Grandma, this one's for you!

Didn't you buy this silly hat for Hannah? And check out the single glove, a-la Michael Jackson. She sure keeps us laughing!

Friday morning surprise!

This morning Hannah was up early. She got ready for the 45-degree day by putting on her bathing suit. When we heard Delaney waking up, she asked if she could go in and see her. I dozed off for a few minutes and then began to wonder why it was so quiet in Delaney's room. Below is what I found when I went in the nursery:

Hannah had climbed into the crib and the two of them were having a little party. When Delaney saw me, she threw her arms up for "so big!", not for me to pick her up. They played in there for a few more minutes and I was able to take some funny pictures.

Easter morning

The Easter Bunny hid Hannah's basket. She had a hard time finding it!

But there it was, behind Daddy's chair.

Then Delaney had to get in on the action.
Her basket was easier to find... and not quite as "eggciting" as Hannah's was!
Here they are, all dressed up for church. Hannah's not really sucking a pacifier.

It's a ring pop. Her favorite!

Happy Easter

The Lord is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Special Delivery!

All week long Hannah had been anticipating the postal arrival of the newest American Girl catalog. Every morning she'd ask me if I thought "this might be the day" that it would arrive. And every afternoon she'd be disappointed by all of the birthday cards and gifts that arrived for her sister (it's hard being four, you know!), but no catalog.

Let me quickly explain how much Hannah loves these catalogs. They contain beautiful photos of American Girl dolls, Bitty Baby dolls (she has one of each), and clothing galore, for both the dolls and real-life little girls. When a catalog does arrive, she grabs it, does a happy jig, and then studies it--literally--for days on end. She doesn't just study it, she pages through it from cover to cover, many MANY times. She points out each outfit and admires the accessories. She daydreams about these colorful pages and many nights we have even found the latest magazine safely tucked into bed with her.

So today, the UPS man brought a big box...

...which contained many special treasures, including a new outfit for "Melissa".There were also some surprises for Delaney...
...her very own Bitty Baby!
She loves it!!!
(this hug lasted a good ten seconds.)

And there, in the very bottom of the box, was the brand-new catalog. It's now 11:30 at night, and can you guess where it is at this moment?

(Thank you, Nana and Papa!)

Birthday Fun

To celebrate Delaney's "real" birthday on Thursday, the four of us went out to dinner at Applebee's. After we got home, we enjoyed some ice cream and then the girls put themselves in the Time-Out corner (Hannah enjoys spending time there on her own terms!). They had a really good time being silly together:

Eggs!

Happy 1st Birthday, Delaney Joy!

1st Birthday Photo Shoot

Tea Party!

Hannah has been looking forward to today for over a month now. And for good reason. Today she attended her first real tea party, complete with little girls, beautiful dresses, china tea sets, cake, tea sandwiches, cookies, and baby dolls. This lovely afternoon was hosted by Hannah's dear friend Cassandra, her big sister Natalie, and her mom Jen.

Here are some pictures from the party.

And I just had to include this picture. This was Christmas when Hannah was two, and she had just received her first tea set. And the beautfiul dresses on her babies were handmade by Grandma. (You can see the purple dress on Hannah's baby today, directly above). We enjoyed watching Hannah set up her babies and her tea set, and before they indulged, we were amazed to watch as she joined the babies' hands and led them in prayer.

"A friend loves at all times." ~Proverbs 17:17