hello month of Luuuuuuuve!

Wow...already February? It seems like the past SO fast!

Updates: Hannah is walking-pretty much all the time now. She continues to be in to EVERYTHING!!! Miss Curious or Hannah of Mass Destruction is usually her name at home ;)
She had to be taken in to the hospital on Thursday with a suspected fracture on her elbow. We're not sure what happened. And thinks she fell off of the bed...but who knows. You wouldn't even know she was hurt except that when she bends her arm, she kind of wimpers now. Orthopedic doc said that he's not concerned and wants to hear back after a week if she's not better. She started in the toddeler class last week and seems to be doing really well.
Natalie continues to learn new thigs at her daycare/preschool. She knows her address, my phone number, Andy's cell number and too much for a 4 1/2 year old. I wonder sometimes where she gets things, but she continues to make us laugh.
Ne news with m...I start a new job on Valentines Day!!! That's all I will now...but it's going to be AWESOME!!! More later...

Christmas time is coming soon

I have been thinking about a tradition to start with Natalie. She is at the age where something special to start with a Christmas theme would intrigue her...but I'm not sure what to do. We plan to put up the decorations and tree with her and Hannah this weekend, but I want to do somethng that she'll look forward to each year. Some ideas I had were:
-Going and seeing the lights in KC then maybe some ice cream
-letting her decorate her own tree (maybe someday we'll do this-we have no room right now for a second tree
-making an ornament (if only I could channel some creative mindset for that)

what I have come up with is letting her pick her very own ornament. Hobby Lobby is chock FULL of cute ones. The ones I have now are a mixture-some special, some given to me for "fillers".
What other ideas are out there?

November woes-November goes

November came and went...Hannah has had two ear infections this month, so we're now talking tubes. We go in for consult with the same doctor who performed Natalie's procedure almost two years ago. I certainly don't want poor baby Hannah to suffer anymore than she already has :(
Natalie was upset at me the other day because I was on the phone while driving home and she wanted to tell me something. When I told her to "hold on", she got upset. So after I hung up, she was kind of crying and I asked what was wrong. She said, "Mom, I love you but I'm very upset at you right now". Funny big girl adult child
She is doing so well in her preschool class at the YWCA. She is a smart cookie and her teachers tell me so all of the time. She has known her alphabet for awhile now, but can now write it all out without seeing the letters, knows and can write her numbers up to about 50-she's starting to show interest in tying her shoes, reading and has been dressing herself and fixing her own hair.
Hannah is well on her way to walking...oh wait-no she's not! She has NO interest in the activity...at ALL! We've tried working with her, her wonderul teachers have tried...with no luck! I do love her teachers, Ms. Teresa and Ms. Marcie. They have been wonderful to leave my sweet baby with. Always asking questions, hugging and kissing Hannah. They treat her as if she were theirs and I know she loves it there. She wants out of arms and on the florr to play with her friends as soon as she is there. She has two teeth-and THAT is it! No more have come in yet, but they'll be here soon enough. This one is into EVERYthing! Natalie wasn't near this curious. Hannah pulls it all open, out, into her mouth, whatever she can get her hands on. She LOVES pulling open my drawer where we kee the baggies and saran wrap stuff...she a baggie at a time and watch it drop to the floor. She hasn't quite learned how to pick them up and put them back quite yet. :)
My babies are getting bigger...

A Time for Thanksgiving

As I reflect on the past few years and all of the life changing things that have happened, I can't help but feel nostalgic about my past and memories with my family. The "simple times" for my sisters and I were probably not so simple for my parents. They probably stressed about money and schooling and the future-just as I am now for my daughters. They had to have worried about things and yet I never once heard about it. We were not rich with money by any means, but we never went without-they always provided, always taught us, always fed us and clothed us. I never felt like we were "shorted" anything. But I was also taught that not everyone has food, or clothes, or a loving family.
I am thankful that I did. I have always felt full, cared for and loved beyond belief. I am thankful for my amazing parents who have always given-everything-for those they love and even those they don't know. I am thankful that they taught me to care for others and the well being of those who don't have the luxury of a loving family; I am thankful for my sisters who I look up to as strong, Christian women, who want the best for those around them. We were all instilled with so many things-compassion, generosity, love and forgiveness-and for all of those things, I credit the path my parents took and take everyday.

Tender heart

I'ma real crybaby when it comes to movies about: fathers/daughters, babies, friends, elderly, love...okay, I'm a crybaby about most movies. In fact, when I hear Russel Crowes voice, it makes me tear up. I don't even have to see the preview...just the sound of his voice. The movie Up-bawled like a baby...all three times. The movie Meet Joe Black, cried like a lil' girl. We just bought Toy Story 3 and guess what...cried during that too-but Natalie started it. There are several parts in the movie that are a little scary for 4 year olds ( in my opinion) she cried when the Big Baby cried and Lotso stepped on the BB heart; she cried when the toys fell in the dumpster...she's just a tender hear like me. And that's okay.

Natalie is funny #107

My baby girl, Natalie Joy is funny-I've said that befoe, but she really does just crack my stuff up. This morning she complained of not feeling well (she had the night before, so I kind of believed her)so shewanted to stay at home-Andy just happened to not be feeling well either, so she got to stay with Dad all day. Before I left for work told her that sick kids have to stay in bed all day and they are not allowd to watch tv, movies or eat anything fun. Her eyes got really big, but she said, "I won't Mom, I'm just tired and sick and I'll be in bed all day with my fever"
When Andy called at 11am I asked how Natalie was, and when he told me that she'd been up since not long after I left, watching tv, I asked him to give her the phone. I said, "Natalie, what did I tell you before I left this morning?" She said, "That sick kids have to saty in bed all day, but Mom, when I woke up again, my fever was gone-so I thought, I better watch tv to saty better"-she got in trouble :)

uh-oh

So lil' Hannah banana has always had dry skin issues, but Sunday morning as I was changing her, I noticed something a little more disturbing. several round patches on her legs. I just knew it was ringworm, so I asked our friend who is familiar with the fungal junk and he confirmed what I had guessed. UGH! Where di she get this?! I asked her daycare the next morning and they said no other parents has said anything and they've never had a problem like that. SO I called her doctor (because by Tuesday morning, it had spread) and took her in...Dr. Nichold said it's not ringworm, but poor baby will have eczema for the rest of her childhood. I get to go and buy only Cetaphil and Eucerin lotion...at least it's not ringworm...that freaked me out.