Random Fun

I have a smorgasbord of pics & videos from the end of August - check 'em out!

First up, our final "mom's club" of the summer - 10 babies and their moms!

Isabella & Hannah

Imagine getting 10 babies together on one couch at the same time...it isn't pretty.  Only 7 made it.

Here is the making of the photo above - I think the moms enjoyed it more than the babies!

Hannah is obsessed with the calendar we made for Jay's parents last year. This is her daily ritual:

Hannah and dada getting their exercise (also a daily routine):

She HAD to wear mama's coat all evening!

Fun with "Nono" and "Hemi"

And by "Nono" and "Hemi", I mean Hannah's cousins Nora and Henry! Amy & Andy came for a visit over the weekend, and Hannah is still asking, "Where's Hemi?  Where's Andy?" - she had lots of fun with them! We went to the zoo, played in the pool, and the adults got to relax out on the deck after the kids went to bed. The girls played really well together, especially in the pool and bathtub. Hannah liked Henry and kept playing with his little toes. I had a hard time narrowing down photos and videos - lots of good ones!  Here goes:

Fun with Amelia!

Elisabeth and Joe invited us to their lake house a few weekends ago, and the girls played together really well! They play more purposefully together each time, and this was by far the most fun. The weather was beautiful the first day we were there, and so the girls got to play in the sand, go swimming, and go out on the boat. They played peek-a-boo in Amelia's tent while we made dinner (tons of giggling!) and had a splash-fest after dinner (also tons of giggling!). The girls wound down with some cartoons and books before bed - what a great day!

I can't believe I got a photo of both of them looking in the same direction - it's a miracle! ; )

They certainly made themselves right at home in the sand!

Storytime with Elisabeth! They stayed focus on the same book just long enough for a quick photo.

Back to Reality

Diane set up some playdates for her daycare kids before they start back in the fall. We've met twice at a park in Rochester, and the kids seem to be playing together really well!  Austin is the youngest (about 5 months) but he hasn't come to the park yet.  His older sister has been with Diane for several years; her name is Samantha and she turned two earlier in the summer. Finally, there is is Olen, who will be one next month. His mom Stacie teaches math at my school. Here's some shots from one of their playdates:

Rochester Park

Yikes!  I'm getting backed up on posts again.  We have been going to a nice park in downtown Rochester this summer - here are some cute pics from our adventures there:

18 month photos

We took Hannah for her 18 month photos this morning. To summarize the experience, let's just say that leaving GIGANTIC stuffed animals in the photo room means the GIGANTIC stuffed animals WILL make an appearance in nearly every photo. The photographer distracted Hannah and kicked a stuffed dalmation into the back storage room at one point...out of sight, out of mind, I guess! Running out of the photo room was super fun, too. We were able to rein her back in until she found the Lego table.  She protested her return to photography by crying for the remaining photos.  We did manage to get a few good shots, though.  Here's crazy-haired Hannah at 18 months:

The first of many unintentional animal photos!

Here are a few outtakes:

Can't possibly have enough animals...

There were about 10 'pointing' shots...yes, we see the animals...

This is just awesome.  A return of vampire baby.

ALL. DONE. NOW.

The pearls were an attempt to continue the photo session.  But who wants photos of a baby playing with pearls?

The photographer said that two-year photos are REALLY fun.  Add crying tantrums to the prop obsession.  Oh goody!

Fun With Friends & Gymnastics

Hannah had a fun time at her friend Isabella's house - I still can't get over their size difference...they are only two weeks apart!

Here's a cute video of Hannah and I doing gymnastics together:

Our Week in Onaway

We were in Onaway all last week, and had a really nice time.  Hannah liked being outside and playing with grandma and grandpa...and sharing a room with mama and dada.  We were woken up by a forlorn Hannah, whimpering, "Hi....hi....mama? Dada?  Up?  Up?" each morning. Grandpa filled Hannah's kiddie pool most days during her nap so she could go "swimming", which she learned to say (and beg/demand!) very quickly. We also took a trip to Black Lake, but it was too windy for Hannah to play in the water. Jay and I got to go on a belated five-year anniversary trip to Mackinaw City for two nights while Hannah stayed with grandma and grandpa. We had a wonderful, relaxing time!

Ignore the snack cup - her face was too cute not to post this!

Hannah went crazy for grandma's raspberry pie....YUM!!!

The beautiful Mackinac Bridge