lions and tigers and.....sharks?!

today we headed over to sea world.  the kids first time!

graham LOVED the giant fish tanks.  especially the ones that had the sharks.  he thought it was pretty awesome.

he was also pretty fond of the dolphins.
something tells me we'll be coming back again soon!

texas life

something tells me we're going to get used to spring days like this pretty quickly!!!

oh, btw...someone is three weeks old today!  how did that happen!

the great adventure begins

just shy of three weeks old and we things are getting packed at the house and i am heading on an adventure with both kids...SOLO...on an airplane to TEXAS!!!  the new chapter of our lives is about to begin.  i am super excited, but also super scared, sad and anxious.  

we planned for me and the kids to fly to san antonio as the packers were packing everything so that we didn't have to sleep on air mattresses and whatnot.  thank you miss colleen for dropping us off.  it really didn't sink in that we were leaving our house until colleen said "i'll put the kids in the car, you say goodbye to your house."  yup, waterworks began.  

this was the house we bought right after we were married.  the house we brought both kids home to.  the house we first laughed in, cried in, argued in and made up in.  so many good memories, it was hard to hug grady, tell him i'll see him in texas and get in the car.  but we did.  we will be making plenty of new memories in this new chapter ahead of us.

this picture of colleen and graham will forever be imprinted in my brain.  as well as the crying and hugging we did at the security gate entrance.  it was bittersweet, but i know i'll be seeing this face again soon!  we're already looking into cheap flights!  :)

luckily there were not a lot of people there on a thursday morning.  so we walked to our gate to burn some energy and when we got there it was time for hannah to eat.  graham kind of walked on the seats like a madman, but he stayed relatively in one place, so i didn't care.  i had plenty of bribes, so he didn't go too far!

of course our plan was late, so this only prolonged this scary part of adventure.  graham was getting tired and ended up falling asleep on one of the chairs RIGHT before we were about to board.  GREAT!  woke him up to walk with me since i couldn't carry him.  of  course it wasn't a plane that you walk on from the gate ramp...no, we had to walk down stairs, put our luggage on a cart and then walk up super narrow stairs to get into the plane.  a nice man asked if i needed help...i actually responded YES!  although i was putting the stroller down and he didn't know how to help.  he stood there until i got it down.  i kindly said 'thank you.'  he replied, 'no need to thank me, i didn't actually do anything.'  my response, 'yes, you did.  i just needed the support.'  we both smiled and then got on the plane.

wasn't sure how hannah would do on the plane since this was the first flight for her...yes, at 20 days old!  i knew graham would probably be fine with his ipad and snacks.  hannah fell asleep pretty instantly on the plane and graham was content during take off and into the flight.  about halfway through i had to nurse hannah (that was fun!) and then graham fell asleep.  YEAH!  and by some grace of god, they both stayed asleep the rest of the flight!  i was so thankful as i didn't want to be the mother with two screaming kids on an airplane. 

LANDED (after somewhat of a bumpy ride there in the middle...i was actually happy the kids were asleep.  i got a little nervous, so i can only imagine how scared they would have been)!!!!  our 8 hour flying adventure we were finally in texas!!!  grana and grampa were waiting for us with signs, flowers and toys.  we were so happy to see them.

so for now, we will be broadcasting live from TEXAS!

yee haw!

the murrays

there really is no way to sum up how much we are going to miss the murrays.  i'm tearing up now just typing this post!!  :(

they truly are our best friends.

we have so many memories that we will hold dearly and look back on often.  

thank you for all you have done for us over the past 8 years.  well and actually i should amend the 'best friend' statement.  we really see you as part of our family.  it will be strange not being able to call you on a weekend to see what you're doing and cook out, but this isn't goodbye...it's a see you soon!

miss isa

ralf and isa head down to florida for their cruise soon, so before we both leave town we decided to grab some lunch together.  when we got home the boys went to get some computer stuff and isa and i stayed with the kids.  ralf and isa brought graham some pretty cool polizei (police in german) playmobile sets, and isa was brave enough to open the one and put it together for graham.  he LOVES it!  and he loves miss isa too!!!

miss jen

today, little miss hannah made it into the hinge office.  she was passed around probably to no less than 8 people and she slept the entire time!  i was glad everyone was able to meet her before we head off to texas.  miss jen stopped by after work for some special one-on-one time with miss hannah.

i'm definitely going to miss this lady!  i was the first AAD at hinge, and jen was the second.  we instantly clicked during her interview and have been great friends since.  we joke that we are long lost sisters since we're so alike.  it's going to stink not being able to walk over to her desk and have our little chats.  guess that's what google chat is for, right!

last of the bad boys of paddington station

time is winding down, so we got the boys together for some final playtime.  

michael and adam are going to have to hold things down on paddington station from here on out!

even mojo got some playtime in with the boys.

luckily the horans already have a trip to texas scheduled for the summer, so we'll be seeing them soon enough!

cascades park crew

the germans are in town, so we had to get the cascades park crew back together.  it was so good to see everyone, enjoy some food...and some homemade caramel schnapps brought all the way from germany!  ;)

really?!

what does winter have against us this year?!  i guess virginia is really just giving us one last REAL winter to remember.  and yes...this is about a foot of snow!

say cheese

today grana heads back to texas.  it has been so great having her here to help us with the transition of having one child in the house, to two!  THANK YOU GRANA!!!

someone was being a ham today...can you guess who?!

and even though we are sad to see her go....it's not as sad a goodbye as it usually is.  and that's because in less than two weeks we will all be partial texans (we need to get a house to be official)!

big brother

have i mentioned at all yet how we haven't seen any jealousy from graham yet?!  we're so happy about it.  we know it's probably coming, but for now we're enjoying his happy and helping spirit.  it was a beautiful day today, so graham and i walked over to the playground to blow off some steam.  well he blew off some steam...just felt good to get moving and get some fresh air for me!

one week old!!

can you believe it!  ONE WEEK already!!!  how did that happen.  time is moving at warp speed it seems.  guess it doesn't help knowing we'll be moving to texas in a little over a week as well.  our world is a little chaotic right now, but we all seem to be handling it well!

some things to note:

had our first well visit and we have lost a little weight, but grown an inch since being born!

little miss does not like sleeping on her back AT ALL!  thank goodness for the bouncy chair on the side of the bed!

had one long stretch of sleep at home, but since then it's been back to normal eating about every 2 hours

loves getting loved by her big brother.  

still has darker hair and blue eyes.  we'll see if the blue eyes stay.

sucks on her fists if she doesn't have her binkie.

a tiny hinge

love this picture of hannah and i just so happen to be wearing my hinge fleece.  welcome to the world our newest little hinge!

first bath at home

after a blustery trip out, we decided to give hannah her first warm bath at home.  she's not too keen on the washing her body part, but man o man...she LOVES getting her hair washed.  she must take after her mom!  ;)

first outing

i knew while i still had grana at our house i was going to use her help to motivate me to get out of the house with hannah.  so out we went!  had to bundle up as it was pretty darn cold!

cuddle time

we have a definite cuddle bug on our hands!

i think everyone is adapting to be at home too!

visit from grammie

yeah for no work on tuesdays and grammie coming over to visit!  we got some good cuddling and loving in for sure.  and hannah wore her very first hair band!  she is quite the Q-T!

heading home

3 nights and 4 days in the hospital, and as much as i loved my doctor and all my nurses, i am so glad to be heading home.  it will feel good to sleep in my own bed and eat some good home cooked food (thanks grana!).  

we were greeted with an exuberant welcome from mojo who rushed our car, and graham helped daddy carry baby hannah into the house.  

to say graham was excited to have his baby home is an understatement.  he was also happy that her homecoming also meant he would be able to eat cake with dinner!!  well and i would be lying if i said i wasn't a little worried about the jealousy that's about to come, but so far he has nothing but love for her and hasn't acted out.

the sanner 4, home at last!

sleepy baby

unlike her brother, this little lady does not like to be swaddled and on her back!

so instead, she spends a lot of time in my arms and asleep on my chest.  i'm by no means complaining about this at all.  i love holding her close to me.  and if we can both get some rest in doing so, i'm all for it!  goodness knows we both need it!  the skin to skin bonding is doing wonders for feeding as well.  oh yeah, and did i mention...she likes to eat! 

day 2

there is no denying that this little boy is IN LOVE with his new baby sister.  he is so sweet with her and just wants to cover her with kisses.  i will never forget when he said "she's so beautiful" in his little graham voice.

such a sweet big brother.

i'm feeling much better than yesterday and am happy not to be hooked up to anything anymore.  i am back on my feet even a little sooner than when i was with graham.  and since i had a visitor, i thought he might like to help me walk baby hannah through the halls with me.  he was very proud.

i know i said graham is definitely in love with this little lady, but i think that goes for all of us.  i can't give her enough love right now (or ever!).

welcome to the world baby hannah!

introducing our new little wee one....hannah!!

it was a very early morning for all.  we had to be at the hospital by 5:30 (yes that's AM) as i would be going back to the OR at 7:30.  as i was in triage getting ready for our little one's arrival i found it odd that both the nurses and my doctor were asking me if i was in pain.  i knew i was having contractions, but they didn't hurt, so no...no pain.  then my doctor said "this is just what i would have liked to have happen!"  so i'm guessing that means our little hannah was making plans to make an appearance on her own in the near future.  

7:30 and i walk back to the OR.  i get prepped and get the epidural and am ready for go time.  i felt like it took an eternity for grady to get back to the room, but i was so glad when he got there.  my stomach didn't do well with the anesthesia at first, but once they got the dosage right everything felt much better.  

but man o man...this little girl DID NOT want to come out!  they were pushing and pulling her out for what felt like 10 minutes!  again, something tells me she was engaged and ready to come out on her own.  we had other plans for her!  then at 8:07 am our little miss was born!!

we love you more than words can describe!

almost party time!

well folks...it's almost birthday time!!!

39 weeks and 4 days!!!

and i'm thinking little miss is ready for her party!!!

i couldn't be more happy right now.  i can't wait to meet this little lady in person.  

i don't think i could write anything better than this poem i happened to run across.  we're counting down the minutes now baby hannah!

A Love Letter To My Unborn Child

© Carlisa P. Branch

I write this letter to my unborn child from the depths of my soul. 

You've entered my womb and made my life complete and whole.

I never thought I would be chosen for such an awesome task.

It is a greater blessing than what I ever could ask.

I can almost imagine you in my mind.

Beautiful, Happy, Bouncing, flashing a smile so kind.

Feeling you flutter is a sensation like no other.

It does wonders for the joy of this soon-to-be-mother!

You create a glow in me I never knew I would see.

It is true happiness that sets me on cloud nine manifested deep inside of me!

You're my baby, my child, my heart, and my wonder.

I pray we create a bond that no one can put asunder.

You're a designer's original! A creation from the King!

I can hardly wait for you to enter the world and see the joy you bring.

Sweet baby of mine, you're a magnificent gift from above.

Living proof of how your father and I have shared our love.

I hope you have your father's eyes

Then you will go into the world able to look at all things wise.

I hope you inherit my ability to plan.

With that you will be able to face all things in life as a strong woman or man.

I hope you receive from your father his selfless ways.

For this the Heavenly Father will bless you, as he did him, all of your days.

I hope you learn from my spirit and let no one take it.

Believe me you will need it in life, and many will try to break it.

But with that spirit you must have your father's center.

With that you will be cautious of any door you enter.

I want you to have my curiosity. 

There's nothing wrong with questions you may blurt!

But receive your father's discernment, 

so you'll know when to let go before getting hurt.

Have my big heart; know what emotions are and how to be real.

Share your father's strength so you can handle what you feel.

Share my sense of humor! Laugh a lot it helps you through life.

Share your father's sense of duty. Know how to be serious and take strife.

I'm emotional so I tell you it's okay to blubber once and a while like your Mom.

But learn to develop what your father has; an excellent sense of calm.

But most of all the things I wish for your father and I to share.

I wish we teach you to love, respect, strength of mind, and to care.

These are my feelings, wishes and hopes for you. 

You make my heart and soul sing!

I welcome you to the world and thank you for the joy,

my little queen or king.

mommy and graham

friday was my last day of work and we had planned to bring graham to daycare all week.  that was until...well, we got MORE snow!!  so we kept graham home and daddy worked from home as well.  it was probably a good thing anyways, as i used today for my last full day of really hanging out with just graham.  

i couldn't go out in the snow, but we watched a couple movies, played with toys, ate cookies, napped and all in all, had a good day!

i love you buddy and you will always be my favorite little boy!

flashback....excited baby

i was looking through videos with graham just now and ran across this gem.  made me cry i was laughing so hard.  enjoy!  :)

hard to believe this was 2 years ago!

carousel

it's pretty chilly again, so we figured we would venture to the mall and go to the playground there to burn some steam.  apparently everyone else had the same idea and graham was a little overwhelmed with all the kids.  so we went to the carousel instead!!

always a good time!