Hannah Stats- 5 Years

Where did the past 5 years go?!  Hannah is now 44 pounds (75th percentile) and 48 inches tall (99th percentile).  In the past year she gained 5 pounds and grew almost 4 inches.  Here are her stats from year one, two, three, and four.  It's interesting to see how early personality shows up in babies.  Her babysitter described her as a daredevil at age one...and I would describe her the same way as a five-year-old.  She has always been fearless climbing tall ladders, open to trying new foods, and comfortable with new people or situations. She also continues to be a rule-follower.  Although she is not in preschool this year, she loves learning at home.  Hannah can count to 100, knows all her math facts to 10, knows all the letter sounds, and she is beginning to read!  She is currently obsessed with soccer and biking.  In December Hannah got a twin bed and redecorated her room with horses.  Since then she likes to keep her room very neat.  She has also become very interested in clothing and putting together outfits.

What I love about Hannah:
I love how enthusiastic and positive Hannah is about everything.  She loves learning new information.  She gets along well with everyone, especially Olive.  Hannah is Olive's biggest cheerleader and an amazing big sister.  I am very proud of her.

What Steve loves about Hannah:
fearless, deliberate, conscientious, sporty, outdoorsy, adventurer, loves learning, positivity

What Olive loves about Hannah:
She like horses.

What Hannah thinks about herself:
I like that I climb well.  I kick my soccer ball with my left foot, so I do it my own way.  I like that I can ride my bike without training wheels.

Hannah's Favorites as a Five-Year-Old
restaurant: Fritz's
place: Leawood Park
color: pink
animal: horse
foods: macaroni, Nutella toast, fruits
drink: grape juice
song: Let it Go
book: Berenstain Bears series
TV show: Dinosaur Train
toys: horse figurines, iPad, soccer ball
activities: soccer, biking, reading, crafts, swimming, sledding, flying kites
games: Snakes and Ladders, Candy Land, Pop Goes Froggio

Cousin Sleep Over

ANOTHER special thing for Hannah's b-day was her cousin sleeping over for two nights after the party!  It was Ainslyn's first time sleeping over at our house...and all by herself, too!

Hannah is trying out one of her birthday gifts from Grandma and Grandpa: chalk that attaches to her scooter to make lines.  Ainslyn wanted to ride Olive's little bike and she is also wearing Olive's owl hoodie.  She said, "I'm a great Olive fitter!"

This is what happens when she figures out I'm taking pictures of her.   

 At the school playground

It turns out Ainslyn likes arts and crafts like my girls.  We painted, made jewelry, made candles, made Frozen books, put on a Frozen play, did puppet shows, and window markers!

3 girls at breakfast

I drove the girls to Columbia to meet Aunt Susan and Going Bonkers.  It was an awesome indoor play place, probably my favorite of all the places we've been.  The climbing structures were HUGE and made a big U shape around the room.  Parents could sit in the middle and easily watch kids because there were no tubes or hidden spots.  It was so big, there was a map of all 4 levels.  I would definitely recommend it, although probably just for kids over 3 who are good climbers.  If we had gone a few months ago I don't think Olive would have been able to climb on all the big stuff.  

Sidenote: There were a lot of cute Ainslyn quotes over the weekend.  Two of my favorites...

(counting) "One hundred seven, one hundred eight, one hundred nine....one trillion!"

"My daddy is my favorite lawyer.  He's the only lawyer I know!"

Hannah's 5th Birthday Party

After Hannah's first soccer game, we went back to the house for naps, then off to Gymboree for her party!  This was our first party inviting friends.  There were 14 kids ranging from 6 months to 5 years old.  An instructor led the kids in activities, and if they didn't want to participate (or were too young) they were free to explore the play equipment.  It worked out really well for our group!  She also incorporated butterfly activities to fit Hannah's theme.  The kids pretended to be butterflies with scarves for wings, played with butterfly puppets, and crawled like caterpillars.

The youngest guests: Jayden and Willa

Hannah's favorite activity: climbing the "birthday candle"

everyone loved the bubbles and parachute

The cake was half chocolate and half strawberry (Hannah's favorite).

The kids worked together to build towers after eating cake.

Hannah passed our her butterfly treat bags.

She painted the butterflies and helped make the bags.

It was an awesome butterfly birthday for my five-year-old!

Tales of a Reluctant Soccer Mom

 Part of Hannah's birthday present from us was signing her up for soccer and getting her gear.  She has been SUPER excited about it.  She wears her soccer shin guards, shoes, and socks around the house all the time and she actually cried when one of her practices got rained-out.  I love seeing her so excited, but I didn't realize I was signing us up for practice every Wednesday and games every Saturday for the next two months.  Sigh.

And it just so happened that her first soccer game was on the day of her party.  It was big day!  Grandma, Grandpa, Granny, Papa, Ainslyn, and Gwendolyn were also there to cheer her on.  She is on a co-ed team that played a boys team....and they got crushed.  I think it was 0-3.  But Hannah didn't mind.  She had a great time, and I thought she was an especially good goalie.  Although, I know nothing about soccer...I have never played or even watched it on TV.  I am a very non-sports person. Yet somehow, Steve thought I should coach Hannah's team because I know "how to work with kids."  Yes, but it seems like I also should know something about soccer.  :)

Steve, of course, is very athletic and into "sportsing".  It was amusing to watch him walk around the field cheering them on during the game (not in an over-bearing way, just very supportive and into the game).  He practices soccer drills with her in the backyard.  I love watching their father-daughter athletic bond...while I am happily sitting in a chair on the sidelines.

I took this before one of her practices.  I love this picture.  She looks so grown-up.

Olive Quotes

"I need to flap!"  -pretending to be a bird

me:  Do you want a cereal bar?
Olive (holding up 4 fingers):  I want five!
me:  Five?  I don't think you can eat that many.
Olive:  My tummy says, "Yes, I can!"

After I raked a pile of leaves, Steve ran the lawnmower over the pile to chop them up.
Olive (picking up leaves):  "Dada, I am so mad at you!  I am so mad at you!  Mama raked those leaves.  Now they are all over.  Dada, I am so mad at you!!"

Olive wasn't able to say her name for a long time.  She called herself "Ah-wa" and now we call her that too sometimes.
me: Ah-wa, come over here.
Olive:  It's not Ah-wa, it's Ah-yive!  (she says the "y" sound for all "l" sounds)

me:  Hey, are you a princess?
Olive: I not a princess.  I just Ah-yive!

Guide to Olive Talk
Seeping Booty= Sleeping Beauty
ballereenie = ballerina
flutterfly = butterfly
baboon = balloon
hungee = hungry

March 18

Hannah's request for her birthday was lunch at Fritz's.  Since it was close, Steve met us for lunch.  We also checked out the Wizard of Oz exhibit in Crown Center while we were there.

Hannah opened her presents from us on her birthday.  Her favorites were a pogo bouncer and baseball mitt.  She showed them off to Grandma on Facetime.

My five-year-old playing catch in the backyard with her new outfit and mitt.