Hannah Stats- 6 years

Hannah is now 50 pounds (75th percentile) and 50.5 inches tall (99th percentile).  In the past year she gained 6 pounds and grew almost 3 inches.  The doctor said she has a very steady growth curve and he expects her to be 5'10" (the same height as her mama)!  Here are her stats from year one, two, three, four and five.

Hannah is a very proud half-day kindergartener this year.  I am amazed by how much they fit into those three hours each day!  She knew some sight words when she started school, but all of a sudden she is a reader!  She has learned to write all the lowercase letters and she has great penmanship.  Hannah loves school and adores her teacher.  She even plays school at home with Olive and her stuffed animals.  Hannah also loves being outside.  She is naturally athletic and she is always climbing or running.  She is competitive and does not like losing.  She also doesn't like making mistakes or getting in trouble.

What I love about Hannah:
I love how much Hannah loves school.  She likes learning new things and making friends.  She always tries her best.  She is a wonderful big sister.  I appreciate how she is responsible, trustworthy, and kind.  Most of all, I love how much joy she has about doing everyday things.

What Steve loves about Hannah:
I really like that we both like outside sports activities.  I like her positivity.  I like that she is a good sister and helps Olive.

What Olive loves about Hannah:
Well, I know she is really good at climbing.  And she is really good at playing with me.  And she is really good at sleeping.

What Hannah thinks about herself:
I can ride a bike and skateboard.  I'm a good writer.

Hannah's Favorites as a Six-Year-Old
restaurant: Panera
place: Lego Land
color: pink
animal: horse
foods: Velveeta macaroni, grilled cheese, doughnuts, raspberries
drinks: grape juice and chocolate milk
song: All About the Bass
books: Berenstain Bears series, horses
TV show: Strawberry Shortcake
toys: horse figurines, iPad, Pipeworks, legos
activities: crafts, playing school, biking, swimming, sledding, flying kites
games: Hullabaloo, Go Fish
subject in school: science
special in school:  pe
job when she grows up: teacher

dislikes: getting her hair brushed, scary movies (which is just about any movie)

Topeka

For spring break we took a trip to....Topeka!  It doesn't sound very exciting, but it was a great weekend.  It doesn't really matter where we go.  I just like spending time with my family. :)

First stop was Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence.  It had lots of animals including a caiman! 

The capitol building in Topeka was finished in 1903 for $3.2 million after 37 years of construction.  The $332 million restoration was completed in 2014.  The dome is taller than the US Capitol and you can take a tour to the top!  Of course we had to do it!

The chandelier is a replica of the original which was donated to the WW II scrap metal drive in 1942.

The dome tour was way more intense than I thought.  We rode the 1920's cage elevator to the 5th floor.  Then it was 296 steps from there.  You weren't allowed to carry kids, so we were doubtful Olive would make it.  In the end, it was me that couldn't make it.  It turns out there was a huge space between the dome we could see from inside and the actual roof dome.  The guide said you could fit a a 4 story building in there.  I *think* I could have done it if it was just Steve and me, but watching the girls climb the stairs and imagining them falling was almost giving me a panic attack.  And I knew that if I was freaking out about going up, it would be even worse when I was going down.

 Olive and I stopped on the 9th story, but Steve and Hannah went all the way to the top!  Hannah is definitely the bravest in the family!

 My childhood hero: Amelia Earhart

Olive and I made it to the bottom of the copper dome and Hannah and Steve were at the railing outside.

The next day we went to a motorcycle museum and then the arts district in North Topeka (NOTO).

We ate at a corner diner and then explored some of the shops and galleries.  The girls loved the "secret staircases" leading up to shops.

Mulvane Art Lab at Washburn University is a free place to create art.  This is a WONDERFUL idea for any community.

Olive was in heaven.

At the weaving center

 There was a whole room devoted to legos

The main reason I wanted to go Topeka was for the Children's Discovery Center.  And it was AWESOME!

 Hannah's favorite was this farm exhibit where grain was moved by pulleys, augers, conveyor belts, etc.  We had to pull her off this to go outside.

Nothing beats sticks and water.

Olive's favorite was painting on glass.

She wouldn't let me put the 7 in.

They had a workshop where you build with wood, but you had to have an adult.

A mom friend from Hannah's school is from Topeka and recommended Spangles.  

The biggest oreo ever.

 Of course the main attraction to any vacation is the hotel pool.  We swam after breakfast and before bed each night.

Coolest thing about Topeka: Gage Park.  It has a huge playground with a few smaller ones, mini train, carousel, zoo, swimming pool, and Children's Discovery Center.

And this is the coolest thing in the park.  It was all connected so moving one part down moved another one up.  This is the teeter totter of the future.

brave Olive

The park had lots of concrete animals.  Hannah wanted a picture with all of them.

The zoo was small, but it had some neat stuff like the rainforest exhibit.  Hannah had a lot of fun finding hiding animals like sloths and maccaws in the trees.  Those are bats hanging from the ceiling.

This is how Olive runs and it cracks me up.

This was so fun!  Steve and Olive were on one side and Hannah and I on the other.  We really want one, but it would tear up our yard.  Maybe it could be at Granny/Papa's or Grandma/Grandpa's???

Can there be even more pictures?  Yes.