Time to Party!

This little girl was lucky enough (or loved enough) to have not ONE, but TWO birthday parties!  What girl wouldn't want to be celebrate twice!

The first party was put on by her Grandma and Papa in Kansas City.  It was a few days before her birthday, but it allowed all of our family and friends in the area to come and celebrate Miss Hannah.  And let me tell you...this girl is S.P.O.I.L.E.D!  She got so many presents! My oh my.  I even packed some of them up and hid them so that I can take them out sporadically so that they seem new and fun.  (Pictures to come...)

Her second party was here at home in Manhattan.  Originally it was suppose to be outside, but it poured all morning and I waited and waited trying to make a decision about what I should do.  I finally decided to have it at our house instead...and then the sun came out in full force!  Of course.

Hannah was SOOO excited (or maybe unsure) what all the fuss was about.  But, once I let her snack on a few marshmallows, she was all ready for business.  

Cutest One Year Old EVER

This is one of Hannah's new favorite spots to climb up on.  She can get up here easily by herself and see all the traffic outside as well as our front door.  Perfect spot for waiting for all your 20-something friends.  :)

Hannah had LOTS of friends come to celebrate her!  Some even brought her presents!!  She was originally unsure about the whole tissue paper thing, but once she realized there was good stuff inside, she was more than happy to oblige.  And her friends sure do know her well!  Miss Brittany (who also went to India with us) got Hannah a new puppy and book.  Hands down her 2 favorite things in life.  (I'm sure that I'm up there somewhere with her favorites, but some days I think puppies have me beat! ha!)

Hannah and Miss Brittany

Some of our cheerleader friends came to see us and Hannah was just delighted!  Of course, they are indoctrinating her young to be a cheerleader- at K-State...of course!! Hannah even got a "Future KSU Cheerleader shirt."  Adorable!

Jessilyn, Laura, H, and Kelsey

And then there was cake.  You're going to look at the pictures and think, "Blue icing!  Blue icing!  Why would she choose blue icing???"  I know...rookie mistake.  There was blue icing everywhere.  Thankfully it was washable.  :)  (And her poop was blue for the next 2 days.....ha!)

And last but not least, we couldn't forget our favorite photographer, Misha!  Misha was so sweet to just grab my phone and start taking pictures.  I didn't even realize she had my phone until more than half-way through the afternoon.   I wouldn't have hardly any of these pictures without her! What a gem!

We love you, Misha!

ONE

Hannah Kate is one.  Holy Moly.  My little girl is a ONE YEAR OLD.

I didn't think it was even possible, but Hannah continues to get more and more fun.

I have truly loved every stage- newborn, scooting, crawling- but it seems like with every change I find myself saying that it has become my new favorite.  I hope this is how life with Hannah is forever.

At one year old, Hannah loves to...

• Laugh- she is always giggling!  Sometimes she will just start laughing out of nowhere!
• Read- I can't tell you how many times I've come in to check on her only to find her sitting quietly reading.  I hope she is always a reader.
• Bark- I have no idea where she picked this up from.  We don't have a dog, and don't plan on getting one anytime soon.  But Hannah loves to bark.  At all animals.  She hasn't quite figured out how to differentiate between animals, so they all make a barking sound in her book.  Too cute!  There have been many times I'm in the dorms meeting girls and Hannah starts barking because they have a stuffed dog, or panda, or monkey.  Ha!
• Explore-  I'm pretty sure that learning to crawl on marble floors in India turned Hannah into a super fast crawler once we returned home to carpet.  I'm telling you- this girl can move!  She is always finding new cabinets or doors that I need to childproof.  Recently, while in TriDelta, Hannah pulled a girl's entire jewelry organizer down by pulling on a necklace.  Whoopsie.
• Eat- This girl loves her food.  And I am so thankful!  There hasn't really been anything she hasn't liked so far.  She's eating all "people" food now and is very ambitious with what she thinks she can eat.  The other day she ate a HUGE cookie while I had some cheerleaders over for ice cream ... one nibble at a time...  Favorite foods include: green beans, peas&carrots, cheese, chicken, turkey, mandarin oranges, and peaches.
• Wave- Hannah waves at everybody.  I think that this might be due to the fact that the baby to college student ratio is HUGE  (thus Hannah's popularity) and she thinks that everyone is truly her friend.  
• Dance- Hannah is a dancing machine!  If Bob comes home for dinner, we spend a little time afterwards reading the Bible, singing a song, and praying.  And because Bob is wrapped around Hannah's finger, he always encourages a family dance party following our family worship.  The mood goes from intentional to fun in seconds!  

Since, Hannah only continues to get more fun, here's a few memories I don't want to forget:

• Hannah is a pro-baby pranker.  She is always pranking me.  Her favorites include starting the dishwasher, unrolling all the toilet paper on the roll, and emptying the fridge (mostly the ketchup, butterscotch syrup, and salad dressing).
• Binkys.  Hannah thinks it is hilarious when you put her binky in your mouth.  She just cracks up!  And then immediately pulls it out and puts it back where it belongs.
• She has a guilty conscience.  If Hannah ever has something in her mouth she knows she isn't suppose to have (door stop, piece from a book, bobby pin, etc.), once I catch her she immediately pulls it out, throws her hand in the air and hands it to me.  Like she just happened to discover it and wanted to give it to me before anything happened.  ;) It is so sweet.  
• When Bob left for work today, Hannah was clinging to his shoulder.  Melt. my. heart. 

Hannah Kate, I cannot believe you are ONE.  Your Daddy and I thank God for you every day.  We pray that you come to know Jesus as your God and that you love and serve Him with all your heart soul, mind and strength.  You are a wonderful blessing in my life and your daddy's.  We cannot imagine life without you!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea!