A Whole New Experience....

Date Night.....

2012-01-20T18:16:00.001-05:00

Tonight is a Daddy/Daughter date night....Hannah and Daddy are going to see the Disney Princess's on Ice!! Not gonna lie, I am super jealous,not that Daddy gets to take Hannah but that I don't get to see the Princess's!! But Hannah and Daddy will have a blast and I get to cuddle with my little guy so I think we are all happy!!

Baby Jack is 8 Months Old....

2012-01-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

Baby Jack is 8 months old!! Well, actually he is 8 1/2 months old because I apparently don't always have my act together and am very late at posting this.
Anyways, since right before Christmas we started trying a new night time routine with Jack. This new routine is great for me because I actually get some down time, I think it is better for Hannah because on nights when Chuck is not around we still get story time without the interruption of Jack crying or crawling all over the place and I think it is better for Jack because now he has pretty much a routine bedtime. While I was putting him to bed tonight I was watching him and I just cannot believe that this little guy is 8 months old! He is crawling all over the place, he is pulling himself up on everything, he has his first tooth, he is trying new foods everyday and he interacts with Hannah now!! It melts my heart everytime I hear the two of them laughing together!!
Here are some pics of Baby Jack at 8 months!

And just for fun, you can click here and check Hannah out when she was 8 months!

Christmas time....

2012-01-03T21:38:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful holiday, Hannah keeps saying "Christmas is over"!! I can't believe that Christmas is over and Baby Jack's first Christmas is over. This year was so fun, I can tell that each year is going to get better and better! I definitely used the "you better be good or Santa won't bring you any presents" threat way to often, but Hannah believes and understands now and it was so much fun!
Christmas Eve we headed to church, then just hung out at home with Grammy, Grandpa and Grandma, it was low key and relaxing.

We tried to get a family picture....

Jack tried to pull the tree over....

Hannah tried to rescue the tree from Jack....

Hannah also did some jamming to my favorite Christmas song, I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!

Santa was very good to the kiddos this year, you could barely walk around our living room!

This is probably the last year that I will be able to say this but we actually got to sleep in a bit on Christmas morning, both kiddos slept great!! Merry Christmas to us!! Seeing Hannah's face when she walked down the stairs was awesome!

Jack obviously doesn't really get it this year but he had a blast crawling around in all the paper and boxes, while Hannah really enjoyed having double duty in opening presents!

Hannah showing Jack how to blow dry his hair.....

Jack got a new chair, so he doesn't have to climb on Hannah's anymore....

Hannah loves "helping" Jack play with his new toys....

We spent the whole day in jammies, just relaxing and enjoying everyone, it was wonderful!

Baby Jack is 7 Months.....

2011-12-17T19:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this post is really late because I guess Jack is now 7 1/2 months but better late than never!! Anyways, Jack is 7 months, it is incredible how fast the time has gone! He is doing so many things now, crawling, mostly army crawling but some crawling on hands and knees, sitting up on his own, and now we are working on finger foods. So far we have done the basics like puffs, yogurt melts and cheerios!! The one thing we aren't doing well in is the sleeping category, he was doing so well for a while and now he wakes up nightly wanting to play, not cool!! Chuck spent the morning lowering his crib because he is also pulling himself up on everything now, including his crib!

Jolly Days.....

2011-12-16T23:15:00.001-05:00

One of the many benefits to being a stay at home mom is that you can hit some of the fun activities during off peak hours! Hannah, Jack and I headed to the Indianapolis Childrens Museum this week to check out Jolly Days! They had a huge slide and some fun ice skating, but the hot spots for us were the same, Barbie and Playscape.....Hannah is starting to learn her way around the place, but this was Jacks first opportunity to play!

Hannah's 1st Dance recital......

2011-12-16T14:03:00.001-05:00

Hannah loves to dance so she has gotten involved in a dance class once a week. We recently switched to a class that parents do not participate in and at the end of the 6 week session the kiddos put on a recital. Hannah is the youngest kiddo in the class but she does great and enjoys every second of it.

Such a cutie!!

Trying to climb....

2011-12-02T13:57:00.001-05:00

The stairs!!! We didn't have stairs when Hannah was this age!!

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Hannah Turned 3....

2011-12-01T08:32:00.001-05:00

On November 22nd, Hannah turned 3! It is hard to believe that we have a 3 year old, it has been an amazing 3 years, I never could have imagined that a little girl would add so much fun, love and excitement to our lives but she has and I am so thankful for her. It seems that things change a little when they turn 3, this year she actually understood her birthday and was excited to have friends come to her birthday party. She was even upset when a couple people who we thought were coming couldn't come! Her 3 year doctors appointment was even different, they took her blood pressure and checked her back for scoliosis! Hannah is 39 inches and 42 pounds, she is happy and healthy!
We did have a birthday party for her the weekend before her birthday, it was a rainbow party. The 3 things she asked for were...
1. Rainbow Cake
2. Pink My Little Pony
3. Purple bike

3 years have flown by!!!

Playing together...

2011-11-30T13:46:00.000-05:00

Hannah is taking Jack for a ride...

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Squash....

2011-11-15T15:55:00.001-05:00

I think he likes it....

Oh and Baby Jack has officially perfected the worm!

Baby Jack is 6 Months Old.....

2011-11-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

It is very hard to believe that Baby Jack is already 6 months old!! He has already brought so much fun and excitement to our family in such a short amount of time. The other night when I was reading to Hannah before bed, Jack was lying between us and she turns to me and says "I love Jack, I don't want to take him back to the store!" So it seems that Jack has managed to win over all our hearts very quickly!!
At 6 months old Jack weighs in at 18 lbs 5 oz and is 26 inches long! His main mode of transportation is rolling to wherever he wants to be but recently he has mastered scooting backwards and every once in a while inching forwards! He is still mainly eating breastmilk but for the last month he has been eating oatmeal and so far this week we have tried avocado and pears, he is a fan of both!!
I haven't taken the official 6 month picture of Jack yet (because I am a slacker) but here are a few recent shots!

Colts Game with Hannah....

2011-11-08T14:53:00.000-05:00

The colts aren't doing so hot this season but that doesn't bother Hannah much. This past Sunday Grandma Dodge was nice enough to let Hannah use her colts ticket and hang out with Baby Jack for the day so we could take Hannah to the Colts game. The outcome of the game wasn't great but we still had lots of fun hanging out with Hannah for the day!

Halloween with Hannah...

2011-11-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

Halloween with Hannah was a blast this year, and yes I realize this was Jack's first Halloween but really this Halloween was all about Hannah! We couldn't even get a decent picture of the two kiddos together because once it was time for Trick-or-treating that is all Hannah could focus on!! This year she really understood Halloween and that the faster you go from house to house the more candy you could get!! Not gonna lie, it was so much fun watching her! I now understand why there are never as many pictures of the "second" child, it is because the parents are so busy trying to keep up with the first one that we don't have time to get the good shots of the second!! I think we got a few good ones of Jack though, maybe even better pictures of Jack then Hannah because Hannah is in the phase that she loves saying "cheese" for the camera but also likes to make a funny face at the same time!! Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays but I think it might be at the top of my list for sure!!

Jack-O-Lantern Pancake

2011-10-31T09:23:00.001-04:00

Great way to start off the day....

Happy Halloween!!
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Pumpkin Decorating.....

2011-10-30T17:28:00.000-04:00

Halloween is almost here!! Last night we carved our pumpkin but Hannah really was not a fan of the goo inside it!! Apparently pumpkin painting is more her cup of tea...

Baby Jack is 5 Months.....

2011-10-11T12:07:00.000-04:00

Baby Jack at 5 months is rolling over, sleeping through the night most nights and eating rice cereal and oatmeal. He is a very happy and easy going little guy which really makes my life a lot easier!!

Hula time...

2011-09-28T11:56:00.001-04:00

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A little on Hannah....

2011-09-21T17:36:00.000-04:00

Since Baby Jack has arrived we haven't talked much about Hannah which really isn't fair considering her whole world has changed. Not only did she get a new baby brother, but she now also gets to stay home with Mommy! I thought this was going to be a huge adjustment for all of us, but Hannah has been a trooper and I actually think we are all happier. Now I don't have to wait until after work to schedule activities that were always booked up in the past, so Hannah spends her days hanging out with Baby Jack and I but she also participates in a Moms Day Out program (school), dance and gymnastics. She says school is her favorite quickly followed by gymnastics! Here are some new pictures...

Baby Jack 4 Month Smiles...

2011-09-12T15:32:00.000-04:00

Baby Jack is 4 months old!! He is doing awesome, he can roll from back to belly and belly to back, he hold on to things and pulls hair and he giggles and talks to you! We took baby Jack to his 4 month appointment today and he is almost as big as Hannah was at 6 months!
Baby Jack:
Weight: 17 lbs 1 oz
Length: 25 inches

He is a big boy but as long as he is healthy we are happy!!

Family Vacation of Four.....

2011-09-08T18:48:00.000-04:00

Our first family vacation with Baby Jack and it was a success. I always get nervous flying with kiddos because you never really know how they are going to act on a plane. I think we were very fortunate because our biggest problem was that Baby Jack had 2 blow outs on the plane ride to California and I only had 2 outfits with us in my carry on!!
We headed to California to visit Papa, Grandma, Aunt Julianne and Aunt Nicki, we spent some time at the lake, at the pool and at Mickey's house!! We don't get to see these guys enough so the trip went way to fast, but we enjoyed every minute of it!

Summertime Favorite

2011-08-17T16:18:00.001-04:00

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Rolling Over

2011-08-16T08:48:00.001-04:00

Baby Jack rolled over this morning during tummy time!

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2011-08-12T15:41:00.004-04:00

Oh boy, it is that time of year again, the Indiana State Fair!! The fair has always been fun, but now that Hannah and Jack are around we have a whole new perspective on it. Hannah was really excited for the animals but when we got there and she realized she could pretty much have anything she wanted for dinner she was on cloud 9. I think Baby Jack was wishing he could join in the food fun!!

Check out Hannah last year at the state fair!

Baby Jack, 3 Months....

2011-08-08T14:21:00.003-04:00

It is so hard to believe that Baby Jack is 3 months old!! They change so much, so quickly when they are this little, he smiles now, if he is awake he sits at the dinner table with us, and today he was laughing for the first time.

Look, he is already trying to pull her hair! Hannah fortunately is a trooper and takes this pretty well.

My Guys....

2011-07-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

Baby Jack, 2 Months...

2011-07-11T14:27:00.003-04:00

Where has the time gone?? I cannot believe Baby Jack is already 2 months old!! Weighing in at 13 lbs 12 oz and 23 inches long!! He is doing great!!

July 4th pictures...

2011-07-04T15:13:00.003-04:00

Baby Jack's first 4th was packed full of fun. We started the weekend off with a fun 4.5 mile run, which was definitly much more then I was ready for but still a ton of fun, then Hannah had a run of her own. We did this run last year in Carmel, it is great and very kid friendly!! The rest of the weekend was full of family, pool parties and fireworks!

Some fun pics....

2011-06-28T19:10:00.003-04:00

I will get better at posting more often soon!! To play catch up... We took our first trip as a family of 4 to Chicago and it went pretty well! Hannah seems to be all healed and enjoying summer and Baby Jack is getting huge, hard to believe he is almost 2 months old!!

A Few Updates....

2011-06-14T08:01:00.006-04:00

Alright, lots to share, sorry for the serious slacking but I've been busy!! Anyways, Baby Jack is doing awesome, he is HUGE! At his 4 week check up he weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds 10 ounces!! He is sleeping alright but is really a wonderful baby, just kind of goes with the flow, which I am guessing most second children have to do!! You would think that I say I have been busy because of Baby Jack, but honestly it has been Hannah! Poor Hannah, must have fallen out of bed last Tuesday night, we don't know for sure because she was in bed when we found her but she woke up crying uncontrollably at 3:30 and nothing was making her better!! She was complaining about her right shoulder, so the next day we went to the doctor, she would still use it and we didn't want to x-ray her if we didn't have to so the doctor said to watch it for a few days!! Well, I tell you what, when Hannah is uncomfortable she is not the most pleasant child to be around, but I can't really blame her because last Friday we took her for X-rays and sure enough she has a broken collar bone!! I am not going to lie, we felt like horrible parents for waiting that long to find out, but honestly when we went to the Orthopedic Surgeon yesterday they didn't give her anything for it so I am guessing waiting a few days didn't hurt anything. They only told us to keep her from doing things like going down the slide or swinging, uh yeah right, you try telling a 2 year old that!! Anyways, the doctor said it should be completely healed in 3 weeks, and will feel better 7 - 10 days after it happened and honestly I think it has been feeling better since Sunday because she is back to the normal Hannah, which I am extremely thankful for! Since I have been a slacker, below are a bunch of fun pictures we have taken over the last month!!
Baby Jack and Papa!Hannah with Aunt Julianne and Aunt Nicki!! Since we were still in the hospital for the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, Chuck decided to run the Geist Mini Marathon. So Hannah, Jack and I went down to the race to cheer Daddy on!! Hannah's first trip to the track. Unfortunately, Jack and I couldn't be there.... No Hannah is not licking Baby Jack's head!! Hannah loves her baby brother! Baby Jack is One month old!!

Photo Card

2011-06-06T09:34:00.001-04:00

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Going home....

2011-05-13T14:48:00.005-04:00

Playing a little catch up, since these are all pictures of the day we brought Jack home and yesterday he was one week old, but that's ok! We got to leave the hospital around noon on Saturday. Chuck was supposed to run the mini marathon that morning but considering the weather wasn't all that promising and the fact that he was sleeping on a pretty uncomfortable couch he opted out of the mini this year. I figure its better that way since I wasn't running it with him and we usually do that one together!!
Anyways, Grammy brought Hannah over to the hospital around the time we were going to leave so Hannah, Jack, Daddy and I could all go home together. Jack looked great when we left the hospital, he weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz, so he hadn't lost all that much weight and his color was good. Lots of pictures below....

Just for fun, below, same picture of different kiddos on going home day!!

Jack William has arrived....

2011-05-05T14:57:00.005-04:00

Jack William Dodge has arrived and he is amazing! He was born at 6:24 am on Thursday May 5, 2011 and he is perfect! He weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds and was 21 inches long.
Labor was quick, we were checked into the hospital at 5:30 am, and he was laying on top of me while Chuck was cutting the umbilical cord at 6:24 am!! Needless to say, this didn't allow any time to make things comfortable, Chuck and I still can't believe how quickly everything happened!

We are doing great, I am tired but feel good, Jack is working on the whole sleeping thing but already nursing like a champ so we are very happy about that!
As soon as we got settled we had the most important visitor of all...the new Big Sister and I do believe she is very proud!!

I know we are going to have some adjusting to do once we get home but so far so good!!

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny....

2011-04-14T13:30:00.008-04:00

This past Saturday we got up early, put some pretty clothes on and headed downtown to have breakfast with the Easter Bunny!! You never really know how kids will act when they see a life sized bunny or life sized anything for that matter but I had a feeling Hannah would do just fine. We sat down and had some breakfast but as soon as the bunny popped his head through the door nothing else mattered. I do believe that Hannah is in love with the Easter Bunny, it will be interesting to see what she does when we can finally take her to a place like Disney World!

After all the fun of hanging out with, kissing, hugging and loving the Easter Bunny it was Easter Egg hunt time....and guess who found the golden egg??????

She was so proud!!

It was a wonderful morning hanging out with grandparents, eating chocolate chip pancakes, getting balloon animals and of course the Easter Bunny! And just because I love looking at pictures of my little girl, check these out....

Hannah's first Easter....

Hannah's second Easter.....

It was such a fun morning, we headed home to relax and take a nap, then Grandma treated us to pedicures! I can barely see my toes so it was nice for me to have someone else put a pretty color on them and we had no idea if she would sit through one but I think she is a fan!

I've been a blogging slacker lately, we have less than 4 weeks until little guy arrives, kind of hard to believe but I think we are all ready to meet him. This weekend we are hopefully getting car seats situated and any other last minute details done so we are ready! Hannah was pretty excited when I pulled out her bouncy seat, hopefully she doesn't mind sharing it!!!

Swim lessons...

2011-03-30T19:27:00.008-04:00

Hannah started taking swim lessons at the Monon Center a couple weeks ago. She loves the water, it was the first time we had ever been to the Monon Center and they have a great little pool area for kids her age, with a mini slide and fountains. Fortunately, Chuck and Hannah participated in the swim lessons, I don't normally like wearing a swim suit so I was very happy that I didn't have to put one on 8 months pregnant! The only problem with Daddy particpating is that he makes her wait a bit before she can go play in the water...she doesn't look very happy about that, does she? She did great in the classes, still isn't a big fan of going completely under the water but it is getting better! P.S. Sorry for the crazy layout of this post, I cannot get things to line up right!

32 Weeks = 14:49 min miles....

2011-03-12T15:16:00.004-05:00

Today was the Indy St. Patrick's day run, the kick off of running season and maybe my favorite run here in Indy. Three years ago when Chuck and I ran this race, I was pregnant with Hannah (but didn't know it yet) and we ran it in a little over 35 minutes!!! I haven't run much this pregnancy, I did with Hannah and never enjoyed it so I have been trying to do other things to stay in shape. Today, Chuck and Hannah were definitely going to run it and I wasn't missing out so I decided to walk...I walked the 4 mile run in 59:17, ha, not my personal best but also not to shabby for being rather large and 32 weeks pregnant! We had a beautiful day and even though I had to walk it, I still think it is my favorite race of the year! A few people have requested a pic of my bump so here ya go...and no that number is not my current weight!!

Bath time fun....

2011-02-28T20:49:00.003-05:00

Winter has brought a lot of indoor time, which unfortunately has turned into Hannah loving movies! We hate this....movies are great but I would rather her color or play with puzzles or help me cook dinner, really I would rather her do anything besides sit there and watch a movie! So, last night we busted out the easel and paint which meant last night turned into bath night!!

What we've been up to...

2011-02-14T19:32:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been cold here, really cold and icy, not snowy but we have had lots and lots of ice. Chuck was lucky enough to be out of town skiing when we got all that ice, my mom happened to be in town (thank goodness for me), but this meant Hannah, Mom and I were stuck in the house for 2 straight day because a 2 year old, a pregnant woman and my mom were no match for the ice that was attached to our driveway. I am very fortunate to have a very nice neighbor who helped me dig out half the driveway so I could go back to work on the third day! So, we did projects, lots and lots of little projects and it has been great to get so much done but it is kind of addicting, once you get started you keep finding more and more things that you want to do.

Anyways, we started with the trim in little boys room, if you remember Chuck and I painted his room back in January but Mom and I painted all the trim and all the doors in his room (sorry no pictures).

A while ago I got the idea that our doorway coming in from the garage was way to tight and that we could open it up by removing one of the 2 closets and putting a bench and hooks where the closet used to be. Fortunately for me, Chuck and I had removed all the built-ins from the closet before he left and the storage bench and shelf that I had ordered from JC Penny's came early. I wish I had taken before pictures because it looks so much better now. Although once I got the bench in there I decided I hated the green paint even more that has been in there since we moved in and is still throughout our living room so I had to paint it...here are the after pictures (not great because I can't get a good angle!)

Mom brought over ribbon to use as tie backs for Hannah's curtains, so that was next on the list....then I decided to hang a few thing. Now Hannah has a place for her hoodies and purses and we finally hung up the fun signs she has received as gifts. Hopefully this weekend we will move the crib out of her room to little boys room and we can do a little re-arranging in Hannah's room!!

Yesterday, I baked cookies, Valentine's day cookies and they turned out pretty! I made enough for us to have after Valentine's Day dinner and for Chuck and I to both take to work. Apparently Rudy had another idea and when we returned from dinner last night he had eaten half of them!!

I have shown lots of pictures of Hannah but I haven't given many updates on her. She is growing, she has manners and I can't believe how she is turning into such a little girl!! She is amazing!

Happy Valentine's Day....

2011-02-14T08:02:00.000-05:00

Put a red tutu on a 2 year old and even she is excited to be up a 7:00 am!

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Relaxing weekend....

2011-01-31T09:37:00.003-05:00

I am so sad that the weekend is already over. Chuck had hockey so he was pretty busy but Hannah and I hung out and did some shopping for a few odds and ends. We are at the point now, if I ask Hannah if she wants to go shopping she gets in gear rather quickly, not sure if that is a good thing or not but shopping with her has started to be a lot of fun! We had to run into Dick's Sporting Goods to see if they had some ski gloves for Chuck on Saturday and we happen to walk by the bike section! I had no idea that she was big enough for one of these! I was very lucky to escape the store without purchasing this!! (Please excuse the crappy iPhone picture!)

Big Sister = Big Helper

2011-01-16T21:27:00.004-05:00

Well, it was a 3 day weekend for me and a hockey free weekend for Chuck so we decided to take advantage of it and start getting the room for the new baby put together. This is a room that we have not touched since we moved in, it had random holes everywhere, velcro and double sided tape on the walls so we definitely had our work cut out for us. Fortunately, Hannah was very excited to work on her Little Brothers room!

We are using Hannah's old crib and dresser which are both black, the room had a couple white shelves already hanging and fortunately for us they were easy to remove. I took the two shelves down, put a couple tarps down outside and spray painted them black.

Hannah enjoyed filling all the holes!

We still need to put the furniture in the room, pick out some curtains and a few other things but I have to say, we are very happy with the way things turned out!

I think Hannah is starting to get excited about being a Big Sister!

Christmas 2010...

2011-01-09T18:24:00.006-05:00

Sorry, this is long overdue but Christmas was busy! Then we all got plagued with the flu!!
Anyways, we had a wonderful Christmas, I just can't believe it is over and it is 2011! Anyways, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Dave and my mom all came to Indy for Christmas this year. Christmas eve we headed to church then relaxed at our place with lots of food and fun.

After Hannah went to bed, Chuck and I had our work cut out for us, fortunately mom was there to help!

It was neat this year because Hannah loved everything about Christmas, the songs, the lights the Christmas movies but she isn't quite old enough to understand that when she wakes up on Christmas morning she will have lots of surprises. So, Christmas morning she didn't wake up at the crack of dawn and we really got to take our time and enjoy everything. Hannah would open up a gift, play with it for a while and then we would eventually have to encourage her to move on to another one! She got some good stuff!

Now that we are all feeling a bit better I am looking forward to what 2011 will bring!

Big Sister...

2010-12-16T13:12:00.003-05:00

Yup, that's right, Hannah is going to be a big sister!

We are very excited about the new little addition to our family. I am 19 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Chuck and I went for an ultrasound this morning, everything looks perfect and we are having a boy! I have no idea what I am getting into with a boy but I was so thrilled this morning to count all 10 fingers and all 10 toes! Now we just need to get ready to meet this little guy!

A Christmas comparison...

2010-12-15T15:17:00.004-05:00

I had to get a couple pictures developed today for Hannah to take to school for a craft they are working on. I brought them into work to pull the ones to send to daycare. I don't change my pictures at work all that often so I still had a picture from Hannah's very first Christmas in 2008 on my desk. Take a look...

Christmas 2008

and Christmas 2010

It's amazing how much Hannah has grown, but what actually caught my eye is I do believe that Chuck and I are wearing the exact same thing in both pictures....maybe we need to do a little clothes shopping for ourselves!!

Only 10 more days until Christmas!!!

2 Year Stats and skating pictures...

2010-12-08T16:20:00.004-05:00

Hannah's 2 year check up was a couple weeks ago but we have just been so busy I haven't been able to share them. Hannah is doing great, she is

33 pounds (95%)

36 inches (90%)

Hannah has grown so much in just a year! It is so weird that we can sit down at dinner and actually have a conversation, I am amazed at something new she does or says everyday!!

So, last Friday night, Chuck was coaching a hockey game right after work in Carmel, so I picked Hannah up from daycare and we headed over to watch. Apparently after the game it was open skate!! It was getting late so our original plans were to just grab a pizza and head home but I decided to ask if they had skates small enough for Hannah!! Sure enough, they did and she loved it! Since this was not planned I didn't have my camera but I did snap a few pictures on my phone.

Breakfast with Santa...

2010-12-07T20:17:00.006-05:00

Saturday morning we woke up to our first snow fall of the season, but that didn't stop us from going to breakfast with Santa! We met Grandpa and Grandma Dodge downtown at the Skyline club to have a wonderful breakfast, make some ornaments and see the big guy! Hannah was not a big fan of Santa last year....

This year was a bit different....Hannah loved Santa...until we put her on his lap! Look how big she has gotten!!!!

Besides the sitting on Santa's lap part, Hannah really enjoyed herself...especially the candy!

Last dance class...

2010-12-02T15:35:00.002-05:00

Last night was Hannah's last dance class....at least for this year. Both Chuck and I attended and it was a blast!! Unfortunately, I forgot a camera again but Chuck had his phone so we got a couple shots. Each dance class had a theme, and last nights theme was "Princesses". Well, it appears every little girl except for Hannah owns some sort of princess costume! No worries though, last night Hannah was the Lady Bug Princess and loved it!!

Hannah is 2!!

2010-11-21T14:54:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe that Hannah is turning 2 today! I cannot believe how lucky we are and how much I have fallen in love with her! We had a birthday party for Hannah this weekend and it was a blast, it was so fun watching all the kiddos play together. I will post more about it with pictures later but here is a video of her blowing out her candle! (Sorry about my singing!)

Growing up so fast....

2010-11-13T14:08:00.004-05:00

When we moved to the new house back in April we decided to go ahead an make Hannah's room her "Big Girl" room plus the crib. So we went to IKEA, bought her a dresser and a full size bed, set it all up but continued using her crib. Lately Hannah hasn't been sleeping great in her crib and she kept pointing at the big bed so last Friday night we decided to go for it and it went great!!

I think she likes it!!

Trick or Treat...video...

2010-11-07T16:21:00.002-05:00

Halloween 2010....

2010-10-31T19:37:00.006-04:00

It has been a fun couple of weekends, that is for sure. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I would really like to share that with Hannah. Last weekend we were fortunate enough to have a decent Saturday morning with no hockey, that combination has proved to be very difficult this October!! Anyways, we piled into the car Saturday morning and headed over to Stonycreek Farm in Noblesville. This is the same pumpkin farm that we took Hannah to last year but this year she could actually partake in most of the festivities!!

They had an enormous pile of hay that kids could just run and jump in. This took Hannah a little bit to warm up to but after a while she was hanging out in the hay just like all the other kids!

Hannah and Daddy were checking out a tree with pumpkins hanging on it...

The pumpkin train was a big hit.....we got to the pumpkin patch very near the time that they opened and the weather wasn't beautiful so we could really go wherever we wanted and didn't have to wait in any lines...

And Hannah met Simon, she has never been on a pony before so we were not quite sure how that was going to go, but she rode Simon all around the corral without Mommy or Daddy holding on to her and loving every minute of it!

Think she likes Simon???

This weekend was also full of Halloween festivities. Daddy and Hannah went to ZooBoo on Friday evening, I got to meet up with them a bit later but she had lots of fun. It was kind of like a trick or treating warm up, we got to see all the animals at the zoo and get candy along the way.

Saturday evening we headed over to the Lee's house for a fun kid's Halloween party. Lots of kids in costume!!

This was our first Halloween in our new house, we live in a great neighborhood with lots of great kids. Chuck and I took turns walking around with Hannah, she was having a good time collecting her candy, by the end of the evening she was dragging her candy bucket down the street because she was so tired, but was a pretty happy camper when she sat down on our front door step and I opened up her first tootsie pop of the evening!

Marathon Weekend...

2010-10-26T12:33:00.005-04:00

Ok, I know I always say this but we have been BUSY!! I have a lot of catching up to do. We need to begin with Chuck running the Columbus Marathon on 10/17/2010!!! I can't believe he took this on but he did and he finished all 26.2 miles of it and he did amazing!!! I originally thought when he told me that Kevin wanted him to do the Columbus Marathon with him that he was completely crazy, I am all for running half marathons but half marathons aren't nearly the time commitment that a full marathon is, I realize that many busy people run marathons, but Chuck is BUSY and 26.2 miles is REALLY REALLY far!! Between traveling for work, spending time with Hannah and I and coaching hockey, finding the time to put the training in that you need to do to complete a marathon was nearly impossible.

We headed over to Columbus on Saturday morning. We went to a beautiful park, met Aunt Cathy, and Hannah participated in the Diaper Dash. This was hilarious and I think she enjoyed herself. After the diaper dash we met up with Kevin and Kayt and headed over to the expo to pick up bib numbers, shirts and to check out all the fun booths!

The awesome thing about this marathon was that since it was in Columbus, Ohio we had lots of friends and family already in the area, plus since it was a pretty convenient location we had lots of friends running!!! Saturday, early evening a big group of us met up for a pre-race meal at Bucca, we did some catching up, then all headed home for an early bed time!

Sunday morning was early!! We were very nervous about having to wake Hannah up at 5:45 but I think she knew it was a big day for Daddy and popped right up ready to go. We piled into the car and headed downtown! We hit very little traffic heading down there and parking was easy, unfortunately the starting area was a bit of a cluster. Chuck wasn't able to meet up with anyone he knew and had the hardest time even getting into his corral to actually start the race. Hannah and I gave Chuck a kiss, wished him luck and lost him in the crowd.

Like I said, we knew a lot of people running this, which also meant we had lots of spectator friends!! I told Chuck that Aunt Cathy, Steph, Hannah and I would be at miles 9, 12, 19 and the finish. Kayt, her friends and family were at miles 5.5, 10, 15, 20 and the finish. My Uncle who is completely crazy got up at 4:30 in the morning to drive back from Canada to see Chuck finish, so he was at mile 23 and the finish, so needless to say the boys had a lot of support!! It was an amazing day and we are so proud of Chuck for doing it!

I don't have very many pictures from the race, I was more worried about not missing Chuck running by and then getting him the things he needed, but here are a few!

Hawaiian night....

2010-10-07T11:00:00.002-04:00

At dance.....

It is so hard to get a good picture of her during class!
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Sticker Time...

2010-10-04T11:03:00.001-04:00

Yesterday while I was getting a few things done around the house Hannah decided she and Rudy should play with stickers! I think she had a lot more fun then Rudy did, especially when I had to pull the stickers off!

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Second Dance Class....

2010-09-23T09:54:00.001-04:00

Tonight was fairy night and I forgot my camera again!! Thank goodness for camera phones!

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Long overdue...Vacation......

2010-09-21T13:47:00.008-04:00

I have been a blogging slacker but we have been busy and I have been tired but enough excuses.

We went on VACATION!! We flew out to California to visit Dad, Nancy, Julianne and Nicki and had a blast. As we all know Hannah turns 2 in November so we figured we needed to head out one more time before we had to buy her a plane ticket too!

So Hannah and I flew out early Saturday morning, Chuck was already out there due to a work trip. Our first flight left at 6:30 in the morning, which meant I woke Hannah up about 4 and she was not happy! Anyways, after the shock of getting up so early, we made it to the airport and on our first flight for the day. Any normal person (including the poor girl I was sitting next to) would want to try and sleep on this flight considering the time, but an almost 2 year old on an airplane for the first time in a long time wants to do anything but sleep and she also wants to make friends with everyone around us. Hannah was great on the flight except for keeping up perfectly nice strangers.

The next flight we were fortunate enough to get to sit in a row just the 2 of us, it was a smaller plane but it wasn't full so Hannah and I were quite comfortable. Hannah was awesome on this flight also, the one thing I learned is that smaller planes do not have changing tables and the bathrooms are tiny!! Anyways, Hannah and I arrived to the Orange County airport right on time, Dad and Chuck picked us up and we headed to Lake Arrowhead. Hannah was so excited to see her Dad and Grandpa but as soon as we hit the road she was asleep for the trip up the mountain!

When we got to the lake house Nancy, Nicki, Julianne and Julianne's roomate Britt were there to greet us and Hannah was up and ready to go. We spent 3 fun filled days in Lake Arrowhead!

Nicki, Julianne and Britt had to be back at school after the relaxing Labor Day weekend so the rest of us also headed down the mountain to hang out at the pool in Glendale for a few days. We had great weather for the most part. We did alot of swimming and we also took Hannah to Universal City, she is way to young for Universal Studios but she thouroughly enjoyed Universal City and ended up with some great shoes!!

We spent the last couple days in Newport. We have never spent any time in Newport and it is beautiful. We went to dinner in the Duffy which was awesome and we took a boat ride to Catalina!! Catalina is kind of like a completely different world!! Chuck, Dad, Hannah and I took a golf cart tour which was pretty fun!

The whole trip was wonderful, I was very thankful Dad and Nancy could put up with us for 6 days straight!! Now we are back to the grind and getting ready for fall!

First Dance Class...

2010-09-15T20:34:00.001-04:00

Hannah loved every minute of it!!

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Lake Arrowhead....

2010-09-06T15:30:00.000-04:00

Can't leave the lake without a carmel apple...

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Big bed...

2010-09-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hannah ended up in our bed last night....this is what I found when I got up this morning!

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The little things....

2010-08-23T19:42:00.001-04:00

Balloons and milk = Happy Hannah!

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Ponytail....

2010-08-19T07:29:00.000-04:00

She doesn't look very excited about it, does she???

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Surprise Lake Weekend...

2010-08-16T21:25:00.020-04:00

A couple months ago Chuck was very vague but asked me to try to take Friday August 13th off. Right now is a very busy time for me at work but I put in 4, 10 hour days and made it happen and it was SOOOOOOOOOOO worth it!

Before I go into it, I want to thank Chuck and everyone else who planned this amazing weekend. I thought every minute of it was a blast and Sunday afternoon came way to quickly. Hopefully, this can become a yearly event!

So Chuck, Hannah, Rudy and I got in the car about 11am on Friday morning and headed to a new place to board Rudy for the weekend. I still had no clue where we were going but as soon as we were done dropping Rudy off I saw a sign that said South Bend and I kind of figured we were heading to Culver Cove!

A little after 1 we pulled up to this awesome house right on Lake Maxinkuckee!

Hannah, Chuck and I hopped out of the car to check the place out. I had known for a week that Mike, Jen and their kids were coming and earlier in the day I had found out that The Lee's were also joining us but this house had 6 bedrooms so I knew I had a few more surprises coming my way!! The house was perfect, lots of space for the kids to run around and lots of space for the adults to just relax and catch up.

Shortly after we arrived, got our things unloaded and Hannah and I finished running around the house The Pothasts showed up, then the Lee's came strolling in, as we were finishing up putting on our bathing suits to go jump off the dock The Sham's strolled in!! It was great, I had never met Keegan before so it was awesome to see them. After some fun in the water we headed back up to the house and we found Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Dave!! Awesome surprise.

So 10 adults and 8 kids all in one house for a fun filled weekend of floating, swimming, eating, sleeping, drinking and playing, it was AMAZING!!!

Friday night after everyone arrived we ordered pizza and hung out. After all the kids went to bed there was some serious card playing going on then of course a late night swim in the lake!

Saturday morning probably came a bit to quickly for some people but with 8 kids in the house sleeping in was not an option! So, we got up, Mike made some breakfast, it was cloudy but no rain so we got our suits on and headed to the beach!!

I think Hannah was in a hurry!!

All the kiddos loved the sand and floating in the water, the guys played football, it was nice and relaxing. After a few hours at the beach it was getting close to lunch time and nap time so we headed home. Chuck grilled hot dogs, we had left over pizza, the smaller kids (and some of the adults) took naps, the rest of us headed out to the lake!

Saturday evening Sham made an amazing rib dinner on the grill, we played some corn hole, colored with side walk chalk and played with bubbles!! Really couldn't ask for a better day!

Sunday, we didn't have to be out of the house until 2, we all headed back to the beach for a few more hours of fun!

Then we hit up this place....

I feel so lucky to have a group of friends like this!! With everyone having such busy schedules it gets harder and harder to get together but when we do it is almost like no time has passed. Hopefully we can keep this up so it will be the same way with all the kids!!

We are missing 2 of the kiddos in these pictures, but do you know how hard it is to take a group picture of kids ranging in ages from 1 to 9?!?! Pretty cute bunch!

Indiana State Fair...

2010-08-10T21:45:00.006-04:00

Well, it is that time of year again, summer is winding down, the buses have taken over the roads in the mornings and the Indiana State Fair is going in full force!! I love the fair, even if I have had a few tramatic experiences while attending it! Now that Hannah is a bit older Chuck and I get to experience more then just the food (yes we used to go for just the food, oh and people watching)!!
Yesterday was $2 Tuesdays, this meant it was only $2 each for Chuck and I to get in and it also meant that many of the vendors had food options (smaller portions which is perfect) for $2! The only downfall to yesterday is that I believe it was one of the hottest days of the summer!!!!
Anyways, after we parked we ran into these guys...he looks pretty big but they were actually miniature horses that were giving kids rides....Chuck wouldn't let Hannah go for a ride but we did hang out with them for a bit!

Not quite sure what to think of this thing.....

After we had some fun with the horses we started our long walk around the midway, first up, corn on the cob or as Hannah would put it....NUMMY!! She loved it, we did get her to actually take a few bites of the corn but mostly she was just licking the butter off, can't say that I blame her...

It was SUPER hot, but acutally the reason she is so red is because we were in a red tent!! I believe in this picture I was trying to get a bite of the corn and she was looking at me like I was crazy!

We hit up the potato tent, the dairy barn which I think is Hannah's favorite because they gave her free ice cold milk and the fried cheese! Saw the train drive by us a few times and then found this....FREE ICE CREAM!! Yup, it was pretty good....

On our way out we found these guys....GOATS!!! They were so fun, Chuck and I are bad parents and didn't have any quarters to get food to feed the goats but another nice girl gave Hannah some of hers. Hannah is still working on sharing so I am not sure if she was debating about eating the goat food herself or if she wasn't sure she wanted the goats tongue to lick her hand but she eventually held it out and both the goat and Hannah were happy!!

Ha, see Chuck's hand? Always the nervous father!!

I think they were really friendly though!! Cute huh?

It was getting late (but not any cooler) so it was time to head home, Hannah wasn't all that happy about it! (Look at that hair!!) We picked up a couple $2 slushies and headed to the car! It was an awesome evening at the fair!

Fun Run...

2010-08-08T21:05:00.006-04:00

I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before but Chuck is training to run the Columbus Marathon in October. I was not ready to step up to the plate and train for a full marathon but Hannah and I offered to be an awesome cheering squad and be available for moral support whenever needed. Saturday Chuck was scheduled to run 14 miles which happens to be the farthest he has ever run! Fortunately we found this awesome 5 mile run in Broad Ripple, our old stomping ground, which was stroller friendly and fairly flat. Since it is the middle of summer we try to incorporate structured runs into Chucks training schedule whenever possible because water and or gatorade is normally provided at some point on the course! So Chuck got up bright and early, drove to his office and ran 6 miles to the start of the race where he found Hannah and I waiting for him.

The next 5 miles had to be much more enjoyable for him since he had Hannah and I. Chuck dropped us off at the finish line and headed on to finish his last couple miles. He did awesome and I am very proud of him for doing this! While he kept running Hannah and I enjoyed post race goodies and waited for the Kiddie run to start.
I love races that are family friendly....

I am sorry to say we missed the kiddie run because I couldn't get Hannah out of the bouncy tent!! Not gonna lie, can't really blame her, this looked like way more fun!!

Happy Friday...

2010-08-06T07:27:00.001-04:00

I am looking forward to spending the whole weekend with her.....

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Can't get enough of.....

2010-08-04T07:22:00.000-04:00

..this...

***please notice the Hello Kitty purse we do leave the house without it!!

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Friends and flour....

2010-08-02T21:17:00.004-04:00

Despite some crummy weather on Saturday we had an awesome weekend! I am very fortunate to have a few friends that drive hours for less than a 24 hour visit, just because....
We had originally planned to hang out by the pool all day on Saturday but since it was raining that option was out and since Chuck was playing golf and Hannah required a nap, Erin, Steph and I just hung out all afternoon catching up. It may not have been all the exciting but I definitely enjoyed myself!

Sunday was a much prettier day, unfortuanately Erin and Steph had to leave bright and early so after they left Chuck, Hannah and I headed to the pool for a couple hour of sunshine, then I figured it was about time Hannah was introduced to Chocolate chip cookie dough....I think she liked it!

Down Comfortor...

2010-07-31T09:14:00.004-04:00

Well, we have been in the process (for a while now) of getting Hannah's room transformed into a toddler room, one that she can kind of grow into. In our new house Hannah has a large room but it is kind of a funny shape which meant finding furniture for it was going to be a little more difficult then I thought it would be.

When we moved in the first thing I did was paint her room purple, so that's what we had to start with. Now, I understand that she isn't even 2 yet but I am not real into the little kid bedding, plus we were just planning on moving her to a full sized bed. As long as I can remember I have had a down comfortor on my bed, might be a family thing....anyways, Hannah has always loved getting into our bed and rolling around in that down comfortor which meant my task was to find a kid friendly duvet, that was full sized, matched a purple room and wasn't ungodly expensive. This is how I discovered (and fell in love with) the wonderful world of IKEA!

Here are some pictures of Hannah when I pulled out her new duvet and down comfortor!

Crossing my fingers I can get her room together this weekend!!

Big Birthday....

2010-07-27T22:10:00.000-04:00

Well this was a big birthday for me and despite being covered with poison ivy and actually turning 30 it was a pretty good day!
To start my day Chuck and Hannah came to visit me at work, which meant I got some extra cuddle time with my little girl and I got to see Chuck again before he left on his trip! Then I got a package from my mom with a fun shirt to wear!

Chuck actually had lunch plans today but they didn't work out so we got to meet up for a nice lunch. When I got back to my desk my coworkers decided to do a bit of decorating....

Lucky for me Hannah doesn't care what the balloons say!

We spent the rest of the evening playing outside, eating grilled cheese and going on a frozen yogurt date....not a bad birthday!!
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Poison Ivy....

2010-07-21T14:09:00.002-04:00

Sorry, I have kind of been on a blogging hiatis, but we, meaning Chuck and I (but thank goodness not Hannah) have been plagued with poison ivy!! Thankfully Chuck's only lasted a couple of days but mine started showing up a day after his and is still going in full force!

Lets start from the beginning. On Sunday July 11th, Hannah went down for a good nap so Chuck and I took the opportunity to tackle yard work. When we bought our house it was very early spring and let me tell you we had no idea what we were getting into when it came to our new yard! Anyways, we knew poison ivy was around somewhere because Chuck had a mild case of it a few weeks back, but I had been in the same stuff and was fine so we figured I was good to go to start clearing out the ground cover around the front of our house that looked like it hadn't been groomed in YEARS! After about a couple hours of yard work in 90 degree heat we decided to call it quits and head in for showers. My arms immediately started itching so I hopped in the shower right away! After the shower everything seemed to be fine, so we headed to the pool.

The next day Chuck woke up and was itching, but I was still pretty much itch and rash free. We tried the normal stuff on him, cortaid, oatmeal baths, benedryl, nothing seemed to really help. The next day I was itching also, yes 2 full days after we had been working in the yard, I started to get poison ivy. It was horrible, I called the doctor as soon as they opened to see what I should do. They called in a steroid cream and said to take benedryl. Well, this worked great for Chuck, I on the other hand have continued to get worse and worse. See, the way you get poison ivy is from the oil of the plant, not just the plant so if it is on your shoes, or yard tools or shirt or hat you can continue to get it so I have washed everything in our house that we might have touched, thinking that maybe I was being exposed to it again, but since Chuck and Hannah didn't have it anymore that probably wasn't the problem! Apparently I just have really sensitive skin and I am REALLY allergic to poison ivy! Monday morning the doctor called in a steroid for me to start taking and I am thinking today it is maybe starting to work!! Nothing stops the itch, so many people have given me suggestions on things to try and I have tried every single one of them with no success!
I have learned a few things from this...
1. Poison Ivy is an evil plant!
2. Itching is absolutely miserable!
3. Poison Ivy is not contagious (Thank Goodness)
4. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Anyways, cross your fingers for me that things are starting to get better! I am hoping that later today I will find time to post a long overdue video of Hannah at Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Dave's wedding last month!

A Brownie Baking Evening...

2010-07-08T21:20:00.003-04:00

So, Chuck is out of town for work and it was raining when we got home tonight. I figured it was a great opportunity to teach Hannah how to bake brownies...

I think she had a good time!

Turns out my little girl is a pretty good baker....

A Festive 4th cont. w/video....

2010-07-08T21:09:00.005-04:00

As promised here are the pictures from the Freedom Run on Saturday morning. This event was very family friendly and we had a blast.
There were cows...which Hannah immediately fell in love with...

Cookies which Hannah never turns down (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!)...

And a bit of sweating done by Mommy and Daddy.....

Then we had the kid run....look how far it is!! They lined all the kids up(some with parents) by age group. Their goal was to reach the cow (pictured above). At the end each child received a medal (see Hannah's picture above), blue star beads and a chinese yoyo! It was awesome!!!

I apologize for such a short video, I had the camera on the wrong setting, but you get the idea!! Hannah took off with the rest of the kids but when she realized that people were watching her she decided to put on a show....

A Festive 4th...

2010-07-05T17:03:00.003-04:00

So I started writing this post last weekend, but things have been busy so I will just have to show you the rest of the pictures some other time...
We had an absolutely wonderful 4th of July. We got up early on Saturday morning and headed over to the Freedom Run in Carmel, it was a great 4.5 mile run that we have never participated in before and really enjoyed. The great thing about the run is that it not only allowed strollers but immediately following this run they had a rookie race with no age requirements which meant Hannah got to participate in her first race!! (I haven't uploaded the pictures for this yet but I will shortly)

We spent the afternoon at the pool with the Lee's, then headed home for a nap and showers and then off to this cute little guys 1st Birthday Party! Declan turned 1 on July 2nd and he is a cutey!!

The rest of the weekend was spent pretty much the same way, pool time, grill outs and friends, and then it ended with fireworks...I can't believe how it just flew by!!

Indiana Bubbles...

2010-06-25T15:54:00.005-04:00

We (meaning Chuck, Hannah and I) play with bubbles ALL the time....but its been a while for Aunt Nicki, Grandpa and Grandma......we had a ton of fun with these gigantic bubbles!! More pictures compliments of Aunt Nicki...

Flower Girl (Cont.)....

2010-06-23T15:48:00.007-04:00

Below are pictures (as promised) from Meg and Jeremy's beautiful wedding! Most of these pictures are compliments of Aunt Nicki... Hannah and I were both very honored to be part of this very special day.

Speaking of Aunt Nicki, she had her wisdom teeth pulled on Monday, we are thinking about her and hope she is doing better...

Flower Girl....

2010-06-16T08:24:00.017-04:00

Wow, the past couple of weeks have been BUSY!!! First Chicago, then St. Louis both for weddings of people we love, and to top it all off Hannah got to be the flower girl....twice!

Chicago was amazing. Chucks sister Stephanie and her fiance Dave tied the knot on Sunday June 6th at an amazing location called Promontory Point in Chicago. Most of the Dodge's actually live on the East Coast so we don't get to be together all that often. Stephanie found this great place for us to stay called The Beadle Residences, the rooms were more like apartments instead of hotels and we pretty much took over the place. We took cornhole, bubbles, we got to walk to breakfasts, lunches and dinners, hung out with family and attended an absolutely beautiful wedding, it was an awesome weekend! As far as Hannah's role of the flower girl, she only made it about half way down the aisle for Steph and Dave's wedding, but she had a blast dancing and hanging out all night long!

Well, this is Hannah's first limo ride but it kind of looks like Daddy was focusing on the wrong thing!!

Next up....St. Louis, where my cousin Meg tied the knot on June 12th. I met my Dad, Nancy and Nicki at the St. Louis airport on Thursday evening, it was so great to see them, we haven't seen them since Thanksgiving and we missed them! We headed to the hotel and the weekend just took off from there. We started with a shower for Meg on Thursday night, then Friday we had rehearsal followed by manicures and pedicures then an awesome picnic. Rain threatened to cancel the picnic all day but it actually turned out perfect. Chuck and Hannah made their way to St. Louis about 8 on Friday evening. Saturday was wedding day, we spent the morning getting ready and hanging out then it was time to hop on the bus and we headed to the church. Meg looked beautiful, the church looked great and Hannah made it all the way down the aisle, not gonna lie I was definitely holding my breath! It was an awesome day, so wonderful to hang out with family and friends that we don't get to see often enough! Pictures from Meg's wedding will be coming, since I was also part of this wedding and Chuck was solely responsible for Hannah our camera really didn't make it out of the bag, but we knew a few people there so I am sure pictures will be coming our way.

Wedding season is here....

2010-06-10T14:05:00.001-04:00

And here is a preview....

Much more to come....

Bubble...

2010-06-09T12:01:00.003-04:00

I have tons of pictures and things to blog about but way too busy at the moment...so this will have to do..............Look at the intensity on her face....I think she wanted that bubble!

The Mess at IMS 2010 (part 2)...

2010-06-04T23:37:00.006-04:00

As promised....Race Day photos from the 2010 Mess at IMS!!! As I was going through all of these I realized that surprisingly we did get some good photos and I am not posting all of them so if you attended the Mess and would like to see all the photos, let me know.

So, if we thought Saturday was hot, we were WRONG, Sunday was scorching and we did not have a gigantic 20x40 blue and white striped tent to hide under. This meant we were all applying serious amounts of sunscreen, see below! Although I swear as soon as we would get it on we would sweat it right off! If you have never been to the Indy 500, you probably wouldn't know this but there are events that you come to expect, even in a certain order that make the Indy 500 the Indy 500!! I don't really know how to explain it. The morning starts off VERY early because the helicopters are above us by 6 a.m. (seriously). Since we are camping in the Coke Lot, these helicopters are pretty tough to ignore.

So back to the sequence of events..

We get up...EARLY, normally a bit of a struggle, grab some bottles of water, wash our faces, brush our teeth, bust out the donut holes, vodka and OJ, grab the truck driving around selling ice (yes it is still like 7 a.m.) and set up the race pool. Once all that is taken care of we can make our way into turn 4, the earlier the better!

You have all the traditional things like the National Anthem, then you have the unique things like the balloon launch (yes I may be almost 30 but look forward to this every year), and of course the singing of Back Home Again In Indiana by Jim Nabors. These are just a few of the things that make the Indy 500 special....

You've got the fly over, which is just AWESOME...

You've got Monsignor Schaedel, who not only married Chuck and I, but also baptised Chuck, Hannah and was on the jumbo tron saying the prayer before the race.... You've got these cars......I'm sorry but I am a girl and I even get chills the first time you hear these things go by....

You've got the traditional in-field stuff...yes that guy trying to get the beach ball with a bunch of shirts tied together is with us!..

You've got the mullets and the sweet sunglasses....we really do love that guy dearly!!

You've got great friends that you don't see nearly as often as you would like but can count on for the race every year....

You've got the wives that have been sucked into this and have learned to love every minute of it..... even when the husbands begin planning in December...

You've got just funny stupid stuff that you don't EVER get to do, or really even get to think about in the real world...

You've got a great group of guys who have grown up.......but when you get them together at the Indy 500, anything is possible...

Oh, throw a couple of REALLY important girls in there too....

The Mess at IMS was lots of fun this year and I am so glad I could participate. Not gonna lie, there were definitely a few key people I missed this year, but I am so happy I got to be there and enjoy the traditions....
.. Who knows what next year will bring but this year definitely brought some AWESOME memories....

The Mess at IMS 2010 (part 1).....

2010-06-03T22:16:00.009-04:00

I am very far behind on posting about the 2010 Mess at IMS, so sorry.....I've been busy! Anywho, I started going through the pictures last night and we have a lot more pictures than I realized so I am thinking I will be splitting this up into two posts (hence the "part 1"). So the pictures and recap below are of the Saturday before the race.....

Most of you know that Chuck and his friends venture out to the coke lot on the Thursday morning before the race, they set up their tents, build the bar and wait for the guys with the big blue and white striped party tent to show up....

Looks like a nice day....but it was HOT!! This giant tent came in very handy for staying out of the sun! When I arrived on Saturday afternoon it looked like this...

During the day, we just hung out, played cornhole and caught up with people we hadn't seen in a while.

Saturday night also happened to be the first night of the Stanley Cup Finals (note Chucks shirt), so Chuck set up a tv and we settled in for the game...

Lots of thumbs up pictures since the Hawks won!
After the Blackhawks game we could turn our attention to other things, such as beer pong...I am proud to say that Brian and I managed to beat the reigning champs (aka the Jimmy Chitwoods) in our first game! I say first game because once that happened, it turned to "best 2 out of 3"!

It was a super fun night....it is still hard for me to pull myself away from Hannah, especially on a perfect pool weekend but I am glad I did. More pictures from the actual race to follow...

Officially summer...

2010-05-29T14:27:00.001-04:00

The pool opened today and of course we had to check it out!!

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Carb Day...

2010-05-28T14:02:00.005-04:00

Well, today is "Carb Day" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this is actually my most favorite day of the whole weekend and I am very sad to say that I am sitting at my desk at work instead of in the grand stands! This year is most definitely proving to be a bit different. Chuck is actually at Carb day but he was entertaining clients for work, definitely a different perspective for him. I think he is still managing to enjoy himself and got to see TK's car (my personal favorite) close up!I actually made it over to the speedway bright and early this morning. My company actually has a suite on race day and I had to head over to pick up a couple extra suit passes. I thought by getting there early I could get in and out of Speedway quickly, unfortunately I ended up sitting in traffic and actually sitting at the same intersection FOREVER.....um..please notice the green lights that are pointing at me telling me to GOOOO!
My mom is coming in town tonight, she will be hanging out with Hannah tomorrow and Sunday while Chuck and I are at the race...thanks mom!! On a side note...check out this post to see what I did this weekend last year!
Hope everyone has a fun Memorial Day Weekend!

18 Month Recap...

2010-05-25T08:01:00.005-04:00

Well on Saturday May 22nd, Hannah turned 18 months old! The past 18 months have just flown by and it is amazing how much Hannah has changed!

Yesterday afternoon Chuck and I took Hannah to her 18 month doctors appointment. The visit was pretty uneventful, she looks great and only had to get one shot (last time she had to get 3!). So here are Hannah's 18 month stats....

Date: 5/24/2010

Age: 18 Months

Weight: 28.5 lbs

Height: 35 in

Head: 19.5 in

Our doctor graphs Hannah's progress and over the past 18 months everything has been increasing at a pretty constant rate, which is awesome but yesterday when the doctor showed us her growth chart Hannah all of a sudden took a huge jump in height! I am guessing this explains why I all of a sudden just had to go buy a bunch of new clothes and shoes! To put her growth in perspective, the last time we went to the doctor was when she turned 15 months in February and here are her stats from that appointment...

Date: 2/24/2010

Age: 15 Months

Weight: 25 lbs 4 oz

Height: 31 1/4 in

Head: 19 in

So Hannah basically grew almost 4 inches in 3 months! That is crazy! Hannah looks awesome and we feel so very thankful to have such a healthy happy little girl!

After her doctors appointment we headed home, my car said it was 92 degrees so we decided to set up the sprinkler....

Shoe fetish...

2010-05-23T13:16:00.002-04:00

Looks like Hannah might be taking after Aunt Amy....look at those shoes!!

2 Mini's in 2 Weeks....

2010-05-22T21:02:00.009-04:00

Look at the pretty sign Hannah and Daddy made for me today!!

Well, the results from the Geist Half Marathon are in and they aren't exactly what I was hoping for, but I did it, I did it on my own and it is over! I woke up to a balmy 60 degrees, Ashley picked me up about 6 am and we headed to the starting line. I will spare you all the exciting details, I can tell you that I knew by mile 2 that this was not going to be a good race, but I can also tell you that I had a couple of the best spectators a mom could ask for.....

Ashley did awesome today, Congrats Ash!!
AWWWW...Hannah giving Momma a "Good Job" kiss!!

On a side note...Hannah turned 18 months old today!! Where has the time gone???

Bunny ears...

2010-05-17T10:29:00.002-04:00

Pictures, compliments of Aunt Amy....

Call me crazy...

2010-05-13T09:38:00.002-04:00

I am running another mini.....next weekend! I signed up for the Geist Half Marathon on May 22nd! Chuck has done this half marathon before, 2 years ago when I was pregnant with Hannah, but after running the Indianapolis Mini Marathon pregnant that year I vowed to never run a mini again while I was pregnant!

So it will be just me and my ipod for 13.1 miles and I am really nervous about it....this will be the first mini marathon I have run without Chuck, it is also the first time running a mini marathon that is not the Indianapolis Mini Marathon! Chuck said that he and Hannah would be happy to come cheer me on, it will be so great to have them on the sidelines and now that we live in "the burbs" this marathon is practically in my back yard! So instead of being in recovery mode this week I am tapering, hopefully so I can at least have the same time as last weekend if not better! Cross your fingers for me....

A Couple Videos...

2010-05-11T21:35:00.004-04:00

Just a couple quick recent videos of Hannah....

Mini Marathon recap....

2010-05-10T08:32:00.002-04:00

Well, it was a VERY busy but VERY fun weekend.

Let's start from the beggining. I met Ashley at her place after work on Friday to head down to the expo and pick up our bib numbers and other goodies. Downtown was packed and I have to say that the expo was a bit of a disappointment, but we did make it down there and back before the storms hit. When I got home Chuck, Hannah, Mom and I all sat down to have our traditional spaghetti dinner then it was early to bed for all of us. Unfortunately, the night before things like this I have trouble falling asleep and I was up way too late! Anyways, the alarm went off at 4:45 and Chuck and I just laid there listening to the wind howling outside, when the news finally came on we learned that the temperatures would not be above 50 and that we could be running in wind gusts up to 20 mph, Sweet!! So after trying to figure out what we should wear and making a couple PB & Banana sandwiches we picked Ashley up and headed downtown.

Once we got downtown we stretched, put our bib numbers on and headed to our corrals to wait for the start, it was FREEEZING, but iat least in the corrals we were protected from the wind! The Indianapolis Mini Marathon is a HUGE race, we started in corral I, so it took us 8 or 9 minutes to get to the starting line then the first mile is always long because there are just so many people. Our first mile was rough, both Chuck and I were cold and stiff from standing around, the wind was at our faces and there were just so many people, it took us 10:13 to see the first mile marker!!! After that the crowd thinned out a bit and we started loosening up, I think both of us felt great and the miles were flying by. It really wasn't until mile 10 that both of us started feeling a bit sluggish, our legs were just getting heavy, but at mile 10 you only have 3 more miles to go, and that is what we kept telling ourselves. Chuck is a wonderful running partner, even when he could use a little encouragement himself he can always remind me of the chocolate chip cookie waiting for me at the finish line (yes I look forward to the crappy chocolate chip cookies that they hand out at then end!).

Even with the wind and the chilly temps, Chuck and I had a great race, we finished in 2:07:56, which happens to be a personal best for me. So I still haven't done it in under 2 hours, but we did beat last years time by 10 minutes (although last year was just a complete bust all around), and we had a great time.

Here are our times for all 7 Indianapolis Mini Marathons!
2010 2:07:56
2009 2:17:56
2008 2:16:52
2007 2:13:02
2006 2:17:25
2005 2:28:08
2004 2:32:27

The rest of the weekend flew by, we spent it hanging out with family and friends, doing yard work and celebrating Mother's Day! Can't wait for next year.....

2010 Mini Marathon Weekend....

2010-05-07T08:26:00.005-04:00

Well, it is almost here, Indianapolis Mini Marathon weekend!!! Chuck and I have been running this mini since 2004, but it is still a weekend that we look forward to every single year!! Not only is it something that we spend time training for (time that is getting harder and harder to find) but it also kicks off the month of May which is Chuck's most favorite month of the year!

Last year I posted this, and well the mini was definitely a complete bust for me (which means it was an even bigger bust for Chuck, since we stick together during the run) and I ended up posting "There is always next year"! Well, it is "next year", I am a little bit older and a little bit wiser and I have come to a few conclusions about running....

1. I really do love running

2. As much as I love running, if I have to choose between a half hour of running and a half hour with Hannah, I choose Hannah!

3. The time that it takes me to finish tomorrow is not all that important, enjoying the run is my main objective.

4. I say time is not all that important but really I am lying!

So....this year training has been a bit different. Chuck and I normally do all our training together, but with both of us working full time, Chuck traveling now for work and both preferring to play with Hannah instead of running we have done most of our running during our lunch hours on treadmills in seperate gyms. We have only had the opportunity to do one long (10.5 mile) run together!

This year I am also running for the Cure! I was so excited when I learned about the opportunity to raise money for Breast Cancer while doing something that I love. Thank you to everyone who supported me and helped me reach my goal. Tomorrow Chuck and I will use that support to help us through the 13.1 miles!

I am REALLY looking forward to tomorrow. I am crossing my fingers that the weather gods are kind and that Chuck Lofton is correct when he said this morning that the storms will be out of the Indianapolis area by midnight tonight! I'll keep you posted on how we do!

On a side note...look at this cutey before daycare this morning....

Hannah in training....

2010-05-06T21:23:00.002-04:00

Looks like Hannah has been training for the mini too!!

Ponytail....

2010-05-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

I couldn't believe she left this in all the way to daycare this morning!!!

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A Weekend of festivities....

2010-05-01T21:59:00.011-04:00

Well, nothing like hosting a shower and the "annual derby party" to get a new home whipped into shape! Saturday morning we woke up to a humid, not so pretty morning, but regardless, it was a day full of showers, parties and a tons of fun!
First we started with a fun shower for Steph! While we partied "girl style" the boys headed to Sun King Brewery! I wish I had taken a picture of all the growlers we ended up with!! Lots of old friends showed up for the bridal shower, Stephanie ended up with a ton of great stuff and was able to catch up with people she hadn't seen in a long time!

Next up... The annual Derby Party, the one we host every year, normally held the same weekend as the mini marathon but for some reason the mini is a weekend later this year. Since the mini was a week later, we were missing a few "regulars" that were greatly missed! Nonetheless, we still managed to have a great time and lots of great company!

Look at this cute little guy! Talk about a sweetheart!

He wasn't the only cute little guy in attendance...look at these two!!

It was nice to have so many friends and family in one spot....as the day went on the weather improved and Hannah had a ton of people toplay with who were much more fun then Mommy and Daddy!!

Aunt Stephanie is awesome at swing pushing!!

And apparently Uncle Dave and Ben can juggle, who knew???!?!?Instead of settling down at the end of the evening, hockey was on and even Hannah was getting angry at the Blackhawks! It was a great weekend and we are so sad it is over! Next up...mini marathon and Ball State Graduation weekend!! Congratulations Aunt Amy!!!

The Burbs...

2010-04-25T21:29:00.011-04:00

Ahhh...I am finally sitting down with my feet propped up and blogging about our new house! I love our new house, Rudy loves our new house, Hannah loves our new house and I am pretty sure Chuck even loves our new house! We have been in our house for 2 weeks and 1 day and today was the first day that I felt our house was presentable enough to take pictures and post them on our blog! For the last 2 weeks, Hannah has been playing like this...

We still aren't completely organized, you will notice that the pictures of our room are missing and that is simply because it still looks like a tornado hit it, and well the basement (i.e. the man cave), I just haven't had time to take pictures of.

But here it is...our new home in the burbs....

I guess you would call this our great room....we are still trying to figure out how to arrange things but we have lots of space!This is the entryway....also looking into the "office" that is currently Hannah's playroom since we do not actually own a desk!

This is our dining room! No, we will not normally have a computer on our dining room table, and yes we know the chandelier is hideous and will be changing that as soon as we can!Our guest room, could use a coat of paint but it has a nice comfy bed! Just waiting for visitors!

Next up...Hannah's room! This is the only room we have painted, still working on the decorating but we will get there! Sorry for the mess but I have come to the realization that is just the way it's going to be!

This is our 4th bedroom....

Guest Bathroom...

Kitchen....

It was raining most of the weekend, but when we see the sun again I will be sure to get a picture of the front of the house....

Hannah's new room....

2010-04-09T19:17:00.000-04:00

Before....

After.....

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Keys.....

2010-04-09T09:56:00.001-04:00

To the new house....tomorrow is moving day!!!

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Easter Egg Hunt...

2010-04-06T09:16:00.008-04:00

We had a wonderful and relaxing Easter, it was the first pretty Easter in Indianapolis in a long time, this meant the Easter Bunny came and hid all the Easter Eggs outside. Turns out Hannah is a great Easter Egg hunter!!!

Rudy likes to hunt for Easter Eggs too!!

Good Friday at Daycare...

2010-04-03T17:46:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Indianapolis.....this meant Hannah and her friends spent a lot of their day outside....

Looks like she had a good time, don't ya think????

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny....

2010-03-29T08:22:00.006-04:00

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to go to breakfast with the Easter Bunny! We weren't quite sure how Hannah would react to the bunny because she was NOT a fan of Santa Claus but the Easter Bunny was a whole different story. The minute Hannah saw the Easter Bunny from across the room she was mesmerized, she kept pointing and smiling until finally he made his way over to our table to say hello!

After the initial greeting with the Easter Bunny, we had some breakfast then got in line to sit on his lap. Pointing and smiling at the bunny is one thing, but we really weren't sure how she would react when we sat her on his lap! Well, its official, Hannah LOVES the Easter Bunny!

After visiting with the Easter Bunny for a bit we participated in an Easter Egg hunt. Grandma Judy has decorated the house for Easter so Hannah has seen the plastic eggs....we knew Hannah would know what the eggs were but we didn't know if she would understand what she was supposed to be doing. At first, she just looked at all the eggs, "oooohing" over them, then realized that these eggs had things in them!! Hannah definitely got into the hunt, the only problem was she didn't ever want to put the eggs she found into her bag so she had to figure out how to hold them all!

Florida (Spring Training) Vacation....

2010-03-24T10:46:00.007-04:00

So a while back, Chuck and I decided we would need a mini vacation sometime early spring. With Chuck taking a new job and having to use almost all the days off he gets this year for family weddings we knew that at least a short getaway with just the 3 of us was a must! Normally when we go on vacation we visit my Dad, Nancy and sisters in California but they just happen to be on a (amazing) vacation at the same time. With Chuck being such a big Mets fan and knowing that it was very unlikely he would get to any Mets games this summer I stared doing research on Met's Spring Training. Met's Spring Training takes place in beautiful Port St. Lucie, Florida! Neither Chuck or I had ever been to that part of Florida, so we looked up a Marriott (we were using points), picked the one with the best looking pool near the stadium and off we went for 4 awesome days!! The weather was perfect, Hannah was perfect and the trip went way to fast! Hannah loved the pool, we definitely had a battle everyday when it was time to go inside!

Now we are back to reality, working and trying to get things settled for the new house. Chuck and I are starting to get excited for the new house, hoping we have everything squared away so we can just focus on fun stuff, like painting Hannah's room and planning our "Annual Derby Party"!!

Here are some pictures from our little trip!

Here Mommy, you can have my pizza!

So, Chuck and I were not the only ones with the idea of a Spring Training trip! There must have been 4 or 5 other 15-16 month olds running around during the game!! And Hannah made friends with all of them!

"Hey Guys, where are you going?"

Pretty Girl!!!

Pool time and lots of sunscreen!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

2010-03-17T21:25:00.001-04:00

Hannah is definitely not old enough to enjoy a green beer on St. Patty's Day, but she still knows how to have a good time!!!

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