Hannah Stats- 3 1/2 years

On September 18th, Hannah turned 3.5 years old!  She is now 37.5  pounds and 42 inches tall.  The biggest change has been starting preschool!  She absolutely loves it.  I love hearing about her day and all of her friends.  She has a group of three other girls who are her best buddies.  She has learned how to write her name, say the days of the week, lots of new songs, and even some Spanish words.  Her teachers describe her as a good listener and friendly.  She continues to be a fantastic big sister.  Although they both take toys from each other, you can tell they are still the best of friends.  Hannah loves to make Olive laugh, and she gets very excited whenever Olive learns new skills.

Hannah's Favorites at 3 1/2
foods: peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches, frozen peas, berries, pasta
drinks: grape juice, chocolate milk
songs: Let Me Go, Wheels on the Bus
books: Thomas books, Little Critter books, Berenstain Bear books
TV shows: Thomas the Train, Calliou
toys: Little People, Pipeworks, iPad, tricycle, scooter
activities: preschool, reading, climbing, playing outside, playing dress up, painting, Go Fish
sayings: You can (insert activity she wants you to do) if you want to.

Colorado Family Vacation

Since we didn't take a family vacation over the summer, we took a 3-day weekend to visit Walter in Fort Collins.  We went over Steve's birthday, so it was also his present.  The girls had their very first plane ride and of course they loved it.  Olive was pretty wiggly, but she isn't used to sitting on my lap for 90 minutes.  I think a 1.5 year old *might* be the worst age to travel.  But we made it....with lots of drawing, snacks, and books.  Hannah was a big help carrying her booster seat around the airport.  We also got to ride the underground tram several times in the Denver airport, which was a huge hit.  

Walter was really sweet (that seems weird putting those two words in a sentence) and had the basement set all up for the girls.  He even bought a pack-and-play for Olive.  Saturday morning he fried donuts for us.  Hannah was super-excited to decorate them with icing and sprinkles.  Olive is always excited about food.

Then we headed off to The Farm at Lee Martinez Park.  It is a lot like Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park.  Hannah's favorite things were the water pump and horse ride.  Her least favorite thing was being licked by a cow.  Olive liked the chickens and turkeys.

Ears!!

Brownie the horse.  We think Brownie might be depressed.  Can't you imagine him telling his horse therapist that he feels like he just going around in circles and his life isn't going anywhere?  Hang in there, Brownie.

Hannah loved playing catch with Walter's roomate's dog, Wrigley.  Wrigley was pretty much the smartest dog we've ever met.  We all loved Wrigley.  Except Olive.  Olive would yell "No, no, no!" anytime they were in the same room.

  

After a nap we went to the flower garden at Colorado State University.  It was really beautiful.  Unfortunately, the girls would not cooperate for a photo in front of the flowers.  This is the best we got.

Did I mention the girls love Walter?

The next day we took a walk to the top of the "A" on the hill (after driving most of the way).  Hiking was the highlight of the trip.  Hannah was very excited to see mountains for the first time.  Olive thought she was pretty big when she walked on her own, although we carried her most of the time.

The best part about hiking is standing on rocks.

Steve and Walter went on "the best bike ride of his life".  It was in the Red Mountain Open Range and they went all the way to Wyoming.  

The girls and I took a nap and then went to Swetsville Zoo.  The girls did not think it was as cool as I did.  They were slightly scared of the dinosaurs.

Then they changed their mind at the bells.

Let's play find Olive and Hannah in the picture...  I couldn't drag them away from the bells.

 Side note: I inadvertently dress the girls similarly and sometimes even myself.  Luckily, Steve can dress himself or we would be a family of stripes.

We took the scenic route back to Denver to show the girls the mountains.  Then after several airport snafus, including almost leaving Olive in Denver since we didn't have a birth certificate for her, we eventually made it home Monday night.  

We had a great time with Walter.  Steve became friends with him freshman year of college and I met him sophomore year when Steve and I started dating.  It's hard to believe we've been friends for so long.  We see him maybe once a year, but that last time we went to Colorado was pre-kids.  Let's take a look back to make ourselves feel bad...

Please leave comments about Walter's hair.

Meneely Reunion

Our epic weekend continues... after the zoo run and school carnival, we drove to Meadville, MO on Sunday for the Meneely Reunion.  Yes, we are crazy.  What is worth driving 2 hours there and back in one day?  Family and a good park. :)

 

Hannah was in a grumpy mood, so I suggested we should all take an angry picture...
 

 Aunt Marissa, Hannah, Grandma, Olive, Megan, Uncle Casey, Uncle Justin, Grandpa, Steve

 

 

 

 

Her response to "Where's Sisa?"
 

 

 

 

 

 

Men in Stripes: my Uncle Dennis, his son-in-law Jason, and grandson Soren.

Check out how much the girls (especially Olive) changed from last year's Meneely Reunion.  And if you are really bored: 2010 and 2009 and 2008.