While I Was Driving...

Hannah was beautifying. The kids and I took a quick road trip to my mom's for the weekend. Three hours into the trip, Hunter begins screaming at me to look at Hannah. So, I take a peek in the rear view mirror to find this...


I couldn't find my lipstick before we left the house, but I didn't really worry about it. Apparently Hannah found it at some point! She quickly wanted it off, so we took the nearest exit. As I opened her door, she said, "Look! Pretty!" Yes, Hannah you look beautiful.

The rest of the weekend was packed with all kinds of action - more pics to follow later.

On another note...the remaining three teeth popped through this weekend too! We have a much happier Hannah on our hands!!

Cuddle Time

With Dad's help, Hunter managed to catch both cats (if you look carefully, you will see two little, furry heads) for a little quality cuddle time (at least that is how Hunter sees it - the cats probably see it more as cruel and unusual punishment). They were good sports for a few minutes and then politely disappeared not to be seen for several hours.

Mood Check

The other day Hannah was clearly in a bad mood - nothing made her happy. After several unsuccessful attempts to appease her, she simply folds her arms and says to me, "I not happy!" Really Hannah? - we hadn't noticed!!

So today, after a particularly grumpy series of events, Hannah looks at me and says, "I happy!" Not sure why the sudden changes of heart today, but I love that she tells me how she really feels.

If only I had a picture of her and those folded arms!!

I credit her current mood swings to the four teeth that have been taunting her over the last few weeks. One made it through the gums yesterday and the others are soon to follow. Surely there will be happier times in our future - that is until her two year molars start coming in later this summer. I always hear about kids who just wake up with teeth, but I have never experienced that - oh well!

Sharing: On Her Terms

Hannah has done things on her terms since birth - sharing is no exception. She's not quite ready to share toys with friends; generally, she begrudgingly shares with Hunter though sometimes it appears to be willingly.


Today, she decided to share her food with Baxter - she even broke it into smaller pieces for him. He seemed as shocked as the rest of us, which might explain why he didn't run away. You see, this girl loves her food far more than any toy. So, to share her food willingly really is a tremendous sacrifice for her. Of course, the chance does exist that this was Hannah's attempt at a peace offering for some event that caused Baxter pain or distress. Either way, this was such a sweet moment for these two.

Preschool Music Program

The kids had their end-of-the-year music program on Thursday. Last year, Hunter lasted just over a minute on stage before he realized that Hannah and I were in the audience. As soon as he saw us, he bolted off the stage and never looked back. This year since the kids would be together, I was hoping for at least a few additional minutes. I got it!

Initially, Hunter and Hannah were on opposite sides of the stage. Hannah erupted in tears just after the beginning of the first song, so the teachers moved Hunter beside her. She stopped crying and calmed down. Neither child had any interest in singing or standing with everyone else, though both children love to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" to us every chance they get.

Hunter lasted through the third song. At this point he just calmly exited the stage to sit with us, refusing to return. Hannah, bless her heart, was left sitting on the stage completely confused about what just happened. It seemed as if she didn't know what to do - should she leave like Hunter did or just stay where she was - she's a thinker! Her teacher saw the wrinkled brow and knew what was coming next, so she helped Hannah off the stage and back to us.

Who knows, maybe next year we'll make it the length of the program!

I really tried to do a good job with the video, but Pete and I kept giggling at the kids' expressions and behaviors. I'll try to do better next time :-)

Caterpillar Awareness

I probably should have done a better job elaborating on the caterpillar itself. Not all caterpillars are dangerous - just some! Several of the varieties at the zoo and other places down here are the more dangerous ones. Hunter encountered a buck moth caterpillar at the zoo. They are probably the most common ones down here right now. Hunter typically has terrible reactions to ant bites and mosquito bites, which is why we were all surprised that the caterpillar event wasn't any worse. Here's a little more information to help you identify friendly and not-so friendly caterpillars.

Here's a link that gives more information about them.

http://www.heraldguide.com/printer_friendly.php?id=312

Here are some pictures of various caterpillars:

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef003.asp

Fun with Dad and a Painful Lesson

Since Pete rarely has the chance to visit the zoo with us, we took advantage of some family time on Sunday and took the kids to see the animals. Both kids would willingly go everyday if we would take them. Hunter couldn't wait to show Dad the "new" sea lions - they aren't really new; they just returned a few months ago from their temporary home following Katrina, but Pete had not seen them which means they were new to him.

Clearly Hannah had the best seat of the day!

Hunter's frustration - we had to wait a few minutes for the sea lions to appear.

Hunter was obviously thrilled when they appeared. Notice that Hannah remained emotionless as she continued eating her animal cookies - nothing interrupts a good snack!

Hanging out inside a tree!

Louisiana is great for a lot of things and not-so-great for a lot of others. One of the not-so-great things is the mass population of caterpillars around this time of year. Some can be very, very dangerous. We've told Hunter not to touch them; he has never tried to before. But, Sunday was different. Apparently, he found the perfect caterpillar; before anyone could warn him otherwise, he touched it. Everyone standing near him, even total strangers, reacted with gasps and warnings after the fact. All of the commotion scared Hunter more than the caterpillar itself. The effects took a few minutes to appear, but within a few minutes it became very obvious that he had definitely made contact with the caterpillar. Thank goodness for cell phones! I called the dr's office and our very favorite nurse, Jan, was on call. She called us back immediately and told us what to do and what to watch for over the next 48 hours. We found the medical personnel at the zoo and began the process of pain management.

Luckily, the wound didn't get as bad as expected. Hunter says it doesn't hurt anymore and the swelling is starting to subside. Jan even called to check on Hunter today. Hunter was a champ through everything. Hopefully we learned a valuable lesson and won't play with the caterpillars anymore!

Hunter's bobo after the zoo's medical personnel put baking soda paste on his wound and bandaged him up!