Science Saturday

Saturday my mom came to meet us at the Tellus Science Museum, which is about 40 minutes from our house.  We were going to go shopping at the outlet mall, but I decided at the last minute that going to the science museum would be a lot more fun for Parker.  We enjoy going to the museum because they have some really cool exhibits and Parker is able to walk around and get some exercise.

Grandma Henry and the kiddos in the kid area at the museum.  They have some really cool things here and it is just awesome for kids!

Hannah ate right away, then slept the rest of the time 

Watching a movie about dinosaur fossils 

The dino exhibit is my favorite and Parker's too.  These dinos are huge and we all look so small compared to their enormous size! 

This was Parker's favorite dino (we said it reminded us of the Loch Ness monster) 

We couldn't get over how big the flippers were on this sea creature! 

This is a prehistoric armadillo - so cool!  Parker thought he was pretty cool so he was clapping for him - hah! 

The mouth of a shark - seriously?? 

The museum also has a transportation exhibit with carriages, motorbikes, helicopters, airplanes, trains and space shuttles.  When you have an on-the-go 3 year old, you can't really stop and read all the interesting information, but they had the first vehicle developed by Henry Ford - an 1896 quadricycle.  It was really cool! 

This train was awesome and very pretty.  I had to take a quick picture of Parker by it, because if you notice in the bottom left there is a sign that clearly reads, "Please do not climb or sit on the platforms."  Luckily, we didn't get caught - hah! 

We had a fun day and Grandma was glad she got to meet us and spend time with the kiddos.  Thanks for meeting us Grandma and for the yummy lunch!

Hannah's Check-Up

Well, the stats are in for little Hannah as we finally made it to her pediatrician for her 2 month check up.  I had actually taken her last week, but we couldn't get seen because our insurance was telling us she wasn't showing up on our plan!  Needless to say, I was little ticked, but we got it all straightened out and she was able to see the pediatrician Wednesday.

The doctor said Hannah is doing great and perfectly healthy!  She was also impressed at the ability to hold her head up (for brief periods) and that she has been sleeping through the night for several weeks.  We are so very blessed and thank God for a beautiful, healthy child!

She weighed 12lbs 4oz, which puts her in the 85th percentile.

She measured 23in long, which puts her in the 90th percentile.

This was Hannah's look when I told her we were going to see Dr. Vicki and that she had to get 2 vaccines - hah!

Then, I told her it was going to be ok and this was the look she gave me - hah! 

New Things

This week a few new things have occurred . . . Hannah wore this new outfit to church from Aunt Amber (my sister), I made popcorn on the stove the old-fashioned way (with kernels), Parker is interacting more with Hannah and I took Parker to a kids hair salon for a haircut.

Hannah was taking a nap in her room and Parker was playing.  All of a sudden, I didn't hear Parker making any noise, so I got up to check on him and I found him in Hannah's room peeking over the crib looking at her.  So sweet!

A friend of mine from high school has a cooking blog where she posts different recipes.  One of her recipes was making popcorn the old-fashioned way on the stove using oil and kernels.  It sounded yummy and simple, so I thought I would give it a try.  Brad and I love eating popcorn and I could eat it just about every night.  The bagged popcorn can get pricy and buying just the kernels is way cheaper!

So, I poured some olive oil, a little butter, and a sprinkle of salt in the pot, covered the bottom of the pot with whole grain kernels that I found at Target . . . 

Heated on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, shook the kernels a little while in the pot (so they didn't burn) . . . 

And, tada - 3 minutes later, we had this bowl full of popcorn!  Oh my, it was so good!  Needless, to say, I'll be making this several nights a week from now on.  I was so proud of myself - not only is this way cheaper, but it's also way more healthy! 

Parker doesn't have school on Tuesday's, so we try to find something fun to do or go to the park, just to get out of the house (especially if it's a nice day).  This day, it was in the mid-50s and wasn't raining, so the plan was to get a haircut then go to the park and play.  I took Parker to this kids hair salon, Pigtails & Crewcuts - isn't that a fun name for a kids salon??  One of our friends told us about it, so I thought we would check it out. 

They have these super cute cars the kids get to sit in while they get their hair cut (an airplane, a Radio Flyer car, a taxi and a police car).  The entire salon is all about kids, so it's very kid-friendly, bright colors, and a tv.  Parker chose the airplane to sit in and he did such a good job being still. 

He really wasn't interested in the tv - he enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror and making faces! 

Getting a little buzz in the back! 

The finished product - the hair stylist did a great job!  I could not get Parker to look at me because when she was finished, she was getting Parker some animal cookies for a treat since he did such a nice job.  Parker was eyeing her like a hawk while she was at the cookie jar - hah! 

One happy little dude with a new hairdo and animal cookies in his belly! 

After a fun experience at the hair salon, we headed over to a nearby park.  It has rained here the past few days and another system is coming our way in the next 2 days, so we were definitely taking advantage of a sunny, 55 degree weather day!  

Parker loves this park and it really has a lot of things for him to play on.  I especially like this particular play area because it's fenced in, so it's perfect for us, since I now have Hannah and I don't have to worry with Parker running off and me chasing after him -  hah! 

Jake even came with us to enjoy the day.  We are usually the only ones at this play area, since we go early, but today, there were a few other kids there (the moms probably had the same idea as me - get the kids out, since they've been cooped up in the house the past few days due to all the rain)!  Jake was a little disappointed because I will let him off his leash and let him run around in this fenced play area with Parker.  Jake and Parker both love it, but I couldn't today because of the other kids that were there.  Jake was whining a little, so Parker came over and gave Jake a nudge with his knee to tell him it would be ok - hah! 

Parker loved sliding down the slides!  I did bring a change of clothes this time and it's a good thing I did because the first slide Parker chose to go down was full of water at the bottom!  FYI . . . that was the only slide that was wet - all the others were dry, hah!  However, by the time we left, his pants were almost dry.  We had a great morning together!

Rainy Days in Georgia

We've had some rainy days in Georgia the past few days, so we've broken out our raincoats and gotten real creative on finding ways to let Parker run and play.  After a few days of being inside, we all needed to get out of the house.

Parker, Hannah and I ran some errands on Friday and we stopped at Chick-fil-A for a treat.  The manager was handing out these cow cutouts to all the kiddos and Parker thought it was really cool!

Parker loved making faces at the cow!  He was cracking himself up - hah! 

Saturday, we all took a trip to the mall, including Brad!  He is not one to go to the mall, so this was a big outing for our family - hah!  The mall has an indoor playground, so we thought this would be a great way to let Parker play and run around!  Parker wore himself out and after playing, we walked around the mall for just a little while, then ate lunch at Chick-fil-A.  The four of us had a fun family outing!

Hannah was ready for her first trip to the mall and ended up sleeping the entire time!  Thanks to Mrs. Amy (my bestie) for the cute outfit! 

Parker loved going under the bridge! 

The play area is awesome and just perfect for him!  He loved going down all the slides and through all the tunnels. 

Hannah is 2 months!

Our sweet little Hannah turned 2 months Thursday.  What a fast 2 months it  has been!  I am enjoying my maternity leave with both Hannah and Parker and I can't believe I only have 4 weeks left!  I could seriously get used to not having to work - hah!

I don't have any "doctor" stats on Hannah yet - she has her check-up next week, so stay tuned!  However, in the past several weeks, Hannah has accomplished several new things:

1) sleeps through the night - goes to bed between 9-10pm and wakes up between 5-6am

2) sleeps in her own room in her crib

3) takes a paci, but doesn't need it all the time (she likes to have it if she's a little fussy)

4) eats 4-5 times a day and eats 6oz each time

5) loves the bouncy seat, but not much of a fan of the swing right now

6) is getting better with tummy time

7) takes a long afternoon nap on her tummy in her crib

8) loves to be held and wrapped in a blanket

9) does not like to be cold

10) likes to be talked to and will smile really big at Brad and I

For Hannah's 2 month old celebration, we went to eat at Olive Garden with a gift card one of Brad's students had gotten him.  Parker and I shared some pizza, salad and a breadstick.  This was Hannah's first trip to a real "sit down" restaurant and both kiddos did a great job, even though they look kindof sad in this picture - hah!

We came home and the kiddos watched Parker's reading video before bedtime.  If we only knew what Parker and Hannah were thinking during these pics. . . . 

 

Hannah, you are very precious and I can't believe you are already 2 months old!  I can't wait to see how you grow and change in the next 2 months! 

Dentist Visit

Parker had his 6 month check up at the dentist this week.  We love our "rock star" dentist Dr. Bongiovi (pronounced Bon Jovi).  Isn't that an awesome name?  He is super nice and the entire practice is just great!  Parker got another great report - teeth look good and healthy!  Our new homework is to begin flossing! 

We get our picture made with the beaver every time we go, so it's great to see how Parker changes every 6 months. 

July 2011 - 2 years 10 months

January 2011 - 2 years 4 months 

May 2010 - 20 months (his very first visit) 

PK and Hannah

PK and Hannah are getting along pretty good.  Every day Parker seems to get more comfortable with her being around.  He has brought her bottle to me twice and he pats her on the head.  I think once she gets more upright and moves around more, they'll have great fun together!

Hannah is growing and her little cheeks are starting to fill out.  We go for her 2 month check up at the end of this upcoming week, so we are curious to see what percentile she will be in.  We weighed her the other day and we think she's about 12lbs and she's probably grown about 3 inches because she's definitely longer!

Last week Parker, Hannah and I ran some errands and when we were leaving the store, we saw these geese sitting in the grass area between the parking lot and the exit road.  I had to do a double-take because I thought they were fake.  We rolled down the window and they started honking - really cool! 

See - don't they look like a decoy?? 

After our errands, we ate lunch at Chick-fil-A.  As if I needed another reason to love CFA, but they now serve grilled nuggets in the kids meal!!  Hannah slept while Parker and I enjoyed our lunch together. 

After Chick-fil-A, we went to the park.  It had just rained the past 2 days, so it was a little wet, but Parker didn't care and neither did Jake.  Both boys loved being outside and being able to run around! 

You can't really tell by this pic, but by the time we were done, Parker was soaked from head to toe!  He didn't care and luckily I had remembered to bring a change of clothes.

Most times when one of us holds Hannah, Parker wants to sit with us too.  It's very sweet and both Brad and I enjoy the time we get to hold both of our little ones.  Dad usually tells a story and Parker loves it and Hannah just stares at Daddy!

Jake is a good big brother with Hannah.  It's kindof hard to see, but he's got his paw on her back - so sweet! 

Our little Hannah

Hannah has done 2 new things . . . 1) she has taken a pacifier and 2) she has slept through the night for a week straight! 

I was very anti-paci until one night when she was fussy and nothing would calm her down until I gave her a paci!  She instantly took it and was content for 2 hours straight!  After that, I have changed my thinking on the pacifier, but we don't give it to her that much - only when she's a little fussy and needs to be calmed down. 

 

Hannah has become a great sleeper, just like her big brother!  At 6 weeks, she slept through the night for the first time!  She is currently on a roll with sleeping through the night for 1 week straight!

We put Hannah in her own room for the first time Friday night and it took her 10 minutes to fall asleep, she didn't fuss AND she slept until 5:45am!  Go Hannah Go!  By the way, this is what we see on our monitor, so we can keep our eye on our little one!  We LOVE our monitor! 

Our sweet little Hannah sleeping through the night