone came to us - having a baby 12 days before Christmas has its benefits! The Owens clan brought us Christmas Eve dinner and the Lowe clan came up for the afternoon on Christmas Day with a second delicious meal. It was heavenly to stay in one place - and we thank everyone for traveling to us this year (and for leaving behind all the leftovers!).

Santa was good to us all - Hannah got a new toy house that is currently in the basement (ultimately it will end up in the backyard) and her first reaction was to run into it, grab the toy phone and call Santa to say thank you. Classic. She also loves her Wally doll from her Daddy and the plastic cell phone and keys that aunt Sarah gave to her!

Will continues to do wonderfully and is proving to be a very easy baby so far. He started sleeping in longer stretches (2-3 hours at one time!) on Christmas Eve so we are feeling a bit more like ourselves these days - although still sneaking in naps whenever we can! And his big sister is continuing to love him for the most part!

Opening a present from Nana and Grandy on Xmas Eve....

Trying out my new trike on Xmas morning (thanks Nana and Grandy for the trike and Elmo t-shirt!)....

Calling Santa to thank him for her new house!

Loving her Wally doll from Daddy....

Aunt Allie got lots of snuggling time in with Will. She stayed with us Christmas night and was a rock star aunt Saturday morning playing with Hannah (a very BOSSY Hannah) and emptying our dishwasher while I caught up on some much needed zzz's....

Lounging with Papi and Wally Christmas night -

This is one tired kid! Saturday we had our Davis family Christmas at my aunt and uncles (all 24 of us!) and Hannah was only a little tired - as clearly evidenced by this picture!

Master of the instruction manuals - showing off his latest masterpiece - Hannah's new baby highchair (Wally is sitting in it)....

Week 2

2009-12-22T21:45:00.003-05:00

Things are going well here as we enter week 2! Will is eating like a champ and so far proving to be a VERY easy baby (I'm sure I just jinxed myself) with the exception of sleeping at night. He prefers cuddling with Mom and Dad at 3 am to sleeping but - he's so cute it's hard to get annoyed at him even at those wee hours! He did get to make his first sick visit to the pediatrician today as, at the ripe age of 9 days, he appears to have picked up conjunctivitis! Hopefully we'll get that all cleared up before Christmas and avoid passing it around to the rest of the family!

Hannah has been having a great time with lots of visitors and special attention. My Mom has been with us this week (which has been a godsend and allowed me to catch up on some much needed sleep!) and brought some special projects for Hannah including decorating this giant gingerbread cookie this afternoon. Hannah thought she'd died and gone to heaven when she got to lick the beaters covered in frosting. The cookie itself wasn't bad either!

One week birthday! And snow!

2009-12-20T16:27:00.006-05:00

Today is Will's one week birthday - time flies!

For comparison here is a picture of Hannah on her one week birthday:

And here's Mr. Will. They're definitely related but Will clearly has a bit more 'chunk' in his cheeks. They both have those long chicken legs though.... we'll see if Will's legs fill out quite as much as his sisters did!

We, like most of New England, woke up to a winter wonderland today. Hannah couldn't want to get out and play in the snow - she waited patiently at the door for Daddy to finish snow blowing and then he took her outside for a while. It was a bit too chilly for Will but we had fun watching from the window!

Xmas Preparations...

2009-12-17T17:55:00.004-05:00

Even four day olds need a little festive clothing this time of year!

Hannah meets her baby brother

2009-12-16T13:13:00.002-05:00

Hannah got to meet Will on Monday. After some initial hesitation (mostly because Mom was wearing a hospital gown and Hannah wasn't sure what she thought of that), she decided her brother was a keeper and has immediately taken to helping out with him. She helped give him a bath earlier today and is always happy to turn on the music on his bouncy seat when he's sitting in it. And tonight we took him for a car ride to see some Christmas lights and she loved having him in the back seat with her - sang him several renditions of Twinkle Twinkle and kept us posted on his status throughout the ride - "he sleeping" was basically all we needed to know.

William Pearce Owens

2009-12-16T13:02:00.005-05:00

William made his debut on Sunday 12-13 at 6:47 p.m. He was 8 pounds, 5 ounces and 21 inches long at birth. He has GIANT feet and hands so we're hopeful that means he's going to get some of the Owens family height genes. He had lots of visitors in the hospital including Mimi, Nana and Papi (and he'll meet Grandy Saturday when he gets back from Hawaii!) and Aunt Sarah, Aunt Allie and Uncle Eben (Aunt Kate will meet him this weekend when she arrives from Michigan). His big sister came to visit him too - but we're saving those pictures for a separate post!

Two out of three aunts....

His uncle!

Nana and Daddy....

3/4ths of our family!

Will and I came home around lunchtime yesterday and are settling in. He's not much of a sleeper at night so far but we're hoping that tide will turn quickly!

'Tis the season

2009-12-06T21:27:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy start to December trying to cram all our pre Christmas activities into the time before Hannah's baby brother makes his arrival. We started right after Thanksgiving with a trip to see the trains at Snow's in Cape Cod. Much to our surprise, Santa was also there. Hannah wasn't sure what she thought about Santa and didn't want to sit on his lap or get too close to him but checking him out from a distance while safely in Dad's arms was okay.

This weekend we started by heading into Boston Friday afternoon and checking out the Christmas tree in the Commons. We met up with Daddy and had a great time seeing the tree, watching the people ice skating on the frog pond and then having dinner afterwards ... the joys of having only one kid. We're trying to enjoy it while we can!

Yesterday we went to get our Christmas tree. The weather was less than cooperative so we didn't pose for any "tree getting" pictures but Hannah thought this Santa on a tractor was pretty cool and happily posed with him.

This morning we woke up to blanket of white snow - and subsequently discovered that Hannah's snow pants are officially way too short. That and a lack of boots made for a tricky first snowfall for a two year old but frog rain boots and extra socks did the trick and we managed to have fun outside for a while. Our neighbors had their sleds out and happily gave Hannah rides around their backyard which she thought was pretty fun!

And tonight we met up with cousins to visit Edaville railroad. Faithful blog followers will remember that we visited Edaville back around Labor Day to see Thomas the Train. This time of year they have hundreds of lights that you can see from the train ride around the cranberry bog. Hannah once again loved it and had fun seeing the lights, riding the merry go round and visiting with her cousins.

The tree is up (although not yet decorated), the house is decorated, we're 90% done with our Christmas shopping and most of it is even wrapped... now we just need our brother to make his debut! We'll keep you posted.....

Rainy Day After Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T11:00:00.002-05:00

A perfect day for a little Elmo watching with Grandy...

And this is actually from yesterday but was too funny not to post. The turkey hat was at first a source of tears but by last night Hannah had warmed up to wearing it - for a minute.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T14:44:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We are having a wonderfully relaxing day down in Falmouth - a lazy morning, a long walk, and soon a fabulous meal with great friends and family. What more could we ask for?!

Hannah spent much of the morning taking "pictures" of her babies with Grandy Breck's binoculars....

Daddy sporting his new turkey hat from his Mom....

Fun at the Children's Museum

2009-11-25T22:57:00.004-05:00

Hannah and I went to the Children's Museum in Boston today with Aunt Kate. It was a really fun morning followed by a visit to Dad's office, lunch in Faneuil Hall and a relatively traffic free ride to the Cape! Let's hope the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend is as successful!

Hannah was amazed by the first exhibit we saw - you pulled a rope and when you let go a ball went flying up into a tunnel. We could have spent 45 minutes here....

But we moved on...and practiced our dance moves on the light up floor...

And our basketball skills on the court - Hannah was a bit of a ball hog!

The water trough was awfully fun....

- particularly the waterfall!

And the lifesize chess set was a hit as well!

Exploring the desks in the Arthur exhibit with Aunt Kate.

And lastly, watching herself on TV - what could be better for a two year old?!

Happy Thanksgiving (early!)

2009-11-21T22:45:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving for the second time so far this year earlier today up in Newburyport. Thanks again to Katie, Davis and Oliver for hosting. The food was delicious and we had a wonderful time catching up with friends who we don't see nearly often enough.

We did all miss the Doyle clan who are out there in Canada for a couple years - Hannah had to represent as the lone girl kid at the party and she did alright but missed her buddy Molly. We're excited to catch up with them - and meet Jack! - when they head east in just a few short weeks!

How cute are these guys? Makes me excited to meet our little guy soon...

Ethan was excited for dinner - and he put his friend Hannah to shame in the trying everything on your plate department. I've never seen a kid eat so much squash!! Hannah once again refused to try anything on the table and ate...... bread. Who doesn't like stuffing and turkey? She won't even open her mouth when we suggest trying them - maybe these pre Thanksgiving warm-ups will have done the trick and she'll actually taste the turkey come Thursday!

Everyone in pj's ready for bed before we left!

Let the fun begin...

2009-11-05T22:34:00.002-05:00

If our last visit to Lowe's was any indication, I think Hannah is going to be awfully fun this year at Christmas. They have all their Christmas gear out and she was absolutely amazed at all of it - particularly the giant blow up Santa.

Checking it all out...

Santa!! (see Mommy!)

Waving at Santa....

I love this place!

Happy Halloween 2

2009-11-01T22:21:00.003-05:00

Just got a couple more pictures compliments of Jennie that I had to share....

The family (with one of Wilson's fabulous jack-o-lanterns - sorry for hiding the other one!)

Playing with Katy!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T20:34:00.004-05:00

What a fun Halloween! We thoroughly enjoyed the 70 degree weather and started the day by jumping in lots and lots of leaf piles - Wilson eventually gave up on raking because between the wind and Hannah's jumping - his piles just kept getting scattered.

The Frost family came to visit overnight and celebrate Halloween with us. Nora is adorable and kept us all laughing with all her various animal noises and other tricks. We had fun catching up with Jennie and Bob - and Katy, Kristy and Jim as well!

Hannah got excited about Halloween once we lit our pumpkins and the kids starting trick or treating at our door. She wasn't always sure she wanted to part with the candy we were giving out though - the skittles seemed like something she'd rather keep! Funny sidenote - Hannah kept asking for broccoli last night and again today. It took a while but I've finally figured out that she thinks candy is broccoli - not sure where this came from. I'm sure it was something I said at some point to try to get her to eat broccoli but - it looks like it backfired!

Hannah and Nora weren't exactly photogenic ladybugs - luckily Wilson and Jennie were photogenic parents!

The twins from across the street came over and Hannah loved seeing them in their Batman and Rocket costumes.

And I have to apologize. I completely forgot to put up a Happy Birthday post to Aunt Kate on Friday. Hope you had a great time in NYC celebrating - we wish we could have been with you but we'll see you at Thanksgiving!

Hidden Trains

2009-10-29T23:06:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago Hannah was lucky enough to venture into the Needham forest with Mimi, Aunt Gail and cousins Hailey and Derrick to check out the hidden trains that are there. They had a perfect fall day for their adventure and such a fun time. Hannah loved walking in the woods!!

Halloween Preview

2009-10-28T20:12:00.002-04:00

We had two costume parties today - one with playgroup this morning and then tonight at Hannah's daycare. So far the ladybug costume is a hit - she cried when I took it off for her nap and then walked around the house singing ladybug ladybug ladybug all afternoon. No luck getting her to wear the ears yet but maybe we'll work up to that before Saturday! Thanks to Nana for the costume!

Big Girl Bed

2009-10-25T22:29:00.003-04:00

We made a quick overnight trip to my parents this weekend and brought back a big girl bed for Hannah. This is one of two special beds that have been in the Lowe family for generations (and were handmade by my Dad's great grandfather). We rearranged a few things in Hannah's room tonight as part of preparation for her baby brother to start sharing her room for her and while WE aren't quite ready for her to actually move into her big girl bed,

as you can see from these pictures, she is!!

Fall

2009-10-20T21:21:00.002-04:00

Fall has definitely arrived (or maybe it is skipping us judging by the weather this past weekend - SNOW?!). We finally got some pumpkins this weekend - Wilson and Hannah each picked one so we're set for Halloween now. Hannah was frustrated by the fact that she couldn't pick these pumpkins up - but she loves them. Last night when we got home from daycare she had to go and say hi to the pumpkins before we came inside.

And with all that cold weather we decided some slippers were a must for Miss H. She is loving her new Elmo slippers - and so far she keeps them on. We'll see how long it lasts!

The Next Food Network Star?

2009-10-14T19:08:00.002-04:00

No pictures to accompany this post but Hannah's developing a new obsession with the Food Network. In particular, Rachael Ray. When she got up from her nap today, instead of the usual chants for Elmo, it was Rachael Ray (emphasis on the Ray - must get it on video). Maybe we have a budding food network star on our hands?

Birthday Video

2009-10-12T09:20:00.002-04:00

A little compilation of birthday video - singing and then some snip-its from her party. This is actually the second time singing - I turned out the lights the first time through and that was not met with a positive response so I won't torture you all with the video.

Happy 2nd Birthday!!

2009-10-11T20:56:00.004-04:00

Hannah had a wonderful second birthday (minus the pitiful performance of BOTH Boston sports teams this afternoon). We spent the morning playing at home, taking a long walk in the beautiful sunshine and enjoying yummy bagel sandwiches. Then all four grandparents and Aunt Sarah came over for a late afternoon party! Hannah thoroughly enjoyed opening presents, wearing her party dress, being the center of attention and blowing out her birthday candles- multiple times. I suspect we'll be singing "Happy Birthday Hannah" for a few more days yet! That's fine with me as I still can't believe we have a two year old and I personally need a few more days to adjust!

A morning tea party with Dad at my new table and chairs....

Papi brought me donut holes for my birthday!

Tucking my baby into her new crib -

Loving my Elmo card from Aunt Kate

Waiting patiently for my cupcakes

Yea!

Celebrating with Papi

Yea again - we sang several times!

Blowing out my candle (for the third time!) with Grandy!

Go Red Sox

2009-10-09T10:06:00.002-04:00

They seem like they need all the help they can get so we put on our Red Sox gear this morning and did our best cheer before breakfast. We'll see if it helps tonight!

Apples!

2009-10-04T21:07:00.002-04:00

Just a cute one from apple picking with Mimi, Gail and Derrick last week. We made an apple pie with all the apples picked and it is delicious!! We had a busy weekend celebrating with the newest happy couple in our family - congratulations again to Sarah and Tom!!

Reading and Kisses

2009-09-28T22:34:00.003-04:00

Hannah's new favorite activity is reading to anyone that will listen. She gathers a big pile of books, orders you to sit, and then reads away.

Pigtails

2009-09-28T09:49:00.002-04:00

Hannah is finally starting to have enough hair to actually do something with it - and in the past week or so it's actually become a necessity as it's otherwise in her eyes all day. Barettes don't seem to stay in - mostly because she pulls them out - so this morning we tried pigtails! She loved them ('piggies' as she kept calling them) and proudly strutted into daycare to show them off. We'll see how long they last!

Early Birthday Present

2009-09-23T22:22:00.002-04:00

Hannah got an early birthday present today - a new swingset! It's definitely a hit as we literally had to drag her off of it tonight in the dark.

And as it was being put up, I realized that it was exactly the same as the swingset our neighbors have. You can sort of see in this picture - and they're positioned in the same spot in our yards so it's like dueling swingsets. Suburban living at it's best!

Belkin Lookout Farm

2009-09-21T22:21:00.003-04:00

We spent last Wednesday at Belkin Lookout Farm with playgroup. Despite the gray and chilly day - we had a great time riding the train through the vineyards, playing on the playground, riding the caterpillar train, climbing on the bales of hay and jumping in the bouncy house! Hannah had no interest in the animals but as long as she was allowed to RUN - her new favorite word - she was happy!!

Summer with Family

2009-09-15T11:54:00.003-04:00

I got a bunch of pictures from my cousin Emily earlier today and had to post some of them (thanks for the blog material Emily!).

Hannah plays with Derrick (he's my cousin's kid - what does that make him to Hannah?) every Thursday and they're starting to develop such a friendship - it's so fun to watch! These pictures are from earlier in the summer when we were all in Chatham. Wilson and I were at a wedding for the evening but my parents brought Hannah to a family BBQ and Emily captured these two troublemakers in action.

Derrick is the only kid Hannah will hold hands with (or hug and kiss for all that matter!)

Uh oh - Derrick's wearing Hannah's shoes....

Again, I wasn't there but I'm guessing the word coming is something along the lines of "mine!"

Ok fine - I'll steal Derrick's shoes!

We only got to see Emily and her sister Liz for a brief visit this summer - NYC is a long way from Cape Cod - but we were happy to steal a few minutes with them during their vacation. Hannah loved swimming with Aunt Liz - here they are chatting away ....

Entranced

2009-09-11T16:10:00.003-04:00

Hannah has developed a love for Elmo videos. So far that's the only video she'll watch but we often get requests for Elmo and Mr. Noodle (Mr. Noo Noo). This morning was rainy and it seemed like a good morning to curl up with Aunt Allie who was visiting and watch some Elmo so that's what Hannah did - as you can tell - she gets VERY into it.

Summers Last Hurrah

2009-09-07T17:24:00.010-04:00

We had a VERY fun Labor Day weekend - the weather was fantastic and we took full advantage of our long weekend. I have lots of pictures to prove it. Hopefully this will make up for the lack of pictures we've been posting recently!!

We started off in Chatham where Hannah showed off her swimming. This kid is a fish - for sure - and we're going to have to do some swimming lessons this winter to keep her skills up I think. She's practically floating already. On Friday Mimi/Grandma (Hannah hasn't decided what to call her yet) and I took her over to Oyster Pond to let her really have fun swimming in the shallow (supposedly warm) water. It was chilly so no one else was venturing into the water but that didn't stop Hannah!

Encouraging her to swim in some shallower water....

Floating on her back....

Practicing with the arms and feet at the same time....

So fun!

(this is "jumping" Hannah style)....

Daddy took her in the "big" ocean on Saturday which she absolutely loved. No sign of sharks despite all the news reports (we were on the other side of Chatham for those that were worried). Just a top 5 day on the beach which we thoroughly enjoyed.

All that swimming makes for a tired little girl.... (for the first time this summer Hannah actually slept on the beach - for two hours!).

The Bobbsey twins unite... Sarah and I - unknowingly - purchased the same beach cover and hat this summer (and have almost the same sunglasses). It was determined that it needed documentation.

Riding in on the boat....

Helping Papi drive.... (very serious business)

Hannah (with some help from Sarah) took this picture of her parents relaxing at Chatham Bars Inn Sunday night- perhaps she has a future in photography!

Today we went to Edaville Railroad with Nana and Grandy and saw Thomas the Train. Hannah loved every minute of it - and despite her previous dislike of the carousel in Boston Common - was nothing but happy on every ride and even asked to go on the carousel more than once. We'll be back here next summer for sure.....

Climbing on the wooden trains....

My first ride - and I loved it!

Riding with Daddy.....

I rode this train all by myself - there were no other kids on it - and I took my job as conductor VERY seriously....

There were trucks to check out as well...

And swings!

(not sure about Thomas the first time he came around)....

Loving the carousel - you could hear Hannah laughing everytime she came around....

Family shot with Thomas (Hannah was more concerned about the little girl that had fallen down just before us - "girl go boom" was all we heard for the next twenty minutes).

Whew - it's a good thing fall is here because we're ready to slow down a bit!

Last Summer Days

2009-08-30T23:01:00.001-04:00

Just a few video tidbits from the last week....

Martha's VIneyard

2009-08-23T20:57:00.005-04:00

While we were on vacation in Falmouth we took a quick trip over to Martha's Vineyard for a visit with the McFadden's. We had such a fun time seeing them - and Elizabeth was kind enough to share some of the fabulous pictures she took!

Enjoying cereal on the early morning ferry (this one is from my phone)

Lounging
Laughing
Sunscreen!
Mom, Hannah and Aunt Kate on the beach

Ice Cream

2009-08-18T21:40:00.002-04:00

Hannah got to spend this past weekend with Nana and Grandy while Wilson and I went to Vermont to celebrate Aaron and Carrie's marriage. A good time was had by all - we enjoyed sleeping in and catching up with lots of Colby friends and Hannah had a wonderful time getting spoiled in Falmouth! Highlights included swimming with Riley (or Kiley as she calls him - and she has not stopped talking about him since she got home), a trip to the farm Friday night and then a stop on the way home for ice cream cones since she wouldn't eat anything in the vegetarian buffet (somebody avoids anything green lately!).

These are actually from our last trip to Falmouth when aunt Kate was visiting and we went to the beach for a day. Grandy sent these pictures today and they were too cute not to share.

August

2009-08-17T21:39:00.004-04:00

I didn't take a ton of pictures on vacation but I did manage to pull a few good ones from my camera. We had a wonderful week visiting friends and family in upstate NY and Cape Cod. The weather cooperated for the most part and we got to do lots of swimming and playing.

Swimming in the lake at Underwood

Baked beans during my first Underwood picnic

Helping brush Mia (very serious business)
Burying feet on the beach
Making a beeline for the water
Playing in the pool with Daddy at the Lamson's road race party

Hannah's Favorite Activities

2009-08-09T23:14:00.001-04:00

Swimming!

2009-08-05T22:48:00.002-04:00

Nana Jane

2009-08-04T21:55:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately - I promise to be better for the rest of the summer!

Hannah got to visit with her only living great grandparent a couple weeks ago when Nana Jane came up to visit from Florida. We had fun shoe shopping, going for boat rides and celebrating Papi's birthday.

It's a.....

2009-07-22T13:50:00.002-04:00

We decided it was time to finally admit to the blogging world (although I think everyone already knows!) that Hannah will be a big sister in December. Today we found out that we are having a BOY! Time to see if we can handle TWO!

Another Rainy Day

2009-07-21T13:48:00.002-04:00

Time to break out the rain coat AND the dishwashing gloves to walk baby (photo credits to BL)!

4th of July

2009-07-09T12:44:00.008-04:00

We spent the 4th of July weekend down in Chatham. Hannah was a little worried about the weather at the start of the weekend- she and Mia got her lifejacket from the garage and put it on after all the rain we got Thursday but as luck would have it - the weather turned in our favor Friday afternoon and it turned into a beautiful weekend. In the end the lifejacket only got used on the boat - where it belongs!

Dinner on the deck - finally!

The 4th of July parade in Chatham is true Americana at heart. It goes on FOREVER - literally the parade started at 9:30 and the last float didn't pass us by until just about 10:15. It's filled with marching bands, floats of every variety and lots of creativity. My favorite "float" this year was a group of people dressed up as an American flag - complete with a flag pole and movement to mimic a flag being raised and lowered and blowing in the wind. I only wish I was that creative! Hannah loved every minute of the parade and was cheering and clapping through most of it - even when they fired a canon in front of us (proving once again how much she takes after her Dad and NOT her Mom!).

All the cousins after the parade (anybody ready for a nap?!)

Swinging with cousin Derrick during our 4th of July cookout -

Resting after a dance-a-thon with aunt Sarah on the deck. She and Tom taught Hannah all kinds of new moves this weekend - and Hannah showed them her break dancing skills and even did the worm across the deck once (Dad was so proud!).

Taking Papi's car for a drive (Hannah could be found in the garage a lot this weekend "playing" in Papi's car).... she has good taste!

Early morning activities while we waited for everyone else to be ready to hit the beach....

Intense conversations with aunt Sarah....

Yum - cupcakes.... (complete with 4th of July candles!)

Clothing was sometimes optional during the early morning swims in the "cold beverage" bucket.

Baseball, Trucks, Allie and Father's Day

2009-06-24T15:34:00.003-04:00

Aunt Allie was on break from Dartmouth this past weekend so we headed down to Chatham to see her for a couple days. Although the weather didn't cooperate with our beach plans we did manage to get out in the boat briefly Saturday. The bugs drove us back home pretty quickly and I forgot to bring a camera but it's safe to say that Hannah is going to like the boat - the only trick is going to be keeping her from jumping out of it (no fear!). Sunday we celebrated Father's Day with a delicious lunch out and a long nap/golf watching session - a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon in my opinion!

The see-saw is so much fun!

Serious tower building....

Checking out the old fire truck that Papi brought down from CT - it's a hit!

Practicing on the monkey bars with Dad.....

Checking out the a couple innings of my first Chatham A's game....

Do these look too big?

Fun in Boston Garden

2009-06-13T22:05:00.001-04:00

Hannah and I spent a gorgeous Saturday evening in Boston Garden and on the Esplanade with Sarah. So nice to finally have summer-like weather in Boston!

Maine College Girl

2009-06-07T21:02:00.004-04:00

We're just back from a fun weekend at Colby celebrating our ten year college reunion. Hannah joined us for the weekend and had a wonderful time wandering around campus, sleeping (sort of) in the dorms, eating in the dining hall, dancing at her first student center dance, watching her first couple beer die games, and of course, getting to know her future Colby classmates. The weather was fantastic - and we had a wonderful weekend - although we're very much looking forward to sleeping in our own beds tonight!

All smiles with Dad after a big breakfast in Dana dining hall:

People watching with Molly ....

Checking out the new turf field....

Early (too early!) Sunday morning breakfast on the steps of the library....

Enjoying the view! (and all the stairs!)

Hanging with Molly by the pond....

On the way home we stopped to visit our good friends the Collins in Maine. Last time we visited the Collins was in Bermuda (they have a rough life!), and this time we missed Doug as he'd unfortunately already headed back to the island, but we got to see Sam whom Hannah had never met - and of course Jane who always has fun things for Hannah to play with! And we got to see their new house which is just beautiful and looks like a perfect spot - we were very sad to get back in the car and continue our drive back home. Thanks again for a great visit ladies!

We tried giving Hannah rides in the wheelbarrow but she wasn't very interested in it (it was somewhat similar to the carousel experience!)....

Jane found an old Barbi limo that Sam used to play with. Hannah had quite a time dragging it around the driveway - and ultimately off a stone wall (I hope this isn't indicative of her future driving skills!)....

Peek-a-boo with Sam! (thanks again for chasing after Hannah while we relaxed and enjoyed the view from your new house Sam!)....

Living Room Picnic

2009-05-31T19:48:00.002-04:00

Work is continuing on our kitchen renovations and as a result the kitchen was off limits tonight during dinnertime. Normally we'd use the porch but given that it was thundering and lightning during dinner - we opted for a picnic on the living room floor instead. Hannah thought it was pretty neat.... and was entertaining her grandparents and I with her antics and faces.

Lounging with ravioli and snow peas -- what could be better?

Making her funny face..... which cracks us all up but actually looks pretty scary in this picture....

Enjoying the laughter as a result of her funny face.....

Carousel

2009-05-30T13:05:00.003-04:00

We took Hannah to the carousel in Boston Common last night - thinking she'd love it and we'd let her ride a few times and then get some dinner. Instead, we found the first thing that our adventurous little girl is afraid of! We tried twice - and watched several other kids go for rides - but as soon as the carousel started moving Hannah panicked and insisted on being held. She refused to smile and in fact looked terrified for most of it (I'm sure some people thought we were being bad parents as we tried to force her onto the horse), yet as we walked away, she started crying and even when we were all the way across the Common she kept pointing back at the lights and saying "go". Guess we'll have to try again another time!

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T22:30:00.005-04:00

Hannah and I spent the weekend in Chatham with my parents. We had a very relaxing weekend - tried out a couple playgrounds, spent a little time on the beach, played with cousins Hailey & Derrick, visited with Uncle Eben and Angela and watched the Memorial Day parade (that makes the weekend sound busy but really... it was very relaxing!).

Being serious with Papi (or Papa as she's currently calling him) at the parade -

Taking over Grandma's beach chair...
Sunscreen time!

Push Cart

2009-05-17T21:57:00.002-04:00

We had a BBQ yesterday up in Newburyport to wish the Doyle's well as they head off for adventures in Canada. We'll miss them terribly but two years will fly by and before we all know it we'll be having a "welcome back" BBQ. And hopefully we'll sneak in a couple "the Doyle's are back for a visit" BBQ's before those two years are up.

Here are the ladies (minus Sarah who didn't want to steal one of Liz's kids for the picture despite our pleas) and the kiddos:

And here are Ethan and Hannah - taking turns pushing each other on Oliver's push cart. They loved it - I'm not sure who had more fun!

And here's Molly modeling Oliver's cap..... maybe she needs one for herself. She is, after all, moving to Canada - and it does look awfully cute on her!

Lunch Lady

2009-05-13T13:39:00.004-04:00

Nana brought Hannah a new shower cap yesterday and it's officially a hit! Here she is modeling it while she ate her lunch yesterday - Wilson thinks she looks like a lunch lady in it. She wanted to wear it to the playground this morning but agreed to change to her baseball cap instead - I was worried the frog shower cap might not provide quite the sun protection I was looking for.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:33:00.003-04:00

This is what we found when we checked on Hannah before we went to bed tonight. Guess it's time to put the sleeper on backwards!

Happy Mother's Day!

Big Kid Slide

2009-05-06T21:53:00.002-04:00

Hannah and I took advantage of a break in the rain this evening and went in and met Sarah for an early evening walk and playground romp. Hannah LOVED going down the big slide with Sarah - I haven't heard squeals like that coming from her in a long time. I don't think the "baby" slide is going to cut it anymore!

Successful Surgery

2009-04-27T10:46:00.009-04:00

Hannah had her surgery this morning to get tubes put in her ears. It went fine - as expected - and she was a trooper through the whole thing. They had a great children's waiting room FULL of toys and Hannah was in heaven - except when they made her leave. We're home now and she's sleeping soundly in her crib, the 5 am wake-up call was a bit early for her. Hopefully now she'll be ear infection free for good!

Spring has Sprung

2009-04-26T21:50:00.002-04:00

The last two weekends have brought some great spring (and summer!) weather to Boston. We've gotten the porch and backyard all set up for good weather. Hannah is LOVING her new sandbox and has spent many hours in it the past two weekends. And instead of eating the sand, now she throws it - I'm not sure which is worse! As long as we can get that out of her system before we hit beach weather I think we'll be okay.

And we got a new Hannah sized picnic table for the porch. She ate her dinner out there last night and thought it was pretty neat. I have a feeling it was the first of many meals out there!

We hope everyone is surviving the heat wave in Boston - our neighborhood started a water fight this evening and Hannah was gladly involved - she loved getting squirted with the water guns. It's looking like a fun summer!

Bermuda!

2009-04-18T20:03:00.003-04:00

After some technical difficulties, I now have (thanks Jane!) a CD full of pictures from our fun trip to Bermuda. Hannah was pretty photogenic for once - so we had lots of good ones I wanted to share! Enjoy!

Peek-a-boo!
Trying for a picture with our gracious hosts Jane and Doug.....

My favorite spot on the playground - and check out those curls!

YUM - Janes's cooking was a hit (Mom doesn't even remember Hannah having a clean plate!)

Hanging out with Doug while Mom and Grandma shop in Hamilton

Yum - more of Jane's cooking and a Bermuda flower in my hair.

I love being outside!

Check out what this shovel can do!

Strolling with my bucket in Bermuda's Botanical Gardens

Checking out the fountain in the Botanical Gardens

The beach - I love it!

Here comes a wave!

Merry!

2009-04-15T23:51:00.000-04:00

I'm in Dallas for a few days this week for work and have been thoroughly enjoying the warm weather and sunshine here. I even snuck in a quick (too quick!) visit with Hannah's friend Harper - she's even cuter in person than in her pictures.

Hannah got to spend some time down in Falmouth with Nana and Grandy while I was gone. I think she's having an equally good time - and she got to experience her first merry-go-round!

Cheese!

2009-04-13T22:00:00.002-04:00

I was teaching Hannah how to say 'cheese' today when someone was taking her picture and I think I might have created a monster.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T22:36:00.002-04:00

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! We had a fabulous time down in Chatham -although it was a bit chillier and rainier than we would have liked. Hannah spent lots of time playing with Mia, got to have dinner Saturday night with all four of her grandparents, and survived church this morning. Not a bad weekend!

Playing with my Easter balloon....

Checking out the paper cup drawer...notice how only one foot is on the floor.....

Surprise! In the drawer..... and happy as a clam....
When the climbing started we decided hanging out in the drawer was not such a good idea....
Easter bath - probably the last time in the bar sink in Chatham. Hannah's gotten a lot bigger since the last time we tried this and not only does she barely fit in the sink, she knows how to turn on the faucet.... Mom took a bath as well as a result!

Strollers and babies

2009-04-08T21:08:00.002-04:00

During all our recent travels, Hannah has discovered that she'd rather push her stroller than ride in it. That tends to be back-breaking for whomever is holding her while she pushes her stroller, so I decided maybe she needed a stroller her own size to push. The price was right on this lovely pink contraption at Toys R Us today so it ended up coming home with us. I think I might have scored with this toy - so far it's getting a lot of use - and the doll that you see in it is finally getting some use too (Hannah's proving to be more of a truck girl than a doll girl).

Such a big girl!

(she likes singing to her baby as well).....
I guess this is how you push the stroller when your hands get tired.....

Bermuda

2009-04-07T22:55:00.002-04:00

Hannah, my Mom and I spent last weekend in Bermuda visiting our wonderful friends Jane and Doug. They were - as always - amazing hosts and we all had such a wonderful time. Hannah in particular enjoyed the playground, sandbox at the botanical gardens, aquarium, and most of all the beach! And she loved Jane's cooking and was a member of the clean plate club all three nights we were there (a first for Hannah - I think I need Jane's recipes!). I'm still working on getting some pictures from the weekend - I of course forgot my camera but Jane came to the rescue and played photographer all weekend - and even took some video! I'm having some trouble getting pictures off the DVD that Jane graciously burned for us - but I was able to upload some of the many videos taken. Thank you again Jane and Doug for a fabulous weekend!!

Italy

2009-04-01T09:25:00.002-04:00

I was trying to hold out and get all the pictures together from Italy before I posted but some people (ahem) are taking FOREVER to share their pictures so I'm going to post what I have at this point. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Nana!

2009-03-24T21:33:00.002-04:00

We are back from Italy and I promise a longer post with more pictures soon but we wanted to be among the first to wish Nana a very Happy Birthday! We had a fabulous time celebrating with you in Italy!!!

Playing at the Park

2009-03-08T22:18:00.001-04:00

Katie, Davis and Oliver came down for a visit this afternoon and since it was such a nice day, we decided to walk to a park and play outside for a bit. Oliver and Hannah both had fun exploring - Oliver loved the swings while Hannah cried both times we tried putting her in one. But she made up for it by going headfirst down the slide - showing she does not possess all of Mom's "cautious genes" and does have some of her Dad's adventurous side.

February!

2009-03-01T22:27:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe it's already March. The days have been flying by which fine with us as we're ready for spring (as I watch the snow fall outside!). Hannah's been keeping us busy this month - constantly on the move except when she's (thankfully!) napping and starting to climb. We're finding she's able to reach more and more things and keeping things "Hannah proofed" is becoming increasingly difficult. She's continuing to babble in her own language - although we're getting glimpses of actual words every now and then which is so fun.

This girl loves her bathtub -- or maybe she was just hamming it up for Nana and Grandy. Either way we predict she's going to be a fish this summer at the beach....

She spent some time in CT with Grandma and Papi while I went into NYC for work - she had a fun time playing with Mia, checking out the library in town, and exploring Papi's office.

Working on the shape sorter (a new favorite toy - although at times frustrating!)....

Blowing kisses....

Playing with plastic Easter eggs at the kitchen counter ....

And playing on the very same slide that I (and Aunt Sarah, Uncle Eben and Aunt Allie) played on growing up -- pretty cool!

Talking w/ Mia through the window....

Next up - adventures in Italy! We leave in less than two weeks! Stay tuned.....

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-18T22:11:00.003-05:00

Hannah had a great Valentine's Day. We took a long walk (Hannah slept!) and spent the evening with the Doyle's where Hannah and Molly had a romantic dinner together (check their blog for a pic!). Here are a few shots from the day....

Heading out with my new bear from Grandma and Papi (only grandparents would buy a 16 month old a WHITE bear! :-)......

Loving my Valentine's Day cards that talk/sing to me!

February Sunshine...

2009-02-13T21:36:00.002-05:00

Hannah and I had a lot of fun playing outside Wednesday when the temperature got above 50 for the first time in a long time. I can tell we're going to spend a lot of time outside this spring and summer - this girl does not like being trapped inside during good weather (or bad weather for all that matter!).

Hurry up Mom!

Peek-a-boo!
Let me out!!
Finally..... enjoying the warm sunshine (if only it would last)!

Hanging at the Repair Shop

2009-02-04T22:07:00.002-05:00

We've had a rough January and February from a car repair perspective and Hannah and I had the pleasure of hanging out at the tire place today for a couple hours. She was a trooper despite it falling in the midst of naptime and entertained herself - and everyone else in the room by.....

Shredding Kleenex....

Checking the vending machines for any forgotten change....
Banging on the picnic table they had for the kids.....
Checking on the status of our car periodically....

Happy January

2009-01-30T20:46:00.004-05:00

I've been getting some requests for updated pictures. I don't have many since the holidays - been a slacker with the camera - but here's what we've been up to in January!

Hannah's turning into quite a climber - and can now successfully get up on the ottoman - and she's pretty proud of herself for it!

Dad having fun with his mullet wig.... (now we all know what she'd look like with hair!). And Hannah showing off her new interest in door handles- lucky for us she can't actually open them yet.

Riding the new lion that Glen and Diane gave her for Christmas - and working on reading at the same time.....
Getting serious with the lion (in the new basement playroom! - more pictures to come!)....

Holidays

2009-01-15T13:44:00.004-05:00

Finally got some holiday pictures off my Mom's camera to share... the first couple are actually from Thanksgiving.

Modeling my new hat from Grandma and Papi....
"Piggy"

Christmas!

Gotta show off my cute tights!

Sharing my snack with Uncle Eben....

Toys!

Trying out my new slide... it's steep!

Entertaining us all on Christmas morning....

This shape sorter is very difficult (even Mom couldn't figure out how to get the pieces out!)

Using Uncle Eben's foot as a lift to get to the cheese and crackers....

The next Mozart?

The hat above actually played music - "surround sound" for little heads...

And finally New Years Eve... and Hannah's figured out how to open the wine fridge. Uh oh!

Goldfish and Giggles....

2009-01-07T21:32:00.001-05:00

I'm finally downloading pictures from Christmas off my camera. I don't have many but these were too cute not to share.

Enjoying a snack with Grandma before the evening festivities start....

Having a laugh with Grandma and Aunt Allie....

Getting Comfy....

2009-01-07T21:14:00.003-05:00

Santa brought Hannah a comfortable chair that's just her size for Christmas and she LOVES it. Maybe it's the novelty of sitting in a chair where her feet touch the floor - a first for her!

Trying it out on Christmas morning....

Snacktime!
Tickle time!

"Touchdown" ..... we'll have to save that for next year since the Patriots season is over!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T22:18:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We still need to get pictures up from Christmas but in the meantime we have some pictures from 2009 to share (compliments of Grandy Owens).

We went to Martha's Vineyard on the 2nd to visit some friends. Hannah made friends with the people at the front desk at the restaurant where we had dinner and they presented her with a fun hat to play with...

We spent lots of time walking in Falmouth and at the playground. Hannah really prefers to walk lately as opposed to riding - and she's getting pretty good at getting around herself (even all bundled up!).

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T16:42:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

December

2008-12-20T21:23:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from December so far....

Picking out a Christmas tree w/ Dad....

Playing with an empty coffee cup - my favorite new toy.....

Getting ready to head outside to play in the snow after our first big snowstorm of the season...

Not sure what I think of this snow....

Riding in the sled is okay....

Snow...

2008-12-10T21:30:00.003-05:00

We had a dusting of the white stuff on Sunday and Hannah thoroughly enjoyed checking it out a bit. We can't wait for real snow - I think someone's going to have fun playing outside in it!

Walking...

2008-11-30T20:06:00.002-05:00

My brother put together another video of Hannah this weekend .....

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T13:55:00.004-05:00

Despite an ear infection and a trip to the Falmouth Hospital emergency room for medicine, we've been having a wonderful time visiting with Nana and Grandy and enjoying Thanksgiving. Hannah wasn't interested in turkey but she LOVED cranberry sauce and was eating it by the spoonful yesterday. Maybe she'll enjoy the turkey next year!

Playing peek-a-boo with Nana.....

Showing off my ballerina pajamas for aunt Kate....
Enjoying the playground on Thanksgiving day....
Climbing everywhere!
Down the slide!

This brown paper shopping bag has provided hours of entertainment this weekend. Hannah's used it as a purse and carried her toys all over the house in it and we enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with it this afternoon.

Teeth

2008-11-20T21:35:00.005-05:00

Finally some top teeth!! And she loves showing them off.....

Peek-a-boo

2008-11-20T21:30:00.003-05:00

Hannah's gotten the hang of "peek-a-boo" and loves playing it behind the loveseat in the living room after dinner. She races back and forth trying to "find" you and laughs the whole time.

Cruising...

2008-11-07T21:58:00.004-05:00

My new favorite activity- walking with some help (tonight I walked from Bertucci's all the way through the parking lot to the car with just a little help from Mom and Dad).....

Cruising with my cart...
Getting crazy!
Poor Elmo got run over!
Time for bed (and showing off my Baby Legs for Nita & Harper) .....