Mama's garden helper

Hannah helped me with some garden upkeep this afternoon...

"Deadheading" the flowers - or "liveheading," because the pretty ones are much more fun to pick!

Putting the cuttings into the bucket. After she emptied the bucket. This went on for a while.

Fun things to do with a bucket.

But the hat and the bucket don't match, so she really needed to remove the hat. Darn velcro!

Photos and a video

Some audio-visual Hannah moments...

Reading a story this afternoon. The kisses she gives to stuffed critters are more like big chomps. Wonder if she knew it was a finger puppet?

Playing in the back yard. No doubt she's got Doggett thighs!

Then now in a field of bluebonnets at the airport. We definitely had better wildflower weather last year!

The end.

Little love

A most wonderful thing about Hannah is how affectionate she's become. She loves to give hugs and kisses, which are wonderful to receive - even the open-mouth-slobber-eat-your-face kind that she sometimes needs to give in sets of 10 or so! It's been interesting to watch her chose her objects of affection. Apparently love of cuddly stuffed things comes naturally. Or maybe she's seen me curled up with Pooh Bear when Andy's not home... Here are some photos of our little lovey. (Who cut her first molar sometime very recently, and has been remarkably good-natured about it - we'll see how long that lasts!)

Hugging a baby doll at Caroline's 1st birthday party yesterday.

Heading off to bed this evening with Harriet, after trying to feed her some of her milk.

Getting her sleep sack for bed. After her story, she kissed me and dove for the crib!

Computer woes

First a pretty picture just 'cause...

After 3 1/2 years of blissful matrimony, apparently my internet provider software and my older computer no longer see eye to eye, leaving me relegated to webmail on a spare laptop. It's amazing how much I not only rely on having a computer, but having my computer with my files and my Outlook! So if you've been getting emails from me in strange formats, or no messages at all, or ones sent to addresses that you only check once a year, there's your reason.

Grammy and Hannah at the Arboretum.

Field trip day - look at all the pretty yellow flowers!

On a less whiny note, we just had a wonderful visit from my mom. She helped me do some shopping and find the item I've dreamed of for years - a summer dress that works with a regular bra! I know that may not impress any guys reading this, but you girls know what a victory that is. We also enjoyed some time with my mom's Ft. Worth family, a hike at Lake Mineral Wells State Park, and some fun at the park and Arboretum. Hannah really enjoyed getting to know her Grammy more and we really enjoyed our night at the new fancy W Hotel (thanks to Andy's hotel points!). We haven't slept that late in a long, long time!

The new toy from REI.
Sportin' the sunblock 'do. She won't keep a hat on, so we have to rub in all over her head!

Angel baby loves to sleep, but it never happens in my arms any more. What a blessing.

Hannah's becoming the most amazing little person. She's developed quite a squeal/scream/laugh thing when she's excited that's not exactly pretty, but fun to hear. She's also really fond of saying Daddy these days (and cheese, but not with quite the same enthusiasm). She'll let out a Daddeee when he comes in the door or even when we met him at the park in his biking gear. She absolutely loves to play at the park. After a stop to choose her favorite wood chips to carry around, she heads off to the stairs and slides or just runs around laughing. What a joy!

Along with her exuberant joy of course comes other intense emotions. Like the utter tragedy of being told to stop or that something is not hers to touch. Out comes the big pout, often followed by genuine tears, wails, and even her hands over mouth. And then she finds something else to do and plays happily with tears on her cheeks. Here's a winner from the "feed me now" category. Our little drama queen!