A Day of Play

Earlier this year a new toy store opened near us and Hannah has been itching to go.  I wanted to go when I could offer her lots of time to explore and play and last Tuesday was that day. 

Before we even entered the store she spent ages at this water table – that had no water in it. 

As I slowly explored the store Hannah went from station to station playing with new and unique toys.  There was some cool sand called ‘Sands Alive’ that was really neat but I was more than happy to leave it at the store as I think at home it would be all over the floor!  She played with it for a long time but hasn’t talked about it since.  Phew!

We attempted to play a little hockey on one of the boards I remember as a kiddo but we’ll just say one person (who shall remain nameless) possibly used some illegal moves…maybe!

After looking at the books, shopping with a shopping cart, playing with puzzles and admiring the jewellery available for dress-up, Hannah’s final stop for play was with this large dollhouse. 

She had fun playing with it and I found it interesting to see her line each  piece of furniture up against a wall.  At first I wondered why and then I realized in our home that’s pretty much the way it is as it’s the best way to fit everything in to our smaller space.  Heh – never really thought about it!

We enjoyed over 2 hours of playtime together at the toy store before I snuck in one small purchase as a surprise for a couple of days later into our vacation.  It was fun to have the time to just wander, look at, touch and play with the toys.  We had a great time together and finished our outing at one of our favourite restaurants – The Mandarin.  I’d saved some gift cards Mom and Dad had given me to take Hannah for lunch and this ended up being the day.  A great way to end our outing together!

10 Drowsy Dinosaurs

Hannah amazes me!  Truly she does!!

I’m the first to admit that memory is something I have always struggled with.  Names escape me even when I’ve known someone for a long time.  Memorizing stuff for school, piano pieces or Bible verses was something that took A LOT of work and even then I did poorly.  The one exception for me was numbers but I must say that with speed dial and computers that remember numbers even those fail me often.    Watching many movies is disappointing as I can’t keep the characters straight and get them all mixed up.  Reading a mystery isn’t worth the time as the big reveal leaves me empty as I often can’t remember how the character fit into the plot.  Does anyone else struggle with this? 

I’ve learned at work to write ‘to do’ lists and detailed procedures for myself so that I can recall in the future what a task involves.  The project I’m currently working on has me completing a task and then sometimes not doing that same task for months and months so the procedures are helpful in remembering the details and steps required to accomplish what is asked of me.

Hannah, is the polar opposite to me and for that I am SO thankful!!  Her memory is amazing and is a gift that I pray she will always have and use.  Even though she is only 4 I have learned that if she says, ‘Mommy, Remember when….’ I don’t doubt her.  As she provides me with more details I can in fact remember what it is she’s speaking of and her details are normally spot on.

The book ‘10 Drowsy Dinosaurs’ (aka 10 Sleepy Dinosaurs) is one we received in her Junior Kindergarten orientation kit.  We’ve probably read it about half a dozen times since she received it.  Included in the kit were pages designed to be coloured and turned into puppets on popsicle sticks.  Hannah enjoyed this little project even though she got a little impatient at times and coloured like a maniac. 

Once her puppets were all ready it was time for her show!  She created a little puppet stage using a foot stool and little chair.  This was the first time we ran read the book and she presented her little show and I think she did really well!  She thought it out first and got them in the order that they would be displayed.  Enjoy my little sweetie and her telling of, ‘10 Drowsy Dinosaurs’.

Great job Hannah XiaoFen!  I can’t wait for you to perform your puppet show for Mommy again!

Is There Any Question Why She Sleeps So Well?

This is Hannah’s true self.  We were at Ribfest a couple of times this past weekend and well, she was her normal Hannah self.  You will quickly see why she’s normally out like a light within minutes of her head hitting the pillow…and why Mommy is exhausted and ready to put her feet up too. 

While most people were seeking cover under tents during a brief rain shower Hannah saw it as an opportunity to dance and run.

Bubble chasing.  We had to keep this experience pretty short as it was crowded and I was afraid she’d run into someone…or wear their soda over her head!

Running through the climbing castle.  She has no fear of heights that’s for sure!

Whoosh down the slide.

And if you’re curious, yes I own a cute little pink puppy h*rness and I’m not embarrassed to use it when needed!  I’m sure you can see why!

You can also see why I am SO thankful to Ange who cares for my energetic bundle of love Monday through Friday!  That girl deserves a medal!!  Thanks Ange!!

Preschool Play

When I arrived to pick up Hannah from daycare yesterday Ange asked if I had my camera with me?  I popped back to the car and thankfully the kids were in the mood to play ‘Wedding’ again.  So sweet!  Owen is the narrator, Noah the groom and Hannah the bride.  I love how well the kids play together and the sweet friendship they share!  The spot where Hannah runs down the hill and calls to Noah, once again using her ‘gentle voice’ makes me giggle!  Heh…check out Noah running down the hill.  I think he had his pucker ready from half way down!  (Ben, it may be best to avert your eyes! )

So sweet!

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles!!

Yay…summer is here and we’re taking full advantage of the hot temps and long summer nights!

A snack in the car on the way home from daycare has proven to be a great thing for us!  Hannah has much more energy when we get home and isn’t melting down while I prepare supper.

The past week the weather has been beautiful so we’re enjoying our courtyard to the fullest.  Having that built last year was one of the best home investments I’ve made in the 14+ years I’ve lived here!  When we get home at night Hannah asks for bubbles and I open the door  to the outdoors and she has a ton of fun going between the house and the courtyard. 

When we first get home we each grab a bottle of bubbles and have fun together.  Precious moments together after a long day apart.  There’s nothing better than slowing down and listening to my sweet girl giggle as she chases bubbles around the deck and calls out, ‘Mommy, Watch me!  I do it!’  Precious moments for sure!!  It also makes me wish that we lived in a climate that was warm all year round.  Winter is long and hard but oh how I appreciate spring, summer and fall because of winter.

After we’ve played together for a bit she plays on her own while popping into the house to chat and help me cook supper.  Having the help means supper takes a little/lot longer to prepare but it’s fun to find things for her to do.   Who knew that cleaning mushrooms could mean each mushroom is hand delivered from the sink to the counter?  Hannah knows it and she’s so proud with each thing she helps me with.

On a related note, until I was the Mommy of a bubble blowin’ toddler I had no idea why someone would need this jumbo size refill of bubbles.  Heh…I’ve quickly learned why in the past week!!  Each of the ‘bubble pubbles’ in this pic represents a bottle of bubbles that was spilled within ummm…a 10 minute period!

To her credit, she doesn’t purposely spill the bubbles but when you’re 2 it’s fun to run, jump and spin while the bubbles float in the air and spills just happen. She is getting better though and today’s 2 bottles lasted almost half an hour before they spilled.  A big improvement in just a few days.  I now understand why they sell this size of bubble refill and I’m going to hit Walmart tomorrow while they’re still on sale and buy another one! 

I’m already looking forward to bubble time tomorrow!!

Bubble and Pool Fun with Nana and Papa!

It was another beautiful day today - hot and sunny! Hannah and I were busy during the day but the warmth continued into the evening so I decided to fill up her little pool and let her splash around after supper. We called Nana and Papa to see if they were free and they were so they came over and joined in the fun. Only one little girl was in the pool but somehow all 4 of us ended up wet! :o)

She really likes playing with her watering can and Papa's help made it even better! She doesn't mind getting her head and face wet and often put her head under the falling water.






We also pulled out the bubbles which Hannah thought were great! We'd only played with bubbles one other time so it's a new treat for her and she really enjoyed them. She's also learned how to sign and say bubble. Her language is exploding and she's saying new words every single day!!





Thanks for coming over to play Nana and Papa!!

Little Places for Little Faces

Now that Hannah's crawling a whole new world has opened up to her. I giggled this afternoon as she played for about 20 minutes under her high chair!
Trying to stand up
'Um Mommy. A little help here please!'
Off for more adventures.