Spring Camping Trip

Hannah and I went camping earlier this spring with some good friends, J and M.  We went out to Mineral Wells State Park and just did an overnight trip.  We left Friday after work and drove out to the park.  We got there in time to set up camp and relax a bit before dark.  We cooked some hot dogs over the campfire and then took a short walk down to the lake.  Then we came back and told some stories around the fire and then hit the tents.

Here are the girls getting acquainted with the campsite.

We had a good site.  This is actually the same site that Jennifer and I had the first time we took Hannah camping two years ago.  We had a slight chance of rain so I initially put the fly on, but ended up taking it off because it was too hot to sleep comfortably.

Hannah slept surprisingly well. She was asleep within 30 minutes of getting in the tent and pretty much slept all night.  In the morning, I slipped out to get some breakfast.  When Hannah finally woke up, she realized she was by herself and started crying.  She told me she thought I left her :(

Here is a group timer shot of the campers in the morning.  Hannah was cold and I didn’t bring her a jacket, but luckily M had one to share.

In the morning, we went over to a really neat area of the park called Penitentiary Hollow to watch the rock climbers.  Hannah saw a squirrel shaking its tail and felt obliged to recreate the scene.

This is a pretty view of the lake.

We went down into the hollow and found a crevice in the rocks to walk through that looked quite like a cave.  Hannah deliberated on whether there was a bear in there asleep (she received a healthy fear of bears from her mother).  Ultimately she decided it was safe and instructed me to follow her through the bear cave.

We went down by the water and took a short snack break and then hopped in the truck and were back home by lunch.

It was a quick trip, but very fun. Hannah really had a great time. I was thankful to spend some time out in God’s creation with her. Next time we will stay longer. I think in the fall we are going to take Nathan out for his first overnight trip.

Sewing

I’ve been doing lots of sewing over the past several months….well, I WAS doing lots of sewing. Recently, we put our house on the market and my sewing machine has been permanently packed away to make our house look less cluttered. I never knew there was such a thing as staging houses until we decided to sell ours. We basically moved everything out of our house except some furniture and food, and it looks pretty nice. It feels good to have space. I thought for sure the kids would want all their toys, but guess what…they haven’t. I thought I needed lots of stuffed I packed away, but I haven’t missed anything (except my sewing machine). I have half a mind to send everything in our garage to Goodwill and free ourselves from all the stuff!  Anyway, I digress. That’s another story….back to sewing.

I finally made a few things that have been on my Pinterest boards. I made this casserole carrier for a sweet friend who is always bringing me meals. She brought me a meal when Nathan was born and then when we were all sick one time. I figured she needed something to carry her dish around in style.

Then I found this pretty material and decided I could make some quick throw pillows for my bed. I used this tutorial at SewCaroline. She actually works at a local quilting shop in town and I love everything she makes.

This little car caddy is from HomemadebyJill. I made this for one of Hannah’s little fiends who loves cars. His mom said it has been great for restaurants and other outings where little ones might need something to do. I’m definitely going to make one of these for Nathan.

Then we have the cute little Bow Clutch. I made this for another friend for her birthday and loved it so much that….

I made myself this one in gray chevron with a red zipper. I heart chevron prints. I bought like seven yards in gray and yellow, but I’ve only made one purse. I’m thinking more pillows and some curtains??

Now you might notice on the one above how the handle is sewn neatly into the side? Well, I forgot to sew in the handle on mine, so I just hand sewed it to the inside and the zipper doesn’t close all the way. Oh well, it’s not too bad.

My friend, S, showed me how to make these cute little pom-poms, and we thought it looked great on the purse too. I made another one for my friends green purse, but forgot to take a picture. It made it look so much better. I’m definitely a fan of the pom-pom!

And finally this simple elastic waisted empire dress.

PS See all that clutter in the picture above? It’s ALL gone!

It’s Summertime!

Here’s to many days spent in the backyard cooling down in the pool and with popsicles!

Winnie the Pooh Party

The next day we celebrated with friends and family in the backyard. Hannah requested a Winnie the Pooh birthday party, so we went with that. She actually wanted a princess party first, then changed her mind when "Pooh and Friends” visited her school. I was a little relieved…I could just see our back porch covered in tu-tu’s, glitter, and lots of pink. Winnie the Pooh has been a welcome change!

This is the only picture I got of her in her birthday dress. It was really hot and she soon changed into her bathing suit. Actually, I didn’t take any pictures. I get a little crazy in a crowd of people and forget everything I’m suppose to be doing. Thanks to my sister for snapping most of these pictures on her phone.

We played Pin the Tail on Eeyore. Hannah walked up and raised her blindfold just before she pinned her tail. She wanted to make sure it was in the right spot!

She was really shy this year when we all sang to her. She hid her face in Scott’s shirt for most of the song, but she was happy again once we cut the cake!

Opening a few gifts from the grandparents after the party.

This year, we asked everyone who came to the party to bring a teddy bear in lieu of gifts. Scott’s work collects these bears and gives them to the Women’s Center of Tarrant County.The bears are part of a program the center started to comfort abuse victims that arrive at JPS Hospital in Fort Worth. Last year, the center handed out nearly 600 bears to women and children, so they always have a need to keep them in stock.

Here is Hannah delivering the bears to Mrs. Melody.

They displayed them in the foyer for a few days with a sweet note attached. Thanks to everyone who helped us collect the bears. They were very excited about the donation.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Hannah!

We had a great time celebrating Hannah’s 3rd birthday this year. We started off the day right with some special French toast with sprinkles (or “sparklies”). She really just had the sprinkles for breakfast. She picked them all off and left the French toast. Oh well, it was her birthday.

(side note: Her hair is always a little wild in the mornings)

After breakfast she opened a few presents from us. Nathan was really excited about this part.

I mean, REALLY excited!

After presents we had a special morning visiting the zoo and then meeting Scott at the Botanic Gardens for a picnic lunch. Hannah is all about picnics right now. She likes carrying the blanket and finding the perfect spot to sit.

We went into a special part of the gardens to feed the fish.

And afterwards, we stopped at DQ for a special birthday treat. Hannah loves “banilla” ice-cream.

Hannah Mae, you are one special little girl!

At your 3 year check-up you weighed in at 27 lbs and were 36 3/4” tall. That puts you in about the 45 percentile.

You are so observant (you get that from your dad) and your memory is amazing (also from your dad). You still love playing dress-up and layering all your dresses on top of each other. Most of the time you are in about 5 dresses, high heels, several necklaces and bracelets, a crown, a wand and a purse. You need to teach your momma how to accessorize!

You also ask LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of questions. I try my best not to answer you with “because I said so,” but after about ten questions, I can’t keep coming up with answers!

You are acting a little more shy and cautious as you enter your third year, but once you warm up, you do just fine. You also still like to sing. You can hear a song one time and have it memorized. And if you don’t know the words, you make them up. We spend a lot of our time just singing and dancing around the house.

We love you so much sweet Hannah! You’re a wonderful blessing to our family.

Easter 2012

In pictures…