Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

Last Sunday, we were invited to the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. Our neighbor, Mrs. Rhonda, was in charge of the event. In preparation for the big hunt, you and Daddy spent an hour and a half in the front yard hiding and finding eggs on Saturday. You were hooked once Daddy showed you how the hunt worked. You literally had 15 little eggs that Daddy would hide. When you found them all, you sat down and counted them with Daddy, and then said "more" and you played over and over until it was time to go inside.

On Sunday, we went over to the clubhouse. When we walked up, the eggs were already hidden for the big hunt. Well, you spotted them right away and immediately wanted to pick them up and put them in your basket. We had to distract you with the petting zoo until it was time to start.

You adored the baby pig and smiled and giggled when you were petting him. I think he liked it too. His little tail was wagging the entire time.

Next up, was the sheep.  You were a brave, big girl and approached him all by yourself.

And finally, onto the bunny

When it was time for the big hunt, you could barely contain yourself. You knew the rules and you were ready to run!

This egg hunt had an added bonus... the eggs were filled with wonderful treats. We didn't fill our eggs for the practice hunt.

You were so excited about the little treats inside of your eggs. In fact, when daddy and I were talking to some new friends, you sat down and opened every egg to see what was inside. Parental fail.... we were busy making new friends and although you were sitting on the ground right in front of us, you were busy putting wrapped treats in your mouth. Parents. of. the. year. You were perfectly content and weren't making a peep, since most of the chocolate in said wrapper was squished out into your mouth.

Our big hunt ended with a visit from the Easter Bunny!!! You did great! Even if Daddy did have to hold you.

18 month stats

You had your 18 month appointment with Dr. D this morning. You are a perfectly healthy baby girl! What a blessing!! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo :( I'm so bummed! I always remember. Anyway, on to the stats

Weight: 27 lbs (85th percentile)
Height: 32 inches (50th percentile)

You received two shots- DTAP and Polio. You were a brave little girl and only cried until you received your band-aids.

You did extremely well at your appointment, although you did show Dr. D that you weren't too happy when she was taking my attention away from you. You whined while she was talking and when I stopped to ask you what was wrong and what you needed, you went back to being perfectly ok. Oh, what a fun stage. LOL!

Dr. D asked the routine developmental questions. She was pleasantly surprised when I told her you preferred green and orange veggies. She was also impressed that you can ask for songs and books by name. We told her you're learning your ABC's and 123's. She was happy that you could recite them (at least try to). ABC's are "AAAAAA" "BEEEEE" and then you babble in perfect rhythm until you hit "g." Counting generally is "tee-eww" no matter what. You will line things up or put them into piles one-by-one and say "tee-eww" with each count. It's precious. I wanted to record that here since mommy brain must have been in full swing when I left this important milestone out of your 18 month post.

Physically, she commented that you were a very solid and strong little girl. Daddy and I have joked that you'll be a power lifter with some of the objects you can pick up!

Zoo

We went to the Zoo with Aunt Susie and Megan last Friday. We had so much fun looking at all the animals. It was a little misty out, but you girls didn't seem to care.

Aunt Susie and I had a first along with the two of you. We witnessed a gorilla pounding his chest and yelling. Up until that point, we'd only seen it on TV or in the movies. We laughed the rest of the day thinking about it.

You took your first carousel ride with Megan. Megan was an old pro, you were a bit unsure of the new ride. In fact, you couldn't wait for it to end.

When y'all started to get restless, we stopped and let you play on the playground to let out some energy. Y'all are such sweet girls and Aunt Susie and I really enjoyed watching you play and interact.  

Thank you to Aunt Susie and Megan for sharing their Zoo pass with us. We love having play dates with you!

It's so special to be closer to family. No longer are they pictures in a book or voices on the phone. You are forming a unique relationship with each member. Your face lights up and you run over to greet them when you see them. That is something to be thankful for!

18 months... a year and a half!

Happy 18 months Miss Hannah!!! A year and a half, already? Time is flying by and you are growing by leaps and bounds.

Right after you turned 17 months, you had a bit of a language explosion. You can repeat a lot of words we say to you. New words include: Waffle, Amen (my favorite! You repeat it after we say it during your night time prayers), cow, moo, you now know a pig says oink (vs. la), calk (chalk), bubble, oval, egg and so many more. Those are the only ones I can actually remember right now.

You now tell me which song you want me to sing to you: "Pah, Pah" for Patty Cake, "Tinkle" for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and "Itsy" for the Itsy Bitsy Spider. You can also do the hand motions to all of these songs. You also "sing" in the car. I hear your little voice saying "la, la, la" a lot and also "ooooo" for the Snuggle Puppy song.

You are doing so much better in the church nursery! We are thrilled!!! Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights are much more relaxed. You still have a bit of a hard time when we first drop you off, but according to Ms. A, you warm up quickly and stay happy for the rest of the time.

Back to bows... you're doing much better :) I'm so excited you will actually let me put a bow in your hair and you are letting it stay put! This is such a big accomplishment!

New This Month: We started The Music Class; you had your first surgery; you rode on the carousel for the first time; you tried ranch dipping sauce and loved it; you can slide all by yourself!; you can kick a ball and get so tickled when you do; you are experimenting with climbing up and down stairs vs. crawling up and down stairs; you try to "shoot" a basketball in the goal (one day baby girl, one day); you went to Krispy Kreme to celebrate the Vance birthdays (no, we didn't let you have a doughnut); you "jumped" on a trampoline

Look at that big girl sliding!!

Shooting basketball with Daddy

Krispy Kreme

Fun with cousins on the trampoline

Dipping carrot slices in ranch

You enjoy: bubbles; being outside; sidewalk chalk; singing; watching basketball; playing in the dirt; climbing up and down stairs; reading; putting EVERYTHING in your mouth; helping me cook in your Learning Tower;  feeding Daisy (and we let you. You pour her food into her bowl and do a fantastic job)

Watching the Tigers with Grandaddy

 Baby Gate FAIL:

Fun in the dirt

A Vance Celebration

March is a big month in the Vance household. We celebrate three birthdays all on the same day. Grandaddy Smooth, Uncle Cliff, and Madeline were all born on March 10th. Each year, the family gathers to celebrate the occasion. It is always a weekend full of fun and special memories. In fact, the first time I met Daddy's side of the family was on "the birthday" weekend.

A special day, calls for a special breakfast. We loaded up the cars and took the family to Krispy Kreme... oh yeah!!!  This was your first trip, although, we didn't let you have a doughnut. You were ok with that, you had more fun playing with your hat!

You had a ton of fun playing with your cousins. Bailey pulled you around in the wagon and Madeline helped you "jump" on the trampoline for the first time.

Aunt Kristina taught you how to dip your carrots into ranch dressing. YOU LOVED IT! Ah, another trait from your Daddy :) He's a dipper too!

This year was extra special because we celebrated Madeline's baptism. This is such an important decision and we were honored to support her and witness the event.