9/52
hannah
you are such a quiet thing. always thinking and observing and are quite a creature of habit. even though you don’t go to catholic school, or any school for that matter you have a uniform of sorts. your favorite is your jeans, your fuchsia turtleneck sweater and your bog boots. you are a lot like your mama in that way.
on sunday you were sick in bed with a fever and listened to the entire penderwicks book.
when we walked to jane’s house on monday you kept asking me if i needed help carrying anything. even though i told you i was fine you kept insisting on carrying a bag. sometimes i can’t believe you are only 11 and other times i can’t believe 11 years have gone by.
Happy Birthday Hannah
11 years ago today i became a mama.
it was the one thing i was certain i wanted to be ever since i was a little girl.
and when your papa and i started dating at 19 years old we began talking about being parents almost immediately.
i think we even picked our boy and girl names on our 3rd or 4th date.
hannah would be our girl.
and here you are.
hannah margaret.
the most beautiful creature both inside and out.
loving,caring and kind.
all smiles. big bright infectious smiles.
all long and lean and leggy.
a born leader.
responsible, dependable and on time (you even came on your due date).
growing like a weed (ever since you came out as your 10 pound two ounce self!)
into a lovely young lady who i just can’t seem to get enough of.
thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing me as your mama.
you bring me so much joy each and every day.
happy birthday.
i love you.
mama xo
A Birthday Brunch
and the celebrating continues.
this morning we had friends and family over for a birthday brunch for hannah.
we made a very large dutch baby (a recipe from a bed and breakfast on our honeymoon to alaska), potato hash with spinach and eggs, fresh fruit, cream scones and salty dogs made with fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit. (from 3191Q).
the conversation and company lingered well on into late afternoon making for the perfect sunday.
i just washed the last dish and there is a game of back gammon waiting for me.
it’s 5 o’clock and we can still play by daylight!
spring is coming.
A Cozy Weekend
well it seems as if we are all wearing our stay at home weekend well.
everyone is on the mend and feeling like their old selves again.
the last few days have been full of playing games, hot baths, making music, watching, finishing up knitting projects, reading library books and lots of baking including homemade pita bread and a birthday carrot cake for hannah (both from 3191).
and there are still 2 more days left of the weekend!
A Game Party
on sunday hannah celebrated her 11th birthday with friends for a game party.
we had 3 stations set up with different board games and card games.
there was jenga, skip bo, milles bournes, boggle, mastermind, battleship, sorry, scribblish, wildcraft and blink among others.
there were peanuts and pretzels on each table for snacking and for lunch hannah chose BLTs, potato chips and chocolate milk.
instead of cake (or pie in hannah’s case) she wanted fruit dipped in chocolate fondue which is always a big hit.
i like to stick to a budget with parties so we use what is on hand for decorations. we had a deck of cards that was short a few so we used them to adorn the goodie bags and hang from a paper chain made by hannah.
a few years back i had sewn a paper banner spelling out the girl’s names to hang in honor of their birthdays. i pull it out each year along with simple little paper “happy birthday” flags that i made to make things a bit more festive. i have quite a collection of favorite seasonal cards that i have saved over the years. they make great little pieces of artwork to slip into chris’s card/photo holders for different holidays and celebrations.
the only other thing needed is a bouquet or two and it feels like a party!
the goodie bags included a pad of paper for score keeping, a deck of cards, a pair of dice and some chocolates all of which cost about 2 dollars per bag.
we have on occasion held parties at the bowling alley and roller rink. but most years we celebrate with good old fashioned house parties.
sometimes i worry that attendees might get a bit bored.
but as i was walking in with a BLT and chips to be served i heard someone exclaim “hannah you always have the best parties!”
and really all we did was open up the game cabinet.
i knew ever since she was a toddler that she was born to dance.
it’s deep in her bones.
she loves it.
she moves around the house in ballet style.
kicking her long legs up in the air,
practicing her splits, stretching, pointing.
she recently has stopped asking me to do her bun.
the rehearsals for the nutcracker have begun.
she has several parts, some that have been created just for her.
there are 6 performances in the beginning of december.
and you better believe i will be at every one of them.
i could never tire of watching her
we woke up to a chilly morning
with nothing but shorts and tee shirts in their drawers.
i went up to the attic to see what i might find.
i threw down some pants and long sleeves for norah that hannah once wore.
and the pants i found for hannah turned out to be floods.
their legs are longer and their feet are bigger.
i know this is what is supposed to happen.
but when i look at these photos i can’t help but stare.
are these really my babies?
last night chris and norah headed to the beach for a few days.
hannah and i stayed home due to a birthday party.
today my girl and i had the morning together.
we slept in and then headed to our local arboretum.
we picked (and ate) loads of cherry tomatoes at the farm.
we went out for a bite to eat and then finished up at the shoe store for a new pair of chuck taylors.
i love every minute i get spend with her.
if i was 10 years old again i would want her as my best friend.
she kept thanking me for a great day.
i just watched her run off in her new chucks to a crabfest with friends.
sometimes i get sad when i think there may come a time soon where she may not want to spend time together like we did today.
it’s all good i know.
but for now i’ll soak up whatever i can get.
first year on the swim team.
first swim meet of the season.
first place for back stroke (norah).
first place for breast stroke (hannah).
first time i felt like a sports mom.