Happy Birthday to Our 3 Year Old Princess

I have been awful about blogging lately!! With Christmas and Hannah's birthday, I have literally not had a spare minute to blog.

First, let me start by saying HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY to our sweet little Hannah!! I can not believe she is 3...it seems so old to me and I am sad because I don't want either one of my babies to grow up! My life is so full of love that I didn't even know I could have before she made me a mommy. She has made our lives so much fuller every single day. She is the most loving, sensitive, sweet, kind and generous little 3 year old that I know. Everyone always comments on what a sweet heart she has and we couldn't agree more. I have to tell a sweet little story that shows just how big her heart is. Monday after her birthday we were pulling into the CVS parking lot. There was a man and a little boy probably about 3 years old sitting in the grass by CVS and the man was holding a sign that said, "Need help for my son's Christmas." Hannah noticed them and asked me what they were doing. I told her that that little boy wasn't as lucky as she was and that he needed someone to give him some toys for Christmas. She instantly said, "Mommy, we need to go get him some toys." What a fabulous idea, I told her. Now, I thought this was the sweet part. I didn't know how it would go, but I thought it would mean more if she gave him some of HER toys from home that she had gotten for her birthday instead of going and just buying new toys. "Why don't we run home and get a toy that you got for your birthday and bring it to him," I told her. She instantly agreed and we went home and she picked out not 1, but 3 books that she had just gotten for her birthday and said that she thought he would like these. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw her proudly get out of the car and hand her new books to the little boy, as she said "Merry Christmas!" That is how big this little girls heart is and it makes me so proud!

She is so inquisitive and so eager to learn. If I say a word that she doesn't know, she wants to know what it means and she tries to use it in sentences the rest of the day. She is the best big sister I could have ever dreamed of!! She loves Alice Anne more than words can describe and, although we have our moments, she is so loving and kind to her and Alice Anne in return just adores her big sister!

She's very smart!! She knows and can recognize all of the letters of the alphabet and can tell you what letter a word starts with and loves sounding out words. She can count to 22. She is very particular and wants everything in its place at all times.

She truly wants to make Brett and I proud and doesn't want to disappoint us at all. If she knows she has done something wrong, she quickly asks us if we're sad and she says that she didn't mean to make us sad. So sweet!

She loves school and loves all of her friends! Her teachers are constantly telling me how sweet she is and how good she is with her classmates. Many days I'll go pick her up from school and her teachers will tell me that she was such a little cuddle bug that day! That's another thing that we love about her...she loves to cuddle and it's so much fun!! She loves dance class, too!

She went for her 3 year check-up last week and she was NOT a fan of the shots, but she still adores Dr. Moore and talks about him all the time. He was impressed with everything that she knew and she was proud of her circle and cross that she drew for him. She weighed 33.75 lbs (80%) and she was 38.5" tall (80%).

Hannah scored again and had a fabulous birthday party! She wanted a dress-up party, so we loaded up on dress-up attire and the kids (mostly the girls) had fun running around and playing in their princess dresses. Hannah was beyond excited and had her "favorite purple princess dress" that she wanted to wear, picked out for days!! She was so cute the night before her birthday. When I put her to bed she said, "Mommy, I don't know what to do tomorrow." I asked her what she meant and she said, "What am I going to do when I'm 3." I think she thought turning 3 was going to be a big life changing event!! Everything is already "...when I'm 4!" I really don't want that day to come!! The past 3 years have truly been amazing and we look forward to many more fun years to come!

Fun Day With Santa

We had such a fun day full of Christmas fun!! It started early this morning when Hannah and I went to breakfast with Santa. Hannah has been talking about eating breakfast with Santa for days and she was not disappointed. She put her letter to Santa in her purse last night before bed and the 1st thing she did when she got up this morning was to go downstairs and make sure her letter was still there. She really couldn't wait to give it to him. She was so excited to talk to Santa, she didn't touch her breakfast until her visit was over. She was a little uneasy about Santa's helper at 1st, but as soon as she came over and started making her balloon flowers, she was just fine. Hannah had a special request that she make a baby flower for her to take home to her baby sister...so sweet!! Hannah was SO into Santa and couldn't take her eyes off of him. She asked him where Rudolph was, where his bed was, what he was going to do with her letter and just talked away. When he left our table she looked at me and said, "Mommy, I forgot to tell Santa what I want for Christmas." I told her that he would read her letter and know, but she was not satisfied, so she asked our waiter to ask Santa to come back over so she could tell him what she wanted. Santa came, and she told him just what she wanted...a dollhouse, a robe, and lots of other toys. She also threw in that her baby sister wanted a toy car (I'm not sure where that came from). I don't think her breakfast could have gone any better!!!

Waiting patiently to give her letter to Santa.

After breakfast we headed into the mall for story time with Santa. We got a front row seat and Hannah LOVED hearing Santa tell stories about Christmas Eve. We got a number to come back and see Santa this afternoon with Alice Anne and then went to the Angel Tree to pick an angel to sponsor. We went through all of the angels to find the right one. Hannah picked a 3 year old little girl that wanted a Nemo movie and a barbie. So, after naps, we went to the toy store and got the little girl's Christmas gifts to take back up to the mall. Can I just tell you that the mall was a MAD HOUSE this afternoon!!! I have never been to the mall around Christmas time by myself with both of the girls and I don't think I'll ever do it again. But, today it was worth it. Hannah was so proud to take the gifts to be dropped of for "my angel" as she called it, and then we got to see Santa and he made Hannah more excited than I've seen her in a long time. Hannah told him that it was almost her birthday and when she did, he pulled out a beautiful Christmas book that he said he'd been saving for a special little birthday girl. He told her that it was their secret and that she was the only little girl that was getting this special book. Her face was lit up from ear to ear. She was so proud!!! Alice Anne, on the other hand, was NOT a fan of Santa. She didn't freak out until I put her on his lap and then she lost it, so I shot a picture and then rescued her.

Hannah showing Santa how old she's going to be on her birthday

Wow, Santa!! Thank you!

Alice Anne taking a break on the bench before our visit with Santa.

Of course we visited the ducks and the turtles...our favorite thing to do at Northpark! Alice Anne was so funny, she just walked around screaming, "DU...QUACK QUACK!" Hannah kept saying, "Yes, Alice Anne, that's what a duck says!"

We went and ate Mexican Food and then drove around and looked at some Christmas lights before coming home. The girls were exhausted and are both in bed and I'm worn out!! Daddy will be home tomorrow night and we can't wait!!

You Just Have to Laugh About It...So You Don't Cry!!

We had a big day planned today. We were going to head over to Northpark and go to a puppet show, go to the train exhibit and then have a fun lunch there...but our day didn't go quite as planned.

Here's how it started (DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH!):

I got up early so I could be dressed and ready before the girls woke up. When I heard Alice Anne, I went up to get her and there was blackberry and strawberry throw-up ALL over her and her bed. It had been there a while and the sweet little thing never made a peep. No big deal...I got her in the tub, and all cleaned up. She was having fun in the bath, so I let her play in there for a little bit. I was in the bathroom, but Hannah and I were talking and I wasn't really paying close attention to what she was doing. When I went over to get her out, there was diarrhea all in the tub! Sick!! Whatever, I'll throw her in the other bathtub and then clean this one up (along with the throw-up). She was in Hannah's bathroom. I get her out, wrap her up in a towel and carry her into her bathroom. On our way into the other bathroom, she tee tee'd ALL over me, herself, and the floor. That makes 3 things that I need to clean up. Let me wash her off really quick, get her dressed and then I'll get the floor, tub, bed and myself cleaned up. I threw a towel over the wet spot on the floor and threw the baby into the clean tub. Scrubbed and scrubbed and got her clean again and then dried her off. As she was walking the 2 steps from her bathroom into her room, yes...within a split second, there was diarrhea ALL over the floor!!! You have GOT to be kidding me!!! Seriously?!?!? Hannah made me laugh in the middle of all of this when she walked in right after Alice Anne had made a mess on the floor and said, "What IN the WORLD??"

I got it all cleaned up and the girls were very cooperative and stayed in the playroom while I cleaned both of their rooms and bathrooms up. Guess we're not going to be having our fun little outing today, so I went down stairs and put my pj's back on and had another cup of coffee. Fed the girls, washed dishes, washed blankies and lovies and it was time for Alice Anne's nap. I put Alice Anne down and came back downstairs to find Hannah on the potty with an ENTIRE ROLL of toilet paper that she had wiped with, in the toilet. This wasn't a roll that was half gone, it was a full ,new, double roll of toilet paper and she thought she needed the whole thing to wipe her little bottom!!! I run get a trash bag, pull what toilet paper I can out of the toilet and then start plunging away.

Whew...the rest of my day went good and despite all that happened, I really did have a good day...until dinner time when I opened up the refrigerator and a bottle of hot sauce fell out of the door and exploded ALL over the kitchen!! Literally, ALL over! The girls were sitting up at the bar and they thought it was hilarious that red sauce was flying all over the kitchen. I'm so glad that they were laughing so I could laugh with them instead of cry!!!

Brett, how many days until you come home?? We miss you terribly!!!

When they weren't pooping or throwing up today, you wouldn't have known they were sick. Hannah tells me all day long to turn Christmas music on so they can dance. This is what they do most of the day...Hannah danced with this mask up to her face today :)

Alice Anne really wanted to sit up at the bar today instead of in her high chair next to her sister at the bar. She thought she was pretty big!!!

Dear Santa...

This afternoon, Hannah and I were doing a little craft project and making a little Santa Clause. Hannah was very intensely gluing Santa's beard on and all of a sudden she stopped and said, "MOMMY...we forgot to write a letter to Santa!" We have a Christmas book that we read, about letters to Santa and she took note. Luckily, I was prepared with Santa stationary and she dictated away. This is what it says,
"Dear Santa, I've been sweet and I try to get straight lines everyday. I've been a good girl. Happy Halloween and Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. I want a dollhouse and a rope (robe) and a lot of other toys like stickers and balls and books. I will come to the mall if my mommy or my daddy will take me. Love, Hannah"
She signed her own name by herself and was VERY proud of herself and asked me if I thought Santa would think she was SO smart!

Excited to put her letter out for Santa, but when we went to put it out for the mailman she changed her mind and said she wanted to take it to the mall and give it to him. So we'll be making a Santa trip to the mall pretty soon.

Hannah AND Alice Anne are obsessed with their Advent Village. They get to open the day's window every day after nap time and they get so excited for that 1 little sweet tart that they each get out of it! Hannah loves counting how many more days until Christmas Eve!

Hannah's other obsession...Baby Jesus! She loves pulling the dining room chair up to the nativity that I have set out and talking to Baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph. Yesterday she told me that she needed a paper towel. I asked her what she needed it for and she said that Baby Jesus was cold and she needed to cover him up and blankets were too big for him.

Alice Anne's current obsessions...Coloring and Cozy (our pretend kitty cat this looks so real it's creepy)!

She wants to color pictures all day long and she is very proud of her master pieces. If she's not coloring, she's carrying around one of her pictures saying, "Wow...peppy!" I always tell her, "Wow, it's so pretty!!"

Alice Anne has really been letting me read to her a lot the last couple of days. She has always let me read to her, but would only sit through 1...maybe 2 books at a time. While Hannah was at school today, we read for 45 minutes straight. She was such a good little listener and I think she would have let me read longer, but I needed a break. Before she settles down to read, though, she walks over, gets Cozy and positions him where she wants him next to her on the couch. Every once in a while she'll put him in her lap for a minute and then she'll set him back down next to her. She LOVES her pretend kitty, Cozy. The first thing she does every morning when we come downstairs is she goes straight to Cozy and gets right in his face and says, "HIII, Coey"
Sweet sisters...the last couple of afternoons after naps, the girls have climbed up in the glider on their own and Hannah reads books to Alice Anne. Hannah is very serious about story time!

It is FREEZING here and we haven't left the house much at all this week! We have a busy few days planned making lots of Christmas crafts and goodies and just staying inside and Hannah is SO excited about all of our projects that we have planned...

Costa Rica

What a fabulous vacation Brett and I just had!! We had so much fun in Costa Rica and enjoyed the warm weather before coming home to the freezing cold! We missed the girls a ton, but the break was much needed!!

This is the house that we stayed in and it was incredible!! The little roof behind us is where the hammocks were on the roof of our house, over looking the ocean! It was so relaxing to just lay there and listen to the ocean.

Isn't this sunset beautiful?!?! Dorky, I know, but we went to this awesome place nearly every night and watched the sunset.

On the zip-line together in the middle of the jungle. This was a blast!!!

Brett the fisherman! He reeled in the fish while we were there!!

Now, after the day I've had today, I'm ready for another vacation!!!!