4th birthday party fun

For Hannah's 4th birthday this year she wanted a rainbow and unicorn themed party at a park. Fortunately for us Rohnert Park has over 10 parks and one of them is actually named "Rainbow Park". What we love about Rainbow park is it's secluded location, many people don't know of it's location so it's never crowded. Thankfully the weather held out for her party, with just a few light sprinkles earlier in the morning. We enjoyed lunch, games and cupcakes with family and friends. Hannah was beaming from ear to ear the entire time.  :)

Rainbow Park

favors

Per Hannah's request her dad and I created a tattoo parlor for the party and it was a big hit.  :)

Paloma waiting patiently for her tattoo

although it they were time consuming the look on Hannah's face when she saw her cupcakes was so worth it

what her cupcakes looked like from the inside

Jordyn with Nonni and Grandma

ready for a cupcake

attempting to light the candles (despite the wind)

being sung to  :)

enjoying her cupcake with her cousin

with grandma and papa

Hannah's favorite...the parachute!!

birthday girl in the middle

with her Nonni and Nonne

with her BFF Kenzie (5 days apart in age)

can't believe their both 4

Bike Riding

We were surprised and excited  with how quickly Hannah learned to ride a bike on her 4th birthday at the beginning of this month. Our intentions with starting her on a balance bike (last year) were that she'd skip over the whole "training wheel thing" and be able to ride a 2 wheel bike with (hopefully) little difficulty. The ease in her transition from balance bike to a 2 wheel pedal bike was flawless. Hannah is a pretty tentative girl, typically cautious when trying new things and always wanting to assess the situation first. :) She was so excited to receive a new bike for her 4th birthday; so of course we took her out to try it for the first time that evening. We purposely got her a bike that had the same tire size as her balance bike, hoping it would make it easier for her to manage on her own.  Josh gave her a few tips and then started her off (holding on to the back of the seat per her request). He'd occasionally let go showing her that she could do it by herself, however she'd insist he continue to hold on. Finally after 3 minutes of this he let go, but walked behind her as if he was still holding on. She didn't realize and continued to pedal with ease. He pointed out to her once again that she had just done it on her own, so at that point (after just a few minutes of instruction/guidance) she decided she could do it and began riding around the court as if she'd been doing it for weeks. Looking back we realize we could have probably made this transition months ago and she'll outgrow this bike in a very short time (she basically has already!). We couldn't be more proud of our big four year old!!!

Fabulous Four!

Today is Hannah's "Golden Birthday." She turned 4 on the 4th of April (4/4) and it also happens to be the year 2013...1+3=4.  :)   Josh and I had so much fun making this day special for our sweet girl. After she fell asleep last night we snuck in her room and decorated it with balloons, streamers and golden stars hanging from the ceiling. She was so surprised and excited when she woke up...it was too cute! Jordyn of course loved the decorations as well!!

 

Before we headed out the door we let her open her first birthday gift from mom and dad (new books, a little mermaid kickboard, a new dress and some art projects). With each gift she pulled out of the bag she let out a little gasp of excitement...so precious :)

 

 On our way to daycare we made a surprise stop at the doughnut shop. Like her mama, she loves doughnuts so she was thrilled (first time this has happened on a weekday).

Right after school I headed to pick her up and take her for a surprise pedi/mani. For about a year now she's been asking to go with me, she was just about speechless when I told her where we were going. From that point on she had a permanent smile on her face. She looked like such a big girl sitting next to me...it's crazy to think she's already 4 years old...I'm wanting to hit the "slow motion" button...I'm not ready for my little girl to grow up.

 She received her second birthday gift from mom and dad once we were all home. Her first 2-wheel bike with pedals (she's used a balance bike for the past year). She's a cautious girl, so Josh and I didn't have high expectations for her first time out on her new bike, however she shocked us by learning to ride her new bike within just a few minutes. We couldn't believe how quickly she started cruising down the block, made a turn and came right back to us. She made it look so effortless! (I strongly believe her riding a balance bike first and skipping the whole training wheels thing, played a major part in this.)

Tonight Hannah enjoyed one of her favorite meals for dinner...trip tip, mashed potatoes and corn-on-the-cob. She loved her special request birthday cake (funfetti with purple frosting, sprinkles and zebra print candles).  

She ended her evening with a final gift from mom and dad...her new "as seen on TV" light up pillow. She's been wanting one since she first saw an infomercial last November. She just kept saying, "thank you mom and dad! thank you so much!" over and over as she hugged her new pillow. :) Seeing that smile on her face as she lie in bed was the perfect way to end my day!

Happy Birthday Hannah Nicole Heald!. Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back times infinity!!! You have the most beautiful smile, hilarious sense of humor, and kind heart. You are a loving and patient big sister and amazing daughter. We are so proud of you! xoxo

January

January brought us gorgeous weather in Sonoma County! During the month of January we enjoyed a trip to the SF zoo, traveling to Fortuna for Sarah Renner's baby shower & seeing some of my best friends from high school, taking family walks to our neighborhood parks (there are 4 that are all within less than a mile from us), lazy weekend mornings at home as a family, and starting up swim lessons again.   

  

checking out the giraffes

nap time at the zoo

Where's Hannah?  :)

very focused using her pottery wheel for the first time

picture for Auntie

crazy morning hair

 Some of my favorite weekend moments are snuggling with both of our girls in our bed first thing in the morning. Watching them chat and play together reminds me of how blessed I am. Below are a series of 3 pictures that I love.

J loves playing with her sister's face

sweet kisses

sharing a note with her sister

So excited for her first swim lessons of the year with her BFF

with the girls (missing Amber) at Sarah's shower

best friends since 2nd grade

counting Nonne's fingers

reading stories to sis while mom gets ready

Hannah comes to me dressed like this and says, "Mom when dad gets home I think he'll say 'Is that Hannah or a real princess?!?!" (love her!)

evening walk to the park

loves looking at herself in the mirror

our little crawler

weekend morning wagon rides

the girls love "Sunday Family Swim" days at mom and dad's gym...Jordyn's hair part cracks me up!

9  month appointment

silly girls

January (9 months old)

Our good friend Andrea came with her little guy Hudson for a visit in January. It was so great seeing them! She snapped some 9 month pics of Jordyn in an impromptu photo shoot in our living room. :)

She lasted in here about 2 seconds! Little miss "on the move"

Hannah popped in the picture for a minute to show her sister her ball...this picture captures the love these two have for each other and how much they enjoy each others presence

a couple pics in her Christmas dress since I didn't manage to get a good one of her in it during the holidays

Hannah decided she needed to wear her Christmas dress too :)

My happy chatty girl

pretty in pink

blowing raspberries

laughing at her sis

my favorite :)

sweet girl

talking to mom

big girl

can't believe she's almost 4!