My ‘Go With the Flow’ Toddler!

Today there was a pretty big change in Hannah’s little life but she just went with it and was amazing!!

Hannah’s awesome daycare provider Ange is due to have a baby any minute (literally any minute) so for the next couple of weeks Hannah is going to be going to daycare at a friend’s place.  I’ve known Bonnie since she was just a kid herself and now she’s watching my kiddo! 

I’ve known this change has been coming for a number of months but for Hannah this is all new.  We went for a visit at Bonnie’s place last Friday night and had fun hanging out with her and her kiddos.  Hannah was a teeny bit shy at first but within minutes she was playing with Bonnie’s kids, running around and just having fun with her new friends. 

Last night we hosted an impromptu dinner for Ange and her family (if you can call hot dogs, salad and cheezies ‘dinner.’ :o)  It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed the fresh air while eating out on the deck.  We weren’t sure if Ange was in the early stages of labour last night when I picked up Hannah so rather than have her cook we invited them over.  I love spontaneity and we all had a great time together!

After supper the ‘baby’ felt like ice cream so we all ventured to a local ice cream parlour.   Hey….who am I to deny a baby his ice cream before his big job of being born? 

It was a wonderful way to spend an evening together with friends!  We’re going to miss you over the next month Ange and family but wish you all the best and cannot wait to meet your newest addition!!

On a side note, this pic just made me laugh!!

Take one toddler who wants to show her friends every.single.one of her toys and 2 boys who are excited to see them and this is what can happen in a very short matter of time!  A good time was had by all though and truly, that’s all that matters!

So, back to today.

When I was getting Hannah dressed she mentioned wanting to go and play with Owen and Noey but I said that today she was going to Bonnie’s to play with her cousin Makenna.  She wasn’t too impressed at first and there were a few tears as she asked to go to Ange’s but over breakfast she processed things and was soon saying, ‘I go Bonnie’s house with Kenna!’  (This pic is of Hannah and Makenna with my niece Rebecca/Bec Bec when we were at my parent’s place a week ago.)

When we arrived at Bonnie’s I let Hannah out of the car and she happily began to walk (read: jump, skip, hop….Hannah doesn’t care much to ‘walk’!)to the front porch.  I managed to bring her back for a moment to snap the top pic above.  From there we moved into the house where she removed her shoes and was off!  Running and playing with the other kids and barely found time to come back for a hug and kiss goodbye.  When she did I snuggled her close and in a happy voice said, ‘I love you Shao Shao!  Mommy’s is going to work but will be back soon!’  She was happy which in turn made this transition much easier on Mommy too!

I went to the car without any tears (for me…she was fine!)….until I began to drive away and saw my precious baby girl standing at the front door and happily waving bye-bye to me.  The tears threatened but didn’t spill over.  God had answered the prayers we’d uttered on the way to Bonnie’s house and granted Hannah an easy transition.  God is SO GOOD!!

I did my best and didn’t call until about 3:00.  Bonnie said she was ‘awesome’ and they were having a great time together!  So happy!!  She said the only tears she’d seen were a few when she’d put her down for her nap but she soon drifted off to sleep and slept for an hour and a half. 

I picked her up shortly after 5:00 and she had a craft to show me and told me about their trip to the park.  I mentioned at the time that she’d be coming back tomorrow and she said yes with a smile on her face!

Bonnie, thanks for all your help with Hannah!  I know she’s going to love being in your home for these few weeks and I in turn car focus on work knowing that my sweet, amazing, precious little girl is being so well cared for!

Family & Toddler Fun!

On the long weekend when we were visiting family, Hannah had an opportunity to spend time with her little cousin who is just a couple of months younger than her.  Nathan is my cousin’s little boy and such a cutie!

The kiddos hit it off immediately and were playing together within moments.  What fun to see them together!

Aren’t they adorable?

Saturday evening we were together again and this visit included a trip to a local pond where the kiddos had fun feeding the fish and ducks.  My little miss leading the way.

Here fishy, fishy!

Friday night cousin Quinn was over and he was so good with Hannah!  Here they’re playing hide and seek with cookies under his hat.

The weekend also included time with Uncle Tim

and Grandpa.

So blessed!!

Hannah’s Travel Tips

Last weekend was a long weekend for us so I added a vacation day on the Friday to the beginning of it and Hannah and I had 4 amazing days together filled with fun, laughter, singing, swimming, playing and time with family!

Our extended family lives a number of hours away so Hannah and I chose to drive with my parents rather than take 2 vehicles.  They picked us up and after we loaded our ton of stuff into their vehicle we were on our way.  Hannah had a couple of new things to play with on this trip and both were a huge success!  I had ordered a Star Kids Snack and Play Travel Tray for her to use in the car after hearing good things about it from a few friends and it was great! 

It gave her a flat surface to colour on, read, drive little cars and nothing rolled off it as the sides are raised. It’s made of soft materials which is important to me in case there is a need to put on the brakes quickly.  A great purchase that I’d recommend to others!   It has a little strap that goes behind her car seat and snaps into place to hold it in place while she’s using it.  Hannah loved it and had fun putting things in the little side mesh pockets too.

The second new purchase was a last minute find on Kijiji.ca. (Canada’s answer to Craig’s List).  When we were visiting M3 and her family the girls had the LeapFrog Tag reading system.  Hannah really enjoyed playing with theirs and since we’ve been home she’d take pens and similar items and press them to her story books and say in a bewildered voice ‘Not working Mom!’  

There is a Tag Junior system that is geared for her age but I wasn’t sure it would be worth the price for the short amount of time that she would use it before moving onto the older child’s Tag system.  Mom and I had looked at the Junior system when we were shopping earlier in the week and I had contemplated buying it and a couple of books for her this coming Christmas.

On a whim Thursday morning I put Tag Junior into the search field of Kijiji for our area and up popped a system in a neighbouring city that offered the Tag pen + 7 books for less than the cost of the pen alone!  I contacted the seller and quickly offered to purchase their system.  Norma and I popped over at lunch and voila….Tag Junior purchased!

I pulled the pen and books out of her activity bag during our drive Friday morning and she was thrilled!  She spent part of our drive both to and from our destination playing with her new books and reader.  It’s so cute when she turns the pen on and it refers to her by name! 

A great little system.  Highly recommended for your little toddler who enjoys reading and learning!

Cottage Fun 2011!

A few weeks back Hannah and I hopped into the car with my niece Rebecca and Auntie Joy and headed north to visit Grandma and Grandpa where they were renting a cottage north of Toronto.  They go to this cottage each year and we love going to visit!

Hannah started partying right away!

Bright and early the next morning we were up and outdoors. 

First boat ride of the season. Is it just me or does she look really different in this pic with her hair parted by the wind on the opposite side to normal and her bangs gone?  Funny!

We went to chapel Friday morning and Hannah had a blast with her cousin Makenna at the kid’s program.  Yay Hannah!  Not a tear and she was happy to show me the picture she’d coloured.

There is just 4 1/2 months difference in age between Hannah and Makenna and the two of them have such a great time together!  When we’re at home Hannah can often be heard to say, ‘One for me.  One for Kenna!’  Whenever she has 2 of something the extra one is for her cousin.

Gazing out at the beautiful water.

There is no better place to nap than on the boat

and cousin Noah felt the same way.

Captain Grandpa

‘Tubing’ with Bec Bec

Unfortunately my camera battery died half way through the weekend so these are all the pics I have.  Oh well, it’s fun to capture at least some of our fun together!

Ahhhh…Beautiful scenery and yet all I can see is my precious baby girl.  Oh how I love you Hannah XiaoFen!

A Moment in Time: Too Loud!!!

A few months ago I discovered the wonderful world of smoothies!  Since then I have enjoyed a smoothie almost every morning for breakfast.

Hannah and I have our morning routine down pat.  Wake up, get ready, she eats breakfast while I make my lunch and then as we’re getting ready to go to the car I put a smoothie together.  There are some days when she eats part of her yogurt and they she asks me to put the rest in the smoothie.  Too cute! 

Once all the ingredients together I’ll call out, ‘Are you ready?’ And she quickly covers her ears as I turn on the blender and calls out, ‘TOO LOUD!!!’

Once she’s safely buckled into her car seat and we’re ready to go I bring out the completed smoothie and the cutest little taste tester in the world gives me her opinion on that’s days creation.

I love this cute little morning tradition that we share together each day!