"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Because I've been too busy living my life to blog about my life, I haven't shared several fun pictures and videos of Hattie along the way. She's an absolute doll who's almost always happy and content. She smiles and laughs a bunch, but takes a while to warm up to new people. Here are some moments you've missed.
Peaches!!
In the hammock with Momma!
I went to put the leftover sausage patty in a baggie when this cutie pie grabbed it out of my hand and took a giant bite!
Back in January of 2012, I blogged about my messy face baby girl... which was Gracie! But Hattie was a messy face baby girl just a few months ago! Here's how my green bean babies compare!
Gracie's on the top and Hattie's on the bottom! They look pretty different to me and Hattie likes green beans, while Gracie still does not!
Gracie took swim lessons in the spring and part of her experience was learning to jump off the diving board! She was really nervous at first, but she ended up having fun! See for yourself!
And even though she's been going down water slides for a few years, she also got to experience the slide!
In May, Gracie ended a very sweet chapter in her life. It all began when she brought home this artwork inviting us to attend her PreK Graduation! Doesn't it look just like her? I miss all the sweet artwork she used to bring home.
The last week of PreK was super special because Gracie was the line leader for the last time. Since she has a summer birthday, she also got to bring birthday treats on that day to celebrate turning 5! Her Show and Share was Tysie. We brought ice cream sandwiches for snack and plenty of treats for Tysie to show off all her tricks. Tysie was a rock star and G was a proud big sister!
After PreK that day, we headed to Chouteau for an impromptu visit and ended up giving the girls their first experience eating school lunch. It was good practice for the real deal in Kindergarten! Pancakes, eggs, and sausage!
No food for Hattie, but plenty of attention!
That night Gracie slept like a rock! I still love to watch her sleep!
The next day was Gracie's K2K Summer School Meet the Teacher Night. It was a like a knife to the heart to have to end her PreK chapter at the same time we were beginning the Kindergarten chapter. After meeting Mrs. Knox and getting all the summer school details, we headed to Jason's Deli for family dinner!
And then the night of PreK graduation came. Both big girls were dressed and looking so grown up. They were beyond excited to "graduate" and celebrate
On the way in, they ran into Alaina!
Each student got to share what they'd like to be when they grow up. Gracie wanted to be a swim teacher at the time. It's changed since then!
And just like that, she was a graduate! She shook Pastor's hand like a pro!
After the ceremony, we headed to the gym to celebrate and eat sweet treats. Mrs. Greene had a slideshow of this group's 2 years together. Gracie was so small when she began Preschool and by the time she graduated PreK, she was so big!
A few of her friends...
Charlotte, Elizabeth, Alaina, Bekah, Gracie, Kianna, Maddie
Sillies!
AJ and Gracie have been buds for 2 years and they still are in Kindergarten!
The theme for this year was Dr. Seuss. Oh the Places She'll Go!
Our whole family has loves Mrs. Greene and Mrs. Hilgenkamp! They were the most loving teachers and she misses them terribly. Even this week at SWAG, Gracie spotted Mrs. Hilgenkamp coming through the door and ran to give her squeezes! It looked like Mrs. Hilgenkamp was just as happy to see her. Luckily we get to see both of her teachers often!
The following day was her last day of school. All the families gathered for a picnic lunch and playing a the park. I took the day off work and Hattie came along, too!
Kianna came to our house after the picnic so the girls could play all afternoon!
By the end of the week, we all felt like this! It was a whirlwind week, full of emotions. But I am so grateful for Gracie's experiences at Preschool/PreK! It was such a special time in her life and mine!
Last spring, before Kindergarten stole the big girls (Gracie and Kianna) I took all the Hurt/Weaver ladies to the park for a picnic and playtime. Everyone had messy hair, even me, but the sun was shining and everyone was smiling! Those were the days...
Before Gracie's 5th birthday, we decided that she would have a mermaid party at the local YMCA. She's a total fish and loves the idea of mermaids! I found a cute idea on Pinterest to make mermaids, which we turned into magnets to hold her birthday invitations. I did some prep work to cut the tiny tails, swimsuits, hair, and faces. Then Gracie, Kianna, and their friend Charlotte worked with me during nap time to design custom mermaids to their liking. We had such a great time decoupaging together!
Once we had sent out the invitations, next came party favors. I'm not big on handing out junk at my girls' birthday parties, so I always try to think of something fun to go with the theme. For Gracie's 5th party, Splash Bombs seemed to be the perfect favor! Gracie, Hattie, Natalie, and Kianna and I made the rounds to find the best deal on sponges. Turns out that Walgreens and CVS had the best deal on them! Then we got to work back at home. First, all the girls gathered in and around the bathtub to soak the sponges and squeeze them out. After the sponges were wet and easy to work with, I used scissors to cut each sponge into 5 strips. The girls then gathered 8 strips (of any color) together and we used a ponytail holder to gather them together. I made it into a math lesson for the big girls. We talked about how 4 + 4 = 8, also 6 + 2, 5 + 3, etc. It was fun!
Hattie was also a part of the Splash Bomb fun! She mostly played in the sponges and smiled real cute while we worked away!
Last weekend we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Each year we try to visit a new place so that we can experience all our city has to offer. This year we landed at Faulkner's Ranch in Raytown. And to be completely honest, it was my favorite pumpkin patch we've been to so far! I think it's because we go with a wide variety of ages and they all have their own desires and everything at this ranch was close together. It wasn't too close together because it didn't feel crowded, but it's close enough that every kid can run to whatever peaks their interest and we can keep an eye on them without losing sight of everyone else.
The Corn Pit was a hit with the girls! Hattie only tried to eat a few kernels! She was funny when she tried to fill the dump truck with corn. She'd place them in the truck one by one. Natalie even tried showing her how to put them in my the handful, but Hattie preferred doing it the slow way!
The best picture I got of my two!
Chubby baby feet!
You could buy Funny Money to do some extra activities around the ranch. Gracie and Kia decided to do the zip line! They got to ride twice and it was super fun!
All the big girls had fun playing on the inflatables... bouncing, sliding, climbing, and playing!
Gracie loved the slide!
The big girls tried their hand at milking a fake cow! It was a new experience for both girls!
Hattie's most favorite activity was the slide! Just like at home, she wanted to go up and down the slide, over and over again! She would climb the stairs and slide down without help! She cried when we had to move on.
All the kids were able to enjoy the duck races. Hattie held onto the ducks while the big kids raced them!
Hollywood!
Gracie and Kianna were excited to try horseback riding again. These ponies were a bit stubborn, but the girls didn't seem to mind. Gracie patted her horse on the booty through the entire ride.
Hattie's first petting zoo experience was a hit, as well! She pretty much thought all the animals were awesome and squealed with delight when they licked her hand. She kept making her version of the pig sound each time she saw a new animal.
Overall, our day was perfect! Great weather, great place, awesome family!
