Off to the Beach!

My parents spent another five weeks at Fort Meyers Beach, Florida this winter and we were able to head down over a long weekend to hang out with them.  It was an awesome chance to get away from the dreary January, Illinois winter and catch some rays in sunny Florida.  i was able to take a personal day on Friday, so we took off bright and early with a before 7 am flight! 

The upside of that was that we arrived in Florida by lunch and still had a half a day to enjoy.  It was forecasted to be the coldest day while we were there (only 60*!) so after dropping our stuff off at their house, we hit the outlet mall!  It was a whirlwind shopping afternoon/evening, but we found tons of great deals for the kids and maybe a few things for us as well!

The next day was going to be beautiful, so we took full advantage of the beach!  The kids loved it again!

And Nonnie and Poppy loved having them there to play and enjoy the beach!

Hannah was pretty content to stay right on the beach and play with the sand.  Cameron didn't disappoint and headed straight to the ocean.  He LOVES the water! 

After resting that evening, we decided to try one of the miniature golf courses.  There are a ton around and we went to an animal themed one.  Hannah enjoyed it as much as a four year old would.  We tried at first to give Cam a little plastic club, but within two holes he had swung it so hard, nailing me right on the tip of my finger, that we quickly took it away.  Maybe next time buddy!

The next day, we took it easy in the morning and then went down to the Times Square area for lunch and a walk on the pier.  Our first stop was for sunglasses for the kiddos.  They both did a pretty good job of wearing them too!

Then we went out to the big pier.  It was another beautiful day!

We went back to the house, put on our swim stuff and headed straight for the beach!  We wanted to take every opportunity to soak up the sun before heading home the next day.  Hannah really enjoyed building (and destroying) her sandcastles.

 Cameron looking cool in his new shades and swim gear.

 A family picture in front of the ocean.

  Hannah almost getting brave enough to try the ocean -- it was still pretty chilly, too!

Cam had been fighting a fever off and on all day.  At this point, his medicine had worn off and he was zonked out on Nonnie's lap.  I don't think she minded too much!

After a few hours, we went home for baths and resting time.  Hannah hadn't even been out of the bath for 5 minutes when I looked over and saw this...

I think the beach did her in!  It was another wonderful weekend with my mom and dad enjoying the beautiful Florida weather.  Thanks for the great trip!

Inside the FOUR Year Old Hannah

I can not believe this girl is four!  It has been such an amazing year with her.  These pictures were taking throughout the month of January and each one makes her look so old!  Here is a quick look at the past year:

Hannah went to the doctor just after the new year.  She continues to be healthy and rarely gets sick.  She weighed in at 38 lbs. which is about the 70th percentile and is 3 ft. 5.25 in. (which is about the 80th percentile!  I can't believe she is getting so tall -- except she breezed through 4T clothes in about three months so it shouldn't surprise me!  I guess I thought since she was so tiny for so long, she would be short like me.  However, since her daddy is over six feet, I think she will pass me right up!

Hannah LOVES preschool and learning of any kind.  I am truly amazed at what she comes home from preschool and tells me.  One, because her vocabulary and speech are leaps and bounds better than last year!  And two, because she has learned so much!  She recognizes most of the alphabet, counts solidly to 15, sometimes 20, can write her name pretty decently, knows her colors, repeats what they learn in Jesus time, and so much more!  I am so thankful for the opportunity for her to go to preschool and love that she is enjoying learning.

I have really enjoyed watching her imagination grow over the past several months.  She got a dollhouse for Christmas and loves to set it up and have her people playing in it.  She does this both with us and friends as well as by herself.  There are definitely days when she wants to go into her bedroom and play by herself.  She also loves stuffed animals and likes to play with them too.  She also has really gotten into playing games, especially her Minnie Bowtique Bingo Game.

I also feel like we have many more good days than crazy days with her behavior.  During this stretch of good days, I feel like we have gotten over the hump of tantrums.  Then something will happen and she can go from 0-60 in seconds.  While these "scenes" have gotten fewer and farther between, the intensity of them seems to have ramped up.  All a part of growing up!

Speaking of growing up, Hannah continues to be a great big sister!  Although there are times she wants to be by herself, she also has started really playing with Cameron.  It is so fun to watch!  She loves to be his little momma whenever she has the opportunity.  I love watching this relationship grow, but it also has it's challenges too.  It is sometimes hard to parent this sibling thing since I, myself, am an only.  I don't always understand the whole "picking on" each other just for the fun of it.  It's all a work in progress.