The Hankins Happenings

Lions & Donkeys & Bunnies, oh my!

2011-02-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

This past week we took a little vacation to Reno/Lake Tahoe. First we went to Reno for the Safari Club International convention. It's a hunters paradise full of vendors selling their most exotic hunting excursion (think Africa, Asia, Alaska, etc.) My husband, brother & Dad were in heaven! We had fun looking at the cool mounts & beautiful furs :)

Our resort was really cool for the kids. There was a huge arcade, movie theatre, driving range into a pond, sweet shop, etc.

After our safari adventures were done, we began the drive to Lake Tahoe. We stopped off in Virginia City. It's an old mining town and the stereotypical "wild west/gold rush" setting from the 1800's. The kids loved "Stinky" who walks around town all day with his donkey. We even went in a little cafe called "A little bit Cajun" & the owner just moved to the area from Sulphur..what a coincidence!

Next we made it to South Lake Tahoe. When we got there it was pretty warm and no fresh snow on the ground. We skiied the first day and were shedding layers before we made it up the lift. We even saw people skiing in shorts & short sleeves.

We dropped Anna Kate off at ski school fully anticipating a phone call to pick her up before we made it up the lift. However, all morning, despite my incessent checking of my phone & answering any strange number that called me, I never received a distress call. So at lunch, I snuck in past the "no parent allowed" sign to make sure my daughter was still in tact. Not only was she not bruised or distressed, she told me she was having FUn!! Her teacher said she quickly became the leader of the class & was a shining star (proud Mommy moment!) JD & I decided to take a peak for ourselves after lunch. We hiked past the "No visitors beyond this point" sign & hid behind trees to get a glimpse of our snow bunny. She did great! She was whizzing past her classmates & even helping up her friends that fell on their way down. Obviously she gets her talent from her coordinated father & not her mother who decided it would be fun to ski straight into a snow embankment :)

While we were out skiing, Will went with my parents snowmobiling. They said he did great & had a lot of fun!

We woke up the next morning to a blanket of WHITE! We got about 6 inches of snow that night, which made the skiing great! Anna Kate braved the much colder temps & begged to go to round 2 of ski school (we had only planned on her going one day). She advanced through level 2 & is already planning her next ski trip (or maybe Mommy is).

Will & entourage went tubing on our 2nd day of skiing. I haven't seen the pictures, but apparently he thought it was really cool!

Overall, it was a great trip.

It's been a while!

2010-10-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've fallen off the face of the blog world! I guess I've been using facebook to post pictures & updates lately, but I do miss my blog. I feel like the blog allows you to share even more details and personal tidbits than I feel comfortable with on facebook.

So since I haven't posted since May, I'll give a recap of what's been going on in the Hankins house. We had a really great summer. It started out with the annual Hankins/Kenny family reunion at The Woodlands Resort. Anna Kate & Will had so much fun with cousins Addison, Gavin & Gaege hanging out by/in the pool for hours, watching movies on the giant outdoor screen, eating lots of junk food & drinking pretty drinks with umbrellas! We wish we got to see our San Antonio cousins more often & are already looking forward to Christmas in Marlin!

The Day we got back was Anna Kate's first ballet recital. She was a butterfly & did a great job (especially considering she missed the rehearsal due to the family reunion).

The following week our church had Vacation Bible School. Our theme was "Jungle Journey" & it was a record attendance this year! Anna Kate did really well staying with her class and Will got to hang out in the nursery while I volunteered with crafts. We are blessed to have a wonderful church family that is full of young families for our children to grow up with.

After VBS, Anna Kate attended Einstein Art Camp with her good friend Sarah. I was pleasently surprised with Anna Kate's creations. She did a great rendition of George Rodrigue's "Blue Dog" as well as a self-portrait that was surprisingly very good. Apparently she got her talent from someone besides her mother!

We wrapped up the month of June with JD & I celebrating 5 years of marriage! This occasion deserves it's own post! My wonderful husband took me on a 10 day celebration to the Carribean sans kids!! It was quite a feat to pull off childcare for that long, but it was a much needed relaxing, rejuvenating, fabulous week!!! Stay tuned for a detailed post about our trip!

After we got back from our trip, I had a minor surgery. I've always had chronic ear infections which has resulted in hearing loss. After a hearing test and visit with Dr. D it was decided that putting tubes in my ears may relieve some of the pressure and help with the hearing. So I joined the host of 2 year olds & had tubes put in my ears!! It seems that the tubes are helping as I do think I am hearing better.

We had a 2nd annual trip with friends to our ranch in Nacogdoches, Texas. This year five families came along for the fun. We had 9 kids 10 & under and they had a ball riding four wheelers, fishing, drinking grapefruit highballs at San Augustine drug store, playing board games, etc. The parents had fun having a chance for the kids to run & play while we got to visit and enjoy adult conversation until 2 am! We are so blessed to have wonderful friends!

Well those are just some of the highlights of our summer. There were plenty of afternoons in the pool, trips to the Snow Cone stand, boating on the river, birthday parties, swimming lessons, blueberry picking & overall Summer Fun!!

Day by Day-Autism Awareness Fun Day

2010-05-17T06:43:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know, I joined the Junior League of Lake Charles last spring. My first year in the League is considered your "provisional year." It has consisted of lots of meetings, volunteer activities, but mostly fun with a fabulous group of women. By coincidence, 3 of my book club attorney friends were in my provisional class so it was fun having friends to go through the process with. I made a lot of new friends throughout the year and even have started attending a play group with some of them (look at the post below). Our class was required to produce a "provisional project" and we chose an Autism Awareness Day. It was awesome to see how our project actually impacted parents whose children have already been diagnosed with autism or were still in the diagnosis phase. We received so many accolades that we were able to provide resources and information that they have not been able to find in other places. Overall, I think it was a great success!

Play Group

2010-05-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

We have just joined with a few of my friends from Junior League as well as some of their mutual friends in a little Friday morning play group. The kids are mostly around Will's age (not quite 2), but Anna Kate loves "helping" with the younger ones. Every Friday we go somewhere different like park, zoo, Children's Museum, fire station, etc. I took a few pictures at the Children's Museum a couple weeks ago.

Level 2 Gymnast

2010-05-17T06:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday Anna Kate competed in the Contraband Classic gymnastics meet. This is her second year competing in the meet. We were so proud to find out she has been promoted to a Level 2 gymnast (she is the youngest one at her gym!) She received a gold medal on bars, silver on vault & beam & a bronze on floor and a bronze medal all around. I don't think she has taken off her medal yet!! She is so proud of it!

Senior Tripping

2010-05-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Tracy & I brought my cousin, Lauren to Galveston & Kemah for a few days last week to celebrate her high school graduation. This has become a tradition in my family since Aunt Tracy brought my cousin Cara and me on our senior trips to Galveston as well. We had a delicious dinner at Gaidos (I'm still salivating from the pecan balls- pecans rolled in vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce!), a fabulous spa day at the San Luis Resort (I had the Balinise experience- 1 1/2 hour massage, scrub, soak & lotion application), Rock the Dock in Kemah, Walk along the beach in Galveston. I can home from our adventure with 2 new hermit crab friends. Anna Kate LOVEs hers. HOwever, Will just screams, "It MOOOOOOOOVES!" everytime we show it to him! Poor little guy is not a fan!

A Tea-lightful Day!

2010-05-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Our precious Anna Kate turned 4 on May 11th and we celebrated her milestone with a Mom & Me Birthday Tea. We had it at a little tea house in town. It was so precious to see all of her little friends from school, church and a few cousins come dressed in their prettiest dresses. The girls decorated foam crowns, sipped tea, munched on quiche and tea cakes, dressed up in an assortment of boas, jewels, hats, etc. and had a fun surprise at the end- Horse & Carriage rides around downtown! While I had a lot of hiccups in my party planning (party favors didn't arrive so had to spend the morning on Plan B, Tea house put us in the smaller room & we had a HUGE turnout, etc.) I think it went very well & the girls seemed to have a "Tea-riffic" Time!

Strawberry Picking

2010-05-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Back in March when we went to Houston for the Rodeo, we stopped by a little farm on our way home in Alvin, Texas. It was the opening weekend of strawberry picking season & the kids had so much fun. Anna Kate is our competitive child & in true Hankins spirit was able to turn Strawberry picking into a competitive sport! However, Will is more my personality & quickly learned that if you just eat the strawberries in the field that you have less to carry :)

Church Girls

2010-04-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

Anna Kate has gotten to be good friends with several of the girls at church. After children's church last Sunday, her little group all lined up behind the handrails at the entrance to the church. I thought they were just precious lined up!

Camille, Sarah, Anna Kate, Allie & Lauren

Houston Rodeo

2010-04-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

Back in March, we made our annual trek to Rodeo Houston. This year was extra special because our friend, Justin Browning, was competing in Saddle Bronc Riding. We got to visit several friends, eat yummy food, meet precious baby Chloe Loving, do a little shopping, and ice skate at the Galleria. Fun times!

Railroad Festival

2010-04-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

A tradition for as long as I can remember is the Louisiana Railroad Days Festival. It's held the 2nd weekend in April in my hometown (DeQuincy). It was a huge deal growing up b/c we got out of school 1/2 day on Friday to watch the parade & we would ride rides until we puked, eat "pentecostal" hamburgers, funnel cakes, snow cones, boiled crawfish, watch the pageant (Yes, I was 2nd runner-up one year), listen to the entertainment. Basically all of the fun things you do at a small town Louisiana festival. So now that I'm a little older, I've tried to make it a tradition to bring my kids back & meet up with high school classmates to continue on the tradition. This year, Anna Kate really liked the rides (except for the one that went kind of high). She had a lot of fun with Karsyn, Allie & Scotti. Will on the other hand loved looking at the trains & playing on the regular park equipment, but didn't want ANYTHING to do with the rides. This one picture was when I thought he might ride a rid, but it ended with me carrying him off screaming before the ride began!

New Hobby

2010-04-15T22:28:00.001-07:00

This year one of my New Year's Resolutions was to try something I had never done before. Well I decided to take a painting class. I was invited by a friend of mine to "Lushes with Brushes." For $45, you get all your supplies, canvas, etc. and a fun 3 hour painting class. I've gone 3 times as well as once to "Painting with a Twist"- a new franchise painting shop that just opened. Below are my "masterpieces." I am far from Picasso. However, I was quite pleased considering my lack of talent & zero experience.

Anna Kate is almost 4!!!!

2010-04-15T22:20:00.001-07:00

This week I had Anna Kate's 4 year old pictures made!!! I can not believe my baby girl is already this old! She wants to have a Tea Party birthday party at the Tea House. My talented friend, Katie Maddox, helped make my idea come to life (as she is great at doing!). Here is a link to her blog post with a sneak peak of some of her tea party pictures.

http://doubletakephotography.blogspot.com/2010/04/anna-kate-bears-tea-party.html

Easter

2010-04-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

Easter was fun for the kids this year. We had an Easter Egg Hunt at church (pictures are still on my camera), an Easter Egg Hunt at School (my camera had no batteries), Easter Brunch at the Country Club (picture below w/ the Easter Bunny) & an Easter Egg Hunt at our friends', the Bowers (pictures taken from my cell phone). So obviously, I have been terrible about charging my camera & actually taking pictures lately, but you can visualize what took place. Anna Kate is now a true "Hankins" & has to be the competitive egg hunter. She had 2 baskets full at the church hunt, got 30 eggs at her school hunt when there were 10 allocated for each child & WON the hunt at the Bowers with 73 eggs. I'm trying to teach JD that EVERY aspect of life does NOT have to be a competition!!

Kingdom Kids

2010-04-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

JD & I along with two other great couples, James & Lollie Hendrickson & Jason & Christine Poynter began a new ministry at our church at the beginning of 2010. It's a children's church format where we take 3 year olds through 3rd graders into the youth room during the sermon & have a fun/interactive worship experience. Our first unit was "The Fruits of the Spirit". At the end of the unit, we "performed" for the entire church some of what they learned. It melted my heart to hear EVERY child (about 25 of them) memorize the Fruits of the Spirit. We have a video of Anna Kate saying her that I would love to post. Once I get a copy of it, I will try to put it on here. This ministry has been as much a blessing for the volunteers as for the children. I have truly learned what Jesus said about how we need to become like little children...their pure hearts, thoughts, prayers, love, joy, peace...We have now started a unit on Prayer, specifically teaching The Lord's Prayer. I look forward to what God has in store for this ministry as it continues to grow.

New Orleans/Mardi Gras

2010-04-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

JD & his parents/siblings weren't able to get together on Christmas Day this year due to schedules & illnesses, so in January we all went to New Orleans to celebrate Mrs. Kathy's 60th birthday. We had a lot of fun watching old home videos (including JD rocking his head gear at Disney World!!), a day at the Audubon Zoo, beignets at Cafe Du Monde, birthday dinner at Drago's and evening on the Decoteau's balcony in the quarter. Anna Kate has a fabulous time practicing "Mardi Gras" & pegging people with beads!!

At the end of January our Mardi Gras Krewe, Krewe of Chaos, had its annual ball. This year's theme was "I Love the 80's" Our group went all out (including the guys on stage w/ their inflatable guitars jamming to Journey) & had a blast!!!

Anna Kate's school had their own Mardi Gras parade. They usually block off the street in front of the school. However, due to the cold, rainy weather the "parade" was moved to the gym.

We had planned on taking the kids to the Children's Parade. However, Will had another flare up with his asthma/pneumonia, so we spent that day (Valentine's Day) in the pediatrician's office. HOwever, my parents graciously watched him so that we could bring Anna Kate to the "big parade" (Krewe of Krewes) on Mardi Gras day. We met up with the Browns & Brownings. Anna Kate woke up the next morning with pnuemonia, so of course I felt like Mom of the Year for bringing her out in the cold. And Yes, that is my disgusting husband eating a Twinkie that he caught in the parade...EWWWWW!!!!

Catching UP!

2010-04-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

So I have totally neglected the blog for several months. Well tonight JD is having a "guy's weekend" with all of his uncles, cousins, dad, brother, etc. so I decided to stay up & catch up on all those things I've been putting off.

Well here goes.

December 2009:
We had my friend, Katie Maddox, take family pictures for our Christmas card pictures & I was so pleased with how they turned out. She is so creative & always does an amazing job.

December was a very busy & enjoyable month. The month consisted of a visit to the Christmas tree farm, Birthday parties, JD's family Christmas in Marlin, a very busy month at work with several big closings, both kids with pneumonia, Will being officially diagnosed with Asthma, Will getting a 2nd set of ear tubes, serving as bridesmaid/groomsmen in our dear friends' wedding, Anna Kate not being able to serve as a flower girl in the wedding because she had pneumonia & 102 fever :(, lots of family time with dinners at my parents, JD's parents, Christmas brunch at our house, Christmas afternoon at my Grandma's. Whew..that's just a glimpse at what our December held. Then to top it off JD & I made a spur of the moment trip to Breckenridge to Ring in the New Year! Here are a few pictures from those festivities.

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

For the second year, we had Breakfast with Santa as part of the Mistletoe & Moss Market. Anna Kate LOVED getting to meet him. She asked him for a piano, a pink fourwheeler, a dollhouse & a trampoline. She will be getting 3 of the 4 of those for Christmas. The Trampoline will have to wait until her birthday when we have a place to put it!

We tried our hardest to get a cute picture of the kids with our cousins, Jackson & Caroline, but they kids were NOT cooperating. This was the best we could get!

What's America?

2009-12-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

I sadly don't have any pictures from our Thanksgiving festivities, except for this one that was taken in my kitchen not even on Thanksgiving! We had four delicious events- Thanksgiving Eve at my parents, Thanksgiving lunch at the Perry's, Thanksgiving dessert at Nanaw's & Thanksgiving supper at Michael & Kari's. Our favorite dishes were Denise's Rosemary Turkey, Mom's Crabmeat casserole, & my Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Anna Kate learned about the first Thanksgiving at school and informed me of it on the way home from school one day. Out of the blue she said Mommy, I learned about the Mayflower today. It was a big ship with Pilgrims & they came to America. But Mommy, what's America? I was so taken aback that I didn't even know what to say. I tried explaining that we live in America. Her response was well where's the Mayflower? I have new respect for teachers as they try to explain concepts such as the states & America to a 3 year old. Anna Kate has such an imagination & absorbs things like a sponge that every day she is coming up with funnies & asking LOTS of difficult questions!

"Fall"ing Behind!

2009-12-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

OK, so I haven't been good about keeping all of you updated on the Hankins Happenings for the end of Fall, but I do have a good excuse. We have been out of town EVERY weekend in November. Three weekends to Houston for a cousin's wedding, Nutcracker Market shopping & a visit to see Kate & Neil who were visiting to Chicago, then off to Dallas the last weekend in November for Jenni Lee's Bachelorette Party. As I'm clearing up my Memory card for the Hankins family Christmas in Marlin this weekend, I decided to give you a glimpse of the Halloween fun that we had.

Our church had its annual Halloween festival. I had the cutest little bumble bee & dragon ever! & there was even a surprise appearance by Mr. Gecko himself!

The Gecko Returns to Win Best Adult Costume! The Toddler Area- Adli, Will, Jett & Avery.

Cuties! Anna Kate's Buddies- Ava, Sarah, Allie & Anna Kate

Liz is So creative!

Anna Kate's PK3 class also had a little Halloween party. I was in charge of drinks, so I brought a "Witches Brew" complete with dry ice in a caldron. Well this was definitely an experiment and while visually it was a hit with the kids, I didn't realize the dry ice would disintegrate & contaminate the entire punch. Thankfully I had brought along a pack of Capri Suns so the kids didn't go thirty!

Finally, on Halloween evening we had a fun party at our house. Our neighborhood goes CRAZY for Halloween. We had an estimated 1000 children come through our neighborhood trick or treating. I am still finding tootsie roll wrappers from that evening. Our friends, Paul & Denise Perry got the award for most creative costumes. Paul was the Balloon Boy & Denise was Octo-Mom! I remember going to Halloween parties atheir old house (which coincidentally on my street) & how creative they always were!

All the Grandparents

2009-10-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the picture of the whole family at Grandparents Day.

Chaos Halloween Party

2009-10-19T07:08:00.001-07:00

Saturday night our Mardi Gras Krewe had our annual Halloween Party. We invited our friends Dustin & Lauren to join us. We had fun seeing how ridiculous of a costume we could come up with. Yesterday, JD put his costume back on & scared the daylights out of Anna Kate! It took her several seconds to figure out it was JD & not a giant lizard monster!

The next Mia Hamm

2009-10-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well JD's dream since before Anna Katharine was born finally came true on Saturday, she is officially a soccer player!! The YMCA in Lake Charles has a 3-4 year old league & of course JD signed up to be the coach! They stress teaching the kids the game in a non-competitive environment. Our team was severely outnumbered (5 against 10) because they let all the kids play that show up. However, despite the odds, we won 5-2 (but who's counting!) Our team is made up of Anna Kate & her two good friends Kohl & Karsyn, as well as a little boy who was in her MDO class last year & a new friend, Mason. JD is still working on Anna Kate getting a little more aggressive towards the ball. At one point during the game, she ran off the field to tell me she was hot & just ready to go eat cookies!! Maybe she is my child after all :)

Grandparents Day

2009-10-19T06:47:00.001-07:00

Anna Kate's School hosted Grandparents Day two weeks ago. She was so blessed to have had ALL 4 of her grandparents attend as well as one of her great-grandmothers. She definitely won the prize for the most family in attendance. I just pray that she will understand how truely blessed she is to have such loving, suppotive grandparents. They each have their own unique personalities and qualities that help in molding their grandchildren. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of Anna Kate with her grandparents at the program. However, the school took one they are supposed to be sending to us.

Speaking of school, Anna Kate LOVES her school! The first picture is of her little girlfriends, Charlie & Kierstin. They have a fourth member of their little posse, Chloe, who didn't make it in the pictures. It has been so fun to see Anna Kate make friends on her own that hopefully last a lifetime!

Bibbity Bobbity Boo!

2009-10-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

At the end of September, we took a family vacation to Orlando. My father in law has a timeshare at a great resort that he generously let us use for the week. When my parents found out we were bringing the kids on their first trip to Disney, they wanted to tag along to. So all together, we had 9 people (our 4, my parents, brother, father in law & JD's sister). Even with so many people, we had a FABULOUS trip! The entire week revolved around Princess Anna Katharine & Price William. It was absolutely magical to see Anna Kate light up everytime she saw a princess. We went to every park, Magic Kingdom twice, outlets malls, resort day complete with golf, spa & lots of swimming, Football night by the pool on the giant screens, three character dining meals (the highlight was dinner at Cinderella's castle), Downtown disney, and most importantly a weeks worth of memories that will last a lifetime.

Summer of Fun

2009-09-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Well now that the summer is officially over, I have been in a reflecting mode of where the past 3 months have gone. We didn't go on a "big trip" over the summer, but we were gone almost every weekend on lots of little trips. So here are pictures from our summer of travels.

June 5-7- JD & I took a little pre-anniversary trip to Dallas for the Grand Opening of the new Texas Stadium. It was a perfect combination for us- JD is obsessed with the Dallas cowboys & I am obsessed with George Strait (who was one of the performers for the grand opening concert). So we left the kids with my parents, stayed at the Hyatt downtown, had dessert at the top of Reunion Tower (the revolving restaurant), went shopping & had brunch with my cousin & her family. Overall, it was a relaxing little getaway for just the two of us.

June 12-14- We headed down the Texas coast to Port Aransas, TX with the Tahoe loaded to the brim for the annual Hankins-Kenny family reunion. We even brought our fabulous babysitter, Sarah Jones along to help me watch the kids while JD did guy stuff. On our way down, we stopped in Victoria to have lunch with a girlfriend of mine from law school. We got to see her new house & play with her precious little girl, Penelope. It was so much fun to catch up on life post-law school. We rented a condo close to the beach so all day Saturday Sarah & I hung out on the beach with the kids. Another friend of mine from law school, Sara Giddings lives in Corpus now & she came & spent the day at the beach as well. There were very few moments that entire weekend that we weren't in swimsuits between the beach & the pool at Uncle Doug & Aunt Jenny's house.

June 24-26- Our most spontaneous event of the summer was our quick trip to Omaha to the College World Series. Our favorite team, the LSU tigers were in the championship series. On Monday night, we had several friends over to watch the game. Then Tuesday, I worked all day, had a late meeting & came home exhausted & went straight to bed. Well about 10:30 pm, JD woke me up & said hey LSU just lost so game 3 is tomorrow, want to go? Well I'm always up for a trip & Nebraska is a state I have never been to, so we searched & found flights out of Lake Charles the next morning that would put us there in plenty of time to watch the game. My parents were gracious enough to watch the kids & we had an AMAZING time. It just so happened that our anniversary was the day after the game, so stayed an extra night in Omaha to celebrate our annivesary (again). While we were in Omaha, we cheered on our tigers to a win (of course!), slept late, visited the Omaha Zoo, drove across the bridge to Iowa (another state checked off my list), drove past Warren Buffet's home, ate a yummy steak at Omaha Prime & celebrated 4 years of marriage. The past 4 years have flown by, but I love my husband more & more every day.

July 4th weekend- Well the following weekend, we packed up again & headed to our ranch house in Nacogdoches for the 4th of July weekend. There were like 12 adults & 10 kids under 5 (can't remember the exact number now). It was a fun weekend of grilling, riding four wheelers, fishing, playing cards, & spotlighting at 2 am. We have been blessed to make friends with several families from church who have kids about the same age as ours. I've mentioned our life groups before & most of the couples who went on this weekend getaway are part our life group.

July 13-17- Vacation Bible School. Our theme this year was "Riders of the Great Roundup" which was a cowboy theme. Naturally, my parents provided most of the decorations since their ranch is full of cowboy stuff. Mom & I teamed up & taught the bible story class to the 3 year olds- 1st grade. Anna Kate had so much fun at her first year of VBS to go all by herself (last year I brought her & stayed with her the whole time).

July 17-20- My cousin from Dallas came down with her 2 girls for a weekend visit. Anna Kate & Camille are only 5 days apart & Kate is 5. We had the BEST time riding horses, four wheelers, dune buggies, swimming at Uncle Larry & Aunt Fran's house with more cousins, Jackson & Caroline, & brunch at the Country Club with the whole family.

July 24-27- We realized that we had never made a trip to San Antonio since Will was born to meet JD's grandmother. So we both felt a strong urge that we really needed to make that a priority this summer. On Saturday, JD spent the morning bringing the kids to his grandmothers & great aunts homes while Paige (JD's cousin's wife) headed to the San Marcos outlets. My sweet husband told me to buy myself a purse, so home I came with 2 new Kate Spades & a Coach :) All for less than I would have spent for one full priced, retail one. They were having such great deals, that I actually got a lot of Christmas shopping out of the way. That evening we had dinner with JD's Uncle David & Aunt Danielle. The next day we visited with his Mom, then headed to Justin & Paige's house. That evening we stayed with them, had dinner with Uncle Charley & Chrissy & just watched the kids play. They have 3 kids- Addison (5), Gavin (2) & Gaege (5 months). Anna Kate & Addison played so well together & made lots of cousin memories. We stayed around an extra day to bring the kids to Sea World. We even brought Addison with us. The girls were so fun to watch bounce from one exhibit, show & ride to the next. William even LOVED the Shamu show & just stood there in awe at the whales.

Whew...well that is the highlights of our summer, pre-school starting..I'll get to post-school in a little while. JD started a project at our Sam Rayburn property right after the 4th of July weekend, so he actually worked up there 3-4 days a week for 6 weeks of the past 2 months. So needless to say our cars have a lot more miles & the piles of laundry continue to multiply, but overall we had a fun summer!

*I have pictures from most of these trips, but no time right now to post them. I'll try to add pictures when I have time.

Almost a year!

2009-07-30T17:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Will had his 1 year old pictures made!! I can't believe that he'll be 1 in less than a month. It seems like yesterday that I was hot, swollen & wishing time would hurry up so we could meet our little man. Now I relish every hug, coo & snuggle knowing that before long he won't want to cuddle in my arms & instead be trying to figure out what to get into next. To take a look at some of the pictures, check out www.doubletakephotography.blogspot.com. These girls are fabulous. So fun & easy to work with. They took our family pics/Will's 6 month/AK 3 year old pictures a while back. Katie took the pictures yesterday & I'm so pleased with how the one's I have seen turned out. Can't wait to see all of them!

Will turned 11 months old this week & here are some of his milestones:

*Crawling & cruising everywhere!
*Can stand for a few seconds by himself
*Has 7 teeth w/ one more inching out any day
*Says da da, ma ma, duck, bye bye, dog, eat on a consistent basis. He has a few more words that are one timers (Nemo, thank you, etc.)
*Likes to be held ALL THE TIME now. He does not like to be put down at all!
*Can climb up stairs (Gives me a heart attack when he sneaks away to try this!)
*His hair has really lightened up lately & gets super curly when it's wet
*LOVES the water & anything to do with it. He loves to splash, drink & kick the water.
*Eats really well. I weaned him about a month ago and he's done really well on formula with minimal stomach issues. He eats any food that he can't choke on (besides seafood, honey & peanut butter). The messier the better in his opinion. Needless to say I am constantly picking up cheerios, shredded cheese & pureed green beans from random locations!
*Loves to cuddle & has started reaching to be held when you walk in the room
*Smiles all the time & belly laughs when tickled

Our big boy!!

2009-06-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I walked out of the room & walked back in to find Will like this! He's getting so big!! He's starting to cruise a little bit after he pulls himself up, especially along the coffee table. It won't be too long before he's taking off on his own!

9 months old!

2009-05-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our little man turned 9 months old on May 28th. The week before he went for his check up & weighed 19 lbs. 14 oz. & 27 1/2 inches. He has since gained those extra ounces & passed up the 20 lb. mark! Other significant milestones:

*He has 4 teeth (2 on the top, 2 on the bottom)

* Can crawl- he started really crawling on May 11th- Anna Kate's b-day)

*Eats all kinds of foods (baby food & table food). His favorites are baked sweet potatoes, bananas, & pasta. He's down to nursing 2 times a day & taking a couple bottles during the day.

* Can pull himself to a standing position & stand holding onto something. He's not quite "cruising" yet, but that won't be too long

* Loves to babble. His favorite sounds are Dada & EEEEEat! He has said & waved bye bye a couple times, but he won't perform on command

* LOVES to swim. We went to waterpark last weekend & in the pool several times lately & he loves to splash & giggle.

* Really interacts with his big sister. I can leave them alone for short periods of time with a pile of toys and they play very well together. She likes to read him books. However, I need to buy some boy toys for him, because lately he has been favoring her princesses and baby dolls!

* Overall a sweet, laid back gentle little man. Everyone who meets him comments how docile of a child he is. We pray that he continues to grow up with a gentle nature. We are so blessed by our little man!!

Birthday Weekend in Chicago!!

2009-05-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

For our birthdays, my friend from law school Lyndsey & I went to visit our other friend from law school, Kate. Lyndsey & I have the same birthday so it was a double celebration. We had SO much fun!! Kate had a b-day cake waiting on us when we arrived & the consumption of sweets never stopped the entire weekend- pound cake for breakfast, ice cream from the Good Humor truck. We even had dinner at a place called Hot Chocolate that was known for their desserts & more ice cream at Sweets in Lake Forest, IL. Undoubetedly Lake Forest is where Jennifer Aniston has a second home & was the home of the original Marshall Fields. We visited that suburb on our way to Wisonsin.

I'm sure you are wondering why we went to Wisconsin. Well if you aren't aware, I have a personal goal to visit all 50 states before I turn 30. Wisconsin was one of the states I haven't yet visited so we made a little road trip. Last year when I visited Kate in Chicago I was able to knock out Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. So know with a little under 4 years left to complete my goal, I am down to 12 states left. Unfortunately, they are the most boring states (hence why I have not yet visited them). So if anyone is up for a road trip from Oregan to West Virginia let me know. I need an excuse to visit those states!

So besides the road trip & sugar induced coma, we had a fantastic trip. It was so relaxing to have 2 full days of no diapers to change, mouths to clean, toys to pick up, etc and lots of adult conversation! I missed my husband & kiddos so much, but I definitely enjoyed a little "me" time. Thank you JD for being so sweet. When I told him I was thinking about going to Chicago, his immediate response was I needed to go. He didn't complain the first time about having to watch the kids. I'm so thankful that I have a husband that loves taking care of his kids & doesn't mind me having girl time!

End of the Year Program

2009-05-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

Anna Kate also participated in her schools end of the year program. Her class has been practicing for months on the Pledge of Allegiance, The B-I-B-L-E & Baby Bumblee Bee. Anna Kate has been practicing at home & the whole way to school that morning. But for some reason as soon as we got to her school she started WAILING and refused to perform. After much coaxing I finally sat at the front of the auditorium with her, but she still wouldn't perform. Of course, as soon as it was over she started singing her songs again! We have really enjoyed Anna Kate's year at Trinity Baptist Mother's Day Out. Her teachers, Mrs. Sarah & Mrs. Gladys were so sweet and really taught Anna Kate a lot. We appreciate all of the love and knowledge that they gave our daugther this year. We were sad for the school year to end but look forward to her starting Pre-K three in the fall at Episcopal Day School.

Contraband Classic

2009-05-31T17:45:00.001-07:00

Anna Kate has been taking gymnastics for over a year & a half now. She started at Guzzy's Gymnastics in a Mom & me class when she was 17 months old. When she turned 2, I decided I was too pregnant to take gymnastics (I was 7 months pregnant at the time) so I switched her to Gymnastics Etc. Gym Etc. is where I took gym for 6 years when I was younger. She attends class for 1 hour once a week and she LOVES it. Her bff Karsyn is also in her class so that makes it even more fun. A few weeks ago we had her end of the year meet. She competed in Bars, Balance Beam, Floor & Vault. We were so proud of her Blue ribbon (1st place) on the balance beam. She received 1 blue, 2 reds & 1 white and a bronze medal overall.

More Birthday Fun!

2009-05-31T17:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of Anna Kate's Storybook 3rd birthday party as well as her makeover at Club Tabby with her bff Karsyn. They were such divas!

Happy Birthday Anna Kate!!

2009-05-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

On Monday our sweet daugther turned 3 years old. She woke up Monday morning & said, "Mommy, it's MY DAY!!!" We had a great day complete with breakfast pancakes at May May's house, Paw Paw's steak for lunch, makeovers at Club Tabby with Karsyn, cupcakes at gymnastics, & chips & cheese (Casa Ole') for supper.

The past three years have truely flown by. They have been filled with lots of laughs, smiles, tears, tickels, firsts and most of all love! Anna Kate's vocabulary and personality have blossomed a lot in the past year. She is never at a loss of words and usually has something witty to say. She's a girl who knows what she wants and figured out a way to accomplish it! Some things we are especially proud of.

1. She can count to 20.

2. She can count to 10 in Spanish (like Dora).

3. Knows all her alphabet, can recognize the letters, tell you words that start with them & the sound they make.

4. Loves other children (best friends are Camille & Karsyn). However, yesterday she told us that her Daddy was her best friend in the whole wide world.

5. Loves all animals. She loves to ride her horses (yes plural...she already claimed my horse & her Paw Paw gave her a new one for her birthday).

6. Is very interested in Jesus and heaven. Lately she been asking almost daily when we get to see Jesus and exactly where is heaven. I pray a lot that I'll have the wisdom to answer her questions in a way that she will understand and that her curiousity will continue to blossom throughout her life.

7. One of her favorite activities is to dress up. She knows all of the princesses by name and she assigns us new roles to play each day. Usually she is Cinderella and I am Belle. Daddy used to be the Beast but lately he has been Prince Charming (notice a trend with her loving her Daddy!!)

8. Loves her baby brother. She is a wonderful big sister and loves to make him laugh, feed him from a spoon & even share her toys. I also pray that this love and friendship will continue for years to come.

9. She likes a variety of foods. Some of her favorites are sushi, filet mignon (aka Paw Paw's steak), king crab and boiled crawfish. However, she can also eat her weight in mashed potatoes.

10. Most of all...is everything that JD & I could possibly want (& more) in a daugther. We are so blessed with two amazing children that are the pride & joy of our lives. We are so thankful to have been entrusted with the opportunity to raise our children and pray that we will have many more birthdays to celebrate our precious daugther.

More Easter

2009-05-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

I know Easter has long since come & gone, but I thought I would share more pictures from all of our Easter activities.

I didn't get any pictures from Anna Kate's school egg hunt, but it was over so quickly I didn't have much time! The day before Easter, we went to the Country Club for a hunt. Both of our parents, JD's brother & his family all celebrated together. Both of my children thought it was hilarious to put their buckets on their heads!! Crazy kiddos!

On Easter night, Anna Kate & I left out some carrots for the Easter Bunny to eat. We woke up Easter morning & he had left a trail of Easter eggs from Anna Kate's room all through the house to her bucket in the kitchen. Along the trail, we even discovered that he had ridden her bicycle during his visit & left his paw prints on it!! That silly bunny!

Finally on Easter Sunday we went to church and had a wonderful lunch at the Country Club. We then went to my grandma's to visit. Anna Kate had so much fun playing with all the cousins. These pictures were taken at the end of the day. Please note the huge stain on the front of Anna Kate's dress. I had forgotten to bring a change of clothes for her to Nanaw's house. Needless to say her Easter dress will never look the same.

Random

2009-05-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well I never did find my gadget to download my pictures, so I bought a new one. I didn't realize how long it has been since I downloaded pictures off my camera. I had almost 250 on there that hadn't been downloaded!! Thought I would share a few randoms.

Krewe of Krewes Mardi Gras Parade Haley & Anna Kate

Swinging at May May's house Hair cut at Pigtails & Crewcuts

Jason's 5 year recognition banquet Will hanging out

Anna Kate & Paw Paw catching her 1st fish!

Cooking & napping

Gourgeous sunset!

Be Fruitful & Multiply

2009-04-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

In honor of Will's baby dedication, JD & I wanted to get him a sentimental "prize." For Anna Katharine's, we bought her a pearl to add to her add-a-pearl necklace (the idea is to have a full strand of pearls at some point in the future). Since Will I don't think Will has the same appreciation for pearl necklaces, we decided to plant a tree for him. We thought a fruit tree would be appropriate because of Genesis 9:7, "As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." So today JD went to Devers nursery and brought home a Mayhaw tree. If you don't know what a mayhaw is, they produce a small red berry. The berry itself isn't that great to eat, but you mash it, collect the juice & it makes the best jelly you've ever eaten in your life!! **As an aside, I do have a fond place in my heard for Mayhaws as I was the 1997 Jr. Miss Starks Mayhaw Festival Queen**

So, We went out to our new home pad tonight & planted the tree in our future yard. So fun!! I have visions in a few years of looking out my bedroom window (that's the side of the future house that we planted the tree) & seeing my children picking mayhaws off the tree. Excuse my daughter's attire..I promise she doensn't ALWAYS run around in her swim suit & rubber boats. Long story, but I forgot her gymnastics leotard today, so I had to grab one at Walmart, which they didn't have so I grabbed a swim suit instead. Mom dropped her to me at gym & accidentally left me with no shoes, so we found the rubber boats in the back of Daddy's truck! Nonetheless, we had a fun little family time planting our tree. I'm just hoping it survives the tsunami that is passing though our area!!

Caroline's 1st Birthday Party!

2009-04-26T20:30:00.001-07:00

Our precious niece, Caroline had her 1st birthday party this afternoon at Graywood Park. It was a beautiful day to swing, slide & eat cake. Here is the link to the pictures my mother in law took at the party.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=1a893t47.chfj7xhv&x=1&y=8hvyv1&localeid=en_US

Happy Birthday layout!

2009-04-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

So anyone who knows me, knows I love my birthday and think of the entire month of May as my birth month! Well I'm creating a little girl after my own heart, because Anna Kate also claims May (& she's working on April!) as her birth month. So in honor of the festivities to come in the next few weeks, I thought I would start early with a cute birthday layout. Plans are in the works for an exciting storybook birthday party next Saturday for Anna Katharine. For our birthday weekend, my law school classmate Lyndsey Knight (we share birthdays) & I are going to fly up to Chicago & visit our other law school classmate Kate Mascarenhas. I haven't looked forward to a birthday this much in a long time. I've heard there is nothing to look forward to after 21, but I beg to differ!!!

Our prayer for Will

2009-04-25T20:27:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is William's baby dedication at church. For Anna Katharine's baby dedication, our church in Houston had us write a prayer/blessing for our child. We decided to do the same thing for William. I have attached below the prayer that we wrote for him. We are so blessed by our little man (actually both of our children, but this is William's time in the spotlight). He will be 8 months old on Tuesday and has truly made an impact on our family. Thank you God for blessing our family with his life!

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to you today in awe and thanksgiving for the precious life you have blessed us with, our dear William Rhodes Hankins. The verse that comes to our mind the most when we think of our son is Psalms 139:13-16, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Everything about our precious baby is perfectly made- your handiwork created quite a masterpiece!
On this day, we dedicate the life of William to you and your kingdom. We recognize that you have entrusted us with a delicate life and it is our desire to raise him according to your commandments. We love your scripture that says, “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.” (Psalms 127:3) Just as we pray that William will leave a heritage that will honor our earthly family, we pray that he will leave a legacy that honors his heavenly father as well.
In only seven short months, William has already become such a blessing to our lives. We prayed for a mild-mannered, laid back, healthy baby and you delivered- above and beyond our expectations. William is already known for his sweet, gentle personality. He always has a gummy smile on his face that can light up an entire room. We are so blessed by such a small little guy. Having our own son has made us appreciate the sacrifice you gave in giving up your own son, Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. I can’t imagine how painful it must have been and we are truly appreciative of that enormous sacrifice.
We thank you again for all of the blessings you have bestowed on our family. It is our prayer that you will continue to provide the wisdom, patience and love we need to raise our children according to your word. In Jesus name, we offer this our prayer to you.
Amen.

Easter Egg Hunt Round 1

2009-04-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday our church had our annual Easter Egg Hunt. I still haven't found the device to download pictures off my camera, so the pictures I have are all stolen from Ashley's blog! http://www.ashley-lambert.blogspot.com/ Tomorrow Anna Kate has an egg hunt at her school & on Saturday we are going to one at the Country Club, so we should be pros at this after this weekend!!

Family Pictures

2009-04-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I blogged, but I have lost my memory card reader to get the pictures off my camera. One day I'll get around to catching up. However in the meantime, last Friday we had two great photographers (Double Take Photography http://www.doubletakephotography.blogspot.com/) come out to my parents ranch and take some pictures for us. It was a combination Will's 6 month pictures (even though he is 7 months old), Anna Kate's 3 year old pictures (her b-day is in May) & we didn't have any good family pictures of the 4 of us. We had a lot of fun & so far I've seen two pictures & they are both so great. Katie & Amy are GREAT to work with & I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality yet affordable photography. They were so patient considering what they had to work with (Will got tubes on Friday & Anna Kate was running 102 fever!)

Tiki Freaks

2009-02-08T19:10:00.001-08:00

Last night was our annual Krewe of Chaos Mardi Gras ball. We celebrated with a Tiki theme & there was lots of fun had by all! It's so much fun to have a chance to get a new gown & dress up. Last year, JD & I were on the Royal Court for the Krewe, so we were presented as outgoing royalty (hence the sashes we are wearing in some of the pictures).

5 months old!

2009-02-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

On January 28th, Will turned 5 months old...I know it's so cliche', but where has the time gone?! He is growing up so fast!!

At 5 months,
* Weighs 15 lbs. 6 oz, 25 inches long
* FINALLY sleeping through the night (most nights)
* Started eating cereal & slowly introducing solid foods
* Rolls over nonstop
* "Talks" nonstop (as I'm typing this, he sounds like an adorable screeching parrot!!)
* Flirts with anyone who gives him attention complete with sweet eyes & coos
* Antagonizes his sister by pulling her hair
We are so blessed to have 2 wonderful children. Each have very unique personalities & it's so fun to watch them interact.

Reno/Lake Tahoe

2009-02-06T17:33:00.001-08:00

The last week in January, my parents invited us to tag along with them to Reno, NV to the Safari Club International Show. My brother is an avid hunter and wanted to go to this convention to see all of the vendors. We readily jumped on board and even talked them into staying a few extra days so JD & I could ski in Lake Tahoe. This was the first trip back to Tahoe since our wedding there 3 1/2 years ago. It was so magical to see the sights and reminisce about the day we became united in marriage. Here is a picture of us at the place we got married. In the summer time there is a large deck, but it's obviously covered in snow.

Our trip wasn't without its share of unexpected turbulence. Anna Kate started running fever the night before we left and it continued 5 of the 7 days of our trip. Will started acting a little congested, so we ended up taking both of them to Tahoe Urgent Care to get checked out. We discovered 3 of their 4 ears were infected, both throats were red, both had runny noses. So a round of antibiotics later, they are better.

One of my Dad's friends also joined us on the trip. On the second morning of our trip, Mr. Adams woke up with chest pains & was brought to the hospital. It was discovered he probaly got food poisoning & he ended up being med-evac'ed back to Houston.

My brother, Mom & another guy on the trip also came down with varying illnesses while on the trip. So health was not in our favor for the vacation. However, everyone is well now & we were still blessed with a wonderful vacation. JD & I had a wonderful time skiing, just the two of us. We hadn't had a chance to spend that much time together without kids, to have great conversation. I will cherish the moments we spent sipping hot chocolate, gazing at the beautiful lake, watching the snow fall and enjoying each others company. Great times!

Life Groups

2009-02-06T17:09:00.001-08:00

In the fall, our church implemented a new program called Life Groups. They consist of small groups who meet at someone's home every Sunday night instead of having "regular church." JD stepped up and agreed to lead a group. In the few months that they have been underway, I have seen a huge growth in our group as well as the individuals. Our group has already been through many trials and celebrations together with lots of laughs & tears shared. One exciting dynamic of our life group is that almost everyone has had a baby born within the past year. It has been so much fun to seek them grow and develop into their own unique personality. Until earlier this month, Will was the only boy (with 4 girls 1 & under). However, Jett is helping with the odds & Baby Edwards will almost even it up when he arrives this summer.

Will has embraced his male role head out by turning into quite a flirt lately. He has on more than one occasion held hands with two girls at one time & has mastered the art of "sweet eyes." I totally understand what has been said about a boy having a special place in their mommy's heart :)

Deer Hunting

2009-02-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago JD got invited to go to Mississippi with my Dad & brother to go hunting. JD isn't a big hunter, but he's never been known to turn down a free trip. He came home with a great 8 point & my freezer is now full of ground meat & sausage...YUMM!!

Fancy Nancy Party

2009-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Anna Katharine LOVES to dress up. The Sparklier, poofier, "princessier" the better! Almost every day Anna Katharine insists on dressing herself usually consisting of a dress, high heeled shoes & lipstick. Boy I'm going to have my hands full when she turns 16!!

A couple weeks ago her best friend Camille ("my girl" or "KK") had a Fancy Nancy birthday party. Anna Kate was in heaven since I actually let her out of the house in one of her ensembles. The Mom's had just as much fun as the girls playing in the makeup & being "fancy!" Having a girl is so much fun!!

December in Flash

2009-01-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

So I have done a terrible job keeping up with this blog lately. December was a crazy month for us! Last time I blogged, I mentioned that all of us were in bed sick. Well Will's RSV got worse & they ended up putting us in Womens & Hospital for 2 nights. Poor little guy was such a trooper.

On the day Will was released from the hospital, Anna Kate had her school Christmas program. They were supposed to perform Away in a Manger & Jingle Bells. Not a single child mouthed a single word of either song. However, almost every child cried & screamed at some point during the 2 minute program. One little girl was so distraught that she put her dress over her head for the entire program!!

Christmas came & went quickly this year, but we had a wonderful time. Anna Katharine had a lot of fun this year. However, she was really confused on Christmas morning because she didn't believe Santa had come since she didnt' see him. However, after about 3 houses worth of opening presents, she really got into it. Her big present was a kitchen set for her room. Now, she has been "cooking" up a storm. Her creations are usually quite interesting.

I need to download my newest pictures on my computer, so I'll blog about January once I have pictures to share! We are leaving Tuesday for Reno & Lake Tahoe!! JD & I got married at Lake Tahoe & we haven't gone back since our wedding 3 1/2 years ago. I'm looking to skiing, playing in the snow & reminising.

Thanksgiving Feast & More Snow Pictures

2008-12-15T18:32:00.001-08:00

I forgot in my whirlwind of pictures yesterday to add some of Anna Katharine's School Thanksgiving Feast. It was quite funny that their "feast" consisted of pizza bagels & apple slices. I couldn't help but wonder if the pilgrim children ate the same things at their feast! Somehow I think menus have changed over the past few hundred years. The little boy in the last picture is Anna Kate's best friend at school-Madden. He is quite the ladies man as his mother says he routinely come home talking about his girls- "Anna Tate", Makayla & Claire!

My Mom also gave me the pictures she took at their house last week when it snowed. Her pictures came out much better than mine did so I thought I would share.

The Past Month in a Flash

2008-12-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

We have been quite busy around here for the past month. I don't have the time or energy to post about everything but here are some pictures to sum up what's been going on around here!

JD & I enjoyed a night away by going to Baton Rouge for the LSU/Alabama game. We didn't actually go to the game, but we had a lot of fun tailgating with our dear friends Jenni Lee & Joey.

The following weekend we brought the kids to Mistletoe & Moss's Breakfast with Santa. They also had several characters walking around talking to the kids. Anna Katharine especially enjoyed seeing Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty.

After Breakfast w/ Santa, we attended Scotti Christerson's 3rd Birthday Tea Party. The girls were so adorable dressing up & drinking "tea" out of their teacups. Having a daugther is so much fun!!

The following weekend I helped organize a baby shower for my good friend, Kelley Ivey. She's expecting baby Jett in a few weeks. We can't wait for him to arrive!

We then celebrated Thanksgiving the following Thursday with lots of yummy food. I was very proud of my chocolate chip pecan pie (thanks Lyndsey Knight for the recipe).

A few days after Thanksgiving, we made our annual trek to Grant, Louisiana to the Grant Christmas tree farm. This is one of my favorite days of the entire year and I was so excited that Anna Katharine enjoyed the experience as much as I did.

Last week we took Will on his first trip to Las Vegas! I guess this has become a tradition since Anna Katharine's first trip was also to Vegas when she was 6 weeks old (what were we thinking?!) My parents were going out for the National Finals Rodeo so we decided to tag along. Will had many 1sts including 1st plane ride, 1st limo ride, 1st rodeo. Both kids did great & we had a lot of fun seeing the sights & catching several shows.

We got home on Tuesday night & on Thursday morning we woke up early to a sight not usually seen in Southwest LOuisiana-SNOW!! It snowed about an inch and even stuck to the ground until around noon.

Well the snow is melted & the weather is now in the 70's...and of course we
are all sick now! Anna Katharine started with congestion & fever our last day in Vegas and on Wednesday the doctor said she had "walking pneumonia." She's been on antibiotics ever since. Then on Saturday morning we brought Will in & he tested positive for RSV. The doctor said Anna Kate's could be viral as well instead of the pneumonia he first diagnosed. Whatever our official illness is, all 4 of us have been in bed the past 2 days with coughing, sneezing, runny noses, etc. UGH! Hopefully this bug will pass quickly & we'll have a healthy week!

2 Months Old

2008-11-04T17:42:00.001-08:00

Will is now 2 months old!!! He went for his 2 month check up on Monday and is 13 lbs. 14 ounces (90% percentile) and 24 1/2 inches long (75% percentile). He weighs more at 2 months than Anna Katharine did at 4 months!! Needless to say he's a great eater!

Other exciting things about Will:

* Wears size 2 diapers
* Can wear some 3-6 month old clothes
* Has learned to smile
* Still only sleeps 3-4 hours at night (hopefully that will change soon!)
* Such a sweet, laid back little man

Church Fall Festival & Mother's Day Out "Job Fair"

2008-11-04T17:27:00.001-08:00

For Halloween, our church had a Fall Festival with lots of fun activities for the kids last Wednesday night. On Thursday, Anna Katharine's school had a "job fair." The kids were encouraged to dress up as what they wanted to be when they grow up. Anna Katharine loves animals, so we decided she could follow in her Paw Paw's footsteps and dress up like a veterinarian. Baby Will was a dalmation (the same costume Anna Kate wore when for her 1st Halloween). We went to the Canton Flea Market on Friday so the kids didn't get to actually "Trick or Treat," but they did have fun at the events we attended.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-04T17:21:00.001-08:00

The Sunday before last we took the kids after church to a pumpkin patch close to our house. Anna Katharine had fun running through the pumpkins and playing with the hulla hoops with her friends Hayden & Camille. It was lunch time for Will so he wasn't quite as enthusiastic as the big kids.

The week of sickness

2008-10-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well this has been the week of sickness around our house! On Saturday Will started sounding congested again so we brought him to the doctor to find out he has a cold (after a short scare that it was pneumonia again). Anna Katharine had a runny nose over the weekend as well, so Will could have gotten the germs from his big sister.

We were all starting to feel a little better until last night Anna Katharine threw up all over my Mom, herself & Will! Then after we got home I took her temperature & she's running 101. So we are home today drinking lots of liquids, watching lots of movies and trying to nurse this family back to health! Hopefully she will not spread her latest germs to the rest of us! Tuesday was my 1st day back to work & I already had to take a sick day off today. Lots of fun!

Lynette & John's Wedding

2008-10-13T08:19:00.001-07:00

This weekend my cousin Lynette got married in Estherwood, Louisiana. Her Dad (my Uncle Timmy) has had Lou Gerigs disease for 16 years and is confined to his home. In order to have him a part of the wedding, they decided to have the wedding in his backyard. There was not a dry eye in the place when Lynette and Aunt Mary Jane walked down the aisle. We are so thankful that Uncle Timmy was able to be there to watch his daugther get married. Will is doing much better and the doctor gave us the all clear to go out in public again. It was the first time for several of our family members to meet baby Will and the first time that we got a picture taken of us as a family of 4!!

There were so many kids at the wedding and Anna Katharine found this one little boy in particular to play with. They got bored waiting on the band to start playing and decided to provide a little entertainment of their own. I have video footage of them "dancing" as well and will attempt to upload that later.

One Month Old

2008-10-13T08:14:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...Will is closer to 2 months than to a month now, but I am just now getting around to posting his one month old update.

At one month, Will
* rolled from stomach to back
* followed a object with his eyes & turned his head (Baboo was holding an oreo!!)
* wears size 1 diapers
* gained over 2 pounds since birth
* eats every 2-3 hours during the day
* usually wakes up 2 times a night to eat
* very laid back personality

Lazy days around the house

2008-10-13T08:10:00.001-07:00

I found a few cute pictures of us being lazy around the house that I thought I would share...

McNeese Games

2008-10-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we took Will on his first outing-to a McNeese game. He only lasted one quarter before he got hungry and we went home. However, he got his first introduction to college football. I didn't get any pictures of the kids at the game, but I got a few of them decked out once we got home.

We took Will back the next week and he lasted until half time. However, this weekend my parents watched the kids so JD & I could go to the game. The Cowboys lost, so I guess we need to bring the kids back for good luck!! At this weekends, JD was asked to do the Coca Cola promotion and attempt three field goals. He made the first one, but missed the second two. I videoed the whole thing, so if I can figure out how to download and upload a video I will post it. He did good and we won a weeks worth of Coke Products.

Update on Will

2008-10-03T14:03:00.001-07:00

Thank the LORD, Will is doing much better! Wednesday night we got a little worried because he started weezing. However, when we went for his check up yesterday his oxygen sat levels were good (which measures how much oxygen his lungs are getting). They went ahead & did a breathing treatment on him and his breathing started sounding much better. The doctor was pleased with his improvement, but sent us home with a breathing machine to use every 4 hours. For the most part he tolerates it fairly well. We are just so thankful that he is on the mend & we didn't have to spend any time in the hospital!

Please Pray for Baby Will

2008-10-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of those not so fun days of motherhood. I brought Will to the doctor this morning for a rash he has had. The doctor told us that it was eczema & gave us some medicine to try. He then did a normal check up on Will-looking at eyes, ears, listening to chest, etc. When he was listening to his chest I noticed a look of concern on the doctor's face. The doctor quickly ordered a chest x-ray, CBC, and what seemed like a 1000 other tests. After a ton of nurses poking & proding Will from every angle, it was discovered that Will has "walking" pneumonia. They considered putting him in the hospital, but decided to send us home with antibiotics & a follow-up appointment tomorrow. Thankfully Will doesn't have any symptoms & has been quite a trooper today. Please pray that the antibiotics will work & tomorrow's appointment will show drastic improvement.

...and the Little One Said, "Roll Over!"

2008-09-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Will reached his first milestone yesterday- he rolled over from his tummy to his back. JD & I were folding clothes & letting Will have a little "tummy time" on his surfboard mat. I noticed he was flailing his legs and I commented that he looked like he was trying to do the motions to crawl already! About 30 seconds later, Will bent his little leg & hoisted himself from his stomach to his back. We tried to get him to repeat the act for the grandparents last night, but he isn't into performing yet.

However, his big sister did perform her rolls, backbends and other gymnastic stunts for anyone who would watch her last night! She never passes up an opportunity to perform :)

Will's Official Hospital Picture

2008-09-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to Will's "official" hospital picture. He looks like he's showing off his muscles!
http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=3f255133-d618-47f3-a1e5-3d8e604e4762

Will's Nursery

2008-09-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

I was going through pictures this morning & found some pictures we took the night we went to the hospital to be induced. My friend Kelley painted the abstract canvases as a gift for us & a friend of my parents did the two big canvases. They all turned out great! There are still a few things to hang & buy to make Will's room complete, but I'm pleased to say it was basically complete for his arrival (thanks to Ryan helping JD hang everything on the wall right before we left for the hospital!)

When it rains, it pours!

2008-09-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well Tuesday we made the drive back to Sulphur without any problems. Luckily we left early enough that we didn't get into any traffic coming back. The hurricane hit farther east of here, so our area was basically unaffected besides losing power for a few hours during the storm. I'm so thankful that we had a house & electricity to come back to!!

So Wednesday was our first full day for me to be home with two kiddos by myself. I wasn't feeling great, so I asked Mom if she minded spending part of the day with us. Anna Kate developed a weird rash on her leg and Will had a little jaundice, so we started our day going to Dr. Richert's office to get both kids checked out. Let me tell you, 2 kids is a HUGE change from 1!!! It took me about 3 hours to get both kids woken up, bathed, fed, dressed, change diapers, change clothes from the spit up, etc! We barely made it to our 10:45 am doctor appointment and I started getting ready about 8 am!

Mom met us at the doctor, which I'm thankful for. Anna Kate was in an exceptionally active mood and did not want to sit still in the waiting room. Will decided that he was ready for his midmorning snack, so Mom had to case Anna Kate while I fed Will. We made it back to see the doctor and he said Anna Kate's rash was nothing to worry about. However, he did want us to do labwork on Will to see if his jaundice was getting worse. So the doctor left the room, I called my father in law to let him know we were coming to the hospital and Mom was holding baby Will. In those split seconds, Anna Kate jumped onto the exam table and decided she was going to get in the baby's car seat before Mom could put him in there. She flipped it off the table & fell off onto the floor (a 3 foot fall!!) She is screaming so we called the doctor back in the room to check her out. Everything seemed fine but he said keep an eye on her.

We walked across the street to the hospital to get Will's labwork done. Mr. Bill met up with us & came with me to the lab while Mom took Anna Kate to the cafeteria where we were going to meet up for lunch. As soon as they got in the food line, Anna Kate puked all over herself & Mom!!! So Mom ran back across the street to the doctor's office to make sure nothing serious had happened from the fall. Luckily, Dr. Richert said the puking was probably from too much excitement and not from a serious head injury. However, he advised us to go home & go back to bed!!!

I'm very thankful I had Mom & Mr. Bill to help me get through those hectic few hours b/c I definitely couldn't have done it on my own!! I've decided I need my Mom to help out a few more days before I'm ready to brave taking two kiddos on my own anywhere!

(On a positive note, the doctor called later & Will's jaundice is getting better, so we don't have to worry about that anymore!)

Evacucation

2008-09-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our evacua-cation. Anna Katharine LOVED all of the attention she received from Uncle Bobby and Aunt Corinne. They live on Lake Conroe, so she got to walk to the water and feed the fish, look at the boats, etc. Anna Katharine's new favorite activity is playing dress-up and they had a huge closet full of dress-up items. I ran to the store one day and when I got back she was in the drive way to greet me wearing a Jasmine (from Aladdin) costume!

JD & Will had a first milestone on the trip as well-they watched their first Dallas Cowboys football game together. I'm sure this will only be the first of many games they watch together!!

1st Day of Mothers Day Out

2008-09-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

3 weeks ago, Anna Katharine started Mothers Day Out. She is only going once a week and I have thoroughly enjoyed a few hours to run errands without a 2 year old in tow. She has gone twice now and both times her teacher said she did great, but decided not to take a nap. Oh well, she has slept really well once she has gotten home from school! Here are a few pictures from her first day.

More Pictures of Baby Will

2008-09-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the pictures that my mother in law took at the hospital. There are some cute pictures of Anna Katharine meeting her little brother for the first time.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=1a893t47.6i4ge1f7&x=0&y=-n1srpx&localeid=en_US

Meet our Newest Addition!!

2008-08-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well sorry it has taken so long to get these pictures up, but it has been a whirlwind 4 days!!!

The quick synopsis of Will's arrival is that we went into the hospital at midnight on Wednesday night to be induced. They started my pitocin about 1 am. At 5:30 am, the doctor came in and broke my water. I received my epidural about 9:30. The nurse checked me about 10 am and said don't push b/c he'll ready to come right now!! They called the doctor in, I pushed for about 5 minutes & William Rhodes Hankins arrived into the world at 10:27 am. on August 28, 2008. He weighed a whopping 8 lbs 10 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long with a head full of hair!

After a full day of visitors, we enjoyed a good night's rest at the hospital. The hospital was very accomodating and comfortable..We thoroughly enjoyed the new renovations. JD was especially thankful for the comfy new couches!! Our plan was to stay in the hospital until Saturday and then come back to the hospital if Hurricane Gustav decided to threaten our area.

However, Friday morning we woke up to the news that Hurricane Gustav had strenghtened and was headed straight our direction. Therefore, we got an all clear from my doctor and Will's doctor to head home and start thinking about where we would go next.

We went home on Friday afternoon and got another good night's sleep (Will only woke up once during the night to eat!!) After considering all of our options on whether to stay or leave, we decided it would be best to leave on Saturday, ahead of the traffic. Our plan was to make it to San Antonio where JD has a lot of family. The traffic ended up being heavier than normal & it took 3 1/2 hours to get to Houston instead of the normal hour & 45 minutes. That far in the car is not comfortable for someone who just gave birth, so we decided to find a stopping place closer than San Antonio.

My grandma is with us and we decided to call her brother in Lake Conroe to see if we could evacuate to his house instead. Thankfully they agreed to take in the whole car load- me, JD, Anna Katharine, Will, my mom, brother, grandma & our 2 dogs!! So we are hanging out here for a few days until we figure out what the storm is going to do. Right now it looks like our house is going to be safe & we'll be able to go home in a couple days.

So all that to say, Will's first few days of life has been quite chaotic. Thankfully he has been quite a trooper through all of this! Again, sorry it has taken so long to post pictures of our new little guy, but I think I have a valid excuse.

Thursday is the Day!!

2008-08-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to post all week & haven't gotten around to it. Last week Anna Katharine started Mothers Day Out, which went very well. I have the most adorable pictures from her first day of school that I will try to post later (pictures are still on my camera).

Well the big excitement is that I'm going to be induced on Thursday!! We go into the hospital tomorrow night & they'll start a low dose of pitocin. The doctor should be there between 4-6 am & he'll check how everything is going. If all goes according to plan, baby William should arrive sometime Thursday afternoon. I'll be delivering at Cal-Cam hospital, so feel free to stop by & meet our baby boy if you are in the neighborhood. We will have wireless access at the hospital, so hopefully we'll have some pictures posted soon after his arrival for everyone not able to make it to meet him in person!

So please say a prayer for our family that everything will go smoothly and in less than 48 hours we'll have a healthy precious baby boy!

Less than 2 weeks!!!

2008-08-16T19:59:00.001-07:00

Well the countdown for baby Will has officially begun!! I went to the doctor yesterday for my 38 week appointment. He said I have dialated slightly, but baby Will is still very high. JD asked Dr. Darby what his prediction for Will's arrival & Dr. Darby responded that he expects that we'll end up inducing before he arrives on his own. The doctor is encouraging us to induce the week of my due date to prevent the baby from getting too big, thus increasing the risk of having to have a c-section. Therefore, based on Dr. Darby's on call days it looks like we'll be inducing on either Monday, August 25th or Thursday, August 28th. However, this is all very tentative as baby Will could have a completely different agenda & decide to arrive in his own time :) All that to say, we'll have a baby boy in less than 2 weeks!

Today was a very productive day as we picked up my chair & ottoman for the nursery. Mom also finished painting the baby bed. JD started putting it together today, but was slightly distracted by the Olympic basketball game. I have high hopes that it will be completely put together tomorrow. Very exciting to finally see the nursery put together. Once things are set up a little more, I'll take some pictures to post.

Well we're about to watch Michael Phelps hopefully win his 8th gold medal than I'm off to bed. I'm helping host my cousin Lynette's wedding shower tomorrow, so I need to rest up!

Circus, Visit with Nanaw & Happy Birthday JD!!

2008-08-13T17:46:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday the Ringling Brothers Circus came to town! This was Anna Katharine's 2nd circus experience (we brought her last summer when they came to town). However, she was much more excited and interactive this time around. She liked the elephants & kept making a hand gesture like their trunk. We let her pick out a prize to bring home & she picked out a cute white tiger. She makes quite a ferocious growl whenever you ask her what her tiger says!

On Friday Nanaw & Aunt Tracy came over to visit. Every time we visit with Nanaw, Anna Katharine loves to play with Nanaw's walker. Well this time, Nanaw thought it would be good exercise to push Anna Katharine around on the walker. It was good for both of them because Nanaw got a little exercise & it definitely kept Anna Katharine entertained!!

On Sunday we celebrated JD entering a new decade- the big 30!!! We had lunch with all of our parents, siblings (sans Steph & Kicker since they are in New Hampshire) & friends Ryan & Kelley at the Country Club. After lunch the boys played golf (a ploy to get JD out of the house so I could set up for his surprise party!!) I was very pleased that I was able to pull off a little surprise party for him without ruining the surprise (I'm terrible about ruining surprises!!). It was a small party with a few of his high school friends. I brought my camera to the party & realized I didn't take a single picture! Oh well, everyone seemed to have fun & JD seems to be embracing his new decade very well.

Friday I'll be 38 weeks & I'll go back for a doctor visit. Last week I hadn't made any progress, so we'll see what this week holds. I've had a lot more contractions this week, so I'm assuming something is happening?! Hard to believe that in 15 days or less we'll be a family of 4!!

Guess Baby Will's Stats!

2008-08-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun little game we did for Anna Katharine's arrival & we thought we would try it again. Hope you all will make your predictions. Winner gets to change the first diaper!!

Good luck Kate Mascarenhas since you were the big winner last time!!

New Car, Potty Training & the Countdown is On!!

2008-08-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well this has been a busy week around the Hankins house! We decided that since we are about to have 2 car seats to maneuver & my trailblazer has a few years on it, we would upgrade to a new vehicle. It appears that we are the only people in America getting a bigger vehicle with gas prices the way they are, but it worked to our advantage in getting the dealership to make a deal with us. So Friday afternoon, we picked up our newest family vehicle- a 2008 Chevy Tahoe! JD wanted to get a suburban, but I couldn't quite bring myself to get the same vehicle that both of our mothers drive. I recognize I'm doomed for Suburbanhood at some point, but I'm not quite ready yet :)

We are also proud to announce that our precious Anna Katharine is brilliant (in case you didn't already know!). We decided that we weren't going to try & potty train her before the baby arrives, since most children digress to baby habits with the arrival of a younger sibling. However, being the independent child that she is, she has decided that she's ready to be out of diapers. For a few months she's been pulling her diapers off after she uses it. So yesterday I went ahead & bought her a "big girl potty." I took it out of the box & left it in the middle of the kitchen floor while I was putting other things away. About 5 minutes later I walked back in the kitchen & found Anna Katharine sitting on the potty. I asked her what she was doing & she said "I tee teed!" Sure enough, she had used the toilet correctly!! Of course we had to take a picture to mark the occasion!

Last but not least, we are continuing to prepare for baby Will's arrival. I had my 36 week doctor appointment on Friday & I am fully effaced. My doctor said that means that as soon as the baby drops, I should begin to dialate pretty quickly. I also had an ultrasound done & Will weighed 6lbs. 2 oz.!! They said he's growing right on schedule & appears to be a healthy little boy. It's scary to think that the countdown is now only days until his arrival!! We still have a ton to do & buy before his room is complete. I think I've finally accepted the fact that his room is not going to be complete before he arrives. I decided to take a few pictures of what we have so far.

5 weeks or less!!

2008-07-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

We went for my 35 week doctor appointment & everything is looking good. My doctor checked me since I've been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions. He said baby William is still high & cozy and he isn't expecting him to drop for another week or week and a half. I'm now going to the doctor every week, so we'll see if any progress is made next Friday.

I have mixed emotions about being this far along. I can't wait to meet & hold our little bundle. However, I'm nervous about labor, having 2 babies to take care of, severe lack of sleep, etc. I'm glad we still have a couple weeks to prepare for his arrival!

First Dentist Appointment

2008-07-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Anna Katharine had her first dentist appointment and it went quite well. I was apprehensive about how it would go since I inadvertently scheduled the appointment during her usual nap time. However, she really enjoyed Dr. Grimball's waiting room. He had a "boat" that the kids could climb on and read books.

She cooperated fairly well...she didn't want to open her mouth, but she also didn't try biting the dentist which is always a plus! She finished off the appointment with a balloon and a ring from the treasure chest. So overall, I would say our first dentist appointment was a success!

Tommorrow I have my 35 week doctor appointment! I don't think he'll start checking my progress until next week, so it'll probably be a pretty uneventful appointment.

Welcome to the Blogging World-Take 2

2008-07-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well this is my second attempt at keeping the world updated on the happenings around the Hankins household. My first attempt was rather futile as it has now been almost 2 years since I posted anything. However, I have good intentions to be more faithful this time around.

So..what's new...Well in case you don't know we are expecting a baby boy. We've chosen the name William Rhodes Hankins. William is JD's Dad's middle name & Rhodes is my maiden name. His due date is August 29th (only 5 1/2 more weeks!) We still have a lot to get ready for his arrival including painting & setting up his bed, washing baby clothes, digging out all the baby gear from the attic, etc.

Anna Katharine seems to be excited at the prospect of a new addition, but I'm not fully convinced that she understands the magnitude of his presence. However, she was so adorable and sweet tonight. On her own accord she came up & started rubbing my belly then I let her rub some lotion on my belly. She had the biggest smile as we were talking about how she was "loving on" baby Will. We love our little girl!

Here's a parting shot of our silly little girl on our recent vacation in Colorado. We visited the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs and she had the best time running around acting like the soccer ball was her hat! We decided the picture will be famous when she's a member of the Olympic soccer team one day!!