Happy Memorial Day!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend relaxing, taking a day off of work, and hosting a BBQ with friends!  But before I talk about that, let me say thank you to our veterans, active duty service men and women, and all of their families.  We especially want to remember all of the families of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their life in the service of our country.  We are truly grateful.

On Memorial Day, we opened up the grill, dusted off the cornhole boards, and laid out the lawn chairs for a bunch of friends to come over for a BBQ!  We (meaning Alex) provided the hamburgers and hotdogs, and everyone else brought sides and desserts to share.

It was a fun afternoon of catching up and Hannah had a great time making the rounds in her red, white, and blue lady bug dress, courtesy of Grandma Heacock!

I did my motherly duty and tried to get her to wear this super cute hat...

...but she wasn't having any of it.  I guess I'm lucky I even got a picture with it on.

Her favorite activities in the yard are picking flowers...

...and all things involving the beach ball.

We tried to introduce her to the art of cornhole.

Dad deserved a high-five for all of his hard work!

When her friends arrived, she was anxious to share her toys!

Sweet Eleanor was looking too cool for school in her shades.

Turns out the beach ball was a hit with Amelia too!

Even with so many friends to play with, Dad was able to squeeze in some snuggle time.

Look who's 15 months!

This week Hannah had her 15 month check up (which made me realize I never posted her 12 month stats...might have to try and dig those up) and she got a great report from the doctor!

Vital stats include:

• 33 inches tall (98%)
• 25 lbs 6 oz (83%)
• 19 inches around her dome (96%)

She took her first steps around 13.5 months and since then she's been our little toddle monster.  She is very busy these days (which means we are too), and has learned lots of new tricks.  She still loves to waive, except now she throws in a "bye bye" when appropriate.  Other words include Mama and Dada, dog, ball, all done, more, baby, fan, clock, cup, and probably a few others I'm forgetting :)

Even though she only says a few words, she understands everything.  She can point to her body parts (head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, feet, toes, elbows, and belly), and she even knows a few animal sounds (she says "moo" for cow, "neigh" for horse, and even tries to snort for pig).

She blows kisses, wiggles her arms, stomps her feet, shakes her head "yes" and (more often) "no".  And she still loves to dance.

I swear we love this sweet girl more every day, and we have so much fun watching her become more and more "kid" and less and less "baby".  Thanks for sharing in her journey with us!

Our strawberry blonde

Last weekend we ventured out into the country to pick some fresh strawberries!  We took the ferry across the river, drove out to the farm, grabbed a basket and got to picking.  Hannah was a total pro - once we showed her what to pick (not the flowers or the leaves or the white, unripened berries) and how to pick them, she went right to work, even dropping them one by one into our basket.

At least that's how it went until she figured out she could smash the berries.  Then it got interesting.

Not only did we come home with some delicious berries (and a little bit of laundry), but we got some great pictures in the process.

Just starting out.  You can tell because Hannah is still wearing her hat and her shirt is still clean.

Picking a berry...

Taking it to Dad...

And dropping it in the basket.  Voila.

And then it got messy.

Berries in her hair, berries on her shirt, berries on her hands...and surprisingly few in her mouth.

As Alex pointed out, she was a true strawberry blonde!

We had a great time together as a family...

And with some wonderful friends!

Jet-setting (part 2)

After Florida, we ventured north to the somewhat less beautiful, but still very fun city of Columbus to celebrate my brother's graduation from medical school!

Before I even talk about the trip, I first want to say how incredibly proud I am of Scott for this great accomplishment.  He has worked incredibly hard and we were honored to celebrate with him as he fulfilled his dream of becoming a doctor.  Dr. Scott Kramer.  Whoa.  Way to go bud :)

In addition to Scott's graduation and all of the associated activities, we also took a trip out to the Columbus Zoo!  It was Hannah's first trip to a zoo, and she definitely enjoyed it - especially the petting zoo and the aquarium.  The inclement weather was just a good excuse for her to sport her extra cute raincoat :)

Leeeeeavin' on (another) jet plane!

What did I tell you - extra cute raincoat :)

Petting a very wooly goat - Leonidas has helped her tolerated her so she has become a petting expert.

Matching extra cute raincoats!

Checking out the fish was great because she could get so close to the glass!

What a fun family adventure!

Scott is not only the third doctor in our family - he will be the third otolaryngologist (ear, nose, throat - ENT - for the non-doctors among us)

Proud family with the graduate

So much of our family made the journey to celebrate - what an amazing blessing!

Jet-setting (part 1)

As few weeks ago, Hannah and I jetted off on an extended adventure to spend some time with my brother, his lovely wife, Nana, and Papa.  Sadly, Alex couldn't make the trip because of work commitments, but he was with us in spirit!

Our first stop was Marco Island, Florida and in a word, it was gorgeous.  Thanks to the generosity of a friend, we stayed in a beautiful condo with covered, screened in balcony (otherwise known as a lanai) that looked out over the Gulf of Mexico.

We went the beach, swam in the pool, found a great park, played cards, ate delicious food, and enjoyed the opportunity to catch up together.  Hannah was amazing - a great traveler on the journey, an expert sleeper in a new environment, and anxious to explore her surroundings!

This beach bum loved the sand, the sea shells, and the ocean - she was fearless! 

Grabbing a quick snack ocean-side

Chilling on the lanai with Uncle Scott, waiting to waive to the passing boats

Hitting the pool with Aunt Stacy - some good lookin' ladies!

Nana helped her take full advantage of the swings - still one of her favorite activities!

Stacy and I got in on the swinging action - never too old for the swings! (Right???)

Playing a game of "toss the shell and pick it up" (otherwise known as "fetch") with Papa

Giving her mama a smooch - my favorite :)

Celebrating Nana's birthday with a night on the town!

Enjoying dinner together as a family - hooray!