I found it...

We went to the Jr. League Yard Sale Saturday morning and I found the exact swing set I was looking for. This will be the last summer she will be able to use it but the other swing sets are just a little too big for her. That is why I didn't want to pay a lot of money for one. This one was only $20. It was in great shape (not even faded!) I was so excited. I looked on Walmart.com and they had one almost identical and it was $130! Yay me! Hannah loves it too. We also found a ton of Barney stuff for Hannah and a floatie vest for her. Susan & Kim found a lot of good stuff too. We had a (clean) trash can full. This year we found a lot of clothes with tag still on them. We had a great day together. I can't wait until next year!

"Me do it!"

I am up a little earlier this morning than I usually am. The phone rang around 6:30 and woke me up. We get these calls from an Unknown name & number, when you answer it it just beeps at you. It is annoying because it continues to call the house and I can't tell it to stop calling. Anyway, it scared me so bad because if anyone calls here before 8:00 it usually means something is wrong! The last time anyone called here that early was when Ginger's accident happened and I don't like to hear the phone ring in the morning. Anyway, I couldn't go back to sleep. So I figured I would ramble on about Hannah this morning.

"Me (& sometimes My) do it," is what I have heard a lot this week. She wants to buckle her own car seat, put on her clothes, brush her teeth, etc. all by herself. She is actually pretty good for a 20 month old! She is definitely becoming Miss Independent. That is good & bad. It is good that she is learning and growing - most kids her age are that way (or so I have heard). But all of you moms out there know that Ms. Independent becomes Ms. Temper Tantrum when they don't get to do it their way! So we are dealing with that right now. She is not that bad but I will tell you that the child can make her body go limp and it is really hard to get a grip on her sometimes! I think she is a pro at it. :) Overall she is such a good baby & I couldn't ask for a better child but she has her moments like all children!

She is also a pro at counting to 10. Sometimes she gets confused after 8. I need to videotape her and post the video because it is cute to hear her. She has a southern accent and to hear her say "trwee, far, chive, stix, teven" is the sweetest thing to me. Although when I am getting onto her she will begin to count. I think this is her way of trying to distract me. It makes me laugh and angry at the same time! She also counts or tries to show you that she knows her body parts when you are trying to get her to go to sleep. She will be almost asleep and then pop up and say "Look mommy, my eyes!" This week she hasn't wanted to be rocked to sleep. She just wants to go to her bed. She will roll around and the other night I could hear her on the monitor saying "What's up, dude?" over and over again. She will literally fall asleep in the middle of talking.

Anyway we are working on potty training. She is not quite ready but she sits on the potty everyday. Hopefully it won't be long. I would love to have the $50 I spend on diapers in my checking account! Tomorrow is the big Jr. League yard sale! I can't wait. I am hoping to get some outside play equipment for Hannah. Keep your fingers crossed! Have a great weekend!!

Hannah had a cold this weekend and was running a low grade fever. Therefore, we missed the Walkfest for the camp and going to Paul & Kim's house for dinner Saturday night. I hate we had to miss them but I didn't think anyone wanted the germs. The weather this week has been beautiful. I have taken advantage of it and planted some flowers by our back steps. (see the picture below) This is my first attempt to plant anything so we will see if I have a green thumb. I planted Geraniums, Salvia, & Verbena together. If anyone has any tips on how to keep it alive, please share!



Monday night we went to watch Addi play softball. She did a great job. Hannah enjoyed running around, although she got in trouble a few times for trying to run off. Kim took her to the dug out and she tried on Addi's helmet. She looked so cute. I know it won't be long before she is out there playing! Addi got a great hit and made a great play at third base! Way to go, Addi!! Here are some pictures from the game...

Where To Begin?

Since my last post it has been very busy around our house. My cousin Josh is getting married next month in Gulf Shores. Last Sunday Hannah & I went to his fiance Lindsay's tea. She got lots of good stuff. I tried to take a picture of Hannah & Lindsay together but Hannah didn't want to sit still. I did get a good picture of my Mamaw Wilson & Hannah together. We also tried to take a picture of Hannah with my cousin Christy's children - Ethan & Jesse. That didn't go too good! Hannah was the wiggly one. The picture below is the best one that we took of them together.




I spent most of last week cleaning out closests, our laundry room, etc. I have a trunk full of stuff to take to GoodWill. It always make me feel like I have accomplished something when I get rid of junk I do not need.

Kim kept Hannah for me on Thursday so I could get my house cleaned and things ready for the diaper shower I threw for my friend, Brandi on Saturday. That was wonderful help. I had to run to several different stores to get everything I needed. It was so nice just to run in and out of the car without taking extra time to have to get Hannah in & out. Plus it wears her out when I do that. Hannah didn't mind because she had a good time with her cousins, Addi, Levi, & Lila! THANK YOU, KIM!

Last week was also a sad week for our congregation. Mrs. Betty Garrison died on Wednesday. We went to the funeral home Thursday night. She will be missed by many. Although I didn't know her like so many in our congregation, I know she was a sweet soul with a lot of spunk! I always loved how when you went to visit her she would tell you exactly what she was thinking. I went to visit her a few months ago when she was in the hospital. She loved seeing Hannah. It is amazing how much people love children. No matter how bad they feel, a child can always bring a smile! It makes me realize Hannah & I need to visit more. We will miss her and can't wait to see her again one day.

Friday we had tornado warnings for most of the afternoon. Then my roommate from college, Stacey came to spend the night with us. She helped me get ready for Brandi's shower. Saturday we spent the day cleaning and getting all the food ready. I think the shower turned out to be a success! See the pictures below to see how much fun we had together!

Sunday I went to Brandi's shower at Adamsville. I spent the afternoon there. Josh kept Hannah. Everyone was mad at me for not bringing her but it was a nice break. I didn't have to worry about where she was or what she was getting into! :0) I didn't take any pictures yesterday but I am sure Brandi or Crystal will have them on their blogs, so you can check them out there.


This is the diaper cake I made for Brandi. I thought it turned out to be very cute!



Rachel made the cake for us. Isn't it adorable? I loved it. It not only looked good but it tasted great! THANK YOU, RACHEL!


Part of the old Faulkner gang! (We missed you Jess, Emily, Michelle, & Holly)



Who bought this ugly Alabama blanket? Just kidding, this is Brandi with one of her gifts. Isn't Brandi's belly cute?



Hannah with Brandi. She has a good picture of Hannah propping her hand on Brandi's belly like it is an arm rest on the couch! My child was the life of the party, as always.



These last two need to be explained. We played a game where one person puts on a bigger t-shirt and then your team has to blow up as many balloons in a minute and stuff them in the shirt. It was funny. This one is Stacey and the one below is Shirley, Brandi's mom. Hannah didn't like this game and screamed at the top of her lungs. I think she thought we were hurting them.


Anyway, everyone around here try to stay warm today! I am not liking this cold weather. I was really enjoying the 70-80 degree weather we have been having! I am so ready for summer!

Playing Outside & Helping Schools

Even though the last couple of days have been cloudy and cool, we had a few days last week that were sunny! Hannah & I took advantage of the sunny weather. We went to the park one day and then played outside the other days. Hannah loves to be outside! She just runs and runs. I like it because it wears her out. Josh & I are going to plant a garden soon. I have never planted a garden so this will be a first for me. I can't wait. I am on a mission to find some play equipment for cheap at some yard sales this summer. I don't care if it is faded. The Little Tykes stuff holds up forever! If anyone has any that they are wanting to get rid of, let me know. Here are the pictures I took of Hannah playing:


I love to watch Hannah run! She flails her arms and is so carefree. Does anyone watch Friends? She reminds me of Phoebe running! :0)


She loves to pick flowers. In Bible class we smell the flowers and sing about how God made flowers. She will say "flier." (She has a southern accent - she comes by it honestly) Then she will smell them. Smart girl!


Hannah laid down on the cement. I thought this was funny. She will lay down anywhere - cement, grass, in the bathtub, even in the floor in Bed, Bath, & Beyond last week! (I made her get up fast but she still did it before Amy & I could stop her!)

Hannah is not scared of anything! She climbs and jumps off of anything she can. She climbed right up on the side of the swing. The other day she jumped off the recliner but luckily Josh caught her before she smashed her face on the ground. I am predicting many bruises & probably some trips to the ER for stitches in the future.

This picture is so cute to me because she looks like she is posing but she was probably thinking something mischevious! :0)


I took some our "Good Samaritans" to Bottenfield Middle School to volunteer for the Helping Schools on Saturday. Helping Schools is hosted by the local television station Fox 6. They go to several schools to clean up, plant flowers, etc. Our job was to pull up weeds around the bushes in the back of the school. Then we laid mulch over the area. Pam was pulling weeds and found one that wiggled! She pulled up a snake! I wanted to kill it but the other science teacher came over and rescued it. Even though we had only a small group show up, we had fun. A big THANK YOU for those who showed up. I know it was VERY early for a Saturday but I appreciate your willingness to serve! Here is a picture of the group that showed up to help:

Here is a picture of the snake!


One more thing - Happy belated Birthday to Uncle Billy! He turned 50 last week. Also, Happy Birthday to Cousin Alex! He turns 17 today! We love you!