Hannah :)

because she's been so neglected here... :)
Hannah is still the sweetest little one... :) we call her "bug" or "Bugs" - and Katherine calls her "Hannah Buggers" (which sounds like "Hannah Bugg-ahhs") :) it's cute... :)
she has this big, toothless grin when she smiles... :) still no teeth :) but you can tell she's working on them - lots of drool... :)
her hair is getting longer...to the point where it doesn't stick straight up any more... :) she wore a bow to church on Sunday and it stayed in... :) amazing... :)

she's all over the place with her crawling...and she's starting to pull up on various things... she discovered the kitchen floor in the last few days and is curious about it...it feels different, i'm sure... :) she just sits there and "pats" it... :) cute :)

her dark blue eyes...amazing :)

(love the Reeces speaking to us over her shoulder :))

and she has a way about exploring... she's a quiet one as she moves about in her surroundings... she always looks to see if momma's nearby, but she is content to explore... her favorite things right now are the tambourine, the little people who ride in the school bus, and anything her sister is playing with :) (hehehehe)

she is shy... she will warm up to you, but when she first meets anyone, she buries her head into my shoulder and just looks... :)

and when she's happy, she lets out a high pitched scream that, seriously, would rival Mariah Carey, i think...ear piercing! and, one of the many things i love about her...when she's excited, she will do this scream (not the high pitched one)...it's not an annoying scream... it reminds me of my dearest Aunt Debbie (who passed away in the late 90s)... she used to laugh like that...with screams in there... :)

Hannah is, without a doubt, a tremendous blessing... :) she's my Bugs! :) and we love her to death!!! :)

fall fun :)

we recently made the trip out to Illinois to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday... :)
while we were there, the weather was AMAZING! :) and, the trees were well ahead of our fall changes here in Virginia...
the leaves covered the ground, and we had a blast playing :) Katherine was a little unsure about jumping and playing leaves in the beginning, but as you can see, she quickly caught on and had a great time :)

getting covered by grandma :) (my mom :))

3

today my baby turned three...
it's so hard to believe...
i can remember heading to the hospital to labor for over 23 hours with her in my belly...
only then, i didn't know she was a her :)
she was born at 5:41 AM and weighed 7 pounds, on the dot. :)
a perfect little bundle of love...
(pardon my picture...i was tired!)

she cried and cried and cried...a lot... :) for the days and nights in the hospital. i guess there was a reason why they gave us the room at the end of the hall :) and, she left the hospital with laryngitis, which is kind of funny... :) the nurses were all giggling when they'd hear her when we were getting ready to leave... :) they were probably laughing because they knew that her vocal personality would be a good indicator of her future... we don't call her "chatterbox" for nothing... :)

and today, my sweet Katherine is one of the reasons why i get up and smile each morning... :)
she's a spunky and determined little girl...

she's got the personality of her grandma Katz and her great-grandpa Kizer...and while i know her character will serve her well, she's a little girl with a mind of her own... don't try to change her path or she'll let you know that she does NOT agree! (and she will probably let everyone else know, too! :))

she's curious about everything and asks so many questions in a given day...
she loves to play... and she has so many things she plays with...
she loves to read her books and do her puzzles :) she can "read" several of her books to you, if you sit patiently and listen... of course, she never reads "on command," but instead, at times when you least expect it... :)

she loves her musical instruments...the bongo drums and keyboard...hand bells...anything... and sing...she LOVES singing... my favorite is listening to her sing to Hannah... :) and she also sings with the bongos... she taps out the beat of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while she sings to her beat. :) the house is rarely quiet from her songs! :)

she plays with her shopping cart, happily shopping for "mommy customer" or "daddy customer" in her store. she brings you things like birthday cakes (cat food cans) and "soup" (a container of beaded necklaces) for prices like "fifteen hundred dollars." :) but she says, "please" so we give it to her and take our product. :)

she loves to copy me in that she carries a baby around and cares for her during most of the day. she wraps her lovingly in a blanket and puts her to sleep. she tells us all to "be very kie-it because the baby is sleepin'." :) she shares her juice and milk with her dolls in case they are thirsty, and she's even willing to put them in the bath tub at bath time! :)

she likes to play restaurant and will make you whatever you want...standing at the counter, oftentimes when i'm cooking, getting out random utensils to stir up her creation... :)

she loves to be outside...digging in the dirt, going between trees, playing on her slide, giving her "climbing frame" a try (thanks, "Peppa Pig" for teaching her British terms). she likes to play basketball with daddy, and going on a nice walk is another favorite past time. :) it's hard to get her to come in...and sometimes, fresh air and freedom in the outdoors is one of the only things that can soothe her soul...

(after blowing out her candles :))

she's still a very picky eater...this, of course, explains her tiny but strong frame. she can still wear 18 and 24 month clothes without a problem...altho the length on some of these tend to be a challenge... her height does not seem compatible with the clothes that fit her frame... :)

she has a memory unlike any toddler i've ever met... she can tell you what dress she was wearing in August when she visited her Bakki (great-grandmother, in chinese)... she remembers different things that i don't even put into my memory...and she makes connections about things that i find amazing...

she loves to watch TV when she's given the chance, and her favorite shows are Peppa Pig, Fresh Beat Band (or Beat Beat Band, as she calls it), and Bubble Guppies. and, she enjoys DVDs (DDDs, as she refers to them) sometimes, too, especially Laurie Berkner, Praise Baby, and Kidsongs DVDs.

the "big" present from Mommy and Daddy...a fish tank, sans fish, though... :) they'll be added early this week. :) in the meantime, she stands and loves her "blue and silver beads" at the bottom, and the "windy castle" (another Peppa Pig reference) in the middle for the fishies to swim in when they arrive. :) she has stated that she's only interested in blue and red fish... :)

a new book, "Clifford's Birthday Party" - how appropriate :) good message, too... :) we read it tonight before going to bed :)

a few more gifts tonight... an owl shirt :) and a new outfit for church - a monkey shirt and matching skirt :)

when i think of some of my defining moments in life, her arrival is surely one of my defining moments (towards the top of the list)...she changed my life in ways that i would have never imagined... all for the good, of course... :)

so today, i remember when my whole world changed...and when my heart grew in ways that i could have never predicted...in love and in vulnerability.

happy 3rd birthday, Baby Girl!! we will forever celebrate and love YOU!!

good thoughts...

think of all the beauty

still left around you

and be happy

~anne frank