My Questionnaire

I thought as I was asking Luke all of his questions that it would be fun for me to answer them for myself as well.

How old are you? 34

How tall are you? around 5'9"

How much do you weigh? all I'll say is I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight

What is your favorite toy? all my scrapbooking stuff

Favorite book? This is a hard one for me.  I got a Kindle for Christmas and since then have read 4 books.  Reading is one of my favorite hobbies but it's hard to have time for it.  As reading is such a favorite thing of mine, I have several favorites.  To give the short, easy answer--The Laura Ingalls/Little House books have always been at the top of my list.

Favorite movie?  The Thomas Crowne Affair

Favorite TV show? NCIS

Favorite food? Mexican

Favorite fruit? strawberries

Favorite snack? popcorn

Favorite drink? kool-aid

Favorite activity? playing with my kiddos, hanging out with Troy and scrapbooking

Favorite color? green 

Favorite sport? football

Favorite song? don't really have a favorite

Favorite animal? dolphin

Favorite game? Settlers of Catan

Favorite outfit? Jeans, long-sleeved white shirt with black polka dots and black/white vest.  Oh and of course black boots to go with it all. 

Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving

What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep? Troy and MY pillow

Best Friend? My sister

When I grow up I want to be? I'm lucky--I am a mother which is what I always wanted to be.

Nicknames?  Babe, Dear, Mom, Famous, Amers

Thing I am really good at? being a mom (I'm allowed to brag a bit, right?) and listening

4 1/2 Year Old Questionnare

I was curious to see if LJ's answers had changed much from when we did this at his birthday.  Some are different, some are the same.  The other one is here if you'd like to see it.

How old are you? 4

How tall are you? (pats the top of his head) I don't know. 

How much do you weigh? 34 lbs (a good guess)

What is your favorite toy? train track

Favorite book? The library's (all the books at the library)

Favorite movie? Little Einsteins

Favorite TV show? Word World

Favorite food? Chick-fil-A

Favorite fruit? apples

Favorite snack? fruit snacks

Favorite drink? kool-aid

Favorite activity? play

Favorite color? green and brown

Favorite sport? soccer

Favorite song? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Favorite animal? elephant and giraffe

Favorite game? Angry Birds (he only plays this when all other options have been used when we're out somewhere)

Favorite outfit? T is for T-Rex green shirt 

Favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep? diapers (ugh! I wish there was a way to get rid of these.)

Best Friend? Benjamin (McBride)

When I grow up I want to be? a police man

Nicknames? munchkin (kiddo, dude, Lukester)

Thing I am really good at? Karate

Some other stats:

Clothing size: 4T or 4

Shoe size: 10 or 11

Height:  42 inches

Weight: 37 lbs

Hannah is Walking!!!

Hannah started walking on Monday.  She woke up from her nap and it seemed like she just decided she was going to finally walk on her feet rather than her knees.  Luke noticed it first and was so excited for her.  He would count her steps and make sure I knew how many she had taken each time she walked.  We knew that once she figured it out it wouldn't take much practice since her balance was already so good.  By the time Troy got home from work, Hannah was walking all the way across the family room and hasn't stopped since.  Go HannahBean go!!!

How Can It Be 1-11-13 Already?!?!

Seriously, I have no idea where the last month has gone.  We have been so crazy, busy with life.  There are probably about 10 posts I need to write but I truly haven't had much time to even sit and take a deep breath.  I'm just going to do some random thoughts today so I don't forget some of these things.  I shouldn't be quite so busy after Tuesday (at least in theory) and I plan to blog more then.

Random Thoughts:

*Luke was 4 1/2 years old yesterday.  WHOA!!!  That really sounds so very old.  Last night when I checked on him before going to bed myself, I was struck by how much bigger and older he has gotten the last couple of months.  His independence has been exerting itself in abudance the last few months as well--that is both good and bad.  More on Luke to come.

*Hannah is no longer technically a baby.  :(  That's another WHOA!!!  She had her one year check-up on Tuesday and that was one of the first things the doctor said--it made me really sad.  She weighed 23 pounds, 6 ounces (95%) and is 31 inches long (75%).  She is still not walking on her feet.  Hannah insists on walking on her knees and can do so all the way across the room so we know she has the balance necessary but she's just doing things her way.  No surprise there!  The doctor also asked if Hannah was saying mama and dada yet.  Well, she's got about 10 words now (mama, dada, bra-bra (brother), ba (bottle/cup), than you (thank you), pe (please), bye bye, hi, do (dog) and da (cat).  The doctor was super impressed.  Luke talked a bunch early so I'm not that surprised.
*Hannah had another molar come in this week.  I just finally saw it peeping through yesterday.  It's the bottom, right one.  Thankfully, she hasn't been fussy with this one, only restless sleeping for the last week.  That makes 10 teeth for Miss HannahBean.  

*Troy had two weeks off over the holidays.  It was amazing to have him home with us for such a long time.  He found out not too long before Christmas that he got a promotion to Senior Geologist--way to go Troy!!!  He's worked hard for that and we are very proud of him.  A great bonus is he now has 4 weeks of vacation--hooray!!!

*Troy has been very busy planning our 10 year anniversary trip to Switzerland.  We are going the last week of May and first week of June.  We are both very excited but a bit concerned about being away from the kids for almost two weeks.  

*Troy gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas.  I truly was not much into the idea of the electronic reading thing but I thought I would give it a try to see if it was more convienient and let me read a bit more (even 10 minutes a day is more than I have been able to do).  It's so awesome!  I read all 3 Hunger Games books in less than a week (Troy and I were gone for 3 days which helped a bunch).  I haven't been able to read much this week but I know that having the Kindle will really be so much easier for me than toting a book around.

Okay, Hannah's waking up from her nap and Luke needs something to drink.  Back to this busy life for now :)

1 Year Old

Hannah was a year old on the 22nd.  I knew this post would be late--December was crazy for us.  It's cliche to say but this year went by SO fast.  I have been remembering last year a bunch the last week or so; I wouldn't trade those first days with Hannah for anything but I am glad we are a year away from them as well.  As this post is a bit late, it will be from current day and it does matter because we've had some changes since her birthday.  

*Schedule: Only a few changes to Hannah's schedule this past month.  During the week I wake her up about 8 and on the weekends she is up by 9 at the latest.  She eats breakfast right after getting up.  If we are home, she'll take a nap around 10-10:30 for about an hour or slightly longer.  She'll have a small bottle before this nap.  If we are out running errands she usually takes a nap in the car.  Hannah takes her second nap of the day starting around 1:30-2 and also has a small bottle before this nap as well.  This nap has started to vary greatly in length--anywhere from an hour to 2+ hours.  We try to eat dinner around 6:15.  She has her final bottle of the day about 8 and then it's off to bed.  I am thrilled that bed time is finally the same as Luke's.   

*Stats: Hannah was 23 lbs 7.5 oz and 31.5 inches long on her birthday (we were at urgent care on her birthday--see below for more details on that).  She is now wearing all 12 month clothes and some of them are getting tight.  Pajamas are 18  month size.  I'm happy to say that it seems her hair is starting to come in more now and it actually looks like she has some.  It is still very light in color and sometimes there is a hint of red.  Her eyes are still blue and we're thinking they might stay blue since there hasn't been any change in them yet.  Hannah now has 9 teeth.  Her bottom, left molar came in about 2 weeks ago.

*Food: Hannah loves to eat!  Thankfully this has not changed.  I have yet to find anything that she won't eat.  In fact, she most often eats more than Luke does.  Her favorite foods are spaghetti, cheese and fruit especially blueberries.  Hannah nursed for the last time on December 13.  We were down to only two short feedings a day and then she started refusing me.  I wasn't quite ready for her to be done but it was a very easy transition for both of us and for that I am very grateful.  She has started drinking whole milk with each meal and also as a snack before dinner.  It was no surprise that she loved it right away and we've had no trouble with that transition.  We are working on phasing out the 3 bottles she has a day.

*Activities: Hannah is in constant motion and into everything.  She loves to play peek-a-boo and chase Luke around.  Most of Hannah's activities involve noise/music/singing of some sort.  She prefers to play with toys that make noise and will create her own if necessary.

*Mobility:  Hannah is still not walking.  On December 24 she took two steps by herself between Troy and I but she hasn't had any repeats since then.  Again I'm in no rush for her to walk but I'm surprised she hasn't started yet.  Her favorite way to get around is to walk on her knees.  I've never seen a baby "walk" like it before.  Her poor knees are both covered with calluses because she does it so often.  Hannah is also a super speedy crawler and I've had several comments to that affect lately.   I haven't mentioned it before but Hannah loves to go up stairs.  She gets quite upset if she isn't allowed to go all the way to the top of a staircase.  

*Favorites: Hannah is still a big time momma's girl and I have a feeling we're entering the seperation anxiety phase.  Hannah really loves music and singing.  One sure way to calm her in the car is for Luke to sing Frere Jacques.  Other favorites:  eating, feeding herself, putting items into and pulling them out of a container, her new chair she got for her birthday and just moving in general.  

*Noises/Talking:  Hannah now has recognizable words for Mama, Dada, doggie (da), kitty (also da but said in a different way), brother (bra), thank you (than u), please (pe), bottle/cup (ba).  She also has a sound for hi--it's a squeak that imitates the low to high pitch you hear when you say hi.  Troy and I also believe that when she sings she is singing Frere Jacques.

*Events: This past month has included all of the Christmas activities--getting and putting up the tree; visiting Santa; and of course opening presents.  We had Hannah's birthday party on the 15th which was a big success.  On her actual birthday which was a Saturday, I had to take her to urgent care because she had been up all night coughing and wheezing.  Turns out she had croup--not the best birthday present.  I plan to do another post about her actual birthday and what we did to celebrate the day.  We were at home on Christmas day and then traveled to Topeka and KC from the 26-30.

December Daily: 12-18, 12-19 & 12-20

December 18: Troy's birthday; his request for the evening--ordering pizza, having a picnic, watching a movie and having some ice cream cake.  Easy enough.  Troy picked up the pizza on his way home from work and he and Luke had a picnic in the family room while Hannah and I were in the kitchen.  We watched "The Polar Express" which is such a good movie.  We paused the movie a few times for presents and then again for ice cream cake.  Troy said it was a great birthday celebration.

Hannah and I also picked up Troy for a birthday lunch out.  Hannah loves hanging out with Daddy.

December 19: I'm sure most of you have heard of the Elf on the Shelf.  Our elf's name is Doby.  He has really been mischievious this year.  Luke is always anxious to see what Doby has been up to when he gets out of bed every morning.

December 20: Yesterday I officially finished my Christmas shopping.  Hooray!!!  Now I just need to get everything wrapped--I would gladly accept volunteers for this job.

December Daily: 12-14, 12-15, 12-16 & 12-17

December 14: Troy and I went to his work Christmas party.  We really had a great time.  It was at a different location with different food this year which was definitely a nice change.  Troy and I enjoyed talking with a bunch of his co-workers.  We even joined some of them at a bar for a drink after the party was over.  Troy and I couldn't remember the last time we had been in a bar together.

December 15: We had Hannah's birthday party in the afternoon and then Saturday night we enjoyed a spaghetti dinner with Grammy, PawPaw, Grandma and Grandpa Johnson, Uncle Todd and Aunt Georgia.  Hannah finished opening the rest of her gifts after dinner.  The kids then went to bed early as it was a big day for both of them.

 December 16: Luke requested to make sugar cookies with Grammy while she was here.  So Sunday afternoon while Hannah was napping they made some.  Luke was really into using the cookie cutters for about 10 minutes and then he wanted me to finish that part so he could decorate the cookies with Grammy.  I'm not sure if there were more sprinkles on the cookies or the floor :)

 Hannah got to have her first taste of cookie when she woke up--she definitely enjoyed it.

December 17:  This event actually happened on the 16th but I'm stretching it to the 17th.  After lunch, Troy, Luke and PawPaw went to the driving range for a while.  Luke absolutely loves going with Troy and this was the first time PawPaw was able to go with them.  They all had a great time although I guess it was a smidge bit chilly.