Summer Fun

The kids and I are really enjoying our summer break. Ben loves playing with his "goggie" and reading books. Hannah LOVES the pool. When Jay works from home, we try to sneak out while Ben is napping and spend some girl time at the pool. Ben has no fear and will try to jump in to the pool. He also forgets that he is a baby and needs to be in a float or held by Mommy in order to play in the water. He is so independent, and it makes pool time difficult when he's involved. Hannah loves jumping in the pool with her water wings on. We have gone to the pool with her friends on several occasions and it's a struggle to get her to come out of the water. Hannah has made it very clear that when we move she needs to be in a neighborhood with a pool. I think we can make that happen!

Best Buddies

As Ben is getting older, Hannah is realizing daily what it means to have a little brother. Ben LOVES to get in to her room and take apart the things she has spent hours cleaning up. He pulls hair and demands a lot of Mommy and Daddy's attention, but she loves him more than anything else in the world. We've caught her whispering in his ear..."You are the best brother!" We feel so blessed that they are becoming so close. They still fight like crazy over toys and personal space, but at the end of the day they always want to hug and kiss each other.

Race for the Cure

On Mother's Day weekend, we participated in the Race for the Cure 5k. Hannah actually walked a good part of the race. Mommy made her get out and walk up the hills because pushing both kids can get very heavy. She even made her own sign for Nana this year!

So far behind....

Now that the school year is over and I am able to sit down and get some things done, I realized the blog needs to be #1 on the list!! So many things to share.... Hannah had a birthday at the beginning of May, and she celebrated by inviting her friends over for a pool party. We had two pools in the backyard and the kids took turns going from one pool to the other. Hannah had a Princess and the Frog cake, and was, as always, the party planner!! Jay and I are still trying to come to terms with the idea that she is already 4!

Bieber Fever

Yesterday we were watching an Oprah episode we recorded earlier in the week with Justin Bieber. Hannah and Ben were so excited to watch his performance and both had to show their dance moves!

Beach Trip

We spent an awesome week with the Wood family at the beach. Hannah loves spending time with her BFF, and Ben enjoyed getting to know Lily. The kids loved playing in the sand on the beach. One night we cooked smores....which Hannah loved! Ben was a party pooper at the end of the week when he got sick with strep throat and we had to return home a couple days early. Hannah will probably hold this over our head for awhile!

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter. The Easter Bunny brought the kids lots of goodies in their buckets. Hannah couldn't wait to dig in to her chocolate bunny!

Soccer

It's time to catch up with the blog! It has been such a busy month.... Hannah started playing soccer with some of her girl friends. She really loves the drills and games that she learns each week with the coaches. She even practices with Daddy in the backyard. Ben enjoys running around while big sis plays!

Ben's Birthday Party

Ben had his first birthday party this weekend! He had lots of family and friends come to celebrate with him. He got spoiled with toys and clothes! When the party started, he only wanted to be with Mommy. He started to warm up as time went on, and when he realized his best buddy came to party with him, he wouldn't stop smiling. The kids did a dinosaur egg hunt outside. Hannah helped her brother open his gifts, and everyone was having a great time until Ben tripped on his new wagon and bit into his bottom lip!! It was pretty bloody, but that wasn't going to stop the birthday boy. Daddy got him to suck on some ice to make sure the lip didn't get too fat. Once the bleeding stopped it was on to cake! Ben didn't leave a single crumb on his tray. He had a wonderful birthday party, and we are so thankful to everyone who came to celebrate with our family!

This and that....

We are getting excited about Ben's 1st birthday on Monday. He loves to play with his toys these days. He always gets on his knees to push his cars around or to explore the Lego box. His favorite thing is Mommy's vaccum cleaner. He will stand up to "help me" get the floor cleaned up. We found Hannah's vaccum, and she is letting him "borrow" it so he can help Mommy too! He has also started looking at his books more often these days. He enjoys the Peek-A-Boo books where he can lift up the flaps to see the surprise underneath. Both kids seem to love climbing in the storage bins the most!

Hannah will be starting soccer in the next few weeks. We bought her a soccer ball so she can start practicing. She loves showing us all her moves. It's almost time to register her for pre-k. Jay and I are still deciding who will camp out at 2:30AM to secure her spot. My vote is Jay!

Magic Kingdom Day 2

We were much more organized on day 2! I installed an iphone app on my phone with a map of the park and it allowed us to prioritize everything we wanted to do, and check things off as we did them. (It also showed us our location and where the closest restrooms were located!) Hannah and Daddy got to ride the racecars. Their car ran out of gas, but they both loved riding them. Hannah even got to drive. We met the princesses in the princess tent, and Hannah got to meet her favorite princess, Princess Tiana. Jay let Ben use his money to buy some pirate gear. We called him Captian Hook the rest of the day!!We spent about 8 hours at the park on day 1 and 6 hours on day 2, and we were all exhausted by the time the day was finished. We had a blast, and we are so glad that Hannah got to have this experience. She told us as we were leaving on day 2 that maybe the characters are real, but they are just shy and don't like talking. YES!!!

Magic Kingdom Day 1

Our first day at Magic Kingdom was busy! We didn't have a much of a game plan and we ended up feeling like we spent the whole day waiting in lines. Hannah told us that her first priority was meeting the characters. We stood in long lines so she would have the chance to get their autographs and a picture. When we got back to the condo that night, she told us that the characters weren't real. They were just people dressed in costumes. We asked her how she came to this conclusion and she told us that they didn't talk. She never doubted that the princesses were real because they can talk to her!

Downtown Disney

On our first full day in Orlando, we decided to visit Downtown Disney. There were lots of cool things to see including lots of statues of characters. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, and both kids enjoyed the indoor thunderstorm. Hannah was afraid of the snake when we first arrived, and even after she realized it was pretend, she still didn't want anything to do with it. Ben enjoyed watching the fish and listening to the animals make noises. He even copied some of their noises!!