New posts coming soon! Stay tuned!

In case anyone thought this blog went into hibernation, rest assured it will be booming again very soon! So please stay tuned!

Things have been hectic and since I have been out of town 2 of the last 3 weeks (feels like months not weeks), that made it hard to keep up to date in here. But I am home now, and have lots of photos and stories from our latest trip to visit my dad and some of Matt's family. So please look forward to hearing about Hannah's Chicago and Michigan adventures in the next couple of days :)

Thanks for being so patient :)

Kollmans

Her new favorite sport. . .
Ed. . .and Hannah wearing a dishtowel as a bib! Pretty creative, huh? Thank Mr. Ed for that idea! Worked like a charm.

Mary
Jim, Annie, Ed, Corky, and of course Hannah

In order to get to my parents' house in Michigan, we had to fly into Chicago, so we got to see the Kollmans, too! We arrived in the evening, and spent the night at Corky's house where all of the Kollmans enjoyed Hannah's company :)

It was Corky's Birthday, so Hannah got the added joy of watching us all sing Happy Birthday! She loved it! Oh, and of course she loved eating the cake too. . .Another highlight was the musical birthday card Corky received from her friend. Hannah spent at least 15 minutes opening and closing the card to listen to it "sing".

When we first arrived, Hannah started out shaking her head NO at everyone who approached her or talked to her, but she warmed up after about an hour (and interestingly enough, after they gave her some cake. . .) After that, she was running around like she owned the place! It was so funny. Hannah also really enjoyed chasing Katie, Corky's dog, around; watching Ed feed Katie treats; trying to get Katie to drink from her sippy cup and petting her; rearranging Corky's photos and bringing us all the ones with daddy and grandpa in them to show us.

While we were there such a short time, that didn't stop her from figuring out how to climb the stairs! I was wondering if she'd ever get the chance to learn since she never gets a chance at our or grandma's house--we don't have any! But I worried for nothing. She figured it out all by herself in no time! Thank goodness she won't need an elevator in her house in the future!

We left after breakfast on Thursday and headed to Michigan! Uncle Ed (aka "The Godfather") was kind enough to drive us all the way there so we wouldn't have to take a train. What a nice guy! I think he just wanted to spend more time with his Goddaughter :) We stopped at McDonalds somewhere in Michigan, and they had the old school highchairs with pictures of Ronald McDonald and the gang all over the trays and the cushion on the seat! Hannah got a Happy Meal, and some freaky looking scarecrow doll (Wizard of Oz). She seemed to like him even if Ed and I were creeped out by it. Ha ha. On the way home Ed took us to a Texas Corral restaurant for some good BBQ. Hannah enjoyed eating the butter the most. . .lovely. She also scored a balloon! WOOHOO!

Overall, Hannah is a pretty good traveller. She only cried once on the way up, but we were saved by daddy's iPod! One of her favorite PBS shows is on there, and it usually keeps her occupied long enough to forget what she was getting upset about. Then on the way abck she slept a little, but after dinner she was a bit weepy. Listening to a message to her from daddy on mommy's cell phone speaker helped. The only problem was, every time the message ended and daddy said "bye bye" she start WAILING!!!! As soon as I restarted the message the waterworks immediately shut off, and she was a happy camper again. Ummmm. . .that was fun! I think I pulled a muscle in my arm from extending it back to the back seat for about 20 minutes so she could hear the message over and over and over again! Finally, we pulled over at a toll and I got in back with her and all was right in the world again :)

When we arrived back at Corky's house, Hannah remembered where she was and continued to walk around like she owned the place! It was funny. She was back to doing all the things she'd done before we left a couple days earlier.

Over the River and Through the Woods. . .

To Grandmother's House We Goooooo. . .

Feels like we just got back from Michigan, and I am already preparing to leave again! Wait. . .that's because we DID just get back!

We left last wednesday AM and got home on Sunday night. . .and we are leaving again on Saturday!

Phew!

Since my dad, Hannah's beloved Pop pop, is not feeling well, we are visiting as much as possible to cheer him up. (see his CaringBridge site link over to the right if you don't know what I am talking about--I'd rather not discuss sad things in here)

So, we flew into Chicago and spent the night at the Kollman's house (see the next blog entry for more on that), and left in the AM for Michigan to see my parents. It was Hannah's first trip without daddy! :( Daddy was very sad to see us go and very happy to see us when we got back!

Michigan was fun! Even though my dad is very sick, we were still able to take him out onto the breakwater in South Haven one day. It was a BEAUTIFUL day! He seemed to really enjoy it, and so did we! Hannah especially loved playing by the lighthouse and watching all the boats go by. She is NOT a fan of sand though. We're going to need to work on that one! Her mommy is a beach lover! I can't have a daughter who screams when her feet touch the sand. . .no way! I'm hoping that when we go back and her cousins are there, she will see them happily playing on the beach and want to join in. PEER PRESSURE! Sometimes it is a GOOD thing. . . We'll see.

Highlights of the trip for Hannah was the lighthouse; enjoying an ice cream cone on the beach(complete with some sand as a delicious "natural" crunchy topping thanks to mommy's clumsiness); a few trips to Wal-Mart; a fun AM at a really cool park; watching the dogs run around in their pen in the front yard; going for walks in the woods; playing with Memah's spice rack (taking out all the spice jars and putting them back into the slots in different arrangements); listening to opera with Pop pop; eating cherry shaved ices and a Frosty with Pop pop; refusing to take a nap (fun for HER, not for mommy and anyone with ears within a 10 mile radius) and so on.

Michigan is so beautiful! I can't wait to go back in 2 days :)

Hannah was having a ball rearranging all the gravel on my parents' driveway. . .

While we were waiting for Ed to arrive to take us back to Chicago, we played outside, and she kept picking up handfuls of rocks and taking them to other locations around the property. My kid is easily amused.

Oh, and she only tried to eat the rocks ONCE! I guess we all gotta try Michigan rocks at least once. . .from her reaction, I get the feeling that they taste just as "good" Arizona rocks. NOT GOOD! (I'd be worried if she LIKED it, so that's a good thing) If you were worried that she was hungry, don't worry because Ed took us out for a much better meal on the way home.

Hannah's first time playing on the slide! She LOVED it! She giggled every time I slid down with her.
Hannah loved the swing too

In addition to being VERY close to Lake Michigan, my parents' property is surrounded by little lakes within a short walking distance. The leaves were just starting to turn. It is absolutley beautiful up there :)

When Hannah and I arrived, my Aunt Jane was still there! So we got to spend some time with her. It was very nice to see her and introduce her to Hannah.

Listening to Opera with Pop Pop before bedtime.

Mmmmmmm. Ice cream! One of Hannah's favorite treats. Too bad I dropped it in the sand right after I bought it. . .but after a few wipes with some napkins, it was as good as new. . .well sort of. It still had a bit of a crunch factor, but she didn't seem to mind!

Ummmmm. Yeah. My mom the miner! (she wears it outside at night if she has to go out to take garbage out or tend to the dogs--it is very dark when you live in the middle of the woods!) You never know when you might fall into an old mine shaft. . .so if she does, she is all prepared!

My mom and dad at the end of the breakwater

Me and my shorty heading to the water to dip our toes in! (she refused to walk on the sand)

Hey! Gimme the camera!
HEY, Bucko! Don't mess with me, or I'll bite your ankles!

Laughing at her mommy. . .she does that a lot! I am cherishing these days now, because I know 10 years from now it'll be replaced with eye-rolling and disgust :)
SUPERBABY!!! I make sure she eats her organic cheerios, protein, fruits, veggies, *ice cream and cheesies* and of course drink her milk! Looks like it paid off. She can bend steel!
Three generations

She had the best time playing at the base of the lighthouse and yelling at the boats :)

Breakdancin' baby on the breakwater. . .Too bad she didn't set out a hat to collect change from people passing by! We were just walking along, and all of a sudden she got the urge to bust a move and spin around like that! It was hilarious!

Her fav sunglasses. I got them for her at Wal-Mart shortly after we arrived there--the best $2 I spent in a long time! She wore them almost the whole time were there. Too bad she won't wear them HERE. . .

Two videos of random cuteness!

The second one has Hannah trying to talk to the seagulls (she sounds a lot like them!), and then crying when I tried to put her down in the sand.

The first one is her interview at the lighthouse. Tune in because FASCINATING facts are revealed! Like, she is in fact in Michigan. She's having a good time, etc. :)

6 TEEF!

OK, you can only SEE five in that 1st photo, but a 6th tooth just popped through on top. . .it'll be more visable in a couple weeks :)

And here's a video of her "washing her face" and laughing at me and granny :)

Best Furrrrr-ends :)

Hannah has a whole family of best friends! Between our farm and grandma and grandpa's zoo, she has enough furry friends to keep her busy. Of course they don't do much for conversation, but they sure do have a fun time keeping each other amused all day!

Recently, Hannah has started cuddling with Takoda and Howie. Takoda is a bit more receptive to her cuddles than Howie. But that has more to do with how Hannah plops herself down next to (read: ONTO) the pets. Hannah is finally larger than our tubby cat (though not by much), so he doesn't appreciate being sat upon as much as he used to. Not to worry. He is still very patient with her.

Hannah enjoys cuddling, reading, covering them with her blankies, chasing the kitten Tommy with a long string, throwing balls for the kitty to chase, sharing dog treats (OOPS!), and so forth. As far as Hannah is's concerned, Hannah is just one of the pets!

Works out great for me. I can now save on baby treats, since she seems to like doggie treats just as much. Yummmm! OK, not really. In her defense, the doggie treat was a gourmet doggie treat complete with purple forsting and sprinkles. It looked like a cookie! I tried to tell her it was Koda's num-num and not hers (which usually works very well), but this time the temptation was ust tooooo strong! She had to try a nibble for herself. Then another. Then another. What was I doing? Laughing and looking for my camera of course!!! Hey, some kids eat poop. Hannah just had a couple bites of a doggie bisquit. I don't think that is a crime! Besides, look at the cute photos below! You wouldn't have those to laugh at (or gag to) if I hadn't been so slick.

Oh, and you are wondering about that photo of Hannah in the cage? That is where grandma and grandpa keep her while I'm at work. . .they don't even let her wear clothes! But their babysitting rates are cheap, so we are willing to look past it. . .well, until she outgrows the cage anyway. Then we might have to talk them into buying her a rope to tie her to a stake in the yard or something. . .

Of course I am kidding! That crate is Jack's. . .the puppy at grandma's house. He likes to sleep in there, and Hannah apparently likes to see how many of granny's pets she can coax in there with her. It is her new hang out. She's even been spotted coaxing Jack AND the kitten in there with her. But the best has to be when she coaxed Jack in there, shut the door, and promptly tried applying lipstick to his lips. Lovely. Jack was thrilled I'm sure! hee hee I wish granny had gotten a picture of THAT!

Hanging out with her BFF (big furry friend) Takoda:

Mmmmmm. Nothing like doggie kisses :)

Trying to cover Takoda up for a nap

Takoda asking me for help! Hannah kept trying to cover her head instead of her body.

Hannah looks like she is saying: "Now if you'd just sit still, I wouldn't have to keep recovering you over and over and over again!!!"

"OK, Takoda. Time to go night night. I'll sing you a song"


"Hey Takoda! See this pebble? Could you eat it and tell me what it tastes like? Mommy won't let me put them in my mouth"

Hanging out on Granny's Kitty's perch. Trying to steal a smooch :)

Playing with Tommy, the kitten

Hannah got in the boat first. . .Tommy followed :) (it was raining outside and Hannah was disappointed she couldn't use her new boat, so we let her play with them INside. I guess it is just as fun! And hey, Tommy got to play too!

Poor Howie. Hannah buried him in books! This was after some had fallen off and were moved by Hannah.

The yummy gourmet doggie bisquit!!! Looks scrumptious, doesn't it?

Her "I can't BELIEVE you took that cookie away from me MOM!!!" face.

(I'm convinced she thought I wanted it for myself and didn't believe me it was really for Takoda)

Storytime with Howie

Naptime under the dining room table with Howie. Hannah pulled her blankies under there and tried to cover him up while he was sleeping, but he didn't want any covers. So she laid on top of them and tried to take a snooze next to him instead. It lasted for about 20 seconds and she was refreshed and ready to continue tearing the house apart!

Video of Hannah playing with granny and grandpa's kitten, Tommy.

BEWARE: LOTS OF GIGGLES :)