Vroom Vroom

The weather prediction isn't looking so good for this week. Lots of snow, ice, sleet and other yucky stuff is heading our way. However, today it is sunny and mid-forties. We wanted to take advantage of this so we bundled up and headed outside. We even had a new toy for Hannah to play with that she has been checking out in the garage since we got it. A couple of weeks ago, Tim called me and asked me about the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe that I had mentioned wanting to get Hannah. He was at a Goodwill store and it was marked for $30 and looked brand new. I looked it up online and it retailed for $50 so we both that it was worth the money. As Tim was checking out, the worker told him that it was brand new out of the box! What a deal!! Here is Hannah debuting her new car! And we're off...

After going down the driveway

Driving down the street
Towards the end, Hannah was really getting the hang of "pedaling" with her feet. I think this will be a fun toy to play with this spring and summer!

Picture Time!

Last weekend, we were able to get Hannah's 2-year pictures taken and get some family shots as well. I heard through the grapevine at school that one of the school pyschologists aslo does some photography work on the side. I contacted her before Christmas and we set up a day in January to get some pictures taken. She works with natural light and since it was winter, she was able to get us into Dr. Jazz, a super cute soda fountain shop nearby, for our photo shoot. She did a FABULOUS job and were so thankful that we were able to capture this time in Hannah's life. Thanks again Nikki for the wonderful pictures!

Hannah - 2 Years Old

Lovin' the ice cream!

Our Little Family

A family shot with Nonnie

Bargains?!? Yes, Please!!

So, I have to give one of my dearest friends Kristina all the credit on this blog. First of all, I totally copied her idea of posting my latest shopping trip on here. And second, I totally copied her idea to shop a year in advance! When I was first pregnant, Kristina told me how she likes to look a year in advance to buy clothes on the sale racks. It didn't take me long to jump on this bandwagon. There have been a few times that I didn't guess quite right on the size and the item didn't get worn. But really that has been few and far between. I love looking at the end of the season at super cute and super cheap clothes for next year. I tuck them away in Hannah's closet and get them out when it's time. I also then love getting them out the next year and being excited at all the cute stuff Hannah gets to wear! Usually, between buying in advance and getting hand-me-downs, we are set for the season. Here is today's loot:
We totally hit the jackpot! We started our shopping day at Kohl's. It definitely was the best stop of the day. I got about 20 diferent pieces of clothes for about $70! Amazing! Here we got lots of leggings, pants and tops for everyday wear. Next was Old Navy where everything on clearance was another 40% off. Our biggest scores here was a winter coat for $15 and a lightweight jacket for $10. We finished our day at the mall where we picked up some tops at Macy's, winter hat and gloves (to go with the new coat) at Children's place and next year's Christmas dress at JCPenny. Overall thought of the day=success! (A very special thanks to my wonderful mom who joined me on this fun day today!)

Ta-Da!

One of Hannah's Christmas presents from "Nonnie" (my mom) was gymnastics class. I was really excited for this because it was not just more "stuff" to open, it would give Hannah a chance to burn off some energy this winter and it was something that I did almost my whole life. Plus, Hannah started doing somersaults a month or so ago and does them all the time at home -- even on the hard-wood floor! We looked at a few different places and decided on World Class Gymnastics which is one of the bigger gyms in the area. It is an eight-week Parent & Tot class that meets once a week for 45 minutes a class. Here she is before the first week:Let me just say, she LOVED it!!! We started with stretches and forward rolls down the wedge one at a time. Then the teachers put about 8-10 stations out for the kids to explore while they floated and helped at certain ones. It was so fun to watch her learn how to do the different stations. She also showed off her "Miss Independent" attitude by pushing the teachers away once she knew how to do something. After stations, we got back together to sing a song. Then each child went back to the wedge to do a backwards roll. At the very end of class, all the kids got a stamp for each hand. I think that was one of Hannah's favorite parts! Here are some pictures from class number 2! Some of them are a little blurry because they were "action" shots.

This is one of Hannah's favorite stations. There is a shark on the bar. Hannah holds onto the bar and kicks her feet up to push the shark off. Climbing up the ladder.
Getting to the top of the mini climbing wall before doing a forward roll down the wedge.

So, gymnastics is a hit! I don't think this will be the only session that Hannah will participate in. You can just see how much fun she has as she goes from station to station. I can't wait to see how much more she will develop over the next several weeks. And I have to admit that it does my little cheerleading heart good!

I am Two!

So, I thought I would do a two year update of Hannah along with her two year old bear picture (I still can't believe I am typing that!)

Check Up: At Hannah's 2-year check up, she weighed in at 26 lbs and was 33.5" long. This put her around the 40th percentile for both weight and height which is the highest she has ever been! She is definitely caught up for being a pre-term newborn.

Sleeping: Hannah has always been a great sleeper and that is continuing. She usually goes to bed anywhere from 7:00-7:30 but can usually make it to 8:00ish if needed. During the week, we go get her from bed just before 7:00 am to get ready for the day. Usually on the weekends, as long as we are still in bed, it's closer to 8:00 (which Mommy & Daddy really enjoy!) Naps are usually anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on the day.

Eating: Hannah still loves to eat, however she has a very typical toddler appetite. Some days she scarfs down everything in front of her and wants seconds. Other days, she picks around and eats just a few bites. She is not a huge milk drinker so whatever she drinks, she drinks. We think she also may have inherited her Mommy's sweet tooth and loves yummy sweets and desserts.

Playing: With Christmas and birthday, Hannah has an abundance of new toys at her disposal. It is so much fun to watch her go from toy to toy learning and playing with everything. She still loves to put puzzles together and is already learning the few new ones she just received. She also loves to read! Lately, she won't lay down in bed unless she has a book with her (even though she can't see once the lights are out.)

Helper: Hannah is a wonderful helper in whatever she is asked to do. Between playing with

toys, we always ask her to clean up the one she is done with. She usually complies pretty quickly. She also continues to love to help me cook dinner and bake goodies. It is a typical part of our after school routine. Whether it is loading or unloading the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, picking up toys or whatever, Hannah is definitely a little helper.

Potty Training: We are making some huge strides with the potty training efforts! She had just two accidents at the baby sitters this week and none at home! By Thursday, she was telling Miss Sarah "pee-pee" while holding herself, and then would go. Yay! I feel like we are definitely on the right track! We are still wearing pull-ups when we go out and about because I still get a little nervous. We are so, so proud of Hannah and glad we tackled this hurdle when we did!