My Budding Artist

If you can't find Hayley in the house, check the playroom. That is where we keep all of our arts and crafts supplies. This girl can spend hours drawing, cutting, gluing, painting, coloring, and creating all kind of things. She has such a huge imagination. She loves to "rearrange" her room. I never know where her reading chair, vanity, or doll house will end up. She decorates her bed with a different theme every morning (a tea party, Barbie party, or stuffed animals on parade).

She has helped this type A mama to relax (a little) when it comes to messes. To her, it is not a mess. It is the spot where her beloved Bunny Bunny naps or where Anna (her baby doll) goes to school.

Luke was over at a friend's house one afternoon, and we broke out the paints while Hannah Beth was napping. She labored over her masterpiece for 40 minutes and hung it on her wall when she was done. I just can't wait to see what she will create next.

The Reason I Keep Shoeboxes

I have some precious things to put in them.....

Happy Dance

So many fun things coming up and happening, I will just have to make a list:

1. Only a week and a half until school is out for SUMMER! No schedule, lazy mornings, library trips, vacation, birthdays, grilling out, fun at the pool......ahhhhhhh

2. One of my best friends, her husband, and their crew of 5 are coming to stay with us in two weeks. I haven't seen Kelly in just over two years because Mike has been stationed in Korea! To say I am excited is an understatement!!!

3. Our trip to Atlanta and Fripp Island! Can't wait to see our family, friends, and introduce Hannah Beth to everyone.

4. HUGE sleep note here!!!! Hannah Beth is completely out of her swaddle and sleeping like a champ. Last night we decided it was time to break her of the 10:30pm feeding and she slept all through the night!!!!! She did wake at 11:00pm and fussed off and on for about 45 minutes, but after that we didn't hear from her until 6:15 am. Hooray!

Goodship Lollipop

Miss Hayley Anne in her precious dance costume. Just had too share....

Honeysuckles

Honeysuckles remind me of being a kid. There were huge honeysuckle bushes growing on a fence at the elementary school I attended. I loved the wonderful smell of them and of course the little drop of dew that tasted so sweet when it dropped in my mouth.

We have a large honeysuckle bush in our backyard at this house. The kids and I spent an hour or so just tasting as many of the flowers as we could. What a fun time to share with them.

This Is How She Rolls...

Meet Gibby

Anyone who knows me would say that I am not a big fan of little creatures of the night. Gena, if you are reading this, you know you are my hero! She saved me from a mouse in our house in Jacksonville. It was quite the spectacle involving an air vent, a large plastic box, heavy books, a mouse trap, a pair of tongs that now live in a trash dump somewhere, and lots of squealing and screaming (not with delight).

Luke comes home SO excited about his new class pet, Gibby. Yes, Gibby is of the nocturnal rodent kind, a hamster. My skin began to crawl just thinking about the little fur ball. Luke began to explain that Mrs. W had said students could bring Gibby home for an overnight stay to anyone whose parents would let them. He was so stinking thrilled about the possibility, who was I to crush the little man's dreams. Reluctantly, I said yes to having our little overnight guest, thinking Chris could handle the whole deal. Come to find out that the night we were assigned with Gibby, was the night that Chris teaches and doesn't get home until 9:30pm or so. GREAT!

We brought Gibby home and watched her/him (not sure which one) make a nest and play in her cage. I have to admit, Gibby was pretty cute. But then, Luke wanted me to take her out and put her in the little exercise ball. Oh my! I have to touch Gibby.....I began to panic but then decided that I was 10 times bigger than the little thing and I could do this!!! I successfully got Gibby into her ball and the kids had so much fun chasing her around. I was praying that she didn't escape and run and hide somewhere. Luckily, no escaping and I got her back into the cage with no problems.

So....will we ever have a pet hamster? That remains to be seen. Gibby was a very good overnight guest and the kids just LOVED her. Not sure about having one as a permanent resident in the Steele house. Only time will tell.......

We heart Aunt Holly

We love Aunt Holly. I mean, who wouldn't. She brings presents, she builds forts, she has dance parties, she lets us watch movies, she makes cinnamon toast, she paints our finger and toe nails purple (not Luke's toes and fingers), she plays Connect Four, she reads us stories, and just loves us to pieces. Can't wait to see her again in June!

Fort=FUN!

When I was a kid, I LOVED building forts. There was something about planning, gathering, building, and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I always felt so cozy and snug inside and loved pretending it was a boat or castle or a place for my secret club.

Luke and Hayley love forts too. One rainy Saturday, we pulled out the sheets and 10 minutes later we had a fort. They played in there for hours, until one of them (still don't know who) decided to make a "sunroof" and crawl through. It was great fun while it lasted.

More Sleep Notes

So.......I started leaving one arm out of Hannah Beth's swaddle about a week and a half ago (@5 and a half months). I was preparing myself for the worst (lots of screaming and waking at night because of her arm's new found freedom). She surprised us greatly by only fussing to go to sleep (took about 30 minutes the first night, and 10 to 15 of fussing the next few nights) and slept through the night no problem. Hooray! And naps are going well too. Still taking 3 naps and in the bed by 6:30pm for the night.

I decided to go ahead and start weaning her from the swaddle because she is trying so hard to roll from her back to her tummy. I figured that it is only a few more weeks until she has mastered the skill and will want to roll to her tummy to sleep.


The plan is to set both arms free in the next few weeks and have her sleep just in her sleep sack. I'll keep you updated on our progress :)

Surprise!!!!

NO! We are not pregnant again (ha)! I'm sure some of you were wondering........

Chris has been working CRAZY hours the past few months and we haven't had a lot of family time. So, he took leave last Thursday and Friday so that we could have a mini "vacation". On Thursday, Chris and I took a walk with Hannah Beth down to the Starbucks on the corner while Luke and Hayley were at school. We spent the rest of the day playing Scrabble Junior, puzzles, and having a nice dinner as a family. Lots and lots of giggling!

We decided to take the kids to Busch Gardens on Friday for some unexpected fun. Luke and Hayley went to school that day just like they usually do. We didn't tell them we were going to be picking them up early that day. When we had them all buckled up and ready to go, Chris told them we were not going home. They looked a little confused. They both guessed we were going to the airport to pick up a visitor. After telling them we were headed to Busch Gardens, they both nearly hit the roof they were so excited.

The weather could not have been more beautiful and the crowds were so small. We walked up and got on pretty much every ride. The Fun Forest with all the Sesame Street characters was a huge hit. Hayley even dared to go on the log ride with me. She was so brave, but nearly broke skin clutching my arm so tight as we dropped down the big hill. Luke couldn't get enough of the Grover roller coaster. And Hannah Beth was such a little trooper! She just hung out in the stroller, napped, played in my lap for a bit at snack and meal time, and was soooo GOOD! Poor thing didn't get in one picture. To tell you the truth, I didn't take very many pictures. I was trying to just enjoy being there all together.

Chris took the cover off of the pool on Saturday, only to find that the cover had a hole in it and we had suctioned out most of the pool water when we would pump the water off the top during the winter. The water was nasty green, but Chris worked so hard cleaning and getting everything back to where it should be. The pool is full again, and pretty blue. It just needs a good vacuuming and we will be ready some 80/90 degree swimming weather.

Making Mental Notes Just Doesn't Cut It

So I'm blogging about our sleep journey with Miss Hannah Beth, because I KNOW I will forget every detail of how we achieved sleep at nap time and at night. It was only 4 years and 4 months since I had had a newborn when Hannah arrived but I don't remember the little details of how and when Hayley and Luke started taking good naps and sleeping through the night. I remember somethings like Hayley didn't really sleep through the night until she was about 9 and a half months and Luke took 20 to 30 minute naps the first few months of his sweet little life. But, when all was said and done, I dumped all the info on just how we got there. And if God chooses to bless us with number 4 (I have learned it is really not up to me anyhow), I want to know the details of how we did things with Hannah to at least have a starting point.

I say WE when talking about Hannah's sleep because we all know the sweat and tears that Mama and Daddy shed while going through sleep training with and infant. She does well at this point taking 3 naps a day and sleeping through the night most of the time. I still feed her at 10:30 pm so she can get through the night. Sometimes she wakes around 4:00am and I have to go in and re-swaddle and give her a paci. Oh, the swaddle!!!! It is a blessing and a curse. She loves it so much and truly gave us more sleep when she was a newborn. But now she has a love/hate relationship with the swaddle. Loves to be wrapped tight but then wiggles free and doesn't know what to do to fall back asleep. We are trying the one arm out method to wean her off the blanket (that sounds like she needs rehab or something) which seemed to work well last night. She only cried about 30 minutes before drifting off to sleep last night and she slept until 4:00am. I went in and re swaddled her and she slept until 6:00am. Not too bad.

Most of you reading this are probably thinking, "Blah blah blah, it is just sleep and they all figure it out." Wait, who am I kidding, I have one follower (Hi, Dana). So sorry to bore you with my sleep story. I promise next post will be more fun!!! Yes, they all figure it out, but if I can help them figure it out with less crying and more good sleep then I am all about it!!!!


So, here's to getting older (that is why mental notes don't work), getting more sleep, and hmmmm...can't think of a third one.

Love the Hat

Love the hat............

Hate the hat.........

5 months old

Where have the past 5 months gone!!!! Hannah got her first a taste of rice cereal this past weekend. She was not quite sure what to do with it. Most of it ended up on her bib. Today, she was much more interested and ate about a tablespoon.

What are you doing at 5 months Miss Hannah Beth? Let's see:

*You are so full of joy. Your Daddy says your joy meter must be at 1,000,000 in the mornings. You laugh and squeal with delight. Sometimes your squeals could actually shatter glass we think.

*You are trying so hard to roll over to your belly. You can make it to your side but have quite figured out how to throw your leg over. It won't be long though.

*You love to listen to music and when people sing to you. You are sometimes slow to warm up to other people. You study everyone very carefully before you flash them your smile.

* You are already in a size 3 diaper and wearing 6 to 12 month clothes. Such a sweet big girl!

* You still like to be swaddled tight when you sleep. You nap 3 times a day and sleep from 6:30 at night to 6:30 in the morning. I still wake you to feed you at 10:30 pm. You fall fast asleep as soon as you are done eating and I just rock and rock with you on my chest. You are so peaceful. I could hold you like that forever.

We love you to pieces, Lulabelle.