Nana's House

After some fun at Mawmaw & Pawpaw's house, Daddy and Hannah Claire headed to Florence to hang out with Nana, Pappy & Mommy! We had lots of fun and of course Hannah Claire had to pose for some pictures. Cheese!

Granny Sue & Pawpaw John were there for a little love from HC. She had more to do than take pictures. After all she was the entertainment for the party.

We got a nice boat ride in before the rain set in. Can I just tell you that HC loves the boat. We have to keep a hold of her though because she would rather just jump off the side of the boat into the water. This kid has no fear.

Nelson is her guard dog on the boat, that is unless he is trying to root her out of Nana's lap. There is nothing like family friends to teach your children bad behavior. Thanks Marsha, we are going to let HC come pull your dog's tail.

Tea Party

While Hannah Claire and Daddy were in Scottsboro for Tyler's graduation they also had some girly fun. Shane's cousin's little girl (are you still with me?) came over for a visit. HC had not seen Wendy Lynn since the Christmas before last. They did what all little girls do, they had a tea party in the bed. How fun!!!

Hannah Claire also got in some quality time with Mawmaw and Pawpaw. I thought this was the sweetest picture.

Graduation

This year was a little crazy at graduation time. Between the two of us we had three cousins graduating from high school on the SAME night at three different schools. I went to Florence for one of the graduations and Shane went to Scottsboro for Tyler's graduation. Shane has always thought of Tyler as a little brother. He has grown into such an amazing young man. We are so proud of the Christian man he has become. We love you Tex Freddy!

Since Shane had Hannah Claire he had the camera so I didn't get any pictures of Wesley's graduation. It is so hard to believe he graduated this year. I mean I babysat him when he was a wee little one. I changed his diapers! (How old does that make me?) Wesley & his brother TJ have always had a special place in my heart and I love them both so much! We are super proud of Wesley and super excited to see what the future has in store for him. Love you Wes!!!

Zoo Outing

We invested in a zoo membership for this year since Hannah Claire loves animals. We went for Zoolight Safari at Christmas time but haven't been since so we loaded up and went a few Saturdays ago. After seeking advice from a seasoned pro (a mom of two that goes frequently) we decided to be there when they opened, take our time and see what we see (we can see the rest on another visit), take a train ride and hit the splash pad. It was great advice! We spent about two hours and were heading out when most people were getting there, along with the heat. Shane & I were laughing at the beginners. HAHA! We decided to hit the train first since Hannah Claire loves trains. We were headed over there when we spotted these peacocks. The guy was doing his best to woo the lady. She was having none of it. He was persistent though, we took the train ride and he was still at it. Men!

We were the first people on the train so Hannah Claire got to pick out where we sat. She picked the very last seat (which was a great photo-op).

After the train ride we saw some of the animals which HC loved! She would just sit mesmerized by each animal. We then headed over to the splash pad. Since this kid loves water it was a huge hit! A doctor I call on was there with her 3 year old. Mary Elizabeth showed Hannah Claire what it was all about. It really didn't take long.

"Hey, where did it go?"

"There it is!"

She then wanted to stomp on the water.

Sometimes a girl gets tired and needs to rest. She really can't help that she is a supermodel.

The train tracks were just past the splash pad. It would toot its horn and HC would stop and wave.

After some water fun we saw some more animals. The giraffes were so intriguing Hannah Claire had to lower her shades to get a better look.

We had a great morning at the zoo and Hannah Claire loved hit. We will be visiting again soon.

Addie's Birthday Party

One of Hannah Claire's best buddies celebrated her third birthday and we were there for the fun. Hannah Claire loved the swing on her first visit to the park (you can see it here) but has hated it ever since. The power of peer pressure starts so early and our child is no different. Since the other kids were swinging she decided she wanted to. I knew what was going to happen so being the great mommy that I am I stood back and got the camera ready. I will let you see how it went.

After that second push Mrs. Rutland realized she was absolutely terrified and stopped her. I thought maybe, just maybe I would be wrong and she would enjoy it again. Oh well, maybe next summer. After our fun at the swings, HC decided to scope out the snack situation.

That is where she found the magical wonder that is the kool-aid squeeze bottles. This kid was hooked at first sip. Thankfully Lindsay bought the clear grape flavored so it was much better for our white shirt!

We did catch a great picture of HC's buddy, the birthday girl.

Hannah Claire was one of the younger kids there but that didn't stop her from joining in on the fun. I don't think she will be a shy girl. She gets that honestly. :)

Addie started opening her presents and HC spotted a pretty blue purse she thought would look great on her shoulder. So what do you think she did. Yep, that right, she quietly snuck around the table picked up the purse and made her break. She so got busted but look at the innocent face.

Everytime I looked around this kid had another squeeze bottle. I'm pretty sure her Daddy had a lot to do with that.

She also got to climb her first tree. Well, there really wasn't any climbing here. Mr. Rutland took turns setting each kid up in the tree. They loved it!

This was our sign it was time to go.

We did manage to get a picture of HC & her buddy Addie. They are so sweet!

Dog Daze

Trussville has a spring festival called Dog Daze. On Friday night there is a band followed by a fireworks show. Our Hannah Claire loves, scratch that, is obsessed with fireworks. Daddy promised HC fireworks for her birthday. Lucky for us the local chamber came through for us. We packed up a picnic and headed down to the mall to meet up with some friends.

Once we got there we saw some other friends and set up beside them. Of course nosey nellie had to scope out the scene. I know she gets it honest but this kid is nosey.

We ate some yummy sandwiches and pretzels. The band got kicked up and so did HC. This girl has some moves.

Sometimes she just likes to show out.

Our friends the Rutlands found us, set their stuff up and set out to find some dinner. Their girls had two little chairs that was a hit. Alan came over to help himself. Hannah Claire was having none of it.

Our sweet girl!

Once the Rutland girls finished with dinner there was a barrage of dancing from the young ladies.

Finally the fireworks started. Hannah Claire seemed a little concerned at first. Sweet Reese held her hand and all was okay.

We ended up with a blanket full of kids watching the show. We had such a blast hanging out with so many friends (some of which we hardly ever see even though they live about 5 minutes from us).