Happy 1st Birthday Hannah

Hannah turned 1 on March 9th and is quickly seeming more and more like a toddler and less and less like a baby. I may have even shed a tear (or at least got choked up) on her birthday... how did this happen so fast?!!!! She was a pretty easy baby and instantly earned a special place in our hearts and in our family. She is no longer the mellow baby she was for so long... now she's on the move and into everything! She has always been such a happy baby, so quick to smile and almost never in a bad mood. Her enthusiastic smile brings us so much joy and we are so thankful the Lord entrusted her into our care!

We just had a little family celebration on her birthday, but she had a blast. My amazingly talented sister-in-law Tara, documented the event with her camera. Here are a few shots from her big day...

 This is where you see that Hannah takes after her Grammy and the Hart side of the family

 This girl LOVES water... it makes her so happy to take a drink from my cup or sneak a sip from her sister's cup... she's so funny. She also loves bread... she finds it in the pantry and brings it to us, shrieking to ask us for some. I suppose she comes by her love of carbs honestly ;)

 David grilled a great meal and I made her a carrot cake, which she thoroughly enjoyed. My cousin Jessica, with pastry school experience, helped decorate it :)

 

And now for a little birthday comparison... I noticed something about my dad... Apparently, he loves to be in the cake eating action for 1st birthdays...
                                                                             Hannah

 Abby

Do you think these birthday girls look similar?

We have a walker!

Poor Hannah came down with Chicken pox last week, but it didn't dampen her spirits. She was such a trooper through it all even though she didn't sleep well out of discomfort for a few nights. However, our "house arrest" for the week did give her some extra cruising practice, and by the end of the week, she took 10 steps! Our little mover is not wasting any time, in only a few short days of walking, she's quickly transitioning to walking as her preferred method of movement over crawling. Here's a quick video of her walking...

December Re-cap: Top 6

December was such a full month that it is hard to even know where to begin. While I could probably make 5 posts about this month, I'll narrow it down to our top 6 moments/ events in December in no particular order(I apologize in advance for the length of this post).

6.  Hannah at 9 months: Smiling and Standing
 Hannah weighed in at 19 pounds, 4 ounces (75%) and is 27 in (25%). It seems both our girls are on the short side... She also got her first tooth in at 9 months!

5.  Hannah Meeting Santa (She didn't cry!)

 
4.  Disneyland
   We went to Disneyland in mid December... it was crowded, but we still had a lot of fun. Hannah enjoyed her first trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth"

 Selfie on Hannah's first ride... Dumbo !

 First Set of Ears:)

3.  Christmas (Hannah's first ) We enjoyed spending it in Indiana!

2. First Snow Experience
We went to visit Grammy and Opa (David's parents) in Indiana for Christmas. We were praying for snow and God delivered... on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning... so fun! While we didn't get a ton of snow, it was a great first experience for Abby and Hannah. Abby was enamored by the snow and had fun stomping around in it, making a snow angel on the deck, and helping Daddy build a small snowman!

 

1. Abigail turned 3 years old!!!

          We love our little girl and can't believe she's already 3. She is very verbal and loves everything to do with stories... books, oral stories, telling others about her day. She is cautious, often choosing to sit back, watch, and learn before jumping in to a new activity. She shows signs of being a linear thinker... she loves to line up her toys in a straight line, group them by color, and gets upset if something is out of place. She is compassionate... often concerned about others. She is petite... 29 lbs and 35 1/2 in. tall... takes after her petite Grandma. She has become a much better sleeper since we moved this summer... no more naps, but sleeps in her big girl bed pretty consistently from 7:30 - 6:30. She loves her morning Chocolate milk (ovaltine) and is still hooked on blueberries, but is a good eater overall.
We have our challenges with her, but overall, she lights up our days and fills our hearts!

Abigail wanted a Dora the Explorer party for her birthday... we had to improvise a bit since it poured down rain the morning of her party, but I think we pulled off a fun Dora Fiesta indoors. Here are a few snapshots from her party...

 

Running toward her new playhouse from Grandma and Grandpa :)