At Grandmama's and Grandaddy's

For the official Fourth of July we went to Grandmama's and Grandaddy's house. My great cousins, Anabelle, Wyatt, and John Mark were there with Aunt Dani and Uncle Daniel. So were Uncle Tim and Aunt Bethany (who will be giving us a new cousin within the next month!). We had a blast. We did some sparklers, ate some ring pops, and played outside. It was a great way to spend the Fourth!!

Happy Fourth of July (A Month Later)

Sure, it's August. Kids are back in school (not us). Fall clothes are in the stores. Summer fun is winding down. But we'd like to take this time to say, "Happy Fourth of July!" We spent the Saturday before the Fourth at a fun place, an old battlefield. What made it so fun, you ask? Let me tell you.

1. Riding the BIG inflatable slide. MY FAVORITE. One may look at little old me and take me for a weenie. Let's face it, Mommy is. But not me. We started the evening on a small inflatable obstacle course. The slide was great, but let's face it, a bit small and amateur. So, Daddy let me go on the GIANT slide (not pictured here). I had tons of fun going down it again and again. The best part for Mommy and Daddy...it was free! The worst part...well...for Grant...he was too small to ride it. Hence, the crying face.

2. Going to jail. Okay, so I'm obsessed a bit with jails. We pass one every now and then when we run errands. Mommy says it's for people who broke the law. I don't get it. But I remind Mommy every time we go past that they "broke the lock," and that "they can't play because they lost their priviledge." So, I thought I'd like to try this jail thing out with my good buddy Grant alongside. It wasn't so bad. I still think I'll stay away from those locks though.

3. Drinking beer (Root Beer). It was tasty. I think Grant enjoyed it the most however. He couldn't get enough. We may have to keep an eye on him and this possibly obsessive behavior though.

4. Waiting for the fireworks. Okay, it was a long wait. But well worth it. Grant tried to pick up some ladies with Mommy's sunglasses. I told him that wasn't cool. Ladies glasses...not going to get the job done. He finally realized it when no one approached him. He's got a lot to learn.

5. Watching the fireworks. By the time the fireworks finally started...Mommy was tired of taking pictures. Therefore, just imagine in your mind Grant clapping incessantly and me talking non stop as I analyze each one and insist that they are not flowers (one girl in front of us kept saying they looked like flowers).

One of Those Days (or Years)

Have you ever just had one of those days (or let's be honest, one of those years)? Nothing seems to go right. Every move you make is the wrong move. Discipline is inevitable. Well, it seems lately I've had a lot of those days. Being 3 (almost 4) is a tough calling for a kid. And, apparently it is a tougher calling for a mom (so I've heard Mommy say).

Flashback

Those of you who've followed my life over the past four years realize I struggle in the chub department. You may also remember my club, The Chub Club. Well, I've taken it to the next level. My limits were pushed at swim lessons. After much sweat and straining, I finally conquered my biggest strength feat yet, climbing out of the side of the pool. I'm not going to lie, it was hard. Real hard. Often times I thought my pencil like arms the good Lord gave me would snap. Thankfully, my swim instructor had more faith in me. She pushed me to my limits. I had my own personal Jillian (I'd choose Bob if I could but since Ms. Jamie is a girl, I had to give her the girl name). I climbed out of the pool, by myself. This has inspired me. I'm ready to push my Chub Club members to their limits. Just think of this as "The Smallest Winner" or the opposite of The Biggest Loser. I'm inspired to take my new found strength and share it with those of you out there who may too struggle in the puny department. This could be you. Accept the challenge.

Swim Lessons

Back in June, I took swim lessons with Ellie. We did all sorts of stuff. My best skill, floating on my back. Perhaps it's because I weigh next to nothing. I can officially swim to Mommy under water now. My hardest obstacle, climbing out of the side of the pool. Pictures of that to come next.

A Not-So Exciting Craft

Mommy had a brilliant idea. At least, she thought it was. We were going to make bees. Why? Because we were "studying" the letter B. Let's face it, Mommy was much more into this idea than Grant or I was. But, we humored her for a bit, painting the "bee." However, there's only so much bee painting we can do. We both stopped before the bee was completely yellow. And, I must say, we never returned to our bees. I'm not sure what happened. I guess when I responded with "no" everytime Mommy over-enthusiastically asked if I wanted to finish making my bee...she got the hint. Therefore, we have no after pictures. This was as good as the bee got. As for the letter B, well, I lost interest in it really fast too. BUT, thanks to an idea from Grandmama, (writing my letters in "sugar" a.k.a flour) I can now FINALLY write my own name. I'll post pics of that later because, well, we are almost two months behind on our picture posting.

SWAGGER WAGON

Check out our newest addition to the family: "The Big Bad Wolf" as I, Hannah Harman, intrigued by all story characters mean and bad, have appropriately titled our van. I feel its name fits accordingly to my new favorite Swagger Wagon Video. Minivans are not for the faint hearted. Trust me. Grant and I sweated for 30 minutes in the heat while Mommy and Daddy struggled to put our car seats in this baby before we embarked on the 45 minute drive home. I must say, it was the most stylish 45 minute ride I've had since entering this world. Tinted windows baby are cool. No more old lady sedan for this family. We've now entered the ever so cool minivan.

Our "New" Room (A Bit Overdue)

Well, we've been bunking together since the end of April. It's just taken Mommy that long to get a picture. But here it is. Well, most of it. The wall across from the bed holds our shelves. And that corner is our "reading corner" where our piggy and froggy sit. If you notice strangely colored spots on the wall, it's not your eyes. Mommy got the wrong type of paint to color over my pink spots. And, well, as you can see, 3 months later, still hasn't fixed it. The art work on the wall is done by none other than me and Grant of course. We're still waiting on Mommy to put our ceiling tile artwork over our beds. And, we obviously didn't change the green paint. Still not Mommy's favorite but it works and it saved time, money, and energy (which Mommy just doesn't have a lot of these days). All in all, we love our room. My favorite part is having Grant with me. Man, have we had some adventures already like eating pennies, throwing every article of clothing and every diaper out of the drawers, jumping off the beds, coloring on the walls (that's me), coloring on the dresser (that was me too), breaking the blinds (that's Grant) and crawling into bed togther (just to name a few).

Sweaty

This picture doesn't quite grasp my supernatural ability to sweat. But it begins to scratch the surface. Apparently, I inherited this unique trait from Mommy. Yes, I did say Mommy and NOT Daddy. I know, I know, it's more of a manly trait. Poor Mommy. I can only imagine what her hot flashes will be like when she reaches that age. You should see her after she runs. It ain't pretty. But anyways, enough about poor Mommy. This is about me. And my sweat. Put me outside for five minutes and I'll give you something to look at.

Runner

I dream of being a runner. Light as a feather on my toes. The wind blowing my hair. The earth catching my stride. Free to move. Free to let go.

Ballerina

I dream of being a ballerina. Tutus. I love you. I especially love you when I can wear you OUTSIDE. ON A GOLF COURSE. Where the world is my stage. It's magical.

Geese Chasin'

Have you ever seen geese? Well, they're birds. Not just any birds. They apparently like to play golf. ALOT. It seems everytime we go they're sitting on the greens. Poor guys, someone needs to tell them they need a ball and a club. And perhaps opposable thumbs to hold the club and ball. Anyways, we decided to break their boredom and hopeless waiting by chasing them as fast as we could. It was rivoting. Apparently they're swimmers too because those geese ran right into the water. Who knew geese were such veratile creatures? Golfers, swimmers, and might I add pretty good runners. We couldn't ever catch up to them. We'll get you next time geese. We'll get you next time.

Rest

Takin a much needed break and enjoying nature. Did I tell you how much I love nature?

The Lake: Part One

There's a lake in the back of our neighborhood. We love to go. Some evenings when we're bored (or Mommy has had just about all she can take) we head to the lake. There's lots of stuff to do and see. For example, you can take in the beautiful scenery. Grant is giving you a clear picture of what that looks like. He thinks he can spot fish from way up there. We hate to break it to him that whatever he's seeing aren't fish. He's young. Give him time. Or you can find BIG DEAD SNAKES floating in the water. Of course Daddy had to get a better look. Thankfully we are unable to transmit smell waves (or whatever you call them) through the computer. Take it from us...he STUNK. But that didn't ruin our fun. Also, you can look for rocks. Grant and I LOVE rocks. Or, you can find seaweed looking plants. And, not to mention, you can get bit by lots of mosquitoes. But we're willing to pay that price for a walk down by the lake.

Big Boy

What can I say? I'm a big boy. Milk has never tasted so good. And to think I was trying to spoon out my milk after the cereal was gone. This is much easier and oh so much cooler.