Backpack, Backpack!

So, this past weekend, I bought Hannah a new backpack for school that came with a lunchbox and of course, I had to go with one of Hannah's faves... Dora!  She loves everything about Dora, so I just new she would go crazy for this backpack.  Today was our first day to go to school since we got it, and she couldn't wait to put it on!  She's been going through this crazy separation anxiety thing when we drop her off lately, which is so wierd because she was never like that before!   But, today wasn't so bad because all of her school friends loved her backpack and I think she was excited to let them all see it.  Score one more point for Dora...

Enough with the pictures, Mom!!

 Let's go, vamanos!

Fun Saturday!

I switched shifts at work today so we got to have a fun Saturday morning together. We went to Rogers so I could buy Hannah's leotard for her ballet class this fall. There was a good sale on them this week at Academy, so yay!

After Academy, we drove around looking for a park and found one in Bentonville that was empty, so Hannah had free roam to swing and slide!

Then we went to Mama Fu's, played with some chopsticks and ate yummy mac and cheese. Well, Hannah did anyways :)

Now, it's naptime before I go to work!

Our New Church

So, sometime last summer, Eric drove by a church called BNC (Brand New Church) when he was coming back from working in Branson, and he thought, "that looks cool, we should check it out." Then, the next day, there was an article in the newspaper about the church's pastor, Shannon O'Dell and a book that he had just written, called "Breaking All the Rurals," about pastoring in Rural America. Needless to say, we took that as a sign, and started going early last fall. We really liked our previous church here in NWA, but it was kind of a drive, and it was SOOO big, that we felt lost. We had enjoyed our community group, but we just felt that we really needed to find a better fit for us. And we are so glad that God pointed us to BNC! We have been going for about 10 months now, and it has been a life-changer for us! We have met amazing, Godly people, our community group at BNC is exactly what we had been looking for, and every Sunday, Pastor Shannon blows us away with his messages. We went to the C3 Conference at Fellowship Church in Texas in February with some of the people from our campus (the main campus is about an hour away, in Bergman, AR, and then there are several satellite campuses in various rural areas around AR), and it just confirmed even more that this is the place we are meant to be. And, on top of it all, Hannah has made great friends because there are several kids there that are right around her age (all within about 4 months of each other!). We have also felt called to give to help redo the children's area of our particular campus, so a bunch of us are working on that and it is going to be amazing when it is all done! We can't wait to see what all God has in store for BNC-NWA!

Party in Tquah

Sunday, we went to Tahlequah to have the last of Hannah's parties, this time we shared with my cousin Zach, who had a birthday the weekend before. So, we hung out with family, and opened presents and ate a yummy (although slightly odd-looking) Mickey Mouse cake! (Hannah LOVES, LOVES, LOVES Mickey and Minnie Mouse!)

The highlight of the day was Hannah's present from my Uncle Larry - a new teeter-totter (a seesaw according to Eric!). He welded the base himself and then built it for her - he is so talented! Thanks Uncle Larry, Hannah LOVES it!

Hannah's B-day Parties (Round 2)

So, after two parties in CT, it was time for two parties down here... one in Fayetteville with all of your friends, and one in Tquah with the whole fam!
The theme for your party here was "Ladybug Love" - to which Eric responded with "She doesn't even express any interest in ladybugs." Haha - I told him that until Hannah was able to tell me what kind of party she wanted, then I was picking the themes based on the cuteness of the party decor. I think that's perfectly acceptable, don't you? Heehee.

I saw a decoration set on Etsy for this, and I bought it three months ago, so all I had to do was print the stuff out on cardstock, and then hang it up! It was so easy!! This is our attempt at a panaramic pic of the decorations...

We decided to just do cake and ice cream this time, due to the fact that I knew I had to work until 10pm the night before, and we had just gotten back from CT six days before and were still exhausted!

So, my Aunt Pam came over and was the Storybook Lady, which actually didn't go over too well with the kids because they weren't really in the mood to pay attention! Haha - who would have guessed with a bunch of two year olds?

It was such a great party and Hannah had a great time! Thanks to everyone that came!!

Mother's Morning Out

Hannah started going to Mother's Morning Out in November, so of course, I'm just now blogging about it :) She goes twice a week, and we think she's really liking it! She gets to color and play with other kids her age, and it gives me a chance to get some errands done throughout the week. We pack her lunch everytime... it's so cute!

Here are pictures of her on her way to school over the last few months...

(first day!)

 (I love this face... haha!)

Here are  some pics of the art projects she has worked on!

Hannah's 2nd Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to our amazing daughter, Hannah!!! You are truly the light of our lives and we thank God for you and the blessing you have been to us. You are growing so much, and have become such a little girl!

You can count to 10, know all of your colors, shapes, numbers, and letters (our favorite is "W" - you call it "double"), and just started sleeping in a big girl toddler bed!

We are so proud of you and your sweet spirit, and we love you more than anything!

Happy Birthday Hannah!!!!