Picnic and a Playdate

With Hannah having been sick more than half of her Christmas vacation, there's only a few days left to enjoy. We met our friends Lori, Emma, and Ethan and Debi, Zach, and Alex at the park today for a picnic lunch and for playing. It was a beautfiul day to be outside and the kids all enjoyed playing with one another, while us moms chatted!

Christmas with Gramie

Gramie came today to spend some time with us and exchange Christmas presents. Hannah was happy to show Gramie all her new toys and presents she's gotten the last two days. We did presents, and then went for a nice dinner together. After dinner, we went to The Mission Inn and walked around and looked at their beautiful Christmas decorations and lights one last time for this season. Once back home, we played the new game from Gramie, Journey Through Bibleland, a fun game similar to Candyland.

As always, Hannah is always looking ahead to when her next visit to Gramie's will be, especially since her last visit was cut way short because she had fallen ill.

Enjoying her new Wheels...

Christmas Day

Christmas Day started off at home with stockings and opening presents. We decided years ago, before we had children, we'd only do three gifts on Christmas, because Jesus got three gifts for His birthday! But when you add in the presents from out-of-town Aunts and Uncles send, it usually ends up being a few more than just three to open.
Growing up, one of my favorite memories of Christmas was our stocking! Mom used to do them up GOOD! She continued until we were adults, and then stopped because it just got too expensive to fill the stockings she had quilted...mainly because as we grew into adults, our stocking stuffers became more expensive! This is one tradition I've tried to carry on with my own children. I pick up stocking stuffers all year long and usually end up with way too much. This year, Hannah's stocking was filled to the brim because I can always find so many cute things to put in there that I know she'll love!

She was excited to get the My Little Pony Butterfly Island, and a sky dancer thingy that she saw on TV. She was also excited to get more clothes for her little Build a Bear that she got when she started Kindergarten.
From here, we went over to Gramma and Papa's. Where we joined Uncle Robbie, Auntie, McKenzie, and Haylee, and Uncle Bart for Christmas Dinner and more presents!!! When my mom stopped doing stockings for us kids, she started filling them for the grandkids...once she started getting some. LOL. Here is Hannah with her stocking:
When we got home from Gramma and Papa's house, Grandpa Steve was here and he had a gift for Hannah, this cool riding thingy that you make go by swiveling the steering wheel. It can hold up to 300lbs, so both Steven and I are looking forward to trying it out today!
Once again, the kids got A LOT of great things! They are defiantely well loved and spoiled!! Now comes the hard part of finding homes for all the stuff!

Christmas Eve at Great Grandmas

Tonight was the annual Christmas Eve gathering at Great Grandma's house, gathering for a traditional dinner followed by a gift exchange. This year was no different, the great granddaughters made a major haul in the toy department!

Hannah was so excited to get this gift, a Sleeping Beauty Castle that she's been looking at Disneyland for months!! It's so cool...it changes colors just the real castle at Disneyland! It also plays music and comes with little figures to play with. She actually stayed awake the entire drive home and asked Daddy to take it out of the box and set it up once we got home! She also got all the Disney Princess Polly Pocket sets from Disneyland, a huge box of beads, some new games, a gift card to spend at Disneyland, and a new interactive puppy, whom she's named 'Precious'.

I'm so glad Hannah was feeling better and was able to enjoy the evening. She really was sick this week. The above picture kinda shows in her eyes that she's totally not back to feeling 100%. They just aren't as bright as they normally are. I'm sure another night of sleeping good will do her good too!

Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours

On the Mend...Finally

I think Hannah is finally on the mend. For the past few days she's been giving us such fits about eating and drinking anything, which she needs prior to her antibiotics. We've offered her everything and anything to eat...even offering her ice cream for breakfast and dinner, and yet she still didn't take that chance! I really think she was starting to get dehydrated as she was lethargic and haddry lips, etc. Because everytime I did get her to drink something she would perk up. I can't express the stress the couple of days have been. But I think she's finally turned for the better.

She spent the afternoon with Gramma, helping make beautiful center pieces for the Christmas Dinner Table (will post pics later this weekend) and just hanging out. Gramma to the rescue!...she got her to eat and drink quite a bit during their visit. On the way home from Gramma and Papa's house I was playing the dreaded "what will you eat" questions, and she said that Chicken Fingers from Applebees sounded good. So I had her call Daddy on the cell phone and told him to get ready and we took her to get Chicken Fingers! She ate two big ones! Thank Goodness! She took her medicines without a fight this evening as well. Whatever lecture Gramma gave her worked!!! (Thanks Mom!)

Here's to another night of her sleeping the night through and having an even better day tomorrow!!!

A Haircut!!

Hannah's been wanting to have her hair cut for months, her reason was simply because the girl next door had her hair cut. We told her that wasn't a good enough reason.

I decided today it was time to give it a trim and take a little off to get some of the dead ends and straighten it out a bit. I had planned to only take 3-4 inches off, but once it was cut, it looked like I had cut a lot more than that! So I measured it, and it was actually 5 1/2 inches that I took off! It looks so nice and healthy now!

A Trip to the Doctor

Hannah woke up complaining her ear hurt this morning. So into the Pediatrician we went. Just as I suspected...not only one infection, but double ear infections. Nasty infections according the Ped. Thankfully her lungs were clear and her fever broke last night. I think the worst of this illness is behind us.

Our Ped's office was empty when we arrived, but every mother you passed in the hall or in the waiting room when we came out, all had that same glazed over look, the look of having been up and down several times in the night with a sick child.

Hannah's not eating well. Her mood really stinks and we're sure it's due to not having eaten something substantial in 3 days. Now that she has antibiotics and cough medicine to take, she's giving us fits for not wanting those. I know that if she would just eat, and take her medicines without a fight, she'd feel better.

Hannah's Holiday Fridge

We don't do Santa in our house. But I had to share this picture, because it is so cute. This very cute reindeer is Hannah's foot, and the antlers are her hands!

One Sick Girlie

Poor Hannah. This was suppose to be her weekend with her Gramie. In fact, she went home with Gramie following her Christmas performance on Friday. From here they headed to Disneyland for the afternoon.

Saturday morning, my mother in law called to tell us that Hannah had a bug, she had thrown up all over my mother in law's car and again once they reached home. Hannah's visit was cut short when she asked to come home and did so Saturday evening.She acted pretty okay once she got home last night. However, the night was a little rough as I was up and down with her several times...for miscellaneous things, one time it was simply for "a huggy".

Hannah has been quarantined to her room all day with the laptop watching movies. She has body aches, a fever, and a sore throat. I'm trying so hard to keep Rachel away from Hannah, it's the week before Christmas, and I would hate for Rachel, or any of us for that matter, to get sick.

Here's hoping for a better night and her waking up feeling better.

Kindergarten Christmas Performance 2005

Hannah's Christmas performance went great. The kids did such a great job with their 8 songs and 5 poems.Hannah was a little nervous, but she sang and did all the handmotions and has improved since her previous performances in preschool. LOL.

A Sweet and Caring Sister

Tonight, Rachel threw up in her crib. It was all over her crib, all over her favorite bear, all over her. I called for Steven to help me get her into the bath while I cleaned up her bed. As I was making a trip from the laundry room back to her bedroom, I noticed Hannah starting to kneel in the corner of the hallway, I asked her what she was doing, and she simply said "praying for Rachel". She's such a sweet sister.

Class Christmas Party and a Dress Rehearsal

Today was the Christmas party for Hannah's class. The kids decorated their own cookies and had a blast doing it!!! I provided each kid with a plate of three different cookies. And then parents donated misc other items I asked for, for the decorating. When similar activities were done atHannah's preschool, each child was given their own dixie cup filled with frosting and their own plastic knife for spreading the frosting. I did that today, and boy am I glad I did! I don't think there was a single kid who didn't lick their knives...repeatedly!! LOL. Also today, was the dress rehearsal for their Christmas program they will do the next two days. The morning and afternoon class has combined thier talents and have been practicing together for the last month. Today they practiced before their first audience, their Big Buddies. Tomorrow they will perform for the afternoon's class parents and guests, and on Friday they will perform for our class' parents and guests. They did a great job, but you could tell some were nervous...like Hannah, despite being in the back row where really no one could see her today.

Lil' Helpers

Recently while out shopping, I came across these cute aprons. I grabbed one with Hannah in mind, and my mom reminded me that I had two girls and how cute it would be for both girls to have matching aprons when helping in the kitchen. Today we dawned the aprons and made cookie dough for cookie cutter cookies for Hannah's class party on Wednesday.

Christmas Lights!!

In Hannah's opinion, it was the perfect way to end the day...going to look at Christmas lights with McKenzie, Haylee, Uncle Robbie, Auntie, and Gramma and Papa! I decorated the double stroller with battery operated Christmas lights for the occassion! Hannah got the idea from seeing someone's stroller at Disneyland the other night! While you can't see the lights in this picture, it was pretty cute!

Playing with the Cousins

Today was McKenzie's birthday party. It was a small gathering of just the grandparents and aunts and uncles.

Hannah always loves the times when she gets to play with her cousins, today was no exception. All four of the girls played so well together. It's great they are close in age and get along well.

Tis the Season...

for a picture in a Sleigh.

Sound Asleep

It doesn't matter how rough the day, how much bickering went on, how much whining you heard, seeing your children sound asleep just melts your heart. Here are the girls sound asleep in the car on the way home from Disneyland tonight.

Last Game and a Pizza Party!

It's hard to believe that Hannah's first soccer season has come to an end. The season was 11 games and she made it every game. She got better as the season went on, and then kinda dwindled these last few games. LOL. The organization has a Spring season, but due to not as much participation as the Fall season, the teams are coed. And when we asked Hannah if she wanted to play with boys on her team, she said 'no'. So we may find another activity for her to be involved in come Spring.

This afternoon, the team met for their end of the season pizza party and trophies!
As the couch handed out the trophies, he said something about each player. Which really was an added touch. For Hannah, he said she had the best sportsmanship.

First Field Trip!

Hannah was sooo excited to go to school today, it was her first school field trip! They went to the Christmas Tree Farm. The fun thing about this field trip is that this Christmas Tree Farm is also the Pumpkin Patch that we go to. So it was fun to get to have the Christmas Tree experience.

Hannah's class was again joined by the afternoon Kindergarten class, as well as one of the 1st grade classes. Because there was 3 classes going, there was only room for 2 parent helpers for each class on the bus. So the other parents who wanted to particpate in the field trip, followed behind the school bus...and what a following there was!

Because we live out of the school's zone, and I drive Hannah to school everyday, she's never ridden a school bus. So she was so excited to get to ride on the bus. She's in a blue sweater, in front of the little boy in the red. After a ride around the Pumpkin Patch and the Tree Farm on a tractor pulled flatbed, the kids sat and learned all about the Christmas Trees that are grown at the Farm, and the different parts of the tree, and their functions. Did you know that a pine tree doesn't start to produce pine cones until the tree is 7-8 years old?!? LOL. As part of the tour, the kids got to visit the animals of the farm and feed them. There were goats, chickens, ducks, pigs, and horses. There were kids and animals everywhere, I had trouble spotting Hannah and it was no wonder, she was off in the corner of the pen, standing on a bucket. When I went to her and asked her what she was doing, her response was "the ground is covered with goat poop and I don't want to step in it". LOL. I convinced her it was okay, mommy had thought ahead and she had her play shoes on! One of the cool things that Hannah always loves to do when we visit is play on the Hay Castle. It's about 6 bales of hay high that the kids can climb on. It's always such a big hit with the kids! At the end of our time at the Christmas Tree Farm, each student got their own little Christmas Tree seedling and a candy cane. The kids really were excited about getting their very own Christmas Tree!