Life played out in images

On a recent trip to Seattle to visit Scott, we stopped by Edmonds for some scenic views of the beach, time at the park and pizza!

Checking out the boats.  Notice the "war wounds"...gravel trail at Greenlake vs face.  Not a fair match-up...
no bueno :(

At the Children's Museum in Olympia with her friend, Jane.  A fun way the celebrate 18 months of life!

Cupcakes, too!

Showing off her 4th of July shirt from her Nanny and Grandpa

At the airport, headed to see the sights in Minnesota while Dad attends a conference

Fun in the sun and sand in Minnesota

Love this photo. Summer has arrived in Washington. 

It's been far too long...

Life, unlike this blog, has been exciting and in constant motion these past few months. It seems a bit too overwhelming for me to share all of our happenings. But, I can summarize fairly quickly. Hanna continues to make us smile with her increasing vocabulary (her most frequently uttered words now are "bye" and "no"), her friendly demeanor towards other people...and objects (buses, airplanes and trucks all receive an enthusiastic "Hi" along with a feverent wave) and her enjoyment of life as a full-fledged toddler. It's such a priviledge to watch her grow, explore her surroundings and learn new tasks! Scott started his away rotations in April at Seattle Children's Hospital. We've been able to see him about 1-2x/ week (on average). Grateful for the time that we do get to spend together and our evening FaceTime chats have been priceless. Now when I pick up the iPad, Hanna says "Dada"- totally sweet and admittedly, a bit sad. He will be home for the month of July! And, then back up to Seattle for the remainder of 2012. And, there you have it! Oh, as for myself? I'm truly learning to embrace every moment from every laugh, failed nap, trip to the park, morning run, outing with friends, trip to the zoo, Bible study, teary-eyed "good-byes", adventure to Seattle, day that I cook, clean, grocery shop and mop the floor (albeit, not in that order) each encounter/task is purposeful and a gift. Pics to follow soon...apparently, I need to download an app to upload pictures.

Kauai 5-0 underwater

It was hard to decide which pictures to post from our underwater camera.  Scott did an amazing job!  

The "end of the road" at Waimea Canyon and part of the Na Pali Coast

The "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"

Turtles!

Kauai 5-0!

Aloha!

Our third trip to Hawaii led us to the beautiful island of Kauai...and it didn't disappoint!  We had the opportunity to take my recently retired parents as a way to celebrate their "working years" and their exciting future.  And, we all had a BLAST!  I'll add more photos later from our underwater camera as Scott did an awesome job capturing the turtles, fish and the sounds of nearby whales. 

Mahalo!

Poipu Beach Park in Poipu, Kauai 

Our first morning at the beach

Trying to get the "hang loose" sign, but instead signing "I love you"

Just like her Daddy...she loves the water!

Love this photo of Hanny

Getting her swim suit on.  (I didn't know that swim diapers leaked pee pee until a friend told me & then Hanna peed on me...still learning).

Hanny and momma

Nanny and Grandpa in Kalaheo. We just ate at Brick Oven pizza with friends from Seattle!

Lappert's ice cream-- it's da best!

By the Grand Hyatt next to Shipreck Beach

Getting all lathered up to go outside

The treats and the beach chair were a hit with Hanna

Brennecke's Beach (awesome snorkeling and boogie boarding)

Brennecke's beach in the morning--picture is worthy of a postcard!

Seriously cute church

We always check out the local brew...Java Kai your  Nutella latte is delish

Shaved ice is a must

Beautiful evening

Morning walk on the beach

 I LOVE this face

More to come...

Hanna: a year in review

We celebrated Hanna's 1st birthday at the end of December!  I thought that it would be fun to showcase her life month by month.  We love to look back and see show she's grown.  Hope you enjoy these photos as you watch her grow with us!

 Your arrival was about a month early but, outside of the first tenuous few days, that was fine with us.  We had, after all, been waiting for you for quite some time!  
December 29, 2010; 4 lbs 8 oz & 19 inches of pure sweetness!

Sleepy girl after her bath

2 month girl snuggling with her Daddy

At 3 months- first time to Eastern WA & the first time she slept through the night!

4 months at Easter

Nice evening outside at 5 months old

6 months at "our" waterfront access to the Sound

Love these animated faces at 7 months

Sitting on her rocking chair in her room

8 months at Crater Lake, OR

9 months on the Oregon Coast, her second visit, but first taste of sand!

10 months- she loved picking at the pumpkin's stem

11+ months playing with her toys

Almost a year, perfect time to introduce Hanny to coffee, right?

Happy 1st Birthday!

Our beautiful & sweet little blessing

Here's what Hanna is up to:

• Stand up & push anything on wheels (ok, wheels aren't required-- perhaps, she's just figuring out how to work her own)
• LOVES to look at books, turn the pages and will sit for a bit while we read them
• Unload the tupperware and other kid-friendly cabinets in the kitchen
• Laughing while she pets Jack and plays his chest like a big drum
• Giving kisses
• Getting attention from strangers. It's amazing what a social butterfly Hanna is.  She unabashedly stare until she is acknowledged and gets a smile.  It's fun to watch some overly serious-looking adults (of all ages) "give in"; eyes brighten, frowns or smirks become smiles- as if you can see hearts being softened a bit!  

Exploring her surroundings-- wipe out!

• Pick her nose-- it's true!  It's inevitable...I'm sure we will be visiting Daddy for extraction of a raisin or pea (or other nasal foreign body) someday. And she thinks it's the funniest thing... sigh
• Playing with the dog bowls (and she loves the hand washing that she gets after, too!)
• Her words:  Dada; Mama; "ack" (Jack); "nigh","nigh" ('nite, 'nite), "na,na" (No) and her new letter is "G"
• Signs with her hands: "all done", "more" and sometimes "milk"
• Makes animal noises: doggie (arf) and monkey (ooh ooh, ahh ahh)
• Stands up in her cribs and nestles into us when we pray at her bedside each night.  Then, once we kiss her goodnight, she collapses backward and goes to sleep.