So Proud

After taking these pictures Mommy said she's so proud of us. What elite members of society she and Daddy are raising.

My Chick-fil-a Endorsement

Here I am endorsing two of my favorite things: Chick-Fil-A and balloons. Maybe I love Chick-Fil-A because I get a free balloon or perhaps I love balloons because they're at my favorite restaurant. I guess it will remain a mystery. But I know I love both. Don't worry, Mommy didn't leave the balloon in my bed during my nap (although I thought that would be an excellent idea). However, it was the first thing I wanted as soon as I woke up from what proved to be a really good nap. How do you know if it's been a really good nap? Check out the hair. So I will join my sister in excited squeals of delight as we enter this wonderland. I just don't think there is much else that can top the excitement of Chick-fil-a (and balloons or as I like to say "ba-oo.").

Our Favorite Spot

This is where Mommy finds us. A LOT. Ever since they brought home the step stool from IKEA, Grant and I have been enamored by it's easy accessibility to the sink and all things on the sink. Our favorite item: the toothbrush. My have we explored with that toothbrush. And when I say that toothbrush, I'm actually meaning those toothbrushes. Notice the plural form. Yes, we've managed to appartenly ruin (according to Mommy) a couple of toothbrushes by swirling them around in the toilet. Then we put them in our mouths. It's water right? Grant has become well adept at this skill. Mommy even found me opening the toilet lid and pointing at it and saying, "there Grant." To which he quickly manuevered his hand into the toilet. Other points of interest in the bathroom? For Grant, the toothpaste. For me, toilet paper. In fact, today I managed to throw the whole roll into the toilet...on top of my pee pee. And while we're on funny potty humor I told Mommy today while she was wiping my bottom, "We don't eat poo poo." I thought she'd be proud of my statement. But instead she just laughed and said, "right." I also enjoy providing commentary while sitting on the potty. But we'll save those for another day. All in all, the bathroom is a very entertaining place, for children of all ages.

Yee-Haw!

Well, we know these aren't the clearest pictures but Mommy couldn't resist. Just squint your eyes for a clearer picture. And just call us the Lone Rangers...kind of lone..I mean, we aren't exactly, alone nor are we really rangers if we're being honest...but hey, it's as clever as we can get right now. Yee Haw!! Giddy Up!

We Love our Daddy

Daddy, we love you. In fact, we ask about you a lot while you're gone. Grant often calls, "da-da" in quite an enthusiastic way each day. I often reply, "Da-Da's at work, Grant." Daddy, thanks for all your hard work you put in for our family. I know you're busy these days but I know you work hard because you love us! What a great Daddy! We eargerly await your arrival home from work each day!

Mommy's Moment: While I'm Away

I'm glad Grant is finally at the stage where I can leave him out of my sight for a bit and know he is most likely okay. By okay, I mean, he's not tumbling down the stairs (as long as Hannah doesn't push him, and that, my friends, has happened), putting something way too small into his mouth, or stuck in precarious situation. This gives me precious time each morning to shower and get ready. Hannah and Grant are at the stage where they can entertain each other for awhile. I love it. However, this entertainment doesn't always come in the form of a genius idea, maybe for Hannah, but not for me. The pictures above only give you a taste to what I came out to after taking a shower. The house was a bit quiet. Grant hadn't made his usual visit to say hi while I was in the bathroom. And Hannah, well I had caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of a plastic storage lid exiting our room under her arm a bit earlier. It hadn't returned. Thus, I figured it was time I went to check things out. What I found was an eager Hannah sitting on the plastic lid, that teetered over the edge of the first step. Her face, full of excitement as she anticipated the plummet down where she would be greeted by an almost naked Grant. No shirt. No pants. Just a diaper. And a big wide grin. What happened to his clothes? That remains a mystery. But what does seem rather clear is that they had created this genius game. Probably fun. I will admit. Probably dangerous too because it involves a newly three year old, a steep set of stairs and a 16 month old who thinks his nearly three year old sister is wise beyond her years. He complies with most of her "genius" ideas. Needless to say, mean old mom put a stop to this wild adventure and may be rethinking the idea that while she's away....the mice are okay.

Princess Hannah

For my "birt-day" Grandmama and Grandaddy got me this beautiful princess dress. It is amazing. And in so many ways. The most amazing part about this dress is that it isn't "itchy." I often complain to Mommy about how I do not like my other "dresses" (really just Mommy's old dance costumes) because they are itchy. This, however, is not. I would like to give a shout out to whomever made this dress. What a brilliant idea to put a liner inside so that I don't get "scratchies." Wise. Very wise. I love to play in my dress. I twirl in it. I jump in it. I've even asked to run errands in it. However, that didn't go over to well. I'll be content at home in it. And I'll dance my little heart out wearing it.

Party Fun

As promised, here are a few more pictures from my party. As princesses, we got our hair done, painted our nails, played a not-so-popular game of pin the kiss on the frog, and made our crowns. Though a bit chaotic, we had a blast. And then of course we ate some cake and I opened my presents. We didn't get too many pictures because our camera's battery keeps dying on us. But here a few of the highlights. It was a "gwate" day!

Mommy's Moment: Christmas Shopping

Thanks to Swagbucks I was able to start on a little Christmas shopping tonight. My goal is to get all of H's and G's Christmas gifts for free (or almost at least). I just bought these two items from Amazon...and paid NOTHING. The cd player is for one of my music lovers...Grant. He's taken a liking to pulling out Hannah's cd from her cd player in her room. He loves to dance and lights up when any music is on. So, I thought this would be a fun gift for him! And this Curious George game...is for my die hard Curious George fan. I saw this in a magazine and LOVED it. A walkie talkie comes with it and fun animal masks. In the middle of the game there is a part where you play hide and seek. It's gotten great reviews so I thought I'd get it for Hannah. Hopefully I can be done with Christmas shopping for them by the end of next month.

If you haven't signed up for Swagbucks, it's well worth it...and it's even more worth it when you get friends to sign up under you. Thanks to some of my loyal readers and friends (and family) I have been able to get double the points because when a friend under you searches, you earn their search points too! Swagbucks is a search engine just like Google, Yahoo, etc. It's just when you search with them, you earn points. Then, you trade those points in for cool prizes. Of course, our favorite is the $5 Amazon gift card. I've earned roughly $200 in Amazon gift cards. I'm so thankful for this unconventional way to help out our family financially. If you haven't signed up, click below to get started. It's so worth it!

Before the Party

Finally, a month later, we're posting pictures from my "paw-ty." Here are some shots before my guests arrived. Let's first discuss my castle cake. We call it, the "Not for the Faint-Hearted Castle Cake." This castle is not for those princesses heavy on their feet. Balance and coordination are key when visiting this castle. Without these skills, one may find themselves falling over frequently. I would also like to note that I helped Mommy decorate this cake. My special job was attaching the marshmallows. However, shortly into my assignment Mommy caught me eating the marshmallows and throwing them at Grant (don't worry, he loves this and who wouldn't?). Therefore, my assignment was short-lived.

Secondly, let's talk about my picture with Mommy. For those of you who haven't seen Mommy in awhile, I'll answer that question that I know is burning your minds right now. No, Mommy has not joined the Women's Quad Weight Lifting Program nor is she preparing to become the World's Strongest Woman. We contribute this "hefty look" to the camera. However, rarely do Mommy and I get pictures together so we felt it appropriate to post it....awkward legs and all.

Thirdly, let's focus on my other picture with my grandmas. Aren't they great? It's so much fun to have one grandma visit me...but to have two at the same time...well that's beyond thrilling. Thanks grandmas for coming to celebrate my big day! They also played a vital role in the party agenda. Grandmama was the manicurist...she painted all of our nails while Grandma aided us in preparing the most bedazzling crown ever seen.

And finally, our last picture is the princess table, where we all gathered around to sing Happy Birthday to your's truly while enjoying the "Not for the Faint-Hearted Castle Cake." I felt honored. More photos to come later.

"Fwends"

Grant and I are siblings. But, we're also "fwends." This picture says it all. I have a hard time pedaling up hill so who's there to help a gal out? My "brudder" Grant. He's all muscle, that chunk of a guy. And those muscles propelled me right up the hill. And best of all, he did it with a happy heart. Just look at that eager face. Thanks Grant, buddy. I owe you one.

My Birthday Trike

Many of you heard the story behind my birthday trike. I'm not sure what my other trike would have looked like, but I don't know that it could compare to this baby. I love it. My favorite component is the basket. It's the perfect place for my friends, like elephant, to sit. Or, if I'm gathering berries for the birds' nest outside it's a great way to transport the goods. My next favorite part is that I can ride it in the cul-de-sac. . . just like I see the big kids doing on their bikes. The pedals are still a little hard to reach but I enjoy it anyways.

Our New Cousin!!!

I'm not talking about baby Brooke this time. Nope, we got word today that my Aunt Dani and Uncle Daniel were flying out TODAY to Utah to pick up their new baby boy! They have been looking to adopt over the past few months and the Lord has provided a baby boy, born yesterday. To hear more about their journery head over to http://www.theharmanfamily.blogspot.com/ Also, they are in need of some financial help to pay for ALL the fees. If you or someone you know would like to help out in any way you can do so through their blog above. I'm so excited to meet my new cousin soon!!! Welcome to the family, cuz!

Punky Brewster

What do you get when you wear purple sunglasses, multicolored striped pants, dress top, pink boots, and pigtails finished off with two purple bows? A nostalgic Mommy who is reliving her Punky Brewster days...through me. Enjoy it while you can Mommy.

What We Do

A typical fall afternoon: Wheely Bug rides, romping in the yard, an occassional argument, and some TLC from Mommy.

One Day...

One day, I'll look back on these pictures and ask Mommy these questions: Why do I have chocolate smudged about my face? Why didn't you clean it off? Why is my hair a mess? What's up with the purple boots and shorts? I liked sticks? I know this because I've heard my Mommy ask Grandma those same questions after watching a home video or looking at old pictures from when she was little. Mommy often wondered if Grandma ever combed her hair. It looked fine to me. Just like my hair, shoe choice, messy face, and choice in toys seems fine to me now. I just ate a tasty cookie. I've got my favorite shoes on. And I'm having so much fun rolling in the grass with my stick and my balloon that I have no time to worry about what my hair looks like. What's there to complain about? Life is good. One day I may ask Mommy why I look so embarrassing. But not today. Nope. Today, these pictures are practically perfect.

A Boy and His Bug

For those of you enthralled by my Wheely Bug debut...here are a few more shots. I find that the cracks in the sidewalk are troublesome. So troublesome that I've been known to flip over now and again. No worries though. I'm getting tougher by the day.

Wheely Buggin' It

Yes, that's me. On the Wheely Bug. Finally. And, I'm actually moving it. I've had a love hate relationship with my bee. Riding it didn't come naturally. I got sick of hearing how Hannah got the hang of it more quickly. And, I lashed out in anger at my bee. I pushed him. hard. I may have even thrown a punch or two in there. I know it disappointed Mommy. But, I never gave up trying to ride this guy. I saw the joy in Hannah's eyes as she sped down the sidewalk and finished with her signature spin. I wanted that. I was going to get it. And one day, I did. So, here I am in all my glory riding my Wheely Bug. Give me a few more weeks to work on my signature spin. You won't be disappointed.

"Bee-Boo"

I have a favorite game. It's not original. In fact, it's probably on every kid's top ten list. It just happens to be my number one. It's "Bee-boo" or in grown up language: Peek a Boo. It's the sure fire way to get my anxious heart calm. And for that, Mommy loves it. She uses it during my signature fits on the changing table. She's smart. It works. Life is good. "Bee-Boo!"

Coke is It!

Uh-oh. Looks like Mommy snapped. Coke is it in our house. . .at least for Mommy. If only Mommy would take the lid off this thing and let us see what all the hype is about.