Family

Bob and I have incredible families- and we feel SO blessed!  We headed to KC for a few days to spend some time with lots of people we love before we head out for India.  Oh! And did I mention that our parents live 5 minutes apart from each other??  Yep.  5 minutes.

We spent Memorial Day with my family and had an absolute blast! The boys (i.e. the husbands/fiances who are all older than 25) fished, played in the creek, grilled and ate.  The ladies- my mom, sister, grandma, me, and Hannah girl- spent time on the deck, talked, and prepared dinner. I've always loved spending time with my family, but it is even more fun as we all grow up.  We missed Rebecca and Lara!  Can't wait to see you both in August!

Unfortunately, NO ONE took any pictures! Boo. So, because blogs are always better with pictures, I borrowed one of my sister's fiance off her Facebook.  You are welcome in advance, Jason.

My sister's mister, Jason...in all his fishin' glory at my parent's house

The next day we spent with Bob's family.  They treated us to the new aquarium in KC, SeaLife Adventure. It was so fun! I wasn't sure how Hannah was going to respond because she is still pretty little, but she LOVED it!  She was mesmerized by all the fish, lights, colors, movement...  Here's a few pictures from our day.  

Hannah and I at the touch pool.  For those of you who know me, you should be SHOCKED that I put my hands in.  I even picked up a starfish.  I was proud of myself.  Maybe being a mom makes you more brave?(Don't worry, I quickly sanitized my hands afterwords.)  

Bob &  Hannah in a "bubble" that puts you inside the aquarium

Looking at the fishies

The last aquarium of SeaLife had 2 GIANT eels (think Little Mermaid) and lots of sting rays.  This picture makes it look like Hannah is IN the tank, but I promise, she's not.  But, I think the sting rays must have liked her because they kept coming right up to where she was at.  Possible?  I really have no idea. 

Like all good grandbabies, Hannah was able to convince her Grandma H that she needed this puppy at the SeaLife gift shop.  She is crazy about it.  We were wheeling around the store looking at everything and all of a sudden Hannah barked.  Seriously, she barked.  At the puppy.  I gave it to her to look at and she squeezed it and "kissed" it and thus, Grandma's heart was melted and Hannah got the puppy.  Crazy as that sounds, she still loves the puppy.  It has been coming with her everywhere.                                                 

Hannah and Puppy

So, after two long days with the grandparents, we were exhausted.  

Back at home now, packing, cleaning, and preparing to head out for India.  I'm pretty sure I go to Wal-Mart about every other day to pick up something I forgot.  Ha!

Only 5 days left in America!

Changes

Even though things have slowed down in Manhattan, Hannah seemed to miss the memo.  She continues to change, change, change.  Seriously, someone should tell that girl to slow down! 

Here's a few changes that have been happening in our house!

Hannah is crawling!! She has been scooting for quite a while now, but just a few days ago she realized she could move! This girl is F.A.S.T.  It will be interesting to see how this crawling 9-month old does cooped up on a plane for 18+ hours as we fly to India.  I'll keep you posted!

Move it or lose it, Momma!

We have begun our preparations for India!  Crazy to think we leave in 13 days.  Hannah and I went to HyVee yesterday and stocked up on her baby food.  The whole cart was FULL of baby food and snacks- over 40 pounds of food!  The guy behind me in line said, "You must not like to go shopping very often."  Ha!
(Side note:  I put in HyVee's comment box that they should get "New and Expectant Mother" parking spots. Why does NO ONE in Manhattan have these?  So, just for the record, if they get them, I suggested it. :) )

Hannah's mantra must be (like her daddy), "Go big or go home!"  Why stop at just crawling?  In the very same day that she started crawling, she realized she could pull herself onto her bottom and stand up!  Genius.  I thought it was just a one-time thing when she did it, but imagine my surprise when I went to get her in the morning and found this--

Oh hey there!

So, the stand up/pull up is now commonplace in our home.  She especially loves the bay window- I think mostly because she can see the traffic and watch the trees.  

Nice hair-do Hannah

Bob and I have really been enjoying a slower pace of life, just the 2 of us, before we head out for India.  We cannot wait to go!  It still seems a little surreal, but as we begin packing, finalizing travel details, and getting our last shots, it is beginning to sink in.  Here's to another adventure!

Oh!  And the last bit of good news?  Hannah slept through the night for the past TWO nights.  Hallelujah.  AND we've been putting her to bed at 8.  Instead of like 10 or 10:30.  I've reintroducing myself to the evening.  And I love it!

Pittsburgh Trip

Hannah and I just returned from visiting my sister, Lara, and her new baby girl, Arya.  We had so much fun and it was great to get a trial run on a plane before our 18-hour jaunt across the pond to India. :)

Because a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll tell our story in pictures.

Day 1: Our adventure begins!  Bob drove Hannah and I to the airport in the morning and we were off!  Next time I fly, someone remind me to pay the extra and do a direct flight. :)  2 flights plus a layover with a 8 month old?  What was I thinking?  But for the record, Hannah did AWESOME.  

On the Plane!

Playing on the oh so clean dirty airport floor

Day 2:  We spent the morning relaxing and then it was off to our friend Marci's house! Marci has a little boy (Caleb) a few weeks older than Hannah and they had fun playing together.  (More like Hannah played with all of Caleb's toys while Caleb watching in awe at how crazy full of energy she was.)  We did some shopping and then headed back to Lara's, not without stopping at Sonic though!

Am I too big for Arya's swing? :)

Day 3:  Lazy Day at home so the new momma and baby could get some much needed rest.  We had fun playing though!

Day 4:  Park day!  Lara and Josh took us to an AMAZING park that had tons of playgrounds, fields, walking trails, and even horses!  Hannah and I had a blast!  After that, we headed to church for their Mother's Day service.  Oh!  And we had Chic-Fil-A too.  Yum! :)

Me and My Girl- Love it! 

Is this swing too big for me? Ha!

Lara and Arya

Sisters and our Babies!

Day 5:  Hannah and I arrived back home- on Mother's Day!  Bob (and Hannah) surprised me with 2 cards, flowers, 2 new ceiling fans, and my favorite...no cooking for the night! ;)  However, it was back to real life ... and laundry.  While I folded laundry, Hannah watched Baby Einstein on her own personal TV, a.k.a. my iPhone.  Ha!

Relaxing at Home while I do laundry

 Overall, we had an INCREDIBLE trip and we're so thankful we could meet little Arya!

Sister Babies

Welcome Arya Grace Tilford!

She is a beauty!  Arya was born on Saturday, April 21st late in the evening.  (For the record Arya, your momma worked very hard and for a LONG time to see you.)  Six pounds & 15 ounces, 21 1/4 inches long and one head FULL of DARK hair!  She's already knocking Hannah out of the park in the hair department.  :)

There are many reasons to be excited about Miss Arya-

1.  I am now an aunt! :) 

2.  She's healthy and gorgeous!

3.  She and Hannah are so close in age!

It's crazy to think how far apart 7 months seems right now, but in actuality, Hannah and Arya will probably be in the same grade in school.  Whoa.  Lara and I are going to have a lot of fun raising babies so close together.  Lots of stories, lots of "what do we do now" moments, and much sister bonding.  

Arya and Hannah both had their first outings with their Grandma Diane at Target.  (Hopefully Target sees what devoted shoppers we are and gives our children full-ride scholarships to college. Ha. But, seriously.)

Hannah was so little for so long that she is wearing the same outfit at TWO MONTHS that Arya is wearing as a NEWBORN.

In just a few weeks, Hannah and I are going to venture up to the NE to meet Miss Arya.  We can't wait!  Plus, it will provide a nice trial run on a plane before our looonnnngggg flight to India here in a month.  But, until we can get a picture of the four of us all together, this side-by-side shot will have to do.

I can't wait to meet you, Arya!

p.s.  Yes, I know my hair desperately needs to be highlighted.  Don't worry, I have an appointment coming! :)

Family Date

I love Wednesdays.  Always.  It's our date night.  Don't be confused by the word "date."  It's not a "get dressed up, go to a fancy meal and a movie" kind of date.  We're simple people.  And we have a baby.  It's more like a "Bob and I are both home for an entire evening, let's eat a home-cooked meal together and go to Menards or Target" kind of date.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

This last Wednesday it was nice out so we decided for a change of pace to head to the park and have a picnic.  It was so much fun!  Hannah loves the swings, so we had a blast swinging, laughing, and just being a family. 

Loving Life

Giggles

Bob was a great sport and let me take gobs of pictures.  He even set this one up on a self-timer so that we could get a family pic! What a stud!

Family of 3

Sleeping

Sleeping Beauty

Dear Momma,

I decided to celebrate Thursday by taking a 2 1/2 hour nap.

Love, Hannah

P.S.  Don't expect for me to repeat this daily.  It's only when you least expect it.  :)

Play Dates

You know what's crazy?  Growing up.  It happens way too fast.  Here's an example:

It seems like just the other day (okay, maybe like 9 years ago).... I was in college loving life and spending time with my RA Tracy.  A few years later, she marries a boy who when to my high school.  (small world).  Now, she has two kiddos and I have one.  Whoa.  That happened fast.

And PERK!  She lives in the same town as me.   What does that all equal?  A play-date.  More like a "you should come over and we can talk about life, the kids can play, and we can take lots of pictures" date.

Our oldest babies are about a year apart.  What fun!  It was the first time that they actually "played" together.  The last time we tried Landon just growled (more like a "Hello, how are you?" growl) at Hannah. Ha!

Just Reading

Who knew Hannah liked to wrestle?

Our girls are about 6 months apart in age.  Its crazy how big of a gap 6 months feels like now, but they will probably be in the same grade at school!

The girls

Our second play-date was to the park with some of our K-State friends.   It was a little chilly, but overall a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors.  

Hannah with Libby, Katie, and Misha

If sororities had a "house baby" like they do a HouseMom, I'm pretty sure Hannah would win out for Alpha Xi Delta. (Forgive me, ADPi...I still love you).  Since Hannah and I do a lot of different Bible studies with these girls, she has lots of friends in the house.

I love this picture.  Misha comes over to our house at least once a week and Hannah just can't get enough of her!  I think they are destined to be best friends. :)

And, of course, I had to leave you with another pic of me and my sweet girl.  I just can't get enough of her!

Me and My Girl

P.S.  Please notice that my baby is wearing a Juicy Couture shirt, one sock, and a hat.  And, no, she did not pick out her outfit.  I did.  :)