Hannah: 3.5

Hannah was 3.5 on December 17th, and while this update is also long overdue, I again, thought, better late than never!  Hannah is such a joy!  She is growing so smart and is very intuitive.  She is in size 5 clothes but can wear size 6 too.  She loves all things princess, all things Frozen, and all things girly!  She loves dressing like her mommy, and loves being a mommy to her baby dolls.  She has become quite the performer and sings constantly!  She loves to get on "stage" and sing and dance around.  She can still be very shy at first, but warms up rather quickly.

Here are a few conversations to note over the last few months:
*Matt left for Raleigh and Hannah said, "It's just the three of us, but I wish it was the 4 of us.  Somebody is missing.  I miss that somebody."
*After having a cough for a few days, she said, "I sound like a boy, why?"
*"Can we watch Wheel of Fortune? I need to see what Mrs. Wheel of Fortune is wearing."
*While watching Wheel of Fortune she asked, "Do they (the contestants) have legs?"
*Hannah has been more aware of Matt's travel, and he apologized to her for having to be away.  I told her to say, "it's okay," and so she said, "It's okay Daddy, you don't have to say that to me.  I know I miss you, but you don't have to say that to me."
*She will often tell stories that begin with, "When I was a little girl, my mommy used to…" And they end with, "but now I'm grown."
*"I'm assuming…" also used correctly
*"A minute of ago"

It is precious how she processes life and watching her try to figure things out.  She asks the most innocent questions and explains things to Ethan so sweetly.  The main example of this has been her processing the death of Matt's mom.  She will often say that she misses Grandma and she wishes that Grandma didn't have to be in heaven.  But at the same time, she talks expectantly about the day that we will all be together again.  She talks about going to heaven herself and the things she wants to experience on earth first.  Her honesty and childlike faith is inspiring to watch and keeps me on my toes daily.

Ethan 18 months old

Ethan is 18 months old  21 months old!  It is hard to believe that my little baby boy is getting so big!  I have been a slacker at updating this on his amazing developments, and thought better late than never!!  So, back in December at 18 months, Ethan was 32.8 lbs and 34 inches tall!  He was actively outgrowing all 2t clothes and beginning to wear 3t in most things, though the legs were and are a little too long!  I think he now weighs about 35 lbs and I'm sure he has grown an inch or two.  At 20 months old, Ethan was starting to string together 2-3 words, and began to identify a few colors and letters.  He is now recognizing even more and being a bit more consistent in his accuracy.  Ethan loves books, puzzles, blocks, and cars.  He calls most trucks, "bus" and these are consistently his favorite toys at home and in the nursery at church and the YMCA.  He frequently talks about friends and family, repeating their names over and over, and listing them by families (i.e. naming all of my sister's kids in order, or naming our friends and their children all by name).  Around 20 months old, out of no where Ethan started describing some people as "cute".  Around the same time, I allowed him to sit on the bench instead of his high chair at lunch.  That evening, he got very upset when Matt put him in his high chair, so he has been on the bench ever since.  He is very proud of himself and loves to get up and wash his hands rather than us bringing a wet paper towel over to the table.  He loves this so much that he will often say that he's finished with a meal, have us wash his hands, and then come over begging us for bites of our dinner!!  Ethan's vocabulary grows daily and he is always trying to say new words and repeats everything we say.  Sometimes he surprises us by words and phrases that he knows.  He calls himself "Enan" and Hannah is "Hanni" though from time to time he does get her name right.  He loves to sleep with his Giraffe, and has a newer Mickey Mouse that he sleeps with that he refers to as "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse".  One day at lunch, he said, "Argg, Matees" out of the blue!  He loves to play the guitar and uses anything he can think of as a drum.  He adores his big sister and they love to laugh and dance and play together. A few other things that he's been saying lately are "cause" in response to the question "why?", "paygound" for the playground, and "yarr yard" is what he says to refer to our backyard. He loves animals and naming them in books and pictures is a favorite of his!  We continue to be so in love with this little boy and the joy and animation he brings to our house!

February

February was a busy busy month for the Seiters.  We started off the month with a visit to my parents at Lake Lanier.  We had a great time with them and I even got an evening out to spend with some good friends who live down in Atlanta and one who was visiting them from Mississippi.  We love spending time with Mama and Grandaddy, and it's so fun to be at the lake with them!!  Then we had a couple low key weeks before things really picked up!!  My cousin Daniel got married on the 21st down in St. Augustine, FL.  So when planning to go down for the wedding, we decided to head down a couple days early to Orlando and spend a day and a half at Disney World!  We spent one day at the Magic Kingdom and then half a day at Hollywood Studios before heading up to St. Augustine for wedding festivities to begin.  It was quite the whirlwind and we learned a few things for the next time we "do Disney", but we had a great time and the memories are priceless!!  Hannah got to meet Elsa and Anna and though the line was MISERABLE for us, she continues to say that that was her favorite part of the trip.  The kids liked the few rides we did, and though it wore us out, I know we will cherish the memories forever!!!  St. Augustine was so fun as always.  We rented a house near downtown which was awesome!!!  It was so fun to be able to walk to St. George Street, and enjoy the parts of town we don't usually get to during the summer staying at the beach.  It was a beautiful wedding and a fun time with my cousins, siblings, and everyone else!  Daniel and Shelley looked so happy and it was so wonderful to share in their big day!!!