We're Back!!!

Our two week vacation has finally come to and end. We got home late last night and had a great time. We loved the fact that we could drive to and from Alabama during the day and not through the night. We have not done that since Hannah was tiny and it was great. Thanks to a DVD player it was quite enjoyable. We had a great time with Mimi and Pop and the rest of the family.
We went to the IMAX with all the kis and it was fantastic. The kids all really enjoyed it and I have to say that I really liked it myself. At the beginning of the movie during the previews Hannah kept saying "WOW" over and over. It was pretty adorable.

The IMAX theatre was located in a kids museum. Outside of the IMAX there was a hurricane wind simulator. Hannah and Jason got in and she thought it was pretty fun. Here they are with 55.5 mph winds. Her hair was all windblown when they got out.

This was the first time that Hannah and Kate really interacted on a significant level. It was really fun to see them holding hands, calling each other over to play, chasing each other, and generally giggling together. Bryce is much more independent than these two and obviously less interested in the girly toys and games that they like. I can't wait for the day when the three of them come to really enjoy playing together. Here Hannah and Kate were jumping and dancing with Pop...too cute!!!

Overall, we had a great time in Alabama. However, it did rain every single day we were there! Bummer! Now our summer begins back at home.

Cousin love

We are once again loving having all of the cousins back together. This is more activity than Hannah is used to, but we are all enjoying it. The kids have had lots of fun in the big jetted bath tub and running and playing with the wagon outside. Although I will have to say that this is much different than when they used to take each others toys and not care....they care now! The 2 that can actually say it, say "mine" quite often and don't care for the others taking their toys. It sure does get interesting when they get into the 2 year old stage together. Hannah has come to LOVE her new cousin Dawson. She held him today for the first time and it was adorable. She held him for a few minutes when Bryce (Dawson's big brother) wanted to hold him, so he took a turn. When Hannah saw Dawson in Bryce's lap, she promptly (in a whinny voice) said "my Dawson, MY DAWSON!" While totally inappropriate, it was cute to see how much she was loving on the baby. Too cute!Anyway, tomorrow we are taking all 4 kids to see an IMAX film called "Under the Sea." I think it will be great and I think they will all love it, but it is the first time any of them have been to a movie theatre. So, we will see how it goes. Hannah and Bryce are fascinated by animal movies and movies in general, so they will definitely love it.

Week in pictures

Our sweet week is coming to an end and we have enjoyed it thoroughly. We have LOVED having the Thompsons here this week and are so thankful for their wonderful family. We have laughed, played, and talked multiple nights well past midnight. It has been a great week!

We spent great times in the pool, which all the kids loved.
The kids had several movie times and enjoyed the theatre. Hannah missed the theatre times, but she enjoyed her new movie "Nemo" anyway.

We have A LOT of swing time since this is one of Hannah favorite things ever.

The weather this week was more than gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outside visiting which was a blast.

Sweet Allie

Hannah pretty instantly loved Allie and latched on to her very quickly. She would grab her hand and attempt to drag her everywhere...it was pretty cute. Allie was a great "big sister" to Hannah too.

Hanging out at a park in Waco.

We are all leaving for AL tomorrow morning to end our week together. We will hopefully see the Thompsons again sooner rather than later.

Thank you Thompsons for coming to hang out this week! We love you guys and are so thankful for you!

Whitlarks, out

We are currently "roughing it" at Papaw and Granny's house enjoying wonderful time with friends and family. Our friends Joey and Brooke and their 2 kids came out from Alabama on Sunday to spend a week with us. We have had a blast so far swimming, swinging, talking, watching movies, laughing, and generally enjoying good company! Tomorrow we will head back to Waco where we will stay until Friday. We will then head out for Alabama where we will stay with Jason's family for a week. We will also get to meet our sweet new nephew Dawson who was born recently.
So, the Whitlarks are out galavanting around and enjoying every moment of it!

Birthday Boy

Birthday week continues here in the Whitlark household. Today my wonderful husband turns 34! I am so blessed by this guy and thankful to God for him as well. I thought in celebration of his birthday that I should put up some fun pictures from his baby book. This is listed as his "first photograph" and certainly shows him in his wee hours of life.

Here is Jason at 3 years old. He looks pretty much like I always thought he would at that age...what a little cutie!

Here is a little birth certificate from the hospital with his little footprints below.

And here is my sweet husband now...a wonderful Daddy, a great teacher, a brother, a son, and a Godly man that I am so thankful for! Jason - Happy Birthday! I am so blessed by you and I love you so much!

2 years ago today at 1:23pm we were blessed to have Hannah Alathea join our family. She has been a joy to us since the day she got here and we are so thankful to God for her! I still fondly remember the day she was born and the rush of emotions that overtook both Jason and I. The anticipation that was leading up to that day was nothing compared to when you get to hold your child for the first time. What an amazing joy! As I think back upon those times, I am so thankful to God for this gift of a child and all that has come with it. Hannah Alathea - I am praising God for you today and your 2 full years of life. We love you dearly and are so thanful for you!
Check out this yellowed jaundiced baby! She was adorable though.

Look at these little froggy legs! That can't be comfortable!!

2 years ago today, this Mama was the happiest girl ever as I welcomed my daughter into the world.

This was one proud Daddy as he held his daughter for the first time.

This picture melts my heart and shows the tenderness that Jason has for sweet Hannah. He is a great Daddy to her and she loves him dearly,

Since she could not stay a baby forever, this little one grew and turned 1 in no time. This was her on her birthday last year enjoying some cake.

If you have followed our blog from the beginning you might remember that Hannah was fortunate enough to be born on my Dad's (Papaw's) birthday. So, the two of them share that special bond. And no, I will never be able to top that birthday gift to him. Everything I find in a store just seems to fall short. Here were Papaw and Hannah enjoying a sweet moment last year on this date.

We are excited to be able to spend today with Papaw celebrating both his and Hannah's birthdays. As we look back upon these last 2 years we are full of joy, delight, and thankfulness to God for the fullness in our lives!

So, happy birthday sweet Hannah and Papaw, we are so thankful for both of you and we love you very much!!!

Only 1 more day

I only have one more day of my baby being 1! She is no longer a baby, but I am not sure I am ready for her to be 2 either. WOW, why does all of this have to go by so quickly? I am soaking up the hugs she gives, (if you have been on the receiving end of one lately, you know what I am talking about...this kid is an amazing hugger!) the sweet kisses, the giggles, the fun toddler games, the endless list of new words, and the joy that comes with having an almost 2 year old!

2nd Birthday Party

Like I said yesterday, we had a wonderful time celebrating Hannah's 2nd birthday. We had family and good friends over for a fun little party. Of course, Hannah's favorite part was the cupcakes! I absolutely love these cupcake cakes! They are so fun and easy with no cutting required!

We all sang Happy Birthday to Hannah, which she was a bit overwhelmed by. Just check out her face as everyone sings to her...priceless! She did, however, manage to blow out the candle all by herself on the second try! I was pretty impressed!

And of course, she got the icing all over herself. The funny thing is that she took so long just eating the icing that she did not eat any of the actual cake part. She was "all done" by then.

The above picture was the normal family picture that I desired, and the below one was the one that Jason requested. Silly Daddy!

Hannah was totally disinterested in the cards, but they were all so sweet that we had to read them out loud anyway.
She dug right into the gifts and enjoyed each one!

YEAH for fun summer clothes!

Crayola Color Wonder is awesome! I had never actually used this before she got it, but it is great. It is totally mess free but allows her to color with markers. What a great idea!

Caleb even got in on the present action and started helping her unwrap gifts. I won't tell you exactly how Hannah responded, but the word "mine" was thrown out there more than I care to admit.

Jason and I got Hannah this little suitcase full of paint pens and Hannah really seemed to like it. The problem was that Caleb liked it too, and you will have to look below to see what ensued.

A bit of a grabbing fight occurred between these two...oh my! They were holding on for dear life too! I guess I need to go back and talk about loving our neighbor and sharing again...and again..and again. (Sorry for the sideways picture)

Many bubbles were blown and the swing set was in full use. I am so thankful for our little backyard and the joy that it brought the kids this weekend.

Gramma was able to come out for the party this weekend, so Hannah enjoyed her time spent with Gramma this weekend too. It was a bonus that it fell on Mother's Day weekend so we were all able to celebrate together today.

Gramma, Mama, and Hannah on Mother's Day 2009.

What a great weekend, and a great way to celebrate this sweet little one as she is about to turn 2!!! I am so blessed by her and the joy that she is to our family. We sure do love you Hannah Banana!!!